The English Channel is a body of water that separates the island of Great Britain from the rest of Europe. People who live in the UK and want to visit Europe, or people from Europe who want to visit the UK, can take a ferry across or ride a train under the channel in a special tunnel called the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed the "Chunnel"). Both the ferries and trains carry cars. It is 563 km long, 246 km wide, and its narrowest part (34 km) is the Strait of Dover. On a clear day, it is possible to see the cliffs of Dover from Calais on the French side.
In 1875, Matthew Webb became the first known person to swim the English Channel, crossing it in just under 22 hours. The first woman to do this was Gertrude Ederle. In 2004, over 600 people were recorded making the crossing. The fastest time was achieved by Bulgarian swimmer Peter Stoychev in 2007, who managed it in 7 hours. Recently, officials have outlawed swimming in the English Channel.
In France, it is known as "La manche" (The Sleeve).
Upminster
Upminster is a place in the east London Borough of Havering, England. It is the eastern end of the London Underground system, on the District line which is green. It is also a station on the c2c line, but Oyster cards and travel cards are not valid beyond Upminster. Nearby places include Hornchurch, Upminster Bridge and Cranham.
Saint Laurence Church in Upminster is where William Derham measured the speed of sound.
Colin Baker
Colin Baker (born 8 June 1943) is an English actor. He is most famous as the Sixth Doctor on "Doctor Who" from 1984 to 1986. He has no relation to Tom Baker, who played the fourth incarnation of the Doctor.
Boxing
Boxing is one of the world's oldest combat sports. It is held in a ring and two boxers (people who fight in boxing fights) wear padded gloves and try to hit one another.
There are a few different ways to win in boxing. One is by a way of a knockout, which is when a fighter is punched and falls to the ground and cannot get back up within ten seconds. Another way is by a technical knockout, which is when the fighter can not continue fighting thus the referee stops the fight. Technical knockout wins and losses are also knockout wins or losses for a boxer. Another possibility is winning on points, which a boxer gets by outboxing his or her opponent by hitting the opponent more often, harder, and more accurately. There are also draws in boxing. What in other sports are called "tie" in boxing it's called "draw". A referee can announce a technical draw due to an accidental cut or an accidental wound like a headbutt. Generally, it is considered a "no contest" (NC)-in which case, the fight is considered as not having taken place at all and not counting as a fight. However, after the fourth round, if the score cards for both fighters are equal, the fight could be called a draw. It is a way to defeat your enemy by brute physical force. Each round lasts 3 minutes for men, 2 minutes for women.
1900s
The 1900s was the decade that started on January 1, 1900, and ended on December 31, 1909.
Tux Racer
Tux Racer is a video game made by Sunspire Studios where the player moves Tux, the Linux Penguin . In the game, Tux goes down a hill on his belly and collects fish. There are many things that slow Tux down. There are also things that may be hard for Tux to get past.
The developers of Tux Racer have long abandoned making and programing the game. But some programmers took the source code and they call their new version Extreme Tux Racer, it is much newer and has many improvements over the old Tux Racer.
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a territory in Northern Canada. 44,541 people live there as of 2018. It is 1,171,918 square kilometers.
The capital of the Northwest Territories is Yellowknife. Yellowknife was the capital since 1967. The Northwest Territories have many geographical features, like the Great Bear Lake, the Mackenzie River and Nahanni River, which is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Northwest Territories entered the Canadian Confederation in 1870. The Hudson's Bay Company gave the land to the Dominion of Canada. The Northwest Territories have one person in the House of Commons and the Canadian Senate. A lot of parts of the Northwest Territories were given to other provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. In 1999, the eastern part of the Northwest Territories became the territory of Nunavut.
Straight
The word straight means something that goes in one direction without turns, bends, or curves.
Lines can bend in a curve. If lines do not bend, they are straight. For example, the edge of a circle is not straight. The edge of a circle bends in a curve.
Light bends in a curve in air and water, but travels in a straight line away from the earth or other bodies in outer space where there is no air.
The word "straight" is also a slang term for "heterosexual"
SS Richard Montgomery
The SS "Richard Montgomery" was an American ship built during World War II. "Montgomery" was wrecked off the coast of Sheerness, near Kent, England in 1944 with around 1,400 tonnes of explosives on board, which continue to be a hazard to the area.
"Montgomery" sank in the Thames estuary on August 20, 1944. It was loaded with 15,000 tons of explosive munitions. The Admiralty decided to leave the wreck and its dangerous cargo untouched. The wreck lies just a few hundred yards offshore between an oil refinery and the several towns. Southend-on-Sea is just a couple of miles away on the other side of the Thames estuary. Rumors about the ship and its cargo have spread in these towns ever since. Denials have been issued by ministers in the House of Commons in response to MPs questions about the fact biological, chemical and gas warheads are on board. Nevertheless, rumors continue that the real reason the wreck was not made safe was because of the fact of "dirty weapons" being on board.
Inno e Marcia Pontificale
Hymn and Pontifical March (Inno e Marcia Pontificale) is the national anthem of the Vatican City. It was adopted in 1950.
O Roma felix - O Roma nobilis.<br>
Sedes es Petri, qui Romae effudit sanguinem,<br>
Petri, cui claves datae sunt regni caelorum.<br>
Pontifex, Tu successor es Petri;<br>
Pontifex, Tu magister es tuos confirmas fratres;<br>
Pontifex, Tu qui Servus servorum Dei,<br>
hominumque piscator, pastor es gregis,<br>
ligans caelum et terram.<br>
Pontifex, Tu Christi es vicarius super terram,<br>
rupes inter fluctus, Tu es pharus in tenebris;<br>
Tu pacis es vindex, Tu es unitatis custos,<br>
vigil libertatis defensor; in Te potestas.<br>
Tu Pontifex, firma es petra, et super petram hanc<br>
aedificata est Ecclesia Dei.<br>
O felix Roma - O Roma nobilis.<br>
[Hymn]<br>
O Rome immortal, city of martyrs and saints, <br>
O immortal Rome, accept our praises. <br>
Glory in the heavens to God our Lord <br>
And peace to men who love Christ! <br>
To you we come, angelic Pastor,<br>
In you we see the gentle Redeemer.<br>
You are the holy heir of our Faith,<br>
You are the comfort and the refuge of<br>
Those who believe and fight.<br>
Force and terror will not prevail,<br>
But truth and love will reign.<br>
[Pontifical March]<br>
Hail, O Rome,<br>
Eternal adobe of memories;<br>
A thousand palms and a thousand altars<br>
Sing your praises.<br>
O city of the Apostles,<br>
Mother and guide of the elect,<br>
Light of the nations,<br>
And hope of the world!<br>
Hail, O Rome!<br>
Your light will never fade;<br>
The splendour of your beauty<br>
Disperses hatred and shame.<br>
O city of the Apostles,<br>
Mother and guide of the elect,<br>
Light of the nations,<br>
And hope of the world!<br>
Northern Mariana Islands
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean that are a political division controlled by the United States. Its capital is Saipan.