title: Donetsk Oblast

text: Donetsk Oblast is located in southeastern Ukraine. The area of the oblast (26,517 km), comprises about 4.4% of the total area of the country. The oblast borders the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts on the southwest, the Kharkiv Oblast on the north, the Luhansk Oblast on the northeast, the Rostov Oblast in Russia on the east, and with the Sea of Azov on the south.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: Its longitude from north to south is 270 km, from east to west – 190 km. The extreme points of the oblast's borders are: "Bilosarayska Kosa" (spit) on the south, Shevchenko of Velykonovosilkivskyi Raion on the west, "Verkhnyi Kut" of Shakhtarskyi Raion on the east, and "Lozove" of Lyman Raion on the north.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The state historic-architectural preserve near the city of Sviatohirsk with the Sviatohirsk Lavra was nominated for the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The province is primarily divided into 18 "raions" (districts) and 28 municipalities of equal status (22 "miskradas" and 6 "mistos" – cities of regional significance), including the provincial administrative center Donetsk. These are listed below with their areas and populations.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The province's secondary division consists of various municipalities that are governed by their councils. Those municipalities may consist of one or more populated places. All are administratively subordinate to the raion in which they are located.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The following data incorporates the number of each type of second-level administrative divisions of Donetsk Oblast:


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The local administration of the oblast' is controlled by the Donetsk Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast' is the Head of Donetsk Oblast administration, appointed by the President of Ukraine.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: In 2013, the population of Donetsk Oblast was 4.43 million, which constituted 10% of the overall Ukrainian population, making it the most populous and most densely populated region of the country. Its large population is due to the presence of several big industrial cities and numerous villages agglomerated around them.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: During the 2004 presidential election, political supporters of Viktor Yanukovych threatened to demand autonomy for Donetsk and neighboring oblasts if the election of their candidate was not recognised. However, no official moves were ever made.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: At the 2001 Ukrainian National Census, the ethnic groups within the Donetsk Oblast were: Ukrainians – 2,744,100 (56.9%), Russians – 1,844,400 (38.2%), Pontic Greeks – 77,500 (1.6%), Belarusians – 44,500 (0.9%), others (2.3%).


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The Donetsk Oblast accounts for more than one half of the coal, finished steel, coke, cast iron and steel production in Ukraine. Ferrous metallurgy, fuel industry and power industry are in demand in the structure of industry production. There are about 882 industry enterprises that are on independent balance, and 2,095 small industry enterprises in the oblast.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The oblast has a developed transport infrastructure which includes the Donetsk railway (covers 40% of national transportation), the Mariupol Port, the Donetsk International Airport, passenger airports in Mariupol and Kramatorsk, and dense road systems. In the Donetsk Oblast two special economic zones have been created, "Donetsk" and "Azov", which have a privileged tax regime.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: In 1999, the gross grain yield in the oblast was about 999.1 thousand tons, sugar beets – 27.1 thousand tons, sunflower seeds – 309.4 thousand tons, and potatoes – 380.2 thousand tons. Also, 134.2 thousand tons of meat, 494.3 thousand tons of milk and 646.4 million eggs have been produced. At the beginning of 1999 there were 2108 farms within the oblast.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The Donetsk Oblast's climate is mostly continental, which is characterised by hot summers and relatively cold winters with changeable snow surfaces. East and southeast strong winds, high temperatures and heavy rain showers are typical in the summer. The average annual rainfall is 524 mm.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The basic minerals found here are: coal (reserves – 25 billion tons), rock salt, lime carbonate, potassium, mercury, asbestos, and graphite. The area is also rich in fertile black earth.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: Important resources for recreation within the area are: the mild climate, the Sea of Azov coast, curative mud, sources of minerals, and radon and table water. Due to these numerous recreation resources, many resort hotels and camps are located here. There are about 26 health centres and pensions, 52 rest homes and boarding houses, and rest camps for children in the oblast.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: The curative areas in the oblast include the Slovyansk salt lakes and mineral water sources. The oblast also contains many park zones, some of which are of great national value. They include the Khomutivsky steppe and the Azov sea coast. Overall, the Donetsk Oblast contains about 70 protected park and nature attractions including branches of the Ukrainian steppe park, six state reserves, ten memorials of nature, landscapes, and six park tracts.


title: Donetsk Oblast

text: During the 1991 referendum, 83.90% of votes in Donetsk Oblast were in favour of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, fourth lowest in the country after Crimea, Sevastopol and Luhansk Oblast. A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 18.5% of the oblast's population supported their region joining Russia, 53.8% did not support the idea, 22.5% were undecided, and 5.2% did not respond; insurgent-controlled areas (which hold over 50% of the population) were not polled.


title: Taran Killam

text: Taran Hourie Killam (born April 1, 1982) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for his television work on "The Amanda Show", "How I Met Your Mother", "MADtv", "New Girl", "Saturday Night Live", and "Single Parents". Killam is also known for his portrayal of a teen pop star in the 2004 Disney Channel Original Movie "Stuck in the Suburbs". He voices the title character on the PBS children's cartoon series "Nature Cat".


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam performed the role of King George III in the Broadway production of "Hamilton" at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, ending his run on the evening of April 13, 2017.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam was born on April 1, 1982, in Culver City, California, and lived in Big Bear Lake, California, until age 15. His mother toured with The Charlie Daniels Band and has been described as a singer-songwriter. His father was a part of the City Garage Theatre Group and has been described as having had acting ambitions. Killam is also the great-nephew of Rosemarie Bowe, wife of actor Robert Stack.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He then attended the UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television "as a musical theater student", where he stated he "spent much of his time working on UCLA's Theater Festival". He left UCLA "to pursue his acting career".


title: Taran Killam

text: In 1994, Killam made his first film appearance as a young boy in "". Killam was featured on Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show", a sketch-comedy vehicle for Amanda Bynes. He played Spaulding, a boy with a crush on Moody in the soap opera parody "Moody's Point".


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam joined the cast of "MADtv" as a featured player during its seventh season from 2001 to 2002. Of the 25 episodes that aired during "MADtv"s seventh season, Killam appeared in 13. Joining the "MADtv" cast at age 19, Killam was the youngest cast member hired on the show and the only cast member on "MADtv" to get his start on children's shows (similar to Kenan Thompson on "Saturday Night Live"). He was a regular cast member on the third and fourth seasons of "Wild 'N Out". In 2005, Killam co-starred in the television pilot "Nobody's Watching", which never aired on network TV. The pilot gained popularity after it was leaked online and webisodes were produced from 2006 to 2007.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam co-starred in the 2004 Disney Channel original film "Stuck in the Suburbs". After "MADtv", Killam appeared on TV shows such as "Jake in Progress", "Still Standing", "Boston Public", "Drake & Josh", "Do Over", "Roswell" and "Judging Amy". He has appeared on "Scrubs" and "" as Jimmy (the Overly Touchy Orderly). Killam appeared as a contestant on the episode of "The Price Is Right" which aired on December 7, 2006. The episode was re-aired on July 19, 2007.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam was a member of the Los Angeles-based improvisational and sketch-comedy troupe the Groundlings. He retired from the main company in 2012.


title: Taran Killam

text: On September 25, 2010, Killam joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" for the 36th season, making him the second Nickelodeon veteran (after Kenan Thompson) to join "SNL" and the second "SNL" cast member who was previously a cast member on the sketch show "MADtv" (after Jeff Richards). Killam named Eddie Murphy as his favorite "SNL" cast member and Arcade Fire as his favorite musical guest. In August 2016, Killam and castmate Jay Pharoah left the show. Killam said he was not told why his contract was not renewed.


title: Taran Killam

text: In December 2011, Killam replicated the Robyn video "Call Your Girlfriend" in a small writer's room and posted it to YouTube. The video went viral and by February 2022, it had been viewed more than 1,277,875 times. The late night antics briefly became an Internet phenomenon and garnered Killam media and public attention. When interviewed on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon", Killam stated that he had not known the dance shown in the song's official video until Robyn was scheduled to appear on "SNL" as a guest; then, he watched the video repeatedly until he could perform it himself.


title: Taran Killam

text: In 2011, Killam appeared in "Community" episode "Regional Holiday Music" as Mr. Radison (Mr. Rad), a parody of Will Schuester from "Glee". In 2012 he appeared in "iCarly" episode "iMeet the First Lady" as a Secret Service agent.


title: Taran Killam

text: On November 10, 2012, Killam appeared with Kenan Thompson and Anne Hathaway in a short video, "The Legend of Mokiki and the Sloppy Swish". Mokiki is a laboratory test subject who wanders Manhattan performing a shuffling dance move known as the "Sloppy Swish". The sketch briefly became an Internet phenomenon and garnered Killam media and public attention. Mike Ryan of "The Huffington Post" wrote, "It is one of the most bizarre things to ever air on "SNL", yet, the next day, everyone was talking about the Sloppy Swish."


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam co-starred in the 2013 comedy film "The Heat". Killam voices Zip "Frantic" Danger on the Hulu original series "The Awesomes".


title: Taran Killam

text: In 2013 Killam ventured into the spy genre and the comics industry with "The Illegitimates", a six-issue comics miniseries co-written by Marc Andreyko, illustrated by Kevin Sharpe and published by IDW Publishing. The series focuses on a team of illegitimate siblings who are charged with taking the place of their father, Jack Steele, a James Bond-like spy, after his death. The first issue was published December 18, 2013, and received mixed reviews.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam appears in the 2013 film "12 Years a Slave", playing the role of Abram Hamilton, one of the kidnappers who brought the main character into slavery.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam is a fan of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise, Raphael his favorite turtle, and successfully lobbied for a role in the 2014 film as Channel 5 staff.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam made six guest appearances as Gary Blauman on his wife Cobie Smulders' TV series, "How I Met Your Mother". His first appearance was in the March 20, 2006, episode, "Life Among the Gorillas" and the final one was the March 24, 2014, episode, "The End of the Aisle".


title: Taran Killam

text: In 2015, Killam provided the voice of the titular character on the PBS Kids show "Nature Cat", along with "SNL" alumni Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan, and Kenan Thompson.


title: Taran Killam

text: On January 17, 2017, Killam succeeded Rory O'Malley in the role of King George III in the Broadway musical "Hamilton".


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam produced, scripted, directed and starred in the comic hitman film "Killing Gunther", given a general release in fall 2017. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played Gunther in the film, served as executive producer for it.


title: Taran Killam

text: In March 2018, Killam was cast as a lead in the comedy pilot "Single Parents" for ABC, which was picked up to series for a premiere on September 26 of that year.


title: Taran Killam

text: After several years of dating, Killam and actress Cobie Smulders became engaged in January 2009. They married on September 8, 2012, in Solvang, California. The couple has two daughters, born in 2009 and 2015.


title: Taran Killam

text: Killam is an avid fan of the Los Angeles Rams, having been reported wearing the team's home jersey at local home games.


title: Nolan North

text: After his breakthrough role as Dr. Chris Ramsey on the ABC soap opera "Port Charles" in 1997, North moved into voice acting when the show ended in 2003 and has since become best known for his video game roles as Nathan Drake in the "Uncharted" series, Desmond Miles in the "Assassin's Creed" series, Merasmus in "Team Fortress 2", the Prince in Prince of Persia (2008), Dr. Edward Richtofen in the "Call of Duty" Zombies mode, Deadpool in various Marvel Comics media, the Penguin in the "" franchise, Captain Martin Walker in "", David in "The Last of Us", himself as one of the voices for the player character in "Saints Row IV", Tony Stark in "Marvel's Avengers", and Ghost in the "Destiny" video game series.


title: Nolan North

text: North was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He was raised in Warwick, Rhode Island, where he attended and played baseball at Bishop Hendricken High School. He majored in journalism with a baseball scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent the next year working as a reporter in New Jersey before moving to New York City to pursue a career in stand-up comedy and acting.


title: Nolan North

text: North eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where he was cast as Dr. Chris Ramsey in the "General Hospital" spin-off series "Port Charles" in 1997. He worked as a voice actor on a few video games during this time, and began to focus on this career path following the cancellation of "Port Charles" in 2003.


title: Nolan North

text: One of North's most notable voice roles came in 2007, when he voiced and performed motion capture for the protagonist Nathan Drake in the video game "". Since then, he has continued to portray the character in "" (2009), "" (2011), and " " (2016), as well as the PlayStation Vita exclusive "" (2012). In an interview with "The Guardian", he said his time as Drake requires "a lot of imagination" because "motion capture is basically theatre in spandex; there's minimal props, and you need a willingness to make an ass of yourself". For his role as Drake, he has twice been nominated at the Spike Video Game Awards in the "Best Performance by a Human Male" category.


title: Nolan North

text: North's other notable video game voice roles include the Prince in "Prince of Persia", Vossler in "Final Fantasy XII", Eradan in "", the male Jedi Consular in "" and its following expansions, David in "The Last of Us", Dr. Edward Richtofen in the "Zombies" mode of the "Call of Duty" series, Brawl in "", and Ghost Rider in "", as well as Shadow Demon, Lycan, Lone Druid, Brewmaster, Gyrocopter, Ogre Magi, Meepo, Earth Spirit, Troll Warlord, and the Keeper of the Light in "Dota 2". He voices various "Team Fortress 2" characters such as the Engineer (partially), Merasmus, Redmond Mann, Blutarch Mann, Zepheniah Mann, and the Bombinomicon. He also replaced Peter Dinklage as the voice of the Ghost in "", and additionally re-recorded all of Dinklage's lines from the base game "Destiny". He continues to voice the character in subsequent releases. Following the release of "", he portrayed not only Ghost but also took over the role of Cayde-6 from Nathan Fillion.


title: Nolan North

text: In the 2013 film "Star Trek Into Darkness", North made one of his few increasingly rare live-action appearances since becoming a voice actor. Director J. J. Abrams had cited North's performance as Drake in the decision to cast him as a starship helmsman, as he and his son are fans of the "Uncharted" series. In a May 2012 interview, North said, "[Abrams is] a huge fan of gaming and he was telling me how people just don't understand [the medium] yet, but they're going to catch up. They don't understand how amazing this technology is and it doesn't get the respect it deserves, but if it keeps making the money it makes you're going to see more and more people converted. I mean, Gary Oldman, one of the greatest actors on the planet, did "". He wouldn't have done it 10 years ago. It's a new age dawning, and I'm just really proud to be part of it."


title: Nolan North

text: North's animation roles include the voices of Cyclops in "Wolverine and the X-Men", Snow Job in "", Raphael in "TMNT", both Superboy and Superman in "Young Justice", and Smokescreen in "". He has also voiced Blaze in "Blaze and the Monster Machines" since 2014. He was honored at a special event hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts during the 2018 EA Expo, where he was given a special award for "outstanding contribution to performance in games".


title: Nolan North

text: In April 2018, North began hosting "Retro Replay" with fellow voice actor and frequent co-star Troy Baker. The show, which featured the two playing games in which they were involved while giving behind-the-scenes commentary on the making of the games, partnered with Rooster Teeth in April 2019. Baker left "Retro Replay" in April 2020, due to an apparent disagreement on the future direction of the show. The following month, North announced that the show was ending its partnership with Rooster Teeth. He had a brief cameo in the 2022 "Uncharted" film adaptation and also narrated the audiobook edition.


title: Nolan North

text: North married his "Port Charles" co-star Jill Murray on June 4, 1999. They have two children together.


title: Nolan North

text: Nolan North has received multiple awards and nominations for his work in the "Uncharted" series (2007–2016), as well as other video games including "Deadpool" (2013), "The Last of Us" (2013), "Assassin's Creed II" (2009) and the television shows "Young Justice" (2010–present) and "" (2010–2013).


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: John Patrick Daly (born April 28, 1966) is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Daly is known primarily for his driving distance off the tee (earning him the nickname "Long John"), his non-country-club appearance and attitude, his exceptionally long backswing, the inconsistency of his play (with some exceptional performances and some controversial incidents), and his personal life. His two greatest on-course accomplishments are his "zero-to-hero" victory in the 1991 PGA Championship, and his playoff victory over Costantino Rocca in the 1995 Open Championship.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In addition to his wins on U.S. soil, Daly has won accredited pro events in South Africa, Swaziland, Scotland, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and Canada.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: According to official performance statistics kept since 1980, Daly in 1997 became the first PGA Tour player to average more than 300 yards per drive over a full season. He did so again in every year from 1999 to 2008, and he was the only player to do so until 2003.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly's last PGA Tour victory came in San Diego in 2004, earning him a two-year playing exemption. After 2006, Daly's career began to falter and he had trouble making cuts and staying on the tour. He was primarily earning PGA Tour event entries through past champion status and numerous sponsor invitations. Since 2016, Daly has competed on the PGA Tour Champions circuit, winning the 2017 Insperity Invitational.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly is the only man from either Europe or the United States to win two major golf championships but not be selected for the Ryder Cup since that event began in 1927.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly has been successful in multiple businesses. He is endorsed by LoudMouth Golf Apparel and owns a golf course design company. In addition, Daly has written and recorded music, and has released two music albums.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly was born in Carmichael, California, on April 28, 1966. His father is Jim Daly, a construction worker for industrial plants; his mother is Lou Daly, a homemaker. The Daly family, solidly middle-class, moved very frequently during Daly's formative years, living in small towns across the southern states. His father frequently worked night shifts, and often had to commute significant distances between work and home.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: With his father, mother, older sister and older brother Jamie, John moved from California to Dardanelle, Arkansas, when he was four years old. John began playing golf the following year, at the Bay Ridge Boat and Golf Club there. From his start in golf, Daly admired Jack Nicklaus, the dominant professional player of the time. When John was ten, his family moved to Locust Grove, Orange County, Virginia. John played golf there at the Lake of the Woods Golf Course in Locust Grove, where he won the spring club championship at age 13, defeating all the male members; the club promptly changed its rules barring juniors from future open club competition. The Dalys next moved to Zachary, Louisiana, where John completed ninth grade and half of the tenth grade.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: John then attended Helias High School in Jefferson City, Missouri, the state capital, from the middle of his grade ten year, and was a junior golf member at the Jefferson City Country Club. He was a letterman there in football and golf. With John handling both punting and place-kicking duties, Helias football compiled a 10–0 record in 1983. In golf, John was a 1983 Missouri state team HS champion with Helias; he also holds several Helias school kicking records in football.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: For his first significant golf success, Daly won the 1983 Missouri State Amateur Championship and then followed up by winning the 1984 Arkansas State Amateur Championship. Daly completed his final three months of high school at Dardanelle High School in spring 1984. Back at the Bay Ridge club that summer, Daly became friends with Rick Ross, who was a golf teaching professional there, and Ross assisted him with his golf game for the next several years.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly attended the University of Arkansas, from 1984 to 1987, on a golf scholarship, and was a member of the golf team. His golf team coaches were Steve Loy and Bill Woodley. Daly had tempestuous relationships with both due to his drinking problems and infrequent class attendance. Daly qualified for the 1986 U.S. Open, one of the four majors of male professional golf, as an amateur, and missed the 36-hole cut with scores of 88 and 76.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly left college without completing his degree and turned professional in summer 1987. His first pro victory came shortly afterwards, in the 1987 Missouri Open. From 1987 to 1989, Daly played mainly in minor events around the U.S., and had some encouraging success in South Africa in early 1989, where he challenged in several Sunshine Tour events. He also played in several PGA Tour events with some success, including finishing T-14 at the 1989 Chattanooga Classic, and making his first cut in a major, finishing T-69 at the 1989 U.S. Open.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: He earned full playing privileges on the Ben Hogan Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour) for 1990, winning the qualifying tournament for the new circuit early that year. He then won two Sunshine Tour events early in 1990, one in South Africa (where he edged David Feherty), and one in Swaziland (where established veteran champion John Bland placed second). This was encouraging for Daly to win good-caliber events, defeat more experienced and well-established international professionals, and play before good-sized galleries which appreciated his performances.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: He then won the 1990 Ben Hogan Utah Classic, and completed a fine year by finishing T-12 at the 1990 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, earning 1991 PGA Tour privileges on his fourth attempt.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: He joined the PGA Tour in 1991, showed increasingly strong play throughout the year, and then won the PGA Championship that August. This victory gained Daly a significant amount of media attention, due to the fact that Daly was the ninth and final alternate for the Championship. Just days before the tournament Nick Price dropped out, since his wife Sue was about to give birth. Daly, playing just his third major, was able to have Price's caddie Jeff (Squeaky) Medlin caddy for him. Daly had to drive through the night to arrive in time to claim his spot. A virtual unknown at the time, he achieved a first-round score of 69, even though he had not had time to play a practice round at the exceptionally difficult Crooked Stick Golf Club course near Indianapolis. He finished the tournament with scores of 69-67-69-71, giving him a three-stroke victory over veteran Bruce Lietzke, who was 15 years older. His feat generated enormous media coverage, propelling the hitherto virtually unknown Tour rookie to international fame.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Late in the season, Daly became the first PGA Tour rookie to be invited to compete in the Skins Game, a made-for-television event featuring four top players, and he performed well there.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly was subsequently named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 1991. He was also the first rookie to win a major title since Jerry Pate won the U.S. Open in 1976.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: His surprise victory and powerful swing provided the impetus for a cult-like fan base, composed of many people who had not been previously attracted to golf, and from that point onwards, Daly became one of the most popular players on Tour. He added to his reputation as a power hitter in 1993 by becoming, apparently, the first (and still the only) player to reach the green of the famous 630-yard hole 17 at Baltusrol Golf Club's Lower Course in two strokes.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly had a good season in 1992, with several top 10 finishes: including finishing 5th place at The International, T-2 at the Kemper Open, and T-8 at the Buick Southern Open and the Nissan Los Angeles Open. At the 1992 PGA Championship, Daly struggled as the defending champion. He finished the tournament with rounds of 76-72-79-77 and ended up finishing in 82nd place. However, he recovered to win the B.C. Open by six strokes late in the season, for his second PGA Tour title.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly did not have a great season in 1993. He did however finish T-3 at the Masters Tournament and it became his only top-10 finish in a major championship outside his two wins. With no PGA Tour wins in 1993, Daly did manage to win the Alfred Dunhill Cup with Fred Couples and Payne Stewart. He had five top-25 finishes and one top-10 finish out of 15 cuts.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 1994, Daly experienced one of his most turbulent years. He was suspended by the PGA Tour from late 1993 into early 1994, due to behavior which included walking off the course mid-round during the 1993 late-season Kapalua International. The suspension also covered a mid-1993 incident at the Kemper Open, when he was upset after scoring a 77, threw his scorecard at the scoring tent, and was disqualified. The suspension covered another incident at the 1993 Southern Open where Daly walked off the course without telling his partners he was quitting. He entered alcohol rehab for three weeks in late 1993 and then returned to the Tour and won the 1994 BellSouth Classic, claiming it was his first win sober. This was his third PGA Tour title.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 1995, in the midst of a middling season, Daly unexpectedly won The Open Championship in a playoff with Italy's Costantino Rocca at the Old Course, St Andrews. Daly had had prior excellent results on this course at the Dunhill Cup, and although he was listed at very long odds by bookies, some perceptive golf watchers, including David Feherty, believed before the event that the Old Course in fact suited Daly's game very well. Daly was in contention from the start of the event, but trailed New Zealand's Michael Campbell heading into a very windy final round. Campbell fell back in the difficult conditions, and Daly played a superb final round. As Rocca, in the last group, approached the final hole, he was one shot behind Daly, who had already finished his round. Rocca's long drive was only yards from the green, but his second shot resulted in a fluffed chip where he did not follow through. Rocca then sank a 60-foot (18 metre) putt to make the birdie he needed to force a playoff with Daly. Daly easily defeated Rocca in the playoff, finishing the four holes of the playoff at one under par, while Rocca finished three over par after hitting into the "Road Hole Bunker" on the 17th hole, and taking three shots to get out.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: After winning the 1995 Open Championship, Daly struggled with his golf game and drinking habits for the next nine years. In 1996, Daly finished T-19 at The Players Championship and had a top-10 finish at the Kemper Open. At the 1996 U.S. Open, Daly finished T-27 with a final round 73, his best finish in the tournament. Daly's only win in 1996 was at the AT&T Australian Skins Game which was neither a PGA or European Tour event. In 1997, Daly started off the season by finishing 7th place at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Afterwards, Daly's struggles at the time culminated into one of his worst seasons on the PGA Tour withdrawing from the U.S. Open after a first round 77 due to his physical condition and alcoholic shakes. It is reported that Daly was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Daly also withdrew from the 1997 Players Championship.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 1998, Daly recorded one of the highest scores on a single hole in PGA Tour golf history, shooting an 18 on the sixth hole at the Bay Hill Invitational. Daly finished the 1998 season with two top-10 finishes including finishing T-16 at the Player's Championship with a final round 69, his best finish in the tournament. He also withdrew from the Sprint International and the Disney Classic and was disqualified from the FedEx St. Jude Classic.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 1999, Daly won the JCPenney Classic, which was neither a PGA or European Tour event. Despite this, Daly did not have a good season in 1999 where he only had three top-25 finishes and withdrew from several tournaments. Daly also scored high rounds of 82 at the Memorial Tournament and 83 at the Player's Championship. At the 1999 U.S. Open, Daly finished 68th place after leading the tournament in the first round. After some struggles during the tournament, Daly said he would never play in the U.S. Open again, he later apologized for this. In 2000, Daly had a bad season only having one top-25 finish at the Honda Classic. He also withdrew from the U.S. Open after shooting an opening round 83.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 2001, Daly won the BMW International Open with a one-stroke lead over Pádraig Harrington, with a personal best score of 27 under par for four rounds. This was the first time Daly had won a European Tour event in six years. After Daly had a comeback to the European Tour, he also had his best PGA Tour season since 1995. His best result was finishing 4th place at the Bell Canadian Open.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 2002, Daly was inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame, and had two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour which were 4th place finishes at the Buick Invitational and the Phoenix Open. Daly also made the cut at the 2002 Masters finishing T-32, the last time he would make the cut at the Masters. He also won the Champions Challenge that year, which was neither a PGA or European Tour event. In 2003, Daly did not have a good season, finishing T-7 at the Shell Houston Open, and winning two other tournaments that were neither PGA Tour or European Tour events. However, In both 2002 and 2003, Daly was a member of the winning PGA Tour team in the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge event, competing against teams from the Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly won the Buick Invitational in 2004, and he was also selected as PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year for 2004. Daly won the tournament in a playoff against Luke Donald and Chris Riley. Daly started using Dunlop golf equipment before this tournament, and the Buick Invitational was his first victory in 189 PGA Tour events. Daly also increased his world golf ranking from 299th to a spot in the Top 50 during this time frame. He ranked 4th overall on the PGA tour for 2004.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 2005, Daly lost two playoffs in PGA Tour events to two of world golf's biggest stars. First, he was defeated by Vijay Singh's par on the first extra hole at the Houston Open. Then, he missed a two-foot putt on the second extra hole to lose to Tiger Woods at the WGC-American Express Championship in San Francisco.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Fans and golf columnists point to the 2005 WGC-American Express Championship as the event where John Daly's post-2006 exempt status would be determined. Tied with Tiger Woods at the end of regulation play, Daly missed a short par putt on the 2nd extra playoff hole, giving Woods the victory. Had Daly instead made the par, and then had gone on to win, he would have earned a three-year PGA Tour exemption through 2008. Daly also made it to another playoff in the 2005 Shell Houston Open, but lost on the first extra hole to Vijay Singh.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly's form declined in 2006, when he played in 21 events and made only 8 cuts, with only 1 Top-25 finish.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly entered the 2007 PGA Tour season without full exempt status for the first time since his 1991 PGA Championship victory, which carried a 10-year PGA Tour exemption. Another such exemption was earned with his 1995 Open Championship win. When Daly won the 2004 Buick Invitational, he earned a two-year exemption, which expired at the end of 2006. Daly finished 193rd on the 2006 PGA Tour Official Money List, thereby losing his full exempt status for 2007.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: To upgrade his non-exempt status, Daly could have re-entered the PGA Tour qualifying process, but chose not to do this, relying upon sponsor exemptions to gain entry to PGA Tour events.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly was invited to play in the Honda Classic on March 1, 2007, on a sponsor's exemption, but had to withdraw after two holes. He pulled a muscle near his shoulder blade when he tried to stop his backswing after a fan snapped a picture. In December 2008, he was suspended for six months by the PGA Tour after an incident involving the Winston-Salem police.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: After his 2008 suspension, Daly was forced to compete on the European Tour. After undergoing lap-band surgery to lose 40 pounds, he began playing much better golf, even managing to finish 2nd at the Italian Open. On May 26, 2009, Daly announced that he would return to the PGA Tour, via sponsor's exemption, for the St. Jude Classic. On July 17, Daly told The Dan Patrick Show that he had lost 80 pounds thanks to the surgery, dropping him to 205 lbs.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly did not win another professional tournament until December 2014, when he won the Beko Classic. The tournament, played at Gloria Golf Club in Belek, Antalya, Turkey, is sanctioned by the PGA of Europe.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly's last top finish on an elite tour came at the 2009 Italian Open. There he finished in a distant tie for second to Daniel Vancsik of Argentina. It punctuated how unusual Daly's history of results had been. He recorded almost as many top finishes internationally as he did at PGA Tour events in the United States. He won two events on the South African Tour early in his career: the AECI Charity Classic and the Hollard Royal Swazi Sun Classic in 1990, an event where he had finished runner-up in 1989. Later in his career, in addition to famously winning the 1995 Open Championship in Scotland, he performed very well in regular European Tour events. He won the 2001 BMW International Open and finished runner-up at the 1994 Irish Open, 2001 German Masters, 2005 BMW International Open, and the aforementioned 2009 Italian Open. His four runner-up finishes in Europe match the amount of runner-up finishes he had at American events on the PGA Tour. He also won the 2003 Korea Open, the most prestigious event on the Korean Tour.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Although Daly had $10,116,306 in career earnings as of June 2, 2014, he is not among the top 50 on the PGA Tour's All-Time Career Money List, and so he must now depend heavily on sponsor invitations (PGA Tour Exemption Category 11).


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: As far as individual tournaments are concerned, Daly is exempt for life in the PGA Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and up to age 60 in the Open Championship. In order to play in the Masters, U.S. Open, a World Golf Championship or a FedEx Cup Playoff Event, Daly would have to satisfy the particular invitational requirements of such events. Daly has not played at the Masters since 2006, and he has not made the cut there since 2002.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: However, after shooting a then personal-high 88 at the Buick Open in late July 2009, he claimed to be losing confidence in his game, and his swing coach blamed the surgery for making him lose muscle along with weight, taking power away from his swing. However, Daly blamed the effects of his poor eyesight on his putting for his high golf score.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: On March 14, 2014, during the second round of the Valspar Championship, Daly shot a career worst 90 which included an 8-over-par 12 on the 16th hole. His frequent failure to make cuts and high rounds have revived debates on players who frequently receive sponsor exemptions.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly shot a score of 68 for the first round of the 2012 PGA Championship which was played at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Daly finished 18th place in that tournament, which was the first time Daly had finished in the top 20 in a major championship since the Open in 2005.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly continued to play more abroad vs. United States due to his limited status on the PGA Tour. In the late fall of 2014 Daly started to show some promise finishing T-29 at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and then quietly finishing T-10 at the Puerto Rico Open, his first top-10 finish in three years. Soon after, Daly finished T-25 at the Turkish Airlines Open, a European Tour event with a strong field. Daly won the Beko Classic on December 6, 2014, an event sanctioned by the PGAs of Europe, finishing at −15. It was Daly's first win in over 10 years. At the end of 2015, Daly tried to get back his European Tour card in Shanghai. He finished T-46 at the BMW Masters and T-50 at the Turkish Airlines Open failing to get back his card.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Having turned 50 on April 28, 2016, Daly became eligible to play on the PGA Tour Champions. His debut was at the Insperity Invitational in May, where he finished tied for 17th.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: On May 7, 2017, Daly won the Insperity Invitational on the PGA Tour Champions after shooting a 14-under par for the tournament. It was his first win of a PGA Tour-affiliated event since 2004, and it happened exactly one year after he made his PGA Tour Champions debut. Daly continues to compete semi-regularly on the tour.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly has a flowing self-taught golf swing which was built for raw power and distance. Daly takes his golf club back much farther past parallel on his back swing by extreme coiling of his arms and shoulders which creates very fast club head speed on his down swing. However, Daly's golf swing has contributed to his inconsistent performance during golf tournaments since almost perfect timing is required for proper execution of such a powerful golf swing.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly has had several incidents during golf tournaments which have contributed to his "Wild Thing" image including the following:


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: After winning the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club in 1991, Daly gave $30,000 to the family of a man who died during the tournament due to lightning strike. The money was used by the family to pay college expenses for the man's two daughters. Daly was just starting his golf career and was not wealthy at the time.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly is known for his involvement in many charities including several in northwest Arkansas. He has donated money to his high school, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Daly is also an active supporter of the sports programs at the University of Arkansas. He shaved his signature "mullet", and donated the proceeds from the event to various charities. Daly regularly plays in the celebrity Pro-Am Monday after the Masters hosted by his friends, Hootie & the Blowfish.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly is in partnership with Loudmouth Golf line of clothing, which includes licensing deals with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Arkansas Razorbacks. Sales continue to increase making it difficult to meet demand. In October 2014, Daly signed an endorsement deal with Rock Bottom Golf, a discount golf retailer. In 2006, Daly launched a wine label "John Daly Wines", now defunct.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly also has a company which designs golf courses (JD Designs), including Sevillano Links at Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, California. Sevillano Links is one of the few links style golf courses in the Western United States, and named "Best New Golf Course" by Golfweek magazine. Other golf courses that John Daly helped design include:


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: "Prostroke Golf" for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. In the game, John Daly is the instructor, as well as the opponent, for players. The game includes twelve courses modeled after real-world courses, but these are locked at the outset. In order to unlock courses, players must defeat Daly in Challenges, including driving, short game, and putting. Unlocking a course allows the player to play against Daly and other players in tournaments.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 2007, Daly provided back-up vocals in the Kid Rock song, "Half Your Age". In April 2010, Daly released his second music album called "I Only Know One Way" on Long Ball Records/Hopesong Digital/GMV Nashville. He wrote and co-wrote eight tracks on the album. One track includes Hootie And The Blowfish's lead singer Darius Rucker and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door". John said about his perspective on his music: "The album itself is really my life. All of the songs have a meaning. Most of the record is happening or has happened in my life. I hope people can relate to some of the troubles I have had along the way. Everyone around the world has problems, and I want to connect with those people." Daly's first album, "My Life", included guest vocals by Darius, Willie Nelson and Johnny Lee.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In March 2008, Daly's swing coach Butch Harmon quit, saying that "the most important thing in (Daly's) life is getting drunk." Daly responded by saying, "I think his lies kind of destroyed my life for a little bit."


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: On October 26, 2008, Daly was taken into protective custody by Winston-Salem police after being found drunk outside a Hooters restaurant. Daly was not arrested or charged with a violation. However, the police released his mug shot to the media which resulted in negative publicity. Shortly after this incident, Daly committed to stop drinking alcohol, which resulted in a progressive resurgence of his game and a positive change in his personal life; this was confirmed by Daly himself at the Open on July 15, 2010.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In an interview on the Dan Patrick Show on August 6, 2014, Daly said that much of his past struggle with alcohol was due to growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In July 1994, Daly claimed that many PGA golfers were cocaine users, and said that if drug testing was done properly on tour, he would be "one of the cleanest guys out there". This statement brought an uproar among the pro golf community.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In early 2009 he had lap-band surgery which limits the amount of food that he can consume. As of December 8, 2009, Daly had shed well over 100 pounds and was "a slim, trim 185".


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In July 2019, Daly had a near-death experience after being bitten by a brown recluse spider while he was vacationing in England. He had developed sepsis and required an emergency surgery.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In September 2020, Daly announced he had recently battled with bladder cancer. He underwent surgery to remove the cancer, but doctors said there was an 85 percent chance of relapse. To reduce the chance of recurrence, Daly plans to improve his previously unhealthy lifestyle which involved smoking and drinking large amounts of Diet Coke.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 2006, Daly revealed in the last chapter of his autobiography that he has had great difficulty with a gambling problem. He claims to have lost between US$50 and $60 million over a 15-year period. This includes losing $1.5 million in October 2005, after winning half that amount at the WGC-American Express tournament, most of it lost on a $5,000 Las Vegas slot machine at Wynn Casino.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In summer 1992, he married his second wife, Bettye Fulford. They had a daughter, Shynah Hale. In December 1992, Daly was charged with third-degree assault for throwing Bettye into a wall at their home near Denver. The actual circumstances of the incident remained unclear so far as public releases were concerned, since Bettye did not wish to pursue the matter. Daly has said in his autobiography that he did not, nor has he ever, hit or hurt a woman.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: After Daly's divorce with Fulford was finalized in 1995, he married Paulette Dean that same year. A daughter, Sierra Lynn, was born on June 1, 1995. The couple divorced in 1999.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: On July 29, 2001, he married Sherrie Miller. Their son John Patrick Daly II was born July 23, 2003. On June 8, 2007, Daly and Sherrie got into a fight at a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee, site of that week's tour stop, the Stanford St. Jude Championship. Daly claims that later that night his wife attacked him with a steak knife. He showed up for his second round on Friday afternoon with cuts and scrapes across his face. Authorities were contacted by him and came to his house, but his wife had already fled the scene and taken their son with her.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Sherrie (at some point) pleaded guilty to federal drug charges and was sentenced to a five-month prison term. On December 17, 2010, in Memphis, Circuit Court Judge Donna Fields awarded custody of the couple's seven-year-old son "Little John" to Daly, and jailed Sherrie for interfering with Daly's court-ordered visitation rights and other failures to abide by the court's orders in their ongoing divorce proceeding, saying "She is not following this court's orders. That is criminal contempt."


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: In 2005, Daly sued the "Florida Times-Union" for libel after a columnist claimed Daly "failed the scoundrel sniff test." A judge threw out the case in 2009, saying that Daly had failed to prove the basis of the libel claim: namely, that the statements were untrue. Daly was also ordered by a judge to pay the newspaper over $300,000 in legal fees.


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly has advocated for the legalization of cannabis in Arkansas, endorsing a ballot measure in 2022 that he said would create "millions in new funding for our police, ... thousands of good jobs, [and] revenue for our state".


title: John Daly (golfer)

text: Daly became the first of two real people to make an appearance in the "Everybody's Golf" series, appearing in the third installment, Hot Shots Golf 3; the other is Shigeki Maruyama who appeared in "Everybody's Golf 5".


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Sea Peoples are a hypothesized seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt and other regions in the East Mediterranean prior to and during the Late Bronze Age collapse (1200–900 BCE). Following the creation of the concept in the 19th century, the Sea Peoples' incursions became one of the most famous chapters of Egyptian history, given its connection with, in the words of Wilhelm Max Müller, "the most important questions of ethnography and the primitive history of classic nations".


title: Sea Peoples

text: The origins of the Sea Peoples are undocumented. It has been proposed that the Sea Peoples originated from a number of different locations, such as western Asia Minor, the Aegean, the Mediterranean islands, and Southern Europe. Although the archaeological inscriptions do not include reference to a migration, the Sea Peoples are conjectured to have sailed around the eastern Mediterranean and invaded Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Canaan, Cyprus, and Egypt toward the end of the Bronze Age.


title: Sea Peoples

text: French Egyptologist Emmanuel de Rougé first used the term (literally "peoples of the sea") in 1855 in a description of reliefs on the Second Pylon at Medinet Habu, documenting Year 8 of Ramesses III. In the late 19th century, Gaston Maspero, de Rougé's successor at the Collège de France, subsequently popularized the term "Sea Peoples" and an associated migration theory. Since the early 1990s, his migration theory has been brought into question by a number of scholars.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Sea Peoples remain unidentified in the eyes of most modern scholars, and hypotheses regarding the origin of the various groups are the source of much speculation. Existing theories variously propose that they were any of several Aegean tribes, raiders from Central Europe, scattered soldiers who turned to piracy or became refugees, or migrants linked to natural disasters such as earthquakes or climatic shifts.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The concept of the Sea Peoples was first described by Emmanuel de Rougé in 1855, then curator of the Louvre, in his work "Note on Some Hieroglyphic Texts Recently Published by Mr. Greene", describing the battles of Ramesses III described on the Second Pylon at Medinet Habu, and based upon recent photographs of the temple by John Beasley Greene. De Rougé noted that "in the crests of the conquered peoples the Sherden and the Teresh bear the designation of the ", in a reference to the prisoners depicted at the base of the Fortified East Gate. In 1867, de Rougé published his "Excerpts of a dissertation on the attacks directed against Egypt by the peoples of the Mediterranean in the 14th century BCE", which focused primarily on the battles of Ramesses II and Merneptah and which proposed translations for many of the geographic names included in the hieroglyphic inscriptions. De Rougé later became chair of Egyptology at the Collège de France and was succeeded by Gaston Maspero. Maspero built upon de Rougé's work and published "The Struggle of the Nations", in which he described the theory of the seaborne migrations in detail in 1895–96 for a wider audience, at a time when the idea of population migrations would have felt familiar to the general population.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The migration theory was taken up by other scholars such as Eduard Meyer and became the generally accepted theory amongst Egyptologists and Orientalists. Since the early 1990s, however, it has been brought into question by a number of scholars.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The historical narrative stems primarily from seven Ancient Egyptian sources and although in these inscriptions the designation "of the sea" does not appear in relation to all of these peoples, the term "Sea Peoples" is commonly used in modern publications to refer to the following nine peoples, in alphabetical order:


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Medinet Habu inscriptions from which the Sea Peoples concept was first described remain the primary source and "the basis of virtually all significant discussions of them".


title: Sea Peoples

text: Three separate narratives from Egyptian records refer to more than one of the nine peoples, found in a total of six sources. The seventh and most recent source referring to more than one of the nine peoples is a list (Onomasticon) of 610 entities, rather than a narrative. These sources are summarized in the table below.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Possible records of sea peoples generally or in particular date to two campaigns of Ramesses II, a pharaoh of the militant 19th Dynasty: operations in or near the delta in Year 2 of his reign and the major confrontation with the Hittite Empire and allies at the Battle of Kadesh in his Year 5. The years of this long-lived pharaoh's reign are not known exactly, but they must have comprised nearly all of the first half of the 13th century BCE.


title: Sea Peoples

text: In his Second Year, an attack of the Sherden, or Shardana, on the Nile Delta was repulsed and defeated by Ramesses, who captured some of the pirates. The event is recorded on Tanis Stele II. An inscription by Ramesses II on the stela from Tanis which recorded the Sherden raiders' raid and subsequent capture speaks of the continuous threat they posed to Egypt's Mediterranean coasts:


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Sherden prisoners were subsequently incorporated into the Egyptian army for service on the Hittite frontier by Ramesses and fought as Egyptian soldiers in the Battle of Kadesh. Another stele usually cited in conjunction with this one is the "Aswan Stele" (there were other stelae at Aswan), which mentions the king's operations to defeat a number of peoples including those of the "Great Green (the Egyptian name for the Mediterranean)". It is plausible to assume that the Tanis and Aswan Stelae refer to the same event, in which case they reinforce each other.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Battle of Kadesh was the outcome of a campaign against the Hittites and their allies in the Levant in the pharaoh's Year 5. The imminent collision of the Egyptian and Hittite empires became obvious to both, and they both prepared campaigns against the strategic midpoint of Kadesh for the next year. Ramesses divided his Egyptian forces, which were then ambushed piecemeal by the Hittite army and nearly defeated. Ramesses was separated from his forces and had to fight singlehandedly to get back to his troops. He then mustered several counterattacks while waiting for reinforcements. Once the reinforcements from the South and East arrived, the Egyptians managed to drive the Hittites back to Kadesh. While it was a strategic Egyptian victory, neither side managed to attain their operational objectives.


title: Sea Peoples

text: At home, Ramesses had his scribes formulate an official description, which has been called "the Bulletin" because it was widely published by inscription. Ten copies survive today on the temples at Abydos, Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel, with reliefs depicting the battle. The "Poem of Pentaur", describing the battle survived also.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The poem relates that the previously captured Sherden were not only working for the Pharaoh but were also formulating a plan of battle for him; i.e. it was their idea to divide Egyptian forces into four columns. There is no evidence of any collaboration with the Hittites or malicious intent on their part, and if Ramesses considered it, he never left any record of that consideration.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The poem lists the peoples who went to Kadesh as allies of the Hittites. Amongst them are some of the sea peoples spoken of in the Egyptian inscriptions previously mentioned, and many of the peoples who would later take part in the great migrations of the 12th century BCE (see Appendix A to the Battle of Kadesh).


title: Sea Peoples

text: The major event of the reign of the Pharaoh Merneptah (1213 BCE – 1203 BCE), 4th king of the 19th Dynasty, was his battle at Perire in the western delta in the 5th and 6th years of his reign, against a confederacy termed "the Nine Bows". Depredations of this confederacy had been so severe that the region was "forsaken as pasturage for cattle, it was left waste from the time of the ancestors".


title: Sea Peoples

text: The pharaoh's action against them is attested in a single narrative found in three sources. The most detailed source describing the battle is the Great Karnak Inscription; two shorter versions of the same narrative are found in the "Athribis Stele" and the "Cairo Column". The "Cairo column" is a section of a granite column now in the Cairo Museum, which was first published by Maspero in 1881 with just two readable sentences – the first confirming the date of Year 5 and the second stating: "The wretched [chief] of Libya has invaded with ——, being men and women, Shekelesh (S'-k-rw-s) ——". The "Athribis stela" is a granite stela found in Athribis and inscribed on both sides, which like the Cairo column, was first published by Maspero two years later in 1883. The Merneptah Stele from Thebes describes the reign of peace resulting from the victory but does not include any reference to the Sea Peoples.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Nine Bows were acting under the leadership of the king of Libya and an associated near-concurrent revolt in Canaan involving Gaza, Ashkelon, Yenoam and the people of Israel. Exactly which peoples were consistently in the Nine Bows is not clear, but present at the battle were the Libyans, some neighboring Meshwesh, and possibly a separate revolt in the following year involving peoples from the eastern Mediterranean, including the Kheta (or Hittites), or Syrians, and (in the Israel Stele) for the first time in history, the Israelites. In addition to them, the first lines of the Karnak inscription include some sea peoples, which must have arrived in the Western Delta or from Cyrene by ship:


title: Sea Peoples

text: "His majesty was enraged at their report, like a lion", assembled his court and gave a rousing speech. Later, he dreamed he saw Ptah handing him a sword and saying, "Take thou (it) and banish thou the fearful heart from thee." When the bowmen went forth, says the inscription, "Amun was with them as a shield." After six hours, the surviving Nine Bows threw down their weapons, abandoned their baggage and dependents, and ran for their lives. Merneptah states that he defeated the invasion, killing 6,000 soldiers and taking 9,000 prisoners. To be sure of the numbers, among other things, he took the penises of all uncircumcised enemy dead and the hands of all the circumcised, from which history learns that the Ekwesh were circumcised, a fact causing some to doubt they were Greek.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Ramesses III, who reigned for most of the first half of the 12th century BCE as the second pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty, confronted a later wave of invasions of the Sea Peoples in his eighth year. The battles were later recorded in two long inscriptions from his Medinet Habu mortuary temple, which are physically separate and somewhat different from one another. The Year 8 campaign is the best-recorded Sea Peoples invasion.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The fact that several civilizations collapsed around 1175 BCE has led to the suggestion that the Sea Peoples may have been involved at the end of the Hittite, Mycenaean and Mitanni kingdoms. The American Hittitologist Gary Beckman writes, on page 23 of "Akkadica 120" (2000):


title: Sea Peoples

text: Ramesses' comments about the scale of the Sea Peoples' onslaught in the eastern Mediterranean are confirmed by the destruction of the states of Hatti, Ugarit, Ashkelon and Hazor around this time. As the Hittitologist Trevor Bryce observes:


title: Sea Peoples

text: The inscriptions of Ramesses III at his Medinet Habu mortuary temple in Thebes record three victorious campaigns against the Sea Peoples that are considered bona fide, in Years 5, 8 and 12, as well as three considered spurious, against the Nubians and Libyans in Year 5 and the Libyans with Asiatics in Year 11. During Year 8 some Hittites were operating with the Sea Peoples.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The inner west wall of the second court describes the invasion of Year 5. Only the Peleset and Tjeker are mentioned, but the list is lost in a lacuna. The attack was two-pronged, one by sea and one by land. That is, the Sea Peoples divided their forces. Ramesses was waiting in the Nile mouths and trapped the enemy fleet there. The land forces were defeated separately.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Sea Peoples did not learn any lessons from this defeat, as they repeated their mistake in Year 8 with a similar result. The campaign is recorded more extensively on the inner northwest panel of the first court. It is possible, but not generally believed, that the dates are only those of the inscriptions and both refer to the same campaign.


title: Sea Peoples

text: In Ramesses' Year 8, the Nine Bows appear again as a "conspiracy in their isles". This time, they are revealed unquestionably as Sea Peoples: the Peleset, Tjeker, Shekelesh, Denyen and Weshesh, which are classified as "foreign countries" in the inscription. They camped in Amor and sent a fleet to the Nile.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The pharaoh was once more waiting for them. He had built a fleet especially for the occasion, hid it in the Nile's mouths and posted coast watchers. The enemy fleet was ambushed there, their ships overturned, and the men dragged up on shore and executed ad hoc.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The land army was also routed within Egyptian controlled territory. Additional information is given in the relief on the outer side of the east wall. This land battle occurred in the vicinity of Djahy against "the northern countries". When it was over, several chiefs were captive: of Hatti, Amor and Shasu among the "land peoples" and the Tjeker, "Sherden of the sea", "Teresh of the sea" and Peleset or Philistines.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The campaign of Year 12 is attested by the Südstele found on the south side of the temple. It mentions the Tjeker, Peleset, Denyen, Weshesh and Shekelesh.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Papyrus Harris I of the period, found behind the temple, suggests a wider campaign against the Sea Peoples but does not mention the date. In it, the persona of Ramses III says, "I slew the Denyen (D'-yn-yw-n) in their isles" and "burned" the Tjeker and Peleset, implying a maritime raid of his own. He also captured some Sherden and Weshesh "of the sea" and settled them in Egypt. As he is called the "Ruler of Nine Bows" in the relief of the east side, these events probably happened in Year 8; i.e. the Pharaoh would have used the victorious fleet for some punitive expeditions elsewhere in the Mediterranean.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Onomasticon of Amenope, or Amenemipit (amen-em-apt), gives slight credence to the idea that the Ramesside kings settled the Sea Peoples in Canaan. Dated to about 1100 BCE (at the end of the 22nd dynasty) this document simply lists names. After six place names, four of which were in Philistia, the scribe lists the Sherden (Line 268), the Tjeker (Line 269) and the Peleset (Line 270), who might be presumed to occupy those cities. The Story of Wenamun on a papyrus of the same cache also places the Tjeker in Dor at that time. The fact that the Biblical maritime Tribe of Dan was initially located between the Philistines and the Tjekker, has prompted some to suggest that they may have originally been Denyen. Sherden seem to have been settled around Megiddo and in the Jordan Valley, and Weshwesh (connected by some with the Biblical tribe of Asher) may have been settled further north.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Other Egyptian sources refer to one of the individual groups without reference to any of the other groups.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Padiiset's Statue refers to the Peleset, the Cairo Column refers to the Shekelesh, the Story of Wenamun refers to the Tjekker, and 13 further Egyptian sources refer to the Sherden.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The earliest ethnic group later considered among the Sea Peoples is believed to be attested in Egyptian hieroglyphs on the Abishemu obelisk found in the Temple of the Obelisks at Byblos by Maurice Dunand. The inscription mentions kwkwn son of rwqq- (or kukun son of luqq), transliterated as Kukunnis, son of Lukka, "the Lycian". The date is given variously as 2000 or 1700 BCE


title: Sea Peoples

text: Some Sea Peoples appear in four of the Ugaritic texts, the last three of which seem to foreshadow the destruction of the city around 1180 BCE. The letters are therefore dated to the early 12th century. The last king of Ugarit was Ammurapi ( 1191–1182 BCE), who, throughout this correspondence, is quite a young man.


title: Sea Peoples

text: A number of hypotheses concerning the origins, identities and motives of the Sea Peoples described in the records have been formulated. They are not necessarily alternative or contradictory hypotheses about the Sea Peoples; any or all might be mainly or partly true.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Late Bronze Age Mycenaean Greek Linear B tablets of Pylos in the Peloponnese along the Ionian Sea demonstrate increased slave raiding and the spread of mercenaries and migratory peoples and their subsequent resettlement. Despite this, the actual identity of the Sea Peoples has remained enigmatic and modern scholars have only the scattered records of ancient civilizations and archaeological analysis to inform them. Evidence shows that the identities and motives of these peoples were known to the Egyptians. In fact, many had sought employment with the Egyptians or were in a diplomatic relationship for a few centuries before the Late Bronze Age collapse. For example, select groups, or members of groups, of the Sea People, such as the Sherden or Shardana, were used as mercenaries by Egyptian Pharaohs such as Ramesses II.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Prior to the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (from the 15th century BCE), names of Semitic-speaking, cattle-raising pastoral nomads of the Levant appear, replacing previous Egyptian concern with the Hurrianised "prw" ('Apiru or Habiru). These were called the "šsw" (Shasu), meaning "those who move on foot". e.g. the Shasu of "Yhw". Nancy Sandars uses the analogous name "land peoples". Contemporary Assyrian records refer to them as "Ahhlamu" or Wanderers. They were not part of the Egyptian list of Sea Peoples, and were later referred to as Aramaeans.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The archaeological evidence from the southern coastal plain of ancient Canaan, termed Philistia in the Hebrew Bible, indicates a disruption of the Canaanite culture that existed during the Late Bronze Age and its replacement (with some integration) by a culture with a possibly foreign (mainly Aegean) origin. This includes distinct pottery, which at first belongs to the Mycenaean IIIC tradition (albeit of local manufacture) and gradually transforms into uniquely Philistine pottery. Mazar says:


title: Sea Peoples

text: Artifacts of the Philistine culture are found at numerous sites, in particular in the excavations of the five main cities of the Philistines: the Pentapolis of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza. Some scholars (e.g. S. Sherratt, Drews, etc.) have challenged the theory that the Philistine culture is an immigrant culture, claiming instead that they are an "in situ" development of the Canaanite culture, but others argue for the immigrant hypothesis; for example, T. Dothan and Barako.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Trude and Moshe Dothan suggest that the later Philistine settlements in the Levant were unoccupied for nearly 30 years between their destruction and resettlement by the Philistines, whose Helladic IIICb pottery also shows Egyptian influences.


title: Sea Peoples

text: With the advent of Archaeogenetics, the Aegean hypothesis regarding the origin of the Philistines has received a major boost. A study by Michal Feldman and colleagues that carried out genomic testing of 10 Bronze Age and Iron Age individuals from Ashkelon, reported that the early Iron Age population was genetically distinct from both late Bronze Age and late Iron Age tested individuals as a result of transient European-related admixture. The authors concluded that a migration event occurred during the Bronze to Iron Age transition in Ashkelon from an Aegean-related source, even though this migration did not leave a long-lasting genetic signature.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Two of the peoples who settled in the Levant had traditions that may connect them to Crete: the Tjeker and the Peleset. The Tjeker may have left Crete to settle in Anatolia, and left there to settle Dor. According to the Old Testament, the Israelite God brought the Philistines out of Caphtor. The mainstream of Biblical and classical scholarship accepts "Caphtor" to refer to Crete, but there are alternative minority theories. Crete at the time was populated by peoples speaking many languages, among which were Mycenaean Greek and Eteocretan, the descendant of the language of the Minoans. It is possible, but by no means certain, that these two peoples spoke Eteocretan.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Recent examinations of the eruption of the Santorini volcano estimate its occurrence at between 1660 and 1613 BCE, centuries before the first appearances of the Sea Peoples in Egypt. The eruption is thus unlikely to be connected to the Sea Peoples.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The identifications of Denyen with the Greek Danaans and Ekwesh with the Greek Achaeans are long-standing issues in Bronze Age scholarship, whether Greek, Hittite or Biblical, especially as they lived "in the isles". The Greek identification of the Ekwesh is considered especially problematic as this group was clearly described as circumcised by the Egyptians, and according to Manuel Robbins: "Hardly anyone thinks that the Greeks of the Bronze Age were circumcised ..." Michael Wood described the hypothetical role of the Greeks (who have already been proposed as the identity of the Philistines above):


title: Sea Peoples

text: Wood would also include the Sherden and Shekelesh, pointing out that "there were migrations of Greek-speaking peoples to the same place [Sardinia and Sicily] at this time." He is careful to point out that the Greeks would have been only one element among many that comprised the sea peoples. Furthermore, the proportion of Greeks must have been relatively small. His major hypothesis is that the Trojan War was fought against Troy VI and Troy VIIa, the candidate of Carl Blegen, and that Troy was sacked by those now identified as Greek Sea Peoples. He suggests that Odysseus' assumed identity as a wandering Cretan coming home from the Trojan War, who fights in Egypt and serves there after being captured, "remembers" the campaign of Year 8 of Ramses III, described above. He points out also that places destroyed on Cyprus at the time (such as Kition) were rebuilt by a new Greek-speaking population. Several scholars have proposed that the Sea People were certainly Mycenaean Greeks.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The possibility that the Teresh were connected on the one hand with the Tyrrhenians, believed to be an Etruscan-related culture, or on the other with Taruisa, a Hittite name possibly referring to Troy, has been speculated. The Roman poet Virgil depicts Aeneas as escaping the fall of Troy by coming to Latium to found a line descending to Romulus, first king of Rome. Considering that Anatolian connections have been identified for other Sea Peoples, such as the Tjeker and the Lukka, Eberhard Zangger puts together an Anatolian hypothesis, but it is not accepted for archaeological, linguistic, anthropological and genetic reasons. Virgil's account refers to the foundation of Rome, not to the Etruscans, and is not believed to contain true events. Furthermore, there is no archaeological or linguistic evidence of a migration in the late Bronze Age from Anatolia to Etruria, and the Etruscan language, as well as all the languages of the Tyrrhenian family, considered Pre-Indo-European and Paleo-European, belongs to a completely different family from the Anatolian one which is Indo-European. Moreover, both recent studies of anthropology and genetics have argued in favor of the indigenous origin of the Etruscans and against the hypothesis of eastern origin.


title: Sea Peoples

text: This theory suggests that the Sea Peoples were populations from the city-states of the Greek Mycenaean civilization, who destroyed each other in a disastrous series of conflicts lasting several decades. There would have been few or no external invaders and just a few excursions outside the Greek-speaking part of the Aegean civilization.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Archaeological evidence indicates that many fortified sites of the Greek domain were destroyed in the late 13th and early 12th century BCE, which was understood in the mid-20th century to have been simultaneous or nearly so and was attributed to the Dorian invasion championed by Carl Blegen of the University of Cincinnati. He believed Mycenaean Pylos was burned during an amphibious raid by warriors from the north (Dorians).


title: Sea Peoples

text: Subsequent critical analysis focused on the fact that the destructions were not simultaneous and that all the evidence of Dorians comes from later times. John Chadwick championed a Sea Peoples hypothesis, which asserted that, since the Pylians had retreated to the northeast, the attack must have come from the southwest, the Sea Peoples being, in his view, the most likely candidates. He suggests that they were based in Anatolia and, although doubting that the Mycenaeans would have called themselves "Achaeans", speculates that "it is very tempting to bring them into connexion." He does not assign a Greek identity to all of the Sea Peoples.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Considering the turbulence between and within the great families of the Mycenaean city-states in Greek mythology, the hypothesis that the Mycenaeans destroyed themselves is long-standing and finds support by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who theorized:


title: Sea Peoples

text: Although some advocates of the Philistine or Greek migration hypotheses identify all the Mycenaeans or Sea Peoples as ethnically Greek, John Chadwick (founder, with Michael Ventris, of Linear B studies) adopts instead the multiple ethnicity view.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Some archeologists believe that the Sherden are identifiable with the Sardinians from the Nuragic era.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Theories of the possible connections between the Sherden to Sardinia, Shekelesh to Sicily, and Teresh to Tyrrhenians, even though long-standing, are based on onomastic similarities.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Nuragic pottery of domestic use has been found at Pyla Kokkinokremos, a fortified settlement in Cyprus, during the 2010 and 2017 excavations. The site is dated to the period between the 13th and 12th centuries BCE, that of the Sea Peoples' invasions. This find has led archaeologist Vassos Karageorghis to identify the Nuragic Sardinians with the Sherden, one of the Sea Peoples. According to him, the Sherden went first to Crete and from there they joined the Cretans in an eastward expedition to Cyprus.


title: Sea Peoples

text: The Nuragic bronze statuettes, a great collection of Nuragic sculptures, includes a great number of horned helmet warriors wearing a similar skirt to the Sherdens' and a round shield; although they had been dated for a long time to the 10th or 9th century BCE, recent discoveries suggest that their production started around the 13th century BCE. Swords identical to those of the Sherden have been found in Sardinia, dating back to 1650 BCE


title: Sea Peoples

text: The self-name of the Etruscans, "Rasna", does not lend itself to the Tyrrhenian derivation, although it has been suggested that this was itself derived from an earlier form "T'Rasna". The Etruscan civilization has been studied, and the language partly deciphered. It has variants and representatives in Aegean inscriptions, but these may well be from travelers or colonists of Etruscans during their seafaring period before Rome destroyed their power.


title: Sea Peoples

text: There is no definitive archaeological evidence. About all that can be said for certain is that Mycenaean IIIC pottery was widespread around the Mediterranean in areas associated with Sea Peoples and its introduction at various places is often associated with cultural change, violent or gradual. An old theory is that the Sherden and Shekelesh brought those names with them to Sardinia and Sicily, "perhaps not operating from those great islands but moving toward them", and this is still accepted by Eric Cline and by Trevor Bryce, who explains that some of the Sea Peoples sprang out of the collapsing Hittite empire. Giovanni Ugas believes that the Sherden originated in Sardinia, and his studies have been echoed by Sebastiano Tusa, in his last book, and by Carlos Roberto Zorea, from the Complutense University of Madrid.


title: Sea Peoples

text: A famous passage from Herodotus portrays the wandering and migration of Lydians from Anatolia because of famine:


title: Sea Peoples

text: However, the 1st-century BC historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a Greek living in Rome, dismissed many of the ancient theories of other Greek historians and postulated that the Etruscans were indigenous people who had always lived in Etruria and were different from the Lydians. Dionysius noted that the 5th-century historian Xanthus of Lydia, who was originally from Sardis and was regarded as an important source and authority for the history of Lydia, never suggested a Lydian origin of the Etruscans and never named Tyrrhenus as a ruler of the Lydians.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Tablet RS 18.38 from Ugarit also mentions grain to the Hittites, suggesting a long period of famine, connected further, in the full theory, to drought. Barry Weiss, using the Palmer Drought Index for 35 Greek, Turkish, and Middle Eastern weather stations, showed that a drought of the kinds that persisted from January 1972 would have affected all of the sites associated with the Late Bronze Age collapse. Drought could have easily precipitated or hastened socio-economic problems and led to wars. More recently, Brian Fagan has shown how mid-winter storms from the Atlantic were diverted to travel north of the Pyrenees and the Alps, bringing wetter conditions to Central Europe, but drought to the Eastern Mediterranean. More recent paleoclimatological research has also shown climatic disruption and increasing aridity in the Eastern Mediterranean, associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation at this time (See "Bronze Age Collapse").


title: Sea Peoples

text: The term "invasion" is used generally in the literature concerning the period to mean the documented attacks, implying that the aggressors were external to the eastern Mediterranean, though often hypothesized to be from the wider Aegean world. An origin outside the Aegean also has been proposed, as in this example by Michael Grant: "There was a gigantic series of migratory waves, extending all the way from the Danube valley to the plains of China."


title: Sea Peoples

text: Such a comprehensive movement is associated with more than one people or culture; instead, it was a "disturbance", according to Finley:


title: Sea Peoples

text: If different times are allowed on the Danube, they are not in the Aegean: "all this destruction must be dated to the same period about 1200 [BCE]."


title: Sea Peoples

text: The movements of the hypothetical Dorian Invasion, the attacks of the Sea Peoples, the formation of Philistine kingdoms in the Levant and the fall of the Hittite Empire were associated and compressed by Finley into the 1200 BCE window.


title: Sea Peoples

text: Robert Drews presents a map showing the destruction sites of 47 fortified major settlements, which he terms "Major Sites Destroyed in the Catastrophe". They are concentrated in the Levant, with some in Greece and Anatolia.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus Chrysanthemum in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center of diversity is in China. Countless horticultural varieties and cultivars exist.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: The genus "Chrysanthemum" are perennial herbaceous flowering plants, sometimes subshrubs. The leaves are alternate, divided into leaflets and may be pinnatisect, lobed, or serrate (toothed) but rarely entire. The compound inflorescence is an array of several flower heads, or sometimes a solitary head. The head has a base covered in layers of phyllaries. The simple row of ray florets is white, yellow, or red. The disc florets are yellow. Pollen grains are approximately 34 microns. The fruit is a ribbed achene.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: The genus Chrysanthemum was first formally described by Linnaeus in 1753, with 14 species, and hence bears his name () as the botanical authority. The genus once included more species, but was split several decades ago into several genera, putting the economically important florist's chrysanthemums in the genus "Dendranthema". The naming of these genera has been contentious, but a ruling of the International Botanical Congress in 1999 changed the defining species of the genus to "Chrysanthemum indicum", restoring the florist's chrysanthemums to the genus "Chrysanthemum".


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Genera now separated from "Chrysanthemum" include "Argyranthemum", "Glebionis", "Leucanthemopsis", "Leucanthemum", "Rhodanthemum", and "Tanacetum".


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums start blooming in early autumn. This is also known as the favorite flower for the month of November.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums () were first cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. Over 500 cultivars had been recorded by 1630. By 2014 it was estimated that there were over 20,000 cultivars in the world and about 7,000 cultivars in China. The plant is renowned as one of the Four Gentlemen () in Chinese and East Asian Art. The plant is particularly significant during the Double Ninth Festival.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemum cultivation began in Japan during the Nara and Heian periods (early 8th to late 12th centuries), and gained popularity in the Edo period (early 17th to late 19th century). Many flower shapes, colours, and varieties were created. The way the flowers were grown and shaped also developed, and chrysanthemum culture flourished. Various cultivars of chrysanthemums created in the Edo period were characterized by a remarkable variety of flower shapes, and were exported to China from the end of the Edo period, changing the way Chinese chrysanthemum cultivars were grown and their popularity. In addition, from the Meiji period (late 19th to early 20th century), many cultivars with flowers over 20 cm (7.87 in) in diameter, called the "Ogiku" (lit., great chrysanthemum) style were created, which influenced the subsequent trend of chrysanthemums. The Imperial Seal of Japan is a chrysanthemum and the institution of the monarchy is also called the Chrysanthemum Throne. A number of festivals and shows take place throughout Japan in autumn when the flowers bloom. is one of the five ancient sacred festivals. It is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month. It was started in 910, when the imperial court held its first chrysanthemum show.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums entered American horticulture in 1798 when Colonel John Stevens imported a cultivated variety known as 'Dark Purple' from England. The introduction was part of an effort to grow attractions within Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Modern cultivated chrysanthemums are showier than their wild relatives. Many horticultural specimens have been bred to bear many rows of ray florets in a great variety of colors. The flower heads occur in various forms, and can be daisy-like or decorative, like pompons or buttons. This genus contains many hybrids and thousands of cultivars developed for horticultural purposes. In addition to the traditional yellow, other colors are available, such as white, purple, and red. The most important hybrid is "Chrysanthemum" × "morifolium" (syn. "C." × "grandiflorum"), derived primarily from "C. indicum", but also involving other species.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Over 140 cultivars of chrysanthemum have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017).


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums are divided into two basic groups, garden hardy and exhibition. Garden hardy chrysanthemums are perennials capable of wintering in most northern latitudes. Exhibition varieties are not usually as sturdy. Garden hardy varieties are defined by their ability to produce an abundance of small blooms with little if any mechanical assistance, such as staking, and withstanding wind and rain. Exhibition varieties, though, require staking, overwintering in a relatively dry, cool environment, and sometimes the addition of night lights.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: The exhibition varieties can be used to create many amazing plant forms, such as large disbudded blooms, spray forms, and many artistically trained forms, such as thousand-bloom, standard (trees), fans, hanging baskets, topiary, bonsai, and cascades.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemum blooms are divided into 13 different bloom forms by the US National Chrysanthemum Society, Inc., which is in keeping with the international classification system. The bloom forms are defined by the way in which the ray and disk florets are arranged. Chrysanthemum blooms are composed of many individual flowers (florets), each one capable of producing a seed. The disk florets are in the center of the bloom head, and the ray florets are on the perimeter. The ray florets are considered imperfect flowers, as they only possess the female reproductive organs, while the disk florets are considered perfect flowers, as they possess both male and female reproductive organs.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Irregular incurves are bred to produce a giant head called an "ogiku". The disk florets are concealed in layers of curving ray florets that hang down to create a 'skirt'. Regular incurves are similar, but usually with smaller blooms and a dense, globular form. Intermediate incurve blooms may have broader florets and a less densely flowered head.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In the reflex form, the disk florets are concealed and the ray florets reflex outwards to create a mop-like appearance. The decorative form is similar to reflex blooms, but the ray florets usually do not radiate at more than a 90° angle to the stem.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: The pompon form is fully double, of small size, and very globular in form. Single and semidouble blooms have exposed disk florets and one to seven rows of ray florets. In the anemone form, the disk florets are prominent, often raised and overshadowing the ray florets. The spoon-form disk florets are visible and the long, tubular ray florets are spatulate. In the spider form, the disk florets are concealed, and the ray florets are tube-like with hooked or barbed ends, hanging loosely around the stem. In the brush and thistle variety, the disk florets may be visible.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In Japan, a form of "bonsai" chrysanthemum was developed over the centuries. The cultivated flower has a lifespan of about 5 years and can be kept in miniature size. Another method is to use pieces of dead wood and the flower grows over the back along the wood to give the illusion from the front that the miniature tree blooms.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Yellow or white chrysanthemum flowers of the species "C. morifolium" are boiled to make a tea in some parts of East Asia. The resulting beverage is known simply as chrysanthemum tea (菊 花 茶, pinyin: "júhuā chá", in Chinese). In Korea, a rice wine flavored with chrysanthemum flowers is called "gukhwaju" (국화주).


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemum leaves are steamed or boiled and used as greens, especially in Chinese cuisine. The flowers may be added to dishes such as "mixian" in broth, or thick snakemeat soup (蛇羹) to enhance the aroma. Japanese cuisine sashimi uses small chrysanthemums as garnish.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Pyrethrum ("Chrysanthemum "[or" Tanacetum"]" cinerariaefolium") is economically important as a natural source of insecticide. The flowers are pulverized, and the active components, called pyrethrins, which occur in the achenes, are extracted and sold in the form of an oleoresin. This is applied as a suspension in water or oil, or as a powder. Pyrethrins attack the nervous systems of all insects, and inhibit female mosquitoes from biting. In sublethal doses, they have an insect-repellent effect. They are harmful to fish, but are far less toxic to mammals and birds than many synthetic insecticides. They are not persistent, being biodegradable, and also decompose easily on exposure to light. Pyrethroids such as permethrin are synthetic insecticides based on natural pyrethrum. Despite this, chrysanthemum leaves are still a major host for destructive pests, such as leafminer flies including "L. trifolii".


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In some European countries (e.g., France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Croatia), incurve chrysanthemums symbolize death and are used only for funerals or on graves, while other types carry no such symbolism; similarly, in China, Japan, and Korea of East Asia, white chrysanthemums symbolize adversity, lamentation, and/or grief. In some other countries, they represent honesty. In the United States, the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful, with New Orleans as a notable exception.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In the Victorian language of flowers, the chrysanthemum had several meanings. The Chinese chrysanthemum meant cheerfulness, whereas the red chrysanthemum stood for "I Love", while the yellow chrysanthemum symbolized slighted love. The chrysanthemum is also the flower of November.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums first arrived in Japan by way of China in the 5th century. The chrysanthemum has been used as a theme of "waka" (Japanese traditional poetry) since around the 10th century in the Heian period, and "Kokin Wakashū" is the most famous of them. In the 12th century, during the Kamakura period, when the Retired Emperor Go-Toba adopted it as the mon (family crest) of the Imperial family, it became a flower that symbolized autumn in Japan. During the Edo period from the 17th century to the 19th century, due to the development of economy and culture, the cultivation of chrysanthemums, cherry blossoms, Japanese iris, morning glory, etc. became popular, many cultivars were created and many chrysanthemum exhibitions were held. From the Meiji period in the latter half of the 19th century, due to the growing importance of the chrysanthemum, which symbolized the Imperial family, the creation of "ogiku" style cultivars with a diameter of 20 cm or more became popular.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In the present day, each autumn there are chrysanthemum exhibitions at the Shinjuku Gyo-en, Meiji Shrine and Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The Yasukuni Shrine, formerly a state-endowed shrine (官国弊社, "kankokuheisha") has adopted the chrysanthemum crest. Culinary-grade chrysanthemums are used to decorate food, and they remain a common motif for traditional Japanese arts like porcelain, lacquerware and "kimono".


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemum growing is still practised actively as a hobby by many Japanese people who enter prize plants in contests. Chrysanthemum "dolls", often depicting fictional characters from both traditional sources like "kabuki" and contemporary sources like Disney, are displayed throughout the fall months, and the city of Nihonmatsu hosts the "Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Dolls Exhibition" every autumn in historical ruin of Nihonmatsu Castle. They are also grown into chrysanthemum bonsai forms.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Korea has a number of flower shows that exhibit the chrysanthemum, such as the Masan Gagopa Chrysanthemum Festival.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In Iran, chrysanthemums are associated with the Zoroastrian spiritual being Ashi Vanghuhi (lit. 'good blessings, rewards'), a female Yazad (angel) presiding over blessings.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In 2017, Israel named a new fast-growing Chrysanthemum flower after Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, in a special gesture to mark the first visit of an Indian prime minister to the Jewish nation.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: In Australia, on Mother's Day, which falls in May when the flower is in season, people traditionally wear a white chrysanthemum, or a similar white flower to honour their mothers. Chrysanthemums are often given as Mother's Day presents.


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote "Crisantemi" (1890), a movement for string quartet, in memory of his friend Amedeo di Savoia Duca d'Aosta. In Italy (and other European countries) the chrysanthemum is the flower that people traditionally bring to their deceased loved ones at the cemetery and is generally associated with mourning. A probable reason for this is the fact that the plant flowers between the end of October and the beginning of November, coinciding with the Day of the Dead (2 November).


title: Chrysanthemum

text: Chrysanthemums are placed on graves to honor the dead during All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in Poland.


title: Martha's Vineyard

text: Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the smaller adjacent Chappaquiddick Island, which is usually connected to the Vineyard. The two islands have sometimes been separated by storms and hurricanes, which last occurred from 2007 to 2015. It is the 58th largest island in the U.S., with a land area of about , and the third-largest on the East Coast, after Long Island and Mount Desert Island. Martha's Vineyard constitutes the bulk of Dukes County, which also includes the Elizabeth Islands and the island of Nomans Land.


title: Martha's Vineyard

text: The Vineyard was home to one of the earliest known deaf communities in the United States; consequently, a sign language, the Martha's Vineyard Sign Language, emerged on the island among both deaf and hearing islanders. The 2010 census reported a year-round population of 16,535 residents, although the summer population can swell to more than 100,000 people. About 56 percent of the Vineyard's 14,621 homes are seasonally occupied.


title: Martha's Vineyard

text: Martha's Vineyard is primarily known as a summer colony. However, its year-round population has considerably increased since the 1960s. The island's year-round population increased about a third each decade from 1970 to 2000, for a total of 145 percent or about 3 percent to 4 percent per year (46 percent, 30 percent, and 29 percent in each respective decade). The population of the Vineyard was 14,901 in the 2000 Census and was estimated at 15,582 in 2004. (Dukes County was 14,987 in 2000 and 15,669 in 2004). Dukes County includes the six towns on Martha's Vineyard and Gosnold; it increased by more than 10 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to Census data released in 2011, gaining nearly 1,548 residents. The Island's population increased from 14,987 to 16,535.


title: Martha's Vineyard

text: A study by the Martha's Vineyard Commission found that the cost of living on the island is 60 percent higher than the national average, and housing prices are 96 percent higher. A study of housing needs by the Commission found that the average weekly wage on Martha's Vineyard was "71 percent of the state average, the median home price was 54 percent above the state's and the median rent exceeded the state's by 17 percent," all leading to a stark example of severe income inequalities between year-round residents and their seasonal counterparts.


title: Martha's Vineyard

text: There is no definitive source for the name 'Martha's Vineyard', but it is thought to be named for the mother-in-law or daughter, both named Martha, of the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who led the first recorded European expedition to Cape Cod in 1602. A smaller island to the south was first to be named "Martha's Vineyard" but this later became associated with this island. It is the eighth-oldest surviving English place-name in the United States. The island was subsequently known as "Martin's Vineyard" (perhaps after the captain of Gosnold's ship, John Martin); many islanders up to the 18th century called it by this name.


title: Martha's Vineyard

text: When the United States Board on Geographic Names worked to standardize placename spellings in the late 19th century, apostrophes were dropped. Thus for a time Martha's Vineyard was officially named "Marthas Vineyard", but the Board reversed its decision in the early 20th century, making Martha's Vineyard one of the five placenames in the United States that take a possessive apostrophe.