Pelé, 1956.

Pelé, 1956.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈɛtsõ (w)ɐˈɾɐ̃tʃiz du nɐsiˈmẽtu]; born 23 October 1940),[1]known as Pelé (Brazilian Portuguese: [pe̞ˈlɛ]), is a retired Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. Pelé has also been known for connecting the phrase "The Beautiful Game" with football. In 1999, he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). That year, France Football asked their former Ballon d'Or winners to choose the Football Player of the Century; they selected Pelé. In 1999, Pelé was elected Athlete of the Century by the IOC. That year, Time named him in their list of 100 most influential people of the 20th century. In 2013 he received theFIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in recognition of his career and achievements as a global icon of football.

According to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful league goal-scorer in the world, with 541 league goals. During his career, Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games, which included unofficial friendlies and tour games. He was listed in the Guinness World Records for most career goals scored in football for this. During his playing days, Pelé was for a period the best-paid athlete in the world.[8] In Brazil, he is hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. In 1961, Brazil President Jânio Quadros had Pelé declared a national treasure. During his career, he became known as "The Black Pearl" (A Pérola Negra), "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei).[9]

Pelé began playing for Santos at age 15 and the Brazil national football team at 16. During his international career, he won three FIFA World Cups: 1958, 1962 and 1970, being the only player ever to do so. Pelé is the all-time leading goalscorer for Brazil with 77 goals in 91 games. At club level he is also the record goalscorer for Santos, and led them to the 1962 and 1963 Copa Libertadores. Pelé's "electrifying play and penchant for spectacular goals" made him a star around the world, and his club team Santos toured internationally in order to take full advantage of his popularity.[10] Since retiring in 1977, Pelé has been a worldwide ambassador for football and has made many acting and commercial ventures. In 2010, he was named the Honorary President of the New York Cosmos.

Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky at the controls of an R-5 helicopter

Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky at the controls of an R-5 helicopter

Igor Sikorsky
Aircraft designer
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, was a Russian-American aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. First success came with the S-2, the second fixedwing plane of his design and construction.

Born: May 25, 1889, Kiev, Ukraine
Died: October 26, 1972, Easton, Connecticut, United States
Organization founded: Sikorsky Aircraft
Parents: Mariya Stefanovna Sikorskaya, Ivan Sikorsky
Siblings: Elena Sikorsky, Lydia Sikorskaya, Olga Sikorsky, Sergei Sikorsky
Children: Sergei Sikorsky, Igor Sikorsky, Tania Sikorsky, George Sikorsky, Nikolai Sikorsky




Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (Russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский ; IPA: [ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitɕ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj] ( listen), tr. Ígor' Ivánovič Sikórskij; Ukrainian: Ігор Іванович Сікорський , tr. Ihor Ivanovych Sikorskyi; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972),[5][N 1] was a Russian-American[1][2][3] aviation pioneer in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. First success came with the S-2, the second fixedwing plane of his design and construction. His fifth airplane, the S-5, won him national recognition as well as F.A.I. license Number 64. His S-6-A received the highest award at the 1912 Moscow Aviation Exhibition. and in the fall of that year the aircraft won for its young designer, builder and pilot first prize in the military competition at Petrograd.[6]

After immigrating to the United States in 1919, Sikorsky founded the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in 1923,[7] and developed the first of Pan American Airways' ocean-conquering flying boats in the 1930s.

In 1939 Sikorsky designed and flew the Vought-Sikorsky VS-300,[8] the first viable American helicopter, which pioneered the rotor configuration used by most helicopters today.[9] Sikorsky modified the design into the Sikorsky R-4, which became the world's first mass-produced helicopter in 1942.

Bathers and Pool Attendant at Frauenbad, 1893

Bathers and Pool Attendant at Frauenbad, 1893

Frauenbad Stadthausquai is a public bath in Zürich, Switzerland, being part of the historical the Seeuferanlage promenades that were built between 1881 and 1887.[1] Situated at the Stadthausquai respectively the Bürkliplatz plaza, the bath was built and still exclusively used by women (Frauenbad means bath for women).

Geography[edit]

The small river bath is situated at Bürkliplatz respectively Quaibrücke, just a few steps southernly of the artificial Bauschänzli island, in the Limmat. Road transport on Stadthausquai towards Münsterhof is limited; the next Tram stop is at Bürkliplatz or Münsterbrücke, opposite of the upper Limmatquai towards Bellevueplatz.

History and description[edit]

Zürich' government decided in 1837, to build a public bath for women, to prevent that "they are no longer forced to bath at night in the fountains" and to protect them from the eyes of men. The former structure at the Bauschänzli was replaced in 1888, then the nostalgic Laubsägeli (literally: fretsaw) bath, due to its oriental curved corner turrets. The inset basin was covered in the first years with a braided roof to keep noble pallor. Steeped in history, moored on the river Limmat, the small wooden bath is well arranged and personally – just for women. In the 34 metres (112 ft) pool is a non-swimming section; free swimming in the Limmat is prohibited.

Ice-cream seller, Constantinople, 1898

Ice-cream seller, Constantinople, 1898

Constantinople

City

Constantinople was the capital city of the Roman/Byzantine Empire, and also of the brief Latin, and the later Ottoman empires.

Founded: 330 AD

Builder: Constantine the Great

Region: Thrace

Weather: 77°F (25°C), Wind NE at 16 mph (26 km/h), 50% Humidity

Constantinople (Greek: Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis or Κωνσταντινούπολη Konstantinoúpoli; Latin:Constantinopolis; Ottoman Turkish: قسطنطینية, Qustantiniyye‎) was the capital city of the Roman/Byzantine Empire(330–1204 and 1261–1453), and also of the brief Latin (1204–1261), and the later Ottoman (1453–1923) empires. It was reinaugurated in 324 AD at ancient Byzantium, as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine the Great, after whom it was named, and dedicated on 11 May 330.^[5]

From the mid-5th century to the early 13th century, Constantinople was the largest and wealthiest city in Europe^[6]and it was instrumental in the advancement of Christianity during Roman and Byzantine times as the home of theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and as the guardian of Christendom's holiest relics such as the Crown of Thorns and the True Cross. After the final loss of its provinces in the early 15th century, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire was reduced to just Constantinople and its environs, along with Morea in Greece, and the city eventually fell to the Ottomans after a month-long siege in 1453.

Aerial view of Byzantine Constantinople and the Propontis (Sea of Marmara)

Constantinople was famed for its massive and complex defences. Although besieged on numerous occasions by various peoples, the defences of Constantinople proved invulnerable for nearly nine hundred years before the city was taken by foreign forces in 1204 by the Crusader armies of the Fourth Crusade, and after it was liberated in 1261 by the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, a second and final time in 1453 when it was conquered by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II. The first wall of the city was erected by Constantine I, and surrounded the city on both land and sea fronts. Later, in the 5th century, the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius under the child emperorTheodosius II undertook the construction of the Theodosian Walls, which consisted of a double wall lying about 2 km (1.2 miles) to the west of the first wall and a moat with palisades in front.^[7] This formidable complex of defences was one of the most sophisticated of Antiquity and the city was built intentionally on seven hills as well as juxtaposed between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara and thus presented an impregnable fortress enclosing magnificent palaces, domes, and towers, necessitated from being the gateway between two continents(Europe and Asia) and two seas (the Mediterranean and the Black Seas).

The city was also famed for its architectural masterpieces, such as the Greek Orthodox cathedral of Hagia Sophiawhich served as the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the sacred Imperial Palace where the Emperors lived, the Galata Tower, the Hippodrome, the Golden Gate of the Land Walls, and the opulent aristocratic palaces lining the arcaded avenues and squares. Constantinople had a fifth-century university (University of Constantinople) which contained numerous artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 1204 and 1453,^[8] including its vast Imperial Library which contained the remnants of the Library at Alexandria and had over 100,000 volumes of ancient text.^[9]

Constantinople never truly recovered from the devastation of the Fourth Crusade and the decades of misrule by the Latins. Although the city partially recovered in the early years after the restoration under the Palaiologosdynasty, the advent of the Ottomans and the subsequent loss of the Imperial territories until Constantinople became an enclave inside the fledging Ottoman Empire rendered the city severely depopulated when it fell to the Ottoman Turks,^[10] whereafter it replaced Edirne (Adrianople) as the new capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Modern names of the city[edit]

The modern Turkish name for the city, İstanbul, derives from the Greek phrase eis tin polin (εἰς τὴν πόλιν), meaning "into the city" or "to the city".^[22] This name was used in Turkish alongside Konstantiniyye, the more formal adaptation of the original Constantinople, during the period of Ottoman rule, while western languages mostly continued to refer to the city as Constantinople until the early 20th century. In 1928, the Turkish alphabet was changed from Arabic script to Latin script. After that, as part of the 1920s Turkification movement, Turkey started to urge other countries to use Turkish names for Turkish cities, instead of other transliterations to Latin script that had been used in the Ottoman times.^{[23][24][25][26]} In time the city came to be known as Istanbul and its variations in most world languages.

The name "Constantinople" is still used by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the title of one of their most important leaders, the Orthodox patriarch based in the city, referred to as "His Most Divine All-Holiness the Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch." In Greece today, the city is still called Konstantinoúpolis/Konstantinoúpoli (Κωνσταντινούπολη/Κωνσταντινούπολις) or simply just "the City" (Η Πόλη / Η Πόλις).

Bomber B-29-55-BW after the crash on the island of Iwo Jima

Bomber B-29-55-BW after the crash on the island of Iwo Jima

A downed B-29 Superfortress from the 497th Air Group/19th BG on Iwo Jima after raiding Osaka, 1945.

The wreckage of the Boeing B-29-55-BW (Air Force Serial #44-69703) bomber from the 497 th Air Group (19th Bomb Group), tail symbol A, which wrecked at the airport on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan. Two engines of the B-29-55-BW bomber was damaged during an air raid to the Tokyo (according to other sources to the Osaka), Japan.

A Zeppelin flying above the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, 1931

A Zeppelin flying above the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, 1931

Zeppelin

A Zeppelin was a type of rigid airship named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's ideas were first formulated in 1874[1] and developed in detail in 1893.[2] They were patented in Germany in 1895 and in the United States in 1899.[3] After the outstanding success of the Zeppelin design, the word zeppelin came to be commonly used to refer to all rigid airships. Zeppelins were first flown commercially in 1910 by Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG (DELAG), the world's first airline in revenue service. By mid-1914, DELAG had carried over 10,000 fare-paying passengers on over 1,500 flights. During World War I the German military made extensive use of Zeppelins as bombers and scouts, killing over 500 people in bombing raids in Britain.[4]The defeat of Germany in 1918 temporarily slowed down the airship business. Although DELAG established a scheduled daily service between Berlin, Munich, and Friedrichshafen in 1919, the airships built for this service eventually had to be surrendered under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which also prohibited Germany from building large airships. An exception was made allowing the construction of one airship for the US Navy, which saved the company from extinction. In 1926 the restrictions on airship construction were lifted and with the aid of donations from the public work was started on the construction of LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin. This revived the company's fortunes, and during the 1930s the airships Graf Zeppelin and the larger LZ 129 Hindenburg operated regular transatlantic flights from Germany to North America and Brazil. The Art Deco spire of the Empire State Building was originally designed to serve as a mooring mast for Zeppelins and other airships, although it was found that high winds made this impossible and the plan was abandoned.[5] The Hindenburg disaster in 1937, along with political and economic issues, hastened the demise of the Zeppelins.

Manchester. Great Britain. Ca. 1900

Manchester. Great Britain. Ca. 1900

Manchester

City in England

Manchester is a major city in the northwest of England with a rich industrial heritage. The Castlefield conservation area’s 18th-century canal system recalls the city’s days as a textile powerhouse, and visitors can trace this history at the interactive Museum of Science & Industry. The revitalised Salford Quays dockyards now house the Daniel Libeskind-designed Imperial War Museum North and the Lowry cultural centre.

Weather: 65°F (18°C), Wind W at 10 mph (16 km/h), 65% Humidity

Hotels: 3-star averaging $86, 5-star averaging $170. View hotels

Local time: Friday 5:47 PM

Ceremonial county: Greater Manchester

Colleges and Universities: University of Manchester, More

Manchester (local /ˈmæntʃɪstə/)^[4] is a major city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 514,417 as of 2013.^[5] It lies within the United Kingdom's second-most populous urban area, with a population of 2.55 million.^[6] Manchester is fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east and an arc of towns with which it forms a continuous conurbation. The local authority is Manchester City Council.

The recorded history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort of Mamuciumor Mancunium, which was established in about 79 AD on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the riversMedlock and Irwell. It was historically a part of Lancashire, although areas of Cheshire south of the River Merseywere incorporated during the 20th century.^[7] Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorialtownship but began to expand "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century. Manchester's unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution,^[8] and resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city.^[9]

Manchester achieved city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and linking the city to sea, 36 miles (58 km) to the west. Its fortunes declined after the Second World War, owing to deindustrialisation. The city centre was devastated in a bombing in 1996, but it led to extensive investment and regeneration that has since helped it turn into a thriving 'reborn' modern city.^[10]

In 2014, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked Manchester as a beta world city, the highest-ranked British city apart from London.^[11] Manchester is the third-most visited city in the UK.^[12] It is notable for itsarchitecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs andtransport connections. Manchester Liverpool Road railway station was the world's first inter-city passenger railway station and in the city scientists first split the atom and developed the stored-program computer.

German bombers in formation, April 1941.

German bombers in formation, April 1941.

Operation Retribution (German: Unternehmen Strafgericht) also known as Operation Punishment, was the codename used for the April 1941 German bombing of Belgrade, the capital of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in the first days of the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia. The operation commenced on 6 April and concluded on 7 or 8 April, resulting in the paralysis of Yugoslav civilian and military command and control, widespread destruction largely in the centre of the city, and significant civilian casualties. The bombing of Belgrade was preceded by the commencement of the ground invasion a few hours earlier, and also coincided with air attacks on a large number of Royal Yugoslav Air Force airfields and other strategic targets across Yugoslavia. The invasion resulted in the surrender of Yugoslav forces on 17 April.