title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In 1900, "Ben-Hur" became the best-selling American novel of the 19th century, surpassing Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". By that time it had been printed in 36 English-language editions and translated into 20 other languages, including Indonesian and Braille. Literary historian James D. Hart explained that by the turn of the century, "If every American did not read the novel, almost everyone was aware of it." Between 1880 and 1912, an estimated one million copies of the book were sold, and in 1913, Sears Roebuck ordered another one million copies, at that time the largest single-year print edition in American history, and sold them for 39 cents apiece.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Within 20 years of its publication, "Ben-Hur" was "second only to the Bible as the best-selling book in America", and remained in second position until Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" (1936) surpassed it. A 1946 edition of "Ben-Hur" published by Grosset and Dunlap boasted that 26 million copies of the novel were in print. With the release of the 1959 film adaptation of the book, "Ben-Hur" returned to the top of the bestseller lists in the 1960s. At the time of the book's 100th anniversary in 1980, "Ben-Hur" had never been out of print and had been adapted for the stage and several motion pictures.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: "Ben-Hur" was popular in its own day despite slow initial sales and mixed reviews from contemporary literary critics, who "found its romanticism passé and its action pulpy". "Century" magazine called it an "anachronism" and "The Atlantic" panned its descriptions as "too lavish". For its readers, however, the book "resonated with some of the most significant issues in late Victorian culture: gender and family; slavery and freedom; ethnicity and empire; and nationhood and citizenship". With the chariot race as its central attraction and the character of Judah emerging as a "heroic action figure", "Ben-Hur" enjoyed a wide popularity among readers, similar to the dime novels of its day; however, its continued appearance on popular lists of great American literature remained a source of frustration for many literary critics over the years.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: The novel had millions of fans, including several influential men in politics. U.S. president and American Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. president James Garfield, and Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, were enthusiastic fans. Garfield was so impressed that he appointed Wallace as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire, based in Constantinople, Turkey. Wallace served in this diplomatic post from 1881 to 1885.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: "Ben-Hur" was published at a time when the United States was moving away from war and reconstruction. One scholar argues that "Ben-Hur" became so popular that it "helped to reunite the nation in the years following Reconstruction". It has been suggested that the Southerners' positive reception of a book written by Wallace, a former Union general, was his message of compassion overcoming vengeance and his sympathetic description of slaveholders. Poet, editor and Confederate veteran Paul Hamilton Hayne described "Ben-Hur" as "simple, straightforward, but eloquent".


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Critics point to problems such as flat characters and dialogue, unlikely coincidences driving the plot, and tedious and lengthy descriptions of settings, but others note its well-structured plot and exciting story, with its unusual mix of romanticism, spiritual piety, action, and adventure. A "New York Times" review in 1905 referred to "Ben-Hur" as Wallace's masterwork, further noting it "appealed to the unsophisticated and unliterary. People who read much else of worth rarely read "Ben-Hur"".


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Popular novels of Christ's life, such as Reverend J. H. Ingraham's "The Prince of the House of David" (1855), preceded Wallace's novel, while others such as Charles M. Shedon's ""In His Steps": What Would Jesus Do?" (1897) followed it, but "Ben-Hur" was among the first to make Jesus a major character in a novel. Members of the clergy and others praised Wallace's detailed description of the Middle East during Jesus's lifetime and encouraged their congregations to read the book at home and during Sunday School. One Roman Catholic priest wrote to Wallace: "The messiah appears before us as I always wished him depicted".


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Readers also credited Wallace's novel with making Jesus's story more believable by providing vivid descriptions of the Holy Land and inserting his own character of Judah into scenes from the gospels. One former alcoholic, George Parrish from Kewanee, Illinois, wrote the author a letter crediting "Ben-Hur" with causing him to reject alcohol and find religion. Parrish remarked: "It seemed to bring Christ home to me as nothing else could". Others who were inspired by the novel dedicated themselves to Christian service and became missionaries, some of them helping to translate "Ben-Hur" into other languages. This kind of religious support helped "Ben-Hur" become one of the best-selling novels of its time. It not only reduced lingering American resistance to the novel as a literary form, but also later adaptations were instrumental in introducing some Christian audiences to theater and film.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: After the novel's publication in 1880, Wallace was deluged with requests to dramatize it as a stage play, but he resisted, arguing that no one could accurately portray Christ on stage or recreate a realistic chariot race. Dramatist William Young suggested a solution to represent Jesus with a beam of light, which impressed Wallace. In 1899, Wallace entered into an agreement with theatrical producers Marc Klaw and Abraham Erlanger to turn his novel into a stage adaptation. The resulting play opened at the Broadway Theater in New York City on November 29, 1899. Critics gave it mixed reviews, but the audience packed each performance, many of them first-time theater-goers. It became a hit, selling 25,000 tickets per week. From 1899 until its last performance in 1921, the show played in large venues in U.S. cities such as Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore, and traveled internationally to London and Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. The stage adaptation was seen by an estimated 20 million people, and William Jennings Bryan claimed it was "the greatest play on stage when measured by its religious tone and more effect." Its popularity introduced the theater to a new audience, "many of them devout churchgoers who'd previously been suspicious of the stage."


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: The key spectacle of the show recreated the chariot race with live horses and real chariots running on treadmills with a rotating backdrop. Its elaborate set and staging came at a time "when theatre was yearning to be cinema."


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: When the play was produced in London in 1902, "The Era"'s drama critic described how the chariot race was achieved with "four great cradles" long and wide, that moved "back and front on railways", while horses secured with invisible steel cable traces galloped on treadmills towards the audience. The horses also drove the movement of a vast cyclorama backdrop, which revolved in the opposite direction to create an illusion of rapid speed. Electric rubber rollers spun the chariot wheels, while fans created clouds of dust. The production had imported 30 tons of stage equipment from the United States, employed a cast of more than 100, and featured sets with fountains, palm trees, and the sinking of a Roman galley. A critic for "The Illustrated London News" described the London production in 1902 as "a marvel of stage-illusion" that was "memorable beyond all else", while "The Sketch" critic called it "thrilling and realistic ... enough to make the fortune of any play" and noted that "the stage, which has to bear 30 tons' weight of chariots and horses, besides huge crowds, has had to be expressly strengthened and shored up."


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In 2009, "Ben Hur Live" was staged at the O2 arena on the Greenwich peninsula in London. It featured a live chariot race, gladiatorial combat, and a sea battle. The production used 46 horses, 500 tons of special sand, and 400 cast and crew. All of the show's dialogue was in Latin and Aramaic of the period, with voiceover narration. However, despite its massive staging, a critic for "The Guardian" remarked that it lacked the theatrical spectacle to inspire the imagination of its audience. In contrast, London's Battersea Arts Centre staged a lower-key version of "Ben-Hur" in 2002 that featured a limited cast of 10 and the chariot race.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: The development of the cinema following the novel's publication brought film adaptations in 1907, 1925, 1959, 2003, and 2016, as well as a North American TV miniseries in 2010.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In 1907, Sidney Olcott and Frank Oakes Ross directed a short film for the Kalem Company that was based on the book, but it did not have the Wallace heirs' or the book publisher's permissions. The author's son Henry Wallace, stage producers Klaw and Erlanger, and the book's publisher Harper and Brothers sued the film's producers for violating U.S. copyright laws. The landmark case "Kalem Co. v. Harper Bros." went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1911, and set a legal precedent for motion picture rights in adaptations of literary and theatrical works. The court's ruling required the film company to pay $25,000 in damages plus expenses.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Wallace's son continued to receive offers to sell the film rights to the book after his father's death. Henry refused all offers until 1915, when he changed his mind and entered into an agreement with Erlanger for $600,000 ($ in dollars). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer later obtained the film rights. The 1925 film adaptation of "Ben-Hur" under director Fred Niblo starred Ramon Novarro as Ben-Hur and Francis X. Bushman as Messala. Filming began in Italy and was completed in the United States. It cost MGM $3.9 million ($ in dollars), "making it the most expensive silent film in history." The film premiered on December 20, 1925, at the George M. Cohan Theater in New York City. It received positive reviews and became a top-grossing silent film of the era.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In 1955, MGM began planning for a new version of the film with William Wyler as its director, who had worked as an assistant director of the chariot race in the 1925 film. The 1959 film adaptation of "Ben-Hur" starred Charlton Heston as Judah, with Stephen Boyd as Messala. It was shot on location in Rome. Filming wrapped up on January 7, 1959, at a cost of an estimated $12.5 to $15 million; it became the most expensive motion picture made up to that time. It was also among the most successful films ever made. The film premiered at Loews State Theater in New York City on November 18, 1959. It earned more than $40 million at the box office and an estimated $20 million more in merchandising revenues.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Wallace's novel was eclipsed by the popularity of Wyler's 1959 film adaptation, a "blockbuster hit for MGM", that won a record 11 Academy awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and became the top-grossing film of 1960. Heston won the Oscar for Best Actor, and called it his "best film work"; Wyler won the Academy Award for Best Director. In 1998, the American Film Institute named Wyler's film one of the 100 best American films of all time. The screenplay is credited solely to Karl Tunberg. Christopher Fry and Gore Vidal also made significant contributions during production. Vidal stated that he had added a homoerotic subtext, a claim disputed by Heston.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: A BBC Radio 4 dramatization of the book in four parts was first broadcast in the United Kingdom in March–April, 1995, starring Jamie Glover as Ben-Hur, with a cast that included Samuel West and Michael Gambon.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: "Ben-Hur"s success encouraged the publication of other historical romance stories of the ancient world, including G. J. Whyte-Melville's "The Gladiators: A Tale of Rome and Judea" (1870), Marie Corelli's "Barabbas" (1901), and Florence Morse Kingsley's "Titus, A Comrade of the Cross" (1897).


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In 1884 William Dennes Mahan published "The Archko Volume", including Eli's "Story of the Magi" as a translation of ancient manuscripts.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: Other novels adapted Wallace's story: Herman M. Bien's "Ben-Beor" (1891), J. O. A. Clark's "Esther: A Sequel to Ben-Hur" (1892), Miles Gerald Keon's "Dion and Sibyls" (1898), and J. Breckenridge Ellis's "Adnah" (1902). "Esther" and other unauthorized uses of Wallace's characters led to court cases initiated by Wallace and his son Henry, to protect authors' copyrights.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: At least eight translations of the book into Hebrew were made between 1959 and 1990. Some of these versions have involved wholesale restructuring of the narrative, including changes to character, dropping of Christian themes, and plot.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In 2016, Wallace's great-great-granddaughter, Carol Wallace, published a version of "Ben-Hur" which was released to coincide with the new film version, using prose for 21st-century readers.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: "Ben-Hur"s success also led to its popularity as a promotional tool and a prototype for popular culture merchandising. It was not the only novel to have related popular culture products, but Wallace and his publisher were the first to legally protect and successfully promote the use of their literary work for commercial purposes. In the decades following its publication, "Ben-Hur" and its famous chariot race became well-established in popular culture as a "respected, alluring, and memorable" brand name and a recognizable icon that had mass market appeal.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: The novel was linked to commercial products that included Ben-Hur flour, produced by the Royal Milling Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a line of Ben-Hur toiletries, including Ben-Hur perfume from the Andrew Jergens Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Other consumer goods included Ben-Hur bicycles, cigars, automobiles, clocks, and hair products. The Ben-Hur name and images also appeared in magazine advertisements for Honeywell, Ford, and Green Giant products. After MGM released the 1959 film adaptation of the novel, the studio licensed hundreds of companies to create related products, including "Ben-Hur"-related clothing, household goods, jewelry, food products, crafts, and action figures.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: In Alfred Bester's short story "Disappearing Act" (1953), one of the characters, an apparent time traveler, has Ben-Hur among her lovers, which serves as one of the hints the "time travel" is actually a form of reality manipulation.


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: A character named Ben Gor, a former Galilean slave and chariot racer who is obviously based on Juda Ben Hur, appears in the final volume of Henry Winterfeld's "Caius" children's book trilogy, "Caius in der Klemme".


title: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

text: More than one tribute to Wallace's most famous book and its fictional hero have been erected near Wallace's home in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum honors the character of Judah Ben-Hur with a limestone frieze of his imagined face installed over the entrance to the study. Wallace's grave marker at the cemetery in Crawfordsville includes a line from the Balthasar character in "Ben-Hur": "I would not give one hour of life as a soul for a thousand years of life as a man."


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The H class was a series of battleship designs for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine", which were intended to fulfill the requirements of Plan Z in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The first variation, "H-39," called for six ships to be built, essentially as enlarged s with guns and diesel propulsion. The "H-41" design improved the "H-39" ship with still larger main guns, eight weapons, and reinforced deck armor. The Construction Office of the "Oberkommando der Marine" ("OKM") concluded their work with the "H-41" design, and were not involved in subsequent plans. Two of them, "H-42" and "H-43", increased the main battery yet again, with pieces, and the enormous "H-44" design ultimately resulted with guns. The ships ranged in size from the "H-39", which was long on a displacement of , to the "H-44", at on a displacement of . Most of the designs had a proposed top speed in excess of .


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Due to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, none of the ships were ever completed; only the first two of the "H-39" ships were laid down. What work that had been accomplished was halted; the assembled steel remained on the slipway until November 1941, when the "OKM" ordered it be sent for scrap and used for other purposes. Contracts for the other four "H-39" type ships had been awarded, but no work was begun on any of them before they were canceled. None of the subsequent designs progressed further than planning stages.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The earliest design studies for ""Schlachtschiff" H" ("Battleship H") date to 1935, and were near repeats of the early designs for the ships, armed with guns. Intelligence indicating that the Soviet Navy was planning the with guns prompted the Germans to increase the caliber of the ship's armament to 38 cm as well on 5 October 1936. The "Oberkommando der Marine" (OKM) issued staff requirements at the end of October for a ship of armed with eight 38 cm guns with a speed of . The ship's radius of action was to be at least equal that of the s.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Design work on the ship that came to be designated H-39 began in 1937. The design staff was instructed to improve upon the design for the preceding "Bismarck" class; one of the requirements was a larger-caliber main battery to match any battleship built by a potential adversary. After Japan refused to ratify the Second London Naval Treaty in April 1936, an escalator clause went into effect that permitted signatories to arm battleships with guns of up to caliber, something the United States Navy announced it would do with its planned s. By virtue of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, signed in 1935, Germany was considered to be a party to the other international naval arms limitation treaties.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Admiral Werner Fuchs, responsible for the staff section in the OKM that determined the operating requirements for the ship, discussed the vessel's design with Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany. Hitler demanded guns larger than any possible adversary, but guns of the caliber demanded by Hitler would have required displacements of over and drafts so deep as to prevent the use of Germany's ports without significant dredging. Fuchs eventually convinced Hitler that the 40.6 cm gun was the optimal choice for the H-39 design. In 1938, the OKM developed Plan Z, the projected construction program for the German navy. A force of six H-39 class battleships was the centerpiece of the fleet. Plan Z was finalized by January 1939, when Admiral Erich Raeder, the commander of the Kriegsmarine, presented it to Hitler. He approved the plan on 18 January and granted the "Kriegsmarine" unlimited power to bring the construction program to fruition.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Only four shipyards in Germany had slipways large enough to build the six new battleships. The OKM issued orders for construction of the first two ships, "H" and "J", on 14 April 1939. The contracts for the other four ships, "K", "L", "M", and "N", followed on 25 May. The keels for the first two ships were laid at the Blohm & Voss dockyard in Hamburg and the Deschimag shipyard in Bremen on 15 July and 1 September 1939, respectively. The outbreak of war in September 1939 interrupted the construction of the ships. Work on the first two was suspended and the other four were not laid down, as it was believed they would not be finished before the war was over. The keel for "H" had of steel installed, of steel had been machined, out of of steel supplied to Blohm & Voss by that point. Only of steel had been worked into the keel for "J", out of of steel delivered. Steel for the other four ships had been ordered and partially machined for installation, though no assembly work had begun. It was expected to resume work on the ships after a German victory in the war.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The ships neither received names nor were official name proposals published. The names, which appear in several publications ("Hindenburg", "Friedrich der Große", "Großdeutschland") are pure speculation. Especially the often mentioned "Großdeutschland" (= "Greater Germany") is highly unlikely, as Hitler always feared the loss of a vessel with the name of Germany (this showed with the renaming of to "Lützow"). The only hint on the names of the units were given by Hitler himself, who mentioned during documented unofficial talks, that he would propose the names "Ulrich von Hutten" and "Götz von Berlichingen" for the ships, as these names are not connected with persons of the Third Reich or the country itself, so the loss would not have a significant negative psychological and propaganda effect on the German people.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: As finalized, the H-39 design called for a ship long at the waterline and long overall. The beam was to have been with a designed draft of at displacement. At standard displacement, which was , the draft was slightly under the design value, at . With the ship fully loaded, at , draft rose significantly, to . The hull was constructed from transverse and longitudinal steel frames and featured over 90 percent welding. The hull contained twenty-one large watertight compartments and a double bottom that extended for 89 percent of the length of the keel. Four bilge keels were fitted to improve stability. The ships had an estimated complement of 2,600 officers and enlisted men.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The ships were to be powered by twelve MAN 9-cylinder double acting 2-stroke diesel engines. The engines were arranged in groups of four, on three shafts, and drove three-bladed screws in diameter. Four auxiliary boilers were installed to provide backup power; two were oil-fired and were located between the central transmission rooms. The other two, a pair of exhaust gas boilers, were placed above them. The power-plant was rated at and 256 rpm; it provided a top speed of as designed. The vessels could have carried up to of diesel oil, which enabled a range of at , or at a cruising speed of . The design had one main rudder along the keel behind the center shaft and two smaller wing rudders. Electrical power was to be provided by eight 920 kW DC diesel generators at 230 volts and four 460 kW AC diesel generators at 110 volts for a total of 9,200 kW.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The main armament was to consist of eight 40.6 cm SK C/34 guns in four twin gun turrets. The 40.6 cm (16 in) gun was 52 calibers long and fired at a muzzle velocity of 810 meters per second (2,657 ft/s). The guns were supplied with a total of 960 rounds of ammunition or 120 shells per gun; each shell weighed . The guns used a sliding breech block, as was typical for German naval guns of the period; the breech was fully sealed with a brass cartridge that contained the main propellant charge. A bagged fore charge weighing supplemented the main charge. The turrets allowed for elevation to 30 degrees, which provided a maximum range of approximately . Rate of fire was expected to be two rounds per minute per gun. Fire control radar was unspecified, but the ships, which were to have been completed by 1944, presumably would have been equipped with an arrangement similar to that of as she was outfitted in 1943–44. Several of the 40.6 cm guns were constructed before work on the ships was halted; these were later employed as coastal guns, including at Battery Lindemann near Sangatte in France.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Twelve L/55 C28 guns mounted in six twin turrets comprised the ships' secondary battery. These were the same secondaries employed on the and "Bismarck" classes. The turrets allowed 40 degrees of elevation and had a maximum range of . They fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of 875 m/s (2,871 ft/s), and were primarily intended for defense against surface threats. The ships were also to be armed with six torpedo tubes, all submerged. They were all mounted in the bow, diverging from the centerline by 10 degrees.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Sixteen dual-mounted L/65 C33 Flak guns provided long-range defense against aircraft. Unlike those mounted on the "Scharnhorst" and "Bismarck" classes, these guns were armored to protect their crews from shrapnel, debris, and strafing attacks. The new turrets also provided faster rates of training and elevation as compared to the earlier open mounts. Close-range air defense was provided by a battery of sixteen L/83 C33 and twenty-four C38 guns. The 3.7 cm guns were placed in eight twin mounts while the 2 cm guns were arrayed in six "Flakvierling" quadruple mountings. The 3.7 cm guns were closely grouped amidships and had a single, common ammunition hoist. Historians William Dulin and Robert Garzke note that the anti-aircraft battery as designed was too weak to effectively defend against the high-performance aircraft that came into service in the late 1930s and 1940s, and speculate that "it would have been augmented before the ships were completed."


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The design team envisioned the H-class ships fighting at relatively close range, and therefore selected the armor system that had been used by German battleship constructors since the of 1907. The side belt was vertical and was attached directly to the side of the hull, in contrast with the inclined armor belt placed inboard of the side wall used by American and French designers. The side belt, which consisted of Krupp cemented steel armor (KCA), was thick in the central section that covered the ammunition magazines and machinery spaces. The belt was reduced to on either end of the main section; the stern and bow were unprotected by the main belt. The upper side belt was thick. The German navy did not preserve official estimates for the immunity zone, though Garzke and Dulin created an estimate based on the performance of the US /45 caliber gun firing a shell. The ships' main armor would have rendered them proof against the 16 in shell at ranges between . The 16 in shell could penetrate the upper side belt at any range, however, which left the ships exposed above the waterline.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The underwater protection system was broadly similar to the system employed on the "Bismarck" class. A thick torpedo bulkhead composed of "Wotan Weich" steel backed the side armor and provided defense against underwater weapons. The bulkhead was placed from the side of the hull, though abreast of the turrets and further in the bow and stern, this distance could not be maintained. The distance between the bulkhead and the side of the ship was reduced to in these areas; the designers compensated for the reduced space by increasing the thickness of the bulkhead to in these areas.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Two armored decks composed of "Wotan Hart" steel protected the ships from plunging fire and aerial weapons. The upper deck was thick above the magazines and over the machinery spaces. The main armored deck was and thick, respectively, though on the outboard sloped sections, thickness was increased to augment the protection over the ships' vitals. Over the magazines, the sloped armor was thick; over the machinery spaces it was 120 mm thick. Concerned with the fate of the battlecruiser at the Battle of Jutland, the designers opted to provide relatively heavy bow armor for the H-class ships. A thick splinter belt protected the bow from shell fragments. It was reasoned that direct shell hits would cause localized damage that could be better isolated than damage from splinters, which could cause extensive flooding.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The main battery gun turrets were armored with thick faces, thick sides, and roofs. The rear side of the turret was thick; in addition to the protection offered by the greater thickness, it also moved the center of gravity of the mounting to the rear, which helped balance the turret and improve its operation. The barbettes upon which the turrets sat were armored with face-hardened steel above the upper armor deck and non-cemented steel below the deck. The 15 cm gun turrets had thick faces, thick sides, and thick roofs. Their barbettes had thick armor protection. The 10.5 cm mounts were protected by thick gun shields. The forward conning tower had thick sides composed of KCA and thick roof composed of non-cemented steel. The rear conning tower had 100 mm thick sides and roof, KCA and non-cemented steel, respectively.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: In early July 1940, Hitler ordered the navy to examine new battleship designs and how wartime experience might be incorporated. A study was completed on 15 July, and contained several recommendations for the H-class ships, including increasing the freeboard and strengthening the horizontal protection. In order to maintain displacement and speed and accommodate the increased weight of the additional armor protection, the design staff drew up an informal design, known as "Scheme A." The design removed one of the main battery turrets to save weight; the propulsion system was also increased in power to keep the same speed as the original design. The original diesel-only system was replaced by a hybrid diesel and steam turbine arrangement. The staff also prepared a second design, "Scheme B", which retained the fourth turret and accepted a much higher displacement. This design also incorporated the mixed propulsion system. These studies were abandoned in 1941 after Hitler decided to halt further battleship construction until after the end of the war. The design staff therefore attempted to improve the armor protection for the H-class. The 1940 designs did not form part of the design chain that resulted in the H-41 through H-44 designs.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Bomb damage sustained by in July 1941 provided the impetus for the effort to increase the horizontal protection for the H-class. The designers were confronted with a significant problem: any increase in armor could correspondingly increase the displacement and more importantly, the draft. It was necessary to maintain the full-load draft of 11.5 m of the H-39 design for operations in the relatively shallow North Sea. The only option that allowed the displacement to be maintained while armor thicknesses to be increased was to reduce the ships' fuel supplies. A 25 percent cut in range was required, which was deemed unacceptable by the OKM. It was eventually determined that since deep-water anchorages on the Atlantic coast were available, it would be permissible to allow the draft to increase. The initial redesign called for an increase of only , 40 percent of which was additional deck armor, the remainder being used for a larger-caliber main battery.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: One of the most significant changes was the decision to bore out the over-sized 40.6 cm guns to 42 cm caliber for the H-41 design. The design staff determined that modifications to the ammunition hoists and loading equipment would be easily effected and that the original turrets could be retained. The OKM was aware that the British had settled on a 40.6 cm gun for the proposed ; the 42 cm gun would grant the H-41 design a significant advantage over these new adversaries. The ships' armament was otherwise unchanged, apart from an increased number of 2 cm anti-aircraft guns, of which there were now to be 34.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The ships' main armor decks were substantially strengthened: the deck was increased in thickness from to and the sloped armor at the edges was thickened from to . Wartime experience with the "Scharnhorst" class indicated that the torpedo-defense system was insufficiently strong to protect the H-39 design from underwater damage. Beam was therefore increased, with greater width added at the ends of the armored citadel to allow a greater distance between the side wall and the torpedo bulkhead. The stern section of the torpedo bulkhead was also strengthened structurally to allow it to better contain the force of an underwater explosion. The number of large watertight compartments was increased from twenty-one to twenty-two. A triple bottom was also included in the design, the first time this feature was used in a German warship design. The loss of "Bismarck" in May 1941 also influenced the design; two large skegs were added to the outboard shafts to protect them and increase support for the stern while in drydock. The rudder system was also designed with an explosive charge to detach the rudders in the event they became jammed.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The new design measured long at the waterline and long overall, had a beam of , and a draft of up to at full load displacement of about . The increase in weight, while engine power remained constant, reduced speed to . However, German naval constructors were not satisfied with the torpedo side-protection system, and a series of design changes were approved by Admiral Raeder on 15 November 1941; these included increasing the side-protection system depth from to , increasing beam to , and greater hull depth and freeboard at full load. These changes resulted in full load displacement increasing to and maximum speed further decreasing to .


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: As detailed design continued into 1942, the OKM planned to begin construction six to nine months after demobilization, initially at Blohm & Voss and the Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel. Deschimag, which had been awarded the contract for "J", could no longer be used due to the increase in draft, which precluded travel through the shallow Weser. Following the completion of a new, larger dock at the "Kriegsmarinewerft" in Wilhelmshaven, work would also be done there. The increased size of the ships would have lengthened the building time from four to five years.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: On 8 February 1942, Albert Speer became the "Reichsminister" for Armaments and Munitions and gained influence over the Navy's construction programs. Speer reassigned some members of the H class design staff to work on new U-boats and other tasks deemed critical to the war effort. The "Schiffsneubaukommission" (New Ships Construction Commission), intended to liaise with Speer and the OKM, was created and placed under the direction of Admiral Karl Topp. This group was responsible for the design work that resulted in the H-42 type, as well as the subsequent designs. The Construction Office of the OKM formally concluded their work on new battleships with the H-41 type in August 1942 and played no further role in battleship development.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: After the completion of the H-41 design, Hitler issued a request for a larger battleship and placed no restrictions on gun caliber or displacement. The only requirements were a speed of , horizontal and underwater protection sufficiently strong enough to protect the vessel from all attacks, and a main battery properly balanced with the size of the ship. The results were purely study projects intended to determine the size of a ship with strong enough armor to counter the rapidly increasing power of bombs deployed by the Allies during the war. The Commission did not discuss its activities with Raeder or his successor, Admiral Karl Dönitz, or with other branches in the OKM. As the designs for the H-42, H-43, and H-44 battleships were purely conjectural, no actual work was begun. The German navy did not seriously consider construction on any of the designs, which were so large that they could not have been built in a traditional slipway. The Construction Office of the OKM sought to disassociate itself from the projects, which they found to be of doubtful merit and unnecessary for German victory.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: The first design, H-42, was long between perpendiculars and had a beam of and a draft of designed and at full load. The designed displacement was and at full load rose to . The dimensions for the second, H-43, increased to between perpendiculars, a beam of , and design and full load drafts of and , respectively. Design displacement was and estimated at at full load. For the final design, H-44, the length rose to between perpendiculars, the beam increased to , and draft rose to as designed and at full load. The displacement for H-44 was as designed and up to at full load.


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Details on the propulsion systems for these designs are fragmentary and in some cases contradictory. Erich Gröner notes that "some [had] pure [diesel] engine propulsion, others [had] hybrid engine/turbine propulsion systems," but does not record the type and performance for these propulsion systems. William Garzke and Robert Dulin state that all three designs featured hybrid diesel/steam turbine plants, each supplying for top speeds of , , and for H-42, H-43, and H-44, respectively. According to Garzke and Dulin, the designs had a speed of , , and , respectively, on just diesel engine power. Both sources agree on a maximum range of at a cruising speed of .


title: H-class battleship proposals

text: Information on the armament outfits for the designs is equally contradictory. Both sources agree on the armament for H-44, which was to have been eight guns. Gröner indicates that H-42 and H-43 were to be armed with eight 48 cm guns, while Garzke and Dulin state that the H-42 design was to have retained the 42 cm guns from the H-41 design and H-43 would have also been armed with 50.8 cm pieces. Both works agree that the secondary armament was to have consisted of twelve 15 cm L/55 guns and sixteen 10.5 cm L/65 guns as in the previous designs, though the lighter weapons are disputed. Gröner states that all three designs were to be equipped with twenty-eight 3.7 cm and forty 2 cm anti-aircraft guns, while Garzke and Dulin report only sixteen 3.7 cm guns and forty 2 cm guns for H-43 and H-44 only; H-42 was to have twenty-four 2 cm guns. Both sources concur that six submerged 53.3 cm torpedo tubes were included in each design.


title: Xolotl

text: In Aztec mythology, Xolotl () was a god of fire and lightning. He was commonly depicted as a dog-headed man and was a soul-guide for the dead. He was also god of twins, monsters, misfortune, sickness, and deformities. Xolotl is the canine brother and twin of Quetzalcoatl, the pair being sons of the virgin Chimalma. He is the dark personification of Venus, the evening star, and was associated with heavenly fire. The Axolotl is named after him.


title: Xolotl

text: Xolotl was the sinister god of monstrosities who wears the spirally-twisted wind jewel and the ear ornaments of Quetzalcoatl. His job was to protect the sun from the dangers of the underworld. As a double of Quetzalcoatl, he carries his conch-like ehecailacacozcatl or wind jewel. Xolotl accompanied Quetzalcoatl to Mictlan, the land of the dead, or the underworld, to retrieve the bones from those who inhabited the previous world (Nahui Atl) to create new life for the present world, Nahui Ollin, the sun of movement. In a sense, this re-creation of life is reenacted every night when Xolotl guides the sun through the underworld. In the tonalpohualli, Xolotl rules over day Ollin (movement) and over trecena 1-Cozcacuauhtli (vulture).


title: Xolotl

text: His empty eye sockets are explained in the legend of Teotihuacan, in which the gods decided to sacrifice themselves for the newly created sun. Xolotl withdrew from this sacrifice and wept so much his eyes fell out of their sockets.


title: Xolotl

text: According to the creation recounted in the Florentine Codex , after the Fifth Sun was initially created, it did not move. Ehecatl ("God of Wind") consequently began slaying all other gods to induce the newly created Sun into movement. Xolotl, however, was unwilling to die in order to give movement to the new Sun. Xolotl transformed himself into a young maize plant with two stalks (xolotl), a doubled maguey plant (mexolotl), and an amphibious animal (axolotl). Xolotl is thus a master transformer. In the end, Ehecatl succeeded in finding and killing Xolotl.


title: Xolotl

text: In art, Xolotl was typically depicted as a dog-headed man, a skeleton, or a deformed monster with reversed feet. An incense burner in the form of a skeletal canine depicts Xolotl. As a psychopomp, Xolotl would guide the dead on their journey to Mictlan the afterlife in myths. His two spirit animal forms are the Xoloitzcuintli dog and the water salamander species known as the Axolotl. Xolos served as companions to the Aztecs in this life and also in the after-life, as many dog remains and dog sculptures have been found in Aztec burials, including some at the main temple in Tenochtitlan. Dogs were often subject to ritual sacrifice so that they could accompany their master on his voyage through Mictlan, the underworld. Their main duty was to help their owners cross a deep river. It is possible that dog sculptures also found in burials were also intended to help people on this journey. Xoloitzcuintli is the official name of the Mexican Hairless Dog (also known as "perro pelón mexicano" in Mexican Spanish), a pre-Columbian canine breed from Mesoamerica dating back to over 3500 years ago. This is one of many native dog breeds in the Americas and it is often confused with the Peruvian Hairless Dog. The name "Xoloitzcuintli" references Xolotl because this dog's mission was to accompany the souls of the dead in their journey into eternity. The name "Axolotl" comes from Nahuatl, the Aztec language. One translation of the name connects the Axolotl to Xolotl. The most common translation is "water-dog" . "Atl" for water and "Xolotl" for dog.


title: Xolotl

text: In the Aztec calendar, the ruler of the day, Itzcuintli ("Dog"), is Mictlantecuhtli, the god of death and lord of Mictlan, the afterlife.


title: Xolotl

text: Xolotl is sometimes depicted carrying a torch in the surviving Maya codices, which reference the Maya tradition that the dog brought fire to mankind. In the Mayan codices, the dog is conspicuously associated with the god of death, storm, and lightning. Xolotl appears to have affinities with the Zapotec and Maya lightning-dog, and may represent the lightning which descends from the thundercloud, the flash, the reflection of which arouses the misconceived belief that lightning is "double", and leads them to suppose a connection between lightning and twins.


title: Xolotl

text: Xolotl originated in the southern regions, and may represent fire rushing down from the heavens or light flaming up in the heavens. Xolotl was originally the name for lightning beast of the Maya tribe, often taking the form of a dog. The dog plays an important role in Maya manuscripts. He is the lightning beast, who darts from heaven with a torch in his hand. Xolotl is represented directly as a dog, and is distinguished as the deity of air and of the four directions of the wind by Quetzalcoatl's breast ornament. Xolotl is to be considered equivalent to the beast darting from heaven of the Maya manuscript. The dog is the animal of the dead and therefore of the Place of Shadows.


title: Xolotl

text: Eduard Seler associates Xolotl's portrayal as a dog with the belief that dogs accompany the souls of the dead to Mictlan. He finds further evidence of the association between Xolotl, dogs, death, and Mictlan in the fact that Mesoamericans viewed twins as unnatural monstrosities and consequently commonly killed one of the two twins shortly after birth. Seler speculates that Xolotl represents the murdered twin who dwells in the darkness of Mictlan, while Quetzalcoatl ("The Precious Twin") represents the surviving twin who dwells in the light of the sun.


title: Xolotl

text: In manuscripts the setting sun, devoured by the earth, is opposite Xolotl's image. Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl constitute the twin phases of Venus as the morning and evening star, respectively. Quetzalcoatl as the morning star acts as the harbinger of the Sun's rising (rebirth) every dawn, Xolotl as the evening star acts as the harbinger of the Sun's setting (death) every dusk. In this way they divide the single life-death process of cyclical transformation into its two phases: one leading from birth to death, the other from death to birth.


title: Xolotl

text: Xolotl was the patron of the Mesoamerican ballgame. Some scholars argue the ballgame symbolizes the Sun's perilous and uncertain nighttime journey through the underworld. Xolotl is able to help in the Sun's rebirth since he possesses the power to enter and exit the underworld. In several of the manuscripts Xolotl is depicted striving at this game against other gods. For example, in the Codex Mendoza we see him playing with the moon-god, and can recognize him by the sign ollin which accompanies him, and by the gouged-out eye in which that symbol ends. Seler thinks "that the root of the name ollin suggested to Mexicans the motion of the rubber ball "olli" and, as a consequence, ball-playing."


title: Xolotl

text: Ollin is pulsating, oscillating, and centering motion-change. It is typified by bouncing balls, pulsating hearts, labor contractions, earthquakes, flapping butterfly wings, the undulating motion of weft activities in weaving, and the oscillating path of the Fifth Sun over and under the surface of the earth. Ollin is the motion-change of cyclical completion.


title: Xolotl

text: A jade statue of a skeletal Xolotl carrying a solar disc bearing an image of the Sun on his back (called "the Night Traveler") succinctly portrays Xolotl's role in assisting the Sun through the process of death, gestation, and rebirth. Xolotl's association with ollin motion-change suggests proper completions and gestations must instantiate ollin motion-change. Ollin-shaped decomposition and integration (i.e., death) promote ollin-shaped composition and integration (i.e., rebirth and renewal).


title: Xolotl

text: A close relationship between Xolotl and Nanahuatzin exists. Xolotl is probably identical with Nanahuatl (Nanahuatzin).


title: Xolotl

text: Seler characterizes Nanahuatzin ("Little Pustule Covered One"), who is deformed by syphilis, as an aspect of Xolotl in his capacity as god of monsters, deforming diseases, and deformities. The syphilitic god Nanahuatzin is an avatar of Xolotl.


title: Odds

text: Odds provide a measure of the likelihood of a particular outcome. They are calculated as the ratio of the number of events that produce that outcome to the number that do not. Odds are commonly used in gambling and statistics.


title: Odds

text: Odds also have a simple relation with probability: the odds of an outcome are the ratio of the probability that the outcome occurs to the probability that the outcome does not occur. In mathematical terms, where formula_1 is the probability of the outcome:


title: Odds

text: Odds can be demonstrated by examining rolling a six-sided die. The odds of rolling a 6 is 1:5. This is because there is 1 event (rolling a 6) that produces the specified outcome of "rolling a 6", and 5 events that do not (rolling a 1,2,3,4 or 5). The odds of rolling either a 5 or 6 is 2:4. This is because there are 2 events (rolling a 5 or 6) that produce the specified outcome of "rolling either a 5 or 6", and 4 events that do not (rolling a 1, 2, 3 or 4). The odds of not rolling a 5 or 6 is the inverse 4:2. This is because there are 4 events that produce the specified outcome of "not rolling a 5 or 6" (rolling a 1, 2, 3 or 4) and two that do not (rolling a 5 or 6).


title: Odds

text: The probability of an event is different, but related, and can be calculated from the odds, and vice versa. The probability of rolling a 5 or 6 is the fraction of the number of events over total events or 2/(2+4), which is 1/3, 0.33 or 33%.


title: Odds

text: When gambling, odds are often the ratio of winnings to the stake and you also get your wager returned. So wagering 1 at 1:5 pays out 6 (5 + 1). If you make 6 wagers of 1, and win once and lose 5 times, you will be paid 6 and finish square. Wagering 1 at 1:1 (Evens) pays out 2 (1 + 1) and wagering 1 at 1:2 pays out 3 (1 + 2). These examples may be displayed in many different forms:


title: Odds

text: The language of odds, such as the use of phrases like "ten to one" for intuitively estimated risks, is found in the sixteenth century, well before the development of probability theory. Shakespeare wrote:


title: Odds

text: The sixteenth-century polymath Cardano demonstrated the efficacy of defining odds as the ratio of favourable to unfavourable outcomes. Implied by this definition is the fact that the probability of an event is given by the ratio of favourable outcomes to the total number of possible outcomes.


title: Odds

text: In statistics, odds are an expression of relative probabilities, generally quoted as the odds "in favor". The odds (in favor) of an event or a proposition is the ratio of the probability that the event will happen to the probability that the event will not happen. Mathematically, this is a Bernoulli trial, as it has exactly two outcomes. In case of a finite sample space of equally likely outcomes, this is the ratio of the number of outcomes where the event occurs to the number of outcomes where the event does not occur; these can be represented as "W" and "L" (for Wins and Losses) or "S" and "F" (for Success and Failure). For example, the odds that a randomly chosen day of the week is during a weekend are two to five (2:5), as days of the week form a sample space of seven outcomes, and the event occurs for two of the outcomes (Saturday and Sunday), and not for the other five. Conversely, given odds as a ratio of integers, this can be represented by a probability space of a finite number of equally likely outcomes. These definitions are equivalent, since dividing both terms in the ratio by the number of outcomes yields the probabilities: formula_4 Conversely, the odds against is the opposite ratio. For example, the odds against a random day of the week being during a weekend are 5:2.


title: Odds

text: Odds and probability can be expressed in prose via the prepositions "to" and "in:" "odds of so many "to" so many on (or against) [some event]" refers to "odds"—the ratio of numbers of (equally likely) outcomes in favor and against (or vice versa); "chances of so many [outcomes], "in" so many [outcomes]" refers to "probability"—the number of (equally likely) outcomes in favour relative to the number for and against combined. For example, "odds of a weekend are 2 "to" 5", while "chances of a weekend are 2 "in" 7". In casual use, the words "odds" and "chances" (or "chance") are often used interchangeably to vaguely indicate some measure of odds or probability, though the intended meaning can be deduced by noting whether the preposition between the two numbers is "to" or "in".


title: Odds

text: Odds can be expressed as a ratio of two numbers, in which case it is not unique—scaling both terms by the same factor does not change the proportions: 1:1 odds and 100:100 odds are the same (even odds). Odds can also be expressed as a number, by dividing the terms in the ratio—in this case it is unique (different fractions can represent the same rational number). Odds as a ratio, odds as a number, and probability (also a number) are related by simple formulas, and similarly odds in favor and odds against, and probability of success and probability of failure have simple relations. Odds range from 0 to infinity, while probabilities range from 0 to 1, and hence are often represented as a percentage between 0% and 100%: reversing the ratio switches odds for with odds against, and similarly probability of success with probability of failure.


title: Odds

text: Given odds (in favor) as the ratio W:L (Wins:Losses), the odds in favor (as a number) formula_5 and odds against (as a number) formula_6 can be computed by simply dividing, and are multiplicative inverses:


title: Odds

text: Analogously, given odds as a ratio, the probability of success or failure can be computed by dividing, and the probability of success and probability of failure sum to unity (one), as they are the only possible outcomes. In case of a finite number of equally likely outcomes, this can be interpreted as the number of outcomes where the event occurs divided by the total number of events:


title: Odds

text: Given a probability "p," the odds as a ratio is formula_9 (probability of success to probability of failure), and the odds as numbers can be computed by dividing:


title: Odds

text: Conversely, given the odds as a number formula_11 this can be represented as the ratio formula_12 or conversely formula_13 from which the probability of success or failure can be computed:


title: Odds

text: Thus if expressed as a fraction with a numerator of 1, probability and odds differ by exactly 1 in the denominator: a probability of 1 "in" 100 (1/100 = 1%) is the same as odds of 1 "to" 99 (1/99 = 0.0101... = 0.), while odds of 1 "to" 100 (1/100 = 0.01) is the same as a probability of 1 "in" 101 (1/101 = 0.00990099... = 0.). This is a minor difference if the probability is small (close to zero, or "long odds"), but is a major difference if the probability is large (close to one).


title: Odds

text: These transforms have certain special geometric properties: the conversions between odds for and odds against (resp. probability of success with probability of failure) and between odds and probability are all Möbius transformations (fractional linear transformations). They are thus specified by three points (sharply 3-transitive). Swapping odds for and odds against swaps 0 and infinity, fixing 1, while swapping probability of success with probability of failure swaps 0 and 1, fixing .5; these are both order 2, hence circular transforms. Converting odds to probability fixes 0, sends infinity to 1, and sends 1 to .5 (even odds are 50% likely), and conversely; this is a parabolic transform.


title: Odds

text: In probability theory and statistics, odds and similar ratios may be more natural or more convenient than probabilities. In some cases the log-odds are used, which is the logit of the probability. Most simply, odds are frequently multiplied or divided, and log converts multiplication to addition and division to subtractions. This is particularly important in the logistic model, in which the log-odds of the target variable are a linear combination of the observed variables.


title: Odds

text: Similar ratios are used elsewhere in statistics; of central importance is the likelihood ratio in likelihoodist statistics, which is used in Bayesian statistics as the Bayes factor.


title: Odds

text: Odds are particularly useful in problems of sequential decision making, as for instance in problems of how to stop (online) on a last specific event which is solved by the odds algorithm.


title: Odds

text: The odds are a ratio of probabilities; an odds ratio is a ratio of odds, that is, a ratio of ratios of probabilities. Odds-ratios are often used in analysis of clinical trials. While they have useful mathematical properties, they can produce counter-intuitive results: an event with an 80% probability of occurring is four times "more likely" to happen than an event with a 20% probability, but the "odds" are 16 times higher on the less likely event (4–1 "against", or 4) than on the more likely one (1–4, or 4–1 "on", or 0.25).


title: Odds

text: Answer: The odds in favour of a blue marble are 2:13. One can equivalently say that the odds are 13:2 "against". There are 2 out of 15 chances in favour of blue, 13 out of 15 against blue.


title: Odds

text: In probability theory and statistics, where the variable "p" is the probability in favor of a binary event, and the probability against the event is therefore 1-"p", "the odds" of the event are the quotient of the two, or formula_15. That value may be regarded as the relative probability the event will happen, expressed as a fraction (if it is less than 1), or a multiple (if it is equal to or greater than one) of the likelihood that the event will not happen.


title: Odds

text: In the first example at top, saying the odds of a Sunday are "one to six" or, less commonly, "one-sixth" means the probability of picking a Sunday randomly is one-sixth the probability of not picking a Sunday. While the mathematical probability of an event has a value in the range from zero to one, "the odds" in favor of that same event lie between zero and infinity. The odds against the event with probability given as "p" are formula_16. The odds against Sunday are 6:1 or 6/1 = 6. It is 6 times as likely that a random day is not a Sunday.


title: Odds

text: On a coin toss or a match race between two evenly matched horses, it is reasonable for two people to wager level stakes. However, in more variable situations, such as a multi-runner horse race or a football match between two unequally matched teams, betting "at odds" provides the possibility to take the respective likelihoods of the possible outcomes into account. The use of odds in gambling facilitates betting on events where the probabilities of different outcomes vary.


title: Odds

text: In the modern era, most fixed-odd betting takes place between a betting organisation, such as a bookmaker, and an individual, rather than between individuals. Different traditions have grown up in how to express odds to customers.


title: Odds

text: Favoured by bookmakers in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and also common in horse racing, fractional odds quote the net total that will be paid out to the bettor, should they win, relative to the stake. Odds of 4/1 would imply that the bettor stands to make a £400 profit on a £100 stake. If the odds are 1/4, the bettor will make £25 on a £100 stake. In either case, having won, the bettor always receives the original stake back; so if the odds are 4/1 the bettor receives a total of £500 (£400 plus the original £100). Odds of 1/1 are known as "evens" or "even money".


title: Odds

text: The numerator and denominator of fractional odds are always integers, thus if the bookmaker's payout was to be £1.25 for every £1 stake, this would be equivalent to £5 for every £4 staked, and the odds would therefore be expressed as 5/4. However, not all fractional odds are traditionally read using the lowest common denominator. For example, given that there is a pattern of odds of 5/4, 7/4, 9/4 and so on, odds which are mathematically 3/2 are more easily compared if expressed in the equivalent form 6/4.


title: Odds

text: Fractional odds are also known as "British odds," "UK odds," or, in that country, "traditional odds". They are typically represented with a "/" but can also be represented with a "-", e.g. 4/1 or 4–1. Odds with a denominator of 1 are often presented in listings as the numerator only.


title: Odds

text: A variation of fractional odds is known as "Hong Kong" odds. Fractional and Hong Kong odds are actually exchangeable. The only difference is that the UK odds are presented as a fractional notation (e.g. 6/5) whilst the Hong Kong odds are decimal (e.g. 1.2). Both exhibit the net return.


title: Odds

text: The European odds also represent the potential winnings (net returns), but in addition they factor in the stake (e.g. 6/5 or 1.2 plus 1 = 2.2).


title: Odds

text: Favoured in continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Singapore, decimal odds quote the ratio of the payout amount, "including" the original stake, to the stake itself. Therefore, the decimal odds of an outcome are equivalent to the decimal value of the fractional odds plus one. Thus even odds 1/1 are quoted in decimal odds as 2.00. The 4/1 fractional odds discussed above are quoted as 5.00, while the 1/4 odds are quoted as 1.25. This is considered to be ideal for parlay betting, because the odds to be paid out are simply the product of the odds for each outcome wagered on. When looking at decimal odds in betting terms, the underdog has the higher of the two decimals, while the favorite has the lower of the two. To calculate decimal odds, you can use the equation "Return = Initial Wager × Decimal Value""." For example, if you bet €100 on Liverpool to beat Manchester City at 2.00 odds you would win €200 (€100 × 2.00). Decimal odds are favoured by betting exchanges because they are the easiest to work with for trading, as they reflect the inverse of the probability of an outcome. For example, a quoted odds of 5.00 equals to a probability of 1 / 5.00, that is 0.20 or 20%.


title: Odds

text: Moneyline odds are favoured by American bookmakers. The figure quoted is either positive or negative.


title: Odds

text: Moneyline odds are often referred to as "American odds". A "moneyline" wager refers to odds on the straight-up outcome of a game with no consideration to a point spread. In most cases, the favorite will have negative moneyline odds (less payoff for a safer bet) and the underdog will have positive moneyline odds (more payoff for a risky bet). However, if the teams are evenly matched, "both" teams can have a negative line at the same time (e.g. −110 −110 or −105 −115), due to house take.


title: Odds

text: Wholesale odds are the "real odds" or 100% probability of an event occurring. This 100% book is displayed without any bookmaker's profit margin, often referred to as a bookmaker's "overround" built in.


title: Odds

text: A "wholesale odds" index is an index of all the prices in a probabilistic market operating at 100% competitiveness and displayed without any profit margin factored for market participants.


title: Odds

text: In gambling, the odds on display do not represent the true chances (as imagined by the bookmaker) that the event will or will not occur, but are the amount that the bookmaker will pay out on a winning bet, together with the required stake. In formulating the odds to display the bookmaker will have included a profit margin which effectively means that the payout to a successful bettor is less than that represented by the true chance of the event occurring. This profit is known as the 'overround' on the 'book' (the 'book' refers to the old-fashioned ledger in which wagers were recorded, and is the derivation of the term 'bookmaker') and relates to the sum of the 'odds' in the following way:


title: Odds

text: In a 3-horse race, for example, the true probabilities of each of the horses winning based on their relative abilities may be 50%, 40% and 10%. The total of these three percentages is 100%, thus representing a fair 'book'. The true odds against winning for each of the three horses are 1–1, 3–2 and 9–1, respectively.


title: Odds

text: In order to generate a profit on the wagers accepted, the bookmaker may decide to increase the values to 60%, 50% and 20% for the three horses, respectively. This represents the odds against each, which are 4–6, 1–1 and 4–1, in order. These values now total 130%, meaning that the book has an overround of 30 (130−100). This value of 30 represents the amount of profit for the bookmaker if he gets bets in good proportions on each of the horses. For example, if he takes £60, £50, and £20 of stakes, respectively, for the three horses, he receives £130 in wagers but only pays £100 back (including stakes), whichever horse wins. And the expected value of his profit is positive even if everybody bets on the same horse. The art of bookmaking is in setting the odds low enough so as to have a positive expected value of profit while keeping the odds high enough to attract customers, and at the same time attracting enough bets for each outcome to reduce his risk exposure.


title: Odds

text: A study on soccer betting found that the probability for the home team to win was generally about 3.4% less than the value calculated from the odds (for example, 46.6% for even odds). It was about 3.7% less for wins by the visitors, and 5.7% less for draws.


title: Odds

text: Making a profit in gambling involves predicting the relationship of the true probabilities to the payout odds. Sports information services are often used by professional and semi-professional sports bettors to help achieve this goal.


title: Odds

text: The odds or amounts the bookmaker will pay are determined by the total amount that has been bet on all of the possible events. They reflect the balance of wagers on either side of the event, and include the deduction of a bookmaker's brokerage fee ("vig" or vigorish).


title: Odds

text: Also, depending on how the betting is affected by jurisdiction, taxes may be involved for the bookmaker and/or the winning player. This may be taken into account when offering the odds and/or may reduce the amount won by a player.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: The 2001 NFL Draft was the 66th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting," was held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on April 21–22, 2001.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: Each team is assigned one pick per round with the order based generally on the reverse order of finish in the previous season with the team with the worst record receiving the first draft slot. Exceptions to this are the Super Bowl participants from the previous season — the champion Baltimore Ravens were assigned the final draft slot and the runner-up New York Giants assigned the 30th slot in each round. The draft was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. Due to previous trades, the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans did not have selections in the first round. More than half of the players selected in the draft's first round (17 of 31) would eventually be elected to at least one Pro Bowl.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: The first player selected in the draft was quarterback Michael Vick from Virginia Tech, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons after they acquired the first pick in a trade with the San Diego Chargers. Vick spent six seasons with the Falcons before being sentenced to 21 months in prison for his involvement in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring, eventually rebounding his career with the Philadelphia Eagles after being released from prison and winning the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2010.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke, the 2000 winner of the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the player deemed most outstanding in college football, was selected in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers. After being a regular starter for the Panthers in his first season, during which Carolina posted a 1–15 record, Weinke played only 12 games over his final five seasons before being released. The last player selected, who traditionally receives the unofficial title Mr. Irrelevant, was Tevita Ofahengaue of Brigham Young University, who was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals. Ofahengaue never played in the NFL, and in 2011 was charged with stealing gasoline from a construction company in Salt Lake City. He is currently the Player Personnel Director at BYU.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: There were 31 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams during rounds three through seven, with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills receiving 4 picks each. The University of Miami was the college with the most players selected in the first round, with Dan Morgan, Damione Lewis, Santana Moss and Reggie Wayne all picked at that stage. Across the whole draft, however, Florida State University had the most players selected, a total of nine compared to Miami's seven.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: The last remaining active player from this draft was Drew Brees, who was drafted 32nd overall by the San Diego Chargers, and went on to win Super Bowl XLIV as a member of the New Orleans Saints, with whom he had played from the 2006 season until his retirement in 2021.


title: 2001 NFL Draft

text: In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The Swiss People's Party (, SVP; , PPS), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (, UDC; , UDC), is a national-conservative, right-wing populist political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Marco Chiesa, it is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 53 members of the National Council and 6 of the Council of States.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The SVP originated in 1971 as a merger of the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB) and the Democratic Party, while the BGB, in turn, had been founded in the context of the emerging local farmers' parties in the late 1910s. The SVP initially did not enjoy any increased support beyond that of the BGB, retaining around 11% of the vote through the 1970s and 1980s. This changed however during the 1990s, when the party underwent deep structural and ideological changes under the influence of Christoph Blocher; the SVP then became the strongest party in Switzerland by the 2000s.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In line with the changes fostered by Blocher, the party started to focus increasingly on issues such as Euroscepticism and opposition to mass immigration. Its vote share of 28.9% in the 2007 Federal Council election was the highest vote ever recorded for a single party in Switzerland until 2015, when it surpassed its own record with 29.4%. Blocher's failure to win re-election as a Federal Councillor led to moderates within the party splitting to form the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP). , the party is the largest in the National Council with 53 seats. It has six seats in the Council of States.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The early origins of the SVP go back to the late 1910s, when numerous cantonal farmers' parties were founded in agrarian, Protestant, German-speaking parts of Switzerland. While the Free Democratic Party had earlier been a popular party for farmers, this changed during World War I when the party had mainly defended the interests of industrialists and consumer circles. When proportional representation was introduced in 1919, the new farmers' parties won significant electoral support, especially in Zürich and Bern, and eventually also gained representation in parliament and government. By 1929, the coalition of farmers' parties had gained enough influence to get one of their leaders, Rudolf Minger, elected to the Federal Council.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In 1936, a representative party was founded on the national level, called the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB). During the 1930s, the BGB entered the mainstream of Swiss politics as a right-wing conservative party in the bourgeois bloc. While the party opposed any kind of socialist ideas such as internationalism and anti-militarism, it sought to represent local Swiss traders and farmers against big business and international capital.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The BGB contributed strongly to the establishment of the Swiss national ideology known as the "Geistige Landesverteidigung" (Spiritual Defence of the Nation), which was largely responsible for the growing Swiss sociocultural and political cohesion from the 1930s. In the party's fight against left-wing ideologies, sections of party officials and farmers voiced sympathy with, or failed to distance themselves from the emerging fascist movements. After World War II, the BGB contributed to the establishment of the characteristic Swiss post-war consensual politics, social agreements and economic growth policies. The party continued to be a reliable political partner with the Swiss Conservative People's Party and the Free Democratic Party.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In 1971, the BGB changed its name to the Swiss People's Party (SVP) after it merged with the Democratic Party from Glarus and Graubünden. The Democratic Party had been supported particularly by workers, and the SVP sought to expand its electoral base towards these, as the traditional BGB base in the rural population had started to lose its importance in the post-war era. As the Democratic Party had represented centrist, social-liberal positions, the course of the SVP shifted towards the political centre following internal debates. The new party however continued to see its level of support at around 11%, the same as the former BGB throughout the post-war era. Internal debates continued, and the 1980s saw growing conflicts between the Bern and Zürich cantonal branches, where the former branch represented the centrist faction, and the latter looked to put new issues on the political agenda.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: When the young entrepreneur Christoph Blocher was elected president of the Zürich SVP in 1977, he declared his intent to oversee significant change in the political line of the Zürich SVP, bringing an end to debates that aimed to open the party up to a wide array of opinions. Blocher soon consolidated his power in Zürich, and began to renew the organisational structures, activities, campaigning style and political agenda of the local branch. The young members of the party was boosted with the establishment of a cantonal Young SVP (JSVP) in 1977, as well as political training courses. The ideology of the Zürich branch was also reinforced, and the rhetoric hardened, which resulted in the best election result for the Zürich branch in fifty years in the 1979 federal election, with an increase from 11.3% to 14.5%. This was contrasted with the stable level in the other cantons, although the support also stagnated in Zürich through the 1980s.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The struggle between the SVP's largest branches of Bern and Zürich continued into the early 1990s. While the Bern-oriented faction represented the old moderate style, the Zürich-oriented wing led by Christoph Blocher represented a new radical right-wing populist agenda. The Zürich wing began to politicise asylum issues, and the question of European integration started to dominate Swiss political debates. They also adopted more confrontational methods.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The Zürich wing subsequently started to gain ground in the party at the expense of the Bern wing, and the party became increasingly centralised as a national party, in contrast to the traditional Swiss system of parties with loose organisational structures and weak central powers. During the 1990s, the party also doubled its number of cantonal branches (to eventually be represented in all cantons), which strengthened the power of the Zürich wing, since most new sections supported their agenda.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In 1991, the party for the first time became the strongest party in Zürich, with 20.2% of the vote. The party broke through in the early 1990s in both Zürich and Switzerland as a whole, and experienced dramatically increasing results in elections. From being the smallest of the four governing parties at the start of the 1990s, the party by the end of the decade emerged as the strongest party in Switzerland. At the same time, the party expanded its electoral base towards new voter demographics. The SVP in general won its best results in cantons where the cantonal branches adopted the agenda of the Zürich wing. In the 1999 federal election, the SVP for the first time became the strongest party in Switzerland with 22.5% of the vote, a 12.6% share increase. This was the biggest increase of votes for any party in the entire history of the Swiss proportional electoral system, which was introduced in 1919.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: As a result of the remarkable increase in the SVP's popularity, the party gained a second ministerial position in the Federal Council in 2003, which was taken by Christoph Blocher. Before this, the only SVP Federal Councillor had always been from the moderate Bern wing. The 2007 federal election still confirmed the SVP as the strongest party in Switzerland with 28.9% of the vote and 62 seats in the National Council, the largest share of the vote for any single party ever in Switzerland. However, the Federal Council refused to re-elect Blocher, who was replaced by Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf of the moderate Graubünden branch. In response, the national SVP withdrew its support from Widmer-Schlumpf and its other Federal Councillor, fellow SVP moderate Samuel Schmid, from the party, along with Widmer-Schlumpf's whole cantonal section. The SVP thus formed the first opposition group in Switzerland since the 1950s.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In 2008, the SVP demanded that Widmer-Schlumpf resign from the Federal Council and leave the party. When she refused, the SVP demanded that its Grisons branch expel her. Since Swiss parties are legally federations of cantonal parties, the federal SVP could not expel her itself. The Grisons branch stood by Widmer-Schlumpf, leading the SVP to expel it from the party. Shortly afterward, the Grisons branch reorganised itself as the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP). Soon afterward, virtually all of the SVP's Bern branch, including Schmid, defected to the new party. The SVP regained its position in government in late 2008, when Schmid was forced to resign due to a political scandal, and was replaced with Ueli Maurer.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The 2011 federal election put an end to the continuous progression of the SVP since 1987. The party drew 26.6% percent of the vote, a 2.3-point decrease from the previous elections in 2007. This loss could be partly attributed to the split of the BDP, which gained 5.4% of the vote in 2011. However the SVP rebounded strongly in the 2015 federal election, gathering a record 29.4% of the national vote and 65 seats in parliament. Media attributed the rise to concerns over the European migrant crisis. The party received the highest proportion of votes of any Swiss political party since 1919, when proportional representation was first introduced, and it received more seats in the National Council than any other political party since 1963, when the number of seats was set at 200. The SVP gained a second member in the Federal Council again, with Guy Parmelin replacing Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf after the party's election gains.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The SVP adheres to national conservatism, aiming at the preservation of Switzerland's political sovereignty and a conservative society. Furthermore, the party promotes the principle of individual responsibility and is skeptical toward any expansion of governmental services. This stance is most evident in the rejection of an accession of Switzerland to the European Union, the rejection of military involvement abroad, and the rejection of increases in government spending on social welfare and education.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The emphasis of the party's policies lie in foreign policy, immigration and homeland security policy as well as tax and social welfare policy. Among political opponents, the SVP has gained a reputation as a party that maintains a hard-line stance.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In its foreign policy the SVP opposes the growing involvement of Switzerland in intergovernmental and especially supranational organisations, including the UN, EEA, EU, Schengen and Dublin treaties, and closer ties with NATO. The party stands for a strict neutrality of the country and the preservation of the strong role of the Swiss army as the institution responsible for national defense. They believe that the army should remain a militia force and should never become involved in interventions abroad.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In June and July 2010, the party used the silly season for floating the notion of a "Greater Switzerland", where instead of Switzerland joining the EU, the border regions of Switzerland's neighbours would join Switzerland, submitted in July in the form of a motion to the Federal Council by Dominique Baettig, signed by 26 SVP Councillors. Some, such as newspaper "Die Welt", have also speculated that the initiative could be a response to the suggestion by Muammar al-Gaddafi to dissolve Switzerland and divide its territory among its neighbouring countries.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: Another key concern of the SVP is what it alleges is an increasing influence of the judiciary on politics. According to the SVP, this influence, especially through international law, increasingly puts the Swiss direct democracy in question. Public law which is legitimate by direct democracy standards should be agreed upon by the federal court. The European law, which according to the SVP is not democratically legitimate, shall always be subordinate to the Swiss law. The SVP also criticises the judiciary as undemocratic because the courts have made decisions against the will of the majority.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In its immigration policy the party commits itself to make asylum laws stricter and to reduce immigration. The SVP warns of immigration into the social welfare system and criticises the high proportion of foreigners among the public insurance benefit recipients and other social welfare programs. According to the opinion of the party, such benefits amount to waste of taxpayers' money. Numerous SVP members have shown themselves to be critical of Islam by having participated in the minaret controversy, during which they pushed for an initiative to ban the construction of minarets. In November 2009 this ban won the majority vote (57.5%) and became an amendment to the Swiss Constitution. However, the four existing minarets are not affected by the new legislation. Other recent victories of the SVP in regards to immigration policy include the federal popular initiatives "for the expulsion of criminal foreigners" (52.3%), and "Against mass immigration" (50.3%) in 2010 and 2014 respectively.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The 2014 referendum resulted in a narrow victory for the SVP. Following the vote, the Swiss government entered into negotiations with the EU and, in 2016, concluded an agreement that would provide for preferences for Swiss citizens in hiring. The SVP criticized the agreement as weak. In response, in 2020, the party placed the ballot a referendum called the "For Moderate Immigration" initiative, which would terminate the Free Movement of Persons bilateral agreement within one year of passage. It would also bar the government from concluding any agreements that would grant the free movement of people to foreign nationals. The initiative was opposed by the other major parties in Switzerland. Other parties were concerned that because of the "guillotine clause" in the bilateral agreements, this would terminate all of the Bilateral I agreements with the EU which include provisions on the reduction of trade barriers as well as barriers in agriculture, land transport and civil aviation. Swiss voters rejected the referendum with 61.7% against. Only four cantons voted in favor.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: The SVP supports supply-side economics. Thus it is a proponent of lower taxes and is against deficit spending. The SVP is not as liberal in terms of its agricultural policy since, in consideration of it being the most popular party among farmers, it refuses to reduce agricultural subsidies or curtail the current system of direct payments to farmers, to ensure larger farming businesses do not dominate the marketplace. The expansion of the Schengen Area eastward was looked at skeptically by the SVP, which it associated with economic immigration and higher crime rates.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In terms of the environment, transportation and energy policy the SVP opposes governmental measures for environmental protection. In its transportation policy, the party therefore endorses the expansion of the Swiss motorway network and is against the preference of public transportation over individual transportation. It supports the construction of Megaprojects such as AlpTransit but criticizes the cost increases and demands more transparency. In the scope of environmentalism and energy policy, the SVP is against the carbon tax and supports the use of nuclear energy. In the context of reductions of CO emissions, the SVP cites the limited impact of Switzerland and instead supports globally, and legally binding agreements to address global climate change.


title: Swiss People's Party

text: In social welfare policy the SVP rejects expansion of the welfare state, and stands for a conservative society. It opposes the public financing of maternity leave and nursery schools. The SVP is skeptical toward governmental support of gender equality, and the SVP has the smallest proportion of women among parties represented in the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. In its education policy, it opposes tendencies to shift the responsibility of the upbringing of children from families to public institutions. The party claims an excessive influence of anti-authoritarian ideas originating from the protests of 1968. In general, the party supports strengthening crime prevention measures against social crimes and, especially in the areas of social welfare policy and education policy, a return to meritocracy.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: ) is a retired professional sumo wrestler ("rikishi") from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top "makuuchi" division in May 2004. In May 2007, at the age of 22, he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo, "yokozuna".


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In 2009, he broke the record for the most wins in a calendar year, winning 86 out of 90 bouts, and repeated this feat with the same record again in 2010 when he established the second longest winning streak in sumo history. He also holds the record for the most undefeated tournament championships at sixteen, which is eight more than any other sumo wrestler in history.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: He was the only active "yokozuna" from 2010, following the retirement of his rival and fellow Mongolian Asashōryū, until 2012 with the promotion of fellow Mongolian Harumafuji. In March 2021, he became the only active "yokozuna" once again following the retirement of his rival and fellow Mongolian Kakuryū until the promotion of fellow Mongolian Terunofuji 4 months later.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In January 2015, he broke Taihō's long-standing record by winning his 33rd top division championship, the most in the history of sumo. He holds the records for most wins in the top division, achieved in May 2016, and most career wins, achieved in July 2017. He was the longest-serving "yokozuna" of all-time, having surpassed Haguroyama's record in 2019, and fought his 1000th bout as a "yokozuna" in July 2020. He acquired Japanese citizenship in 2019.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: Hakuhō retired from professional sumo at the end of September 2021, closing out a 20-year career in the sport. Sumo commentator John Gunning noted that Hakuhō left an unmatchable legacy, while a columnist for the "Washington Post" called him the "greatest figure in sports, maybe ever."


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: Like many of his countrymen in professional sumo, Hakuhō belongs to a family in the Mongolian wrestling tradition. His father Jigjidiin Mönkhbat won a silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1968 Summer Olympics, his country's first ever Olympic medal, and held the highest ranking in Mongolian wrestling, "Darkhan Avarga" (meaning "Champion of Darkhan"), which is the Mongolian equivalent of "yokozuna". Davaajargal did not however have any formal training in Mongolian wrestling himself, as his father wished him to try other sports, and he concentrated on basketball as a child instead. However, at an early age he would be seen reading sumo magazines, and when his father asked him why he liked sumo so much, he responded by saying he wanted to be as big as a sumo wrestler one day. At that time he was considered below average in size.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: He went to Japan in October 2000 when he was fifteen years old, invited by pioneering Mongolian wrestler Kyokushūzan. Because he weighed only , no sumo training stable ("heya") was prepared to accept him. Hearing this, Kyokushūzan asked "heya" master Miyagino-"oyakata" to intercede, and Davaajargal was accepted to Miyagino stable on the last day of his two-month stay in Japan, 24 December 2000. He was given the ring name ("shikona") "Hakuhō", with "haku" meaning "white" and "hō", meaning the Chinese mythological bird "Peng". His "shikona" also emulates that of former "yokozuna" Taihō.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: Hakuhō made his professional debut at the March tournament ("honbasho") in Osaka in 2001 despite having no previous wrestling experience. His weight increased steadily as he rose in the ranks reaching the second highest "jūryō" division in January 2004, and the top "makuuchi" division in May of the same year. In his very first top-division tournament, he scored twelve wins against three losses and was awarded a special prize ("sanshō") for Fighting Spirit. He also enjoyed great success in subsequent tournaments, winning a gold star ("kinboshi") for defeating "yokozuna" Asashōryū in November 2004 while still at the lowest "makuuchi" rank of "maegashira". This tournament also saw him finish as runner-up for the first time. He achieved a rapid promotion to the rank of "komusubi" in January 2005 and "sekiwake" only one tournament later. His progress was delayed by an injury which forced him to take leave ("zen-kyu") from the Nagoya tournament in 2005.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: His "ōzeki" promotion came in March 2006 after a 13–2 record, which included a playoff for the championship (which he lost to Asashōryū) and also earned him two special prizes for Outstanding Performance and Technique. This gave him a three tournament record of 35 wins against ten losses. His promotion was confirmed just a few weeks after his twenty-first birthday, making him the fourth youngest wrestler to reach "ōzeki" in modern sumo history.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: At his first tournament as "ōzeki" in May 2006, with Asashōryū absent, Hakuhō won his first championship ("yūshō") with a 14–1 record, defeating Miyabiyama in another playoff. After another strong performance (13–2) in July, in which he finished as runner-up to Asashōryū and defeated him on the final day, Hakuhō was denied promotion to "yokozuna", despite the Japan Sumo Association's chairman Kitanoumi saying before the tournament that he would be considered if he posted 13 wins. Hakuhō told an interviewer that he had expected to be promoted. An uncharacteristically poor 8–7 showing in September put an end to any immediate promotion hopes. An injury sustained in training prevented him from participating in the November tournament, putting him at risk for demotion ("kadoban") in January 2007, when he scored a respectable ten wins on his return to the ring.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In March 2007 Hakuhō won his second championship in Osaka and a third championship in the very next tournament in May, with a perfect 15–0 (zenshō) record. Winning two consecutive championships satisfies the "de facto" requirements for promotion to the top rank in sumo. On the day following the tournament, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council unanimously recommended his promotion to "yokozuna" which was formally announced by the Japan Sumo Association on 30 May 2007. He had become "yokozuna" at the age of 22 years and two months – only Kitanoumi and Taihō had been younger when they were promoted. He performed his inaugural ring-entering ceremony ("dohyō-iri") at the Meiji Shrine (in the lesser-used Shiranui style) on 1 June. He performed the ceremony at the Kokugikan during Kyokushūzan's retirement ceremony ("danpatsu-shiki") on 2 June.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: Hakuhō's first tournament as a "yokozuna" was in July 2007. His 25 match winning streak was brought to an end by Kotomitsuki on the 10th day, and further losses to Kotoōshū and Chiyotaikai put him out of contention for the title. He finished the tournament with an 11–4 record.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: Hakuhō's first tournament championship as a "yokozuna" came in September 2007 with a 13–2 record, triumphing over Chiyotaikai on the last day. His second title as a "yokozuna", and fifth overall, came in the following tournament in November with a 12–3 score. He lost to Kotomitsuki on the final day but the championship had already been decided earlier in the day when his only challenger Chiyotaikai pulled out through injury. His "yokozuna" rival Asashōryū missed both these tournaments through suspension.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In the January 2008 tournament, he faced the returning Asashōryū on the final day with both wrestlers having a 13–1 score. In a bout lasting nearly a minute, Hakuhō defeated Asashōryū, winning his 6th championship with a 14–1 record. In the March 2008 tournament the two "yokozuna" met once again to decide the title and this time Asashōryū got his revenge, with Hakuhō finishing as runner-up.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In the May 2008 tournament, he won his first nine consecutive bouts. On the 10th day, however, he lost to Ama for the fourth time in their last five meetings, injuring his ankle in the process. Subsequent losses to Kotoōshū (the eventual winner of the tournament) and Kotomitsuki put him out of contention for the championship. He finished on 11–4, losing to Asashōryū on the final day in a match that sparked scandal after the two "yokozuna" nearly came to blows when Asashōryū gave Hakuhō an extra shove after the bout was over. Both wrestlers were given a warning over their conduct by the Japan Sumo Association.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In July 2008, with Asashōryū pulling out through injury he won his seventh championship without a serious challenge, securing victory by the 13th day: the first time this had been achieved since January 2005. He finished the tournament unbeaten; his second "zenshō-yūshō". Although he lost on day five of the September tournament, he still dominated all other opponents and secured another championship on the 14th day. He finished the tournament with a 14–1 record.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In the November tournament Hakuhō was once again the sole "yokozuna" participating. He lost his opening bout to Aminishiki and his 12th day bout to Ama. Both Hakuhō and Ama finished with a 13–2 record and the eventual play-off was won by Hakuhō, handing him his fourth "yūshō" of the season and ninth in total.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In the January 2009 tournament Hakuhō defeated Asashōryū on the final day in their first meeting since May, handing his fellow "yokozuna" his first defeat of the tournament and leaving both men with identical 14–1 records. Hakuhō was however beaten in the subsequent playoff. Hakuhō defeated Asashōryū again in the March tournament, this time capping off an undefeated 15–0 championship, his third "zenshō-yūshō" and his tenth championship overall.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In May he extended his winning run to 33 regulation bouts, the best since Asashōryū's 35 in 2004, until he was defeated by Kotoōshū on Day 14. He recovered to beat Asashōryū on Day 15 to finish at 14–1, but he lost the playoff bout to Harumafuji who claimed his first championship.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In July he won his eleventh championship, finishing one win ahead of Kotoōshū with another 14–1 score. He almost pulled off his twelfth championship in the following September tournament. One win behind Asashōryū for most of the tournament after giving away his first "kinboshi" in a year (to Shōtenrō) he forced a playoff by beating his rival on the final day, but then lost in the succeeding playoff bout. This was a very similar scenario to his loss to Asashōryū in the preceding January tournament. Regardless of this loss, he still managed to become the first "makuuchi" wrestler ever to win fourteen or more bouts in five consecutive tournaments. He also became the first wrestler ever to lose three "makuuchi" playoffs in one year. After the tournament he was diagnosed with ligament damage in his left elbow; however surgery was not required.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: On 28 November, the fourteenth day of the Kyushu basho, he clinched his twelfth tournament championship and broke Asashōryū's 2005 record for most bouts won in a calendar year, which had stood at 84. He defeated Asashōryū the following day to secure his fourth career "zenshō-yūshō" and set his 2009 record total at 86 wins. This was also his fourteenth consecutive "yūshō" or "jun-yūshō" (winner or runner-up) performance, another record.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: In the opening tournament of the year Hakuhō's 30 bout winning streak was ended by Baruto on Day 7, and he suffered consecutive losses to "ozeki" Harumafuji and Kaiō on Days 12 and 13 to concede the title to Asashōryū by Day 14. He gained some consolation by beating his "yokozuna" rival for the seventh straight time in regulation bouts on the final day to finish the tournament on 12–3.


title: Hakuhō Shō

text: Hakuhō expressed his shock at the retirement of Asashōryū in February, following allegations his fellow "yokozuna" had assaulted a man in a drunken brawl outside a nightclub during the previous tournament. Fighting back tears he said, "I don't want to believe it. I was honoured to wrestle in the same era as him." After getting regularly beaten by Asashōryū earlier in his career, Hakuhō came to completely dominate him, winning all of their last seven regulation matches (excluding two tournament-playoff defeats) and finishing with a 14–13 record over his greatest rival.