ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
Jean de La Fontaine (; 8 July 1621 – 13 April 1695) was the first of the French fabulist. He was one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known for his fables. These provided a model for later fabulists across Europe. They were also an example for numerous alternative versions in France and in French regional languages. According to Flaubert, he was the only French poet to understand and master the subtleties of the French language before Victor Hugo. A set of postage stamps La Fontaine and the "Fables" was issued by France in 1995.
The Dordogne () is a river in south-central and southwest France. The Dordogne river and its drainage basin was named as a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO on 11 July 2012. Geography. The Dordogne has a length of , and a drainage basin with an area of approximately . Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 274 cubic metres per second at Bergerac. Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Bergerac (1958-2011) Course. The Dordogne starts on the sides of the Puy de Sancy, Massif Central, in the "commune" of Mont-Dore, Puy-de-Dôme department, at an elevation of about . It flows generally west through the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the Dordogne department before flowing into the Gironde where it joins, in the north of the city of Bordeaux, the Garonne river to form the Gironde estuary, at about of altitude. The Dordogne flows through 4 regions, 6 departments and 173 "communes". The main "communes" are: Main tributaries. The main tributaries (more than 50 km long) of the Dordogne river are: Left tributaries: Right tributaries:
The Isle () is a river of south-western France that flows through the Haute-Vienne, Dordogne and Gironde departments, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is a right tributary of the Dordogne river. Geography. The Isle has a length of , and a drainage basin with an area of approximately . Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is 61.7 cubic metres per second at Coutras. Course. The Isle starts on the "Monts du Limousin", part of the Massif Central, in the "commune" of Janailhac, Haute-Vienne department, at an elevation of about . It flows generally southwest through the Haute-Vienne, Dordogne and Gironde departments before flowing into the Dordogne river in Libourne at about of altitude. The Isle flows through 2 regions, 3 departments and 66 "communes". The main "communes" are: Main tributaries. The main tributaries (more than 50 km long) of the Isle river are:
Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1813/1814– October 1, 1864) was a famous Confederate spy during the American Civil War. She was a socialite in Washington, D.C. before the war. Greenhow was friends with presidents, generals, senators, and high-ranking military officers. She used these friendships to pass along key military information to the Confederacy at the start of the war. In early 1861 she was put in control of a group of Confederate spies in Washington, DC. This was by Thomas Jordan, then a captain in the Confederate Army. Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, gave her credit for helping the South's victory at the First Battle of Bull Run in late July 1861. Greenhow was captured in August. She was placed under house arrest. But she continued her spying activities. In 1862 after an espionage hearing, she was imprisoned for nearly five months in Washington, DC. Then she was deported to the Confederate States. Greenhow traveled to Richmond, Virginia and continued to work for the confederacy. She sailed to Europe to represent the Confederacy in a diplomatic mission to France and England. She also wrote and published her memoir in London. The book was popular in England. She wanted to return to America. She took with her $2,000 in Gold. On her voyage back, her ship ran aground off Wilmington, North Carolina. A Union gunboat had chased them up the Cape Fear River. Greenhow and one other passenger tried to escape in a rowboat. Weighed down with gold she drowned when her rowboat overturned. She was honored with a Confederate military funeral. In 1993 the women's auxiliary of the Sons of Confederate Veterans changed its name to the Order of the Confederate Rose. This followed a television movie the previous year. A new biography of her was published in 2005.
Richard "Dick" Balharry (24 May 1937 – 22 April 2015) was a Scottish conservationist, writer, and wildlife photographer. He was known for improving and protecting Scotland's natural landscapes. Just days before his death, he was given an award by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS). Balharry was born near Dundee. He died from cancer on 22 April 2015, aged 77.
Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov () (May 29, 1965 – April 21, 2015) was a Russian movie director, producer and screenwriter. He was known for his comedy movie "Luna Papa" (1999). He won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival for his movie "Kosh ba kosh" (1993).  Khudojnazarov died from a short illness in Berlin, Germany, aged 49.
Samuel Wilson (September 13, 1766 – July 31, 1854) was a meat-packer from Troy, New York, whose name is likely the source of the personification of the United States known as "Uncle Sam".
Shiaphobia or Anti-Shi'ism (pronounced anti-SHE-ism) is hatred of Shia Muslims or prejudice against them.  Shia Muslims make up somewhere between 10-13% of Muslims worldwide. Shortly after Muhammad's death, Sunni Islam and Shia Islam split because they disagreed on what type of person that could become a caliph: a top Muslim leader. Shias believe the leader should be related to the Prophet Muhammad. Sunnis, however, believe the leader should be chosen for his ability to lead the community.  Journalists have noted that Shia and Sunni people lived together peacefully for centuries and even intermarried, but political upheaval has sparked new conflict between the two groups. Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American author and professor, has suggested that modern anti-Shi'ism violence is just a part of the overall conflict in the region, particularly due to the the collapse of authoritarian rule in the region.
A controlled burn (sometimes also called a prescribed fire) is a fire that is started on purpose, and kept under control. It is done by people who are trained in controlling a fire, with the right equipment and the right weather conditions. It is done to help the environment or to make an area safer for people. This is not the same as a practice fire, where a firefighter crew might start a fire in a house or other building that is going to be destroyed. They use it for practice, to learn how to enter a burning house safely and how to put out a house fire. Controlled burns, on the other hand, are done outdoors in forests or prairies. Reasons. There are several reasons why a controlled burn may take place. In some areas, there may be too much dry wood and dead plants. If a fire started there that was not controlled (like arson, an accident, or a lightning strike), that fire could become dangerous. So by having trained people there, and burning it carefully, then the fire won't be as hot and won't get out of control. Another reason is to help nature. Some plants need fire so their seeds can start to grow, some animals prefer to live in places that have been recently burned, and sometimes it helps to get rid of weeds. Also, the ash on the ground is a quick fertilizer and helps return nutrients to the soil. Sometimes it is done to help people. It can clear an area of brush and make it easier to see and move around. Hunter-gatherer people would do this to chase game into an area where they can kill the animal for food. This is becoming rare. Methods. From the fire triangle, it is known that a fire needs fuel, oxygen and heat. To control a fire, removing one of these three things will cause the fire to go out. To keep the fire in the area it is supposed to be in, the fire can be smothered, removing oxygen. Or it can be sprayed with water, removing the heat. And the fire finishes when there is no more fuel. Generally, the "back fire" is started first. This is the fire that burns into the wind, and moves slowly. This
Gennadi Aronovich Vengerov (; 27 August 1959 – 22 April 2015) was a Belarusian-born Russian-German actor and voice artist. He began acting in 1978 on stage, and later in 1987 on television and movies. He had over 150 credits to his name. He was also the Russian voice of the title character of "EVE Online" and appeared in the movie "Enemy at the Gates" (2001). In 1990, he moved to German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and worked as a Deutsche Welle radio announcer. Vengerov was born in Vitebsk. He served in the Soviet Army until 1983 when he moved to Moscow. Vengerov died from lung and bone cancer on 22 April 2015 in Düsseldorf. He was 55.
Fastlane (2015) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view show made by WWE. It was held on February 22, 2015 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. It was the first Fastlane event held by the WWE. The main event saw Roman Reigns defeat Daniel Bryan to keep his spot in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship main event match against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31.
Smith v. Allwright (1944), was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court. The decision made it unconstitutional to keep African Americans from voting in a Democratic Party primary in Texas. By extension it covered white primaries in all states. It overturned "Grovey v. Townsend" (1935) which had allowed the Democratic party to hold all-white primaries that excluded black voters. The all-white primary. The Reconstruction Amendments to the United States Constitution gave African Americans freedom from slavery, citizenship and the right to vote. But many former slave states came up with ways to keep blacks from voting. These included poll taxes, literacy tests and complex voter registration laws. While these worked in most southern states, it did not work in Texas. The party needed the Hispanic vote but wanted to exclude blacks. They needed also to split the black and hispanic vote. Texas, like most southern states, was a one-party state. The Democratic party controlled politics. The state and local primary elections decided which candidate would ultimately win office in the general election. Democrats in Texas used the "white primary" to serve their purposes. It prohibited non-whites from joining the Democratic party and taking part in primary elections. It could be used also to exclude Mexican Americans in areas of the state where the party did not need them. The Reconstruction Amendments applied to the state. But in "Grovey v. Townsend" the state of Texas was allowed to pass on its responsibility for protecting black voter rights to a private organization—the Democratic party. This allowed Texas to use the all-white primary. The case. In another decision, "Grovey v. Townsend" (1935), the Supreme Court decided that the Democratic Party was a private organization. Their state convention could decide who can be a member. Lonnie E. Smith, a Houston dentist, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) decided to fight this decision.  In Smith v. Allwright (1944), the court overturned the Grovey ruling. A majority of the justices decided that the Democratic party was more than a private organization. It was a part of the election process in Texas. For this reason the court said that it was unconstitutional to stop African Americans from voting in the Democratic primary.
Peng Hsin-yi (; 4 December 1990 – 21 April 2015), better known by her stage name Cindy Yang (Chinese: 楊又穎), was a Taiwanese actress and model. She was known for her appearances on "100% Entertainment" and the movie "First of May" (2015). Yang was born in Taichung. She was the daughter of politician Peng Tso-kwei. She committed suicide by helium inhalation on 21 April 2015, aged 24. Her funeral was held on 24 April.
Ali Abu Mukhammad (), also known as Ali Abu Muhammad al-Dagestani, born Aliaskhab Alibulatovich Kebekov (), was a Dagestani militant Islamist in Russia and the leader of the Caucasus Emirate following the death of inaugural leader Dokka Umarov. The United States Department of State added Kebekov to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists on March 25, 2015.  On 19 April 2015, Ali Abu Mukhammad was killed by Russian security forces during special operations near Buynaksk.
Meyer (Mike) Howard Abrams (July 23, 1912 – April 21, 2015), usually cited as M. H. Abrams, was an American literary critic. He was known for works on Romanticism, in particular his book "The Mirror and the Lamp".  Abrams died in Ithaca, New York, aged 102.
Aziz Aslimanesh (‎; 9 April 1938 – 23 April 2015), better known as Aziz Asli, was an Iranian football goalkeeper, manager, painter, and actor. He played for teams such as Persepolis F.C. and his country from the late 1940s until the early 1970s. He managed Zob Ahan Isfahan F.C. for a short time. He also acted in movies before the Islamic Revolution. Asli was born in Tabriz. He was of Azerbaijani ancestry. He died on 23 April 2015 in Munich, Germany, aged 77.
The desert locust ("Schistocerca gregaria") is a species of locust. Plagues of desert locusts threaten agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. They have done so for centuries. The livelihood of one-tenth of the world’s human population may be affected by this voracious insect. The destructive swarms of locusts do not form every year, but only when conditions are right for them. The desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of swarms to fly rapidly across great distances. It has two to five generations per year. The last major desert locust upsurge in 2004–05 caused crop loss in West Africa and reduced food supply in the area. The desert locust alone is not responsible for famines, but it is a contributing factor. Development. The insect does not have complete metamorphosis. Its larvae develop in stages called "instars". As the larvae get closer to adulthood, they are called "nymphs" or "hoppers". There are two kinds of hopper: solitary and gregarious. In the solitary phase the hoppers do not group together but move about independently. Their colouring in the later instars tends to be greenish or brownish to match the colour of the herbage.  In the gregarious phase the hoppers bunch together and in the later instars develop a bold colouring with black markings on a yellow background. The immatures are pink and the mature adults are bright yellow and fly during the day in dense swarms.  The change from a solitary insect to a voracious locust pack usually follows a period of drought, when rain falls at last, and vegetation flushes in desert locust breeding places. The population builds up rapidly and the competition for food increases.  As hoppers get more crowded, the close physical contact causes the insects' hind legs to bump against one another. This stimulus triggers a cascade of metabolic changes which move the insects from the solitary to the gregarious phase. When the hoppers become gregarious, their colouration changes from largely green to yellow and black, and the adults change
Pierre Claude Nolin (October 30, 1950 – April 23, 2015) was a Canadian politician. He was the Speaker of the Senate from November 27, 2014 until his death. He was also Senator for De Salaberry, Quebec from June 18, 1993. He was a member of Conservative Party of Canada. Nolin was born in Montreal, Quebec. He studied at the University of Ottawa. He married Camille Desjardins in 1976. They had three children. Nolin died from cancer on April 23, 2015 in Ottawa, Ontario. He was 64.
Razan Zaitouneh or Zeitunah () is a Syrian human rights lawyer and activist. She was born 29 April 1977. In March 2013, Zeitouneh received the International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. State Department. In December 2013, Zeitouneh disappeared in Syria. Early life. Zaitouneh was part of the Syrian uprising. She documented human rights in Syria for the Local Coordination Committees of Syria. After the government accused her of being a foreign agent she went into hiding and her husband was arrested. Education and career. Zaitouneh finished law school in 1999. In 2001 started her work as lawyer, and she became a member of the team of lawyers for defense of political prisoners. In the same year, she was one of the founders of the Human Rights Association in Syria (HRAS). In 2005, Zaitouneh started SHRIL (the Syrian Human Rights Information Link), to report about human rights problems in Syria. In 2005, Zaitouneh became a member of the Committee to Support Families of Political Prisoners in Syria. Recognitions. On 27 October 2011, Zaitouneh received the 2011 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, together with four other Arabs. In 2011, she also received the Anna Politkovskaya Award. In 2013, Zaitouneh received the International Women of Courage Award. In December 2013, pro-opposition websites said that Zaitouneh was kidnapped along with her husband, Wael Hamadeh, and two colleagues, Samira Khalil and Nazem Hammadi, in the opposition-held town of Douma to the north of Damascus. As of 4 February 2014, their location was still unknown. The identity of the kidnappers was not certain, although they were suspected to be from the Islamist rebel group the Army of Islam.
Gideon (Gidi) Eilat (17 January 1924 - 21 April 2015) was a German-born Israeli military person. He was a former member of the Palmach. He was the commander of the third battalion of the Yiftach Brigade during the War of Independence. His highest rank was that of lieutenant colonel ("sgan aluf"). He was active in the Kibbutz Artzi movement. Eilat was one of the founders of the Civil Guard of the Israel Police Department. He was also a member of Kibbutz Beit Alfa. Eilat was born in Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia). He was raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. Eilat died at a hospital in Beit Alfa, Israel at the age of 91.
Alpine is a city in the state of Texas in the United States. It is the county seat of Brewster County. About 6,035 people lived there in 2020. Alpine was first named Osborn for the part of the railroad that it was near. From 1883 to 1888, Alpine was named Murphyville, for the owners of the land where the spring was that the railroad used to get water for its steam locomotives. Sul Ross State University opened in Alpine in Summer of 1920. Big Bend National Park was started near Alpine on June 12, 1944. Both of these things forced people to move to Alpine.
Francis Tsai (April 14, 1967 – April 23, 2015) was an American comic book artist, illustrator, author and conceptual artist. He was of Taiwanese and Japanese ancestry. Tsai also contributed covers and interior art for Marvel Comics. Tsai was from Honolulu, Hawaii. Tsai provided interior artwork for a number of "Dungeons &amp; Dragons" manuals for Wizards of the Coast, including "", "Monster Manual III", "d20 Future", "Races of Eberron", "Lost Empires of Faerûn", "Explorer's Handbook", "Tome of Magic: Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic", "Power of Faerûn", and "d20 Future Tech". He also worked on movies such as "Sucker Punch" and "TMNT - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". In 2010, at the age of 42, Tsai was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. He died April 23, 2015.
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. (January 9, 1932 – May 30, 2000) was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995. He previously served as a state senator (1963–68) and Auditor General of Pennsylvania (1969–77). Casey died at the age of 68 from a rare disease called amyloidosis in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American movie critic. He was one of several editors of "Time" magazine who focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He created the widely used term "Drop Dead Gorgeous" in 1985 when describing Michelle Pfeiffer's performance in the movie, "Into the Night". Corliss died in New York City, New York from a stroke, aged 71.
Peter Howell (1919 – 20 April 2015) was an English actor. He was known for his appearances on "Emergency – Ward 10", "The Avengers", "The Prisoner", "Doctor Who", "The Lord of the Rings", and "Yes Minister". Howell was born in London. He died after a short illness on 20 April 2015 in Northwood, aged 95/96.
Rex Robinson (1926 – April 2015) was a British actor. He was best known for appearing in three "Doctor Who" serials in the 1970s, all directed by Australian Lennie Mayne. He also appeared in television series such as "Z-Cars", "The Onedin Line", Within These Walls, "Terry and June", The Professionals, "Only Fools and Horses", and Yes Minister. He also appeared in the movie "" (1987). Robinson was born in Derby, Derbyshire. He was married to actress Patricia Prior until his death. He died in April 2015, aged 89.
Leonard Edward "Lennie" Mayne (8 November 1927 – 20 May 1977) was an Australian television director. He was best known for directing four "Doctor Who" serials, "The Curse of Peladon" (1972), "The Three Doctors" (1972), "The Monster of Peladon" (1974) and "The Hand of Fear" (1976). He also worked on television series such as Dr. Finlay's Casebook, "Warship" and "The Onedin Line". He was married to actress Frances Pidgeon, with whom he had twin daughters. Mayne died by drowning in a sailing accident on the English Channel in May 1977. His life is documented in the film, Looking For Lennie, which is featured on the Bluray release of the Doctor Who story, The Three Doctors.
The titan arum, "Amorphophallus titanum", is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world.  The titan arum's inflorescence is not as large as that of the talipot palm, "Corypha umbraculifera", but the inflorescence of the talipot palm is branched rather than unbranched. Due to its odor, which is like the smell of a decomposing animal, the titan arum is called a 'carrion flower', or 'corpse flower', or 'corpse plant'. For the same reason, the name 'corpse flower' is also used for the genus "Rafflesia" which, like the titan arum, grows in the rainforests of Sumatra. The function of the smell is to attract insect pollinators. Both male and female flowers grow in the same inflorescence. The female flowers open first, and only lasts (or is "receptive") about 12 to 24 hours. Then a day or two following, the male flowers open. This usually prevents the flower from self-pollinating. The popular name "titan arum" was invented by the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough for his BBC series "The Private Life of Plants", in which the flowering and pollination of the plant were filmed for the first time. Attenborough felt that calling the plant "Amorphophallus" on a popular TV documentary would be inappropriate. The record size is 3.1 m (10 ft 2.25 in) tall.
Corypha umbraculifera, the talipot palm, is a species of palm native to eastern and southern India and Sri Lanka. It is also in Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and the Andaman Islands. It is one of the largest palms in the world. Individuals have reached up to 25 m (82 ft) with stems up to 1.3 m (4.25 ft) in diameter. It is a fan palm (Arecaceae tribe Corypheae), with large leaves up to 5 m (16 ft) in diameter, with a leaf stem up to 4 m (13 ft), and up to 130 leaflets.  The talipot palm bears the largest inflorescence of any plant, 6-8 m (20-26 ft) long, consisting of one to several million small flowers borne on a branched stalk at the top of the trunk. The talipot palm flowers only once, when it is 30 to 80 years old. It takes about a year for the fruit to mature, producing thousands of round, yellow-green fruit 3-4 cm (1.2-1.6 in) in diameter, each containing a single seed. The plant dies after fruiting.