title: Andre Iguodala

text: In the preseason Philadelphia drafted point guard Jrue Holiday out of UCLA to take over the void left at point guard after the departure of veteran point guard Andre Miller, who had joined the Portland Trail Blazers. The Sixers hired coach Eddie Jordan to take over for Tony DiLeo. Iguodala averaged career-highs in rebounds, assists, and blocks, and a career-low in personal fouls. He finished the season averaging 17.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.8 apg, and 1.7 spg. The Sixers, however, were a big disappointment, going only 27–55 during the regular season and missing the playoffs after two straight playoff berths. During the season, the 76ers brought Iguodala's old friend Allen Iverson back in what would be his final season in the NBA before going to play overseas for Beşiktaş.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Coming into the 2010–11 NBA season, the 76ers were expected to rebound from their poor season. The Sixers fired head coach Eddie Jordan and brought in Doug Collins. Philadelphia also traded veteran big man Samuel Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings for a younger center Spencer Hawes; the 76ers also acquired Andrés Nocioni in the deal. With the second overall pick in the draft, the Sixers made a big splash by drafting Evan Turner. Philadelphia started the season poorly but were one of the best teams down the stretch. During the season, Iguodala was hampered by an Achilles injury, leading to career lows in games played and started, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and steals per game as the 76ers finished with a 41–41 record. However, he also had his career-best season in assists with 6.3 apg and helped the Sixers make the playoffs with the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. During the year, Andre was the subject of multiple trade rumors that had him being traded to either the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers. In the playoffs, Iguodala had the assignment of guarding James and Dwyane Wade in the first round. The 76ers were eventually defeated in 5 games. For his defensive efforts throughout the season, Iguodala was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team Second Team, though his coaches and teammates lobbied for him to make the First Team. He showed his versatility during the season posting up a career-high in triple-doubles. Iguodala was second behind James for most triple-doubles during the 2010–11 season.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On his 28th birthday, Iguodala recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double effort in a win over the Pistons. Later that season, he was selected to his first All-Star Game as a reserve. His scoring average was the lowest of all the 24 All-Stars, but he was rewarded for being the best player on the 76ers, who were leading the Atlantic Division. Collins called him a "stat-sheet stuffer". At the end of the 2011–12 NBA season, Iguodala averaged 12.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 5.5 apg, 1.7 spg in 35.6 mpg. He helped the Philadelphia 76ers clinch the final seed in the playoffs. In Game 6 of the Sixers' first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, he made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to win the game and help the Sixers upset the Bulls en route to the franchise's first playoff series win since 2003. This was also the fifth time in NBA history that an eighth seed defeated a first seed in the opening round of the playoffs. They were eventually eliminated by the Boston Celtics in a thrilling seven games in the Conference Semifinals.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On August 10, 2012, Iguodala was dealt to the Denver Nuggets in a series of trades also involving the Sixers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic. Other players involved in the deal included All-Stars Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard. His arrival in Denver led to some league experts labeling Denver a contender. Iguodala returned on opening night of 2012–13 to play his former team. He put up 11 points in an 84–75 loss, and received a mixed response from the crowd. The Nuggets went on to make the playoffs with a franchise-record 57–25, and a team record 15 consecutive wins; however, they were upset in the first round by the Golden State Warriors, despite Iguodala having a good series, averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2 steals per game in the series. This led to the firing of Nuggets coach George Karl, who just won the NBA Coach of the Year Award.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: In July 2013, Iguodala declined a five-year deal with Denver and agreed to a four-year for a reported $48 million with the Golden State Warriors. He officially joined the Warriors in a three-team sign-and-trade deal with the Nuggets and the Utah Jazz. On November 14, Iguodala made the game-winning, buzzer-beating shot in the Warriors' 116–115 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Getting the inbound pass from Klay Thompson, Iguodala turned and made the fade-away jump shot over the Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha. Iguodala finished with 14 points and 9 assists. When playing against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 23, 2013, Iguodala strained his left hamstring late in the third quarter. Unfortunately, Iguodala went on to miss twelve consecutive games. However, on December 17, 2013, Iguodala returned to action in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. On January 3, 2014, Iguodala hit a game-winning, 3-point buzzer-beater in the Warriors' 101–100 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The win extended the Warriors' season-high winning streak to 8 games. For his defensive contributions to the Warriors, Iguodala was named to the 2014 All-NBA Defensive first team.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Entering the 2014–15 season, first-year Warriors coach Steve Kerr elected to move Iguodala from the starting rotation to the sixth man reserve position, in favor of forward Harrison Barnes. Since entering the NBA, Iguodala had played in 806 games as a starter without entering a game as a reserve, a league high over that span. On March 18, 2015, he scored a then season-high 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting in a 114–95 win over the Atlanta Hawks. The Warriors advanced to the 2015 NBA Finals to face Cleveland, where he was the team's best defender against Cavaliers star James. With Golden State down 2–1 in the series, Iguodala made his first start of the season, replacing center Andrew Bogut in Game 4. Iguodala scored a season-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, which included four 3-pointers. The Warriors' small lineup, which came to be known as the Death Lineup, helped turn the series around. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers in six games, and Iguodala was named the Finals MVP, becoming the first player to win the award without starting a game during the regular season. He was also the first MVP to not have started every game in the Finals. He finished the series averaging 16.3 points, 4 assists, and 5.8 rebounds. When Iguodala was in the game, James made only 38.1% of his shots, compared to 44% without Iguodala.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On November 11, 2015, Iguodala scored a season-high 20 points against the Memphis Grizzlies to help the Warriors begin the season 9–0. The Warriors' NBA-record start ended after 24 wins when they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 108–95 on December 12. An ankle injury suffered in early March forced Iguodala to miss 13 straight games. The Warriors finished the regular season as the first seed in the Western Conference with a 73–9 record, the best overall record in NBA history, surpassing the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls' mark of 72–10, while Iguodala finished as runner-up for the 2015–16 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. In the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors faced the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets, and in a Game 4 win on April 24, Iguodala scored a season-high 22 points. The Warriors went on to defeat the Rockets in five games. In the second round, Iguodala helped the Warriors defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in five games to qualify for the Western Conference Finals. In their conference finals match-up with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Iguodala helped the Warriors fight back from a 3–1 deficit in the series to win clinch a 4–3 victory. In Game 6 of the series, Iguodala's defense on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook was key to the Warriors forcing Game 7. In Game 7, Iguodala started in place of Harrison Barnes and again marked Kevin Durant. With a Game 7 victory, the Warriors moved on to the NBA Finals for the second straight year. The Warriors would again play the Cleveland Cavaliers for the championship. Despite the Warriors going up 3–1 in the series following a Game 4 win, they went on to lose the series in seven games to become the first team in NBA history to lose the championship series after being up 3–1. In the deciding Game 7 with the score tied at 89 late in the game, Iguodala was going for a potential layup when Cleveland's James recovered for a chase-down block with 1:50 remaining, a play which came to be known as "The Block".


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On November 28, 2016, Iguodala had a season-best game with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists in a 105–100 win over the Atlanta Hawks, helping the Warriors start the season 16–2 while recording their 12th straight victory—their equal third-longest streak in franchise history. On January 16, 2017, he came off the bench to make all five of his field goal attempts for a season-high 14 points in a 126–91 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In February 2017, long-time agent Rob Pelinka was appointed as the new general manager for the Los Angeles Lakers; Iguodala chose to remain with the Landmark Sports Agency, and co-founder Brandon Rosenthal took over as Iguodala's agent. On March 6, 2017, he set a new season high with 24 points in a 119–111 win over the Atlanta Hawks. On March 13, 2017, he was fined $10,000 by the NBA for using racially intemperate language in an interview following the Warriors' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 10. The Warriors finished the season as the first seed in the West with a 67–15 record. Following a 129–115 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals over the Spurs, the Warriors reached their third straight NBA Finals series while becoming the first team in league history to start the playoffs 12–0. The Warriors would again matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals where Iguodala was a key bench player during the 2017 NBA Finals, often guarding James and scored 20 points in Game 5, helping the Warriors win the championship by defeating the Cavaliers in five games.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala entered the 2017 off-season as a free agent and held meetings with numerous competing teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, and Houston Rockets. However, on July 25, 2017, Iguodala re-signed with the Warriors on a three-year, $48 million contract. On December 11, 2017 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Iguodala played his 1,000th regular-season game, becoming one of 126 players in NBA history to accomplish the feat. Iguodala played in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Finals after missing the final four games of the Western Conference Finals and the first two games of the NBA Finals with a left lateral leg contusion. The Warriors went on to win their third championship in four years with a sweep of the Cavaliers.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in the regular season. During the playoffs, he boosted his averages to 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists, while also starting a majority of the games. In a sign of respect towards their opponent and with an increased urgency, Kerr opened the conference semifinals against Houston by moving Iguodala from the bench and starting their Hamptons Five lineup for the first time in the season. After starting nine consecutive games, he missed the deciding Game 4 in the conference finals against Portland with a sore left calf injury from Game 3. The Warriors returned to the NBA Finals for the fifth straight season, but lost in six games to the Toronto Raptors. In a 114–110 series-ending loss in Game 6, Iguodala had 22 points for his best scoring output of the postseason. However, Thompson left the game after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, and Durant was already sidelined after rupturing his right Achilles tendon in Game 5.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On July 7, 2019, Golden State traded Iguodala along with a protected first-round draft pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Julian Washburn. The Warriors received a traded player exception in the deal. Golden State was eyeing a replacement for Thompson while he recovered from his injury, and the trade freed salary cap space for them to acquire All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade package with the Brooklyn Nets for Durant, who had announced earlier that he planned to sign with the Nets. Afterwards, the Warriors stated that they planned to eventually retire Iguodala's No. 9 jersey.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: The Grizzlies, who were rebuilding, reached an agreement before training camp to allow Iguodala to stay away from the team and train on his own. They kept him on their 15-man opening day roster instead of buying out the 35-year-old veteran, who was earning $17 million in the last year of his contract. Memphis was hoping for a quality trade with a playoff contender in exchange for Iguodala and his championship experience. His decision to remain away from the team drew backlash from teammates, notably Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant, who criticized his refusal to play as disrespectful.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On February 6, 2020, Iguodala was traded to the Miami Heat in a three-team trade along with Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill with Memphis and Minnesota. As part of the trade, he agreed to a two-year, $30 million extension with Miami, with the last year being a team option. The Heat reached the 2020 NBA Finals, where they lost 4–2 to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Iguodala became the tenth player in NBA history to make it to six straight Finals.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguadala continued with the Miami Heat in a bench-role for the 2020-21 season. After the 2020–21 season, the Heat did not exercise their $15 million option of Iguodala's contract for the 2021–22 season, making him a free agent.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On August 10, 2021, Iguodala returned to the Golden State Warriors. He missed 31 games from January to April with back soreness. Iguodala went on to win his fourth championship after the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in 6 games of the 2022 NBA Finals.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: On September 23, 2022, Iguodala re-signed with the Warriors on a one-year, fully guaranteed, 2.9 million dollar contract (the veteran's minimum) and announced his decision to retire after the season.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala was a member of the United States national team in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, winning the gold medal. In the FIBA World Championships Iguodala displayed his athleticism with an array of fastbreak dunks.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala was also selected for the 2012 London Olympics team, largely due to his exceptional defensive ability. He helped Team USA win the gold medal against Spain in a 107–100 victory. Coach Mike Krzyzewski called Iguodala one of the team's best players, and compared his game to that of Scottie Pippen.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: In August 2015, Iguodala married his childhood sweetheart, Christina Gutierrez, at One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. Iguodala has a daughter and a son.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala is a Christian. He has said, "Faith is something I heavily lean on to give me that balance. I make sure I stay in chapel and have a good relationship with our chaplain. It keeps me focused … When people see us on the court, we want them to see God's work. We want to be a good representation of what we believe in …When you go out there, you’re not just representing your country or the NBA, you’re representing your beliefs. You want to play hard for someone who died for you".


title: Andre Iguodala

text: "The Sporting News" named Iguodala one of "the good guys of 2006" for establishing the Andre Iguodala Disaster Relief Fund that raised money for tornado victims in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. He later established the Andre Iguodala Youth Foundation, whose stated mission is to use sports as a means to help youths. The organization has hosted basketball camps and the annual "Thanksgiving with Dre", which has distributed food baskets to families in need.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Alongside teammate Stephen Curry, Iguodala is known to be an avid golfer. Iguodala enjoys playing video games, particularly the "NBA 2K" series. He played in a tournament put together at the "NBA 2K10" launch party in New York City against other NBA players Nate Robinson, Brook Lopez and Rajon Rondo, and rapper Wale.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: In March 2015, Twice, an online secondhand apparel outlet, named Iguodala its Menswear Style Director.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala is a tech investor and a leading advocate for athletes in the NBA to invest in the technology industry. His partnership with entrepreneurs in San Francisco's Silicon Valley has led to an annual event tagged Players Technology Summit. The inaugural edition of the event began in 2017 where Iguodala and teammate Stephen Curry played hosts. The second edition saw other athletes from the NBA like Kevin Durant and Jaylen Brown make debuts. The Players Technology Summit, sponsored by Bloomberg, was established as a platform to set a discourse and help shape conversations for athletes' financial future through opportunities in the technology industry.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Together with partner Rudy Cline-Thomas, Iguodala has been able to invest in companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Tesla. The two have also invested in at least 25 different startups in the technology industry.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala is a Venture Partner in the Catalyst Fund, which invests in underrepresented founders and entrepreneurs of tech companies.


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Iguodala appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the second season of Abbott Elementary (2022).


title: Andre Iguodala

text: Andre Iguodala is a clutch player, turning the 2015 NBA finals from a 2-1 Warriors deficit and hitting clutch shots on offense and defending the best player on the other team. He is an elite lockdown defender, able to switch and defend multiple positions using his high level defensive IQ and ability to accumulate steals. Earlier in his career, with the Philadelphia 76ers, he was an efficient scorer, using his elite athleticism and slashing ability, to a career-best 21.5 points in the 2009 playoffs. He is however not known to be a shooter, but is able to raise his shooting abilities in clutch situations.


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Jonathan Nolan (born 6 June 1976) is a British-American screenwriter, producer, director and author. He is the creator of the CBS science fiction series "Person of Interest" (2011–2016) and co-creator of the HBO science fiction western series "Westworld" (2016–2022).


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan has collaborated on several films with his brother, director Christopher Nolan, who adapted Jonathan's short story "Memento Mori" into the neo-noir thriller film "Memento" (2000). Together, the brothers co-wrote the mystery thriller film "The Prestige" (2006), the superhero films "The Dark Knight" (2008) and "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012), and the science fiction film "Interstellar" (2014).


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Memento", and for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "Westworld", among a number of other awards.


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Jonathan Nolan was born in London, the youngest of three boys. His father Brendan Nolan is British and his mother Christina Nolan is American. He was raised in both London and Chicago. Nolan attended Georgetown University, where he majored in English and was a staff writer for "The Hoya".


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan's short story "Memento Mori" was used by his older brother, director Christopher Nolan, as the basis for the film "Memento". Although Jonathan received a "based on a story by" credit, not a screenwriting credit, the brothers shared a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as the film was released before the story was published.


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: In 2005, Jonathan and Christopher co-wrote the screenplay for "The Prestige", which is based on Christopher Priest's novel of the same title. The brothers collaborated on the screenplay for the 2008 film "The Dark Knight". The film went on to become the most financially successful Batman film, which has since been surpassed by its sequel, "The Dark Knight Rises".


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: On 10 February 2011, CBS picked up Nolan's pilot "Person of Interest". The show was officially picked up by CBS on 13 May 2011 to air in fall 2011. The series ran for five seasons and starred Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson and Michael Emerson. Nolan served as executive producer along with J. J. Abrams.


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan wrote the screenplay for "Interstellar", a science-fiction feature based on the works of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, who served as the film's executive producer. Christopher Nolan co-wrote, directed and produced the film, with Paramount distributing domestically, while Warner Bros. distributed internationally.


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan and Lisa Joy wrote a pilot for an adaptation of "Westworld", Michael Crichton's 1973 science fiction Western thriller of the same name. On 31 August 2013, it was announced that HBO had ordered a pilot for a show, with Nolan, Joy, Weintraub, J. J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk as executive producers, and Nolan making his directorial debut. The pilot was subsequently picked up to series, with Nolan and Joy as co-showrunners, and premiered on 2 October 2016. In November 2016, HBO renewed the show for a 10-episode second season, that started in April 2018. On 1 May 2018, following the first two episodes of Season 2, the series was renewed for a third season. Nolan and Lisa Joy signed a $150 million deal to create "The Peripheral" for Amazon.


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan found that having an English accent was very unpopular after moving to Chicago, so he learned to "sound like a good Chicago kid."


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: When contemplating the artistic differences between himself and his brother, Nolan remarked: "I've always suspected that it has something to do with the fact that he's left-handed and I'm right-handed, because he is somehow able to look at my ideas and flip them around in a way that's just a bit more twisted and interesting. It's great to be able to work with him that way."


title: Jonathan Nolan

text: Nolan is married to "Burn Notice" writer and "Westworld" co-creator and executive producer Lisa Joy. They have a daughter and a son together.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali Dorai Raj (born 3 December 1982) is an Indian cricketer and a former captain of the India women's national cricket team from 2004 to 2022. Mithali is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali holds numerous records in international cricket. She is the only female cricketer to surpass the 7,000-run mark in Women's One Day International matches. She is the first player to score seven consecutive 50s in ODIs. She also holds the record for most half-centuries in WODIs. In June 2018, during the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup, she became the first player from India to score 2000 runs in T20Is, and also became the first female cricketer to reach 2000 WT20I runs.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In 2005, Mithali became the permanent captain of India. She is the only female player to have captained India in more than one ICC ODI World Cup final, doing so twice in 2005 and 2017. On 1 February 2019, during India's series against New Zealand Women, Mithali became the first woman to play in 200 ODI matches. In September 2019, she announced her retirement from T20Is to focus on ODI cricket. In 2019, she became the first woman to complete 20 years in international cricket.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali is the recipient of several national and international awards, including the "Wisden" Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2017, Arjuna Award in 2003, the Padma Shri in 2015, and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In July 2021, Mithali became the leading run-scorer in women's international cricket, surpassing Charlotte Edwards' previous record of 10,273 runs. On 8 June 2022, Mithali announced her retirement from all formats of international cricket.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali Raj was born on December 3rd, 1982, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Her mother is Leela Raj, and her father, Dorai Raj, was an Airman (Warrant Officer) in the Indian Air Force. Mithali started to play cricket at the age of 10. She lives in Hyderabad, Telangana. She attended Keyes High School for Girls in Hyderabad, and attended Kasturba Gandhi Junior College for Women in Secunderabad for her intermediate studies. She started receiving cricket coaching in her school days along with her elder brother.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Playing for Railways in the domestic competition, Mithali began by playing with cricket stars like Purnima Rau, Anjum Chopra and Anju Jain for Air India. She has played for the Supernovas and Velocity in the Women's T20 Challenge.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali has played all three cricket formats for India: Test, One Day and T20. She was named among the probables in the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup when she was just 14, but couldn't make it to the final squad. She made her One Day International debut in 1999 against Ireland at Milton Keynes and scored an unbeaten 114 runs. She made her test debut in the 2001–02 season against South Africa at Lucknow. On August 17th, 2002, at the age of 19, in her third test, she broke Karen Rolton's record of world's highest individual Test score of 209*, scoring a new high of 214 against England in the second and final Test at County Ground, Taunton. The record has since been surpassed by Kiran Baluch of Pakistan who scored 242 against West Indies in March 2004.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali was ill with typhoid during the CricInfo Women's World Cup in 2002, which seriously hampered the performance of India.


title: Mithali Raj

text: However, she led India to their first finals in 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup, in South Africa, where they lost to Australia.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In August of 2006, she led the side to their first ever Test and Series victory in England, and wrapped up the year winning the Asia Cup—the second time in 12 months—without dropping a single game.


title: Mithali Raj

text: She is a part-time leg-break bowler as well. She is a recipient of the Arjuna award for 2003. She currently tops the batting table with 703 ratings. Her composure when at the crease, and ability to score briskly make her a dangerous cricketer. In addition to her ability with the bat, Mithali rolls her arm over bowling leg-spinners and providing variety to the attack.


title: Mithali Raj

text: At the 2013 Women's World Cup, Mithali was the No. 1 Cricketer in the ODI chart among women. She scored 100s: 1 and 50s: 4 in Test cricket, 100s: 5 and 50s: 50 with best bowling of 3/4 in ODIs and 50s: 10 in T20s.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In July 2017, she became the first player to score 6,000 runs in WODIs. She led the Indian team to the final of the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup where the team lost to England by nine runs.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In October 2018, she was named to India's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In September 2019, Mithali retired from T20I Cricket. She dreams of bringing the World Cup to her country by 2021. "After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 one-day World Cup," she said in a BCCI press statement.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In November 2020, Mithali was nominated for the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award for ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade, and the award for women's ODI cricketer of the decade.


title: Mithali Raj

text: In May 2021, she was named captain of India's Test squad for their one-off match against the England women's cricket team. In January 2022, she was named captain of India's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.


title: Mithali Raj

text: On June 8th, 2022, Mithali announced her retirement from all formats of International cricket after an illustrious career.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali was appointed batting consultant for India women's national cricket team, and has played as a player-coach.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Mithali Raj was involved in controversy with cricket management due to her attitude towards the game during the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20. She accused the coach Ramesh Powar and BCCI COA member Diana Edulji in a letter to the BCCI of bias, and of humiliating her by not including her in the T20 world cup semifinals. Powar, in turn, criticized Mithali for threatening to retire from cricket when asked to play down the batting order. He also accused Mithali of 'blackmailing and pressuring coaches' apart from causing division in the team during the recently concluded World T20. He added, "despite being a senior player in the team she puts in minimum inputs in team meetings. She could not understand and adapt to the team plan. She ignored her role and batted for own milestones. Lack of keeping the momentum going which was putting extra pressure on other batters." Mithali's 50 against Ireland in the same tournament in which she ended up playing 25 dot balls was also criticized by coach Powar.


title: Mithali Raj

text: Her relationship with the T20 team's captain Harmanpreet Kaur is also said to be strained. However, after reappointment of Ramesh Powar as Head Coach of the Indian women's cricket team in May 2021, the two have reconciled. Mithali and Harmanpreet also confirmed in various interviews that there is no bad blood between them.


title: Mithali Raj

text: After the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures acquired the rights to make a feature film on Mithali's life. She said, "Hoping that this movie inspires more people, especially young girls to take up sports as a career."


title: Mithali Raj

text: Shooting was scheduled to start in 2019. Mithali said "I think Priyanka Chopra will be a great choice (to play me in the biopic). Our personalities match a lot. I am not a movie buff, so I'd love the experts to do their job." However, finally it was decided that Taapsee Pannu would play the role of Mithali Raj in the biopic named "Shabaash Mithu". It was to be directed by Rahul Dholakia in 2020; however, as filming was delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19, in June 2021, Srijit Mukherji replaced him as director. The film was released on 15 July 2022. The movie was a financial disaster, earning only rupees 2.88 crore from a budget of 30.0 crore.


title: Pripyat

text: Pripyat ( ; ), also known as Prypiat (, , ), is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. Named after the nearby river, Pripyat, it was founded on 4 February 1970 as the ninth "atomgrad" (a type of closed town in the Soviet Union) to serve the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which is located in the adjacent ghost city of Chernobyl. Pripyat was officially proclaimed a city in 1979 and had grown to a population of 49,360 by the time it was evacuated on the afternoon of 27 April 1986, one day after the Chernobyl disaster.


title: Pripyat

text: Although it was located within the administrative district of Ivankiv Raion (now Vyshhorod Raion since the 2020 raion reform), the abandoned municipality now has the status of city of regional significance within the larger Kyiv Oblast, and is administered directly from the capital of Kyiv. Pripyat is also supervised by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, which manages activities for the entire Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the entire population of Pripyat was moved to the purpose-built city of Slavutych.


title: Pripyat

text: Access to Pripyat, unlike cities of military importance, was not restricted before the disaster, as the Soviet Union deemed nuclear power stations safer than other types of power plants. Nuclear power stations were presented as achievements of Soviet engineering, harnessing nuclear power for peaceful projects. The slogan "peaceful atom" () was popular during those times. The original plan had been to build the plant only from Kyiv, but the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, among other bodies, expressed concern that would be too close to the city. As a result, the power station and Pripyat were built at their current locations, about from Kyiv. After the disaster, the city of Pripyat was evacuated in two days.


title: Pripyat

text: In 1986, the city of Slavutych was constructed to replace Pripyat. After the city of Chernobyl, this was the second-largest city for accommodating power plant workers and scientists in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).


title: Pripyat

text: One notable landmark often featured in photographs of the city and visible from aerial-imaging websites is the long-abandoned Ferris wheel located in the Pripyat amusement park, which had been scheduled to have its official opening five days after the disaster, in time for May Day celebrations. The Azure Swimming Pool and Avanhard Stadium are two other popular tourist sites.


title: Pripyat

text: On 4 February 2020, former residents of Pripyat gathered in the abandoned city to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pripyat's establishment. This was the first time former residents returned to the city since its abandonment in 1986.


title: Pripyat

text: The 2020 Chernobyl Exclusion Zone wildfires reached the outskirts of the town, but they did not reach the plant.


title: Pripyat

text: During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city was occupied by Russian forces during the Battle of Chernobyl after several hours of heavy fighting. On 31 March 2022, Russian troops withdrew from the plant and other parts of Kyiv Oblast. On 3 April 2022, Ukrainian troops took control of Pripyat again.


title: Pripyat

text: A concern is whether it is safe to visit Pripyat and its surroundings. The Zone of Alienation is considered relatively safe to visit, and several Ukrainian companies offer guided tours around the area. In most places within the city, the level of radiation does not exceed an equivalent dose of 1 μSv (one microsievert) per hour.


title: Pripyat

text: The climate of Pripyat is designated as Dfb (Warm-summer humid continental climate) on the Köppen Climate Classification System.


title: Pripyat

text: The city was served by Yaniv station on the Chernihiv–Ovruch railway. It was an important passenger hub of the line and was located between the southern suburb of Pripyat and the village of Yaniv. An electric train terminus of Semikhody, built in 1988 and located in front of the nuclear plant, is currently the only operating station near Pripyat connecting it to Slavutych.


title: House of Stuart

text: The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fitz Alan (c. 1150). The name Stewart and variations had become established as a family name by the time of his grandson Walter Stewart. The first monarch of the Stewart line was Robert II, whose male-line descendants were kings and queens in Scotland from 1371, and of England and Great Britain from 1603, until 1714. Mary, Queen of Scots, was brought up in France where she adopted the French spelling of the name Stuart.


title: House of Stuart

text: In 1503, James IV married Margaret Tudor, thus linking the royal houses of Scotland and England. Elizabeth I of England died without issue in 1603, and James IV's great-grandson (and Mary's only son) James VI of Scotland succeeded to the thrones of England and Ireland as James I in the Union of the Crowns. The Stuarts were monarchs of Britain and Ireland and its growing empire until the death of Queen Anne in 1714, except for the period of the Commonwealth between 1649 and 1660.


title: House of Stuart

text: In total, nine Stewart/Stuart monarchs ruled Scotland alone from 1371 until 1603, the last of whom was James VI, before his accession in England. Two Stuart queens ruled the isles following the Glorious Revolution in 1688: Mary II and Anne. Both were the Protestant daughters of James VII and II by his first wife Anne Hyde and the great-grandchildren of James VI and I. Their father had converted to Catholicism and his new wife gave birth to a son in 1688, who was to be brought up as a Roman Catholic; so James was deposed by Parliament in 1689, in favour of his daughters. However, neither daughter had any children who survived to adulthood, so the crown passed to the House of Hanover on the death of Queen Anne in 1714 under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701 and the Act of Security 1704.


title: House of Stuart

text: After the loss of the throne, the descendants of James VII and II came to be known as the Jacobites and continued for several generations to attempt to reclaim the Scottish and English (and later British) throne as the rightful heirs, though since the early 19th century there have been no more active claimants from the Stuart family. The current Jacobite heir to the claims of the historical Stuart monarchs is Franz, Duke of Bavaria, of the House of Wittelsbach. The senior living member of the royal Stewart family, descended in a legitimate male line from Robert II of Scotland, is Arthur Stuart, 8th Earl Castle Stewart.


title: House of Stuart

text: The ancestral origins of the Stuart family are obscure—their probable ancestry is traced back to Alan FitzFlaad, a Breton who went to England not long after the Norman conquest. Alan had been the hereditary steward of the Bishop of Dol in the Duchy of Brittany; Alan had a good relationship with Henry I of England who awarded him with lands in Shropshire. The FitzAlan family quickly established themselves as a prominent Anglo-Norman noble house, with some of its members serving as High Sheriff of Shropshire. It was the son of Alan named Walter FitzAlan who became the first hereditary High Steward of Scotland, while his brother William's family went on to become Earls of Arundel.


title: House of Stuart

text: When the civil war in the Kingdom of England, known as The Anarchy, broke out between the legitimist claimant Matilda, Lady of the English, and her cousin who had usurped her, King Stephen, Walter had sided with Matilda. Another supporter of Matilda was her uncle David I of Scotland from the House of Dunkeld. After Matilda was pushed out of England into the County of Anjou, essentially failing in her legitimist attempt for the throne, many of her supporters in England fled also. It was then that Walter followed David up to the Kingdom of Scotland, where he was granted lands in Renfrewshire and the title for life of Lord High Steward. The next monarch of Scotland, Malcolm IV, made the High Steward title a hereditary arrangement. While High Stewards, the family were based at Dundonald, South Ayrshire, between the 12th and 13th centuries.


title: House of Stuart

text: The sixth High Steward of Scotland, Walter Stewart (1293–1326), married Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce, and also played an important part in the Battle of Bannockburn gaining further favour. Their son Robert was heir to the House of Bruce, the Lordship of Cunningham and the Bruce lands of Bourtreehill; he eventually inherited the Scottish throne when his uncle David II died childless in 1371.


title: House of Stuart

text: In 1503, James IV attempted to secure peace with England by marrying King Henry VII's daughter, Margaret Tudor. The birth of their son, later James V, brought the House of Stewart into the line of descent of the House of Tudor, and the English throne. Margaret Tudor later married Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and their daughter, Margaret Douglas, was the mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. In 1565, Darnley married his half-cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, the daughter of James V. Darnley's father was Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, a member of the Stewart of Darnley branch of the House. Lennox was a descendant of Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland, also descended from James II, being Mary's heir presumptive. Thus Darnley was also related to Mary on his father's side and because of this connection, Mary's heirs remained part of the House of Stuart. Following John Stewart of Darnley's ennoblement for his part at the Battle of Baugé in 1421 and the grant of lands to him at Aubigny and Concressault, the Darnley Stewarts' surname was gallicised to "Stuart".


title: House of Stuart

text: Both Mary, Queen of Scots, and Lord Darnley had strong claims on the English throne through their mutual grandmother Margaret Tudor. This eventually led to the accession of the couple's only child James as King of Scotland, England, and Ireland in 1603. However, this was a personal union, as the three Kingdoms shared a monarch, but had separate governments, churches, and institutions. Indeed, the personal union did not prevent an armed conflict, known as the Bishops' Wars, breaking out between England and Scotland in 1639. This was to become part of the cycle of political and military conflict that marked the reign of Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland, culminating in a series of conflicts known as the War of the Three Kingdoms. The trial and execution of Charles I by the English Parliament in 1649 began 11 years of republican government known as the English Interregnum. Scotland initially recognised the late King's son, also called Charles, as their monarch, before being subjugated and forced to enter Cromwell's Commonwealth by General Monck's occupying army. During this period, the principal members of the House of Stuart lived in exile in mainland Europe. The younger Charles returned to Britain to assume his three thrones in 1660 as "Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland" - with the support of General Monck - but dated his reign from his father's death eleven years before.


title: House of Stuart

text: In feudal and dynastic terms, the Scottish reliance on French support was revived during the reign of Charles II, whose own mother was French. His sister Henrietta married into the French royal family. Charles II left no legitimate children, but his numerous illegitimate descendants included the Dukes of Buccleuch, the Dukes of Grafton, the Dukes of Saint Albans and the Dukes of Richmond.


title: House of Stuart

text: These French and Roman Catholic connections proved unpopular and resulted in the downfall of the Stuarts, whose mutual enemies identified with Protestantism and because James VII and II offended the Anglican establishment by proposing tolerance not only for Catholics but for Protestant Dissenters. The Glorious Revolution caused the overthrow of King James in favour of his son-in-law and his daughter, William and Mary. James continued to claim the thrones of England and Scotland to which he had been crowned, and encouraged revolts in his name, and his grandson Charles (also known as Bonnie Prince Charlie) led an ultimately unsuccessful rising in 1745, ironically becoming symbols of conservative rebellion and Romanticism. Some blame the identification of the Roman Catholic Church with the Stuarts for the extremely lengthy delay in the passage of Catholic emancipation until Jacobitism (as represented by direct Stuart heirs) was extinguished; however it was as likely to be caused by entrenched anti-Catholic prejudice among the Anglican establishment of England. Despite the Whig intentions of tolerance to be extended to Irish subjects, this was not the preference of Georgian Tories and their failure at compromise played a subsequent role in the present division of Ireland.


title: House of Stuart

text: The Royal House of Stuart became extinct with the death of Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart, brother of Charles Edward Stuart, in 1807. Duke Francis of Bavaria is the current senior heir. However, Charles II had a number of illegitimate sons whose surviving descendants in the male line include Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond; Henry FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton; Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans; and Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch. In addition, James II's illegitimate son, James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, founded the House of FitzJames comprising two branches, one in France and one in Spain. The last of the French branch died in 1967; the senior heir of James II's male-line descendants is Jacobo Hernando Fitz-James Stuart, 20th Duke of Peñaranda de Duero.


title: House of Stuart

text: From the Acts of Union 1707, which came into effect on 1 May 1707, the last Stuart monarch, Anne, became Queen of Great Britain and Ireland.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of "Playboy" magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and turn-offs. At the end of the year, one of the 12 Playmates of the Month is named Playmate of the Year (PMOTY). Every Playmate of the Month is awarded a prize of US$25,000 and each Playmate of the Year receives an additional prize of US$100,000 plus a car (specifically, a short-term lease of a car) and other discretionary gifts. In addition, Anniversary Playmates are usually chosen to celebrate a milestone year of the magazine. The use of the word "Playmate" in a sexual sense did not originate with Playboy, and was seen at least as early as 1950 in Vue magazine (vol 1, #1).


title: Playboy Playmate

text: "Playboy" encourages potential Playmates to send photos with "girl next door" appeal for consideration; others may submit photos of Playmate candidates, and may be eligible for a finder's fee if their model is selected. In addition, "casting calls" are held regularly in major US cities to offer opportunities for women to test for "Playboy". Until just prior to the death of Hugh Hefner, he personally selected each Playmate of the Month and every Playmate of the Year, taking into account an annual readers' poll.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: The final Playmate of the Month was published digitally in December 2020. Playboy also ended the Playmate of the Year title in 2020, instead awarding all 2019 Playmates the shared title of Playmates of the Year. All 2020 Playmates were given yearbook superlatives rather than a PMOTY title.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: In 2021, Playboy digitally published two quarterly Playmates. No Playmates have been published since Miss Spring 2021, Hailee Lautenbach.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: According to "Playboy", there is no such thing as a "former" Playmate because "Once a Playmate, always a Playmate".


title: Playboy Playmate

text: Marilyn Monroe, who was featured in the first issue, was the only one to appear as "Sweetheart of the Month". The first model called a Playmate of the Month was Margie Harrison, Miss January 1954, in the second issue of "Playboy". Generally a woman may appear only once as a Playmate, but in the early years of the magazine, some models were featured multiple times. Marilyn Waltz (February 1954, April 1954, April 1955 her first appearance was as Margaret Scott) and Janet Pilgrim (July 1955, December 1955, and October 1956) are tied for the most appearances. Margie Harrison (January 1954, June 1954) and Marguerite Empey (May 1955, February 1956) are the only other women to appear more than once as Playmates.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: Under current law in most US jurisdictions, publishing nude pictures of a model younger than 18 would be a felony. However, in the early years of the magazine, laws regarding this were less well established. Several playmates including Nancy Crawford (April 1959), Donna Michelle (December 1963), Linda Moon (October 1966), Patti Reynolds (September 1965) and Teddi Smith (July 1960) posed when they were 17. Elizabeth Ann Roberts (January 1958) whose pictorial was called "Schoolmate Playmate" posed when she was 16. Hugh Hefner and Roberts' mother were arrested as a result, but the case was subsequently dismissed because Roberts' mother had signed a statement that her daughter was 18 before the photo shoot. In 1977, Ursula Buchfellner posed for the German edition of "Playboy" when she was 16 and subsequently posed for the American edition (October 1979) when she was 18. Dutch Playmate twins Karin and Mirjam van Breeschooten appeared at age 17 in their country's edition of "Playboy" in June 1988; at 18, they were Misses September 1989 in the US version.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: Some women have become Playmates in their 30s. Dolores Donlon (August 1957) is the oldest Playmate to date, appearing in her shoot at the age of 36.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: In the early days of "Playboy", there was no official prize for the most popular Playmate at the end of each year. Although February 1954 Playmate Marilyn Waltz gained much popularity, receiving more fan mail than any other Playmate that year, she was not crowned PMOTY. Neither was December 1956 Playmate Lisa Winters, who was "named" Playmate of the Year but not technically crowned as such (causing some controversy regarding semantics); and, although Joyce Nizzari, Miss December 1958, was named the "most popular" Playmate of 1958, the PMOTY competition was first "officially" won in 1960 by Miss December 1959, Ellen Stratton. The 2009 PMOY, Ida Ljungqvist, was the 50th PMOTY and the second model of African descent to win the title, the first being Renee Tenison.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: A PMOTY makes her appearance the year following her first appearance as PMOTM. This feature is usually published in the June issue, although sometimes it has been published in the May or July issue. Until 2003, each year's Playmate of the Year would routinely appear on the cover of her PMOTY issue, in which her PMOTY pictorial is featured. However, from 2003 to 2005, PMOTYs did not appear on the covers of their PMOTY issues, and 2007 PMOTY Sara Jean Underwood did not either. Instead, celebrities appearing in celebrity pictorials in the PMOTY issues appeared on the covers. The 2010 PMOTY, Hope Dworaczyk, did appear on the cover, and was the first model to be the subject of a three-dimensional "Playboy" centerfold photograph.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: The average age of a Playmate of the Year, 23.5 years, is slightly higher than that of a Playmate of the Month, 22.4 years.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: In 1964, at the age of 18, Donna Michelle became the youngest PMOY ever. Jo Collins (1965) and Christa Speck (1962) both were 19. Sharon Clark (1971), Karen McDougal (1998) and Ida Ljungqvist (2009) became PMOTY at the age of 27. Only three women became PMOTY in their 30s: Tiffany Fallon (2005) at 31, Kathy Shower (1986) at 33, and Eugena Washington (2016) at 31.


title: Playboy Playmate

text: Playmates who attained fame for reasons in addition to their "Playboy" appearance(s) include (with the date of their appearance):


title: Tiger II

text: The Tiger II is a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen" Tiger "Ausf". B, often shortened to Tiger B. The ordnance inventory designation was "Sd.Kfz." 182. ("Sd.Kfz." 267 and 268 for command vehicles). It was known as King Tiger by Allied soldiers, and is also known under the informal name Königstiger" (the German name for the Bengal tiger which translates literally as Royal Tiger).


title: Tiger II

text: The Tiger II was the successor to the Tiger I, combining the latter's thick armour with the armour sloping used on the Panther medium tank. The tank weighed almost 70 tonnes, and was protected by of armour to the front. It was armed with the long barrelled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 anti-tank cannon. The chassis was also the basis for the "Jagdtiger" turretless "Jagdpanzer" anti-tank vehicle.


title: Tiger II

text: The Tiger II was issued to heavy tank battalions of the Army and the Waffen-SS. It was first used in combat by 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion during the Allied invasion of Normandy on 11 July 1944; on the Eastern Front, the first unit to be outfitted with the Tiger II was the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion, which by 1 September 1944 listed 25 Tiger IIs operational.


title: Tiger II

text: Development of a heavy tank design had been initiated in 1937; the initial design contract was awarded to Henschel. Another design contract followed in 1939, and was given to Porsche. Both prototype series used the same turret design from Krupp; the main differences were in the hull, transmission, suspension and automotive features.


title: Tiger II

text: The Henschel version used a conventional hull design with sloped armour resembling the layout of the Panther tank. It had a rear-mounted engine and used nine steel-tired, eighty-centimeter-diameter overlapping road wheels per side with internal springing, mounted on transverse torsion bars, in a similar manner to the original Henschel-designed Tiger I. To simplify maintenance, however, as when the same steel-tired road wheels were used on later Tiger I hulls, the wheels were only overlapping "without" being interleaved—the full "Schachtellaufwerk" rubber-rimmed road-wheel system that had been in use on nearly all German half-tracks used the interleaved design, later inherited by the early production versions of the Tiger I and Panther.


title: Tiger II

text: The Porsche hull designs included a rear-mounted turret and a mid-mounted engine. The suspension was the same as on the "Elefant" tank destroyer. This had six road wheels per side mounted in paired bogies sprung with short longitudinal torsion bars that were integral to the wheel pair; this saved internal space and facilitated repairs. One Porsche version had a gasoline-electric drive (fundamentally identical to a Diesel-electric transmission, only using a gasoline-fueled engine as the prime mover), similar to a gasoline-electric hybrid but without a storage battery; two separate drivetrains in parallel, one per side of the tank, each consisting of a hybrid drive train; gasoline engine–electric generator–electric motor–drive sprocket. This method of propulsion had been attempted before on the rejected Tiger (P) (which had been rebuilt as "Elefant" ) and in some US designs and was put into production in the World War I era Saint-Chamond tank and the post-World War I FCM Char 2C. The Porsche suspension components were later used on a few of the later "Jagdtiger" tank destroyers. Another proposal was to use hydraulic drives; Dr. Porsche's unorthodox designs gathered little favour.


title: Tiger II

text: Henschel won the design contract, and all Tiger IIs were produced by the firm. Two turret designs were used in production vehicles. The initial design is often misleadingly called the "Porsche" turret due to the misbelief that it was designed by Porsche for their Tiger II prototype; in fact it was the initial Krupp design for both prototypes. This turret had a rounded front and steeply sloped sides, with a difficult-to-manufacture curved bulge on the turret's left side to accommodate the commander's cupola. Fifty early turrets were mounted to Henschel hulls and used in action. In December 1943 the more common "production" turret, sometimes erroneously called the "Henschel" turret, was simplified with a significantly thicker flat face (which eliminated the shot trap caused by the curved face of the earlier turret), and less-steeply sloped sides, which avoided the need for a bulge for the commander's cupola, and added additional room for ammunition storage.


title: Tiger II

text: The turrets were designed to mount the 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 gun. Combined with the "Turmzielfernrohr" 9d (German "turret telescopic sight") monocular sight by Leitz, which all but a few early Tiger IIs used, it was a very accurate and deadly weapon. During practice, the estimated probability of a first-round hit on a high, wide target was 100 percent at , 95–97 percent at and 85–87 percent at , depending on ammunition type. Recorded combat performance was lower, but still over 80 percent at 1,000 m, in the 60s at 1,500 m and the 40s at 2,000 m. Penetration of armoured plate inclined at 30 degrees was at and respectively for the "Panzergranate" 39/43 projectile (PzGr – armour-piercing shell), and for the PzGr. 40/43 projectile between the same ranges. The "Sprenggranate" 43 (SpGr) high-explosive round was available for soft targets, or the "Hohlgranate" or "Hohlgeschoss" 39 (HlGr – HEAT or High-explosive anti-tank warhead) round, which had penetration at any range, could be used as a dual-purpose munition against soft or armoured targets.


title: Tiger II

text: Powered turret traverse was provided by the variable speed Boehringer-Sturm L4S hydraulic motor, which was driven from the main engine by a secondary drive shaft. A high and a low speed setting was available to the gunner via a lever on his right. The turret could be rotated 360 degrees at 6º/second in low gear independent of engine rpm, at 19º/second – the same as with the Tiger I – with the high speed setting and engine at 2000 rpm, and over 36º/second at the maximum allowable engine speed of 3000 rpm. The direction and speed of traverse was controlled by the gunner through pedals, or a control lever near his left arm. This system allowed for very precise control of powered traverse, a light touch on the pedal resulting in a minimum traverse speed of 0.1 deg/sec (360 degrees in 60 min), unlike in most other tanks of the time (e.g. US M4 Sherman or Soviet T-34) this allowed for fine laying of the gun without the gunner needing to use his traverse handwheel. If power was lost, such as when the tank ran out of fuel, the turret could be slowly traversed by hand, assisted by the loader who had an additional wheel, which could manually rotate the turret at a rate of one-half a degree per each revolution of the hand crank; a 20° turret rotation required 40 full cranks of the handwheel, and to turn the turret a full 360° the gunner would be required to crank the handwheel 720 full revolutions.


title: Tiger II

text: Like all German tanks, the Tiger II had a petrol engine; in this case the same 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) V-12 Maybach HL 230 P30 which powered the much lighter Panther and Tiger I tanks. The Tiger II was under-powered, like many other heavy tanks of World War II, and consumed a lot of fuel, which was in short supply for the Germans. The transmission was the Maybach OLVAR OG 40 12 16 Model B, giving eight forward gears and four reverse, which drove the steering gear. This was the Henschel L 801, a double radius design which proved susceptible to failure. Transverse torsion bar suspension supported the hull on nine axles per side. Overlapped diameter road wheels with rubber cushions and steel tyres rode inside the tracks.


title: Tiger II

text: Like the Tiger I, each tank was issued with two sets of tracks: a normal "battle track" and a narrower "transport" version used during rail movement. The transport tracks reduced the overall width of the load and could be used to drive the tank short distances on firm ground. The crew were expected to change to normal battle tracks as soon as the tank was unloaded. Ground pressure was 0.76 kg/cm (10.8 psi).


title: Tiger II

text: The command variant of the Tiger II was designated "Panzerbefehlswagen" Tiger "Ausf. B". It had two versions, "Sd.Kfz". 267 and "Sd.Kfz". 268. These carried only 63 rounds of 8.8 cm ammunition to provide room to accommodate the extra radios and equipment, and had additional armour on the engine compartment. The "Sd.Kfz". 267 was to have used "FuG" 8 and "FuG" 5 radio sets, with the most notable external changes being a rod antenna mounted on the turret roof and a "Sternantenne D" ("Star antenna D"), mounted on an insulated base (the 105 mm "Antennenfuß Nr. 1"), which was protected by a large armoured cylinder. This equipment was located on the rear decking in a position originally used for deep-wading equipment. The "Sd.Kfz". 268 used "FuG" 7 and "FuG" 5 radios with a two-metre rod antenna mounted on the turret roof and a 1.4 metre rod antenna mounted on the rear deck.


title: Tiger II

text: The Tiger II was developed late in the war and built in relatively small numbers. Orders were placed for 1,500 Tiger IIs—slightly more than the 1,347 Tiger I tanks produced—but production was severely disrupted by Allied bombing raids. Among others, five raids between 22 September and 7 October 1944 destroyed 95 percent of the floor area of the Henschel plant. It is estimated that this caused the loss in production of some 657 Tiger IIs. Only 492 units were produced: one in 1943, 379 in 1944, and 112 in 1945. Full production ran from mid-1944 to the end of the war. Each Tiger II produced needed 300,000 man hours to manufacture and cost over 800,000 Reichsmark or US$300,000 () per vehicle. The vehicle was the costliest German tank to produce at the time.


title: Tiger II

text: The Tiger II served as the basis for one production variant, the "Jagdtiger" casemated tank destroyer, and a proposed "Grille" 17/21/30/42 self-propelled mount for heavy guns which never reached production.


title: Tiger II

text: The Maybach HL234, an engine born from the developments initiated by attempting to convert the Maybach HL230 to fuel injection, would have increased the power from 700 to at least 800 PS (hp). In January 1945 the Entwicklungskommission Panzer unanimously decided that HL234 be immediately included in the engine design and procurement program. The ZF AK-7-200 gearbox was also explored as an alternative to the Maybach Olvar-B semi-automatic gearbox, but "Waffenamt" research and development department "Wa Prüf 6" found that it offered inferior driving characteristics and so the Maybach Olvar-B was retained. There was also a program using the Simmering-Graz-Pauker Sla.16-cylinder diesel engine, but the war's constraint on supplies and capitulation resulted in the cancellation of this program. Krupp proposed mounting a new main weapon, the 10.5 cm KwK L/68. "Wa Prüf 6" was not supportive of this as the "Heer" had not accepted the cannon itself. Other suggested improvements included stabilised sights, a stabilised main gun, an automatic ammunition feed (often known as an auto loader), a Carl Zeiss AG stereoscopic rangefinder, heated crew compartment, stowage for an additional 12 rounds, and an overpressure and air filtration system to protect against poison gas. However, these also never got beyond the proposal stage or did not enter production before the war ended.


title: Tiger II

text: Apart from research, training, and a five-tank attachment to the Panzer Lehr, the Tiger II was only issued to heavy tank battalions ("schwere Panzer-Abteilungen") of the German Army ("Heer"), or "Waffen-SS".


title: Tiger II

text: Early Tiger IIs proved unreliable, owing principally to leaking seals and gaskets, and an overburdened drive train originally intended for a lighter vehicle. The double radius steering gear was initially particularly prone to failure. Lack of crew training could amplify this problem; drivers originally given only limited training on other tanks were often sent directly to operational units already on their way to the front.


title: Tiger II

text: The "Schwere Heeres Panzer Abteilung" 501 (s.H.Pz.Abt. 501) arrived on the Eastern Front with only eight out of 45 tanks operational; these faults were mostly due to drive-train failures. The first five Tiger IIs delivered to the Panzer Lehr Division broke down before they could be used in combat, and were destroyed to prevent capture.


title: Tiger II

text: The introduction of modified seals, gaskets and drive train components, as well as improved driver training and sufficient maintenance improved the tank's mechanical reliability. Statistics from 15 March 1945 show reliability rates of 59 percent for the Tiger, almost equal to the 62 percent of the Panzer IV and better than the 48 percent of the Panther that were operational by this period.


title: Tiger II

text: Notwithstanding its initial reliability problems, the Tiger II was remarkably agile for such a heavy vehicle. Contemporary German records and testing results indicate that its tactical mobility was as good as or better than most German or Allied tanks.


title: Tiger II

text: The first combat use of the Tiger II was by the 1st Company of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion ("s.H.Pz.Abt". 503) during the Battle of Normandy, opposing Operation Atlantic between Troarn and Demouville on 18 July 1944. Two were lost in combat, while the company commander's tank became irrecoverably trapped after falling into a bomb crater created during Operation Goodwood.


title: Tiger II

text: On the Eastern Front, it was first used on 12 August 1944 by the 501st Heavy Panzer Battalion ("s.H.Pz.Abt". 501) resisting the Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive. It attacked the Soviet bridgehead over the Vistula River near Baranów Sandomierski. On the road to Oględów, three Tiger IIs were destroyed in an ambush by a few T-34-85s. Because these German tanks suffered ammunition explosions, which caused many crew fatalities, main gun rounds were no longer allowed to be stowed within the turret, reducing capacity to 68. Up to fourteen Tiger IIs of the 501st were destroyed or captured in the area between 11 and 14 August to ambushes and flank attacks by both Soviet T-34-85 and IS-2 tanks, and ISU-122 assault guns in inconvenient sandy terrain. The capture of three operational Tiger IIs allowed the Soviets to conduct tests at Kubinka and to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses


title: Tiger II

text: On 15 October 1944, Tiger IIs of 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion played a crucial role during Operation Panzerfaust, supporting Otto Skorzeny's troops in taking the Hungarian capital of Budapest, which ensured that the country remained with the Axis until the end of the war. The 503rd then took part in the Battle of Debrecen. The 503rd remained in the Hungarian theater of operations for 166 days, during which time it accounted for at least 121 Soviet tanks, 244 anti-tank guns and artillery pieces, five aircraft and a train. This was set against the loss of 25 Tiger IIs; ten were knocked out by Soviet troops and burned out, two were sent back to Vienna for a factory overhaul, while thirteen were blown up by their crews for various reasons, usually to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.


title: Tiger II

text: The Tiger II was also used in significant numbers, distributed into four heavy panzer battalions, during the Ardennes Offensive (also known as the 'Battle of the Bulge') of December 1944. At least 150 Tiger IIs were present, nearly a third of total production; most were lost over the course of the offensive.


title: Tiger II

text: Some Tiger IIs were also present during the Soviet Vistula–Oder and East Prussian Offensives in January 1945, as well as the German Lake Balaton Offensive in Hungary in March 1945, the Battle of the Seelow Heights in April 1945, and the Battle of Berlin at the end of the war.


title: Tiger II

text: The 103rd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion ("s.SS Pz.Abt". 503) claimed approximately 500 kills in the period from January to April 1945 on the Eastern Front for the loss of 45 Tiger IIs (most of which were abandoned and destroyed by their own crews after mechanical breakdowns or for lack of fuel).


title: Tiger II

text: The heavy armour and powerful long-range gun gave the Tiger II an advantage against all opposing Western Allied and Soviet tanks attempting to engage it from head on. This was especially true on the Western Front where, until the arrival of the few M26 Pershings in 1945 and the few M4A3E2 Sherman "Jumbos" that were scattered around Europe after D-Day, as well as a few late Churchill models, neither the British nor US forces brought heavy tanks into service. A "Wa Prüf 1" report estimated that the Tiger II's frontal aspect was impervious to the Soviet 122 mm D-25T, the largest calibre tank gun of the war. However, Soviet testing contradicted this as they found that the frontal glacis could be destroyed by firing 3–4 shots at the weld joints from the ranges of 500–600m which were found to be inferior in quality to that of previous German designs like the Tiger I or Panther. An R.A.C 3.d. document of February 1945 estimated that the British (76.2 mm) QF 17-pounder gun, using armour-piercing discarding sabot shot was theoretically capable of penetrating the front of the Tiger II's turret and nose (lower front hull) at respectively although, given the lack of a stated angle, this was presumably at the ideal 90 degrees and in combat the Tiger II was never penetrated frontally by the QF 17-Pounder.


title: Tiger II

text: As a result of its thick frontal armour, flanking manoeuvres were most often used against the Tiger II to attempt a shot at the thinner side and rear armour, giving a tactical advantage to the Tiger II in most engagements. Moreover, the main armament of the Tiger II was capable of knocking out any Allied tank frontally at ranges exceeding , well beyond the effective range of Allied tank guns.


title: Tiger II

text: During August 1944, two Tiger Ausf B tanks were captured by the Soviets near Sandomierz, and were soon moved to the testing grounds at Kubinka. During the transfer, the two tanks suffered from various mechanical breakdowns; the cooling system was insufficient for the excessively hot weather, where the engine tended to overheat and cause a consequential failure of the gearbox. The right suspension of one of the tanks had to be completely replaced, and its full functionality could not be re-established. The tank broke down again every 10–15 km. The 8.8 cm KwK 43 gave positive results in penetration and accuracy, which were on par with the 122 mm D-25T. It proved capable of passing completely through its "colleague", a Tiger Ausf B's turret at a range of 400 m. The armour of one vehicle was tested by firing at it with shells between 100 and 152 mm calibre. The welding was, despite careful workmanship, significantly worse than on similar designs. As a result, even when shells did not penetrate the armour, there was often a large amount of spalling from the inside of the plates, which damaged the transmission and rendered the tank inoperable. Further testing showed that the armour plate itself exhibited deficiencies in quality compared to earlier German tanks such as the Tiger I and Panther. Lab testing found that the armour plates lacked molybdenum (ascribed to a loss of supply, being replaced by vanadium), resulting in low malleability.


title: Tiger II

text: The expanded firing test states that the АР projectiles from the 100 mm BS-3 and 122 mm A-19 gun penetrated a Tiger Ausf B's turret at ranges of 1000–1500 metres, which suggests a quality factor of 0.86 for the Tiger Ausf B's turret. The firing test against the Tiger B turret front, however, was conducted after removal of the gun and mantlet, and resulted in penetrations close to armour openings, such as vision slits and gun location. The penetrations to the right gun opening were influenced by previous 100 mm projectile penetration hits or armour damage. The 100 mm BS-3 and 122 mm A-19 could also penetrate the weld joints of the front hull at ranges of 500–600 metres after 3–4 shots.


title: Tiger II

text: The only working example is displayed at the "Musée des Blindés", Saumur, France. It has the production turret and is accessible to the public. This tank belonged to the 1st Company, 101st SS Heavy Panzer Battalion. It was believed to have been abandoned by its crew on 23 August 1944, due to engine problems, at Brueil-en-Vexin, near Mantes-la-Jolie. It was salvaged by the French Army in September 1944 and then stored in a factory in Satory before being transferred to the museum in 1975. It was believed to have had turret number 123, but Colonel Michel Aubry, the founder of the museum, decided to put 233 on the turret in honour of the Tiger II that destroyed his Sherman tank at the end of the war. Unlike other captured German vehicles, this Tiger II was never used by the French Army.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( "Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd", ; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until his assassination in 1975. Prior to his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964. He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975. Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, and the second of Abdulaziz's six sons who were kings.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal was the son of Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh. His father was still reigning as Emir of Nejd at the time of Faisal's birth, and his mother was from the Al ash-Sheikh family which has produced many prominent Saudi religious leaders. Faisal emerged as an influential royal politician during his father's reign. He served as viceroy of Hejaz from 1926 to 1932. He was the Saudi foreign minister from 1930 and prime minister from 1954 until his death, except for a two-year break in both positions from 1960 to 1962. After his father died in 1953 and his half-brother Saud became king, Faisal became crown prince, and in that position he outlawed slavery in Saudi Arabia. He persuaded King Saud to abdicate in his favour in 1964 with the help of other members of the royal family and his maternal cousin Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal implemented a policy of modernization and reform. His main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamism, anti-communism, and pro-Palestinianism. He attempted to limit the power of Islamic religious officials. Protesting against support that Israel received from the West, he led the oil embargo which caused the 1973 oil crisis. Faisal successfully stabilized the kingdom's bureaucracy, and his reign had significant popularity among Saudi Arabians despite his reforms facing some controversy. Following his assassination by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid in 1975, he was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal is regarded by far as being one of the most influential and important rulers in the modern history of the Arab world.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal bin Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh on 14 April 1906. He was the third son of Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman, then Emir of Nejd; Faisal was the first of his father's sons who was born in Riyadh. His mother was Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh, whom Abdulaziz had married in 1902 after capturing Riyadh. Tarfa was a descendant of the religious leader Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. Faisal's maternal grandfather, Abdullah bin Abdullatif Al Sheikh, was one of Abdulaziz's principal religious teachers and advisers. Faisal had an older full sister, Noura, who married her cousin Khalid bin Muhammad, a son of Abdulaziz's half-brother Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Tarfa bint Abdullah died in 1906 when Faisal was six months old. He then began to live with his maternal grandparents, Abdullah bin Abdullatif and Haya bint Abdul Rahman Al Muqbel, who educated their grandson. Under the mentorship of his grandfather, Prince Faisal completed his studies of reading the Qur'an and studying Islamic law and doctrines at the age of nine. He also learned horseback riding and politics from his father. His father influenced him militarily and politically, and at a young age, Faisal was chosen to represent his father in international forums.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: According to Helen Chapin Metz, Faisal, and most of his generation, was raised in an atmosphere in which courage was extremely valued and reinforced. From 1916 he was tutored by Hafiz Wahba who later served in various governmental posts.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: As one of Abdulaziz's eldest sons, Faisal was given numerous responsibilities. In 1919 the British government invited Abdulaziz to visit London. He could not go but he assigned his eldest son, Turki, as his envoy. However, Prince Turki died due to Spanish flu before the visit. Therefore, Faisal was sent to London instead, making him the first ever Saudi Arabian royal to visit England. His visit lasted for five months, and he met with British officials. During the same period, he also visited France, again being the first Saudi Arabian royal to pay an official visit there.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Abdulaziz gave his son Faisal many military duties to consolidate authority over Arabia. After the capture of Hail and initial control over Asir in 1922, Faisal was sent to these provinces with nearly six thousand fighters. He achieved complete control over Asir at the end of the year. Prince Faisal was appointed viceroy of Hejaz on 9 February 1926 following his father's takeover of the region. He often consulted with local leaders during his tenure. In addition, he was the president of the consultative assembly and the minister of interior.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: In December 1931, following the announcement of the constitution of the council of deputies (Majlis al Wukala), Faisal became the president of the four-member council and minister of foreign affairs. He continued to hold his previous titles, viceroy of Hejaz, the president of the consultative assembly and the minister of interior. He would continue to oversee Saudi foreign policy until his death—even as king, with only a two-year break between 1960 and 1962.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal visited several countries in this period, including Iran in May 1932, Poland in 1932 and Russia (as part of the USSR) in 1933. On 8 July 1932 he visited Turkey and met with President Kemal Atatürk.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: On 23 September 1932, he officially announced the establishment of Saudi Arabia on behalf of King Abdulaziz from Mecca by reading out the royal decree issued by the latter that renamed the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal commanded a campaign during the Saudi–Yemeni War in 1934, resulting in a Saudi victory. He and his half-brother Khalid visited the US in October 1943 following the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This is one of the early contacts between Saudi Arabia and the US.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: As King Abdulaziz neared the end of his life, he favored Faisal as a possible successor over his eldest living son, Crown Prince Saud, due to Faisal's extensive knowledge, as well as his years of experience. Since Faisal was a child, Abdulaziz recognized him as the most brilliant of his sons and often tasked him with responsibilities in war and diplomacy. In addition, Faisal was known to embrace a simple Bedouin lifestyle. "I only wish I had three Faisals", Abdulaziz once said when discussing who would succeed him. However, Abdulaziz made the decision to keep Saud as crown prince in the fear that otherwise would lead to decreased stability.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: King Abdulaziz died on 9 November 1953, and Prince Faisal was at his side. Faisal's elder half-brother, Saud, became king. Faisal was then appointed crown prince. On 16 August 1954 he was made prime minister.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: King Saud embarked on a spending program that included the construction of a massive royal residence on the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. He also faced pressure from neighboring Egypt, where Gamal Abdel Nasser had overthrown the monarchy in 1952. Nasser was able to cultivate a group of dissident princes led by Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, who defected to Egypt. Fearing that Saud's financial policies were bringing the state to the brink of collapse, and that his handling of foreign affairs was inept, senior members of the royal family and the ulema (religious leadership) pressured Saud into appointing Faisal to the position of prime minister in 1958, giving Faisal wide executive powers.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: A power struggle ensued between Saud and Faisal, and on 18 December 1960, Faisal resigned as prime minister in protest, arguing that Saud was frustrating his financial reforms. Saud took back his executive powers and, having induced Prince Talal to return from Egypt, appointed him as minister of finance in July 1958. In 1962, however, Faisal rallied enough support within the royal family to install himself as prime minister for a second time. Less than a month before this event Faisal held a secret meeting with US president John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C., on 4 October 1962. The same year, Faisal announced the Ten Point Program, which outlined Saudi Arabia's path to becoming an industrialized nation by implementing economic, financial, political, and legal principles. Among the highlights were:


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal founded the Economic Development Committee in 1958. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Islamic University of Madinah in 1961. In 1962 he helped found the Muslim World League, a worldwide charity to which the Saudi royal family has reportedly since donated more than a billion dollars. In 1963 he established the country's first television station, though actual broadcasts would not begin for another two years.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: During this period, the struggle with King Saud continued in the background, with the royal princes meeting and asking Faisal to take over effective control from Saud. Saud had driven the country into serious debt and embarrassed the royal family by becoming embroiled in a plan to assassinate United Arab Republic president Gamal Abdel Nasser.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal took advantage of Saud's absence from the country for medical reasons in early 1963 to amass greater power for himself as Saudi Arabia's political and economic circumstances worsened. He removed many of Saud's loyalists from their posts and appointed like-minded princes in key military and security positions, such as his half-brother Prince Abdullah, to whom he gave command of the National Guard in 1962. Upon his return, Saud rejected Faisal's new arrangement and requested that all of his powers be restored.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: In response, Faisal called a meeting of all senior members of the royal family, excluding Saud, as well as ulema and tribal elders. Faisal had convened the tribe chiefs in response to Saud's demand that his full powers be restored. As a result, the assembly supported Faisal and proposed that Saud be deposed from the throne and Faisal be proclaimed monarch. Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh, a maternal cousin of Faisal, issued a fatwa (edict) calling on the King to accede to his brother's demands. Faisal, on the other hand, urged that Saud keep the royal title. He was said to have felt bound by his oath to his father that he would recognize Saud as king. All that mattered, he maintained, was that Saud leave power in Faisal's hands and stay out of public life.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: As a last-ditch attempt to reclaim executive powers, Saud ordered the deployment of the Royal Guard at Nasriyah Palace, prompting Faisal to order the National Guard to surround Saud's palace. His loyalists outnumbered and outgunned, Saud relented, and on 4 March 1964, Faisal was appointed regent. A meeting of the elders of the royal family and the ulema was convened later that year, and the grand mufti decreed a second fatwa, calling on Saud to abdicate the throne in favor of his brother. Faisal believed that Saud's continued ill health compelled him to take the throne, thus absolving him of the oath. The royal family supported the fatwa and immediately informed Saud of their decision. Saud, by now shorn of all his powers, agreed, and Faisal was proclaimed king on 2 November 1964. Saud then went into exile, finding refuge in Egypt before eventually settling in Greece.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Slavery did not vanish in Saudi Arabia until Faisal issued a decree for its total abolition in 1962. BBC presenter Peter Hobday stated that about 1,682 slaves were freed at that time, at a cost to the government of $2,000 each. The political analyst Bruce Riedel argued that the US began to raise the issue of slavery after the meeting between King Abdulaziz and US president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945 and that John F. Kennedy finally persuaded the House of Saud to abolish slavery in 1962.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: One of the earliest actions Faisal took as king was to establish a council to deal with future succession issues. The members were two of his uncles, Prince Abdullah and Prince Musaid, and five of his half-brothers, Crown Prince Khalid, Prince Fahd, Prince Abdullah, Prince Sultan and Prince Nawwaf. In 1967 Faisal established the post of second prime minister and appointed Prince Fahd to this post. The reason for this newly established body was Khalid's request and suggestion. Faisal's most senior adviser during his reign was Rashad Pharaon, his father's private physician. Another adviser was Grand Mufti Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al Sheikh, who was influential in shaping the King's political role in the Arab world.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Early in his rule, Faisal issued an edict that all Saudi princes had to school their children inside the country, rather than sending them abroad; this had the effect of making it popular for upper-class families to bring their sons back to study in the Kingdom. He also introduced the country's current system of administrative regions, and laid the foundations for a modern welfare system. In 1970 he established the Ministry of Justice and inaugurated the country's first "five-year plan" for economic development.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: One of Faisal's modernization attempts was the new laws on media, publishing, and archiving and bilateral cultural cooperation protocols with foreign and corporate archives that kept records about mid-twentieth century Arabia. Television broadcasts officially began in 1965. The same year a nephew of Faisal attacked the newly established headquarters of Saudi television but was killed by security personnel. The attacker was the brother of Faisal's future assassin, and the incident is the most widely accepted motive for the murder. Although there was some discontent with the social changes he carried out, the Arab world grew to respect Faisal as a result of his policies modernizing Saudi Arabia, his management of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, his reputation as a staunch opponent of Zionism, and the country's fast-rising financial strength.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: The 1950s and 1960s saw numerous coups d'état in the region. Muammar Gaddafi's coup that overthrew the monarchy in oil-rich Libya in 1969 was especially threatening for Saudi Arabia due to the similarity between the two sparsely-populated desert countries. As a result, Faisal undertook to build a sophisticated security apparatus and cracked down firmly on dissent. As in all affairs, he justified these policies in Islamic terms. Early in his reign, when faced with demands for a written constitution for the country, Faisal responded that "our constitution is the Qur'an". In the summer of 1969 he ordered the arrest of hundreds of military officers, including some generals, alleging that a military coup d'état was being planned. The coup was planned primarily by air force officers and aimed at overthrowing the monarchy and founding a Nasserist regime in the country. The arrests were possibly based on a tip from American intelligence.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal seemed to hold the pluralist view, favouring limited, cautious accommodation of popular demands for inclusive reform, and made repeated attempts to broaden political representation, harking back to his temporarily successful national integration policy from 1965 to 1975. The King acknowledged his country's religious and cultural diversity, which includes the predominantly Shia Al Ahsa in the east; the Asir in the southwest, with tribal affinities to Yemen, especially among the Ismaili tribes of Najran and Jizan; and the Kingdom of the Hejaz, with its capital Mecca. He included non-Wahhabi, cosmopolitan Sunni Hejazis from Mecca and Jeddah in the Saudi government. It was said that he would not take any decision regarding Mecca without seeking the advice of Sunni (Sufi) scholar al-Sayyid 'Alawi ibn 'Abbas al-Maliki al-Hasani, the father of Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-Maliki. Similarly in 1962, in promoting a broader, non-sectarian form of pan-Islamism, Faisal launched the Muslim World League where the Tijani Sufi scholar Ibrahim Niass was invited. Furthermore, he countered the outlook of certain prior Saudi rulers in declaring to the Saudi state clergy that, "All Muslims, from Egypt, India etc. are your brothers". However Mai Yamani argued that after his reign, discrimination based on sect, tribe, region, and gender became the order of the day and has remained as such until today.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: The role and authority of the state clergy declined after Faisal became king in 1964, even though they had helped bring him to the throne. Despite his piety and biological relationship through his mother to the Al as Shaykh family, and his support for the pan-Islamic movement in his struggle against pan-Arabism, he decreased the ulema's power and influence. Unlike his successor Khalid, Faisal attempted to prevent radical clerics from controlling religious institutions such as the Council of Senior Ulema, the highest religious institution in Saudi Arabia, or taking religious offices such as Grand Mufti, responsible for preserving Islamic law. But his advisers warned that, once religious zealots had been motivated, disastrous effects would result.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Due to his status as a pious Muslim, Faisal was able to implement careful social reforms such as female education. Despite this, religious conservatives staged large protests. By holding talks with the conservatives, he was able to persuade them of the importance of progress in the coming years by using their own logic.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Corruption in the royal family was taken very seriously by religious figures in the Islamic theological colleges. They challenged some of the accepted theological interpretations adopted by the Saudi regime. One such influential figure was Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Baz, then rector of the Al Medina college of theology (later he would serve as the country's grand mufti). Faisal would not tolerate his criticism and had him removed from his position. However, the teachings of Bin Baz had already radicalized some of his students, one of which was Juhayman al-Otaybi.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: The Saudi Binladin Group was tasked with expanding Masjid al-Haram, which would be the first substantial enlargement in a thousand years. This massive project began in 1955, during the reign of King Saud, and continued for twenty years during the reigns of King Faisal and King Khalid. In 1967, a conference in Mecca brought together a significant number of Muslim architects to discuss possible design alternatives. Faisal objected to the conference's recommendation to demolish a significant portion of the Ottoman structure, arguing that the Ottoman structure should be preserved and new architectural designs created using the best methods of convergence. A new phase of construction began in 1969 with the addition of two new wings and repairs to the sanctuary's existing structure. During this phase, the surrounding roadways were developed and the squares were installed. At the time, the project cost approximately 800 million Saudi riyals. In 1962, he also ordered the reopening of the Kaaba Cloth Factory in Mecca due to political tensions between Egypt (then called the United Arab Republic) and Saudi Arabia.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: The Muslim World League planned to renovate Maqam Ibrahim in 1965, with the maqam housed inside a crystal pillar with a silver lid. Faisal agreed and issued an order putting the plan in motion. Buildings were demolished to make the circumambulation rituals easier. By 1967, the area around Maqam Ibrahim had grown, and crowds were able to perform the circumambulation rituals in comfort and ease.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: In the case of the Prophet's Mosque, Faisal gave an order to construct prayer areas to the west of the mosque following the completion of the first Saudi expansion, which opened in 1955 and due to an increase in the number of pilgrims. It was built in 1973 and stood until the second Saudi expansion, when it was decommissioned. The Saudi Binladin Group was also sent to East Jerusalem in 1964 to perform restoration work on the Dome of the Rock.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: As king, Faisal employed Islam as one of Saudi Arabia's foreign policy tools which differentiated him from King Abdulaziz and King Saud. However, he continued the close alliance with the United States begun by King Abdulaziz, and relied on the US heavily for arming and training his armed forces. Faisal was anti-communist. He refused any political ties with the Soviet Union and other Communist bloc countries, professing to see a complete incompatibility between communism and Islam. His first official visit as king to the US was in June 1966.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal is said to have reminded the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, in a correspondence that he was not "the Shah of France" and that he should keep in mind that Iran was a majority Muslim country. This was in response to a provocative letter from Mohammad Reza asking Faisal to modernise Saudi Arabia, urging him to allow women to wear miniskirts and permitting the disco among other things. Otherwise, the Shah felt, he could not guarantee that the King would stay on the throne.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: After he became foreign minister, Prince Faisal was recognized for his support for the Palestinian cause. His involvement with the Palestinian cause began in 1938, when he represented his father in the London Conference on the Palestine issue, where he delivered an important address opposing the partition plan. He wrote a message to the Saudi people in 1948 in which he discussed the Palestinian struggle and the suffering of the Palestinian people.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: The Saudi delegation was led by Faisal and his brother Khalid at the St. James Palace Conference, which Britain called for, inviting representatives of the Arabs of Palestine, neighboring Arab states, and the Jewish Agency to consult with the British government in London on the partition of Palestine. The conference began on 7 February 1939 and ended on 17 March 1939, at St. James's Palace in London. In light of the Woodhead Commission's report, both the Arabs and the British government rejected the partition plan as impractical. The British government issued a policy statement rejecting partition as impracticable due to "political, administrative, and financial difficulties." The conference was also unable to resolve the issue of Jewish immigration to Palestine, which had become more common following Nazi Germany's annexation of all of Czechoslovakia.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Faisal was a global advocate for Palestinian rights, as evidenced by one of his speeches to the United Nations in 1963, in which he claimed that the Palestinian crisis is the only thing that has ruined Arab peace since the UN resolution to partition Palestine. One of his policies on this issue was to refuse to recognize Israel, to unite Arab efforts while leaving differences aside, to donate money and fight, to establish a body representing Palestinians, and to involve Muslims in the defense of the cause.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: Between 23 and 25 September 1969, Faisal convened a conference in Rabat, Morocco, to discuss the arson attack on the Al Aqsa Mosque that had occurred a month earlier. The leaders of 25 Muslim states attended and the conference called for Israel to give up territory conquered in 1967. The conference also set up the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and pledged its support for the Palestinians.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: The North Yemen Civil War raged between loyalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and those of the Yemen Arab Republic from 1962 to 1970. The Yemeni republic was created after revolutionary republicans headed by the army under Abdullah al-Sallal staged a coup against Imam Muhammad al-Badr. As a result, the Imam fled to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, where he rallied backing from northern Shia tribes to reclaim control, sparking a full-fledged civil war. Saudi Arabia backed al-Badr and his royalist followers, while Egypt under the United Arab Republic backed the Yemeni republicans. As a result, Saudi and Egyptian relations were strained.


title: Faisal of Saudi Arabia

text: In September 1964, Nasser and Faisal met in Alexandria, Egypt, at the Arab summit. At the time, Egypt had 40,000 troops in Yemen, with 10,000 civilians killed. The two leaders committed in their formal declaration to completely cooperate in resolving current disagreements between Yemen's diverse factions, collaborate in preventing armed clashes in Yemen, and to reach a peaceful conclusion. The declaration was widely praised in the Arab world, and Washington praised it as a "statesmanlike action" and a "major step toward eventual peaceful resolution of the long civil war." At Alexandria's airport, Nasser and Faisal exchanged heartfelt embraces and referred to each other as "brother." Faisal said he was leaving Egypt "with my heart brimming with love for President Nasser."