Sakharov kept on asking for "glasnost" (openness). In 1986, Mikhail Gorbachev, who agreed with Sakharov and thought there should be "glasnost", let the dissident scientist return home. Sakharov continued to call for reform, and in December 1989, he died of heart failure, at the age of 68. . But two years later his wish became true with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. .
1686
Year 1686 was a common year that started on a Tuesday when using the Gregorian calendar.
1149
1st century
The 1st century was the century that lasted from year 1 to 100.
During this period Europe, North Africa and the Near East fell under increasing domination by the Roman Empire. It continued expanding under the emperor Claudius (43). The reforms introduced by Augustus during his long reign stabilized the empire. Later in the century the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, which had been founded by Augustus came to an end with the death of Nero in 68. There followed the famous Year of Four Emperors, a brief period of civil war and instability, which was finally brought to an end by Vespasian, 9th Roman emperor, and founder of the Flavian Dynasty.
China continued to be dominated by the Han Dynasty, despite a 14-year interruption by the Xin dynasty under Wang Mang. Han rule was restored in 23. Wang Mang's rule represents the watershed between the Western/Former Han and the Eastern/Later Han. The capital was also moved from Chang'an to Luoyang.
According to the New Testament, during the reign of Tiberius, Jesus, a Jewish religious leader from Galilee, was crucified in Jerusalem on the charge of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God. But "God raised him from the dead" three days later, see Resurrection of Jesus. Over the next few decades his followers, following the Great Commission, including the apostle Paul, carried his message throughout the Greek-speaking regions of Asia Minor, eventually introducing it to Rome itself. Roman rulers began to persecute the new sect almost immediately (the emperor Nero accused the Christians of starting the fires that destroyed much of Rome in 64 AD), and would continue to do so for centuries, sometimes vigorously, and other times passively. Christian tradition records that all of Christ's apostles except John the Evangelist suffered martyrdom.
In the 4th century, Christianity was eventually taken up by the emperor Constantine. One of his successors Julian the Apostate renounced it for paganism and again persecuted the Church. However, by the end of the 4th century, Emperor Theodosius I proclaimed Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.
Note: years before or after the 1st century are in "italics".
Equidae
The Equidae is a family of odd-toed ungulate mammals. The family has only one surviving genus: "Equus". Horses, donkeys and zebras belong in this genus.
Animals of the "Equus" genus can have hybrid offspring, but they are usually sterile.
They can have many different colours.
Lynx
The Lynx is a small cat. It is a genus with four species. The four species are in Eurasia, Spain, Canada and America, and do not overlap much.
"Lynx" have short tails, and usually some hair on the ears. They have large paws (feet) padded for walking on snow, and long whiskers on the face. The color of the body is from light brown to grey and is sometimes marked with dark brown spots, especially on the legs. They weigh about 5 kg or about 11 pounds (approximately the size of a large domestic cat) and can weigh up to about 30 kg (66 pounds). They are between 70 and 150 cm long, with a relative short tail - 5-25 cm. They live for about 20 years.
"Lynx" are similar to a regular house cat, but larger. They have a powerful body on short, furry legs attached to hefty feet, and a bobbed, black-tipped tail. The fur is spotted and yellowish-brown to grey. It has a collar of fur around the face, giving a triangular shape. They also have long black ear tufts.
"Lynx" live in the high altitude forests with many shrubs, reeds and grass. They hunt only on the ground, but can climb trees and swim.
They can be found in the some places in northern Scandinavia, in North America and also in the Himalayas. Since the 1990s people try to move part of the population of the Eurasian lynx to Germany. They can also be found in Białowieża Forest (northeastern Poland), and southern Spain.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife tried to move other wild "Lynx" populations from Canada back to the United States.
"Lynx" are usually solitary, although a small group may travel and hunt together occasionally. Mating takes place in the late winter and once a year the female gives birth to between two and four kittens. The young stay with the mother for one more winter, a total of around nine months, before moving out to live on their own as young adults.
"Lynx" make their dens in crevices or under ledges. They feed on a wide range of animals from white-tailed deer, reindeer, roe deer, small red deer, and chamois, to smaller, more usual prey: snowshoe hares, fish, foxes, sheep, squirrels, mice, turkeys and other birds, and goats. They also eat ptarmigans,voles, and grouse.
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered feline in the world. There are only two populations (together, 300 animals), in the southern Spain.
Hunting lynxes is illegal in many countries.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain (born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965, in Timmins, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. She was married a long time to music producer Mutt Lange. She is very successful in the country and pop music genres. She had a residency show at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, in late 2012.
Her 1995 album "The Woman in Me" brought her fame. Her 1997 album "Come On Over" became the bestselling album of all time by a female musician in any genre and the bestselling country album of all time. It has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
In 2017, she released the album "Now", her first in 15 years. She wrote and co-produced all of the songs. It entered at the top of the charts in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US, where it opened with 137,000 combined copies and streams.
Twain married music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange on December 28, 1993. They have a son, Eja (pronounced "Asia") D'Angelo, who was born on August 12, 2001. On May 15, 2008, a spokesperson for Mercury Nashville said that Twain and Lange were separating. This was after Lange allegedly had an affair with Twain's best friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud. Their divorce was finalized on June 9, 2010. On December 20, 2010, Twain's manager said that Twain was engaged to Swiss Frédéric Thiébaud (the ex-husband of her former best friend), an executive at Nestlé. They married on January 1, 2011, in Rincón, Puerto Rico.
Twain is a longtime vegetarian. In 2001 she was voted PETA's very first Sexiest Vegetarian Alive.
In September 2010, it was confirmed that Twain was to release her first biography, "From This Moment On", on May 3, 2011. The cover work for the book was released on March 2, 2011.
In addition to the awards for her singles and albums, Twain has a number of personal honours:
Twain has released thirty-five singles from four studio albums, one greatest hits album, and one soundtrack album.
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots are an American rock music group. Their peak in popularity was in the 1960s and 1970s. They formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Their biggest hit was the song "Midnight Confessions" which charted in the US at #5 in 1968. Their 1969 song "I'd Wait a Million Years" was #15 in the U.S..
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick (born December 12, 1940) is an American R&B singer. She was born in East Orange, New Jersey.
Warwick sang many songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Many of these songs were hits.
In 1990, Warwick hosted and executive produced a talk show, "Dionne and Friends". She was a contestant in the 2011 season of "The Apprentice".