title: DC Comics

paragraphs: DC Comics, Inc. is an American comic book company. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., which itself is owned by Time Warner. Its top rival is Marvel Comics. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, which is best well known for making "superhero" comic books. DC Comics is very famous in the modern art subject Graphics.

paragraphs: The company is responsible for some of the most iconic characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Batgirl, Robin, Black Canary, White Canary, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Static, Zatanna, and Shazam!.

paragraphs: Most of their characters take place in the fictional DC Universe (DCU) and its most famous and recognizable teams are the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Green Lantern Corps., the Young Justice, the Suicide Squad, and the Teen Titans.

paragraphs: It is also famous for featuring well-known fictional villains including Lex Luthor, the Joker, Darkseid, Harley Quinn, General Zod, Catwoman, Brainiac, Doomsday, Bane, Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Ra's al Ghul, Ares, Maxwell Lord, the Cheetah, Sinestro, Black Manta, Reverse-Flash, and Black Adam.

paragraphs: What is known today as DC Comics was founded in 1934 by publishing entrepreneur Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson under the name of "National Allied Publications". DC was formed by the merging of "National Allied Publications" and "Detective Comics Inc", as well as the affiliated "All-American Publications". Despite being officially known as "National Comics", the comic covers carried a "DC" logo and were referred to as a result of its nickname: "DC Comics". People had nicknamed it "DC" because of one its most popular comic series; "Detective Comics" and thus was born one of the world's most recognizable comic book brandings along with rivals Marvel publishing.

paragraphs: The company did not officially change its name to DC Comics however, until 1977 during the presidency of Jenette Kahn.

paragraphs: DC Comics has its current official headquarters at 1700 Broadway, 7th, New York, New York. Random House distributes DC Comics' books to the bookstore market, while Diamond Comics Distributors supplies the comics shop specialty market.

paragraphs: National Allied Publications' first comic was "" which was released in the February of 1935. It hit off, and was surprisingly popular. Later that year, a second title was released: "New Comics #1." The size and length "New Comics #1" became the archetype for many comics afterwards, and it became the longest running comic series of all time.

paragraphs: In 1938, National launched "Action Comics", which featured the brand new character from regular contributors Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman. Originally dismissed as "silly" by editorial, reports soon came back noting the popularity and sales increase resulting from the Superman feature. Superman quickly became a sensation and before long, dozens of imitations from both National and other publishing houses appeared almost overnight. Writer Bill Finger and his artist employer Bob Kane soon submitted Batman to appear in "Detective Comics" and before long, an entire Justice Society of America had been formed including properties such as The Flash, Green Lantern, The Sandman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman and The Spectre, to name a few, many of whom were either created or written by the prolific Gardner Fox.

paragraphs: With the establishment of DC as one of the major comic book companies and with many of the most marketable names in the early years of comics, it is sometimes considered the main company that other companies had to compete with. Companies tried different approaches, One that succeeded and often outsold DC for instance was Fawcett Publications who had a character who some consider similar to Superman who was an all-powerful hero with a supporting "family" known as Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, whereas other companies such as Charlton Comics created entire new worlds preventing DC from attacking them with lawsuits. Further along in the Silver Age many of these companies failed or like Fawcett were sued out of existence. Thus although they had once been competitors, many of the soon public domain properties of Fawcett and Charlton were eventually revived and trademarked and seemingly taken under DC's control.

paragraphs: During the post-War years, the popularity of superheroes had declined almost completely, though DC and other publishers were still going strong moving into other genres such as funny animals, romance, Sci-Fi, Westerns and horror. Major characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman has managed to remain in publication and by the mid-1950s the superhero was again due for a comeback. "Showcase #4" in 1956 introduced readers to Barry Allen, the all-new Flash re-imagined with a sleeker design and steeped much heavier in science fiction (and the older Golden Age heroes being relegated to existing on Earth Two). Characters such as The Atom, Green Lantern and the JSA, now reinvented as the Justice League of America soon followed and a new superhero boom was kicked off.

paragraphs: During this time, The Comics Code Authority has also come into play, which drastically subdued the content available in the comic book medium. Many of the stories during the period moved away from more controversial horror or violent themes.

paragraphs: With the reinvigoration of Marvel in the 1960s under the leadership of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, DC found itself a new and more potent competitor. Marvel succeeded by breaking what had become by then generic archetypes of superheroes by introducing characters which were younger and more flawed (and thus appeared more human and appealed to a younger crowd in a more direct manner.) After falling behind Marvel in sales, DC was finally forced to adopt much of the same system which Marvel had, by introducing such young teams as the Teen Titans to compete with the X-Men.

paragraphs: In 1985, DC Comics decided its 50 years of continuity and numerous alternative Earths had become too messy and was in need of new blank slate. DC penned one of the first major comic book crossovers that incorporated almost every DC title and character ever published by the company. The series ended with multiple Earths being erased and merging into to one unified Earth. Following this, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman were given new leases of life thanks to big name creators such as John Byrne, Frank Miller and George Perez that redefined the elderly heroes for a new generation.

paragraphs: During this same period, the comic audience has begun to grow up and the direct market for comic stores had opened allowing a wider variety of publications to be experimented with. One such experiment involved bringing in British writer Alan Moore to pen the low selling "Saga of the Swamp Thing" series. What resulted was style of comic book not experienced before by mainstream readers in its literary and story driven complexity and execution. Before long, other writers from across the pond such as Neil Gaiman, Peter Milligan and Grant Morrison were recruited to revamp obscure properties and tell new and interesting stories with an older audience in mind. 1986 saw the release of two seminal works from DC Comics, Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" and Alan Moore's "Watchmen" that reached unprecedented levels of critical acclaim and outside media attention. By the 90's DC and the entire comic book industry experienced a boom in mature comics aimed at older audiences and simultaneously witnessed a collector's boom that increased sales but almost caused the industry to collapse soon after.

paragraphs: In 1993, senior editor Karen Berger convinced DC to make her own imprint for mature readers named Vertigo, similar to DC imprints Piranha Press and Paradox Press as well as Marvel's Epic Comics. Using popular titles such as "Animal Man", "Swamp Thing", "Hellblazer", "The Sandman" and "Shade, The Changing Man" as its blueprint along side new creator owned material, DC/Vertigo became a hub for intelligent and acclaimed comic books. While rival Marvel Comics continued to dominate the publishing arena with their exceedingly popular properties, DC/Vertigo became the destination for literary and inventive titles during the period.

paragraphs: In 1999, DC purchased Jim Lee's WildStorm Productions, formerly one of the founding studios of Image. The line of WildStorm comics and properties came under DC's control though the line continued to be published on the West Coast away from DC editorial until 2010.

paragraphs: In 2000 Marvel Comics started an imprint called ultimate marvel in which the characters' origin is changed and modernized. This eventually led DC to starting an imprint of their own in 2005, thus All Star was born.

paragraphs: Both All-Star series are in their own continuity, except "All-Star Batman and Robin" which was part of Earth-31.

paragraphs: "All-Star Batman" started in 2005 and was written by Frank Miller and Penciled by Jim Lee. This was the first series in the All Star imprint and opened to mainly negative reviews but had high sales. The series was released in a sporadic schedule. The series only reached 10 issues (2008) 2 issues before the intended end of the series.

paragraphs: "All-Star Superman" started in 2006 and was written by Grant Morrison and Penciled by Frank Quitley. This was the second series under the All Star imprint, the first being "All-Star Batman and Robin". The series opened to mainly good reviews and went on to win the Eisner Award for best new series in 2006 and best ongoing series in 2007 and 2009. Like "All-Star Batman" the series was also released in a sporadic schedule. The series ended with issue 12. The series overall has widely considered to be one of the best Superman stories of all time.

paragraphs: In 2011, after a period of declining comic sales, DC announced they were cancelling all the main titles and starting over with all New 52's as part of a relaunch. In charge of the relaunch is Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. The relaunch started with the release of "Justice League" #1 on August 31st. this was done partially to revitalize the company and to de-age the characters and thus make them more dynamic. On January 12, 2012, it was announced that there would be a second wave of the new 52 where six titles would be getting canceled with another six to replace them, though the plan to stay at 52 ongoing monthlies seems to be consistent. DC also released a Third wave in September 2012, one year after the relaunch in September 2011. One book in the Third Wave, "Talon", starring Calvin Rose was the first solo book for a character who was introduced in the New 52. The Fourth wave started in January 2013 and ended in March 2013, meaning that it was the first wave not to come out in a single month. The Fifth Wave consisted of titles such as "the Movement", "the Green Team" and "Superman Unchained".

paragraphs: The New 52 had proved to be so successful with critics, fans and commercially that Marvel the main competitor of DC decided to do a relaunch of their own called "Marvel NOW!" in late 2012.

paragraphs: In 2015, DC Entertainment moved their entire operations from their Manhattan headquarters in New York City to their new home in Burbank, California. DC's digital and administrative departments had already been relocated to Burbank beginning in 2010. The new office is only a few blocks from their corporate parent company, Warner Bros. Studios.

paragraphs: <nowiki>*</nowiki>the imprint was founded in 1992 but as part of the Image conglomerate and only moved to DC in 1999.

paragraphs: Over the years, DC Comics' parent company Warner Brothers (with a few exceptions) has produced a variety of feature films based on DC Comics properties for cinematic release, including TV shows, action figures, and video games which have made them even more popular.


title: Wonder Woman

paragraphs: Wonder Woman is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and the tritagonist in the DC Universe. She is one of the first female superheroes in American comic books and the most famous, most recognizable female superhero in the world. William Moulton Marston, a psychologist who believed that women could be as strong and powerful as men, created Wonder Woman, partly inspired by his wife, Elizabeth Holloway-Marston. Wonder Woman first appeared in the pages of All-Star Comics # 8, published in December 1941. Her first solo comic book debuted in the summer of 1942, when Wonder Woman # 1 was published.

paragraphs: In the comic book, Wonder Woman's real name is Diana, and she is the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, ruler of the Amazons, a race of peace-loving women who lived in an island named Themyscira (also referred to as Paradise Island). Soon after Steve Trevor, a US Air Force pilot, crash-lands on Paradise Island during World War II, Diana and the amazons tend to his wounds and help him recover. Diana decides that she will bring him back to the United States; once there she becomes the superhero that the world calls "Wonder Woman". Her best-known powers are superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes, as well as flight. She has a magic lasso that compels those bound by it to tell the truth, and unbreakable gauntlets that can deflect bullets.

paragraphs: Wonder Woman had also appeared in animated cartoons and in a live-action television program in the 1970s with actress Lynda Carter. The series made the character very famous.

paragraphs: In January 2001, producer Joel Silver asked Todd Alcott to write a "Wonder Woman" screenplay. Early rumours listed actresses such as Mariah Carey, Sandra Bullock, and Catherine Zeta-Jones to play the role of Wonder Woman. Leonard Goldberg, speaking in a May 2001 interview, named Sandra Bullock as a strong candidate for the project. Bullock said that she was asked to play the role. Lucy Lawless and Chyna both were interested in it. The screenplay then went through many versions written by many different writers. By August 2003, Levens was replaced by screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis.

paragraphs: In March 2005, Warner Bros. said that Joss Whedon would write and direct the movie version of "Wonder Woman." Because Whedon was directing "Serenity" at the time and needed time to learn Wonder Woman's background, he did not start writing until late 2005. Silver wanted to movie "Wonder Woman" in Australia once the script was finished. In May 2005, Whedon said that he would not cast Wonder Woman until he finished the script. Charisma Carpenter and Morena Baccarin said they were interested in the role.

paragraphs: In February 2007, Whedon left the project. He said there were problems with differences about the script between the studio and himself. Whedon said that since he was not doing the "Wonder Woman" project, he would focus on making his movie "Goners".

paragraphs: Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman in the upcoming 2016 action movie "". She was also the lead role of the 2017 superhero film "Wonder Woman". She will play the role again in "Wonder Woman 1984" (2020) and "Zack Snyder's Justice League" (2021).

paragraphs: On October 21, 2016, the United Nations controversially named Wonder Woman a UN Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. The character was dropped from the role two months later after a petition against the appointment stated Wonder Woman was an overly sexualized image".


title: Bob Saget

paragraphs: Bob Saget (born May 17, 1956) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his appearances on television as Danny Tanner on "Full House" and the original host of "America's Funniest Home Videos".


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title: Phil Collins

paragraphs: Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins (born 30 January 1951) is a British drummer, songwriter, actor and singer. He was born in Chiswick, Hounslow, Middlesex. He was the drummer and singer of the band Genesis. He is very well known for his career away from the band, as a solo artist. His most well known album is "No Jacket Required", which has sold over ten million copies in the United States. One of his most well known songs is "In the Air Tonight", which had a long running false rumour that it was about a drowning that Collins had witnessed. Collins starred in the movie "Buster" (1988). His daughter Lily Collins is a famous actress.

paragraphs: Collins won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "You'll Be in My Heart" for the 1999 movie "Tarzan".


title: Badfinger

paragraphs: Badfinger was a British rock group. They were first called The Iveys, but renamed themselves after a song title, "Badfinger Boogie", the original title of "With a Little Help From My Friends". The band's members were Peter Ham, Tom Evans, Mike Gibbins and Joey Molland. Badfinger recorded for Apple Records, which was a record label started by The Beatles, Warner Brothers, Elektra Records, and Radio Records.

paragraphs: Their first hit record was "Come And Get It", which was written by Paul McCartney. It appeared in a movie, "The Magic Christian". The band followed McCartney's demo closely to make the record. The finished record sounded like a Beatles song. Later they made records that sounded different, and showed the band's own style. Todd Rundgren was the producer of some of their recordings.

paragraphs: Badfinger's other hit records included "No Matter What", "Day After Day", and "Baby Blue". Later they left Apple Records and recorded for Warner Bros. Ham and Evans were the band's main songwriters. One of their songs, "Without You", was recorded by the band, but was not a hit. A later cover version by singer Harry Nilsson became an international hit, and was the first of many such versions. Many recording artists have sung "Without You", including Mariah Carey.

paragraphs: In 1970 Badfinger made an agreement with an American businessman called Stan Polley who promised to help them earn more money. But instead of helping them, Polley kept their money "away" from them in an account and refused to tell them how to get it out. He also behaved dishonestly toward Warner Bros. Because of his dishonesty, the band's sixth album was removed from shops after being available for only seven weeks, and Warner Bros. refused to release their seventh album. As a result, the band did not earn any money for their hard work, which made Pete Ham feel very depressed. Feeling that he could not be a good husband or father without any money, Ham committed suicide by hanging himself in 1975.

paragraphs: Evans and Molland decided they still wanted to work together. Mike Gibbins, the drummer, wanted to as well, but could not. They found two more musicians to take the place of Ham and Gibbins, and recorded a new album called "Airwaves". They had only one very small hit, but continued to tour. They released another record called "Say No More". This record had cover art by artist Peter Max.

paragraphs: Tom Evans had problems like Ham's, and killed himself (eight years after Ham) in the same way.


title: United Nations Security Council

paragraphs: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of six main parts of the United Nations. The Security Council deals with maintaining peace and security between nations.

paragraphs: There are 15 members of the UNSC but only five are permanent members. They are:

paragraphs: The ten temporary seats are held for two years with member states (countries) voted in by the United Nations General Assembly on a regional basis. The Presidency of the Security Council (i.e. the leadership) is rotated alphabetically each month.

paragraphs: As of 2017, the 10 temporary members are:

paragraphs: If a country has behaved in a way seen as bad, the member countries of UNSC can make a ruling, known as a United Nations Security Council Resolution. All five of the permanent member countries must either agree to this ruling or at least not vote against it; if any of them do, it is said to have been "vetoed" and does not come into effect. This Resolution may call for UN members to take certain actions to punish the country, called "sanctions".

paragraphs: An example is that the UNSC had long banned all imports of nuclear fuel to Iran as they felt Iran was going to make nuclear weapons. These sanctions resulted in rules which made it much harder for Iran to do business with people in the rest of the world. These actions made life harder in Iran, both for its government and regular people as well. Most people think that is why Iran was willing to promise to change how it used nuclear material in order to end these rules. The Permanent Members of the Security Council worked together in ending this problem; Germany has also conferenced with the permanent UN Security Council members about this issue.

paragraphs: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the most powerful part of the United Nations. The Security Council deals with maintaining peace and security between nations. For members of the UN to engage in war or major military activity against another country or a large armed group outside of their own country they are supposed to have the agreement of the Security Council to do so but recent history shows that this rule is often not closely followed by everyone. All members of the UN retain the right to "self-defense"; they can engage in actions to defend their people and land whenever this becomes necessary but are then expected to refer the matter to the Security Council as soon as they can.


title: High jump

paragraphs: The high jump is a track and field athletics event. Without the aid of any devices, athletes jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights. The high jump was first practised in England in the 19th century. It became an Olympic sport in 1896 for men and in 1928 for women. The rules that were made in 1865 still exist today. Thus, every athlete has three attempts on every height. The athletes are allowed to touch the bar but they must not knock it down.

paragraphs: The women's world record of 2.09 metres is held by Stefka Kostadinova. It was set in 1987. There is a technique called the Fosbury flop and scissor kick.


title: Manhattan

paragraphs: Manhattan is one of the five boroughs that make up New York City, and is the center of the New York metropolitan area. It is also located over the same area as a county of New York state called New York County. Although it is the smallest borough, it is the most densely populated borough. Most of the borough of Manhattan is on Manhattan Island, but the Marble Hill neighborhood is part of the mainland United States (by way of the Bronx). Several smaller islands, including Roosevelt Island, are also part of Manhattan.

paragraphs: The Dutch bought it from the Native Americans and called it New Amsterdam, then the English took it over and changed the name to New York. The name "Manhattan" comes from the Munsi language of the Lenni Lenape meaning "island of many hills". Other theories say that it comes from one of three Munsi words. "Manahactanienk" meaning "place of inebriation". Other possibilities are "manahatouh" meaning "a place where wood is available for making bows and arrows" and "menatay" meaning simply "the island."

paragraphs: Manhattan is an important commercial, financial, and cultural center of both the United States and the world. Most major radio, television, and telecommunications companies in the United States are based there, as well as many news, magazine, book, and other media publishers. Manhattan has many famous landmarks, tourist attractions, museums, and universities. It also has the headquarters of the United Nations.

paragraphs: Before colonization, the Lenape Indians lived in the area that is now called Manhattan. In 1524, Lenape people in canoes met Giovanni da Verrazzano, the first European explorer to pass New York Harbor, although he may not have entered the harbor past the Narrows. Henry Hudson, an Englishman who worked for the Dutch East India Company, made the first map of the area.

paragraphs: In the 1620s, the first large European colony was started in New Netherland, when the Dutch began trading fur on Governors Island. In 1625, the Dutch chose Manhattan Island to build Fort Amsterdam, a citadel for the protection of the new arrivals. It would later be called New Amsterdam (Dutch: "Nieuw Amsterdam"). The creation of New Amsterdam was recognized as the birth of New York City.

paragraphs: On May 24, 1626, Manhattan was bought from the Native Americans living on the island. The price was trading goods worth 60 guilders, which was worth about 24 dollars at the time. The currency calculations from the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam say that 60 guilders in the 1620s cost around $1000 now.

paragraphs: In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant became the last Dutch Director General of the colony. New Amsterdam was considered an official city on 3 February 1653. In 1664, the British conquered New Netherland and renamed it "New York" after the English King James II, then known as Duke of York and Albany. Stuyvesant and his council made a deal with the British where New Netherlanders were promised liberties, including freedom of religion, under British rule. In August 1673, the Dutch took control of the island again, calling the city "New Orange" (Dutch: "Nieuwe Oranje"). The Dutch lost control of New Netherland forever to the English in November 1674 by treaty.

paragraphs: Manhattan was the center of many campaigns, battles and meetings during the American Revolution. In 1765, all of the colonies worked together for a unified political aim when the Stamp Act Congress (meeting) of representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies was held in New York City to write The Declaration of Rights and Grievances.

paragraphs: The Sons of Liberty, a Boston based group, were part of a long-term battle with British authorities over liberty poles that were sometimes raised by the Sons of Liberty and cut down by the British. The disputes ended when the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress took power in 1775.

paragraphs: Manhattan was the center of a series of large battles in the early American Revolutionary War. These battles were called the New York Campaign, where British forces and colonists fought for control of New York City and the state of New Jersey. The rebel Continental Army, led by George Washington, had to leave Manhattan after losing the Battle of Fort Washington on 16 November 1776. Shortly after, Manhattan was greatly damaged by the Great Fire of New York in 1776.

paragraphs: Victory gave the British control of the area. They used the city as the center for political and military activities for the rest of the war. Loyalists from elsewhere came to the city as refugees from the Rebels and to join the war.

paragraphs: Years later, Washington came back to Manhattan with his army. On Evacuation Day, the last British occupation forces left the city on 25 November 1783. On 30 April, 1789, Washington was inaugurated (officially became) the first president of the United States and took his oath of office at Federal Hall on Wall Street.

paragraphs: In the early 19th century, Manhattan grew in population and economically. Another great fire in 1835 destroyed much of the city but it was soon rebuilt. Because of the Great Irish Famine, a lot of Irish people emigrated (left their country) to live in New York; they made up for 25% of Manhattan's population at the time. Many of the Irish people lived in a part of the Lower East Side known as the Bowery or in another section called Five Points.

paragraphs: After the Civil War, many immigrants of Italian, Polish and Jewish backgrounds came to Manhattan and lived in tenements in a part of the city called the Lower East Side. Over a million people lived in the area at one point.

paragraphs: An Irish political machine called Tammany Hall was very important to New York City during the Gilded Age. With the support of mostly Irish immigrants, it grew as a political machine. The support helped win the election for the first Tammany mayor, Fernando Wood, in 1854. Central Park, which opened to the public in 1858, became the first landscaped park in any American city and the country's first public park.

paragraphs: The rate of immigration from Europe shot up after the Civil War, and New York became the most popular state for immigrants in the United States. Because of this, the French built and gave New York the Statue of Liberty on October 28, 1886. Soon after, the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn were combined into one city.

paragraphs: In the beginning of the 20th century, many new things were built in the city, like skyscrapers and the New York City Subway. The first subway transit center, the Interborough Rapid Transit or "IRT", opened to the public in 1904. The installation of the Subway helped tie the new city together, as did new bridges to Brooklyn. In the 1920s, many African-Americans came to live in Manhattan during the Great Migration from the American South, and the Harlem Renaissance. New York City became the most populous city (city with the most people) in the world in 1925, overtaking London, which had held the title for a century.

paragraphs: Between World War I and World War II, reformist Fiorello La Guardia was elected as the new mayor in 1933 and took office in 1934, marking the fall of Tammany Hall after 80 years of dominating politics in New York City. Once the city's demographics were steadier, labor unionization provided protection and affluence to the working class. Despite the Great Depression, some of the world's tallest skyscrapers of the time were built in Manhattan during the 1930s, including many Art Deco masterpieces that are still part of the city's skyline today. The most well-known structures are Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and the GE Building.

paragraphs: Following the end of World War II, a lot of veterans came home to the United States. This led to the development of private communities that were intended to be sold or rented out to returning soldiers, resulting in an economic boom. An example of one of the communities built to attract veterans looking for homes is Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village, which opened in 1947. In 1951, the United Nations relocated from its first headquarters in Queens, to the East Side of Manhattan.

paragraphs: Population and industry began to decline in the 1960s. The Stonewall riots were a series of violent demonstrations by members of the gay community. By the 1970s, the city had gained a reputation as a graffiti-covered, crime-ridden relic of history. In 1975, the city government went bankrupt (ran out of money), and its pleas for financial help were rejected at first. On 30 October 1975, the New York Daily News reported the event with the headline as "Ford to City: Drop Dead". The city received a federal loan and debt restructuring. After the economic downfall and recovery, New York State kept a close watch on New York City's economy.

paragraphs: In the 1980s, Wall Street was revived from its slump, and the city reclaimed its role at the center of the worldwide financial industry. During this time, Manhattan was also at the heart of the AIDS crisis, with Greenwich Village being a major center of the epidemic. "Gay Men's Health Crisis" (GMHC) and "AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power" (ACT UP) were organizations that were started because of the crisis. Their purpose was to advocate on behalf of those AIDs victims.

paragraphs: Crime rates began to drop greatly in the 1990s. Murder rates were 537 in 2008 compared to 2,245 in 1990. The crack epidemic and its associated drug-related violence had died down, and was under great control by the city. Many people who had moved out of the city came back because the city once again became the destination of immigrants from around the world, joining with low interest rates and Wall Street bonuses to fuel the growth of the real estate market.


title: The Bronx

paragraphs: The Bronx is the northern part of New York City, United States. The name came from Bronck's Farms, owned by a settler called Jonas Bronck. The Bronx was once the southern part of Westchester County, but is now one of the five boroughs of New York City as well as a county in New York State called Bronx County. The Bronx River flows south out of Yonkers and Mount Vernon, New York, through the middle of The Bronx, and into Long Island Sound.

paragraphs: Two places to visit in The Bronx are the Bronx Zoo and Yankee Stadium, where the New York Yankees baseball team plays.


title: Bob Denver

paragraphs: Bob Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Gilligan on the 1960s television series "Gilligan's Island" and Maynard G. Krebs on the earlier "Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". He appeared on many other shows including "The Good Guys", "Dusty's Trail", and "Far-Out Space Nuts", but these could not match his success as Gilligan. In 1998, he was arrested for marijuana possession and in 2005, he underwent heart surgery. After that he learned he had cancer. Before he became an actor, Denver worked as a mailman and a high school teacher.


title: Monk

paragraphs: A monk is a man who devoted part or all of his life to a religion. The word comes from Ancient Greek, and can be translated as "solitary". In Greek, the word can be used for men and women alike, but in English,a woman who does the same is called a nun. Monks practice asceticism. They either live alone, or together with other monks who share the same ideals. Monks can be found in different religions, most often in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism and Taoism.

paragraphs: The monks who live on their own are usually called hermits, those living with other monks do so in monasteries. Nuns living together do so in a convent.


title: Dream Theater

paragraphs: Dream Theater (often called "DT" for short) is a progressive metal and progressive rock band formed in the mid-1980s in the United States.

paragraphs: The band was founded by John Myung, John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy. Myung and Petrucci are the only original members that are still in the band today. They changed their singer twice in the late 1980s when Chris Collins was replaced by Charles Dominici in 1987. Dominici left the band only three years later, in 1990, and James LaBrie joined and stayed until today. Dream Theater's keyboardist also changed three times. Kevin Moore played with the band from 1986 until 1995 when he left and Derek Sherinan took his position until 1999. Jordan Rudess is Dream Theater's Keyboardist now. He is known for his excellent technique and compositional skills. In September 2010, drummer Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater, and was replaced by Mike Mangini.

paragraphs: The members of Dream Theater are known for having excellent playing technique of their instruments, and for their songwriting. Their music is very complex and the songs are often long, their longest being "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" at 42 minutes in length.

paragraphs: Their songs contain a lot of instrumental sections, in which no vocals are heard and only the instruments play (these parts are called "instrumental passages") and also many solos. Another feature of their music is that during each song, the speed often changes, and occasionally style changes too.

paragraphs: They once said that other bands have trouble making long songs. They said they have trouble making "short" songs. Most of Dream Theater's music is very difficult to play because of the high speed it has to be played with and the complex rhythm.


title: Triangle

paragraphs: A triangle is a shape, or a part of two dimensional space. It has three straight sides and three vertices. The three angles of a triangle always add up to 180° (180 degrees). It is the polygon with the least possible number of sides. A triangle with vertices "A", "B", "C" is written as formula_1.

paragraphs: Triangles can be grouped according to how many of their sides are equal:

paragraphs: Triangles can also be grouped by their angles:

paragraphs: Triangles are extremely useful. The study of geometry related to triangles is called trigonometry. Some people have spent their entire lives studying triangles for use in trigonometry.

paragraphs: Modern computers usually use triangles to make more complex graphic images or shapes.


title: Feminism

paragraphs: Feminism is a social and political movement. Feminism is about changing the way that people see male and female rights (mainly female), and campaigning for equal ones. Somebody who follows feminism is called a feminist.

paragraphs: Feminism began in the 18th century with the Enlightenment. The controversy over the differences between the genders led to the discussion of equality.

paragraphs: The word "feminism" comes from the French word "féminisme". This medical term was used to describe masculine women or men with feminized traits. When its use became popular in the United States of America, it was used to refer to groups of women who "asserted the uniqueness of women, the mystical experience of motherhood and women's special purity ".

paragraphs: Feminism started with the idea that human rights should be given to women. This idea was put forward by some philosophers in the 18th and 19th centuries such as Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill. Later feminists in the early 20th century also said that women should be allowed to vote in a democracy. Many women felt very strongly that they should be allowed to vote and there were many protests. These women were called Suffragettes. This is because they were fighting for Universal suffrage which means everybody is able to vote. The Suffragettes staged many protests for their rights. Some women even committed suicide to show how wrong it was that they could not take part in politics. After women received the vote, feminism worked to make all of society more equal for women.

paragraphs: Not all female politicians have been welcomed by feminists, with Margaret Thatcher, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann being clear examples.

paragraphs: Feminism is generally acknowledged to have "waves" as different time periods focused on different aspects of feminism, often working off the ideas presented by the wave before.

paragraphs: In technical terms, the first wave of feminism could be dated earlier to include pre-nineteenth century women's rights movements. In particular, the French Revolution of 1789 is often attributed as the beginning of the first demands for women's rights. This went on to inspire Mary Wollstonecraft, whose book "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" was published in 1792. It is widely recognized as one of the earliest significant works of feminist literacy. However, first wave feminism is usually dated as occurring between the mid to late nineteenth century and early 1900s. During the first wave, women began to realize that they must first gain political power before they could bring about social change. This wave focused on gaining the right to vote (universal suffrage). Later, the focus shifted to include sexual, economic, and reproductive concerns.

paragraphs: During the inter-war years, the feminist movement declined. Anti-feminism was on the rise, focusing on the issue of women and work. Women were being 'persuaded' to return to their traditional roles in the home and give up their war jobs. There were also issues within the organized ranks of feminism itself. The ideologies and priorities of certain groups were changing. Some felt that equality with men had been reached and shifted their focus onto the needs of women as women, such as the subjects of birth control, family allowance, and protective legislature. This caused the split into the dominant groups of equality feminism and new feminism. New feminists focused on the role of traditional women in the home and as mothers. Equality feminists encouraged women to look beyond the home and fought for equality with men in every aspect of life. Equality feminists opposed protective legislature, such as maturity leave, purely on principle.

paragraphs: The topic of protective legislature eventually led to the divide of first wave feminism. Middle-class feminists tended to oppose protective legislature, whereas working class feminists largely supported it. This split between the previously dominant equality feminism and the rising new feminism marks the end of the first wave of feminism.

paragraphs: Second wave feminism is marked by the rise of political concerns. Where the first wave of feminism dealt with women in the workforce, as well as the right to own property and vote, the second wave of feminism lobbied for 'liberation' from a patriarchal society. The key to second wave feminism was the struggle over the female body itself - how it was represented and the significance attached to the reality of biological differences.

paragraphs: The famous "One is not born, but rather becomes a woman" declaration made by Simone de Beauvoir led to new thinking on the way gender was perceived as a construction, rather than something inherent.

paragraphs: Second wave feminism was also characterized by the problematization of equality. Questions arose about what gaining equality would achieve, due to the societal roles men and women were still expected to fill. This led to the call for extreme change in order to revolutionize the very fabric of a patriarchal society. This was the beginning of the radical, Marxist, and socialist feminist groupings. It also marked a shift in the politics of liberal feminism, focusing more on 'sexual politics', such as the family, abortion, rape, domestic violence, and sexuality.

paragraphs: Third wave feminism is generally described as the feminism of a younger generation who acknowledge both the effect and the limitations of the ideologies presented by second wave feminism. This new generation argues that the conditions which prompted second wave feminism no longer exist and therefore, feminism needs a revamping in order to be applicable to modern day. It is also argues that second wave feminism catered too much to a small group of people, namely white, middle-class, heterosexual women.

paragraphs: Third wave feminists largely seem to have grown up with feminism as a strong concept in society, thus influencing them from a young age. It is taught in schools and is also prominent in the media.

paragraphs: Third wave feminists largely focus on issues surrounding individual self-expression. This includes how identity is formed and communicated through things such as appearance, sexuality, and intersectionality. Third wave feminism was also created in order to include a larger grouping of people, recognizing women from different cultural backgrounds, religions, sexualities, ethnicities, and abilities to name a few.

paragraphs: Some say that a fourth wave of feminism is already upon us, prompted by the increase in internet culture. This wave is similar to the third wave but is distinguished by more advanced technology and broader ideas of equality. This wave stands more in solidarity with other social justice movements.

paragraphs: Fourth wave feminism uses the internet and its "call-out" culture to challenge misogyny and sexism in popular media such as television, literature, advertising, etc. This has caused companies to change how they market to women in order to avoid being "called out".

paragraphs: Another part of fourth wave feminism is the existence of people who reject the word "feminism" because of "assumptions of gender binary and exclusionary subtext: 'For women only'".

paragraphs: In 21st century online communities/ support groups focused on masculinism discourse as a counterpart to online presence of feminism is known as manosphere. Masculinism fueled by primordialist ideologies have also resulted into an openly anti-feminist toxic culture known as "incels" (involuntarily celibate).

paragraphs: There have been women who have been involved in politics throughout history.

paragraphs: Esther, Lady Godiva, Queen Elizabeth, Catherine the Great, and Joan of Arc.

paragraphs: Starting in 1960, there have been many women elected to high positions of power, such as prime minister. Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first, followed by Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Elisabeth Domitien and Margaret Thatcher. Dame Eugenia Charles lasted nearly 15 years in the post, a record.

paragraphs: Liberal feminism drew its strength from the diversity of liberal thought following the Enlightenment. The basis of liberal feminism is the emphasis on the power of the individual. If everyone individually stands up for what is right, discriminatory practises will change. Liberals also value education, arguing that equal education of men and women will lead to equality in society. Liberal feminists would be more likely to accept the argument (to a degree) that certain positions in society (such as the home and the workplace) are better suited to the 'traditional' gender placements.

paragraphs: Socialist or Marxist feminism are similar in that they both believe revolution is the answer to change. They both link social conditions with capitalism and believe that overthrowing the current system is the only way to get what you want. Like liberal feminists, socialist or Marxist feminists acknowledge that men are necessary as part of the movement for change.

paragraphs: Radical feminism, particularly in the USA, developed from the civil rights and new left clusters. Radical feminists were largely fed up with the male-dominated left wing radicalism and formed the Women's Liberation Movement. This movement was formed in order to create woman-centered politics and to escape from male-oriented politics. They believed this could only be done in a safe women-only space, and this led to the policy of separatism for which radical feminism is best known for. Radical feminists are often misunderstood and seen as "man-hating" because of the way their women-oriented politics seem to reject male input.

paragraphs: Evangelical feminism or 'Christian feminism' was developed from religious movements. Evangelical feminists work to protect and spiritually reform those who need it, such as women and children from outside the church. These feminists believe that everyone is equal under one God and strive to bring that equality to the church and their individual lives.

paragraphs: Equality feminism is a subsection of the feminist movement. Equality feminism's focus on the similarities between the sexes is on the basis that men and women's abilities are indistinguishable from their biology. This type of feminism encourages the broadening of horizons, encouraging women to look beyond the home. Its ultimate goal is for the sexes to be completely equal in every part of life.

paragraphs: New feminism is a philosophy similar to equality feminism. It focuses on how the differences between men and women complement each other, rather than one sex's biology causing a superiority over the other. New feminism, unlike equality feminism, recognizes the different strengths and roles given to men and women. New feminism advocates for equality in how men and women are treated in their individual roles in society. Its basic concept is the emphasis placed on important differences being biological rather than cultural. Women should be supported as child bearers, both economically and culturally, but this should not be a role that is forced upon them. The main aim is to emphasize the importance of women and men as individuals and that in all senses (legal, social, economic), they should be equal despite their natural differences.

paragraphs: Global Feminist Thought is primarily the movement of women's rights on a global scale. Women are impacted in different communities around the world and have common problems they face on a day-to-day basis; usually at home or in the work force. Although different cultural locations have different experiences that will shape their experiences and perceptions, they have common themes. Global feminists tend to focus on nationality (like race, gender and class) and they reach out to help those in developing and third world countries, as well as address oppression created through histories of colonialism and imperialism. It works to end capitalism, imperialism, sexism and racism, along with having everyone considered equal on a global view. It encourages feminists to confront the problems they are facing and reach out for help, as they are not the only ones experiencing that particular problem.

paragraphs: Writers such as Camille Paglia, Christina Hoff Sommers, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Daphne Patai oppose some forms of feminism, though they identify as feminists. They argue, for example, that feminism often promotes misandry (hatred of men) and the elevation of women's interests above men's, and criticize radical feminist positions as harmful to both men and women. Daphne Patai and Noretta Koertge argue that the term "anti-feminist" is used to silence academic debate about defects of feminism like lack of intersectionality and visible separatism.

paragraphs: Lean-In Feminism is an approach were women act and behave in a toxic manner and justify their actions by messaging if a man behaved the same way they did, he wouldn’t get called out on it. Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos; Ellen DeGeneres of Ellen DeGeneres Show; Amy Klobuchar, American senator; Chelsea Handler, American comedian; Zoe Sugg, YouTube vlogger etc are considered to be prime examples. This is a negative idea of empowerment seen in social movements that posits women in power are unimpeachable and immune to feminist critique, simply by virtue of the fact that they have achieved such high positions. It is hard to distinguish people of this approach from supportive feminists, because they often cloak themselves with publicity stunts of advocating for all women in order to maintain their hegemony.

paragraphs: Identified reasons why some people do not like feminism:


title: Eivør Pálsdóttir

paragraphs: Eivør Pálsdóttir (born 21 July 1983 in Syðrugøta, Faroe Islands) is a Faroese singer and composer. She sings in Faroese, but also in English, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish.

paragraphs: Eivør Pálsdóttir is one of the most well-known singers from the Faroe Islands.

paragraphs: "Krakan", her second solo album, won the nomination for an Icelandic Music Award in three categories. Eivor won Best Singer and Best Performer in Iceland in 2003.


title: Hippopotamus

paragraphs: The hippopotamus ("Hippopotamus amphibius"), or hippo, ancient Greek for "river horse" ("Ιπποπόταμος"), is a large mammal in Africa that usually eats plants. It is one of only two species in the family Hippopotamidae that are still alive. The other is the pygmy hippopotamus.

paragraphs: The hippopotamus is the second largest land animal in size, and the third largest land animal in weight. The elephant is the heaviest, and the white rhinoceros is the second heaviest, but a bit smaller than the hippo. The hippo is also the heaviest artiodactyl.

paragraphs: The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic. This means that even though it usually lives on the land, it spends a great amount of time in rivers and lakes where males lead groups of 5 to 30 females and young. In the daytime, they keep cool by staying in the water or mud. They give birth to baby hippos in the water, too. At dusk, they come out to graze on grass. Hippopotamuses rest together in the water, but they like to graze by themselves.

paragraphs: The hippopotamus has a torso that is shaped like a barrel, a very big mouth and teeth, an almost hairless body, short legs and great size. It is the third largest land mammal, judging by its weight, which is between between 1½ and 3 tonnes. The white rhinoceros weighs 1½ to 3½ tonnes, and the three species of elephant weigh 3 to 9 tonnes. Even though it has short, fat legs, it can run more quickly than a human. Some hippos have run at 30 km/h (19 mph) for short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the fiercest animals in the world. It is often called one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. There are about 125,000 to 150,000 hippos in Sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia (about 40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) have the most hippos. They are threatened because they are losing their habitats and being poached for their meat and ivory teeth.

paragraphs: The word "hippopotamus" comes from the ancient Greek , "hippopotamos", from , "hippos", "horse", and , "potamos", which means "river". So, "hippopotamus" means "horse of the river". More than one hippopotamus are called "hippopotami", and 'hippopotamuses', or 'hippos' is also used. Hippopotamusi are social. About 30 hippos live together in groups. A male hippopotamus is known as a bull. A female hippopotamus is called a cow, and a baby hippo is called a calf. The species is also known as the common hippopotamus or the Nile hippopotamus.

paragraphs: Hippopotami are the fourth largest mammals in the world (after whales, elephants, and rhinoceroses). The Egyptian hippopotamus is smaller than the others. They can live in the water or on land. They can walk or even run along the bottom of a river.

paragraphs: Because hippos are so large, it is difficult to weigh them in the wild. Most adult male hippos weigh between . Females hippos are smaller, and usually weigh between . Older males can get even bigger. They are at least and sometimes even weigh .

paragraphs: Male hippos seem to keep on growing for their whole lives. Females hippos, though, become heaviest when they are about 25 years old.

paragraphs: Hippos have big and heavy bodies, dark gray skin, and short legs. A hippo's main defence is their extremely strong mouth. They can grow to be 15 feet long and weigh 3,000 pounds.

paragraphs: Hippopotami are herbivores which live in groups. Despite being semiaquatic and having webbed feet, an adult hippo is not a particularly good swimmer nor can it float. It is rarely found in deep water; when it is, the animal moves by porpoise-like leaps from the bottom. They usually stay in the mud and water during the day and come out to eat grass or leaves at night. Though they are bulky animals, hippopotami can gallop at 30 km/h (19 mph) on land but normally trot.

paragraphs: Many hippos lived in North Africa and Europe until about 30,000 years ago. They used to be common in Egypt's Nile region from long ago, though they are not there now. Pliny the Elder writes that, in his time, the best place in Egypt for finding this animal was in the Saite nome. The animal could still be found around there after the Arab Conquest in 639. Hippos are still found in the rivers and lakes of Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, northern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ethiopia, west through Ghana to Gambia, and also in Southern Africa (Botswana, Republic of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia). Some hippos also live in Tanzania and Mozambique. They like to live in places with water that is not too deep.

paragraphs: Hippos are very aggressive towards humans, whom they commonly attack whether in boats or on land with no apparent provocation. This aggression by the hippopotamus is caused by humans coming too close to their children. Hippopotami are very protective of their young and they often fear that humans pose a large threat to their young. They are widely considered to be one of the most dangerous large animals in Africa.

paragraphs: The earliest proof that humans were involved with hippos comes from butchery cut marks on hippo bones at Bouri Formation from around 160,000 years ago. Later rock paintings and engravings showing hippos being hunted. They have been found in the mountains of the central Sahara from 4,000–5,000 years ago near Djanet. Ancient Egyptians also knew much about hippos. They knew the hippo was a fierce, wild animal that lived in the Nile. In Egyptian mythology, Tawaret, a goddess of protection in pregnancy and childbirth, had the head of a hippo. This was because ancient Egyptians saw how protective female hippopotami could be about their young.


title: Prefecture

paragraphs: A prefecture is a word used by countries such as Greece and Japan (called "νομός", "nomós" in Greece and called 県 "ken" in Japan). It is a smaller part of a country with its own government. It is a kind of local government.

paragraphs: It is like an American state or a British county.

paragraphs: In France, it is the head of the department ("see" Prefectures in France "for more detail").


title: Eris (dwarf planet)

paragraphs: Eris is a dwarf planet and a trans-Neptunian object (TNO). It is the second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System. Eris is slightly smaller than Pluto, but it is more massive (has more mass) than Pluto. It is a "scattered disc object" in the Kuiper belt, further out than Pluto. It is also called a "plutoid" because the IAU decided to rename all trans-Neptunian dwarf planets as plutoids. Eris orbits the sun once every 557 Earth years. It has an elliptical orbit, inclined at an angle of 44° between the plane of the orbit of the planet and the ecliptic, the plane containing Earth's orbital path.

paragraphs: Eris was discovered by Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo and David Rabinowitz on January 5, 2005, when they were having a close look at some images of the outer Solar System taken in 2003.

paragraphs: Eris was originally called "Xena", after the main character of the television series "". However, there is a rule stating that all objects orbiting outside Neptune’s orbit have to be named after a creation of mythology. Therefore, it was officially named Eris on September 13, 2006. Eris is named after the goddess of strife, discord, contention and rivalry in Greek mythology.

paragraphs: Eris has one moon called Dysnomia. It was discovered on September 10, 2005. Dysnomia was originally nicknamed "Gabrielle", after a character from the television series "Xena: Warrior Princess", like Eris. However, like Eris, it could not be called this. Dysnomia was named after the daughter of Eris, in Greek mythology. Dysnomia is the goddess (or spirit) of lawlessness and poor civil constitution.

paragraphs: Media reports have argued that Eris is the tenth planet, along with astronomers and NASA scientists. However, the definition of a planet was changed in August 2006. Under the new specifications, Eris, along with Pluto, was lowered in status to a dwarf planet.

paragraphs: Scientists are continuing to find out more about Eris and its moon, and to look for any more moons and possible rings. Because Eris is so far away, it would take 24.5 years to visit Eris with a space probe.


title: Operation Overlord

paragraphs: Operation Overlord was the 1944 campaign for the invasion of continental Europe in World War II. It was fought by the Allied forces against German forces. The most critical part was the Normandy landings, which were to get the Allied armies onto the continent of Europe. This might have failed. Heavy casualties were expected, even if it succeeded. It was successful. The Battle of Normandy raged until German forces retreated across the Seine on 30 August 1944. This marked the close of Operation Overlord.

paragraphs: The main Allied forces came from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Nine other nations also sent units, the rest being Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

paragraphs: Preparations were large and complex. Operation Overlord was the largest and deadliest amphibious assault in the history of warfare. Almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in then German-occupied France.

paragraphs: Allied troops made many practice landings to understand how to do it.

paragraphs: Maps of Normandy beaches were created. The planners knew heavy tanks and transport could not travel on the beaches, which had soft peat underneath them. Detailed maps of the area were required. Where peat had to be travelled on, the plan was to lay down matting.

paragraphs: On 7 April and 15 May, Bernard Montgomery presented his plan for the invasion. He planned a ninety-day battle, ending when all the forces reached the Seine.

paragraphs: The goal for the first 40 days was to capture Caen and Cherbourg (especially Cherbourg, for its deep-water port). Then Brittany and its Atlantic ports would be captured. Railways and roads in northern France would be bombed to block reinforcements for the defenders. Next, the Allies would go 125 miles (190 km) to the southwest of Paris. The Allies would then control the land between the rivers Loire in the south and Seine in the northeast.

paragraphs: Meanwhile, the Allies made great efforts to make the Germans think the invasion would happen elsewhere.

paragraphs: The Allies developed new technology for Overlord. The "mulberry", a mobile concrete harbor, allowed the Allies to supply their soldiers on the beach without capturing one of the heavily defended Channel ports. Major-General Percy Hobart, a military engineer, designed modified Sherman and Churchill tanks.

paragraphs: In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies worked at military deception. German coastal defences were stretched thin in 1944. Once Normandy had been chosen as the site of the invasion, it was decided to attempt to trick the Germans into thinking it was a fake invasion and that the true invasion was to be elsewhere. This was called Operation Bodyguard. In the weeks leading up to the invasion, the Allies tried to make the Germans think that the main invasion would take place at the Pas de Calais and in Norway. The deception was an industry in itself. It included dummy messages, dummy tanks in places near Dover and the south coast of England, using double agents to spread false information, dummy radio messages, and so on.

paragraphs: The deception was highly successful. It led Hitler to delay sending reinforcements from the Pas de Calais region for nearly seven weeks (the original plan had specified 14 days). In his memoirs, General Omar Bradley called "Bodyguard" the "single biggest hoax of the war".

paragraphs: Allied forces rehearsed their roles for D-Day months before the invasion. On 28 April 1944, in south Devon on the British coast, 946 American soldiers and sailors were killed when German torpedo boats attacked one of these landing exercises, Exercise Tiger.

paragraphs: The security of D-Day was supported by stopping unplanned news from getting out of Britain. Travel to and from the Republic of Ireland was banned and movements near the coasts was not allowed. The German embassies and consulates in neutral countries were given false information.

paragraphs: All the same, there were several leaks before or on D-Day. An embassy spy in Istanbul gave the Germans documents containing references to Overlord, but these documents lacked detail. Another leak was General Charles de Gaulle's radio message after D-Day. He stated that this invasion was the real invasion. This had the potential to ruin the Allied tricks. Eisenhower referred to the landings as the initial invasion. The Germans did not believe de Gaulle and waited too long to move in extra troops against the Allies.

paragraphs: The British did an airborne assault on the River Orne. The British goal was to capture the Orne River bridges to prevent German armor from using them and to prevent retreating Germans from blowing them up. This way, they could be used by Allied armor and vehicles.

paragraphs: The British sea attack units would attack through Sword and Gold Beaches. The United States had an airborne division and land units, which were to take Omaha Beach, the Pointe du Hoc and Utah Beach. The Canadians would work with British units to attack Sword Beach. The British and Canadians had separate beaches, Gold Beach and Juno Beach, respectively.

paragraphs: The Invasion Fleet was made upfrom eight navies made up of warships and submarines, split into the Western Naval Task Force (Rear-Admiral Alan G Kirk) and the Eastern Naval Task Force (Rear-Admiral Sir Philip Vian). The fleet was led by Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.

paragraphs: The Allies assigned codenames to the various operations involved in the invasion. "Overlord" was the name for the landing on the Continent. Getting a secure hold on the area was codenamed "Neptune". It began on D-Day (6 June 1944) and ended on 30 June 1944. By this time, the Allies had control in Normandy. Operation "Overlord" also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the river Seine on 19 August 1944.

paragraphs: Through most of 1942 and 1943, the Germans thought successful Allied invasion in the west would not happen. Preparations were limited to building fortifications at the major ports. The number of military forces in Nazi Germany reached its peak during 1944 with 59 divisions in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

paragraphs: Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was in charge of the wall. He improved the defences of the entire coastline. Steel obstacles were put on beaches, concrete bunkers and pillboxes constructed, and low-lying areas were flooded. Pointed stakes were set up on likely landing grounds to make it hard for the Allies to do airborne landings. The Germans fortified the foreshore area as part of their Atlantic Wall defences (including tank turrets and barbed wire).

paragraphs: These projects were not finished, especially in the Normandy sector. Allied bombing of the French railway system made it hard to move materials, and the Germans were convinced by the Allied tricks that the landings would take place in the Pas de Calais.

paragraphs: The sector which was attacked was guarded by four divisions, of which the 352nd and 91st were of high quality. The other defending troops included Germans who were not fit for active duty on the Eastern Front, conscripted Poles and former Soviet prisoners-of-war who had agreed to fight for the Germans. These units had German leaders.

paragraphs: Rommel's defensive measures were made difficult by arguments over how to use armoured forces. Von Geyr and Rommel disagreed over the how to use Panzer divisions.

paragraphs: Rommel thought armoured formations be close to the coast, to attack while the invaders were weak. Von Geyr said they should instead be put around Paris and used in a big group when the Germans knew which beach was being invaded. Hitler made a compromise solution.

paragraphs: Rommel was given only three tank divisions, one of which was close enough to the Normandy beaches to fight on the first day. The other mechanized divisions were put under the control of the German Armed Forces HQ (OKW) and were placed across France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

paragraphs: The opportunity for launching an invasion was limited to only a few days in each month, because a full moon was needed. This would provide light for the aircraft pilots and create a spring tide. Eisenhower had picked 5 June as the date for the assault. However, on 4 June, conditions were unsuitable for a landing. High winds and heavy seas made it impossible to launch landing craft. Low clouds would prevent aircraft finding their targets.

paragraphs: Meteorologists predicted an improvement in the weather for 6 June. At a meeting on 5 June, Eisenhower and his senior commanders discussed the situation. Eisenhower decided to launch the invasion that night. Had Eisenhower delayed the invasion, the only option was to go two weeks later. This would have been during stormy weather.

paragraphs: To make it hard for the Germans to launch attacks during the sea attack phase, airborne operations were used to capture bridges and road crossings. The airborne landings behind the beaches were also designed to help the soldiers landing on beaches and destroy German coastal defense artillery.

paragraphs: On Sword Beach, the regular British infantry came ashore with few casualties. They had advanced about by the end of the day but did not get as far as Montgomery had wanted. Caen was still held by Germans by the end of D-Day and would remain so until Operation Charnwood on 9 July.

paragraphs: The Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach had a difficult battle. German concrete fortifications and a sea wall twice as high as at Omaha Beach made it very difficult to attack. Juno was the second most heavily defended beach on D-Day, next to Omaha. Canadians were off the beach within hours and advancing inland. They were the only units to reach their D-Day goals, although most units fell back a few kilometres to make stronger defensive positions.

paragraphs: At Gold Beach, there were many dead and wounded because the Germans had strongly fortified a village on the beach. The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division advanced almost to Bayeux by the end of the day. When commando units captured the Port-en-Bessin, the Allies could use their PLUTO pipeline to bring in fuel.

paragraphs: The Americans who landed on Omaha Beach faced the veteran German 352nd Infantry Division, one of the best trained groups on the beaches. Furthermore, Omaha was the most heavily fortified beach. Commanders considered abandoning the beach but small units of infantry got past the coastal defences. By the end of day two areas had been captured. The control over the beach expanded over the following days and the D-Day goals were accomplished by D+3.

paragraphs: At Pointe du Hoc, the 2nd Ranger battalion had to climb the cliffs. While they climbed, the enemy shot at them and dropped grenades. They used ropes and ladders to climb up and then destroy the guns.

paragraphs: The beach fortifications were important targets since a single artillery observer could have directed fire on the U.S. beaches. The Rangers captured the fortifications. They then had to fight for 2 days to hold the location, losing more than 60 percent of their men.

paragraphs: The number of dead and wounded on Utah Beach, the westernmost landing zone, were the lightest of any beach. Only 197 out of the 23,000 troops that landed were killed or wounded. The 4th Infantry Division troops that landed on the beach was able to move inland by early afternoon, linking up with the 101st Airborne Division.

paragraphs: Once the beaches were controlled, the Mulberry Harbours were set up around 9 June. One was constructed at Arromanches by British forces, the other at Omaha Beach by American forces. Severe storms on 19 June caused problems with the landing of supplies and destroyed the Omaha harbour. The Arromanches harbour was able to supply around 9,000 tons daily until the end of August 1944, by which time the port of Cherbourg had been captured by the Allies.

paragraphs: The German 21st Panzer division attacked between Sword and Juno beaches and nearly reached the Channel. Allied anti-tank gunners made them pull back before the end of 6 June.

paragraphs: The Allied invasion plans had called for the capture of Carentan, St. Lô, Caen and Bayeux on the first day. The plan was to link all the beaches except Utah and Sword (the last linked with paratroopers) and a front line from the beaches. None of these goals had been achieved. The number of dead and wounded had not been as heavy as some had feared (around 10,000 compared to the 20,000 Churchill had estimated) and the bridges had survived the German attacks.

paragraphs: In the western part of the invasion area, US troops were to occupy the Cotentin Peninsula, especially Cherbourg. This would provide the Allies with a deep water harbour. The land behind Utah and Omaha was banks and hedgerows that tanks, gunfire and vision could not get through. This made them ideal defensive positions.

paragraphs: The U.S. infantry made slow progress and had many dead and wounded as they moved towards Cherbourg. The airborne troops were used to help with the advance. The far side of the peninsula was reached on 18 June. Hitler told German forces not to retreat to the strong Atlantic Wall fortifications in Cherbourg. The Cherbourg commander, Lieutenant General von Schlieben, surrendered on 26 June. Before surrendering he had most of the facilities destroyed, making the harbour inoperable until the middle of August, by which time the combat front had moved so far east that it was less helpful.

paragraphs: While the Americans headed for Cherbourg, a unit of troops led by the British moved towards Caen. Montgomery made many attrition warfare attacks. The first was Operation Perch, which moved south from Bayeux to Villers-Bocage where the armour could capture Caen. It was halted at the Battle of Villers-Bocage. Caen was bombed and then occupied north of the River Orne in Operation Charnwood from 7 July until 9 July. An attack in the Caen area followed with all three British armoured divisions, codenamed "Operation Goodwood" from 18 July until 21 July. It captured the high ground south of Caen. The rest of the city was captured by Canadian forces during Operation Atlantic. A further operation, Operation Spring, from 25 July until 28 July, by the Canadians secured limited land south of the city, but with many dead and wounded.

paragraphs: Montgomery's plan included keeping the Germans in the eastern part of the invasion area, while protecting Cobra's position. By the end of Goodwood, the Germans had used the last of their reserve divisions; there were six and a half Panzer divisions against the British and Canadian forces compared to one and a half facing the United States armies.

paragraphs: "Operation Cobra" was launched on 25 July by the U.S. First Army. It was successful. The VIII Corps entered Coutances at the western end of the Cotentin Peninsula on 28 July, after breaking through the German lines.

paragraphs: On 1 August, VIII Corps became part of Lieutenant General George S. Patton's Third Army. On 4 August, Montgomery changed the invasion plan by sending a corps to occupy Brittany and push the German troops around the ports, while the rest of the Third Army continued east. Because of the large number of German forces south of Caen, Montgomery moved the British armor west and launched Operation Bluecoat from 30 July until 7 August to add to the attacks from the United States armies. This pushed the German forces to the west, allowing the launch of Operation Totalize south from Caen on 7 August.

paragraphs: By the beginning of August, more German reserves became available. The German forces were being encircled and the German High Command wanted these reserves to help with a retreat to the Seine. Hitler demanded an attack at Mortain on 7 August. The attack was pushed back by the Allies, who again had advance warning from Ultra code breaking. The original Allied plan was for encircling the Germans as far as the Loire valley. Bradley realized that many of the German forces in Normandy were not able to move by this stage and he got Montgomery's approval by telephone on 8 August for to encircle German forces. This was left to Patton to do. He moved nearly unopposed through Normandy. The Germans were left in near Chambois. Strong German defense and the sending of some American troops for an attack by Patton towards the Seine at Mantes prevented the Germans from being trapped until 21 August. On this date, 50,000 German troops were trapped.

paragraphs: Whether this could have been done earlier with more prisoners taken has been debated.

paragraphs: The liberation of Paris followed shortly afterwards. The French Resistance in Paris rose attacked the Germans on 19 August. The French 2nd Armoured Division under General Philippe Leclerc, along with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division accepted the surrender of the German forces there and liberated Paris on 25 August.

paragraphs: Operations continued in the British and Canadian sector until the end of the month. On 25 August, the 2nd U.S. Armored Division fought its way into Elbeuf, making contact with both British and Canadian armoured divisions there. The 2nd Canadian Infantry Division advanced into the Forêt de la Londe, on the morning of 27 August. The area was strongly held and the 4th and 6th Canadian brigades had large numbers of dead and wounded over three days as the Germans defended their position. The Germans pulled back on the 29th, withdrawing over the Seine on the 30th.

paragraphs: On the 30th the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division crossed the Seine near Elbeuf and entered Rouen to a happy welcome.

paragraphs: The campaign in Normandy is considered by historians to end either at midnight on 24 July 1944 (the start of "Operation Cobra" on the American front), 25 August 1944 (the liberation of Paris), or 30 August 1944, the date the last German unit retreated across the River Seine.

paragraphs: The original "Overlord" plan was for a ninety-day campaign in Normandy with the ultimate goal of reaching the Seine; this goal was met early. American forces were fighting in Brittany as anticipated by General Montgomery during the latter weeks of the campaign. Historians consider the Normandy campaign to have ended with the massive breakout of "Operation Cobra".

paragraphs: The US official history describes the fighting beginning on 25 July as the "Northern France" campaign, and includes the fighting to close the Falaise Gap, which the British/Canadians/Poles consider to be part of the Battle of Normandy. Volume I of the Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War by C.P. Stacey, published in 1955, as well as the Canadian Army's official Historical Summary of the Second World War, published in 1948, define the Battle of Normandy as lasting from 6 June 1944 to 1 September 1944. The definition of the Battle of Normandy is also evident in another publication by the Army's Historical Section entitled "Canada's Battle in Normandy".

paragraphs: There were reports of Eisenhower requesting Montgomery's replacement in July. The lack of forward progress was caused by the rough land. However, as at the battle of El Alamein, Montgomery kept to his original attrition warfare strategy, reaching the objectives within his original ninety day target.

paragraphs: Victory in Normandy was followed by a pursuit to the French border in short order. Germany was forced once again to reinforce the Western Front with manpower and resources from the Soviet and Italian fronts.

paragraphs: By September, Allied forces of seven field armies (two of which came through southern France in Operation Dragoon) were approaching the German frontier. The Allied battle plan was good, drawing on the strengths of both Britain and the United States. German leadership was often faulty, despite good fighting by German units.

paragraphs: In a larger context the Normandy landings helped the Soviets on the Eastern front, who were facing most of the German forces. It shortened of the conflict there.

paragraphs: Victory in Normandy stemmed from several factors. The Allies had more weapons and equipment. They also had new inventions like the PLUTO pipelines and Mulberry harbours. These helped the flow of troops, equipment, fuel and ammunition. Movement of cargo over the open beaches went better than expected,even after the destruction of the U.S. Mulberry in the channel storm in mid-June.

paragraphs: By the end of July 1944, one million American, British, Canadian, French, and Polish troops, hundreds of thousands of vehicles, and a lot of supplies were ashore in Normandy. Artillery ammunition and other items were plentiful. This was impressive considering they did not hold a port until Cherbourg fell.

paragraphs: By the time of the Normany breakout the Allies also had superiority in numbers of troops (approximately 3.5:1) and armored vehicles (approximately 4:1) which helped overcome the natural advantages the rough land gave to the German defenders.

paragraphs: Allied intelligence and counterintelligence efforts were successful. The Operation Fortitude trick plan before the invasion kept German attention focused on the Pas-de-Calais. High-quality German forces were kept in this area, away from Normandy, until July. Prior to the invasion, few German reconnaissance flights took place over Britain, and those that did saw only the fake camps. Ultra decoding of German Enigma (machine) communications had been helpful as well, exposing German plans.

paragraphs: Lack of an organized strategy hurt the German defence. German leadership was split between Field Marshals von Rundstedt and Rommel. Von Rundstedt wanted to keep the powerful units in reserve, to do a powerful counterattack once the allied landing started. Rommel wanted to stop the allies at the beach. He tried to locate units so that they could attack quickly.

paragraphs: While Rommel's plan was good, the reserve strategy was not good because units could not move during the day due to allied air strikes. In the end, the mix of two strategies was a disaster. The beach defences were overcome and the counterattacks were not strong enough.

paragraphs: German commanders at all levels failed to react to the attack quickly. Communication problems added to the problems caused by Allied air and naval firepower. Local commanders did not lead an aggressive defence on the beach. The German High Command focused on the Calais area, and von Rundstedt was not permitted to use the armored reserve.

paragraphs: When it was finally released late in the day, success was more difficult. Although the 21st Panzer Division, had attacked earlier, it faced strong opposition that had been allowed to build at the beaches. Overall, even though the Allied material superiority continued to grow, the Germans slowed the Allies advance for nearly two months, aided by the rough land.

paragraphs: Although there were several disputes among the Allied commanders, their plans were decided by the main commanders. By contrast, the senior German leaders always had interference by Hitler, who did not know local conditions.

paragraphs: Field Marshals von Rundstedt and Rommel repeatedly asked Hitler for more freedom to change plans but were refused. Von Rundstedt was removed from his command on 29 June after he told Field Marshal Keitel, the Chief of Staff at OKW (Hitler's Armed Forces HQ), to make peace. Rommel was severely injured by Allied aircraft on 16 July.

paragraphs: Field Marshal von Kluge, who took over the posts held by both von Rundstedt and Rommel, was linked with some of the military plotters against Hitler, and he would not argue with Hitler for fear of arrest. As a result, the German armies in Normandy were pushed by Hitler to counterattack rather than retreat after the American breakthrough. Kluge was relieved of command on 15 August and killed himself. The more independent Field Marshal Walter Model then took command.


title: Mike Tyson

paragraphs: Michael Gerard Tyson (June 30, 1966) is an American retired boxer. He held the heavyweight championship.

paragraphs: Mike Tyson became a professional boxer in 1985 and won a heavyweight title from Trevor Berbick in 1986. He was the youngest man to win a heavyweight title belt. He became recognized as the undisputed champion when he beat Michael Spinks in 1988. He lost his title to Buster Douglas in 1990. Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.

paragraphs: He was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years in jail. When he was released he started boxing again and won a few heavyweight titles. Evander Holyfield was the first fighter to beat him in his return. Tyson also fought Lennox Lewis, who beat him, too. He retired from boxing in 2005.

paragraphs: Mike Tyson refereed one match at WrestleMania 14 and later on wrestled in a tag-team match on WWE Raw where he betrayed his partner, Chris Jericho. For these efforts, he was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. He has his a video game called Mike Tyson's Punch Out! named after him.

paragraphs: He converted to Islam and became a Muslim he adopted the name Malik Abdul Aziz; other sources reported this name as Malik Shabazz.


title: Cleveland, Ohio

paragraphs: Cleveland is a city in northern Eastern Ohio, United States. It is home to over 400,000 people. It was named for General Moses Cleaveland in 1796, but a mistake in a local newspaper left out the first "a" in its name, which is why it is spelt like it is today. Its metropolitan area makes it the largest urban division in the state.

paragraphs: During the 19th century, Cleveland's location at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and Great Lakes port helped make it an important industrial center of the central United States. During World War II, the city became a center of manufacturing and industry, but deindustrialization caused a decline after that. Cleveland had a major revival in the 1980s and 1990s: The Playhouse Square theaters were restored, new skyscrapers like the BP Building and the Key Tower were built, new stadiums were built, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was opened on the lakefront. After a smaller decline in the 2000s, Cleveland has begun to make another comeback.

paragraphs: Cleveland is home to the Great Lakes Brewing Company and Cleveland Orchestra.

paragraphs: Many professional sports teams make their home in or near Cleveland. They include the Cleveland Indians, who play baseball; the Cleveland Browns, who play football; and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who play basketball. Both the Indians and the Cavaliers have their games at the Gateway District in Downtown while the Browns have a stadium on the shores of Lake Erie. The city's sports teams are known for from the 1964 NFL Championship Game to the 2016 NBA Finals. The city also hosted the Cleveland Grand Prix IndyCar race until 2008.

paragraphs: In the past, Cleveland's economy relied on steel mills and manufacturing. Both are still a major part of the city today, but heavy industry in the area is much smaller than it once was. The city is known today for being a big center for medicine and medical technology, and the Cleveland Clinic is one of the most important hospital systems in the country.

paragraphs: Some major large companies are headquartered in the city, including Sherwin Williams Paint, Cliffs Natural Resources, and Key Bank.

paragraphs: Cleveland is a big center for the performing arts, and is the home of Playhouse Square, the second largest theater district in the United States (the largest is Lincoln Center). The complex was built in the 1920s, and after being closed down were restored and reopened in the 1980s.

paragraphs: The Cleveland Orchestra is considered one of the world's finest, and is one of the "Big Five" in the United States. It plays at Severance Hall, in the University Circle neighborhood. It has a major rock music scene, and is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is located on the lake in a building designed by IM Pei, a famous architect.

paragraphs: A diverse city, it has vibrant Italian, Irish, African American, Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, Puerto Rican, Romanian, Jewish, Croatian, and Greek communities, among many others.


title: Lexus

paragraphs: Lexus is a luxury car line produced by the Toyota company. Its worldwide motto is ""The Pursuit of Perfection "" slogan in the United States is ""The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection"".


title: Dentition

paragraphs: Dentition is the development of teeth and where the teeth are in the mouth. Almost all mammals have up to four different types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Animals that have different types of teeth are called "heterodont". If they do not, they are called "homodont".

paragraphs: In mammals, the young have a set of primary teeth (milk teeth) that fall out after a few years. When they fall out, adult teeth grow in. Animals that have milk teeth and adult teeth are called diphyodont.

paragraphs: Dentition is important in archaeology. Dentition is used to study human migration. Tooth enamel contains trace elements which show where they grew.


title: Plectrum

paragraphs: A plectrum or pick is a small object used to play certain types of string instruments. The plectrum is held in the hand and used to pluck a string. This makes a hard, metallic, "twangy" sound. The instruments most commonly plucked include the guitar, lute and mandolin. The strings of a harpsichord are also plucked, although the plectra in this instrument are called "jacks". They pluck the string when the player presses a key down.


title: Danny Barker

paragraphs: Danny Barker (January 13, 1909 – March 13, 1994) was a New Orleans jazz singer-songwriter and musician.


title: Charlie Christian

paragraphs: Charles Henry "Charlie" Christian (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942) was an American jazz guitarist. Christian is best known as one of the first famous guitarists to play the electric guitar. He is also remembered as one of the first musicians to help create the styles of jazz music known as ""bebop"" and ""cool jazz.""

paragraphs: Christian first gained fame as a member of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. He played with Goodman from August 1939 to June 1941. He was very good at playing many notes up and down on a sinle guitar string. By playing his guitar through an amplifier his guitar solos made the guitar very loud in the band.

paragraphs: Christian died in March 1942 when he was only 26 years old. He had been sick with tuberculosis for several years before he died.

paragraphs: Even though he was jazz guitarist who died before the music style rock and roll was started, he was still a large influence on rock and roll musicians. It was because of this that in 1990 Charlie Christian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though he had never played rock and roll music.

paragraphs: Charles Henry Christian was raised in Oklahoma City in the American state of Oklahoma. In 2006 Oklahoma City renamed a street to ""Charlie Christian Avenue."" There is also a yearly jazz music festival in Oklahoma City which is named after Charlie Christian.


title: Franco Cerri

paragraphs: Franco Cerri (born January 29, 1926) is an Italian jazz guitar player.

paragraphs: Cerri is currently considered the most authoritative Italian guitarist in the jazz field, and his innate sympathy has meant that many viewers, seeing its shares on TV (especially in the 60s), come close to jazz, and studying guitar.

paragraphs: Much appreciated at the international level, has worked with notable musicians such as Django Reinhardt, Gorni Kramer, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Billie Holiday, Stéphane Grappelli, Lee Konitz, Dizzy Gillespie, Tullio De Piscopo, Pino Presti, Jean-Luc Ponty.


title: Eddie Condon

paragraphs: Albert Edwin "Eddie" Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was a Chicago jazz/big band rhythm guitarist.


title: Al Di Meola

paragraphs: Al Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is a Jazz fusion guitarist. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.


title: White House

paragraphs: The White House is the home and main workplace of the President of the United States. The house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban. It is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C..

paragraphs: The building was built between 1792 and 1800 out of white-painted sandstone from Aquia Creek in Virginia. It was designed in the Neoclassical style. It has been the home of every U.S. President since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the house in 1801, he (with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe) expanded the building outward. They made two colonnades that were meant to hide stables and storage. It was originally called the Executive Mansion before being renamed the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt.

paragraphs: In 1814, during the War of 1812, the mansion was set on fire by the British Army in the Burning of Washington. The fire destroyed the inside of the house and charred much of the outside. Reconstruction began almost immediately. President James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed house in October 1817. Construction continued with the addition of the South Portico in 1824 and the North in 1829.

paragraphs: Because of crowding within the executive mansion itself, President Theodore Roosevelt had all work offices moved to the newly constructed West Wing in 1901. Eight years later, President William Howard Taft expanded the West Wing and created the first Oval Office. This was eventually moved as the section was expanded. The third-floor attic was changed into living quarters in 1927. A newly built East Wing was used as a reception area for social events. Jefferson's colonnades connected the new wings. East Wing changes were completed in 1946. These changes made more office space. By 1948, the house's load-bearing exterior walls and internal wood beams were found to be close to failure. Under Harry S. Truman, the interior rooms were completely taken apart and a new internal load-bearing steel frame was built inside the walls. Once this work was done, the interior rooms were rebuilt.

paragraphs: Today, the White House Complex includes the Executive Residence, West Wing, East Wing, Blair House, and the Old Executive Office Building, a separate building west of the West Wing, which houses the executive offices of the President and Vice President.

paragraphs: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at the White House in October 2020. During the outbreak, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were diagnosed with the infection.

paragraphs: The White House is made up of six stories— the two story basement, The Ground Floor, The State Floor, The Second Floor and The Third Floor.The term "White House" is regularly used as a metonym for the Executive Office of the President of the United States and for the president's administration and advisers in general. The property is owned by the National Park Service and is part of the President's Park. In 2007, it was ranked second on the American Institute of Architects list of "America's Favorite Architecture."


title: George Carlin

paragraphs: George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American Stand-up comedian, writer, social critic, actor, author, comedian, amateur, philosopher and satirist.

paragraphs: Carlin was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City. He was known for his "seven dirty words" routine. The routine was about seven words people should not say in the media. (The list was ironically used by many radio stations, as a guide to what kind of language was not allowed.) Comedy Central called Carlin one of the greatest stand-up comedians.

paragraphs: Carlin acted in movies including "Jersey Girl", "Dogma", "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (and its sequel), "Scary Movie 3", and Disney's "Tarzan 2". He also narrated the children's television series "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" from 1984 to 1995 (Actor Alec Baldwin later took over the role in 1998), and Portrayed Mr. Conductor on "Shining Time Station".

paragraphs: Carlin had a history of heart problems. He had several heart attacks. He died of heart failure in Santa Monica, California at age 71.

paragraphs: Carlin married Brenda Hosbrook on June 3, 1961, together they have a daughter named Kelly. They remained married until her death in 1997, just a few day's before Carlin's 60th birthday. Carlin then married Sally Wade on June 24, 1998, the married lasted until Carlin's death in 2008.


title: Portuguese language

paragraphs: Portuguese () is a Romance language. It came from Galician-Portuguese, which was first spoken in Northwestern Iberia. It then spread south and split. During the colonial era, Portuguese was also spread to Brazil and other parts of the world.

paragraphs: The Portuguese language is the third-most spoken western language (after English and Spanish). There are about 240 million native speakers, including the people of Portugal, Brazil, and Cape Verde ("Cabo Verde"). It is also the official language of Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique ("Moçambique"), and São Tomé and Príncipe ("São Tomé e Príncipe"), which have Portuguese as the "lingua franca," but native languages are also spoken. It is also an official language in East Timor and Macau.

paragraphs: Also, some enclaves in Asia, such as Goa and Daman and Diu, in India; Flores, Indonesia; and Malacca, Malaysia, have Portuguese-speakers, and it is a minority language in Venezuela, Canada, Uruguay, Namibia, and the United States.

paragraphs: Portuguese and English have words that mean the same and are similar as well. The words came from the same languages (usually Latin, Greek or French).

paragraphs: Some English words come from Portuguese, such as tank ("tanque"), cacao ("cacau"), marmalade (marmelada from "marmelo" "quince"), caramel, molasses, mosquito, cobra, breeze (brisa), albino, coconut, zebra, pagoda, Mandarin, buccaneer, fetish, tapioca and commando.

paragraphs: The Portuguese word "parentes" is similar to the English word "parents", but it means "relatives", and the Portuguese word to mean "parents" is "pais".

paragraphs: Portuguese is the official language of all countries of the CPLP ("Comunidade dos países de língua portuguesa", "Community of Portuguese Language Countries"). The Portuguese-speaking countries have more than 240 million people across the world.

paragraphs: The CPLP was formed in 1996 with seven countries: Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe. East Timor joined in 2002.

paragraphs: The CPLP nations speak Portuguese with different accents. In some regions of Brazil (the country has 81% of the world's Portuguese-speakers), "tu"'("you" but used only to family and close friends) is not used as much as in Portugal. Also, regional slang can be found in different areas. The Portuguese Orthographic Agreement of 1990 (Acordo Ortográfico de 1990) tries to get rid of some of the differences in spelling.