In the fictional country of Cimmeria, a sword is forged by a blacksmith (William Smith), who shows it to his young son Conan as he tells him "the Riddle of Steel", which is an aphorism of the importance of metal to their people. One day, the Cimmerians are massacred by the warriors of the sorcerer Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), who is the leader of a snake cult. Dogs kill Conan's father and his mother is killed when Doom decapitates her with his sword. The children, Conan among them, are taken into slavery and chained to a mill called The Wheel of Pain. Conan grows into a young man (Arnold Schwarzenegger), whose muscles have built from years of pushing the heavy grindstone. His master eventually trains him into a gladiator; he is eventually freed after winning several pit fights and receiving training in the East. Conan travels to a warrior's tomb and retrieves a sword. He later on encounters a prophetic witch (Cassandra Gava) and befriends the thief Subotai (Gerry Lopez).
On the advice of the witch Conan and Subotai travel to the city of Zamora to find Doom. There, they encounter the female warrior Valeria (Sandahl Bergman). They steal treasure from the Tower of Serpents-killing a giant snake in the process-and after escaping, the thieves celebrate and Conan and Valeria fall in love. The city guards capture the trio and bring them to the court of King Osric (Max von Sydow), who requests that they rescue his daughter-who has become a follower of Doom-for a reward. Subotai and Valeria refuse, but Conan-driven by his hatred of Doom-sets off alone to the Temple of Set, where the sorcerer resides.
Conan infiltrates the temple disguised as a priest, but ends up being discovered, captured and tortured. Doom lectures him on the power of flesh, which he demonstrates by forcing one of his followers to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, before ordering the barbarian to be crucified on the Tree of Woe. Subotai discovers the dying Conan and brings him to the Wizard of the Mounds (Mako), who lives on a burial site for warriors and kings. The wizard summons spirits to heal the barbarian, warning that they will "exact a heavy toll", which Valeria is willing to pay. These spirits try to capture Conan but he fully recovers from his wounds when Subotai and Valeria fight them off.
Subotai and Valeria agree to help Conan complete the quest and infiltrate the temple of Set. As the cult indulges in a cannibalistic orgy, the thieves attack and flee with the princess. Doom shoots Valeria with a stiffened snake and is mortally injured. She dies of her wounds and Conan has her cremated at the Mounds, where he later prepares with Subotai and the wizard to fight Doom. With the use of booby traps and exploiting the terrain, the two manage to slay Doom's soldiers when they arrive. Valeria reappears briefly as a Valkyrie to protect Conan from a mortal blow. After the death of his men, Doom tries to shoot the princess with a stiffened snake, but Subotai blocks the shot with his shield and the sorcerer flees to his temple.
Conan sneaks back to the temple where Doom addresses the cult members. He confronts Doom, who attempts to mesmerize him. Conan, however, resists and decapitates the sorcerer. After the disillusioned cultists disperse, Conan razes the temple to the ground and returns the princess.
Aisne (river)
The Aisne is a river in northeastern France. It is a left tributary of the Oise river. It gave its name to the French department of Aisne. It was known in Roman times with its Celtic name of Axona.
The Aisne river has a length of , and a drainage basin with an area of .
The source of the Aisne is in the "Forest of Argonne", in the Rembercourt-Sommaisne "commune" (Meuse), near the border with the Marne department, at an altitude of about . From here, the Aisne flows to the west.
The Aisne river flows through 2 regions and 5 departments. It flows through the following "communes", among others:
Finally, it flows into the Oise river in the city of Compiègne.
The main tributaries of the Aisne river are:
Left tributaries:
Right tributaries:
Its average yearly discharge (volume of water which passes through a section of the river per unit of time) is at Trosly-Breuil in the Oise department.
The Aisne shows typical seasonal fluctuations. The highest levels of the river are in winter and spring, from December to May inclusive, with the highest level in February. They are followed by a rapid fall in the flow during the low water period that goes from July to October.
Damodar River
The Damodar River is a river in India. It flows through the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. The river is nicknamed "the Sorrow of Bengal" because of the floods in the plains of West Bengal.
The Damodar River has many tributaries. They are:
Chota Nagpur Plateau receives an annual rainfall of around . The volume of this monsoon rain produces the floods of the Damodar River. Many of the floods of the Damodar River is recorded in the years of 1700, 1855, 1866, 1926, 1935 and 1943.
History of the United States (1789–1849)
The History of the United States (1789–1849), sometimes called the Antebellum period, is the history beginning with the Presidency of George Washington and ending just before the American Civil War. The first government, formed under the Articles of Confederation, had ended and a new government based on the United States Constitution began. In the early 19th century, the country went though a number of dramatic changes. The country expanded its borders, cities became industrial centers and the economy grew. Sections of the United States developed differently leading to conflicts and eventually up to a civil war.
This is the period from 1789 to about 1801 when the Federalist Party controlled the American government.
In 1789, Washington was elected the first President of the United States. The Constitution only gave a vague outline of what a president should be. Washington defined the position of President and left office after two terms. During Washington's term, there was a Whiskey Rebellion, where country farmers tried to stop the government from collecting taxes on whiskey. In 1795, Congress passed the Jay Treaty, which allowed for increased trade with Britain in exchange for the British giving up their forts on the Great Lakes. However, Great Britain was still interfering with the U.S., such as impressment (making American sailors join the British Royal Navy).
John Adams defeated Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1796 to become the second President of the United States. This was the first American election that was between two political parties. Under Adams, the United States Navy was created on April 30, 1798. It replaced the earlier Continental Navy which had been disbanded by 1785. By the end of 1798 the U.S. Navy had 14 ships with more being built. Adams pushed for and signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts.
In the election of 1800, Jefferson defeated Adams. One of the most important things he did as President was to make the Louisiana Purchase from France, which made the United States twice as big. By 1800 24 treaties had been signed with nine European powers.
This is the period from 1800 through 1815 which includes the administrations of two Democratic-Republican Party presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They are commonly called Jeffersonian Republicans. During this time the country nearly doubled in size with the Louisiana Purchase from France. This, in turn, was one of the causes behind the War of 1812, when Great Britain attempted to re-claim her former American colonies.<!Era of good feelings • http://www.ushistory.org/us/23a.asp -->