MODULE 10-SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY

MODULE 10-SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY



1.The Pacific War was the part of World War II—and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in the Far East. The war began as a conflict between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China on July 7, 1937, but by December 1941, became part of the greater World War II, and lasted until August 14, 1945. The Pacific War saw the Allied powersagainst the Empire of Japan, the latter aided by Thailand and to lesser extent by its Axis allies Germany and Italy. The most decisive actions took place after the Empire of Japan attacked various countries, most notably the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the United States' Territory of Hawaii. The Pacific War culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, resulting in Victory over Japan Day and the end of World War II on August 15, 1945. The Surrender of Japan occurred aboard the battleship USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War 16.02.10


Picture http://www.pacificwar.org.au/webgraphics/Famousfour_small.jpg 16.02.10






2. The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas,Texas, at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time (18:30 UTC) in Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife Jacqueline in a Presidential motorcade.
Just before 12:30 p.m. CST, Kennedy’s limousine entered Dealey Plaza and slowly approached the Texas School Book Depository. Nellie Connally, then the First Lady of Texas, turned around to Kennedy, who was sitting behind her, and commented, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you," which President Kennedy acknowledged.

When the Presidential limousine turned and passed the Depository and continued down Elm Street, shots were fired at Kennedy; a clear majority of witnesses recalled hearing three shots. A minority of the witnesses did recognize the first gunshot blast they heard as a weapon blast, but there was hardly any reaction from a majority in the crowd or riding in the motorcade itself to the first shot, with many later saying they heard what they first thought to be a firecracker or the exhaust backfire of a vehicle just after the president started waving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_22,_1963 16.02.10


Picture: http://chictrib.image2.trb.com/chinews/media/photo/2008-01/34573215.jpg 16.02.10






3. The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda members hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners.[1][2] The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centerin New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

2,973 victims and the 19 hijackers died as a result of the attacks. The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 90 countries. In addition, the death of at least one person from lung disease was ruled by a medical examiner to be a result of exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse.
The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terrorism. It invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists. The United States also enacted the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other countries also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Some American stock exchanges stayed closed for the rest of the week following the attack and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The destruction of billions of dollars worth of office space caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan.

The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and the Pentagon Memorial was built on the site. The rebuilding process has started on the World Trade Center site. In 2006 a new office tower was completed on the site of 7 World Trade Center. 1 World Trade Center is currently under construction at the site and, at 1,776 ft (541 m) upon completion in 2013, it will become one of the tallest buildings in North America. Three more towers were originally expected to be built between 2007 and 2012 on the site. Ground was broken for the Flight 93 National Memorial on November 8, 2009, and the first phase of construction is expected to be ready for the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2011.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11 16.02.10


Picture: http://preparednesspro.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/the-next-9-11.jpg 16.02.10

Theories of September 11: http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html?page=1 16.02.10






4. The RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by the White Star Line and was built at the Harland and Wolffshipyard in Belfast, in what is now Northern Ireland. At the time of her construction, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world.

Shortly before midnight on 14 April 1912, four days into the ship's maiden voyage, Titanic struck an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, early on 15 April 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board, making it one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. The high casualty rate was due in part to the fact that, although complying with the regulations of the time, the ship did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone aboard. The ship had a total lifeboat capacity of 1,178 people, although her maximum capacity was 3,547. A disproportionate number of men died due to the women and children first protocol that was followed.

The Titanic was designed by some of the most experienced engineers, and used some of the most advanced technologies available at the time. It was popularly believed to have been unsinkable. It was a great shock to many that, despite the extensive safety features, the Titanic sank. The frenzy on the part of the media about Titanic's famous victims, the legends about the sinking, the resulting changes to maritime law, and the discovery of the wreck have contributed to the continuing interest in, and notoriety of, the Titanic.

Once the massive loss of life became clear, White Star Line chartered the cable ship CS Mackay-Bennett from Halifax, Nova Scotia to retrieve bodies. Three other ships followed in the search, the cable ship Minia, the lighthouse supply ship Montmagny and the sealing vessel Algerine. Each ship left with embalming supplies, undertakers, and clergy. Of the 333 victims that were eventually recovered, 328 were retrieved by the Canadian ships and five more by passing North Atlantic steamships. For some unknown reason, numbers 324 and 325 were unused, and the six passengers buried at sea by the Carpathia also went unnumbered. In mid-May 1912, over 200 miles (320 km) from the site of the sinking, theOceanic recovered three bodies, numbers 331, 332 and 333, who were occupants of Collapsible A, which was swamped in the last moments of the sinking. Several people managed to reach this lifeboat, although some died during the night. When Fifth Officer Harold Lowe rescued the survivors of Collapsible A, he left the three dead bodies in the boat: Thomas Beattie, a first-class passenger, and two crew members, a fireman and a seaman. The bodies were buried at sea from Oceanic.
In many locations there are memorials to the dead of the Titanic. In Southampton, England a memorial to the engineers of the Titanic may be found in Andrews Park on Above Bar Street. Opposite the main memorial is a memorial to Wallace Hartley and the other musicians who played on the Titanic. A memorial to the ship's five postal workers, which says "Steadfast in Peril" is held by Southampton Heritage Services.

Contrary to popular mythology, the Titanic was never described as "unsinkable", without qualification, until after she sank. There are three trade publications (one of which was probably never published) that describe the Titanic as unsinkable, prior to her sinking, but there is no evidence that the notion of the Titanic's unsinkability had entered public consciousness until after the sinking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic#Survivors.2C_victims_and_statistics 16.02.10


Picture:
http://students.umf.maine.edu/~hartwenr/webquest/Webquesthome/Titanic%20BW.gif 16.02.10






5. The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from Plymouth, England, toPlymouth, Massachusetts, United States (which would become the capital of Plymouth Colony), in 1620. There were 102 passengers and a crew of 25–30.

The vessel left England on September 6, 1620 (Old Style)/September 16 (New Style), and after a grueling 66-day journey marked by disease, which claimed two lives, the ship dropped anchor inside the hook tip of Cape Cod (Provincetown Harbor) on November 11/November 21. The Mayflower was originally destined for the mouth of the Hudson River, near present-day New York City, at the northern edge of England's Virginia colony, which itself was established with the 1607 Jamestown Settlement. However, theMayflower went off course as the winter approached, and remained in Cape Cod Bay. On March 21/31, 1621, all surviving passengers, who had inhabited the ship during the winter, moved ashore at Plymouth, and on April 5/15, the Mayflower, a privately commissioned vessel, returned to England. In 1623, a year after the death of captain Christopher Jones, the Mayflower was most likely dismantled for scrap lumber in Rotherhithe, London.

The Mayflower has a famous place in American history as a symbol of early European colonization of the future US. With their religion oppressed by the English Church and government, the small party of religious Puritan separatists who comprised about half of the passengers on the ship desired a life where they could practice their religion freely. This symbol of religious freedom resonates in US society and the story of the Mayflower is a staple of any American history textbook. Americans whose roots are traceable back to New England often believe themselves to be descended from Mayflower passengers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower 16.02.10


Picture: http://samuelatgilgal.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/mayflower.jpg 16.02.10

History: http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/ 16.02.10






6. The Apollo 11 mission landed the first humans on the Moon. Launched on July 16, 1969, the third lunar mission of NASA's Apollo Programwas crewed by Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to land on the Moon, while Collins orbited in the Command Module.

The mission fulfilled President John F. Kennedy's goal of reaching the moon by the end of the 1960s, which he had expressed during a speechgiven before a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11 16.02.10


Picture: http://blog.scad.edu/acalibrary/files/2009/07/apollo11.jpg 16.02.10


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCp2jTtay0w 17.02.10

The Apollo Program: http://blog.scad.edu/acalibrary/files/2009/07/apollo11.jpg 16.02.10






7. The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Theinauguration, which set a record attendance for any event held in Washington, D.C., marked the commencement of the four-year term of Barack Obama as President and Joseph Biden as Vice President. Based on the combined attendance numbers, television viewership and Internet traffic, it was among the most observed events ever by the global audience.

"A New Birth of Freedom", a phrase from the Gettysburg Address, served as the inaugural theme to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth year of Abraham Lincoln. In his speeches to the crowds, Obama referred to ideals expressed by Lincoln about renewal, continuity and national unity. Obama mentioned these ideals in his speech to stress the need for shared sacrifice and a new sense of responsibility to answer America's challenges at home and abroad.

Obama and others paid homage to Lincoln in the form of tributes and references during several of the events, starting with a commemorative train tour from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. on January 17, 2009. The inaugural events held in Washington, D.C. from January 18 to January 21, 2009 included concerts, a national day of community service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the swearing-in ceremony, luncheon and parade, inaugural balls, and the interfaith inaugural prayer service. Thepresidential oath as administered to Obama during his swearing-in ceremony on January 20 strayed from the oath of office prescribed in the United States Constitution, which led to its re administration the next evening.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inauguration_of_Barack_Obama 16.02.10


Picture: http://monterrey.usconsulate.gov/uploads/images/M9bzXFbOzKh7QaMYXiY2-g/Barack_Obama.jpg 16.02.10


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hde4s-xBhqE&feature=fvst 16.02.10

Webpage: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama 16.02.10







8. The precursor to the Internet, ARPANET was a large wide-area network created by the United States Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA). Established in 1969, ARPANET served as a testbed for new networking technologies, linking many universities and research centers. The first two nodes that formed the ARPANET were UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute, followed shortly thereafter by the University of Utah.

Tim Berners-Lee is the primary inventor of the World Wide Web, the system of text links and multimedia capabilities that made the Internet accessible to mass audiences. Lee wrote the original Web software himself in 1990 and made it available on the Internet in 1991. He joined MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science in 1994 and remains a leading authority on Internet issues. His 1999 book Weaving the Webdescribed the Web's birth and growth. In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II announced that Berners-Lee would be made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his work on the Web.

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/ARPANET.html 16.02.10
http://www.who2.com/ask/timbernerslee.html 16.02.10


Picture: http://www.edwardsamuels.com/ILLUSTRATEDSTORY/chapter%205/berners-lee.jpg 16.02.10








9. "September 1, 1939" is a poem by W. H. Auden written on the occasion of the outbreak of World War II. It was first published in The New Republic issue of October 18, 1939, and was first published in book form in Auden's collection Another Time.
The poem deliberately echoes the stanza form of W. B. Yeats's "Easter, 1916", another poem about an important historical event, and, like Yeats' poem, Auden's moves from a description of historical failures and frustrations to a possible transformation in the present or future.

Until the two final stanzas, the poem briefly describes the social and personal pathology that has brought about the outbreak of war: first the historical development of Germany "from Luther until now", next the internal conflicts in every individual person that correspond to the external conflicts of the war. Much of the language and content of the poem echoes that of C. G. Jungin his book Psychology and Religion (1938).

The final two stanzas shift radically in tone and content, turning to the truth that the poet can tell, "We must love one another or die," and to the presence in the world of "the Just" who exchange messages of hope. The poem ends with the hope that the poet, like "the Just", can "show an affirming flame" in the midst of the disaster.

Despite Auden's disapproval, the poem became famous and widely popular. E. M. Forster wrote "Because he once wrote 'We must love one another or die' he can command me to follow him" (Two Cheers for Democracy, 1951).

A close echo of the line "We must love one another or die", spoken by Lyndon Johnson in a recording of one of his speeches, was used in the famous Johnson campaign commercial "Daisy" during the 1964 campaign. In the ad, the image of a young girl picks petals from a daisy, then is replaced by the image of a nuclear detonation, which serves as an apocalyptic backdrop to the audio of Johnson's speech. Johnson's version of the line, inserted into a speech by an unidentified speechwriter, was "We must love each other, or we must die."

In 2001, immediately after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the poem was read (with many lines omitted) on National Public Radio and was widely circulated and discussed for its relevance to recent events.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1,_1939 16.02.10

Poem: http://www.poemdujour.com/Sept1.1939.html 16.02.10







10. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, Operation Z, as it was called by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and Battle of Pearl Harbor by some Americans) was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. It resulted in the United States' entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia, against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in thePhilippines. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.

The surprise was complete. The attacking planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 AM, the second at 8:55. By 9:55 it was all over. By 1:00 PM the carriers that launched the planes from 274 miles off the coast of Oahu were heading back to Japan.

Behind them they left chaos, 2,403 dead, 188 destroyed planes and a crippled Pacific Fleet that included 8 damaged or destroyed battleships. In one stroke the Japanese action silenced the debate that had divided Americans ever since the German defeat of France left England alone in the fight against the Nazi terror.

Approximately three hours later, Japanese planes began a day-long attack on American facilities in the Philippines. (Because the islands are located across the International Dateline, the local Philippine time was just after 5 AM on December 8.) Farther to the west, the Japanese struck at Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand in a coordinated attempt to use surprise in order inflict as much damage as quickly as possible to strategic targets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_7,_1941 16.02.10
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm 16.02.10


Picture: http://www.theodoresworld.net/pics/1208/attackImage4.jpg 16.02.10

MODULE 9-SIGNIFICANT FIGURES IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY

MODULE 9-SIGNIFICANT FIGURES IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY



1. Adolf Hitler was leader of Germany during the Third Reich (1933 – 1945) and the primary instigator of both the Second World War in Europe and the mass execution of millions of people deemed to be "enemies" or inferior to the Aryan ideal.

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on April 20th 1889 to Alois Hitler (who, as an illegitimate child, had previously used his mother’s name of Schickelgruber) and Klara Poelzl. A moody child, he grew hostile towards his father, especially once the latter had retired and the family had moved to Linz. Alois died in 1903 but left money to take care of the family. Hitler was close to his mother, who was highly indulgent of Hitler, and he was deeply affected when she died in 1908. He left school at 16 in 1905, intending to become a painter.

Hitler moved to Munich in 1913 and avoided Austrian military service in early 1914 by virtue of being unfit. However, when the First World War broke out in 1914 he joined the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, serving throughout the war. He proved to be an able and brave soldier as a dispatch runner, winning the Iron Cross (First Class) on two occasions. He was also wounded twice, and four weeks before the war ended suffered a gas attack which temporarily blinded and hospitalised him. It was here he learnt of Germany’s surrender, which he took as a betrayal. He especially hated the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1932 Hitler acquired German citizenship and ran for president, coming second to von Hindenburg. Later that year the Nazi party acquired 230 seats in the Reichstag, making them the largest party in Germany. Helped by support from conservative politicians believing they could control Hitler, he was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30th 1933. Hitler moved with great speed to isolate and expel opponents from power, shutting trade unions, removing communists, conservatives and Jews.

Hitler engineered territorial expansion, uniting with Austria in an anschluss, and dismembering Czechoslovakia. It was in September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland, that other nations took a stand, declaring war. This was not unappealing to Hitler who believed Germany should make itself great through war, and invasions in 1940 went well. However, arguably his fatal mistake occurred in 1941 with the invasion of Russia, through which he wished to create lebensraum, or ‘living room’. After initial success, German forces were pushed back by Russia, and defeats in Africa and West Europe followed as Germany was slowly beaten. During this time Hitler became gradually more paranoid and divorced from the world, retreating to a bunker. As armies approached Berlin from two directions, Hitler married his mistress, Eva Braun, and on April 30th 1945 killed himself.

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/hitleradolf/p/prhitler.htm 10.02.10



Picture: http://s.bebo.com/appimage/7955265442/5411656627/PROFILE/i.quizzaz.com/img/q/u/08/05/09/adolf_hitler_portrait.jpg 14.02.10





2. John Stith Pemberton (January 8, 1831 – August 16, 1888) was a Confederate veteran and an American druggist, and perhaps was best known for being the inventor of Coca-Cola, which in his lifetime was used only for medical purposes.

In 1885 Pemberton produced a nonalcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca. Frank Mason Robinson came up with the name "Coca-Cola" for the alliterative sound, which was popular among other wine medicines of the time. Although the name quite clearly refers to the two main ingredients, the controversy over cocaine content would later prompt The Coca-Cola Company to state that it is "meaningless but fanciful". Robinson also hand wrote the Spencerian script on the bottles and ads. Pemberton also made many health claims for his product and marketed it as 'delicious, refreshing, exhilarating, invigorating' and touted it as a 'valuable brain tonic' that would cure headaches, relieve exhaustion and calm nerves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stith_Pemberton 10.02.10



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMa7dM7NHM4&feature=related 14.02.10


Picture: http://morningnoonandnight.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/coca-cola-posters.jpg 14.02.10






3. Galileo was a hugely influential Italian astronomer, physicist and philosopher.
Galileo Galilei was born on 15 February 1564 near Pisa, the son of a musician. He began to study medicine at the University of Pisa but changed to philosophy and mathematics. In 1589, he became professor of mathematics at Pisa. In 1592, he moved to become mathematics professor at the University of Padua, a position he held until 1610. During this time he worked on a variety of experiments, including the speed at which different objects fall, mechanics and pendulums.

In 1609, Galileo heard about the invention of the telescope in Holland. Without having seen an example, he constructed a superior version and made many astronomical discoveries. These included mountains and valleys on the surface of the moon, sunspots, the four largest moons of the planet Jupiter and the phases of the planet Venus. His work on astronomy made him famous and he was appointed court mathematician in Florence.

In 1614, Galileo was accused of heresy for his support of the Copernican theory that the sun was at the centre of the solar system. This was revolutionary at a time when most people believed the Earth was in this central position. In 1616, he was forbidden by the church from teaching or advocating these theories.
In 1632, he was again condemned for heresy after his book 'Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems' was published. This set out the arguments for and against the Copernican theory in the form of a discussion between two men. Galileo was summoned to appear before the Inquisition in Rome. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, later reduced to permanent house arrest at his villa in Arcetri, south of Florence. He was also forced to publicly withdraw his support for Copernican theory.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/galilei_galileo.shtml 10.02.10


Picture: http://images.livescience.com/images/gm_Galileo_Galilei_03_10.jpg 14.02.10







4. William Henry Gates III, KBE, (born October 28, 1955), commonly known as Bill Gates, is the co-founder and current Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft. According to Forbes magazine in 2004, Gates is the wealthiest person in the world, a position he has held steadily for many years.

In 1975, Gates and Allen co-founded Microsoft Corporation to market their version of BASIC, called Microsoft BASIC. It was the primary interpreted computer language of the MS-DOS operating system, and was key to Microsoft's early commercial success.

With his wife, Gates founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organization. Critics have called this a response to negative public outcry over the seemingly monopolistic and anti-competitive practices of his company, but those close to Gates say that he had long expressed his plan to eventually give away most (in 1997 the Washington Post reported 90%) of his large fortune. The foundation's grants have provided funds for underrepresented minority college scholarships, AIDS prevention, diseases that strike mainly in the third world, and other causes. In June 1999, Gates and his wife donated US$5 billion to their foundation, the largest single donation ever by living individuals. He has donated more than 100 million dollars to help kids with AIDS.

Accolades

Honorary KBE from the United Kingdom announced, 2004
Top 100 influential people in media, the Guardian, 2001
The Sunday Times power list, 1999
Upside Elite 100, Ranked 2nd, 1999
Top 50 Cyber Elite, TIME magazine, Ranked 1st, 1998
Top 100 most powerful people in sports, The Sporting News, Ranked 28th, 1997
CEO of the year, Chief Executive Officers magazine, 1994Entomologists have named the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honour.

Estimated wealth

According to Forbes list of the World's Wealthiest People (figures in US Dollars):
1996 - $18.5 billion, ranked #1
1997 - $36.4 billion, ranked #2
1998 - $51.0 billion, ranked #1
1999 - $90.0 billion, ranked #1
2000 - $60.0 billion, ranked #1
2001 - $58.7 billion, ranked #1
2002 - $52.8 billion, ranked #1
2003 - $40.7 billion, ranked #1
2004 - $46.6 billion, ranked #1

http://www.famouspeople.co.uk/b/billgates.html 14.02.10


Picture: http://www.billgatesmicrosoft.com/bill5.jpg 14.02.10






5. Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847 - August 2, 1922) was a scientist, inventor, and founder of the Bell telephone company. In addition to his work in telecommunications technology, he also was responsible for important advances in aviation and hydrofoil technology.

In March 1875, Bell and Pollok visited the famous scientist Joseph Henry, who was then director of the Smithsonian Institution, and asked Henry's advice on the electrical multi-reed apparatus that Bell hoped would transmit the human voice by telegraph. Henry replied that Bell had "the germ of a great invention". When Bell said that he did not have the necessary knowledge, Henry replied, "Get it!" That declaration greatly encouraged Bell to keep trying, even though he did not have the equipment needed to continue his experiments, nor the ability to create a working model of his ideas. However, a chance meeting in 1874 between Bell and Thomas A. Watson, an experienced electrical designer and mechanic at the electrical machine shop of Charles Williams, changed all that.

With financial support from Sanders and Hubbard, Bell was able to hire Thomas Watson as his assistant and the two of them experimented with acoustic telegraphy. On 2 June 1875, Watson accidentally plucked one of the reeds and Bell, at the receiving end of the wire, heard the overtones of the reed; overtones that would be necessary for transmitting speech. That demonstrated to Bell that only one reed or armature was necessary, not multiple reeds. This led to the "gallows" sound-powered telephone, which was able to transmit indistinct, voice-like sounds, but not clear speech.

http://www.famouspeople.co.uk/a/alexandergrahambell.html 14.02.10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell 14.02.10


Picture: http://www.corp.att.com/history/images/milestone_1876.jpg 14.02.10


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuw5NOPsc08&feature=related 14.02.10






6. Andrew Warhola (August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987), more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, andfilmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became famous worldwide for his work as a painter, avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1928, Andy Warhol graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology before moving to New York. His first big break was in August 1949 when Glamour Magazine asked him to illustrate an article called "Success is a Job in New York". Although born Andrew Warhola, he dropped the 'a' in his last name when the credit mistakenly read "Drawings by Andy Warhol."

By 1955 Andy Warhol had almost all of New York copying his work. He was well known for creating ink images with slight color changes. Andy Warhol was into doing popular items like Coca-Cola bottles and celebrities faces, like Marilyn Monroe.

HisCampbell's Soup Can is a classic and an easily recognized work of Andy's. In the 1960s, Andy Warhol also made a series of films about time, boredom and repetition like Empire and The Chelsea Girls which are now underground classics.

Andy Warhol had the privilege of working with the rock band The Velvet Undergroundin 1965. He traveled around the country, not only with The Velvets, but also with 1965 superstar Edie Sedgwick and the lightshow The Exploding Plastic Inevitable.

On June 3rd, 1968, Valerie Solanis, founder and sole member of SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men), walked into Andy Warhol's studio, The Factory, and shot him three times in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital and doctors said he was dead. Still, they decided to open up his chest and massaging his heart - just in case. It did the trick and Andy Warhol survived. Valerie turned herself in, was put in a mental institute and was later given a three-year prison sentence. After recovering, Andy continued to work. He started interVIEW magazine and published The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again. And though bullets didn't do him in, his own gall bladder did. Andy Warhol died February 22, 1987 after routine gall bladder surgery. In May of 1994, The Andy Warhol Museum opened in Pittsburgh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol 14.02.10
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/490-artist-andy-warhol-biography 14.02.10


Famous painting: http://guilhemetleonard.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/andy-warhol.jpg


Andy Warhol Tribute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VII2-LnxvR4 14.02.10






7. Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer, and model. After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received. Monroe was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch.

Important facts about Marilyn Monroe:
Birth date: June 1, 1926
Birth place: Los Angeles, CA
Death date: August 5, 1962
Death place: Brentwood, CA
Burial location: Corridor of Memories, #24, at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, CA

Height: 5 feet 5 1/2 inches
Weight: Varied, 115 - 120 lbs.
Measurements: 37-23-36 (Studio's Claim); 35-22-35 (Dressmaker's Claim)
Hair color: Blond
Eyes: Blue

High schools: Van Nuys High School; University High School
Occupations: Model, Actress, Singer

Mother: Gladys Baker
Half-brother: Hermitt Jack Baker
Half-sister: Berniece Miracle

Marriages: Jimmy Dougherty (1942-1946); Joe DiMaggio (1954); Arthur Miller (1956-1961)
Stepchildren: Joe DiMaggio, Jr., Jane and Robert Miller

Did you know?
In 1999, Marilyn was named the Number One Sex Star of the 20th Century by Playboy magazine

In 1999, Marilyn was voted the 'Sexiest Woman of the Century' by People Magazine.

Issued on June 1, 1995, Marilyn was featured on a 32¢ US commemorative postage stamp.

Elton John recorded the song "Candle in the Wind" as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe.

In December 1953, she was the Playboy "Sweetheart" of the Month.

In February 1953, Marilyn was named the “The Most Advertised Girl in the World” by the Advertising Association of the West.

She was crowned Miss California Artichoke Queen in 1947.

In 1946, she began using the stage name Marilyn Monroe, but did not legally change her name until February 23, 1956.

Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio in San Francisco City Hall.

Marilyn Monroe was nominated for the 1956 British Academy Award for "Best Foreign Actress" in the Seven Year Itch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe 14.02.10


Picture:http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/marilyn_monroe/images/marilyn_monroe_sig_335.jpg 14.02.10


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYjlzepmg8&feature=player_embedded# 14.02.10






8. Gaius Julius Caesar (born 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

In January of 49 BC, Julius Caesar led his army across the Rubicon River in Northern Italy and plunged the Roman Republic into civil war. Caesar's rival, Pompey, fled to Greece. Within three months Caesar controlled the entire Italian peninsula and in Spain had defeated the legions loyal to Pompey.

Caesar now pursued Pompey to Greece. Although outnumbered, Caesar crushed the forces of his enemy but not before Pompey escaped to Egypt. Following Pompey to Egypt, Caesar was presented with his rival's severed head as a token of friendship. Before leaving the region, Caesar established Cleopatra as his surrogate ruler of Egypt. Caesar defeated his remaining rivals in North Africa in 47 BC and returned to Rome with his authority firmly established.

Caesar continued to consolidate his power and in February 44 BC, he declared himself dictator for life. This act, along with his continual effort to adorn himself with the trappings of power, turned many in the Senate against him. Sixty members of the Senate concluded that the only resolution to the problem was to assassinate Caesar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar 14.02.10
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/caesar2.htm 14.02.10


Picture: http://www.utexas.edu/courses/ancientfilmCC304/lecture22/images/3caesar.jpg 14.02.10






9. Napoleon Bonaparte (born 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), was a military and political leader of France and Emperor of the French as Napoleon I, whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century.

Young Napoleon was born in Corsica. During his military training in France and while serving as a lieutenant and captain in their forces, he often returned to Corsica to be with family and friends. At the age of 16, while Napoleon was in France training, his father died of cancer and Napoleon became the family’s caretaker. Napoleon and his family fled to Corsica to live in France when Paoli came to power and declared his rule a dictatorship over the island – and thereafter declared independence from France.

Napoleon Bonaparte climbed rank quickly in the armed forces due to his familial connections and his uncanny military knowledge, which he gained through dedicated reading. He also was influenced by the writings of Voltaire and did not practice much in the way of religion. Although he was a Roman Catholic, he often thought about becoming a Muslim after visiting Egypt.

When a riot formed in Paris, in hopes of stopping a national convention, Bonaparte was reinstated to second in command and took care of the situation – by shooting those who began marching on the capital. With his actions, he was said to have alone saved the newly found government of France and was quickly appointed the commander of the Army of the Interior. The new government was known as the Directory. With his new command, he led France to several military triumphs in Austria, Italy, the French colonies, and the Alps.

Napoleon was away from Paris for long periods due to battles and victories. In his absence, the Royalists began gaining power. In order for them not take over, Napoleon proclaimed himself dictator of France and had the full support of the military. When he first took power, peace was restored for a time. However, during these peaceful times, Napoleon carried on his attempts at imperialism, which made Great Britain nervous. The two countries went to war and finding no peace, Napoleon attempted to gather allies and form blockades on British goods.

Napoleon made numerous enemies and became an unpopular subject among other governments. He was removed from power and forced to reside on Elba Island. He soon returned to France and gathered peasants and armies who believed in his cause. When an American attack seemed imminent, he was forced in exile on St. Helena, where he led an easy life and would eventually die due to disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon#Exile_on_Saint_Helena 14.02.10
http://www.biographyshelf.com/napoleon_bonaparte_biography.html 14.02.10


Picture:http://www.le-beausset-en-provence.com/beausset-provence-napoléon-bonaparte.jpg 14.02.10





10. Diana, Princess of Wales, (maiden name: Diana Frances Spencer; born 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Her sons, Princes William and Harry are second and third in line to the throne of the United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth Realms.

Diana was the daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Frances Ruth Burke Roche, Viscountess Althorp (later known as the Honorable Frances Shand Kydd). Her parents divorced when Diana was young, and her father won custody of her and her siblings. She was educated first at Riddlesworth Hall and then went to boarding school at West Heath School.

Diana was no stranger to the British royal family, having reportedly played with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward as a child while her family rented Park House, an estate owned by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1977, she became reacquainted with their older brother, Prince Charles, who was 13 years her senior.

As the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles was usually the subject of media attention and his courtship of Diana was no exception. The press and the public were fascinated by this seemingly odd couple — the reserved, garden-loving prince and the shy young woman with an interest in fashion and popular culture. When the couple married on July 29, 1981, the ceremony was broadcast on television around the world, with millions of people tuning in to see what many considered to be the wedding of the century.

On June 21, 1982, Diana and Charles had their first child: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis. He was joined by a brother, Prince Henry Charles Albert David — known widely as "Prince Harry" — more than two years later on September 15, 1984. Initially overwhelmed by her royal duties and the intense media coverage of nearly every aspect of her life, she began to develop and pursue her own interests. Diana served a strong supporter of many charities and worked to help the homeless, people living with HIV and AIDS, and children in need.

Unfortunately, the fairy tale wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles did not lead to a happily-ever-after marriage. The two became estranged over the years, and there were reports of infidelities from both parties. During their union, Diana struggled with depression and bulimia. The couple's separation was announced in December 1992 by British Prime Minister John Major, who read a statement from the royal family to the House of Commons. The divorce was finalized in 1996.
Even after the divorce, Diana maintained a high level of popularity. She devoted herself to her sons and to such charitable efforts as the battle against the use of land mines. Diana used her international celebrity to help raise awareness about this issue. She also continued to experience the negative aspects of fame — her 1997 romance with Egyptian film producer and playboy Dodi Al-Fayed caused quite a stir and created a media frenzy. While visiting Paris, the couple was involved in a car crash after trying to escape from the paparazzi on the night of August 30, 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales 14.02.10
http://www.biography.com/articles/Princess-Diana-9273782 14.02.10


Picture: http://www.yorkblog.com/flipside/img/280px-Diana,_Princess_of_Wales.jpeg 14.02.10


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIhlp9LL4f8 14.02.10

Module 8- Geography

Module 8 – Geography

1.Vatican is the smallest country in the world. It’s only 0.44 km2 .
The biggest country is Russia with an area of 17,098,242 km2.

Vatican

http://mrhiggins.net/algebra2/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/vatican.jpg

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Travel/Russia/Moscow/Highlights/StBasilsWithStatue.jpg
Russia


Text from http://en.wikipedia.org 19.02.2010

2. What caused the Dead Sea to form?
This lesson takes us back to the subject of plate tectonics. In this part of the world there is a rift forming where two crustal plates are spreading apart. The East Rift Valley runs through most of Africa, but it starts north of the Dead Sea and runs south along the eastern side of the continent. The Sea is located right along the Rift Valley where the earth's crust is being stretched thin. To get an idea of how this "crustal spreading" thing works, take a bar of taffy, or taffy-like candy and try to pull it apart. You'll see where the candy starts to come apart it gets really thin just before it breaks. That's what is happening to the earth's crust in the Rift Valley. Where the earth's crust gets thin that part of the surface sinks downward. You know what? The Dead Sea is still sinking lower, even today. Scientists figure that the Dead Sea lowers by as much as 13 inches per year. On a geologic time scale that's incredibly fast!

The dead sea resides in Israel and in Jordan.



http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/dead_sea_sunset.jpg


Text from http://www.extremescience.com/index.html 19.02.2010

3. Puncak Jaya was originally called 'Carstensz Pyramid', after Dutch explorer Jan Carstensz who first sighted the glaciers on the peak of the mountain on a rare clear day in 1623 (Carstensz was ridiculed in Europe when he said he had seen snow near the equator) This name is still used among mountaineers Although the snowfield of Puncak Jaya was reached as early as 1909 by a Dutch explorer, Hendrik A. Lorentz, the peak was not climbed until 1962, by an expedition led by the Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (of Seven Years in Tibet fame) with three friends — Temple, Kippax and Huizenga.
In the highland areas, day time temperatures should range between 75 and 45 degrees -F with most evenings about 45 degrees -F Expect warm afternoon showers, which may turn cool in encountered on a mountain pass. Closer to Carstensz, snow or inclement weather may accrue. Temperatures can range from 28 degree-F to 60 degree-F with sunshine occasionally in the mornigs, then rainfall in the afternoons and evenings. Winds are variable and can be strong.


Text from http://peakbagger.com 19.02.2010

4. The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang (simplified Chinese: 长江; traditional Chinese: 長江; pinyin: Cháng Jiāng), Tibetan: 'Bri-chu, is the longest river in China and Asia, and the third-longest in the world, after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon.
The river is about 6300 km long (3915 mi) and flows from its source in Qinghai Province, eastwards into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It acts as a dividing line between North and South China, although geographers generally consider the Qinling-Huai River line to be the official line of geographical division. As the largest river in the region, the Yangtze is historically, culturally, and economically important to China. One of the dams on the river, the Three Gorges Dam, is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world.[2] The section of the river flowing through deep gorges in Yunnan province is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas: a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The name Yangtze River, as well as various similar names such as Yangtse River, Yangzi River, Yangtze Kiang, etc., is derived from Yangzi Jiang (simplified Chinese: 扬子江; traditional Chinese: 揚子江; pinyin: Yángzǐ Jiāng) listen (help•info), which, beginning in the Sui Dynasty, was the Chinese name for the river in its lower reaches, specifically, the stretch between Yangzhou (扬州) and Zhenjiang (镇江). The name comes from the ancient ferry crossing Yangzi Jin (扬子津, meaning "Yangzi Crossing"). From the Ming Dynasty, the name was sometimes written 洋子 (yángzĭ). Because it was the name first heard by missionaries and traders, this name was applied in English to the whole river. In Chinese, Yangzi Jiang is considered a historical or poetic name for the river. The modern Chinese name, Chang Jiang (长江/長江 Cháng Jiāng), literally means "long 'Jiang'" (Jiang is the classical Chinese of Yangtze, but now it means river) and may sometimes also be used in English. It is also known to many as the 'Main Street' of China.

http://dicksdoings.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/YangtzeRiver.77115606.jpg

Text from http://www.wikipedia.org/ 19.02.2010


5. The Mariana Trench (or Marianas Trench) is the deepest known part of the world's oceans, and the lowest elevation of the surface of the Earth's crust. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Mariana Islands. The trench is about 2,550 kilometres (1,580 mi) long but has a mean width of only 69 kilometres (43 mi). It reaches a maximum depth of about 11,033 metres (36,200 ft) at the Challenger Deep, a small slot-shaped valley in its floor, at its southern end.[1]
Part of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc system, the trench forms the boundary between two tectonic plates, where the western edge of the Pacific Plate is subducted beneath the small Mariana Plate. Because the Pacific plate is the largest of all the tectonic plates on Earth, crustal material at its western edge has had a long time since formation (up to 170 million years) to compact and become very dense; hence its great height-difference relative to the higher-riding Mariana Plate, at the point where the Pacific Plate crust is subducted. This deep area is the Mariana trench proper. The movement of these plates is also responsible for the formation of the Mariana Islands.
At the bottom of the trench, where the plates meet, the water column above exerts a pressure of 108.6 megapascals (15,750 psi), over one thousand times the standard atmospheric pressure at sea level. If Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth at 8,848 metres (29,030 ft), were set in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, there would be 2,076 metres (6,810 ft) of water left above it.[1]
Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, the trench is not the part of the seafloor closest to the center of the Earth - parts of the Arctic Ocean seabed are at least 13,000 meters closer to the center than the Challenger deep seafloor.

Mariana Trench

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Text from http://www.wikipedia.org 19.02.2010

6. Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer.
In 1591 he secretly married Elizabeth Throckmorton, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, without requesting the Queen's permission, for which he and his wife were sent to the Tower of London. After his release, they retired to his estate at Sherborne, Dorset.
Raleigh was born to a Protestant family in Devon, the son of Walter Raleigh and Catherine Champernowne. Little is known for certain of his early life, though he spent some time in Ireland, in Killua Castle, Clonmellon, County Westmeath, taking part in the suppression of rebellions and participating in two infamous massacres at Rathlin Island and Smerwick. Later he became a landlord of properties confiscated from the Irish. He rose rapidly in Queen Elizabeth I's favour, being knighted in 1585. He was involved in the early English colonisation of the New World in Virginia under a royal patent.

Text from http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/sir-walter-raleigh.htm 19.02.2010

7. The biggest body of water is the Pacific Ocean. Its name is derived from the Luso-Latin macaronic Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan[citation needed]. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.
At 169.2 million square kilometres (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about 30% of its total surface.The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the Pacific and in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,800 ft).

Pacific Ocean

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Text from http://en.wikipedia.org 19.02.2010


8. The Sahara (Arabic: الصحراء الكبرى‎, aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Greatest Desert") is the world's largest hot desert. At over 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi), it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as the United States or the continent of Europe. The desert stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. To the south, it is delimited by the Sahel: a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna that comprises the northern region of central and western Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Sahara has an intermittent history that may go back as much as 3 million years.Some of the sand dunes can reach 180 metres (600 ft) in height.The name comes from the Arabic word for desert: (صَحراء), "ṣaḥrā´".



Berbers
Berbers are one of the oldest known inhabitants of the Sahara Desert.They are the people that occupied (and still occupy) more than two thirds of the Sahara's total surface.[citation needed]The Garamantes Berbers built a prosperous empire in the heart of the desert.[citation needed] The Tuareg nomads continue, to present day, to inhabit and move across wide Sahara surfaces in Algeria, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and Libya. Some of the oldest Berber Tifinagh inscriptions are found in Southern Algeria, Northern Mali and Niger.

Egyptians
By 6000 BC predynastic Egyptians in the southwestern corner of Egypt were herding cattle and constructing large buildings. Subsistence in organized and permanent settlements in predynastic Egypt by the middle of the 6th millennium BC centered predominantly on cereal and animal agriculture: cattle, goats, pigs and sheep. Metal objects replaced prior ones of stone. Tanning of animal skins, pottery and weaving are commonplace in this era also.There are indications of seasonal or only temporary occupation of the Al Fayyum in the 6th millennium BC, with food activities centering on fishing, hunting and food-gathering. Stone arrowheads, knives and scrapers are common.Burial items include pottery, jewelry, farming and hunting equipment, and assorted foods including dried meat and fruit. Burial in desert environments appears to enhance Egyptian preservation rites, and dead are buried facing due west.By 3400 BC, the Sahara was as dry as it is today, and it became a largely impenetrable barrier to humans, with only scattered settlements around the oases, but little trade or commerce through the desert. The one major exception was the Nile Valley. The Nile, however, was impassable at several cataracts, making trade and contact by boat difficult.



http://funwebtest.epfl.ch/site2004/cecile/images/sahara.jpg


Nubians
During the Neolithic, before the onset of desertification, around 9500 BC the central Sudan had been a rich environment supporting a large population ranging across what is now barren desert, like the Wadi el-Qa'ab. By the 5th millennium BC, the peoples who inhabited what is now called Nubia, were full participants in the "agricultural revolution," living a settled lifestyle with domesticated plants and animals. Saharan rock art of cattle and herdsmen found suggests the presence of a cattle cult like those found in Sudan and other pastoral societies in Africa today.Megaliths found at Nabta Playa are overt examples of probably the world's first known Archaeoastronomy devices, predating Stonehenge by some 1000 years.This complexity, as observed at Nabta Playa, and as expressed by different levels of authority within the society there, likely formed the basis for the structure of both the Neolithic society at Nabta and the Old Kingdom of Egypt.[36]

Phoenicians
The peoples of Phoenicia, who flourished between 1200-800 BC, created a confederation of kingdoms across the entire Sahara to Egypt. They generally settled along the Mediterranean coast, as well as the Sahara, among the peoples of Ancient Libya, who were the ancestors of peoples who speak Berber languages in North Africa and the Sahara today, including the Tuareg of the central Sahara.
The Phoenician alphabet seems to have been adopted by the ancient Libyans of north Africa, and Tifinagh is still used today by Berber-speaking Tuareg camel herders of the central Sahara.
Sometime between 633 BC and 530 BC, Hanno the Navigator either established or reinforced Phoenician colonies in Western Sahara, but all ancient remains have vanished with virtually no trace.

Greeks
By 500 BC, a new influence arrived in the form of the Greeks. Greek traders spread along the eastern coast of the desert, establishing trading colonies along the Red Sea coast. The Carthaginians explored the Atlantic coast of the desert. But the turbulence of the waters and the lack of markets never led to an extensive presence further south than modern Morocco. Centralized states thus surrounded the desert on the north and east; it remained outside the control of these states. Raids from the nomadic Berber people of the desert were a constant concern of those living on the edge of the desert.



http://www.juanita.ca/Saharagallery/TheSahara.jpg

Urban civilization
An urban civilization, the Garamantes, arose around this time in the heart of the Sahara, in a valley that is now called the Wadi al-Ajal in Fazzan, Libya.The Garamantes achieved this development by digging tunnels far into the mountains flanking the valley to tap fossil water and bring it to their fields. The Garamantes grew populous and strong, conquering their neighbors and capturing many slaves (which were put to work extending the tunnels). The ancient Greeks and the Romans knew of the Garamantes and regarded them as uncivilized nomads. However, they traded with the Garamantes, and a Roman bath has been found in the Garamantes capital of Garama. Archaeologists have found eight major towns and many other important settlements in the Garamantes territory. The Garamantes civilization eventually collapsed after they had depleted available water in the aquifers, and could no longer sustain the effort to extend the tunnels still further into the mountains.

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org 19.02.2010

9. America was named after Amerigo Vespucci in 1507. A man called Regiomontanus was famous as a Medieval Scientist, Mathematician and Astronomer. His book Ephemerides was used by Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci to measure longitudes in their explorations of the New World.



http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/00-11.gif

Text from http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/famous-explorers.htm 19.02.2010


10.Francisco Pizarro conquered the Peru in 1532. He founded the city named Lima and defeated the incas.

Machu Picchu

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Text from http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/francisco-pizarro.htm 19.02.2010

Module 7-Fashion

Longest lasting fashion magazine in the world

Vogue, founded in the US in 1892, has been the longest-lasting and most successful of the hundreds of fashion magazines that have come and gone.


























This is Vogue magazine in Italy This issue costs 3.30 pounds



Vogue homepage:http://www.vogue.com

Text:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion /10.02

Pictures http://www.modelinia.com/_content/slideshows/139/images/11_Vogue-Italia-Steven-Meisel-May-2007.jpg and http://cdni.condenast.co.uk/320x421/s_v/VoguecoverJul04_XL_320x421.jpg







Mary Quant

Mary Quant, OBE, FCSD (born 11 February 1934 in Blackheath, Kent, England) is a British fashion designer, one of the many designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants. Born to Welsh parents, Quant went to Blackheath High School then studied illustration at Goldsmiths College before taking a career with a couture milliner. She is also famed for her work on pop art in fashion.

Skirts had been getting shorter since about 1958 – a development Mary Quant considered to be practical and liberating, allowing women the ability to run for a bus. The miniskirt, for which she is arguably most famous, became one of the defining fashions of the 1960s.

In the late 1960s, Quant popularised hot pants. Through the 1970s and 1980s she concentrated on household goods and make-up, rather than just her clothing lines. At a talk at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2007 she claimed to have invented duvet covers.

She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers, and winner of the Minerva Medal, the Society's highest award.

In 2000, she resigned as director of Mary Quant Ltd., her cosmetics company, after a Japanese buy-out. There are over 200 Mary Quant Colour shops in Japan, where Quant fashions continue to enjoy more popularity.

See also Daisy doll by Mary Quant Sewing patterns by Mary Quant http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Mary_Quant Click on a Butterwick 3288 (for example)


Mary Quant





















Text:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Quant
Pictures http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/25723-large.jpg and http://minxboutique.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/queenie_mary_quant_caschetto.jpg







Haute couture

Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture is a common abbreviation of Haute Couture, which refers to the same thing in spirit.
French leadership in European fashion may date from the 18th century, when the art, architecture, music, and fashions of the French court at Versailles were imitated across Europe. Visitors to Paris brought back clothing that was then copied by local dressmakers. Stylish women also ordered fashion dolls dressed in the latest Parisian fashion to serve as models.
The couturier Charles Frederick Worth (October 13, 1826–March 10, 1895), is widely considered the father of haute couture as it is known today. Although born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, Worth made his mark in the French fashion industry. Revolutionizing how dressmaking had been previously perceived, Worth made it so the dressmaker became the artist of garnishment: a fashion designer. While he created one-of-a-kind designs to please some of his titled or wealthy customers, he is best known for preparing a portfolio of designs that were shown on live models at the House of Worth. Clients selected one model, specified colors and fabrics, and had a duplicate garment tailor-made in Worth's workshop. Worth combined individual tailoring with a standardization more characteristic of the ready-to-wear clothing industry, which was also developing during this period.
Jean-Paul Gaultier (born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France) is a French haute couture fashion designer and previous host of television series Eurotrash.

Jean-Paul Gaultier



Sarah Jessica Parker in haute couture (dior)



Text:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haute_couture and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Gaultier /15.02

Picture hhttp://nymag.com/daily/fashion/photos/news060909_gaultier_300 and https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktjlkxPYb7UF3FNJsQ0FvaNLl3WxeEJ29C0KhqHDocG1i5PLsIQqd5kCon6yBWXf-zfvBmPSRwuPowOzwOaICc4Rw1-EO7dVNqnHfeLF2sg9c3OUaGDY_cQAoAgrni3ms4JiH8ALGhYE/s400/sarah-jessica-parker-2009-oscars-01diorhautecouture.jpg







The Function of Buttons on Jacket Sleeves

According to information passed down through the ages, none other than Napoleon Bonaparte dictated that buttons be attached to jacket sleeves to stop the annoying habit soldiers had of wiping their runny noses on their jacket sleeves.




Text:http://beyondjane.com/fashion/trends/six-fascinating-facts-about-fashion-that-you-probably-dont-know /15.02

Picture:http://fashionworld14.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/buttons-on-jacket-sleeves.jpeg /15.02





Women’s wigs in 18 century

In eighteenth-century England, women's wigs were sometimes 4 feet high. These remarkable headdresses were dusted with flour and decorated with Stuffed birds, replicas of gardens, plates of fruit, or even model ships. Sometimes the wigs were so elaborate they were worn continuously for several months. They were matted with lard to keep them from coming apart, which made mice and insects a constant hazard. Special pillows had to be constructed to hold these giant creations, and rat-resistant caps made of gilt wire were common items. Mercifully, the wig craze died out quite suddenly in England in 1795, when a hair-powder tax made their upkeep too expensive.



Text:http://www.skygaze.com/content/facts/fashion.shtml /15.02

Picture:http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jezebel/2009/09/3944120186_6296e978d5_o.jpg /15.02







What Makes an Item Vintage?

A clothing item is considered vintage if it dates from 1920 to 1960. After that date, an item is considered to be retro, not vintage.
Vintage items(1920)

Also look some other fascinating facts about fashion http://beyondjane.com/fashion/trends/six-fascinating-facts-about-fashion-that-you-probably-dont-know /15.02



Text:http://beyondjane.com/fashion/trends/six-fascinating-facts-about-fashion-that-you-probably-dont-know /15.02

Picture:http://artfiles.art.com/5/p/LRG/19/1923/BOT9D00Z/ximena-zapatos-1920.jpg /15.02







Brassiere and negligee

A brassiere is an article of clothing that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting a woman's breasts. Bras are these days worn by women in almost all parts of the world.
During recorded history, women have used a variety of garments and devices to cover, restrain, or elevate their breasts. Brassiere or bikini-like garments are depicted on some female athletes in the 1400s BC during the Minoan civilization era. Similar functionality was achieved by both outerwear and underwear. In China during the Ming Dynasty a form of foundation cloth complete with cups and straps drawn over shoulders and tied to the girth seam at the lower back called a dudou was in vogue among rich women. Popularity continued into the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). In English they are known as "stomach protectors" or "tummy covers".


Elastic brassiere from 1907



Negligee
The negligee is a form of womens wear intended for wear at night and in the bedroom. It is a form of nightgown; first introduced in France in the 18th-century, where it mimicked the heavy head-to-toe style of women's day dresses of the time.
By the 1920s it began to mimic women's satin single-layer evening dresses of the period. The term "negligee" was used of a Royal Doulton run of ceramic figurines in 1927, showing women wearing what appears to be a one-piece knee-length silk or rayon slip, trimmed with lace. Although the evening-dresses style of nightwear made moves towards the modern negligee style, it was only after World War II that nightwear changed from being primarily utilitarian to being primarily sensual or even erotic; the negligee emerged strongly as a form of lingerie.
In the UK in 2004, negligees accounted for only four percent of women's nightwear sales, women's pyjamas having dominated since the mid 1980s. However, UK negligee sales are said to have been the fastest increasing sector of the market since 1998.





Text:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negligee and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassiere /14.02

Pictures:http://f00.inventorspot.com/images/383px-CorsetLeonJulesRAINAL_Freres13b.img_assist_custom.png
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2404/2025253053_a9d85264c0.jpg and http://www.jossip.com/wp/docs/2007/06/pink-slip-negligee.JPG /14.02






Perfumes

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent.
The word perfume used today derives from the Latin "per fumus", meaning through smoke. Perfumery, or the art of making perfumes, began in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and was further refined by the Romans and Persians.
Although perfume and perfumery also existed in India, much of its fragrances are incense based. The earliest distillation of Attar was mentioned in the Hindu Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. The Harshacharita, written in 7th century A.D. in Northern India mentions use of fragrant agarwood oil.
The world's first recorded chemist is considered to be a woman named Tapputi, a perfume maker who was mentioned in a cuneiform tablet from the second millennium BC in Mesopotamia. She distilled flowers, oil, and calamus with other aromatics then filtered and put them back in the still several times.
Recently, archaeologists have uncovered what are believed to be the world's oldest perfumes in Pyrgos, Cyprus. The perfumes date back more than 4,000 years. The perfumes were discovered in an ancient perfumery. At least 60 stills, mixing bowls, funnels and perfume bottles were found in the 43,000-square-foot (4,000 m2) factory. In ancient times people used herbs and spices, like almond, coriander, myrtle, conifer resin, bergamot, as well as flowers.


All kind of perfume bottles.


Text http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfumes /14.02

Picture http://bluemooncandles.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/perfume-bottles.jpg /14.02






Who is the top model ranked 15 among Top Icon models?

Gisele Caroline Nonnenmacher Bündchen (born July 20, 1980) is a Brazilian model and occasional film actress. According to Forbes, she is the highest-paid model in the world and also the sixteenth richest woman in the entertainment world, with an estimated $70 million fortune. Bündchen also acts as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.
Birth name
Gisele Caroline Bündchen
Date of birth July 20, 1980 (1980-07-20) (age 29)
Place of birth Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Hair colour Light brown
Eye colour Blue/Green
Measurements 35-23-35.5 (89-59-90)
35-26.5-36 (89-67-91)
Weight 57 kg (130 lb; 9.0 st)
Dress size 34 EU/4 US/6 UK
Shoe size 37 EU/7 US/5 UK
Agency IMG Models
2pm Model Management
Spouse(s) Tom Brady (2009-present)

Also look her website http://www.giselebundchen.com.br


Gisele has said
“ I was born in Horizontina, a town in the backcountry of (Brazilian) state Rio Grande do Sul. The town was once mainly colonized by Germans. In the school which I attended, learning German was actually obligatory from third grade on. But being out of touch with the language for such a long time, I unfortunately forgot it. [...] I belong to the sixth generation of my family in Brazil. ”


Gisele cover of the magazine


…and on a runway



Text http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisele_B%C3%BCndchen and http://models.com/icons/icons.html?fnumber=5&lnumber=1 /15.02

Pictures http://www.dailystab.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/gisele-bundchen-harpers-bazaar.jpg and https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh6os6B2mHj4065kkrK4-2J17915lsZOJ9Jaa8nMFhI0p5f3J-TdWDacB_8F_8G-MpthAuXoZHEmgi-T0y0m8pP8FRuDwZyt62jKFG4lwObVZX5hGXc5CFN_j949LQe4IB2QGh9OimBi8/s400/Gisele+Elle01.jpg







What is the name of the company, which first started to produce denim jeans?


1850th in Germany was of Jewish descent, Levi Straussil San Francisco, USA, a small wholesale, which sold the "Levi's" brand jeans for California mining workers and dealers. One of his clients, Jacob Davis, had the idea to strengthen the pockets of the jeans copper rivets corners. Davis has not have enough money to register the patent. Therefore, he turned to Levi Strauss's proposals to cooperate in this area. 20. May 1873rd register. In the U.S. Patent and Trade Mark Patent No. 139.121. This date is considered the beginning of modern jeans.


Also watch how jeans are made http://www.jeansinfo.org/how_they_make_jeans.html

Text http://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teksad

Module 6- Australia

Module 6 - Australia

1.The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest-exclusion fence that was built in Australia during the 1880s and finished in 1885, to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south-east part of the continent (where they had largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the world and is the world's longest fence. It stretches 5,614 km (3,488 mi) from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometres of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain above the Great Australian Bight (131° 40’ E), near Nundroo. It has been partly successful, though dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states. Although the fence has helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this has been countered by holes in fences found in the 1990s to which dingo offspring have passed through and due to increased pasture competition from rabbits and kangaroos.


8.02.2010
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Sturt_National_Park3_-_Dingo_Fence_-_CameronsCorner.jpg/180px-Sturt_National_Park3_-_Dingo_Fence_-_CameronsCorner.jpg)

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org

2.Which world's largest reptile can be found in Australia? Give the details of the species and illustrate.

The biggest reptile in the world is Saltwater Crocodile.These creatures are found on the northern coast of Australia and inland for up to 100 kms or more. The Saltwater Crocodile has been reported to grow to lengths of 7 metres!, but the average size of a Saltwater Crocodile is 4 metres long.They reproduce in the wet season, with the female crocodile laying up to 60 eggs at a time. When the crocodiles are born, only a very small number of these survive in the wild and grow to be adult crocodiles.


8.02.2010
(http://animal.discovery.com/reptiles/crocodile/pictures/crocodile-picture.jpg)

Text from http://www.australianfauna.com

Australian Animals

View more presentations from carronshore.

3.What kind of goverment does Australia have? Who is the present Prime Minister?

Australia was declared a federation in 1901 with the concurrence of the British Parliament, and now has a Federal Government, six State Governments and two Territories which are largely self-governing.

Kevin Michael Rudd was sworn in as the 26th Prime Minister of Australia on 3 December 2007.

http://www.pm.gov.au/sites/default/files/image/image_library/_DSC3418.jpg

Mr Rudd was born in the country town of Nambour in Queensland in 1957, the son of a share farmer and a nurse. Mr Rudd was educated at the Eumundi Primary School, Marist College Ashgrove and Nambour State High School, where he was Dux of the school. He joined the Australian Labor Party at the age of 15 in 1972.

Prior to entering Parliament in 1998, Mr Rudd worked as a diplomat, as a senior official in the Queensland Government, and as a consultant helping Australian firms to establish and build their business links in China and in Taiwan.


The Australian system of government has its beginnings in two great democratic traditions. Following British settlement in 1788, the Westminster model was used as the basis of government in the six separate colonies established across the continent in the 19th century. When those colonies met to discuss the formation of a national government in 1890 they opted for a relationship between the national and state governments similar to that of the United States. At the same time they opted to retain the Westminster model as the basis for the legislature, the executive government and the judiciary at the national and state level. The American tradition is expressed through a written constitution defining the powers of the national government.
The first prime Minister was Lord Hopetoun.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT
The form of government at the national level corresponds largely with the British democratic tradition. The federal legislature consists of a House of Representatives of 147 members representing individual electorates in all States and Territories and elected on a preferential voting system, and a Senate consisting of 12 representatives from each State and two from each Territory elected through proportional representation.

The party with the majority in the House of Representatives provides a ministry from its members in the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Prime Minister traditionally coming from the House of Representatives. Membership in the House of Representatives is divided between two major groupings, the Australian Labor Party and a coalition of the Liberal Party and therural-based National Party. Elections must be held every three years, but may be held more frequently with the consent of the Governor-General.

The Senate is more diverse in its membership. The two major groupings provide the majority of members. However, the Australian Democrats, and recently other minor parties, have held the balance of power for most of the past 20 years. If the Government fails to command a majority in the House of Representatives it must ask the Governor-General to authorise an election or resign. It need not, however, command a majority in the Senate. Senators are generally elected for six-year terms.

Each Minister of State is responsible to Parliament for the operation of a department, in some cases jointly with other ministers. The amalgamation of departments in the past decade has resulted in the assignment of responsibilities in the larger departments to a portfolio minister, assisted by one or more ministers within the same portfolio. There are many statutory agencies, corporations, tribunals and commissions in the federal public sector, all responsible to particular ministers.

Australia is one of the few countries to adopt compulsory voting at the national and state level and to have a permanent electoral commission charged with overseeing fair elections and regular redistribution of the boundaries of electorates for the House of Representatives. This ensures, as nearly as practicable, the same number of electors in each electorate. The Australian Electoral Commission also administers public funding provisions for registered political parties and eligible independents.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
State governments have basically similar institutions to their federal counterpart. Each has its own Governor with powers similar to those of the Governor-General, also exercised on the advice of the Government. Each has an upper and lower House of Parliament, except for Queensland which has only one House. All operate on the British system of cabinet government. The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory also have their own governments and legislatures, but their powers are less than those of state governments.

In the almost 100 years since federation, increasing powers have been transferred to the Federal Government or shared between the States and the Federal Government. The taxing power,passed to the Federal Government 50 years ago, has generated regular consultations on the distribution of revenue and other matters between the Federal and State Governments. Councils and conferences of ministers are frequent and cover agriculture, education, housing, employment, minerals and energy, transport and legal matters. Commissions have also been set up to advise on the allocation of federal grants to the States in such areas as education and road construction.

The Council of Australian Governments representing the Federal Government and the heads of all States and Territories has taken a number of initiatives to rationalise intergovernmental decision making since its formation in 1992 as a forum for ongoing discussions on national matters. It has endorsed strategies on ecologically sustainable development and greenhouse gas emissions.

The six States contain more than 850 local government areas. They are controlled by elected councils and are regulated by state Acts of Parliament. Responsibility for administering local amenities such as roads, water supply, sewerage and electricity often lies with statutory authorities established by State Governments.

Finance for their activities is increasingly obtained through grants from the Federal and State Governments.

8.02.2010

Text from http://www.about-australia.com

4.The Deepest lake in Australia is Lake St Clair and the Murray River is the longest river in Australia at 2520km, combining with the Darling and Upper Darling Rivers to form the Murray-Darling basin. The Murray Darling extends over 15% of the continent, and serving 4 States and the ACT with water. The Murray also supports about 1/3 of Australia's agricultural production, supports 50% of Australia's sheep and croplands, and 25% of beef and dairy herds, contains about 62% of the country's irrigated land and supplies 50% of South Australia's water.


(http://www.lakestclairflyfishing.com/images/StClairFlats.jpg)Lake St Clair.




(http://www.rafting.co.uk/images/clip_image002_083.jpg)The Murray river.

12.02.2010

Text from http://www.australianexplorer.com

5.‘Advance Australia Fair’ is the national anthem of Australia. A revised version of a late nineteenth century patriotic song, it was officially declared the national anthem on 19 April 1984.

The composer
Peter Dodds McCormick, a Scot, composed ‘Advance Australia Fair’ under the pen-name ‘Amicus’ (amicus is the Latin word for ‘friend’). It was first performed in Sydney on Saint Andrew’s Day, 1878. An amended version was also sung by a choir of 10,000 at the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January, 1901. In 1907, the Australian Government awarded McCormick £100 for his composition. Peter McCormick died in 1916 and ‘Advance Australia Fair’ became free of copyright in 1966. The Commonwealth of Australia, however, does copyright the officially proclaimed lyrics and particular arrangements of music. Non-commercial public use of the anthem is permitted, but commercial use requires permission.

Some of the original words of the song have been changed for the official version. ‘Australia’s sons let us rejoice’ was the original first line; this has been replaced with ‘Australians all let us rejoice’. In the third verse of the original song, two lines were changed—‘To make our youthful Commonwealth’ became ‘To make this Commonwealth of ours’, and ‘For loyal sons beyond the seas’ became ‘For those who’ve come across the seas’.

How ‘Advance Australia Fair’ became the national anthem
The official anthem was ‘God Save the Queen’ (or ‘King’) from 1788 to 1974, although numerous commercial and official competitions were held over the years to find a substitute. The first was held in 1840.

John Dunmore Lang, who published an ‘Australian Anthem’ and an ‘Australian Hymn’ in 1826, was an early advocate of a distinctively Australian anthem. Carl Linger of South Australia wrote ‘The Song of Australia’ in 1860, and it was suggested to the Prime Minister in 1929 as a possible national anthem.

The issue of a truly national anthem was raised persistently before the 1956 Olympic Games, which were held in Melbourne. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ and ‘Waltzing Matilda’ were the two songs most strongly favoured then as the new anthem. ‘Waltzing Matilda’ was composed in 1895, with lyrics by one of Australia’s best known poets, AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson.

On Australia Day, 26 January, in 1972, the number of entries (more than 400) received in an Australia-wide national anthem quest gave an indication of the interest in a new anthem.

Exactly a year later a government-sponsored competition was announced, which drew 2500 entries for the words and 1300 for the music. The judges selected six entries for the words, but rejected all the musical entries.

The polls and what followed
The quest for an Australian national anthem continued. In 1974 a public opinion poll sampled an estimated 60 000 people to select from three possible anthems: ‘Advance Australia Fair’, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘Song of Australia’. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ polled 51.4 per cent. Following this result the then Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, announced that ‘Advance Australia Fair’ would be the national anthem, except on specifically Royal occasions, when both it and ‘God Save the Queen’ would be played.

In 1976, after a change of government, ‘God Save the Queen’ was reinstated for Royal, vice-regal, defence and loyal toast occasions, with ‘Advance Australia Fair’ to be played on all other official occasions.

In May 1977, however, a national poll was conducted to ascertain the public choice of a national song. This time more than seven million people were issued with ballot papers. The results were: ‘Advance Australia Fair’ 43.2 per cent, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ 28.3 per cent, ‘God Save the Queen’ 18.7 per cent and ‘Song of Australia’ 9.6 per cent. Despite the poll results, adoption of the new national anthem met widespread opposition.

It was not until April 1984 that the Governor-General issued a proclamation that ‘God Save the Queen’ was designated the Royal Anthem, to be played at public engagements in Australia attended by the members of the Royal family. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ was finally declared to be the Australian national anthem.

Usually ‘God Save the Queen’ is played at the start of Royal functions and ‘Advance Australia Fair’ at the end, unless it is more appropriate to play both anthems at the start. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ is played at all other official functions.

Australian national anthem video



Lyrics
ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

12.02.2010

Text from http://www.dfat.gov.au

6.The flag of Australia is the national flag of Australia. Its original design was chosen in 1901 from entries in a worldwide competition held following Federation. It was first flown in Melbourne on 3 September 1901. A slightly different design was approved by King Edward VII in 1902. Over the next few years, the exact specifications of the flag were changed several times both intentionally and as a result of confusion. The current specifications were formally gazetted in 1934, and in 1954 the flag became recognised by parliamentary statute as the "Australian National Flag".

The flag is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton (upper hoist quarter), and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter. The fly contains a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars – one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars.





(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Flag_of_Australia.svg/200px-Flag_of_Australia.svg.png)


The flag of Australia is legally defined in the Flags Act 1953. In addition there are other official flags representing Australia, its people and core functions of government.

The Australian flag uses three prominent symbols: the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star (also the Federation Star) and the Southern Cross (or Crux).

The Union Flag is thought locally to symbolise Australia's history as six British colonies and the principles upon which the Australian Federation is based,although a more historic view sees its inclusion in the design as demonstrating loyalty to the British Empire.

The Commonwealth Star originally had only six points, representing the six federating colonies. However, this changed in 1908 when a seventh point was added to symbolise the Territory of Papua and any future territories.The Commonwealth Star does not have any relation to Beta Centauri, despite that star's coincidental location in the sky and its brightness.

The Southern Cross is one of the most distinctive constellations visible in the Southern Hemisphere,and has been used to represent Australia since the early days of British settlement.Ivor Evans, one of the flag's designers, intended the Southern Cross to refer also to the four moral virtues ascribed to the four main stars by Dante: justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude.The number of points on the stars of the Southern Cross on today's Australian flag differs from the original competition-winning design, on which they ranged between five and nine points each, representing their relative brightness in the night sky.In order to simplify manufacture, the British Admiralty standardised the four larger outer stars at seven points each, leaving the smaller middle star with five points.

A complete specification for the current design was published in the Commonwealth Gazette in 1934.

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org 12.02.2010

7.The name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern". Legends of an "unknown land of the south" (terra australis incognita) date back to Roman times and were commonplace in medieval geography but were not based on any documented knowledge of the continent.

The first recorded use of the word Australia in English was in 1625 in "A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Master Hakluyt" and published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus.The Dutch adjectival form Australische was used by Dutch East India Company officials in Batavia to refer to the newly discovered land to the south in 1638. Australia was used in a 1693 translation of Les Aventures de Jacques Sadeur dans la Découverte et le Voyage de la Terre Australe, a 1676 French novel by Gabriel de Foigny under the pen-name Jacques Sadeur.Alexander Dalrymple then used it in An Historical Collection of Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean (1771), to refer to the entire South Pacific region. In 1793, George Shaw and Sir James Smith published Zoology and Botany of New Holland, in which they wrote of "the vast island, or rather continent, of Australia, Australasia or New Holland".It also appeared on a 1799 chart by James Wilson.

The name Australia was popularised by Matthew Flinders who, as early as 1804, pushed for the name to be formally adopted. When preparing his manuscript and charts for his 1814 A Voyage to Terra Australis he was persuaded by his patron, Sir Joseph Banks, to use the term Terra Australis as this was the name most familiar to the public. Flinders did so, but allowed himself the footnote:

"Had I permitted myself any innovation on the original term, it would have been to convert it to Australia; as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth."
This is the only occurrence of the word Australia in that text; but in Appendix III, Robert Brown's General remarks, geographical and systematical, on the botany of Terra Australis, Brown makes use of the adjectival form Australian throughout,this being the first known use of that form.Despite popular conception, the book was not instrumental in the adoption of the name: the name came gradually to be accepted over the following ten years.Lachlan Macquarie, a Governor of New South Wales, subsequently used the word in his dispatches to England, and on 12 December 1817 recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted.In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia.

The word Australia in Australian English is pronounced [əˈstɹæɪljə, -liə].Since early in the 20th century, the country has been sometimes referred to locally and internationally as Oz.N5 Aussie is common colloquially as an adjective and also as a noun referring to an Australian.

Text from http://en.wikipedia.org 12.02.2010

8.Australia's national floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth.).

When in flower, the golden wattle displays the national colours, green and gold.

As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the golden wattle is a symbol of unity.

Wattle is ideally suited to withstand Australia's droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people.

In recent times, the golden wattle has been used as a symbol of remembrance and reflection. On national days of mourning, for example, Australians are invited to wear a sprig of wattle.

The golden wattle has been used in the design of Australian stamps and many awards in the Australian honours system. A single wattle flower is the emblem of the Order of Australia.



(http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/images/wattle.jpg)

National Wattle Day

The first day of September is National Wattle Day. It builds on a long unofficial tradition of wearing the wattle blossom on 1 September. The day was introduced in 1913 by an association called the Wattle Day League and formally recognised on 23 June 1992.

Australians can celebrate their floral heritage each Wattle Day by planting wattles.


Text from http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/ 12.02.2010


9.Australian Tree Frog

One of the most popular pets in the world, the Australian tree frog, is a fascinating amphibian. The Australian green tree frog, has a vivid shade of green and is known by many names like, green tree frog, White's tree frog and Dumpy tree frog. The article presented below bares all about the Australian tree frogs.
The Australian tree frog, or the 'litoria caerulea', is originally a native of Australia and New Guinea, though the pet trade has transported it far and wide. It has successfully adapted to New Zealand as well as United States. The Australian tree frog is a fascinating creature that can survive both on land as well as in water. Let us find out more about the Australian tree frog's habitat, feeding habits and conservation status.

Australian Green Tree Frog Facts File
The Australian tree frog is one of the largest member of its species and can reach up to 10cms in length. Their life spans are also longer than most of their frog cousins and can reach between 16 to 20 years in captivity. In the wild, their lives are smaller due to predation. They are docile and hence make good exotic house pets.

An amazing, less known fact about the Australian tree frog is that its soft, green skin secretes compounds with antiviral and antibacterial properties. Their skin color ranges anything between light green and dark green, and can sometimes appear brownish or olive green. Their colors depend on the local temperature and the color of their surrounding environment, as it is supposed to give them an effective camouflage. Some Australian tree frogs have small, white spots on their skin.

The Australian tree frogs have large discs at the end of their toes. These allow them a firm grip, when they climb on vertical surfaces. Their webbed limbs allow them to cling to branches and trees and it is not uncommon to find them stuck on grass or leaves. The Australian tree frog can be found in a wide range of eye colors; red, yellow, brown, green, silver or gold.




(http://www.mrnussbaum.com/gamesimages/frog/atf.gif)

Being amphibians, they have lungs, but they mostly absorb oxygen through their skin (only if the skin is moist). The main disadvantage of this constantly wet skin is that it is the prime breeding requirement of pathogens and this increases the risk of infections. The Australian tree frog however, is prepared for this eventuality, where it secretes peptides to destroy these pathogens.

The Australian tree frog is a nocturnal amphibian. They come out only at night or the late evenings, to hunt, feed and mate. During the day, they find dark, moist areas to sleep in. They are not seen at all during the winter.

Australian Green Tree Frog Habitat
The Australian tree frog can be found in the northern and eastern regions of Australia. They can be easily found in forests (near some water source) and can also survive in swamps and grasslands. They are also known to inhabit household water sources, like sinks and toilets. They can also easily survive in areas of high human populations. As they can tolerate human inhabitation in their natural habitats, they can survive longer, unlike the other threatened and endangered species that are losing populations due to loss of habitats.

Australian Green Tree Frog Feeding Habits
As the Australian tree frog is not equipped with incisor teeth, it cannot tear apart its prey. It needs to feed on food, that can fit in its mouth. Hence, its diet consists of insects, such as spiders, cockroaches, flies and crickets, and small animals, such as other frogs, bats and sometimes even mice. For the smaller prey, they use their sticky tongues to shoot at the close range prey. For larger prey, they pounce on the prey and force it into their mouths with their hands. These predators also have some natural predators that feed on them. Their native predators are snakes, lizards and some birds, while their non native predators are cats and dogs.

Australian Green Tree Frog Conservation Status
The Australian law protects the Australian tree frog by giving it a protected status. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) however, gives it a 'least concern' status. The broad range of habitats that the Australian tree frog can survive in and their long life expectancy ensures that this frog will not lose population, unless some external factors come into play. They have good amount of food, good amount of land, a long life and no over-hunting threat from predators. It doesn't look like they need any attention just yet.

Australian Green Tree Frog as a Pet
The Australian tree frog is really a very popular pet, especially in those circles, that favor exotic pets. They are extremely docile and are the perfect dash of green in our usual 'un-green' (pun intended) homes. Their long life expectancy and the natural resistance to diseases, is an added bonus. Their only problem as pets is their tendency to become obese. Over feeding and lack of exercise results in a fat problem for the Australian tree frogs. Their weight gain problems have resulted in the name, 'Dumpy tree frog'.

For all the animal lovers who don't find frogs disgusting, the Australian tree frog is a gentle, docile and beautiful pet. Personally, I think they are 'soooo' cute. If you like them, just as much as me, get an Australian green tree frog as a pet. Just remember to feed them in moderate amounts and let them loose for exercise, every once in a while. I bet you, they'll croak for you, whenever you're not around.

The frog who sings when asked:




Text from http://www.buzzle.com/ 12.02.2010

10.AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered a pioneer of heavy metal,they have always classified their music as rock and roll.

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage. The band recorded their highly successful album Highway to Hell in 1979. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released their best-selling album, Back in Black.

The band's next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was their first album to reach number one in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity soon after drummer Phil Rudd was fired in 1983 and was replaced by future Dio drummer Simon Wright, though the band resurged in the early 1990s with the release of The Razor's Edge. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 (after Chris Slade, whom was with the band from 1990–1994, was asked to leave in favour of him) and contributed to the band's 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well received by critics. Since then, the band has stayed the same with the 1980-1983 lineup. The band's most recent album, Black Ice, was released on 20 October 2008. It was their biggest hit on the charts since "For Those About to Rock, reaching #1 on all the charts eventually.AC/DC's newest studio album, AC/DC: Iron Man 2 is set to release on April 19, 2010.

As of 2008, AC/DC have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide,including 71 million albums in the United States.Back in Black has sold an estimated 45 million units worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by any band and the 2nd highest-selling album in history, behind Thriller by Michael Jackson. The album has sold 22 million in the US alone, where it is the fifth-highest-selling album.AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and was named the seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time" by MTV.In 2004, the band was ranked number 72 in the Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

More in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC/DC

AC/DC live at Donnington:




12.02.2010