id
stringlengths
4
5
url
stringlengths
37
90
title
stringlengths
3
48
text
stringlengths
57
50.4k
8013
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will%20Smith
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor and rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He got his start as part of the rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. He became an actor when he starred on the television show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Will Smith, a teenager from Philadelphia sent to live with his rich relatives in Southern California. He has appeared in many movies including Independence Day, Men in Black, Ali, Wild Wild West, The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, and in Suicide Squad. In 2022, he won a Golden Globe Award and is nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Richard Williams in the 2021 drama movie King Richard. Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. They have had two children Jaden and Willow. Filmography Discography Studio albums Big Willie Style (1997) Willennium (1999) Born to Reign (2002) Lost and Found (2005) Notes References Other websites Official site African American actors Rap musicians from Pennsylvania Singers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Actors from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania American television actors American movie actors 1968 births Living people Golden Globe Award winning actors American voice actors American television producers Movie producers from Pennsylvania Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
8014
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir%20Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (, ) is a Russian politician. He is currently President of Russia. Putin was born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, on 7 October 1952. He was the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000, then President of Russia from March 2000 to May 2008, and Prime Minister again from 2008 to 2012. He became president again in 2012. He originally trained as a lawyer. Early life Putin was born on 7 October 1952, in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia). His parents were Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin (1911–1999) and Maria Ivanovna Putina (née Shelomova; 1911–1998). Spiridon Putin, Vladimir Putin's grandfather, was a cook to Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Early career From 1985 to 1990, Putin worked for the KGB, the Soviet Union's secret spy service. Putin worked in Dresden, which was part of the former East Germany. After East Germany collapsed in 1989, Putin was told to come back to the Soviet Union. He chose to go to Leningrad, which is where he went to university. In June 1990, he started working in the International Affairs section of Leningrad State University. In June 1991, he was appointed head of the International Committee of the Saint Petersburg Mayor's office. His job was to promote international relations and foreign investments. Putin gave up his position in the KGB on August 20, 1991, during the putsch against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. In 1994, he became First Deputy Chairman of the city of Saint Petersburg. In August 1996, he came to Moscow, and served in a variety of important positions in Boris Yeltsin's government. He was head of the FSB (a secret spy service in modern capitalist Russia) from July 1998 to August 1999, and he was Secretary of the Security Council from March to August 1999. President of Russia Putin became President of Russia in May 2000. Putin is the leader of the ruling United Russia party. This party has been winning the Russian elections ever since the fall of the Soviet Union. Critics of Putin say that he has taken away people's freedoms, and that he has failed to make the country more developed. Russia makes lots of money from selling oil and gas to other countries, but because of corruption, this money is not used for improving living conditions. Recently, the Russian opposition has held anti-government rallies, campaigned against Putin on the Internet, and published independent reports for the general public. Because of censorship in the mass media, it's very difficult to get different information out to the public. Putin was against invading Libya in 2011. He is also against invading Syria and Iran. On March 24, 2014, Putin and Russia were suspended from the G8. This was because the United States thought that the Ukraine crisis was Putin's fault. According to the Constitution of Russia, no-one can be president three times in a row. Because of this, Putin didn't put himself forward for the March 2008 election. However, you're allowed to be president as many times as you want, as long as it's not for more than two times in a row. In March 2012, Putin put himself forward for the elections, and won 64% of the vote. This means that he was the president of Russia until 2018. In December 6, 2017 Russia President Vladimir Putin announced he would run for a fourth term in the upcoming election, 2018 Russian Presidential Election. In July 2020, Russian voters backed a referendum that would allow Putin to serve as president until 2036. On 24 February 2022, Putin announced that Russia was going to invade Ukraine. This happened after a year of tension and military buildup between the two countries. Personal life He is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, and is divorced with two daughters. References Bibliography Academic works Burrett, Tina. Television and Presidential Power in Putin's Russia (Routledge; 2010) 300 pages Kanet Roger E., ed. Russian Foreign Policy in the 21st Century (Palgrave Macmillan; 2011) 295 pages; essays by experts Journalist works Gessen, Masha, The Man Without a Face : the unlikely rise of Vladimir Putin, New York : RIVERHEAD BOOKS, 2012. Other websites official personal website Official site of the President of Russia 1952 births Living people Current national leaders Presidents of Russia Prime Ministers of Russia Russian Orthodox Christians Time People of the Year Saint Petersburg State University alumni
8016
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry%20VII%20of%20England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII or Henry Tudor (28 January 1457–21 April 1509) was King of England from 1485 to 1509. He founded the Tudor dynasty by winning the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. His son became king Henry VIII of England. Biography Henry VII was born in 1457 to Edmund Tudor and Margaret Beaufort. His father died two months before he was born, leaving his 13-year-old mother as his only parent. After Henry's birth, he spent a lot of time with his uncle Jasper Tudor. Jasper took Henry to France, where he spent most of his youth. Henry had a claim to the throne of England, but it was not a very good one, and he had to wait a long time for a chance to take the throne. In 1483, a new king came to the throne in England, called Richard III. King Richard was not popular with everyone. Some thought he had stolen the throne from his young nephews and had killed them. This gave Henry the chance he had been waiting for. With help from the French, he raised an army. They landed at Dale in Pembrokeshire, close to where Henry had been born, so he was able to gather more supporters on the way. The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) had been going on for years. They were fought over the throne of England between supporters of the House of Lancaster and supporters of the House of York. Both houses were branches of the Plantagenet royal house, tracing their descent from King Edward III. King Henry VI and his family the House of Lancaster fought against their enemies for many years. The wars finally came to an end when King Henry VII of England came to the throne in 1485 On 22 August 1485, Henry's army defeated Richard III's army at the Battle of Bosworth Field. When Richard III died in this battle, Henry VII became king. Other people also had a claim on the throne, and Henry did his best to stop them from taking it from him, either by executing them, putting them in prison, or trying to make friends of them, as he did with the Earl of Lincoln. Another step he took was to marry Elizabeth of York, the niece of King Richard III, who would herself have been the heir to the throne if she had not been a girl. There were also people who pretended to be long-lost members of the royal family, so that they could try to take the throne. One of these was a little boy called Lambert Simnel, who looked very like Edward, Earl of Warwick. The real Earl of Warwick was Henry's prisoner, but this did not stop other people from believing that Lambert was him. The Earl of Lincoln rebelled against King Henry and raised an army to make Lambert king, thinking that he himself could rule the country. There was a battle, and the Earl of Lincoln was killed. Lambert Simnel was captured, but, because he was only a child, Henry spared his life and he became a royal servant. Henry married Elizabeth of York, and by this action put an end to the Wars of the Roses. They had six children, but only four survived infancy: Arthur Tudor (September 1486–April 1502) Margaret Tudor (November 1489–October 1541) Henry VIII (June 1491–January 1547) Mary Tudor (March 1496–June 1533) Edmund Tudor (died young) Catherine Tudor (died young) Henry VII increased taxes so future kings would have enough money. People disliked that. Death Henry VII died of tuberculosis in 1509 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was succeeded by his son, Henry VIII on 21 April 1509. 1457 births 1509 deaths House of Tudor 16th century in England 1480s in England 1490s in England 1500s in Europe
8017
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dover%2C%20Kent
Dover, Kent
Dover is also the name of the capital of Delaware Dover is a town on the coast in Kent, in the United Kingdom. It was built by the Romans. There is a castle in Dover, called Dover Castle. It is the largest castle in England. The population is about 39,078. Throughout history, it has been an important port of Britain because it is the closest port to mainland Europe. The sea between Dover and the French port of Calais is called the Strait of Dover. It is the narrowest part of the English Channel at only wide. The ferry port in Dover has ferries to Calais, France and Ostende, Belgium. Almost 45,000 people and 15,000 vehicles pass through the port every day. On of the largest tourist attractions around Dover are the White Cliffs of Dover. Dover History The Romans first tried to invade Dover in 55BC, under Julius Caesar. They were forced back by the Celts, who fiercely defended the coastline. It was not until 43 AD, under the rule of Emperor Claudius, that Roman forces landed on British soil at Richborough and took control of the land as far as the northern border. Dover, then called DVBRIS, became the Romans' most important naval town. Gallery Other websites A History of Dover The History of Dover Castle Dover Castle information Towns in Kent
8018
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a town in Kent in England. The River Medway runs through the town. A castle stands on the northern river bank in the middle of Tonbridge. Tonbridge is linked by railways to London and Dover. There are many secondary schools in the area. such as Tonbridge Grammar School Towns in Kent
8019
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the northern part of Scotland. It is often called the capital of the Highlands. It is on the A9 road. Inverness Airport is an important way to get to the Scottish Highlands. Notable people Yvette Cooper, politician Karen Gillan, actress Charles Kennedy, politician Inverness
8020
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott
Boycott
A boycott is a protest where the protesters do not buy a product or give money to a company. Instead of buying a certain product, they might also buy another, very similar product from a different company. The word was made during the Irish Land War'. It comes from the name of Captain Charles Boycott. Boycott was in charge of looking after the land of a landlord in County Mayo, Ireland. In 1880, the tenants (those who rented) wanted their rent lowered. Boycott refused, and threw them out of the land they had rented. The Irish Land League then proposed that instead of becoming violent, everyone in the community should stop doing business with Captain Boycott. The captain was soon isolated. No one helped him with the harvest, no one worked in his stables or his house. Local businessmen no longer traded with him, the postman no longer delivered his post. To get his harvest done, he had to hire 50 people from other counties, the counties Cavan and Monaghan. They were escorted to and from their work by 1000 policemen. Of course, this cost far more than what the harvest was worth. Other websites boycott resources List of boycotts at EthicalConsumer.org Economics
8021
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial
Artificial
When something is artificial, or man-made, it has been made by humans, not nature. For example, an artificial satellite is one made by humans, while a natural satellite is a satellite that was not made by humans. Many artificial things imitate or copy things found in nature. The imitation may use the same basic materials as those in the natural object; or it may use quite different materials, as in Artificial leather. These are concepts in defining reality. There are different ideas about what can be considered artificial and what is natural. The word "artificial" comes from the Latin words art (meaning "skill") and fex ("to make"). Artificial does not necessarily mean synthetic (that is, created by synthesis). An artificial sweetener imitates sweetness using a chemical formula that is not found in nature; it is therefore both artificial and synthetic. References Related pages Artifact (disambiguation) Ontology Technology Anthropology
8023
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%20Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur was a mythical king in the mythology of Great Britain. He lived in the medieval times, in his famous castle, Camelot. He possessed a sword known as Excalibur, given to him by the Lady of the Lake. King Arthur is a fabled ruler of Sub-Roman Britain who defended his kingdom from the Anglo-Saxons. He is a popular fictional character in modern literature. He won several battles, and had many homes. However, his favourite home was in Camelot. In one of the most famous tales of King Arthur, he pulls a sword out of a stone, making him King of the Britons. The first narrative account of Arthur's life is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin work Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), completed . Camelot Many castles claim to be Arthur's Camelot, but the most likely one is Tintagel Castle, Cornwall (though there is no evidence for this). In Camelot sat the famous Round Table, where Arthur, his queen Guinevere, Merlin, Morgan le Fay, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Percival and many other knights sat. Arthur and his knights went on many quests including The Quest For The Holy Grail, The Green Knight, The Black Knight and more. Death After King Arthur's many adventures, his son Mordred seized his kingdom and queen, forcing Arthur to fight for what was truly his. They fought for a long time. Mordred hit King Arthur in many places, but in the end Arthur killed Mordred. After this victory, King Arthur was weak and died from losing blood from battle wounds. As his knights rode back to Camelot, they threw Excalibur into the lake so that it could return to where it came from. One legend says Arthur never died, and will return when the British need him. Books, poems and movies Many books have been written about King Arthur. Most of them involve Merlin, the Knights of the Round Table, and Morgan le Fay. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote the first book about Arthur in the 12th century. In the 15th century, Sir Thomas Malory wrote one of the best-known books about Arthur, called Le Morte d’Arthur (The Death of Arthur). Later, in the 19th century, Alfred, Lord Tennyson visited Tintagel, the mythical Camelot, twice. He wrote a series of poems about Arthur. Some stories about Arthur say he tried to find the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. There are also many movies about Arthur. These include Disney's The Sword in the Stone; Monty Python and the Holy Grail; King Arthur (2004); King Arthur, The Kid Who Would Be King (2019); the Legend of the Sword (2017); and the musical Camelot. References Arthurian legend
8024
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny%20Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed
John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman (September 26, 1774 - March 11, 1847) is an American folk hero. He was a Christian missionary and pioneer. His nickname came from the fact that he planted apple trees throughout the American Midwest. Many people consider him an early conservationist or "tree-hugger". He wandered the country, usually barefoot, and with a cooking pot on his head for most of his adult life, planting apple trees, teaching the Bible, telling stories, and befriending Native Americans, wild animals, and other settlers. Many stories have been told about him and his journeys, as well as art, books, and later movies, which makes him a folk hero. He was born in Leominster, Massachusetts and is buried in Johnny Appleseed Park in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Facts John Chapman is said to have been in the Wilkes-Barre region some time in the 1790s, practicing his profession as a nurseryman, but just when he embraced the Swedenborgian faith and began his missionary activities we cannot be sure, though it is probable that it was before he ever reached western Pennsylvania. There are some early accounts of John speaking of his own activities as "a Bible missionary" on the Potomac when he was a young man, and Johnny was seen for two or three consecutive years along the banks of the Potomac in eastern Virginia, picking the seeds from the pomace of the cider mills in the late 1790s.The apple seeds that Johnny obtained were free, as the cider mills wanted there to be more apple trees planted to improve their business. At the time of his death, Johnny Appleseed left an estate of more than 1,200 acres of nurseries, and he left these to his sister. He additionally had four plots located in Allen County, Indiana, which was a nursery that included 15,000 trees. Records show that John Chapman appeared on Licking Creek, in what is now Licking County, Ohio, in 1800, when he was twenty-six years old. He had probably come up the Muskingum River to plant near the Refugee Tract, which would soon fill up with settlers, when Congress actually got around to granting the lands. In April, 1798, the Continental Congress had ratified resolutions to donate public lands for the benefit of those who had left Canada and Nova Scotia to fight against the British in the Revolutionary War. The lands were actually set apart in 1801 and patents issued in 1802. Grants of land ranging from 160 acres to 2,240 acres were awarded according to the exertions of the patentee in the War. Johnny, with true Yankee enterprise, went ahead and planted his nurseries before the refugees arrived. Licking County, then a part of Fairfield, contained only three white families. By the time families were ready to settle the area, Johnny's tracts of land were ready for market. Other websites http://johnnyappleseedfacts.com/ American folklore Deaths from pneumonia People from Massachusetts Missionaries 1774 births 1847 deaths
8026
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact%20disc
Compact disc
A Compact Disc, also called a CD is a storage device that are small plastic discs which store and retrieve computer data or music using light. Compact Discs replaced floppy disks because they were faster and could hold more information. The CDs made floppy disks become obsolete. CDs were invented by both Philips and Sony at the same time, but not together. Sony and Philips did work together to create a standard format and the technology to read CDs in 1982. CDs can hold up to 700 MB worth of data, which is about 80 minutes of music. Mini CDs were also made for special small programs like drivers. CDs that have computer information on them are called CD-ROMs, or Compact Disc - Read Only Memory. The diameter of a normal CD is 120 mm. The middle hole in a CD is about 1.5 cm). Related pages CD-R CD-RW CD-MO Video CD or VCD DVD
8027
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is a town in Kent, in England. It stands on the River Medway. Maidstone is the county town of Kent, meaning the local government is based there. Its name means "stone of the maidens". The town of Maidstone is within the borough of Maidstone, which also includes several surrounding villages. In 2001, 75,070 people lived in the town of Maidstone, and there were 138,959 in the whole of the Borough. History During the Civil War a battle took place in 1648, which was won by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers. A year later, Andrew Broughton, who was then Mayor of Maidstone (and also Clerk to the High Court of Justice) gave the death sentence to Charles I. Today there is a plaque in Maidstone Town Centre describing Andrew as 'Mayor and Regicide' (a killer of kings). Maidstone used to be an industrial area, with paper making and brewing being two of the most important industries, although both have mainly died out in recent years. Until 1998, Sharps Toffee factory was where Bassets liquorice allsorts and other sweets were made. Most of the heavy industry has now been replaced by light and service industries. Today Today, Maidstone is one of the top five shopping centres in the south east of England, with more than one million square feet of retail space. Most of this is in two shopping areas, Fremlin Walk, which was built on the site of one of the old breweries, is , and The Mall Maidstone provides another . Both include multi-story car parks. Towns in Kent
8028
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redhill
Redhill
Redhill can mean several things: Hill Maibam Lokpa Ching, a WWII memorial site, also known as Red Hills, because the entire landscape was dyed red due to heavy casualties in the Japanese troops as a result of British attack in the Battle of Imphal. Towns and cities Redhill, Somerset, England Redhill, Surrey, England Redhill, Nottinghamshire, England Redhill, Singapore, Singapore Schools Redhill High School, South Africa
8030
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.%20S.%20Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), usually called C. S. Lewis, was a British scholar who wrote about 40 books. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is famous for his fantasy works, essays, and writings on literature and theology. Lewis' theological works are usually apologetics, the defence of Christianity. Some of his most popular Christian writings were Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters. His works have been translated into more than 30 languages. Lewis was a professor of literature at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Lewis was married to American writer Joy Davidman (1915–1960) from 1956 until her death from bone cancer. He died of renal failure in Oxford. His writing is popular with many people, and many of his books were made into movies. His most famous and popular fantasy work is The Chronicles of Narnia, which is a series of seven books. He died in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. References Other websites Encyclopædia Britannica 1898 births 1963 deaths Academics of the University of Cambridge Academics of the University of Oxford British Anglicans British children's writers British novelists Converts to Christianity Deaths from renal failure Disease-related deaths in England English theologians Northern Irish Christians People from Belfast
8034
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Corrs
The Corrs
This article is about the Irish rock band. For the American rock band, see The Cars. The Corrs is a folk pop rock band from Ireland. There are three sisters and one brother in the quartet. They became very popular in the late 1990s. The group They were all born in Dundalk, Republic of Ireland, the children of Gerry and Jean Corr. Jim Corr Jim Corr (born 31 July 1964) is the oldest member of the group. He mainly plays the guitar, but he can also play the on the keyboards and the piano. Sharon Corr Sharon Corr (born 24 March 1970) plays the violin, keyboards, and does backing vocals and vocals on her own (vocals means "singing"). Caroline Corr Caroline Corr, (born 17 March 1973) plays the drums, the "percussion", the bodhran, the piano, and also does backing vocals. Andrea Corr Andrea Corr (born 17 May 1974) plays the tin whistle and does the lead vocals. Early history The Corrs created themselves in 1991 to try to get in the movie The Commitments. Jim, Sharon, and Caroline got a small part as musicians, while Andrea got a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte, sister of the main character. It was while they were trying out for this movie that they were noticed by their manager, John Hughes. Their music has been released through Atlantic Records, a music company. Their first album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten, was most popular in Australia. They then did another album called Talk On Corners, which was very popular in Ireland and Britain. Albums released Jupiter Calling (2017) White Light (2015) Home (2005) Borrowed Heaven (2004) The Best Of The Corrs (2001) In Blue (2000) Talk on Corners (1998) Forgiven, Not Forgotten (1995) DVDs they have been on Best Of The Corrs 2002 Live In London 2001 Live At Lansdowne Road 2000 Unplugged 2000 Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2000 References The Corrs Rock (fans website with discussion board) Other websites Official Corrs site The Corrs Infopage (fan website) 1990s establishments in the Republic of Ireland 1990s Irish music groups 2000s Irish music groups 2010s Irish music groups Folk music groups Irish pop music groups Irish rock bands Musical groups established in 1990 Musical quartets Pop rock bands
8036
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron
Aaron
Aaron is a person described in the Bible and the Qu'ran. He was the older brother of Moses. He helped Moses lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. In the Bible, he appeared very much in Exodus. Moses' helper Aaron spoke for Moses, when he went to tell Pharaoh the King of Egypt everything God wanted Moses to say. The Lord said to Moses (Exodus 7:1 to 3), "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country...". Aaron's staff Aaron's staff was used by the Lord a few times when trying to persuade the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The Lord ordered Moses and Aaron, "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh', and it will become a snake." So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and Aaron did so. Aaron's staff, according to the Bible, really became a snake and ate up all the other snakes that the Pharaoh's magicians had made. Also, Aaron's staff was used to make the Nile River all turn into blood. He "stretched it out", and the fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled; and the Egyptians could not drink the water, as it was recorded in the Bible. Old Testament people Ancient Israeli people
8037
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula%20Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul (; born June 19, 1962) is an American singer and dancer. She had a string of hit songs and choreographed (planned) many dances for herself and others, including singer-songwriter Janet Jackson. Musically, she is known for her late-1980s number-one singles "Straight Up" and "Cold Hearted", along with the 1990s number-one hit "Opposites Attract". She won a Grammy Award for "Best Music Video – Short Form" for "Opposites Attract". She was a judge on the television show American Idol for its first eight seasons. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. References 1962 births Living people American dancers American Idol American pop musicians American television personalities Choreographers Emmy Award winners Grammy Award winners Mezzo-sopranos Singers from Los Angeles American contemporary R&B singers
8038
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas%20Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was a British writer. He is most famous for his The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Adams was born in Cambridge. When he was a few months old he moved to East London and a few years later to Brentwood, Essex. He originally received attention when he wrote for the popular TV shows Monty Python and Doctor Who in the 1970s. In 1978 he wrote a science-fiction radio series called The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was later turned into a novel. In the early 1980s, it became a television series and in 2005 it became a movie produced by Disney. Adams also wrote several sequels for radio and as novels. He was also known for his humorous detective novels starring Dirk Gently, and for his efforts to conserve endangered species. He was an atheist. In 2001, Adams died of a heart attack while he was working out at the gym in Montecito, California, United States. References 1952 births 2001 deaths British atheists Cardiovascular disease deaths in the United States Deaths from myocardial infarction English novelists People from Brentwood, Essex People from Cambridge Writers from Essex Writers from London
8039
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom%20Arnold
Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (born March 6, 1959) is an American actor and comedian. He was born in Ottumwa, Iowa. He became famous when he married Roseanne Barr in 1990, another comedian and star of the popular sitcom, Roseanne, who he divorced in 1994. Recently, he was one of the original hosts of the talk show, "The Best Damn Sports Show Period!" on Fox Sports. In November 2009, he married Ashley Groussman. References Other websites Hollywood.com’s Tom Arnold profile Tom Arnold on Officer Phil’s KUSI-TV page 1959 births Living people American television actors American movie actors Actors from Iowa Comedians from Iowa
8040
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bea%20Arthur
Bea Arthur
Beatrice "Bea" Arthur (May 13, 1922 - April 25, 2009) was an American actress, comedian, and singer, best known for her roles in Maude and The Golden Girls. She was Jewish. Early life Arthur was born in Brooklyn, New York City. Her parents were Philip and Rebecca Frankelin. She grew up in Cambridge, Maryland. After high school and the junior college she did an apprenticeship as a Medical Laboratory Technician and she was as a volunteer for the United States Marine Corps. Career Theater In 1946 she moved back to New York and studied acting with Erwin Piscator. Personal life In the 1940s, she was married with author and producer Robert Alan Aurthur. In 1950, she married Gene Saks. References Other websites Playbill biography 1922 births 2009 deaths Actors from New York City American feminists American LGBT rights activists American military personnel of World War II American movie actors American television actors Cancer deaths in Los Angeles Comedians from New York City Deaths from cancer of unknown primary origin Emmy Award winning actors Jewish activists Jewish American actors Jewish American musicians Jewish comedians Jewish feminists Singers from New York City Tony Award winning actors
8041
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave%20Attell
Dave Attell
Dave Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American comedian and host of the TV show Insomniac with Dave Attell, shown on Comedy Central in the United States. Comedians from New York City 1965 births Living people
8042
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel%20Appel
Karel Appel
Christiaan Karel Appel (; 25 April 1921 – 3 May 2006) was a Dutch painter. He painted in the abstract expressionist style. He was known for his childlike style. 1921 births 2006 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Dutch painters People from Amsterdam Sculptors
8043
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy%20Bachman
Randy Bachman
Randall Charles Bachman (born September 27, 1943 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian musician. He was a member of the rock groups The Guess Who and later Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Other websites Official website 1943 births Living people Canadian rock guitarists Canadian rock singers Musicians from Winnipeg
8044
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.%20M.%20Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM (9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937) was a Scottish writer. His best-known work is Peter Pan. Barrie was born in Kirriemuir. He died of pneumonia in London. 1860 births 1937 deaths British children's writers Deaths from pneumonia Infectious disease deaths in London Scottish novelists
8045
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon
Charon
Charon can mean: Charon, the ferryman to the Greek underworld in Greek mythology Charon (moon), a moon of the dwarf planet, Pluto Charon (band), a Finnish gothic metal band Charon (web browser), a web browser for the Inferno operating system Charon (Forever War), a fictional planet in the Forever War Charon (animal), a genus of amblypygid Charon (cars), a Dutch automobile manufacturer Charon of Lampsacus|Charon of Lampsacus, ancient Greek logographer CHARON, a programming language Charon (Dungeons & Dragons), a lord of the yugoloths whose primary function is to provide passage across the River Styx for a steep price Charon (CrossGen), a comic book character from CrossGen Entertainment's Sigilverse Charon QC (Law), a law blog http://charonqc.wordpress.com/ Charon (The Three Worlds), a fictional human species from Ian Irvine's arc of novels, The Three Worlds.
8046
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital city of the European country of Latvia. Riga is on river Daugava near the Baltic Sea. The mayor of Riga is Mārtiņš Staķis. History Riga was founded in 1201. It was a castle of the Teutonic Order. In 1710 during the Great Northern War the city was incorporated to Russia. Then it became a center of Courland province. Since 1918 Riga has been the capital city of Latvia, including Soviet Latvia in 1940-1991. On June 30, 1941 German troops captured Riga. The city was liberated on October 15, 1944. People The Riga inhabitants are named “Rīdzinieki” on Latvian and “рижане”(rizhani) on Russian. Most of the people by ethnic origin are Latvian (45%) and 40% are Russian. Historically the city had large German population. Among other ethnic groups there are Byelorussians, Poles and Jews. Economy During the Soviet period the Riga wagon building factory made very big number of local trains. Transportation The are 8 tram and 18 trolley routes. Notable people Vera Mukhina, sculptor. Sergey Eisenstein, movie director. Mikhail Zadornov, writer. Oleg Znarok, ice hockey player and coach. References Other websites Riga Photos 1201 establishments Establishments in Latvia 1200s establishments in Europe
8047
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope%20John%20Paul%20II
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (; ; ), sometimes called Saint John Paul or John Paul the Great, born Karol Józef Wojtyła (; 18 May 1920 – 2 April 2005), was the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church from 16 October 1978 to his death in 2 April 2005. He was the second longest-serving pope in history. As a Pole, he was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. The last non-Italian pope was Pope Adrian VI, who died in 1523. He is the first pope to have visited the White House, and a mosque. He traveled more than any other pope before him, visiting many of the countries of the world. He is also famous for starting the annual World Youth Day. After he was beatified, his title was changed to Blessed John Paul II. John Paul II was canonized by Pope Francis on 27 April 2014 which means that the Polish Pope is now known as Saint John Paul II. Early life Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. His parents were Karol Wojtyła, who was a military officer, and Emilia Kaczorowska, who was a seamstress. He was the youngest of three children. He was nine years old when his mother died in 1929. His father supported him so that he could study. His brother was a doctor. He died when Wojtyła was twelve. He lost everyone in his family - a sister, brother, mother, and father - before he became a priest. He played sports. He liked football (soccer) as a goalkeeper. Wojtyła went to Marcin Wadowita high school in Wadowice. In 1938, he studied drama at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He worked as a volunteer librarian. He was an athlete, actor, and playwright. He did two months military training in the Academic Legion. This training was compulsory. He would not hold or fire a weapon. When he was young, he met many Jewish people. They lived in that area. In 1939, Nazi forces closed the Jagiellonian University. All men, except for the disabled, had to have a job. From 1940 to 1944, Wojtyła worked in a restaurant. He also worked in a limestone quarry, and then as a salesman for a chemical factory. He did not want to be sent to Germany. If he was sent, he would be made to join the German army. His father died of a heart attack in February 1941. On 29 February 1944, Wojtyła was knocked down by a German truck (lorry). He thought he would be badly treated. The German officers sent him to a hospital. He spent two weeks there with head and shoulder injuries. It was at this time that he decided that he must become a priest. When he left hospital, the young Polish men were being sent to Germany for training. He escaped to the house of the Archbishop. He hid there till after the war. On the night of 17 January 1945, the Germans left the city. The priests and teacher and students went back to the seminary. There was a big clean-up to be done. Wojtyła offered to clean out the lavatories. That month, Wojtyła found a fourteen-year-old Jewish refugee named Edith Zierer. She was trying to reach her parents. She had collapsed from hunger. He gave her food and helped her go to the railway station. She did not hear of him again until the day came when he was elected Pope. Priest Karol Wojtyła was ordained as a priest by Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha on 1 November 1946. Bishop In 1958, Wojtyła then became the youngest bishop in Poland at the age of 38. In 1962 he took part in the Second Vatican Council and helped write two very important documents. One was about Religious freedom and the other one was about the work of the church in the Modern World. In 1963 Bishop Wojtyła became Archbishop of Kraków. Cardinal On 26 June 1967, Pope Paul VI raised Archbishop Wojtyła's rank to the rank of a cardinal. Pope John Paul II became Pope on 16 October 1978. John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. He was pope for 26 years, making him the second longest serving pope after Pope Pius IX who held the office for 31 years and seven months. He was also the first and only Slavic pope. John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history with 104 international trips. During his lifetime he learned many foreign languages. He spoke Polish as his native language, and learned Latin and Ancient Greek in school. On the day that he officially became Pope, he spoke to people in Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Czech and Portuguese. He also spoke a little Lithuanian, Hungarian, Russian and Ukrainian. John Paul II beatified many people. This means that the Pope gave these people the title of "Blessed". One example is the painter Fra Angelico, who lived in the 1400s. After studying his life and teaching, it was decided that he should officially be called "the Blessed Fra Angelico". John Paul II gave more people the title of "Blessed" than any other pope in history. He also made many saints. In 1984 John Paul II started World Youth Day which was first held in Rome and attended by about 300,000 people. Since then it has been held in a different country every year. It encourages young people to be faithful to God, and to live together in peace. Many millions of people have attended. Pope's travels The first pope who traveled a lot was Pope Paul VI. Like him, John Paul II liked to travel. While he was pope, he made 105 trips, visiting 117 countries. In total he travelled more than 1.1 million km (725,000 miles). Wherever he went, he attracted large crowds. All these travels were paid by the money of the countries he visited and not by the Vatican. One of John Paul II's earliest official visits was to his home country of Poland, in June 1979. There, he was always surrounded by happy, cheering crowds. The Pope wanted to bring freedom and human rights to his country. His visit encouraged Poles to oppose the communism, and in 1980 the Solidarity movement was born. On later trips to Poland, he made his message of support stronger. The Soviet Union had controlled Eastern Europe for many years. In 1989, Poland was the first country to begin to break free from the Soviet Union. John Paul II went to places where other popes before him had already been, such as the United States, or The Holy Land. He also went to many countries that no pope had ever visited before. He was the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. In 1982, the Pope made a visit to Japan, and in 1984 to South Korea and Puerto Rico. He was the first pope to visit Cuba. During his visit in January 1998, he sharply criticized Cuba for not allowing people to freely express their religion. He also criticised the United States embargo against Cuba. In 2000, he became the first modern Catholic pope to visit Egypt, and met with the Coptic Pope, and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria. He was the first Catholic Pope to visit and pray in an Islamic mosque, in Damascus, Syria in 2001. He visited Umayyad Mosque, where John the Baptist is believed to be buried. In 1988 he made a trip to Lesotho to beatify Joseph Gérard. On 15 January 1995, during the 10th World Youth Day, he offered Mass to an estimated crowd of between four and eight million in Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines. This is considered to be the largest single event in Christian history. After the attacks on 11 September 2001, even though people were worried about his safety, the Pope traveled to Kazakhstan and spoke to large audiences including many Muslims. He also went to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of the 1700 years of Christianity. He said Mass in local languages during some visits, including Kiswahili in Nairobi, Kenya in 1995 and in an Indonesian language in East Timor. During his trips, the Pope always showed his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He visited many shrines consecrated to her, notably Knock in Ireland, Licheń Stary in Poland, Fátima in Portugal, Guadalupe in Mexico and Lourdes in France. Assassination attempt On 13 May 1981, the Pope was shot twice in the abdomen by a Turkish national, Mehmet Ali Ağca. The pope was gravely injured. He barely survived the assassination attempt, and had to be treated in hospital for 20 days. The pope later visited Ağca in prison. He had forgiven him already. Exactly one year later he traveled to Fatima to thank Mary, Mother of God for saving his life. On this trip there was a second attempt to his life. A follower of the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre tried to hurt the Pope with a bayonet. He was overpowered by the bodyguards of the Pope. Lefevbre and his followers were against the decisions of the Second Vatican Council. After this the Pope often travelled in a bullet-proof trailer known as the "popemobile." Death John Paul died on Saturday, on the eve of the Divine Mercy Holiday, 2 April 2005. The official time of death on his death certificate was 9:37 pm, but a few sources reported 9:33 pm. The death certificate stated that when the Pope died, he had Parkinson's disease, with serious breathing difficulties. The Pope had tracheotomy surgery in mid February but it did not help and he lost weight. He also had an enlarged prostate, urinary infection and other problems. The cause of death were that his kidneys failed, causing blood poisoning and infection brought by septic shock. John Paul II spoke his final words, “pozwólcie mi odejść do domu Ojca”, (“Let me depart to the house of the Father”), to his aides, and fell into a coma about four hours later. The Pope's medical team used heart-monitoring machinery for more than 20 minutes, so his real and true time of death was around 9:15 PM Vatican time. As tradition demands, his name was called three times. When there was no reply, his papal ring was broken, which meant the end of John Paul II's papacy (reign as pope). Many people claimed to have been specially blessed by the reign of Pope John Paul II. Many people thought he should be given the title "Blessed". This usually takes at least five years (and may take hundreds of years). On 13 May 2005, Pope Benedict XVI cut short the usual 5-year wait for the beatification process to begin. The only other time (in recent history) that this has happened was for Mother Theresa, who was made Blessed Mother Theresa by John Paul II. It was announced on 14 January 2011, that John Paul II would be beatified on 1 May 2011 (Divine Mercy Sunday). According to the Vatican, Pope John Paul II's remains (which will not be exhumed and exposed) will be moved from the grotto beneath St. Peter's Basilica, where he is presently buried, to a marble stone monument in Pier Paolo Cristofari's Chapel of St. Sebastian, which is where Blessed Pope Innocent XI is currently buried; Blessed Pope Innocent's remains will likely be moved. This more prominent location, next to the Chapel of the Pieta, the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and statues of Popes Pius XI and Pius XII, will increase the number of pilgrims capable of viewing his memorial. “ It will be a great joy for us when he is officially beatified, but as far as we are concerned he is already a Saint. ” —Stanisław Dziwisz [189] On 30 September 2013, Pope Francis said that John Paul, together with Pope John XXIII, would be made saints on 27 April 2014. This was the first time two popes have been made saints on the same day. His feast day is celebrated on 22 October. Teachings John Paul II was generally against communism. He was also a critic of capitalism that was not controlled and he did not want people's basic rights to be oppressed by world governments. He officially condemned aspects of Liberation theology. He was against abortion and contraception in general. As head of the largest Christian group, John Paul II taught a conservative theological view of human sexuality. On the subject he wrote 130 topics called the Theology of the Body. He was against homosexuality, and in favour of people starting families as one husband and one wife. But he said that homosexuals have the same inherent dignity and rights as everybody else. On 30 April 2000, John Paul instituted a Divine Mercy Holiday, according to the teachings of Saint Faustyna Kowalska and on that day she was also proclaimed a Saint of the Catholic Church. The Feast of the Mercy of God is continuously growing worldwide. John Paul is also remembered for his devotion to the Consecrated Holy Communion, the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Child abuse scandals During John Paul's time as pope, the church was involved in a large number of claims about child sexual abuse by priests. There are many people who believe that the Church, and therefore the Pope, knew about these claims and tried to cover them up. For example, in 1996 the Irish bishops decided that priests suspected of child abuse must be reported to the police. The Vatican sent a letter to the bishops that they were not to report such cases. The letter was from future Pope Benedict XVI - whom John Paul II had asked to handle such cases. John Paul II is also claimed to have got a cardinal to send a thank you letter to a French bishop who had refused to report a priest to the police. In 2001 John Paul II sent out a special letter saying that the abuse of children by priests was a very serious crime, and should be strictly punished. Some Catholics wanted the process for making John Paul II a saint stopped, until there was an investigation into his role in keeping secret information about bad priests. Related pages List of popes References Other websites John Paul 2 & Friends, Quotes on Time! John Paul II biography on the Vatican website John Paul II at about.com Pope John Paul II at the Catholic Hierarchy website Popes 1920 births 2005 deaths Nonviolence advocates People with Parkinson's disease Polish Roman Catholics Christian saints Servants of God Time People of the Year Congressional Gold Medal recipients
8050
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel%20Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics (created in 1939 as Marvel Worldwide Inc., then Marvel Publishing, Inc. and later Marvel Comics Group) is an American comic book company that makes "superhero" comic books. Marvel's the original characters includes Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and other members of the Marvel characters. One of Marvel's most original superheroes includes Spider-Man, who is the official comic book character from Marvel Comics. Its top rival is DC Comics. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company bought Marvel for US$4 billion. Its comic book characters were created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and many others. The company features some of the most iconic and well-known superheroes including Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Deadpool, Thor, Wolverine, Hercules, the Hulk, She-Hulk, Hawkeye, the Falcon, the Winter Soldier, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Ms. Marvel, the Scarlet Witch, the Vision, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Ghost Rider, Black Panther, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Howard the Duck, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Miles Morales, Nick Fury, Silver Surfer, Shang-Chi, the Punisher, Blade, Daredevil, and Elektra. Its teams such as the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the S.H.I.E.L.D., and the X-Men are very popular. The universe also has many well-known supervillains including Green Goblin, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Ultron, Venom, Thanos, Galactus, Loki, Kang the Conqueror, Magneto, Red Hulk, Kingpin, Kraven the Hunter, Red Skull, the Mandarin, MODOK, Dormammu, Mystique, and Apocalypse. The majority of its publications takes place within the fictional Marvel Universe (MU), with most locations mirroring real-life places; many major characters are based in New York City. Additionally, Marvel has published several licensed properties from other companies. This includes Star Wars comics twice from 1977 to 1986 and again since 2015. History Marvel used to be a company called Timely Comics in the 1940s and then Atlas Comics in the 1950s. The first comic submitted with the name "Marvel Comics" was The Fantastic Four #1 in November, 1961. The precursor to Marvel Comics was created in 1939 by magazine creator Martin Goodman. In order to capitalize on the growing popularity of comic books—especially those starring superheroes—Goodman created Timely Comics. Timely’s first comic book was Marvel Comics no. 1 (cover dated October 1939), which featured several superhero characters, most notably the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Timely Comics introduced many superhero characters during comics’ “Golden Age” in the 1940s, most importantly Captain America, who first appeared in Captain America Comics no. 1 (March 1941). Timely characters were often portrayed as fighting against the Nazis and the Japanese even before the United States entered World War II. As the 1940s came to a close, superheroes fell out of vogue with comic book readers, and Timely canceled the last of its books in this genre in 1950. In 1951, Goodman formed his own distribution company, and Timely Comics became Atlas Magazines. Though there was a brief experiment in bringing back superheroes such as Captain America in 1953, Atlas’s output was mostly in other genres such as humour, westerns, horror, war, and science fiction. In 1956, rival company DC Comics ushered in the so-called Silver Age of comics by reintroducing superhero titles with significant commercial success. In the early 1960s Atlas changed its name to Marvel Comics. For several decades Marvel and DC were the top companies in the industry. Throughout the 1980s and ’90s Marvel changed hands numerous times, becoming a publicly held company in 1991. Questionable management decisions and a general slump in sales in the comic book industry drove Marvel Comics into bankruptcy in 1996. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 1998 and began to diversify its output, launching imprints aimed at a variety of demographics and expanding its cinematic offerings under the Marvel Studios banner. In 2007, Marvel began creating digital comics. In 2009, the Walt Disney Company purchased the owner company of Marvel Comics. Marvel Universe The shared storytelling palette known as the Marvel Universe was unveiled in 1961, when Goodman responded to the growing interest in superhero books by commissioning writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby to create the Fantastic Four. With the release of Fantastic Four no. 1 (November 1961), readers were introduced to a super heroic setting that was, nevertheless, rooted in the real world. Lee and Kirby tried to make their comic book characters more original by allowing them to interact with each other in a realistic fashion, including heroes often fighting or arguing with each other. This trend continued with a flood of other superhero characters introduced by Marvel Comics during the early 1960s, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Lee wrote the majority of Marvel’s books during that time, and Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko were the most important and influential artists. This more realistic approach to characterizations built up Marvel’s reputation and began to attract university-age readers. Stories also began to deal with social issues such as pollution, race relations, and drug abuse. A Spider-Man story arc from 1971 dealing with drug abuse had to be submitted without the approval of the Comic Code Authority—the self-regulatory body that had policed comic content since 1954—despite the fact that it was portraying drug use in a negative light. This caused the Comic Code Authority to revise its policy in such matters. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a new generation of creative talent emerge at Marvel. In 1967 Jim Steranko began to write and draw stories featuring secret agent Nick Fury in the anthology book Strange Tales. Steranko was influenced in his work by James Bond films and the psychedelic and Op art movements, and the resulting stories melded groundbreaking visuals with equally innovative storytelling techniques. Writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne began a long collaboration on The Uncanny X-Men in 1975. The pair revitalized the flagging series with characters such as Wolverine and complex story arcs that soon made the X-Men franchise one of Marvel’s best sellers. In 1985, Mark Gruenwald started a people acclaimed 10-year run as the writer of Captain America. That same year he also began the miniseries Squadron Supreme (1985–86), a deconstructionist take on superheroes that preceded Alan Moore’s graphic novel Watchmen, submitted by DC Comics. The 1980s also saw Frank Miller’s stint on Daredevil, which took that book in a darker and grittier direction, reviving sagging sales and making it one of Marvel’s best sellers. In 1988, Todd MacFarlane began a popular run as artist on The Amazing Spider-Man. Four years later MacFarlane and a number of other popular artists, including Jim Lee, Erik Larsen, and Rob Liefeld, left Marvel to found rival Image Comics, a company that allowed creators to retain the copyrights of their characters. During the 1990s and early 2000s, a new wave of writers, including Brian Michael Bendis (Daredevil, The Avengers), Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four), and Ed Brubaker (Captain America), became well known for their mature and sometimes controversial takes on Marvel’s characters. The 2010s saw the emergence of another new wave of talent, with writer Matt Fraction and artist David Aja turning in a visually arresting run on Hawkeye, longtime Spider-Man writer Dan Slott teaming with artist Mike Allred for a bold take on a classic character in Silver Surfer, and writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona breaking new ground with their people acclaimed Ms. Marvel. Marvel Comics series Marvel Comics the most original highest-grossing and longest-running series includes Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Marvel characters. Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four Fantastic Four Hulk The Incredible Hulk Hulk Spider-Man Amazing Fantasy Spider-Man X-Men The X-Men X-Men Marvel Characters Iron Man Captain America Thor and many more. Reception In the 21st century, Marvel’s profits were increasingly derived from toys, video games, and other merchandise featuring their most popular characters and from the production of a string of commercially successful movies. Those films differed from prior efforts to translate comics to the big screen in that they were set in a single shared world. That ambitious plan generated huge dividends with The Avengers (2012), a film that featured Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America—three heroes that had scored individual blockbuster successes—and grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it came to be known, grew into one of the most lucrative franchises in film history. Its success spawned a wave of television programs, beginning with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020) on ABC and continuing with Daredevil (2015–18), Jessica Jones (2015–2019), and Luke Cage (2016–18), a string of people-lauded series that appeared on Netflix. In 2015 an agreement between Disney and Sony brought Spider-Man (who had previously appeared only in Sony-produced films) into the shared universe; the character would subsequently be available for use by both studios. Marvel Studios, the company’s film and television division, continued to set records with its flagship Avengers, but it also packed theatres with relatively unknown heroes such as the Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Ant-Man (2015), and Doctor Strange (2016). By 2016 more than a dozen films had been released under the banner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the franchise’s cumulative global box office receipts had topped $10 billion. Offices Located in New York City, Marvel has had successive headquarters: In the McGraw-Hill Building, where it originated as Timely Comics in 1939. In suite 1401 of the Empire State Building. At 635 Madison Avenue (the actual location, though the comic books' indicia listed the owner creating-company's address of 625 Madison Ave.) 575 Madison Avenue. 387 Park Avenue South. 10 East 40th Street. 417 Fifth Avenue. A 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) space at 135 W. 50th Street. References Comic books Disney companies
8060
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%2C%20Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of Nebraska, United States. The City of Lincoln Only Omaha has more people of any city in Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379. Lincoln was founded in 1856 as the village of Lancaster. It became the county seat of the newly created Lancaster County in 1859. The capital of Nebraska Territory had been Omaha since the start of the territory in 1854. Most of the territory's population lived south of the Platte River. After much of the territory south of the Platte became a part of Kansas, the legislature voted to move the capital south of the river and as far west as possible. They made the village of Lancaster the new capital, in part due to the salt flats and marshes. People from Omaha tried to stop the move by renaming Lancaster after the recently killed President Abraham Lincoln. Many of the people south of the river had wanted the Confederate to win the recent Civil War. These people thought that the legislature would not approve the move if the future capital were named after Lincoln. The plan did not work, as Lancaster was renamed Lincoln and also became the state capital upon Nebraska's admission to the Union on March 1, 1867. The people either liked or disliked the new name depending on how they felt about the Civil War. Nebraska State Capitol was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and constructed between 1922 and 1932. The capitol building is a skyscraper topped by a golden dome. The tower is crowned by a 6-meter (20 ft) statue of a farmer sowing grain on a pedestal of wheat and corn, to represent the state's agricultural heritage. City zoning rules prevent any other building from rivaling it in height, making it a landmark not only within the city but for the surrounding area. Inside, there are many paintings and iridescent murals showing Native American heritage and the history and culture of the early pioneers who settled Nebraska. It is the second tallest U.S. State Capitol building behind the Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge. Lincoln has a humid continental climate (Dfa in the Köppen climate classification). References County seats in Nebraska State capitals in the United States 1856 establishments in Nebraska Territory
8061
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear%20fission
Nuclear fission
Nuclear fission is a kind of nuclear reaction. It is when an atom splits apart into smaller atoms. Some fission reactions give off a lot of energy, and are used in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Nuclear fission was discovered in December 1938 by the German nuclear chemist Otto Hahn and his assistant Fritz Strassmann in Berlin. An atom is the smallest particle which makes up a chemical element (e.g. hydrogen, oxygen, magnesium). All atoms are very small. Atoms are made of three components or particles: Protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons are clumped together in a ball called a nucleus, at the center of every atom. The electrons orbit around the nucleus in its 'electron cloud'. Elements which have large nuclei, such as uranium and plutonium, can be made to fission. If a (relatively) very large atomic nucleus is hit by a slow-moving neutron, it will sometimes become unstable and break into two nuclei. When the nucleus breaks apart (or fissions) it releases energy, mostly as gamma rays and heat. It also causes some neutrons to be released from the nucleus. For a few isotopes (an atom with the same amount of protons but a different amount of neutrons) such fission can release many neutrons. If those neutrons then hit other atoms, they will make the other atoms split. This can happen again and again. This is called a nuclear chain-reaction, and it can release huge amounts of energy very quickly. The amount of energy released by a nuclear chain reaction is measured in kilotons. One kiloton is the same as the energy of one thousand tons of TNT (trinitrotoluene). In a nuclear bomb, this must happen very quickly to make a very big explosion. In a nuclear reactor this must happen slowly to make heat. The heat is used to boil water into steam, which turns a steam turbine to generate electricity. Other websites Annotated bibliography for nuclear fission from the Alsos Digital Library Nuclear energy
8064
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/February%2014
February 14
Events Up to 1900 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German languages respectively. 1009 – First documented mention of Lithuania 1014 – Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor is crowned. 1076 - Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor. 1349 - Several hundred Jews are burned to death by mobs while the remainder of their population are forced from the city of Strasbourg. 1556 - In England, Thomas Cranmer is declared a heretic. He is later burned at the stake. 1648 - A storm flood affects the Holstein area of present-day Northern Germany. 1778 – The Flag of the United States is formally recognised by a foreign vessel for the first time. 1779 – James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians. 1779 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Kettle Creek, Georgia. 1797 - French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Cape St. Vincent - The British Royal Navy defeats a Spanish fleet near Gibraltar. 1804 - Karadjordje leads the first Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire. 1849 – In New York City James K. Polk becomes the first sitting US President to have his photograph taken. 1852 – The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London is opened. 1853 – Mormon leader Brigham Young lays the foundation stone for the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. 1855 – Texas is linked by telegraph to the rest of the United States. 1859 – Oregon becomes the 33rd State of the US. 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray both apply for a patent for the telephone. 1879 – The War of the Pacific begins when Chilean forces occupy the then-Bolivian port city of Antofagasta. 1899 - Voting machines are approved by the United States Congress for use on federal elections. 1900 - Second Boer War in South Africa: 20,000 British troops invade the Orange Free State. 1901 2000 1903 - The United States Department of Commerce and Labor is created. It later splits into the United States Department of Commerce and the United States Department of Labor. 1908 - The world's first ski lift, invented by Robert Winterhalder, is opened in Schollach, Black Forest, Germany. 1912 – Arizona becomes the 48th State of the US. 1912 - The first diesel-powered submarine is commissioned. 1918 – The Soviet Union adopts the Gregorian calendar. 1919 – The Polish-Soviet War begins. 1920 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago. 1929 – St. Valentine's Day massacre: Seven people, gangster rivals of Al Capone, are shot dead in Chicago. 1932 – The football club FC Vaduz is founded in Liechtenstein. 1942 - World War II: The Battle of Pasir-Panyang contributes to the fall of Singapore. 1943 - World War II: Rostov-on-Don, Russia is liberated. 1944 - An anti-Japanese revolt occurs on Java. 1946 – The Bank of England is nationalised. 1946 – The ENIAC digital calculator is unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania. 1949 – The Knesset, Israeli parliament, meets for the first time. 1949 – The Asbestos Strike begins in Canada. 1952 – In Oslo, the Winter Olympics begin. 1956 - The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union begins in Moscow. 1961 – Element 103, Lawrencium, is synthesised at the University of California. 1962 – US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives television viewers a tour of the White House. 1966 – Australian currency is decimalised. 1967 - The Treaty of Tlatelolco declares the Caribbean and Latin America a nuclear weapon-free zone, with Cuba becoming the last country to sign it in 2002. 1970 - The Who record the iconic live rock album Live at Leeds. 1972 – The Star of Sierra Leone becomes the third-largest diamond ever found. 1981 - Stardust Disaster: A fire in a Dublin nightclub kills 48 people. 1984 - 1984 Winter Olympics: In pairs figure skating, Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean of Great Britain win a historic gold medal, receiving perfect scores. 1989 – Ayatollah Khomeini issues a fatwa (death warrant) against the writer Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses. 1990 – The Voyager 1 spacecraft takes a photograph of Earth from a distance of 6.4 billion kilometres. 1990 – 92 people are killed when Indian Airlines Flight 605 crashes at Bangalore, India. 1996 - A Chinese rocket, launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, goes out of control and crashes into a nearby village, where an estimated 500 people are killed. 1998 – An oil tanker collides with a freight train in Yaounde, Cameroon. 2000 – The Spacecraft NEAR Shoemaker enters into orbit around asteroid 433 Eros. From 2001 2002 – Bahrain becomes a kingdom. 2004 – In Moscow, the roof of the Transvaal Water Park collapses, killing 25 people. 2005 – In the Philippines a series of bomb attacks in Manila, Davao City and General Santos City kills 7 people. 2005 - The Sunjawan Mine Explosion in Liaoning Province, China, kills 214 miners. 2005 – A car bomb in Beirut kills 23 people, including former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. 2005 - YouTube is founded by a group of college students. 2011 – As part of a series of uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, protests begin in Bahrain. 2013 - South African model Reeva Steenkamp is shot dead by her then-partner, athlete Oscar Pistorius, who is found guilty of her manslaughter in 2014. 2014 - Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta submits his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano. 2015 - 2015 Copenhagen attacks: A gunman attacks a free speech meeting at a café in Copenhagen that was attended by Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks, killing one. He later attacks the city's main synagogue, killing one and injuring two, before being shot dead by police early the following day. 2015 - Slovenia's Peter Prevc breaks the ski jumping world record, by jumping 250 metres in Vikersund, Norway. 2018 - Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting: 17 people are shot dead at a high school in Parkland, Southern Florida. 2018 - Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa. Births Up to 1850 1404 – Leone Battista Alberti, Italian painter, poet, and philosopher (died 1472) 1468 – Johannes Werner, German mathematician (died 1522) 1483 – Zahir al-Din Mohammed Babur Shah, founder of the Moghul dynasty (died 1530) 1545 - Lucrezia de' Medici, Duchess of Ferrara (died 1561) 1602 – Francesco Cavalli, Italian composer (died 1676) 1679 - Georg Friedrich Kauffmann, German composer and organist (died 1735) 1680 – John Sidney, 6th Earl of Leicester, English privy councillor (died 1737) 1692 – Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, French writer (died 1754) 1701 – Enrique Florez, Spanish historian (died 1773) 1763 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (died 1813) 1766 – Thomas Malthus, English economist (died 1834) 1778 – Minh Mang, Emperor of Vietnam (died 1844) 1781 - Valentin Gomez Farias, Mexican politician (died 1858) 1799 - Walenty Wankowicz, Polish painter (died 1842) 1800 - Emory Washburn, 22nd Governor of Massachusetts (died 1877) 1802 - John White, American politician (died 1845) 1812 – Alfred Thomas Agate, American artist (d. 1846) 1812 – Christopher Latham Sholes, American inventor, publisher and politician (died 1890) 1813 - Alexander Dargomyzhsky, Russian composer (died 1869) 1824 – Winfield Scott Hancock, American general (died 1886) 1835 - Piet Paaltiens, Dutch poet and minister (died 1894) 1838 - Margaret E. Knight, American inventor (died 1914) 1839 - Hermann Hankel, German mathematician (died 1873) 1847 - Maria Pia of Savoy, of Portugal (died 1911) 1847 – Anna Howard Shaw, English-born American women's suffrage leader (died 1919) 1848 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer (died 1934) 1851 1900 1855 – Vsevolod Garshin, Russian writer (died 1888) 1856 – Frank Harris, Irish writer and editor (died 1931) 1859 – George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., American engineer, inventor of the Ferris Wheel (died 1896) 1860 - Eugen Schiffer, German politician (died 1954) 1864 - Robert E. Park, American sociologist (died 1944) 1869 – Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1959) 1871 - Gerda Lundequist, Swedish actress (died 1959) 1878 - Koki Hirota, Prime Minister of Japan (died 1948) 1882 - John Barrymore, American actor (died 1942) 1884 - Nils Olof Chrisander, Swedish actor and movie director (died 1947) 1884 - Kostas Varnalis, Greek poet (died 1974) 1884 – Hezekiah M. Washburn, missionary (died 1972) 1885 - Syed Zafarul Hasan, Indian-born Pakistani philosopher (died 1949) 1890 – Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist (died 1956) 1891 - Katherine Stinson, American pilot (died 1977) 1892 - Radola Gajda, Czech commander and politician (died 1948) 1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and comedian (died 1974) 1895 – Max Horkheimer, German philosopher and sociologist (died 1973) 1898 – Bill Tilman, English mountaineer and explorer (died 1977) 1898 – Fritz Zwicky, Swiss-American physicist and astronomer (died 1974) 1901 1950 1902 - Alexander Abusch, German journalist, writer and politician (died 1982) 1902 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (died 1969) 1903 – Stu Erwin, American actor (died 1967) 1907 - Sven Andersson, Swedish footballer (died 1981) 1907 – Johnny Longden, British-American jockey (died 2003) 1912 – Tibor Sekelj, Croatian explorer (died 1988) 1913 – Mel Allen, American sports reporter (died 1996) 1913 – Woody Hayes, American college football coach (died 1987) 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa, American labor union leader (disappeared 1975) 1916 – Masaki Kobayashi, Japanese director 1916 – Marcel Bigeard, French military officer (died 2010) 1916 – Edward Platt, American actor (died 1974) 1917 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (died 2011) 1920 - Albert Barillé, Polish-French television producer, screenwriter and cartoonist (d. 2009) 1921 – Hugh Downs, American game show host 1924 - Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma 1924 - Peg Murray, American actress and singer 1927 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian actress (died 2007) 1928 - Sergey Kapitsa, Russian scientist (died 2012) 1928 - William Allain, Governor of Mississippi (died 2013) 1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor (died 1982) 1931 - Newton de Sordi, Brazilian footballer (died 2013) 1931 – Brian Kelly, American actor (died 2005) 1931 - Margarita Lozano, Spanish actress 1932 – Alexander Kluge, German actor and movie director 1932 - Harriet Andersson, Swedish actress 1933 - Robert Shea, American author (died 1994) 1934 – Michel Corboz, Swiss conductor 1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress and singer (died 2016) 1934 - Herwig Wolfram, Austrian historian 1935 - David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, Scottish academic and diplomat, 27th Governor of Hong Kong 1935 - Krystyna Sienkiewicz, Polish actress and singer (died 2017) 1936 – Fanne Foxe, Argentine dancer 1936 – Andrew Prine, American actor 1939 - Eugene Fama, American economist 1939 - Blowfly, American musician, singer and songwriter (died 2016) 1940 - Mary Rand, British athlete 1941 – Donna Shalala, American politician, educator 1941 – Paul Tsongas, U.S. Senator (died 1997) 1942 - Piotr Szczepanik, Polish singer 1942 – Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City 1943 - Ischa Meijer, Dutch journalist, writer, actor and television presenter (died 1995) 1943 – Maceo Parker, American musician (P-Funk) 1944 – Carl Bernstein, American journalist 1944 – Alan Parker, British movie director and writer 1944 - Ronnie Peterson, Swedish racing driver (died 1987) 1945 – Frank Welker, American actor 1945 – Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein 1945 - Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, Uruguayan footballer (died 2013) 1946 – Bernard Dowiyogo, President of Nauru (died 2003) 1946 - Ainsley Gotto, Australian political staffer and interior designer (died 2018) 1946 – Gregory Hines, American dancer and actor (died 2003) 1947 – Judd Gregg, American politician, former Governor of New Hampshire 1947 - Tim Buckley, American singer-songwriter (died 1975) 1947 - Heide Rosendahl, German athlete 1948 – Pat O'Brien, American sportscaster and television host 1948 – Teller, American magician (Penn and Teller) 1951 1975 1951 – Kevin Keegan, English footballer 1951 - JoJo Starbuck, American ice skater 1952 - Sushma Swaraj, Indian politician 1953 – Hans Krankl, Austrian footballer 1953 - Sergey Mironov, Russian politician 1956 - Howard Davis, Jr., American boxer (died 2015) 1959 – Renée Fleming, American soprano 1960 – Jim Kelly, American football player 1960 – Meg Tilly, Canadian actress 1962 – Josef Hader, Austrian comedian and actor 1962 – Kevyn Aucoin, American cosmetologist 1963 - Philippe Sella, French rugby player 1963 – Enrico Colantoni, Canadian actor 1963 – Zach Galligan, American actor 1963 – Guildo Horn, German singer 1966 – Petr Svoboda, Czech ice hockey player 1967 – Manuela Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player 1967 – Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1967 – Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Cypriot-British airline entrepreneur 1968 – Jules Asner, American model and television personality 1968 - Latifa, Tunisian singer 1968 - Scott McClellan, 25th White House Press Secretary 1970 – Simon Pegg, English comedian, writer, and actor 1970 - Giuseppe Guerini, Italian cyclist 1971 – Noriko Sakai, Japanese singer 1971 - Kris Aquino, Filipina television host, actress and model 1971 - Nelson Frazier, Jr., American professional wrestler (d. 2014) 1972 - Hiroshi, Japanese comedian 1972 – Drew Bledsoe, American football player 1972 - Jann Tallinn, Estonian programmer and physicist 1972 – Rob Thomas, American musician (matchbox twenty) 1973 - Yuka Sato, Japanese figure skater 1973 – Deena Kastor, American marathon runner 1973 – Steve McNair, American football player (died in 2009) 1974 - Filippa Giordano, Italian singer 1974 - Valentina Vezzali, Italian fencer and politician 1975 - Xie Hui, Chinese footballer From 1976 1977 – Cadel Evans, cyclist, first Australian Tour de France winner 1977 - Darren Bennett, English dancer 1978 - Dean Gaffney, English actor 1978 – Richard Hamilton, American basketball player 1979 – Antonio Chatman, American football player 1980 – Fatima Leyva, Mexican footballer 1981 - Brad Halsey, American baseball player (d. 2014) 1982 – Matteo Brighi, Italian footballer 1983 – Bacary Sagna, French footballer 1984 – Hamed Namouchi, Tunisian footballer 1985 - Lee Hae-ri, South Korean singer and actress 1985 – Philippe Senderos, Swiss footballer 1986 - Tiffany Thornton, American actress 1987 – Edinson Cavani, Uruguayan footballer 1987 - Yulia Savicheva, Russian singer 1988 - Angel Di Maria, Argentine footballer 1988 – Asia Nitollano, American dancer and reality show contestant 1989 - Adam Matuszczak, Polish footballer 1989 - Emma Miskew, Canadian curler 1989 - Brandon Sutter, Canadian ice hockey player 1989 - Kristian Thomas, English gymnast 1990 - Brett Dier, Canadian actor 1992 - Christian Eriksen, Danish footballer 1992 – Freddie Highmore, British actor 1993 - Shane Harper, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor 1994 – Paul Butcher, American actor 1995 - Nikita Tregubov, Russian skeleton bobsledder 1997 - Breel Embolo, Cameroonian-Swiss footballer Deaths Up to 1900 270 – Saint Valentine 869 - Saint Cyril, Greek monk, scholar, theologian and linguist (b. 827) 1229 - Ragnvald Godredson, King of the Isles 1317 - Margaret of France, Queen of England (b. 1282) 1400 – King Richard II of England (b. 1367) 1405 – Timur, Mongol ruler (b. 1336) 1714 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen Consort of Spain (b. 1688) 1737 - Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot of Hensol, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1685) 1779 – James Cook, British naval officer and explorer (b. 1728) 1782 – Singu Min, King of Burma (b. 1756) 1808 - John Dickinson, Governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania (b. 1732) 1831 - Vicente Guerrero, Mexican revolutionary hero (b. 1782) 1831 - Henry Maudslay, English inventor (b. 1771) 1834 - John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth, British politician (b. 1751) 1881 - Fernando Wood, Mayor of New York City (b. 1812) 1884 - Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, wife of Theodore Roosevelt (b. 1861) 1891 – William Tecumseh Sherman, American general (b. 1820) 1894 - Eugene Charles Catalan, Belgian mathematician (b. 1814) 1901 2000 1901 - Edward Stafford, 3rd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1819) 1910 - Giovanni Passannante, Italian anarchist (b. 1849) 1922 - Heikki Ritavuori, Finnish politician (b. 1880) 1929 - Thomas Burke, American sprinter (b. 1875) 1929 - Frank Gusenberg, American gangster (b. 1892) 1929 - Peter Gusenberg, American gangster (b. 1899) 1930 - Thomas Mackenzie, Scottish-New Zealand politician, 18th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1853) 1938 – Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian politician (b. 1869) 1943 - Dora Gerson, German actress, cabaret singer and Holocaust victim (b. 1899) 1943 – David Hilbert, German mathematician (b. 1862) 1948 - Mordecai Brown, American baseball player (b. 1876) 1958 - Abdur Rab Nishtar, Pakistani politician (b. 1899) 1959 - Baby Dodds, American jazz drummer (b. 1898) 1967 - Sig Ruman, German-American actor (b. 1884) 1969 – Vito Genovese, American gangster (b. 1897) 1975 - Julian Huxley, English biologist (b. 1887) 1975 – P. G. Wodehouse, English writer (b. 1881) 1980 - Rudra Baruah, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1926) 1983 – Lina Radke, German athlete (b. 1903) 1988 - Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (b. 1901) 1989 – Albert Hawke, Australian politician (b. 1900) 1994 – Andrei Chikatilo, Russian serial killer (b. 1936) 1995 – U Nu, Burmese politician (b. 1907) 1995 - Ischa Meijer, Dutch journalist, writer, actor and television presenter (b. 1943) 1996 – Bob Paisley, English football manager (b. 1919) 1996 – McLean Stevenson, American actor (b. 1929) 1999 - John Ehrlichman, American politician (b. 1925) 1999 - Buddy Knox, American singer-songwriter (b. 1933) From 2001 2002 – Nandor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1922) 2003 – Dolly the Sheep, cloned mammal (b. 1996) 2003 – Johnny Longden, British-American jockey (b. 1907) 2004 – Marco Pantani, Italian cyclist (b. 1970) 2005 – Rafik Hariri, Lebanese businessman and politician (b. 1944) 2010 – Dick Francis, British jockey and writer (b. 1920) 2011 – George Shearing, English-born American jazz pianist (b. 1919) 2013 - Reeva Steenkamp, South African model (b. 1983) 2013 - Ronald Dworkin, American philosopher (b. 1931) 2014 - Remo Capitani, Italian actor (b. 1927) 2014 - James Condon, Australian actor (b. 1923) 2014 - Tom Finney, English footballer (b. 1922) 2014 - Bob L. Harris, American actor (b. 1922) 2014 - Ferry Hoogendijk, Dutch political scientist (b. 1933) 2014 - Ken Jones, English actor (b. 1930) 2014 - Mike Stepovich, American politician, last-surviving territorial Governor in the US (in Alaska) (b. 1919) 2014 - Edward J. Walsh, American journalist (b. 1942) 2015 - Wim Ruska, Dutch judoka (b. 1940) 2015 - Michele Ferrero, Italian businessman (b. 1925) 2015 - Louis Jourdan, French actor (b. 1921) 2015 - Philip Levine, American poet (b. 1928) 2015 - Pamela Cundell, English actress (b. 1920) 2015 - Franjo Mihalic, Serbian runner (b. 1920) 2016 - Muriel Casals i Couturier, Spanish economist (b. 1945) 2016 - Ali Brownlee, English radio sports broadcaster (b. 1959) 2016 - Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English politician (b. 1928) 2016 - Wieslaw Rudkowski, Polish boxer (b. 1946) 2017 - Hans Trass, Estonian botanist (b. 1928) 2017 - Cipriano Chemello, Italian cyclist (b. 1945) 2017 - Siegfried Herrmann, German long-distance runner (b. 1932) 2017 - Elisabeth Lichtenberger, Austrian geographer (b. 1925) 2018 - Lerone Bennett Jr., American scholar, author and editor (b. 1928) 2018 - Don Carter, American businessman (b. 1935) 2018 - Antoni Krauze, Polish screenwriter and director (b. 1940) 2018 - Ruud Lubbers, former Prime minister of the Netherlands (b. 1939) 2018 - Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwean politician, opposition leader and 2nd Prime minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952) Observances Valentine's Day Statehood Day in Arizona and Oregon Days of the year
8065
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1903
1903
1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. Aer, music, theatre, literature Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery is released. Events December 17 – Orville Wright of the Wright brothers flies an airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Abeerden Football Club founded in Scotland. Births Date unknown – Cigerxwîn, Kurdish polymath May 3 – Bing Crosby, American singer and actor (d. 1977) June 19 – Lou Gehrig, baseball player (d. 1941) June 21 – Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist (d. 2003) June 25 – George Orwell, English writer (d. 1950) July 2 – Alec Douglas-Home, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1995) Deaths May 8 – Paul Gauguin, French painter nv:1901 – 1950
8066
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Fantastic%20Four
The Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a team of superheroes. The team originally first appeared in a series of comic books created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It was published by Marvel Comics starting in 1961. They also appeared in several cartoons and films as well. The members of the group are scientist Reed Richards, his girlfriend/wife Sue Storm, her teenage brother Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm, a friend of them. While test flying a rocket ship, they are affected by cosmic rays, and gain superpowers. Richards becomes "Mr. Fantastic" who can stretch his limbs and body for long distances and sizes. Sue became the "Invisible Girl/Woman" who could make herself invisible, create force fields, and other things. Johnny transformed into the "Human Torch" who can become a giant ball of fire. Ben turned into a rock-like creature with super-strength, called "The Thing". They decide to use these powers for good and work from their laboratory in a New York City skyscraper. Marvel Comics adapted into movies
8070
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob%20Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host and animal rights activist. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price is Right from 1972 to 2007 and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1974. Early life Barker was born Robert William Barker on December 12, 1923 in Darrington, Washington. He is of Sioux descent. Barker studied at Drury College. Career Barker started hosting Truth or Consequences on December 31, 1956 and continued with the program until 1974. On December 4, 1957, Barker began hosting a new Ralph Edwards creation, the short-lived End of the Rainbow for NBC. In 1967, Barker hosted the short-lived game show The Family Game. In 1971, Barker began creating a TV pilot for a game show called Simon Says. In 1980, Barker hosted a series called That's My Line for Goodson-Todman. It was cancelled in September 1981. The Price is Right On September 4, 1972, Barker began hosting the CBS revival of The Price Is Right. On October 15, 1987, Barker did what other MCs almost never did: renounced hair dye and allowed his hair to turn gray. In 2006, The Price Is Right marked its 35th consecutive year on the air. It is the longest-running game show of all time in North America, and at the time was the last surviving show in the daytime game show genre. On October 31, 2006, Barker made his announcement that he would retire from The Price Is Right in June 2007. He taped his final episode on June 6, 2007, with the show airing twice on June 15. Movies He was also seen acting as himself in the 1996 Adam Sandler comedy movie Happy Gilmore. Awards He is the winner of nineteen Daytime Emmy Awards. Barker won the MTV Award for Best Fight with Adam Sandler for his fight scene in Happy Gilmore. Personal life Barker married Dorothy Jo Gideon in 1945. They had three children. Barker lives in Los Angeles, California. Despite retiring from television, Barker is an active animal rights activist. In 1993, Dian Parkinson sued Barker for sexual harassment. She asked for $8 million during the lawsuit. The lawsuit was dropped in 1995. Health Barker is a skin cancer survivor. On September 17, 2010, Barker collapsed at an L.A. shooting range. He was treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for an adverse drug reaction and released. Longevity Barker broke Johnny Carson's record for continuous performances on the same network television show with twenty-nine years. References Other websites Bob Barker at Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 1923 births Living people American activists American game show hosts Emmy Award winners Entertainers from Washington Skin cancer survivors People from Springfield, Missouri
8071
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect%20Four
Connect Four
Connect Four is a simple game. To win, players must put four of the same color markers in the yellow square so that they touch. Gameplay Example: 0= White Marker o= Black Marker An example of winning connect four: the player can see the 4 o's all connected together in a pattern. oooo An example of a move that does not let the player win: 0oo0 Games
8073
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo%20DS
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS (also known as DS, NDS, or the DS Phat) is a handheld system from Nintendo. Development began in mid-2002 and it was released in 2004/2005. It has a successor called the Nintendo 3DS, the very first 3D handheld, which also plays DS games. The DS is a small, nearly pocket-size fold-up machine that lets people play video games. The games are stored on small cartridges which are like memory card chips from digital cameras. Some games, such as Super Mario 64 DS, were released on the same day as the original DS. For most of Nintendo's systems, there have been no load times, except for the GameCube and Wii. With the DS, a level in the game loads up quickly, just like with Game Boy games. This is because cartridges can be read a lot quicker than DVDs. The DS also has many new features. It has a new surround sound system. The DS (as well as the DS Lite) also has backwards compatibility with the Game Boy Advance (only single-player mode). However, the DS and DS Lite are incapable of playing the Game Boy or Game Boy Color games. The DS features a touch screen, a screen often used for extra gameplay (like a PDA). The DS packaging comes with two styluses. Competition The Nintendo DS is one of the rivals of Sony's PlayStation Portable. However, both Nintendo and Sony state that their products were aimed at different people, so there is "technically" no competition. The DS has currently sold more units than the PSP has. In 2011, the DS briefly held the record for best-selling game console overall. Handheld revisions Nintendo DS Lite Nintendo later developed and newer variation of the Nintendo DS, known as the Nintendo DS Lite. It was first announced on January 26, 2006 and released on March 2, 2006 in Japan, on June 1, 2006 in Australia, on June 11, 2006 in North America, on June 23, 2006 in Europe, and on January 18, 2007 in South Korea. The DS Lite is compatible with the same games. It is smaller, lighter, and brighter and features a backlit screen. Because of its design, the Game Boy Advance games stick out in Slot 2. The second slot also features a cover for players to when not in use. The DS Lite is sold in white, black, pink, blue, red, and silver. This console even has colors such as metallic rose, metallic silver, and black with white. Nintendo DSi On October 2, 2008, Nintendo announced a third model titled the Nintendo DSi. It was released in Japan in 2008 and in 2009/2010 worldwide. It is bigger, thinner, and brighter than the DS Lite and the Game Boy Advance slot was removed (in place of an SD Card), which caused a lot of disappointment when it came out. Development of the DSi began in late 2006, shortly after the release of the DS Lite. Nintendo DSi XL A year later, Nintendo announced a fourth and final model in the DS family called the Nintendo DSi XL (called Nintendo DSi LL in Japan). Announced on October 29, 2009, it was released in Japan in 2009 and in 2010 worldwide. It is a larger version of the DSi and the biggest, heaviest, widest, and brightest of the four models. Like the DSi, the Game Boy Advance slot was removed. Best-selling games Some of the DS'''s best-selling games are Nintendogs, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros., Brain Age, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and Advance Wars: Dual Strike. Accessories There are many accessories for the Nintendo DS, including different coloured styluses and protective cases. Some protective cases include the highly durable Nerf cases. Most DS systems have a screen protector and a car adapter, used to charge the DS in a car. Sales In total, the DS'' family has sold 154.9 million units as of July 15, 2021, making it the best-selling handheld of all time, the best-selling Nintendo console, and overall, the second best-selling system behind the PlayStation 2. It has currently beat the record of its sibling console (The Game Boy/Game Boy Color), which has sold 118.69 million. References Nintendo video game consoles Handheld video games
8074
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam%20Neill
Sam Neill
Nigel James Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a New Zealand actor. He has been in lots of movies. Neill has been in Jurassic Park, Dead Calm, Event Horizon, Sirens and lots of other very famous movies. In recent years, he appeared in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Peter Rabbit (2018). Neill was born on 14 September 1947 in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland to a New Zealander father and English mother. He moved to New Zealand in 1954. He studied at Christ's College, Canterbury and at University of Canterbury. Neill was married to Lisa Harrow until they divorced in 1989. Then he was married to Noriko Watanabe. He has two children. Neill has New Zealand and Irish citizenships. References Other websites Two Paddocks official website Actors from Northern Ireland Irish movie actors Irish stage actors Irish television actors Irish voice actors New Zealand movie actors New Zealand stage actors New Zealand television actors New Zealand voice actors People from South Island 1947 births Living people
8081
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/March%2018
March 18
Events Up to 1900 1068 – An earthquake in the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, leaves up to 20,000 dead. 1229 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares himself King of Jerusalem in the Sixth Crusade. 1241 – First Mongol invasion of Poland: Mongols overwhelm Polish armies in Kraków in the Battle of Chmielnik and plunder the city. 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and final Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake. 1438 – Albert II of Habsburg becomes Holy Roman Emperor. 1608 – Susenyos is formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia. 1644 – The Third Anglo-Powhatan War begins in the Colony of Virginia. 1741 – New York governor George Clarke's complex at Fort George is burned in an arson attack, starting the New York Conspiracy of 1741. 1766 – American Revolution: The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act. 1793 – The first modern republic in Germany, the Republic of Mainz, is declared by Andreas Joseph Hofmann. 1793 – Flanders Campaign of the French Revolution, Battle of Neerwinden. 1834 – Six farm labourers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, England are sentenced to be transported to Australia for forming a trade union. 1848 – March Revolution: In Berlin there is a struggle between citizens and military, costing about 300 lives. 1850 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo. 1865 – American Civil War: The Congress of the Confederate States adjourns for the last time. 1871 – Declaration of the Paris Commune; President of the French Republic, Adolphe Thiers, orders the evacuation of Paris. 1874 – Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights. 1892 – Former Governor General Lord Stanley pledges to donate a silver challenge cup as an award for the best hockey team in Canada; it was later named after him as the Stanley Cup. 1901 – 1950 1902 – Macario Sakay issues Presidential Order No. 1 of his Tagalog Republic. 1913 – King George I of Greece is assassinated in the recently liberated city of Thessaloniki. 1915 – World War I: During the Battle of Gallipoli, three battleships are sunk during a failed British and French naval attack on the Dardanelles. 1921 – The second Peace of Riga is signed between Poland and the Soviet Union. 1922 – In India, Mohandas Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience, of which he serves only two. 1925 – The Tri-State Tornado hits the Midwestern states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people. 1937 – The New London School explosion in New London, Texas, kills 300 people, mostly children. 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Spanish Republican forces defeat the Italians at the Battle of Guadalajara. 1938 – Mexico creates Pemex by expropriating all foreign-owned oil reserves and facilities. 1940 – World War II: Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom. 1942 – The War Relocation Authority is established in the United States to take Japanese Americans into custody. 1944 – Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy erupts killing 26 people and causing thousands to leave their homes. 1948 – Soviet consultants leave Yugoslavia in the first sign of the Tito–Stalin Split. 1951 – 1975 1953 – An earthquake hits western Turkey, killing 265 people. 1959 – The Hawaii Admission Act is signed into law. 1962 – The Évian Accords end the Algerian War of Independence, which had begun in 1954. 1965 – Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space. 1967 – The supertanker runs aground off the Cornish coast. 1968 – Gold standard: The United States Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency. 1969 – Operation Menu: The United States begins secretly bombing the Sihanouk Trail in Cambodia, used by communist forces to get into South Vietnam. 1970 – Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. 1971 – Peru: a landslide crashes into Yanawayin Lake, killing 200 people at the mining camp of Chungar. 1980 – 1980 Plesetsk launch pad disaster: A Vostok-2M rocket at Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43 explodes during a fueling operation, killing 48 people. 1990 – Germans in the German Democratic Republic vote in the first democratic elections in the former communist dictatorship. 1990 – In the largest art theft in United States history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $500 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. 1994 – Bosnia's Bosniaks and Croats sign the Washington Agreement, ending war between the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and establishing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 1996 – Ozone Disco Club fire: A nightclub fire in Quezon City, Philippines kills 162 people. 1997 – The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane breaks off while en route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 people on board. From 2001 2012 – Joachim Gauck becomes President of Germany. 2014 – The parliaments of Russia and Crimea sign an accession treaty. 2015 – The Bardo National Museum in Tunisia is attacked by gunmen. 23 people, almost all tourists, are killed, and at least 50 other people are wounded. 2018 – Vladimir Putin is re-elected as President of Russia. 2019 – Three people are killed in a shooting on a tram in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Births Up to 1800 1075 – Al-Zamakhshari, Persian scholar and theologian (d. 1144) 1395 – John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, English military commander (d. 1447) 1495 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France (d. 1533) 1548 – Cornelis Ketel, Dutch painter (d. 1616) 1552 – Polykarp Leyser the Elder, German theologian (d. 1610) 1555 – Francis, Duke of Anjou (d. 1584) 1578 – Adam Elsheimer, German painter (d. 1610) 1590 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (d. 1649) 1597 – Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière, French religious leader, founded the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal (d. 1659) 1603 – Simon Bradstreet, English colonial magistrate (d. 1697) 1609 – Frederick III of Denmark (d. 1670) 1634 – Madame de La Fayette, French author (d. 1693) 1640 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1719) 1657 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (d. 1743) 1690 – Christian Goldbach, Prussian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1764) 1701 – Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Swedish East India Company (d. 1776) 1733 – Christoph Friedrich Nicolai, German author and bookseller (d. 1811) 1780 – Miloš Obrenović, Serbian prince (d. 1860) 1782 – John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (d. 1850) 1789 – Charlotte Elliott, English poet, hymn writer, editor (d. 1871) 1798 – Francis Lieber, German-American jurist and philosopher (d. 1872) 1801 – 1850 1813 – Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and playwright (d. 1864) 1814 – Jacob Bunn, American businessman (d. 1897) 1819 – James McCulloch, Scottish-Australian politician, 5th Premier of Victoria (d. 1893) 1820 – John Plankinton, American businessman and industrialist, also noted for philanthropy (d. 1891) 1823 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (d. 1883) 1828 – Randal Cremer, English activist and politician, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (d. 1908) 1837 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (d. 1908) 1840 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (d. 1901) 1842 – Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet and critic (d. 1898) 1844 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer and academic (d. 1908) 1846 – Kicking Bear, Native American tribal leader (d. 1904) 1848 – Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, American architect and engineer (d. 1938) 1851 – 1900 1858 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the Diesel engine (d. 1913) 1862 – Eugène Jansson, Swedish painter (d. 1915) 1863 – William Sulzer, American lawyer and politician, 39th Governor of New York (d. 1941) 1869 – Neville Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1940) 1870 – Agnes Sime Baxter, Canadian mathematician (d. 1917) 1874 – Nikolai Berdyaev, Russian-French philosopher and theologian (d. 1948) 1877 – Edgar Cayce, American mystic and psychic (d. 1945) 1877 – Clem Hill, Australian cricketer and engineer (d. 1945) 1878 – Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry, English businessman (d. 1956) 1882 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer and educator (d. 1973) 1884 – Bernard Cronin, English-Australian journalist and author (d. 1968) 1886 – Edward Everett Horton, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1970) 1890 – Henri Decoin, French director and screenwriter (d. 1969) 1893 – Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist (d. 1978) 1893 – Wilfred Owen, English soldier and poet (d. 1918) 1901 – 1925 1901 – Manly Palmer Hall, Canadian mystic, author & philosopher (d. 1990) 1901 – William Johnson, American painter (d. 1970) 1903 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1944) 1903 – E. O. Plauen, German cartoonist (d. 1944) 1904 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet and author (d. 1926) 1904 – Margaret Tucker, Australian author and activist (d. 1996) 1905 – Thomas Townsend Brown, American physicist and engineer (d. 1985) 1905 – Robert Donat, English actor (d. 1958) 1907 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist and neurophysiologist (d. 1997) 1908 – Loulou Gasté, French composer (d. 1995) 1909 – Ernest Gallo, American businessman, co-founded the E & J Gallo Winery (d. 2007) 1909 – C. Walter Hodges, English author and illustrator (d. 2004) 1911 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1967) 1912 – Art Gilmore, American voice actor and announcer (d. 2010) 1913 – René Clément, French director and screenwriter (d. 1996) 1913 – Werner Mölders, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941) 1915 – Richard Condon, American author and screenwriter (d. 1996) 1922 – Egon Bahr, German journalist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany (d. 2015) 1922 – Seymour Martin Lipset, American sociologist and academic (d. 2006) 1922 – Fred Shuttlesworth, American activist, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (d. 2011) 1923 – Andy Granatelli, American race car driver and businessman (d. 2013) 1925 – Alessandro Alessandroni, Italian musician (d. 2017) 1925 – James Pickles, English journalist, lawyer, and judge (d. 2010) 1926 – 1950 1926 – Peter Graves, American actor and director (d. 2010) 1927 – John Kander, American pianist and composer 1927 – George Plimpton, American journalist and actor (d. 2003) 1927 – Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (d. 2015) 1928 – Miguel Poblet, Spanish cyclist (d. 2013) 1928 – Fidel V. Ramos, Filipino general and politician, 12th President of the Philippines 1929 – Samuel Pisar, Polish-American lawyer and author (d. 2015) 1930 – James J. Andrews, American mathematician and academic (d. 1998) 1931 – John Fraser, Scottish actor 1932 – John Updike, American novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 2009) 1933 – Unita Blackwell, American activist and politician 1934 – Roy Chapman, English footballer and manager (d. 1983) 1934 – Charley Pride, American country music singer and musician 1935 – Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician and statistician 1935 – Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (d. 2016) 1936 – F. W. de Klerk, South African lawyer and politician, 2nd State President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2021) 1937 – Rudi Altig, German cyclist and sportscaster (d. 2016) 1937 – Mark Donohue, American race car driver (d. 1975) 1938 – Carl Gottlieb, American actor and screenwriter 1938 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor and producer (d. 2017) 1938 – Kenny Lynch, English singer-songwriter and actor 1938 – Timo Mäkinen, Finnish race car driver (d. 2017) 1938 – Machiko Soga, Japanese actress (d. 2006) 1939 – Ron Atkinson, English footballer and manager 1939 – Jean-Pierre Wallez, French violinist and conductor 1940 – Mark Medoff, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 2019) 1941 – Wilson Pickett, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006) 1942 – Kathleen Collins, African-American filmmaker and playwright (d. 1988) 1943 – Dennis Linde, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006) 1944 – Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Israeli general and politician, 22nd Transportation Minister of Israel (d. 2012) 1944 – Frank McRae, American football player and actor 1944 – Dick Smith, Australian publisher and businessman, founded Dick Smith Electronics and Australian Geographic 1945 – Hiroh Kikai, Japanese photographer 1945 – Michael Reagan, American journalist and radio host 1945 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (d. 2012) 1945 – Eric Woolfson, Scottish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2009) 1946 – Michel Leclère, French race car driver 1947 – Patrick Barlow, English actor and playwright 1947 – Patrick Chesnais, French actor, director, and screenwriter 1947 – David Lloyd, English cricketer, journalist, and sportscaster 1947 – B. J. Wilson, English rock drummer (d. 1990) 1948 – Guy Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach 1948 – Brian Lloyd, Welsh footballer 1948 – Eknath Solkar, Indian cricketer (d. 2005) 1949 – Åse Kleveland, Norwegian singer and politician, Norwegian Minister of Culture 1950 – James Conlon, American conductor and educator 1950 – Brad Dourif, American actor 1950 – Linda Partridge, English geneticist and academic 1950 – Larry Perkins, Australian race car driver 1951 – 1975 1951 – Paul Barber, English actor 1951 – Ben Cohen, American businessman and philanthropist, co-founded Ben and Jerry's 1951 – Bill Frisell, American guitarist and composer 1951 – Timothy N. Philpot, American lawyer, author, and judge 1952 – Will Durst, American journalist and actor 1952 – Pat Eddery, Irish jockey and trainer (d. 2015) 1952 – Bernie Tormé, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist 1952 – Mike Webster, American football player (d. 2002) 1952 – Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia 1953 – Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (d. 2015) 1953 – Takashi Yoshimatsu, Japanese composer 1955 – Francis G. Slay, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of St. Louis 1955 – Jeff Stelling, English journalist and game show host 1956 – Rick Martel, Canadian wrestler 1956 – Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American madam (d. 2008) 1956 – Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish skier 1957 – Christer Fuglesang, Swedish physicist and astronaut 1958 – Richard de Zoysa, Sri Lankan journalist and author (d. 1990) 1959 – Luc Besson, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded EuropaCorp 1960 – Richard Biggs, American actor (d. 2004) 1960 – Guy Carbonneau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach 1960 – James Plaskett, Cypriot-English chess player 1961 – Grant Hart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017) 1962 – Michael Andrews, Australian rugby league player 1962 – Irene Cara, American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer 1962 – Brian Fisher, American baseball player 1962 – Thomas Ian Griffith, American actor and martial artist 1962 – James McMurtry, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor 1962 – Etsushi Toyokawa, Japanese actor and director 1962 – Volker Weidler, German race car driver and engineer 1963 – Jeff LaBar, American guitarist 1963 – Vanessa L. Williams, American model, actress, and singer 1964 – Bonnie Blair, American speed skater 1964 – Alex Caffi, Italian race car driver 1964 – Jo Churchill, British politician 1964 – Courtney Pine, English saxophonist and clarinet player 1964 – Isabel Noronha, Mozambican movie director 1966 – Jerry Cantrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist 1966 – Peter Jones, English businessman 1966 – Brian Watts, Canadian golfer 1967 – Miki Berenyi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist 1968 – Prince Eudes, Duke of Angoulême 1968 – Miguel Herrera, Mexican footballer and manager 1968 – Temur Ketsbaia, Georgian footballer and manager 1968 – Paul Marsden, English businessman and politician 1969 – Andy Cutting, English accordion player and composer 1969 – Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukrainian chess player 1969 – Jimmy Morales, Guatemalan comedian and politician, President of Guatemala 1969 – Shaun Udal, English cricketer 1970 – Queen Latifah, American rapper, producer, and actress 1971 – Wayne Arthurs, Australian tennis player 1971 – Mike Bell, American wrestler (d. 2008) 1971 – Mariaan de Swardt, South African-American tennis player, coach, and sportscaster 1971 – Kitty Ussher, English economist and politician 1972 – Dane Cook, American comedian, actor, director, and producer 1972 – Reince Priebus, American lawyer and politician, 27th White House Chief of Staff 1973 – Luci Christian, American voice actress and screenwriter 1974 – Laure Savasta, French basketball player, coach, and sportscaster 1974 – Stuart Zender, English bass player, songwriter, and producer 1975 – Sutton Foster, American actress, singer, and dancer 1975 – Brian Griese, American football player and sportscaster 1975 – Kimmo Timonen, Finnish ice hockey player 1975 – Tomas Žvirgždauskas, Lithuanian footballer From 1976 1976 – Giovanna Antonelli, Brazilian actress and producer 1976 – Tomo Ohka, Japanese baseball player 1976 – Scott Podsednik, American baseball player 1976 – Mike Quackenbush, American wrestler, trainer, and author, founded Chikara wrestling promotion 1977 – Zdeno Chára, Slovak ice hockey player 1977 – Alex Jones, Welsh television presenter 1977 – Danny Murphy, English footballer and sportscaster 1977 – Fernando Rodney, Dominican-American baseball player 1977 – Willy Sagnol, French footballer and manager 1977 – Terrmel Sledge, American baseball player and coach 1978 – Fernandão, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2014) 1978 – Brooke Hanson, Australian swimmer 1978 – Brian Scalabrine, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster 1978 – Jonas Wallerstedt, Swedish footballer, coach, and manager 1979 – Adam Levine, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and television personality 1980 – Sébastien Frey, French footballer 1980 – Sophia Myles, English actress 1980 – Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater 1981 – Tora Berger, Norwegian biathlete 1981 – Fabian Cancellara, Swiss cyclist 1981 – Leslie Djhone, French sprinter 1981 – Jang Na-ra, South Korean singer and actress 1981 – Kasib Powell, American basketball player 1981 – Tom Starke, German footballer 1981 – Doug Warren, American soccer player 1981 – Lovro Zovko, Croatian tennis player 1982 – Mantorras, Angolan footballer 1982 – Chad Cordero, American baseball player 1982 – Timo Glock, German race car driver 1982 – Adam Pally, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter 1983 – Ethan Carter III, American wrestler 1983 – Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, French tennis player 1983 – Andy Sonnanstine, American baseball player 1983 – Tomasz Stolpa, Polish footballer 1984 – Simone Padoin, Italian footballer 1984 – Rajeev Ram, American tennis player 1984 – Vonzell Solomon, American singer and actress 1985 – Ana Beatriz, Brazilian race car driver 1985 – Marvin Humes, English singer 1985 – Vince Lia, Australian footballer 1986 – Lykke Li, Swedish singer-songwriter 1986 – Abdennour Chérif El-Ouazzani, Algerian footballer 1987 – Rebecca Soni, American swimmer 1989 – Francesco Checcucci, Italian footballer 1989 – Lily Collins, English-American actress 1989 – Shreevats Goswami, Indian cricketer 1989 – Kana Nishino, Japanese singer-songwriter 1989 – Paul Marc Rousseau, Canadian guitarist and producer 1991 – Dylan Mattingly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist 1991 – Sam Williams, Australian rugby league player 1992 – Ryan Truex, American race car driver 1992 – Takuya Terada, Japanese singer, actor, and model 1997 – Ciara Bravo, American actress 1997 – Rieko Ioane, New Zealand rugby union player Deaths Up to 1900 978 – Edward the Martyr, English king (b. 962) 1076 – Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess of Burgundy (b. 1018) 1086 – Anselm of Lucca, Italian bishop (b. 1036) 1227 – Pope Honorius III (b. 1148) 1272 – John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel (b. 1246) 1308 – Yuri I of Galicia 1314 – Jacques de Molay, Frankish knight (b. 1244) 1314 – Geoffroy de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy for the Knights Templar 1321 – Matthew III Csák, Hungarian oligarch (b. c.1260/5) 1582 – Juan Jauregui, attempted assassin of William I of Orange (b. 1562) 1675 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier (b. 1606) 1689 – John Dixwell, English soldier and politician (b. 1607) 1745 – Robert Walpole, English scholar and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1676) 1768 – Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist and clergyman (b. 1713) 1781 – Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (b. 1727) 1823 – Jean-Baptiste Bréval, French cellist and composer (b. 1753) 1835 – Christian Günther von Bernstorff, Danish-Prussian politician and diplomat (b. 1769) 1845 – Johnny Appleseed, American gardener and missionary (b. 1774) 1871 – Augustus De Morgan, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1806) 1898 – Matilda Joslyn Gage, American author and activist (b. 1826) 1900 – Hjalmar Kiærskou, Danish botanist (b. 1835) 1901 – 2000 1907 – Marcellin Berthelot, French chemist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1827) 1913 – George I of Greece (b. 1845) 1918 – Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, American architect, designed the Plaza Hotel (b. 1847) 1930 – Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, American painter (b. 1863) 1936 – Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek journalist, lawyer, and politician, 93rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1864) 1939 – Henry Simpson Lunn, English businessman, founded Lunn Poly (b. 1859) 1941 – Henri Cornet, French cyclist (b. 1884) 1947 – William C. Durant, American businessman, co-founded General Motors and Chevrolet (b. 1861) 1954 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (b. 1868) 1956 – Louis Bromfield, American environmentalist and author (b. 1896) 1962 – Walter W. Bacon, American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (b. 1880) 1964 – Sigfrid Edström, Swedish businessman, 4th President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1870) 1965 – Farouk of Egypt (b. 1920) 1973 – Johannes Aavik, Estonian philologist and poet (b. 1880) 1977 – Marien Ngouabi, Congolese politician, President of the Republic of the Congo (b. 1938) 1977 – Carlos Pace, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1944) 1978 – Leigh Brackett, American author and screenwriter (b. 1915) 1978 – Peggy Wood, American actress (b. 1892) 1980 – Erich Fromm, German psychologist and philosopher (b. 1900) 1982 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (b. 1901) 1983 – Umberto II of Italy (b. 1904) 1984 – Charley Lau, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933) 1986 – Bernard Malamud, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1914) 1988 – Billy Butterfield, American trumpet player and cornet player (b. 1917) 1990 – Robin Harris, American comedian (b. 1953) 1993 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English-American economist and activist (b. 1910) 1996 – Odysseas Elytis, Greek poet and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911) 2000 – Eberhard Bethge, German theologian and academic (b. 1909) From 2001 2001 – John Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Mamas & the Papas) (b. 1935) 2002 – R. A. Lafferty, American soldier and author (b. 1914) 2003 – Karl Kling, German race car driver (b. 1910) 2003 – Adam Osborne, Thai-English engineer and businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (b. 1939) 2004 – Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1927) 2006 – Dan Gibson, Canadian photographer and cinematographer (b. 1922) 2007 – Bob Woolmer, Indian-English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1948) 2008 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (b. 1954) 2009 – Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian journalist and blogger (b. 1980) 2009 – Natasha Richardson, English-American actress (b. 1963) 2010 – Fess Parker, American actor and businessman (b. 1924) 2011 – Warren Christopher, American lawyer and politician, 63rd United States Secretary of State (b. 1925) 2012 – Furman Bisher, American journalist and author (b. 1918) 2012 – William R. Charette, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1932) 2012 – William G. Moore Jr., American general (b. 1920) 2012 – George Tupou V of Tonga (b. 1948) 2013 – Muhammad Mahmood Alam, Pakistani general and pilot (b. 1935) 2013 – Henry Bromell, American novelist, screenwriter, and director (b. 1947) 2013 – Clay Ford, American lawyer and politician (b. 1938) 2014 – Catherine Obianuju Acholonu, Nigerian author, playwright, and academic (b. 1951) 2014 – Kaiser Kalambo, Zambian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1953) 2014 – Lucius Shepard, American author and critic (b. 1943) 2015 – Zhao Dayu, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1961) 2015 – Thomas Hopko, American priest and theologian (b. 1939) 2015 – Grace Ogot, Kenyan nurse, journalist, and politician (b. 1930) 2016 – Barry Hines, English author and screenwriter (b. 1939) 2016 – Jan Němec, Czech director and screenwriter (b. 1936) 2016 – Tray Walker, American football player (b. 1992) 2016 – Guido Westerwelle, German lawyer and politician, 15th Vice-Chancellor of Germany (b. 1961) 2017 – Chuck Berry, American guitarist, singer and songwriter (b. 1926) 2017 – Sergei Gimayev, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1955) 2017 – Ashwin Sundar Indian racing driver (b. 1985) 2017 – Miloslav Vlk, Czech cardinal (b. 1932) 2017 – Bernie Wrightson, American illustrator and comic book artist (b. 1948) 2018 – Barkat Gourad Hamadou, former Prime minister of Djibouti (b. 1930) 2018 – Li Ao, Chinese-Taiwanese social commentator and historian (b. 1935) 2018 – Ivor Richard, Baron Richard, British politician and diplomat (b. 1932) 2019 – Egon Balas, Romanian mathematician (b. 1922) 2019 – György Baló, Hungarian broadcaster (b. 1947) 2019 – John Carl Buechler, American visual effects artist, actor and movie director (b. 1952) 2019 – Jerrie Cobb, American aviator (b. 1931) 2019 – Kenneth To, Hong Kong-Australian swimmer (b. 1992) Holidays and observances Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation (Mexico) Christian feast day: Alexander of Jerusalem Anselm of Lucca Cyril of Jerusalem Edward the Martyr Fridianus Salvator March 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) Earliest date on which Holy Wednesday can fall, while April 21 is the latest; celebrated on the week before Easter (Christianity) Flag Day (Aruba) Gallipoli Memorial Day (Turkey) Men's and Soldiers' Day (Mongolia) Ordnance Factories' Day (India) Sheelah's Day (Ireland, Canada, Australia) Teacher's Day (Syria) References Days of the year
8092
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928
1928
1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. It was a leap year starting on Saturday in the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Monday of the obsolete Julian calendar. It was also the last year when the Julian calendar was used until Tuesday, January 1, 1929, when every state in the entire world had adopted the Gregorian calendar. Events January 31 – Leon Trotsky is exiled to Kazakhstan February 8 – British inventor John Logie Baird sends the first television signal across the Atlantic Ocean, from London to New York May 7 – The United Kingdom gives equal voting rights to women by passing the Representation of the People Act. This law allows women to vote when they are 21 years old, like men. Before this, women could not vote until they were 30. June 9 – Australian flyer Charles Kingsford Smith finishes the first airplane flight across the Pacific Ocean. September 28 – Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin October 2 – Josemaria Escriva starts Opus Dei. Births January 5 – Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan and 4th President (died 1979). March 6 - Glyn Owen, Welsh actor (died 2004) March 20 – Fred Rogers, American television children's program host and writer (died 2003). April 23 – Shirley Temple, American child actress and diplomat (died 2014). May 4 – Hosni Mubarak, 4th President of Egypt and Prime Minister (died 2020). May 23 - Nigel Davenport, British actor (died 2013). June 14 – Che Guevara, Argentinian Marxist revolutionary (died 1967). July 26 – Stanley Kubrick, American movie director (died 1999). August 22 – Karlheinz Stockhausen, German composer (died 2007). December 1 - Malachi Throne, American television actor (died 2013). December 30 – Bo Diddley, American rock and roll musician (died 2008). Deaths February 4 – Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist and mathematician
8093
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor
Meteor
A meteor is what you see when a space rock falls to Earth. It is often known as a shooting star or falling star and can be a bright light in the night sky, though most are faint. A few survive long enough to hit the ground. That is called a meteorite, and a large one sometimes leaves a hole in the ground called a crater. A rock that has not yet hit the atmosphere is called a "meteoroid". Meteoroids may range in size from large pieces of rock to tiny dust particles floating in space that did not form planets. When the meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere they are usually going faster than the Earth's escape velocity of 13 km/sec or Mach 40. This makes them heat up and usually break apart. When the heat makes them glow, they are known as meteors. Meteors are distinct from comets or asteroids, but some, especially those associated with meteor showers, are dust particles that came out of comets. There are several types of meteorites including: stony, carbonaceous chondrites, and iron-nickel. Stony meteorites are named because they are largely made up of stone-like mineral material. Carbonaceous chondrites have a high carbon content. Iron-nickel meteorites are mostly iron often with significant nickel as well. Meteorites were often during the Late Heavy Bombardment. Nowadays they sometimes hurt people and property. The 2013 Russian meteor event did the most damage. Large meteorite strikes may have played a part in several of the mass extinctions, and so indirectly on the course of evolution. (see K/T extinction event; List of extinction events; Chicxulub crater) Meteorite types Chondrites Chondrites are stony (non-metallic) meteorites that are as old as the Solar System: 4.55 billion years. They sometimes contain amino acids and other organic molecules. They have not been modified due to melting or other disturbances. They are formed when various types of dust and small grains that were present in the early solar system accreted to form primitive asteroids. They are the most common type of meteorite that falls to Earth: they are about 85 or 86 percent of all meteorites. Their study gives clues about the origin and age of the Solar System, the synthesis of organic compounds, the origin of life or the presence of water on Earth. Chondrites can be differentiated from iron meteorites by their low iron and nickel content. Achondrites About 8 percent of meteorites show signs of melting and recrystallizing. They look rather like basalt or granite. Iron meteorites Iron meteorites are meteorites made of an iron–nickel alloy. They are about 6 percent of all meteorites. This comes from the inner cores of early small proto-planets. The iron found in iron meteorites was one of the earliest sources of usable iron, before humans invented smelting. That signalled the beginning of the iron age. Iron meteorites are easily found, because native iron is rare. Siderolites Siderolites are stony-iron meteorites that have almost equal parts of iron and silicates. They are quite rare: only about 1 percent of all meteorites are siderolites. Related pages Meteor burst communication Panspermia References
8099
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Similarity
Similarity
Similarity can mean: In mathematics: Similarity (geometry), when a shape looks the same as another shape, but has a different size or rotation Matrix similarity, a relation between matrices In computer science: String metric, or string similarity Semantic similarity in computational linguistics In other fields: In psychology, similarity (psychology) In music, musical similarity In chemistry, chemical similarity Related pages Difference Equality (mathematics) Identity (philosophy)
8105
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notepad
Notepad
Notepad is a word processing program, which allows changing of text in a computer file. Notepad was created by the Microsoft corporation. It is a text editor, a very simple word processor. It has been a part of Microsoft Windows since 1985. The program has options such as changing the font, the font size, and the font style. The most common use for Notepad is to view or change (edit) text (.txt) files, though .dat and .ini files can be changed in Notpad as well. Many users find Notepad a simple program for creating webpages. Unlike using special software programs to create webpages, a Notepad user must write their webpages directly in the HTML markup language. Word processors Microsoft Windows software
8106
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max%20Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (April 23, 1858 in Kiel – October 4, 1947 in Göttingen) was a physicist from Germany. He discovered quantum mechanics. He won the Nobel Prize in physics. Life Planck came from an old fashioned, intelligent family. His great-grandfather and grandfather were both theology professors in Göttingen; his father was a law professor in Kiel and Munich; and his paternal uncle was a judge. Planck was born in Kiel, Holstein, to Johann Julius Wilhelm Planck and his second wife, Emma Patzig. He was baptised with the name of Karl Ernst Ludwig Marx Planck; of his given names, Marx (a now not used variant of Markus or maybe simply an error for Max, which is actually short for Maximilian) was indicated as the primary name. However, by the age of ten he signed with the name Max and used this for the rest of his life. He was the sixth child in the family, although two of his brothers and sisters were from his father's first marriage. Among his earliest memories was the marching of Prussian and Austrian troops into Kiel during the Danish-Prussian war of 1864. In 1867 the family moved to Munich, and Planck enrolled in the Maximilians gymnasium school, where he came under the tutelage of Hermann Müller, a mathematician who took an interest in the youth, and taught him astronomy and mechanics as well as mathematics. It was from Müller that Planck first learned the principle of conservation of energy. Planck graduated early, at age 17. This is how Planck first came in contact with the field of physics. References Other websites Reflexions a propòsit de la teoria dels quanta (Simone Weil) 1858 births 1947 deaths German academics German Nobel Prize winners German theoretical physicists
8109
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay%20Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer, television host and television presenter. Early life Leno was born James Douglas Muir Leno in New Rochelle, New York on April 28, 1950. His homemaker mother Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993) was born in Greenock, Scotland and came to the United States at the age of 11. Leno's father, Angelo (1910–1994), who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York, to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and even though his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of school, he later obtained a Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973. Leno's only sibling was his late older brother Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran and a lawyer. Career The Tonight Show Leno worked on late night television. He became host of The Tonight Show in 1992 when Johnny Carson retired. In 2007, during the writer's strike, Leno sided with the writers, even though he returned to his show after two months (without the writers besides himself) so that his staff would not be out of work. Despite leading the late-night ratings, he was forced out as host of the Tonight Show in 2009 to make way for Conan O'Brien. On March 1, 2010, became The Tonight Show host once again, because of poor ratings with both himself and Conan O'Brien. Leno hosted his last episode of the Tonight Show on February 6, 2014. The Jay Leno Show He now stars in his own prime-time comedy show The Jay Leno Show, which debuted on September 14, 2009. Acting He guest-starred twice on the Nickelodeon TV series The Fairly OddParents as the Crimson Chin. His character's name uses the fact that Leno has a large and square chin. Personal life Since 1980, Leno has been married to Mavis Leno; they have no children by mutual agreement. Leno is dyslexic. References Other websites Official Tonight Show with Jay Leno web site Jay Leno's Car Collection Jay Leno's Columns at Octane magazine The New York Times on Leno's affiliation with McPherson College Live performance videos from the Tonight Show 1950 births Living people Actors from New York People from New Rochelle, New York American movie actors American television talk show hosts Comedians from New York Emmy Award winners
8110
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal city and major seaport on the mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city has a population of over 630,000 and is the largest city in British Columbia. Metro Vancouver has a population of over 2 million people. That makes it the third largest metropolitan area in Canada. Vancouver has a mix of people from different cultures. Fifty-two percent of city residents have a first language that is not English. History Native People began living in this area around 10,000-8,000 years ago. These people were part of three main groups: the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh. Vancouver was founded in 1886, and is named after British naval captain George Vancouver. Captain Vancouver explored the area around Vancouver and Vancouver Island in the 1790s. Buildings and information The University of British Columbia is in Vancouver. Vancouver also has Stanley Park which has beaches and totem poles. Nearby is Grouse Mountain which has good skiing and has a 2.9 km (1.8 mi.) hiking trail which is known as the Grouse Grind. Grouse Mountain also has an animal sanctuary, including wolves and bears. The Lions Gate Bridge is also in Stanley Park, Vancouver. Sports Vancouver has two ice hockey teams, the Vancouver Canucks (who play for the National Hockey League) and the Vancouver Giants (who play for the Western Hockey League). The BC Lions of the Canadian Football League are based in Vancouver. The team has won 6 Grey Cups. In soccer, Vancouver is home to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. They play in the Major League Soccer (MLS). The 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver and it was the first time Canada won a gold medal on Canadian soil. Geography Vancouver is on a peninsula on the West Coast of Canada, less than a one-hour drive north of the Canada-U.S. border. Between Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean to the west is a large island called Vancouver Island. Until the city was named in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island. Some people mistakenly think that the city is on Vancouver Island. On the south shore of Vancouver is the Fraser River, which flows west into the Strait of Georgia. The water along the north shore is called Burrard Inlet. The city has an area of 114 square kilometres (44 sq mi). The larger metropolitan area is 2,878 square kilometres (1,111 sq mi). As with most of British Columbia, Vancouver is in the Pacific Time Zone (UTC−8). Climate Vancouver has an oceanic climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification). The average precipitation per year is 1189 mm, mostly from October to April. High temperatures in the summer average 22 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded was 34.4 °C on July 30, 2009. On average, snow falls on only 11 days per year. The snow is usually wet, not very deep, and melts in the rain. On average, on only 4.5 days a year does the temperature not rise above freezing. Housing in Vancouver Vancouver has had a housing affordability crisis for many years. It came in as the second-least affordable housing market compared with 90 other metropolitan areas in different countries. The only place considered less affordable was Hong Kong. Vancouver has been criticized for saying that it provides many social housing units to residents. However social housing can refer to small apartments renting for $1,700 per month. There are people with household incomes of up to $120,000 living in social housing in Vancouver. The government has been attempting to address the housing crisis situation by imposing a series of taxes such as the Foreign-buyers tax and Empty Homes Tax in 2016 and Speculation tax in 2018. Rents in Vancouver were very high, and apartment vacancies were very low in 2019. Media Vancouver Stations CBUT (CBC) CKVU (Citytv) CHAN (Global Television Network) CKNO (Knowledge Network) Notable people Notes References Other websites Official City of Vancouver website Tourism Vancouver Olympic cities
8111
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax
Halifax
Halifax (demonym Haligonian) may refer to: Places Australia Halifax Bay, North Queensland Canada British Columbia Halifax Range, a mountain range Nova Scotia Halifax (electoral district), a federal electoral district since Confederation Halifax Regional Municipality, capital of Nova Scotia, established in 1996, which includes: Halifax (former city), the former city Halifax County, Nova Scotia, the former county Mainland Halifax, a region of the Municipality Halifax Peninsula, part of the core of the Municipality Metropolitan Halifax, urban part of the Municipality Halifax Stanfield International Airport, built in Enfield in 1960 Halifax West, a federal electoral district since 1979 Prince Edward Island Halifax Parish, Prince Edward Island United Kingdom Halifax, West Yorkshire, England (original source of the word "Halifax") Halifax (UK Parliament constituency) United States Halifax, Massachusetts, in Plymouth County Halifax (MBTA station) Halifax County, North Carolina (named for George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax) Halifax, North Carolina Halifax Township, Pennsylvania, in Dauphin County Halifax, Pennsylvania Halifax, Vermont, in Windham County Halifax County, Virginia (named for George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax) Halifax, Virginia Halifax River, in Florida (named for George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax) Companies Halifax (United Kingdom bank), part of the Lloyds Banking Group Halifax (Irish bank), part of the Lloyds Banking Group Music and television Halifax f.p., an Australian television drama series Halifax (band), an American rock band The Halifax III, a 1960s Canadian folk music band Military Halifax Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) Handley Page Halifax, a British bomber plane during World War II Halifax-class frigate, of the Canadian Navy , the name of two Canadian naval vessels HMCS Halifax (FFH 330), the lead ship of the Halifax class HMCS Halifax (K237), a World War II Flower class corvette for convoy escort duties HMS Halifax, the name of several Royal Navy ships HMS Halifax (1756), a 22-gun sloop launched in 1756 and captured by the French in the same year at Oswego HMS Halifax (1768), a 10-gun schooner originally built for merchant service at Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1765. Purchased in 1768 by the British Royal Navy and wrecked in 1775 HMS Halifax (1775), a schooner purchased in 1775 and sold 1780 HMS Halifax (1780), an 18-gun sloop, originally called the USS Ranger, renamed after the ship was captured from the United States Navy on 11 May 1780, and sold in 1781 HMS Halifax (1782), a 10-gun schooner purchased in 1782 and sold in 1784 HMS Halifax (1806), an 18-gun sloop launched in 1806 at Halifax, Nova Scotia and broken up in 1814 People Surname William Halifax, Lord Stirling (1786–1871) Joan Halifax (born 1942), Zen Buddhist roshi Titled Marquess of Halifax, a British title created once George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (1633–1695) Earl of Halifax, a British title created four times and held by, among others: Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax (1661–1715) George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax (1685–1739) George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (1716–1771) Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax (1800–1885) Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax (1839–1934) E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax (1881–1959) (created Earl of Halifax in 1944) Charles Wood, 2nd Earl of Halifax (1912–1980) Charles Wood, 3rd Earl of Halifax (1944- ) Fictional John Halifax, central character of John Halifax, Gentleman, 1856 novel Sports Halifax RLFC, a rugby league club F.C. Halifax Town, a football club Halifax Town A.F.C., was an English football club, prior to 2009 Halifax Mooseheads a QMJHL team Other Halifax College, a college of the University of York, England Halifax Explosion, a 1917 explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia caused by a ship collision Halifax Gibbet, an early guillotine Related pages Surnames
8112
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is a territory in Canada. It is the newest, largest, and northernmost territory of Canada. It was founded in 1999 when many Inuit living in the Northwest Territories wanted to have an independent province and government. Its capital is named Iqaluit. It is in the north of Canada, and has a particularly cold climate for much of the year. It has many native people (mainly Inuit). The main form of transportation is the snowmobile. For the first week of being a separate unit, it was the Province of Nunavut, but after a week it was renamed Nunavut Territory. A symbol of the territory is the Eskimo Dog (). Even today, some people still use these dogs. Gallery References 1999 establishments in Canada Provinces and territories of Canada
8113
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve%20Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer and musician. Early years Martin was born in Waco, Texas to Glenn Vernon Martin, a real estate salesman and aspiring actor, and Mary Lee Stewart, a housewife. Martin was raised in Inglewood, California and Garden Grove, California. He is of English, French, German, Irish and Scottish descent. As a teenager, Martin started out working at the Magic Shop at Disneyland. There he developed his talents for magic, juggling, playing the banjo and creating balloon animals. He teamed up with friend and Garden Grove High School classmate Kathy Westmoreland to do a musical comedy routine. They performed at local coffee houses and at the Bird Cage Theater in Knott's Berry Farm. Martin attended Santa Ana College at the same time as actress Diane Keaton. Martin majored in philosophy at California State University, Long Beach, but dropped out. His time there changed his life: "It changed what I believe and what I think about everything. I majored in philosophy. Something about non-sequiturs appealed to me. In philosophy, I started studying logic, and they were talking about cause and effect, and you start to realize, 'Hey, there is no cause and effect! There is no logic! There is no anything!' Then it gets real easy to write this stuff, because all you have to do is twist everything hard—you twist the punch line, you twist the non-sequitur so hard away from the things that set it up, that it's easy... and it's thrilling." Martin's girlfriend in 1967 was a dancer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. She helped Martin get a writing job with the show by submitting his work to head writer Mason Williams. Williams initially paid Martin out of his own pocket. Along with the other writers for the show, Martin won an Emmy Award in 1969. Martin also wrote for John Denver (a neighbor of his in Aspen, Colorado at one point), The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. He also appeared on these shows and several others, in various comedy skits. Martin also performed his own material, sometimes as an opening act for groups such as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The Carpenters. He appeared at San Francisco's The Boarding House among other places. He continued to write, earning an Emmy nomination for his work on Van Dyke and Company in 1976. Fame In the mid-1970s, he made appearances as a stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. That exposure, together with appearances on HBO's On Location and NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) led to his first of four comedy albums, Let's Get Small. The album was a huge success. His next album, A Wild and Crazy Guy, was a bigger success. It reached the #2 spot on the sales chart in the United States. It created a catch phrase (the album's title). It was based on an SNL skit in which Martin and Dan Aykroyd played a couple of bumbling Czechoslovakian playboys. The album was a million seller. Both albums won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording in 1977 and 1978 respectively. Movie career Martin's first movie was a short, The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977). The seven-minute long movie, also featuring Buck Henry and Teri Garr, was written by and starred Martin. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Short Film, Live Action. His first feature movie appearance was in the musical Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He sang the Beatles' Maxwell's Silver Hammer. In 1979, Martin wrote and starred in his first full-length movie, The Jerk, directed by Carl Reiner. The movie was a huge success, grossing over $73 million. Martin was in three more Reiner-directed comedies after The Jerk: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid in 1982, The Man with Two Brains in 1983 and All of Me in 1984. In 1986, Martin joined fellow Saturday Night Live veterans Martin Short and Chevy Chase in ¡Three Amigos!, directed by John Landis. In 1986, Martin was in the musical movie version of the hit off-Broadway play Little Shop of Horrors as a sadistic dentist, Orin Scrivello. In 1987, Martin joined comedian John Candy in the John Hughes movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. That same year, the Cyrano de Bergerac adaptation Roxanne won him a Writers Guild of America award. In 1988, he did Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Michael Caine and directed by Frank Oz. In 2005, Martin wrote and starred in Shopgirl. Martin played a wealthy businessman who strikes up a romance with a Saks 5th Avenue counter girl (Claire Danes). He also starred in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 that year. Martin's latest work was in the 2006 remake of The Pink Panther. Other websites 1945 births Living people Actors from Los Angeles County, California Actors from Texas American movie actors Movie directors from Los Angeles County, California Movie directors from Texas Movie producers from Los Angeles County, California Movie producers from Texas American screenwriters American television actors Comedians from Los Angeles County, California Comedians from Texas Emmy Award winners Grammy Award winners Mark Twain Prize recipients Actors from Orange County, California People from Waco, Texas Writers from Los Angeles County, California Writers from Texas
8114
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard%20Attenborough
Richard Attenborough
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 1923 – 24 August 2014) was an English movie producer, director and actor. Early life and education He was born in Cambridge, England. Attenborough left his home when he was 17 to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He earned his first West End theatre role, then went to national stardom in the play Brighton Rock. Career Attenborough later became a producer and director. He produced and directed the movie Gandhi. Attenborough said that the movie Gandhi was his dream project and waited years to make it. Gandhi won 5 British Academy Awards and 8 American Oscars. In 1983 he won the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, a lifetime achievement award. In his movie roles, he is mostly known for his roles in The Great Escape and in Jurassic Park. He was the older brother of naturalist David Attenborough. After years of poor health, Attenborough died in London of heart failure on 24 August 2014, five days before his 91st birthday. His movies References Other websites Academy Award winning directors Actors from Cambridgeshire BAFTA Award winners English movie actors English movie directors English movie producers English stage actors English television actors People from Cambridge 1923 births 2014 deaths Deaths from Parkinson's disease Deaths from heart failure
8118
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin%20Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He first became famous on the television show Mork and Mindy. He starred in many movies. On August 11, 2014, Williams was found dead in his home. His death was believed to have been a suicide by asphyxiation. Early life Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 21, 1951. His father Robert Fitzgerald Williams (September 10, 1906 – October 18, 1987) worked for Ford Motor Company. His mother Laura McLaurin (née Smith, September 24, 1922 – September 4, 2001) was a former model from New Orleans, Louisiana. His great-great-grandfather on his mother's side was Mississippi senator and governor Anselm J. McLaurin. Williams' ancestors were English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, German, and French. When he was young, Williams lived in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and in Marin County, California. He studied at Redwood High School and at Claremont McKenna College. He studied to become an actor at the Julliard School in New York City and at the College of Marin. Career After his family moved to Marin County, Williams began his career doing stand-up comedy shows in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid-1970s. His first performance took place at the Holy City Zoo, a comedy club in San Francisco, where he worked his way up from tending bar to getting on stage. Williams became famous for his role as Mork in the television series Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). His idol Jonathan Winters also appeared in the show. Williams went on to a successful career in both stand-up comedy and movie acting. He acted in the movies The World According to Garp, Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, Awakenings, The Fisher King, Good Will Hunting, Popeye, Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, The Birdcage, Night at the Museum, and Happy Feet. Williams appeared in the music video for "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. In 2013, Williams starred as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Lee Daniels' The Butler. Before his death, Williams starred in the short-lived comedy The Crazy Ones. It was cancelled shortly before his death. Once Williams got angry with Disney for using his voice as the Genie in Aladdin to sell merchandise for the movie. Disney tried to apologize to Williams. The Disney company bought a Picasso painting for him. Awards Williams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times. He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Good Will Hunting. He received two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and five Grammy Awards. Personal life Williams married Valerie Velardi in 1978. They divorced in 1988. In 1989, Williams married Marsha Garces. She divorced him in 2008. Williams married Susan Schneider in 2011. Their marriage lasted until Williams' death in 2014. Williams had a son with Velardi. He had a daughter and son with Garces. His son, Zak Williams, is an actor, businessman, and filmmaker. His daughter, Zelda Williams, is an actress. Williams lived in San Francisco and Paradise Cay in California. Health Williams was an alcoholic. He was also addicted to cocaine. He had strong depression in the final years of his life. On March 13, 2009, he had surgery to fix an aortic valve. The surgery was successful. One month before his death, Williams went to rehab for his alcoholism. Williams' widow stated that he had been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson's disease before his death, but the actor was "not yet ready to share publicly" this information. In November 2014, it was revealed that Williams had Lewy body dementia. Death On August 11, 2014 at about 11:45 am, Williams was found at his home by his personal assistant. About ten minutes later, a 911 call was made saying that Williams was not reacting or breathing. He was pronounced dead at 12:02 pm, shortly after emergency personnel arrived. The Marin County Sheriff's department said the cause of death was probably asphyxia by hanging. Williams was also found with cuts on his wrist. Williams was cremated. His ashes were scattered in the San Francisco Bay. On December 16, 2014, it was revealed that, as a result of his death, Williams was the fastest growing search term on Google in 2014. Movies Discography 1979: Reality...What a Concept! 1983: Throbbing Python of Love 1986: A Night at the Met 1987: Good Morning Vietnam Soundtrack 1988: Pecos Bill; narrated a children's book, with music by Ry Cooder 2003: Live 2002; recorded from a tour on Broadway, 2002 2010: Weapons of Self Destruction; filmed in Washington D.C. during Williams' national tour References Other websites "RWF" The Robin Williams Fansite! Robin Williams' Stand Up Comedy Acts a small video collection Robin Williams Interview (License to Wed) Robin Williams interview for License to Wed at TheCinemaSource.com 1951 births 2014 deaths American movie actors American television actors American voice actors Actors from Chicago Actors from California Actors who committed suicide Comedians from Chicago Comedians from California American television writers Movie producers from Chicago Movie producers from California Screenwriters from Chicago Screenwriters from California Television personalities from California Television personalities from Chicago Writers from California Writers from Chicago Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Emmy Award winning actors Golden Globe Award winning actors Grammy Award winners Saturn Award winners Screen Actors Guild Award winners Comedians who committed suicide Suicide in the 2010s Suicides by asphyxiation Suicides in California Writers who committed suicide People with Parkinson's disease
8121
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a name for over 1,400 species of giant grasses in 115 different genera. All bamboos have wood-like stems. Bamboo mainly grows in Africa, America and in Asia but can easily grow in Europe. Bamboo grows in clumps (although running varieties exist). The runners can be up to 40 metres (130 feet). David Farrelly, in his book The Book of Bamboo, says that bamboo has been measured to grow 1.21 meters (47.6 inches) in a 24-hour period. However, most bamboos (used for gardening) will grow more like 3 cm to 5 cm (1-2 inches) a day. Almost all species of bamboo have hollow stems divided into nodes or joints. The stem can be up to 30 cm (a foot) in diameter. Each of the node has one side bud. Not all of those buds develop into branches, but some do. This makes bamboo one of the few grasses that have a branch structure. Bamboo rarely flowers. Some species only flower once, and then die off. The distance of two joints in a bamboo is the basis of a traditional Japanese unit of measurement, shaku. Uses Bamboo is used to make lots of things and is a construction material. The stems of larger trees are used to build houses, bridges, and other things that have to be constructed such as boat and wickerwork. It can be used for scaffolding. Bamboo is an easy construction material and not expensive. Bamboo is almost the only food of giant pandas. The shoots can also be used as human food. Bamboo shoots are usually cooked before being eaten. Most temperate bamboos can be eaten without cooking if they are not too bitter. As some may contain cyanogens, cooking is better. The only Phyllostachys known to have potentially toxic concentrations of cyanogens is Ph. heterocycla pubescens. References
8126
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan%20War
Trojan War
The Trojan War was one of the most important wars in the history of the late Bronze Age. It happened between the Trojans and the Greeks. It is mostly known through the Iliad, an epic poem written by the Ancient Greek poet Homer. carrying the dead Achilles, protected by Hermes (on the left) and Athena (on the right). Side 1 from an Attic black-figure neck-amphora, ~520-510 BC. The Louvre, Paris. In the middle 19th century scholars thought Troy and the war were mythical; that they never existed. However, Heinrich Schliemann discovered the site of ancient Troy, across the Aegean Sea on Asia Minor. The war may have taken place in the 12th century BC. History of the Bronze Age and Troy The Bronze Age was the first era known for humans to create tools and weapons made out of metal which replaced their stone versions. Beginning in about 3,300 B.C throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia, humans made many innovative advances throughout this age. Bronze Age civilizations interconnected through trade, war, migration, and innovation. However, the age ended quickly in 1200 B.C., when many civilizations fell at once. One of the most well known ancient civilizations to fall was the city of Troy. Branching off of the Mycenaean civilization and located in Histarlik, the northeast coast of Turkey, this ancient city dates back to over 2,700 years ago. Believed to be inhabited for almost 4,000 years beginning in 3,000 B.C., this civilization developed grand palaces by building on top of one city after another was destroyed. This formed into a human-made mound called a “tell”. Gert Jan van Wingaarden, in his book “Troy: City, Homer and Turkey,” writes, “ There is no one single Troy, there are at least 10, lying in layers on top of each other.” He says that the city of Troy contains many layers which is why archeological excavators have yet to reach the remains of the first settlement. Along with enhancing their city the Trojans developed their own writing system and occupied the Dardanelles, a narrow water channel connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. The writing system and water channel advanced the city of Troy into a powerful civilization which allowed for many allies to be made but also an arising rivalry.  According to Homer’s story, Illiad, the civilization was doomed to fall as long as the Trojan King’s son, Alexander, remained alive due to a curse placed upon him at birth by Zeus. The story of the Trojan war  concludes to why such an advanced and powerful civilization like Troy was able to be completely destroyed. Mythic origin of the war The origins of the war (in the Iliad) started at the wedding of King Peleus and the nereid (sea-nymph) Thetis. They had invited almost all the gods to their wedding. But they did not invite Eris, goddess of strife. She was angry and she threw a golden apple among the guests on which was written "To the Fairest". The goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite caught the apple at the same time and fought over who was the most beautiful. Because they could not end the fight by themselves, they went to Zeus, the king of the gods. Zeus chose Paris to decide, and give the apple to who he wanted. Each of the three goddesses offered Paris gifts so he would choose her. Hera offered Paris all of Asia. Athena offered wisdom. Then Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman. Paris gave the apple to Aphrodite. Of course, Aphrodite had not thought about the fact that the most beautiful woman, Helen, Queen of Sparta, already had a husband (King Menelaus of Sparta). But Aphrodite had her son, Eros, shoot Helen with a golden arrow so she fell in love with Paris. They left for Troy. Menelaus, Helen's husband, declared war on Troy to retrieve his queen, now called Helen of Troy. This began the Trojan war. Homer's Greek Gods Greek gods play a large role in the myth of how the Trojan War was started. The reason gods were introduced to the Greek culture was to serve as an answer to the origin of man, as well as to offer authority figures that could be summoned when the Greek needed help. The Greek gods were believed to have a divine presence and were worshipped by many. They were an important aspect of Greek culture that flowed over into literature, art, and other topics. Many of Homer’s works include the involvement of Greek gods and goddesses. The gods that are seen throughout Homer’s works are immortal and they hold a lot of power. They have the power to know just about everything and are the highest in authority without any other power above them. The greatest of the gods is the family in which Zeus is the father. Throughout the majority of Homer’s writings, Zeus is so supreme that he is used to represent the collective power of gods and Zeus is so commonly mentioned. This is why in the origin of the Trojan War, the gods go to Zeus for resolutions of conflict. Unlike some works of writing and some cultures, the gods throughout Homer’s work have no relation to religion but are rather their own separate thing. The Trojan horse The war went on for ten years swinging to one side and then the other. Some of the leading fighters were Achilles, Paris, and Hector. The Greeks won by building a big wooden horse, which we now call the Trojan Horse. Greek soldiers hid inside the horse, and others put the horse on the shore and left in their boats. The Trojans saw the horse and thought that the Greeks had given up and left. They thought the horse was a gift in their honour. They dragged the horse into Troy and celebrated their victory. When night fell, the Greeks hiding inside the horse opened the city gates and set fire to the houses. The Greeks who had left in their boats had just pretended to leave, to trick the Trojans. They returned and won the war. The trick was thought up by Odysseus, King of the small island of Ithaca. Allusions of the Trojan War There are many versions to the story of the Trojan War. Two of the most famous of these stories are Homer’s poetry about this war in his books, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Full of exaggerations, distortions, contradictions, and pure fictions, these two books do not give a clear indication whether or not the Trojan war actually occurred. Homer wrote these stories based on the oral tradition of storytelling. Oral tradition has a tendency to not contain precise memories and can morph into different claims based on different cultural influences and intentions. For example, the Iliad is shown to have many similar aspects to characters and wars originating from stories throughout the Hellenic world, like the duel between Lycian Sapedon and Rhodian. These similarities in stories are not originally connected with Troy. This creates fundamental distortion which contains three principles. First, a heroic tradition may be constructed to seem as an event that holds more significance than it truly does. In Herodotus’s version of the Trojan War, he says “his narrative is presented as belonging to the realm of ‘what is said’ rather than ‘what is known.” He tries to present a credible source of the story by eliminating the gods by making Helen be the daughter of a human, Tyndareus, rather than the daughter of a god. He also makes Alexander (Paris) not judge on the beauty of the three goddesses and become convinced by Aphrodite’s promise to marry Helen. Instead, he steals Helen. He does this because humans decide on their own what is and is not credible about ancient civilizations. He knew the popular opinion would be that people do not see supernatural as credible but instead as fiction. Secondly, tradition may be picked up by regions and people who have no relation to the event. For example, different civilizations would use the information as “propagandistic purposes” to make their civilization look heroic or enemy civilizations remain monstrous. The process of passing down stories through word of mouth as the only source leads to inevitable change to the truth in the story through the different cultural influences of those telling the story. For example, if the Spartans were telling their perspective of the Trojan war compared to the Trojans, then the two stories will most likely be very different. Thirdly, the traditions may become distorted in time including the original main idea so that it is not recognizable from the rest of the evidence. This means that there most likely was a Trojan war. However, the war was not the same as what Homer states. The story is known to be part of spatium histoicum which is the clear belonging of a deep past in which accurate knowledge is difficult to obtain. For example there is also no written evidence to validate the Trojan war and archeologists can not yet provide evidence of who attacked Troy. This makes the storyline much easier to change and is why many researchers believe the Trojan war stories are about war with enemies created as a result of a copper shortage in Greece. At the time, the Trojans were the only ones that would have access to the copper supply in the Back Sea. Overall, these variations in the story of the Trojan war are not reliable sources to aid figuring out whether the Trojan war happened or not; however, they help give an understanding of the cultural background and intentions of the people during this era. What really happened There is no evidence proving the Trojan War did occur, rather there are accounts of information gathered from various excavations suggesting that if the Trojan War did occur, Hisarlik was most likely the site it did. Hisarlik consists of an ordinary low lying mound with some bits of broken pavement, building foundations, and walls. However, all in all, it is not extremely distinguishable from the rest of its surroundings. Visitors who visit Hisarlik can see a large wooden horse, built in more recent years, that serves as an aid in convincing individuals Hisarlik is the true site of Homer’s Troy. The origin of how the Trojan War was started lies in Homer’s poem, the Iliad. Hiller, the author of “Two Trojan Wars? On the Destructions of Troy VI and VII” reminds individuals that our trust in a historical Trojan War is rooted in Homer who is not a historian, but rather a poet. He also specified that because Homer is a poet, part of his role in creating content is exaggerating for better effect, and therefore evidence in support of a Trojan War needs to be independent from Homer’s epic. One point made by skeptics of the Trojan War was that it was extremely unlikely that a civilization would declare war and gather a fleet of hundreds of ships over a dispute of a woman, the original belief of the spark of conflict However, Bronze Age kings occasionally were willing to go to war over the abduction of any one of their subjects, but even more so when that subject was a family member. The information that will provide the most insight into the historical significance of the war are the excavations that occurred. The first step in establishing the physical location of the war is to find a clearly identifiable location for the war. This has not been done, although, currently Hisarlik is seen as the most identifiable. Even so, Heinrich Schliemann favored other locations as the official site of Troy before settling on Hisarlik. Heinrich Schliemann, perhaps the archaeologist most involved with the search of Troy, began excavations in Hisarlik in 1871. Because Troy is made of several settlements, another challenge was finding which of the layers were the most likely to match up with the war. Schliemann believed one of the earliest layers would have to be the site of Troy. Without much prior knowledge on excavation, Schliemann had his crew dig a trench through the site, which resulted in the destruction of several of the upper layers. The dwellings and what could be found on that level of the mound did not add up with Homer’s description with Troy, which then required excavation into the later layers. However, because Schliemann had destroyed most of the newer layers, there was only a little bit of the sixth settlement that survived, which does not provide for a large representation of the settlement. However, it was the sixth settlement that provided the best evidence of Troy’s existence. Pottery found on the site of Hisarlik showed that Troy VI most likely ended around the first ¾ of the thirteenth century. This sets the date for the war around 1250, if the war and Troy were to coincide. The date of 1250 is in very close proximity to the date given by Heredotos, a Greek historian and as well as given by other Classical Greek sources. This level also represented a peak period of the layers, once again supporting the idea that it truly was the site of the Trojan War. However, even with these pieces of evidence, the similar accounts between Homer’s Troy and Hisarlik are still generally slight and do not show any significant evidence. Another indication that the Trojan War may have occurred is that the excavation of Troy VI provided evidence that signified violent destruction. However, yet again there is no way to be certain whether the destruction was caused by humans or the environment, or both. Trojan War in Pop Culture Over the years, the story of the Trojan War has become an icon as an action-packed tv show like Troy: Fall of a City as well as a binge worthy fictional novel like Daughter of Troy by Dave Duncan. In order for creators to make these films and books portray as authentic, they add archeological information to aid the culture, history, clothing and supplies used to relate to the ancient civilization. Some examples include bronze blades and weapons which were artifacts introduced within the Bronze age, a walled city to portray the structure of the ancient cities within Greece, and the incorporation of the references to the Greek gods and goddesses watching every action they make to show their cultural beliefs. The incorporation of archeological information within pop culture is very relevant and an important aspect to making any type of film, image or novel a success. Stories, books, movies These are stories, books, movies, etc., that are about the Trojan War, or tell parts of its story: the Iliad by Homer, does not tell the story of the Trojan War from the beginning, but only a part of the last year of the siege of Troy. Other parts of the war were told in a cycle of epic poems, which has only survived in fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets like Virgil and Ovid. in the Odyssey by Homer, the main character Odysseus tells of the ten-year journey home after the Trojan War. the Aeneid, by Virgil, tells the story of Aeneas, who fled from Troy at the end of the war. Troy, is a movie about the Trojan War. The story was greatly changed in parts. It starred Brad Pitt, Eric Bana,and Orlando Bloom. References Wars involving Greece Greek mythology
8127
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise%20ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship (or cruise liner or ocean liner) is a large ship with sleeping cabins and other facilities that takes people on holiday and vacation trips. Hundreds of thousands of people take cruises each year. Today's cruise ships are like floating hotels. They have a complete "hospitality staff" (to serve food and help passengers in other ways) as well as the usual ship's crew. The largest cruise ships have casinos, shops, many restaurants, theaters for both live entertainment and movies, several pools, day care, a gym, and a running track. The most expensive cruises often have more crew and staff than passengers. This means that the people who control the cruise can give many personal services. Today, hundreds of cruise ships sail all over the world. Some carry over 3,000 passengers. These are some of the largest ships ever built. For some places, such as Antarctica, because it lacks other methods of regular transport, cruise ships are one of the few ways for tourists to visit. Ship types Tourism
8128
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows%20Media%20Player
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a digital media player made by Microsoft. It is already installed on Microsoft Windows operating systems, and an older version is available for some Apple Macintosh operating systems. The program allows people to watch certain video files and play music files that are in a compatible file format. How the program looks can also be changed with skins, and it can be made small enough to fit on the taskbar. References Other websites Windows Media Player A little Windows Media Player History Microsoft software Multimedia software
8129
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listen%20Up
Listen Up
Listen Up! was a 2004 CBS television series. It was a sitcom starring Jason Alexander as Tony Kleinman, a sportscaster from the fictional "Listen Up!" His cohost is named Bernie, and is a hall of famer. Jason has a wife, Dana, and two kids, one named Mickey. Mickey is very good at golf, but gets low grades. The series only lasted for one season, 22 episodes. American sitcoms 2004 television series debuts CBS network shows English-language television programs
8130
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic%20Park%20III
Jurassic Park III
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American movie and the third Jurassic Park movie. It follows The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Paul Kirby, who says he is a rich business owner, convinces Dr. Alan Grant and his assistant, Billy Brennan, to take him and his wife to Isla Sorna as a vacation and serve as a guide. Actually, Kirby and his wife want to search for their son, who was stranded on Isla Sorna while on a parasailing trip. After crashing on the island, they are attacked by a Spinosaurus, who kills several members of their party. After escaping, the remaining people start hiking for the coast, fighting many dinosaurs, including the Spinosaurus, along the way. Jurassic Park III is followed by Jurassic World. Release dates Other websites 2000s adventure movies 2001 science fiction movies Jurassic Park movies Movies composed by John Williams Movies set in islands Jungle movies Sequel movies Universal Pictures movies
8133
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura%20Dern
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Born in Los Angeles, she is the daughter of Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. She received an Oscar and Golden Globe Award for her performance as Rose in Rambling Rose. For the HBO film Afterburn, she received an Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award. She has also won Independent Spirit Awards for Blue Velvet and Smooth Talk. She is perhaps most famous for playing Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park. She used to date Jeff Goldblum. In 2020, she won another Oscar for her role in Marriage Story. Movies Jurassic Park 3 (2001) October Sky (1999) A Perfect World (1993) Jurassic Park (1993) - played Dr. Sattler Rambling Rose (1991) Wild at Heart (1990) Haunted Summer (1988) Blue Velvet (1986) Mask (1985) Teachers (1984) Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981) Foxes (1980) Other websites 1967 births Living people Academy Award winning actors Actors from Los Angeles American child actors American movie actors American television actors American television producers American voice actors Golden Globe Award winning actors
8134
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer%20%28movie%29
Trailer (movie)
A movie trailer (also called a preview or coming attraction) is a short showing of a future (not yet released) movie. They are shown in a theater before the current movie starts. They are often later shown in advertisements for DVD releases, and broadcasts of the movie on television. Movie terminology
8135
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael%20Crichton
Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton (October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author of many books. His books were usually in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. He was also a producer, director, and doctor. Crichton is well known for writing novels that later became well-known Hollywood movies. His most famous work was Jurassic Park. Other examples of Crichton's novels that later went on to become big-budget films include Congo, The Lost World, Rising Sun, and Sphere. Crichton has also created the ER television show. Crichton was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was 69" tall. He was married five times. He had a daughter from his fourth marriage. In November 4, 2008, he died of throat cancer and lymphoma in Los Angeles, California, aged 66. He was looked down on by some as a climate change denier In February 2009, his widow gave birth to his only, posthumous son, John Michael Todd Crichton. Further reading References Other websites 1942 births 2008 deaths American movie directors American movie producers American novelists Screenwriters from Illinois American television producers American television writers Deaths from lymphoma Deaths from throat cancer Writers from Chicago
8136
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas%20Baader
Andreas Baader
Andreas Bernd Baader (6 May 1943-18 October 1977) was a German terrorist. He was born in Munich and was one of the first leaders of the Red Army Faction (RAF). It was often called the Baader-Meinhof gang Start of the Baader-Meinhof gang In 1968, Baader and his girlfriend Gudrun Ensslin were convicted of the setting fire to a department store in Frankfurt am Main. They were arrested and sent to jail, but Baader escaped. He was caught in April 1970, but in May 1970, he was allowed to go a library outside the prison. Journalist Ulrike Meinhof and two other women were allowed to join him. They let a masked man into the library who fired shots at a 64-year-old librarian. Baader, the three women and the masked man fled through a window, and the group soon became known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Baader and others then spent some time in a Palestinian military training camp in Jordan before being thrown out. Back in Germany, Baader robbed banks and bombed buildings from 1970 to 1972. On 1 June 1972, he and fellow RAF members Jan-Carl Raspe and Holger Meins were caught after a gunfight in Frankfurt. Meins died during a hunger strike in Stammheim Prison, Stuttgart, in 1974. This was when philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre visited Baader. He described Baader as "incredibly stupid" and "an asshole"."Sartre par lui-même", 1976 Stammheim From 1975 to 1977, there was a long and expensive trial in a specially fortified building on the grounds of Stammheim. Their jailers said Baader and the others kept their cells as dirty and disgusting as possible in stop searches for things that might be smuggled in; at this time lawyers and defendants were not separated by panes of glass during unsupervised meetings. Meinhof was found dead in her cell in Stammheim on 9 May 1976, hanging from the ceiling. RAF members and others claimed that she was killed by the German government. The so-called second generation of the RAF committed several kidnappings and murders in a campaign in support of the prisoners. The three remaining defendants were convicted in April 1977 of several murders, attempted murders, and of forming a terrorist organization, and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Businessman Hanns Martin Schleyer was kidnapped in Cologne on 5 September 1977. Lufthansa Flight 181 was hijacked in mid-October to try to force the release of Baader and ten other RAF members. After several weeks that were called the German Autumn, the passengers of the aeroplane were freed in an assault carried out by German GSG 9 special forces in the early hours of 18 October 1977. On the same day, the RAF killed Schleyer in France. Next morning, Andreas Baader and Jan-Carl Raspe were found in their prison cells, dead from gunshot wounds. Gudrun Ensslin was found hanging. RAF member Irmgard Möller was found with four stab wounds to her chest, but survived. All the official inquiries said that Baader and the others two committed suicide. Möller insists that the deaths and her injury were extrajudicial executions. In fiction In 2002, director Christopher Roth released a film about Baader titled Baader. Literature Hitler's Children: The story of the Baader Meinhof Terrorist Gang, Jillian Becker Related pages List of members of the Red Army Faction Other websites http://www.baader-meinhof.com/ Breaking Comrade Baader Out 1943 births 1977 deaths German communists German prisoners German terrorists People from Munich Red Army Faction Robbers Suicides by firearm in Germany
8137
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meher%20Baba
Meher Baba
Meher Baba (25 February 1894 31 January 1969) referred to himself as the Avatar of the Age. His birth name was Merwan Irani and his parents' names were Sheriar and Shireen Irani. His family lived in Poona (Pune) India, but they were of Persian descent. Today Persia is called Iran. They were not Hindus or Muslims, but were of the Zoroastrian religion. Merwan had a normal childhood and liked poetry and sports, especially cricket. When he was thirteen years old he started a boy's club with his best school friends called The Cosmopolitan Club. The boys in the club kept up on the news, practiced public speaking at their clubhouse, and raised money to give to the poor. He graduated from St. Vincent's High School and attended Deccan College. In 1913, when Baba was nineteen, he was coming home from college riding a bicycle. A very old Muslim woman named Hazrat Babajan, referred to as a Perfect Master (God Realized), was sitting under a Neem tree, called for him to come over to her, he said he was drawn to her like iron to a magnet. He began spending time visiting with her and serving her. In 1914 she kissed him on the forehead, he then went home. Baba later said that he became so dazed after this kiss that he could barely find his way home, and that when Babajan kissed him, initially he lost all consciousness of the world, he then realized God within himself. He was so dazed he neither ate or slept for several weeks. Moving about semi-autonomously in 1915 Merwan was drawn to the other five Perfect Masters, beginning with Sai Baba of Shirdi who upon seeing Merwan called out to him "Parvardigar!" (Divine Sustainer). Upasni Maharaj, also a Perfect Master on seeing Merwan thru a stone, hitting him on the forehead where Babajan had kissed Merwan. He often went to live with Upasni at Sakori. The five Masters assisted Merwan in regaining his integration of the physical world of duality with the Divine Oneness that is the Avatar's natural state. Merwan served as their disciple while in fact he was already fully God Realized. The process of integration took 7 years during which Merwan often stayed at Upasni's ashram. He also visited with Babajan and stayed with his family, as his integration became more functional he began taking on jobs such as working at his father's toddy shop, and managing a group of performers. In 1921 Upasni told some of his followers that Merwan was the Avatar of the Age and that they should now follow Merwan. In 1921 one of these early disciples began calling Merwan "Meher Baba" which means "Compassionate Father". In 1922 Meher Baba and a group of male disciples walked from Ponna (Pune) to Bombay (Mumbai) where he established his first ashram, Manzil-e-Meem (House of the Master) where over the next year he trained them as his disciples, from then on Baba would be their spiritual guide. Baba eventually took these new followers to Ahmednagar, to a place now called Meherabad. There he gave discourses on spirituality, worked with the local poor villagers, established a dispensary and hospital, cared for the God-mad "masts", and started boarding school for children of all faiths and castes, all free of charge. Gradually his following grew. In 1925 Meher Baba began keeping silent and for the rest of his life Baba did not speak. He communicated first by writing on slates but then adapted an English alphabet board by pointing to letters painted on it. Years later he stopped using the alphabet board and used his own form of hand gestures. He kept silent until his death in 1969. Some people called him "The Silent Master" and there is a book by that title. Meher Baba traveled around the world many times. He visited many countries. He spent several months in England, Australia and the United States. Many thousands of people came to see him. Some of them became his followers. In 1954, when Baba was sixty years old, he said publicly for the first time that he was the Avatar. In the ancient language of Sanskrit, the word "Avatar" means one who has come down from God. Baba said that the Avatar is born on Earth every 700–1400 years, and comes to help others find God. Meher Baba said that in the past the Avatar had been on Earth as Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Meher Baba's most famous quote is "Don't Worry, Be Happy," partly because it appeared in a popular song. Others know of him because of the song "Baba O'Reilly" written by Pete Townshend who is a follower of his and named the song partly after Baba. Regarding publications, there are two of major significance. In Discourses, messages that were given by Meher Baba concerning many areas of the spiritual life are clearly presented. In God Speaks, Meher Baba dictated and explained the complete journey of the incarnate soul from stone to man, over thousands of years and many lifetimes, culminating in God Realization; the goal of life. He said, "Real happiness lies in making others happy." He showed his followers that the best path is to love God at all times by loving your fellow man, exemplified by his own life of Selfless Service. He also said he had not come to start a new religion—but to revitalize all religions: "I shall revitalize all religions and cults, and bring them together like beads on one string". His followers come from all religions: Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sufis, Buddhists, and Sikhs, as well as from no religion, there are atheists and agnostics who may not necessarily believe in God, but who are attracted purely to his honest and loving way of life. References Other websites AvatarMeherBaba.org Indian people Spiritual teachers Asian Sufis 1894 births 1969 deaths Pune
8139
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer
Trailer
Trailer has the following definitions: Trailer (vehicle), an unpowered vehicle pulled by one with an engine Trailer (movie) or theatrical trailer, an advertisement for an upcoming movie
8141
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uno%20%28card%20game%29
Uno (card game)
Uno (stylized on usual branding as all capitalized) is an American card game that was made by Merle Robbins in 1971. It has since been bought by a company named Mattel. It uses 108 special cards that are made just to play Uno. It is similar to Crazy Eights. The cards are put into 4 different groups: Red cards, green cards, blue cards and yellow cards. There are also some other cards called "Special Cards". Skip, Reverse, Draw +2(This card can be canceled by Reverse card which changes the way) , Wild, and Wild +4 cards allow you to do something you cannot normally do, such as pick up two more cards. Card games
8147
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNO
UNO
Uno can mean: The number one in the Spanish language or Italian language Uno (card game), a card game played with a special deck of cards. It is made by the Mattel company. The name originated from the word uno which mean the number one in Spanish which is what you say when you have one card remaining. UNO is an acronym for: United Nations Organization; see: United Nations
8149
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical%20engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a subject of engineering. Its goal is to develop (think and make) different things that use electricity in a helpful way. Electrical engineers fix or design new and better ways of using devices that use electricity. Big subjects in electrical engineering include power generation, automation and control of robots, digital systems, and information technology (using radio and computers to move and use data). To meet new needs, electrical engineering produced new specialties, such as electronic engineering and software engineering. History Early universities taught philosophy and later science. As the industrial revolution began they had to start teaching new parts of these sciences to keep up with the demand for new items. When the industrial era began, we needed to study mathematics, physics and chemistry to help support it. These subjects are "applied" (or, used in the real world) using engineering. In the late 19th century when electricity was used to make electric motors and to send messages to far away places, a new branch called electrical engineering was invented. When radio became important, many engineers worked at it, and their branch was later expanded to cover electronic engineering. Other websites IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE Virtual Museum EE HomePage.com Educational & career development resources Electricity Engineering disciplines
8150
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design
Design
Design is a visual look or a shape given to a certain object, in order to make it more attractive, make it more comfortable or to improve another characteristic. Designers use tools from geometry and art. Design is sometimes divided to sub-categories: graphic design, buildings and nature design, consumer goods design. Design is also a concept used to create an object (virtual or not). Design is picturing things using the imagination; as to using perception or memory.
README.md exists but content is empty. Use the Edit dataset card button to edit it.
Downloads last month
0
Edit dataset card