ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
David Llewelyn Wark "D. W." Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American movie director and white supremacist. He is best known as the director of the Ku Klux Klan 1915 movie "The Birth of a Nation" and the 1916 follow-up movie "Intolerance". "The Birth of a Nation" made early use of advanced camera and storytelling techniques. It was a very popular movie. It was also a very controversial movie. The movie showed African Americans and White anti-racists in a bad way. It also showed slavery and the Ku Klux Klan as good things. The movie was praised by President Woodrow Wilson. He said it was "history written in lightning". The NAACP boycotted the movie. Griffith responded to all the criticism with another movie, "Intolerance". This movie showed the dangers of prejudice. The movie did not make as much money as "The Birth of a Nation", but the critics liked it. Many of Griffith's later movies were critical successes. They did not make a lot of money. Even so, he is one of the most important figures of early movies. Other famous movies by Griffith include "Orphans of the Storm" and "Broken Blossoms".
The Service d'exploitation de la formation aéronautique (SEFA) was the French national flight school, in nine places in France and managed by the "direction générale de l'aviation civile" (DGAC). It merged with French Civil Aviation University the 1st of January 2011. History. 1936 - 1946. SEFA is a direct descendant of a long tradition of state involvement in helping to light aviation. By 1936, the Popular Front creates the ""sections d’aviation populaire" (SAP), in order to democratize the flight training for young people and then to train more crew for the French military aviation. In 1946, the "service de l’aviation légère et sportive" (SALS) is created, which purpose is essentially to provide available aircraft and instructors for flying clubs. 1946 - 1976. In 1955, SALS becomes the "service de la formation aéronautique et des sports aériens" (SFASA), in 1959 the "service de la formation aéronautique, du travail aérien et des transports" (SFATAT), in 1964 it is renamed the "service de la formation aéronautique" (SFA) and finally the "service de la formation aéronautique et du contrôle technique"" (SFACT) in 1976. These designations reflect the successive changes in the organization of the civil aviation administration, but also the direct involvement of the State, in flight training. Thus "national centers" will be created, in 1945, for the gliding activities (Challes-les-Eaux, Beynes, Pont-Saint-Vincent, etc.), and then for the flight in piston aircraft (Carcassonne in 1945, Saint-Yan in 1947), and even skydiving (Biscarosse in 1953). 1976 - 1996. Over the years, the French civil aviation administration gradually withdraw from its activities in the field of gliding and skydiving. In 1959
The Paris Opera Ballet (French: Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris) is the oldest national ballet company in the world. Many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It has always been an integral part of the Paris Opéra, which was founded in 1669 as the Académie d'Opéra (Academy of Opera).  Theatrical dance was not an important part of the Paris Opera until 1673. Then was renamed the Académie Royale de Musique (Royal Academy of Music) and placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully. The Paris Opera has had many different official names during its long history but since 1994 has been called the Opéra National de Paris (Paris Opera). Currently the company presents ballet primarily at the Palais Garnier.
The Bolshoi Ballet is a ballet company. It is based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1776. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world. It achieved worldwide acclaim in the early 20th century when Moscow became the capital of Soviet Russia. The Bolshoi and the Kirov Ballet are recognised as the foremost ballet companies in Russia. The origin of the Bolshoi is found in the creation of a dance school for a Moscow orphanage in 1773. In 1776, dancers from the school were employed by Prince Pyotr Urusov and the English theatrical entrepreneur Michael Maddox to form part of their new theatre company. They performed in privately owned venues. Later they acquired the Petrovsky Theatre. The theatre would later be rebuilt as today's Bolshoi Theatre. The early history of the Bolshoi Ballet is very sketchy. The company staged many famous ballets. It struggled to compete with the Imperial Russian Ballet of St Petersburg. It was not until Alexander Gorsky became Ballet Master in 1900 that the company began to develop its own unique identity. The company was acclaimed for productions of new or restaged ballets including, "Don Quixote" (1900), "Coppélia" (1901), "Swan Lake" (1901), "La fille mal gardée" (1903), "Giselle" (1911), "Le Corsaire" (1912) and "La Bayadère" (1917).
The City of Calgary has a number of bridges, spanning the two main rivers that cross the city, Bow River and Elbow River, as well as some other geographical and physical features.  Crossings. Bow River (west of downtown). The Bow River enters the city from west, winds around downtown, then runs south. From west to south, the following structures cross the river. Elbow River. The Elbow River enters the city in the southwest, then turns north and merges into the Bow River immediately east of downtown. From west to north, the following structures cross the river. Fish Creek. Fish Creek flows from west to east in the south part of the city, through the Fish Creek Provincial Park. It merges into the Bow River in the southeast quadrant of the city.
Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. Crawford usually played as women who worked hard. Her characters were usually about women who went from being poor to becoming rich, or "rags-to-riches". Her characters were popular for Depression-era people. They were also popular with women. Crawford became one of Hollywood's most important actors. She was also one of the highest paid woman in the United States. However, her movies started to lose money. By the 1930s, she was called "box office poison" because her movies lost so much money. She won the 1945 Best Actress Academy Award for "Mildred Pierce". In 1999, she was voted to be the tenth-greatest female star in the history of American movies by the American Film Institute. Biography. Crawford was born in San Antonio, Texas. Her real name was Lucille Fay LeSueur. She began her career as a dancer. She moved to Hollywood in 1925. She worked in silent movies. She played hard-working young women who wanted love, romance, and glamor. She made "talkies", too. She was given the name "Joan Crawford" from a magazine contest sponsored by MGM. Crawford won the Best Actress Academy Award for "Mildred Pierce" in 1945. She made many more movies, but retired in 1970. She died in New York City of a heart attack. Crawford won success with "Letty Lynton" (1932). The film is mostly remembered because of the "Letty Lynton dress". This dress was designed by Adrian. It was a white cotton organdy gown with large ruffled sleeves, puffed at the shoulder. It was with this gown that Crawford's broad shoulders began to be accentuated by costume. Macy's copied the dress in 1932, and it sold over 500,000 replicas in the United States. Crawford was married four times. First to actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and then to actor Franchot Tone. Her third husband was actor Phillip Terry, and her fourth and last husband was Pepsi executive Alfred Steele. Crawford became active
This is a list of bridges in Montreal. Crossings. Spanning the Saint Lawrence River and Saint Lawrence Seaway. The construction of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s required large changes for all bridges that existed at the time. Those are not reflected in the table below. Spanning the Lake of Two Mountains and the Ottawa River East Channel. All three spans across the Ottawa River East Channel are twinned by another span, built simultaneously, across the West Channel. The section of Honoré-Mercier bridge spanning over the St. Lawrence Seaway was rebuilt to seaway standards in the 1950s. The bridge was twinned by an identical one, on the downriver side, which opened in 1963. The Champlain Bridge Ice Structure, known in French as "l'Estacade Champlain," was built to control ice floes coming from the Laprairie Basin. At the north end of Champlain Bridge, two spans, one north-south (aut. 15 and 20) and one east-west (aut. 10) connect Île des Sœurs to I. of Montreal. These two spans, called Pont Île-des-Sœurs and Pont Clément, are part of the Champlain Bridge complex. Victoria Bridge was built as a one-track tubular bridge which opened in 1860. It was the first bridge to cross the St. Lawrence River, and the longest bridge in the world. It was rebuilt as a two-track truss bridge in 1898. The South Y approach was rebuilt around the Saint Lambert locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1961. Pont de la Concorde (Concorde Bridge) and Pont des Îles "("Bridge of the Islands")" were built for Expo 67. Pont de la Concorde connects Montreal Island to Saint Helen's Island, while Pont des Îles connects Saint Helen's Island to Notre-Dame Island. Jacques-Cartier Bridge was originally named "Harbour Bridge/Pont du Havre", and renamed after Jacques Cartier in 1934 (400th anniversary of Cartier's first voyage). The section over the St. Lawrence Seaway was lifted
is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan on the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Fukui. History. In the early Meiji period, Fukui was created by the merger of Wakasa Province and Echizen Province. Geography. The prefecture faces the Sea of Japan. It shares a northern border with Ishikawa Prefecture. East of Fukui are Gifu Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture. Kifu's southern border meets Kyoto Prefecture. Cities. Fukui Prefecture includes the following cities: National Parks. National Parks are established in about 15% of the total land area of the prefecture. Shrines and Temples. "Wakashiko jinja" and "Kehi jinja" are the chief Shinto shrines ("ichinomiya") in the prefecture.
is a prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan on the island of Honshu. The capital city is Nagano. The capital is the city of Nagano. History. Nagano Prefecture was created from the area of the former Shinano Province. Nagano was host to the 1998 Winter Olympics. Geography. Nagano Prefecture is south of Niigata Prefecture. The eastern borders of Nagano meet Gunma Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture and Shizuoka Prefecture. Nagano's souther border is shared with Aichi Prefecture. The western borders of the prefecture are shared with Toyama Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture. National Parks. National Parks are established in about 21% of the total land area of the prefecture. Shrines and Temples. "Suwa jinja" is the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") in the prefecture.
is a prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu. The capital city is Nara. History. The area of Yamato Province was reorganized as Nara Prefecture during the Meiji period. Geography. Nara is bordered to the west by Wakayama Prefecture and Osaka Prefecture. Its border on the north meets Kyoto Prefecture. Mie Prefecture is on the east. Towns and villages. Towns and villages in each district: National Parks. National Parks are established in about 17% of the total land area of the prefecture. Shrines and Temples. "Ōmiwa jinja" is the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") in the prefecture.
, also known as Yezo or Yeso, is an ancient Japanese name for the lands to the north of Japan. It was the name of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. It was also used as a name for islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, including the Kurile Islands and Sakhalin.  The terms Ezo, Yezo, Ebisu or Emishi were also used as a name for the people and culture of northern Honshu, including Akita Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture. History. The first published description of Ezo in the West was brought to Europe by Isaac Titsingh in 1796. His small library of Japanese books included by Hayashi Shihei. This book, which was published in Japan in 1785, described the Ezo region and people. Titsingh's translation of "Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu" was published in 1832.
Mildred Pierce is a film noir movie. It was made in 1945. The movie was based on a book of the same name by James M. Cain. It was directed by Michael Curtiz. The movie got good reviews. It stars Joan Crawford. She won the Best Actress Academy Award. The movie was picked for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Story. The movie is about a housewife named Mildred Pierce. Her marriage is troubled. Her husband leaves her for dead-common Mrs. Beedlehoff. Mildred has two little girls. Kay is a nice kid; Veda is a spoiled-rotten, high-falutin' brat. Mildred must take care of her kids alone by secretly slinging hash. She is a good cook. She opens a restaurant. Kay dies. Business is great. She gets rich. Mildred gives Veda everything she wants. Mildred starts to date a playboy named Monty. He is spoiled, too. He constantly asks Mildred for money. He never pays it back. One day she finds Monty and Veda in an act of intimacy. Mildred has a gun. She wants to shoot Monty. She drops the gun. She runs away crying. Later Veda shoots Monty when he tells her to get out of his life because she is nothing more than a saucy little tramp. Veda is seized at the airport attempting to flee Los Angeles and is sent to jail. There is nothing her rich mother can do. She reunites with her husband.
Our Dancing Daughters is a 1928 MGM silent movie. The movie is about the loosening of youth morals that took place during the 1920s. The movie was directed by Harry Beaumont. It was produced by Hunt Stromberg. The movie made Joan Crawford a big star. She remained a big star for the next 50 years. Story. "Dangerous Diana" Medford (Joan Crawford) is flashy and popular. Inside, she is a good person. Her friend Ann is an amoral boy-chaser. Diana and Ann both like Ben Blaine. He thinks Diana is not interested in him. He marries Ann. Diana becomes unhappy for a while. Later, she throws a party. Ann hopes to go with her lover, Freddie. She argues with her husband. She goes to the party. Ben goes to the party behind Ann's back. Ben and Diana realize they love each other. Ann gets drunk. She falls to her death. Ben and Diana are free to wed.
Lake Biel (also called Lake Bienne) is the biggest lake in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. The lake has a length of and a width of . Its surface area is about . Taximum depth is about . It is above sea level. It is surrounded by a lot of wine-producing villages. Together with Lake Morat and Lake Neuchâtel it is one of the three largest lakes in the Jura region of Switzerland. There are two rivers which run into Lake Biel. The first one is the Suze, it's Biel’s only river. The second one is the Aare, one of Switzerland’s longest rivers. It was redirected into the lake in 1878. Vineyards are located on the sunny side of Lake Biel and benefit from the southeast orientation of the hills. The lake provides a balanced climate. Soils are highly calcareous. There are of vineyards and a large variety of vine types, traditionally white wines, but increasingly red wines. The Chasselas, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Pinot blanc and Chardonnay are grown by about 80 winegrowers. Most of the wine goods are family farms and the vine is often sold directly from the wine cellars. Vineyards in the region of Lake Biel have been found since the Roman times. Archeologists found amphora for the wine. The vineyards still exist thanks to a ban released in 1933, which forbid building in the vineyards. It is a common tourist destination and is a beautiful lake, with many recreational activities to do.
Theda Bara was an American silent movie actress. She was born on July 29, 1885. Her real name was Theodosia Burr Goodman. Bara attended the University of Cincinnati for two years. She worked in theater productions. She moved to New York City in 1908. She made her Broadway debut in 1908. Most of Bara's early movies were shot at the Fox Studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Bara lived with her family in New York City during this time. She moved to Los Angeles, California to shoot "Cleopatra" in 1917. This movie became one of Bara's biggest hits. No known prints of "Cleopatra" exist today. There are many photographs of Bara in her costume as Cleopatra. Bara married American movie director Charles Brabin in 1921. She had no children. She died of stomach cancer on April 13, 1955 in Los Angeles, California. Bara was one of the most popular stars of her era. She was one of the earliest sex symbols in movies. Her "femme fatale" (deadly woman) roles earned her the nickname "The Vamp" (short for vampire). The term "vamp" soon became a popular slang term for a sexually predatory woman. Bara made more than 40 films between 1914 and 1926. Only six still exist in their entirety.
Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), (known professionally as Mary Pickford) was a Canadian silent movie actress. She was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "Coquette". She was married to actor Charles "Buddy" Rogers. Pickford was co-founder of United Artists. She was one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She married silent movie star Douglas Fairbanks. They lived in a Hollywood home called Pickfair. She was called "America's Sweetheart" during the silent film era, and is on the list of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars. She is put as the 24th-top female star from the Classical Hollywood Cinema era.
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped deposit of soil and rocks. It forms where a fast-flowing river spreads out over a flat plain. They are usually found in between mountain ranges that are crumbling away. If it rains a lot, the fan area will usually flood. Alluvial plain. An alluvial plain is a mostly flat landform where sediment is deposited over time. The cause is the same: one or more rivers coming from highland regions. A floodplain is the smaller area over which the rivers flood at a particular period of time, and the alluvial plain is the larger area, where floodplains have shifted over geological time.
Robin Hood is a 1922 silent movie. It stars Douglas Fairbanks. "Robin Hood" was the first movie to have a Hollywood premiere. The premiere was held at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on October 18, 1922.  The movie's full title is "Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood". It was one of the most expensive movies of the 1920s. It cost about $1,000,000 to make. The movie is about the famous English outlaw. The movie received mostly good reviews. In spite of the movie's careful construction, it received some negative responses. Vachel Lindsay thought the movie was "a heavy exhibit of armor that does not move." He thought it a failure because the first half of the movie was basically spectacle.  Nonetheless, "Robin Hood" was thought at the time to be a milestone in the development of movie art. It would be overshadowed however by the hugely popular Errol Flynn movie of 1938.
Matthew Clayton Flynn (born June 20, 1985) is an American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU. College career. Flynn redshirted the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season, as did the other LSU quarterback signee, JaMarcus Russell. In 2004, Flynn was a third string quarterback as a redshirt freshman, behind starter Marcus Randall and backup JaMarcus Russell. He was also LSU's holder on placekicks. Flynn played in all 12 games, but only three games at quarterback. His collegiate first complete throw went to Xavier Carter for a 67-yard touchdown against Mississippi State. Flynn also made a short appearance in the 2004 Capital One Bowl. In that game, he completed 1 of 4 passes for 11 yards in a 25-30 loss against Iowa. He finished the year by completing 4 of 10 passes for 99 yards and 1 TD. Sophomore season. When Randall left the team, Russell and Flynn fought for the starting QB position. Russell got the job. Flynn was the backup. Flynn played in seven games at quarterback for the Tigers in 2005. He completed 27 of 48 passes for 457 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. In a win over North Texas, Flynn threw 7-of-7 for 139 yards and 3 TDs, all in the fourth quarter. In the 2005 SEC Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs, starting quarterback Russell was injured. Flynn finished the game. He was then made the main quarterback for the Tigers in the 2005 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the University of Miami Hurricanes. In that game, he led the Tigers to a 40-3 win over Miami. Junior season. Flynn played in seven games as a junior. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 133 yards over the season. He had 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Both TDs came in a 49-0 win against Kentucky on October 14, 2006. Senior season. When Russell was drafted by the
Robert Jonathan Demme (February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. He was born in Baldwin, New York. He was best known for directing "The Silence of the Lambs", for which he won an Academy Award. He directed and co-produced "Philadelphia" and "Rachel Getting Married". His nephew Ted Demme (1963–2002) was a filmmaker. On April 26, 2017, Demme died in New York City at the age of 73 due to complications from esophageal cancer and heart disease.
A defensive tackle is a position in American and Canadian football.  Defensive tackles typically line up in the center of the defensive line. As some of the largest players (in size) on the field, defensive tackles try to make it hard for the quarterback to throw the ball by blocking offensive linemen and tackles who protect the quarterback. They rarely do anything else.  In the National Football League, defensive tackles may wear numbers in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 90s, but may wear any number they chose in college football.
is a prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Ōtsu. History. Shiga used to be called Ōmi Province or "Gōshū" before Japan began using the prefectural system. Geography. Shiga borders Fukui Prefecture in the north Gifu Prefecture is in the east. Mie Prefecture is in the southeast. Kyoto Prefecture is in the west. Lake Biwa is at the center of this prefecture. The lake divides the prefecture into four areas:  Cities. Cities in Shiga Prefecture include National Parks. National Parks are established in about 37% of the total land area of the prefecture. Education. There are ten universities, two junior colleges, and a learning center of The Open University of Japan in Shiga. Sister states. Shiga has agreements with three states. Shrines and Temples. "Takebe jinja" is the chief Shinto shrine ("ichinomiya") in the prefecture.
As of 2008, there were 87 , 89 public universities, and 580 private universities in Japan. National universities tend to have a good reputation in higher education in Japan. They are often more difficult to get into than private or public universities. In 2004, the national university system changed. National universities were no longer completely public public and more of a private. Since 2004, every national university has become a special type of corporation. They are called . They now have more freedom and less control from the government. Faculty and staff are no longer , and they do not work for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This is a complete list of Japanese national universities:  The Government of Japan started The Open University of Japan and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. It also supports them with money. However, these two universities are not national universities; they are private universities.