Distinguished heritage.

Her family had been well known for some five hundred years. One of her ancestors, Sir William Butts, was the medical doctor to King Henry VIII. The character, "Dr. Butts", was in the play "Henry VIII" by William Shakespeare. His portrait hangs in the National Gallery in London. Lester was brought up in New York and educated in the most exclusive schools. After completing normal school she studied dramatic art, which was the custom of the time. She learned drama from Dion Boucicault, a famed instructor.

Stage and film actress.

Lester was a beauty of the stage in the late 19th century. Later she began to play maternal characters in films. It was as a "grand dame" that she made her debut on the New York stage. The woman scheduled to play "Lady Silverdale" in "Partners" became ill on the eve of the premiere. During Lester's stage career she acted with Richard Mansfield, John Drew Jr., William H. Crane, Mrs. Fiske, Robert B. Mantell, Henrietta Crosman, Julia Marlowe, Margaret Anglin and even James J Corbett.  Her first silent features were in 1916. The film titles are "Molly Make-Believe", "Destiny's Toy", "The Social Secretary", "The Kiss", and "A Coney Island Princess". Lester's last films were released in 1925. They are "The Meddler", "Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman", and "The Price of Pleasure". She attained initial success in "emotional" roles. She began to develop her "grand dame" line of characters when her hair turned white prematurely.

Death.

Lester died from burns she sustained during an explosion inside her dressing room at Universal Studios in Hollywood in 1924. She was taken to Hollywood Hospital where she succumbed from burns to her hair, face, hands and upper body. She was taken to the emergency room unconscious. Studio personnel broke down the door to her dressing room. It was suspected that the connections to a gas stove in Lester's dressing room had been leaking. When she attempted to light the gas, an explosion followed.  Kate Lester's body was removed to the J.W. Todd undertaking establishment in Culver City, California. She was 67 years old. In private life she was Mrs. Sarah Cody. Her residence was 7131 Bagley Avenue, Culver City.

Kate Lester (born Sarah Cody, 12 June 1857 – 12 October 1924) was an English theatrical and silent film actress. Her family, the Suydams of New York, were staying in Britain at the time of her birth.


Structure.

The labyrinth was the shape of a complex square with cut corners and sides of. The paths were wide, separated by lines of dark blue stone from Ardennes of a width of. The labyrinth was made of soft stone that wore out beneath the feet of pilgrims. This stone was of the same kind as Pierre Libergier's tombstone that is now exhibit in the cathedral.  A distinctive aspect of the labyrinth was the inclusion within it of depictions of the master masons of the cathedral. In other churches and cathedrals, they are unknown and anonymous. Indeed, the identities of these master masons are precisely known, because a survey of the labyrinth was drawn in 1640 by Canon Cocquault and in 1779, just before its destruction, by Robin and Havé. These surveys also contained dates and descriptions of the masons' works.  The person at the center of the labyrinth is generally identified as Aubry de Humbert, Archbishop of Reims, who decided in 1211 to build a new cathedral in the place of the one destroyed by fire in 1210.  The people in the corners of the labyrinth are successive master masons of the cathedral: Bernard de Soissons was in charge during the inauguration of the labyrinth. There is no trace of the fifth (and probably best-known) contractor, Robert de Coucy, who was in charge from 1290 to 1311 and who oversaw the carpentry and the roof.  The masons are represented hard at work, with their tools in hand. For example, Jean d'Orbais appears to draw a map on the floor.  There were also two other silhouettes on each side of the entrance of the labyrinth; however, these could not be identified because they were already almost completely eroded.

History.

The church labyrinths were polychrome pavements symbolizing the rise of Christ at Calvary. Christian people followed them on their knees as a symbolic pilgrimage or to win indulgences  The labyrinth was inaugurated at the coronation of Philippe le Bel on 6 January 1286. It covered the central part of the nave at the third and fourth spans.  The labyrinth was destroyed in 1779 by the Canons (priests charged with running the cathedral), who were disturbed by children playing on the labyrinth during ceremonies.

Reconstruction project.

A plan to rebuild the labyrinth ran into technical and administrative difficulties. Instead, a choice was made to undertake a reversible and nondamaging reconstruction. This took the form of a light projection on the ground that plays only in the evening, during cultural events. It was inaugurated on 19 September 2009.

Logo of historical monuments.

The labyrinth has been chosen as the national logo for French historical monuments ("monuments historiques"). This logo depicts the labyrinth without people, rotated by 45°, and often in a dark red color.

The Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral was a church labyrinth installed on the floor of the nave of the Reims Cathedral.


Early life.

Choi Sung-hee was born February 28, 1980, her father is Choi Sae-wol, a trot singer with a background in Korean pansori. Due to financial struggle during her childhood, especially after her father fell ill, she lived in a container home provided by a local church for nine years until her debut. In a recent series of lectures for youth, she has addressed her beginning and has encouraged students to not let their background become an obstacle in obtaining their dreams.  Bada was scouted by Lee Soo-man and entered SM Entertainment. She debuted as the leader and lead vocal of S.E.S., the first successful female K-pop idol group.  Bada studied theater at Dankook University.

Career.

1997–2002: Career with S.E.S..

Bada made her debut with S.E.S. in 1997. The group released their debut album "I'm Your Girl" on November 1, 1997. The group later became the top-selling K-pop girl group. Since their debut, the group has released five Korean albums and two Japanese albums. The group released a compilation album, "Friend" before breaking up at the end of 2002. Members Bada and Eugene parted ways from SM Entertainment, while Shoo stayed with SM Entertainment until 2006.

2003–2008: "A Day of Renew", "Aurora", "Made in Sea" and Musical acting.

Bada signed an exclusive contract with WoongJin entertainment. In 2003, Bada released her debut solo album "A Day of Renew" that has sold approximately 130,000 records, according to the Music Industry Association of Korea. Bada became the first Korean idol singer to venture onto the musical stage in 2003 with the musical "Peppermint", a love story about a singer named Bada. It was written for her by creator and producer Lee Yuri, who is also responsible for other musical projects such as "Typhoon", "Mother" and "Winter Sonata". In 2004, her second album "Aurora" was released and has sold approximately 23,000 copies.  In 2006, her third album, "Made in Sea", was a big success. In 2007, Bada was cast in the role of Denise in the Korean version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Tell Me on a Sunday". Right afterward, she took on the role of Esmeralda as a part of the original Korean cast of "Notre-Dame de Paris". Her widely praised portrayal of Esmeralda gained her acceptance as a musical actress and won her the Best Newcomer Actress award and others at The Musical Awards and the Korea Musical Daesangs in 2008; she reprised the role in 2009.

2009–2013: "See the Sea" and Musical acting.

In 2009, Bada released her fourth album called "See the Sea" which featured both Korean rap group Untouchable and 2PM's Ok Taecyeon. The following year, "200 Pounds Beauty", a musical based on the popular movie of the same name, cast Bada in the titular role of Kang Hanbyul, an overweight ghost singer who aspires to become a star and undergoes extensive plastic surgery. Bada's turn as Kang earned her the Best Actress honor at the third The Musical Awards. She was recast in 2011 for the project.  In 2010, Bada played Peggy Sawyer in "Broadway on 42nd Street"  In 2012, she briefly took on the role of Mozart's wife, Constanze, in "Mozart!",  In June 2013, she was cast as Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde". During "Legally Blonde", her mother died. Despite the loss, Bada continued performances for the musical until its final run and famously sang Secret Garden's "You Raise Me Up" on KBS's Open Music Concert just two days after her mother's death. She has since stated that this loss was the reason for her relative inactivity in both her music and musical career from 2011 to mid-2013. She also cast as Marguerite in the first Korean adaptation of Frank Wildhorn's "The Scarlet Pimpernel". That same year, Bada appeared as a vocalist for the song "City Life" on American electronic musician Brian Transeau's electronic dance music album "A Song Across Wires".  She returned as Esmeralda in the 2013 production of "Notre-Dame de Paris". She then signed on to depict Carmen in the first Korean production of the musical "Carmen".

2016–2017: 20th anniversary debut project.

On May 28, Bada with S.E.S. member Eugene and Shoo attended a charity event, Green Heart Bazaar. Bada released special album title "Flower" on June 13, 2016 to celebrate her 20th debut anniversary. The single contains four tracks with lead single "Flower" featuring popular rapper Kanto. She released double music video for "Flower " on June 13 and "Amazing" on June 15. A few weeks later, Bada released special summer album title "Summertime" on June 26. Bada later released collaboration single "Cosmic" with Super Junior's Ryeowook on September 22, as a part of S.M. Entertainment project SM Station.  In October 2016, Bada along with Eugene and Shoo re-formed S.E.S. to celebrate their 20 years debut. They started their project of the 20th anniversary debut with released digital single "Love[Story]", a remake of their 1999 single "Love", through S.M. Entertainment's digital project SM Station on November 28 and its music video released on December 29.  In early December 2016, they aired their ten episode reality show "Remember, I'm Your S.E.S.", which broadcast through mobile app "Oksusu". To accompany their 20th anniversary debut, they held a concert "Remember, the Day", on December 30 and 31 at Sejong University's Daeyang Hall in Seoul.  On January 2, the special album of their 20th anniversary debut "Remember" was released. The album consists of double lead singles. "Remember" was digitally released on January 1 and "Paradise" was released along with the album on January 2. They held a fanmeet as their last project of their 20th anniversary debut called "I Will Be There, Waiting for You" on March 1, 2017.  In July 2017, she became the vocal mentor for survival show "Idol School".  Bada successfully held her solo concert for the 20th anniversary debut ""Twenty Steps"" on December 31, 2017 at the grand hall of Unjeong Green Campus at Sungshin Women's University.

2019–present: Off The Record.

On October 14, 2019 Wave Nine announced Bada's comeback with a single title "Off The Record" set to release for October 24.  On April 19, 2020 Bada team up with 33 singers to release remake song of Yang Hee-eun's "Evergreen" for the medical professionals around the world fighting COVID-19 and also mark the 60th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution.

Personal life.

On January 13, 2017, her agency confirmed that she will marry a franchise restaurant owner nine years her junior. Her wedding was held in Seoul on March 23, 2017.

Choi Sung-hee (born February 28, 1980), known professionally as Bada, is a South Korean singer, composer, musical actress and television presenter. She debuted as a member of the South Korean girl group S.E.S. in 1997. After S.E.S. disbanded in December 2002, she released her first solo studio album, "A Day of Renew", in October 2003.


Life.

Huisheng was born on 26 February 1938 at Hsinking Hospital in Hsinking (present-day Changchun, Jilin, China), the capital of Manchukuo to Pujie and Hiro Saga. Her uncle, Puyi, ruled as the puppet emperor of Manchukuo under Japanese control during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945). Her younger sister was Husheng (嫮生; b. 1940). She lived in Manchukuo until 1943, when she was sent to Japan to live with her maternal grandparents. She was educated in various prestigious private schools, including the Gakushūin. She was very interested in Japanese and Chinese literature.  After the end of the war, Huisheng's father was captured by Soviet forces and held in a prison camp for five years before he was extradited to the People's Republic of China in 1950. He was then incarcerated in the Fushun War Criminals Management Centre. Huisheng's mother and younger sister were also captured and imprisoned in Shanghai before they were repatriated to Japan in 1947. However, even though Huisheng had been reunited with her mother and sister, her father was still imprisoned and out of contact with them. During this time, Huisheng wrote in Chinese to Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, requesting that he put her in touch with her father. Zhou was moved by her letter and granted her permission.  In April 1956, Huisheng was enrolled at the Gakushuin University, in June, she got into a relationship with her classmate, the son of a railway executive. Later in February 1957, Huisheng's mother strongly opposed to her daughter's decision to marry Ōkubo; due to Ōkubo being a commoner, and either because Huisheng had been considered as a potential candidate to marry the then-Crown Prince Akihito, or because her mother wanted her to marry a Chinese instead, as her mother had.

Death.

Huisheng (age 19) and Ōkubo (age 20) disappeared on 4 December 1957 and were later found dead on Mount Amagi in the Izu Peninsula. Huisheng, wearing a golden ring on her finger, lay with her head cradled in Ōkubo's left arm. Ōkubo held a pistol in his right hand. Above their heads was a twisted piece of tissue paper containing snips of their hair and fingernails – an element in the ritual of a Japanese love suicide. This murder-suicide incident was known as the "".  At the request of Ōkubo's father, Huisheng and Ōkubo's ashes were interred together first at the Saga family plot in Nison-in, and then at the Aisin-Gioro family plot in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.

Aisin-Gioro Huisheng (26 February 1938 – 4 December 1957), better known simply as Huisheng or Eisei, was a Chinese-Japanese noblewoman. She was born in the Aisin Gioro clan, the imperial clan of the Qing dynasty. She was the elder daughter of Pujie, the younger brother of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Her mother was Hiro Saga, a Japanese noblewoman who married Pujie in 1937.


History.

John and Anne Tayloe were considering Philadelphia as a place to build a town house, since Baltimore and Philadelphia were the nearest metropolitan centers to Mount Airy. George Washington – whose half-brother Augustine Washington, Jr.'s son, Capt William Augustine Washington married Tayloe's sister, Sarah 'Sally' Tayloe, on May 11, 1799 – found out and persuaded the Tayloe's to build their house in the new capital city in an outlying section. The plan was to establish a node of development to stimulate fill-in growth. Col. Tayloe had been considering building his new home in Philadelphia under the expert hands of architect Benjamin Latrobe, by choosing instead the primitive wilds of the new federal city and the architect Dr. William Thornton, the man who designed the new first architect of the United States Capitol, and the help of James Hoban winner of the White House design contest. Col. Tayloe went with the wishes of George Washington.  On April 19, 1797 Tayloe paid $1,000 to Gustavus W. Scott for lot 8 in Square 170, at the corner of New York Avenue and 18th St., N.W. as laid out in a plan of the District of Columbia by Maj. Pierre Charles L'Enfant and surveyed by Andrew Ellicott. Scott was one of the 1st purchasers of lots in the newly platted capital. The lot was in open country west of the partly built President's House, about 1 mi. from Georgetown, and about.5 mi. NE of Hamburgh, which was absorbed into the new city plan. During this time he established the Washington Jockey Club's on a mile track which extended from the rear of what is now the site of Decatur House at H Street and Jackson Place, crossing Seventeenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue to Twentieth Street with Charles Carnan Ridgely, the current site of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.  On April 19, 1799 Dr. William Thornton wrote to George Washington, "Mr. J. Tayloe, of Virginia, has contracted to build a house in the City near the President's Square of $13,000 value." Thoronton was a self-trained architect who had won the United States Capitol competition. His first problem was to plan a house that would fit the lot, the south side of which was cut away on the bias by the diagonal of New York Ave. If the house were built to face either of the bordering streets, it would be at an ungainly angle in relation to the other street, and outbuildings and wells had to be fitted in also. He dealt with the problem by relating the house equally to both streets, which put the two walls at a 70 degree angle from each other. The house actually has 6 sides, but was called "The Octagon" by the Tayloes. It had closets on every floor, an innovative feature for its time. The house is well built of brick trimmed with Aquia Creek sandstone. The lot is triangular and fenced in by a high brick wall. The kitchen, stable and outhouses are built of brick and accommodated a large number of both servants and horses. The interior is elaborately finished, the doors of the first story being of mahogany. All the work in the circular vestibule coincides with the circumference of the tower, the doors, sash and glass being made on the circle. The parlor mantle is made of a fine cement composition painted white. The remains of gold leaf show in some of the relieved portions. Leading into the back hall and dining-room are two secret doors in which the wash-boards, chair-boards, etc. run across the door, being ingeniously cut some distance from the actual door, no key holes, hinges or openings showing on the blind side. The knobs and shutter-buttons are of brass and evidently of a special pattern.  The Tayloes had 15 children, 13 of whom survived to adulthood (2 died in infancy: Anne, born and died in 1800, and Lloyd, born 1815, died 1816). The children were all born between 1793 and 1815. The oldest son, John Tayloe IV, served in the US Navy during the War of 1812 aboard the USS Constitution. His early death in 1824 was possibly connected to wounds received during the war. His parents provided for his wife and child after his death. Edward Thornton Tayloe, George Plater Tayloe and Henry Augustine Tayloe were all born at the Octagon.

The War of 1812.

John Tayloe III was a Federalist, and not terribly supportive of President James Madison and the war with England that began in 1812, but he was active in the Virginia militia and commanded a regiment of DC cavalry. When the British marched into Washington in August 1814, there was a French flag flying outside the Octagon. Ann Ogle Tayloe had offered the house to the French consulate, in the hopes of sparing the house from destruction at the hands of the British, and he was occupying the house when the British arrived in the city. The house probably would have been spared even if it hadn't been effectively a "diplomatic residence", since the British were under strict orders not to damage private property. When First Lady Dolley Madison fled the city as the British approached, she sent her pet parrot to the French consulate at the Octagon for safekeeping.  President James Madison and his wife, Dolley moved into the Octagon on September 8, 1814 after the burning of the White House by the British. President Madison ratified the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, in the upstairs study at the Octagon on February 17, 1815. The Tayloes received $500 in rent for the Madisons' 6-month residency at the Octagon.

1815-1960s.

While a resident of Washington, Tayloe helped found and organize St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square in 1814, served as a trustee in 1816 during its construction and upon completion served on the vestry and donated to the parish a communion service of silver, which Bishop William Meade, in his work on the old Churches of Virginia, says had been purchased by Col. Tayloe at a sale of the effects of the Lunenburg Parish Church in Richmond County, VA., to prevent its desecration for secular use.  John Tayloe III died in 1828 while staying at the Octagon. Ann Ogle Tayloe lived in the Octagon until her death in 1855. Both John and Ann were buried at Mount Airy. After Ann's death, the Tayloe children began renting out the house. It was rented to a girls' school in the 1860s, and the Federal government in the 1870s, when it served as office space for the Hydrographic Office of the U.S. Navy. By the 1880s, the house was occupied by 10 families, probably one living in each room, tenement-apartment-style. The residents were probably mostly workers in the factories that populated Foggy Bottom. In 1898, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) selected the Octagon to be their new national headquarters. They rented the building for 4 years, and then purchased it outright in 1902. The Octagon would continue to serve as AIA's headquarters until the construction of the current headquarters building in the 1960s.

Museum.

The Octagon opened as a museum in 1970. The museum was restored to its 1817–18 era appearance in the early 1990s—the wall colors and room configurations that you see today are representative of that time period. The museum was administered by the American Architectural Foundation from 1970-2011/2012 (though the museum was closed from 2007 through 2013). Today, the museum is administered by the American Institute of Architects Foundation, and offers self-guided tours, permanent and changing exhibitions, public programming, and guided tours by appointment.  It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Architectural details.

The three-story brick house, adapted to an irregular-shaped lot, displays a dramatic break with the traditional, late Georgian and early Federal house planning that preceded it. The Octagon achieves a zenith in Federal architecture in the United States, through a plan which combines a circle, two rectangles, and a triangle, and through the elegance and restraint of the interior and exterior decoration. The Coade stone, stoves, other decorative elements, and furniture were imported from England. The construction materials, such as bricks, timber, iron, and Aquia Creek sandstone were all manufactured locally.  The reason behind the naming of the six-sided building as the Octagon is unknown. Though the main room is a circle, one possibility is that it resembled octagonal rooms common in England, which were also circles but called octagon salons because they were constructed of eight walls and then plastered heavily in the corners to make a circle. Another explanation is that the eight angles formed by the odd shape of the six walls are an old definition of an octagon.

Alleged haunting.

The Octagon House is purported to be one of the most haunted homes in D.C. Apparitions and the presence of otherworldly forces have reportedly been seen and felt in many places at The Octagon, including on the spiral staircase, the second floor landing, the third floor landing, the third floor bedroom, and the garden area in the rear. Among the eyewitnesses have been members of the public, curators, and other employees hired by the museum.  There are many variations of ghost stories that feature the Octagon House in Washington, D.C. As one of the oldest buildings in the city, it lends itself nicely as a setting for historical, spooky, and macabre tales. The stories recorded here are merely a presentation of a few of the reported experiences and legends that have evolved over the past 200 years, and should not be taken as historical fact.

Bells.

The oldest of the Octagon's ghost legends is that of the mysterious ringing of the servant's call bells, just one of the legends linked to the African American slaves who once lived there. When the house held bells to summon servants, the spirits of the dead slaves would announce their presence by ringing these bells loudly. The ghostly bell ringing is believed to have first occurred in the mid-1800s.  Virginia Tayloe Lewis, a granddaughter of John Tayloe III, grew up in the house and recorded this family memory in an unpublished manuscript: "The bells rang for a long time after my Grandfather Tayloe's death, and every one said that the house was haunted; the wires were cut and still they rang... Our dining room servant would come upstairs to ask if anyone rang the bell, and no one had."  An account by Marian Gouverneur, wife of Samuel Laurence Gouverneur, Jr. (the first American consul in Foo Chow, China), tells the story of General George D. Ramsay, Chief of Ordnance for the United States Army and commander of the Washington Arsenal in Washington, D.C., and his experience with the bells: "I have been told by the daughters of General George D. Ramsay that upon one occasion their father was requested by Colonel John Tayloe... to remain at the Octagon overnight, when we was obliged to be absent, as a protection to his daughters... While the members of the family were at the evening meal, the bells in the house began to ring violently. General Ramsay immediately arose from the table to investigate, but failed to unravel the mystery. The butler, in a state of great alarm, rushed into the dining-room and declared that it was the work of an unseen hand. As they continued to ring, General Ramsay held the rope which controlled the bells, but, it is said, they were not silenced."  By 1874 the bell legend was well established. Mary Clemmer Ames wrote about it: "It is an authenticated fact, that every night at the same hour, all the bells would ring at once. One gentleman, dining with Colonel Tayloe, when this mysterious ringing began, being an unbeliever in mysteries, and a very powerful man, jumped up and caught the bell wires in his hand, but only to be lifted bodily from the floor, while he was unsuccessful in stopping the ringing. Some declare that it was discovered, after a time, that rats were the ghosts who rung the bells; others, that the cause was never discovered, and that finally the family, to secure peace, were compelled to take the bells down and hang them in different fashion. Among other remedies, had been previously tried that of exorcism, but the prayers of the priest who had been summoned availed nought."  The servants' bells are no longer in the house and there are no reports of their continuing to ring today.

Dolley Madison.

There are a number of ghostly legends at the Octagon that deal with its early history as a gathering place for the elite of Washington. Dolley Madison is prominent in these legends because she was well known as a hostess during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. She is a very popular ghost in Washington, D.C., and is said to haunt several buildings around town. Dolley and James Madison resided in the Octagon House from September 1814 through March 1815, after the White House was burned by the British.  According to the legends, ghostly receptions are held by Dolley Madison, who is supposedly most often seen in the front hall and drawing room, and the smell of lilacs is noticeable whenever her ghost is present.

Colonel Tayloe's daughters.

By far the most intricate and popular of the legends connected with the Octagon is that of the deaths of the Tayloes' daughters. Variations of the legend are so well developed and circulated, that visitors to the house are often thoroughly convinced that they are based on fact. In reality, there is no documentation to support any of them.  The legend, which made its first appearance in a 1908 article run by the Minneapolis Tribune, has appeared on TV shows, and in numerous ghost books, and usually follows a story-line similar to this:  Two of Colonel Tayloe's daughters are said to haunt The Octagon. The first allegedly died before the War of 1812. Colonel Tayloe and his daughter quarreled on the second floor landing over the girl's relationship with a British officer stationed in the city. When the daughter turned in anger to go down the stairs, she fell down the stairs (or over the railing; stories differ) and died. Her specter is allegedly seen crumpled at the bottom of the steps or on the stairs near the second floor landing, and sometimes exhibits itself as the light of a candle moving up the staircase. The other death, stories claim, occurred in 1817 or shortly thereafter. Another of Colonel Tayloe's daughters eloped with a young man, incurring her father's wrath. When she returned home to reconcile with her father, they argued on the third-floor landing. This daughter, too, fell to her death down the stairs (or over the railing), and her shade is alleged to haunt the third floor landing and stairs between the second and third floors.  There is no historical evidence to support these stories. Nothing about the ghosts of the daughters appears before 1908, and none of the Tayloes' daughters died in the Octagon. Of the Tayloes' seven daughters, only three died before the age of 30. Of those, one died in 1800 at the age of one month (Ann Tayloe) and never lived in the Octagon. Rebecca Plater Tayloe died in 1815 at the age of 18, but at that time the Octagon was being rented by President Madison, and the Tayloe family was staying at their Mount Airy Plantation in Richmond County, VA. Sources state that the Tayloe family was "grief stricken by the loss through illness of their eighteen year old daughter Rebecca Plater while at Mount Airy". The next youngest of their surviving daughters to die was Elizabeth Mary Tayloe, who died in 1832 at the age of 26. She died in Washington, D.C., but not at the Octagon House. At the time of her death her father had been dead for four years and she had been married to her husband, Robert Wormeley Carter II, for some time. The four remaining daughters all died over the age of 38. For a complete list of the births and deaths of the Tayloe children, see the John Tayloe III page.

Other reports of ghostly activity.

The Octagon was firmly established as a haunted house by 1888, when, it is reported, twelve men decided to spend a night in the house in order to expel the ghosts or prove the legends wrong. A first-hand account was printed in a local newspaper, and this was subsequently quoted or paraphrased in articles printed in 1892, 1934, 1941, 1950, and 1969. "The hours wore quietly on. The party were dispersed from garret to cellar. At the hour of midnight, as I and two others were crossing the threshold of a room on the second floor, three feminine shrieks rose from the center of the room. Aghast we stood. From all quarters the party rushed... Too brave to desert, yet cowards at heart, we watched the gray light of morning dawn, and each man of us thanked God his night among ghosts was past. After those screams our band was closely knit together... collectively we listened through the waning hours of night to the clanking of sabers and tramping of footfalls."  Museum superintendent Alric H. Clay claimed that in the 1960s spirits would often turn on the lights and open The Octagon's doors late at night.  In the late 1940s, a doctor who had made a house call to the Octagon had a strange encounter on the stairway. Caretaker James Cyprus had summoned the physician for his ailing wife. The doctor was preparing to leave when he mustered up enough courage to ask Cyprus if there was a costume party going on that evening. When Cyprus told him that there wasn't, the doctor looked perplexed and told him of encountering a man on the stairs just a few moments before who had been dressed in a military uniform of the early 1800s.  A gambler shot to death in the home's third-floor bedroom in the late 19th century has been reportedly seen in the room in which he died. A 1912 newspaper article related the story of a man who had stayed for a month in a room in the Octagon which he claimed was visited nightly by the spirit of a man who was killed over a card game held in the room.  There are numerous reports of occurrences in the Octagon that were supposedly caused by the household ghosts. The sound of rustling silk is said to be heard on the main staircase, the hanging lamp in the main hallway allegedly swings by itself, there is a spot at the foot of the main staircase that some people feel they are forced to avoid, and one curator is reported to have found the "tiptoeing tracks of human feet in the undisturbed dust of the top floor landing".

The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. After the British destroyed the White House during the War of 1812, the house served as the temporary residence of James Madison, President of the United States, for a period of six months. It is one of only four houses to serve as the Presidential residence in the history of the United States of America and one of only two (along with the White House) that still stand today.


Background.

The lyrics concern a smuggler planning his next clandestine journey, Bush takes on the role of his lover, who begs him not to go (""I won't let you do it. If you go, I'll let the law know""). The song ends with the smuggler speaking in defiance (""Would you break even my wings, like a swallow. Let me, let me go""). Bush herself has commented on the lyrics, saying: "In this song she wants to control him and because he wants to do something that she doesn't want him to she feels that he is going away. It's almost on a parallel with the mother and son relationship where there is the same female feeling of not wanting the young child to move away from the nest. Of course, from the guy's point of view, because she doesn't want him to go, the urge to go is even stronger. For him, it's not so much a job as a challenge; a chance to do something risky and exciting." The song's release in Ireland only is most likely due to the Irish nature of the song, featuring instrumental accompaniment by Irish musicians. These include members of Planxty and The Chieftains: Bill Whelan on bagpipes, Liam O'Flynn on uillean pipes and penny whistle, Seán Keane on fiddle and Dónal Lunny on bouzouki. Whelan is credited as writing the string parts for the song, although this was in close association with Bush herself. Bush was to explore Irish themes in later works also, such as "Jig of Life" from "Hounds of Love" (1985) and the single "Rocket Man" (1991). Bush's mother was Irish and so Kate had listened to traditional Irish music from a young age and was eager to explore this style. Her brother Jay also influenced her due to his appreciation of the group Planxty.  The song was the first of two (the other being "Sat in Your Lap") to be recorded for the album. It was mainly recorded at Abbey Road studios in Spring 1981 over several sessions. The Irish musicians section was recorded in Ireland, with Bush working there with them overnight. After completing the track at seven in the morning, she headed back to London to finish mixing the song. Bush spoke about the song (where its name was revealed) as early as July 1981, saying that Planxty were "Fantastic musicians with open, receptive minds, which is unusual for people who work with traditional folk music".  The track was finally released in September 1982 as the seventh track of "The Dreaming". The single was released over a year after the album and failed to chart in Ireland. It also went unpromoted, with no music video made for the song.  The B-side of the single was another track from "The Dreaming", "Houdini". This song is about the story of Bess Houdini and her attempts to communicate with her deceased husband Harry, using a plan they developed while he was still alive. The album cover of "The Dreaming" depicts a scene from this song and in particular the line; "with a kiss, I'll pass the key".

"Night of the Swallow" is a 1982 song by Kate Bush. Written and produced by her, it was included on the album "The Dreaming". The song has a significantly Irish theme in that it features many Irish musicians and instruments. It was released as a single in Ireland in late 1983, making it the fifth release from the album.


Ceramic-matrix nanocomposites.

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) consist of ceramic fibers embedded in a ceramic matrix. The matrix and fibers can consist of any ceramic material, including carbon and carbon fibers. The ceramic occupying most of the volume is often from the group of oxides, such as nitrides, borides, silicides, whereas the second component is often a metal. Ideally both components are finely dispersed in each other in order to elicit particular optical, electrical and magnetic properties as well as tribological, corrosion-resistance and other protective properties.  The binary phase diagram of the mixture should be considered in designing ceramic-metal nanocomposites and measures have to be taken to avoid a chemical reaction between both components. The last point mainly is of importance for the metallic component that may easily react with the ceramic and thereby lose its metallic character. This is not an easily obeyed constraint because the preparation of the ceramic component generally requires high process temperatures. The safest measure thus is to carefully choose immiscible metal and ceramic phases. A good example of such a combination is represented by the ceramic-metal composite of TiO and Cu, the mixtures of which were found immiscible over large areas in the Gibbs’ triangle of'Cu-O-Ti.  The concept of ceramic-matrix nanocomposites was also applied to thin films that are solid layers of a few nm to some tens of μm thickness deposited upon an underlying substrate and that play an important role in the functionalization of technical surfaces. Gas flow sputtering by the hollow cathode technique turned out as a rather effective technique for the preparation of nanocomposite layers. The process operates as a vacuum-based deposition technique and is associated with high deposition rates up to some μm/s and the growth of nanoparticles in the gas phase. Nanocomposite layers in the ceramics range of composition were prepared from TiO and Cu by the hollow cathode technique that showed a high mechanical hardness, small coefficients of friction and a high resistance to corrosion.

Metal-matrix nanocomposites.

Metal matrix nanocomposites can also be defined as reinforced metal matrix composites. This type of composites can be classified as continuous and non-continuous reinforced materials. One of the more important nanocomposites is Carbon nanotube metal matrix composites, which is an emerging new material that is being developed to take advantage of the high tensile strength and electrical conductivity of carbon nanotube materials. Critical to the realization of CNT-MMC possessing optimal properties in these areas are the development of synthetic techniques that are (a) economically producible, (b) provide for a homogeneous dispersion of nanotubes in the metallic matrix, and (c) lead to strong interfacial adhesion between the metallic matrix and the carbon nanotubes. In addition to carbon nanotube metal matrix composites, boron nitride reinforced metal matrix composites and carbon nitride metal matrix composites are the new research areas on metal matrix nanocomposites.  A recent study, comparing the mechanical properties (Young's modulus, compressive yield strength, flexural modulus and flexural yield strength) of single- and multi-walled reinforced polymeric (polypropylene fumarate—PPF) nanocomposites to tungsten disulfide nanotubes reinforced PPF nanocomposites suggest that tungsten disulfide nanotubes reinforced PPF nanocomposites possess significantly higher mechanical properties and tungsten disulfide nanotubes are better reinforcing agents than carbon nanotubes. Increases in the mechanical properties can be attributed to a uniform dispersion of inorganic nanotubes in the polymer matrix (compared to carbon nanotubes that exist as micron sized aggregates) and increased crosslinking density of the polymer in the presence of tungsten disulfide nanotubes (increase in crosslinking density leads to an increase in the mechanical properties). These results suggest that inorganic nanomaterials, in general, may be better reinforcing agents compared to carbon nanotubes.  Another kind of nanocomposite is the energetic nanocomposite, generally as a hybrid sol–gel with a silica base, which, when combined with metal oxides and nano-scale aluminum powder, can form "superthermite" materials.

Polymer-matrix nanocomposites.

In the simplest case, appropriately adding nanoparticulates to a polymer matrix can enhance its performance, often dramatically, by simply capitalizing on the nature and properties of the nanoscale filler (these materials are better described by the term nanofilled polymer composites). This strategy is particularly effective in yielding high performance composites, when uniform dispersion of the filler is achieved and the properties of the nanoscale filler are substantially different or better than those of the matrix. The uniformity of the dispersion is in all nanocomposites is counteracted by thermodynamically driven phase separation. Clustering of nanoscale fillers produces aggregates that serve as structural defects and result in failure. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly when nanometer scale layers of nanoparticulates and a polymers are added one by one. LbL composites display performance parameters 10-1000 times better that the traditional nanocomposites made by extrusion or batch-mixing.  Nanoparticles such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, molybdenum disulfide and tungsten disulfide are being used as reinforcing agents to fabricate mechanically strong biodegradable polymeric nanocomposites for bone tissue engineering applications. The addition of these nanoparticles in the polymer matrix at low concentrations (~0.2 weight %) cause significant improvements in the compressive and flexural mechanical properties of polymeric nanocomposites. Potentially, these nanocomposites may be used as a novel, mechanically strong, light weight composite as bone implants. The results suggest that mechanical reinforcement is dependent on the nanostructure morphology, defects, dispersion of nanomaterials in the polymer matrix, and the cross-linking density of the polymer. In general, two-dimensional nanostructures can reinforce the polymer better than one-dimensional nanostructures, and inorganic nanomaterials are better reinforcing agents than carbon based nanomaterials. In addition to mechanical properties, polymer nanocomposites based on carbon nanotubes or graphene have been used to enhance a wide range of properties, giving rise to functional materials for a wide range of high added value applications in fields such as energy conversion and storage, sensing and biomedical tissue engineering. For example, multi-walled carbon nanotubes based polymer nanocomposites have been used for the enhancement of the electrical conductivity.  Nanoscale dispersion of filler or controlled nanostructures in the composite can introduce new physical properties and novel behaviors that are absent in the unfilled matrices. This effectively changes the nature of the original matrix (such composite materials can be better described by the term genuine nanocomposites or hybrids). Some examples of such new properties are fire resistance or flame retardancy, and accelerated biodegradability.  A range of polymeric nanocomposites are used for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering, drug delivery, cellular therapies. Due to unique interactions between polymer and nanoparticles, a range of property combinations can be engineered to mimic native tissue structure and properties. A range of natural and synthetic polymers are used to design polymeric nanocomposites for biomedical applications including starch, cellulose, alginate, chitosan, collagen, gelatin, and fibrin, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(caprolactone) (PCL), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS). A range of nanoparticles including ceramic, polymeric, metal oxide and carbon-based nanomaterials are incorporated within polymeric network to obtain desired property combinations.

Magnetic nanocomposites.

Nanocomposites that can respond to an external stimulus are of increased interest due to the fact that, because of the large amount of interaction between the phase interfaces, the stimulus response can have a larger effect on the composite as a whole. The external stimulus can take many forms, such as a magnetic, electrical, or mechanical field. Specifically, magnetic nanocomposites are useful for use in these applications due to the nature of magnetic material's ability to respond both to electrical and magnetic stimuli. The penetration depth of a magnetic field is also high, leading to an increased area that the nanocomposite is affected by and therefore an increased response. In order to respond to a magnetic field, a matrix can be easily loaded with nanoparticles or nanorods The different morphologies for magnetic nanocomposite materials are vast, including matrix dispersed nanoparticles, core-shell nanoparticles, colloidal crystals, macroscale spheres, or janus-type nanostructures.  Magnetic nanocomposites can be utilized in a vast number of applications, including catalytic, medical, and technical. For example, palladium is a common transition metal used in catalysis reactions. Magnetic nanoparticle-supported palladium complexes can be used in catalysis to increase the efficiency of the palladium in the reaction.  Magnetic nanocomposites can also be utilized in the medical field, with magnetic nanorods embedded in a polymer matrix can aid in more precise drug delivery and release. Finally, magnetic nanocomposites can be used in high frequency/high temperature applications. For example, multi-layer structures can be fabricated for use in electronic applications. An electrodeposited Fe/Fe oxide multi-layered sample can be an example of this application of magnetic nanocomposites.

Heat resistant nanocomposites.

In the recent years nanocomposites have been designed to withstand high temperatures by the addition of Carbon Dots (CDs) in the polymer matrix. Such nanocomposites can be utilized in environments wherein high temperature resistance is a prime criterion.

Nanocomposite is a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers (nm) or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material.


Overview.

"Dastak" presents an expanded version of Rajinder Singh Bedi's radio play, "Naql-e-Makaani" ("Moving to a New House"), first performed on All India Radio, Lahore in 1944.  Upon release, the film established Rajinder Singh Bedi as an important force in Indian Parallel Cinema, as "Dastak" is considered an important film of the decade. In 1972 the director was awarded the Padma Shri.  The director Hrishikesh Mukjherjee once said, "Rajinder Singh Bedi was an extraordinarily gifted writer. Indeed, I feel privileged that I could edit his maiden venture as writer-director 'Dastak' in stark B&W starring Sanjeev Kumar and Rehana Sultan. Rehana won the 'Urvashi' award then the term for the National Award for Best Actress and I won the coveted Filmfare award for my first love - editing!"

Critical reception.

"Dastak" was featured in Avijit Ghosh's book, "40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed".

Synopsis.

The film was known for its unusual story line set in a red light area. A newlywed couple, Hamid (Sanjeev Kumar) and Salma (Rehana Sultan), unwittingly rent a flat, and thus begins their daily turmoil at the knocks (dastak) on their door. The previous occupant was Shamshad Begum (Shakeela), a famous mujrewali (nautch girl).

Music.

"Dastak" was released when the nation was gripped by the western rhythms prevalent in the music of music directors like R.D. Burman. The film's music director stood his ground as a maestro of classical rhythms on the "dholak" and raga based melodies. The music of "Dastak" stood out for its allegiance to the classical traditions of raga-based melodies by its music director Madan Mohan, who managed to get from Lata Mangeshkar, ostensibly her best performance as a playback singer.

Lyrics.

The film is known for its poignant lyrics by famous lyricist, Majrooh Sultanpuri, especially in capturing the painful state of the story's female protagonist, Salma — be it a dramatic statement about the society: "Hum hai mataye koocha bazaar ki tarah, Uthti hai har nigaah kharidaar ki tarah" or the silent pain of "Mai Ri mai ka se Kahoon peer apne jiya ki..."

Dastak () is a Hindi film made in 1970. It was written and directed by Rajinder Singh Bedi and was his directorial debut.


History.

The remains of two ancient synagogue have been discovered at al-Ahmadiyah, which is possibly the site of the ancient Roman Jewish settlement of Ecbatana. A number of artifacts indicate Jewish settlement in the village during the 4th century CE, such as one containing a relief of nine-branched menorah. Sherds dating to the Islamic era, particularly the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, were also found in the village.  The first archaeological survey of al-Ahmadiyah was undertaken by Gottlieb Schumacher in 1884. He noted that the village, poorly built, was inhabited by some 70 Turkomans living in twelve hut-like houses. They cultivated various types of vegetables. It was situated at the bottom of a hill containing ruins known as Shuwaikah. The residents had utilized the stones of these ruins to build al-Ahmadiyah. The ruins dated to the Roman era, as indicated by the carved stone reliefs of Roman eagles and other animals. Another survey in 1968, this time by Israeli archaeologist S. Guttman, found more sherds from the Roman and Byzantine as well as items from the Hellenistic period. Guttman determined the size of the ancient settlement spanned 35 dunams.  Israel occupied al-Ahmadiyah and the Golan Heights after driving out the Syrian Army from the area during the Six-Day War in 1967. In 1968 it demolished the town as witnessed by United Nations military observers. A Syrian diplomatic representative issued a complaint about the village's destruction. During the Yom Kippur War, in October 1973, al-Ahmadiyah was one of three places where the Syrian Army launched major drives against as their forces moved across the Golan's mountainous plains. The other two places were Khishniyah and al-Rafid.

El-Ahmediye (; ) also known as el-Hamediyeh or Ammudiya, is a former Syrian village in the central Golan Heights, 15 kilometers southeast of Lake Hula. It was populated during the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six-Day War. The village spread over two low-lying hills surrounded by springs. The Israeli settlement of Qatzrin was established two kilometers to the south. Al-Ahmadiyah's previous inhabitants had predominantly been Turkomans.


Gameplay.

At first, the player clicks on the large cookie on the far left side of the screen to earn one cookie per click. With these cookies, the player can purchase new assets such as cursors, grandmas, and farms, that automatically make cookies. Upgrades can be purchased to increase the cookies gathered from buildings or clicks. Golden cookies, smaller cookies that appear and fade away over several seconds, appear periodically and grant bonus cookies or increase the rate of production for a short time.  After earning a certain amount of cookies, the player can restart the game to earn heavenly chips and prestige, which will add a permanent boost to the rate of cookie production in future playthroughs. Other mechanics such as prestige upgrades (unlocked with heavenly chips), "wrinklers", the Cookie Dragon, minigames, and sugar lumps can be used to boost cookie production or generate more cookies in other ways (such as when the game is closed). Achievements can be earned by completing various tasks, such as producing certain numbers of total cookies or owning a particular number of a building. Additionally, seasonal events occur along with their respective holiday. With the seasonal events come more upgrades and cookies to unlock.  The game features geometric growth – the player begins baking handfuls of cookies, but can quickly reach billions of cookies, and eventually attain duodecillions of cookies or beyond. The game has no end.  Because of the game's relatively simple code, cheats and add-ons are widely available and simply implemented by using browser consoles and bookmarklets.

History.

Julien "Orteil" Thiennot created "Cookie Clicker" in August 2013. Written in a single evening, the game was posted in a link on 4chan, and garnered 50,000 players within hours. A month after the game's initial release, it had over 200,000 players per day. Orteil later wrote that traffic had peaked at 1.5 million hits in one day during August 2013, and as of January 2014 Cookie Clicker was still getting a steady 225,000 hits per day. The game has had continual updates since its release, notably the "legacy" update in February 2016 and the "spiritual" update in July 2017. On October 25, 2018, Orteil launched the game's Patreon page, with the intent on having developed Cookie Clicker and other Dashnet games becoming a full-time job. On August 8, 2019, the mobile beta for Cookie Clicker was released for Android devices after a long delay.  "Cookie Clicker" is similar to "Cow Clicker", a previously existing idle game created by Ian Bogost. Bogost has called "Cookie Clicker" "the logical conclusion of "Cow Clicker"". Orteil later released other idle games such as: "Idle Game Maker", a tool allowing customized idle games to be made without coding knowledge; "AdventureQuest Dragons", a mobile game created with Artix Entertainment; and "Neverending Legacy".

Analysis.

Impact on idle gaming.

In an IGN article, "Cookie Clicker" is credited as one of the few games to have played a major role in the establishment of the genre of idle gaming (also called incremental gaming). An article in "The Kernel" describes it as "probably the best-known" game in the genre.  In an issue of "Digital Culture & Society", Paolo Ruffino notes that the game is "supposed to be a parody of Farmville" (a popular game which Ruffino says could be played easily with an algorithm, as the optimal action is always obvious), but that it is "equally addictive". Thus, the game "explores the absence of human agency". Ian Bogost, creator of "Cow Clicker", similarly notes that "Cookie Clicker isn't a game for a human, but one for a computer to play while a human watches (or doesn't)." "Cookie Clicker" has been said by reviewers to be addictive, and its fanbase have been described as "obsessive" and "almost cultish". Kiberd notes that fans of the game have pointed out that their playing the game is bad for the environment (due to the computers being left on around the clock) and caused reduced efficiency at work.  However, due to their mockingly simple mechanics, idle games are also considered by many of being relatively simple or, as stated in an IGN article, "super dumb". Games such as "Cookie Clicker" have used this blend of simplicity and complexity to create a new genre that some may not even consider as actual games. Orteil himself described his works as "non-games".

Themes.

The game has dark humour in the names and descriptions of some of its upgrades, achievements or mechanics, and generally has themes of dystopia, cosmic horror, and apocalypse. Examples including an achievement titled "Global Warming" (upon owning 100 factories), a news ticker tape reading "New cookie-based religion sweeps the nation." and the "Grandmapocalypse", in which "the screen turns molten red and the central cookie is attacked by phallic 'wrinklers'", and the world at large is implied to have been taken over by a hive mind of mutated grandmothers.  In "The Kernel", Kiberd opines that the game is "a parable about how capitalism will destroy itself". Kiberd suggests that "Cookie Clicker" is "saddling [the concept of fun] with ideas about success, achievement, and productivity", and "uses its own form as a critique of the larger structures of expectation and reward".

Reception.

Justin Davis of "IGN" describes "Cookie Clicker" as the "greatest Idle Game" and says it "probably achieves the best balance of power yet [...] so that every step of the way you feel like you're flying, generating cookies so much faster than you were before. But you still can't wait until that next major milestone is finally within reach". "Boing Boing" reviewed "Cookie Clicker" as a "highly-addictive browser game". "Polygon" has described the game as "intriguing", and its fan base as "obsessive". "Destructoid" emphasizes that it is "centered around the pursuit and accumulation of vast wealth", providing players with "the "illusion" of progress, without any substantial advancement actually being made."

Cookie Clicker is an incremental game created by French programmer Julien "Orteil" Thiennot in 2013. The user initially clicks on a big cookie on the screen, earning a single cookie per click. They can then spend cookies on purchasing assets such as "cursors" and "buildings", which will automatically produce cookies. Upgrades can improve the efficiency of clicks and buildings, and other mechanics lead to many other ways in which the user can earn cookies. Though the game has no ending, it has hundreds of achievements, and users may aim to reach milestone numbers of cookies.


Dennis Brothers 1895 to 1901.

Dennis Brothers was founded in 1895 by brothers John Cawsey Dennis (1871–1939) and (Herbert) Raymond Dennis (1878–1939) who made Speed King bicycles. They built the bicycles, initially from bought-in parts, and sold them from their shop, The Universal Athletic Stores, in High Street, Guildford. They made their first motor vehicle in 1898, and in 1899, their first car, "The Dennis Light Doctor's Car". Though shown at the National Cycle Show this car was never put into production.

Dennis Brothers Limited 1901 to 1972.

Cars.

After incorporating Dennis Brothers Limited, in which they were given generous financial support by local cyclists and potential motorists, the brothers began car production around 1901. John Dennis built a 30,000 square foot three storey plus basement building in Onslow Street in the centre of Guildford with a lift between floors later known as the Rodboro Buildings. This was the first purpose-built motor vehicle factory in Britain.  Their range of cars was quickly extended to 12hp, 14hp, 16 and 20hp chassis fitted with tourer, town car and limousine bodies. From the Dennis Brothers stand at the 1903 Crystal Palace Motor Show the brothers sold almost £30,000 worth of cars and took many more orders. Larger models followed their first light cars. A 35 hp model in 1906 was powered by a White and Poppe engine. This power unit was soon fitted to all their vehicles.

Worm drive back axle.

Until well into the early years of the twentieth century the back wheels of most vehicles were driven by a chain from each side of a differential fixed to the chassis frame. Dennis Brothers developed and patented a reliable worm drive into a differential mounted on the back axle. Another feature of that period was "spring drive", a torsional shock absorber mounted at the input end of the drive line.

Commercial vehicles.

Commercial vehicle activity increased. Their first was a van for Harrods in London. Dennis made its first bus in 1903 and their first fire engine in 1908 — for Bradford Council Fire Department. The last car was made in 1913 after the Dennis brothers saw there was less competition in the commercial vehicle market.  The rate of growth of the business may be gauged from the regular expansions on their new site at Woodbridge Hill on the outskirts of Guildford — in 1907, 1910, 1912 and 1913. In 1913 Dennis Brothers moved their main operations to a new much larger building of almost four acres on the twelve-acre site at Woodbridge leaving their purpose-built Onslow Street premises solely for repairs. In March 1913 the investing public learnt that Dennis Brothers was a manufacturer of motor-vans, motor-lorries, motor-fire-engines, motor-cars etc. The brothers' offer of shares to the public was substantially over-subscribed and Dennis Brothers Limited became a publicly listed company. Rising international tensions precipitated a major contract for supply of 1,000 3-ton "subsidy" lorries to private buyers on terms set by the War Office. Taking the subsidy obliged the buyer to release the vehicle to the War Office in time of war. Materials had been ordered but no subvention lorries completed when the situation changed.

World War I.

After August 1914's outbreak of hostilities production was reduced to the subvention type 3-ton military lorries, now supplied directly to the War Office, and the Dennis turbine fire engine. The Ministry of Munitions took complete control of the whole business in 1915. New buildings were added to contain the manufacture of munitions.

1920s.

Following 1918's armistice there was a severe glut of war surplus vehicles and a consequent collapse in demand for new trucks. To try to compensate the Dennis product range was expanded into municipal vehicles — dustcarts (refuse collection), street cleaning vehicles, sewage tankers and pumps etc. Municipal vehicles do not suffer from the fluctuations of demand experienced by the overall economy. Buyers tend to replace them at fixed periods so there is an element of longer term planning. While it is a relatively small market it is stable. Motor mowers were added in 1922.  White and Poppe in Coventry had always supplied engines for Dennis Brothers motor vehicles. A takeover had been under consideration before the war but it was not until April 1919 that it was made public Dennis Brothers and White and Poppe had agreed to an exchange of shares in each other's business. The swap gave Dennis Brothers the controlling interest in White and Poppe. Alfred White and Peter Poppe joined the Dennis Brothers board but it was not until March 1933 in the midst of the 1930s depression that engine production was transferred from Coventry to Guildford.  One chassis was used for both lorries and buses. In the 1920s Dennis began to design and build separate chassis for their public service vehicles (buses) with a lower ride height. Pneumatic tyres were introduced. Forward control buses were added to their catalogue in the same decade. Export markets were developed between the wars, particularly vehicles for Hong Kong.

The 1930s.

The decade began with the Great Depression. Diesel engines were in demand for larger commercial vehicles. New Dennis buses were a double-deck Lance and single-deck Lancet. The Dennis Ace, a smaller twenty-seater bus was brought into production in 1933 using the chassis of Dennis's small lorry. The Arrow Minor followed in 1935 and a new Falcon chassis in 1938.  John and Raymond Dennis built 223 houses for their workers, 102 of them on a 20 acres estate in Woodbridge Hill for their Coventry motor workers who brought production of White & Poppe engines to Guildford in 1933. The area took on the name Dennisville. Both brothers died in 1939 and they are commemorated in the names of Dennisville's St John's Road and Raymond Crescent.

Second World War.

During the Second World War the Ministry of Supply restricted Dennis to lorries and allocated bus production to Daimler and Guy. Over that period Dennis built some 3,000 6/8 ton capacity "Max" and 1,500 "Pax" 3-ton lorries, assembled 700 Churchill tanks, 17,000 engines for landing craft, 7,000 fire pumps, 750,000 bombs and 3,000 infantry carriers. Meanwhile,'municipal vehicles' were built for military bases. The plant operated around the clock and the number of workers doubled to 4,000.

1948 Nationalisation of road haulage.

British Road Services, Britain's state-owned road haulage operator, didn't buy any trucks from Dennis. New products were developed but were not attractive to British Road Services. The suppliers to British Road Services were prospering. Leyland, AEC and Foden's technical advances and greater truck experience let them build even better buses to compete with Dennis buses. Only Dennis's light Pax trucks sold well and they went to businesses still permitted to run their own short-distance transport. Yet buses and fire engines remained in demand. The 1940s and 1950s still managed to be Dennis's best years.

The 1950s.

The 1950s saw the introduction of diesel engines and automatic transmissions and bus engines were moved below floors to increase carrying capacity.  After the war bus production began again. 1950 introductions were a passenger chassis named Dominant with a semi-automatic transmission and a horizontally mounted diesel engine and Paxit all-enclosed mechanical rear-loading refuse-collection vehicles. Rolls-Royce diesel engines replaced Dennis petrol engines in the fire engines during 1951. New show vehicles in 1952 included a 51⁄2 litre Centaur chassis with platform body, a Pax chassis with tipping gear and a lightweight body and the Stork chassis.  The AV1, a new diesel ambulance chassis, returned ambulances to the Dennis product line-up during 1954. The next year an updated heavy fire engine chassis received Rolls-Royce fully automatic gearboxes.  They were not yet in production but Dennis revealed their plans for new Loline model doubledeck buses at the end of 1956. Built with Dennis components they used a patented Bristol Lodekka chassis. The Dennis version was for the independent section of the market Bristol was unable to supply. During 1957 sales in both home and export markets fell. Demand for commercial vehicles did not recover after the Suez Crisis. The new Loline buses were in service and a variant new chassis was now available with front entry providing driver control of the door.

The 1960s.

In the 1960s engines moved to the back of the buses.  In May 1962, Dennis bought the fire appliance division of Hawker Siddeley Group's Alfred Miles. In April 1964 tractor manufacturer Mercury Truck & Tractor Company, Mercury Airfield Equipment that manufactured airport tugs and later baggage trailers and ground units, and Mercury Snow Control were purchased.  Potential passenger customers preferred their new vehicles front-entrance and rear-engined and Dennis had no bus in production to meet those requirements. Dennis chose to end bus manufacture in 1965 and concentrate on lorries which also faced declining demand.  In late 1965 a significant block of shareholders dissatisfied with the performance of their business asked that Dennis Brothers cease production and liquidate its assets. The disputes ended when the rebels were unable to find a buyer for the Dennis business at an acceptable price. Major changes were made to management and to the directorate. The following year turnover grew again and profits seemed to have made improvement. New capital was found for an expansion and modernisation programme and twelve months later the new chairman reported activities had been split into six clear-cut divisions and claimed they were "poised for recovery".  The shareholders were faced with continuing losses. Responding to their invitation John King of Pollard Ball took up the challenge and accepted the position of chairman of the board. Julian Amery, a former Minister of Aviation, joined the board as did a new CEO and a new finance director. The workforce of 1,300 was cut by 150, mostly white-collar workers. A banker was added to the directorate.  At King's suggestion Dennis Motor Holdings, was formed on 15 January 1970 as a holding company with all part-time directors. In June the chairman announced much greater losses in the subsequent half year but he remained optimistic. They listed their products as: commercial vehicles, fire engines, refuse collection vehicles and aircraft tractors.  In 1971/72, Dennis sold 101 houses in Slyfield's Woking Road and in Midleton Road, Dennisville.

Hestair Group.

Dennis Motors 1972 to 1977.

In March 1972 Hestair made a successful takeover bid for Dennis Motor Holdings. It took effect in May 1972. With Dennis came 35 acres of sprawling red brick factory on the Guildford by-pass. Hestair announced it intended to sell surplus land.  Hestair was a new industrial investment vehicle managed by David Hargreaves. It had purchased street sweeper bodybuilder Yorkshire Vehicles and garbage truck bodybuilder Eagle Engineering in 1971. Hestair's other interests were agricultural engineering, toys and employment bureaux.  Dennis Motor Holdings was renamed Dennis Motors Limited and with Eagle and Yorkshire Vehicles, managed as the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering.  In June 1972 the manufacture of trucks for haulage ceased. In September Hestair sold Dennis' Mercury towing tractors and motor mowers to Marshalls (Halifax) and new plant was bought for the Guildford factory.  Envec, an acronym for Environmental Vehicles, was chosen as the new brand name for marketing the municipal vehicles built by Dennis Motors, Eagle Engineering and Yorkshire Vehicles.  Non-specialist truck production for general haulage resumed in 1974 after a break of two years. New rear-engined single-decker and double-decker buses were announced in August 1977 after a bus-building break of eleven years. At the time of the announcement the workforce was 875 and Dennis Motors remained Guildford's largest employer. The first new bus was the Dominator with a double-deck body followed by more new buses named Dorchester, Lancet and Falcon. The Falcon chassis took either single or double-deck bodies. All these names belonged to previous successful Dennis models. A new range of fire appliances, the R series, went into production in 1976. A single specialist fire engine chassis on which modular body units could be mounted it was complementary to the existing range.  On 31 December 1977 Dennis Motors Limited was renamed Hestair Dennis Limited.

Hestair Dennis 1977 to 1985.

The former Dennis Motors business was renamed Hestair Dennis by August 1977. A Queen's Award for Export was received in 1978. In February 1980 John Smith, the managing director of Hestair Dennis, was jailed for life in Baghdad for paying "huge amounts for commercial deals and secret information". Four of the Iraqis with him were hanged. He was not released until February 1988.  "Phoenix" was added as a brand name to all Dennis Eagle refuse collectors during 1978.  The Delta 1600 series trucks were launched, middleweight 16 tonne vehicles for tipper and haulage applications.  In February 1983, Hestair Dennis purchased Duple Coachbuilders. Between the two Hestair could produce complete vehicles with the new Duple-developed integrated body-chassis units. Duple owned Duple Metsec in Tipton, suppliers of bus body kits for assembly overseas. Hestair Duple 425 was displayed in October 1984 and in production a year later powered by Cummins engines. On 10 December 1985 Hestair Dennis Limited was renamed Dennis Specialist Vehicles Limited and again on 3 February 1986 to Hestair Specialist Vehicles Limited.

Special-vehicle division.

Production moves to Warwick, Worcester, Blackpool.

In late 1985 a new 125,000 square foot Dennis Eagle plant on the Heathcote Industrial Estate in Warwick opened, taking over the building of Dennis municipal vehicle chassis and the matching Eagle bodies. Construction of chassis for buses and coaches as well as fire appliances remained at Guildford but that factory lost 600 jobs. Building of fire appliance bodies was moved to Carmichael Fire in Worcester and all cabs to Duple at Blackpool.  The re-organisation cost around £4 million covered by the sale of part of the original Dennis site. The Guildford workforce dropped from 700 to 400. Still one of Europe's largest builders of fire appliance chassis Dennis Specialist Vehicles was running at a loss.  In the 1980s bus engines stayed beneath the floor but were moved as far back as possible to release luggage space. At the October 1986 Commercial Motor Show Dennis introduced its Javelin design using a 6-cylinder Cummins engine mounted forward of the axle. Previous models had used Gardner engines.  The fire engineering division was closed and requirements contracted out to Carmichael in Worcester. At this time Dennis claimed 65 per cent of the fire engine market. John Dennis of the founders' family, previously coach and truck sales manager, left and set up John Dennis Coachbuilders to build complete fire engine bodies.  The remaining business was the manufacture of chassis for fire appliances and public service vehicles. Almost all the 35 acre Woodbridge Hill site was sold.  At the October 1988 Motor Show Dennis and Duple displayed their new Dennis Dart midibus.

Management buy-out.

At the end of 1988 the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering comprised:

Trinity Holdings.

Trinity Holdings 1989 renamed Dennis Group in 1997.

Trinity Holdings, the management of the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering with the backing of banking institutions, bought Dennis from Hestair. Geoff Hollyhead, former head of the Vehicle Division, led the management buyout and was appointed chairman and CEO. The stated intention was to relist the Dennis group back on the London Stock Exchange.  Hestair Specialist Vehicles Limited was reamed Specialist Vehicles Limited on 7 March 1989.  Duple Coachbuilders was closed down in July 1989 with 350 jobs lost. The parts and service business went to Plaxton, production of the 300 series and 425 Integral followed parts and service to Plaxton later. Plaxton took the Duple sites in London, Blackpool and Glasgow to enlarge their spares and repairs network. Dennis and Duple had developed the Dart, a midibus bought by London Transport as a one-man operated bus to replace their AEC Routemasters. At the end of 1989 Dart bodywork production moved from the closed Duple to Carlyle Works in Birmingham. The Dart was followed by the Lance which used independent front suspension to allow a low floor halfway down the vehicle.  The next year Guildford factory moved to Slyfield Industrial Estate and into new premises allowing room to increase production. The work force was more than 300. Shelvoke's design rights were bought from the receiver in September 1991 and their parts and service depots at Merthyr Tydfil and Birmingham were taken over. Dennis now had 27 service outlets.  Carmichael Fire, a rival manufacturer of a range extending from Land Rover based fire tenders up to 8 x 8 airfield crash tenders, was rescued from its parent's receiver in 1992. Carmichael was sold in 1998 shortly after Mayflower took control.  As intended Trinity Holdings was successfully floated in 1992. At that time it was described as a group of famous motor engineering names including Dennis fire engines, buses and dustcarts, Duple bus kits and Reliance Mercury airport tenders. Trinity claimed it was Europe's largest specialist vehicle producer making specialised products for niche markets. Dennis held 40 per cent of the British fire engine market, the Dart mid-sized bus was Britain's biggest seller.  In 1993, Trinity entered a joint venture with UMW in Malaysia to build buses in Malaysia from Guildford built chassis kits and Duple Metsec body kits. Trinity withdrew from the venture in 1998. In December 1995, Trinity purchased the aircraft and cargo handling division of ML Holdings: Douglas Equipment and Schopf.  In October 1997 Trinity rebranded itself as the Dennis Group. It also revealed an order from Stagecoach Group for 100 Dennis Dart double-decker buses. In the first half of 1997, it produced made more than 1,000 buses and fire engines, restructured the assembly plant at Warwick and expanded its Guildford plant increasing capacity 25 per cent.

Low-floor bus chassis.

Henlys Group, the new name for Plaxton, made buses which it often mounted on Dennis chassis. For some years they had together made double-deckers for Hong Kong and British Columbia and mini-buses for English customers. The Dennis and Henlys combined production held 40 per cent of the British market. Combined along with third partner Volvo they held the biggest share of the US market. It seemed logical to put the Henlys and Dennis businesses together and Henlys made an offer to Dennis Group shareholders.  Mayflower, an engineering group that owned bus bodybuilder Walter Alexander, felt threatened by the almost-completed Henlys-Dennis tie up and launched a bid for Dennis. Volvo responded by announcing its backing for the Henlys Dennis merger. Mayflower revealed a proposed alliance with Daimler-Benz including collaboration on development of chassis, technical support, power unit supply and worldwide distribution.  Mayflower was angling for the Dennis-Henlys (and Volvo) strong position in the US bus market. It was believed Dennis's low-floor bus chassis design would fit the expected US demand for wheelchair-friendly buses and less polluting bus engines. That market was estimated to be around 15,000 vehicles each year. Mayflower's other core division, Mayflower Vehicle Systems, supplied panels to European and US manufacturers.  Mayflower won the contested takeover bid for Dennis Group and within a few months disposed of two Dennis subsidiaries it did not want. Subsequent events showed Mayflower paid too much for Dennis.

Divestments.

Henlys unable to buy Dennis bought, with Volvo's backing, which held 40 per cent of the US yellow school bus market. The deal also won Henlys the Blue Bird distribution system. However within five years the too high price Henlys paid for Blue Bird would lead to Henlys' financial collapse.

Transbus International.

Joint venture.

In 2000 Mayflower (Dennis and Alexander brands) and Henlys Group (Plaxton), aiming to save overheads, merged their British bus-making operations into a joint venture owned 70 per cent by Mayflower and 30 per cent by Henlys. The factories concerned employed 3,300 staff in seven places in Scotland and Yorkshire.  Plaxton's Scarborough operations was to close in the summer of 2001 with the loss of 700 jobs blamed on the fall in tourism after the foot and mouth epidemic broke out. Minibuses production was moved to Walter Alexander at Falkirk. However the Scarborough factory did not close altogether, 200 staff were to return to work after the summer break.  At the end of 2002 Mayflower terminated Thomas Dennis, its three-year-old North American low-floor single-decker buses joint venture, selling its 49 per cent interest to partner DaimlerChrysler. Mayflower stated it wanted to concentrate on double-deckers, citing the success of their double-decker fleets in New York and Vancouver.  Mayflower was valued at £700 million in 1999. By March 2004 that stockmarket valuation had fallen to £22 million. The following month Mayflower was placed in administration amid accusations of four years of falsifying crucial company records as to customers' payments to HSBC, counting the same income twice. One outcome was that certain members of the Dennis pension fund would receive only 40 per cent of their pensions though others would continue to receive their full entitlement.  Transbus Alexander and Transbus Dennis were bought by a consortium which included David Murray, Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, and was branded Alexander Dennis.  Transbus Plaxton was sold to its managers, Brian Davidson and Mike Keane with the support of a private equity group. In 2007 Plaxton Holdings was acquired by Alexander Dennis effectively recreating the TransBus International business.  The company incorporated as Dennis Motor Holdings in 1970 to save boardroom disputes having subsequently worn new names of:

Products.

Fire engines.

Dennis fire engines were noted, from their 1908 outset, for their use of a Gwynnes made centrifugal pump or 'turbine' as a water pump, rather than the piston pumps used by other makers. This was more complex to build than the long-established piston pumps, but had advantages in operation. Where water was supplied under pressure from a hydrant, rather than by suction from a pond, this additional pressure was boosted through the centrifugal pump, whereas a piston pump would have throttled it. Piston pumps also gave a pulsating outlet pressure which required an air-filled receiver to even this out.  The Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services owns a pumper that was built by Dennis Brothers and delivered to the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore in 1925 from England.

Military vehicles of World War I.

Over 7,000 Dennis 3-Ton lorries were built for the War Department during World War I. These 3-Ton lorries could reach 55 miles per hour and climb gradients as steep as 1 in 6.

Buses.

Refuse trucks.

Dennis were noted as specialist makers of refuse collection trucks, with compactors, bin lifters, tipper-body emptying and other specialised features for this market. The same market is now served by Dennis Eagle.  Conceived to meet a requirement for a simple easily produced and maintained alternative to the effective but costly and complicated Quad 4 x 4 tractor, the Dennis design steered on the first pair of wheels but dispensed with springs, substituting six oversized tyres for conventional suspension.

Military vehicles of World War II.

A centre-control driving position in a shallow lightly armoured body provided with ammunition lockers and sheltered under an overall canvas tilt resulted in a vehicle not instantly recognisable as truck. (Prototypes used a box body in place of the simple platform and conventional cab). Early models were powered by twin coupled Bedford engines but the final design was powered by a powerful Leyland 9.8 litre engine. Length was 20 feet (6 metres), height 7ft 6 inches (2.3 metres) high.  Despite promising test results no production order was forthcoming.

Dennis Brothers Limited was an English manufacturer of commercial vehicles based in Guildford. It is best remembered as a manufacturer of buses, fire engines and lorries (trucks) and municipal vehicles such as dustcarts. All vehicles were made to order to the customer's requirements and more strongly built than mass production equivalents. For most of the 20th century Dennis Brothers was Guildford's main employer.


Early life.

William Whiting was born on March 22, 1824, in the coastal community of Biloxi in southern Mississippi. At the age of twelve, he was an outstanding student and graduate of English High School of Boston in Boston, Massachusetts. At sixteen, he graduated from Georgetown College (now University) in Washington, D.C. The son of Lieutenant Colonel Levi Whiting, a respected officer in the 1st Artillery Regiment, and Mary A. Whiting, he continued to impress his instructors at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, from which he graduated first in the class of 1845.  Appointed Second Lieutenant of Engineers, Whiting was involved in constructing seacoast defenses in Maryland and Florida and surveying military routes and frontier forts in west Texas. Whiting served at Fort Davis, Texas. He was the first to survey the Big Bend area for the U.S. Army. Promoted to First Lieutenant in 1853, Whiting was sent west, erecting harbor fortifications in San Francisco, California, and serving on the board of engineers for Pacific coast defenses until 1856. Lt. Whiting spent the five years before the Civil War improving rivers, canals, and harbors in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. He was promoted to Captain in the Corps of Engineers in 1858.

Civil War.

In January 1861, Captain Whiting was an engineer responsible for US Army installations in Georgia and Florida. As Georgia and Florida state militia seized these sites by force, Whiting took no discernible action. On January 3, Whiting received information that Georgia was moving to take Fort Marion, but he made no effort to warn the garrison there or its commander. By the end of the month, more than half a dozen U.S. Army forts, arsenals, and barracks had fallen to state forces without any action by Whiting.  Whiting resigned his commission February 20, 1861, in the weeks before Fort Sumter. He was appointed Major of Engineers in the ACSA, the regular Confederate States Army, on March 16. While improving the defenses of Charleston harbor he was also named Brigadier and Inspector General of the North Carolina Militia. During the first Battle of Fort Sumter he served on the staff of General P.G.T. Beauregard, who praised his work. Later Whiting served under General Joseph E. Johnston as Chief Engineer of the Army of the Shenandoah and at the First Battle of Bull Run. After a brief service as Inspector General he was promoted to Brigadier General on July 21, 1861, and became a brigade commander serving in the Aquia District under Major General Theophilus H. Holmes.  On December 19 Whiting sent a letter to President Jefferson Davis declining his assignment to command five fresh Mississippi regiments and instead gave unsolicited advice and criticism to his superiors. Davis, himself a Mississippian, ordered the suspension of Whiting from his rank and position, effectively demoting him to Major of Engineers again. It was only due to General Joe Johnston's hearty requests and protests that Whiting was reinstated to his rank.  By early 1862, Whiting had been assigned to Maj. Gen Gustavus W. Smith's division in Fredericksburg, a division that Whiting led during Smith's absences. The division comprised the commands of several brigadier generals who would distinguish themselves over the course of the war; notably John Bell Hood, Wade Hampton III, Evander Law, and colonel Dorsey Pender.  During the Peninsula Campaign, Whiting accompanied Johnston to Yorktown to examine the fortifications built by general John B. Magruder. His division was present during the month-long siege. On the Confederate withdraw from Yorktown to Richmond, Whiting's men were responsible for blocking a Union flanking maneuver by sea, at the Battle of Eltham's Landing.  A few days before the Battle of Seven Pines, Johnston named Smith as a wing commander and Whiting assumed operational command of the division during the battle. Whiting attempted to flank Union general Darius Couch's position, but was stopped by the arrival of Brig. Gen John Sedgwick's division, which resisted repeated Confederate attacks. After Joe Johnston was wounded, Gustavus Smith became temporary army commander, but suffered from illness and a nervous breakdown, forcing him to step down and cede command of the army to General Robert E. Lee. Whiting became permanent division commander following an army reorganization that left him with only two brigades instead of the five he had at Seven Pines. During the Battle of Gaines Mill, Whiting's division performed the decisive breakthrough of the Union lines at Boatswain's Creek. At Malvern Hill, he participated in the futile assault on the massed Union artillery atop the hill. After the Seven Days Battles were over, Robert E. Lee was dissatisfied with Whiting's performance and replaced him with Brig. Gen John Bell Hood.  Whiting was assigned to command the more peaceful Military District of Wilmington, North Carolina. Finally promoted to Major General on February 13, 1863, Whiting was assigned command of the Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia, briefly taking over the Petersburg Defenses in May 1864. By late 1864, Whiting found himself defending the district against forces under Maj. Gen. Alfred Howe Terry in the Wilmington Campaign. Wounded in the right thigh and hip he was captured in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. Angry that his superior, General Braxton Bragg, failed to use the division of Maj. Gen. Robert Hoke to attack the Federal rear while the fort was under assault, Whiting requested an investigation of his superior's actions from his prison cell.  Taken prisoner with the rest of fort's defenders, and weakened by war service and the injuries suffered at Fort Fisher, Whiting died of dysentery at the Union military hospital at Fort Columbus on Governors Island in New York City on March 10, 1865. He was buried a few miles distant at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. His widow, Kate, had his body exhumed in 1900 and moved to Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina.  Whiting's brother, Major Jasper Strong Whiting, died of scarlet fever on December 25, 1862. Another brother, Robert Edward Kerr Whiting, was later in charge of Woodlawn Cemetery in Westchester County (now the Bronx).  Whiting is posthumously credited with the authorship of several works, which are:  On July 23, 2012, the Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington unveiled Whiting's uniform for exhibition.

William Henry Chase Whiting (March 22, 1824 – March 10, 1865) was a United States Army officer who resigned after 16 years of service in the Army Corps of Engineers to serve in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He was wounded at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher by a musket ball to his leg, and died in prison camp on March 10, 1865, of dysentery.


The street.

The "downriver" end meets Canal Street. On the other side of Canal Street in the French Quarter, the corresponding street is Royal Street. From Canal Street, St. Charles runs up through the New Orleans Central Business District, then the length of Uptown New Orleans, reflecting the crescent curve of the Mississippi River but at a distance inland. It continues to the Carrollton neighborhood, ending one block past Carrollton Avenue where it intersects with Leake Street/River Road at the foot of the Mississippi River levee.  From Canal Street to Lee Circle, St. Charles Avenue is properly called St. Charles Street and is one way in the upriver direction with two lanes of traffic, with the streetcar track sharing right-of-way with one lane of motor vehicle traffic. From Lee Circle to Louisiana Avenue it has two lanes of traffic in each direction with two streetcar rail lines on the grassy tree-lined median ("neutral ground" in local parlance). From Louisiana Avenue to Carrollton Avenue it has one lane of traffic in each direction plus the streetcar neutral ground. The streetcar line turns inland at Carrollton Avenue to follow the thoroughfare, while the final stretch continues the final short block to River Road.  Major intersections, from east to west, include: Canal Street, Poydras Street, Lee Circle/Howard Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/Melpomene Avenue, Jackson Avenue, Washington Avenue, Louisiana Avenue, Napoleon Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Nashville Avenue, Broadway Street, Carrollton Avenue, and Leake Avenue.

History.

For the first half of the 19th century, the portion of St. Charles above Lee Circle (then "Tivoli Circle") was known as Nyades Street. The lower portion was and is an important corridor in the Central Business District. Historically-significant buildings include Gallier Hall, which was City Hall until the 1950s.  The street was laid out atop a slight rise, the remains of an old natural levee, in connection with the construction of the New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad, which became the St. Charles Streetcar Line. The long traffic avenue originally used for horse-drawn buggies and wagons, with public rail transit running down the center, helped fuel the development of Uptown in the 19th century.  In 1889, writer Martha R. Field observed that "St. Charles Avenue is seven miles long, and is paved with asphalt its entire length" and was lined "with beautiful homes."  St. Charles Avenue was the favored site for construction of mansions by the wealthy from the mid 19th century through the early years of the 20th century. A number of the old mansions were torn down in the mid- and late 20th century, until the area was declared an historic district. Many of the surviving ones have been divided into condominiums or rental apartments; others have been utilized as businesses, small hotels, and a library, while some remain individually-owned residences.  In early 1999, an effort by the New Orleans Police Department was made to clean up the Avenue and the blocks north, which were beginning to show signs of seediness. The illegal drug industry was pushed back into Central City.  During the 2005 flooding of the majority of New Orleans due to levee failures caused by Hurricane Katrina, St. Charles Avenue and the portion of Uptown closer to the Mississippi River escaped significant flooding.

Prominent buildings.

Notable buildings along St. Charles Avenue include several hotels, perhaps the most famous still in business being the Pontchartrain Hotel, in business since 1927. The Columns Hotel is a small hotel in a 19th-century mansion; part of the film "Pretty Baby" was made here.  The St. Charles Hotel, near Canal Street, was one of the city's two most well-known hotels through most of the 19th and early 20th centuries; it was torn down in the 1970s. (The other was the St. Louis Hotel in the French Quarter, which was replaced in the 20th century by the Royal Orleans.) The former Bienville Hotel on Lee Circle is now an apartment building.  The headquarters of the United Fruit Company was on St. Charles Avenue in the Central Business District.  The former mansion of silent-film star Marguerite Clark is now the Milton Latter Memorial branch of the New Orleans Public Library.  The facades of both Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans are located on St. Charles Avenue, opposite Audubon Park.

St. Charles Avenue () is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. and the home of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the dozens of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the uptown section of the boulevard.


Plot.

Widower Jordan Blake (Bing Crosby) is a successful Broadway producer and songwriter, but he has been neglecting his teenaged children, Jerry (Robert Arthur) and Barbara (Natalie Wood).  In rehearsal with star and girlfriend Carolina Hill (Jane Wyman), he keeps Jerry waiting, then dismisses a song his son has written as trite. Jordan is also unaware that Jerry is hopelessly in love with Carolina, who has wedding plans of her own...but to Jordan.  Then when daughter Barbara ends up in night court with her governess, who has been arrested for a drunken disagreement with a police officer, Jordan realizes he needs to spend more time with his kids.  At the urging of Carolina, he takes both to a resort, not far from a finishing school that Barbara would love to attend. Without realizing that Alida De Bronkhart (Ethel Barrymore) is the headmistress there, Jordan tries to learn from Alida the best way to get a girl accepted at the exclusive school. He also performs an old vaudeville song for the trustees, causing his daughter great embarrassment.  Carolina has a heart-to-heart talk with young Jerry about being in love. He mistakenly believes Carolina means him when she mentions her intention to marry. Jerry is crushed when he learns on the radio that Carolina is engaged to his father. Heartbroken, he enlists in the Air Force and leaves home.  Time goes by. In wartime, Jordan does his part by performing on a USO tour of Alaska. He speaks from the heart about the highs and lows of raising children, unaware that his son is in the audience. They, along with Carolina, are eventually reunited.

Reception.

The film had its New York premiere at the Capitol Theater on October 8, 1952.  Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" was not impressed. "Bing Crosby's well-known reputation as an amiable father of boys may have no bearing whatsoever on his new picture, “Just for You,” but it is notable that, in this song-plugged fable, he plays a father who has trouble with his son...Put this one down as an endeavor in a generous cause that fails to come off entirely because it lacks sharp direction—and a script. Elliott Nugent's staging and pacing is as rigid and uninspired as the stiff and conventional plotting in Mr. Carson's script. And the songs and song numbers, while pleasant, are nothing to set the screen on fire."  "Variety" was much happier with it at the New York preview. ""Just for You", a Bing Crosby-Jane Wyman musical which Paramount has set for national release in September, should prove a stout factor in bringing back that “lost audience.” For this Technicolor film has a rousing, melodic score and a logical story well acted by a fine cast. With such basic ingredients, the picture will not only satisfy the “under 35” trade but will recapture some of the older public who have temporarily lost the film-going habit...With fine material to work with, Crosby socks across one of his best portrayals."

Soundtrack.

All the music was composed by Harry Warren with lyrics by Leo Robin.  In addition to the songs featured in the film, two others were written for it. They were "Spring Fever" and "A Flight of Fancy"; they were used on the soundtrack as part of the background music.  Bing Crosby recorded six of the songs for Decca Records and these were issued on a 10" LP titled Selections from the Paramount Picture "Just for You". “Zing a Little Zong” was in the Billboard charts for six weeks with a peak position of #18. Crosby's songs were also included in the Bing's Hollywood series.

Just for You is a 1952 American musical film starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman and the final motion picture to be directed by Elliott Nugent. It was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1953. The film was based on the book "Famous" by Stephen Vincent Benét. Filming took place between October 22 and December 20, 1951. It is said that Judy Garland had originally been sent a script as she was being considered for the female lead, but she apparently decided not to proceed with the project. Location scenes were filmed at Lake Arrowhead, near San Bernardino, California and at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest.