In which building is London’s Whispering Gallery?

Whispering Gallery, St Paul`s Cathedral « Sound Tourism Whispering Gallery, St Paul`s Cathedral (7 Votes, average 3.86) Loading... St Paul’s Cathedral is an iconic building in the centre of London. High up in the central dome is a Whispering Gallery, which I remember visiting as a child. Climb 259 steps inside the dome, stand on one side of the circular gallery and talk very quietly and your speech can be heard quite clearly on the other side some 30m away. St Paul’s is a circular whispering gallery. In this case, sound hugs the walls, allowing it to move from one side of the room to another without getting a lot quieter – the diagram shows some of the paths that the whispers take around the perimeter of the gallery. Sound paths in a circular whispering gallery Location and Logistics St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD.  Admission information . It’s worth arriving early in the morning and going straight to the Dome, because once the space gets busy it’s hard to pick out the whispering gallery effect amongst the hubbub.


In mathematics, what is 3.14159 better known as?

History of Mathematics Rutgers, Spring 2000 Throughout the history of mathematics, one of the most enduring challenges has been the calculation of the ratio between a circle's circumference and diameter, which has come to be known by the Greek letter pi. From ancient Babylonia to the Middle Ages in Europe to the present day of supercomputers, mathematicians have been striving to calculate the mysterious number. They have searched for exact fractions, formulas, and, more recently, patterns in the long string of numbers starting with 3.14159 2653..., which is generally shortened to 3.14. William L. Schaaf once said, "Probably no symbol in mathematics has evoked as much mystery, romanticism, misconception and human interest as the number pi" (Blatner, 1). We will probably never know who first discovered that the ratio between a circle's circumference and diameter is constant, nor will we ever know who first tried to calculate this ratio. The people who initiated the hunt for pi were the Babylonians and Egyptians, nearly 4000 years ago. It is not clear how they found their approximation for pi, but one source (Beckman) makes the claim that they simply made a big circle, and then measured the circumference and diameter with a piece of rope. They used this method to find that pi was slightly greater than 3, and came up with the value 3 1/8 or 3.125 (Beckmann, 11). However, this theory is probably a fantasy based on a misinterpretation of the Greek word "Harpedonaptae," which Democritus once mentioned in a letter to a colleague. The word literally means "rope-stretchers" or "rope-fasteners." The misinterpretation is that these men were stretching ropes in order to calculate circles, while they were actually making measurements in order to mark the property limits and areas for temples, according to (Heath, 121). A famous Egyptian piece of papyrus gives us another ancient estimation for pi. Dated around 1650 BC, the Rhind Papyrus was written by a scribe named Ahmes. Ahmes wrote, "Cut off 1/9 of a diameter and construct a square upon the remainder; this has the same area as the circle" (Blatner, 8). In other words, he implied that pi = 4(8/9)2 = 3.16049, which is also fairly accurate. Word of this did not spread to the East, however, as the Chinese used the inaccurate value pi = 3 hundreds of years later. Chronologically, the next approximation of pi is found in the Old Testament. A fairly well known verse, 1 Kings 7:23, says: "Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about" (Blatner, 13). This implies that pi = 3. Debates have raged on for centuries about this verse. According to some it was just a simple approximation, while others say that "... the diameter perhaps was measured from outside, while the circumference was measured from inside" (Tsaban, 76). However, most mathematicians and scientists neglect a far more accurate approximation for pi that lies deep within the mathematical "code" of the Hebrew language. In Hebrew, each letter equals a certain number, and a word's "value" is equal to the sum of its letters. Interestingly enough, in 1 Kings 7:23, the word "line" is written Kuf Vov Heh, but the Heh does not need to be there, and is not pronounced. With the extra letter , the word has a value of 111, but without it, the value is 106. (Kuf=100, Vov=6, Heh=5). The ratio of pi to 3 is very close to the ratio of 111 to 106. In other words, pi/3 = 111/106 approximately; solving for pi, we find pi = 3.1415094... (Tsaban, 78). This figure is far more accurate than any other value that had been calculated up to that point, and would hold the record for the greatest number of correct digits for several hundred years afterwards. Unfortunately, this little mathematical gem is practically a secret, as compared to the better known pi = 3 approximation. When the Greeks took up the problem, they took two revolutionary steps to find pi. Antiphon and Bryson of Heraclea came up with the in


Which is the only planet in out solar system not named after a god?

Mythology of the Planets - Universe Today   Universe Today by Abby Cessna [/caption] Thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations turned to the heavens, marveling at their wonders. These ancient people worshipped various gods and often linked their gods with planets in the sky, which they considered to be “wandering stars.” Mercury gets its name from the winged messenger of the gods. He was also the god of thievery, commerce, and travel. Most likely, the planet got its name from the rate at which it spins. Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty, so it is a fitting name for this brightly shining planet. The only objects in our Solar System brighter than Venus are the Sun and the Moon. Ancient civilizations thought that Venus was two different objects – the Morning Star and the Evening Star. Other civilizations have also associated the planet with love. The Babylonians called the planet Ishtar after their goddess of womanhood and love. Earth is the only planet not named after a Roman god or goddess, but it is associated with the goddess Terra Mater (Gaea to the Greeks). In mythology, she was the first goddess on Earth and the mother of Uranus. The name Earth comes from Old English and Germanic. It is derived from “eor(th)e” and “ertha,” which mean “ground.” Other civilizations all over the world also developed terms for our planet. Mars is named after the Roman god of war. The planet got its name from the fact that it is the color of blood.  Other civilizations also named the planets for its red color. Jupiter was the Roman king of the gods. Considering that Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System, it makes sense that the planet was named after the most important god. Saturn was named after the Roman god of agriculture and harvest. While the planet may have gotten its name from its golden color, like a field of wheat, it also had to do with its position in the sky. According to mythology, the god Saturn stole the position of king of the gods from his father Uranus. The throne was then stolen by Jupiter. Uranus was not discovered until the 1800’s, but the astronomers in that time period continued the tradition of naming planets after Roman gods. In mythology, Uranus was the father of Saturn and was at one time the king of the gods. While Neptune almost ended up being named after one of the astronomers credited with discovering it – Verrier – that was greatly disputed, so it was named after the god of the sea. The name was probably inspired by its blue color. Pluto is no longer a planet, but it used to be. The dark, cold, former planet was named after the god of the underworld. The first two letters of Pluto are also the initials of the man who predicted  its existence, Percival Lowell. Universe Today has articles on names of the planets and all the planets . For more information on the planets check out all about the planets and mythology of the planets. Astronomy Cast has episodes on all the planets including Saturn .


Which is the softest mineral on the Mohs Scale?

Mohs Scale of Hardness   MOHS' SCALE OF HARDNESS      The Mohs' hardness scale was developed in 1822 by Frederich Mohs. This scale is a chart of relative hardness of the various minerals (1 - softest to 10 - hardest). Since hardness depends upon the crystallographic direction (ultimately on the strength of the bonds between atoms in a crystal), there can be variations in hardness depending upon the direction in which one measures this property. One of the most striking examples of this is kyanite, which has a hardness of 5.5 parallel to the 1 direction ( c-axis), while it has a hardness of 7.0 parallel to the 100 direction ( a-axis). Talc (1), the softest mineral on the Mohs scale has a hardness greater than gypsum (2) in the direction that is perpendicular to the cleavage. Diamonds (10) also show a variation in hardness (the octahedral faces are harder than the cube faces). For further information see articles from the American Mineralogist on microhardness , the Knoop tester , and diamonds .       Mohs' hardness is a measure of the relative hardness and resistance to scratching between minerals. Other hardness scales rely on the ability to create an indentation into the tested mineral (such as the Rockwell, Vickers, and Brinell hardness - these are used mainly to determine  hardness in metals and metal alloys). The scratch hardness is related to the breaking of the chemical bonds in the material, creation of microfractures on the surface, or displacing atoms (in metals) of the mineral. Generally, minerals with covalent bonds are the hardest while minerals with ionic, metallic, or van der Waals bonding are much softer.    When doing the tests of the minerals it is necessary to determine which mineral was scratched. The powder can be rubbed or blown off and surface scratches can usually be felt by running the fingernail over the surface. One can also get a relative feel for the hardness difference between two minerals. For instance quartz will be able to scratch calcite with much greater ease than you can scratch calcite with fluorite. One must also use enough force to create the scratch (if you don't use enough force even diamond will not be able to scratch quartz - this is an area where practice is important). You also have to be careful to test the material that you think you are testing and not some small inclusion in the sample. This is where using a small hand lens can be very useful to determine if the test area is homogenous.   Rope's Gold Mine, Michigan (green) 4 cm. across talc mass   Why is hardness important?     The effects of high hardness are important in many fields. Abrasives are used to form and polish many substances. Diamonds are an important mineral component in cutting tools for the manufacturing of metals and other substances, forming dies for the drawing of wires, and for cutting cores in oil wells and mineral exploration. Emery - a variety of corundum, is used in many abrasive products that do not require the hardness (or expense) of diamond tools. Garnets were used as an abrasive in sandpaper. Talc is an extremely soft mineral that has been used in bath powders (talcum powder).     Mineral harness is also important in sedimentary rocks. Harder minerals tend to be able to travel longer distances down river systems. Quartz can often undergo several cycles of erosion, transportation and lithification ( change of sediments to rock). Zircons are persistent minerals in the environment and can often tell geologists the types of rock that were the original source rock for metamorphic or sedimentary rocks.     Mineral hardness can also be seen in the topography of many landscapes. Quartz bearing rocks are often more resistant to weathering and will produce the capstones that protect the tops of buttes and mesas from erosion.


What is the largest ocean basin on Earth? Home Ocean Facts What is the largest ocean basin on Earth? What is the largest ocean basin on Earth? The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the world ocean basins. The ' Ring of Fire ' is defined by a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, island arcs, and volcanic mountain ranges and/or boundaries of several plates. It encircles the periphery of the Pacific Ocean Basin. (image courtesy of COMET® program) Covering approximately 59 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world’s ocean basins. All of the world’s continents could fit into the Pacific basin. The Pacific is the oldest of the existing ocean basins. Its oldest rocks have been dated at about 200 million years. The Pacific basin is referred to as the “Ring of Fire” due to intense earthquake and volcanic activity occurring near areas of tectonic plate subduction (where one tectonic plate is forced under another). The Atlantic basin is the second largest basin, followed by the Indian Ocean basin, the Southern Ocean, and finally the Arctic Ocean basin. Search Our Facts


Which is the longest river in the world?

What is the longest river in the world? - Ask History Ask History July 9, 2014 By Nate Barksdale Share this: What is the longest river in the world? Author What is the longest river in the world? URL Google The longest river in the world, measured from its mouth to its most distant, year-round source, is likely the Amazon, which flows 4,345 miles from the Peruvian Andes through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. However, much depends on how you measure it. Until 2007, the title belonged to the Nile, which runs 4,258 miles from the mountains of Burundi to its famed and fertile delta fan, where Egypt meets the Mediterranean Sea. The two lengths are close enough that measuring techniques and philosophies can be quite controversial. In fact, the geographers who crowned the Amazon champion were funded in part by the Brazilian government. The Ancient Egyptians were familiar with the Nile as far upstream as today’s Khartoum, Sudan, some 1,700 miles from the river’s mouth. In A.D. 150 Ptolemy, the famed Greek geographer living in Roman Egypt, wrote that the river originated in the “Mountains of the Moon” deep in the African interior. In 1862 English explorer John Hanning Speke journeyed from Africa’s east coast to find what he considered to be the source, where the river exits Lake Victoria in present-day Uganda. Geographers did not explore the Amazon’s most distant sources until the mid-20th century, and it was only with the advent of GPS technologies that ever-more accurate estimates, like the 2007 survey, were made possible. Great rivers change course over the seasons and the years, making it difficult to determine which measurement comprises its accurate length. As the crow flies, it is about 2,400 miles from the Nile’s source to its outlet (the meandering Amazon covers a mere 1,100 miles of straight-line distance). Tags


Fur and Skin | Polar Bears International Polar bears are built for cold and beautifully adapted to an arctic environment. Details... © Dick and Val Beck Fur. Polar bears' fur consists of a dense, insulating underfur topped by guard hairs of various lengths. It is not actually white—it just looks that way. Each hair shaft is pigment-free and transparent with a hollow core that scatters and reflects visible light, much like what happens with ice and snow. Polar bears look whitest when they are clean and in high angle sunlight, especially just after the molt period, which usually begins in spring and is complete by late summer. Before molting, accumulated oils in their fur from the seals they eat can make them look yellow. Skin. Polar bears have black skin under which there is a layer of fat that can measure up to 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) thick. On land (or on top of the sea ice) the polar bear's thick fur coat—not its fat—prevents nearly any heat loss. In fact, adult males can quickly overheat when they run. In the water, polar bears rely more on their fat layer to keep warm: wet fur is a poor insulator. This is why mother bears are so reluctant to swim with young cubs in the spring: the cubs just don't have enough fat.


The bark of which tree was the original source of making aspirin?

From a tree, a 'miracle' called aspirin - CNN.com From a tree, a 'miracle' called aspirin By Elizabeth Landau, CNN Hippocrates wrote that willow tree bark and leaves would reduce fevers and pain Aspirin's uses for heart patients came to light in 1948 Complications of aspirin include gastrointestinal bleeding RELATED TOPICS Health and Fitness (CNN) -- If you take aspirin, you've got a pain reliever, heart attack preventer and possible cancer preventer rolled into one tablet. You might think that whoever invented aspirin is a genius, but the truth is humans have been using its natural equivalent for thousands of years. "Aspirin is one of those things that, long before there were ever clinical trials or any kind of scientific knowledge, people figured out, 'Hey, I feel better when I take this substance,' " said Dr. Karol Watson, assistant professor of cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. The drug has been making headlines because a study in the Lancet recently found that a daily aspirin appeared to lower the risk of cancer by at least 20% during a 20-year period. That's based on data from more than 25,000 patients and builds on earlier findings that aspirin may lower the risk of colorectal cancer. The research has limitations and is not definitive proof, but it does add another benefit to an ancient remedy that has been called a miracle drug. "There are no countries in which it is unknown, unappreciated, or unavailable," the late medical writer Berton Roueché wrote in 1955, in an article later published in the anthology "The Medical Detectives." History of aspirin The word "aspirin" wasn't a coincidence. It comes from Spiraea, a biological genus of shrubs that includes natural sources of the drug's key ingredient: salicylic acid. This acid, resembling what's in modern-day aspirin, can be found in jasmine, beans, peas, clover and certain grasses and trees. The ancient Egyptians used willow bark as a remedy for aches and pains, said Diarmuid Jeffreys, author of "Aspirin: The Remarkable Story of a Wonder Drug." They didn't know that what was reducing body temperature and inflammation was the salicylic acid. Hippocrates, the Greek physician who lived from about 460 to 377 B.C., wrote that willow leaves and bark relieved pain and fevers. It wasn't until thousands of years later that people began to isolate the key ingredients of aspirin. An 18th-century clergyman, Edward Stone, rediscovered aspirin, in effect, when he wrote a report about how a preparation of powdered willow bark seemed to benefit 50 patients with ague and other maladies, Roueché wrote. In the 1800s, researchers across Europe explored salicylic acid. French pharmacist Henri Leroux isolated it in 1829, Roueché writes. Hermann Kolbe discovered synthetic salicylic acid in 1874, but when administered often in large doses, patients experienced nausea and vomiting, and some even went into a coma. A buffer was needed to ease the effects of this acid on the stomach. The aspirin we know came into being in the late 1890s in the form of acetylsalicylic acid when chemist Felix Hoffmann at Bayer in Germany used it to alleviate his father's rheumatism, a timeline from Bayer says. Beginning in 1899, Bayer distributed a powder with this ingredient to physicians to give to patients. The drug became a hit and, in 1915, it was sold as over-the-counter tablets. One patient who should not have been taking aspirin was young Alexei Nicholaevich Romanov of Russia, who had hemophilia. Aspirin would make the bleeding in this disorder worse, but the imperial doctors likely gave the boy this new wonder drug without knowing, Jeffreys said. Alexei, son of the last czar, probably improved because the mystic Grigori Rasputin told the boy's mother to stop modern treatments and instead rely on spiritual healing. Rasputin's influence on the Romanov family may have contributed to the uprising against them, making aspirin a possible player in their murder and in the end of czarist Russia. Aspirin's uses for heart patients came to light in 1


Which desert in Chile is the driest in the world?

Driest Desert | Atacama Desert, Chile Driest Place: Atacama Desert, Chile Even the Driest Place on Earth has Water These incredibly   dry mountains see an average of less than .004 inches/.01cm of   rain per year. Many times this area will go without rainfall at   all for years. Some places in the Atacama Desert have not   had rainfall for over 400 years. The   Atacama desert is found along the coast of Chile, South America -   right next to the Pacific Ocean - the biggest body of water   in the world. Much of the desert extends up into the Andes mountains   and is very high in elevation. Unlike more familiar deserts, like   the Sahara desert in Africa and the Mojave in California, the Atacama   is actually a pretty cold place, with average daily temperatures ranging   between 0°C and 25°C. The annual rainfall (or lack of it)   defines a desert, but that doesn't mean that it never rains in Atacama.   Every so often a warming effect over the Pacific Ocean around the   equator changes the weather the world over and even places like the   driest desert in the world can become doused with drenching storms.   Even though Atacama gets almost no rainfall, there is water in this   arid place and you'll find it in the following places: Salt Lakes During years   of heavy rainfall in the distant past, enough water accumulated in   basins found throughout the Andes to create lakes. Some of the lakes   got their water from melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age.   But in some lakes in the Andes mountains, such as Atacama, more water   is lost through evaporation than is replaced by rainfall so the lakes   are drying up. As the water evaporates, the mineral salts in the water   become more concentrated, creating very salty water. Snow In the higher     elevations when precipitation comes to Atacama snow falls instead     of rain. There are small patches of unmelted snow in the mountain     tops where in never gets warm enough to melt the snow. Underground Anywhere you   go in the world, regardless of how much or little it rains, there   is always water underground. After it rains, some of the rainwater   evaporates back into the air, but much of it trickles down into the   ground and stays there - even in the desert. How much water and where   depends on a number of things; soil composition, air and soil surface   temperature, amount and frequency of rainfall/precipitation, and drainage.   Since the Andes is a volcanically active mountain range, the magma   beneath the ground will heat the groundwater in certain places causing   geysers to erupt. Fog and Dew This mummy of a girl is from the Atacama Desert. Her remains are      estimated to be about 800 years old. Find out more about mummies. Most of the precipitation that comes to the   Atacama is in the form of fog that blows in the from the Pacific.   Fog is essentially very low clouds, consisting of water vapor cooling   and beginning to condense. If you've ever been in fog you know that   it can leave you a little moist. When the air temperature reaches   dew point the water vapor in the air condenses to leave little droplets   of water behind. The few things that are able to survive in the Atacama live on the combined moisture from fog and dew. Does Anything Live There? Many people     have the view that deserts are places forsaken by Mother Nature and     that no living thing would possibly want to set up camp in a place so     dry. Although it is tough to find anything living in the Atacama there     are isolated pockets and small patches of plants, which support life     for animals and insects. Some plant species have adapted well to this     dry environment by developing tap roots that run very deep into the     ground gathering water from below. There are flocks of flamingos that     live in and around the salt lakes feeding on red algae that grows     in the waters. There are even people livi


What are the formations of calcium carbonate which hang down from the roof of a cave?

Cave formations are produced when calcium carbonate saturated - GLG - 101 View Full                             Document These long, slender stalactites are called “soda straws”. They are hollow and can be 20 or more feet long. Kartchner Caverns in southern Arizona has excellent examples of these formations. (*) This is called cave drapery. The individual segments resemble bacon and is called “cave bacon”. (*) And if you are really hungry… eggs. This is another bacon formation. If you are hungry enough it probably does look like bacon. (*) The “egg” is the beginning of a stalagmite. (*) This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. View Full                             Document Sinkholes and Karst Topography Sinkholes and Karst Topography MONTEZUMA’S WELL NEAR CAMP VERDE, ARIZONA MONTEZUMA’S WELL NEAR CAMP VERDE, ARIZONA Limestone is easily dissolved by acidic groundwater. Extensive caverns like Carlsbad or Mammoth Cave in Kentucky are obvious examples. Sinkholes are also created by limestone solution. (*) Sinkholes and Karst Topography Sinkholes and Karst Topography These are both examples of sinkholes in Arizona. The image above is along the Little Colorado River (entrenched meanders). The one on the right is Montezuma’s Well. Both are the result of limestone solution to produce a cavern, and then the roof of the cavern collapsing to produce the sinkhole. (*) This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. View Full                             Document Sinkholes and Karst Sinkholes and Karst Topography Topography Perhaps the most famous sinkhole in recent U.S. history is the one formed in May 1981, in Winter Park, Florida near Orlando. The sinkhole is roughly circular but elongated, (approximately 300 feet by 300 feet in size). It swallowed one house and shed, half of the municipal swimming pool, a Porsche sports car, several large oak trees, a section of the crossing street and adjoining street and an estimated 4 million cubic feet of soil. The sinkhole also damaged three other Porsche sports cars and a pick- up camper that slid into the crater. (*) http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=6 Disappearing Lake These are a couple of interesting sinkhole links. Sinkholes and Karst Topography Sinkholes and Karst Topography Figure 17.27 Acidic groundwater dissolves limestone easily. This produces caverns. As the caverns grow in size the roof becomes unstable and collapse to produce a sinkhole. As sinkholes grow in size and number a pockmarked landscape develops called Karst Topography. (*) This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version. View Full                             Document Sinkholes and Karst Topography Sinkholes and Karst Topography Water Table Unsaturated Zone Zone of Saturation The formation of a sinkhole begins at the water table. Water Soluble Rock Groundwater containing carbonic acid begins to dissolve the soluble rock – which in most cases is limestone. (*) Sinkholes and Karst Topography Sinkholes and Karst Topography Water Table Unsaturated Zone Zone of Saturation With fluctuations of the water table over time the cavities become larger. (*) This preview has intentionally blurred sections. Sign up to view the full version.


What is the green pigment called which is found in nearly all plants?

Pigments for Photosynthesis Pigments for Photosynthesis Photosynthesis in plants is dependent upon capturing light energy in the pigment chlorophyll , and in particular chlorophyll a. This chlorophyll resides mostly in the chloroplasts and gives leaves their green color. The range of light absorption in leaves is extended by some accessory pigments such as the carotenoids , but does not cover the entire visible range - that would make the leaves black! Some plants and plantlike organisms have developed other pigments to compensate for low light or poor use of light. Cyanobacteria and red algae have phycocyanin and allophycocyanin as accessory pigments to absorbe orange light. They also have a red pigment called phycoerythrin that absorbs green light and extends the range of photosynthesis. The red pigment lycopene is found in vegetables. Some red algae are in fact nearly black, so that increases their photosynthetic efficiency. Brown algae have the pigment fucoxanthin in addition to chlorophyll to widen their absorption range. These red and brown algae grow to depths around 270 meters where the light is less than 1% of surface light. But the most advanced plants are the land plants, which have the least advanced system for gathering light! Take a microscopic view. Chlorophylla-a is the primary pigment for photosynthesis in plants. Its structure is shown at left. It has the composition C55H72O5N4Mg. It exhibits a grass-green visual color and absorption peaks at 430nm and 662nm. It occurs in all photosynthetic organisms except photosynthetic bacteria. Chlorophyll-b has the composition C55H70O6N4Mg, the difference from chlorophyll-a being the replacement of a methyl group with a CHO. It exhibits a blue-green visual color and absorption peaks at 453nm and 642nm. It occurs in all plants, green algae and some prokaryotes. There is usually about half as much chlorophyll-b as the -a variety in plants.


Why Are Snowflakes Always Six-Sided? - DoubleXScience Why Are Snowflakes Always Six-Sided? Posted on by Matthew R Francis (Today’s offering is a guest post by engineer Linda Gaines .) It’s a well-known fact that all snowflakes have six sides. Or at least I thought it was. Why Google is unable to Google that fact and has on at least two occasions created a Doodle with an eight-sided snowflake is a mystery. What’s less mysterious is how scientists can be so sure that all snowflakes have six sides. Have we examined all snowflakes? No, of course not, but the explanation lies in two words: hydrogen bonding. Thanks to the intermolecular force of hydrogen bonding, all snowflakes have six sides, and hydrogen bonding also makes life as we know it possible. Now that’s an important bond. You can’t really understand hydrogen bonding, though, without understanding why water molecules are arranged like they are. Water seems like a simple enough molecule. It consists of one oxygen atom with two hydrogen atoms bonded to it. The hydrogen atoms bond to the oxygen atom at a distance of exactly 104.5 degrees from each other (1). Why that particular angle? An oxygen atom has a total of eight electrons. Two of them take up all the available spots in the shell closest to the atom’s nucleus. The remaining six electrons are relegated to the atom’s outermost (or valence) electronic shell. But this shell can actually hold eight electrons, so two spots are open. A hydrogen atom has one electron on its only electronic shell, and since that shell holds two electrons, it’s got room for one more. Because oxygen has two available spaces and hydrogen has one, oxygen can share that space with two hydrogen atoms. Both hydrogen atoms share their single electron with the oxygen, and the oxygen shares an electrons with each of the hydrogen atoms. The remaining four of the oxygen’s electrons aren’t a part of this sharing arrangement, though. Electrons kick around in pairs, so these four non-sharing electrons form two pairs. With these two pairs sitting alone and the other two electrons each sharing with a hydrogen, a water molecule has a tetrahedron (or three-sided pyramid) shape with four attachments emerging from the oxygen nucleus. Two of those attachments are electron clouds containing two electrons each (the pairs), and the other two attachments are hydrogen atoms with two electrons moving between the oxygen and hydrogen orbits. In a true tetrahedron, the attachments would all be 109.5 degrees from each other. With the water molecule, though, the hydrogen atoms are 104.5 degrees from each other because the two paired-electron clouds are grabby with space and force the electrons shared with the hydrogen atoms a little closer together. So we’ve learned that the hydrogen and oxygen form a covalent bond, which means they share their electrons. What I haven’t told you is that the oxygen is very grabby with that electron, so the sharing isn’t exactly equal. The oxygen has a stronger hold on the electron and is pulling that negative charge closer to it and away from the hydrogens. What results is a slightly negative oxygen and slightly positive hydrogens. The oxygen actually has two areas of negativity, right across from where it’s bonded with each hydrogen. Water molecules can use these areas of slight charge to form a fairly strong bond with other molecules, a bond called a hydrogen bond . While not every molecule containing hydrogen can form this kind of bond with other molecules, molecules in which hydrogen is in this unequal sharing situation will be able to. In the case of water molecules bonding to other water molecules, the two slightly negative areas of the oxygen can each bond with a slightly positive hydrogen from another water molecule. When all four slightly charged areas have each bonded with another water molecule via hydrogen bonding, the result is a tetrahedral (four-sided pyramid) shape. These bonds make water an unusual substance. When the temperature drops and water starts to solidify, the hydrogen bonding becomes very important. The hydrogen


Nephology - definition of nephology by The Free Dictionary Nephology - definition of nephology by The Free Dictionary http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nephology Also found in: Thesaurus , Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Related to nephology: nomology The branch of meteorology that deals with clouds. [Greek nephos, cloud; see nebh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -logy .] neph′o·log′i·cal (nĕf′ə-lŏj′ĭ-kəl) adj. nephology (Physical Geography) the study of clouds nephological, nephologic adj nephology - the branch of meteorology that studies clouds and cloud formation meteorology - the earth science dealing with phenomena of the atmosphere (especially weather) Translations Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: weather References in periodicals archive ? President PKLI said Shahbaz Sharif made possible the construction of a non-profit,charity institute which will serve as center of excellence in Urology, Nephology, Hepatology and Transplantation-Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research center (Trust). Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.


Which English scientist first described the colours of the rainbow as ‘numbering seven’?

The World's First Physicist | Maslaha The World's First Physicist Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 15:25 in English None Isaac Newton, as everyone knows, is the greatest physicist of all time. At the very least, he is the undisputed father of modern optics - or so we are told at school, where our textbooks abound with his famous experiments with lenses and prisms, his study of the nature of light and its reflection, and the refraction and decomposition of light into the colours of the rainbow. Yet the truth is rather greyer; and I feel it important to point out that, certainly in the field of optics, Newton himself stood on the shoulders of a giant who lived seven hundred years earlier. For, without doubt, another great physicist, who is worthy of ranking up alongside Newton, is an Iraqi scientist born in 965 AD who went by the name of al-Hassan ibn al-Haytham. Most people in the West will never have even heard of him. As a physicist myself, I am quite in awe of this man's contribution to my field. As a science communicator and broadcaster I am also fortunate enough to have recently been given the opportunity to dig a little into his life and work. Although half my time is spent working as an academic within the Department of Physics at the University of Surrey, I am also honoured to hold the first Surrey chair in the public engagement in science. It is with this hat on that I have embarked on presenting a three-part BBC series on medieval Islamic scientists. Popular accounts of the history of science typically show a timeline in which no major scientific advances seem to have taken place during the period between the ancient Greeks and the European Renaissance. In between, so we are told, Western Europe and, by extrapolation, the rest of the world, languished in the Dark Ages for a thousand years. The story of this astonishing era remains largely untold outside academic circles despite being one in which Arabic scientific knowledge first built upon, and then far surpassed, that of the ancient Greeks. Advances were made in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, physics, chemistry, philosophy and just about every other scientific discipline. Among the many geniuses of that period - between the eighth and twelfth centuries - Ibn al-Haytham stands taller than all the others. Ibn al-Haytham is regarded as the father of the modern scientific method. As commonly defined, this is the approach to investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge, based on the gathering of data through observation and measurement, followed by the formulation and testing of hypotheses to explain the data. This is how we do science today and is why I put my trust in the advances that have been made in science. But it is often still claimed that the modern scientific method was not established until the early seventeenth century by Francis Bacon and René Descartes. However, there is no doubt in my mind that Ibn al-Haytham arrived there first. With his emphasis on experimental data and reproducibility of results, as exemplified his famous Book of Optics, Ibn al-Haytham made this insistence upon the primacy of the scientific method a central theme of his life's work. Indeed, his seven-volume classic ranks alongside Newton's Principia Mathematica in terms of importance in science, the consequence being that he is often referred to as the world's first true scientist. He was the first scientist to give a correct account of how we see objects. He proved experimentally, for instance, that Aristotle's intromission theory of vision (which holds that light from an object enters our eyes) was correct, and that Plato, Euclid and Ptolemy's emission theory (which stated that light from our eyes shines upon the objects we see) was wrong. What he also did that no other scientist had tried before was to use mathematics (geometry) to describe and prove this process. So he can be regarded as the very first theoretical physicist! He is perhaps best known for his invention of the pinhole camera and should be credited w


Rafflesia Arnoldii, the world’s largest flower, is better known by what name?

What is the largest flower in the world? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress)     What is the largest flower in the world?          The        Rafflesia arnoldii. The flower with the world's largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii.        This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can        grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds! It is a parasitic        plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself        to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. When in bloom, the        Rafflesia emits a repulsive odor, similar to that of rotting meat.        This odor attracts insects that pollinate the plant. Another enormous      flower found in Indonesia is the Amorphophallus titanum, or Titan arum.      It is also known as the "corpse flower" for its unpleasant      odor. Like the Rafflesia, the Titan emits the smell of rotting flesh      to attract pollinators. Technically, the Titan arum is not a single      flower. It is a cluster of many tiny flowers, called an inflorescence.      The Titan arum has the largest unbranched inflorescence of all flowering      plants. The plant can reach heights of 7 to 12 feet and weigh as much      as 170 pounds! Related          Web Sites Virtual Herbarium: Conserving the Giant Titans -           This site provides the history, statistics, and frequently asked questions about the Titan Arum, as well as, documented blooms of the Titan Arum in the United States. Kew Royal Botanic Gardens: Amorphophallus titanum - The Kew provides Amorphophallus titanum species information, description, cultivation and helpful informational links Kew Royal Botanic Gardens: Rafflesia arnoldii - The Kew provides Rafflesia arnoldii species, geographic distribution, discover information and helpful web links. Rafflesia      arnoldii - This page contains photographs of the Rafflesia arnoldii. Further          Reading Attenborough, David. The       private life of plants: A natural history of plant behaviour.       Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1995. 320 p. Emboden, Willliam A. Bizarre       plants: magical, monstrous, mythical. London, Studio Vista, 1974.       214 p. Nais, Jamili. Rafflesia of the world. Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Parks, 2001. 243 p Ross, Edward S. Rafflesia: the superflower. California             Wild, v. 56, Summer, 2003 p. 8-11. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/calwild/2003summer/stories/rafflesia.html l For        more print resources... Search on "Botany," "botany Indonesia," "plants Indonesia," or "tropical plants" in the Library of Congress Online        Catalog . The Rafflesia arnoldii is the world's largest flower. Photograph        by Harry Wiriadinata and Suwito Alam from article in Voice        of Nature, v. 84, August 1990, p. 14.


The largest individual tree in the world, a Giant Redwood, is known by what name?

Giant Sequoias and Redwoods: The Largest and Tallest Trees Giant Sequoias and Redwoods: The Largest and Tallest Trees By Jessie Szalay, LiveScience Contributor | September 5, 2013 09:03pm ET MORE Credit: Felix Lipov | Shutterstock Giant sequoias and California redwoods (also called coast redwoods) are nature’s skyscrapers. These enormous trees exist primarily in Northern California, and though they have a number of common characteristics, including distinctive cinnamon-red bark, they are different species. One giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ), known as General Sherman, is the world's largest tree, while a redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens ) called Hyperion is the tallest. Giant sequoias Giant sequoias can grow to be about 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and more than 250 feet (76 meters) tall. The biggest of these behemoths is General Sherman , a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park . General Sherman stands 275 feet (84 meters) tall, has a 102-foot (31 meters) circumference, and weighs an incredible 2.7 million pounds (1.2 million kilograms). Giant sequoias can live to 3,000 years, with the oldest on record living more than 3,500 years. Mature sequoias lack branches on the lower half of their trunks. Sequoia trunks taper as they rise, forming a rounded top where individual branches sweep downward. Their green leaves are small, scale-like, and arranged in spirals. Both male and females cones are carried on the same tree. A woman stands against a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park in California. Credit: Rob van Esch Shutterstock Sequoias grow naturally along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between 5,000 and 7,000 feet above sea level and far inland. That elevation provides the trees with dry mountain air necessary for their cones to open and release seeds. The snowpack from the Sierra Nevada provides sequoias with the thousands of gallons of water they drink every day. Sequoias have shallow roots and require well-drained soil. Because of its brittle texture, the sequoia is not a valuable lumber species. It was, nevertheless, logged extensively around the turn of the 20th century. Originally, sequoias could be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Today, they are found only in 77 scattered groves in Northern California. Among the places that preserve giant sequoias are Sequoia National Forest , Sequoia National Park, and Giant Sequoia National Monument. Redwoods These tallest of trees reach heights of more than 350 feet (107 meters). The tallest tree in the world is named Hyperion, which reaches 379.7 feet (115.7 meters). Redwoods can achieve a diameter of 24 feet (7 meters), and 1.6 million pounds (725,700 kg). These giants can live to be 2,000 years old and have graced the planet for more than 240 million years. Though they once thrived throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, today redwoods are only found on the coast from central California through southern Oregon. They do not live more than 50 miles inland, and are usually found in long belts, rather than small groves. True to their name, coast redwoods need a moderate, coastal climate to survive. They require the area’s frequent fog to protect them from dry spells and drought. Like sequoias, redwoods require abundant water to drink and have shallow root systems. Redwoods, however, get their water from rain rather than snowmelt, and therefore require consistent rainfall throughout the year. They even “create” their own rain by trapping fog in their lofty branches. With the right amount of moisture, redwoods can grow two or three feet in a year, making them one of the fastest-growing conifers in the world. In contrast to their size, redwoods have extremely small cones — about one inch long. They have appropriately large root systems, however, often extending 100 miles (161 kilometers) and intertwining with the roots of other redwoods. Baby redwoods often sprout at their parents’ base, latching onto their roots for nutrients. For this reason, they often grow in circular clusters sometimes called fairy rings. The coast redwood’s lumber


Cattleya Labiata is a species of which exotic flowering plant?

Cattleya Cattleya CAT-lee-ah (click on the name to hear it spoken) Tribe: Epidendreae Subtribe: Laeliinae Cattleya is a tropical genus of epiphytic and lithophytic plants that produce fairly to exceptionally showy flowers, and by many their species and hybrids are considered THE orchid. There are basically two groups of Cattleyas, the so-called unifoliate and bifoliate. The unifoliate group includes Cattleya labiata, the type species of the genus. Other species in this group include C. mossiae, C. mendellii, C. warscewiczii, C. dowiana, and C. percivaliana. The species in this group produce small to large-sized (up to 8') flowers in colors ranging from yellow to lavender (excluding the color forms, that add a lot of variation); the plants grow fusiform pseudobulbs topped with one fleshy, flattened, elliptic leaf. The bifoliate group, including such species as C. bicolor, C. amethystoglossa, C. elongata, and C. harrisoniana, produces smaller flowers (up to 5' or more, depending on the species), but in larger numbers (up to 40+ on a spike, also depending on species), in colors ranging from green to yellow to brown and pink to lavender; the plants grow tall, cylindric, pencil-like, ringed pseudobulbs that can be up to 5'+ tall in a couple of species - but in most get only to 1' to 2'). The genus was named by John Lindley in honor of William Cattley, a foremost British plant grower of the first half of the 19th Century Number of species: The World Checklist of Monocotyledons currently recognizes 46 species and 35 natural hybrids. Many species exhibit a plethora of color forms. Genera Orchidacearum Vol. 5 will transfer all of the expanded genus Sophronitis (Sophronitis sensu strictu and the Brazilian laelias) to Cattleya. The World Checklist will follow soon thereafter. Distribution:


History of Tony Blair - GOV.UK GOV.UK Tony Blair Labour 1997 to 2007 Born 6 May 1953, Edinburgh, Scotland Dates in office Labour Major acts Civil Partnership Act 2004: allowed legal recognition of civil partnership relationship between two people of the same sex. Interesting facts Tony Blair initiated reforms in the House of Commons, modernising the format of Prime Minister's Question Time. Tony Blair, the longest serving Labour Prime Minister, oversaw the Northern Irish peace process, public sector reform and the response to the 9/11 and 7/7 terrorist attacks. Tony Blair was born in 1953 in Edinburgh, Scotland. After taking a gap year he attended the University of Oxford and studied Law; after graduating he became a barrister. He joined the Labour Party in 1975 and, in 1983, successfully fought for the safe seat of Sedgefield. Gordon Brown was also elected in 1983 and they became firm allies. Tony Blair assumed several Shadow Cabinet roles before being made Shadow Home Secretary in 1992. In 1994, his and Gordon Brown’s friendship was permanently changed when the Labour leader, John Smith, died suddenly. Tony Blair won the following leadership contest overwhelmingly, having made an agreement with Gordon Brown that, if he didn’t stand, he would become a powerful chancellor should Labour win the next election. Tony Blair was seen as a new kind of politician with enormous charisma, arguably the finest opposition leader of modern times – even succeeding in reforming ‘Clause IV’ of the Labour constitution. It was of little surprise when Labour won the 1997 general election by a landslide majority of 179. Succeeding John Major to the role, he officially became Prime Minister on 2 May 1997. Important constitutional changes happened quickly, with Scottish and Welsh devolution, reform to the House of Lords, the Human Rights Act and a Freedom of Information Act. One of his biggest achievements came in 1998 when the Northern Irish peace process really made progress with the Good Friday Agreement. On foreign affairs, he became increasingly convinced of Britain’s need to become more involved, joining the American bombing of Iraq in 1998. A landmark came in 1999 when he risked much to protect the Kosovars, his idea of ‘liberal interventionism’ explained in his ‘Chicago’ speech on ‘The Doctrine of the International Community’. Limited military involvement in Sierra Leone in 2000 reinforced the democratically elected government. Thanks to Tony Blair’s leadership, a healthy economy and a poor showing by the Conservative Party, Labour won the 2001 general election with another landslide, with 167 seats. His priority for the second term was to increase the pace of public sector reform, which took shape in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, bills on Foundation Hospitals, Academy Schools and university tuition fees, and the increasing ‘choice agenda’. He also intended to call a referendum over Britain adopting the Euro, but events prevented this. The 9/11 terrorist attacks became defining moments for Tony Blair and his legacy. He allied with the USA and President Bush over the need to confront militant Islamism, first in Afghanistan in 2001 and then, much more controversially, in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq. The case for war in the UK had been built around the widespread belief that Saddam harboured weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which were not subsequently found. This, together with criticism over use of the machinery of government and doubts over the legality of the UK’s involvement, led the previously popular Tony Blair to become a divisive figure. Despite this, he led Labour to a third general election victory in 2005, with a much smaller but still significant majority of 66. The 7/7 London explosions by British-born Muslim suicide bombers led Blair to try to tighten civil liberties, another cause of public division. In 2006, the Israel-Lebanon war saw a very large Labour rebellion against Tony Blair over his reluctance to criticise Israel and his continued support for Bush. He resigned as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007.


Which British cricket commentator died in January 1994, aged 81?

BBC SPORT | Cricket | Test Match Special | Legends | Brian Johnston Test Match Special Producer, Test Match Special Johnners was an immensely popular character in cricket circles On 16 May 1994, more than 2,000 people crammed into Westminster Abbey to give thanks for the life of a cricket commentator. The then Prime Minister John Major gave an address, two Guardsmen played on fife and drum and the Abbey organ ended proceedings with the theme from Neighbours. Brian Johnston was, of course, much more than just a cricket commentator - he was a national institution. He joined the BBC in 1946 after wartime service in the Guards and before that in the family coffee business. He was naturally suited to the ad lib life of radio outside broadcasting and in his early days undertook a variety of assignments in the days when anything outside a studio was something of a novelty. Johnston's first job was to cover the disposal of a bomb discovered in Hyde Park, which he covered from the apparent safety of a ladies' lavatory. His propensity for awful puns produced the line that he emerged "looking a bit flushed". Such occasions led to his own live spot - Let's Go Somewhere - on In Town Tonight. The highlights included him riding bareback in the circus, reporting from beneath an express train and from inside a post box at Christmas. His career as a cricket commentator actually began on television. He did not cross to Test Match Special until 1970, when television unceremoniously dropped him in a change of policy, recruiting only former players. The lack of any word from television rankled Brian for the rest of his life, but his arrival at Test Match Special was a true homecoming. Brian would say TMS was "just a bunch of friends going to a Test Match and talking about it" Peter Baxter on Johnners His informal style was a complete contrast to John Arlott, but his natural popular appeal brought a new audience to the programme and gave it a new lease of life. He was by this time the BBC's first cricket correspondent, having made a huge impact while on extended leave in Australia to watch England play in 1958/9. Thereafter, he was to accompany England tours round the world until his retirement in 1972. However, retirement from the BBC staff did not end his involvement with Test Match Special. In fact, he was still an integral part of the commentary team at his death in January 1994 at the age of 81. Everyone was given a nickname. Scorer Bill Findall became 'the Bearded Wonder'. And to this day, Henry Blofeld and Jonathan Agnew are fondly known as Blowers and Aggers. Laughter was never far away with Brian and he will inevitably be remembered for the so-called "leg-over" incident. The famous "leg over" clip from 1991 During the summary of a day's play at the Oval, Aggers suggested that Ian Botham, in being out hit wicket had failed to "get his leg over." Brian fought the giggles manfully for almost half a minute and then dissolved, wheezing helplessly into a large spotted handkerchief. When asked about Test Match Special, Brian would say that it was "just a bunch of friends going to a Test Match and talking about it." And with him, it was.


In February 1994 which painting by Edvard Munch was stolen from a gallery in Oslo?

BBC ON THIS DAY | 12 | 1994: Art thieves snatch Scream 1994: Art thieves snatch Scream Thieves have stolen one of the world's best-known paintings from a gallery in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Two men took just 50 seconds to climb a ladder, smash through a window of the National Art Museum in Oslo and cut The Scream, by Edvard Munch, from the wall with wire cutters. The cutters were left behind along with a short ladder as the men fled with the painting. The entire incident was filmed by security cameras. The director of the museum, Knut Berg, said, "It is impossible to estimate the value of the painting. "But it is Norway's most valuable, Munch's most renowned, and it would be impossible to sell." Getaway vehicle The museum's alarm went off at 0630 local time (0530 GMT) and a security guard immediately alerted police, who arrived within minutes. Police officers are searching for a Mercedes car thought to have been used as a getaway vehicle. The painting was in the gallery as the highlight of a Norwegian Culture Festival staged in connection with the Winter Olympics which start today in Lillehammer. There is widespread speculation that the theft may have some connection with the Games, possibly as a publicity stunt by campaigners. Art experts believe the painting is so well-known that it is unsaleable. The museum is facing strong criticism over its security after it was revealed that the masterpiece had been moved from the more secure first floor to the ground floor for the exhibition. It is believed to have been uninsured. Iconic The stolen painting is regarded as the most important of the four versions Edvard Munch painted of The Scream, and was created in 1893 as part of his Frieze of Life series in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central themes. The haunting depiction of a skull-like face wide-mouthed in agony and despair before a blood-red sunset has become an icon of human anguish across the world. Several other Munch paintings have recently been stolen: six years ago, another well-known masterpiece, The Vampire, was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, but was later recovered, as was a lithograph, Madonna, which disappeared in 1990. Another painting, Portrait Study, was taken from the National Art Museum last August and is still missing.


Which Steven Spielberg film won seven Oscars in March 1994?

Spielberg Wins at Last With 7 Oscars for 'Schindler's List' - NYTimes.com Spielberg Wins at Last With 7 Oscars for 'Schindler's List' By WILLIAM GRIMES Published: March 22, 1994 "Schindler's List," Steven Spielberg's wrenching drama about the Holocaust, dominated the 66th annual Academy Awards last night, winning seven Oscars, including those for best picture and best director. The film, which was lavishly praised by the critics and scored a solid hit at the box office, was considered a shoo-in in both categories. The awards were a milestone in Mr. Spielberg's career. Although he is the most commercially successful director in Hollywood history, an Oscar, and recognition by the academy as a serious cinematic artist, eluded him until last night. He was previously nominated as a director three times, for "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial." As a producer, he had been nominated twice, for "E.T." and "The Color Purple." "Schindler's List" won Oscars for Janusz Kaminski's cinematography and Steven Zaillian's screenplay, adapted from the novel by Thomas Keneally. It also won for art direction, original score and editing. 3 for 'Jurassic Park' Such was the wave of acclaim surrounding "Schindler's List" that it seemed to pass almost unnoticed that last year Mr. Spielberg also directed the biggest moneymaker in movie history, "Jurassic Park," which picked up awards for visual effects, sound and sound-effects editing. In his acceptance speech for the directing award, Mr. Spielberg, who was greeted with a standing ovation, brandished his statuette and said, "I have friends who have won these before, but I swear I have never held one before." Visibly moved and fighting back tears, he concluded his thanks by invoking the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The only competition to "Schindler's List" came from "The Piano," which won three awards. Holly Hunter was named best actress for her performance as a mute mail-order bride in 19th-century New Zealand, and Anna Paquin, 11, was named best supporting best actress for her role as the daughter. The film also won the award for best original screenplay, written by its director, Jane Campion. "In the Name of the Father," which received seven nominations, failed to win a single award. The award for best actor went to Tom Hanks, for his role in "Philadelphia" as a lawyer dying of AIDS who sues the firm that dismissed him. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Hanks, his voice quavering with emotion, thanked his colleagues on the film, especially Denzel Washington, and his high school drama teacher, who once advised him, "Act well the part, there the glory lies." Mr. Hanks also paid tribute to those who have died of AIDS, saying "the heavens are too crowded with angels." Ms. Hunter, in her acceptance speech, looked out to Ms. Campion and said: "I love you, I love you. Thank you for giving me a character that was so difficult to say goodbye to." Tommy Lee Jones, who played the hard-nosed deputy marshal in "The Fugitive," received the Oscar for best supporting actor. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Jones, the crown of whose head was shaved for a role, said, "There is only one thing a man can say at a moment like this: I am not bald." A Minimum of Politics This year's ceremonies started on a note of uncertainty, as Billy Crystal had stepped down after four years as host. His successor, Whoopi Goldberg, wearing a floor-length brown velvet dress, swept to the front of the stage and immediately addressed the great unstated question of the evening: Would the outspoken, unpredictable comedian behave herself? "There haven't been this many executives sweating over one woman since Heidi Fleiss, baby," she said. Then, promising to get her political concerns out of the way early, she reeled off a rapid-fire litany of slogans, beginning with "save the whales" and concluding with "let Frank Sinatra finish" and "somebody stop these damn earthquakes." Crashing right through the taste barrier, Ms. Goldberg also called for Lorena Bobbit


Which English football club won the 1994 FA Cup?

BBC SPORT | Football | FA Cup | Yesterday's men Yesterday's men By Chris Bevan Liverpool last played Luton in the FA Cup in a third round second replay at Kenilworth Road on 28 January 1987. Both clubs were enjoying successful spells - Liverpool had won the Double the previous season, while unfashionable Luton were on their way to a seventh-place finish in the top-flight, their best ever. Two previous meetings had failed to produce a goal so the Reds travelled down to Luton again on 28 January - and were thumped 3-0 thanks to goals from Brian Stein, Mick Harford and a Mike Newell penalty. But what happened to the players that lined up all those years ago? Luton Town Manager - John Moore Spent just one season as manager but later coached the club's youth team, bringing through the likes of John Hartson and Mark Pembridge. Currently coaching pupils at Bedford Modern School. Les Sealey Hugely popular and extrovert keeper who spent seven years at Luton before helping Manchester United win the 1990 FA Cup. After retiring he briefly coached at West Ham before dying of a heart attack in 2001, aged 43. Tim Breacker Later played for West Ham and ended his career with QPR before moving into coaching with the Hoops. Now Ian Holloway's assistant manager at Loftus Road. Steve Foster Won three England caps but was better known for his trademark white headband. Now works in insurance, selling policies to professional footballers through the PFA. Mal Donaghy Finished his career with Chelsea in 1994 and had a spell as assistant manager of Irish League side Cliftonville before becoming coach of the Northern Ireland Under-19 side. Rob Johnson Became a physiotherapist after ending his playing career. Worked at Bedford Hospital before joining Sheffield Wednesday, and now works for the English Institute of Sport in Yorkshire. Ricky Hill Managed Luton for five months in 2000 - but has been unable to find a job in this country since and recently spoke out about the lack of opportunities for black managers. Peter Nicholas Had a nomadic playing career and his time as a coach has followed a similar path with spells at Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Barry Town, Swansea City and Newport AFC. Now in charge of Welsh Premier side Llanelli. Ashley Grimes Teamed up with his former Manchester United team-mate Joe Jordan to coach at Stoke and Celtic, and also worked at Huddersfield with Lou Macari until he was sacked in 2002. Brian Stein Arrived in the UK at the age of seven when his family fled the apartheid regime in South Africa. Spent 12 years playing for Luton and is now back at the club as assistant manager. Mick Harford Much-travelled hardman who moved into coaching with Luton, Nottingham Forest and Swindon before becoming Rotherham manager in April 2005. He was sacked by the Millers last month. Mike Newell Moved into management with Hartlepool on the recommendation of Alan Shearer in 2002, and was controversially elected as Luton boss by a phone vote in 2003. Also runs a restaurant. Liverpool Manager - Kenny Dalglish Won the title three times in his first five years in charge at Liverpool and also won the Premiership with Blackburn in 1995. A stint at Newcastle was less successful and his last job in the game was an ill-fated spell as Celtic's director of football in 1999/2000. Bruce Grobbelaar Bankrupted by legal action to clear his name over match-fixing allegations in 1994. His coaching career in South Africa failed to take off but he still recently declared he would one day return to manage Liverpool. Mark Lawrenson Briefly managed Oxford and Peterborough after retiring and had stints as an agent and running a pub before becoming Newcastle's defensive coach under Kevin Keegan. A BBC pundit since 1997. Gary Gillespie Scottish centre-back who left Anfield in 1991 to join Celtic but now returns every week in his role as match summariser for BBC Radio Merseyside. ON 28 JANUARY 1987.... Steve 'Silk' Hurley was at number one with 'Jack Your Body' Cycling shorts were taking the fashion world by storm The Wapping printers dispute began Police arrested 26 foo


Which US singer did Lisa Marie Presley marry in May 1994?

Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley | World History Project Michael Jackson marries Lisa Marie Presley In May 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley. They had first met in 1975 during one of Jackson's family engagements at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and were reconnected through a mutual friend in early 1993. They stayed in contact every day over the telephone. As child molestation accusations became public, Jackson became dependent on Lisa Marie for emotional support; she was concerned about his faltering health and addiction to drugs. Lisa Marie explained, "I believed he didn't do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it." In a phone call he made to her, she described him as high, incoherent and delusional. Shortly afterwards, she tried to persuade Jackson to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to recover — he subsequently did both. Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie over the telephone towards the fall of 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?". Presley and Jackson married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy; the parties denied they had been married for nearly two months. The marriage was, in her words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually active". At the time, the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson's public image in light of prior sexual abuse allegations. Jackson and Presley divorced less than two years later, remaining friendly.


Who took over as host of BBC’s Question Time In January 1994?

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | David Dimbleby injured by bullock David Dimbleby injured by bullock The presenter will return to host the programme next week David Dimbleby has missed chairing BBC One's Question Time for the first time in more than 15 years after being injured by a bullock at his farm. The 71-year-old was loading the bullock onto a trailer in Folkington, Sussex, when the animal reared and caused him briefly to be knocked out. He also received a cut to the head that required stitches at a local hospital. Dimbleby, who remains in hospital for observation, was replaced on the show by John Humphrys. "I haven't missed a Question Time in over 15 years," Dimbleby said. "Trust my wife's bullock to take me out. I'll be giving bullocks a wide berth in future," he added. The BBC stressed the presenter's stay in hospital was just a precaution, and is not unusual for a patient suffering concussion. He is recovering well and should return home shortly. Dimbleby has chaired Question Time since January 1994. He is expected to be back hosting the show next week. As the cameras started rolling for the recording of Thursday's show, Humphrys told the audience: "If you are highly observant, you will have noticed that I am not David Dimbleby. He has had an encounter with a bullock and he came off worst." John Humphrys explains David Dimbleby's absence The panel included Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward, Shadow Security Minister Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, Lib Dem communities and local government spokesman Julia Goldsworthy, writer Will Self and Olympic champion rower James Cracknell. Mr Woodward asked Humphrys to stop interrupting as he was answering a question on Afghanistan, telling him: "This is a bit like doing the 10 past eight slot with you in the morning," a reference to the presenter's regular job on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Bookmark with:


Which US Olympic figure skater attacked her rival Nancy Kerrigan during a 1994 practice session?

Skater Nancy Kerrigan attacked - Jan 06, 1994 - HISTORY.com Skater Nancy Kerrigan attacked Publisher A+E Networks Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan is attacked at a Detroit ice rink following a practice session two days before the Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment. When the full story emerged a week later, the nation became caught up in a real-life soap opera. One of Kerrigan’s chief rivals for a place on the U.S. Figure Skating Team was Tonya Harding. In mid-December 1993, Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the competition. Eckardt set up a meeting with Derrick Smith and Shane Stant, who agreed to injure Kerrigan for a fee. On December 28, Stant went to Massachusetts, where Kerrigan was practicing. However, he couldn’t carry out the attack so he followed her to Detroit, where Smith met him. After hitting Kerrigan, Stant fled the ice rink in Smith’s getaway car. With Kerrigan unable to skate, Harding won the championship and a place at the 1994 Olympics. On January 11, Derrick Smith confessed to FBI agents. Three days later, Stant surrendered and also confessed. Harding was questioned on January 18, but denied her involvement. She claimed that she would cut off any connection with Gillooly if he was responsible. The next day, Gillooly was charged with conspiracy to assault Kerrigan. Shortly after, he agreed to a deal in which he implicated Harding. Harding then came forward, changing her story and admitting that she had learned of Gillooly’s role in the attack after the championships but did not inform authorities. Meanwhile, U.S. Olympic officials named Kerrigan and Harding to the team that would compete in Lillehammer, Norway. When the United States Olympic Committee began considering removing Harding from the team, she filed a lawsuit that successfully stopped this action. At the Olympics, the competition between Harding and Kerrigan set ratings records. Harding’s performance was a drama in itself. She broke down crying after a lace on her skates broke. Even after being allowed a restart, Harding wasn’t able to pull herself together and finished eighth. Kerrigan took home the silver medal, and many thought she deserved the gold. Back in the U.S., Harding pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder the prosecution of Kerrigan’s attackers. She was fined $100,000 and sentenced to probation and 500 hours of community service. Other than Gillooly’s testimony, there was never any further evidence of Harding’s knowledge of the plans before the attack. But Gillooly got revenge on Tonya by sinking to new tabloid depths, selling graphic photos of the couple having sex on their honeymoon. Meanwhile, Harding wasn’t above trying to exploit the crime and her notoriety herself. However, an attempted movie career was dead in the water from the beginning. Kerrigan even succumbed to the temptation years later, appearing on a talk show with Harding to promote herself. In 2003, about a year after fighting in a “celebrity boxing” event, Harding made her professional boxing debut. Related Videos


Which band had a 1994 Christmas number one single in the UK with ‘Stay Another Day’?

UK Christmas/Xmas Number One Chart Singles Mary's Boy Child - Bony M 1979 Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd And incidently, the first chart topper of the 80s too. Meant a lot to us lads in the infants this did. I remember listening to this and reading my Beano then pulling apart the establishment. 1980 Just Like Starting Over - John Lennon 1981 Don't You Want Me - Human League 1982 Save Your Love For Me Rene And Renata It's honestly a toss up between this and Blobby for being the worst of the 24. Even Robson and Jerome ranks higher. 1983 Only You - The Flying Pickets 1984 Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid 1985 1986 Caravan of Love - The Housemartins Hull boys come good with their only number one. It incidently only just beat Jackie Wilson's Reet Petit off with a small stick. 1987 Always on my mind - The Pet Shop Boys 1988 Mistletoe and Wine - Cliff Richard See, only one on this entire list - people think him and Shaking Stevens have been on and off the top of the chart every Christmas since the year dot, but no, oh no. I think Sir Cliff was runner up in 1992 with "Saviours Day" not sure though. 1989 Do They Know It's Christmas Band Aid II Personally I think it was a little cheeky banging it out again only 5 years on. 10 years would have been much better. 1990 Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice You might remember this one was being shite or annoying or just simply making you crave "Under Pressure" but what it did do was prevent Jive Bunny (who was number one the week before Christmas) stealing Santa's sack. 1991 Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days of Our Lives - Queen Thanks to the timely death of Freddie Queen are blessed as the only band to have the coverted Christmas number one on two seperate occasions with the same song. 1992 1996 2 Become 1 - The Spice Girls I was right, smug bastard that I am. Three consecutive number one's, god these girls are huge so to speak... 1997 Too Much - The Spice Girls Right again...the backlack just doesn't exist other than in the form of a media backlash. The 'Girls have still to put out a single that hasn't gone straight in at number one...that's 6 now - 6 in a row. 1998 Goodbye - The Spice Girls So the Spices (slightly less spicey than last year) have become the first band in my little snapshot of Xmas Number Ones to have 3 of the little beauties, and 3 in a row to boot. To be honest though, I don't mind these slower ones. 1999 Seasons In The Sun/I have a Dream - Westlife Their first 4 songs have all gone in straight in at number one, infact they have had all of those 4 number ones in 1999. This is less dull than some of their others as it's a double A-side of covers... but Image by John Lenon would have been better. 2000 Bob The Builder - Can We Fix It? Entered the charts at number 2, climbed to number 1 the following week and managed to hold off Westlife for the toppest of top positions on the 24th December. At last a builder at number one just like the old days! 2001 Robbie Williams & Nichole Kidman - Somethin' Stupid Swing baby, swing. Making up for Robbie not having a christmas number one as part of Take That, this classic song is now set to be reborn as a christmas classic I expect. 2002 Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground I backed them to do it, but not on the strength of the main track (which is remarkably catchy) but on the fact that it had a cover of East 17's Stay Another Day on the flipside. 2003 Michael Andrews/Gary Jules - Mad World My money was on The Darkness. I was robbed. Pipped at the post by Mad World. This is a good cover version (taken from the soundtrack of Donnie Darko), although the Tears For Fears version is much better. 2004 Do They Know It's Christmas Band Aid 20 Only song to be the christmas number one three times. You'll never beat the 1984 original though. 2005 That's My Goal Shayne Ward Totally and utterly forgettable. Manufactured X-Factor shite. At least Girls Aloud had the decency to put out a catchy tune. 2006 Second year running for manufactured X-Factor shite. Please stop. Please for the love of god, stop. 2007 When You Believe Leon Jackson


In 1994 which consortium was granted the licence to run the UK’s first National Lottery?

Lottery Insider -- An Post National Lottery Company An Post National Lottery Company Abbey     Street Lower, Dublin 1 Internet: World Bank, World Development Indicators     . Lottery Director: GTech Corp. Instant Ticket Vendor: pollard Banknote: Two-year primary contract for the     production and delivery of instant lottery tickets. Commences 2009 - ption to     renew for up to an additional two years. Games Offered: Play Lotto, Euro Millions, National Lottery     sweepstakes, all or Nothing, Instant scratch Games, Telly bingo, Millionair     Raffle. Beneficiaries: 203.2 million (33% of total sales) was raised for beneficiary projects in 2005. This brings the total funds raised by the     National Lottery since 1987 for distribution by the Government to good causes     throughout Ireland to over 2.4 billion. Jurisdiction: Rep.of Ireland Background      Information An Post National Lottery Company is licensed to     operate the National Lottery by the Minister of Finance on the Ministers     behalf in accordance with the National Lottery Act 1986. The National     Lottery Company commenced operations in March 1987 with the purpose of     generating funds for the designated beneficiaries, while operating the National     lottery in accordance with the highest standards of integrity, credibility and     security. TIMELINE for Sale of National Lottery     Licence April 2012: Minister Howlin announces Government      Decision to hold a competition for next National Lottery licence involving an      upfront payment to the State. July 2012: Heads of new National Lottery Bill are      approved by Government. October 2012: Davy Corporate Finance are appointed      as financial and commercial advisers to the Department, following a tendering      process. December 2012: National Lottery Bill is published January to May 2013: National Lottery Bill passes      through the Oireachtas and is signed into law by the President in May      2013. 8 May 2013: Minister announces that Expressions of      Interest in the competitive process are being sought. 30 May 2013: Minister announces the launch of the      full Competitive Process. 3 October 2013: Minister announces that Premier      Lotteries Ireland Limited has been selected as the Preferred Applicant 14      February: Lottery staff vote to accept Labour Court Recommendation 27 February 2014: Minister grants Lottery licence      to Premier Lotteries Ireland Minister Howlin Grants     National Lottery Licence to Premier Lotteries     Ireland DUBLIN, Ireland (February 27, 2014) -- The Minister     for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr Brendan Howlin TD, announced today that     he has granted the next licence to operate the National Lottery to Premier     Lotteries Ireland, a consortium comprising Ontario Teachers Pension Plan     (the owner of the Camelot Group), An Post and An Post pension     funds. Speaking today, Minister Howlin reflected, Almost two years     ago, I brought a proposal to Government that I strongly believed could yield     significant revenues. Today, I am pleased to say that I have delivered on that     proposal  half of the 405 million achieved for the transaction will     now be paid. As I announced during Budget 2014, these monies are earmarked for     a number of job-rich projects including the Wild Atlantic Way, the 1916     Commemoration and the National Sports Campus. In nine months, the second     installment of 202.5million will be delivered, bringing the construction     of the New Childrens Hospital closer. The award of the licence     follows a competition which took place between May and October 2013. On 3     October 2013, Minister Howlin announced that Premier Lotteries Ireland had been     selected as the Preferred Applicant as it had met the essential requirements     provided for under the terms of the competition and had submitted the hig


Who was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black President in May 1994?

BBC ON THIS DAY | 10 | 1994: Mandela becomes SA's first black president 1994: Mandela becomes SA's first black president Nelson Mandela has become South Africa's first black president after more than three centuries of white rule. Mr Mandela's African National Congress (ANC) party won 252 of the 400 seats in the first democratic elections of South Africa's history. The inauguration ceremony took place in the Union Buildings amphitheatre in Pretoria today, attended by politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries around the world. Never, never again will this beautiful land experience the oppression of one by another Nelson Mandela As part of the ceremony he pledged his allegiance to South Africa and his determination to continue his work for reconciliation. "I do hereby swear to be faithful to the Republic of South Africa and do solemnly and sincerely promise to promote that which will advance and to oppose all that may harm the republic... and to devote myself to the well-being of the republic and all its people." Jubilant scenes on the streets of Pretoria followed the ceremony with blacks, whites and coloureds celebrating together. When the new president, flanked by First Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and Second Deputy President FW de Klerk, appeared on the Botha Lawn beneath the Union Buildings the crowd went wild. More than 100,000 South African men, women and children of all races sang and danced with joy. Addressing the crowd President Mandela paid tribute to outgoing president Mr FW de Klerk: "He has made for himself a niche in history. "He has turned out to be one of the greatest reformers, one of the greatest sons of South Africa." He also spoke of the "human disaster" of apartheid. "We saw our country tear itself apart in terrible conflict... The time for healing of wounds has come... Never, never again will this beautiful land experience the oppression of one by another." And urging forgiveness he said in Africaans: "Wat is verby verby" - "What is past is past"


Which nation won the 1994 FIFA World Cup?

1994 FIFA World Cup (USA '94) - U.S. Soccer U.S. Soccer Licensees World Cup USA 1994 was the most successful event in FIFA history, demonstrating that the United States is without peer in staging major international events, and that Americans can embrace the world’s most popular sport. The cumulative attendance of 3,587,538 broke the previous record by more than 1 million, and the average attendance for the 52-game tournament of 68,991 also established a new mark. U.S. stadia were filled to approximately 96 percent capacity during the World Cup. The success of the U.S. team, which advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1930, helped boost already high U.S. television ratings. Approximately 11 million Americans were tuned in to the USA vs. Brazil round of 16 match on July 4, an all-time high for soccer in the United States. In the final, after a scoreless regulation and overtime, Brazil defeated Italy on penalty kicks 3-2 to become the first country to win four World Cup titles. World Cup matches were played at nine venues — the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (including the final); Foxboro (Mass.) Stadium; Soldier Field in Chicago; the Cotton Bowl in Dallas; the Pontiac (Mich.) Silverdome; Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.; the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.; Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif.; and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. World Cup USA 1994 also left behind a legacy for soccer in the U.S. A surplus of approximately $50 million — more than double original projections — was contributed to the U.S. Soccer Foundation, the U.S. Soccer organization created to administer the World Cup surplus. Improved training facilities and renovated stadiums in World Cup communities, upgraded to meet FIFA standards, will serve as a reminder of the success of World Cup USA 1994 for years to come. Follow Us


In which month in 1994 was the Channel Tunnel officially opened between England and France?

May 06, 1994 : English Channel tunnel opens Introduction In a ceremony presided over by England’s Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand, a rail tunnel under the English Channel was officially opened, connecting Britain and the European mainland for the first time since the Ice Age. The channel tunnel, or “Chunnel,” connects Folkstone, England, with Sangatte, France, 31 miles away. The Chunnel cut travel time between England and France to a swift 35 minutes and eventually between London and Paristo two-and-a-half hours. As the world’s longest undersea tunnel, the Chunnel runs under water for 23 miles, with an average depth of 150 feet below the seabed. Each day, about 30,000 people, 6,000 cars and 3,500 trucks journey through the Chunnel on passenger, shuttle and freight trains. Millions of tons of earth were moved to build the two rail tunnels–one for northbound and one for southbound traffic–and one service tunnel. Fifteen thousandpeople were employed at the peak of construction. Ten people were killed during construction. Napoleon’s engineer, Albert Mathieu, planned the first tunnel under the English Channel in 1802, envisioning an underground passage with ventilation chimneys that would stretch above the waves. In 1880, the first real attempt was made by Colonel Beaumont, who bore a tunnel more than a mile long before abandoning the project. Other efforts followed in the 20th century, but none on the scale of the tunnels begun in June 1988. The Chunnel’s $16 billion cost was roughly twice the original estimate, and completion was a year behind schedule. One year into service, Eurotunnel announced a huge loss, one of the biggest in United Kingdom corporate history at the time. A scheme in which banks agreed to swap billions of pounds worth of loans for shares saved the tunnel from going under and it showed its first net profit in 1999. Freight traffic was suspended for six months after a fire broke out on a lorry in the tunnel in November 1996. Nobody was seriously hurt in the incident. In 1996, the American Society of Civil Engineers identified the tunnel as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Article Details: May 06, 1994 : English Channel tunnel opens Author May 06, 1994 : English Channel tunnel opens URL


Which boxer wont the WBA and IBF World Heavyweight Championships in 1994, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history?

George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ - Nov 05, 1994 - HISTORY.com This Day in History: 11/05/1994 - Foreman is Oldest Champ On this day in 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing's oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to "all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail." Born in 1949 in Marshal, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson's Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. "Big George," as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO'd "Smokin'" Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center. A decade later, the millions he'd made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he'd had on the night he lost to Ali. Foreman didn't hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long. In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker, and he gave up his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with Axel Schulz, whom he'd narrowly beat in a controversial judges' decision in April of that same year. Lead Story George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ Share this: George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ Author George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to “all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail.” Born in 1949 in Marshal, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson’s Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. “Big George,” as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO’d “Smokin'” Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center. A decade later, the millions he’d made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he’d had on the night he lost to Ali. Foreman didn’t hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long. In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No. 1


Which US singer received the Legend Award at the 1994 Grammy Awards?

The GRAMMYs' Biggest Winners: The '50s And '60s | GRAMMY.com News The GRAMMYs' Biggest Winners: The '50s And '60s Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, Roger Miller, and Frank Sinatra are among the artists who won the most GRAMMY Awards in the '50s and '60s Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Frank Sinatra Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Ella Fitzgerald Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Duke Ellington Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Henry Mancini December 13, 2013 -- 2:00 pm PST By Paul Grein / GRAMMY.com Full 56th GRAMMY Awards Nominations List Who are the biggest GRAMMY winners for each decade from the 1950s to the 2010s? In our ongoing Music's Biggest Winners series, we'll take a look at the four artists (more in the case of ties) who received the most awards in each decade. You'll learn a little bit about the artists, their GRAMMY wins during the decade and other notable Recording Academy honors. Let's fire up the GRAMMY time machine and go back to the '50s and the '60s. '50s (Editor's note: The GRAMMY Awards originated in 1958, so this decade encompasses just two years of awards.) Ella Fitzgerald, 4 The jazz legend won two GRAMMYs in 1958 and two more in 1959. In 1958 Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Song Book was voted Best Vocal Performance, Female, while Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book won for Best Jazz Performance, Individual. Fitzgerald won the same two awards the following year for, respectively, her version of George and Ira Gershwin's "But Not For Me" and her album Ella Swings Lightly. Fitzgerald received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1967. She died in 1996. Duke Ellington, 3 Ellington's score for the Otto Preminger film Anatomy Of A Murder brought the jazz legend three GRAMMYs in 1959: Best Performance By A Dance Band, Best Sound Track Album — Background Score From A Motion Picture Or Television and Best Musical Composition First Recorded And Released In 1959 (More Than 5 Minutes Duration). Ellington received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. He died in 1974. André Previn, 3 Previn won a GRAMMY in 1958 for Gigi, which was voted Best Sound Track Album, Dramatic Picture Score Or Original Cast. He won two more in 1959. Porgy And Bess won for Best Sound Track Album, Original Cast — Motion Picture Or Television. "Like Young," a collaboration with David Rose, took Best Performance By An Orchestra. (The billing on the single was rather florid: "The Piano Magic Of André Previn Combined With The Lush Strings of David Rose.") The German-born musician received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Frank Sinatra, 3 The legendary singer actually won his first GRAMMY in 1958 as an art director. His cover design for Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely was voted Best Album Cover. Come Dance With Me! won two awards in 1959: Album Of The Year and Best Vocal Performance, Male. Sinatra received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1965, a Trustees Award in 1979 and a GRAMMY Legend Award in 1994. He died in 1998. '60s Henry Mancini, 16 Mancini's mark of 16 GRAMMYs in a decade stood unequalled for four decades, until two female artists tied it in the 2000s. (Mancini continues to hold the record for most GRAMMYs won in a decade by a male artist.) Mancini won a then-record five awards in 1961 for his music from the Blake Edwards movie Breakfast At Tiffany's, including the instant standard "Moon River." His biggest successes were "Moon River" and "Days Of Wine And Roses," both of which were double winners for Record and Song Of The Year. Mancini won six of these 16 awards as an artist, six as an arranger and four as a composer. Mancini died in 1994. He was awarded a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995. Roger Miller, 11 Miller received five GRAMMYs in 1964 and six in 1965. (The latter total broke Mancini's record of five GRAMMYs in one night.) Miller was the first artist in GRAMMY history to win five or more awards in one night more than once. He received nine of these 11 aw


In Europe which colour denotes runs for expert skiers?

Ski slope colour codes Written by snowman What do the slope colors and symbols mean? This can be confusing for beginners, or even for experienced skiers who are heading to a different ski region. Europe is much different from the US in these codes. Let’s start with the US markings: North American slope markings Green (circle): Beginner slope. This is for people who have never skied before, or are just starting out. Probably not exciting for intermediate or expert skiers, because these may not even be steep enough to make many turns. Blue (square): Intermediate slope. More varied terrain, and a bit steeper. Could also be good for experts who want to do some nice, carving turns without picking up tons of speed. Black (diamond): Expert slope. This could be a mogul run, or a steep piste. It’s recommended that beginners avoid these entirely, and intermediates only try them once their skills are improving and their confidence is rising. Double black diamond: Experts only. If you have any fear at all on a standard Black Diamond, stay away from the double blacks. They may be very steep, have huge moguls, or have a narrow couloir (a steep and narrow corridor where you have to go straight down, and turning might crash you into rocks or trees). Orange (rectangle): Terrain park. May also have a trail rating showing how difficult it is. Only go in here if you want to do some jumps and tricks. Probably not for beginners ;-). European slope markings Green: Learner slope, hardly any grade at all, may be very wide. Not used in all countries. Blue: Beginner slope. This is usually equivalent to the US “Green Circle” so don’t be confused at an Austrian resort with no “green” slopes. Here, blue is beginner! Red: Intermediate slope. Yep, there’s an extra color in Europe, and red slopes are open for intermediate skiers and boarders to improve their skills. Black: Expert slope. These may range from a normal expert slope like in North America to a super-tough one. But in most places (like the ultra-steep Harikiri at Mayrhofen), there will be an extra sign explaining if the slope is exceptionally hard. Orange: This means extremely difficult, and may be found only in certain countries like Austria and Switzerland. Yellow: Generally a “skiroute,” which may be an uncontrolled or ungroomed off-piste area. Often these trails are marked but wind a long way down the mountain with flat spots which may be a pain for snowboarders. May be marked with orange squares in Austria.