ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were held in 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games in May 1970, over the bids of Moscow and Los Angeles. Moscow would later host the 1980 Summer Olympics, and Los Angeles would later host the 1984 Summer Olympics. Non-participating National Olympic Committees. Twenty-nine countries boycotted the Games due to the refusal of the IOC to ban New Zealand, after the New Zealand national rugby union team had toured South Africa earlier in 1976. The boycott was led by Congolese official Jean-Claude Ganga. Some of the boycotting nations (including Morocco, Cameroon and Egypt) had already participated, however, and withdrew after the first few days. Senegal and Ivory Coast were the only African countries that competed throughout the duration of the Games. Elsewhere, Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, El Salvador, Iraq, Guyana, Sri Lanka and Syria also opted to join the Congolese-led boycott. South Africa had been banned from the Olympics since 1964 due to its apartheid policies. Other countries, such as El Salvador and Zaire, did not participate in Montreal for purely economic reasons. Seychelles did not participate in Montreal beacause their National Olympic Committee was not created and recognized by the IOC. Malta was the only country to boycott both the 1956 and 1976 Games. Republic of China boycott. An unrelated boycott of the Montreal Games was the main issue between the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). The ROC team withdrew from the games when Canada's Liberal government under Pierre Trudeau told it that the name "Republic of China" was not permissible at the Games because Canada had officially recognized the PRC in 1970. Canada attempted a compromise by allowing the ROC the continued use of its national flag and anthem in the Montreal Olympic activities; the ROC refused. In 1979 the IOC established in the Nagoya Resolution that the PRC agreed to participate in IOC activities if the Republic of China was referred to as "Chinese Taipei". Another boycott would occur before the ROC would accept the provisions of the 1979 Resolution although the reason that so many other countries boycotted were not all the same as the ROC.
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States (in the Lake Tahoe basin). Squaw Valley won the bid in 1955. Alexander Cushing, the creator of the resort, campaigned vigorously to win the Games. After being awarded the Games, there was a rush to construct roads, hotels, restaurants, and bridges, as well as the ice arena, the speed skating track, ski lifts, and the ski jumping hill.
The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. (Sarajevo is now in Bosnia and Herzegovina.) Other candidate cities were Sapporo, Japan and Falun, Sweden. It was the first Winter Games and the second Olympics held in Eastern Europe (the first was the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow). The Olympics would have a positive impact on Sarajevo. Shortly after however, the Bosnian War and siege of Sarajevo would take place and would leave tens of thousands dead. A lot of venues that were built for the Olympics were either destroyed or badly damaged in the war. Some buildings were repaired but some like the bobsleigh track had to be abandoned because of the risk of landmines.
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and opened by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé. The Olympics were highly successful financially as they brought in million-dollar profits. The games left a lasting impression on the host city and gave it a new identity from a cowtown to a large commercial sector of the country. 1988 was also the last year that the Paralympic Games and the Winter Olympics were held in separate cities. All Games after the 1988 Winter Olympics have been hosted by the same city or a city nearby. The Canadian team did not win a gold medal during the 1988 Winter Olympics, similar to how the Canadian team did not win one during the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. At the time, Canada and Yugoslavia were the only countries that had not won a gold medal when their country hosted the Olympics. (However, Canada would later win a gold medal when the 2010 Winter Olympics were hosted in Vancouver.) History. Background. Calgary first tried for the Olympics in 1964, and again in 1968.
Football (soccer) has been included in every Summer Olympic Games except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official program at the 1996 Atlanta edition. History. Football was not in the original modern Olympic Games program as international football was not that popular in 1896. However an unofficial football tournament was organised during the first competition. Complete records have been lost and may not even be true but it seems that only two games may have been played. An Athens XI lost to a team representing Smyrna (Izmir), then part of the Ottoman Empire. Smyrna went on to be beaten 15-0 by a team from Denmark. Demonstration tournaments were played at the 1900 and 1904 games and the "Intercalated Games" of 1906, but these were contested by various clubs and scratch teams, and are not considered to be official Olympic events. Neither FIFA nor the IOC recognize the Intercalated Games. The first proper tournament is said to be in the 1908 Olympics, organized by the Football Association. It had 6 teams. The next tournament was organized by the Swedish Football Association in 1912. However, the tournament was very unbalanced, with some high scoring games such as 10-0 and 12-0, and all of the players were amateurs. The tournaments of 1924 and 1928 are the two only editions officially recognised by FIFA as championships of the world. For the 1984 Olympics, the IOC admitted professional players. Since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, all teams have to be under-23 years old. Since 1996, three over 23 players are allowed. A women's edition was added in 1996. The women's tournament has no age restrictions, unlike the men's tournament.
Biathlon (not to be confused with duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Another popular variant is summer biathlon, which combines cross-country running with riflery. Related pages. Biathlon's two sports disciplines: Other multi-discipline sports (otherwise unrelated to biathlon):
Emperor Wu of Jin (; 236 - 290) was the founder of Western Jin Dynasty. His name was Sima Yan. He was born in Henei (now Henan Province). His father was Sima Zhao and Sima Yi was his grandfather. They were the imperial officials of Wei Dynasty and seized control over the imperial court. In 265 AD, Sima Yan forced Emperor Cao Huan to abdicate. In 280 AD, he conquered Eastern Wu and unified China. Later he promoted his relatives as princes, it caused War of the Eight Princes after Sima Yan’s death.
Pygmy is a word that describes several ethnic groups with unusually short people. According to anthropologists, pygmies can be any group where adult men and women are less than tall on average. The best known pygmies are the Aka, Efé and Mbuti of central Africa. There are also pygmies in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil. The Negritos of Southeast Asia are also called pygmies. The word "pygmy" is sometimes thought to be pejorative (an insult) .  The word Bayaka is sometimes used in the Central African Republic to refer to all local Pygmies. In the Congo Basin, pygmies are called the Kongo word Bambenga. Name. The name "pygmy" comes from the Greek word ("pygmaios"). This word was derived from (came from) the word which is the length between a person's elbow and knuckles. The Latin word (pl. "pygmaei") came from this older Greek word. The word was first used in Greek mythology by the poet Homer. He wrote about a tribe of dwarfs called "Pygmies" who lived in India and Ethiopia. Origins. There are a number of theories to explain why pygmies are so short. It has been proved that their height is hereditary, and is passed on from parents to children. It may have evolved because of the low ultraviolet light found in rainforests, where many pygmies live. This would mean that the pygmies would make less vitamin D in their skin. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is important for bones to grow. Since the pygmies would get less calcium, they would have smaller bones and skeletons. There are other explanations for why pygmies are so short. Some explanations are:  Some research shows that the genes for the growth hormone receptor and growth hormone are found much less in pygmies than in related tribes. These genes are important for humans to grow tall. Africa. Pygmies can be found in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
In Sanskrit, Itihasa means history. For Hindus, an Itihasa is a story that tells about what happened in the past in the land of India. Itihasas are usually epic poems. The important itihasas to Hindus are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Modern excavations and archaeological evidence are slowly beginning to prove these Indian epics as actual history .  The original meaning of Iithasa had a more precise connotation than the word History.It means ‘thus indeed, in this tradition’ . One of the earliest references to Itihaasa in the literature of antiquity is in Chanakyas’s Arthashastra. He defines Itihaasa, in the syllabus prescribed for training of a Prince, with the following words; Puraana (the chronicles of the ancient), Itivrtta (history), Akhyayika (tales), Udaaharana (illustrative stories), Dharmashastra (the canon of Righteous conduct), and Arthashastra (the science of Government) are called Itihaasah. History in this definition takes on the meaning of Historiography and is perhaps even more eclectic and appears to include political science and History as we use them today.  The quintessential quote is that of Kalhana in the Rajatarangini,12th century CE (1147 to 1149 CE) who is regarded as a modern in Indian parlance:  History will be the narration of events as they happened, in the form of a story, which will be an advice to the reader to be followed in life, to gain the purusaarthas namely Kama the satiation of desires through Artha the tool, by following the path of Dharma the human code of conduct to gain Moksha or liberation.
Bhakti yoga is a Hindu spiritual practice. People constantly pray to, and think about, a form of a Hindu god, usually Vishnu. Bhakti is a Sanskrit term. It signifies an attitude of devotion to God. The relation between man and God is imagined as a beloved-lover, friend-friend, parent-child, and master-servant. The Bhakta worships his chosen God by any of these mentalities. The Bhagavata Purana teaches nine primary forms of bhakti. They are:
"The religious movement can be found at International Society for Krishna Consciousness." Hare Krishna is a mantra. It is also known as Maha Mantra. The mantra was made well known even outside Hinduism by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The mantra can be found in many Hinduist traditions in India. Those who believe in it think that when the mantra is heard, spoken, used for meditation or sung this can lead to a higher state of consciousness. According to Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, this higher consciousness takes the form of pure love of God (Krishna). The mantra is contained in the texts of Hinduism known as the Upanishads, which are considered by some scholars to have roots in the Vedic past.
In the Sanskrit language, purana means story of ancient times. For Hindus, a purana is a scripture that tells what happened in ancient times. Puranas tell about history, ancient Indian traditions, and what Hindus believe. It is basically in Sanskrit and Tamil languages. List of Puranas. Mahapuranas. Mahapurana means Great Story of Ancient Times in Sanskrit.
Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holte on May 24, 1944) is an American R&amp;B and Soul singer. She is known for her high vocal belting (using the chest to make high pitch sounds). She is known for such songs as "New Attitude" and "On My Own". She was the lead singer of Patty La Belle and the Bluebells during the 1960s and 70s. Later the group was known as simply "Labell". In this later group the style was more laid back, singing hits like The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses".
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Known as The Voice, she is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of all time and often ranked as the greatest singer of all time. Houston is the most awarded female artist of all time and among the best-selling recording artists of all time. Her first two studio albums, "Whitney Houston" (1985) and "Whitney" (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. She is the only artist to have seven consecutive number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, from "Saving All My Love for You" in 1985 to "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988. Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller movie "The Bodyguard" (1992). She recorded six songs for the movie's soundtrack, including "I Will Always Love You", which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling physical single by a female in music history. It won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the best-selling soundtrack album of all time. Houston starred and recorded soundtracks for two other high-profile movies, Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996). The latter's soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album of all time. On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and was featured prominently in international media. Houston was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. Early years. Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. She was the second child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. and gospel singer Cissy Houston. Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are her cousins. Whitney began singing at a young age in gospel music at church, being influenced by her mother. She was described as having an impressive ranging spinto sopr
Folklore is part of the culture of a group of people. It may include stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, and popular beliefs. This also includes the oral traditions of that culture. The academic study of folklore is sometimes called "folkloristics". Folkloristics is often ethnographic. A Folktale or folk tale is a story from the oral literature of a people. Little Red Riding Hood is a famous folktale in European culture.
Kappa (uppercase/lowercase Κ κ) is the letter of the Greek alphabet used to represent the "k" sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 20. Letters that came from it include the Roman K and Cyrillic К. The letter κ always stands for the sound "k" in Greek. It is customary to transliterate (re-write) κ as "c" in English, but this is somewhat problematic since c is pronounced as "s" before e, i and y (which does not happen in Greek). In mathematics, the lowercase formula_1 is used to represent the curvature of a curve, while the uppercase Κ is used to represent an ordinal number which is also a cardinal number.
Kojiki or "Furukotofumi" (), also called in English the "Records of Ancient Matters", is the oldest book known in Japan. It was written 712 CE, and dedicated to Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a book about Japanese mythology (Shinto), legends, songs, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 BCE. The book mixes the legends of first emperor of Japan and several others with stories about the gods. Therefore, it is difficult to know which parts of the Kojiki are real and which parts are legend. According to legend, all the emperors of Japan are descended from Amaterasu, the sun goddess. The Kojiki is written in Chinese, but the way the Japanese wrote it is by using the pronunciation of the Chinese characters and not the meanings of them. In other words, a person who can read Chinese will not be able to read the Kojiki unless they also know how to speak Japanese. It includes many Japanese names and some phrases. Sections. The Kojiki is divided into three parts: the , the and the .
There are mainly six branches of Hindu Philosophy. These six schools of philosophy have been the result of ancient Indian thought and usually termed as "Sad Darsana". These are: Among the above six schools of Hindu Philosophy, Vedanta is by far very popular. The Vedanta accepts the authority of the knowledge portions of the Vedas, called Upanishads.
In the Sanskrit language, guru means teacher. Eastern religions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and newer movements such as Transcendental Meditation use "guru" as a title. They give it to a teacher (or guide) of religious matters.  In Western usage, any person who has followers may be called a guru, even if he is followed for things other than religion or philosophy. A person with knowledge or expertise may be called a guru if he influences by personal teaching. Modern terms which have a rather similar meaning are mentor and tutor. Satguru. Many Hindus have a satguru as well.The word "guru" means the one who removes the darkness from our heart. Satguru means true guru or true teacher. The title means that his students know that the guru can be trusted and will lead them to enlightenment. A satguru is a great soul who has realized God and is able to lead others along the path. God shines out from the satguru more brightly than from other people because he is very pure and enlightened. The satguru is devoted full time to religious life, is unmarried and has given up all possessions, personal life, family and friends. He has received an initiation from his satguru that gives him great spiritual power and authority. He can teach parents how to raise children, adults how to avoid problems and overcome any challenge in life, and in general he can make people feel close to God.
Moksha is the ultimate spiritual goal in some schools of Hinduism, similar to the concept of Nirvana in Buddhism. In Sanskrit, "moksha" means freedom. It refers to a state of eternal bliss and emptiness. According to Vedanta, life is a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Hindu scriptures describe Moksha as liberation from this cycle, reaching a state of eternal bliss and emptiness beyond the happiness, pain, and sorrow experienced in the physical world. The goal for Hindu practitioners is to achieve Moksha, or freedom from the material world, through the practice of different forms of Yoga: Jnana Yoga (knowledge), Karma Yoga (work), and Bhakti Yoga (devotion and worship).  Moksha is a concept from the Vedas. While scholars differ on the specific relationship between Moksha in Vedanta Hinduism and Nirvana in Buddhism, they agree that the concepts are historically and philosophically related. Similar ideas can be found in the Upanishads. Hindu texts explain Moksha as Saccidānanda, or true bliss, which comes from separating the soul from the physical body through Dhyan (meditation) and Yoga. The term "Moksha" comes from the Sanskrit word "Moksa." In essence, Moksha is a state beyond ordinary understanding; it is a profound experience that can only be fully comprehended upon achieving it. For a more comprehensive explanation of this topic read these books: Moksha is the ultimate goal for a person to attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
The caste system is a system in India that was once mainly used by Hindus.  Overview. The caste system has been generally accepted for about 3000 years. There are four castes in this system and one outcast group is regarded as "untouchables".  Beyond India. There are also castes in countries other than India as the system spread to South Asia about 2000 years ago. For centuries, this system has dictated one's marriages, geographical location, and occupation.  People must not marry someone from another caste, and they must not do things that another caste does. The Indian government today works to decrease this discrimination with the quotas set in government jobs in 1950. Division. A census in 2023 of the 130 million people in Bihar collected information about castes for the first time since 1931. 15.5% were upper caste. 27.1% were other backward class. 36% were extremely backward class and 21.4% were scheduled castes or scheduled tribes. Brahmins, the highest caste, were less than 4% of the population.
Brahmin or Brahman(/ˈbrɑːmɪn/; Sanskrit: ब्राह्मण, romanized: brāhmaṇa) is a varna (caste) within Hindu society. The traditional occupation of Brahmins is that of priesthood (purohit, pandit, or pujari) at Hindu temples or at socio-religious ceremonies, and the performing of rite of passage such as solemnising a wedding with hymns and prayers. Caste system. The varna system classified people by jobs. People in this caste were mostly priests and dramatists in Aryan society. The Brahmins arranged prayers and rituals. Parashurama was one of the well known Brahmin by birth, but throughout his life, he was a warrior whose job was to protect Dharma. Parshurama is also Creator Father of Bhumihar Brahman and Bhumihar Thakur, Bhumihar's are also known as Parashurama Brahman &amp; Bramhkshatriya. Most Brahmins practice vegetarianism. There are many subgroups in Brahmins based on demography. Rishiswar, Sanadhya, Kanyakubj, Telang, Saryupareen, Bhumihar, Goswami, Tyagi, and Saraswati are the main streams of Brahmin. Across the subcontinent, other Brahmins are also believed to have switched from the traditional duties of Brahmins in favor of military and administrative ones. In other parts of the subcontinent, outside of Punjab and the Gandhara region, they have been known as the Tyagi Brahman and "brahma-kshatriya" groups. These groups also claim to have descended from the Parshuram Tyagi Brahmans of Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh; traditionally, they have a close relationship and brotherhood with Mohyals. Some Mohyal Brahmins migrated eastward and became as some sub-divisions of Bhumihar Brahmins, some of whom are also descendants of Hussaini Brahmins and mourn the death of Imam Hussain.Bhumihar Brahmins and Tyagi
Kshatriya is a division of the varna system in Hinduism. A "kshatriya" is a warrior, ruler, politician, or administrative worker.  There are 3 lineages of Kshatriyas:- However, there is one more lineage (not mentioned in any Puranas) - Nagavanshi (snake-born), who claims descent from the Nagas.
Vaishya is a division of the caste system. A vaishya is a trader, merchant or artisan. In the modern time, the vaishyas are known as Baniyas in the Indian subcontinent.
Shudra is a division of the caste system. A shudra is considered a servant or peasant. Shudra and Ati-shudra indicates the bottom most ranks in the Indian caste system.  Mahatma Jyotirao Phule set out the history of shudra-ati-shudra communities in his book "Gulamgiri." He drew the attention to the exploitation of Shudras, Ati-shudras, and women etc. At this time, most prefer not even to touch such castes.
In Hinduism, Jnana Yoga is the yoga or practice of knowledge. Jyâna in Sanskrit means "knowledge". In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that jyâna consists of properly understanding "kshetra" (the field of activity—that is, the body) and "kshetra-jna" (the knower of the body—that is, the soul). Krishna emphasizes one must understand the difference between these two. "Those who see with eyes of knowledge the difference between the body and the knower of the body, and can also understand the process of liberation from bondage in material nature, attain to the supreme goal."