title: Fireball (album)

text: The album was the first one Deep Purple worked on after establishing their career with "In Rock", which had been a critical and commercial success, staying on the charts for over a year. Because of this, the group were in continual demand for live concerts, which began to affect band members' health. Keyboardist Jon Lord suffered back problems (dating back to his days in The Artwoods when he had to transport a Hammond organ to gigs without the assistance of a road crew), and bassist Roger Glover had stomach problems which prevented him from performing live on several occasions. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore felt he had been vindicated by the decision to concentrate on hard rock, and believed the group's success was largely because of him. This led to increasing conflict with singer Ian Gillan and the relationship between the two began to become strained.


title: Fireball (album)

text: Material for the album was rehearsed in Welcombe Manor, Devonshire in December 1970. The band cancelled several live performances in order to put together material that could serve as a follow-up to "In Rock". "Strange Kind of Woman" was written during these sessions, and the track, along with "The Mule" was recorded in January 1971. Another song, "Freedom" was written at Welcombe and recorded during these sessions, but didn't make the final track listing. Other material was recorded in-between gigs through to March. "Strange Kind of Woman" was added to the group's live set at the end of January, quickly developing into a showpiece for Gillan to sing back Blackmore's guitar riffs in a call and response manner. The last song to be recorded was "Demon's Eye" in June.


title: Fireball (album)

text: "Fireball" reached the No. 1 position on the UK albums chart, while also hitting No. 1 in several other European countries like Germany, Austria or Sweden. In North America, it outperformed its predecessor, "In Rock", reaching No. 32 in the US and No. 24 in Canada.


title: Fireball (album)

text: The original UK version had "Demon's Eye" as its third track, but did not include "Strange Kind of Woman", which was instead released as a single there. The US version includes the latter track in place of the former. The boogie-inspired "Strange Kind of Woman" single reached No. 8 in the UK and Germany, and No. 1 in Denmark. "Fireball", the album's title track, was also released as a single and reached No. 15 in the UK.


title: Fireball (album)

text: "Strange Kind of Woman" has been a staple of the live set up to the present day, and "Fireball" also made a few live appearances, mainly as an encore as it required Ian Paice to use a double bass drum, which was set up during the break after the main set. "Strange Kind of Woman" and "The Mule" were played regularly live throughout 1972 (and appear on the live album "Made in Japan"), with the latter replacing an instrumental "Paint It Black" as a vehicle for Paice's drum solo.


title: Fireball (album)

text: "Anyone's Daughter" was played on the 1993–1994 tours, while "Fools", "No One Came", "I'm Alone", "Demon's Eye" and "No No No" have all made periodic appearances in various tours since 1996.


title: Fireball (album)

text: The original vinyl release was in a gatefold sleeve, with a generic Harvest LP-bag and a lyric-insert.


title: Fireball (album)

text: In September 2010, a limited-edition 24k gold CD was released by Audio Fidelity. The CD was mastered from the original master tapes by Steve Hoffman. The gold CD contained the original USA track listing with "Strange Kind of Woman" and does not have "Demon's Eye".


title: Fireball (album)

text: Most of the band do not consider the album a classic, although it is one of Ian Gillan's favourites. He stated in a 1974 interview: "The reason I liked that so much was because I thought, from a writing point of view, it was really the beginning of tremendous possibilities of expression. And some of the tracks on that album are really, really inventive." However, Gillan also said that the inclusion of "Anyone's Daughter" on the album was "a good bit of fun, but a mistake."


title: Fireball (album)

text: Ritchie Blackmore, in particular, stated publicly that he was not overly pleased with "Fireball". He said of the production: "That was a bit of a disaster, because it was thrown together in the studio. Managerial pressure, we had no time. 'You gotta play here, here, there, then you've got to make an LP.' I told them, 'if you want an LP, you've got to give us time.' But they wouldn't. I just threw ideas to the group that I thought up on the spur of the moment."


title: Fireball (album)

text: Jon Lord stated that "Fireball" "wanders slightly" and "goes to places that the band wasn't expecting it to go to." Lord did praise several songs on the album, including "No No No" and "Fools", and particularly singled out Ian Paice's drumming on the title track.


title: Fireball (album)

text: On 9 April 2011 episode of "That Metal Show", guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen stated that his older sister had given him "Fireball" when he was eight years old, and "it changed everything" for him. Similarly, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich stated that he purchased a copy of "Fireball" within 12 hours after his father had taken him to a 1973 Deep Purple concert in Copenhagen, and he credits the concert and album for sparking his interest in hard rock music.


title: Fireball (album)

text: Likewise, Michael Monroe stated on Eddie Trunk's podcast that it was the first album he ever bought, and one of the first he ever heard along with "Led Zeppelin II", and was a major influence to get him into a career in rock and roll.


title: Fireball (album)

text: King Diamond also mentions "Fireball" as the first studio album he purchased as a teenager and an important influence in his future career.


title: The Logical Song

text: "The Logical Song" is a song by English rock group Supertramp that was released as the lead single from their album "Breakfast in America" in March 1979. It was written primarily by the band's Roger Hodgson, who based the lyrics on his experiences being sent away to boarding school for ten years. The song became Supertramp's biggest hit, rising to 7 in the United Kingdom and No. 6 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. In 2001, a cover version by the band Scooter returned the song to the top 10 in several European countries.


title: The Logical Song

text: "The Logical Song" was written primarily by Roger Hodgson, the lyrics based on his experience of being sent away to boarding school for ten years. It was a very personal song for Hodgson; he had worked on the song during soundchecks, and completed the lyrics and arrangement six months before proposing it to the band for the album. In 1980, Hodgson was honoured with the Ivor Novello Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for "The Logical Song" being named the best song both musically and lyrically. "The Logical Song" also has the distinction of being one of the most quoted lyrics in schools.


title: The Logical Song

text: Hodgson has said of the song's meaning: "'The Logical Song' was born from my questions about what really matters in life. Throughout childhood we are taught all these ways to be and yet we are rarely told anything about our true self. We are taught how to function outwardly, but not guided to who we are inwardly. We go from the innocence and wonder of childhood to the confusion of adolescence that often ends in the cynicism and disillusionment of adulthood. In 'The Logical Song', the burning question that came down to its rawest place was 'please tell me who I am', and that's basically what the song is about. I think this eternal question continues to hit such a deep chord in people around the world and why it stays so meaningful."


title: The Logical Song

text: The lyrics have been said to be a condemnation of an education system focused on categorical jargon as opposed to knowledge and sensitivity. "Billboard" writer David Farrell described the song's theme as a "man lost in the world." "Ultimate Classic Rock" critic Nick DeRiso described the theme as "the loss of childhood idealism."


title: The Logical Song

text: According to the 1979 album notes, Supertramp co-founder Rick Davies wrote the vocal harmony on the second chorus, though Hodgson alone is credited with songwriting.


title: The Logical Song

text: According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the key of C minor and is set in time signature of common time (although the verses follow a 10-beat pattern of 4/4 - 2/4 - 4/4) with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. Roger Hodgson's vocal range spans two octaves, from G to E♭. The song makes use of keyboards, castanets, and an instrumental section. Among the contemporary sound effects in this song are the 'tackled' sound from a Mattel electronic football game – popular at the time this song was released.


title: The Logical Song

text: "Rolling Stone" called the song a "small masterpiece", praising the "hot sax" and Hodgson's "wry humor". The magazine also made comparisons between Hodgson and Ray Davies from the Kinks. Paul McCartney named "The Logical Song" as his favourite song of the year. "Billboard" considered it to be possibly Supertramp's best song to date with "solid and incisive lyrics" and a catchy hook. "Cash Box" said that "a skillful and probing lyric and a raucous sax line are joined by a familiar circling guitar lick and excellent singing" and also praised the "emphatic" beat.


title: The Logical Song

text: The song was a hit on its original release, reaching No. 7 in the United Kingdom and No. 6 in the United States. The song achieved the most success in Canada where it spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Canadian "RPM" Singles Chart, was the top song of the year, and was certified Platinum in Canada. It stayed for three months on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in the middle of 1979.


title: The Logical Song

text: "Ramp! (The Logical Song)" (or just "The Logical Song" in certain territories) is a 2001 single by the German techno band Scooter, featured on their second singles compilation album "Push the Beat for This Jam (The Singles 98–02)". This version heavily samples Supertramp's recording, and makes lyrical references to British stadium house band the KLF.


title: The Logical Song

text: The single reached No. 1 in Norway and Ireland, as well as in Australia in October 2002. It reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom, becoming Scooter's highest-charting single there; it has been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), selling over 400,000 copies, and was the UK's 15th-best-selling single of 2002.


title: The Logical Song

text: "The Logical Song" has been covered by Brad Mehldau and At Vance. The Hee Bee Gee Bees made a parody of this song for "The Scatological Song" and The Barron Knights made a parody entitled "The Topical Song". There was also a second remake by the German "Hands Up" band Rave Allstars in 2007. It has also appeared in TV shows such as "The Simpsons" ("I Married Marge"), "History Rocks" and the closing scene of "The United States of Tara"s series finale, as well as in the soundtrack of the film "Magnolia".


title: The Logical Song

text: The song was covered in 2013 with a change to the primary drum rhythm by synthpunk band Mindless Self Indulgence.


title: The Logical Song

text: The song has also been reworded and used as a chant by supporters of Australian football club Western Sydney Wanderers, as well as by fans of Scottish Premiership side Celtic in tribute to midfielder Scott Sinclair.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo Wengui (; born May 10, 1970—self claim or October 5, 1968), also known under the names Guo Haoyun (), Miles Guo, and Miles Kwok, is an exiled Chinese billionaire businessman who became a political activist and controls Beijing Zenith Holdings (via proxies Li Lin and Jiang Yuehua), and other assets. At the peak of his career, he was the 73rd richest person in China. Guo was accused of corruption and other misdeeds by the Chinese authorities and fled to the United States in late 2014, after learning he was going to be arrested under allegations of bribery, kidnapping, money laundering, fraud and rape. Guo claims the charges are politically motivated and are a product of a campaign of political retribution carried out against him by the Chinese government. Guo is a colleague of Steve Bannon and a member of former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo claims to be a whistle-blower, but some of his statements were unable to be verified by newspapers such as "The New York Times". Between 2018 and 2020, Guo launched two media projects with Bannon, G News and GTV Media Group. In 2021, Guo reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to pay $539 million in refunds and fines in connection with illegal fundraising for the companies. It is unclear how much he will be able to reimburse his investors.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo has been using an online misinformation network to promote the use of unproven treatments for COVID-19 as well as pushing conspiracy theories about vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo was born in Shen County, Shandong, China. He is the seventh of eight children. He began his business career in Zhengzhou, before moving to Beijing to secure various construction deals during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2006, he delivered a Beijing deputy mayor's sex tape to the police. The deputy mayor, who had contested one of Guo's land deals, was subsequently imprisoned, allowing Guo to build the Pangu Plaza.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In 2014, Guo departed China after one of his political connections faced arrest. He moved to the United States in 2015. Guo, long prominent in real estate development and investment circles, came to fame in 2015 after a lengthy investigative report by "Caixin" media, controlled by Hu Shuli, was released, detailing Guo's political connections, business dealings, and hardball tactics against former rivals.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo responded by claiming Hu defamed him and responded with a set of personal accusations against Hu, claiming Hu had a romantic entanglement with his business rival. He opened a Twitter account in early 2017, frequently criticizing individuals within the Chinese establishment. He has reserved particular scorn for He Jintao, the son of former Central Commission for Discipline Inspection secretary He Guoqiang.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Many officials with whom he was said to have ties have fallen under the dragnet of the anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping, including Ma Jian, the former deputy director of Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), and Zhang Yue, the former Political and Legal Affairs Secretary of Hebei. While generally supportive of General Secretary Xi Jinping, Guo has characterized parts of the corruption campaign as a political witch hunt.


title: Guo Wengui

text: From the beginning of 2017, Guo is in self-imposed exile in New York City, where he owns a US$82 million apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, overlooking Central Park. He has continued to conduct a political agenda to bring attention to corruption in the Chinese political system from his New York home. In November 2018, Guo put the apartment up for sale for US$67 million.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo is a member of former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and Mark's Club in Mayfair, London.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Since January 23, 2017, Guo accepted multiple interviews with media such as Mingjing, Voice of America (VOA) and BBC. Guo also started a campaign of accusing Chinese officials of corruption through live monologues on his YouTube and Twitter channel. On April 20, Guo's 3-hour live interview with VOA was abruptly terminated by the latter. Newspapers such as "The New York Times", "Financial Times", and "Forbes" also reported about Guo and his campaign. One of Guo's targets, HNA Group, sued Guo for defamation in June 2017.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In August 2018, several Hong Kong media, such as "Ming Pao" and "South China Morning Post" reported that Hong Kong Police had frozen the assets of the Guo family, accused of money laundering under the name of Guo's daughter Guo Mei. In March 2019, his mother died in China.


title: Guo Wengui

text: The book "War for Eternity" by Benjamin R. Teitelbaum details Guo's collaboration with Steve Bannon and the latter's attempt to undermine the Chinese government. On June 3, 2020, while aboard Guo's yacht in New York City waterways, he and Steve Bannon participated in an event declaring a "New Federal State of China" that "would overthrow the Chinese government". In New York City, planes were seen carrying banners which said "Congratulations to Federal State of New China!". In August 2020, Bannon was arrested by federal authorities during an early morning raid on Guo's $35 million luxury yacht, docked in Connecticut, under charges of stealing millions of dollars from the We Build The Wall non-profit organization.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In February 2022 Guo filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. In a filing for the bankruptcy Guo estimated that his total assets are currently worth between $50,001 and $100,000, while his liabilities range between $100 million and $500 million.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Beijing Zenith Holdings () was a company owned in 2013 by Li Lin and Jiang Yuehua via two corporate entities ( and ). The company acquired a minority stake in PKU Healthcare from state-owned Founder Group's PKU Healthcare Group. However, Beijing Zenith Holdings allegedly failed to pay PKU Healthcare Group after the shares were already transferred. To finalize the payment, Beijing Zenith Holdings allegedly borrowed the money from PKU Resources Group Holdings, a sister company of PKU Healthcare Group. All three companies were fined by the China Securities Regulatory Commission in 2016.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In 2015, Chinese media reported that Zenith Holdings was actually owned by Guo Wengui, and Li Lin and Jiang Yuehua were his proxies.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In October 2018, Zenith Holdings was fined CNY 60 billion for irregularity in acquiring the securities company. In its ruling, the court in Dalian found that Beijing Zenith had made RMB 11.9 billion in illegal profits.


title: Guo Wengui

text: On October 5, 2017, Guo made public in Washington a so-called "confidential document of the Chinese government" with the self-proclaimed verification of the U.S. government, featuring China's "working plan of secretly dispatching 27 police officers" to the United States on field duty in 2017.


title: Guo Wengui

text: On January 2, 2018, "The Washington Free Beacon" published another such document, featuring China's "decision on conducting communication and coordination work" between China and the North Korea to further a solution to the nuclear issue.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Both documents received media attention, with even the U.S. Department of State claiming their own close attention.


title: Guo Wengui

text: On April 23, 2018, The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau held a press conference on the forgery of national-level documents by Guo. They reported that Guo had incited and instigated twin brothers Chen Zhiyu and Chen Zhiheng to forge over 30 national-level official documents as the main content of his so-called "revelation" online, which were documents faked to be issued by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the State Council, and its relevant ministries and commissions.


title: Guo Wengui

text: The proceedings state that in May 2017, Guo Wengui publicly offered rewards for so-called "confidential documents" of the Chinese Government, which was deemed a profitable opportunity by Chen Zhiyu and Chen Zhiheng. The former reached out to Guo under the pseudonym "Zhou Guoming". Guo started working with Chen Zhiyu in August 2017. They agreed that a 4,000 US dollars monthly salary would be paid to hire Chen Zhiyu, who would work full-time to provide needed materials for Guo's "revelation." Guo also promised to cover Chen's travel expenses and fees to purchase mobile phones, and contribute 50 million dollars to set up a fund at Chen's disposal. At the invitation by Guo Wengui, Chen Zhiyu met with Guo and his assistants in the U.S. four times. Chongqing police found that since August 2017, Guo has been in league with the Chen brothers, instigating them to forge more than 30 official documents in the name of the CCP Central Committee, the State Council, and related ministries and commissions, before spreading the documents overseas. Guo and the Chen brothers have also fabricated information claiming that a number of central and provincial government officials had illegitimate children, houses, mistresses and large bank deposits abroad, according to the investigation.


title: Guo Wengui

text: On February 18, 2018, Chongqing police arrested Chen Zhiyu and Chen Zhiheng in the provinces of Guangdong and Hunan respectively, and confiscated related items. Both suspects confessed their crimes of forging official documents to the police. Police also discovered a large number of allegedly forged official documents of state organs in the suspects' computers and hard drives, involving areas such as China's national defense, diplomacy and financial policies. They also found allegedly fabricated files of the CCP's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In April 2017, an Interpol notice was issued for Guo's arrest, requested by the Chinese government. In June 2017, staff of one of Guo's other investment vehicles, Pangu Investment, were charged for scamming banks on loans. The staff members accused all alleged that they were under the orders of Guo.


title: Guo Wengui

text: By June 2017, the Chinese government sent U.S. President Donald Trump a letter, delivered by casino businessman Steve Wynn, requesting for Guo to be deported to China. Unnamed sources "familiar with [a] meeting" allege that Trump was inclined to deport Guo, a member of his Mar-a-Lago resort, but that his advisors opposed deporting him by reasoning that he could be used for political leverage against China.


title: Guo Wengui

text: A study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute which analysed the tweets of Chinese government controlled accounts banned by Twitter in response to the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests found that the accounts had distributed more material attacking Guo Wengui than any other target including the Hong Kong protestors. Other dissidents targeted by the bot network included Gui Minhai and Yu Wensheng as well as PLA veterans. In another report from the "South China Morning Post", the researchers found that more than 38,000 tweets from 618 of the now-suspended Twitter accounts targeted Guo.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Several companies sued Guo's Pangu Investment and Zenith Holdings in the civil court of the United States, in order to reclaim the non-performing loan the companies allegedly lent to Guo.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In April 2017, Pacific Alliance Asia Opportunity Fund brought suit against Guo in the Commercial Division of New York County, where Guo resided and was seeking asylum from the United States government. In 2008, Pacific Alliance loaned $30 million to Guo's Hong Kong company in connection with the development of Pangu Plaza, site of a "7 Star Hotel" in Beijing near the Olympic arenas. In connection with the loan, Guo signed a personal guarantee. All of the documents and transactions were executed in Hong Kong or China. According to Pacific Alliance, Guo owes approximately $88 million in principal and accrued interest on the loan. In 2020, an apartment worth $55 million that an investment fund bought for Guo's use was seized in a bankruptcy proceeding in connection with the lawsuit.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In August 2017, the Chinese conglomerate HNA Group filed a defamation lawsuit in New York against Guo, said Guo made "repeatedly false and defamatory statements", including a claim that Yao Qing, a nephew of Wang Qishan, former Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and close supporter of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping, is one of HNA's shareholders. HNA said the comments caused the company to lose business and suffer a drop in share prices, but Guo said he welcomes a legal spat with giant Chinese conglomerate in the United States. In March 2019, however, HNA claimed that Guo's statements had no longer caught public attention and planned to drop this suit. Almost at the same time, Guo posted tweets on his own social media "Guo Media" declaring that he refused to withdraw from the HNA case and would continue.


title: Guo Wengui

text: On November 20, 2018, Guo held a conference with his close friend Steve Bannon in New York about the death of Wang Jian in France, who was the former chairman of HNA Group. During the conference, he announced the establishment of "Rule of Law foundation" for investigations about Chinese government financial activities as well as those of its supporters and offering financial support for businessmen, officials and others who are persecuted by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and forced to flee overseas like Guo himself. This foundation consists of two parts which are different types of nonprofit organization. One part called "Rule of Law Foundation" is type 501(c)(3) while the other part called "Rule of Law Society" is type 501(c)(4). Kyle Bass serves as the chairman of part 501(c)(3) and Steve Bannon serves as the chairman of part 501(c)(4). The first donation was $100 million from Guo.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In December 2018, Roger Stone agreed to a settlement with Guo in which Stone would retract a false claim, published , that Guo had donated to Hillary Clinton.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In July 2019, Guo won a lawsuit in a defamation case with former university professor Xia Yeliang, which is considered as a "rare case of successful action by public figure" by some analysts.


title: Guo Wengui

text: On July 23, 2019, Strategic Vision US LLC, a US commercial research firm which has a commercial dispute with Guo, sued Guo in the US federal court, said Guo was a spy for the CCP. However, this lawsuit was dismissed, and after that Guo filed a US$50 million defamation lawsuit in New York state against several companies and individuals including Strategic Vision US and CNN host Erin Burnett, who called him a spy during the "Outfront" television program.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In August 2019, it was revealed that the Hong Kong Police Force froze bank accounts of Guo and other family members in 2017; in court documents requesting funds be released filed by Anton Development Limited, a company held by Guo's daughter Guo Mei. The freezing is part of a judicial review against the freezing of various assets linked to Guo and in relation to a HK$32.9 billion (S$5.8 billion) money laundering investigation, where court filings focus on Guo and other family members using their personal bank accounts and the bank accounts of Anton Development Limited and Hong Kong International Funds Investments Limited; the frozen accounts are said to total at least HK$1.56 billion. A writ provided by Anton Development Limited to police reportedly stated that HK$730 million in the frozen accounts were investment funds from a sovereign fund in Abu Dhabi.


title: Guo Wengui

text: G News is a website owned by Guo Media – a company associated with Guo – operating in collaboration with Steve Bannon, a former executive chairman of Breitbart News and former advisor to the Trump administration. Guo Media paid Bannon $1 million in exchange for consulting services from August 2018 to August 2019, and Bannon has an office in Guo Media's headquarters. Both Guo and Bannon are regularly featured in G News videos that criticize the Chinese government.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo and Bannon later co-founded GTV Media Group in 2020, which operates the Chinese video website GTV.


title: Guo Wengui

text: Guo's media were noted for spreading misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 25, 2020, G News claimed that the Chinese government was going to admit that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was accidentally leaked from a "P4 lab in Wuhan" that was associated with "covert biological weapon programs". Fact checker PolitiFact found no evidence to corroborate G News's claim, and determined it to be false, classifying it as misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Guo Wengui

text: According to "Foreign Policy", G News network pushed false stories and conspiracy theories during and before the 2020 United States presidential election, including disseminating disinformation about Hunter Biden. Guo also has large following on Twitter that shares the unverified stories immediately after the publication. As of December 2020, Guo's Twitter account, which had over half a million followers, has been suspended.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that GTV companies were being investigated by federal and state authorities for illegal fundraising. The following year, the companies reached an SEC settlement to repay over $480 million to more than 5,000 investors as well as $35 million in fines.


title: Guo Wengui

text: In 2020, New York Times reported that Guo along with Steve Bannon had been promoting Dr. Li-Meng Yan. They bought Dr. Yan a plane ticket to the United States, provided her accommodation, coached her in media appearances and helped secure interviews with conservative tv hosts including Tucker Carlson. Yan later made unsubstantiated pandemic claims that the Covid-19 virus was artificially made however her research was rejected as misinformation by scientists who called her paper as unscientific and "a polemic dressed up in jargon".


title: Guo Wengui

text: In December 2020 Teng Biao said Guo had arranged picketing of the homes of Teng and other dissidents, accusing them of conspiring with the Chinese government. This led to conflicting theories about what Guo was trying to achieve.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Marcus Earl Stroman (born May 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. Stroman is listed at , making him one of only six pitchers shorter than to make a start at the MLB level in the 21st century.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman attended Duke University, and played college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils. He made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2014. In 2017, he was the World Baseball Classic MVP. After the regular season, he won a 2017 Gold Glove Award. Stroman was named an All-Star in 2019, and the Blue Jays traded him to the Mets later in the 2019 season.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Marcus Earl Stroman was born in Medford, New York, on May 1, 1991. He attended Patchogue-Medford High School in Medford, where he enjoyed a high school rivalry with Steven Matz, a friend and future New York Mets teammate, who was pitcher for the nearby Ward Melville High School. Matz and Stroman were teammates on the same elite travel team, the Paveco Storm, for several years in junior high and high school. The two were roommates during the Area Code Games and pitched against each other several times in high school, including a notable game on April 16, 2009, which was attended by more than 50 scouts from every MLB team, and is considered one of the best games in the history of Long Island high school baseball. Matz struck out 12 and allowed one hit, leading his team to a 1–0 victory, while Stroman struck out 14 and allowed three hits. Both pitchers threw complete games. Mets scout Larry Izzo later called it "one of the best duels I've ever seen".


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman was drafted in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB draft (532nd overall) by the Washington Nationals. He opted to not sign, and instead entered Duke University, where he played college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils baseball team.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: At Duke, Stroman compiled a career record of 15–13 in 48 appearances, and set the Duke record for career strikeouts (290 over 222 innings pitched). He was also a position player for Duke, making 97 appearances, mostly at second base and shortstop. In 2010 and 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), allowed zero earned runs over 34 career innings with Orleans, was named a league all-star in 2010, and is a member of the CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2022.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Billed by analysts as the most major league ready player available in the 2012 MLB draft, Stroman was drafted by the Jays 22nd overall, and became the first Duke player ever selected in the first round. After starting his professional career with the Low-A Vancouver Canadians, the Blue Jays promoted Stroman to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on August 1, 2012. Stroman was suspended for 50 games on August 28, 2012, for testing positive for methylhexanamine, a banned stimulant.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Having completed his suspension, Stroman started and pitched five scoreless innings to get the win in the May 19, 2013 game for the Fisher Cats. On July 2, 2013, Stroman struck out 13 batters over 6 innings in a 3–1 loss to the New Britain Rock Cats. He was ranked as the number three prospect in the Blue Jays organization on July 26, 2013, when the revised Top 100 Prospects list was released.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman attended the Blue Jays' 2014 major league spring training camp, and was assigned to the minor league camp on March 19. He was the 2014 Opening Day starting pitcher for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman was called up to the Blue Jays on May 3, 2014, after Brandon Morrow was transferred to the 60-day injured list. At the time of his call-up, he was considered the organization's number two prospect. He earned his first MLB victory on May 6, pitching 1 innings in relief of Drew Hutchison. Stroman was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo on May 18, and was recalled on May 30 to make his first Major League start the following day. He pitched six innings and surrendered only one earned run on five hits, striking out six and issuing no walks to earn the win over the Kansas City Royals. On August 9, Stroman pitched nine innings for the first time in his career, but came away with a no-decision as the Blue Jays defeated the Detroit Tigers 3–2 in extra innings. He earned his first complete game and shutout on September 8, needing only 93 pitches to beat the Chicago Cubs 8–0. Stroman yielded only three hits, and at one point had retired 19 consecutive batters.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On September 17, Stroman was suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing at Caleb Joseph during a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Immediately following the announcement, he filed an appeal of the suspension. On September 21, Stroman dropped his appeal, and MLB reduced his suspension to five games. It was announced shortly afterward that upon his return from the suspension, he would be moved to the bullpen for the remainder of the season. Stroman pitched four innings in relief of Drew Hutchison's final start of the season on September 26, and earned his first career save. He did not appear in the final two games of the Blue Jays season, and finished 2014 with an 11–6 record, 3.65 ERA, 111 strikeouts, and a 1.17 WHIP in 130 innings pitched.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On October 6, 2014, Stroman announced through his Twitter account that he would change his uniform number from 54 to 6 in honor of his grandmother. During 2015 spring training, Stroman suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He underwent a successful surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews, to repair his ACL. Stroman was placed on the 60-day disabled list on April 5. While rehabbing from the injury, Stroman returned to Duke University to finish his degree, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Markets and Management Studies.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On August 5, it was announced that Stroman would begin a rehab assignment later in the month. He threw off a mound for the first time following his injury on August 11, after receiving medical clearance the day prior. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos stated afterward that Stroman would be stretched out as a starter in his rehab. Stroman threw a 40-pitch simulated game on August 24, and a 51-pitch game on August 28. On September 2, he made his Class-A debut with the Lansing Lugnuts and pitched 4 innings, yielding no hits while walking one and striking out seven. He made his second and final rehab start on September 7, with the Buffalo Bisons. Manager John Gibbons confirmed on September 8 that Stroman would return as a starting pitcher, and make his 2015 debut against the New York Yankees on September 12. He was activated from the 60-day disabled list on September 11, and started the second game of a doubleheader the following day. Stroman pitched five innings and earned the win, yielding three runs before being removed due to a rain delay. He made three more starts, and finished the 2015 regular season with a 4–0 record, 1.67 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman played his first career postseason game in Game 2 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers. He gave up three earned runs and struck out five, retiring 14 consecutive batters at one point. He pitched seven innings and received a no-decision in the loss. He started again in Game 5 of the same series, allowing six hits and two earned runs over six innings in an eventual 6–3 Blue Jays victory.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On March 23, 2016, Stroman was named the Opening Day starter for the Blue Jays. He pitched into the ninth inning, holding the Tampa Bay Rays to three runs on six hits, while striking out 5 in a 5–3 win. Stroman established a new career-high in strikeouts, with 9, in a 5–1 win over the Rays on May 1. He also set a Blue Jays franchise-record for strikeouts on a pitcher's birthday, surpassing David Price, Marc Rzepczynski, and Roy Halladay, who each had 8 strikeouts in starts on their birthdays. Stroman improved on his single-game strikeout record on August 1, when he struck out 13 Houston Astros batters in a no-decision. He finished the 2016 regular season with a 9–10 record, 4.37 ERA, and 166 strikeouts over a career-high 204 innings pitched. He had the highest ground ball percentage among major league pitchers (60.1%), and the lowest fly ball percentage (20.4%).


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On October 3, the Blue Jays announced that Stroman would start the Wild Card game against the Baltimore Orioles the following day. He pitched a full six innings, giving up just two earned runs and striking out six, as the Blue Jays won the game 5–2 in extra innings and advanced to the 2016 American League Division Series to play the Texas Rangers. Stroman was scheduled to start the fourth game of the ALDS against the Rangers, however the Blue Jays swept Texas and advanced to play the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series. Stroman pitched 5 and yielded four earned runs in Game 3 of the ALCS, his lone start of the series.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On February 14, 2017, it was announced that Stroman had won his arbitration case and would receive a $3.4 million salary for the 2017 season. In a 6–5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on April 25, Stroman recorded the first hit of his career. His double to left field was the first ever pinch hit by a Blue Jays pitcher, and also the first extra-base pinch hit by an American League pitcher since Gary Peters in 1971. Stroman hit an opposite field home run off Julio Teherán in the Blue Jays 9–0 win over the Atlanta Braves on May 18, 2017. In doing so, Stroman became just the second Blue Jays pitcher to hit a home run, joining Mark Hendrickson, who did so on June 21, 2003. Stroman's home run followed Luke Maile's solo shot, making the batterymates the first to hit back-to-back home runs since 1970. He also became the first pitcher listed or shorter to hit a home run in the majors since Tom Phoebus of the Baltimore Orioles did so in 1968. On July 3, Stroman left a game against the New York Yankees after five innings when a blister developed on his right middle finger, though the injury did not cause him to miss a start. Stroman was hit on the right elbow by a line drive in Toronto's 7–2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on September 2, and was forced to leave the game, though he was once again able to make his next start.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman finished the 2017 season with 13 wins, 164 strikeouts, and a 3.09 ERA in 201 innings. By passing the 200-inning mark, he became the seventh Blue Jays pitcher in the prior 20 years to have consecutive 200-inning seasons. He again had the highest ground ball percentage among major league pitchers (62.1%), and the lowest fly ball percentage (19.7%). He gave up the longest home run of all major league pitchers in 2017, at 496 feet.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On October 28, Stroman was named a finalist for the American League pitcher's Gold Glove Award, along with Alex Cobb and Chris Sale. Stroman won the award on November 7. The Toronto chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America unanimously voted Stroman the Blue Jays' Pitcher of the Year for 2017.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On February 15, 2018, Stroman announced through his Twitter account that he had lost his arbitration case and would make $6.5 million for the season instead of his requested salary of $6.9 million. Stroman struggled to start the 2018 season, going 0–5 with a 7.71 ERA before being placed on the 10-day disabled list due to right shoulder fatigue on May 11. On June 13, he made his High-A debut with the Dunedin Blue Jays and pitched 4 innings in a rehab start, surrendering two runs on one hit while walking four and striking out three. Stroman returned to Toronto's rotation on June 23, pitching five shutout innings against the Los Angeles Angels. Later in the season, Stroman was forced to leave starts on August 7 and 17 against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, respectively due to blisters in his pitching hand. He would return again on September 3 to start against the Tampa Bay Rays, however, blisters again forced him out of the game. Stroman would not return again in 2018 after this start, ending his 2018 season with a 4–9 record and a 5.54 ERA in 19 starts.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On March 13, 2019, Stroman was announced as the Opening Day starter by Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. On June 30, Stroman was named to the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, his first all-star nomination of his career.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On July 28, 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays traded Stroman (along with cash considerations) to the New York Mets for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson. In 11 starts with the Mets in 2019, Stroman was 4–2 with a 3.77 ERA and 60 strikeouts. He finished 10–13 with a 3.22 ERA overall between the Blue Jays & Mets.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On November 15, 2019, Stroman announced via Twitter he was switching to number 0 for the 2020 season and also changed his Twitter handle to @STR0. Earlier in the offseason, he stated he wanted to give up No. 7 in honor of Jose Reyes. That offseason, he also hired Nikki Huffman as his personal trainer, away from the Toronto Blue Jays where she served as head trainer. He first met her in 2015 at Duke University where she helped him recover from a torn ACL ahead of schedule. Stroman missed the beginning of the 2020 season with a torn left calf muscle. On August 10, 2020, before his return, he announced he would opt out of the season.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: After the 2020 season, the Mets extended a qualifying offer to Stroman worth $18.9 million for the 2021 season. Stroman accepted the qualifying offer on November 11.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: In 2021, Stroman led the Mets' starting rotation with 10 wins, 158 strikeouts and 179 innings pitched.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On December 1, 2021, Stroman signed a three-year contract worth $71 million to play for the Chicago Cubs. He is the first ever Cub to wear the number 0.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: In December 2016, Stroman announced that he would play for the United States national baseball team at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He made three starts for the team, and posted a 2.35 ERA in 15 total innings. In the final game, Stroman held Team Puerto Rico scoreless and without a hit through six innings, leading Team USA to an 8–0 victory and their first WBC championship. Following the game, Stroman was named the tournament's most valuable player (MVP). He was also named to the All-World Baseball Classic team. He will represent Puerto Rico at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman's repertoire includes six pitches: his four-seam fastball and two-seam fastball average and respectively. His off-speed pitches include a curveball at , a changeup at , a cutter at , and a slider at . He has relied more on his two-seam fastball (about 41–44%) since the 2015 season.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman was born in Medford, New York, to Earl Stroman and Adlin Auffant, who divorced when he was in the 5th grade. His mother is Puerto Rican, making him eligible to represent Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. His father is a police detective in Suffolk County, New York. Stroman has a brother, Jayden, and sister, Sabria. His cousin, Erskine Kelley, played minor league baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs organizations.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman has several tattoos, including a large tribute on his left shoulder to his grandmother, Gloria Major, who would regularly attend his high school games and died while he was attending Duke University. His other tattoos include the area code 631, portraits of his parents, a Gold Glove Award, the Air Jordan logo, a quote from Mark 9, a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., the flag of Puerto Rico, his mother's eye, the Major League Baseball logo with the date of his MLB debut, the date of his 2015 knee surgery, a portrait of Rihanna, Cillian Murphy's character from "Peaky Blinders", Denzel Washington's character from "Training Day", himself swinging a bat in a Blue Jays uniform, the skyline of Toronto, the head of a lion, his father's police badge, his own initials, an orchid, a poker chip, the number 6, a silhouetted airplane, and a wine glass as well as "God bless me," "God save me" and "family" in Spanish and the words "blessed," "mamma's boy," "daddy's gift," "dreamchaser," "BElieve in YOUrself," "smile," "mom," "dad," "height doesn't measure heart" and "breaking stereotypes."


title: Marcus Stroman

text: On January 9, 2015, Stroman completed the legal process for trademarking "Height Doesn't Measure Heart" and "HDMH". Since mid-2015, he has produced caps with New Era that feature his trademarks. He has also partnered with Nike, Jordan Brand, BioSteel, and Rogers to create apparel featuring the HDMH logo. Stroman stated in December 2016 that he measured exactly for a physical examination for Nike.


title: Marcus Stroman

text: Stroman appeared on the remix of the title track of rapper Mike Stud's 2016 album "These Days". Stroman has also appeared in concert with Stud, who was his teammate at Duke.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by the stage name Stepin Fetchit, was an American vaudevillian, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first black actor to have a successful film career. His highest profile was during the 1930s in films and on stage, when his persona of Stepin Fetchit was billed as the "Laziest Man in the World".


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry parlayed the Fetchit persona into a successful film career, becoming the first black actor to earn $1 million. He was also the first black actor to receive featured screen credit in a film.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry's film career slowed after 1939 and nearly stopped altogether after 1953. Around that time, Black Americans began to see his Stepin Fetchit persona as an embarrassing and harmful anachronism, echoing negative stereotypes. However, the Stepin Fetchit character has undergone a re-evaluation by some scholars in recent times, who view him as an embodiment of the trickster archetype.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Little is known about Perry's background other than that he was born in Key West, Florida, to West Indian immigrants. He was the second child of Joseph Perry, a cigar maker from Jamaica (although some sources indicate the Bahamas) and Dora Monroe, a seamstress from Nassau, The Bahamas. Both of his parents came to the United States in the 1890s, where they married. By 1910, the family had moved north to Tampa, Florida. Another source says he was adopted when he was 11 years old and taken to live in Montgomery, Alabama.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: His mother wanted him to be a dentist, so Perry was adopted by a quack dentist, for whom he blacked boots before running away at age 12 to join a carnival. He earned his living for a few years as a singer and tap dancer.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: In his teens, Perry became a comic character actor. By the age of 20, Perry had become a vaudeville artist and the manager of a traveling carnival show. His stage name was a contraction of "step and fetch it". His accounts of how he adopted the name varied, but generally he claimed that it originated when he performed a vaudeville act with a partner. Perry won money betting on a racehorse named "Step and Fetch It", and his partner and he decided to adopt the names "Step" and "Fetchit" for their act. When Perry became a solo act, he combined the two names, which later became his professional name.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry played comic-relief roles in a number of films, all based on his character known as the "Laziest Man in the World". In his personal life, he was highly literate and had a concurrent career writing for "The Chicago Defender". He signed a five-year studio contract following his performance in the film, "In Old Kentucky" (1927). The film's plot included a romantic connection between Perry and actress Carolynne Snowden, a subplot that was a rarity for black actors appearing in a white film during this era. Perry also starred in "Hearts in Dixie" (1929), one of the first studio productions to boast a predominantly black cast.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Jules Bledsoe provided Perry's singing voice for his role as Joe in the 1929 version of "Show Boat". Fetchit did not sing "Ol' Man River", but he did sing "The Lonesome Road" in the film. In 1930, Hal Roach signed him to a film contract to appear in nine "Our Gang" episodes in 1930 and 1931. However, his only appearance in the series was in "A Tough Winter". Perry's contract was cancelled for unknown reasons after its release.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry was good friends with fellow comic actor Will Rogers. They appeared together in "David Harum" (1934), "Judge Priest" (1934), "Steamboat 'Round the Bend" (1935), and "The County Chairman" (1935).


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: By the mid-1930s, Perry was the first black actor to become a millionaire. He appeared in 44 films between 1927 and 1939. In 1940, Perry temporarily stopped appearing in films, having been frustrated by his unsuccessful attempt to get equal pay and billing with his white costars. He returned in 1945, in part due to financial need, though he only appeared in eight films between 1945 and 1953. He declared bankruptcy in 1947, stating assets of $146 (equal to about $ today) He returned to vaudeville; he appeared at the Anderson Free Fair in 1949 alongside Singer's Midgets. He became a friend of heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in the 1960s, allegedly converting to the Nation of Islam shortly before. (Other sources have said he was a lifelong Catholic.)


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: After 1953, Perry appeared in cameos in the made-for-television movie "Cutter" (1972) and the feature films "Amazing Grace" (1974) and "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood" (1976). He found himself in conflict during his career with civil rights leaders who criticized him personally for the film roles that he portrayed. In 1968, CBS aired the hour-long documentary "Black History: Lost, Stolen, or Strayed", written by Andy Rooney (for which he received an Emmy Award) and narrated by Bill Cosby, which criticized the depiction of black people in American film, and especially singled out Stepin Fetchit for criticism. After the show aired, Perry unsuccessfully sued CBS and the documentary's producers for defamation of character.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: In late November 1963, Perry collaborated with Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. and Esther Gordy Edwards in composing "May What He Lived for Live," a song intended to honor the memory of President John F. Kennedy in the wake of his assassination. Perry was credited under the pseudonym W.A. Bisson. The song was recorded in December 1963 by Liz Lands, who in 1968 performed the work at the funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry suffered a stroke in 1976, ending his acting career; he then moved into the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. He died on November 19, 1985, from pneumonia and heart failure, at the age of 83. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles following a Catholic funeral Mass.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry spawned imitators, such as Willie Best ("Sleep 'n Eat") and Mantan Moreland, the scared, wide-eyed manservant of Charlie Chan. Perry had actually played a manservant in the "Charlie Chan" series before Moreland in 1935's "Charlie Chan in Egypt".


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry appeared in one 1930 "Our Gang" short subject, "A Tough Winter," at the end of the 1929–30 season. Perry signed a contract to star with the gang in nine films for the 1930–31 season and be part of the "Our Gang" series, but for some unknown reason, the contract fell through, and the gang continued without Perry. Previous to Perry entering films, the "Our Gang" shorts had employed several black child actors, including Allen Hoskins, Jannie Hoskins, Ernest Morrison, and Eugene Jackson. In the sound "Our Gang" era, black actors Matthew Beard and Billie Thomas were featured. The black performers' personas in "Our Gang" shorts were the polar opposites of Perry's persona.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: In the 2005 book "Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry", African-American critic Mel Watkins argued that the character of Stepin Fetchit was not truly lazy or simple-minded, but instead a prankster who deliberately tricked his White employers so that they would do the work instead of him. This technique, which developed during American slavery, was referred to as "putting on old massa", and it was a kind of con art with which Black audiences of the time would have been familiar.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: In 1976, despite popular aversion to his character, the Hollywood chapter of the NAACP awarded Perry a special NAACP Image Award. Two years later, he was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: In 1929, Perry married Dorothy Stevenson. She gave birth to their son, Jemajo, on September 12, 1930. In 1931, Dorothy filed for divorce, stating that Perry had broken her nose, jaw, and arm with "his fists and a broomstick." A few weeks after their divorce was granted, Dorothy told a reporter she hoped someone would "just beat the devil out of him," as he had done to her. When Dorothy contracted tuberculosis in 1933, Perry moved her to Arizona for treatment. She died in September 1934.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry reportedly married Winifred Johnson in 1937, but no record of their union has been found. On May 21, 1938, Winifred gave birth to a son, Donald Martin Perry. Their relationship ended soon after Donald's birth. According to Winifred's brother, Stretch Johnson, their father intervened after Perry knocked Winifred down the stairs and broke her nose. In 1941, Perry was arrested after Winifred filed a suit for child support. When he was released from jail, he told reporters, "Winnie and I were never married. It was all a publicity stunt. I want you and everybody else to know that that is not my baby. Winnie knows the baby isn't mine but she's trying to be smart." Winifred admitted that they were not legally married, but she insisted Perry was her son's father. The court ruled in her favor and ordered Perry to pay $12 a week (almost $220 in 2020 dollars) for the child's support. Donald later took his stepfather's surname, Lambright.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: Perry married Bernice Sims on October 15, 1951. Although they separated by the mid-1950s, they remained married for the rest of their lives. Bernice died on January 9, 1985.


title: Stepin Fetchit

text: For most of his life, Perry was a devout Catholic, but he allegedly became a member of the Nation of Islam in the early 1960s, following the footsteps of his close friends Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, even appearing in the 1977 movie "Muhammad Ali, the Greatest". (Other sources have said he was a lifelong Catholic.)


title: Faten Hamama

text: Faten Ahmed Hamama (  ; 27 May 1931 – 17 January 2015) was an Egyptian film and television actress and film producer. She was the first wife of Ezz El-Dine Zulficar. She made her screen debut in 1939, when she was only seven years old. Her earliest roles were minor, but her activity and gradual success helped to establish her as a distinguished Egyptian actress. Later revered as an icon in Egyptian cinema. In 1996, nine of the films she starred in were included in the Top hundred films in the history of Egyptian cinema by the cinema critics of Cairo International Film Festival.


title: Faten Hamama

text: After a seven-year hiatus from acting, Hamama returned in 2000 in what was a much anticipated television series, "Wageh El Amar" (وجه القمر, "Face of the Moon"). Hamama substantially helped in improving the cinema industry in Egypt and emphasizing the importance of women in cinema and Egyptian society. In 2000, she was selected as Star of the Century by the Egyptian Writers and Critics organization.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Faten Hamama was born in 1931 to an Egyptian Muslim lower middle class family in Mansoura, Egypt (according to her birth certificate), but she claimed to have been born in the Abdin quarter of Cairo. She has an older brother, Mounir, a younger sister, Layla and a younger brother, Mazhar. Her aspiration for acting arose at an early age. When she was six years old, her father took her to the theater to see an Assia Dagher film; when the audience clapped for Assia, she told her father she felt they were clapping for her.


title: Faten Hamama

text: When she won a children's beauty pageant in Egypt, her father sent her picture to the director Mohamed Karim who was looking for a young female child to play the role of a small girl with the famous Egyptian actor and musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab in the film "Youm Sai'd" ("يوم سعيد", "A Happy Day", 1939). After an audition, Abdel Wahab decided she was the one he was looking for. After her role in the film, people called her "Egypt's own Shirley Temple". The director liked her acting and was impressed with her so much that he signed a contract with her father. Four years later, she was chosen by Kareem for another role with Abdel Wahab in the film "Rossassa Fel Qalb" ("رصاصة في القلب", "Bullet in the Heart", 1944) and in another film two years later, "Dunya" ("دنيا", "Universe", 1946). After her success, Hamama moved with her parents to Cairo and started her study at the High Institute of Acting in 1946.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Youssef Wahbi, an Egyptian actor and director, recognised the young actress's talent so he offered her a lead role in the 1946 film "Malak al-Rahma" (ملاك الرحمة, "Angel of Mercy"). The film attracted widespread media attention, and Hamama, who was only 15 at the time, became famous for her melodramatic role. In 1949, Hamama had roles in three films with Wahbi: "Korsi el-e'traf" (كرسي الاعتراف, "Chair of Confession"), "Al-Yateematain" (اليتيمتين, "The Two Orphans") and "Sitt al-Bayt" (ست البيت, "Lady of the House"). All were successful films.


title: Faten Hamama

text: The 1950s were the beginning of the golden age of the Egyptian cinema industry, and Hamama played a significant part. In 1950, she starred alongside Mahmoud Zulfikar in the fantasy film; "Akhlaq lil baye" (أخلاق للبيع, Virtue for Sale, 1950). In 1951, she starred in the film "Lak Yawm Ya Zalem" (لك يوم يا ظالم, "Your Day will Come") which was nominated at the Cannes Film Festival for the Prix International award. She also played lead roles in Yousef Shaheen's "Baba Ameen" (بابا أمين, "Ameen, my Father", 1950) and "Sira` Fi al-Wadi" (صراع في الوادي, "Struggle in the Valley", 1954)l, which was a strong nominee at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival for the Prix International award. Hamama is also known for having played the lead role in the first Egyptian mystery film "Al-Manzel Raqam 13" (المنزل رقم 13, "House Number 13"). In 1959, she starred in the romantic classic, "Bain Al Atlal" (بين الأطلال, "Among the Ruins") with her 1950s co-star Emad Hamdy and Egypt's new rising leading man Salah Zulfikar. In 1963, she received an award for her role in the political film "La Waqt Lel Hob" (لا وقت للحب, "No Time for Love"). Hamama was also able to make it to Hollywood; in 1963 she had a role in the crime film, "Cairo".


title: Faten Hamama

text: In 1947, Hamama married actor/film director Ezz El-Dine Zulficar while filming the "Abu Zayd al-Hilali" (أبو زيد الهلالي) film. They started a production company which produced the film "Maw`ed Ma` al-Hayat" (موعد مع الحياة, "Date with Life") in which she starred. This film earned her the title of the "lady of the Arabic screen". She divorced Zulficar in 1954. One year later, she married Egyptian film star Omar Sharif. Meanwhile, Hamama continued to act in films directed by her first husband. In 1954, while filming a Youssef Chahine film, "Struggle in the Valley", Hamama refused to have the Egyptian actor Shukry Sarhan as a co-star, and Chahine offered Omar Sharif the role. Omar had just graduated from college then and was working for his father; Hamama accepted him as her co-star. Hamama had never agreed to act any scene involving a kiss in her career, but she accepted. They fell in love, and Omar Sharif married her. This marriage started a new era of Hamama's career, in which the couple made many films together. Omar Sharif and Faten Hamama were the romantic leads of "Ayyamna al-Holwa" (أيامنا الحلوة, "Our Sweet Days"), "Ard al-Salam" (أرض السلام, "Land of Peace"), "La Anam" (لا أنام, "Sleepless") and "Sayyidat al-Qasr" (سيدة القصر, "The Lady of the Palace"). Their last film together before their divorce was Ezz El-Dine Zulficar's "Nahr al-Hob" (نهر الحب, "The River of Love") in 1960.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Hamama left Egypt from 1966 to 1971, claiming that she was being harassed by Egyptian Intelligence. She had been a supporter of the 1952 Revolution, but later became an opponent of the Free Officers and their oppressive regime. She said they were "asking her to cooperate" but she apologized and refused. In consequence, she was forbidden to travel or participate in film festivals. She was only able to leave Egypt after many serious disputes, where she lived in Paris, London and Lebanon.


title: Faten Hamama

text: While she was away, then President Gamal Abdel Nasser asked famous writers, journalists and friends to try to convince her to return to Egypt. He called her a "national treasure" and even awarded her an honorary decoration in 1965. However, she did not return until 1971, after Nasser's death. Following her return she played roles conveying messages of democracy. Her first film after her return to Egypt was alongside the Egyptian leading movie star Salah Zulfikar in the 1971 TV short film named "The Witch" (ساحرة, "Sahira"), and in the same year, she starred in the 1971 film "Thin Thread" (الخيط الرفيع, "Al Khait Al Rafie"). She often criticized the laws in Egypt in her films. In the 1972 film "Imbratoriyat Meem" (إمبراطورية ميم, "The Empire of M"), Hamama presented a pro-democratic point of view and received an award from the Soviet Union of Women in the Moscow International Festival. Her most significant film was Salah Zulfikar Films production "Oridu Hallan" (أريد حلاً, "I Want a Solution"). In this film, she criticised laws governing marriage and divorce in Egypt. After the film, the Egyptian government abrogated a law that forbade wives from divorcing their husbands, therefore allowing khul'.


title: Faten Hamama

text: As Hamama aged, her acting roles declined and she made fewer films compared to earlier in her career, but nevertheless her films were successful. She made her first television appearances in her late career. She starred in the TV mini-series "Dameer Ablah Hikmat" (ضمير أبلة حكمت, "Mrs. Hikmat's Conscience").


title: Faten Hamama

text: After 1993, her career stalled. It was not until 2000 that she returned in the successful TV mini-series "Wajh ِِal-Qamar" which was broadcast on 23 TV channels in the Middle East. In this mini-series, Hamama portrayed and criticized many problems in Egyptian and Middle Eastern society. Despite some criticisms, the mini-series received much praise and acclaim. Hamama was awarded the Egyptian Best TV Actor of the Year and the mini-series won the Best TV Series Award in the Egyptian Radio and Television Festival. She entered history as the highest-paid actress in an Egyptian television miniseries until 2006, when another actress was paid more.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Before the 1950s, Hamama had leading roles in 30 films, in which she often played the role of a weak, empathetic, poor girl. After the 1950s, Hamama was in search of her real identity and was trying to establish herself as a distinct figure. During this period, her choice of material and roles was somewhat limited. However, film producers soon capitalised on her popularity with audiences in local and Middle Eastern markets. She began to play realistic, strong women, such as in "Sira' Fi Al-Wadi" (صراع في الوادي, "Struggle in the Valley", 1954) where she portrayed a rich man's daughter who, contrary to stereotype, was a realistic woman who helped and supported the poor. In the 1952 Mahmoud Zulfikar’s production "Miss Fatmah" (الأستاذة فاطمة) produced by, Hamama starred as a law student who believed women were as important as men in society.


title: Faten Hamama

text: In "Imbratoriyat Meem" (امبراطورية ميم, "The Empire M"), she played the role of a widow who takes care of her large family and suffers hardship. Her most influential film was "Oridu Hallan" (أريد حلا, "I Want a Solution") which criticized the laws of marriage and divorce in Egypt. A law in Egypt that forbade Khul' (خلع) – a divorce initiated by the wife – was annulled immediately afterwards.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Most critics agree that Hamama's most challenging role was in the 1959 film "Doaa al-Karawan" (دعاء الكروان, "The Nightingale's Prayer"), which is considered to be one of the best Egyptian films. It is based on the novel of the same name by the prominent Egyptian writer Taha Hussein. In this film, Hamama played the role of Amnah, a young woman who seeks revenge from her uncle for the honour killing of her sister. After this film, Hamama carefully picked her roles. In 1960, she starred in the film "Nahr Hob" (نهر الحب, "The River of Love") of Ezz El-Dine Zulficar which was based on Leo Tolstoy's well known novel "Anna Karenina" and in 1961, she played the lead role in the film "La Tutf'e al-Shams" (لا تطفئ الشمس, "Don't Turn Off the Sun") based on the novel by Ihsan Abdel Quddous.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Faten Hamama died on 17 January 2015, aged 83. Her son Tarek Sharif did not state the cause of her death.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Tributes soon poured in from across the film industry following her death, as well as from government figures. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who was on a visit abroad, mourned her death and sent an envoy to her funeral, while a statement from his office described her as a person of "high creative value." "She will remain a symbol of the genuine Egyptian art and commitment to its ethics," the statement added. The Ministry of Culture ordered a two-day period of mourning and a halt in all artistic activity. Secretary-General of the Arab League, Nabil el-Arabi, called her a "symbol of refined Egyptian and Arab art". The country's dailies gave her prominence in their front pages, with newspaper "Al-Akhbar" displaying "Farewell to the Lady of the Arabic Screen" as a headline.


title: Faten Hamama

text: The funeral was attended by thousands of mourners who blocked traffic around the mosque where the ceremony was being held. The event was broadcast live on a private channel. Attendees included Minister of Culture Gaber Asfour, former presidential candidate Amr Moussa, as well as several actors and actresses, but not Omar Sharif (who was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, dying at the same age less than six months later). King Mohammed VI of Morocco assigned his country's ambassador in Cairo to attend the funeral.


title: Faten Hamama

text: While filming "Abu Zayd al-Hilali" (أبو زيد الهلالى) in 1947, she and director Ezz El-Dine Zulficar fell in love and wed. The marriage lasted for seven years. They divorced in 1954. Hamama has said that her love for Zulficar was little more than a student's admiration and love for a teacher. The two remained friends, and Hamama continued to star in his films after the divorce. They had one child, a daughter, Nadia Zulficar.


title: Faten Hamama

text: In 1954, Hamama chose Omar Sharif to co-star with her in a film. In this film, she uncharacteristically agreed to a romantic scene involving a kiss. During the filming, they fell in love. Sharif converted to Islam and married her. The couple co-starred in many films. However, after nearly two decades together, the couple divorced in 1974; they had one son, Tarek Sharif. The couple also have two grandsons from Tarek, Omar Sharif Jr. and Karem Sharif. Omar Sharif Jr. followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and now acts in the U.S. in small roles and is an LGBTQ activist.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Hamama later married Mohamed Abdel Wahab Mahmoud, an Egyptian doctor. They resided in Cairo until her death on 17 January 2015 following a short illness.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Hamama was fluent in French, as she did an interview in French in Lebanon in 1963. She was a practicing Muslim.


title: Faten Hamama

text: Throughout Hamama's career, she received numerous accolades for best actress, and was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival’s Prix International for her role in 1950's "Your Day Will Come". She received her first award in 1951 for her role in "I'm the Past", which was presented to her by different venues, including the Egyptian Catholic Center for Cinema. The country's Ministry of Guidance also awarded her the title of Best Actress in both 1955 and 1961. These were followed by many different awards for best actress from various national and international events. International ones included special awards at the first Tehran International Film Festival in 1972 for her role in "The Thin Thread", and again at the 1977 Tehran Film Festival for her role in "Mouths and Rabbits". In 1973, she received the Special Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for her role in "Empire M". Hamama's other international accolades included the Best Actress awards at the Jakarta Film Festival in 1963 for her role in "The Open Door", and at the Carthage Film Festival in 1988 for her role in "Bitter Days, Nice Days".


title: Faten Hamama

text: Hamama was also a recipient of the Lebanese Order of Merit in 1984 for her role in "The Night of Fatma's Arrest". She was later presented lifetime achievement awards, including one at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival in 1993, and another at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2009. In 2001, the Egyptian Writers and Critics Organization chose her as "Star of the Century" at the Alexandria International Film Festival, honouring her lengthy career in Egyptian cinema.


title: History of Argentina

text: The history of Argentina can be divided into four main parts: the pre-Columbian time or early history (up to the sixteenth century), the colonial period (1536–1809), the period of nation-building (1810–1880), and the history of modern Argentina (from around 1880).


title: History of Argentina

text: Prehistory in the present territory of Argentina began with the first human settlements on the southern tip of Patagonia around 13,000 years ago.


title: History of Argentina

text: Written history began with the arrival of Spanish chroniclers in the expedition of Juan Díaz de Solís in 1516 to the Río de la Plata, which marks the beginning of Spanish occupation of this region.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1776 the Spanish Crown established the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, an umbrella of territories from which, with the Revolution of May 1810, began a process of gradual formation of several independent states, including one called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. With the declaration of independence on 9 July 1816, and the military defeat of the Spanish Empire in 1824, a federal state was formed in 1853–1861, known today as the Argentine Republic.


title: History of Argentina

text: The area now known as Argentina was relatively sparsely populated until the period of European colonization. The earliest traces of human life are dated from the Paleolithic period, and there are further signs in the Mesolithic and Neolithic. However, large areas of the interior and Piedmont were apparently depopulated during an extensive dry period between 4000 and 2000 B.C.


title: History of Argentina

text: The Uruguayan archaeologist Raúl Campá Soler divided the indigenous peoples in Argentina into three main groups: basic hunters and food gatherers, without the development of pottery; advanced gatherers and hunters; and basic farmers with pottery. The first group could be found in the Pampas and Patagonia, and the second one included the Charrúa and Minuane and the Guaraní.


title: History of Argentina

text: In the late 15th century, the Native tribes of the Quebrada de Humahuaca were conquered by the Inca Empire, under Topa Inca Yupanqui, to secure the supply of metals such as silver, zinc, and copper. The Incan domination of the area lasted for about half a century and ended with the arrival of the Spanish in 1536.


title: History of Argentina

text: Agriculture was practised in Pre-Hispanic Argentina as far south as southern Mendoza Province. Agriculture was at times practised beyond this limit in nearby areas of Patagonia but populations reverted at times to non-agricultural lifestyles. By the time of the Spanish arrival to the area (1550s) there is no record of agriculture being practised in northern Patagonia. The extensive Patagonian grasslands and an associated abundance of guanaco game may have contributed for the indigenous populations to favour a hunter-gathered lifestyle.


title: History of Argentina

text: Europeans first arrived in the region with the 1502 Portuguese voyage of Gonçalo Coelho and Amerigo Vespucci. Around 1512, João de Lisboa and Estevão de Fróis discovered the Rio de La Plata in present-day Argentina, exploring its estuary, contacting the Charrúa people, and bringing the first news of the "people of the mountains", the Inca empire, obtained from the local natives. They also traveled as far south as the Gulf of San Matias at 42ºS, on the northern shores of Patagonia. The Spanish, led by Juan Díaz de Solís, visited the territory which is now Argentina in 1516. In 1536 Pedro de Mendoza established a small settlement at the modern location of Buenos Aires, which was abandoned in 1541.


title: History of Argentina

text: A second one was established in 1580 by Juan de Garay, and Córdoba in 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. Those regions were part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, whose capital was Lima, and settlers arrived from that city. Unlike the other regions of South America, the colonization of the Río de la Plata estuary was not influenced by any gold rush, since it lacked any precious metals to mine.


title: History of Argentina

text: The natural ports on the Río de la Plata estuary could not be used because all shipments were meant to be made through the port of Callao near Lima, a condition that led to contraband becoming the normal means of commerce in cities such as Asunción, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo.


title: History of Argentina

text: The Spanish raised the status of this region by establishing the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1776. This viceroyalty consisted of today's Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, as well as much of present-day Bolivia. Buenos Aires, now holding the customs of the new political subdivision, became a flourishing port, as the revenues from the Potosí, the increasing maritime activity in terms of goods rather than precious metals, the production of cattle for the export of leather and other products, and other political reasons, made it gradually become one of the most important commercial centers of the region.


title: History of Argentina

text: The viceroyalty was, however, short-lived due to lack of internal cohesion among its many regions and lack of Spanish support. Ships from Spain became scarce again after the Spanish defeat at the battle of Trafalgar, that gave the British maritime supremacy. The British tried to invade Buenos Aires and Montevideo in 1806 and 1807, but were defeated both times by Santiago de Liniers. Those victories, achieved without help from mainland Spain, boosted the confidence of the city.


title: History of Argentina

text: The beginning of the Peninsular War in Spain and the capture of the Spanish king Ferdinand VII created great concern all around the viceroyalty. It was thought that, without a King, people in America should rule themselves. This idea led to multiple attempts to remove the local authorities at Chuquisaca, La Paz, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, all of which were short-lived. A new successful attempt, the May Revolution of 1810, took place when it was reported that all of Spain, with the exception of Cádiz and León, had been conquered.


title: History of Argentina

text: The May Revolution ousted the viceroy. Other forms of government, such as a constitutional monarchy or a Regency were briefly considered.


title: History of Argentina

text: The viceroyalty was also renamed, and it nominally became the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. However, the status of the different territories that had belonged to the viceroyalty changed many times during the course of the war, as some regions would remain loyal to their previous governors and others were captured or recaptured; later these would split into several countries.


title: History of Argentina

text: The first military campaigns against the royalists were waged by Manuel Belgrano and Juan José Castelli. The Primera Junta, after expanding to become the Junta Grande, was replaced by the First Triumvirate. A Second Triumvirate would replace it years later, calling for the Assembly of year XIII that was meant to declare independence and write a constitution. However, it did not do either, and replaced the triumvirates with a single head of state office, the Supreme Director.


title: History of Argentina

text: By this time José de San Martín arrived in Buenos Aires with other generals of the Peninsular War. They gave new strength to the Revolutionary war, which was marked by the defeat of Belgrano and Castelli and the royalist resistance at the Banda Oriental. Alvear took Montevideo, and San Martín started a military campaign that would span an important part of the Spanish territories in America. He created the Army of the Andes in Mendoza and, with the help of Bernardo O'Higgins and other Chileans, he made the Crossing of the Andes and liberated Chile. With the Chilean navy at his disposal, he moved to Peru, liberating that country as well. San Martín met Simón Bolívar at Guayaquil, and retired from action.


title: History of Argentina

text: A new assembly, the Congress of Tucumán, was called while San Martín was preparing the crossing of the Andes. It finally declared independence from Spain or any other foreign power. Bolivia declared itself independent in 1825, and Uruguay was created in 1828 as a result of the Cisplatine War.


title: History of Argentina

text: The French-Argentine Hippolyte Bouchard then brought his fleet to wage war against Spain overseas and attacked Spanish California, Spanish Chile, Spanish Peru and Spanish Philippines. He secured the allegiance of escaped Filipinos in San Blas who defected from the Spanish to join the Argentine navy, due to common Argentine and Philippine grievances against Spanish colonization. At a later date, the Argentine Sun of May was adopted as a symbol by the Filipinos in the Philippine Revolution against Spain. Bouchard also secured the diplomatic recognition of Argentina from King Kamehameha I of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Historian Pacho O'Donnell affirms that Hawaii was the first state that recognized Argentina's independence.


title: History of Argentina

text: The United Kingdom officially recognized Argentine independence in 1825, with the signing of a "Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation" on February 2; the British chargé d'affaires in Buenos Aires, Woodbine Parish, signed on behalf of his country. Spanish recognition of Argentine independence was not to come for several decades.


title: History of Argentina

text: The map below is based on a wide range of antique maps for the periods shown and is intended to give a broad idea of the changes in the State of Argentina in the nineteenth century. The periods are broad and plus or minus about a decade around each date. The hatched areas are disputed or subject to change during the period, the text in this article will explain these changes. There are minor changes of territory that are not shown on the map.


title: History of Argentina

text: The defeat of the Spanish was followed by a long civil war between unitarians and federalists, about the organization of the country and the role of Buenos Aires in it. Unitarians thought that Buenos Aires should lead the less-developed provinces, as the head of a strong centralized government. Federalists thought instead that the country should be a federation of autonomous provinces, like the United States. During this period, the government would kidnap protestors, and torture them for information.


title: History of Argentina

text: During this period, the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata lacked a head of state, since the unitarian defeat at the Battle of Cepeda had ended the authority of the Supreme Directors and the 1819 Constitution. There was a new attempt in 1826 to write a constitution, leading to the designation of Bernardino Rivadavia as President of Argentina, but it was rejected by the provinces. Rivadavia resigned due to the poor management at the Cisplatine War, and the 1826 constitution was repealed.


title: History of Argentina

text: During this time, the Governors of Buenos Aires Province received the power to manage the international relations of the confederation, including war and debt payment. The dominant figure of this period was the federalist Juan Manuel de Rosas, who is portrayed from different angles by the diverse historiographic flows in Argentina: liberal history usually considers him a dictator, while revisionists support him on the grounds of his defense of national sovereignty.


title: History of Argentina

text: He ruled the province of Buenos Aires from 1829 to 1852, facing military threats from secession attempts, neighboring countries, and even European nations. Although Rosas was a Federalist, he kept the customs receipts of Buenos Aires under the exclusive control of the city, whereas the other provinces expected to have a part of the revenue. Rosas considered this a fair measure because only Buenos Aires was paying the external debt generated by the Baring Brothers loan to Rivadavia, the war of independence and the war against Brazil. He developed a paramilitary force of his own, the Popular Restorer Society, commonly known as ""Mazorca"" ("Corncob").


title: History of Argentina

text: Rosas' reluctance to call for a new assembly to write a constitution led General Justo José de Urquiza from Entre Ríos to turn against him. Urquiza defeated Rosas during the battle of Caseros and called for such an assembly. The Argentine Constitution of 1853 is, with amendments, still in force to this day. The Constitution was not immediately accepted by Buenos Aires, which seceded from the Confederation; it rejoined a few years later. In 1862 Bartolomé Mitre became the first president of the unified country.


title: History of Argentina

text: The presidency of Bartolomé Mitre saw an economic improvement in Argentina, with agricultural modernization, foreign investment, new railroads and ports and a wave of immigration from Europe. Mitre also stabilized the political system by commanding federal interventions that defeated the personal armies of caudillos Chacho Peñaloza and Juan Sáa. Argentina joined Uruguay and Brazil against Paraguay in the War of the Triple Alliance, which ended during Sarmiento's rule with the defeat of Paraguay and the annexation of part of its territory by Argentina.


title: History of Argentina

text: Despite victory in the war, Mitre's popularity declined severely because a broad section of the Argentine population was opposed to the war due to the alliance with Brazil (Argentina's historic rival) that took place during the war, and the betrayal of Paraguay (which had been until then one of the country's most important economic allies). One of the major hallmarks of Mitre's presidency was the "Law of Compromise", in which Buenos Aires joined the Argentine Republic and allowed the government to use the City of Buenos Aires as the center of government, but without federalizing the city and by reserving the right of the province of Buenos Aires to secede from the nation if conflict arose.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1868 Mitre was succeeded by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, who promoted public education, culture, telegraphs; as well as the modernization of the Army and the Navy. Sarmiento managed to defeat the last known caudillos and also dealt with the fallout of the Triple Alliance War, which included a decrease in national production due to the death of thousands of soldiers and an outbreak of diseases, such as cholera and yellow fever, brought by returning soldiers.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1874 Nicolás Avellaneda became president and ran into trouble when he had to deal with the economic depression left by the Panic of 1873. Most of these economic issues were solved when new land was opened for development after the expansion of national territory through the Conquest of the Desert, led by his war minister Julio Argentino Roca. This military campaign took most of the territories under the control of natives, and reduced their population.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1880 a trade conflict caused turmoil in Buenos Aires, which led governor Carlos Tejedor to declare secession from the republic. Avellaneda denied them this right, breaking the Law of Compromise, and proceeded to send army troops led by Roca to take over the province. Tejedor's secession efforts were defeated and Buenos Aires joined the republic definitively, federalizing the city of Buenos Aires and handing it over to the government as the nation's capital city.


title: History of Argentina

text: After his surge in popularity due to his successful desert campaign, Julio Roca was elected president in 1880 as the candidate for the National Autonomist Party (Partido Autonomista Nacional – PAN), a party that would remain in power until 1916. During his presidency, Roca created a net of political alliances and installed several measures that helped him retain almost absolute control of the Argentine political scene throughout the 1880s. This keen ability with political strategy earned him his nickname of ""The Fox"".


title: History of Argentina

text: The country's economy benefited from a change from extensive farming to industrial agriculture and a huge European immigration, but there wasn't yet a strong move towards industrialization. At that time, Argentina received some of the highest levels of foreign investment in Latin America. In the midst of this economic expansion, the Law 1420 of Common Education of 1884 guaranteed universal, free, non-religious education to all children. This and other government policies were strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina, causing the Holy See to break off diplomatic relations with the country for several years and setting the stage for decades of continued Church–state strain.


title: History of Argentina

text: In the late 19th and early 20th century, Argentina temporarily resolved its border disputes with Chile with the Puna de Atacama dispute of 1899, the Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina and the 1902 General Treaty of Arbitration. Roca's government and those that followed were aligned with the Argentine oligarchy, especially the great land owners.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1888, Miguel Juárez Celman became president after Roca was constitutionally disqualified from re-election; Celman attempted to reduce Roca's control over the political scene, which earned him his predecessor's opposition. Roca led a great opposition movement against Celman, which coupled with the devastating effects that the Long Depression had on the Argentine economy, allowed the Civic opposition party to start a coup d'état which would be later known as the Revolution of the Park. The Revolution was led by the three main leaders of the Civic Union, Leandro Alem, former president Bartolomé Mitre and moderate socialist Juan B. Justo. Though it failed in its main goals, the revolution forced Juárez Celman's resignation and marked the decline of the Generation of '80.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1891, Roca proposed that the Civic Union elect someone to be vice-president to his own presidency the next time elections came around. One group led by Mitre decided to take the deal, while another more intransigent group led by Alem was opposed. This eventually led to the split of the Civic Union into the National Civic Union (Argentina), led by Mitre, and the Radical Civic Union, led by Alem. After this division occurred, Roca withdrew his offer, having completed his plan to divide the Civic Union and decrease their power. Alem would eventually commit suicide in 1896; control of the Radical Civic Union went to his nephew and protégé, Hipólito Yrigoyen.


title: History of Argentina

text: After Celman's downfall, his vice-president Carlos Pellegrini took over and proceeded to resolve the economic crisis which afflicted the country, earning him the moniker of ""The Storm Sailor"". Fearing another wave of opposition from Roca like the one imposed on Celman, Pellegrini remained moderate in his presidency ending his predecessor's efforts to distance ""The Fox"" from political control. The following governments up until 1898 took similar measures and sided with Roca to avoid being politically chastised.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1898, Roca became president again in a politically unstable situation, with a large number of social conflicts that included massive strikes and anarchist subversion attempts. Roca handled most of these conflicts by having the police or the army crack down on protestors, rebels and suspected rebels. After the end of his second presidency, Roca fell ill and his role in political affairs began to decrease gradually until his death in late 1914.


title: History of Argentina

text: In 1904, Alfredo Palacios, a member of Juan B. Justo's Socialist Party (founded in 1896), became the first Socialist deputy in Argentina, as a representative for the working-class neighborhood of La Boca in Buenos Aires. He helped create many laws, including the Ley Palacios against sexual exploitation, and others regulating child and woman labor, working hours and Sunday rest.


title: History of Argentina

text: Unión Cívica Radical's 1893 and 1905 revolts, led by Hipólito Yrigoyen, inflicted fear among the oligarchy of an increased social instability and a possible revolution. Being a progressive member of the PAN, Roque Sáenz Peña recognized the need to satisfy the demand by public to maintain the existing regime. After being elected as president in 1910, he passed the Sáenz Peña Law in 1912 which made the political vote mandatory, secret and universal among males aged eighteen or more. His intention was not to allow the transition of power to Unión Cívica Radical but to increase public support for the PAN by enabling the universal electoral suffrage. However, the consequence was the opposite of what he intended to accomplish: The following election chose Hipólito Yrigoyen as the president in 1916, and it ended the hegemony of the PAN.


title: History of Argentina

text: Conservative forces dominated Argentine politics until 1916, when the Radicals, led by Hipólito Yrigoyen, won control of the government through the first national elections under universal male suffrage. 745,000 citizens were allowed to vote, of a total population of 7.5 million (immigrants, who represented much of the population, were not allowed to vote); of these, 400,000 abstained.


title: History of Argentina

text: Yrigoyen, however, only obtained 45% of the votes, which did not allow him a majority in Parliament, where the conservatives remained the leading force. Thus, of 80 draft laws proposed by the executive, only 26 were voted through by the conservative majority. A moderate agricultural reform proposal was rejected by Parliament, as was an income tax on interest, and the creation of a Bank of the Republic (which was to have the missions of the current Central Bank).


title: History of Argentina

text: Meanwhile, the Radicals continued Argentina's neutrality policy during World War I, despite the United States urging them to declare war against the Central Powers. Neutrality enabled Argentina to export goods to Europe, in particular to Great Britain, as well as to issue credit to the belligerent powers. Germany sank two Argentine civilian ships, "Monte Protegido" on 4 April 1917, and the "Toro", but the diplomatic incident ended only with the expulsion of the German ambassador, Karl von Luxburg. Yrigoyen organized a Conference of Neutral Powers in Buenos Aires, to oppose the United States' attempt to bring American states in the European war, and also supported Sandino's resistance in Nicaragua.


title: History of Argentina

text: Despite conservative opposition, the Radical Civic Union (UCR), with their emphasis on fair elections and democratic institutions, opened their doors to Argentina's expanding middle class as well as to social groups previously excluded from power. Yrigoyen's policy was to "fix" the system, by enacting necessary reforms which would enable the agroindustrial export model to preserve itself. It alternated moderate social reforms with repression of the social movements. In 1918, a student movement started at the University of Córdoba, which eventually led to the University Reform, which quickly spread to the rest of Latin America. In May '68, French students recalled the Córdoba movement.


title: History of Argentina

text: The Tragic Week of January 1919, during which the Argentine Regional Workers' Federation (FORA, founded in 1901) had called for a general strike after a police shooting, ended with 700 killed and 4,000 injured. General Luis Dellepiane marched on Buenos Aires to re-establish civil order. Despite being called on by some to initiate a coup against Yrigoyen, he remained loyal to the President, on the sole condition that the latter would allow him a free hand in the repression of the demonstrations. Social movements thereafter continued in the "Forestal" British company, and in Patagonia, where Hector Varela headed the military repression, assisted by the Argentine Patriotic League, killing 1,500.


title: History of Argentina

text: On the other hand, Yrigoyen's administration enacted the Labor Code establishing the right to strike in 1921, implemented minimum wage laws and collective contracts. It also initiated the creation of the "Dirección General de Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales" (YPF), the state oil company, in June 1922. Radicalism rejected class struggle and advocated social conciliation.


title: History of Argentina

text: In September 1922, Yrigoyen's administration refused to follow the "cordon sanitaire" policy enacted against the Soviet Union, and, basing its policy on the assistance given to Austria after the war, decided to send to the USSR 5 million pesos in assistance.


title: History of Argentina

text: The same year, Yrigoyen was replaced by his rival inside the UCR, Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear, an aristocrat, who defeated Norberto Piñero's "Concentración Nacional" (conservatives) with 458,457 votes to 200,080. Alvear brought to his cabinet personalities belonging to the traditional ruling classes, such as José Nicolás Matienzo at the Interior Ministry, Ángel Gallardo in Foreign Relations, Agustín P. Justo at the War Ministry, Manuel Domecq García at the Marine and Rafael Herrera Vegas at the Haciendas. Alvear's supporters founded the "Unión Cívica Radical Antipersonalista", opposed to Yrigoyen's party.