Alaric I, also Alaricus, (reigned 394–410 AD) was a leader of the Visigoths. He is famous as the Gothic leader who sacked the city of Rome in 410 AD. Very little about his family is known. As a young man he received much of his military training in the Roman army. He next appears as a war leader of Gothic forces fighting along with Roman troops at the Battle of the Frigidus in 394. In January 395 the emperor Theodosius I died dividing his empire between his two sons. Alaric revolted and as the leader of the Visigoths he attacked parts of the Eastern Roman Empire. He later attacked the Western Roman Empire. In 408 he attempted to attack Rome but was bribed to leave. He returned two years later, defeated and occupied the city. He died in 411.
Alaric was born on an island on the delta of the Danube River. He was a member of the noble Balti dynasty of Visigoths. He was first mentioned in 394 AD as a commander under the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in his war against Eugenius. He became the leader or king of the Visigoths in the mid 390s. Alaric rebelled against Emperor Arcadius in 395 and invaded Greece. When he came to the walls of Athens, the city paid a heavy ransom so he left them unharmed. He then defeated Corinth, Argos and Sparta. He continued to lay waste to Greece until 397 when the Roman general Stilicho surrounded Alaric's army at Arcadia. They cut off the water to the Gothic camp and thought it was impossible for Alarc to escape. But Alaric broke through their lines and marched to the north over very difficult terrain. Alaric then made a treaty with Arcadius. Stilicho returned to Italy without having defeated Alaric.
In 401-402 AD Alaric entered Italy. He tried the same tactics he used earlier but was unsuccessful against the Roman army. At the Battle of Pollentia in 402, the Roman army defeated the goths. Alaric's wife was one of those captured by the Romans. However, the Visigoth losses were very few and Alaric's army left in good order. Alaric crossed the Po River intending on attacking Rome but was met and defeated again by Stilicho at the Battle of Verona. Alaric's army attacked across the Danube and Rhine Rivers again in 405 and 406 AD. Stilicho, who was now ruling in the name of the Emperor Honorius, made a treaty with Alaric. But Stilicho was killed in 408. Alaric invaded Italy again and demanded Stilicho's promises to him be kept.
From late 408 AD, the Visigoth army camped outside Rome. Alaric demanded payment from Honorius, who was safe in Ravenna, which the emperor refused to pay.
Zosimus the historian wrote the only known account of the last negotiations before Rome was sacked:
On August 24, 410 AD, Rome's city gates were opened by slaves. Alaric's Visigoths began three days of murdering and plundering. They damaged buildings and stole from tombs of former emperors. It was the first time in 800 years that Rome was sacked. But the Visigoths continued their destruction further south in Italy. The casualties were high on both sides. The Romans lost an estimated 15,000 men while the Visigoths lost about 17,000.
Alaric planned to move his army into Sicily and then on to Africa. But he died soon after Rome fell in 410 AD. Ataulf succeeded Alaric as king and took the army into Gaul.
Dickin Medal
The PDSA Dickin Medal is an award for animals. It was created in the United Kingdom, by Maria Dickin, in 1943. At first, the award's goal was to honor the work of animals during World War II. The award is often called "the animals' Victoria Cross."
Maria Dickin was the creator of the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a British veterinary charity. She created the award for any animal who showed "conspicuous gallantry [obvious bravery]" and devotion to its job while serving with the United Kingdom's armed forces or their allies. The Medal was awarded 54 times between 1943 and 1949 – to 32 pigeons, 18 dogs, three horses, and one cat.
The PDSA started awarding the Dickin Medal again in 2000. In that year, they honored a Newfoundland dog named Gander. The award was given posthumously - after Gander's death. During the Battle of Hong Kong in World War II, Gander had saved the lives of Canadian soldiers.
In early 2002, three dogs were awarded the Dickin Medal for their work in responding to the September 11 attacks. The PDSA also awarded the Medal to two dogs serving with the British military in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iraq.
In December 2007, 12 animals who had received the Dickin Medal and were buried at the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford, Essex, were given full military honors. This marked the end of a project to restore the cemetery, which was aided by the United Kingdom's National Lottery.
The first recipients of the Medal, in December 1943, were three pigeons. Serving with the Royal Air Force, all three helped make it possible to rescue air crew from ditched planes during the Second World War. The most recent animal to receive the Medal was Diesel, a dog who was killed while serving with the French police during the November 2015 Paris attacks. Diesel's award will be presented in a ceremony in 2016. As of December 2015, the Dickin Medal has been awarded 66 times.
Throughout history, homing pigeons have been used to carry messages over long distances. Homing pigeons can find their way home over very long distances. Because of this special ability, homing pigeons have often been used in wars to carry messages. For example, air force flyers could carry homing pigeons in their planes. If a plane started to crash, the airmen could throw the pigeon out of the plane with a message attached to its leg saying where the plane was crashing. The pigeon would find its way back "home" - to a military base - where the message would tell the military where to look for their stranded pilots.
The United Kingdom used about 250,000 homing pigeons in World War II. Of these, 32 were awarded the Dickin Medal for carrying messages that helped save lives:
Horses have been used in wars for over 5,000 years. By World War II, they were usually not used in battle. However, they were used for scout units, and also to carry soldiers and supplies.
"See also: Famous Ship's Cats: Simon"
Irma Khetsuriani
Irma Khetsuriani () is a wheelchair fencer from Georgia. She tried to help women and sportspeople with disabilities in Georgia. She is the first woman to be a member of the Georgia national wheelchair fencing team. She works for the Georgian Paralympic Committee as an office manager.
Khersuriani is from Abkhazia and lived in Ochamchire until she was 7 years old. Her family left Abkhazia during the 2008 South Ossetia war. Following the war in the region, she lived in Kutaisi and Tskhaltubo. She started the University of Kutaisi when she was 17 years old. She studied English and computers. She got spinal disease when she was 20 years old and became disabled. Because of this, she quit university to fix her health problems.
Khersuriani works for the Georgian Paralympic Committee as an office manager. A friend from Tiblisi found the job for her. Her mother did not want her to take the job and move away from them to Tiblisi.
One of Khersuriani's hobbies is dancing. Because not many people in Tiblisi do this, people stare. One of Khersuriani's best friend is another wheelchair fencer from Georgia, Temo Dadiani also from Abkhazia. The friends met at a rehabilitation center in Ukraine.
Khersuriani helps disability sport in Georgia, talking to the government and asking them to give more money for sports in 2015. She has also helped to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Georgian, including being part of a Persons With Disabilities Day in 2013, and participating in events with the United Nations.