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Suthida	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Suthida.	Tell me a bio of Suthida.	Tell me a bio of Suthida within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Suthida with around 100 words.	Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana (Thai: สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสุทิดา พัชรสุธาพิมลลักษณ พระบรมราชินี, RTGS: Suthida Phatcharasuthaphimonlak, pronounced [sùʔ.tʰíʔ.dāː pʰát.tɕʰa.ráʔ.sùʔ.tʰāː.pʰíʔ.mōn.lák] ), born Suthida Tidjai (Thai: สุทิดา ติดใจ; 3 June 1978), is Queen of Thailand as the fourth wife of King Vajiralongkorn. Before their marriage, she was a flight attendant. After joining the Thai military, she was promoted to King's bodyguard. Early life and education Suthida was born on 3 June 1978 to the Tidjai family, Kham (father) and Jangheang (mother). She is ethnically Hokkien, coming from a Thai Chinese family. She graduated from Hatyaiwittayalai Somboonkulkanya Middle School and Assumption University with a bachelor's degree in communication arts in 2000. Suthida was formerly a flight attendant for JALways – a Japan Airlines' subsidiary – from 2000 to 2003 and later Thai Airways International in 2003 until 2008. Military service Suthida was appointed commander of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn's household guard, Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters in August 2014. In October 2016, international media reports labeled her as the designated king's "consort", despite the palace never officially declaring their relationship. On 1 December 2016, she was appointed Commander of the Special Operations Unit of the Royal Security Command and promoted to the rank of general. She reached her present rank after only six years of service. She has successfully completed several military training courses. On 1 June 2017, she was appointed as acting commander of Royal Thai Aide-de-camp Department following the reorganization of the Royal Security Command. On 13 October 2017, she was named a Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao, which bestows the title Than Phu Ying (Thai: ท่านผู้หญิง). She is the first female officer to receive this honour since 2004 and the first in the reign of King Rama X. Queen consort On 1 May 2019, Suthida was made Queen of Thailand by King Vajiralongkorn whose coronation took place in Bangkok on 4–6 May 2019. The marriage registration took place at the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall in Bangkok, with her sister-in-law The Princess Royal Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and President of Privy Council Prem Tinsulanonda as witnesses. On 10 May 2024, King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida presided over the Royal Ploughing Ceremony at Phra Meru Grounds (Sanam Luang) in Bangkok. They were accompanied with the others members of the royal family. Title, styles, honours and awards Since 4 May 2019: Her Majesty The Queen Suthida Bajarasudha Bimollaksana (สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสุทิดา พัชรสุธาพิมลลักษณ พระบรมราชินี) Honours Dame of The Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri Dame of The Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (13 October 2017) Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand Royal Cypher Medal of King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal of King Rama X King Vajiralongkorn's Court Medal Military ranks 14 May 2010: Second Lieutenant 14 November 2010: First Lieutenant 1 April 2011: Captain 1 October 2011: Major 1 April 2012: Lieutenant Colonel 1 October 2012: Colonel 10 November 2013: Major-General 26 August 2016: Lieutenant-General 10 December 2016: General 6 March 2025 : Admiral 6 March 2025 : Air Chief Marshal == References ==
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.	Tell me a bio of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo.	Tell me a bio of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo with around 100 words.	Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (born January 8, 1946), commonly referred to by his aliases El Jefe de Jefes ('The Boss of Bosses') and El Padrino ('The Godfather'), is a convicted Mexican drug kingpin who was one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel, which controlled much of the drug trafficking in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico–United States border in the 1980s. Félix Gallardo was arrested in 1989 on charges of ordering the murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena. He was serving his 40-year sentence at the Altiplano maximum-security prison but was transferred to a medium-security facility in 2014 due to his declining health. Early life Born on a ranch in Bellavista, on the outskirts of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Félix Gallardo graduated from high school and studied business in college. He took a job as a Mexican Federal Judicial Police agent. He worked as a family bodyguard for the governor of Sinaloa state Leopoldo Sánchez Celis, whose political connections helped Félix Gallardo build his drug trafficking organization. He was also the godfather of Sánchez Celis' son, Rodolfo. Félix Gallardo started working for drug traffickers by brokering corruption of state officials, and together with Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, who had previously worked in the Avilés criminal organization, took control of the trafficking routes after Avilés was killed in a police shootout. Connections to Colombian cartels In the early 1980s, drug interdiction efforts increased throughout Florida, which was then the major shipping destination for illegal drug traffickers. As a result, the Colombian cartels began to utilize Mexico as their primary trans-shipment point. Juan Matta-Ballesteros was the Guadalajara Cartel's primary connection to the Colombian cartels, as he had originally introduced Félix Gallardo's predecessor, Alberto Sicilia Falcón, to Santiago Ocampo of the Cali Cartel, one of the largest Colombian drug cartels. Rather than taking cash payments for their services, the smugglers in the Guadalajara Cartel took a 50% cut of the cocaine they transported from Colombia. This proved to be extremely profitable for them, with some estimating that the trafficking network, then operated by Félix Gallardo, Ernesto Carrillo and Rafael Quintero, was pulling in approximately $5 billion annually. Until the end of the 1980s, the Guadalajara Cartel headed by Félix Gallardo (comprising what is known today as the Sinaloa, Tijuana, Juarez and Pacifico Sur cartels) had nearly monopolized the illegal drug trade in Mexico. Murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena In 1980, DEA special agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena was assigned to the Administration's resident agency in Guadalajara. Working through informants, Camarena discovered cartel marijuana plantations in Zacatecas state. The plantations were raided and destroyed. In 1984, Mexican soldiers, backed by helicopters, destroyed an even larger 1,000 hectare (≈2,500 acre) marijuana plantation known as "Rancho Búfalo" in Chihuahua, known to be protected by Mexican DFS intelligence agents, as part of "Operation Godfather". Thousands of farmers worked the fields at Rancho Búfalo, and the annual production was later valued at US$8 billion. All of this took place with the knowledge of local police, politicians, and the military. Camarena was beginning to expose the connections among drug traffickers, Mexican law enforcement, and high-ranking government officials within the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), which Félix Gallardo considered to be a major threat to the Guadalajara cartel's operations throughout Mexico. In response, Félix Gallardo reportedly ordered the kidnapping of Camarena. On February 7, 1985, Jalisco police officers on the cartel's payroll kidnapped Camarena as he left the U.S. consulate in Guadalajara. His helicopter pilot, Alfredo Zavala Avelar, was kidnapped shortly afterward. They were taken to a residence located at 881 Lope de Vega in the colonia of Jardines del Bosque, in the western section of the city of Guadalajara, owned by Rafael Caro Quintero, where they were tortured and interrogated over a period of 30 hours. On February 9, Camarena was tortured and murdered. Autopsy results indicated that he died after his skull was perforated with a drill. He was injected with adrenaline and other drugs to be kept awake during his torture and interrogation. His body, wrapped in plastic, was found with that of pilot Alfredo Zavala Avelar, in a shallow hole on a ranch in Michoacan state. The murder prompted one of the largest DEA homicide investigations ever undertaken, Operation Leyenda. A special unit was dispatched to coordinate the investigation in Mexico, where corrupt officials were being implicated. Investigators identified Félix Gallardo and his two close associates, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo and Rafael Caro Quintero, as the primary suspects behind the kidnapping. Under pressure from the US, Fonseca and Quintero were apprehended, but Félix Gallardo still enjoyed political protection. Arrest Félix Gallardo kept a low profile and, in 1987, moved with his family to Guadalajara. He was arrested in Mexico on April 8, 1989, and was charged by the authorities in Mexico and the United States with the kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena, as well as racketeering, drug smuggling, and multiple violent crimes. According to US officials, Félix Gallardo also spent time at the Sinaloa governor's house as a guest, which governor Antonio Toledo Corro has denied. When asked about his association with Félix Gallardo, governor Toledo said he was "unaware of any outstanding arrest warrants" against Félix Gallardo. The arrest of Félix Gallardo was the catalyst for exposing the widespread corruption at political and law enforcement levels in Mexico. Within days of Félix Gallardo's arrest, and under pressure from the media, several police commanders were arrested with as many as 90 officers deserting. Félix Gallardo's arrest also led to the dismantling of the Guadalajara Cartel, as key members of the federation chose to withdraw and form their own cartels, relying on violence to claim various territories and trafficking routes. The continuous disputes and conflict among the leaders would breed political, social, and military chaos, and eventually lead to the Mexican Drug War. Incarceration Félix Gallardo was initially sentenced to 40 years of prison. After serving 28 years, a 2017 trial sentenced him to an additional 37 years. While incarcerated, Félix Gallardo remained one of Mexico's major traffickers, maintaining his organization via mobile phone. After his arrest, Félix Gallardo decided to divide up the trade he controlled as it would be more efficient and less likely to be brought down by law enforcement. Félix Gallardo instructed his lawyer to convene the nation's top drug narcos in 1989 at a house in the resort of Acapulco where he designated the plazas or territories. The Tijuana route would go to his nephews, the Arellano Felix brothers. The Ciudad Juárez route would go to the Carrillo Fuentes family. Miguel Caro Quintero would run the Sonora corridor. Joaquín Guzmán Loera and Héctor Luis Palma Salazar were left the Pacific coast operations, with Ismael Zambada García joining them soon after and thus forming the Sinaloa Cartel, which was not a party to the 1989 pact. When Félix Gallardo was transferred to a high-security prison in 1993, he lost any remaining control over the other drug lords. As he aged, Félix Gallardo complained that he lived in poor conditions while in jail. He says that he suffers from vertigo, deafness, loss of an eye, and blood circulation problems. He lived in a 240 × 440 cm (8x14ft) cell, which he is not allowed to leave, even to use the recreational area. In March 2013, Félix Gallardo started a legal process to continue his prison sentence at home when he reached his 70th birthday (8 January 2016). On 29 April 2014, a Mexican federal court denied Félix Gallardo's petition to be transferred from the maximum-security prison to a medium-security one. On 18 December 2014, federal authorities approved his request to transfer to a medium-security prison in Guadalajara (State of Jalisco), due to his declining health. On 20 February 2019, a court in Mexico City denied his request to complete the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. The court stated that Félix Gallardo's defense did not provide them with sufficient evidence to prove that his health issues were putting his life at risk. On September 12, 2022, it was reported that Félix Gallardo had been granted house arrest and would be moved on September 13, 2022. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador released a statement about his transfer. "I do not want anyone to suffer. I do not want anyone to be in jail." Memoirs In 2008, the investigative journalist Diego Enrique Osorno was able to contact Félix Gallardo through the latter's 13-year-old son. Félix Gallardo secretly wrote about his life and passed the hand-written notes to Osorno. The memoirs include narrative about his arrest and presentation before police, and explains a bit of his family tree, jumping from one topic to another. Selections of the 35 pages were published in the Mexican magazine Gatopardo, with background by the journalist. Family Upon his arrest at least nine of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo's nieces and nephews took over different roles within the organization to form the Arellano Félix Organization, also known as the Tijuana Cartel. Members of the Arellano Félix Organization (Tijuana Cartel) Alicia Arellano Félix is his niece. Benjamín Arellano Félix (Incarcerated), a member and former leader of the Arellano Félix Organization, is his nephew. Carlos Arellano Félix is his nephew. Eduardo Arellano Félix (Incarcerated) is his nephew. Enedina Arellano Félix de Toledo, Leader of the Arellano Félix Organization, is his niece. Fabian Arellano Corona is his grandnephew. Francisco Javier Arellano Félix (Incarcerated) is his nephew. Francisco Rafael Arellano Félix (Deceased) was his nephew. Javier Benjamin Briseño Arellano is his grandnephew. Has also went by the name: Javier Gallardo and his son Javier R. Gallardo is estranged and unknown. Luis Fernando Arellano Félix is his nephew. Luis Fernando Sánchez Arellano (Incarcerated) is his grandnephew. Ramón Arellano Félix (Deceased), a member and former leader of the Arellano Félix Organization, was his nephew. Sinaloa Cartel Sandra Ávila Beltrán, a former member of the Sinaloa Cartel, is his niece. In popular culture In second season of the Colombian TV Series El cartel, Félix Gallardo is portrayed by the Mexican actor Guillermo Quintanilla as the character of 'El Golfo'. In TV Series Alias El Mexicano, he is portrayed by the Mexican actor Rodrigo Oviedo. In the Netflix series, Narcos: Mexico, Félix Gallardo is portrayed by Mexican actor Diego Luna A character based on Gallardo is featured briefly in the 2017 television series El Chapo. See also Mexican Drug War War on Drugs == References ==
Iggy Azalea	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Iggy Azalea.	Tell me a bio of Iggy Azalea.	Tell me a bio of Iggy Azalea within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Iggy Azalea with around 100 words.	Amethyst Amelia Kelly (born 7 June 1990), known professionally as Iggy Azalea ( ə-ZAY-lee-ə), is an Australian rapper and songwriter. Born in Sydney, Azalea moved to the United States at the age of 16 in order to pursue a career in music. She earned public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube. Shortly after releasing those two songs, she released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art (2011), and subsequently signed a recording contract with American rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle label. Azalea's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014), peaked among the top five on several charts worldwide and eventually topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, making Azalea the first non-American female rapper to reach the top of the chart. The New Classic was preceded by Azalea's debut single "Work" and chart-topping single "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX), which hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Azalea was featured on Ariana Grande's 2014 single "Problem", which peaked at number two behind "Fancy". With these hits, Azalea became the second musical act (aside from the Beatles) to rank at number one and number two simultaneously on the Hot 100 with their debut releases on the chart. In addition, she achieved three top ten hits simultaneously on the Hot 100 with the aforementioned songs and the album's fifth single, "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora), which debuted later that year. After her debut album, Azalea released a slew of singles to build anticipation for her intended second album, Digital Distortion. However, a series of conflicts with her label, as well as personal conflicts, resulted in the project being cancelled. Consequently, Azalea switched labels, releasing the EP Survive the Summer (2018) under Island Records. Further disagreements led to Azalea becoming an independent artist and creating her own label, Bad Dreams, through a distribution deal with Empire. Her second album, In My Defense, was released in 2019, followed by another EP, Wicked Lips, that same year, and a third studio album, The End of an Era, in 2021. In 2024, Azalea announced her retirement from music as posted on her social media and by Billboard. Azalea is one of the best selling female rappers in the world, and her accolades include two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a People's Choice Award, and four Teen Choice Awards, in addition to nominations for four Grammy Awards. Her YouTube channel together with other collaborators has accumulated 7 billion views, and 15 of her music videos have received over 100 million views on Vevo. Early life and education Amethyst Amelia Kelly was born in Sydney, New South Wales and grew up in Mullumbimby. Her father, Brendan Kelly, was a painter and comic artist, while her mother, Tanya, cleaned holiday houses and hotels. Azalea lived in a house that her father built by hand from mud-bricks, surrounded by 5 hectares (12 acres) of land. She has two siblings named Mathias and Emerald Kelly. Azalea has also said that her father "made her look at [art] as a teenager", which has always influenced her life and work. She began rapping at age 14. Before embarking on a solo career, Azalea formed a group with two other girls from her neighborhood: "I was like, I could be the rapper. This could be like TLC. I'll be Left Eye." Azalea eventually decided to disband the group because the other girls were not taking it seriously: "I take everything I do serious [sic]. I'm too competitive." In pursuit of her desire to move to America, Azalea dropped out of high school. She worked and saved the money she earned by cleaning hotel rooms and holiday houses with her mother. She claims to have hated school, which, apart from art class, only made her miserable. She also said she had no friends and was teased for her homemade outfits. Azalea traveled to the United States in 2006, shortly before she turned 16. She told her parents she was going "on a holiday" with a friend, but eventually decided to stay and shortly afterward told them she was not coming back home: "I was drawn to America because I felt like an outsider in my own country, I was in love with hip hop, and America is the birthplace of that, so I figured the closer I was to the music, the happier I'd be. I was right."She recalled, "My mum was crying, saying, 'Just be safe.' I was thinking, 'I'm going by myself. I'm fucking crazy!'" After she arrived in the US, she received her General Educational Development (GED), and resided in the country on a visa waiver for six years, returning to Australia every three months to renew it. Azalea worked in the US illegally until February 2013 when she was granted a five-year O visa. In 2018, Azalea was approved as a permanent U.S. resident. Career 2006–2012: Early musical work When she first arrived in the United States in 2006, she stayed in Miami, Florida, and afterward lived briefly in Houston, Texas. Azalea settled for a few years in Atlanta, Georgia, working with a member of the rap collective Dungeon Family named Backbone. During that period, she met future collaborators FKi and Natalie Sims. She said people would laugh at her because "they thought my raps sucked", but having grown up getting laughed at, she was able to shrug it off. Meanwhile, she had met someone from Interscope Records who encouraged her move to Los Angeles during the summer of 2010. Interscope would eventually go on to manage her for a brief period of time. It was during this time that she adopted her stage name, which she created from the name of her childhood dog, Iggy, and the street she grew up on, Azalea Street, where her family lives to this day. She also started making stop motion animated videos with freestyle rap because she felt like she had found her sound. On 27 September 2011, Azalea released her first full-length project, a mixtape titled Ignorant Art, saying she made it "with the intent to make people question and redefine old ideals." Her song "Pussy" was included on the mixtape, alongside guest appearances from YG, Joe Moses, Chevy Jones, and Problem. In November 2011, she released a music video for her song "My World", directed by Alex/2tone. The video features a cameo appearance from character actor and former wrestler Tiny Lister, which earned her more attention due to its rising popularity online. "It's supposed to have like, all the ridiculousness of a big-budget '90s video, but then chopped and screwed", said Azalea, of the video. In December 2011, Azalea revealed she would release her debut studio album, The New Classic, as soon as she signed a major record label deal: "Once that's sorted out and I establish an overall sound and direction for the album, I will be able to know what artists would make for a dynamic collaboration." On 11 January 2012, Azalea released the music video for "The Last Song", her third video from Ignorant Art. In an interview with Billboard, released on 27 January, Azalea hinted at an Interscope Records signing, while also revealing hopes of releasing The New Classic in June, and for her debut single to precede it in March. Azalea reached out to rapper T.I., for the direction of her debut album. T.I. was set to executive produce The New Classic, soon after a phone call the two had. At the time, Azalea was eyeing a summer release for The New Classic: "Hopefully if all goes to plan, my album will be out in June and I'll have it recorded by the end of the month." However, after Interscope did not allow T.I. to be an ongoing part of her deal, Azalea opted not to sign with the major label and stay independently signed to Grand Hustle Records, until the release of her first album, which had then been postponed. In early 2012, Azalea was featured on the cover of XXL, as part of its annual "Top 10 Freshman List", along with fellow up-and-coming rappers French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Danny Brown, Hopsin, and Roscoe Dash. On 1 March 2012, T.I. announced he signed Azalea to Grand Hustle Records, along with rappers Chip and Trae tha Truth. On 26 March 2012, Azalea posted "Murda Bizness", the intended lead single for The New Classic, on her YouTube account. The song was produced by Bei Maejor and features a verse from her Grand Hustle label-boss T.I. In April 2012, via her Twitter feed, Azalea announced plans to release an extended play (EP) entitled Glory, later in May: "I'm just onto something right now, the last two weeks and it's glory. Azaleans need something new." Also in April, Azalea starred alongside Grammy-nominated producer Diplo and FKi in the world's first fully interactive shoppable music video for Canadian fashion retailer, SSENSE. In May 2012, it was confirmed by T.I. on MTV's HipHopPov that Azalea had not yet secured distribution for her deal with Grand Hustle Records, and was described by T.I. as a "free agent". It was later revealed in the interview that she was in negotiation with labels other than Interscope, possibly Def Jam Recordings (wherein Bu Thiam, whom of which originally placed a bid to sign her is VP of A&R). Azalea was also featured on Steve Aoki and Angger Dimas' collaborative electronic track "Beat Down", which was released on 31 May 2012. On 24 June 2012, Azalea released "Millionaire Misfits", the second offering from her EP Glory; the first being "Murda Bizness". On 21 July, the official music video for "Murda Bizness" was released online. Glory, although not released in May, as it was originally scheduled, was released 30 July 2012. Azalea was also one of the acts on MTV's 2012 Closer to My Dreams Tour, along with Tyga and Kirko Bangz. On 28 September 2012, Azalea announced she would be releasing her second mixtape on 11 October 2012. Titling it TrapGold, the mixtape was produced entirely by Diplo and FKi. She later premiered teaser visuals for the track "Bac 2 Tha Future (My Time)", On 9 October 2012, Azalea made her US national television debut, appearing alongside T.I., B.o.B and other Grand Hustle artists in a cypher at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards. Later that month, she embarked on yet another North American mini-concert tour with Roc Nation singer-songwriter Rita Ora, on her Ora Tour. Azalea then headlined a tour in Europe to support TrapGold. On 16 December 2012, Azalea performed live alongside Natasha Bedingfield and Bootsy Collins, covering Deee-Lite's 1990 hit disco song "Groove Is in the Heart", on the annual television series VH1 Divas. 2013–2014: Breakthrough and The New Classic In January and February 2013, Azalea worked on tour while still working on her upcoming singles and summer release of The New Classic. She was the opening act for Rita Ora's Radioactive Tour, in the United Kingdom. As part of her set for Ora's Radioactive Tour, Azalea premiered her commercial debut single "Work", which also serves as the lead single for her debut album. The single premiered on BBC Radio 1Xtra on 11 February 2013. On 13 February 2013, it was announced Azalea had signed a record deal with Mercury Records. The music video for her debut single "Work", was directed by Jonas & François and released 13 March 2013. In March 2013, Azalea also joined renowned rapper Nas, on the European leg of his Life Is Good Tour. On 15 April 2013, Vevo announced Azalea as its second LIFT artist of 2013 and that she would film live festival performances, fashion and style pieces and behind-the-scenes interviews as part of the eight-week-long campaign. It was also revealed that the music video for her second single, "Bounce", would premiere on Vevo at the end of the month. On 16 March 2013, it was announced that Azalea would perform in the benefit concert "Chime for Change", scheduled to take place on 1 June in London, alongside Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and others. On 23 April 2013, Azalea announced that she had signed a solo record deal with Island Def Jam. On 26 April 2013, "Bounce" premiered on BBC Radio 1. She also noted that the third international single taken from her debut album would be entitled "Change Your Life" and feature a verse from T.I. Azalea also confirmed that she was not signed to Grand Hustle Records, although she was heavily affiliated with the label. On 25 May 2013, Azalea performed an acclaimed carnival themed set on the In New Music We Trust stage as part of Radio 1's Big Weekend in Derry, Northern Ireland. The setlist contained songs from previous EPs and album material such as "Bounce" and "Work". The show was the start of a short set of UK pre-album promotional appearances. In June 2013, Azalea confirmed that the album was nearly finished and that the release was expected in September 2013. On 29 July 2013, Azalea revealed she will be opening for Beyoncé on the 17-date Australia leg of her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in October and November. The third single from The New Classic, titled "Change Your Life", was premiered by BBC Radio 1Xtra's MistaJam, on 19 August 2013. On 3 October 2013, Azalea made her first appearance on BET's 106 & Park, where she was interviewed and performed "Change Your Life", alongside T.I. Her debut album was slated for an October 2013 release, but in an interview with Australia's Herald Sun she revealed that due to other commitments such as supporting Beyoncé on her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, her record label would not allow her to release The New Classic until March 2014. She said: "The official date? Fucked if I know! It's done, it's so depressing to say this but it's the beginning of March, it's so far away but I just have to accept that." She explained the reasons behind the delay: "It was supposed to be October but obviously I'm going on tour with Beyoncé and they said I'm not allowed to put an album out while I'm on tour because I'll be trapped in Australia and I won't be able to do any TV appearances and I thought that's fair enough, that's three weeks and then they said 'You can't put an album out around Christmas time, that's a bad time' and I said 'What about January?' 'Well nobody gets back off holidays and then it's the BRIT Awards, you can't release an album, it's terrible for marketing' which brings me to February." On 10 November 2013, Azalea performed "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Europe Music Awards. On 5 December 2013, an unfinished song by Azalea titled "Leave It", allegedly produced by DJ Mustard, was leaked. Azalea later revealed the song was in fact produced by the Invisible Men and the Arcade, whom she collaborated with on the entire album. In February 2014, Azalea announced that she would be releasing a new single titled "Fancy", featuring English singer-songwriter Charli XCX. The song was premiered on BBC Radio 1 Xtra at 7 pm GMT on 6 February 2014. After the song's premiere, it was revealed "Fancy" was the song that had leaked titled "Leave It". On 17 February 2014, the song was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom as the album's fourth single. The music video for "Fancy", inspired by the 1995 American comedy film Clueless was released on 4 March. "Fancy" went on to become Azalea's most successful single to date, becoming her first single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number-one on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart, as well as number-one the US Dance Club Play chart. After much delay and speculation, The New Classic was finally released on 21 April 2014. Upon its release, the album debuted at number-three on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 52,000 copies in the United States. The New Classic was the highest-charting female rap album since Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). The New Classic also attained the highest number for a female rapper's debut album since Minaj's Pink Friday (2010), which had entered at number-two with 375,000 copies sold. Azalea was next featured on American singer Ariana Grande's single "Problem", which was released on 28 April 2014. The song was released as the lead single from Grande's second studio album. Shortly after, Azalea also appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single "Booty". On 28 May 2014, The New Classic's fourth single "Fancy", reached number-one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, with Azalea being the fourth solo female rapper ever to top the Hot 100. On the same day, "Problem" rose to number-two on the Hot 100, with Azalea becoming the only artist since the Beatles, to rank at numbers one and two simultaneously, with their first two respective Hot 100 entries. "Fancy" also topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. On 24 June 2014, Azalea's song "Black Widow", featuring Rita Ora, was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio, as her debut album's fifth single in the US. It eventually peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. A reissue of The New Classic, titled Reclassified, was released in November 2014; featuring five new songs, including new singles "Trouble" featuring her previous collaborator Jennifer Hudson and "Beg for It" featuring MØ. On October 25, 2014 Azalea made her debut on Saturday Night Live episode, hosted by Jim Carrey, where she performed "Black Widow" together with Rita Ora and "Beg for It" with MØ. The performance of "Beg for It" got mostly negative feedback due to MØ's execution of the chorus. Entertainment Tonight called it "one of the most cringe-worthy live moments in recent history," and highlighted that it was MØ's "nervous dancing and offbeat singing" that garnered the worst of the criticism. On 10 December 2014, when reflecting on the year she'd had and the struggles she faced in the years before, Azalea announced plans of an arena tour for 2015 and a second studio album via her Twitter account. The same day, she revealed the title of the tour, The Great Escape Tour, and the concept behind it, which is Azalea picturing herself as "a musical escape artist for people". Azalea also stated that the name of the tour went along with the title of her upcoming second studio album, which would also be promoted on the tour. 2015–2018: Career setbacks Azalea declared she had started to work on her second studio album in January 2015. On 4 May 2015, she released a duet with Britney Spears titled "Pretty Girls". On 29 May 2015, it was reported that The Great Escape Tour had been canceled and there would be a new tour planned around Azalea's new album to be released in 2016. Azalea later clarified she "had a different creative change of heart" and would also be taking a break to figure out the progression she wanted for her sound and visuals. In June, when asked details on her new music, she explained she had scrapped six months of work to start from scratch. On 30 August, Azalea performed "Cool for the Summer" with Demi Lovato at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, after a collaboration between the two was announced for Lovato's fifth studio album, Confident (2015). In October 2015, Azalea revealed the initial title of her second album to be Digital Distortion. A buzz track off the album, "Azillion", was made available for free streaming on SoundCloud on 9 January 2016. The project's lead single, "Team", was released on 18 March 2016 along with a dance video. An accompanying music video premiered on 31 March. In March 2016, Azalea revealed she had started a production company, having "bought the rights to a couple of books that I really like, and also some television shows from Australia that I really believed in and was a fan of when I was a kid, and I had some ideas to rework [them]." In July 2016, she announced that her company, Azalea Street Productions, had signed a deal to create original content for NBCUniversal. In February 2017, it was announced the company optioned the book Bad Girls Gone for a film that Azalea would produce but nothing materialized. On 12 June 2016, Seven Network revealed that Azalea had signed on to be a judge replacing Chris Isaak on The X Factor Australia for its eighth season, broadcast from October to November 2016. In September 2016, Azalea explained she was delaying the release of her album to 2017, despite it initially being set for July 2016, after ending the relationship with her fiancé Nick Young, stating: "[I] just needed to have some me time to get my life in order and process the changes that are happening in my private life." She also mentioned wanting to record new songs that reflected her mindset: "when I wrote [my album] I was about to get married ... I don't want to go and promote my album and get asked about my relationship that has just crumbled." Azalea released two singles, "Mo Bounce" and "Switch", on 24 March 2017 and 19 May 2017 respectively. The latter track features Brazilian singer Anitta. Azalea promoted "Switch" through a performance on the 2017 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards. On 7 November 2017, Azalea stated that she was not allowed to release music until January 2018, as she signed with a new label. She additionally announced the new title of her second album, Surviving the Summer, and released four new tracks for free download via WeTransfer. The media has dubbed the songs as a four-track mixtape or EP called 4 My Ratz. In January 2018, Azalea announced the title of the lead single from Surviving the Summer, "Savior" featuring Quavo, which was released on 2 February 2018. On 8 June 2018, the rapper revealed that Survive the Summer would be an EP. She also stated that the reason behind the postponed release date—originally for 2 June, then 30 June release—was the change of president of her record label, Island Records. On 5 July, Azalea released two tracks from the EP: "Tokyo Snow Trip" and "Kream", the latter featuring Tyga. Survive the Summer was released on 3 August 2018, and debuted at number 144 on the Billboard 200. On 3 November 2018, Azalea tweeted that she had left Island Records, which she had signed to in 2017, and established her own record label, which was then named New Classic Records. Two weeks later, she announced she had signed a $2.7 million dollar distribution deal with an unidentified company. She stated that she would be an independent artist, be able to sign other artists, and own all her masters, with the exception of her music licensed under Universal. On 20 November 2018, it was announced that she had signed a partnership deal with Empire Distribution. She would later rename her record label Bad Dreams in January 2019. 2019: In My Defense Azalea announced in early February 2019 that she had completed work on her second studio album, In My Defense. She further stated her plans to release it in the spring of that year. On 27 February, Azalea announced that "Sally Walker" would be the first single off of the album. On the same day, her previous single, "Kream", was certified gold for selling 500,000 copies in the US. At the end of March 2019, 14 days after Azalea's new single was released, "Sally Walker" had accumulated over 38 million views on YouTube had a combined total sales of over 82,000 copies sold on all platforms and had debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart at number 62, making it the highest-charting single from Azalea on the Billboard charts since "Team" released in 2016, which had charted at number 42. Azalea promoted the song with a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during his Las Vegas shows. On 3 May 2019, Azalea released the album's official second single, "Started", along with its official music video. Shortly afterward, a collaboration with VVAVES titled "Boys Like You" was released. On 24 June 2019, Azalea announced via Twitter that her album In My Defense would be released on 19 July 2019. Pre-orders for the album began on 28 June 2019. Azalea appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan in August. On 27 September 2019, Azalea announced she would be releasing a new extended play. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Azalea stated she was not sure if she would tour to promote the record but that she plans to begin recording new material in September, with hopes of putting it out next year. She later announced on her Twitter that she planned on releasing a new extended play on 15 November 2019 entitled Wicked Lips following the release of its lead single, "Lola". Following a few minor delays, the EP was released on 2 December. The EP was written primarily by Azalea with Noah Cyrus co-writing "The Girls", which featured Pabllo Vittar. 2020–present: The End of an Era, music retirement and business ventures In the summer of 2020, Azalea announced her third studio album, The End of an Era. On 20 August 2020, Azalea released the original lead single, "Dance Like Nobody's Watching", a collaboration with Tinashe. Following its underperformance, Azalea scrapped the song from The End of an Era and released the album's new lead single "Sip It" with Tyga in April 2021. In June 2021, Azalea tweeted that The End of an Era would be released in August of the same year. Later in June, Pitbull announced his I Feel Good Tour with Azalea as an opening act. On 15 July 2021, Azalea announced that she would take a hiatus from music after the release of The End of an Era. On 8 August 2022, Azalea announced that she would resume her musical activity, and in August 2023, she released a music video for her single "Money Come", directed by herself and Christian Breslauer. In 2022, Azalea sold her music catalog to Domain Capital in an eight-figure deal, which includes Azalea's share of her music and future revenue from master recordings. Also in 2022, she announced her upcoming fourth album would be produced by Canadian singer and rapper Tory Lanez. However, due to his involvement in the shooting of fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion, the project was put on hold. In 2023, during the sentencing phase of Lanez's trial for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, Azalea wrote a letter to the judge requesting a reduced sentence for Lanez. When the letter became public, she explained: "[…] I am not in support of throwing away ANY ones [sic] life if we can give reasonable punishments that are rehabilitative instead. I support prison reform. Period." In August 2023, Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In early January 2024, Azalea announced she would not continue working on her upcoming fourth album and would instead focus on other creative projects aside from music, dispelling rumors that she was "bullied away from music" and explaining she felt "more passionately about design and creative direction than [about] songwriting". In 2024, Azalea launched her memecoin called Mother Iggy. Azalea launched her own non-contract telecommunication service called Unreal Mobile, as well as crowd-funding platform "Dream Vault". Artistry Musical style and influences Although Azalea is Australian, she raps with an American accent. When she first moved to America, she was involved in the Southern hip hop scene of Miami and later Atlanta, which made it easy for her to cultivate the Southern influence in her music: "I lived in the South for five years; you pick up things from your surroundings and teachers. The people who taught me to rap are all from the South and so was the music I had listened to as a teen." While Azalea's debut extended play, Glory, was intended to focus on hardcore rap, the EP also touched up on other genres including electronic dance music. Music critics have defined her singles "Fancy" and "Team" as electro-hop. At the age of 11, Azalea was infatuated with hip hop when she heard Tupac Shakur's "Baby Don't Cry (Keep Ya Head Up II)": "It was the song that made me fall in love with music and also what sparked my Tupac fascination. That would later make me pick up my own pen and write songs." In her early interviews, Azalea regularly mentioned Shakur's influence: "I was sickly obsessed. I had every picture of Tupac ever printed on my wall." She has credited Beyoncé as an influence and Missy Elliott as the female rapper who she is influenced by and admires the most. Outside of music, her fashion sense is influenced by Grace Kelly, Lil' Kim, Gwen Stefani, Fran Drescher, Eve, Trina, Fergie, Christina Aguilera, and the Spice Girls, with Azalea stating that Mel B and Victoria Beckham are her favorite Spice Girls. Music videos Azalea is often noted for her cinema-quality music videos which are often comedic and contain satire. Azalea has paid homage to a number of cult films from the 1990s and early 2000s in her music videos, among the most notable examples being Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1997) in "Work" (2013), Showgirls (1995) in "Change Your Life" (2013), Clueless (1995) in "Fancy" (2014), Kill Bill (2003) in "Black Widow" (2014), Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) in "Pretty Girls" (2015), and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) in "Fuck It Up" (2019), among others. Alongside those film references, eras of cinema are referenced in several other videos including the Bollywood-themed video for "Bounce" (2013) and the 1980s cop comedy-inspired video for "Trouble" (2015). Additionally, the video for "Murda Bizness" (2012) is reminiscent of the pageant culture shown in reality series Toddlers & Tiaras. Azalea has also been credited as a director for some of her music videos and often mentions the importance she attributes to them: "For me, visuals are as important as the music, I just love escapism and giving people something to escape to. To me, that's what art is." Public image After initially resisting suggestions to try modeling, Azalea signed with talent agency Wilhelmina Models in 2012. She featured in promotional ads for Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand Dim Mak's 2012 fall/winter collection. Also in 2012, Azalea was the face of Levi's "Go Forth" campaign. Azalea also appeared in House of Holland's first eyewear collection campaign. In July 2014, MTV announced that Azalea would be the host of the revived House of Style. Azalea appeared in the seventh installment of The Fast and the Furious film series, Furious 7, released in 2015. Their shoe collection was unveiled in February 2015. In October 2014, Azalea and her boyfriend Nick Young were announced as the new faces of Forever 21's 2014 holiday campaign. In April 2015, she signed on to be the 100th-birthday ambassador of Australian underwear and clothing company Bonds. In 2018, Azalea was announced as Monster Products's new spokesperson and starred in their Super Bowl LII commercial. Accusations of cultural appropriation In 2012, Azalea caused controversy for her song "D.R.U.G.S", a remix of Kendrick Lamar's "Look Out for Detox", having adapted one of its lyrics to "When the relay starts, I'm a runaway slave / Master", leading her to release a letter online apologizing, stating that it was a "tacky and careless thing to say." According to the British newspaper The Guardian, there have been "accusations of racism against Azalea focused on her... insensitivity to the complexities of race relations and cultural appropriation." Salon writer Brittney Cooper critiqued Azalea's "co-optation and appropriation of sonic Southern Blackness, particularly the sonic Blackness of Southern Black women." Her use of an African-American English accent has been compared to blackface and part of a "broad, vague area of white people pretending to be black: those who do it culturally, rather than cosmetically" but also conversely as "wilful ignorance". Both supporters and critics of Azalea's rise to fame in the hip hop industry noted that it was important to be inclusive while acknowledging and respecting the role of African-Americans in pioneering hip hop. After being asked to analyze and compare her speaking and rapping voice, linguistics professor David Crystal said Azalea might be doing it unconsciously to accommodate to the American rapping style, adding: "There are hardly any echoes of [Azalea's] original Australian accent in her speaking voice—just the odd word (e.g. "own", "believe") and inflection. She has developed a mixed accent (like so many people have these days) as a result of her traveling around." When asked about the validity to the criticisms leveled against her, Azalea stated: "Do you not like me because I rap with an American accent and I'm not American? Well, that's valid on some level because that's your opinion and I can't change that", continuing, "But I'm not trying to sound black—I just grew up in a country where on TV and in music and film, everyone was American or any Australian person in them put on an American accent. So I never saw it as strange at all." In 2021, after Azalea released the music video for her song "Iam the Stripclub", some Twitter commentators accused her of blackfishing or "imitating a black female aesthetic"; Azalea called the allegations "ridiculous and baseless" and said that she had worn the same Armani foundation for the past three years "in every video since 'Sally Walker'". Her makeup artist Eros J. Gomez took to Twitter to defend and clarify that Azalea was using the same foundation in all the music video scenes. Comments on racism In 2016, Azalea lamented, "Many people think I still live in that bubble and that I don't understand that the United States is set up in a way that doesn't benefit minorities. I've lived here for 10 years now, and I don't want it to be that way either. I'm marrying a black man and my children will be half black—of course I care about these things." She further dismissed the legitimacy of the racial controversy, citing sexism as the true cause of criticism. In a feature covering Azalea's career, Clover Hope wrote, "Rather than seeing race as an issue, Iggy focused on the trend of women in rap being over-policed and accused of not writing their own rhymes, while in the process overlooking how artists like herself and Macklemore hold a broader industry advantage, even as they feel like outcasts in their field." She was planning to release her second album titled, Digital Distortion, explaining its concept: addressing the criticisms against her: "some of them were fair and some of them, I think, were unfair. I just think it's interesting that we live in this age of digital distortion where we're all distorting each other and distorting ourselves and our perception of who we all are, and none of it is really accurate anymore." She later credited the support she received from fellow rappers as giving her motivation facing the controversial claims in the media: "I grew up loving Missy Elliott, loving Lil' Kim or Trina and so I'm lucky I have those women I really idolized support me. So, I get a little bit confident in that, knowing the people I look up to appreciate what I'm doing." In 2018, Azalea claimed that the history of racism in the United States causes its audiences to dismiss her, and claimed that she "grew up in a situation that didn't involve any privilege and I worked really hard", later reiterating on U.S. race relations: "I make 'black' music. I don't want people to think it's not something I care about. I want to make music for girls in the gym." She stated, "It's important for music to reflect what is going on socially and for there to be those kinds of voices within the industry. But I want to be that person you can listen to for four minutes and not think about that stuff at all, and it's important to have that too [...] I'm not here to offer that commentary, but that doesn't mean I don't care." Personal life Azalea claims partial Aboriginal ancestry, stating, "My family came to Australia on the First Fleet. My family's been in that country for a long time, over 100 years. If your family's lived in Australia for a long time, everyone has a little bit of [Aboriginal blood]. I know my family does because we have an eye condition that only Aborigine [sic] people have." In March 2015, while talking about her body shape with Vogue, Azalea revealed she had undergone breast augmentation, saying, "I did change something: Four months ago, I got bigger boobs! I'd thought about it my entire life", adding she was sick of having to sew padding into her stage costumes and wanted to be able to wear lingerie without wiring. After initially resolving never to discuss it publicly as she didn't want other girls to feel bad about their bodies, she concluded, "But then, I decided I wasn't into secret-keeping." In August 2015, she talked about having a rhinoplasty, or nose job with Seventeen magazine, adding, "Your perception of yourself can change a lot over time, so I think it's important to wait and make sure it's the right choice. Plastic surgery is an emotional journey. ... There are things that I didn't like about myself that I changed through surgery. There are other things I dislike but I've learned to accept. It's important to remember you can't change everything. You can never be perfect." In March 2018, Azalea was approved for permanent residence in the United States. Relationships In late 2011, Azalea began dating American rapper ASAP Rocky, whom she met through American record producer Chase N. Cashe. She confirmed that they were dating in a January 2012 interview with Vibe and, around this time, got the title of Rocky's breakout mixtape Live. Love. ASAP tattooed on her fingers. She claimed she and Rocky both had tattoos dedicated to the relationship, but his tattoos were not visible. In July 2012, Rocky stated they were no longer dating, with Azalea later removing her tattoo after years with the word A$AP crossed out. In November 2013, Azalea began a relationship with Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Nick Young. Azalea and Young were featured in the March 2014 issue of GQ magazine. They lived together in Tarzana, California. On June 1, 2015, they announced their engagement. On June 19, 2016, Azalea announced that she and Young had split after a video leaked on the internet showing Young bragging about cheating on Azalea. In 2016 Azalea briefly dated Moroccan rapper French Montana. In late 2018, Azalea began dating American rapper Playboi Carti. The couple reportedly split in December 2019. In June 2020, Azalea announced she had given birth to a son with Carti. That October, she released a statement saying, "I'm raising my son alone & I'm not in a relationship." Later in December, Azalea revealed that Carti had cheated on her and missed their son's birth. He later refused to sign their son's birth certificate. In July 2024, she stated that she was "very much the only parent" to the child. Discography The New Classic (2014) In My Defense (2019) The End of an Era (2021) Tours Headlining The New Classic Tour (2014) Cancelled tours Great Escape Tour (2015) Bad Girls Tour (2018) Opening act XXL Freshmen Live Tour (2012) Tyga – MTV Jams Presents: Closer to My Dreams Tour (2012) Rita Ora – Ora Tour (2012) Rita Ora – Radioactive Tour (2013) Nas – Life Is Good Tour (2013) Beyoncé – The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013) Pitbull - I Feel Good Tour (2021) Pitbull - Can't Stop Us Now Summer Tour (2022) Awards and nominations Iggy Azalea has been nominated for numerous major music awards. Azalea was the first female and first non-American rapper to be featured on XXL's "Top 10 Freshman List". In 2014, she received two American Music Awards in the Rap/Hip-Hop categories, along with four more nominations, and one MTV Video Music Award for her collaboration with Ariana Grande, along with seven more nominations, making her the most nominated artist at these respective award show editions. She has also won three Teen Choice Awards and one MTV Europe Music Award. Azalea won the 2014 ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist and the 2015 People's Choice Award for Favorite Hip-Hop Artist. In November 2014, she was placed at number-one on the Maxim Hot 100 list in Australia because "few Aussies, female or otherwise, have had a bigger 2014 than Iggy." Azalea also ranked at number 46 on the 2014 edition of the AMID (Australasian Music Industry Directory) Power 50, a list that compiles the most influential figures in the Australasian music world. Azalea received four nominations at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Fancy" and Best Rap Album for The New Classic. Azalea joined the list of the 9th Annual Billboard Women in Music honorees as a chart-topper. In late 2014, it was announced she was placed at number-one on Billboard Year-End's Top New Artists chart. In 2015, Azalea also led the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations with five. She received twelve nominations at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. In 2016, Azalea was presented with the Woman of the Year award by GQ Australia. In 2020, Iggy Azalea was listed at number 50 in Rolling Stone Australia's "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue. See also List of artists who reached number one in the United States References External links Official website Iggy Azalea at AllMusic Iggy Azalea discography at Discogs Iggy Azalea at IMDb Iggy Azalea discography at MusicBrainz
Fernando da Costa Novaes	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Fernando da Costa Novaes.	Tell me a bio of Fernando da Costa Novaes.	Tell me a bio of Fernando da Costa Novaes within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Fernando da Costa Novaes with around 100 words.	Fernando da Costa Novaes (April 6, 1927 – March 24, 2004) was a Brazilian ornithologist who worked on the Amazonian bird fauna. Education In 1971 he was granted his doctorate from the State University of São Paulo at Rio Claro, with the thesis Estudo ecológico das aves em uma área de vegetação secundária do baixo rio Amazonas, Estado do Pará. Career Novaes was based at the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, in Belém, where he assembled the second largest bird skin and skeleton collection in Brazil. This collection has been renamed in his honor. His major contributions were in defining the Amazon region's faunal boundaries and affinities, as well as clarifying taxonomic problems. In 1954, Novaes was granted a Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship to study in the US, at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, of the University of California at Berkeley, with the renowned ornithologist Alden H. Miller. Novaes's many publications are listed in the obituaries by Oren and Silva. He is commemorated in the name of the Alagoas foliage-gleaner, Philydor novaesi. Selected publications Acta Amazonica 1976: "As aves do rio Aripuanã, Estado de Mato Grosso e Amazonas," 6(4): 61-85. 1981: "Área de Vertebrados do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi," 11(1): 183-188. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 1952: With J.M. Carvalho. "A new species of Megninia from the roseate spoonbill (Analgesidae, Analgesinae)," (1): 1-12. 1961: "Sobre Thamnophilus palliatus (Licht.), com especial referência ao leste do Brasil. (Formicariidae, Aves)," 33(1): 111-117. Anais da Sociedade Sul-Riograndense de Ornitologia 1980: "Observações sobre Procnias alba (Hermann), Araponga-branca," 1: 4-6. 1981: "Sobre algumas aves do litoral do Estado do Pará," 2: 5-8. 1982: "Observações sobre o comportamento de Thamnophilus amazonicus Sclater (Passeriformes, Formicariidae)," 3: 1-5. Ararajuba 1991: With M.F.C. Lima. "Variação geográfica e anotações sobre morfologia e biologia de Selenidera gouldii (Piciformes: Ramphastidae)," 2: 59-63. Arquivos de Zoologia 1960: "Sobre uma coleção de Aves do Sudeste do Estado do Pará," 11(6): 133-146. The Auk 1959: "Quiscalus lugubris in Brasil," 76(2): 242. Biological Conservation 1986: With D.C. Oren. "Observations on the Golden Parakeet Aratinga guarouba in Northern Brazil," 36: 329-337. Boletim do Museu Nacional Zoologia 1952: "Algumas adendas à ornitologia de Goiás, Brasil," (117): 1-7. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi 1957: "Notas sobre a ecologia do bacurau Hydropsalis climaco¬cerca Tschudi (Caprimulgidae, Aves). Notas de ornitologia amazônica 1. Gêneros Formicarius e Phlegopsis," (8): 1-9. 1957: With J.M. Carvalho. "Observações sobre a nidificação de Glaucis hirsuta (Gmelin) (Trochilidae, Aves)," (1): 1-12. 1957: "Contribuição à ornitologia do noroeste do Acre," (9): 1-30. 1958: "As aves e as comunidades bióticas no alto rio Juruá, Território do Acre," (14): 1-13. 1959: "Variação geográfica e o problema da espécie nas aves do grupo Ramphocelus carbo," (22): 1-63. 1963: "Uma nova subespécie de Turdus ignobilis Sclater no Estado do Pará e sobre a ocorrência de Turdus amaurochalinus Cabanis na região de Belém," (40): 1-4. 1964: "Uma nova raça geográfica de Piprites chloris (Temminck) do Estado do Pará (Pipridae, Aves)," (47): 1-5. 1965: "Notas sobre algumas aves da Serra Parima, Território de Roraima (Brasil)," (54): 1-10. 1967: "Sobre algumas aves pouco conhecidas na Amazônia brasileira," (64): 1-8. 1969: "Análise ecológica de uma avifauna da região do rio Acará, Estado do Pará," (69): 1-52. 1970: "Distribuição ecológica e abundância das aves em um trecho da mata do baixo rio Guamá (Estado do Pará)," (71): 1-54. 1978: "Sobre algumas aves pouco conhecidas da Amazônia brasileira II," (90): 1-15. 1980: "Observações sobre a avifauna do alto curso do rio Paru de Leste, Estado do Pará," (100): 1-58. 1981: "A estrutura da espécie nos periquitos do gênero Pionites Heine (Psittacidae, Aves)," (106): 1-21. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 1985: With D.C. Oren. "A new subspecies of White Bellbird Procnias alba (Hermann) Southeastern Amazonia," 105(1): 23-25. 1991: "A new subspecies of Grey-cheeked Nunlet Nonnula ruficapilla from Brazilian Amazonia," 111(4): 187-188. The Condor 1959: "Procellaria aequinoctialis on Amazon River in Brazil," 61(4): 299. 1984: With P. Roth and D.C. Oren. "The White Bellbird (Procnias alba) in the Serra dos Carajás, Southeastern Para, Brazil," 26: 343-344. Goeldiana zoologia 1992: "Bird observations in the State of Piauí, Brazil," 17: 1-5. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 1961: "Sobre as raças geográficas de Philydor rufus (Vieillot) no Brasil (Furnariidae, Aves)," 14(24): 227-235. Publicações Avulsas do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi 1973: With T. Pimentel. "Observações sobre a avifauna dos Campos de Bragança, Estado do Pará," 20: 229-246. 1973: "Aves de uma vegetação secundária na foz do Amazonas," 21: 1-88. 1974: "Ornitologia do Território do Amapá I," 25: 1-121. 1978: "Ornitologia do Território do Amapá II," 29: 1-75. Revista Brasileira de Biologia 1949: "Variação nos tucanos brasileiros do gênero Ramphastos L. (Ramphastidae, Piciformes)," 9(3): 285-296. 1950: "Sobre as aves de Sernambetiba," 10(2): 199-208. 1952: "Resultados ornitológicos da "Expedição João Alberto" à ilha da Trindade," 12(2): 219-228. 1952: With J.M. Carvalho. "A new genus and species of feather mite (Pterolichinae, Analgesidae)," 24(3): 303-306. 1953: "Sobre a validade de Syndactyla mirandae (Snethlage, 1928) (Furnariidae, Aves)," 14(1): 75-76. 1953: "A new species of Neumanniella from the tataupa tinamou (Sarcoptiformes, Analgesidae)," 13(2): 203-204. 1953: "A new race of tody-tyrant from southeastern Brasil (Tyrannidae, Aves)," 13(3): 235-236. 1960: "Sobre Ramphotrigon megacephala (Swainson) (Tyrannidae, Aves)," 20(2): 217-221. 1960: "As raças geográficas de Thamnophilus doliatus (Linnaeus) no Brasil. (Formicariidae, Aves)," 20(4): 415-424. 1961: "Distribuição e diferenciação geográfica de Automolus leucopthalmus (Wied.) e Automolus infuscatus (Sclater) (Furnariidae, Aves)," 21(2): 179-192. 1968: "Variação geográfica em Platyrinchus saturatus Salvin & Godman (Aves, Tyrannidae)," 28(2): 115-119. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 1991: With M.F.C. Lima. "As aves do rio Peixoto de Azevedo, Mato Grosso, Brasil," 7(3): 351-381. Revista Científica 1950: "Sobre alguns termos da sistemática zoológica," 1(4): 10-14. Summa Brasiliensis Biologiae 1947: "Notas sobre os Conopophagidae do Museu Nacional (Passeriformes, Aves)," 1(13): 243-250. == References ==
Jan Zamoyski	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Jan Zamoyski.	Tell me a bio of Jan Zamoyski.	Tell me a bio of Jan Zamoyski within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Jan Zamoyski with around 100 words.	Jan Sariusz Zamoyski (Latin: Ioannes Zamoyski de Zamoscie; 19 March 1542 – 3 June 1605) was a Polish nobleman, magnate, statesman and the 1st ordynat of Zamość. He served as the Royal Secretary from 1565, Deputy Chancellor from 1576, Grand Chancellor of the Crown from 1578, and Great Hetman of the Crown from 1581. Zamoyski was the General Starost of the city of Kraków from 1580 to 1585, Starost of Bełz, Międzyrzecz, Krzeszów, Knyszyn and Tartu. An important advisor to Kings Sigismund II Augustus and Stephen Báthory, he was one of the major opponents of Bathory's successor, Sigismund III Vasa, and one of the most skilled diplomats, politicians and statesmen of his time, standing as a major figure in the politics of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth throughout his life. Biography Childhood and education Jan Zamoyski was born on 19 March 1542 to Stanisław Zamoyski and Anna Herburt in Skokówka. He started his education in a school in Krasnystaw but when he was thirteen years old he was sent to study abroad; from 1555 to 1559 he was a page at the royal court in Paris. Already at this young age he attended lectures at the Sorbonne University and Collège de France. In 1559 he briefly visited Poland, then attended the University of Strasbourg; after a few months there he moved to University of Padua, where from 1561 he studied law and received a doctorate in 1564. During his years abroad he converted from Calvinism to Roman Catholicism. During his education, he became active in university politics, and in 1563 he was elected the rector of the law department. Around that time he also wrote De senatu Romano, a brochure about Ancient Rome government. He returned to the Commonwealth in 1565, and was the first person to receive a commendation letter from the senate of the Republic of Venice. Early career After returning to Poland, he was appointed to the Royal Chancellery, and soon became a favorite secretary to King Sigismund II. In 1567 he commanded a royal task force, sent to remove the noble family of Starzechowscy from the royal lands they were decreed to hold illegally. Another major task he completed at that time was the reorganization of the Chancellery archive. In 1571 he married Anna Ossolińska; his wife and their young son died shortly afterwards, in 1572. After the extinction of the Jagiellon dynasty in 1572 during the election sejm (special session of the Commonwealth parliament) he used his influence to enforce the viritim election (meaning all nobles had the right to vote for the new king during the upcoming 1573 Polish–Lithuanian royal election). However, his proposal for majority voting did not pass, which opened the process for abuses of liberum veto in the future. He was a colleague of Mikołaj Sienicki and Hieronim Ossolinski, and with them he was one of the leaders of a faction of the lesser and middle nobility (szlachta) in the Commonwealth, whose goal was the reform the country – the execution movement – preserving the unique constitutional and parliamentary government of the Commonwealth with the dominant role of poorer nobility (Golden Freedom). He was so influential and popular among the lesser nobility that he was known as the "first tribune of nobility" or "Polish Gracchus." Chancellor and Hetman In that first election he was in favour of Henry de Valois (later, Henry III of France). Subsequently, he was part of the diplomatic mission that traveled to France to finish formalities with the newly elected king. He also published a pamphlet praising the new king, and thus suffered a loss of face when Henry secretly abandoned Poland and returned to France. During the following 1575 election he was a vocal enemy of the Habsburg dynasty and its candidate, and this anti-Habsburg stance, resounding among the lesser nobility, helped him regain his popularity. For the king, Zamoyski championed the case of a Polish candidate, which ended up in the marriage of Anna Jagiellon with the anti-Habsburg Stephen Bathory of Transylvania. Bathory thanked Zamoyski by granting him the office of Deputy Chancellor on 16 May 1576. He participated on Batory's side in the quelling of the Danzig rebellion in 1576–1577, sponsoring a chorągiew of pancerni (cavalry unit) and participating in close combat on several occasions. In 1577 he married again, this time marrying Krystyna Radziwiłł, daughter of magnate Mikołaj Radziwiłł Czarny; this made him a close ally of the Radziwiłł family, the most powerful family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1578 he received the post of the Grand Crown Chancellor. That year poet Jan Kochanowski dedicated his Odprawa Posłów Greckich, the first Polish tragedy, to him. He took part in the preparation for a war against Muscovy in 1579–1581, where he contributed a group of 400 or 600 mercenaries. Through he had little prior military background nor experience, he was interested in mastering the military art, and proved to be an adept learner. With Batory's support, he began filling in for some of the roles of Grand Crown Hetman Mikołaj Mielecki, particularly when Mielecki was not present. While not campaigning, he was also instrumental in ensuring that the ongoing political support for the war continued. In 1580 he was hit by another personal tragedy, as his wife died in labor, together with their child; entering a short period of depression. Later that year, in August, he captured Velizh in September he participated in the siege of Velikiye Luki, and then took Zavoloc. On 11 August 1581 he received the nomination for the post of Grand Crown Hetman; this nomination, although uncontroversial at that time, was technically illegal. Following that he participated in the long and inconclusive Siege of Pskov, which ended with the Peace of Yam-Zapolsky in 1582. Though Zamoyski failed to capture Pskov, he drained the Russian resources, and the ongoing siege was a major reason for the final treaty, which was highly favorable to Poland. In June 1583 Zamoyski took his third wife, Gryzelda Bathory, a relative of king Bathory himself. In May 1584 Zamoyski's men captured Samuel Zborowski, a noble whose death sentence for treason and murder had been pending for roughly a decade; shortly afterwards with Bathory's consent Zborowski was executed. This political conflict between Báthory, Zamoyski and the Zborowski family, framed as a clash between the monarch and the nobility, would be a major recurring controversy in internal Polish politics for many years, beginning with a major dispute at the Sejm of 1585. Later years After Báthory's death in 1586, Zamoyski helped Sigismund III Vasa gain the Polish throne, fighting in the brief civil war against the forces supporting Habsburg archduke Maximilian III of Austria. The camp supporting Sigismund was rallied around Zamoyski, whereas Maximilian was supported by the Zborowski family. Zamoyski defended Kraków and defeated Maximilian's forces in the Battle of Byczyna in 1588. In that battle, which Sławomir Leśniewski describes as "one of the most important in Polish history, and the most important in Zamoyski's military career", Maximilian was taken prisoner and in the resulting Treaty of Bytom and Będzin of 1589 had to give up all pretenses to the Polish crown. Later that year Zamoyski proposed a reform of the royal elections, which failed to pass the Sejm. Zamoyski presented to this Sejm a project that in case the present King should die without issue none but a candidate of some Slav stock should henceforth be eligible to the Polish throne. This was a project which could even imagine the possibility of some kind of union between Catholic Poland, Orthodox Moscovy and semi-Protestant Bohemia. In fact, it was a circuitous and clumsy counter-proposal against pro-Habsburg policy. From 1589 Zamoyski, in his role as the hetman, tried to prevent the intensifying Tatar incursions along the Commonwealth's south-eastern border, but with little success. In order to deal with the recurring disturbances in that region Zamoyski developed a plan to turn Moldavia into a buffer zone between the Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire; this would lead to a lengthy campaign. In opposition to the throne Meanwhile, in internal Commonwealth politics, early on in Sigismund III's reign, Zamoyski, who was once a staunch supporter of the Commonwealth kings, begun to distance himself from the King. Sigismund had quickly allied himself with the Habsburgs, much to chancellors dissatisfaction. Zamoyski was dissatisfied with Sigismund's early plans to use Poland as a stepping stone to gaining the Swedish crown, as Sigismund was plotting to cede the Polish crown to the Habsburgs in exchange for their support of his right to the Swedish throne. The new King feared the chancellor's power, but due to Commonwealth laws he was unable to dismiss him from his posts. He offered him a prestigious voivode of Kraków office, but Zamoyski declined, as if he was to accept, the law would require him to resign from his slightly less prestigious but more influential chancellorship. By 1590–1591 Zamoyski was seen as one of the king's staunchest opponents. Open quarrel between king and chancellor broke out during the Sejm of 1591, culminating in a heated exchange of words and the king storming out of the chamber. Despite their tensed relations, neither the king nor the chancellor wanted a civil war; soon after their quarrel Zamoyski would issue a public apology to the king and their uneasy relationship would continue until Zamoyski's death. In 1594 Zamoyski once again failed to stop a Tatar incursion in the southern borders. The next year was much more successful, as in Moldavia in 1595 he was victorious in the Battle of Cecora, and helped hospodar Ieremia Movilă (Jeremi Mohyła) gain the throne. In 1600 he fought against Michael the Brave (Michał Waleczny, Mihai Viteazul), hospodar of Wallachia and the new Prince of Transylvania, who had conquered Moldavia a few months earlier. He defeated him on the Bukova (Bucovu) and restored Ieremia to the throne. He also helped his brother, Simion Movilă to become brief ruler of Wallachia, thus spreading the influence of the Commonwealth to the Central Danube. In 1600 and 1601 Zamoyski took part in the war against Sweden commanding the Commonwealth forces in Livonia (Inflanty). At the same time he was a vocal opponent of that war on the political scene. In 1600 he recaptured several strongholds from the Swedes and a year later captured Wolmar on 19 December 1601 Fellin on 16 May 1602, and Bialy Kamien on 30 September 1602. The rigours of the campaign, however, placed a strain on his health, and he resigned the command. At the Sejm of 1603 Zamoyski led opposition to the governance reforms proposed by Sigismund; seeing in them intentions of transforming the Commonwealth into an absolute monarchy. Later, he also opposed Sigismund's plans to intervene in the civil war plaguing Muscovy (the Time of Troubles and the Dymitriads). He clashed with Sigismund for the final time during the Sejm of January 1605. Zamoyski died suddenly on 3 June 1605, due to a stroke. His fortune was inherited by his single son, Tomasz Zamoyski. Assessment and legacy Remembrance The fame of Zamoyski, significance in life, endured after his death. He was praised by artists such as Szymon Starowolski and Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz, and historians, including Stanisław Staszic, Stanisław Tarnowski and Artur Śliwiński. There were also those critical of him: Hugo Kołłątaj, Józef Szujski, Michał Bobrzyński. Nonetheless, Polish historiography and culture treatment of Zamoyski is mostly positive, and historian Janusz Tazbir remarked that Zamoyski's posthumous career was even more magnificent than his real one. Leśniewski, ending his recent biography of Zamoyski, concludes that he is a significant, if controversial, figure of Polish Renaissance. Zamoyski was the subject of several paintings and drawings. Most notably, he is one of the characters in two large paintings by Jan Matejko, featured on the Skarga's Sermon and Batory at Pskov. Political and military leader Having control of both the Chancellorship and the Grand Hetman office, Zamoyski was one of the most powerful people in the country, having obtained both the power of Grand Hetman (commander in chief of the armed forces) and that of chancellor, combined for the first time in the hands of one person. He was responsible for much of the Polish internal and foreign policies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent statesmen in Polish history. Even though his military career begun almost as an afterthought, or by accident, Zamoyski is also remembered as one of the most accomplished Polish military commanders. In his tactics, he favored sieges, flanking maneuvers, conserving his forces, and the new Western art of fortification and artillery. The war with Muscovy shown him to be a skilled commander in sieges, and latter events would prove him to be an equally able leader in the open field. Wealth and cultural patronage Zamoyski gathered a significant fortune; his estates generated a revenue of over 200,000 zlotys in the early 17th century. His personal lands covered 6,445 square kilometres (2,488 sq mi), and included eleven towns and over 200 villages. He was a royal caretaker of another dozen or so cities and over 600 villages. Totaled, his personal and leased lands covered over 17,000 square kilometres (6,600 sq mi), with 23 towns and cities and 816 villages. In 1589 he succeeded in establishing the Zamoyski Family Fee Tail (ordynacja zamojska), a de facto duchy. Zamoyski supported economical development of his lands, investing in colonization of frontiers, and the development of industry, both small (sawmills, breweries, mills and such) and large (his lands had four iron mills and four glass factories). His most prized creation was the capital of his Fee Tail, the city of Zamość, founded in 1580, built and designed as a Renaissance citta ideale or "ideal city" by the Italian architect Bernardo Morando. In the city, in 1595 he founded the Akademia Zamojska, the third university in the history of education in Poland. In addition to Zamość, he also funded four other towns: Szarogród, Skinderpol, Busza and Jasnogród. Zamoyski collected a significant library, and was a patron of numerous artists in his Fee Tail. Artists under his patronage included the poets Jan Kochanowski and Szymon Szymonowic, and the writer and historian Joachim Bielski. Personality Zamoyski was not a deeply religious person, and his conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism was primarily pragmatic. Leśniewski notes that Zamoyski was often motivated by greed, for example during the Danzig Rebellion, when he supported lenient treatment of the rebels, and during the 1577–1578 negotiations with, when he favored the solution of George Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach; in both cases his decision was likely influenced by bribes or favors. In another example, Leśniewski describes how Zamoyski openly demanded rewards following his victory at Byczyna, and tried to include an article favoring him in the Bytom and Będzin treaty. He further notes, critically, that with raising power and political success Zamoyski begun displaying negative qualities, such as egoism and arrogance. Zamoyski was ruthless to those weaker than him. At the same time, he was respected by his opponents, widely recognized as highly intelligent, a cunning strategist and tactician in matters political and military, and a popular political leader. He valued the good of the country at least as high as his own, and although he could have become the king after a victorious civil war against Sigismund, he preferred to act within the limits of law instead, avoiding a war that could devastate the country, and thus curbing his own ambitions. See also Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Notes References External links Bain, Robert Nisbet (1911). "Zamoyski, Jan" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). pp. 954–955. Media related to Jan Zamoyski at Wikimedia Commons Polish Wikiquote has quotations related to: Jan Zamoyski
Radhika Apte	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Radhika Apte.	Tell me a bio of Radhika Apte.	Tell me a bio of Radhika Apte within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Radhika Apte with around 100 words.	Radhika Apte (Marathi pronunciation: [ɾaːd̪ʰikaː əpʈe]) (born 7 September 1985) is an Indian film and television actress. She began acting in theatre and made her film debut with a brief role in the fantasy drama Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005). Her first lead role was in the 2009 Bengali drama Antaheen. She gained attention for her supporting roles in three of her 2015 Bollywood productions: the revenge drama Badlapur, the comedy Hunterrr, and the biographical film Manjhi - The Mountain Man. Her leading roles in the 2016 independent films Phobia and Parched earned her acclaim. In 2018, Apte starred in three Netflix productions – the anthology film Lust Stories, the thriller series Sacred Games, and the horror mini-series Ghoul. She was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her work in the first of these, becoming the first Indian actress to do so. She then starred in the Netflix films Raat Akeli Hai (2020) and Monica, O My Darling (2022), and portrayed Noor Inayat Khan in the American film A Call to Spy (2019). Her performance in Sister Midnight (2024) earned her a nomination for a British Independent Film Award. In addition to her work in independent films, Apte has also played the leading lady in mainstream films, such as the Tamil action film Kabali (2016), the Hindi biographical film Pad Man (2018), and the Hindi black comedy Andhadhun (2018), all of which were commercially successful. She has been married to London-based musician Benedict Taylor since 2012. Early life Radhika Apte born on 7 September 1985 in Vellore, Tamil Nadu into a Marathi family. Her parents were studying and working as doctors at the Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore when she was born. Her father, Dr. Charudutt Apte, subsequently became a neurosurgeon and chairman of Sahyadri Hospital, Pune. She is an Economics and Mathematics graduate from Fergusson College, Pune. In Pune, she initially studied in a regular school, and then was homeschooled along with four friends by their parents living in the same building, who did not want their children to go through the regular schooling system. Apte found this experience liberating, as it boosted her self-confidence. While growing up in Pune, Apte trained under Kathak exponent, Rohini Bhate, for eight years. It was during this time that Apte became involved in theatre in Pune, and decided to go to Mumbai to join films. However, a few months later, Apte got discouraged by her experience in Mumbai and returned to her family in Pune. Apte recounted these times in an interview with Scoop Whoop in 2018, as a learning yet demoralising experience, wherein she managed with a salary of ₹8,000 to ₹10,000 from theatre roles and having to put up with odd landlords and roommates in Goregaon, where she lived as a paying guest. During this time, Apte acted in her first movie, a Marathi film called Gho Mala Asala Hawa (2009). After this she acted in Rakta Charitra, Rakta Charitra 2, and I am. On returning to Pune, Apte made an overnight decision of going to London for a year, where she studied contemporary dance at London's Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for a year. Apte said her experience in London was life-changing, as she was exposed to a completely different and liberating way of working professionally. There she met her future husband Benedict Taylor, who subsequently moved to Pune with her, travelling regularly to Mumbai for his work while Apte still did not want to return to Mumbai because of her earlier experience. After a year, she finally agreed to move to Mumbai, and her second experience in Mumbai was far more positive, as she no longer felt lonely. Career Early roles (2005–10) Apte first appeared with a small role in the Hindi film Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! in 2005, a project she did "just for fun" while still in college. Actor Rahul Bose, who had seen Apte perform in Anahita Oberoi's play Bombay Black, suggested her name to director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury who cast her in his National award-winning Bengali film Antaheen along with Aparna Sen, Sharmila Tagore and Rahul Bose. She played the role of Brinda Roy Menon, a TV journalist, in Antaheen. Riddhima Seal, writing for The Times of India, called Apte a "revelation", further adding "With eyes that speak a thousand words, her passion for work and the loneliness of her heart as she waits to chat every night with that special stranger just strikes the right chord". In 2009, Apte had her first Indian release, KBC productions' Gho Mala Asla Hava by Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar, in which she appeared as Savitri, a village girl. She later collaborated with Bhave and Sukthankar again on the Hindi docufiction Mor Dekhne Jungle Mein. It was in that year that she also worked on Jatin Wagle's Ek Indian Manoos, Akash Khurana's Life Online, about "a bunch of youngsters working in a BPO" and Amol Palekar's Indian film, Samaantar. In 2010, she was seen in Maneej Premnath's thriller The Waiting Room and later, appeared in a significant role in Ram Gopal Varma's Rakta Charitra and its sequel. On returning from London, Apte was offered a role in a large blockbuster production Hindi film, but was (in her words) kicked out of it, because they felt she was too fat to be in that film. Breakthrough and rise to prominence (2011–present) In 2011, Apte appeared in the anthology film I Am and in Shor in the City under Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures. She worked for the third time with the Bhave-Sukthankar duo on Ha Bharat Majha (2012), a film inspired by Anna Hazare's movement that was shot in 14 days and screened at various film festivals. Her two other 2012 releases were Tukaram in Marathi and Dhoni, her maiden Tamil film. For her performance in the latter, she was nominated for SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 2013, she was seen in the Bengali film Rupkatha Noy. About her character, she said, "I play Sananda, an IT engineer, who is a single mother of a three-year-old child. Sananda had a dreadful past, which keeps haunting her". Apte's first four 2014 releases were Postcard, Pendulum, Legend and Vetri Selvan in three languages – Bengali, Telugu and Tamil, respectively—after which another film of hers, Lai Bhaari, released. Pendulum, which was described by Apte as a "story on magic realism which takes you through multiple layers of parallel realities, or apparent realities", had her playing a working woman in a relationship with a younger man, while in Vetri Selvan, she had played the role of a lawyer. Legend and Lai Bhaari were commercial successes, the latter breaking the opening weekend box office record and becoming the highest grossing Marathi film of all time. In 2015, Apte gained wider recognition for her roles in six feature films released in the first eight months. In the year's first release, Sriram Raghavan's Badlapur, she had a minor supporting role, for which she shot for six days. Despite appearing only briefly in the latter part of the film, she was widely recognized and appreciated for her performance, with several critics stating that she stood out in the ensemble cast. Rediff's Raja Sen, in particular, wrote that she was "sensational" and featured in "possibly the film's finest" moment. Following a Malayalam release, Haram, her first in the language, and a Telugu release, Lion, she had her next Hindi release, the sex comedy Hunterrr directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni. Although the film opened to mixed reviews, Apte again earned praise for her performance. While Shubha Shetty-Saha from mid-day.com described her as "excellent in an absolutely realistic role", Filmfare's Rachit Gupta wrote, "While you're at it, hand one (award) to Radhika Apte...She really comes into her own, in a character that's unconventional and full of surprises". With Badlapur and Hunterrr both achieving commercial success and winning Apte critical acclaim, she grew in popularity, breaking into the mainstream Bollywood scene, with the media dubbing her the "latest sensation of Bollywood", Bollywood's new "go-to girl" and the "new constant in Indian cinema". HuffPost India wrote, "Radhika Apte is on her way to stardom, whether she likes it or not". In late August, two more Hindi films of her, Ketan Mehta's critically acclaimed biogeographical film Manjhi - The Mountain Man, based on Dashrath Manjhi, featuring Apte as Manjhi's wife Falguni Devi, and Kaun Kitne Paani Mein, a satire on water scarcity featuring Apte as an agriculture graduate, released a week apart. Her next film was the Tamil gangster-drama Kabali, in which she was featured as the wife of Rajinikanth. Upon the release, her performance received positive feedback from critics, and the film proved to be a major commercial success as well. In 2018, Apte co-starred with Akshay Kumar in R. Balki's comedy-drama Pad Man, based on a short story in Twinkle Khanna's book, The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad. It is inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham from Tamil Nadu, who campaigned for menstrual hygiene in rural India. Apte's role was that of a shy homemaker whose husband (Kumar) invents low-cost sanitary napkins. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote, "Radhika Apte is, as always, a scene-stealer. She contributes majorly to ensuring that the exchanges between the protagonist and his wife do not veer into corniness." Apte made her directorial debut with The Sleepwalkers, starring Gulshan Devaiah and Shahana Goswami. The Sleepwalkers is in competition at the Palm Springs International ShortFest 2020, under the Best Midnight Short category. Among Apte's upcoming films are three Hindi language projects, The Field, the feature debut of Rohit Karn Batra, Leena Yadav's Parched, a U.S.-Indian co-production, and Bombairiya, an Indo – British production and a Tamil project, Ula. Theatre Apte is actively involved with theatre and has been part of several stage plays, mostly in Hindi language. She is associated with Mohit Takalkar's theatre troupe Aasakta Kalamanch in her hometown and has acted in plays like Tu, Purnaviram, Matra Ratra and Samuel Beckett's That Time with Rehan Engineer. She also performed a commercial Hindi play, Kanyadaan, and an English play named Bombay Black. In 2013, she was part of an Indian play named Uney Purey Shahar Ek, which was an adaptation of Girish Karnad's Benda Kaalu on Toast ("Baked Beans of Toast"). She has also stated that she plans to do an English play in London. Apte has said that she prefers to work in experimental theatre. Short films Radhika Apte has also acted in a number of short films, including Darmiyan, in which she played a college girl, Ekta, and Vakratunda Swaha, which was filmed by Ashish Avikunthak over a period of 12 years. She played one of the lead roles in Anurag Kashyap's film on eve teasing, That Day After Everyday, which released on YouTube in 2012. She has played the title role in Sujoy Ghosh's 2015 Bengali short film Ahalya. Personal life Apte met Benedict Taylor in 2011 in London during her year-long sabbatical when she had gone to learn contemporary dance. Director Sarang Sathaye, a friend of Radhika, in October 2012, said that the two had been living together for a while and that a registered marriage took place a month before the official ceremony was said to be held in March 2013. In October 2024, she was revealed to be pregnant with their first child. Apte has spoken out against sexual harassment in the Indian film industry. She supported the MeToo movement in India, stating that she was hopeful that it could bring about a change if enough major industry figures were to participate. Media image Tanisha Bhattacharya of Filmfare termed her a "powerhouse performer", who is widely known as the "poster child of OTT". Natasha Dsouza of Femina termed her "happy-go-lucky", "outspoken" and noted, "Apte is a rarity and a new-gen star who's known for two things: essaying complex roles and speaking her mind." Huzan Tata of Verve termed her a "poster girl for regional and art-house cinema". Nihit Bhave of Hindustan Times said, "Apte has often taken on roles that other actresses would have deemed insignificant." In Rediff.com's "Best Bollywood Actresses" list, she was placed 3rd in 2011, 2nd in 2015 and 7th in 2022. Apte has been described in the media as one of the highest paid actor on OTT. Apte is an endorser for brands and products such as Clinique, Sanfe, MCaffeine and RIOPads. Her performance in Phobia is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by Film Companion. Filmography Film Short films Television Theatre Awards and nominations References External links Radhika Apte at IMDb Radhika Apte at Rotten Tomatoes Radhika Apte at Bollywood Hungama
David Galloway (writer)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about David Galloway (writer).	Tell me a bio of David Galloway (writer).	Tell me a bio of David Galloway (writer) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of David Galloway (writer) with around 100 words.	David Darryl Galloway (born 5 May 1937 – 28 December 2019) was an American novelist, curator, journalist and academic. A graduate of Harvard University, he was the founding curator of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, a longtime contributor to the International Herald Tribune, an emeritus professor at the Ruhr University Bochum and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. The last decades of his life he resided in both France (Forcalquier) and Germany. Early life David Galloway was born on 5 May 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1955 he enrolled in Harvard University, where he was mentored by Leonard Bernstein and Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. There Galloway met Radcliffe student Sally Gantt, whom he married in 1959, relocating to the University at Buffalo where their son was born two years later. Career David Galloway first worked as a publications editor for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Leaving the United States, he taught at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Sussex, freelancing as a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian. In 1967 Galloway returned to the U.S. to assist in founding the New Gallery (later renamed the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland). He then moved to Germany in 1972 after being appointed as chairman of American studies at the newly established Ruhr University Bochum, meanwhile publishing his first novel, Melody Jones, to wide critical acclaim. While teaching at the Ruhr University, Galloway lectured extensively throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, including regular visits to the Iran-America Society in Tehran. In 1977 he first met Farah Pahlavi, Shahbanu of Iran, whose staff was preparing to open the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Empress' coronation. Galloway was hired as chief curator and with his staff assembled what is widely considered the most important collection of Western art outside of the Western world, including pieces by Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh and Andy Warhol, exhibited alongside works by Iranian artists such as Parviz Tanavoli. Several months before the Iranian Revolution, Galloway left Tehran for Wuppertal, Germany, to resume his professorship in Bochum. While visiting Forcalquier, France, he purchased the town's former episcopal residence, known as the Maison de Chapitre, which he transformed into an informal retreat for artists and students. In 1979, Galloway began writing for the International Herald Tribune. Throughout his many years at the paper, he maintained a close professional relationship with artists including Pina Bausch, Keith Haring, Yoko Ono and Andy Warhol, contacts much coveted by his editors. Alongside his journalism, Galloway published three more novels: A Family Album, Lamaar Ransom: Private Eye and Tamsen. After leaving the Ruhr University in 2002, Galloway served as a guest curator at venues including the Venice Biennale and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art while continuing to write for Art in America, ARTnews and the IHT. In 2011, he opened exhibitions at both Art Basel in Miami Beach and the Kunsthalle Wien of paintings by singer Marilyn Manson. In a career spanning some fifty-five years, David Galloway contributed to over a hundred books on the subjects of art, design, literature and architecture, while curating, reporting and teaching worldwide. He became a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1988. Selected bibliography Pioneering in Art Collecting (1962) The Absurd Hero of American Fiction (1966) Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady (1967) Selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe (1967) Ten Modern American Short Stories (1968) Melody Jones (1976) David Hockney: Travels with Pen, Pencil and Ink (1977) A Family Album (1978) Edward Lewis Wallant (1979) Lamaar Ransom: Private Eye (1979) Calamus (1982) The Other Poe (1983) Tamsen (1983) The Individual Conscience as Subject of Literary Reflection (1986) Andy Warhol: Events and Non-Events (1988) Keith Haring (1992) The Critical Response to Truman Capote (1999) Keith Haring: Heaven and Hell (2001) Keith Haring: L'art à la plage (2005) The Keith Haring Show (2005) George Pusenkoff: Mona Lisa Travels (2007) Marilyn Manson & David Lynch: Genealogies of Pain (2011) Barbara Nessim: An Artful Life – Victoria and Albert Museum (2013) Hermann-Josef Kuhna: The Handel Cycle (2015) Henri Barande: The Work Beyond (2017) See also Contemporary art Forcalquier International Herald Tribune Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Farah Pahlavi Ruhr University Bochum Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art University of Sussex Wuppertal == References ==
Cheyenne Brando	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Cheyenne Brando.	Tell me a bio of Cheyenne Brando.	Tell me a bio of Cheyenne Brando within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Cheyenne Brando with around 100 words.	Tarita Cheyenne Brando (20 February 1970 – 16 April 1995) was a French fashion model. She was the daughter of actor Marlon Brando by his third wife Tarita Teriipaia, an actress from French Polynesia whom he met while filming Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962. Early life Brando was born in 1970. She was raised by her mother Tarita on the island of Tahiti, south of Papeete. Her parents divorced in 1972. While growing up, Cheyenne was not allowed to visit her father in the United States, nor did Marlon Brando allow her brother Tehotu to visit him there. In 1976 Brando stated, "I don't think I will let them [Cheyenne and Tehotu] go to the States. As Tahitians, they are too trusting. They would be destroyed in the pace of life in the States." As a child, Cheyenne reportedly adored her father and bragged about him. As she entered her teenage years, her feelings towards her father changed. In a 1990 interview she stated, "I have come to despise my father for the way he ignored me when I was a child. He came to the island maybe once a year but really didn't seem to care whether he saw me or not. He wanted us but he didn't want us." Cheyenne eventually dropped out of high school and began taking drugs including LSD, PCP, marijuana, and tranquilizers. During this time, she began a modeling career. In 1989, Cheyenne was seriously injured in a car crash when she crashed a Jeep she was driving after her father refused to allow her to visit him while he was filming The Freshman in Toronto. She sustained a broken jaw, a laceration under her eye, and a torn ear. Marlon Brando flew Cheyenne to Los Angeles to undergo extensive reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. The crash effectively ended her modeling career. After the crash, she began experiencing bouts of depression and attempted suicide. Death of Dag Drollet In May 1987, Cheyenne began dating 23-year-old Dag Drollet. His father, Jacques Drollet, was a former member of the Assembly of French Polynesia. The pair were introduced through a get-together, as the Brandos and Drollets had been longtime friends. In 1989, Cheyenne became pregnant with their child. At Marlon Brando's request, the couple moved to the United States and into Marlon's Mulholland Drive home to await the birth of their child. On 16 May 1990, Drollet was fatally shot by Cheyenne's elder half-brother Christian at their father's home. Christian Brando maintained that the shooting was accidental. He stated that earlier in the evening, Cheyenne told him that Drollet was physically abusing her. Later that night, Christian confronted Drollet about the abuse. Christian claimed that the gun went off after Drollet tried to take the gun away from him. Christian Brando was arrested and charged with first-degree murder two days later. The prosecutors of the case attempted to subpoena Cheyenne to testify at Christian's trial as they felt her account of the night's event was crucial in proving the shooting was premeditated. However, she refused to testify and fled to Tahiti. On 26 June 1990, she gave birth to a son she named Tuki Brando. Soon after Tuki's birth, Cheyenne attempted suicide twice and was hospitalized for drug detoxification in a psychiatric hospital. On 22 December 1990, Cheyenne was declared "mentally disabled" by a French judge and was deemed unable to testify in her brother's trial. Without Cheyenne's testimony, prosecutors felt they could no longer prove that Drollet's death was premeditated. They presented Christian Brando with a plea deal. Christian took the deal and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. He served a total of five years and was placed on three years' probation. In an interview given after his release, Christian stated that he doubted Cheyenne's accusations of physical abuse against Drollet due to her mental instability. "I feel like a complete chump for believing her," he said. Aftermath and final years In the years following Drollet's death and her half-brother Christian's arrest, Cheyenne's mental health steadily declined. She repeatedly entered drug rehabilitation facilities and psychiatric hospitals. Cheyenne also publicly accused her father of molesting her and accused him of being an accomplice in Drollet's death; Marlon Brando denied both accusations. Cheyenne was later formally diagnosed with schizophrenia, became isolated from her former friends, and ultimately lost custody of her son, Tuki, to her mother, who raised him in Tahiti. As an adult, Tuki Brando entered medical school and, like his mother, became a model. Death On 16 April 1995, Brando hanged herself at her mother's house in Puna'auia, Tahiti. Neither her father nor her half-brother Christian attended her funeral in Tahiti. She was buried in the Roman Catholic Uranie Cemetery in Papeete in the family crypt of Dag Drollet's family. == References ==
Mihai Eminescu	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Mihai Eminescu.	Tell me a bio of Mihai Eminescu.	Tell me a bio of Mihai Eminescu within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Mihai Eminescu with around 100 words.	Mihai Eminescu (Romanian pronunciation: [miˈhaj emiˈnesku] ; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and worked as an editor for the newspaper Timpul ("The Time"), the official newspaper of the Conservative Party (1880–1918). His poetry was first published when he was 16 and he went to Vienna, Austria to study when he was 19. The poet's manuscripts, containing 46 volumes and approximately 14,000 pages, were offered by Titu Maiorescu as a gift to the Romanian Academy during the meeting that was held on 25 January 1902. Notable works include Luceafărul, Odă în metru antic (Ode in Ancient Meter), and the five Letters (Epistles/Satires). In his poems, he frequently used metaphysical, mythological and historical subjects. His father was Gheorghe Eminovici, an aristocrat from Bukovina, which was then part of the Austrian Empire (while his grandfather came from Banat). He crossed the border into Moldavia, settling in Ipotești, near the town of Botoșani. He married Raluca Iurașcu, an heiress of an old noble family. In a Junimea register, Eminescu wrote down his birth date as 22 December 1849, while in the documents of Cernăuți Gymnasium, where Eminescu studied, his birth date is 15 January 1850. Nevertheless, Titu Maiorescu, in his work Eminescu and His Poems (1889), quoted N. D. Giurescu's research and adopted his conclusion regarding the date and place of Mihai Eminescu's birth, as being 15 January 1850, in Botoșani. This date resulted from several sources, among which there was a file of notes on christenings from the archives of the Uspenia (Princely) Church of Botoșani; inside this file, the date of birth was "15 January 1850" and the date of christening was the 21st of the same month. The date of his birth was confirmed by the poet's elder sister, Aglae Drogli, who affirmed that the place of birth was the village of Ipotești, Botoșani County. Family The most accepted theory is that Mihail's paternal ancestors came from a Romanian family from Banat. In 1675, a child was born with the name Iminul. The son of Iminul was Iovul lui Iminul, born in 1705, who was ordained a priest under the Serbianized name of Iovul Iminovici, in accordance with the use of Church Slavonic of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci. The priest Iovul Iminovici left Banat for Blaj between 1738 and 1740, attracted by civil liberties, agricultural land for a fee and free education in the Romanian language for his children, but on the condition of becoming an Eastern-Rite Catholic. Iovul Iminovici had two sons, Iosif and Petrea Iminovici. Petrea Eminovici, the poet's great-grandfather, was probably born in 1735 and from his marriage with Agafia Șerban (1736–1818), several descendants appeared, known with certainty being only the existence of their middle child, Vasile, the grandfather of the poet. Vasile Iminovici (1778–1844) attended the normal school in Blaj and married Ioana Sărghei. After a while, the spouses Petrea and Agafia divorced. Petrea died in Blaj in 1811, and Agafia accompanied the family of her son, Vasile, to Bukovina. Agafia died in 1818 in Călinești, Suceava. Vasile Iminovici, attracted by the economic and social conditions settled in Bukovina, moved with his family to Călinești in 1804, where he received a position as a church teacher as well as land. He had four daughters and three sons. Vasile Iminovici died in 1844. The eldest of his sons, Gheorghe, born in 1812 was the father of Mihai Eminescu. Gheorghe Eminovici was in the service of the boyar Ioan Ienacaki Cârstea from Costâna, Suceava, then – writer for baron Jean Mustață from Bukovina, and later in the service of the boyar Alexandru Balș from Moldova. After the death of Alexandru Balș, his son, Costache, appointed Gheorghe Eminovici as administrator of the Dumbrăveni estate. Later, Gheorghe Eminovici obtained the title of sluger from Costache Balș. Another theory from the historian George Călinescu says that Mihai's paternal great-grandfather might have been a cavalry officer from the army of Charles XII of Sweden, who settled in Moldavia after the battle of Poltava (1709). Raluca, the poet's mother, was the fourth daughter of Vasile and Paraschiva Jurașcu. The ancestors from his mother's side, the Jurăscești family, came from Hotin (part of Greater Romania from 1918–1940, present-day Ukraine, near the border with Romania). The boyar Vasile Jurașcu from Joldești, Botoșani County married Paraschiva, the daughter of Donțu, a Cossack, who had settled on the banks of the Siret, not far from the village of Sarafinești, Botoșani County. Donțu married Catrina, the daughter of the Romanian peasant Ion Brehuescu. Gheorghe Eminovici married Raluca Jurașcu in 1840, receiving a substantial dowry, and in 1841 he received the title of căminar (a type of boyar) from the prince ruler of Moldavia, Mihail Sturdza. Early years Mihail (as he appears in baptismal records) or Mihai (the more common form of the name that he used) was born in Botoșani, Moldavia. Mihai Eminescu was the seventh of the eleven children of Gheorghe Eminovici and Raluca Jurașcu. He spent his early childhood in Botoșani and Ipotești, in his parents family home. From 1858 to 1866 he attended school in Cernăuți. He finished 4th grade as the 5th of 82 students, after which he attended two years of gymnasium. The first evidence of Eminescu as a writer is in 1866. In January of that year Romanian teacher Aron Pumnul died and his students in Cernăuți published a pamphlet, Lăcrămioarele învățăceilor gimnaziaști (The Tears of the Gymnasium Students) in which a poem entitled La mormântul lui Aron Pumnul (At the Grave of Aron Pumnul) appears, signed "M. Eminovici". On 25 February his poem De-aș avea (If I Had) was published in Iosif Vulcan's literary magazine Familia in Pest. This began a steady series of published poems (and the occasional translation from German). Also, it was Iosif Vulcan, who disliked the Slavic source suffix "-ici" of the young poet's last name, that chose for him the more apparent Romanian "nom de plume" Mihai Eminescu. In 1867, he joined Iorgu Caragiale's troupe as a clerk and prompter; the next year he transferred to Mihai Pascaly's troupe. Both of these were among the leading Romanian theatrical troupes of their day, the latter including Matei Millo and Fanny Tardini-Vlădicescu. He soon settled in Bucharest, where at the end of November he became a clerk and copyist for the National Theater. Throughout this period, he continued to write and publish poems. He also paid his rent by translating hundreds of pages of a book by Heinrich Theodor Rötscher, although this never resulted in a completed work. Also at this time he began his novel Geniu pustiu (Wasted Genius), published posthumously in 1904 in an unfinished form. On 1 April 1869, he was one of the co-founders of the "Orient" literary circle, whose interests included the gathering of Romanian folklore and documents relating to Romanian literary history. On 29 June, various members of the "Orient" group were commissioned to go to different provinces. Eminescu was assigned Moldavia. That summer, he quite by chance ran into his brother Iorgu, a military officer, in Cișmigiu Gardens, but firmly rebuffed Iorgu's attempt to get him to renew his ties to his family. Still in the summer of 1869, he left Pascaly's troupe and traveled to Cernăuţi and Iaşi. He renewed ties to his family; his father promised him a regular allowance to pursue studies in Vienna in the fall. As always, he continued to write and publish poetry; notably, on the occasion of the death of the former ruler of Wallachia, Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei, he published a leaflet, La moartea principelui Știrbei ("On the Death of Prince Știrbei"). 1870s From October 1869 to 1872 Eminescu studied at the University of Vienna. Not fulfilling the requirements to become a university student (as he did not have a baccalaureate degree), he attended lectures as a so-called "extraordinary auditor" at the Faculty of Philosophy and Law. He was active in student life, befriended Ioan Slavici, and came to know Vienna through Veronica Micle; he became a contributor to Convorbiri Literare (Literary Conversations), edited by Junimea (The Youth). The leaders of this cultural organisation, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Theodor Rosetti, Iacob Negruzzi, and Titu Maiorescu, exercised their political and cultural influence over Eminescu for the rest of his life. Impressed by one of Eminescu's poems, Venere și Madonă (Venus and Madonna), Iacob Negruzzi, the editor of Convorbiri Literare, traveled to Vienna to meet him. Negruzzi would later write how he could pick Eminescu out of a crowd of young people in a Viennese café by his "romantic" appearance: long hair and gaze lost in thoughts. In 1870 Eminescu wrote three articles under the pseudonym "Varro" in Federațiunea in Pest, on the situation of Romanians and other minorities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He then became a journalist for the newspaper Albina (The Bee) in Pest. From 1872 to 1874 he continued as a student in Berlin, thanks to a stipend offered by Junimea. From 1874 to 1877, he worked as director of the Central Library in Iași, substitute teacher, school inspector for the counties of Iași and Vaslui, and editor of the newspaper Curierul de Iași (The Courier of Iași), all thanks to his friendship with Titu Maiorescu, the leader of Junimea and rector of the University of Iași. He continued to publish in Convorbiri Literare. He also was a good friend of Ion Creangă, a writer, whom he convinced to become a writer and introduced to the Junimea literary club. In 1877 he moved to Bucharest, where until 1883 he was first journalist, then (1880) editor-in-chief of the newspaper Timpul (The Time). During this time he wrote Scrisorile, Luceafărul, Odă în metru antic, etc. Most of his notable editorial pieces belong to this period, when Romania was fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and throughout the diplomatic race that eventually brought about the international recognition of Romanian independence, but under the condition of bestowing Romanian citizenship to all subjects of Jewish faith. Eminescu opposed this and another clause of the Treaty of Berlin: Romania's having to give southern Bessarabia to Russia in exchange for Northern Dobruja, a former Ottoman province on the Black Sea. Later life and death The 1880s were a time of crisis and deterioration in the poet's life, culminating with his death in 1889. The details of this are still debated. From 1883 – when Eminescu's personal crisis and his more problematic health issues became evident – until 1886, the poet was treated in Austria and Italy, by specialists who managed to get him on his feet, as testified by his good friend, writer Ioan Slavici. In 1886, Eminescu suffered a nervous breakdown and was treated by Romanian doctors, in particular Julian Bogdan and Panait Zosin. Immediately diagnosed with syphilis, after being hospitalized in a nervous diseases hospice within the Neamț Monastery, the poet was treated with mercury. Firstly, massages in Botoșani, applied by Dr. Itszak, and then in Bucharest at Dr. Alexandru A. Suțu's sanatorium, where between February–June 1889 he was injected with mercuric chloride. Irinel Popescu, corresponding member of the Romanian Academy and president of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Romania, states that Eminescu died because of mercury poisoning. He also says that the poet was "treated" by a group of incompetent doctors and held in misery, which also shortened his life. Mercury was prohibited as treatment of syphilis in Western Europe in the 19th century, because of its adverse effects. Mihai Eminescu died at 4 am, on 15 June 1889 at the Caritas Institute, a sanatorium run by Dr. Suțu and located on Plantelor Street Sector 2, Bucharest. Eminescu's last wish was a glass of milk, which the attending doctor slipped through the metallic peephole of the "cell" where he spent the last hours of his life. In response to this favour he was said to have whispered, "I'm crumbled". The next day, on 16 June 1889 he was officially declared deceased and legal papers to that effect were prepared by doctors Suțu and Petrescu, who submitted the official report. This paperwork is seen as ambiguous, because the poet's cause of death is not clearly stated and there was no indication of any other underlying condition that may have so suddenly resulted in his death. In fact both the poet's medical file and autopsy report indicate symptoms of a mental and not physical disorder. Moreover, at the autopsy performed by Dr. Tomescu and then by Dr. Marinescu from the laboratory at Babeș-Bolyai University, the brain could not be studied, because a nurse inadvertently forgot it on an open window, where it quickly decomposed. One of the first hypotheses that disagreed with the post mortem findings for Eminescu's cause of death was printed on 28 June 1926 in an article from the newspaper Universul. This article forwards the hypothesis that Eminescu died after another patient, Petre Poenaru, former headmaster in Craiova, hit him in the head with a board. Dr. Vineș, the physician assigned to Eminescu at Caritas argued at that time that the poet's death was the result of an infection secondary to his head injury. Specifically, he says that the head wound was infected, turning into an erysipelas, which then spread to the face, neck, upper limbs, thorax, and abdomen. In the same report, cited by Nicolae Georgescu in his work, Eminescu târziu, Vineș states that "Eminescu's death was not due to head trauma occurred 25 days earlier and which had healed completely, but was the consequence of an older endocarditis (diagnosed by late professor N. Tomescu)". Contemporary specialists, primarily physicians who have dealt with the Eminescu case, reject both hypotheses on the cause of death of the poet. According to them, the poet died of cardio-respiratory arrest caused by mercury poisoning. Eminescu was wrongly diagnosed and treated, aiming his removal from public life, as some eminescologists claim. Eminescu was diagnosed since 1886 by Dr. Julian Bogdan from Iași as syphilitic, paralytic and on the verge of dementia due to alcohol abuse and syphilitic gummas emerged on the brain. The same diagnosis is given by Dr. Panait Zosin, who consulted Eminescu on 6 November 1886 and wrote that patient Eminescu suffered from a "mental alienation", caused by the emergence of syphilis and worsened by alcoholism. Further research showed that the poet was not suffering from syphilis. Works Nicolae Iorga, the Romanian historian, considers Eminescu the godfather of the modern Romanian language, in the same way that Shakespeare is seen to have directly influenced the English language. He is unanimously celebrated as the greatest and most representative Romanian poet. Poems and Prose of Mihai Eminescu (editor: Kurt W. Treptow, publisher: The Center for Romanian Studies, Iași, Oxford, and Portland, 2000, ISBN 973-9432-10-7) contains a selection of English-language renditions of Eminescu's poems and prose. Poetry His poems span a large range of themes, from nature and love to hate and social commentary. His childhood years were evoked in his later poetry with deep nostalgia. Eminescu's poems have been translated in over 60 languages. His life, work and poetry strongly influenced the Romanian culture and his poems are widely studied in Romanian public schools. His most notable poems are: De-aș avea, first poem of Mihai Eminescu Ce-ți doresc eu ție, dulce Românie Somnoroase păsărele Pe lângă plopii fără soț Doina (the name is a traditional type of Romanian song), 1884 Lacul (The Lake), 1876 Luceafărul (The Vesper), 1883 Floare albastră (Blue Flower), 1884 Dorința (Desire), 1884 Sara pe deal (Evening on the Hill), 1885 O, rămai (Oh, Linger On), 1884 Epigonii (Epigones), 1884 Scrisori (Letters or "Epistles-Satires") Și dacă (And if...), 1883 Odă în metru antic (Ode in Ancient Meter), 1883 Mai am un singur dor (I Have Yet One Desire), 1883 Glossă (Gloss), 1883 La Steaua (To The Star), 1886 Memento mori, 1872 Povestea magului călător în stele Prose Sarmanul Dionis (Poor Dionis), 1872 Cezara, 1876 Avatarii Faraonului Tla, postum Geniu pustiu (Deserted genius), novel, posthumous Presence in English language anthologies Testament – Anthology of Modern Romanian Verse / Testament – Antologie de Poezie Română Modernă – Bilingual Edition English & Romanian – Daniel Ioniță (editor and translator) with Eva Foster and Daniel Reynaud – Minerva Publishing 2012 and 2015 (second edition) – ISBN 978-973-21-1006-5 Testament – Anthology of Romanian Verse – American Edition - monolingual English language edition – Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud and Rochelle Bews – Australian-Romanian Academy for Culture – 2017 – ISBN 978-0-9953502-0-5 The Bessarabia of My Soul / Basarabia Sufletului Meu – a collection of poetry from the Republic of Moldova – bilingual English/Romanian – Daniel Ioniță and Maria Tonu (editors), with Eva Foster, Daniel Reynaud and Rochelle Bews – MediaTon, Toronto, Canada – 2018 – ISBN 978-1-7751837-9-2 Testament – 400 Years of Romanian Poetry – 400 de ani de poezie românească – bilingual edition – Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Daniel Reynaud, Adriana Paul & Eva Foster – Editura Minerva, 2019 – ISBN 978-973-21-1070-6 Romanian Poetry from its Origins to the Present – bilingual edition English/Romanian – Daniel Ioniță (editor and principal translator) with Daniel Reynaud, Adriana Paul and Eva Foster – Australian-Romanian Academy Publishing – 2020 – ISBN 978-0-9953502-8-1 ; LCCN 2020-907831 Romanian culture Eminescu was only 20 when Titu Maiorescu, the top literary critic in Romania, dubbed him "a real poet", in an essay where only a handful of the Romanian poets of the time were spared Maiorescu's harsh criticism. In the following decade, Eminescu's notability as a poet grew continually thanks to (1) the way he managed to enrich the literary language with words and phrases from all Romanian regions, from old texts, and with new words that he coined from his wide philosophical readings; (2) the use of bold metaphors, much too rare in earlier Romanian poetry; (3) last but not least, he was arguably the first Romanian writer who published in all Romanian provinces and was constantly interested in the problems of Romanians everywhere. He defined himself as a Romantic, in a poem addressed To My Critics (Criticilor mei), and this designation, his untimely death as well as his bohemian lifestyle (he never pursued a degree, a position, a wife or fortune) had him associated with the Romantic figure of the genius. As early as the late 1880s, Eminescu had a group of faithful followers. His 1883 poem Luceafărul was so notable that a new literary review took its name after it. The most realistic psychological analysis of Eminescu was written by Ion Luca Caragiale, who, after the poet's death published three short articles on this subject: In Nirvana, Irony and Two notes. Caragiale stated that Eminescu's characteristic feature was the fact that "he had an excessively unique nature". Eminescu's life was a continuous oscillation between introvert and extrovert attitudes. That's how I knew him back then, and that is how he remained until his last moments of well-being: cheerful and sad; sociable and crabbed; gentle and abrupt; he was thankful for everything and unhappy about some things; here he was as abstemious as a hermit, there he was ambitious to the pleasures of life; sometimes he ran away from people and then he looked for them; he was carefree as a Stoic and choleric as an edgy girl. Strange medley! – happy for an artist, unhappy for a man! The portrait that Titu Maiorescu made in the study Eminescu and poems emphasizes Eminescu's introvert dominant traits. Titu Maiorescu promoted the image of a dreamer who was far away from reality, who did not suffer because of the material conditions that he lived in, regardless of all the ironies and eulogies of his neighbour, his main characteristic was "abstract serenity". In reality, just as one can discover from his poems and letters and just as Caragiale remembered, Eminescu was seldom influenced by boisterous subconscious motivations. Eminescu's life was but an overlap of different-sized cycles, made of sudden bursts that were nurtured by dreams and crises due to the impact with reality. The cycles could last from a few hours or days to weeks or months, depending on the importance of events, or could even last longer, when they were linked to the events that significantly marked his life, such as his relation with Veronica, his political activity during his years as a student, or the fact that he attended the gatherings at the Junimea society or the articles he published in the newspaper Timpul. He used to have a unique manner of describing his own crisis of jealousy. You must know, Veronica, that as much as I love you, I sometimes hate you; I hate you without a reason, without a word, only because I imagine you laughing with someone else, and your laughter doesn't mean to him what it means to me and I feel I grow mad at the thought of somebody else touching you, when your body is exclusively and without impartasion to anyone. I sometimes hate you because I know you own all these allures that you charmed me with, I hate you when I suspect you might give away my fortune, my only fortune. I could only be happy beside you if we were far away from all the other people, somewhere, so that I didn't have to show you to anybody and I could be relaxed only if I could keep you locked up in a bird house in which only I could enter. National poet Eminescu was soon proclaimed Romania's national poet, not because he wrote in an age of national revival, but rather because he was received as an author of paramount significance by Romanians in all provinces. Even today, he is considered the national poet of Romania, Moldova, and of the Romanians who live in Bukovina (Romanian: Bucovina). During a meeting with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1976, Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu claimed that Eminescu was proof that a Moldovan nation nor language does not exist, as Eminescu supported the unification of Muntenia and Moldova, always considered himself Romanian, was the founder of Romanian poetry and did very much for the development of Romanian language and literature, yet Moldavians attempt to claim him as a Moldavian. Iconography Eminescu is omnipresent in today's Romania. His statues are everywhere; his face was on the 1000-lei banknotes issued in 1991, 1992, and 1998, and is on the 500-lei banknote issued in 2005 as the highest-denominated Romanian banknote (see Romanian leu); Eminescu's Linden Tree is one of the country's most famous natural landmarks, while many schools and other institutions are named after him. The anniversaries of his birth and death are celebrated each year in many Romanian cities, and they became national celebrations in 1989 (the centennial of his death) and 2000 (150 years after his birth, proclaimed Eminescu's Year in Romania). Several young Romanian writers provoked a huge scandal when they wrote about their demystified idea of Eminescu and went so far as to reject the "official" interpretation of his work. International legacy Romanian composer Didia Saint Georges (1888-1979) used Eminescu’s text for her songs. A monument jointly dedicated to Eminescu and Allama Iqbal was erected in Islamabad, Pakistan on 15 January 2004, commemorating Pakistani-Romanian ties, as well as the dialogue between civilizations which is possible through the cross-cultural appreciation of their poetic legacies. Composer Rodica Sutzu used Eminescu's text for her song “Gazel, opus 15.” In 2004, the Mihai Eminescu Statue was erected in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. On 8 April 2008, a crater on the planet Mercury was named for him. A boulevard passing by the Romanian embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria is named after Eminescu. Academia Internationala presents "Mihai Eminescu" Academy Awards. In 2012, one of the winners, the Japanese artist Shogoro Shogoro hosted a tea ceremony to honor Mihai. In 2021, the Dutch artist Kasper Peters performs a theater show entitled "Eminescu", dedicated to the poet. In May 2024, the first sculpture of Eminescu was inaugurated in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. In Romania, there are at least 133 monuments (statues and busts) dedicated to Mihai Eminescu. Most of these are located in the region of Moldova (42), followed by Transylvania (32). In Muntenia, there are 21 such monuments, while in Oltenia Eminescu is commemorated through 11 busts. The remaining monuments are placed in Crișana (8), Maramureș (7), and Dobrogea (3). Political views Due to his conservative nationalistic views, Eminescu was easily adopted as an icon by the Romanian right. After a decade when Eminescu's works were criticized as "mystic" and "bourgeois", Romanian Communists ended by adopting Eminescu as the major Romanian poet. What opened the door for this thaw was the poem Împărat și proletar (Emperor and proletarian) that Eminescu wrote under the influence of the 1870–1871 events in France, and which ended in a Schopenhauerian critique of human life. An expurgated version only showed the stanzas that could present Eminescu as a poet interested in the fate of proletarians. It has also been revealed that Eminescu demanded strong anti-Jewish legislation on the German model, saying, among other things, that "the Jew does not deserve any rights anywhere in Europe because he is not working". This was a fairly usual stance in the cultural and literary milieu of his age. See also Mihai Eminescu National Theater References Footnotes Bibliography George Călinescu, La vie d'Eminescu, Bucarest: Univers, 1989, 439 p. Marin Bucur (ed.), Caietele Mihai Eminescu, București, Editura Eminescu, 1972 Murărașu, Dumitru (1983), Mihai Eminescu. Viața și Opera, Bucharest: Eminescu. Petrescu, Ioana Em. (1972), Eminescu. Modele cosmologice și viziune poetică, Bucharest: Minerva. Dumitrescu-Bușulenga, Zoe (1986), Eminescu și romantismul german, Bucharest: Eminescu. Bhose, Amita (1978), Eminescu şi India, Iași: Junimea. Ițu, Mircia (1995), Indianismul lui Eminescu, Brașov: Orientul Latin. Vianu, Tudor (1930), Poezia lui Eminescu, Bucharest: Cartea Românească. Negoițescu, Ion (1970), Poezia lui Eminescu, Iași: Junimea. Simion, Eugen (1964), Proza lui Eminescu, Bucharest: Editura pentru literatură. External links "Mihai Eminescu". AudioCarti.eu. Gabriel's website – Works both in English and original Translated poems by Peter Mamara Mihai Eminescu. 10 poems in English translations by Octavian Cocoş (audio) Works by Mihai Eminescu at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Mihai Eminescu at the Internet Archive Works by Mihai Eminescu at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks) Romanian Poetry – Mihai Eminescu (English) Romanian Poetry – Mihai Eminescu (Romanian) Institute for Cultural Memory: Mihai Eminescu – Poetry Mihai Eminescu Poesii (bilingual pages English Romanian) Mihai Eminescu poetry (with English translations of some of his poems) MoldData Literature Year 2000: "Mihai Eminescu Year" (includes bio, poems, critiques, etc.) The Mihai Eminescu Trust The Nation's Poet: A recent collection sparks debate over Romania's "national poet" by Emilia Stere Eminescu – a political victim : An interview with Nicolae Georgescu in Jurnalul National (in Romanian) Mihai Eminescu: Complete works (in Romanian) Mihai Eminescu : poezii biografie (in Romanian)
John Atkinson Grimshaw	Provide me a one-sentence fact about John Atkinson Grimshaw.	Tell me a bio of John Atkinson Grimshaw.	Tell me a bio of John Atkinson Grimshaw within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of John Atkinson Grimshaw with around 100 words.	John Atkinson Grimshaw (6 September 1836 – 13 October 1893) was an English Victorian-era artist best known for his nocturnal scenes of urban landscapes. He was called a "remarkable and imaginative painter" by the critic and historian Christopher Wood in Victorian Painting (1999). Grimshaw's love for realism stemmed from a passion for photography, which would eventually lend itself to the creative process. Though entirely self-taught, he is known to have openly used a camera obscura or lenses to project scenes onto canvas, which made up for his shortcomings as a draughtsman and his imperfect knowledge of perspective. This technique, which Caravaggio and Vermeer were suspected to have also used in secret, was condemned by a number of his contemporaries who believed it demonstrated less skill than painting by eye, with some claiming that his paintings appeared to "show no marks of handling or brushwork", while others "were doubtful whether they could be accepted as paintings at all". However, many recognised his mastery of colour, lighting and shadow, as well as his unique ability to provoke strong emotional responses in the viewer. James McNeill Whistler, whom Grimshaw worked with in his Chelsea studios, stated, "I considered myself the inventor of nocturnes until I saw Grimmy's moonlit pictures." His early paintings were signed "JAG", "J. A. Grimshaw", or "John Atkinson Grimshaw", though he finally settled on "Atkinson Grimshaw". Life He was born on 6 September 1836 in a back-to-back house in Park Street, Leeds to Mary and David Grimshaw. In 1856 he married his cousin Frances Hubbard (1835–1917). In 1861, at the age of 24, to the dismay of his parents, he left his job as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway to become a painter. He first exhibited in 1862, mostly paintings of birds, fruit, and blossom, under the patronage of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. He and his wife moved in 1866 to a semi-detached villa, which is now numbered 56 Cliff Road in Headingley and has a Leeds Civic Trust blue plaque, and in 1870 to Knostrop Old Hall. Grid Reference: SE 32125 32100. He became successful in the 1870s and rented a second home, Castle-by-the-Sea in Scarborough. Scarborough became a favourite subject. He, and his son Arthur, were elected members of the Leeds Photographic Society at its meeting on 14 December 1890. He died on 31 October 1893 and is buried in Woodhouse Cemetery, now called St George's Field, in Leeds and part of the University of Leeds campus. Cause of death is listed as 'abscess'. Four of his children, Arthur E. Grimshaw (1864–1913), Louis H. Grimshaw (1870–1944), Wilfred Grimshaw (1871–1937), and Elaine Grimshaw (1877–1970) also became painters. Work Grimshaw's primary influence was the Pre-Raphaelites. True to the Pre-Raphaelite style, he created landscapes of accurate colour and lighting, vivid detail and realism, often typifying seasons or a type of weather. Moonlit views of city and suburban streets and of the docks in London, Hull, Liverpool, and Glasgow also figured largely in his art. His careful painting and his skill in lighting effects meant that he captured both the appearance and the mood of a scene in minute detail. His "paintings of dampened gas-lit streets and misty waterfronts conveyed an eerie warmth as well as alienation in the urban scene." Dulce Domum (1885), on whose reverse Grimshaw wrote, "mostly painted under great difficulties", captures the music portrayed in the piano-player, entices the eye to meander through the richly decorated room, and to consider the still and silent young lady who is listening. Grimshaw painted more interior scenes, especially in the 1870s, when he worked under the influence of James Tissot and the Aesthetic Movement. On Hampstead Hill is considered one of Grimshaw's finest works, exemplifying his skill with a variety of light sources, in capturing the mood of the passing of twilight into night. In his later career his urban scenes under twilight or yellow streetlighting were popular with his middle-class patrons. His later work included imagined scenes from the Greek and Roman empires, and he painted literary subjects from Longfellow and Tennyson — pictures including Elaine and The Lady of Shalott. Grimshaw named his children after characters in Tennyson's poems. In the 1880s, Grimshaw maintained a London studio in Chelsea, not far from the studio of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. After visiting Grimshaw, Whistler remarked that "I considered myself the inventor of Nocturnes until I saw Grimmy's moonlit pictures." Unlike Whistler's Impressionistic night scenes, Grimshaw worked in a realistic vein: "sharply focused, almost photographic", his pictures innovated in applying the tradition of rural moonlight images to the Victorian city, recording "the rain and mist, the puddles and smoky fog of late Victorian industrial England with great poetry." Grimshaw's paintings depicted the contemporary world but eschewed the dirty and depressing aspects of industrial towns. Shipping on the Clyde, a depiction of Glasgow's Victorian docks, is a lyrically beautiful evocation of the industrial era. Grimshaw transcribed the fog and mist so accurately as to capture the chill in the damp air, and the moisture penetrating the heavy clothes of the few figures awake in the misty early morning. Reputation and legacy Grimshaw left behind no letters, journals, or papers. His reputation rested on, and his legacy is based on, his townscapes. There was a revival of interest in Grimshaw's work in the second half of the 20th century, with several important exhibitions devoted to it. A retrospective exhibition "Atkinson Grimshaw – Painter of Moonlight" ran from 16 April – 4 September 2011 at the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate and subsequently in the Guildhall Art Gallery, London. Gallery References Further reading Alexander Robertson, Atkinson Grimshaw, London, Phaidon Press, 1996 ISBN 0-7148-2525-5 Yorkshire Art Journal John Atkinson Grimshaw, York, 2014 - Historical Feature Henry R LEW, "Imaging the World 2018", Hybrid Publishers, Melbourne, Australia, {ISBN 9781925272819}. Chapter 16: George Hyde Pownall and the Grimshaws, pages 251-261. External links 64 artworks by or after John Atkinson Grimshaw at the Art UK site Artcyclopedia.com Phryne's list of paintings by Grimshaw in accessible collections in the UK at the Wayback Machine (archived October 11, 2007)
Maja Jager	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Maja Jager.	Tell me a bio of Maja Jager.	Tell me a bio of Maja Jager within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Maja Jager with around 100 words.	Maja Buskbjerg Jager (born 22 December 1991) is a Danish recurve archer. A two-time competitor at the Olympic Games (2012 and 2020), Jager was the women's individual champion at the 2013 World Archery Championships, an achievement for which she was awarded the Danish Sports Name of the Year prize for 2013. She is also a multiple medalist at the European Games and the European Archery Championships. Early and personal life Jager was born on 22 December 1991 in Nørre Broby to Jan and Hanne Jager. She was introduced to archery at the age of eight, and in her youth practised in a warehouse in Tilst, a venue procured by her father using his local connections as a fruit grower in the Aarhus region. She was later trained by former Danish Olympic archer Ole Gammelgaard. In 2013 Jager moved to Goesan, South Korea to train under Kim Hyung-Tak, the coach of the Korean archery team at the 1984 Summer Olympics, as part of an agreement between Kim and the Danish Archery Federation. To meet her residency requirements in South Korea she undertook and completed an undergraduate degree in computer system engineering at Jungwon University. Despite a difficult start adapting to her new environment, which she later reflected were the most challenging of her life, Jager graduated from Jungwon University and returned to Denmark in 2018 after five years in South Korea. As of 2019 Jager was enrolled in a postgraduate programme at the Technical University of Denmark. Career Early career (2009–2012) Jager made her first appearance for the Danish national team at the 2009 Archery World Cup. She later participated in the 2010 European Archery Championships and the 2011 World Archery Championships, where she finished ninth overall in the women's individual competition. The following year she made her Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She and teammates Carina Christiansen and Louise Laursen comprised Denmark's three-person entry for the women's team event, the nation's debut in the discipline. In the preliminary ranking round, which determined the seedings for the subsequent elimination rounds, the trio set a new Danish national record of 1,946 points over the 216-arrow contest, finishing with the eighth seed of the twelve competing nations. Victory over India in the first knockout round saw them advance to the quarter-finals, where they were eliminated by South Korea. World Champion (2013) In early 2013 Jager relocated to South Korea at the invitation of 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning coach Kim Hyung-Tak, one of two athletes selected by the Danish Archery Federation to undergo full-time training in the country ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Jager spent six months under Kim's instruction before contesting the 2013 World Championships held in Belek, Turkey. She entered the tournament's individual event with an unimpressive record, having failed to progress beyond the last 32 competitors in an international competition since 2011. In the event's preliminary ranking stage Jager achieved a new Danish record for the 144-arrow round, scoring 1,351 points from a maximum of 1,440 to qualify for the subsequent elimination rounds as the eighth seed. Jager proceeded to deliver a surprising run of results in the knock-out rounds, eliminating both Ki Bo-bae and Yun Ok-hee, the World Archery Federation's number one and number two-ranked archers respectively, to enter the final against Xu Jing, who had achieved a silver medal in the women's team event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. After tying on five set points each over the regulation five sets, Jager outshot Xu in the subsequent tiebreaking one-arrow shoot-off, landing her single arrow 1 millimetre (0.039 in) closer to the centre of the target to claim the world championship title. Jager's victory earned her a second medal of the championships, having earlier secured bronze medal in the women's team event with Carina Christiansen and Anne Marie Laursen. Her two medals contributed to Denmark's most successful World Championship performance on record. She afterwards credited her move to South Korea as being key to winning the individual title. For her achievements she was named Danish Sports Name of the Year for 2013 by the Danish Olympic Committee and the Jyllands-Posten newspaper, beating racing driver Tom Kristensen and skeet shooter Jesper Hansen to the accolade. Her title was later credited as popularising the sport of archery in Denmark in the run-up to the 2015 World Championships held in Copenhagen. Later career (2014– ) Jager combined with Nikolaj Wulff at the 2014 European Archery Championships to win silver in the mixed team recurve event. She later achieved a second silver medal at the European Games the following year as the runner-up to Germany's Karina Winter in the women's individual event. The 2015 World Championships in July however saw her fail to defend both her individual title, losing in the second round by Mexico's Karla Hinojosa, and her team bronze medal, where she and her teammates Carina Christiansen and Natasja Bech failed to attain a high enough rank to qualify for the team elimination rounds. In June 2016 Jager was defeated by Christiansen in the Olympic qualifying tournament, eliminating her from contention for the following month's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. At the 2018 European Archery Championships Jager finished runner-up in the women's individual event to Turkey's Yasemin Anagoz, who outscored her in a one-arrow shoot-off. Jager combined with Randi Degn and Anne Marie Laursen at the 2019 European Games in June to win bronze in the women's team competition, but was herself knocked out of the women's individual event at the last sixteen stage. That same month Jager secured qualification for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, marking her second appearance at the Games and her country's first in the archery competitions since 2012. The outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic would later see the 2020 Olympics postponed until July 2021, and at the rescheduled Games Jager was eliminated by Russia's Ksenia Perova in the second round of the women's individual event. Notes References External links Maja Jager at World Archery Maja Jager at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
Richie Dorman	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Richie Dorman.	Tell me a bio of Richie Dorman.	Tell me a bio of Richie Dorman within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Richie Dorman with around 100 words.	Richie Dorman (born 14 June 1988) is a Welsh retired professional footballer, currently working as a sporting director for Burton Albion. Early and personal life Dorman, from Hawarden, is the brother of fellow player Andy Dorman. Career Dorman played for the academy of English club Blackburn Rovers, and played in the United States for the New Hampshire Phantoms in 2006. While in the United States, he also played amateur football for the Boston University Terriers. He also had two spells in his native Wales with Airbus UK. Dorman joined Finnish club Kraft on loan in April 2011. He later played for SJK. Dorman was named in the Veikkausliiga 'Team of the Month' in June 2014. On 30 October 2018, Finnish Veikkausliiga club SJK Seinäjoki announced Dorman as their new technical director. In May 2025, Dorman left SJK and was appointed the sporting director of League One club Burton Albion. Honours SJK Seinäjoki Veikkausliiga: 2015 Finnish Cup: 2016 Finnish League Cup: 2014 Ykkönen: 2012 == References ==
Braulio Lara	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Braulio Lara.	Tell me a bio of Braulio Lara.	Tell me a bio of Braulio Lara within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Braulio Lara with around 100 words.	Braulio Armando Lara Peguero (December 20, 1988 – April 20, 2019) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher. He played in the KBO League for the SK Wyverns in 2016. Career Tampa Bay Rays Lara signed as an international free agent with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. He spent his first two professional seasons with the Dominican Summer League Rays, and logged a 7–5 record and 3.73 ERA in 30 total appearances. On December 31, 2009, Lara was released by the Rays, but re–signed with the team on a minor league contract on June 18, 2010. He spent the remainder of the year with the rookie–level Princeton Rays, recording a 6–4 record and 2.18 ERA with 58 strikeouts across 13 starts. Lara spent the 2011 season with the Single–A Bowling Green Hot Rods, starting 25 games and registering a 5–11 record and 4.94 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 120+1⁄3 innings pitched. In 2012, Lara pitched in 25 games (starting 21) for the High–A Charlotte Stone Crabs, and went 6–10 with a 5.71 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 112.0 innings of work. On December 6, 2012, the Miami Marlins selected Lara from the Rays in the Rule 5 draft, On March 17, 2013, Miami returned him to the Rays organization. That year, he spent the season with the Double–A Montgomery Biscuits, and also reached Triple–A for the first time, playing in one game for the Durham Bulls. In 45 games for Montgomery, he registered a 4.38 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 72.0 innings of work. Lara again split the 2014 season between Durham and Montgomery. He appeared in 45 contests between the two affiliates, and pitched to a cumulative 5.77 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 3 saves in 57+2⁄3 innings pitched. San Francisco Giants On November 18, 2014, Lara signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization that included an invitation to spring training. Lara split the 2015 season between the Double–A Richmond Flying Squirrels and Triple–A Sacramento River Cats. In 32 total games, he accumulated a 6.08 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 50+1⁄3 innings pitched. He began the 2016 back with Sacramento, and posted a 3.90 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 1 save in 27+2⁄3 innings pitched. SK Wyverns On June 23, 2016, Lara signed with the SK Wyverns of the KBO League. In 17 games (9 starts) for the Wyverns, he struggled to a 2–6 record and 6.70 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 48+1⁄3 innings of work. Washington Nationals On November 19, 2016, Lara signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals that included an invitation to spring training. He spent the 2017 season with the Double–A Harrisburg Senators, making 34 appearances and logging a 4.08 ERA with 47 strikeouts across 39+2⁄3 innings of work. Lara elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017. Sultanes de Monterrey On February 20, 2018, Lara signed with the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican Baseball League. In 17 games for Monterrey, Lara worked to a 5.23 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10+1⁄3 innings of work. Generales de Durango On April 28, 2018, Lara, Edgar Torres, Juan Rodriguez, and Moises Gutierrez were traded to the Generales de Durango. In two games for Durango, he allowed five runs on two hits and three walks in 1+1⁄3 innings. Lara was released by the team on May 5. Death Lara was killed in a car crash in the Dominican Republic on April 20, 2019. See also List of baseball players who died during their careers Rule 5 draft results References External links Career statistics from ESPN · Baseball Reference (Minors)
Katherine Ryan	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Katherine Ryan.	Tell me a bio of Katherine Ryan.	Tell me a bio of Katherine Ryan within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Katherine Ryan with around 100 words.	Katherine Louisa Ryan (born June 1983) is a Canadian comedian, writer, presenter, actress and singer. She has appeared on British TV and radio panel shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, A League of Their Own, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, QI, Just a Minute, Safeword, and Have I Got News for You. In 2015 she replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of Hair on BBC Two. As an actress, Ryan has appeared on several television sitcoms in the UK, including Campus, Episodes, and her Netflix show The Duchess. As a stand-up comedian, Ryan has appeared on the BBC's Live at the Apollo, both as a featured act and as a lead act. She has had two live stand-up specials released on Netflix: Katherine Ryan: In Trouble (2017) and Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room (2019). Early life Ryan's father, Finbar, is a draughtsman and owner of an engineering company who originally emigrated from Ireland to Canada. Her mother, Julie McCarthy, owns an IT consulting company. Ryan and her two younger sisters were born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. Ryan's parents separated when she was a teenager. When she was 18, she chose to study city planning at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in Toronto. While attending university, she worked at restaurant chain Hooters, and she then began training other waitresses. In her spare time she performed at open mic nights for her own entertainment, and by graduation she had developed a basic comedy routine. She was one of the many dancers in MuchMusic's Electric Circus program. Career After graduation, Ryan continued working for Hooters as a corporate trainer, travelling around Canada to train other waitresses, and helping to open the then-only UK branch in Nottingham. Her partner at the time, Wade McElwain, wanted to explore London, so she agreed to do so for an initial month from summer 2007, moving there permanently from January 2008. Comedian Ryan won the Funny Women award in 2008. Rachel Stubbings and Sara Pascoe were runners-up. Ryan first appeared on television as herself in episodes of the Canadian music video review show Video on Trial between season one in 2005 and her last appearance in 2008 in season three. After relocating to the United Kingdom, she first appeared on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2012. She had previously appeared in the cast of Channel 4's Campus. On 23 February 2013, she appeared as a celebrity contestant on BBC One's Let's Dance for Comic Relief as Nicki Minaj dancing to "Starships". Ryan reached the final, and finished in fourth place. Ryan was later featured on the Whitney Cummings Just for Laughs 2013 Gala that was taped before a live audience on 28 July 2013. She has since taken new routines to the Edinburgh Festival. In 2015, Ryan replaced Steve Jones as the presenter of Hair on BBC Two. Also in 2015, Ryan became a panellist for Tinie Tempah's team on Sky 1's music/comedy panel show Bring the Noise and on the ITV2 show, Safeword. In 2016, Ryan appeared on series 2 of Taskmaster. She beat Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Richard Osman and Jon Richardson, to win the season. Ryan went on a comedy tour in 2016, called Kathbum, a name her toddler sister used to call her. In February 2017, Netflix released Katherine Ryan: In Trouble, featuring her stand-up comedy live performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, during that tour. She joined Jimmy Carr in 2017 to host four series of the reboot of Your Face or Mine?. In 2018, Ryan joined American comedy panel show, The Fix as a team captain. In July 2019, Netflix released her second live stand-up special, Katherine Ryan: Glitter Room. Actress As an actress, Ryan has appeared on numerous television series in the UK, including the sitcoms Campus, Episodes and Badults. Ryan starred in the Netflix comedy The Duchess, based on a single mother's life in London; she is credited as its writer, executive producer, and creator. Ryan appeared in the eighteenth season finale of Murdoch Mysteries as Kiera Ryan, who is a woman of ahead of her time, a stand up comedienne. Other work On 6 June 2014, YouTube comedy duo Jack and Dean released a music video for their song "Consent" featuring Ryan in an acting role. In 2015 and 2016, Ryan wrote a weekly column in the British entertainment magazine NME. In 2016 she featured in Disney XD and Teletoon's animated television series Counterfeit Cat, where she voiced Ranceford, the stuck-up, white, odd-eyed cat and leader of the Sunshine Circle for Cats. In 2021, Ryan hosted the six-part reality competition All That Glitters: Britain's Next Jewellery Star on BBC2. Also in 2021 she presented the ITV2 dating show Ready to Mingle. In November 2022, Ryan was the subject of an interview in the BBC series Louis Theroux Interviews... with Louis Theroux, during which she told Theroux about the "open secret" of an alleged sexual abuser who was a prominent TV personality. In January 2023, Ryan appeared as "Pigeon" on the fourth series of The Masked Singer. In 2025, Ryan is set to act as a judge on the fifth season of Canada's Got Talent. On 19 June 2025, Ryan was announced as reunion host of The Real Housewives of London. Recognition and public controversy For her comedy work, Ryan won the 2008 Funny Women Award and was described as "the funniest new female stand up in Britain" by a national newspaper. In February 2023, Ryan won the Outstanding Female Comedy Entertainment Performance award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards for Backstage with Katherine Ryan. Racism accusations In 2013, Ryan was the subject of controversy over her participation on Mock the Week in a segment "Unlikely Lines From a Cosmetics Commercial", where one of her jokes was "We don't test any of our products on animals. We use Filipino children." Filipino groups held silent protests at the BBC office to demand an apology from her. In another interview, she was accused of racism by some viewers on social media when she attempted to encourage a female Sri Lankan designer by saying "You need to really back yourself. Do you know how confident a straight white man would be right now? Think about Boris Johnson, how pleased he'd be right now." The BBC responded that such a comment was in line with reasonable expectations of Ryan's humour. Personal life Ryan had a relationship with American comedian Alex Edelman. Ryan gave birth to her first child, a daughter, at age 25. In 2019, Ryan entered into a civil partnership with Bobby Kootstra. The ceremony took place in Denmark in the presence of her daughter. The two had dated in Canada as teenagers and were reunited when Ryan returned to her hometown while filming an episode of the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? Ryan’s son, her first child with Kootstra, was born in June 2021. Her third child, another daughter, was born in December 2022. In June 2025, it was revealed that Ryan is expecting her fourth child, her third with Kootstra. Ryan was diagnosed with stage II melanoma in her twenties; a mole on her leg was removed. She was diagnosed with another, early, melanoma, on her arm, in 2025 after a mole kept changing. Filmography Stand-up specials References External links Katherine Ryan on Twitter Katherine Ryan at IMDb
Matthew Perry	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Matthew Perry.	Tell me a bio of Matthew Perry.	Tell me a bio of Matthew Perry within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Matthew Perry with around 100 words.	Matthew Langford Perry (August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023) was an American and Canadian actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He gained international fame for starring as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom Friends (1994–2004). Perry also appeared on Ally McBeal (2002) and received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his performances in The West Wing (2003) and The Ron Clark Story (2006). He played a leading role in the NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2007), and also became known for his leading film roles in Fools Rush In (1997), Almost Heroes (1998), Three to Tango (1999), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Serving Sara (2002), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), and 17 Again (2009). Perry was co-creator, co-writer, executive producer, and star of the ABC sitcom Mr. Sunshine, which ran from February to April 2011. In August 2012, he starred as sportscaster Ryan King on the NBC sitcom Go On. He co-developed and starred in a revival of the CBS sitcom The Odd Couple portraying Oscar Madison from 2015 to 2017. He had recurring roles in the legal dramas The Good Wife (2012–2013), and The Good Fight (2017). Perry portrayed Ted Kennedy in The Kennedys: After Camelot (2017) and appeared as himself in his final television appearance, Friends: The Reunion (2021). He voiced Benny in the video game Fallout: New Vegas (2010). For most of his life, Perry suffered from severe addictions to drugs and alcohol. Through his recovery, he became an advocate for rehabilitation and a spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. In 2013, Perry received the Champion of Recovery Award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In 2022, he released his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. He died on October 28, 2023, at age 54, from accidental drowning caused by the acute effects of ketamine use. Five people were charged in connection with helping him acquire lethal doses of the drug. Early life and education Matthew Langford Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on August 19, 1969. His mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison (née Langford, born 1948), is a Canadian journalist who was press secretary to Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau. His father, John Bennett Perry (born 1941), is an American actor and former model. Perry's parents separated when he was a year old and his mother married Canadian broadcast journalist Keith Morrison. Perry was mostly raised by his mother in Ottawa, Ontario, but he also lived briefly in Toronto and Montreal. He attended Rockcliffe Park Public School and Ashbury College, a boarding school in Ottawa. He had four younger maternal half-siblings—Caitlin, Emily, Will, and Madeline—as well as a younger paternal half-sister named Maria. His siblings "would stand and applaud" him for early performances. By the time he was 10, Perry started misbehaving. He stole money, smoked, let his grades slip and beat up fellow student and future Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. Perry later attributed his behavior to his feeling like a family outsider who no longer belonged, once his mother began having children with Morrison. As Perry wrote, "I was so often on the outside looking in, still that kid up in the clouds on a flight to somewhere else, unaccompanied." At age 14, he began consuming alcohol and by the time he was 18, he was drinking every day. Perry practiced tennis, often for 10 hours per day, and became a top-ranked junior player in Canada with the possibility of a tennis career. But his prospects diminished when he moved from Ottawa, at age 15, to live with his father in Los Angeles, where competition was much tougher. At 15, Perry began studying acting at the Buckley School, a college-preparatory school in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, from which he graduated in 1987. While in high school, he took improvisational comedy classes at L.A. Connection in Sherman Oaks. Career 1979–1993: Early roles Perry's first credited role was a small part in 240-Robert in 1979 as a child actor. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Perry started auditioning for roles. Perry made guest appearances on Not Necessarily the News in 1983, Charles in Charge in 1985, and Silver Spoons in 1986. In 1987 and 1988, he played Chazz Russell in the TV series Second Chance (later called Boys Will Be Boys). Perry made his film debut in 1988 with A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. In 1989, he had a three-episode arc on Growing Pains, portraying Carol Seaver's boyfriend Sandy, who dies in a drunk driving incident. Perry was cast as a regular on the 1990 CBS sitcom Sydney, playing the younger brother of Valerie Bertinelli's character. In 1991, he made a guest appearance on Beverly Hills, 90210 as Roger Azarian. Perry played the starring role in the ABC sitcom Home Free, which aired in 1993. 1994–2004: Breakthrough with Friends Perry's commitment to a pilot for a sitcom called LAX 2194, set in the baggage handling department of Los Angeles Airport 200 years in the future, initially made him unavailable for a role in another pilot, Six of One, later called Friends. After the LAX 2194 pilot fell through, he had the opportunity to read for a part in Six of One and was cast as Chandler Bing. At age 24, he was the youngest member of the main cast. After making the pilot and while waiting for the show to air, Perry spent the summer of 1993 performing at the Williamstown Theater Festival alongside Gwyneth Paltrow. Friends was hugely successful, and it made Perry an international celebrity. By 2002, he and his co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer were making $1 million per episode. The program earned him an Emmy nomination in 2002 for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series award. Perry appeared in films such as Fools Rush In, Almost Heroes, Three to Tango, The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards, and Serving Sara. In 1995, he and Jennifer Aniston appeared in a 60-minute-long promotional video for Microsoft's Windows 95, released on VHS on August 1. For his performance as Joe Quincy in The West Wing, Perry received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2003 and 2004. He appeared as attorney Todd Merrick in two episodes of Ally McBeal. In 2004, he made his directorial debut and acted in an episode of the fourth season of the comedy-drama Scrubs, an episode which included his father. 2005–2022: Later work Perry starred in the TNT movie The Ron Clark Story, which premiered August 13, 2006, and received a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination for his performance. From 2006 to 2007, he appeared in Aaron Sorkin's drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Perry played Matt Albie alongside Bradley Whitford's Danny Tripp, a writer-director duo brought in to help save a failing sketch show. In 2006, Perry began filming Numb, a film based on a man suffering from depersonalization disorder. The release was postponed several times, but it was finally released on DVD on May 13, 2008. Perry also appeared on stage in London in David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago. In 2008, Perry starred in the independent film Birds of America. Showtime passed on a pilot called The End of Steve, a dark comedy starring, written, and produced by Perry and Peter Tolan. In 2009, Perry starred in the film 17 Again playing a 37-year-old man who transforms into his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron) after an accident. The film received mixed reviews and was a box-office success. A review on WRC-TV found Perry miscast in his role, emphasizing the disbelief in Efron growing up to resemble Perry, both physically and behaviorally — a sentiment echoed by other critics. In 2009, Perry was a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, when he presented Ellen DeGeneres with an Xbox 360 video game console and a copy of the game Fallout 3. The gesture led to game studio Obsidian Entertainment casting him in Fallout: New Vegas as the voice of Benny. Perry's new comedy pilot, Mr. Sunshine, based on his original idea for the show, was bought by ABC. He played the lead role as a middle-aged man with an identity crisis. ABC canceled the series after nine episodes in 2011. In 2012, Perry starred in the NBC comedy series Go On, written and produced by former Friends writer/producer Scott Silveri. Perry portrayed Ryan King, a sportscaster who tries to move on after the death of his wife through the help of mandatory therapy sessions. In the same year, he guest-starred on the CBS drama The Good Wife as attorney Mike Kresteva. He reprised his role in the fourth season in 2013. In 2014, Perry made his British TV debut in the one-off comedy program The Dog Thrower, which aired on May 1 as part of Sky Arts' Playhouse Presents. He portrayed "a charismatic man" who enchanted onlookers by throwing his dog in the air. From 2015 to 2017, Perry starred in, co-wrote, and served as executive producer of a reboot of the sitcom The Odd Couple on CBS. He played Oscar Madison opposite Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger. Perry played the lead role in the world premiere production of his play The End of Longing, which opened on February 11, 2016, at the Playhouse Theatre in London. Its limited run proved successful despite mixed reviews. Perry restructured the play and appeared alongside Jennifer Morrison in its second off-Broadway production, which opened at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on June 5, 2017. It closed on July 1 after receiving poor reviews. Years later Perry described the play as "a personal message to the world, an exaggerated form of me as a drunk. I had something important to say to people like me, and to people who love people like me." In March 2017, Perry again reprised his role as attorney Mike Kresteva in The Good Fight, a sequel show to the CBS drama The Good Wife. Later that year, he starred as Ted Kennedy in the mini-series The Kennedys: After Camelot. In May 2021, he participated in the special episode Friends: The Reunion. He was meant to have a role in Don't Look Up, but withdrew in 2020 because of CPR-induced broken ribs. Perry published a memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in October 2022. It became a bestseller on both Amazon and The New York Times charts. Personal life Perry held American citizenship by birth and Canadian citizenship through his Canadian born mother. He dated Yasmine Bleeth in 1995, Julia Roberts from 1995 to 1996, and Lizzy Caplan from 2006 to 2012. In November 2020, Perry became engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz. Their engagement ended in 2021. Residences owned at some point by Perry included a condo in Sierra Towers purchased from Elton John, a house in Hollywood Hills, a house in Malibu, and a cottage in Pacific Palisades. In 2017, Perry purchased a condo occupying the top floor of The Century in Los Angeles for $20 million, selling it to Nick Molnar for $21.6 million in 2021. In June 2023, Perry purchased a mid-century modern house in Hollywood Hills. Perry had a perfectionist and obsessive personality, spending many hours perfecting his answering machine message. He also believed in God, with whom he had "a very close relationship", calling himself "a seeker". Health and addiction In his memoirs, Perry wrote that by age 14, he had become an alcoholic. He became addicted to Vicodin after a jet ski accident in 1997 and completed a 28-day rehab program at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation that year. His weight dropped to 128 pounds (58 kg) as he took as many as 55 Vicodin pills per day. In May 2000, he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with alcohol-induced pancreatitis. While Perry said in 2002 that, although he had made an effort not to drink on the set of Friends, he did arrive with extreme hangovers and sometimes would shake or sweat excessively on set. During the later seasons of the series, he was frequently drunk or high on set. His castmates made efforts to help him, and staged an intervention, but were unsuccessful. In February 2001, Perry paused productions of Friends and Serving Sara for two months so that he could enter in-patient rehabilitation for his addictions to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol. He said later that, due to his substance use disorder, he had no memory of three years of his work on Friends. In 2018, Perry spent five months in a hospital for a gastrointestinal perforation. During the hospital stay, Perry nearly died after his colon burst from opioid abuse. He spent two weeks in a coma and used a colostomy bag for nine months. Upon being admitted to the hospital, doctors told his family that Perry had a 2% chance of survival. He was connected to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. Perry faked pain to get a prescription for 1,800 milligrams of hydrocodone per day and was having daily ketamine infusions. He was given propofol in conjunction with a surgery, which stopped his heart for five minutes. The resulting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) resulted in eight broken ribs. He paid $175,000 for a private jet to take him to Los Angeles to get more drugs. When doctors there refused, he booked another $175,000 private flight to fly back to Switzerland that night. In 2022, he estimated that he had spent $9 million on his addiction, including 14 stomach surgeries, 15 stays in rehab and therapy twice a week for 30 years and had attended approximately 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Philanthropy and advocacy In July 2011, Perry lobbied the United States Congress as a celebrity spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals in support of funding for drug courts. He received a Champion of Recovery award in May 2013 from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for opening Perry House, a rehab center in his former mansion in Malibu. In 2015, Perry sold the mansion and relocated its services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched an apparel line inspired by Friends, with proceeds donated to the World Health Organization's COVID-19 relief fund. Death and funeral On October 28, 2023, he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. Perry died at 4:17 pm the same day. He was 54 years old. On November 3, 2023, Perry's funeral was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles where he was buried. His father, mother and stepfather attended, as did his five Friends co-stars. The Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush song "Don't Give Up" was played; Perry was enamored with the song and referenced it in signed copies of his autobiography, released in part to help people suffering from depression or addiction issues. Following Perry's death, the National Philanthropic Trust established the Matthew Perry Foundation to support people suffering from addiction. On December 15, 2023, Perry's death was revealed to have occurred due to acute effects of ketamine. Other circumstances that contributed to his death included the effects of buprenorphine, drowning, and coronary artery disease. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said in a statement that ...at the high levels of ketamine found in his post-mortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression... ...drowning contributes due to the likelihood of submersion into the pool as he lapsed into unconsciousness; coronary artery disease contributes due to exacerbation of ketamine induced myocardial effects on the heart. The ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine's half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less. Perry had been receiving ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions to treat anxiety at the time of his death, his last known session of which having been the week prior to his death. However, the report stated that the therapy could not have resulted in his death. Investigation In May 2024, an investigation was opened by the Los Angeles Police Department to determine how Perry obtained the high dose of ketamine that caused his death. On August 15, 2024, indictments and charges were filed against five people: Perry's personal assistant, two doctors, and two drug dealers (including TV director Erik Fleming), alleging involvement in the distribution of ketamine that caused the death of Perry and one other person. Three of the accused agreed to plead guilty, with two, Fleming and Perry's former assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, having their guilty pleas entered into court soon after being charged; Iwamasa pleaded guilty on August 7, 2024, as did Fleming the following day. During a court hearing on August 30, 2024, it was agreed that former doctor Mark Chavez, who had signed a plea agreement but had not yet officially entered it into court, would have his guilty plea accepted, though he will still not officially plead guilty until a later court appearance. Chavez would have his medical license suspended the next month and would officially plead guilty at a court hearing held on October 2, 2024. The second doctor, Salvador Plasencia, agreed to plead guilty on June 17, 2025. According to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, Perry paid the two doctors $55,000 in cash for ketamine in the two months before his death. Iwamasa admitted to obtaining ketamine for Perry and injecting him with the drug, while Fleming admitted to obtaining the ketamine from the supplier and giving it to Iwamasa for Perry to use. Text messages also revealed that Plasencia would purchase the ketamine from Chavez. Acting credits Film Television Theater Video games Specials Awards and nominations Publications Perry, Matthew (November 1, 2022). Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir. Foreword: Lisa Kudrow. New York: Flatiron Books. ISBN 978-1-250-86644-8. OCLC 1338841699. Notes References External links Matthew Perry at IMDb Matthew Perry at Rotten Tomatoes Matthew Perry discography at Discogs Interviewed on "Q with Tom Power", CBC, November 22, 2022, audio
Amr Shabana	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Amr Shabana.	Tell me a bio of Amr Shabana.	Tell me a bio of Amr Shabana within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Amr Shabana with around 100 words.	Amr Shabana (Arabic: عمرو شبانة; born 20 July 1979 in Cairo) is a former professional squash player from Egypt. He won the World Open in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, and reached the World No. 1 ranking in 2006. He represented the winning Egyptian team in the 1999 Men's World Team Squash Championships held in Cairo and the 2009 Men's World Team Squash Championships held in Denmark. Shabana's accomplishments in professional squash lead many to regard him as one of the greatest players of all time. Career overview The talented left-hander from Cairo first showed his promise when he was the runner-up (to compatriot Ahmed Faizy) in the British Under-14 Open in January 1993. Four years later he reached the final of the British Under-19 Open, where he again lost to Faizy. A PSA member since 1995, Amr claimed his first Tour title with the help of Bryan "Griffin" Knight in July 1999, winning the Puebla Open final against Australia's Craig Rowland in Mexico. Seven days later he grabbed his second, the Mexico Open, again by beating Rowland in the final. Amr Shabana crowned a remarkable year in 2003 when, as ninth seed, he forced his way through a star-studded field in the World Open in Pakistan. He dispatched title-holder David Palmer, the third seed, in five games in the third round. He then went on to take out Palmer's Australian teammate Anthony Ricketts in the last eight. After defeating Karim Darwish (the Egyptian No 1) in a four-game semi-final, Shabana clinched the historic title by beating Thierry Lincou in the final 15–14, 9–15, 15–11, 15–7, to become Egypt's first winner of the sport's premier title. But after a disappointing following year, in which his only final appearance was in the British Open Squash Championship in England, losing to David Palmer in four games 10–11 (4–6), 11–7, 11–10 (3–1), 11–7, Shabana stormed back to the top of his game in 2005. Over a short period, he acquired a new coach, Ahmed Tahir; a new manager, the former Egyptian international Omar Elborolossy; and a wife, Nadjla. "All I have to worry about now is playing my matches – everything else is looked after for me now", said Shabana. And the effect was plain to see as a week after winning the Heliopolis Open in his home town Cairo, the seventh-seeded Shabana beat David Palmer and James Willstrop, before defeating Anthony Ricketts in the final to claim the St Louis Open crown in the United States. The next event saw the in-form Egyptian brush aside all opposition in the Hungarian Open in Budapest, winning his third title in as many weeks after beating Grégory Gaultier in the final. But the World Open in Hong Kong confirmed his renaissance beyond doubt. Seeded five, Amr crushed fourth seed Lee Beachill in the quarters, Peter Nicol in the semis, and, in his third successive straight games victory, powered past David Palmer 11–6 11–7 11–8 in the final to become the first player since the heyday of the Khans to win the World Open title for the second time. The new year brought continuing rewards for Shabana with victories in the Canadian Classic in January, followed by the Tournament of Champions in New York in March, and the Bermuda PSA Masters in April – bringing his PSA Tour title tally to 12, and then in April 2006, Shabana became the first Egyptian player to reach the world number 1 ranking. In 2007, Shabana was crowned world champion for the third time in five years at the World Open in Bermuda and later in January 2009, Shabana's 33-month reign as World No. 1 was ended by his countryman Karim Darwish. In 2014, Shabana became the oldest professional to win a World Series title by defeating Grégory Gaultier in the finals of Tournament of Champions. On the 27th of August 2015, Shabana announced his retirement from competitive professional squash. World Open final appearances 4 titles & 0 runner-up Major World Series final appearances British Open: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up) Hong Kong Open: 4 finals (4 titles, 0 runner-up) Qatar Classic: 3 final (1 title, 2 runner-up) US Open: 4 finals (2 titles, 2 runner-up) Career statistics Listed below. PSA Titles (30) All Results for Amr Shabana in PSA World's Tour tournament Note: (ret) = retired, min = minutes, h = hours PSA Tour Finals (runner-up) (11) Singles performance timeline To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. Note: NA = Not Available See also Official Men's Squash World Ranking References External links Amr Shabana at the Professional Squash Association (archive) (archive 2) Amr Shabana at Squash Info Page at Squashpics.com at the Wayback Machine (archived October 22, 2006) Article from Al-Ahram Weekly On-line (Jan 2004) at the Wayback Machine (archived December 23, 2005) 20 Questions With Amr Shabana at Squashsite.co.uk All About Amr Shabana at Squashsite.co.uk Kaleidoscope Almost Famous by Amr Shabana at Squashsite.co.uk Amr's Profile at El Ahram Weekly
Sage Stallone	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Sage Stallone.	Tell me a bio of Sage Stallone.	Tell me a bio of Sage Stallone within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Sage Stallone with around 100 words.	Sage Moonblood Stallone (May 5, 1976 – July 13, 2012) was an American actor. He was the eldest child of actor Sylvester Stallone. Early life Sage Stallone was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son and first child of Sasha Czack and actor Sylvester Stallone. He was the brother of Seargeoh "Seth" Stallone, and half-brother of Sophia, Sistine, and Scarlet Stallone. He was the nephew of actor and singer Frank Stallone, and grandson of Jackie Stallone. He was the stepson of model and entrepreneur Jennifer Flavin. Stallone graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in Van Nuys, California, in 1993, and then studied filmmaking for a year at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Career As a child, Stallone made a guest appearance on Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, a series that was promoted by his grandmother, Jackie Stallone. Stallone made his acting debut alongside his father in Rocky V (1990), the fifth installment of the Rocky franchise, playing Robert Balboa Jr., the onscreen son of his father's title character. He also appeared with his dad in Daylight (1996). He subsequently appeared in low budget exploitation films. In 1996, Stallone and film editor Bob Murawski co-founded Grindhouse Releasing, a Los Angeles–based company dedicated to the restoration and preservation of exploitation films such as Cannibal Holocaust and Gone with the Pope. In 2006, he did not reprise his Rocky role in Rocky Balboa because he was working on his own film, Vic, his directorial debut. He also wrote and produced the film, which won the "Best New Filmmaker" award at the 2006 Boston Film Festival. His last projects were appearances in Vincent Gallo's last two films, Promises Written in Water and The Agent. Both films were shown in main competition at the 2010 Venice Film Festival and in the Toronto International Film Festival. A photograph of Stallone as a young child beside his father appears in the 2015 film Creed, where it is stated that his character, Robert Balboa Jr., has since moved away to Vancouver. Death Stallone was found dead on July 13, 2012, at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles. He was 36 years old. According to reports, he had not been heard from for four days prior to his death. An autopsy by the Los Angeles coroner and toxicology tests determined that Stallone died of coronary artery disease caused by atherosclerosis, with no drugs detected other than hydrocodone which had been prescribed after a dental procedure. At the time of his death, Stallone was reportedly engaged. Stallone's funeral was held on July 21 at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Los Angeles. He is interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. Filmography References External links Sage Stallone at IMDb Sage Stallone at Find a Grave
Abdulqawi Yusuf	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Abdulqawi Yusuf.	Tell me a bio of Abdulqawi Yusuf.	Tell me a bio of Abdulqawi Yusuf within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Abdulqawi Yusuf with around 100 words.	Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somali: Cabdulqaawi Axmed Yuusuf) is a Somali lawyer and judge serving on the International Court of Justice since 2009. He served as the court's president from 2018 to 2021. Early life Yusuf was born in the northeastern town of Eyl, Puntland, Somalia. He holds a Juris Doctor (Somali National University) and holds a PhD in international law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies of Geneva. Prior to his doctorate, Yusuf completed post-graduate studies in international law at the University of Florence in Italy. He is fluent in Somali, Arabic, English, French, and Italian. Career Yusuf's previous positions include: Legal Adviser and Director of the Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs for UNESCO from March 2001 to January 2009, Legal Advisor (1994–1998) and Assistant Director General for African Affairs, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Vienna (1998–2001), Representative and Head of the New York office of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (1992–1994) and Chief of the Legal Policies Service of UNCTAD (1987–1992), Lecturer in law at the Somali National University (1974–1981) and at the University of Geneva (1981–1983), and Somali delegate to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1975–1980). He has also been guest professor and lecturer at a number of universities and institutes in Switzerland, Italy, Greece and France. Yusuf was elected to the Institut de droit international in 1999 and is currently a member. He is the founder and General Editor of the African Yearbook of International Law. Yusuf is also one of the founders of the African Foundation for International Law, as well as the chairperson of its executive committee. In addition, Yusuf has authored several books and numerous articles on various aspects of international law as well as articles and op-ed pieces in newspapers on current Northeast African and Somali affairs. He is a member of the editorial advisory board of the Asian Yearbook of International Law, and a member of the Thessaloniki Institute of Public International Law and International Relations curatorium. He also previously served as a judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice. ICJ Judge On 6 February 2009, he was appointed as a judge at the International Court of Justice. On 6 February 2015, he was elected vice-president of the court. In 2011, Yusuf would later gain a seat in the advisory council of The Hague Institute for Global Justice. On 6 February 2018, Yusuf was appointed President of the International Court of Justice. He became the third African to hold the title after Nigeria's Taslim Olawale Elias (1982-1985) and Algeria's Mohamed Bedjaoui (1994-1997). On 6 June 2025 he announced that he would resign from the Court, effective from 30 September of the same year. The UN Security Council and the General Assembly will elect a new judge to complete Yusuf's term, that would have concluded in February 2027. Publications Panafricanisme et droit international, Académie de droit international de La Haye, hors collection, 2017. Intellectual Property and International Trade: The Trips Agreement (ed. with C. Correa), 3rd Edition (Kluwer Law International, 2016). African Yearbook of International Law, (Founder and General Editor), (Vols. 1-21), 1993–2016, Kluwer Law International and Nijhoff Publishers (London, The Hague, Boston). Pan-Africanism and International Law, Brill, Nijhoff, 2014. L’Union africaine: cadre juridique et institutionnel. Manuel sur l’organisation panafricaine (ed. with F. Ouguergouz), Paris: Pedone, 2013. The African Union: Legal and Institutional Framework. A Manual on the Pan-African Organization (ed. with F. Ouguergouz), Leiden: Nijhoff, 2012. Standard setting in UNESCO/L’action normative à l’UNESCO (ed.), Paris: UNESCO Publishing and Leiden: Nijhoff, 2007. Intellectual Property and International Trade: the TRIPS Agreement (ed. with C. Correa), The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1st edition, 1998, 2nd edition, 2007. International Technology Transfer: The Origins and Aftermath of the United Nations Negotiations on a Draft Code of Conduct (ed. with S.J. Patel and P. Roffe), The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 2001. Legal Aspects of Trade Preferences for Developing States: A study in the Influence of Development Needs on the Evolution of International Law, The Hague: Nijhoff Publishers, 1982. Notes External links Articles published in the International Herald Tribune ICJ Profile
Namita Gokhale	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Namita Gokhale.	Tell me a bio of Namita Gokhale.	Tell me a bio of Namita Gokhale within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Namita Gokhale with around 100 words.	Namita Gokhale (born 1956) is an Indian fiction writer, editor, festival director, and publisher. Her debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion was released in 1984, and she has since written fiction and nonfiction, and edited nonfiction collections. She conceptualized and hosted the Doordarshan show Kitaabnama: Books and Beyond and is a founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival. She won the 2021 Sahitya Akademi Award for her novel 'Things to leave behind'. Early life and education Gokhale was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, in 1956. She was raised in Nainital by her aunts and her grandmother Shakuntala Pande. She studied English literature Jesus and Mary College at Delhi University, and at age 18 married Rajiv Gokhale and had two daughters while she was a student. She refused to attend a course about the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, and was dismissed from university by age 26. By age forty, she had survived cancer and her husband had died. Career While a student, at age 17, Gokhale began editing and managing the 1970s-era film magazine Super, and continued publishing the magazine for seven years, until it closed in the early 1980s. After Super closed, she began writing the story that became her debut novel. In addition to her writing career, Gokhale hosted a hundred episodes of Kitaabnama: Books and Beyond, a multilingual book-show she conceptualized for Doordarshan. According to Raksha Kumar, writing for The Hindu in 2013, "Kitaabnama tries to showcase the multilingual diversity of Indian literature by inviting laureates from different languages to talk about their work. It reminds one of the times when book stores were not overwhelmed by technical writing and self-help books; when literature and quality writing were not considered a waste of time; when the pleasure of reading was experienced by many." Gokhale is also a founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, along with William Dalrymple and Sanjoy K Roy. She was also an advisor to the 'Mountain Echoes' literary festival in Bhutan. She conceptualised the 'International Festival of Indian Literature-Neemrana' 2002, and 'The Africa Asia Literary Conference', 2006. Gokhale also advises The Himalayan Echo Kumaon Festival for Arts and Literature or the Abbotsford Literary Weekend. From 2010 through 2012, she traveled and conducted administrative work as a committee member of Indian Literature Abroad (ILA), an initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for a project intended to translate contemporary literature from Indian languages into the eight UNESCO languages, but after funding was not provided by the government, she shifted her efforts to work with Jaipur Bookmark, the publishing imprint of the Jaipur Literature Festival. She is also the co-founder-director of Yatra Books, established in 2005 with Neeta Gupta, a multilingual publishing company specialising in creative writing and translations in English, Hindi and Indian regional languages. Influences In a 2017 interview with R Krithika of The Hindu, Gokhale described the influences on her writing as "very insidious things. Books and ideas can trigger responses that take a long time to come to fruition." She named The Tale of Genji as a major influence, and listed "Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Muriel Spark, Kalidasa." In 1998, Nalini Ganguly writes for India Today, "All of her work seems to be stuck with her personality as a Kumaoni Brahmin girl," and quotes Gokhale, "My way of looking at the world remains trapped in that primary identity; once you start loving the hills they hold on to you." In 2010, Nita Sathyendran writes for The Hindu, "The author is also "deeply fascinated" by Indian mythology, with a lot of her books inspired by its tales and characters. It has also led her to writing books such as The Book of Shiva (on Shaivaite philosophy) and an illustrated version of the Mahabharata for children." Critical reception According to Harmony Magazine, Gokhale "burst upon the literary scene in 1984 with a rather unconventional but sparkling social satire, Paro: Dreams of Passion, which swirled around the cocktail circuit of Delhi, capturing the shenanigans of Page 3 celebs, long before the term was even coined." Somak Ghoshal, writing for Mint in 2014, described the novel as "A chronicle of the debauched existence of the rich and famous in Bombay (now Mumbai) and Delhi," that "invoked horror and outrage when it first appeared in India. Few seemed to have got its uproarious humour," and "If Indian parents forbade their children to touch the book, the reaction in the West was quite the opposite, where it was received as a work of literary, rather than pulp, fiction." According to the Press Trust of India in 2020, it "has remained a cult classic." It was later re-issued as the double edition Double Bill: Priya and Paro in 2018, with the 2011 sequel Priya: In Incredible Indyaa, described by Paro Anand, writing for Outlook in 2011, as a "racy read" and by Somak Ghoshal, writing for Mint in 2014, as "not as well received" as Paro. A review of Priya by Kishwar Desai for India Today states, "Written in the same sparkling Hinglish style which had lent Paro its humourous [sic] appeal, Priya's escapades are probably not as scandalous as her baate noire's were. But Gokhale's acerbic touch has not deserted her." In a 2011 review for The Hindu, Sravasti Datta writes Priya "intrigues but doesn't shock. Why? Because sexual frankness is everywhere, be it in books or films." In 1994, Gokhale published Gods Graves and Grandmother, described by Subhash K Jha of India Today as "remarkable on two counts. First, its structure of a modern fable held aloft by the gauziest of irony. And second, its searching scan of life in the downwardly mobile class of the Indian metropolises migrants who, by emotional and pecuniary manipulation, get rich quick, breaching the bastion of the bourgeois class as a casual enterprise." It was later adapted into a musical play. In 1998, Gokhale published the nonfiction Mountain Echoes: Reminiscences of Kumaoni Women, a book of oral biography, that explores the Kumaoni way of life through the lives of four women: her aunt Shivani, the Hindi novelist, her grandmother Shakuntala Pande, Tara Pande and Jeeya (Laxmi Pande), which was one of several of her works described by Nita Sathyendran, writing for The Hindu in 2010, that "narrate tales of strong women." Gokhale edited the 2014 book Travelling In, Travelling Out, described by Danielle Pagani in The Hindu as an essay collection that "take the reader from Asia to America and Europe, discovering situations and different ways to travel. Every author shares his or her personal experience and the stories are very different from each other — from unusual encounters with Maoist guerrillas in the jungle to Western cities and difficulties encountered there by immigrants," and "Although rich in detail, some of the stories are short, leaving the readers wanting more." Her novel Things to Leave Behind was published in November 2016. Shahnaz Siganporia writes for Vogue India, "Veteran publisher, prolific author, founder-director of the Jaipur Literary Festival and advisor to Mountain Echoes in Bhutan—Namita Gokhale's latest novel is considered her most ambitious yet." Rakhshanda Jalil writes for Scroll.in, "Things To Leave Behind is the third in her trilogy of books on the Himalayas, coming after The Book of Shadows and A Himalayan Love Story. As in the previous books, once again she demonstrates her strength in painting the most vivid pictures of the hills and dales in and around Naineetal and Almora. Her eye for the small details coupled with her near-photographic memory for the sights and sounds she imbibed as a child and the stories she heard from her grandmother and grand-aunts help in creating a virtual tableau before the reader's inward eye." In a review by Ravi Shankar Etteth of The New Indian Express, Gokhale is described as writing with "chutzpah, imagination and leaps of faith taken in the ordinary pursuit of the extraordinary." Shreya Roy Chowdhury writes for The Times of India that the novel is the "third in a series set in the Kumaon hills between 1840 and 1912," and that the "experiences of Gokhale's own family, especially its women members, have informed her stories." In a review for Kitaab, Dr. Pallavi Narayan writes, "the author seems to be pointing to the patriarchal functioning of much of society—documenting the histories of men while conveniently absenting the women, or portraying them as shadow figures. But what the novel is primarily about is the tussle of women with their dependence on men, and how this frames a woman's identity within that of the man "taking care" of her at the moment." Annie Zaidi writes in a review for Mint, "The novel moves at a brisk trot, with the result that the drama inherent in the lives of these characters is rather underplayed. [...] Gokhale's light touch also masks her more serious musings upon the painful clamp of caste and religion, the lack of education and independent property, and how these negative forces narrowed lives in ways that could break a woman's spirit, or declaw a spirited one." Her first YA fiction book Lost in Time was published in 2017, and described by R Krithika of The Hindu as "a lovely tale of time travel, friendship, loss and love." Gokhale edited the 2017 anthology of prose and poetry The Himalayan Arc: Journeys East of South-east, featuring work by 28 authors from the region Gokhale described as "the bend of the Himalayas, the East of South-east, including Nepal, Bhutan, north-east India, and Myanmar." In a review published in The News Lens, Omair Ahmad writes, "These histories have largely been forgotten in favor of the lines drawn on the map by the British Empire and its successors, but they have re-emerged, and have to be understood, if we are to understand the complex political geography of the region." Her 2020 novel Jaipur Journals features the Jaipur Literature Festival. Aishwarya Sahasrabudhe writes for Firstpost, "we are taken in five days through the lives of some interesting characters who are in one capacity or another part of what is often referred to as the Kumbh Mela of Literature, the Jaipur Literature Festival." Pragya Tiwari writes in a review for Scroll.in, "Gokhale achieves the impossible by going beyond approximating the alchemy of the festival and leading us to its beating heart. The point of the festival is to keep asking repeatedly, like the heart beats – what does it mean to be a writer?" Works Fiction Paro: Dreams of Passion, 1984 Gods, Graves, and Grandmother, 1994 A Himalayan Love Story, 1996 The Book of Shadows, 1999 Shakuntala: The Play of Memory, 2005 Priya: In Incredible Indyaa, 2011 The Habit of Love, 2012 Things to Leave Behind, 2016 Lost in Time: Ghatotkacha and the Game of Illusions, 2017 Betrayed by Hope : A Play on the Life of Michael Madhusudan Dutt (co-authored with Malashri Lal), 2020 The Blind Matriarch, published in 2021 Non-fiction Mountain Echoes – Reminiscences of Kumaoni Women, 1994 The Book of Shiva, 2000 The Puffin Mahabharata, 2009 In Search of Sita(co-edited with Malashri Lal), 2009 Travelling In, Travelling Out (edited), 2014 Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life(co-edited with Ruskin Bond), 2016 The Himalayan Arc: Journeys East of South-east (edited), 2018 Finding Radha: The Quest for Love, 2018 Honors and awards 2017 Centenary National Award for Literature from the Asam Sahitya Sabha 2017 Valley of Words Book Award, Best English Fiction (Things to Leave Behind) 2018 International Dublin Literary Award long list (Things to Leave Behind) 2019 Sushila Devi Literature Award, 'Best Book of Fiction Written by a Woman Author' (Things to Leave Behind) 2021 7th Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award 2021 Sahitya Akademi Award for Things to Leave Behind References External links Official Website Jaipur Literature Festival Official Website
Henryk Wieniawski	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Henryk Wieniawski.	Tell me a bio of Henryk Wieniawski.	Tell me a bio of Henryk Wieniawski within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Henryk Wieniawski with around 100 words.	Henryk Wieniawski (pronounced [vʲɛˈɲafskʲi] ; 10 July 1835 – 31 March 1880) was a Polish virtuoso violinist, composer, and pedagogue, who is regarded amongst the most distinguished violinists in history. His younger brother Józef Wieniawski and nephew Adam Tadeusz Wieniawski were also accomplished musicians, as was his daughter Régine, who became a naturalised British subject upon marrying into the peerage and wrote music under the name Poldowski. Life Early life Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, in present-day Poland. His father, Tobiasz Pietruszka né Wolf Helman, was the son of a Jewish barber named Herschel Meyer Helman, from Lublin's Jewish neighborhood of Wieniawa. Wolf Helman later changed his name to Tadeusz Wieniawski, taking on the name of his neighborhood to blend into the Polish environment. Prior to obtaining his medical degree, he had converted to Catholicism. He married Regina Wolff, the daughter of a noted Jewish physician from Warsaw, and out of this marriage, Henryk was born. Henryk's talent for playing the violin was recognized early, and in 1843 he was accepted by the Paris Conservatoire taught by Lambert Massart, where special exceptions were made to admit him, as he wasn't French and was only eight years old. He attended the Conservatoire from 1843 to 1846 and returned for another year in 1849. Touring and teaching After graduation, he toured extensively and gave many recitals, where he was often accompanied by his brother Józef on piano. In 1847, he published his first opus, a Grand Caprice Fantastique, the start of a catalogue of 24 opus numbers. When his engagement to Isabella Hampton was opposed by her parents, Wieniawski wrote Légende, Op. 17; this work helped her parents change their mind, and the couple married in 1860. Wieniawski was a player in the Beethoven Quartet Society in London, where he also performed on viola. At the invitation of Anton Rubinstein, Wieniawski moved to St. Petersburg, where he lived from 1860 to 1872, taught many violin students and led the Russian Musical Society's orchestra and string quartet. From 1872 to 1874, Wieniawski toured the United States with Rubinstein. Wieniawski replaced Henri Vieuxtemps as violin professor at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles in 1875. Decline and death During his residence in Brussels, Wieniawski's health declined, and he often had to stop in the middle of his concerts. He started a tour of Russia in 1879 but was unable to complete it, and was taken to a hospital in Odessa after a concert. On 14 February 1880, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's patroness Nadezhda von Meck took him into her home and provided him with medical attention. His friends also arranged a benefit concert to help provide for his family. He died in Moscow a few weeks later from a heart attack and was interred in the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw. Daughters His daughter Régine Wieniawski, born in Brussels the year before his death, also became a composer. She published her early works as "Irène Wieniawska", but after marrying Sir Aubrey Dean Paul and becoming a British subject, she used the pseudonym "Poldowski". Another daughter, Henriette, would go on to marry Joseph Holland Loring in 1904, who was among the victims of the Titanic disaster. Works Henryk Wieniawski was considered a violinist of great ability and wrote some very important works in the violin repertoire, including two technically demanding violin concertos, the second of which (in D minor, 1862) is more often performed than the first (in F-sharp minor, 1853). One assessment of violin etudes ranks Wieniawski's Op. 10 L'École moderne: 10 Études-caprices just below the difficulty of the Paganini Caprices. Legacy Wieniawski was given a number of posthumous honors. His portrait appeared on a postage stamp of Poland in 1952 and again in 1957. A 100 zloty coin was issued in 1979 bearing his image. What is commonly called the "Russian bow hold" is sometimes called the "Wieniawski bow hold", as Wieniawski taught his students his own kind of very rigid bowing technique (like the Russian bow hold) that allowed him to play what he called a "devil's staccato" with ease. This "devil's staccato" was used to discipline students' technique. The first violin competition named after Wieniawski took place in Warsaw in 1935. Ginette Neveu took first prize, David Oistrakh second, and Henri Temianka third. The International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition has been held every five years since 1952. Compositions Published works, with opus numbers Grand caprice fantastique, Op. 1 Allegro de Sonate, Op. 2 Souvenir de Posen, Op. 3 Polonaise de Concert No. 1, Op. 4 (sometimes known as Polonaise brillante) Adagio élégiaque, Op. 5 Souvenir de Moscow, 2 Russian Romances, Op. 6 (in this work he quoted Alexander Egorovich Varlamov's song The Red Sarafan) Capriccio-Valse, Op. 7 Grand duo polonais, for violin and piano, Op. 8 Romance sans paroles et rondo elegant, Op. 9 L'École moderne, 10 Études-Caprices, for violin solo, Op. 10 Le Carnaval Russe, Improvisations and Variations, Op. 11 2 Mazurkas de Salon: Sielanka et Piesn Polska (Chanson polonaise), Op. 12 Fantasie pastorale, Op. 13 (Lost) Concerto No. 1 in F♯ minor, Op. 14 Thème original varié, Op. 15 Scherzo-Tarantelle, Op. 16 Légende, Op. 17 8 Études-Caprices, for 2 violins, Op. 18 2 Mazurkas caractéristiques: Obertass et Dudziarz (Le Ménétrier), Op. 19 (NB.: no 2 is known as both "The Bagpipe Player" [ABRSM Vln Gr VIII Syllabus] and "The Village Fiddler" [Naxos Records]) Fantaisie brillante sur Faust de Gounod, Op. 20 Polonaise brillante, Op. 21 Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22 Gigue in E minor, Op. 23 Fantasie orientale, Op. 24 Unpublished works, and works without opus numbers Wariacje na Temat Własnego Mazurka (c. 1847) Aria with Variations in E major (before 1848) Fantasia and Variations in E major (1848) Nocturne for solo violin (1848) Romance (c. 1848) Rondo Alla Polacca in E minor (1848) Duo Concertant on themes from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor (c. 1850) Duo Concertant na Temat Hymnu Rosyjskiego A. Lwowa (c. 1850) Duo Concertant na Temat Rosyjskiej Melodii Ludowej (c. 1850) Fantasia on themes from Meyerbeer's Le prophète (oc. 1850) Mazur Wiejski (c. 1850) Fantasia on themes from Grétry's Richard Coeur-de-lion (c. 1851) Duet on themes from Finnish songs (c. 1851) Two Mazurkas (1851) March (1851) Kujawiak in A minor (1853) Variations on the Russian hymn (c. 1851) Variations on Polish folk song "Jechał Kozak Zza Dunaju" (c. 1851) Variations on the Austrian Hymn (1853) Rozumiem, pieśń na głos z fortepianem (1854) Souvenir de Lublin, concert polka (c. 1855) Fantasia on themes from Bellini's La sonnambula (c. 1855) Reminiscences of San Francisco (c. 1874) Kujawiak in C major Polonaise triomphale Rêverie in F sharp minor, for viola and piano Violin Concerto No. 3 in A minor? (1878, unpublished, disappeared? Premiered in Moscow, 27 December 1878) References External links Pilatowicz, Maria. "HENRYK WIENIAWSKI". Archived from the original on 2006-04-08. Retrieved 2006-05-13. — Polish Music Center at USC Archived 2006-01-16 at the Wayback Machine Henryk Wieniawski Society (en) Free scores by Wieniawski at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wieniawski, Henri" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Scores by Henryk Wieniawski in National Digital Library of Poland (Polona)
Heinrich Himmler	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Heinrich Himmler.	Tell me a bio of Heinrich Himmler.	Tell me a bio of Heinrich Himmler within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Heinrich Himmler with around 100 words.	Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (German: [ˈhaɪnʁɪç ˈluːɪtpɔlt ˈhɪmlɐ] ; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful people in Nazi Germany. He was one of the main architects of the Holocaust. After serving in a reserve battalion during World War I without seeing combat, Himmler went on to join the Nazi Party in 1923. In 1925, he joined the SS, a small paramilitary arm of the Nazi Party that served as a bodyguard unit for Adolf Hitler. Himmler rose steadily through the SS's ranks to become Reichsführer-SS by 1929. Under Himmler's leadership, the SS grew from a 290-man battalion into one of the most powerful institutions in Nazi Germany. Over the course of his career, Himmler acquired a reputation for good organisational skills and for selecting highly competent subordinates, such as Reinhard Heydrich. From 1943 onwards, he was both Chief of the Kriminalpolizei (Criminal Police) and Minister of the Interior, which gave him oversight of all internal and external police and security forces (including the Gestapo). He also controlled the Waffen-SS, a branch of the SS that served in combat alongside the Wehrmacht (armed forces) in World War II. As the principal enforcer of the Nazis' racial policies, Himmler was responsible for operating concentration and extermination camps as well as forming the Einsatzgruppen death squads in German-occupied Europe. In this capacity, he played a central role in the genocide of an estimated 5.5–6 million Jews and the deaths of millions of other victims during the Holocaust. A day before the launch of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Himmler commissioned the drafting of Generalplan Ost, which was approved by Hitler in May 1942 and implemented by the Nazi regime, resulting in the deaths of approximately 14 million people in Eastern Europe. In the last years of World War II, Hitler appointed Himmler as Commander of the Replacement Army and General Plenipotentiary for the administration of the Third Reich (Generalbevollmächtigter für die Verwaltung). He was later given command of the Army Group Upper Rhine and the Army Group Vistula. He failed to achieve his assigned objectives, and Hitler replaced him in these posts. Realising the war was lost, Himmler attempted, without Hitler's knowledge, to open peace talks with the western Allies in March 1945. When Hitler learned of this on 28 April, he dismissed Himmler from all his posts and ordered his arrest. Himmler attempted to go into hiding but was captured by British forces. He died by suicide in British custody on 23 May 1945. Early life Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was born in Munich on 7 October 1900 into a conservative middle-class Roman Catholic family. His father was Joseph Gebhard Himmler (1865–1936), a teacher, and his mother was Anna Maria Himmler (née Heyder; 1866–1941), a devout Roman Catholic. Heinrich had two brothers: Gebhard Ludwig (1898–1982) and Ernst Hermann (1905–1945). Himmler's first name, Heinrich, was that of his godfather, Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, a member of the royal family of Bavaria who had been tutored by Himmler's father. He attended a grammar school in Landshut, where his father was deputy principal. He did well in his schoolwork, but struggled in athletics. He had poor health, suffering from lifelong stomach complaints and other ailments. In his youth he trained daily with weights and exercised to become stronger. Other boys at the school later remembered him as studious and awkward in social situations. Himmler's diary, which he kept intermittently from the age of 10, shows that he took a keen interest in current events, duelling, and "the serious discussion of religion and sex". In 1915, he began training with the Landshut Cadet Corps. His father used his connections with the royal family to get Himmler accepted as an officer candidate, and he enlisted with the reserve battalion of the 11th Bavarian Regiment in December 1917. His brother, Gebhard, served on the western front and saw combat, receiving the Iron Cross and being promoted to lieutenant. In November 1918, while Himmler was still in training, the war ended with Germany's defeat, denying him the opportunity to become an officer or see combat. After his discharge on 18 December, he returned to Landshut. After the war, Himmler completed his grammar school education. From 1919 to 1922, he studied agriculture at the Munich Technische Hochschule (now Technical University Munich) following a brief apprenticeship on a farm and a subsequent illness. Although many regulations that discriminated against non-Christians—including Jews and other minority groups—had been eliminated during the unification of Germany in 1871, antisemitism continued to exist and thrive in Germany and other parts of Europe. Himmler was antisemitic by the time he went to university, but not exceptionally so; students at his school would avoid their Jewish classmates. He remained a devout Catholic while a student and spent most of his leisure time with members of his fencing fraternity, the "League of Apollo", the president of which was Jewish. Himmler maintained a polite demeanour with him and with other Jewish members of the fraternity, in spite of his growing antisemitism. During his second year at university, Himmler redoubled his attempts to pursue a military career. Although he was not successful, he was able to extend his involvement in the paramilitary scene in Munich. It was at this time that he first met Ernst Röhm, an early member of the Nazi Party and co-founder of the Sturmabteilung ("Storm Battalion"; SA). Himmler admired Röhm because he was a decorated combat soldier, and at his suggestion Himmler joined his antisemitic nationalist group, the Bund Reichskriegsflagge (Imperial War Flag Society). In 1922, Himmler became more interested in the "Jewish question", with his diary entries containing an increasing number of antisemitic remarks and recording discussions about Jews with his classmates. His reading lists, as recorded in his diary, were dominated by antisemitic pamphlets, German myths, and occult tracts. After the murder of Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau on 24 June, Himmler's political views veered towards the radical right, and he took part in demonstrations against the Treaty of Versailles. Hyperinflation was raging, and his parents could no longer afford to educate all three sons. Disappointed by his failure to make a career in the military and his parents' inability to finance his doctoral studies, he was forced to take a low-paying office job after obtaining his agricultural diploma. He remained in this position until September 1923. Nazi activist Himmler joined the Nazi Party on 1 August 1923, receiving party number 14303. As a member of Röhm's paramilitary unit, Himmler was involved in the Beer Hall Putsch—an unsuccessful attempt by Hitler and the Nazi Party to seize power in Munich. This event set Himmler on a life of politics. He was questioned by the police about his role in the putsch but was not charged because of insufficient evidence. However, he lost his job, was unable to find employment as a farm manager, and had to move in with his parents in Munich. Frustrated by these failures, he became ever more irritable, aggressive, and opinionated, alienating both friends and family members. In 1923–24, Himmler, while searching for a world view, came to abandon Catholicism and focused on the occult and in antisemitism. Germanic mythology, reinforced by occult ideas, became a religion for him. Himmler found the Nazi Party appealing because its political positions agreed with his own views. Initially, he was not swept up by Hitler's charisma or the cult of Führer worship, but as he learned more about Hitler through his reading, he began to regard him as a useful face of the party, and he later admired and even worshipped him. To consolidate and advance his own position in the Nazi Party, Himmler took advantage of the disarray in the party following Hitler's arrest after the Beer Hall Putsch. From mid-1924 he worked under Gregor Strasser as a party secretary and propaganda assistant. Travelling all over Bavaria agitating for the party, he gave speeches and distributed literature. Placed in charge of the party office in Lower Bavaria by Strasser from late 1924, he was responsible for integrating the area's membership with the Nazi Party under Hitler when the party was re-founded in February 1925. That same year, he joined the Schutzstaffel (SS) as an SS-Führer (SS-Leader); his SS number was 168. The SS, initially part of the much larger SA, was formed in 1923 for Hitler's personal protection and was re-formed in 1925 as an elite unit of the SA. Himmler's first leadership position in the SS was that of SS-Gauführer (district leader) in Lower Bavaria from 1926. Strasser appointed Himmler deputy propaganda chief in January 1927. As was typical in the Nazi Party, he had considerable freedom of action in his post, which increased over time. He began to collect statistics on the number of Jews, Freemasons, and enemies of the party, and following his strong need for control, he developed an elaborate bureaucracy. In September 1927, Himmler told Hitler of his vision to transform the SS into a loyal, powerful, racially pure elite unit. Convinced that Himmler was the man for the job, Hitler appointed him Deputy Reichsführer-SS, with the rank of SS-Oberführer. Around this time, Himmler joined the Artaman League, a Völkisch youth group. There he met Rudolf Höss, who was later commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, and Walther Darré, whose book The Peasantry as the Life Source of the Nordic Race caught Hitler's attention, leading to his later appointment as Reich Minister of Food and Agriculture. Darré was a firm believer in the superiority of the Nordic race, and his philosophy was a major influence on Himmler. Rise in the SS Upon the resignation of SS commander Erhard Heiden in January 1929, Himmler assumed the position of Reichsführer-SS with Hitler's approval; he still carried out his duties at propaganda headquarters. One of his first responsibilities was to organise SS participants at the Nuremberg Rally that September. Over the next year, Himmler grew the SS from a force of about 290 men to about 3,000. By 1930 Himmler had persuaded Hitler to run the SS as a separate organisation, although it was officially still subordinate to the SA. To gain political power, the Nazi Party took advantage of the economic downturn during the Great Depression. The coalition government of the Weimar Republic was unable to improve the economy, so many voters turned to the political extreme, which included the Nazi Party. Hitler used populist rhetoric, including blaming scapegoats—particularly the Jews—for the economic hardships. In September 1930, Himmler was first elected as a deputy to the Reichstag. In the 1932 election, the Nazis won 37.3 percent of the vote and 230 seats in the Reichstag. Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg on 30 January 1933, heading a short-lived coalition of his Nazis and the German National People's Party. The new cabinet initially included only three members of the Nazi Party: Hitler, Hermann Göring as minister without portfolio and Minister of the Interior for Prussia, and Wilhelm Frick as Reich Interior Minister. Less than a month later, the Reichstag building was set on fire. Hitler took advantage of this event, forcing Hindenburg to sign the Reichstag Fire Decree, which suspended basic rights and allowed detention without trial. The Enabling Act, passed by the Reichstag on 23 March 1933, gave the Cabinet—in practice, Hitler—full legislative powers, and the country became a de facto dictatorship. On 1 August 1934, Hitler's cabinet passed a law which stipulated that upon Hindenburg's death, the office of president would be abolished and its powers merged with those of the chancellor. Hindenburg died the next morning, and Hitler became both head of state and head of government under the title Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor). The Nazi Party's rise to power provided Himmler and the SS an unfettered opportunity to thrive. By 1933, the SS numbered 52,000 members. Strict membership requirements ensured that all members were of Hitler's Aryan Herrenvolk ("Aryan master race"). Applicants were vetted for Nordic qualities—in Himmler's words, "like a nursery gardener trying to reproduce a good old strain which has been adulterated and debased; we started from the principles of plant selection and then proceeded quite unashamedly to weed out the men whom we did not think we could use for the build-up of the SS." Few dared mention that by his own standards, Himmler did not meet his own ideals. Himmler's organised, bookish intellect served him well as he began setting up different SS departments. In 1931 he appointed Reinhard Heydrich chief of the new Ic Service (intelligence service), which was renamed the Sicherheitsdienst (SD: Security Service) in 1932. He later officially appointed Heydrich his deputy. The two men had a good working relationship and a mutual respect. In 1933, they began to remove the SS from SA control. Along with Interior Minister Frick, they hoped to create a unified German police force. In March 1933, Reich Governor of Bavaria Franz Ritter von Epp appointed Himmler chief of the Munich Police. Himmler appointed Heydrich commander of Department IV, the political police. Thereafter, Himmler and Heydrich took over the political police of state after state; soon only Prussia was controlled by Göring. Effective 1 January 1933, Hitler promoted Himmler to the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer, equal in rank to the senior SA commanders. On 2 June Himmler, along with the heads of the other two Nazi paramilitary organisations, the SA and the Hitler Youth, was named a Reichsleiter, the second highest political rank in the Nazi Party. On 10 July, he was named to the Prussian State Council. On 2 October 1933, he became a founding member of Hans Frank's Academy for German Law at its inaugural meeting. Himmler further established the SS Race and Settlement Main Office (Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt or RuSHA). He appointed Darré as its first chief, with the rank of SS-Gruppenführer. The department implemented racial policies and monitored the "racial integrity" of the SS membership. SS men were carefully vetted for their racial background. On 31 December 1931, Himmler introduced the "marriage order", which required SS men wishing to marry to produce family trees proving that both families were of Aryan descent to 1800. If any non-Aryan forebears were found in either family tree during the racial investigation, the person concerned was excluded from the SS. Each man was issued a Sippenbuch, a genealogical record detailing his genetic history. Himmler expected that each SS marriage should produce at least four children, thus creating a pool of genetically superior prospective SS members. The programme had disappointing results; less than 40 per cent of SS men married and each produced only about one child. In March 1933, less than three months after the Nazis came to power, Himmler set up the first official concentration camp at Dachau. Hitler had stated that he did not want it to be just another prison or detention camp. Himmler appointed Theodor Eicke, a convicted felon and ardent Nazi, to run the camp in June 1933. Eicke devised a system that was used as a model for future camps throughout Germany. Its features included isolation of victims from the outside world, elaborate roll calls and work details, the use of force and executions to exact obedience, and a strict disciplinary code for the guards. Uniforms were issued for prisoners and guards; the guards' uniforms had a special Totenkopf insignia on their collars. By the end of 1934, Himmler took control of the camps under the aegis of the SS, creating a separate division, the SS-Totenkopfverbände. Initially the camps housed political opponents; over time, undesirable members of German society—criminals, vagrants and deviants—were placed in the camps as well. In 1936 Himmler wrote in the pamphlet "The SS as an Anti-Bolshevist Fighting Organisation" that the SS were to fight against the "Jewish-Bolshevik revolution of subhumans". A Hitler decree issued in December 1937 allowed for the incarceration of anyone deemed by the regime to be an undesirable member of society. This included Jews, Gypsies, communists, and those persons of any other cultural, racial, political, or religious affiliation deemed by the Nazis to be Untermensch (sub-human). Thus, the camps became a mechanism for social and racial engineering. By the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, there were six camps housing some 27,000 inmates. Death tolls were high. Consolidation of power In early 1934, Hitler and other Nazi leaders became concerned that Röhm was planning a coup d'état. Röhm had socialist and populist views and believed that the real revolution had not yet begun. He felt that the SA—now numbering some three million men, far dwarfing the army—should become the sole arms-bearing corps of the state, and that the army should be absorbed into the SA under his leadership. Röhm lobbied Hitler to appoint him Minister of Defence, a position held by conservative General Werner von Blomberg. Göring had created a Prussian secret police force, the Geheime Staatspolizei or Gestapo in 1933 and appointed Rudolf Diels as its head. Göring, concerned that Diels was not ruthless enough to use the Gestapo effectively to counteract the power of the SA, handed over its control to Himmler on 20 April 1934. Also on that date, Hitler appointed Himmler chief of all German police outside Prussia. This was a radical departure from long-standing German practice that law enforcement was a state and local matter. Heydrich, named chief of the Gestapo by Himmler on 22 April 1934, also continued as head of the SD. Hitler decided on 21 June that Röhm and the SA leadership had to be eliminated. He sent Göring to Berlin on 29 June, to meet with Himmler and Heydrich to plan the action. Hitler took charge in Munich, where Röhm was arrested; he gave Röhm the choice to die by suicide or be shot. When Röhm refused to kill himself, he was shot dead by two SS officers. Between 85 and 200 members of the SA leadership and other political adversaries, including Gregor Strasser, were killed between 30 June and 2 July 1934 in these actions, known as the Night of the Long Knives. With the SA neutralised, the SS became an independent organisation answerable only to Hitler on 20 July 1934. Himmler's title of Reichsführer-SS became the highest formal SS rank, equivalent to a field marshal in the army. The SA was converted into a sports and training organisation. On 15 September 1935, Hitler presented two laws—known as the Nuremberg Laws—to the Reichstag. The laws banned marriage between non-Jewish and Jewish Germans and forbade the employment of non-Jewish women under the age of 45 in Jewish households. The laws also deprived so-called "non-Aryans" of the benefits of German citizenship. These laws were among the first race-based measures instituted by the Third Reich. Himmler and Heydrich wanted to extend the power of the SS; thus, they urged Hitler to form a national police force overseen by the SS, to guard Nazi Germany against its many enemies at the time—real and imagined. Interior Minister Frick also wanted a national police force, but one controlled by him, with Kurt Daluege as his police chief. Hitler left it to Himmler and Heydrich to work out the arrangements with Frick. Himmler and Heydrich had greater bargaining power, as they were allied with Frick's old enemy Göring. Heydrich drew up a set of proposals and Himmler sent him to meet with Frick. An angry Frick then consulted with Hitler, who told him to agree to the proposals. Frick acquiesced, and on 17 June 1936 Hitler decreed the unification of all police forces in the Reich and named Himmler Chief of German Police and a State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior. In this role, Himmler was still nominally subordinate to Frick but in practice the police were now effectively a division of the SS, and hence independent of Frick's control. This move gave Himmler operational control over Germany's entire detective force. He also gained authority over all of Germany's uniformed law enforcement agencies, which were amalgamated into the new Ordnungspolizei (Orpo: "order police"), which became a branch of the SS under Daluege. Shortly thereafter, Himmler created the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo: criminal police) as an umbrella organisation for all criminal investigation agencies in Germany. The Kripo was merged with the Gestapo into the Sicherheitspolizei (SiPo: security police), under Heydrich's command. In September 1939, following the outbreak of World War II, Himmler formed the SS-Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA: Reich Security Main Office) to bring the SiPo (which included the Gestapo and Kripo) and the SD together under one umbrella. He again placed Heydrich in command. Under Himmler's leadership, the SS developed its own military branch, the SS-Verfügungstruppe (SS-VT), which later evolved into the Waffen-SS. Nominally under the authority of Himmler, the Waffen-SS developed a fully militarised structure of command and operations. It grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions during World War II, serving alongside the Heer (army), but never being formally part of it. In addition to his military ambitions, Himmler established the beginnings of a parallel economy under the umbrella of the SS. To this end, administrator Oswald Pohl set up the Deutsche Wirtschaftsbetriebe (German Economic Enterprise) in 1940. Under the auspices of the SS Economy and Administration Head Office, this holding company owned housing corporations, factories, and publishing houses. Pohl was unscrupulous and quickly exploited the companies for personal gain. In contrast, Himmler was honest in matters of money and business. In 1938, as part of his preparations for war, Hitler ended the German alliance with China and entered into an agreement with the more modern Empire of Japan. That same year, Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany in the Anschluss, and the Munich Agreement gave Nazi Germany control over the Sudetenland, part of Czechoslovakia. Hitler's primary motivations for war included obtaining additional Lebensraum ("living space") for the Germanic peoples, who were considered racially superior according to Nazi ideology. A second goal was the elimination of those considered racially inferior, particularly the Jews and Slavs, from territories controlled by the Reich. From 1933 to 1938, hundreds of thousands of Jews emigrated to the United States, Palestine, the United Kingdom, and other countries. Some converted to Christianity. Anti-church struggle According to Himmler's biographer Peter Longerich, Himmler believed that a major task of the SS should be "acting as the vanguard in overcoming Christianity and restoring a 'Germanic' way of living" as part of preparations for the coming conflict between "humans and subhumans". Longerich wrote that, while the Nazi movement as a whole launched itself against Jews and Communists, "by linking de-Christianisation with re-Germanization, Himmler had provided the SS with a goal and purpose all of its own". Himmler was vehemently opposed to Christian sexual morality and the "principle of Christian mercy", both of which he saw as dangerous obstacles to his planned battle with "subhumans". In 1937, Himmler declared: We live in an era of the ultimate conflict with Christianity. It is part of the mission of the SS to give the German people in the next half century the non-Christian ideological foundations on which to lead and shape their lives. This task does not consist solely in overcoming an ideological opponent but must be accompanied at every step by a positive impetus: in this case that means the reconstruction of the German heritage in the widest and most comprehensive sense. In early 1937, Himmler had his personal staff work with academics to create a framework to replace Christianity within the Germanic cultural heritage. The project gave rise to the Deutschrechtliches Institut, headed by Professor Karl Eckhardt, at the University of Bonn. World War II When Hitler and his army chiefs asked for a pretext for the invasion of Poland in 1939, Himmler, Heydrich, and Heinrich Müller masterminded and carried out a false flag project code-named Operation Himmler. German soldiers dressed in Polish uniforms undertook border skirmishes which deceptively suggested Polish aggression against Germany. The incidents were then used in Nazi propaganda to justify the invasion of Poland, the opening event of World War II. At the beginning of the war against Poland, Hitler authorised the killing of Polish civilians, including Jews and ethnic Poles. The Einsatzgruppen (SS task forces) had originally been formed by Heydrich to secure government papers and offices in areas taken over by Germany before World War II. Authorised by Hitler and under the direction of Himmler and Heydrich, the Einsatzgruppen units—now repurposed as death squads—followed the Heer (army) into Poland, and by the end of 1939 they had murdered some 65,000 intellectuals and other civilians. Militias and Heer units also took part in these killings. Under Himmler's orders via the RSHA, these squads were also tasked with rounding up Jews and others for placement in ghettos and concentration camps. Germany subsequently invaded Denmark and Norway, the Netherlands, and France, and began bombing Great Britain in preparation for Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of the United Kingdom. On 21 June 1941, the day before invasion of the Soviet Union, Himmler commissioned the preparation of the Generalplan Ost (General Plan for the East); the plan was approved by Hitler in May 1942. It called for the Baltic States, Poland, Western Ukraine, and Byelorussia to be conquered and resettled by ten million German citizens. The current residents—some 31 million people—would be expelled further east, starved, or used for forced labour. The plan would have extended the borders of Germany to the east by one thousand kilometres (600 miles). Himmler expected that it would take twenty to thirty years to complete the plan, at a cost of 67 billion ℛ︁ℳ︁. Himmler stated openly: "It is a question of existence, thus it will be a racial struggle of pitiless severity, in the course of which 20 to 30 million Slavs and Jews will perish through military actions and crises of food supply." Himmler declared that the war in the east was a pan-European crusade to defend the traditional values of old Europe from the "Godless Bolshevik hordes". Constantly struggling with the Wehrmacht for recruits, Himmler solved this problem through the creation of Waffen-SS units composed of Germanic folk groups taken from the Balkans and eastern Europe. Equally vital were recruits from among the Germanic considered peoples of northern and western Europe, in the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Denmark and Finland. Spain and Italy also provided men for Waffen-SS units. Among western countries, the number of volunteers varied from a high of 25,000 from the Netherlands to 300 each from Sweden and Switzerland. From the east, the highest number of men came from Lithuania (50,000) and the lowest from Bulgaria (600). After 1943 most men from the east were conscripts. The performance of the eastern Waffen-SS units was, as a whole, sub-standard. In late 1941, Hitler named Heydrich as Deputy Reich Protector of the newly established Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Heydrich began to racially classify the Czechs, deporting many to concentration camps. Members of a swelling resistance were shot, earning Heydrich the nickname "the Butcher of Prague". This appointment strengthened the collaboration between Himmler and Heydrich, and Himmler was proud to have SS control over a state. Despite having direct access to Hitler, Heydrich's loyalty to Himmler remained firm. With Hitler's approval, Himmler re-established the Einsatzgruppen in the lead-up to the planned invasion of the Soviet Union. In March 1941, Hitler addressed his army leaders, detailing his intention to smash the Soviet Empire and destroy the Bolshevik intelligentsia and leadership. His special directive, the "Guidelines in Special Spheres re Directive No. 21 (Operation Barbarossa)", read: "In the operations area of the army, the Reichsführer-SS has been given special tasks on the orders of the Führer, in order to prepare the political administration. These tasks arise from the forthcoming final struggle of two opposing political systems. Within the framework of these tasks, the Reichsführer-SS acts independently and on his own responsibility." Hitler thus intended to prevent internal friction like that occurring earlier in Poland in 1939, when several German Army generals (including Johannes Blaskowitz) had attempted to bring Einsatzgruppen leaders to trial for the murders they had committed. Following the army into the Soviet Union, the Einsatzgruppen rounded up and killed Jews and others deemed undesirable by the Nazi state. Hitler was sent frequent reports. In addition, 2.8 million Soviet prisoners of war died of starvation, mistreatment or executions in just eight months of 1941–42. As many as 500,000 Soviet prisoners of war died or were executed in Nazi concentration camps over the course of the war; most of them were shot or gassed. By early 1941, following Himmler's orders, ten concentration camps had been constructed in which inmates were subjected to forced labour. Jews from all over Germany and the occupied territories were deported to the camps or confined to ghettos. As the Germans were pushed back from Moscow in December 1941, signalling that the expected quick defeat of the Soviet Union had failed to materialise, Hitler and other Nazi officials realised that mass deportations to the east would no longer be possible. As a result, instead of deportation, many Jews in Europe were destined for death. Final Solution, the Holocaust, racial policy, and eugenics Nazi racial policies, including the notion that people who were racially inferior had no right to live, date back to the earliest days of the party; Hitler discusses this in Mein Kampf. Around the time of the German declaration of war on the United States in December 1941, Hitler resolved that the Jews of Europe were to be "exterminated". Heydrich arranged a meeting, held on 20 January 1942 at Wannsee, a suburb of Berlin. Attended by top Nazi officials, it was used to outline the plans for the "final solution to the Jewish question". Heydrich detailed how those Jews able to work would be worked to death; those unable to work would be killed outright. Heydrich calculated the number of Jews to be killed at 11 million and told the attendees that Hitler had placed Himmler in charge of the plan. In June 1942, Heydrich was assassinated in Prague in Operation Anthropoid, led by Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, members of Czechoslovakia's army-in-exile. Both men had been trained by the British Special Operations Executive for the mission to kill Heydrich. During the two funeral services, Himmler—the chief mourner—took charge of Heydrich's two young sons, and he gave the eulogy in Berlin. On 9 June, after discussions with Himmler and Karl Hermann Frank, Hitler ordered brutal reprisals for Heydrich's death. Over 13,000 people were arrested, and the village of Lidice was razed to the ground; its male inhabitants and all adults in the village of Ležáky were murdered. At least 1,300 people were executed by firing squads. Himmler took over leadership of the RSHA and stepped up the pace of the killing of Jews in Aktion Reinhard (Operation Reinhard), named in Heydrich's honour. He ordered the Aktion Reinhard camps—three extermination camps—to be constructed at Bełżec, Sobibór, and Treblinka. Initially the victims were killed with gas vans or by firing squad, but these methods proved impracticable for an operation of this scale. In August 1941, Himmler attended the shooting of 100 Jews at Minsk. This was the first time he had heard a shot fired in anger or seen dead people and, while looking into the open grave, his coat and perhaps his face were splashed by the brains of a victim. He went very green and pale and swayed. Karl Wolff jumped forward, held him steady and led him away from the grave. Nauseated and shaken by the experience, he was concerned about the impact such actions would have on the mental health of his SS men. He decided that other methods of killing should be found. On his orders, by early 1942 the camp at Auschwitz had been greatly expanded, including the addition of gas chambers, where victims were killed using the pesticide Zyklon B. Himmler visited the camp on 17 and 18 July 1942. He was given a demonstration of a mass killing using the gas chamber in Bunker 2 and toured the building site of the new IG Farben plant being constructed at the nearby town of Monowitz. By the end of the war, at least 5.5 million Jews had been killed by the Nazi regime; most estimates range closer to 6 million. Himmler visited the camp at Sobibór in early 1943, by which time 250,000 people had been killed at that location alone. After witnessing a gassing, he gave 28 people promotions and ordered the operation of the camp to be wound down. In a prisoner revolt that October, the remaining prisoners killed most of the guards and SS personnel. Several hundred prisoners escaped; about a hundred were immediately re-captured and killed. Some of the escapees joined partisan units operating in the area. The camp was dismantled by December 1943. The Nazis also targeted Romani (Gypsies) as "asocial" and "criminals". By 1935, they were confined into special camps away from ethnic Germans. In 1938, Himmler issued an order in which he said that the "Gypsy question" would be determined by "race". Himmler believed that the Romani were originally Aryan but had become a mixed race; only the "racially pure" were to be allowed to live. In 1939, Himmler ordered thousands of Gypsies to be sent to the Dachau concentration camp and by 1942, ordered all Romani sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Himmler was one of the main architects of the Holocaust, using his deep belief in the racist Nazi ideology to justify the murder of millions of victims. Longerich surmises that Hitler, Himmler, and Heydrich designed the Holocaust during a period of intensive meetings and exchanges in April–May 1942. The Nazis planned to kill Polish intellectuals and restrict non-Germans in the General Government and conquered territories to a fourth-grade education. They wanted to breed a master race of racially pure Nordic Aryans in Germany. As a student of agriculture and a farmer, Himmler was acquainted with the principles of selective breeding, which he proposed to apply to humans. He believed that he could engineer the German populace, for example, through eugenics, to be Nordic in appearance within several decades of the end of the war. Posen speeches On 4 October 1943, during a secret meeting with top SS officials in the city of Poznań (Posen), and on 6 October 1943, in a speech to the party elite—the Gauleiters and Reichsleiters—Himmler referred explicitly to the "extermination" (German: Ausrottung) of the Jewish people. A translated excerpt from the speech of 4 October reads: I also want to refer here very frankly to a very difficult matter. We can now very openly talk about this among ourselves, and yet we will never discuss this publicly. Just as we did not hesitate on 30 June 1934, to perform our duty as ordered and put comrades who had failed up against the wall and execute them, we also never spoke about it, nor will we ever speak about it. Let us thank God that we had within us enough self-evident fortitude never to discuss it among us, and we never talked about it. Every one of us was horrified, and yet every one clearly understood that we would do it next time, when the order is given and when it becomes necessary. I am talking about the "Jewish evacuation": the extermination of the Jewish people. It is one of those things that is easily said. "The Jewish people is being exterminated", every Party member will tell you, "perfectly clear, it's part of our plans, we're eliminating the Jews, exterminating them, ha!, a small matter." And then they turn up, the upstanding 80 million Germans, and each one has his decent Jew. They say the others are all swines, but this particular one is a splendid Jew. But none has observed it, endured it. Most of you here know what it means when 100 corpses lie next to each other, when there are 500 or when there are 1,000. To have endured this and at the same time to have remained a decent person—with exceptions due to human weaknesses—has made us tough, and is a glorious chapter that has not and will not be spoken of. Because we know how difficult it would be for us if we still had Jews as secret saboteurs, agitators and rabble-rousers in every city, what with the bombings, with the burden and with the hardships of the war. If the Jews were still part of the German nation, we would most likely arrive now at the state we were at in 1916 and '17 ... Because the Allies had indicated that they were going to pursue criminal charges for German war crimes, Hitler tried to gain the loyalty and silence of his subordinates by making them all parties to the ongoing genocide. Hitler therefore authorised Himmler's speeches to ensure that all party leaders were complicit in the crimes and could not later deny knowledge of the killings. Germanisation policies and Generalplan Ost As Reich Commissioner for the Consolidation of German Nationhood (RKFDV) with the incorporated VoMi, Himmler was deeply involved in the Germanisation programme for the East, particularly Poland. As laid out in Generalplan Ost, the aim was to enslave, expel or exterminate the native population and to make Lebensraum ("living space") for Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans). He continued his plans to colonise the east, even when many Germans were reluctant to relocate there, and despite negative effects on the war effort. Approximately 11 million Slavic and 3.4 million Jewish inhabitants of Eastern Europe were killed in Nazi Germany's extermination campaigns during the implementation of Generalplan Ost. Himmler's racial groupings began with the Volksliste, the classification of people deemed of German blood. These included Germans who had collaborated with Germany before the war, but also those who considered themselves German but had been neutral; those who were partially "Polonised" but "Germanisable"; and Germans of Polish nationality. Himmler ordered that those who refused to be classified as ethnic Germans should be deported to concentration camps, have their children taken away, or be assigned to forced labour. Himmler's belief that "it is in the nature of German blood to resist" led to his conclusion that Balts or Slavs who resisted Germanisation were racially superior to more compliant ones. He declared that no drop of German blood would be lost or left behind to mingle with an "alien race". The plan also included the kidnapping of Eastern European children by Nazi Germany. Himmler urged: Obviously in such a mixture of peoples, there will always be some racially good types. Therefore, I think that it is our duty to take their children with us, to remove them from their environment, if necessary by robbing, or stealing them. Either we win over any good blood that we can use for ourselves and give it a place in our people, ... or we destroy that blood. The "racially valuable" children were to be removed from all contact with Poles and raised as Germans, with German names. Himmler declared: "We have faith above all in this our own blood, which has flowed into a foreign nationality through the vicissitudes of German history. We are convinced that our own philosophy and ideals will reverberate in the spirit of these children who racially belong to us." The children were to be adopted by German families. Children who passed muster at first but were later rejected were taken to Kinder KZ in Łódź Ghetto, where most of them eventually died. By January 1943, Himmler reported that 629,000 ethnic Germans had been resettled; however, most resettled Germans did not live in the envisioned small farms, but in temporary camps or quarters in towns. Half a million residents of the annexed Polish territories, as well as from Slovenia, Alsace, Lorraine, and Luxembourg were deported to the General Government or sent to Germany as slave labour. Himmler instructed that the German nation should view all foreign workers brought to Germany as a danger to their German blood. In accordance with German racial laws, sexual relations between Germans and foreigners were forbidden as Rassenschande (race defilement). 20 July plot On 20 July 1944, a group of German army officers led by Claus von Stauffenberg and including some of the highest-ranked members of the German armed forces attempted to assassinate Hitler, but failed to do so. The next day, Himmler formed a special commission that arrested over 5,000 suspected and known opponents of the regime. Hitler ordered brutal reprisals that resulted in the execution of more than 4,900 people. Though Himmler was embarrassed by his failure to uncover the plot, it led to an increase in his powers and authority. General Friedrich Fromm, commander-in-chief of the Replacement Army (Ersatzheer) and Stauffenberg's immediate superior, was one of those implicated in the conspiracy. Hitler removed Fromm from his post and named Himmler as his successor. Since the Replacement Army consisted of two million men, Himmler hoped to draw on these reserves to fill posts within the Waffen-SS. He appointed Hans Jüttner, director of the SS Leadership Main Office, as his deputy, and began to fill top Replacement Army posts with SS men. By November 1944, Himmler had merged the army officer recruitment department with that of the Waffen-SS and had successfully lobbied for an increase in the quotas for recruits to the SS. By this time, Hitler had appointed Himmler as Reichsminister of the Interior, succeeding Frick, and General Plenipotentiary for Administration (Generalbevollmächtigter für die Verwaltung). At the same time (24 August 1943) he also joined the six-member Council of Ministers for the Defence of the Reich, which operated as the war cabinet. In August 1944 Hitler authorised him to restructure the organisation and administration of the Waffen-SS, the army, and the police services. As head of the Replacement Army, Himmler was now responsible for prisoners of war. He was also in charge of the Wehrmacht penal system, and controlled the development of Wehrmacht armaments until January 1945. Command of army group On 6 June 1944, the Western Allied armies landed in northern France during Operation Overlord. In response, Army Group Upper Rhine (Heeresgruppe Oberrhein) group was formed to engage the advancing US 7th Army (under command of General Alexander Patch) and French 1st Army (led by General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny) in the Alsace region along the west bank of the Rhine. In late 1944, Hitler appointed Himmler commander-in-chief of Army Group Upper Rhine. On 26 September 1944, Hitler ordered Himmler to create special army units, the Volkssturm ("People's Storm" or "People's Army"). All males aged sixteen to sixty were eligible for conscription into this militia, over the protests of Armaments Minister Albert Speer, who noted that irreplaceable skilled workers were being removed from armaments production. Hitler confidently believed six million men could be raised, and the new units would "initiate a people's war against the invader". These hopes were wildly optimistic. In October 1944, children as young as fourteen were being enlisted. Because of severe shortages in weapons and equipment and lack of training, members of the Volkssturm were poorly prepared for combat, and about 175,000 of them died in the final months of the war. On 1 January 1945, Hitler and his generals launched Operation North Wind. The goal was to break through the lines of the US 7th Army and French 1st Army to support the southern thrust in the Battle of the Bulge (Ardennes offensive), the final major German offensive of the war. After limited initial gains by the Germans, the Americans halted the offensive. By 25 January, Operation North Wind had officially ended. On 25 January 1945, despite Himmler's lack of military experience, Hitler appointed him as commander of the hastily formed Army Group Vistula (Heeresgruppe Weichsel) to halt the Soviet Red Army's Vistula–Oder offensive into Pomerania – a decision that appalled the German General Staff. Himmler established his command centre at Schneidemühl, using his special train, Sonderzug Steiermark, as his headquarters. The train had only one telephone line, inadequate maps, and no signal detachment or radios with which to establish communication and relay military orders. Himmler seldom left the train, only worked about four hours per day, and insisted on a daily massage before commencing work and a lengthy nap after lunch. General Heinz Guderian talked to Himmler on 9 February and demanded that Operation Solstice, an attack from Pomerania against the northern flank of Marshal Georgy Zhukov's 1st Belorussian Front, should be in progress by the 16th. Himmler argued that he was not ready to commit himself to a specific date. Given Himmler's lack of qualifications as an army group commander, Guderian convinced himself that Himmler tried to conceal his incompetence. On 13 February Guderian met Hitler and demanded that General Walther Wenck be given a special mandate to command the offensive by Army Group Vistula. Hitler sent Wenck with a "special mandate", but without specifying Wenck's authority. The offensive was launched on 16 February 1945, but soon stuck in rain and mud, facing mine fields and strong antitank defences. That night Wenck was severely injured in a car accident, but it is doubtful that he could have salvaged the operation, as Guderian later claimed. Himmler ordered the offensive to stop on the 18th by a "directive for regrouping". Hitler officially ended Operation Solstice on 21 February and ordered Himmler to transfer a corps headquarter and three divisions to Army Group Center. Himmler was unable to devise any viable plans for completion of his military objectives. Under pressure from Hitler over the worsening military situation, Himmler became anxious and unable to give him coherent reports. When the counter-attack failed to stop the Soviet advance, Hitler held Himmler personally liable and accused him of not following orders. Himmler's military command ended on 20 March, when Hitler replaced him with General Gotthard Heinrici as Commander-in-Chief of Army Group Vistula. By this time Himmler, who had been under the care of his doctor since 18 February, had fled to the Hohenlychen Sanatorium. Hitler sent Guderian on a forced medical leave of absence, and he reassigned his post as chief of staff to Hans Krebs on 29 March. Himmler's failure and Hitler's response marked a serious deterioration in the relationship between the two men. By that time, the inner circle of people Hitler trusted was rapidly shrinking. Peace negotiations In March 1945, the German war effort was on the verge of collapse and Himmler's relationship with Hitler had deteriorated. Himmler considered independently negotiating a peace settlement. His masseur, Felix Kersten, who had moved to Sweden, acted as an intermediary in negotiations with Count Folke Bernadotte, head of the Swedish Red Cross. Letters were exchanged between the two men, and direct meetings were arranged by Walter Schellenberg of the RSHA. Also in March 1945, Himmler issued a directive that Jews were to be marched from the South-east wall (Südostwall) fortifications construction project on the Austro-Hungarian border, to Mauthausen. He desired hostages for potential peace negotiations. Thousands died on the marches. Himmler and Hitler met for the last time on 20 April 1945—Hitler's birthday—in Berlin, and Himmler swore unswerving loyalty to Hitler. At a military briefing on that day, Hitler stated that he would not leave Berlin, in spite of Soviet advances. Along with Göring, Himmler quickly left the city after the briefing. On 21 April, Himmler met with Norbert Masur, a Swedish representative of the World Jewish Congress, to discuss the release of Jewish concentration camp inmates. As a result of these negotiations, about 20,000 people were released in the White Buses operation. Himmler falsely claimed in the meeting that the crematoria at camps had been built to deal with the bodies of prisoners who had died in a typhus epidemic. He also claimed very high survival rates for the camps at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, even as these sites were liberated and it became obvious that his figures were false. On 23 April, Himmler met directly with Bernadotte at the Swedish consulate in Lübeck. Representing himself as the provisional leader of Germany, he claimed that Hitler would be dead within the next few days. Hoping that the British and Americans would fight the Soviets alongside what remained of the Wehrmacht, Himmler asked Bernadotte to inform General Dwight Eisenhower that Germany wished to surrender to the Western Allies, and not to the Soviet Union. Bernadotte asked Himmler to put his proposal in writing, and Himmler obliged. Meanwhile, Göring had sent a telegram, a few hours earlier, asking Hitler for permission to assume leadership of the Reich in his capacity as Hitler's designated deputy—an act that Hitler, under the prodding of Martin Bormann, interpreted as a demand to step down or face a coup. On 27 April, Himmler's SS representative at Hitler's HQ in Berlin, Hermann Fegelein, was caught in civilian clothes preparing to desert; he was arrested and brought back to the Führerbunker. On the evening of 28 April, the BBC broadcast a Reuters news report about Himmler's attempted negotiations with the western Allies. Hitler had long considered Himmler to be second only to Joseph Goebbels in loyalty; he called Himmler "the loyal Heinrich" (German: der treue Heinrich). Hitler flew into a rage at this betrayal, and told those still with him in the bunker complex that Himmler's secret negotiations were the worst treachery he had ever known. Hitler ordered Himmler's arrest, and Fegelein was court-martialled and shot. By this time, the Soviets had advanced to the Potsdamer Platz, only 300 m (330 yd) from the Reich Chancellery, and were preparing to storm the Chancellery. This report, combined with Himmler's treachery, prompted Hitler to write his last will and testament. In the testament, completed on 29 April—one day before his suicide—Hitler declared both Himmler and Göring to be traitors. He stripped Himmler of all of his party and state offices and expelled him from the Nazi Party. Hitler named Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz as his successor. Himmler met Dönitz in Flensburg and offered himself as second-in-command. He maintained that he was entitled to a position in Dönitz's interim government as Reichsführer-SS, believing the SS would be in a good position to restore and maintain order after the war. Dönitz repeatedly rejected Himmler's overtures and initiated peace negotiations with the Allies. He wrote a letter on 6 May—two days before the German Instrument of Surrender—dismissing Himmler from all his posts. Capture and death Rejected by his former comrades and hunted by the Allies, Himmler attempted to go into hiding. He had not made extensive preparations for this, but he carried a forged paybook under the name of Sergeant Heinrich Hizinger. On 11 May 1945, with a small band of companions, he headed south to Friedrichskoog, without a final destination in mind. They continued to Neuhaus, where the group split up. On 21 May, Himmler and two aides were stopped and detained at a checkpoint in Bremervörde set up by former Soviet POWs. Over the following two days, he was moved around to several camps and was brought to the British 31st Civilian Interrogation Camp near Lüneburg, on 23 May. The officials noticed that Himmler's identity papers bore a stamp which British military intelligence had seen being used by fleeing members of the SS. The duty officer, Captain Thomas Selvester, began a routine interrogation. Himmler admitted who he was, and Selvester had the prisoner searched. Himmler was taken to the headquarters of the Second British Army in Lüneburg, where a doctor conducted a medical exam on him. The doctor attempted to examine the inside of Himmler's mouth, but the prisoner was reluctant to open it and jerked his head away. Himmler then bit into a hidden potassium cyanide pill and collapsed onto the floor. He was dead within 15 minutes, despite efforts to expel the poison from his system. Shortly afterward, Himmler's body was buried in an unmarked grave near Lüneburg. The grave's location remains unknown. Mysticism and symbolism Himmler was interested in mysticism and the occult from an early age. He tied this interest into his racist philosophy, looking for proof of Aryan and Nordic racial superiority from ancient times. He promoted a cult of ancestor worship, particularly among members of the SS, as a way to keep the race pure and provide immortality to the nation. Viewing the SS as an "order" along the lines of the Teutonic Knights, he had them take over the Church of the Teutonic Order in Vienna in 1939. He began the process of replacing Christianity with a new moral code that rejected humanitarianism and challenged the Christian concept of marriage. The Ahnenerbe, a research society founded by Himmler in 1935, searched the globe for proof of the superiority and ancient origins of the Germanic race. All regalia and uniforms of Nazi Germany, particularly those of the SS, used symbolism in their designs. The stylised lightning bolt logo of the SS was chosen in 1932. The logo is a pair of runes from a set of 18 Armanen runes created by Guido von List in 1906. The ancient Sowilō rune originally symbolised the sun, but was renamed "Sieg" (victory) in List's iconography. Himmler modified a variety of existing customs to emphasise the elitism and central role of the SS; an SS naming ceremony was to replace baptism, marriage ceremonies were to be altered, a separate SS funeral ceremony was to be held in addition to Christian ceremonies, and SS-centric celebrations of the summer and winter solstices were instituted. The Totenkopf (death's head) symbol, used by German military units for hundreds of years, had been chosen for the SS by Julius Schreck. Himmler placed particular importance on the death's-head rings; they were never to be sold, and were to be returned to him upon the death of the owner. He interpreted the death's-head symbol to mean solidarity to the cause and a commitment unto death. Relationship with Hitler As second in command of the SS and then Reichsführer-SS, Himmler was in regular contact with Hitler to arrange for SS men as bodyguards; Himmler was not involved with Nazi Party policy-making decisions in the years leading up to the seizure of power. From the late 1930s, the SS was independent of the control of other state agencies or government departments, and he reported only to Hitler. Hitler promoted and practised the Führerprinzip. The principle required absolute obedience of all subordinates to their superiors; thus Hitler viewed the government structure as a pyramid, with himself—the infallible leader—at the apex. Accordingly, Himmler placed himself in a position of subservience to Hitler, and was unconditionally obedient to him. However, he—like other top Nazi officials—had aspirations to one day succeed Hitler as leader of the Reich. Himmler considered Speer to be an especially dangerous rival, both in the Reich administration and as a potential successor to Hitler. Hitler called Himmler's mystical and pseudoreligious interests "nonsense". Himmler was not a member of Hitler's inner circle; the two men were not very close, and rarely saw each other socially. Himmler socialised almost exclusively with other members of the SS. His unconditional loyalty and efforts to please Hitler earned him the nickname of der treue Heinrich ("the faithful Heinrich"). However, in the last days of the war, when it became clear that Hitler planned to die in Berlin, Himmler left his long-time superior to try to save himself. Marriage and family Himmler met his future wife, Margarete Boden, in 1927. Seven years his senior, she was a nurse who shared his interest in herbal medicine and homoeopathy, and was part owner of a small private clinic. They were married in July 1928, and their only child, Gudrun, was born on 8 August 1929. The couple were also foster parents to a boy named Gerhard von Ahe, son of an SS officer who had died before the war. Margarete sold her share of the clinic and used the proceeds to buy a plot of land in Waldtrudering, near Munich, where they erected a prefabricated house. Himmler was constantly away on party business, so his wife took charge of their efforts—mostly unsuccessful—to raise livestock for sale. They had a dog, Töhle. After the Nazis came to power the family moved first to Möhlstrasse in Munich, and in 1934 to Tegernsee, where they bought a house. Himmler also later obtained a large house in the Berlin suburb of Dahlem, free of charge, as an official residence. The couple saw little of each other as Himmler became totally absorbed by work. The relationship was strained. The couple did unite for social functions; they were frequent guests at the Heydrich home. Margarete saw it as her duty to invite the wives of the senior SS leaders over for afternoon coffee and tea on Wednesday afternoons. Hedwig Potthast, Himmler's young secretary starting in 1936, became his mistress by 1939. She left her job in 1941. He arranged accommodation for her, first in Mecklenburg and later at Berchtesgaden. He fathered two children with her: a son, Helge (born 15 February 1942, Mecklenburg) and a daughter, Nanette Dorothea (born 20 July 1944, Berchtesgaden). Margarete, by then living in Gmund with her daughter, learned of the relationship sometime in 1941; she and Himmler were already separated, and she decided to tolerate the relationship for the sake of her daughter. Working as a nurse for the German Red Cross during the war, Margarete was appointed supervisor in one of Germany's military districts, Wehrkreis III (Berlin-Brandenburg). Himmler was close to his first daughter, Gudrun, whom he nicknamed Püppi ("dolly"); he phoned her every few days and visited as often as he could. Margarete's diaries record that Gerhard left the National Political Educational Institute in Berlin due to poor examination results. At 16 he joined the SS in Brno and fought on the Eastern Front. He was captured by the Russians but was later returned to Germany. Hedwig and Margarete both remained loyal to Himmler. Writing to Gebhard in February 1945, Margarete said, "How wonderful that he has been called to great tasks and is equal to them. The whole of Germany is looking to him." Hedwig expressed similar sentiments in a letter to Himmler in January. Margarete and Gudrun left Gmund as Allied troops advanced into the area. They were arrested by American troops in Bolzano, Italy, and held in various internment camps in Italy, France, and Germany. They were brought to Nuremberg to testify at the trials and were released in November 1946. Gudrun emerged from the experience embittered by her alleged mistreatment and remained devoted to her father's memory. She later worked for the West German spy agency Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) from 1961 to 1963. Historical assessment Peter Longerich observes that Himmler's ability to consolidate his ever-increasing powers and responsibilities into a coherent system under the auspices of the SS led him to become one of the most powerful men in the Third Reich. Historian Wolfgang Sauer says that "although he was pedantic, dogmatic, and dull, Himmler emerged under Hitler as second in actual power. His strength lay in a combination of unusual shrewdness, burning ambition, and servile loyalty to Hitler." In 2008, the German news magazine Der Spiegel described Himmler as one of the most brutal mass murderers in history and the architect of the Holocaust. Historian John Toland relates a story by Günter Syrup, a subordinate of Heydrich. Heydrich showed him a picture of Himmler and said: "The top half is the teacher, but the lower half is the sadist." Historian Adrian Weale comments that Himmler and the SS followed Hitler's policies without question or ethical considerations. Himmler accepted Hitler and Nazi ideology and saw the SS as a chivalric Teutonic order of new Germans. Himmler adopted the doctrine of Auftragstaktik ("mission command"), whereby orders were given as broad directives, with authority delegated downward to the appropriate level to carry them out in a timely and efficient manner. Weale states that the SS ideology gave the men a doctrinal framework, and the mission command tactics allowed the junior officers leeway to act on their own initiative to obtain the desired results. See also Glossary of Nazi Germany Heinrich Himmler papers Lebensborn List of Nazi Party leaders and officials List of SS personnel References Notes Citations Bibliography Printed External links List of Himmler speeches This list of Himmler speeches includes online sources and material in the US National Archives. Heinrich Himmler at the Holocaust Research Project Register of the Heinrich Himmler Papers, 1914–1944 at the Hoover Institution Archives Footage of Himmler's corpse and the cyanide capsule he used to kill himself Newspaper clippings about Heinrich Himmler in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
Jan-Michael Gambill	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Jan-Michael Gambill.	Tell me a bio of Jan-Michael Gambill.	Tell me a bio of Jan-Michael Gambill within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Jan-Michael Gambill with around 100 words.	Jan-Michael Charles Gambill (born June 3, 1977) is an American former professional tennis player who made his professional debut in 1996. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 14, which he achieved on June 18, 2001. Best known for his unusual double-handed forehand, Gambill reached the quarterfinals of the 2000 Wimbledon Championships, the final of the 2001 Miami Masters, and won three singles titles. Early life Gambill spent the early years of his life in the countryside of Spokane, Washington. He currently resides in both Los Angeles and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii with his partner, architect and developer Malek Alqadi. While Jan-Michael has been sponsored by car manufacturer Jaguar, he also supports real-life Jaguars and tigers through Cat Tales Zoological Park, an organization dedicated to saving the lives of big cats. Gambill has also raised money for his long-time friend Sir Elton John's charity, the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Gambill's career as a professional athlete has evolved into coaching tennis players as well as being an international analyst for BeIn sports. Gambill was also sponsored by Prince for both his racquets and apparel. Tennis career 1996–2005 Gambill began playing tennis at the age of five, looking up to multiple Grand Slam singles titlists Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. He has defeated, amongst other top players, former World No. 1s, Roger Federer, Carlos Moyá, Lleyton Hewitt, Gustavo Kuerten, Marcelo Ríos, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi, as well as Grand Slam champions Michael Chang, Thomas Johansson, Sergi Bruguera, and Gastón Gaudio. His best performances at Grand Slams have been reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2000 and the fourth round of the US Open in 2002. His run at Wimbledon in 2000 saw him beat Lleyton Hewitt, Fabrice Santoro, Paul Goldstein and Thomas Enqvist before losing to eventual champion Pete Sampras. His run to the final of the 2001 Miami Masters included wins over Hewitt, Gaudio, and Thomas Enqvist. He was coached by his father Chuck Gambill (1947–2020), who coached Jan-Michael's younger brother Torrey, who was also a professional tennis player. Throughout his career, Gambill was hampered by numerous injuries. Most prominently, while still in the world's top 40, he suffered a recurring shin condition, which severely limited him on the ATP Tour after 2004. He also started serving harder to try and compensate for lack of movement, which resulted in a shoulder injury. Post–2005 Gambill played for the Boston Lobsters in the World Team Tennis league from 2008 onwards, alongside other successful American players such as Andre Agassi, John Isner, and Robby Ginepri. In September 2009, Gambill reached the semifinals of the USA F23 Futures tournament (losing to second seed Michael McClune) in his first pro match of the year. He competed in three Challenger events in 2010, and reached the quarterfinals of the USA F25 Futures in Irvine, California. Since October 2010, Gambill has not competed on the pro tour. Since July 2011, he has coached top 10 player CoCo Vandeweghe, his former Boston Lobsters teammate, on the WTA Tour. In 2017, he coached top 50 player Jared Donaldson on the ATP Tour. As of 2020, he is currently in broadcasting and television as a Sports Analyst on the Tennis Channel. Personal life Gambill is gay and in a relationship with architectural designer and developer Malek Alqadi. ATP Tour finals Singles (3 titles, 4 runner-ups) Performance timeline References External links Jan-Michael Gambill at the Association of Tennis Professionals Jan-Michael Gambill at the International Tennis Federation Jan-Michael Gambill at the Davis Cup
Muhammad Al-Hafiz	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Muhammad Al-Hafiz.	Tell me a bio of Muhammad Al-Hafiz.	Tell me a bio of Muhammad Al-Hafiz within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Muhammad Al-Hafiz with around 100 words.	Al-Hafiz Hamzah (born 15 March 1984) is a former Malaysian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. Club career Kedah FA He was a product of Kedah's youth system (President Cup team), and started in the junior squad during the 2002 season, but it was not until 2004 that he debuted in the senior side, replacing Megat Amir Faisal Al Khalidi Ibrahim. In 2004, where Malaysian football was introduced with the Malaysia Super League, Al-Hafiz became a second choice goalkeeper behind Megat Amir Faisal after Mirandinha brought him into the senior squad. However, he had been given a chance and made his debut in the first league match against Selangor Public Bank FC on 14 February 2004 after Megat Amir Faisal had a serious back injury during the pre-season preparations. USM FC Al-Hafiz joined Premier league side, USM FC, in the 2012 season. Johor Darul Takzim FC Al-Hafiz joined the star-studded squad, Johor Darul Takzim F.C., in 2013, after USM FC management cited financial difficulties as the reason for the decision to pull out of the Malaysia Premier League. He got off to a mixed start for the 2013 season but managed to cement his place as a first-choice goalkeeper throughout the season. Honours Club honours Johor Darul Takzim Malaysian Charity Shield: 2015 Winner Malaysia Super League (2): 2014, 2015 2014 Malaysia Cup: Runner Up 2013 Malaysia FA Cup: Runner Up References External links Muhammad Al-Hafiz at Soccerway
Tracy Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Tracy Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort.	Tell me a bio of Tracy Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort.	Tell me a bio of Tracy Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Tracy Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort with around 100 words.	Tracy Louise Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (née Ward; born 22 December 1958) is a British duchess, environmental activist, and former actress. She is usually known as Tracy Worcester, the married style that she often used before 2017, and as an actress was credited as Tracy-Louise Ward. She was previously married to the 12th Duke of Beaufort. Life and career Born in Kensington, Tracy Louise Ward is a daughter of the Hon. Peter Alistair Ward, a younger son of the 3rd Earl of Dudley. Her father became chairman of the family business, Baggeridge Brick. His first wife, Clare Leonora Baring, was the only child of the gentleman cricketer Giles Baring. Tracy is the sister of the actress Rachel Ward. She also has one brother and two half-brothers from her father's second marriage. Her great-grandfather, the 2nd Earl of Dudley, was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the early 20th century, and then Governor-General of Australia. He was the son of the 1st Earl of Dudley and Georgina, Countess of Dudley, and owned nearly 30,000 acres in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, two hundred coal and iron mines, and several iron works, including the Round Oak Steelworks. She grew up on her father's estate at Cornwell, Oxfordshire. After school, she worked as a model in Paris and then at Christie's in London, before working in various art galleries in New York. In her early twenties, she trained as an actress, first at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, London, and then at the London Drama School. From her acting career, she is best remembered for her role as Tessa Robinson in the television detective series C.A.T.S. Eyes (1986–1987). She also appeared in the film Dance with a Stranger and the Doctor Who serial Timelash, both in 1985, and played the first Miss Scarlett in the television drama game show Cluedo (1990). Her theatre credits include: Our Day Out (Nottingham Playhouse) and Intimacy (Café Theatre). Personal life On 13 June 1987, she married Henry, Marquess of Worcester, known to his friends as Bunter, a landowner and chartered surveyor who is the oldest son and heir of the 11th Duke of Beaufort. The wedding was attended by both Charles III, then Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. The Worcesters divorced in 2018, shortly after Henry had succeeded his father as 12th Duke of Beaufort. They have three children, including Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester. Campaigner In 1989, Tracy Worcester began volunteering with Friends of the Earth. Since then, she has been active in green politics as a trustee of The Gaia Foundation, former Associate Director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture, trustee of The Schumacher Society and the Bath Environment Centre, on the Council of the UK's Soil Association, and former member of the International Forum on Globalisation. She was a member of the Referendum Party, which opposed Britain's involvement in the European Union. Since 1989, Worcester has been networking, fund raising, writing, making documentaries and public speaking to promote a more local food economy. Her feature-length films include Is Small Still Beautiful in India, and The Politics of Happiness in Bhutan. She produced a documentary film Pig Business, broadcast on Channel 4 in 2009, highlighting the environmental and health impacts of intensive factory pig farming. She founded and directs Farms Not Factories, a campaigning organisation that encourages people to only buy high-welfare meat from local, independent farmers. She lobbies the government and urges citizens to re-localise the food economy by buying locally produced food wherever possible. She has directed publicity stunts with celebrities such as Jerome Flynn and Dominic West in order to bring attention to intensive factory farms being built in the UK. She has worked with celebrity chefs including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mark Hix to encourage people to only buy high welfare pork. She has purchased shares in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Domino's and Greggs, and attended shareholder meetings in order to campaign against high street food chains sourcing pork from factory farms. She has previously gone undercover to expose the conditions inside UK factory pig farms. During the campaign for the 2015 general election, she was one of several public figures who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas. She canvassed for Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 general election, and now supports George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain. She was one of the nine people who put up bail sureties for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in 2012. In 2020, she established a chemical-free organic market garden venture named Forbidden Fruit and Veg, which operates inside the walled garden at her estate in Badminton. The head grower, along with the trainees, are all WWOOF participants who reside in her home. She publishes a monthly newsletter. Ancestry References External links http://farmsnotfactories.org Pig Business The Film Tracy Louise Ward at IMDb Caroline Boucher "The green marchioness: Caroline Boucher meets eco warrior Tracy Worcester at home in Badminton". Observer Food Monthly Sunday 20 August 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2008. Tracy Worcester Articles by Tracy Worcester The New Statesman.
Josh Mansour	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Josh Mansour.	Tell me a bio of Josh Mansour.	Tell me a bio of Josh Mansour within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Josh Mansour with around 100 words.	Joshua Mansour (Arabic: جوش منصور; born 17 June 1990) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger. He represented Lebanon and Australia at international level. He previously played for the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League, and for Newtown Jets in the NSW Cup. At representative level he played for the Prime Minister's XIII, NSW City Origin and New South Wales in the State of Origin series. Early life Mansour was born in Sydney, Australia. He is of Lebanese and Cuban descent through his father, Fidel, who was born north of Beirut, Lebanon, and is of Portuguese descent through his mother, Angie, who was born in the Madeira archipelago. He played junior rugby league for the St Johns Eagles and the Kingsgrove Colts, and attended Holy Spirit College in Lakemba during his high school years. Playing career After being cut from the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' S. G. Ball Cup side, Mansour attended an open trial for the North Sydney Bears and was subsequently signed by the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing in their NYC team between 2008 and 2010. Mansour was selected in 2010 as Winger of the Year NYC and was chosen as the NYC Player of the Year at the Rabbitohs. He represented Lebanon in the 2009 European Cup, and played for the Junior Kangaroos in 2010. Mansour graduated to South Sydney's full-time training squad in 2011, playing for their feeder team, the North Sydney Bears, in the New South Wales Cup. After a number of strong performances for Norths, Mansour caught the attention of Phil Gould at the Penrith Panthers who offered him a contract for the 2012 season. 2012 In round 9, Mansour made his NRL debut for the Penrith Panthers at Penrith Stadium on the wing in the 10–44 loss against the Melbourne Storm. Mansour scored a try on debut. He was named the Panthers rookie of the year after playing in 14 matches and scoring 7 tries in his debut year. 2013 On 5 March, Mansour extended his contract with the club to the end of the 2014 season. In round 23, against the New Zealand Warriors, Mansour scored a spectacular put down of the ball just before going into the in goal in the 28–24 win at Mt Smart Stadium. Mansour played in 14 matches and scored 4 tries in 2013. 2014 In February, Mansour played in the Panthers inaugural Auckland Nines squad. On 3 June, he re-signed, keeping him at the Panthers until the end of the 2016 season after declining a lucrative offer from the Canberra Raiders. Mansour finished the season as the Panthers highest tryscorer with 15 tries in 22 matches. On 12 October, Mansour played on the wing and scored a try for Prime Minister's XIII in the 34–16 win over Papua New Guinea. He made his Australian international debut against New Zealand national rugby league team on 25 October in the Four Nations, where the Kiwis won 30–12 at Suncorp Stadium. Mansour scored his first try in the green and gold of Australia against Samoa in Australia's 44–18 victory at WIN Stadium, and played in the 22–18 Four Nations final loss against New Zealand. 2015 Mansour scored 6 tries from 12 games in 2015. He was named in the Lebanon 48-man train-on squad ahead of two 2017 Rugby League World Cup qualifiers against South Africa, however he didn't take part in either match. 2016 In February, Mansour played in the Panthers Auckland Nines. On 8 May, he played for NSW City Origin against Country, scoring a try in the 44–30 win, and was soon after rewarded with selection in the New South Wales State of Origin squad. On 1 June, Mansour made his debut for New South Wales against Queensland, playing on the wing in the 4–6 loss at ANZ Stadium. Mansour featured in all 3 matches for Blues on the wing in their 2–1 series loss in the 2016 State of Origin series. At the 2016 Dally M Awards night, Mansour was awarded as the Winger of the Year. Mansour finished the season with 25 matches and being the Panthers highest try-scorer with 16 tries. At the end of the year, Mansour was named in the Australian 2016 Four Nations 24-man squad. Mansour played in one match of the tournament, in the first round against Scotland, where he played on the wing and scored 2 tries in the 54–12 win at Craven Park in Hull. On 3 November, Mansour suffered a serious knee injury during a freak mishap at training during a game of touch footy when he collided with Dragons star Josh Dugan, ruling Mansour from the tournament and the first half of the 2017 season. 2017 On 4 June 2017, Mansour played his first game for the season after returning from a serious knee injury. He scored a try in Penrith's 38–0 demolition of Canterbury at Stadium Australia. On 2 September 2017, Mansour played his 100th NRL game against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. At the end of the season, Mansour was chosen in The Australian squad for The 2017 Rugby League World Cup. Mansour played in a match against France and then played in the match against Lebanon where he marked up against lookalike Abbas Miski. Australia went on to win The 2017 World Cup but Mansour did not feature in the final. 2018 Mansour started the season well for Penrith until suffering a shocking facial injury in Round 6 against the Gold Coast Titans when he was accidentally kneed in the face by Gold Coast winger Anthony Don. After having surgery on his badly fractured face, Mansour said "The biggest risk was obviously losing my eye, My surgeon has done over 2000 people and he reckons he has only seen a dozen like this, and they are all from motor accidents and soldiers". On 17 April, Mansour signed a three-year contract extension to stay at Penrith until the end of the 2021 season. 2019 Mansour started the 2019 NRL season as one of the club's first choice wingers. Mansour scored his first try of the season in Round 5 against the Gold Coast in a 30–24 defeat. On 14 May 2019, Mansour was demoted to reserve grade by coach Ivan Cleary as Penrith had only won 2 out of 9 matches to start the season. Mansour only spent the 1 week in reserve grade for Penrith before being recalled back to the first team. Mansour subsequently played on the wing as Penrith defeated Parramatta 16–10 at the new Western Sydney Stadium. Mansour made a total of 19 appearances for Penrith in the 2019 NRL season and scored one try as the club finished 10th on the table and missed out on the finals for the first time since 2015. 2020 In round 4 of the 2020 NRL season, Mansour scored his first try in 14 months as Penrith defeated the New Zealand Warriors 26–0 at the Campbelltown Sports Ground. In round 15, Mansour played his 150th first grade game and scored two tries as Penrith defeated Cronulla-Sutherland 38–12 at Penrith Stadium. Mansour played a total of 22 games and scored 12 tries for Penrith in the 2020 NRL season as the club claimed the Minor Premiership and reached the 2020 NRL Grand Final. Mansour played on the wing for Penrith in the final and scored a try in the first half which was disallowed when the score was 6–0 in Melbourne's favour. In the second half, Mansour scored a try but it wasn't enough for Penrith who lost 26–20. On 8 November, Mansour was informed by the Penrith club that he could seek an early release from his contract after learning that he would not be required for the 2021 season. Mansour told Fairfax Media columnist Danny Weidler he was summoned to meet Penrith coach Ivan Cleary and football manager Matt Cameron at a Homebush restaurant 48 hours after Penrith's grand-final loss to Melbourne where he was informed of the news. 2021 On 13 January, Mansour signed a two-year deal to join South Sydney. In round 1 of the 2021 NRL season, he made his debut for Souths in a 26–18 loss against Melbourne. After being demoted to reserve grade before round 2, Mansour was recalled to the Souths squad for round 3. Mansour scored his first official try for Souths in a 26–16 victory over arch rivals the Sydney Roosters. In round 19, Mansour scored two tries for South Sydney in a 60–22 victory over the New Zealand Warriors. In round 21, he scored two tries in a 40–12 victory over Parramatta. The following week, Mansour scored another two tries for South Sydney in their 36–6 victory over the Gold Coast. On 24 August, Mansour was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury in South Sydney's round 23 loss against Penrith. 2022 Mansour was limited to only five games for South Sydney in the 2022 NRL season where he scored two tries. In the opening group stage match of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, Mansour scored the opening try for Lebanon in their 34–12 loss against New Zealand. In the final group stage match, Mansour scored a hat-trick in Lebanon's 74–12 victory over Jamaica. On 1 November, Mansour was released by the South Sydney club. 2023 On 19 February, Mansour played for Newtown in a pre-season trial against Canterbury at the Belmore Sports Ground. On 28 February, Mansour joined Newtown for the 2023 season as a free agent. On 21 November, Mansour announced his retirement via Instagram. 2024 On 18 March, Mansour publicly criticised South Sydney head coach Jason Demetriou on the Bye Round podcast hosted by James Graham. Mansour went on to say "I didn't see eye-to-eye with the coach, which was a shame ... we just didn't have a good rapport, "I feel like every time he spoke to me he didn't live up to what he was saying and I let it get to me. I'm a man of my word, I was holding him to every conversation we had. I was so frustrated that final year". Mansour also claimed he was getting mixed messages from Demetriou and also accused him of being dishonest. Mansour gave an example of when he was allegedly told by Demetriou that he was going to be picked for a game but then not selected. Mansour also alleged that during South Sydney's end of season team meeting he was shown on a screen of leaving players without knowing any of this information. Mansour went on to say "We get to the end of the year, we're in the video room and they said 'we're going to put in a little farewell video for the guys that are leaving and want to thank them for their time' ... and I was the first one there, "I didn't even know that I was leaving. I was the first one on the clip. I wasn't surprised with all the stuff that happened before. But yeah, it was a very sad time to leave Souths unfortunately". Statistics Personal life Mansour's wife, Daniella, gave birth to their first child, Siana, on 2 November 2017. Their second child, Andre, was born on 31 July 2019. Mansour is a fan of Arsenal F.C. Mansour is founder and co-owner of a podcast and YouTube show called Let’s Trot Show. References External links Penrith Panthers profile Archived 7 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine Panthers profile Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine 2017 RLWC profile
Carlos P. Romulo	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Carlos P. Romulo.	Tell me a bio of Carlos P. Romulo.	Tell me a bio of Carlos P. Romulo within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Carlos P. Romulo with around 100 words.	Carlos Peña Romulo Sr. (January 14, 1899 – December 15, 1985) was a Filipino diplomat, statesman, soldier, journalist and author. He was a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, a general in the US Army and the Philippine Army, university president, and president of the United Nations General Assembly. He has been named as one of the Philippines's national artists in literature, and was the recipient of many other honors and honorary degrees. Romulo believed in anti-colonialism and internationalism, as well as held Pro-American, anti-communist, anti-fascist, and economically and politically liberal beliefs. Early career Carlos Romulo was born in Intramuros, Manila on January 14, 1899. His parents were Pangasinense. His father fought against the United States in the Philippine-American War. His father transitioned to working for the U.S. government in the Philippines after the war, rising through the ranks as town councilor, mayor, and eventually the governor of Tarlac province. He studied at the Camiling Central Elementary School during his basic education. Romulo became a professor of English at the University of the Philippines in 1923. Simultaneously, Romulo served as the secretary to the president of the Senate of the Philippines, Manuel Quezon. Publishing During the 1930s, Romulo became the publisher and editor of The Philippines Herald, and one of his reporters was Yay Panlilio. On October 31, 1936, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) was given a legislative charter under Commonwealth Act No. 111. Romulo served as one of the vice presidents of the organization. World War II At the start of World War II, Romulo, a major, served as an aide to General Douglas MacArthur. He was one of the last men evacuated from the Philippines before the surrender of U.S. Forces to the invading Japanese, as illness had prevented him from departing with MacArthur, finally leaving from Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao on April 25. Active in propaganda efforts, particularly through the lecture circuit, after reaching the United States, he became a member of President Quezon's War Cabinet, being appointed Secretary of Information in 1943. He reached the rank of general by the end of the war. Position on independence Romulo supported Philippine independence. As the United States had promised Philippine independence in the Jones Act of 1916, Romulo believed that independence was inevitable. Romulo tended to portray American imperialism in a favorable light compared to European imperialism. Diplomatic career Romulo served eight Philippine presidents, from Manuel L. Quezon to Ferdinand Marcos, as the secretary of foreign affairs of the Philippines and as the country's representative to the United States and to the United Nations (UN). He also served as the resident commissioner to the U.S. House of Representatives during the Commonwealth era. In addition, he served also as the secretary of education in President Diosdado P. Macapagal's and President Ferdinand E. Marcos's cabinet through 1962 to 1968. Resident commissioner Romulo served as resident commissioner of the Philippines to the United States Congress from 1944 to 1946. This was the title of the non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for lands taken in the Spanish–American War, and as such, he is the only member of the U.S. Congress to end his tenure via a legal secession from the union. United Nations In his career in the UN, Romulo was a strong advocate of human rights, freedom, and decolonization. In 1948, at the third UN General Assembly in Paris, France, he strongly disagreed with a proposal made by the Soviet delegation headed by Andrei Vishinsky, who challenged his credentials by insulting him with this quote: "You are just a little man from a little country." In return, Romulo replied, "It is the duty of the little Davids of this world to fling the pebbles of truth in the eyes of the blustering Goliaths and force them to behave!", leaving Vishinsky with nothing left to do but sit down. Palestine partition plan In the days preceding the UN General Assembly vote on the Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947, Romulo stated "We hold that the issue is primarily moral. The issue is whether the United Nations should accept responsibility for the enforcement of a policy which is clearly repugnant to the valid nationalist aspirations of the people of Palestine. The Philippines Government holds that the United Nations ought not to accept such responsibility." Thus, he clearly intended to oppose the partition plan, or at most abstain in the vote. However, pressure on the Philippines government from Washington led to Romulo being recalled, and was replaced by a Philippines representative who voted in favor of the partition plan. President of the UN General Assembly Romulo served as the president of the fourth session of UN General Assembly from 1949 to 1950—the first Asian to hold the position—and served as president of the UN Security Council four times, twice in 1957, 1980 and 1981. He had served with General MacArthur in the Pacific, and became the first non-American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Correspondence in 1942. The Pulitzer Prize website states that Carlos P. Romulo was awarded "for his observations and forecasts of Far Eastern developments during a tour of the trouble centers from Hong Kong to Batavia". Campaign for secretary-general Romulo ran for the office of UN secretary-general in the 1953 selection. He fell two votes short of the required seven-vote majority in the Security Council, finishing second to Lester B. Pearson of Canada. His ambitions were further dashed by negative votes from France and the Soviet Union, both of whom were permanent members with veto power. The Security Council eventually settled on a dark horse candidate and selected Dag Hammarskjöld to be UN secretary-general. Ambassador to the United States From January 1952 to May 1953, Romulo became the second former member of the Congress to become the ambassador to the United States from a foreign country, following Joaquín M. Elizalde, who had been his immediate predecessor in both posts. He later served as ambassador again from September 1955 to February 1962. Return to the Philippines Philippine presidential elections Romulo returned to the Philippines and was a candidate for the nomination as the presidential candidate for the Liberal Party, but lost at the party convention to the incumbent president, Elpidio Quirino. Quirino had agreed to a secret ballot at the convention, but after the convention opened, he demanded an open roll-call voting, leaving the delegates no choice but to support Quirino, the candidate of the party machine. Feeling betrayed, Romulo left the Liberal Party and became national campaign manager of Ramon Magsaysay, the candidate of the opposing Nacionalista Party, who won the election in 1953. Minister of Foreign Affairs Romulo served as the Philippines' secretary (minister from 1973 to 1984) of foreign affairs under President Elpidio Quirino from 1950 to 1952, under President Diosdado Macapagal from 1963 to 1964, and under President Ferdinand Marcos from 1968 to 1984. Bandung Conference In April 1955, he led the Philippines' delegation to the Asian-African Conference at Bandung, Indonesia. During the conference, his opinions remained unpopular among Asian countries. Romulo warned against the threats of communism in Asia and justified that SEATO as a purely defensive and non-aggressive security pact. However, his suggestions were not included in the final communique of the conference. Participating countries viewed that colonialism, racialism, cultural suppression, discrimination, and nuclear weapons were considered regional threats. Resignation from the Marcos cabinet Romulo supported President Ferdinand Marcos through most of his presidency. However, he resigned in 1983, soon after the assassination of Benigno Aquino, citing poor health. Gregorio Brillantes interviewed Romulo in 1984, and Romulo said he resigned "heartsick" because of the assassination of Aquino, whom he considered a "friend", and the resulting freefall of the Philippines' economy and international reputation. According to Romulo's wife, Beth Day Romulo, the Marcos administration had asked him to sign an advertisement that the administration was planning to place in the New York Times and other major international dailies. Romulo refused to sign the advertisement and instead resigned. Death and legacy Romulo died, aged 87, in Manila on December 15, 1985, and was buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. He was honored as "one of the truly great statesmen of the 20th century". In 1980, he was extolled by UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim as "Mr. United Nations" for his valuable services to the UN and his dedication to freedom and world peace. Published books Romulo, in all, wrote and published 22 books, including The United (novel), I Walked with Heroes (autobiography), I Saw the Fall of the Philippines, Mother America, and I See the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs). In 1982, he was proclaimed a National Artist for Literature of the Philippines, in recognition of his contributions to Philippine Literature. Honors National Honors Bayani ng Bagong Republika (Hero of the New Republic Award) – (14 January 1984) Grand Collar of the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Raja – (1982). : Philippine Legion of Honor, Commander (Komandante) : National Artist of the Philippines : Grand Cross (Dakilang Kamanong) of the Gawad Mabini – (2005) : Grand Cross (Maringal na Krus) of the Order of the Golden Heart – (1954) : Member (Kagawad) of the Order of the Golden Heart – (13 September 1954) : Presidential Medal of Merit – (July 3, 1949) : Order of the Knights of Rizal, Knight Grand Cross of Rizal. – (1961) Military Medals (Philippines) : Distinguished Service Star : Philippine Gold Cross : Philippine Defense Medal : Philippine Liberation Medal Military Medals (Foreign) : Commander, Legion of Merit (10 March 1950) : Silver Star : Purple Heart : Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal Foreign Honors Argentina: Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín (1983) Cuba: Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos Manuel do Cespedes France: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix Indonesia: 2nd Class of the Star of the Republic of Indonesia (February 16, 1979) Portugal: : Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ Spain: : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic United States: : Presidential Medal of Freedom Taiwan: : Grand Cordon of the Order of Brilliant Star Yugoslavia: : Order of the Yugoslav Star with Sash (1974) Awards and recognitions Romulo is perhaps among the most decorated Filipinos in history. He has been awarded 72 honorary degrees from different international institutions and universities and 144 awards and decorations from foreign countries: Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 1952 "For his contribution in international cooperation, in particular on questions on undeveloped areas, and as president for UN's 4th General Assembly" Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo Award Presidential Unit Citation with Two Oak Leaf Clusters Pulitzer Prize in Correspondence, 1942 World Government News First Annual Gold Nadal Award (for work in the United Nations for peace and world government), March 1947 Princeton University – Woodrow Wilson Memorial Foundation Gold Medal award ("in recognition of his contribution to public life"), May 1947 International Benjamin Franklin Society's Gold Medal (for "distinguished world statesmanship in 1947"), January 1948 Freeman of the City of Plymouth, England, October 1948 United Nations Peace Medal World Peace Award Four Freedoms Peace Award Notre Dame University, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), 1935 Georgetown University, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), 1960 Harvard University, Doctor of Laws (LL.D.), 1950 Anecdotes from Beth Romulo through Reader's Digest (June 1989) At the third UN General Assembly, held in Paris in 1948, the USSR's deputy foreign minister, Andrei Vyshinsky, sneered at Romulo and challenged his credentials: "You are just a little man from a little country." "It is the duty of the little Davids of this world," cried Romulo, "to fling the pebbles of truth in the eyes of the blustering Goliaths and force them to behave!" During his meeting with Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Marshal Tito welcomed Gen. Romulo with drinks and cigars, to which the general kindly refused. Their conversation went as follows: Tito: "Do you drink?" Romulo: "No, I don't." Tito: "Do you smoke?" Romulo: "No, thank you." Tito: "What do you do then?" Romulo: "I etcetera." At this, Marshal Tito was tickled by his reply and loudly exclaimed around the room, "I etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!" Romulo was a dapper little man (barely five feet four inches in shoes). When they waded in at Leyte beach in October 1944, and the word went out that General MacArthur was waist deep, one of Romulo's journalist friends cabled, "If MacArthur was in water waist deep, Romulo must have drowned!" In later years, Romulo told another story himself about a meeting with MacArthur and other tall American generals who disparaged his physical stature. "Gentlemen," he declared, "When you say something like that, you make me feel like a dime among nickels." Books I Saw the Fall of the Philippines. My Brother Americans I See The Philippines Rise I am a Filipino The United Crusade in Asia (The John Day Company, 1955; about the 1953 presidential election campaign of Ramón Magsaysay) The Meaning of Bandung The Magsaysay Story (with Marvin M. Gray, The John Day Company 1956, updated re-edition by Pocket Books, Special Student Edition, SP-18, December 1957; biography of Ramón Magsaysay, Pocket Books edition updated with an additional chapter on Magsaysay's death) I Walked with Heroes (autobiography) Last Man off Bataan (Romulo's experience during the Japanese Plane bombings.) Romulo: A Third World Soldier at the UN Daughters for Sale and Other Plays See also List of Filipino Nobel laureates and nominees List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress Resident Commissioner of the Philippines The Thomasites Philinda Rand Citations References External links Extensive biography United States Congress. "Carlos P. Romulo (id: R000419)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Carlos P. Romulo" is available for viewing at the Internet Archive Newspaper clippings about Carlos P. Romulo in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW [1]
Kubota Beisen	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Kubota Beisen.	Tell me a bio of Kubota Beisen.	Tell me a bio of Kubota Beisen within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Kubota Beisen with around 100 words.	Kubota Beisen (久保田米僊; 1852 – May 19, 1906) was a Japanese artist and art instructor in the Meiji period. Although his style remained recognisably Japanese, his knowledge of Western principles and methods is also reflected in his work. Beisen trained under Suzuki Hyakunen (1825–1891). The way in which he integrated Western perspective and techniques in his work was a self-taught skill. Biography Kubota was a teacher at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting, which was founded in 1878 by Kubota and others. Among his colleagues in establishing the school was the artist Kōno Bairei (1844–95). 1886: Kubota was ordered to decorate the ceiling and doors of one of the rooms in the Imperial palace, which was then newly constructed in Tokyo. 1889: Kubota visited Paris, where he made a study of European masters. 1890: Kubota began working for the Kokumin Shimbun, which was among the daily newspapers in Tokio. 1893: Kubota was sent to the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago by a newspaper, Kokumin Shimbun; and his drawings were published for its subscribers in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan Kubota's paintings were collected in a multivolume set of soft cover books in Japan that same year under the title Kakuryū sekai hakurankai bijutsu hin gafu (閣龍世界博覧美術品画譜) by Okurashoten. 　The illustration to the right appears in volume one, available for free download as a PDF through Getty Images, the Internet Archive, and Hathi Trust. 1897: A painting by Kubota was amongst the gifts from Japan which were presented to Queen Victoria on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. As war artist for Kokumin Shimbun, he accompanied the Japanese army at the time of the war with China in 1894 through 1895. His vivid illustrations of battlefield scenes of the First Sino-Japanese War were widely distributed in the Japanese population. When Kubota returned from the front, he was summoned to General Headquarters where he was ordered to create drawings in the presence of the Emperor. Kubota's artwork was published in Nisshin Sentou Gahou (A Pictorial Record of the Sino-Japanese War). The eleven volumes were published at irregular intervals between October 1894 and June 1895. The volumes are a visual chronicle of the war, beginning with the outbreak of hostilities in the summer of 1894. Kubota created images of Japan's sea-victories. He also published a visual account of Japan's advance into Manchuria. The peace treaty signed between Japan and China was also illustrated as part of this series of drawings. Amongst the honours he received are the Paris Exposition, Gold Medal, 1889. and at the Columbian Exposition, First Class Medal, 1893. Works Kubota's published work in Japanese is encompassed in 24 works in 25 publications in 53 library holdings. His one work in English was published in six editions and is found in 84 libraries worldwide. 1921 — 洗張浮世模漾 (Araihari ukiyo moyō) OCLC 029340693 1905 — The New theory of Aesthetics (美感新論, Bikan shinron) OCLC 037632804 1901 — 米僊畫談 (Beisen gadan). OCLC 037418923 1895 — Sino-Japanese Campaign at the Front (日清戦役陣中, Nisshin sen'eki jinchu no zu) 1894 — 圖案服紗合 (Zuan fukusa awase) OCLC 027754896 See also War artist References Further reading Diósy, Arthur. (1900). The New Far East. London: Cassell. OCLC 1368973 Okamoto, Shumpei and Donald Keene. (1983). Impressions of the front: woodcuts of the Sino-Japanese War, 1894-95. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art. OCLC 179964815 Tokutomi Ichiro and Y. Fukai. (1896). The Far East: an Exponent of Japanese Thoughts and Affairs, Vol. 1. Tokyo: Office of the Kokumin-no-tomo. OCLC 17255487 External links British Museum, "Myriad Fish," a handscroll painting by Beisen and others Victorian & Albert Museum, "The Japanese left wing fire off cannon against the Chinese camp." Nisshin sen'eki jinchu no zu, digitized version, Waseda University Library
Arthur Ewert	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Arthur Ewert.	Tell me a bio of Arthur Ewert.	Tell me a bio of Arthur Ewert within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Arthur Ewert with around 100 words.	Arthur Ernest Ewert (30 November 1890 – 3 July 1959) was a German communist political activist and functionary of the Communist International (Comintern). Ewert is best remembered as an official Comintern representative to the United States, China, Argentina, and Brazil during the late 1920s and 1930s. After being subjected to torture and sentenced to 13 years in prison for his political activity in Brazil, Ewert lost his sanity. He was granted amnesty in May 1945 and ultimately returned to East Germany, where he lived out the rest of his life in a series of medical facilities. Biography Early years Arthur Ernest Ewert was born November 13, 1890, in the town of Heinrichswalde, East Prussia (today's Slavsk, Russia). He was the son of a poor peasant family. Largely self-educated, Ewert completed only a primary school education in a one-room rural schoolhouse. Anxious to escape the drudgery of rural life, at the age of 14 Ewert accepted a position as an apprentice in an uncle's saddle-making factory in the urban center of Berlin. The growth of the automotive industry convinced the young Ewert that there was little future in saddle-making, however, so he left that trade to take a job as a worker in a Berlin steel works. Earning low wages to perform difficult and sometimes dangerous work in the steel plant proved to be a radicalizing experience for Ewert. Influenced by his older sister, Minna, who was an activist in the social democratic youth movement, Ewert himself joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) in 1908 at the age of 18. In addition to socialist politics, Ewert's sister introduced him to a friend from work, the Polish-born Elise Saborovsky Ewert — known to her friends as "Szabo" — who was herself a committed Marxist. The pair began living together and would remain a couple for 25 years. Life in Canada Early in 1914 Ewert and Szabowski moved to Canada, where they began to achieve fluency in the English language. At the time of Canada's entry into World War I in the summer of that year Ewert and Szabowski were required as citizens of an enemy power to report to the legal authorities for internment for the duration of the war. Instead the couple chose to disappear into the political underground, where they were aided by Canadian Marxist opponents of the war. The couple traveled extensively through Canada and the United States in this period, interacting with others of like political mind and joining the new Socialist Party of North America (SPNA), a small revolutionary socialist organization launched in Canada in 1915. During this period the couple used the party pseudonyms "Gustav" and "Elsie" and procured false identity documents under the names "Arthur Brown" and "Annie Bancourt" to better avoid law enforcement officers. Following the Russian Revolution of November 1917, Canadian authorities increased their scrutiny of domestic radicals and Ewert and Szabowski became persons of interest. An informer tipped off the authorities that the pair would be in Toronto for a party meeting on March 23, 1919, and plainclothes detectives picked up their trail from the gathering to a boarding house, where arrest and search warrants were served. According to the police communist propaganda and several handguns were found in the couple's room during the search. After an administrative hearing Ewert was deported to Germany a few months after his arrest, while Szabo was transported across Canada to an internment camp, pending her own deportation in February 1920 aboard a prisoner of war repatriation ship. The couple reunited in Berlin where they resumed their lives together anew. German revolutionary Returning to Germany early in the summer of 1919, Ewert joined the fledgling Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and became active in its work preparing the ground for a revolutionary overthrow of the German government. To support himself he went to work in Berlin as a laborer at the giant electrical corporation AEG (Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft), becoming one of the leading KPD activists among that company's workers. This period was marked by economic chaos, strikes, and street fighting, in which the KPD frequently played the role of provocateur. Ewert was involved in this activity as a leading member of the loosely organized Greater Berlin Revolutionary Action Committee, established to organize urban workers into fighting groups to do battle with similar bands of ultranationalist demobilized soldiers. The leadership of Soviet Russia placed supreme importance on an early communist revolution in Germany to provide material support for the revolution in their own revolution backwards peasant nation. Substantial funds were funneled into Germany to support the organizing and propaganda efforts of the German communist movement. From 1920 onwards German-speaking veterans of the Soviet revolution and Russian Civil War were employed to establish paramilitary "military-political organizations" throughout Germany in preparation for armed insurrection. The leadership of the KPD was divided over the advisability of such preparations for armed struggle, with Hungarian Comintern plenipotentiaries Bela Kun and József Pogány dispatched to Germany early in 1921 in an effort to win support for the strategy from faltering party chiefs. These preparations for a planned insurrection were ultimately short-circuited by events in Soviet Russia, including the March 1 Kronstadt uprising in which Baltic sailors took up arms against the Soviet regime, prompting more than two weeks of violent and bloody conflict between these revolutionary forces. In need of a diversion, the Communist International (Comintern) pushed forward with its plans for German insurrection in events which were later to be known as the March Action. On March 22, 1921, Communist paramilitary units exploded bombs and attacked police stations and government buildings throughout Central Germany in an attempt to spark the overthrow of the Ebert government. The chaos and killing which resulted from this coordinated offensive resulted in a debacle for the Communists, alienating a broad section of the public against the KPD and provoking an immediate reaction by the authorities, which easily put down the uprising. The Communist Party of Germany was decimated in the aftermath of the failed March Action and party leader Paul Levi was expelled for afterwards publishing a pamphlet which sharply criticized the Comintern for its tactics and role. In April 1921 the KPD leadership dispatched Arthur Ewert to the city of Halle to attempt to rebuild the party organization there following its destruction in the March Action. After only a couple weeks Ewert was arrested for his organizing activity, however, and he was transferred to the prison facility at Frankfurt, where he was held for two months with other communist activists without formal charges being filed. The state was unable to produce evidence that Ewert was involved in fomenting armed insurrection, however, and he was subsequently released. Political rise Ewert was elected to the governing National Committee (Zentrale) and its Politburo by the 8th Congress of the KPD in January 1923. Ewert was also elected as a KPD delegate to the 3rd Enlarged Plenum of Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) in 1923. During this interval Ewert was one of the top party leaders in Western Germany involved in the planning of the Communist Party's failed October 1923 uprising. This activity made Ewert a wanted man with the legal authorities of the Weimar Republic and he was forced into hiding. Ewert was arrested in November 1926 but managed to escape and he returned to life in the underground until 1928. Ewert was voted off the Zentrale for factional reasons by the dominant party left wing at 9th Congress of the KPD, held in April 1924. Ewert and his co-thinkers Heinz Neumann and Gerhart Eisler were removed from the political scene for work in the Communist International in Moscow. Ewert was initially assigned to work in the Comintern's Balkan Commission, dealing with political affairs of the various Communist Parties of that region. Ewert was also put to work as a lecturer at the Comintern's International Lenin School, an institution established in 1925 for the intellectual and technical training of leading party cadres for life as "professional revolutionaries." The fortunes of his "center" political faction soon improved in Germany, however, and Ewert was returned to his formerly held leading positions by the 10th Congress of the KPD in 1925 and re-elected by the 11th Congress in 1927. In 1926, Ewert was again selected as a delegate of the KPD to the 6th Enlarged Plenum of ECCI, at which he made use of his English-language skills as chair of the British Commission under the pseudonym "Braun." Ewert was again elected to the 8th Enlarged Plenum of ECCI, held in Moscow in May 1927, where he chaired the American Commission, which attempted to resolve the ongoing factional war inside the Workers (Communist) Party of America. This was followed that same summer by his dispatch to the United States as the Comintern's Representative to the 5th Convention of the Workers (Communist) Party, during which time he used the pseudonym "Grey." By 1928, Ewert was regarded as one of the top leaders of the KPD, reckoned by historian Patrick Major to have been the number two figure in the Communist Party of Germany after party leader Ernst Thälmann. He entered the German parliament, the Reichstag, in May 1928. Later in 1928 Ewert was tapped as the KPD's representative to the Executive Committee of the Communist International following Thälmann's apparent involvement in a corruption scandal. Condemnation as "Conciliator" Ewert returned from his Moscow posting to ECCI early in 1929 to resume work in the apparatus of the German Communist Party. He quickly found himself on the wrong side of a growing factional divide of the increasingly radical Third Period policies of the world communist movement as a leading member of the moderate "Conciliator" (Versöhnler) faction. At the 10th Enlarged Plenum of ECCI, held in Moscow in 1929, Ewert came under fire from his factional opponents as a supporter of discredited Soviet leader Nikolai Bukharin, with KPD representative to ECCI Walter Ulbricht leading the attack of what he characterized as a "Bukharin–Humbert-Droz–Ewert Group." This charge was echoed by Joseph Stalin's right-hand man, Vyacheslav Molotov, who singled out Ewert by name among those "conciliators" who lent de facto political support to the more moderate political line of Bukharin and his co-thinkers inside the All-Union Communist Party (bolsheviks). Ewert managed to salvage his political career by engaging in public self-criticism at the 12th Congress of the KPD, held in June 1929, followed by publication of an article entitled "The Bankruptcy of the Conciliators" in the official party newspaper. Despite this public reversal of previously held political positions, Ewert was removed from the top leadership of the German Communist Party and was thereafter no longer directly involved in German party affairs. Comintern functionary Ewert's familiarity with the English language and with the affairs of the America Communist Party made him a useful agent to the US, to which he traveled a false passport on Comintern business in 1930. Of primary concern to the Comintern was obtaining an independent assessment of the solidity of the hold over the party apparatus by the faction headed by Earl Browder and William Z. Foster, which had recently assumed control from deposed party leader Jay Lovestone. The use of Ewert — a personal friend and former ideological ally of the expelled dissident Lovestone — for this task was doubtlessly a form of loyalty-testing and assessment of whether Ewert retained political usefulness to the Comintern. Ewert seems to have passed the test, avoiding contacts with the Lovestone political organization and gaining the confidence and respect of the new American party leadership. In the fall of 1930, Ewert was formally assigned to the Comintern's Latin American department and he traveled with his common-law wife Szabo to Buenos Aires, Argentina to take over affairs of the Comintern office there. The posting was not a desirable one, but was rather a form of banishment of the ideologically suspect Ewert from the decision-making centers of the Communist Party of Germany and the Comintern. Ewert worked closely with Comintern representative August Guralsky to win popular expelled Brazilian political leader Luís Carlos Prestes to the communist cause, regarded as a top priority task. The pair were successful in formally bringing Prestes over to the Communist Party of Brazil (PCB) by May 1931, with Prestes capping his conversion with a trip to Moscow that fall. It is unclear whether Ewert accompanied Prestes to the Soviet Union, but he did turn up again in Moscow in the spring of 1931, his Argentine mission at an end. In 1932, Ewert and his wife were dispatched as Comintern representatives to the Chinese Communist Party, where they would stay until recalled to Moscow in 1934. From Moscow Ewert and Szabo were first sent to the United States, with Ewert using the pseudonym "Harry Berger" during his brief stay. From there the pair proceeded to Brazil as Comintern Representative to the Communist Party of Brazil. Following an abortive insurrection against the regime of Getúlio Vargas in November 1935, Ewert was arrested in Rio de Janeiro and was subjected to severe torture by authorities seeking the whereabouts of opposition leader Prestes. His wife Szabo was also subjected to police torture, being stripped, forced to suffer electric shocks, beaten, and burned with cigarettes — all in the presence of Ewert. Despite the viciousness of the interrogation, neither Ewert nor Szabo betrayed their confidences under duress. Szabo was ultimately deported to Nazi Germany in September 1936, where she was incarcerated and would later die at the Ravensbrück concentration camp in 1939. Ewert underwent protracted interrogation, during which time he lost his sanity. He was finally brought to trial in May 1937, where he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison. Later years In May 1945, Ewert was granted an amnesty from prison. He returned by ship to the Soviet zone of control in East Germany in August 1947 but the mental problems which followed his torture and imprisonment proved insurmountable and he was forced to be hospitalized in a sanatorium for the rest of his life. Death and legacy Ewert died on July 3, 1959, in Ebertswalde. In 1981 the government of the German Democratic Republic issued a postage stamp in Ewert's honor. Footnotes Further reading Robert J. Alexander, Communism in Latin America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1957. Ronald H. Chilcote, The Brazilian Communist Party: Conflict and Integration, 1922-72. London: Oxford University Press, 1974. Theodore Draper, American Communism and Soviet Russia. New York: Viking Press, 1960. David P. Hornstein, Arthur Ewert: A Life for the Comintern. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1993. External links Ronald Friedmann, "Arthur Ewert und Elise Saborowski: Zwei Deutsche in der frühen kommunistischen Bewegung Kanadas" (Arthur Ewert and Elise Saborowski: Two Germans in the Early Communist Movement of Canada), JahrBuch für Forschungen zur Geschichte der Arbeiterbewegung (Yearbook of Research on the German Labor Movement), 2011. Online—In German. Hermann Weber and Andreas Herbst, "Arthur Ewert," in Deutsche Kommunisten: Biographisches Handbuch 1918 bis 1945 (German Communists: Biographical Handbook, 1918-1945). Berlin: Karl Dietz Verlag, 2008. —In German.
John Morris (curler)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about John Morris (curler).	Tell me a bio of John Morris (curler).	Tell me a bio of John Morris (curler) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of John Morris (curler) with around 100 words.	John C. Morris (born December 16, 1978; nicknamed "Johnny Mo") is a Canadian curler, and two-time Olympic gold medallist from Canmore, Alberta. Morris played third for the Kevin Martin team until April 24, 2013. Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl, is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom. Morris grew up in Gloucester, Ontario (now part of Ottawa) and at the age of five began curling at the Navy Curling Club. Career Junior career As a junior curler, Morris skipped his Ottawa Curling Club rink to three-straight Ontario provincial junior Men's titles from 1997 to 1999, and won the 1998 and 1999 Canadian and World Junior Championships, setting records for most wins by a skip along the way. Morris and his rink of Craig Savill, Matt St. Louis and Mark Homan would represent Ontario at the 1997 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. His team would finish the round robin with a 7–5 record, in a five-way tie for third place. He would go on to beat British Columbia's T. J. Perepolkin, New Brunswick's Tommy Sullivan in tiebreakers, the Northwest Territories' Jamie Koe in the semifinal before losing to Alberta's Ryan Keane in the final. The following season, Morris brought in a new front end for his junior team, adding Andy Ormsby and Brent Laing to replace St. Louis and Homan. At the 1998 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, he led his Ontario Team to a 9–3 round robin record in a 4-way tie for first place. The team beat New Brunswick's Rob Heffernan in a tiebreaker before beating Manitoba's Mike McEwen in the semifinal and then Alberta's Carter Rycroft in the final. Their win qualified the team to represent Canada at the 1998 World Junior Curling Championships. There, the team would go 9–0 in the round robin before defeating Switzerland's Ralph Stöckli in the semifinal and Garry MacKay of Scotland in the final to win the gold medal. For their third championship run, Team Morris replaced Ormsby with Jason Young at second. At the 1999 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Morris led the team to an 8–4 round robin record in a three-way tie for second. He again had to fight through a tiebreaker to win the championship, downing Alberta's Jeff Erickson before defeating Newfoundland's Brad Gushue in the semifinal and British Columbia's Jeff Richard in the final. At the 1999 World Junior Curling Championships, he led Canada to an 8–1 round robin record (first place) and beat Sweden's Patric Håkansson in the semifinal and Christian Haller of Switzerland in the final to win the gold medal. In addition to his provincial junior titles, Morris won a provincial junior mixed title in 1999 with Jacqueline Smith, Brent Laing and Chrissy Cadorin. Early men's career in Ontario (1999–2003) After living in Ottawa, Morris moved to Southwestern Ontario to attend Wilfrid Laurier University and curled out of the Stayner Granite Club in Stayner, Ontario. Despite the move, his team remained nearly intact, with Young being replaced by Andy Ormsby. In their first season after juniors, the team entered the playdowns for the 2000 Ontario Nokia Cup, the provincial men's championship, but lost in regionals. In 2000 Ormsby left the team and was replaced by Joe Frans, who would become the team's third, moving Savill to play second. The team won a couple of tour events and made it to their first provincial championship, the 2001 Ontario Nokia Cup. After finishing the round robin with a 6–3 record, Morris defeated Team Glenn Howard in the semifinal before losing to Team Wayne Middaugh in the final. The team qualified for the 2001 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, where Morris garnered national attention after a difficult loss to Russ Howard. His team would finish the event with a 5–4 record, missing the playoffs. With many of the province's top teams ignoring the Brier playdowns in 2002 to focus on the new Grand Slam of Curling, Morris and his team had an easy path at the 2002 Ontario provincial championships. The team went 8–1 after the round robin and beat Team Phil Daniel twice to win his first provincial title, qualifying him for the 2002 Nokia Brier. At the diluted Brier, Morris led his rink to an 8–3 round robin record, in second place. In the playoffs, they lost to Alberta's Randy Ferbey in the 1 vs. 2 game but rebounded to defeat New Brunswick's Russ Howard in the semifinal. In the final, the team lost to Alberta in a rematch. In 2003, the Morris rink would make it to the finals at the inaugural Canada Cup of Curling, where they lost to Randy Ferbey. The team played in another diluted provincial championship that year, the 2003 Ontario Nokia Cup. There, his rink finished the round robin in 2nd place with a 7–2 record. In the playoffs, they lost to the first-place Bryan Cochrane rink and then to Peter Corner in the semifinal. The team finished the season at the 2003 Players' Championship Grand Slam, where they lost to Jeff Stoughton in the final. After the season, Morris moved to Calgary, where he played out of the Calgary Winter Club. Move to Calgary (2003–2006) After moving to Calgary, Morris assembled a new team, which would consist of Kevin Koe, Marc Kennedy and Paul Moffatt. The team had some success on the Tour, winning a few events, including the 2004 Players' Championship Grand Slam. The team would play three seasons together, never winning a provincial championship, having to compete against teams like Randy Ferbey and Kevin Martin. The team would play in the 2005 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, where they would finish the round robin with a 6–3 record before losing to Jeff Stoughton in the semifinal. Joining forces with "K-Mart" (2006–2013) In 2006, Morris joined forces with veteran skip Kevin Martin on a four-year plan aimed at winning a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. The team won the 2007 Kia Cup, the provincial championship, defeating Morris' former teammate, Kevin Koe in the final. On February 27, 2007, just four days before the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier, Morris was hit by a car. He was knocked unconscious but went on to compete at the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier, where Alberta placed fourth after losing to Jeff Stoughton in the 3–4 page playoff. Morris later recovered by winning all-star third in the tournament. In their first season together on the tour, the team dominated, winning three of the four Grand Slam events, the Canadian Open, The National and the Players' Championship. After winning the 2008 Boston Pizza Cup provincial championship, Morris and the Kevin Martin (Alberta) rink returned to the 2008 Brier in Winnipeg. Roughly a week before the Brier, Morris broke his right hand and subsequently had to wear a special brace while sweeping. The event sidelined Morris from playing in the 2008 Canada Cup of Curling, where he was replaced by Kevin Park. At the Brier, the Martin team went 11–0 in the round robin, and won their 1–2 playoff game to make the finals. In a game marred by tricky ice and missed opportunities, Alberta won by a score of 5–4. Morris was named MVP of the finals after curling 90%. At the following 2008 World Men's Curling Championship, Morris led all players with a round robin percentage of 90% and helped team Canada to a World Championship crown, the first for any player on the team. On the tour that season, the team won two Grand Slams, the Canadian Open and the National. The following season, the team won the 2009 Boston Pizza Cup and represented Alberta at the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier, where the team won their second straight title. At the 2009 Ford World Men's Curling Championship, the team would lose in the final to Scotland's David Murdoch. Also, that season, the team would win the 2009 Canada Cup of Curling. The team qualified for the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, where Morris and Team Martin would win the right to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. On February 27 at the Vancouver Olympics, Team Martin won the gold medal with a score of 6–3 in the final against Thomas Ulsrud of Norway. On the tour that season, the team would win the 2010 BDO Classic Canadian Open and the 2010 Players' Championship. Morris represented Alberta at the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier with Team Martin after winning the provincials. They finished with a 9–2 win–loss record but dropped their page playoff game against Ontario's Glenn Howard and lost the bronze medal game against Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador. In Grand Slam play, the team would win the December 2010 National and the 2011 Players' Championship. In the 2011–12 curling season, Morris and the rest of the team won the Canada Cup of Curling over Glenn Howard, giving them a berth into the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They participated in the 2012 Alberta provincials but struggled against Kevin Koe and Brock Virtue, eventually losing the semifinal to Virtue. Team Martin was unable to defend their Canada Cup title in 2012, finishing outside of the playoffs. Morris subbed in as skip for an injured Martin at the Canadian Open of Curling and played with former teammate Joe Frans, finishing with a 2–3 win–loss record. After Martin recovered, the team went to the 2013 provincials, where a close win over Kevin Koe in the final gave them the right to represent the home team Alberta at the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier. The team went to the Players' Championship, where they finished with a 2–2 win–loss record, and they advanced to a tiebreaker, where they lost to John Epping. A few days after the conclusion of the Players' Championship, on 24 April 2013, Morris announced that he and Martin were parting ways. One week later, it was announced that Morris would join Jim Cotter and his team for the 2013–14 season. Team changes and another Olympics (2013–2018) Morris found immediate success with the Cotter rink, skipping the team (which also consisted of Tyrel Griffith and Rick Sawatsky) out of the Kelowna Curling Club, and throwing third rocks. The team qualified for the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials through the pre-trials event, only to lose in the final to the Brad Jacobs team that would go on to win the Olympic gold medal. Following that, the team went undefeated en route to winning the 2014 British Columbia provincial championship and the right to represent the province at the 2014 Tim Hortons Brier. This made Morris one of only three curlers to have played for three different provinces at the Brier, joining his father Earle and Ryan Fry. After posting a 9–2 round robin record, Morris' B.C. rink defeated Alberta (skipped by former teammate Kevin Koe) in the 1 vs. 2 game, before losing to Alberta in a rematch final, 10–5. Rule changes implemented for the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier meant that for the first time defending Brier champions will be afforded an automatic entry in the following year's Brier. For the 2015 Brier, this entry would normally have gone to Koe; however, in the 2014 off-season, Koe announced he was leaving his team to form a new team. Under CCA rules, this left Koe's former teammates (Pat Simmons, Carter Rycroft and Nolan Thiessen) with the automatic entry for the 2015 Brier. Koe's former teammates subsequently recruited Morris to skip them, thus ensuring that Morris, despite being the 2014 Brier runner-up, would skip the first-ever Team Canada entry in a Brier. After Team Canada started off 2–3, Morris approached third Pat Simmons with the idea that Simmons skip and Morris move to vice. The move paid off as the rink went on to win the Canadian championship; they won the bronze (third place) medal at the 2015 world championships in Halifax. The Brier win in 2015 meant the team would return for the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier to represent Team Canada. The team would struggle at the event, missing the playoffs with a 6–5 record. They would disband after the season. In 2016, Morris returned to play with Jim Cotter's British Columbia-based team, skipping the rink while Cotter threw fourth stones. The team would win the 2017 belairdirect BC Men's Curling Championship, giving the team the right to represent British Columbia at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier. Morris led the team to a 7–4 record, missing the playoffs. On the tour, the team won one Grand Slam event, the 2017 Elite 10. The team began the 2017–18 season with Morris throwing last rocks and skipping and Cotter at third. The team qualified for the 2017 Olympic Pre-Trials, which the team qualified out of despite a 3–3 pool record. This put the team into the 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, where the team would struggle. The team experimented with Morris throwing third again, but it was to no avail, and the team finished with a 3–5 round robin record. In 2018 Morris joined up with Kaitlyn Lawes to win the 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Olympic Trials to return to the Winter Olympics, this time in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where the mixed doubles made its debut. Morris had been playing with Rachel Homan in pre-trials events but had to find a new partner after Homan became ineligible when her women's team won the right to represent Canada in the Olympic women's event. Morris and Lawes won the gold, defeating Switzerland in the final. Post Olympics (2018–2020) After the Olympics, Morris said he planned to focus on the mixed doubles discipline rather than the team event. He and Lawes committed to playing for at least two more seasons together. However, the two only competed together for one season in 2018–19, winning the Canad Inns Mixed Doubles Classic and making the quarterfinals in the Qualico Mixed Doubles Classic. They were unable to compete at the 2019 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, as Lawes had sustained an injury at the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. During the 2019–20 curling season, Morris played with several different mixed doubles partners, placing 2nd in the Colorado Curling Cup with Kira Brunton, placing 3rd in the MadTown DoubleDown and 5th in the Canad Inns Mixed Doubles Championship with Jolene Campbell, placing 3rd in the Brantford Mixed Doubles Cashspiel with Sarah Anderson, and winning the Qualico Mixed Doubles Classic with Rachel Homan. After John Epping and his rink won the 2020 Ontario Tankard, they announced they would be taking Morris as their alternate to the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier. At the Brier, the team finished the championship pool with a 7–4 record and in a four-way tie for fourth place. They defeated Team Wild Card (Mike McEwen) in the first tiebreaker before losing to Northern Ontario (Brad Jacobs) in the second and being eliminated from contention. Morris got to play in the last two ends of the second tiebreaker against Jacobs, replacing Fry as they were already down 6–3 without the hammer. Joining Koe (2020–2022) On March 16, 2020, Team Kevin Koe announced they would be parting ways with their second Colton Flasch. The following day, the team announced they would be adding Morris to their lineup as their new second. Morris spared for the team at the 2019 Tour Challenge Grand Slam event, where they made it to the semifinals. Team Koe began the 2020–21 season at the McKee Homes Fall Curling Classic, where they lost in the quarterfinals. Their next three events included a semifinal finish at the Ashley HomeStore Curling Classic and two runner-up finishes at both the ATB Banff Classic and the ATB Okotoks Classic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, the 2021 provincial championship was cancelled. As the reigning provincials champions, Team Brendan Bottcher was chosen to represent Alberta at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier. However, due to many provinces cancelling their provincial championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Curling Canada added three Wild Card teams to the national championship, which were based on the CTRS standings from the 2019–20 season. Because Team Koe ranked 6th on the CTRS and kept at least three of their four players together for the 2020–21 season, they got the second Wild Card spot at the 2021 Brier in Calgary, Alberta. At the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier, the team finished with a 10–2 round robin record in first place. This gave them a bye to the final, where they played Team Alberta, skipped by Brendan Bottcher in a re-match of the 2019 Brier final. This time Bottcher won, with the Koe rink taking home the silver medal. The team ended their season at the final two Slams of the season, the 2021 Champions Cup and the 2021 Players' Championship, reaching the semifinals of the Champions Cup. The Koe rink won their first two events of the 2021–22 season, the ATB Okotoks Classic and the IG Wealth Management Western Showdown. At the first two Slams of the season, they reached the quarterfinals of the 2021 Masters and the semifinals of the 2021 National. They then competed in the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, held November 20 to 28 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Team Koe qualified for the Trials via their CTRS points as they finished in second place through the 2018–19 season. Through the round robin, Morris and teammates Kevin Koe, B. J. Neufeld and Ben Hebert finished with a 6–2 record, only suffering losses to the Brad Gushue and Brad Jacobs rinks. This record earned them a place in the semifinal game, where they faced the Jacobs' rink. Despite shooting a 96% game, the Koe rink lost the semifinal game 8–3 as Team Jacobs scored two four enders, ending the game early. In the new year, the team went undefeated to claim the 2022 Boston Pizza Cup. This earned them the right to represent Alberta at the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier where they finished with a 7–1 round robin record. They then won the seeding game against Saskatchewan's Colton Flasch and beat Team Canada's Brendan Bottcher in the 1 vs. 2 game to qualify directly for the final. There, they faced the Gushue rink. After a tight game all the way through, Team Gushue scored one in the extra end to win the game 9–8 and hand Team Koe their second consecutive Brier silver medal. They ended their season with two more playoff finishes at the 2022 Players' Championship and the 2022 Champions Cup, reaching the final of the latter. In March 2022, Team Koe announced that they would be disbanding. With the announcement, Morris also stated that he would be retiring from competitive men's curling. In April 2024 it was announced that Morris, as well as curlers Jennifer Jones and Jared Allen, were associated with the sports business venture The Curling Group, which purchased ownership and operations of the Grand Slam of Curling series from Sportsnet. Grand Slam record Personal life Morris, a certified personal trainer, currently serves as a full-time firefighter for the Chestermere & Rocky View Fire County Service, living in Canmore, Alberta. Drawing on his degree in Kinesiology from Wilfrid Laurier University, in 2009 Morris co-authored the book Fit to Curl, a sport-specific training manual. As of 2016, Morris is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist. Morris attended high school at Colonel By Secondary School in Gloucester, Ontario and played hockey, softball, volleyball, soccer and little league baseball in his youth. In 2016, he graduated from the Chef's Training Program at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. Morris has been a 'big brother' with Calgary and the area BBBS since 2011. Morris was also an ambassador at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he helped lead and inspire the next generation of young athletes. Morris is the third generation of his family to compete in the Brier. As well as his father Earle, his great-grandfather Cliff McLachlan skipped Saskatchewan in the 1933 Macdonald Brier. In 2010, Morris was featured by ET Canada in a Valentine's special as one of Canada's most eligible bachelors. However, he proposed to his girlfriend Maggie and the two had a son together in 2018. They had another child in 2019. Morris made his international coaching debut at the 2021 Olympic Qualification Event, coaching the Australian mixed doubles team where they unprecedently qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the first an Australian Curling Team has ever done so. In his youth, Morris also played baseball and was on the team that lost the 1993 Canadian junior final. Teams Awards Canadian Junior Curling Championships: All-Star Skip - 1998 and 1999 World Junior Curling Championships: All-Star Skip - 1999 Canadian Citizenship Award - 1999 Brier: First Team All-Star, Third - 2007, 2008, 2014 Brier: Second Team All-Star, Skip - 2002 Brier: Second Team All-Star, Third - 2009 Brier: Second Team All-Star, Second - 2022 Brier: Hec Gervais Most Valuable Player Award - 2008 Notes References External links John Morris at World Curling John Morris at Olympics.com John Morris at Team Canada John Morris at Olympedia John Morris at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics (archived) John Morris on Instagram
Matt Hunter (singer)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Matt Hunter (singer).	Tell me a bio of Matt Hunter (singer).	Tell me a bio of Matt Hunter (singer) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Matt Hunter (singer) with around 100 words.	Matthew Alexander Hunter Correa (born February 20, 1998), known professionally as Matt Hunter, is an American singer, songwriter, and voice actor of Colombian-Italian descent. Early life Hunter was born on February 20, 1998, in New York City, and raised in Paramus, New Jersey. His mother is Colombian, and his father is Italian. Career Music Hunter worked in voice acting from ages 9 to 12, at which point he began posting YouTube videos of himself playing the guitar and singing various covers, occasionally in Spanish. His videos went viral and he traveled around Latin America building his fan base in a grass roots fashion. Around this time, he was dubbed the "Latino Justin Bieber". Marc Anthony later called Hunter "the future" of music. At 13, Hunter released his first single, "Mi Amor". He released follow-up singles in English and Spanish, "Right Here, Right Now" and "Mi Senorita", in 2012, and then his EP Right Here, Right Now. For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he released the songs "Minha Mina Ta Loca" and "Mi Chica Esta Loca" with Pitbull, in both Portuguese and Spanish versions. By 2016 he had amassed 200,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and over 500,000 Twitter followers. Hunter splits his time between New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Latin America. Television As a voice actor, Hunter played the singing role of Diego Márquez in the final two seasons of The Nickelodeon animated television series Go, Diego, Go! and played the same character in Dora the Explorer. He auditioned for the role when he was 10, recording the voice of Diego until he was 12. He also released his weekly comedy webisode series Fuego Fridays. Performances Hunter has performed live in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, Chile, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica and Ecuador. In May 2013, he headlined and sold out Chile's 12,000 seat Movistar Arena. Awards and nominations Hunter was nominated for Favorite Pop Artist at the 2013 Premios Juventud, presented by Univision (which did actually carry Spanish dubs of both Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! (two shows that Hunter did voice work on) as part of its Planeta U block from 2008 to 2014). Filmography Discography EPs Singles "Home for the Holidays" (2011) "Mi Señorita" (2012) "Mi Amor" (2012) "Right Here, Right Now" (2013) "Te Vi" (2014) "Mi Chica Está Loca" (2014) "Mi Chica Está Loca" (alternative version feat. Pitbull) (2014) "Mas Que Tu Amigo" (2015) "Te Necesito" (feat. Augusto Schuster) (2016) "Amor Real" (2017) "Dicen" (duet with Lele Pons) (2018) "Lista De Espera" (feat. Isabela Moner) (2018) "Una Vez Más" (feat. Tommy Boysen) (2019) "Cazador" (feat. Lenny Tavarez) (2019) "Problemas" (feat. GASHI, Big Soto) (2019) "Entera" (with Carla Fernandes) (2020) "Suave" (with Corina Smith) (2020) "Error" (with Lalo Ebratt) (2020) Covers "All of Me" (from John Legend) (2014) "Todo Cambiara" (Spanish version of Justin Timberlake's "Not a Bad Thing") (2015) Featured in "Fiesta" (StereO 4 feat. Matt Hunter) (2014) References External links Matt Hunter's channel on YouTube Matt Hunter on Instagram
Ivan Toms	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ivan Toms.	Tell me a bio of Ivan Toms.	Tell me a bio of Ivan Toms within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ivan Toms with around 100 words.	Ivan Peter Toms (11 July 1952 – 25 March 2008) was a South African physician, who battled the Apartheid era government as a prominent anti-Apartheid and anti-conscription activist. He opposed conscription by the South African Defence Force, and was a co-founder of the End Conscription Campaign. He ran a clinic in the Crossroads shanty town where he was the only physician for 60,000 people. He went on a hunger strike in 1985 after the government decided to bulldoze the settlement. Toms was also involved with gay rights activism in South Africa and was a founding member of the Lesbians and Gays Against Oppression. At the time of his death in 2008, Toms was serving as the Director of Health for the city of Cape Town, South Africa. Early life and education Ivan Toms was born in Johannesburg on 11 July 1952. He attended Glenwood High School in Durban from 1965 to 1969. He was Deputy Head Prefect and captain of the second rugby team. Toms was a medical student at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He participated in a demonstration against the Bantu Education system, during which he was beaten by police with batons and received a broken nose. He received his MB ChB from UCT in 1976. He interned at Kimberley Hospital. Later, Toms earned a BA in theology. Conscription Toms was drafted into the national service in the South African Defence Force (SADF), as a non-combatant doctor in 1978. He opposed the goals of the SADF, but refused to leave South Africa. He spent much of his six months as a doctor in Namibia, which was then known as South West Africa and was controlled by South Africa. Once he returned to Cape Town, Toms was asked by the South African Christian Leadership Assembly to set up a medical clinic in the squatter settlement of Crossroads, which is located about 15 km outside of the city in the Cape Flats area. He was the only doctor who served the Crossroads' population of approximately 60,000 people. In September 1983, Toms witnessed a three-week-long confrontation between the Crossroads community and the South African police and security forces, who were trying to tear down "illegal" buildings in the settlement. After witnessing the violence and brutality of the raid, Toms vowed never to serve in the SADF again, even in a non-combatant capacity. He went public with his opinions on what he had witnessed and became a founding member of the End Conscription Campaign (ECC) in 1983. Toms' co-founders of the ECC included other prominent anti-conscription activists including Nan Cross. As part of the "Fast for a Just Peace" campaign, Toms went on a three-week-long hunger strike in February 1985 to protest the government's decision to bulldoze the Crossroads shanty town. The destruction of Crossroads resulted in violence and the deaths of several people as residents tried to resist the destruction. Toms commented during his hunger strike that, "As a Christian, I am obliged to say no, to say never again will I put on that SADF uniform." The SADF officially took control of Toms' health clinic in 1986. The following year, in July 1987, Toms defied the SADF when he refused to join a conscription camp for one month of compulsory service. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison in 1988 for defying the order and ultimately served nine months in Pollsmoor Prison. Gay rights activism Toms was involved with gay rights activism in South Africa. He was a founding member of the Lesbians and Gays Against Oppression (LAGO) in 1987. Toms was also subject to homophobic attacks by his enemies. Post-Apartheid In 1991, at the end of the Apartheid era, Toms became the national co-ordinator of the National Progressive Primary Healthcare Network, which developed health programmes in informal settlements. The AIDS virus was beginning to sweep through South Africa at the time. Toms, as the national co-ordinator, began to implement a series of programs to combat the spread of AIDS and HIV in the country. He was considered a pioneer in the advocacy of the use of antiretroviral drugs to fight the disease. He became director of the Students' Health and Welfare Centres Organisation in 1993, which is a non-governmental organization which runs mobile medical clinics staffed by students in poor areas. He continued to work for non-governmental charities until 1996, when he became the Health Director in the City of Cape Town. He was appointed executive director of the health department in Cape Town in 2002. His name is remembered in the Ivan Toms Centre for Men's Health in Greenpoint, Cape Town, which works in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. South African President Thabo Mbeki awarded Ivan Toms with the bronze Order of the Baobab in 2006 for his stance against Apartheid and his public service for South Africans in need. Death Ivan Toms died unexpectedly of meningococcal meningitis at his home in Mowbray on 25 March 2008, at the age of 55. He was honored by prominent South African political figures, including Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille. Archbishop Tutu described himself as "devastated" by the news of Toms' death and paid tribute to him saying, "I thank God that I knew him. Knowing him makes (one) feel proud. This is a prime example of someone who had ubuntu. He was utterly selfless." His funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people including Archbishop Tutu, was held at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town. == References ==
Salome Maswime	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Salome Maswime.	Tell me a bio of Salome Maswime.	Tell me a bio of Salome Maswime within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Salome Maswime with around 100 words.	Salome Maswime is a South African clinician and global health expert. She is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and the Head of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town. She advocates for women's health rights, equity in surgical and maternal care, and providing adequate health services to remote and underserved populations. She advises and consults for many institutions, including the World Health Organization. In 2017, she was honored with the Trailblazer and Young Achiever Award. She is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. Early life and education Salome Maswime is from Limpopo. Her father was a theology professor at the University of Venda. She graduated in medicine from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2005. During her medical internship, she saw two mothers die in a maternity ward in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal. This experience inspired her to train as a specialist obstetrician and gynecologist, as she feared she would "remain part of the problem that was leading to many preventable and unjust maternal deaths." Maswime spent a decade at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesberg and at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto. During this time, she realized she wanted to continue her formal education to understand the underlying causes of negative outcomes for mothers and neonates in childbirth. She secured a PhD position supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the South African Medical Research Council that allowed her to find ways to improve the lives of mothers and infants. She completed her Masters and PhD theses at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she looked to reduce maternal morbidity from caesarean section related haemorrhage across 15 hospitals in Gauteng. Career Maswime is an executive member of the South African Perioperative Research Group. She is a member of the International Network of Obstetric Survey Systems. She was a lecturer and Director of the University of the Witwatersrand Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinical Research Division and an obstetrician at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Academic Hospital. She works with women with high risk pregnancies. Her research considers maternal near miss and mortality. She found that maternal deaths from bleeding during caesarean sections have increased in South Africa. She compared the preparedness of hospitals for surgical complications in caesarean sections in southern Gauteng. Maswime discovered that Africa accounts for 200,000 maternal deaths per year; which is two thirds of all maternal deaths worldwide. In 2017, she was named by the Mail & Guardian as one of the Top 200 South Africans. She has written for The Conversation about increasing the number of caesarean sections in Africa. She won the Trailblazer and Young Achiever Award from Jacob Zuma in 2017. In 2018, she launched the South African Clinician Scientists Society, a collegial group for emerging specialists and researchers returning from training abroad that facilitates mentorship, networking, and multidisciplinary research. She was awarded a Discovery Foundation Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital Fellowship in 2018. Her fellowship allows her to research the causes of stillbirths in HIV-positive people. The fellowship is worth R2.1 million. During her postdoctoral year, Maswime found herself one of only two people at meetings at the World Health Organization or UNICEF. She also worked on her approach to mental health as it relates to mothers and children. She has two children, Taurai (12), Farai (8). In 2019 she was appointed as a Professor of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town. In 2020, she was announced as one of the World Economic Forum's Class of 2020 Young Scientists, a group of 25 notable researchers who are "at the forefront of scientific discovery." == References ==
Flavio Méndez Santiago	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Flavio Méndez Santiago.	Tell me a bio of Flavio Méndez Santiago.	Tell me a bio of Flavio Méndez Santiago within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Flavio Méndez Santiago with around 100 words.	Flavio Méndez Santiago (alias El Amarillo) is a Mexican drug lord of Los Zetas. Kingpin Act sanction On 24 March 2010, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Méndez Santiago under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with fifty-three other international criminals and ten foreign entities. The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S. Arrest He was captured on January 18, 2011 in Villa de Etla, Oaxaca. See also List of Mexico's 37 most-wanted drug lords == References ==
Lokesh Kanagaraj	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Lokesh Kanagaraj.	Tell me a bio of Lokesh Kanagaraj.	Tell me a bio of Lokesh Kanagaraj within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Lokesh Kanagaraj with around 100 words.	Lokesh Kanagaraj (; born 14 March 1986) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Tamil cinema. He started his career with a short film in the 2016 anthology Aviyal, he later directed his first feature film Maanagaram (2017). He created the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) franchise after the commercial success of Kaithi (2019), the franchise's first installment. He directed Master (2021), a standalone film featuring Vijay. This was followed by Vikram (2022), the second installment in the LCU with Kamal Haasan in the lead role. Lokesh Kanagaraj and Shruti Haasan come together for a musical project titled "Inimel". He then worked on Leo (2023) which became his most successful film, it became one of the highest grossing Indian films by earning over ₹600 crore (US$71 million) worldwide and served as the third installment in the LCU franchise. Early life Lokesh Kanagaraj was born in Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India to a Tamil aristocratic family. In PSG College of Arts and Science, he majored in Fashion Technology before pursuing an MBA. He did his schooling in Palanayiammal Matric Hr. Sec. School Kalliyapuram, Pollachi. He is an ex-bank employee. He pursued his passion towards film making by participating in a corporate short film competition. The judge of the competition was Karthik Subbaraj. Impressed with his short film, he encouraged Lokesh to pursue a directorial career making films. Career Lokesh made his directorial debut with the short film, Acham Thavir (2012), which won awards for Best Director, Best Film and Best Actor at the Clubace short film festival. In 2016, his short film Kalam was included in the anthology film Aviyal, produced by Karthik Subbaraj. He directed his first feature film, Maanagaram, in 2017, followed by the 2019 action thriller Kaithi produced by Dream Warrior Pictures, with Karthi in the lead role. Lokesh's next film, Master, released in January 2021 and starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, received positive reviews and became the highest-grossing Indian film of that year. In 2022, Lokesh directed Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film’s success, along with the establishment of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), elevated his reputation in the industry, leading to another collaboration with Vijay on Leo. Following Leo, Lokesh announced Thalaivar 171, Rajinikanth’s 171st film, produced by Sun Pictures, with music by Anirudh Ravichander. The official title Coolie was revealed in April 2024. In June 2023, Lokesh announced to conclude his directing career after completing 10 films. By November 2023, he launched his production company, G Squad, and unveiled his first production, Fight Club, directed by Vijay Kumar. Later that year, in December, Lokesh announced a short film within the LCU, titled Chapter Zero, as a prequel to Kaithi 2. On 14 April 2024 coinciding with Puthandu, Lokesh announced his production venture, Benz, directed by Bakkiyaraj Kannan and starring Raghava Lawrence in the lead. He has also written the story for the film. On 30 October 2024, Benz was confirmed to be a part of the LCU. Filmmaking style Lokesh's films are primarily in the neo-noir action genre. He has likened himself to John Woo, who is also known mainly for directing such films. Despite this, Lokesh has expressed interest in exploring other genres such as fantasy and comedy. He has cited action films from the 1980s and 1990s as influences on his films, and has named Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino as some of his favourite directors due to their filmmaking styles. Rathna Kumar, who worked with Lokesh on Master, Vikram, and Leo, mentioned that his penchant for retro songs, violence, and hyperlink narratives in his films come from his admiration for Tarantino. Though Lokesh's films are sometimes criticised for glorifying bloodshed and violence, he admitted that while he does try to romanticise violence, he has always had to tone down such sequences in his films to appeal to family audiences. To make his stunt sequences believable, Lokesh avoids using ropes, and believes this limitation makes the sequences look brutal and raw. Personal life Lokesh married Aishwarya on 8 January 2012. They have two daughters. Filmography As film director As producer and writer As actor Music videos Recurring collaborations Editor Philomin Raj has worked on all films. The duo Anbariv have worked on five films. Anirudh has worked on four films. Rathna Kumar, Arjun Das, Arun Alexander and Dheena have worked on three films. Only people who have worked in three or more films are listed. This list only concerns Lokesh Kanagaraj's directorial films. Accolades References External links Lokesh Kanagaraj at IMDb
Tappaya Sit-Or	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Tappaya Sit-Or.	Tell me a bio of Tappaya Sit-Or.	Tell me a bio of Tappaya Sit-Or within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Tappaya Sit-Or with around 100 words.	Tappaya Sit Or (Thai: ทัพยา ศิษย์อ อ; born February 1, 1976) or Mit Klinmee, is a former Rajadamnern and WMC champion with past rankings at Lumpini and Channel 7. Tappaya is currently retired from competition and runs the eponymous Sor Klinmee Gym in Pattaya, Thailand. Biography and career Early life Tappaya is the youngest of 11 children and began training and fighting regularly at the age of 6 along with his brother, Yokthai Sit-Or, and nephew, Rambaa Somdet. The three would train before and after school. In the evenings, they would compete in a local bar for tips. Tappaya was fighting in Bangkok by age 12. The three moved from Petrungruang gym in Pattaya to join the original Sit Or camp in Pattaya at its founding and were the first name fighters produced by the gym. Sit Or has since moved to Bangkok and been home to such fighters as Nong-O Sit-Or and Petchmankong Petfergus. Championship era In 1997, he challenged and defeated Ankandet BaoBaoin for the 61.5 kg Rajadamnern belt. The bout was televised on Channel 5 in Thailand. Tappaya would hold the Rajadamnern belt for three consecutive years. Also in 1997, on August 10, he would win the WMC belt from Panmongkon Carryboy at 61.5 kg. He was ranked first at Lumpini Stadium, though he did not win the belt there. Tappaya became a high-profile fighter on Channel 7 during this time. He ended his career with a record of 200 wins, 36 losses, and five draws, with a Rajadamnern and WMC belt at 61.5 kg, and a no.1 ranking at Lumpini. Coaching Toward the end of his fight career, he traveled to China, Japan, and the United Kingdom to teach and compete in Muay Thai. When he lived in Japan he competed in both kickboxing and MMA. He defeated Hayato in kickboxing rules fight as a representant of the Crosspoint Gym. When he retired in 2001, Tappaya had plans to open his own gym, which he did in 2009. He is the owner and acting head trainer of Sor Klinmee Gym in Pattaya on Neung Phap Wan road. Currently, Tappaya has two students regularly competing at the major stadiums in Bangkok. Robert Sor Klinmee is a southpaw fighter competing at 46 kg at Rajadamnern Stadium. Sangpet Sor Klinmee is an orthodox fighter competing at 45.5 kg at Rajadamnern and Lumpini. Sinsamut Klinmee and his famous brother Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee train at Sor Klinmee Gym as does Yokthai's son, Thepprasit champion Fasai Sor Klinmee. There are a number of younger boxers based out of the gym. Titles & honours Rajadamnern Stadium 1997 Rajadamnern Stadium Lightweight (135 lbs) Champion World Muay Thai Council 1997 WMC World Lightweight Champion Mixed martial arts record Muay Thai record References External links Sit Or Gym Website, "About the Gym" Sor Klinmee Fighters Competing at Thepprasit and Rajadamnern Siam Fight Mag Report on Sit-Or, by Serge Trefeu, translated to English Siam Fight Mag report on Sit-Or, by Serge Trefeu, in original French
Ronaldinho	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ronaldinho.	Tell me a bio of Ronaldinho.	Tell me a bio of Ronaldinho within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ronaldinho with around 100 words.	Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu ɡaˈuʃu]) or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, he won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. He is the only player ever to have won a World Cup, a Copa América, a Confederations Cup, a Champions League, a Copa Libertadores and a Ballon d'Or. A global icon of the sport, Ronaldinho was renowned for his dribbling abilities, free-kick accuracy, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes, and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals. During his career he was one of the most valuable footballers in the world. He is also known by the nickname "O Bruxo" ('The Wizard'). Ronaldinho made his career debut for Grêmio, in 1998. Aged 20, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France, where he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup, before signing for Barcelona in 2003. In his second season with Barcelona, he won his first FIFA World Player of the Year award as Barcelona won the 2004–05 La Liga title. The season that followed is considered one of the best in his career as he was integral in Barcelona winning the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, their first in fourteen years, and another La Liga title, giving Ronaldinho his first career double, receiving the 2005 Ballon d'Or, and his second FIFA World Player of the Year in the process. After scoring two solo goals in the first 2005–06 El Clásico, Ronaldinho became the second Barcelona player, after Diego Maradona in 1983, to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabéu. Due to these successes, Ronaldinho is widely credited with changing Barcelona's history. Following a second-place La Liga finish to Real Madrid in the 2006–07 season and an injury-plagued 2007–08 season, Ronaldinho suffered a decline in his performances—due to a decrease in dedication and focus towards football—and departed Barcelona to join AC Milan, where he won the 2010–11 Serie A. He returned to Brazil to play for Flamengo in 2011 and Atlético Mineiro a year later where he won the 2013 Copa Libertadores, before moving to Mexico to play for Querétaro and then back to Brazil to play for Fluminense in 2015. Ronaldinho accumulated numerous other individual awards in his career: he was included in the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times each, and was named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for the 2005–06 season and South American Footballer of the Year in 2013; in 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. In 2009, he was voted World Player of the Decade 2000s, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In his international career with Brazil, Ronaldinho earned 97 caps, scored 33 goals, and represented them in two FIFA World Cups. After debuting with the Seleção by winning the 1999 Copa América, he was an integral player in the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team, positioned alongside Ronaldo and Rivaldo in an attacking trio, and was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. He captained his team to the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup title and was named man of the match in the final. He also captained the Brazil Olympic team to a bronze medal in men's football at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Early life Ronaldo de Assis Moreira was born on 21 March 1980 in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. His mother, Miguelina Elói Assis dos Santos, was a salesperson who studied to become a nurse. His father, João de Assis Moreira, was a shipyard worker and a footballer for the local club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not to be confused with the larger Cruzeiro Esporte Clube). After Ronaldo's elder brother Roberto signed with Grêmio, the family moved to a home in the more affluent Guarujá section of Porto Alegre, which was a gift from Grêmio to convince Roberto to stay at the club. Still, Roberto's career was ultimately cut short by injury. When Ronaldo was eight years old, his father hit his head and drowned in the swimming pool at their new home. Roberto has acted as Ronaldo's manager, while his sister Deisi has worked as his press coordinator. Ronaldo's football skills began to blossom at the age of eight, and he was first given the nickname Ronaldinho—inho, meaning 'small'—because he was often the youngest and the smallest player in youth club matches. He developed an interest in futsal and beach football, which later expanded to organized football. Many of his signature moves originate from futsal, especially his ball control. His first brush with the media came at the age of 13, when he scored all 23 goals in a 23–0 victory against a local team. Ronaldinho was identified as a rising star at the 1997 U-17 World Championship in Egypt, in which he scored two goals on penalty kicks. Club career Grêmio Ronaldinho's career began with the Grêmio youth squad. He made his senior side debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores. 1999 saw the emergence of the 18-year-old Ronaldinho, with 22 goals in 47 matches, and he put in headlining displays in derbies against Internacional, most notably on 20 June 1999 in the Rio Grande do Sul State Championship final. In a match-winning performance, Ronaldinho embarrassed Internacional's Brazilian legend and 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga, flicking the ball over his head on one occasion, and leaving him flat-footed in a mazy dribble on another. Ronaldinho achieved further success with Grêmio, winning the inaugural Copa Sul. In 2001, Arsenal expressed interest in signing Ronaldinho, but the move collapsed after he could not obtain a work permit because he was a non-EU player who had not played enough international matches. He considered playing on loan with Scottish Premier League side St Mirren, which never happened due to his involvement in a fake passport scandal in Brazil. Paris Saint-Germain In 2001, Ronaldinho signed a five-year contract with French club Paris Saint-Germain in a €5 million transfer. Upon his arrival in Paris, Ronaldinho was given the number 21 shirt and inserted into a lineup that included fellow Brazilian Aloísio, midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha and striker Nicolas Anelka. 2001–02 season Ronaldinho made his league debut for the club on 4 August 2001, appearing as a substitute in a 1–1 draw with Auxerre. Ronaldinho spent the majority of the first few months of the 2001–02 season alternated between the bench and starter's role. He scored his first goal for the club on 13 October in a 2–2 draw against Lyon, converting the equalizing penalty in the 79th minute after having come on ten minutes prior. After returning from the winter break, Ronaldinho went on a tear, scoring a goal in four consecutive matches to open the new campaign. He recorded impressive goals against Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Lorient. On 16 March 2002, he recorded a double in PSG's 3–1 victory against relegation strugglers Troyes. He scored his final league goal of the season in the club's 2–0 win over Metz on 27 April. Ronaldinho was also influential in the 2001–02 Coupe de la Ligue, helping PSG reach the semi-finals where they were eliminated by Bordeaux. In a Round of 16 match against Guingamp, Ronaldinho scored two second-half goals in the game after having entered the match as a half-time substitute. Despite Ronaldinho's initial success with the club, the season was marred by controversy with Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Fernández, claiming that the Brazilian was too focused on the Parisian nightlife rather than football, and complained that his holidays in Brazil never ended at the scheduled times. 2002–03 season Despite repeated rifts with Fernández, Ronaldinho returned to the team for the 2002–03 season, with the player switching to the number 10 shirt. Although his performances in his second season with the club were underwhelming compared to his first, Ronaldinho performed admirably with the club. On 26 October 2002, he scored two goals in PSG's 3–1 victory over Classique rivals Marseille. The first goal was a free kick, which curled past numerous Marseille players in the 18-yard box before sailing past goalkeeper Vedran Runje. In the return match, he again scored in PSG's 3–0 victory at the Stade Vélodrome, running half the length of the field before flicking the ball over the goalkeeper. On 22 February 2003, Ronaldinho scored the goal of the season (chosen by public vote) against Guingamp—he beat one opponent before playing a one-two to beat another, then lifted the ball over a third before beating a fourth with a step over (dropping his shoulder, moving right but going left) and finished by lifting the ball over the goalkeeper. Ronaldinho was also praised for his performance in the Coupe de France when he scored both goals in the club's 2–0 win over Bordeaux in the semi-finals, which inserted PSG into the final. After scoring his first goal in the 22nd minute, Ronaldinho capped the game in the 81st minute, accurately chipping the ball at the 18-yard box over the head of goalkeeper Ulrich Ramé, despite Ramé being in a favorable position. For his performance, Ronaldinho was given a standing ovation by the Parisian supporters. Unfortunately for the club, however, Ronaldinho and the team failed to capture the form that got them to the final as they bowed out 2–1 to Auxerre due to a last-minute goal from Jean-Alain Boumsong. Despite Ronaldinho's performances, the club finished in a disappointing 11th-placed position. Following the season, Ronaldinho declared he wanted to leave the club after the capital club failed to qualify for any European competition. Barcelona Newly elected FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated, "I said we would lead Barça to the forefront of the footballing world, and for that to occur we had to sign one of these three players, David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Ronaldinho." Henry remained with Arsenal, and Laporta then promised to bring Beckham to the club, but following his transfer to Real Madrid, Barcelona entered the running for Ronaldinho and outbid Manchester United for his signature in a €30 million deal. 2003–04 season At the club where he would spend his peak years and the basis of his global fame, Ronaldinho made his Barcelona debut in a friendly against Juventus at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on 27 July, with coach Frank Rijkaard stating post match, "He has something special every time he touches the ball." He scored his first competitive goal in La Liga on 3 September 2003 against Sevilla at 1.30 a.m. local time, in a match that kicked off at five minutes past midnight. After receiving the ball from his goalkeeper inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran through the midfield and dribbled past two Sevilla players before striking the ball from 30 yards which hammered off the underside of the crossbar and back up into the roof of the net. Ronaldinho suffered from injury during the first half of the campaign, and Barcelona slumped to 12th in the league standings midway through the season. Ronaldinho returned from injury and scored 15 goals in La Liga during the 2003–04 season, helping the team ultimately finish second in the league. His scooped pass set up the winning goal for Xavi away to Real Madrid on 25 April 2004, the club's first win at the Bernabéu in seven years, a result Xavi credits as the start of "the Barcelona rise". 2004–05 season Ronaldinho won his first league title in 2004–05, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year on 20 December 2004. His captain at Barcelona, Carles Puyol, stated, "The greatest compliment I could give him is that he's given Barcelona our spirit back. He has made us smile again." Ronaldinho's fame grew due to his entertaining and productive play in both the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. On 8 March 2005, Barcelona were eliminated from the latter competition by Chelsea in the first knockout round, losing 5–4 over two legs. Ronaldinho scored both goals in the 4–2 second leg loss at Stamford Bridge in London, the second a spectacular strike where he feinted to shoot before striking the ball with little back-lift past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech from 20 yards out. "It's like someone pressed pause and for three seconds all the players stopped and I'm the only one that moves." On 1 May 2005, Ronaldinho made the assist for Lionel Messi's first goal for Barcelona, executing a scooped pass over the Albacete defence for Messi to finish. With his contract expiring in 2008, Ronaldinho was offered an extension until 2014 that would have net him £85 million over nine years, but he turned it down. In September 2005, he signed a two-year extension that contained a minimum-fee release clause that allowed him to leave should a club make an offer to Barcelona of at least £85 million for him. 2005–06 season By the end of the year 2005, Ronaldinho had started to accumulate a host of personal awards. He won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year in September 2005, in addition to being included in the 2005 FIFPro World XI, and being named the 2005 European Footballer of the Year. Also that year, Ronaldinho was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He became only the third player to win the award more than once, after three-time winners Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. His domination as the world's best footballer was undisputed as he also won the prestigious Ballon d'Or for the only time in his career. On 19 November, Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3–0 on the road in the first leg of El Clásico. After he sealed the match with his second goal, Madrid fans paid homage to his performance by applauding, so rare a tribute only Diego Maradona had ever been granted previously as a Barcelona player at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Ronaldinho stated, "I will never forget this because it is very rare for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition fans." The season is considered one of the best in Ronaldinho's career as he was an instrumental part of Barcelona's first Champions League title in 14 years. After winning their group convincingly, Barcelona faced Chelsea in the round of 16 for a rematch of the previous year. Ronaldinho scored a decisive goal in the second leg, going past three Chelsea defenders on the edge of the penalty area before beating the goalkeeper, sealing Barcelona's qualification to the next round. He also contributed one goal in Barcelona's elimination of Benfica in the quarter-finals with a 2–0 home victory. After a 1–0 semi-final aggregate win over Milan, in which Ronaldinho assisted the series' only goal by Ludovic Giuly, Barcelona progressed to the Champions League Final, which they won on 17 May 2006 with a 2–1 beating of Arsenal. Two weeks earlier, Barcelona had clinched their second-straight La Liga title with a 1–0 win over Celta de Vigo, giving Ronaldinho his first career double. Throughout the season, Ronaldinho linked up with prolific Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o in attack, providing a number of assists to the 34 goal striker; Ronaldinho's pass also put Eto'o through on goal in the Champions League Final from which he was brought down by Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann who was sent off. Ronaldinho finished the season with a career-best 26 goals, including seventeen in La Liga and seven in the Champions League, and was chosen for the UEFA Team of the Year for the third consecutive time and was named the 2005–06 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. He was named in the six man shortlist for the 2006 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, and was selected in the FIFA World XI. 2006–07 season On 25 November 2006, Ronaldinho scored his 50th career league goal against Villarreal, then scored a second time with a spectacular overhead bicycle kick; receiving Xavi's cross, he flicked the ball up with his chest and spun 180 degrees to finish—Barcelona fans waved white handkerchiefs in admiration of the goal. After the match, he told reporters that the latter was a goal he had dreamed of scoring since he was a boy. He scored once and set up two others in Barcelona's 4–0 Club World Cup win over Mexico's Club América on 14 December in Yokohama, Japan, but Barcelona were defeated 1–0 by Brazilian club Internacional in the final. Ronaldinho was the recipient of the Bronze Ball Award for the competition. The next day, Ronaldinho finished third in the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, behind 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane. In March 2007, defending champions Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League at the last 16 stage by Liverpool. Ronaldinho was forced to miss a charity match on 13 March due to an injury he had picked up several days earlier in Barcelona's 3–3 El Clásico draw with Real Madrid. Although Ronaldinho scored his career-best 21 league goals, the team lost the title to Real with a worse head-to-head record, as both teams finished the season with the same number of points. 2007–08 season Ronaldinho played his 200th career match for Barcelona in a league match against Osasuna on 3 February 2008. His 2007–08 campaign as a whole, however, was plagued by injuries, and a muscle tear in his right leg on 3 April prematurely ended his season. Having been a model professional and devoted himself to training during his hugely successful first three seasons at Barcelona, Ronaldinho's partying lifestyle and lack of dedication to training saw his physical condition decline, with many at the club believing he was already below his prime. On 19 May 2008, Barcelona club president Joan Laporta stated that Ronaldinho needed a "new challenge", claiming that he needed a new club if he were to revive his career. Ronaldinho joined Barca as a toothy-grinned wizard who had the club under his spell for three glorious seasons. He will leave a rather forlorn figure. Whether his magic has been exhausted or he just needs a new challenge remains to be seen. Ronaldinho and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi each captained a team of international stars in an anti-racism exhibition match in Venezuela on 28 June, which ended in a 7–7 draw. Ronaldinho finished with a pair of goals and two assists in what would be his last match as a Barcelona player. In preparation for the 2010 Joan Gamper Trophy, Ronaldinho sent an open letter to the fans and players of Barcelona, stating that his best years had been the five he spent in the Catalan club. It was a sad moment for him and he later said in an interview that he regretted leaving without playing long enough with Messi. AC Milan In July 2008, Ronaldinho turned down a £25.5 million offer from Manchester City of the Premier League, with purported wages of £200,000 per week on offer, to join Italian Serie A giants AC Milan on a three-year contract thought to be worth around £5.1 million (€6.5 million) a year, for €22.05 million plus €1.05 million bonus each season (€24.15 million in 2010). With the number 10 already occupied by teammate Clarence Seedorf, he selected 80 as his jersey number. 2008–09 season Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Milan in a 1–0 derby victory over Inter Milan on 28 September. His first brace was in a 3–0 win over Sampdoria on 19 October. He scored a 93rd-minute match-winner against Braga in the UEFA Cup group stage on 6 November. Ronaldinho finished the 2008–09 season at Milan with 10 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. After a good start to the season, Ronaldinho struggled with fitness, and was often played from the bench to end a disappointing first season for Milan. A perceived lack of dedication in training and a lifestyle of late night partying not befitting of an athlete saw him receive criticism, with Carlo Ancelotti, his coach at Milan in his first season in Italy, commenting, "The decline of Ronaldinho hasn't surprised me. His physical condition has always been very precarious. His talent though has never been in question." 2009–10 season Ronaldinho's second season did not begin on a high note, but he soon rediscovered his form and was arguably Milan's best player of the season. Newly appointed coach Leonardo changed his role from a central attacking midfielder to the left side of midfield, with Alexandre Pato on the right, in an offensive 4–3–3 formation. On 10 January 2010, Ronaldinho scored two goals against Juventus in an away match, sealing a 3–0 victory for Milan. In the following match, against Siena on 17 January, Ronaldinho scored his first hat-trick for Milan when he converted a penalty kick, scored with a header from a corner and finished with a strike into the top right corner from 20 yards out. The Estado De São Paulo newspaper declared, "Ronaldinho revives his golden years". On 16 February, Ronaldinho played against Manchester United in the Champions League. He scored early in the game at the San Siro to give Milan the lead. Milan ended up losing the game 3–2, with a goal from Paul Scholes and two goals from Wayne Rooney. Ronaldinho finished the season as the assists leader of Serie A. On a less positive note, however, he missed three penalties in the domestic season to add to one botched kick the previous season. Ronaldinho ended the Serie A campaign scoring two goals against Juventus; Luca Antonini opened the scoring and Milan went on to win 3–0 in Leonardo's last game in charge. 2010–11 season During the first half of the season, Ronaldinho was part of the team's attack that also included two new signings, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robinho. Before the winter break, he made 16 appearances, scored one goal, and made several assists. Flamengo After being heavily linked with a move back to his childhood club Grêmio, Ronaldinho joined Flamengo on 11 January 2011 with a contract ending in 2014. During the transfer saga, many reports had linked the former World Player of the Year to joining different clubs, such as LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, Blackburn Rovers of the Premier League, and Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Palmeiras. He was greeted by more than 20,000 fans at his unveiling at his new club on 13 January 2011. Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Flamengo in the 3–2 victory against Boavista on 6 February 2011. On 27 February, he converted a second-half free kick for Flamengo to beat Boavista 1–0 and win his first piece of silverware with the team, the Taça Guanabara. Ronaldinho lifted his first trophy with Flamengo after curling in a right-footed shot over the wall in the 71st minute at Engenhão stadium. The goal gave Flamengo its 19th Taça Guanabara title, which earned the Campeonato Carioca title two months later, as the team also won the Taça Rio. On 27 July 2011, Ronaldinho scored a hat-trick in Flamengo's 5–4 away win against rivals Santos, after being 3–0 down inside the first 30 minutes. On 31 May 2012, after being absent for a few days, he sued Flamengo claiming lack of payment for four months and cancelled his contract with the club. Atlético Mineiro Ronaldinho made a move to Atlético Mineiro on 4 June 2012 in a six-month contract, just four days after leaving Flamengo. He wore number 49 in reference to his mother's birth year since his preferred number 10 was already assigned to Guilherme in the 2012 season. Ronaldinho made his debut for Galo on 9 June 2012, playing for 90 minutes in a 1–0 away win against Palmeiras, and scored his first goal for the club on 23 June 2012 against Náutico, from the penalty spot. Ronaldinho led Atlético Mineiro to a good 2012 season, in which the club finished second in the 2012 Brasileirão and qualified for the 2013 Copa Libertadores. Ronaldinho won the Bola de Ouro award, selected as the best player in the league. The following year, Ronaldinho helped Atlético win the Campeonato Mineiro and led the club to its first Copa Libertadores title. Ronaldinho scored four goals and assisted on eight occasions during Atlético's dramatic title run, which included consecutive comebacks from 0–2 first leg defeats in both the semi-finals against Argentine club Newell's Old Boys and the finals against Club Olimpia from Paraguay. Both ties were determined in Atlético's favour after penalty shootouts. Although six years past his best, Ronaldinho's displays saw him voted the 2013 South American Footballer of the Year. At the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup held in Morocco in December, Atlético lost 3–1 to Raja Casablanca in the semi-final, with Ronaldinho scoring from a free-kick. As the final whistle blew, the Raja Casablanca team rushed to their childhood idol and stripped him down to his underpants in search of souvenirs. He renewed his contract with Atlético in January 2014. After winning the 2014 Recopa Sudamericana, Ronaldinho left the club in July, reaching an agreement to cancel his contract by mutual consent. Querétaro After becoming a free agent, Ronaldinho was offered contracts from English Conference South club Basingstoke Town and newly formed Indian Super League franchise Chennai Titans through their co-owner Prashant Agarwal, but eventually signed a two-year contract with Mexican club Querétaro on 5 September 2014. Ronaldinho made his debut for Querétaro in a 1–0 loss to Tigres UANL where he missed a penalty kick. In his next match, however, against Guadalajara, he had a much better game, setting up Camilo Sanvezzo to score as well as scoring himself from a penalty kick in a 4–1 win. On 30 October 2014, he scored a free kick against Atlas during an away match at the Estadio Jalisco. On 18 April 2015, Ronaldinho scored twice against Liga MX title-holders América in an away game at the Estadio Azteca, in which his team won 4–0. All of the spectators, mostly consisting of América supporters, gave a standing ovation to Ronaldinho after his goals had brought him to tears. This was the second time in Ronaldinho's career he had received such an ovation from opposing fans (after Madrid fans had applauded his performance in a Barcelona shirt in 2005), and after the match, Ronaldinho stated in an interview, "It is an emotion to live more. I had an ovation at the Bernabéu and now here. I never imagined this. It is something that makes me like Mexico even more and I feel right at home." Ronaldinho scored two penalties in consecutive matches, the second giving Querétaro the classification to the Liga MX playoffs. On 17 May 2015, Querétaro progressed to the semi-finals after defeating Veracruz 4–3 aggregate. In the second match, Ronaldinho scored a free kick with the help of the opponent's goalkeeper who made contact with the ball. Querétaro eventually advanced to the final after beating Pachuca on aggregate 2–2. In the final against Santos Laguna, Querétaro lost the first leg 0–5 and then won the 2nd leg 3–0 but lost 3–5 on aggregate. In June 2015, Ronaldinho, now 35, announced his departure from the club and thanked the Mexican people and fans of Querétaro: "I want to thank all the Mexican nation for all the days that I have lived with people so special, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you very much the Nation Gallos Blancos, which made me very proud to wear this shirt and defend this club." Fluminense On 11 July 2015, Ronaldinho announced his return to Brazil and signed an 18-month contract with Fluminense, but on 28 September, Ronaldinho reached a mutual agreement with the club to terminate the deal. He made nine appearances during his two-month stint at the club, failing to impress and being heavily criticized by the fans. Fluminense sporting director Mario Bittencourt stated, "Ronaldinho asked us for a meeting. He respectfully told us he didn't feel he was able to perform as well as he wanted and that it was a bad situation for him. He made a great gesture in saying he wasn't being the player he felt he could be right now. I'll never speak about whether or not he is retiring. That's not something you say about a player of his calibre. He was always spectacular, as player and person." Futsal in India In July 2016, Ronaldinho played for the Goa 5′s, a futsal team from Goa in India, together with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Míchel Salgado, and Hernán Crespo as well as futsal player Falcão in the Premier Futsal League. After two games, he left India to be an ambassador of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He was replaced by Cafu. From September to early October 2017, Ronaldinho joined the Delhi Dragons from Delhi in the Premier Futsal League. He scored 16 goals in eight games. Retirement On 16 January 2018, Ronaldinho confirmed his retirement from football through his brother/agent: "He has stopped, it is ended. Let's do something pretty big and nice after the Russia World Cup, probably in August." Such a celebration was supposed to take place three years after his last appearance for Fluminense, but has not materialized. He retired as one of just eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or. Ronaldinho appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on 15 July, performing a few bars of the Russian folk song "Kalinka" (sung by opera singer Aida Garifullina) on an African drum. International career Youth teams In 1997, Ronaldinho was part of the first Brazilian team to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship, which was held in Egypt, in which his first goal was a penalty against Austria in the first group match, which Brazil won 7–0. Ronaldinho finished with two goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball award as Brazil scored a total of 21 goals while only conceding 2. 1999 was a busy year for Ronaldinho in terms of international play. First he appeared in the South American Youth Championship, where he scored three goals in nine appearances and helped the U20s to reach third place. Then he took part in the that year's FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, scoring his first goal in Brazil's last group match. In the round of 16, he scored two first-half goals in a 4–0 win over Croatia, and finished with three goals as Brazil were eliminated by Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Early success On 26 June, three days before the start of the 1999 Copa América, Ronaldinho debuted the Brazilian senior team in a 3–0 friendly victory against Latvia, while scoring one goal during Brazil's victorious Copa América campaign as well. One week after the conclusion of the Copa América, he was called up for the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which he scored in every match except the final, including a hat-trick in an 8–2 semi-final rout of Saudi Arabia. In the final, Brazil lost 4–3 against Mexico. Ronaldinho won the Golden Ball award for the best player in tournament as well as the Golden Boot award for the tournament top-scorer. In 2000, Ronaldinho participated in the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, with the U23 national team. Earlier that year, Ronaldinho led Brazil to win the Pre-Olympic Tournament, scoring nine goals in seven matches. However, in the Olympics, Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Cameroon, who later won the gold medal. Ronaldinho appeared four times and scored only one goal, which came in the quarter-final defeat by Cameroon. 2002 World Cup glory Ronaldinho participated in his first World Cup in 2002, as part of a formidable offensive unit with Ronaldo and Rivaldo, dubbed the "Three Rs", who were also on the 1999 Copa América winning squad. The World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan, and Ronaldinho appeared in five matches during the tournament and scored two goals, as well as contributing with three assists. His first goal came in the group stage match against China PR, which Brazil won 4–0. The most memorable match in Ronaldinho's World Cup career took place in the quarter-final against England on 21 June. With Brazil trailing after Michael Owen's 23-minute strike, Ronaldinho turned the game around. Having received the ball inside his own half, Ronaldinho ran at the England defence and wrong footed star defender Ashley Cole with a trademark step over before passing the ball to Rivaldo on the edge of the penalty area to score the equalising goal just before half-time. Then, in the 50th minute, Ronaldinho took a free-kick from 40 yards out which curled into the top left corner of the net, completely surprising England's goalkeeper David Seaman, giving Brazil a 2–1 lead. Seven minutes later, he was sent off for a foul on England defender Danny Mills. Ronaldinho was suspended for the semi-final, but returned to Brazil's starting lineup for the 2–0 victory over Germany in the final as Brazil won its record fifth World Cup title. 2005 Confederations Cup title Ronaldinho's next international tournament was the 2003 Confederations Cup, in which he went scoreless as Brazil were eliminated in the group stage. The following year, he was dropped from Brazil's 2004 Copa América squad, as coach Carlos Alberto Parreira decided to rest his stars and used a largely reserve squad. After falling short in 1999 and 2003, Ronaldinho was the captain of Brazil and led his team to its second ever Confederations Cup title in 2005. He converted a penalty kick in a 3–2 semi-final win against host Germany and was named Man of the Match in a 4–1 victory over archrival Argentina in the final on 29 June. Ronaldinho scored three goals in the tournament and is tied with Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco as the tournament's all-time top goalscorer with nine goals. 2006 World Cup For the 2006 World Cup finals, Ronaldinho was part of Brazil's much-publicized "magic quartet" of offensive players alongside Adriano, Ronaldo and Kaká, which was expected to provide the "Joga Bonito" style of play that was the focus of an extensive advertising campaign by Nike leading up to the tournament. However, deemed "top heavy and unbalanced", the team finished with ten goals in five games, with Ronaldinho himself going scoreless and finishing with only one assist (for Gilberto's goal in a 4–1 group stage victory over Japan), as he turned in his worst collective performance in his international career. Brazil endured a disappointing campaign that culminated in a 1–0 loss to France in the quarter-finals, during which the Seleção had only one shot on goal. The team was harshly criticized by Brazilian fans and media following their return home. On 3 July, two days after Brazil's elimination, vandals immolated and destroyed a 23-foot (7.5-metre) tall fiberglass and resin statue of Ronaldinho in Chapecó. The statue had been erected in 2004 to celebrate his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. That same day, Ronaldinho, joined by Adriano, returned to the city of Barcelona and held a party at his home, which was continued into the early morning hours at a nightclub. This aggravated the hard feelings of many Brazilian fans, who believed that they were betrayed by the lack of effort from the squad. Displaying a passivity to Brazil's poor showing, the 2006 World Cup is now seen as the turning point in Ronaldinho's career, with his time at the summit of the game almost up. 1970 Brazil World Cup winner Tostão wrote in O Tempo: "Ronaldinho lacks an important characteristic of Maradona and Pelé—aggression. They transformed themselves in adversity. They became possessed, and furious." 2008 Olympic medal On 24 March 2007, Ronaldinho scored twice in a 4–0 win over Chile, which marked his first goal since the 2005 Confederations Cup final and thus ended a scoreless streak that lasted nearly two years. He was not called up for the 2007 Copa América after asking to be excused from the tournament due to fatigue. On 18 October, he was controversially benched by Barcelona after he was late returning to Spain following Brazil's 5–0 friendly win over Ecuador. He and several Brazil players celebrated the win by partying through the night at a posh Rio de Janeiro nightclub. Ronaldinho left at 11 am the next morning, allegedly in the trunk of a car in order to avoid the media. On 7 July 2008, Ronaldinho was named in Brazil's 2008 Summer Olympics squad as one of the overage players. Barcelona initially blocked the move because of his then-upcoming Champions League commitments with the club, but the decision was later nullified following Ronaldinho's transfer to Milan, who in turn permitted him to make the trip to Beijing, China. Ronaldinho captained the team, and he scored his only two goals in a 5–0 victory over New Zealand before Brazil were beaten by Argentina in the semi-final. Brazil finished with the bronze medal after defeating Belgium 3–0 in the third-place match. 2010 and 2014 World Cup absence Despite having returned to good form and being named as a member of the 30-man provisional squad that was submitted to FIFA on 11 May 2010, he was not named in coach Dunga's final squad of 23 for the Brazilian squad in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup despite his deep desire to participate in the competition. Critics claimed that the exclusion of players such as Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Adriano and Ronaldo signaled a move away from the classic Brazilian attacking "Joga Bonito" style of play. At the tournament, Brazil was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-final. In September 2011, Ronaldinho made his return to the national team under coach Mano Menezes in a friendly against Ghana at Fulham's Craven Cottage, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win for Brazil. He then had solid performances in back to back friendlies against Argentina in the same month. In October, he performed well against Mexico in a friendly, scoring a free kick to equalize after Dani Alves was sent off. Brazil went on to win the match with a goal from Marcelo. Ronaldinho's good form continued in 2013, and in January he was unexpectedly called up by coach Luiz Felipe Scolari for a friendly against England played on 6 February at Wembley Stadium as part of The Football Association (FA)'s 150th anniversary. Ronaldinho started in what was his 100th cap (including non-official matches), and had a chance to score from the penalty kick, but his shot was saved by Joe Hart. Brazil lost the match 1–2. He was again called up for the Seleção, being named captain of the national team for an international friendly with Chile on 24 April 2013. However, Ronaldinho was not selected for the national team for the 2013 Confederations Cup and he was also omitted from Scolari's 2014 World Cup finals squad. Player profile Style of play Ronaldinho is regarded as one of the greatest and most skilful players of all time. Due to his ability to score and create goals, he was capable of playing in several attacking positions. Throughout his career, he was often deployed as a winger, although he usually played as a classic number 10 in an attacking midfielder role. While he is naturally right-footed, during his time at Barcelona, Ronaldinho was also used as an inverted winger on the left flank at times by manager Frank Rijkaard, while the left-footed Messi was deployed on the right; this position allowed him to cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot. He was also capable of playing as a second striker. Despite primarily being a creative player, who was renowned for his passing, vision, and playmaking, Ronaldinho was an accurate finisher with either foot, both from inside and outside the penalty area, as well as being a free-kick and penalty kick specialist. Although he was primarily known for his ability to bend the ball from set pieces, he was also capable of striking the ball with power underneath the wall, and also occasionally used the knuckleball technique, which was popularised by his compatriot Juninho Pernambucano. He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific free kick takers in history, and also influenced his former teammate Messi, who went on to become a free kick specialist himself. Throughout his career, Ronaldinho was praised by pundits in particular for his technical skills, flair, and creativity, as well as his exceptional first touch. With his pace, acceleration, athleticism, ball control, and dribbling ability, he was capable of beating players during individual runs, often using an array of tricks and feints to get past opponents in one on one situations, including step overs and nutmegs. Physically strong in possession of the ball, Richard Williams writes, "Slender in build, the Brazilian has a strength belying the cartoonish smile." He also incorporated flashy moves such as back-heels, bicycle kicks, and no-look passes into his playstyle. Among his repertoire of moves is the "elastico", a move he learned by watching videos of one of his idols, the 1970s Brazilian star Rivelino. Ronaldinho came to be known as one of the best exponents of the feint, and in parts of Africa—especially Nigeria—this move is now called 'The Gaúcho', due to him popularising the use of this particular skill. Reception ESPN described Ronaldinho as being "skillful by nature, his tricks are unparalleled and he is wonderful with the ball at his feet. One of the coolest players in pressure situations" and a "fast, brash, skilful, tricky, an uninhibited playmaker" who provides "a mix of goals, assists, skills and a large repertoire of crafty moves". Zlatan Ibrahimović stated, "Prime Ronaldinho was phenomenal. He made his opponents look like children." Former Portugal midfield playmaker Rui Costa has said of his vision and passing ability: "There are not many players who can offer goal-scoring passes like he can. He is just marvellous. He is a rare case of an assist man who can provide the ball from anywhere." In 2010, his former Barcelona teammate, Edgar Davids, said of him: "For the skills and tricks, Ronaldinho was the best player that I ever played with." Another one of his former Barcelona teammate, Henrik Larsson, echoed this view. His compatriot Willian rated him as the greatest player of all time in 2019, while Juninho described him as the most skilful player he had ever seen. In 2019, FourFourTwo described him as "possibly the best technician in the history of football in Brazil", placing him at number five in their list of "The 101 greatest football players of the last 25 years". In 2006, Richard Williams of The Guardian described Ronaldinho as a "genius", while his former Barcelona teammate Sylvinho said of him: "He's so smart, so intelligent, that sometimes it's difficult to read his mind", also adding: "He's amazing. He's 100% talent. And he's a powerful player as well, so it's difficult to stop him." The Brazilian legend Tostão claimed: "Ronaldinho has the dribbling skills of Rivelino, the vision of Gérson, the spirit and happiness of Garrincha, the pace, skill and power of Jairzinho and Ronaldo, the technical ability of Zico and the creativity of Romário." Above all he had one, very special ability: he made you smile. In spite of his performances at his peak, a period of dedication and focus which saw him named the FIFA World Player of the Year twice and receive the Ballon d'Or, Ronaldinho was also criticised on occasion in the media for his lack of discipline in training, as well as his hedonistic lifestyle off the pitch, which impacted the overall longevity of his career. Referring to Ronaldinho as "Brazil's childlike genius who never grew up", Tim Vickery writes that it was the sudden death of his father at such a young age that may have seen Ronaldinho shy away from remaining at the top, with the attitude of "life is short and can end unexpectedly—so enjoy it while you can". Outside football Ronaldinho has had endorsements with many companies, including Nike, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, EA Sports and Danone. One of the world's highest paid players, in 2006 he earned over $19 million from endorsements. Having endorsed Pepsi for much of his career and appeared in commercials with David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho signed a deal with Coca-Cola in 2011, however this was terminated in July 2012 after he was caught drinking Pepsi in a news conference. Ronaldinho has featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series, appearing on the cover of FIFA Football 2004, FIFA Street, FIFA 06, FIFA 07, FIFA Street 3, FIFA 08 and FIFA 09. At the beginning of his career Ronaldinho signed a lucrative 10-year deal with sportswear company Nike (wearing Nike Tiempo R10 boots designed for him). He has appeared in Nike commercials, including the 2002 "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scorpion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam. His 2005 Nike advertisement, where he is given a new pair of boots and then proceeds to juggle a football and appears to repeatedly volley it against the crossbar of a goal and recover it without the ball touching the ground, went viral on YouTube, becoming the site's first video to reach one million views. A 2010 Nike commercial, Write the Future directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, features Ronaldinho executing a number of stepovers, which became a viral video re-enacted and shared millions of times. A wax sculpture of Ronaldinho was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong in December 2007. Ronaldinho has had an official role with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, since February 2006. In 2011, he was recruited by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS to promote awareness among young people of the disease and how to avoid it. In March 2015, Ronaldinho was the sixth most popular sportsperson on Facebook, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Beckham, Neymar and Kaká, with 31 million Facebook fans. Ronaldinho also has over 50 million Instagram followers. On 2 February 2017, Barcelona announced that Ronaldinho signed a 10-year deal to become an ambassador for the club at institutional events. On 6 July 2018, Ronaldinho announced a partnership with company World Soccer Coin (WSC) to develop a new cryptocurrency, the Ronaldinho Soccer Coin, with WSC claiming that the profits of the coin will be used to football projects such as "Ronaldinho Digital Stadiums". On 29 October 2020, Ronaldinho released a statement regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijan. He expressed solidarity with Azerbaijani people. In late July 2021, he went to Beirut, Lebanon, to lay a wreath in honor of victims of the port explosion. In fiction, Ronaldinho features as a character in Rupert Thomson's 2021 novel Barcelona Dreaming. In 2018, he appeared in the American martial arts film Kickboxer: Retaliation, alongside Alain Moussi and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Ronaldinho Gaúcho (comic strip) Ronaldinho Gaúcho is a Brazilian celebrity comic strip by Mauricio de Sousa, syndicated by Atlantic Syndication. It features a fictionalised version of the Ronaldinho as a child. The strip was created in 2006, when the 2006 FIFA World Cup was taking place in Germany. It ran until 2015. It was adapted into an animated television series as Ronaldinho Gaúcho's Team, produced by Italian studio GIG Italy Entertainment, with the coproduction of MSP (Mauricio de Sousa Produções). In 2014, because of the FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, Ronaldinho Gaúcho's short animated series was acquired by the paid children's channel Gloob, at the same time, the Discovery Kids channel aired the series "Pelezinho in: Planet Soccer". The series "Pelezinho in: Planet Soccer" was also launched, usually passing during Discovery Kids commercials, and Neymar Jr. by Nickelodeon. Legal troubles In July 2019, 57 properties belonging to Ronaldinho along with his Brazilian and Spanish passports were confiscated because of unpaid taxes and fines. The judge ultimately decided to reduce the fine from R$8.5 million to R$6 million for building a fishing platform on Guaíba River in a 'heritage-protected' area. Ronaldinho and his brother would ultimately fail to pay the fines within the allotted time and have their passports suspended. In March 2020, he was questioned by police in Paraguay after he was alleged to have used a fake passport to enter the country while coming for a charity event and book promotion, with Ronaldinho and his brother both being held in custody in the country. A lawyer representing Ronaldinho and his brother could not explain why they used fake passports to enter the country; as Brazilian nationals do not require a passport to countries that are members of the Mercosur trade bloc. While in prison he competed in a prison futsal tournament, where his team was victorious. They won 11–2 in the finals, with Ronaldinho scoring 5 goals and assisting the other 6. He attempted to appeal the detention order but was ordered to remain under house arrest with his brother. On 24 August 2020, Ronaldinho and his brother were released from Paraguayan prison after their judge agreed to a plea deal with fines of US$90,000 and US$110,000 for the brothers, respectively. Personal life Growing up, Ronaldinho's idols included the World Cup–winning stars Rivelino (from 1970); Diego Maradona (from 1986); Romário (from 1994); and his two future international teammates Ronaldo and Rivaldo (who would, together with him, form the attacking trio in Brazil's 2002 World Cup–winning team). Ronaldinho is the father of a son, João, born on 25 February 2005, to Brazilian dancer Janaína Mendes and named after his late father. He gained Spanish citizenship in 2007. In March 2018, Ronaldinho joined the Brazilian Republican Party, which has links to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Ronaldinho endorsed presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 Brazilian presidential election. Career statistics Ronaldinho made 853 appearances and scored 328 goals for club and country combined, with a goalscoring average of 0.38. Club International Notes Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first. Honours Grêmio Copa Sul: 1999 Campeonato Gaúcho: 1999 Barcelona La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06 Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006 UEFA Champions League: 2005–06 Flamengo Campeonato Carioca: 2011 Atlético Mineiro Campeonato Mineiro: 2013 Copa Libertadores: 2013 Recopa Sudamericana: 2014 Brazil U17 South American U-17 Championship: 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship: 1997 Brazil U23 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2000 Olympic Bronze Medal: 2008 Brazil Copa América: 1999 FIFA World Cup: 2002 FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005, runner-up 1999 Individual Campeonato Gaucho top scorer: 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 1999 South American Team of the Year: 1999 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament top scorer: 2000 Bola de Prata: 2000, 2011, 2012 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2002 Ligue 1 Goal of The Year: 2003 FIFA 100: 2004 Don Balón Award: 2003–04, 2005–06 Trofeo EFE: 2003–04 FIFA World Player of the Year: 2004, 2005 UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2005, 2006 World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 2004, 2005 UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2004–05 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball: 2005 Ballon d'Or: 2005 Onze d'Or: 2005 FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2005, 2006 FIFPro World XI: 2005, 2006, 2007 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2005–06 La Liga top assist provider: 2005–06 UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2005–06 FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze award: 2006 Golden Foot: 2009 Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009 World Player of the Decade 2000s: 2009 Serie A top assist provider: 2009–10 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Team of the Year: 2011, 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Best Fan's Player: 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top assist provider: 2012 Bola de Ouro: 2012 Copa Libertadores top assist provider: 2012, 2013 FIFA Club World Cup top scorer: 2013 South American Footballer of the Year: 2013 UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (substitute; published in 2015) Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame AC Milan Hall of Fame Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Silver): 2020 Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2021 Other In 2012, two Brazilian entomologists named a new species of bee, from Brazil, Eulaema quadragintanovem, stating that "the specific epithet honors the Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, famous worldwide as 'Ronaldinho' and in Brazil as 'Ronaldinho Gaúcho'. Quadraginta novem means 'forty-nine' in Latin, the number of Ronaldinho's jersey at Atlético Mineiro, his former team in Brazil. Ronaldinho chose the number 49 as an homage to his mother, born in 1949." See also List of association football families References Notes External links Ronaldinho Gaúcho official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 6 March 2010) (in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Italian) Profile at FC Barcelona Profile at AC Milan Ronaldinho – FIFA competition record (archived) Ronaldinho – UEFA competition record (archive) Ronaldinho – Liga MX stats at MedioTiempo.com (archived) (in Spanish) Ronaldinho – French league stats at LFP – also available in French (archived) European Champions Cup/UEFA Champions League Winning Squads
Rana Sanaullah	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Rana Sanaullah.	Tell me a bio of Rana Sanaullah.	Tell me a bio of Rana Sanaullah within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Rana Sanaullah with around 100 words.	Rana Sanaullah Khan (Urdu: رانا ثناء ﷲ; born 1 January 1955) is a Pakistani lawyer and politician who is currently serving as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs since April 2024. Previously, he served as the 39th Interior Minister of Pakistan in the first Shehbaz Sharif government. He is the second most popular official in the current Shehbaz Sharif government. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 to August 2023. He is a senior member of the PML-N and the president of the PML-N in Punjab since 4 May 2019. Before getting elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan, Sanaullah had been elected to the Provincial Assembly of Punjab five times and had served in high-ranking ministries of the province. Previously, he served as the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2018, Local Governments and Community Development Minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2014, Revenue Minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2013, Public Prosecution Minister of Punjab from 2008 to 2013, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Punjab) from 1990 to 1993 and again from 2002 to 2007. Early life and education Rana Sanaullah Khan was born on 1 January 1955 to Sher Muhammad Khan in a Punjabi Rajput family. He received a bachelor's degree in commerce from Government College University Faisalabad and an LLB from Punjab Law College, Lahore. He is a cousin of former Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry. Political career Pakistan People's Party Rana Sanaullah was elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the 1990 Pakistani general election. Pakistan Muslim League (N) He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) in the 1997 Pakistani general election. He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from PP-70 (Faisalabad-XX) as a candidate of (PML-N) in the 2002 Pakistani general election. He was also elected as the leader of opposition of the Punjab Provincial Assembly. In 2003, he was abducted by alleged intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and was badly tortured for speaking against military regime. Different pictures published in different newspapers showed Rana without his signature moustache and a shaved head. His acquaintances claim that the torture resulted in such an everlasting effect that interrupted the natural process of hair growth and since then his hair didn't grow that bushy as before. When freed, he was subsequently shifted to DHQ hospital. He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from PP-70 (Faisalabad-XX) as a candidate of (PML-N) in the 2008 Pakistani general election. He was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab from PP-70 (Faisalabad-XX) as a candidate of (PML-N) in the 2013 Pakistani general election. He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from NA-106 (Faisalabad-VI) as a candidate of (PML-N) in the 2018 Pakistani general election. He ran in the 2024 Pakistani General Election from NA-100 on PML-N Party ticket but was unsuccessful, he received 11,2639 votes against Dr Nisar Ahmed Jutt, an independent candidate who received 13,1941 votes. Interior Minister After dissolution of Government of Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed down as Interior Minister. On 17 April 2022, he was appointed Federal Interior Minister of Pakistan in Shehbaz Sharif's cabinet. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs In April 2024, the current President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari appoints him as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs. Political controversies Alleged links with militant organizations Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab who was himself assassinated in 2011 by Mumtaz Qadri, a militant Islamist, before his death accused the PML-N in general and Rana Sanaullah in particular of entertaining links with militant organizations such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), a group known to use violence against Pakistan's religious minorities, especially the Shi'as. Observers note that Taseer's security at the time of his death was in the hands of the PML-N, Shehbaz Sharif being the Chief Minister of the province while Rana Sanaullah was the Law Minister. Rana Sanaullah met SSP's leader Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi in February 2010, in his capacity as Law Minister and PML-N leader, arguing that the SSP "had a vast following and vote-bank and that its support made political sense", eventually justifying the electoral alliance between the PML-N and SSP. Christophe Jaffrelot goes further, saying that it's not only about political alliance for Rana Sanaullah but also ideological affinities, as during that campaign he "showed devotion to SSP heroes", having paid respect at the tombs of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi and Azam Tariq. Warren Weinstein In August 2011, he accused an American contractor in Pakistan Warren Weinstein of being an American spy although Weinstein had lived in Pakistan for seven years and there was no evidence that he was a spy. Weinstein went missing a week later and was accidentally killed in a January 2015 US drone strike on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, as announced by U.S. President Barack Obama at a White House press conference on April 23, 2015. Model Town incident On 17 June 2014, Punjab Police raided the Minhaj-ul-Quran International's Lahore secretariat on the pretext of removing security barriers from its surroundings. Tahir-ul-Qadri's followers, who were preparing for his arrival from Canada to launch an anti-government movement on 23 June 2014, protested and deadly skirmishes started. A dozen of Tahir-ul-Qadri's devotees were killed including three women and around hundred got seriously wounded from bullet shots. Rana Sanaullah, who is considered only second to the Chief Minister, remained adamant that the police action was justified which added to the public fury. In the wake of public reaction and opposition's criticism, Shahbaz Sharif sacked Rana Sanaullah as Law Minister, and Punjab's top bureaucrat. However, Qadri and other opposition leaders including Imran Khan held Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab, responsible for the civilian deaths at the hands of police and demanded his resignation. FIR of Model Town tragedy was registered against key figures of the present government including the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and Rana Sanaullah. A joint-investigation-team (JIT) was later formed to investigate the incident. Exonerated by the government led JIT he was sworn in as Punjab Law Minister again in May 2015. However no conclusive actions have been taken regarding the incident. Narcotics case When Sanaullah was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore in July 2019, the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Lahore team detained him close to the Ravi Toll Plaza on the highway. Under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act of 1997, which contains the death penalty, life in prison, or a sentence that may last up to 14 years in jail, as well as a fine of up to Rs1 million, a first information report was filed. According to the First Information Report (FIR), Sanaullah was allegedly involved in drug trafficking and was transporting heroin to Lahore. This information had been provided to the force. He was twice denied bail by the trial court, but on December 24, 2019, the Lahore High Court granted him liberty. Sanaullah's plea Sanaullah claimed on 10 December 2022 that the case against him was "concocted, designed, and created" after the multiple hearings. In the name of justice, equity, and fair play, he pleaded with the court to drop the charges against him. Sanaullah's lawyer informed the court that "Sanaullah had nothing to do with narcotics" and that "the case was a political ploy." He added that there were contradictions between the witness testimony and the camera footage. Imtiaz Ahmed, Assistant Director of the ANF, and Inspector Ehsaan Azam rejected the accusations against him during the final hearing, calling them "false." Along with other petitioners, Sanaullah asserted that this was an instance of political victimization. They said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry had explicitly stated that this case had not been filed during the administration of ousted primer minister Imran Khan and had instead been brought by "influential people" in the country. Acquittal in narcotics case Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah was exonerated on December 10, 2022, by a special court in Lahore following multiple hearings and his submission of a plea. == References ==
Karni Liddell	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Karni Liddell.	Tell me a bio of Karni Liddell.	Tell me a bio of Karni Liddell within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Karni Liddell with around 100 words.	Karni Liddell (born 1 March 1979) is a Paralympic swimming competitor from Australia. Personal Liddell was born on 1 March 1979 in Rockhampton, Queensland. She is a radio presenter for 4BC. At twelve months old, Liddell was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy a rare neuromuscular wasting disease. Karni was misdiagnosed for 40 years and has recently been diagnosed with Congenital Titinopathy which is also a neuromuscular wasting disease. Karni was diagnosed via a whole genome sequencing test performed in Europe in 2019 and Karni and her family had been looking for a diagnosis for the past 12 years and this has been a lengthy, traumatic and expensive process for her family. Her parents were told by doctors that she would never be able to walk and that she would not live past her teens. Liddell, alongside Branka Pupovac, Hamish MacDonald and Charmaine Dalli, was one of eighteen Australian Paralympians photographed by Emma Hack for a nude calendar. Liddell's photography depicts her wearing sunglasses and a covered in body paint made to look like a polka-dotted bikini. In 2008, she was one of several Queenslanders to have their images painted by Ludmila Clark to have the picture go on display at the Customs House in Rockhampton. Swimming By the age of 14, Liddell had broken a swimming world record. She has competed at two Paralympic Games: 1996 and 2000. She won medals at both Games and was the Australian Swimming Team Captain at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. == References ==
Ted Mack (politician)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ted Mack (politician).	Tell me a bio of Ted Mack (politician).	Tell me a bio of Ted Mack (politician) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ted Mack (politician) with around 100 words.	Edward Carrington Mack (20 December 1933 – 6 November 2018) was an architect and Australian politician. He is the only person ever to have been elected and re-elected as an independent to local, state, and federal government in Australia, and is often referred to as the "father of the independents". He chose to serve for only two terms in both the New South Wales state seat of North Shore and the federal seat of North Sydney to avoid receiving a parliamentary pension. Early life Mack was born in the Sydney suburb of Paddington and educated at Sydney Boys High School, finishing in 1950. He completed national service in the RAAF in 1951–1952 at Albury. At the University of New South Wales, he trained as an architect, graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1958. Following graduation, he married Wendy, with whom he has two daughters, one of whom is consumer activist Jenni Mack, and two sons. He and his wife travelled to Europe and worked in London 1958–61. Returning to Australia he worked as an architect mainly on hospitals and public housing until 1974 and in private practice until 1980. He supervised the construction of the Port Kembla district hospital (1961–63) and was later appointed as Architect-in-charge of Hospital design and construction at the NSW Public Works Department in 1966. In 1972 he was appointed as Assistant Chief Architect at the NSW Housing Commission. In 1975, he was appointed to a committee chaired by H.C. Coombs (former Governor of both the Commonwealth and Reserve Banks) to monitor and advise on Aboriginal housing in remote areas of Australia. Between 1974 and 1980, Mack was also employed as a part-time tutor at UNSW in architecture. Political career Mack began to take an interest in politics in 1970 after the North Sydney Municipal Council approved construction of a 17-storey office block near his residence. He subsequently ran for election to the council in 1974 and was successful. He was re-elected as an Alderman in 1977 and 1980. He was elected by the council as mayor in 1980, 1981, and 1982. He was re-elected by popular vote in 1983 and 1987. He began his term as mayor by selling the mayoral Mercedes-Benz car to help buy community buses. For the next eight years he used his 1951 Citroen as the mayoral car at no cost to the ratepayers. He relinquished his private architectural practice on becoming mayor. He introduced open government policies making all council meetings, committees and council files open to the public. There were no meetings of any sort from which the public or press were excluded while he was mayor. Public participation in decision making was created through the establishment of some 24 precinct committees, some 3000 public meetings and 36 referendums over his eight years as mayor. Under Mack's leadership the council decided all decision making is ultimately the right of the public not aldermen – irrespective of the merits of the public decision. He initiated a policy of raising funds from sources other than rates, with the result that rates fell from 66% of council's income in 1980 to 38% in 1987. In that year North Sydney was named as the top Sydney council in an independent financial analysis. This enabled the council to establish a large public works program without using rates or loans to fund it. The works program consisted of several new and renovated parks, four multi-storey car parks, four new childcare facilities, four renovated community centres and one major new community centre, four new tennis centres, two renovated public swimming pools, major library extensions, major renovations to North Sydney Oval, over one hundred new public housing dwellings (funded by the State Government), major streetscape improvements throughout the municipality, seats, signs, footpaths, lighting, forty bus shelters, some 50,000 street trees and a substantial number of commercial and retail establishments providing an income stream for council. Mack ensured that his name was not on any of the opening plaques for these facilities. He received a 90% vote at the 1987 mayoral election. In 1981, he decided to run as an independent for the newly created New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of North Shore, based in North Sydney. On paper, it was a comfortably safe Liberal seat; the North Shore has been the power base for the Liberals (and their predecessors) in Sydney for over a century. Mack nominated for North Shore after noticing that on its boundaries, the newly created North Shore was virtually coextensive with the Municipality of North Sydney. Mack considered that being both mayor and state member for electorates that covered nearly identical boundaries would make both positions more effective. His opponent was state opposition leader Bruce McDonald. After the first count on election night he pushed the Labor candidate into third place, and ultimately defeated McDonald on Labor preferences—one of the few times a major-party leader has been defeated at any level in Australia. Mack did not accept a mayoral allowance for the next seven years. He was returned by comfortable margins in 1984 and 1988, the latter election coming as the Coalition won government in a landslide. Shortly after his 1988 victory, he abruptly retired from all of his offices. He did so just two days short of serving seven years in parliament, which would have made him eligible for parliamentary pension entitlements in excess of $1,000,000. Mack had always taken a dim view of what he perceived as the excesses of public political office, and decided to retire in protest. His retirement from both local and state government resulted in three by-elections for North Sydney ward alderman, North Sydney mayor and state member for North Shore. All three people he recommended for these positions were elected. Despite living nearby, for a time, he refused to travel across the Sydney Harbour Bridge or through the Sydney Harbour Tunnel in protest at the secret contract and awarding of all tolls to Kumagai Transfield for 30 years. Federal politics After 18 months out of politics, mainly spent camping in the outback, Mack achieved even broader fame by winning the federal seat of North Sydney in 1990. The seat had long been regarded as a blue-ribbon Liberal seat; it had been held by the Liberals or their predecessors since Federation. However, Mack defeated incumbent Liberal MP and Shadow Foreign Minister John Spender on a large swing. Mack led on the primary vote, while Spender lost over 18 percent of his primary vote from 1987. He was elected on the fourth count after Democrat and Labor preferences flowed overwhelmingly to him. Mack was the First Independent elected since Sam Benson in 1966. Mack was narrowly re-elected in 1993. During his tenure in federal Parliament, Mack opposed unilateral tariff removal, privatisations and was the only vote against Australian involvement in the Gulf War. In his speech on 22 January 1991, Mack said: This war is about oil, because 40 per cent of the world's oil reserves are in this area. This war is about years of greed, of intrigue, of malevolence by local despots and the developed world. Saddam Hussein is a Frankenstein monster created over the last decade by the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and other western European countries that supplied him with billions of dollars of armaments, and with the technology for chemical and nuclear warfare. France built Saddam's nuclear reactor. In the years 1983 to 1989, United States trade with Iraq increased from $571M to $3.6 billion. Only one month before the invasion, the United States Department of Commerce tried to push through a $7.6m deal to sell Iraq nuclear parts. He successfully opposed the appointment of an Indonesian general involved in East Timor as ambassador to Australia. He also introduced a private member's bill for citizen initiated referendums as practised in Switzerland. He served on the transport and communications committee for six years. Mack chose to retire from federal parliament at the 1996 election for the same reason he had previously chosen to retire from state parliament − to avoid receiving a parliamentary pension. When the Liberals held their preselection contest for the seat, they did not know at the time that Mack was leaving politics, and Joe Hockey won the nomination with very little opposition. It is widely believed that Hockey would have faced a more rigorous preselection contest had it been known that Mack was retiring. During Mack's tenure, calculations of "traditional" two-party margins pegged North Sydney as a fairly safe Liberal seat. In 1993, for instance, the Liberals would have held it on a margin of 9.5 percent, on the stronger side of fairly safe and just on the edge of being safe. It had been an almost foregone conclusion that it would revert to the Liberals once Mack retired. As expected, Hockey easily won the seat, and later went on to serve in various ministerial roles including Treasurer. Post-political life Mack was elected as an independent Republican delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention. He opposed the model favoured by the Australian Republican Movement. Along with Clem Jones, he was a director of Real Republic and was appointed to the official ten person "no" committee for the 1999 referendum. In 1997, Ted Mack was elected as one of the one hundred "National Living Treasures", organised by the National Trust of Australia. After his retirement from federal parliament he was an occasional media political commentator, and was chosen to deliver the 2013 Henry Parkes Oration, held in Tenterfield and entitled "The State of the Federation". 2015 North Sydney by-election Ahead of the 2015 North Sydney by-election held on 5 December, Mack re-entered the federal political arena by announcing he would steer the campaign of independent candidate Stephen Ruff, which had the support of some disgruntled Liberal supporters. A senior orthopaedic surgeon at Royal North Shore Hospital, Ruff was a late entrant into the 2015 New South Wales state election for the North Shore state seat, and despite little financial resources and facing veteran Liberal incumbent Jillian Skinner, Ruff still managed a vote in excess of 10 percent. Regarding the North Sydney by-election, Mack stated "I've never seen an election where a Liberal candidate is so disliked by such a lot of Liberal members and Liberal voters". Leaked emails showed potential voters were sent registration forms at 7:30 pm on a Thursday and asked to signal their availability, with the cut-off for replying by noon the next day, and additionally, advance notice of the email and cut-off was provided to Liberal candidate Trent Zimmerman's backers. It was claimed up to 550 Liberal branch members were unable to vote after the Liberal state executive pushed through a shortened pre-selection process to select Zimmerman, who was also head of the body that sets the rules for Liberal pre-selections, which has been claimed as a "complete conflict of interest". Mack also claimed that much of the electorate was angered that the outgoing Joe Hockey, who penned the "age of entitlement" speech, had forced a $1-million by-election within a year of the 2016 federal election, with the expectation of becoming the next Ambassador of Australia to the United States. Ruff was ultimately unsuccessful, coming second to Zimmerman with a 19 percent primary and 40 percent two-candidate vote. It was only the second time in the seat's history that the successful Liberal candidate did not obtain a majority of the primary vote, having to rely on preferences after a larger than predicted double-digit primary vote swing. Health and death In 2016, it was reported that Mack had commenced treatment for brain cancers following the discovery of multiple small tumours in his brain. Mack informed the media that the diagnosis was terminal. The inaugural Ted Mack Oration was hosted by North Sydney Council and delivered in March 2017 by Elizabeth Farrelly, a Sydney Morning Herald columnist and architecture academic at the University of New South Wales. Mack died after a stroke on 6 November 2018. On the first anniversary of his death on 6 November 2019, the Mayor of North Sydney, Jilly Gibson, officially renamed the park next to North Sydney Council Chambers as "Ted Mack Civic Park". == References ==
Chris Duffield	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Chris Duffield.	Tell me a bio of Chris Duffield.	Tell me a bio of Chris Duffield within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Chris Duffield with around 100 words.	Christopher Paul Duffield (born 20 May 1952) is the former Town Clerk of London and Chief Executive of the Corporation of the City of London. He was succeeded by John Barradell in 2012. Early life Duffield was born on 20 May 1952, the son of Jack and Irene Duffield. He was educated at St Albans School, a then all-boys private school in Hertfordshire. He graduated from Newcastle University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons). Career He has served in local government for nearly 30 years and prior to joining the City of London was the Chief Executive of Bexley Council. He has also previously worked for the GLC, Redbridge and Essex. Corporation of London He joined the corporation by appointment to the Town Clerk and Chief Executive position in September 2003 and has previously worked as the Chief Executive of a London Borough and as the assistant director of finance at the Greater London Council He is also the chief executive of the Police Authority. His responsibility is to oversee all Police Authority staff. He works closely with the chairman to facilitate efficient and effective police service within the City of London. Sample duties of the Town Clerk and Chief Executive include, but are not limited to: Efficient management and execution of City functions. Primary advisor on policy and resources. Servicing meetings of the Court of Common Council and designated committees. Servicing meetings of the Court of Alderman and designated committees. Investigating complaints against the city. Electoral Registration Officer. Overseer of public relations. Overseer of economic development. Overseer of human resources. Associations Duffield is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Family He is married and has three sons, Mark, Jack and Joe Duffield. He also has four grandchildren, Amelia, Alex, Katie and Stanley Duffield. He has a brother, Ian Duffield who has 2 children Paul Duffield and Melanie Duffield References External links The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Member Chris Duffield "Spreadsheet" article. City of London Corporation web site
Daniil Medvedev	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Daniil Medvedev.	Tell me a bio of Daniil Medvedev.	Tell me a bio of Daniil Medvedev within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Daniil Medvedev with around 100 words.	Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev (Russian: Даниил Сергеевич Медведев, IPA: [dənʲɪˈil sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf]; born 11 February 1996) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Medvedev has won 20 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including the 2021 US Open and 2020 ATP Finals. Medvedev made his ATP Tour main draw debut at the 2015 Kremlin Cup, and in 2017, he participated in a singles major for the first time at Wimbledon. In 2018, Medvedev won his first ATP Tour singles titles, and achieved a breakthrough in 2019, making his top 10 debut and reaching six consecutive tournament finals, including at the US Open. He won the ATP Finals in 2020, becoming the only player to defeat the top three ranked players in the world en route to the year-end championship title. In 2021, Medvedev contested two major finals against Novak Djokovic, winning at the US Open to claim his first major title and deny Djokovic the Grand Slam. Shortly after reaching another Australian Open final in 2022, Medvedev became the first man after Andy Murray outside of the Big Three to attain the world No. 1 ranking since Andy Roddick in 2004, the third Russian man to do so after Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Marat Safin, and the 27th man overall. He then struggled with form and eventually dropped out of the top 10 in rankings, but returned to form in early 2023 and has since reached two more major finals and returned to the top 5. Early life Daniil Medvedev was born in Moscow to Sergey Medvedev and Olga Medvedeva. Daniil's father, a computer engineer, developed his own business of building materials sales, from the mid-1980s to the early 2010s. Medvedev has two older sisters named Julia and Elena, 12 and 8 years his senior, respectively. When Daniil was six years old, his mother noticed an advertisement for group tennis lessons at the pool where he was taking swimming lessons. His father encouraged him to enroll. Medvedev's first tennis teacher was Ekaterina Kryuchkova, a former coach of professional tennis player Vera Zvonareva among others. Daniil's other childhood activities besides sport included harpsichord and guitar lessons. Medvedev studied physics and maths at a specialized school before graduating early and enrolling in economics and commerce at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He later dropped out to focus on tennis. He then switched to the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth, and Tourism, where he received his diploma as coach. With his family he moved to Antibes, France where he trained at the tennis academy. His parents have been living in France since then, as retirees. Personal life As a result of living mostly overseas after turning 18, Medvedev can speak French and English fluently, besides his native Russian. Medvedev married his girlfriend Daria Chernyshkova, a Moscow State University graduate and former juniors tennis player, in Moscow on 12 September 2018. On 14 October 2022, they announced the birth of their daughter, Alisa. On 7 January 2025, they announced the birth of their second daughter, Vika. In September 2019, he credited his marriage for the improvement of his tennis results: "Before I made a proposal, I had been on the 65th place in the ranking, and then in ten months I've won two major tournaments and entered the top 10. We have significantly rebuilt our life, we work for each other. I earn [money], and Daria helps me to earn more". Medvedev is a supporter of FC Bayern Munich. Junior career Medvedev played his first junior match in July 2009 at the age of 13 at a grade 4 tournament in Estonia. In December 2010, he won his first junior title as a qualifier at just his third tournament. 2012–2013 would see Medvedev surge on the junior circuit as he won six titles between October 2012 and July 2013 which included four consecutive titles. He made his junior Grand Slam debut at 2013 Junior Wimbledon where he won his first round match against Hong Seong-chan but lost in the second round to 2nd seed Nikola Milojević. At the 2013 Junior US Open, he went into the tournament seeded 10th and made the third round where he lost to Johan Tatlot. Medvedev reached his career-high junior ranking of world No. 13 at the beginning of 2014 and went into the 2014 Junior Australian Open seeded 8th. He ended his junior career after a first round loss at 2014 Junior Wimbledon. Medvedev ended his junior career with an overall win–loss record of 109–43 and wins over several future stars including Alexander Zverev and Reilly Opelka. Junior Grand Slam results – singles: Australian Open: 3R (2014) French Open: 3R (2014) Wimbledon: 2R (2013) US Open: 3R (2013) Professional career 2015–2016: Early pro career Medvedev made his ATP main draw debut at the 2015 Kremlin Cup, partnering Aslan Karatsev in the doubles event. The two defeated Aliaksandr Bury and Denis Istomin in the first round but were defeated by Radu Albot and František Čermák in the second round. As a qualifier, Medvedev made his ATP singles main draw debut at the 2016 Nice Open, losing to Guido Pella in three sets. Three weeks later he earned his first singles ATP World Tour win at the 2016 Ricoh Open, defeating Horacio Zeballos in straight sets. Medvedev was disqualified from the second round of the Savannah Challenger event (in Georgia, U.S.) for comments he made after the umpire ruled in favor of his opponent. Medvedev thought he had won a break point against his opponent Donald Young's serve, but chair umpire Sandy French ruled that his returning shot had gone out. After that, Medvedev said Young and French were friends. As both parties are black, he was disqualified mid-match for allegedly 'question[ing] the impartiality of the umpire based on her race'. 2017: First ATP final In January 2017, Medvedev reached his first ATP singles final. In the final at the Chennai Open he lost to Roberto Bautista Agut in two sets. As a result, Medvedev jumped 34 positions from 99 to 65 in the ATP rankings, a new career-high. In February, he advanced to the quarterfinals of both the Open Sud de France and the Open 13, losing to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Lucas Pouille respectively. In June, he made it to the quarterfinals of the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, defeating the 6th seed, Robin Haase, and Thanasi Kokkinakis before losing to Ivo Karlović in straight sets. At the Aegon Championships, he advanced to his first ATP 500 quarterfinal by beating Nicolas Mahut and Kokkinakis in the first two rounds, before losing to the No. 6 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, in the quarterfinals. One week later, he on grass advanced to the semifinal of Eastbourne International, losing to Novak Djokovic. Medvedev registered his maiden Grand Slam match win at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, defeating fifth seed and world No. 3, Stan Wawrinka, in the first round in four sets. He lost in the next round to Ruben Bemelmans. Medvedev was handed three fines totaling $14,500 (£11,200) for his conduct during the match with Bemelmans: $7,000 for insulting the umpire on two occasions and $7,500 for throwing coins under the umpire's chair. 2018: First ATP titles Medvedev started the 2018 season by qualifying for the Sydney International. He reached the final which he won against Australian Alex de Minaur. The final was the youngest ATP Tour tournament final since 2007, when a 20-year-old Rafael Nadal defeated a 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in the final of Indian Wells. It also was the tournament's youngest final since 1989. In August, Medvedev won his second ATP title at the 2018 Winston-Salem Open after defeating Steve Johnson in straight sets. In October, Medvedev won his first ATP 500 and third career ATP title in Tokyo as a qualifier, overcoming Japanese star and No. 3 seeded, Kei Nishikori, in straight sets in the final. This triumph brought him to a new career high ranking of No. 22 and made him the No. 1 player in Russia. The victory also marked the third consecutive final that Medvedev had beaten the home favorite in to win the title. Medvedev reached the Kremlin Cup semifinal, losing to his countryman and eventual champion Karen Khachanov. One week later, he made the semifinals at the ATP 500 Swiss Indoors event, which he lost to Roger Federer. After the tournament, he achieved a new career high ranking of world No. 16. Medvedev finished 2018 with the most hard court match wins of any player on the ATP Tour (38 wins). He also had the most titles on hard court tournaments (3 titles), tying with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Karen Khachanov. 2019: Two Masters titles, US Open final Medvedev started the season strongly by reaching the final of the Brisbane International, defeating Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route, but then lost to Kei Nishikori. At the Australian Open, he was seeded 15th, the first time he was seeded at a major. He reached the round of 16 for the first time in his career, where he was defeated by eventual champion Novak Djokovic. In February, Medvedev won his fourth ATP title at the Sofia Open, beating Márton Fucsovics in the final. The following week, Medvedev lost in the semifinals of Rotterdam to Gaël Monfils. Medvedev entered the Monte Carlo Masters having only won two of his 13 career matches on clay courts. Despite this, he reached his first ever Masters 1000 quarterfinal at the event after defeating world No. 8 Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the quarterfinals, Medvedev earned his first triumph over a world number 1 ranked player, when he defeated Djokovic in three sets. His run ended in the semifinals against Dušan Lajović. At the Barcelona Open, Medvedev earned his third successive top 10 victory (this time over Kei Nishikori) to reach his first clay-court final. There, he was defeated by world No. 5 Dominic Thiem. Following his victory over Nishikori, Medvedev experienced a five-match losing streak, including an opening-round defeat at the French Open. He returned to form on the grass courts of Queen's Club, reaching his sixth semifinal of the season where he lost to Gilles Simon. Medvedev made his top 10 debut after reaching the third round of Wimbledon. The North American hardcourt swing proved to be a momentous breakthrough in Medvedev's career, as he reached four tournament finals (in Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati, and the US Open), becoming only the third man in tennis history to do so (after Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi). In Washington, he was defeated by Nick Kyrgios in the final. He followed this up with a strong performance at the Rogers Cup, reaching his first Masters final after beating top 10 players Dominic Thiem and Karen Khachanov. In the final, he was defeated by defending champion Rafael Nadal. Medvedev would reach a second consecutive Masters final at Cincinnati after beating defending champion Djokovic for the second time, where he defeated David Goffin in straight sets for his first Masters title. Medvedev entered the US Open as the world No. 5. In his second round match, he fought off cramping to defeat Hugo Dellien in four sets. He then defeated Feliciano López in a contentious match for which he was fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and $4,000 for flipping off the crowd. Medvedev next recovered from a set and a break deficit to beat Dominik Köpfer and reach his first Major quarterfinal. He then beat former champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals and Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals to reach his first Grand Slam final. There, Medvedev was defeated by Rafael Nadal in five sets. Medvedev followed up his success in North America with his maiden title on Russian soil at the St. Petersburg Open, to become the first Russian to win the tournament in 15 years. Medvedev then won a second consecutive title at the Shanghai Masters, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final. By reaching the final, Medvedev became the 7th man since 2000 to reach at least nine finals in a season. He ended the season losing his last four matches, including all three round robin matches in his ATP Finals debut. 2020: ATP Finals champion, third Masters title Medvedev opened his season at the inaugural edition of the ATP Cup as Russia's top ranked singles player. He led Russia to the semifinals, where they were eliminated by the Serbian team after Medvedev lost to world No. 2 Novak Djokovic. At the Australian Open, Medvedev was eliminated in the fourth round by former champion Stan Wawrinka in five sets. During the February indoor season, Medvedev suffered early defeats in Rotterdam and Marseille. When the season resumed in August after a six-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medvedev failed to defend his title at Cincinnati Masters, losing to Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals. As the 3rd seed in the US Open, Medvedev reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Dominic Thiem. At the French Open, Medvedev exited the tournament in the first round for the fourth consecutive year, losing to Márton Fucsovics. His struggles with form continued into the October indoor season, failing to string together more than two consecutive match wins in the St. Petersburg Open and Vienna Opens. Medvedev then resurged, winning his first title in a year at the Paris Masters. At the ATP Finals, Medvedev won all his round-robin matches in straight sets, over Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Diego Schwartzman. Medvedev recovered from a set- and break-deficit to defeat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, before beating Dominic Thiem in the final, once again coming from a set down. With the victory, he became the first player to have defeated the world's top three players at the ATP Finals, and only the fourth player (after Djokovic, Boris Becker, and David Nalbandian) to have done so at any tournament since the inception of the ATP Tour in 1990. 2021: US Open, Davis and ATP Cups champion At the second edition of the ATP Cup in February, Medvedev led Russia to the title, going 4–0 in singles. This included 3 top ten victories (over Diego Schwartzman, Alexander Zverev, and Matteo Berrettini) extending his win streak over top 10 opponents to ten wins. Medvedev then reached his second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open after straight sets victories over Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, extending his win streak against top 10 opponents to twelve wins, and his overall win streak to twenty wins. In the final, he was defeated by the defending champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Medvedev won his first title of the season at the Open 13 in Marseille, defeating Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the final. With the win, Medvedev ascended to world No. 2 in the ATP rankings, becoming the first man outside of the Big Four to occupy a position in the top 2 since Lleyton Hewitt in July 2005. On 13 April, Medvedev tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters. At the French Open, Medvedev reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to eventual runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas. During the grass-court season, Medvedev took a wildcard to compete in the Mallorca Championships, where he won his first career grass-court title. At Wimbledon, he reached the fourth round for the first time in his career. There, he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in a match plagued by rain delays. Medvedev entered both the men's singles and the men's doubles events at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In doubles, Medvedev and Aslan Karatsev were defeated in the first round by Slovakia's Filip Polášek and Lukáš Klein. In singles, he defeated Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, India's Sumit Nagal, and Italy's Fabio Fognini to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, he lost to Spain's Pablo Carreño Busta. To start the North American hardcourt season, Medvedev competed at the Canadian Open, where he won the title after defeating Reilly Opelka in the final. The following week, he competed at the Cincinnati Masters, reaching the semifinals where he was defeated by Andrey Rublev. At the US Open, Medvedev dropped just one set en route to his first major title, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final. The final received immense attention, as Djokovic was vying to become only the second man in the Open Era to achieve the calendar-year Grand Slam. Following the US Open, Medvedev participated in the Laver Cup as part of Team Europe. Team Europe comfortably won the title, with Medvedev winning his match against Denis Shapovalov in straight sets. At the Indian Wells Masters, Medvedev was upset in the fourth round by Grigor Dimitrov. At the Paris Masters, Medvedev reached the final for the second consecutive year, but lost to Novak Djokovic in three sets. In his third ATP Finals, Medvedev qualified for the semifinals after winning all of his round-robin matches. He defeated Casper Ruud before losing to Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final. Medvedev ended his 2021 season by leading Russia to the Davis Cup title, not dropping a set through his five singles matches. 2022: Australian Open final, world No. 1 Medvedev represented Russia in the third edition of the ATP Cup. Russia advanced to the semifinals of the tournament after Medvedev and Roman Safiullin went undefeated in doubles. There, Medvedev won his singles match against Canada's Félix Auger-Aliassime, but Russia was eliminated when Medvedev and Safiullin were defeated in the decisive doubles rubber. In January, Medvedev reached the final of the Australian Open for the second consecutive year. En route to the final, he beat home favorite Nick Kyrgios, world No. 10 Auger-Aliassime (saving match point), and world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas. In the final, he lost in five sets to Rafael Nadal despite taking a two-set lead. At 5 hours and 24 minutes, it was the second longest Major final ever played. In February, Medvedev was nominated for the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year award. Medvedev entered the Mexican Open with the opportunity to gain the world No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic. Medvedev reached the semifinals where he was defeated once again by Nadal in a rematch of the Australian Open final. However, as Djokovic was also defeated in the Dubai quarterfinals being played simultaneously, Medvedev ascended to world No. 1 for the first time. Medvedev thus became the first man outside of the Big Four to hold the top ranking since Andy Roddick in February 2004, and the third Russian man to achieve the ranking, following Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1999 and Marat Safin in 2000. At the Indian Wells Masters, Medvedev lost to Gaël Monfils in the third round. The loss resulted in his losing the No. 1 ranking, with Novak Djokovic once again taking the top spot. Medvedev had a chance to reclaim the No. 1 ranking the following fortnight if he reached the semifinals at the Miami Masters, but fell one match short, losing to defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals. On 2 April, Medvedev announced that he would miss the beginning of the clay court season to recover from a hernia procedure. On 20 April, the All England Club announced a ban on all Russian and Belarusian players, including Medvedev, from competing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following his recovery from surgery, Medvedev returned to play at the Geneva Open, where he lost his opening match to Richard Gasquet in straight sets. At the French Open, Medvedev was eliminated in the fourth round by Marin Čilić. However, as Novak Djokovic failed to defend his title, Medvedev reclaimed the No. 1 ranking. Medvedev entered three tournaments in the grass court season, Rosmalen, Halle, and Mallorca. At his first event in Rosmalen, he reached the final without dropping a set before suffering a shock loss to world No. 205 Tim van Rijthoven. He then reached the final at Halle, once again without dropping a set, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz. In Mallorca, Medvedev was defeated in the quarterfinals by Roberto Bautista Agut. Medvedev started his North American summer hardcourt season by winning the title at the Los Cabos Open defeating Cameron Norrie in the final. In his opening round match against Rinky Hijikata, he recorded his 250th career singles match win. At the Canadian Open, Medvedev, who was the defending champion, lost his opening match to Nick Kyrgios. At the Cincinnati Masters, Medvedev was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals. Medvedev was yet again defeated by Kyrgios at the US Open, resulting in Medvedev losing the No. 1 ranking. Medvedev began the fall indoor hardcourt season by competing at the Moselle Open, where he lost his opening match to Stan Wawrinka in three sets. Medvedev next competed at the Astana Open where he reached the semifinals. In his semifinal match, against Novak Djokovic, Medvedev was forced to retire with the match level at one-set-all with a leg injury. Medvedev returned to play at the Vienna Open where he defeated Denis Shapovalov in the final to win his second title of the year, and second ATP 500 title of his career. Medvedev finished the year on a four-match losing streak, losing in the opening round of the Paris Masters, and losing all three of his round-robin matches in the ATP Finals in third-set tiebreakers. This resulted in him dropping to world No. 7 in the year-end rankings. 2023: Five titles and US Open finalist Medvedev started the season at the Adelaide International where he reached the semifinals, losing to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Seeded 7th at the Australian Open, he defeated Marcos Giron and John Millman before losing to Sebastian Korda in straight sets in the third round. As a result, Medvedev dropped out of the Top 10 to World No. 12. In February, Medvedev entered the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam seeded 6th, where he made it to the finals whilst dropping only one set. In the final, he defeated Italian No. 1 Jannik Sinner in three sets, thus returning to the Top 10. The following week, Medvedev entered the Qatar ExxonMobil Open seeded third and won the tournament, defeating Andy Murray in straight sets in the final. In March, Medvedev defeated No. 2 seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets in an all-Russian final to win in Dubai his third title in three weeks, and his 18th title overall thus winning titles in 18 different cities and becoming the first man in the Open Era to accomplish the feat. In this tournament, he did not drop a set including his win against No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, snapping his 20-match winning streak. As a result, he moved back to world No. 6 on 6 March 2023. At the next Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, Medvedev reached back-to-back quarterfinals after defeating 12th seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round. His victories against 23rd seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and 14th seed Frances Tiafoe propelled him into the final. In the final, he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets but reentered the Top 5. In Miami, he reached back-to-back finals defeating 14th seed Karen Khachanov and won his 19th title in a 19th different city after defeating 10th seed Jannik Sinner in straight sets. He moved to world No. 4 in the rankings on 3 April 2023. Medvedev began his clay court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he reached his sixth consecutive quarterfinal with wins over Lorenzo Sonego and 13th seed Alexander Zverev but he lost to sixth seed Holger Rune in the quarterfinals, ending his streak of five consecutive finals. At the next Masters in Madrid he recorded his 300th win over first-time qualifier and compatriot Alexander Shevchenko in the third round. He lost to qualifier, another compatriot Aslan Karatsev in the fourth round. In Rome he reached the semifinals at a Masters 1000 clay-court event for just the second time (after Monte-Carlo 2019) defeating qualifier Yannick Hanfmann. Next he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach only his second final on clay. He won his first clay title defeating Holger Rune, having won 20 titles in 20 different cities. As a result, he returned to world No. 2 in the singles rankings on 22 May 2023. Medvedev entered the French Open as the second seed but lost in his first round match against Thiago Seyboth Wild. Medvedev then competed at Wimbledon as the No. 3 seed and reached the semifinals for the first time at this Major. Following wins over wildcard Arthur Fery, Adrian Mannarino, Márton Fucsovics, Jiří Lehečka, and Christopher Eubanks in a tight five set match, he set up a semifinal clash with eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, losing in straight sets. During the North American summer hardcourt swing, Medvedev reached the quarterfinals at the Canadian Open and the fourth round at the Cincinnati Masters, losing to Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev respectively. At the US Open, he reached the final following wins over Attila Bálazs, Christopher O'Connell, Sebastián Báez, Alex de Minaur, compatriot Andrey Rublev, and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals; Djokovic won the rematch of the 2021 final in straight sets. Following his US Open run, Medvedev became the third player to qualify for the 2023 ATP Finals. During the Asian swing in October, Medvedev reached the final of the China Open where he lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets. At the Rolex Shanghai Masters, he defeated Cristian Garín to record his 60th win of the year, becoming the second player of the season to accomplish this after Carlos Alcaraz. At the ATP Finals, he lost to Jannik Sinner in three sets in the semifinals. He finished his year with 67 wins, surpassing his previous best of 63 wins in 2021. 2024: Australian final, 350th career win Medvedev began his season at the Australian Open, where he defeated Emil Ruusuvuori in the second round from two sets down and recorded the third-latest match finish in the history of this Major at 3:39 a.m. He then defeated Félix Auger-Aliassime and Nuno Borges to reach the quarterfinals. He then won back-to-back 5-set matches against Hubert Hurkacz and Alexander Zverev, coming back from two sets down to defeat the latter, to reach his third Australian Open final. He lost the final to Jannik Sinner in five sets, having led by two sets to love. It was his second loss in an Australian Open final after having led by two sets to love, following his loss in the 2022 Australian Open final to Rafael Nadal, becoming the only man in the Open Era to lose two Grand Slam finals from a two-set lead. By the end of the tournament, Medvedev had played four five-set matches in total and set two records: the most time spent on court at a Grand Slam tournament (24 hours and 17 minutes) and the most number of sets played in a singles major (31 sets). At Indian Wells, Medvedev reached the final and lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of the previous year's final. At the Miami Open, he defeated Dominik Koepfer to reach the quarterfinals and recorded his 350th career win, becoming only the fourth man born in the 1990s or later to reach this milestone, after Dimitrov, Zverev and Raonic. By reaching the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open the following month, he became the first player born in the 1990s or later to complete the career set of both Grand Slam and Masters 1000 quarterfinals and the tenth active player overall. As the defending champion at the Italian Open, Medvedev recorded his 100th Masters win over Jack Draper to reach the third round. At the French Open, Medvedev defeated Dominik Koepfer in the first round, Miomir Kecmanović in the second round, and Tomáš Macháč in the third round. In the fourth round, he lost to Alex de Minaur in four sets. At Wimbledon, he was seeded 5th and reached the semifinals, including a quarterfinal victory over World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in five sets. In the semifinals, he won the first set against defending champion and No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz before losing the next three sets. At the National Bank Open and Cincinnati Open, he lost in the second rounds Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Jiří Lehečka, respectively. At the US Open in the quarterfinals, he lost in four sets to Jannik Sinner, who got his revenge for his previous loss against him, setting their head to head to 7-6. At the Asian Swing, he reached the semifinals of Beijing and the quarterfinals of Shanghai respectively, losing to Alcaraz and Sinner. After a second round defeat to Alexei Popyrin at Paris, he was eliminated in the round robin stage of the ATP Finals, winning his match against Alex de Minaur, but losing to Taylor Fritz and Sinner. He ended the year as No. 5, becoming the 3rd man to finish in the Top 5 of the year-end Rankings without winning a title during the season after Jimmy Connors in 1985 and 1987 and Federer in 2020. 2025: 300th hardcourt win and struggle with form Medvedev started his season at the 2025 Australian Open where he overcame wildcard Kasidit Samrej in five sets despite being two sets-to-one down. He was then defeated by 19-year-old Learner Tien in five sets, losing two of three tiebreak sets. He next participated in Rotterdam, beating Stan Wawrinka in three sets but losing in the second round to qualifier Mattia Bellucci. At the 2025 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Medvedev reached the quarterfinals, recording his 300th hardcourt win over Zizou Bergs, the second man born in 1990 or later to reach that milestone, after Grigor Dimitrov. Medvedev then played in the first two Masters events of the year, the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, losing to Holger Rune and Jaume Munar in the semifinals and second round, respectively. As he was not able to defend his last year's final and semifinal points, Medvedev dropped out of the Top 10 for the first time since 2023 to No. 11. During the clay court season, Medvedev collected wins at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters over compatriot Karen Khachanov and Alexandre Muller, but lost in the third round to Alex de Minaur. He reached the quarterfinals at Madrid, losing to eventual champion Casper Ruud. He then lost in the fourth round to Lorenzo Musetti in Rome. However, perhaps the biggest shock was a first round loss to world No. 81 Cameron Norrie at the 2025 French Open. Nonetheless, he returned to the top 10 at No. 9. At the grass court season, Medvedev reached his first ATP final since the 2024 Indian Wells tournament, in Halle, losing to Alexander Bublik and denying him a new title in over 2 years. At Wimbledon, Medvedev lost again in the first round of a Grand Slam, this time to Benjamin Bonzi. Having been unable to defend all of his semifinalist points last year, he dropped further in the rankings to No. 14. Rivalries Stefanos Tsitsipas Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas have faced each other 14 times since 2018, with Medvedev leading the rivalry, 10–4. Medvedev won his first five matches against Tsitsipas, but Tsitsipas has won four of their last nine. They have a heated rivalry on-court, but their matches showcase antagonism between the two players on a personal level as well. Alexander Zverev Medvedev and Zverev have faced each other 20 times with Medvedev leading the rivalry 13–7. Zverev won the first four matches of their rivalry, but Medvedev won eleven of the last thirteen of their encounters. Jannik Sinner Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner have faced each other 15 times since 2020 with Sinner leading the rivalry 8–7. Medvedev won their first 6 matches including the 2023 Miami Open final but Sinner turned around the lopsided head to head in Beijing beating Medvedev for the first time. Since then Sinner has won 7 of their last 8 encounters including their most notable match at the 2024 Australian Open final which Sinner won to claim his first major title. Medvedev lost the final after leading 2 sets to love for the second time at the Australian Open, after the 2022 final against Rafael Nadal. Nadal and Djokovic Of his six major finals, Medvedev has twice faced Rafael Nadal (at the 2019 US Open and 2022 Australian Open) and thrice faced Novak Djokovic (at 2021 Australian Open, 2021 US Open, and 2023 US Open). His lone victory in major finals came at the 2021 US Open, where he defeated Djokovic in straight sets to win his first major title and deny Djokovic the Calendar Grand Slam. The following year, at the 2022 Australian Open, he was aiming to become the first man in the Open Era to win his second major title directly after the first, but lost to Nadal in an epic five-set match despite being two sets up. Overall, Medvedev's head-to-head against the two all-time greats is 1–5 against Nadal, and 5–10 against Djokovic. Playing style Medvedev is a counterpuncher. Standing at 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) tall, he has a very powerful first serve capable of reaching 148 mph (238 km/h). He hits long, flat groundstrokes, often wearing opponents down with lengthy baseline rallies. Medvedev's biggest weapon is his ability to play consistently. He has not thrived on power and spin but has been able to land the ball between the lines over and over again. Medvedev is also known for his strong return of serve. He tends to adopt a very deep position at the back of the court which allows him to hit full-swing groundstrokes rather than blocking the serve back into play. He also possesses one of the best backhands on tour. His forehand is generally the weaker shot of the two. He is known for his very defensive play. Medvedev is a moderately strong competitor mentally, evident in his attitude on the court, playing style, and demeanor in big matches. Initially possessing a short temper, Medvedev eventually learned to control himself and display a calm demeanor in important matches. According to Francisca Dauzet, the performance coach he has been working with since 2018, he has "monstrous mental potential" and is learning to control his impatience. He has at times been "unable to channel his outbursts", but Dauzet describes him as a quick learner who is "fast at catching things". Medvedev's preferred surface is hardcourt and he has been one of the best and most consistent players on the surface since he first broke through to the top 10 in 2019. He has shown to be highly antagonistic towards clay, where he struggles the most. Medvedev suffers on clay due to his style of playing flat strokes and the fact that his movement, one of his biggest strengths on a hardcourt, is hampered. Medvedev himself said that he dislikes clay because it makes surrounding areas dirty. In 2021, during a match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Medvedev said, "I don't want to play here on this surface!" and "This surface is for losers." Over time, Medvedev managed to get more comfortable with clay and adjust to the surface. He has since achieved solid results on the surface including a Masters title at the 2023 Italian Open. With his playing style, Novak Djokovic has described Medvedev as a very complete player and in October 2019 Alexander Zverev called him the best player in the world. 2019 ATP Finals champion, Stefanos Tsitsipas, once described his way of playing as "very boring"; but later said "he just plays extremely smart and outplays you". Medvedev has sometimes had an antagonistic relationship with crowds. At the 2021 US Open (which he won) and 2022 Australian Open, Medvedev was frequently booed and antagonized by the home crowd. At the 2023 US Open, Medvedev lashed out at the crowd, asking if they were "stupid" and asking them to "shut up." Endorsements Medvedev endorses Lacoste for apparel and shoes, Tecnifibre for racquets, and Bovet for watches. He also has been employed as an ambassador by BMW, Tinkoff Bank, and HyperX for gaming accessories, mostly for the Russian-speaking world. He previously endorsed Lotto for apparel and shoes until 2019. Since November 2021, he has been signed as a promoter of the Guojiao 1573 brand. Career statistics Grand Slam performance timeline Current through the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Grand Slam tournament finals Singles: 6 (1 title, 5 runner-ups) Year–End Championships performance timeline Year-end championship finals Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up) Records These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis. Awards National The Russian Cup in the nominations: Male Tennis Player of the Year: 2019, 2021; Team of the Year: 2019, 2021. Sports title "Merited Master of Sports of Russia" (2019) Notes References External links Daniil Medvedev at the Association of Tennis Professionals Daniil Medvedev at the International Tennis Federation Daniil Medvedev at the Davis Cup Daniil Medvedev at Olympedia
Giorgi Papunashvili	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Giorgi Papunashvili.	Tell me a bio of Giorgi Papunashvili.	Tell me a bio of Giorgi Papunashvili within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Giorgi Papunashvili with around 100 words.	Giorgi Papunashvili (Georgian: გიორგი პაპუნაშვილი, romanized: giorgi p'ap'unashvili, pronounced [ɡioɾɡi pʼapʼunaʃʷili]; born 2 September 1995), commonly known as Papu, is a Georgian professional footballer who plays for Azerbaijani club Zira as a winger. Ha has played for the Georgian national senior and youth teams. Club career Dinamo Tbilisi Papunashvili started his career in his hometown club Dinamo Tbilisi. In 2013, after having spent a single season with the reserve side of the Georgian club, Papunashvili was promoted to the first team and in November he made his debut in Erovnuli Liga against Tskhinvali. During the 2014–15 season, Papunashvili became the key figure at Dinamo, scoring 16 goals in all tournaments with the club, including his first career hat-trick against Tskhinvali in October 2014. Dinamo won Georgian Cup at the end of the season as well, with Papunashvili scoring two goals in the final against Samtredia. In summer 2015, Papunashvili signed a season-long loan deal with Werder Bremen. He joined the reserve side of the club and played in 3. Liga. The loan spell was unsuccessful, as Papunashvili missed 12 games due to injury and was only able to make 20 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. Real Zaragoza In June 2017, Papunashvili signed four-year deal with Real Zaragoza. He made his debut for the Spanish club against Granada CF on 28 August, replacing Oliver Buff. On 12 January 2020, Papunashvili joined fellow second division side Racing de Santander on loan until the end of the season. Short spells On 24 December 2020, Zaragoza announced the transfer of Papunashvili to Cypriot club Apollon Limassol FC. In January 2022, he returned to Erovnuli Liga to join Torpedo Kutaisi. After six months Papunashvili moved to Serbian side Radnički Niš. In March 2023, he signed with Samtredia, and four months later joined Telavi. Having played one league match for the latter, Papunashvili signed a contract with Azerbaijan Premier League side Kapaz. On 3 August 2024, Papunashvili signed 1+1 year contract with Azerbaijan Premier League side Zira. International career Papunashvili made his debut for the national team in a 1–0 friendly loss against the United Arab Emirates on 3 June 2014. He also represented Georgia national under-17 football team in the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Slovenia. Papunashvili scored a memorable last-minute goal in a crucial win over England in the qualifying stage of this championship. Career statistics Club As of 22 January 2025 International goals Scores and results list Georgia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Papunashvili goal. Honours Dinamo Tbilisi Umaglesi Liga: 2013–14 Georgian Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15 Georgian Super Cup: 2014 References External links Giorgi Papunashvili at BDFutbol Giorgi Papunashvili at National-Football-Teams.com Giorgi Papunashvili – UEFA competition record (archive) Giorgi Papunashvili at Soccerway
Nancy Onyango	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Nancy Onyango.	Tell me a bio of Nancy Onyango.	Tell me a bio of Nancy Onyango within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Nancy Onyango with around 100 words.	Nancy Asiko Onyango, commonly known as Nancy Onyango, is a Kenyan accountant, businesswoman and corporate executive, who is the Director of the Office of Internal Audit and Inspection at the International Monetary Fund. She was appointed on 4 December 2017, with the appointment to take effect on 1 February 2018. Before her appointment, she served as the CEO of Reliance Risk Advisory Solutions, a Nairobi-based consultancy firm. Background and education She was born in Kenya, attending local schools for her pre-university education. In 1984, she was admitted to the University of Nairobi (UoN), graduating in 1987, with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree in Accounting and Finance. She continued with her studies at UoN, graduating in 1989, with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Later in 2013, she enrolled into the United States International University Africa, graduating in 2016, with a Doctor of Business Administration (DrBA) degree. As part of her doctoral studies, she took courses at Columbia Business School, in New York City. Career For a period of nearly four years, from July 1995 until December 1998, she worked as a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, at their location in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. Following that, she was promoted to senior manager at the same firm, where she worked for another three and half years until August 2002. In July 2005, she was appointed Partner at PwC, leading the consulting unit at PwC East Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in technology, governance risk and compliance, serving in that capacity until June 2012. In July 2012, she was named the head of the then newly created Risk Assurance Services Unit at PwC East Africa, serving there until October 2014. In January 2015, for a period of 20 months, she was appointed partner at Ernst & Young, serving as the head of governance, risk & compliance for the African continent, until August 2016. In December 2017, she was appointed to lead the Internal Audit unit at the IMF, effective February 2018. Family Nancy Onyango is a married mother of three sons. Other considerations She holds several board appointments, including as non-executive director of Kenya Commercial Bank Group, non-executive director of Cytonn Investments, and Fairtrade Africa, where she chairs the board's audit and finance committee. See also Kellen Kariuki Stella Kilonzo Christine Lagarde Nokwanda Mngeni References External links Website of the International Monetary Fund Philanthropic Kenyan Auditor to keep IMF books
Alexander Vovin	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Alexander Vovin.	Tell me a bio of Alexander Vovin.	Tell me a bio of Alexander Vovin within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Alexander Vovin with around 100 words.	Alexander Vladimirovich Vovin (Russian: Александр Владимирович Вовин; 27 January 1961 – 8 April 2022) was a Soviet-born Russian-American linguist and philologist, and director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris, France. He was a linguist, well known for his research on East Asian languages. Education Alexander Vovin earned his M.A. in structural and applied linguistics from the Saint Petersburg State University in 1983, and his Ph.D. in historical Japanese linguistics and premodern Japanese literature from the same university in 1987, with a doctoral dissertation on the Hamamatsu Chūnagon Monogatari (ca. 1056). Career After serving as a Junior Researcher at the St. Petersburg Institute of Oriental Studies (1987–1990), he moved to the United States where he held positions as assistant professor of Japanese at the University of Michigan (1990–1994), assistant professor at Miami University (1994–1995), and assistant professor and then associate professor at the University of Hawaiʻi (1995–2003). He was appointed full professor at the University of Hawaiʻi in 2003, and continued working there until 2014. He was visiting professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, Kyoto from 2001 to 2002 and again in 2008, a visiting professor at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany (2008–2009), and a visiting professor at the National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics (NINJAL) in Tokyo, Japan from May to August 2012. In 2014, Vovin accepted the position of Director of Studies at the Centre de recherches linguistiques sur l'Asie orientale (CRLAO) unit of the EHESS, where he remained until his death in 2022. Alexander Vovin specialized in Japanese historical linguistics (with emphasis on etymology, morphology, and phonology), and Japanese philology of the Nara period (710–792), and to a lesser extent of the Heian period (792–1192). His last project before his death involved the complete academic translation into English of the Man'yōshū (ca. 759), the earliest and the largest premodern Japanese poetic anthology, alongside the critical edition of the original text and commentaries. He also researched the moribund Ainu language in northern Japan, and worked on Inner Asian languages and Kra–Dai languages, especially those preserved only in Chinese transcription, as well as on Old and Middle Korean texts. His last work, published in 2021, is on the Bussokuseki no Uta of Yakushi-ji temple in Nara. In the same year, a festschrift was dedicated to Vovin on his 60th birthday. He had been engaged in coordinating the Etymological Dictionary of the Japonic Languages from 2019 to the time of his death in 2022, with cooperation from several universities and European Union funding of €2,470,200,00. However, the project was terminated upon his death. Personal life Vovin was married twice: first to Varvara G. Lebedeva-Vovina (née Churakova), with whom they have a son, Aleksei, born in 1982, and the second time to fellow Japanese language researcher Sambi Ishisaki (Japanese: 石崎賛美) in 2000. Two more children were born to the second marriage. He died on 8 April 2022, at the age of 61, from cancer. Publications Vovin, Alexander (1993). A Reconstruction of Proto-Ainu. Leiden: E. J. Brill. ISBN 90-04-09905-0. Vovin, Alexander. (2000). Did the Xiong-nu speak a Yeniseian language?. Central Asiatic Journal, 44(1), pages 87–104. JSTOR 41928223. Vovin, Alexander. (2001). Japanese, Korean and Tungusic. Evidence for genetic relationship from verbal morphology. David B. Honey and David C. Wright (eds.), pages 183–202. Vovin, Alexander; Osada Toshiki (長田俊樹), eds. (2003). 日本語系統論の現在 [Perspectives on the Origins of the Japanese Language]. Nichibunken sōsho, 31. Kyoto: International Research Center for Japanese Studies. ISBN 978-4-901558-17-4. ISSN 1346-6585. Vovin, Alexander (2003). A Reference Grammar of Classical Japanese Prose. London: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 0-7007-1716-1. Vovin, Alexander. (2003). Once again on lenition in Middle Korean. Korean Studies, 27, pages 85–107. JSTOR 23719571. Vovin, Alexander (2005). A Descriptive and Comparative Grammar of Western Old Japanese: Part 1: Sources, Script and Phonology, Lexicon and Nominals. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental. doi:10.1163/9789004213920. ISBN 1-901903-14-1. Vovin, Alexander (2006). The Manchu-Tungusic Languages. Richmond: RoutledgeCurzon. ISBN 978-0-7007-1284-7. Vovin, Alexander (2008). Korea-Japonica: A Re-evaluation of a Common Genetic Origin. Hawaii studies on Korea. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3278-0. Vovin, Alexander (2009–2018). Man'yoshu: A New English Translation Containing the Original Text, Kana Transliteration, Romanization, Glossing and Commentary. Global Oriental/Brill., 20 volumes Vovin, Alexander (2009). A Descriptive and Comparative Grammar of Western Old Japanese: Part 2: Adjectives, Verbs, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Particles, Postpositions. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental. doi:10.1163/ej.9781905246823.i-1376. ISBN 978-1-905246-82-3. Vovin, Alexander. (2011). Why Japonic is not demonstrably related to 'Altaic' or Korean. In Historical Linguistics in the Asia-Pacific region and the position of Japanese, The International Conference on Historical Linguistics (ICHL) XX. Vovin, Alexander. & McCraw, D. (2011). Old Turkic Kinship Terms in Early Middle Chinese. Türk Dili Araştırmaları Yıllığı Belleten, 59(1), 105–116. Vovin, Alexander. (2017). Koreanic loanwords in Khitan and their importance in the decipherment of the latter. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 70(2), pages 207–215. doi:10.1556/062.2017.70.2.4 Vovin, Alexander; Ishisaki-Vovin, Sambi (2021). The Eastern Old Japanese Corpus and Dictionary. Handbook of Oriental Studies, Section 5 Japan, Volume 17. Brill. doi:10.1163/9789004471665. ISBN 978-90-04-47119-1. Vovin, Alexander (2021). The Footprints of the Buddha. The Text and the Language. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-9-004-44977-0. References External links Kupchik, John; Alonso de la Fuente, José; Miyake, Marc Hideo, eds. (2021). "List of Publications by Alexander Vovin". Studies in Asian Historical Linguistics, Philology and Beyond: Festschrift Presented to Alexander V. Vovin in Honor of his 60th Birthday. Leiden: Brill. pp. XV–XXIX. ISBN 978-90-04-44855-1.
Cobhams Asuquo	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Cobhams Asuquo.	Tell me a bio of Cobhams Asuquo.	Tell me a bio of Cobhams Asuquo within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Cobhams Asuquo with around 100 words.	Cobhams Asuquo (Efik pronunciation: [ˈko̞bʱäms äsˈuːku:wo̞]) (born January 6, 1981) is a Nigerian musician, producer, and songwriter. After working as Head of Audio Productions at a local label, Questionmark Entertainment, he set up his own recording facility in 2006. He is the former CEO/Head of Productions of CAMP (Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions), which he co-managed with Bez Idakula and Stan Iyke. Music career Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo is a Nigerian-born songwriter/music producer/singer who started his academic training as a lawyer. Previously signed to Sony/ATV UK publishing as a songwriter, Cobhams formed his first music production and label company Cobhams Asuquo Music Production (CAMP) in 2008. In 2016 he started Vintage Gray Media Ltd. Vintage Gray Media Ltd. produced 74 episodes of "The Top 12 Countdown with Cobhams Asuquo – a music countdown show aimed at showcasing new music. Asuquo produced ASA’s debut album. He also wrote and co-wrote several songs on the album including the singles, "Fire on the Mountain" and "Jailer". He has worked with numerous musicians both local (Nigeria) and International. From the early 2000s he produced hits, including ‘Maintain in India,’ and ‘Catch cold’ by Maintain; ‘Ego’- Djinne; ‘In the music’, ‘If you ask me’ by Omawumi to recently released 2017 butterflies also by Omawumi. His stable of artistes includes : Asa, Banky W, Omawumi, Eldee, Sasha, Dare Art-Alade, Waje, Timi Dakolo, Djinne, Faze, Seyi Shay, Korede Bello, Tiwa Savage, Ego, Yemi Alade, Bez, Omolara, Chidinma Ekile, Shola Allyson, Lara George, Ego, Silver Saddih, Flavour, Mo'Chedda, Praiz, Simi and Rooftop MC's. He has arranged music, and performed with bands at international music events such as The Harare International Festival of Arts, the AFA Sponsored French Cultural Center Concert with Asa and Angelique Kidjo; AFA Sponsored French Cultural Center Concert in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nigeria Week in Paris and the launch of MTV's one hundredth channel (MTV Base Africa) at Abuja, Nigeria. In the TV and film media, he has composed and arranged film scores to be interpreted for conservatoires as well as for film and stage performances such as "A Voice for Ella" by Uche Macaulay, Sunshine (Alpha Vision), "Bent Arrows" by Isang Awah and Communication for Change's "Bayelsan Sillhouttes.” Asuquo performed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2014. CNN Africa Voices interviewed Asuquo in December 2011. Asuquo, alongside African musicians such as Dbanj, Omawumi, Femi Kuti and Somi, visited the White House to raise awareness on agriculture in Nigeria, through Bono’s global humanitarian group, ‘ONE Campaign’. He was also invited to participate in the three-day US-Africa summit. Asuquo was invited by the ONE campaign to produce the anthem for the "Poverty is Sexist’ campaign titled Strong Girl. Asuquo was called again to produce a remix of "StrongGirl" and this time it included Bono as one of the artistes. Asuquo was also invited to be part of the UN Global Goals campaign and co-produced the song "Tell Everyone". The song featured various African artistes such as Sauti Sol (Kenya), Mafikizolo (South Africa), Yemi Alade (Nigeria) and Diamond Platnumz (Tanzania). On September 26, Asuquo performed live on stage at the Global Citizens Festival New York Central Park to promote the UN Global Goals. Asuquo was a producer on the Coke Studio Africa Season 3 show, which aired across various African countries. In 2016 Asuquo produced the Rhythm Unplugged show and Hennessy Artistry. He also produced the first "One Africa" concert in Houston Texas. On January 1, 2015, Asuquo released his first music video for "Ordinary People". He has released 5 other singles – "Do the Right Thing" featuring Bez (2015), Christmas song "Star of Wonder" (2015), Boosit ft. Falz (2016), "The Other Room" ft. Ugovinna (2016) and "Adore" ft. Lauretta Cookey and Fome Peters (2016). Singles His latest single is "We Plenti" featuring Simi, was released on January 6, 2019. Asuquo released his first single "Ordinary People" on January 1, 2014, and released the video the following January. Star of Wonder released in December 2014 is his second officially released single. His third single Stronger Than Before was released in 2015 and was sung by Morayo. He released his fourth single Boosit featuring Falz in April 2016. Production work Asuquo also wrote and co-wrote several songs on the album including the singles, "Fire on the Mountain", and "Jailer". Asuquo has likewise produced songs for Nigerian recording artistes such as Banky W and Omawumi. He has arranged music, and performed with bands at international music events as The Harare International Festival of Arts, the AFA Sponsored French Cultural Center Concert with Asa and Angelique Kidjo; AFA Sponsored French Cultural Center Concert in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nigeria Week in Paris and the launch of MTV's one hundredth channel (MTV Base Africa) in Abuja, Nigeria. In the TV and film media, he has composed and arranged film scores to be interpreted for conservatoires as well as for film and stage performances such as "A Voice for Ella" by Uche Macaulay, Sunshine (Alpha Vision), "Bent Arrows" by Isang Awah and Communication For Change's "Bayelsan Sillhouttes". In 2016, Asuquo started a digital radio countdown show. The digital radio show counts down the hottest African/Nigerian songs that Asuquo thinks the Nigerian audience should be listening to. The show is called The Top 12 Countdown With Cobhams Asuquo. Personal life Asuquo is visually impaired. On December 2, 2010, Cobhams Emmanuel Asuquo married Ojuolape Veronica Olukanni. They have two sons together. See also List of Nigerian gospel musicians References External links CNN story on Cobhams Asuquo
David Bogue	Provide me a one-sentence fact about David Bogue.	Tell me a bio of David Bogue.	Tell me a bio of David Bogue within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of David Bogue with around 100 words.	David Bogue (18 February 1750 – 25 October 1825) was a Scottish nonconformist religious leader. Life He was born at Hallydown Farm, in the parish of Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of John Bogue, farmer, and his wife, Margaret Swanston. He received his early education in Eyemouth. After studying Divinity at Edinburgh University, he was licensed to preach by the Church of Scotland, but, failing to find a patron in Scotland, was sent by the Church to London in 1771, to teach in schools at Edmonton, Hampstead and then Mansion House Cottage in Camberwell. In 1777, he settled as minister of the independent Congregational church at Gosport in Hampshire. His predecessors at the Independent Chapel of Gosport were James Watson (1770–76) and Thomas Williams (1750–70). In 1771 he established an institution for preparing men for the ministry. It was the age of the new-born missionary enterprise, and Bogue's academy was largely the seed from which the London Missionary Society grew. In 1800 the society placed missionaries with Bogue for preparation for their ministries. Among the notable students he taught, the most impactful were the first two Protestant missionaries to China, Robert Morrison (missionary) (from 1804 to 1805), and William Milne (missionary) (from 1809 to 1812). Bogue himself would have gone to India in 1796 if not for the opposition of the East India Company. In 1824 he taught Samuel Dyer at Gosport before he left for Penang as a missionary with the London Missionary Society. He was also involved in founding the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Religious Tract Society, and in conjunction with James Bennett, minister at Romsey, wrote a well-known History of Dissenters (3 vols., 1809). Another of his writings was an Essay on the Divine Authority of the New Testament. In 1815 Yale University awarded him a doctor of divinity (DD). He died on 25 October 1825 in Brighton during the London Missionary Society's annual tour. Publications Reasons for Seeking a Repeal of the Test Acts (1790) An Essay on the Divine Authority of the New Testament (1801) Catechism for the Use of All Churches in the French Empire (1807) A History of the Dissenters, from the Revolution of 1688 to 1808 4 vols. (1808–12) vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4 Notes Attribution This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Grosart, Alexander Balloch (1886). "Bogue, David". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co. References Davies, Evan (1846). The Memoir of Samuel Dyer: Sixteen Years Missionary to the Chinese. London: John Snow. "Michael Laird, 'Bogue, David (1750–1825)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2006". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2766. Retrieved 23 June 2008. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Further reading Chambers, Robert; Thomson, Thomas Napier (1857). "Bogue, David" . A Biographical Dictionary of Eminent Scotsmen. Vol. 1. Glasgow: Blackie and Son. pp. 268–70 – via Wikisource. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bogue, David" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. "Bogue, David" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. External links Media related to David Bogue (1750–1825) at Wikimedia Commons
PewDiePie	Provide me a one-sentence fact about PewDiePie.	Tell me a bio of PewDiePie.	Tell me a bio of PewDiePie within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of PewDiePie with around 100 words.	Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (born 24 October 1989), better known as PewDiePie, is a Swedish YouTuber, best known for his gaming videos. Kjellberg's popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage have made him one of the most noted online personalities and content creators. Media coverage of him has cited him as a figurehead for YouTube, especially in the gaming genre. Born and raised in Gothenburg, Kjellberg registered his YouTube channel "PewDiePie" in 2010, primarily posting Let's Play videos of horror and action video games. His channel gained a substantial following and was one of the fastest growing channels in 2012 and 2013, before becoming the most-subscribed on YouTube on 15 August 2013. From 29 December 2014 to 14 February 2017, Kjellberg's channel was also the most-viewed on the platform. After becoming the platform's most-popular creator, he diversified his content, shifting its focus from Let's Plays and began to frequently include vlogs, comedy shorts, formatted shows, and music videos. For its first foray into original programming as part of the relaunch of its subscription service, YouTube also enlisted Kjellberg to star in a reality web series. Kjellberg's content was already noted for its polarizing reception among general audiences online, but in the late 2010s, it became more controversial and attracted increased media scrutiny. Most notably, a 2017 article by The Wall Street Journal alleging his content included antisemitic themes and imagery prompted other outlets to write further criticism of him and companies to sever their business partnerships with Kjellberg. Though he acknowledged the content which garnered media ire as inappropriate, he defended it as humor taken out of context and vehemently rebuked the Journal's reporting in particular. In late 2018 and early 2019, Kjellberg engaged in a a public competition with Indian record label T-Series, before his channel was ultimately overtaken by the label's as the most-subscribed on YouTube. Shortly following this, he returned to making regular gaming uploads, with a focus on Minecraft, generating record viewership for his channel. In the 2020s, Kjellberg became more reserved online, uploading less consistently and taking frequent breaks from Internet use. Meanwhile, in his personal life, he moved to Japan with his wife, Italian Internet personality Marzia. He since semi-retired from YouTube, choosing to upload less frequently and for his enjoyment rather than as a career. With over 110 million subscribers and 29.4 billion views, his channel still ranks as one of the most-subscribed and viewed on YouTube. A nuanced legacy and public image has emerged from the media literature about and analysis of Kjellberg and his content. He is widely considered a pioneer and ambassador of YouTube's platform and culture, as well largely influential to Internet culture in general, and particularly its gaming subculture. His popularity online has been recognized to boost sales for the video games he plays, and has allowed him to stir support for charity fundraising drives, though he is often written about in regards to and as a result of controversy. Following the Journal's piece, some writers described Kjellberg as adjacent to or promoting hateful ideologies, while others assert that description as perhaps unfair. Further still, some writers and Kjellberg himself have stated he underestimated his impact and responsibility as an online creator. Indeed noted as YouTube's most-popular creator for much of the 2010s, Time magazine named him as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2016. Early life and education Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg was born on 24 October 1989 in Gothenburg, where he was also raised. He was born to Lotta Kristine Johanna (née Hellstrand, born 1958) and Ulf Christian Kjellberg (born 1957), and grew up with his older sister, Fanny. His mother, a former chief information officer (CIO), was named the 2010 CIO of the Year in Sweden. His father is a corporate executive. During his childhood, Kjellberg was interested in art and has detailed that he would draw popular video game characters such as Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as play video games on his Super Nintendo Entertainment System, such as Star Fox and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. During high school, he frequently played video games in his bedroom and would skip classes to go to an Internet café with friends. During his last year of high school, he bought a computer with the money he made selling artwork through his grandmother's gallery. Kjellberg then went on to pursue a degree in industrial engineering and management at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, but left the university in 2011. While it has been reported that he left Chalmers to focus on his YouTube career, Kjellberg clarified in 2017 that he had left due to a lack of interest in his course of study. He further expressed that, in general, leaving university to pursue a YouTube career would be "fucking stupid". Kjellberg has also discussed an enjoyment of Adobe Photoshop, wanting to work on photo manipulation art using the program rather than be in school. Following this passion after he departed from Chalmers, he entered Photoshop contests and almost earned an apprenticeship at a prominent Scandinavian advertising agency. He was also interested in creating content on YouTube; after not earning the apprenticeship, he sold limited edition prints of his photoshopped images to purchase a computer to work on YouTube videos. YouTube career 2010–2012: Early years Kjellberg originally registered a YouTube account under the name "Pewdie" in December 2006; he explained that "pew" represents the sound of lasers and "die" refers to dying. After initially forgetting the password to this account, he registered the "PewDiePie" YouTube channel on 29 April 2010. Following his exit from Chalmers, his parents refused to financially support him, so he funded his early videos by working as a harbor captain, selling prints of his Photoshop art, and working at a hot dog stand. Kjellberg stated that the ability to make videos was more important to him than a prestigious career. Five years later, Kjellberg recalled, "I knew people were big at other types of videos, but there was no one big in gaming, and I didn't know you could make money out of it. It was never like a career that I could just quit college to pursue. It was just something I loved to do." In his early years as a YouTube creator, Kjellberg focused on video game commentaries, most notably of horror and action video games. Some of his earliest videos featured commentaries of mainstream video games including Minecraft and Call of Duty, although he came to be particularly noted for his Let's Plays of horror games such as Amnesia: The Dark Descent and The Last of Us. On these videos, Kjellberg has stated "I was so shy back then," and added, "It was so weird to me, sitting alone in a room talking into a microphone. That was unheard of back at the time. No one really did it." Kjellberg's oldest video available for viewing is titled "Minecraft Multiplayer Fun". Uploaded on 2 October 2010, the video contained mainly Swedish commentary from Kjellberg, rather than the English language he employed in later videos. Starting on 2 September 2011, he also began posting weekly vlogs under the title of Fridays with PewDiePie. The series was a weekly deviation from the Let's Play videos that formed most of his content output at the time, and often featured Kjellberg completing viewer requests. By December 2011, Kjellberg's channel had around 60,000 subscribers, before rapidly increasing in 2012. Around the time his channel earned 700,000 subscribers, Kjellberg spoke at Nonick Conference 2012. July 2012 saw his channel reaching 1 million subscribers. In October, OpenSlate ranked Kjellberg's channel as the No. 1 YouTube channel. Kjellberg signed with Maker Studios in December, a multi-channel network (MCN) that drives the growth of the channels under it. Prior to his partnership with Maker, he was signed to Machinima, a rival of Maker's. Kjellberg expressed feeling neglected by Machinima; frustrated with their treatment, he hired a lawyer to free him from his contract with the network. Early in his YouTube career, Kjellberg used jokes about rape in his videos. Michael "Slowbeef" Sawyer, a fellow Let's Play YouTuber, created a video mocking Kjellberg's content and highlighting his usage of such jokes. Shortly after, Kjellberg attracted criticism and controversy for the jokes, and in October 2012, he addressed the issue through a Tumblr post, writing, "I just wanted to make clear that I'm no longer making rape jokes, as I mentioned before I'm not looking to hurt anyone and I apologise if it ever did." The Globe and Mail stated "unlike many young gamers, he listened when fans and critics alike pointed out their harmful nature, and resolved to stop making rape jokes." 2013–2014: Becoming the most-subscribed and most-viewed user By 2013, Kjellberg became "ubiquitous" on the platform. On 18 February, his channel reached 5 million subscribers, and in April, he was covered in The New York Times after surpassing 6 million subscribers. In May 2013, at the inaugural Starcount Social Stars Awards in Singapore, Kjellberg won the award for "Swedish Social Star". Nominated alongside Jenna Marbles, Smosh, and Toby Turner, he also won the award for "Most Popular Social Show". In June, Kjellberg published "A Funny Montage", an entry in his series of compilations of clips from previous uploads. Many of his most-viewed videos are such compilations, and the specific June 2013 entry spent a considerable amount of time as Kjellberg's most-viewed video overall, with publications citing it as such through 2018. In July, he overtook Jenna Marbles to become the second most-subscribed user, and shortly thereafter surpassed 10 million subscribers. In August, Kjellberg signed with Maker's gaming sub-network, Polaris. Polaris functioned as a relaunching of The Game Station, Maker's gaming network. On 15 August, Kjellberg became the most-subscribed user on YouTube, suprassing Smosh. For the achievement, Kjellberg received a certificate from Guinness World Records. In November, YouTube's Spotlight channel overtook Kjellberg's as the most-subscribed. Later in the month, Kjellberg proclaimed his dislike of YouTube's new comment system, and disabled the comment section on all of his videos. After a brief back-and-forth in December, his channel firmly supplanted the YouTube Spotlight on 23 December to once again become the most-subscribed on YouTube. Throughout 2012 and 2013, Kjellberg's channel was one of the fastest-growing on YouTube, in terms of subscribers gained. Billboard reported that the channel gained more subscribers than any other channel in 2013. In 2014, Kjellberg's commentaries, then best known for featuring horror video games, began to actively feature games that interested him regardless of genre. That September, Kjellberg again announced he would disable comments on his YouTube videos, intending for this to be a permanent change. He reasoned that most comments were either spam and self-advertisements. Though he disabled his YouTube comments, Kjellberg continued interacting with his audience through Twitter and Reddit. On 13 October, he decided to allow comments on his videos once more, albeit only after approval. However, he expressed that he toggled his comment settings this way so that he could redirect viewers to instead comment on the forums of his Broarmy.net website. Kjellberg stated in a later video that disabling comments made him happier. Also in October, Kjellberg hinted at the possibility that he would not renew his contract with Maker Studios upon its expiration in December. He expressed his frustrations with the studio's parent company, Disney, and mulled the option of launching his own network. However, in light of news outlets reporting his disinterest with Maker, he tweeted, "I feel like I was misquoted in The WSJ, and I'm really happy with the work that Maker has been doing for me." Kjellberg ultimately continued creating videos under Maker. His relationship with Maker saw the network launch an official PewDiePie website and online store to sell merchandise, in addition to an official PewDiePie app for the iPhone that released earlier that August, allowing audiences to view his videos, create custom favourite video feeds, and share videos with others. In return, Kjellberg promoted Maker's media interests, and gave the network a share of his YouTube ad revenue. According to Social Blade, Kjellberg's channel became the most-viewed channel on the website on 29 December 2014, having amassed over 7 billion views by that date. 2015–2017: YouTube Red, Revelmode, and style change The New York Times retrospectively noted that around 2015, Kjellberg's video content experienced a change in style: "He began to take more risks. He continued playing video games, but he started experimenting. He did viral challenges, made fun of other YouTubers, and reviewed meme submissions from his fans." Kjellberg has attributed his content around this time as a result of immaturity, boredom with playing video games, YouTube's platform incentives, and the belief that his channel's growth had plateaued. One video cited as being representative of this change featured Kjellberg reading erotic fan fiction about characters from the Disney film Frozen. Bob Iger, then the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, was reportedly angered by the video, putting Kjellberg's deal with Maker in jeopardy. On 6 September 2015, his YouTube account became the first to surpass 10 billion video views. Later in the month, Kjellberg teased about having a role in a web television series, stating that he was in Los Angeles for the show's shooting. It was later announced that the series would be a YouTube Red original series, titled Scare PewDiePie. The series premiered the following February. In January 2016, Kjellberg announced a partnership with Maker Studios to produce Revelmode, a sub-network of Maker, that would showcase Kjellberg and his friends on YouTube in original series. After the deal, the head of Maker Studios, Courtney Holt, stated, "we're thrilled to be doubling down with Felix." Along with Kjellberg, eight other YouTubers signed to the network upon its creation: CinnamonToastKen, Marzia, Dodger, Emma Blackery, Jacksepticeye, Jelly, Kwebbelkop, and Markiplier. Three YouTubers – Cryaotic, KickThePJ, and Slogoman – would later join the sub-network after its launch. Throughout 2016, Kjellberg's video style change became more apparent. While producing fewer Let's Play videos about horror games, his style of humour changed; he commented that he had shifted to drier humour, which was often not understood by younger viewers. He examined his older videos, and while noting the stylistic changes he had undergone, he expressed specific regret for his casual use of words like gay or retarded in a derogatory sense. On 2 December 2016, he uploaded a video discussing his frustration with the issue of YouTube accounts experiencing an unexplained loss of subscribers and views. Kjellberg stated that many people working with YouTube "have no idea of the struggles that came with being a content creator." A Google representative issued a statement to Ars Technica, stating that no decreases in subscriber numbers were out of the ordinary. Kjellberg's video was uploaded as his channel approached 50 million subscribers, and he stated he would delete his channel once it reached the milestone. On 8 December, his channel reached 50 million subscribers, becoming the first YouTube channel to do so. He shortly thereafter received a custom Play Button from YouTube as a reward for reaching this milestone. Ultimately, Kjellberg did not delete his PewDiePie channel, and instead deleted a smaller second channel he had then-recently created. His threat to quit was also reported to be "in fact, a promotional stunt" for Scare PewDiePie. Kjellberg nevertheless continued to express discontent with the platform, aiming further criticism at YouTube's changing algorithm negatively affecting viewership for content creators. The site's algorithm began to focus on watch time statistics and "favor videos that drew daily viewers, higher engagement (more likes and comments) and cleaner 'ad-friendly' fare." Kjellberg later recounted to The New York Times that the platform's boundaries were widely unknown to creators. He responded to the algorithm changes by uploading vlogs that "mixed earnest schmaltz [...] with inanity." Additionally, he "enjoyed wading into the meme culture and edgelord humor that accompanied Donald Trump's ascent". During this late 2016 and early 2017 period Kjellberg uploaded a string of videos addressing what Kjellberg saw as negative effects to content creator viewership caused by the new algorithm. As a satirical knock on the changing algorithms, Kjellberg made several videos asking viewers to help the video reach specific engagement milestones such as one million likes, dislikes, and comments. The videos were successful, promptly achieving the goal Kjellberg requested from viewers; the dislike video accumulated over 5 million dislikes before YouTube made such figures private in November 2021, becoming one of the most-disliked on the entire platform. 2017–2018: Media controversies and formatted shows In a video posted in January 2017, Kjellberg featured two paid individuals on Fiverr, asked to hold a sign that read "Death to all Jews". He alleged his intent was not antisemitic in nature, but to showcase how "crazy" the modern world and website were. The following month, The Wall Street Journal published an article alleging that this was not the first time Kjellberg had used antisemitic language and imagery in his videos. Following the Journal's article, Kjellberg received considerable media backlash, with various publications writing critically of his defense that his content was humor taken out of context, and some opining that his content helps normalise ideologies such as fascism, neo-Nazism, and white supremacy. While Kjellberg and the two individuals later apologised, the event led Maker Studios to cut their ties with Kjellberg and Google to drop him from the Google Preferred advertising program and cancel the upcoming second season of the Scare PewDiePie YouTube Red series. While Kjellberg did offer a mea culpa and distanced himself from hate speech, he also strongly rebuked media coverage of the event, with particular criticism aimed at The Wall Street Journal for how their reporting portrayed his references to Nazis in some of his videos. The Wall Street Journal defended its reporting and responded that Kjellberg did not address other videos identified by the Journal, such as Kjellberg's reaction to the Fiverr suspension of a Jesus Christ impersonator who stated "Hitler did absolutely nothing wrong", wherein Kjellberg criticised Israel-based Fiverr for the suspension and joked, "Isn't it ironic that Jews found another way to fuck Jesus over?" According to Social Blade, his channel's total view count was surpassed by the Indian record label T-Series at the top of YouTube's view rankings on 14 February. In September, while Kjellberg was live-streaming gameplay of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to his YouTube channel, he used the ethnic slur "nigger" towards another player in the game. The video clip of the incident quickly went viral despite Kjellberg deleting it, and garnered widespread criticism across the internet. Kjellberg later apologised for the incident in a short video uploaded to his YouTube channel. As a response to the incident, Campo Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman referred to Kjellberg as "worse than a closeted racist", announced that Campo Santo would file copyright strikes against Kjellberg's videos featuring the studio's game Firewatch, and encouraged other game developers to do the same. Amidst the controversy stirred up by the incident, it was brought to light that Kjellberg was following several prominent far-right and white supremacist figures on Twitter, such as Stefan Molyneux, Carl Benjamin and Lauren Southern. He later deactivated his Twitter account and unfollowed everyone he was previously following, stating "What I don't like is the constant posturing that goes on there. People just can't seem to help themselves from pointing out what is good and what is bad, or how others are bad and you are good." In 2018, Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote about Kjellberg's YouTube content; he noted that each week Kjellberg posted videos featuring one of three series formats, comparing this uploading pattern to television programming. The three series listed were You Laugh You Lose, which features Kjellberg watching humorous video clips while trying to not laugh; Last Week I Asked You (LWIAY), having begun as a parody and homage to Jack Douglass' Yesterday I Asked You (YIAY), where he challenges his audience to create content and reviews the output; and Meme Review, in which he reviews popular Internet memes. Kjellberg began a book club-styled series, with his own enjoyment with the series also being noted. Kjellberg began Pew News, a satirical series where he presents and discusses recent news stories while in-character, often as fictional characters named after CNN hosts, such as Gloria Borger, Poppy Harlow, or Mary Katharine Ham and sometimes, an amalgamation of these names. Pew News parodies both mainstream news channels, such as CNN, and YouTube news channels, such as DramaAlert. Topics covered by Kjellberg on Pew News included culture war topics he previously avoided. In May, Kjellberg attracted controversy for using the term "Twitch thots" in a video that featured him watching a compilation of female Twitch streamers. Alinity, a streamer featured in the video, responded by making a copyright claim against his video, which she stated was later removed by CollabDRM, a company that strikes videos on behalf of creators. Alinity stated that her reaction was caused by "the rampant sexism in online communities", arguing that Kjellberg's comments degraded women; she refused to accept Kjellberg's apology. In July, Kjellberg posted a meme with singer Demi Lovato's face; the meme jokingly referenced Lovato's struggles with addiction. The meme was posted around the same time Lovato was hospitalized after suffering an opioid overdose. As a result, he received criticism from online users. Kjellberg later deleted the meme, and apologized for the incident. In a video uploaded in early December, Kjellberg promoted several small content creators on YouTube, recommending his viewers to subscribe to them. Among those creators was "E;R", whom Kjellberg highlighted for a video essay on Netflix's Death Note. Shortly thereafter, The Verge's Julia Alexander noted that the video in question used imagery of the Charlottesville car attack to joke about the murder of Heather Hyer, and that E;R's channel included frequent use of racist, sexist, anti-semitic, and homophobic content. In December 2018, Vox reported that "E;R" also contained white supremacist messaging. After online criticism, he described his posting as an "oopsie" and asserted that he had posted it "recommending someone for their anime review", rather than any intention to promote antisemitism. Kjellberg said he was largely unaware of E;R's content apart from the Death Note video essay, revoked his recommendation of the channel, and edited his video to remove the reference. 2018–2019: Subscriber competition with T-Series In September 2018, Kjellberg uploaded a LWIAY video discussing Indian record label T-Series' YouTube channel being projected to surpass his in subscribers. On 5 October, Kjellberg uploaded "Bitch Lasagna", a diss track against the label in response to their YouTube channel being projected to surpass his in subscribers. The video went on to become Kjellberg's most-viewed video, a title formerly held by "A Funny Montage". It included some lines mocking the Indian background of T-Series, which were described as racist in media publications. On the prospect of being surpassed by T-Series in terms of subscriber count, he stated he was not concerned about T-Series, but feared the consequences a corporate channel surpassing him would have for YouTube as a video-sharing platform. Online campaigns to "subscribe to PewDiePie" greatly assisted Kjellberg's subscriber growth; his channel gained 6.62 million subscribers in December 2018 alone, compared to the 7 million subscribers gained in all of 2017. On 12 March, Kjellberg uploaded an episode of his show Pew News in which he mentioned the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack, where 40 Indian paramilitary troops were killed by a member of a Pakistan-based jihadist group. Following the attack, T-Series removed several songs by Pakistani artists on its YouTube channel after being pressurised by political party MNS to isolate Pakistani artists, a course of action that Kjellberg disagreed with. The outlet Zee News reported that Kjellberg "faced strong criticism for his comments on the heightened tension between Pakistan and India in [the] March 12 issue of Pew News". Kjellberg issued a clarification on Twitter, expressing that he was not attempting to speak on the broader India–Pakistan relations, but rather on the more specific context of T-Series removing artists' songs from its YouTube channel. On 15 March, the perpetrator of the live-streamed Christchurch mosque shootings said "remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie" before carrying out the attacks. In response, Kjellberg tweeted his disgust after having his name associated with the attack, and offered condolences to those affected by the tragedy. Various journalists covering the shooting reported that Kjellberg was not complicit with the shootings. The New York Times suggested that Kjellberg's mention in the shootings was a ploy for the news media to attribute blame to Kjellberg, and to otherwise inflame political tensions. After briefly gaining the title several times in early 2019, on 27 March, T-Series surpassed Kjellberg in subscribers to become the most-subscribed channel on YouTube. On 31 March, Kjellberg posted another diss track music video, titled "Congratulations", sarcastically congratulating T-Series for obtaining the title. In the music video, Kjellberg mocked T-Series and its actions, alleging T-Series was founded to sell pirated songs and mocking them for sending him a cease and desist letter after "Bitch Lasagna". Following the video's release, Kjellberg temporarily regained the most-subscribed position over T-Series. On 11 April, T-Series started to seek court orders to remove Kjellberg's "diss tracks" from YouTube. The alleged court order was ruled in favor of T-Series. It was allegedly stated that the complaint against Kjellberg claimed that his songs were "defamatory, disparaging, insulting, and offensive", and noted that comments on the videos were "abusive, vulgar, and also racist in nature." Access to the music videos on YouTube was later blocked in India. The two parties were reported to have come to a settlement later that July, although Kjellberg's videos remained blocked in India. On 28 April, Kjellberg uploaded a video entitled "Ending the Subscribe to Pewdiepie Meme" in which he asked his followers to refrain from using the phrase "Subscribe to PewDiePie", due to incidents such as the phrase being graffitied on a war memorial, and its mention by the Christchurch mosque shooter. While live streaming the following day, Kjellberg showed a plane flying over New York City with a banner attached saying "Subscribe to PewDiePie", and called it "a nice little wrap up" to the meme. 2019–2020: Minecraft series, milestones, and further controversies In early June 2019, Kjellberg uploaded a video on YouTube sponsored by social media application Nimses. The app spiked in popularity after he promoted it on his YouTube channel. Controversy ensued when Nimses' location features and privacy settings led fans of Kjellberg and fellow YouTubers to believe that he was promoting a privacy-invasive app, with some fans suspecting the app of being a pyramid scheme due to a referral program in the app that offered more in-application currency. The Pirate Party Germany criticized his promotion of Nimses, warning that Kjellberg was promoting a potentially harmful app to a large audience. Andrey Boborykin, the head of marketing and communications at Nimses, published a blog post denying the allegations that the app is privacy-invasive. Kjellberg responded to the allegations in a video, dismissing them as "rumors", and claimed that Nimses was no more invasive than other social media apps. Soon after his Nimses controversy, Kjellberg made return to consistent gaming uploads, prompting his channel to experience a resurgence in views. On 21 June, Kjellberg launched Gaming Week, where he focused on uploading Let's Play videos every day, for the first time in several years. Among the games played was Minecraft, which he was openly surprised by how much he enjoyed it. Kjellberg largely centered his videos around Minecraft in the following months, with the content featured in his Meme Review and LWIAY series also becoming focused on the game. Although he had played Minecraft early in his YouTube career, he had very rarely played it in the following years due to his reluctance to join the trend of Minecraft YouTubers, who he felt only played the game because of its popularity rather than for their enjoyment. Kjellberg's lean into Minecraft was largely successful for his channel, which received a considerable surge in views and subscribers. Despite this success, Kjellberg insisted that he played the game for his enjoyment, and did not want to become solely a "Minecraft YouTuber", stating, "If Minecraft gets boring, I can just move on to other things." On 25 August, Kjellberg became the first individual YouTuber to surpass 100 million subscribers. His channel was the second overall to reach the milestone, after T-Series, who passed the mark earlier in the year. YouTube tweeted a congratulatory post to note the occurrence, and awarded him a Red Diamond Play Button. In celebration of receiving his 100 million subscribers Play Button in September 2019, Kjellberg announced in a video that he was donating $50,000 to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an international Jewish non-governmental organisation. The donation was made possible through Kjellberg's sponsorship deal with Honey. Part of Kjellberg's fanbase criticized his decision, citing controversial actions and stances of the ADL. Kotaku and Vice praised Kjellberg's donation and were critical of the portion of Kjellberg's fanbase who opposed the donation. Two days after his initial announcement, Kjellberg announced in another video that he had decided to withdraw his donation. He expressed that he was advised to donate to the ADL, and did not hand-pick an organization that he was passionate about, as he had done with previous donations. Additionally, he confirmed that he would still make a $50,000 donation to an organization at some point in the future, but after undergoing his usual process to select a suitable one. In November, Business Insider reported Kjellberg as a client of Re6l, a Toronto-based influencer media and ecommerce company. Toward the end of the year, Kjellberg announced that he would take a break from YouTube the following year and deleted his Twitter account because of his dissatisfaction with the site. Kjellberg's hiatus ultimately proved to be brief, lasting a little over a month during early 2020. Taking short breaks from creating online content proved to become a behavior he would repeat throughout the following years. In his first video uploaded following his brief hiatus, Kjellberg made jokes about the COVID-19 pandemic and spoke in mock-Chinese phrases. After receiving criticism for these jokes, Kjellberg uploaded another video, defending his previous jokes and making further jokes about COVID-19. Kjellberg signed an exclusive deal to stream on YouTube in May, as the platform was enrolling high-profile streamers to rival competitors like Twitch and Mixer. In October, Kjellberg's fans began to suspect his channel was shadowbanned, after noticing it and his recent uploads failed to appear in YouTube's search results. YouTube responded to the shadowban allegations on Twitter, claiming that the reason for the problems was due to search results being influenced by YouTube's system somehow flagging his recent uploads, and that due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, YouTube was taking longer to review videos, including Kjellberg's. YouTube apologized for the situation and stated they were "working on fixing the issue." 2020–present: Soft retirement and move to Japan In November 2020, Kjellberg uploaded a Q&A video, reflecting on his YouTube career. During the video, he expressed that he views himself as "retired" from YouTube, having felt so internally since earlier in the year. He continued to upload videos fairly frequently on the platform afterwards, albeit, inconsistently. He also "committed to posting more unstructured content, like vlogs." On 14 February, Kjellberg uploaded a diss track titled "Coco" about Cocomelon, a kids-oriented channel which had been rising in subscribers for several years, and was growing by nearly two million subscribers per month. Kjellberg clarified that the children appearing in the music video were provided with a clean version of the lyrics to mime to while they were being filmed, and that their parents allowed them to participate in the video. The video was later taken down by YouTube who claimed that it violated their policies on harassment and child safety. Kjellberg stated he "[didn't] actually care about Cocomelon" and did not want the pretend-rivalry with the channel to "get out of control", as his rivalry with T-Series had previously. In May 2022, Kjellberg and his wife Marzia moved from England to Japan. Much of his content following the move consisted of "vlogs about daily life around Tokyo." In September, Kjellberg explained the shift his upload philosophy underwent when he announced his "retirement" from the platform: he opted to share videos for fun, as he did when he first began uploading videos. On 14 November, MrBeast surpassed Kjellberg as the most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube. The two have been noted as contemporaries and friends, with MrBeast having previously supported the "Subscribe to PewDiePie" campaign during Kjellberg's competition with T-Series. Previously, Kjellberg answered a viewer question relating to whether MrBeast would surpass his subscriber count, replying "He definitely will ... He definitely deserves it, I hope he does it." On 29 June 2023, Kjellberg announced he would be taking an indefinite hiatus from YouTube due to his imminent fatherhood. He would shortly thereafter return to making videos in August. In May 2024, Kjellberg expressed discontent with what he described as an "infestation" of YouTubers visiting Japan to create "obnoxious" content for attention and "hate clicks". In November, Kjellberg uploaded a video detailing his progress after drawing everyday for a year. YouTube content Style Early in his career, Kjellberg's content mainly consisted of Let's Play videos. His commentaries of horror games made up his best-known content during this early stage, although he eventually expanded into other genres. Unlike conventional walkthroughs, Kjellberg devoted his Let's Play videos to communicating more personally with his audience. Variety detailed that Kjellberg "acts like he's spending time with a friend. He begins each video introducing himself in a high-pitched, goofy voice, drawing out the vowels of his YouTube moniker, then delves into the videos." Known for his idiosyncratic sense of humor, the nature of his video content has been described by various outlets as goofy, energetic, and obnoxious, yet genuine and unfiltered. Lev Grossman of Time noted that "he's totally unpolished, but at the same time his timing is consistently spot-on," adding that "most of the critical literature about PewDiePie focuses on the bad language and crude physical humor–and admittedly there are a lot of both–and the fact that he is, at the end of the day, just a guy playing video games and yelling." Rob Walker of Yahoo! wrote Kjellberg's "chosen mode of sharing his critique happens to be ribald entertainment, an unmediated stream of blurted jokes, startled yelps, goofy voices, politically incorrect comments, and pretty much nonstop profanity." Occasionally, Kjellberg was emotional or silent in his commentary, having his Let's Plays resort to just gameplay. his playthrough of The Last of Us was detailed to leave the usually vocal gamer speechless at its ending. With his channel's growth, Kjellberg's content has become more diverse; in addition to traditional Let's Play videos, he has uploaded content including vlogs, comedy shorts, and formatted shows. As aforementioned, media writers noted this change in Kjellberg's content in the mid-2010s, stating his content began to embrace and touch on meme culture, while also describing his videos as more experimental. In December 2016, Kotaku's Patricia Hernandez wrote about his stylistic changes, explaining that "over the last year, the PewDiePie channel has also had an underlying friction, as Kjellberg slowly distances himself from many of the things that made him famous. He's doing fewer Let's Plays of horror games like Amnesia," and adding, "the PewDiePie of 2016 can still be immature, sure, but [...] a defining aspect of recent PewDiePie videos is existential angst, as he describes the bleak reality of making content for a machine he cannot fully control or understand." In 2017, Justin Charity of The Ringer stated, "PewDiePie isn't a comedian in any conventional sense," but described his "hosting style [as] loopy and irreverent in the extreme: He's a little bit stand-up, a little bit shock jock, a little bit 4chan bottom-feeder." Toward the end of the 2010s, he began uploading much reaction-style content, such as his late 2018 and early 2019 videos reacting to various compilations of TikTok videos. Kjellberg has also uploaded music onto his channel, often accompanied by animation, fan art, or live footage. Oftentimes, music videos uploaded onto his channel are collaborative in nature, as he has worked with artists such as The Gregory Brothers (also known as Schmoyoho), Boyinaband, Roomie, and Party In Backyard. Production and output During the early portion of his YouTube career, Kjellberg did not hire any editor or outside assistance to help with his video output, stating he wanted "YouTube to be YouTube." While his early videos would simply feature raw footage, he later began to dedicate time to edit his videos. Swedish magazine Icon noted his use of the Adobe Premiere Pro editing software. On separate occasions, he later sought an editor and a production assistant to help with his content creation. Although now having an editor for his videos, in a 2017 video, he maintained that "I'm just a guy. It's literally just me. There's not a producer out there [...] there's no writer, there's no camera guy." In July of that same year, Kjellberg commented that a couple of months prior, he had an office and a limited number of employees assisting him with his content creation. Kjellberg has been noted by both himself and media outlets as prolific on the platform, having uploaded videos with a high frequency. In March 2012, Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Kjellberg had uploaded at least one video per day for the seven months preceding their report. In March 2014, he adjusted his video production output, announcing he would be scaling down the frequency of uploads. By early 2017, he had uploaded almost 3,500 videos to his channel, around 400 of which have been made private. As a result, Kjellberg has made videos and statements expressing his feelings of burnout from frequently creating content for the platform and its effect on his mental health. In March 2017, Kjellberg commented that his channel was running on a daily output, stating, "[there's] a lot of challenges in doing daily content, [...] but I still really, really love the daily challenge—the daily grind—of just being like, 'hey, I'm gonna make a video today, no matter what.' And sometimes it really works, and sometimes it doesn't." Subscribers and viewership Media writers have noted that Kjellberg's content has been largely built up "methodically," as opposed to him having risen to fame through a viral video. At the same time, the growth of Kjellberg's channel has been described as rapid by various sources; Douglas Holt of the Harvard Business Review commented that "the power of crowdculture propelled [Kjellberg] to global fame and influence in record time." Many close to Kjellberg have described him as "steadfastly loyal to his YouTube audience," with one calling him "a little spectrumy" in this regard. By December 2011, Kjellberg's channel had around 60,000 subscribers, and on 9 May 2012, it reached 500,000 subscribers. Expressen noted that Kjellberg's channel accumulated 71 million total video views by March 2012, with 25 million coming in February 2012 alone. The channel reached 1 million subscribers in July, and 2 million subscribers in September. Throughout 2012 and 2013, Kjellberg's channel was one of the fastest-growing on YouTube, in terms of subscribers gained. On 18 February, Kjellberg's channel reached 5 million subscribers, and in April, he was covered in The New York Times after surpassing 6 million subscribers. In July, he overtook Jenna Marbles to become the second-most-subscribed YouTube user, before reaching 10 million subscribers on 9 July. Kjellberg's subscriber count then surpassed that of the leading channel, Smosh, on 15 August. On 31 October, his channel became the first to reach 15 million subscribers. Shortly after, PewDiePie was surpassed by YouTube's Spotlight channel in subscribers. After jostling for the top position during the next month, PewDiePie's channel took firm hold of the most-subscribed title on 23 December. Ultimately, in 2013, the channel grew from 3.5 million to just under 19 million subscribers. By the end of the year, it was gaining a new subscriber every 1.037 seconds, with Billboard reporting that Kjellberg's channel gained more subscribers than any other in 2013. The year also proved to be successful for Kjellberg's viewership. In June, Tubefilter began a monthly listing of the most-viewed YouTube channels, which Kjellberg consistently topped, ranking #1 in June, July, August, October, and December of that year. Analyzing Tubefilter's data, The Guardian reported that Kjellberg's channel earned 1.3 billion video views in the second half of 2013. The channel had two of the ten most-viewed gaming videos in 2013: the sixth part of his Mad Father Let's Play was the third-most viewed of the year, earning 27 million views, and an entry in his Funny Gaming Montage series ranked as the eight-most viewed gaming video of 2013. On 9 January 2014, the channel reached the 20 million subscriber milestone. During that year, Kjellberg's channel was the most-viewed in January, and then for seven consecutive months from March to September, according to Tubefilter. According to Social Blade, Kjellberg's channel surpassed emimusic on 29 December 2014, at over 7.2 billion views, to become the most-viewed channel on the website. According to Tubefilter and The Guardian, the channel amassed nearly 14 million new subscribers and around 4.1 billion video views in 2014; both figures were higher than any other user. The latter figure was a reported 81% increase from the channel's video views in 2013; the channel was the most viewed in that year, as well. During July 2015, Kjellberg's videos were documented to receive over 300 million views per month. It eclipsed the 10 billion video view milestone on 6 September, becoming the first channel to do so. At that time, "A Funny Montage" (then-titled "Funny Montage #1") was Kjellberg's most-viewed video, with approximately 68.8 million views; a partial reason it accumulated many views was due to its status as the PewDiePie channel trailer. In 2016, the channel experienced decreased viewership, which was similarly experienced by other content creators across the platform, due to changes in YouTube's algorithm. On 8 December, it reached 50 million subscribers, becoming the first YouTube channel to do so. Online campaigns to "subscribe to PewDiePie" during Kjellberg's feud with T-Series greatly assisted his channel's subscriber growth; his channel gained 6.62 million subscribers in December 2018 alone, compared to the 7 million subscribers gained in all of 2017. Renewed interest in Kjellberg's videos due to his subscriber competition with T-Series resulted in his channel earning over 500 million video views in December 2018, which was then the channel's single-highest monthly view count. After briefly gaining the title several times in early 2019, on 27 March, T-Series surpassed Kjellberg in subscribers to become the most-subscribed channel on YouTube. The day after "Congratulations" was uploaded, Kjellberg temporarily regained his lead over T-Series as the most subscribed channel. In July 2019, in large part due to Kjellberg's Minecraft gameplay videos, his channel surged in video views. The Verge noted that it was Kjellberg's most successful month in years, in terms of viewership. Data from Social Blade shows the channel received 573 million video views, then a single-month record for the channel. His daily number of new subscribers also grew from 25,000 to 45,000 during that month. Kjellberg was the most-viewed creator of 2019, with his channel receiving over 4 billion views during the year. Along with T-Series, the PewDiePie channel is one of only two on YouTube to receive all five tiers of YouTube Creator Awards: Silver, Gold, Diamond, Custom, and Red Diamond Creator. These awards are earned upon surpassing the 100,000; 1 million; 10 million; 50 million; and 100 million subscriber milestones, respectively. Kjellberg nicknamed his Custom Creator Award the Ruby Play Button, which he received in 2016. In 2019, Kjellberg's channel became the second overall, and the first run by an individual creator, to receive the Red Diamond Creator Award. Kjellberg's channel remained as one of the top ten most-subscribed until June 2025, with his channel's absence from the platform's short-form content scene resulting in it being outpaced by other creators. Sponsorships Beginning in April 2014 and spanning into August, Kjellberg, along with his then-girlfriend Marzia, began a marketing campaign for the Legendary Pictures film As Above, So Below. Kjellberg's videos for the marketing campaign included a miniseries featuring him participating in the "Catacombs Challenge". The challenge involved Kjellberg searching for three keys in the catacombs to open a container holding "the Philosopher's stone". The couple's videos were able to earn nearly 20 million views. Maker Studios, which both Kjellberg and Marzia were represented by, brokered the ad deal between the two and Legendary Pictures. In January 2015, Mountain Dew partnered with Kjellberg to launch a fan fiction contest, in which winning fan fiction will be animated into video formats and then uploaded onto his channel. While he entered partnerships early in his YouTube career, Kjellberg maintained that he worked with few brands and conducted few promotions. He stated he felt he made enough money from YouTube and found endorsing too many brands to be disrespectful to his fans. On this topic, Kjellberg has expressed disappointment when a sizable portion of people misinterpret his intentions; he stated, "if I mention on Twitter that I find this or that Kickstarter project cool, people immediately start to ask what economical interests I might have in it." Eventually, Kjellberg began to work with more brands, stating that he wanted to have a genuine relationship with brands and added he was lucky to not be dependent on working with them to support his career. In January 2019, Kjellberg announced a partnership with energy drink company G Fuel. Critical reception Kjellberg's YouTube content has been met with mixed critical reception. Media outlets write that he is one of the most popular creators online, despite being involved in multiple media controversies. His content has been described by various outlets as goofy, energetic, and filled with profanity, and his on-camera personality has been generally received as genuine, unfiltered, and self-aware by various outlets. In regards to his early Let's Play content, Swedish columnist Lars Lindstrom commented positively, stating that "Felix Kjellberg [having] a comic talent is indisputable. It is both amazingly awful and amazingly funny when a father bikes around with his son in the game Happy Wheels and both get crushed and bloody again and again and PewDiePie improvises absurd comments as the game continues. The secret is that he loves to play these games and that he has fun doing it." Lev Grossman of Time noted that "he's totally unpolished, but at the same time his timing is consistently spot-on," adding that "most of the critical literature about PewDiePie focuses on the bad language and crude physical humor–and admittedly there are a lot of both–and the fact that he is, at the end of the day, just a guy playing video games and yelling." Kjellberg's early content also garnered some negative media reception, with detractors describing it as "obnoxious" and often reporting his popularity as an "inexplicable phenomenon". Andrew Wallenstein of Variety heavily criticised Kjellberg, following his channel becoming the most-subscribed on YouTube, describing his videos as "aggressive stupidity" and "psychobabble." Following the controversy regarding alleged antisemitic content in his videos, many media publications both in and outside of the gaming and tech industries severely criticised Kjellberg's content. These outlets suggested that Kjellberg's content contained and promoted fascist, white supremacist, and alt-right ideologies. A Wired article covering the controversy referred to him as a "poster boy for white supremacists". Charity opined that Kjellberg's "occasional, reactionary irreverence has become a core component of his appeal. Likewise, for critics and fans who value inclusivity — and among outside observers who view [Kjellberg]'s conduct as inexplicably frequent in the news — [Kjellberg] represents all that is wrong and alienating about games culture." Censorship In April 2019, "Congratulations" and "Bitch Lasagna" were banned in India when the Delhi High Court granted an injunction in favor of T-Series. The complaint against Kjellberg allegedly stated that his songs were "defamatory, disparaging, insulting, and offensive," and noted that comments on the videos were "abusive, vulgar, and also racist in nature." Although both parties came to a settlement later in the year, Kjellberg's videos remain blocked in India. On 16 October 2019, Kjellberg uploaded an episode of his Meme Review series, in which he reacted to memes about the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests. The video also featured his commentary on the then recent China–NBA and Blitzchung controversies, as well as memes comparing Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping to Winnie-the-Pooh. As a result, Kjellberg's channel and content were reportedly censored in China. Kjellberg stated that content related to him on other websites, such as Reddit, had also been blocked. The BBC wrote that instead of a complete ban, only "some content related to the YouTuber has indeed been made inaccessible online," and that "there is no evidence to suggest this was done on the orders of the government." The BBC suggested that Baidu seemingly removed PewDiePie-related messages on a forum out of caution, but that "a [Baidu] search for his name still returns more than eight million results." Vox wrote that "access to reposted PewDiePie videos and music" appeared to be available to some regional users. According to Business Insider, "For years, critics of Pewds have been campaigning for YouTube to bar him from the platform to no avail." Public image and influence Since breaking through on YouTube with his Let's Play-styled videos, Kjellberg has emerged as one of the most noted, influential, and controversial online personalities. He has also been cited by various publications as largely influential for digital content creation and Internet culture, particularly relating to video gaming subcultures. Eurogamer noted that Kjellberg was cast by media reports as a "figurehead" of YouTubers, and for being nearly synonymous with gaming YouTubers in general. In 2016, Douglas Holt of Harvard Business Review wrote of Kjellberg as "YouTube's greatest success", and regarded him, about gaming subcultures, "the star of this digital art world—just as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Patti Smith had done in urban art worlds back in the analog days". Lev Grossman of Time wrote that Kjellberg dominated "an entire medium single-handed," and pioneered "a new form of fame not controlled or manufactured by a studio or a network." Kjellberg has stated that he dislikes being called "famous". In a 2014 interview with The Wall Street Journal, he called the influence he has "kind of scary". In a Rolling Stone article, Kjellberg admitted to being shocked by his fame; he recalled a gaming event near his hometown, stating "I remember there were five security guards yelling at a crowd to back up – it was out of control. It was shocking to find myself in that situation, where I was that celebrity person." In a 2019 interview with the New York Times, Kjellberg commented on his influence stating, "it's weird for me to be in this position because I don't really want to be in this position." He went on to express feelings of nostalgia for his early YouTube career, when he had fewer subscribers, and admitted to periodically thinking about giving up the platform altogether. Colleagues and media have referred to Kjellberg as "normally press shy", "quiet", and "much more reserved in real life." After moving to Japan, Kjellberg expressed enjoying a lack of recognition while in public. Media analysis as a YouTube personality In September 2014, Walker called Kjellberg's popularity "insane", writing that it "strikes me as considerably more curious – I mean, you know who Rihanna is, but would you recognize this kid if he was standing in line behind you at the bank?" Walker, among other reporters, questioned and analysed reasons for his popularity. Nevertheless, Walker commented positively on Kjellberg's intelligence, stating the YouTuber is "clearly" smart based on when he speaks directly to his audience. Other writers have shared similar sentiments; Grossman described Kjellberg as "articulate", while The Verge's Ben Popper has noted Kjellberg as being "self conscious". In 2015, Ross Miller of The Verge wrote, "Love it or hate it, his success – like so many other YouTube personalities – isn't just in playing games but actually connecting and talking directly to an audience. No agent, press release, or any other intermediary. He just hit record." Profiling Kjellberg and analyzing the YouTuber's career through 2019, Kevin Roose of The New York Times wrote that during the period in which Kjellberg had the most-subscribed channel but still prior to his alleged antisemitism controversy, he "was not just the YouTuber with the biggest channel. To many Inner YouTubers, he represented the values of the platform — lo-fi, authentic, defiantly weird." In the wake of the Wall Street Journal controversy, John Herman of The New York Times commented that "[Kjellberg] bemoaned [YouTube's] structure and the way it had changed; he balked at its limits and took joy in causing offense and flouting rules. Over time, he grew into an unlikely, disorienting, and insistently unserious political identity: He became YouTube's very own populist reactionary." YouTube's chief business officer Robert Kyncl stated Kjellberg "underestimated the responsibility he had as the platform's most popular ambassador, even if he himself is not a hateful person." In 2018, Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote, "Given the scale of his audience and his influence, not much is written about PewDiePie. Tech sites like The Verge and Polygon report on him and often critique him severely. But in the mainstream media, his name has broken through only either as a result of novelty or scandal," and noted that his content was rarely written about. Touching on Kjellberg's alleged antisemitic controversy, MacInnes also added that he "is funny, intelligent, innovative and highly charismatic [...] to call him an alt-right agitator would perhaps be unfair as he has never publicly identified with the proto-fascist movement. But he shares much of their culture and amplifies it across the world. People should pay PewDiePie more attention." Max Read of Intelligencer also retrospectively opined on Kjellberg's alleged antisemitic controversy, commenting that "Kjellberg, for his part, is seen as a standard-bearer for the oppressed YouTuber subject to the whims of YouTube's corporate masters — a symbol of the ongoing tension between YouTube and the culture that it spawned," and added that "he, through fights over his behavior and his position within the YouTube space, is something like a gateway drug to bigger political battles over free speech, the role of media, and diversity." Abby Ohlheiser of The Washington Post stated Kjellberg "became a symbolic figure" in relation to the online culture war around "political correctness" following the 2017 Wall Street Journal article, but that following the 2019 Christchurch shooting, his "behavior has suggested that he more deeply understands the war he began fighting two years ago". Ohlheiser added that Kjellberg shifted away from "making angry, anti-PC commentary videos", instead maturing by going "back to his roots" as he "found joy in playing Minecraft". Shortly prior to his 2020 hiatus, Erin Nyren of Variety commented that Kjellberg's "popularity continues unabated in spite of—or perhaps because of—the fact that he has been the subject of ongoing controversies." Media lists and rankings Kjellberg's influence has ranked highly on various lists. Subtitled as the "King of YouTube" on The Verge's 2014 "Verge 50" list—the outlet's "definitive list of the most interesting people building the future." On his listing's blurb, The Verge wrote that "Kjellberg's real talent is finding the human within games. He's just a normal person, finding the authentic in games for an audience that are desperate for a little more humanity." In 2015, Kjellberg was included on Time's list of the 30 most influential people on the Internet, with the publication writing that his channel "broadcasts some of the most-watched programs in pop culture." Later in 2015, Kjellberg was featured on the cover of Variety's "Famechangers" issue, with the magazine ranking him as the "#1 Famechanger", or "those whose influence stands head and shoulders above the rest". The following year, Time included him on their Time 100 list, with South Park co-creator Trey Parker writing in his entry, "I know it might seem weird, especially to those of us from an older generation, that people would spend so much time watching someone else play video games [...] But I choose to see it as the birth of a new art form. And I don't think anyone should underestimate its most powerful artist." In 2017, Forbes did not rank Kjellberg as the top gaming influencer, citing that his "overall brand suffered earlier this year when he included antisemitic content in nine of his videos". Nevertheless, the publication still included Kjellberg in the gaming category of their June 2017 "Top Influencers" list. In September 2019, The Sunday Times ranked him first on their list of the UK's 100 most influential people online. Fan base and audience In 2015, ESPN noted that Kjellberg typically performed a "Brofist" gesture at the end of his videos, and often referred to his fan base as the "Bro Army", addressing his audience as "bros". Likewise, media outlets also adopted the name when referring to Kjellberg's fan base. Later in his YouTube career, Kjellberg stopped using the term "Bro Army", and began to refer to his audience as "Squad Fam", "9 year olds", and later "19 year olds", in his videos. The fan base has been subject to criticism; in July 2018, Wired published an article, referring to Kjellberg's fan base as "toxic", stating that "it's not just that they've stuck with the Swedish gamer/alleged comedian as he peppered his videos with racial slurs, rape jokes, antisemitism, and homophobia for nearly a decade (though that's bad enough). It's also that they insist that PewDiePie somehow isn't being hateful at all." At the 2013 Social Star Awards in Singapore, Kjellberg greeted his fans personally despite security warning him against doing so. Kjellberg also mentioned this event to Rolling Stone, stating, "I didn't even understand they were screaming for me at first." Kjellberg has commented on fans from Malaysia and Singapore; during a trip to Kuala Lumpur in 2016, fans entered his hotel to search for him, which he expressed annoyance with. In a 2019 vlog, Kjellberg expressed that fans in Malaysia and Singapore can be "very hectic and scream-ish and crazy, and they lose their minds when they see you." He later apologized to fans from the two countries, stating that seeing the effect he had "on fans back then [during his 2013 trip to Singapore] was cool" and that he would "be lying" if he claimed to hate this initial experience with fans, although added that he has grown to not enjoy being treated as more than a person. Business Insider Singapore reported that some fans took offense to Kjellberg's comments, but that "most netizens accepted the YouTuber's apology and admitted that fans had gone overboard in invading his privacy." Kjellberg's audience has been reported to provide positive remarks about him; some of his viewers created and contributed to a thread expressing that he has made them happier and feel better about themselves. Conversely, during an informal Twitter poll conducted by one Kotaku reporter, respondents described him as "annoying" and an "obnoxious waste of time." Additionally, Rolling Stone has documented the existence of several Reddit threads dedicated to sharing disparaging views of Kjellberg. Relating to his responsibility to his audience, Kjellberg has stated, "many people see me as a friend they can chill with for 15 minutes a day," adding, "The loneliness in front of the computer screens brings us together. But I never set out to be a role model; I just want to invite them to come over to my place." Media writers have concurred with Kjellberg's sentiments; Rob Walker of Yahoo! commented on Kjellberg's interaction with his audience, writing, "While he can be raucous and crude, it always comes across as genuine. He constantly addresses his audience as a bunch of peer-like friends, as opposed to distant, genuflecting fans. He's certainly more than willing to make fun of himself in the process." Writing retrospectively in 2025, about Kjellberg's fan base around 2013, Tubefilter's Sam Gutelle stated that Kjellberg's "middling" gaming skills "was part of his appeal", allowing for him to be seen by viewers as a "big brother" figure. After initially announcing his $50,000 donation to the ADL, Kjellberg mentioned that he had come to terms with his "responsibilities" as a creator. He received backlash from portions of his fan base for the donation, with some sharing conspiracies that the ADL was blackmailing Kjellberg. After Kjellberg ultimately withdrew the donation, Ohlhesier opined that "the episode shows just how difficult it will be for Felix Kjellberg, maturing adult, newly married, to untangle himself from PewDiePie, young Internet antihero, and the army that has grown to encircled him and salute him as their general. Channel demographics During Kjellberg's run as the most-subscribed YouTuber, his channel strongly appealed to younger viewers, a group Google referred to as "Generation C" for their habits of "creation, curation, connection and community". This generational cohort has been more commonly referred to as Generation Z by researchers and popular media. In a 2017 video, Kjellberg shared a screenshot of data provided by YouTube regarding his channel statistics, which suggested his largest demographic was among the 18–24 age group, followed by the 25–34 age group. Surveys conducted throughout the 2010s highlighted that favorable opinions of Kjellberg, as well as his name recognition and online influence within these age ranges, was comparable to that of mainstream figures such as Jennifer Lawrence, Justin Bieber, and LeBron James. The New York Times published results of an online reader poll the publication held, showing that only 17% of their digital readers correctly identified Kjellberg after seeing an image of him; the outlet wrote that the poll's results "probably reflect the fact that Times readers are older than a representative sample of Americans, citing that "in 2015, the median digital Times subscriber was 54 years old." In 2016, Maker Studios' international chief content officer was cited in The Guardian as comparing "the average parent's bafflement at their teenage children's passion for stars like PewDiePie, KSI, and Zoella to past generations' inability to comprehend punk rock or gangsta rap." Studies of the gaming community on YouTube have shown that 95% of video game players engage in watching online videos related to gaming, which has been linked to being an important reason for Kjellberg's popularity. Influence on video games Kjellberg has been noted to support video games from indie developers, often having played through such titles in his videos. His commentaries have had a positive effect on sales of indie games, with The Washington Post writing that "gamemakers have observed a kind of Oprah effect." The developers of the indie game McPixel stated, "The largest force driving attention to McPixel at that time were 'Let's Play' videos. Mostly by Jesse Cox and PewDiePie." Kjellberg has also been confirmed to have driven the popularity of Yandere Simulator during that game's development, and positively influenced the sales of Slender: The Eight Pages and Goat Simulator. Although games being featured on Kjellberg's channel have reportedly contributed to their commercial success, he has stated, "I just want to play the games, not influence sales." In 2019, Kjellberg's Minecraft videos led a surge of interest towards the game, which saw an increase in players. It also registered the largest-trending score on YouTube since January 2017 and surpassed Fortnite as the most-searched game on YouTube, with the searches for Minecraft on Google almost doubling since previous months. Video game media outlets, such as Polygon and The Verge, largely credited this newfound success to Kjellberg, with The Verge suggesting that the surge "proves that the 'PewDiePie Effect' is still real" (about the Oprah effect-like success enjoyed by games Kjellberg has played). Several other popular YouTubers followed suit by focusing on Minecraft content. Polygon also noted that in the wake of Kjellberg's focus on Minecraft, YouTubers focused on Fortnite began to shift towards making Minecraft videos instead. Kjellberg, along with characters from Amnesia: The Dark Descent, were referred to by a McPixel level designed in his honour. Additionally, in the video game Surgeon Simulator 2013, the Alien Surgery stage features an organ called "Pewdsball" in honour of Kjellberg. Kjellberg agreed to allow the developers of Surgeon Simulator 2013 to use his likeness in GOTY IDST, a showering simulation video game. Kjellberg was also included as an NPC in the indie game Party Hard, and had a voice acting role in Pinstripe, a puzzle adventure game. Income In March 2014, Kjellberg made an estimated $140,000–$1.4 million from YouTube revenue, according to Social Blade. In June 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kjellberg earned $4 million in 2013; Kjellberg confirmed on Reddit that the figures were somewhat close to what he actually earned. In July 2015, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Kjellberg's production company, PewDie Productions AB, reported earnings of 63.7 million SEK ($7.5 million) in 2014. In 2015, outlets described Kjellberg's income as sizeable, and even "remarkable"; Kjellberg appeared at the top of Forbes' October 2015 list of the richest YouTube stars with a reported $12 million earned in 2015. In December 2016, Forbes named Kjellberg as the highest-earning YouTuber with his annual income reaching $15 million. This was up 20% from 2015, largely due to his YouTube Red series Scare PewDiePie and his book This Book Loves You, which sold over 112,000 copies according to Nielsen Bookscan. Kjellberg relies on external revenue sources rather than YouTube's ad model, which he has stated is common for most YouTube content creators; Kjellberg commented that YouTube's ad revenue model is inefficient, unstable, and insecure. According to Forbes, Kjellberg's income dropped to $12 million in 2017, which made him the sixth highest-paid YouTuber during that year. Forbes commented that Kjellberg's income would have been higher had he avoided the pushback from advertisers resulting from the controversies surrounding his videos in 2017. Extensive media coverage on his earnings has been met with frustration by Kjellberg, who has stated that he is "tired of talking about how much [he makes]", and suggested that media outlets should rather report on the money he raised for charity. The Guardian commented that the reason the media was so captivated by Kjellberg's earnings is that the topic "offers a rare insight into the money being made at the top end of YouTube stardom," adding "it's very rare for any YouTube creator to talk about their earnings publicly, not least because YouTube itself does not encourage it." Other ventures Streaming and content on other platforms Though mostly known for his YouTube content, Kjellberg has at times streamed on other platforms. In September 2014, Kjellberg began streaming BroKen onto MLG.tv. He co-hosted the series with Kenneth Morrison, better known as CinnamonToastKen, who is also a video game commentator. In April 2017, while still continuing to upload new content onto YouTube, Kjellberg created Netglow, a crowdsourced channel on the livestreaming service Twitch. On Netglow, he started streaming Best Club, a weekly live stream show. Best Club premiered on 9 April, with its first episode featuring Brad Smith alongside Kjellberg. Kjellberg commented that his decision to create Netglow was in the works prior to the aforementioned allegations of antisemitic themes in his videos. Business Insider detailed that Kjellberg's first stream amassed around 60,000 viewers, and that Netglow had accumulated 93,000 subscribers to that point. On 9 April 2019, shortly before officially ending his competition with T-Series, Kjellberg announced that he would live-stream exclusively on streaming service DLive, as part of a deal with the company. Upon Kjellberg's 2020 signing to stream exlcusively on YouTube, he had amassed over 800,000 followers on DLive, but due to his deal with the former, and not having streamed on the latter in four months, Tubefilter noted that it was unclear if Kjellberg was still affiliated with DLive. Kjellberg's DLive channel was eventually deactivated. In January 2021, Kjellberg signed a distribution deal with Jellysmack, a content creation company. The deal entails Jellysmack optimizing and then distributing Kjellberg's content for a Facebook Watch audience, though Kjellberg would continue to debut his content on YouTube. After years of inactivity, Kjellberg's "PewDiePie" Twitch account began streaming episodes of the Canadian sitcom Trailer Park Boys in March 2023. This was part of a test by the distribution and monetization service CoPilot Media, as they were on the verge of rolling out "PewDiePie Infinity", "essentially an endless loop of [Kjellberg]'s videos." On 9 May, Kjellberg's Twitch account received a ban despite only streaming this previously aired content. Kjellberg's Twitch account has received further temporary bans in July 2023 and October 2024, for ambiguous reasons. Video games, authorship, and fashion design On 24 September 2015, Kjellberg released his own video game, PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist, on iOS and Android. The game was developed by Canadian game developer Outerminds in collaboration with Kjellberg. On 29 September 2016, he released another game developed by Outerminds, PewDiePie's Tuber Simulator. It was released as a free app on iOS and Android devices and reached the number one spot on the App Store within a few days of its release. On 31 October 2017, former Goat Simulator developer and lead designer Armin Ibrisagic announced his partnership with Kjellberg for his video game Animal Super Squad. Kjellberg helped Ibrisagic with the core concept of the game and provided him with feedback and creative direction. In 2019, Kjellberg released two more video games: PewDiePie's Pixelings on 15 November and Poopdie on 12 December. The latter game was rejected from the App Store due to its "crude imagery and sound effects which may disgust users", but is available on Android. Penguin Group's Razorbill imprint released Kjellberg's This Book Loves You, a parody of self-help books, on 20 October 2015. The book is a collection of anti-proverbs paired with visuals. It was number-one on The New York Times Best Seller list for two weeks in the Young Adult Paperback category. Kjellberg and his wife Marzia launched Tsuki, a unisex clothing brand which they announced in a YouTube video. Appearances in other media Aside from his own YouTube channel, Kjellberg has made appearances in the videos of other YouTube creators. In April 2013, he made a cameo in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History, portraying Mikhail Baryshnikov. In July 2013, he starred alongside Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh, as well as Jenna Marbles, as guest judges on the second season of Internet Icon. Kjellberg also appeared in YouTube's annual year-end Rewind series each year from 2013 to 2016; he once again appeared in YouTube Rewind in 2019. On 3 June 2014, Sveriges Radio announced that Kjellberg was chosen to host his own episode of the Swedish radio show Sommar i P1. Due to his international popularity, the episode was recorded in both Swedish and English. The Swedish version was broadcast on 9 August 2014 on Sveriges Radio P1, and when the broadcast started the English version was published online. The link to the Swedish version of the broadcast was shared over 3,500 times, and the link to the English version was shared about 49,000 times. In December 2014, Kjellberg guest-starred in two episodes of the 18th season of South Park. The two episodes served as a two-part season finale. The first part, titled "#REHASH" aired on 3 December, while the second part, titled "#HappyHolograms", aired on 10 December. In the episodes, he parodied himself and other Let's Play commentators, providing commentary over Call of Duty gameplay in an overly expressive way. In July 2015, Kjellberg was announced as a voice actor in the Vimeo fantasy series, Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures. In October of the same year, he appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where Colbert referred to him as "Emperor of the Internet". In February 2016, he appeared on Conan, playing Far Cry Primal as part of the show's Clueless Gamer segment. In 2019, he was a guest on the Cold Ones YouTube podcast. Philanthropy Kjellberg's popularity has allowed him to garner support for fundraising drives. In February 2012, Kjellberg ran for King of the Web, an online contest. He lost the overall title, but still became the "Gaming King of the Web" for the 1–15 February 2012 voting period. During the following voting period, Kjellberg won and donated his cash winnings to the World Wildlife Fund. He has raised money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and began a "Water Campaign" charity, where his fans could donate money to Charity: Water, in celebration of reaching ten million subscribers. Kjellberg contributed one dollar to the charity for every 500 views the video announcing the campaign accumulated, up to a maximum of $10,000. Kjellberg had the stated goal of raising US$250,000, but at the end of the drive, the amount raised was $446,612. Kjellberg organized another charity drive for Charity: Water in February 2016. The drive raised $152,239, surpassing a $100,000 goal. In celebration of reaching 25 million subscribers in June 2014, Kjellberg announced another charity drive for Save the Children. It raised over $630,000, surpassing a $250,000 goal. In an interview with the Swedish magazine Icon, he has expressed a desire to continue these drives as time goes on, and also credited John and Hank Green as two individuals who gave him the idea of making unique videos for charity. These videos are purchased by game manufacturers and advertisers, for prices ranging up to $50,000. In December 2016, he hosted Cringemas, a livestream held across two days (9 and 10 December, both at around 6 pm–10 pm GMT), with other Revelmode creators. During the livestream, they helped raise money for RED, a charity committed to helping eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa. After the first day, the fundraiser raised over $200,000, after YouTube doubled their goal of $100,000, and at the end of the livestream, they had raised a total of over $1.3 million with help from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. On 3 December 2018, Kjellberg announced that he had started a fundraiser on GoFundMe for Child Rights and You (CRY) to help Indian children, partially in response to racist comments left on his videos directed toward Indians. Kjellberg also hosted a livestream on 4 December, donating all of its proceeds to CRY. He raised over $200,000. On 21 July 2019, Kjellberg started a fundraiser on GoFundMe with American actor Jack Black for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in the wake of the suicide of the internet personality Etika in June 2019. Kjellberg and Jack Black streamed themselves playing Minecraft together to raise money for their fundraiser. Kjellberg donated $10,000 to his fundraiser and managed to raise over $30,000 for NAMI. Kjellberg has previously spoken on the topic of mental health, including his struggles with his own, and as part of the UK's Mental Health Awareness Week in 2017, he highlighted various resources to help one's mental health in a video. On 31 October 2019, Kjellberg donated $69,420 to Team Trees, a fundraising drive taking action against deforestation by pledging to plant one tree for every dollar donated. The donation number is a comedic in-joke combining numbers from internet culture: 69 and 420. In early June 2020, Kjellberg raised more than $116,000 for the Sentencing Project, victims of police brutality, and for small businesses affected by Black Lives Matter demonstrators looting and rioting after the murder of George Floyd. Kjellberg pledged to donate money earned from his YouTube membership to various charities every month. By 2021, Kjellberg raised over $1 million to charities such as Red Nose Day, Movember, Papyrus, Blue Ocean Foundation, Save the Children Lebanon, and Winston's Wish. Personal life Kjellberg married his long-term Italian girlfriend Marzia Bisognin on 19 August 2019. The couple have one son, born 11 July 2023. Kjellberg and Bisognin were introduced to each other through a friend of Bisognin's in 2011, and after establishing an online relationship, Kjellberg flew to Italy to meet her. The pair shuffled between Sweden and Italy, before settling in Brighton, England. Kjellberg explained that they moved to the UK in July 2013 for preference to live close to the sea and for better Internet connectivity. He said he enjoyed the general anonymity that living in Brighton granted him. A 2018 trip to Japan inspired Kjellberg to move to the country. Announcing their intention to permanently move there, Kjellberg and his wife bought a home in Japan in 2019. The home was burgled in late 2019, and the couple's move was delayed due to Japan restricting relocation regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2022, Kjellberg and his wife moved to their home in Japan with a 5-year business visa. Regarding his political beliefs, Kjellberg stated in October 2019 that he is "more apolitical than anything", and that he was "somewhere in between" left-wing and right-wing. In June 2014, Kjellberg stated that he is an agnostic atheist. Kjellberg has frequently mentioned in videos that he adheres to a pescetarian diet for various reasons. To deal with stress stemming from his content creation workload, Kjellberg developed a daily whiskey-drinking habit. During a Cold Ones podcast interview in July 2019, Kjellberg shared that a book on Buddhism inspired him to drop the habit. Filmography Television Web Music videos Video games Ludography Discography Bibliography This Book Loves You (15 October 2015) Awards and nominations See also Internet in Sweden List of YouTubers Notes References Citations Primary video, playlist, and post sources In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡): Further reading and viewing Parment, Anders (2014). Marketing to the 90s Generation: Global Data on Society, Consumption, and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137444295. Retrieved 23 March 2015. Talking about some stuff Ive never talked about. PewDiePie. 25 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2020 – via YouTube. External links PewDiePie's channel on YouTube Pewdie's channel on YouTube (original YouTube channel) PewDiePie at IMDb Sveriges Radio – Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg PewDiePie on Twitch
Minako Honda	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Minako Honda.	Tell me a bio of Minako Honda.	Tell me a bio of Minako Honda within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Minako Honda with around 100 words.	Minako Kudo (Japanese: 工藤美奈子, Hepburn: Kudō Minako; July 31, 1967 – November 6, 2005), better known as Minako Honda (Japanese: 本田美奈子, Hepburn: Honda Minako), was a Japanese idol and musical singer. In 1985, she made her debut with the single "Satsui no Vacance". She was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia on January 5, 2005. At 4:38 A.M. on November 6, 2005, Honda died at the Juntendo University Hospital in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Early life Kudo was born in Japan on July 31, 1967, at Narimasu Maternity Hospital in Narimasu, Itabashi. Kudo's family initially lived in Shibamata, Katsushika. They moved to Asaka, Saitama, where Kudo enrolled at Shirayuri Kindergarten. Beginnings As a child Kudo was very involved with singing, largely influenced by her mother who dreamed of becoming a singer. In Kudo's graduation collection from Asaka's 6th Elementary School in Aska City, she wrote that, "It would be nice if I could become an actress or singer." While at Asaka Daiichi Junior High School at the age of 14, she would audition for Star Tanjō!, where in the TV qualifying round she would sing "Hello Goodbye" by Yoshie Kashiwabara which would win her that round and advance her to the battle tournament round, for that she would sing "Blue Angel" by her cousin, Seiko Matsuda, however none of the production companies expressed interest and Kudo would not win the competition. While Kudo was enrolled at Tokyo Seitoku University Junior & Senior High School in 1983, she would visit Harajuku because the record label Bondo Kikaku was recruiting a new member for the group called Shojotai. Bondo Kikaku had also participated in the show Star Tanjō!. While still working with Bondo Kikaku in 1984, she heard a demo of Meiko Nakahara's song "Kimitachi Kiwi Papaya Mango da ne", which had just become a hit, this lead Kudo to believe Bondo Kikaku's President, Keiji Takasugi was taking the company in the wrong direction, and would make her decide to become a solo artist. In 1984, Kudo performed at the Nagasaki Kayo Festival, which was a television contest to where teenagers and young adults competed to become new idols by winning what was called the grand prix. On the show, Honda was highly evaluated by judges who noted her powerful voice and overwhelming singing ability which led her to win the Grand Prix part of the competition. Following her success in the Nagasaki Kayo Festival, Kudo would make her debut under the name Minako Honda with the song "Satsui no Vacane", this lead her to receive a Japan Record Award for the best new artist of that year. Looking to follow up on the success of "Satsui no Vacane", Honda would release "1986 nen no Marilyn", in which a controversy would arise from her performances, in which Honda would shake her hips suggestively while wearing a navel costume, at the time this was not common for idols and was thought to be offensive. In 1988, she made an attempt to revive her dwindling career by forming an all girl rock group called "Minako with Wild Cats", the group however would disband a year later due to lack of any hit songs. In 1990 a turning point came for her career. Honda had auditioned for a part in the Tokyo production of Broadway play Miss Saigon, she won out over 15,000 other candidates for the part of Kim. While still starring in the role as Kim in Miss Saigon in the 1990s, Honda visited Vietnam. There she visited the famous Củ Chi tunnels just outside Ho Chi Minh City. She was found by Vietnamese authorities having photographs taken of her in the Củ Chi tunnels draped only in a Vietnamese flag. She was fined and expelled from Vietnam shortly after. She would go on to perform in leading roles in Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, and Les Miserables. Later career and illness Towards the end of her life, she released several classical albums demonstrating her soprano singing voice, including religious works such as "Amazing Grace" and Ave Maria. She also sang theme songs for several anime programs. She did not abandon pop music in her adult career; indeed, she became recognized for her vocal improvement in the adult pop genre. Her song "Tsubasa" is famous for the "long note" that she holds for 30 seconds. In 2004, Honda would add a period to the end of her name; this was done because Honda believed there was judgment to her surname. Honda became ill in late 2004, but still performed in December in spite of a fever and fatigue. When her cold-like symptoms failed to improve, she sought medical treatment and was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia on January 5, 2005. Honda was able to celebrate her 38th birthday at home feeling relatively well, but had a relapse shortly afterwards. Chromosome aberration was discovered and she received a dose of anticancer medicine from the United States to treat it. She recovered again briefly, but then suffered another relapse. Death Honda developed lung complications on October 21, 2005, and she lapsed into a coma on November 3. At 4:38 a.m. on November 6, 2005, Honda died at the Juntendo University Hospital in Bunkyō, Tokyo, officially from acute myelogenous leukemia. She was 38 at the time of her death. Discography During her life, Honda released 14 original albums, 5 compilation albums, 25 physical singles, 1 digital single and 6 home-video releases. Note: All releases after 2005 are posthumous. Singles As soloist As Minako With Wild Cats Albums As soloist As Minako With Wild Cats Compilation albums Home-video release Movie soundtracks Passenger (October 25, 1988) Hunter x Hunter (1999, Ending no. 1 – Kaze no Uta) Theatre Miss Saigon (1992–1993) – Kim Fiddler on the Roof (1994–1998) – Hodel The King and I (1996–2002) – Tuptim Les Misérables (1997–2001) – Éponine Himeyuri (2002–2004) – Kimi Twelfth Night (2003) – A Cat Claudia (2004) – Claudia Note: Minako Honda was originally cast as Fantine in Les Misérables for the Japanese tour in 2005, but due to her death, another actor was given the part. References External links Minako Honda's official page (in Japanese) Web page by Columbia record (in Japanese) Web page by Universal (EMI) Music Japan (in Japanese) Live for Life web page (in Japanese) Minako Honda discography (in French) Nippop – Minako Honda Profile (in English) Japan will miss its Miss Saigon MSN-Mainichi Daily News (in English)
Don Beard	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Don Beard.	Tell me a bio of Don Beard.	Tell me a bio of Don Beard within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Don Beard with around 100 words.	Donald Derek Beard (14 January 1920 – 15 July 1982) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in four Test matches from 1952 to 1956. He was a schoolteacher and school principal. Early life and career Don Beard grew up in the country near Palmerston North, cycling 15 miles a day to attend Palmerston North Boys' High School. After teacher training in Auckland, he attended Victoria University in Wellington, from where he completed a Diploma in Education in 1946 and a Master of Arts in 1948. His thesis was on the history of physical education in New Zealand primary schools. An accurate fast-medium bowler and useful lower-order batsman, Beard was selected to make his first-class debut for Wellington in the first round of Plunket Shield matches after the Second World War in December 1945, but he had not fully recovered from burns he had received while fighting a fire, and was replaced by Ray Buchan. He made his first-class debut a few weeks later in a friendly match against Auckland. He did not play Plunket Shield cricket until 1950–51, when he played for Central Districts in their inaugural match. International career In the 1951–52 Plunket Shield season, Beard took 16 wickets at 27.25 and was selected for the two Tests against the touring West Indies side, taking four wickets. He was a stalwart of the Central Districts team until 1960–61, taking 15 wickets and scoring 255 runs at 51.00 in 1953–54 when Central Districts won the Plunket Shield for the first time. He hit his top first-class score of 81 not out against Wellington during the season. Dick Brittenden said Beard specialised in the sweep shot, and "would have made more runs in his colourful career had he not expended so much of his patience on bowling". Beard topped the bowling averages in the Plunket Shield in 1955–56 with 28 wickets at 10.64, "and 110 of his 217 overs were maidens". After the visiting West Indies side won the first two Tests by an innings, they played Central Districts at Wanganui, where Beard top-scored in each innings, making 25 and 67, and took 3 for 52 and 2 for 59 (match figures of 50.1–20–111–5). He returned to the Test team for the last two Tests, and played an important role in New Zealand's first-ever Test victory in the Fourth Test, making 31 and 6 not out and taking 1 for 20 and 3 for 22. But that was his last Test. Later career Beard's best innings and match figures came in 1956–57 against Otago in Dunedin, when he took 7 for 56 and 4 for 43 (match figures of 61.4–26–99–11) in a match that Otago nevertheless won. In 1961, Beard became principal of Te Aroha College in Waikato, and played a few games for Northern Districts. In 1961–62 he took 5 for 70 and 6 for 71 against Auckland, and 5 for 60 and 3 for 36 in the next match against Wellington. He played his last game in the 1964–65 season, just after turning 45. Beard also played Hawke Cup cricket for Wanganui, Manawatu and Thames Valley between 1948 and 1966. Beard stood nearly six feet three inches tall. He played basketball for New Zealand, was a notable amateur golfer, and played rugby union for Wellington, Wanganui (as captain) and North Island. Beard died in 1982 while on holiday in England after retiring as principal of Te Aroha College. His son Derek also played first-class cricket in New Zealand. References External links Media related to Don Beard at Wikimedia Commons Don Beard at ESPNcricinfo
Isla Fisher	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Isla Fisher.	Tell me a bio of Isla Fisher.	Tell me a bio of Isla Fisher within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Isla Fisher with around 100 words.	Isla Lang Fisher (; born 3 February 1976) is an Australian actress. Born in Oman to Scottish parents with whom she moved to Australia during her childhood, she began appearing in television commercials and came to prominence for her portrayal of Shannon Reed on the Australian soap opera Home and Away (1994–1997), for which she received two Logie Award nominations. Fisher transitioned to Hollywood with a supporting role in the comedy horror film Scooby-Doo (2002) and has since starred in films such as Wedding Crashers (2005), Wedding Daze (2006), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), Bachelorette (2012), The Great Gatsby (2013), Now You See Me (2013), and Nocturnal Animals (2016). Her other credits include I Heart Huckabees (2004), Definitely, Maybe (2008), Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016), Tag (2018), and The Beach Bum (2019), in addition to voice roles in animated films such as Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Rango (2011), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Back to the Outback (2021), and Dog Man (2025). Fisher had a recurring role on the fourth and fifth seasons of the sitcom Arrested Development (2013–2019) and has starred in the comedy drama series Wolf Like Me since 2022. She has authored two young adult novels and the Marge in Charge book series. From 2010 to 2025, she was married to English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, with whom she has three children. Early life Isla Lang Fisher was born in Muscat, Oman, on 3 February 1976, the daughter of Scottish parents Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher. At the time, her father was working there as a banker for the United Nations. Fisher and her family returned to their hometown of Bathgate, Scotland, then moved to Australia when she was six years old and settled in Perth. She has four brothers and said that she had a "great" upbringing in Perth with a "very outdoorsy life". She has stated that her "sensibility is Australian", she has a "laid-back attitude to life", and that she feels "very Australian". Her parents later separated; her mother and brothers now live in Athens, Greece, while her father lives in Frankfurt, Germany. Fisher attended Swanbourne Primary School and Methodist Ladies' College in Perth. She appeared in lead roles in school productions such as Little Shop of Horrors. At the age of 21, she attended L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, where she studied clown, mime, musical theatre, and commedia dell'arte. Career 1985–2001: Early acting credits Fisher made her first on-screen appearances in commercials on Australian television at the age of 9, and made her professional acting debut in 1993 with two guest-starring roles in the children's television shows Bay City and Paradise Beach. At 18, with her mother's help, she published two teen novels, Bewitched and Seduced by Fame. In a 2005 interview with Sunday Mirror, she said that had she not been successful as an actress, she would probably have been a full-time writer. Between 1994 and 1997, Fisher played Shannon Reed, a young woman who develops anorexia, on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. In a 1996 interview with The Sun-Herald, she spoke of her success and experiences on the show: "I would be stupid to let it go to my head because it could all end tomorrow and I would just fade back into obscurity. I like working on Home and Away but it's a heavy workload so I get stressed out a lot. We work about 15 hours a day, including the time it takes to learn lines. I know a lot of people work those sort of hours but I think we really feel it because most of us are young and fairly inexperienced. But I am very grateful because it is good experience. It's like an apprenticeship, but we do it in front of 20 million people so all our mistakes are up for the world to see." For her performance in the series, Fisher received nominations for Most Popular New Talent at the 1995 Logie Awards, and for Most Popular Actress at the 1997 ceremony. After leaving the soap, Fisher enrolled at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, a theatre and arts training school in Paris, and went on to appear in pantomime in the United Kingdom. She also toured with Darren Day in the musical Summer Holiday; appeared in the London theatre production of Così, and played an ill-fated member of an elite group of international students in the German slasher film Swimming Pool (2001). 2002–2004: Move to Hollywood Fisher transitioned to Hollywood in 2002, with the part of the love interest of a cowardly slacker Shaggy Rogers in the live-action film Scooby-Doo. Although Scooby-Doo received negative reviews, the film was a commercial success, grossing US$275.7 million worldwide. On that early stage in her career, Fisher remarked: "I only came out on the back of the movie for the premiere of Scooby Doo. And then, I ended up getting representation and ended up getting a job, almost straight away. So, I was fortunate, in that I didn't have to come out to L.A. and join a queue of however many people, and try to get work. I came in on the back of what was deemed as a big studio movie that had had extraordinary success". She subsequently played supporting roles in the independent film Dallas 362 (2003) and the Australian comedy The Wannabes (also 2003). In his review for the latter, David Rooney of Variety felt that Fisher "adds easy charm and a thinly developed hint of romantic interest", in what he summed as an "uneven but endearing farce about breaking into showbiz". In the comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004), directed by David O. Russell, she played what was described as a "punchy little part", by newspaper The Age. 2005–2009: Breakthrough Fisher's breakthrough came with the comedy Wedding Crashers (2005), opposite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, taking on the role of the seemingly sexually aggressive and precocious younger daughter of a politician falling in love with an irresponsible wedding crasher. On her part in the film, she remarked: "It was an interesting character to play, because she was so crazy and lacking in any kind of social etiquette. She doesn't care what anyone thinks." For one particular scene, involving sexual content, she used a body double. "I negotiated that from the beginning, trying to analyse why. I find pornographic violence, just gratuitous and unnecessary than nudity, because there's nothing more peaceful and beautiful". The film was favourably received by critics and made US$285.1 million worldwide. Empire magazine found Fisher to be an "unexpected, scene-stealing joy", and her performance earned her the Best Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and two Teen Choice Awards nominations. Fisher appeared as a Manhattan party host in the independent drama London (2005), opposite Jessica Biel, Chris Evans and Jason Statham. She next starred in the romantic comedy Wedding Daze (2006), with Jason Biggs, playing a dissatisfied waitress who spontaneously gets engaged to a grieving young man. While Wedding Daze opened in second place on its UK opening weekend, the film received mediocre reviews from critics. Nevertheless, Reel Film Reviews found the film to be an "irreverent, sporadically hilarious romantic comedy that boasts fantastic performances from stars Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher". In the thriller The Lookout (2007), opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Matthew Goode, Fisher played a woman used by a gang leader to seduce a man with lasting mental impairments. Describing on how she took her character, she said: "It was one of those situations where I read the script and thought, 'This is the take. I don't want to play the cliché femme fatale. I don't want to come in and be the woman with the sexual appetite, who wants to take down this man. I want to come in and make her this big beating heart, and innocent a woman who has no identity, who knows the man she's with, who doesn't have an agenda.' Because every character in the script has an agenda. I thought how interesting if my character doesn't have one if she's a victim of her own kindness. So, that was my starting point." While The Lookout received a limited release, the film was favourably received. The comedy Hot Rod (also 2007), with Andy Samberg, saw Fisher star as the college-graduate neighbour on whom an amateur stuntman has a crush. Fisher played a copy girl who becomes romantically involved with an ambitious political consultant in the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe (2008), with Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz and Abigail Breslin. Reviewers felt the film was a "refreshing entry into the romantic comedy genre", and The New Yorker wrote that the "interest lies" in the female characters, concluding: "Isla Fisher, short, with thick auburn hair, is a changeable free spirit who keeps the male lead, and maybe herself off balance". Budgeted at US$7 million, Definitely, Maybe was a commercial success, grossing US$55.4 million worldwide. Fisher also voiced a professor in a city of microscopic creatures in the animated comedy film Horton Hears a Who! (2008), featuring Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Will Arnett, among others. Fisher obtained her first leading film role in the comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), where she played a college graduate who works as a financial journalist in New York City to support her shopping addiction. She felt "apprehensive" as she took on her first star vehicle, stating: "I was gobsmacked that anyone would give me my own movie. I am eternally bewildered. Every time I see [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer, I want to shake him and say: 'Are you mad? Why would you put me on a poster?'". Upon its release, the film received lukewarm reviews from critics; while Time Out described her as "silly and adorable", The Christian Science Monitor remarked: "Isla Fisher is such a bundle of comic energy that watching her spin her wheels in the aggressively unfunny Confessions of a Shopaholic counts as cruel and unusual punishment for her as well as for us". Despite the critical response, the film was a commercial success; it opened with US$15 million on its North America opening weekend and went on to gross US$108.3 million worldwide. Fisher received her third Teen Choice Award nomination. 2010–2013: Mainstream recognition In the British black comedy Burke and Hare (2010), loosely based on the Burke and Hare murders, Fisher starred opposite Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as a young former prostitute and the love interest of one of the titular characters. The film found a limited audience in theatres, and Variety wrote that "Pegg and Fisher, just about holding up their end of the bargain by delivering the film's portion of sweet romance, are hardly given anything funny to say", as part of an overall mixed reception. Fisher voiced a hot-tempered but good-hearted desert iguana befriending an eccentric chameleon in the 3D animated Western action comedy Rango (2011), featuring Johnny Depp, Abigail Breslin and Bill Nighy. The film received positive reviews and made US$245.7 million worldwide. For her role, Fisher won the Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Animated Female. Fisher starred in the comedy Bachelorette (2012), opposite Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan and Rebel Wilson, portraying a ditzy party girl and one-third of a trio of troubled women who reunite for the wedding of a friend who was ridiculed in high school. In its review for the film, Daily Telegraph found Fisher to be "brilliantly slow as a hot mess whose main ambition is to get coked out of her skull". Budgeted at US$3 million, Bachelorette was a commercial success; it grossed US$11.9 million in theatres worldwide and more than US$8 million on VOD. In another voice-over role, Fisher voiced the Tooth Fairy in what she summed up as an "animated Avengers", the film Rise of the Guardians (also 2012), which earned her an Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award nomination for Best Animated Female. Fisher found mainstream recognition in 2013, with roles in two highly successful films The Great Gatsby and Now You See Me. The Great Gatsby, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, directed by Baz Luhrmann, and opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire, saw her portray an ambitious social climber and the mistress of an upper-class socialite. Fisher described as "surreal" the experience to work for Luhrmann. "He's my dream director. I've only ever had a short list of people I've wanted to work with, and he was at the top of it. I honestly couldn't stop smiling the whole time". While reviewers described her role as brief, the film made US$353.6 million worldwide. Fisher garnered nominations for the Best Supporting Actress award from the AACTA Awards, the Australian Film Critics Association and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards. Fisher took on a larger role as an escapist and stage magician in the heist thriller Now You See Me, with Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman. The Hollywood Reporter felt that Fisher's portrayal was "loaded with chutzpah", and IndieWire remarked in its review for the film: "While Fisher and Laurent bring their charm, they still don't quite flesh out underwritten parts". Like The Great Gatsby, Now You See Me grossed more than US$350 million globally. Also in 2013, Fisher obtained the nine-episode role of an actress in the fourth season of Arrested Development, which was released on Netflix, and appeared opposite Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins, and Will Forte in Life of Crime, a film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's 1978 novel The Switch, as the mistress of a wealthy man who refuses to pay the ransom for his kidnapped wife. The film received a limited theatrical release and favorable reviews from critics. Fisher, along with the cast of Arrested Development, received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and describing her work on the series as a career highlight, she said: "I've been really fortunate in my career to work with a lot of great people and get a lot of great gigs, but my favourite phone call ever was the Arrested Development one from my agent, It was very exciting". 2014–present: Various roles and writing In Visions (2015), an independent horror film, Fisher starred as a pregnant woman who begins to experience supernatural manifestations after moving to a vineyard with her husband. Distributed for a limited release in most international markets, Visions was released for VOD in North America, and in its review for the film, Spanish newspaper Reforma wrote: "Predictable and boring, even Isla Fisher, who is usually pretty good, delivers a very boring performance." 2016 saw Fisher star in two action comedy films Grimsby and Keeping Up with the Joneses. She collaborated for the first time with husband Sacha Baron Cohen in the British film Grimsby, playing the handler of the best MI6 agent, and in Keeping Up with the Joneses, she starred as one half of a suburban couple who begin to suspect their new neighbours are secret agents. Both films were budgeted at over US$35 million, but only made less than US$30 million at the box office. Based on Austin Wright's novel Tony and Susan, Tom Ford's neo-noir thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016) featured Fisher as the blighted wife of a motorist inside a violent novel written by a recently divorced man. The film was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival and was an arthouse success. Her third book and first children's novel, Marge in Charge, revolving around a mischievous babysitter with rainbow hair who tends to bend the rules, was published in 2016. The book was met with a positive reception; Publishers Weekly noted that "spontaneity and mayhem" reign in the work, while The Daily Express found "the comic tale of [the] anarchic babysitter" to be "perfect for reading aloud". Fisher subsequently authored three follow-ups: Marge and the Pirate Baby, in 2017, Marge and the Great Train Rescue, also in 2017, and Marge in Charge and the Stolen Treasure, in 2018. In 2019, she guest starred in an episode of the tenth season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2020, Fisher starred in the Walt Disney Pictures film Godmothered, which was released on Disney+ on 4 December of that year. In 2025, she voiced Sarah Hatoff in the animated film Dog Man. Philanthropy In 2014 and 2015, Fisher donated her signed shoes for the Small Steps Project Celebrity Shoe Auction. In 2015, Fisher and her husband Sacha Baron Cohen donated £335,000 to Save the Children as part of a programme to vaccinate Syrian children against measles, and another £335,000 to the International Rescue Committee to help Syrian refugees. Personal life In 2001, Fisher met English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen at a party in Sydney. They became engaged in 2004 and were married on 15 March 2010 in a Jewish ceremony in Paris. She converted to Judaism to marry Cohen. She took the Hebrew name Ayala (אילה), the Hebrew word for a doe, and has described herself as keeping the Jewish Sabbath. Baron Cohen and Fisher have three children, born in 2007, 2010 and 2015. They resided in Sydney, having previously divided their time between Los Angeles and London. On 5 April 2024, Fisher announced that she and Baron Cohen had made the decision to file for divorce, separating at the end of 2023. On 13 June 2025, she and Baron Cohen announced that their divorce was finalised. Fisher considers herself a feminist. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations Works and publications Fisher, Isla; Reid, Elspeth (1995). Bewitched. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-025575-1. OCLC 38382626. Fisher, Isla (1995). Seduced by Fame. Ringwood, Victoria: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-025431-0. OCLC 38376530. Fisher, Isla; Ceulemans, Eglantine (2016). Marge in Charge. London: Piccadilly Press. ISBN 978-1-84-812540-7. OCLC 957646590. Fisher, Isla; Bowles, Paula (2022). Mazy the Movie Star. London: Welbeck Flame. ISBN 978-1-80-130016-2. OCLC 1333579159. References External links Isla Fisher at IMDb
Jeremy Northam	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Jeremy Northam.	Tell me a bio of Jeremy Northam.	Tell me a bio of Jeremy Northam within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Jeremy Northam with around 100 words.	Jeremy Philip Northam (born 1 December 1961) is an English actor. His film credits include The Net (1995), Emma (1996), An Ideal Husband (1999), Amistad (1997), The Winslow Boy (1999), Gosford Park (2001) and Enigma (2001). In television, he also played Thomas More in the Showtime series The Tudors (2007–2008) and appeared as Anthony Eden in the Netflix series The Crown (2016–2017). Early life and education Northam was born on 1 December 1961, in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. His father was John Northam, a professor of literature and theatre. Northam studied English at Bedford College, London (B.A. English, 1984) and acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He is an alumnus of the Royal Holloway, University of London. Career Screen and stage Northam made his screen debut on television in the series American Playhouse, as Mr. Benson in the episode "Suspicion". He followed with appearances in ITV's Wish Me Luck (1987) and Piece of Cake (1988). Northam performed at the Royal National Theatre – he replaced both Ian Charleson and Daniel Day-Lewis in the role of Hamlet (1989), when they had to withdraw, and won the 1990 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for his performance in The Voysey Inheritance. He has appeared frequently in British films such as Carrington (1995), Emma (1996), The Winslow Boy (1999), An Ideal Husband (1999), Enigma (2001), and as Welsh actor and singer Ivor Novello in Gosford Park (2001). He made his American film debut in The Net (1995). In 2002, he starred in the film Cypher. That same year, he portrayed singer Dean Martin in the CBS film Martin and Lewis and golfer Walter Hagen in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius in 2004. In 2007 and 2008, he portrayed Thomas More on the Showtime series, The Tudors. He played John Brodie Innes in the 2009 film Creation, based on the life of Charles Darwin. In the 2015 film The Man Who Knew Infinity, he portrayed the philosopher Bertrand Russell. He played British Prime Minister Anthony Eden in the 2016 Netflix drama series The Crown. Other work His audiobook work includes The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 6) by C. S. Lewis, The Real Thing and Other Short Stories and The Aspern Papers, both written by Henry James. In 2007 he recorded "The Great Poets" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, In 2009, he recorded Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene, in 2010, Dark Matter, a ghost story by Michelle Paver, In 2010, Down and Out in Paris and London and in 2012, The Road to Wigan Pier, both by George Orwell. In the Gosford Park soundtrack, Northam sings the Ivor Novello songs "And Her Mother Came Too", "What a Duke Should Be", "Why Isn't It You", "I Can Give You the Starlight", and "The Land of Might Have Been", accompanied by his brother Christopher on piano. Personal life Northam married Canadian film and television make-up artist Liz Moro in April 2005; they later divorced. Filmography Theatre Edward Voysey, The Voysey Inheritance, National Theatre Company, Cottesloe Theatre, London, 1989. School for Scandal, Bristol Old Vic, 1990. Osric, then later title role, Hamlet, National Theatre Company, Olivier Theatre, London, 1989. The Three Sisters, Sondheim Theatre, 1990–1991. The Way of the World, Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith), 1992. Philip, The Gift of the Gorgon, Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), The Pit (theatre), London, 1992. Elomire, La Bête, Really Useful Theatre Company, 1993. Berowne, Love's Labour's Lost, RSC, Barbican Theatre, London, 1994. Mr. Horner, The Country Wife, RSC, Pit Theatre, 1994. Obstetrician, Certain Young Men, Almeida Theatre, London, 1999. Old Times, Donmar Warehouse Theatre, London, 2004. Richard Greatham, Hay Fever, Noël Coward Theatre, London, 2012. Awards and nominations Further reading BFI Staff (2023). "Jeremy Northam". BFI.org.uk. London, England: British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2023. References External links Jeremy Northam at IMDb Jeremy Northam at the BFI's Screenonline
Harry Cave	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Harry Cave.	Tell me a bio of Harry Cave.	Tell me a bio of Harry Cave within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Harry Cave with around 100 words.	Henry Butler Cave (10 October 1922 – 15 September 1989) was a New Zealand cricketer who captained New Zealand in nine of his 19 Test matches. His Test career extended from 1949 to 1958, and he played first-class cricket from 1945 to 1959. Early life Harry Cave was born into a family of farmers and cricketers from the Wanganui area. His father had a farm at Westmere, north of Wanganui. His uncle Ken Cave umpired all four matches in New Zealand's first Test series in 1929–30. Harry went to school at Westmere before attending Wanganui Collegiate School. He took up farming after leaving school. Cricket career 1940s Cave's cricket career was often interrupted by the demands of his farming life, where he was supported by his brother and farming partner Tom. An all-rounder, six feet two inches tall, Cave bowled accurate medium-pace and batted in the middle or lower order. He first played for Wanganui in his teens, and became one of their leading players in the Hawke Cup. In the 1940s, Wanganui players were eligible to play for Wellington, and he made his first-class debut for Wellington on Christmas Eve 1945. In January 1947 he took 6 for 44 (from 29 overs) and 2 for 72 when Wellington beat Canterbury in the Plunket Shield. A torn elbow muscle in 1947 made it difficult for him to bowl his stock out-swinger, and from then on he relied on seamers, cutters and in-swingers. Cave toured England in 1949 and played in all four Tests. The tour report in Wisden described his bowling as "always steady and reliable", but on the good batting pitches of the season he took only four wickets from 141 overs in the Tests at an average of 116.25. 1950s Cave was one of the leading players in Central Districts' inaugural season in the Plunket Shield in 1950–51, when they finished second. In 1952–53 he and Ian Leggat added 239 for the ninth wicket for Central Districts against Otago in Dunedin, setting a New Zealand ninth-wicket record that still stands. A few days later, Cave captured 13 wickets in one day, taking 7 for 31 and 6 for 33 in Central Districts' innings victory over Auckland in Palmerston North. In 1953–54 Cave became captain of Central Districts, and led them to the Plunket Shield title for the first time. He also led the competition bowling averages with 24 wickets at an average of 15.50. After a break of five years, Cave returned to the Test team for the two-match series against England in 1954–55. He was then appointed to captain the New Zealand team on an eight-Test tour of Pakistan and India from October 1955 to January 1956. The tour was demanding for the whole team. Extreme heat, sub-standard accommodation and facilities, unfamiliar pitches, constant stomach upsets and other illness, as well as dubious umpiring in India, made it difficult for the New Zealanders to play at their best. Cave remained diplomatic throughout, and bowled more overs than any other player: 333 overs for 623 runs and 13 wickets. Always of trim build, he nevertheless lost about 11 kilograms in weight on the tour, and it took him two years to recover full fitness. When the team returned to New Zealand, Cave was captain in the First Test against the West Indies a few weeks later. He was unable to play in the Second Test, then returned for the Third and Fourth Tests under the captaincy of John Reid. In the Fourth Test in Auckland, he had his best Test figures, taking four wickets in each innings to help New Zealand to its first Test victory. He had match figures of 40.4–26–43–8, and took the wicket to end the match when he had Alf Valentine stumped by Sammy Guillen. Cave was New Zealand's leading bowler when the Australians toured in 1956–57, taking 17 wickets in the three unofficial Tests while the other bowlers took 17 wickets between them. Cave toured England in 1958, this time as John Reid's vice-captain, but the tour was not a success for him or the team. He took 50 wickets at an average of 22.02 in the first-class matches, but played in only two of the five Tests, taking two wickets. Personal life Cave married Vonnie Anderson at Wanganui on 28 April 1951; they had two sons. He and his wife were keen camellia growers, and he developed a variety that was named after him. He died at Wanganui on 15 September 1989. Vonnie was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to photography and horticulture, in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours, and she died in Whanganui in 2021. References External links Media related to Harry Cave at Wikimedia Commons Cave, Henry Butler at DNZB Harry Cave at ESPNcricinfo
Rory Burns	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Rory Burns.	Tell me a bio of Rory Burns.	Tell me a bio of Rory Burns within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Rory Burns with around 100 words.	Rory Joseph Burns (born 26 August 1990) is an English cricketer who has played internationally for the England Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he captains Surrey in first-class and List A cricket. Burns made his Test debut in 2018. He led Surrey to the 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024 County Championship titles. He plays as a left-handed opening batsman. Early life Burns was born in Epsom, Surrey, and educated at City of London Freemen's School in Ashtead, Surrey, Whitgift School and Cardiff Metropolitan University (UWIC). Whilst at Whitgift school, Rory Burns played with fellow England international Jason Roy, who is the same age. Domestic career Having played Second XI cricket for both Surrey and Hampshire, Burns made his first-class debut for Surrey against Cambridge MCCU in May 2011. He made scores of 23 and 16, and keeping wicket ahead of regular keepers Steven Davies and Gary Wilson he took two catches. This was his only first team appearance for Surrey in the 2011 season. In the 2012 season, he scored a century against Leeds Bradford MCCU and filled in as wicket-keeper in one game before being called upon to open the batting in early July against Lancashire. He remained on the team for the rest of the season finishing with 741 runs at an average of 49.4. He continued to open the batting in 2013 and 2014, playing all Surrey's first-class games in both seasons. He scored 1000 runs in a season for the first time in 2014. In June 2015, whilst playing for Surrey in a NatWest t20 Blast game against Sussex Sharks at Arundel Castle, Burns collided with teammate Moisés Henriques while attempting to take a catch. Both players were knocked unconscious from the collision with Burns requiring stitches to facial injuries and Henriques suffering a broken jaw. Ambulances and medical staff treated the players on-field before taking them both to hospital. The game was abandoned due to the injuries. Burns returned to the team in late-June and finished the season with 1019 First-Class runs at an average of 48.52. He also played in 7 of Surrey's 10 games in the Royal London Cup, including all the knock-out games, scoring 364 runs. His good form in the previous season saw him selected to represent the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against the champions Yorkshire in the traditional curtain-raiser to the 2016 English cricket season. In July 2017, he made his highest score of 219 not out versus Hampshire whilst deputising as captain in place of the injured Gareth Batty; the first time he had captained Surrey in a first class match. Before the 2018 season, Burns was appointed club captain for first-class and List A formats, with Batty stepping down. In the 2018 season, Burns led Surrey to their first County Championship title since 2002. In the process, he scored over 1000 runs for the fifth consecutive season, finishing the season overall as Division One's top run-scorer, with 1359 runs at an average of 64.71. Burns's Surrey availability was limited in 2019, 2020 and 2021 by his England duties. In the 2019 County Championship, Burns scored 603 runs in 8 matches at an average of 37.68. Burns only played one match in Surrey's 2020 Bob Willis Trophy campaign, hitting 103 and 52 against Sussex. Playing 9 matches in the 2021 County Championship, Burns scored 617 runs at an average of 47.46. In April 2022, he was bought by the Oval Invincibles for the 2022 season of The Hundred. International career In September 2018, Burns was named in England's Test squad for their tour of Sri Lanka, replacing the retiring Alastair Cook. He made his Test debut on 6 November 2018, and played all three matches in the series, making 155 runs at an average of 25.83. This was enough for Burns to hold his place into England's tour of the West Indies, where he averaged 24.16, and fell short of a maiden Test century with 84 in the first Test. After a disappointing first home Test, scoring just 12 runs against Ireland, Burns was selected as England's opener for the Ashes alongside Surrey teammate Jason Roy. Burns made his maiden Test century in the first Test at Edgbaston, scoring 133 in "an urgent, scrappy, dogged" innings after a period of poor form. Burns success continued throughout the Ashes - he was the series' third highest scorer, making 390 runs in 10 innings, supplementing his century with scores of 53 and 81. Burns's good form continued into the 2019–20 winter, as he scored 184 runs in just 3 innings against New Zealand, including his second Test century at Hamilton. However, after scoring 84 in England's first Test against South Africa, Burns was ruled out the last 3 Tests after rolling his ankle playing a game of football. The injury would have also ruled him out of England's upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, but the series was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burns came back into the side for the behind closed doors Test series against West Indies and Pakistan in 2020. Against the West Indies, Burns scored 234 runs - England's second most - at 46.80, including two half-centuries in the third Test. However, this success was followed by a series of failures against Pakistan, Burns scoring just 20 runs in his 4 innings. After missing England's 2021 tour of Sri Lanka for the birth of his child, Burns rejoined the team for their tour of India. After scoring just 58 runs in the first two Tests (including 2 ducks), Burns was dropped for the final two Tests. Burns was immediately brought back into the team for England's 2021 home series against New Zealand, and found form straight away. Named England's player of the series, Burns scored 238 runs at 59.50, including 132 in the first Test and 81 in the second. In the following four home Tests against India, Burns made two half-centuries and two ducks, averaging just 26.14. Opening for England in the 2021–22 Ashes, Burns had a disastrous start, being bowled for a golden duck with the opening ball of the first day. This made Burns the first man since Stan Worthington in 1936 to be dismissed with the first ball of an Ashes series. Burns played in three Tests over the full series scoring 77 runs at an average of 12.83. He was not included for England's subsequent Test tour of the West Indies. Personal life Burns missed England's 2021 tour of Sri Lanka for the birth of his daughter. Burns is very close to his school, Surrey and England teammate Jason Roy, both of them serving as each other's best man at their weddings. References External links Rory Burns at ESPNcricinfo
Andriy Yarmolenko	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Andriy Yarmolenko.	Tell me a bio of Andriy Yarmolenko.	Tell me a bio of Andriy Yarmolenko within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Andriy Yarmolenko with around 100 words.	Andriy Mykolayovych Yarmolenko (Ukrainian: Андрі́й Микола́йович Ярмо́ленко; born 23 October 1989) is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Ukrainian Premier League club Dynamo Kyiv and captains the Ukraine national team. Yarmolenko has been a full international for Ukraine since 2009, scoring 46 goals in 125 matches and playing at the UEFA European Championship in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. Early life Yarmolenko's parents, native Ukrainians, were originally from Smolianka village, Kulykivka Raion, Chernihiv Oblast. After their marriage, Valentyna and Mykola Yarmolenko moved to Leningrad where Andriy was born in 1989. He has a younger sister. After a period of three years (after the dissolution of the Soviet Union), the family moved back to their native country and settled in the city of Chernihiv. His mother recollected that Andriy began to play with the ball from the age of 4–5 years. "In the beginning he did not even have a proper ball, so had to play with a self-made one. We were poor and real football was a luxury in those times". Yarmolenko was noticed by Mykola Lypoviy who invited him to football school (Youth Sports School "Yunist" in Chernihiv) and became his first coach. Club career Early career Yarmolenko is a graduate of the Chernihiv Youth Sports School "Yunist". He joined the Dynamo Kyiv Youth Academy aged 13. However, he returned to Chernihiv after a year being unable to meet physical requirements in training. Before his move to Dynamo Kyiv in 2007, he played for Yunist Chernihiv, Desna Chernihiv, Lokomotyv Kyiv, Vidradnyi Kyiv and again Yunist Chernihiv Desna Chernihiv In the summer 2006, from Yunist Chernihiv, he joined to Desna Chernihiv, the main club in Chernihiv, under the coach Oleksandr Tomakh. Here he played in the season 2006–07 in Ukrainian First League, where he made nine appearances and scored four goals. Dynamo Kyiv In 2007, Yarmolenko signed a five-year contract with Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv, where he joined its second team, Dynamo-2, which plays in lower leagues, for a couple of seasons. The talented youngster was praised as the "new Andriy Shevchenko" by journalists, who noted his qualities of good physique, shot and especially his speed. The then vice-president of Dynamo, Yozhef Sabo, also praised the youngster, saying, "Yarmolenko has all the makings to become a top-level player." On 11 May 2008, Yarmolenko debuted for Dynamo's first team in an away match against Vorskla Poltava and scored the winning goal in Kyiv's 2–1 victory. He scored 7 goals in 21 games in his first season and 11 in 19 in his second. He is now regularly used as a left or centre forward. In a match in October 2015, Yarmolenko committed a dangerous challenge which almost broke Shakhtar Donetsk player Taras Stepanenko's leg. The two reconciled after the game and exchanged jerseys, but afterwards Yarmolenko threw Stepanenko's shirt on the ground while he thanked the Dynamo fans. In the Shakhtar–Dynamo derby in April 2016, after the former won 3–0, Stepanenko stepped in front of the Dynamo fans kissing his Shakhtar badge. In a brawl that escalated, Yarmolenko kicked Stepanenko to the ground. Borussia Dortmund On 28 August 2017, Yarmolenko signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund. On 10 September 2017, he made his debut for Dortmund as a substitute in the 79-minute against Freiburg. He then got his first start for Dortmund against Tottenham Hotspur in a Champions League fixture, where he scored Dortmund's only goal in the 3–1 defeat. West Ham United On 11 July 2018, Yarmolenko signed for Premier League club West Ham United on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut on 12 August in a 4–0 defeat by Liverpool. Making his first start for West Ham on 16 September, he scored his first two goals for the club in a 3–1 away win against Everton, the club's first Premier League win of the 2018–19 season. Yarmolenko suffered an Achilles tear on 20 October 2018 in a 1–0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Yarmolenko returned to the first team squad for the start of the 2019–20 season. On 31 August 2019, he scored his first goal since his return from injury, doubling West Ham's lead with a left-footed volley in a 2–0 win over Norwich City. He scored again in West Ham's next home match in the Premier League, opening the scoring in their 2–0 defeat of Manchester United. In December 2019 he tore his adductor muscle and had still not returned to playing when football was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. He returned to training in May 2020 and on 1 July 2020, in his second appearance since 2019, he scored the winning goal against Chelsea in a 3–2 win. On 25 November 2021, Yarmolenko scored against Rapid Wien at the Allianz Stadion and provided the penalty for the 2–0 away win for West Ham in the UEFA Europa League group stage. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Yarmolenko was given time off by manager David Moyes. He returned on 13 March, substituting an injured Michail Antonio and scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 victory over Aston Villa. Four days later, Yarmolenko scored an extra-time winner for West Ham in their 2–1 aggregate win over Spanish club Sevilla in the Europa League round of 16, allowing West Ham to progress to a European quarter-final for the first time since 1981. In May 2022, West Ham announced that Yarmolenko would be allowed to leave at the end of his current contract in June 2022. Al-Ain On 13 July 2022, Yarmolenko signed for the United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain on a one-year contract. Return to Dynamo Kyiv On 27 June 2023, Yarmolenko returned to Dynamo Kyiv, signing a two-year contract. International career On 11 August 2007 Yarmolenko represented Ukraine under-19 team in an away exhibition game against Japan, winning 1–0. He also participated in the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification. After the qualification on 10 October 2008, Yarmolenko was invited to the under-21 squad which played against the Netherlands. He later participated in qualification and finals of the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. On 5 September 2009, in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification game against Andorra, Yarmolenko made his first senior appearance for Ukraine and scored in a 5–0 win. On 2 September 2011, in an international friendly against Uruguay in Kharkiv, Yarmolenko set a national team record by scoring 14 seconds into the match, the fastest time in which a Ukraine national team player has scored a goal. Yarmolenko scored a hat-trick on 15 November 2014, netting all of Ukraine's goals in a 3–0 victory away to Luxembourg in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying. In November 2015, Yarmolenko scored in both legs of Ukraine's 3–1 play-off victory over Slovenia to qualify the nation for Euro 2016 final stages. Yarmolenko was subsequently included in Ukraine's squad for Euro 2016, where he played in all three matches as Ukraine failed to score and finished bottom of the group. Yarmolenko scored against Netherlands at Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam and against North Macedonia at Arena Națională in Bucharest for UEFA Euro 2020 and he has been elected Star of the Match. On 1 September 2021, Yarmolenko played his 100th game for Ukraine, in a 2022 World Cup qualification game against Kazakhstan. On 12 October 2021 he scored against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Arena Lviv in Lviv and was voted player of the match. On 5 June 2022, Yarmolenko deflected a free-kick by Gareth Bale past goalkeeper, Heorhiy Bushchan as Wales qualified for their first World Cup since 1958. Initially awarded as an own goal, it was later awarded to Bale at the end of June. Coaching career On 20 September 2024, Yarmolenko received his UEFA "A" coaching license by successfully completing the coaching courses in Kyiv, Ukraine. Outside of professional football Yarmolenko has three sons with his wife Inna. In 2020, Dmitry Adehiro created a mural with the image of Yarmolenko, during the reconstruction of the building of the Yunost Youth Sports School, just beside the Yunist Stadium in Chernihiv. On 7 October 2021, together with Igor Cheredinov (the trainer of Olena Kostevych), he was elected an honorary citizen of Chernihiv. In November 2021, a competition for the Andriy Yarmolenko Cup took place in the city of Chernihiv at the Yunist Stadium. In February 2022, Yarmolenko gave £75,000 to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to help defend the country in the wake of Russia's invasion. He also flew to the Ukraine border to rescue his wife and child after they fled the country following the invasion, according to former Ukrainian international Andriy Shevchenko. Chernihiv mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko and the governor of the Chernihiv Oblast Vyacheslav Chaus thanked Yarmolenko personally for his efforts. Yarmolenko helped save Roman Yaremchuk's wife's parents. The striker of the national team of Ukraine and Benfica, currently playing for Olympiacos (Greece), Roman Yaremchuk told how his wife's parents were able to be taken out of Chernihiv with the help of Andriy Yarmolenko. "I turned to Andriy Yarmolenko, knowing that he was from Chernihiv, and said, "Help me as much as you can, thank you." Of course, Andriy responded to my request and two days later they were taken away. The situation was quite difficult," Yaremchuk said. In March 2022, Yarmolenko, after scoring the winner for West Ham over Spanish club Sevilla in the Europa League, gave his West Ham shirt to a fan holding a Ukraine flag. Mark Noble was in tears as the Hammers beat Sevilla to reach the Europa League quarter-finals on this famous night. In May 2022, Yarmolenko presented an ambulance to his hometown Chernihiv, sending it from London. Career statistics Club As of match played 11 March 2025 International As of match played 23 March 2025 Honours Dynamo Kyiv Ukrainian Premier League: 2008–09, 2014–15, 2015–16 2024–25 Ukrainian Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15 Ukrainian Super Cup: 2009, 2011, 2016 Individual Best Young Player of Ukraine: 2010, 2011 Ukrainian Premier League Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2014 Ukrainian Footballer of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 Ukrainian Premier League Player of the Year: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17 Ukrainian Premier League Top scorer: 2016–17 Football Stars of Ukraine – Best UPL player: 2016 UEFA Europa League Top assist provider: 2014–15 See also List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps References External links Andriy Yarmolenko at FC Dynamo Kyiv Euro 2012: Ukraine profile – Andriy Yarmolenko at The Guardian Andriy Yarmolenko at the Ukrainian Premier League Andriy Yarmolenko at the Football Premier League (archived) (in Ukrainian) Andriy Yarmolenko at the Professional Football League (in Ukrainian) Andriy Yarmolenko at UAF and archived FFU page (in Ukrainian) Andriy Yarmolenko – UEFA competition record (archived) Andriy Yarmolenko at National-Football-Teams.com Andriy Yarmolenko at Soccerbase Andriy Yarmolenko at Soccerway Andriy Yarmolenko at WorldFootball.net
Thierry Henry	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Thierry Henry.	Tell me a bio of Thierry Henry.	Tell me a bio of Thierry Henry within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Thierry Henry with around 100 words.	Thierry Daniel Henry (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi danjɛl ɑ̃ʁi] AHN-ree; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster and former player. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time and is widely regarded as the greatest player in Premier League history. Henry was known for his finishing, elegance, dribbling and close control, speed, and chance-creating. He was runner-up for both the Ballon d'Or in 2003 and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. He was named the FWA Footballer of the Year a record three times, the PFA Players' Player of the Year a joint-record two times, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year six consecutive times. He was also included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI once and the UEFA Team of the Year five times. In 2004, Henry was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Henry made his professional debut with Monaco in 1994 before signing for defending Serie A champions Juventus. However, limited playing time, coupled with disagreements with the club's hierarchy, led to him signing for Premier League club Arsenal for £11 million in 1999. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. Generally viewed as Arsenal's best ever player, he won the Premier League Golden Boot a record four times, won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles with the club, including one during an unbeaten Invincible season. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Henry transferred to Barcelona in 2007 and in the 2008–09 season, he was a key part of the club's historic treble when they won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, he joined Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls and returned to Arsenal on loan from January to February 2012, before retiring in 2014. Henry had success with France, winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2000, and 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. He was named French Player of the Year a record five times, named to the UEFA Euro 2000 Team of the Tournament, awarded both the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball and Golden Shoe, and named to the 2006 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. In October 2007, he became his country's record goalscorer, a record he held until December 2022. After amassing 123 appearances and 51 goals, Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After retiring, Henry transitioned into coaching. He began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in February 2015, in tandem with his work as a pundit for Sky Sports. In 2016, he was appointed as an assistant coach at Belgium, before assuming the role as the head coach at Monaco in 2018. He was relieved of his duties at Monaco in January 2019 and returned to MLS less than a year later to manage Montréal Impact. He led Montréal to the playoffs in the 2020 season before departing in 2021, returning to his role as an assistant coach for Belgium for a year and a half. From August 2023 to August 2024, Henry would serve as manager of the France national under-21 team and the France Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Games, leading the team to a silver medal, losing to Spain in the final. Early life Henry is of Antillean heritage: his father, Antoine, is from Guadeloupe (La Désirade island), and his mother, Maryse, is from Martinique. He was born and raised in Les Ulis, a suburb of Paris that is sometimes seen as a tough neighbourhood despite its good footballing facilities. As a seven-year-old, Henry showed great potential, prompting Claude Chezelle to recruit him to the local club CO Les Ulis. His father pressured him to attend training although the youngster was not particularly drawn to football. He joined US Palaiseau in 1989, but his father fell out with the club after a year, so Henry moved to ES Viry-Châtillon and played there for two years. US Palaiseau coach Jean-Marie Panza, Henry's future mentor, followed him there. Club career 1992–1999: Beginnings at Monaco and transfer to Juventus In 1990, Monaco sent scout Arnold Catalano to watch Henry, then at the age of 13, in a match. Henry scored all six goals as his side won 6–0. Catalano asked him to join Monaco without even attending a trial first. Catalano requested that Henry complete a course at the elite INF Clairefontaine academy, and despite the director's reluctance to admit Henry due to his poor school results, he was allowed to complete the course and joined Arsène Wenger's Monaco as a youth player. Subsequently, Henry signed professional forms with Monaco, and made his professional debut on 31 August 1994, in a 2–0 loss against Nice. Although Wenger suspected that Henry should be deployed as a striker, he put Henry on the left wing because he believed that his pace, natural ball control and skill would be more effective against full backs than centre-backs. After a tentative start to his Monaco career, Henry was named the French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, and in the 1996–97 season, his solid performances helped the club win the Ligue 1 title. During the 1997–98 season, he was instrumental in leading his club to the UEFA Champions League semi-final, setting a French record, that was broken since, by scoring seven goals in the competition. By his third season, he had received his first cap for the national team, and was part of the winning team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He continued to impress at his tenure with Monaco, and in his five seasons with the club, the young winger scored 20 league goals in 105 appearances. Henry left Monaco in January 1999, one year before his intimate and closest teammate David Trezeguet, and moved to Italian club Juventus for £10.5 million. He played on the wing, as well as at wing back and wide midfield, but he was ineffective as a goal scorer, struggling against the defensive discipline exhibited by teams in Serie A, registering just three goals in 16 appearances. In 2019, on Jamie Carragher's podcast The Greatest Game, Henry attributed disagreements with Juve director Luciano Moggi as his rationale behind departing the club. 1999–2007: Move to Arsenal, breakthrough, and success Unsettled in Italy, Henry transferred from Juventus on 3 August 1999 to Arsenal for an estimated fee of £11 million, reuniting with his former manager Arsène Wenger. It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer, and although his transfer was not without controversy, Wenger was convinced he was worth the transfer fee. Brought in as a replacement for fellow French forward Nicolas Anelka, Henry was immediately moulded into a striker by Wenger, a move that would pay rich dividends in years to come. However, doubts were raised about his ability to adapt to the quick and physical English game when he failed to score in his first eight games. After several difficult months in England, Henry even conceded that he had to "be re-taught everything about the art of striking." These doubts were dispelled when he ended his first season at Arsenal with an impressive goal tally of 26. Arsenal finished second in the Premier League behind Manchester United, and lost in the UEFA Cup Final against Galatasaray. Coming off the back of a victorious UEFA Euro 2000 campaign with the national team, Henry was ready to make an impact in the 2000–01 season. Despite recording fewer goals and assists than his first season, Henry's second season with Arsenal proved to be a breakthrough, as he became the club's top goalscorer. His goal tally included a spectacular strike against Manchester United where he flicked the ball up (with his back turned to goal), before he swivelled and volleyed in from 20 yards out. The strike also featured a memorable goal celebration where he recreated the Budweiser "Whassup?" advertisement. Armed with one of the league's best attacks, Arsenal finished runner-up to perennial rivals Manchester United in the Premier League. The team also reached the final of the FA Cup, losing 2–1 to Liverpool. Henry remained frustrated, however, by the fact that he had yet to help the club win honours, and frequently expressed his desire to establish Arsenal as a powerhouse. Success finally arrived during the 2001–02 season. Arsenal finished seven points above Liverpool to win the Premier League title, and defeated Chelsea 2–0 in the FA Cup Final. Henry became the league's top goalscorer and netted 32 goals in all competitions as he led Arsenal to a double and his first silverware with the club. There was much expectation that Henry would replicate his club form for France during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but the defending champions suffered a shock exit at the group stage. 2002–03 proved to be another productive season for Henry, as he scored 32 goals in all competitions while contributing 23 assists—remarkable returns for a striker. In doing so, he led Arsenal to another FA Cup triumph (where he was man-of-the-match in the Final), although Arsenal failed to retain their Premier League title. Throughout the season, he competed with Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy for the league scoring title, but the Dutchman edged Henry to the Golden Boot by a single goal. Nonetheless, Henry was named both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year. His rising status as one of the world's best footballers was affirmed when he emerged runner-up for the 2003 FIFA World Player of the Year award. With 24 goals and 20 assists in the league, Henry set a new record for most assists in a single Premier League season, and also became the first player in history to record at least 20 goals and 20 assists in a single season in one of Europe's top–five leagues—this feat has since been matched by Lionel Messi in 2020. Entering the 2003–04 season, Arsenal were determined to reclaim the Premier League crown. Henry was again instrumental in Arsenal's exceptionally successful campaign; together with the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires, Henry ensured that the Gunners became the first team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten, claiming the league title in the process. Apart from being named for the second year running as the PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, Henry emerged once again as the runner-up for 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award. With 39 goals scored in all competitions, the Frenchman led the league in goals scored and won the European Golden Boot. However, as was the case in 2002, Henry was unable to lead the national side to honours during UEFA Euro 2004. This dip in success was compounded when Arsenal failed again to secure back-to-back league titles when they lost out to Chelsea in the 2004–05 season, although Arsenal did win the FA Cup (the Final of which Henry missed through injury). Henry maintained his reputation as one of Europe's most feared strikers as he led the league in scoring, and with 31 goals in all competitions, he was the co-recipient (with Diego Forlán) of the European Golden Boot, becoming the first player to officially win the award twice in a row (Ally McCoist had won two Golden Boots in a row, but both were deemed unofficial). The unexpected departure of Arsenal's captain Patrick Vieira in the 2005 close season led to Henry being awarded club captaincy, a role which many felt was not naturally suited for him; the captaincy is more commonly given to defenders or midfielders, who are better-placed on the pitch to read the game. Along with being chief goalscorer, he was responsible for leading a very young team which had yet to gel fully. The 2005–06 season proved to be one of remarkable personal achievements for Henry. On 17 October 2005, Henry became the club's top goalscorer of all time; two goals against Sparta Prague in the Champions League meant he broke Ian Wright's record of 185 goals. On 1 February 2006, he scored a goal against West Ham United, bringing his league goal tally up to 151, breaking Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's league goals record. Henry scored his 100th league goal at Highbury, a feat unparalleled in the history of the club, and a unique achievement in the Premier League. On the final day of the Premier League season, Henry scored a hat-trick against Wigan Athletic in the last match played at Highbury. He completed the season as the league's top goalscorer, was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year for the third time in his career, and was selected in the FIFA World XI. Nevertheless, Arsenal failed to win the Premier League title again, but hopes of a trophy were revived when Arsenal reached the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. The Gunners eventually lost 2–1 to Barcelona, with Henry assisting the team's only goal from a free kick, and Arsenal's inability to win the league title for two consecutive seasons combined with the relative inexperience of the Arsenal squad caused much speculation that Henry would leave for another club. However, he declared his love for the club and accepted a four-year contract, and said he would stay at Arsenal for life. Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein later claimed the club had turned down two bids of £50 million from Spanish clubs for Henry before the signing of the new contract. Had the transfer materialised, it would have surpassed the then-world record £47 million paid for Zinedine Zidane. Henry's 2006–07 season was marred by injuries. Although he scored 10 goals in 17 domestic appearances for Arsenal, Henry's season was cut short in February. Having missed games due to hamstring, foot, and back problems, he was deemed fit enough to come on as a late substitute against PSV in a Champions League match, but began limping shortly after coming on. Scans the next day revealed that he would need at least three months to heal from new groin and stomach injuries, missing the rest of the 2006–07 season. Wenger attributed Henry's injuries to a protracted 2005–06 campaign, and reiterated that Henry was keen on staying with the Gunners to rebuild for the 2007–08 season. 2007–2010: Barcelona and a historic treble On 25 June 2007, in an unexpected turn of events, Henry was transferred to Barcelona for €24 million. He signed a four-year deal for a reported €6.8 (£4.6) million per season. It was revealed that the contract included a release clause of €125 (£84.9) million. Henry cited the departure of Dein and continued uncertainty over Wenger's future as reasons for leaving, and maintained that "I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would be to play for Barcelona." Despite their captain's departure, Arsenal got off to an impressive start for the 2007–08 campaign, and Henry said that his presence in the team might have been more of a hindrance than a help. He stated, "Because of my seniority, the fact that I was captain and my habit of screaming for the ball, they would sometimes give it to me even when I was not in the best position. So in that sense it was good for the team that I moved on." Henry left Arsenal as the club's leading all-time league goalscorer with 174 goals and leading all-time goalscorer in European competitions with 42 goals; in July 2008, Arsenal fans voted him as Arsenal's greatest player ever in Arsenal.com's Gunners' Greatest 50 Players poll. At Barcelona, Henry was given the number 14 jersey, the same as he had worn at Arsenal. He scored his first goal for his new club on 19 September 2007 in a 3–0 Champions League group stage win over Lyon, and he recorded his first hat-trick for Barça in a Primera División match against Levante ten days later. But with Henry mostly deployed on the wing throughout the season, he was unable to reproduce the goal-scoring form he achieved with Arsenal. He expressed dissatisfaction with the move to Barcelona in the initial year, amidst widespread speculation of a return to the Premier League. In an interview with Garth Crooks on BBC's Football Focus, Henry described missing life "back home" and even "the English press." However, Henry concluded his debut season as the club's top scorer with 19 goals in addition to nine league assists, second behind Lionel Messi's ten. Henry went on to surpass this tally in a more integrated 2008–09 campaign, with 26 goals and 10 assists from the left wing. He won the first trophy of his Barcelona career on 13 May 2009 when Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona won the Primera División and UEFA Champions League soon after, completing a treble for the Frenchman, who had combined with Messi and Samuel Eto'o to score 100 goals between them that season. The trio was also the most prolific trio in Spanish league history, scoring 72 goals and surpassing the 66 goals of Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Luis del Sol of the 1960–61 season (this was later surpassed by Real Madrid trio Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuaín who scored 89 goals in 2011–12). Later in 2009, Henry helped Barcelona win an unprecedented sextuple, consisting of the aforementioned treble, the Supercopa de España, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup. The following season, the emergence of Pedro meant that Henry only started 15 league games. Before the La Liga season ended, and with a year still left on his contract, club president Joan Laporta stated on 5 May 2010 that Henry "may go away in the summer transfer window if that's what he wants." After Henry returned from the 2010 World Cup, Barcelona confirmed that they had agreed to the sale of Henry to an unnamed club, with the player still to agree terms with the new club. 2010–2014: New York Red Bulls and retirement In July 2010, Henry signed a multi-year contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York Red Bulls for the 2010 season as its second designated player. He made his full MLS debut on 31 July in a 2–2 draw against Houston Dynamo, assisting both goals to Juan Pablo Ángel. His first MLS goal came on 28 August in a 2–0 victory against San Jose Earthquakes. The Red Bulls eventually topped the MLS Eastern Conference by one point over Columbus Crew before losing 3–2 on aggregate against San Jose Earthquakes in the quarter-finals of the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs. The next season, the Red Bulls were 10th overall in the league, and bowed out in the Conference semi-finals of the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs. By 2011, Henry had a non-contractual sponsorship agreement with Dietrich Mateschitz's Red Bull GmbH, and was claimed by the company as a member of the Red Bull "family". Return to Arsenal (loan) After training with Arsenal during the MLS off-season, Henry re-signed for the club on a two-month loan deal on 6 January 2012. This was to provide cover for Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh, who were unavailable due to their participation in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Henry was given the number 12 jersey – his old Arsenal number 14 jersey, the same number he wore at Barcelona and New York, was unavailable, with Theo Walcott inheriting it following Henry's departure from the club in 2007. Henry made his second Arsenal debut as a substitute against Leeds United in the FA Cup third round and scored the only goal. In his last league game on loan, he scored the winning goal in stoppage time in a 2–1 win against Sunderland. His final goals for the club meant he finished his Arsenal career with a record 228 goals; 175 of them came in the Premier League. Return to New York Red Bulls On 17 February 2012, Henry returned to Red Bulls to prepare for the 2012 season. His base salary of $5 million ($5.6 million guaranteed) made him the highest-paid player in MLS—surpassing David Beckham, who had taken a salary cut for his last year with the Los Angeles Galaxy. In 2013, Henry's base salary dropped to $3.75 million setting him behind Robbie Keane's $4 million base salary. With bonuses, however, Henry remained the highest-paid player with $4.35 million compared to Keane's $4.33 million. On 31 March 2012, Henry scored his first MLS hat-trick in a 5–2 Red Bulls win over the Montreal Impact. He was named MLS Player of the Month that same month. On 27 October 2013, Henry scored once and provided two assists in the last game of the season against the Chicago Fire at Red Bull Arena to help his team win 5–2 and become champions of the regular season. It was the club's first major trophy in their 17-year history. On 12 July 2014, Henry provided a goal and three assists in a 4–1 Red Bulls win over the Columbus Crew. With that effort he became the all-time assist leader for the New York Red Bulls with 37, surpassing Amado Guevara and Tab Ramos. On 1 December 2014, it was announced that Henry had left the Red Bulls after four and a half years at the club. On 16 December, he announced his retirement as a player and stated that he would begin working for Sky Sports as a pundit. After working at Sky for over three years, Henry quit his position in July 2018 to focus on his career as a coach. International career Henry enjoyed a successful career with the France national team, winning the first of his 123 caps in June 1997, when his good form for Monaco was rewarded with a call-up to the Under-20 French national team, where he played in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship alongside future teammates William Gallas and David Trezeguet. Within four months, France head coach Aimé Jacquet called Henry up to the senior team. The 20-year-old made his senior international debut on 11 October 1997 in a 2–1 win against South Africa. Jacquet was so impressed with Henry that he took him to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Although Henry was a largely unknown quantity at international level, he ended the tournament as France's top scorer with three goals. He was scheduled to appear as a substitute in the final, where France beat Brazil 3–0, but Marcel Desailly's sending off forced a defensive change instead. In 1998, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, France's highest decoration. Henry was a member of France's UEFA Euro 2000 squad, again scoring three goals in the tournament, including the equaliser against Portugal in the semi-final, and finishing as the country's top scorer. France later won the game in extra time following a converted penalty kick by Zinedine Zidane. France went on to defeat Italy in extra-time in the final, earning Henry his second major international medal. During the tournament, Henry was voted man of the match in three games, including the final against Italy. The 2002 FIFA World Cup featured a stunning early exit for both Henry and France as the defending champions were eliminated in the group stage after failing to score a goal in all three games. France lost against Senegal in their first group match and Henry was red carded for a dangerous sliding challenge in their next match against Uruguay. In that game, France played to a 0–0 draw, but Henry was forced to miss the final group match due to suspension; France lost 2–0 to Denmark. Henry returned to form for his country at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Despite playing without team stalwarts Zidane and Patrick Vieira, France won, in large part owing to Henry's outstanding play, for which he was named Man of the Match by FIFA's Technical Study Group in three of France's five matches. In the final, he scored the golden goal in extra time to lift the title for the host country after a 1–0 victory over Cameroon. Henry was awarded both the Adidas Golden Ball as the outstanding player of the competition and the Adidas Golden Shoe as the tournament's top goalscorer with four goals. In UEFA Euro 2004, Henry played in all of France's matches and scored two goals. France beat England in the group stage but lost to the eventual winners Greece 1–0 in the quarter-finals. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup Henry remained as one of the automatic starters in the squad. He played as a lone striker, but despite an indifferent start to the tournament, became one of the top players of the World Cup. He scored three goals, including the winning goal from Zidane's free kick against defending champions Brazil in the quarter-final. However, France subsequently lost to Italy on penalties (5–3) in the final. Henry did not take part in the penalty shoot-out, having been substituted in extra time after his legs had cramped. Henry was one of ten nominees for the Golden Ball award for Player of the Tournament, an award which was ultimately presented to his teammate, Zidane and was named a starting striker on the 2006 FIFPro World XI team. On 13 October 2007, Henry scored his 41st goal against the Faroe Islands, joining Michel Platini as the country's top goalscorer of all time. Four days later at the Stade de la Beaujoire, he scored a late double against Lithuania, thereby setting a new record as France's top goalscorer. On 3 June 2008, Henry made his 100th appearance for the national team in a match against Colombia, becoming the sixth French player ever to reach that milestone. Henry missed the opening game of France's short-lived UEFA Euro 2008 campaign, where they were eliminated in the group stages after being drawn in the same group as Italy, the Netherlands and Romania. He scored France's only goal in the competition in a 4–1 loss to the Netherlands. The French team struggled during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and finished second in their group behind Serbia. During the play-offs against the Republic of Ireland, Henry was involved in a controversy in the second leg of the game at the Stade de France on 18 November 2009. With the aggregate score tied at 1–1 and the game in extra time, he used his hand twice to control the ball before delivering a cross to William Gallas who scored the winner. This sparked a barrage of criticism against the Frenchman, while national team coach Raymond Domenech and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger defended him. The Football Association of Ireland lodged a formal complaint with FIFA, seeking a replay of the game, which FIFA declined. Henry said that he contemplated retiring from international football after the reactions to the incident, but maintained that he was not a "cheat"; hours after FIFA had ruled out a replay, he stated that "the fairest solution would be to replay the game". FIFA President Sepp Blatter described the incident as "blatant unfair play" and announced an inquiry into how such incidents could be avoided in future, and added that the incident would be investigated by the Disciplinary Committee. Blatter also said Henry told him that his family had been threatened in the aftermath of the incident. In January 2010, FIFA announced that there was no legal basis to sanction Henry. Henry did not feature in the starting line-up for France at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. France drew in their first game against Uruguay, and lost 2–0 in their second against Mexico. The team was thrown into disarray when Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the team, and captain Patrice Evra led a team protest by refusing to train. In the final group game against host-nation South Africa in which Henry came on as a second-half substitute, France lost 2–1 and were eliminated from the tournament. He then announced his retirement from international football, having won 123 caps and scored 51 goals for Les Bleus, thus finishing his international career as France's all-time top scorer, and second most capped player after Lilian Thuram. Style of play Although Henry played up front as a striker during his youth, he spent his time at Monaco and Juventus playing on the wing. When Henry joined Arsenal in 1999, Wenger immediately changed this, switching Henry to his childhood position, often pairing him with Dutch veteran Dennis Bergkamp. During the 2004–05 season, Wenger switched Arsenal's formation to 4–5–1. This change forced Henry to adapt again to fit into the Arsenal team, and he played many games as a lone striker. Still, Henry remained Arsenal's main offensive threat, on many occasions conjuring spectacular goals. Wenger said of his fellow Frenchman: "Thierry Henry could take the ball in the middle of the park and score a goal that no one else in the world could score". One of the reasons cited for Henry's impressive play up front is his ability to calmly score from one-on-ones. According to his father Antoine, Henry learned precision shooting from watching his idol Marco van Basten. He was also influenced by Romário, Ronaldo and Liberian star George Weah, a new breed of strikers in the 1990s who would also operate outside the penalty area before running with the ball towards goal. At his physical peak from the late 1990s to the mid 2000s, Henry's ability to dribble past opponents with exceptional pace, skill and composure, meant that he could get in behind defenders regularly enough to score. In 2004, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith commented on Henry: "I have to say I haven't seen a player like him. He's an athlete with great technical ability and a tremendous desire to be the best." When up front, Henry is occasionally known to move out wide to the left wing position, something which enables him to contribute heavily in assists: between 2002–03 and 2004–05, the striker managed almost 50 assists in total and this was attributed to his unselfish play and creativity. Ranking Henry the greatest player in Premier League history, in February 2020 FourFourTwo magazine stated, "No one assisted more in a season. No one has terrorised defenders with such a combination of bewitching grace and phenomenal power." Coming in from the left, Henry's trademark finish saw him place the ball inside the far right corner of the goal. Henry would also drift offside to fool the defence then run back onside before the ball is played and beat the offside trap, although he never provided Arsenal a distinct aerial threat. Given his versatility in being able to operate as both a winger and a striker, the Frenchman is not a prototypical "out-and-out striker", but he has emerged consistently as one of Europe's most prolific strikers. In set pieces, Henry was the first-choice penalty and free kick taker for Arsenal, scoring regularly from those situations. Henry was also a notable exponent of a no-look pass where he would feint to pass the ball with his right foot, but would make contact with the ball using his standing foot (his left). Managerial career Arsenal youth Henry began coaching Arsenal's youth teams in February 2015, in tandem with his work for Sky Sports. His influence on the team was praised by players such as Alex Iwobi, who dedicated a goal against Bayern Munich in the 2015–16 UEFA Youth League to his advice. Having earned a UEFA A Licence, he was offered the job of under-18 coach by Academy head Andries Jonker, but the decision was overruled by Wenger, who wanted a full-time coach for the team. Belgium (assistant) In August 2016, Henry became second assistant coach of the Belgium national team, working alongside head coach Roberto Martínez and fellow assistant Graeme Jones. In an interview with NBC Sports, Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku praised Henry for his work with him, stating, "Henry is the best thing that has happened to me because since I came to England aged 18 I have had the best mentors. Thierry for me is the best. Every day whether it is positive and negative I take it in my stride because I know what is expected from the top level." At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Belgium reached the semi-final, but lost to Henry's home nation France 1–0. Henry picked up a Bronze medal after Belgium defeated England 2–0 in the third-place play-off to secure their best ever World Cup finish. Henry was reportedly offered the position of head coach by Bordeaux in August 2018. However, he declined the offer after disagreements with the club's owners. Days after turning down the Bordeaux job, and following Jones's departure from the Belgium national team, Henry, who had been the forwards coach, was promoted to Belgium assistant coach. However, his tenure in the role was short-lived, after he accepted the role as head coach at former club Monaco in October. Monaco On 11 October 2018, Monaco dismissed Leonardo Jardim as club manager. Jardim's position had become untenable after struggling heavily in domestic competition, with the club 18th at the time of his departure, and disputes over the club's transfer policy. Monaco's search for a new coach coincided with the regulatory mid-season international break, allowing the club sufficient time to search for a replacement, however, they quickly decided on Henry, and he was appointed a mere two days later. He signed a three-year deal, and was unveiled as Monaco manager on 18 October. At his first press conference, he told reporters: "This club will always have a big place in my heart, so to be able to come here and start again, it is a dream come true. There is a lot of work to do, as you can imagine – but I am more than happy to be here". Henry's arrival at Monaco was greeted with mixed reactions by some media outlets, due to his relative inexperience as a top-level coach and the task of overturning Monaco's misfortunes. Despite inheriting a squad of sub-standard quality, Henry expressed a desire of replicating the football he played under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, as well as instilling the "professionalism" taught to him by Arsène Wenger. Henry also adopted a hands-on approach to training sessions, being regularly involved in devising schemes and instructing drills. His first match was a 2–1 away defeat against Strasbourg on 20 October. He was unable to secure a win for over a month, enduring a period which included two high-profile defeats against Club Brugge and Paris Saint-Germain, prior to defeating Caen on 1–0 on 25 November. He secured two wins in December, defeating Amiens in the league and Lorient in the Coupe de la Ligue, however, this was on the backdrop of three additional Ligue 1 defeats to close 2018 in the relegation zone. In January 2019, Henry entered the winter transfer window, where he signed left-back Fodé Ballo-Touré, and former Arsenal teammate Cesc Fàbregas from Chelsea. He also sanctioned the loan signing of French defensive midfielder William Vainqueur on 12 January, and experienced defender Naldo. However, these signings would not turn around the club's fate, and on 24 January, Henry was dismissed at Monaco. The club were 19th at the time of his departure, and Henry left with a record of 4 wins, 5 draws, and 11 defeats, from 20 games in charge. Montreal Impact On 14 November 2019, Henry became manager of Major League Soccer side Montreal Impact, signing a two-year deal until the end of the 2021 season with an option to extend it by a year until the 2022 season. In his first press conference, Henry stated he had to "confront" the relative disappointment of his short stint as manager of Monaco, before undertaking a new job. After leading Montreal to their first playoff berth in four seasons, on 25 February 2021, prior to the 2021 season, Henry stepped down as head coach of the renamed CF Montréal to be closer to his children in London. He had not been able to see them in the 2020 season due to travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with restrictions continuing into the 2021 season, he decided to end the separation. Return to Belgium (assistant) In May 2021, Henry rejoined the coaching staff of Belgium prior to UEFA Euro 2020. He was also in the team's coaching staff for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In February 2023, upon the appointment of Domenico Tedesco as Belgium's new head coach, Royal Belgian Football Association CEO Peter Bossaert announced that Henry would not be returning to the national team's coaching staff. Henry was considered as being one of potential replacements for Corinne Diacre who got fired as France women's national team head coach, but he rejected the approach. France U21 and Olympic On 21 August 2023, Henry was named as the new manager of the France national under-21 team, meaning that he would also coach the France Olympic team at the 2024 Summer Games. He coached the Olympic team to a silver medal, losing the final to Spain, before announcing his resignation as coach on 19 August 2024. Media and broadcasting career After leaving Montreal, Henry resumed his punditry career. He joined CBS Sports in their UEFA Champions League coverage as studio analyst on 27 September 2021, as well as being hired by Amazon Prime Video for their Premier League and Ligue 1 programs as consultant. Reception Henry has received many plaudits and awards in his football career. He was runner-up for the 2003 and 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year awards; in those two seasons, he also won back-to-back PFA Players' Player of the Year titles. Henry is the only player ever to have won the FWA Footballer of the Year three times (2003, 2004, 2006), and the French Player of the Year on a record four occasions. Henry was voted into the Premier League Overseas Team of the Decade in the 10 Seasons Awards poll in 2003, and in 2004 he was named by football legend Pelé on the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. In terms of goal-scoring awards, Henry was the European Golden Boot winner in 2004 and 2005 (sharing it with Villarreal's Diego Forlán in 2005). Henry was also the top goalscorer in the Premier League for a record four seasons (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006). In 2006, he became the first player to score more than 20 goals in the league for five consecutive seasons (2002 to 2006). With 175, Henry is currently seventh in the list of all-time Premier League goalscorers, behind Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Andy Cole, Sergio Agüero, and Frank Lampard. He held the record for most goals in the competition for one club, until it was broken by Rooney in 2016, and held the record for most goals by a foreign player in the competition until surpassed by Agüero in 2020. France's all-time record goalscorer was, in his prime in the mid 2000s, regarded by many coaches, footballers and journalists as one of the best players in the world. In November 2007, he was ranked 33rd on the Association of Football Statisticians' compendium for "Greatest Ever Footballers". Arsenal fans honoured their former player in 2008, declaring Henry the greatest Arsenal player. In two other 2008 surveys, Henry emerged as the favourite Premier League player of all time among 32,000 people surveyed in the Barclays 2008 Global Fan Report. Arsenal fan and The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey mentions Henry in the tribute song "Highbury Highs", which he performed at Arsenal's last game at Highbury on 7 May 2006. On 10 December 2011, Arsenal unveiled a bronze statue of Henry at the Emirates Stadium as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations. In 2017, FourFourTwo magazine ranked him first in their list of the 30 best strikers in Premier League history. Daniel Girard of The Toronto Star described Henry as "one of the best players of his generation" in 2010. Henry's former Arsenal manager, Wenger, described him as "one of the greatest players [he had] ever seen" in 2014. In 2019, The Independent ranked Henry in first place in their list of the "100 greatest Premier League players". Personal life Henry married English model Nicole Merry, real name Claire, on 5 July 2003. The ceremony was held at Highclere Castle, and on 27 May 2005 the couple celebrated the birth of their first child, a daughter. When Henry was still at Arsenal, he purchased a home in Hampstead, North London. Shortly after his transfer to Barcelona, it was announced that Henry and his wife would divorce; the decree nisi was granted in September 2007, "on the basis of his behavior". Their separation concluded in December 2008, when Henry paid Merry a divorce settlement close to her requested sum of £10 million. Henry has been with his second wife, Andrea Rajačić, since 2011. They have three children together. In January 2024, Henry said he had been depressed throughout his career, and that his father had been a demanding presence when he was young. Interest in basketball As a fan of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Henry is often seen with his friend Tony Parker at games when not playing football. Henry stated in an interview that he admires basketball, as it is similar to football in pace and excitement. Having made regular trips to the NBA Finals in the past, he went to watch Parker and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals; and in the 2001 NBA Finals, he went to Philadelphia to help with French television coverage of the Finals as well as to watch Allen Iverson, whom he named as one of his favourite players. Appearance on screen Henry makes a short cameo appearance in the 2015 film Entourage. Henry's part sees him walking a dog and having exchange with Ari Gold (character played by Jeremy Piven), who is an over-the-top Hollywood agent. He makes a number of cameo appearances playing himself in the Apple TV+ football comedy series Ted Lasso. Henry makes a number of appearances in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season. Social causes Henry is a member of the UNICEF-FIFA squad, where together with other professional footballers he appeared in a series of TV spots seen by hundreds of millions of fans around the world during the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. In these spots, the players promote football as a game that must be played on behalf of children. Having been subjected to racism in the past, Henry is an active spokesperson against racism in football. The most prominent incident of racism against Henry was during a training session with the Spanish national team in 2004, when a Spanish TV crew caught coach Luis Aragonés referring to Henry as "black shit" to José Antonio Reyes, Henry's teammate at Arsenal. The incident caused an uproar in the British media, and there were calls for Aragonés to be sacked. Henry and Nike started the Stand Up Speak Up campaign against racism in football as a result of the incident. Subsequently, in 2007, Time featured him as one of the "Heroes & Pioneers" on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Along with 45 other football players, Henry took part in FIFA's "Live for Love United" in 2002. The single was released in tandem with the 2002 FIFA World Cup and its proceeds went towards AIDS research. Henry also supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Henry has also played in charity football games for various causes. In June 2018, he reunited with his France 1998 World Cup winning teammates to play a charity game against an All-Star team which included Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, with proceeds going to the Mecenet Cardiac Charity and the Children of the World fund. In a 3–2 win for France, Henry played a trademark no-look one-two pass with Zinedine Zidane before scoring with a 20-yard curling strike. Commercial endorsements In 2006, Henry was valued as the ninth-most commercially marketable footballer in the world, and throughout his career he has signed many endorsements and appeared in commercials. Sportswear At the beginning of his career, Henry signed with sportswear giant Nike. In the buildup to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Henry featured in Nike's "Secret Tournament" advertisement, directed by Terry Gilliam, along with 24 superstar football players. In a 2004 advertisement, Henry pits his wits against others footballers in locations such as his bedroom and living room, which was partly inspired by Henry himself, who revealed that he always has a football nearby, even at home. In tandem with the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Henry also featured in Nike's Joga Bonito campaign, Portuguese for "beautiful game". Henry's deal with Nike ended after the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when he signed a deal with Reebok to appear in their "I Am What I Am" campaign. As part of Reebok Entertainment's "Framed" series, Henry was the star of a half-hour episode that detailed the making of a commercial about himself directed by Spanish actress Paz Vega. In 2011, Henry switched to Puma boots. Others Henry featured in the Renault Clio advertisements in which he popularised the term va-va-voom, meaning "life" or "passion". His romantic interest in the commercial was his then-girlfriend, later his wife (now divorced), Claire Merry. "Va-va-voom" was subsequently added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. In February 2007, Henry was named as one of the three global ambassadors of Gillette's "Champions Program", which purported to feature three of the "best-known, most widely respected and successful athletes competing today" and also showcased Roger Federer and Tiger Woods in a series of television commercials. In reaction to the handball controversy following the France vs Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier, Gillette faced a boycott and accusations of doctoring French versions of their Champions poster, but subsequently released a statement backing Henry. Henry was part of Pepsi's "Dare For More" campaign in 2005, alongside the likes of David Beckham and Ronaldinho. He starred in a 2014 advert for Beats headphones with other global football stars including Neymar and Luis Suárez, with the theme of "The Game Before the Game" and the players pre-game ritual of listening to music. Henry featured on the front cover of the editions of EA Sports' FIFA video game series from FIFA 2001 to FIFA 2005. He was included as an icon to the Ultimate Team in FIFA 18. He was also a cover star for the Konami Pro Evolution Soccer video game series, and was featured on the covers of Pro Evolution Soccer 4 to Pro Evolution Soccer 6. Other interests In August 2022, Serie B club Como announced Henry has joined them as an investor and minority stakeholder. Career statistics Club International Note Managerial As of 9 August 2024 Honours Player Monaco Division 1: 1996–97 Arsenal Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04 FA Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004-05 FA Community Shield: 2002, 2004 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2005–06 UEFA Cup runner-up: 1999–2000 Barcelona La Liga: 2008–09, 2009–10 Copa del Rey: 2008–09 Supercopa de España: 2009 UEFA Champions League: 2008–09 UEFA Super Cup: 2009 FIFA Club World Cup: 2009 New York Red Bulls Supporters' Shield: 2013 MLS Eastern Conference: 2010, 2013 France U20 Toulon Tournament: 1997 France FIFA World Cup: 1998; runner-up: 2006 UEFA European Championship: 2000 FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003 Individual Ballon d'Or runner-up: 2003; third-place: 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year silver award: 2003, 2004 European Golden Shoe: 2003–04, 2004–05 Onze d'Or: 2003, 2006 UEFA Euro 2000 final: Man of the Match FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball: 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Shoe: 2003 UNFP Division 1 Young Player of the Year: 1996–97 PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04 PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04 PFA Team of the Year: 2000–01 Premier League, 2001–02 Premier League, 2002–03 Premier League, 2003–04 Premier League, 2004–05 Premier League, 2005–06 Premier League FWA Footballer of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06 Premier League Player of the Season: 2003–04, 2005–06 Premier League Golden Boot: 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06 Most assists in the Premier League: 2002–03 Golden Boot Landmark Award 10: 2004–05 Golden Boot Landmark Award 20: 2004–05 Premier League Player of the Month: April 2000, September 2002, January 2004, April 2004 Arsenal Player of the Season: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 BBC Goal of the Season: 2002–03 UEFA Team of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 MLS Best XI: 2011, 2012, 2014 MLS Player of the Month: March 2012 Best MLS Player ESPY Award: 2013 MLS All-Star: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 French Player of the Year: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year: 2003 FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2006 UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2000 FIFA 100: 2004 Time 100 Heroes & Pioneers no.16: 2007 English Football Hall of Fame: 2008 Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–93 – 2001–02): Overseas Team of the Decade Premier League 20 Seasons Awards: Fantasy Team (Panel choice) Fantasy Team (Public choice) UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (published 2015) UEFA Euro All-time XI (published 2016) Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Bronze): 2020 Premier League Hall of Fame: 2021 Orders Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998 Manager France Olympic Summer Olympics silver medal: 2024 Records As of November 2023 Arsenal All-time top scorer: 228 goals Most league goals: 175 goals Most European goals: 42 Most Champions League goals: 35 Most Premier League goals in a season: 30 (2003–04) (shared with Robin van Persie) Most Premier League hat-tricks: 8 Most European appearances: 86 Most Champions League appearances: 78 Most Arsenal Player of the Season Awards: 4 Continental Most European Golden Shoe wins while playing in England: 2 (2003–04, 2004–05) One of five players to win back-to-back European Golden Shoes (shared with Ally McCoist, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski) Only French player to win the European Golden Shoe England Most FWA Footballer of the Year wins: 3 (2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06) Most consecutive FWA Footballer of the Year wins: 2 (2002–03, 2003–04) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo) Most consecutive PFA Players' Player of the Year wins: 2 (2002–03, 2003–04) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kevin De Bruyne) Most PFA Players' Player of the Year wins: 2 (2002–03, 2003–04) (shared with Gareth Bale, Alan Shearer, Mark Hughes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah) France Most French Player of the Year wins: 5 (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) Most consecutive French Player of the Year wins: 4 (2003–2006) Most appearances at World Cup final tournaments for France: 4 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010) (shared with Hugo Lloris) Premier League Most assists in a season: 20 (2002–03) (shared with Kevin De Bruyne) Most goals with right foot in a 38-game season: 24 (2005–06) (shared with Alan Shearer) Most Player of the Season awards: 2 (2003–04, 2005–06) (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidić and Kevin De Bruyne) Most goals in London derbies: 43 Most Golden Boot wins: 4 (2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06) (shared with Mohamed Salah) Most goals on a Friday: 10 Most consecutive 20+ goal seasons: 5 (2001–02 to 2004–05) (shared with Sergio Agüero) Most goals scored under one manager: 175 goals under Arsène Wenger Most goals at a single ground: 114 goals at Highbury Most direct free kick goals by a foreign player: 12 (shared with Gianfranco Zola and Cristiano Ronaldo) Most Golden Boots won in consecutive years: 3 (shared with Alan Shearer) Only player to both score and assist 20+ goals in a season (2002–03) See also List of footballers with 100 or more UEFA Champions League appearances List of top international men's football goalscorers by country List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals Notes and references External links Profile at the Arsenal F.C. website Profile at the FC Barcelona website Thierry Henry at the French Football Federation (in French) Thierry Henry – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French (archived) Thierry Henry at Major League Soccer Thierry Henry – FIFA competition record (archived) Thierry Henry – UEFA competition record (archive) Thierry Henry at Soccerbase Thierry Henry at Premier League (archived former page) Thierry Henry coach profile at National-Football-Teams.com Thierry Henry coach profile at Soccerway (archived) Thierry Henry at JockBio.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 10 May 2012) Thierry Henry at IMDb
Gary Woodland	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Gary Woodland.	Tell me a bio of Gary Woodland.	Tell me a bio of Gary Woodland within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Gary Woodland with around 100 words.	Gary Lynn Woodland (born May 21, 1984) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He won the U.S. Open in 2019, his first major championship and sixth professional victory. Following a successful college career, he turned professional in 2007 and briefly competed on the Nationwide Tour. Early life and amateur career Woodland was born in Topeka, Kansas, the son of Dan and Linda Woodland. He attended Shawnee Heights High School in the suburb of Tecumseh. After high school, he attended Washburn University in Topeka on a basketball scholarship, but left after his freshman year to attend the University of Kansas in Lawrence on a golf scholarship. He studied sociology while at KU. Woodland had a successful college golf career, winning four tournaments before turning professional in 2007. Professional career After turning professional, Woodland played in a handful of tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in 2007 and 2008. At the end of the 2008 season, he entered the Qualifying school for the PGA Tour, and finished in a tie for 11th, which was good enough to earn him a full card to play on the PGA Tour in 2009. However, he struggled for form in his debut season, making just eight cuts in 18 appearances before a shoulder injury cut his golfing year short in July. In 2010, Woodland divided his time between the PGA and Nationwide Tours. He continued to struggle for his best form but did not record a single top ten finish on either tour. He did display enough consistency to finish 92nd in the Nationwide Tour money list. Once again, he entered the season-ending qualifying school, and again he finished T-11, to secure a return to full PGA Tour status. Woodland's second tournament of 2011 was the Bob Hope Classic, where he and Jhonattan Vegas finished tied for first place at 27-under-par; Vegas edged out Woodland in a playoff for the title. This was his first top-10 finish on either of the two main tours. In March 2011, Woodland won his first PGA Tour title at the Transitions Championship by one stroke when fellow American Webb Simpson missed a par putt on the final hole. Just a few moments earlier Woodland had scrambled a fantastic par from the same position as Simpson on the last, after hitting his second shot over the back of the green. This win secured Woodland a place at the 2011 Masters Tournament and also elevated him to what was then a career high 53rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. He later earned an invitation into the U.S. Open after moving into the Top 50. He left the tournament with an OWGR ranking of 39th. In November 2011, he won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup with Matt Kuchar. He finished 2011 ranked 17th on the PGA Tour money list and 51st in the OWGR. He had ended 2009 ranked 962 and 2010 591. Woodland reached the final of the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Match Play, where he lost to Rory McIlroy, and moved to a career-best 32nd in the OWGR. In February 2018, Woodland won his third PGA Tour event, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in a sudden-death playoff over Chez Reavie. After finishing tied at 18 under, Woodland won with a par on the first extra hole to end a five-year drought on tour. Woodland moved up to fifth in the season's FedEx Cup standings. Woodland held the 36-hole lead at the PGA Championship in 2018 with a total 130, which was a tournament record through the first two rounds. He led by a stroke over Kevin Kisner at the halfway stage. He started the final round at nine under par, three shots behind leader Brooks Koepka. He finished in a tie for sixth with a score of 10 under par, six strokes behind the winner Koepka. In January 2019, Woodland held the lead entering the final round at the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii. He shot a five-under-par 68 but still lost to champion Xander Schauffele who shot a course record-tying 62. In February 2019, Woodland invited Amy Bockerstette, a collegiate golfer with Down syndrome, to play the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale during a Tuesday practice round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. After hitting her tee shot into a greenside bunker, Bockerstette surprised Woodland by parring the hole in front of a roaring crowd. The PGA Tour's video capturing the moment went viral, receiving 43 million views across various social media platforms. At the U.S. Open in June 2019, Woodland held the 54-hole lead at Pebble Beach Golf Links. On Sunday, he shot a 2-under-par 69 for 271 (−13), which gave him a three-shot margin over the runner-up, two-time defending champion Koepka. Woodland became the fourth champion in U.S. Open history who was double-digits under-par. The victory was his first major and his sixth professional win. In his previous thirty starts in majors, Woodland had only carded two top-ten finishes, both in the PGA Championship (2018, 2019). The win at the U.S. Open moved him from 25th to 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking. At the post-win press conference, Woodland FaceTimed Bockerstette live, telling her "I used your positive energy." Two days later, Woodland joined Bockerstette with a surprise appearance on The Today Show where, pointing to the U.S. Open trophy in Bockerstette's hands, he told her "We won this together." In December 2019, Woodland played on the U.S. team at the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia. The U.S. team won 16–14. Woodland went 1–2–1 and lost his Sunday singles match against Im Sung-jae. Personal life In August 2023, Woodland told the public that he had been diagnosed with a brain lesion. He underwent lengthy brain surgery on September 18, 2023. In February 2025, Woodland was awarded the PGA Tour Courage Award. Amateur wins 2005 Cleveland State Invitational, Kansas Amateur 2006 Kansas Invitational 2007 All-American Golf Classic, Louisiana Classics, Kansas Amateur Professional wins (6) PGA Tour wins (4) PGA Tour playoff record (1–2) Adams Pro Tour wins (1) 2008 Southwest Kansas Pro-Am Other wins (1) Major championships Wins (1) Results timeline Results not in chronological order in 2020. CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" indicates a tie for a place NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic Summary Most consecutive cuts made – 6 (twice) Longest streak of top-10s – 2 (2019 PGA – 2019 U.S. Open) Results in The Players Championship CUT = missed the halfway cut "T" indicates a tie for a place C = Canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic Results in World Golf Championships Results not in chronological order before 2015. 1Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play NT = No tournament "T" = Tied U.S. national team appearances Professional World Cup: 2011 (winners) Presidents Cup: 2019 (winners) See also 2008 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates 2010 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates Notes References External links Gary Woodland at the PGA Tour official site Gary Woodland at the Official World Golf Ranking official site Profile on Kansas University's athletic site
James Theodore Bent	Provide me a one-sentence fact about James Theodore Bent.	Tell me a bio of James Theodore Bent.	Tell me a bio of James Theodore Bent within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of James Theodore Bent with around 100 words.	James Theodore Bent (30 March 1852 – 5 May 1897) was an English explorer, archaeologist, and author. Biography James Theodore Bent was born in Liverpool on 30 March 1852, the son of James (1807-1876) and Eleanor (née Lambert, c.1811-1873) Bent of Baildon House, Baildon, near Bradford, Yorkshire, where Bent lived in his boyhood. He was educated at Malvern Wells preparatory school, Repton School, and Wadham College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1875. His paternal grandparents were William (1769-1820) and Sarah (née Gorton) Bent; it was this William Bent who founded Bent's Breweries, a successful business which, in various guises, was still in existence into the 1970s, and which helped generate the family's wealth. One of Bent's uncles, Sir John Bent, the brewer, was Liverpool mayor in 1850–51. In 1877, Bent married Mabel Hall-Dare (1847-1929) who became his companion, photographer, and diarist on all his travels. From the time of their marriage, they went abroad nearly every year, beginning with extended travels in Italy and Greece. In 1879, he published a book on the republic of San Marino, entitled A Freak of Freedom, and was made a citizen of San Marino; in the following year appeared Genoa: How the Republic Rose and Fell, and in 1881 a Life of Giuseppe Garibaldi. The couple's researches in the Aegean archipelago over the winters of 1882/3 and 1883/4 culminated in Bent's The Cyclades; or, Life among the Insular Greeks (1885). At the time of Bent's death in 1897, the couple resided at 13 Great Cumberland Place, London, and Sutton Hall, outside Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK. Archaeological research From this period Bent concentrated particularly on archaeological and ethnographic research. The years 1883-1888 were devoted to investigations in the Eastern Mediterranean and Anatolia, his discoveries and conclusions being communicated to the Journal of Hellenic Studies and other magazines and reviews; his investigations on the Cycladic island of Antiparos are of note. In 1889, he undertook excavations in the Bahrein Islands of the Persian Gulf, looking for evidence that they had been a primitive home of the Phoenician civilization; he and his wife returned to England via Persia (Iran), being introduced to Shah Naser al-Din Shah Qajar along the way. After an expedition in 1890 to Cilicia Trachea, where he obtained a valuable collection of inscriptions, Bent spent a year in South Africa, with the object, by investigation of some of the ruins in Mashonaland, of throwing light on the vexed question of their origin and on the early history of East Africa. Bent believed the Zimbabwe ruins had originally been built by the ancestors of the Shona people. To this end, in 1891, he made, along with his wife and the Glaswegian surveyor Robert McNair Wilson Swan (1858-1904), a colleague from Bent's time on Antiparos in 1883/4, the first detailed examination of the Great Zimbabwe. Bent described his work in The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland (1892). Famously, Victor Loret and Alfred Charles Auguste Foucher denounced this view, and claimed that a non-African culture built the original structures. Modern archaeologists now agree that the city was the product of a Shona-speaking African civilization. In 1893, he investigated the ruins of Axum and other places in northern Ethiopia, which had previously been made known in part by the researches of Henry Salt and others. His book The Sacred City of the Ethiopians (1893) gives an account of this expedition. Bent now visited at considerable risk the almost unknown Hadramut country (1893–1894), and during this and later journeys in southern Arabia he studied the ancient history of the country, its physical features and actual condition. On the Dhofar coast in 1894-1895, he visited ruins which he identified with the Abyssapolis of the frankincense merchants. In 1895-1896, he examined part of the African coast of the Red Sea, finding there the ruins of a very ancient gold-mine and traces of what he considered Sabaean influence. While on another journey in South Arabia and Socotra (1896–1897), Bent was seized with malarial fever, and died in London on 5 May 1897, a few days after his return. Mabel Bent, who had contributed by her skill as a photographer and in other ways to the success of her husband's journeys, published in 1900 Southern Arabia, Soudan and Sakotra, which she recorded the results of their last expedition into those regions. Collections The majority of Bent's collections (hundreds of artefacts but relatively few on display) is to be found in the British Museum, London. Smaller collections are kept at: The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, UK; The Victorian and Albert Museum, London, UK; Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, London, UK; The Natural History Museum, London, UK; Sulgrave Manor, Banbury, UK; Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, UK. Overseas: The Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece; The Archaeological Museum, Istanbul, Turkey; The South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa; The Great Zimbabwe Museum, Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Some manuscripts are archived at The Royal Geographical Society, London, UK; The Hellenic and Roman Library, Senate House, London, UK; The British Library, London, UK. Legacy The Natural History Museum, London, has small collections of shells and insects the Bents returned with in the 1890s. Some shells carry the Bent name today (e.g. Lithidion bentii and Buliminus bentii). Several plants and seeds the Bents brought back from Southern Arabia are now in the Herbarium at Kew Gardens; one such specimen being Echidnopsis Bentii, collected on his last journey in 1897. Bent is also commemorated in the scientific name of a species of Arabian lizard, Uromastyx benti. Some of Bent’s original notebooks held in the archive of the Hellenic Society, London, and unpublished, have now been digitized and are available on open access. Notes References This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bent, James Theodore". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 746. Carr, William (1901). "Bent, James Theodore" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). London: Smith, Elder & Co. External links Works by James Theodore Bent at Project Gutenberg Works by Mrs. Theodore Bent at Project Gutenberg Works by or about James Theodore Bent at the Internet Archive Works by James Theodore Bent at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks) Theodore & Mabel Bent: Explorers By Nature (site devoted to their travels) An 1885 travel guide to Keos (Zea), an excerpt from The Cyclades: or Life among the Insular Greeks
Kajal Aggarwal	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Kajal Aggarwal.	Tell me a bio of Kajal Aggarwal.	Tell me a bio of Kajal Aggarwal within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Kajal Aggarwal with around 100 words.	Kajal A Kitchlu (née Aggarwal; born 19 June 1985), known professionally as Kajal Aggarwal, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Aggarwal is considered as one of the highest paid actresses of South Indian cinema. She is a recipient of three SIIMA Awards along with four Filmfare Awards South nominations. Aggarwal made her acting debut with a minor role in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... and had her first Telugu film release in Lakshmi Kalyanam (2007). In the same year, she gained wider recognition for her role in Chandamama. The 2009 fantasy film Magadheera, one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of all time, marked a turning point in her career and earned her critical acclaim. Her other notable Telugu films include Darling (2010), Brindavanam (2010), Mr. Perfect (2011), Businessman (2012), Naayak (2013), Baadshah (2013), Govindudu Andarivadele (2014), Temper (2015), Khaidi No. 150 (2017), Nene Raju Nene Mantri (2017), Awe (2018) and Bhagavanth Kesari (2023). She has also played the female lead in high-profile Tamil projects such as Naan Mahaan Alla (2010), Maattrraan (2012), Thuppakki (2012), Jilla (2014), Vivegam (2017), Mersal (2017) and Comali (2019). Her most successful Hindi films include the action film Singham (2011) and the thriller Special 26 (2013). In 2020, a wax figure of Aggarwal was put on display at Madame Tussauds Singapore, making it the first of an actress from South Indian cinema. Early life and education Kajal Aggarwal was born on 19 June 1985 and raised in a Punjabi family with roots in Amritsar, settled in Bombay (present-day Mumbai). Her father Vinay Aggarwal, is an entrepreneur in the textile business and her mother Suman is a confectioner, and also Kajal's business manager. Kajal has a younger sister Nisha Aggarwal, an actress in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam cinema. Aggarwal studied at St. Anne's High School, Fort, Mumbai, and completed her pre-university education at Jai Hind College. She pursued her graduation in mass media, with specialisation in marketing and advertising, from Kishinchand Chellaram College. Having harboured MBA dreams all through her growing years, in 2012, she said she "intended to achieve a post-graduation degree soon". Career Debut and early struggle (2004–2008) Aggarwal made her acting debut in the 2004 Hindi film Kyun! Ho Gaya Na..., in which she played Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's sister. Aggarwal made her debut in Telugu films in 2007, with Teja's Lakshmi Kalyanam, alongside Kalyan Ram; it had an average return at the box office. Later that year, she appeared in the Krishna Vamsi-directed Chandamama, which opened to positive reviews and became her first major successful film. In 2008, she had her first Tamil film release, Perarasu's action entertainer Pazhani, opposite Bharath. She had one more Tamil release that year with Venkat Prabhu's comedy-thriller Saroja, in which she did a guest appearance. Although the film went on to become a commercial as well as a critical success, the film failed to boost her career as her role was too insignificant. Her Telugu releases Pourudu and Aatadista opposite Sumanth and Nitin, respectively, did not receive positive reviews, but both were successful at the box office. Critical acclaim and recognition (2009–2012) Aggarwal had four releases in 2009. She first starred opposite Vinay Rai in the Tamil film Modhi Vilayadu, which garnered mixed reviews and was a financial failure. She then appeared in S. S. Rajamouli's high budget Telugu historical drama Magadheera, opposite Ram Charan Teja. She played dual roles of Mithra, a princess and Indu, a modern woman. Aggarwal's performance earned her server nominations including Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. The film became successful commercially and broke several records, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time. Radhika Rajamani of Rediff.com noted, "Kajal was quite a surprise package. She was sweet and charming and looked like an 'ethereal' princess. She carries off both the roles fairly well." It was released again in Tamil as Maaveeran in 2011, and was also successful at the box office. Her subsequent releases Ganesh, opposite Ram Pothineni and Arya 2 opposite Allu Arjun received mixed reviews from critics, while her performance garnered positive feedback. Aggarwal's first 2010 release was A. Karunakaran's romantic comedy Darling, which featured her as Prabhas's childhood lover Bandini. The film went onto become a commercial success at the box office. Her performance earned her second Filmfare Best Actress – Telugu nomination and a Sify critic stated that she "mesmerized" the audience. Later that year, she appeared in the Tamil thriller film Naan Mahaan Alla, opposite Karthi, which was based on a real-life incident and opened to positive reviews. A commercial success, it was later dubbed in Telugu as Naa Peru Siva in Andhra Pradesh and was a success. Her final release that year was the romantic comedy Brindavanam opposite Jr. NTR and Samantha, which received critical acclaim and went on to become a commercial success. She won the CineMAA Award for Best Actress for the film. In 2011, Aggarwal first reunited with Prabhas in the romantic comedy Mr. Perfect, where she played Priya, a doctor. The film became a critical and commercial success. A The Times of India critic stated, "Kajal looks great, expresses well and fits into the role perfectly. Her chemistry with Prabhas is commendable." She earned her third Filmfare Best Actress – Telugu nomination, for her performance. She then appeared in Veera, replacing Anushka Shetty and starred opposite Ravi Teja. The film received moderate reviews and emerged a moderate success. Later that year, Aggarwal made her comeback to Hindi films with Singham, a remake of the same-titled 2010 Tamil film, opposite Ajay Devgn. She played a Goan girl Kavya Bhosle and received Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut nomination for the same. Komal Nahta noted, "Kaajal may not be very beautiful but she acts with effortless ease. Her performance is good." Sukanya Venkatraghavan stated, "Kajal looks pretty and has done what she has been told to, but probably deserved a meatier debut." Nevertheless, the film was a hit at the box office. Her last release of the year came with the Telugu film Dhada, opposite Naga Chaitanya, which failed at the box office. Aggarwal's first release of 2012 was in the Telugu gangster film Businessman opposite Mahesh Babu, directed by Puri Jagannadh. A Sankranthi release, it opened to positive reviews and was a commercial success. Her performance, though limited, was praised by critics. Aggarwal then made her comeback to Tamil films with Maattrraan opposite Suriya. The film became a commercial success. Her performance as a language translator Anjali was well received; with Malini Mannath stating: "Kajal does with utmost sincerity as the foreign language translator Anjali. It's this trait and her graceful demeanour which makes Kajal a pleasant watch". A. R. Murugadoss's Thuppakki opposite Vijay was her next release. She played Nisha, a boxer. The film emerged a major commercial success, becoming the second Tamil film ever to collect over ₹1 billion (US$12 million). L Romal M Singh of Daily News and Analysis stated, "Kajal acts as a pretty face mostly, but is pleasing and cute in many sequences." The film won her the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actress – Tamil. Her final release of the year was the Telugu romance film Sarocharu, opposite Ravi Teja, which failed at the box office. Commercial success and career progression (2013–2017) Aggarwal starred in the action film Naayak, opposite Ram Charan Teja, her first release of 2013. Upon release, it received positive reviews and was a major commercial success. She then played a teacher Priya, opposite Akshay Kumar in Special 26, a heist drama directed by Neeraj Pandey. It went on to be a major critical and commercial success. Rajeev Masand noted, "Kajal keeps it real as the girl next door who falls for Ajay, and their romance is sweet." She later appeared in Srinu Vaitla's Baadshah, opposite Jr. NTR. Upon its release, critics appreciated her performance and a critic stated, "Kajal is as usual an eye-candy. She's got a good role and has done justice to her performance. Also she looks stunning in the songs." The film was a financial success. Her final release that year was All in All Azhagu Raja opposite Karthi. It released to negative reviews from critics and had an average collection. In 2014, Aggarwal starred in R. T. Neason's masala film Jilla, in which she played a police officer opposite Vijay. The film was a major commercial success. She then featured in a cameo appearance opposite Allu Arjun in the Telugu action thriller film Yevadu, again a box office success. Her next release was Krishna Vamsi's family drama Govindudu Andarivadele, which became one of the highest grossing Telugu film of the year. She played Satya, a modern girl opposite Ram Charan. Suresh Kaviyarani stated, "Kajal is beautiful and glamorous. Her chemistry with Charan comes up neatly." The film earned her fourth nomination for Filmfare Best Actress – Telugu. In her first release of 2015, Aggarwal appeared in Puri Jagannadh's Telugu action film Temper. She played Saanvi, an animal lover opposite Jr. NTR. Hemanth Kumar noted, "Despite her limited role, Kajal does well, although the duo's underwritten romantic track leaves a lot to be desired." The film was a commercial success and one of the highest-grossing film of the year. Aggarwal then appeared in Balaji Mohan's gangster comedy film Maari, opposite Dhanush. S Saraswathi of Rediff noted: "Kajal Aggarwal does have a significant role to play, but her onscreen chemistry with Dhanush just does not work". The film became a commercial success. Her other release, Suseenthiran's action film Paayum Puli, alongside Vishal, received mixed reviews and failed at the box office. Reviewers criticised her character stating: "badly written and has nothing more to do with the script." That year, she also did a cameo appearance in the bilingual romantic comedy film Size Zero. The year 2016 saw Aggarwal appear in five films. She first played Arshi, a princess opposite Pawan Kalyan, in Sardaar Gabbar Singh. Critical reaction of the film was mixed to negative, though Aggarwal's performance was positive. A reviewer from the Deccan Chronicle wrote: "Kajal plays the perfect princess and looks beautiful and elegant. In fact, she is a breath of air in the film". The film grossed ₹900 million (US$11 million) worldwide, becoming a moderate success. In Srikanth Addala's Brahmotsavam, she played an NRI Kashi opposite Mahesh Babu. It became a major critical and commercial failure. Among the female leads, her performance as a "new age girl" was well received, despite the role having a limited screen time. She next appeared opposite Randeep Hooda in Do Lafzon Ki Kahani, playing Jenny, a blind girl who later becomes a doctor. Rediff.com's Namrata Thakker found her to be "decent" and was appreciative of her chemistry with Hooda. Her long delayed film Final Cut of Director was her next releas. Though completed in 2008, it was released in 2016, after 8 years. In her last film of the year, she played Divya, who reconcile with her husband opposite Jiiva in Kavalai Vendam. Sreedhar Pillai of Firstpost stated, "Present throughout the film, Kajal looks a million bucks." She also had a special dance appearance in Janatha Garage, that year. That song, titled "Pakka Local", was well received by the audience. Aggarwal played Yazhini, a CTS officer's wife opposite Ajith Kumar in Vivegam, her first release of 2017. The film was a moderate success at the box office. Sowmya Rajendran took note of her comic scene in the film. She then reunited with Vijay in Mersal, where she played a doctor, Anu. The film was a major commercial success and became one of the highest-grossing Tamil films. She next appeared opposite Chiranjeevi in Khaidi No. 150. A box office success, it became one of the highest-grossing Telugu films. Teja's Nene Raju Nene Mantri, opposite Rana Daggubati was her last release of the year. She played a strong wife of a Chief minister. Hemanth Kumar noted, "Kajal is the film's biggest revelation. You can feel her pain, her warmth and her anger in moments of heartbreak." Purnima Sriram Iyer stated, "Kajal looks her best and reminds us why she is among the leading actresses of the industry." The film was a commercial success. Her performance won her the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Telugu. Career fluctuations (2018–present) In 2018, Aggarwal had a leading role in the Telugu film MLA. In April 2018, she signed to a Telugu film which also features Ravi Teja, marking her third collaboration with the actor. She also starred in Awe, where she played a troubled woman. Aggarwal later bagged a role in Kavacham. In 2019, Aggarwal was seen in Comali. She then reunited with director Teja for Sita, where she plays the titular character, an arrogant, selfish businesswoman who manipulates people for business improvement and money. In 2020, her role in the Telugu film Acharya, co-starring Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan was announced. It is directed by Koratala Siva and produced by Ram Charan and Niranjan Reddy. However, when the trailer released, there was no clip that featured her, which triggered rumours of makers cutting down her role. The rumours were confirmed by the director Koratala Siva in an interview. In 2021, her two films released on 19 March, Mosagallu directed by Jeffery Gee Chin co-starring Vishnu Manchu and Suniel Shetty; and Sanjay Gupta directed Hindi film Mumbai Saga. Her first release in 2022 was Hey Sinamika, directed by Brinda, it has Dulquer Salmaan and Aditi Rao Hydari alongside her. The film released on 3 March 2022. In 2023, she appeared in Bhagavanth Kesari directed by Anil Ravipudi. The film received mixed reviews from the critics. In her first film of 2025, Aggarwal played an aspiring entrepreneur Vaidehi alongside Salman Khan and Vishal Vashishtha in Sikandar. Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "Capable performer like Kajal has been reduced to the sort of passing character." Aggarwal will next appear in Kannappa opposite Akshay Kumar, Indian 3 co-starring Kamal Haasan, and The India Story alongside Shreyas Talpade. She will also portray Mandodari opposite Yash in Ramayana: Part 1. Personal life On 6 October 2020, Aggarwal announced her upcoming marriage to Gautam Kitchlu. On 30 October 2020, the couple got married in a small, private ceremony in her hometown of Mumbai, India, with only the couple's immediate families in attendance. Kajal made her pregnancy official with an Instagram post, which was also confirmed by her husband shortly. She gave birth to a boy on 19 April 2022, named Neil. In the media Aggarwal is considered among the most popular actors of Telugu cinema. She is one of the highest paid actresses in South Indian cinema, according to various media reports. Aggarwal has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2015, where she debuted at 58th position with an estimated annual income of ₹101.3 million (US$1.2 million). She stood at the 15th place on Forbes India's most influential stars on Instagram in South cinema for the year 2021. Aggarwal was placed 2nd in 2020 and 4th in 2021, in the most tweeted South Indian actress list. In 2022, she was named among the most searched Asian on Google and also became the most searched South Indian actress, that year. Aggarwal was named the Hyderabad Times Most Desirable Woman of 2016. In the same list, she was later placed 2nd in 2017, 10th in 2018, 8th in 2019 and 9th in 2020. She is a celebrity endorser for several brands such as Panasonic, Dabur Amla Oil, Bru and Pond's. As of August 2024, she is one of the most-followed Telugu actors on Instagram. Accolades Aggarwal has received four Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu nominations — for her films, Magadheera, Darling, Mr. Perfect and Govindudu Andarivadele. See also List of Indian film actresses References External links Kajal Aggarwal at IMDb Kajal Aggarwal at Bollywood Hungama Kajal Aggarwal on Twitter
Danny Faure	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Danny Faure.	Tell me a bio of Danny Faure.	Tell me a bio of Danny Faure within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Danny Faure with around 100 words.	Danny Faure (born 8 May 1962) is a Seychellois politician who served as the fourth President of Seychelles from 16 October 2016 until 26 October 2020. Previously, he served as Vice-President of Seychelles from 2010 to 2016. Faure is a member of the United Seychelles Party (PP). Background and education Faure was born to Seychellois parents in the western Ugandan town of Kilembe. He completed his primary and secondary education in the Seychelles. He studied at the University of Havana in Cuba, graduating with a degree in political science. Career In 1985, at the age of 23, Faure started working as an assistant curriculum officer at the Seychelles education ministry. He also worked as a lecturer at both the National Youth Service and the Seychelles Polytechnic. In 1993, following the return of multiparty democracy to the island nation, Faure became the leader of government business in the National Assembly, serving in that capacity until 1998. That year, he was appointed Minister of Education. Over the years, he has served in various ministerial capacities including youth, finance, trade and industries, public administration and information and communication technology. In 2006, he was appointed Minister of Finance by President James Michel. During his tenure at the finance, Seychelles embarked on a series of economic reforms, recommended by the International Monetary Fund. Faure oversaw the first generation reforms, which ran from October 2008 to October 2013. Faure served as designated minister between 2004 and 2010. He became Vice-President on 1 July 2010, while retaining the finance portfolio. Presidency President James Michel announced on 27 September 2016 that he would resign, effective on 16 October, and transfer power to Vice-President Faure. The announcement coincided with the election of an opposition majority in the National Assembly. As there were four years of Michel's term remaining, it was to count as a full term for Faure. Faure was accordingly sworn in on 16 October 2016. On 14 April 2019, Faure visited a British research submersible and made a speech from underwater, pleading for stronger protections for the world's oceans. On 13 June 2019, Faure was awarded the National Geographic Society's prestigious ‘Planetary and Leadership Award’ at a National Geographic Awards Ceremony, at George Washington University, in Washington DC. In October 2020, Faure lost the presidential election to Wavel Ramkalawan who succeeded him as President of Seychelles. Personal life He is the father of four daughters and one son. He married Shermin Rudie Bastienne on 4 April 2021. See also List of foreign ministers in 2017 List of current foreign ministers == References ==
Vicente Guerrero	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Vicente Guerrero.	Tell me a bio of Vicente Guerrero.	Tell me a bio of Vicente Guerrero within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Vicente Guerrero with around 100 words.	Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña (Spanish: [biˈsente raˈmoŋ ɡeˈreɾo]; baptized 10 August 1782 – 14 February 1831) was a Mexican military officer from 1810–1821 and a statesman who became the nation's second president in 1829. He was one of the leading generals who fought against Spain during the Mexican War of Independence. According to historian Theodore G. Vincent, Vicente Guerrero lived alongside indigenous people in Tlaltelulco and had the ability to speak Spanish and the languages of the Indigenous. During his presidency, he abolished slavery in Mexico. Guerrero was deposed in a rebellion by his Vice-President Anastasio Bustamante. Early life Vicente Guerrero was born in Tixtla, a town approximately 100 kilometers inland from the port of Acapulco, in the Sierra Madre del Sur. He was the son of María Guadalupe Rodríguez Saldaña, and Juan Pedro Guerrero. His father's family included landowners, affluent farmers, traders with broad business connections in Southern Mexico, members of the Spanish militia, gunsmiths, and cannon manufacturers. During his youth, Guerrero worked for his father's prosperous mule-driven freight business, which provided him the opportunity to travel across Mexico. His travels exposed him to emerging ideas of independence and dissent against Spanish rule. Guerrero's ethnic origins have been a subject of debate, with some historians suggesting he was of mixed Indigenous heritage. However, no portraits of him were made during his lifetime and those made posthumously may not be reliable. Fellow insurgent José María Morelos described Guerrero as a "young man with bronzed or tanned skin (broncineo in Spanish), tall and strong, with an aquiline nose, bright, light-colored eyes, and prominent sideburns". He was often supported by the indigenous people throughout the Revolution. Vicente's father, Juan Pedro Guerrero, was a supporter of the Spanish rule, while his uncle, Diego Guerrero, held a prominent position in the Spanish militia. As an adult, Vicente was opposed to the Spanish colonial government. In December 1810, Guerrero enlisted in José María Morelos's insurgent army in southern Mexico, beginning his career as a revolutionary leader. He was married to María Guadalupe Hernández, and they had a daughter, María Dolores Guerrero Hernández. María Dolores married Mariano Riva Palacio, who was the defense lawyer for Maximilian I of Mexico in Querétaro, and was the mother of the late nineteenth-century intellectual Vicente Riva Palacio. Insurgent In 1810, Guerrero joined in the early revolt against Spain, first fighting in the forces of secular priest José María Morelos. When the Mexican War of Independence began, Guerrero was working as a muleteer and in an armory, in Tixtla, when the revolution started. He joined the rebellion in November 1810 and enlisted in a division that independence leader Morelos had organized to fight in southern Mexico. Guerrero gained expertise in military strategy in the Battle of Zitltala. At the Battle of Tixtla, on May 26 of 1811, Jose Maria Morelos asked the advice of Vicente Guerrero on military strategy to be used on the town of Tixtla because Guerrero was from Tixtla. After the battle, Guerrero was told by Morelos to speak to the indigenous people of Tixtla since he Guerrero was able to speak Nahuatl, the native language in Tixtla, because he had grown up in Tixtla. Morelos told Guerrero to inform the natives of their freedom from the Spanish. Historian William Sprague argued Guerrero was largely supported by the Native Americans throughout the Revolution due to his ability to speak and interact with the natives. By November 1811, Vicente Guerrero, alongside Jose Maria Morelos, took control of the highlands of the Mesa Del Sur, further building Guerrero's experience as an insurgent. Guerrero distinguished himself in the Battle of Izúcar, in February 1812, and had achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel when Oaxaca was claimed by rebels in November 1812. In a speech given to the indigenous people in Tlapa in 1815, Guerrero argued for citizenship to be extended to indigenous people to establish a larger free society for those originally not recognized by the Spanish. Initial victories by Morelos' forces faltered, and Morelos himself was captured and executed in December 1815. Historian Mario S. Guerrero argued Guerrero's guerrilla tactics and successes were just as significant to winning the Mexican Revolution as notable battles. After the death of Jose Morelos, in March 1816,Vicente Guerrero pledged his support behind the Board of Jaujilla. With the Spanish in pursuit, Guerrero used guerilla tactics he learned in his early military experience with Morelos. Guerrero fought in skirmishes with the Spanish in Piaxtla and Xonacatlán. Near Xonacatlán, Guerrero ambushed royalist Captain Jose Vicente Robles's force of 150 troops, which led to a victory and a smaller force in pursuit of Guerrero. In March 1816, According to the Historian William Sprague, Vicente Guerrero, after the death of Morelos and Juan Nepomuceno Rosains had quit the revolution taking a Spanish pardon, Guerrero had no commander thus Guadalupe Victoria and Isidoro Montes de Oca, gave him the position of "Commander in Chief" of the rebel troops. In 1816, the royal government under Viceroy Apodaca sought to end the insurgency, offering amnesty. Guerrero's father carried an appeal for his son to surrender, but Guerrero refused. He remained the only major rebel leader still at large and kept the rebellion going through an extensive campaign of guerrilla warfare. He won victories at Ajuchitán, Santa Fe, Tetela del Río, Huetamo, Tlalchapa, and Cuautlotitlán, regions of southern Mexico that were very familiar to him. In November 16, 1820 after being appointed commander of the royal forces in Southern Mexico, Agustín de Iturbide was sent against Guerrero's forces. Guerrero was victorious against Iturbide, who realized that there was a military stalemate. Guerrero appealed to Iturbide to abandon his royalist loyalty and to join the fight for independence. Events in Spain had changed in 1820, with Spanish liberals ousting Ferdinand VII and imposing the liberal constitution of 1812 that the king had repudiated. Conservatives in Mexico, including the Catholic hierarchy, began to conclude that continued allegiance to Spain would undermine their position and opted for independence to maintain their control. Guerrero's appeal to join the forces for independence was successful. Guerrero and Iturbide allied under the Plan de Iguala and their forces merged as the Army of the Three Guarantees. The Plan of Iguala proclaimed independence, called for a constitutional monarchy and the continued place of the Roman Catholic Church, and abolished the formal casta system of racial classification. While Iturbide during the writing of The Plan of Iguala, did not include mulattos and blacks in receiving rights. Vicente Guerrero advocated for all people in Mexico to receive equal protections under the law without regards to race and refused to agree to any alternative. Clause 12 was incorporated into the plan: "All inhabitants... without distinction of their European, African or Indian origins are citizens... with full freedom to pursue their livelihoods according to their merits and virtues." The Army of the Three Guarantees marched triumphantly into Mexico City on September 27, 1821. Iturbide was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico by Congress. In January 1823, Guerrero, along with Nicolás Bravo, rebelled against Iturbide, returning to southern Mexico to raise rebellion, according to some assessments because their careers had been blocked by the emperor. Their stated objectives were to restore the Constituent Congress. Guerrero and Bravo were defeated by Iturbide's forces at Almolongo, now in the State of Guerrero, less than a month later. When Iturbide's imperial government collapsed in 1823, Guerrero was named one of Constituent Congress's ruling triumvirate. 1828 presidential election Guerrero was a liberal by conviction, and active in the York Rite Masons, established in Mexico after independence by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the U.S. diplomatic representative to the newly independent Mexico. The Scottish Rite Masons had been established before independence. Following independence the Yorkinos appealed to a broad range of Mexico's populace, as opposed to the Scottish Rite Masons, who were a bulwark of conservatism, and in the absence of established political parties, rival groups of Masons functioned as political organizations. Guerrero had a large following among urban Yorkinos, who were mobilized during the 1828 election campaign and afterwards, in the ouster of the president-elect, Manuel Gómez Pedraza. In 1828, the four-year term of the first president of the republic, Guadalupe Victoria, came to an end. Unlike the first presidential election and the president serving his full term, the election of 1828 was highly partisan. Guerrero's supporters included federalist liberals, members of the radical wing of the York Rite Freemasons. During Guerrero's campaign he advocated for political opportunities for all regardless of their race and wealth through universal suffrage in Mexico. General Gómez Pedraza won the September 1828 election to succeed Guadalupe Victoria, with Guerrero coming in second and Anastasio Bustamante, third through indirect election of Mexico's state legislatures. Gómez Pedraza was the candidate of the "Impartials", composed of Yorkinos concerned about the radicalism of Guerrero and Scottish Rite Masons (Escocés), who sought a new political party. Among those who were Impartials were distinguished federalist Yorkinos Valentín Gómez Farías and Miguel Ramos Arizpe. The U.S. diplomatic representative in Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett was enthusiastic about Guerrero's candidacy, writing "....A man who is held up as ostensible head of the party, and who will be their candidate for the next presidency, is General Guerrero, one of the most distinguished chiefs of the revolution. Guerrero is uneducated, but possesses excellent natural talents, combined with great decision of character and undaunted courage. His violent temper renders him difficult to control, and therefore I consider Zavala's presence here indispensably necessary, as he possesses great influence over the general." Guerrero himself did not leave an abundant written record, but some of his speeches survive. "A free state protects the arts, industry, science and trade; and the only prizes virtue and merit: if we want to acquire the latter, let's do it cultivating the fields, the sciences, and all that can facilitate the sustenance and entertainment of men: let's do this in such a way that we will not be a burden for the nation, just the opposite, in a way that we will satisfy her needs, helping her to support her charge and giving relief to the distraught of humanity: with this we will also achieve abundant wealth for the nation, making her prosper in all aspects." Two weeks after the September 1 election, Antonio López de Santa Anna rose in rebellion in support of Guerrero. As governor of the strategic state of Veracruz and former general in the war of independence, Santa Anna was a powerful figure in the early republic, but he was unable to persuade the state legislature to support Guerrero in the indirect elections. Santa Anna resigned the governorship and led 800 troops loyal to him in capturing the fortress of Perote, near Xalapa. He issued a political plan there calling for the nullification of Gómez Pedraza's election and the declaration of Guerrero as president. In November 1828 in Mexico City, Guerrero supporters took control of the Accordada, a former prison transformed into an armory, and days of fighting occurred in the capital. President-elect Gómez Pedraza had not yet taken office and at this juncture he resigned and soon went into exile in England. With the resignation of the president-elect and the ineffective rule of the sitting president, civil order dissolved. On 4 December 1828, a riot broke out in the Zócalo and the Parián market, where luxury goods were sold, was looted. Order was restored within a day, but elites in the capital were alarmed at the violence of the popular classes and the huge property losses. With the resignation of Gómez Pedraza, and Guerreros's cause backed by Santa Anna's forces and the powerful liberal politician Lorenzo de Zavala, Guerrero became president. Guerrero took office as president, with Bustamante, a conservative, becoming vice president. One scholar sums up Guerrero's situation, "Guerrero owed the presidency to a mutiny and a failure of will on the part of [President] Guadalupe Victoria...Guerrero was to rule as president with only a thin layer of support." Presidency A liberal folk hero of the independence insurgency, Guerrero became president on 1 April 1829, with conservative Anastasio Bustamante as his vice president. For some of Guerrero's supporters, a visibly mixed-race man from Mexico's periphery becoming president of Mexico was a step toward what one 1829 pamphleteer called "the reconquest of this land by its legitimate owners" and called Guerrero "that immortal hero, favorite son of Nezahualcoyotzin", the famous ruler of prehispanic Texcoco. Some creole elites (American-born whites of Spanish heritage) were alarmed by Guerrero as president, a group that liberal Lorenzo de Zavala disparagingly called "the new Mexican aristocracy". Guerrero set about creating a cabinet of liberals, but his government already encountered serious problems, including its very legitimacy, since president-elect Gómez Pedraza had resigned under pressure. Some traditional federalists leaders, who might have supported Guerrero, did not do so because of the electoral irregularities. The national treasury was empty and future revenues were already liened. Spain continued to deny Mexico's independence and threatened reconquest. A key achievement of his presidency was the abolition of slavery in most of Mexico. The slave trade had already been banned by the Spanish authorities in 1818, a ban that had been reconfirmed by the nascent Mexican government in 1824. A few Mexican states had also already abolished the practice of slavery, but it was not until September 16, 1829 that abolition across almost all of the nation was proclaimed by the Guerrero administration. Slavery at this point barely existed throughout Mexico, and only the state of Coahuila y Tejas was significantly affected, due to the immigration of slaveowners from the United States. In response to pressure from Texan settlers, Guerrero exempted Texas from the decree on December 2, 1829. Guerrero called for public schools, land title reforms, industry and trade development, and other programs of a liberal nature. As president, Guerrero championed the causes of the racially oppressed and economically oppressed. Initially, the leader of the colonization of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, proved enthusiastic towards the Mexican government. "This is the most liberal and munificent Government on earth to emigrants – after being here one year you will oppose a change even to Uncle Sam" During Guerrero's presidency, the Spanish tried to reconquer Mexico but were defeated at the Battle of Tampico. Fall and execution Guerrero was deposed in a rebellion under Vice-President Anastasio Bustamante that began on 4 December 1829. Guerrero left the capital to fight in the south, but was deposed by the Mexico City garrison in his absence on 17 December 1829. Guerrero had returned to the region of southern Mexico where he had fought during the war of independence. Open warfare between Guerrero and his opponent in the region Nicolás Bravo was fierce. Bravo and Guerrero had been comrades in the insurgency during the War of Independence. Bravo controlled the highlands of the region, including the town of Guerrero's birth, Tixtla. Guerrero had strength in the hot coastal regions of the Costa Grande and Tierra Caliente, with mixed race populations that had been mobilized during the insurgency for independence. Bravo's area had a mixed population, but politically was dominated by whites. The conflict in the south occurred for all of 1830, as conservatives consolidated power in Mexico City. The war in the south might have continued even longer, but ended in what one historian has called "the most shocking single event in the history of the first republic: the capture of Guerrero in Acapulco through an act of betrayal and his execution a month later." Guerrero controlled Mexico's principal Pacific coast port of Acapulco. An Italian merchant ship captain, Francisco Picaluga, approached the conservative government in Mexico City with a proposal to lure Guerrero onto his ship and take him prisoner for the price of 50,000 pesos, a fortune at the time. Picaluga invited Guerrero on board for a meal on 14 January 1831. Guerrero and a few aides were taken captive and Picaluga sailed to the port of Huatulco, where Guerrero was turned over to federal troops. Guerrero was taken to Oaxaca City and summarily tried by a court-martial. His capture was welcomed by conservatives and some state legislatures, but the legislatures of Zacatecas and Jalisco tried to prevent Guerrero's execution. The government's 50,000 peso payment to Picaluga was exposed in the liberal press. Despite pleas for his life, Guerrero was executed by firing squad in Cuilapam on 14 February 1831. His death did mark the dissolution of the rebellion in southern Mexico, but those politicians involved in his execution paid a lasting price to their reputations. Many Mexicans saw Guerrero as the "martyr of Cuilapam" and his execution was deemed by the liberal newspaper El Federalista Mexicano "judicial murder". The two conservative cabinet members considered most culpable for Guerrero's execution, Lucas Alamán and Secretary of War José Antonio Facio, "spent the rest of their lives defending themselves from the charge that they were responsible for the ultimate betrayal in the history of the first republic, that is, that they had arranged not just for the service of Picaluga's ship but specifically for his capture of Guerrero." Historian Jan Bazant speculates as to why Guerrero was executed rather than sent into exile, as Iturbide had been, as well as Antonio López de Santa Anna, and long-time dictator of late-nineteenth century Mexico, Porfirio Díaz. "The clue is provided by Zavala who, writing several years later, noted that Guerrero was of mixed blood and that the opposition to his presidency came from the great landowners, generals, clerics and Spaniards resident in Mexico...Guerrero's execution was perhaps a warning to men considered as socially and ethnically inferior not to dare to dream of becoming president." Honors were conferred on surviving members of Guerrero's family, and a pension was paid to his widow. In 1842, Vicente Guerrero's remains were exhumed and returned to Mexico City for reinterment. He is known for his political discourse promoting equal civil rights for all Mexican citizens. He has been described as the "greatest man of color" to ever live. Legacy Guerrero is a Mexican national hero. The state of Guerrero is named in his honour. Several towns in Mexico are named in honor of this famous general, including Vicente Guerrero in Durango, Vicente Guerrero in Baja California and the Colonia Guerrero. According to historian Theodore G. Vincent, In 1831 after Vicente Guerrero's death, Vicente Guerrero's wife, Guadalupe, daughter, Dolores, and former supports of Guerrero formed a political thought group. Vincent titled these supporters as, "Guerreroistas." As a Guerreroistas, historian Vincent argues that they believed in similar ideals of equal rights for all races. Vicente Guerrero by his Guerreroistas is often mentioned as it pertains to race and linage using his legacy of the revolution to support their actions. According to Theodore G. Vincent, Guerrero's grandson, Vicente Riva Palacio, influenced by his family of Guerreroistas received the opportunity, from Guerrero's "puro" political party in 1861, to investigate the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico and published over 38,000 pieces of evidence of Spanish abuse and Mexican opposition to it. Vincente Riva Palacio, according to Vincent attributed his beliefs and political actions to his mother Dolores and connects Palacio directly to Guerrero beliefs and Guerreroistas. According to historian Theodore Vincent, in 1986, Antonio Riva Palacio referenced his linage being connected to Vicente Guerrero and his motivation to continue Vicente Guerrero's legacy of equality and equity for all Mexicans no matter their racial background. According to the historian and politician Lorenzo de Zavala, who published in his book, Ensayo Historico De Las Revolutions De Mexico, Desde 1808 Hasta 1830, an encounter Vicente Guerrero had with his father in 1817. According to Zavala, Vicente Guerrero was approached by his father to lay down his arms and take a Spanish pardon and Vicente replied, "Companions, you see this respectable old man, he is my father. He comes to offer me money and position in the name of the Spaniards. I have always had respect for my father, but my country comes first." These words contribute to mythology surrounding Guerrero that historian Theodore Vincent argues makes up Mexican culture. According to the Center of Documentation and Analysis, in 2007, Guerrero's words, "La Patria es Primero," has been placed in gold writing above the Mexican Chamber of Deputies in honor of Guerrero to represent his legacy and its effect on Mexican government and culture. See also References Further reading External links Biografía de Vicente Guerrero en el Portal Oficial del Gobierno del Estado de Guerrero Vicente Guerrero: An Inventory of His Collection at the Benson Latin American Collection Vicente Guerrero on Mexconnect.com Guerrero on gob.mex/kids Letters about Vicente Guerrero hosted by the Portal to Texas History
Ilhan Omar	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ilhan Omar.	Tell me a bio of Ilhan Omar.	Tell me a bio of Ilhan Omar within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ilhan Omar with around 100 words.	Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019, representing part of Minneapolis. Her congressional district includes all of Minneapolis and some of its first-ring suburbs. Omar serves as deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has advocated for a $15 minimum wage, universal healthcare, student loan debt forgiveness, the protection of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A frequent critic of Israel, Omar supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has denounced Israel's settlement policies and military campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the influence of pro-Israel lobbies in American politics. Her remarks regarding Israel and the influence of pro-Israel lobbies have led to accusations of antisemitism. In February 2023, the Republican-controlled House voted to remove Omar from her seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, citing past comments she had made about Israel and concerns over her objectivity. Omar is the first Somali American in the United States Congress and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. She is also one of the first two Muslim women (along with Rashida Tlaib) to serve in Congress. Early life and education Omar was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 4, 1982, and spent her early years in Baidoa, Somalia. She was the youngest of seven siblings. Her father is Nur Omar Mohamed, an ethnic Somali from the Osman Mohamud sub-clan of Majeerteen, a clan in Northeastern Somalia. He was a colonel in the Somali army under Siad Barre, served with distinction in the 1977–78 Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia, and also worked as a teacher trainer. Her mother, Fadhuma Abukar Haji Hussein, a Benadiri, died when Ilhan was two. She was raised by her father and grandfather, who were moderate Sunni Muslims opposed to the rigid Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. Her grandfather Abukar was the director of Somalia's National Marine Transport, and some of Omar's uncles and aunts also worked as civil servants and educators. She and her family fled Somalia to escape the Somali Civil War and spent four years in a Dadaab refugee camp in Garissa County, Kenya, near the Somali border. Omar's family secured asylum in the U.S. and arrived in New York in 1995, then lived for a time in Arlington, Virginia, before moving to and settling in Minneapolis, where her father worked first as a taxi driver and later for the post office. Her father and grandfather emphasized the importance of democracy during her upbringing, and at age 14 she accompanied her grandfather to caucus meetings, serving as his interpreter. She has spoken about school bullying she endured during her time in Virginia, stimulated by her distinctive Somali appearance and wearing of the hijab. She recalls gum being pressed into her hijab, being pushed down stairs, and physical taunts while she was changing for gym class. Omar remembers her father's reaction to these incidents: "They are doing something to you because they feel threatened in some way by your existence." Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 when she was 17 years old. Omar attended Thomas Edison High School, from which she graduated in 2001, and volunteered as a student organizer. She graduated from North Dakota State University in 2011 with a bachelor's degree, majoring in political science and international studies. Omar was a policy fellow at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Early career Omar began her professional career as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota, working in that capacity from 2006 to 2009 in the Greater Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. In 2012, she served as campaign manager for Kari Dziedzic's reelection campaign for the Minnesota State Senate. Between 2012 and 2013, she was a child nutrition outreach coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education. In 2013, Omar managed Andrew Johnson's campaign for Minneapolis City Council. After Johnson was elected, she served as his senior policy aide from 2013 to 2015. During a contentious precinct caucus that turned violent in February 2014, she was attacked by five people and was injured. According to MinnPost, the day before the caucus, Minneapolis city council member Abdi Warsame had told Johnson to warn Omar not to attend the meeting. As of September 2015, Omar was the Director of Policy Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network, advocating for women from East Africa to take on civic and political leadership roles. In September 2018, Jeff Cirillo of Roll Call called her a "progressive rising star". Minnesota House of Representatives Elections In 2016, Omar ran on the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) ticket for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 60B, which includes part of northeast Minneapolis. On August 9, Omar defeated Mohamud Noor and incumbent Phyllis Kahn in the DFL primary. Her chief opponent in the general election was Republican nominee Abdimalik Askar, another activist in the Somali-American community. In late August, Askar announced his withdrawal from the campaign. In November, Omar won the general election, becoming the first Somali-American legislator in the United States. Her term began on January 3, 2017. Tenure and activity During her tenure as state representative for District 60B, Omar was an assistant minority leader for the DFL caucus. She authored 38 bills during the 2017–2018 legislative session. Committee assignments Civil Law & Data Practices Policy Higher Education & Career Readiness Policy & Finance State Government Finance Financial transparency issues In 2018, Republican state representative Steve Drazkowski publicly accused Omar of campaign finance violations, claiming that she used campaign funds to pay a divorce lawyer, and that her acceptance of speaking fees from public colleges violated Minnesota House rules. Omar responded that the attorney's fees were not personal but campaign-related; she offered to return the speaking fees. Drazkowski later accused Omar of improperly using campaign funds for personal travel to Estonia and locations in the U.S. Omar's campaign dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and accused Drazkowski of using public funds to harass a Muslim candidate. In response to an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune arguing that Omar should be more transparent about her use of campaign funds, she said: "these people are part of systems that have historically been disturbingly motivated to silence, discredit and dehumanize influencers who threaten the establishment." In June 2019, Minnesota campaign finance officials ruled that Omar had to pay back $3,500 that she had spent on out-of-state travel and tax filing in violation of state law, plus a $500 fine. The Campaign Finance Board's investigation also found that in 2014 and 2015 Omar had jointly filed taxes with a man she was not legally married to. Unlike some states, Minnesota does not recognize common law marriage, and so such a joint filing is not legally permitted. But experts have said that if the taxpayer files a correction within three years, as Omar's attorney and accountants did in 2016, then there are normally no further consequences, and the Internal Revenue Service is unlikely to pursue punitive measures unless there is a large discrepancy or fraudulent intent. In response to the AP's request for comment, her campaign sent a statement saying, "all of Rep. Omar's tax filings are fully compliant with all applicable tax law." U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2018 On June 5, 2018, Omar filed to run for the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th congressional district after six-term incumbent Keith Ellison announced he would not seek reelection. On June 17, she was endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party after two rounds of voting. Omar won the August 14 primary with 48.2% of the vote. The 5th district is the most Democratic district in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, (it has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+26) and the DFL has held it without interruption since 1963. She faced health care worker and conservative activist Jennifer Zielinski in the November 6 general election and won with 78.0% of the vote, becoming the first Somali American elected to the U.S. Congress, the first woman of color to serve as a U.S. representative from Minnesota, and (alongside former Michigan state representative Rashida Tlaib) one of the first Muslim women elected to the Congress. Omar received the largest percentage of the vote of any female candidate for U.S. House in state history, as well as the largest percentage of the vote for a non-incumbent candidate for U.S. House (excluding those running against only minor-party candidates) in state history. She was sworn in on a copy of the Quran owned by her grandfather. 2020 Omar won the Democratic nomination in the August 11 Democratic primary, in which she faced four opponents. The strongest was mediation lawyer Antone Melton-Meaux, who raised $3.2 million in April–June 2020, compared to about $500,000 by Omar; much of Melton-Meaux's funding came from pro-Israel groups. Melton-Meaux was also endorsed by Minnesota's largest newspaper, The Star Tribune. This led some analysts to predict a close race, but Omar received 57.4% of the vote to Melton-Meaux's 39.2%. She defeated Republican Lacy Johnson and Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Michael Moore in the November 3 general election, with 64.3% of the vote to Johnson's 25.8% and Moore's 9.5%. Omar's margin of victory was 24 points less than Biden's in the district, the highest underperformance of any Democrat in the nation, which Nathaniel Rakich of FiveThirtyEight attributed to increased Republican spending and Moore's progressive pro-marijuana campaign. 2022 In the August 9 Democratic primary, Omar faced former Minneapolis councilman Don Samuels and three other opponents. The campaign primarily focused on crime and Omar's effectiveness in office. Omar's campaign outspent Samuels's $2.1 million to $800,000; Samuels ran television ads while Omar's campaign did not. Omar won the primary with 50.3% of the vote to Samuels's 48.2%, a margin of less than 2,500 votes. 2024 Omar won the August 13 Democratic primary with 56% of the vote against Don Samuels, whom she defeated in the 2022 primary, Tim Peterson, and Sarah Gad. She was reelected to a fourth term with 75.3% of the vote. Tenure Following Omar's election, the ban on head coverings in the U.S. House was modified, and Omar became the first woman to wear a hijab on the House floor. She is a member of the informal group known as "The Squad", whose members form a unified front to push for progressive changes such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. The other members of "The Squad" are Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Brian Stelter of CNN Business found that from January to July 2019 Omar had around twice as many mentions on Fox News as on CNN and MSNBC, and about six times the coverage of James Clyburn, a Democratic leader in the House of Representatives. A CBS News and YouGov poll of almost 2,100 American adults conducted from July 17 to 19 found that Republican respondents were more aware of Omar than Democratic respondents. Omar has very unfavorable ratings among Republican respondents and favorable ratings among Democratic respondents. The same is true of the other three members of the Squad. Legislation In July 2019, Omar introduced a resolution co-sponsored by Rashida Tlaib and Georgia representative John Lewis stating that "all Americans have the right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution". The resolution "opposes unconstitutional legislative efforts to limit the use of boycotts to further civil rights at home and abroad", and "urges Congress, States, and civil rights leaders from all communities to endeavor to preserve the freedom of advocacy for all by opposing anti-boycott resolutions and legislation". In the same month, Omar was one of 17 Congress members to vote against a House resolution condemning the BDS movement. On January 7, 2021, Omar led a group of 13 House members introducing articles of impeachment against Trump on charges of high crimes and misdemeanors. The charges are related to Trump's alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia and incitement of the attack at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., by his supporters, which occurred during the certification of electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election that affirmed Joe Biden's victory. In 2022, Omar's first sponsored piece of legislation, a bill to designate the central Minneapolis post office the Martin Olav Sabo Post Office, became law. Committee assignments For the 118th Congress: Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Committee on the Budget Caucuses Congressional Progressive Caucus deputy chair Black Maternal Health Caucus Congressional Black Caucus Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment 2021 U.S. Capitol attack Speaking after the 2021 United States Capitol attack, Omar said the experience was very traumatizing and that the trauma would last a long time. She said she began to fear for her life when the evacuation began and as she was being escorted to a secure area she made a phone call to the father of her children to "make sure he would continue to tell my children that I loved them if I didn't make it out." She said, "The face of the Capitol will forever be changed. They didn't succeed in stopping the functions of democracy, but I do believe they succeeded in ending the openness of our democracy." Political positions Education Omar supports broader access to student loan forgiveness programs, as well as free tuition for college students whose family income is below $125,000. Omar supports Bernie Sanders's plan to eliminate all $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt, funded by an 0.5% tax on stock transactions and a 0.1% tax on bond transactions; she introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. In June 2019, Omar and Senator Tina Smith introduced the No Shame at School Act, which would end the marking of—and punishment for—students with school meal debt. Health care Omar supports Medicare for All as proposed in the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act. On July 19, 2022, after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Omar and 17 other members of Congress were arrested in an act of civil disobedience for refusing to clear a street during a protest for reproductive rights outside the Supreme Court Building. Foreign affairs Omar has criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses and the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war. In October 2018, she tweeted: "The Saudi government might have been strategic at covering up the daily atrocities carried out against minorities, women, activists and even the #YemenGenocide, but the murder of #JamalKhashoggi should be the last evil act they are allowed to commit." She also called for a boycott of Saudi Arabia's regime, tweeting: "#BDSSaudi." The Saudi Arabian government responded by having dozens of anonymous Twitter troll accounts it controlled post tweets critical of Omar. Omar condemned China's treatment of its ethnic Uyghur people. In a Washington Post op-ed, Omar wrote, "Our criticisms of oppression and regional instability caused by Iran are not legitimate if we do not hold Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to the same standards. And we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to repression in Saudi Arabia—a country that is consistently ranked among the worst of the worst human rights offenders." She also condemned the Assad regime in Syria. Omar criticized Trump's decision to impose further sanctions on Iran, saying the sanctions devastated the "country's middle class and increased hostility toward the United States, with tensions between the two countries rising to dangerous levels." Omar condemned the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, tweeting, "No person, of any faith, should be fearful in their house of worship." Omar opposed the October 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, writing, "What has happened after Turkey's invasion of northeastern Syria is a disaster—tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee, hundreds of Islamic State fighters have escaped, and Turkish-backed rebels have been credibly accused of atrocities against the Kurds." In October 2019, Omar voted "present" on H.Res. 296, to recognize the Armenian genocide, causing a backlash. She said in a statement that "accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as cudgel in a political fight" and argued that such a step should include both the Atlantic slave trade and the Native American genocide. In November, after her controversial vote, Omar publicly condemned the Armenian genocide at a rally for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Immigration In a March 2019 Politico interview, Omar criticized Barack Obama's "caging of kids" along the Mexican border. Omar accused Politico of distorting her comments and said that she had been "saying how [President] Trump is different from Obama, and why we should focus on policy not politics," adding, "One is human, the other is really not." In June 2019, Omar was one of four Democratic representatives to vote against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act, a $4.5 billion border funding bill that required Customs and Border Protection to enact health standards for individuals in custody such as standards for "medical emergencies; nutrition, hygiene, and facilities; and personnel training." "Throwing more money at the very organizations committing human rights abuses—and the very Administration directing these human rights abuses—is not a solution. This is a humanitarian crisis ... inflicted by our own leadership," she said. Infrastructure spending On November 5, 2021, Omar was one of six House Democrats to break with their party and vote against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because it was decoupled from the social safety net provisions in the Build Back Better Act. Israeli–Palestinian conflict Support for boycott efforts and other criticisms While she was in the Minnesota legislature, Omar was critical of the Israeli government and opposed a law prohibiting the state from working with companies that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. She compared the movement to people who "engage[d] in boycotts" of apartheid in South Africa. During her House campaign, she said she did not support the BDS movement, describing it as counterproductive to peace. After the election her position changed, as her campaign office told Muslim Girl that she supports the BDS movement despite "reservations on the effectiveness of the movement in accomplishing a lasting solution." Omar has voiced support for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. She criticized Israel's settlement building in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. In 2018, Omar came under criticism for statements she made about Israel before she was in the Minnesota legislature. In a 2012 tweet, she wrote, "Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel." The comment, particularly that Israel had "hypnotized the world", was criticized as drawing on antisemitic tropes. Then-The New York Times columnist Bari Weiss wrote that Omar's statement tied into a millennia-old "conspiracy theory of the Jew as the hypnotic conspirator". When asked in an interview how she would respond to American Jews who found the remark offensive, Omar replied: "I don't know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans. My comments precisely are addressing what was happening during the Gaza War and I'm clearly speaking about the way the Israeli regime was conducting itself in that war." After reading Weiss's commentary, Omar apologized for not "disavowing the anti-Semitic trope I unknowingly used". In September 2019, Omar condemned Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to annex the eastern portion of the occupied West Bank known as the Jordan Valley. Omar said Israelis should not vote for Netanyahu in the September 2019 Israeli legislative election. Remarks on AIPAC and American support for Israel In February 2019, Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to "take action" against Omar and Rashida Tlaib for their support of the BDS movement. When journalist Glenn Greenwald responded that it was remarkable "how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if it means attacking free speech rights of Americans", and tagged Omar for a comment, she replied with a quote from a hip hop song, "It's All About the Benjamins", alluding to a slang term for U.S. $100 bills. Both Democratic and Republican politicians accused her of using an antisemitic trope regarding Jews and money, although some Democratic politicians defended Omar's comment. Omar later said that she was referring to the influence of pro-Israel lobbyists in the United States, especially AIPAC. A number of Democratic leaders—including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn—condemned the tweet, which was interpreted as implying that money was fueling American politicians' support of Israel. The Democratic House leadership released a statement accusing Omar of "engaging in deeply offensive anti-Semitic tropes". The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) also denounced her statements. Omar issued an apology the next day, saying, "I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes", and adding, "I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it be AIPAC, the NRA or the fossil fuel industry." The Anti-Defamation League accused her of promoting an "ugly conspiracy theory" about Jewish influence in politics. Journalist Peter Beinart, after tweeting that the controversy was about "policing the American debate over Israel", thought Omar's statement inaccurate, wrong and irresponsible, but argued that her congressional critics were more "bigoted" on Israeli-Palestinian issues than Omar. On February 27, 2019, Omar said of her critics: "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country." The statements were quickly criticized as allegedly drawing on antisemitic tropes. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel said it was "deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens" and asked Omar to retract her statement. House Appropriations Committee chairwoman Nita Lowey also called for an apology and criticized the statements in a March 3 tweet, which led to an online exchange between the two. In response, Omar reaffirmed her position, insisting that she "should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee." Omar said she was simply criticizing Israel, drawing a distinction between criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu and being anti-Semitic. Omar's spokesman, Jeremy Slevin, said Omar was speaking out about "the undue influence of lobbying groups for foreign interests." Reaction among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates was mixed. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders defended Omar. While Senator Cory Booker found her comments "disturbing", he recognized that some of the attacks against her had "anti-Islamic sentiment". Kirsten Gillibrand said, "those with critical views of Israel should be able to express their views without employing anti-Semitic tropes about money or influence", but also criticized the Republican Party for censuring Omar while saying "little or nothing" when President Trump "defended white supremacists at Charlottesville." New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Omar's remarks "unacceptable". According to The Guardian, election records archived by OpenSecrets "suggest a correlation between pro-Israel lobby campaign contributions and Democratic presidential candidates' position on the controversy." Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus believed Omar was unfairly targeted because she is a black Muslim, saying that "the Democratic leadership did not draft a resolution condemning Donald Trump or other white male Republicans over their antisemitic remarks." The second round of remarks prompted the Democratic leadership to introduce a resolution condemning antisemitism that did not specifically refer to Omar. After objections by a number of congressional progressive Democrats, the resolution was amended to include Islamophobia, racism, and homophobia. On March 7, the House passed the amended resolution. Omar called the resolution "historic on many fronts" and said, "We are tremendously proud to be part of a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy." Some Minnesota Jewish and Muslim community leaders later expressed continuing concern about Omar's statements and indicated that the issue remained divisive in Omar's district. On March 7, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 407–23 to condemn "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry" in response to Omar's remarks concerning Israel. On February 2, 2023, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a resolution, on a party-line vote, to remove Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for what Speaker Kevin McCarthy called "repeated antisemitic and anti-American remarks." Many prominent House Democrats stood by Omar. On July 18, 2023, she voted against a congressional non-binding resolution proposed by August Pfluger, which states that "the State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state", that Congress rejects "all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia", and that "the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel". On October 16, 2023, Omar signed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. She criticized the United States' support for Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip. In May 2024, Omar voiced support for the International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine, saying that the ICC "must be allowed to conduct its work independently and without interference." In August 2024, she criticized the Biden administration's arms shipments to Israel, saying that "if you really want a ceasefire, you just stop sending the weapons." Ban from entering Israel In August 2019, Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib were banned from entering Israel, a reversal from the July 2019 statement by Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer that "any member of Congress" would be allowed in. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed the ban to Israeli law preventing the entry of people who call for a boycott of Israel (as Omar and Tlaib had done with their support for BDS). Netanyahu also cited Omar and Tlaib listing their destination as Palestine instead of Israel, claiming he thus viewed their visit as an attempt to "hurt Israel and increase its unrest". Netanyahu also said that Omar and Tlaib did not plan on visiting or meeting with any Israeli officials from the government or the opposition, and additionally accused Miftah, the sponsor of Omar's trip, of having members who support terrorism against Israel (in 2016, Israel approved a visit by five U.S. representatives to Israel that Miftah co-sponsored, but that was before Israel enacted its anti-BDS law). Less than two hours before the ban, President Trump tweeted that Israel allowing the visit would "show great weakness" when Omar and Tlaib "hate Israel & all Jewish people". Omar said that Netanyahu had caved to Trump's demand and that "Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing". She responded to Netanyahu that she had intended to meet members of Israel's legislative Knesset and Israeli security officials. Both Democratic and Republican legislators criticized the ban and requested that Israel rescind it. AIPAC released a statement saying that it disagreed with Israel's move and that Omar and Tlaib should have been allowed to "experience Israel firsthand", while the head of the American Jewish Committee put out a statement agreeing with AIPAC on the matter. U.S. Representative Max Rose also criticized the move to ban Omar, saying that Omar and Tlaib did not speak for the Democratic Party. LGBT rights In March 2019, Omar addressed a rally in support of a Minnesota bill that would ban gay conversion therapy in the state. She co-sponsored a similar bill when she was a member of the Minnesota House. In May 2019, Omar introduced legislation that would sanction Brunei over a recently introduced law that would make homosexual sex and adultery punishable by death. In June 2019, she participated in Twin Cities Pride in Minnesota. In August 2019, Omar wrote on Twitter in support of the Palestinian LGBT rights group Al Qaws after the Palestinian Authority banned Al Qaws's activities in the West Bank. Military policy Omar has been critical of U.S. foreign policy, and has called for reduced funding for "perpetual war and military aggression", saying, "knowing my tax dollars pay for bombs killing children in Yemen makes my heart break," with "everyone in Washington saying we don't have enough money in the budget for universal health care, we don't have enough money in the budget to guarantee college education for everyone." Omar has criticized the U.S. government's drone assassination program, citing the Obama administration's policy of "droning of countries around the world". She has said, "we don't need nearly 800 military bases outside the United States to keep our country safe." In 2019, Omar signed a letter led by Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Rand Paul to President Trump asserting that it is "long past time to rein in the use of force that goes beyond congressional authorization" and that they hoped this would "serve as a model for ending hostilities in the future—in particular, as you and your administration seek a political solution to our involvement in Afghanistan." In May 2020, Omar signed a letter backed by AIPAC calling for the continuation of the UN embargo against Iran, with her office noting that it was a "narrow ask that we couldn't find anything wrong with." Her office said that she has opposed human rights abuse "for a long time" and that signing onto it should be not be seen as a sign she supports the Trump administration's policy on Iran. On July 6, 2023, President Biden authorized the provision of cluster munitions to Ukraine in support of a Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russian forces in Russian-occupied southeastern Ukraine. Omar opposed the decision, saying, "We can support the people of Ukraine in their freedom struggle while also opposing violations of international law." Minimum wage Omar supports a $15 hourly minimum wage. Minneapolis Police Department In June 2020, the "defund the police" slogan gained widespread popularity following the murder of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter and other activists used the phrase to call for police budget reductions and a plan to delegate certain police responsibilities to other organizations. Reacting to the murder of Floyd, the majority of the Minneapolis City Council voted to dismantle the city's police department. In a statement, the Minneapolis mayor said they planned to work to address "systemic racism in police culture". Following the murder of Floyd, Omar supported the police abolition movement in Minneapolis that sought to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department, saying that the department had "proven themselves beyond reform." Omar hoped to see a new police department that would be modeled after the Camden County Police Department in New Jersey. TikTok Omar has opposed a TikTok ban. In March 2024, she raised First Amendment concerns in opposing a bill that would ban the app if its Chinese owner did not sell, saying: "We should create actual standards & regulations around privacy violations across social media companies—not target platforms we don't like." On March 12, Omar was asked about TikTok-related national security concerns, such as China using the app to ramp up divisions in the U.S., and replied, "We had an intel briefing, and none of the information that was provided to us really was persuasive in the fact that there is anything to be really concerned", adding, "for the first time in our nation's history, Americans have access to real images [through TikTok] of the horrors that are experienced by Palestinians daily." Venezuela crisis In January 2019, amid the Venezuelan presidential crisis, Omar joined Democrats Ro Khanna and Tulsi Gabbard in denouncing the Trump administration's decision to recognize Juan Guaidó, the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, as Venezuela's interim president. She described Trump's action as a "U.S. backed coup" and said that the U.S. should not "hand pick" foreign leaders and should support "Mexico, Uruguay & the Vatican's efforts to facilitate a peaceful dialogue." In response to criticisms of her comments, Omar wrote that "No one is defending Maduro" and that opposing US intervention is not the equivalent of supporting the existing leadership of a country. In February 2019, Omar questioned whether Elliott Abrams, whom Trump appointed as Special Representative for Venezuela in January 2019, was the correct choice given his past support of right-wing authoritarian regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala, his initial doubts about the number of reported deaths in the El Mozote massacre in 1982, and his two 1991 misdemeanor convictions for withholding information from Congress about the Iran–Contra affair, for which he was later pardoned by George H. W. Bush. In May 2019, Omar said in an interview on Democracy Now! that she believed U.S. foreign policy and economic sanctions are aimed at regime change and have contributed to the "devastation in Venezuela". Death threats and harassment DFL caucus attack On February 4, 2014, Omar was attacked and injured by multiple attendees during a DFL caucus for Minnesota's House of Representatives District 60B. She was organizing the event and was a policy aide to Minneapolis City Councilman Andrew Johnson at the time. She sustained a concussion and was sent to the hospital. Death threats In February 2019, the FBI arrested United States Coast Guard Lieutenant Christopher Paul Hasson, who was allegedly plotting to assassinate various journalists and political figures in the United States, including Omar. According to prosecutors, Hasson is a self-described "long time White Nationalist" and former skinhead who wanted to use violence to "establish a white homeland." Prosecutors also alleged that Hasson was in contact with an American neo-Nazi leader, stockpiled weapons, and compiled a hit list. On April 7, 2019, Patrick Carlineo Jr., was arrested for threatening to assault and murder Omar in a phone call to her office. He reportedly told investigators that he did not want Muslims in the government. In May 2019, Carlineo was released from custody and placed on house arrest. He pleaded guilty to the offense on November 19. Omar asked the court to be lenient with him. In April 2019, Omar said that she had received more death threats after Trump made comments about her and 9/11, "many directly referencing or replying to the president's video". In August 2019, she published an anonymous threat she had received of being shot at the Minnesota State Fair, saying that such threats were why she now had security protection. In September 2019, she asserted Trump was putting her life in danger by retweeting a tweet falsely claiming she had "partied on the anniversary of 9/11". Two Republican candidates for congressional office have called for Omar's execution. In November 2019, Danielle Stella, Omar's Republican opponent for Congress, was banned from Twitter for suggesting that Omar be hanged for treason if found guilty of passing information to Iran. In December 2019, George Buck, another Republican running for Congress, also suggested that Omar be hanged for treason. In response, Buck was removed from the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns program. Neither candidate won their primary election. "Go back to their countries" Trump tweet On July 14, 2019, Trump tweeted that The Squad—a group that consists of Omar and three other young congresswomen of color, most of whom were born and raised in the U.S.—should "go back" to the "places from which they came". In response, Omar said Trump was "stoking white nationalism" because he was "angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda." Two days later, the House of Representatives voted 240–187 to condemn Trump's "racist comments". On July 17, it was reported that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lists the phrase "Go back to where you came from" as an example of "harassment based on national origin". At a July 17 campaign rally in North Carolina, Trump made additional comments about The Squad: "They never have anything good to say. That's why I say, 'Hey if you don't like it, let 'em leave, let 'em leave'", and "I think in some cases they hate our country". He made a series of false and misleading claims about Omar, including allegations that she had praised al-Qaeda and "smeared" American soldiers who had fought in the Battle of Mogadishu by bringing up the numerous Somali civilian casualties. The crowd reacted by chanting, "Send her back, Send her back." Trump later called the crowd "incredible people, incredible patriots" and accused Omar of racism and antisemitism. On July 19, he falsely claimed that Omar and the rest of The Squad had used the term "evil Jews". Foreign media has widely covered Trump's remarks about Omar and The Squad. The social media hashtag #IStandWithIlhanOmar was soon trending in the United States and other countries. Many foreign politicians condemned Trump's comments. On July 19, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "I reject [Trump's comments] and stand in solidarity with the congresswomen he targeted." Target of online hate speech Omar has frequently been the target of online hate speech. According to a study by the Social Science Research Council of more than 113,000 tweets about Muslim candidates in the weeks leading up to the 2018 midterm elections, Omar "was the prime target. Roughly half of the 90,000 tweets mentioning her included hate speech or Islamophobic or anti-immigrant language." According to the study, "Key themes included Muslims as subhumans or 'Trojan horses' seeking to impose Shariah law on America.... A large proportion of these trolls were likely bots or automated accounts run by people, organizations or state actors seeking to spread political propaganda and hate speech. That's based on telltale iconography, naming patterns, webs of linkages and the breadth of the postelection scrubbing." 9/11 comments and World Trade Center cover On April 11, 2019, the front page of the New York Post carried an image of the World Trade Center burning following the September 11 terrorist attacks and a quotation from a speech Omar gave the previous month. The headline read, "REP. ILHAN OMAR: 9/11 WAS 'SOME PEOPLE DID SOMETHING'", and a caption underneath added, "Here's your something ... 2,977 people dead by terrorism." The Post was quoting a speech Omar had given at a recent Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR) meeting. In the speech Omar said, "CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us [Muslims in the U.S.] were starting to lose access to our civil liberties." (CAIR was founded in 1994, but many new members joined after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.) On April 12, President Trump retweeted a video that edited Omar's remarks to remove context, showing her saying, "Some people did something." Some Democratic representatives condemned Trump's retweet, predicting that it would incite violence and hatred. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Trump to "take down his disrespectful and dangerous video" and asked the U.S. Capitol Police to increase its protection of Omar. Speaking at an April 30 protest by black women calling for formal censure of Trump, Omar blamed Trump and his allies for inciting Americans against both Jews and Muslims. Comments by Lauren Boebert In November 2021, Republican Representative Lauren Boebert said she had shared an elevator with Omar, and that she and a Capitol Police officer both mistook Omar for a terrorist. Boebert referred to Omar as the "Jihad Squad". Omar said that she had not shared an elevator with Boebert, that the story was made up, and that Boebert's comments were "anti-Muslim bigotry". Electoral history 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Awards and honors Omar received the 2015 Community Leadership Award from Mshale, an African immigrant media outlet based in Minneapolis. The prize is awarded annually on a readership basis. In 2017, Time magazine named Omar among its "Firsts: Women who are changing the world," a special report on 46 women who broke barriers in their respective disciplines, and featured her on the cover of its September 18 issue. Her family was named one of the "five families who are changing the world as we know it" by Vogue in their February 2018 issue featuring photographs by Annie Leibovitz. Media appearances In 2018, Omar was featured in the music video for Maroon 5's "Girls Like You" featuring Cardi B. The 2018 documentary film Time for Ilhan (directed by Norah Shapiro, produced by Jennifer Steinman Sternin and Chris Newberry) chronicles Omar's political campaign. It was selected to show at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. Following a July 2019 tweet by Trump that The Squad—a group that consists of Omar and three other congresswomen of color who were born in the United States—should "go back" to the "places from which they came", Omar and the other members of the Squad held a press conference that was taped by CNN and posted to social media. On October 19, 2020, Omar joined Ocasio-Cortez, Disguised Toast, Jacksepticeye, and Pokimane in a Twitch stream playing the popular game Among Us, encouraging streamers to vote in the 2020 election. This collaboration garnered almost half a million views. Personal life In 2002, Omar became engaged to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi (né Aden). She has said they had an unofficial, faith-based Islamic marriage. The couple had two children together, including Isra Hirsi, one of the three principal organizers of the school strike for climate in the US. Omar has said that she and Hirsi divorced within their faith tradition in 2008. In 2009, Omar married Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British Somali. According to Omar, in 2011 she and Elmi had a faith-based divorce and she reconciled with Hirsi, with whom she had a third child in 2012. In 2017, Elmi and Omar legally divorced, and Omar and Hirsi legally married in 2018. On October 7, 2019, Omar filed for divorce from Hirsi, citing an "irretrievable breakdown" of the marriage. The divorce was finalized on November 5, 2019. In March 2020, Omar married Tim Mynett, a political consultant whose political consulting firm, the E Street Group, received $2.78 million in contracts from Omar's campaign during the 2020 cycle. The campaign's contract with Mynett's firm became a focus of criticism by her Democratic primary opponent and conservative critics that received significant local and national media attention. On November 17, 2020, Omar's campaign terminated its contract with Mynett's firm, saying the termination was to "make sure that anybody who is supporting our campaign with their time or financial support feels there is no perceived issue with that support." In 2020, HarperCollins published Omar's memoir, This Is What America Looks Like, written with Rebecca Paley. See also List of African-American United States representatives List of Muslim members of the United States Congress Women in the United States House of Representatives Notes References External links Official House of Representatives site Ilhan Omar for Congress Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress Profile at Vote Smart Appearances on C-SPAN
Nelson Mandela	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Nelson Mandela.	Tell me a bio of Nelson Mandela.	Tell me a bio of Nelson Mandela within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Nelson Mandela with around 100 words.	Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( man-DEL-ə, Xhosa: [xolíɬaɬa mandɛ̂ːla]; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. A Xhosa, Mandela was born into the Thembu royal family in Mvezo, South Africa. He studied law at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand before working as a lawyer in Johannesburg. There he became involved in anti-colonial and African nationalist politics, joining the ANC in 1943 and co-founding its Youth League in 1944. After the National Party's white-only government established apartheid, a system of racial segregation that privileged whites, Mandela and the ANC committed themselves to its overthrow. He was appointed president of the ANC's Transvaal branch, rising to prominence for his involvement in the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the 1956 Treason Trial. Influenced by Marxism, he secretly joined the banned South African Communist Party (SACP). Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the SACP he co-founded the militant uMkhonto we Sizwe in 1961 that led a sabotage campaign against the apartheid government. He was arrested and imprisoned in 1962, and, following the Rivonia Trial, was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to overthrow the state. Mandela served 27 years in prison, split between Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, and Victor Verster Prison. Amid growing domestic and international pressure and fears of racial civil war, President F. W. de Klerk released him in 1990. Mandela and de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid, which resulted in the 1994 multiracial general election in which Mandela led the ANC to victory and became president. Leading a broad coalition government which promulgated a new constitution, Mandela emphasised reconciliation between the country's racial groups and created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate past human rights abuses. Economically, his administration retained its predecessor's liberal framework despite his own socialist beliefs, also introducing measures to encourage land reform, combat poverty and expand healthcare services. Internationally, Mandela acted as mediator in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial and served as secretary-general of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999. He declined a second presidential term and was succeeded by his deputy, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela became an elder statesman and focused on combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the charitable Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Although critics on the right denounced him as a communist terrorist and those on the far left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with apartheid's supporters, he gained international acclaim for his activism. Globally regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Thembu clan name, Madiba, and described as the "Father of the Nation". Early life Childhood: 1918–1934 Mandela was born on 18 July 1918, in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, then part of South Africa's Cape Province. He was given the forename Rolihlahla, a Xhosa term colloquially meaning "troublemaker", and in later years became known by his clan name, Madiba. His patrilineal great-grandfather, Ngubengcuka, was ruler of the Thembu Kingdom in the Transkeian Territories of South Africa's modern Eastern Cape province. One of Ngubengcuka's sons, named Mandela, was Nelson's grandfather and the source of his surname. Because Mandela was the king's child by a wife of the Ixhiba clan, a so-called "Left-Hand House", the descendants of his cadet branch of the royal family were morganatic, ineligible to inherit the throne but recognised as hereditary royal councillors. Nelson Mandela's father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa Mandela, was a local chief and councillor to the monarch; he was appointed to the position in 1915, after his predecessor was accused of corruption by a governing white magistrate. In 1926, Gadla was also sacked for corruption, but Nelson was told that his father had lost his job for standing up to the magistrate's unreasonable demands. A devotee of the god Qamata, Gadla was a polygamist with four wives, four sons and nine daughters, who lived in different villages. Nelson's mother was Gadla's third wife, Nosekeni Fanny, daughter of Nkedama of the Right Hand House and a member of the amaMpemvu clan of the Xhosa. Mandela later stated that his early life was dominated by traditional Xhosa custom and taboo. He grew up with two sisters in his mother's kraal in the village of Qunu, where he tended herds as a cattle-boy and spent much time outside with other boys. Both his parents were illiterate, but his mother, being a devout Christian, sent him to a local Methodist school when he was about seven. Baptised a Methodist, Mandela was given the English forename of "Nelson" by his teacher. When Mandela was about nine, his father came to stay at Qunu, where he died of an undiagnosed ailment that Mandela believed to be lung disease. Feeling "cut adrift", he later said that he inherited his father's "proud rebelliousness" and "stubborn sense of fairness". Mandela's mother took him to the "Great Place" palace at Mqhekezweni, where he was entrusted to the guardianship of the Thembu regent, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Although he did not see his mother again for many years, Mandela felt that Jongintaba and his wife Noengland treated him as their own child, raising him alongside their children. As Mandela attended church services every Sunday with his guardians, Christianity became a significant part of his life. He attended a Methodist mission school located next to the palace, where he studied English, Xhosa, history and geography. He developed a love of African history, listening to the tales told by elderly visitors to the palace, and was influenced by the anti-imperialist rhetoric of a visiting chief, Joyi. Nevertheless, at the time he considered the European colonizers not as oppressors but as benefactors who had brought education and other benefits to southern Africa. Aged 16, he, his cousin Justice and several other boys travelled to Tyhalarha to undergo the ulwaluko circumcision ritual that symbolically marked their transition from boys to men; afterwards he was given the name Dalibunga. Clarkebury, Healdtown, and Fort Hare: 1934–1940 Intending to gain skills needed to become a privy councillor for the Thembu royal house, Mandela began his secondary education in 1933 at Clarkebury Methodist High School in Engcobo, a Western-style institution that was the largest school for black Africans in Thembuland. Made to socialise with other students on an equal basis, he claimed that he lost his "stuck up" attitude, becoming best friends with a girl for the first time; he began playing sports and developed his lifelong love of gardening. He completed his Junior Certificate in two years, and in 1937 he moved to Healdtown, the Methodist college in Fort Beaufort attended by most Thembu royalty, including Justice. The headmaster emphasised the superiority of European culture and government, but Mandela became increasingly interested in native African culture, making his first non-Xhosa friend, a speaker of Sotho, and coming under the influence of one of his favourite teachers, a Xhosa who broke taboo by marrying a Sotho. Mandela spent much of his spare time at Healdtown as a long-distance runner and boxer, and in his second year he became a prefect. In 1939, with Jongintaba's backing, Mandela began work on a BA degree at the University of Fort Hare, an elite black institution of approximately 150 students in Alice, Eastern Cape. He studied English, anthropology, politics, "native administration", and Roman Dutch law in his first year, desiring to become an interpreter or clerk in the Native Affairs Department. Mandela stayed in the Wesley House dormitory, befriending his own kinsman, K. D. Matanzima, as well as Oliver Tambo, who became a close friend and comrade for decades to come. He took up ballroom dancing, performed in a drama society play about Abraham Lincoln, and gave Bible classes in the local community as part of the Student Christian Association. Although he had friends who held connections to the African National Congress (ANC) who wanted South Africa to be independent of the British Empire, Mandela avoided any involvement with the nascent movement, and became a vocal supporter of the British war effort when the Second World War broke out. At the end of his first year he became involved in a students' representative council (SRC) boycott against the quality of food, for which he was suspended from the university; he never returned to complete his degree. Arriving in Johannesburg: 1941–1943 Returning to Mqhekezweni in December 1940, Mandela found that Jongintaba had arranged marriages for him and Justice; dismayed, they fled to Johannesburg via Queenstown, arriving in April 1941. Mandela found work as a night watchman at Crown Mines, his "first sight of South African capitalism in action", but was fired when the induna (headman) discovered that he was a runaway. He stayed with a cousin in George Goch Township, who introduced Mandela to realtor and ANC activist Walter Sisulu. The latter secured Mandela a job as an articled clerk at the law firm of Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman, a company run by Lazar Sidelsky, a liberal Jew sympathetic to the ANC's cause. At the firm, Mandela befriended Gaur Radebe—a Hlubi member of the ANC and Communist Party—and Nat Bregman, a Jewish communist who became his first white friend. Mandela attended Communist Party gatherings, where he was impressed that Europeans, Africans, Indians, and Coloureds mixed as equals. He later stated that he did not join the party because its atheism conflicted with his Christian faith, and because he saw the South African struggle as being racially based rather than as class warfare. To continue his higher education, Mandela signed up to a University of South Africa correspondence course, working on his bachelor's degree at night. Earning a small wage, Mandela rented a room in the house of the Xhoma family in the Alexandra township; despite being rife with poverty, crime and pollution, Alexandra always remained a special place for him. Although embarrassed by his poverty, he briefly dated a Swazi woman before unsuccessfully courting his landlord's daughter. To save money and be closer to downtown Johannesburg, Mandela moved into the compound of the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association, living among miners of various tribes; as the compound was visited by various chiefs, he once met the Queen Regent of Basutoland. In late 1941, Jongintaba visited Johannesburg—there forgiving Mandela for running away—before returning to Thembuland, where he died in the winter of 1942. After he passed his BA exams in early 1943, Mandela returned to Johannesburg to follow a political path as a lawyer rather than become a privy councillor in Thembuland. Early revolutionary activity Law studies and the ANC Youth League: 1943–1949 Mandela began studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was the only black African student and faced racism. There, he befriended liberal and communist European, Jewish and Indian students, among them Joe Slovo and Ruth First. Becoming increasingly politicised, Mandela marched in August 1943 in support of a successful bus boycott to reverse fare rises. Joining the ANC, he was increasingly influenced by Sisulu, spending time with other activists at Sisulu's Orlando house, including his old friend Oliver Tambo. In 1943, Mandela met Anton Lembede, an ANC member affiliated with the "Africanist" branch of African nationalism, which was virulently opposed to a racially united front against colonialism and imperialism or to an alliance with the communists. Despite his friendships with non-blacks and communists, Mandela embraced Lembede's views, believing that black Africans should be entirely independent in their struggle for political self-determination. Deciding on the need for a youth wing to mass-mobilise Africans in opposition to their subjugation, Mandela was among a delegation that approached ANC president Alfred Bitini Xuma on the subject at his home in Sophiatown; the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) was founded on Easter Sunday 1944 in the Bantu Men's Social Centre, with Lembede as president and Mandela as a member of its executive committee. At Sisulu's house, Mandela met Evelyn Mase, a trainee nurse and ANC activist from Engcobo, Transkei. Entering a relationship and marrying in October 1944, they initially lived with her relatives until moving into a rented house in the township of Orlando in early 1946. Their first child, Madiba "Thembi" Thembekile, was born in February 1945; a daughter, Makaziwe, was born in 1947 but died of meningitis nine months later. Mandela enjoyed home life, welcoming his mother and his sister, Leabie, to stay with him. In early 1947, his three years of articles ended at Witkin, Sidelsky and Eidelman, and he decided to become a full-time student, subsisting on loans from the Bantu Welfare Trust. In July 1947, Mandela rushed Lembede, who was ill, to hospital, where he died; he was succeeded as ANCYL president by the more moderate Peter Mda, who agreed to co-operate with communists and non-blacks, appointing Mandela ANCYL secretary. Mandela disagreed with Mda's approach, and in December 1947 supported an unsuccessful measure to expel communists from the ANCYL, considering their ideology un-African. In 1947, Mandela was elected to the executive committee of the ANC's Transvaal Province branch, serving under regional president C. S. Ramohanoe. When Ramohanoe acted against the wishes of the committee by co-operating with Indians and communists, Mandela was one of those who forced his resignation. In the South African general election in 1948, in which only whites were permitted to vote, the Afrikaner-dominated Herenigde Nasionale Party under Daniel François Malan took power, soon uniting with the Afrikaner Party to form the National Party. Openly racialist, the party codified and expanded racial segregation with new apartheid legislation. Gaining increasing influence in the ANC, Mandela and his party cadre allies began advocating direct action against apartheid, such as boycotts and strikes, influenced by the tactics already employed by South Africa's Indian community. Xuma did not support these measures and was removed from the presidency in a vote of no confidence, replaced by James Moroka and a more militant executive committee containing Sisulu, Mda, Tambo and Godfrey Pitje. Mandela later related that he and his colleagues had "guided the ANC to a more radical and revolutionary path." Having devoted his time to politics, Mandela failed his final year at Witwatersrand three times; he was ultimately denied his degree in December 1949. Defiance Campaign and Transvaal ANC Presidency: 1950–1954 Mandela took Xuma's place on the ANC national executive in March 1950, and that same year was elected national president of the ANCYL. In March, the Defend Free Speech Convention was held in Johannesburg, bringing together African, Indian and communist activists to call a May Day general strike in protest against apartheid and white minority rule. Mandela opposed the strike because it was multi-racial and not ANC-led, but a majority of black workers took part, resulting in increased police repression and the introduction of the Suppression of Communism Act, 1950, affecting the actions of all protest groups. At the ANC national conference of December 1951, he continued arguing against a racially united front, but was outvoted. Thereafter, Mandela rejected Lembede's Africanism and embraced the idea of a multi-racial front against apartheid. Influenced by friends like Moses Kotane and by the Soviet Union's support for wars of national liberation, his mistrust of communism broke down and he began reading literature by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Mao Zedong, eventually embracing the Marxist philosophy of dialectical materialism. Commenting on communism, he later stated that he "found [himself] strongly drawn to the idea of a classless society which, to [his] mind, was similar to traditional African culture where life was shared and communal." In April 1952, Mandela began work at the H.M. Basner law firm, which was owned by a communist, although his increasing commitment to work and activism meant he spent less time with his family. In 1952, the ANC began preparation for a joint Defiance Campaign against apartheid with Indian and communist groups, founding a National Voluntary Board to recruit volunteers. The campaign was designed to follow the path of nonviolent resistance influenced by Mahatma Gandhi; some supported this for ethical reasons, but Mandela instead considered it pragmatic. At a Durban rally on 22 June, Mandela addressed an assembled crowd of 10,000 people, initiating the campaign protests for which he was arrested and briefly interned in Marshall Square prison. These events established Mandela as one of the best-known black political figures in South Africa. With further protests, the ANC's membership grew from 20,000 to 100,000 members; the government responded with mass arrests and introduced the Public Safety Act, 1953 to permit martial law. In May, authorities banned Transvaal ANC president J. B. Marks from making public appearances; unable to maintain his position, he recommended Mandela as his successor. Although Africanists opposed his candidacy, Mandela was elected to be regional president in October. In July 1952, Mandela was arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act and stood trial as one of the 21 accused—among them Moroka, Sisulu and Yusuf Dadoo—in Johannesburg. Found guilty of "statutory communism", a term that the government used to describe most opposition to apartheid, their sentence of nine months' hard labour was suspended for two years. In December, Mandela was given a six-month ban from attending meetings or talking to more than one individual at a time, making his Transvaal ANC presidency impractical, and during this period the Defiance Campaign petered out. In September 1953, Andrew Kunene read out Mandela's "No Easy Walk to Freedom" speech at a Transvaal ANC meeting; the title was taken from a quote by Indian independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru, a seminal influence on Mandela's thought. The speech laid out a contingency plan for a scenario in which the ANC was banned. This Mandela Plan, or M-Plan, involved dividing the organisation into a cell structure with a more centralised leadership. Mandela obtained work as an attorney for the firm Terblanche and Briggish, before moving to the liberal-run Helman and Michel, passing qualification exams to become a full-fledged attorney. In August 1953, Mandela and Tambo opened their own law firm, Mandela and Tambo, operating in downtown Johannesburg. The only African-run law firm in the country, it was popular with aggrieved black people, often dealing with cases of police brutality. Disliked by the authorities, the firm was forced to relocate to a remote location after their office permit was removed under the Group Areas Act; as a result, their clientele dwindled. As a lawyer of aristocratic heritage, Mandela was part of Johannesburg's elite black middle-class, and accorded much respect from the black community. Although a second daughter, Makaziwe Phumia, was born in May 1954, Mandela's relationship with Evelyn became strained, and she accused him of adultery. He may have had affairs with ANC member Lillian Ngoyi and secretary Ruth Mompati; various individuals close to Mandela in this period have stated that the latter bore him a child. Disgusted by her son's behaviour, Nosekeni returned to Transkei, while Evelyn embraced the Jehovah's Witnesses and rejected Mandela's preoccupation with politics. Congress of the People and the Treason Trial: 1955–1961 After taking part in the unsuccessful protest to prevent the forced relocation of all black people from the Sophiatown suburb of Johannesburg in February 1955, Mandela concluded that violent action would prove necessary to end apartheid and white minority rule. On his advice, Sisulu requested weaponry from the People's Republic of China, which was denied. Although the Chinese government supported the anti-apartheid struggle, they believed the movement insufficiently prepared for guerrilla warfare. With the involvement of the South African Indian Congress, the Coloured People's Congress, the South African Congress of Trade Unions and the Congress of Democrats, the ANC planned a Congress of the People, calling on all South Africans to send in proposals for a post-apartheid era. Based on the responses, a Freedom Charter was drafted by Rusty Bernstein, calling for the creation of a democratic, non-racialist state with the nationalisation of major industry. The charter was adopted at a June 1955 conference in Kliptown, which was forcibly closed down by police. The tenets of the Freedom Charter remained important for Mandela, and in 1956 he described it as "an inspiration to the people of South Africa". Following the end of a second ban in September 1955, Mandela went on a working holiday to Transkei to discuss the implications of the Bantu Authorities Act, 1951 with local Xhosa chiefs, also visiting his mother and Noengland before proceeding to Cape Town. In March 1956, he received his third ban on public appearances, restricting him to Johannesburg for five years, but he often defied it. Mandela's marriage broke down and Evelyn left him, taking their children to live with her brother. Initiating divorce proceedings in May 1956, she claimed that Mandela had physically abused her; he denied the allegations and fought for custody of their children. She withdrew her petition of separation in November, but Mandela filed for divorce in January 1958; the divorce was finalised in March, with the children placed in Evelyn's care. During the divorce proceedings, he began courting a social worker, Winnie Madikizela, whom he married in Bizana in June 1958. She later became involved in ANC activities, spending several weeks in prison. Together they had two children: Zenani, born in February 1959, and Zindziswa (1960–2020). In December 1956, Mandela was arrested alongside most of the ANC national executive and accused of "high treason" against the state. Held in Johannesburg Prison amid mass protests, they underwent a preparatory examination before being granted bail. The defence's refutation began in January 1957, overseen by defence lawyer Vernon Berrangé, and continued until the case was adjourned in September. In January 1958, Oswald Pirow was appointed to prosecute the case, and in February the judge ruled that there was "sufficient reason" for the defendants to go on trial in the Transvaal Supreme Court. The formal Treason Trial began in Pretoria in August 1958, with the defendants successfully applying to have the three judges—all linked to the governing National Party—replaced. In August, one charge was dropped, and in October the prosecution withdrew its indictment, submitting a reformulated version in November which argued that the ANC leadership committed high treason by advocating violent revolution, a charge the defendants denied. In April 1959, Africanists dissatisfied with the ANC's united front approach founded the Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC); Mandela disagreed with the PAC's racially exclusionary views, describing them as "immature" and "naïve". Both parties took part in an anti-pass campaign in early 1960, in which Africans burned the passes that they were legally obliged to carry. One of the PAC-organised demonstrations was fired upon by police, resulting in the deaths of 69 protesters in the Sharpeville massacre. The incident brought international condemnation of the government and resulted in rioting throughout South Africa, with Mandela publicly burning his pass in solidarity. Responding to the unrest, the government implemented state of emergency measures, declaring martial law and banning the ANC and PAC; in March, they arrested Mandela and other activists, imprisoning them for five months without charge in the unsanitary conditions of the Pretoria Local prison. Imprisonment caused problems for Mandela and his co-defendants in the Treason Trial; their lawyers could not reach them, and so it was decided that the lawyers would withdraw in protest until the accused were freed from prison when the state of emergency was lifted in late August 1960. Over the following months, Mandela used his free time to organise an All-In African Conference near Pietermaritzburg, Natal, in March 1961, at which 1,400 anti-apartheid delegates met, agreeing on a stay-at-home strike to mark 31 May, the day South Africa became a republic. On 29 March 1961, six years after the Treason Trial began, the judges produced a verdict of not guilty, ruling that there was insufficient evidence to convict the accused of "high treason", since they had advocated neither communism nor violent revolution; the outcome embarrassed the government. MK, the SACP, and African tour: 1961–1962 Disguised as a chauffeur, Mandela travelled around the country incognito, organising the ANC's new cell structure and the planned mass stay-at-home strike. Referred to as the "Black Pimpernel" in the press—a reference to Emma Orczy's 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel—a warrant for his arrest was put out by the police. Mandela held secret meetings with reporters, and after the government failed to prevent the strike, he warned them that many anti-apartheid activists would soon resort to violence through groups like the PAC's Poqo. He believed that the ANC should form an armed group to channel some of this violence in a controlled direction, convincing both ANC leader Albert Luthuli—who was morally opposed to violence—and allied activist groups of its necessity. Inspired by the actions of Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement in the Cuban Revolution, in 1961 Mandela, Sisulu and Slovo co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe ("Spear of the Nation", abbreviated MK). Becoming chairman of the militant group, Mandela gained ideas from literature on guerrilla warfare by Marxist militants Mao and Che Guevara as well as from the military theorist Carl von Clausewitz. Although initially declared officially separate from the ANC so as not to taint the latter's reputation, MK was later widely recognised as the party's armed wing. Most early MK members were white communists who were able to conceal Mandela in their homes; after hiding in communist Wolfie Kodesh's flat in Berea, Mandela moved to the communist-owned Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia, there joined by Raymond Mhlaba, Slovo and Bernstein, who put together the MK constitution. Although in later life Mandela denied, for political reasons, ever being a member of the Communist Party, historical research published in 2011 strongly suggested that he had joined in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This was confirmed by both the SACP and the ANC after Mandela's death. According to the SACP, he was not only a member of the party, but also served on its Central Committee. Operating through a cell structure, MK planned to carry out acts of sabotage that would exert maximum pressure on the government with minimum casualties; they sought to bomb military installations, power plants, telephone lines, and transport links at night, when civilians were not present. Mandela stated that they chose sabotage because it was the least harmful action, did not involve killing, and offered the best hope for racial reconciliation afterwards; he nevertheless acknowledged that should this have failed then guerrilla warfare might have been necessary. Soon after ANC leader Luthuli was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, MK publicly announced its existence with 57 bombings on Dingane's Day (16 December) 1961, followed by further attacks on New Year's Eve. The ANC decided to send Mandela as a delegate to the February 1962 meeting of the Pan-African Freedom Movement for East, Central and Southern Africa (PAFMECSA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Leaving South Africa in secret via Bechuanaland, on his way Mandela visited Tanganyika and met with its president, Julius Nyerere. Arriving in Ethiopia, Mandela met with Emperor Haile Selassie I, and gave his speech after Selassie's at the conference. After the symposium, he travelled to Cairo, Egypt, admiring the political reforms of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and then went to Tunis, Tunisia, where President Habib Bourguiba gave him £5,000 for weaponry. He proceeded to Morocco, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Senegal, receiving funds from Liberian president William Tubman and Guinean president Ahmed Sékou Touré. He left Africa for London, England, where he met anti-apartheid activists, reporters and prominent politicians. Upon returning to Ethiopia, he began a six-month course in guerrilla warfare, but completed only two months before being recalled to South Africa by the ANC's leadership. Imprisonment Arrest and Rivonia trial: 1962–1964 On 5 August 1962, police captured Mandela along with fellow activist Cecil Williams near Howick. Many MK members suspected that the authorities had been tipped off with regard to Mandela's whereabouts, although Mandela himself gave these ideas little credence. In later years, Donald Rickard, a former American diplomat, revealed that the Central Intelligence Agency, which feared Mandela's associations with communists, had informed the South African police of his location. Jailed in Johannesburg's Marshall Square prison, Mandela was charged with inciting workers' strikes and leaving the country without permission. Representing himself with Slovo as legal advisor, Mandela intended to use the trial to showcase "the ANC's moral opposition to racism" while supporters demonstrated outside the court. Moved to Pretoria, where Winnie could visit him, he began correspondence studies for a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of London International Programmes. His hearing began in October, but he disrupted proceedings by wearing a traditional kaross, refusing to call any witnesses, and turning his plea of mitigation into a political speech. Found guilty, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment; as he left the courtroom, supporters sang "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika". On 11 July 1963, police raided Liliesleaf Farm, arresting those that they found there and uncovering paperwork documenting MK's activities, some of which mentioned Mandela. The Rivonia Trial began at Pretoria Supreme Court in October, with Mandela and his comrades charged with four counts of sabotage and conspiracy to violently overthrow the government; their chief prosecutor was Percy Yutar. Judge Quartus de Wet soon threw out the prosecution's case for insufficient evidence, but Yutar reformulated the charges, presenting his new case from December 1963 until February 1964, calling 173 witnesses and bringing thousands of documents and photographs to the trial. Although four of the accused denied involvement with MK, Mandela and the other five accused admitted sabotage but denied that they had ever agreed to initiate guerrilla war against the government. They used the trial to highlight their political cause; at the opening of the defence's proceedings, Mandela gave his three-hour "I Am Prepared to Die" speech. That speech—which was inspired by Castro's "History Will Absolve Me"—was widely reported in the press despite official censorship. The speech had been polished and edited by Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, a South African Jewish novelist, and British journalist Anthony Sampson, both of whom cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society, following Mandela’s direction. The trial gained international attention; there were global calls for the release of the accused from the United Nations and World Peace Council, while the University of London Union voted Mandela to its presidency. On 12 June 1964, justice De Wet found Mandela and two of his co-accused guilty on all four charges; although the prosecution had called for the death sentence to be applied, the judge instead condemned them to life imprisonment. Robben Island: 1964–1982 In 1964, Mandela and his co-accused were transferred from Pretoria to the prison on Robben Island, remaining there for the next 18 years. Isolated from non-political prisoners in Section B, Mandela was imprisoned in a damp concrete cell measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m), with a straw mat on which to sleep. Verbally and physically harassed by several white prison wardens, the Rivonia Trial prisoners spent their days breaking rocks into gravel, until being reassigned in January 1965 to work in a lime quarry. Mandela was initially forbidden to wear sunglasses, and the glare from the lime permanently damaged his eyesight. At night, he worked on his LLB degree, which he was obtaining from the University of London through a correspondence course with Wolsey Hall, Oxford, but newspapers were forbidden, and he was locked in solitary confinement on several occasions for the possession of smuggled news clippings. He was initially classified as the lowest grade of prisoner, Class D, meaning that he was permitted one visit and one letter every six months, although all mail was heavily censored. The political prisoners took part in work and hunger strikes—the latter considered largely ineffective by Mandela—to improve prison conditions, viewing this as a microcosm of the anti-apartheid struggle. ANC prisoners elected him to their four-man "High Organ" along with Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and Raymond Mhlaba, and he involved himself in a group, named Ulundi, that represented all political prisoners (including Eddie Daniels) on the island, through which he forged links with PAC and Yu Chi Chan Club members. Initiating the "University of Robben Island", whereby prisoners lectured on their own areas of expertise, he debated socio-political topics with his comrades. Though attending Christian Sunday services, Mandela studied Islam. He also studied Afrikaans, hoping to build a mutual respect with the warders and convert them to his cause. Various official visitors met with Mandela, most significantly the liberal parliamentary representative Helen Suzman of the Progressive Party, who championed Mandela's cause outside of prison. In September 1970, he met British Labour Party politician Denis Healey. South African Minister of Justice Jimmy Kruger visited in December 1974, but he and Mandela did not get along with each other. His mother visited in 1968, dying shortly after, and his firstborn son Thembi died in a car accident the following year; Mandela was forbidden from attending either funeral. His wife was rarely able to see him, being regularly imprisoned for political activity, and his daughters first visited in December 1975. Winnie was released from prison in 1977 but was forcibly settled in Brandfort and remained unable to see him. From 1967 onwards, prison conditions improved. Black prisoners were given trousers rather than shorts, games were permitted, and the standard of their food was raised. In 1969, an escape plan for Mandela was developed by Gordon Bruce, but it was abandoned after the conspiracy was infiltrated by an agent of the South African Bureau of State Security (BOSS), who hoped to see Mandela shot during the escape. In 1970, Commander Piet Badenhorst became commanding officer. Mandela, seeing an increase in the physical and mental abuse of prisoners, complained to visiting judges, who had Badenhorst reassigned. He was replaced by Commander Willie Willemse, who developed a co-operative relationship with Mandela and was keen to improve prison standards. By 1975, Mandela had become a Class A prisoner, which allowed him greater numbers of visits and letters. He corresponded with anti-apartheid activists like Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Desmond Tutu, and wrote to Albert Luthuli's widow Nokukhanya Bhengu to offer his condolences when he died. Also in 1975, he began his autobiography, which was smuggled to London, but remained unpublished at the time; prison authorities discovered several pages, and his LLB study privileges were revoked for four years. Instead, he devoted his spare time to gardening and reading until the authorities permitted him to resume his LLB degree studies in 1980. By the late 1960s, Mandela's fame had been eclipsed by Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM). Seeing the ANC as ineffectual, the BCM called for militant action, but, following the Soweto uprising of 1976, many BCM activists were imprisoned on Robben Island. Mandela tried to build a relationship with these young radicals, although he was critical of their racialism and contempt for white anti-apartheid activists. Renewed international interest in his plight came in July 1978, when he celebrated his 60th birthday. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Lesotho, the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in India in 1979, and the Freedom of the City of Glasgow, Scotland in 1981. In March 1980, the slogan "Free Mandela!" was developed by journalist Percy Qoboza, sparking an international campaign that led the UN Security Council to call for his release. Despite increasing foreign pressure, the government refused, relying on its Cold War allies US president Ronald Reagan and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher; both considered Mandela's ANC a terrorist organisation sympathetic to communism and supported its suppression. Pollsmoor Prison: 1982–1988 In April 1982, Mandela was transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Tokai, Cape Town, along with senior ANC leaders Walter Sisulu, Andrew Mlangeni, Ahmed Kathrada and Raymond Mhlaba; they believed that they were being isolated to remove their influence on younger activists at Robben Island. Conditions at Pollsmoor were better than at Robben Island, although Mandela missed the camaraderie and scenery of the island. Getting on well with Pollsmoor's commanding officer, Brigadier Munro, Mandela was permitted to create a roof garden; he also read voraciously and corresponded widely, now being permitted 52 letters a year. He was appointed patron of the multi-racial United Democratic Front (UDF), founded to combat reforms implemented by South African president P. W. Botha. Botha's National Party government had permitted Coloured and Indian citizens to vote for their own parliaments, which had control over education, health and housing, but black Africans were excluded from the system. Like Mandela, the UDF saw this as an attempt to divide the anti-apartheid movement on racial lines. The early 1980s witnessed an escalation of violence across the country, and many predicted civil war. This was accompanied by economic stagnation as various multinational banks—under pressure from an international lobby—had stopped investing in South Africa. Numerous banks and Thatcher asked Botha to release Mandela—then at the height of his international fame—to defuse the volatile situation. Although considering Mandela a dangerous "arch-Marxist", Botha offered him, in February 1985, a release from prison if he "unconditionally rejected violence as a political weapon". Mandela spurned the offer, releasing a statement through his daughter Zindzi stating, "What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people [ANC] remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts." In 1985, Mandela underwent surgery on an enlarged prostate gland before being given new solitary quarters on the ground floor. He was met by an international delegation sent to negotiate a settlement, but Botha's government refused to co-operate, calling a state of emergency in June and initiating a police crackdown on unrest. The anti-apartheid resistance fought back, with the ANC committing 231 attacks in 1986 and 235 in 1987. The violence escalated as the government used the army and police to combat the resistance and provided covert support for vigilante groups and the Zulu nationalist movement Inkatha, which was involved in an increasingly violent struggle with the ANC. Mandela requested talks with Botha but was denied, instead secretly meeting with Minister of Justice Kobie Coetsee in 1987, and having a further 11 meetings over the next three years. Coetsee organised negotiations between Mandela and a team of four government figures starting in May 1988; the team agreed to the release of political prisoners and the legalisation of the ANC on the condition that they permanently renounce violence, break links with the Communist Party, and not insist on majority rule. Mandela rejected these conditions, insisting that the ANC would end its armed activities only when the government renounced violence. Mandela's 70th birthday in July 1988 attracted international attention, including a tribute concert at London's Wembley Stadium that was televised and watched by an estimated 200 million viewers. Although presented globally as a heroic figure, he faced personal problems when ANC leaders informed him that Winnie had set herself up as head of a gang, the "Mandela United Football Club", which had been responsible for torturing and killing opponents—including children—in Soweto. Though some encouraged him to divorce her, he decided to remain loyal until she was found guilty by trial. Victor Verster Prison and release: 1988–1990 Recovering from tuberculosis exacerbated by the damp conditions in his cell, Mandela was moved to Victor Verster Prison, near Paarl, in December 1988. He was housed in the relative comfort of a warder's house with a personal cook, and he used the time to complete his LLB degree. While there, he was permitted many visitors and organised secret communications with exiled ANC leader Oliver Tambo. In 1989, Botha suffered a stroke; although he retained the state presidency, he stepped down as leader of the National Party, to be replaced by F. W. de Klerk. In a surprise move, Botha invited Mandela to a meeting over tea in July 1989, an invitation Mandela considered genial. Botha was replaced as state president by de Klerk six weeks later; the new president believed that apartheid was unsustainable and released a number of ANC prisoners. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, de Klerk called his cabinet together to debate legalising the ANC and freeing Mandela. Although some were deeply opposed to his plans, de Klerk met with Mandela in December to discuss the situation, a meeting both men considered friendly, before legalising all formerly banned political parties in February 1990 and announcing Mandela's unconditional release. Shortly thereafter, for the first time in 20 years, photographs of Mandela were allowed to be published in South Africa. Leaving Victor Verster Prison on 11 February, Mandela held Winnie's hand in front of amassed crowds and the press; the event was broadcast live across the world. Driven to Cape Town's City Hall through crowds, he gave a speech declaring his commitment to peace and reconciliation with the white minority, but he made it clear that the ANC's armed struggle was not over and would continue as "a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid". He expressed hope that the government would agree to negotiations, so that "there may no longer be the need for the armed struggle", and insisted that his main focus was to bring peace to the black majority and give them the right to vote in national and local elections. Staying at Tutu's home, in the following days Mandela met with friends, activists, and press, giving a speech to an estimated 100,000 people at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium. End of apartheid and elections Early negotiations: 1990–1991 Mandela proceeded on an African tour, meeting supporters and politicians in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Libya and Algeria, and continuing to Sweden, where he was reunited with Tambo, and London, where he appeared at the Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa concert at Wembley Stadium. Encouraging foreign countries to support sanctions against the apartheid government, he met President François Mitterrand in France, Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, and Thatcher in the United Kingdom. In the United States, he met President George H. W. Bush, addressed both Houses of Congress and visited eight cities, being particularly popular among the African American community. In Cuba, he became friends with President Castro, whom he had long admired. He met President R. Venkataraman in India, President Suharto in Indonesia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in Malaysia, and Prime Minister Bob Hawke in Australia. He visited Japan, but not the Soviet Union, a longtime ANC supporter. In May 1990, Mandela led a multiracial ANC delegation into preliminary negotiations with a government delegation of 11 Afrikaner men. Mandela impressed them with his discussions of Afrikaner history, and the negotiations led to the Groot Schuur Minute, in which the government lifted the state of emergency. In August, Mandela—recognising the ANC's severe military disadvantage—offered a ceasefire, the Pretoria Minute, for which he was widely criticised by MK activists. He spent much time trying to unify and build the ANC, appearing at a Johannesburg conference in December attended by 1,600 delegates, many of whom found him more moderate than expected. At the ANC's July 1991 national conference in Durban, Mandela admitted that the party had faults and wanted to build a task force for securing majority rule. At the conference, he was elected ANC President, replacing the ailing Tambo, and a 50-strong multiracial, mixed gendered national executive was elected. Mandela was given an office in the newly purchased ANC headquarters at Shell House, Johannesburg, and moved into Winnie's large Soweto home. Their marriage was increasingly strained as he learned of her affair with Dali Mpofu, but he supported her during her trial for kidnapping and assault. He gained funding for her defence from the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa and from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, but, in June 1991, she was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison, reduced to two on appeal. On 13 April 1992, Mandela publicly announced his separation from Winnie. The ANC forced her to step down from the national executive for misappropriating ANC funds; Mandela moved into the mostly white Johannesburg suburb of Houghton. Mandela's prospects for a peaceful transition were further damaged by an increase in "black-on-black" violence, particularly between ANC and Inkatha supporters in KwaZulu-Natal, which resulted in thousands of deaths. Mandela met with Inkatha leader Buthelezi, but the ANC prevented further negotiations on the issue. Mandela argued that there was a "third force" within the state intelligence services fuelling the "slaughter of the people" and openly blamed de Klerk—whom he increasingly distrusted—for the Sebokeng massacre. In September 1991, a national peace conference was held in Johannesburg at which Mandela, Buthelezi and de Klerk signed a peace accord, though the violence continued. CODESA talks: 1991–1992 The Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) began in December 1991 at the Johannesburg World Trade Centre, attended by 228 delegates from 19 political parties. Although Cyril Ramaphosa led the ANC's delegation, Mandela remained a key figure. After de Klerk used the closing speech to condemn the ANC's violence, Mandela took to the stage to denounce de Klerk as the "head of an illegitimate, discredited minority regime". Dominated by the National Party and ANC, little negotiation was achieved. CODESA 2 was held in May 1992, at which de Klerk insisted that post-apartheid South Africa must use a federal system with a rotating presidency to ensure the protection of ethnic minorities; Mandela opposed this, demanding a unitary system governed by majority rule. Following the Boipatong massacre of ANC activists by government-aided Inkatha militants, Mandela called off the negotiations, before attending a meeting of the Organisation of African Unity in Senegal, at which he called for a special session of the UN Security Council and proposed that a UN peacekeeping force be stationed in South Africa to prevent "state terrorism". Calling for domestic mass action, in August the ANC organised the largest-ever strike in South African history, and supporters marched on Pretoria. Following the Bisho massacre, in which 28 ANC supporters and one soldier were shot dead by the Ciskei Defence Force during a protest march, Mandela realised that mass action was leading to further violence and resumed negotiations in September. He agreed to do so on the conditions that all political prisoners be released, that Zulu traditional weapons be banned, and that Zulu hostels would be fenced off; de Klerk reluctantly agreed. The negotiations agreed that a multiracial general election would be held, resulting in a five-year coalition government of national unity and a constitutional assembly that gave the National Party continuing influence. The ANC also conceded to safeguarding the jobs of white civil servants; such concessions brought fierce internal criticism. The duo agreed on an interim constitution based on a liberal democratic model, guaranteeing separation of powers, creating a constitutional court, and including a US-style bill of rights; it also divided the country into nine provinces, each with its own premier and civil service, a concession between de Klerk's desire for federalism and Mandela's for unitary government. The democratic process was threatened by the Concerned South Africans Group (COSAG), an alliance of black ethnic-secessionist groups like Inkatha and far-right Afrikaner parties; in June 1993, one of the latter—the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB)—attacked the Kempton Park World Trade Centre. Following the murder of ANC activist Chris Hani, Mandela made a publicised speech to calm rioting, soon after appearing at a mass funeral in Soweto for Tambo, who had died of a stroke. In July 1993, both Mandela and de Klerk visited the United States, independently meeting President Bill Clinton, and each receiving the Liberty Medal. Soon after, Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Influenced by Thabo Mbeki, Mandela began meeting with big business figures, and he played down his support for nationalisation, fearing that he would scare away much-needed foreign investment. Although criticised by socialist ANC members, he had been encouraged to embrace private enterprise by members of the Chinese and Vietnamese Communist parties at the January 1992 World Economic Forum in Switzerland. General election: 1994 With the election set for 27 April 1994, the ANC began campaigning, opening 100 election offices and orchestrating People's Forums across the country at which Mandela could appear, as a popular figure with great status among black South Africans. The ANC campaigned on a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) to build a million houses in five years, introduce universal free education and extend access to water and electricity. The party's slogan was "a better life for all", although it was not explained how this development would be funded. With the exception of the Weekly Mail and the New Nation, South Africa's press opposed Mandela's election, fearing continued ethnic strife, instead supporting the National or Democratic Party. Mandela devoted much time to fundraising for the ANC, touring North America, Europe and Asia to meet wealthy donors, including former supporters of the apartheid regime. He also urged a reduction in the voting age from 18 to 14; rejected by the ANC, this policy became the subject of ridicule. Concerned that COSAG would undermine the election, particularly in the wake of the conflict in Bophuthatswana and the Shell House massacre—incidents of violence involving the AWB and Inkatha, respectively—Mandela met with Afrikaner politicians and generals, including P. W. Botha, Pik Botha and Constand Viljoen, persuading many to work within the democratic system. With de Klerk, he also convinced Inkatha's Buthelezi to enter the elections rather than launch a war of secession. As leaders of the two major parties, de Klerk and Mandela appeared on a televised debate; Mandela's offer to shake his hand surprised him, leading some commentators to deem it a victory for Mandela. The election went ahead with little violence, although an AWB cell killed 20 with car bombs. As widely expected, the ANC won a sweeping victory, taking 63% of the vote, just short of the two-thirds majority needed to unilaterally change the constitution. The ANC was also victorious in seven provinces, with Inkatha and the National Party each taking one. Mandela voted at the Ohlange High School in Durban, and though the ANC's victory assured his election as president, he publicly accepted that the election had been marred by instances of fraud and sabotage. Presidency of South Africa: 1994–1999 The newly elected National Assembly's first act was to formally elect Mandela as South Africa's first black chief executive. His inauguration took place in Pretoria on 10 May 1994, televised to a billion viewers globally. The event was attended by four thousand guests, including world leaders from a wide range of geographic and ideological backgrounds. Mandela headed a Government of National Unity dominated by the ANC—which had no experience of governing by itself—but containing representatives from the National Party and Inkatha. Under the Interim Constitution, Inkatha and the National Party were entitled to seats in the government by virtue of winning at least 20 seats. In keeping with earlier agreements, both de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki were given the position of Deputy President. Although Mbeki had not been his first choice for the job, Mandela grew to rely heavily on him throughout his presidency, allowing him to shape policy details. Moving into the presidential office at Tuynhuys in Cape Town, Mandela allowed de Klerk to retain the presidential residence in the Groote Schuur estate, instead settling into the nearby Westbrooke manor, which he renamed "Genadendal", meaning "Valley of Mercy" in Afrikaans. Retaining his Houghton home, he also had a house built in his home village of Qunu, which he visited regularly, meeting with locals, and judging tribal disputes. Aged 76, he faced various ailments, and although exhibiting continued energy, he felt isolated and lonely. He often entertained celebrities, such as Michael Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg and the Spice Girls, and befriended ultra-rich businessmen, like Harry Oppenheimer of Anglo American. He also met with Queen Elizabeth II on her March 1995 state visit to South Africa, which earned him strong criticism from ANC anti-capitalists. Despite his opulent surroundings, Mandela lived simply, donating a third of his R 552,000 annual income to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, which he had founded in 1995. Although dismantling press censorship, speaking out in favour of freedom of the press and befriending many journalists, Mandela was critical of much of the country's media, noting that it was overwhelmingly owned and run by middle-class whites and believing that it focused too heavily on scaremongering about crime. In December 1994, Mandela published Long Walk to Freedom, an autobiography based around a manuscript he had written in prison, augmented by interviews conducted with American journalist Richard Stengel. In late 1994, he attended the 49th conference of the ANC in Bloemfontein, at which a more militant national executive was elected, among them Winnie Mandela; although she expressed an interest in reconciling, Nelson initiated divorce proceedings in August 1995. By 1995, he had entered into a relationship with Graça Machel, a Mozambican political activist 27 years his junior who was the widow of former president Samora Machel. They had first met in July 1990 when she was still in mourning, but their friendship grew into a partnership, with Machel accompanying him on many of his foreign visits. She turned down Mandela's first marriage proposal, wanting to retain some independence and dividing her time between Mozambique and Johannesburg. National reconciliation Presiding over the transition from apartheid minority rule to a multicultural democracy, Mandela saw national reconciliation as the primary task of his presidency. Having seen other post-colonial African economies damaged by the departure of white elites, Mandela worked to reassure South Africa's white population that they were protected and represented in "the Rainbow Nation". Although his Government of National Unity would be dominated by the ANC, he attempted to create a broad coalition by appointing de Klerk as Deputy President and appointing other National Party officials as ministers for Agriculture, Environment, and Minerals and Energy, as well as naming Buthelezi as Minister for Home Affairs. The other cabinet positions were taken by ANC members, many of whom—like Joe Modise, Alfred Nzo, Joe Slovo, Mac Maharaj and Dullah Omar—had long been comrades of Mandela, although others, such as Tito Mboweni and Jeff Radebe, were far younger. Mandela's relationship with de Klerk was strained; Mandela thought that de Klerk was intentionally provocative, and de Klerk felt that he was being intentionally humiliated by the president. In January 1995, Mandela heavily chastised de Klerk for awarding amnesty to 3,500 police officers just before the election, and later criticised him for defending former Minister of Defence Magnus Malan when the latter was charged with murder. Mandela personally met with senior figures of the apartheid regime, including lawyer Percy Yutar and Hendrik Verwoerd's widow, Betsie Schoombie, also laying a wreath by the statue of Afrikaner hero Daniel Theron. Emphasising personal forgiveness and reconciliation, he announced that "courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace." He encouraged black South Africans to get behind the previously hated national rugby team, the Springboks, as South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Mandela wore a Springbok shirt at the final against New Zealand, and after the Springboks won the match, Mandela presented the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar, an Afrikaner. This was widely seen as a major step in the reconciliation of white and black South Africans; as de Klerk later put it, "Mandela won the hearts of millions of white rugby fans." Mandela's efforts at reconciliation assuaged the fears of white people, but also drew criticism from more militant black people. Among the latter was his estranged wife, Winnie, who accused the ANC of being more interested in appeasing the white community than in helping the black majority. Mandela oversaw the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate crimes committed under apartheid by both the government and the ANC, appointing Tutu as its chair. To prevent the creation of martyrs, the commission granted individual amnesties in exchange for testimony of crimes committed during the apartheid era. Dedicated in February 1996, it held two years of hearings detailing rapes, torture, bombings and assassinations before issuing its final report in October 1998. Both de Klerk and Mbeki appealed to have parts of the report suppressed, though only de Klerk's appeal was successful. Mandela praised the commission's work, stating that it "had helped us move away from the past to concentrate on the present and the future". Domestic programmes Mandela's administration inherited a country with a huge disparity in wealth and services between white and black communities. Of a population of 40 million, around 23 million lacked electricity or adequate sanitation, and 12 million lacked clean water supplies, with 2 million children not in school and a third of the population illiterate. There was 33% unemployment, and just under half of the population lived below the poverty line. Government financial reserves were nearly depleted, with a fifth of the national budget being spent on debt repayment, meaning that the extent of the promised Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) was scaled back, with none of the proposed nationalisation or job creation. In 1996, the RDP was replaced with a new policy, Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR), which maintained South Africa's mixed economy but placed an emphasis on economic growth through a framework of market economics and the encouragement of foreign investment; many in the ANC derided it as a neo-liberal policy that did not address social inequality, no matter how Mandela defended it. In adopting this approach, Mandela's government adhered to the "Washington consensus" advocated by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Under Mandela's presidency, welfare spending increased by 13% in 1996/97, 13% in 1997/98, and 7% in 1998/99. The government introduced parity in grants for communities, including disability grants, child maintenance grants and old-age pensions, which had previously been set at different levels for South Africa's different racial groups. In 1994, free healthcare was introduced for children under six and pregnant women, a provision extended to all those using primary level public sector health care services in 1996. By the 1999 election, the ANC could boast that due to their policies, 3 million people were connected to telephone lines, 1.5 million children were brought into the education system, 500 clinics were upgraded or constructed, 2 million people were connected to the electricity grid, water access was extended to 3 million people, and 750,000 houses were constructed, housing nearly 3 million people. The Land Reform Act 3 of 1996 safeguarded the rights of labour tenants living on farms where they grew crops or grazed livestock. This legislation ensured that such tenants could not be evicted without a court order or if they were over the age of 65. Recognising that arms manufacturing was a key industry for the South African economy, Mandela endorsed the trade in weapons but brought in tighter regulations surrounding Armscor to ensure that South African weaponry was not sold to authoritarian regimes. Under Mandela's administration, tourism was increasingly promoted, becoming a major sector of the South African economy. Critics like Edwin Cameron accused Mandela's government of doing little to stem the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country; by 1999, 10% of South Africa's population were HIV positive. Mandela later admitted that he had personally neglected the issue, in part due to public reticence in discussing issues surrounding sex in South Africa, and that he had instead left the issue for Mbeki to deal with. Mandela also received criticism for failing to sufficiently combat crime; South Africa had one of the world's highest crime rates, and the activities of international crime syndicates in the country grew significantly throughout the decade. Mandela's administration was also perceived as having failed to deal with the problem of corruption. Further problems were caused by the exodus of thousands of skilled white South Africans from the country, who were escaping the increasing crime rates, higher taxes and the impact of positive discrimination toward black people in employment. This exodus resulted in a brain drain, and Mandela criticised those who left. At the same time, South Africa experienced an influx of millions of illegal migrants from poorer parts of Africa; although public opinion toward these illegal immigrants was generally unfavourable, characterising them as disease-spreading criminals who were a drain on resources, Mandela called on South Africans to embrace them as "brothers and sisters". Foreign affairs Mandela expressed the view that "South Africa's future foreign relations [should] be based on our belief that human rights should be the core of international relations". Following the South African example, Mandela encouraged other nations to resolve conflicts through diplomacy and reconciliation. In September 1998, Mandela was appointed secretary-general of the Non-Aligned Movement, who held their annual conference in Durban. He used the event to criticise the "narrow, chauvinistic interests" of the Israeli government in stalling negotiations to end the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and urged India and Pakistan to negotiate to end the Kashmir conflict, for which he was criticised by both Israel and India. Inspired by the region's economic boom, Mandela sought greater economic relations with East Asia, in particular with Malaysia, although this was prevented by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He extended diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China (PRC), who were growing as an economic force, and initially also to Taiwan, who were already longstanding investors in the South African economy. However, under pressure from the PRC, he cut recognition of Taiwan in November 1996, and he paid an official visit to Beijing in May 1999. Mandela attracted controversy for his close relationship with Indonesian president Suharto, whose regime was responsible for mass human rights abuses, although on a July 1997 visit to Indonesia he privately urged Suharto to withdraw from the occupation of East Timor. He also faced similar criticism from the West for his government's trade links to Syria, Cuba and Libya and for his personal friendships with Castro and Gaddafi. Castro visited South Africa in 1998 to widespread popular acclaim, and Mandela met Gaddafi in Libya to award him the Order of Good Hope. When Western governments and media criticised these visits, Mandela lambasted such criticism as having racist undertones, and stated that "the enemies of countries in the West are not our enemies." Mandela hoped to resolve the long-running dispute between Libya and the United States and Britain over bringing to trial the two Libyans, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Lamin Khalifah Fhimah, who were indicted in November 1991 and accused of sabotaging Pan Am Flight 103. Mandela proposed that they be tried in a third country, which was agreed to by all parties; governed by Scots law, the trial was held at Camp Zeist in the Netherlands in April 1999, and found one of the two men guilty. Mandela echoed Mbeki's calls for an "African Renaissance", and he was greatly concerned with issues on the continent. He took a soft diplomatic approach to removing Sani Abacha's military junta in Nigeria but later became a leading figure in calling for sanctions when Abacha's regime increased human rights violations. In 1996, he was appointed chairman of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and initiated unsuccessful negotiations to end the First Congo War in Zaire. He also played a key role as a mediator in the ethnic conflict between Tutsi and Hutu political groups in the Burundian Civil War, helping to initiate a settlement which brought increased stability to the country but did not end the ethnic violence. In South Africa's first post-apartheid military operation, troops were ordered into Lesotho in September 1998 to protect the government of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili after a disputed election had prompted opposition uprisings. The action was not authorised by Mandela himself, who was out of the country at the time, but by Buthelezi, who was serving as acting president during Mandela's absence, with the approval of Mandela and Mbeki. Withdrawing from politics The new Constitution of South Africa was agreed upon by parliament in May 1996, enshrining a series of institutions to place checks on political and administrative authority within a constitutional democracy. De Klerk opposed the implementation of this constitution, and that month he and the National Party withdrew from the coalition government in protest, claiming that the ANC were not treating them as equals. The ANC took over the cabinet positions formerly held by the Nationals, with Mbeki becoming sole Deputy President. Inkatha remained part of the coalition, and when both Mandela and Mbeki were out of the country in September 1998, Buthelezi was appointed "Acting President", marking an improvement in his relationship with Mandela. Although Mandela had often governed decisively in his first two years as president, he had subsequently increasingly delegated duties to Mbeki, retaining only a close personal supervision of intelligence and security measures. During a 1997 visit to London, he said that "the ruler of South Africa, the de facto ruler, is Thabo Mbeki" and that he was "shifting everything to him". Mandela stepped down as ANC President at the party's December 1997 conference. He hoped that Ramaphosa would succeed him, believing Mbeki to be too inflexible and intolerant of criticism, but the ANC elected Mbeki regardless. Mandela and the Executive supported Jacob Zuma, a Zulu who had been imprisoned on Robben Island, as Mbeki's replacement for Deputy President. Zuma's candidacy was challenged by Winnie, whose populist rhetoric had gained her a strong following within the party, although Zuma defeated her in a landslide victory vote at the election. Mandela's relationship with Machel had intensified; in February 1998, he publicly stated that he was "in love with a remarkable lady", and under pressure from Tutu, who urged him to set an example for young people, he organised a wedding for his 80th birthday, in July that year. The following day, he held a grand party with many foreign dignitaries. Although the 1996 constitution allowed the president to serve two consecutive five-year terms, Mandela had never planned to stand for a second term in office. He gave his farewell speech to Parliament on 29 March 1999 when it adjourned prior to the 1999 general elections, after which he retired. Although opinion polls in South Africa showed wavering support for both the ANC and the government, Mandela himself remained highly popular, with 80% of South Africans polled in 1999 expressing satisfaction with his performance as president. Post-presidency and final years Continued activism and philanthropy: 1999–2004 Retiring in June 1999, Mandela aimed to lead a quiet family life, divided between Johannesburg and Qunu. Although he set about authoring a sequel to his first autobiography, to be titled The Presidential Years, it remained unfinished and was only published posthumously in 2017. Mandela found such seclusion difficult and reverted to a busy public life involving a daily programme of tasks, meetings with world leaders and celebrities, and—when in Johannesburg—working with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, founded in 1999 to focus on rural development, school construction, and combating HIV/AIDS. Although he had been heavily criticised for failing to do enough to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic during his presidency, he devoted much of his time to the issue following his retirement, describing it as "a war" that had killed more than "all previous wars"; affiliating himself with the Treatment Action Campaign, he urged Mbeki's government to ensure that HIV-positive South Africans had access to anti-retrovirals. Meanwhile, Mandela was successfully treated for prostate cancer in July 2001. In 2002, Mandela inaugurated the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, and in 2003 the Mandela Rhodes Foundation was created at Rhodes House, University of Oxford, to provide postgraduate scholarships to African students. These projects were followed by the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and the 46664 campaign against HIV/AIDS. He gave the closing address at the XIII International AIDS Conference in Durban in 2000, and in 2004, spoke at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, calling for greater measures to tackle tuberculosis as well as HIV/AIDS. Mandela publicised AIDS as the cause of his son Makgatho's death in January 2005, to defy the stigma about discussing the disease. Publicly, Mandela became more vocal in criticising Western powers. He strongly opposed the 1999 NATO intervention in Kosovo and called it an attempt by the world's powerful nations to police the entire world. In 2003, he spoke out against the plans for the United States to launch a war in Iraq, describing it as "a tragedy" and lambasting US president George W. Bush and British prime minister Tony Blair (whom he referred to as an "American foreign minister") for undermining the UN, saying, "All that (Mr. Bush) wants is Iraqi oil". He attacked the United States more generally, asserting that "If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America", citing the atomic bombing of Japan; this attracted international controversy, although he later improved his relationship with Bush. Retaining an interest in the Lockerbie suspect, he visited Megrahi in Barlinnie prison and spoke out against the conditions of his treatment, referring to them as "psychological persecution". "Retiring from retirement": 2004–2013 In June 2004, aged 85 and amid failing health, Mandela announced that he was "retiring from retirement" and retreating from public life, remarking, "Don't call me, I will call you." Although continuing to meet with close friends and family, the foundation discouraged invitations for him to appear at public events and denied most interview requests. He retained some involvement in international affairs. In 2005, he founded the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust, travelling to the United States to speak before the Brookings Institution and the NAACP on the need for economic assistance to Africa. He spoke with US senator Hillary Clinton and President George W. Bush and first met the then-senator Barack Obama. Mandela also encouraged Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe to resign over growing human rights abuses in the country. When this proved ineffective, he spoke out publicly against Mugabe in 2007, asking him to step down "with residual respect and a modicum of dignity". That year, Mandela, Machel and Desmond Tutu convened a group of world leaders in Johannesburg to contribute their wisdom and independent leadership to some of the world's toughest problems. Mandela announced the formation of this new group, The Elders, in a speech delivered on his 89th birthday. Mandela's 90th birthday was marked across the country on 18 July 2008; a tribute concert was held in Hyde Park, London. Throughout Mbeki's presidency, Mandela continued to support the ANC, usually overshadowing Mbeki at any public events that the two attended. Mandela was more at ease with Mbeki's successor, Zuma, although the Nelson Mandela Foundation was upset when his grandson, Mandla Mandela, flew him out to the Eastern Cape to attend a pro-Zuma rally in the midst of a storm in 2009. In 2004, Mandela successfully campaigned for South Africa to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, declaring that there would be "few better gifts for us" in the year marking a decade since the fall of apartheid. Despite maintaining a low profile during the event due to ill health, Mandela made his final public appearance during the World Cup closing ceremony, where he received much applause. Between 2005 and 2013, Mandela, and later his family, were embroiled in a series of legal disputes regarding money held in family trusts for the benefit of his descendants. In mid-2013, as Mandela was hospitalised for a lung infection in Pretoria, his descendants were involved in an intra-family legal dispute relating to the burial place of Mandela's children, and ultimately Mandela himself. Illness and death: 2011–2013 In February 2011, Mandela was briefly hospitalised with a respiratory infection, attracting international attention, before being re-admitted for a lung infection and gallstone removal in December 2012. After a successful medical procedure in early March 2013, his lung infection recurred and he was briefly hospitalised in Pretoria. In June 2013, his lung infection worsened and he was readmitted to a Pretoria hospital in serious condition. The Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba visited Mandela at the hospital and prayed with Machel, while Zuma cancelled a trip to Mozambique to visit him the following day. In September 2013, Mandela was discharged from hospital, although his condition remained unstable. After suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection, Mandela died on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95, at around 20:50 local time at his home in Houghton, surrounded by his family. Zuma publicly announced his death on television, proclaiming ten days of national mourning, a memorial service held at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on 10 December 2013, and 8 December as a national day of prayer and reflection. Mandela's body lay in state from 11 to 13 December at the Union Buildings in Pretoria and a state funeral was held on 15 December in Qunu. Approximately 90 representatives of foreign states travelled to South Africa to attend memorial events. It was later revealed that 300 million rand (about 20 million dollars) originally earmarked for humanitarian development projects had been redirected to finance the funeral. The media was awash with tributes and reminiscences, while images of tributes to Mandela proliferated across social media. His US$4.1 million estate was left to his widow, other family members, staff, and educational institutions. Political ideology Mandela identified as both an African nationalist, an ideological position he held since joining the ANC, and as a socialist. He was a practical politician, rather than an intellectual scholar or political theorist. According to biographer Tom Lodge, "for Mandela, politics has always been primarily about enacting stories, about making narratives, primarily about morally exemplary conduct, and only secondarily about ideological vision, more about means rather than ends." The historian Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni described Mandela as a "liberal African nationalist–decolonial humanist", while political analyst Raymond Suttner cautioned against labelling Mandela a liberal and stated that Mandela displayed a "hybrid socio-political make-up". Mandela adopted some of his political ideas from other thinkers—among them Indian independence leaders like Gandhi and Nehru, African American civil rights activists, and African nationalists like Nkrumah—and applied them to the South African situation. At the same time, he rejected other aspects of their thought, such as the anti-white sentiment of many African nationalists. In doing so he synthesised both counter-cultural and hegemonic views, for instance by drawing upon ideas from the then-dominant Afrikaner nationalism in promoting his anti-apartheid vision. His political development was strongly influenced by his legal training and practice, in particular his hope to achieve change not through violence but through "legal revolution". Over the course of his life, he began by advocating a path of non-violence, later embracing violence, and then adopting a non-violent approach to negotiation and reconciliation. When endorsing violence, he did so because he saw no alternative, and was always pragmatic about it, perceiving it as a means to get his opponent to the negotiating table. He sought to target symbols of white supremacy and racist oppression rather than white people as individuals and was anxious not to inaugurate a race war in South Africa. This willingness to use violence distinguishes Mandela from the ideology of Gandhism, with which some commentators have sought to associate him. Democracy Although he presented himself in an autocratic manner in several speeches, Mandela was a devout believer in democracy and abided by majority decisions even when deeply disagreeing with them. He had exhibited a commitment to the values of democracy and human rights since at least the 1960s. He held a conviction that "inclusivity, accountability and freedom of speech" were the fundamentals of democracy, and was driven by a belief in natural and human rights. Suttner argued that there were "two modes of leadership" that Mandela adopted. On one side he adhered to ideas about collective leadership, although on the other believed that there were scenarios in which a leader had to be decisive and act without consultation to achieve a particular objective. According to Lodge, Mandela's political thought reflected tensions between his support for liberal democracy and pre-colonial African forms of consensus decision making. He was an admirer of British-style parliamentary democracy, stating that, "I regard the British Parliament as the most democratic institution in the world, and the independence and impartiality of its judiciary never fail to arouse my admiration." In this he has been described as being committed to "the Euro-North American modernist project of emancipation", something which distinguishes him from other African nationalist and socialist leaders like Nyerere who were concerned about embracing styles of democratic governance that were Western, rather than African, in origin. Mandela nevertheless also expressed admiration for what he deemed to be indigenous forms of democracy, describing Xhosa traditional society's mode of governance as "democracy in its purest form". Socialism and Marxism Mandela advocated the ultimate establishment of a classless society, with Sampson describing him as being "openly opposed to capitalism, private land-ownership and the power of big money". Mandela was influenced by Marxism, and during the revolution he advocated scientific socialism. He denied being a communist at the Treason Trial, and maintained this stance both when later talking to journalists, and in his autobiography, where he outlined that the cooperation with the SACP was pragmatic, asking rhetorically, "who is to say that we were not using them?" According to the sociologist Craig Soudien, "sympathetic as Mandela was to socialism, a communist he was not." Conversely, the biographer David Jones Smith stated that Mandela "embraced communism and communists" in the late 1950s and early 1960s, while the historian Stephen Ellis commented that Mandela had assimilated much of the Marxist–Leninist ideology by 1960. Ellis also found evidence that Mandela had been an active member of the South African Communist Party (SACP) during the late 1950s and early 1960s, something that was confirmed after his death by both the ANC and the SACP, the latter of which claimed that he was not only a member of the party, but also served on its Central Committee. His membership had been hidden by the ANC, aware that knowledge of Mandela's former SACP involvement might have been detrimental to his attempts to attract support from Western countries. Mandela's view of these Western governments differed from those of Marxist–Leninists, for he did not believe that they were anti-democratic or reactionary and remained committed to democratic systems of governance. The 1955 Freedom Charter, which Mandela had helped create, called for the nationalisation of banks, gold mines and land, to ensure equal distribution of wealth. Despite these beliefs, Mandela initiated a programme of privatisation during his presidency in line with trends in other countries of the time. It has been repeatedly suggested that Mandela would have preferred to develop a social democratic economy in South Africa but that this was not feasible as a result of the international political and economic situation during the early 1990s. This decision was in part influenced by the fall of the socialist states in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc during the early 1990s. Personality and personal life Mandela was widely considered a charismatic leader, described by biographer Mary Benson as "a born mass leader who could not help magnetising people". He was highly image conscious and throughout his life always sought out fine quality clothes, with many commentators believing that he carried himself in a regal manner. His aristocratic heritage was repeatedly emphasised by supporters, thus contributing to his "charismatic power". While living in Johannesburg in the 1950s, he cultivated the image of the "African gentleman", having "the pressed clothes, correct manners, and modulated public speech" associated with such a position. In doing so, Lodge argued that Mandela became "one of the first media politicians ... embodying a glamour and a style that projected visually a brave new African world of modernity and freedom". Mandela was known to change his clothes several times a day, and he became so associated with highly coloured Batik shirts after assuming the presidency that they came to be known as "Madiba shirts". For political scientists Betty Glad and Robert Blanton, Mandela was an "exceptionally intelligent, shrewd, and loyal leader". His official biographer, Anthony Sampson, commented that he was a "master of imagery and performance", excelling at presenting himself well in press photographs and producing sound bites. His public speeches were presented in a formal, stiff manner, and often consisted of clichéd set phrases. He typically spoke slowly, and carefully chose his words. Although he was not considered a great orator, his speeches conveyed "his personal commitment, charm and humour". Mandela was a private person who often concealed his emotions and confided in very few people. Privately, he lived an austere life, refusing to drink alcohol or smoke, and even as president made his own bed. Renowned for his mischievous sense of humour, he was known for being both stubborn and loyal, and at times exhibited a quick temper. He was typically friendly and welcoming, and appeared relaxed in conversation with everyone, including his opponents. A self-described Anglophile, he claimed to have lived by the "trappings of British style and manners". Constantly polite and courteous, he was attentive to all, irrespective of their age or status, and often talked to children or servants. He was known for his ability to find common ground with very different communities. In later life, he always looked for the best in people, even defending political opponents to his allies, who sometimes thought him too trusting of others. He was fond of Indian cuisine, and had a lifelong interest in archaeology and boxing. He was raised in the Methodist denomination of Christianity; the Methodist Church of Southern Africa claimed that he retained his allegiance to them throughout his life. On analysing Mandela's writings, the theologian Dion Forster described him as a Christian humanist, adding that his thought relied to a greater extent on the Southern African concept of Ubuntu than on Christian theology. According to Sampson, Mandela never had "a strong religious faith", while Elleke Boehmer stated that Mandela's religious belief was "never robust". Mandela was very self-conscious about being a man and regularly made references to manhood. He was heterosexual, and biographer Fatima Meer said that he was "easily tempted" by women. Another biographer, Martin Meredith, characterised him as being "by nature a romantic", highlighting that he had relationships with various women. Mandela was married three times, fathered six children, and had seventeen grandchildren and at least seventeen great-grandchildren. He could be stern and demanding of his children, although he was more affectionate with his grandchildren. His first marriage was to Evelyn Ntoko Mase in October 1944; they divorced in March 1958 under the multiple strains of his alleged adultery and constant absences, devotion to revolutionary agitation, and the fact that she was a Jehovah's Witness, a religion requiring political neutrality. Mandela's second wife was the social worker Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, whom he married in June 1958. They divorced in March 1996. Mandela married his third wife, Graça Machel, on his 80th birthday in July 1998. Reception and legacy By the time of his death, within South Africa Mandela was widely considered both "the father of the nation" and "the founding father of democracy". Outside of South Africa, he was a "global icon", with the scholar of South African studies Rita Barnard describing him as "one of the most revered figures of our time". One biographer considered him "a modern democratic hero". Some have portrayed Mandela in messianic terms, in contrast to his own statement that "I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances." He is often cited alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. as one of the 20th century's exemplary anti-racist and anti-colonial leaders. Boehmer described him as "a totem of the totemic values of our age: toleration and liberal democracy" and "a universal symbol of social justice". Mandela's international fame emerged during his incarceration in the 1980s, when he became the world's most famous political prisoner, a symbol of the anti-apartheid cause, and an icon for millions who embraced the ideal of human equality. In 1986, Mandela's biographer characterised him as "the embodiment of the struggle for liberation" in South Africa. Meredith stated that in becoming "a potent symbol of resistance" to apartheid during the 1980s, he had gained "mythical status" internationally. Sampson commented that even during his life, this myth had become "so powerful that it blurs the realities", converting Mandela into "a secular saint". Within a decade of the end of his presidency, Mandela's era was widely thought of as "a golden age of hope and harmony", with much nostalgia being expressed for it. His name was often invoked by those criticising his successors like Mbeki and Zuma. Across the world, Mandela earned international acclaim for his activism in overcoming apartheid and fostering racial reconciliation, coming to be viewed as "a moral authority" with a great "concern for truth". Mandela's iconic status has been blamed for concealing the complexities of his life. Mandela generated controversy throughout his career as an activist and politician, having detractors on both the right and the radical left. During the 1980s, Mandela was widely labelled a terrorist by prominent political figures in the Western world for his embrace of political violence. According to Thatcher, for instance, the ANC was "a typical terrorist organisation". The US government's State and Defense departments officially designated the ANC as a terrorist organisation, resulting in Mandela remaining on their terrorism watch-list until 2008. On the left, some voices in the ANC—among them Frank B. Wilderson III—accused him of selling out for agreeing to enter negotiations with the apartheid government and for not implementing the reforms of the Freedom Charter during his presidency. According to Barnard, "there is also a sense in which his chiefly bearing and mode of conduct, the very respect and authority he accrued in representing his nation in his own person, went against the spirit of democracy", and concerns were similarly expressed that he placed his own status and celebrity above the transformation of his country. His government would be criticised for its failure to deal with both the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the high levels of poverty in South Africa. Orders, decorations, monuments, and honours Over the course of his life, Mandela was given more than 250 awards, accolades, prizes, honorary degrees and citizenships in recognition of his political achievements. Among his awards were the Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Soviet Union's Lenin Peace Prize, and the Libyan Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights. In 1990, India awarded him the Bharat Ratna, and in 1992 Pakistan gave him their Nishan-e-Pakistan. The same year, he was awarded the Atatürk Peace Award by Turkey; he at first refused the award, citing human rights violations committed by Turkey at the time, but later accepted the award in 1999. He was appointed to the Order of Isabella the Catholic and the Order of Canada, and was the first living person to be made an honorary Canadian citizen. Queen Elizabeth II appointed him as a Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St. John and granted him membership in the Order of Merit. In 2004, Johannesburg granted Mandela the Freedom of the City, and in 2008 a Mandela statue was unveiled at the spot where Mandela was released from prison. On the Day of Reconciliation 2013, a bronze statue of Mandela was unveiled at Pretoria's Union Buildings. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed Mandela's birthday, 18 July, as "Mandela Day", marking his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle. It called on individuals to donate 67 minutes to doing something for others, commemorating the 67 years that Mandela had been a part of the movement. In 2015 the UN General Assembly named the amended Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners as "the Mandela Rules" to honour his legacy. Subsequently, the years 2019 to 2028 were also designated the United Nations Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace. Biographies and popular media The first biography of Mandela was based on brief interviews with him that the author, Mary Benson, had conducted in the 1960s. Two authorised biographies were later produced by friends of Mandela. The first was Fatima Meer's Higher Than Hope, which was heavily influenced by Winnie and thus placed great emphasis on Mandela's family. The second was Anthony Sampson's Mandela, published in 1999. Other biographies included Martin Meredith's Mandela, first published in 1997, and Tom Lodge's Mandela, brought out in 2006. Since the late 1980s, Mandela's image began to appear on a proliferation of items, among them "photographs, paintings, drawings, statues, public murals, buttons, t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, and more", items that have been characterised as "Mandela kitsch". In the 1980s he was the subject of several songs, such as The Specials' "Free Nelson Mandela", Hugh Masekela's "Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)", and Johnny Clegg's "Asimbonanga (Mandela)", which helped to bring awareness of his imprisonment to an international audience. Mandela has also been depicted in films on multiple occasions. Some of these, such as the 2013 feature film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the 2017 miniseries Madiba and the 1996 documentary Mandela, have focused on covering his adult life in entirety or until his inaugural as president. Others, such as the 2009 feature film Invictus and the 2010 documentary The 16th Man, have focused on specific events in his life. Lukhele has argued that in Invictus and other films, "the America film industry" has played a significant part in "the crafting of Mandela's global image". See also List of peace activists Mandela effect References Footnotes Bibliography External links Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory Nelson Mandela Children's Fund Nelson Mandela Foundation (archived) Mandela Rhodes Foundation The Elders Nelson Mandela Museum Nelson Mandela Day (archived) Nelson Mandela's family tree Nelson Mandela at IMDb Appearances on C-SPAN Nelson Mandela on Nobelprize.org
Joey Jordison	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Joey Jordison.	Tell me a bio of Joey Jordison.	Tell me a bio of Joey Jordison within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Joey Jordison with around 100 words.	Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer of the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk supergroup Murderdolls. Jordison grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8. He performed with many bands early in his career; then in 1995, he joined a band called the Pale Ones, which would later change their name and become Slipknot. Jordison played in Slipknot since its inception, helping form the band until his departure in December of 2013. Of Slipknot's nine-member lineup, which lasted from 1999–2010, Joey was the third to join the band. He was also the drummer and founder of Scar the Martyr, which formed in 2013 and disbanded in 2016. With Slipknot, Jordison performed on the band's first five studio albums, and produced the 2005 live album 9.0: Live. Outside his major projects, Jordison performed with various other acts such as Rob Zombie, Metallica, Korn, Ministry, Otep, and Satyricon. Jordison was also known for his session work, which included performances on various recordings for many artists. Jordison used several drum brands including Pearl, and ddrum. At the time of his death, Jordison was playing in the blackened death metal supergroup Sinsaenum. Early life Jordison was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 26, 1975, to Steve and Jackie Jordison. He had two younger sisters. He grew up in a rural area outside of Waukee where he used to play basketball on the street in front of his house. He embraced music at an early age, which he attributes to his parents' influence: "They always sat me down in front of the radio, rather than the TV." He played guitar until receiving his first drum kit as a gift from his parents at age eight, and started his first band while in elementary school. Jordison's parents divorced when he was young. The children stayed with their mother. His mother remarried and set up a funeral parlor where Jordison would occasionally help. Jordison stated that he felt a sudden responsibility to be the man of the house. During this time, he formed the band Modifidious, in which he played drums. He later described them as "total speed-metal thrash". The band helped Jordison break new ground, playing live as support to local bands including Atomic Opera, featuring Jim Root, and Heads on the Wall, featuring Shawn Crahan. He also played at a bowling center his family owned, on a night called "Bowl-O-Rama". After a multitude of lineup changes—including Craig Jones and Josh Brainard, who would reappear in Slipknot—the band released two demos in 1993: Visceral and Mud Fuchia. After leaving school, Jordison was hired by a local music store called Musicland. In March 1994, after a recommendation from his new friend, he got a job at a Sinclair garage in Urbandale. Jordison worked the night shift, which he preferred, as it left his weekends free and allowed him to spend time with his friends and listen to music while working. In early 1995, Modifidious disbanded because of a shift in interest from thrash metal to death metal in America. Following this Jordison joined a local band called the Rejects as a guitarist, with whom he only played a couple of shows. Jordison was also involved in a band with future bandmate Paul Gray and vocalist Don Decker, named Anal Blast. Gray also attempted to recruit him for another band, Body Pit, but he declined the invitation to remain in the Rejects. During the forming period of Slipknot, Paul recruited Joey to join a punk rock band called the Have Nots in the Spring of 1996. Joey would leave the Have Nots in February 1997 to "focus on Slipknot" but instead reformed the Rejects, which would play Des Moines up until Slipknot left to record their 1999 self-titled debut album, which Paul played in after the Have Nots broke up. Career Slipknot In September 1995, Paul Gray approached Jordison while he was working, offering him a position in a new project called the Pale Ones. Intrigued and at a point where he was "lost", Jordison attended rehearsals at Anders Colsefni's basement and immediately wanted to be part of this new band. Speaking of this moment he said, "I remember trying so hard not to smile, so I didn't look like I wanted to join, I remained poker-faced, but I thought they ruled." A lot of Slipknot's early development was discussed by band members while Jordison worked night shifts at Sinclair's garage. Of the eventual nine members, Joey was the third to join the band. Slipknot would become pioneers to the new wave of American heavy metal. Jordison was accompanied by two custom percussionists, giving their music a feel that Rolling Stone touted as "suffocating". Each member of Slipknot is assigned a number; Joey was assigned "#1". Joey produced one album with Slipknot, the 2005 live album 9.0: Live. In August 2008, Jordison broke his ankle and Slipknot had to cancel some of its English tour dates. On August 22, 2009, Jordison was taken to the emergency room for a burst appendix, less than an hour before he was to take the stage for Auburn, Washington's KISW Pain in the Grass concert. As a result, Slipknot canceled following shows in August and September, to give Jordison time to recover. On December 12, 2013, Slipknot announced through their official website that Jordison had left the band, citing personal reasons for his departure. In response, Jordison released a statement insisting that he had in fact been fired from the band and stated that Slipknot "has been my life for the last 18 years, and I would never abandon it, or my fans". After years of both sides being silent and evasive as to the reasons for his leaving the band, Jordison revealed in June 2016 that he suffered from transverse myelitis, a neurological disease that cost him the ability to play the drums toward the end of his time with Slipknot. Murderdolls While touring Ozzfest in 2001 to support Slipknot's studio album Iowa, Jordison met Tripp Eisen, then of Static-X; the two discussed forming a side project. In 2002, Jordison revived his band The Rejects, renaming them the Murderdolls. Jordison became the Murderdolls' guitarist, and he recruited Wednesday 13 of Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 to play bass. Wednesday eventually became a vocalist, while drummer Ben Graves and bassist Eric Griffin completed the band's lineup. Murderdolls signed with Roadrunner Records and released an EP entitled Right to Remain Violent in 2002. The band returned in August 2002 with their debut album Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls. The band uses horror films, including Friday the 13th and Night of the Living Dead, as an inspiration for their lyrics. On October 30, 2002, the Murderdolls made an appearance on an episode of Dawson's Creek entitled "Living Dead Girl". The band reunited in 2010 with only Jordison and Wednesday 13 remaining from the original line-up. The band released their second studio album Women & Children Last on August 31, 2010. The band embarked on the extensive Women & Children Last World Tour performing shows alongside many notable acts such as Guns N' Roses and performing around the world. The tour was plagued with many problems including the cancellation of many shows and repeated incidents of Jordison storming off stage, most notably in Bordeaux, France (attributed to extreme tinnitus) and Perth, Western Australia. The tour finished on April 24, 2011. This was considered to be the band's last outing as Wednesday 13 confirmed the band's split in an interview in 2013. Scar the Martyr In April 2013 details emerged of a new band featuring Jordison, Jed Simon and Kris Norris. Little else was released except that Jordison had performed most instruments in this project and that Chris Vrenna and an unknown vocalist were to complete keyboard and vocal work, respectively. On June 21 the band was named Scar the Martyr and the vocalist named as Henry Derek. On May 5, 2016, Jordison announced that the project had been disbanded. Vimic On May 5, 2016, Jordison announced in an interview on Sirius XM that he had launched a new band called Vimic. In an interview with Wall of Sound in 2018, Jordison explained Vimic was "still 100% active". Sinsaenum On May 20, 2016, Jordison announced a new extreme metal band Sinsaenum, dual fronted by vocalist Attila Csihar (of Mayhem and Sunn O)))) along with keyboardist Sean Zitarsky (of Chimaira and Dååth). The band also included Jordison on drum duties, DragonForce bassist Frédéric Leclercq on guitar, Stéphane Buriez from Loudblast on guitar, and Heimoth from the band Seth on bass. They announced the launch of their debut album Echoes of the Tortured on July 29, and released their first single "Army Of Chaos" on earMUSIC's YouTube channel. The second album, called Repulsion for Humanity, was released on August 10, 2018. Other projects Remixing and performances In 2001, Jordison worked on a remix of "The Fight Song" by Marilyn Manson. Jordison also appeared in the music video for Manson's cover of "Tainted Love". Later in the year, Manson revealed that Jordison had been working with him on his album The Golden Age of Grotesque. Jordison had in fact worked on guitars but the track did not appear on the album. In 2004, Jordison appeared on OTEP's album House of Secrets, drumming on six tracks for the album. In 2008, Jordison appeared on Puscifer's album "V" is for Viagra. The Remixes, with a remix of the track "Drunk With Power". In 2010, Jordison recorded four additional songs with Rob Zombie for the re-release of his latest album Hellbilly Deluxe 2. On tour Jordison performed with other bands, solely as a touring member. While preparing for the Download Festival in 2004, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was hospitalized for an unknown illness. Metallica's vocalist James Hetfield searched amongst other bands performing at the festival to find a replacement for Ulrich; Jordison, Flemming Larsen (Ulrich's drum technician) and Dave Lombardo of Slayer volunteered. Jordison performed on 8 of the 13 songs that made up the set and was called the band's "hero of the day". In late 2004, Jordison performed with Satyricon on their tour of the United States when drummer Frost was refused entry into the country. The tour was cut short after guitarists Steinar Gundersen and Arnt Gronbech—who were also only touring members—were charged with sexually assaulting a fan in Toronto. In 2006, Jordison joined Ministry for their "MasterBaTour 2006", which consisted of sixty dates across the United States and Canada. He also appeared in the music video for their single "Lies Lies Lies". Korn recruited Jordison in 2007 to join them on tour when drummer David Silveria went on hiatus from the band. He also appeared in the music video for their single "Evolution". While touring with Korn, Jordison became the first musician to perform on five occasions at the Download Festival in England. Jordison also toured with Rob Zombie after Tommy Clufetos withdrew from the band in 2010. Producing In August 2004, Jordison became involved in Roadrunner United, a celebration of Roadrunner Records' 25th anniversary. As one of four "team captains" who wrote and produced material for the album, Jordison said of the experience, "I thought it was a great idea and was really excited about it, because it was a chance to work with a lot of artists that I really respected while I was growing up." In 2007, 3 Inches of Blood recruited Jordison to produce their album Fire Up the Blades. Jordison was a fan of the band and when he heard that Roadrunner wanted to have some demos produced he said; "I was the first one to jump at it, I'm like; 'I want this fucking band'." From these demos the label commissioned a record. Vocalist Jamie Hopper said of Jordison, "he's an amazing producer". Influences Jordison cited Neil Peart of Rush, Keith Moon of the Who, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich as his main influences. He said, "I grew up listening to Mötley Crüe's Too Fast for Love and Shout at the Devil." He described Lars Ulrich (of Metallica), Charlie Benante (of Anthrax), and Dave Lombardo (formerly of Slayer) as having a considerable influence on his drumming. Jordison also held Dale Crover of Melvins in high esteem. Equipment Jordison used Pearl drums, hardware, rack system, pedals and percussion, Paiste cymbals, Remo Drumheads, Promark drumsticks, ddrum triggers and Roland electronics. (Jordison used Orange County Drum and Percussion from 1998-2002, Sabian Cymbals at 1999-2001, Avedis Zildjian Company from 1999 and Easton Ahead drumsticks up until 2008, when he switched to Promark) Illness and death In a 2016 Metal Hammer interview, Jordison talked about suffering from acute transverse myelitis. Its symptoms started in 2010 while touring with Murderdolls, but the disease was diagnosed long after. This progressed to the loss of the use of his left leg. The neurological disease had cost him the use of his legs and caused him to be unable to play the drums before rehabilitation. He recovered with the aid of medical help and physical therapy, with his trainer Caleb. Jordison died in his sleep on July 26, 2021, at the age of 46. Awards and recognition In August 2010, Jordison was voted the best drummer of the previous 25 years by readers of Rhythm magazine, ahead of drummers such as Mike Portnoy, Neil Peart, and Phil Collins. When asked to comment he stated "I'm at a loss for words. This is beyond unbelievable. Something like this reminds me every day why I continue to do this." As voted on by 6,500 drummers worldwide, Jordison won the Drummies Award for Best Metal drummer in 2010. In September 2013, Jordison was named the world's greatest metal drummer by readers of Loudwire. In 2016, Jordison was honored with The Golden God Award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. Following Jordison’s death in 2021, tributes were shared by several musicians including Mike Portnoy, Alex Skolnick of Testament, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Dave Lombardo, Lars Ulrich, Ben Thatcher of Royal Blood, and multiple others. In 2022, Slipknot dedicated their seventh studio album The End, So Far in memory of Jordison. Discography with Modifidious Drown (1993) Submitting to Detriment (1993) Visceral (1993) Mud Fuchia (1994) Sprawl (1994) with the Have Nots Forgetting Yesterday and Beating You with Kindness (1996) with Slipknot Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. (1996, demo) Slipknot demo (1998) Slipknot (1999) Welcome to Our Neighborhood (1999, video) Iowa (2001) Disasterpieces (2002, video) Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) (2004) 9.0 Live (2005, live album) Voliminal: Inside the Nine (2006, video) All Hope Is Gone (2008) (sic)nesses (2010, video) Antennas to Hell (2012, compilation album) with Murderdolls Right to Remain Violent (EP) (2002) Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (2002) Women and Children Last (2010) with Roadrunner United The All-Star Sessions (2005) The Concert (2008) with the Rejects Love Songs for People Who Hate (2012) Strung Out, Pissed Off and Ready To Die (2014) with Scar the Martyr Revolver EP (2013) Metal Hammer EP (2013) Scar the Martyr (2013) with Sinsaenum Sinsaenum (EP) (2016) A Taste of Sin (EP) (2016) Echoes of the Tortured (2016) Ashes (EP) (2017) Repulsion for Humanity (2018) with Vimic Open your Omen (2025) As featured artist Filmography References Bibliography Arnopp, Jason (2001). Slipknot: Inside the Sickness, Behind the Masks. Ebury. ISBN 0-09-187933-7. Further reading Joey Jordison obituary in The Guardian Joey Jordison obituary in Rolling Stone External links Official website Joey Jordison at IMDb Joey Jordison's Pearl Artist Page Joey Jordison discography at Discogs
Ayman al-Zawahiri	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ayman al-Zawahiri.	Tell me a bio of Ayman al-Zawahiri.	Tell me a bio of Ayman al-Zawahiri within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ayman al-Zawahiri with around 100 words.	Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (Arabic: أيمن محمد ربيع الظواهري, romanized: ʾAyman Muḥammad Rabīʿ aẓ-Ẓawāhirī; 19 June 1951 – 31 July 2022) was an Egyptian-born pan-Islamist militant and physician who served as the second general emir of al-Qaeda from June 2011 until his death in July 2022. He is best known for being one of the main orchestrators of the September 11 attacks. Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cairo University with a degree in medicine and a master's degree in surgery and was a surgeon by profession. He became a leading figure in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, an Egyptian Islamist organization, and eventually attained the rank of emir. He was imprisoned from 1981 to 1984 for his role in the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. His actions against the Egyptian government, including his planning of the 1995 attack on the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan, resulted in him being sentenced to death in absentia during the 1999 "Returnees from Albania" trial. A close associate of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, al-Zawahiri held significant sway over the group's operations. He was wanted by the United States and the United Nations, respectively, for his role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania and in the 2002 Bali bombings. He merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad with al-Qaeda in 2001 and formally became bin Laden's deputy in 2004. He succeeded bin Laden as al-Qaeda's leader after bin Laden's death in 2011. In May 2011, the U.S. announced a $25 million bounty for information leading to his capture. On July 31, 2022, al-Zawahiri was killed in a CIA drone strike in Afghanistan. Personal life Early life Ayman al-Zawahiri was born on 19 June 1951 in Giza, Egypt to Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri and Umayma Azzam. The New York Times in 2001 described al-Zawahiri as coming from "a prosperous and prestigious family that gives him a pedigree grounded firmly in both religion and politics". Al-Zawahiri's parents both came from prosperous families. Al-Zawahiri's father, Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri, came from a large family of doctors and scholars from Kafr Ash Sheikh Dhawahri, Sharqia, in which one of his grandfathers was Sheikh Mohammed al-Ahmadi al-Zawahiri (1887–1944) who was the 34th Grand Imam of al-Azhar. Mohammed Rabie became a surgeon and a professor of pharmacy at Cairo University. Ayman Al-Zawahiri's mother, Umayma Azzam, came from a wealthy, politically active clan, the daughter of Abdel-Wahhab Azzam, a literary scholar who served as the president of Cairo University, the founder and inaugural rector of the King Saud University (the first university in Saudi Arabia) as well as ambassador to Pakistan, while his own brother was Azzam Pasha, the founding secretary-general of the Arab League (1945–1952). From his maternal side yet another relative was Salem Azzam, an Islamist intellectual and activist, for a time secretary-general of the Islamic Council of Europe based in London. The wealthy and prestigious family is also linked to the Red Sea Harbi tribe in Zawahir, a small town in Saudi Arabia, located in the Badr. He also has a maternal link to the house of Saud: Muna, the daughter of Azzam Pasha (his maternal great-uncle), is married to Mohammed bin Faisal Al Saud, the son of the late King Faisal. Ayman Al-Zawahiri said that he has a deep affection for his mother. Her brother, Mahfouz Azzam, became a role model for him as a teenager. He has a younger brother, Muhammad al-Zawahiri, a younger sister, Heba Mohamed al-Zawahiri, and a twin sister, Umnya al-Zawahiri. Heba became a professor of medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. She described her brother as "silent and shy". Muhammad was sentenced on charges of undergoing military training in Albania in 1998. He was arrested in the UAE in 1999, and sentenced to death in 1999 after being extradited to Egypt. He was held in Tora Prison in Cairo as a political detainee. Security officials said he was the head of the Special Action Committee of Islamic Jihad, which organized terrorist operations. After the Egyptian popular uprising in the spring of 2011, on March 17, 2011, he was released from prison by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the interim government of Egypt. His lawyer said he had been held to extract information about his brother Ayman al-Zawahiri. On March 20, 2011, he was re-arrested. On August 17, 2013, Egyptian authorities arrested Muhammad al-Zawahiri at his home in Giza. He was acquitted in 2017. Youth Ayman al-Zawahiri was reportedly a studious youth. He excelled in school, loved poetry, and "hated violent sports", which he thought were "inhumane." Al-Zawahiri studied medicine at Cairo University and graduated in 1974 with gayyid giddan, or roughly on par with a grade of "B" in the American grading system. Following that, he served 1974–1978 as a surgeon in the Egyptian Army after which he established a clinic near his parents in Maadi. In 1978, he also earned a master's degree in surgery. He spoke Arabic, English, and French. Al-Zawahiri participated in youth activism as a student. He became both quite pious and political, under the influence of his uncle Mahfouz Azzam, and lecturer Mostafa Kamel Wasfi. Sayyid Qutb preached that to restore Islam and free Muslims, a vanguard of true Muslims modeling itself after the original Companions of the Prophet had to be developed. Ayman al-Zawahiri was influenced by Qutb's Manichaean views on Islamic theology and Islamic history. Underground cell By the age of 15, al-Zawahiri had formed an underground cell with the goal to overthrow the government and establish an Islamist state. The following year the Egyptian government executed Sayyid Qutb for conspiracy. Following the execution, al-Zawahiri, along with four other secondary school students, helped form an "underground cell devoted to overthrowing the government and establishing an Islamist state." It was at this early age that al-Zawahiri developed a mission in life, "to put Qutb's vision into action." His cell eventually merged with others to form al-Jihad or Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Marriages and children Ayman al-Zawahiri was married at least four times. His wives include Azza Ahmed Nowari and Umaima Hassan. In 1978, al-Zawahiri married his first wife, Azza Ahmed Nowari, a student at Cairo University who was studying philosophy. Their wedding, which was held at the Continental Hotel in Opera Square, was very conservative, with separate areas for both men and women, and no music, photographs, or gaiety in general. Many years later, when the United States attacked Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks in October 2001, Azza apparently had no idea that al-Zawahiri had supposedly been a jihadi emir (commander) for the last decade. Al-Zawahiri and his wife, Azza, had four daughters, Fatima (born 1981), Umayma (born 1983), Nabila (born 1986), and Khadiga (born 1987), and a son, Mohammed (also born in 1987; the twin brother of Khadiga), who was a "delicate, well-mannered boy" and "the pet of his older sisters," subject to teasing and bullying in a traditionally all-male environment, who preferred to "stay at home and help his mother." In 1997, ten years after the birth of Mohammed, Azza gave birth to their fifth daughter, Aisha, who had Down syndrome. In February 2004, Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded and subsequently stated that Abu Turab Al-Urduni had married one of al-Zawahiri's daughters. Ayman al-Zawahiri's first wife Azza and two of their six children, Mohammad and Aisha, were killed in an airstrike on Afghanistan by US forces in late December 2001, following the September 11 attacks on the U.S. After an American aerial bombardment of a Taliban-controlled building at Gardez, Azza was pinned under the debris of a guesthouse roof. Concerned for her modesty, she "refused to be excavated" because "men would see her face" and she died from her injuries the following day. Her son, Mohammad, was also killed outright in the same house. Her four-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, Aisha, had not been hurt by the bombing, but died from exposure in the cold night while Afghan rescuers tried to save Azza. In the first half of 2005, one of Al-Zawahiri's three surviving wives gave birth to a daughter, named Nawwar. In June 2012, one of al-Zawahiri's four wives, Umaima Hassan, released a statement on the internet congratulating the role played by Muslim women in the Arab Spring. She is also known to have written a leaflet explaining women's role in jihad. Medical career In 1981, Ayman al-Zawahiri traveled to Peshawar, Pakistan, where he worked in a Red Crescent hospital treating wounded refugees. There, he became friends with Ahmed Khadr, and the two shared a number of conversations about the need for Islamic government and the needs of the Afghan people. Ayman al-Zawahiri worked as a surgeon. In 1985, al-Zawahiri went to Saudi Arabia on Hajj and stayed to practice medicine in Jeddah for a year. As a reportedly qualified surgeon, when his organization merged with bin Laden's al-Qaeda, he became bin Laden's personal advisor and physician. He had first met bin Laden in Jeddah in 1986. According to other sources, they met the first time in 1986 at a hospital in Peshawar. In 1993, al-Zawahiri traveled to the United States, where he addressed several mosques in California under his Abdul Mu'iz pseudonym, relying on his credentials from the Kuwaiti Red Crescent to raise money for Afghan children who had been injured by Soviet land mines—he raised only $2000. Militant activity Assassination plots Egypt In 1981, Al-Zawahiri was one of hundreds arrested following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. Initially, the plan was derailed when authorities were alerted to Al-Jihad's plan by the arrest of an operative carrying crucial information, in February 1981. President Sadat ordered the roundup of more than 1,500 people, including many Al-Jihad members, but missed a cell in the military led by Lieutenant Khalid Islambouli, who succeeded in assassinating Sadat during a military parade that October. His lawyer, Montasser el-Zayat, said that al-Zawahiri was tortured in prison. In his book, Al-Zawahiri as I Knew Him, Al-Zayat maintains that under torture by the Egyptian police, following his arrest in connection with the murder of Sadat in 1981, Al-Zawahiri revealed the hiding place of Essam al-Qamari, a key member of the Maadi cell of al-Jihad, which led to Al-Qamari's "arrest and eventual execution." He was released from prison in 1984. In 1993, al-Zawahiri's and Egyptian Islamic Jihad's (EIJ) connection with Iran may have led to a suicide bombing in an attempt on the life of Egyptian Interior Minister Hasan al-Alfi, the man heading the effort to quash the campaign of Islamist killings in Egypt. It failed, as did an attempt to assassinate Egyptian prime minister Atef Sidqi three months later. The bombing of Sidqi's car injured 21 Egyptians and killed a schoolgirl, Shayma Abdel-Halim. It followed two years of killings by another Islamist group, al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, that had killed over 200 people. Her funeral became a public spectacle, with her coffin carried through the streets of Cairo and crowds shouting, "Terrorism is the enemy of God!" The police arrested 280 more of al-Jihad's members and executed six. For their leading role in anti-Egyptian Government attacks in the 1990s, al-Zawahiri and his brother Muhammad al-Zawahiri were sentenced to death in the 1999 Egyptian case of the Returnees from Albania. Pakistan The 1995 attack on the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, was carried out by the Egyptian Islamic Jihad under al-Zawahiri's leadership, but Bin Laden had disapproved of the operation. The bombing alienated Pakistan, which was "the best route into Afghanistan". In July 2007, Al-Zawahiri supplied direction for the Lal Masjid siege, codename Operation Silence. This was the first confirmed time that Al-Zawahiri was taking militant steps against the Pakistani Government and guiding Islamic militants against the State of Pakistan. The Pakistan Army troops and Special Service Group taking control of the Lal Masjid ("Red Mosque") in Islamabad found letters from al-Zawahiri directing Islamic militants Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz Ghazi, who ran the mosque and adjacent madrasah. This conflict resulted in 100 deaths. On December 27, 2007, al-Zawahiri was also implicated in the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Sudan In 1994, the sons of Ahmad Salama Mabruk and Mohammed Sharaf were executed under al-Zawahiri's leadership for betraying Egyptian Islamic Jihad; the militants were ordered to leave the Sudan. United States In 1998, Ayman al-Zawahiri was listed as under indictment in the United States for his role in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings: a series of attacks on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the major East African cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. In 2000, the USS Cole bombing encouraged several members to depart. Mohammed Atef escaped to Kandahar, al-Zawahiri to Kabul, and Bin Laden also fled to Kabul, later joining Atef when he realised no American reprisal attacks were forthcoming. On October 10, 2001, al-Zawahiri appeared on the initial list of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's top 22 Most Wanted Terrorists, which was released to the public by U.S. President George W. Bush. In early November 2001, the Taliban government announced they were bestowing official Afghan citizenship on him, as well as Bin Laden, Mohammed Atef, Saif al-Adl, and Shaykh Asim Abdulrahman. Organizations Egyptian Islamic Jihad Al-Zawahiri began reconstituting the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) along with other exiled militants. In Peshwar, al-Zawahiri was thought to have become radicalized by other Al-Jihad members, abandoning his old strategy of a swift coup d'état to change society from above, and embracing the idea of takfir. In 1991, EIJ broke with al-Zumur, and al-Zawahiri grabbed "the reins of power" to become EIJ leader. Ayman al-Zawahiri was previously the second and last "emir" of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, having succeeded Abbud al-Zumar in the latter role when Egyptian authorities sentenced al-Zumar to life imprisonment. Ayman al-Zawahiri eventually became one of Egyptian Islamic Jihad's leading organizers and recruiters. Al-Zawahiri's hope was to recruit military officers and accumulate weapons, waiting for the right moment to launch "a complete overthrow of the existing order." Chief strategist of Al-Jihad was Aboud al-Zumar, a colonel in the military intelligence whose plan was to kill the main leaders of the country, capture the headquarters of the army and State Security, the telephone exchange building, and of course the radio and television building, where news of the Islamic revolution would then be broadcast, unleashing – he expected – "a popular uprising against secular authority all over the country." Maktab al-Khadamat In Peshawar, he made contact with Osama bin Laden, who was running a base for mujahideen called Maktab al-Khadamat (MAK); founded by the Palestinian Sheikh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. The radical position of al-Zawahiri and the other militants of Al-Jihad put them at odds with Sheikh Azzam, with whom they competed for bin Laden's financial resources. Al-Zawahiri carried two false passports, a Swiss one in the name of Amin Uthman and a Dutch one in the name of Mohmud Hifnawi. British journalist Jason Burke wrote: "Al-Zawahiri ran his own operation during the Afghan war, bringing in and training volunteers from the Middle East. Some of the $500 million the CIA poured into Afghanistan reached his group." Former FBI agent Ali Soufan mentioned in his book The Black Banners that Ayman al-Zawahiri is suspected of ordering Azzam's assassination in 1989. Al-Qaeda According to reports by a former al-Qaeda member, al-Zawahiri worked in the al-Qaeda organization since its inception and was a senior member of the group's shura council. He was often described as a "lieutenant" to Osama bin Laden, though bin Laden's chosen biographer has referred to him as the "real brains" of al-Qaeda. On February 23, 1998, al-Zawahiri issued a joint fatwa with Osama bin Laden under the title "World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders". Al-Zawahiri, not bin Laden, is thought to have been the actual author of the fatwa. Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri organized an al-Qaeda congress on June 24, 1998. A week prior to the beginning of the conference, a group of well-armed assistants to al-Zawahiri had left by jeeps in the direction of Herat. Following the instructions of their patron, in the town of Koh-i-Doshakh, they met three unknown Slavic-looking men who had arrived from Russia via Iran. After their arrival in Kandahar, they split up. One of the Russians was directly escorted to al-Zawahiri and he did not participate in the conference. Western military intelligence succeeded in acquiring photographs of him, but he disappeared for six years. According to Axis Globe, in 2004, when Qatar and the U.S. investigated Russian embassy officials whom the United Arab Emirates had arrested in connection to the murder of Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in Qatar, computer software precisely established that a man who had walked to the Russian embassy in Doha was the same one who visited al-Zawahiri prior to the Al-Qaida conference. Al-Zawahiri was placed under international sanctions in 1999 by the United Nations' Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee as a member of the Salafi-jihadist group al-Qaeda. In June 2001, al-Zawahiri formally merged the Egyptian Islamic Jihad into al-Qaeda. In late 2001, a computer was seized that was stolen from an office used by al-Qaeda immediately after the fall of Kabul in November. This computer was mainly used by al-Zawahiri and contained the fraudulent letter used to arrange the meeting between two al-Qaeda attackers posing as journalists and Ahmad Shah Massoud. The journalists who conducted the interview assassinated Massoud on September 9, 2001. Emergence as al-Qaeda's chief commander In late 2004 bin Laden named al-Zawahiri officially as his deputy. On April 30, 2009, the U.S. State Department reported that al-Zawahiri had emerged as al-Qaeda's operational and strategic commander, and that Osama bin Laden was now only the ideological figurehead of the organization. After the 2011 death of bin Laden, a senior U.S. intelligence official said intelligence gathered in the raid showed that bin Laden remained deeply involved in planning: "This compound (where bin Laden was killed) in Abbottabad was an active command-and-control center for al-Qaeda's leader. He was active in operational planning and in driving tactical decisions within al-Qaeda." Following the death of bin Laden, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism Juan Zarate said that al-Zawahiri would "clearly assume the mantle of leadership" of al-Qaeda. A senior U.S. administration official said that although al-Zawahiri was likely to be al-Qaeda's next leader, his authority was not "universally accepted" among al-Qaeda's followers, particularly in the Gulf region. Zarate said that al-Zawahiri was more controversial and less charismatic than bin Laden. Rashad Mohammad Ismail (AKA "Abu Al-Fida"), a leading member of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, stated that al-Zawahiri was the best candidate. Hamid Mir is reported to have said that he believed that Ayman al-Zawahiri was the operational head of al-Qaeda, and that "[h]e is the person who can do the things that happened on September 11." Within days of the attacks, al-Zawahiri's name was put forward as bin Laden's second-in-command, with reports suggesting he represented "a more formidable US foe than bin Laden." Formal appointment Al-Zawahiri became the leader of al-Qaeda following the May 2, 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. His succession to that role was announced on several of their websites on June 16, 2011. On the same day, al-Qaeda renewed its position that Israel was an illegitimate state and that it would not accept any compromise on Palestine. The delayed announcement led some analysts to speculate that there was quarreling within al-Qaeda: "It doesn't suggest a vast reservoir of accumulated goodwill for him," said one celebrity journalist on CNN. Both U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen maintain that the delay didn't signal any kind of dispute within al-Qaeda, and Mullen reiterated U.S. death threats toward al-Zawahiri. According to US officials within the Obama administration and Robert Gates, al-Zawahiri would find the leadership difficult as, while intelligent, he lacks combat experience and the charisma of Osama bin Laden. Activities in Iran Al-Zawahiri allegedly worked with the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of al-Qaeda. Author Lawrence Wright reports that EIJ operative Ali Mohammed "told the FBI that al-Jihad had planned a coup in Egypt in 1990." Al-Zawahiri had studied the 1979 Islamist Islamic Revolution and "sought training from the Iranians" as to how to duplicate their feat against the Egyptian government. He offered Iran information about an Egyptian government plan to storm several islands in the Persian Gulf that both Iran and the United Arab Emirates lay claim to. According to Mohammed, in return for this information, the Iranian government paid al-Zawahiri $2 million and helped train members of al-Jihad in a coup attempt that never actually took place. In public, al-Zawahiri harshly denounced the Iranian government. In December 2007, he said, "We discovered Iran collaborating with America in its invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq." In the same video messages, he moreover chides Iran for "repeating the ridiculous joke that says that al-Qaida and the Taliban are agents of America," before playing a video clip in which Ayatollah Rafsanjani says, "In Afghanistan, they were present in Afghanistan, because of Al-Qa'ida; and the Taliban, who created the Taliban? America is the one who created the Taliban, and America's friends in the region are the ones who financed and armed the Taliban." Al-Zawahiri's criticism of Iran's government continues when he states, Despite Iran's repetition of the slogan 'Death to America, death to Israel,' we haven't heard even one Fatwa from one Shiite authority, whether in Iran or elsewhere, calling for Jihad against the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan. Al-Zawahiri said that "Iran stabbed a knife into the back of the Islamic Nation." In April 2008, al-Zawahiri blamed Iranian state media and Al-Manar for perpetuating the "lie" that "there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no-one else did in history" in order to discredit the Al Qaeda network. Al-Zawahiri was referring to some 9/11 conspiracy theories that claim that Al Qaeda was not responsible for the 9/11 attacks. On the seventh anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, al-Zawahiri released a 90-minute tape in which he blasted "the guardian of Muslims in Tehran" for recognizing "the two hireling governments" in Iraq and Afghanistan. Activities in Russia At some point in 1994, al-Zawahiri was said to have "become a phantom" but is thought to have traveled widely to "Switzerland and Sarajevo". A fake passport he was using shows that he traveled to Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. On December 1, 1996, Ahmad Salama Mabruk and Mahmud Hisham al-Hennawi – both carrying false passports – accompanied al-Zawahiri on a trip to Chechnya, where they hoped to re-establish the faltering Jihad. Their leader was traveling under the pseudonym Abdullah Imam Mohammed Amin, and trading on his medical credentials for legitimacy. The group switched vehicles three times, but were arrested within hours of entering Russian territory and spent five months in a Makhachkala prison awaiting trial. The trio pleaded innocence, maintaining their disguise while other al-Jihad members from Bavari-C sent the Russian authorities pleas for leniency for their "merchant" colleagues who had been wrongly arrested. Russian Member of Parliament Nadyr Khachiliev echoed the pleas for their speedy release as al-Jihad members Ibrahim Eidarous and Tharwat Salah Shehata traveled to Dagestan to plead for their release. Shehata received permission to visit the prisoners. He is believed to have smuggled $3000 to them, which was later confiscated, and to have given them a letter which the Russians didn't bother to translate. In April 1997 the trio were sentenced to six months, were subsequently released a month later, and absconded without paying their court-appointed attorney Abulkhalik Abdusalamov his $1,800 legal fee, citing "poverty". Shehata was sent on to Chechnya where he met with Ibn Khattab. There have been doubts as to the true nature of al-Zawahiri's encounter with the Russians in 1996. Jamestown Foundation scholar Evgenii Novikov has argued that it seems unlikely that the Russians would not have been able to determine who he was, given Russia's well-trained Arabists and the suspicious acts of Muslims crossing borders illegally with multiple Arabic false identities and encrypted documents. Assassinated former FSB secret service officer Alexander Litvinenko alleged, among other things, that during this time al-Zawahiri was trained by the FSB and that he was not the only link between al-Qaeda and the FSB. Former KGB officer, Voice of America commentator and writer Konstantin Preobrazhenskiy supported Litvinenko's claim. He said that Litvinenko "was responsible for securing the secrecy of Al-Zawahiri's arrival in Russia, who was trained by FSB instructors in Dagestan, Northern Caucasus, during 1996–1997." Activities in Egypt Al-Zawahiri was convicted of dealing in weapons and received a three-year sentence, which he completed in 1984, shortly after his conviction. Al-Zawahiri learned of a "Nonviolence Initiative" organized in Egypt to end the terror campaign that had killed hundreds and resulting government crackdown that had imprisoned thousands. Al-Zawahiri angrily opposed this "surrender" in letters to the London newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat. Together with members of al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, he helped organize a massive attack on tourists at the Temple of Hatshepsut to sabotage the initiative by provoking the government into repression. The attack by six men dressed in police uniforms succeeded in machine-gunning and hacking to death 58 foreign tourists and four Egyptians, including "a five-year-old British child and four Japanese couples on their honeymoons," and devastated the Egyptian tourist industry for a number of years. Nonetheless, the Egyptian reaction was not what al-Zawahiri had hoped for. The attack so stunned and angered Egyptian society that Islamists denied responsibility. Al-Zawahiri blamed the police for the killing, but also held the tourists responsible for their own deaths for coming to Egypt, The people of Egypt consider the presence of these foreign tourists to be aggression against Muslims and Egypt... The young men are saying that this is our country and not a place for frolicking and enjoyment, especially for you. Al-Zawahiri was sentenced to death in absentia in 1999 by an Egyptian military tribunal. Activities and whereabouts after the September 11 attacks In December 2001, al-Zawahiri published a book entitled Fursan Taht Rayat al Nabi (Knights Under the Prophet's Banner) which outlined ideologies of al-Qaeda. English translations of this book were published; excerpts are available online. ...The second power depends on God alone, then on its wide popularity and alliance with other jihad movements throughout the Islamic nation, from Chechnya in the north to Somalia in the south and from "Eastern Turkestan in the east to Morocco in the west. ...It seeks revenge against the gang-leaders of global unbelief, the United States, Russia, and Israel. It demands the blood price for the martyrs, the mothers' grief, the deprived orphans, the suffering prisoners, and the torments of those who are tortured everywhere in the Islamic lands―from Turkistan in the east to Andalusia. ...It also gave young Muslim mujahidin―Arabs, Pakistanis, Turks, and Muslims from Central and East Asia―a great opportunity to get acquainted with each other on the land of Afghan jihad through their comradeship-at-arms against the enemies of Islam. Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri's whereabouts were unknown, but he was generally thought to be in tribal Pakistan. Although he released videos of himself frequently, al-Zawahiri did not appear alongside bin Laden in any of them after 2003. In 2003, it was rumored that he was under arrest in Iran, although this was later discovered to be false. On January 13, 2006, the Central Intelligence Agency, aided by Pakistan's ISI, launched an airstrike on Damadola, a Pakistani village near the Afghan border where they believed al-Zawahiri was located. The airstrike was supposed to kill al-Zawahiri and this was reported in international news over the following days. Many victims of the airstrike were buried unidentified. Anonymous U.S. government officials claimed that some terrorists were killed and the Bajaur tribal area government confirmed that at least four terrorists were among the dead. Anti-American protests broke out around the country and the Pakistani government condemned the U.S. attack and the loss of innocent life. On August 1, 2008, CBS News reported that it had obtained a copy of an intercepted letter dated July 29, 2008, from unnamed sources in Pakistan, which urgently requested a doctor to treat al-Zawahiri. The letter indicated that al-Zawahiri was critically injured in a US missile strike at Azam Warsak village in South Waziristan on July 28 that also reportedly killed al Qaeda explosives expert Abu Khabab al-Masri. Taliban Mehsud spokesman Maulvi Umar told the Associated Press on August 2, 2008, that the report of al-Zawahiri's injury was false. In early September 2008, Pakistan Army claimed that they "almost" captured al-Zawahiri after getting information that he and his wife were in the Mohmand Agency, in northwest Pakistan. After raiding the area, officials didn't find him. General Emir of al-Qaeda In two videos posted on Jihadist websites in 2012, al-Zawahiri called on Muslims to "capture" foreign citizens to leverage the release of Omar Abdel-Rahman, mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In June 2013, al-Zawahiri arbitrated against the merger of the Islamic State of Iraq with the Syrian-based Jabhat al-Nusra into Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as was declared in April by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of al-Nusra Front, affirmed the group's allegiance to al-Qaeda and al-Zawahiri. In September 2015, al-Zawahiri urged Islamic State (ISIL) to stop fighting al-Nusra Front, the official al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, and to unite with all other jihadists against the supposed alliance between America, Russia, Europe, Shiites and Iran, and Bashar al-Assad's Alawite regime. Ayman al-Zawahiri released a statement supporting jihad in Xinjiang against Chinese, jihad in the Caucasus against the Russians and naming Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan as battlegrounds. al-Zawahiri endorsed "jihad to liberate every span of land of the Muslims that has been usurped and violated, from Kashgar to Andalusia, and from the Caucasus to Somalia and Central Africa". Uyghurs inhabit Kashgar, the city which was mentioned by al-Zawahiri. In another statement he said, "My mujahideen brothers in all places and of all groups ... we face aggression from America, Europe, and Russia ... so it's up to us to stand together as one from East Turkestan to Morocco". In 2015, the Turkistan Islamic Party (East Turkistan Islamic Movement) released an image showing Al Qaeda leaders Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama Bin Laden meeting with Hasan Mahsum. The Uyghurs East Turkestan independence movement was endorsed in the serial "Islamic Spring"'s 9th release by Al-Zawahiri. Al-Zawahiri confirmed that the Afghanistan war after 9/11 included the participation of Uyghurs and that the jihadists like Zarwaqi, Bin Ladin and the Uyghur Hasan Mahsum were provided with refuge together in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Uyghur fighters were praised by al-Zawahiri, before a Turkistan Islamic Party performed a Bishkek bombing on August 30. Uighur jihadists were hailed by Ayman al-Zawahiri. Doğu Türkistan Bülteni Haber Ajansı reported that the Uyghur Turkistan Islamic Party was praised by Abu Qatada along with Abdul Razzaq al Mahdi, Maqdisi, Muhaysini and al-Zawahiri. Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada were referenced by Muhaysini. Osama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri were lauded by Muhaysini. The Rewards for Justice Program of the U.S. Department of State offered a reward of up to US$25 million for information about al-Zawahiri's location. On July 31, 2022, al-Zawahiri was killed in a US strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. He had been rumoured to be in Pakistan's tribal area or inside Afghanistan. His death is considered to be the biggest hit to the terrorist group since Osama Bin Laden was killed in 2011. Others described his death as "anticlimactic to Al Qaeda's demise", stating "[h]is moves as leader of the shrinking group were watched more by analysts than by jihadists" at the time of his death. Promotional activities Al-Zawahiri placed supreme importance on winning public support, and castigated Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in this regard: "In the absence of this popular support, the Islamic mujahid movement would be crushed in the shadows." Video and audio messages 2000s August 4, 2005: al-Zawahiri issues a televised statement blaming former British prime minister Tony Blair and his government's foreign policy for the 7 July 2005 London bombings. September 1, 2005: al-Jazeera broadcasts a video message from Mohammed Sidique Khan, one of bombers of the London Underground. His message is followed by another message from al-Zawahiri, blaming again Tony Blair for the 7/7 bombings. September 19, 2005: al-Zawahiri claims responsibility for the London bombings and dismisses U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. April 3, 2008: al-Zawahiri said that al-Qaeda doesn't kill innocents and that its [former] leader Osama bin Laden is healthy. The questions asked his views about Egypt and Iraq, as well as Hamas. April 22, 2008: An audio interview in which, among other subjects, al-Zawahiri attacks the Shiite Iran and Hezbollah for blaming the 9/11 attacks on Israel, and thus discrediting al-Qaeda. On the 7th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, al-Zawahiri released a 90-minute tape, in which he blasted "the guardian of Muslims in Tehran" for "the two hireling governments" in Iraq and Afghanistan. January 7, 2009: An audio message released, where al-Zawahiri vows revenge for Israel's air and ground assault on Gaza and calls the Jewish state's actions against Hamas militants "a gift" from U.S. President-elect Barack Obama for the recent uprising conflict in Gaza. October 4, 2009: The New York Times reported that al-Zawahiri had asserted that Libya had tortured Ibn Al Sheikh Al Libi to death. Al Libi was a key source the George W. Bush Presidency had claimed established that Iraq had provided training to al-Qaeda in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. December 14, 2009: In an audio recording released on December 14, 2009, al-Zawahiri renewed calls to establish an Islamic state in Israel and urged his followers to "seek jihad against Jews" and their supporters. He also called for jihad against America and the West, and labeled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia as the "brothers of Satan". 2010s June 8, 2011: al-Zawahiri released his first video since the killing of Osama bin Laden, praising bin Laden and warning the U.S. of reprisal attacks, but without staking a claim on the leadership of al-Qaeda. September 3, 2014: In a 55-minute-long video, al-Zawahiri announced the formation of a new wing called al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), which would wage jihad "to liberate its land, to restore its sovereignty, and to revive its Caliphate." Reaction amongst Muslims in India to the formation of the new wing was one of fury. March 2018: al-Zawahiri posts a video entitled "America is the First Enemy of the Muslims", where he defends the Muslim Brotherhood and claims that the US is "working with Saudi Arabia to train imams and rewrite religious textbooks". This is his sixth video in 2018. He refers to Rex Tillerson's firing as US Secretary of State in the Trump administration. September 11, 2019: al-Zawahiri posts a 9/11 18th anniversary propaganda video entitled "And They Shall Continue to Fight You" through al-Qaeda media outlet As Sahab. Al-Zawahiri condemns Islamic scholars who condemned al-Qaeda for the 9/11 attacks and continues to call for jihad regarding Israel and Palestine. Clips of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu were inter-spaced in the video. 2020s In September 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, after a month of Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, a video of al-Zawahiri surfaced, but he did not mention the Taliban takeover. In April 2022, al-Zawahiri's video was released on the hijab controversy in the Indian state of Karnataka, where he expressed support for a student who wore a burqa to her college. Online Q&A In mid-December 2007, al-Zawahiri's spokespeople announced plans for an "open interview" on a handful of Islamic Web sites. The administrators of four known jihadist web sites have been authorized to collect and forward questions, "unedited", they pledge, and "regardless of whether they are in support of or are against" al-Qaeda, which would be forwarded to al-Zawahiri on January 16. al-Zawahiri responded to the questions later in 2008; among the things he said were that al-Qaeda didn't kill innocents, and that al-Qaeda would move to target Israel "after expelling the occupier from Iraq". Views Islamism As a leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al-Zawahiri conceived of Islamism in Egypt as a revolutionary movement of heroic fighters who the masses would join in the wake of their victories. The movement was mostly a failure, including its crushing defeat and suppression by the Egyptian government following the assassination of Anwar Sadat. The popular uprising envisioned by al-Zawahiri never came to be, and some Islamist leaders agreed to cease-fire terms with the government. After these events, al-Zawahiri joined Al-Qaeda, which had aims that were international in scope and was focused on the conflict with the United States rather than the ongoing localized conflict with the secular regime in Egypt. Loyalty and enmity In a lengthy treatise titled "Loyalty and Enmity", al-Zawahiri said that Muslims must at all times be loyal to Islam and to one another, while hating or avoiding everything and everyone outside of Islam. Female combatants Al-Zawahiri said in an April 2008 interview that the group does not have women combatants and that a woman's role is limited to caring for the homes and children of al-Qaeda fighters. This resulted in a debate regarding the role of mujahid women like Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi. Iranians In 2008 he claimed that "Persians" are the enemy of Arabs and that Iran cooperated with the U.S. during the occupation of Iraq. Death Al-Zawahiri was killed on July 31, 2022, shortly after 6:00 a.m. local time in an early-morning drone strike conducted by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the upscale Sherpur neighborhood of Kabul, reportedly in a house owned by a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a senior official in the Taliban government. In a statement to reporters, a senior administration official said "over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties." The United States Department of Defense denied responsibility for the strike, while the United States Central Command declined to comment. On August 1, delayed by two days to allow time for proper verification of the operation's success, President Joe Biden announced at the White House that the U.S. Intelligence Community had located al-Zawahiri as he moved into downtown Kabul in early 2022 and that President Biden had authorized the operation a week prior. Biden also stated that the operation did not harm any members of al-Zawahiri's family or other civilians. According to U.S. government sources, Al-Zawahiri was killed by Hellfire missiles fired from a Reaper drone. Press sources have speculated that the missiles may have been R9X Hellfire missiles, which are designed to kill by impact and with blades instead of explosion to avoid unintended casualties. Al Qaeda in December 2022 released a video it stated was narrated by al-Zawahiri. The video was undated and did not mention when the recording of the audio was done. In February 2023, the United Nations reported that many member countries believed Saif al-Adel to be the de facto successor of al-Zawahiri, but al-Qaeda had not formally named him to probably avoid scrutiny against the Taliban for giving shelter to the latter and due to al-Adel living in Iran. Publications Fursan Taht Rayat al Nabi (Knights Under the Prophet's Banner) Co-author of Fatāwa of Osama bin Laden (1998) World Islamic Front Statement (1998) See also FBI Most Wanted Terrorists List of fugitives from justice who disappeared Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif Videos and audio recordings of Osama bin Laden References Citations Works cited Bergen, Peter L. (2006). The Osama bin Laden I Know. Free Press. ISBN 978-0-7432-7891-1. Wright, Lawrence (2006). The Looming Tower (PDF). Knopf. ISBN 0-375-41486-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2014. General references al-Zawahiri, Ayman, L'absolution, Milelli, Villepreux, ISBN 978-2-916590-05-9 (French translation of Al-Zawahiri's latest book). Ibrahim, Raymond (2007), The Al Qaeda Reader, Broadway Books, ISBN 978-0-7679-2262-3. Kepel, Gilles; & Jean-Pierre Milelli (2010), Al Qaeda in Its Own Words, Harvard University Press, Cambridge & London, ISBN 978-0-674-02804-3. Mansfield, Laura (2006), His Own Words: A Translation of the Writings of Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri, Lulu Pub. External links Counter Extremism Project profile Tag Archives: Ayman al Zawahiri – Page 1 Tag Archives: Ayman al Zawahiri – Page 2 Tag Archives: Ayman al Zawahiri – Page 3 Statements and interviews Excerpts and video footage released 1 December 2005 from the September 2005 interview, MEMRI Al-Zawahiri Calls on Muslims to Give Aid to Earthquake Victims in Pakistan Articles The Man Behind Bin Laden, Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, September 16, 2002 report on the al-Zarqawi video tape, CNN, January 2006
Diego Suarez (garden designer)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Diego Suarez (garden designer).	Tell me a bio of Diego Suarez (garden designer).	Tell me a bio of Diego Suarez (garden designer) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Diego Suarez (garden designer) with around 100 words.	Diego Suarez (1888 in Bogotá, Colombia – 14 September 1974 in New York City, New York) was a garden designer best known for his work at James Deering's Villa Vizcaya in Miami, Florida. He also served as a press attaché and minister-counselor for Chile in Washington, D.C. from 1948 until 1952 and counselor to the Colombian delegation to the United Nations. Family background A son of Roberto Suarez, a Colombian diplomat and historian, and his Italian wife, the former Maria Costa (1870–1949), Suarez and his sisters, Camelia and Lucia, and brother, Roberto, spent their childhood in their mother's native country after the death of their father. Suarez took courses as an architectural designer at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Florence. There the young man was taken up by Arthur Acton of the well-known English expatriate family, who was engaged in restoring the gardens of Villa La Pietra, Acton's villa outside Florence, where the formal terraced plan had been swept away in the early nineteenth century by the fashion for English landscape gardens in the naturalistic manner. Acton passed to Suarez, who went four or five days a week to the villa, some of the formal Renaissance garden ideals that were being revived in the late nineteenth century by designers such as Achille Duchêne. Through Acton, whose wife was an American heiress, Suarez was introduced into the Anglo-American community of Florence, where he began to lay out gardens, notably, he remembered years later, one at Villa Schifanoia for Lewis Einstein and another for Charles Loeser, one of the first collectors of Paul Cézanne. Career as garden designer Villa Vizcaya In May 1914, when James Deering, the International Harvester heir, and his travelling companion and long-term artistic advisor Paul Chalfin, a decorative painter and interior decorator who once worked for Elsie de Wolfe, were lent one of the smaller casinas at La Pietra, Acton commissioned Suarez to take them around and show them some villas they would not otherwise have had access to. Among the Anglo-Americans in Florence was Lady Sybil Cutting, who had the Villa Medici in Fiesole, and who suggested that Suarez accompany her to America. The outbreak of war marooned Suarez in New York, where he met a likable young Italian with whom he roomed cheaply in Brooklyn but kept up his connections. Thus it was lunching at the Ritz with Mrs. Albert Gallatin that he ran into Deering and Chalfin, and through the old connection he was invited to design the garden for Villa Vizcaya. Aside from the straight landward approach avenue, less commonly used then than now, the gardens at Villa Vizcaya are centered on two of the façades. One is the boat basin facing Biscayne Bay; its central island is in the form of a boat, railed by balustrades that are punctuated by obelisks, with central landing stairs shoreside and bayside, and bosquets of trees at bow and stern. The main extent of the gardens faces south, with a central axis that rises to a casino, and radiating side axes that offer glimpses of the lake beyond their ends. The main garden element, which had been purchased on one of Deering and Chalfin's trips before the villa was laid out, was the fountain from the main piazza of Bassano di Sutri, near Viterbo, which Deering and Chalfin were convinced was by Vignola. Rather than displaying it in the central axis, Suarez sited it at the end of its own cross-axis, not to be discovered until the visitor had penetrated deep into the plan. The design was richly patterned on the ground, with parterres en broderie in the French baroque taste, contrasts of sun and shade, and many slight changes of level to enliven the essentially flat site. Suarez House In 1952, in collaboration with the architect Frederic Rhinelander King, Suarez completed a neoclassical house with extensive gardens at Brookville, New York. Marriage In 1937, in Monterey, California, Diego Suarez married Evelyn Marshall Field (1888–1979), the daughter of Charles Henry Marshall and first wife of department-store heir Marshall Field III. Evelyn was a sister-in-law of the future Brooke Astor. By that marriage, Suarez had three stepchildren: Barbara Field, Bettine Field, and Marshall Field IV. Burial He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. Notes References James T. Maher, Twilight of Splendor: Chronicles of the Age of American Palaces (Boston: Little, Brown) 1975
Muhammad Qutb	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Muhammad Qutb.	Tell me a bio of Muhammad Qutb.	Tell me a bio of Muhammad Qutb within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Muhammad Qutb with around 100 words.	Muhammad Ibrahim Husayn Shadhili Qutb (26 April 1919 – 4 April 2014) was an Islamic scholar and the younger brother of the Egyptian revolutionary Sayyid Qutb. After his brother was executed by the Egyptian government, Muhammad moved to Saudi Arabia, where he promoted his brother's ideas. Early life and education Muhammad Qutb was the second oldest of five children born in the Upper Egyptian village of Musha near Asyut, 13 years younger than his elder brother, Sayyid. When his father died in 1933, his mother moved with her children to live in Helwan near Cairo. He studied English literature at the Cairo University, graduating in 1940, and later obtained diplomas in psychology and education. Career Egypt He was arrested a few days before Sayyid (on 29 July 1965) for his alleged co-leadership along with his brother in a plot to kill leading political and cultural figures in Egypt and overthrow the government. His brother was hanged in 1966, but Muhammad's life was spared and he, along with other members of the Muslim Brotherhood took refuge in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia While there, he edited and published Sayyid's books and taught as a professor of Islamic Studies at (according to different sources) either Mecca's Umm al-Qura University, and/or King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, and that either Osama bin Laden or Ayman al-Zawahiri (al Qaeda's #2 and leading theorist), was a student. Osama bin Laden recommended "Sheikh Muhammad Qutb's" book, "Concepts that Should be Corrected in a 2004 videotape. According to Lawrence Wright, who interviewed Muhammad Qutb and a close friend in college of bin Laden's, Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, bin Laden "usually attended" Muhammad Qutb's weekly public lectures at King Abdul-Aziz University. In addition to making available his brother's work, he worked to advance his ideas by "smoothing away" differences between his brother's radical supporters and more conservative Muslims, particularly other members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Muhammad took a less-literal interpretation of his brother's famous statement that the Muslim world and Muslim governments were jahiliyya (returned to pagan ignorance, and thus no longer Muslim). He denied that the country that had given him refuge (Saudi Arabia) was jahiliyya and in 1975 came out publicly against takfir, or judging Muslims as unbelievers. He also worked to reconcile the doctrine of the Muslims Brothers with "the salafism that prevailed in his host country". In 1986, Safar Al-Hawali defended his dissertation under Qutb's supervision. "His defense was so impressive" that Qutb "declared in public that the student had surpassed his teacher". Al-Hawali went on to become one of the "two main figures of the sahwa" (Islamist awakening), which "mingled radical Wahhabism with Sayyid Qutb's ideas". Death Qutb died at a hospital in Mecca on 4 April 2014 at the age of 94. Views and ideas Anti-Semitism In many of his writings M. Qutb criticized the current state of the Muslim world and emphasized its weakness in relation to western powers. He attributed that weakness to the Muslim themselves and described them as having failed to apply the true teachings of Islam to their lives or to the running of their societies. He depicted the world as living in a state of ignorance, or jahiliyya, of an even greater degree than the first jahiliyya, which had preceded the coming of the Prophet Muhammad. However, Muslim ignorance is not the only cause for the crisis in the Muslim world, according to Qutb. He also attributed the weakness of the Muslim world to Islam’s enemies, whom he defined as the Christians and the Jews. Qutb often used the terms Crusaders to refer to Christians and Zionists to refer to Jews, by which he recalled earlier military conflicts between these religious groups and Muslim populations. Although Qutb regarded Christians as hostile to Islam, he viewed Christianity as having little influence over modern western society, which he argued is now controlled by Jews. According to Qutb, Jews' hatred for Islam leads them to attack it wherever they can. Although some of his works referred to military conflicts, Qutb regarded Western cultural imperialism as the main means by which Jews seek to destroy Islam and Muslims. He portrayed this as a more subtle and dangerous method than military invasion because it destroys the Muslim world from within; through their exposure to secular ideas and values Muslims deviate from their religion, which weakens Muslim society as a whole and undermines political loyalty to other Muslim lands. Qutb portrayed western cultural imperialism as having begun with the Napoleonic expedition into Egypt after and then continued and increased in severity. He saw school education as one of the main instruments of western cultural imperialism and criticized it for instilling a slavish admiration of the west into Muslim school children. He also regarded the school system as undermining Islamic values by allowing boys and girls to receive the same education and often together. In addition to schools, Qutb also described newspapers as being used to disseminate the same misinformation and values learnt by the children to their parents, so that these did not object to what their children were learning. He gave the example of Maronite Christians working in journalism in Egypt to support his argument that newspapers were part of a religiously-motivated conspiracy to corrupt the Islamic values of their readers. A key aspect in Qutb’s argument is his opposition to the education of girls and the changing social status of women in Islamic societies. He regarded the mother as central to the religious upbringing of the children and argued that feminism was the most effective means of corrupting Muslim society. That is, firstly, because women who go out to work or to study neglect their children and fail to instil the proper values into them. Secondly, when girls receive a secular education at school they pass this on to their children when they become mothers, which ultimately leads to the corruption of society as a whole. Therefore, Muhammad Qutb concluded that feminism and calls for female emancipation should be seen as a serious threat to the stability of Muslim society. Qutb’s argument regarding western cultural influence over Muslim society draws heavily on anti-Semitic conspiracy theories such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion , and he referred to these texts in his writings. However, his view of the role of women in preserving social structures is not generally an important aspect of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. It may come from the French scientist and author Alexis Carrel, who also raised concerns about the effect of feminism on social structures and whose writings were well-known to both Muhammad and Sayyid Qutb. Slavery Muhammad Qutb defended Islamic slavery against Western criticism in his writings. He concluded that, as it appeared in the Muslim world, chattel slavery was better than slavery in the West, as "in the early period of Islam the slave was exalted to such a noble state of humanity as was never before witnessed in any other part of the world", and that "Islam gave spiritual enfranchisement to slaves". Qutb defended sexual slavery in Islam in the form of concubinage, comparing it favorably to what he termed as adultery, prostitution, and casual sex of Europe, which he termed as "that most odious form of animalism", with what he described as "that clean and spiritual bond that ties a maid [i.e. slave girl] to her master in Islam". Influence and legacy Muhammad Qutb was an author in his own right and his writings are widespread in the Arab world and nearly as prolific as his brother's. Jahiliyya in the Twentieth Century is perhaps his best-known work, and gained notoriety as an alleged terrorist handbook (along with his brother's Milestones) when the government claimed to find the two in police searches of plotters' homes and environs. Another very popular work, Islam: the Misunderstood Religion, expands on his brother's ideas, describing the ways in which fundamentalist Islam is superior to the "perverted ... inhuman ... crazy ... savage and backward" Western world. His teaching has been influential on 20th-century Muslim thought, particularly in Saudi Arabia following his move there in 1972. In addition to his teaching position at the Umm al-Qura University and the King Abdulaziz University Qutb also held private teaching circles and disseminated his lectures by means of cassettes, printed pamphlets and, from the late 1990s onwards, the internet. This helped to spread his popularity beyond university students. One of Qutb’s most famous students was Safar al-Hawali, whose thesis on murji’ism and secularization draws heavily on Qutb’s own teaching on the subject. Qutb also played an important role in the Sahwa movement, the adherents of which often quote his writings. In addition, Muhammad Qutb’s editorial rights over the works of his late brother, Sayyid Qutb, enabled him to select which of Sayyid Qutb’s works were published and to censor aspects that he regarded as incompatible with Sayyid Qutb’s religious thought. Books He wrote 36 books, including: Essays Shubuhāt Hawla al-Islām (literally "Misconceptions about Islam") (Islam: The Misunderstood Religion) ISBN 0-686-18500-5 Islam: the Misunderstood Religion, Markazi Maktabi Islami, Delhi-6, 5th edition (English translation) Dirāsāt fī al-nafs al-insānīyah.[1963?] (Studies in human psychology) BP166.73 .Q8 Arab Hal nahnu Muslimūn (Are we Muslims?) al-Qāhirah : Dār al-Shurūq, 1980, ISBN 977-705-981-7 al-Insān bayna al-māddīyah wa-al-Islām. (Man between the Material World and Islam) B825 .Q8 (Orien Arab) al-Sahwah al-Islāmīyah (The Islamic Resurgence)(al-Qāhirah : Maktabat al-Sunnah, 1990) Jahiliyat al-qarn al-`ishrin (Jahiliyya of the Twentieth Century), 292 p.; 23 cm. al-Qahirah : Dar al-Shuruq, ; ISBN 977-733-606-3 The Concept of Islam and Our Understanding of It The Future is for Islam Islam and the Crisis of the Modern World 28 p.; published by The Islamic Foundation, 1979. ISBN 0-86037-047-X Waqena Al -moaser, 527 p.; published by Dār al-Shurūq, 1979. ISBN 977-09-0393-0 Qabasāt min al-Rasūl Riḥlah ilá al-Ḥijāz al-Taṭawwur wa-al-thabāt fī ḥayāt al-bashrīyah, on religion and science Maḥmūd al-Badawī : ʻāshiq al-qiṣṣah al-qaṣīrah, biographical work on Egyptian writer Mahmud al-Badawi al-Fann wa-al-basāṭah : qirāʼah fi al-qiṣṣah al-qaṣīrah ʻinda Tharwat Abāẓah, study of the works of Egyptian writer Tharwat Abaza Muḥammad Jubrīl wa-ʻālamuhu al-qaṣaṣī, study of the works of Egyptian writer Muhammad Jibril al-Ruʼá wa-al-aḥlām : qirāʼah fī nuṣūṣ riwāʼīyah, literary criticism on Arab novel al-Sard fī muwājahat al-wāqiʻ : fuṣūl min al-qiṣ̣ṣah al-Suʻūdīyah, literary criticism on Saudi literature Novels al-Sayyid alladhī raḥal al-Khurūj ilá al-nabʻ al-Ṭaraf al-ākhar min al-bayt Short stories al-Banāt wa-al-qamar Ṣadaʼ al-qulūb Poetry Daftar al-alwān References Notes External links Qutb, Muhammad. Islam, the Misunderstood Religion (PDF) (6th ed.). islambasic.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016. 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Daniel Alexander Cameron	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Daniel Alexander Cameron.	Tell me a bio of Daniel Alexander Cameron.	Tell me a bio of Daniel Alexander Cameron within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Daniel Alexander Cameron with around 100 words.	Daniel Alexander Cameron (December 10, 1870 – September 4, 1937) was a Canadian politician from the province of Nova Scotia. He was one of the first Nova Scotian legislators of the 20th century to die while in office. Early life and career Born in Sydney River, Nova Scotia, the son of John and Isabella (Macdonald) Cameron, Cameron was educated at Sydney Academy and Dalhousie University where he received a Bachelor of Laws degree. He was admitted to the bar in October 1893. In 1894, he started practicing law in Sydney. He was a member of the County Council from 1900 to 1911. He was the stipendiary magistrate for Sydney from 1905 to 1911. In 1911, he was appointed treasurer and solicitor for the Municipality of Cape Breton. Political career In 1916, he was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for the electoral district of Cape Breton. A Nova Scotia Liberal, he was defeated in 1920. From 1921 to 1923, he was a Member of the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia and was a Minister Without Portfolio in the cabinet of George Henry Murray. He resigned from the Legislative Council in 1923 and was elected to the House of Assembly for Victoria County. From 1923 to 1925, he was the Provincial Secretary in the cabinet of Ernest Howard Armstrong. He resigned in 1930 and was defeated in the 1930 federal election when he ran as the Liberal candidate for the electoral district of Cape Breton South. He was elected in the 1935 election for the electoral district of Cape Breton North and Victoria. He served for a little less than two years before he died in office in 1937. References "Prominent people of the Maritime Provinces (in business and professional life)". Internet Archive. Daniel Alexander Cameron – Parliament of Canada biography
Ivan Perišić	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ivan Perišić.	Tell me a bio of Ivan Perišić.	Tell me a bio of Ivan Perišić within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ivan Perišić with around 100 words.	Ivan Perišić (Croatian pronunciation: [ǐʋan pěriʃitɕ]; born 2 February 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Eredivisie club PSV. Usually deployed as a left winger, he has also featured as a left wing-back, right winger, and in the beginning of his career as an attacking midfielder or even second striker. Known for his ambidexterity and versatility, he is considered to be one of the greatest Croatian players of all time. A product of the Hajduk Split and Sochaux youth academies, Perišić made a name for himself while playing for Club Brugge, where he was the Belgian Pro League top goalscorer and was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. This earned him a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the 2011–12 Bundesliga, before signing with VfL Wolfsburg for €8 million in January 2013. He remained there for two and a half seasons, winning the 2015 DFB-Pokal final, before moving to Inter Milan for €16 million. In 2019, he joined Bayern Munich on loan, winning the treble. After returning to Inter Milan, he won the 2020–21 Serie A, the 2021 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2021–22 Coppa Italia. Perišić made his debut for the Croatia national team in 2011, and represented his nation at the UEFA European Championship in 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024, as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018 and 2022, reaching and scoring an equaliser in the final of the 2018 World Cup and winning a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup. Instrumental to Croatia's second "golden generation", Perišić is the nation's player with most goal contributions at the major tournaments (18). Club career Early career Perišić played in the youth ranks of the club he grew up supporting, Hajduk Split. He received interest from a number of clubs, including Anderlecht, PSV, Ajax, Hertha BSC and Hamburger SV. The only match he played for Hajduk was a friendly 3–1 win over Smederevo in Murska Sobota on 16 July 2006. Returning from Murska Sobota to Split, Perišić received offers from Anderlecht and Sochaux. Hajduk offered Perišić a €100,000 contract, which was only €20,000 less than Hajduk's best player Niko Kranjčar's contract. However, the Perišić family opted for French club Sochaux, which paid €360,000 to sign him in the summer of 2006. Sochaux's coach Alain Perrin personally arrived to Split with a private jet to convince Perišić to sign, waiting two days for his signature. His physical and technical attributes led to comparisons to former Croatia international Aljoša Asanović by some journalists. He was a member of the Sochaux youth team, which won the Coupe Gambardella in 2007. During his time at Sochaux, he failed to make a first-team appearance, but did play for the B team. In January 2009, Perišić was sent on loan to Belgian top flight club Roeselare for six months. At the end of the 2008–09 season, there were reports Perišić sought to join Belgian side Anderlecht. Club Brugge On 26 August 2009, Belgian club Club Brugge acquired Perišić from Sochaux for a €250,000 transfer fee and signed him to a three-year contract. Prior his move, Perišić was linked with a move to German side Hertha BSC, having gone on trial. In the opening match of the season, Perišić scored his first goal in a 1–1 draw against Genk, then scored his second in two consecutive games and provided assists in a 4–1 win over Westerlo. Overall, Perišić scored 9 goals in 33 league appearances, also making eight appearances in Brugge's Europa League campaign, scoring four goals. At the end of the season, Perišić signed a new three-year contract at Brugge, keeping him until 2015. Belgian football critics predicted a bright future for Perišić. In the 2010–11 season, he was the top scorer of the Belgian Jupiler Pro League after scoring 22 goals for Club Brugge, also being named Player of the Year in Belgium. During the season, Perišić scored four goals and provided an assist in a 5–0 win against Charleroi on 29 December 2010. Borussia Dortmund On 23 May 2011, Perišić signed a five-year contract to play for German side Borussia Dortmund after Dortmund paid an estimated €5 million transfer fee to Brugge. He made his debut for the club in their 3–1 home victory over Hamburger SV on 5 August, substituting on for Chris Löwe in the 75th minute. During a Champions League match on 13 September 2011, he scored a late equaliser with a volley from 20 yards against Arsenal after entering as a substitute in the 69th minute. On 14 October, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win against Werder Bremen, a match in which he was later sent off for a second bookable offence. On 21 April 2012, he scored the important 1–0 goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach and opened the door to the eighth national championship for Dortmund. The game ended 2–0 (the second was scored by Shinji Kagawa). Perišić began the 2012–13 Bundesliga season scoring a brace in a 3–2 loss against Hamburger SV on 22 September 2012. However, Perišić soon found his first team opportunities limited, having played less in the first team and soon told Croatian channel Nova TV he had received no support from Dortmund manager Jürgen Klopp and accused him of favouring other players. In response, Klopp criticised his actions as childish and Perišić faced a fine due to his comment. VfL Wolfsburg On 6 January 2013, it was reported Perišić transferred for €8 million to VfL Wolfsburg. He scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in a friendly match against Standard Liège on 10 January. He made his competitive debut for Wolfsburg against VfB Stuttgart on 19 January 2013. In March, he suffered a left knee injury that sidelined him throughout March and April. He made his comeback in May in the match against Hamburger SV, coming on as a substitute and providing an assist. On 11 May 2013, he faced his former club Borussia Dortmund, scoring two goals. On 3 August 2013, Perišić scored his first cup goal for Wolfsburg in their 3–1 win against Karlsruher SC. On 26 October 2013, Perišić opened his goal scoring form in the 2013–14 season in their 3–0 win against Werder Bremen, also creating an assist on a goal. On matchday 30, he scored a brace in Wolfsburg's 4–1 home win against 1. FC Nürnberg. Perišić finished the season with ten league goals, second-best on the team behind fellow countryman Ivica Olić. Inter Milan On 30 August 2015, Perišić signed with Italian club Inter Milan on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of €16 million. He was presented on 10 September alongside Adem Ljajić, where he was assigned squad number 44, stating, "Inter were too big an opportunity to turn down." 2015–16 season Perišić made his competitive debut for the club three days after signing, starting and playing 85 minutes in a 1–0 win against cross-city rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. He opened his scoring account on 4 October in his fifth league appearance in the 1–1 away draw against Sampdoria, profiting from Mauro Icardi's assist, which was followed by another goal against Palermo two weeks later. On 15 December, Perišić made his Coppa Italia debut in the round of 16 match against Cagliari at home, appearing as a second-half substitute and scoring the team's third goal of the match in an eventual 3–0 win. He began 2016 on 6 January in the match away against Empoli; his cross from close range was finished home by Icardi for the only goal of the match, which kept Inter top to the table. On 7 February, during the match against Hellas Verona, Perišić came on as a 46th-minute substitute to change the fate of the match, providing an assist for Icardi and also scoring for himself to level the result 3–3, rescuing a point for his side. March was Perišić's best month in personal terms, scoring four goals and providing three assists. On 2 March, in the returning leg of Coppa Italia's semi-final against Juventus at San Siro, Perišić scored the team's second goal of the match to help Inter overturn the 3–0 defeat and equal the aggregate 3–3, which led the match into the penalty shoot-outs. However, Inter lost 5–3 and were eliminated from the competition. Perišić scored Inter's last goal of 2015–16 season in a 2–1 home win against Empoli on the final matchday. Perišić finished his first season with Inter Milan by playing 37 matches, including 34 in league, scoring nine goals, seven of them in league, and Inter Milan finished fourth in Serie A, returning in European competitions after a one-year absence and was eliminated in the semi-final in the Coppa Italia. He was also Inter Milan's top assist provider with six assists. 2016–17 season Perišić opened his second Inter season by playing in the last 30 minutes of the first matchday as fell away at Chievo. He then scored his first goal of the new season in the Derby d'Italia against Juventus at home, entering in the 69th minute and heading home an Mauro Icardi cross nine minutes later to give Inter second win of the season, also the first in league against Juventus since November 2012. Perišić played his first European match for Inter Milan on 29 September in team's second 2016–17 UEFA Europa League group stage match against Sparta Prague, appearing in the last 27 minutes of a 3–1 away defeat. On 20 November, in the Derby against rivals Milan, he first provided the Antonio Candreva's long-range strike before scoring himself a last minute equaliser, as Inter took one point in the last moments. On 8 January 2017, Inter Milan's first match of the calendar year, Perišić provided a Man of the Match performance by scoring both goals in a 2–1 away win at Udinese; it was his first Inter brace which took his tally up to six goals. This was followed by another splendid individual performance against Chievo six days later as he scored his team's second goal after an individual effort in an eventual 3–1 win. On 5 February, in the matchday 23 against Juventus at Juventus Stadium, Perišić received his first-ever career red card as Inter Milan were defeated 1–0. He was subsequently banned for two matches by Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for aggressive confrontation of the referee. After Inter Milan appealed the suspension, it was reduced to one match. He returned from suspension on 19 February in the 1–0 win at Bologna, and scored his second brace on 5 March in a 5–1 thrashing of Cagliari at Stadio Sant'Elia. On 22 April, Perišić reached double-figures for the first time with Inter Milan after scoring in a 5–4 away defeat against Fiorentina. On the final matchday, he provided a stunning individual performance by providing two assists after individual efforts, also scoring his 11th goal of the season as Inter thrashed Udinese 5–2 at home end the season on a high. Perišić finished his second Inter season by making 42 appearances in all competitions, including 36 in league, which 31 were as starter, as Inter finished the Serie A in seventh position, once again failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. He scored 11 goals, his highest tally since 2010–11 season with Club Brugge; and also provided ten assists, including eight in Serie A, breaking his last season's record. 2017–18 season Perišić started his third Inter season on a high, first scoring and assisting in the opening day of 2017–18 Serie A against Fiorentina, then providing two assists in the away match at Roma as Inter won 3–1, Inter Milan's first league win at the Stadio Olimpico in nine years. On 8 September, Perišić signed a new contract extension with Inter Milan, keeping him at the San Siro until June 2022. Upon signing, Perišić said, "It's a special day, it's certainly emotional and I'm happy after the stress of this summer. Now, we can look forward and I'm only thinking about Inter. After signing, the pitch is the only thing left for me to think about." His second goal of the season, a late screamer outside the zone against newly promoted SPAL two days later, was his 20th career Serie A goal. Perišić scored his first Serie A hat-trick on 3 December in the 5–0 home win over Chievo. His 100th appearance in all competitions for Inter occurred later on 30 December in the goalless draw versus Lazio on matchday 19. 2018–19 season Perišić played his first Champions League game for Inter on 18 September 2018, in a 2–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. In January 2019, English club Arsenal attempted to sign Perišić. He agreed to a deal with the club; however, Inter Milan blocked the deal. Teammate Mauro Icardi's agent Wanda Nara spoke out about Perišić's reasons for the departure, speculating that they might be of personal nature. Nara's comments resulted in a fallout between the players, resulting in Icardi being stripped of captaincy and dropped from the team ahead of a Europa League away fixture against Rapid Wien. Perišić featured in 34 matches in Serie A, only behind Samir Handanović and Matteo Politano, scoring 8 goals; hence being the second top scorer for Inter after Icardi. Following the appointment of Antonio Conte, Perišić struggled to fit into the new manager's system during pre-season. 2019–20 season: Loan to Bayern Munich On 13 August 2019, Perišić joined German club Bayern Munich on a season-long loan. Bayern had the option of signing Perišić on a permanent deal in the summer of 2020. On 31 August he scored his first goal for Bayern and provided an assist in a 6–1 victory over Mainz. On 4 February 2020, during training ahead of a DFB-Pokal match against 1899 Hoffenheim, Perišić suffered a right ankle fracture following a tackle from teammate Álvaro Odriozola. He underwent a surgery the same day. He came back to the team on 17 May, coming on for Serge Gnabry in 85th minute of the game against Union Berlin, the club's first game after the league suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 10 June, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the DFB-Pokal semi-final. On 4 July, he provided Robert Lewandowski with an assist in the DFB-Pokal final as Bayern defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4–2 and secured the domestic double. On 8 August, he scored in a Champions League round of 16 second leg, as Bayern defeated Chelsea 4–1 (7–1 on aggregate). Six days later, he scored in a quarter-final 8–2 win over Barcelona at Estádio da Luz. On 23 August, he became the eleventh Croatian to win the Champions League in history, as Bayern defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in the final. On 9 September, Bayern announced they had opted not to sign Perišić on permanent deal, after failing to negotiate a deal with Inter and he returned to his parent club. 2020–21 season On 31 October 2020, Perišić scored his first goal of the season for Inter Milan in a 2–2 home draw against Parma. On 3 November, he scored his first Champions League goal for Inter Milan in a 2–3 defeat against Real Madrid. During the spring part of the season, Perišić was praised by Conte for successfully adapting to his system, moving from the position of a winger to that of a wing-back. On 2 May 2021, four matchdays before the end of the season, Sassuolo drew 1–1 with Atalanta at home, meaning that Inter mathematically secured the Serie A title. It was Inter's first league title since 2009–10 season, ending Juventus' nine-season-long league-winning streak. The title was also Perišić's first trophy with the Nerrazzuri. 2021–22 season On 24 November 2021, Perišić was praised for his performance in the 2–0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, as he assisted Edin Džeko's second goal, although his goal and Lautaro Martínez's goal that he also assisted were ruled out. The victory qualified Inter Milan for the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2011–12 season. On 11 May 2022, in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus, Perišić broke the deadlock in the first half of extra time by scoring a brace and bringing the score from 2–2 to the eventual 4–2. Tottenham Hotspur On 31 May 2022, Tottenham Hotspur signed Perišić on a free transfer, reuniting him with former manager Conte. He became the fifth Croatian in history to sign with the club. He played his first minutes for the club in a 2–1 friendly victory over Rangers on 23 July. Perišić made his Premier League debut on 6 August 2022, coming on as a second-half substitute for Ryan Sessegnon in a 4–1 home victory over Southampton. On 20 September 2023, the club confirmed that Perišić had sustained a complex anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee in non-contact training and that he would undergo surgery. Hajduk Split On 19 January 2024, Perišić returned to his hometown club Hajduk Split. Initially, he joined the club on loan until the end of the season, with Hajduk later announcing it had reached an agreement with the player to remain at the club for another season, following the expiration of his contract with Tottenham Hotspur. On 30 August 2024, Perišić and Hajduk terminated the contract by mutual consent. An attempt was made for a transfer to one of the clubs in Serie A, but was not successfully completed before transfer deadline. PSV On 18 September 2024, Dutch club PSV signed Perišić on a free transfer in a one-year deal. On 2 November 2024, Perišić scored his first goal for PSV in a 3–2 defeat against Ajax. He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal for PSV on 11 February, 2025 in a 2–1 defeat to Juventus. On the return leg, he scored again in a 3–1 victory, making him the oldest ever player to score in consecutive Champions League knockout stage matches. International career Perišić has appeared internationally for the Croatia national under-17, under-19 and under-21 teams. He participated in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification for Croatia, where he scored two goals. On 26 March 2011, at age 22, Perišić made his debut for the senior national team against Georgia. He was a member of Croatia's squad for UEFA Euro 2012, starting in the team's opening two matches against the Republic of Ireland and Italy, and appearing as a substitute in the team's final match, a 1–0 loss to Spain. During the 2014 World Cup qualification, Perišić appeared in 12 matches for Croatia and scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw with Belgium. On 14 May, Perišić was named in Croatia's 30-man preliminary squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On 31 May, he scored a brace in a 2–1 win against Mali in a World Cup warm-up match in Osijek. Perišić was confirmed as a member of Croatia's final 23-man World Cup squad on 2 June. Perišić was in Croatia's starting team for the opening match of the 2014 World Cup, a controversial 3–1 defeat to tournament hosts Brazil at the Arena Corinthians, São Paulo. In the following match, he scored Croatia's second goal as they defeated Cameroon 4–0. On 23 June, he scored a consolation goal in the team's final group match, 3–1 defeat to Mexico which eliminated them from the tournament. Despite Croatia's early elimination, Perišić was ranked as the second-best performing player of the group stage by FIFA. Perišić was Croatia's top goalscorer in Euro 2016 qualifying, scoring six goals in nine matches as Croatia qualified in second place in Group H. In Croatia's second Euro 2016 group match, Perišić scored the opening goal of a 2–2 draw with the Czech Republic. Five days later, he scored the winning goal against Spain, which secured qualification to the knockout stage as group winners for Croatia. The tournament however ended in disappointment as they were subsequently knocked out in the round of 16 to eventual winners Portugal. Perišić appeared regularly in Croatia's successful 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, as they finished runner-up in Group I which sent them to second round. The team played Greece, winning the first leg 4–1, with Perišić scoring the third goal in 33rd minute. Croatia booked their spot to the World Cup final stages in Russia on 12 November by playing a goalless draw in the returning leg. In May 2018, Perišić was named in Croatia's final squad for the 2018 World Cup. In the third group stage match, Perišić scored in the last minute of the regular time in the 2–1 win over Iceland as Croatia topped Group D on full points. During Croatia's semi-final match against England on 11 July, Perišić scored Croatia's equaliser in the second half of regulation time, and later also set-up Mario Mandžukić's match-winning goal in the second half of extra-time to give Croatia a 2–1 victory, sending the team to the World Cup final for the first time in their history. He was named Man of the Match. In the final against France on 15 July, he scored Croatia's temporary equaliser in the first half, although the match eventually ended in a 4–2 defeat to France. Perišić covered the most ground of any player in the tournament, running a total of 72.5 kilometres. During Euro 2020 qualifying, Perišić scored three times—against Wales at home and Slovakia home and away—as Croatia topped Group E. On 19 November 2019, he captained the national team for the first time ever in a friendly 2–1 victory over Georgia, scoring the winning goal. On 8 September 2020, he captained Croatia once again in a 4–2 Nations League defeat to France at Stade de France. On 1 June 2021, Perišić made this 100th appearance for the national team in a friendly 1–1 draw with Armenia in which he scored Croatia's goal. He was selected in Croatia's final squad for UEFA Euro 2020, where he was the team's most efficient performer, scoring twice (in the 1–1 draw with the Czech Republic and the 3–1 victory over Scotland) and assisting once (in the latter match). However, on 27 June, he tested positive for COVID-19 which ruled him out of the squad for the knockout phase. On 9 November 2022, Perišić was selected in Croatia's final squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. At the tournament, he assisted three times—twice in the 4–1 group stage victory over Canada and once in the 2–1 third place play-off victory over Morocco—and scored once, the equalizer in the 1–1 round of 16 draw with Japan. That way, he extended his record of the Croatia player with the most goal contributions at major tournaments (18), as well as surpassed Davor Šuker as the Croatia player with the most goals scored at major tournaments (10). Beach volleyball Perišić took part at the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour for the Poreč Major tournament, a professional competition, partnering Nikša Dellorco. The pair lost their first match against Álvaro Morais Filho and Saymon Barbosa. Personal life Born in Split, Perišić grew up in the town of Omiš, where his parents are from. As a child, he worked on his father's poultry farm. Perišić married Josipa in 2012, having first met her while they were in high school. The pair have two children: a son, Leonardo, born on 9 October 2012; and a daughter, Manuela, born on 28 July 2014. Career statistics Club As of match played 18 May 2025 International As of match played 9 June 2025 Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first. Honours Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga: 2011–12 DFB-Pokal: 2011–12 VfL Wolfsburg DFB-Pokal: 2014–15 DFL-Supercup: 2015 Bayern Munich Bundesliga: 2019–20 DFB-Pokal: 2019–20 UEFA Champions League: 2019–20 Inter Milan Serie A: 2020–21 Coppa Italia: 2021–22 Supercoppa Italiana: 2021 PSV Eindhoven Eredivisie: 2024–25 Croatia FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018; third place: 2022 UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2022–23 Individual Belgian Pro League top goalscorer: 2010–11 Belgian Professional Footballer of the Year: 2010–11 Vatrena krila: 2014 Serie A Goal of the Month: April 2022 Eredivisie Player of the Month: May 2025 Orders Order of Duke Branimir: 2018 See also List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps References External links Ivan Perišić at the Croatian Football Federation Ivan Perišić – FIFA competition record (archived) Ivan Perišić – UEFA competition record (archive)
Gemma Arterton	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Gemma Arterton.	Tell me a bio of Gemma Arterton.	Tell me a bio of Gemma Arterton within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Gemma Arterton with around 100 words.	Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is a British actress. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature-film debut in the comedy St Trinian's (2007). She portrayed Bond Girl Strawberry Fields in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008), a performance which won her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer, and spy Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad in the action war film The King's Man (2021). Arterton has appeared in a number of other films, including The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009), Tamara Drewe (2010), Clash of the Titans (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013), Their Finest (2016), The Escape (2017), Vita and Virginia (2018), and Culprits (2023). She received the Harper's Bazaar Woman of the Year Award for acting in and producing The Escape. Her theatrical highlights have included starring in The Duchess of Malfi (2014), Made in Dagenham (2014), Nell Gwynn (2016), and Saint Joan (2017). Arterton was nominated for Olivier Awards for her work on both Nell Gwynn and Made in Dagenham, and she won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for the latter. Since 2016, Arterton has run her own production company, Rebel Park Productions, which focuses on creating female-led content in front of and behind the camera. Early life and education Gemma Christina Arterton was born on 2 February 1986 at North Kent Hospital in Gravesend with polydactyly, a condition resulting in extra fingers which were removed shortly after her birth. Her mother, Sally-Anne Heap, runs a cleaning business, and her father, Barry J. Arterton, is a welder. They divorced while Arterton was a young child, and she grew up on a council estate with her mother and younger sister, Hannah Arterton, who is also an actress. Her matrilineal great-grandmother was a German-Jewish concert violinist. Arterton attended Gravesend Grammar School for Girls, in Kent (now Mayfield Grammar School) and made her amateur stage debut in a production of Alan Ayckbourn's The Boy Who Fell into a Book. Her performance won her the best-actress prize in a competition at a local festival. At age 16, Arterton left Gravesend Grammar School to study Performing Arts at the Miskin Theatre at North Kent College, Dartford. She later studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2008. Career Arterton had her first professional role in Stephen Poliakoff's Capturing Mary while she was still at drama school. She made her stage debut as Rosaline in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre in London in July 2007, before graduating later that year. She made her film debut in St Trinian's (2007) as Head Girl Kelly. In 2008, she worked alongside Daniel Craig in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. Chosen from around fifteen hundred candidates, Arterton plays Bond Girl Strawberry Fields, in what is described as a "nice-sized role". Arterton describes her character as "the thinking man's crumpet". In the same year, she played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Also in 2008, she played Elizabeth Bennet in the ITV serial, Lost in Austen. Her most controversial role to date was in the 2009 film The Disappearance of Alice Creed, in which her character is kidnapped and abused in several graphic nude scenes. The role required her to be handcuffed to a bed and wear a ball gag in her mouth throughout. She requested that she be left tied to the bed even when the camera was not on her to help her performance. She joked that the crew would put the ball gag back in if she was chatting too much. The film was well received, with Frank Scheck for The Hollywood Reporter noting, "Arterton… handles the rigorous physical and emotional demands of her role with great skill". Arterton was the face of Avon's Bond Girl 007 fragrance, when it was launched in October 2008. In 2010, Arterton made her West End debut in the UK premiere of The Little Dog Laughed. She was originally attached to star in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw; however, she later left the project.Arterton appeared in pivotal roles in the 2010 films Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and played the lead in Tamara Drewe. In 2010, Arterton also starred in the Almeida Theatre's production of The Master Builder directed by Travis Preston, where she was widely praised for her performance as Hilde Wangel. In 2011, Arterton was nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Rising Star Award and was under consideration for Leading Actress for her performances in Tamara Drewe and The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Arterton starred in the action horror film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters as Gretel, opposite Jeremy Renner, who played Hansel. The 3-D film was set 15 years after Hansel and Gretel killed the witch who kidnapped them. It was released on 25 January 2013. In January 2014, she took the title role in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, the inaugural production at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the new indoor theatre at Shakespeare's Globe. Both the play and Arterton herself received positive reviews, with Paul Taylor for The Independent reporting. "The luminous Gemma Arterton beautifully captures the multi-faceted quality of the Duchess". In the same year, she starred with Ryan Reynolds, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver in the psychological thriller film, The Voices. In 2015, Arterton starred as the titular lead in Gemma Bovery. The film is a re-imagining of Gustave Flaubert's 19th century classic Madame Bovary directed by Anne Fontaine. Arterton learnt to speak French for the role, never having spoken the language previously. In 2014–2015, Arterton starred in Made in Dagenham, a stage musical about the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 concerning equal pay for women. Since its premiere on 5 November 2014 at the Adelphi Theatre in London, she has publicly expressed her support for their cause. She played a fictional character named Rita O'Grady and her performance received mixed reviews from critics. Simon Edge, for the Daily Express, complained of an "underpowered central performance from Gemma Arterton as Rita". However, Matt Trueman for Variety praised Arterton for her "all-out star turn" and Paul Taylor, for The Independent, praised how "Arterton holds the show together beautifully". Despite the show closing after only five months, Arterton was nevertheless nominated for an Olivier Award for best actress in a musical, and went on to win the Evening Standard award for Newcomer in a Musical. In a 2015 interview with the Independent newspaper, Arterton stated that she was the director Jonathan Glazer's choice for the lead role in his movie Under the Skin. Glazer, however, was forced to recast because Arterton was not famous enough for the film to secure financing. In February 2016, Arterton started a run playing the title role in the Shakespeare's Globe transfer of Nell Gwynn, at the West End's Apollo Theatre. Arterton was praised by critics, with Michael Billington for The Guardian citing her "natural sparkle". For her performance, she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play. In July 2016, she was named as a member of the main competition jury for the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. Also in this year, Arterton was nominated for a BIFA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the teacher Helen Justineau in The Girl with All the Gifts. Her performance, a story set in a dystopian future world ravaged by a zombie pathogen, was generally well reviewed. In 2016, Arterton set up Rebel Park Productions to create female-lead and female-centric film and TV projects. She produced the well-received short film Leading Lady Parts in support of Time's Up. The film starred Emilia Clarke, Tom Hiddleston and Gemma Chan and helped to raise awareness for the UK Justice and Equality Fund. In the same year, she played one of four lead roles in Arnaud des Pallières' French language film Orpheline (Orphan), a role in which she exercised the French language skills she had acquired for her role in Gemma Bovery. In 2017, Arterton took on the role of Joan in Josie Rourke's interpretation of George Bernard Shaw's classic story Saint Joan. While the play itself received mixed reviews, Arterton's performance was widely praised as the highlight of the show. In the same year, she appeared as the fictional young screenwriter Catrin Cole in Their Finest, a wartime romcom about a propaganda film crew working during the Second World War. Arterton's performance amongst the impressive ensemble of supporting actors (Bill Nighy, Sam Claflin, and Eddie Marsan) was generally well received. In 2018, Arterton produced and co-created The Escape, a largely improvised film about a mother struggling with the breakdown of her marriage. The film received excellent reviews, and Arterton was nominated for a BIFA for Best Actress in a British Independent Film. She was awarded Woman of the Year by Harper's Bazaar for her work on the film. Also in 2018, Arterton was one of 928 new members invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 49% of whom were female as part of the academy's ongoing attempt to increase representation. In 2018, Arterton was announced as playing late singer Dusty Springfield in a film about her life. In 2019, Arterton appeared in the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery (which stars Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Luke Evans). Despite the film's largely negative reviews, it was watched by 30.9 million Netflix account holders in its first three days of release, then a record for the streaming service. In the same year, Arterton played socialite and author Vita Sackville-West in Vita and Virginia, a film about the romantic relationship between Arterton's character and Virginia Woolf, which was the inspiration for Woolf's novel Orlando: A Biography. Arterton is credited as executive producer of the film. She also produced and starred in the short film Hayley Alien, which was written and directed by her sister and co-star, Hannah Arterton. Arterton was an executive producer and starred in the Second World War film Summerland, directed by Jessica Swale. Arterton had previously worked with Swale on the stage show Nell Gwynn. In 2021, Arterton appeared in the First World War film The King's Man as secret agent Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad of Kingsman, a role she will reprise in the sequel The Traitor King. In 2024, she joined Carl Tibbetts's Sweet Dreams. Other activities Arterton is on record as being a supporter of the Time's Up, ERA 50:50, and MeToo movements. She played an integral role in persuading actresses to wear black at the 2018 BAFTAs in support of Time'sUp, and has been involved with ERA 50:50, an equal-pay campaign in the UK, since its inception. Personal life Arterton met production assistant John Nolan on the set of Quantum of Solace and they lived together in London. In 2008, she had a relationship with Spanish stuntman Eduardo Muñoz, whom she met on the set of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. They lived together in a London flat for six months before the relationship ended. Arterton married Stefano Catelli in 2010. They separated in 2013, and, in August 2015, their divorce was finalised "by consent" at the Central Family Court in High Holborn. Arterton said she "never really believed in exchanging vows" and that she was not sure she would "want to walk down the aisle again". In 2013, Arterton stated that she wanted to wait until she has accomplished something in the acting world before having children. In 2019, Arterton married actor Rory Keenan. Their first son was born in December 2022. Filmography Film Television Music videos "Kerala" (2016) by Bonobo "Remember Where You Are" (2021) by Jessie Ware Theatre credits Accolades References External links Gemma Arterton at IMDb
Shin Jea-hwan	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Shin Jea-hwan.	Tell me a bio of Shin Jea-hwan.	Tell me a bio of Shin Jea-hwan within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Shin Jea-hwan with around 100 words.	Shin Jea-hwan (Korean: 신재환; born March 3, 1998) is a South Korean artistic gymnast. He is the 2020 Summer Olympic champion on vault. He is a two-time World Cup champion on vault (2020 Melbourne, 2020 Baku). Personal life Shin was born on March 3, 1998, in Seoul. He attended the Korea National Sport University and graduated in 2020. Shin relocated to Jecheon in 2021. He looks up to teammate Yang Hak-seon. Career Shin made his senior international debut at the 2019 Zhaoqing World Cup, where he won silver on vault and finished fourth on floor. Shin competed on vault and floor at several events on the 2020 World Cup circuit and won two golds on vault. After points were re-allocated to eligible gymnasts following the 2019 World Championships, he was leading the series to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics when the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed the 2020 series. In 2021, the International Gymnastics Federation decided at the last minute to hold the final event in the qualification process, the 2021 Doha World Cup; Shin chose to attend to preserve his series lead over Japanese gymnast Hidenobu Yonekura. Despite placing fifth to Yonekura's first in Doha, Shin was able to win the overall series on a tiebreaker and qualify as an individual for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. At 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, he qualified for vault final in first place winning the tiebreak against Armenia's Artur Davtyan with both men scoring 14.866, but he ranked ahead due to his higher individual vault score (15.100 vs 15.000). In the vault final, he won the gold after ranking ahead in the tiebreak once more, this time against Denis Ablyazin of ROC. Both men scored 14.783, but he won yet again due to having his higher individual vault score (14.833 vs 14.800). This is South Korea's second gold medal on the vault apparatus after Yang Hak-seon won it at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. References External links Shin Jea-hwan at the International Gymnastics Federation Shin Jea-hwan at Olympedia
Nuh Omar	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Nuh Omar.	Tell me a bio of Nuh Omar.	Tell me a bio of Nuh Omar within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Nuh Omar with around 100 words.	Nuh Omar (born June 5, 1988) is a director and screenwriter, originally from Pakistan. Background Nuh was born in Karachi, Pakistan into the Indian/Pakistani Kureishi family He is the grandson of entrepreneur Safdar Kureishi, the older brother of Omar Kureishi. Family members include Hanif Kureishi and Maki Kureishi. He received his early educated at Karachi Grammar School, a classmate of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He has an older sister and a younger brother. His mother was Pakistan’s first female sports photojournalist. Education He went to the New York Film Academy in 2006, where he participated in its first 2nd Year Film Program. He then went to Full Sail University where he received his bachelor's degree in The Science of Film. Career After graduating from Full Sail, Nuh interned for Scott Gardenhour at The Institute. He worked as a freelance assistant director, having worked on a number of award-winning shorts, as well as working behind the scenes as a documentarian. He wrote and produced the short film We're Americans, Eh?, which received the Audience Award and the award for Best Wardrobe in 2011 at the 24 Hour Film Festival. In 2012, Nuh returned to Pakistan. In collaboration with Y Productions and producer Ayesha Jalil, he directed a series of short films for Engro Corporation Excellence Awards. His Engro film on the sculptor Shahid Sajjad, Mojiza-e-Fun (The Miracle of Art), was the final project to feature Sajjad before he died. He then did freelance work writing and directing a variety of internet-based projects, as well as ghostwriting commercials in the country. In mid-2012, he attached himself to now defunct DeVida Lifestyle, an entertainment channel, as an in-house & promo director. In early-2013, Nuh was hired by advertising agency IAL Saatchi & Saatchi, where he worked as a creative and ad man under COO Imtisal Abbasi and ECD Rashna Abdi on Procter & Gamble brands. He worked on a number of global projects and brands, including Head & Shoulders, Safeguard, Pampers and Commander Safeguard. He parted with the company in early 2014 to return to filmmaking. In November 2015, he began directing and writing episodes for The Fortress of Dorkness, a YouTube resource channel for pop culture movies and comics created by producer and his long-time collaborator, Christian Villarreal. As of 2018, The Fortress of Dorkness has produced over 100 episodes, all written and directed by Nuh. The channel went on hiatus in 2019, with more intended content to be announced in the future. In 2019, Nuh teamed up with writer Mark Davis to produce The Alexandrian (known then simply as Cleopatra), an episodic historical drama about the dynasty of the infamous ruler of Egypt, Cleopatra, and work on the project is underway. In 2014, Nuh began writing a modern adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince. The screenplay, named The Porter & The Stone, has won numerous awards, including Best Short at Screencraft’s Public Domain Competition 2021, and finalist at The Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2022. As of early 2022, it was ranked the number one in the categories of Family and Family-Short on Coverfly’s aggregated ranking system, was in the Top 1% of all projects on Coverfly, and was featured on the Coverfly Red List. His TV pilot screenplay, A Matter of Time, co-written with Christian Villarreal, won the grand prize at Filmmatic’s TV Pilot Awards Season 6 as Best TV Pilot, along with numerous other accolades, and is currently being shopped around. Also in development is I'm Here, a TV series about his own journey in the American heartland told through the eyes of a tabloid journalist that interviews cryptids and creatures of folklore, which he initially began developing as a student in 2007. In 2015, Nuh attempted to turn the series into a comic book, but by 2020 decided to return to its intended television roots. The pilot’s screenplay has been a selection at numerous festivals and competitions. Nuh is currently working with production company Rustic Lightbulb, and producer Severn Lang, to develop the short The Universe at Midnight and the feature Tijuana Bible, which he will write and direct. The Universe at Midnight is expected to go into production in 2022. He is also writing two feature films, The Imaginary Friend Society, a family film about imaginary friends, and Ophelia, a story about a man chosen to become the next form of death, and his relationship with a Djinn named Ophelia. Personal life Nuh lives and works in Karachi, Pakistan and Los Angeles, CA. He has been openly vocal about his struggles with depression, and is an advocate for mental health awareness. Accolades References External links Nuh Omar at IMDb Official site
Jeremy Corbyn	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Jeremy Corbyn.	Tell me a bio of Jeremy Corbyn.	Tell me a bio of Jeremy Corbyn within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Jeremy Corbyn with around 100 words.	Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North since 1983. Now an independent, Corbyn had been a member of the Labour Party from 1965 until his expulsion in 2024, and was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus. He served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. Corbyn identifies ideologically as a socialist on the political left. Born in Chippenham, Wiltshire, Corbyn joined the Labour Party as a teenager. Moving to London, he became a trade union representative. In 1974, he was elected to Haringey Council and became Secretary of Hornsey Constituency Labour Party until elected as the MP for Islington North in 1983. His activism has included Anti-Fascist Action, the Anti-Apartheid Movement, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and advocating for a united Ireland and Palestinian statehood. As a backbencher, Corbyn routinely voted against the Labour whip, including New Labour governments. A vocal opponent of the Iraq War, he chaired the Stop the War Coalition from 2011 to 2015, and received the Gandhi International Peace Award and Seán MacBride Peace Prize. Following Ed Miliband's resignation after the party had lost the 2015 general election, Corbyn won the 2015 party leadership election to succeed him. The Labour Party's membership increased sharply, both during the leadership campaign and following his election. Taking the party to the left, Corbyn advocated renationalising public utilities and railways, a less interventionist military policy, and reversals of austerity cuts to welfare and public services. Although he had sometimes been critical of the European Union (EU), he supported the Remain campaign in the 2016 EU membership referendum. After Labour MPs sought to remove him in 2016 through a leadership challenge, he won a second leadership contest against Owen Smith. In the 2017 general election, Corbyn led Labour to increase its vote share by 10 percentage points to 40 per cent, their largest rise since the 1945 general election. During his tenure as leader, Corbyn was criticised for antisemitism within the party. He condemned antisemitism and apologised for its presence, while his leadership saw a strengthening of disciplinary procedures regarding hate speech and racism. In 2019, after deadlock in Parliament over Brexit, Corbyn endorsed holding a referendum on the withdrawal agreement, with a personal stance of neutrality. In the 2019 general election, Labour's vote share fell to 32 per cent, leading to a loss of 60 seats, leaving it with 202, its fewest since the 1935 general election. Corbyn remained Labour leader for four months while the leadership election to replace him took place. His resignation as Labour leader formally took effect in April 2020 following the election of Keir Starmer, who led the party to victory at the next general election in 2024 with a vote share of 34 per cent. After asserting that the scale of antisemitism had been overstated for political reasons, Corbyn was suspended from the party in 2020. In May 2024, after the 2024 general election had been called, Corbyn was not allowed to stand as a Labour candidate for his constituency, and subsequently announced he would stand as an independent candidate for Islington North; he was then expelled from Labour. He won re-election with a majority of 7,247. In July 2025 Corbyn and fellow independent MP Zarah Sultana announced the formation of a new political party. Early life Jeremy Bernard Corbyn was born on 26 May 1949 in Chippenham, Wiltshire, the son of mathematics teacher Naomi Loveday (née Josling; 1915–1987) and electrical engineer and power rectifier expert David Benjamin Corbyn (1915–1986). He has three elder brothers; one of them, Piers Corbyn (born 1947), is a weather forecaster who later became known as a climate change denier and anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. For the first seven years of his life, the family lived in Kington St Michael, Wiltshire. His parents were Labour Party members and peace campaigners who met in the 1930s at a committee meeting in support of the Spanish Republic at Conway Hall during the Spanish Civil War. When Corbyn was seven, the family moved to Pave Lane, Shropshire, where his father bought Yew Tree Manor, a 17th-century farmhouse which was once part of the Duke of Sutherland's Lilleshall estate. Corbyn attended Castle House School, an independent preparatory school near Newport, Shropshire, before becoming a day student at Newport's Adams Grammar School at the age of 11. While still at school, Corbyn became active in the League Against Cruel Sports and the Labour Party Young Socialists within The Wrekin. He joined the Labour Party at the age of 16. He achieved two A-Levels at grade E, the lowest possible passing grade, before leaving school at 18. Corbyn joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1966 while at school and later became one of its three vice-chairs and subsequently vice-president. Around this time, he also campaigned against the Vietnam War. After school, Corbyn worked briefly as a reporter for the local Newport and Market Drayton Advertiser newspaper. Around the age of 19, he spent two years doing Voluntary Service Overseas in Jamaica as a youth worker and geography teacher. He subsequently visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay throughout 1969 and 1970. While in Brazil, he participated in a student demonstration in São Paulo against the Brazilian military government. He also attended a May Day march in Santiago, where the atmosphere around Salvador Allende's Popular Unity alliance which swept to power in the Chilean elections of 1970 made an impression on him: "[I] noticed something very different from anything I had experienced... what Popular Unity and Allende had done was weld together the folk tradition, the song tradition, the artistic tradition and the intellectual tradition". Early career and political activities Returning to the UK in 1971, Corbyn worked as an official for the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers. He began a course in trade union studies at North London Polytechnic but left after a year without a degree. He worked as a trade union organiser for the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) and Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, where his union was approached by Tony Benn and "encouraged ... to produce a blueprint for workers' control of British Leyland"; the plans did not proceed after Benn was moved to a different Department. Corbyn was appointed a member of a district health authority and in early 1974, at the age of 24, he was elected to Haringey Council from South Hornsey ward. After boundary changes in 1978 he was re-elected in Harringay ward as councillor, remaining so until 1983. As a delegate from Hornsey to the Labour Party Conference in 1978, Corbyn successfully moved a motion calling for dentists to be employed by the National Health Service (NHS) rather than as private contractors. He also spoke in another debate, describing a motion calling for greater support for law and order as "more appropriate to the National Front than to the Labour Party". Corbyn became the local Labour Party's agent and organiser, and had responsibility for the 1979 general election campaign in Hornsey. Around this time, he became involved with the London Labour Briefing, where he was a contributor. Described by The Times in 1981 as "Briefing's founder", The Economist in a 1982 article named Corbyn as "Briefing's general secretary figure", as did a profile on Corbyn compiled by parliamentary biographer Andrew Roth in 2004, which states that he joined the editorial board as General Secretary in 1979. Michael Crick, in the 2016 edition of his book Militant, says that Corbyn was "a member of the editorial board", as does Lansley, Goss and Wolmar's 1989 work The Rise and Fall of the Municipal Left. Corbyn said in 2017 that these reports were inaccurate, telling Sophy Ridge: "I read the magazine. I wrote for the magazine. I was not a member of the editorial board. I didn't agree with it." He worked on Tony Benn's unsuccessful deputy leadership campaign in 1981. Corbyn was keen to allow former International Marxist Group member Tariq Ali to join the party, despite Labour's National Executive having declared him unacceptable, and declared that "so far as we are concerned ... he's a member of the party and he'll be issued with a card." In May 1982, when Corbyn was chairman of the Constituency Labour Party, Ali was given a party card signed by Corbyn; in November, the local party voted by 17 to 14 to insist on Ali's membership "up to and including the point of disbandment of the party". In the July 1982 edition of Briefing, Corbyn opposed expulsions of the Trotskyist and entryist group Militant, saying that "If expulsions are in order for Militant, they should apply to us too." In the same year, he was the "provisional convener" of "Defeat the Witch-Hunt Campaign", based at Corbyn's then address. The Metropolitan Police's Special Branch monitored Corbyn for two decades, until the early 2000s, as he was "deemed to be a subversive". According to the Labour Party, "The Security Services kept files on many peace and Labour movement campaigners at the time, including anti-Apartheid activists and trade unionists". Parliamentary backbencher (1983–2015) Labour in opposition (1982–1997) Corbyn was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the constituency of Islington North, in February 1982, winning the final ballot for selection by 39 votes against 35 for GLC councillor Paul Boateng, who in 1987 became one of the first three Black British Members of Parliament (MP). At the 1983 general election he was elected MP for the constituency, defeating the Independent Labour incumbent Michael O'Halloran, and immediately joined the socialist Campaign Group, later becoming secretary of the group. Shortly after being elected to Parliament, he began writing a weekly column for the left-wing Morning Star newspaper. In May 2015, he said that "the Star is the most precious and only voice we have in the daily media". In February 2017, the Morning Star said of Corbyn: "He has been bullied, betrayed and ridiculed, and yet he carries on with the same grace and care he always shows to others – however objectionable their behaviour and treatment of him might be." In 1983, Corbyn spoke on a "no socialism without gay liberation" platform and continued to campaign for LGBT rights. He was a campaigner against apartheid in South Africa, serving on the National Executive of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, and was arrested in 1984 while demonstrating outside South Africa House, leading, decades later, to a viral image of Corbyn being arrested circulated by supporters on social media. This was as a member of the City of London Anti-Apartheid Group (CLAAG) who carried out a "non-stop picket" for 1,408 days to campaign for Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The Anti-Apartheid Movement did not support this protest, as they had agreed not to demonstrate within 30 feet of the embassy, and the picket failed to gain support from the London ANC; Mandela's failure to respond to CLAAG following his release from prison in 1990 is frequently described as a 'snub'. He supported the 1984–85 miners' strike. In 1985, he invited striking miners into the gallery of the House of Commons; they were expelled for shouting: "Coal not dole". At the end of the strike Corbyn was given a medallion by the miners in recognition of his help. In 1985, he was appointed national secretary of the newly launched Anti-Fascist Action. During the BBC's Newsnight in 1984, Conservative MP Terry Dicks said that so-called Labour "scruffs" (such as Corbyn, who at this time was known for wearing an old polo-necked sweater to the Commons) should be banned from addressing the House of Commons unless they maintained higher standards. Corbyn responded, saying that: "It's not a fashion parade, it's not a gentleman's club, it's not a bankers' institute, it's a place where the people are represented." In 1990, Corbyn opposed the poll tax (formally known as the Community Charge) and nearly went to jail for not paying the tax. He appeared in court the following year as a result. Corbyn supported the campaign to overturn the convictions of Jawad Botmeh and Samar Alami for the 1994 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in London which argued that there was insufficient evidence to tie them to the act, along with Amnesty International, Unison and a number of journalists and other MPs. Botmeh and Alami had admitted possessing explosives and guns but denied they were for use in Britain. The convictions were upheld by the High Court of Justice in 2001 and by the European Court of Human Rights in 2007. Corbyn sat on the Social Security Select Committee from 1992 to 1997. Irish politics A longstanding supporter of a united Ireland, in the 1980s Corbyn met Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams a number of times. Corbyn consistently stated that he maintained links with Sinn Fein in order to work for a resolution to the armed conflict. According to The Sunday Times, Corbyn was involved in over 72 events connected with Sinn Féin or other pro-republican groups during the period of the IRA's paramilitary campaign. Corbyn met Adams at the 1983 and 1989 Labour conferences (facilitated by pro-IRA Red Action) and in 1983 at Westminster, along with a number of other Labour MPs. In 1984, Corbyn and Ken Livingstone invited Adams, two convicted IRA volunteers and other members of Sinn Féin to Westminster. He was criticised by the Labour Party leadership for the meeting, which took place two weeks after the IRA's bombing of the Conservative Party leadership that killed five people. During the 1980s he campaigned on behalf of the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six, who were wrongly convicted of responsibility for IRA bombings in England in the mid-1970s. In 1986, Corbyn was arrested with 15 demonstrators protesting against what they saw as weak evidence and poor treatment during the trial of a group of IRA members including Patrick Magee, who was convicted of the Brighton hotel bombing and other attacks. After refusing police requests to move from outside the court, Corbyn and the other protesters were arrested for obstruction and held for five hours before being released on bail, but were not charged. In 1987, Corbyn attended a commemoration by the Wolfe Tone Society in London for eight IRA members who were killed by Special Air Service soldiers while attacking a Royal Ulster Constabulary police station in Loughgall, County Armagh. At the commemoration, he told his fellow attendees that "I'm happy to commemorate all those who died fighting for an independent Ireland" and attacked the British government's policies in Northern Ireland, calling for all British troops to be withdrawn from the region. Corbyn subsequently said that he had attended the event, which included a minute of silence for the eight IRA members, to "call for a peace and dialogue process". He voted against the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement, saying "We believe that the agreement strengthens rather than weakens the border between the six and the 26 counties, and those of us who wish to see a United Ireland oppose the agreement for that reason." In the early 1990s, MI5 opened a file on Corbyn to monitor his links to the IRA. In 1994, Corbyn signed a Commons motion condemning the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people. A short time after IRA plans to bomb London were foiled in 1996, Corbyn invited Adams to the House of Commons for a press conference to promote Adams' autobiography, Before the Dawn. Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam and Labour leader Tony Blair condemned the invitation, with Mowlam arguing that it was detrimental to the peace process, and Blair threatening disciplinary action. Adams cancelled the event, to save further embarrassment to Corbyn and to avoid negative publicity. In 1998, he voted for the Good Friday Agreement, saying he looked forward to "peace, hope and reconciliation in Ireland in the future." In 2017, Corbyn said that he had "never met the IRA", although Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott later clarified that although he had met members of the IRA, "he met with them in their capacity as activists in Sinn Fein". Labour in government (1997–2010) Between 1997 and 2010, during the New Labour governments, Corbyn was the Labour MP who voted most often against the party whip, including three-line whip votes. In 2005 he was identified as the second most rebellious Labour MP of all time during the New Labour governments. He was the most rebellious Labour MP in the 1997–2001 Parliament, the 2001–2005 Parliament and the 2005–2010 Parliament, defying the whip 428 times while Labour was in power. Jacobin described him as "a figure who for decades challenged them [Labour Party elites] from the backbench as one of the most rebellious left-wing members of parliament". Corbyn has called for Tony Blair to be investigated for alleged war crimes during the Iraq War. In July 2016, the Chilcot Report of the Iraq Inquiry was issued, criticising Blair for joining the United States in the war against Iraq. Subsequently, Corbyn – who had voted against military action against Iraq – gave a speech in Westminster commenting: "I now apologise sincerely on behalf of my party for the disastrous decision to go to war in Iraq in March 2003" which he called an "act of military aggression launched on a false pretext" something that has "long been regarded as illegal by the overwhelming weight of international opinion". Corbyn specifically apologised to "the people of Iraq"; to the families of British soldiers who died in Iraq or returned injured; and to "the millions of British citizens who feel our democracy was traduced and undermined by the way in which the decision to go to war was taken on." Corbyn sat on the London Regional Select Committee from 2009 to 2010. Stop the War Coalition and anti-war activism In October 2001, Corbyn was elected to the steering committee of the Stop the War Coalition, which was formed to oppose the War in Afghanistan which started later that year. In 2002, Corbyn reported unrest : "there is disquiet...about issues of foreign policy" among some members of the Labour party. He cited "the deployment of troops to Afghanistan and the threat of bombing Iraq" as examples. He was vehemently opposed to Britain's involvement in the Iraq War in 2003, and spoke at dozens of anti-war rallies in Britain and overseas. He spoke at the February anti-Iraq War protest which was said to be the largest such protest in British political history. At the same time, he expressed support for the Iraqi insurgency and the Palestinian intifada when he signed the second Cairo Declaration in December 2003, which said "The Iraqis themselves are now engaged in a titanic struggle to rid their country of occupying forces. The Palestinian intifada continues under the most difficult circumstances. The US administration threatens Iran and other countries on a daily basis. Now is the time to draw together the forces of resistance in the Arab world and from around the globe." In 2004, Corbyn travelled to Israel with anti-war activist Betty Papworth to witness the release of the Israeli peace activist and whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu from prison. In 2006, Corbyn was one of 12 Labour MPs to support Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for a parliamentary inquiry into the Iraq War. He was elected chair of the coalition in succession to Andrew Murray in September 2011, but resigned once he became Leader of the Labour Party in September 2015. Parliamentary groups and activism Corbyn is a member of a number of Parliamentary Trade Union Groups: he is sponsored by several trade unions, including UNISON, Unite and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. He is a supporter of the Unite Against Fascism pressure group. Corbyn was chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Chagos Islands, chair of the APPG on Mexico, Vice-Chair of the APPG on Latin America and vice-chair of the APPG on Human Rights. He has advocated for the rights of the forcibly removed Chagossians to return to the British Indian Ocean Territory. Corbyn appeared on a call-in show on Press TV, an Iranian government television channel, several times between 2009 and 2012. He was criticised for appearing on the channel in light of Iran executing and imprisoning homosexuals, as well as Corbyn not questioning contributors who called the BBC "Zionist liars" and described Israel as a "disease". Corbyn said in response that he used the programme to address "human rights issues" and that his appearance fee was "not an enormous amount" and was used to help meet constituency office costs. Corbyn's final appearance was six months after the network was fined by Ofcom for its part in filming an interview with Maziar Bahari, an Iranian journalist, saying the interview had been held under duress and after torture. Labour in opposition (2010–2015) In the 2010 Labour Party leadership election, Corbyn supported Diane Abbott in the first round in which she was eliminated; thereafter, he supported Ed Miliband. Corbyn was one of 16 signatories to an open letter to Ed Miliband in January 2015 calling for Labour to make a commitment to opposing further austerity, to take rail franchises back into public ownership, and to strengthen collective bargaining arrangements. Corbyn sat on the Justice Select Committee from 2010 to 2015. Before becoming party leader Corbyn had been returned as member of Parliament for Islington North seven times, gaining 60.24% of the vote and a majority of 21,194 in the 2015 general election. Leadership elections Following the Labour Party's defeat at the general election on 7 May 2015, Ed Miliband resigned as its party leader, triggering a leadership election. Corbyn decided to stand as a candidate, having been disillusioned by the lack of a left-wing voice, and said to his local newspaper, The Islington Tribune, that he would have a "clear anti-austerity platform". He also said he would vote to scrap the Trident nuclear weapons system and would "seek to withdraw from NATO". He suggested that Britain should establish a national investment bank to boost house-building and improve economic growth and lift wages in areas that had less investment in infrastructure. He would also aim to eliminate the current budget deficit over time and restore the 50p top rate of income tax. He added: "This decision is in response to an overwhelming call by Labour Party members who want to see a broader range of candidates and a thorough debate about the future of the party. I am standing to give Labour Party members a voice in this debate". He indicated that, if he were elected, policies that he put forward would need to be approved by party members before being adopted and that he wanted to "implement the democratic will of our party". The other candidates were Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham and Shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall. Several who nominated Corbyn later said they had ensured he had enough votes to stand, more to widen the political debate within the party than because of a desire or expectation that he would win. At the Second Reading of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in July 2015, Corbyn joined 47 Labour MPs to oppose the Bill, describing it as "rotten and indefensible", whilst the other three leadership candidates abstained under direction from interim leader Harriet Harman. In August 2015, he called on Iain Duncan Smith to resign as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions after it was reported that thousands of disabled people had died after being found fit to work by Work Capability Assessments (instituted in 2008) between 2011 and 2014, although this was challenged by the government and by FullFact who said that the figure included those who had died and therefore their claim had ended, rather than being found fit for work. Corbyn rapidly became the frontrunner among the candidates and was perceived to benefit from a large influx of new members. Hundreds of supporters turned out to hear him speak at the hustings across the nation and their enthusiastic reception and support for him was dubbed "Corbynmania" by the press. Membership numbers continued to climb after the start of his leadership. In addition, following a rule change under Miliband, members of the public who supported Labour's aims and values could join the party as "registered supporters" for £3 and be entitled to vote in the election. There was speculation that the rule change would lead to Corbyn being elected by registered supporters without majority support from ordinary members. He was elected party leader in a landslide victory on 12 September 2015 with 59.5% of first-preference votes in the first round of voting. He would have won in the first round with 51% of votes, even without "£3 registered supporters", having gained the support of 49.6% of full members and 57.6% of affiliated supporters. His 40.5% majority was a larger proportional majority than that attained by Tony Blair in 1994. His margin of victory was said to be "the largest mandate ever won by a party leader". An internal Labour Party report, entitled The work of the Labour Party's Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014–2019, was leaked to the media in April 2020. The report stated that during the 2015 and 2016 leadership contests, staff members at Labour party headquarters looked for ways to exclude from voting members who they believed would vote for Corbyn. The staff members referred to this activity as "trot busting", "bashing trots" and "trot spotting". Corbynmania Corbyn was initially viewed as a token candidate for the left wing of the party and not expected to win. However, many new, young party members, who had joined after the membership fee had been reduced to £3, were attracted by what they saw as Corbyn's authentic, informal style and radical policies. Hundreds of supporters turned out to hear him speak at the hustings across the nation and their enthusiastic reception and support for him was dubbed "Corbynmania" by the press. Jonathan Dean characterised Corbynmania as a political fandom, comparable with the enthusiastic followings of popular media stars and other modern politicians such as Bernie Sanders and Justin Trudeau. Specific features included use of the #jezwecan hashtag, attendance at rallies and the posting of pictures such as selfies on social media. Artistic, merchandising and other activity consolidated and spread this fannish enthusiasm. This included a "Jeremy Corbyn for Prime Minister" (JC4PM) tour by celebrities such as Charlotte Church, Jeremy Hardy and Maxine Peake; a Corbyn superhero comic book; mash-ups and videos. Many of Corbyn's supporters felt he possessed personal qualities such as earnestness and modesty leading them to develop a sense of emotional attachment to him as individual. These were seen as cultish by critics such as Margaret Beckett who said in 2016 that the Labour Party had been turned into the "Jeremy Corbyn Fan Club". A chant of "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn" was adopted as an anthem or chorus by his supporters. Sung in the style of a football chant to the tune of a riff from "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes, it attracted special attention at the Glastonbury Festival 2017, where Corbyn appeared and spoke to the crowds. Labour's weaker-than-expected performance in the 2018 local elections led to suggestions that Corbynmania had peaked. Leadership of the Labour Party (2015–2020) First term as Leader of the Opposition (2015–2017) After being elected leader, Corbyn became Leader of the Official Opposition and shortly thereafter his appointment to the Privy Council was announced. In Corbyn's first Prime Minister's Questions session as leader, he broke with the traditional format by asking the Prime Minister six questions he had received from members of the public, the result of his invitation to Labour Party members to send suggestions, for which he received around 40,000 emails. Corbyn stressed his desire to reduce the "theatrical" nature of the House of Commons, and his début was described in a Guardian editorial as "a good start" and a "long overdue" change to the tone of PMQs. He delivered his first Labour Party Conference address as leader on 29 September 2015. Party membership nearly doubled between the May 2015 election and October 2015, attributed largely to the election as leader of Corbyn. In September 2015 an unnamed senior serving general in the British Army stated that a mutiny by the Army could occur if a future Corbyn government moved to scrap Trident, pull out of Nato or reduce the size of the armed forces. The general said "the Army just wouldn't stand for it. The general staff would not allow a prime minister to jeopardise the security of this country and I think people would use whatever means possible, fair or foul to prevent that. You can't put a maverick in charge of a country's security". In July 2016, a study and analysis by academics from the London School of Economics of national newspaper articles about Corbyn in the first months of his leadership of Labour showed that 75% of them either distorted or failed to represent his actual views on subjects. 2017 general election The Labour campaign in the 2017 general election focused on social issues such as health care, education and ending austerity. Corbyn's election campaign was run under the slogan "For the Many, Not the Few" and featured rallies with a large audience and connected with a grassroots following for the party, including appearing on stage in front of a crowd of 20,000 at the Wirral Live Festival in Prenton Park. Although Labour started the campaign as far as 20 points behind, and again finished as the second largest party in parliament, it increased its share of the popular vote to 40%, resulting in a net gain of 30 seats and a hung parliament. This was its greatest vote share since 2001. It was the first time Labour had made a net gain of seats since 1997, and the party's 9.6% increase in vote share was its largest in a single general election since 1945. This was partly attributed to the popularity of its 2017 Manifesto that promised to scrap tuition fees, address public sector pay, make housing more affordable, end austerity, nationalise the railways and provide school students with free lunches. 2019 general election and resignation In May 2019, Theresa May announced her resignation and stood down as prime minister in July, following the election of her replacement, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Corbyn said that Labour was ready to fight an election against Johnson. The 2019 Labour Party Manifesto included policies to increase funding for health, negotiate a Brexit deal and hold a referendum giving a choice between the deal and remain, raise the minimum wage, stop the pension age increase, nationalise key industries, and replace universal credit. Due to the plans to nationalise the "big six" energy firms, the National Grid, the water industry, Royal Mail, the railways and the broadband arm of BT, the 2019 manifesto was widely considered as the most radical in several decades, more closely resembling Labour's politics of the 1970s than subsequent decades. During the campaign for the upcoming general elections, Corbyn was accused by the Hindu Council UK of promoting anti-Hindu sentiments following his disparaging comments on the caste system and his condemnation of the Hindu-right wing Bharatiya Janata Party led Indian government's revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Many Hindus living in the UK saw Corbyn's attitude towards Hindus to be heavily influenced by Pakistani Muslim leaders of his party, with whom he shared a common pro-Palestinian stance. The 2019 general election was the worst defeat in seats for Labour since 1935, with Labour winning just 202 out of 650 seats, their fourth successive election defeat. At 32.2%, Labour's share of the vote was down around eight points on the 2017 general election and is lower than that achieved by Neil Kinnock in 1992, although it was higher than in 2010 and 2015. In the aftermath, opinions differed to why the Labour Party was defeated to the extent it was. The Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell largely blamed Brexit and the media representation of the party. Tony Blair argued that the party's unclear position on Brexit and the economic policy pursued by the Corbyn leadership were to blame. Following the Labour Party's unsuccessful performance in the 2019 general election, Corbyn conceded defeat and stated that he intended to step down as leader following the election of a successor and that he would not lead the party into the next election. Corbyn himself was re-elected for Islington North with 64.3% of the vote share and a majority of 26,188 votes over the runner-up candidate representing the Liberal Democrats, with Labour's share of the vote falling by 8.7%. The Guardian described the results as a "realignment" of UK politics as the Conservative landslide took many traditionally Labour seats in England and Wales. Corbyn insisted that he had "pride in the manifesto" that Labour put forward and blamed the defeat on Brexit. According to polling by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft, Corbyn was himself a major contribution to the party's defeat. Corbyn remained Labour leader for four months while the leadership election to replace him took place. His resignation as Labour leader formally took effect in April 2020 following the election of Keir Starmer. Post-leadership EHRC report and suspension On 29 October 2020, a report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission into antisemitism in the Labour Party was published, finding that the party was responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination. In response to the report, Corbyn said that while antisemitism was "absolutely abhorrent" and that "one anti-Semite [in the Labour Party] is one too many", he said that "the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media". He further said that "the public perception in an opinion poll last year was that one third of all Labour party members were somehow or other under suspicion of antisemitism. The reality is, it was 0.3 per cent of party members had a case against them which had to be put through the process." A fact check by Channel 4 News noted that Corbyn's "0.3 per cent" claim was likely based on an estimate provided by Labour General Secretary Jennie Formby during her investigation and first published in a 2019 study co-authored by media scholar Greg Philo. Corbyn's claim that "one-third" of party members were believed to be involved in antisemitism complaints by the public likely originated in a Survation poll of 1,009 people conducted in 2019, in which the average perception of respondents familiar with the issue was that 34% of party members were involved in antisemitism complaints; this number is over 300 times the estimate of antisemitism cases arrived at by Formby's actual investigation. In his press conference around half an hour after Corbyn's statement, Starmer said that anyone who thought the problems were "exaggerated" or were a "factional attack" were "part of the problem and... should be nowhere near the Labour Party". Corbyn defended his comments in a TV interview later that day; shortly after it aired, the Labour Party announced that it had suspended Corbyn pending an investigation. Corbyn's suspension was welcomed by Labour figures including Margaret Hodge, and Harriet Harman, as well as by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Corbyn stated he would "strongly contest" his suspension. John McDonnell, Unite leader Len McCluskey, and Momentum expressed opposition to Corbyn's suspension. Peace and Justice Project On 13 December 2020, Corbyn announced the Project for Peace and Justice. Corbyn launched the project on 17 January 2021, and its affiliates include Christine Blower, Len McCluskey and Zarah Sultana. Rafael Correa said that he "welcome[d] the creation" of the project. Stop the War Coalition statement on Ukraine crisis On 18 February 2022, in the week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Corbyn alongside 11 Labour MPs cosigned a statement from the Stop the War Coalition opposing any war in Ukraine. The statement said that "the crisis should be settled on a basis which recognises the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination and addresses Russia's security concerns", that NATO "should call a halt to its eastward expansion", and that the British government's sending of arms to Ukraine and troops to eastern Europe served "no purpose other than inflaming tensions and indicating disdain for Russian concerns". The statement's authors also said that they "refute the idea that NATO is a defensive alliance". On the evening of 24 February, the first day of the invasion, Labour chief whip Alan Campbell wrote to all 11 Labour MPs who had signed the statement, requesting that they withdraw their signatures. All 11 agreed to do so the same evening. Corbyn and fellow former Labour independent MP Claudia Webbe did not withdraw their signatures from the statement, though David Lammy urged Corbyn to do so. Expulsion from the Labour Party and 2024 general election Media speculation that Corbyn would contest the 2024 general election as an Independent was reported in October 2023. Despite "unanimous support" from his Constituency Labour Party (CLP), Corbyn was not permitted to stand as a Labour parliamentary candidate. After announcing on 24 May 2024 that he would stand as an independent parliamentary candidate for Islington North, he was fully expelled from the Labour Party. He was endorsed by Mick Lynch of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. Corbyn responded to Keir Starmer's claim of knowing the party would lose the 2019 election by saying "Well, he never said that to me, at any time. And so I just think rewriting history is no help. It shows double standards, shall we say, that he now says he always thought that but he never said it at the time or anything about it. He was part of the campaign. He and I spoke together at events and I find it actually quite sad." Leading members of the Islington North CLP resigned in order to support Corbyn, while also criticising the manner in which Nargund was selected as Islington North's candidate. Corbyn was comfortably re-elected as an independent, even as Labour won a landslide victory in the general election. His majority over Nargund was over 7,000. Formation of Your Party Policies and views Corbyn self-identifies as a socialist. He has also been referred to as a "mainstream [Scandinavian] social democrat". He advocates reversing austerity cuts to public services and some welfare funding made since 2010, as well as renationalisation of public utilities and the railways. A longstanding anti-war and anti-nuclear activist, he supports a foreign policy of military non-interventionism and unilateral nuclear disarmament, and has been a prominent activist for Palestinian solidarity throughout the Gaza–Israel conflict. Writer Ronan Bennett, who formerly worked as a research assistant to Corbyn, has described him as "a kind of vegan, pacifist idealist, one with a clear understanding of politics and history, and a commitment to the underdog". In 1997, the political scientists David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh described Corbyn's political stance as "far-left". Corbyn has described Karl Marx as a "great economist" and said he has read some of the works of Adam Smith, Marx and David Ricardo and has "looked at many, many others". However, some have argued that Corbyn is less radical than previously described: for example, the journalist George Eaton has called him "Keynesian". In 2023, The Daily Telegraph reported that most of the tax policies in Corbyn's 2019 general election manifesto had been implemented by the winning Conservative government, including a higher corporation tax, a windfall tax on oil companies, a reduction in annual tax allowances on dividend income, raising income tax on high earners, and introducing a digital services tax on online retailers. Corbyn named John Smith as the former Labour leader whom he most admired, describing him as "a decent, nice, inclusive leader". He also said he was "very close and very good friends" with Michael Foot. Media coverage Analyses of domestic media coverage of Corbyn have found it to be critical or antagonistic. In July 2016, academics from the London School of Economics published a study of 812 articles about Corbyn taken from eight national newspapers around the time of his Labour leadership election. The study found that 75 per cent of the articles either distorted or failed to represent his actual views on subjects. The study's director commented that "Our analysis shows that Corbyn was thoroughly delegitimised as a political actor from the moment he became a prominent candidate and even more so after he was elected as party leader". Another report by the Media Reform Coalition and Birkbeck College in July 2016, based on 10 days of coverage around the time of multiple shadow cabinet resignations, found "marked and persistent imbalance" in favour of sources critical to him; the International Business Times was the only outlet that gave him more favourable than critical coverage. In August 2016, a YouGov survey found that 97% of Corbyn supporters agreed that the "mainstream media as a whole has been deliberately biasing coverage to portray Jeremy Corbyn in a negative manner", as did 51% of the general "Labour selectorate" sample. In May 2017, Loughborough University's Centre for Research in Communication and Culture concluded that the media was attacking Corbyn far more than May during nine election campaign weekdays examined. The Daily Mail and Daily Express praised Theresa May for election pledges that were condemned when proposed by Labour in previous elections. In February 2018, Momentum reported that attacks on Corbyn in the press were associated with increases in their membership applications. In September 2019, Labour leaders argued that traditional mainstream media outlets showed bias. In December 2019, a study by Loughborough University found that British press coverage was twice as hostile to Labour and half as critical of the Conservatives during the 2019 general election campaign as it had been during the 2017 campaign. In an interview with Middle East Eye in June 2020, Corbyn described the media's treatment of himself while he was Labour leader as obsessive and "at one level laughable, but all designed to be undermining". He said that the media coverage had diverted his media team from helping him pursue "a political agenda on homelessness, on poverty in Britain, on housing, on international issues" to "rebutting these crazy stories, abusive stories, about me the whole time". He said he considered suing as a result of media treatment but was guided by advice from Tony Benn, who told him, "Libel is a rich man's game, and you're not a rich man [...] Go to a libel case – even if you win the case, you'll be destroyed financially in doing so". Personal life Corbyn lives in the Finsbury Park area of London. He has been married three times and divorced twice, and has three sons with his second wife. In 1974, he married his first wife, Jane Chapman, a fellow Labour Councillor for Haringey and now a professor at the University of Lincoln. They divorced in 1979. In the late 1970s, Corbyn had a brief relationship with Labour MP Diane Abbott. In 1987, Corbyn married Chilean exile Claudia Bracchitta, granddaughter of Ricardo Bracchitta (Consul-General of Spain in Santiago), with whom he has three sons. He missed his youngest son's birth as he was lecturing National Union of Public Employees members at the same hospital. Following a difference of opinion about sending their son to a grammar school (Corbyn opposes selective education), they divorced in 1999 after two years of separation, although Corbyn said in June 2015 that he continues to "get on very well" with her. His son subsequently attended Queen Elizabeth's School, which had been his wife's first choice. Their second son, Sebastian, worked on his leadership campaign and was later employed as John McDonnell's Chief of Staff. Corbyn's second-eldest brother, Andrew, who was a geologist, died of a brain haemorrhage while in Papua New Guinea in 2001. Corbyn escorted the body from Papua New Guinea to Australia, where his brother's widow and children lived. In 2012, Corbyn went to Mexico to marry his Mexican partner Laura Álvarez, who runs a fair trade coffee import business that has been the subject of some controversy. A former human rights lawyer in Mexico, she first met Corbyn shortly after his divorce from Bracchitta, having come to London to support her sister Marcela following the abduction of her niece to America by her sister's estranged husband. They contacted fellow Labour MP Tony Benn for assistance, who introduced them to Corbyn, who met with the police on their behalf and spoke at fundraisers until the girl was located in 2003. Álvarez then returned to Mexico, with the couple maintaining a long-distance relationship until she moved to London in 2011. Álvarez has described Corbyn as "not very good at house work but he is a good politician". They had a cat called El Gato ("The Cat" in Spanish). Corbyn had previously owned a dog called Mango, described by The Observer in 1984 as his "only constant companion" at the time. Personal beliefs and interests When interviewed by The Huffington Post in December 2015, Corbyn refused to reveal his religious beliefs and called them a "private thing", but denied that he was an atheist. He has said that he is "sceptical" of having a god in his life. He compared his concerns about the environment to a sort of "spiritualism". Corbyn has described himself as frugal, telling Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian: "I don't spend a lot of money, I lead a very normal life, I ride a bicycle and I don't have a car." He has been a vegetarian for over 50 years, after having volunteered on a pig farm in Jamaica when he was 19, and stated in April 2018 that he was considering becoming a vegan. Although he has been described in the media as teetotal, he said in an interview with the Daily Mirror that he does drink alcohol but "very, very little". Corbyn is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling. He enjoys reading and writing, and speaks fluent Spanish. He supports Arsenal F.C., which is based in his constituency, and has signed parliamentary motions praising the successes of its men's and women's teams. In 2015 Corbyn supported a campaign for the club to pay its staff the London Living Wage. Corbyn is an avid "drain spotter" and has photographed decorative drain and manhole covers throughout the country. Corbyn co-edited with Len McCluskey the anthology Poetry for the Many, published in November 2023 by OR Books. Interview under police caution On 19 January 2025, Corbyn, alongside former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell, agreed to be interviewed under caution by police following a pro-Palestinian rally in central London. The Metropolitan Police said they witnessed a "deliberate effort, including by protest organisers" to breach conditions that had been imposed on the event. However, it is unclear as to the specific reasons as to why Corbyn was invited to an interview. Awards and recognition In 2013, Corbyn was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Award for his "consistent efforts over a 30-year parliamentary career to uphold the Gandhian values of social justice and non‐violence". In the same year, he was honoured by the Grassroot Diplomat Initiative for his "ongoing support for a number of non-government organisations and civil causes". Corbyn has won the Parliamentary "Beard of the Year Award" a record six times, as well as being named as the Beard Liberation Front's Beard of the Year, having previously described his beard as "a form of dissent" against New Labour. In 2016, Corbyn was the subject of a musical entitled Corbyn the Musical: The Motorcycle Diaries, written by journalists Rupert Myers and Bobby Friedman. In 2017 the American magazine Foreign Policy named Corbyn in its Top 100 Global Thinkers list for that year "for inspiring a new generation to re-engage in politics". In December 2017 he was one of three recipients awarded the Seán MacBride Peace Prize "for his sustained and powerful political work for disarmament and peace". The award was announced the previous September. See also Electoral history of Jeremy Corbyn List of peace activists References Further reading External links Official website Campaign website for the 2024 general election Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom Contributions in Parliament at Hansard Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005 Voting record at Public Whip Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou Appearances on C-SPAN
Jeff Long (athletic director)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Jeff Long (athletic director).	Tell me a bio of Jeff Long (athletic director).	Tell me a bio of Jeff Long (athletic director) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Jeff Long (athletic director) with around 100 words.	Jeffrey Paul Long (born September 21, 1959) is an American athletics director, most recently at the University of Kansas. He is the former Vice Chancellor and director of athletics at the University of Arkansas and joined the University in 2008 after holding the same position at the University of Pittsburgh. Long's career in administration includes positions at the University of Oklahoma, University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Eastern Kentucky University. Education In 1982, Long earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Ohio Wesleyan University and his master's degree in education from Miami University in 1983. Career Long came to Arkansas as the successor of longtime athletic director Frank Broyles, who retired at the beginning of 2008. Prior to his term at Arkansas, Long was hired as Pittsburgh's athletic director after Steve Pederson left the University of Pittsburgh to take the same position at the University of Nebraska. Long hired controversial football coach Bobby Petrino in 2008, but fired him in April 2012 after it emerged he was carrying on an extramarital affair with former Arkansas volleyball player Jessica Dorrell, whom Long and Petrino had agreed to hire to a staff position within the football program. The affair came to light after Petrino attempted to cover up the fact that he had been riding with his mistress when he was involved in a motorcycle accident in April 2012. Long concluded that he could not allow Petrino to remain at Arkansas because Petrino had deceived both him and the public about the accident and his relationship with Dorrell. He was also angered that Petrino had secretly given Dorrell $20,000 as a Christmas present, which could have potentially exposed Arkansas to a sexual harassment suit had Petrino been retained. In his formal termination letter to Petrino, Long told him that he would have never greenlighted the hiring of Dorrell had Petrino disclosed their relationship. The firing of Bobby Petrino led to the subsequent tumultuous hiring of John L. Smith as interim head coach in 2012 and then the hiring of Bret Bielema the following year. In October 2013, Long was announced as the first chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, along with twelve other members. On November 15, 2017, the University of Arkansas announced that it had parted ways with Long effective immediately, with the school's chancellor saying Long had "lost the support of many of our fans, alumni, key supporters, and members of the university leadership." In 2018, Long became athletic director at the University of Kansas, and vowed to break the cycle of losing football at the school, as the Jayhawks had not had a winning season since 2008. Long fired KU coach David Beaty and replaced him with former LSU coach Les Miles. The two had been friends since the late 1980s, when Miles was an assistant coach at Michigan and Long was an assistant athletic director. Miles led KU to a 3–18 record over two seasons before being forced out due to a sexual harassment scandal dating back to his time at LSU. At a press conference on March 9, 2021–hours after Kansas and Miles agreed to part ways– Long said that Miles had assured him that there was nothing in his past "that could potentially embarrass the university or himself or our program." Long added that in February, he and other school officials had been alerted about "a legal dispute in Louisiana," but Miles had again assured him there was nothing to worry about. He claimed to have only learned about the allegations from the media. While Long was "beyond disappointed" that he had been forced to push Miles out, he believed it was "the right decision" under the circumstances." The following day, it was announced that Long was leaving KU as well. Chancellor Douglas Girod said that he and Long had met on the previous night, and the two agreed that it was in the school's best interest for Long to step down. He had been roundly criticized for how he'd vetted Miles before hiring him. Long told CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd hours after meeting with Girod that his departure was not entirely voluntary, and confirmed he had been "relieved of his duties" but allowed to publicly save face by resigning. Personal life Long is married to the former Fanny Gellrich of Ann Arbor, Michigan and the couple have two daughters. References External links Arkansas profile
Jackie Shroff	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Jackie Shroff.	Tell me a bio of Jackie Shroff.	Tell me a bio of Jackie Shroff within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Jackie Shroff with around 100 words.	Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), known by his screen name Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model from Mumbai, Maharashtra, who primarily works in the Hindi film industry. In a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in 250 films in 13 languages. He has received several accolades including four Filmfare Awards. After an uncredited small appearance in Swami Dada (1982), Shroff made his lead debut with Subhash Ghai's blockbuster actioner Hero (1983), which made him an overnight star. He went onto establish himself as an actor with top-grossing films, almost every year in the 1980s and 1990s, such as Teri Meherbaniyan, Aaj Ka Daur (both 1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan, Tridev (both 1989), Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990), Izzat (1991), Khalnayak (1993), Rangeela (1995), Agni Sakshi (1996), Border (1997) and Bandhan (1998). He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Parinda (1989) and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for 1942: A Love Story and Rangeela. In the 2000s, Shroff took on more supporting and negative roles in Refugee, Mission Kashmir (both 2000), Devdas (2002), Hulchul (2004), Bhagam Bhag, Apna Sapna Money Money (both 2006), Dhoom 3 (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Housefull 3 (2016), Bharat (2019), and Sooryavanshi (2021). Shroff has worked in films of other languages including Punjabi film Sardar Saab, Konkani film Soul Curry (both 2017), Tamil films Bigil (2019), Jailer (2023) and Telugu film Saaho (2019). In addition to his acting career, Shroff is an environmentalist. He is married to model and producer Ayesha Dutt, with whom he has two children, actor Tiger Shroff and entrepreneur Krishna Shroff. Early life Shroff was born as Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (or Saraf) on 1 February 1957 in Bombay (present Mumbai), Bombay State, India. His father, Kakubhai Haribhai Shroff, was a Gujarati. His mother was a Turkmen who fled the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (present-day Kazakhstan) during a coup, according to Shroff. His maternal grandmother escaped to Ladakh, along with her seven daughters, and migrated to Delhi, finally reaching Mumbai. Shroff's father came from a family of merchants and traders. However, they lost all of their money in the stock market and his father had to leave home at the age of 17. His father met his mother when they were both teenagers and got married. Shroff dropped out of junior college after finishing his 11th class. He was raised in the Teen batti locality of Mumbai. In his childhood, he fought many street fights for his friends and often got beat up. His father Kakubhai was an astrologer. As a youngster, he modelled in a few advertisements including Savage perfumes. It was one of his classmates in school who gave Shroff his name "Jackie" and then filmmaker Subhash Ghai stuck to this name when he launched him in the film Hero. Shroff regularly revisits his childhood home in Teen Batti. Career Initial work Jackie Shroff dropped out of school after his 11th standard as his family did not have much money. He tried his hand working as an apprentice chef at Taj Hotels and as a flight attendant at Air India, but he was rejected from both places because of his lack of qualifications. He then started working as a travel agent in a local company called Trade Wings near Jehangir Art Gallery. An advertising agency accountant spotted him at the bus stand and asked him if he would be interested in modelling. The next day, Shroff went to the advertising agency (National advertising agency) located in the same building as Davar's college near Flora Fountain for the photo shoot during his lunch time. This photo shoot for a suit shirt launched Shroff on his modelling path. Aasha K Chandra, who was running an acting school, asked Shroff to join her class. Initially, Shroff refused, but after she said that Dev Anand's son Suneil Anand is also attending her class, Shroff enrolled there. Suneil Anand introduced Shroff to his father, Dev Anand, who gave Shroff his first acting role. Films In 1982, Shroff made his acting debut in Dev Anand's 1982 film Swami Dada. In his first meeting with Anand, he was offered the second lead role but after 15 days, Anand changed his mind and gave the role to Mithun Chakraborty. Shroff was cast as one of the henchmen of Shakti Kapoor in an uncredited role. In 1983, Subhash Ghai cast Shroff in the lead role for the action romance Hero, paired with Meenakshi Sheshadri. The film was a major commercial success, and one of the highest grossers of 1983. The film made Shroff and Seshadri into overnight stars. Shroff continued to work in Subhash Ghai films, irrespective of any role that was offered. After Hero, Shroff did several other films, such as Andar Baahar (1984), Jaanoo and Yudh (both released in 1985). All of these films were successful. In 1986, he was seen in Karma, which became the highest-grossing film of the year. His next film to be released was Kaash (1987). Later films, such as Dahleez (1986) and Sachché Ká Bol-Bálá (1989) failed at the box office. However, he came back to success through films such as Ram Lakhan, Tridev and Parinda (all 1989). His performance in Parinda won him his only Filmfare Award for Best Actor. In the 1990s, he starred in successful films such as Saudagar (1991), Angaar (1992), Gardish (1993), Khalnayak (1993), 1942: A Love Story (1994), Rangeela (1995) Agni Sakshi (1996), Border (1997) and Shapath (1997). During this period, he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for Gardish, and nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Khalnayak and Agni Sakshi, winning twice consecutively for 1942: A Love Story and Rangeela. During the 2000s, he appeared in supporting roles in Mission Kashmir (2000), which earned him his only nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Villain, Yaadein (2001), Devdas (2002) and Hulchul (2004), earning two nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Yaadein and Devdas. In 2006, Shroff acted in the children's film Bhoot Ukle. He played negative roles in Bhagam Bhag (2006) and Housefull 3 (2016). During this period, he also appeared in two Marathi films. In 2010, he appeared in the film Bhoot and Friends. In 2011, he appeared in a cameo role in the film Shraddha In The Name Of God directed by Gurubhai Thakkar. In 2017, Shroff made his debut in Konkani, acting in the film Soul Curry, which earned him the Goa State Award for Best Actor. Subsequently, he acted in another Konkani film released in 2019, titled Kantaar. In October 2018, he acted in a short film, The Playboy Mr. Sawhney. He was also seen in Paltan (2018). He features in many films in 2019 like Firrkie, Bharat, Saaho, and Romeo Akbar Walter. He is also going to star in Prasthanam, which Hindi remake of Telugu film with same name alongside Ali Fazal and Sanjay Dutt. He next appeared in Housefull 5 in 2025. The film features an ensemble cast including Dino Morea, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Nana Patekar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Chitrangada Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Soundarya Sharma, Chunky Pandey, Nikitin Dheer and Johnny Lever. Television Shroff has hosted many television shows like Lehrein, Chirtrahar and Missing. Dealing with stories of missing people who were never found, Missing was popular for its creative narration by Shroff. The show was broadcast on Sony TV, of which he owned some shares. Shroff was also a judge on the magic show India's Magic Star, broadcast on Indian channel STAR One. The show began on 3 July 2010 and ended on 5 September 2010. In 2014, Shroff and his son Tiger Shroff made an appearance on Comedy Nights with Kapil. In 2019, Shroff made his digital debut with the series Criminal Justice. Dubbing Personal life Shroff married his longtime girlfriend Ayesha Dutt, a model who later became a film producer, on 5 June 1987, her birthday. The couple runs a media company Jackie Shroff Entertainment Limited. They jointly owned 10% shares in Sony TV from its launch until 2012, when they sold their stake and ended their 15-year-long association with Sony TV. They have two children - son, actor Tiger Shroff (born 1990) and a daughter, entrepreneur and filmmaker Krishna Shroff (born 1993). Social activism Shroff owns an organic farm where he grows organic plants, trees and herbs. He is also the brand ambassador of Thalassemia India and over the years has supported many causes like HIV/AIDS awareness and abolishment of female foeticide. He has also funded the treatment and education of many underprivileged children. On 5 March 2021, Shroff donated an ambulance to a Lonavala-based animal shelter in the memory of his late pet dog Rocky. Filmography Awards and accolades 1990: Won: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Parinda 1994: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Gardish 1994: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Khalnayak 1995: Won: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – 1942: A Love Story 1996: Won: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Rangeela 1997: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Agni Sakshi 2002: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Yaadein 2001: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role – Mission Kashmir 2003: Nominated: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Devdas 2007: Special Honour Jury Award for outstanding contribution to Indian cinema 2011: Won: Vikatan Awards for Best Villain – Aaranya Kaandam 2014: Won: The Original Rockstar GQ 2016: Won: HT Most Stylish Living Legend Award. 2017: Won: Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award – Received by actress Raakhee: 30 April 2017. 2017: Won: Received the 20th anniversary of JP Dutta's Border movie Award: 12 June 2017. 2017: Won: Recipient of National Award-Hindi Cinema Gaurav Samman at Vigyan Bhawan 2018: Won: Filmfare Short Film Award for Best Actor — Khujli 2018: Won: Best Actor Award for the Konkani film Soul Curry at Goa State Awards ceremony He has received a Doctor of Arts for his valuable contribution in the field of Cinema from the Invertis University. Notes References External links Jackie Shroff at IMDb Jackie Shroff at Rotten Tomatoes Jackie Shroff at Bollywood Hungama
Sami Shalom Chetrit	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Sami Shalom Chetrit.	Tell me a bio of Sami Shalom Chetrit.	Tell me a bio of Sami Shalom Chetrit within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Sami Shalom Chetrit with around 100 words.	Sami Shalom Chetrit (Hebrew: סמי שלום שטרית; born 1960) is a Moroccan-born Hebrew poet an inter-disciplinary scholar and teacher, and Israeli social and peace activist. Biography Sami Shalom Chetrit was born in Errachidia, Morocco. His family moved to Israel when he was 3 years old. He grew up in Ashdod. He received his BA (Literature), MA (political science) and PhD (political science) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and his MA in International Affairs from Columbia University in New York. Chetrit lives in New York City. He teaches Hebrew language, literature and culture, and Middle Eastern studies at Queens College in Flushing, New York. Chetrit was a Mizrahi activist and one of the founders of Kedma, an alternative school system that advocated equal opportunities for all students and a multi-cultural curriculum. He was among the founders of HaKeshet HaDemokratit HaMizrakhit (Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition) for social justice and cultural freedom. Chetrit is the author of numerous articles and books on culture, society and politics in Israel, a novel and four books of poetry. He produced two documentary films. Chetrit is the founder of the democratic Mizrahi blog for social justice and peace in Israel-Palestine. Chetrit identifies as an Arab Jew. Published works Intra-Jewish Conflict in Israel: White Jews, Black Jews. London and New York: Routledge. 2010. 298 pp. “Revisiting Bialik: A Radical Mizrahi Reading of the Jewish National Poet.” Comparative Literature. Winter 2010. “Mirror Mirror on the Wall, in this Land, am I the Greatest Victim of them All? - Comments Following a Journey along Route 181.” (a documentary film by E. Sivan and M. Khleifi). In: Yael Munk and Eyal Sivan (editors) South Cinema Notebooks, # 2: On Destruction, Trauma & Cinema. Fall 2007. Israel: Sapir College Press & Pardes Publishing House. “Why are SHAS and the Mizrahim supporters of the right ?“ in : T. Honig-Parnas and T. Haddad (editors), Between the Lines – Readings on Israel, The Palestinians, and the U.S. ‘War on Terror’ Chicago : Haymarket Books, 2007. pp. 195–203. “The Ashkenazi-Zionist Problem : The Segregation in Education as a case study“ in: Y. Yona, Y. Naaman and D. Mahleb (editors), A rainbow of Opinions – A Mizrahi Agenda for Israel. Tel Aviv: November Books, 2007. pp. 221–234. (Hebrew) “The Neo-Mizrahim: The Mizrahi Radical Discourse and the Democratic Rainbow Coalition movement“, in: G. Abutbul, L. Grinberg and P. Muzafi-Haler (editors). Mizrahi Voices: Toward a New Discourse on Israeli Society and Culture. Tel Aviv: Masada. 2005. pp. 131–152. (Hebrew) Hamaávak HaMizrahi Be’Yisrael: Bein Dikui keshihrur, bein hizdahut lealternativa, 1948–2003. (The Mizrahi Struggle in Israel: Between Oppression and Liberation, Identification and Alternative, 1948–2003), Am-Oved / Ofakim Series, 2004 (Hebrew). النضال الشرقي في إسرائيل – بين القمع والتحرر، بين التماثل والبديل 1948-2003 (The Mizrahi Struggle in Israel: Between Oppression and Liberation, Identification and Alternative, 1948–2003). MADAR RamAllah, Palestine, 2005. (Arabic). SHAS and the “new Mizrahim” – Back to Back in Parallel Axles: Criticism of and Alternative to - European Zionism. Israel Studies Forum. Spring 2002. Volume 17, Number 2. pp. 107–113. Shas: Catch 17 – between ultra-orthodoxy and Mizrahiut. In: Shas – the challenge of Israeliness. (Hebrew) Editor: Yoav Peled. TAPUACH, Yediot Aharonot, 2001. Chapter 1, pp. 21–51. Mizrahi Politics In Israel: Between Integration And Alternative. Journal of Palestine Studies. University of California Press, Berkeley. Volume XXXIX/4 – Number 116. Summer 2000. pp. 51–65. The Tents Movement (Hebrew). In: Fifty to Forty-Eight, a special issue of Theory and Criticism Vol. 12-13 1999. Editor: Adi Ofir. Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. Literary publications “To Sing in Ashdodi”, an interview with Ronit Hacham. In: Hebrew Writers on Writing, Edited by Peter Cole. Trinity University Press, 2008 “A Mural With no Wall. Kasida to Mahmud Darwish.” A poem. Al-Adaab Literary Journal, Beirut, Lebanon. 2008. (Arabic) Yehudim (Jews). Poetry book. Nahar books. Binyamina, Israel. 2008. (Hebrew) Ein Habuba (Doll’s Eye), a novel. Hargol-Am Oved publishers, Tel Aviv, Israel. 2007. (Hebrew) Shirim Beashdodit (Poems in Ashdodian), poetry collection 1982-2002. Andalus Publishers, Tel Aviv Israel. 2003. (Hebrew) Exclusive poetry contribution to: Frederic Brenner, Diaspora: Homeland in Exile. Volume 1: Photographs, volume 2: Voices. Harper Collins Publishers. New York. 2003. List of my poems (volume2, voices): “where would we be today, Dr. Horowitz?” (page 23), “Oh black desert daughters” (page 30), “Look, a Bukharan Barber shop” (page 42), “The Little Yemenites” (Pages 54–55), “in God we trust” (page 80). (Editor) Me’aa Shanim, Me’aa Yotzrim. Asufat Yetzirot Ivriyot BaMizrah BaMe’aa HaEsrim. (A Century of Hebrew Writing. An Anthology of Modern Hebrew writing in the Middle East) Volumes A and B: prose, 1998. Volume C: Poetry, 1999. Bimat Kedem Publishing, Tel Aviv, Israel. (Hebrew). Freha Shem Yafe (Freha is a beautiful name), poems (Hebrew). Nur publishing, Tel Aviv, 1995. Ptiha (Opening). Poems. Eked publishing. Tel Aviv, 1988. English translations of his poems from both books appeared in: Keys to the Garden. New Israeli Writing. Editor: Ammiel Alcalay. 1996. City Lights Books, San Francisco. pp. 357–369. Many of his poems were published throughout the years (in Hebrew and other languages) in numerous literary magazines, journals, periodicals, newspapers and anthologies. Documentary films The Black Panthers (in Israel) Speak – a documentary film about the Israeli social-protest movement “The Black Panthers”, in the early 1970s. research and script writing. co-production and co-directed with Eli Hamo. (53 min, Hebrew with English subtitles). 2003. Special Screening at the Tel Aviv Cinemateque, 2003. Special Screening at the Jerusalem Cinemateque, 2003. Official Selection The African Diaspora Film Festival, New York, 2004. Official Selection ArteEast Film Festival, New York, 2004. Official Selection for a Greek Alternative Film Festival, 2005. Official Selection for an Irish Alternative Film Festival, 2005. Az’i Ayima (come mother) – a documentary film about Moroccan women of the first generation in Israel. Writing and directing. Produced by Haim Buzaglo. (77 minutes, Hebrew and Moroccan with English subtitles) 2009. DocAviv International Film Festival, Tel Aviv 2009. Official selection, special screening. Darom International Film Festival, Sderot 2009. Official selection. == References ==
Antonio Leviste	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Antonio Leviste.	Tell me a bio of Antonio Leviste.	Tell me a bio of Antonio Leviste within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Antonio Leviste with around 100 words.	Jose Antonio "Tony" Casals Leviste (born January 16, 1940) is a Filipino politician and businessman, who served as Governor of Batangas from 1972 to 1980. Born to a distinguished Batangueño family renowned in both business and politics, he was married to Senator Loren Legarda, separated from her before the 2004 election campaign. The be-medalled Asian Games equestrian Toni Leviste is his daughter from a previous marriage. Leviste was sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his long-time aide, Rafael de las Alas. Leviste served his sentence at the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa and on December 6, 2013, he was released after his parole was granted. Career Leviste graduated from the Lyceum of the Philippines in 1959 and became the president of the Student Varsitarian, a reputable campus organization for students hails from different provinces. During his term as Governor of Batangas, he was elected member of the Batasang Bayan chairman of the Regional Development Council, Vice President of the League of Governors and City Mayors, and chairman of the Program for Forest Ecosystem management. Leviste was an advocate of the environment. He initiated a forest ecosystem management program which today continues to be a model in reforestation that made him earn the coveted "Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines" (TOYM) award for Public Administration. Leviste was chosen the "Realtor of the Year" by the Business Writers Association of the Philippines and served as the director in various government agencies, including the People's Homesite and Housing Corporation (now the NHA), Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation, Semirara Mining Corporation and the Philippine Tourism Authority. He was co-founder of the Pasay Board of Realtors and the Philippine Association of Real Estate Boards. He also served as Chairman of the Philippine Leisure and Retirement Authority (now the PRA). He holds the rank of Lt. Commander in the Philippine Navy Reserve Force and is the Honorary Consul General of the State of Palestine. Currently, he is the charter president of the Resort Association of the Philippines and co-founder of the Tourism Council of the Philippines. He is the chief executive officer of the Leviste Group of Companies, a real estate firm engaged in housing, subdivision, condominium and resort development. Conviction On January 14, 2009, Leviste was convicted of homicide in the killing of his longtime friend and aide: Rafael de las Alas. Leviste had admitted responsibility for de las Alas' death, asserting he only fired in self-defence. The Makati Regional Trial Court sentenced him to six to twelve years in prison. Leviste served his sentence at the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. Release from imprisonment On December 6, 2013, Leviste was released after six years in prison after his parole has been granted. == References ==
José Hernández Delgadillo	Provide me a one-sentence fact about José Hernández Delgadillo.	Tell me a bio of José Hernández Delgadillo.	Tell me a bio of José Hernández Delgadillo within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of José Hernández Delgadillo with around 100 words.	José Hernández Delgadillo (1927 – December 26, 2000) was a Mexican painter and muralist best known for carrying on the traditions of Mexican muralism in the latter 20th century. He created over 160 murals in Mexico and the United States, with most of his work, especially after 1970, containing strong political messages. Many of these messages have been unpopular in Mexico, which has made the artist somewhat obscure and some of his murals have been destroyed. Hernández Delgadillo's main recognition is membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana honor society, but his home state has made effort to rescue and promote his life and work. Life Hernández Delgadillo was born in Tepeapulco in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, the son of a poor rural farm worker. He grew up working on farms, road construction, in a greenhouse and making furniture. In 1945, he traveled to Mexico City and studied painting and architectural drawing at the workshop of Antonio Navarrete Tejero. To survive during this time, he made money by creating portraits. After the first individual exhibition of his work, he decided to pursue advanced training, attending the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda" from 1955 to 1960. According to his autobiography, at this time he met Pablo O'Higgins which inspired him to continue the ideals of Mexican muralism. In addition to his art career, he was also very politically active. He believed that popular organization in neighborhoods, unions and schools was necessary to exert non-violent pressure against the government. From 1980 to 1983 he wrote a weekly column for the Excélsior newspaper, which allowed him to write to present an alternate point of view and appear more neutral. In 1985, he stood for the Partido Mexicano de Trabajadores in the 38th electoral district, covering the Magdalena Contreras area and part of Alvaro Obregon. He was a pre candidate for president with the PRD in 1987, but the party chose Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas. The artist then worked for the Cárdenas campaign creating murals. Hernández Delgadillo died in 2000, leaving behind his wife, Beatriz Zamora and three children, Beatriz, Myriam and Francisco. Career Hernández Delgadillo's first exhibition of his easel work was in 1954 in Mexico City. He returned to school afterwards but when he finished his studied, he won recognition at two biennials, the II Bienal Interamericana in Mexico and the II Biennale de Paris for his expressionistic painting called Hombres (1961). This success earned him a grant to Paris from the French government. From 1963 to 1965 he lived in the country, exhibiting his work in Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Le Havre and Bordeaux as well as in the Reflets Gallery in Brussels and the Biosca Gallery in Madrid. The Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris bought one of his works as well. He had another important individual exhibition in Beverly Hills in 1967. However, most of the artist's career was dedicated to muralism, creating over 160 of them, twenty of which are on university campuses in Mexico. His first mural was painted at the Escuela Primaria Belisario Dominguez in 1959. In 1969, he was named director of arte for the Centro Residencial Morelos, a housing project in Mexico City. He and students created forty murals, the largest of which consists of fifteen floors of abstract panels places among the windows. In the center of the small plaza between the apartment buildings, he created a monument highly critical of the social order, which put his career at risk. In 1973, he created the first of his militant murals. His main support was with student organizations, which invited him to paint in universities, technical schools and teachers’ colleges in various parts of the country. The artist created the designs and usually the students did the actual painting, using simple colors. Many times, the mural was done in a day, with the students using the occasion to also present musical productions, and discussion groups. From 1973 to 1976, he worked on posters which featured large powerful figures in basic colors, based on the designed for murals in also done at this time in Mexico City, Toluca, Xalapa, Pachuca, Fresnillo, Zacatepec de Hidalgo, Tepic and the teachers’ colleges in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. In 1975 he created a mural in the medical conference center of the former Hacienda de Cortés in Cuernavaca. He created his first mural in the United States in 1981 in San Fernando, California, sponsored by a Chicano organization. He returned in 1989 to create several works for the agricultural school of University of California, Davis, a Latino social service organization in San José and the mayor's office in Watsonville. In the 1990s he created one of his major works called El Hombre Nuevo Hacia el Futuro. Many of Hernández Delgadillo's murals are in urgent need of restoration with a number already lost, either due to deterioration or because they were destroyed because of their political messages. In 2013 an effort was begun Pachuca to rescue and restore his murals in that city, which include Contradicciones y lucha en Hidalgo at the Jardín del Arte and Por la democracia, el trabajo y la soberanía nacional at the Miguel Alemán primary school. Other activities during his career include sculpture, receiving commissions between 1959 and 1960, and illustrating medical books in 1963 and 1972. In 1997 he organized the first competition of murals and public art called the Jornada Mundial del Arte Público y Muralismo, at the Palacio de Bellas Artes . His main recognition was membership in the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana (SPM), an honor society for Mexican artists, serving on its executive committee in the 1970s. After his death, the SPM established the José Hernández Delgadillo Prize in categories such as painting, print making, sculpture, photography and art objects and held a retrospective of his work in 2009. The Efrén Rebolledo Cultural Center in Pachuca has a gallery named after him. However, his work has become obscure, mostly because they espouse unpopular and radical political ideas. There was no biography written about him until 2008, when Hidalgo writer Guillermo Furlong Franco published a book called Muros de Insomnio, about the life and work of the artist. It was sponsored by the Fondo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes of Hidalgo. Artistry Hernández Delgadillo was an artist and activist in the tradition of Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, with his work more closely related to the second state of Mexican muralism rather than his contemporary Generación de la Ruptura . This was particularly true after the 1968 student uprising in Mexico, which inspired the artist to incorporate its ideology to reinvigorate Mexico's traditions of murals with social and political messages. In 1975, he described himself as one of the few artists still “fighting for Mexico.” He stated that it was “… very risky to do political art now. You put your subsistence and liberty at stake.” He also stated “After 1970, I conceived most of my visual work in line with popular struggles, in books, periodicals, posters, films and murals; this side of my work is predictably ignored by the educated public, and negated and attacked even by critics who purport to be revolutionaries.” He worked in oil, acrylics, mixed media, print and poster making and some sculptures in bronze. His style was mostly expressionistic, often denouncing acts of violence. Some murals, such as those done at university campuses rely on simple, basic colors but others more nuanced used of color, such as shades of reds and ochre are used to express anger at social injustices. Justino Fernandez wrote “In the works of Hernández Delgadillo, we find a definite sense of the monumental and certain underlying classicism combined with personal expressionism. This may seem contradictory, but is not, thanks to the synthesis to which he brings both tendencies.” “His giants – images of men and women, entire or fragmented nudes with extraordinarily expressive heads large or small, their features barely insinuated, their eyes tiny – betray his humanist leanings.” Similar to the artists of the Mexican muralism movement, he used indigenous cultural expression to highlight the country's heritage, its abilities as well as how it has been exploited. Many of his figures have a primeval quality, as if they sprang from the earth. == References ==
Sandra Pisani	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Sandra Pisani.	Tell me a bio of Sandra Pisani.	Tell me a bio of Sandra Pisani within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Sandra Pisani with around 100 words.	Sandra Pisani OAM (23 January 1959 – 19 April 2022) was an Australian field hockey player who played 85 international games for Australia and was the captain from 1985 to 1987. She competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and was part of the team that won Australia's first Olympic gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. She was a National Women's Senior Selector for the Hockeyroos Australia women's national field hockey team from 1993 to 2000 and the Head Selector during the peak of their success when the team won two Olympic gold medals in Field hockey at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament and Field hockey at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament under coach Ric Charlesworth. Personal life Pisani was born on 23 January 1959, and lived in Adelaide, South Australia. She died from cancer on 19 April 2022. Field hockey Club hockey In 1976, Pisani first played A grade club hockey for Burnside Hockey Club when she was 17 years old. She played in eight (8) winning A grade Premiership teams over 15 years (including four in five years) for Burnside in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986 and 1990. She won Burnside Hockey Club's Best and Fairest in 1985 and 1987 and received Life Membership of Burnside Hockey Club in 2002. In 1985 and 1992, she won the Association Medal for South Australia's Best and Fairest Player. She moved to Port Adelaide in 1991 and spent six years playing and coaching with the club. She coached the team from 1991 to 1994. In two years under Sandy's coaching, Port moved up from seventh to second and then she led them to a premiership in her third year of coaching there in 1993, being awarded Hockey SA's Coach of the Year the same year. Later on, she coached the Premier League Woodville Hockey Club for two years. In 2012, she was a joint winner of the Hockey SA Coach of the Year with Rachel Hampton. State hockey Pisani showed a strong commitment to South Australian hockey, having been a Hockey SA State Selector, State Coach and State Team Manager at various times. She played for South Australia at senior state level for the South Australian Australian Hockey League team, the Southern Suns for 12 years and was captain for five years. She played in 1978 to 1983, 1985 to 1989 and in 1992. In 2011, she was a Mentor to the Southern Suns and then became Assistant Coach in 2012 and Team Manager in 2013. International hockey – player Pisani played 85 international games for Australia, making her debut in 1981 at the World Cup in Buenos Aires at 22 years of age. She was the captain from 1985 to 1987. This is a list of tournaments she played in: 1981 America's Cup – USA 1981 World Cup, Argentina – 4th place 1982 America's Cup – USA 1982 Invitation Tournament – NZ 1983 World Cup - Malaysia – BRONZE medal 1983 European Tour – Holland and Germany 1983 Four Nations Tournament – Perth 1984 Pre-Olympic Tour – Europe 1984 Olympic Games – Los Angeles – 4th place (Australia at the 1984 Summer Olympics) 1984 Four Nations Tournament – Melbourne 1985 Four Nations Tournament – Holland and England – Captain 1985 Test Series - Germany and England – Captain 1986 Six Nations International Tournament – Australia- Captain 1986 World Cup – Amsterdam – Captain 1987 Champions Trophy Amsterdam – SILVER medal 1987 Four Nations Tournament – Korea 1988 Bicentennial Tournament – Six Nations -Perth 1988 European Tour 1988 Olympic Games – Seoul 1988 – GOLD medal (Australia at the 1988 Summer Olympics) International hockey - selector and manager From 1993 to 2000, Pisani was a National Women's Senior Selector for the Hockeyroos Australia women's national field hockey team. She was the Head Selector during the peak of their success when the team won two Olympic gold medals in Field hockey at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament and Field hockey at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament under coach Ric Charlesworth. She was a National Youth Selector since 2012 – a role where she worked alongside fellow South Australian Craig Victory. In 2014, she was the Team Manager for the Women's Australia A development tour to China and Japan August 2014. Recognition She was recognised on the South Australian Sports Institute Hockey Honour Roll for her 1988 Olympic gold medal. As part of the Queen's birthday honours in June 1989, Pisani was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the sport of hockey. In the mid 1990s, she was a Board Member of Hockey SA. In 1995, she was a Council Delegate for the Australian Women's Hockey Association Inc. In June 2000, she was awarded the Australian Sports Medal with the citation "1988 Olympic Team Member – Convenor of Selection Committee". In 2003, she was given the Team Sport Australia Award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards as a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 1988 Summer Olympics. This was the first Olympic Gold ever won by an Australian hockey Team, the gold medal being considered the highest achievement in Hockey. It was the start of a remarkable era of success for Women's hockey in Australia. She was inducted to the South Australian Sport Hall of Fame in 2015. She was twice a finalist in the Caltex SA Sports Star of the Year Award. References External links Sandra Pisani at the Australian Olympic Committee Sandra Pisani at Olympedia
Chi Pu	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Chi Pu.	Tell me a bio of Chi Pu.	Tell me a bio of Chi Pu within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Chi Pu with around 100 words.	Nguyễn Thùy Chi (born June 14, 1993), commonly known by her stage name Chi Pu, is a Vietnamese actress and singer. She gained popularity with her lead roles in several television dramas and sitcoms including Waterdrop, Happy Dream, and 5S Online. Chi Pu officially started her singing career in 2017. In 2020, Chi Pu was honored among Forbes list of Asia Pacific's 100 most influential digital stars. Life and career Chi Pu was born on June 14, 1993 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Her father is a member of the Vietnamese military, and her mother is an English teacher. She has an older sister who works in the banking industry. Chi Pu rose to fame after placing Top 20 Miss Teen Vietnam 2009. Afterwards, she joined the entertainment industry and became a teen idol. According to Socialbaker, as of November 2016, Chi Pu had the most followers of any Vietnamese actress on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. In 2013, Chi Pu started her acting career with leading roles in the television dramas Waterdrop and Happy Dream, which were broadcast on Vietnam National Television. That same year, she joined 5S Online, a popular Vietnamese television series]. She produced and acted in her first short film, Under One Sky. The short film was highly rated among audiences and critics, receiving a Golden Kite Award the following year. At the end of 2013, Chi Pu appeared in her first full-length film, Thần tượng (The Talent), which won 6 Golden Kite Awards. Chi Pu also appeared in the horror movies Chung cư ma (Hush) and Hương Ga (Rise), which won Best Vietnamese Film at the 2016 San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival. In 2014, Chi Pu has been the leading role in the television drama Vẫn có em bên đời (You’re Always by my Side). The drama received high ratings, earning Chi Pu an HTV Award for Most Favorite Television Drama Actress. Chi Pu produced and acted in her second short movie called My Sunshine that same year. The movie received positive reviews for its message supporting the LGBT community. In 2015, Chi Pu had a leading role in Yêu (Love). The LGBT movie grossed more than half million USD within three days of its release. It also won the Golden Apricot Blossom Awards for Best Movie in 2015. Yêu won Chi Pu nominations for Best Actress at the 2015 Golden Apricot Blossom Awards and Green Star Awards. In 2015, Chi Pu was the backstage host for Dancing with the Stars Kids Vietnam - Season 2. In 2016, Chi Pu was one of the two hosts for The Voice Kids Vietnam - Season 4. Chi Pu was the judge for several beauty and style competitions, such as Miss Panasonic Beauty 2015 and Shine Your Style Contest with L'Officiel Vietnam's editorial secretary Angie Nguyễn and Lý Quí Khánh. Chi Pu voiced the character Glim in the French animated movie Mune: Guardian of the Moon. Chi Pu took part in the musical Thiên đài (The Rooftop), an adaptation of the famous same-name musical movie by the Chinese artist Jay Chou. In 2016, Chi Pu produced her first web series Wake Up. The 7-episode series was broadcast on V Live and YouTube. Chi Pu produced, co-wrote, starred, and sang the OST. The budget for the series was about $150,000, paid for by Chi Pu and brand sponsorships. In July 2016, Chi Pu performed her song "Fighting Fighting" (Wake up OST) at Viral Fest Asia 2016 - a musical event held in Bali, Indonesia. In October 2016, Chi Pu was invited by Korean Daily News Hankook Ilbo and V LIVE (Naver) for a tourism and beauty experience in Seoul. In November 2016, Chi Pu attended the first Asia Artist Awards in Seoul, Korea. She released several songs including "Fighting Fighting" (Wake up OST), "Stay with me" (LOVE OST), Ngày bồng bềnh, "Tada X’mas" (feat. Gil Lê). She earned third place in Dancing with the Stars Vietnam Season 6. Chi Pu started her singing career in 2017 and immediately garnered attention from media outlets and fans. She is one of 33 contestants competing in the fourth season of Chinese reality show “Sisters Who Make Waves” which broadcast in 2023. She had the sixth highest score at the end of the final episode on July 22. She also won two sub-categories in the show, including the "Fan Favorite" award for her "Shut Up and Dance" song, which she performed with Ella and former contestant Meng Jia in a previous season of the show, and the "Overcoming Challenges" award. Her performance earned Chi Pu a position as part of the 11-member girl group that will debut and be active in the Chinese entertainment industry after the show. Public image and activism In 2015, Chi Pu was honored as Upcoming Female Actress at ELLE Style Awards by ELLE Vietnam. Chi Pu was the first Vietnamese actress who partnered with a fashion brand to launch her own collection. Chi Pu partnered with TheBlueTshirt and PUSW to launch two fashion collections. She used to work for Innisfree, Pepsi, Heineken, Panasonic Beauty, Nestea, and Cornetto. She is currently brand ambassador for Yamaha Janus, Dove Vietnam, OPPO Cameraphone. In April 2016, Chi Pu was the first Vietnamese artist to cooperate with Google in their Google App advertising campaign in Vietnam. Chi Pu is often active in nonprofit and volunteer organizations. Recently, she urged people to contribute funds to support flood victims in Central Vietnam. Chi Pu also advocated funding heart surgeries for poor children. She held the event “Trung thu yêu thương” (Beloved Mid-Autumn) to perform and send out gifts for children at the Center for Disabled Children in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2015, Chi Pu was one of the ambassadors for “Về đi Vàng ơi” (Come home Golden), a campaign launched by Asia Canine Protection Alliance (ACPA). The campaign advocated for an end to the theft, trade, and cruel actions of dogs. Along with other artists, Chi Pu encouraged people to stop hunting and consuming rhino horns in Vietnam. Discography Extended plays Filmography Film Discography 2013 "Tiểu thư cá tính" (composed by Dương Khắc Linh) 2014 "Tada Xmas" (with Gil Lê) (composed by Kai Đinh) 2015 "Stay With Me" (composed by Kai Đinh) 2016 "Ngày Bồng Bềnh" (composed by Lê Cát Trọng Lý) 2017 "Đón Xuân Tuyệt Vời" (with Hoàng Thùy Linh): released on January 17, composed by TRIPLE D "Từ hôm nay (Feel Like Ooh)": released on October 10, composed by Park, Eddy S Park "Cho ta gần hơn (I'm in love)": released on October 27, composed by Krazy Park, Eddy S Park "Em sai rồi anh xin lỗi em đi (#ESRAXLED)": released on November 26, composed by Trang Phap "Talk to me (Có nên dừng lại)": released on December 21, composed by Triple D 2018 "Đóa hoa hồng (Queen) (Dance Version)": released on May 15, composed by Andiez - NNeo "Đóa Hoa hồng (Queen) (Story Version)": released on May 21 "Mời Anh Vào Team Em": released on November 27, composed by Dat G 2019 "Anh Ơi Ở Lại": released on April 23, written by Đat G "Em nói anh rồi": released on August 2, composed by Park Jeongwook (M.O.T) "Shh! Chỉ ta biết thôi": released on December 26, written and produced by Nguyen Phuc Thien 2020 "Cung đàn vỡ đôi": released on June 3, written by Kiên "Mơ Anh": released on September 3, written by Mew Amazing 2021 "Đừng Đùa Với Lửa" (released on November 17) 2022 "Black Hickey (Con Dấu Chủ Quyền)" (released on August 8) "Sashimi" (released on September 9) "Miss Showbiz" (release on October 13) 2023 "Hoa Dưới Mặt Trời" (released on November 30) 2024 "Follow Me" (released on January 24) Awards and nominations Face of The Year 2022 - Most Favorite Female Actress Forbes Asia's Top 100 Digital Star 2020 (Asia & Pacific) TikTok Awards 2020 - Public Figure of The Year Face of The Year 2022 - Most Favorite Female Actress ELLE Style Awards 2017 - Actress of The Year 1st Asia Artist Awards 2016 – Rookie Award WebTV Asia Awards 2016 - Most Popular Online Drama Golden Apricot Blossom Awards – Artist of the Year 2015 HTV Awards – The Most Favorite Television Drama Actress 2015 ELLE Style Awards 2015 – Upcoming Female Actress of the Year 2015 Star Awards – Beauty Queen of the Year 2015 Golden Kite Awards 2014 – Best Short Film (“Under One Sky”) Bronze Prize – Dancing with the Stars Vietnam 2015 We Choice Awards – Top 10 Most Influential People of the Year 2014 The Box Idol 2013 Top 20 Miss Teen Vietnam 2009 References External links Chi Pu on Facebook Chi Pu on Instagram Chi Pu on Twitter Chi Pu on TikTok Video on YouTube
Paul Anka	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Paul Anka.	Tell me a bio of Paul Anka.	Tell me a bio of Paul Anka within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Paul Anka with around 100 words.	Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and actor. His songs include "Diana", “You Are My Destiny", “Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also wrote the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; one of Tom Jones' biggest hits, "She's a Lady"; and the English lyrics to Claude François and Jacques Revaux's music for Frank Sinatra's signature song "My Way", which has been recorded by many, including Elvis Presley. He co-wrote three songs with Michael Jackson: "This Is It" (originally titled "I Never Heard") "Love Never Felt So Good", and "Don't Matter to Me", which became posthumous hits for Jackson in 2009, 2014, and 2018, respectively. Early life Paul Albert Anka was born in Ottawa, Ontario, to Camelia (née Tannis) and Andrew Emile "Andy" Anka Sr., who owned a restaurant called the Locanda. According to Anka's autobiography, My Way, both of his parents were of Lebanese Christian descent; however, he also states in his autobiography that his ancestors came from Bab Tuma, in Syria. His father came to Canada from Damascus, Syria, and his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon. His mother died when he was 18. Anka sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir under the direction of Frederick Karam, with whom he studied music theory. He attended Fisher Park High School, where he was part of a vocal trio called the Bobby Soxers. Career Early success Anka recorded his first single, "I Confess", when he was 14. In 1956, with $100 given to him by his uncle, he went to New York City, where he auditioned for Don Costa at ABC Records, singing what was widely believed to be a lovestruck verse he had written to a former babysitter. In an interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2005, he stated that it was to a girl at his church whom he hardly knew. The resulting song "Diana" brought Anka stardom as it went to No. 1 on the Canadian and US music charts. "Diana" is one of the best selling singles ever by a Canadian recording artist. He followed up with four songs that made it into the Top 20 in 1958, including "It's Time to Cry", which hit No. 4 and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings", which reached No. 15, making him (at 17) one of the biggest teen idols of the time. He toured Britain, then Australia with Buddy Holly. Anka also wrote "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" – a song written for Holly, which Holly recorded just before he died in 1959. Anka stated shortly afterward: "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has a tragic irony about it now, but at least it will help look after Buddy Holly's family. I'm giving my composer's royalty to his widow – it's the least I can do. Anka composed the theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (reworked in 1962 from a song Anka wrote earlier called "Toot Sweet"; it had been rewritten with lyrics and recorded by Annette Funicello in 1959 as "It's Really Love"). He wrote "Teddy" – a Top 20 hit for Connie Francis in 1960. Anka wrote the English lyrics to "My Way", Frank Sinatra's signature song (originally the French song "Comme d'habitude"). In the 1960s, Anka began acting in motion pictures as well as writing songs for them, most notably the theme for the hit film The Longest Day (which also was the official march of the Canadian Airborne Regiment), in which he made a cameo appearance as a U.S. Army Ranger. For his film work he wrote and recorded one of his greatest hits "Lonely Boy". He also wrote and recorded "My Home Town", which was a No. 8 pop hit for him the same year. He then went on to become one of the first pop singers to perform at the Las Vegas casinos. In 1960, he appeared twice as himself in NBC's short-lived crime drama Dan Raven. In 1963, Anka purchased the rights and ownership of his ABC-Paramount catalog and re-recorded his earlier hits for RCA Victor, which he had joined in 1960. 1970s chart comeback Frustrated after more than ten years without a top 25 hit record, Anka switched labels again, which marked a turning point in his career. This time he signed with United Artists and in 1974 teamed up with Odia Coates to record the No. 1 hit, "(You're) Having My Baby", exposing Anka to a new generation of fans and proving his staying power among his original fan base that was now maturing. Anka also wrote five songs which were included on an album by Don Goodwin. Anka and Coates recorded three more duets that made it into the Top 20: "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" (No. 7), "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone" (No. 8), and the No. 15 duet "(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love". In 1975, he recorded a jingle for Kodak written by Bill Lane (lyrics) and Roger Nichols (melody) called "Times of Your Life". It became so popular Anka recorded it as a full song, which peaked at No. 7 in the US pop chart in 1976. The follow-up was another hit that Anka wrote for Sinatra, "Anytime (I'll Be There)", peaking at No. 33. Anka's last Top 40 hit in the US was in the summer of 1983: "Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes", which included backing vocals from then-Chicago frontman Peter Cetera; it hit No. 2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart. 1990s comeback Anka's 1998 album A Body of Work was his first new US studio release since Walk a Fine Line in 1983; vocalists and performers included Celine Dion, Kenny G, Patti LaBelle, and Skyler Jett. The album included a new version of "Hold Me 'Til the Morning Comes", once again performed with Peter Cetera. In 2005, Anka released an album of big-band arrangements of contemporary Rock songs titled, Rock Swings; the album provided a mainstream comeback of sorts that saw Anka awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto. On October 12, 2009, Anka stated that Michael Jackson's new release titled "This Is It" was a collaborative effort between the two in 1980. According to Anka, after recording the song, Jackson decided not to use it and the tune was then recorded and released by Sa-Fire. After Anka threatened to sue for credit and a share of royalties, the administrators of Jackson's estate granted Anka 50% of the copyright. An additional song that Jackson co-wrote with Anka from this 1980 session, "Love Never Felt So Good", was discovered shortly thereafter. His album Songs of December charted at No. 58 in Canada in November 2011. Italy Anka collaborated with a number of Italian musicians, including composer/director Ennio Morricone, singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti, and lyricist Mogol. His official discography reports nine singles released by RCA Italiana, but the Italian charts list at least six other songs he interpreted or recorded in Italian. His top hit was "Ogni giorno" which scored No. 1 in 1962, followed by "Piangerò per te" and "Ogni volta", which reached both No. 2, in 1963 and 1964. "Ogni volta" ("Every Time") was sung by Anka during the Festival di Sanremo of 1964 and then sold more than one million copies in Italy alone; it was also awarded a gold disc. He returned to Sanremo in 1968 with "La farfalla impazzita" by Battisti-Mogol. On that occasion, the same title was interpreted by Italian crooner Johnny Dorelli. The pair of singers, however, were eliminated before the final stage of the musical contest. Anka, maybe only coincidentally, left the Italian scene shortly thereafter. In 2003, Anka came back with an exclusive concert in Bologna, organized by the Italian company Mapei during the CERSAIE exhibition. He recorded a version of "My Way" with alternate lyrics dedicated to the sponsor of the evening. In 2006, he recorded a duet with 1960s Italian hitmaker Adriano Celentano, a new cover of "Diana", with Italian lyrics by Celentano-Mogol and with singer-songwriter Alex Britti on the guitar. The song hit No. 3. Finland Anka has been very popular in Finland since the beginning of his career. He performed in Helsinki's Linnanmäki in 1959, in Lappeenranta in 1989, at the Pori Jazz Festival in Pori on 19 July 2007 and in 2012, and in Tampere three times on 6 August 2008 and on 9 and 10 August 2009. He also appeared in the Las Vegas scene in the 1991 Finnish film Prince of the Hit Parade (Iskelmäprinssi), directed by Juha Tapaninen. At the end of the film there is an archive footage of Anka's performance in Linnanmäki. As background music, Anka performs his song "How Long" in the film. Other countries With less success than in Italy and Finland, Anka tried the French market as well, with his first song being "Comme Avant" with Mireille Mathieu. In 1964, he released an album titled Paul Anka à Paris; the six tracks on side B were sung in French. A single release in Japanese ("Kokoro no Sasae"/"Shiawase e no Tabiji") is also reported on his discography. In 1993, he recorded a duet with Filipino singer Regine Velasquez titled "It's Hard to Say Goodbye", included on her album Reason Enough. This song was re-recorded several years later by Anka and Celine Dion and was included on his album A Body of Work. Anka has performed four times in Israel, and in 2019 rejected pleas that he boycott the country. Acting career Anka appeared in 1958's "Let's Rock", where he sang and appeared in a scene signing autographs. His first major-film acting role was in a cameo as an army private in The Longest Day (1962). He also composed the title song to the movie. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he starred in such teen exploitation films as Girls Town (1959) and Look in Any Window (1961), in which he played a peeping tom. He later played an Elvis-hating casino pit manager in 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) and a yacht broker in Captain Ron (1992). He guest-starred as a murder suspect in one of the Perry Mason Made-for-TV movies, The Case of the Maligned Mobster (1991). He made guest appearances as himself in the episode "Red's Last Day" on That '70s Show and in "The Real Paul Anka" episode of Gilmore Girls. He made several appearances on the NBC TV series Las Vegas. In 2016, he made another guest appearance as himself in the "Spring" episode of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a revival of the original show. Other film and television appearances Anka was the subject of the 1962 National Film Board of Canada documentary Lonely Boy, considered a classic work of cinéma vérité. He wrote and performed songs in the 1985 Canadian children's Christmas cartoon George and the Christmas Star. He appeared on The Simpsons season 7 episode Treehouse of Horror VI, Attack of the 50 Ft Eyesore, singing a song with Lisa in October 1995. In American Idol's seasons 2 and 3, he made a special appearance and sang an adapted version of "My Way" that mocked the format of the show as well as participants, judges, and the host. The performance was praised as one of the best moments of the show. He also played the role of Buddy Maus in Season 2 Episode 14 "The Betrayal" of the TV show Kojak. Anka appeared in an episode of The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1970, singing his own lyrics 'My Way'. The show was broadcast again on BBC2 on Christmas Day 2021 after the tape recording - believed lost - was found. Anka appeared as himself in the American sitcom That 70s Show in season 2, episode 2 "Red’s Last Day". On Gilmore Girls, Lorelai Gilmore named her Polish Lowland Sheepdog after Anka. Series co-creator Daniel Palladino chose the name after hearing the Rock Swings album at a coffeehouse. Both Paul Ankas were featured in a dream sequence Lorelai describes to her daughter Rory in the cold open to "The Real Paul Anka", the eighteenth episode of Season 6. Anka competed in season four of The Masked Singer as "Broccoli". He ended up finishing in 7th place during the Group C finals. Personal life Anka was married to Anne de Zogheb, the half-English and half-Lebanese daughter of Lebanese diplomat Charles de Zogheb, from February 16, 1963, until 2001. The couple met in 1962 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she was a fashion model on assignment and under contract to the Eileen Ford Agency. Zogheb, brought up in Egypt, is of Lebanese, English, French, Dutch, and Greek descent. The couple married the following year in a ceremony at Paris-Orly Airport. Through his daughter Amanda, he is the father-in-law of the actor Jason Bateman. On September 6, 1990, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 2008, Anka married his personal trainer, Anna Åberg, in Sardinia, Italy. They divorced in 2010, and Paul has full custody of their son. Anna was featured in the Swedish TV3 show Svenska Hollywoodfruar (Swedish Hollywood Wives). Anka's autobiography, My Way, co-written with David Dalton, was published in 2013. In October 2016, Anka married Lisa Pemberton in Beverly Hills, California. They divorced in 2020. Awards and honours In 1972, a street in Ottawa was named Paul Anka Drive. In 1981, the Ottawa City Council named August 26 as "Paul Anka Day" to celebrate his quarter-century in show business. 2004 Appointed an Officer Of The Order of Canada In popular culture In the mid-1980s, Anka was secretly recorded while launching a tirade against his crew and band members, berating them for behavior that he considered unprofessional. When asked about it on the interview program Fresh Air, he referred to the person who did the recording as a "snake we later fired". The recording became widely known after being uploaded to the internet around 2004, and a number of quotes from it became famous, including "The guys get shirts!"; "Don't make a maniac out of me!"; and "Slice like a f*****g hammer." Some of the quotes were reproduced by Al Pacino's character in the 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen. In the TV show Gilmore Girls, Lorelai Gilmore names her dog Paul Anka. He is also briefly mentioned in Finnish road movie Rumble, as the father figure of the movie's main character group mentions "being with Paul Anka in Linnanmäki amusement park". Business ventures In 2012, Anka co-founded the holographic tech startup, ARHT Media. He is currently a member of ARHT Media's Board of Advisors, alongside Kevin O'Leary and Brian Mulroney until the latter's death in February, 2024. Discography Albums Filmography References Works cited 36 People Magazine November 7, 2016, p. 13 External links Official website Paul Anka at AllMusic Paul Anka at IMDb Paul Anka discography at Discogs Paul Anka at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Felipe (footballer, born 1977)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Felipe (footballer, born 1977).	Tell me a bio of Felipe (footballer, born 1977).	Tell me a bio of Felipe (footballer, born 1977) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Felipe (footballer, born 1977) with around 100 words.	Felipe Jorge Loureiro (born 2 September 1977), simply known as Felipe, is a Brazilian football coach and former player. He is the current technical director of Vasco da Gama. A left-footed midfielder and left-back, Felipe is known for his playmaking style, that nicknamed him as Maestro, with his excellent ball control, dribbling skills, and vision for orchestrating offensive plays and providing precise passes. Club career Born in Rio de Janeiro, Felipe joined Vasco da Gama at the age of six, for their futsal team. He moved to the fields in 1990, aged 12, and made his first team debut on 3 November 1996, starting in a 2–1 win over Botafogo. Felipe scored his first senior goal on 30 August 1997, in a 3–2 win over Sport Recife. He became a regular starter in that year, being an important unit in Vasco's successful spell. In May 1999, Vasco sold Felipe to Roma for a fee of US$ 20 million, but manager Fabio Capello refused the player. Roma tried to cancel the deal, but Vasco refused, and Felipe only received clearance to play for Vasco in September. Roma was later deemed to pay US$ 2 million to Vasco on compensation in 2002. In 2001, after spending a part of the previous season sidelined due to injury, Felipe was separated from the squad of the Cruzmaltino after having altercations with the club's board, after considering himself underpaid. He was subsequently loaned to Palmeiras to play in the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship, but was released in July, a few months after the tournament was cancelled. On 31 October 2001, Felipe moved to Atlético Mineiro on loan for the remainder of the year. He returned to Vasco in January 2002, where he again became a starter. In 2002, Felipe moved abroad and joined Turkish side Galatasaray, but rescinded his contract in November of that year, after featuring rarely. He signed for Flamengo on 16 January 2003, after agreeing to a two-year deal. Felipe was an undisputed starter for Fla in the 2004 campaign, being often deployed as a right winger; despite winning the 2004 Campeonato Carioca, the club narrowly avoided relegation in the 2004 Série A. On 10 January 2005, he was presented at Fluminense. Felipe struggled with injuries at Flu, being also suspended for 120 days after assaulting a player from Campinense during a Copa do Brasil match. In October, after missing out two training days in the week and disagreeing with the subsequent fine, he had his contract rescinded. On 2 November 2005, Felipe moved to Al Sadd in Qatar. He spent five seasons in Middle East, winning several collective and individual accolades. On 9 June 2010, Felipe agreed to return to his first club Vasco, after his contract with Al Sadd was due to expire. An immediate starter, he had altercations with director René Simões in the latter months of 2012, and had his contract rescinded by the director on 21 December of that year. On 19 January 2013, Felipe returned to Fluminense. Despite being regularly used, he was unable to establish himself as a starter, and left the club on 17 December. On 15 March 2014, after spending three months without a club, Felipe announced his retirement at the age of 36. International career Felipe made his full international debut with Brazil on 23 September 1998, in a friendly against Yugoslavia. He featured in a further six matches for the national side, being called up to the 2004 Copa América and winning the competition. Coaching career On 4 July 2016, Felipe was named head coach of Tigres do Brasil for the upcoming season, having former Vasco teammate Pedrinho as his assistant. The duo resigned the following 11 February, after a 4–0 loss to Cabofriense. On 6 February 2019, Felipe joined Ponte Preta as a football coordinator. He left the club on 27 November, and spent more than a year unemployed before returning to coaching duties on 27 April 2021, after being named at the helm of Bangu. On 14 April 2022, Felipe left Bangu to take over Série C side Confiança. He resigned on 18 June, and returned to his previous club Bangu on 21 October. Bangu announced the departure of Felipe on 28 March 2023, after not renewing his contract. On 23 October, he agreed to become Volta Redonda's head coach for the ensuing season, but was dismissed on 15 February 2024. On 3 June 2024, Felipe returned to Vasco as a technical director. On 24 November, he was named interim head coach of the club for the remaining three matches of the season, replacing Rafael Paiva. Back to his coordinator role ahead of the 2025 season, Felipe was again named interim on 27 April of that year, after Fábio Carille was sacked. Career statistics Club International Coaching statistics As of match played 10 May 2025 Honours Vasco da Gama Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1997, 2000 (Copa João Havelange) Copa do Brasil: 2011 Copa Libertadores: 1998 Campeonato Carioca: 1998 Torneio Rio – São Paulo: 1999 Copa Mercosur: 2000 Flamengo Campeonato Carioca: 2004 Fluminense Campeonato Carioca: 2005 Al Sadd Qatar Stars League: 2005–06, 2006–07 Emir of Qatar Cup: 2006–07 Qatar Cup: 2006, 2007, 2008 Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2006 Brazil Copa América: 2004 Individual Copa do Brasil Player of Year: 2004, 2011 Campeonato Carioca Player of Year: 2004 Campeonato Carioca Midfielder of Year: 2004, 2011, 2012 South American Team of the Year: 1998 References External links United Athletes Magazine Interview about the training of a midfielder. Felipe at Sambafoot (archive)
Neil Sinclair	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Neil Sinclair.	Tell me a bio of Neil Sinclair.	Tell me a bio of Neil Sinclair within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Neil Sinclair with around 100 words.	Neil Sinclair (born 23 February 1974), is a Northern Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2010. He challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2010. At regional level, he held the British welterweight title from 2001 to 2003 and challenged once for the EBU European Union title in 2008. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal representing Ireland at the 1992 Junior World Championships and gold while representing Northern Ireland at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Amateur career Sinclair boxed for Ireland as an amateur and won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships at Montreal in 1992 and also won a gold for Northern Ireland at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Professional career Sinclair turned professional in April 1995, winning his first fight at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, in which he knocked out Marty Duke on a card that included Darren Corbett and the final fight in the career of Damien Denny. In June 2007, Sinclair announced his retirement although he decided to return to boxing within a couple of months. In May 2009, Sinclair won the Irish light-middleweight title with a stoppage victory over Henry Coyle at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. Professional boxing record See also List of British welterweight boxing champions References External links Boxing record for Neil Sinclair from BoxRec (registration required) Neil Sinclair at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
Peter Gallagher	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Peter Gallagher.	Tell me a bio of Peter Gallagher.	Tell me a bio of Peter Gallagher within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Peter Gallagher with around 100 words.	Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007, and recurring roles in television such as Deputy Chief William Dodds on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Stacey Koons on the Showtime comedy-drama Californication, Nick on the Netflix series Grace & Frankie, and Director of Clandestine Services (DCS) Arthur Campbell on Covert Affairs. He also is known for his roles in the films Bob Roberts (1992), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), While You Were Sleeping (1995), American Beauty (1999), Mr. Deeds (2002), and Palm Springs (2020). In musical theatre, his best-known role is that of Sky Masterson in the 1992 Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls. Early life Gallagher was born in New York City. His mother, Mary Ann (née O'Shea), was a bacteriologist, and his father, Thomas Francis Gallagher, Jr., was an advertising executive. Gallagher is the youngest of their three children. He is of Irish Catholic background and was raised in Armonk, New York. Gallagher graduated from Tufts University, where he was active in theater, appearing in such shows as Stephen Sondheim's Company and singing with the all-male a cappella group the Beelzebubs. He studied acting at the William Esper Studio and with Mira Rostova. Career Gallagher appeared on Broadway with Glenn Close in Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing and made his feature film debut in the Taylor Hackford film The Idolmaker, but first achieved fame for his role in Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies, and videotape (1989). He also starred as Sky Masterson in the 1992 Broadway hit revival of Guys and Dolls. Gallagher played a potential career threat to Tim Robbins's studio executive in The Player (1992); the comatose fiancé of Sandra Bullock in While You Were Sleeping (1995); a major real estate salesman having an affair with Annette Bening in American Beauty (1999); a media executive in Mr. Deeds (2002); and a political reporter exposing media ethics during a presidential debate in The Last Debate. From 2003 to 2007, Gallagher starred as Sandy Cohen, a Jewish public defender and corporate lawyer, on the Fox television show The O.C. He hosts an annual award ceremony named "The Sandy Cohen Awards" or The Sandys, which, in honor of his character on The O.C., gives a scholarship to a law school student at UC Berkeley who wants to become a public defender. Gallagher released an album titled 7 Days in Memphis in 2005, on the Sony BMG label. This includes a studio recording of his performance of "Don't Give Up On Me" (originally by Solomon Burke), which was featured in an episode of The O.C. He also has a video for his single "Still I Long For Your Kiss", in which he starred with his TV-wife Kelly Rowan. In 2005, Gallagher received the P.T. Barnum Award from Tufts University for his exceptional work in the field of media and entertainment. In 2007, Gallagher received the "Light on the Hill" award at Tufts University. The award is given to notable alumni from Tufts who have demonstrated ambition, achievement, and active citizenship. From February 13 through July 5, 2015, Gallagher starred on Broadway in On the Twentieth Century although he missed several performances in late February due to illness. In 2020 Gallagher played Mitch Clarke, who had progressive supranuclear palsy, in a regular role in the first season of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. Though his character died in the season 1 finale, Gallagher appeared in several episodes of the second season and the Christmas special Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas. In 2021, Gallagher took part in the television series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. David Hamilton. From 2018 through 2022, Gallagher appeared in four seasons of the Netflix series Grace and Frankie as Nick, the boyfriend of Jane Fonda's character Grace. In 2024, Gallagher is set to return to Broadway, in a new play based on the life of Delia Ephron, titled Left on Tenth. Personal life Gallagher is married to Paula Harwood and has two children, James and Kathryn. His daughter Kathryn is an actress and singer. Filmography Film Television films Television series Stage credits References External links Peter Gallagher at IMDb Peter Gallagher at the Internet Broadway Database Peter Gallagher at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
Joseph Kony	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Joseph Kony.	Tell me a bio of Joseph Kony.	Tell me a bio of Joseph Kony within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Joseph Kony with around 100 words.	Joseph Rao Kony (born September 1961) is a Ugandan militant and warlord who founded the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations Peacekeepers, the European Union, and various other governments including the United Kingdom and United States. An Acholi, Kony served as an altar boy in his childhood. After the Ugandan Civil War, Kony participated in the subsequent insurgency against president Yoweri Museveni under the Holy Spirit Movement or the Uganda People's Democratic Army before founding the LRA in 1987. Aiming to create a Christian state based on dominion theology, Kony directed the multi-decade Lord's Resistance Army insurgency. After Kony's terror activities, he was banished from Uganda and shifted to South Sudan. Kony has long been one of Africa's most notorious and most wanted militant warlords. He has been accused by government entities of ordering the abduction of children to become child soldiers and sex slaves. Approximately 66,000 children became soldiers, and 2 million people were displaced internally from 1986 to 2009 by his forces. Kony was indicted in 2005 for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, but he has evaded capture. He has been subject to an Interpol Red Notice at the ICC's request since 2006. Since the Juba peace talks in 2006, the Lord's Resistance Army no longer operates in Uganda. Sources claim that they are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), or South Sudan. In 2013, Kony was reported to be in poor health, and Michel Djotodia, president of the CAR, claimed he was negotiating with Kony to surrender. By April 2017, Kony was still at large, but his force was reported to have shrunk to approximately 100 soldiers, down from an estimated high of 3,000. Both the United States and Uganda ended the hunt for Kony and the LRA, believing that the LRA was no longer a significant security risk to Uganda. As of 2022, he is reported to be hiding in Darfur. Early life and family Kony was born in September 1961 in Odek, Northern Region, Uganda. He is a member of the Acholi people. His father, Luizi Obol, was a farmer and lay catechist of the Catholic Church. Kony's mother, Nora Oting, was an Anglican and also a farmer. He was either the youngest or second-youngest of six children in the family. His older sister, Gabriela Lakot, still lives in Odek. He enjoyed a good relationship with his siblings, but was quick to retaliate in a dispute, and when confronted, would often resort to physical violence. Kony never finished elementary school, dropping out at age 15. He was an altar boy until 1976. He married Selly and together they had a son, Ali Ssalongo Kony. Rebel leader In 1995, Kony rose to prominence in Acholiland after the Holy Spirit Movement of Alice Auma (also known as Lakwena and to whom Kony is believed to be related). The overthrow of Acholi President Tito Okello by Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Army (NRA) during the Ugandan Bush War (1981–1986) had culminated in the mass looting of livestock, rape, burning of homes, genocide, and murder by Museveni's army. The acts committed by the Museveni's NRA, now known as the Uganda People's Defence Force, led to Kony's creation of the LRA. The insurgencies gave rise to concentration camps in northern Uganda where over 2 million people were confined. The government burned people's properties using helicopter gunships, killing many. There were forced displacements in the northern region. International campaigns called for all camps to be dismantled and for the people to return to their former villages. In 2006, in the Juba peace talks with the LRA rebels, Museveni's government gave permission for local people to return to their villages. This marked the beginning of the rehabilitation of homes, roads, and so on. Lord's Resistance Army Kony has been implicated in abduction and recruitment of child soldiers. The LRA has had battle confrontations with the government's NRA or UPDF within Uganda and in South Sudan for ten years. In 2008 the Ugandan army invaded the DRC in search for the LRA in Operation Lightning Thunder. In November 2013, Kony was reported to be in poor health in the eastern CAR town of Nzoka. Looking back at the LRA's campaign of violence, The Guardian stated in 2015 that Kony's forces had been responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 and the abduction of at least 60,000 children. Various atrocities committed include raping young girls and abducting them for use as sex slaves. The actual number of LRA militia members has varied significantly over the years, reaching as high as 3000 soldiers. By 2017, the organization's membership had shrunk significantly to an estimated 100 soldiers. In April 2017, both the US and Ugandan governments ended efforts to find Kony and fight the LRA, stating that the LRA no longer posed a significant security risk to Uganda. While initially purporting to fight against government oppression, the LRA allegedly turned against Kony's own supporters, supposedly to "purify" the Acholi people and turn Uganda into a theocracy. Kony proclaims himself the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium and claims he is visited by a multinational host of 13 spirits, including a Chinese phantom. Ideologically, the group is a syncretic mix of mysticism, Acholi nationalism, and heterodox Christian fundamentalism, and claims to be establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and local Acholi tradition. Indictment In October 2006, the ICC announced that arrest warrants had been issued for five members of the Lord's Resistance Army for crimes against humanity following a sealed indictment. On the next day, Ugandan defense minister Amama Mbabazi revealed that the warrants include Kony, his deputy Vincent Otti, and LRA commanders Raska Lukwiya, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen. The Ugandan army killed Lukwiya on 12 August 2006. The BBC received information that Otti had been killed on 2 October 2007, at Kony's home. In November 2006, Kony met Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Journeyman Pictures released a 2006 interview with Kony in which he proclaims: "I am a freedom fighter, not a terrorist." He told Reuters: "We don't have any children. We only have combatants." Prosecutors at the ICC applied for an in absentia hearing to confirm the charges against Kony in November 2022, and in 2024 the hearing was scheduled for 15 October. Kony will be represented by a court-appointed lawyer if he has not been captured when the hearing, the first of its kind to take place at the ICC, takes place. Religious beliefs Kony's followers, as well as some detractors, believe he is possessed by spirits. Kony tells his child soldiers that a cross on their chest drawn in oil will protect them from bullets. He is a proponent of polygamy, and is thought to have had 60 wives, and to have fathered 42 children. Kony insists that he and the LRA are fighting for the Ten Commandments, and defended his actions in an interview, saying, "Is it bad? It is not against human rights. And that commandment was not given by Joseph. It was not given by LRA. No, those commandments were given by God." Ugandan political leader Betty Bigombe recalled that Kony and his followers used oil to ward off bullets and evil spirits. Kony claims to be a spirit medium. In 2008, responding to a request by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to engage in peace talks via telephone, he said, "I will communicate with Museveni through the holy spirits and not through the telephone." During peace talks in 1994, Kony was preceded by men in robes sprinkling holy water. According to Francis Ongom, a former LRA officer who defected, Kony "has found Bible justifications for killing witches, for killing [those who farm or eat] pigs because of the story of the Gadarene swine, and for killing [other] people because God did the same with Noah's flood and Sodom and Gomorrah." Action against Kony Uganda Before the insurgency, he escaped in 1989 to Uganda. He was later captured by the Ugandan government. He was released in 1992 after the government no longer viewed him as a threat. The Ugandan military has attempted to kill Kony throughout the insurgency. In Uganda's attempt to track down Kony, former LRA combatants have been enlisted to search remote areas of the CAR, Sudan, and the DRC where he was last seen. United States After the September 11 attacks, the United States designated the LRA a terrorist group. In August 2008, the US Department of State declared Kony a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, a designation that carries financial and other penalties. In November 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush signed the directive to the United States Africa Command to provide financial and logistical assistance to the Ugandan government during the unsuccessful 2008–2009 Garamba offensive, code-named Operation Lightning Thunder. No U.S. troops were directly involved. 17 U.S. advisers and analysts provided intelligence, equipment, and fuel to Ugandan military counterparts. The offensive pushed Kony from his jungle camp, but he was not captured. One hundred children were rescued. In May 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, legislation aimed at stopping Kony and the LRA. The bill passed unanimously in the United States Senate on 11 March. On 12 May 2010, a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill was agreed to by voice vote (two-thirds being in the affirmative) in the House of Representatives. In November 2010, Obama delivered a strategy document to Congress asking for more funding to disarm Kony and the LRA. In October 2011, Obama authorized the deployment of approximately 100 combat-equipped U.S. troops to central Africa. Their goal is to help regional forces remove Kony and senior LRA leaders from the battlefield. In a letter to Congress, Obama wrote: "Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense". On 3 April 2013, the Obama administration offered rewards of up to US$5 million for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of Kony, Ongwen, and Odhiambo. On 24 March 2014, the U.S. announced it would deploy at least four CV-22 Ospreys and refueling planes, and 150 Air Force special forces personnel to assist in the capture of Kony. African Union On 23 March 2012, the African Union announced its intentions to "send 5,000 soldiers to join the hunt for rebel leader Joseph Kony" and to "neutralize" him while isolating the scattered LRA groups responsible for 2,600 civilian killings since 2008. This international task force was said to include soldiers "from Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo, countries where Kony's reign of terror has been felt over the years." Before this announcement, the hunt for Kony had primarily been carried out by troops from Uganda. The soldiers began their search in South Sudan on 24 March 2012, and the search "will last until Kony is caught". Kony 2012 Kony and the LRA received a surge of attention in early March 2012, when a 30-minute documentary, Kony 2012, by US filmmaker Jason Russell for the campaign group Invisible Children, Inc. was released. The intention of the production was to draw attention to Kony in an effort to increase US involvement in the issue and have Kony arrested by the end of 2012. A poll suggested that more than half of young adult Americans heard about Kony 2012 in the days following its release. Several weeks after its release, a resolution condemning Kony and supporting US assistance fighting the LRA was introduced in the US Senate, passing several months later. Kony 2012 has been criticized for simplifying the history of the LRA conflict, and for failing to note that Kony was already pushed out of Uganda six years before the film was made. Surrender of Ongwen Dominic Ongwen served as a key member of the LRA and constituted one of Kony's senior aides in the organization. Kidnapped as a child, he became a soldier in the LRA, then rose through the organization's hierarchy. Ongwen surrendered himself to representatives of the CAR in January 2015, which was a major blow to Kony's group. Ugandan army spokesman Paddy Ankunda stated that the event "puts the LRA in the most vulnerable position" and that it "is only Kony left standing". Of the five LRA commanders charged by the ICC in 2004, only Kony remained at large at that time. With only a few hundred fighters remaining loyal to him, it was mistakenly thought that he would be unable to evade capture much longer. In February 2021, Ongwen was convicted by the International Criminal Court of 61 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. LRA neutralization and U.S. stand-down In April 2017, Ugandan and US military forces ended their hunt for Kony and his group, with a Ugandan spokesperson saying, "the LRA no longer poses a threat to us as Uganda". At that time, his force was estimated to have shrunk to around 100 soldiers. Current whereabouts In April 2022, DW News reported that a number of LRA members said Kony was hiding in the Darfur region of Sudan. From there, he was allegedly giving orders to his fighters. One former member said that the fighters were "tired and unmotivated", and leaving in favor of living a normal life. Kony was previously provided with armed and logistical support from former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir. In April 2024, Kony was reportedly settled in a camp 10 miles from a village named Yemen in the Central African Republic. In the same month, hearing the news of the surrender of 14 LRA members to the government forces, the Wagner Group attacked Kony's camp, prompting him and his 71 men to flee towards Sudan. See also International Criminal Court investigations Lord's Resistance Army insurgency List of fugitives from justice who disappeared Child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo References Bibliography Briggs, Jimmie (2005). The Innocents Lost: When Child Soldiers Go to War. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-00798-8. Bussman, Jane (2009). The Worst Date Ever: War Crimes, Hollywood Heart-Throbs and Other Abominations. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-73712-9. Cline, Lawrence E. (2013). The Lord's Resistance Army. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-440-82855-3. Green, Matthew (2008). The Wizard of the Nile: The Hunt for Africa's Most Wanted. Portobello Books. ISBN 978-1-84627-031-4. External links Hague Justice Portal: Joseph Kony Archived 19 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Joseph Kony on Interpol's wanted list Kevin – Documentary on LRA's aftermath in Northern Uganda Archived 11 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine
Alfred Hitchcock	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Alfred Hitchcock.	Tell me a bio of Alfred Hitchcock.	Tell me a bio of Alfred Hitchcock within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Alfred Hitchcock with around 100 words.	Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today. Known as the "Master of Suspense", Hitchcock became as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews, his cameo appearances in most of his films, and his hosting and producing the television anthology Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955–65). His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins, although he never won the award for Best Director, despite five nominations. Hitchcock initially trained as a technical clerk and copywriter before entering the film industry in 1919 as a title card designer. His directorial debut was the British–German silent film The Pleasure Garden (1925). His first successful film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927), helped to shape the thriller genre, and Blackmail (1929) was the first British "talkie". His thrillers The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) are ranked among the greatest British films of the 20th century. By 1939, he had earned international recognition, and producer David O. Selznick persuaded him to move to Hollywood. A string of successful films followed, including Rebecca (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and Notorious (1946). Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Hitchcock nominated as Best Director. He also received Oscar nominations for Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945), Rear Window (1954) and Psycho (1960). Hitchcock's other notable films include Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Trouble with Harry (1955), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), The Birds (1963), Marnie (1964) and Frenzy (1972), all of which were also financially successful and are highly regarded by film historians. Hitchcock made a number of films with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, including four with Cary Grant, four with James Stewart, three with Ingrid Bergman and three consecutively with Grace Kelly. Hitchcock became an American citizen in 1955. In 2012, Hitchcock's psychological thriller Vertigo, starring Stewart, displaced Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941) as the British Film Institute's greatest film ever made based on its world-wide poll of hundreds of film critics. As of 2021, nine of his films had been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, including his personal favourite, Shadow of a Doubt (1943). He received the BAFTA Fellowship in 1971, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979, and was knighted in December of that year, four months before his death on 29 April 1980. Biography Early life: 1899–1919 Early childhood and education Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on 13 August 1899 in the flat above his parents' leased greengrocer's shop at 517 High Road in Leytonstone, which was then part of Essex (now part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest). He was the son of greengrocer and poulterer, William Edgar Hitchcock (1862–1914) and Emma Jane (née Whelan; 1863–1942). The household was "characterised by an atmosphere of discipline". He had an older brother named William John (1888–1943) and an older sister named Ellen Kathleen (1892–1979) who used the nickname "Nellie". His parents were both Roman Catholics with English and Irish ancestry. His father was a greengrocer, as his grandfather had been. There was a large extended family, including uncle John Hitchcock with his five-bedroom Victorian house on Campion Road in Putney, complete with a maid, cook, chauffeur, and gardener. Every summer, his uncle rented a seaside house for the family in Cliftonville, Kent. Hitchcock said that he first became class-conscious there, noticing the differences between tourists and locals. Describing himself as a well-behaved boy – his father called him his "little lamb without a spot" – Hitchcock said he could not remember ever having had a playmate. One of his favourite stories for interviewers was about his father sending him to the local police station with a note when he was five; the policeman looked at the note and locked him in a cell for a few minutes, saying, "This is what we do to naughty boys." The experience left him with a lifelong phobia of law enforcement, and he told Tom Snyder in 1973 that he was "scared stiff of anything ... to do with the law" and that he would refuse to even drive a car in case he got a parking ticket. When he was six, the family moved to Limehouse and leased two stores at 130 and 175 Salmon Lane, which they ran as a fish-and-chip shop and fishmongers' respectively; they lived above the former. Hitchcock attended his first school, the Howrah House Convent in Poplar, which he entered in 1907, at age 7. According to biographer Patrick McGilligan, he stayed at Howrah House for at most two years. He also attended a convent school, the Wode Street School "for the daughters of gentlemen and little boys" run by the Faithful Companions of Jesus. He then attended a primary school near his home and was for a short time a boarder at Salesian College in Battersea. The family moved again when Hitchcock was eleven, this time to Stepney, and on 5 October 1910 he was sent to St Ignatius College in Stamford Hill, a Jesuit grammar school with a reputation for discipline. As corporal punishment, the priests used a flat, hard, springy tool made of gutta-percha and known as a "ferula" which struck the whole palm; punishment was always at the end of the day, so the boys had to sit through classes anticipating the punishment if they had been written up for it. He later said that this is where he developed his sense of fear. The school register lists his year of birth as 1900 rather than 1899; biographer Donald Spoto says he was deliberately enrolled as a ten-year-old because he was a year behind with his schooling. While biographer Gene Adair reports that Hitchcock was "an average, or slightly above-average, pupil", Hitchcock said that he was "usually among the four or five at the top of the class"; at the end of his first year, his work in Latin, English, French and religious education was noted. He told Peter Bogdanovich: "The Jesuits taught me organisation, control and, to some degree, analysis." Hitchcock's favourite subject was geography and he became interested in maps and the timetables of trains, trams and buses; according to John Russell Taylor, he could recite all the stops on the Orient Express. He had a particular interest in London trams. An overwhelming majority of his films include rail or tram scenes, in particular The Lady Vanishes, Strangers on a Train and Number Seventeen. A clapperboard shows the number of the scene and the number of takes, and Hitchcock would often take the two numbers on the clapperboard and whisper the London tram route names. For example, if the clapperboard showed "Scene 23; Take 3", he would whisper "Woodford, Hampstead"—Woodford being the terminus of the route 23 tram, and Hampstead the end of route 3. Henley's Hitchcock told his parents that he wanted to be an engineer, and on 25 July 1913, he left St Ignatius and enrolled in night classes at the London County Council School of Engineering and Navigation in Poplar. In a book-length interview in 1962, he told François Truffaut that he had studied "mechanics, electricity, acoustics, and navigation". Then, on 12 December 1914, his father, who had been suffering from emphysema and kidney disease, died at the age of 52. To support himself and his mother – his older siblings had left home by then – Hitchcock took a job, for 15 shillings a week (£91 in 2023), as a technical clerk at the Henley Telegraph and Cable Company in Blomfield Street, near London Wall. He continued night classes, this time in art history, painting, economics and political science. His older brother ran the family shops, while he and his mother continued to live in Salmon Lane. Hitchcock was too young to enlist when the First World War started in July 1914, and when he reached the required age of 18 in 1917, he received a C3 classification ("free from serious organic disease, able to stand service conditions in garrisons at home ... only suitable for sedentary work"). He joined a cadet regiment of the Royal Engineers and took part in theoretical briefings, weekend drills and exercises. John Russell Taylor wrote that, in one session of practical exercises in Hyde Park, Hitchcock was required to wear puttees. He could never master wrapping them around his legs, and they repeatedly fell down around his ankles. After the war, Hitchcock took an interest in creative writing. In June 1919, he became a founding editor and business manager of Henley's in-house publication, The Henley Telegraph (sixpence a copy), to which he submitted several short stories. Henley's promoted him to the advertising department, where he wrote copy and drew graphics for electric cable advertisements. He enjoyed the job and would stay late at the office to examine the proofs; he told Truffaut that this was his "first step toward cinema". He enjoyed watching films, especially American cinema, and from the age of 16 read the trade papers; he watched Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith and Buster Keaton, and particularly liked Fritz Lang's Der müde Tod (released in Britain in 1921 as Destiny). Inter-war career: 1919–1939 Famous Players–Lasky While still at Henley's, he read in a trade paper that Famous Players–Lasky, the production arm of Paramount Pictures, was opening a studio in London. They were planning to film The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli, so he produced some drawings for the title cards and sent his work to the studio. They hired him, and in 1919 he began working for Islington Studios in Poole Street, Hoxton, as a title-card designer. Donald Spoto wrote that most of the staff were Americans with strict job specifications, but the English workers were encouraged to try their hand at anything, which meant that Hitchcock gained experience as a co-writer, art director and production manager on at least 18 silent films. The Times wrote in February 1922 about the studio's "special art title department under the supervision of Mr. A. J. Hitchcock". His work included Number 13 (1922), also known as Mrs. Peabody; it was cancelled because of financial problems - the few finished scenes are lost – and Always Tell Your Wife (1923), which he and Seymour Hicks finished together when Hicks was about to give up on it. Hicks wrote later about being helped by "a fat youth who was in charge of the property room ... [n]one other than Alfred Hitchcock". Gainsborough Pictures and work in Germany When Paramount pulled out of London in 1922, Hitchcock was hired as an assistant director by a new firm run in the same location by Michael Balcon, later known as Gainsborough Pictures. Hitchcock worked on Woman to Woman (1923) with the director Graham Cutts, designing the set, writing the script and producing. He said: "It was the first film that I had really got my hands onto." The editor and "script girl" on Woman to Woman was Alma Reville, his future wife. He also worked as an assistant to Cutts on The White Shadow (1924), The Passionate Adventure (1924), The Blackguard (1925) and The Prude's Fall (1925). The Blackguard was produced at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam, where Hitchcock watched part of the making of F. W. Murnau's The Last Laugh (1924). He was impressed with Murnau's work, and later used many of his techniques for the set design in his own productions. In the summer of 1925, Balcon asked Hitchcock to direct The Pleasure Garden (1925), starring Virginia Valli, a co-production of Gainsborough and the German firm Emelka at the Geiselgasteig studio near Munich. Reville, by then Hitchcock's fiancée, was assistant director-editor. Although the film was a commercial flop, Balcon liked Hitchcock's work; a Daily Express headline called him the "Young man with a master mind". In March 1926, the British film magazine Picturegoer ran an article entitled "Alfred the Great" by the film critic Cedric Belfrage, who praised Hitchcock for possessing "such a complete grasp of all the different branches of film technique that he is able to take far more control of his production than the average director of four times his experience." Production of The Pleasure Garden encountered obstacles which Hitchcock would later learn from: on arrival to Brenner Pass, he failed to declare his film stock to customs and it was confiscated; one actress could not enter the water for a scene because she was on her period; budget overruns meant that he had to borrow money from the actors. Hitchcock also needed a translator to give instructions to the cast and crew. In Germany, Hitchcock observed the nuances of German cinema and filmmaking which had a big influence on him. When he was not working, he would visit Berlin's art galleries, concerts and museums. He would also meet with actors, writers and producers to build connections. Balcon asked him to direct a second film in Munich, The Mountain Eagle (1926), based on an original story titled Fear o' God. The film is lost, and Hitchcock called it "a very bad movie". A year later, Hitchcock wrote and directed The Ring; although the screenplay was credited solely to his name, Elliot Stannard assisted him with the writing. The Ring garnered positive reviews; the Bioscope critic called it "the most magnificent British film ever made". When he returned to England, Hitchcock was one of the early members of the London Film Society, newly formed in 1925. Through the Society, he became fascinated by the work by Soviet filmmakers: Dziga Vertov, Lev Kuleshov, Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pudovkin. He would also socialise with fellow English filmmakers Ivor Montagu, Adrian Brunel and Walter Mycroft. Hitchcock recognised the value in cultivating his own brand, with the director aggressively promoting himself during this period. In a 1925 London Film Society meeting he declared directors were what mattered most in making films, with Donald Spoto writing that Hitchcock proclaimed, "We make a film succeed. The name of the director should be associated in the public's mind with a quality product. Actors come and go, but the name of the director should stay clearly in the mind of the audience." Hitchcock established himself as a name director with his first thriller, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927). The film concerns the hunt for a Jack the Ripper-style serial killer who, wearing a black cloak and carrying a black bag, is murdering young blonde women in London, and only on Tuesdays. A landlady suspects that her lodger is the killer, but he turns out to be innocent. Hitchcock had wanted the leading man to be guilty, or for the film at least to end ambiguously, but the star was Ivor Novello, a matinée idol, and the "star system" meant that Novello could not be the villain. Hitchcock told Truffaut: "You have to clearly spell it out in big letters: 'He is innocent.'" (He had the same problem years later with Cary Grant in Suspicion (1941).) Released in January 1927, The Lodger was a commercial and critical success in the UK. Upon its release, the trade journal Bioscope wrote: "It is possible that this film is the finest British production ever made". Hitchcock told Truffaut that the film was the first of his to be influenced by German Expressionism: "In truth, you might almost say that The Lodger was my first picture." In a strategy for self-publicity, The Lodger saw him make his first cameo appearance in a film, where he sat in a newsroom. Continuing to market his brand following the success of The Lodger, Hitchcock wrote a letter to the London Evening News in November 1927 about his filmmaking, participated in studio-produced publicity, and by December 1927 he developed the original sketch of his widely recognised profile which he introduced by sending it to friends and colleagues as a Christmas present. Marriage On 2 December 1926, Hitchcock married the English screenwriter Alma Reville at the Brompton Oratory in South Kensington. The couple honeymooned in Paris, Lake Como and St. Moritz, before returning to London to live in a leased flat on the top two floors of 153 Cromwell Road, Kensington. Reville, who was born just hours after Hitchcock, converted from Protestantism to Catholicism, apparently at the insistence of Hitchcock's mother; she was baptised on 31 May 1927 and confirmed at Westminster Cathedral by Cardinal Francis Bourne on 5 June. In 1928, when they learned that Reville was pregnant, the Hitchcocks purchased "Winter's Grace", a Tudor farmhouse set in eleven acres on Stroud Lane, Shamley Green, Surrey, for £2,500. Their daughter and only child, Patricia (Pat) Alma Hitchcock, was born on 7 July that year. Pat died on 9 August 2021 at the age of 93. Reville became her husband's closest collaborator; Charles Champlin wrote in 1982: "The Hitchcock touch had four hands, and two were Alma's." When Hitchcock accepted the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1979, he said that he wanted to mention "four people who have given me the most affection, appreciation and encouragement, and constant collaboration. The first of the four is a film editor, the second is a scriptwriter, the third is the mother of my daughter, Pat, and the fourth is as fine a cook as ever performed miracles in a domestic kitchen. And their names are Alma Reville." Reville wrote or co-wrote on many of Hitchcock's films, including Shadow of a Doubt, Suspicion and The 39 Steps. Early sound films Hitchcock began work on his tenth film, Blackmail (1929), when its production company, British International Pictures (BIP), converted its Elstree studios to sound. The film was the first British "talkie"; this followed the rapid development of sound films in the United States, from the use of brief sound segments in The Jazz Singer (1927) to the first full sound feature Lights of New York (1928). Blackmail began the Hitchcock tradition of using famous landmarks as a backdrop for suspense sequences, which includes an early example of a red telephone box being used for criminal activity, while the climax takes place on the dome of the British Museum. It also features one of his longest cameo appearances, which shows him being bothered by a small boy as he reads a book on the London Underground. In the PBS series The Men Who Made The Movies, Hitchcock explained how he used early sound recording as a special element of the film to create tension, with a gossipy woman (Phyllis Monkman) stressing the word "knife" in her conversation with the woman suspected of murder. During this period, Hitchcock directed segments for a BIP revue, Elstree Calling (1930), and directed a short film, An Elastic Affair (1930), featuring two Film Weekly scholarship winners. An Elastic Affair is one of the lost films. In 1933, Hitchcock signed a multi-film contract with Gaumont-British, once again working for Michael Balcon. His first film for the company, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), was a success; his second, The 39 Steps (1935), was acclaimed in the UK, and gained him recognition in the US. It also established the quintessential English "Hitchcock blonde" (Madeleine Carroll) as the template for his succession of ice-cold, elegant leading ladies. Screenwriter Robert Towne remarked: "It's not much of an exaggeration to say that all contemporary escapist entertainment begins with The 39 Steps". John Buchan, author of The Thirty-Nine Steps on which the film is loosely based, met with Hitchcock on set, and attended the high-profile premiere at the New Gallery Cinema in London. Upon viewing the film, the author said it had improved on the book. This film was one of the first to introduce the "MacGuffin" plot device, a term coined by the English screenwriter and Hitchcock collaborator Angus MacPhail. The MacGuffin is an item or goal the protagonist is pursuing, one that otherwise has no narrative value; in The 39 Steps, the MacGuffin is a stolen set of design plans. Hitchcock released two spy thrillers in 1936. Sabotage was loosely based on Joseph Conrad's novel, The Secret Agent (1907), about a woman who discovers that her husband is a terrorist, and Secret Agent, based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent (1928) by W. Somerset Maugham. In his positive review of Sabotage for The Spectator, the writer and journalist Graham Greene identified the children's matinée scene as an "ingenious and pathetic twist stamped as Mr Hitchcock's own". Secret Agent starred Madeleine Carroll and John Gielgud, with Peter Lorre playing Gielgud's deranged assistant, and typical Hitchcockian themes include mistaken identity, trains and a "Hitchcock blonde". At this time, Hitchcock also became notorious for pranks against the cast and crew. These jokes ranged from simple and innocent to crazy and maniacal. For instance, he hosted a dinner party where he dyed all the food blue because he claimed there weren't enough blue foods. He also had a horse delivered to the dressing room of his friend, actor Gerald du Maurier. Hitchcock followed up with Young and Innocent in 1937, a crime thriller based on the 1936 novel A Shilling for Candles by Josephine Tey. Starring Nova Pilbeam and Derrick De Marney, the film was relatively enjoyable for the cast and crew to make. To meet distribution purposes in America, the film's runtime was cut and this included removal of one of Hitchcock's favourite scenes: a children's tea party which becomes menacing to the protagonists. Hitchcock's next major success was The Lady Vanishes (1938), "one of the greatest train movies from the genre's golden era", according to Philip French, in which Miss Froy (May Whitty), a British spy posing as a governess, disappears on a train journey through the fictional European country of Bandrika. The film saw Hitchcock receive the 1938 New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director. Benjamin Crisler of The New York Times wrote in June 1938: "Three unique and valuable institutions the British have that we in America have not: Magna Carta, the Tower Bridge and Alfred Hitchcock, the greatest director of screen melodramas in the world." The film was based on the novel The Wheel Spins (1936) written by Ethel Lina White, and starred Michael Redgrave (in his film debut) and Margaret Lockwood. By 1938, Hitchcock was aware that he had reached his peak in Britain. He had received numerous offers from producers in the United States, but he turned them all down because he disliked the contractual obligations or thought the projects were repellent. However, producer David O. Selznick offered him a concrete proposal to make a film based on the sinking of RMS Titanic, which was eventually shelved, but Selznick persuaded Hitchcock to come to Hollywood. In June 1938, Hitchcock sailed to New York aboard the RMS Queen Mary, and found that he was already a celebrity; he was featured in magazines and gave interviews to radio stations. In Hollywood, Hitchcock met Selznick for the first time. Selznick offered him a four-film contract, approximately $40,000 for each picture (equivalent to $890,000 in 2024). Before finalising any American deal, Hitchcock had one last film to make in England, as director of the Charles Laughton-produced picture Jamaica Inn (1939), which he had signed on to make in May 1938, right before his first trip to the US. Early Hollywood years: 1939–1945 Selznick contract Selznick signed Hitchcock to a seven-year contract beginning in April 1939, and the Hitchcocks moved to Hollywood. The Hitchcocks lived in a spacious flat on Wilshire Boulevard, and slowly acclimatised themselves to the Los Angeles area. He and his wife Alma kept a low profile, and were not interested in attending parties or being celebrities. Hitchcock discovered his taste for fine food in West Hollywood, but still carried on his way of life from England. He was impressed with Hollywood's filmmaking culture, expansive budgets and efficiency, compared to the limits that he had often faced in Britain. In June that year, Life called him the "greatest master of melodrama in screen history". Although Hitchcock and Selznick respected each other, their working arrangements were sometimes difficult. Selznick suffered from constant financial problems, and Hitchcock was often unhappy about Selznick's creative control and interference over his films. Selznick was also displeased with Hitchcock's method of shooting just what was in the script, and nothing more, which meant that the film could not be cut and remade differently at a later time. As well as complaining about Hitchcock's "goddamn jigsaw cutting", their personalities were mismatched: Hitchcock was reserved whereas Selznick was flamboyant. Eventually, Selznick generously lent Hitchcock to the larger film studios. Selznick made only a few films each year, as did fellow independent producer Samuel Goldwyn, so he did not always have projects for Hitchcock to direct. Goldwyn had also negotiated with Hitchcock on a possible contract, only to be outbid by Selznick. In a later interview, Hitchcock said: "[Selznick] was the Big Producer. ... Producer was king. The most flattering thing Mr. Selznick ever said about me—and it shows you the amount of control—he said I was the 'only director' he'd 'trust with a film'." Hitchcock approached American cinema cautiously; his first American film was set in England in which the "Americanness" of the characters was incidental: Rebecca (1940) was set in a Hollywood version of England's Cornwall and based on a novel by English novelist Daphne du Maurier. Selznick insisted on a faithful adaptation of the book, and disagreed with Hitchcock with the use of humour. The film, starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, concerns an unnamed naïve young woman who marries a widowed aristocrat. She lives in his large English country house, and struggles with the lingering reputation of his elegant and worldly first wife Rebecca, who died under mysterious circumstances. The film won Best Picture at the 13th Academy Awards; the statuette was given to producer Selznick. Hitchcock received his first nomination for Best Director, his first of five such nominations. Hitchcock's second American film was the thriller Foreign Correspondent (1940), set in Europe, based on Vincent Sheean's book Personal History (1935) and produced by Walter Wanger. It was nominated for Best Picture that year. Hitchcock felt uneasy living and working in Hollywood while Britain was at war; his concern resulted in a film that overtly supported the British war effort. Filmed in 1939, it was inspired by the rapidly changing events in Europe, as covered by an American newspaper reporter played by Joel McCrea. By mixing footage of European scenes with scenes filmed on a Hollywood backlot, the film avoided direct references to Nazism, Nazi Germany and Germans, to comply with the Motion Picture Production Code at the time. Early war years In September 1940, the Hitchcocks bought the 200-acre (0.81 km2) Cornwall Ranch near Scotts Valley, California, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Their primary residence was an English-style home in Bel Air, purchased in 1942. Hitchcock's films were diverse during this period, ranging from the romantic comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) to the bleak film noir Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Suspicion (1941) marked Hitchcock's first film as a producer and director. It is set in England; Hitchcock used the north coast of Santa Cruz for the English coastline sequence. The film is the first of four in which Cary Grant was cast by Hitchcock, and it is one of the rare occasions that Grant plays a sinister character. Grant plays Johnnie Aysgarth, an English conman whose actions raise suspicion and anxiety in his shy young English wife, Lina McLaidlaw (Joan Fontaine). In one scene, Hitchcock placed a light inside a glass of milk, perhaps poisoned, that Grant is bringing to his wife; the light ensures that the audience's attention is on the glass. Grant's character is actually a killer, according to the book, Before the Fact by Francis Iles, but the studio felt that Grant's image would be tarnished by that. Hitchcock would have preferred to end with the wife's murder. Instead, the actions that she found suspicious are a reflection of his own despair and his plan to commit suicide. Fontaine won Best Actress for her performance. Saboteur (1942) is the first of two films that Hitchcock made for Universal Studios during the decade. Hitchcock wanted Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck or Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney to star, but was forced by Universal to use Universal contract player Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane, a freelancer who signed a one-picture deal with the studio, both known for their work in comedies and light dramas. The story depicts a confrontation between a suspected saboteur (Cummings) and a real saboteur (Norman Lloyd) atop the Statue of Liberty. Hitchcock took a three-day tour of New York City to scout for Saboteur's filming locations. He also directed Have You Heard? (1942), a photographic dramatisation for Life magazine of the dangers of rumours during wartime. In 1943, he wrote a mystery story for Look, "The Murder of Monty Woolley", a sequence of captioned photographs inviting the reader to find clues to the murderer's identity; Hitchcock cast the performers as themselves, such as Woolley, Doris Merrick and make-up man Guy Pearce. Back in England, Hitchcock's mother Emma was severely ill; she died on 26 September 1942 at age 79. Hitchcock never spoke publicly about his mother, but his assistant said that he admired her. Four months later, on 4 January 1943, his brother William died of an overdose at age 52. Hitchcock was not very close to William, but his death made Hitchcock conscious about his own eating and drinking habits. He was overweight and suffering from back aches. His New Year's resolution in 1943 was to take his diet seriously with the help of a physician. In January that year, Shadow of a Doubt was released, which Hitchcock had fond memories of making. In the film, Charlotte "Charlie" Newton (Teresa Wright) suspects her beloved uncle Charlie Oakley (Joseph Cotten) of being a serial killer. Hitchcock filmed extensively on location, this time in the Northern California city of Santa Rosa. At 20th Century Fox, Hitchcock approached John Steinbeck with an idea for a film, which recorded the experiences of the survivors of a German U-boat attack. Steinbeck began work on the script for what would become Lifeboat (1944). However, Steinbeck was unhappy with the film and asked that his name be removed from the credits, to no avail. The idea was rewritten as a short story by Harry Sylvester and published in Collier's in 1943. The action sequences were shot in a small boat in the studio water tank. The locale posed problems for Hitchcock's traditional cameo appearance; it was solved by having Hitchcock's image appear in a newspaper that William Bendix is reading in the boat, showing the director in a before-and-after advertisement for "Reduco-Obesity Slayer". He told Truffaut in 1962: At the time, I was on a strenuous diet, painfully working my way from three hundred to two hundred pounds. So I decided to immortalize my loss and get my bit part by posing for "before" and "after" pictures. ... I was literally submerged by letters from fat people who wanted to know where and how they could get Reduco. Hitchcock's typical dinner before his weight loss had been a roast chicken, boiled ham, potatoes, bread, vegetables, relishes, salad, dessert, a bottle of wine and some brandy. To lose weight, his diet consisted of black coffee for breakfast and lunch, and steak and salad for dinner, but it was hard to maintain; Donald Spoto wrote that his weight fluctuated considerably over the next 40 years. At the end of 1943, despite the weight loss, the Occidental Insurance Company of Los Angeles refused his application for life insurance. Wartime non-fiction films Hitchcock returned to the UK for an extended visit in late 1943 and early 1944. While there he made two short propaganda films, Bon Voyage (1944) and Aventure Malgache (1944), for the Ministry of Information. In June and July 1945, Hitchcock served as "treatment advisor" on a Holocaust documentary that used Allied Forces footage of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. The film was assembled in London and produced by Sidney Bernstein of the Ministry of Information, who brought Hitchcock (a friend of his) on board. It was originally intended to be broadcast to the Germans, but the British government deemed it too traumatic to be shown to a shocked post-war population. Instead, it was transferred in 1952 from the British War Office film vaults to London's Imperial War Museum and remained unreleased until 1985, when an edited version was broadcast as an episode of PBS Frontline, under the title the Imperial War Museum had given it: Memory of the Camps. The full-length version of the film, German Concentration Camps Factual Survey, was restored in 2014 by scholars at the Imperial War Museum. Post-war Hollywood years: 1945–1953 Later Selznick films Hitchcock worked for David Selznick again when he directed Spellbound (1945), which explores psychoanalysis and features a dream sequence designed by Salvador Dalí. The dream sequence as it appears in the film is ten minutes shorter than was originally envisioned; Selznick edited it to make it "play" more effectively. Gregory Peck plays amnesiac Dr. Anthony Edwardes under the treatment of analyst Dr. Peterson (Ingrid Bergman), who falls in love with him while trying to unlock his repressed past. Two point-of-view shots were achieved by building a large wooden hand (which would appear to belong to the character whose point of view the camera took) and out-sized props for it to hold: a bucket-sized glass of milk and a large wooden gun. For added novelty and impact, the climactic gunshot was hand-coloured red on some copies of the black-and-white film. The original musical score by Miklós Rózsa makes use of the theremin, and some of it was later adapted by the composer into Rozsa's Piano Concerto Op. 31 (1967) for piano and orchestra. The spy film Notorious followed next in 1946. Hitchcock told François Truffaut that Selznick sold him, Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant and Ben Hecht's screenplay, to RKO Radio Pictures as a "package" for $500,000 (equivalent to $8.1 million in 2024) because of cost overruns on Selznick's Duel in the Sun (1946). Notorious stars Bergman and Grant, both Hitchcock collaborators, and features a plot about Nazis, uranium and South America. His prescient use of uranium as a plot device led to him being briefly placed under surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. According to Patrick McGilligan, in or around March 1945, Hitchcock and Hecht consulted Robert Millikan of the California Institute of Technology about the development of a uranium bomb. Selznick complained that the notion was "science fiction", only to be confronted by the news of the detonation of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945. Transatlantic Pictures Hitchcock formed an independent production company, Transatlantic Pictures, with his friend Sidney Bernstein. He made two films with Transatlantic, one of which was his first colour film. With Rope (1948), Hitchcock experimented with marshalling suspense in a confined environment, as he had done earlier with Lifeboat. The film appears as a very limited number of continuous shots, but it was actually shot in 10 ranging from 4+1⁄2 to 10 minutes each; a 10-minute length of film was the most that a camera's film magazine could hold at the time. Some transitions between reels were hidden by having a dark object fill the entire screen for a moment. Hitchcock used those points to hide the cut, and began the next take with the camera in the same place. The film features James Stewart in the leading role, and was the first of four films that Stewart made with Hitchcock. It was inspired by the Leopold and Loeb case of the 1920s. Critical response at the time was mixed. Under Capricorn (1949), set in 19th-century Australia, also uses the short-lived technique of long takes, but to a more limited extent. He again used Technicolor in this production, then returned to black-and-white for several years. Transatlantic Pictures became inactive after the last two films. Hitchcock filmed Stage Fright (1950) at Elstree Studios in England, where he had worked during his British International Pictures contract many years before. He paired one of Warner Bros.' most popular stars, Jane Wyman, with the expatriate German actor Marlene Dietrich and used several prominent British actors, including Michael Wilding, Richard Todd and Alastair Sim. This was Hitchcock's first proper production for Warner Bros., which had distributed Rope and Under Capricorn, because Transatlantic Pictures was experiencing financial difficulties. His thriller Strangers on a Train (1951) was based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. Hitchcock combined many elements from his preceding films. He approached Dashiell Hammett to write the dialogue, but Raymond Chandler took over, then left over disagreements with the director. In the film, two men casually meet, one of whom speculates on a foolproof method to murder; he suggests that two people, each wishing to do away with someone, should each perform the other's murder. Farley Granger's role was as the innocent victim of the scheme, while Robert Walker, previously known for "boy-next-door" roles, played the villain. I Confess (1953) was set in Quebec with Montgomery Clift as a Catholic priest. Peak years: 1954–1964 Dial M for Murder and Rear Window I Confess was followed by three colour films starring Grace Kelly: Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954) and To Catch a Thief (1955). In Dial M for Murder, Ray Milland plays the villain who tries to murder his unfaithful wife (Kelly) for her money. She kills the hired assassin in self-defence, so Milland manipulates the evidence to make it look like murder. Her lover, Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), and Police Inspector Hubbard (John Williams) save her from execution. Hitchcock experimented with 3D cinematography for Dial M for Murder. Hitchcock moved to Paramount Pictures and filmed Rear Window (1954), starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, as well as Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr. Stewart's character is a photographer named Jeff (based on Robert Capa) who must temporarily use a wheelchair. Out of boredom, he begins observing his neighbours across the courtyard, then becomes convinced that one of them (Raymond Burr) has murdered his wife. Jeff eventually manages to convince his policeman buddy (Wendell Corey) and his girlfriend (Kelly). As with Lifeboat and Rope, the principal characters are depicted in confined or cramped quarters, in this case Stewart's studio apartment. Hitchcock uses close-ups of Stewart's face to show his character's reactions, "from the comic voyeurism directed at his neighbours to his helpless terror watching Kelly and Burr in the villain's apartment". Alfred Hitchcock Presents From 1955 to 1965, Hitchcock was the host of the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. With his droll delivery, gallows humour and iconic image, the series made Hitchcock a celebrity. The title-sequence of the show pictured a minimalist caricature of his profile (he drew it himself; it is composed of only nine strokes), which his real silhouette then filled. The series theme tune was Funeral March of a Marionette by the French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893). His introductions always included some sort of wry humour, such as the description of a recent multi-person execution hampered by having only one electric chair, while two are shown with a sign "Two chairs—no waiting!" He directed 18 episodes of the series, which aired from 1955 to 1965. It became The Alfred Hitchcock Hour in 1962, and NBC broadcast the final episode on 10 May 1965. In the 1980s, a new version of Alfred Hitchcock Presents was produced for television, making use of Hitchcock's original introductions in a colourised form. Hitchcock's success in television spawned a set of short-story collections in his name; these included Alfred Hitchcock's Anthology, Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Do on TV, and Tales My Mother Never Told Me. In 1956, HSD Publications also licensed the director's name to create Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, a monthly digest specialising in crime and detective fiction. Hitchcock's television series were very profitable, and his foreign-language versions of books were bringing revenues of up to $100,000 a year (equivalent to $1,060,000 in 2024). From To Catch a Thief to Vertigo In 1955, Hitchcock became a United States citizen. In the same year, his third Grace Kelly film, To Catch a Thief, was released; it is set in the French Riviera, and stars Kelly and Cary Grant. Grant plays retired thief John Robie, who becomes the prime suspect for a spate of robberies in the Riviera. A thrill-seeking American heiress played by Kelly surmises his true identity and tries to seduce him. "Despite the obvious age disparity between Grant and Kelly and a lightweight plot, the witty script (loaded with double entendres) and the good-natured acting proved a commercial success." It was Hitchcock's last film with Kelly; she married Prince Rainier of Monaco in 1956, and ended her film career afterward. Hitchcock then remade his own 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956. This time, the film starred James Stewart and Doris Day, who sang the theme song "Que Sera, Sera", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and became a big hit. They play a couple whose son is kidnapped to prevent them from interfering with an assassination. As in the 1934 film, the climax takes place at the Royal Albert Hall. The Wrong Man (1956), Hitchcock's final film for Warner Bros., is a low-key black-and-white production based on a real-life case of mistaken identity reported in Life magazine in 1953. This was the only film of Hitchcock to star Henry Fonda, playing a Stork Club musician mistaken for a liquor store thief, who is arrested and tried for robbery while his wife (Vera Miles) emotionally collapses under the strain. Hitchcock told Truffaut that his lifelong fear of the police attracted him to the subject and was embedded in many scenes. While directing episodes for Alfred Hitchcock Presents during the summer of 1957, Hitchcock was admitted to hospital for hernia and gallstones, and had to have his gallbladder removed. Following a successful surgery, he immediately returned to work to prepare for his next project. Vertigo (1958) again starred James Stewart, with Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes. He had wanted Vera Miles to play the lead, but she was pregnant. He told Oriana Fallaci: "I was offering her a big part, the chance to become a beautiful sophisticated blonde, a real actress. We'd have spent a heap of dollars on it, and she has the bad taste to get pregnant. I hate pregnant women, because then they have children." In Vertigo, Stewart plays Scottie, a former police investigator suffering from acrophobia, who becomes obsessed with a woman he has been hired to shadow (Novak). Scottie's obsession leads to tragedy, and this time Hitchcock did not opt for a happy ending. Some critics, including Donald Spoto and Roger Ebert, agree that Vertigo is the director's most personal and revealing film, dealing with the Pygmalion-like obsessions of a man who moulds a woman into the person he desires. Vertigo explores more frankly and at greater length his interest in the relation between sex and death, than any other work in his filmography. Vertigo contains a camera technique developed by Irmin Roberts, commonly referred to as a dolly zoom, which has been copied by many filmmakers. The film premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and Hitchcock won the Silver Seashell prize. Vertigo is considered a classic, but it attracted mixed reviews and poor box-office receipts at the time; the critic from Variety opined that the film was "too slow and too long". Bosley Crowther of the New York Times thought it was "devilishly far-fetched", but praised the cast performances and Hitchcock's direction. The picture was also the last collaboration between Stewart and Hitchcock. In the 2002 Sight & Sound polls, it ranked just behind Citizen Kane (1941); ten years later, in the same magazine, critics chose it as the best film ever made. North by Northwest and Psycho After Vertigo, the rest of 1958 was a difficult year for Hitchcock. During pre-production of North by Northwest (1959), which was a "slow" and "agonising" process, his wife Alma was diagnosed with cancer. While she was in hospital, Hitchcock kept himself occupied with his television work and would visit her every day. Alma underwent surgery and made a full recovery, but it caused Hitchcock to imagine, for the first time, life without her. Hitchcock followed up with three more successful films, which are also recognised as among his best: North by Northwest, Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). In North by Northwest, Cary Grant portrays Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue advertising executive who is mistaken for a government secret agent. He is pursued across the United States by enemy agents, including Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). At first, Thornhill believes Kendall is helping him, but then realises that she is an enemy agent; he later learns that she is working undercover for the CIA. During its opening two-week run at Radio City Music Hall, the film grossed $404,056 (equivalent to $4.4 million in 2024), setting a non-holiday gross record for that theatre. Time magazine called the film "smoothly troweled and thoroughly entertaining". Psycho (1960) is arguably Hitchcock's best-known film. Based on Robert Bloch's 1959 novel Psycho, which was inspired by the case of Ed Gein, the film was produced on a tight budget of $800,000 (equivalent to $8.5 million in 2024) and shot in black-and-white on a spare set using crew members from Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The unprecedented violence of the shower scene, the early death of the heroine, and the innocent lives extinguished by a disturbed murderer became the hallmarks of a new horror-film genre. The film proved popular with audiences, with lines stretching outside theatres as viewers waited for the next showing. It broke box-office records in the United Kingdom, France, South America, the United States and Canada, and was a moderate success in Australia for a brief period. Psycho was the most profitable of Hitchcock's career, and he personally earned in excess of $15 million (equivalent to $160 million in 2024). He subsequently swapped his rights to Psycho and his TV anthology for 150,000 shares of MCA, making him the third largest shareholder and his own boss at Universal, in theory at least, although that did not stop studio interference. Following the first film, Psycho became an American horror franchise: Psycho II, Psycho III, Bates Motel, Psycho IV: The Beginning and a colour 1998 remake of the original. Truffaut interview On 13 August 1962, Hitchcock's 63rd birthday, the French director François Truffaut began a 50-hour interview of Hitchcock, filmed over eight days at Universal Studios, during which Hitchcock agreed to answer 500 questions. It took four years to transcribe the tapes and organise the images; it was published as a book in 1967, which Truffaut nicknamed the "Hitchbook". The audio tapes were used as the basis of a documentary in 2015. Truffaut sought the interview because it was clear to him that Hitchcock was not simply the mass-market entertainer the American media made him out to be. It was obvious from his films, Truffaut wrote, that Hitchcock had "given more thought to the potential of his art than any of his colleagues". He compared the interview to "Oedipus' consultation of the oracle". The Birds The film scholar Peter William Evans wrote that The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964) are regarded as "undisputed masterpieces". Hitchcock had intended to film Marnie first, and in March 1962 it was announced that Grace Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco since 1956, would come out of retirement to star in it. When Kelly asked Hitchcock to postpone Marnie until 1963 or 1964, he recruited Evan Hunter, author of The Blackboard Jungle (1954), to develop a screenplay based on a Daphne du Maurier short story, "The Birds" (1952), which Hitchcock had republished in his My Favorites in Suspense (1959). He hired Tippi Hedren to play the lead role. It was her first role; she had been a model in New York when Hitchcock saw her, in October 1961, in an NBC television advert for Sego, a diet drink: "I signed her because she is a classic beauty. Movies don't have them any more. Grace Kelly was the last." He insisted, without explanation, that her first name be written in single quotation marks: 'Tippi'. In The Birds, Melanie Daniels, a young socialite, meets lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a bird shop; Jessica Tandy plays his possessive mother. Hedren visits him in Bodega Bay (where The Birds was filmed) carrying a pair of lovebirds as a gift. Suddenly waves of birds start gathering, watching, and attacking. The question: "What do the birds want?" is left unanswered. Hitchcock made the film with equipment from the Revue Studio, which made Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He said it was his most technically challenging film, using a combination of trained and mechanical birds against a backdrop of wild ones. Every shot was sketched in advance. An HBO/BBC television film, The Girl (2012), depicted Hedren's experiences on set; she said that Hitchcock became obsessed with her and sexually harassed her. He reportedly isolated her from the rest of the crew, had her followed, whispered obscenities to her, had her handwriting analysed and had a ramp built from his private office directly into her trailer. Diane Baker, her co-star in Marnie, said: "[N]othing could have been more horrible for me than to arrive on that movie set and to see her being treated the way she was." While filming the attack scene in the attic – which took a week to film – she was placed in a caged room while two men wearing elbow-length protective gloves threw live birds at her. Toward the end of the week, to stop the birds' flying away from her too soon, one leg of each bird was attached by nylon thread to elastic bands sewn inside her clothes. She broke down after a bird cut her lower eyelid, and filming was halted on doctor's orders. Marnie In June 1962, Grace Kelly announced that she had decided against appearing in Marnie (1964). Hedren had signed an exclusive seven-year, $500-a-week contract with Hitchcock in October 1961, and he decided to cast her in the lead role opposite Sean Connery. In 2016, describing Hedren's performance as "one of the greatest in the history of cinema", Richard Brody called the film a "story of sexual violence" inflicted on the character played by Hedren: "The film is, to put it simply, sick, and it's so because Hitchcock was sick. He suffered all his life from furious sexual desire, suffered from the lack of its gratification, suffered from the inability to transform fantasy into reality, and then went ahead and did so virtually, by way of his art." A 1964 New York Times review called it Hitchcock's "most disappointing film in years", citing Hedren's and Connery's lack of experience, an amateurish script and "glaringly fake cardboard backdrops". In the film, Marnie Edgar (Hedren) steals $10,000 from her employer and goes on the run. She applies for a job at Mark Rutland's (Connery) company in Philadelphia and steals from there too. Earlier, she is shown having a panic attack during a thunderstorm and fearing the colour red. Mark tracks her down and blackmails her into marrying him. She explains that she does not want to be touched, but during the "honeymoon", Mark rapes her. Marnie and Mark discover that Marnie's mother had been a prostitute when Marnie was a child, and that, while the mother was fighting with a client during a thunderstorm – the mother believed the client had tried to molest Marnie – Marnie had killed the client to save her mother. When she remembers what happened, she decides to stay with Mark. Hitchcock told cinematographer Robert Burks that the camera had to be placed as close as possible to Hedren when he filmed her face. Evan Hunter, the screenwriter of The Birds who was writing Marnie too, explained to Hitchcock that, if Mark loved Marnie, he would comfort her, not rape her. Hitchcock reportedly replied: "Evan, when he sticks it in her, I want that camera right on her face!" When Hunter submitted two versions of the script, one without the rape scene, Hitchcock replaced him with Jay Presson Allen. Later years: 1966–1980 Final films Failing health reduced Hitchcock's output during the last two decades of his life. Biographer Stephen Rebello claimed Universal imposed two films on him, Torn Curtain (1966) and Topaz (1969), the latter of which is based on a Leon Uris novel, partly set in Cuba. Both were spy thrillers with Cold War-related themes. Torn Curtain, with Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, precipitated the bitter end of the twelve-year collaboration between Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrmann. Hitchcock was unhappy with Herrmann's score and replaced him with John Addison, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. Upon release, Torn Curtain was a box office disappointment, and Topaz was disliked by both critics and the studio. Hitchcock returned to Britain to make his penultimate film, Frenzy (1972), based on the novel Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square (1966). After two espionage films, the plot marked a return to the murder-thriller genre. Richard Blaney (Jon Finch), a volatile barman with a history of explosive anger, becomes the prime suspect in the investigation into the "Necktie Murders", which are actually committed by his friend Bob Rusk (Barry Foster). This time, Hitchcock makes the victim and villain kindreds, rather than opposites, as in Strangers on a Train. In Frenzy, Hitchcock allowed nudity for the first time. Two scenes show naked women, one of whom is being raped and strangled; Donald Spoto called the latter "one of the most repellent examples of a detailed murder in the history of film". Both actors, Barbara Leigh-Hunt and Anna Massey, refused to do the scenes, so models were used instead. Biographers have noted that Hitchcock had always pushed the limits of film censorship, often managing to fool Joseph Breen, the head of the Motion Picture Production Code. Hitchcock would add subtle hints of improprieties forbidden by censorship until the mid-1960s. Yet, Patrick McGilligan wrote that Breen and others often realised that Hitchcock was inserting such material and were actually amused, as well as alarmed by Hitchcock's "inescapable inferences". Family Plot (1976) was Hitchcock's last film. It relates the escapades of "Madam" Blanche Tyler, played by Barbara Harris, a fraudulent spiritualist, and her taxi-driver lover Bruce Dern, making a living from her phony powers. While Family Plot was based on the Victor Canning novel The Rainbird Pattern (1972), the novel's tone is more sinister. Screenwriter Ernest Lehman originally wrote the film, under the working title Deception, with a dark tone but was pushed to a lighter, more comical tone by Hitchcock where it took the name Deceit, then finally, Family Plot. Knighthood and death Toward the end of his life, Hitchcock was working on the script for a spy thriller, The Short Night, collaborating with James Costigan, Ernest Lehman and David Freeman. Despite preliminary work, it was never filmed. Hitchcock's health was declining and he was worried about his wife, who had suffered a stroke. The screenplay was eventually published in Freeman's book The Last Days of Alfred Hitchcock (1999). Having refused a CBE in 1962, Hitchcock was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1980 New Year Honours. He was too ill to travel to London—he had a pacemaker and was being given cortisone injections for his arthritis—so on 3 January 1980 the British consul general presented him with the papers at Universal Studios. Asked by a reporter after the ceremony why it had taken the Queen so long, Hitchcock quipped, "I suppose it was a matter of carelessness." Cary Grant, Janet Leigh and others attended a luncheon afterwards. His last public appearance was on 16 March 1980, when he introduced the next year's winner of the American Film Institute award. He died of kidney failure the following month, on 29 April, in his Bel Air home. Donald Spoto, one of Hitchcock's biographers, wrote that Hitchcock had declined to see a priest, but according to Jesuit priest Mark Henninger, he and another priest, Tom Sullivan, celebrated Mass at the filmmaker's home, and Sullivan heard his confession. Hitchcock was survived by his wife and daughter. His funeral was held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills on 30 April, after which his body was cremated. His remains were scattered over the Pacific Ocean on 10 May 1980. Filmmaking Style and themes The "Hitchcockian" style includes the use of editing and camera movement to mimic a person's gaze, thereby turning viewers into voyeurs, and framing shots to maximise anxiety and fear. The film critic Robin Wood wrote that the meaning of a Hitchcock film "is there in the method, in the progression from shot to shot. A Hitchcock film is an organism, with the whole implied in every detail and every detail related to the whole." Hitchcock's film production career evolved from small-scale silent films to financially significant sound films. Hitchcock remarked that he was influenced by early filmmakers Georges Méliès, D. W. Griffith and Alice Guy-Blaché. His silent films between 1925 and 1929 were in the crime and suspense genres, but also included melodramas and comedies. Whilst visual storytelling was pertinent during the silent era, even after the arrival of sound, Hitchcock still relied on visuals in cinema; he referred to this emphasis on visual storytelling as "pure cinema". In Britain, he honed his craft so that by the time he moved to Hollywood, the director had perfected his style and camera techniques. Hitchcock later said that his British work was the "sensation of cinema", whereas the American phase was when his "ideas were fertilised". Scholar Robin Wood writes that the director's first two films, The Pleasure Garden and The Mountain Eagle, were influenced by German Expressionism. Afterward, he discovered Soviet cinema, and Sergei Eisenstein's and Vsevolod Pudovkin's theories of montage. 1926's The Lodger was inspired by both German and Soviet aesthetics, styles which solidified the rest of his career. Although Hitchcock's work in the 1920s found some success, several British reviewers criticised Hitchcock's films for being unoriginal and conceited. Raymond Durgnat opined that Hitchcock's films were carefully and intelligently constructed, but thought they can be shallow and rarely present a "coherent worldview". Earning the title "Master of Suspense", the director experimented with ways to generate tension in his work. He said: My suspense work comes out of creating nightmares for the audience. And I play with an audience. I make them gasp and surprise them and shock them. When you have a nightmare, it's awfully vivid if you're dreaming that you're being led to the electric chair. Then you're as happy as can be when you wake up because you're relieved. During filming of North by Northwest, Hitchcock explained his reasons for recreating the set of Mount Rushmore: "The audience responds in proportion to how realistic you make it. One of the dramatic reasons for this type of photography is to get it looking so natural that the audience gets involved and believes, for the time being, what's going on up there on the screen." In a 1963 interview with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, Hitchcock was asked how in spite of appearing to be a pleasant, innocuous man, he seemed to enjoy making films involving suspense and terrifying crime. He responded:I'm English. The English use a lot of imagination with their crimes. I don't get such a kick out of anything as much as out of imagining a crime. When I'm writing a story and I come to a crime, I think happily: now wouldn't it be nice to have him die like this? And then, even more happily, I think: at this point people will start yelling. It must be because I spent three years studying with the Jesuits. They used to terrify me to death, with everything, and now I'm getting my own back by terrifying other people. Hitchcock's films, from the silent to the sound era, contained a number of recurring themes that he is famous for. His films explored the audience as voyeurs, notably in Rear Window, Marnie and Psycho. He understood that human beings enjoy voyeuristic activities and made the audience participate in it through the character's actions. Of his fifty-three films, eleven revolved around stories of mistaken identity, where an innocent protagonist is accused of a crime and is pursued by police. In most cases, it is an ordinary, everyday person who finds themselves in a dangerous situation. Hitchcock told Truffaut: "That's because the theme of the innocent man being accused, I feel, provides the audience with a greater sense of danger. It's easier for them to identify with him than with a guilty man on the run." One of his constant themes was the struggle of a personality torn between "order and chaos"; known as the notion of "double", which is a comparison or contrast between two characters or objects: the double representing a dark or evil side. According to Robin Wood, Hitchcock retained a feeling of ambivalence towards homosexuality, despite working with gay actors throughout his career. Donald Spoto suggests that Hitchcock's sexually repressive childhood may have contributed to his exploration of deviancy. During the 1950s, the Motion Picture Production Code prohibited direct references to homosexuality but the director was known for his subtle references, and pushing the boundaries of the censors. Moreover, Shadow of a Doubt has a double incest theme through the storyline, expressed implicitly through images. Author Jane Sloan argues that Hitchcock was drawn to both conventional and unconventional sexual expression in his work, and the theme of marriage was usually presented in a "bleak and skeptical" manner. It was also not until after his mother's death in 1942, that Hitchcock portrayed motherly figures as "notorious monster-mothers". The espionage backdrop, and murders committed by characters with psychopathic tendencies were common themes too. In Hitchcock's depiction of villains and murderers, they were usually charming and friendly, forcing viewers to identify with them. The director's strict childhood and Jesuit education may have led to his distrust of authority figures such as policemen and politicians; a theme which he has explored. Also, he often employed the "MacGuffin": an object essential to the plot but insignificant in itself. Hitchcock appeared briefly in most of his own films. For example, he is seen struggling to get a double bass onto a train (Strangers on a Train), walking dogs out of a pet shop (The Birds), fixing a neighbour's clock (Rear Window), as a shadow (Family Plot), sitting at a table in a photograph (Dial M for Murder), and riding a bus (North by Northwest, To Catch a Thief). Representation of women Hitchcock's portrayal of women has been the subject of much scholarly debate. Bidisha wrote in The Guardian in 2010: "There's the vamp, the tramp, the snitch, the witch, the slink, the double-crosser and, best of all, the demon mommy. Don't worry, they all get punished in the end." In a widely cited essay in 1975, Laura Mulvey introduced the idea of the male gaze; the view of the spectator in Hitchcock's films, she argued, is that of the heterosexual male protagonist. "The female characters in his films reflected the same qualities over and over again", Roger Ebert wrote in 1996: "They were blonde. They were icy and remote. They were imprisoned in costumes that subtly combined fashion with fetishism. They mesmerised the men, who often had physical or psychological handicaps. Sooner or later, every Hitchcock woman was humiliated." Hitchcock's films often feature characters struggling in their relationships with their mothers, such as Norman Bates in Psycho. In North by Northwest, Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is an innocent man ridiculed by his mother for insisting that shadowy, murderous men are after him. In The Birds, the Rod Taylor character, an innocent man, finds his world under attack by vicious birds, and struggles to free himself from a clinging mother (Jessica Tandy). The killer in Frenzy has a loathing of women but idolises his mother. The villain Bruno in Strangers on a Train hates his father, but has an incredibly close relationship with his mother (played by Marion Lorne). Sebastian (Claude Rains) in Notorious has a clearly conflicting relationship with his mother, who is (rightly) suspicious of his new bride, Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman). Relationship with actors Hitchcock became known for having remarked that "actors should be treated like cattle". During the filming of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941), Carole Lombard brought three cows onto the set wearing the name tags of Lombard, Robert Montgomery, and Gene Raymond, the stars of the film, to surprise him. In an episode of The Dick Cavett Show, originally broadcast on 8 June 1972, Dick Cavett stated as fact that Hitchcock had once called actors cattle. Hitchcock responded by saying that, at one time, he had been accused of calling actors cattle. "I said that I would never say such an unfeeling, rude thing about actors at all. What I probably said, was that all actors should be treated like cattle...In a nice way of course." He then described Carole Lombard's joke, with a smile. Hitchcock believed that actors should concentrate on their performances and leave work on script and character to the directors and screenwriters. He told Bryan Forbes in 1967: "I remember discussing with a method actor how he was taught and so forth. He said, 'We're taught using improvisation. We are given an idea and then we are turned loose to develop in any way we want to.' I said, 'That's not acting. That's writing.'" Recalling their experiences on Lifeboat for Charles Chandler, author of It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock A Personal Biography, Walter Slezak said that Hitchcock "knew more about how to help an actor than any director I ever worked with", and Hume Cronyn dismissed the idea that Hitchcock was not concerned with his actors as "utterly fallacious", describing at length the process of rehearsing and filming Lifeboat. Critics observed that, despite his reputation as a man who disliked actors, actors who worked with him often gave brilliant performances. He used the same actors in many of his films; Cary Grant and James Stewart both worked with Hitchcock four times, and Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly three. James Mason said that Hitchcock regarded actors as "animated props". For Hitchcock, the actors were part of the film's setting. He told François Truffaut: "The chief requisite for an actor is the ability to do nothing well, which is by no means as easy as it sounds. He should be willing to be used and wholly integrated into the picture by the director and the camera. He must allow the camera to determine the proper emphasis and the most effective dramatic highlights." Writing, storyboards and production Hitchcock planned his scripts in detail with his writers. In Writing with Hitchcock (2001), Steven DeRosa noted that Hitchcock supervised them through every draft, asking that they tell the story visually. Hitchcock told Roger Ebert in 1969: Once the screenplay is finished, I'd just as soon not make the film at all. All the fun is over. I have a strongly visual mind. I visualize a picture right down to the final cuts. I write all this out in the greatest detail in the script, and then I don't look at the script while I'm shooting. I know it off by heart, just as an orchestra conductor needs not look at the score. It's melancholy to shoot a picture. When you finish the script, the film is perfect. But in shooting it you lose perhaps 40 per cent of your original conception. Hitchcock's films were extensively storyboarded to the finest detail. He was reported to have never even bothered looking through the viewfinder, since he did not need to, although in publicity photos he was shown doing so. He also used this as an excuse to never have to change his films from his initial vision. If a studio asked him to change a film, he would claim that it was already shot in a single way, and that there were no alternative takes to consider. This view of Hitchcock as a director who relied more on pre-production than on the actual production itself has been challenged by Bill Krohn, the American correspondent of French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, in his book Hitchcock at Work. After investigating script revisions, notes to other production personnel written by or to Hitchcock, and other production material, Krohn observed that Hitchcock's work often deviated from how the screenplay was written or how the film was originally envisioned. He noted that the myth of storyboards in relation to Hitchcock, often regurgitated by generations of commentators on his films, was to a great degree perpetuated by Hitchcock himself or the publicity arm of the studios. For example, the celebrated crop-spraying sequence of North by Northwest was not storyboarded at all. After the scene was filmed, the publicity department asked Hitchcock to make storyboards to promote the film, and Hitchcock in turn hired an artist to match the scenes in detail. Even when storyboards were made, scenes that were shot differed from them significantly. Krohn's analysis of the production of Hitchcock classics like Notorious reveals that Hitchcock was flexible enough to change a film's conception during its production. Another example Krohn notes is the American remake of The Man Who Knew Too Much, whose shooting schedule commenced without a finished script and moreover went over schedule, something that, as Krohn notes, was not an uncommon occurrence on many of Hitchcock's films, including Strangers on a Train and Topaz. While Hitchcock did do a great deal of preparation for all his films, he was fully cognisant that the actual film-making process often deviated from the best-laid plans and was flexible to adapt to the changes and needs of production as his films were not free from the normal hassles faced and common routines used during many other film productions. Krohn's work also sheds light on Hitchcock's practice of generally shooting in chronological order, which he notes sent many films over budget and over schedule and, more importantly, differed from the standard operating procedure of Hollywood in the studio system era. Equally important is Hitchcock's tendency to shoot alternative takes of scenes. This differed from coverage in that the films were not necessarily shot from varying angles so as to give the editor options to shape the film how they chose (often under the producer's aegis). Rather they represented Hitchcock's tendency to give himself options in the editing room, where he would provide advice to his editors after viewing a rough cut of the work. According to Krohn, this and a great deal of other information revealed through his research of Hitchcock's personal papers, script revisions and the like refute the notion of Hitchcock as a director who was always in control of his films, whose vision of his films did not change during production, which Krohn notes has remained the central long-standing myth of Alfred Hitchcock. Both his fastidiousness and attention to detail also found their way into each film poster for his films. Hitchcock preferred to work with the best talent of his day—film poster designers such as Bill Gold and Saul Bass—who would produce posters that accurately represented his films. Legacy Awards and honours Hitchcock was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 8 February 1960 with two stars: one for television and a second for motion pictures. In 1978, John Russell Taylor described him as "the most universally recognizable person in the world" and "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius". In 2002, MovieMaker named him the most influential director of all time, and a 2007 The Daily Telegraph critics' poll ranked him Britain's greatest director. David Gritten, the newspaper's film critic, wrote: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." In 1992, the Sight & Sound Critics' Poll ranked Hitchcock at No. 4 in its list of "Top 10 Directors" of all time. In 2002, Hitchcock was ranked second in the critics' top ten poll and fifth in the directors' top ten poll in the list of "The Greatest Directors of All Time" compiled by Sight & Sound. Hitchcock was voted the "Greatest Director of 20th Century" in a poll conducted by Japanese film magazine kinema Junpo. In 1996, Entertainment Weekly ranked Hitchcock at No. 1 in its "50 Greatest Directors" list. Hitchcock was ranked at No. 2 on Empire's "Top 40 Greatest Directors of All-Time" list in 2005. In 2007, Total Film ranked Hitchcock at No. 1 on its "100 Greatest Film Directors Ever" list. He won two Golden Globes, eight Laurel Awards, and five lifetime achievement awards, including the first BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award in 1971, and, in 1979, an AFI Life Achievement Award. He was nominated five times for an Academy Award for Best Director. Rebecca, nominated for eleven Oscars, won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1940; another Hitchcock film, Foreign Correspondent, was also nominated that year. By 2021, nine of his films had been selected for preservation by the US National Film Registry: Rebecca (1940; inducted 2018), Shadow of a Doubt (1943; inducted 1991), Notorious (1946; inducted 2006), Strangers on a Train (1951; inducted 2021), Rear Window (1954; inducted 1997), Vertigo (1958; inducted 1989), North by Northwest (1959; inducted 1995), Psycho (1960; inducted 1992) and The Birds (1963; inducted 2016). In June 1968, Hitchcock was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts at the Quarry Amphitheater by the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2001, a series of 17 mosaics of Hitchcock's life and work, which are located in Leytonstone tube station in the London Underground, was commissioned by the London Borough of Waltham Forest. In 2012, Hitchcock was selected by artist Sir Peter Blake, author of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, to appear in a new version of the cover, along with other British cultural figures, and he was featured that year in a BBC Radio 4 series, The New Elizabethans, as someone "whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on lives in these islands and given the age its character". In June 2013 nine restored versions of Hitchcock's early silent films, including The Pleasure Garden (1925), were shown at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre; known as "The Hitchcock 9", the travelling tribute was organised by the British Film Institute. Archives The Alfred Hitchcock Collection is housed at the Academy Film Archive in Hollywood, California. It includes home movies, 16mm film shot on the set of Blackmail (1929) and Frenzy (1972), and the earliest known colour footage of Hitchcock. The Academy Film Archive has preserved many of his home movies. In 1984, Pat Hitchcock donated her father's papers to the academy's Margaret Herrick Library. The David O. Selznick and the Ernest Lehman collections housed at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center in Austin, Texas, contain material related to Hitchcock's work on the production of The Paradine Case, Rebecca, Spellbound, North by Northwest and Family Plot. Hitchcock portrayals Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock (2012) Toby Jones in The Girl (2012) Roger Ashton-Griffiths in Grace of Monaco (2014) EpicLLOYD in the YouTube comedy series Epic Rap Battles of History (2014) Filmography Films See also Alfred Hitchcock's unrealized projects List of cameo appearances by Alfred Hitchcock List of film director and actor collaborations Remakes of films by Alfred Hitchcock List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain Notes and sources Notes References Works cited Biographies (chronological) Miscellaneous Further reading Articles Hitchcock's Style – BFI Screenonline Alfred Hitchcock: England's Biggest and Best Director Goes to Hollywood – Life, 20 November 1939, p. 33-43 Alfred Hitchcock Now Says Actors Are Children, Not Cattle – The Boston Globe, 1 June 1958, p. A-11 'Twas Alfred Hitchcock Week in London – Variety, 17 August 1966, p. 16 McArthur, Colin, "The Critics Who Knew Too Little: Hitchcock and the Absent Class Paradigm", in Film Studies no. 2, (2000), pp. 15 - 28, ISSN 1469-0314 Books External links Alfred Hitchcock at IMDb Alfred Hitchcock at the BFI's Screenonline Alfred Hitchcock at the British Film Institute Alfred Hitchcock at the TCM Movie Database Portraits of Alfred Hitchcock at the National Portrait Gallery, London Talking About Alfred Hitchcock at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Alfred Hitchcock Papers from Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collections (Details (archived 2024))
Dascha Polanco	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Dascha Polanco.	Tell me a bio of Dascha Polanco.	Tell me a bio of Dascha Polanco within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Dascha Polanco with around 100 words.	Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) is a Dominican actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 film In the Heights. Early life Polanco was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and moved to the United States at a young age. She was raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Miami by her father, a mechanic, and mother, a cosmetologist. Polanco is the oldest of three children; she has a brother and sister. Career Polanco aspired to be an actress from an early age but "always doubted auditioning because of her weight", so she completed a bachelor's degree in psychology at Hunter College, as a first generation college student. After college she began working in the healthcare industry with the intention of becoming a nurse. She was working in hospital administration at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx while studying nursing when she gained the courage to pursue acting again and registered herself with an acting studio. She attended BIH Studios in New York, and while there was signed by the talent agency Shirley Grant Management. Her first acting credits were minor parts in the television series Unforgettable and NYC 22. In 2012, Polanco was cast in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black as Dayanara "Daya" Diaz. In 2013, Polanco appeared in the independent film Gimme Shelter before returning to her role on Orange Is the New Black for the show's second season. In June 2014, it was announced that she had been promoted from a recurring role to a series regular for the show's third season, which was released in June 2015. She appeared in the comedy films The Cobbler and Joy, and starred in the film The Perfect Match. In 2018, Polanco had a recurring role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, and in 2019, she had a recurring role in Netflix series, Russian Doll and When They See Us. In 2021, Polanco played the role of Cuca, one of the lead salon ladies, in the film In the Heights. From 2021 to 2022, she voiced Ms. Camilla Torres, the mother of Winston who owns a record shop, in the animated series Karma's World. In 2025, Polanco starred as Michelle Borgas in the Lifetime film Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borgas Story, a part of the channel's "Ripped from the Headlines" feature films. Personal life Polanco has two children, a daughter and a son. Her daughter portrayed a younger version of Polanco's character in the fifth season of Orange is the New Black. Filmography Film Television References External links Dascha Polanco at IMDb
Amelia Earhart	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Amelia Earhart.	Tell me a bio of Amelia Earhart.	Tell me a bio of Amelia Earhart within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Amelia Earhart with around 100 words.	Amelia Mary Earhart ( AIR-hart; born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her life, Earhart embraced celebrity culture and women's rights, and since her disappearance has become a global cultural figure. She was the first female pilot to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean and set many other records. She was one of the first aviators to promote commercial air travel, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of the Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. Earhart was born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, and developed a passion for adventure at a young age, steadily gaining flying experience from her twenties. In 1928, she became a celebrity after becoming the first female passenger to cross the Atlantic by airplane. In 1932, she became the first woman to make a nonstop solo transatlantic flight, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for her achievement. In 1935, she became a visiting faculty member of Purdue University as an advisor in aeronautical engineering and a career counselor to female students. She was a member of the National Woman's Party and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was one of the most inspirational American figures from the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s. Her legacy is often compared to that of the early career of pioneer aviator Charles Lindbergh, as well as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for their close friendship and lasting influence on women's causes. In 1937, during an attempt to become the first woman to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe, flying a Lockheed Model 10-E Electra airplane, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared near Howland Island in the central Pacific Ocean. The two were last seen in Lae, New Guinea, their last land stop before Howland Island, a very small location where they were intending to refuel. It is generally believed that they ran out of fuel before they found Howland Island and crashed into the ocean near their destination. Nearly one year and six months after she and Noonan disappeared, Earhart was officially declared dead. She would have been 41 years of age. The mysterious nature of Earhart's disappearance has caused much public interest in her life. Her airplane has never been found, which has led to speculation and conspiracy theories about the outcome of the flight. Decades after her presumed death, Earhart was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1968 and the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973. Several commemorative memorials in the United States have been named in her honor; these include a commemorative US airmail stamp, an airport, a museum, a bridge, a cargo ship, an earth-fill dam, a playhouse, a library, and multiple roads and schools. She also has a minor planet, planetary corona, and newly discovered lunar crater named after her. Numerous films, documentaries, and books have recounted Earhart's life, and she is ranked ninth on Flying's list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation. Early life Childhood Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, as the daughter of Samuel "Edwin" Stanton Earhart (1867–1930) and Amelia "Amy" (née Otis; 1869–1962). Amelia was born in the home of her maternal grandfather Alfred Gideon Otis (1827–1912), who was a former judge in Kansas, the president of Atchison Savings Bank, and a leading resident of the town. Earhart was the second child of the marriage after a stillbirth in August 1896. She was of part-German descent; Alfred Otis had not initially favored the marriage and was not satisfied with Edwin's progress as a lawyer. According to family custom, Amelia Earhart was named after her two grandmothers Amelia Josephine Harres and Mary Wells Patton. From an early age, Amelia was the dominant sibling while her sister Grace Muriel Earhart (1899–1998), two years her junior, acted as a dutiful follower. Amelia was nicknamed "Meeley" and sometimes "Millie", and Grace was nicknamed "Pidge"; both girls continued to answer to their childhood nicknames well into adulthood. Their upbringing was unconventional; Amy Earhart did not believe in raising her children to be "nice little girls". The children's maternal grandmother disapproved of the bloomers they wore, and although Amelia liked the freedom of movement they provided, she was sensitive to the fact the neighborhood's girls wore dresses. The Earhart children seemed to have a spirit of adventure and would set off daily to explore their neighborhood. As a child, Amelia Earhart spent hours playing with sister Pidge, climbing trees, hunting rats with a rifle, and sledding downhill. Some biographers have characterized the young Amelia as a tomboy. The girls kept worms, moths, katydids and a tree toad they gathered in a growing collection. In 1904, with the help of her uncle, Amelia Earhart constructed a home-made ramp that was fashioned after a roller coaster she had seen on a trip to St. Louis, Missouri, and secured it to the roof of the family tool shed. Following Amelia's well-documented first flight, she emerged from the broken wooden box that had served as a sled with a bruised lip, a torn dress and a "sensation of exhilaration", saying: "Oh, Pidge, it's just like flying!" In 1907, Edwin Earhart's job as a claims officer for the Rock Island Railroad led to a transfer to Des Moines, Iowa. The next year, at the age of 10, Amelia saw her first aircraft at Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. Their father tried to interest his daughters in taking a flight but after looking at the rickety "flivver", Amelia promptly asked if they could go back to the merry-go-round. She later described the biplane as "a thing of rusty wire and wood and not at all interesting". Education Sisters Amelia and Grace—who from her teenage years went by her middle name Muriel—Earhart remained with their grandparents in Atchison while their parents moved into new, smaller quarters in Des Moines. During this period, the Earhart girls received homeschooling from their mother and a governess. Amelia later said she was "exceedingly fond of reading" and spent many hours in the large family library. In 1909, when the family was reunited in Des Moines, the Earhart children were enrolled in public school for the first time and Amelia, 12, entered seventh grade. The Earhart family's finances seemingly improved with the acquisition of a new house and the hiring of two servants but it soon became apparent Edwin was an alcoholic. In 1914, he was forced to retire; he attempted to rehabilitate himself through treatment but the Rock Island Railroad never reinstated him. At about this time, Earhart's grandmother Amelia Otis died, leaving a substantial estate that placed her daughter's share in a trust, fearing Edwin's drinking would exhaust the funds. The Otis house was auctioned along with its contents; Amelia later described these events as the end of her childhood. In 1915, after a long search, Edwin Earhart found work as a clerk at the Great Northern Railway in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Amelia entered Central High School as a junior. Edwin applied for a transfer to Springfield, Missouri, in 1915, but the current claims officer reconsidered his retirement and demanded his job back, leaving Edwin Earhart unemployed. Amy Earhart took her children to Chicago, where they lived with friends. Amelia canvassed nearby high schools in Chicago to find the best science program; she rejected the high school nearest her home, complaining the chemistry lab was "just like a kitchen sink". She eventually enrolled in Hyde Park High School but spent a miserable semester for which a yearbook caption noted: "A.E.—the girl in brown who walks alone". Amelia Earhart graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1916. Throughout her childhood, she had continued to aspire to a future career; she kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about successful women in male-dominated careers, including film direction and production, law, advertising, management, and mechanical engineering. She began junior college at Ogontz School in Rydal, Pennsylvania, but did not complete her program. Nursing career and illness During Christmas vacation in 1917, Earhart visited her sister in Toronto, Canada, where she saw wounded soldiers returning from World War I. After receiving training as a nurse's aide from the Red Cross, Earhart began working with the Voluntary Aid Detachment at Spadina Military Hospital, where her duties included food preparation for patients with special diets and handing out prescribed medication in the hospital's dispensary. There, Earhart heard stories from military pilots and developed an interest in flying. In 1918, when the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic reached Toronto, Earhart was engaged in nursing duties that included night shifts at Spadina Military Hospital. In early November that year, she became infected and was hospitalized for pneumonia and maxillary sinusitis. She was discharged in December 1918, about two months later. Her sinus-related symptoms were pain and pressure around one eye, and copious mucus drainage via the nostrils and throat. While staying in the hospital during the pre-antibiotic era, Earhart had painful minor operations to wash out the affected maxillary sinus but these procedures were not successful and her headaches worsened. Earhart's convalescence lasted nearly a year, which she spent at her sister's home in Northampton, Massachusetts. Earhart passed the time reading poetry, learning to play the banjo, and studying mechanics. Chronic sinusitis significantly affected Earhart's flying and other activities in later life, and sometimes she was forced to wear a bandage on her cheek to cover a small drainage tube. By 1919, Earhart prepared to enter Smith College, where her sister was a student, but she changed her mind and enrolled in a course of medical studies and other programs at Columbia University. Earhart quit her studies a year later to be with her parents, who had reunited in California. Early flying experiences In the early 1920s, Earhart and a young woman friend visited an air fair held in conjunction with the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto; she said: "The interest, aroused in me, in Toronto, led me to all the air circuses in the vicinity." One of the highlights of the day was a flying exhibition put on by a World War I ace. The pilot saw Earhart and her friend, who were watching from an isolated clearing, and dived at them. "I am sure he said to himself, 'Watch me make them scamper,' " she said. Earhart stood her ground as the aircraft came close. "I did not understand it at the time," she said, "but I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by." On December 28, 1920, Earhart and her father attended an "aerial meet" at Daugherty Field in Long Beach, California. She asked her father to ask about passenger flights and flying lessons. Earhart was booked for a passenger flight the following day at Emory Roger's Field, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. A 10-minute flight with Frank Hawks, who later gained fame as an air racer, cost $10 (equivalent to $160 in 2024). The ride with Hawkes changed Earhart's life; she said: "By the time I had got two or three hundred feet [60–90 m] off the ground ... I knew I had to fly." The next month, Earhart engaged Neta Snook to be her flying instructor. The initial contract was for 12 hours of instruction for $500 (equivalent to $9,000 in 2024). Working at a variety of jobs, including photographer, truck driver, and stenographer at the local telephone company, Earhart saved $1,000 (equivalent to $18,000 in 2024) for flying lessons; she had her first lesson on January 3, 1921, at Kinner Field on the west side of Long Beach Boulevard and Tweedy Road, now in the city of South Gate. Snook used a crash-salvaged Curtiss JN-4 "Canuck" airplane she had restored for training. To reach the airfield, Earhart had to take a bus then walk four miles (6.4 km). Earhart's mother provided part of the $1,000 "stake" against her "better judgement". Earhart cropped her hair short in the style of other female flyers. Six months later, in mid 1921 and against Snook's advice, Earhart purchased a secondhand, chromium yellow Kinner Airster biplane, which she nicknamed "The Canary". After her first successful solo landing, she bought a new leather flying coat. Due to the newness of the coat, she was subjected to teasing, so she aged it by sleeping in it and staining it with aircraft oil. On October 22, 1922, Earhart flew the Airster to an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,300 m), setting a world record for female pilots. On May 16, 1923, Earhart became the 16th woman in the United States to be issued a pilot's license (#6017) by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Financial problems and move to Massachusetts Throughout the early 1920s, following a disastrous investment in a failed gypsum mine, Earhart's inheritance from her grandmother, which her mother was now administering, steadily diminished until it was exhausted. Consequently, with no immediate prospect of recouping her investment in flying, Earhart sold the Canary and a second Kinner and bought a yellow Kissel Gold Bug "Speedster", a two-seat automobile, and named it "Yellow Peril". Simultaneously, pain from Earhart's old sinus problem worsened, and in early 1924, she was hospitalized for another sinus operation, which was again unsuccessful. She tried a number of ventures that included setting up a photography company. Following her parents' divorce in 1924, Earhart drove her mother in "Yellow Peril" on a transcontinental trip from California with stops throughout the western United States and northward to Banff, Alberta, Canada. Their journey ended in Boston, Massachusetts, where Earhart underwent another, more-successful sinus operation. After recuperation, she returned to Columbia University for several months but was forced to abandon her studies and any further plans for enrolling at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), because her mother could no longer afford the tuition fees and associated costs. In 1925, Earhart found employment first as a teacher, then as a social worker at Denison House, a Boston settlement house. At this time, she lived in Medford, Massachusetts. When Earhart lived in Medford, she maintained her interest in aviation, becoming a member of the American Aeronautical Society's Boston chapter and eventually being elected its vice president. She flew out of Dennison Airport in Quincy, helped finance the airport's operation by investing a small sum of money, and in 1927, she flew the first official flight out of Dennison Airport. Earhart worked as a sales representative for Kinner Aircraft in the Boston area and wrote local-newspaper columns promoting flying; as her local celebrity grew, Earhart made plans to launch an organization for female flyers. Aviation career and marriage First woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1928 In early 1928, inspired by Charles Lindbergh's successful solo transatlantic flight in 1927, American heiress Amy Phipps Guest – daughter of philanthropist and Andrew Carnegie's business partner Henry Phipps Jr. – announced her intention to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. At the time, she was living in London with her husband, former British Air Minister Frederick Guest. Using her wealth and social connections, Guest assembled a team of aviation professionals to support her endeavor. She hired pilot Wilmer Stultz from Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, to lead the flight. In March 1928, Stultz had made headlines for completing the first non-stop flight from New York to Havana, accompanied by Oliver LeBoutillier and passenger Mabel Boll, aboard the aircraft Columbia. The previous year, Stultz had also piloted transatlantic attempts for aviator Frances Wilson Grayson. Guest also recruited mechanic and co-pilot Louis Gordon from Collin County, Texas. For the aircraft, she acquired a Fokker F.VIIb Tri-Motor from famed explorer Commander Richard E. Byrd. Byrd had initially planned to use the plane for an Antarctic expedition, but when his backer, Edsel Ford—son of Henry Ford—suggested using a Ford Tri-Motor instead, Byrd agreed and sold the Fokker. Byrd would later serve as a technical advisor for the transatlantic flight. Guest named the plane Friendship to honor the special relationship between the United States and her new home, Great Britain. However, upon learning of her plans, Guest's family reacted with alarm. Her sons, Winston and Raymond, even threatened to quit Yale and Cambridge respectively. Under family pressure, Guest reluctantly gave up her dream of making the flight herself. Nevertheless, she remained determined to see a woman achieve the milestone. Instead of flying, she resolved to sponsor the project—and began searching for what she called "the right sort of girl." The candidate would need to be a pilot, well-educated, well-mannered, physically attractive, and American. In April 1928, George Palmer Putnam—the publicist and publisher of Charles Lindbergh's best-selling autobiography "WE"—caught wind of the planned transatlantic attempt. Curious, he met with his friend Captain Hilton Railey and shared that he had heard Richard Byrd had sold his plane to a mysterious buyer, and that floats were being fitted to the Fokker at East Boston Airport. Determined to get involved, Putnam encouraged Railey to "crash the gate" and investigate. Railey found Wilmer Stultz in a bar and, catching him in a talkative mood, learned of Amy Guest and the true purpose of the newly outfitted seaplane Friendship. Putnam and Railey resolved to take on the task of finding the "right sort of girl" on Amy Guest's behalf. Railey reached out to his friend, Rear Admiral Reginald R. Belknap, in Boston. After hearing the criteria outlined by Guest, Belknap immediately replied, "Call Denison House and ask for Amelia Earhart". Upon receiving Railey's call, Earhart was initially skeptical, but agreed to meet him at his office. The moment she arrived, Railey was convinced he had found the right woman. Almost immediately, he asked her, "How would you like to be the first woman to cross the Atlantic?" Earhart wrote later "Under the circumstances... I couldn't say no." However, Earhart had conditions before accepting the invitation. She made it clear that the role of a mere passenger held no appeal to her—she wanted the opportunity to take her turn at the controls. Although she lacked experience with multi-engine aircraft and non-visual instrument flying, it was agreed that, weather permitting, she would be allowed to pilot the aircraft for a portion of the journey. It was written into her flight contract that Earhart would hold the title of commander aboard Friendship. She was granted final authority over all matters of policy, procedure, personnel, and any other issues that might arise during the mission—at least until their arrival in London. Both Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon would serve as her subordinates during the flight. On June 3, 1928, after three unsuccessful attempts to take off from the Jeffries Yacht Club in East Boston, the crew of Friendship made critical adjustments to reduce weight. Six five-gallon cans of fuel were unloaded, and backup pilot Lou Gower voluntarily stepped down from the crew to further lighten the aircraft. The fourth attempt proved successful. After 67 tense seconds, Friendship lifted off the water and climbed steadily, heading north on the first leg of its transatlantic journey to Trepassey, Newfoundland. The Friendship finally arrived at Trepassey on June 5, after poor weather forced Wilmer Stultz to make an unexpected landing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the day before. Earhart later described the arrival at Trepassey as chaotic, likening it to a rodeo, with "maritime cowboys" in small boats aggressively vying to tow the plane, nearly entangling it in ropes and knocking crew member Slim Gordon into the water. Stranded by relentless gales, dense fog, and mechanical setbacks, the crew of the Friendship endured nearly a fortnight of frustrating delays. Their departure was repeatedly thwarted by unpredictable tides, stormy seas, and sputtering engines, turning what should have been a quick refuel stop into a test of endurance. When dawn broke clear and brisk over Newfoundland on June 17, and weather reports suggested marginally favorable conditions over the Atlantic, Earhart insisted they seize the opportunity to take off—despite objections from pilot Wilmer Stultz, who was nursing a severe hangover. After nearly two weeks of delays, Friendship finally took to the skies. Meanwhile, at Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, the crew of the rival aircraft Columbia remained grounded. Captain Oliver LeBoutillier had reunited with socialite Mabel Boll, determined to make her own mark with a transatlantic crossing. However, LeBoutillier refused to risk flying in the still-uncertain weather and chose to wait for clearer skies. Frustrated and left behind, Boll could only listen for updates as Friendship soared eastward toward the United Kingdom. Furious and disheartened, she accused Earhart's team of receiving preferential treatment—claiming they had been provided with a more favorable weather report than the one given to Columbia. The accusation was firmly rejected by the local meteorologist, who maintained that both crews had received identical forecasts. Nevertheless, Friendship had gained the advantage—not by deception, but by daring. From early in the flight, the crew encountered fog, cloud cover, and poor visibility, forcing pilot Wilmer Stultz to rely entirely on instrument flying. Earhart, although a licensed pilot, had no experience with non-visual, instrument-only flying, and was therefore unable to take the controls. Instead, she kept the flight log and helped with navigation checks, while mechanic Louis Gordon managed fuel and engine performance. Several hours into the flight, they spotted the SS America, an ocean liner under the command of Captain George Fried, roughly 75 miles south-east of Cobh, Ireland. Hoping to confirm their position, the crew of Friendship circled the vessel. Captain Fried, recognizing the significance of the aircraft, ordered the ship's name and location to be chalked on the deck to assist the crew. However, before the message could be prepared, Friendship had already vanished into the mist, continuing eastward. Critically, the aircraft's radio had failed early in the flight, leaving the crew unable to transmit or receive any messages. This failure meant they could not confirm their course, update anyone on their status, or receive weather updates. As a result, their arrival location would be a complete surprise to those on the ground. After nearly 21 hours in the air, with low fuel and limited visibility due to persistent mist, the crew of Friendship were in urgent need of a suitable landing site. While flying along the coast of South Wales (although they did not know their location at the time), they identified an estuary and a nearby industrial town with a harbour as a potential landing area. The aircraft landed in the Burry Estuary, between the town of Burry Port and the village of Pwll, in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Upon landing, co-pilot Louis "Slim" Gordon climbed onto the starboard pontoon and secured the aircraft to a large navigation buoy off the coast of Burry Port, using rope kept on board for emergencies or for use as a sea anchor. This improvised mooring was the only available option in the area. Despite their arrival following a transatlantic flight, initial local response was minimal. A few nearby railway workers observed the aircraft but did not approach. Eventually, Norman Fisher, a manager at the Frickers Metal Company in Burry Port, rowed out to the plane. Wilmer Stultz went ashore with him to make contact with their sponsors, who were waiting in Southampton. The original intention had been to refuel in the estuary and continue the journey to Southampton, where the crew's sponsors—including Captain Hilton Railey and Amy Phipps Guest—were assembled. Earhart and Gordon remained on board the aircraft, as the crew did not consider the flight officially complete at that point. Several small boats approached the aircraft during this time, but Earhart declined to go ashore, intending to do so only if the flight continued as planned. Later that day, Captain Railey arrived in Burry Port by seaplane, accompanied by Allen Raymond, a reporter for The New York Times. Following discussions regarding the aircraft's fuel status, the challenging tidal conditions, and ongoing poor visibility, the decision was made to take Friendship to Burry Port Harbour. It would be there, in the small Welsh harbour town, that Earhart's transatlantic journey officially concluded—securing her place in history as the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. Friendship moved under its own power from the navigation buoy to Burry Port Harbour, where the crew were then rowed ashore. A large and excitable crowd had gathered and local police escorted the aviators to the Frickers Metal Company office for safety, where the police awaited reinforcements while the crew were served refreshments. As the world's press descended on Burry Port, Earhart attracted the majority of public and media attention, though she consistently emphasized that the primary credit belonged to the pilots. When interviewed after coming ashore, she remarked: "Bill (Wilmer Stultz) did all the flying—had to. I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes ... maybe someday I'll try it alone." Later that evening, the crew traveled by car to the Ashburnham Hotel in nearby Pembrey, where they were able to rest and recover after their historic journey. The Friendship departed Burry Port Harbour at approximately 11 a.m. on 19 June 1928, beginning the final leg of its journey to Southampton, but not without a final moment of drama. Among the spectators that morning was Sir Arthur Whitten Brown, who—alongside John Alcock—had completed the first non-stop transatlantic flight in 1919. Living in nearby Swansea, Whitten Brown had travelled to Burry Port with his family to congratulate Earhart and present her with a bouquet of flowers. A boat was dispatched to carry him out to the Friendship, but unaware of his approach, the crew had already begun their departure. As a result, a potentially historic meeting between the first man and the first woman to cross the Atlantic nonstop by air was narrowly missed. At Southampton, the Friendship crew were once again met by enthusiastic crowds. Among those welcoming them was Amy Phipps Guest—the flight's principal sponsor and owner of Friendship. It was the first time Guest and Earhart met in person. She had changed aircraft and flew an Avro Avian 594 Avian III, SN: R3/AV/101 that was owned by Irish aviator Lady Mary Heath, the first woman to hold a commercial flying licence in Britain. Earhart later acquired the aircraft and had it shipped to the United States. American reception Upon returning to the United States, Earhart and the crew of the Friendship were met with widespread acclaim. On July 6, 1928, they were honoured with a ticker-tape parade along the Canyon of Heroes in New York City, a traditional celebration reserved for national heroes. Thousands lined Broadway to celebrate the first successful transatlantic flight by a woman. Shortly after, the crew was received at the White House by President Calvin Coolidge, who formally recognized their achievement. Earhart became the focus of particular public and media attention. Despite her limited role as a passenger during the flight, her status as the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air captured the imagination of the American public. Earhart, Stultz, and Gordon we given receptions at Boston and Chicago, where they were welcomed by civic leaders and large crowds. Earhart received numerous awards and honors during this period. Her modesty and charisma further endeared her to the American public, and her fame quickly surpassed that of her fellow crew members. The flight marked the beginning of Earhart's rise to international prominence. With the help of publisher and publicist George Palmer Putnam, she began a successful lecture tour and endorsed various products. Despite her own insistence that the credit belonged to the pilots, Earhart's visibility in the media helped redefine public perceptions of women in aviation and paved the way for her subsequent solo transatlantic flight in 1932. Earhart later authored a book about the flight titled 20 Hrs. 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship, with the title referencing the duration of the transatlantic journey. However, according to the flight log that Earhart herself maintained, the actual flight time was 20 hours and 49 minutes. Celebrity status When Earhart became famous, the press dubbed her "Lady Lindy", because of her physical resemblance to the famous male aviator Charles Lindbergh and "Queen of the Air". Immediately after her return to the United States, Earhart undertook an exhausting lecture tour in 1928 and 1929. Putnam had undertaken to heavily promote Earhart in a campaign that included publishing a book she wrote, a series of new lecture tours, and using pictures of her in media endorsements for products including luggage. Wanting to contribute to support Richard Evelyn Byrd's imminent expedition to the South Pole, Earhart accepted a Lucky Strike cigarettes endorsement deal with the money redirected to Byrd. After the Lucky Strike ads, McCall's magazine retracted their offer for Earhart to become their aviation editor. The marketing campaign by both Earhart and Putnam was successful in establishing the Earhart mystique in the public psyche. Rather than simply endorsing the products, Earhart became involved in the promotions, especially in women's fashions. The "active living" lines that were sold in stores such as Macy's were an expression of Earhart's new image. Her concept of simple, natural lines matched with wrinkle-proof, washable materials was the embodiment of a sleek, purposeful, but feminine "A.E.", the familiar name she used with family and friends. Celebrity endorsements helped Earhart finance her flying. Promoting aviation Earhart accepted a position as associate editor at Cosmopolitan and used it to campaign for greater public acceptance of aviation, especially focusing on the role of women entering the field. In 1929, Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) appointed Earhart and Margaret Bartlett Thornton to promote air travel, particularly for women, and Earhart helped set up the Ludington Airline, the first regional shuttle service between New York and Washington, D.C. Earhart was appointed Vice President of National Airways, which operated Boston-Maine Airways and several other airlines in the northeastern US, and by 1940 had become Northeast Airlines. In 1934, Earhart interceded on behalf of Isabel Ebel (who had helped Earhart in 1932) to be accepted as the first woman student of aeronautical engineering at New York University (NYU). Competitive flying In August 1928, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the North American continent and back. Her piloting skills and professionalism gradually grew, and she was acknowledged by experienced professional pilots who flew with her. General Leigh Wade, who flew with Earhart in 1929, said: "She was a born flier, with a delicate touch on the stick." Earhart made her first attempt at competitive air racing in 1929 during the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women's Air Derby (nicknamed the "Powder Puff Derby" by Will Rogers), which left Santa Monica, California, on August 18 and arrived at Cleveland, Ohio, on August 26. During the race, Earhart settled into fourth place in the "heavy planes" division. At the second-to-last stop at Columbus, Earhart's friend Ruth Nichols, who was in third place, had an accident; her aircraft hit a tractor and flipped over, forcing her out of the race. At Cleveland, Earhart was placed third in the heavy division. In 1930, Earhart became an official of the National Aeronautic Association, and in this role, she promoted the establishment of separate women's records and was instrumental in persuading the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) to accept a similar international standard. On April 8, 1931, Earhart set a world altitude record of 18,415 feet (5,613 m) flying a Pitcairn PCA-2 autogyro she borrowed from the Beech-Nut Chewing Gum company. During this period, Earhart became involved with Ninety-Nines, an organization of female pilots providing moral support and advancing the cause of women in aviation. In 1929, following the Women's Air Derby, Earhart called a meeting of female pilots. She suggested the name based on the number of the charter members, and became the organization's first president in 1930. Earhart was a vigorous advocate for female pilots; when the 1934 Bendix Trophy Race banned women from competing, Earhart refused to fly screen actor Mary Pickford to Cleveland to open the race. Marriage to George Putnam Earhart married her public relations manager George P. Putnam on February 7, 1931, in Putnam's mother's house in Noank, Connecticut, in what has been described as a marriage of convenience. Earhart gained a tireless promoter and Putnam—heir to a publishing company—gained an opportunity for cultural dominance. Earhart had been engaged to Samuel Chapman, a chemical engineer from Boston, but she broke off the engagement on November 23, 1928. Putnam, who was known as GP, was divorced in 1929 and sought out Earhart, proposing to her six times before she agreed to marry him. Earhart referred to her marriage as a "partnership" with "dual control"; in a letter to Putnam and hand-delivered to him on the day of the wedding, she wrote: I want you to understand I shall not hold you to any midaevil [sic] code of faithfulness to me nor shall I consider myself bound to you similarly ... I may have to keep some place where I can go to be by myself, now and then, for I cannot guarantee to endure at all times the confinement of even an attractive cage. Earhart's ideas on marriage were liberal for the time; she believed in equal responsibilities for both breadwinners and kept her own name rather than being referred to as "Mrs. Putnam". When The New York Times referred to her as "Mrs. Putnam", she laughed it off. Putnam also learned he would be called "Mr. Earhart". There was no honeymoon for the couple because Earhart was involved in a nine-day, cross-country tour promoting autogyros and the tour's sponsor Beech-Nut chewing gum. Earhart and Putnam never had children but Putnam had two sons—the explorer and writer David Binney Putnam (1913–1992), and George Palmer Putnam Jr. (1921–2013)—from his previous marriage to Dorothy Binney (1888–1982), an heir to her father's chemical company Binney & Smith. Transatlantic solo flight in 1932 On May 20, 1932, 34-year-old Earhart set off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, with a copy of the Telegraph-Journal, given to her by journalist Stuart Trueman to confirm the date of the flight. She intended to fly to Paris in her single engine Lockheed Vega 5B to emulate Charles Lindbergh's solo flight five years earlier. Her technical advisor for the flight was the Norwegian-American aviator Bernt Balchen, who helped prepare her aircraft and played the role of "decoy" for the press because he was ostensibly preparing Earhart's Vega for his own Arctic flight. After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes, during which she contended with strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems, Earhart landed in a pasture at Culmore, north of Derry, Northern Ireland. The landing was witnessed by Cecil King and T. Sawyer. When a farm hand asked, "Have you flown far?" Earhart replied, "From America." As the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic, Earhart received the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government, and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Herbert Hoover. As her fame grew, Earhart developed friendships with many people in high office, most notably First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who shared many of Earhart's interests, especially women's causes. After flying with Earhart, Roosevelt obtained a student permit but did not further pursue her plans to learn to fly. Earhart and Roosevelt frequently communicated with each other. Another flyer, Jacqueline Cochran, who was said to be Earhart's rival, also became her confidante during this period. Additional solo flights On January 11, 1935, Earhart became the first aviator to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. This time, Earhart used a Lockheed 5C Vega. Although many aviators had attempted this flight, including the participants in the 1927 Dole Air Race, which flew the opposite direction, and resulted in three deaths, Earhart's flight was mainly routine with no mechanical breakdowns. In her final hours, she relaxed and listened to "the broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera from New York". On April 19, 1935, using her Lockheed Vega aircraft that she had named "old Bessie, the fire horse", Earhart flew solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City. Earhart's next record attempt was a nonstop flight from Mexico City to New York. After she set off on May 8, her flight was uneventful, although large crowds that greeted her at Newark, New Jersey, were a concern, because she had to be careful not to taxi into them. Earhart again participated in the 1935 Bendix Trophy long-distance air race, finishing fifth, the best result she could manage because her stock Lockheed Vega, whose maximum speed was 195 mph (314 km/h), was outclassed by purpose-built aircraft that reached more than 300 mph (480 km/h). The race had been difficult because a competitor, Cecil Allen, died in a fire at takeoff, and Jacqueline Cochran was forced to pull out due to mechanical problems. In addition, "blinding fog" and violent thunderstorms plagued the race. Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven women's speed-and-distance aviation records in a variety of aircraft, including the Kinner Airster, Lockheed Vega, and Pitcairn Autogiro. By 1935, recognizing the limitations of her "lovely red Vega" in long, transoceanic flights, Earhart contemplated a new "prize ... one flight which I most wanted to attempt—a circumnavigation of the globe as near its waistline as could be." For the new venture, she would need a new aircraft. Move from New York to California In late November 1934, while Earhart was away on a speaking tour, a fire broke out at the Putnam residence in Rye, destroying many family treasures and Earhart's personal mementos. Putnam had already sold his interest in the New York-based publishing company to his cousin Palmer Putnam. Following the fire, the couple decided to move to the west coast, where Putnam took up his new position as head of the editorial board of Paramount Pictures in North Hollywood. At Earhart's urging, in June 1935, Putnam purchased a small house in Toluca Lake, a San Fernando Valley celebrity enclave community between the Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures studio complexes, where they had earlier rented a temporary residence. In September 1935, Earhart and Paul Mantz established a business partnership they had been considering since late 1934, and established the short-lived Earhart-Mantz Flying School, which Mantz controlled and operated through his aviation company United Air Services, which was based at Burbank Airport. Putnam handled publicity for the school, which primarily taught instrument flying using Link Trainers. Also in 1935, Earhart joined Purdue University as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and as a technical advisor to its Department of Aeronautics. World flight in 1937 Planning Early in 1936, Earhart started planning to fly around the world; if she succeeded, she would become the first woman to do so. Although others had flown around the world, Earhart's flight would be the longest at 29,000 miles (47,000 km) because it followed a roughly equatorial route. Earhart planned to court publicity along the route to increase interest in a planned book about the expedition. Purdue University established the Amelia Earhart Fund for Aeronautical Research and gave $50,000 (equivalent to $1,130,000 in 2024) to fund the purchase of a Lockheed Electra 10E airplane. In July 1936, Lockheed Aircraft Company built the airplane, which was fitted with extra fuel tanks and other extensive modifications. Earhart dubbed the twin-engine monoplane her "flying laboratory". The plane was built at Lockheed's plant in Burbank, California, and after delivery, it was hangared at the nearby Mantz's United Air Services. Earhart chose Harry Manning as her navigator; he had been the captain of the President Roosevelt, the ship that had transported Earhart from Europe in 1928. Manning was also a pilot and a skilled radio operator who knew Morse code. The original plan was a two-person crew: Earhart would fly and Manning would navigate. During a flight across the US that included Earhart, Manning, and Putnam, Earhart flew using landmarks; she and Putnam knew where they were. Manning did a navigation fix that alarmed Putnam, because Manning made a minor navigational error that put them in the wrong state; they were flying close to the state line, but Putnam was still concerned. Sometime later, Putnam and Mantz arranged a night flight to test Manning's navigational skill. Under poor navigational conditions, Manning's position was off by 20 miles (32 km). Elgen M. and Marie K. Long considered Manning's performance reasonable, because it was within an acceptable error of 30 miles (48 km), but Mantz and Putnam wanted a better navigator. Through contacts in the Los Angeles aviation community, Fred Noonan was chosen as a second navigator, because there were significant additional factors that had to be dealt with while using celestial navigation for aircraft. Noonan, a licensed ship's captain, was experienced in both marine and flight navigation; he had recently left Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), where he established most of the company's China Clipper seaplane routes across the Pacific. Noonan had also been responsible for training Pan American's navigators to fly the route between San Francisco and Manila. Under the original plans, Noonan would navigate from Hawaii to Howland Island—a difficult portion of the flight—then Manning would continue with Earhart to Australia, and she would proceed on her own for the remainder of the project. Abandoned first attempt On March 17, 1937, Earhart and her crew set out on the first leg of her round-the-world flight, but they abandoned this attempt after a non-fatal crash that damaged the aircraft. The first leg of this attempt was between Oakland, California, and Honolulu, Hawaii. The crew were Earhart, Noonan, Manning, and Mantz, who was acting as Earhart's technical advisor. The propeller hubs' variable pitch mechanisms had problems, so the aircraft was taken to the U.S. Navy's Luke Field facility at Pearl Harbor for servicing. The flight resumed three days later from Luke Field, with Earhart, Noonan and Manning on board. The next destination was Howland Island, a small island in the Pacific. Manning, the radio operator, had made arrangements to use radio direction finding to home in to the island. The flight never left Luke Field; during the takeoff run, there was an uncontrolled ground-loop, the forward landing gear collapsed, both propellers hit the ground, and the plane skidded on its belly. The cause of the crash is not known; some witnesses at Luke Field, including an Associated Press journalist, said they saw a tire blow. Earhart earlier thought the Electra's right tire had blown and the right landing gear had collapsed. Some sources, including Mantz, cited an error by Earhart. With the aircraft severely damaged, the attempt was abandoned and the aircraft was shipped to Lockheed in Burbank, California, for repairs. Second attempt While the Electra was being repaired, Earhart and Putnam secured additional funds and prepared for a second attempt, in which they would fly west to east. The second attempt began with an unpublicized flight from Oakland to Miami, Florida, and after arriving there, Earhart announced her plans to circumnavigate the globe. The flight's opposite direction was partly the result of changes in global wind-and-weather patterns along the planned route since the earlier attempt. Putnam pressed for the removal of important navigational, communication, and safety equipment to lighten the aircraft. Manning, the only skilled radio operator, had left the crew, which now consisted of Noonan and Earhart. The pair departed Miami on June 1 and after numerous stops in South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia, arrived at Lae, New Guinea, on June 29, 1937. At this stage, about 22,000 miles (35,000 km) of the journey had been completed. The remaining 7,000 miles (11,000 km) would be over the Pacific. Flight between Lae and Howland Island On July 2, 1937, at 10:00 am local time (12:00 am GMT), Earhart and Noonan took off from Lae Airfield in the heavily loaded Electra. Their destination was Howland Island, a flat sliver of land 6,500 ft (2,000 m) long and 1,600 ft (500 m) wide, 10 ft (3 m) high and 2,556 miles (2,221 nmi; 4,113 km) away. The expected flying time was about 20 hours; accounting for the two-hour time-zone difference between Lae and Howland, and the crossing of the International Date Line, the aircraft was expected to arrive at Howland the morning of the next day, 2 July. The aircraft departed Lae with about 1,100 U.S. gallons (4,200 liters) of gasoline. In preparation for the trip to Howland Island, the U.S. Coast Guard had sent the cutter USCGC Itasca (1929) to the island to offer communication and navigation support for the flight. The cutter was to communicate with Earhart's aircraft via radio, transmit a homing signal to help the aviators locate Howland Island, use radio direction-finding (RDF), and use the cutter's boilers to create a dark column of smoke that could be seen over the horizon. All of the navigation methods failed to guide Earhart to Howland Island. Around 3 pm Lae time, Earhart reported her altitude as 10,000 ft (3,000 m), but that they would reduce altitude due to thick clouds. Around 5 pm, Earhart reported her altitude as 7,000 ft (2,100 m) and speed as 150 kn (280 km/h; 170 mph). During Earhart's and Noonan's approach to Howland Island, Itasca received strong, clear voice transmissions from Earhart identifying as KHAQQ, but she was unable to hear voice transmissions from the ship. The first calls received from Earhart were routine reports stating the weather was cloudy and overcast at 2:45 am and just before 5 am on July 2. These calls were broken up by static, but at this point, the aircraft was a long distance from Howland. At 6:14 am, another call was received stating that the aircraft was within 200 miles (320 km) and requesting that the ship use its direction finder to provide a bearing for the aircraft. Earhart began whistling into the microphone to provide a continuous signal for the ship's crew to use. At this point, the radio operators on Itasca realized their RDF system could not tune into the aircraft's signal on 3105 kHz; radioman Leo Bellarts later commented he "was sitting there sweating blood because I couldn't do a darn thing about it". A similar call asking for a bearing was received at 6:45 am, when Earhart estimated they were 100 miles (160 km) away. An Itasca radio log at 7:30–7:40 am states the aircraft had only a half hour of fuel remaining. A further radio log states they thought they were near Itasca but could not locate it and were flying at 1,000 ft (300 m). In her transmission at 7:58 am, Earhart said she could not hear Itasca and asked them to send voice signals so she could try to take a radio bearing. Itasca reported this signal as the loudest possible signal, indicating Earhart and Noonan were in the immediate area. The ship could not send voice at the frequency she asked for so they sent Morse code signals instead. Earhart acknowledged receiving these but said she was unable to determine their direction. The last voice transmission received on Howland Island from Earhart indicated she and Noonan were flying along a line of position running north-to-south on 157–337 degrees, which Noonan would have calculated and drawn on a chart as passing through Howland. After all contact with Howland Island was lost, attempts to reach the flyers with voice and Morse code transmissions were made. Operators across the Pacific and in the United States may have heard signals from the Electra but these were weak or unintelligible. A series of misunderstandings, errors or mechanical failures are likely to have occurred on the final approach to Howland Island. Noonan had earlier written about problems affecting the accuracy of RDF in navigation. Another cited cause of possible confusion was that Itasca and Earhart planned their communication schedule using time systems set a half-hour apart; Earhart was using Greenwich Civil Time (GCT) and Itasca was using a Naval time-zone designation system. Sources have noted Earhart's apparent lack of familiarity with her direction-finding system, which had been fitted to the aircraft just prior to the flight. The system was equipped with a new receiver from Bendix Corporation. Earhart's only training on the system was a brief introduction by Joe Gurr at the Lockheed factory. A card displaying the antenna's band settings was mounted so it was not visible. The Electra expected Itasca to transmit signals the Electra could use as an RDF beacon to find the ship. In theory, the plane could listen for the signal while rotating its loop antenna; a sharp minimum indicates the direction of the RDF beacon. The Electra's RDF equipment had failed due to a blown fuse during an earlier leg flying to Darwin; the fuse was replaced. Near Howland, Earhart could hear the transmission from Itasca on 7500 kHz, but she was unable to determine a minimum so she could not determine a direction to the ship. Earhart was also unable to determine a minimum during an RDF test at Lae. Disappearance The U.S. government investigated the aircraft's disappearance and, in its report, concluded Earhart's plane ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean. During the 1970s, retired United States Navy (USN) captain Laurance Safford began a lengthy analysis of the flight. His research included the intricate radio-transmission documentation. Safford concluded the flight had suffered from poor planning and worse execution. Many researchers believe Earhart and Noonan died during or shortly after the crash. In 1982, retired USN rear admiral Richard R. Black, who was in administrative charge of the Howland Island airstrip and was present in the radio room on Itasca, said: "the Electra went into the sea about 10 am, July 2, 1937, not far from Howland." Earhart's stepson George Palmer Putnam Jr. has said he believes "the plane just ran out of gas". According to Earhart biographer Susan Butler, the aircraft went into the ocean out of sight of Howland Island and rests on the seafloor at a depth of 17,000 ft (5 km). Tom D. Crouch, senior curator of the National Air and Space Museum, has said the Electra is "18,000 ft. down" and compared its archaeological significance to that of RMS Titanic. British aviation historian Roy Nesbit interpreted evidence in contemporary accounts and Putnam's correspondence and concluded Earhart's Electra was not fully fueled at Lae. William L. Polhemous, the navigator on Ann Pellegreno's 1967 flight that followed Earhart and Noonan's original flight path, studied navigational tables for July 2, 1937, and thought Noonan may have miscalculated the "single line approach" to Howland. Search efforts Beginning approximately one hour after Earhart's last recorded message, Itasca undertook an unsuccessful search north and west of Howland Island based on initial assumptions about transmissions from the aircraft and Earhart's account of weather conditions. The U.S. Navy joined the search and over about three days sent available resources to the search area near Howland Island. Official search efforts lasted until July 19, 1937. At $4 million (equivalent to $87 million in 2024), the air-and-sea search by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard was the costliest and most intensive in U.S. history up to that time. Despite the unprecedented search, no physical evidence of Earhart, Noonan, or the Electra 10E was found. On the mornings of July 3 and July 6, 1937, an Oakland radio amateur was reported to have heard emergency transmissions, seemingly from Earhart. In the days after their last confirmed transmissions, further transmissions purporting to be from Earhart were reported, many of which were determined to be hoaxes. The captain of USS Colorado later said: "There was no doubt many stations were calling the Earhart plane on the plane's frequency, some by voice and others by signals. All of these added to the confusion and doubtfulness of the authenticity of the reports." Immediately after the end of the official search, Putnam financed a private search by local authorities of nearby Pacific islands and waters. In late July 1937, Putnam chartered two small boats and, while he remained in the United States, directed a search of other islands. Putnam acted to become the trustee of Earhart's estate so he could pay for the searches and related bills. In probate court in Los Angeles, Putnam asked to have the "declared death in absentia" seven-year waiting period waived so he could manage Earhart's finances. As a result, Earhart was declared legally dead on January 5, 1939. In 2003 and 2006, David Jourdan extensively searched a 1,200-square-mile (3,100 km2) area north and west of Howland Island with deep-sea sonar devices. The searches cost $4.5 million but did not find any wreckage. The search locations were derived from the line of position (157–337) broadcast by Earhart on July 2, 1937. In 2019, Robert Ballard led an expedition around Nikumaroro Island to locate wreckage of Earhart's plane and did not find any evidence of it. In 2024, Tony Romeo funded and coordinated an expedition around Howland Island to find Earhart's plane and did not find any evidence of it. Speculation on disappearance While most historians believe Earhart and Noonan crashed and sank in the Pacific Ocean, a number of other possibilities have been proposed, including several conspiracy theories. The Gardner Island hypothesis supposes Earhart and Noonan were unable to find Howland Island and continued south. Gardner island, one of the Phoenix Islands that is now known as Nikumaroro, has been the subject of inquiry as a possible crash-landing site but, despite numerous expeditions, no link between Earhart and the island has ever been found. The Japanese capture theory assumes Japanese forces captured Earhart and Noonan after they navigated to the Japanese South Seas Mandate. A number of Earhart's relatives have been convinced the Japanese were somehow involved in her disappearance, citing unnamed witnesses including Japanese troops and Saipan natives. The New Britain theory assumes Earhart turned back mid-flight and tried to reach the airfield at Rabaul, New Britain, northeast of mainland Papua New Guinea, approximately 2,200 miles (3,500 km) from Howland Island. In 1990, Donald Angwin, a veteran of the Australian Army's World War II New Britain campaign, reported that in 1945 he had seen a wrecked aircraft in the jungle that may have been Earhart's Electra. Subsequent searches of the area failed to find any wreckage. In November 2006, National Geographic Channel aired an episode of its series Undiscovered History that supposed Earhart survived the world flight, changed her name, remarried, and became Irene Craigmile Bolam. This claim had originally been published in the book Amelia Earhart Lives (1970), which is based on the research of Joseph Gervais. Shortly after the book's publication, Bolam filed a lawsuit requesting $1.5 million in damages (equivalent to $12 million in 2024) and the book's publisher McGraw-Hill withdrew it from the market; court records indicate the company reached an out-of-court settlement with her. The book has since gone back into print. Legacy During her life, Earhart embraced celebrity culture and women's rights, and since her disappearance, she has become a global cultural icon. Countless tributes and memorials have been made in Earhart's name, including a 2012 tribute by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said at a State Department event celebrating the ties of Earhart and the United States to its Pacific neighbors: "Earhart ... created a legacy that resonates today for anyone, girls and boys, who dreams of the stars". In 2013, Flying magazine ranked Earhart No. 9 on its list of the "51 Heroes of Aviation". Earhart was a widely known, international celebrity during her lifetime. Her shyly charismatic appeal, independence, persistence, coolness under pressure, courage and goal-oriented career, along with the circumstances of her disappearance at a comparatively early age, have driven her lasting fame in popular culture. Hundreds of articles and scores of books have been written about her life, which is often cited as a motivational tale, especially for girls. Earhart is generally regarded as a feminist icon. Earhart's accomplishments in aviation inspired a generation of female aviators, including more-than 1,000 female pilots of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), who served during World War II. The home where Earhart was born is now the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum and is maintained by Ninety-Nines, an international group of female pilots of which Earhart was the first elected president. The Amelia Earhart Festival has taken place in Atchison, Kansas, every year since 1996. Tributes and memorials Tributary flights In 1967, Ann Pellegreno flew a similar aircraft to Earhart's, a Lockheed 10A Electra, to complete a round-the-world flight that followed Earhart's flight plan. On the 30th anniversary of her disappearance, Pellegreno dropped a wreath over Howland island in Earhart's honor. In 1997, on the 60th anniversary of Earhart's round-the-world flight, San Antonio businesswoman Linda Finch retraced the final flight path, flying a restored 1935 Lockheed Electra 10, the same make and model of aircraft as Earhart's. In 2001, another commemorative flight retraced the route Earhart flew in her August 1928 transcontinental record flight; Carlene Mendieta flew an original Avro Avian, the same type of aircraft that was used in 1928. Buildings and structures In 1942, a United States Liberty ship named SS Amelia Earhart was launched; it was wrecked in 1948. USNS Amelia Earhart was named in her honor in May 2007. In 1964, Purdue University opened Earhart Hall in honor of her legacy and contribution to the university during her time as a career counselor for female students and technical advisor for the aeronautics department. In 2009, Purdue erected a bronze statue of Earhart holding a propeller in front of the residence hall named after her. The university board recently approved plans to name the new Purdue University Airport terminal the Amelia Earhart Terminal. The Earhart Light, also known as the Amelia Earhart Light, is a navigational day beacon on Howland Island, where she was due to land before she went missing. It is no longer operational. Amelia Earhart Airport in Atchison, Kansas, was named in her honor. Amelia Earhart Dam on Mystic River in eastern Massachusetts is named in her honor. The "Earhart Tree" on Banyan Drive in Hilo, Hawaii, was planted by Earhart in 1935. Other tributes The Amelia Earhart Commemorative Stamp (8¢ airmail postage) was issued in 1963 by the United States Postmaster-General. Earhart was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1992. A full-sized bronze statue of Earhart was placed at the Spirit of Flight Center in Lafayette, Colorado, in 2008. A statue by Ernest Shelton was erected circa 1971 in Los Angeles, California. A small section of Earhart's Lockheed Electra starboard engine nacelle that was recovered following the March 1937 Hawaii crash has been confirmed as authentic and is now regarded as a control piece that will help authenticate possible future discoveries. The Amelia Earhart Fellowship was established by Zonta International in 1938. It awards US$10,000 annually to up to 30 women pursuing Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. Since the program's inception in 1938, Zonta has awarded 1,764 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than US$11.9 million, to 1,335 women from 79 countries. In popular culture Earhart's life has been the subject of many writers; the following collection of examples make no claims of completeness: Novels and plays In the 2021 alternate history novella Or Even Eagle Flew by Harry Turtledove, Earhart does not go missing in 1937 and later joins the Eagle Squadrons of the British Royal Air Force to fight against the Nazis in World War II. The events surrounding Earhart and Noonan's disappearance are dramatized in the 1996 novel I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn. In 2011, the Great Canadian Theatre Company hosted a musical play titled Amelia: The Girl Who Wants To Fly. This is one of numerous plays on the subject. Film and television The Rosalind Russell film Flight for Freedom (1943) was derived from a treatment of "Stand by to Die", a fictionalized treatment of Earhart's life. "Amelia Earhart: The Price of Courage" (1993) is an American Experience television documentary. Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994) starring Diane Keaton, Rutger Hauer, and Bruce Dern, was initially released as a television movie and subsequently rereleased as a theatrical feature. The events surrounding Earhart and Noonan's disappearance are dramatized in the science fiction television show Star Trek: Voyager, episode "The 37's" (1995), with Sharon Lawrence portraying Earhart. In the biopic film Amelia (2009), Earhart is portrayed by Hilary Swank. In the 2009 American fantasy comedy film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Earhart is portrayed by Amy Adams. Music Plainsong released a tribute album, In Search of Amelia Earhart (Elektra K42120), in 1972. Both the album and the Press Pak released by Elektra have become collectables and have gained a cult status. Singer Joni Mitchell's song "Amelia" appears on her album Hejira (1976) and it also features in the video of her 1980 live album Shadows and Light (1980) with clips of Earhart. Commenting on the origins of the song, which interweaves the story of a desert journey with aspects of Earhart's disappearance, Mitchell said: "I was thinking of Amelia Earhart and addressing it from one solo pilot to another ... sort of reflecting on the cost of being a woman and having something you must do". The 2024 Public Service Broadcasting album The Last Flight tells the story of Earhart's final flight. Other Lego produced a limited run of the Amelia Earhart Tribute "Little Red Bus" Lego Model Number 40450. Earhart was one of several inspiring women who are represented in a line of Barbie dolls introduced on March 6, 2018. Team Fortress 2 features Earhart in their comic A Cold Day in Hell. The mercenaries find her plane crashed in Siberia. Earhart was profiled in the National Portrait Gallery's exhibit, ONE LIFE: Amelia Earhart. Records and achievements Woman's world altitude record: 14,000 ft (1922) First woman to fly the Atlantic Ocean (1928) Speed records for 100 km (and with 500 lb (230 kg) cargo) (1931) First woman to fly an autogyro (1931) Altitude record for autogyros: 18,415 ft (1931) First woman to cross the United States in an autogyro (1931) First woman to fly the Atlantic solo (1932) First person to fly the Atlantic twice (1932) First woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross (1932) First woman to fly nonstop, coast-to-coast across the U.S. (1932) Women's speed transcontinental record (1933) First person to fly solo between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Oakland, California (1935) First person to fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City (1935) First person to fly solo nonstop from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey (1935) Speed record for east-to-west flight from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii (1937) First person to fly solo from the Red Sea to Karachi (1937) Books by Earhart Earhart was a successful and heavily promoted writer who served as aviation editor for Cosmopolitan from 1928 to 1930. She wrote magazine articles, newspaper columns, and essays, and published two books based upon her experiences as a flyer during her lifetime: 20 Hrs. 40 Min. (1928) is a journal of her experiences as the first woman passenger on a transatlantic flight. The Fun of It (1932) is a memoir of her flying experiences and an essay on women in aviation. Last Flight (1937) features the periodic journal entries she sent to the United States during her round-the-world flight attempt, and was published in newspapers in the weeks prior to her departure from New Guinea. The journal was compiled by Earhart's husband GP Putnam after her disappearance over the Pacific. Many historians consider this book to be only partially Earhart's original work. See also Notes References Works cited Further reading External links The Official Website of Amelia Earhart (The Family of Amelia Earhart) Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum Papers Records Relating to Amelia Earhart – National Archives George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers at Purdue University Libraries General Correspondence: Earhart, Amelia, 1932–1934, The Wilbur and Orville Wright
Chris John (boxer)	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Chris John (boxer).	Tell me a bio of Chris John (boxer).	Tell me a bio of Chris John (boxer) within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Chris John (boxer) with around 100 words.	Yohannes Christian "Chris" John (born 14 September 1979) is an Indonesian former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title from 2004 to 2009, then held the (Super version) from 2009 to 2013, with his near decade-long reign being the second longest in the division's history (after Johnny Kilbane). During his reign, John defended the title against 16 boxers, the second most in featherweight history (after Eusebio Pedroza). Chris "The Dragon" John is the fourth Indonesian boxer to win a world title, following Ellyas Pical, Nico Thomas and Muhammad Rachman. In 2013, John announced his retirement from boxing, following his only career defeat to Simpiwe Vetyeka. Early life Chris John was born as Yohannes Christian John in Banjarnegara, on 14 September 1979. He is the second son of four siblings of Johan Tjahjadi (real name: Tjia Foek Sem) who is of Chinese descent and Maria Warsini. Boxing has been a part of John's life since his childhood. John's father was a former amateur boxer in Indonesia. He introduced boxing to his sons, John and his younger brother Adrian, at an early age of 5. John's Father inspired him by regaling with stories of hard fought battles and triumphant victories. Given the choice to fight or pursue other sports, John chose boxing and became an amateur champion in Banjarnegara. In 1997, Chris caught the attention of renowned boxing trainer, Sutan Rambing. Sutan recruited John into his gym and relocated John to Semarang, a city in Central Java. Sutan served as John's trainer till 2004 and soon after parted ways when John won his first major world title. Professional career John turned professional in 1997 and was known as "Thin Man" before he proclaimed his new nickname "The Dragon" that he now uses. In his first professional fight, John won by knockout, beating a local fighter Word Kanda. In his 6th bout, the reputation of Chris John rose when he knocked out the national featherweight Champion in a 12 rounds bout, Muhammad Afaridzi. John was knocked down twice in round one, but he managed to reverse the situation by knocking Alfaridzi in round 12. According to Chris John, his nose was bleeding profusely resulting from a broken nose that occurred in the 1st round. Following the win over Dae-Kyun Park, Chris captured the PABA Featherweight title from the. John was given the opportunity to fight hard-hitting Oscar León of Colombia for the WBA featherweight title on 26 September 2003 in Bali. John was The Ring's #8-ranked featherweight in the world (and #10 pound-for-pound), while Oscar was the #5-ranked featherweight in the world and #5 pound-for-pound. This was Oscar's second title fight in his career. His first, losing to then WBA featherweight champion Derrick Gainer in a twelve-round split-decision. While both fighters were in their mid 20s, Oscar had several physical advantages over John: an inch in height and 5 inches in reach. John won by split decision in a 12-round match to win the WBA Featherweight title. John vs. Rojas After defeating Osamu Sato in Tokyo, Japan, John was given the opportunity to fight Jose Rojas of Venezuela in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan. The fight result was concluded as a technical draw because accidental head clash in round 4. John was deeply cut, and Rojas was slightly cut. Rojas entered as the challenger after Derrick Gainer refused to sign contract with the promoter. In 2005, John split with trainer Sutan Rambing prior to Derrick Gainer Fight. Preparing for this bout Chris joined Harry's Gym in Perth, Australia, where he is currently trained and managed by Craig Christian. Five months after the fight with Oscar, Chris went on to defend his WBA title to former champion Derrick Gainer. Heading to the bout, Derrick was favourite to take the title he lost 2 years ago to Lineal Champion Juan Manuel Marquez. It was considered to be an important fight for both men. Despite scoring a first round knockdown, Derrick Gainer's attempt to once again win a world featherweight title failed at the Britama Arena Sport Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia. John won the match decisively by 12 round unanimous decision(118-109, 118-111, and 118-110). John vs. Márquez In the year of 2006, quadruple champion Juan Manuel Márquez challenged Chris for his WBA featherweight championship. Coming into the bout, Marquez fought to a draw against Manny Pacquiao. John won by Unanimous Decision over 12 rounds. Marquez and his team disputed the decision, although all three judges scored in favour of John. In 2012, following Marquez's upset win over Pacquiao, Chris John called him out for a second bout to be staged in Singapore or Macau in a neutral ground. "I am a much better boxer than him (Marquez) and I have more speed and skill," said John. "I will fight Marquez at any weight because it is a big money fight," John, told the Straits Times. Australian promoter Angelo Hyder said he would propose a fight at lightweight, meaning the Mexican would have to shed weight and John would have to gain about four kilograms (nine pounds). The bout never came to fruition. John vs. Enoki Prior to this bout, both fighters were undefeated, John standing at 41-0 and Enoki at 27-0. This was Hiroyuki Enoki first shot at a world title. A lot of hype was built up coming into the fight due to the history of world war two as Indonesia was a colony of Japan. This fight was staged in a sold out korakuen hall in Tokyo, Japan. John took control from the outset and won unanimously by scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111. This marked John's 10th world title defense. John vs. Juarez Following the Enoki Fight, Chris called out perennial contender Rocky Juarez. In an interview with Secondsout, John said, "I want all boxing fans to be able to see me in the ring. I just want to fight the best fighters in the world and by going to the United States, I can fight the best. I watched Rocky Juarez’ last fight with Jorge Barrios. Juarez would be a good fight for me. I am ready for him and anyone else at featherweight or super featherweight. On February 28, 2009, the title fight materialize with Rocky Juarez in Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, which served as the main undercard for Juan Manuel Márquez vs. Juan Díaz. This was the first time he had fought on American soil. The fight was a unanimous draw after 12 competitive rounds, with all three judges scoring it 114-114. The fight was listed in Ring Magazines 20 Biggest Robberies in the last 20 years. John vs. Juarez II The long-awaited rematch between Chris John and Rocky Juarez was staged in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, as part of the undercard to Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Márquez. John entered as the # 1 featherweight in the world according to The Ring Magazine. Juarez, a 2.1-1 underdog, came in as the # 4 featherweight. The bout, originally scheduled for June 27, was delayed due to a blood issue with Chris John. John had been reportedly feeling ill and fainted in training following a three-round sparring session. Tests two weeks later, however, showed no irregularities. The rematch, the fight was one sided with John retaining his WBA title via 119-109, 117-111, 114-113, 12 round unanimous decision. John vs. Yordan Fellow Indonesian and leading contender Daud Yordan was next in line to fight John. The event was held in Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran Central Jakarta on 17 April 2011. Chris John won a unanimous decision over his challenger by scores of 117-112, 116-112, and 116-112. John vs. Kimura John defended his title for the 16th time on May 5, 2012, by defeating Japanese Shoji Kimura by unanimous decision. This marked his first win in Singapore and first out of his five fights contract in Marina Bay Sands. John vs. Piriyapinyo Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo was the second undefeated fighter to challenge for John's featherweight title. This served as his second bout in Marina Bay Sands. Billed as the "Battle of the Undefeated'. Coming into the fight, the Thai fighter was ranked 6th in the featherweight division. Chris John successfully defended his WBA featherweight title for the 17th time on Friday in Singapore, as the Indonesian Pride beat Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo by unanimous decision, with scores of 117-111, 119-109, and 119-109." In the Post fight interview, Chris John called out fellow champions Daniel Ponce de León, Billy Dib and Orlando Salido from other associations for a unification bout for the featherweight belt. John vs. Hosono Satoshi Hosono, rated 7th by WBA in the featherweight division, became John's 6th challenger from Japan. Fighting on April 14, 2013 at the Indoor Tennis Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia, John suffered severe bleeding from his temple and forehead due to the headbutt which happened in round 3 of 12. The fight was declared as a technical draw, and John retained his title. John vs. Vetyeka John lost the WBA Super World featherweight title to Simpiwe Vetyeka on December 6, 2013, when John retired on his stool after the sixth of twelve rounds. Vetyeka's IBO featherweight title was also on the line. It was John's first professional loss and brought his ten-year WBA title reign to an end. After this loss, John decided to retire from boxing. Announcing his retirement on RCTI (Indonesia) Live with trainer Craig Christian and management team of Yonathan Periatna and Tony Tolj (Australia) and Angelo Hyder. Now he runs his personal business with his wife, while filming a number of TV commercials and becoming a motivator, sometimes appearing on TV shows. Trainers in boxing 1984–1997: Johan Tjahjadi (John's father) 1997–2004: Sutan Rambing 2005–2013: Craig Christian Awards John was named awarded the Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s by the WBA, in a ceremony which took place in Panama City on 29 February 2012. This award was previously held by Roy Jones Jr. for his achievements in the 1990s. In addition to being a professional boxer, John is also a member of the national wushu team. His successful achievements as a wushu athlete include: Bronze medalist, South East Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2001 Gold medalist, South East Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, 1997 Gold medalist, Indonesian multi events games (National Olympic), Jakarta, 1996 Gold medalist, Indonesian wushu championship Professional boxing record References External links Boxing record for Chris John from BoxRec (registration required)
Blair Tugman	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Blair Tugman.	Tell me a bio of Blair Tugman.	Tell me a bio of Blair Tugman within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Blair Tugman with around 100 words.	Blair Tugman is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for CES MMA. Mixed martial arts career Bellator MMA Tugman faced A.J. McKee at Bellator 182 on August 25, 2017. He lost via unanimous decision. Mixed martial arts record See also List of current Bellator fighters List of male mixed martial artists References External links Professional MMA record for Blair Tugman from Sherdog Blair Tugman at Tapology.com Blair Tugman at ESPN.com Blair Tugman on Facebook Official website
Tom Coburn	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Tom Coburn.	Tell me a bio of Tom Coburn.	Tell me a bio of Tom Coburn within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Tom Coburn with around 100 words.	Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States senator from Oklahoma from 2005 to 2015. A Republican, Coburn previously served as a United States representative from 1995 to 2001. Coburn was an obstetrician who operated a private medical practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994 as part of the Republican Revolution. After being re-elected twice, Coburn upheld his campaign pledge to serve no more than three consecutive terms and did not seek re-election in 2000. In 2004, he returned to political life with a successful run for the United States Senate. Coburn was re-elected to a second Senate term in 2010 and kept his pledge not to seek a third term in 2016. In January 2014, Coburn announced that he would resign before the expiration of his final term due to a recurrence of prostate cancer. He submitted a letter of resignation to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, effective at the end of the 113th Congress. Coburn was a fiscal and social conservative known for his opposition to deficit spending, pork barrel projects, and abortion. Described as "the godfather of the modern conservative austerity movement", he supported term limits, gun rights and the death penalty, and opposed same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research. Many Democrats referred to him as "Dr. No" due to his frequent use of technicalities to block federal spending bills. After leaving Congress, Coburn worked with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research on its efforts to reform the Food and Drug Administration, becoming a senior fellow of the institute in December 2016. Coburn also served as a senior advisor to Citizens for Self-Governance, where he was active in calling for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. Early life, education, and medical career Coburn was born in Casper, Wyoming, the son of Anita Joy (née Allen) and Orin Wesley Coburn. Coburn's father was an optician and founder of Coburn Optical Industries, and a named donor to O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University. Coburn graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Oklahoma State University, where he was also a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1968, he married Carolyn Denton, the 1967 Miss Oklahoma; their three daughters are Callie, Katie and Sarah, a leading operatic soprano. One of the top ten seniors in the School of Business, Coburn served as president of the College of Business Student Council. From 1970 to 1978, Coburn served as a manufacturing manager at the Ophthalmic Division of Coburn Optical Industries in Colonial Heights, Virginia. While Coburn was manager, the Virginia division of Coburn Optical grew from 13 employees to over 350 and captured 35 percent of the U.S. market. After recovering from an occurrence of malignant melanoma, Coburn pursued a medical degree and graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School with honors in 1983. He then opened Maternal & Family Practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and served as a deacon in a Southern Baptist Church. During his career in obstetrics, he treated over 15,000 patients, delivered 4,000 babies and was subject to one malpractice lawsuit, which was dismissed without finding Coburn at fault. Together Coburn and his wife were members of First Baptist Church of Muskogee. Sterilization controversy A sterilization Coburn performed on a 20-year-old woman, Angela Plummer, in 1990, became what was called "the most incendiary issue" of his Senate campaign. Coburn performed the sterilization on the woman during an emergency surgery to treat a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, removing her healthy intact fallopian tube as well as the one damaged by the surgery. The woman sued Coburn, alleging that he did not have consent to sterilize her, while Coburn claimed he had her oral consent. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed with no finding of liability on Coburn's part. The state attorney general claimed that Coburn committed Medicaid fraud by not reporting the sterilization when he filed a claim for the emergency surgery. Medicaid did not reimburse doctors for sterilization procedures for patients under 21 and according to the attorney general, Coburn would not have been reimbursed at all had he disclosed this information. Coburn says since he did not file a claim for the sterilization, no fraud was committed. No charges were filed against Coburn for this claim. Political career House career In 1994, Coburn ran for the House of Representatives in Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district, which was based in Muskogee and included 22 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Coburn initially expected to face eight-term incumbent Mike Synar. However, Synar was defeated in a runoff for the Democratic nomination by a 71-year-old retired principal, Virgil Cooper. According to Coburn's 2003 book, Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders, Coburn and Cooper got along well, since both were opposed to the more liberal Synar. The general election was cordial since both men knew that Synar would not return to Washington regardless of the outcome. Coburn won by a 52%–48% margin, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since 1921. Coburn was one of the most conservative members of the House. He supported "reducing the size of the federal budget," wanted to make abortion illegal and supported the proposed television V-chip legislation. Despite representing a heavily Democratic district and President Bill Clinton's electoral dominance therein, Coburn was reelected in 1996 and 1998. In the House, Coburn earned a reputation as a political maverick due to his frequent battles with House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Most of these stand-offs stemmed from his belief that the Republican caucus was moving toward the political center and away from the more conservative Contract With America policy proposals that had brought the Republicans into power in Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years. Coburn endorsed conservative activist and former diplomat Alan Keyes in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries. Coburn retired from Congress in 2001, fulfilling his pledge to serve no more than three terms in the House. His congressional district returned to the Democratic fold, as attorney Brad Carson defeated Andy Ewing, a Republican endorsed by Coburn. After leaving the House and returning to private medical practice, Coburn wrote Breach of Trust, with ghostwriter John Hart, about his experiences in Congress. The book detailed Coburn's perspective on the internal Republican Party debates over the Contract With America and displayed his disdain for career politicians. Some of the figures he criticized (such as Gingrich) were already out of office at the time of the book's publishing, but others (such as former House Speaker Dennis Hastert) remained influential in Congress, which resulted in speculation that some congressional Republicans wanted no part of Coburn's return to politics. During his tenure in the House, Coburn wrote and passed far-reaching pieces of legislation. These include laws to expand seniors' health care options, to protect access to home health care in rural areas and to allow Americans to access cheaper medications from Canada and other nations. Coburn also wrote a law intended to prevent the spread of AIDS to infants. The Wall Street Journal said about the law, "In 10 long years of AIDS politics and funding, this is actually the first legislation to pass in this country that will rescue babies." He also wrote a law to renew and reform federal AIDS care programs. In 2002, President George W. Bush chose Coburn to serve as co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). During his three terms in the House, Coburn also played an influential role in reforming welfare and other federal entitlement programs. Schindler's List TV broadcast As a congressman in 1997, Coburn protested NBC's plan to air the R-rated Academy Award-winning Holocaust drama Schindler's List during prime time. Coburn stated that, in airing the movie without editing it for television, TV had been taken "to an all-time low, with full-frontal nudity, violence and profanity." He also said the TV broadcast should outrage parents and decent-minded individuals everywhere. Coburn described the airing of Schindler's List on television as "irresponsible sexual behavior. I cringe when I realize that there were children all across this nation watching this program." This statement met with strong criticism, as the film deals mainly with the Holocaust. After heavy criticism, Coburn apologized "to all those I have offended" and clarified that he agreed with the movie being aired on television, but stated that it should have been on later in the evening. In apologizing, Coburn said that at that time of the evening there are still large numbers of children watching without parental supervision and stated that he stood by his message of protecting children from violence, but had expressed it poorly. He also said, "My intentions were good, but I've obviously made an error in judgment in how I've gone about saying what I wanted to say." He later wrote in Breach of Trust that he considered this one of the biggest mistakes in his life and that, while he still felt the material was unsuitable for a 7 p.m. television broadcast, he handled the situation poorly. Senate career After three years out of politics, Coburn announced his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by four-term incumbent Republican Don Nickles. Former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys (the favorite of the state and national Republican establishment) and Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony joined the field before Coburn. However, Coburn won the primary by an unexpectedly large margin, taking 61% of the vote to Humphreys's 25%. In the general election, he faced Brad Carson, the Democrat who had succeeded him in the 2nd District and was giving up his seat after only two terms. In the election, Coburn won by a margin of 53% to Carson's 42%. While Carson routed Coburn in the generally heavily Democratic 2nd District, Coburn swamped Carson in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and the closer-in Tulsa suburbs. Coburn won the state's two largest counties, Tulsa and Oklahoma, by a combined 86,000 votes, more than half of his overall margin of 166,000 votes cast. Coburn's Senate voting record was as conservative as his House record. Coburn was re-elected in 2010. He received 90% of the vote in the Republican primary and 70% in the general election. While he already planned on not seeking a third term in the Senate due to his self-imposed two-term term limit, on January 16, 2014, Coburn announced he would resign his office before his term ended at the end of the year due to his declining health. On April 29, 2014, Coburn introduced the Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014 (S. 2270; 113th Congress) into the Senate and it passed on June 3, 2014. Use of Senate hold Coburn used the Senate hold privilege to prevent several bills from coming to the Senate floor. Coburn earned a reputation for his use of this procedural mechanism. In November 2009 Coburn drew attention for placing a hold on a veterans benefits bill known as the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act. Coburn also placed a hold on a bill intended to help end hostilities in Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army. On May 23, 2007, Coburn blocked two bills honoring the 100th birthday of Rachel Carson. Coburn called Carson's scientific work "junk science," proclaiming that Carson's landmark book Silent Spring was "the catalyst in the deadly worldwide stigmatization against insecticides, especially DDT." Democratic Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland had intended to submit a resolution celebrating Carson for her "legacy of scientific rigor coupled with poetic sensibility," but Coburn blocked it, saying that "the junk science and stigma surrounding DDT—the cheapest and most effective insecticide on the planet—have finally been jettisoned." In response to Coburn's holds, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the Advancing America's Priorities Act, S. 3297, in July 2008. S. 3297 combined thirty-five bills which Coburn had blocked into what Democrats called the "Tomnibus" bill. The bill included health care provisions, new penalties for child pornography, and several natural resources bills. The bill failed a cloture vote. Coburn opposed parts of the legislation creating the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Area, which would add protections to wildlands in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Coburn exercised a hold on the legislation in both March and November 2008, and decried the required $10 million for surveying and mapping as wasteful. The Mount Hood bill would have been the largest amount of land added to federal protection since 1984. In March 2009, those wilderness areas became protected under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which passed the Senate 73–21. According to the Boston Globe, Coburn initially blocked passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), objecting to provisions in the bill that allow discrimination based on genetic information from embryos and fetuses. After the embryo loophole was closed, Coburn lifted his hold on the bill. Coburn had initially blocked passage of the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, which would help to disarm the Lord's Resistance Army, a political group accused of human rights abuses. On March 9, 2010, Coburn lifted his hold on the LRA bill freeing it to move to the Senate floor after reaching a compromise regarding the funding of the bill, and an eleven-day protest outside of his office. John Ensign scandal Coburn was affiliated with a religious organization called The Family. Coburn previously lived in one of the Family's Washington, D.C. dormitories with then-Senator John Ensign, another Family member and longtime resident of the C Street Center who admitted he had an extramarital affair with a staffer in 2009. The announcement by Ensign of his infidelity brought public scrutiny of the Family and its connection to other high-ranking politicians, including Coburn. Coburn, together with senior members of the Family, attempted to intervene to end Ensign's affair in February 2008, before the affair became public, including by meeting with the husband of Ensign's mistress and encouraging Ensign to write a letter to his mistress breaking off the affair. Ensign was driven to a branch of FedEx from the C Street Center to post the letter, shortly after which Ensign called to tell his mistress to ignore it. Coburn refused to speak about his involvement in Ensign's affair or his knowledge of the affair well before it became public, asserting legal privilege due to his statuses as a licensed physician in Oklahoma and a deacon. In October 2009, Coburn made a statement to The New York Times about Ensign's affair and cover-up: "John got trapped doing something really stupid and then made a lot of other mistakes afterward. Judgment gets impaired by arrogance and that's what's going on here." In May 2011, the Senate Ethics Committee identified Coburn in their report on the ethics violations of Ensign. The report stated that Coburn knew about Ensign's extramarital affair and was involved in trying to negotiate a financial settlement to cover it up. Whistleblower rights Coburn was involved in the Bush Administration's struggle with Congress over whistleblower rights. In the case of Garcetti v. Ceballos, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government employees who testify against their employers did not have protection from retaliation by their employers under the First Amendment of the Constitution. The free speech protections of the First Amendment have long been used to shield whistleblowers from retaliation. In response to the Supreme Court decision, the House passed H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007. Bush, citing national security concerns, promised to veto the bill should it be passed by Congress. The Senate's version of the Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 274) was approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 13, 2007. However, that version failed to reach a vote by the Senate, as Coburn placed a hold on the bill; effectively preventing the passage of the bill, which had bipartisan support in the Senate. Coburn's website features a news item about United Nations whistleblower Mathieu Credo Koumoin, a former employee for the U.N. Development Program in West Africa, who has asked U.N. ethics chief Robert Benson for protection under the U.N.'s whistleblower protection rules. The site has a link to the "United Nations Watch" of the Republican Office of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security, of which he was the ranking minority member. Coburn's website also features a tip line for potential whistleblowers on government waste and fraud. Council on American–Islamic Relations Coburn joined Congressmen Sue Myrick (R-NC), Trent Franks (R-AZ), John Shadegg (R-AZ), Paul Broun (R-GA) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC) in a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman on November 16, 2009, asking that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) be investigated for excessive lobbying and failing to register as a lobbying organization. The request came in the wake of the publication of a book, Muslim Mafia, the foreword of which had been penned by Myrick, that portrayed CAIR as a subversive organization allied with international terrorists. Criticism of the National Science Foundation On May 26, 2011, Coburn released a 73-page report, "National Science Foundation: Under the Microscope", receiving attention from The New York Times, Fox News and MSNBC. STOCK Act Coburn was one of three senators who voted against the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act). On February 3, 2012, Coburn released the following statement regarding the Act: It's disappointing the Senate spent a week debating a bill that duplicates existing law and fails to address the real problems facing the country. The only way we can restore confidence in Congress is to make hard choices and solve real problems by doing things like reforming our tax code, repairing our safety net and reducing our crushing debt burden. Doing anything less will further alienate the American people and rightfully so. Committee assignments Coburn was a member of the following committees: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Ranking Member) Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight Subcommittee on the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Federal Programs and the Federal Workforce Subcommittee on Emergency Management, Intergovernmental Affairs, and the District of Columbia Select Committee on Intelligence Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Political positions Abortion Coburn opposed abortion, with the exception of abortions necessary to save the life of the mother. In 2000, he sponsored a bill to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from developing, testing, or approving the abortifacient RU-486. On July 13, the bill failed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 182 to 187. On the issue, Coburn sparked controversy with his remark, "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life." He noted that his great-grandmother was raped by a sheriff. Coburn was one of the original authors of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld by the United States Supreme Court in Gonzales v. Carhart. The act relied on an expansive view of the Constitution's Commerce Clause, as it applies to "any physician who, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion." The Act's reliance on such a broad reading of the Commerce Clause was criticized by Independence Institute scholar David Kopel and University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, who noted that "[u]nless a physician is operating a mobile abortion clinic on the Metroliner, it is not really possible to perform an abortion 'in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce.'" When Coburn later called Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "ignorant" due to her "very expansive view" of the Commerce Clause, his support for the Act was used by Kagan supporters who charged him with hypocrisy on the issue. On September 14, 2005, during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, Coburn began his opening statement with a critique of Beltway partisan politics while, according to news reports, "choking back a sob." Coburn had earlier been completing a crossword puzzle during the hearings, and this fact was highlighted by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to ridicule Coburn's pathos. Coburn then began his questioning by discussing the various legal terms mentioned during the previous day's hearings. Proceeding to questions regarding both abortion and end-of-life issues, Coburn, who noted that during his tenure as an obstetrician he had delivered some 4,000 babies, asked Roberts whether the judge agreed with the proposition that "the opposite of being dead is being alive." You know I'm going somewhere. One of the problems I have is coming up with just the common sense and logic that if brain wave and heartbeat signifies life, the absence of them signifies death, then the presence of them certainly signifies life. And to say it otherwise, logically is schizophrenic. And that's how I view a lot of the decisions that have come from the Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. Climate change Coburn was a climate change denier, saying in 2013: "I am a global warming denier, and I don't deny that". He had previously described climate science as "crap". In 2011, Coburn introduced a bill with Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, to end the ethanol blenders' tax credit—a subsidy designed to encourage oil companies to blend more environmentally friendly ethanol into the fuels they sold to drivers. Coburn asserted that climate change was a natural phenomenon, and that it was leading to a "mini-ice age". In 2017, Coburn discussed the Paris Agreement and denied the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming. He claimed that sea level rise had been no more than 5 mm in 25 years, and asserted there was now global cooling. Fiscal conservatism The best-known of Coburn's amendments was an amendment to the fiscal 2006 appropriations bill that funds transportation projects. Coburn's amendment would have transferred funding from the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska to rebuild Louisiana's "Twin Spans" bridge, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The amendment was defeated in the Senate, 82–14, after Ted Stevens, the senior senator from Alaska, threatened to resign his office if the amendment were passed. Coburn's actions did result in getting the funds made into a more politically feasible block grant to the State of Alaska, which could use the funds for the bridge or other projects. The renovations for the Elizabethtown Amtrak Station were cited by Coburn as an example of pork barrel spending in the stimulus bill. Coburn was also a member of the Fiscal Watch Team, a group of seven senators led by John McCain, whose stated goal was to combat "wasteful government spending." On April 6, 2006, Coburn and Senators Barack Obama, Thomas Carper and John McCain introduced the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. The bill requires the full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving federal funds beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2007 on a website maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. The bill was signed into law on September 26, 2006. Coburn and McCain noted that the practice of members of Congress adding earmarks had risen dramatically over the years, from 121 earmarks in 1987 to 15,268 earmarks in 2005, according to the Congressional Research Service. In July 2007, Coburn criticized pork-barrel spending that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had inserted into the 2007 defense spending bill. Coburn said that the earmarks would benefit Nelson's son Patrick's employer with millions in federal dollars and that the situation violated terms of the Transparency Act, which was passed by the Senate but had not yet been voted on in the House. Nelson's spokesperson said the Senator did nothing wrong. At that time, newspapers in Nebraska and Oklahoma noted that Coburn failed to criticize very similar earmarks that had benefited Oklahoma. In 1997, Coburn introduced a bill called the HIV Prevention Act of 1997, which would have amended the Social Security Act. The bill would have required confidential notification of HIV exposure to the sexual partners of those diagnosed with HIV, along with counseling and testing. In 2010, Coburn called for a freeze on defense spending. Coburn served on the Simpson-Bowles debt reduction commission in 2010 and was one of the only Republicans in Congress open to tax increases as a means of balancing the budget. In 2011 Coburn broke with Americans for Tax Reform with an ethanol amendment that gathered 70 votes in the Senate. He said that anti-tax activist Grover Norquist's influence was overstated, and that revenue increases were needed in order to "fix the country." In 2012, Coburn identified less than $7 billion a year in possible defense savings and over half of these savings were to be through the elimination of military personnel involved in supply, transportation, and communications services. In May 2013, after tornadoes ripped through his state, Coburn said that any new funding allocated for disaster relief needed to be offset by cuts to other federal spending. Coburn was a fierce critic of the plan to attempt to defund the Affordable Care Act by shutting down the federal government, saying that the strategy was "doomed to fail" and that Ted Cruz and others who supported the plan had a "short-term goal with lousy tactics". Gun rights In regards to the Second Amendment, Coburn believed that it "recognizes the right of individual, law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms," and he opposed "any and all efforts to mandate gun control on law-abiding citizens." On the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which aimed "to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open-end consumer credit plan and for other purposes," Coburn sponsored an amendment that would allow concealed carry of firearms in national parks. The Senate passed the amendment 67–29. Coburn placed a hold on final Senate consideration of a measure passed by the House in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings to improve state performance in checking the federal watch list of gun buyers. However, after the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012, Coburn (who had already announced he would not run for re-election) reversed himself and came out in support of universal background checks. Coburn partnered with Democratic members of the Senate such as Charles Schumer and Joe Manchin (to whose re-election campaign Coburn donated money) to determine what a universal background check measure should look like. However, these talks ultimately broke down, and in April 2013, Coburn was one of 46 senators to vote against the amendment in its final form, defeating its passage. Health care reform Coburn voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Coburn co-authored the Patients Choice Act of 2009 (S. 1099), a Republican plan for health care reform in the United States, which required the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene an interagency coordinating committee to develop a national strategic plan for prevention in its first section, and provided for health promotion and disease prevention activities consistent with such a plan, while seeking to terminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The act set forth provisions governing the establishment and operation of state-based health care exchanges to facilitate the individual purchase of private health insurance, and the creation of a market where private health plans compete for enrollees based on price and quality; it intended to amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for qualified health care insurance coverage. The act also set forth programs to prevent Medicare fraud and abuse, including ending the use of social security numbers to identify Medicare beneficiaries. Presidential nominations to the Judicial and Executive branches of government During the administration of President George W. Bush, Coburn spoke out against the threat by some Democrats to filibuster nominations to judicial and Executive Branch positions. He took the position that no presidential nomination should ever be filibustered, in light of the wording of the U.S. Constitution. Coburn said, "There is a defined charge to the president and the Senate on advice and consent." In May 2009, Coburn was the only Senator to vote against the confirmation of Gil Kerlikowske as the Director of the National Drug Control Policy. Same-sex marriage Coburn opposed same-sex marriage. In 2006, he voted in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban it. War in Iraq On May 24, 2007, the U.S. Senate voted 80–14 to fund the war in Iraq, which included U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. Coburn voted nay. On October 1, 2007, the Senate voted 92–3 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay. In February 2008, Coburn said, "I will tell you personally that I think it was probably a mistake going to Iraq." On December 15, 2014, Coburn stalled the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act aimed at stemming veteran suicides. The bill would require a report on successful veteran suicide prevention programs and allow the United States Veterans Administration to pay incentives to hire psychiatrists. Paul Rieckhoff, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that despite his reputation as a budget hawk, Coburn should have recognized that the $22 million cost of the bill is worth the lives it would have saved. "It's a shame that after two decades of service in Washington, Sen. Coburn will always be remembered for this final, misguided attack on veterans nationwide," he said. "If it takes 90 days for the new Congress to re-pass this bill, the statistics tell us another 1,980 vets will have died by suicide. That should be a heavy burden on the conscience of Sen. Coburn and this Congress." Speaking out against the legislation, Coburn said "I object, not because I don't want to save suicides, but because I don't think this bill will do the first thing to change what's happening," arguing that the bill "throws money and doesn't solve the real problem". Post-Senate career After resigning from the Senate, Coburn joined Citizens for Self-Governance as a senior advisor to the group's Convention of States project, which seeks to convene a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. In 2017, he authored a book on the subject titled Smashing the DC Monopoly: Using Article V to Restore Freedom and Stop Runaway Government. Coburn was affiliated with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, consulting on the institute's Project FDA, an effort to promote faster drug approval processes. He also sat on the board of the Benjamin Rush Institute, a conservative association of medical students across 20 medical schools. In 2016, he became a Manhattan Institute senior fellow. Awards In 2013, Coburn received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by the Jefferson Awards. Personal life Despite their stark ideological differences, Coburn was a close friend of President Barack Obama. Their friendship began in 2005 when they both arrived in the Senate at the same time. They worked together on political ethics reform legislation, to set up an online federal spending database and to crack down on no-bid contracting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In April 2011, Coburn spoke to Bloomberg TV about Obama, saying, "I love the man. I think he's a neat man. I don't want him to be president, but I still love him. He is our President. He's my President. And I disagree with him adamantly on 95% of the issues, but that doesn't mean I can't have a great relationship. And that's a model people ought to follow." Before the 2009 BCS game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators, Coburn made a bet over the outcome of the game with Florida Senator Bill Nelson—the loser had to serenade the winner with a song. The Gators defeated the Sooners and Coburn sang Elton John's "Rocket Man" to Nelson, who had once flown into space. Illness and death In November 2013, Coburn made public that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2011, he had prostate cancer surgery while also surviving colon cancer and melanoma. His illness led him to resign from the Senate in 2015. Coburn died at his home in Tulsa on March 28, 2020, two weeks after his 72nd birthday. A memorial service to honor his life was held a year later on May 1, 2021, at South Tulsa Baptist Church. Electoral history Books Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders. Nashville: WND Books. 2003. ISBN 9780785262206. (with John Hart) The Debt Bomb: A Bold Plan to Stop Washington from Bankrupting America. Nashville: Thomas Nelson. 2012. ISBN 978-1595554673. (with John Hart) Smashing the DC Monopoly: Using Article V to Restore Freedom and Stop Runaway Government. WND Books. 2017. ISBN 9781944229757. See also Physicians in the United States Congress References External links Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress Profile at Vote Smart Appearances on C-SPAN Voices of Oklahoma interview. First person interview conducted on May 4, 2016, with Tom Coburn.
Mamunul Islam	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Mamunul Islam.	Tell me a bio of Mamunul Islam.	Tell me a bio of Mamunul Islam within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Mamunul Islam with around 100 words.	Mamunul Islam Mamun (Bengali: মামুনুল ইসলাম; born 12 December 1988) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bangladesh Premier League club Fortis and also played for the Bangladesh national football team from 2009 to 2020 and was captain from 2013 to 2016. He has won five league titles with three clubs. Mamunul started his career at Brothers Union as a central midfielder. After spending three seasons, he moved to Abahani Limited Dhaka in 2008–09 season and became league champion with Sky Blue Brigade. He joined Mohammedan SC Dhaka the following season. For the 2010–11 season, Mamunul moved to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and won his second league title. Leaving Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club after the 2011–12 season, he played the next season for Muktijoddha Sangsad KC. Then he joined Sheikh Russel KC and won his third league title. In the 2013–14 season, he returned to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and won two more league titles in the 2013-14 and 2014–15 seasons. In the middle of this quest, Atletico de Kolkata signed Mamunul on loan from Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club to play the inaugural season of Indian Super League. After returning to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, later he joined his hometown club Chittagong Abahani Limited for a record transfer fee in 2016. After spending two seasons there, the midfielder returned to Abahani Limited Dhaka in 2018. On 6 September 2020, he announced his retirement from international football. Career Brothers Union Mamunul started his career in Brothers Union as a central midfielder in the 2005 season. Abahani Limited Dhaka Mamunul moved to Abahani Limited Dhaka in 2008–09 season and became the league champion in that season. Mohammedan SC After winning league title with Abahani he moved to their arch-rival Mohammedan SC in 2009–10 season and won Federation Cup and Super Cup with them. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Mamunul moved to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club from Dhaka Mohammedan SC in 2010–11 season. In his first season with Sheikh Jamal DC he became the league champion. Muktijoddha Sangsad KC Mamunul played 2011–12 season for Muktijoddha Sangsad KC. Sheikh Russel KC Mamunul went to Sheikh Russel KC from Muktijoddha Sangsad KC. And won the league, Federation Cup and Independence Cup in 2012–13 season. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club 2013–14 season Mamunul returned to Sheikh Jamal DC. The club became the league champion under Mamunul's captaincy. His success at the club continued as they went on to win the league again in 2014–15 season. Chittagong Abahani Limited Ending his stint at Sheikh Jamal DC Mamunul Islam joined his hometown club, Chittagong Abahani on a national record fee of taka 65 lakh. He played two seasons there. And he captained the team in his first season. Abahani Limited Dhaka After ten long years at several clubs, Mamunul finally returned to Sky Blue Brigade in 2018. He played a veteran role in the team and helped them with his vast experience. Mohammedan SC On 17 November 2021, Mamunul returned to Dhaka Mohammedan SC after 11 years. Rahmatganj MFS On 17 April 2022, Mamunul joined relegation fighting Rahmatganj MFS. Indian Super League Mamunul made his debut in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League, representing Atlético de Kolkata on a three-month loan from Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, becoming the only South Asian player outside India to secure a spot in the first season of the league. In 2014, he caught the attention of Indian football enthusiasts with a remarkable performance in the IFA Shield, where he led Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, one of the three foreign clubs participating in the tournament, all the way to the finals. Despite his promising talents, Mamunul did not receive an opportunity to start for Atlético de Kolkata in the ISL. Career statistics International International club goals Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Abahani Limited Dhaka International goals Olympic Team Senior Team Honours Brothers Union Dhaka Premier Division League: 2005 Federation Cup: 2005 Abahani Limited Bangladesh Premier League: 2008–09 Federation Cup: 2018 Mohammedan Sporting Club Federation Cup: 2009 Super Cup: 2009 Sheikh Russel KC Bangladesh Premier League: 2012–13 Federation Cup:2012 Independence Cup: 2012–13 Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Bangladesh Premier League: 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15 Federation Cup: 2013–14, 2014–15 Chittagong Abahani Limited Independence Cup: 2016 Atlético de Kolkata Indian Super League: 2014 Bangladesh U-23 South Asian Games Gold medal: 2010 References == Notes ==
Umika Kawashima	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Umika Kawashima.	Tell me a bio of Umika Kawashima.	Tell me a bio of Umika Kawashima within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Umika Kawashima with around 100 words.	Umika Kawashima (川島海荷, Kawashima Umika; born March 3, 1994) is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. She is a former member of the Japanese girl group 9nine. Her solo single "Maji de Koi Suru 5 Byō Mae/Ichigo Iro no Kimochi", on the Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai soundtrack, reached #46 on the Oricon chart. As an actress, she played in numerous Japanese TV series and movies. Biography Umika Kawashima was born in the Saitama Prefecture. She was scouted in Shibuya when she was in 6th grade and joined Lespros Entertainment. The actresses she idolizes are Aoi Miyazaki, Yui Aragaki and Kou Shibasaki. She has stated that she would like to collaborate with Masaharu Fukuyama. She graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Letters at Meiji University with a degree in psychology in 2016. Career Since 2006, Kawashima has appeared in numerous television dramas and movies. In 2007 she joined the female idol group 9nine, however she announced her graduation from the group in 2016 to focus on her acting career. She appeared for her final performance with the group during "9nine LIVE 2016", BEST 9 Tour" after being with the group for nine and a half years. Early 2016, it was announced that Kawashima would become a regular alongside Masu Taichi on the television program ZIP!. Kawashima commented, "Now is the time to move forward. I want to present an exciting program without any accidents." She receives her first leading role as a voice actress in the 2017 summer anime series, Nana Maru San Batsu. Personal life In December 23, 2024, Kawashima and Olympic competitive swimmer Katsumi Nakamura, jointly announced that they had married. Filmography TV dramas Films Television animation Dubbing Hotel Transylvania, Mavis Dracula Hotel Transylvania 2, Mavis Dracula Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Mavis Dracula Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, Mavis Dracula Awards 2009: The 2nd Tokyo Drama Awards: Best Newcomer Award 2010: The 23rd Japan Best Dressed Eyes Awards Special Prize 2013: The 24th Best Jewery Dresser in Japan (section of teens) References External links Official blog (in Japanese) Official agency profile Archived 2013-01-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese) Umika Kawashima at Anime News Network's encyclopedia Umika Kawashima at IMDb
Grayston Burgess	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Grayston Burgess.	Tell me a bio of Grayston Burgess.	Tell me a bio of Grayston Burgess within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Grayston Burgess with around 100 words.	Grayston Burgess (7 April 1932 in Cheriton, Kent – 6 March 2019) was an English countertenor and conductor. Life and career As a boy Burgess was a chorister in the choir of Canterbury Cathedral during the second world war. He then attended Cheltenham College before winning a choral scholarship to sing in the Choir of King's College, Cambridge under Boris Ord. A former member of the Purcell Singers, Burgess formed the Purcell Consort of Voices in 1963. He also sang with the Studio der frühen Musik and the Musica Reservata Ensemble of Michael Morrow and John Beckett. Burgess premiered compositions including Michael Tippett's "Songs for Ariel". After moving to rural Herefordshire in the 1980s, he taught singing at Ellerslie School, Malvern, and, on its closure, at Malvern College. His pupils included ex-Swingle Singer Wendy Nieper. In 2000 he accepted an invitation to help form, and to direct, a local community choir to celebrate the Millennium. After its performance - of Haydn's Creation - this choir continued as a permanent feature in the form of Choir 2000, which became his inspiration and to which he himself has been an inspiration. In 2017 he was referred to by the Daily Telegraph as a 'veteran conductor and choir director' when he was interviewed for an article published on International Women's Day about the presence of women in British cathedral choirs. The article made no mention of his connection with the Campaign for the Traditional Cathedral Choir, a group which actively discriminates against the inclusion of women and girls in Cathedral and church choirs. Selected discography Countertenor - Soloist Dowland LP Conductor - Purcell Consort of Voices Music of Albert: Prince of Saxe, Coburg und Gotha Decca/Australian Eloquence. References External links Official Website and biography Purcell Consort of Voices discography Grayston Burgess sings with The Boys of All Saints on YouTube
David Oyite-Ojok	Provide me a one-sentence fact about David Oyite-Ojok.	Tell me a bio of David Oyite-Ojok.	Tell me a bio of David Oyite-Ojok within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of David Oyite-Ojok with around 100 words.	David Oyite Ojok (15 April 1940 – 2 December 1983) was a Ugandan military officer who held a leadership position in the coalition of Uganda National Liberation Army and Tanzania People's Defence Force which removed military dictator Idi Amin in 1979 and, until his death in a helicopter crash, served as the national army chief of staff with the rank of major general. Military career before 1979 An ethnic Lango, Oyite Ojok was born in Lira District on 15 April 1940. Although there are few documented details regarding David Oyite Ojok's early years, he was initially noted in his late twenties as a junior army officer serving during the 1966–71 period of President Milton Obote's first government. Oyite-Ojok joined the Uganda Army in 1963. By 1965, he was teaching a training course for officer cadets in Jinja. He was transferred from 1st Battalion to 4th Battalion on 7 February 1966 at Shaban Opolot's orders. However at the end of February 1966 he was transferred to Army Headquarters and made Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General. In September 1970, while Idi Amin was out of the country serving as the Ugandan representative at the funeral of President Nasser of Egypt, Obote appointed a new Chief of Defence Staff (Brigadier Suleman Hussein). Oyite-Ojok was one of President Obote's most important followers in the military, and was described by Omara-Otunnu as 'Obote's principal military confidant' was appointed to the '..newly created post of Assistant Military Secretary in the Ministry of Defence,' serving as a Major. His duties included '..planning, all policy matters, and control of Establishment.' At some point, he was sent for training to Great Britain. By 1971, Oyite-Ojok served as lieutenant colonel, but was forced to flee his home country when Idi Amin overthrew Obote in a coup. Relocating to Tanzania, Oyite-Ojok joined the guerrilla army Obote was organizing to regain power. While operating in exile, Oyite-Ojok gradually gained a "legendary" reputation in Uganda. Rumours circulated about him sneaking into the Ugandan capital where he would party with locals at popular nightspots and ask that the bills be sent to President Amin. The latter allegedly responded by putting a $70,000 bounty on Oyite-Ojok's head. In 1972, Oyite-Ojok took part in a rebel invasion of Uganda which aimed at restoring Obote to presidency. Striking from their exile in Tanzania, the rebels attacked in two columns, with Oyite-Ojok reportedly leading the group targeting Masaka. However, the operation resulted in a major rebel defeat. After this failure, Obote reorganized his remaining forces; he mobilized a "navy" of six boats on Lake Victoria which would conduct smuggling operations to finance the rebels as well as set up an underground network in Uganda. Oyite-Ojok was entrusted with command of Obote's "navy". The Uganda Army invaded Tanzania in late 1978, resulting in the Uganda–Tanzania War's outbreak. Oyite-Ojok assumed a key role in the grouping of military exiles who, with the backing of Tanzanian troops, led the counteroffensive which resulted in the overthrow of Amin. At first, he served as field commander for Obote's private army Kikosi Maalum, and was appointed head of a Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) battalion in March 1979. With the latter unit, he fought alongside the Tanzanians in central and eastern Uganda. Oyite-Ojok proved to be tactically adept during this conflict. He eventually rose to chief of staff for the entire UNLA. Oyite-Ojok's reputation grew immensely during the Uganda–Tanzania War. Some people, including Tito Okello, attributed the Tanzanian victories in the Battle of Lukaya and the Fall of Kampala to his leadership. Transition period Oyite Ojok became a member, along with Yoweri Museveni, Paulo Muwanga and Tito Okello, of the Military Commission, a powerful sub-committee of the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) which ruled the country after Idi Amin's overthrow. Like most people in power after the fall of Amin, Oyite-Ojok illegally amassed a great amount of wealth. One of his most successful business ventures was coffee export, and he became chairman of the Coffee Making Board. He remained loyal to Obote who was preparing to return from exile. The alliance of political forces in the UNLF under President Yusuf Lule soon began to unravel. Of significant importance was the emergence of tribal rivalry. On the one side were those from the North who made up the bulk of the new national army, and on the other those from the South (particularly those from the Buganda tribe) who for the first time since 1964 had significant political and military influence. As chief of staff of the UNLA in its new role as Uganda's national army, Oyite Ojok was supposed to stay neutral and above the political disputes. Instead of doing so, Oyite Ojok fully backed Obote. He ensured that the national army under his command was overwhelmingly made up of Northerners, such as himself. The political symbol for most of those from Northern Uganda was the Uganda Peoples Congress party and Obote, who was still in Tanzanian exile. Obote's possible return was opposed by many within the UNLF, particularly those from Buganda who recalled that it was Obote who had dethroned their King (the Kabaka of Buganda) and forced him into exile in 1966. It is widely believed that it was this opposition to Obote's return and the growing influence of the northern dominated army that led to the removal of Yusuf Lule from the Presidency after only 2 months in office. Lule had also tried to extend his very limited presidential powers in the UNLF. Lule was replaced by another Muganda, Godfrey Binaisa who was seen as more of a figurehead. Real power now lay with Oyite Ojok and the Military Commission. The UNLF became more militaristic in appearance as army officers like Ojok became actively involved in politics, and the quasi-legislative National Commission and government ministers became less significant. On the ground the army became more brutal, particularly in Buganda and other areas of Southern Uganda. Most significantly, the Uganda Peoples Congress with its military allies began to actively organise and call for the return of Obote. In May 1980, Oyite Ojok gained greater power when "figurehead president" Binaisa dismissed him as army chief in an attempt to reduce the power of the Military Commission. In response the Military Commission removed Binaisa from office and declared the country would be ruled by a Presidential Commission which included Muwanga, Museveni, Oyite Ojok and Okello. Although as chairman, Muwanga presented the face of the Commission, real power was held by Oyite Ojok. Meanwhile, Oyite-Ojok also organized his personal death squad led by his trusted follower Captain Patrick Ageta. This 30-strong squad roamed Kampala in two jeeps, and murdered several political opponents of the chief of staff. Return of Milton Obote The Presidential Commission now paved the way for the return of Obote and organised what a general election in December 1980. Oyite-Ojok campaigned on behalf of Obote, using his status as "legendary commander" to rally northerners to his cause. Firmly rooted in tribalist ideas, the officer believed that the elections would decide which ethnic group controlled Uganda's wealth. Researcher Opiyo Oloya argued that this "was the game as [Oyite-Ojok] saw and played it". Despite being an ethnic Lango, Oyite Ojok managed to gain the support of many traditionally marginalised Acholi people. The 1980 elections resulted in "victory" for Obote's Uganda Peoples Congress and Obote became president for the second time, confirming Oyite-Ojok as Army Chief of Staff. Museveni, who had formed a rival political party, the Uganda Patriotic Front, disputed the result and started a guerrilla war against the government. As Army Chief of Staff, Oyite-Ojok was responsible for attempting to defeat the guerrilla armies of Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRA) and Andrew Kayiira's Uganda Freedom Movement (UFM) which were fighting to overthrow Obote's government. With his military experience during the struggle to overthrow Idi Amin, Oyite Ojok proved very effective against these groups. However this was done with both military tact and brutality against the population in areas where the guerrilla forces operated. This was most prevalent in the Luwero District where the NRA was active and in the capital city, Kampala where the UFM was based. In Luwero, thousands of civilians were killed by the army – especially in an area called the 'Luwero Triangle'. In Kampala, the army and secret police carried out numerous random arrests which often involved arresting hundreds of people and loading them onto trucks which were then driven to army barracks. This phenomenon was called "Panda Gari" ("Climb the Truck") and it instilled widespread fear in the capital as many of those taken to army barracks were beaten or killed. By 1983, the UNLA under Oyite-Ojok had effectively defeated the NRA and UFM. However, tensions increasingly emerged in the military, as a rivalry developed between the two northern tribes that dominated the army -the Langi (Obote and Oyite Ojok's tribe) and the Acholi (Tito Okello – the Army Commander's tribe). The majority of the army foot soldiers were Acholi and it was they who suffered most casualties in the war, and it is rumoured that they wanted to engage in peace talks with the guerrillas. Meanwhile, the elite Special Forces and most of the officers closest to Obote were Langi – and were fiercely opposed to any negotiations with the NRA. A rift also emerged between Oyite-Ojok and Obote, as the former seized properties of the Coffee Marketing Board and began to amass a fortune by smuggling coffee out of Uganda. At one point, the army commander and President engaged in a fierce dispute over this issue, with Oyite-Ojok reportedly telling his superior that "it was because of him and the army that he (Obote) was still in power". On 2 December 1983, Oyite-Ojok died in a helicopter crash in Nakitoma Sub-county, part of Nakasongola District. The NRA claimed that it had shot down his Bell 412, whereas Obote's government claimed that the crash had been the result of a technical failure. Soon, conspiracy theories emerged, alleging that Obote had arranged the death of his army commander as the latter had grown too powerful. Aftermath In the decades following the helicopter crash which ended David Oyite Ojok's life at the age of 43, documented details have not been made public. The political ramifications for Uganda, however, were severe. Acholi officers now expected Obote to appoint an Acholi to replace Oyite Ojok. One obvious candidate, Bazilio Olara-Okello who, although unrelated to Tito Okello, was, as in the case of Oyite Ojok, another officer who participated in the overthrow of Idi Amin. Obote, nevertheless, appointed a junior Langi officer, Smith Apon-Achak. This further alienated the Acholi officers who overthrew Obote's government two years later. Despite having fought against Museveni, Oyite-Ojok has been honored by the latter's government as a national hero. Citations == References ==
Thomas Piketty	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Thomas Piketty.	Tell me a bio of Thomas Piketty.	Tell me a bio of Thomas Piketty within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Thomas Piketty with around 100 words.	Thomas Piketty (French: [tɔmɑ pikɛti]; born 7 May 1971) is a French economist who is a professor of economics at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, associate chair at the Paris School of Economics (PSE) and Centennial Professor of Economics in the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics (LSE). Piketty's work focuses on public economics, in particular income and wealth inequality. He is the author of the best-selling book Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2013), which emphasises the themes of his work on wealth concentrations and distribution over the past 250 years. The book argues that the rate of capital return in developed countries is persistently greater than the rate of economic growth, and that this will cause wealth inequality to increase in the future. Piketty proposes improving the education systems and considers diffusion of knowledge, diffusion of skills, diffusion of idea of productivity as the main mechanism that will lead to lower inequality. In 2019, his book Capital and Ideology was published, which focuses on income inequality in various societies in history. His 2022 A Brief History of Equality is a much shorter book about wealth redistribution intended for a target audience of citizens instead of economists. Early life and education Piketty was born in the Parisian suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine. His parents had been involved with a Trotskyist group and the May 1968 protests in Paris but they had moved away from this political position before Piketty was born. A visit to the Soviet Union in 1991 was enough to make him a firm "believe[r] in capitalism, private property and the market". Piketty earned a C-stream (scientific) Baccalauréat, and after taking scientific preparatory classes, he entered the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) at the age of 18 where he studied mathematics and economics. At the age of 22, Piketty was awarded his PhD for a thesis on wealth redistribution, which he wrote at the LSE and EHESS under Roger Guesnerie and winning the French Economics Association's award for the best thesis of the year. He also met Daron Acemoglu for the first time at the LSE, who was also a PhD student at the time. Career After earning his PhD, Piketty taught from 1993 to 1995 as an assistant professor in the department of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1995, he joined the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) as a researcher, and in 2000 he became a professor (directeur d'études) at EHESS. Piketty won the 2002 prize for the best young economist in France, and according to a list dated 11 November 2003, he is a member of the scientific orientation board of the association À gauche, en Europe, founded by Michel Rocard and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. In 2006, Piketty became the first head of the PSE, which he helped organize. He left after a few months to serve as an economic advisor to Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal during the 2007 French presidential election. Piketty resumed teaching at the EHESS and PSE in 2007. He is a columnist for French center-left-leaning newspaper Libération and regularly writes op-eds for left-leaning newspaper Le Monde. In April 2012, Piketty co-authored along with 42 colleagues an open letter in support of then socialist party candidate for the French presidency François Hollande. Hollande won the contest against the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in May of that year. Piketty was unimpressed by Hollande's tenure, later describing him as "hopeless". In 2013, Piketty won the biennial Yrjö Jahnsson Award, for the economist under age 45 who has "made a contribution in theoretical and applied research that is significant to the study of economics in Europe." In January 2015, he rejected the French Legion of Honour order, stating that he refused the nomination because he did not think it was the government's role to decide who is honourable. On 27 September 2015, it was announced that he had been appointed to the British Labour Party's Economic Advisory Committee, convened by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and reporting to Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn. The appointment of Piketty, who had previously advised Lord Wood, key policy advisor to former Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband, that tax rates could be raised above 50% for earnings over one million pounds without it impacting the economy, was seen as a particular coup for the Labour Party leadership due to his breakthrough success in the mainstream publishing world. Regarding this appointment he stated that he was very happy to take part and assist the Labour Party in constructing an economic policy that helps tackle some of the biggest issues facing people in the UK and that there was a brilliant opportunity for the Labour party to construct a fresh and new political economy which will expose austerity for the failure it has been in the UK and Europe, although he was reportedly absent from the first meeting. In June 2016, he resigned from his role in Labour's Economic Advisory Committee, citing concerns over the weak campaign the party had run in the EU referendum. On 2 October 2015, Piketty received an honorary doctorate from the University of Johannesburg and on 3 October 2015 he delivered the 13th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture at the University of Johannesburg. In 2015, Piketty was also elected an international member of the American Philosophical Society. Piketty joined the LSE in 2015 as the distinguished Centennial Professor. Piketty continues his research as part of the LSE International Inequalities Institute. His economic research focusses mainly on wealth inequalities and the use of capital in the 21st century. Piketty has long-standing ties to the LSE and he completed his PhD studies at the university in the early 1990s. On 11 February 2017, it was announced that he had joined the Parti Socialiste's campaign team as an advisor to Benoît Hamon in his presidential run. He took in charge of EU matters, and more precisely, the Fiscal Stability Treaty (or TSCG), while Julia Cagé was responsible for the candidate's economic and fiscal platform. Piketty expressed his view that the TSCG should be renegotiated in order to introduce a eurozone assembly, composed of members of EU's parliaments – a "democratic government", he said, in comparison with the current system which he views as a "huis clos" (a "private, closed-door discussion", an in camera arrangement). Such change would currently require unanimous approval of all EU members, and Piketty has suggested that a change of rules might be necessary, saying that if countries representing 80% of EU's population or GDP ratify a treaty, it should be approved. He is also in favour of a "credible and bold basic income", which is one of Benoit Hamon's key proposals, although their views on the matter are different. The call in which Piketty and other economic researchers argue for their version of the basic income has been criticised as not "universal", a criticism he answered on his blog. In addition to his research, Piketty also teaches post-graduate students at the LSE. His teaching and research approach is inter-disciplinary, and he has been involved in the teaching of the new MSc degree in Inequalities and Social Science at the LSE. Research Piketty specializes in economic inequality, taking a historic and statistical approach. His work looks at the rate of capital accumulation in relation to economic growth over a two hundred year spread from the nineteenth century to the present. His novel use of tax records enabled him to gather data on the very top economic elite, who had previously been understudied, and to ascertain their rate of accumulation of wealth and how this compared to the rest of society and economy. His 2013 book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, relies on economic data going back 250 years to show that an ever-rising concentration of wealth is not self-correcting. To address this problem, he proposes redistribution through a progressive global tax on wealth. Study of long-term economic inequalities A research project on high incomes in France led to the book Les hauts revenus en France au XXe siècle (High incomes in France in the 20th Century, Grasset, 2001), which was based on a survey of statistical series covering the whole of the 20th century, built from data from the fiscal services (particularly income tax declarations). He extended this analysis in his immensely popular book Le Capital au XXIe siècle (Capital in the Twenty-First Century). A study by Emmanuel Saez and Piketty showed that the top 10 percent of earners took more than half of the country's total income in 2012, the highest level recorded since the government began collecting the relevant data a century ago. Survey on the evolution of inequalities in France Piketty's work shows that differences in earnings dropped sharply during the 20th century in France, mostly after World War II. He argues that this was due to a decrease in estate inequalities, while wage inequalities remained stable. The shrinking inequality during this period, Piketty says, resulted from a highly progressive income tax after the war, which upset the dynamics of estate accumulation by reducing the surplus money available for saving by the wealthiest. The normative conclusion Piketty draws is that a tax cut and thus a decrease in the financial contribution to society of the wealthy that has been happening in France since the late 1990s will assist in the rebuilding of the earlier large fortunes of the rentier class. This trend will lead to the rise of what he calls patrimonial capitalism, in which a few families control most of the wealth. Through a statistical survey, Piketty also showed that the Laffer effect, which claims that high marginal tax rates on top incomes are an incentive for the rich to work less, was probably negligible in the case of France. Comparative work Piketty has done comparative work on inequality in other developed countries. In collaboration with other economists, particularly Emmanuel Saez, he built a statistical series based on a similar method used in his studies of France. This research led to reports on the evolution of inequalities in the US, and on economic dynamics in the English-speaking world and continental Europe. Saez won the prestigious John Bates Clark prize for this work. The surveys found that following the Second World War, after initially undergoing a decrease in economic inequality similar to that in continental Europe, English-speaking countries have, over the past thirty years, experienced increasing inequalities. Critique of the Kuznets curve Piketty's work has been discussed as a critical continuation of the pioneering work of Simon Kuznets in the 1950s. According to Kuznets, the long-term evolution of earnings inequalities was shaped as a curve (Kuznets curve). Growth started at the beginning of the industrial revolution and slackened off later due to the reallocation of the labor force from low productivity sectors like agriculture to higher productivity sectors like industry. According to Piketty, the tendency observed by Kuznets in the early 1950s is not necessarily a product of deep economic forces (e.g. sectoral spillover or the effects of technological progress). Instead, estate values, rather than wage inequalities, decreased, and they did so for reasons that were not specifically economic (for example, the creation of income tax). Consequently, the decrease would not necessarily continue, and in fact, inequalities have grown sharply in the United States over the last thirty years, returning to their 1930s level. Other work Besides these surveys, which make up the core of his work, Piketty has published in other areas, often with a connection to economic inequalities. His work on schools, for example, postulates that disparities among different schools, especially class sizes, are a cause for the persistence of inequalities in wages and the economy. He has also published proposals for changes in the French pension system and the French tax system. In a 2018 paper, Piketty suggested that throughout the Western world, political parties of both the left and the right have been captured by the "elites," coining the terms Brahmin Left and Merchant Right respectively to describe them. According to Piketty, western left-wing parties have lost working-class voters and are now dominated by highly educated voters. Capital in the Twenty-First Century Capital in the Twenty-First Century, published in 2013, focuses on wealth and income inequality in Europe and the US since the 18th century. The book's central thesis is that inequality is not an accident but rather a feature of capitalism that can be reversed only through state intervention. The book thus argues that unless capitalism is reformed, the very democratic order will be threatened. The book reached number one on The New York Times bestselling hardcover nonfiction list from 18 May 2014. Piketty offered a "possible remedy: a global tax on wealth". In 2014, he was awarded the British Academy Medal for this book. Capital and Ideology Capital and Ideology, a book published in 2019, is a successor to Capital in the Twenty-First Century in its themes of inequality of income and wealth. It argues it is necessary to examine the ideological systems which attempted to justify the forms of inequality specific to different institutional configurations, and how these have had an impact, through fiscal and economic policy, on the distribution of wealth and income. Piketty argues that various ideologies arise to defend inequality, and wealth is diverted to sustain these ideologies; however a higher standard of living did not come from the sacralization of property ownership but from social protests. The book contains significant material dedicated to prescriptions for reducing inequality of wealth and income, such as a wealth tax, and to sustaining ideological support for such fiscal and economic policies. This work was well received, but some critics considered Piketty's work too vague. In particular, Nicolas Brisset criticized his definitions and analyses of "ideology" and "capitalism" for being too weak. Cleveland Review of Books praised the book, saying it "utilizes historical, political, and philosophical analysis to provide a sweeping and detailed account of the ideological context behind how what he calls "inequality regimes" sustain themselves." A Brief History of Equality His 2022 A Brief History of Equality is a much shorter book about wealth redistribution intended for a target audience of citizens not economists, in which he traced a history of equality from 1780 to 2020. In August 2022, Piketty was interviewed about the book for New Books Network. Personal life Piketty was the partner of the politician Aurélie Filippetti. In 2009, she filed a complaint of domestic violence to the police against Piketty; she later withdrew her complaint after he acknowledged facts of domestic violence. Additionally, he was later found guilty of libel against her in 2022. He is married to fellow economist Julia Cagé. Personal views In November 2023, Piketty called for a ban on private jets to fight against climate change and called for a progressive carbon tax in response to a report highlighting the disproportionate amounts of carbon emissions by the richest 1% of people. Selected works and publications In French Les hauts revenus face aux modifications des taux marginaux supérieurs de l'impôt sur le revenu en France, 1970–1996 (Document de Travail du CEPREMAP, n° 9812, July 1998) Inégalités économiques: report to the Counsel of Economic Analysis (14 June 2001) with Tony Atkinson, Michel Godet and Lucile Olier Les hauts revenus en France au XXème siècle, Inégalités et redistribution, 1901–1998 (ed. Grasset, September 2001) Fiscalité et redistribution sociale dans la France du XXe siècle (October 2001) L'économie des inégalités (ed. La Découverte, April 2004) Vive la gauche américaine ! : Chroniques 1998–2004 (Éditions de l'Aube, September 2004) Pour un nouveau système de retraite : Des comptes individuels de cotisations financés par répartition (Éditions Rue d'Ulm/CEPREMAP, 2008) with Antoine Bozio On the Long run evolution of inheritance. France, 1820–2050 (PSE Working Paper, 2010) Pour une révolution fiscale (ed. Le Seuil, 2011) with Emmanuel Saez and Camille Landais Peut-on sauver l'Europe ? Chroniques 2004–2012 (Les Liens qui Libèrent, 2012) Le Capital au XXIe siècle (Seuil, 2013) Capital et idéologie (Seuil, 2019) Une brève histoire de l'égalité, Paris: Ed. du Seuil, 2021, 350p. Vers le socialisme écologique: Chroniques 2020-2024 (Seuil, 2024) In English Atkinson, Anthony Barnes; Piketty, Thomas, eds. (2007). Top Incomes over the Twentieth Century: A Contrast between European and English-Speaking Countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199286881. OCLC 883868966. Atkinson, Anthony Barnes; Piketty, Thomas, eds. (2010). Top Incomes: A Global Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199286898. OCLC 444383200. Capital in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2014) About Capital in the Twenty-First Century (AER, 2015) Carbon and Inequality: from Kyoto to Paris (L. Chancel, T. Piketty, PSE, 2015) Chronicles: On Our Troubled Times (Viking, 2016) Why Save the Bankers? And Other Essays on Our Economic and Political Crisis (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016) Top Incomes in France in the Twentieth Century: Inequality and Redistribution, 1901–1998 (Harvard University Press, 2018) Capital and Ideology (Harvard University Press, 2020) Time for Socialism: Dispatches from a World on Fire, 2016-2021 (Yale University Press, 2021) "The western elite is preventing us from going after the assets of Russia's hyper-rich" (The Guardian, 16 March 2022). A Brief History of Equality, Harvard University Press, 2022, 274p. Data, See also Capital accumulation Criticism of capitalism References Further reading Coopersmith, Jonathan, and Andrew Popp. "Piketty amongst the historians: Introduction to a symposium on Thomas Piketty's Capital and Ideology" History Compass (April 2022) 20#4 e12724; https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12724 special issue with 7 articles on Piketty's ideas. John, Richard RE. "Political contestation and the Second Great Divergence" History Compass (April 2022) 20#4 https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12722 Lachmann, Richard, and Peter Brandon. "Piketty and the Political Origins of Inequality." Comparative Studies in Society and History 63.3 (2021): 752–764. McCloskey, Deirdre Nansen. "Piketty Deserves Some Praise." in Why Liberalism Works: How True Liberal Values Produce a Freer, More Equal, Prosperous World for All (Yale University Press, 2019), pp. 165–68, online McGaughey, Ewan. "From 'capital and Ideology' to 'democracy and Evidence': A Review of Thomas Piketty." Œconomia. History, Methodology, Philosophy 11#1 (2021): 171-189 online. Nealon, Jeffrey T. "Biopolitics, Marxism, and Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century." in Fates of the Performative: From the Linguistic Turn to the New Materialism (U of Minnesota Press, 2021), pp. 95–118, online Raoult, Sacha, et al. "A Prophet in His Hometown? The Academic Reception of Thomas Piketty's 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' Across Disciplines in France and in the United States." American Sociologist 48#3/4, (2017), pp. 453–75, online Roine, Jesper. "Four key insights." in Pocket Piketty: A Handy Guide to Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2017), pp. 32–41, online Sutch, Richard. "The One Percent across Two Centuries: A Replication of Thomas Piketty's Data on the Concentration of Wealth in the United States." Social Science History 41#4 (2017), pp. 587–613, online, rejects Piketty estimates for the United States as deeply flawed, and presents fresh estimates External links Thomas Piketty, personal page at the website of the Paris School of Economics. The World Top Incomes Database The World Inequality Database Thomas Piketty at TED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bgrtpH1Jkg Thomas Piketty, "A Brief History of Equality" (Harvard UP, 2022) Articles and interviews Elizabeth Warren And Thomas Piketty Discuss Nature, Causes Of Economic Inequality. The Huffington Post, 2 June 2014. Taking On Adam Smith (and Karl Marx), The New York Times, 19 April 2014. Roberts, Russ (22 September 2014). "Thomas Piketty on Inequality and Capital in the 21st Century". EconTalk. Library of Economics and Liberty. Piketty calls out GOP hypocrisy on inequality. MSNBC, 11 March 2015. Austerity Has Failed: An Open Letter From Thomas Piketty to Angela Merkel. The Nation, 7 July 2015. Thomas Piketty on the rise of Bernie Sanders: the US enters a new political era. The Guardian. 16 February 2016 We must rethink globalization, or Trumpism will prevail. Thomas Piketty via The Guardian. 16 November 2016. Kuper, Simon "This Economist has a Radical Plan to Solve Wealth Inequality" Wired April 14, 2020, Retrieved April 20, 2020 Thomas Piketty says pandemic is opportunity to address income inequality. The Hill. 25 November 2020.
Richard Kuklinski	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Richard Kuklinski.	Tell me a bio of Richard Kuklinski.	Tell me a bio of Richard Kuklinski within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Richard Kuklinski with around 100 words.	Richard Leonard Kuklinski (: April 11, 1935 – March 5, 2006), also known by his nickname the Iceman, was an American criminal and leader of a New Jersey-based burglary ring. He engaged in criminal activities for most of his adult life that began when he distributed pirated pornography and eventually escalated to at least five murders committed between 1980 and 1984 for personal profit. His nickname derives from him freezing the body of one of his victims in an attempt to disguise the time of death. At the time of his crimes, Kuklinski lived with his wife and children in the New Jersey suburb of Dumont. His family stated that they were unaware of his crimes. Kuklinski's modus operandi was to lure men to clandestine meetings with the promise of lucrative business deals then kill them and steal their money. He also killed two associates to prevent them from becoming informants. Eventually, Kuklinski came to the attention of law enforcement when an investigation into his burglary gang linked him to several murders since he was the last person to have seen five missing men alive. An 18-month-long undercover operation led to his arrest in December 1986. In 1988, he was convicted of four murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2003, Kuklinski received an additional 30-year sentence after confessing to the 1980 murder of an NYPD detective. After his murder convictions, Kuklinski gave interviews to writers, prosecutors, criminologists and psychiatrists. He claimed to have murdered anywhere from 100 to 200 men, often in gruesome fashion. None of these additional murders have been corroborated. In 2020, ATF Special Agent Dominick Polifrone said, "I don't believe he killed 200 people. I don't believe he killed a hundred people. I'll go as high as 15, maybe." Kuklinski also claimed to have worked as a hitman for the Mafia. He said he participated in several famous Mafia killings, including the disappearance and presumed murder of Teamsters' president Jimmy Hoffa. Law enforcement and organized crime experts have expressed skepticism about Kuklinski's claimed Mafia ties. He was the subject of three HBO documentaries aired in 1992, 2001 and 2003; several biographies, and a 2012 feature film The Iceman. Personal life Richard Kuklinski was born on April 11, 1935 in his family's apartment on 4th Street in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Anna and Stanley Kuklinski (né Stanisław Kukliński; 1906–1977), a Polish immigrant from Karwacz, Masovian Voivodeship. His father worked as a brakeman on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. His mother was Anna Cecilia McNally (1911–1972) from Harsimus, a devoutly Catholic first-generation Irish American who worked in a meat-packing plant. He was the second of four children. According to Kuklinski, his father was a violent alcoholic who beat his children regularly and sometimes beat his wife. Stanley abandoned the family while Richard was still a child but came back periodically, usually drunk and his returns were often followed by more beatings for Richard. In 1941, Stanley's beatings caused the death of Kuklinski's older brother, seven-year-old Florian Kuklinski (1933–1941). Stanley and Anna hid the cause of the child's death from the authorities, saying he had fallen down a flight of steps. Kuklinski's younger brother, Joseph Michael Kuklinski (1944–2003), was convicted in 1970 of raping 12-year-old Pamela Dial and murdering her by throwing her off the top of a five-story building. When asked about his brother's crimes, Kuklinski replied: "We come from the same father." Anna reportedly was often abusive too. She would beat Richard with broom handles (sometimes breaking the handle on his body during the assaults) and other household objects. He recalled an incident during his pre-teen years when his mother attempted to kill his father with a kitchen knife. Anna was a zealous Catholic and believed that stern discipline should be accompanied by a strict religious upbringing so Richard was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and served as an altar boy. Kuklinski later rejected Catholicism and regarded his mother as a "cancer" who destroyed everything she touched. Kuklinski and his first wife, Linda, had two sons, Richard Jr. and David. While working for a trucking company, he met Barbara Pedrici, a secretary at the same firm. Richard and Linda divorced, and he married Barbara in September 1961 and had two daughters, Merrick and Christin, and a son, Dwayne. Kuklinski's family and Dumont, New Jersey neighbors were unaware of his criminal activities and instead believed he was a successful businessman. Barbara described him as a "wholesale distributor" and said he employed an accountant. She did suspect that some of his income was from illegal activities due to their lifestyle and the large amounts of cash he often possessed. However, given his volatility, she never expressed these worries to him instead maintaining a "don't ask questions" philosophy when it came to his business life or associates. If Richard suddenly left the house in the middle of the night, Barbara would never ask where he was going. The Kuklinskis divorced in 1993 when Richard was in prison. Barbara said the divorce was for "money reasons." She continued to visit him in prison but only about once a year. On June 6, 1984, Kuklinski filed for personal bankruptcy listing debts of $160,697, and assets of only $300. Personality Barbara Kuklinkski described her husband's behavior as alternating between "good Richie" and "bad Richie." "Good Richie" was a hard-working provider and an affectionate father and loving husband, who enjoyed time with his family. Barbara remembered that when Merrick became seriously ill soon after she was born, Richard stayed up night after night to care for her. In contrast, "bad Richie" – who would appear at irregular intervals, sometimes one day after another other times not appearing for months – was prone to unpredictable fits of rage, smashing furniture and being violent to his family. During these periods, he was physically abusive to his wife, breaking her nose three times and once trying to run her over with his car. His abuse also caused her to have several miscarriages. He was emotionally abusive towards his children but, according to Barbara, never laid a hand on them because she threatened to kill him if he did. Merrick said that he once killed her dog right in front of her to punish her for coming home late. Barbara said that she had once told Richard she wanted to see other people. He responded by silently jabbing her from behind with a hunting knife so sharp she did not even feel the blade go in. He told her that she belonged to him and that if she tried to leave, he would kill her entire family. When Barbara began screaming at him in anger, he choked her into unconsciousness. Merrick also remembered a number of road rage incidents involving her father. Criminal history Early crimes In the mid-1960s, Kuklinski worked at a Manhattan film lab. At the lab, he accessed master copies of popular films and made bootleg copies of Disney animated movies to sell. Kuklinski also discovered a lucrative market for tapes of pornographic films, making copies and distributing pornography a regular source of income. Through the pornography business, Kuklinski became associated with members of the Gambino crime family, including Roy DeMeo. He was once arrested for passing a bad check, the only crime he was charged with prior to his arrest for murder. He was photographed and fingerprinted but the charges were dropped after he agreed to pay back the money owed. Several of his known murder victims were men he met through trafficking pornography and drugs. He also headed a burglary group with associates Gary Smith, Barbara Deppner, Daniel Deppner, and Percy House. George Malliband On January 30, 1980, Kuklinski killed 42-year-old George Malliband during a meeting to sell him tapes. Malliband was reportedly carrying $27,000 at the time. Malliband's body was discovered a week later on February 5, 1980 after Kuklinski had placed it in a 55-gallon drum and left it near the Chemitex chemical plant in Jersey City. He cut the tendons of Malliband's leg in order to fit the corpse into the barrel. This was the first murder linked to Kuklinski. Malliband's brother told police officers that Malliband was meeting Kuklinski the day he disappeared. After a plea bargain, Kuklinski admitted to shooting Malliband five times, saying, "It was due to business." Paul Hoffman On April 29, 1982, Kuklinski met Paul Hoffman, a 51-year-old pharmacist who occasionally browsed "the store" in Paterson, New Jersey, a storefront with a back room holding a wide variety of stolen items for sale. Hoffman hoped to make a big profit by purchasing stolen Tagamet, a popular drug to treat peptic ulcers, to re-sell through his pharmacy. He believed Kuklinski could supply the drugs and badgered him to make a deal. Hoffman was last seen on his way to meet Kuklinski with $25,000 to buy prescription drugs from Kuklinski. After a plea bargain, Kuklinski admitted to killing Hoffman. He stated that he lured Hoffman into a rented garage and tried to shoot him, but the gun jammed. Instead, he beat Hoffman to death with a tire iron. He said he then stuffed the body into a 55-gallon drum and left it outside a motel in Little Ferry. One day, Kuklinski noticed that the drum had disappeared but never learned what had happened to it. Hoffman's body was never recovered. Gary Smith By the early 1980s, Kuklinski's burglary gang was under investigation by law enforcement. In December 1982, Percy House, a member of the gang, was arrested. House agreed to inform on Kuklinski and was placed in protective custody. Warrants were also issued for the arrest of two other gang members, 37-year-old Gary Smith and Daniel Deppner. Kuklinski urged them to lay low and rented them a room at the York Motel in North Bergen, New Jersey. Smith left the motel to visit his daughter. Kuklinski feared that Smith, after he discussed going straight, might become an informant. According to the testimony of Barbara Deppner, Kuklinski, Daniel Deppner, and House (who was in jail at the time) decided that Smith had to be killed. Kuklinski fed Smith a hamburger laced with cyanide, but when this was slow to work, Daniel Deppner also strangled Smith with a lamp cord. According to forensic pathologist Michael Baden, Smith's death would probably have been attributed to something non-homicidal in nature, such as a drug overdose, if Kuklinski had relied solely on the poison. However, the ligature mark around Smith's neck, and the fact that the body had been deliberately hidden, suggested to investigators that he was murdered. After Barbara Deppner did not return with a car to move Smith's body, Kuklinski and Daniel Deppner placed it in between the mattress and box spring. Over the next four days, a number of patrons rented the room, and although they thought the smell in the room was odd, most of them did not think to look between the mattress and box spring. Finally, on December 27, 1982, after more complaints from guests about the smell, the motel manager investigated and discovered the decomposing corpse. Daniel Deppner After Smith's murder, Kuklinski had Daniel Deppner move to an apartment in Bergenfield, New Jersey that belonged to Rich Patterson, then-fiancé of Kuklinski's daughter, Merrick. Patterson was away at the time, but Kuklinski possessed keys to the apartment. Between February and May 1983, Deppner was killed by Kuklinski. Investigators deduced he was murdered in Patterson's apartment after discovering a bloody carpet. Kuklinski enlisted Patterson's help to dispose of Deppner's body, telling Patterson the victim was a friend in trouble with law enforcement and someone had broken in and killed him over the weekend. He added it was best to dump the body to avoid trouble with the police, then forget about the incident. Kuklinski made a mistake when he informed an associate that he had killed Deppner. Deppner's corpse was discovered May 14, 1983 after a bicyclist riding Clinton Road in a wooded area of West Milford, New Jersey, spotted the corpse surrounded by vultures. Kuklinski had wrapped the corpse inside green garbage bags before dumping it. Medical examiners listed Deppner's cause of death as "undetermined," although they noted pinkish spots on his skin, a possible sign of cyanide poisoning. Deppner was also strangled. Investigators guessed that Deppner had already been incapacitated, such as by poison, because the partially-eaten corpse had no defensive wounds and healthy adult men are rarely killed by strangulation. The medical examiner found Deppner's stomach full of undigested food, indicating that he had died shortly after or during a meal. The beans that Deppner had eaten were burned so they reasoned the meal was home-cooked, since most restaurants would not get away with serving burned food to customers. Investigating officers discovered the corpse just three miles (5 kilometers) away from the ranch where Kuklinski's family often went horseback riding. Deppner was the third Kuklinski associate to be found dead. Louis Masgay On September 25, 1983, the body of 50-year-old Louis Masgay was discovered near a town park near Clausland Mountain Road in Orangetown, New York, with a bullet hole in the back of his head. Masgay had disappeared over two years earlier, on July 1, 1981, the day he was to meet Kuklinski at a New Jersey diner to purchase a large quantity of blank video cassettes for which Masgay had $95,000 in his van. After another plea bargain, Kuklinski admitted to shooting Masgay. His body had been stored in a freezer, then disposed of in the park fifteen months later. However, Kuklinski did not thaw the corpse before he dumped it. He also wrapped it in plastic garbage bags, which kept it insulated and partially frozen. The Rockland County medical examiner found ice crystals inside the body on a warm September day. If the body had thawed before discovery, the medical examiner stated he probably would never have noticed Kuklinski's trickery. Investigators realized Masgay was wearing the clothes his wife and son said he was wearing the day he disappeared. The discovery that Kuklinski froze Masgay's corpse encouraged law enforcement officers to nickname him "Iceman", a nickname frequently used in headlines. Additional victims In various interviews, Kuklinski claimed to have murdered around 200 people. He alleged he used multiple ways to kill people, including a crossbow, ice picks, a bomb attached to a remote controlled toy, firearms, grenades, as well as cyanide solution spray he considered to be his favorite. He said he committed his first murder at 14, and murdered homeless people for practice. In 2006, Paul Smith, a member of the task force involved in arresting Kuklinski – and later a supervisor of the organized crime division of the New Jersey Attorney General's office – said: "I checked every one of the murders Kuklinski said he committed, and not one was true." He added, "Authorities throughout the country could not corroborate one case based on the tidbits Kuklinski gave." In 2020, Dominick Polifrone said, "I don't believe he killed two hundred people. I don't believe he killed a hundred people. I'll go as high as 15, maybe." Kuklinski also alleged he was a Mafia contract killer independently working for all the Five Families of New York City, as well as the DeCavalcante family of New Jersey. He claimed he carried out dozens of murders on behalf of Gambino family soldier Roy DeMeo. He said he was one of the murderers of Bonanno family boss Carmine Galante in July 1979, and Gambino family boss Paul Castellano in December 1985. For the Castellano murder, Kuklinski said he was personally recruited by John Gotti ally Sammy Gravano, who instructed him to kill Castellano's driver and bodyguard, Thomas Bilotti. He told Philip Carlo he was hired by John Gotti to kidnap, torture, and murder John Favara, the man who accidentally hit and killed Gotti's 12-year-old son Frank with his car. Kuklinski's claimed involvement in Mafia hits has been disputed by other authorities. According to Jerry Capeci, "[Philip Carlo] claims the Iceman killed Paul Castellano, Carmine Galante and Jimmy Hoffa, along with Roy DeMeo and about 200 others. C'mon, do you believe that? I don't know anyone who believes that. No one." Capeci labelled Kuklinski "the Forrest Gump of mob hits". After he became a government witness in 1990, Sammy Gravano admitted to planning the murder of Castellano and Bilotti, but said the shooters were all members of John Gotti's crew and were chosen by Gotti; he did not mention Kuklinski. Anthony Bruno felt Kuklinski's participation in the killing of Castellano was "highly unlikely". Bruno noted that in 1986 Anthony Indelicato was convicted of Galante's murder and Kuklinski was not mentioned during the trial. Kuklinski biographer Philip Carlo also acknowledged that Kuklinski's claim to have been involved in Galante's murder was untrue. Former Colombo family capo Michael Franzese called Kuklinski a "pathological liar" and said, "I spent 25 years in that life, on the street. I never heard his name mentioned once. Not once." Kuklinski claimed he dumped bodies in caves in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and fed a victim to rats in the caves. However, in 2013, the Philadelphia Inquirer noted the caves have had multiple visitors since Kuklinski's time, and no human remains have been discovered. Local cave enthusiast Richard Kranzel also questioned the idea of flesh-eating rats, saying, "The only rats I encountered in caves are 'cave rats,' and they are reclusive and shy creatures, and definitely not fierce as Kuklinski claims." Law enforcement officers also doubt he stored a corpse for two years in a Mister Softee truck. Robert Prongay In interviews and documentaries, Kuklinski says he killed 38-year-old Robert Prongay, a mentor to him. Prongay was murdered on August 10, 1984, shot multiple times in the head, and was subsequently discovered in his Mister Softee ice cream truck in a garage he rented in North Bergen, New Jersey. Robbery was not considered a motive at the time. Prongay had been about to go on trial for blowing up the front door of his ex-wife's house. Kuklinski says that Prongay taught him to use cyanide and other methods to kill, and it was Prongay who told him to freeze the body of Masgay. However, Kuklinski says he killed Prongay after he threatened his family. Law enforcement officials have considered Kuklinski a prime suspect in the murder since 1986, but the director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice said no charges were sought because Kuklinski had been convicted of other murders. In 1993, in response to his claims, the Hudson County Prosecutor said new charges against Kuklinski were possible since the Prongay murder was still an open investigation, and they would assess whether there was enough evidence to prosecute him. Ultimately, no charges were brought against Kuklinski for the Prongay murder. Roy DeMeo Kuklinski claimed he killed 42-year-old Gambino crime family soldier Roy DeMeo in an interview for the 1993 book The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer by Anthony Bruno. He described DeMeo as a mentor of his, but after he fell behind on a loan to distribute pornography, he received a beating. The two later became business partners. Kuklinski says DeMeo taught him how murder for hire could be a way to make money. However, author Jerry Capeci, who has written extensively about DeMeo and the Mafia, doubts Kuklinski killed DeMeo or had close ties to the DeMeo crew. Most sources indicate DeMeo was killed by members of his own crew, with no suggestion that Kuklinski was involved. Kuklinski is not mentioned in Capeci and Gene Mustain's book about the DeMeo crew, Murder Machine, or Albert DeMeo's account of his father's life in the mob, For the Sins of My Father. Philip Carlo, whose biography of Kuklinski includes the claim that he killed DeMeo, acknowledged in the postscript to a later edition that this claim was probably untrue. Peter Calabro In his 2001 HBO interview, Kuklinski confessed to killing 36-year-old NYPD auto crimes detective Peter Calabro, who was ambushed and shot dead by an unknown gunman in Saddle River, New Jersey on March 14, 1980. Calabro was rumored to have mob connections and was investigated for selling confidential information to the Gambino family. His wife Carmella had drowned under mysterious circumstances three years earlier, and members of her family believed Calabro was responsible. At the time, his murder was thought by law enforcement officials to be revenge either carried out or arranged by his deceased wife's relatives. Her brothers were regarded as "key suspects," but the crime remained unsolved. The Bergen County prosecutor believed Kuklinski's confession to be a fabrication, but his successor decided to proceed with the case. In February 2003, Kuklinski was charged with Calabro's murder, and received another sentence of thirty years. This was considered a waste because it was during multiple life sentences, and he would not be eligible for parole until he was over 100 years old. Describing the murder, Kuklinski said he parked his van on the side of a narrow road, forcing other drivers to slow to pass. He lay in a snowbank behind his van until Calabro came by at 2 a.m., then stepped out and shot him in the head with a sawed-off shotgun, decapitating Calabro. He stated he was unaware that Calabro was a police officer but said he probably would have murdered him anyway. Kuklinski claimed he was paid to kill Calabro by Gambino crime family soldier Sammy Gravano, and that Gravano provided the murder weapon. Gravano, serving a twenty-year sentence in Arizona for drugs, was also indicted for the murder. Kuklinski was set to testify against him. Gravano denied any involvement in Calabro's death and rejected a plea bargain, under which he would receive no additional jail time if he confessed to the crime and informed on all his accomplices. The charges against Gravano were dropped after Kuklinski's death in 2006. Jimmy Hoffa In his 2001 HBO interview, Secrets of a Mafia Hitman, Kuklinski said he knew who killed 62-year-old former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa. Kuklinski did not claim any personal involvement in Hoffa's disappearance and presumed murder and did not identify any culprit. However, he later claimed he killed Hoffa. In his account, Kuklinski was part of a four-man kidnap team. They grabbed Hoffa in Detroit. While they were in the car, Kuklinski killed Hoffa by stabbing him with a large hunting knife. He said he drove Hoffa's corpse from Detroit to a New Jersey junkyard. It was placed in a drum, set on fire, and then buried in the junkyard. Later, fearing an accomplice might snitch, the drum was dug up, placed in the trunk of a car, compacted into a cube, and sold to Japan as scrap metal along with hundreds of other compacted cars. Deputy Chief Bob Buccino, who worked on the Kuklinski case, said: "They took a body from Detroit, where they have one of the biggest lakes in the world, and drove it all the way back to New Jersey? Come on." Buccino added: "We didn't believe a lot of things he said." Former FBI Special Agent Robert Garrity stated that Kuklinski's admission to killing Hoffa was "a hoax," and that Kuklinski was never a suspect in Hoffa's disappearance, adding: "I never heard of him." Anthony Bruno said he investigated Kuklinski's alleged involvement in Hoffa's disappearance but felt "[his] story didn't check out." He opined Kuklinski made the confession to "add extra value to his brand", and omitted the story from his biography of Kuklinski. Investigation and arrest Kuklinski came to the attention of Pat Kane, an officer with the New Jersey State Police, when an informant helped Kane connect him to a gang carrying out burglaries in northern New Jersey. Kane built a file on Kuklinski. Eventually, five unsolved homicides—Hoffman, Smith, Deppner, Masgay, and Malliband—were linked to Kuklinski because he was the last person to see each of them alive. A joint task force of law enforcement officials titled "Operation Iceman" was created between the New Jersey Attorney General's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) dedicated to arresting and convicting Kuklinski. The ATF was involved due to Kuklinski's firearm sales. ATF Special Agent Dominick Polifrone went undercover for eighteen months to apprehend Kuklinski. Starting in 1985, Kane and Polifrone worked with Phil Solimene, a close long-time friend of Kuklinski, to get Polifrone close to Kuklinski. Posing as a Mafia-connected criminal named Dominic Provenzano, Polifrone purchased a handgun-muffler combination from Kuklinski. In recordings, Kuklinski discussed a corpse he kept in a freezer for two and a half years. He told Polifrone he preferred poison, saying, "Why be messy? You do it nice and calm." He asked Polifrone if he could supply him with pure cyanide. Polifrone told Kuklinski he wanted to hire him to murder a wealthy Jewish cocaine dealer, and recorded Kuklinski speaking in detail about how he would do it. Kuklinski was also recorded boasting he killed a man by putting cyanide on his hamburger, and of his plans to kill "a couple of rats" (Barbara Deppner and Percy House). On December 17, 1986, Kuklinski met Polifrone to get cyanide for a planned murder, which was to be an attempt on an undercover police officer. After the recorded conversation with Polifrone, Kuklinski went for a walk. He tested Polifrone's purported cyanide on a stray dog, using a hamburger as bait, and saw it was not poison. Suspicious, Kuklinski decided not to go through with the planned murder and went home instead. He was arrested at a roadblock two hours later. Kuklinski's wife was charged for interfering with her husband's arrest. Officers discovered a firearm in the vehicle, and she was charged with possession of a firearm because she was a passenger. Trial and incarceration Prosecutors charged Kuklinski with five counts of murder and six weapons violations, as well as attempted murder, robbery, and attempted robbery. Law enforcement officials said Kuklinski had large sums of money in Swiss bank accounts and a reservation on a flight to that country. Kuklinski was held on a $2 million bail bond, and required to surrender his passport. After the arrest, Kuklinski told reporters, "This is unwarranted, unnecessary. These guys watch too many movies." At a press conference, New Jersey state Attorney General W. Cary Edwards characterized the motive for the murders as "profit" and said, ″He set individuals up for business deals, they disappeared, and the money ended up in his hands.″ At trial, Kuklinski's former associates, including Percy House and Barbara Deppner, gave evidence against him, as did ATF Special Agent Polifrone. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Robert Carrol, and Kuklinski was represented by a public defender. Kuklinski's lawyer argued Kuklinski had no history of violence, and only projected a "tough image," including his statements to ATF Special Agent Polifrone. The defence theorized Deppner was responsible for the murder of Smith, and there was no cause of death determined for Deppner. Additionally, he argued the testimony of House and Barbara Deppner was unreliable because they lied to law enforcement officials, and House received immunity from prosecution. In March 1988, jurors found Kuklinski guilty of murdering Smith and Deppner, but found the deaths were not proven to be by Kuklinski's conduct, so that he would not face the death penalty. He was sentenced to a minimum 60 years in prison. After the trial, Kuklinski pleaded guilty to killing Masgay and Malliband, and was sentenced to an additional two life sentences to be served consecutively. State prosecutors explained he would spend the rest of his life in prison even if he successfully appealed his previous convictions. Kuklinski also confessed to killing Hoffman, but prosecutors decided not to go to trial, as they had a weak case and additional life sentences would not have made any difference to Kuklinski's prison term. As part of the plea bargains, the firearm charge against his wife and an unrelated marijuana possession charge against his son were dismissed. Kuklinski was ineligible for parole until 2046, when he would have been 111 years old. He was incarcerated at Trenton State Prison. During his incarceration, Kuklinski granted interviews to prosecutors, psychiatrists, criminologists, and writers. Several television producers also spoke to Kuklinski about his criminal career, upbringing, and personal life. These talks culminated in three televised documentaries known as The Iceman Tapes, broadcast on HBO in 1992, 2001, and 2003. According to his daughter, Merrick Kuklinski, her mother convinced Richard to do the interviews and she was paid "handsomely" for them. In the last installment, The Iceman and the Psychiatrist, Kuklinski was interviewed by forensic psychiatrist Park Dietz in 2002. Dietz stated he believed Kuklinski suffered from antisocial personality disorder plus paranoid personality disorder. Writers Anthony Bruno and Philip Carlo wrote biographies of Kuklinski. Kuklinski's wife, Barbara, received a share of the profits from the Bruno book. Death In October 2005, after nearly eighteen years in prison, Kuklinski was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. He was transferred to a secure wing at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Although he had asked doctors to make sure they revived him if he developed cardiopulmonary arrest, his former wife Barbara had signed a "do not resuscitate" order. A week before his death, the hospital called Barbara to ask if she wished to rescind the instruction but she declined. Kuklinski died at age 70 on March 5, 2006. At the request of Kuklinski's family, forensic pathologist Michael Baden reviewed his autopsy report. Baden confirmed that Kuklinski died of cardiac arrest and had been suffering with heart disease and phlebitis. References Further reading Carlo, Philip (2006). The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-34928-8. Bruno, Anthony (2013) [1993]. The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer. ROBERT HALE LTD. ISBN 9780709052722. Bruno, Anthony (2018). Immortal Monster. DarkHorse Multimedia. ASIN B07GTD1KX5. Mammoccio, Concetta Seila (2024). Sei mio e di nessun altro Dio. La vera storia di Richard Leonard Kuklinski. Independently published. ISBN 979-88-787-4612-0. External links New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety - Division of Criminal Justice 1987 Annual Report The Iceman Confesses: Secrets of a Mafia Hitman at IMDb
Ki Fitzgerald	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Ki Fitzgerald.	Tell me a bio of Ki Fitzgerald.	Tell me a bio of Ki Fitzgerald within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Ki Fitzgerald with around 100 words.	Ki Fitzgerald (born Kiley McPhail), also known professionally as Azteck, is an English DJ, musician, songwriter and record producer. He has written/produced several top 10 singles and albums and was a founding member of the English pop rock band Busted from 2000 to 2001. Early life Fitzgerald was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands to British parents but moved at six years old and grew up in Kent, England. His father is the singer Scott Fitzgerald, who had an international hit with "If I Had Words" and also represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 1988. In 2000, Ki Fitzgerald was an original member of pop punk band Busted. In 2008 Fitzgerald made an unsuccessful claim for copyright on the Busted songs "Year 3000", What I Go to School For" and "Sleeping with the Light On", which he had signed his rights away to in 2003. Career In 2007, Fitzgerald formed the band Eyes Wide Open and signed a publishing deal with Music Copyright Solutions. The band toured the UK after making their debut at the GWR Fiesta to an audience of 40,000 people. The band members consisted of: Fitzgerald (vocals and guitar), Tom Warner (lead guitar), TK (bass guitar) and Pat Garvery (drums) and Will Farquarson (Guitar) who went on to become a member of Band Bastille. The band made appearances at festivals. The band broke up whilst in the process of recording their debut album with producer Steve Lironi (Bon Jovi) and mixer Simon Gogerly. In 2015 Fitzgerald signed an artist deal with producer RedOne and his label 2101/capital records to develop his own album and to Join RedOne's writing group Team Red. The first release with Dutch DJ duo Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano was the song Come Follow with vocals from KiFi. It was released through Spinnin' Records in February 2015. Fitzgerald has been featured Vocalist on many EDM songs, including the single "Shine a Light" by Hardwell and Wildstylez, "Steal the moon" by DubVision, "Best part of me" by Firebeatz and DubVision, the Headhunterz single "Into the Sunset" which was featured on Ellen DeGeneres, Dancing with the Stars and upcoming releases with Armin van Buuren, Dash Berlin and many more. Songwriting and music production In October 2011, Fitzgerald signed with Global Talent Publishing to focus on songwriting for other artists. Since then Fitzgerald has fast become a successful songwriter and producer for a diverse group of artists such as Galantis, Lawson, The Wanted, Jonas Brothers, B.o.B, Alex Hepburn, and Pitbull. He is credited with having written 4 top 10 singles with UK band Lawson, including the releases "When She Was Mine" (UK No.4) "Standing in the Dark" (UK No.6) "Broken Hearted" featuring USA rapper B.o.B (Uk No.6) and final single Roads. Fitzgerald also contributed to the album tracks "Stolen" and "Everywhere You Go", "Die for You", "Getting Nowhere", "Hurts Like You", "Are You Ready", and "Back to Life", which featured on Lawson's top 10 debut album Chapman Square and "Chapman Square – Special Edition (Chapter II). Fitzgerald worked on the third and final album from The Wanted, Word of Mouth, which featured two co-writes, "Summer Alive" and "Heart Break Story". He co-wrote the debut single by Sophia Del Carmen featuring Pitbull "Lipstick" with RedOne. On Lawson's follow-up album Perspective, Fitzgerald co-wrote 11 songs including the singles "Money" and "Under the Sun". The album was released in June 2016. He co-wrote and co-produced the single "Hunter" for Galantis and Madcon's "Got a Little Drunk". More recently he co-wrote the Galantis single "San Francisco" featuring Sofia Carson. Fitzgerald wrote the single from Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike featuring Wiz Khalifa, "When I Grow Up". He also collaborated on the single from Sweater Beats and Icona Pop, "Faded". He co-wrote "Monsters" for Saara Aalto for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, where she represented Finland. He co-wrote and gave the vocals on Armin van Buuren's single "Turn It Up" released in March 2019. External links List of song credits at AllMusic == References ==
Chris Cuomo	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Chris Cuomo.	Tell me a bio of Chris Cuomo.	Tell me a bio of Chris Cuomo within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Chris Cuomo with around 100 words.	Christopher Charles Cuomo ( KWOH-moh; born August 9, 1970) is an American television journalist anchor at NewsNation, based in New York City. He has previously been the ABC News chief law and justice correspondent and the co-anchor for ABC's 20/20, news anchor for Good Morning America from 2006 to 2009, and an anchor at CNN, where he co-hosted its morning show New Day from 2013 through May 2018, before moving to Cuomo Prime Time in June 2018. Cuomo is the brother of Andrew Cuomo, who was the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021, and the son of Mario Cuomo, who was the 52nd governor of New York from 1983 until 1994. In December 2021, Cuomo was fired by CNN after reports that he assisted in the defense against the sexual harassment allegations that led to his brother's resignation. He subsequently joined Nexstar Media Group, hosting Cuomo for NewsNation. Early life and education Cuomo was born in the New York City borough of Queens. He is the youngest child of Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York, and Matilda Cuomo (née Raffa), and the brother of Andrew Cuomo, a former governor of New York. His parents were both of Italian descent; his paternal grandparents were from Nocera Inferiore and Tramonti in the Campania region of southern Italy, while his maternal grandparents were from Sicily (his grandfather from Messina). Cuomo was educated at Immaculate Conception School in Jamaica, Queens; and then at The Albany Academy, a private university preparatory day school in Albany, New York, followed by Yale University, where he earned an undergraduate degree, and the Fordham University School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1995. He is a licensed attorney. Career Cuomo's early career in journalism included appearances related to social and political issues on CNBC, MSNBC, and CNN. He was a correspondent and political policy analyst for Fox News and Fox Broadcast Network's Fox Files, where he covered a wide range of stories focusing on controversial social issues. When asked if he should be considered a journalist on his show, Cuomo said, "I don't know how that's relevant. I don't care what they classify me as. I'm not forwarding my agenda. That's not my thing. My opinion is irrelevant." When hired for Fox Files Roger Ailes, the Fox News chairman, called Cuomo "fearless". At ABC and as co-anchor of 20/20, his year-long coverage of heroin addiction revealed the extent to which it was affecting suburban families. His other work has included coverage of the Haiti earthquake, child custody, bullying, and homeless teens. Policy changes followed his undercover look at for-profit school recruiters, including an industry-wide cleanup. Cuomo's tip from a BMW owner led to a recall of over 150,000 affected vehicles. From September 2006 to December 2009, he was the news anchor for Good Morning America. He was the primary reporter on breaking news stories, both in the U.S. and around the world, including dozens of assignments in some ten countries. He covered the war on terrorism, embedded on multiple occasions in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq (where his convoy was hit by an IED). In the U.S., he covered the Virginia Tech shooting, the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, and the Pennsylvania Amish school shootings. He did live broadcasts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Sago Mine collapse, and the Minneapolis bridge collapse in August 2007. He anchored morning and evening coverage. During his period at ABC, he had a website, "Cuomo on the Case," as well as two weekly digital programs: The Real Deal and Focus on Faith. He also appeared with Father Edward Beck on ABC News Now, the network's 24-hour digital outlet. Move to CNN In February 2013, Cuomo moved to CNN to co-host its morning show. He made his debut on CNN as field anchor on the February 8, 2013, episode of Piers Morgan Tonight, covering the February 2013 North American blizzard. In March 2018, while serving as the co-anchor of CNN's morning show New Day, CNN announced that Cuomo would move to prime time to host Cuomo Prime Time. In October 2017, sister network HLN premiered a new documentary series hosted by the anchor, Inside with Chris Cuomo, which focused on "stories affecting real people, in real towns and cities across America." In September 2018, he began hosting a two-hour weekday radio show "Let's Get After It" on the P.O.T.U.S. channel on SiriusXM. "Fredo" incident On August 13, 2019, in Shelter Island, New York, Cuomo threatened to throw a heckler down a flight of stairs at a bar and chastised him with profanity-laced insults after the man called him Fredo, in reference to the unglamorous fictional character from The Godfather novel and films. Cuomo told the man that the use of the name "Fredo" was equivalent to "the n-word" for Italian-Americans, which caused debate on Twitter about the assertion. Cuomo addressed the incident publicly, tweeting his appreciation to his supporters but acknowledging that he "should be better than what [he] oppose[s]." Andrew Cuomo coverage and suspension from CNN While recovering from COVID-19 in early 2020, Chris Cuomo interviewed his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, on his CNN program. After reports about sexual harassment allegations against his brother surfaced, Cuomo said on his program in March 2021 that he could not cover any issues regarding the allegations on the program, acknowledging his obvious conflict of interest. In May 2021, Cuomo was reported to have participated in strategic discussions to advise his brother on how to respond to the allegations. CNN called Cuomo's engagement in the conversations "inappropriate" but said that it would not take any disciplinary action against him. Multiple CNN staffers said they were "vexed" by Cuomo's conduct and the violation of journalism ethics and standards. Cuomo subsequently issued an apology and stated that advising his brother was a "mistake" that would "never happen again". In August, Cuomo addressed his brother's impending resignation, reiterating he was not an adviser to Andrew and noting he had persuaded his brother to step down as governor. On November 29, 2021, the New York attorney general's office released documents that show Cuomo used his media sources to uncover information about his brother's known accusers and inquire about the possibility of new accusers who had yet to come forward publicly. The documents also show that Cuomo helped formulate statements for Andrew and that Cuomo was actively in touch with a top aide to Andrew about future reports about Andrew's alleged misconduct. The following day, Cuomo was suspended indefinitely from CNN. Cuomo called his suspension "embarrassing" but said he understood "why some people feel the way they do about what I did". Following his suspension, several conservative commentators defended Cuomo. These supporters include Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, and Greg Gutfeld. On December 4, after an internal review conducted by a law firm, CNN terminated Cuomo's employment and said they would investigate Cuomo's "involvement with his brother's defense". Cuomo stated he never tried to influence his own network's coverage of his brother's sexual allegation problems. In February 2022, Cuomo mentioned in a recorded interview that he "was going to kill everybody including myself" after his firing. Sexual misconduct allegations In September 2021, Cuomo's former boss Shelley Ross accused him of sexual harassment in a New York Times op-ed. Stopping short of asking him to be fired from CNN, she said she would "like to see him journalistically repent". Cuomo admitted to the incident, describing it as "not sexual in nature". He said he "apologized to her then, and I meant it". In December 2021, Debra Katz, the attorney for another former colleague of Cuomo's, informed CNN that her client had accused Cuomo of sexual misconduct. The woman claimed that Cuomo invited her to his office for lunch and after the woman rejected Cuomo's sexual advances, Cuomo allegedly assaulted her. Katz has since claimed that this accusation precipitated Cuomo's termination. Termination fallout On December 6, 2021, Cuomo announced he would be leaving his program on SiriusXM. On the same day, it was reported that Cuomo threatened to file a lawsuit against CNN to recover the $18 million of his remaining contract because network president Jeff Zucker understood the details of Cuomo's involvement with his brother's defense. Zucker has denied this was the case, and subsequently claimed in a virtual meeting with employees that he had reprimanded Cuomo in May, and that "Chris had gone further than he had told me and told other members of our senior executive team". On December 7, 2021, HarperCollins announced they would not be going forward in publishing Cuomo's book, originally titled Deep Denial in the fall of 2022. The book was to be an analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic and the first presidency of Donald Trump. On March 16, 2022, Cuomo filed a demand for arbitration claiming $125 million in damages against Turner Services and CNN America. The filing claimed Cuomo's "journalistic integrity" was "unjustifiably smeared", making the chance to find similar work impossible. He was looking to recover his remaining salary and future wages forfeited for his reputation being damaged. NewsNation On July 26, 2022, during an interview with Dan Abrams on NewsNation, Cuomo announced that he would be hosting a new primetime program on the Nexstar Media Group-owned channel later that year. The new series, Cuomo, premiered on October 3, 2022. During the premiere, Cuomo stated that he had "learned lessons good and bad" since his firing from CNN, and that his new show would not be "typical", and would (as with the remainder of NewsNation's programming) aim to be more neutral and less partisan in its commentary and content, arguing that "extremes are not America's majority", and that "In politics what you ignore you often empower. And the right has made a mistake in its silence for too long. Our election was not stolen. Your Republican leaders know this." Among the interviews Cuomo gave in his first month with NewsNation included Kanye West, with whom Cuomo clashed over West's recent antisemitic comments. Podcast Cuomo began a podcast, The Chris Cuomo Project, on July 21, 2022. Awards Cuomo has received multiple Emmy Award nominations. His Good Morning America profile of the 12-year-old poet Mattie Stepanek was recognized with a News Emmy, making him one of the youngest correspondents to receive the award. He has been awarded Polk and Peabody Awards for team coverage. His work has been recognized in the areas of breaking news, business news, and legal news, with the Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news coverage, the 2005 Gerald Loeb Award for Television Deadline business reporting for "Money for Nothing?", and the American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award for investigating juvenile justice. Personal life In 2001, Cuomo married Gotham magazine editor Cristina Greeven in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Southampton, New York. They reside in Manhattan with their three children. Cuomo also owns a home in Southampton. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuomo announced on March 31, 2020, that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19. During his quarantine, he broadcast his usual weekday program from his home. Cuomo later said he had a hallucination of his late father, former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, as a result of symptoms from the virus. In 2024, Cuomo stated he has had long COVID since his infection in 2020. See also Cuomo family New Yorkers in journalism References External links Chris Cuomo at IMDb Appearances on C-SPAN
Adnan Sami	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Adnan Sami.	Tell me a bio of Adnan Sami.	Tell me a bio of Adnan Sami within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Adnan Sami with around 100 words.	Adnan Sami Khan (born 15 August 1969) is an Indian singer, musician, composer, actor and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music in many languages, such as Hindi, Urdu, English, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. He has been awarded with Padma Shri (India's fourth highest civilian award) for his remarkable contribution to music. His most notable instrument is the piano. He has been credited as "the first musician to have played the santoor and Indian classical music on the piano". A review in the US-based Keyboard magazine described him as the fastest keyboard player in the world and called him the keyboard discovery of the nineties. He was raised and educated in the United Kingdom. He was previously a Canadian citizen, but became a naturalised Indian citizen in 2016. He was born to Arshad Sami Khan, a Pakistani Air Force veteran and diplomat of Pashtun origin, and Naureen, who was originally from the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Times of India has called him the "Sultan of Music". He was awarded the Padma Shri on 26 January 2020. Early life and education Sami was born in London, England on 15 August 1971. He was raised and educated in the United Kingdom. His father, Arshad Sami Khan, was a Pakistani Pashtun with roots in Afghanistan while his mother Naureen Khan was an Indian from Jammu. Adnan's father served as a Pakistan Air Force pilot, before becoming a senior bureaucrat and serving as Pakistan's ambassador to 14 countries. His paternal great-great-grandfather, General Ahmed Jan, was from Afghanistan and a military advisor to king Abdur Rahman Khan. His paternal great-grandfather Agha Mehfooz Jan was the governor of four Afghan provinces under King Amanullah Khan's reign and was also the King's first cousin, while his paternal grandfather Abdul Sami Khan served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police. Agha Mehfooz Jan was assassinated by Habibullah Kalakani and therefore Sami's father's family migrated to Peshawar, then in British India. Sami attended Rugby School in Rugby, West Midlands, UK. Adnan followed his bachelor's degree with a law degree (LLB) from King's College London. He went on to qualify as a barrister from Lincoln's Inn, England. He had played the piano since the age of five and composed his first piece of music when he was nine years old. Sami began taking lessons in Indian classical music from the santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma when visiting India during his school vacations. Indian singer Asha Bhosle saw him at age ten at an R. D. Burman concert in London, and encouraged him to take up music as a career. He is an accomplished concert pianist, music composer and singer with a command of Indian and Western classical/semi-classical music, jazz, rock and pop music. As a teenager, Adnan, when performing on the piano on a TV program in Stockholm, was described by the US-based Keyboard magazine as the fastest man on keyboard in the world and the keyboard discovery of the nineties. Sami went on to learn Indian classical music from Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, the Santoor maestro in India. At the age of sixteen, Sami was approached to write a song for famine-hit Ethiopia, for which he won a special award from UNICEF. In his career of 32 years, Sami has won many international awards including the Nigar Award, Bolan Academy Award and Graduate Award. Adnan is the youngest recipient of the Naushad Music Award for Excellence in Music. Previous recipients of this award include Lata Mangeshkar and Music Maestro Khayam. Sami was invited as a member of the jury of the music festival Voice of Asia competition held annually at Almaty, Kazakhstan. Career Albums and notable singles His first single, "Run for His Life", was released in 1986. It was in English, and recorded for UNICEF. It went to No. 1 in the music charts in the Middle East. This was followed by three more No. 1s: "Talk to Me", "Hot Summer Day" and "You're My Best Kept Secret". His first formal album, The One & Only (1989), was a classical album on the piano accompanied by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. He released his first vocal solo album Raag Time in 1991. In 2000, Asha Bhosle collaborated with Sami on a collection of love songs named Kabhi to Nazar Milao in India. The music was also composed by Adnan. The album became an instant success and topped the Indipop charts for most of 2001 and 2002. According to Business Week magazine, the album sold 4 million copies in India alone. His second studio album, Tera Chehra, was released in October 2002 to critical acclaim. The music videos for this album were shot by Binod Pradhan, who had shot the popular 2002 Hindi film Devdas. The album features Bollywood stars Rani Mukerji in the title track and Amitabh Bachchan in the track "Kabhi Nahi", who also sang the duet with Sami. Actress Mahima Chaudhry was also seen in another song. The title track was written by well-known Hindi movie lyricist Sameer. According to Screen Magazine, it was the only successful pop album of the year. Sami's Tera Chehra broke sales records by becoming India's best-selling album of 2002 (including film soundtracks), continuing its No. 1 position in 2003, and by becoming the best-selling Indian album of all time (including film soundtracks) in the U.S. and Canada. The album stayed in the No. 1 position in all the music charts of India from the time of its release in September 2002 for over a year, beating his debut album's No. 1 record. His most successful albums have been Kabhi To Nazar Milao (with Asha Bhosle) and Tera Chehra, and his music videos usually have had Bollywood stars in them, including Namrata Shirodkar ("Bheegi Bheegi Raat"), Mahima Chaudhry, Raveena Tandon, Rani Mukerji ("Tera Chehra"), Govinda, Fardeen Khan, Amisha Patel ("O Meri Jaan"), Bhumika Chawla ("Maahiya"), Dia Mirza ("Pal Do Pal") and Amitabh Bachchan (Kabhi Nahi). He has composed film music for several other Hindi films, including Lucky: No Time for Love, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, Dhamaal, 1920, Chance Pe Dance, Mumbai Salsa, Khubsoorat, Sadiyaan, Shaurya and several others. Film composer In 1994, he composed music for a film for the first time. The 1995 Pakistani film Sargam, in which he was the lead actor and Indian playback singer Asha Bhosle did the playback Sargam, was a box office success. It was also the first time that an Indian playback singer was featured in an album in Pakistan. To date Sargam is the only film Sami has acted in, and the score is the best-selling album of all time in Pakistan. He soon became popular, which led Hindi filmmaker Boney Kapoor to invite him to provide music for his film. This was the beginning for him to compose and sing for Hindi films and for the top Hindi film producers of the time like Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai. Due to the popularity of his music videos and live performances, he started getting acting offers at the same time. The song "Tu Sirf Mera Mehboob" from the Hindi film Ajnabee, sung by Adnan, became popular and was declared a "superhit" by Screen Magazine, who called him the pop personality of the year in 2001. Saathiya (2002) brought him the opportunity to work with A. R. Rahman in the form of "Aye Udi Udi". According to Screen Magazine, the song was "the highlight of the album". Rediff.com called him the "Reigning King of Indipop" in early 2003 based on the sales of his albums in the previous two years. In 2015, he sung the qawwali song "Bhar Do Jholi Meri", composed by Pritam for Salman Khan starred film Bajrangi Bhaijaain, he appeared in the movie as well. Illness and weight loss In 2005, he suffered from lymphoedema and developed an abscess in the knee, which interrupted his career. In 2006, he took a sabbatical and reportedly lost 130 kg. As a concert pianist As a classical concert pianist, Sami has given solo performances before royalty such as the King of Sweden and King Hussein of Jordan. He has performed before heads of state and governments such as President Mitterrand of France, the President of the United Arab Emirates, the President and Prime Minister of India, the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, the President and Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, the Prime Minister of Sweden and Princess Christina of Sweden. Adnan has performed for music festivals to sold-out stadiums of his solo concert tours all over the world in over forty countries. Composing for events Sami wrote a song for India during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. The video of this song captures the nationalistic spirit of competition, depicting Adnan performing with the Indian cricket team with guest appearances from Indian film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Television He hosted the Indian version of the American music game show Don't Forget the Lyrics! called Bol Baby Bol on the Star TV network in 2008. Prior to that in 2005, he was the sole jury for the singing competition program on Channel [V] called Super Singer. In 2011, Adnan returned as a judge on the singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, which became popular worldwide. Awards and recognition Sami has won a number of international awards, including the Nigar Award, the Bolan Academy Award, and the Graduate Award. He was given a special award by UNICEF for the song he wrote for famine-hit Ethiopia as a teenager and a United Nations Peace Medal for a song he wrote and performed for Africa. A review of his piano solo performance on British TV Channel 4 in Keyboard magazine called him the "Keyboard Discovery of the 90s". In 2001, he was awarded the Breakthrough Artist of the Year by MTV. Swedish and British radio and television have often referred to him as the fastest keyboard player in the world. Adnan has performed for prestigious music festivals to sold-out stadiums of his solo concert tours all over the world in over forty countries. In summer 2003, he became the only Asian artist to have sold out Wembley Stadium, London, for two consecutive nights, which won him a place in the Limca Book of Records. In 2008, he was presented the "Naushad Music Award" by Andhra Pradesh Department of Culture, in Hyderabad. In 2008 he also won "Best International Act" at the UK Asian Music Awards. In 2013, he was given the BrandLaureate International Brand Personality award by the President of The BrandLaureate, Dr KK Johan, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In April 2017, Sami became the first South Asian to have performed at London's Wembley Stadium 8 times; tickets were sold out on all 8 occasions. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, attended the concert. In January 2020, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in the field of Arts, by Government of India. He received the award from President of India on 8 November 2021 In 2010, Sami received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Prime Minister of Pakistan at a ceremony by Pakistan Television. In 2011, Sami was given the "Glory of India Award" by the India International Friendship Society. This was the 350th anniversary of the completion of the Taj Mahal, and Sami gave a solo concert performance in front of the Taj Mahal on the final night of the celebrations. After this performance, the Indian media dubbed him the "Sultan of Music". Business endorsements In 2002, Pepsi Foods made Sami its brand ambassador in India, a contract which involved hosting a series of live music concerts across cities as well as featuring in ads for Pepsi products. He is the only artist in all of Asia and Europe to have endorsed Pepsi Cola and Coca-Cola together. Personal life Sami first married to actress Zeba Bakhtiar in 1993, with whom he had a son named Azaan Sami Khan. They divorced after three years. Sami began living in India since 13 March 2001, on a visitor's visa which was extended from time to time. In 2001, Sami married Dubai-based Arab Sabah Galadari. This was his second marriage and Sabah's second marriage as well; she had a son from her previous marriage. This relationship also ended in divorce, a year-and-a-half later. In June 2006, he weighed 230 kilograms (506 lb); he claimed his doctor had given him just six months to live. By diet and exercise, he lost 120 kilograms (260 lb) in 16 months. In 2008, his wife Sabah returned to Mumbai, remarried him and began living with him, but the marriage only lasted one year, after which Sabah filed for divorce again. In 2009, his father died of pancreatic cancer, which he described as the "biggest blow" of his life, saying that he had been extremely close to his father. On 29 January 2010 Sami married Roya Sami Khan, the daughter of a retired diplomat and army general. He first met Roya in India during her visit in 2010 and proposed to her after some time. On 10 May 2017, he became a father to a daughter, Medina Sami Khan. On 26 May 2015, he submitted a request for Indian citizenship to the Ministry of Home Affairs, when his Pakistani passport expired (he also held Canadian citizenship at the time), as the Government of Pakistan declined to renew his passport; he had lived an adequate number of years in India that made him eligible for Indian citizenship hence he naturalized as an Indian citizen. In late December 2015, the Indian Home Ministry approved his request for legal status as a citizen of India, effective as of 1 January 2016. Sami appeared on an episode of Aap Ki Adalat hosted by Rajat Sharma, which aired on 31 May 2025. He shared about his experiences about being denied Pakistani visa to visit his mother's funeral, which he watched on video call, and criticised the Pakistan Army and intelligence agency ISI for brainwashing youths into committing acts of terror across India while referring to the Pahalgam terror attack and the November 2008 Mumbai terror attack, besides looting the nation and begging for donations to fund their objectives. Additionally, Sami expressed gratitude to the Government of India and the audience for giving him recognition, and credits Asha Bhosle for supporting his career and hosting him when he moved to India. Furthermore, Sami also expressed about being a foodie and showing himself as a hopeless romantic through his music. Filmography As an actor Sargam (1995) Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) As a playback singer Urdu songs Hindi songs Telugu songs Tamil songs Kannada songs Other languages As a music director and composer Sargam (1995) Love at Times Square (2003) Lucky: No Time for Love (2005) Dhamaal (2007) Mumbai Salsa (2007) Khushboo (2008) 1920 (2008) Shaurya (2008) Daddy Cool, co-director: Raghav Sachar Sadiyaan (2010) Chance Pe Dance (2010), co-director: Pritam Chakraborty, Ken Ghosh, Sandeep Shirodkar Discography Badaltay Mausam (1997) was re-released in India as Kabhi To Nazar Milao (2000). Notes References External links Interview on Republic TV (by Arnab Goswami). Adnan Sami at IMDb
Krystyna Szczepańska	Provide me a one-sentence fact about Krystyna Szczepańska.	Tell me a bio of Krystyna Szczepańska.	Tell me a bio of Krystyna Szczepańska within 100 words.	Tell me a bio of Krystyna Szczepańska with around 100 words.	Krystyna Szczepańska (born 18 August 1950) is a Polish stage and costume designer. Biography She was born in Kraków as a second child of Piotr Szczepański, a lawyer and graduate of Jan Kazimierz University, and Stanisława née Żółtańska, teacher of Russian language. Her parents came from Berezhany; they both acted as members of the Home Army. Krystyna's elder sister Alicja is a lawyer,. Szczepańska was married to director Andrzej Maj and she mainly designed sets and costumes for his performances. Their daughter Magdalena is a costume and set designer active mostly in the advertising industry. Szczepańska's second daughter is Elizabeth. Szczepańska emigrated to Vancouver. Filmography Set designer 1981: My wciąż spieszący (TV play) 1981: Kocham cię za to, że cię kochać muszę (TV play) 1982: Znana nasza (TV play) 1982: Milczeć pogodnie (TV play) 1983: Droga do Czarnolasu (TV play) 1984: Wiersze i krajobrazy (TV performance) 1984: Piękność z Amherst (TV play) 1984: Obszar swobody (TV play) 1985: Nad wodą wielką i czystą (TV play) 1986: Twarze Witkacego czyli regulamin firmy portretowej (TV play) 1986: Dwie wigilie (TV film) 1987: Trąd w pałacu sprawiedliwości (TV play) 1987: Harnasie (TV film) 1988: Dzieje kultury polskiej (educational film) 1991: Koty? Koty! (TV play) Costume designer 1985: Nad wodą wielką i czystą (TV play) 1987: Harnasie (TV film) Interior decoration 1988: Kornblumenblau Theatre Stage designer 1979: Niebezpieczne związki (directed by Andrzej Maj, Ludwik Solski Theatre, Tarnów) 1982: Jednorożec z gwiazd (directed by Andrzej Maj, Stefan Jaracz Theatre, Łódź) 1982: Historia, czyli tu wcale nie chodzi o Mozarta (directed by Andrzej Maj, Stefan Jaracz Theatre) Decoration 1983: Ozimina (directed by Andrzej Maj, Stefan Jaracz Theatre) Costume designer 1985: Pornografia (directed by Andrzej Maj, Stefan Jaracz Theatre) == References ==

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