Ankara is a city that has a lot of history. Ankara was invaded many times. In 546 BCE, Achaemenid Persians was in control of Ankara (approximated date). Ankara was then invaded by the Romans in 25 BCE. At the time, Ankara was controlled by Augustus. Ankara castle was captured by the Crusaders in 1101. Ankara castle was captured again by the Seljuqs in 1227. Ankara was controlled again by the Ottomans in 1403. In October 13, 1923 Ankara became the capital of Turkey.
Johannes Gutenberg
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (more commonly known as Johannes Gutenberg) (1390s – 3 February 1468), was a German metal-worker and inventor. He is famous for his work in printing in the 1450s, and is specifically known for inventing typography.
Gutenberg was born in Mainz, Germany, as the son of a merchant, Friele Gensfleisch zur Laden. Gutenberg's father took the surname "zum Gutenberg" after the name of the place they now lived.
Gutenberg invented a sort of metal alloy for printing; inks; a way to fix type (metal letters) very accurately; and a new sort of printing press. He took the idea for his printing press from the presses wine-makers used. Many people say Gutenberg invented printing with moveable type, but it was already invented in China before that: see printing.
Before movable type, people used block printing, where the printer prints a whole page from one piece of metal or wood. With movable type, the printer makes a letter (A, B, C ...) from a piece of metal or wood, and can use it again and again in different words. Together, all Gutenberg's inventions made printing fast. In Renaissance Europe, the improved information technology made an information explosion – in a short time, people printed many new books about many topics.
The high number of new books was partly because of the popular Bible Gutenberg printed – the Gutenberg Bible. This was the first Bible people made in large numbers; Gutenberg started on 23 February 1455. Gutenberg was not a clever businessman, and did not get much money from his system. He had legal problems, and lost his machines to his partner, Johann Fust. The Archbishop at the time sympathized with Gutenberg because of his contributions to society, so told him that he would receive a pension each year with clothes, wine, and grain. Gutenberg died in Mainz, Germany, in 1468.
In his lifetime Gutenberg was not successful, but his invention was very important. In a short time, news and books were traveling around Europe very fast. Scientists could communicate better, which helped bring the scientific revolution and new technology. More Europeans, not just priests, scribes and scholars, learned to read.
Today, there are still 60 Gutenberg Bibles. They are probably the oldest books that printers made with moveable type.
The "Gutenberg Galaxy" and Project Gutenberg use Gutenberg's name. The city of Guttenberg, Iowa in the United States is named after him.
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was the Queen of England and Ireland. She was queen from 17 November 1558 until she died in March 1603. She was also called Good Queen Bess or the Virgin Queen or Gloriana.
She was the daughter of King Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn, his second wife, and was the last of the Tudor dynasty of monarchs. When Boleyn was disgraced at court and executed, Elizabeth's life became a troubled one, including being locked up in the Tower of London, an old prison.
Despite that, Elizabeth reigned with intelligence and hard work. Her reign was distinguished with great achievements in the arts, trade, and exploration. She ably defended her country through the days of the Spanish Armada. She never married, but claimed that she was married to England. She also had a few other favourites, including the Earl of Leicester. At her death in 1603, King James VI of Scotland was named her successor.
Elizabeth was born in 1533 at Greenwich, England. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. She had an older half-sister Mary, and, later, a younger half-brother Edward.
Elizabeth was given a good education. She could speak and read six languages: her native English, as well as French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Latin.
When she was thirteen and a half years old, on 28 January 1547, King Henry died. Elizabeth's half-brother, Edward, became King Edward VI of England. He died age 15. Mary succeeded him in 1553, and after Queen Mary's death in 1558, Elizabeth became Queen.
Mary I had brought back the Roman Catholic religion in England. Elizabeth returned the nation to the Church of England of her father. She did however retain some of the Catholic traditions. She wanted her subjects to make it look like they were being Protestant even if they were not.
The years of Elizabeth's reign had many artistic achievements. William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, and other writers created enduring drama and poetry. Composers Thomas Tallis and William Byrd worked at Elizabeth's court.
During her reign, many men sought adventure abroad. Elizabeth rented a slave ship to John Hawkins and gave him weapons and equipment to keep slave trading. Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Humphrey Gilbert, and other "sea dogs" looted Spanish ships. They also sailed to the Americas. In 1580, Drake became the first Englishman to sail around the world. The expeditions of these men prepared England for an age of discovery and international trade and owning other parts of the world. In 1600, Elizabeth herself established a trading company known as the East India Company that became an important tool of the British Empire.
England and Spain had long quarrelled. Elizabeth encouraged Protestants in the Spanish-held Netherlands to rebel against Spain. She also encouraged her "sea dogs" to raid Spanish ships. In 1588, King Philip II of Spain sent an armada (a large fleet of ships) to invade England.
Elizabeth met her troops at Tilbury telling them: "I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king – and of a King of England too".
The Spanish Armada was met by England's smaller ships on 29 July 1588. They defeated the Armada. The Armada was driven by southwest winds to the north. The English fleet harried it up the east coast of England. The Armada returned to Spain round the north of Scotland and south around Ireland. It was hit by bad weather near Scotland and Ireland, and some ships were wrecked on those coasts. More than a third of the ships did not return to Spain.
Elizabeth never married, and she had no children. However, she was fond of several noblemen in her court. Prominent among these noblemen was Robert Dudley, the 1st Earl of Leicester. Later, she turned to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. He wanted to overthrow the government of the Queen. He was defeated and executed.
Elizabeth died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603. The Protestant King of Scotland James VI became King of England. He was the son of her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots.
Elizabeth I was the last Tudor monarch, and reigned for 44 years. Her accession date was a national holiday for two hundred years.
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actress, producer, and theatre director. She was born in Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia.
In 1998 she won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for playing Elizabeth I in "Elizabeth". In 2005 she won Best Supporting Actress for playing Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator".
Regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her generation, she is noted for her versatile roles in blockbusters, independent films, and in her stage work in various theatre productions. She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and three British Academy Film Awards.
Kylie Minogue