ejaasaari/simplewiki-2025-04-01 huggingface dataset:
Fort Sumter is a island fortification in Charleston, South Carolina. The fort was where the American Civil War began. On April 12, 1861, Confederate artillery opened fire on the fort. The Union garrison, under the command of Major Robert Anderson, surrendered the fort 34 hours later. Union forces attempted to take the fort back several times during the Civil War. The fort was abandoned by Confederate forces when the Union Army, under the command of Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman captured Charleston in February 1865. History. President James Madison recommended a series of coastal defenses in a message to Congress on December 5, 1815. This began a system of forts known as the "Third Coastal Defense System". Congress agreed and construction began on these forts in 1816. One of the locations selected was in Charleston harbor. In 1829 construction began on a shoal in the harbor about west of Fort Moultrie. Over the next 16 years a artificial island was created using of rock and stone. When completed it was designed to house 650 officers and soldiers with 135 guns mounted on three rows, one above the next. All the guns would point towards the harbor. It was named for Brigadier General Thomas Sumter, a Revolutionary War hero. In 1860 the fort was about 90% complete when work stopped after South Carolina seceded from the Union. In the early hours of April 12, 1861, a mortar shell exploded over the fort starting the Civil War. During the war, Fort Sumter remained in Confederate hands. From 1863 to 1865 Union forces laid siege to the fort. For 587 days Confederate soldiers held onto the fort, although by 1865 the fort had been completely destroyed by Union bombardments. In 1870, the work of clearing the rubble started. The rebuilding of the fort was directed by General Quincy A. Gillmore. He had commanded the Union guns during the siege of the fort in 1861. But in 1876, the work stopped and the fort began to slowly deteriorate again. From 1876 to 1898, the fort served as a l
The arrondissement of Briançon is a French arrondissement in the Hautes-Alpes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its capital is the city of Briançon. History. When the Hautes-Alpes department was created on 1800, the "arrondissement" of Briançon was part of that original department. Geography. The "arrondissement" of Briançon is the most northern of the Hautes-Alpes department. It is bordered to the east by the Piedmont region (Italy), to the southeast by the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, to the south by the Gap "arrondissement", to the west by the Drôme department and to the north by the Savoie department. The "arrondissement" of Briançon is the smallest of the two "arrondissements" of the department both in area, , and population (35,752 inhabitants). Composition. Cantons. After the reorganisation of the cantons in France, cantons are not subdivisions of the "arrondissements" so they could have "communes" that belong to different "arrondissements". There are four cantons in the "arrondissement" of Briançon and all have their communes in the "arrondissement": Communes. The "arrondissement" of Briançon has 37 "communes"; they are (with their INSEE codes)ː The "communes" with more inhabitants in the "arrondissement" are:
The arrondissement of Gap is an arrondissement of France, in the Hautes-Alpes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its capital, and prefecture, is the city of Gap, the largest city in the department. History. When the Hautes-Alpes department was created on 1800, the "arrondissement" of Gap was part of that original department. Geography. The "arrondissement" of Gap is in the southern half of the Hautes-Alpes department. It is bordered to the east and south by the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, to the west by the Drôme department, to the north by the Isère department and to the northeast by the Briançon "arrondissement". The "arrondissement" of Gap is the largest of the two "arrondissements" of the department both in area, , and population (104,131 inhabitants). Composition. Cantons. After the reorganisation of the cantons in France, cantons are not subdivisions of the "arrondissements" so they could have "communes" that belong to different "arrondissements". There are 11 cantons in the "arrondissement" of Gap and all have their communes in the "arrondissement": Communes. The "arrondissement" of Gap has 130 "communes"; they are (with their INSEE codes)ː The "communes" with more inhabitants in the "arrondissement" are:
T2 phage is more properly called Enterobacteria phage T2. It is a virulent bacteriophage which infects "Escherichia coli" bacteria.  It contains linear double-stranded DNA, and is covered by a protective protein coat. T2 is a 'tailed phage', one of a group known as the 'T4-like viruses'. The DNA of the phage is injected into "E. coli" cells. It quickly turns the "E. coli" cell into a T2-producing factory. New phages are released when the cell ruptures.  The Hershey–Chase experiments, done by Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase, showed how the DNA of viruses is injected into the bacterial cells, while most of the viral proteins stay outside. The injected DNA molecules cause the bacterial cells to produce more viral DNA and proteins. These discoveries showed that DNA, rather than proteins, is the hereditary material.
Rhyme royal is a seven-line stanza with rhyme scheme a-b-a-b-b-c-c. It is also spelled Rime royal. It is unknown who invented this scheme. Geoffrey Chaucer introduced the stanza into English poetry in 14th century. It may have been borrowed from Italian or French poetry, but the form became typically English. Chaucer used the form in "Troilus and Criseyde". Rhyme royal was popular in the 15th and 16th centuries. Many English and Scottish poets used rhyme royal. It is suitable for long poems. In English literature rhyme royal is almost always composed of ten-syllable lines with five beats. Outside England rhyme royal is not as popular. In the United States Emma Lazarus wrote some poems using ababbcc rhyme-scheme. This stanza comes form her poem "Sympathy" (included in "Epochs").  "It comes not in such wise as she had deemed,"   "Else might she still have clung to her despair."   "More tender, grateful than she could have dreamed,"   "Fond hands passed pitying over brows and hair,"   "And gentle words borne softly through the air,"   "Calming her weary sense and wildered mind,"   "By welcome, dear communion with her kind." Poets who wrote rhyme royal frequently were William Morris and John Masefield. In 20th century the stanza went out of use.
Ottava rima is a stanza of eight lines with the rhyme-scheme a-b-a-b-a-b-c-c. Ottava rima is of Italian origin. It was used by many poets in Italy, Spain and Portugal in 15th and 16th centuries. Some of the poets to use this form were Ludovico Ariosto, Torquato Tasso, Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga and Luís Vaz de Camões. In England it was not so popular at that time. Later Lord Byron wrote "Don Juan" in ottava rima. An example can be found in Emma Lazarus's poetry:  "Master and Sage, greetings and health to thee,"  "From thy most meek disciple! Deign once more"  "Endure me at thy feet, enlighten me,"  "As when upon my boyish head of yore,"  "Midst the rapt circle gathered round thy knee"  "Thy sacred vials of learning thou didst pour."  "By the large lustre of thy wisdom orbed"  "Be my black doubts illumined and absorbed."
The Buëch () is a river in southeastern France, a right tributary of the Durance. It is also called the Grand Buëch in its upper course just to the confluence with the "Petit Buëch" river. Geography. The Buëch river 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 at Laragne-Montéglin in the Hautes-Alpes department, for a period of 15 years. Average monthly discharge (m3/s) at Laragne-Montéglin Course. The Buëch starts several kilometres to the east of "col de la Croix-Haute", a mountain pass in the western side of the "Massif du Dévoluy" mountains, in the "commune" of Lus-la-Croix-Haute, Drôme department, at an elevation of about . It then flows to the southwest and gets into the Hautes-Alpes department and then flows to the south. Finally, the river flows into the Durance river, as a right tributary, near Sisteron, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department. The Buëch flows through 3 departments and 23 "communes", in 2 regions: Main tributaries. The main tributaries of the Buëch river are: Left tributaries: Right tributaries:
Agnes Nixon (December 10, 1922 - September 28, 2016) was an American actress, writer and producer. She was best known as the creator of soap operas, such as "All My Children", "One Life to Live" and "Loving". Nixon was also writer for "As the World Turns". She was the head-writer for "Guiding Light" and "Another World". Nixon was a pioneer in including subjects that were socially relevant into daytime television. She introduced subjects such as abortion, drug addiction and the Vietnam War into her stories. Nixon was born in Chicago. She died at age 93 in Haverford, Pennsylvania. However, some sources claim Nixon was born in 1927.
Cultured meat, also called cultivated meat, is meat grown in cell culture instead of inside animals. It is a form of cellular agriculture. Cultured meat is produced using many of the same tissue engineering techniques used in regenerative medicine. Until now, the cost to produce cultured meat has been extremely high. The first cultured burger patty, created by Dr. Mark Post at Maastricht University, was eaten in August 2013, at a demonstration for the press in London. Cultured meat is believed to be something that can help solve concerns about the environment, animal welfare, food security, and human health.
Uranium trioxide (UO3), also called uranyl oxide, uranium(VI) oxide, and uranic oxide, is an oxide of uranium. UO3 is a hexavalent oxide, which means that the uranium in the compound has an oxidation state of +6. It can be formed by heating uranyl nitrate to 400 °C. UO3 is a poisonous and slightly radioactive substance. It can be harmful if it is breathed in, ingested, or makes contact with skin.
Richard Aldington (8 July 1892 – 27 July 1962), born Edward Godfree Aldington, was an English writer and poet. Aldington was known best for his World War I poetry and the 1929 novel, "Death of a Hero". He was met with controversy from his 1955 "Lawrence of Arabia: A Biographical Inquiry". His 1946 biography, "Wellington", was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He met the poet Hilda Doolittle in 1911 and they married two years later. They divorced in 1938. Aldington joined the British Army in 1916. He served in the Royal Sussex Regiment. He was wounded on the Western Front.
Edwin Atherstone (1788-1872) was an English writer, poet and playwright. Biography. Edwin Atherstone was born in Nottingham on 17 April 1788. He was one of fifteenth children of Hugh Atherstone and Ann Green. He learned in Yorkshire at Fulneck Moravian School. He lived with Mary Wainwright Pearson. They were never married, but had four children, three daughters and a son. Atherstone taught music at school in Taunton. He also collected paintings. The poet died in Bath on 29 January. Literary Works. Edwin Atherstone wrote a lot. He published his first poem, named "Last Days of Herculaneum" in 1821. His best known work is the poem "The Fall of Nineveh". The poem was written for many years. First edition was published in 1828, and the last one in 1868. It is written in blank verse. It is over twenty thousand lines long. It consists of a prelude and thirty books. It tells about a war between Medes and Assyrians. The war took place some centuries before Christ. Main heroes are Arbaces, prince of Medes, Belesis, a priest and friend of Arbaces and Sardanapalus, a cruel king of Assyria. After many battles Medes got Nineveh, which was the capital city of Assyria. Sardanapalus put fire to his own palace and died inside. Sardanapalus is really a criminal. He ordered execution of one hundred war prisoners. He locked all his concubines in his palace so that they died in the fire. The other poems by Atherstone are "Israel in Egypt", about Moses and freeing Jews form slavery in Egypt, "Abradates and Panthea" and "A Midsummer Day's Dream". He also wrote two novels: "The Sea-Kings in England" (1830) and "The Handwriting on the Wall" (1858). Inspired painting. He was a close friend and associate of the painter John Martin, whose well-known painting "The Fall of Nineveh" was produced in conjunction with Atherstone's poem.
The yuzu is a citrus fruit and plant. It originated in East Asia. The fruit looks like a rough small and yellow grapefruit, and changes colour from green to yellow when it becomes more ripe. The yuzu is often used in Japanese and Korean cuisine. It appears much like a lemon but tastes more like a floral lime.
The Swiss Family Robinson (German: "Der Schweizerische Robinson") is a novel by Johann David Wyss. It was first published in 1812. The story is about a Swiss family shipwrecked in the East Indies while on their way to Port Jackson, Australia. History. It was written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss, edited by his son Johann Rudolf Wyss and illustrated by his son Johann Emmanuel Wyss. The novel was intended to teach his four sons about family values, good husbandry, the uses of the natural world and self-reliance. Wyss' attitude toward education is in line with the teachings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Many of the episodes have to do with Christian-oriented moral lessons such as frugality, husbandry, acceptance, cooperation, etc. The family includes the sons Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz. It also includes their mother and their father who is the main character and narrator. The adventures are presented as a series of lessons in natural history and the physical sciences. It resembles other, similar educational books for children in this period. Examples include Charlotte Turner Smith's "Rural Walks: in Dialogues intended for the use of Young Persons" (1795), "Rambles Further: A continuation of Rural Walks" (1796), "A Natural History of Birds, intended chiefly for young persons (1807)". But the novel differs in that it is modeled on Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", a genuine adventure story. It presents a geographically impossible array of large mammals that probably could never have existed together on a single island. Over the years there have been many versions of the story with episodes added, changed, or deleted. Perhaps the best-known English version is by William H. G. Kingston, first published in 1879. It is based on Isabelle de Montolieu's 1813 French adaptation and 1824 continuation (from chapter 37) "Le Robinson suisse, ou, Journal d'un père de famille, naufragé avec ses enfants" in which were added further adventures of Fritz, Franz, Ernest, and Jack. Other English editions that claim to include the whole of
The Barre des Écrins is a mountain in the French Alps. It is the highest peak of the "Massif des Écrins" and of the Dauphiné Alps mountain range. It is in the Écrins National Park (), one of the ten French national parks. It is the only mountain or higher in France that is outside the Mont Blanc Massif. Before the annexation of Savoy, that was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1860, it was the highest mountain in France. Geography. Barre des Écrins is in the northeast of the Hautes-Alpes department (commune of Pelvoux), Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in southeast France. The south side of the mountain is rocky while the soil of the north side is covered with ice because here starts a glacier, the "Glacier Blanc". Barre des Écrins is surrounded by four glaciers: History. The first recorded ascension of the peak was made on 25 June 1864 by the Englishmen Adolphus Warburton Moore, Horace Walker and Edward Whymper, guided by Michel Croz from Chamonix and Christian Almer from Switzerland. William Auguste Coolidge, a mountain climber from United States made the first direct climb up the north side of the Barre des Ecrins in July 1870.
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. Unfinished stone from a quarry is called rubble. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash'. Where present, it becomes more noticeable when the land is ploughed or worked. Building. "Rubble-work" is a name applied to several types of masonry. One kind, where the stones are loosely thrown together in a wall between boards and grouted with mortar almost like concrete, is called in Italian "muraglia di getto" and in French "bocage". In Pakistan, walls made of rubble and concrete, cast in a formwork, are called 'situ', which probably derives from Sanskrit (similar to the Latin 'in situ' meaning 'made on the spot'). Walls that use large stones put together without any attempt at courses is called rubble walling. They are laid at random and are held together with mortar. Where similar work is laid in courses, it is known as coursed rubble. Dry-stone walling is somewhat similar work done without the use of mortar. It is bound together by the fit of the stones and the regular placement of stones which extend through the thickness of the wall. A rubble wall built with mortar will be stronger if assembled in this way. Building foundations made of rubble almost always leak water and are damp. Rubble walls in Malta. Rubble walls () are found all over the island of Malta. Similar walls are also frequently found in Sicily and the Arab countries. The various shapes and sizes of the stones used to build these walls look like stones that were found in the area lying on the ground or in the soil. It is most probable that the practice of building these walls around the field was inspired by the Arabs during their rule in Malta, as in Sicily who were also ruled by the Arabs around the same period. The Maltese farmer found that the technique of these walls was very useful especially during an era where resources were limited. Rubble walls are used to serve as borders between the property of one farm from the other. A great advantage that rubble walls offered is that when heavy rain falls, their structure would allow excessive water to pass through
Francisco de Sá de Miranda (28 August 1481 – 17 May 1558) was a Portuguese poet. Sá de Miranda was the first author of Renaissance in Portugal. He was born in Coimbra. His parents were Gonçalo Mendes de Sá and Inês de Melo. He learned Greek, Latin and philosophy at Santa Cruz Monastery. Then he went to Lisbon to study law at the university. He travelled to Italy, where he met many poets including Vittoria Colonna. When he returned to Portugal, he worked for the king. His main merit for Portuguese literature is that he introduced Italian verse forms. Sá de Miranda was the first author to write sonnets in Portugal. His best known poem is the sonnet "O sol é grande, caem co'a calma as aves". It was translated into English by John Adamson in "Lusitania illustrata".
Alicia Machado (born December 6, 1976) is a Venezuelan-born American beauty pageant winner, singer and actress. She was Miss Universe 1996. She was the fourth woman from Venezuela to win the Miss Universe. Before she was Miss Universe 1996, she was Miss Venezuela 1995. In 2016, Machado became a United States citizen. Also in 2016, Machado spoke out against Donald Trump. She said that he had called her "Miss Piggy" because of her weight during her year as Miss Universe. She said that Trump also called her "Miss Housekeeping" because she was Latina.
Gregorio Ballesteros Honasan II, better known as Gringo Honasan, is a retired Philippine Army officer. He led an unsuccessful coups d'état against President Corazon Aquino. He played a key role in the 1986 People Power Revolution that ended the rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. President Fidel Ramos granted Honasan amnesty in 1992 for his actions against President Aquino. He entered politics and became a senator. In 2016 he ran unsuccessfully for vice president of the Philippines as Jejomar Binay's running-mate.
The Ryder Cup is a golf tournament. It is held between the United States and Europe every 2 years.  The tournament was first held in 1927. The current venue is Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota, USA.
An indie game, short for independent video game generally refers to a video game made by a single developer or small team without the support from a large video game company. Some indie games have become very successful like Minecraft.  Overview. Indie game has no true definition, but has certain features, they are often made by one person or a small team, often smaller than mainstream titles, often not getting money from a publisher. But being without a publisher means that they have no-one telling them what they can and can't do, giving them much more freedom to make a game they want to make. But making a Indie game does not mean they have no publisher. Indie game developers often go to crowd-funding sites to help fund the game, but often make very little profit. History. Indie games started on PCs where it currently remains. Indie games become popular as shareware. But as better technologies came out people began to expect more from these small teams, indie games have seen a huge rise in the later half of the 2000s.
Oscar Stanton De Priest was an American Republican politician and civil rights advocate. He served as a U.S. Representative from the state of Illinois. During his three terms, he was the only African American serving in Congress. De Priest proposed a law barring discrimination in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was program of the New Deal to employ people across the country in building infrastructure. His proposal was made a law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1929, De Priest made national news. First Lady Lou Hoover invited his wife, Jessie, to a traditional tea for congressional wives at the White House. In reaction several newspapers published a racist poem called "Niggers in the White House". The poem was first published when Booker T. Washington dined with President Theodore Roosevelt.
Pinus pinaster, also known as the maritime pine, cluster pine, or pinaster pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. Names. Common names in some other languages are:  Description. The maritime pine is a large tree tree, that grows up to tall with an average trunk diameter of up to . The bark is orange-red and thick, but thinner in the upper parts of the tree. The leaves ('needles') are in pairs, broad and long, and bluish-green to yellowish-green. The maritime pine is monoecious with separate male an female flowers but on the same plant, in cones. The seeds are long, with a wing. Seeds are spread by the wind. Taxonomy. "Pinus pinaster" was described by William Aiton, a Botanist from Scotland, in 1789. There are three subspecies of "Pinus pinaster" Aiton:  Where it grows. The maritime pine is native to the southwest and southern Europe, North Africa in Morocco, and along the border between Algeria and Tunisia. It is mainly a pine of low, coastal plains, usually on sandy soils of sea shore dunes; however, in Morocco this species can grow in mountains to an elevation of near . It has been introduced into regions with a similar Mediterranean climate. The species is regarded as a highly invasive species. A large production of seeds that are spread by the wind and rapid growth rate all contribute to its ability to invade native habitats, which suffer a loss of species diversity. The maritime pine is reported to be an aggressive colonizer in Chile, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa Uses. The maritime pine is widely planted for timber in its native area. It is one of the most important trees in forestry in France, Spain and Portugal. The pine forest in Landes in southwest France is the largest man-made maritime pine forest in Europe. The resin is also a source of turpentine and rosin. As well as industrial uses, maritime pine is also a popular ornamental tree, planted in parks and gardens in areas with warm temperate climates. It is also used as a source of flavonoids, catechins, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids.