title: Germany

paragraphs: Germany (German: "Deutschland"), officially Federal Republic of Germany ("Bundesrepublik Deutschland"), is a country in Central Europe. The country's full name is sometimes shortened to the FRG (or the BRD, in German).

paragraphs: To the north of Germany are the North and Baltic Seas, and the kingdom of Denmark. To the east of Germany are the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. To the south of Germany are the countries of Austria and Switzerland. To the west of Germany are the countries of France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The total area of Germany is 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 square miles). The large majority of Germany has warm summers and cold winters. In June 2013, Germany had a population of 80.6 million people, the largest in Europe (excluding Russia). After the United States, Germany is the second most popular country for migration in the world.

paragraphs: Before it was called Germany, it was called Germania. In the years A.D. 900 – 1806, Germany was part of the Holy Roman Empire. From 1949 to 1990, Germany was made up of two countries called the Federal Republic of Germany (inf. West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (inf. East Germany). During this time, the capital city of Berlin was divided into a west and an east part. On 13 August 1961, East Germany started building the Berlin Wall between the two parts of Berlin. West Germany was one of the countries that started the European Union.

paragraphs: Germany gained importance as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which was the first "Reich" (this word means "empire"). It was started by Charlemagne who became the first Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD, and it lasted until 1806, the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

paragraphs: The Second Reich was started with a treaty in 1871 in Versailles. The biggest state in the new German Empire was Prussia. The rulers were called Kaisers or "German Emperors", but they did not call themselves "Emperors "of" Germany". There were many smaller states in the Empire, but not Austria. Germany stayed an empire for 50 years.

paragraphs: In 1866 Prussia won the war against Austria and their allies. During this time Prussia founded the North German Confederation. The treaty of unification of Germany was made after Germany won the Franco-Prussian War with France in 1871. In World War I, Germany joined Austria-Hungary, and again declared war on France. The war became slow in the west and became trench warfare. Many men were killed on both sides without winning or losing. In the Eastern Front the soldiers fought with the Russian Empire and won there after the Russians gave up. The war ended in 1918 because the Germans could not win in the west and gave up. Germany's emperor also had to give up his power. France took Alsace from Germany and Poland got the Danzig corridor. After a revolution, the Second Reich ended, and the democratic Weimar Republic began.

paragraphs: After the war, there were a lot of problems with money in Germany because of the Peace Treaty of Versailles, which made Germany pay for the costs of World War I and the worldwide Great Depression.

paragraphs: The Third Reich was Nazi Germany; it lasted 12 years, from 1933 to 1945. It started after Adolf Hitler became the head of government. On 23 March 1933, the Reichstag (parliament) passed the Enabling Act, which let Hitler's government command the country without help from the Reichstag and the presidency. This gave him total control of the country and the government. Hitler, in effect, became a dictator.

paragraphs: Hitler wanted to unify all Germans in one state and did this by taking over places where Germans lived, such as Austria and Czechoslovakia; Hitler also wanted the land in Poland that Germany had owned before 1918, but Poland refused to give it to him. He then invaded Poland. This started World War II on 1 September 1939. In the beginning of the war, Germany was winning and even successfully invaded France. It managed to take over much of Europe. However, Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941 and after the Battle of Kursk, the German Eastern Front began a slow retreat until war's end. On 8 May 1945, Germany gave up after Berlin was captured, Hitler had killed himself a week earlier. Because of the war, Germany lost a lot of German land east of the Oder-Neiße line, and for 45 years, Germany was split into West Germany and East Germany. Other events happened during the war in Nazi Germany, including the Holocaust, the mass genocide of Jews and other peoples, for which some Nazis were punished in the Nuremberg Trials.

paragraphs: In 1989 there was a process of reforms in East Germany, which lead to the opening of the Berlin Wall and to the end of socialist rule in Germany. These events are known as the "Wende" or the "Friedliche Revolution" (Peaceful Revolution) in Germany. After that, East Germany joined West Germany in 1990. The new Germany is a part of the European Union.

paragraphs: Germany is a constitutional federal democracy. Its political rules come from the 'constitution' called "Basic Law" ("Grundgesetz"), written by West Germany in 1949. It has a parliamentary system, and the parliament elects the head of government, the Federal Chancellor ("Bundeskanzler"). The current Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel, is a woman who used to live in East Germany.

paragraphs: The people of Germany vote for the parliament, called the "Bundestag" (Federal Assembly), every four years. Government members of the 16 States of Germany ("Bundesländer") work in the "Bundesrat" (Federal Council). The "Bundesrat" can help make some laws.

paragraphs: The head of state is the "Bundespräsident" (Federal President). This person has no real powers but can order elections for the Bundestag. The current president is Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD).

paragraphs: The judiciary branch (the part of German politics that deals with courts) has a "Bundesverfassungsgericht" (Federal Constitutional Court). It can stop any act by the law-makers or other leaders if they feel they go against Germany's constitution.

paragraphs: The opposition parties are the Alliance '90/The Greens, Die Linke, FDP, and the AFD.

paragraphs: Germany is one of the largest countries in Europe. It stretches from the North Sea and Baltic Sea in the north to the high mountains of the Alps in the south. The highest point is the Zugspitze on the Austrian border, at .

paragraphs: Germany's northern part is very low and flat (lowest point: Neuendorf-Sachsenbande at ). In the middle, there are low mountain ranges covered in large forests. Between these and the Alps, there is another plain created by glaciers during the ice ages.

paragraphs: Germany also contains parts of Europe's longest rivers, such as the Rhine (which makes up a part of Germany's western border, while Oder River is on its eastern border), the Danube and the Elbe.

paragraphs: In Germany there are sixteen states ("Bundesländer"):

paragraphs: In these states there are 301 "Kreise" (districts) and 114 independent cities, which do not belong to any district.

paragraphs: Germany has one of the world's largest technologically powerful economies. Bringing West and East Germany together and making their economy work is still taking a long time and costing a lot of money. Germany is the largest economy in Europe. In September 2011, the inflation rate in Germany was 2.5%. The unemployment rate of Germany was 5.5% as of October 2011.

paragraphs: Germany is one of the G8 countries. The main industry area is the Ruhr area.

paragraphs: In Germany live mostly Germans and many ethnic minorities. There are at least seven million people from other countries living in Germany. Some have political asylum, some are guest workers ("Gastarbeiter"), and some are their families. Many people from poor or dangerous countries go to Germany for safety. Many others do not get permission to live in Germany.

paragraphs: About 50,000 ethnic Danish people live in Schleswig-Holstein, in the north. About 60,000 Sorbs (a Slavic people) live in Germany too, in Saxony and Brandenburg. About 12,000 people in Germany speak Frisian; this language is the closest living language to English. In northern Germany, people outside towns speak Low Saxon.

paragraphs: Many people have come to Germany from Turkey (about 1.9 million Turks and Kurds). Other small groups of people in Germany are Croats (0.2 million), Italians (0.6 million), Greeks (0.4 million), Russians, and Poles (0.3 million). There are also some ethnic Germans who lived in the old Soviet Union (1.7 million), Poland (0.7 million), and Romania (0.3 million). These people have German passports, so they are not counted as foreigners. A lot of these people do not speak German at home.

paragraphs: Christianity is the biggest religion; Protestants are 38% of the people (mostly in the north) and Catholics are 34% of the people (mostly in the south). There are also many Muslims, while the other people (26.3%) are either not religious, or belong to smaller religious groups. In the eastern regions, the former territory of the GDR (known as the "DDR" in German), only one fifth of the population is religious.

paragraphs: Germany has one of the world's highest levels of schooling, technology, and businesses. The number of young people who attend universities is now three times more than it was after the end of World War II, and the trade and technical schools of Germany are some of the best in the world. German income is, on average, $25,000 a year, making Germany a highly middle class society. A large social welfare system gives people money when they are ill, unemployed, or similarly disadvantaged. Millions of Germans travel outside of their country each year.

paragraphs: In 2015 there were wrong reports in some African, Arabic, etc. media channels about what it's like to go to and live in Germany. False promises of money, easy living and easy jobs were made. Germany is a very densely populated country, and especially in cities the housing situation is difficult and rents are high. Already in 2014 there were 39,000 homeless people in Germany and 339,000 people without apartment. Here is a link to a German video report from a German news magazine. The video is about refugees, who have been living in a sports gym in Berlin for over a year with no privacy. In the video people discuss amongst others why there are problems to find living space in containers. The containers are similar to those in Zaatari refugee camp.

paragraphs: Germany's constitution says that all people can believe in any religion they want to, and that no one is allowed to discriminate against somebody because of the person's religion.

paragraphs: In ancient times Germany was largely pagan. Roman Catholicism was the biggest religion in Germany up to the 15th century, but a major religious change called the Reformation changed this. In 1517, Martin Luther said that the Catholic Church used religion to make money. Luther started Protestantism, which is as big as the Catholic religion in Germany today. Before World War II, about two-thirds of the German people were Protestant and one-thirds were Roman Catholic. In the north and northeast of Germany, there were a lot more Protestants than Catholics. Today, about two-thirds of German people (more than 55 million people) call themselves Christian, but most of them do not practice it. About half of them are Protestants and about half are Roman Catholics. Most German Protestants are members of the Evangelical Church in Germany. The previous Pope, Benedict XVI, was born in Germany.

paragraphs: Before World War II, about one percent of the country's people were German Jews. Today, Germany has the fastest-growing group of Jewish people in the world. Many of them are in Berlin. Ten thousand Jews have moved to Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall; many came from countries that were in the Soviet Union. Schools teaching about the horrible things that happened when the Nazis were in power, as well as teaching against the ideas of the Nazis, has helped to make Germany very tolerant towards other people and cultures, and now many people move there from countries that may not be so tolerant.

paragraphs: About three million Muslims live in Germany, 3.7% of the total population. The country also has a large atheist and agnostic population, and there are also large about O.6 million Hinduism follower and some small group of Jain, Buddhist and Zoroastrian communities. The 20th century has also seen a neopagan revival.

paragraphs: Germany has a long history of poets, thinkers, artists, and so on. There are 240 supported theaters, hundreds of orchestras, thousands of museums and over 25,000 libraries in Germany. Millions of tourists visit these attractions every year. Some of the greatest classical musicians including Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven and possibly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were German. Some of the most revered scientists today like Albert Einstein are German.

paragraphs: Germany has created a high level of gender equality, disability rights, and accepts homosexuality. Gay marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017.

paragraphs: Germany is known for its food. The food varies from region to region. For example, in the southern regions, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, they share their type of food with Switzerland and Austria. Everywhere in Germany, meat is eaten as a sausage. Even though wine use is increasing, the national alcoholic drink is beer. The number of Germans who drink beer is one of the highest in the world. German restaurants are also rated the second-best, with France rated first place.

paragraphs: Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Germany. The national team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times, and appears in the finals a lot. The top football league in Germany is Bundesliga. Also, the German Football Association ("Deutscher Fußball-Bund") is the largest in the world. Some of the world's best Footballers came from Germany. These would include Miroslav Klose, Oliver Kahn, Gerd Müller, Michael Ballack, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franz Beckenbauer, and so on. Plus, many tournaments have taken place in Germany. The most recent was the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Audi Cup takes place in Germany every year in Munich.

paragraphs: Germany is also known for its motor sports. The country has made companies like the BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, etc. Successful German racing drivers include Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

paragraphs: Successful tennis players have also come from Germany, including Steffi Graf and Boris Becker. More recently, Sabine Lisicki reached the Women's Singles final at Wimbledon in 2013.

paragraphs: Lastly, Germany is one of the best countries in the Olympic Games. Germany is the third in the list of the most Olympic Games medals in history (mixed with West and East Germany medals). The country finished first place in the 2006 Winter Olympics, and second in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Germany got fifth place in the 2008 Summer Olympics.


title: Harry Potter

paragraphs: Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels and eight movies by J. K. Rowling, a British author. It is named for its protagonist and hero, Harry Potter. Seven books in the series have sold over 500 million copies across the world in over 70 languages, and is the best-selling book series of all time. They were adapted into movies.

paragraphs: Harry Potter was born in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. His parents, Lily and James Potter, were killed by a evil wizard named Lord Voldemort, and Harry has a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. Voldemort hears a prophecy that his greatest enemy would be a child that had the same exact description as Harry. It is later revealed that the prophecy also could have been Neville Longbottom. Harry is raised by his non-magical (muggle) Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin (Dudley), and they mistreat him. As a child, he did not know he was a wizard. He eventually discovers that there are many magical people, living secretly and hiding from non-wizards (known as "Muggles"). When Harry turned eleven on July 31, he received a letter inviting him to go to a school called Hogwarts for young witches and wizards. Each book tells the story of one year of his life at the school and tells how he struggles. On Hogwarts Express, the train they use to get to Hogwarts, he meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger among others. Voldemort tries several times to return, before finally succeeding in the fourth book. The series ends with Harry defeating Voldemort. There are seven books. A series of eight movies based on the novels has been made by Warner Bros. They started making the movies in 2001. The first one was released in 2001. The second, third, fourth, and fifth were released respectively in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The sixth movie, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince", was released in 2009. The final movie was divided into two parts. The first part, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1", was released in 2010. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" was released in 2011.

paragraphs: The seven books were all adapted into different forms of media, including movies, spin-off movies, video games and a stage play as well.

paragraphs: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts I & II," is a play based on a new story by J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. It is billed as being the "eighth story, nineteen years later." It stars Jamie Parker as Harry, Noma Dumezweni as Hermione, and Paul Thornley as Ron.

paragraphs: The play officially opened July 30, 2016 at the Palace Theatre in London.


title: Spain

paragraphs: Spain is a country in Southern Europe. It is in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain has borders with France, Portugal, Andorra and Morocco. In Spain's northeast side are the Pyrenees mountains.

paragraphs: The people of Spain are called Spaniards. They speak Castilian or Spanish (in Spanish, "Castellano", from "Castilla", or "Español" [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Spanish [es<nowiki>pa'ɲol]</nowiki>]. They speak other languages in some parts of the country. They are Catalan, Basque, and Galician, Leonese, Aragonese, Aranese Occitan and even Portuguese. The religion of about 56% of the population in Spain is Roman Catholic.

paragraphs: Since 1975, Spain has had a constitutional monarchy. The King of Spain is Felipe VI; he only does what the constitution allows him to. The parliament is called "Las Cortes Generales," and has two bodies: "El Congreso" (The Congress) and "El Senado" (The Senate) and it is chosen by the Spanish people by voting. The Prime minister is Pedro Sánchez. The government and the king's palace are in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

paragraphs: Spain has more than five hundred thousand square kilometres of land. It is smaller than France, but it is bigger than Germany. Almost fifty million people live in Spain. Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities (this means that they can decide upon some affairs themselves). Each community has its own government.

paragraphs: People have lived in Spain since the Stone Age. Later, the Roman Empire controlled Spain for about five hundred years; then as the Roman Empire broke up, groups of Germanic people including Visigoths moved in and took control.

paragraphs: In 711, the Umayyads took over, and later groups from North Africa, called the Moors. At first the Moors ruled most of Spain but the reconquista slowly forced them out over seven centuries. They called the land Al-Andalus. They were Muslims, and Muslim Spain was the farthest western point of Islamic civilization. The Caliphate of Córdoba fell apart in the early 11th century and Muslim rulers sometimes fought each other when they were not fighting the Christians. Muslim Spain was focused on learning. The greatest library system outside Baghdad was also there.

paragraphs: The Kingdom of León, the most important in the early Spanish Middle Ages, was started in 910. This Kingdom developed the first democratic parliament (Cortes de Llión) in Europe in 1188. After 1301, León had the same King as the Kingdom of Castile in personal union. The various kingdoms remained independent territories until 1833, when Spain was divided into regions and provinces.

paragraphs: In 1492, the Christians took the last part of Spain that still belonged to the Moors, Granada. Boabdil, the last Moorish King of Granada, surrendered to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile on 2 January 1492. Ferdinand and Isabella then ruled all of Spain.

paragraphs: Before this, there were a number of Christian countries in what is now called Spain. Two of these countries, Castile and Aragon, came together when Ferdinand II of Aragon married the queen Isabella of Castile. The King ruled as much as the Queen.

paragraphs: In the same year, 1492, they sent Christopher Columbus to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus found the islands of the Caribbean Sea.

paragraphs: When other Europeans explored, like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, they found out that there were two continents there - North America and South America. Spanish conquistadores took over very large parts of those two continents. This empire did not make Spain a rich country, for most of the money had to be spent in wars in Italy and elsewhere. Some of these wars were fought against other European countries who were trying to take over parts of the Americas.

paragraphs: Meanwhile, at home, the Muslim manuscripts had been either burnt or taken to other countries. Jews had also been expelled from Spain. Some Jews remained but they had to become Christians. Among the few old things kept and respected in Spain were in music: harmony and stringed instruments. The buildings that had been built by the Moors were kept, and many Muslim religious buildings (mosques) were turned into churches. Some Jewish religious buildings were also turned into churches. Many Arab words became part of the Spanish Language.

paragraphs: The grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella was Charles. When his grandfather died he inherited Castille and Aragon. He also inherited many territories at the death of his other grandfather, Maximilian I of Austria. Charles received from Maximilian the Austria state and the territories of Burgundy. He was named Charles I in Spain, but he was elected as the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and was called Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. This made the empire bigger than ever. However, it was not a single country, but a personal union of many independent countries with a single King. At first many Spaniards did not want Charles as their king, so they fought against him. However, he won.

paragraphs: Charles did not like the Protestant Reformation, and fought against it.

paragraphs: In the 18th century some of the parts of that large empire became their own countries, or were taken over by new countries, such as the United States of America.

paragraphs: Spain (and other European countries) was invaded by Napoleon of France. Britain sent troops to defend the peninsula, since it was so weak. Most of the Spanish Empire became independent in the following decades.

paragraphs: There was not much peace in Spain during the first part of the 20th century. Some Spaniards tried to set up a government chosen by the people (a democracy), and they made Alfonso XIII leave the country. However, in 1936, two different groups of Spaniards went to war over whether the government should be a democracy, in the Spanish Civil War (although those on the side of the Republic were largely socialist or anarchist), or take orders from one person. In 1939, those who wanted democracy were defeated, and a nationalist dictator named Francisco Franco took over the government.

paragraphs: Francisco Franco died on 20 November 1975. He had decided that Spain should have a monarchy again, and he chose Juan Carlos, the grandson of Juan of Bourbon who had been forced to leave the country, to be king and Adolfo Suárez to become its first Prime Minister. But the king and Suárez did not rule as a dictator; instead, they chose to set up a democracy.

paragraphs: On 23 February 1981 a group of people who had supported the now dead General Franco tried to take control of the democratic Spanish Parliament by force, they entered the building and fired guns in the air. It was seen live on Spanish television and there was widespread fear that this might be the start of another civil war. However, Juan Carlos I, quickly appeared on television and broadcast to the nation that they should remain calm. The persons responsible for the attempt to take over the country were arrested.

paragraphs: Now Spain is a modern democratic country, and does business with many countries around the world. It is the eighth largest economy in the world and is an important part of the European Union.

paragraphs: On 2 June 2014, Juan Carlos I announced that he would abdicate in favour of his son, Felipe VI. The date of abdication and handover to Felipe occurred on 19 June 2014. He and his wife kept their titles.

paragraphs: Ancient religions in Spain were mostly pagan. Today, however, at least 68 percent of Spain is Roman Catholic. Spanish mystic Teresa of Ávila is an important figure within Catholicism. 27 percent of Spaniards are irreligious. 2 percent are from other religions, this include Baha'i Buddhists, Jain, Muslim,Unitarian Universalism and Zoroastrianism.

paragraphs: The middle of Spain is a high, dry, flat land called La Meseta. In La Meseta it can be very hot in the summer and cold or very cold in the winter. Spain also has many mountain ranges. The Mount Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands), the highest mountain of Spain and the islands of the Atlantic (it is the third largest volcano in the world from its base). In the north there is a range of mountains called "Los Picos de Europa" (The European Peaks). Here it is very cold in winter with a lot of snow but with gentle warm summers.

paragraphs: In the south-east of the country is a range of mountains called "La Sierra Nevada" (The Snowy Mountains). This range of mountains contains the highest mountain in mainland Spain, Mulacen, at 2952 metres. La Sierra Nevada is very popular in winter for winter sports, especially skiing. Snow remains on its peaks throughout the year. The south coast, has a warm and temperate climate, not very hot or very cold. Since Spain is in the south of Europe, it is very sunny. Many people from Northern Europe take their vacations in Spain, enjoying its beaches and cities.

paragraphs: Spain has a border with Portugal in the west and borders with France and Andorra in the North. In the south, it borders Gibraltar, a British territory. The Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla are in North Africa and border onto Morocco.

paragraphs: Spain is divided into Autonomous Communities, which means that they have their own regional governments. They are Andalucía (capital city Seville), Aragon (capital city Zaragoza), Asturias (capital city Oviedo), Balearic Islands (capital city Palma de Mallorca), Basque Country (capital city Vitoria), Canary Islands (capital cities Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas), Cantabria (capital city Santander), Castilla-La Mancha (capital city Toledo), Castile and Leon (capital city Valladolid), Catalonia (capital city Barcelona), Extremadura (capital city Merida), Galicia (capital city Santiago de Compostela), La Rioja (capital city Logrono), Madrid Community (capital city Madrid), Murcia Community (capital city Murcia), Navarra (capital city Pamplona) and the Valencia Community (capital city Valencia).

paragraphs: In Spain, many people live in cities or close to cities. The ten biggest city areas are:

paragraphs: While Spanish is the most spoken language in the country, other languages like Catalan, Basque or Galician are also spoken in a few territories.


title: World War I

paragraphs: World War I (WWI or WW1), also called the First World War, began on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918. The war was a global war that lasted exactly . Most of the fighting was in Europe, but soldiers from many other countries took part, and it changed the colonial empires of the European powers. Before World War II began in 1939, World War I was called the Great War or the World War. 135 countries took part in World War I, and nearly 10 million people died while fighting.

paragraphs: Before the war, European countries had formed alliances with each other to protect themselves. However, by doing this they had divided themselves into two groups. When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated on 28 June 1914, Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia and declared war on them. Serbia's ally Russia then declared war on Austria-Hungary. This set off a chain of events in which the two groups of countries declared war on each other. The two sides were the Allied Powers (mainly Russia, France and the British Empire) and the Central Powers (mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire).

paragraphs: There was fighting in many different areas (fronts). The French and British fought the Germans on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Germany had tried to defeat France quickly, but were stopped in the First Battle of the Marne. After that, most of the fighting here was trench warfare. The Russians fought the Germans and Austro-Hungarians on the Eastern Front in Central and Eastern Europe. Fighting here was not trench warfare but mobile warfare. The other main areas of fighting were in the Middle East, in the Gallipoli region of Turkey and between Italy and Austria-Hungary. Fighting also took place in Africa, China, and at sea as well as in the air. World War I was the first major war where tanks, airplanes, and submarines (or U-boats) were important weapons.

paragraphs: In 1917, the Russians had a revolution, which led to them leaving the war in March 1918. Also in 1917, the United States entered the war, though it took a year for their main army to arrive. In the gap between when the Russians left and the Americans arrived, the Germans launched a huge attack in March 1918 to try to win the war, but it was not enough. In August-November 1918, the Allied Powers won a big victory against the Germans in the Hundred Days Offensive. Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire then agreed to stop fighting. The German government collapsed and a new government agreed to end the war on 11 November.

paragraphs: The war was ended by the signing of many different treaties, the most important being the Treaty of Versailles. It also led to the creation of the League of Nations, which was meant to prevent wars. People were shocked by the size of the war, how many people it killed and how much damage it caused. They hoped it would be the "war to end all wars". Instead, it led to another, larger world war 21 years later.

paragraphs: By 1914, trouble was on the rise in Europe. Many countries feared invasion from the other. For example, Germany was becoming increasingly powerful, and the British saw this as a threat to the British Empire. The countries formed alliances to protect themselves, but this divided them into two groups. Germany and Austria-Hungary had been allies since 1879. They had then formed the Triple Alliance with Italy in 1882. France and Russia became allies in 1894. They then joined with Britain to form the Triple Entente.

paragraphs: In 1908, Austria-Hungary had taken over Bosnia, a region next to Serbia. Some people living in Bosnia were Serbian, and wanted the area to be part of Serbia. One of these was the Black Hand organization. They sent men to kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria when he visited Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. They all failed to kill him with grenades while he passed through a large crowd. But one of them, a Serbian student named Gavrilo Princip, shot him and his pregnant wife with a pistol.

paragraphs: Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination. Germany supported Austria-Hungary and promised full support should it come to war. Austria-Hungary sent a July Ultimatum to Serbia, listing 10 very strict rules they would have to agree to. Many historians think that Austria-Hungary already wanted a war with Serbia. Serbia agreed to most of the ten rules on the list, but not all of them. Austria-Hungary then declared war on Serbia. This quickly led to a full-scale war. Both countries' allies became involved in the war in a matter of days.

paragraphs: Russia joined the war on Serbia's side because the people of Serbia were Slavic, for example Russia, and the Slavic countries had agreed to help each other if they were attacked. Since Russia is a large country it had to move soldiers closer to the war, but Germany feared that Russia's soldiers would also attack Germany. Russia did not like Germany because of things Germany had done in the past to become stronger. Germany declared war on Russia, and began to carry out a plan created long before to fight a war in Europe. Because Germany is in the middle of Europe, Germany could not attack to the east towards Russia without weakening itself in the west, towards France. Germany's plan involved quickly defeating France in the west before Russia was ready to fight, and then moving her armies to the east to face Russia. Germany could not quickly invade France directly, because France had put a lot of forts on the border, so Germany invaded the neighboring country of Belgium to then invade France through the undefended French/Belgian border. Great Britain then joined the war, saying they wanted to protect Belgium. Some historians think that even if Germany had stayed out of Belgium, the British would have still joined the war to help France.

paragraphs: Soon most of Europe became involved. The Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) joined the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary. It is not clear why they entered or chose to fight on their side, but they had become friendly to Germany. Although Italy was allied with German and Austria-Hungary, they had only agreed to fight if those countries were attacked first. Italy said that because Austria-Hungary had attacked Serbia first, they did not need to fight. They also did not like Austria-Hungary. Italy joined the war in 1915 on the Allied Powers' side.

paragraphs: Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary. Russia was allied with Serbia. The German government was afraid that because Austria-Hungary had attacked Serbia, Russia would attack Austria-Hungary to help Serbia. Because of this, Germany felt it had to help Austria-Hungary by attacking Russia first, before it could attack Austria-Hungary.

paragraphs: The problem was that Russia was also friends with France, and the Germans thought the French might attack them to help Russia. So the Germans decided that they could win the war if they attacked France first, and quickly. They could mobilize very quickly. They had a list of all the men who had to join the army, and where those men had to go, and the times of every train that would carry those men to where they would have to fight. France was doing the same thing, but could not do it as quickly. The Germans thought that if they attacked France first, they could 'knock France' out of the war before Russia could attack them.

paragraphs: Russia had a big army, but Germany thought that it would take six weeks to mobilize and a long time before they could attack the Central Powers. That wasn't true, because the Russian Army mobilized in ten days. Also, the Russians drove deep into Austria.

paragraphs: Britain was allied with Belgium, and became quickly involved in the war. Britain had promised to protect Belgian neutrality. Germany passed through Belgium to reach Paris before Russia could mobilize and open up a second front against them. On August 4, 1914, Britain declared war against Germany in support of Belgium. Britain had the biggest empire (it ruled over a quarter of the world). If Germany conquered France, it might take Britain and France's colonies and become the most powerful and biggest empire in the world.

paragraphs: Britain was also worried about Germany's growing military power. Germany was developing its large army into one of the most powerful in the world. The British Army was quite small. The British Royal Navy was the largest and best in the world, and in the 19th century that was enough to keep other naval powers from attacking. Germany was a land power, and Britain was a sea power. But now the Germans were building a large navy. This was seen as a threat to Britain. However, the decision to declare war was taken under its alliance with Belgium in the Treaty of London (1839). The Government might have decided differently. No-one foresaw how long the war would last, and what the terrible costs would be.

paragraphs: The Ottoman Empire (Turkey) went into the war because it was secretly allied to Germany and two Turkish warships manned by German Navy personnel bombarded Russian towns.

paragraphs: Britain also fought against Turkey because the Ottoman Empire was supporting Germany. Britain did not have any animosity towards the Turks. However, by fighting the Turks in the Mesopotamia region (in what is now called Iraq), in the Arabian Peninsula and other places, Britain was able to defeat them with help from the British Indian Army. Later, after the War ended, Britain was able to get some areas from the old Turkish empire which was breaking up, and to add them to the British Empire.

paragraphs: Greece went into the war because its leader supported the Allied cause. Greece and Serbia had become independent, but many Greeks still lived in lands that were once Greek but were now in the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Having recently won the Balkan Wars, the Greeks especially wanted to control other land to the north that was under Bulgarian and Turkish rule, so they declared war. Turkey killed most of the Greek army as the Greeks tried to regain parts of Turkey. Another war started when the Greeks bombed a train. Turkey swept Greece back into their own territory. From then on the Greeks never again declared war, while Turkey had one of the biggest armies in the world.

paragraphs: Bulgaria, like Greece and Serbia, was owned by Turkey before Bulgaria broke away from Turkey. Bulgaria claimed a lot of Turkish land as belonging to Bulgaria. The Serbians and Greeks felt cheated because they felt the land belonged to Greece or Serbia. The Greeks and Serbians took back the land which angered Bulgaria and led to the country becoming allies with Turkey. They declared war on Serbia and Greece,But Bulgaria lost this war.

paragraphs: The Russian Revolution makes Russia fight Germany and the Bolshevik at the same time. And Russia surrendered to Germany due to the fact that its fighting against the Soviets. It needed to get out of the war, pay Germany lots of German marks.

paragraphs: Most people thought the war would be short. They thought the armies would move around quickly to attack each other and one would defeat the other without too many people getting killed. They thought the war would be about brave soldiers — they did not understand how war had changed. Only a few people, for example Lord Kitchener said that the war would take a long time.

paragraphs: Germany's generals had decided that the best way to defeat France was to go through Belgium using a plan called the "Schlieffen Plan". This was invented by the German Army Chief of Staff, Alfred Von Schlieffen. They could then attack the French army at the north side and the south side at the same time. The German Army went into Belgium on August the 4th. On the same day, Great Britain started a war on Germany, because Britain was a friend of Belgium. The British had said some time before, in 1839, that they would not let anyone control Belgium, and they kept their promise.

paragraphs: When the Germans got to the Belgian city of Liège, the Belgians fought very hard to stop them from coming into the city. The Germans did finally push the Belgians out of the city, but it had taken longer than the German generals had planned. Then the Germans attacked the north side of the French army. The French and the British moved men up to fight the Germans. They could do this because the Belgians had fought so long at Liège. But the Germans pushed the French back at the frontiers, and the British held the Germans back at Mons, but afterwards they also fell back to join up with the retreating French army, until they were stopped at the river Marne. This was the First Battle of the Marne or "Miracle of the Marne".

paragraphs: In the East, the Russians had attacked the Germans. The Russians pushed back the Germans, but then the Germans defeated the Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg.

paragraphs: Trench warfare killed great numbers of soldiers. New weapons, such as machine guns, and long-range artillery had an increased rate of fire that cut down huge numbers of soldiers during mass charges, a tactic leftover from older warfare. The men on both sides took spades and dug holes, because they did not want to be killed. The holes joined up into trenches, until the lines of trenches went all the way from Switzerland to the North Sea. In front of the trenches, there was barbed wire that cut anyone who tried to climb over it, and land mines that blew up anyone who tried to cross. Late in the war, poison gas was also an important weapon.

paragraphs: The new machine guns, artillery, trenches and mines made it very difficult to attack. The generals had fought many wars without these, so they ordered their armies to attack in the old style of marching in rows- allowing the enemy to shoot them down easily. At the Battle of the Somme in 1916 60,000 British men died in a single day. It was one of the bloodiest days in the history of the British army. Late in the war the British and French invented tanks and used them to attack entrenched Germans but could not make enough of them to make a big difference. The Germans invented special Sturmabteilung tactics to infiltrate enemy positions, but they also were too little, too late.

paragraphs: The British used whistles to communicate to other soldiers, so before they shelled the German trenches, they would sound the whistle. However, the Germans caught on to this tactic after a while, so after the shelling, when the British soldiers came to finish off the German soldiers, the Germans were ready with their machine guns, because they knew the British were coming.

paragraphs: Airplanes were first used extensively in World War I. Airplanes were not used very much in fighting before World War I. It was the first war to use airplanes as weapons. Airplanes were first used for reconnaissance, to take pictures of enemy land and to direct artillery. Generals, military leaders, were using airplanes as an important part of their attack plans at the end of the war. World War I showed that airplanes could be important war weapons.

paragraphs: Airplanes in World War I were made of wood and canvas, a type of rough cloth. They did not last for a long time. They could not fly very fast at the beginning of the war. They could only fly up to 116 kilometers per hour, or 72 miles per hour. At the end of the war they could fly up to . But they could not fly as fast as planes today. Guns were put on planes for the first time during the war. Pilots, people who fly the plane, used the guns to shoot enemy planes. One pilot used metal sheets, pieces of metal, to armor his airplane. Other pilots began using metal sheets, too. Pilots also made their airplanes better with machine guns, guns that shoot bullets much faster. Machine guns made fighting harder and more dangerous between airplanes.

paragraphs: Pilots had to wear certain clothes when flying an airplane in World War I because they flew high where the air is cold. The pilot's clothes kept them warm and protected them from the wind and cold. Pilots wore a leather coat to protect their bodies. They wore a padded helmet and goggles, large glasses with special lenses, to protect their head and face. They wore a scarf around their neck. The scarf kept the wind from blowing against their neck when they turned their head.

paragraphs: The German leaders decided to use submarines. These submarines were named U-boats, from the German word Unterseeboot (meaning underwater boat). The U-boats attacked passenger ships such as RMS Lusitania carrying civilians to Great Britain. They did not follow the laws of war, because the British would be able to destroy them if they did. America was selling weapons to Germany's enemies but not to Germany, thus not being neutral. "Neutral" means a country is not involved in the war. Many American and British noncombatants were killed by the submarines.

paragraphs: Germany also wrote a secret telegram note to Mexico in code suggesting that the two countries work together to attack the United States. This note is called the Zimmerman Telegram because Arthur Zimmerman sent it. It offered Mexico land in the southwestern United States that the United States took in previous wars. Spies from the United Kingdom found out about the note and told the United States. American people became angry and many decided that they wanted their country to enter the war against Germany. For these and other reasons, on April 6, 1917 the United States declared war against Germany and became part of the Allies.

paragraphs: The defeat of Russia on the Eastern Front caused unrest inside the Empire.

paragraphs: In 1917, there was a revolution in Russia. The Tsar Nicholas II had to say he would not be Tsar any more, and that the people should have power. At first it was thought that Russia would fight harder now that the Tsar was gone. However, the Russian people did not want to fight anymore, because there was not sufficient food, appropriate armament, or adequate roads to supply its army. The war had been putting burdens on them, and many of them were poor and hungry. They began to hate their new government because it would not stop the war.

paragraphs: Then, there was the October Revolution. Two factions fought to rule over Russia. The Mensheviks lost against the Bolsheviks. The leader of the Bolsheviks was Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924) a Communist who followed the ideas of Karl Marx. The new government asked the Germans for peace and signed a peace treaty called Brest-Litovsk with the Central Powers in March 1918 at the city of Brest-Litovsk. The Germans and Russians stopped fighting. This gave Germany land in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea.

paragraphs: After the war, the Germans had to agree to the Treaty of Versailles. Germany had to pay approximately $31.5 billion in reparations. They also had to take responsibility for the war. Part of the treaty said the countries of the world should come together to make an international organization to stop wars from happening. This organization was called the League of Nations. The United States Senate did not agree with this, even though it was the idea of the US president, Woodrow Wilson. Woodrow Wilson tried to tell the American people that they should agree, but the United States never joined the League of Nations. Problems with the Treaty in Germany would later lead to the World War II.


title: World War II

paragraphs: World War II (WWII or WW2), in the Soviet Union, the Great Patriotic War, and in Japan, the Second Sino-Japanese War, was a global war involving fighting in most of the world and most countries. Most countries fought in the years 1939–1945 but some started fighting in 1937. Most of the world's countries, including all the great powers, fought as part of two military alliances: the Allies and the Axis Powers. World War II was the largest and deadliest conflict in all of history. It involved more countries, cost more money, involved more people, and killed more people than any other war in history. Between 50 to 85 million people died. The majority were civilians. It included massacres, the deliberate genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, starvation, disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons against civilians in history.

paragraphs: The two sides were the Allies (at first China, France and Britain, joined by the Soviet Union, United States and others) and the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan). The war in Asia began when Japan invaded China on July 7, 1937. The war began in Europe when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. France and Britain reacted by declaring war on Germany. By 1941, much of Europe was under German control, including France. Only Britain remained fighting against the Axis in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic. Germany gave up plans to invade Britain after losing an airplane battle. In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, starting the largest area of war in history. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor and invaded British and French colonies in Asia, and the two wars became one.

paragraphs: The Japanese victories were stopped in 1942, and in that same year the Soviets won the huge Battle of Stalingrad. After that, the Allies started to fight back from all sides. The Axis were forced back in the Soviet Union, lost North Africa, and, starting in 1943, were forced to defend Italy. In 1944, the Allies invaded France, and came into Germany from the west, while the Soviets came in from the east. Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945. Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945. The war ended with the Allied victory.

paragraphs: After the war, the United Nations was set up to develop support between countries and to prevent future wars. The Cold War among the major winners soon started, but they did not fight each other in an actual war. Decolonization of Asia and Africa, where those countries controlled by European countries were given their independence, happened as well. This was because European power was weakened from the war. Economic recovery and the political integration (the process of uniting countries) were among other results of the war.

paragraphs: The countries that joined the war were on one of two sides: the Axis and the Allies.

paragraphs: The Axis Powers at the start of the war were Germany, Italy and Japan. There were many meetings to create the alliance between these countries. Finland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Thailand joined the Axis later. As the war continued, some Axis countries changed to join the Allies instead, such as Italy.

paragraphs: The Allied Powers were the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth members, France, Poland, Yugoslavia, Greece, Belgium and China at the start of the war. China had been fighting a civil war. In June 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa. In December 1941 came Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor against the United States. These two large, powerful countries then joined the Allies.

paragraphs: World War I had greatly changed the way of diplomacy and politics in Asia, Europe, and Africa with the defeat of the Central Powers. Empires which sided with the Central Powers were destroyed. The Russian Empire, which did not side with the Central Powers, died as well. The war also changed the borders in Eastern Europe, with many new countries born. The war led to strong irredentism and revanchism. These senses were especially strong in Germany, which had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans also had 13% of their homeland area and all colonies taken away, and they had to pay back a very large sum of money to the Allies. The size of their army and navy was also limited, while its air force was banned.

paragraphs: In Italy, nationalists were unhappy with the outcome of the war, thinking that their country should have gained far more territory from the past agreement with the Allies. The fascist movement in the 1920s brought Mussolini to the leadership of the country. He promised to make Italy a great power by creating its colonial empire.

paragraphs: After the Kuomintang (KMT), the governing party of China, unified the country in the 1920s, the civil war between it and its past ally Communist Party of China began. In 1931, Japan used the Mukden Incident as a reason to take Manchuria and set up its puppet state, Manchukuo, while the League of Nations could not do anything to stop it. The Tanggu Truce, a ceasefire, was signed in 1933. In 1936, the KMT and the communists agreed to stop fighting against each other to fight Japan instead. In 1937, Japan started a Second Sino-Japanese War to take the rest of China.

paragraphs: After the German Empire was disestablished, the democratic Weimar Republic was set up. There were disagreements between the Germans which involved many political ideologies, ranging from nationalism to communism. The fascist movement in Germany rose because of the Great Depression. Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, became the Chancellor in 1933. After the Reichstag fire, Hitler created a totalitarian state, where there is only one party by law. Hitler wanted to change the world order and quickly rebuilt the army, navy and air force, especially after Saarland was reunited in 1935. In March 1936, Hitler sent the army to Rhineland. The Spanish Civil War began in July 1936. The war ended with the nationalist victory, supported by Italy and Germany.

paragraphs: In March 1938, Germany sent its army into Austria, known as the Anschluss, which had only a little reaction from European countries. Shortly after that, the Allies agreed to give Sudetenland, part of Czechoslovakia, to Germany, so that Hitler would promise to stop taking more land. But the rest of the country was either forced to surrender or invaded by March 1939. The Allies now tried to stop him, by promising to help Poland if it was attacked. Just before the war, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a peace agreement, agreeing that they would not attack each other for ten years. In the secret part of it, they agreed to divide Eastern Europe between them.

paragraphs: World War II began on September 1, 1939, as Germany invaded Poland. On September 3, Britain, France, and the members of the Commonwealth declared war on Germany. They could not help Poland much and only sent a small French attack on Germany from the West. The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland soon after Germany, on September 17. Finally, Poland was divided.

paragraphs: Germany then signed an agreement to work together with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union forced the Baltic countries to allow it to keep Soviet soldiers in their countries. Finland did not accept the Soviet call for its land, so it was attacked in November 1939. With peace, the world war broke out. France and Britain thought that the Soviet Union might enter the war on the side of Germany and drove the Soviet Union out of the League of Nations.

paragraphs: After Poland was defeated, the "Phoney War" began in Western Europe. While British soldiers were sent to the Continent, there were no big battles fought between two sides. Then, in April 1940, Germany decided to attack Norway and Denmark so that it would be safer to transport iron ore from Sweden. The British and French sent an army to disrupt the German occupation, but had to leave when Germany invaded France. Chamberlain was replaced by Churchill as Prime Minister of United Kingdom in May 1940 because the British were unhappy with his work.

paragraphs: On 10 May, Germany invaded France, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg and quickly defeated them by using blitzkrieg tactics. The British were forced to leave mainland Europe at Dunkirk. On June 10, Italy invaded France, declaring war on France and the United Kingdom. Soon after that, France was divided into occupation zones. One was directly controlled by Germany and Italy, and the other was unoccupied Vichy France.

paragraphs: By June 1940, the Soviet Union moved its soldiers into the Baltic states and took them, followed by Bessarabia in Romania. Although there had been some collaboration between the Soviet Union and Germany earlier, this event made it serious. Later, when the two could not agree to work more closely together, relationships between them became worse to the point of war.

paragraphs: Then Germany began an air battle over Britain to prepare for a landing on the island, but the plan was finally canceled in September. The German Navy destroyed many British ships transporting goods in the Atlantic. Italy, by this time, had begun its operation in the Mediterranean. The United States remained neutral but started to help the Allies. By helping to protect British ships in the Atlantic, the United States found itself fighting German ships by October 1941 but this was not officially war.

paragraphs: In September 1940, Italy began to invade British-held Egypt. In October, Italy invaded Greece, but it only resulted in an Italian retreat to Albania. Again, in early 1941, an Italian army was pushed from Egypt to Libya in Africa. Germany soon helped Italy. Under Rommel's command, by the end of April 1941, the Commonwealth army was pushed back to Egypt again. Other than North Africa, Germany also successfully invaded Greece, Yugoslavia and Crete by May. Despite these victories, Hitler decided to cancel the bombing of Britain after 11 May.

paragraphs: At the same time, Japan's progress in China was still not much, although the nationalist and communist Chinese began fighting each other again. Japan was planning to take over European colonies in Asia while they were weak, and the Soviet Union could feel a danger from Germany, so a non-aggression pact (which was an agreement that both countries would not attack each other) between the two was signed in April 1941. However, Germany kept preparing an attack on the Soviet Union, moving its soldiers close to the Soviet border.

paragraphs: On June 22, 1941, the European Axis countries attacked the Soviet Union. During the summer, the Axis quickly captured Ukraine and the Baltic regions, which caused huge damage to the Soviets. Britain and the Soviet Union formed a military alliance between them in July. Although there was great progress in the last two months, when winter arrived, the tired German army was forced to delay its attack just outside Moscow. It showed that the Axis had failed its main targets, while the Soviet army was still not weakened. This marked the end of the blitzkrieg stage of the war.

paragraphs: By December, the Red Army facing the Axis army had received more soldiers from the east. It began a counter-attack that pushed the German army to the west. The Axis lost a lot of soldiers but it still saved most of the land it received before.

paragraphs: By November 1941, the Commonwealth counter-attacked the Axis in North Africa and got all the land it lost before. However, the Axis pushed the Allies back again until stopped at El Alamein.

paragraphs: In Asia, German successes encouraged Japan to call for oil supplies from the Dutch East Indies. Many Western countries reacted to the occupation of French Indochina by banning oil trading with Japan. Japan planned to take over European colonies in Asia to create a great defensive area in the Pacific so that it could get more resources. But before any future invasion, it first had to destroy the American Pacific Fleet in the Pacific Ocean. On December 7, 1941, it attacked Pearl Harbor as well as many harbors in several South East Asian countries. This event led the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Western Allies and China to declare war on Japan, while the Soviet Union remained neutral. Most of the Axis nations reacted by declaring war on the United States.

paragraphs: By April 1942, many South East Asian countries: Burma, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and Singapore, had almost fallen to the Japanese. In May 1942, the Philippines fell. The Japanese navy had many quick victories. But in June 1942, Japan was defeated at Midway. Japan could not take more land after this because a large part of its navy was destroyed during the battle.

paragraphs: Japan then began its plan to take over Papua New Guinea again, while the United States planned to attack the Solomon Islands. The fight on Guadalcanal began in September 1942 and involved a lot of troops and ships from both sides. It ended with the Japanese defeat in early 1943.

paragraphs: On the Eastern Front, the Axis defeated Soviet attacks during summer and began its own main offensive to southern Russia along Don and Volga Rivers in June 1942, trying to take over oil fields in Caucasus, critical to the Axis for fueling their war effort, and a great steppe. Stalingrad was in the path of the Axis army, and the Soviets decided to defend the city. By November the Germans had nearly taken Stalingrad, however the Soviets were able to surround the Germans during winter After heavy losses, the German army was forced to surrender the city in February 1943. Even though the front was pushed back further than it was before the summer attacks, the German army still had become dangerous to an area around Kursk. Hitler devoted almost two-thirds of his armies to The Battle of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was the largest and deadliest battle in this world's time.

paragraphs: In August 1942, because of the Allied defense at El Alamein, the Axis army failed to take the town. A new Allied offensive, drove the Axis west across Libya a few months later, just after the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa forced it to join the Allies. This led to Axis defeat in the North African Campaign May 1943.

paragraphs: In the Soviet Union, on July 4, 1943, Germany started an attack around Kursk. Many German soldiers were lost because of the Soviets' well-created defenses. Hitler canceled the attack before any clear outcome. The Soviets then started their own counter-attack, which was one of the turning points of the war. After this, the Soviets became the attacking force on the Eastern Front, instead of the Germans.

paragraphs: On July 9, 1943, affected by the earlier Soviet victories, the Western Allies landed on Sicily. This resulted in the arrest of Mussolini in the same month. In September 1943, the Allies invaded mainland Italy, following the Italian armistice with the Allies. Germany then took control of Italy and disarmed its army, and built up many defensive lines to slow the Allied invasion down. German special forces then rescued Mussolini, who then soon created the German-occupied client state, Italian Social Republic.

paragraphs: Late in 1943 Japan conquered some islands in India and began an invasion of the Indian mainland. The Army of India and other forces expelled them in early 1944.

paragraphs: In early 1944, the Soviet army drove off the German army from Leningrad, ending the longest and deadliest siege in history. After that, the Soviets began a big counter-attack. By May, the Soviets had retaken Crimea. With the attacks in Italy from September 1943, the Allies succeeded in capturing Rome on June 4, 1944, and made the German forces fall back.

paragraphs: On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allies began the invasion of Normandy, France. The code name for the invasion was "Operation Overlord". The invasion was successful, and led to the defeat of the German forces in France. Paris was freed on August 1944 and the Allies continued eastward while the German front collapsed. Operation Market-Garden was the combined aerial invasion of the Netherlands launched on September 17, 1944. The purpose of the invasion was to seize a series of bridges that included a bridge in Arnhem, which spanned the Rhine river. Market was the name for the airborne invasion. The ground invasion, named Garden, reached the Rhine river, but could not take the Arnhem bridge. .

paragraphs: On June 22, the Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front, codenamed "Operation Bagration", almost destroyed the German Army Group Centre. Soon after, the Germans were forced to retreat and defend Ukraine and Poland. Arriving Soviet troops caused uprisings against the German government in Eastern European countries, but these failed to succeed unless helped by the Soviets. Another Soviet offensive forced Romania and Bulgaria to join the Allies. Communist Serbs partisans under Josip Broz Tito retook Belgrade with some help from Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. By early 1945, the Soviets attacked many German-occupied countries: Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia and Hungary. Finland switched to the side of the Soviets and Allies.

paragraphs: On December 16, 1944, the Germans tried one last time to take the Western Front by attacking the Allies in Ardennes, Belgium, in a battle is known as the Battle of the Bulge. This was the last major German attack of the war, and the Germans were not successful in their attack.

paragraphs: By March 1945, the Soviet army moved quickly from Vistula River in Poland to East Prussia and Vienna, while the Western Allies crossed the Rhine. In Italy, the Allies pushed forward, while the Soviets attacked Berlin. The allied western forces would eventually meet up with the Soviets at the Elbe river on April 25, 1945.

paragraphs: Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945, two days after Mussolini's death. In his will, he appointed his navy commander, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, to be the President of Germany. Dönitz surrendered to the Allies, and opposed Hitler's will to have Germany continue fighting.

paragraphs: German forces in Italy surrendered on April 29, 1945. Germany surrendered to the Western Allies on May 7, 1945, known as V-E Day, and was forced to surrender to the Soviets on May 8, 1945. The final battle in Europe was ended in Italy on May 11, 1945.

paragraphs: In the Pacific, American forces arrived in the Philippines on June 1944. And by April 1945, American and Philippine forces had cleared much of the Japanese forces, but the fighting continued in some parts of the Philippines until the end of the war. British and Chinese forces advanced in Northern Burma and captured Rangoon by May 3, 1945. American forces then took Iwo Jima by March and Okinawa by June 1945. Many Japanese cities were destroyed by Allied bombings, and Japanese imports were cut off by American submarines.

paragraphs: The Allies wanted Japan to surrender with no terms, but Japan refused. This resulted in the United States dropping two atomic bombs over Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945). On August 8, 1945, the Soviets invaded Manchuria, quickly defeating the primary Imperial Japanese Army there. On August 15, 1945, Japan surrendered to the Allies. The surrender documents were formally signed on board the "USS Missouri" on September 2, 1945, ending the war.

paragraphs: The Allies managed to occupy Austria and Germany. Germany was divided in half. The Soviet Union controlled the Eastern part, and the Western Allies controlled the Western part. The Allies began denazification, removing Nazi ideas from public life in Germany, and most high-ranking Nazis were captured and brought to a special court. Germany lost a quarter of the land it had in 1937, with the land given to Poland and the Soviet Union. The Soviets also took some parts of Poland and Finland, as well as three Baltic countries.

paragraphs: The United Nations was formed on October 24, 1945, to keep peace between countries in the world. However, the relationship between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union had worsened during the war and, soon after the war, each power quickly built up their power over controlled area. In Western Europe and West Germany, it was the United States, while in East Germany and Eastern Europe, it was the Soviet Union, in which many countries were turned into Communist states. The Cold War started after the formation of the American-led NATO and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.

paragraphs: In Asia, Japan was put under American occupation. In 1948, Korea was divided into North and South Korea, each claiming to be the legal representative of the Koreans, which led to the Korean War in 1950. Civil war in China continued from 1946 and resulted in the KMT retreating to Taiwan in 1949. The communists won the mainland. In the Middle East, the Arab disagreement on the United Nations plan to create Israel marked the beginning of conflicts between the Arabs and Israel.

paragraphs: After the war, decolonization took place in many European colonies. Bad economies and people wanting to rule themselves were the main reasons for that. In most cases, it happened peacefully, except in some countries, such as Indochina and Algeria. In many regions, European withdrawal caused divisions among the people who had different ethnic groups or religions.

paragraphs: Economic recovery was different in many parts of the world. In general, it was quite positive. The United States became richer than any other country and, by 1950, it had taken over the world's economy. It also ordered the Marshall Plan (1948–1951) to help European countries. German, Italian, and French economies recovered. However, the British economy was badly harmed and continued to worsen for more than ten years. The Soviet economy grew very fast after the war was over. This also happened with the Japanese economy, which became one of the largest economies in the 1980s. China returned to the same production level as before the war by 1952.

paragraphs: There is no exact total number of deaths, because many were unrecorded. Many studies said that more than 60 million people died in the war, mostly civilians. The Soviet Union lost around 27 million people, almost half of the recorded number. This means that 25% of the Soviets were killed or wounded in the war. About 85% of the total deaths were on the Allies side, and the other 15% were on the Axis. Mostly, people died because they were sick, hungry to death, bombed, or killed because of their ethnicity.

paragraphs: The Nazis killed many groups of people they selected, known as "The Holocaust". They exterminated Jews, and killed the Roma, , , homosexuals and other groups. Around 11 to 17 million civilians died. Around 7.5 million people were killed in China by the Japanese. The most well-known Japanese crime is the Nanking Massacre, in which hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians were raped and murdered. There were reports that the Germans and Japanese tested biological weapons against civilians and prisoners of war.

paragraphs: Although many of the Axis's crimes were brought to the first international court, crimes caused by the Allies were not.

paragraphs: Other than the Holocaust, about 12 million people, mostly Eastern Europeans, were forced to work for the German economy. German concentration camps and Soviet gulags caused a lot of death. Both treated prisoners of war badly. This was even the case for Soviet soldiers who survived and returned home.

paragraphs: Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, many of which were used as labour camps, also caused a lot of deaths. The death rate of Western prisoners was 27.1%, seven times that of prisoners under Germans and Italians. More than 10 million Chinese civilians were made slaves and had to work in mines and war factories. Between 4 and 10 million people were forced to work in Java.

paragraphs: Between 1942 and 1945, Roosevelt signed an order which made Japanese Americans go to internment camps. Some Germans and Italians were included too.

paragraphs: The Allies agreed that the Soviet Union could use prisoners of war and civilians for forced labor. Hungarians were forced to work for the Soviet Union until 1955.

paragraphs: Before the war, in Europe, the Allies had a larger population and economy than the Axis. If colonies are included, the GDP of the Allies then would be two times of that of the Axis. While in Asia, China had only 38% higher GDP than the Japanese if their colonies are counted.

paragraphs: The Allies' economy and population compared with the Axis' lessened with the early Axis victories. However, this was no longer the case after the United States and Soviet Union joined the Allies in 1941. The Allies were able to have a higher production level compared with the Axis because the Allies had more natural resources. Also, Germany and Japan did not plan for a long war and had no ability to do so. Both tried to improve their economies by using slave laborers.

paragraphs: As men went off to fight, women took over many of the jobs they left behind. At factories, women were employed to make bombs, guns, aircraft, and other equipment. In Britain, thousands of women were sent to work on farms as part of the Land Army. Others formed the Women's Royal Naval Service to help with building and repairing ships. Even Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II, worked as a mechanic to aid the war effort. By 1945 some weapons were made almost entirely by women.

paragraphs: In the beginning, women were rarely used in the labour forces in Germany and Japan. However, Allied bombings and Germany's change to a war economy made women take a greater part.

paragraphs: In Britain, women also worked in gathering intelligence, at Bletchley Park and other places. The mass evacuation of children also had a major impact on the lives of mothers during the war years.

paragraphs: Germany had two different ideas of how it would occupy countries. In Western, Northern, and Central Europe, Germany set economic policies which would make it rich. During the war, these policies brought as much as 40% of total German income. In the East, the war with the Soviet Union meant Germany could not use the land to gain resources. The Nazis used their racial policy and murdered a lot of people they thought non-human. The Resistance, the group of people who fought Germany secretly, could not harm the Nazis much until 1943.

paragraphs: In Asia, Japan claimed to free colonised Asian countries from European colonial powers. Although they were welcomed at first in many territories, their cruel actions turned the opinions against them within a short time. During the occupation, Japan used 4 million barrels of oil left behind by the Allies at the war's end. By 1943, it was able to produce up to 50 million barrels of oil in the Dutch East Indies. This was 76% of its 1940 rate.

paragraphs: The war brought new methods for future wars. The air forces improved greatly in fields such as air transport, strategic bombing (to use bombs to destroy industry and morale), as well as radar, and weapons for destroying aircraft. Jet aircraft were developed and would be used in worldwide air forces.

paragraphs: At sea, the war focused on using aircraft carriers and submarines. Aircraft carriers soon replaced battleships. The important reason was they were cheaper. Submarines, a deadly weapon since World War I, also played an important part in the war. The British improved weapons for destroying submarines, such as sonar, while the Germans improved submarine tactics.

paragraphs: The style of war on the land changed from World War I to be more moveable. Tanks, which were used to support infantry, changed to a primary weapon. The tank was improved in speed, armour and firepower during the war. At the start of the war, most commanders thought that using better tanks was the best way to fight enemy tanks. However, early tanks could harm armour just a little. The German idea to avoid letting tanks fight one another meant tanks facing tanks rarely happened. This was a successful tactic used in Poland and France. Ways to destroy tanks also improved. Even though vehicles became more used in the war, infantry remained the main part of the army, and most equipped like in World War I.

paragraphs: Submachine guns became widely used. They were especially used in cities and jungles. The assault rifle, a German development combining features of the rifle and submachine gun, became the main weapon for most armies after the war.

paragraphs: Other developments included better encryption for secret messages, such as the German Enigma. Another feature of military intelligence was the use of deception, especially by the Allies. Others include the first programmable computers, modern missiles and rockets, and the atomic bombs.

paragraphs: The actual numbers killed in World War II have been the subject heretofore. Most authorities now agree that of the 30 million Soviets who bore arms, there were 13.6 million military deaths.

paragraphs: <nowiki>*</nowiki>total, of which 7,800,000 battlefield deaths

paragraphs: <nowiki>**</nowiki>Inc. Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, etc.

paragraphs: Deaths among civilians during this war - many resulting from famine and internal purges, such as those in China and the USSR - were colossal, but they were less well documented than those among fighting forces. Although the figures are the best available from authoritative sources, and present a broad picture of the scale of civilian losses, the precise numbers will never be known.

paragraphs: Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria

paragraphs: U.S., Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Yugoslavia


title: Rubeus Hagrid

paragraphs: Rubeus Hagrid is a character in the J.K. Rowling "Harry Potter" book series. A teacher and groundskeeper at Hogwarts, the school that Harry Potter attends, Hagrid is a friend of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hagrid is also a "half-giant." His father was not a giant, whereas his mother, Fridwulfa, who died whilst he was young, was a giantess. He has a half-brother named Grawp. In the "Harry Potter" movies, Hagrid is played by Robbie Coltrane. Martin Playfield appears as a young Hagrid in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets".

paragraphs: Over the course of the "Harry Potter" books, Hagrid is expelled from Hogwarts after The Ministry of Magic thought he had opened the Chamber of Secrets. But the truth that he had been framed by Tom Riddle is exposed and Hagrid is allowed to remain at the school as gamekeeper. The government broke his wand and banned him from doing magic when he was expelled, but he keeps pieces of the wand in his pink umbrella.

paragraphs: Hagrid, who keeps several pets, is also a friend of Madame Maxime, although it is not known if they were together in a romantic way.


title: Rodney Stuckey

paragraphs: Rodney "Norvell" Stuckey is a professional National Basketball Association player for the, Detroit Pistons. He went to Eastern Washington University. He went to Kentwood High School, in Kent, Washington. He was born on, April 21, 1986 in Seattle, Washington. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round (15th pick, 15th overall) of the 2007 NBA draft. His jersey number is 3. He is 6'5", and is 205 pounds. He was the 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie (2nd). He plays the guard position.

paragraphs: On March 5, 2010, Stuckey had a seizure on the bench during a game and collapsed in his trainer's arms, and was taken to the hospital. However, he was reported to be doing well not long after going to the hospital, and returned to next play in a game on March 19.


title: Alou Diarra

paragraphs: Alou Diarra ( ; born 15 July 1981) is a French football player. He plays for Girondins Bordeaux and France national team.


title: Gaël Givet

paragraphs: Gaël Givet (born 9 October 1981) is a French football player. He plays for Blackburn Rovers.


title: Brad Jones (soccer)

paragraphs: Bradley Scott Jones (born 19 March, 1982) is an Australian football player. He plays for Middlesbrough.


title: Sebastián Viera

paragraphs: Sebastián Viera (born 7 March 1983 in Florida, Uruguay) is an Uruguayan football player. He plays for Larissas and Uruguay national team.


title: Christian Bolaños

paragraphs: Christian Bolaños (born 17 May 1984) is a Costa Rican football player. He has played for Start and Costa Rica national team.


title: Mido

paragraphs: Mido (born 23 February 1983) is an Egyptian football player. He plays for West Ham United and Egypt national team.


title: Angelo Carlos Pretti

paragraphs: Angelo Carlos Pretti (born August 10, 1965) is a former Brazilian football player.


title: Rudi Vata

paragraphs: Rudi Vata (born 13 February 1969) is a former Albanian football player. He has played for Albania national team.


title: Zamalek Sporting Club

paragraphs: Zamalek Sporting Club is a sport club in Egypt. It is located in Cairo.

paragraphs: Trophies and years are approved as the Egyptian football Federation site http://www.efa.com.eg , Zamalek SC Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ZSCOfficial


title: IK Start

paragraphs: IK Start is a Norwegian football club. It was founded on 19 September 1905.


title: The Ladykillers (2004 movie)

paragraphs: The Ladykillers is a 2004 American crime comedy movie. It is set in Mississippi and stars Tom Hanks. It was directed by the Coen brothers. It is a remake of the original 1955 movie of the same name.


title: Bill Paxton

paragraphs: William "Bill" Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and movie director. He was in the movie "Twister", as "Bill Harding", with co-star, Helen Hunt. Alan Ruck and Philip Seymour Hoffman co-starred. He is also known for his roles in "The Terminator" (1984), "Weird Science" (1985), "Aliens" (1986), "Predator 2" (1990), "True Lies" (1994), "Apollo 13" (1995), and "Titanic" (1997).

paragraphs: Paxton starred in the HBO series "Big Love" (2006–2011) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys". He is the father of actor John Paxton. In 1987, he won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Aliens".

paragraphs: Paxton was born on May 17, 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was raised as a Roman Catholic.

paragraphs: Paxton was in the crowd waving when President John F. Kennedy emerged from the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth, on the morning of his assassination, November 22, 1963. There are pictures at the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas where 8-year-old Paxton can be seen lifted above the crowd.

paragraphs: Paxton died on February 25, 2017 at a hospital in Los Angeles, California from a post-surgical stroke complicated by heart surgery, aged 61.


title: Alias (TV series)

paragraphs: Alias was an American action television series that was made in five seasons from 2001 to 2006. The main actress was Jennifer Garner. A co-starring actor was Mike Vartan.


title: Fred Willard

paragraphs: Frederick Charles "Fred" Willard (September 18, 1933 – May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian and writer.

paragraphs: He starred in movies, including "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), "Waiting for Guffman" (1997), "American Wedding" (2003), "" (2004), "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" (2004), "WALL-E" (2008), "Youth in Revolt" (2009), "" (2013). He also appeared in television series such as "Everybody Loves Raymond", "The Simpsons" and "Modern Family". In 2020, his last role was as Fred Naird in the Netflix comedy "Space Force".

paragraphs: Willard was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His wife, Mary Lovell, died in July 2018. They had a daughter together, Hope.

paragraphs: In July 2012, he was arrested for masturbation in an adult movie theater. However, no charges were filed because the police had no evidence.

paragraphs: Willard died at his home in Los Angeles on May 15, 2020 of cardiac arrest, aged 86.


title: Oslofjord

paragraphs: The Oslofjord () is one of Norway’s most popular recreation area. It is 100 kilometres in length. It is a short distance from Oslo by ferry.

paragraphs: The fjord carries shipping to and from Oslo. The northern part of Oslofjord splits into several smaller fjords, including Sande Bay and Bunne Fjord.


title: Bo Outlaw

paragraphs: Charles "Bo" Outlaw (born April 13, 1971; also known as Bo Outlaw) is a retired basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, and Memphis Grizzlies. He played in his last NBA game in 2007. Before playing in the NBA, he played college basketball at South Plains College and the University of Houston.


title: Bill Murray

paragraphs: Williams James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American Comedian, Writer and Actor. He has played in some drama roles but he usually does comedy. He was in the movies "Groundhog Day", "Ghostbusters", "Stripes", "Lost in Translation", and "The Jungle Book". Murray is known for his work on "Saturday Night Live" and "Ghostbusters". He also plays charity golf with professional golf players.

paragraphs: Murray was born in Wilmette, Illinois. He was raised in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at Loyola Academy and Regis University (dropped out).

paragraphs: Murray was married to Margaret Kelly from 1981 until they divorced in 1996. Then he married Jennifer Butler from 1997 until they divorced in 2008. Murray has six children.


title: Artificial pacemaker

paragraphs: A pacemaker is a device created by Earl Bakken that helps to regulate your heart. It uses electrical pulses. If your heart is beating too fast, the pacemaker slows it down. If your heart slows down, the pacemaker will slightly speed it up, so that it goes back to a normal heart beat.


title: West Macedonia

paragraphs: West Macedonia is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece. It is also one of the 3 parts of the region of Macedonia and particularly the western. It contains 4 perfectures: Florina, Kozani, Kastoria and Grevena. It borders with Thessaly and Epirus to the west and Central Macedonia to the east. It also borders with two countries in the north: Albania and North Macedonia. It has a total population of 303,857 inhabitants according to the 2001 census. Its capital and biggest city is Kozani.


title: Skydra

paragraphs: Skydra () is a town and municipality of Pella Prefecture in the region of Macedonia in Greece. It has a total population of 5,081 inhabitants in the town and 15,654 inhabitants in the municipality.

paragraphs: During the Ottoman Empite until 1926 Skydra was known with the name Vertikop or Vartikop. The name was derived from the Turkish or Slavic languages. It was named like that because of a river that crossed these places.


title: Listen to Your Heart

paragraphs: Listen to Your Heart is a popular electronica/female vocals song. Roxette, sang this song. Different musical artists have made cover versions of this song.


title: Gary Jules

paragraphs: Gary Jules (born March 19, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter. He is best known for his cover of the Tears for Fears song, "Mad World" that was used in the movie, "Donnie Darko".


title: Brass band

paragraphs: A brass band is a musical group that is made up of only brass instruments (such as the trumpet, tuba, and trombone) and a drum section.

paragraphs: There are several different types of brass bands. One of the more popular types of brass band is the British brass band. A British brass band usually has 25 or 26 players that play: cornets, flugelhorns, tenor horns, euphoniums, tenor trombone, bass trombone and tuba.


title: 1st millennium BC

paragraphs: The 1st millennium BC was the last millennium before the Common Era. It started on January 1, 1000 BC, and ended on December 31, 1 BC. There was no year 0 and no year 0 BC.


title: Bird nest

paragraphs: A bird nest is a place where a bird lays its eggs. There are all kinds of nests, including cup nests, holes in the ground, and piles of twigs and leaves. The word can be used as a noun or a verb, as in – a bird "nests" in a "nest". They are in all kinds of sizes: some can be as big and heavy as a car, like an old eagle's nest, while some can be tiny as a thimble, like the nest of a Bee Hummingbird.

paragraphs: Usually, the female builds the nest, and the male helps her. In some species, though, the male does nothing, and in others, the male builds the nest and the female does nothing.

paragraphs: Many birds "glue" their nests together with materials like spider webs, silk, mud, and even their own saliva (spit). Most nest builders like to put soft things "inside" their nest. Some birds even put herbs and spices in their nest. Scientists think these herbs help fight off bacteria in a way they can't completely understand yet.

paragraphs: The "cup nest" is probably the most common bird nest. Its name tells you that a cup nest is shaped like a cup or bowl. Many songbirds built cup nests. These nests can be built in the branches of a tree, like in the crack where one branch joins another: however, some can simply stick the nest right onto the branch of a tree. They use lots of materials that act like sticky glue – mud, rotten wood, dung, spider webs, and caterpillar silk. . They sometimes even use their own saliva mixed with food to keep the nest firmly stuck on the branch.

paragraphs: Cup nesters use all kinds of materials to build a nest: twigs (tiny branches), grass, leaves, moss; and they use all sorts of materials to keep it from falling apart. Most cup nesters use rough, scratchy material for the outside (this gives protection and camouflages the rest), and put soft, cozy material like moss, fur, feathers, and cotton on the inside.

paragraphs: Many cup nesters enjoy nesting very close to the ground in low bushes – sometimes they will even nest in potted plants on a porch. Some of them actually just build their nests on the ground. Sparrows, cardinals, and many other song birds (called "passerines"), like to nest near the ground, far away from owls, hawks, and Blue Jays that may eat their babies.

paragraphs: There are several types of cup nests. A suspended cup nest is attached to the branch at the top and sides but then drops like a bag down below. It really looks more like a vase than a cup. The bird is almost hidden when she warms her eggs. The mother bird can sit down on the branch above the nest and bend down to feed her baby birds. Orioles are very famous for building amazingly long bags that hang far below the branch.

paragraphs: The smallest cup nests are made by hummingbirds. They can be as tiny as a thimble, like the Bee Hummingbird's nest. That tiny nest holds eggs that are as tiny as peas. The "largest" cup nest is probably the stork's. His nest can be nine feet deep and six feet wide. The stork's nest is so big that smaller birds actually make nests in its cracks, holes, and branches.

paragraphs: "Adherent nests" adhere (stick) to buildings, trees, cliffs, or other vertical structures. Swallows can build an almost perfectly round nest out of mud. Some species make cup-shaped nests, while others make jug-like nests with little holes in the sides. They put little balls of mud in their mouth and mix it with their saliva, making a special clay. As it dries, it becomes hard.

paragraphs: Bird saliva is very good for making glue: in fact, some species of swiftlets make their whole nest out of simply saliva. The male regurgitates (throws up) a long, thin strand of saliva from glands under its tongue. This saliva is used to be made into a half-cup nest which sticks to a cave wall (swiftlets like to build their nests in caves and grottos) and dries quickly. This saliva nest is thought to be a delicacy (something "really" yummy to eat) in China, and it is very expensive. They put it into a soup called Bird's Nest Soup.

paragraphs: "Platform nests" are built mostly by raptors (birds that eat prey, like eagles and hawks). They are usually huge and very, very high up - on the sides of cliffs, maybe, or high up in a big tree. It takes months and months making these nests, adding branch by branch. They often return to the same nest year after year and continue to build it. It is because of this that platform nests get "so big": a Bald Eagle's nest, for example, can weigh as much as a ton (about the same weight as a small car). It is so heavy it can sometimes hurt the tree it is built in.

paragraphs: A few water birds (like grebes and loons) build platform nests right on the water, where they can float. The nests don't move, though, because they are anchored to plants that are attached to the bottom of the body of water. These birds build nests on water because they don't walk well on land, so they find a shallow (not deep) part of the water to build their nests. Then, they do not "walk" to their nests - they "swim" to it. When the babies are ready, they simply jump into the water and begin their aquatic (water) life.

paragraphs: "Earth-hole nests" are nests that are inside the earth. They are burrows (tunnels) on the ground or in the sides of cliffs. They like using abandoned rabbit holes, too. The Burrowing Owl only uses already dug holes for its nest.

paragraphs: Puffins, for instance, dig a tunnel that is usually two to three feet long. At the end they make a nest of feathers and grass and lay their eggs. They are able to do this because of their sharp bill and claws. A puffin can work for hours to make its tunnel. Kingfishers, too, dig or burrow their holes. They can burrow up to six feet into the side of a cliff and lay their eggs in that place.

paragraphs: Many birds nest right on the ground. After carving out a little hole, ground and mound nesters line the nest with grass or other materials. Geese even pick feathers from their breasts and make a nice downy bed for their eggs. Most ducks, geese, and quail like the ground for nesting. Penguins nest on the ground, too, pushing rocks around the nest to keep it from washing away with flood waters. Usually, males make ground nests.

paragraphs: The Trumpeter Swan makes a big mound nest, and flamingos make mounds, too. Flamingos make their mounds completely out of mud. They can be up to 18 inches high and 12 to 20 inches in width.

paragraphs: These nests are barely a nest at all – just a small depression in the ground or a pile of dead leaves to lay eggs on. These scrape-nesting birds usually have eggs that match the color of dead leaves or rocks. This is needed because these eggs are in danger of being eaten by animals like rats, raccoons, snakes, and others that eat eggs.

paragraphs: Many scrape nesters actually try to distract creatures that might be dangerous by pretending they have a broken wing. This makes a predator chase the mother bird, and leave the eggs.


title: Car bomb

paragraphs: A car bomb is a bomb device that is hidden within a vehicle. It is usually driven into places where there will be many people. Terrorists use car bombs more than any other type of organization. The car with the bomb attached to it will explode. This will usually cause fires and small pieces of metal which cause most of the damage.


title: Mancini

paragraphs: Mancini (born 1 August 1980) is a Brazilian football player. He plays for Milan.


title: Darren Ambrose

paragraphs: Darren Ambrose (born 29 February 1984) was an English football player. He played for Ipswich Town, Newcastle United, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, Apollon Smyrnis, and Colchester United.


title: Mazinho Oliveira

paragraphs: Mazinho Oliveira (born 26 December 1965) is a former Brazilian football player. He has played for Brazil national team.


title: Charles N'Zogbia

paragraphs: Charles N'Zogbia (born 28 May 1986) is a French football player. He plays for Wigan Athletic.


title: Karim Benzema

paragraphs: Karim Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French football player. He plays for Real Madrid and France national team.


title: Lim You-Hwan

paragraphs: Lim You-Hwan (born 2 December 1983 ) is a South Korean professional athlete. He is best known as an association football player. He was a member of the Korean national team.


title: Regillio Simons

paragraphs: Regillio Simons (born 28 June 1973) is a former Dutch football player.


title: Alemão (born in 1984)

paragraphs: Carlos Adriano de Jesus Soares, better known as Alemão (10 April 1984 – 8 July 2007), was a Brazilian football player.


title: Paulo Antônio de Oliveira

paragraphs: Paulo Antônio de Oliveira (born 16 July 1982) is a Brazilian football player. He plays for Ventforet Kofu.


title: Akhrik Tsveiba

paragraphs: Akhrik Tsveiba (born 10 September 1966) is a former Ukrainian-Russian football player. He has played for Soviet Union national team, Ukraine national team and Russia national team.


title: Dmitri Radchenko

paragraphs: Dmitri Radchenko (born 2 December 1970) is a former Russian football player. He has played for Soviet Union national team and Russia national team.


title: Javier Irureta

paragraphs: Javier Irureta (born 1 April 1948) is a former Spanish football player. He has played for Spain national team.


title: Kasper Schmeichel

paragraphs: Kasper Schmeichel (born 5 November 1986) is a Danish professional association football player.


title: Carlton Cole

paragraphs: Carlton Cole (born 12 November 1983) is an English footballer. He plays for West Ham United and England national team.


title: Ko Jeong-woon

paragraphs: Ko Jeong-Woon (born 27 June 1966) is a South Korean professinal athlete. He is best known as an association football player. He was a member of the Korean national team.


title: Edin Mujčin

paragraphs: Edin Mujčin (born 14 January 1970) is a Bosnia and Herzegovina football player. He has played for Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.


title: Néstor Gorosito

paragraphs: Néstor Gorosito (born 14 April 1964) is a former Argentine football player. He has played for Argentina national team.


title: Marcelo Lipatín

paragraphs: Marcelo Lipatín (born 28 January 1977) is an Uruguayan football player.


title: Hennie Meijer

paragraphs: Henny Meijer (born February 17, 1962) is a former Dutch football player. He has played for the Dutch national team.


title: Shaka Hislop

paragraphs: Shaka Hislop (born 22 February 1969) is a former Trinidad and Tobago football player. He has played for Trinidad and Tobago national team.


title: Hélder Postiga

paragraphs: Hélder Postiga (born 2 August 1982) is a Portuguese football player. He plays for Sporting Portugal.


title: Tetsuya Abe

paragraphs: Tetsuya Abe (born 24 June 1983) is a former Japanese football player.


title: Víctor Fernández

paragraphs: Víctor Fernández (born 28 November 1960) is a Spanish football manager. He has managed a number of teams including Porto of Portugal.


title: Miguel Ángel Lotina

paragraphs: Miguel Ángel Lotina (born 18 June 1957) is a Spanish football manager. During his career he has managed several Spanish teams, including currently Deportivo La Coruña.


title: NHL Winter Classic

paragraphs: The NHL Winter Classic is an annual event held by the National Hockey League where regular-season games are played outdoors.


title: Denzel Washington

paragraphs: Denzel Washington (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has won many awards during his acting career. In 2001 he became only the second African American man to win the Academy Award for "Best Actor". He has been in 43 feature films. He has won two Oscars.

paragraphs: Washington played Malcolm X in the 1992 movie "Malcolm X". He played Whip Whitaker in the 2012 film "Flight". His son, John David, is also an actor. He also made his film debut in the 1974 film "Death Wish".