title: Kenny Rogers

text: In a recording career dating back to the 1950s, Rogers moved from teenage rock and roll through psychedelic rock to become a country-pop crossover artist of the 1970s and 1980s. He had a minor solo hit in 1957 called "That Crazy Feeling". After sales slowed down, Rogers joined a jazz group called the Bobby Doyle Three, who were frequently hired by clubs due to their fan following. The group recorded for Columbia Records. They disbanded in 1965, and a 1966 jazzy rock single Rogers recorded for Mercury Records, called "Here's That Rainy Day", failed. Rogers also worked as a producer, writer and session musician for other performers, including country artists Mickey Gilley and Eddy Arnold. In 1966, he joined the New Christy Minstrels as a singer and double bass player.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Feeling that the Minstrels were not offering the success they wanted, Rogers and fellow members Mike Settle, Terry Williams, and Thelma Camacho left the group. They formed the First Edition in 1967 (later renamed "Kenny Rogers and the First Edition"). They were later joined by Kin Vassy. They chalked up a string of hits on both the pop and country charts, including "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (Rogers doing lead vocals and bass—and famously used in the dream sequence of the Coen brothers' "The Big Lebowski"), "But You Know I Love You", "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", "Tell It All, Brother", "Reuben James", and "Something's Burning".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: When the First Edition disbanded in 1976, Rogers launched his solo career. He soon developed a more middle-of-the-road sound that sold to both pop and country audiences. He charted more than 60 top 40 hit singles (including two number ones—"Lady" and "Islands in the Stream"). His music has been featured in top-selling movie soundtracks, such as "Convoy", "Urban Cowboy", and "The Big Lebowski".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: After leaving the First Edition in 1976, after almost a decade with the group, Rogers signed a solo deal with United Artists. Producer Larry Butler and Rogers began a partnership that would last four years.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers's first outing for his new label was "Love Lifted Me". The album charted and two singles, "Love Lifted Me" and "While the Feeling's Good", were minor hits. The song "Runaway Girl" was featured in the film "Trackdown" (1976). Later in 1976, Rogers issued his second album, the self-titled "Kenny Rogers", whose first single, "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)", was another solo hit.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: The single "Lucille" (1977) was a major hit, reaching number one on the pop charts in 12 countries, selling over five million copies, and firmly establishing Rogers's post-First Edition career. On the strength of "Lucille", the album "Kenny Rogers" reached No. 1 on the "Billboard" Country Album Chart. More success was to follow, including the multi-platinum selling album "The Gambler" and another international Number 1 single, "Coward of the County", taken from the equally successful album, "Kenny". In 1980, the Rogers/Butler partnership came to an end, though they would occasionally reunite: in 1987 on the album "I Prefer the Moonlight" and again in 1993 on the album "If Only My Heart Had a Voice".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In the late 1970s, Rogers teamed up with close friend and Country Music legend Dottie West for a series of albums and duets. Together the duo won two gold records (one of which later went platinum), two CMA Awards, an ACM nomination, two Grammy nominations and 1 Music City News Award for their two hit albums "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (No. 1) and "Classics" (No. 3), selling out stadiums and arenas while on tour for several years, as well as appearing on several network television specials which showcased them. Their hits together "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (No. 1), "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight" (No. 2), "What Are We Doin' in Love" (No. 1), "All I Ever Need Is You" (No. 1) and "Till I Can Make It On My Own" (No. 3) all became Country standards. Of West, Rogers stated in a 1995 TNN interview: "She, more than anybody else I ever worked with, sang with such emotion that you actually believed what she sang. A lot of people sing words, Dottie West sang emotions." In a 1978 press release for their album "Every Time Two Fools Collide", Rogers credited West with further establishing and cementing his career with Country Music audiences. In the same release, West credited him with taking her career to new audiences. Rogers was with West only hours before she died at age 58 after sustaining injuries in a 1991 car accident, as discussed in his 2012 biography "Luck Or Something Like It". In 1995 he starred as himself, alongside Michele Lee as West, in the CBS biographical film "".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 1980, a selection he recorded as a duet with Kim Carnes, "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer", became a hit. Earlier that year, he sang a duet of "You and Me" with Lynda Carter in her television music special "Lynda Carter Special" (Rogers originally recorded this with Dottie West for the Every Time Two Fools Collide album). Later in 1980 came his partnership with Lionel Richie, who wrote and produced Rogers's No. 1 hit "Lady". Richie went on to produce Rogers's 1981 album "Share Your Love," a chart topper and commercial favorite featuring hits such as "I Don't Need You" (Pop No. 3), "Through the Years" (Pop No. 13), and "Share Your Love with Me" (Pop No. 14). His first Christmas album was also released that same year. In 1982, Rogers released the album "Love Will Turn You Around." The album's the title track reached No. 13 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and topped the country and AC charts. It was the theme song of Rogers's 1982 film "Six Pack". Shortly afterwards, he started working with producer David Foster in 1983, recording the smash Top 10 hit Bob Seger cover "We've Got Tonight", a duet with Sheena Easton. Also a number 1 single on the Country charts in the United States, it reached the Top 30 on the British charts.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 1981, Rogers bought the old ABC Dunhill building and built one of the most popular and state-of-the-art recording studios in Los Angeles. The song "We Are the World" was recorded there and at A & M Records.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers went on to work with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees who produced his 1983 hit album "Eyes That See in the Dark", featuring the title track and yet another No. 1 hit "Islands in the Stream", a duet with Dolly Parton. Gibb, along with his brothers, Robin and Maurice, originally wrote the song for Marvin Gaye in an R&B style, only later to change it for Rogers's album. The partnership with Gibb only lasted one album, which was not surprising considering that Rogers's original intention was to work with Gibb on only one song. Gibb insisted on doing the entire album together.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: "Islands in the Stream", Rogers's duet with Dolly Parton, was the first single to be released from "Eyes That See in the Dark" in the United States, and it quickly went to No. 1 in the "Billboard" Hot 100 (it would prove to be the last country single to reach No. 1 on that chart until "Amazed" by Lonestar did so in 2000), as well as topping "Billboard"s country and adult contemporary singles charts; it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping two million copies in the United States. Rogers would reunite with Parton in 1984 for a holiday album, "Once Upon a Christmas", and the TV special "Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember" (which resulted in a popular video of "Christmas Without You"), as well as a 1985 duet "Real Love", which also topped the U.S. country singles chart. The two would continue to collaborate on occasional projects through subsequent years, including a 2013 duet single "You Can't Make Old Friends".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Despite the success of "Islands in the Stream", however, RCA Records insisted on releasing "Eyes" title track as the first UK single, and the song stalled at a disappointing No. 61 there, although it did stay in the top 100 for several weeks. (When it was eventually released in the United States, it was more successful, charting high on the Adult Contemporary chart and making the country top 30.) "Islands in the Stream" was issued as a follow-up single in Britain and sold well, making No. 7. The album itself reached No. 1 on the country charts on both sides of the Atlantic and enjoyed multi-million sales. "Buried Treasure", "This Woman" and "Evening Star"/"Midsummer Nights" were also all successful singles from the album.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Shortly after came the album "What About Me?", a hit whose title track—a trio performance with James Ingram and Kim Carnes—was nominated for a Grammy Award; the single "Crazy" (not to be confused with the Willie Nelson-penned Patsy Cline hit), co-written with Richard Marx, topped the country charts. David Foster was to work again with Rogers in his 1985 album "The Heart of the Matter," although this time Foster was playing backing music rather than producing, a role given to George Martin. This album was another success, going to No. 1, with the title track making to the top ten category in the singles charts.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: The next few years saw Rogers scoring several top country hits on a regular basis, including "Twenty Years Ago", "Morning Desire", "Tomb of the Unknown Love", among others. On January 28, 1985, Rogers was one of the 45 artists who recorded the worldwide charity song "We Are the World" to support hunger victims in Africa. The following year he played at Giants Stadium.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 1988, Rogers won a Grammy Award for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" with Ronnie Milsap—"Make No Mistake, She's Mine". In the 1990s, Rogers continued to chart with singles such as "The Factory" and "Crazy In Love", another selection that Kim Carnes provided him with, "If You Want To Find Love", and "The Greatest". His second Christmas album, titled "Christmas in America," was released in 1989 for Reprise Records. From 1991 to 1994, Rogers hosted "The Real West" on A&E, and on The History Channel since 1995 (Reruns only on The History Channel). He visited Miller's during this time period. From 1992 to 1995, Rogers co-owned and headlined Branson, Missouri's 4,000 seat Grand Palace Theatre. In 1994, Rogers released his "dream" album titled "Timepiece" on Atlantic Records. It consisted of 1930s/1940s jazz standards, the type of music he had performed in his early days with the Bobby Doyle Three in Houston.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 1996, Rogers released an album "Vote For Love" where the public requested their favorite love songs and Rogers performed the songs. (Several of his own hits were in the final version.) The album was the first for the TV shopping channel QVC's record label, onQ Music. The album, sold exclusively by QVC, was a huge success and was later issued in stores under a variety of different titles. It reached No. 1 in the UK country charts under the title "Love Songs" (a title also used for various compilations) and also crossed over into the mainstream charts.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 1999, Rogers scored with the single "The Greatest", a song about life from a child's point of view (looked at through a baseball game) The song reached the top 40 of "Billboard's" Country singles chart and was a Country Music Television Number One video. It was on Rogers's album "She Rides Wild Horses" the following year (itself a top 10 success). Also in 1999, Rogers produced a song, "We've Got It All", specifically for the series finale of the ABC show "Home Improvement."


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In the 21st century (and at age 61), Rogers was back at No. 1 for the first time in more than a decade with the 2000 single "Buy Me a Rose". In doing so, he broke a 26-year-old record held by Hank Snow (who, in April 1974, was aged 59 when he scored with "Hello Love"). Rogers held the record until 2003, when then 70-year-old Willie Nelson became the oldest artist to have a No. 1 on the country charts with his duet with Toby Keith, "Beer for My Horses".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Although Rogers did not record new albums for a couple of years, he continued to have success in many countries with more greatest hits packages. In 2004 "42 Ultimate Hits", which was the first hits collection to span his days with the First Edition to the present, reached Number 6 on the American country charts and went gold. It also featured two new songs, "My World Is Over" with Whitney Duncan and "We Are the Same". "My World Is Over" was released as a single and was a minor hit. In 2005 "The Very Best of Kenny Rogers", a double album, sold well in Europe. It was the first new solo Rogers hits album to reach the United Kingdom for over a decade, despite many compilations there that were not true hits packages.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers also signed with Capitol Records and had more success with the TV advertised release "21 Number Ones" in January 2006. Although this CD did contain 21 chart-toppers as the title claims (recorded between 1976 and the present day), this was not a complete collection of Rogers's No. 1 singles, omitting such singles as "Crazy in Love" and "What About Me?"


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Capitol followed "21 Number Ones" with Rogers's new studio album, "Water & Bridges", in March 2006 on the Capitol Nashville Records label. The first single from the album was "I Can't Unlove You", which peaked at No. 17 on the country charts, after spending over 6 months on the hit list, more than 50 years after he formed his first group and 38 years after his first major hit as leader of the First Edition; the song remains in recurrent airplay on some radio stations today. "I Can't Unlove You" was followed up with the second single from the album, "The Last Ten Years (Superman)", in September 2006. The third single, "Calling Me", which features Don Henley, became popular in early 2007, and was nominated for a Grammy Award at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Also in 2007, the 1977 "Kenny Rogers" album was re-issued as a double CD, also featuring the 1979 "Kenny" album and this once again put Rogers's name into the sales charts worldwide. The following year, another compilation album ("A Love Song Collection") also charted.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: On August 26, 2008, Rogers released "50 Years" exclusively at Cracker Barrel stores. The album included some of Rogers's greatest hits, plus three new songs. The release is designed to celebrate Rogers's 50th year in the music business. In 2007, the England national rugby union team adopted Rogers song "The Gambler" as their unofficial 2007 Rugby World Cup anthem, after hearing prop Matt Stevens playing it in the team hotel. Before the semi-final against France and the final against South Africa, Rogers sent video messages of support to the team in light of them choosing his song.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 2008, Rogers toured with his Christmas Show. He split the show up, making the first half his "best of" and the second half his Christmas songs. In 2009, Rogers embarked on his 50th Anniversary Tour.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: On April 10, 2010, a TV special was taped, "Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years". Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie were among those set to perform with Rogers during a show celebrating his contribution to country, blues and pop music. It took place at the MGM Grand in Foxwoods. The TV special was Executive Produced by Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin and aired on GAC in North America and BBC worldwide.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: On June 10, 2012, Rogers appeared on stage with the musical group Phish to perform his hit song "The Gambler" at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Also in 2012, Rogers re-recorded the hit song "Lady", a duet with its songwriter Lionel Richie, on Richie's album "Tuskegee". The pair also performed the song live at the 2012 ACM concert, "Lionel Richie & Friends".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: On April 10, 2013, the CMA announced that Rogers would be a 2013 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Cowboy Jack Clement and Bobby Bare. In June 2013, he performed at the Glastonbury Festival in England in the Sunday afternoon 'Legends' slot.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 2013, Rogers recorded a new album with the name "You Can't Make Old Friends". This album included the title track, a new duet with Dolly Parton, which was his first single released in six years.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 2015, Rogers announced his farewell tour, titled "The Gambler's Last Deal". He stated his intention to retire from touring at its completion, although he was considering the possibility of recording another studio album. In announcing the tour, Rogers indicated at the time that his final tour appearance would be on NBC's "Today" show. Concert dates were scheduled through 2018 and included visits to the United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, England, The Netherlands and Switzerland. On April 5, 2018, it was announced that Rogers canceled his remaining tour as advised by doctors due to a series of health challenges.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers's final concert in Nashville took place on October 25, 2017, at the Bridgestone Arena where he was joined by an array of guest artists including Linda Davis, Elle King, Little Big Town, Lionel Richie, Billy Currington, Lee Greenwood, The Flaming Lips, The Oak Ridge Boys, Justin Moore, Travis Tritt, the Judds, Kris Kristofferson, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum, Idina Menzel, Crystal Gayle, Reba McEntire and Jamey Johnson. The concert also included a special appearance by long-time friend Dolly Parton, who serenaded Rogers with her signature "I Will Always Love You" and performed "You Can't Make Old Friends" and "Islands in the Stream" with Rogers for the final time.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Although Rogers used many session musicians to play instruments on his recordings, he was backed on tours by the group Bloodline since 1976. The group originally started as a three-piece. In "The Journey" (a 2006 documentary about his career) Rogers said he did not understand singers who changed their touring band every year, and that he stuck with Bloodline as they already "know the songs". Members of Bloodline have included Steve Glassmeyer, Chuck Jacobs, Randy Dorman, Gene Golden, Bobby Daniels, Rick Harper, Edgar Struble, Lynn Hammann, Warren Hartman, Gene Sisk, Brian Franklin, Mike Zimmerman and Amber Randall.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers also had success as an actor. His 1982 movie "Six Pack", in which he played a race-car driver, took in more than $20 million at the United States box office, while made-for-TV movies such as "The Gambler" series, "Christmas in America", and "Coward of the County" (based on hit songs of his) topped ratings lists. He also served as host and narrator for the A&E historical series "The Real West".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers said that photography was once his obsession, before it morphed into a passion. He authored the photo books "Kenny Rogers' America" (1986) and "Your Friends and Mine" (1987).


title: Kenny Rogers

text: As an entrepreneur, he collaborated with former Kentucky Fried Chicken CEO John Y. Brown Jr. in 1991 to start up the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters. The chicken and ribs chain, which is similar to Boston Market, featured in an episode of the NBC sitcom "Seinfeld" called "The Chicken Roaster". Season four of the TV series "Fresh Off the Boat" depicts the chain as owning a share of Louis Huang's Cattleman's Ranch restaurant and then filing for bankruptcy. Rogers is shown from the back but played by Jeff Pomerantz in the episode "Let Me Go, Bro".


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers put his name to the Gambler Chassis Co., a sprint car racing manufacturer started by C. K. Spurlock in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The company used the name from Rogers's hit song "The Gambler". During the 1980s and 1990s, Gambler was one of the fastest and widely used Sprintcars, with such drivers as Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell and Doug Wolfgang driving the cars to victory in the World of Outlaws and the famous Knoxville Nationals. Gambler sprintcars were also successful in Australia, with drivers such as Garry Rush and Steve Brazier using Gamblers to win multiple Australian Sprintcar Championships. Rush also used a Gambler chassis to win the unofficial 1987 World Sprintcar Championship at the Claremont Speedway in Perth, Western Australia.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In October 2012, Rogers released the book "Luck or Something Like it: A Memoir" about his ups and downs in his musical career.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: In 2014, Rogers appeared as himself in a GEICO commercial, singing part of his song "The Gambler" a cappella while acting as the dealer in a card game.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: At Beaver Dam Farms, a former estate in Colbert, Georgia, Rogers kept a pet goat named Smitty. He originally acquired the animal from a friend in 2008. According to Rogers, the goat was "(his) center", providing a calming influence after long and stressful touring schedules.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers was married five times and had five children. His first marriage was to Janice Gordon on May 15, 1958; they divorced in April 1960 with one child, Carole Lynne. He married his second wife, Jean, in October 1960 and divorced her in 1963. His third marriage was to Margo Anderson in October 1963; they divorced in 1975, with one child. He married his fourth wife Marianne Gordon on October 1, 1977, and they divorced in 1993, with one child. His fifth marriage was to Wanda Miller on June 1, 1997. They had twin sons and were married for 22 years until his death.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: Rogers's seven-decade career wound down in 2017, as he encountered health problems that included a diagnosis of bladder cancer.


title: Kenny Rogers

text: On March 20, 2020, Rogers died at the age of 81, while under hospice care at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia. He is interred in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in "My Brother Tom" (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the title role in a 2004 production of "Hamlet". This was followed by television roles in "Nathan Barley" (2005), "Criminal Justice" (2008) and "The Hour" (2011–12) and film roles in "" (2006), "I'm Not There" (2007), "Brideshead Revisited" (2008), and "Bright Star" (2009). For "Criminal Justice", Whishaw received an International Emmy Award and received his first BAFTA Award nomination.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In 2012, Whishaw played the title role in a BBC Two adaptation of "Richard II", broadcast as part of "The Hollow Crown" series of William Shakespeare adaptations, for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The same year, he appeared as Q in the James Bond film "Skyfall" (2012), going on to reprise the role in "Spectre" (2015) and "No Time to Die" (2021). He has voiced Paddington Bear in "Paddington" (2014), its sequel "Paddington 2" (2017) and the follow-up television series. His other film roles in the 2010s have included "Cloud Atlas" (2012), "The Lobster" (2015), "Suffragette" (2015), "The Danish Girl" (2015), and "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018). In 2020, he had a leading role as Patrick "Rabbi" Milligan in the fourth season of the black comedy crime drama "Fargo". In 2022, he starred in the BBC medical drama series "This Is Going to Hurt".


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw received a third BAFTA Award nomination for the leading role in "London Spy" (2015) and, for his portrayal of Norman Scott in the miniseries "A Very English Scandal" (2018), won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw was born on 14 October 1980 in Clifton, Bedfordshire, and was brought up there and in neighbouring Langford. He is the son of Linda ("née" Hope), who works in cosmetics, and Jose Whishaw who works in sports with young people. He has a fraternal twin, James.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: His mother is of English ancestry, while his father is of French, German and Russian descent. The family's original surname was not Whishaw but Stellmacher, a German occupational name for a wheelwright. Whishaw's paternal grandfather, born Jean Vladimir Stellmacher and living in Kassel, Germany changed his name to John Victor Whishaw after World War II during which he served as a British spy in the German army. He was born in Istanbul in 1922 to a Russian mother and German father.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw was a member of the Bancroft Players Youth Theatre, at Hitchin's Queen Mother Theatre. He attended Henlow Middle School and then Samuel Whitbread Community College in Clifton. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2003.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw was involved in many productions with Big Spirit Youth Theatre, including "If This Is a Man" (also performed as "The Drowned & The Saved"), a piece devised by the company based on the book of the same name by Primo Levi, a chemist, writer and survivor of Auschwitz concentration camp. It was adapted as a physical theatre piece by the group and taken to the 1995 Edinburgh Festival, where it garnered five-star reviews and great critical acclaim.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: As the lead in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production of "Hamlet" at the Old Vic, Whishaw received highly favourable reviews, was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actor and received third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards. The role was shared with Al Weaver in an unusual arrangement. Whishaw played all nights except for Mondays and matinées. Nunn is reported to have made this arrangement due to the youth of the two actors playing the lead, to relieve some of the pressure on each.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: His film and television credits include "Layer Cake" and Chris Morris's 2005 sitcom "Nathan Barley", in which he played a character called Pingu. He was named "Most Promising Newcomer" at the 2001 British Independent Film Awards for "My Brother Tom". In 2005 he was nominated as best actor in four award programs for his portrayal of Hamlet. He also played Keith Richards in the Brian Jones biopic "Stoned". In the spring of 2005, Whishaw received much attention for his role as a drug dealer in the world premiere of Philip Ridley's controversial stage play "Mercury Fur".


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In "", Whishaw played Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a perfume maker whose craft turns deadly. The film was released in Germany in September 2006 and in America in December 2006. In the same year, Whishaw worked on Paweł Pawlikowski's abandoned "The Restraint of Beasts". Whishaw appeared as one of the Bob Dylan reincarnations in "I'm Not There" in 2007, in the BBC's "Criminal Justice" in 2008, in a new adaptation of "Brideshead Revisited", and in a stage adaptation of "The Idiot" at the National Theatre called "...some trace of her".


title: Ben Whishaw

text: At the end of 2009 he starred in "Cock", a new play by Mike Bartlett at the Royal Court Theatre, about a gay man who falls in love with a woman. In 2009 he also starred as the poet John Keats in the film "Bright Star". In February 2010, Whishaw made a successful off-Broadway debut at MCC Theater in the American premiere of the awarding-winning play "The Pride" by Alexi Kaye Campbell. He played Ariel in Julie Taymor's 2010 film adaptation of "The Tempest" and was featured in "The Hour", a BBC Two drama series.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In 2012 Whishaw appeared as Richard II in the television film "Richard II", a part of the BBC Two series "The Hollow Crown". He received the British Academy Television Award for Leading Actor. Also in 2012, he appeared as part of the ensemble cast of the science-fiction drama film "Cloud Atlas", adapted from the novel of the same name.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw appeared in the 23rd "James Bond" film, "Skyfall", in the role of Q. He portrayed a younger Q than in previous films; Peter Burton and Desmond Llewelyn both received the role when they were in their forties, while Llewelyn and John Cleese played the role into their eighties and sixties, respectively. In addition, he was teamed a fourth time with Daniel Craig after they starred in the films "The Trench", "Enduring Love" and "Layer Cake".


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In spring 2013, Whishaw starred on stage alongside Judi Dench in the world premiere of "Peter and Alice", a new play by John Logan, inspired by the lives of Alice Liddell and Peter Llewelyn Davies. From October 2013 to February 2014, Whishaw appeared on stage in the revival of Jez Butterworth's play "Mojo", also starring Rupert Grint, Brendan Coyle, Daniel Mays and Colin Morgan. He was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor for both roles. In the summer of 2015 he appeared as Dionysos in Euripides' tragedy "Bakkhai" at the Almeida Theatre in London.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In 2014, Whishaw starred in the independent film "Lilting" as well as voicing Paddington Bear in the film "Paddington".


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In 2015, Whishaw co-starred in "The Lobster", a romantic science fiction drama from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos; appeared in "Suffragette", a story of the early feminist movement written by Abi Morgan and also starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep and his "The Hour" co-star, Romola Garai; reprised his role of Q in "Spectre", the 24th "Bond" film, and played author Herman Melville in Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea".


title: Ben Whishaw

text: In 2017, Whishaw reprised his role as Paddington Bear in "Paddington 2". In 2018, he portrayed Norman Scott in the BBC One miniseries "A Very English Scandal", opposite Hugh Grant as parliamentarian Jeremy Thorpe, and also starred as Michael Banks in "Mary Poppins Returns". In 2020, Whishaw had a lead role in the fourth season of the critically acclaimed FX black comedy crime drama "Fargo", portraying Patrick "Rabbi" Milligan, alongside Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, Jessie Buckley and Jack Huston.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw reprised his role of Q in "No Time to Die", the 25th "James Bond" film, which released worldwide on 30 September 2021. As of 2022, Whishaw stars in the BBC and AMC medical drama "This Is Going to Hurt", an adaptation of comedian Adam Kay's memoir recalling his time as a junior NHS doctor in 2006. Whishaw is also credited as an executive producer. He has an upcoming role in Sarah Polley's "Women Talking", a film adaptation of Miriam Toews' novel of the same name.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: He will portray Russian writer and ultranationalist Eduard Limonov in "Limonov, the Ballad of Eddie", directed by Kirill Serebrennikov.


title: Ben Whishaw

text: For several years, Whishaw refused to answer questions about his personal life, saying: "For me, it's important to keep a level of anonymity. As an actor, your job is to persuade people that you're someone else. So if you're constantly telling people about yourself, I think you're shooting yourself in the foot." In 2011, he told "Out" magazine: "As an actor you have total rights to privacy and mystery, whatever your sexuality, whatever you do. I don't see why that has to be something you discuss openly because you do something in the public eye. I have no understanding of why we turn actors into celebrities."


title: Ben Whishaw

text: Whishaw entered into a civil partnership with Australian composer Mark Bradshaw in August 2012. In 2014, he publicly discussed his coming out, saying that it was a tense experience for him but "everyone was surprisingly lovely".


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Vaughn began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 comedy-drama film "Swingers". He has appeared in a number of films in the 1990s, including the sports film "Rudy" (1993), the sci-fi adventure dinosaur film "" (1997), the drama-thriller "Return to Paradise" (1998) and the remake of psychological thriller "Psycho" (1998).


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Other than his dramatic role in "The Cell" (2000), and "Domestic Disturbance" (2001), in the 2000s he acted primarily in comedies, including "Old School" (2003), "" (2004), "Wedding Crashers" (2005), "The Break-Up" (2006), "Fred Claus" (2007), and "Four Christmases" (2008). He continued his comedic roles in the 2010s with "The Dilemma" (2011), "The Watch" (2012), and "The Internship" (2013). In 2015, he starred as Frank Semyon in the second season of the HBO anthology crime drama television series "True Detective" alongside Colin Farrell, Taylor Kitsch, and Rachel McAdams, and since then has taken dramatic roles such as in "Hacksaw Ridge", "Brawl in Cell Block 99", and "Dragged Across Concrete".


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Vaughn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a wealthy family. His mother, Sharon Eileen ("née" DePalmo; born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada), is a real estate agent and stockbroker who was once ranked as one of the United States' top money managers by "Bloomberg Wealth Manager" magazine. His father, Vernon Lindsay Vaughn, worked as a salesman for a toy company. As a child, he was raised both Protestant and Catholic by his Catholic mother and Protestant father. He has Lebanese, Italian, Irish, English, and German ancestry.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Vaughn grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, where he played football and baseball and wrestled, although he has called himself "unathletic" and "very average" at high school sports. He then moved to Lake Forest, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1988. He was introduced to musical theater at a young age and decided to become an actor in 1987. He has credited his mother as the inspiration behind his career, saying that "I saw her overcome stuff, and I thought if you worked hard at something you'd give yourself a chance".


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 1988, Vaughn was cast in a Chevrolet television commercial and subsequently moved to Hollywood. He appeared in the 1989 season of the television series "China Beach" and in three "CBS Schoolbreak Specials" in 1990. His first film role was 1993's "Rudy" playing Notre Dame football tailback Jamie O'Hara, where he also struck up a friendship with Jon Favreau, who was also a first-time actor. Two years later, he was cast in a lead role in a proposed revival of "77 Sunset Strip" that was to air on the fledgling WB Television Network, but the project ceased development after initial testing. Vaughn did not receive wider success until his role in 1996's "Swingers" with Jon Favreau. "Swingers" was released in July 1996 and became a successful independent film. Vince's father Vernon also did a cameo in this film.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Afterwards, director Steven Spielberg cast Vaughn in the blockbuster "" which gave him increased exposure. In 1998, he starred in the critically acclaimed drama "Return to Paradise" with Anne Heche, and starred in "Clay Pigeons" with Janeane Garofalo and Joaquin Phoenix. In 2000, he starred in "The Cell" with Jennifer Lopez and in 2001, appeared in "Made", another film penned by Favreau. Vaughn also appeared in Dwight Yoakam's directorial debut movie "South of Heaven, West of Hell". Vaughn's role in the successful 2003 comedy "Old School" skyrocketed his popularity.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2004, Vaughn appeared alongside Ben Stiller in the hit films "Starsky & Hutch" and "". After this series of roles, Vaughn was dubbed one of the Hollywood "Frat Pack", a group of actors who frequently co-star in film comedies. He subsequently appeared in 2005's "Thumbsucker", "Be Cool", and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". Also in 2005, Vaughn starred alongside Owen Wilson in "Wedding Crashers", which grossed over $200 million at the United States box office. In 2006, Vaughn starred with Jennifer Aniston in the comedy drama "The Break-Up".


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2007, Vaughn starred in the Christmas comedy "Fred Claus", as a sarcastic, wild-at-heart older brother of Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti). The film was directed by David Dobkin, who previously directed Vaughn in "Wedding Crashers", and co-starred Elizabeth Banks and Kevin Spacey. Next, he momentarily moved from comedy to drama in Sean Penn's critically acclaimed film "Into the Wild", a film about the adventures of Christopher McCandless, which was also a best-selling book by Jon Krakauer.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2009, Vaughn starred in "Couples Retreat", a comedy chronicling four couples who partake in therapy sessions at a tropical island resort. Malin Åkerman played his wife. Vince's real-life father Vernon portrayed his father in the film. In February 2010, Vaughn was among the nearly 80 musicians and actors to sing on the charity-single remake of "We Are the World".


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Vaughn starred in Ron Howard's comedy, "The Dilemma", released in January 2011. It was produced by Wild West Picture Show Productions, his production company. On July 31, 2012, it was announced that Vaughn would be developing a reboot produced by CBS to the sitcom "The Brady Bunch", which was taken off the air in 1974.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2013, Vaughn co-wrote and starred alongside "Wedding Crashers" co-star Owen Wilson in "The Internship". In 2015, he starred in "Unfinished Business", which grossed $4.8 million in its opening weekend, a career low for Vaughn. He also starred in the second season of "True Detective" alongside Colin Farrell, which premiered on June 21. In 2016, he starred in the crime thriller "Term Life", which featured friend and frequent collaborator Jon Favreau in a supporting role and was directed by another frequent collaborator, Peter Billingsley.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2018, Vaughn co-starred alongside Mel Gibson in "Dragged Across Concrete", his second collaboration with S. Craig Zahler, whom he previously worked with the year before on "Brawl in Cell Block 99". In 2020, he starred with Kathryn Newton in the well-reviewed horror-comedy film "Freaky", in which they play a serial killer and a teenage girl, respectively, who switch bodies.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: On January 20, 2022, it was announced that Vaughn will produce a sequel to the 1983 film "A Christmas Story" entitled "A Christmas Story Christmas" with Peter Billingsley (who will reprise his role as Ralphie) through his production company Wild West Picture Show Productions for Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In March 2022, Vaughn, along with Greg Olsen and Ryan Kalil, launched a podcast network and production company named Audiorama. The first podcast available from the network, called Youth, Inc., focuses on youth sports.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2005, Vaughn began dating Jennifer Aniston, his co-star in "The Break-Up". In late 2006, Vaughn filed a lawsuit against three tabloid magazines accusing them of falsely claiming that he had been unfaithful to Aniston. They broke up in November 2006.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In March 2009, it was reported that Vaughn was engaged to Canadian realtor Kyla Weber. They married on January 2, 2010, in the historic Armour House at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. The couple have two children, a daughter born in 2010 and a son born in 2013.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: Vaughn describes himself as a libertarian. He supported Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, and Rand Paul in the 2016 election. In June 2015, Vaughn expressed his opposition to gun control.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: In 2016, Vaughn began training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California and received his blue belt in February 2018.


title: Vince Vaughn

text: On June 10, 2018, Vaughn was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and resisting arrest in Manhattan Beach, California after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint. In May 2019, Vaughn was convicted of a reduced charge of reckless driving after he entered into a no contest plea and sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to undergo a three-month alcohol abuse program.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague ( ; or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, The Hague has been described as the country's de facto capital. The Hague is also the capital of the province of South Holland, and the city hosts both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.


title: The Hague

text: With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The Hague is the core municipality of the Greater The Hague urban area, which comprises the city itself and its suburban municipalities, containing over 800,000 people, making it the third-largest urban area in the Netherlands, again after the urban areas of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. The Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, with a population of approximately 2.6 million, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe and the most populous in the country; the area holds the Rotterdam The Hague Airport. Situated on the west coast of the Netherlands, The Hague lies at the southwest corner of the larger Randstad conurbation, one of the largest conurbations in Europe.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is the seat of the Cabinet, the States General, the Supreme Court and the Council of State of the Netherlands, but the city is not the constitutional capital, which is Amsterdam. King Willem-Alexander lives in the Huis ten Bosch and works at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, together with Queen Máxima. Most foreign embassies in the Netherlands are located in the city. The Hague is also home to the headquarters of many Dutch companies, with Shell plc having major offices in the city as well. The Royal Library of the Netherlands is located there as well.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is known as the home of international law and arbitration. The International Court of Justice, the main judicial arm of the United Nations, is located in the city, as are the International Criminal Court, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Europol, and approximately 200 other international governmental organizations.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague was first mentioned as "Die Haghe" in 1242. In the 15th century, the name "des Graven hage" came into use, literally "The Count's Wood", with connotations like "The Count's Hedge, Private Enclosure or Hunting Grounds". The spelling "'s-Gravenhage" was officially used for the city from the 17th century onward. Today, this name is only used in some official documents like birth and marriage certificates. The city itself uses "Den Haag" in all its communications. The post office specifies that letters must be addressed to "'s-Gravenhage", but a letter to "Den Haag" will be delivered just as well. The railway stations are named "Den Haag". Signposts mention "Den Haag".


title: The Hague

text: The area was part of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and was close to the border of the empire, the Upper Germanic-Rhaetian Limes. In 1997, four Roman milestones were discovered at Wateringse Veld. The originals are in the "Museon" museum. The milestones indicate the distance from the nearest Roman city, Forum Hadriani (modern Voorburg), and can be dated to the reign of the emperors Antoninus Pius (138-161; the column is dated 151), Caracalla (211–217), Gordian III (238–244), and Decius (249–251).


title: The Hague

text: Little is known about the origin of The Hague. There are no contemporary documents describing it, and later sources are often of dubious reliability. What is certain is that The Hague was founded by the last counts of the House of Holland. Floris IV already owned two residences in the area, but presumably purchased a third court situated by the present-day Hofvijver in 1229, previously owned by a woman called Meilendis. Presumably, Floris IV intended to rebuild the court into a large castle, but he died in a tournament in 1234, before anything was built. His son and successor William II lived in the court, and after he was elected King of the Romans in 1248, he promptly returned to The Hague, and had builders turn the court into a "royal palace" ("regale palacium"), which would later be called the Binnenhof ("Inner Court"). He died in 1256 before this palace was completed but parts of it were finished during the reign of his son Floris V, of which the Ridderzaal ("Knights' Hall"), still intact, is the most prominent. It is still used for political events, such as the annual speech from the throne by the Dutch monarch. From the 13th century onward, the counts of Holland used The Hague as their administrative center and residence when in Holland.


title: The Hague

text: The village that originated around the Binnenhof was first mentioned as "Die Haghe" in a charter dating from 1242. It became the primary residence of the Counts of Holland in 1358, and thus became the seat of many government institutions. This status allowed the village to grow; by the Late Middle Ages, it had grown to the size of a city, although it did not receive city rights. In its early years, the village was located in the "ambacht", or rural district, of Monster, which was governed by the Lord of Monster. Seeking to exercise more direct control over the village, however, the Count split the village off and created a separate "ambacht" called Haagambacht, governed directly by the Counts of Holland. The territory of Haagambacht was considerably expanded during the reign of Floris V.


title: The Hague

text: When the House of Burgundy inherited the counties of Holland and Zeeland in 1432, they appointed a stadtholder to rule in their stead with the States of Holland and West Friesland as an advisory council. Although their seat was located in The Hague, the city became subordinate to more important centres of government such as Brussels and Mechelen, from where the sovereigns ruled over the increasingly centralised Burgundian Netherlands.


title: The Hague

text: At the beginning of the Eighty Years' War, the absence of city walls proved disastrous, as it allowed Spanish troops to easily occupy the town. In 1575, the States of Holland, temporarily based in Delft, even considered demolishing the city but this proposal was abandoned, after mediation by William the Silent. In 1588, The Hague became the permanent seat of the States of Holland as well as the States General of the Dutch Republic. In order for the administration to maintain control over city matters, The Hague never received official city status, although it did have many of the privileges normally granted only to cities. In modern administrative law, "city rights" have no place anymore.


title: The Hague

text: In 1806, when the Kingdom of Holland was a puppet state of the First French Empire, the settlement was granted city rights by Louis Bonaparte. After the Napoleonic Wars, modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands were combined in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands to form a buffer against France. As a compromise, Brussels and Amsterdam alternated as capital every two years, with the government remaining in The Hague. After the separation of Belgium in 1830, Amsterdam remained the capital of the Netherlands, while the government was situated in The Hague. When the government started to play a more prominent role in Dutch society after 1850, The Hague quickly expanded. Many streets were specifically built for the large number of civil servants employed in the country's government and for the Dutchmen who were retiring from the administration of the Netherlands East Indies. The growing city annexed the rural municipality of Loosduinen partly in 1903 and completely in 1923.


title: The Hague

text: The city sustained heavy damage during World War II. Many Jews were killed during the German occupation. Additionally, the Atlantic Wall was built through the city, causing a large quarter to be torn down by the Nazi occupants. On 3 March 1945, the Royal Air Force mistakenly bombed the Bezuidenhout quarter. The target was an installation of V-2 rockets in the nearby Haagse Bos park, but because of navigational errors, the bombs fell on a heavily populated and historic part of the city. The bombardment wreaked widespread destruction in the area and caused 511 fatalities.


title: The Hague

text: Because people were not certain about what to do after the explosion, nobody attempted to plan a reconstruction of Bezuidenhout. In 1962, David Jokinen saw an opportunity to put an end to the situation where two main stations each served only part of the rail traffic. The Jokinen Plan included the intent to demolish the Staatsspoor Station entirely, with Hollands Spoor becoming the central station. Jokinen's plan sparked fierce discussions. The plan was not implemented, in part because it was only presented when decision-making had finally reached an advanced stage. In the site of the Staatsspoor station now stands the Den Haag Centraal railway station.


title: The Hague

text: After the war, The Hague became at one time the largest building site in Europe. The city expanded massively to the south-west, and the destroyed areas were quickly rebuilt. The population peaked at 600,000 inhabitants around 1965. In the 1970s and 1980s, mostly white middle-class families moved to neighbouring towns like Voorburg, Leidschendam, Rijswijk and (most of all) Zoetermeer. This led to the traditional pattern of an impoverished inner city and more prosperous suburbs. Attempts to include parts of these municipalities in the city of The Hague were highly controversial. In the 1990s, with the consent of the Dutch Parliament, The Hague annexed fairly large areas from neighbouring towns as well as from not even bordering ones, on which the complete new residential areas were built and are still being built.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is the largest Dutch city on the North Sea in the Netherlands and forms the centre of the Greater The Hague urban area. Westland and Wateringen lie to the south, Rijswijk, Delft and the Rotterdam conurbation (known as "Rijnmond") to the southeast, Pijnacker-Nootdorp and Zoetermeer to the east, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Voorschoten and the Leiden conurbation to the northeast and Wassenaar to the north.


title: The Hague

text: The conurbations around The Hague and Rotterdam are close enough to be a single conurbation in some contexts. For example, they share the Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a light rail system called RandstadRail. This led to the creation of the Rotterdam-The Hague metropolitan area. This large conurbation centred on The Hague and Rotterdam is, in turn, part of the Randstad—specifically a band of municipalities called the South Wing (Zuidvleugel). The Randstad, which also includes among others Amsterdam and Utrecht, has a population of 6,659,300. The Hague lies at the southwestern corner of the second-largest conurbation in the European Union.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is divided into eight official districts which are, in turn, divided into neighbourhoods. Some of the most prosperous and some of the poorest neighbourhoods of the Netherlands can be found in The Hague. The wealthier areas like Statenkwartier, Belgisch Park, Marlot, Benoordenhout and Archipelbuurt are generally located in the northwestern part of the city, closer to the sea, whereas the southeastern neighbourhoods like Transvaal, Moerwijk, and the Schilderswijk are significantly poorer, with the exception of the Vinex-locations of Leidschenveen-Ypenburg and Wateringse Veld. This division is reflected in the local accent: The more affluent citizens are usually called "Hagenaars" and speak so-called "bekakt Haags" ("posh"), this contrasts with the "Hagenezen", who speak "plat Haags" ("vulgar"); see Demographics below.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague experiences a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen: "Cfb") similar to almost all of the Netherlands. Because of its location on the coast, it experiences milder winters and cooler summers than more inland locations. However, because of its location, it can also be extremely windy in the winter and humid in the summer. It also gets more sunshine.


title: The Hague

text: City life concentrates around the Hofvijver and the Binnenhof, where the States General of the Netherlands are located. Because of its history, the historical inner city of The Hague differs in various aspects from the nearby smaller cities of Leiden and Delft. It does not have a cramped inner city, bordered by canals and walls. Instead, it has some small streets in the town centre that may be dated from the late Middle Ages and several spacious streets boasting large and luxurious 18th-century residences built for diplomats and affluent Dutch families. It has a large church dating from the 15th century, an impressive City Hall (built as such) from the 16th century, several large 17th-century palaces, a 17th-century Protestant church built in what was then a modern style, and many important 18th-century buildings.


title: The Hague

text: The city is becoming more student friendly with the introduction of a new campus in 2012 of Leiden University as well as Leiden University College The Hague, which was established in 2010. The Royal Conservatory of The Hague and the Royal Academy of Art are also located there, as well as The Hague University, a vocational university and a branch of The Open University of the Netherlands. The city has many civil servants and diplomats. In fact, the number and variety of foreign residents (especially the expatriates) make the city quite culturally diverse, with many foreign pubs, shops and cultural events.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is the largest Dutch city on the North Sea and includes two distinct beach resorts. The main beach resort Scheveningen, in the northwestern part of the city is a popular destination for tourists as well as for inhabitants. With 10 million visitors a year, it is the most popular beach town in the Benelux area. Kijkduin, in the south west, is The Hague's other beach resort. It is significantly smaller and attracts mainly local residents.


title: The Hague

text: The former Dutch colony of the East Indies, now Indonesia, has left its mark on The Hague. Since the 19th century, high level civil servants from the Dutch East Indies often spent long term leave and vacation in The Hague. Many streets are named after places in the Netherlands East Indies (as well as other former Dutch colonies such as Suriname) and there is a sizable "Indo" (i.e. mixed Dutch-Indonesian) community. Since the loss of these Dutch possessions in December 1949, "Indo people" also known as "Indische people" often refer to The Hague as "the Widow of the Indies".


title: The Hague

text: The older parts of the town have many characteristically wide and long streets. Houses are generally low-rise (often not more than three floors). A large part of the south western city was planned by the progressive Dutch architect H.P. Berlage about 1910. This 'Plan Berlage' decided the spacious and homely streets for several decades. In World War II, a large amount of the western portion of The Hague was destroyed by the Germans. Afterwards, modernist architect W.M. Dudok planned its renewal, putting apartment blocks for the middle class in open park-like settings.


title: The Hague

text: The layout of the city is more spacious than other Dutch cities and because of the incorporation of large and old nobility estates, the creation of various parks and the use of green zones around natural streams, it is a much more green city than any other in the Netherlands. That is, excepting some medieval close-knitted streets in the centre. The Hague has a canal system around the old city center, which is mainly used for boat tours around the city. Most of the canals were drained in the late 19th century but many have been restored recently.


title: The Hague

text: The tallest buildings of The Hague are both 146-metre-tall ministries of Justice and Security and the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands, designed by Hans Kollhoff. Other significant skyscrapers include the Hoftoren, Het Strijkijzer and De Kroon.


title: The Hague

text: As of 1 January 2021, The Hague counts 549,163 inhabitants, making it the third largest city of the Netherlands. Between 1800 and 1960, the city saw a considerable growth from 40,000 in 1800 to 200,000 in 1900 and eventually 600,000 in 1960. The growth following 1900 was partially caused by the housing act of 1901, which stimulated the expansion of cities such as The Hague. In the period between 1960 and 1980, The Hague saw a shrinkage from 600,000 to 440,000 inhabitants, caused mostly by the spatial policy, demographic processes and lack of space. After several annexations and housing constructions, The Hague has since grown again, celebrating its 500,000th inhabitant in 2011. The municipality expects the growth to continue to just over 600,000 inhabitants by 2030.


title: The Hague

text: The demonym of The Hague officially is "Hagenaar", but the term "Hagenees" is informally used for someone who was born and raised in The Hague. The usage of these demonyms appears to be class-bound, with Hagenaar being the upper-class term and Hagenees being that of the lower-class.


title: The Hague

text: The proportion of Dutch people is 43%, while that of Western immigrants is 15.6%, and that of non-western immigrants is 34.4%.


title: The Hague

text: Just under half of The Hague's population identifies with a religious group. The two most popular religions are Christianity (29%) and Islam (14.1%). Indonesian, Turks, Moroccans and Surinamese people are particularly likely to adhere to a religion. Islam is the most common religion among Turks and, particularly, among Moroccans. Surinamese people are more religiously mixed, although Hinduism is the most common. Of The Hague's native Dutch population, almost all religious people belong to Christianity. Just under 40% of the population of The Hague regularly attends a house of worship.


title: The Hague

text: As of the 2022 municipal election, the municipal council of The Hague contains thirteen parties, most notably the local Heart for The Hague (HvDH; 9 seats), Democrats 66 (D66; 8 seats), the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD; 7 seats) and GroenLinks (5 seats).


title: The Hague

text: Since 2019, the municipal executive has comprised VVD, D66, GroenLinks, CDA and PvdA. The chairman of the college is Mayor Jan van Zanen (VVD), and the city has eight aldermen: Anne Mulder, Kavita Parbhudayal (both VVD), Robert van Asten, Saskia Bruines (both D66), Liesbeth van Tongeren, Bert van Alphen (both GroenLinks), Hilbert Bredemeijer (CDA) and Martijn Balster (PvdA). Each alderman is responsible for a number of particular policy areas and one of the city's eight districts.


title: The Hague

text: On 1 October 2019, the National Department of Criminal Investigation ("Rijksrecherche") performed a raid on the homes and offices of then-aldermen Richard de Mos and Rachid Guernaoui, as part of an investigation of alleged administrative corruption, bribery and violation of confidentiality. Offices of several municipal civil servants and the homes of three entrepreneurs were also searched for the investigation. The aldermen are suspected of receiving bribes in exchange for granting permits.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is home to many different international judicial bodies, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). It houses Scheveningen Prison, the ICC's detention center for those suspected of war crimes and other violations of international law. The Hague is the fourth major centre for the United Nations, after New York, Geneva and Vienna.


title: The Hague

text: The foundation of The Hague as an "international city of peace and justice" started at the end of the 19th century, when the first global Conference of peace took place in The Hague on Tobias Asser's initiative, with a second one a few years later. A direct result of these meetings was the establishment of the world's first organisation for the settlement of international disputes: the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). Shortly thereafter, the Scottish-American millionaire Andrew Carnegie made the necessary funds available to build the Peace Palace to house the PCA. After the establishment of the League of Nations, The Hague became the seat of the Permanent Court of International Justice, which was replaced (after World War II) by the UN's International Court of Justice. The establishments of the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal (1981), the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (1993) and the International Criminal Court (2002) in the city further consolidated its role as a centre for international legal arbitration. Most recently, on 1 March 2009, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a UN tribunal to investigate and prosecute suspects in the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, opened in the former headquarters of the Netherlands General Intelligence Agency in Leidschendam, a town within the greater area of The Hague.


title: The Hague

text: Many academic institutions in the fields of international relations, international law and international development are based in The Hague. The Hague Academic Coalition (HAC) is a consortium of those institutions.


title: The Hague

text: In 1948, the Congress of Europe was held with 750 delegates from 26 European governments, providing them with the opportunity to discuss ideas about the development of European integration, which eventually cultivated into the creation of the modern-day European Union.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague has a service-oriented economy. Professional life in the city is dominated by the large number of civil servants and diplomats working in the city; , 26% of the jobs in The Hague are those offered by the Dutch government or the international institutions. Large employers in this sector include the ministries of Defence, Justice, Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and Transport, Public Works and Water Management.


title: The Hague

text: Several large international businesses have their headquarters in The Hague, including Royal Dutch Shell, the world's fifth largest company in terms of revenue. Other significant companies headquartered in The Hague include Aegon, APM Terminals, Damco, NIBC Bank, Chicago Bridge & Iron Company and PostNL. The city is also host to the regional headquarters of Siemens, T-Mobile, AT&T, Huawei, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, McDermott International, Saudi Aramco, TotalEnergies and Worley (company). There has never been any large-scale industrial activity in The Hague, with the possible exception of the fishing activities of the harbour in Scheveningen. Many of the city's logistical and minor-industrial services are located in the Binckhorst in the Laak district, which contains many sizeable warehouses.


title: The Hague

text: Tourism is an important sector in The Hague. The city is the second biggest Dutch tourist destination, after Amsterdam. In 2012, The Hague welcomed 1.2 million tourists (an increase of 80,000 compared to the previous year), half of whom came from abroad. The number of hotel nights in the city increased by 5%; in particular, visitors from neighbouring countries are finding their way to The Hague. Compared to 2011 Belgians booked 27% more hotel nights, while the Germans were good for 24% more hotel nights, and the French booked 20% more hotel nights. The 14% average increase in visits by foreign tourists more than compensated for the slight decrease of less than 1% by Dutch visitors. Tourists spend an average of €2 billion a year in the local economy. Today 1 in 10 residents make their living from the tourism sector.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague originated around the 13th-century Binnenhof, and this is still considered the cultural centre of the city. Night life centres around the three main squares in the city centre. The "Plein" (literally "Square") is taken by several large sidewalk cafés where often politicians may be spotted. The "Grote Markt" (literally "Great Market") is completely strewn with chairs and tables, summer or winter. The Buitenhof (literally "Outer Court", located just outside the Binnenhof) contains a six screen Pathé cinema and a handful of bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity. Adjacent to the Buitenhof is De Passage, the country's first covered shopping mall. Dating from the late 19th century, it contains many expensive and speciality shops. One of the country's largest music venues, Paard van Troje, can be found in the centre of The Hague. Another popular music venue in The Hague is Muziekcafé de Paap.


title: The Hague

text: The Spuiplein is a modern fourth square in the city centre, opposite the Nieuwe Kerk. Besides the City Hall, this was also the location of the Dr. Anton Philipszaal, home to the Residentie Orchestra, and the Lucent Danstheater, home to the internationally celebrated modern dance company Nederlands Dans Theater. These buildings, designed by Rem Koolhaas in 1988, have been demolished to make space for a new theatre, the Spuiforum, which would house both institutes as well as the Royal Conservatory. Despite efforts of the municipality, public support for the proposed theatre remains low. At the heart of the city centre across the palace gardens is the home of Summerschool Den Haag, international school for dance with guest teachers such as Valentina Scaglia, Igone de Jongh, and Maia Makhateli. The Koninklijke Schouwburg, home to Het Nationale Theater, can also be found in the city centre – on the Korte Voorhout. New European Ensemble is a collective for contemporary music consisting on international musicians. The ensemble has its main base in the city.


title: The Hague

text: Scheveningen forms a second cultural centre of The Hague, having its own Pathé cinema as well as the musical theatre Circustheater although, especially in the summer, most night life concentrates around the sea-front boulevard with its bars, restaurants and gambling halls. Several other attractions can be found in Scheveningen, such as the miniature park Madurodam, the Beelden aan Zee museum, and a Sea Life Centre.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague is the residence of the Dutch monarch, and several (former) royal palaces can be found in the city. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands live in Huis ten Bosch in the Haagse Bos, and work in the Noordeinde Palace in the city centre. Moreover, there are two former royal palaces in The Hague. The Kneuterdijk Palace, built in 1716, is now home to the Council of State of the Netherlands, and the Lange Voorhout Palace is now occupied by the Escher Museum, dedicated to Dutch graphical artist M. C. Escher.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague has its share of museums, most notably the Mauritshuis, located next to the Binnenhof, which exhibits many paintings by Dutch masters, such as Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn and Paulus Potter. Other museums include the science museum Museon, the modern art museum Kunstmuseum, the historic museum Haags Historisch Museum, the national postal museum Museum voor Communicatie, the Museum Bredius, the Louis Couperus Museum, the museum Beelden aan Zee in Scheveningen, and the Gevangenpoort, a former prison housed in a 15th-century gatehouse.


title: The Hague

text: Since early times, possibly as far back as the 16th century, the stork has been the symbol of The Hague.


title: The Hague

text: Several films have been (partially) shot in The Hague, including "Mindhunters" (2004), "Hum Tum" (2004), "Ocean's Twelve" (2004), "Black Book" (2006) and "Sonny Boy" (2011). Parts of the second season of the Netflix series "Sense8" were filmed in The Hague. Notable actors and filmmakers from The Hague include Martin Koolhoven, Georgina Verbaan, Carel Struycken, Frederique van der Wal, Marwan Kenzari, Anna Drijver, Renée Soutendijk and Paul Verhoeven, who grew up in the city from an early age.


title: The Hague

text: The city's major football club is ADO Den Haag, which competes in the Eerste Divisie, the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. ADO Den Haag have won the KNVB Cup twice and won the League twice in the era before professional football. They play their matches at the 15,000 seat Cars Jeans Stadion. Amateur team HVV are also based in the city. Prior to the professional era the club won 10 national titles and one KNVB Cup, and they remain fourth in the all-time list of national title winners. HBS Craeyenhout is another amateur club in the city, which won three national titles before the establishment of the Eredivisie. On 13 May 2021, football club ADO Den Haag was relegated from the Eredivisie as they lost their final game of the season against Willem II. In effect, ADO Den Haag no longer holds a position in the top division of professional Dutch football.


title: The Hague

text: Since 2020, basketball club The Hague Royals plays in the professional Dutch Basketball League (DBL). Home games are played at the Sportcampus Zuiderpark.


title: The Hague

text: The local rugby union team is Haagsche Rugby Club (a.k.a. HRC). The ice hockey team is HYS The Hague and the local American Football team is Den Haag Raiders '99.


title: The Hague

text: Darts is another sport played in The Hague; its popularity was increased by Raymond van Barneveld winning several World Championships.


title: The Hague

text: The half marathon race CPC Loop Den Haag is held annually in The Hague. In 1994, The Hague held the FEI World Equestrian Games.


title: The Hague

text: Koningsdag, or "King's Day", is held annually on 27 April. It is traditionally celebrated with fairs and flea markets throughout the city. On this day, the colour orange predominates at a funfair (which sells orange cotton candy) and scores of informal street markets. The day is a "vrijmarkt" (literally "free market"), which means no licence is needed for street vending; children traditionally use this day to sell old unwanted toys. Since King's Day is a national holiday and thus a day off, many people also go out and party on the evening before King's Day. This evening is called King's Night, or "Koningnacht" in The Hague. The "t" is left out because "nacht" is pronounced as "nach" in The Hague. Outdoor concerts throughout the city centre of The Hague draw tens of thousands of visitors every year.


title: The Hague

text: Every third Tuesday in September is Prinsjesdag, or "Prince's Day", the opening of Dutch parliament. A festive day, children in The Hague are free from school so they may watch the procession of the Golden Coach. The King is driven in the coach from Noordeinde Palace to the Ridderzaal in the Binnenhof. Here, the King reads the Speech from the Throne, written jointly by the Ministers and Secretaries of State. This "troonrede" outlines the government's plans for the coming year. As the procession returns to the Noordeinde Palace, the road is lined with members of the Dutch Royal Armed Forces, and in the afternoon, the Royal Family appears on the palace balcony to address an adoring and often frenzied public ("balkonscène").


title: The Hague

text: Vlaggetjesdag (), literally "Flag Day", is the annual celebration of the arrival of the year's first herring (Hollandse Nieuwe) in Scheveningen. Hundreds of thousands of people gather in Scheveningen for the festivities, and the fishing boats are decorated specially for the occasion. In addition to the omnipresent herring, this day also features a number of activities unrelated to fish. In Scheveningen, the first barrel of herring is traditionally sold at an auction on the Thursday preceding the official Vlaggetjesdag, and the proceeds go to charity. Vlaggetjesdag was made official in 1947, although the festive tradition around the beginning of herring season is much older: in the 18th century, the villages along the coast, including Scheveningen, were forbidden to gut the caught herring. Since herring was most appropriate for smoking around September, most fishing boats caught flatfish or round-bodied fish during part of the summer, so as to avoid a surplus of fresh herring. In July or August, The Hague hosts a series of weekly firework displays by the sea front in Scheveningen, as part of an international fireworks festival and competition.


title: The Hague

text: Tong Tong Fair, formerly "Pasar Malam Besar", is the largest festival in the world for Indo culture. Established in 1959, it is one of the oldest festivals and the fourth largest grand fair in the Netherlands. It is also the annual event with the highest number of paying visitors of The Hague, having consistently attracted more than 100,000 visitors since 1993. The Milan Festival is Europe's biggest Hindustani open-air event, annually held in Zuiderpark. The Hague also hosts several annual music festivals; on the last Sunday in June, the city hosts Parkpop, the largest free open air pop concert in Europe. Crossing Border Festival, State-X and The Hague Jazz festival are among other music festivals in The Hague.


title: The Hague

text: Crossing Border Festival is an annual festival in November, focusing on music and literature. The first edition took place in 1993.


title: The Hague

text: Movies That Matter is an international film and debate festival about peace and justice that takes place every year at the end of March; nine days filled with screenings of fiction films and documentaries, daily talk-shows, music performances and exhibitions. The first such event took place in 2006.


title: The Hague

text: Moreover, The Hague International Model United Nations, annually held in January, is a five-day conference held at the World Forum, gathering over 4,000 students from over 200 secondary schools across the globe. It is the oldest and largest high school United Nations simulation in the world. "Den Haag Sculptuur" is an open-air exhibition of sculptures; the tenth such event, in 2007, celebrated the 400 years of the relationship between the Netherlands and Australia. Since 2009, the city of The Hague also annually presents an LGBT-emancipation award called the John Blankenstein Award. The exact date of the ceremony varies each year.


title: The Hague

text: The Hague shares an airport with Rotterdam. It can be reached from Central Station by RandstadRail Line E, with an Airport Shuttle to and from Meijersplein Station. However, with several direct trains per hour from the railway stations Hollands Spoor and Centraal, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is more frequently used by people travelling to and from The Hague by air.


title: The Hague

text: There are two main railway stations in The Hague: Hollands Spoor and Centraal Station, apart from each other. Because the two stations were built and run by two different railway companies in the 19th century, services have traditionally been split between the two: east–west lines terminate at Centraal Station, whereas north–south lines run through Hollands Spoor. However, Centraal Station now offers direct services to most major Dutch cities, such Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht.


title: The Hague

text: Other destinations include Leiden, Haarlem, Zwolle, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Amersfoort, Enschede, Breda, Tilburg and Eindhoven. There is an international service to Antwerp and Brussels.


title: The Hague

text: Public transport in The Hague consists of a tramway network and a sizeable number of bus routes, operated by HTM Personenvervoer. Plans for a subway were shelved in the early 1970s. However, in 2004 a tunnel was built under the city centre with two underground tram stations (Spui and Grote Markt); it is shared by RandstadRail lines 3 and 4 and tram routes 2 and 6.


title: The Hague

text: RandstadRail connects The Hague to nearby cities, Zoetermeer, Rotterdam and Leidschendam-Voorburg. It consists of four light rail lines (3, 4 and 19 to Zoetermeer, Rijswijk, Delft and Leidschendam-Voorburg) and one subway line (E to Rotterdam).


title: The Hague

text: Major motorways connecting to The Hague include the A12, running to Utrecht and the German border. The A12 runs directly into the heart of the city in a cutting. Built in the 1970s, this section of motorway (the "Utrechtsebaan") is now heavily overburdened. Plans were made in the late 1990s for a second artery road into the city (the "Rotterdamsebaan", previously called the "Trekvliettracé") which is due to be built between 2016 and 2019. Other connecting motorways are the A4, which connects the city with Amsterdam, and the A13, which runs to Rotterdam and connects to motorways towards the Belgian border. There is also the A44 that connects the city to Leiden, Haarlem and Amsterdam. In the 1970s, plans of building another motorway to Leiden existed. This "Leidsebaan" was supposed to start in the city centre and then follow the railway line from The Hague to Amsterdam. Some works had been executed, but had been removed by the 1980s.


The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yugoslavia occurring as a consequence of the Yugoslav Wars. Spanning an area of in the Balkans, Yugoslavia was bordered by the Adriatic Sea and Italy to the west, by Austria and Hungary to the north, by Bulgaria and Romania to the east, and by Albania and Greece to the south. It was a one-party socialist state and federation governed by the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, and had six constituent republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Within Serbia was the Yugoslav capital city of Belgrade as well as two autonomous Yugoslav provinces: Kosovo and Vojvodina.


title: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

text: The SFR Yugoslavia traces its origins to 26 November 1942, when the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia was formed during World War II to resist Axis occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the country's liberation, King Peter II was deposed, the monarchy was ended, and on 29 November 1945, the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed. Led by Josip Broz Tito, the new communist government sided with the Eastern Bloc at the beginning of the Cold War but pursued a policy of neutrality following the Tito–Stalin split in 1948; it became one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, and transitioned from a command economy to market-based socialism.


text: Following the death of Tito on 4 May 1980, the Yugoslav economy started to collapse, which increased unemployment and inflation. The economic crisis led to rising ethnic nationalism and political dissidence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. With the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, efforts to transition into a confederation failed; the two wealthiest republics, Croatia and Slovenia, seceded and gained some international recognition in 1991. The federation dissolved along the borders of federated republics, hastened by the start of the Yugoslav Wars, and the federation formally broke up on 27 April 1992. Two republics, Serbia and Montenegro, remained within a reconstituted state known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, or FR Yugoslavia, but this state was not recognized internationally as the official successor state to SFR Yugoslavia. "Former Yugoslavia" is now commonly used retrospectively.


text: The name "Yugoslavia", an Anglicised transcription of "Jugoslavija", is a composite word made up of "jug" ('yug') (with the 'j' pronounced like an English 'y') and "slavija". The Slavic word "jug" means 'south', while "slavija" ("Slavia") denotes a 'land of the Slavs'. Thus, a translation of "Jugoslavija" would be 'South-Slavia' or 'Land of the South Slavs'. The full official name of the federation varied significantly between 1945 and 1992. Yugoslavia was formed in 1918 under the name Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. In January 1929, King Alexander I assumed dictatorship of the kingdom and renamed it the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, for the first time making the term "Yugoslavia"—which had been used colloquially for decades (even before the country was formed)—the official name of the state. After the Kingdom was occupied by the Axis during World War II, the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) announced in 1943 the formation of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (DF Yugoslavia or DFY) in the substantial resistance-controlled areas of the country. The name deliberately left the republic-or-kingdom question open. In 1945, King Peter II was officially deposed, with the state reorganized as a republic, and accordingly renamed the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FPR Yugoslavia or FPRY), with the constitution coming into force in 1946. In 1963, amid pervasive liberal constitutional reforms, the name "Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" was introduced. The state is most commonly referred to by the latter name, which it held for the longest period of all. Of the three main Yugoslav languages, the Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian name for the state was identical, while Slovene slightly differed in capitalization and the spelling of the adjective "Socialist". The names are as follows:


text: Due to the length of the name, abbreviations were often used to refer to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, though the state was most commonly known simply as "Yugoslavia". The most common abbreviation is SFRY, though SFR Yugoslavia was also used in an official capacity, particularly by the media.


text: On 6 April 1941, Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis powers led by Nazi Germany; by 17 April 1941, the country was fully occupied and was soon carved up by the Axis. Yugoslav resistance was soon established in two forms, the Royal Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Communist Yugoslav Partisans. The Partisan supreme commander was Josip Broz Tito, and under his command, the movement soon began establishing "liberated territories" which attracted the attention of occupying forces. Unlike the various nationalist militias operating in occupied Yugoslavia, the Partisans were a pan-Yugoslav movement promoting the "brotherhood and unity" of Yugoslav nations and representing the republican, left-wing, and socialist elements of the Yugoslav political spectrum. The coalition of political parties, factions, and prominent individuals behind the movement was the People's Liberation Front ("Jedinstveni narodnooslobodilački front", JNOF), led by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ).


text: The Front formed a representative political body, the Anti-Fascist Council for the People's Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ, "Antifašističko Veće Narodnog Oslobođenja Jugoslavije"). The AVNOJ, which met for the first time in Partisan-liberated Bihać on 26 November 1942 (First Session of the AVNOJ), claimed the status of Yugoslavia's deliberative assembly (parliament).


text: During 1943, the Yugoslav Partisans began attracting serious attention from the Germans. In two major operations, "Fall Weiss" (January to April 1943) and "Fall Schwartz" (15 May to 16 June 1943), the Axis attempted to stamp out the Yugoslav resistance once and for all. In the Battle of the Neretva and the Battle of the Sutjeska, the 20,000-strong Partisan Main Operational Group engaged a force of around 150,000 combined Axis troops. In both battles, despite heavy casualties, the Group succeeded in evading the trap and retreating to safety. The Partisans emerged stronger than before and now occupied a more significant portion of Yugoslavia. The events greatly increased the standing of the Partisans, and granted them a favorable reputation among the Yugoslav populace, leading to increased recruitment. On 8 September 1943, Fascist Italy capitulated to the Allies, leaving their occupation zone in Yugoslavia open to the Partisans. Tito took advantage of the events by briefly liberating the Dalmatian shore and its cities. This secured Italian weaponry and supplies for the Partisans, volunteers from the cities previously annexed by Italy, and Italian recruits crossing over to the Allies (the Garibaldi Division). After this favourable chain of events, the AVNOJ decided to meet for the second time – now in Partisan-liberated Jajce. The Second Session of the AVNOJ lasted from 21 to 29 November 1943 (right before and during the Tehran Conference), and came to a number of significant conclusions. The most significant of these was the establishment of the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia, a state that would be a federation of six equal South Slavic republics (as opposed to the allegedly Serb predominance in pre-war Yugoslavia). The council decided on a "neutral" name and deliberately left the question of "monarchy vs. republic" open, ruling that Peter II would only be allowed to return from exile in London upon a favourable result of a pan-Yugoslav referendum on the question. Among other decisions, the AVNOJ decided on forming a provisional executive body, the National Committee for the Liberation of Yugoslavia (NKOJ, "Nacionalni komitet oslobođenja Jugoslavije"), appointing Tito as the Prime Minister. Having achieved success in the 1943 engagements Tito was also granted the rank of Marshal of Yugoslavia. Favorable news also came from the Tehran Conference when the Allies concluded that the Partisans would be recognized as the Allied Yugoslav resistance movement and granted supplies and wartime support against the Axis occupation.


text: As the war turned decisively against the Axis in 1944, the Partisans continued to hold significant chunks of Yugoslav territory. With the Allies in Italy, the Yugoslav islands of the Adriatic Sea were a haven for the resistance. On 17 June 1944, the Partisan base on the island of Vis housed a conference between Tito, Prime Minister of the NKOJ (representing the AVNOJ), and Ivan Šubašić, Prime Minister of the royalist Yugoslav government-in-exile in London. The conclusions, known as the Tito-Šubašić Agreement, granted the King's recognition to the AVNOJ and the Democratic Federal Yugoslavia (DFY) and provided for the establishment of a joint Yugoslav coalition government headed by Tito with Šubašić as the foreign minister, with the AVNOJ confirmed as the provisional Yugoslav parliament. Peter II's government-in-exile in London, partly due to pressure from the United Kingdom, recognized the state in the agreement, signed on 17 June 1944 between Šubašić and Tito. The DFY's legislature, after November 1944, was the Provisional Assembly. The Tito-Šubašić agreement of 1944 declared that the state was a pluralist democracy that guaranteed: democratic liberties; personal freedom; freedom of speech, assembly, and religion; and a free press. However, by January 1945 Tito had shifted the emphasis of his government away from an emphasis on pluralist democracy, claiming that though he accepted democracy, he claimed there was no need for multiple parties, as he claimed that multiple parties were unnecessarily divisive in the midst of Yugoslavia's war effort and that the People's Front represented all the Yugoslav people. The People's Front coalition, headed by the KPJ and its general secretary Tito, was a major movement within the government. Other political movements that joined the government included the "Napred" movement represented by Milivoje Marković.Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, was liberated with the help of the Soviet Red Army in October 1944, and the formation of a new Yugoslav government was postponed until 2 November 1944, when the Belgrade Agreement was signed and the provisional government formed. The agreements also provided for the eventual post-war elections that would determine the state's future system of government and economy.


text: By 1945, the Partisans were clearing out Axis forces and liberating the remaining parts of occupied territory. On 20 March 1945, the Partisans launched their General Offensive in a drive to completely oust the Germans and the remaining collaborating forces. By the end of April 1945 the remaining northern parts of Yugoslavia were liberated, and chunks of southern German (Austrian) territory, and Italian territory around Trieste were occupied by Yugoslav troops. Yugoslavia was now once more a fully intact state, with its borders closely resembling their pre-1941 form and was envisioned by the Partisans as a "Democratic Federation", including six federated states: the Federated State of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FS Bosnia and Herzegovina), Federated State of Croatia (FS Croatia), Federated State of Macedonia (FS Macedonia), Federated State of Montenegro (FS Montenegro), Federated State of Serbia (FS Serbia), and Federated State of Slovenia (FS Slovenia). The nature of its government, however, remained unclear, and Tito was highly reluctant to include the exiled King Peter II in post-war Yugoslavia as demanded by Winston Churchill. In February 1945, Tito acknowledged the existence of a Regency Council representing the King: the first and only act of the council as established on 7 March, however, was to proclaim a new government under Tito's premiership. The nature of the state was still unclear immediately after the war, and on 26 June 1945, the government signed the United Nations Charter using only "Yugoslavia" as an official name, with no reference to either a Kingdom or a Republic. Acting as head of state on 7 March, the King appointed to his Regency Council constitutional lawyers Srđan Budisavljević, Ante Mandić and Dušan Sernec. In doing so, the King empowered his Council to form a common temporary government with NKOJ and accept Tito's nomination as Prime Minister of the first normal government. As authorized by the King, the Regency Council has thus accepted the Tito's nomination on 29 November 1945 when FPRY was declared. By this unconditional transfer of powers, King Peter II had abdicated to Tito. This date, when the second Yugoslavia was born under international law, had since been marked as Yugoslavia's national holiday "Day of the Republic", however following the Communists' switch to authoritarianism, this holiday officially marked the 1943 Session of AVNOJ that coincidentally fell on the same day of the year.


text: The first Yugoslav post-World War II elections were set for 11 November 1945. By this time the coalition of parties backing the Partisans, the People's Liberation Front ("Jedinstveni narodnooslobodilački front", JNOF), had been renamed into the People's Front ("Narodni front", NOF). The People's Front was primarily led by the KPJ and represented by Tito. The reputation of both benefited greatly from their wartime exploits and decisive success, and they enjoyed genuine support among the populace. However, the old pre-war political parties were reestablished as well. As early as January 1945, while the enemy was still occupying the northwest, Tito commented:


text: However, while the elections themselves were fairly conducted by a secret ballot, the campaign that preceded them was highly irregular. Opposition newspapers were banned on more than one occasion, and in Serbia, the opposition leaders such as Milan Grol received threats via the press. The opposition withdrew from the election in protest to the hostile atmosphere and this situation caused the three royalist representatives, Grol-Subasic-Juraj Šutej, to secede from the provisional government. Indeed, voting was on a single list of People's Front candidates with provision for opposition votes to be cast in separate voting boxes, but this procedure made electors identifiable by OZNA agents. The election results of 11 November 1945 were decisively in favour of the former, with an average of 85% of voters of each federated state casting their ballot for the People's Front. On 29 November 1945, the second anniversary of the Second Session of the AVNOJ, the Constituent Assembly of Yugoslavia formally abolished the monarchy and declared the state a republic. The country's official name became the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia (FPR Yugoslavia, FPRY), and the six federated states became "People's Republics" Yugoslavia became a one-party state and was considered in its earliest years a model of Communist orthodoxy.


text: The Yugoslav government allied with the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin and early on in the Cold War shot down two American airplanes flying in Yugoslav airspace on 9 and 19 August 1946. These were the first aerial shootdowns of western aircraft during the Cold War and caused deep distrust of Tito in the United States and even calls for military intervention against Yugoslavia. The new Yugoslavia also closely followed the Stalinist Soviet model of economic development in this early period, some aspects of which achieved considerable success. In particular, the public works of that period organized by the government managed to rebuild and even improve the Yugoslav infrastructure (in particular the road system), with little cost to the state. Tensions with the West were high as Yugoslavia joined the Cominform, and the early phase of the Cold War began with Yugoslavia pursuing an aggressive foreign policy. Having liberated most of the Julian March and Carinthia, and with historic claims to both those regions, the Yugoslav government began diplomatic maneuvering to include them in Yugoslavia. Both these demands were opposed by the West. The greatest point of contention was the port-city of Trieste. The city and its hinterland were liberated mostly by the Partisans in 1945, but pressure from the western Allies forced them to withdraw to the so-called "Morgan Line". The Free Territory of Trieste was established and separated into Zone A and Zone B, administered by the western Allies and Yugoslavia respectively. Initially, Yugoslavia was backed by Stalin, but by 1947 the latter had begun to cool towards the new state's ambitions. The crisis eventually dissolved as the Tito–Stalin split started, with Zone A being granted to Italy, and Zone B to Yugoslavia.


text: Meanwhile, civil war raged in Greece – Yugoslavia's southern neighbour – between Communists and the right-wing government, and the Yugoslav government was determined to bring about a Communist victory. Yugoslavia dispatched significant assistance, in terms of arms and ammunition, supplies, military experts on partisan warfare (such as General Vladimir Dapčević), and even allowed the Greek Communist forces to use Yugoslav territory as a safe haven. Although the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, and (Yugoslav-dominated) Albania had granted military support as well, Yugoslav assistance was far more substantial. However, this Yugoslav foreign adventure also came to an end with the Tito–Stalin split, as the Greek Communists, expecting an overthrow of Tito, refused any assistance from his government. Without it, however, they were greatly disadvantaged and were defeated in 1949. As Yugoslavia was the country's only Communist neighbour in the immediate post-war period, the People's Republic of Albania was effectively a Yugoslav satellite. Neighboring Bulgaria was under increasing Yugoslav influence as well, and talks began to negotiate the political unification of Albania and Bulgaria with Yugoslavia. The major point of contention was that Yugoslavia wanted to absorb the two and transform them into additional federated republics. Albania was in no position to object, but the Bulgarian view was that a new Balkan Federation would see Bulgaria and Yugoslavia as a whole uniting on equal terms. As these negotiations began, Yugoslav representatives Edvard Kardelj and Milovan Đilas were summoned to Moscow alongside a Bulgarian delegation, where Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov attempted to brow-beat them both into accepting Soviet control over the merger between the countries, and generally tried to force them into subordination. The Soviets did not express a specific view on the issue of Yugoslav-Bulgarian unification but wanted to ensure both parties first approved every decision with Moscow. The Bulgarians did not object, but the Yugoslav delegation withdrew from the Moscow meeting. Recognizing the level of Bulgarian subordination to Moscow, Yugoslavia withdrew from the unification talks and shelved plans for the annexation of Albania in anticipation of a confrontation with the Soviet Union.