prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: The FIBT World Championships 1960 took place in a town located in which part of Italy ?

The following are given passages.
Context 1: Passage 1:
FIBT World Championships 1960
The FIBT World Championships 1960 took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for the fifth time  The Italian city had hosted the event previously in 1937 (Two-man), 1939 (Four-man), 1950, and 1954  This was an extraordinary event because bobsleigh was not included in the program at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California 

Two man bobsleigh
The Italian duo of Monti and Alvera won their fourth straight championships in this event 

Four man bobsleigh
Medal table
Passage 2:
Steven Langton
Steven Daniel Langton (born April 15, 1983) is an American bobsledder  He won silver medals in both the two-man and four-man events at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and gold in both the two-man and four-man events at the 2012 FIBT World Championships 

Early life
Langton attended Northeastern University, in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating cum laude in 2006 with a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship  At Northeastern, he was a member of the track and field team and was a two-year team captain, with personal bests of 6 49 seconds in the indoor 55m dash, 10 58 seconds in the outdoor 100m dash, and 7 04m in the long jump  He was inspired to try bobsled after watching the 2006 Winter Olympics 

Olympic career
At the 2010 Olympic Games, Langton competed in both the two-man and four-man events with pilot, John Napier  Langton finished tenth in the two-man event  Due to injuries that were sustained during USA 2's crash in the second run of the four-man event, Langton and his team did compete on the second day 
At the 2014 Olympic Games, Langton competed in both the two-man and four-man events with pilot Steven Holcomb  He won a bronze medal (later upgraded to silver) in the two-man event at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, marking the first time in 62 years an American sled had won an Olympic medal in the two-man event  Following this accomplishment, Langton teamed with Steven Holcomb, Curt Tomasevicz and Christopher Fogt to win a bronze medal (later also upgraded to silver) in the four-man event  With this medal, they became the first American team in 62 years to win an Olympic medal in both the two- and four-man events at the same Olympics 

World Championships and World Cups
Outside of the Olympic Games, Langton has also won four world championships medals: bronze in the four-man in 2011 and 2013, and gold in both events in 2012  The 2012 victory marked the first time an American sled won gold in the two-man event at a world championships, and the first time the American team won both events at a single world championships 
He has also won 21 World Cup medals during his career: 11 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze  During the 2010–11 season Langton also won the Inaugural World Push Championships held in Cesana Pariol, Italy 

Family
Steven Langton's brother, Christopher Langton, was an All-Ivy lacrosse player at Cornell University  Chris served as Team USA's Alternate for the Sochi Winter Olympic Games  Another brother, Sean Langton, currently works as a dentist 
Passage 3:
Urs Aeberhand
Urs Aeberhand (sometimes known as Urs Aeberhard) is a Swiss bobsledder who competed from the late 1990s to the early 2000s  He won three bronze medals at the FIBT World Championships (Two-man: 2000, Four-man: 2000, FIBT World Championships 2001) 
Aeberhand also finished sixth in the four-man event at Salt Lake City in 2002 
Passage 4:
FIBT World Championships 1981
The FIBT World Championships 1981 took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for the seventh time, having hosted the event previously in 1937 (Two-man), 1939 (Four-man), 1950, 1954, 1960, and 1966 
Following the death of West Germany's Toni Pensperger at the track in 1966, numerous safety improvements were done at the track which were satisfactory enough for the FIBT to allow the championships to be hosted  These improvements would not be enough as American bobsled driver James Morgan was killed during the third run of the four-man event A stuntman fatality on the track a week later, during the first day of filming of For Your Eyes Only, led track officials to shorten the track to its current configuration  Cortina did not host another championship until 1989 

Two man bobsleigh
Four man bobsleigh
February 8, 1981

Medal table
Passage 5:
Eugenio Monti track
The Eugenio Monti olympic track (Italian: Pista olimpica Eugenio Monti  ) is a bobsleigh and skeleton track located in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy  It is named after Eugenio Monti (1928–2003), who won six bobsleigh medals at the Winter Olympic Games between 1956 and 1968 and ten medals at the FIBT World Championships between 1957 and 1966  It was featured in the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, held after the 1981 FIBT World Championships, before the track was shortened to its current configuration  In January 2008, after a last bobsleigh race tournament, the track was closed 

History
Bobsleigh at Cortina d'Ampezzo was introduced in 1905-6 using a snow-covered road on the Dolomite Road between Cortina and Pocol  An attempt was made in 1911 to build an artificial bobsleigh run near the centre of Cortina, but that failed due to funding issues  By 1923, a new track 1200 metres in length, was constructed in Ronco, a village near Cortina on the Dolomite Road laid with special water piping constructed into the earth and covered with turf to allow for track freezing The track made its international debut in 1928 at the International University Winter Games (forerunner of the Winter Universiade, under administration by the International University Sports Federation), giving the track first notice, increasing its growth  Rebuilding of the track occurred in 1936 to meet the standards of other tracks such as St  Moritz, Switzerland and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany with the finish of the track moving down to the bank of the Boite River  This extended the track length to 1500 metres with 15 turns and a vertical drop of 152 metres  The track hosted its first FIBT World Championships in 1937 in the two-man event  Two years later, it hosted the four-man event of the FIBT World Championships though it would lead to the death of Swiss bobsledder Reto Capadrutt during competition  Another renovation occurred with the track after World War II in 1948, when all of the turns were rebuilt and the track lengthened to 1700 metres and 16 turns When the International Olympic Committee awarded the 1956 Winter Olympics to Cortina, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) took over all operations and improvement of the track at considerable expense  Following the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, track officials added large scoreboards, and electronic timing and scoring  The track used for the 1956 Winter Olympics was 1720 metres long with 16 turns and an elevation drop of 152 metres  When a bobsleigh track was not built for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California in the United States, the track in Cortina was used to host the world championships that year in place of being excluded from the Winter Olympic Games 

The track played a key role in improving bobsleigh safety when West Germany's Toni Pensperger was killed during the four-man event at the 1966 world championships  Because of Pensperger's death, the world championships did not take place at the track until safety improvements were made satisfactory to the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT)  This was not until 1981, though the death of American bobsledder James Morgan during the four-man event on February 8 led to track officials shortening the course to its current configuration  The week following the 1981 championships, the track was filmed as part of the movie For Your Eyes Only; one of the stuntmen involved, Paolo Rigon, was killed during the first day of filming By 1989 the track was deemed safe enough by the FIBT to host another world championship  Following the death of Eugenio Monti in 2003, the Olympic Bobrun Cortina was renamed the Eugenio Monti pista (track in (in Italian)) early the following year  The track was awarded the 2011 world championships in June 2007 over Winterberg, Germany and was to have undergone homologation to involve skeleton (last competed in 1992) though that was not done during the 2007-08 Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup season  Following some issues with the city of Cortina, the track withdrew its bid to host the 2011 championships so the FIBT awarded the championships instead to Königssee, Germany  The track is now artificially refrigerated  The venue could be reopened when Cortina co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan 

Track statistics
The track used for the 1956 Winter Olympics had 16 curves that was 1,700 meters long with an elevation difference of 152 meters  Turns 3 and 5 were not named 

Following the 1981 FIBT World Championships, the track was shortened to 1350 meters in length with 13 curves, an elevation drop of 120 45 meters, a maximum grade of 15 9%, and an average grade of 9 3% 

Championships hosted
Winter Olympics: 1956, 2026
FIBT World Championships: 1937 (Two-man), 1939 (Four-man), 1950, 1954, 1960 (Extraordinary event since bobsleigh was not included for the 1960 Winter Olympics), 1966, 1981, 1989 (Bobsleigh only), 1999 (Bobsleigh only)
Bobsleigh European Championship: 1965, 1970, 1982, 2000, 2002, 2007
Bobsleigh Italian Championship: 1930, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008

Gallery
See also
Italy national bobsleigh team
Passage 6:
Katie Uhlaender
Katie Uhlaender (born July 17, 1984) is an American skeleton racer who has competed since 2003  She has won six medals at the FIBT World Championships with two gold (women's skeleton: FIBT World Championships 2012, mixed bobsleigh-skeleton team event: 2012), one silver (women's skeleton: 2008), and three bronze (women's skeleton: 2007, mixed bobsleigh-skeleton team event: 2008, 2009) 

Career
Uhlaender won the women's Skeleton World Cup title twice (2006-7, 2007-8)  She also finished sixth in the women's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin  She earned a medical waiver to compete in the 2009-10 Skeleton World Cup season following surgery in the wake of an April 2009 snowmobile accident where Uhelander shattered her kneecap  She then broke it again in August 2009 (having a total of four surgeries)  She qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where she finished 11th   She then had another surgery (microfracture labral repair by Dr Phillipon at Steadman Hawkins)  On January 18, 2014, Uhlaender was named to the 2014 Olympic team  She placed fourth at the 2014 Olympics, missing out on a medal by  04 seconds Uhlaender has also participated in weightlifting competitions  The 2012 U S  Olympic trials were just the third meet of her weightlifting career, but she did not make the team  Discovering that her hip had ossified (there was no soft tissue) and her ankle had a hole in it, she took the 2014-15 season off from skeleton and gave up on weightlifting to get healthy  She participated in track cycling, attempting to be a starter in the women's team sprint  She posted her best one-lap time of 20 7 at Senior Nationals 2015 
Uhlaender was named, along with Kendall Wesenberg, to represent the U S  in women's skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang In July 2018, Uhlaender testified before the U S  Helsinki Commission in Washington, DC, on the subject of doping in sports  She was on a panel alongside Travis Tygart, CEO of the U S  Anti-Doping Administration, Jim Walden, the attorney for Russian whistleblower Dr  Grigory Rodchenkov, and Yuliya Stepanova, a former Russian track star turned whistleblower  Uhlaender told the body that she felt she was twice unfairly denied an Olympic medal  The loss "erased the meaning of sport and the Olympics as I knew it "

Personal life
A native of Vail, Colorado, Uhlaender lives in nearby Breckenridge while training, but lives in McDonald, Kansas the rest of the year  She is the daughter of Major League Baseball outfielder (and former Cleveland Indians coach) Ted Uhlaender  In memory of her father, she wears his National League Championship ring from the 1972 Cincinnati Reds on a necklace 
Passage 7:
FIBT World Championships 1951
The FIBT World Championships 1951 took place in Alpe d'Huez, France  Germany returned to the FIBT World Championships for the first time since World War II, albeit as the separate countries of East Germany and West Germany 

Two man bobsleigh
Four man bobsleigh
Medal table
Passage 8:
Andreas Barucha
Andreas Barucha (born 2 April 1979 in Potsdam) is a German bobsledder who has competed since 1999  He won a gold in the mixed team event at the 2009 FIBT World Championships in Lake Placid, New York  His best finish at the FIBT World Championships was seventh in the four-man event at Calgary in 2005 
Barucha's best World Cup finish was second three times in the four-man event (2005, 2006, 2009) 
He finished fourth in the four-man event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver 
Passage 9:
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italian pronunciation: [korˈtiːna damˈpɛttso]; Ladin: Anpezo, Ampëz; historical Austrian German: Hayden) is a town and comune in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy  Situated on the Boite river, in an alpine valley, it is a summer and winter sport resort known for its skiing trails, scenery, accommodation, shops and après-ski scene, and for its jet set and Italian aristocratic crowd 
In the Middle Ages, Ampezzo fell under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and of the Holy Roman Empire  In 1420 it was conquered by the Republic of Venice  From 1508, it then spent much of its history under Habsburg rule, briefly undergoing some territorial changes under Napoleon, before being returned to the Austrian Empire (later Austria-Hungary), which held it until 1918  From the nineteenth century, Ampezzo became a notable regional centre for crafts  The local handmade products were appreciated by early British and German holidaymakers as tourism emerged late nineteenth century  Among the specializations of the town were crafting wood for furniture, the production of tiled stoves, and iron, copper and glass items  
Today, the local economy thrives on tourism, particularly during the winter season, when the population of the town typically increases from about 7,000 to 40,000  The Basilica Minore dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo was built between 1769 and 1775 on the site of two former thirteenth and sixteenth-century churches; it is home to the parish and the deanery of Cortina d'Ampezzo  The town also contains the Rinaldo Zardini Palaeontology Museum, established in 1975, the Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum, and the Regole of Ampezzo Ethnographic Museum  
Although Cortina d'Ampezzo was unable to go ahead with the scheduled 1944 Winter Olympics because of World War II, it hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956 and subsequently a number of world winter-sports events  Cortina d'Ampezzo will host the Winter Olympics for a second time when it co-hosts the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan  The town is home to SG Cortina, a top league professional ice hockey team, and Cortina d'Ampezzo is also the start and end point of the annual Dolomites Gold Cup Race  
Several films have been shot in the town, most notably The Pink Panther (1963), For Your Eyes Only (1981), and Cliffhanger (1993) 

History
Prehistory
The discovery in 1987 of a primitive tomb at Mondeval de Sora high up in the mountains to the south of Cortina testifies to the presence of Mesolithic man in the area as far back as the 6th millennium B C  In the 6th century B C , Etruscan writing was introduced in the province of Cadore, in whose possession it remained until the early 5th century  From the 3rd century B C , the Romans assimilated the Veneti people, giving the area the name of Amplitium (from amplus meaning wide), today's Ampezzo 

Middle Ages to 19th century
No historical information exists on the Cadore region from the fall of the Roman Empire until the Lombard period  It is assumed that during the Barbarian invasions, the inhabitants fled to the Fassa, Badia, Cordevole and Ampezzo valleys In the Middle Ages, Ampezzo fell under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Aquileia and of the Holy Roman Empire  In 1420, the village was conquered by the Republic of Venice  In 1508 it was conquered by the Habsburgs, and by 1511 people of Ampezzo swore loyalty to the Emperor Maximilian, and that area was subsequently adjoined to the region of Pusterthal  In 1797, when the Treaty of Campo Formio was signed, Napoleon initially permitted the Habsburg Empire to retain it, but in 1810 he added Ampezzo to the Department of Piave, following an attack on the town in which it was burned by the French  It was short-lived; the Austrian Empire reclaimed it in 1813, and it remained in its possession even after the battles of Custoza and Sadowa in 1866 when Venice was ceded to Italy  The town gained a reputation as a health resort; it was reportedly free of diseases such as cholera In 1874 the Ampezzo forest became the property of the Carnic Woods Consortium  Although remaining an Austrian possession until 1920 (as a part of kronland Tyrol), aside from being home for an ethnic German-speaking minority, Ampezzo never became a German-speaking territory and conserved its original language Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language 

20th century
When Italy entered World War I in 1915, most of the male inhabitants were fighting for Austria-Hungary on the Russian front  669 male inhabitants (most of them under 16 or over 50) tried to fight the Italian troops  Outnumbered by the Italians, they had to retreat  After the Austrian recovery in 1917, the town was occupied again by the Tyrolean Standschützen  On 24 November 1917, the Habsburg Emperor Charles (Karl) traveled through Ampezzo and was received with enthusiasm by the population  A little girl handed the emperor a letter with the request to send her father home from the front because his wife and mother of nine children had died  After ten days, Bepe Manaigo was with his children  A total of 144 Ampezzans died as a result of the war  Ampezzo soldiers received 16 silver and 4 bronze medals for bravery  In the surrounding area of Cortina there were 38 military cemeteries, everywhere trenches, barbed wire, impact holes, splinters, ammunition and barracks; 2,450 hectares of forest were devastated 
The mountains surrounding Cortina were themselves the theatre of several battles during the Great War  

Following Italy's victory in World War I, Ampezzo was (together with the central and southern part of Tyrol) definitively ceded to Italy in 1920  Three years later, it was separated from Tyrol (along with Colle Santa Lucia and Livinallongo del Col di Lana) and incorporated into the province of Belluno, itself part of the Veneto region 
After the war the city was renamed "Cortina d'Ampezzo" (Curtain of the Ampezzo Valley), adopting the name of one of the six villages that made up the territory of Ampezzo, located in the middle of the Ampezzo valley Cortina d'Ampezzo was designated as a major redoubt and held a large ammunition storage depot (46°36'50"N / 12°09'27"E) in 1945 and had been assigned as a hold out by Italian and German troops to prevent the American and British from advancing into Austria   Town and depot was scheduled to be attacked on 26 April 1945 only last minute weather prevented this strike by the 15th AF / 49th BW
Already an elite destination for the first British tourists in the late 18th and early 20th centuries, after World War I Cortina d'Ampezzo became a resort for upper-class Italians, too  Cortina d'Ampezzo was chosen as the venue of the 1944 winter Olympics, which did not take place due to World War II  Thanks to finally hosting the winter Olympics in 1956,  Cortina grew into a world-famous resort, with a substantial increase in tourism  With a resident population of 6,150 people in 2008, Cortina has a temporary population of around 50,000 during peak periods such as the Christmas holidays and mid-August  The Ford Cortina, the UK's best-selling car of the 1970s, was named after Cortina d'Ampezzo 

21st-century politics
In 2002 the Ampezzaner rifle company Ŝizar Anpezo Hayden was brought back to life  Since Otto von Habsburg, the then head of the Habsburg family, visited Cortina in 2005, their patron has been Charles I of Austria  Especially because of the eventful history, the Habsburg brand is still very present in Cortina in the 21st century, as many pictures and photos of Franz Joseph I of Austria and of Charles I, who is particularly revered here, in inns, restaurants, bars and hotels testify  Since 2011 there has been a memorial for Maximilian I on the main square in memory of the year 1511 and the union of the Ampezzo valley basin with Tyrol The town voted in October 2007 to secede from the region of Veneto and join the neighbouring region, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol  This was motivated by cultural ties with the Ladin-speaking community in South Tyrol and the attraction of lower taxes  The referendum is not executive, and a final decision on the matter can only be made by law from the Italian parliament with consent of both regional councils of Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol In the European elections of 2014, the leading party was the Democratic Party with 30 4% of the vote, followed by Forza Italia (19 4%) and the autonomist Südtiroler Volkspartei with 14 1% 

Geography and climate
Cortina is situated more or less in the centre of the Ampezzo valley, at the top of the Valle del Boite in the Dolomites, which encircle the town  The Boite river flows directly through the town of Cortina itself  The mountains in the area are described as "craggy" and "soaring", "unmistakable; like a massive coral reef ripped from the sea, strung with conifers and laced with snow"  The town is positioned between Cadore (to the south) and the Puster Valley (to the north), Val d'Ansiei (to the east) and Agordo (to the west)  Originally it consisted of numerous frazioni, isolated villages and hamlets, but from the 1950s it grew rapidly as a result of tourism  Only the most remote villages have remained isolated from the main town  San Vito di Cadore is 9 kilometres (5 6 mi) to the south of Cortina d'Ampezzo Among the surrounding mountains are Tofane to the west, Pomagagnon to the north, Cristallo to the northeast, Faloria and Sorapiss to the east, and Becco di Mezzodì, Croda da Lago and Cinque Torri to the south  Monte Antelao (Nantelou in Ladin) is at 3264 m the highest mountain in the Ampezzo Dolomites and the second highest in the Dolomites  When the weather is good, Monte Antelao is clearly visible from the rive in Trieste on the Adriatic Sea  The town centre is located at an elevation of 1,224 metres (4,016 ft), the closest high peak is that of Tofana di Mezzo, which towers at 3,244 metres (10,643 ft)  There are numerous fast flowing rivers, streams and small lakes in the territory, such as the Ghedina, Pianozes and d'Ajal, which fill particularly during the summer snow-melt season  Fauna include marmots, roe deer, chamois and hares and, on occasion, wolves, bears and lynx  Much of the area of Cortina is part of the "Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites" 

Frazioni
The comune contains the following frazioni (parishes/wards) with their Ladino names in parentheses: Acquabona (Agabòna), Alverà, Bigontina (Begontina), Cadelverzo (Cadelvèrzo), Cademai, Cadin (Ciadìn), Campo (Ciànpo), Chiamulera (Ciamulèra), Chiave (Ciàe), Cianderìes, Coiana (Cojana), Col, Cortina, Crìgnes, Doneà, Fiames (Fiàmes), Fraìna, Gilardon (Jilardòn), Gnòche o Gràa, Guargné, Lacedel (Lazedèl), Manaigo, Majon, Melères, Mortisa (Mortìja), Pecol (Pecòl), Pezié, Pian da Lago, Pocol (Pocòl), Rònco, Salieto, Socol, Staulin (Staulìn), Val, Verocai, Vera (Vèra), Zuel (Zuèl) 

Climate
Cortina d'Ampezzo has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with short summers and long winters that vacillate between frigid, snowy, unsettled, and temperate  In late December and early January, some of Italy's lowest recorded temperatures are to be found in the region, especially at the top of the Cimabanche Pass on the border between the provinces of Belluno and Bolzano  The other seasons are generally rainy, cool to warm, and windy  During the summer temperature up to 25 degrees are present 

Demographics
Cortina's population grew steadily from the time when it was annexed to the Italian State until the 1960s  Thereafter, it underwent a sharp decline (down by 2,099 inhabitants over a 30-year period), with signs of recovery only in the very last few years  Nevertheless, with 6,112 inhabitants, Cortina d'Ampezzo is the seventh most populous place in the province following Belluno (36,509), Feltre (20,688), Sedico (9,734), Ponte nelle Alpi (8,521), Santa Giustina (6,795) and Mel (6,272)  In 2008, there were 44 births (7 1 ‰) and 67 deaths (10 9%), resulting in an overall reduction of 23 inhabitants (−3 8 ‰)  The town's 2,808 families consisted on average of 2 2 persons The presence of foreign residents in Cortina d'Ampezzo is a fairly recent phenomenon, accounting for only a small number of inhabitants in what in any case is a fairly small town  There are 298 resident foreigners in the town, representing 4 9% of the total population  This compares with 7 0% in the town Belluno, 6 4% in the entire province of Belluno, and 10 2% in the Veneto region 

Language and dialects
In addition to Italian, the majority of the population speak fluent Ampezzano, a local variant of Ladin, now recognized as a language rather than a dialect  Ladin is a Rhaeto-Romance language and closely resembles Romansh, which is spoken in Switzerland  The preservation of the local language, as a living medium used by younger generations, is seen as a symbol of pride and attachment to local heritage  Ladin and Tyrolean culture continues to survive despite the increasing pressure faced in recent years  Its importance is even beginning to be recognized by the local authorities who in December 2007 decided to use Ladin on signs for the names of streets and villages in compliance with regulations for the protection of linguistic minorities in force since 1999 

Economy
Beginning in the 19th century, Ampezzo became a notable regional centre for crafts  The growing importance of this sector led the Austrian Ministry of Commerce to authorize the opening of a State Industrial School in 1874, which later became the Art Institute  It became a reputable institution in teaching wood and metalwork, admitting boys from the age of 13 for up to four years of study  The local handmade products were appreciated by early British and German vacationers as tourism emerged in the late 19th century  Some of the local items were said to have mythical qualities; the Austrian journalist and anthropologist Karl Felix Wolff, for example, stated in 1935 that according to legend a local man "once made a sword that was so flexible that you could bend it over, tie it up, and then allow it to straighten out again"  Among the specializations of the town were crafting wood for furniture; the production of tiled stoves; and iron, copper, and glass items 

Today the local economy thrives on tourism, particularly during the winter season, when the population of the town typically increases from about 7,000 to 40,000  Lonely Planet refers to Cortina d'Ampezzo as "one of Italy's most famous, fashionable and expensive ski resorts", which "boasts first-class facilities (skiing, skating, sledding, climbing) and superb hiking" Cortina is home to some of the most prestigious names in fashion (including Bulgari, Benetton, Gucci, and Geox) and various artisan shops, antiquarians, and craft stores  It is also home to many stores specializing in mountaineering equipment  The symbol of Cortina shopping remains La Cooperativa di Cortina, founded on 28 June 1893 as Consumverein Ampezzo  In this shopping centre many trades can be found, from confectioners to newspaper vendors, toys, gift shops, skiing stores, and blacksmiths  The building is divided into three levels (more a raised plan and a balcony)  The cooperative in Cortina was one of the first cooperatives founded in the Italian Peninsula and currently provides employment to approximately 200 people 
The five-star Miramonti Majestic Grand Hotel, of James Bond fame, is more than 100 years old  Previously an Austro-Hungarian hunting lodge, it contains 105 rooms  Other hotels of note include Hotel Cornelio on Via Cantore, Hotel Montana on Corso Italia, Hotel Menardi on Via Majom, Hotel Villa Gaiai on Via Guide Alpine, and the Grand Hotel Savoia on Via Roma  There are several mountain hostels in the vicinity, including Rifugio Faloria, Rifugio son Forca, Rifugio Capanna Tondi and Rifugio duca D'Aosta, which contains restaurants 

Landmarks
Near the bridge on the Bigontina River is the Town Hall, a palace in the Tyrolean style  Piazza Angelo Dibona houses several landmarks  The Ciasa de ra Regoles is one of the more important legal buildings in Ampezzo, where the "regolieri" — a council for the local villages that stood before the town merged — train the community and give administrative orders  It was at one time the see of Ampezzo's primary school  Currently it contains the offices of Comunanza delle Regole d'Ampezzo and the Modern Art Museum "Mario Rimoldi"  The main square of Cortina d'Ampezzo is named after the famous local mountain guide Angelo Dibona 

Museums
The Regole d'Ampezzo administer the Musei delle Regole d'Ampezzo, which covers three museums: 
Rinaldo Zardini Palaeontology Museum, Regole of Ampezzo Ethnographic Museum, and Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum The Rinaldo Zardini Palaeontology Museum, established in 1975, is a paleontological museum with a collection of hundreds of fossils of all colors, shapes, and sizes, which were found, gathered, and cataloged by local photographer Rinaldo Zardini  All of the pieces were found in the Dolomites and tell of a time when these high mountain peaks were still on the bottom of a large tropical sea, populated by marine invertebrates, fish, corals, and sponges The Regole of Ampezzo Ethnographic Museum is an ethnographic museum situated in an old restored Venetian sawmill at the confluence of the Boite and Felizon rivers to the north of the town  There are objects related to everyday life, rural, and pastoral practices in the vicinity; agricultural tools; techniques; materials processing; and clothing typical of the valley  
The Mario Rimoldi Modern Art Museum is an art gallery, established in 1941, which preserves over 800 works by major Italian artists of the 20th century including Filippo De Pisis, Felice Carena, Pio Semeghini, Renato Guttuso, Tullio Garbari, Massimo Campigli, and many others  It also hosts temporary exhibitions on various topics 
The Great War Tour stretches over 80 km (50 mi) across the mountains between Lagazuoi and Sass de Stria  It includes the Great War Open Air Museum with its trenches and tunnels  In winter it is accessible to skiers, but it is easier to visit on foot or by mountain bike in the summer months 

Churches
The Basilica Minore dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo was built between 1769 and 1775 on the site of two former 13th and 16th-century churches; it is home to the parish and the deanery of Cortina d'Ampezzo  Its high wooden altar, crowned by a figure of Christ the Redeemer, was carved by Andrea Brustolon  On the ceiling are three frescoes by Luigi Ghedina: "Christ Purifying the Temple", "The Martyrdom of St  Philip", and "The Beheading of St  James" The Chiesa della Madonna della Difesa was built in 1750 on the site of a ruined 14th-century building  Its façade features an intricate fresco depicting the Madonna della Difesa, and the interior is decorated with a wealth of statues, paintings, polychrome marble, and gold leaf 

The Cappella della Beata Vergine di Lourdes (Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes) was completed in 1907  Decorated by artist Corrado Pitscheider of the Val Gardena, it is a small church of particular interest given the reconstruction sculpture The Cappella di Sant'Antonio da Padova in the village of Chiave was completed in 1791, but the interior was renovated in 1809 after serious fire damage caused by the Napoleonic troops  The furnishings include two wooden busts (Christ and St  Catherine) and a richly designed altar Sacrario militare di Pocol (also known as Ossario di Pocol) is a cemetery and shrine located at an altitude of 1,535 metres (5,036 ft) towards Passo Falzarego, in the locality of Pocol  The small church and cemetery were built in 1916 as a military cemetery by the 5th Alpine group  A shrine was built in 1935 as a memorial to the thousands who lost their lives during World War I on the Dolomite front  It is a massive square tower of stone, clearly visible from the entire Ampezzo valley below  In a crypt in the centre of the structure rests the body of general Antonio Cantore, who was awarded the gold medal for military valor 

Castles and forts
The Castello de Zanna is a small fortress, situated in the vila of Minel  It consists of low, white outer walls and two white corner towers, with a small chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity  The construction of the castle began in 1694, but on 19 August 1696 work was interrupted; the building remained unfinished in 1809 when it was burned by French revolutionary troops who had invaded Ampezzo  Since then the castle has undergone restoration 
Forte Tre Sassi (or Forte Tra i Sassi) is a fortress constructed in 1897 during the Austro-Hungarian period on the Passo Valparola  It lies between Sass de Stria and Piccolo Lagazuoi, dominating the passage between the Passo Falzarego and Val Badia in South Tyrol (Alto Adige)  It was part of the large complex of Austrian fortifications built on the Italian border in the late 19th and early 20th centuries 
Rendered unusable due to a bombing by the Italians on 5 July 1915, the ruins remained in a state of disrepair until the advent of the 21st century, when it was restored by the local administration of Ampezzo with the assistance of the Lacedelli family  The fort houses a museum containing relics related to the First World War Castello di Botestagno (also known as Podestagno) was a medieval fort perched on a rock in the valley of the river Boite, a little farther north of Cortina d'Ampezzo  It is believed that it was first erected as a stakeout during conflict with the Lombards between the 7th and 8th centuries, with the aim of dominating the three valleys that converge beneath it: the Boite, the Val di Fanes, and the Val Felizon  The cornerstone, however, probably dates to the 11th century  It was held by the Germans until 1077, and then by the patriarchs of Aquileia (12th century) and Camino (13th century), until Botestagno became the seat of a captaincy  It then passed into Venetian hands and finally to the Habsburgs  During the 18th century the castle gradually lost importance until it was auctioned in 1782 by order of Emperor Joseph II  Today the fort has now almost completely disappeared; only the remnants of what must have been the wine cellars and the foundations remain, now weathered and largely covered up by vegetation 

Culture
Cortina has a long tradition in hosting writers, intellectuals, poets and editors from all over the world  Ernest Hemingway, Saul Bellow, Dino Buzzati, as well as Vittorio Gassman, Leonardo Sciascia, Leonardo Mondadori and many others, spent their vacations in the town and took part in the cultural life of the city  Through the years, this led to a continuous activity of literature festivals and book presentations, like Una Montagna di Libri ("A Mountain of Books"), held twice a year since 2009  The festival attracted to Cortina writers as Azar Nafisi, Peter Cameron, Emmanuel Carrère 
Music is important to the locals of Cortina, with a guitar found in most houses, and young musicians are often found walking the streets  Every year, from the end of July to early August, Cortina hosts the Dino Ciani Festival and Academy  It is held in honour of the celebrated Italian pianist Dino Ciani (1941–1974) who died when he was only 32  The festival attracts young pianists from around the world who are able to benefit from classes with some of the world's leading performers  The Festival of the Bands is another annual musical event featuring brass bands from Italy and beyond during the last week of August  Cortina's own band, parading in traditional costumes, is a central attraction dating back to 1861  Cortina d'Ampezzo hosted the 1953 Miss Italia contest, won by Marcella Mariani  Traditionally, on the eves of the festivals of Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity and St Philip and St James, the youth of the town would climb the hills at sunset and light fires After Ernest Hemingway's wife Hadley lost a suitcase filled with Hemingway's manuscripts at the Gare de Lyon in Paris, he took a time off  He began writing that same year in Cortina d'Ampezzo, writing Out of Season The dominant religion in the comune of Cortina d'Ampezzo is Roman Catholicism 
Among the religious minorities, mainly a result of recent immigration, there is a small community of Eastern Orthodox Christians and Muslims  There is also a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, which has its headquarters in Pian da Lago The surroundings of Cortina have been the location for a number of movies, including mountain climbing scenes for Cliffhanger, Krull and  The Pink Panther  The resort was the primary area for location shooting in Sergio Corbucci's Revisionist Spaghetti Western The Great Silence; the resort was used to represent Utah in the winter of 1898  It was a glamorous location for Elizabeth Taylor in Ash Wednesday (1973), and was also a major location for the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only  Roger Moore's James Bond meets the character Luigi Ferrara (John Moreno) at the peak of Tofana and stays at the Hotel Miramonti  A number of action sequences were shot in the town involving Bond and Erich Kriegler (John Wyman), as Kriegler competes in the biathlon  The battle culminates in one of the famous ski chase sequences in film, where Bond has to escape Kriegler and a crew of assassins on a spike-wheeled motorcycles, his route taking them all onto the bobsleigh run  The actual town centre was also the scene of the first attack on Bond and his partner Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) by two motorcyclists who attempted to run them over, only for Bond to eliminate them both, putting one of them through the window of a local florist 

Sports
Cortina d'Ampezzo hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics, originally scheduled for 1944, but cancelled because of World War II  The 1927 Nordic, 1941 Nordic, and 1941 Alpine World Championships were held in Cortina as well, although both 1941 championships were withdrawn by the International Ski Federation (FIS) in 1946  The region lost Winter Olympics bids in 1988 (Calgary, Alberta) and 1992 (Albertville, France) 
 Cortina hosted the 2021 Alpine World Championships, and, with Milan, will jointly host the 2026 Winter Olympics and the 2026 Winter Paralympics 
The town is home to SG Cortina, a professional ice hockey team in Serie A1, Italy's top division  Cortina is also the start and end point of the annual Dolomites Gold Cup Race, a historical re-evocation event for production cars on public roads  The town hosted the Red Bull Road Rage in 2009 

Cortina also offers skiing facilities for amateurs, centrally located among the 12 resorts of the Dolomiti Superski area  Cortina itself has 115 km (71 mi) of pistes with 34 lifts and guaranteed snow coverage of over 95% from December to April  There are six ski schools (two for cross-country) and some 300 instructors  The Faloria-Cristallo-Mietres ski area has views over the Ampezzo Valley and is suitable forall abilities, including children  The Tofane area offers more challenging opportunities from an elevation of 2,500 m (8,200 ft) with the Canalone and Schuss ski runs  The longest run, the Armentarola piste in the Lagazuoi-5 Torri area, starts next to the Lagazuoi refuge at 2,752 m (9,029 ft) and is reached by cable car  With the Forcella Staunies (currently not in operation) and the Forcella Rossa, the ski area has one of the steepest slopes in the Dolomites  There are numerous ski freeride and tour options in the mountains around Cortina Facilities also exist for cross-country skiing, including a long stretch of the old railway line  In and around Cortina, there are opportunities to participate in many other winter sports such as curling, ski mountaineering, snowboarding, sledding, and extreme skiing  In the summer months, sports include trekking, trail running, biking, rock climbing, tennis, golf, swimming, and ice skiing  Cortina is known for the many via ferratas in the surrounding mountains such as the VF Ivano Dibona that was used in the movie Cliffhanger  The annual Lavaredo Ultra Trail series of international trail running races is based at Cortina 

Transport
Cortina Airport was built for the 1956 Winter Olympics, but is currently closed  The town has its own bus service, connecting the centre to surrounding villages and cable car lifts  The nearest airports are those serving Venice: the distance to Treviso is 138 km (86 mi) while that to Venice Marco Polo Airport is 148 km (92 mi)  Both can be reached in about two and a quarter hours by road  The railway station for Cortina is Calalzo di Cadore, 37 km (23 mi) to the south east, with rail connections to Venice and a bus service to Cortina  The total journey time to Venice is about three and a half hours  There are also direct bus links from Venice Mestre and Padova railway stations, coordinated with the arrivals and departures of Eurostar trains Cortina was the principal intermediate station on the narrow-gauge (950mm) Dolomites Railway from Calalzo to Toblach  When the line was electrified in 1929  the only sub-station was established at Cortina  The line closed in 1964 but in February 2016 the regional governments of Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige announced that they are to commission a feasibility study to build a new line between Calalzo, Cortina and Toblach 

Notable people
Cortina has attracted many distinguished guests, often inspiring them in their creative work  They include the Italian novelists Dino Buzzati (1906–1972), author of The Tartar Steppe, Goffredo Parise (1929–1986) and Fernanda Pivano (1917–2009)  Ernest Hemingway, author of A Farewell to Arms, also arrived in the area in 1918 as a young ambulance driver  Other notable visitors include John Ball (1818–1889), the Irish mountaineer and naturalist who climbed Monte Pelmo in 1857, the Italian mountaineers Emilio Comici (1901–1940), Angelo Dibona (1879–1956) and Lino Lacedelli (1925–2009), the Italian skier Kristian Ghedina (born 1969), the Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti (1928–2003), the Austrian mountaineer Paul Grohmann (1838–1908) and the Austrian skier Toni Sailer (1935–2009)  Frequent visitors include the Italian businessman and former racing driver Paolo Barilla (born 1961) and the journalist and writer Indro Montanelli (1909–2001) Among the distinguished sportsmen from Cortina itself are the skiers Enrico Colli, his younger brother Vincenzo, and Giuseppe Ghedina who competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics, Severino Menardi who participated in the 1932 and 1936 Winter Olympics, and Stefania Constantini, gold-medalist curler in the 2022 Winter Olympics  Other local citizens include the climbers Angelo Dibona (1879–1956) and Lino Lacedelli (1925–2009), and the painter Luigi Gillarduzzi (1822–1856) 

International relations
Twin towns / sister cities
Cortina is twinned with:

 Cattolica, Italy (since 16 March 1971)
 Skardu, Pakistan

See also
Italian front (World War I)
White War
Passage 10:
FIBT World Championships 1966
The FIBT World Championships 1966 took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for the sixth time, having hosted the event previously in 1937 (Two-man), 1939 (Four-man), 1950, 1954, and 1960  The Four-man event was cancelled following the death of West Germany's Toni Pensperger during competition  Pensperger would be awarded a posthumous gold medal from the FIBT along with his surviving teammates Ludwig Siebert, Helmut Werzer, and Roland Ebert  As of 2010, Pensperger's death would set the FIBT to increase and improve safety among all bobsleigh competitions at all levels, including the Winter Olympics and the World championships 

Two man bobsleigh
Four man bobsleigh
This event was cancelled when Toni Pensperger of West Germany was killed during competition  Pensperger was awarded a posthumous gold medal along with his grieving teammates (Siebert, Werzer, and Ebert) 

Medal table
Context 2: Passage 1:
Merck &amp; Co 
Merck & Co , Inc  is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and is named for Merck Group, founded in Germany in 1668, of whom it was once the American arm  The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada  It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, generally ranking in the global top five by revenue Merck & Co  was originally established as the American affiliate of Merck Group in 1891  Merck develops and produces medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products  It has multiple blockbuster drugs or products each with 2020 revenues including cancer immunotherapy, anti-diabetic medication and vaccines against HPV and chickenpox 
The company is ranked 71st on the 2022 Fortune 500 and 87th on the 2022 Forbes Global 2000, both based on 2021 revenues 

Products
The company develops medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products  In 2020, the company had 6 blockbuster drugs or products, each with over $1 billion in revenue: Keytruda (pembrolizumab), a humanized antibody used in cancer immunotherapy that had $14 3 billion in 2020 revenue; Januvia (sitagliptin), an anti-diabetic medication used to treat type 2 diabetes that had $5 3 billion in 2020 revenue; Gardasil, an HPV vaccine that had $3 9 billion in 2020 revenue; Varivax, a varicella vaccine used to protect against chickenpox that had $1 9 billion in 2020 revenues; Bridion (Sugammadex), a neuromuscular-blocking drug that had $1 2 billion in 2020 revenue; and Pneumovax 23, a pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine that had $1 1 billion in 2020 revenue  Other major products by the company include Isentress (raltegravir), an antiretroviral medication used to treat HIV/AIDS that had $857 million in 2020 revenue; Simponi (golimumab), a human monoclonal antibody used as an immunosuppressive drug that had $838 million in 2020 revenue; RotaTeq, a rotavirus vaccine that had $797 million in 2020 revenue; and Lynparza (olaparib), a medication for the maintenance treatment of BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer in adults that generated $725 million in 2020 revenue for the company Details of Merck's major products are as follows:

Januvia (sitagliptin) is a dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes  In 2013, Januvia was the second largest selling diabetes drug worldwide  Januvia is commonly paired with the generic anti-diabetes drug metformin  It has been popular due in part because unlike many other diabetes drugs, it causes little or no weight gain and is not associated with hypoglycemic episodes  Merck also sells a single pill combination drug containing both Januvia and metformin under the trade name Janumet  There has been some concern that treatment with Januvia and other DPP-IV inhibitors may be associated with a modestly increased risk of pancreatitis 
Zetia (ezetimibe) is a drug for hypercholesterolemia that acts by inhibiting the absorption of dietary cholesterol  Zetia has been controversial, as it was initially approved based on its impact on serum cholesterol levels without proof that it actually impacted the incidence of cardiovascular disease  Results of the IMPROVE-IT study, however, introduced at the 2014 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association, showed a statistically significant, albeit modest, benefit in adding Zetia to simvastatin for high-risk, post-acute-coronary-syndrome patients 
Remicade (infliximab) is a monoclonal antibody directed toward the cytokine TNF-alpha and used for the treatment of a wide range of autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis, and others  Remicade and other TNF-alpha inhibitors exhibit additive therapeutic effects with methotrexate and improve quality of life  Adverse effects include increased risk of infection and certain cancers  Merck had rights to the drug in certain areas, while Janssen Biotech had rights in other areas; in 2017, Merck announced a biosimilar to Remicade, Renflexis 
Gardasil (recombinant human papilloma virus vaccine) is a vaccine against multiple serotypes of human papilloma virus (HPV), which is responsible for most cases of cervical cancer worldwide 
Isentress (raltegravir) is a human immunodeficiency virus integrase inhibitor for the treatment of HIV infection  It is the first anti-HIV compound having this mechanism of action  It is part of one of several first line treatment regimens recommended by the United States Department of Health and Human Services 
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is an immune modulator for the treatment of cancer  On September 4, 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pembrolizumab (MK-3475) as a breakthrough therapy for melanoma treatment  In clinical trials, pembrolzumab provided partial tumor regression in about one quarter of patients, many of whom have not seen further progression of their disease in over 6 months of follow-up 
Invanz (Ertapenem) is an injectable antibiotic, rights to which Merck has owned since 1999  Merck was in a legal dispute with the Taiwanese company Savior Lifetec over their attempt to secure rights to sell a generic drug version in the United States  Savior has since obtained approval to market generic ertapenem 
Mexsana is an antiseptic medicated powder 
Mectizan (ivermectin) is an anti-parasitic medicine traditionally used to treat river blindness  It is the focus of Merck's Mectizan Donation Program, wherein Merck has donated doses of the drug to treat millions of people in countries such as Yemen and African nations 
Molnupiravir is an antiviral pill to treat COVID-19, developed in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics Merck & Co  publishes The Merck Manuals, a series of medical reference books for physicians, nurses, technicians, and veterinarians  These include the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, the world's best-selling medical reference  The Merck Index, a compendium of chemical compounds, was published by Merck & Co  until it was acquired by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2012 

History
Roots and early history
Merck & Co  traces its origins to its former German parent company Merck Group, which was established by the Merck family in 1668 when Friedrich Jacob Merck purchased a drug store in Darmstadt  In 1827, Merck Group evolved from a pharmacy to a drug manufacturer company with the commercial manufacture of morphine  Merck perfected the chemical process of deriving morphine from opium and later introduced cocaine, used to treat sinus problems and to add to beverages to boost energy levels In 1887 a German-born, long-time Merck employee, Theodore Weicker, went to the United States to represent Merck Group  In 1891, with $200,000 received from E  Merck, Weicker started Merck & Co , with headquarters in lower Manhattan  That year George Merck, the 23-year-old son of the then head of E  Merck (and grandson of the founder) joined Weicker in New York  Merck & Co  operated from 1891 to 1917 as the US subsidiary of the Merck Group 

Nationalization
After the U S  entered World War I, due to its German connections, Merck & Co  was the subject of expropriation under the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917  In 1919, George W  Merck, in partnership with Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers, bought the company back at a U S  government auction for $3 5 million, but Merck & Co  remained a separate company from its former German parent  Merck & Co  holds the trademark rights to the "Merck" name in the United States and Canada, while its former parent company retains the rights in the rest of the world; the right to use the Merck name was the subject of litigation between the two companies in 2016 In 1929, H  K  Mulford Company merged with Sharp and Dohme, Inc  and brought vaccine technology, including immunization of cavalry horses in World War I and delivery of a diphtheria antitoxin to Merck & Co 
In 1943, Streptomycin was discovered during a Merck-funded research program in Selman Waksman's laboratory at Rutgers University  It became the first effective treatment for Tuberculosis  At the time of its discovery, sanatoriums for the isolation of tuberculosis-infected people were a ubiquitous feature of cities in developed countries, with 50% dying within 5 years of admission  Although Merck's agreement with Rutgers gave it exclusive rights to streptomycin, at Waksman's request the company renegotiated the agreement, returning the rights to the university in exchange for a royalty  The university then set up non-exclusive licenses with seven companies to ensure a reliable supply of the antibiotic 

1950–2000
In the 1950s, thiazide diuretics were developed by Merck scientists Karl H  Beyer, James M  Sprague, John E  Baer, and Frederick C  Novello and led to the marketing of the first drug of this class, chlorothiazide, under the trade name Duiril in 1958  The research leading to the discovery of chlorothiazide, leading to "the saving of untold thousands of lives and the alleviation of the suffering of millions of victims of hypertension" was recognized by a special Public Health Award from the Lasker Foundation in 1975 In 1953, Merck & Co  merged with Philadelphia-based Sharp & Dohme, Inc , becoming the largest U S  drugmaker  Sharp and Dohme had acquired H  K  Mulford Company in 1929, adding smallpox vaccines to its portfolio  The combined company kept the trade name Merck in the United States and Canada, and as Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) outside North America In 1965, Merck & Co  acquired Charles Frosst Ltd  of Montreal (founded 1899), creating Merck-Frosst Canada, Inc , as its Canadian subsidiary and pharmaceutical research facility  Merck & Co  closed this facility in July 2010 but remerged in 2011 as Merck Canada Maurice Hilleman, a scientist at Merck, developed the first mumps vaccine in 1967, the first rubella vaccine in 1969, and the first trivalent measles, mumps, rubella (MMR vaccine) in 1971  The incidence of rubella-associated birth defects fell from up to 10,000 per year in the U S  to zero in the aftermath of the rubella vaccine's development  Hilleman also developed the first Hepatitis B vaccine and the first varicella vaccine, for chickenpox The company was incorporated in New Jersey in 1970  John J  Horan became CEO and Chairman in 1976, serving until 1985  Under his leadership, the company's investment in R&D grew threefold, and Merck became the largest pharmaceutical company in the world In 1979, Merck scientists developed lovastatin (Mevacor), the first drug of the statin class Merck scientist William C  Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura developed ivermectin for veterinary use in 1981, and later put it to human use against Onchocerciasis in 1987–88 with the name Mectizan; today the compound is used against river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, scabies and other parasitic infections In 1982, the company formed a joint venture, KBI Inc , with AstraZeneca  During the late 1980s and 1990s, the company also established joint ventures with DuPont to access research and development expertise, and with Johnson & Johnson to sell over-the-counter consumer medications In 1985, Merck received approval for imipenem, the first member of the carbapenem class of antibiotics  Antibiotics of the carbapenem class play an important role in treatment guidelines for certain hospital-acquired and multi-drug resistant infections  P  Roy Vagelos became CEO and Chairman that year, succeeding Horan In 1991, Merck's Kelco subsidiary was responsible for volatile organic compound (VOC) emission pollution in the San Diego area  In 1996 Merck paid $1 8 million for polluting the air  New machines were installed to reduce smog emissions by 680,000 lb (310,000 kg) a year In November 1993, Merck & Co  acquired Medco Containment Services for $6 billion  Merck & Co  spun Medco off ten years later 

2001–2019
In May 2002, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation purchased stock in Merck From 2002 through 2005, the Australian affiliate of Merck paid publishing house Elsevier an undisclosed amount to produce eight issues of a medical journal, the Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine  Although it gave the appearance of being an independent peer-reviewed journal, without any indication that Merck had paid for it, the journal actually reprinted articles that originally appeared in other publications and that were favorable to Merck  The misleading publication came to light in 2009 during a personal injury lawsuit filed over Vioxx; 9 of 29 articles in the journal's second issue referred positively to Vioxx  The CEO of Elsevier's Health Sciences Division, Michael Hansen, admitted that the practice was "unacceptable" In 2005, CEO Raymond Gilmartin retired following Merck's voluntary worldwide withdrawal of Vioxx  Former president of manufacturing Richard Clark was named CEO and company president In November 2009, Merck & Co  completed a merger with Schering-Plough in a US$41 billion deal  Although Merck & Co  was in reality acquiring Schering-Plough, the purchase was declared a "reverse merger", in which "Old" Merck & Co  was renamed Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Schering-Plough renamed as "Merck & Co , Inc  The maneuver was an attempt avoid a "change-of-control" in order to preserve Schering-Plough's rights to market Remicade  A settlement with Johnson & Johnson was reached in 2011, in which Merck agreed to pay $500 million  Merck Sharp & Dohme remains a subsidiary of the Merck & Co  parent Richard Clark retired as CEO and company president in October 2011 and Kenneth Frazier became CEO In October 2013, Merck announced it would cut 8,500 jobs in an attempt to cut $2 5 billion from its costs by 2015  Combined with 7,500 job cuts announced in 2011 and 2012, the layoffs amounted to 20% of its workforce By 2014, research performed at Merck has led to U S  FDA approval of 63 new molecular entities In August 2014, Merck acquired Idenix Pharmaceuticals for $3 85 billion In December 2014, the company acquired Swiss biotechnology company OncoEthix for up to $375 million Between 2010 and 2015, the company cut around 36,450 jobs  During that time, the company sold its consumer health business to Bayer and narrowed the company's focus to immunology, vaccines, diabetes, emerging markets and medicines used in hospitals, like certain antibiotics In January 2015, Merck acquired Cubist Pharmaceuticals In July 2015, Merck and Ablynx expanded their 18-month-old immuno-oncology collaboration by four years, generating a potential $4 4 billion in milestone payments for the Abylnx  The company also announced it would spend $95 million up front collaborating with cCAM Biotherapeutics and its early-stage treatment similar to Keytruda  Merck & Co  will bring in CM-24, an antibody designed to block the immune checkpoint CEACAM1 In January 2016, Merck announced two new partnerships; the first with Quartet Medicine and its small molecule pain treatments, the second with Complix investigating intracellular cancer targets, with both collaborations potentially generating up to $595 million and $280 million respectively  Days later the company announced it would acquire IOmet Pharma, with IOmet becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co  The acquisition includes IOmets indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO), tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO), and dual-acting inhibitors In July 2016, the company acquired Afferent Pharmaceuticals, developer of a candidate used to block P2RX3 receptors, for approximately $1 billion, plus up to $750 million in milestone payments In 2017, Merck bought the PARP inhibitor Lynparza from AstraZeneca In April 2017, Merck Animal Health acquired Vallée S A , a Brazilian animal health product manufacturer In September 2017, the company announced it would acquire Rigontec, developer of a candidate to target the retinoic acid-inducible gene I pathway, for $554 million In October 2017, the company granted the inaugural Merck-AGITG Clinical Research Fellowship in Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Cancer to David Lau, a professional in Melbourne, Australia In June 2018, Merck acquired Viralytics, an Australian viral cancer drug company, for AUD$502 million In 2018, Merck began the submission process for a Biologics License Application to the Food and Drug Administration under the Breakthrough Therapy Designation for an investigational vaccine, called V920, to fight the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus In April 2019, the company acquired Immune Design for approximately $300 million, gaining access to its immunotherapy programs  It also acquired Antelliq Group for $2 4 billion, or $3 7 billion including debt In May 2019, Merck announced it would acquire Peloton Therapeutics, developer of a HIF-2alpha inhibitor for Von Hippel–Lindau disease-associated renal cell carcinoma, for up to $2 2 billion In June 2019, Merck announced it would acquire Tilos Therapeutics for up to $773 million In November 2019, the company acquired Calporta, which focused on Parkinsons and Alzheimers treatments In December 2019, Merck Animal Health acquired Vaki, an aquaculture company, from Pentair 

2020–present
In January 2020, Merck acquired ArQule, developer of ARQ 531, an oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, for $2 7 billion In March 2020, Merck was one of ten companies recognised at the inaugural Manufacturing Awards by New Jersey Business magazine and the New Jersey Business and Industry Association In June 2020, Merck acquired Themis Bioscience, a company focused on vaccines and immune-modulation therapies for infectious diseases including COVID-19 and cancer Also in June 2020, Merck Animal Health acquired Quantified Ag, a data and analytics company that monitors cattle body temperature and movement in order to detect illness early In August 2020, Merck Animal Health acquired IdentiGEN, engaged in DNA-based animal traceability In September 2020, Merck acquired $1 billion of Seattle Genetics common stock, and agreed to co-develop ladiratuzumab vedotin In November 2020, Merck announced it would acquire VelosBio for $2 75 billion, developer of VLS-101, an antibody-drug conjugate designed to target Tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1) in both hematological and solid tumors  VLS-101 is currently Phase I and Phase II clinical trials  The company also announced it would acquire OncoImmune for $425 million and its phase 3 candidate, CD24Fc, used in the treatment of patients with severe and critical COVID-19 In February 2021, Merck Animal Health acquired PrognostiX Poultry In March 2021, Merck Head of Corporate Affairs Petra Wicklandt represented the company at the Munich Security Conference, where she participated in a tabletop exercise simulating the public health response to the release of a weaponized strain of monkeypox In April 2021, Merck acquired Pandion Therapeutics for $1 85 billion, expanding its offering in treating autoimmune diseases In June 2021, the U S  government agreed to spend $1 2 billion to purchase 1 7 million doses of Molnupiravir, a Merck product, if it were to be approved by regulators to treat COVID-19  In October 2021, the company said that the drug reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by around 50% for patients with mild or moderate cases of COVID-19 and that it would seek Emergency Use Authorization for the drug In July 2021, Robert M  Davis became CEO, succeeding Kenneth Frazier, who became executive chairman In July 2021, Merck completed the corporate spin-off of Organon & Co In September 2021, Merck announced it would acquire Acceleron Pharma for $11 5 billion, gaining control over Sotatercept, used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension, and luspatercept-aamt In September 2022, the company announced it would acquire Vence, a livestock management company for an undisclosed sum, incorporating it within Merck Animal Health In December 2022, the company announced a licensing deal with Kelun-Biotech of China whereby it would expand its early cancer pipeline with a set of antibody-drug conjugates; this follows an earlier agreement between the two companies to co-develop such drugs In April 2023, Merck announced it would acquire Prometheus Biosciences Inc for $10 8 billion 

Acquisition history
Philanthropy
Merck Company Foundation
Since it was founded in 1957, the Merck Company Foundation has distributed $740 million in overall charitable distributions including more than $480 million to educational and non-profit organizations On December 7, 2012, the foundation announced that it was ending its donations to the Boy Scouts of America citing its discrimination against gay people 

Patient assistance programs
Merck & Co  was one of the first American pharmaceutical companies to offer assistance to those unable to afford its medications, beginning a program in the 1950s  Merck & Co  offers seven patient assistance programs, each with specific eligibility requirements 

Hilleman Laboratories
Merck and the Wellcome trust jointly fund the Hilleman Laboratories, an India-based non-profit research organization dedicated to the development of low-cost vaccines for use in developing countries  Current projects include the development of low cost, thermostable vaccines for the prevention of cholera, rotavirus, and meningitis 

Merck for Mothers
Merck for Mothers is Merck's global initiative to help create a world where no woman has to die while giving life 

Mectizan donation program
In 1987, Merck began a program with UNICEF to donate its new drug Mectizan to "all that need it for as long as needed" in an effort to combat onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, primarily in Africa  Up to that point, the World Health Organization had fought the disease through the use of insecticides to lower the population of its primary vector, the Black Fly  However, when studies in the 1980s showed how effective the drug was at treating and preventing the disease, the WHO agreed to use it instead of its previous strategies  Merck's involvement is considered a key factor in the success against the disease all over the world, and the decision to donate the entirety of the drug to all those in need of it is used as part of the Mectizan Donation Program that covers countries such as Yemen and African countries  More than 700 million people have been treated since the inception of the program with 80 million people still undergoing treatment in Africa, Latin America, and Yemen  Blindness caused by onchocerciasis is decreasing, and there are regions of Latin America and Africa that have been shown to have eliminated the disease altogether 

Lawsuits and controversies
Vioxx
In 1999, the U S  Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vioxx (known generically as rofecoxib), a Merck product for treating arthritis  Vioxx was designed as a selective inhibitor of the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2  Such compounds were expected to cause less gastrointestinal bleeding than older anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen, which were associated with 20,000 hospitalizations and 2000 deaths each year  Vioxx became one of the most prescribed drugs in history Thereafter, studies by Merck and by others found an increased risk of heart attack associated with Vioxx use when compared with naproxen  Merck adjusted the labeling of Vioxx to reflect possible cardiovascular risks in 2002 On September 23, 2004, Merck received information about results from a clinical trial it was conducting that included findings of increased risk of heart attacks among Vioxx users who had been using the medication for over eighteen months  On September 28, 2004, Merck notified the FDA that it was voluntarily withdrawing Vioxx from the market, and it publicly announced the withdrawal on September 30  An analysis for the period 1999–2004, based on U S  Medical Expenditure Survey data, reported that Vioxx was associated with 46,783 heart attacks, and along with the other popular COX-2 inhibitor Celebrex, an estimated 26,603 deaths from both About 50,000 people sued Merck, claiming they or their family members had suffered medical problems such as heart attacks or strokes after taking Vioxx  In November 2007, Merck agreed to pay $4 85 billion to settle most of the pending Vioxx lawsuits  The settlement required that claimants provide medical and pharmacy records confirming the occurrence of a heart attack, ischemic stroke, or sudden cardiac death; the receipt of at least 30 Vioxx pills within 60 days prior to the injury or death; and confirmation of Vioxx being used within 14 days of the Vioxx-related event  The settlement was generally viewed by industry analysts and investors as a victory for Merck, considering that original estimates of Merck's liability reached between $10 billion and $25 billion  As of mid-2008, when the plaintiff class had reached the threshold percentage required by Merck to go through with the settlement, plaintiffs had prevailed in only three of the twenty cases that had reached juries, all with relatively small awards Merck has refused to consider compensation for Vioxx victims and their families outside the US  This is particularly true in the UK where there are at least 400 victims and the legal protection afforded to the victims and their families is particularly weak According to internal e-mail traffic released at a later lawsuit, Merck had a list of doctors critical of Vioxx to be "neutralized" or "discredited"  "We may need to seek them out and destroy them where they live," wrote an employee  A Stanford Medical School professor said that Merck was engaged in intimidation of researchers and infringement upon academic freedom On May 20, 2008, Merck settled for $58 million with 30 states alleging that Merck engaged in deceptive marketing tactics to promote Vioxx  All its new television pain-advertisements must be vetted by the Food and Drug Administration and changed or delayed upon request until 2018 

Fosamax
Fosamax (alendronate) is a bisphosphonate used for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis and for the prevention of skeletal problems in certain cancers  The American College of Clinical Endocrinology, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the North American Menopause Society and the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group recommend alendronate and certain other bisphosphonates as first line treatments for post-menopausal osteopotosis  Long-term treatment with bisphosponates produces anti-fracture and bone mineral density effects that persist for 3–5 years after an initial 3–5 years of treatment  Alendronate reduces the risk of hip, vertebral, and wrist fractures by 35-39% In December 2013, Merck agreed to pay a total of $27 7 million to 1,200 plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit alleging that the company's osteoporosis drug had caused them to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw  Prior to the settlement, Merck had prevailed in 3 of 5 so-called bellwether trials  Approximately 4000 cases still await adjudication or settlement as of August 2014 

Medicaid overbilling
A fraud investigation by the United States Department of Justice began in 2000 when allegations were brought in two separate lawsuits filed by whistleblowers under the False Claims Act  They alleged that Merck failed to pay proper rebates to Medicaid and other health care programs and paid illegal remuneration to health care providers  On February 7, 2008, Merck agreed to pay more than $650 million to settle charges that it routinely overbilled Medicaid for its most popular medicines  The settlement was one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in history  The federal government received more than $360 million, plus 49 states and Washington, DC, received over $290 million  One whistleblower received a $68 million reward  Merck made the settlement without an admission of liability or wrongdoing 

"Merck" name legal dispute
In 191 of 193 countries, the original Merck company, the Merck Group of Darmstadt, owns the rights to the "Merck" name  In the United States and Canada, the company trades under the name EMD (an abbreviation of Emanuel Merck, Darmstadt), its legal name here says Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and instead of "Merck Group", the "EMD Group" name is used  In the United States and Canada, Merck & Co  holds the rights to the trademark "Merck", while in the rest of the world the company trades under the name MSD (an abbreviation of Merck, Sharp & Dohme) and its legal name says here Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC , a subsidiary of Merck & Co , Inc  Kenilworth, NJ, USA 
In 2015 the Merck Group adopted a new logo and said it will be "much more aggressive" about protecting the brand of "the real Merck"  Merck of Darmstadt has initiated litigation against its former subsidiary, Merck & Co  (MSD) of Kenilworth, in several countries over infringing use of the Merck name  In 2016, the High Court of Justice in the United Kingdom ruled that MSD had breached an agreement with its former parent company and that only Merck of Darmstadt is entitled to use the Merck name in the United Kingdom  The judge also held that MSD's use of "Merck" as part of branding on its global websites were directed to the UK and infringed Merck's trade mark rights in the UK In response to the ruling, MSD initiated counter-litigation in the United States in January 2016 by filing a federal lawsuit which accused its former parent company of "infringing on its trademark" through actions that included the increased usage of "Merck KGaA" and "MERCK" in branding in the US as well as on its social media presence  Further Merck & Co  has also accused the Merck Group of federal trademark dilution, unfair competition, false advertising, deceptive trade practices, breach of contract, and cybersquatting  The case came to a head when a research scientist believed he was communicating with Merck & Co regarding a research grant in oncology, when in fact he was talking with the Merck Group  As a result, Merck & Co  asked the federal court to stop the Merck Group from using "Merck" on any products or marketing materials in the United States  As a direct result, Merck & Co is seeking "all monetary gains, profits, and advantages" made by the Merck Group and three-times the damage, plus additional punitive damages In April 2020, in the course of litigation of Merck against MSD in Switzerland, the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland ruled that MSD's use of the "Merck" brand in its global websites could, absent geotargeting mechanisms, have "commercial effect" in Switzerland and could therefore violate Merck's rights (if any) to the "Merck" brand in Switzerland 

Tax fraud
In 2007, Merck paid $2 3 billion to settle allegations of offshore tax fraud between 1993 and 2001 

Propecia
In 2021, an investigation by Reuters revealed that Merck's baldness drug Propecia caused persistent sexual dysfunction in men  The drug has been linked to over 700 incidences of suicidal thoughts and 110 deaths  Merck has been receiving reports since 1998, but never included the risks on the label  In 2015, Merck was sued by consumer-rights law firm Hagens Berman over a wrongful death linked to Propecia 

Environmental violations
Merck & Co  once used methylene chloride, an animal carcinogen on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's list of pollutants, as a solvent in some of its manufacturing processes  Merck chemists and engineers subsequently replaced the compound with others having fewer negative environmental effects  Merck has also modified its equipment to protect the environment, installing a distributed control system that coordinates chemical reactions more efficiently and expedites manufacturing by 50 percent, eliminating the need for the disposal and storage of harmful waste  Biological oxygen demand has also been reduced  In 2011, Merck paid a $1 5 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of federal environmental laws at its pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Riverside, Pennsylvania and West Point, Pennsylvania 

Public-private engagement
Conferences
Merck was a Conference Supporter for the Virtual ISPOR Asia Pacific conference in September 2020 

Political lobbying
Merck is a contributing member of AcademyHealth, a health research advocacy network that also includes government agencies, universities, pharmaceutical companies and lobbying groups 
Passage 2:
American Laser Games
American Laser Games was a company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico that created numerous light gun laserdisc video games featuring live action full motion video  The company was founded in the late 1980s by Robert Grebe, who had originally created a system to train police officers under the company name ICAT (Institute for Combat Arms and Tactics) and later adapted the technology for arcade games  Its first hit game was Mad Dog McCree, a light gun shooter set in the American Old West  By mid-1995 they were recognized as the leading company in the medium of laserdisc-based arcade games  Almost all arcade games released by the company were light gun shooters and a number of them also had an Old West theme 
Later, the company turned toward compact disc technology to release its games  Ports of its arcade titles were released for the Sega CD, CD-i and DOS computers equipped with CD-ROM drives  The company was particularly supportive of the 3DO, not only releasing versions of its games for the console, but also offering a modified version of the 3DO platform as an upgrade kit for existing arcade video game cabinets, supporting compressed video versions of their games at a lower cost  In 1995, American Laser Games released Mazer for the 3DO home market and Orbatak (3DO-powered) for the arcade - their first and only in-house non-Full motion video based games  The company also released a series of light-gun controllers, including the 3DO Game Gun and the PC Gamegun, for home computer use  The latter proved unsuccessful due to its poor accuracy 
American Laser Games lasted until the mid-to-late 1990s, by which time it had begun making "games for girls" for the PC under the moniker Her Interactive, beginning with McKenzie & Co  In response to a major slump in the arcade industry, American Laser Games ended its direct manufacturing of coin-op machines in November 1995, and turned its focus to developing games for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation  This failed to revive the company's fortunes, and revenues in 1996 were roughly half of the $16 million it generated in 1995  At the end of 1996 ALG laid off a third of its staff, Jan Claesson replaced Grebe as president, and the company began focusing primarily on the Her Interactive line, cancelling all the games in their mainstream line except for Shining Sword  The company eventually closed its doors and was bought out by Her Interactive, which had been spun off before ALG closing and is still making games as of January 2018  In 2000, the development and publishing rights to all of the games that were produced by American Laser Games were purchased by Digital Leisure, Inc from Her Interactive  Many of these games were then re-released for the PC and in DVD TV game format 

Games
Light gun arcade games
Mad Dog McCree (1990)
Who Shot Johnny Rock? (1991)
Space Pirates (1992)
Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold (1992)
Gallagher's Gallery (1992)
Crime Patrol (1993)
Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars (1993)
The Last Bounty Hunter (1994)
Fast Draw Showdown (1994)
Shootout at Old Tucson (1994, limited arcade release  3DO port was cancelled)

Other games
Mazer
Way of the Warrior (with Naughty Dog)
Orbatak
McKenzie & Co 
McKenzie & Co  : More Friends
The Vampire Diaries
Battles in Time (with QQP)
Shining Sword (cancelled)
Blood Bath at Red Falls(1995)

See also
Digital Pictures

Notes
Passage 3:
Devon General
Devon General was the principal bus operator in south Devon from 1919  The name was first used by the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company which was created in 1919  In 1922 it was purchased by the National Electric Construction Company which merged with British Electric Traction in 1931  Nationalisation in 1969 resulted in 1971 with the company being merged into Western National  In 1983 a new Devon General Limited was created which became the first operating subsidiary of the National Bus Company to be privatised in 1986 when it became the first company of Transit Holdings  It was sold to the Stagecoach Group in 1996 and renamed Stagecoach Devon in 2003 
Coaches were operated under various names, principally Fleet Cars from 1925 until 1933, and Grey Cars from 1932 until 1971 
Its main principal depots were in Exeter and Torquay, but the area of operation covered most of south, east and mid Devon 

History
The Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company started operations in south Devon in 1919 with two bus routes from Exeter to Torquay  In 1922 Torquay Tramways bought the company for £36,000, although it was operated as a subsidiary of the National Electric Construction Company (NECC) and the motor buses already owned by the tramway company were transferred to Devon General  Some charabanc tours had been operated by the Torquay Tramways and this continued under Devon General  A local independent company that traded as Fleet Cars was purchased in 1925 but continued to operate as a separate business for a few seasons, during which time a number of other small operators were also acquired and merged with Fleet Cars In 1931 the NECC became a part of British Electric Traction (BET)  The Torquay tram network was closed in January 1934  The Tramways company was sold to Devon General, the fleet of which was enlarged by 24 buses to allow it to operate the former tram routes Devon General had turned down the chance to buy local independent coach operator Grey Cars in 1930 so it had instead been purchased by A Timpson & Sons of Catford in 1931  Timpsons sold the business to Devon General in 1932 and the following year both Grey Cars and Fleet Cars, which had been operated as separate businesses, were merged into Devon General  Most coaches continued to operate under Grey Cars' name, although some small operators that were subsequently bought out by Devon General continued in their old names for a while 

National Bus Company
BET's bus operations, including Devon General, became part of the National Bus Company (NBC) when it was formed on 1 January 1969  Devon General had worked closely with the Corporation of Exeter's bus services since 1947  In April 1970 the corporation's buses and routes were transferred to the NBC and merged into Devon General  The city's unusual use of route letters (as opposed to numbers) continued In January 1971, the NBC transferred the bus operations of Devon General to neighbouring Western National but the Devon General name was retained as a brand, while the Grey Cars coaching operation was transferred to Exeter-based Greenslades  NBC split Western National into four new companies on 1 January 1983, one of which was Devon General Limited  This operated in south and east Devon as the old Devon General had done, but the Tiverton area became a part of a new North Devon operation 

Transit Holdings
On 19 August 1986, Devon General became the first NBC operating subsidiary to be privatised under the Transport Act 1985 by being sold in a management buyout led by managing director Harry Blundred An experimental high-frequency service using 22 minibuses had been introduced in Exeter on 27 February 1984  By the time the company was privatised in August 1986, the minibus fleet had expanded to more than 200 vehicles, more than half the buses in service  By the end of 1990 all regular services had been converted to minibus operation using a mixture of 16 and 24-seat vehicles The new owners of Devon General formed Transit Holdings to operate number of other bus companies, most of them in southern England:
Bayline (Torquay)
Devon General (Exeter)
Docklands Transit (London)
Portsmouth Transit (Portsmouth)
Thames Transit (Oxford)
Transit AustraliaBayline was established in 1992 for the operations in Torbay and Newton Abbot, after which Devon General operated in the Exeter area  Both companies were sold to the Stagecoach Group in 1996, and became Stagecoach Devon in 2003 

Area of operation
Devon General quickly expanded beyond its original routes between Exeter, Newton Abbot and Torquay  A number of small operators were bought out (see below), but area agreements with larger neighbours set out the company's area of operation  While the boundaries changed in detail from time to time, the area was largely set out in two agreements 

In 1922 an eastern boundary was agreed with the National Omnibus and Transport Company along the road from Minehead via Tiverton, Cullompton and Honiton to Sidmouth 
In 1924 a northern boundary was agreed with Hardy Central Garage between Okehampton, Bampton and Wellington 
By 1929 the western boundary had settled at Kingswear, Totnes, Buckfastleigh and Okehampton, with Western National having control beyond 

Offices and depots
Most of the directors of the Devon General Omnibus and Touring Company came from the London area and so the company offices were established in a house Kilmore Road, Forest Hill, London  The first buses were housed at the Exeter Garage Company's premises in Paris Street, Exeter  In 1921 the offices were moved to the new garage that was being constructed at Blackboy Road in Exeter, but the takeover by the NECC the following year saw the office moved back to Queen Street in the city of London The merger of NECC with BET in 1932 saw the Queen Street office closed in favour of BET's headquarters in Kingsway, London  At around this time work started on the construction of a new large garage and central workshops at Newton Road in Torquay  The BET headquarters were moved across London to Piccadilly in 1952 but in 1956 the registered offices of Devon General were moved to the garage at 87 Newton Road, Torquay When Devon General was absorbed into Western National in 1971, all the office work was moved to the latter company' offices in Queen Street, Exeter  The newly independent Devon General Limited of 1983 chose to remain in Exeter, but moved into offices in Belgrave Road where a new bus depot had opened in 1975 Buses were based in garages or open yards at
Ashburton
Dropping Wells 1925–1927
West Street (Blue Saloon Motor Services) 1927–1928
Brixham
New Road 1935–1939
Mount Pleasant Road 1940–1957
Bus Station 1957–1992
Crediton
Unknown site 1928?–1931
Mill Street 1931–1954
Exeter
Gold's Garage, Heavitree Road 1919–1921
Blackboy Road 1921–1971
Heavitree Road (Exeter Corporation) 1970–1975
Belgrave Road 1975–(1996)
Exmouth
New Street 1921–1931
Imperial Road 1931–(1996)
Moretonhampstead
Station Road June – September 1924
Steven's Garage, Chagford 1924–1928?
Court Street 1928–1971 Moved to a different site in Court Street in 1931
Newton Abbot
Bradley Hotel 1919–1921
Newton Road, Kingsteignton 1921–1960
Kingsteignton Road 1960–1992
Paignton
Roundham Road 1923–1925
Churston 1925–1930
Orient Road, Preston 1924–1932
Bus Station 1988–(1996) The bus station opened in 1954
Sidmouth
Mill Street 1922–?
Station Road, Newton Poppleford ?–1930
Woolbrook 1930–1996
Tiverton
Chapel Street (Croscols) 1924–1938
Old Road 1938–1971 After 1971 buses were kept at the bus station 
Torquay
Westhill Avenue (Torquay Tramways) 1922–1931
Newton Road 1931–1988
Torwood Street (Grey Cars) 1933–1940 and 1946–1971
Belgrave Road (Court Garages) 1940–1946 and 1966–1973
Regents Close 1992–(1996)One or two buses were also kept at a number of other towns and villages such as Axminster (1922–1924, 1927–1984), Budleigh Salterton (1930–1939, 1988–1989), Crockernwell (1942–1957), Cullompton (1922–1996), East Budleigh 1921–1931, Kenton (1942–1947), Okehampton (1923–1997), Ottery St Mary (1927–1938, 1949–1967), Tiverton Junction (1955–1977), Uffculme (1942–1954) 

Livery
The first buses were painted in red with cream relief  Coaches were generally grey with deep red relief and open top buses (introduced in 1955) were given a cream livery with red relief In 1972 NBC imposed a standard poppy red colour with white relief, but from 1979 Devon General buses started to be painted in leaf green and white, the same colours as the parent Western National fleet  Six months after the operation became independent of Western National in 1983 a red livery was again adopted  The first minibuses were painted in bright red and yellow colours with a black skirt To coincide with privatisation in 1986 a new livery was introduced  Buses were painted an ivory colour with red skirt and lower deck window surrounds 

Amalgamated companies
Over the years many rival operators were purchased and their fleets and/or routes were amalgamated into Devon General 

Torquay–Chelston Car Company
The Torquay–Chelston Car Company, which Devon General bought in 1927, had its origins in 1903, when a Chelmsford steam bus was demonstrated in Torquay in May 1903  Torquay & District Motor Omnibus Co Ltd, formed on 23 July 1903, ran a Strand - Chelston route from 2 November 1903 via Torbay Road and Rathmore Road terminating at Normanhurst, just short of Rosery Road railway bridge  The bus was green with orange lines and the domed roof was white  It carried 12 inside and 2 beside the driver and 2,828 passengers in the first week  8 steam buses were working by Easter 1905 between St Marychurch and Babbacombe, but sold after trams started on 4 April 1907  Torquay Road Car took over the old bus garage and ran until liquidation on 24 December 1908 
On 28 March 1911 Torquay-Chelston Steam Car Company Ltd started with 3 Chelmsford buses, possibly those stored after the liquidation  They dropped the 'Steam' part of the name when a single deck RAF type Leyland took over, after Devon General started a competing Meadfoot Beach - Chelston route on 31 March 1923  The Chelston company bought a new Leyland PLSC Lion in 1925  In 1926, Devon General started to shadow the Chelston bus  The company sold out to Devon General in 1927, the Leylands becoming 98 and 99 in their fleet  The Devon General timetables were revised in July, 1929, with numbering similar to current services, including 32 (Torquay - Paignton via Preston), 33 (Strand-Chelston circular) and 35 (Shiphay Turn - Meadfoot Beach) 
On the Chelston routes Devon General used Leyland Lions, Dennis Lancet lIs from 1938, AEC Regals from 1939, Leyland Royal Tigers in 1954, AEC Reliances in 1957, Regent IIIs in 1960 and Leyland Atlanteans from 1964 

See also
Open top buses in Torbay
Passage 4:
Hercules Inc 
Hercules, Inc  was a chemical and munitions manufacturing company based in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, incorporated in 1912 as the Hercules Powder Company following the breakup of the DuPont explosives monopoly by the U S  Circuit Court in 1911   Hercules Powder Company became Hercules, Inc  in 1966,  operating under this name until 2008, when it was merged into Ashland Inc 
An earlier Hercules Powder Company was formed in 1882 by DuPont and Laflin & Rand Powder Company   This company was dissolved on June 30, 1904 Hercules was one of the major producers of smokeless powder for warfare in the United States during the 20th century  At the time of its spin-off, the DuPont Corp  retained the processes and patents for the production of "single-base" nitrocellulose gunpowders, whereas Hercules was given the patents and processes for the production of "double-base" gunpowders that combined nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine 

History
A special formulation of dynamite was patented in 1874 by J W  Willard, superintendent of the California Powder Works in Santa Cruz, California  He called his invention "Hercules powder", a competitive jab at rival Giant Powder Company which had acquired the exclusive U S  rights to Alfred Nobel's original dynamite formula   The mythological Hercules was known as a giant slayer 
The California Powder Works became the only manufacturer of Hercules powder  In 1877, J W  Willard moved to Cleveland, Ohio to oversee the opening of a new California Powder Works plant there, dedicated to the manufacture of Hercules powder  In 1881, the California Powder Works moved its Hercules powder manufacturing in California to a new site along the northeast shore of San Francisco Bay   The company town that grew up around the facility became known as "Hercules", later (1900) incorporated as Hercules, California 
In 1882, thanks to their interlocking ownership interests with the California Powder Works by that time, the DuPont corporation and Laflin & Rand Powder Company acquired the rights to manufacture Hercules powder and incorporated the Hercules Powder Company for that purpose   In 1904, Du Pont dissolved the company as part of its ongoing effort to consolidate the many explosives manufacturers that it controlled under the Du Pont name 
In 1911, the United States won a lawsuit that it had brought against the Du Pont corporation under the Sherman Antitrust Act  The U S  Circuit Court in Delaware found that Du Pont had been operating an unlawful monopoly, and ordered a breakup of its explosives and gunpowder manufacturing business   The breakup resulted in the creation of two new companies in 1912, Atlas Powder Company and Hercules Powder Company  Atlas received the explosives manufacturing portion of Du Pont's business (including the facilities acquired from the Giant Powder Company), while Hercules received the gunpowder portion 
The first management team of this new Hercules Powder Company included President H  Dunham, T W  Bacchus, G G  Rheuby, J T Skelly, Norman Rood, Fred Stark, C D  Prickett, and George Markell Some of their products were used by the military in World War I  A school and a plant were named after T  W  Bacchus in Bacchus, Utah  Hercules Powder Company ranked 65th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts In the 1920s and 30s, Hercules diversified into the pine resin products business (see below) 
On 12 September 1940, the Kenvil, New Jersey plant suffered a major explosion  News reports at the time estimated at least fifteen buildings were destroyed along with twenty-five tons of explosives  Fifty-one people were killed outright with perhaps two hundred injured and many missing  This facility also exploded twice in 1934 and again in 1989 Richard F  Heck, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, gained experience with transition metal chemistry while working at Hercules in 1957 By the 1960s, the community was experiencing the first signs of a suburban transition  The Hercules Powder Co , once a small dynamite manufacturing firm, had begun producing rocket motors at its Bacchus Works south of the Magna community  The growing availability of jobs was one factor encouraging subdivision development in the Magna, Kearns and West Valley areas 
In 1966, the Hercules Powder Company changed its name to Hercules, Inc 

In 1995, Hercules, Inc  sold its subsidiary Hercules Aerospace Co  to Alliant Techsystems Inc  The sale included all of what remained of Hercules' gunpowder lines 
By the end of the 1990s, Hercules Inc , had sold off a significant number of its divisions that had not been profitable for the company  This caused the price of shares of common stock in Hercules to rise above US$70  Several successful cost-savings programs were implemented in addition to buying back its own shares   Also at that time, Hercules had a significant amount of assets  available for possible purchases of other corporations  Hercules, Inc , had a Paper Technology Division (PTD) whose products were slowly becoming commodities  In order to survive, this division needed to obtain new products 
First, Hercules Inc , tried to purchase the Allied Colloids Company, but this was not successful  Next, Hercules bought the Betz-Dearborn Corporation  Betz-Dearborn produced mostly chemicals for paper processing, and the Hercules PTD produced mainly functional chemicals for paper  According to some business analysts, Hercules Inc  paid about three times as much for Betz-Dearborn as compared with its actual value 
Soon after the purchase of Betz-Dearborn, the price per share of stock in Hercules Inc , had dropped from above US$70 to below US$10  It has been speculated that Hercules Inc , was close to going bankrupt after this failed purchase operation  Afterwards, several senior managers were forced out of the company because of this failure; however, a significant amount of former PTD senior managers were able to keep their positions within Hercules  The price of stock shares in Hercules Inc  never recovered from this debacle  Finally, Hercules Inc  was sold off to the Ashland Corporation in 2008, and dissolved 
In 2009, rapper George Watsky released a song about the history of the company called "Hercules" 

Product lines
Commercial gunpowders
Some of the more recent gunpowders marketed to reloaders include the brand names "Bullseye", "2400", "Reloder", "Unique", and "Red Dot"   These gunpowders are still being manufactured by Alliant Techsystems Inc  in Radford, Virginia 

Powders inherited from DuPont in 1912
EC (Explosives Company) shotgun powder was the first smokeless powder manufactured in the United States   Production began in 1890, and was discontinued in 1931 
WA  30 caliber powder was named W for United States Army Lieutenant Whistler and A for American Smokeless Powder Company factory superintendent Aspinwall   This tubular powder was used for military loading of the  30 U S  Army (the M1892 Springfield and the M1893 Gatling) from 1894 until the military specification was changed to single-base nitrocellulose powder in 1908   Grains of 2 mm (0 08 inch) diameter were 1 mm long   Hercules continued producing the powder for other users until 1930 
Sharpshooter was a flake powder introduced by Laflin & Rand in 1897 to replace black powder for loading the  45-70   Black flakes containing 15 to 18 percent nitroglycerin were approximately 2 mm in diameter   Production was discontinued after World War II 
Bullseye was introduced by Laflin & Rand in 1898   Large surface area per unit weight enables rapid combustion in short-barreled handguns   Laflin & Rand began production using small, irregular particles removed by screening runs of larger grained powders   Improved manufacturing processes offered other reclamation options for reduced quantities of rejected material   Hercules manufactured Bullseye as thin, round flakes   It is believed to be the oldest smokeless powder formulation still being manufactured in the United States   It is designed for handguns and can also be used in 12-gauge shotgun target loads
Lightning was introduced by Laflin & Rand in 1899 for lever action sporting rifles like the  30-30 Winchester and  303 Savage   Production of 2 mm diameter flakes was discontinued after World War II   Tubular Lightning # 2 was manufactured from 1903 to 1929 
Infallible was a flake shotgun powder introduced by Laflin & Rand in 1900   Initial production had an orange color, but graphite coating gave later production a black color   Production was discontinued after World War II 
Unique is a gray flake powder introduced by Laflin & Rand in 1900   Individual flakes are approximately 1 5 mm (0 06 inch) in diameter   It is designed for shotguns and can be used in handguns 
Bear was a tubular powder introduced by Laflin & Rand in 1908 for small capacity rifle cartridges like the  351 and  401 Winchester Self-Loading and the  32-20 and  25-20 Winchester   Production was discontinued after World War II 
Military Rifle (MR) # 19 was a tubular powder containing 20 percent nitroglycerin introduced by DuPont in 1908 and was renamed HiVel (# 1) when manufactured by Hercules   It was modified as HiVel # 2 in 1915   Production was discontinued in 1964   A smaller grained version was produced as HiVel # 3 from 1926 to 1941 

Powders developed by Hercules Powder Company
Hercules # 308 was Hercules production of single-base tubular Pyro DG (Diphenylamine Graphited) powder for loading military  30-06 Springfield ammunition through World War I   Production began in 1915 and continued through the 1920s 
Hercules # 300 was a black, tubular single-base rifle powder produced from 1916 to 1932 
Pyro was produced from 1922 to 1928 as lightly graphited yellow flakes for loading the  45 ACP 
Hercules # 2400 is a coated flake powder containing 20 percent nitroglycerin introduced in 1932   Individual dark gray flakes are approximately 1 mm (0 04 inch) in diameter and 0 3 mm thick   It is designed for small capacity center-fire rifle cartridges and can be used in magnum handgun and  410 bore shotgun loads 
Red Dot is a flake powder introduced in 1932   Individual flakes are approximately 1 5 mm (0 06 inch) in diameter and some are dyed red to aid identification   It is designed for light and standard loads for 12, 16, and 20 gauge shotguns and can be used in handguns 
HiVel # 6 was produced from 1933 to 1941 for loading the  30-06 Springfield 
Herco is a flake powder introduced in the 1930s   Individual flakes are approximately 1 5 mm (0 06 inch) in diameter   It is designed for heavy loads for 10, 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge shotguns and can be used for heavy handgun loads 
Green Dot is a flake powder introduced in 1965   Individual flakes are approximately 1 5 mm (0 06 inch) in diameter and some are dyed green to aid identification   It is designed for medium and standard loads for 12, 16, and 20 gauge shotguns and can be used in handguns 
Reloder 7 was the most popular of three cylindrical rifle powders introduced in 1965 to replace HiVel # 2   Each powder was blended from four different formulations dyed different colors   Production of the other two longer-grained powders, Reloder 11 and Reloder 21, was discontinued in 1972 
Blue Dot is a flake powder introduced in 1972   Individual flakes are approximately 1 5 mm (0 06 inch) in diameter and some are dyed blue to aid identification   It is designed for magnum loads for 10, 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauge shotguns and can be used for magnum handgun loads 

Pine resin products
In the 1920s, Hercules entered the pine resin products business, a development which followed upon the faster clearing of forests for lumber and farmland , especially in the southeast U S , around the time of the First World War  The clearings had left many stumps which had to be removed, often with dynamite supplied by Hercules and others   Hercules itself was a consumer of wood pulp, a key ingredient in their dynamite  The increasing surplus of wood pulp led the company to the idea of producing other things from it, namely, the various chemicals that were present in pine resin  They set up production sites such as the one in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Brunswick, Georgia for this express purpose, and added to their raw supply by offering to take or buy tree stumps from farmers 

Solid-fuel rocket motor production
Beginning in 1959, Hercules, Inc , began to diversify into the production of large solid-propellant rocket motors, and it soon became a primary producer of these, especially for the U S  Department of Defense, U S  Air Force, U S  Navy, and U S  Army - and to a lesser degree for the civilian National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  In 1961, the company hired contractors C H  Leavell & Company, Morrison-Knudsen, and Alaskan Plumbing and Heating Company to expand the existing Bacchus Works site  The contractors added "Air Force Plant 81" adding 97 buildings, including a 97,000 square foot administration building  One of its major solid-fuel rocket products was the third-stage engine for the three -stage solid-fueled Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the U S  Air Force, of which 1,000 were made and deployed at Air Force Bases in several northern states during the 1960s  In addition, all of the missiles of the Minuteman I series were removed from service and replaced with the Minuteman II and Minuteman III series of more-advanced ICBMs  Hence, the Minuteman ICBM program was a huge project and a major source of revenue for Hercules, Inc 
Hercules, Inc , also produced the solid-fueled rocket motors for the two-stage Polaris missile system of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) for the U S  Navy in its 41 for Freedom series of 41 George Washington class ballistic missile submarines  These nuclear submarines carried 16 Polaris missiles apiece for a grand total of 656 missiles  In addition, the Polaris series consisted of the successively-improved Polaris A-1, Polaris A-2, and Polaris A-3 missiles  The early Polaris submarines that had been armed with the Polaris A-1 were upgraded to the Polaris A-2; and then all that had been armed with the Polaris A-2 were upgraded to the Polaris A-3 
For some of the early Polaris submarines, the Polaris A-3 was the end of their upgrades, but a large number of them (about 31) were further rearmed with the more-advanced and longer-ranged two-stage Poseidon C-3 missile  Hence, the Polaris missile submarine program was also a huge project and a major source of revenue for Hercules, Inc 
During the 1960s, Hercules, Inc , also made solid-fuel rocket motors for hundreds of the U S  Army's Honest John missile, a mobile tactical missile for carrying tactical nuclear weapons for U S  Army divisions  The Honest John missile was mostly deployed with the U S  Seventh Army in West Germany as part of the American commitment to NATO to defend Western Europe against aggression from the Warsaw Pact, using nuclear weapons on Eastern Europe, if necessary  None of the Honest John, Minuteman, Polaris, or Poseidon has ever been used in combat, and the threat of nuclear war has been sufficient to deter aggression and make it unnecessary to use nuclear weapons for defense 
During the 1970s and 80s, the Honest John missile was removed from deployment, scrapped, and replaced by the more-advanced Lance missile by the U S  Army in Europe  Of all of the missiles mentioned above, only a reduced number of the Minuteman missiles remain in service at Air Force Bases in the United States, with all of the others having been removed from deployment and scrapped, along with all of the Polaris and Poseidon submarines 
For space exploration and satellite launches by the U S  Air Force and NASA, Hercules, Inc , developed and manufactured the two large, strap-on solid-fueled Solid Rocket Motor Upgrade (SRMU) booster rockets for the otherwise liquid-fueled Titan IVB rockets  These strap-on rockets replaced the UA120 series of boosters used on the Titan IVB's predecessors, the Titan IIIC, Titan IIIE and Titan IVA 
After the end of production and firing of NASA's huge Saturn IB and 
Saturn V rockets, the Titan IV was the largest and heaviest  unmanned rocket available anywhere in the world, and especially in the Titan IV-Centaur version  The Titan IV-Centaur was used for special launches of heavy space probes into the Solar System, such as the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn which was launched in 1997  The Titan IV is no longer manufactured, and the last one of these was fired during a launch in October 2005   In 1995 the aerospace division of Hercules, including its solid motor line, was acquired by the American defense contractor ATK 

Business segments
In its later years, Hercules, Inc , manufactured and marketed worldwide specialist chemicals that were used in a wide variety of industrial, home, and office markets, and it and had over 4,500 employees  Hercules was composed of two major divisions: the Paper Technologies and Ventures (PTV) division and the Aqualon division  In 2005, the former accounted for 49% of its sales and 35% of its operating profits, with the latter producing 37% and 68% respectively 

Aqualon Group
Aqualon produces products for physical property modification of aqueous systems which are sold into a wide variety of industries including personal care, food additives, and construction 

Paper Technologies and Ventures Group
Paper Technologies
Paper Technologies produces specialty chemicals to the pulp and paper industry  These products include functional, process, and water treatment chemicals for a wide variety of pulp and paper applications 
Functional chemicals can be divided in three main groups  Wet strength resins, Rosin sizes and AKD -sizes  Significant persons developing functional chemicals in Hercules could be mentioned: Dr  Keim on his efforts developing PAE wet strength resin, Mr Kai Kiviö on his efforts on developing cationic rosin size  Basis of AKD -technology Hercules acquired more or less voluntary from German BASF after the Second World War 

Ventures
Ventures produces specialty chemicals for a variety of markets, including adhesives and sealants, paints, inks, coatings, lubricants, rubber, plastics, and building and construction 
Hercules Incorporated, in collaboration with Professor Kaichang Li of Oregon State University and Columbia Forest Products, received a 2007 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for the Greener Synthetic Pathways category in developing and commercializing a formaldehyde-free adhesive made from soy flour and Hercules' unique polymer chemistries 

See also
Tekoi, a former solid fuel rocket motor test and calibration site operated by Hercules Aerospace
Passage 5:
Doravirine
Doravirine, sold under the brand name Pifeltro, is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor medication developed by Merck & Co  for use in the treatment of HIV/AIDS 
Doravirine was approved for medical use in the United States in August 2018 
Passage 6:
Liquid Assets Paint &amp; Pigment Company
Liquid Assets Paint & Pigment Company is an artist supply company based in Buenos Aires, Argentina that manufactures acrylic paints and pigments created with real currency, such as Euro, US Dollar, Argentine Peso, and Romanian Leu  The Company's slogan "The Price of Art" refers to the company's assertion that its products allow fine artists to quantify the precise and actual value of a work of art created using Liquid Assets products  The company was started in 2007 by a group of Buenos Aires–based professional artists and presently operates a manufacturing plant in Buenos Aires, as well as a retail store in the Palermo Soho neighborhood  In September 2010, Liquid Assets opened a temporary pop up store in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood in conjunction with the Swervewolf Experience marketing and design firm  Although artists have used valuable commodities such as gold leaf to create works of art for centuries, such as gilding, Liquid Assets Paint & Pigment Company is the world's only known manufacturer of artist paint and pigment created with actual currency 
Passage 7:
New England Emigrant Aid Company
The New England Emigrant Aid Company (originally the Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Company) was a transportation company founded in Boston, Massachusetts by activist Eli Thayer in the wake of the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which allowed the population of Kansas Territory to choose whether slavery would be legal  The Company's ultimate purpose was to transport anti-slavery immigrants into the Kansas Territory  The Company believed that if enough anti-slavery immigrants settled en masse in the newly-opened territory, they would be able to shift the balance of political power in the territory, which in turn would lead to Kansas becoming a free state (rather than a slave state) when it eventually joined the United States The Company is noted less for its direct impact than for the psychological impact it had on proslavery and abolitionist groups  Thayer's prediction that the Company would eventually be able to send 20,000 immigrants a year never came to fruition, but it spurred border ruffians from nearby Missouri, where slavery was legal, to move to Kansas to ensure its admission to the Union as a slave state  That, in turn, further galvanized Free-Staters and other enemies of the Slave Power 
Thayer's intention was to capitalize on anti-slavery sentiment in the Northern United States and to send settlers to Kansas to purchase land and build houses, shops, and mills  They could then sell the land at a significant profit and send the proceeds back to Thayer and his investors  At the behest of several investors, who found the notion of profiting from the anti-slavery cause distasteful, the company's model was shifted to that of a benevolent society, and it was renamed the New England Emigrant Aid Company in 1855  While the company achieved neither a profit nor a significant impact on the population of Kansas, it played an important role in the events that would later be termed Bleeding Kansas 

Creation
The Company was formed in the midst of the sectional crisis that preceded the American Civil War  To the Northern United States, the concept of popular sovereignty, which stated that the population of each new U S  state should be allowed to decide if it allowed slavery, was an attempt by Southerners to gain power  When the Kansas–Nebraska Act threatened to extend popular sovereignty into the new Kansas Territory, Eli Thayer, a second-term Congressman from Massachusetts, hatched the idea of an Emigrant Aid Company in the winter of 1853–1854  His primary partners in the venture were Alexander H  Bullock and Edward Everett Hale, and together, they set Thayer's plans in motion on March 5, 1854  Thayer announced the Company at a rally against the impending passage of the Kansas–Nebraska Act in Worcester on March 11  Shortly thereafter, the Company's charter was approved by the Massachusetts Legislature for up to $5,000,000 in capital Officially, the Company was a profit-making venture, and how the settlers voted was of no consequence to the company  For example, the company secretary, Thomas Webb released a pamphlet in 1855 stating that although the settlers sent to the territories would not be required to vote for one side or the other, they were expected to support the free-state movement  A number of abolitionists questioned the profit motive behind the company, and even many of Thayer's potential investors balked at the notion "that people might say we were influenced by pecuniary considerations in our patriotic work " Although Thayer personally disagreed with such hesitations, in 1855 the Company reorganized as a benevolent society and changed its name to the New England Emigrant Aid Company 

Reaction
The success of the endeavor prompted other aid assistance companies to form back East, in New York and Ohio, with new companies such as the Worcester County Emigrant Aid Society 

Impact
The company was directly responsible for creating the Kansas towns of Lawrence and Manhattan, and it played a key role in founding Topeka and Osawatomie  Lawrence was named after the Company secretary, Amos Adams Lawrence  Multiple politicians were found in the emigrants who left for Kansas, such as Daniel Read Anthony, Charles L  Robinson, Samuel C  Pomeroy, and Martin F  Conway, who would later be Kansas's first US Representative 
The exact number of people who left for Kansas is unknown  James Rawley puts the numbers somewhere around 2000, about a third of whom returned home, but the Kansas Historical Society puts the number at around 900 for those who left for Kansas in 1855 alone The Company's mission was ultimately successful, and Kansas entered the United States as a free state in 1861 

Notes



ground_truth: the Veneto region of Northern Italy

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: Where is the company that created Doravirine ( from?

The following are given passages.
Context 3: Passage 1:
Arab Kingdom of Syria
The Arab Kingdom of Syria (Arabic: المملكة العربية السورية, al-Mamlakah al-‘Arabīyah as-Sūrīyah) was a self-proclaimed, unrecognized constitutional monarchy existing briefly in the territory of historical Syria  It was announced on 5 October 1918 as a fully and independent Arab constitutional government with the permission of the British military  It gained de facto independence as an Emirate after the withdrawal of the British forces from OETA East on 26 November 1919, and was proclaimed as a Kingdom on 8 March 1920 
As a Kingdom it existed only a little over four months, from 8 March to 25 July 1920  During its brief existence, the kingdom was led by Sharif Hussein bin Ali's son Faisal bin Hussein  Despite its claims to the territory of Greater Syria, Faisal's government controlled a limited area and was dependent on Britain which, along with France, generally opposed the idea of a Greater Syria and refused to recognize the kingdom  The kingdom surrendered to French forces on 25 July 1920 

History
Foundations
The Arab Revolt and the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence were crucial factors in the foundation of the Arab Kingdom of Syria  In the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence promises of an Arab Kingdom were made by the British in return for an Arab uprising against the Ottomans : 209–215  As the British were promising independence, The French made the Sykes–Picot Agreement  Ultimately, the implementation of the Sykes–Picot Agreement would lead to the undermining and end of the Arab Kingdom of Syria  Despite the significance of the Arab Revolt to modern Arab countries formed in its wake, at the time there was significant distrust and even opposition to the idea of an Arab Kingdom or series of Arab Kingdoms 
This opposition was due in part to the heavy influence of the French and the British in facilitating the revolt and the establishment of what would be considered, by modern standards, puppet states : 185–191  The involvement of foreign powers in distributing large sums of money and military support to establish an empire that would be led by imperial aspirants, rather than legitimate Arab nationalists, was instrumental in the disintegration of the majority of the early Hashemite Kingdoms (Kingdom of Hejaz and Kingdom of Iraq)  Additionally, at the time, many Arabs expressed grave concerns that the family of the Sharif of Mecca, the Hashemites, could wrest control from the Ottoman Sultan, with whom their loyalty had rested for centuries : 187

Arab constitutional government
Near the end of World War I, the British Egyptian Expeditionary Force, under command of Edmund Allenby, captured Damascus on 30 September 1918  Shortly thereafter, on 3 October, Faisal entered the city : 30  The jubilation would be short lived, as Faisal would soon be made aware of the Sykes–Picot agreement  Faisal had come to expect an independent Arab kingdom in the name of his father but was soon told of the division of territory and how Syria fell under French protective power  Faisal saw this admission as a betrayal by the British, but believed the actual settlement would be worked out at a later date when the war had ended  There was some likelihood that by then the British would have changed their support for French pretensions in Syria 
On 5 October, with the permission of General Allenby, Faisal announced the establishment of a fully and absolutely independent Arab constitutional government : 34  Faisal announced it would be an Arab government based on justice and equality for all Arabs regardless of religion  The French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau found disconcerting the establishment of a semi-independent Arab state without international recognition and under the auspices of the British  Even reassurances by Allenby that all actions taken were provisional did not ease the looming tensions between the British, the French, and the Arabs  For Arab nationalists, and many of the Arabs who fought in the Arab Revolt, this independent state would be the realization of a long hard-fought goal 

Determining the status
After the war, at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, Faisal pushed for Arab independence  At the Conference, the victorious Allies decided what was to become of the defeated nations of the Central Powers, especially who was to control their territories, such as the Ottoman Empire's Middle East possessions  The status of the Arab lands in the Middle East was the subject of intense negotiations between the French and British  In May 1919, the French and British prime ministers met in Quai d’Orsay to decide between them their respective claims to territories or spheres of influence in the Middle East  The meeting determined that in return for a British guarantee of French control in Syria, the British would be given a mandate over Mosul and Palestine 
At about the same time, an American compromise resulted in an agreement to set up a commission to determine the wishes of the inhabitants  Though they initially supported the idea, Britain and France eventually backed out, leaving the King–Crane Commission of 1919 solely American : 268  The findings of the commission, not published until 1922 after the vote on the mandates in the League of Nations, indicated strong Arab support for an independent Arab state and opposition to a French presence 

Creation
These events in Europe led Syrian nationalist societies like al-Fatat (the Young Arab Society) to make preparations for a national congress  These Syrian nationalist societies advocated complete independence for an Arab Kingdom that united Arabs under Faisal  The King–Crane Commission encouraged efforts to unify, and hasty elections were called including representatives from all over the Arab lands, including Palestine and Lebanon, although French officials prevented many of their representatives from arriving  The first official session of the Syrian Congress was held on 3 June 1919 and al-Fatat member Hashim al-Atassi was elected its president : 17 When the King–Crane Commission arrived in Damascus on 25 June 1919, it was met with a flurry of leaflets saying "Independence or Death" 
On 2 July the Syrian National Congress in Damascus passed the Damascus Program, a series of resolutions calling for a completely independent constitutional monarchy with Faisal as king, asking for assistance from the United States, and rejecting any rights claimed by the French : 19  The resolutions defined the borders as 

on the north, the Taurus Range; on the south, a line running from Rafah to Al-Jauf and following the Syria-Hejaz border below 'Aqaba; on the east, the boundary formed by the Euphrates and Khabur rivers and a line stretching from some distance east of Abu-Kamal to some distance east of al-Jauf; on the west, the Mediterranean Sea 
Any hope that Faisal may have had that either the British or Americans would come to his aid and counter French moves quickly faded, especially after the Anglo-French Agreement for the withdrawal of British troops from Syria and the end of the British military government in Syria  The British withdrew from the region on 26 November 1919 In January 1920, Faisal was forced into an agreement with France which stipulated that France would uphold the existence of the Syrian state and would not station troops in Syria as long as the French government remained the only government supplying advisers, counselors and technical experts : 167  News of this compromise did not bode well with Faisal's vehemently anti-French and independence-minded supporters who immediately pressured Faisal to reverse his commitment, which he did  In the aftermath of this reversal, violent attacks against French forces took place and the Syrian Congress assembled in March 1920 to declare Faisal the king of Syria as well as to officially set up the Arab Kingdom of Syria with Hashim al-Atassi as Prime Minister and Yusuf al-'Azma as Minister of War and Chief of Staff 
This unilateral action was immediately repudiated by the British and French and the San Remo Conference was called by the Allied Powers in April 1920 to finalise the allocation of League of Nations mandates in the Middle East  This was in turn repudiated by Faisal and his supporters  After months of instability and failure to make good on the promises to the French, the commander of French forces General Henri Gouraud gave an ultimatum to King Faisal on 14 July 1920 declaring he surrender or fight : 215

Dissolution
Worried about the results of a long bloody fight with the French, King Faisal surrendered  However, Yusuf al-'Azma, the defense minister, ignored the King's order, and led a small army to confront the French advance into Syria  This army depended mainly on individual weapons and were no match to the French artillery  At the Battle of Maysalun, the Syrian army was easily defeated by the French, with General al-'Azma being killed during the battle  The loss led to the siege and capture of Damascus on 24 July 1920 and the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was put into effect thereafter 

Legacy
After surrendering to French forces, Faisal was expelled from Syria and went to live in the United Kingdom in August 1920  In August 1921 he was offered the crown of Iraq under the British Mandate of Iraq 
A pro-French government under the leadership of 'Alaa al-Din al-Darubi was installed one day after the fall of Damascus, on 25 July 1920 : 37  On 1 September 1920, General Gouraud divided the French mandate territory of Syria into several smaller states as part of a French scheme to make Syria easier to control 
The Kingdom, through its short and tumultuous existence, would become a subject of great inspiration to later Arab liberation movements  It would be the often-repeated story of an Arab people breaking out from their colonial bonds only to be castigated for their revolutionary fervor and for their resistance to the imperial powers  The symbolism of the fall of the Kingdom of Syria also imparted deep mistrust of European powers, who were seen as liars and oppressors 

Politics of Syria (1918–1920)
Heads of Government
King
Prime Ministers
Gallery
Passage 2:
Gouding
Gouding (Chinese: 句町) was a monarchical state that lasted approximately 400 years, from 111 BC to 316 AD, and was centered on Guangnan County in modern-day Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China 

In December 2015, artifacts unearthed from Gouding were on display at the Guangnan Minorities Museum 

See also
Đông Sơn drums
Neighbouring kingdoms of Dian and Yelang 
Southward expansion of the Han dynasty
Zomia (geography)
Passage 3:
Modern history of Syria
The modern history of Syria begins with the termination of Ottoman control of Syria by French forces and the establishment of the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration during World War I  The short-lived Arab Kingdom of Syria emerged in 1920, which was however soon committed under the French Mandate, which produced the short-lived autonomous State of Aleppo, State of Damascus (later State of Syria), Alawite State and Jabal al-Druze (state); the autonomies were transformed into the Mandatory Syrian Republic in 1930  Syrian Republic gained independence in April 1946  The Republic took part in the Arab-Israeli War and remained in a state of political instability during the 1950s and 1960s 
The 8 March 1963 coup resulted in the installation of the National Council for the Revolutionary Command (NCRC), a group of military and civilian officials who assumed control of all executive and legislative authority  The takeover was engineered by members of the Ba'ath Party led by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar  He was overthrown in early 1966 by Marxist-Leninist military dissidents of the party led by General Salah Jadid  Since the Arab Spring of 2011, Bashar al-Assad's government has been involved in the ongoing Syrian civil war 

Syria under the Mandate
OETA
The Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (OETA) was a joint British and French military administration over Levantine and Mesopotamian provinces of the former Ottoman Empire between 1918 and 1920, set up following the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I  The administration ended following the assignment of the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon and British Mandate for Palestine at the 19–26 April 1920 San Remo conference 

Initial civil administration
Following the San Remo conference in April 1920 and the defeat of King Faisal's short-lived monarchy in Syria at the Battle of Maysalun on 24 July 1920, the French general Henri Gouraud established civil administration in the territory  The mandate region was subdivided into six states  They were the states of Damascus (1920), Aleppo (1920), Alawites (1920), Jabal Druze (1921), the autonomous Sanjak of Alexandretta (1921) (modern-day Hatay), and the State of Greater Lebanon (1920), which later became the modern country of Lebanon 
The drawing of those states was based in part on the sectarian make-up on the ground in Syria  However, nearly all the Syrian sects were hostile to the French mandate and to the division it created  This was best demonstrated by the numerous revolts that the French encountered in all of the Syrian states  Maronite Christians of Mount Lebanon, on the other hand, were a community with a dream of independence that was being realized under the French; therefore, Greater Lebanon was the exception to the newly formed states 

Syrian Federation (1922-24)
In July 1922, France established a loose federation between three of the states: Damascus, Aleppo, and the Alawite state under the name of the Syrian Federation (Fédération syrienne)  Jabal Druze, Sanjak of Alexandretta, and Greater Lebanon were not parts of this federation, which adopted a new federal flag (green-white-green with French canton)  On 1 December 1924, the Alawite state seceded from the federation when the states of Aleppo and Damascus were united into the State of Syria 

The Great Syrian Revolt
In 1925, a revolt in Jabal Druze led by Sultan Pasha el Atrash spread to other Syrian states and became a general rebellion in Syria  France tried to retaliate by having the parliament of Aleppo declare secession from the union with Damascus, but the voting was foiled by Syrian patriots 

First Syrian Republic
The red stars that represented the three districts of the republic (Damascus, Aleppo, and Deir ez Zor) 

1936 Independence treaty
In 1936, the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence was signed, a treaty that would not be ratified by the French legislature  However, the treaty allowed Jabal Druze, the Alawite (now called Latakia), and Alexandretta to be incorporated into the Syrian republic within the following two years  Greater Lebanon (now the Lebanese Republic) was the only state that did not join the Syrian Republic  Hashim al-Atassi, who was Prime Minister under King Faisal's brief reign (1918–1920), was the first president to be elected under a new constitution adopted after the independence treaty 

Separation of Hatay
In September 1938, France again separated the Syrian district of Alexandretta and transformed it into the Republic of Hatay  The Republic of Hatay joined Turkey in the following year, in June 1939  Syria did not recognize the incorporation of Hatay into Turkey and the issue is still disputed until the present time 

World War II and the founding of the UN
With the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, Syria came under the control of the Vichy Government until the British and Free French invaded and occupied the country in July 1941  Syria proclaimed its independence again in 1941 but it was not until 1 January 1944 that it was recognized as an independent republic 
On 27 September 1941, France proclaimed, by virtue of, and within the framework of the Mandate, the independence and sovereignty of the Syrian State  The proclamation said "the independence and sovereignty of Syria and Lebanon will not affect the juridical situation as it results from the Mandate Act  Indeed, this situation could be changed only with the agreement of the Council of the League of Nations, with the consent of the Government of the United States, a signatory of the Franco-American Convention of 4 April 1924, and only after the conclusion between the French Government and the Syrian and Lebanese Governments of treaties duly ratified in accordance with the laws of the French Republic Benqt Broms said that it was important to note that there were several founding members of the United Nations whose statehood was doubtful at the time of the San Francisco Conference and that the Government of France still considered Syria and Lebanon to be mandates Duncan Hall said "Thus, the Syrian mandate may be said to have been terminated without any formal action on the part of the League or its successor  The mandate was terminated by the declaration of the mandatory power, and of the new states themselves, of their independence, followed by a process of piecemeal unconditional recognition by other powers, culminating in formal admission to the United Nations  Article 78 of the Charter ended the status of tutelage for any member state: 'The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have become Members of the United Nations, relationship among which shall be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality '"On 29 May 1945, France bombed Damascus and tried to arrest its democratically elected leaders  While French planes were bombing Damascus, Prime Minister Faris al-Khoury was at the founding conference of the United Nations in San Francisco, presenting Syria's claim for independence from the French Mandate 
Continuing pressure from Syrian nationalist groups and British pressure forced the French to evacuate their last troops on 17 April 1946 

Republic of Syria 1946-1963
Syrian independence was acquired in 1946  Although rapid economic development followed the declaration of independence, Syrian politics from independence through the late 1960s was marked by upheaval  The early years of independence were marked by political instability 
In 1948, Syria was involved in the Arab-Israeli War with the newly created State of Israel  The Syrian army was pressed out of the Israeli areas, but fortified their strongholds on the Golan and managed to keep their old borders and occupy some additional territory  In July 1949, Syria was the last Arab country to sign an armistice agreement with Israel 
In March 1949, Syria's national government was overthrown by a military coup d'état led by Husni al-Zaim in a coup  Some authors claim involvement by the United States CIA Later that year Zaim was overthrown by his colleague Sami al-Hinnawi and Adib al-Shishakli  The latter undermined civilian rule and led to Shishakli's complete seizure of power in 1951  Shishakli continued to rule the country until 1955, when growing public opposition forced him to resign and leave the country  The national government was restored, but again to face instability, this time from abroad  After the overthrow of President Shishakli in a 1954 coup, continued political maneuvering supported by competing factions in the military eventually brought Arab nationalist and socialist elements to power  Between 1946 and 1956, Syria had 20 different cabinets and drafted four separate constitutions 
During the Suez Crisis of 1956, after the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula by Israeli troops, and the intervention of British and French troops, martial law was declared in Syria  Later Syrian and Iraqi troops were brought into Jordan to prevent a possible Israeli invasion  The November 1956 attacks on Iraqi pipelines were in retaliation for Iraq's acceptance into the Baghdad Pact  In early 1957 Iraq advised Egypt and Syria against a conceivable takeover of Jordan 
In November 1956 Syria signed a pact with the Soviet Union, providing a foothold for communist influence within the government in exchange for planes, tanks, and other military equipment being sent to Syria  This increase in the strength of Syrian military technology worried Turkey, as it seemed feasible that Syria might attempt to retake Iskenderon, a formerly Syrian city now in Turkey  On the other hand, Syria and the USSR accused Turkey of amassing its troops at the Syrian border  During this standoff, communists gained more control over the Syrian government and military  Only heated debates in the United Nations (of which Syria was an original member) lessened the threat of war 
Syria's political instability during the years after the 1954 coup, the parallelism of Syrian and Egyptian policies, and the appeal of Egyptian President Gamal Abdal Nasser's leadership in the wake of the Suez crisis created support in Syria for union with Egypt  On 1 February 1958, Syrian president Shukri al-Kuwatli and Nasser announced the merging of the two countries, creating the United Arab Republic, and all Syrian political parties, as well as the Communists therein, ceased overt activities 
The union was not a success, however  Following a military coup on 28 September 1961, Syria seceded, reestablishing itself as the Syrian Arab Republic  Instability characterised the next 18 months, with various coups culminating on 8 March 1963, in the installation by leftist Syrian Army officers of the National Council of the Revolutionary Command (NCRC), a group of military and civilian officials who assumed control of all executive and legislative authority  The takeover was engineered by members of the Arab Socialist Resurrection Party (Ba'ath Party), which had been active in Syria and other Arab countries since the late 1940s  The new cabinet was dominated by Ba'ath members 

Ba'athist Arab Republic of Syria 1963-today
First Ba'ath government
The Ba'ath takeover in Syria followed a Ba'ath coup in Iraq, the previous month  The new Syrian Government explored the possibility of federation with Egypt and with Ba'ath-controlled Iraq  An agreement was concluded in Cairo on 17 April 1963, for a referendum on unity to be held in September 1963  However, serious disagreements among the parties soon developed, and the tripartite federation failed to materialize  Thereafter, the Ba'ath governments in Syria and Iraq began to work for bilateral unity  These plans foundered in November 1963, when the Ba'ath government in Iraq was overthrown 
In May 1964, President Amin al-Hafiz of the NCRC promulgated a provisional constitution providing for a National Council of the Revolution (NCR), an appointed legislature composed of representatives of mass organisations—labour, peasant, and professional unions—a presidential council, in which executive power was vested, and a cabinet 

Second Ba'ath government
On 23 February 1966, a group of army officers carried out a successful, intra-party coup, imprisoned President Hafiz, dissolved the cabinet and the NCR, abrogated the provisional constitution, and designated a regionalist, civilian Ba'ath government on 1 March  The coup leaders described it as a "rectification" of Ba'ath Party principles  In June 1967 Israel captured and occupied the Golan Heights  The Six Day War had significantly weakened the radical socialist government established by the 1966 coup 
On 18 September 1970, during the events of Black September in Jordan, Syria tried to intervene on behalf of the Palestinian guerrillas  Hafez al-Assad sent in armored forces equivalent to a brigade, with tanks, some of them allegedly hastily rebranded from the regular Syrian army for the purpose  Other Syrian units were the 5th Infantry Division and Commandos  On 21 September, the Syrian 5th Division broke through the defenses of the Jordanian 40th Armoured Brigade, and pushed it back off the ar-Ramtha crossroads  On 22 September, the Royal Jordanian Air Force began attacking Syrian forces, which were badly battered as a result  The constant airstrikes broke the Syrian force, and on the late afternoon of 22 September the 5th Division began to retreat  The swift Syrian withdrawal was a severe blow to Palestinian guerillas  Jordanian armored forces steadily pounded their headquarters in Amman, and threatened to break them in other regions of the Kingdom as well  Eventually, the Palestinian factions agreed to a cease-fire  King Hussein and Yasser Arafat attended the meeting of the Arab League in Cairo, where the hostilities briefly ended  The Jordanian-Palestinian Civil War shortly resumed, but without Syrian intervention 
By 1970 a conflict had developed between an extremist military wing and a more moderate civilian wing of the Ba'ath Party  The 1970 retreat of Syrian forces sent to aid the PLO during the "Black September" hostilities with Jordan reflected this political disagreement within the ruling Ba'ath leadership 

Ba'ath Party under Hafez al-Assad, 1970–2000
Power takeover
On 13 November 1970, Minister of Defense Hafez al-Assad effected a bloodless military coup, ousting the civilian party leadership and assuming the role of President 
Upon assuming power, Hafez al-Assad moved quickly to create an organizational infrastructure for his government and to consolidate control  The Provisional Regional Command of Assad's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party nominated a 173-member legislature, the People's Council, in which the Ba'ath Party took 87 seats  The remaining seats were divided among "popular organizations" and other minor parties 
In March 1971, the party held its regional congress and elected a new 21-member Regional Command headed by Assad  In the same month, a national referendum was held to confirm Assad as president for a 7-year term  In March 1972, to broaden the base of his government, Assad formed the National Progressive Front, a coalition of parties led by the Ba'ath Party, and elections were held to establish local councils in each of Syria's 14 governorates  In March 1973, a new Syrian constitution went into effect followed shortly thereafter by parliamentary elections for the People's Council, the first such elections since 1962 

October War
On 6 October 1973, Syria and Egypt began the Yom Kippur War (also called the "Ramadan War" or "October War" because Syria and Egypt attacked during Muslim Ramadan holiday) by staging a surprise attack against Israel  Despite the element of surprise, Egypt and Syria lost their initial gains in a three-week-long warfare, and Israel continued to occupy the Golan Heights and the Sinai peninsula 

Intervention in Lebanon
In early 1976, the Lebanese Civil War was going poorly for the Maronite Christians, so the Lebanese President Elias Sarkis officially requested Syria intervene militarily  After receiving their first mandate from the Lebanese President, Syria was given a second mandate by the Arab League to intervene militarily in Lebanon  Syria sent 40,000 troops into the country to prevent the Christians from being overrun, but soon became embroiled in this war, beginning the 30 year Syrian presence in Lebanon  Over the following 15 years of civil war, Syria fought both for control over Lebanon, and as an attempt to undermine Israel in southern Lebanon, through extensive use of Lebanese allies as proxy fighters  Many saw the Syrian Army's presence in Lebanon as an occupation, especially following the end of the civil war in 1990, after the Syrian-sponsored Taif Agreement  Syria then remained in Lebanon until 2005, exerting a heavy-handed influence over Lebanese politics, that was deeply resented by many 
About one million Syrian workers came into Lebanon after the war ended to find jobs in the reconstruction of the country  Syrian workers were preferred over Palestinian Arabs and Lebanese workers because they could be paid lower wages, but some have argued that the Syrian government's encouragement of citizens entering its small and militarily dominated neighbor in search of work, was in fact an attempt at Syrian colonization of Lebanon  In 1994, under pressure from Damascus, the Lebanese government controversially granted citizenship to over 200,000 Syrians resident in the country 

Muslim Brotherhood uprising and Hama Massacre
On 31 January 1973, Assad implemented the new Constitution which led to a national crisis  Unlike previous constitutions, this one did not require that the  president of Syria must be a Muslim, leading to fierce demonstrations in Hama, Homs and Aleppo organized by the Muslim Brotherhood and the ulama  They labeled Assad as the "enemy of Allah" and called for a jihad against his rule  Robert D  Kaplan has compared Assad's coming to power to "an untouchable becoming maharajah in India or a Jew becoming tsar in Russia—an unprecedented development shocking to the Sunni majority population which had monopolized power for so many centuries " The authoritarian government was not without its critics, a serious challenge arose in the late 1970s from fundamentalist Sunni Muslims, who reject the basic values of the secular Ba'ath program and object to rule by the Alawis whom they consider heretical  From 1976 until its suppression in 1982, the arch-conservative Muslim Brotherhood led an armed insurgency against the government  In response to an attempted uprising by the brotherhood in February 1982, the government crushed the fundamentalist opposition centered in the city of Hama, leveling parts of the city with artillery fire and causing many thousands of dead and wounded  During the rest of Hafez al-Assad's reign, public manifestations of anti-government activity were very limited 

During Gulf War
Syria's 1990 participation in the U S -led multinational coalition aligned against Saddam Hussein marked a dramatic watershed in Syria's relations both with other Arab states and with the Western world  Syria participated in the multilateral Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid in October 1991, and during the 1990s engaged in direct, face-to-face negotiations with Israel  These negotiations failed, and there have been no further Syrian-Israeli talks since President Hafiz al-Assad's meeting with President Bill Clinton in Geneva in March 2000 

Internal power struggle
In what has become known as the 1999 Latakia incident, violent protests and armed clashes erupted following the 1998 People's Assembly's Elections  The violent events were an explosion of a long-running feud between Hafez al-Assad and his younger brother Rifaat, who previously attempted to initiate a coup against Hafez in 1984, but was eventually expelled from Syria  Two people were killed in fire exchanges of Syrian police and Rifaat's supporters during police crack-down on Rifaat's port compound in Latakia  According to opposition sources, denied by the government, the clashes in Latakia resulted in hundreds of dead and injured 

Drought in Syria
From 2006 to 2010, Syria experienced its worst drought in modern history  The drought resulted in a mass migration from the Syrian countryside into urban centers, which notably strained existing infrastructure already burdened by the influx of some 1 5 million refugees from Iraq  The drought itself has been linked to human caused global climate change  It has also been directly linked as a contributing factor to the socieoeconomic conditions that led to initial protests and uprising  Adequate water supply continues to be an issue in the ongoing civil war and the supply is frequently the target of military action 

Under Bashar al-Assad, 2000–present
The Damascus Autumn
Hafiz al-Assad died on 10 June 2000, after 30 years in power  Immediately following al-Assad's death, the Parliament amended the constitution, reducing the mandatory minimum age of the President from 40 to 34, which allowed his son, Bashar al-Assad, to become legally eligible for nomination by the ruling Ba'ath party  On 10 July 2000, Bashar al-Assad was elected president by referendum in which he ran unopposed, garnering 97 29% of the vote, according to Syrian government statistics Bashar, who speaks French and English and has a British-born wife, was said to have "inspired hopes" for reform, and a "Damascus Spring" of intense political and social debate took place from July 2000 to August 2001  The period was characterized by the emergence of numerous political forums or salons where groups of like minded people met in private houses to debate political and social issues  The phenomenon of salons spread rapidly in Damascus and to a lesser extent in other cities  Political activists, such as, Riad Seif, Haitham al-Maleh, Kamal al-Labwani, Riyad al-Turk, and Aref Dalila were important in mobilizing the movement  The most famous of the forums were the Riad Seif Forum and the Jamal al-Atassi Forum  The Damascus Spring ended in August 2001 with the arrest and imprisonment of ten leading activists who had called for democratic elections and a campaign of civil disobedience 

International and internal tensions
On 5 October 2003, Israel bombed a site near Damascus, claiming it was a terrorist training facility for members of Islamic Jihad  Islamic Jihad said the camp was not in use; Syria said the attack was on a civilian area  The Israeli action was condemned by European governments  The German Chancellor said it "cannot be accepted" and the French Foreign Ministry said "The Israeli operation… constituted an unacceptable violation of international law and sovereignty rules



ground_truth: American

prompt_front: Answer the question based on the given passages. Only give me the answer and do not output any other words.

Question: In modern history of Syria this kingdom lasted for only four months, this kingdom surrendered to who?

The following are given passages.
Context 3: " The Spanish UN Ambassador Inocencio Arias called it an attack of "extreme gravity" and "a clear violation of international law "The United States Congress passed the Syria Accountability Act in December 2003, with the goal of ending what the U S  sees as Syrian involvement in Lebanon, Iraq, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction through international sanctions 
Ethnic tensions increased in Syria, following an incident in a football stadium in Al Qamishli, 30 people were killed and more than 160 were injured in days of clashes starting from 12 March  Kurdish sources indicated that Syrian security forces used live ammunition against civilians after clashes broke out at a football match between Kurdish fans of the local team and Arab supporters of a visiting team from the city of Deir al-Zor  The international press reported that nine people were killed on 12 March  According to Amnesty International hundreds of people, mostly Kurds, were arrested after the riots  Kurdish detainees were reportedly tortured and ill-treated  Some Kurdish students were expelled from their universities, reportedly for participating in peaceful protests In June 2005, thousands of Kurds demonstrated in Qamishli to protest the assassination of Sheikh Khaznawi, a Kurdish cleric in Syria, resulting in the death of one policeman and injury to four Kurds Renewed opposition activity occurred in October 2005 when activist Michel Kilo launched with leading opposition figures the Damascus Declaration, which criticized the Syrian government as "authoritarian, totalitarian and cliquish" and called for democratic reform On 6 September 2007 a Syrian facility was bombed in the Deir ez-Zor region  While no one claimed responsibility for this act, Syria accused Israel, which in turn declared that the indicated site was a nuclear facility with a military purpose  Syria denied the claim 
On 26 October 2008 helicopter-borne CIA paramilitary officers and United States Special Operations Forces carried out a raid to the Syrian territory from Iraq The Syrian government called the event a "criminal and terrorist" attack on its sovereignty, alleging all of the reported eight fatalities were civilians  An unnamed U S  military source, however, alleged that the target was a network of foreign fighters who travel through Syria to join the Iraqi insurgency against the United States-led Coalition in Iraq and the Iraqi government 

Syrian civil war
The Syrian civil war is an ongoing internal violent conflict in Syria  It is a part of the wider Arab Spring, a wave of upheaval throughout the Arab World  Public demonstrations across Syria began on 26 January 2011 and developed into a nationwide uprising  Protesters demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, the overthrow of his government, and an end to nearly five decades of Ba’ath Party rule 
Since spring 2011, the Syrian government deployed the Syrian Army to quell the uprising, and several cities were besieged, though the unrest continued  According to some witnesses, soldiers, who refused to open fire on civilians, were summarily executed by the Syrian Army  The Syrian government denied reports of defections, and blamed armed gangs for causing trouble  Since early autumn 2011, civilians and army defectors began forming fighting units, which began an insurgency campaign against the Syrian Army  The insurgents unified under the banner of the Free Syrian Army and fought in an increasingly organized fashion; however, the civilian component of the armed opposition lacked an organized leadership 
The uprising has sectarian undertones, though neither faction in the conflict has described sectarianism as playing a major role  The opposition is dominated by Sunni Muslims, whereas the leading government figures are Alawites, affiliated with the Shia Islam  As a result, the opposition is winning support from the Sunni Muslim states, whereas the government is publicly supported by the Shia dominated Iran and the Lebanese Hizbullah 
According to various sources, including the United Nations, up to 13,470–19,220 people have been killed, of which about half were civilians, but also including 6,035–6,570 armed combatants from both sides and up to 1,400 opposition protesters  Many more have been injured, and tens of thousands of protesters have been imprisoned  According to the Syrian government, 9,815–10,146 people, including 3,430 members of the security forces, 2,805–3,140 insurgents and up to 3,600 civilians, have been killed in fighting with what they characterize as "armed terrorist groups " To escape the violence, tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled the country to neighboring Jordan, Iraq and  Lebanon, as well to Turkey  The total official UN numbers of Syrian refugees reached 42,000 at the time, while unofficial number stood at as many as 130,000 
UNICEF reported that over 500 children have been killed, Another 400 children have been reportedly arrested and tortured in Syrian prisons  Both claims have been contested by the Syrian government  Additionally, over 600 detainees and political prisoners have died under torture  Human Rights Watch accused the government and Shabiha of using civilians as human shields when they advanced on opposition held-areas  Anti-government rebels have been accused of human rights abuses as well, including torture, kidnapping, unlawful detention and execution of civilians, Shabiha and soldiers  HRW also expressed concern at the kidnapping of Iranian nationals  The UN Commission of Inquiry has also documented abuses of this nature in its February 2012 report, which also includes documentation that indicates rebel forces have been responsible for displacement of civilians The Arab League, US, EU states, GCC states, and other countries have condemned the use of violence against the protesters  China and Russia have avoided condemning the government or applying sanctions, saying that such methods could escalate into foreign intervention  However, military intervention has been ruled out by most countries  The Arab League suspended Syria's membership over the government's response to the crisis, but sent an observer mission in December 2011, as part of its proposal for peaceful resolution of the crisis  The latest attempts to resolve the crisis has been made through the appointment of Kofi Annan, as a special envoy to resolve the Syrian crisis in the Middle East  Some analysts however have posited the partitioning the region into a Sunnite east, Kurdish north and Shiite/Alawite west 

See also
Politics of Syria
Foreign relations of Syria
Passage 4:
Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom
The Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom (traditional Chinese: 甘州回鶻; simplified Chinese: 甘州回鹘; pinyin: Gānzhōu Huíhú), also referred to as the Hexi Uyghurs, was established in 894 around Ganzhou in modern Zhangye  The kingdom lasted from 894 to 1036; during that time, many of Ganzhou's residents converted to Buddhism The Hexi Corridor, located within modern Gansu, was traditionally a Chinese inroad into Central Asia  From the 9th to 11th centuries this area was shared between the Ganzhou Uyghurs and the Guiyi Circuit  By the early 11th century both the Uyghurs and Guiyi Circuit were conquered by the Tangut people of the Western Xia dynasty The Ganzhou Uyghur rulers were descended from the House of Yaglakar 

History
There was a pre-existing community of Uyghurs at Ganzhou by 840 at the very latest In 874, remnant forces of the Tibetan Empire known as the Wenmo, Han Chinese slave soldiers under the Tibetan Empire, in Ganzhou drove out the Uyghurs Around the years 881 and 882, Ganzhou slipped from the control of the Guiyi Circuit 
In 894 the Uyghurs led by Pangteqin (Huaijian Khagan) established the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom in Ganzhou In 902 the Ganzhou Uyghurs sent military aid to Emperor Zhaozong of Tang In 910 the Ganzhou Uyghurs attacked the Kingdom of Jinshan (Guiyi) 
In 911 the Ganzhou Uyghurs attacked the Kingdom of Jinshan and forced them into an alliance as a lesser partner In 916 a Ganzhou Uyghur princess was married to Cao Yijin, governor of the Guiyi Circuit 
In 920 Huaijian Khagan became sickly 
In 924 Huaijian Khagan died and his sons Diyin and Renmei fought over the throne with Diyin coming out on top  They received a royal appointment from the Later Tang dynasty  The Khitans of the Liao dynasty offered to let the Ganzhou Uyghurs return to their former homeland on the Orkhon but they refused the offer In 925 Cao Yijin led an attack on the Ganzhou Uyghurs and defeated them 
In 926 Diyin died and Aduoyu succeeded him as Shunhua Khagan  Shunhua Khagan married Cao Yijin's daughter 
In 930 Cao Yijin visited the Ganzhou Uyghur court in Ganzhou 
In 933 Shunhua Khagan died and Jingqiong succeeded him 
In 961 the Ganzhou Uyghurs accepted the Song dynasty as suzerains In 975 Jingqiong died and Yeluohe Mili'e succeeded him 
In 983 Jingqiong died and Lusheng succeeded him 
In 1003 Lusheng died and Zhongshun Baode Khagan succeeded him  The Tanguts attacked the Ganzhou Uyghurs but were defeated In 1008 the Ganzhou Uyghurs and Tanguts engaged in combat and the Uyghurs emerged victorious  The Liao dynasty attacked the Ganzhou Uyghurs and defeated them In 1009 the Ganzhou Uyghurs captured Liangzhou 
In 1010 the Liao dynasty attacked the Ganzhou Uyghurs and defeated them In 1016 Zhongshun Baode Khagan died and Huaining Shunhua Khagan succeeded him 
In 1023 Huaining Shunhua Khagan died and Guizhong Baoshun Khagan succeeded him 
In 1026 the Ganzhou Uyghurs were defeated in battle by the Liao dynasty In 1028 the Ganhzhou Uyghurs were defeated by the Tanguts  Guizhong Baoshun Khagan died and Baoguo Khagan succeeded him 
In 1036 the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom was annexed by the Tanguts  After the destruction of their realm, the Ganzhou Uyghurs migrated and settled in Dunhuang (Shazhou) and Guazhou  The Guazhou Uyghurs surrendered to the Tanguts in 1030 and Shazhou surrendered in 1036  A record of a Huolasan Khan ruling in Shazhou in 1127 shows that the Uyghurs there retained some amount of autonomy in Western Xia  Another group that settled between Dunhuang and the Qaidam Basin came to be known as the Yellow Head Uyghurs  They practiced Buddhism and lived as pastoral nomads  In the 13th century they were called the Sali Uyghurs  Their descendants are today known as the Yugurs 

Religion
The Uyghurs of Ganzhou originally practiced Manichaeanism as their state religion but abandoned it for Buddhism at the end of the 10th century due to pressure from the Tanguts  Like the Tanguts, they sent Buddhist pilgrimages to Mount Wutai, but the real reason for the expeditions may have been to spy on the Liao dynasty  According to Hong Hao, a Song dynasty diplomat on his way to the Jurchen Jin dynasty, the Uyghurs of the Hexi Corridor still practiced Buddhism:

The Uighur believe mostly in Buddhism  They place the (Buddhist) sculptures in the hall  At each sacrifice, they must slaughter a lamb  Some drink alcohol merrily  Then they dip their finger into the blood of the lamb and dye the mouth of the Buddha with blood  Some hold the foot of the Buddha screaming, which was meant to show intimacy and respect for the Buddha  When chanting the Scripture, they wore Kasaya (the monk’s robe) and used the Indian language 

Modern era
The modern day descendants of the Ganzhou Uyghurs are known as the Yugur 

See also
Yugur
Turkic peoples
Timeline of the Turkic peoples (500–1300) 
Uyghur Khaganate
Qocho
Passage 5:
Omukama of Toro
The Omukama of Tooro is the name given to the king of Tooro, one of the East African kingdom of Tooro  The kingdom was founded in 1830 by Omukama Kaboyo Olimi l who was the son of Kyebambe lll Nyamutukura, the king of Bunyoro  Since that time, Tooro existed as an independent kingdom until 1967 when President Apollo Milton Obote banned all kingdoms in Uganda  The kingdoms were reinstated as cultural institutions in 1993 
The Omukama of Tooro and the other kings play a vital role in Ugandan politics as cultural leaders and agents of peace and stability in their respective kingdoms  Tooro and Bunyoro kingdoms enjoy a close relationship 

List of Abakama (Kings) of Tooro
The following is a list of the Abakama of Tooro, starting around 1800 AD:
Kaboyo Olimi I, (Kasunsu Nkwanzi) c  1830 - 1861
Kazaana Ruhaga l, c 1861- 1862
Nyaika Kasunga Kyebambe I, c  1862-1863 and c  1864 - 1874
Kato Rukidi I, 1863-64
Mukabirere Olimi II, c  1874 -1876
Mukarusa Kyebambe II, c  1876 - 1877
Isingoma Rukidi ll, c  1877
Rubuubi Kyebambe lll c  1878 and 1879
Kakende Nyamuyonjo c  1878 and 1881 - 1882
Katera Rujwenge, c 1878–1879 a period of Interregnum, 1880–1891; reverted to Bunyoro
Daudi Kasagama Kyebambe IV, 1891–1928
George David Kamurasi Rukidi III, 1929–1965
Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, 1966–1995 interrupted by the discontinuation by the Ugandan government, 1967–1993
Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, 1995–present

See also
Omukama of Bunyoro
Kabaka of Buganda
Toro Kingdom
Passage 6:
Omukama of Bunyoro
Omukama wa Bunyoro  Translates to The King of Bunyoro is the title given to rulers of the East African kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara   The kingdom lasted as an independent state from the 16th to the 19th century  The Omukama of Bunyoro remains an important figure in Ugandan politics, especially among the Banyoro people of whom he is the titular head  He is closely related to the Omukama of Toro Kingdom 
The Royal Palace, called Ekikaali Karuziika, (Karuziika Palace) is located in Hoima  The current Omukama is Rukirabasaija Solomon Iguru I Gafabusa Amooti and his wife is Omugo (the Queen) Margaret Karunga Adyeri  As a cultural head, the King is assisted by his Principal Private Secretary, a Cabinet of 21 Ministers and  Orukurato (a Parliament) 

Constitutional recognition
In 1962, the United Kingdom granted independence to Uganda  In February 1966, Prime Minister Milton Obote suspended the constitution and seized power, abolishing all of the traditional kingdoms—including Bunyoro—in 1967  The Omukama (King) of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom was reinstated by Statute No  8 of 1993, enacted by the Parliament of Uganda after the monarchy had been abolished for many years  Unlike the pre-1967 Omukama, who was both titular head and a political figure of the government of Bunyoro, the Omukama today is a cultural leader above partisan politics, although the king remains the titular head of the Bunyoro regional government Article 246 of the 1995 Ugandan constitution provides:

Etymology of Omukama
Omukama means ‘the milker’, as the leader of the kingdom provides his citizens with food and wealth  The word comes from Runyoro-Rutooro omu- (singular human-being class prefix) and -kama ‘to milk’, which ultimately comes from Proto-Bantu kám ‘squeeze, wring’ 
In modern Runyoro-Rutooro, however, dropping the initial vowel of this word (mukama ‘boss, sir’) changes its meaning considerably 

History of the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara dynasties
Babiito dynasty
The Bachwezi dynasty was followed by the Babiito dynasty of the current Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara  Any attempt to pinpoint the dates of this, or any other dynasty before it, is pure conjecture; as there were no written records at the time  Modern day historians place the beginning of the Babiito dynasty at around the time of the invasion of Bunyoro by the Luo from the North  The first mubiito (singular) king was Isingoma Mpuga Rukidi I, whose reign is placed around the 14th century  To date, there have been a total of 27 Babiito kings of Bunyoro-Kitara 
Source: The official Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom website

List of Omukamas of the Babiito dynasty
Rukidi of Bunyoro, late fifteenth century
Ocaki of Bunyoro, late fifteenth/early sixteenth century
Oyo Nyiba of Bunyoro, early sixteenth century
Winyi I of Bunyoro, early sixteenth century
Olimi I of Bunyoro, mid sixteenth century
Nyabongo of Bunyoro, mid sixteenth century
Winyi II of Bunyoro, late sixteenth century/early seventeenth century
Olimi II of Bunyoro, mid seventeenth century
Nyarwa of Bunyoro, mid seventeenth century
Cwamali of Bunyoro, mid seventeenth century
Masamba of Bunyoro, late seventeenth century
Anabwani I of Bunyoro, late seventeenth century
Kyebambe I of Bunyoro, late seventeenth century
Winyi III of Bunyoro, early eighteenth century
Nyaika of Bunyoro, early eighteenth century
Kyebambe II of Bunyoro, early eighteenth century
Olimi III of Bunyoro, c  1710–1731
Duhaga of Bunyoro, 1731–c  1782
Olimi IV of Bunyoro, c  1782–1786
Nyamutukura Kyebambe III of Bunyoro, 1786–1835
Nyabongo II of Bunyoro, 1835–1848
Olimi V of Bunyoro, 1848–1852
Kyebambe IV of Bunyoro, 1852–1869
Kabalega of Bunyoro, 1869–1898
Kitahimbwa of Bunyoro, 1898–1902
Duhaga II of Bunyoro, 1902–1924
Winyi IV of Bunyoro, 1925–1967
Monarchy discontinued by the Ugandan government, 1967–1994
Solomon Iguru I, 1994–present
Passage 7:
Syrian National Congress
The Syrian National Congress, also called the Pan-Syrian Congress and General Syrian Congress (GSC), was convened in May 1919 in Damascus, Syria, after the expulsion of the Ottomans from Syria  The mission of the Congress was to consider the future of "Syria", by which was meant Greater Syria: present-day Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan  The Congress also intended to present Arab views to the American King-Crane Commission of inquiry  The Congress was considered the first national parliament in the modern history of Syria 
The Congress was attended by representatives from all parts of Greater Syria, including Lebanon and Palestine, and was headed by Hashim al-Atassi  Some participants showed support for King Faisal's demands, while others were beginning to question his willingness to make concessions to pro-Zionist groups  In its final report it pleaded that "there be no separation of the southern part of Syria, known as Palestine, nor of the littoral western zone, which includes Lebanon, from the Syrian country " The King-Crane Commission recommended "the unity of Syria be preserved" in response The  Congress declared an independent Arab Kingdom of Syria on March 8, 1920, proclaiming:
The full and absolute independence of our country Syria, including Palestine, within her natural boundaries, based on a civil, representative form of government, protection of the rights of minorities, and rejection of the claims of the Zionists to Palestine as a national homeland or place of immigration for the Jews 
The new state intended to included Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and portions of northern Mesopotamia  King Faisal was declared the head of state  At the same time Prince Zeid, Faisal's brother, was declared regent of Mesopotamia  Hashim al-Atassi was named Prime Minister and Yusuf al-'Azma became Minister of War and Chief of Staff 
The Congress continued during the short-lived life of the Kingdom until July 17, 1920, when the French gave Faisal an ultimatum to surrender or fight, and Faisal surrendered, bringing to an end the Kingdom and dissolving its institutions 

Gallery
See also
Elizabeth F  Thompson (2020)  How the west stole democracy from the Arabs: The Syrian Arab Congress of 1920 and the Destruction of its Historic Liberal-Islamic Alliance  Grove Atlantic  ISBN 978-0-8021-4820-9  OL 29824859M  Wikidata Q108862853 
Passage 8:
Herodian dynasty
The Herodian dynasty was a royal dynasty of Idumaean (Edomite) descent, ruling the Herodian Kingdom of Judea and later the Herodian Tetrarchy as a vassal state of the Roman Empire  The Herodian dynasty began with Herod the Great, who assumed the throne of Judea, with Roman support, bringing down the century-old Hasmonean Kingdom  His kingdom lasted until his death in 4 BCE, when it was divided among his sons as a tetrarchy, which lasted for about 10 years  Most of those tetrarchies, including Judea proper, were incorporated into Judaea Province from 6 CE, though limited Herodian de facto kingship continued until Agrippa I's death in 44 CE and nominal title of kingship continued until 92 CE, when the last Herodian monarch, Agrippa II, died and Rome assumed full power over his de jure domain 

History
Origin
During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus (134–104 BCE), Judea conquered Edom (Idumea) and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism The Edomites were gradually integrated into the Judean nation, and some of them reached high-ranking positions  In the days of Alexander Jannaeus, the Edomite Antipas was appointed governor of Edom  His son Antipater, father of Herod the Great, was the chief adviser to Hasmonean Hyrcanus II and managed to establish a good relationship with the Roman Republic, who at that time (63 BCE) extended their influence over the region, following conquest of Syria and intervention in a civil war in Judea 
There are differing genealogies for the dynasty, depending on the source  According to Sextus Julius Africanus, Antipater's father was named Herod, and Epiphanius of Salamis writes that this Herod's father was named Antipas  It is Josephus who states that Antipas fathered Antipater, without further delineating his ancestry  This model is usually accepted by scholars 
Julius Caesar appointed Antipater to be procurator of Judea in 47 BCE and he appointed his sons Phasael and Herod to be governors of Jerusalem and Galilee respectively  Antipater was murdered in 43 BCE; however, his sons managed to hold the reins of power and were elevated to the rank of tetrarchs in 41 BCE by Mark Antony 

Rise to power
In 40 BCE, the Parthians invaded the eastern Roman provinces and managed to drive the Romans out of many areas  In Judea, the Hasmonean dynasty was restored under king Antigonus II Mattathias as a pro-Parthian monarch  Herod the Great, the son of Antipater the Idumaean and Cypros (possibly of Nabataean descent), managed to escape to Rome  After convincing the Roman Senate of his sincere intentions in favor of Romans he eventually was announced as king of the Jews by the Roman Senate Despite his announcement as king of the whole of Judea, Herod did not fully conquer it until 37 BCE  He subsequently ruled the Herodian kingdom as a vassal king for 34 years, crushing the opposition while also initiating huge building projects, including the harbor at Caesarea Maritima, the plaza surrounded by retaining walls at the Temple Mount, the Masada and the Herodium, among other fortresses and public works  Herod ruled Judea until 4 BCE; at his death, his kingdom was divided among his three sons as a tetrarchy 

Tetrarchies
Herod Archelaus, son of Herod and Malthace the Samaritan, was given the title of ethnarch and ruled over the main part of the kingdom: Judea proper, Idumea, and Samaria  He ruled for ten years until 6 CE, when he was "banished to Vienna in Gaul, where according to Cassius Dio, "Hist  Roma," lv  27—he lived for the remainder of his days " See also Census of Quirinius 
Philip, sometimes erroneously called Herod Philip II, was the son of Herod and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem  He was given the title of tetrarch with jurisdiction over the northeast part of his father's kingdom: Iturea, Trachonitis, Batanaea, Gaulanitis, Auranitis, and Paneas  He ruled until his death in 34 CE 
Herod Antipas, another son of Herod and Malthace, was made a tetrarch of Galilee and Perea; he ruled there until he was exiled to Spain by emperor Caligula in 39 CE, according to Josephus  Herod Antipas is the person referenced in the Christian New Testament Gospels, playing a role in the death of John the Baptist and the trial of Jesus  The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was first brought before Pontius Pilate for trial, since Pilate was the governor of Roman Judea, which encompassed Jerusalem where Jesus was arrested  Pilate initially handed him over to Antipas, in whose territory Jesus had been most active, but Antipas sent him back to Pilate's court 

Last rulers
Herod Agrippa was the grandson of Herod  Thanks to his friendship with Caligula, the emperor appointed him ruler with the title of king over the territories of Philip in 37 CE, which were after Philip's death in 34 CE shortly part of the Roman province of Syria, and in 40 CE he was given the territories of Herod Antipas  In 41 CE, Emperor Claudius added to his territory the parts of Judea province that previously belonged to Herod Archelaus  Thus Agrippa I practically re-united his grandfather's kingdom under his rule  Agrippa died in 44 CE 
Agrippa's son Herod Agrippa II was appointed a tetrarch of Chalcis and later king of the territories previously ruled by Philip  He actively participated in the quelling of the Great Revolt of Judea on the Roman side  Agrippa II was the last of the Herodians; with his death in c  92 or 100 CE the dynasty was extinct, and the kingdom became fully incorporated into the Roman province of Judaea 
In addition, Herod of Chalcis ruled as king of Chalcis, and his son, Aristobulus of Chalcis, was tetrarch of Chalcis and king of Armenia Minor 

List of Herodian rulers (47 BCE – 100 CE)
Antipater the Idumaean (Procurator of Judaea) 47–44 BCE
Herod the Great
Governor of Galilee 47–44 BCE
Tetrarch of Galilee 44–40 BCE
Elected king of all Judaea by the Roman Senate 40 BCE, reigned 37–4 BCE
Phasael (Governor of Jerusalem) 47–40 BCE
Pheroras (Governor of Perea) 20–5 BCE
Herod Archelaus (Ethnarch of Judaea) 4 BCE – 6 CE
Herod Antipas (Tetrarch of Galilee) 4 BCE – 39 CE
Philip the Tetrarch (Tetrarch of Batanaea) 4 BCE – 34 CE
Salome I (Tetrach of Jabneh) 4 BCE – 10 CE
Tigranes V of Armenia (King of Armenia) 6–12 CE
Herod Agrippa
King of Batanaea 37–41 CE
King of Galilee 40–41 CE
King of all Judaea 41–44 CE, previously Judaea (Roman province), given to him by Claudius, and reinstated as a province after his death 
Herod of Chalcis (King of Chalcis) 41–48 CE
Herod Agrippa II
Tetrarch of Chalcis 48–53 CE
King of Batanaea 53–100 CE
Aristobulus of Chalcis
King of Armenia Minor 55–72 CE
Tetrarch of Chalcis 57–92 CE
Tigranes VI of Armenia (King of Armenia) 58–61 CE
Gaius Julius Alexander (King of Cetis) 58–72 CE

Herodian dynasty in later culture
Literature
Novels
Hordos u-Miryam (1935), a Hebrew novel by Aaron Orinowsky
Mariamne (1967), a Swedish novel by Pär Lagerkvist
Claudius the God (1934), an English novel by Robert Graves, features Herod Agrippa I as an important character

Plays
Herod appears in some cycles of the Mystery Plays, played as an over the top villain   Such portrayals were still in folk memory in William Shakespeare's time, for Hamlet instructs the players not to "out-Herod Herod" (Act 3, Scene 2) 
Marianna (1565), an Italian drama by Lodovico Dolce
Mariam, the Faire Queene of Jewry (1613) an English drama by Elizabeth Tanfield Cary
Herod and Antipater, with the Death of Faire Mariam (1622), an English drama by Gervase Markham and William Sampson
Mariamne (1636), a French drama by François Tristan l'Hermite
La mort des enfants d’Hérode; ou, Suite de Mariamne (1639), a French drama by Gathier de Costes de la Calprenède
Herod and Mariamne (1673), an English drama by Samuel Pordage
La Mariamne (1696), an Italian opera by Giovanni Maria Ruggeri (mus ) and Lorenzo Burlini (libr )
Mariamne (1723), a French drama by Elijah Fenton
Herod features in two 18th century French plays on Mariamne, by Nadal and Voltaire 
Herodes und Mariamne (1850), a German drama by Christian Friedrich Hebbel
Myriam ha-Hashmonayith (1891), a Yiddish drama by Moses Seiffert
Tsar Irod I tsaritsa Mariamna (1893), a Russian drama by Dmitri Alexandrov
Herod and Mariamne (1938), an English drama by Clemence Dane

Poetry
Herod and Mariamne (1888), an English poem by Amelie Rives
Mariamne (1911), an English poem by Thomas Sturge Moore

Movies
The King of Kings (1927) by Cecil B  DeMille
Salome (1953) by William Dieterie
King of Kings (1961) by Nicholas Ray
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) by George Stevens, David Lean, Jean Nugelesco
Herod the Great (1959) (Italy) by Victor Tourjansky

Figurative arts
Painting
Mariamne Leaving the Judgment Seat of Herod (1887), a painting by John William Waterhouse

Performing arts
Music
Herod’s Lament for Mariamne (1815), an English song by Isaac Nathan (mus ) and George Byron (libr )
Herodes und Mariamne (1922), incidental music by Karol Rathaus
Lied der Mariamne (ohne Worte) (1927), incidental music by Mikhail Gnesin

Ballet
La Marianna (1785), an Italian ballet by Giuseppe Banti (chor )

Opera
Marianne (1796), opera in French with music by Nicolas Dalayrac and a libretto of Benoît-Joseph Marsollier
Hérodiade (1881), opera in French by Jules Massenet after Gustave Flaubert's play Hérodias (1877)
Salome (1905), opera in German by Richard Strauss after Oscar Wilde's play's Salome

Family tree of the Herodian dynasty
See also
Hasmonean dynasty
History of ancient Israel and Judah#Roman occupation
Herod's Temple
Herodian coinage
Herodian kingdom
Kings of Israel and Judah
Kings of Judah
List of High Priests of Israel
Promagistrate
Siege of Jerusalem (37 BC)



ground_truth: French