text:
IAST
India
Baital Pachisi
Singhasan Battisi
Ujjain
Pataliputra
Pratishthana
Vikrama Samvat
Shakas
fantastic
Chandragupta II
mlechchha
Shakas
epithet
Gupta period
interpolations
Brihatkatha
epic
unattested
Paisaci
Katha-Sarit-Sagara
Gaha Sattasai
Satavahana
Hāla
Samudragupta
Chandragupta II
Prabhavatigupta
Vasubandhu
Paramartha
Vasavadatta
Ayodhya
Samkhya
Prince Baladitya
Xuanzang
Shravasti
calendar era
Vikrama Samvat
Shaka era
Al-Biruni
Vallabha
Gupta
Shalivahana
Malava tribe
D. C. Sircar
D. R. Bhandarkar
Chandragupta II
see below
Rudolf Hoernlé
Yashodharman
Kshemendra
Kathasaritsagara
Dakshinapatha
Kubera
Baital Pachisi
vetala
recension
List of Vetala Tales
Śivadāsa
Pratishthana
ashram
Kashyapa
Indra
deva
Shiva
asura
mlechchhas
retired
Varanasi
vetala
rakshasa
Dakshinapatha
Madhyadesa
Surashtra
Ganges
Kashmira
tributary state
Sinhala
Kalinga
Kambojas
Yavana
Hunas
Barbaras
Tusharas
Gunadhya
Kalhana
Rajatarangini
D. C. Sircar
Vardhana
Harsha
Ratnavali
Paramara
Malwa
Singhasan Battisi
frame stories
Bhoja
apsara
primary
Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh
frame story
Bhavishya Purana
Mount Abu
Agnivansha
Shalivahana
Bhoja
Bhavishya Purana
Vedic
ashvamedha
Indus River
Badrinath
Rameshwaram
Chauhan
Chalukya
Parihara
Chandra
Chandravanshi
Suryavanshi
Bharatavarsha
Kali Yuga
Kailasa
Naimisha Forest
Gorakhnath
Bhartrhari
Saunaka
Upapurana
Shalivahana
Jain
Ujjain
Kumarapala
acharya
Siddhasena Divakara
Simhasana Dvatrimsika
Vetala Panchavimshati
Hemachandra
Shalivahana
Bhoja
Munja
Merutunga
Jain
Shalivahana
Pratishthana
Shalivahana era
Sanskrit
Prakrit
Gardabhilla
acharya
Alain Daniélou
Satavahana
Shalivahana
Marathi
Nāga
Shesha
Brahmin
vetala
Tamil
Alchemic
quicksilver
Kamakshi
Kanchipuram
eight Bhairavas
human sacrifice
Chola
three Tamil dynasties
Shalivahana
shramana
Shiva
Vishnu
Cholan
Cheran
Pandiyan
Shantanu
Kali Yuga
Ayodhya
tirthas
yogi
Hans T. Bakker
Saketa
Skandagupta
Ramayana
Paramartha
Vasubandhu
Purugupta
Pataliputra
Pratishthana
Śivadāsa
Gujarati
treatise
Kalidasa
Navaratnas
Amarasimha
Dhanavantari
Ghatakarapara
Kalidasa
Kshapanaka
Varahamihira
Vararuchi
Vetala Bhatta
literary forgery
V. V. Mirashi
nighantu
Siddhasena Divakara
Rajasekhara
Kshemendra
Uttara Kannada
Malava
Chandragupta II
Gautamiputra Satakarni
Yashodharman
Rajbali Pandey
Ujjain
Malava
Sindh
Vikrama Samvat
Chandragupta II
Gupta era
Brihatkatha
Gatha Saptashati
Pataliputra
interpolation
A. K. Warder
Puranas
Shungas
Kanvas
Satavahanas
Shakas
Indo-Greeks
Samudragupta
Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri
Shalivahana
Satavahana
D. R. Bhandarkar
V. V. Mirashi
D. C. Sircar
Chandragupta II
Supia
Rashtrakuta
Govinda IV
Alf Hiltebeitel
Govindagupta
Chaudadanapura
Skandagupta
Kathasaritsagara
Kumaragupta I
Skandagupta
Pratishthana
A. K. Warder
Satavahanas
Gautamiputra Satakarni
Max Müller
Aulikara
Yashodharman
Rudolf Hoernlé
Kalhana
Rajatarangini
Huna
Mihirakula
Mandsaur
Amar Chitra Katha
Vikram Aur Betaal
Doordarshan
Doordarshan
another adaptation
Sony Pal
Indian Navy
aircraft carrier
INS "Vikramaditya"
India Post
Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha
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Aham Sharma

paragraph: Vikramaditya

paragraph: Vikramaditya (IAST: "") was a legendary emperor of ancient India. Often characterized as an ideal king, he is known for his generosity, courage, and patronage of scholars. Vikramaditya is featured in hundreds of traditional Indian legends, including those in "Baital Pachisi" and "Singhasan Battisi". Many describe him as a universal ruler, with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Pratishthana in a few stories).

paragraph: According to popular tradition, Vikramaditya began the Vikrama Samvat era in 57 BCE after defeating the Shakas, and those who believe that he is based on a historical figure place him around the first century BCE. However, this era is identified as "Vikrama Samvat" after the ninth century CE. Other scholars believe that Vikramaditya is a mythical character, since several legends about him are fantastic in nature.

paragraph: "Vikramaditya" was a common title adopted by several Indian kings, and the Vikramaditya legends may be embellished accounts of different kings (particularly Chandragupta II).

paragraph: Section::::Etymology and names.

paragraph: Vikramaditya means "the sun of valour" ("vikrama" means "valour" and "aditya" means "sun"). He is also known as Vikrama, Bikramjit and "Vikramarka" ("arka" also means "sun"). Some legends describe him as a liberator of India from "mlechchha" invaders; the invaders are identified as Shakas in most, and the king is known by the epithet "Shakari" (; "enemy of the Shakas").

paragraph: Section::::Early legends.

paragraph: Although Vikramaditya is mentioned in a few works dated to before the Gupta period (240–550 CE), portions (including Vikramaditya) may be later Gupta-era interpolations. The earliest work to mention Vikramaditya was probably "Brihatkatha", an Indian epic written between the first century BCE and the third century CE in the unattested Paisaci language. Its existence (and its mention of Vikramaditya) is confirmed only by adaptations in surviving works dating to the sixth century and later and testimonials by contemporary poets. Since there is no surviving copy of "Brihatkatha", it is not known if it contained the Vikramaditya legends; its post-Gupta adaptations, such as the "Katha-Sarit-Sagara", may contain interpolations.

paragraph: "Gaha Sattasai" (or "Gatha-Saptasati"), a collection of poems attributed to the Satavahana king Hāla (), mentions a king named Vikramaditya who gave away his wealth out of charity. However, many stanzas in this work are not common to its revisions and are apparent Gupta-period expansions. The verse about Vikramaditya is similar to a phrase—"Anekago-shatasahasra-hiranya-kotipradasya"—found in Gupta inscriptions about Samudragupta and Chandragupta II (for example, the Pune and Riddhapur copper-plate inscriptions of Chandragupta's daughter, Prabhavatigupta); this phrase may have been a later, Gupta-era insertion in the work attributed to Hāla.

paragraph: The earliest uncontested mentions of Vikramaditya appear in sixth-century works: the biography of Vasubandhu by Paramartha (499–569) and "Vasavadatta" by Subandhu. Paramaratha quotes a legend which mentions Ayodhya ("A-yu-ja") as the capital of king Vikramaditya ("Pi-ka-la-ma-a-chi-ta"). According to this legend, the king gave 300,000 gold coins to the Samkhya scholar Vindhyavasa for defeating Vasubandhu's Buddhist teacher (Buddhamitra) in a philosophical debate. Vasubandhu then wrote "Paramartha Saptati", illustrating deficiencies in Samkhya philosophy. Vikramaditya, pleased with Vasubandhu's arguments, gave him 300,000 gold coins as well. Vasubandhu later taught Buddhism to Prince Baladitya and converted the queen to Buddhism after the king's death. According to Subandhu, Vikramaditya was a glorious memory by his time.

paragraph: In his "Si-yu-ki", Xuanzang () identifies Vikramaditya as the king of Shravasti. According to his account, the king (despite his treasurer's objections) ordered that 500,000 gold coins be distributed to the poor and gave a man 100,000 gold coins for putting him back on track during a wild boar hunt. Around the same time, a Buddhist monk known as Manoratha paid a barber 100,000 gold coins for shaving his head. Vikramaditya, who prided himself on his generosity, was embarrassed and arranged a debate between Manoratha and 100 non-Buddhist scholars. After Manoratha defeated 99 of the scholars, the king and other non-Buddhists shouted him down and humiliated him at the beginning of the last debate. Before his death, Manoratha wrote to his disciple Vasubandhu about the futility of debating biased, ignorant people. Shortly after Vikramaditya's death, Vasubandhu asked his successor, Baladitya, to organise another debate to avenge his mentor's humiliation. In this debate, Vasubandhu defeated 100 non-Buddhist scholars.

paragraph: Section::::Association with Vikrama Samvat.

paragraph: After the ninth century, a calendar era beginning in 57 BCE (now called the Vikrama Samvat) began to be associated with Vikramaditya; some legends also associate the Shaka era (beginning in 78 CE) with him. When Persian scholar Al-Biruni (973–1048) visited India, he learned that the Indians used five eras: Sri Harsha, Vikramaditya (57 BCE), Shaka (78 CE), Vallabha and Gupta. The Vikramaditya era was used in southern and western India. Al-Biruni learned the following legend about the Shaka era:

paragraph: Since there was a difference of over 130 years between the Vikramaditya era and the Shaka era, Al-Biruni concluded that their founders were two kings with the same name. The Vikramaditya era named after the first, and the Shaka era was associated with the defeat of the Shaka ruler by the second Vikramaditya.

paragraph: According to several later legends—particularly Jain legends—Vikramaditya established the 57 BCE era after he defeated the Shakas and was defeated in turn by Shalivahana, who established the 78 CE era. Both legends are historically inaccurate. There is a difference of 135 years between the beginning of the two eras, and Vikramaditya and Shalivahana could not have lived simultaneously. The association of the era beginning in 57 BCE with Vikramaditya is not found in any source before the ninth century. Earlier sources call this era by several names, including "Kṛṭa", "the era of the Malava tribe", or "Samvat" ("Era"). Scholars such as D. C. Sircar and D. R. Bhandarkar believe that the name of the era changed to Vikrama Samvat during the reign of Chandragupta II, who had adopted the title of "Vikramaditya" (see below). Alternative theories also exist, and Rudolf Hoernlé believed that it was Yashodharman who renamed the era Vikrama Samvat. The earliest mention of the Shaka era as the Shalivahana era occurs in the 13th century, and may have been an attempt to remove the era's foreign association.

paragraph: Section::::10th- to 12th-century legends.

paragraph: Section::::10th- to 12th-century legends.:"Brihatkatha" adaptations.

paragraph: Kshemendra's "Brihatkathamanjari" and Somadeva's 11th-century "Kathasaritsagara", both adaptations of "Brihatkatha", contain a number of legends about Vikramaditya. Each legend has several fantasy stories within a story, illustrating his power.

paragraph: The first legend mentions Vikramaditya's rivalry with the king of Pratishthana. In this version, that king is named Narasimha (not Shalivahana) and Vikramaditya's capital is Pataliputra (not Ujjain). According to the legend, Vikramaditya was an adversary of Narasimha who invaded Dakshinapatha and besieged Pratishthana; he was defeated and forced to retreat. He then entered Pratishthana in disguise and won over a courtesan. Vikramaditya was her lover for some time before secretly returning to Pataliputra. Before his return, he left five golden statues which he had received from Kubera at the courtesan's house. If a limb of one of these miraculous statues was broken off and gifted to someone, the golden limb would grow back. Mourning the loss of her lover, the courtesan turned to charity; known for her gifts of gold, she soon surpassed Narasimha in fame. Vikramaditya later returned to the courtesan's house, where Narasimha met and befriended him. Vikramaditya married the courtesan and brought her to Pataliputra.

paragraph: Book 12 ("Shashankavati") contains the "vetala panchavimshati" legends, popularly known as "Baital Pachisi". It is a collection of 25 stories in which the king tries to capture and hold a vetala who tells a puzzling tale which ends with a question. In addition to "Kathasaritsagara", the collection appears in three other Sanskrit recensions, a number of Indian vernacular versions and several English translations from Sanskrit and Hindi; it is the most popular of the Vikramaditya legends. There are minor variations among the recensions; see List of Vetala Tales. In Kshemendra, Somadeva and Śivadāsa's recensions, the king is named Trivikramasena; in "Kathasaritsagara", his capital is located at Pratishthana. At the end of the story, the reader learns that he was formerly Vikramaditya. Later texts, such as the Sanskrit "Vetala-Vikramaditya-Katha" and the modern vernacular versions, identify the king as Vikramaditya of Ujjain.

paragraph: Book 18 ("Vishamashila") contains another legend told by Naravahanadatta to an assembly of hermits in the ashram of a sage, Kashyapa. According to the legend, Indra and other devas told Shiva that the slain asuras were reborn as mlechchhas. Shiva then ordered his attendant, Malyavat, to be born in Ujjain as the prince of the Avanti kingdom and kill the mlechchhas. The deity appeared to the Avanti king Mahendraditya in a dream, telling him that a son would be born to his queen Saumyadarshana. He asked the king to name the child Vikramaditya, and told him that the prince would be known as "Vishamashila" because of his hostility to enemies. Malyavat was born as Vikramaditya; when the prince grew up, Mahendraditya retired to Varanasi. Vikramaditya began a campaign to conquer a number of kingdoms and subdued vetalas, rakshasas and other demons. His general, Vikramashakti, conquered the Dakshinapatha in the south; Madhyadesa in the central region; Surashtra in the west, and the country east of the Ganges; Vikramashakti also made the northern kingdom of Kashmira a tributary state of Vikramaditya. Virasena, the king of Sinhala, gave his daughter Madanalekha to Vikramaditya in marriage. The emperor also married three other women (Gunavati, Chandravati and Madanasundari) and Kalingasena, the princess of Kalinga.

paragraph: The "Brihatkathamanjari" contains similar legends, with some variations; Vikramaditya's general Vikramashakti defeated a number of mlechchhas, including Kambojas, Yavanas, Hunas, Barbaras, Tusharas and Persians. In "Brihatkathamanjari" and "Kathasaritsagara", Malyavat is later born as Gunadhya (the author of "Brihatkatha", on which these books are based).

paragraph: Section::::10th- to 12th-century legends.:"Rajatarangini".

paragraph: Kalhana's 12th-century "Rajatarangini" mentions that Harsha Vikramaditya of Ujjayini defeated the Shakas. According to the chronicle Vikramaditya appointed his friend, the poet Matrigupta, ruler of Kashmir. After Vikramaditya's death, Matrigupta abdicated the throne in favour of Pravarasena. According to D. C. Sircar, Kalhana confused the legendary Vikramaditya with the Vardhana Emperor Harshavardhana (); Madhusudana's 17th-century "Bhavabodhini" similarly confuses the two kings, and mentions that Harsha, the author of "Ratnavali", had his capital at Ujjain.

paragraph: Section::::Paramara legends.

paragraph: The Paramara kings, who ruled Malwa (including Ujjain) from the ninth to the fourteenth century, associated themselves with Vikramaditya and other legendary kings to justify their imperial claims.

paragraph: Section::::Paramara legends.:"Simhasana Dvatrimsika".

paragraph: "Simhasana Dvatrimsika" (popularly known as "Singhasan Battisi") contains 32 folktales about Vikramaditya. In this collection of frame stories, the Paramara king Bhoja discovers the ancient throne of Vikramaditya after several centuries. The throne has 32 statues, who are actually apsaras who were turned into stone by a curse. When Bhoja tries to ascend the throne, one apsara comes to life and tells him to ascend the throne only if he is as magnanimous as Vikramaditya (as revealed by her tale). This leads to 32 attempts by Bhoja to ascend the throne, with 32 tales of Vikramaditya's virtue; after each, Bhoja acknowledges his inferiority. Pleased with his humility, the statues finally let him ascend the throne.

paragraph: The author and date of the original work are unknown. Since the story mentions Bhoja (who died in 1055), it must have been composed after the 11th century. Five primary recensions of the Sanskrit version, "Simhasana-dvatrimsika", are dated to the 13th and 14th centuries. According to Sujan Rai's 1695 "Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh", its author was Bhoja's "wazir" (prime minister) Pandit Braj.

paragraph: "Vetala Panchavimshati" and "Simhasana Dvatrimsika" are structurally opposite. In the "Vetala" tales, Vikramaditya is the central character of the frame story but is unconnected with the individual tales except for hearing them from the vetala. Although the frame story of the "Throne Tales" is set long after Vikramaditya's death, those tales describe his life and deeds.

paragraph: Section::::Paramara legends.:"Bhavishya Purana".

paragraph: The "Bhavishya Purana", an ancient Hindu text, also connects Vikramaditya to the Paramaras. According to the text (3.1.6.45-7.4), the first Paramara king was Pramara (born from a fire pit at Mount Abu, thus an Agnivansha). Vikramaditya, Shalivahana and Bhoja are described as Pramara's descendants and members of the Paramara dynasty.

paragraph: According to the "Bhavishya Purana", when the world was degraded by non-Vedic faiths, Shiva sent Vikramaditya to earth and established a throne decorated with 32 designs for him (a reference to "Simhasana Dvatrimsika"). Shiva's wife, Parvati, created a vetala to protect Vikramaditya and instruct him with riddles (a reference to "Baital Pachisi" legends). After hearing the vetala's stories, Vikramaditya performed a ashvamedha (horse sacrifice). The wandering of the sacrificial horse defined the boundary of Vikramaditya's empire: the Indus River in the west, Badaristhana (Badrinath) in the north, Kapila in the east and Setubandha (Rameshwaram) in the south. The emperor united the four Agnivanshi clans by marrying princesses from the three non-Paramara clans: Vira from the Chauhan clan, Nija from the Chalukya clan, and Bhogavati from the Parihara clan. All the gods except Chandra celebrated his success (a reference to the Chandravanshis, rivals of Suryavanshi clans such as the Paramaras).

paragraph: There were 18 kingdoms in Vikramaditya's empire of "Bharatavarsha" (India). After a flawless reign, he ascended to heaven. At the beginning of the Kali Yuga, Vikramaditya came from Kailasa and convened an assembly of sages from the Naimisha Forest. Gorakhnath, Bhartrhari, Lomaharsana, Saunaka and other sages recited the Puranas and the Upapuranas. A hundred years after Vikramaditya's death, the Shakas invaded India again. Shalivahana, Vikramaditya's grandson, subjugated them and other invaders. Five hundred years after Shalivahana's death, Bhoja defeated later invaders.

paragraph: Section::::Jain legends.

paragraph: Several works by Jain authors contain legends about Vikramaditya, including:

paragraph: Few references to Vikramaditya exist in Jain literature before the mid-12th century, although Ujjain appears frequently. After the Jain king Kumarapala (), it became fashionable among Jain writers to compare Kumarapala to Vikramaditya. By the end of the 13th century, legends featuring Vikramaditya as a Jain emperor began surfacing. A major theme in Jain tradition is that the Jain acharya Siddhasena Divakara converted Vikramaditya to Jainism. He is said to have told Vikramaditya that 1,199 years after him, there would be another great king like him (Kumarapala).

paragraph: Jain tradition originally had four Simhasana-related stories and four vetala-related puzzle stories. Later Jain authors adopted the 32 "Simhasana Dvatrimsika" and 25 "Vetala Panchavimshati" stories.

paragraph: The Jain author Hemachandra names Vikramaditya as one of four learned kings; the other three are Shalivahana, Bhoja and Munja. Merutunga's "Vicarasreni" places his victory at Ujjain in 57 BCE, and hints that his four successors ruled from 3 to 78 CE.

paragraph: Section::::Jain legends.:Shalivahana-Vikramaditya rivalry.

paragraph: Many legends, particularly Jain legends, associate Vikramaditya with Shalivahana of Pratishthana (another legendary king). In some he is defeated by Shalivahana, who begins the Shalivahana era; in others, he is an ancestor of Shalivahana. A few legends call the king of Pratishthana "Vikramaditya". Political rivalry between the kings is sometimes extended to language, with Vikramaditya supporting Sanskrit and Shalivahana supporting Prakrit.

paragraph: In the "Kalakacharya-Kathanaka", Vikramaditya's father Gardabhilla abducted the sister of Kalaka (a Jain acharya). At Kalaka's insistence, the Shakas invaded Ujjain and made Gardabhilla their prisoner. Vikramaditya later arrived from Pratishthana, defeated the Shakas, and began the Vikrama Samvat era to commemorate his victory. According to Alain Daniélou, the Vikramaditya in this legend refers to a Satavahana king.

paragraph: Other Jain texts contain variations of a legend about Vikramaditya's defeat at the hands of the king of Pratishthana, known as Satavahana or Shalivahana. This theme is found in Jina-Prabhasuri's "Kalpa-Pradipa", Rajashekhara's "Prabandha-Kosha" and "Salivahana-Charitra", a Marathi work. According to the legend, Satavahana was the child of the Nāga (serpent) chief Shesha and a Brahmin widow who lived in the home of a potter. His name, Satavahana, was derived from "satani" (give) and "vahana" (a means of transport) because he sculpted elephants, horses and other means of transport with clay and gave them to other children. Vikramaditya perceived omens that his killer had been born. He sent his vetala to find the child; the vetala traced Satavahana in Pratishthana, and Vikramaditya led an army there. With Nāga magic, Satavahana converted his clay figures of horses, elephants and soldiers into a real army. He defeated Vikramaditya (who fled to Ujjain), began his own era, and became a Jain. There are several variations of this legend: Vikramaditya is killed by Satavahana's arrow in battle; he marries Satavahana's daughter and they have a son (known as Vikramasena or Vikrama-charitra), or Satavahana is the son of Manorama, wife of a bodyguard of the king of Pratishthana.

paragraph: Section::::Tamil legends.

paragraph: In a medieval Tamil legend Vikramaditya has 32 marks on his body, a characteristic of universal emperors. A Brahmin in need of Alchemic quicksilver tells him that it can be obtained if the emperor offers his head to the goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram. Although Vikramaditya agrees to sacrifice himself, the goddess fulfills his wish without the sacrifice.

paragraph: In another Tamil legend, Vikramaditya offers to perform a variant of the "navakhandam" rite (cutting the body in nine places) to please the gods. He offers to cut his body in eight places (for the eight Bhairavas), and offers his head to the goddess. In return, he convinces the goddess to end human sacrifice.

paragraph: "Chola Purva Patayam" ("Ancient Chola Record"), a Tamil manuscript of uncertain date, contains a legend about the divine origin of the three Tamil dynasties. In this legend, Shalivahana (also known as Bhoja) is a shramana king. He defeats Vikramaditya, and begins persecuting worshipers of Shiva and Vishnu. Shiva then creates the three Tamil kings to defeat him: Vira Cholan, Ula Cheran, and Vajranga Pandiyan. The kings have a number of adventures, including finding treasures and inscriptions of Hindu kings from the age of Shantanu to Vikramaditya. They ultimately defeat Shalivahana in the year 1443 (of an uncertain calendar era, possibly from the beginning of Kali Yuga).

paragraph: Section::::Ayodhya legend.

paragraph: According to a legend in Ayodhya, the city was re-discovered by Vikramaditya after it was lost for centuries. Vikramaditya began searching for Ayodhya and met Prayaga, the king of tirthas. Guided by Prayaga, Vikramaditya marked the place but then forgot where it was. A yogi told him that he should free a cow and calf; Ayodhya would be where milk began to flow from the cow's udder. Following this advice, Vikramaditya found the site of ancient Ayodhya.

paragraph: According to Hans T. Bakker, present-day Ayodhya was originally the Saketa mentioned in Buddhist sources. The Gupta emperor Skandagupta, who compared himself to Rama and was also known as Vikramaditya, moved his capital to Saketa and renamed it Ayodhya after the legendary city in the "Ramayana". The Vikramaditya mentioned in Paramartha's fourth–fifth century CE biography of Vasubandhu is generally identified with a Gupta king, such as Skandagupta or Purugupta. Although the Gupta kings ruled from Pataliputra, Ayodhya was within their domain. However, scholars such as Ashvini Agrawal reject this account as inaccurate.

paragraph: Section::::Other legends.

paragraph: According to Ananta's 12th-century heroic poem, "Vira-Charitra" (or "Viracharita"), Shalivahana (or Satavahana) defeated and killed Vikramaditya and ruled from Pratishthana. Shalivahana's associate, Shudraka, later allied with Vikramaditya's successors and defeated Shalivahana's descendants. This legend contains a number of mythological stories.

paragraph: Śivadāsa's 12th– to 14th-century "Śālivāhana Kātha" (or "Shalivahana-Charitra") similarly describes the rivalry between Vikramaditya and Shalivahana.

paragraph: Ānanda's "Mādhavānala Kāmakandalā Kathā" is a story of separated lovers who are reunited by Vikramaditya.

paragraph: "Vikramodaya" is a series of verse tales in which the emperor appears as a wise parrot; a similar series is found in the Jain text, "Pārśvanāthacaritra".

paragraph: The 15th-century—or later—"Pañcadaṇḍachattra Prabandha" ("The Story of Umbrellas With Five Sticks") contains "stories of magic and witchcraft, full of wonderful adventures, in which Vikramāditya plays the rôle of a powerful magician". Ganapati's 16th-century Gujarati work, "Madhavanala-Kamakandala-Katha", also contains Vikramaditya stories.

paragraph: Section::::Navaratnas.

paragraph: In "Jyotirvidabharana" (22.10), a treatise attributed to Kalidasa, nine noted scholars (the Navaratnas) were at Vikramaditya's court:

paragraph: BULLET::::1. Amarasimha,

paragraph: BULLET::::2. Dhanavantari,

paragraph: BULLET::::3. Ghatakarapara,

paragraph: BULLET::::4. Kalidasa,

paragraph: BULLET::::5. Kshapanaka,

paragraph: BULLET::::6. Shanku,

paragraph: BULLET::::7. Varahamihira,

paragraph: BULLET::::8. Vararuchi, and

paragraph: BULLET::::9. Vetala Bhatta. However, many scholars consider "Jyotirvidabharana" a literary forgery written after Kalidasa's death. According to V. V. Mirashi, who dates the work to the 12th century, it could not have been composed by Kalidasa because it contains grammatical errors. There is no mention of such Navaratnas in earlier literature, and D. C. Sircar calls "Jyotirvidabharana" "absolutely worthless for historical purposes".

paragraph: There is no historical evidence indicating that the nine scholars were contemporary figures or proteges of the same king. Vararuchi is believed to have lived around the third or fourth century CE. Although Kalidasa's lifetime is debated, most historians place him around the fifth century; Varahamihira is known to have lived in the sixth century. Dhanavantari was the author of a medical glossary (a nighantu), but his lifetime is uncertain. Amarasimha cannot be dated with certainty either, but his lexicon uses works by Dhanavantari and Kalidasa; therefore, he cannot be dated to the first century BCE (Vikramaditya is said to have established an era in 57 BCE). Little is known about Shanku, Vetalabhatta, Kshapanaka and Ghatakarpara. Some Jain writers identify Siddhasena Divakara as Kshapanaka, but this is not accepted by historians.

paragraph: Kalidasa is the only figure whose association with Vikramaditya is mentioned in works earlier than "Jyotirvidabharana". According to Rajasekhara's "Kāvyamimāṃsa" (10th century), Bhoja's "Sringara Prakasa" and Kshemendra's "Auchitya-Vichara-Charcha" (both 11th century), Vikramaditya sent Kalidasa as his ambassador to the Kuntala country (present-day Uttara Kannada). However, the historicity of these reports is doubtful.

paragraph: Section::::Historicity.

paragraph: Although some authors believe that Vikramaditya was a mythical character, others hypothesize that he was a historical Malava king from around the first century BCE. Still others believe that he was a legendary character based on an historical king, identified as Chandragupta II, Gautamiputra Satakarni or Yashodharman. Vikramaditya may also be based on several kings, legends about whom gradually coalesced into a tradition surrounding him. According to K. Krishnamoorthy, "Vikramaditya" and "Kalidasa" were used as common nouns to identify a patron king and court poet.

paragraph: Section::::Historicity.:Malava king.

paragraph: Rajbali Pandey, Kailash Chand Jain and others believe that Vikramaditya was an Ujjain-based Malava king. The Shakas advanced from Sindh to Malwa around the first century BCE, and were defeated by Vikramaditya. The Krita era, which later came to be known as Vikrama Samvat, marked this victory. Chandragupta II later adopted the title of Vikramaditya after defeating the Shakas. Proponents of this theory say that Vikramaditya is mentioned in works dating to before the Gupta era, including "Brihatkatha" and "Gatha Saptashati". Vikramaditya cannot be based on Chandragupta II, since the Gupta capital was at Pataliputra (not Ujjain). According to Raj Pruthi, legends surrounding this first-century king gradually became intertwined with those of later kings called "Vikramaditya" (including Chandragupta II).

paragraph: Critics of this theory say that "Gatha Saptashati" shows clear signs of Gupta-era interpolation. According to A. K. Warder, "Brihatkathamanjari" and "Kathasaritsagara" are "enormously inflated and deformed" recensions of the original "Brihatkatha". The early Jain works do not mention Vikramaditya and the navaratnas have no historical basis as the nine scholars do not appear to have been contemporary figures. Legends surrounding Vikramaditya are contradictory, border on the fantastic and are inconsistent with historical facts; no epigraphic, numismatic or literary evidence suggests the existence of a king with the name (or title) of Vikramaditya around the first century BCE. Although the Puranas contain genealogies of significant Indian kings, they do not mention a Vikramaditya ruling from Ujjain or Pataliputra before the Gupta era. There is little possibility of an historically-unattested, powerful emperor ruling from Ujjain around the first century BCE among the Shungas (187–78 BCE), the Kanvas (75–30), the Satavahanas (230 BCE–220 CE), the Shakas () and the Indo-Greeks (180 BCE–10 CE).

paragraph: Section::::Historicity.:Gupta kings.

paragraph: A number of Gupta Empire kings adopted the title of Vikramaditya or its equivalent, such as Samudragupta's "Parakramanka". According to D. C. Sircar, Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri and others, the exploits of these kings contributed to the Vikramaditya legends. Distinctions among them were lost over time, and the legendary Shalivahana was similarly based on the exploits of several Satavahana kings.

paragraph: Section::::Historicity.:Gupta kings.:Chandragupta II.

paragraph: Some scholars, including D. R. Bhandarkar, V. V. Mirashi and D. C. Sircar, believe that Vikramaditya is probably based on the Gupta king Chandragupta II. Based on coins and the Supia pillar inscription, it is believed that Chandragupta II adopted the title Vikramaditya. The Khambat and Sangli plates of the Rashtrakuta king Govinda IV use the epithet "Sahasanka", which has also been applied to Vikramaditya, for Chandragupta II. According to Alf Hiltebeitel, Chandragupta's victory against the Shakas was transposed to a fictional character who is credited with establishing the Vikrama Samvat era.

paragraph: In most of the legends Vikramaditya had his capital at Ujjain, although some mention him as king of Pataliputra (the Gupta capital). According to D. C. Sircar, Chandragupta II may have defeated the Shaka invaders of Ujjain and made his son, Govindagupta, a viceroy there. Ujjain may have become a second Gupta capital, and legends about him (as Vikramaditya) may have developed. The Guttas of Guttavalal, a minor dynasty based in present-day Karnataka, claimed descent from the Gupta Empire. Their Chaudadanapura inscription alludes to Vikramaditya ruling from Ujjain, and several Gutta kings were named Vikramaditya. According to Vasundhara Filliozat, the Guttas confused Vikramaditya with Chandragupta II; however, D. C. Sircar sees this as further proof that Vikramaditya was based on Chandragupta II.

paragraph: Section::::Historicity.:Gupta kings.:Skandagupta.

paragraph: The Vikramaditya of Ayodhya legend is identified as Skandagupta () by a number of scholars. Book 18 of the "Kathasaritsagara" describes Vikramaditya as a son of Mahendraditya of Ujjain. According to D.C. Sircar, Kumaragupta I (r. 415–455 CE) adopted the title Mahendraditya. His son, Skandagupta, adopted the title Vikramaditya, and this set of legends may be based on Skandagupta.

paragraph: Section::::Historicity.:Other rulers.

paragraph: In the "Kathasaritsagara" recension of the 25 vetala stories, the king is mentioned as the ruler of Pratishthana. A. K. Warder notes that the Satavahanas were the only notable ancient dynasty who ruled from Pratishthana. According to a Satavahana inscription, their king Gautamiputra Satakarni defeated the Shakas. One of Gautamiputra Satakarni's epithets was "vara-varana-vikrama-charu-vikrama". However, according to D. C. Sircar, the epithet means "one whose gait is as beautiful as that of a choice elephant" and is unrelated to Vikramaditya. Most other Vikramaditya legends note the king's capital as Ujjain (or, less commonly, Pataliputra), but the Satavahanas never had their capital at these cities. Vikramaditya was also described as an adversary of the Pratishthana-based king Satavahana (or Shalivahana) in a number of legends.

paragraph: Max Müller believed that the Vikramaditya legends were based on the sixth-century Aulikara king Yashodharman. The Aulikaras used the Malava era (later known as Vikrama Samvat) in their inscriptions. According to Rudolf Hoernlé, the name of the Malava era was changed to Vikramaditya by Yashodharman. Hoernlé also believed that Yashodharman conquered Kashmir and is the Harsha Vikramaditya mentioned in Kalhana's "Rajatarangini". Although Yashodharman defeated the Hunas (who were led by Mihirakula), the Hunas were not the Shakas; Yashodharman's capital was at Dasapura (modern Mandsaur), not Ujjain. There is no other evidence that he inspired the Vikramaditya legends.

paragraph: Section::::Legacy.

paragraph: Several Vikramaditya stories appear in the "Amar Chitra Katha" comic-book series. "Vikram Aur Betaal", which appeared on Doordarshan in the 1980s, was based on "Baital Pachisi". An adaptation of "Singhasan Battisi" was aired on Doordarshan during the late 1980s. In 2014, another adaptation was aired on Sony Pal.

paragraph: The Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS "Vikramaditya" was christened in honour of Vikramaditya. On 22 December 2016, a commemorative postage stamp honouring Samrat Vikramadittya was released by India Post. Historical-fiction author Shatrujeet Nath retells the emperor's story in his "Vikramaditya Veergatha" series.

paragraph: Currently a series Vikram Betaal Ki Rahasya Gatha is running on &TV where popular actor Aham Sharma is playing the role of Vikramaditya.

description: 1st century BCE emperor of Ujjain, India.

wikidata_label: Vikramaditya

wikipedia_title: Vikramaditya


text: FRSE

text: type-founder

text: Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy

text: Glasgow University

text: Royal Society of Edinburgh

text: Alexander Wilson

text: Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy

text: Glasgow University

text: London

text: Kensington Square

text: Patrick Wilson

categories: 1743 births,Scottish businesspeople,Academics of the University of Glasgow,Scottish meteorologists,Scottish astronomers,18th-century Scottish people,1811 deaths,18th-century astronomers,British typographers,Scottish mathematicians

paragraph: Patrick Wilson (astronomer)

paragraph: Prof Patrick Wilson FRSE LLD (often Angilicised as Peter Wilson) (1743–1811) was a Scottish astronomer, type-founder, mathematician and meteorologist. He was the Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy at Glasgow University from 1784 to 1799.

paragraph: In 1783 he was one of the several joint founders of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

paragraph: Section::::Life.

paragraph: He was born on 16 January 1743 the son of Alexander Wilson, who preceded him as Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy at Glasgow University. Patrick was appointed his successor in 1784 before his father quit the role. Probably due to the failing health of his father they shared the role until his father's death in 1786.

paragraph: He was Clerk of Senate from 1783 to 1795 and 1796 to 1799, and was awarded an honorary LLD in 1800. He was the second son of Alexander Wilson, the first Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy at the University. In 1782 he was employed as an assistant to his father, to take care of instruments, make observations, and help with teaching.

paragraph: Patrick Wilson continued his father's type-founding business in Glasgow. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 17 November 1783. Also in 1783, Patrick was elected Clerk to the Senate of the University. He was re-elected each year until 1799 with the exception of 1795, when the Senate minutes record that Patrick Cumin was elected in his absence.

paragraph: Wilson was appointed Regius Professor of Practical Astronomy to succeed his father in 1784, but his father retained the post until his death in 1786. At the end of his period in office, in 1799 Patrick Wilson bequeathed scientific instruments to the University as well as £1,000, the interest on which was to be used to support his successors in the Chair.

paragraph: He appears to have left Glasgow in 1799 and thereafter lived in London.

paragraph: He died in Kensington Square, London on 30 December 1811

paragraph: Section::::Correspondence with William Herschel.

paragraph: Extract from The Scientific Papers of Sir William Herschel, Volume 1

paragraph: "...The friendship with Doctor (afterwards Sir William) Watson, jun., formed at Bath, was continued till Herschel's death, and brought about a frequent intercourse by letters and many exchanges of visits."

paragraph: "This was also the case with Patrick Wilson, the son and successor of Professor Alexander Wilson of Glasgow. He corresponded with Herschel from 1783; in 1795 he expressed some regret that his father's name and his views on the constitution of the sun had not been mentioned in Herschel's paper on the same subject; but Herschel's reply to this letter seems to have satisfied him perfectly. Wilson resigned his professorship at Glasgow at the end of 1798, and settled in London (from 1805 at Windmill Hill, Hampstead), and he and his sister were on the most cordial terms with Herschel and his wife and sister, and often paid visits to Slough. His letters are always very lengthy (there are more than eighty of them extant); in the years 1807-1810 there is a good deal in them on coloured rings, on which subject he sided with Herschel against the Royal Society. He died in 1811."

paragraph: "With Maskelyne Herschel also corresponded frequently..."

paragraph: Section::::Correspondence with Benjamin Franklin.

paragraph: Patrick Wilson corresponded with Benjamin Franklin for example;

paragraph: (Presumably, Patrick was carrying out the request in William Smith’s letter of 16 May,

paragraph: to present the University of Glasgow with a copy of the first volume of the American

paragraph: Philosophical Society Transactions.)

paragraph: Another document from Patrick Wilson to Benjamin Franklin dated Glasgow University, 27 May 1786 is interesting in that Patrick signs the letter "Patrick Wilson, joint Professor of Astronomy". This being the period when his father Alexander was still in the Regius chair and after he was appointed his successor.

paragraph: Section::::References.

paragraph: BULLET::::- University of Glasgow Story; People; Patrick Wilson

description: Scottish astronomer

wikidata_label: Patrick Wilson

wikipedia_title: Patrick Wilson (astronomer)


text:
Canadian
alpine skier
North Vancouver, British Columbia
North America
skiing World Cup
Lake Louise, Alberta
Super G
Kvitfjell
Norway
downhill

categories: People from North Vancouver,Canadian male alpine skiers,Alpine skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics,1985 births,Olympic alpine skiers of Canada,Living people

paragraph: Robbie Dixon

paragraph: Robert 'Robbie' Dixon (born January 4, 1985) is a Canadian alpine skier.

paragraph: Dixon was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He has been skiing since 2001 in North America, before first skiing World Cup 2006 Lake Louise, Alberta finishing 46th overall best Super G. In March 2008, finished 4th place World Cup Super G Kvitfjell, Norway. best finish next year Kvitfjell finished fifth.

paragraph: In 2010 Olympic Games, Dixon competed in the downhill, but failed to finish.

description: Canadian alpine skier

wikidata_label: Robbie Dixon

wikipedia_title: Robbie Dixon


text:
Rochefort
French ship Amsterdam (1810)
"Illustre"
Suffren
Battle of Trincomalee
Battle of Cuddalore
slave trade
Martin
"Heureux"
"Sans-Culotte"
Cape Noli
Hyères Islands
"Guillaume Tell"
"Heureux"
Battle of the Nile

paragraph: Jean-Pierre Étienne

paragraph: Jean-Pierre Étienne (Rochefort, 9 October 1754 – French ship Amsterdam (1810), off Texel, 31 December 1812) was a French Navy officer.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Etienne started his career in the French Royal Navy in 1766 as a cabin boy, serving on a number of ships as an apprentice, a sailor from 1770, a helmsman from 1773, an aid-pilot from 1775, a second pilot from 1776, and a first pilot from 1778.

paragraph: In 1781, Etienne served on the "Illustre", in Suffren's squadron. He took part in the Battle of Trincomalee, and sustained leg injuries at the Battle of Cuddalore.

paragraph: In 1785, Etienne obtain a commission to captain a merchantman, and engaged in slave trade between Angola and Santo Domingo.

paragraph: In May 1793, Etienne resumed his naval career with the rank of ensign. He was promoted to lieutenant in December, and to captain in January 1794. He was then appointed to the staff of Admiral Martin on "Heureux". Transferred to "Sans-Culotte" in April, he took part in the battles of Cape Noli and Hyères Islands.

paragraph: In 1796, he was awarded command of the "Guillaume Tell". The next year, he was appointed as captain of "Heureux". He took part in the Battle of the Nile, where "Heureux" had to cut her anchor to avoid the burning wreckage of "Orient". Drifting, "Heureux" ran ashore and was captured. Etienne, severely wounded by a round shot, was taken prisoner.

paragraph: Released in August 1798, Etienne served in Alexandria before returning to France in 1799. Etienne assumed a variety of commands as gunboats flotilla commander and harbour captain in Corsica and later in Holland.

paragraph: Section::::Sources and references.

paragraph: BULLET::::- "Dictionnaire des capitaines de vaisseau de Napoléon", Danielle & Bernard Quintin, SPM, 2003,

description: French NAvy officer

wikidata_label: Jean-Pierre Etienne

wikipedia_title: Jean-Pierre Étienne


text:
×
King of Strathclyde
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Rhun ab Arthgal
King of Strathclyde
Harleian genealogies
Eochaid
fl.
c.
Kingdom of Strathclyde
Niall Glúndub mac Áeda
Banshenchas
Arthgal ap Dyfnwal
Kingdom of Al Clud
Al Clud
Amlaíb
fl.
c.
Ímar
River Clyde
Govan
Partick
River Eamont
Penrith
Kingdom of Northumbria
Chronicle of the Kings of Alba
Custantín mac Áeda, King of Alba
Cormac mac Cuilennáin
Domnall mac Áeda
Flann Sinna mac Maíl Sechnaill
Owain ap Dyfnwal
fl.
Dundonald
Dundonald Castle
British
eponym
Cardonald

categories: 10th-century deaths,10th-century Scottish monarchs

paragraph: Dyfnwal, King of Strathclyde

paragraph: Dyfnwal (died 908×915) was King of Strathclyde. Although his parentage is unknown, he was probably a member of the Cumbrian dynasty that is recorded to have ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde immediately before him. Dyfnwal is attested by only one source, a mediaeval chronicle that places his death between the years 908 and 915.

paragraph: Section::::Ancestry.

paragraph: Dyfnwal's parentage is uncertain. No historical source accords him a patronym. He could have been a son of Rhun ab Arthgal, the last identifiable King of Strathclyde before Dyfnwal. Rhun was a member of the long-reigning Cumbrian dynasty of Strathclyde. He is the last monarch to be named by a pedigree preserved within a collection of tenth-century Welsh genealogical material known as the "Harleian genealogies".

paragraph: A certain son of Rhun was Eochaid (fl. c.880), a man who seems to have possessed a stake in the Scottish kingship before falling from power in the last decades of the ninth century. It is unknown if Eochaid actually ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde, although it is possible. If Dyfnwal was not a son of Rhun, another possibility is that he descended from Eochaid: either as a son or grandson. Alternately, Dyfnwal could have represented a more distant branch of the same dynasty. If Dyfnwal was indeed a son of the Eochaid, a sister of his could have been Eochaid's apparent daughter, Land, the wife of Niall Glúndub mac Áeda (died 919) attested by the twelfth-century "Banshenchas".

paragraph: Section::::Expansion.

paragraph: Rhun's father, Arthgal ap Dyfnwal (died 872), ruled the Kingdom of Al Clud. In the 870s, the kingdom's principal citadel—the eponymous fortress of Al Clud ("Rock of the Clyde")—fell to the Irish-based Scandinavian kings Amlaíb (fl. c.853–871) and Ímar (died 873). Thereafter, the kingdom's capital seems to have relocated up the River Clyde to the vicinity of Govan and Partick. The relocation is partly exemplified by a shift in royal terminology. Until the fall of Al Clud, for example, the rulers of the realm were styled after the fortress; whereas following the loss of this site, the Kingdom of Al Clud came to be known as the Kingdom of Strathclyde in consequence of its reorientation towards Ystrad Clud (Strathclyde), the valley of the River Clyde.

paragraph: At some point after the loss of Al Clud, the Kingdom of Strathclyde appears to have undergone a period of expansion. Although the precise chronology is uncertain, by 927 the southern frontier appears to have reached the River Eamont, close to Penrith. The catalyst for this southern extension may have been the dramatic decline of the Kingdom of Northumbria at the hands of conquering Scandinavians, and the expansion may have been facilitated by cooperation between the Cumbrians and insular Scandinavians in the late ninth- and early tenth century. Amiable relations between these powers may be evidenced by the remarkable collection of contemporary Scandinavian-influenced sculpture at Govan.

paragraph: Section::::Attestation.

paragraph: After Eochaid's career, the next notice of the Cumbrian realm is the record of Dyfnwal's death preserved by the ninth- to twelfth-century "Chronicle of the Kings of Alba". This is Dyfnwal's only attestation, and his appearance in this source could confirm that he was indeed related to the earlier rulers of Strathclyde. In any case, one particular passage of the chronicle notes the deaths of five kings during the reign of Dyfnwal's Scottish counterpart, Custantín mac Áeda, King of Alba (died 952). Dyfnwal is the second of these five; the king before him is Cormac mac Cuilennáin (died 908); the ones after him are Domnall mac Áeda (died 915), Flann Sinna mac Maíl Sechnaill (died 916), and Niall Glúndub. Although Dyfnwal's death is not specifically dated by the chronicle, the context of the passage suggests that it took place in 908×915. Therefore, if the "Chronicle of the Kings of Alba" is to be believed, Dyfnwal died no later than 915.

paragraph: Section::::Successor.

paragraph: Dyfnwal appears to have been the father of Owain ap Dyfnwal (fl. 934), a man who succeeded him as King of Strathclyde. Dyfnwal's descendants are recorded to have ruled the Kingdom of Strathclyde into eleventh century.

paragraph: The personal name "" was commonly employed by the Cumbrian royal dynasty. This name lays behind the place name of Dundonald/Dundonald Castle (), derived from the British "*Din Dyfnwal". Although no Cumbrian monarch can be specifically linked to this location, any one of those named "Dyfnwal" could be the eponym. Another place that could have been named after any of these like-named kings is Cardonald ().

wikipedia_title: Dyfnwal, King of Strathclyde


text:
German
chemist
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Giulio Natta
polymer
free-radical
organometallic compounds
Ziegler–Natta catalyst
Werner von Siemens Ring
Otto Bayer
Walter Reppe
synthetic material
Helsa
Kassel
Emil Adolf von Behring
University of Marburg
World War I
Karl von Auwers
University of Marburg
University of Frankfurt
University of Heidelberg
University of Halle
University of Chicago
Patron Member
SS
War Merit Cross
Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
Franz Fischer
Emil Nolde
Erich Heckel
Oskar Kokoschka
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff
Ruhr valley
Mülheim
dissociation
ethane
free radicals
organometallics
ring compounds
polymerization processes
University of Marburg
aromatic
triphenylmethyl
hydrocarbon
intramolecular
muscone
Leopold Ružička
alkali metal
organolithium reagent
olefin
stilbene
butadiene
Oligomer
living polymers
Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
ethylene
1-butene
elimination reaction
chromium
zirconium
titanium
high molecular weight polyethylene
catalyst
Giulio Natta
polyethylene
ethylene
propylene
crystal
Liebig-Denkmünze medal
War Merit Cross
Lavoisier Medal
Werner von Siemens Ring
Werner von Siemens Foundation
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Swinburne Medal
Plastics Institute
Grand Merit Cross with Star and Sash
Federal Cross of Merit
Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences
Royal Society
Wilhelm Exner Medal
German Chemical Society
Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
Mülheim an der Ruhr
Technical University of Hannover
Giessen University
University of Heidelberg
Darmstadt Technical University
List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry
Nobel biography

categories: Foreign Members of the Royal Society,Nobel laureates in Chemistry,1898 births,Förderndes Mitglied der SS,German chemists,German Nobel laureates,Polymer scientists and engineers,Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class),People from Hesse-Nassau,Werner von Siemens Ring laureates,Max Planck Society people,1973 deaths,Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany,University of Marburg alumni

paragraph: Karl Ziegler

paragraph: Karl Waldemar Ziegler (November 26, 1898 – August 12, 1973) was a German chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963, with Giulio Natta, for work on polymers. The Nobel Committee recognized his "excellent work on organometallic compounds [which]...led to new polymerization reactions and ... paved the way for new and highly useful industrial processes". He is also known for his work involving free-radicals, many-membered rings, and organometallic compounds, as well as the development of Ziegler–Natta catalyst. One of many awards Ziegler received was the Werner von Siemens Ring in 1960 jointly with Otto Bayer and Walter Reppe, for expanding the scientific knowledge of and the technical development of new synthetic materials.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Early life and education.

paragraph: Karl Ziegler was born November 26, 1898 in Helsa near Kassel, Germany and was the second son of Karl Ziegler, a Lutheran minister, and Luise Rall Ziegler. He attended Kassel-Bettenhausen in elementary school. An introductory physics textbook first sparked Ziegler's interest in science. It drove him to perform experiments in his home and to read extensively beyond his high school curriculum. He was also introduced to many notable individuals through his father, including Emil Adolf von Behring, recognized for the diphtheria vaccine. His extra study and experimentation help explain why he received an award for most outstanding student in his final year at high school in Kassel, Germany. He studied at the University of Marburg and was able to omit his first two semesters of study due to his extensive background knowledge. His studies were interrupted however, as during 1918 he was deployed to the front as a soldier to serve in World War I. He received his Ph.D. in 1920, studying under Karl von Auwers. His dissertation was on "Studies on semibenzole and related links" which led to three publications.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Career.

paragraph: Karl Ziegler possessed an eagerness for science at an early age. He progressed through schooling quickly receiving a doctorate from the University of Marburg in 1920. Soon after, he briefly lectured at the University of Marburg and the University of Frankfurt. In 1926 he became a professor at the University of Heidelberg where he spent the next ten years researching new advances in organic chemistry. He investigated the stability of radicals on trivalent carbons leading him to study organometallic compounds and their application in his research. He also worked on the syntheses of multi-membered ring systems. In 1933 Zielger published his first major work on large ring systems, "Vielgliedrige Ringsysteme" which presented the fundamentals for the Ruggli-Ziegler dilution principle.

paragraph: In 1936 he became Professor and Director of the Chemical Institute (Chemisches Institut) at the University of Halle/Saale and was also a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago.

paragraph: Ziegler, who was a Patron Member of the SS received the War Merit Cross 2nd Class in October 1940.

paragraph: From 1943 until 1969, Ziegler was the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research (Max-Planck-Institut fur Kohlenforschung) formerly known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute for Coal Research (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut fur Kohlenforschung) in Mülheim an der Ruhr as a successor to Franz Fischer.

paragraph: Karl Ziegler was credited for much of the post war resurrection of chemical research in Germany and helped in founding the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker) in 1949. He served as president for five years. He was also the president of the German Society for Petroleum Science and Coal Chemistry (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Mineralölwissenschaft und Kohlechemie), which was from 1954 to 1957.

paragraph: In 1971, The Royal Society, London, elected him as a Foreign Member.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: In 1922, Ziegler married Maria Kurtz. They had two children, Erhart and Marianna. His daughter, Dr. Marianna Ziegler Witte was a doctor of medicine and married a chief physical of a children's hospital (at that time) in the Ruhr. His son, Dr. Erhart Ziegler, became a physicist and patent attorney. In addition to his children, Karl Ziegler has five grandchildren by his daughter, and five by his son. At least one of his grandchildren, Cordula Witte, attended his Nobel Prize reception as there is a picture of the two of them happily dancing. Ziegler enjoyed traveling around the world with his family, especially on cruises. He even charted special cruises and airplanes for eclipse viewing. It was during a 1972 eclipse-viewing cruise with his grandson that Karl Ziegler became ill. He died a year later.

paragraph: Ziegler and his wife were great lovers of the arts, particularly paintings. Karl and Maria would present each other with paintings for birthdays, Christmases, and anniversaries. They amassed a large collection of paintings, not necessarily of one particular period, but of paintings they enjoyed. Maria, being an avid gardener, particularly enjoyed flower paintings by Emil Nolde, Erich Heckel, Oskar Kokoschka, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff. Karl enjoyed pictures of the places that he and his wife called home, including pictures of Halle and the Ruhr valley. Forty-two images from their shared collection were incorporated into a foundation, bequeathed to the Mülheim Ziegler Art Museum.

paragraph: As a man of many discoveries, Karl Ziegler was also a man of many patents. As a result of his patent agreement with the Max Planck Institute, Ziegler was a wealthy man. With part of this wealth, he set up the Ziegler Fund with some 40 million deutsche marks to support the institute's research. Another namesake is the Karl-Ziegler-Schule, an urban high school that was founded on December 4, 1974, renaming a previously existing school. The school is located in Mülheim, Germany.

paragraph: Karl Ziegler died in Mülheim, Germany August 12, 1973.

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.

paragraph: Throughout his life, Ziegler was a zealous advocate for the necessary indivisibility of all kinds of research. Because of this, his scientific achievements range from the fundamental to the most practical, and his research spans a wide range of topics within the field of chemistry. As a young professor, Ziegler posed the question: what factors contribute to the dissociation of carbon-carbon bonds in substituted ethane derivatives? This question was to lead Ziegler on to a study of free radicals, organometallics, ring compounds, and, finally, polymerization processes.

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.:Free radical compounds.

paragraph: While still a doctoral student at University of Marburg, Ziegler published his first major article which showed how halochromic (RCZ) salts could be made from carbinols. Previous work had left the impression that halochromic salts or free radicals (R3C•) required R to be aromatic. He was encouraged to try to synthesize similarly substituted free radicals, and successfully prepared 1,2,4,5-tetraphenylallyl in 1923 and pentaphenylcyclopentadienyl in 1925. These two compounds were much more stable than previous tri-valent carbon free radicals, such as triphenylmethyl. His interest in the stability of tri-valent carbon free-radical compounds brought him to publish the first of many publications in which he sought to identify the steric and electronic factors responsible for the dissociation of hexa-substituted ethane derivatives.

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.:Many-membered ring compounds.

paragraph: Ziegler's work with many-membered ring compounds also utilized the reactive nature of alkali metal compounds. He used strong bases such as the lithium and sodium salts of amines, to accomplish the cyclization of long-chain hydrocarbons possessing terminal cyano groups. The initially formed ring compound was then converted to the desired macrocyclic ketone product. Ziegler's synthetic method, which included running reactions at high dilution to favor the intramolecular cyclization over competing intermolecular reactions, resulted in yields superior to those of existing procedures (Laylin): he was able to prepare large-ringed alicyclic ketones, C to C, in yields of 60–80%. An outstanding instance of this synthesis was the preparation of muscone, the odiferous principle of animal musk by Leopold Ružička. Ziegler and co-workers published the first of their series of papers on the preparation of large ring systems in 1933. For his work in this area and in free-radical chemistry he was awarded the Liebig Memorial Medal in 1935.

paragraph: Ziegler's work with free radicals led him to the organo compounds of the alkali metals. He discovered that ether scission opened a new method of preparing sodium and potassium alkyls, and found that these compounds could easily be converted to the hexa-substituted ethane derivatives. The nature of the substituent could be easily and systematically altered using this synthetic route by simply changing the identity of the ether starting material.

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.:Organometallic compounds.:Lithium alkyls.

paragraph: Later, in 1930, he directly synthesized lithium alkyls and aryls from metallic lithium and halogenated hydrocarbons. 4Li+2RX – 2RLi This convenient synthesis spurred numerous studies of RLi reagents by others, and now organolithium reagents are one of the most versatile and valuable tools of the synthetic organic chemist. Ziegler's own research on lithium alkyls and olefins was to lead directly to his discovery of a new polymerization technique some 20 years later.

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.:Organometallic compounds.:Living polymerization.

paragraph: In 1927, he found that when the olefin stilbene was added to an ethyl ether solution of phenylisopropyl potassium, an abrupt color change from red to yellow took place. He had just observed the first addition of an organoalkali metal compound across a carbon-carbon double bond. Further work showed that he could successively add more and more of the olefinic hydrocarbon butadiene to a solution of phenylisopropyl potassium and obtain a long-chain hydrocarbon with the reactive organopotassium end still intact. Oligomers such as these were the forerunners of the so-called "living polymers"

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.:Organometallic compounds.:Polyethylene.

paragraph: Since Ziegler was working at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, ethylene was readily available as a byproduct from coal gas. Because of this cheap feedstock of ethylene and the relevance to the coal industry, Ziegler began experimenting with ethylene, and made it a goal to synthesize polyethylene of high molecular weight. His attempts were thwarted because a competing elimination reaction kept occurring causing an anomalous result: instead of ethylene being converted into a mixture of higher aluminum alkyls, its dimer, 1-butene, was almost the only product. It was reasoned that a contaminant must have been present to cause this unexpected elimination reaction, and the cause was eventually determined to be traces of nickel salts. Ziegler realized the significance of this finding; if a nickel salt could have such a dramatic influence on the course of an ethylene-aluminum alkyl reaction, then perhaps another metal might delay the elimination reaction. Ziegler and his student H. Breil found that salts of chromium, zirconium, and especially titanium did not promote the R2AlH-elimination but, instead, enormously accelerated the "growth" reaction. Simply passing ethylene, at atmospheric pressure, into a catalytic amount of TiCl3 and Et2AlCl dissolved in a higher alkane led to the prompt deposition of polyethylene. Ziegler was able to obtain high molecular weight polyethylene (MW  30,000) and, most importantly, to do so at low ethylene pressures. The Ziegler group suddenly had a polymerization procedure for ethylene superior to all existing processes.

paragraph: Section::::Scientific advancements.:Organometallic compounds.:Ziegler–Natta catalyst.

paragraph: In 1952, Ziegler disclosed his catalyst to the Montecatini Company in Italy, for which Giulio Natta was acting as a consultant. Natta denoted this class of catalysts as "Ziegler catalysts" and became extremely interested in their ability and potential to stereoregularly polymerize α-olefins such as propene. Ziegler, meanwhile concentrated mainly on the large-scale production of polyethylene and copolymers of ethylene and propylene. Soon the scientific community was informed of his discovery. Highly crystalline and stereoregular polymers that previously could not be prepared became synthetically feasible. For their work on the controlled polymerization of hydrocarbons through the use of these novel organometallic catalysts, Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

paragraph: Section::::Awards and honours.

paragraph: Karl Ziegler received many awards and honors. The following highlights some of the most significant awards:

paragraph: BULLET::::- Liebig-Denkmünze medal (1935); This medal was awarded by the present day German Chemical Society and is given to a German chemist for their outstanding accomplishments and creativity. Ziegler received the award because of his work in the synthesis of multi-membered ring systems and stable tri-valent carbon radicals.

paragraph: BULLET::::- War Merit Cross, 2nd class (19 October 1940)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Carl Duisberg Plakette (1953); This award is given for outstanding service to the promotion of chemistry from the German Chemical Society.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Lavoisier Medal (1955); This award is given by the French Chemical Society to scientists in various disciplines of chemistry.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Carl Engler Medal (1958); This award is given by the German Society of Petroleum Science and Coal Chemicals, of which he was the president in earlier years.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Werner von Siemens Ring (1960); This ring is awarded by the Werner von Siemens Foundation and is considered the highest German award for individuals who by their performance and skills opened up new technological paths.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1963); "[His] excellent work on organometallic compounds has unexpectedly led to new polymerization reactions and thus paved the way for new and highly useful industrial processes."

paragraph: BULLET::::- Swinburne Medal of the Plastics Institute, London (1964); This award recognizes an individual who has made a significant advancement to the science, engineering or technology of plastics.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Grand Merit Cross with Star and Sash ("Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern und Schulterband") of the Federal Republic of Germany (1964)

paragraph: BULLET::::- International Synthetic Rubber Medal of Rubber and Plastics Age (1967)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Grand Federal Cross of Merit (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)(1969); Ziegler was given this award for his work in the area of Science and Technology.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences (formerly Peace Class) (1969)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Foreign Member of the Royal Society (1971)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Wilhelm Exner Medal (1971).

paragraph: BULLET::::- Memorial tablet of the German Chemical Society under the Historic Landmarks of Chemistry program ("Historische Stätten der Chemie") at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr (2008)

paragraph: BULLET::::- Honorary doctorates from the Technical University of Hannover, Giessen University, University of Heidelberg and Darmstadt Technical University

paragraph: BULLET::::- The "Karl-Ziegler-Schule" in Mülheim was named after Ziegler

paragraph: BULLET::::- The Karl Ziegler Foundation is located at the German Chemical Society and gives the Science Award, the (worth 50,000 euros)

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Nobel biography

description: German chemist

wikidata_label: Karl Ziegler

wikipedia_title: Karl Ziegler


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paragraph: Mike McCready

paragraph: Michael David "Mike" McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of Pearl Jam. McCready was also a member of the side project bands Flight to Mars, Temple of the Dog, Mad Season and The Rockfords.

paragraph: McCready was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Pearl Jam on April 7, 2017.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Early life.

paragraph: Mike McCready was born in Pensacola, Florida, but his family moved to Seattle shortly after his birth. When he was a child, his parents played Jimi Hendrix and Santana; while his friends listened to Kiss and Aerosmith, McCready would frequently play bongo drums. At the age of eleven, McCready purchased his first guitar and began taking lessons.

paragraph: In eighth grade, McCready formed his first band, Warrior, whose name soon changed to Shadow. Originally a cover band playing during free periods at Roosevelt High School, the band eventually began writing original material and recording demo tapes. After high school, McCready worked at a pizza restaurant where he befriended musician Pete Droge. In 1986, Shadow relocated to Los Angeles and attempted to cut a record deal. However, according to McCready:

paragraph: We played to a couple bartenders down there, but even though it was a bad scene, it was a good experience. Basically, we weren't that good of a band, and we didn't realize it until we got down there. I guess we lost our focus, got really bummed out and came back to Seattle.

paragraph: In 1988, Shadow returned to Seattle and split up soon afterwards. McCready lost interest in playing guitar for some time, stating that he was "so depressed about life". He cut his hair, enrolled in a local community college, and spent his nights working at a video store. He credits a friend named Russ Riedner for getting him "out of my college mode and back into playing guitar". McCready was inspired to pick up his guitar again after attending a Stevie Ray Vaughan concert at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. McCready said:

paragraph: As soon as he started "Couldn't Stand the Weather", these huge clouds rolled in overhead, and rain began pouring down. When the song ended, the rain stopped! It was like a religious experience, and it changed me. It lifted me out of the negative mindset I was in, and it got me playing again. I thank him forever for that.

paragraph: McCready gradually went back to playing guitar and finally joined another band called Love Chile. A childhood friend, Stone Gossard, went to one of the band's shows and appreciated McCready's work after hearing him perform Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Couldn't Stand the Weather". Gossard had known McCready before high school when the two would trade rock band pictures with each other. After the demise of Gossard's band Mother Love Bone, he asked McCready if he wanted to play music together with him. After a few months of practicing together, McCready in turn encouraged Gossard to reconnect with his Mother Love Bone alum Jeff Ament.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Temple of the Dog.

paragraph: The trio were attempting to form their own band when they were invited to be part of the Temple of the Dog project founded by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell as a musical tribute to Mother Love Bone's frontman Andrew Wood, who died of a heroin overdose at age 24. Cornell had been Wood's roommate. The band's line-up was completed by the addition of Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.

paragraph: The band started rehearsing songs that Cornell had written on tour prior to Wood's death, as well as re-working some existing material from demos written by Gossard and Ament. This was McCready's first recording studio experience, and he took a central role in the project. McCready performed an epic four-minute-plus solo for "Reach Down". According to Cornell, McCready's headphone monitors flew off halfway through the recording of the solo, and he played the rest without being able to hear the backing track. McCready considers this track to be one of his proudest moments. This project eventually featured vocalist Eddie Vedder, who had arrived in Seattle to audition to be the singer for Ament and Gossard's next band, which later became Pearl Jam. Vedder sang a duet with Cornell on the song "Hunger Strike" and provided background vocals on several other songs. The band decided that it had enough material for an entire album and in April 1991 "Temple of the Dog" was released through A&M Records.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Pearl Jam.

paragraph: Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 by Ament, Gossard, and McCready, who then recruited Vedder and drummer Dave Krusen. The band originally took the name Mookie Blaylock, but was forced to change it when the band signed to Epic Records in 1991. After the recording sessions for "Ten" were completed, Krusen left Pearl Jam in May 1991. Krusen was replaced by Matt Chamberlain, who had previously played with Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. After playing only a handful of shows, one of which was filmed for the "Alive" video, Chamberlain left to join the "Saturday Night Live" band. As his replacement, Chamberlain suggested Dave Abbruzzese, who joined the group and played the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supporting the "Ten" album.

paragraph: "Ten" broke the band into the mainstream, and became one of the best selling alternative albums of the 1990s. The band found itself amidst the sudden popularity and attention given to the Seattle music scene and the genre known as grunge. McCready frequently soloed, and added a blues touch to the music (influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan). The single "Jeremy" received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock Performance in 1993. Pearl Jam received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards for its music video for "Jeremy", including Video of the Year and Best Group Video. "Ten" was ranked number 207 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and "Jeremy" was ranked number 11 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest songs of the '90s.

paragraph: Following an intense touring schedule, the band went into the studio to record what would become its second studio album, "Vs.", released in 1993. Upon its release, "Vs." set at the time the record for most copies of an album sold in a week, and spent five weeks at number one on the "Billboard" 200. "Vs." was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 1995. From "Vs.", the song "Daughter" received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and the song "Go" received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.

paragraph: Feeling the pressures of success, the band decided to decrease the level of promotion for its albums, including refusing to release music videos. In 1994, the band began a much-publicized boycott of Ticketmaster, which lasted for three years and limited the band's ability to tour in the United States. Later that same year the band released its third studio album, "Vitalogy", which became the band's third straight album to reach multi-platinum status. The album received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album in 1996. "Vitalogy" was ranked number 492 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The lead single "Spin the Black Circle" won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Hard Rock Performance. Although Abbruzzese performed on the album "Vitalogy", he was fired in August 1994, four months before the album was released. The band cited political differences between Abbruzzese and the other members; for example, he disagreed with the Ticketmaster boycott. He was replaced by Jack Irons, a close friend of Vedder and the former and original drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

paragraph: The band subsequently released "No Code" in 1996 and "Yield" in 1998. In 1998, prior to Pearl Jam's U.S. Yield Tour, Irons left the band due to dissatisfaction with touring. Pearl Jam enlisted former Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron as Irons' replacement, initially on a temporary basis, but he soon became a permanent replacement. "Do the Evolution" (from "Yield") received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. In 1998, Pearl Jam recorded "Last Kiss", a cover of a 1960s ballad made famous by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers. It was released on the band's 1998 fan club Christmas single; however, by popular demand, the cover was released to the public as a single in 1999. "Last Kiss" peaked at number two on the "Billboard" charts and became the band's highest-charting single.

paragraph: In 2000, the band released its sixth studio album, "Binaural", and initiated a successful and ongoing series of official bootlegs. The band released seventy-two such live albums in 2000 and 2001, and set a record for most albums to debut in the "Billboard" 200 at the same time. "Grievance" (from "Binaural") received a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance. The band released its seventh studio album, "Riot Act", in 2002. Pearl Jam's contribution to the 2003 film, "Big Fish", "Man of the Hour", was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2004. The band's eighth studio album, the eponymous "Pearl Jam", was released in 2006. The band released its ninth studio album, "Backspacer", in 2009 and its tenth studio album, "Lightning Bolt", in 2013.

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.:Mad Season.

paragraph: During the production of "Vitalogy", McCready went into rehabilitation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he met bassist John Baker Saunders of The Lamont Cranston Band. In 1994, when the two returned to Seattle, they formed a side band, The Gacy Bunch, with vocalist Layne Staley of Alice in Chains and drummer Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees. After several live shows, they changed their name to Mad Season. The band released the album "Above" through Columbia Records in 1995, and are best known for the single "River of Deceit". The band broke up following Saunders' death in 1999 due to a heroin overdose. Staley would pass away three years later in 2002, of an apparent overdose of heroin and cocaine.

paragraph: On February 28, 2010, McCready performed at the "Hootenanny For Haiti" at the Showbox at the Market in Seattle along with the likes of Velvet Revolver, Jane's Addiction and former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Fastbacks bassist Kim Warnick, Loaded and former Alien Crime Syndicate, Sirens Sister and Vendetta Red bassist Jeff Rouse as well as Truly and former Screaming Trees drummer Mark Pickerel among others.

paragraph: A number of songs were covered during the show, including Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", The Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers" among others however one of the more notable covers came when McCready performed a cover of "River of Deceit" for the first time since the breakup of Mad Season with Jeff Rouse performing vocal duties on the song.

paragraph: Above was re-released in a 3 disc Deluxe edition in 2013. Also in vinyl format featuring 3 new songs with Mark Lanegan on vocals.

paragraph: In 2015, Live at the Moore 1995 was released on 12" vinyl to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the band's final show. Earlier in 2015, the surviving members, McCready and Martin joined with the Seattle Symphony in a concert at Benaroya Hall entitled "Sonic Evolution" featuring special guests and friends. The show was later released on CD/12" vinyl.

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.:"Mirror Ball".

paragraph: McCready performed with other members of Pearl Jam on Neil Young's 1995 album, "Mirror Ball", and subsequently took part in an eleven-date tour in Europe as part of Young's backing band. This tour proved very successful with Young's manager Elliot Roberts calling it "One of the greatest tours we ever had in our whole lives".

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.:The Rockfords.

paragraph: McCready played with another side band called The Rockfords, named after one of McCready's favorite TV shows "The Rockford Files". The band features McCready's former high school friends from Shadow, plus vocalist Carrie Akre of Goodness. The band's self-titled debut was released in 2000.

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.:Solo album.

paragraph: In a 2009 interview with San Diego radio station KBZT, McCready revealed that he is working on a solo album.

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.:Walking Papers.

paragraph: McCready plays guitar in the band Walking Papers which includes former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Screaming Trees/Mad Season drummer Barrett Martin, and singer Jeff Angell. The band released an album in August 2013.

paragraph: Section::::Other musical projects.:Levee Walkers.

paragraph: In 2016 a new McCready project involving Duff McKagan, Barrett Martin and Jaz Coleman called The Levee Walkers released two songs on McCready's label HockeyTalkter Records. In 2017 the group released the song "All Things Fade Away" featuring singer Ayron Jones.

paragraph: Section::::Musical style and influences.

paragraph: McCready prefers to play "by ear" rather than from a technical standpoint. He stated, "I'm so ignorant of this technical stuff ... I'm not into being a tech-head." McCready's guitar style is usually of an aggressive bluesy nature, and was described by Greg Prato of Allmusic as "feel-oriented" and "rootsy". McCready has cited Ace Frehley, BB King, Ronnie Montrose, Alex Lifeson, Muddy Waters, Michael Schenker, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, George Harrison, Joe Perry, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Brian May, Angus Young, Ritchie Blackmore, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Eddie Hazel, UFO, and Randy Rhoads among his influences. When Pearl Jam supported The Rolling Stones in 1997, Vedder made a joke that McCready is such a big fan of the Stones that he would count the number of lines on the band's vinyl records. McCready is known to use a Fender Stratocaster, a Gibson Les Paul, and a Gibson Les Paul Junior. When the band started, Gossard and McCready were clearly designated as rhythm and lead guitarists, respectively. The dynamic began to change when Vedder started to play more rhythm guitar during the "Vitalogy" era. McCready said in 2006, "Even though there are three guitars, I think there's maybe more room now. Stone will pull back and play a two-note line and Ed will do a power chord thing, and I fit into all that." Of his live performances, McCready has said, "I can kind of get into a meditative state when I'm playing, something I don't get any other way ... You might see me staring up in the sky with my eyes closed. I'm not faking it. That just kind of happens."

paragraph: As time has gone on McCready has contributed more to Pearl Jam's songwriting process. McCready's first writing contribution for Pearl Jam was co-writing the music for the B-side "Yellow Ledbetter" (from the "Jeremy" single), which has since become a regular set closing song during Pearl Jam's live concerts. After co-writing material for "Vs." and writing the music for the song "Present Tense" from the album "No Code", he wrote the music for three of the tracks on the band's 1998 album, "Yield", including one of the band's biggest hits, "Given to Fly". All but one ("Force of Nature", from "Backspacer") of McCready's sole compositions for Pearl Jam use alternate tunings, such as open G on "Faithfull" (from "Yield"), a variation of open D on "Given to Fly", and a variation of open G on "Marker in the Sand" (from "Pearl Jam"). McCready made his first lyrical contribution for the band with the track "Inside Job", which closes the band's 2006 self-titled album.

paragraph: McCready also cites punk rock band Social Distortion as a major influence, claiming to have seen them live over fifteen times. He also states that he wrote the music to Pearl Jam B-side "Down" after seeing them in concert.

paragraph: Section::::Equipment.

paragraph: McCready is known to use a variety of different guitars, but during Pearl Jam's early years he used mainly Fender Stratocasters. His arsenal now includes Gibson Les Pauls and Gibson Les Paul Juniors, among others.

paragraph: A Fender Stratocaster has been used constantly and most often throughout his career. McCready has used many types of Stratocasters, vintage and modern, even including left-handed Stratocasters with reversed strings, so that the slanted bridge pickup would have more treble on the lower strings, as opposed to the intended higher strings. This was a common practice of Jimi Hendrix, who played right-handed guitars even though he was left-handed. His most prized model is a slab rosewood fretboard 1959 Stratocaster, the first in a series of 1959 modeled vintage guitars, inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Number One" guitar.

paragraph: McCready's second most used guitar is a Gibson Les Paul. He now uses it for live performances of "Alive", "Brain of J." (from "Yield"), and "Given to Fly", among others. Among his collection, his most frequently used is his 1959 Standard, formerly owned by Jim Armstrong, guitarist for Van Morrison's band, Them. He has only recently started to use the single pickup Gibson Les Paul Junior, which is a tv yellow 1959 model. He also has Gibson Les Paul Specials. He plays Fender Telecasters on live performances of "Save You" (from "Riot Act"), "World Wide Suicide" (from "Pearl Jam"), and "Marker in the Sand", among others. A Gibson ES-335 is used for live performances of "Faithfull". Mike has a large collection of guitars, but other notable models include a Gibson Flying V, "reverse" and "non-reverse" Gibson Firebirds and a Billy Zoom signature Gretsch Silver Jet.

paragraph: Throughout his career McCready has changed his pedalboard and guitar amplifiers many times. This list includes his current setup:

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pedalboard

paragraph: BULLET::::- Dunlop Crybaby Wah

paragraph: BULLET::::- Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere

paragraph: BULLET::::- Ibanez Tube Screamer

paragraph: BULLET::::- Fulltone Distortion Pro

paragraph: BULLET::::- Boss DD-2 Digital Delay

paragraph: BULLET::::- Line 6 DL4

paragraph: BULLET::::- Line 6 MM4

paragraph: BULLET::::- Amplification

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1959 Fender Twin Tweed Head

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1959 Fender Bassman Tweed 4x10 Cabinet

paragraph: BULLET::::- various vintage Orange Amps

paragraph: Section::::Equipment.:Guitar rig and signal flow.

paragraph: A detailed gear diagram of Mike McCready's 1997 Pearl Jam guitar rig is well-documented.

paragraph: Section::::Recognition.

paragraph: In a review of Pearl Jam's 2006 eponymous album, "Rolling Stone" editor David Fricke admitted that he "screwed up" in excluding both McCready and Pearl Jam rhythm guitarist Stone Gossard from the publication's 2003 feature "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In 2007, McCready's guitar solos from "Alive" and "Yellow Ledbetter" were featured on "Guitar World"'s "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" list. In February 2007, McCready and Gossard were included together by "Rolling Stone" in its list of "The Top 20 New Guitar Gods" under the title of "four-armed monster"." He was placed at #6 on a list of "The Twenty-Five Most Underrated Guitarists" by "Rolling Stone". He was also named the highest-paid guitarist in the world, earning a net worth of more than $82 million.

paragraph: On May 10, 2018, McCready was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award from MusiCares, for his dedication to and support of MusiCares and his commitment to helping others in the addiction recovery process.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: McCready and his wife Ashley O'Connor are the parents of three children. The couple currently resides in Seattle, Washington.

paragraph: McCready suffers from Crohn's disease, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 21, and has worked to bring awareness of the disease. He has since endorsed President Barack Obama specifically for his health care program, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which mandates health insurance to be available to those with pre-existing conditions. In 2012, McCready made "Life is a Pre-existing Condition," a video about the importance of nationalized healthcare. Jennifer Jaff, founder of Advocacy for Patients, was the inspiration for this video. McCready performs an annual concert to benefit the Northwest chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, and has played at the event in a UFO tribute band called Flight to Mars as well as a reunited Shadow line-up.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Substance abuse.

paragraph: McCready has had two different bouts with substance abuse. The first came during the production of Pearl Jam's 1994 album "Vitalogy", when McCready was fighting drug and alcohol addiction:

paragraph: We had a lot of meetings where they would say, 'Hey Mike, you're getting way too fucked up.' But we're all really good friends and we love each other and I think they actually thought I was going to die, but they never took steps to kick me out of the band, which I can't believe because I fucked up so many times. I was drunk and making an ass out of myself and they were concerned about it. ... I'd clean up for a little while then I'd fall off the wagon, like addicts do. ... When everything blew up, everybody kind of lost their minds. ... I was clean for about a month ... well, semi-clean; I can't bullshit about that ... but I fell off the wagon after the Kurt Cobain thing. That fucked with everybody really hard. I mean, how do you get to that point of depression where suicide's the only way out?

paragraph: McCready's second bout came during the sessions for Pearl Jam's 2000 album "Binaural":

paragraph: I was going through some personal problems. It was my own stuff I was dealing with. That was a tough time. I was out of it. That was due, at the time, I was taking prescription drugs. I got caught up in it, because of my pain.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Charity contributions.

paragraph: McCready was a part of the effort to raise money for Roger Federer's charity, Roger Federer Foundation as a part of Match for Africa – a non competitive tennis event held to a packed Key Arena in Seattle on April 29, 2017. In this event, McCready teamed with John Isner, and competed against Roger Federer and philanthropist Bill Gates. Roger Federer and Bill Gates won the game 6–4. McCready also donates to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America regularly, participating in their flag football tournaments.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Photography.

paragraph: In 2017, McCready published a book of Polaroids he shot during his time in Pearl Jam, dating back to the early 1990s. Titled "Of Potato Heads and Polaroids: My Life Inside and Out of Pearl Jam," and published by powerHouse books, McCready described the book as "an emotional ride". The photos in it document the band on tour, fellow musicians including Neil Young, Dave Grohl, Joey Ramone, and Jimmy Page, and McCready's personal life.

paragraph: Section::::Discography.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Temple of the Dog discography

paragraph: BULLET::::- Pearl Jam discography

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mad Season discography

paragraph: BULLET::::- The Rockfords discography

paragraph: BULLET::::- Contributions and collaborations

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- List of people diagnosed with Crohn's disease

description: musician, songwriter

wikidata_label: Mike McCready

wikipedia_title: Mike McCready