text: Muhammad

text: Muhammad's wives

text: Qur'an

text: Sunni

text: hadith

text: inheritance

text: pilgrimage

text: eschatology

text: al-Zuhri

text: Urwa ibn al-Zubayr

text: Abu Bakr

text: caliph

text: Umar

text: Uthman

text: Ali

text: Battle of the Camel

text: Shia Muslims

text: negative view of Aisha

text: Medina

text: Mu'awiya

text: consummation

text: Medina

text: Umm Ruman

text: Mecca

text: companions

text: Khawlah bint Hakim

text: Khadija bint Khuwaylid

text: Jubayr ibn Mut'im

text: William Montgomery Watt

text: ahadith

text: Ismaili

text: Twelver

text: Ibadi

text: Ahmadiyya

text: provenance

text: John Esposito

text: Hegira

text: Battle of Badr

text: Sahih al-Bukhari

text: "ahadith"

text: "sīra"

text: unbroken chain of transmission

text: "sahih" status

text: Ibn Ishaq

text: Ibn Hisham

text: al-Tabari

text: Abu Bakr

text: Leila Ahmed

text: al-Dhahabi

text: Gibril Haddad

text: Fatimah

text: Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement

text: Muhammad Ali

text: Denise Spellberg

text: succession to Muhammad

text: Muslim traditions

text: Khadija bint Khuwaylid

text: migration to Medina

text: sura

text: An-Nur

text: Qur'an

text: howdah

text: Safwan ibn al-Mu‘attal

text: Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy

text: Hassan ibn Thabit

text: Hammanah bint Jahsh

text: Zaynab bint Jahsh

text: Usama ibn Zayd

text: Zayd ibn Harithah

text: Ali ibn Abi Talib

text: God

text: adultery

text: Asr

text: Hafsa bint Umar

text: At-Tahrim

text: Muslim community

text: afterlife

text: sunnah

text: Umm Salama

text: veil

text: seclusion

text: Shia

text: Isra and Mi'raj

text: Umayyads

text: Egypt

text: Abdullah ibn Saad

text: Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa

text: Safiyya bint Huyayy

text: Malik al-Ashtar

text: Imām

text: First Fitna

text: caliphate

text: Banu Umayya

text: Zubayr ibn al-Awam

text: Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah

text: Basra

text: bayt al-mal

text: Othman ibn Hunaif

text: Sahabi

text: Battle of the Camel

text: howdah

text: Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr

text: polygyny

text: Reza Aslan

text: poetry

text: Arabic literature

text: madrasa

text: pilgrimage to Mecca

text: Ramadan

text: Sibt ibn al-Jawzi

text: Hakim Sanai

text: Muawiyah

text: Abu Hurairah

text: tahajjud

text: Jannat al-Baqi‘

text: Ahl al-Bayt

text: Shia

text: Holy Prophet

text: Islam

text: Battle of the Camel

text: Ummah

text: Muhammad's wives

text: The Jewel of Medina

text: Read online

categories: 678 deaths,Family of Muhammad,7th-century Arabs,People of the First Fitna,Child marriage,7th-century women,Women in war in the Middle East,Women in medieval warfare,Wives of Muhammad,610s births,Angelic visionaries,Arab women,Abu Bakr family

paragraph: Aisha

paragraph: ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr ( , 613/614 – 678 CE), also transcribed as Aisha (, , ) or variants, was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (), referring to the description of Muhammad's wives in the Qur'an.

paragraph: Aisha had an important role in early Islamic history, both during Muhammad's life and after his death. In Sunni tradition, Aisha is portrayed as scholarly and inquisitive. She contributed to the spread of Muhammad's message and served the Muslim community for 44 years after his death. She is also known for narrating 2210 hadiths, not just on matters related to Muhammad's private life, but also on topics such as inheritance, pilgrimage, and eschatology. Her intellect and knowledge in various subjects, including poetry and medicine, were highly praised by early luminaries such as al-Zuhri and her student Urwa ibn al-Zubayr.

paragraph: Her father, Abu Bakr, became the first caliph to succeed Muhammad, and after two years was succeeded by Umar. During the time of the third caliph Uthman, Aisha had a leading part in the opposition that grew against him, though she did not agree either with those responsible for his assassination nor with the party of Ali. During the reign of Ali, she wanted to all of a sudden, avenge Uthman's death after demanding Uthman's killing herself, which she attempted to do in the Battle of the Camel. She participated in the battle by giving speeches and leading troops on the back of her camel. She ended up losing the battle, but her involvement and determination left a lasting impression. Because of her involvement in this battle, Shia Muslims have a generally negative view of Aisha.

paragraph: Afterwards, she lived quietly in Medina for more than twenty years, took no part in politics, became reconciled to Ali and did not oppose caliph Mu'awiya.

paragraph: Some traditional hadith sources state that Aisha was betrothed to Muhammad at the age of 6 or 7; other sources say she was 9 when she had a small marriage ceremony; some sources put the date in her teens; but both the date and her age at marriage and later consummation with Muhammad in Medina are sources of controversy and discussion amongst scholars.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.

paragraph: Aisha was born 613 or early 614. She was the daughter of Umm Ruman and Abu Bakr of Mecca, two of Muhammad's most trusted companions. No sources offer much more information about Aisha's childhood years.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.:Marriage to Muhammad.

paragraph: The idea to match Aisha with Muhammad was suggested by Khawlah bint Hakim after the death of Muhammad's first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid. After this, the previous agreement regarding the marriage of Aisha with Jubayr ibn Mut'im was put aside by common consent. Abu Bakr was uncertain at first "as to the propriety or even legality of marrying his daughter to his 'brother'." British historian William Montgomery Watt suggests that Muhammad hoped to strengthen his ties with Abu Bakr; the strengthening of ties commonly served as a basis for marriage in Arabian culture.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.:Age at marriage.

paragraph: There was no official registration of births at the time that Aisha was born, so her date of birth, and therefore date of marriage, cannot be stated with certainty. Her age is not mentioned in the Qur'an. All discussions and debate about her age at marriage rely on, firstly, the various ahadith, which are regarded by most Muslims as records of the words and actions of Muhammad and as a source for religious law and moral guidance, second only to that of the Qur'an. Unlike the Qur'an, not all Muslims believe that all ahadith accounts are divine revelation, and different collections of ahadith are given varied levels of respect by different branches of the Islamic faith. Sunni, various branches of Shia (such as Ismaili and Twelver), Ibadi and Ahmadiyya Muslims all regard different sets of ahadith as "strong" or "weak" in the power of their evidence, depending on their perceived provenance.

paragraph: Aisha's age at the time of her marriage is frequently mentioned in Islamic literature. According to John Esposito, Aisha was married to Muhammad in Mecca in 624CE, after Hegira to Medina and the Battle of Badr. Several scholars interpret this to indicate that she reached puberty at this age, although her age at the time is the subject of dispute. Al-Tabari says she was nine at the time her marriage was consummated. Sahih al-Bukhari's hadith says "that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old;" other sources differ on the age of marriage, but agree that the marriage was not consummated at the time of the marriage contract.

paragraph: All biographical information on Muhammad and his companions was first recorded over a century after his death, but the "ahadith" and "sīra" (traditional Islamic biographies of Muhammad) provide records of early Islam through an unbroken chain of transmission. Various "ahadith" stating that Aisha was either nine or ten at the time of her consummation come from collections with "sahih" status, meaning they are regarded as reputable by most Sunni Muslims. Some other traditional sources also mention Aisha's age. The "sīra" of Ibn Ishaq edited by Ibn Hisham states that she was nine or ten years old at the consummation. The historian al-Tabari also states that she was nine.

paragraph: Marriage at a young age was not unheard of at the time, and Aisha's marriage to Muhammad may have had a political connotation, as her father Abu Bakr was an influential man in the community. Abu Bakr, on his part, may have sought to further the bond of kinship between Muhammad and himself by joining their families together in marriage via Aisha. Leila Ahmed notes that Aisha's betrothal and marriage to Muhammad are presented as ordinary in Islamic literature, and may indicate that it was not unusual for children to be married to their elders in that era.

paragraph: Aisha's age at marriage has been a source of controversy and debate, and some historians, scholars and writers have revisited the previously-accepted timeline of her life.

paragraph: Some writers have calculated Aisha's age based on details found in some biographies, eschewing the traditionally-accepted ahadith. One hadith recorded in the works of some medieval scholars, including al-Dhahabi, states that Aisha's older sister Asma was ten years older than her. This has been combined with information about Asma's age at the time of her death and used to suggest that Aisha was over thirteen at the time of her marriage. Gibril Haddad criticizes this approach as relying on a single narrator, and notes that a hadith from the same narrator gives a broader range for the age difference between the sisters. Muhammad Niknam Arabshahi, an Iranian Islamic scholar, has considered six different approaches to determining Aisha's age and concluded that she was engaged in her late teens. Using reports on the birth year of Fatimah as a reference point, the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement scholar Muhammad Ali has estimated that Aisha was over ten years old at the time of marriage and over fifteen at the time of its consummation.

paragraph: Noting the references to Aisha's age as either nine or ten at the age of consummation, American historian Denise Spellberg states that "these specific references to the bride's age reinforce Aisha's pre-menarcheal status and, implicitly, her virginity". She notes that Aisha herself seemed to promote the fact that she was a virgin prior to her marriage to Muhammad, as a way to distinguish herself from his other, non-virginal wives. This was of great importance to those who supported Aisha's position in the debate of the succession to Muhammad. These supporters considered that as Muhammad's only virgin wife, Aisha was divinely intended for him, and therefore the most credible regarding the debate.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Relationship with Muhammad.

paragraph: In many Muslim traditions, Aisha is described as Muhammad's most beloved or favored wife after his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, who died before the migration to Medina took place. There are several hadiths, or stories or sayings of Muhammad, that support this belief. One relates that when a companion asked Muhammad, "who is the person you love most in the world?" he responded, "Aisha." Others relate that Muhammad built Aisha's apartment so that her door opened directly into the mosque, and that she was the only woman with whom Muhammad received revelations. They bathed in the same water and he prayed while she lay stretched out in front of him.

paragraph: There are also various traditions that reveal the mutual affection between Muhammad and Aisha. He would often just sit and watch her and her friends play with dolls, and on occasion he would even join them. Additionally, they were close enough that each was able to discern the mood of the other, as many stories relate. It is also important to note that there exists evidence that Muhammad did not view himself as entirely superior to Aisha, at least not enough to prevent Aisha from speaking her mind, even at the risk of angering Muhammad. On one such instance, Muhammad's "announcement of a revelation permitting him to enter into marriages disallowed to other men drew from her [Aisha] the retort, 'It seems to me your Lord hastens to satisfy your desire!'" Furthermore, Muhammad and Aisha had a strong intellectual relationship. Muhammad valued her keen memory and intelligence and so instructed his companions to draw some of their religious practices from her.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Accusation of adultery.

paragraph: The story of accusation of adultery levied against Aisha can be traced to "sura" (chapter) "An-Nur" of the Qur'an. As the story goes, Aisha left her "howdah" in order to search for a missing necklace. Her slaves mounted the "howdah" and prepared it for travel without noticing any difference in weight without Aisha's presence. Hence the caravan accidentally departed without her. She remained at the camp until the next morning, when Safwan ibn al-Mu‘attal, a nomad and member of Muhammad's army, found her and brought her back to Muhammad at the army's next camp. Rumours that Aisha and Safwan had committed adultery were spread, particularly by Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy, Hassan ibn Thabit, Mistah ibn Uthatha and Hammanah bint Jahsh (sister of Zaynab bint Jahsh, another of Muhammad's wives). Usama ibn Zayd, son of Zayd ibn Harithah, defended Aisha's reputation; while Ali ibn Abi Talib advised "Women are plentiful, and you can easily change one for another." Muhammad came to speak directly with Aisha about the rumours. He was still sitting in her house when he announced that he had received a revelation from God confirming Aisha's innocence. Surah 24 details the Islamic laws and punishment regarding adultery and slander. Aisha's accusers were subjected to punishments of 80 lashes.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Story of the honey.

paragraph: After the daily "Asr" prayer, Muhammad would visit each of his wives' apartments to inquire about their well-being. Muhammad was just in the amount of time he spent with them and attention he gave to them. Once, Muhammad's fifth wife, Zaynab bint Jahsh, received some honey from a relative which Muhammad took a particular liking to. As a result, every time Zaynab offered some of this honey to him he would spend a longer time in her apartment. This did not sit well with Aisha and Hafsa bint Umar.

paragraph: Soon after this event, Muhammad reported that he had received a revelation in which he was told that he could eat anything permitted by God. Some Sunni commentators on the Qur'an sometimes give this story as the "occasion of revelation" for At-Tahrim, which opens with the following verses: Word spread to the small Muslim community that Muhammad's wives were speaking sharply to him and conspiring against him. Muhammad, saddened and upset, separated from his wives for a month. ‘Umar, Hafsa's father, scolded his daughter and also spoke to Muhammad of the matter. By the end of this time, his wives were humbled; they agreed to "speak correct and courteous words" and to focus on the afterlife.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.:Death of Muhammad.

paragraph: Aisha remained Muhammad's favorite wife throughout his life. When he became ill and suspected that he was probably going to die, he began to ask his wives whose apartment he was to stay in next. They eventually figured out that he was trying to determine when he was due with Aisha, and they then allowed him to retire there. He remained in Aisha's apartment until his death, and his last breath was taken as he lay in the arms of Aisha, his most beloved wife.

paragraph: Section::::Political career.

paragraph: After Muhammad's death, which ended Aisha and Muhammad's 14-year-long marriage, Aisha lived fifty more years in and around Medina. Much of her time was spent learning and acquiring knowledge of the Quran and the "sunnah" of Muhammad. Aisha was one of three wives (the other two being Hafsa bint Umar and Umm Salama) who memorized the Qur'an. Like Hafsa, Aisha had her own script of the Quran written after Muhammad's death. During Aisha's life many prominent customs of Islam, such as veiling and seclusion of women, began.

paragraph: Aisha's importance to revitalizing the Arab tradition and leadership among the Arab women highlights her magnitude within Islam. Aisha became involved in the politics of early Islam and the first three caliphate reigns: Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman. During a time in Islam when women were not expected, or wanted, to contribute outside the household, Aisha delivered public speeches, became directly involved in war and even battles, and helped both men and women to understand the practices of Muhammad.

paragraph: Section::::Political career.:Role during caliphate.:Role during first and second caliphates.

paragraph: After Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr was appointed as the first caliph. This matter of succession to Muhammad is extremely controversial to the Shia who believe that Ali had been appointed by Muhammad to lead while Sunni maintain that the public elected Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr had two advantages in achieving his new role: his long personal friendship with Muhammad and his role as father-in-law. As caliph, Abu Bakr was the first to set guidelines for the new position of authority.

paragraph: Aisha garnered more special privilege in the Islamic community for being known as both a wife of Muhammad and the daughter of the first caliph. Being the daughter of Abu Bakr tied Aisha to honorable titles earned from her father's strong dedication to Islam. For example, she was given the title of "al-siddiqa bint al-siddiq", meaning 'the truthful woman, daughter of the truthful man', a reference to Abu Bakr's support of the Isra and Mi'raj.

paragraph: In 634 Abu Bakr fell sick and was unable to recover. Prior to his death, he appointed ‘Umar, one of his chief advisers, as the second caliph. Throughout ‘Umar's time in power Aisha continued to play the role of a consultant in political matters.

paragraph: Section::::Political career.:Role during caliphate.:Role during the third caliphate.

paragraph: After ‘Umar died, ‘Uthmān was chosen to be the third caliph. He wanted to promote the interests of the Umayyads. Aisha had little involvement with ‘Uthmān for the first couple years, but eventually she found a way into the politics of his reign. She eventually grew to despise ‘Uthmān. Narrations state that Aisha became angry with ‘Uthman after he refused to give her money stating that she did not have any right to that. Aisha agitated the Muslim community to kill ‘Uthman saying: Kill this old fool (Na‘thal) for he has disbelieved.

paragraph: As time continued issues of antipathy towards ‘Uthmān continued to arise. Another instance of opposition arose when the people came to Aisha, after Uthmān ignored the rightful punishment for Walid idn Uqbah (Uthmān's brother). Aisha and Uthmān argued with each other, Uthmān eventually made a comment on why Aisha had come and how she was "ordered to stay at home". Arising from this comment, was the question of whether Aisha, and for that matter women, still had the ability to be involved in public affairs. The Muslim community became split: "some sided with Uthmān, but others demanded to know who indeed had better right than Aisha in such matters".

paragraph: The caliphate took a turn for the worse when Egypt was governed by Abdullah ibn Saad. Abbott reports that Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa of Egypt, an opponent of ‘Uthmān, forged letters in the Mothers of the Believers' names to the conspirators against ‘Uthmān. The people cut off ‘Uthmān's water and food supply. When Aisha realized the behavior of the crowd, Abbott notes, Aisha could not believe the crowd "would offer such indignities to a widow of Mohammad". This refers to when Safiyya bint Huyayy (one of Muhammad's wives) tried to help ‘Uthmān and was taken by the crowd. Malik al-Ashtar then approached her about killing Uthmān and the letter, and she claimed she would never want to "command the shedding of the blood of the Muslims and the killing of their Imām"; she also claimed she did not write the letters. The city continued to oppose ‘Uthmān, but as for Aisha, her journey to Mecca was approaching. With the journey to Mecca approaching at this time, she wanted to rid herself of the situation. ‘Uthmān heard of her not wanting to hurt him, and he asked her to stay because of her influence on the people, but this did not persuade Aisha, and she continued on her journey.

paragraph: Section::::Political career.:First Fitna.

paragraph: In 655, Uthman's house was put under siege by about 1000 rebels. Eventually the rebels broke into the house and murdered Uthman, provoking the First Fitna. After killing Uthman, the rebels asked Ali to be the new caliph, although Ali was not involved in the murder of Uthman according to many reports. Ali reportedly initially refused the caliphate, agreeing to rule only after his followers persisted.

paragraph: When Ali could not execute those merely accused of Uthman's murder, Aisha delivered a fiery speech against him for not avenging the death of Uthman, although she was the first one to demand the killing of Uthman. The first to respond to Aisha was Abdullah ibn Aamar al-Hadhrami, the governor of Mecca during the reign of Uthman, and prominent members of the Banu Umayya. With the funds from the "Yemeni Treasury" Aisha set out on a campaign against the Rashidun Caliphate of Ali.

paragraph: Aisha, along with an army including Zubayr ibn al-Awam and Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah, confronted Ali's army, demanding the prosecution of Uthman's killers who had mingled with his army outside the city of Basra. When her forces captured Basra she ordered the attack on the guards, and the capture of the bayt al-mal. She subsequently ordered the execution of 600 Muslims and 40 others, including Hakim ibn Jabala, who were put to death in the Grand Mosque of Basra.

paragraph: Aisha's forces are also known to have tortured and imprisoned Othman ibn Hunaif a Sahabi and the governor of Basra appointed by Ali.

paragraph: Ali rallied supporters and fought Aisha's forces near Basra in 656. The battle is known as the Battle of the Camel, after the fact that Aisha directed her forces from a howdah on the back of a large camel. Aisha's forces were defeated and an estimated 10,000 Muslims were killed in the battle, considered the first engagement where Muslims fought Muslims.

paragraph: After 110 days of conflict the Rashidun Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib met Aisha with reconciliation. He sent her back to Medina under military escort headed by her brother Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, one of Ali's commanders. She subsequently retired to Medina with no more interference with the affairs of state. She was also awarded a pension by Ali.

paragraph: Although she retired to Medina, her forsaken efforts against the Rashidun Caliphate of Ali did not end the First Fitna.

paragraph: Section::::Political career.:Contributions to Islam and influence.

paragraph: After 25 years of a monogamous relationship with his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Muhammad participated in nine years of polygyny, marrying at least nine further wives. Muhammad's subsequent marriages were depicted purely as political matches rather than unions of sexual indulgence. In particular, Muhammad's unions with Aisha and Hafsa bint Umar associated him with two of the most significant leaders of the early Muslim community, Aisha's and Hafsa's fathers, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, respectively.

paragraph: Aisha's marriage has given her significance among many within Islamic culture, becoming known as the most learned woman of her time. Being Muhammad's favorite wife, Aisha occupied an important position in his life. When Muhammad married Aisha in her youth, she was accessible "...to the values needed to lead and influence the sisterhood of Muslim women." After the death of Muhammad, Aisha was discovered to be a renowned source of hadiths, due to her qualities of intelligence and memory. Aisha conveyed ideas expressing Muhammad's practice (sunnah). She expressed herself as a role model to women, which can also be seen within some traditions attributed to her. The traditions regarding Aisha habitually opposed ideas unfavorable to women in efforts to elicit social change.

paragraph: According to Reza Aslan:

paragraph: Not only was Aisha supportive of Muhammad, but she contributed scholarly intellect to the development of Islam. She was given the title "al-Siddiqah", meaning 'the one who affirms the truth'. Aisha was known for her "...expertise in the Quran, shares of inheritance, lawful and unlawful matters, poetry, Arabic literature, Arab history, genealogy, and general medicine." Her intellectual contributions regarding the verbal texts of Islam were in time transcribed into written form, becoming the official history of Islam. After the death of Muhammad, Aisha was regarded as the most reliable source in the teachings of hadith. Aisha's authentication of Muhammad's ways of prayer and his recitation of the Qur'an allowed for development of knowledge of his sunnah of praying and reading verses of the Quran.

paragraph: During Aisha's entire life she was a strong advocate for the education of Islamic women, especially in law and the teachings of Islam. She was known for establishing the first "madrasa" for women in her home. Attending Aisha's classes were various family relatives and orphaned children. Men also attended Aisha's classes, with a simple curtain separating the male and female students.

paragraph: Section::::Political career.:Political influence.

paragraph: Some say that Aisha's political influence helped promote her father, Abu Bakr, to the caliphate after Muhammad's death.

paragraph: After the defeat at the Battle of the Camel, Aisha retreated to Medina and became a teacher. Upon her arrival in Medina, Aisha retired from her public role in politics. Her discontinuation of public politics, however, did not stop her political influence completely. Privately, Aisha continued influencing those intertwined in the Islamic political sphere. Amongst the Islamic community, she was known as an intelligent woman who debated law with male companions. Aisha was also considered to be the embodiment of proper rituals while partaking in the pilgrimage to Mecca, a journey she made with several groups of women. For the last two years of her life, Aisha spent much of her time telling the stories of Muhammad, hoping to correct false passages that had become influential in formulating Islamic law. Due to this, Aisha's political influence continues to impact those in Islam.

paragraph: Section::::Death.

paragraph: Aisha died at her home in Medina on 17 Ramadan 58 AH (16 July 678). She was 67 years old. Some such as Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, Hakim Sanai, and Khwaja Mehboob Qasim Chishti Muhsarafee Qadiri say that she was murdered by Muawiyah. Muhammad's companion Abu Hurairah led her funeral prayer after the "tahajjud" (night) prayer, and she was buried at Jannat al-Baqi‘.

paragraph: Section::::Views.

paragraph: Section::::Views.:Sunni view of Aisha.

paragraph: Sunnis believe she was Muhammad's favorite wife. They consider her (among other wives) to be "Umm al-Mu’minin" and among the members of the Ahl al-Bayt, or Muhammad's family. According to Sunni hadith reports, Muhammad saw Aisha in two dreams in which he was shown that he would marry her.

paragraph: Section::::Views.:Shia view of Aisha.

paragraph: The Shia view Aisha negatively. They believe that she was a hypocrite, a disbeliever in disguise who wanted to tarnish the image of The Holy Prophet and Islam. They believe she caused so much bloodshed and confusion in the Muslim community. They also believe battles like the Battle of the Camel is proof for her thirst for blood and greed for power and desire for division in the Muslim Ummah.

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- List of people related to Quranic verses

paragraph: BULLET::::- Muhammad's wives

paragraph: BULLET::::- The Jewel of Medina (fictional work based loosely on Aisha's existence)

paragraph: Section::::Cited works.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Read online

paragraph: Section::::Further reading.

paragraph: BULLET::::- (translated from the French by Anne Carter)

description: Muhammad's wife

enwikiquote_title: Aisha

wikidata_label: Aisha

wikipedia_title: Aisha


text: married name

text: Oslo

text: Stabekk

text: figure skater

text: 1931 World Figure Skating Championships

text: 1928 Winter Olympics

text: Norwegian Figure Skating Championships

categories: Sportspeople from Oslo,Figure skaters at the 1928 Winter Olympics,1910 births,2001 deaths,Norwegian female single skaters,Olympic figure skaters of Norway

paragraph: Edel Randem

paragraph: Edel Signe Randem (married name: Uvland; born 11 September 1910 in Oslo – died 26 November 2001 in Stabekk) was a Norwegian figure skater.

paragraph: She competed at the 1931 World Figure Skating Championships, where she finished sixth. She also finished sixth at the 1930 European Figure Skating Championships, and she participated at the 1928 Winter Olympics, where she finished 13th.

paragraph: Randem won the Norwegian Figure Skating Championships in 1930 and 1931.

description: Norwegian figure skater

wikidata_label: Edel Randem

wikipedia_title: Edel Randem


text: Constantinian dynasty

text: Caesar

text: Roman Empire

text: consul

text: Julius Constantius

text: Galla

text: Emperor

text: Constantius Chlorus

text: Flavia Maximiana Theodora

text: Emperor

text: Constantine I

text: Constantine II

text: Constantius II

text: Constans

text: Basilina

text: first wife of Constantius II

text: Julian

text: Ammianus Marcellinus

text: Massa Veternensis

text: Italia

text: Nepotian

text: Nicomedia

text: bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia

text: bishop of Constantinople

text: Macellum

text: Cappadocia

text: Ephesus

text: Tralles

text: Magnentius

text: Constans

text: Constantius II

text: Sirmium

text: caesar

text: Constantina

text: Antioch

text: Jewish

text: Judea

text: Palestine

text: Jewish revolt against Gallus

text: Ursicinus

text: Joannes Zonaras

text: Philostorgius

text: Sassanids

text: Shapur II

text: Huns

text: Nohodares

text: Mesopotamia

text: Batnae

text: comes Orientis

text: Isauria

text: Seleucia

text: Ammianus Marcellinus

text: consularis

text: Praetorian Prefect

text: Montius Magnus

text: Alamanni

text: Bithynia

text: Scudilo

text: Augustus

text: Antioch

text: Hippodrome

text: Poetovio

text: Noricum

text: Barbatio

text: Pola

text: praepositus sacri cubiculi

text: Eusebius

text: agens in rebus

text: Apodemius

text: Jewish revolt against Gallus

categories: 354 deaths,Ancient Roman governors,Claudii,4th-century Roman emperors,Flavii,Executed ancient Roman people,Constantinian dynasty,Imperial Roman consuls,Caesar emperors,320s births,Executed politicians,People executed by the Roman Empire,People from the Province of Massa-Carrara

paragraph: Constantius Gallus

paragraph: Flavius Claudius Constantius Gallus (ca. 325/326–354), commonly known as Constantius Gallus, was a member of the Constantinian dynasty and Caesar of the Roman Empire (351–354). Gallus was consul three years, from 352 to 354.

paragraph: Section::::Family.

paragraph: Gallus was a son of Julius Constantius by his first wife Galla. Gallus' paternal grandparents were the Emperor Constantius Chlorus and his second wife Flavia Maximiana Theodora. Julius Constantius was a paternal half-brother of the Emperor Constantine I, which, in turn, meant Gallus was a half-first cousin of Constantine's sons, Constantine II, Constantius II and Constans. At some point prior to 331/2, Gallus' mother, Galla, seems to have died, as at that stage, Gallus' father was married to one Basilina and had had a son by that marriage.

paragraph: Gallus had three siblings: an elder sister, of unknown name, who was the first wife of Constantius II, an elder brother, also of unknown name, who died in the purges after the death of Constantine I, and a younger half-brother by his father's second marriage, named Flavius Claudius Iulianus, commonly known as Julian.

paragraph: Section::::Appearance.

paragraph: Gallus was said by Ammianus Marcellinus to have been very good looking, making particular note of his soft blond hair.

paragraph: Section::::Youth.

paragraph: Gallus was born in "Massa Veternensis", Italia, after his father had been recalled from exile. Gallus' father and his elder brother were amongst those killed during the purges that occurred in the imperial family after the death of Constantine I in 337. Gallus himself was one of the only imperial males, outside of the three sons of Constantine I and Fausta, who were not killed; the others being Gallus' younger half-brother, Julian, and their cousin, Nepotian, each of whom was very young at the time.

paragraph: There is debate over where Gallus spent his youth. One view is that he lived with Julian in Nicomedia under the care of bishop Eusebius of Nicomedia until 340. At that point, Eusebius was made bishop of Constantinople, which necessitated Gallus and Julian following him there. It is believed that, after the death of Eusebius in 341, Constantius then sent Gallus and Julian to continue their studies at the imperial household in Macellum, Cappadocia. An alternative view claims that hints in the sources suggest that Gallus was sent to Ephesus to study, then to a type of exile in Tralles and from there to the imperial household in Macellum.

paragraph: Section::::Caesar.

paragraph: In 350, Magnentius had rebelled and killed the emperor Constans, claiming the purple. Constantius II prepared to move against the usurper, but needed a representative in the East, so he called Gallus at Sirmium, raised him to the rank of caesar (15 March 351), gave him the name "Constantius", and strengthened the bonds with his cousin by allowing Gallus to marry his sister Constantina. Gallus and Constantina, who probably shared her brother's aim of controlling the young Caesar, set up residence in Antioch.

paragraph: During his rule, Gallus had to deal with a Jewish rebellion in Judea/Palestine (see Jewish revolt against Gallus). The rebellion, possibly started before Gallus' elevation to Caesar, was crushed by Gallus' general, Ursicinus, who ordered all the rebels slain.

paragraph: Gallus was saved from an assassination plot by a woman, who revealed that some members of her household were planning the murder. Some sources, among whom are Joannes Zonaras, claim that this plot had been organized by Magnentius in order to distract Constantius.

paragraph: Philostorgius claims that Gallus' generals won a campaign against the Sassanids. Other sources, basing their views on an almost-peaceful situation between the Sassanids and Romans while Shapur II was engaged in a campaign against the Huns in the east, dismiss this claim. Ammianus relays an abortive scheme of Nohodares, Shapur's lieutenant in Mesopotamia, to surprise the town of Batnae, which was betrayed by some in his own army, in 353. In the same year, Gallus sent the "comes Orientis", Nebridius, against the Isaurians, who had been raiding the coastal provinces, and were now besieging Seleucia on the Calicadnus. They dispersed on his approach.

paragraph: As a consequence of the need to gather food for the troops for a Persian campaign or because of drought, the grain supply in Antioch decreased. In order to counter the higher price of grain, Gallus forced the passage of some laws regardless of the opinion of the Senate, thus alienating the senatorial class of Antioch. Ammianus Marcellinus, a pro-senatorial writer, tells how the anger of the people of Antioch for the famine was diverted by Gallus towards the "consularis Syriae" Theophilus, who was killed by the mob.

paragraph: Ammianus reports also that Gallus and Constantina brought a number of wealthy people to trial for magic, ending in the execution of innocents and in the confiscation of their wealth. The same source claims that Gallus walked anonymously in Antioch by night, asking passersby for their opinion on their caesar, while Julian records the great amount of time spent by Gallus at the Hippodrome, probably to obtain popular support.

paragraph: Doubting his cousin's loyalty, Constantius reduced the troops under Gallus, and sent the Praetorian Prefect Domitianus to Antioch to urge Gallus to go to Italy. Different sources tell different stories, but all agree that Gallus arrested Domitianus and the quaestor Montius Magnus who had come to his aid, and that the two officers were killed.

paragraph: The arrest of Montius Magnus led to the discovery of what seems to be a plot to usurp Gallus' position. The conspirators had the support of two "tribuni fabricarum" (officers of the weapons factories) who had promised the weapons for an uprising (Ammianus Marcellinus, 14.7.18), and probably of the troops in Mesopotamia, as well as of the rector of the province of Phoenice. All suspected in connection with the plot, including many innocents, were put to death by order of the Caesar.

paragraph: Section::::Fall and death.

paragraph: Constantius was informed of the treason trials in Antioch during a campaign against the Alamanni. After concluding a peace treaty with the Germanic tribe, Constantius decided to settle the matter with his cousin.

paragraph: First he summoned Ursicinus to the West, whom he suspected of inciting Gallus in order to create the occasion for a revolt and the usurpation of his own son.

paragraph: Next, Constantius summoned Gallus and Constantina to Milan. Constantina left first, in order to gain some of her brother's trust, but died at Caeni Gallicani in Bithynia. Gallus, whose bonds to Constantius had been weakened, stayed in Antioch. Constantius tried to lure Gallus, sending the "tribunus scutariorum" Scudilo to tell Gallus that Constantius wanted to raise him to "Augustus". Gallus took Constantius's bait and left Antioch to meet him. Gallus staged a chariot race in Constantinople's "Hippodrome" and crowned the victor, an honor reserved only for an Augustus. This insolence enraged Constantius. In an attempt to further isolate Gallus from any form of military protection, Constantius had the garrisons removed from the towns in Gallus's path.

paragraph: When Gallus arrived at Poetovio in Noricum, Barbatio, an officer who had been supporting Gallus' dismissal within Constantius' court, surrounded the palace of the Caesar and arrested him, stripping Gallus of the imperial robes, but assuring him that no harm would come to him. Gallus was led to Pola, Istria (now Pula, Croatia). Here he was interrogated by some of the highest officials of Constantius' court, including the eunuch "praepositus sacri cubiculi" Eusebius and the "agens in rebus" Apodemius. Gallus tried to put the blame for all of his actions on Constantina, but Constantius sentenced him to death; the emperor later changed his mind, and ordered Gallus spared, but Eusebius prevented the order from reaching the executioners.

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Itineraries of the Roman emperors, 337–361

paragraph: BULLET::::- Jewish revolt against Gallus

paragraph: Section::::Sources.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Banchich, Thomas M., "Gallus Caesar (15 March 351 – 354 A.D.)", "DIR" (1997)

description: Roman emperor

wikidata_label: Constantius Gallus

wikipedia_title: Constantius Gallus


text: Nové Město na Moravě

text: Czech

text: Bohemian glass

text: Stržanov

text: Žďár nad Sázavou

text: Šrdlovice

text: Stanislav Libenský

text: Brno

text: Yerevan

text: Salzburg

text: Luxembourg

text: Monaco Yacht Show

text: Dubai International Boat Show

text: Abu Dhabi Yacht Show

text: Sea Fair Yacht Exhibition

text: Superyacht Design Week

text: Beránek's official website

categories: 1960 births,Czech sculptors,Living people,Glass makers

paragraph: Vlastimil Beránek

paragraph: Vlastimil Beránek (born 3 July 1960, Nové Město na Moravě) is a Czech sculptor, known for his mastery in working with Bohemian glass. Beranek works in his atelier in Stržanov, near Žďár nad Sázavou.

paragraph: Section::::Life and work.

paragraph: Vlastimil Beránek is a member of a glass-making family, who in the 1940s established a glass workshop at a small village named Šrdlovice, Czech Republic. He is high school and university art educated sculptor. He was trained by Stanislav Libenský

paragraph: He has in recent years dedicated his love of crystal to producing unique sculptures. His artworks are sizeable kiln-cast glass sculptures.

paragraph: Section::::Life and work.:Artist vision.

paragraph: Beránek believes that the accidence has to work for the sculpture. He also says, that although Bohemian crystal is the best material for his sculptures, they have to look well in any material.

paragraph: He tries to freeze movement or express emotion in his sculptures. Proportions, colours and final shapes of the sculptures help this hard task. Most of his inspirations come from the sea. He likes to thing about the secrets of the deep ocean and its creatures. Moreover, the ocean is in a constant movement, so it is perfect environment just for Beránek’s inspiration for his sculptures. Another element, which fascinates him, is fire. Except glass sculptures Beránek also creates wooden sculptures, "twins" of the glass ones. He has also started to experiment with pieces in cast bronze and sculptures in stainless steel.

paragraph: Section::::Education.

paragraph: Beránek gained his art education at the specialized school of decorative arts in Brno and also at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, in the atelier of Professor Stanislav Libenský.

paragraph: Section::::Collections, exhibitions.

paragraph: Beránek’s sculptures are in the collections of, for example, the Centre for the Arts in Yerevan, Armenia, the Galerie Prager Kabinett in Salzburg, Austria, and the Jean-Claude Chapelotte Gallery in Luxembourg. He has also had many group and private exhibitions around the world, for example at the Monaco Yacht Show, the Dubai International Boat Show - Marine Art gallery , the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show, the Sea Fair Yacht Exhibition or Superyacht Design Week in London. At the end of June 2017 did Mr. Beránek in cooperation with ArtSiO gallery and Crystal Caviar first ever underwater exhibition of his sculptures.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Beránek's official website

paragraph: BULLET::::- Crystal revolution article, Art views magazine, 2.1.2017

paragraph: BULLET::::- http://www.superyachtnews.com/design/master-glassmakers-turn-to-wood

description: Czech sculptor

wikidata_label: Vlastimil Beránek

wikipedia_title: Vlastimil Beránek


text: Roman Catholic

text: Czechoslovakia

categories: 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops,21st-century Roman Catholic bishops,2017 deaths,Slovak Roman Catholic bishops,1927 births

paragraph: Jozef Zlatňanský

paragraph: Jozef Zlatňanský (13 March 1927 – 11 February 2017) was a Roman Catholic bishop.

paragraph: Born in Czechoslovakia, Zlatňanský was ordained to the priesthood in 1951. In 1997, he was named bishop and the secretary of the Interdicasterial Commission for the Church in Eastern Europe serving from 1997 until 2004.

description: slovak roman catholic bishop

wikidata_label: Jozef Zlatňanský

wikipedia_title: Jozef Zlatňanský


text:
American football
wide receiver
Miami Dolphins
2011 NFL Draft
Bernard Scott
Daryl Richardson
NBA
basketball
Tyler Junior College
Texas
touchdown
all-purpose yards
New York Jets
Tennessee Titans
futures contract
Dallas Cowboys
New York Jets bio
Miami Dolphins bio
Abilene Christian player profile

categories: American football wide receivers,1986 births,Tyler Apaches football players,Abilene Christian Wildcats football players,Miami Dolphins players,Tennessee Titans players,New York Jets players,Players of American football from Texas,People from Vernon, Texas,Living people

paragraph: Clyde Gates

paragraph: Edmond Darell "Clyde" Gates (born June 13, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. Gates was drafted by the Miami Dolphins as the 111th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He is the cousin of running backs Bernard Scott and Daryl Richardson.

paragraph: Section::::Early years.

paragraph: Gates had a rough childhood, growing up in a troubled neighborhood with his father serving 18 years in prison for murder. He intended on playing in the NBA after earning a scholarship to play basketball at Tyler Junior College in Texas. He was asked not to return for a second season; however, which led him to find a new future. He was recruited by Abilene Christian to play football in 2007.

paragraph: Section::::College career.

paragraph: As a freshman in 2007, Clyde played in 11 games finishing with 12 catches for 285 yards and 1 touchdown. He also carried the ball 14 times for 189 yards and 4 more scores. He had 876 all-purpose yards in 2007. Gates finished his sophomore year playing 10 games, missing two games due to a leg injury early in the season, resulting in 31 catches for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns. His Junior year earned him the "top receiver for the Wildcats" with 702 yards with 5 touchdown, averaging 14.3 yards per catch.

paragraph: Upon entering the 2011 NFL draft, he was selected in the 4th round with the 111th pick by the Miami Dolphins.

paragraph: Section::::Professional career.

paragraph: Section::::Professional career.:Miami Dolphins.

paragraph: Gates scored his first touchdown in the Dolphins first preseason game on August 12, 2011 vs Atlanta.

paragraph: Gates was released by the Dolphins on August 31, 2012.

paragraph: Section::::Professional career.:New York Jets.

paragraph: Gates was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on September 1, 2012.

paragraph: Gates suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on October 13, 2013 and was placed on the injured reserve list two days later. He was released on August 30, 2014.

paragraph: Section::::Professional career.:Tennessee Titans.

paragraph: The Tennessee Titans signed Gates to a futures contract on January 14, 2015.

paragraph: Section::::Professional career.:Dallas Cowboys.

paragraph: On August 20, 2015, Gates signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He was released by the Cowboys on September 5, 2015.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- New York Jets bio

paragraph: BULLET::::- Miami Dolphins bio

paragraph: BULLET::::- Abilene Christian player profile

description: American football player

wikidata_label: Clyde Gates

wikipedia_title: Clyde Gates


text: Ghent

text: Ghent University

text: University of Liège

text: PSC-CVP

text: Belgian Senate

text: Jean Duvieusart

text: Joseph Pholien

text: 38th Prime Minister of Belgium

text: conscription

text: economic recession

text: Gaston Eyskens

text: World Bank

text: Minister of State

text: Baron

text: Minister of State

text: Order of Leopold

text: Order of the Crown

categories: Christian Social Party (Belgium, defunct) politicians,Prime Ministers of Belgium,Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany,20th-century Belgian politicians,Belgian Ministers of State,Ghent University faculty,University of Liège alumni,1991 deaths,1907 births

paragraph: Jean Van Houtte

paragraph: Jean (Jan) Marie Joseph, Baron Van Houtte (17 March 1907 – 23 May 1991) was a Belgian politician.

paragraph: Born in Ghent, van Houtte held a doctorate in law and lectured at Ghent University and the University of Liège. He served as chairman of the Belgian Institute of Public Finance and represented the PSC-CVP in the Belgian Senate from 1949 to 1968.

paragraph: Having served as Finance minister in the governments of Jean Duvieusart (1950) and Joseph Pholien (1950–1952), van Houtte replaced Pholien to become the 38th Prime Minister of Belgium in January 1952. His period in office was marked by disputes over conscription, and in particular the length of service of conscripts, and over the treatment of collaborators, where van Houtte controversially favoured a mild approach. An economic recession added to his troubles.

paragraph: Van Houtte again served as Finance minister from 1958 to 1961 under Gaston Eyskens. He was governor of the World Bank, named an honorary Minister of State in 1966, and made a Baron in 1970.

paragraph: Section::::Honours.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Created Baron van Houtte by Royal Decree in 1970.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Minister of State, by Royal Decree.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : President of the Royal Academy.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Commander in the Order of Leopold.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown.

paragraph: BULLET::::- knight Grand Cross in the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

description: Belgian politician

wikidata_label: Jean Van Houtte

wikipedia_title: Jean Van Houtte


text:
Belgian
Catholic Party
Tielt
Ghent
Belgian Chamber of Representatives
Roeselare
Tielt
Petrofina
Hector Carlier
Minister of State
25th Prime Minister of Belgium
Paris
Minister of State
Order of Leopold
Order of Leopold
Order of Saint Gregory the Great
Order of Isabella the Catholic
Order of the Netherlands Lion
Order of the Oak Crown

categories: 1871 births,Prime Ministers of Belgium,Belgian Ministers of State,Belgian Ministers of Justice,Total S.A. people,1961 deaths

paragraph: Aloys Van de Vyvere

paragraph: Aloys (Alois) Jean Maria Joseph, Viscount Van de Vyvere (8 June 1871 – 22 October 1961) was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

paragraph: Born in Tielt, Van de Vyvere studied law and philosophy and worked as a lawyer in Ghent, where he served as a local councillor between 1909 and 1911. In 1911 he was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives for Roeselare and Tielt with the strong support of the "Boerenbond" (farmers' union). On 25 February 1920, he cofounded the oil company "Compagnie Financière Belge des Pétroles" (Petrofina), together with Fernand and Hector Carlier.

paragraph: He held ministerial office regularly in the period from 1911 to 1926, beginning as Agriculture and Public works minister (1911–1912), then moving to Railways and Posts (1912–1914), Finance (1914–1918), Economic affairs (1920–1924), and returning to Agriculture (1925–1926). He was named an honorary Minister of State in 1918.

paragraph: Becoming the 25th Prime Minister of Belgium in 1925, he presided over a party and cabinet in crisis, and his government fell after only a month.

paragraph: He left politics in 1926, working in business. He died in Paris in 1961.

paragraph: Section::::Honours.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Minister of State, By royal decree.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Grand cordon in the Order of Leopold

paragraph: BULLET::::- by Royal Decree of 13.11.1919. Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1923: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Saint Gregory the Great, by request of cardinal Mercier.

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Isabella the Catholic

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion

paragraph: BULLET::::- : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Oak Crown

description: Belgian former prime minister

wikidata_label: Aloys Van de Vyvere

wikipedia_title: Aloys Van de Vyvere


text:
heir apparent
Kingdom of Haiti
Henri Christophe
Marie-Louise Coidavid
Royal Highness
Sans-Souci Palace
Royal ark

categories: 1820 deaths,Haitian princes,Heirs apparent who never acceded,Assassinated Haitian people,Assassinated royalty,Christophe family,1804 births

paragraph: Jacques-Victor Henry

paragraph: Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti (3 March 1804 – 18 October 1820) was the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Haiti.

paragraph: He was the youngest child of Henri Christophe, then a general in the Haitian Army, by his wife Marie-Louise Coidavid. His father became President of the state of Haiti in 1807, and on March 28, 1811 he was proclaimed King of Haiti. The Prince Royal had two older brothers who both died before the proclamation of the kingdom, so he became the heir apparent with the title Prince Royal of Haiti, which came with the style of Royal Highness.

paragraph: Following the death of his father on October 8, 1820, the Prince Royal should have been proclaimed as King Henry II of Haiti, but the country was already in turmoil and he never had a chance. Ten days later, he was killed after being bayoneted by revolutionaries at the Sans-Souci Palace.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Royal ark

description: Prince Royal, the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Haiti

wikipedia_title: Jacques-Victor Henry


text:
American
climbing buildings
Europe
North America
Grover Cleveland
Logan, West Virginia
Logan Banner
Eiffel Tower
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha World-Herald
Detroit
The Detroit News
Majestic Building
Birmingham, Alabama
Heaviest Corner on Earth
Vancouver, British Columbia
Sun Tower
Victory Loan
Vancouver World
Hamilton, Ontario
Bank of Hamilton
World War I
Huntington, West Virginia
Logan, West Virginia
American Legion
Logan Banner
Williamson, West Virginia
Alain Robert
The New Yorker
Detroit News
Hamilton vintage postcards
Hamilton Public Library
Dan Goodwin
Ivan Kristoff
Philippe Petit
Owen Quinn
Alain Robert
George Willig

categories: Urban climbers,Year of death missing,1871 births

paragraph: Harry Gardiner

paragraph: Harry H. Gardiner (1871 – perhaps 1933), better known as the Human Fly, was an American man famous for climbing buildings. He began climbing in 1905, and successfully climbed over 700 buildings in Europe and North America, usually wearing ordinary street clothes and using no special equipment. "One hundred and twenty of those who have sought to imitate me in this hazardous profession have fallen to death," Gardiner is quoted as saying in a 1905 article published in "Muscle Builder". "There is no chance of 'rehearsing' your performance. Each new building is an unknown problem. If you do not guess the right answer, death awaits below, with a breath of up-rushing air, and arms of concrete." Former President Grover Cleveland reportedly nicknamed him "The Human Fly." When he visited Logan, West Virginia in January 1927, the " Logan Banner " described him as a "boyish-looking man of 57 years." Gardiner reportedly moved to Europe after New York enacted legislation forbidding anyone from climbing on the outside of buildings. Details surrounding his death are unknown, but a person matching his description was found beaten to death at the base of the Eiffel Tower in 1933.

paragraph: Section::::Climbs.

paragraph: Some of the climbs Gardiner performed:

paragraph: BULLET::::- June 9, 1916 in Omaha, Nebraska -- More than 30,000 spectators, "the largest in the history of Omaha," watched as Gardiner scaled The Omaha World-Herald building. "It seems all a part of a day’s work to me," Gardiner said. "There’s the wall with the little projections, ledges and places to which I must hold. And there's the top of the building, where I'm going to stop."

paragraph: BULLET::::- October 7, 1916 in Detroit – "The Detroit News" had hired Gardiner to attract attention to the "News" ad-taking office by climbing up the 14-story Majestic Building at 12:15 PM. He wore all white, tennis shoes and rimless spectacles.

paragraph: BULLET::::- January 30, 1917 in Birmingham, Alabama – Gardiner scaled the 16-story "Empire Building" at the so-called Heaviest Corner on Earth.

paragraph: BULLET::::- October 31, 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia – Gardiner climbed up the outside of the 17-story "World Building" known today as the Sun Tower to promote Victory Loans. The "Vancouver World" newspaper was published in this building at the time.

paragraph: BULLET::::- November 11, 1918 in Hamilton, Ontario – Gardiner climbed the Bank of Hamilton building to celebrate the end of World War I. While climbing the side of the building, Gardiner stuck his head into one of the open windows and signed some insurance papers. He also purchased a $1,000 bond. The 47-year-old professional Fly admitted that he had to try for insurance at the Bank of Hamilton because it had so far been impossible for him to gain insurance elsewhere, since he was considered a high risk. This spectacle brought much attention to the Bank of Hamilton.

paragraph: BULLET::::- January 1927 in Huntington, West Virginia – A few days before arriving in Logan, WV, "an enormous assemblage" watched as Gardiner climbed the Coal Exchange Building in Huntington, WV. The building was described as a few hundred feet tall, "as high as any building in the state."

paragraph: BULLET::::- January 27 and 29, 1927 in Logan, West Virginia – Sponsored by the Neely-Gunther-Nowlan Post of the American Legion, Gardiner climbed the north wall of the Logan County Courthouse on January 27 at 7:30 p.m. and unfurled a U.S. flag. On January 25, the " Logan Banner " provided details about how the climb would occur: "As he climbs he will perform many a stunt to amuse and startle the interested throng. All this time his figure will be in the glare of a searchlight provided for the purpose and his feat will be done without the aid of any mechanical device." Crowd attendance was estimated at more than 5000 persons. Plans to climb the White-Browning building were canceled when Gardiner could not procure permission to scale it. On January 29, he climbed the five-story Pioneer Hotel in Logan. On February 1, the "Banner" described is thusly: "With the aid of a hook at each window, he was able to get finger holds on the sills and then lift himself in safety and prepare for the next step upward. To scale the last lap and reach the roof he made use of the braces for the electric hotel sign for a foothold and also the lowered hook to get a finger hold on the edge of the roof." Most spectators watched from Stratton Street and extended sixty to seventy feet out on Cole Street; hundreds watched from the windows of nearby buildings. From Logan, Gardiner traveled to Williamson, West Virginia where he climbed the Mountaineer Hotel.

paragraph: Gardiner is mentioned in a story of present-day skyscraper climber Alain Robert, "The New Yorker" magazine, April 20, 2009.

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Detroit News

paragraph: BULLET::::- Hamilton vintage postcards

paragraph: BULLET::::- Hamilton Public Library

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Dan Goodwin

paragraph: BULLET::::- Ivan Kristoff

paragraph: BULLET::::- Philippe Petit

paragraph: BULLET::::- Owen Quinn

paragraph: BULLET::::- Alain Robert

paragraph: BULLET::::- George Willig

description: American urban climber

wikidata_label: Harry Gardiner

wikipedia_title: Harry Gardiner


text: County Longford

text: Ireland

text: San Francisco, California

text: Irish

text: Mayor of San Francisco

text: Royal Irish Constabulary

text: San Francisco Board of Supervisors

text: Golden Gate Park

text: U.S.

text: United States House of Representatives

text: William W. Morrow

text: California State Senate

text: Grover Cleveland

text: Postmaster

text: ladybug

text: James Van Ness

text: Mission District

text: Golden Gate Park

categories: 1897 deaths,Politicians from County Longford,Deaths from stomach cancer,19th-century Irish people,Mayors of San Francisco,Royal Irish Constabulary officers,1834 births,19th-century American politicians,California state senators,Deaths from cancer in California,Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)

paragraph: Frank McCoppin

paragraph: Frank McCoppin (July 4, 1834 in County Longford, Ireland – May 26, 1897 in San Francisco, California) was the first Irish-born, and foreign-born Mayor of San Francisco.

paragraph: Section::::Career.

paragraph: McCoppin was a member of the Royal Irish Constabulary from 1851 until he emigrated to the United States in 1853. In 1860, he was made supervisor of the Market Street Railway, where he encouraged planting among the railroad tracks, to lessen the problem of drifting sands. Shortly thereafter, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He then was elected mayor in 1867, serving from December 2, 1867, to December 5, 1869. He and the Board of Supervisors approved the plan for Golden Gate Park January 14, 1868. However, questions regarding his citizenship (word had leaked that he was not a naturalized U.S. citizen when he was supervisor or that he applied for citizenship during his term) led to his defeat in the 1869 election.

paragraph: In 1886, he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives but lost to William W. Morrow. He later served two terms in the California State Senate. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland appointed him Postmaster of San Francisco, a position he held until his death from stomach cancer on May 26, 1897.

paragraph: He is credited with recommending the use of ladybugs to control insect pests affecting the California citrus crop.

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: In 1862, he was married to Elizabeth Bird Van Ness in San Francisco, thereby becoming the son-in-law of former mayor James Van Ness.

paragraph: A small park, McCoppin Square, located in the Parkside District of San Francisco, is named in his honor, as are McCoppin Street in the Mission District and Frank McCoppin Elementary School, near Golden Gate Park.

paragraph: Section::::Sources.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Heintz, William F., "San Francisco's Mayors: 1850-1880. From the Gold Rush to the Silver Bonanza". Woodside, CA: Gilbert Roberts Publications, 1975. (Library of Congress Card No. 75-17094)

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Mairead O'Shea, "Longford son brought the ladybird to the Americans"

paragraph: BULLET::::- November 1886 California election results

description: American politician

wikidata_label: Frank McCoppin

wikipedia_title: Frank McCoppin


text:
Avignon
Eurovision Song Contest 1968
Isabelle Aubret
Marie-Blanche
Vivre
Mireille Mathieu
Sylvie Vartan
Franck Fernandel
Massilia Sound System
Official website

categories: French male composers,French Eurovision Song Contest entrants,Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1970,People from Avignon,French composers,Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1983,1945 births,French male singers,Living people

paragraph: Guy Bonnet

paragraph: Guy Bonnet is an author, composer, and singer, born in Avignon, France in 1945. He wrote the lyrics and composed the music for the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 (performed by Isabelle Aubret). In 1970 he participated in the Eurovision song contest for France with "Marie-Blanche" coming 4th out of twelve contestants. In 1983 he represented France in Eurovision again with "Vivre" (finishing eighth). He wrote and composed songs for many artists including Mireille Mathieu, Sylvie Vartan, Franck Fernandel and Massilia Sound System.

paragraph: He has also written a contemporary pastorale "La Pastorale des enfants de Provence".

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Official website

description: French singer and composer

wikidata_label: Guy Bonnet

wikipedia_title: Guy Bonnet


text: Harlem Globetrotters

text: Midwestern United States

text: Great Depression

text: Basketball Hall of Fame

text: National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

text: London

text: England

text: Łomża

text: Poland

text: Lake View High School

text: baseball

text: basketball

text: track

text: Ford Model T

text: New York Renaissance

text: 1948 Globetrotters-Lakers game

text: George Mikan

text: Chuck Cooper

text: Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton

text: Hank DeZonie

text: Wilt Chamberlain

text: Chicago Brown Bombers

text: Birmingham Black Barons

text: Cincinnati Crescents

text: New York Nationals

text: Boston Brownskins

text: Hong Wah Kues

text: American Basketball League

text: Chicago Majors

text: three-point shot

text: New York Sets

text: San Francisco Shamrocks

text: Sonny Werblin

text: Westlawn Cemetery

text: Norridge, Illinois

text: Chicago

categories: Harlem Globetrotters executives,American Basketball League (1961–62) executives,20th-century American businesspeople,Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees,1966 deaths,1902 births,University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign alumni,American sports agents,Sportspeople from London,English Jews,Jewish American sportspeople

paragraph: Abe Saperstein

paragraph: Abraham Michael Saperstein (July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, primarily before those sports were racially integrated.

paragraph: Saperstein revolutionized the game of basketball and took the Globetrotters from an unknown team touring small farm towns in the Midwestern United States during the height of the Great Depression to a powerhouse that went on to beat the best team in the all-white National Basketball Association. He also introduced the three-point shot, which went on to become a mainstay of modern basketball.

paragraph: Saperstein was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and, at 5 ft. 3 in (1.65 m), is its shortest male member. In 1979, he was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and 2005 was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

paragraph: Section::::Early life.

paragraph: Saperstein was born in the East End of London, England, to a Jewish family originally from Łomża, Poland. His family moved from London to Chicago in 1907, when Abe was five years old. They settled just north of the city's Jewish area, often called the “Poor Jews' quarter” because of the many struggling immigrants living there. Saperstein's father, Louis, who had been an apprentice tailor in Poland, saw an ad for a tailor on Chicago's North Side in a predominantly German, Irish, and Swedish neighborhood. The ad warned, “No Jews allowed,” so Louis Saperstein changed his surname to the more German-sounding Schneider, which is German for 'tailor'. After buying the business from the owner several years later, Louis Saperstein dropped the facade and changed the name of the store to Louis Saperstein's Tailor Shop.

paragraph: At age 10, Abe Saperstein discovered a lifelong love of sports, playing basketball at the Wilson Avenue YMCA and second base for a parochial school team, though he attended the public Ravenswood Elementary School. At Lake View High School, he played nine different sports, including baseball, basketball, football, boxing, and track. Saperstein attended the University of Illinois, but dropped out to help support his family. He decided not to follow his father into tailoring. Instead, his dream was to pursue a career in sports, though he realized that his athletic abilities and height were not going to take him far.

paragraph: Saperstein eventually landed a position working for the Chicago District Park as a playground supervisor at Welles Park, on Chicago's North Side. There, after hours of watching kids play basketball, he decided to create his own team. The Chicago Reds were a semi-pro lightweight (135 lb limit) basketball team, and Saperstein played point guard.

paragraph: As player, manager, and coach of the Chicago Reds, Saperstein met Walter Thomas Ball, a legendary baseball player in the Negro leagues, who had a black baseball team he wanted to send on tour in Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He hired Saperstein as his booking agent.

paragraph: Section::::Harlem Globetrotters' career.

paragraph: Saperstein went on to become booking agent for several basketball teams as well, until branching out in the late 1920s to form his own team with some of the members of the Savoy Big Five. He called the team the New York Harlem Globetrotters. Although Saperstein's team had nothing to do with Harlem (they wouldn't play there until the 1960s), he chose the name to indicate that the players were black, as Harlem was the epicenter of African-American culture. Many of the towns where the Globetrotters played in their first few years were all white, and Saperstein didn't want other teams or spectators to be surprised that his team was black.

paragraph: The Globetrotters played their first game in Hinkley, Illinois. The team netted a grand total of $8, which was split evenly between the six members of the team, including Saperstein. Over the next several years, in the midst of the Great Depression, Saperstein served as the team's manager, driver, booking agent, PR director, and occasional substitute player. When a player was injured in a 1926 game, for example, Saperstein substituted into the game, prompting the Winona (Minnesota) News to report: "Four clean-limbed young colored men and a squat bandy-legged chap of Jewish extraction ... styled the Harlem Globetrotters, beat the Arcadia Military police...29 to 18.”

paragraph: During the early seasons, the Globetrotters needed to play every night just to make ends meet, because the team often netted less than $50 a night. Accommodations on the road were sparse and hotels often wouldn't allow blacks. On one occasion, when the players couldn't find a hotel in Des Moines, Iowa, they snuck up the fire escape and slept in Saperstein's room. Saperstein was relentless in booking games; in the team's first seven years, the Globetrotters played more than 1,000 games, with Saperstein driving the players to tiny towns throughout the Midwest in his unheated Ford Model T.

paragraph: From early on, the Globetrotters blended basketball with showmanship and ball-handling wizardry. But they were also extremely talented basketball players, winning most of their games. In 1940, the Globetrotters beat the legendary black basketball team, the New York Renaissance.

paragraph: An even bigger achievement came a few years later in the 1948 Globetrotters-Lakers game, when the Globetrotters defeated the Minneapolis Lakers, the best team in the all-white NBA, a league that had been formed two years earlier. The star of the Lakers was six-foot-ten George Mikan, nicknamed “Mr. Basketball.” Despite the Lakers' significant height advantage and the team's billing as the best basketball team in the country, the underdog Globetrotters won the game 61-59, thanks to a dramatic long shot at the buzzer by Globetrotter Ermer Robinson. Afterward, in the locker room, the players hoisted Saperstein triumphantly on their shoulders.

paragraph: The Globetrotters-Lakers game had taken place amid a sharp racial divide in sports. Many fans and team owners believed that black athletes weren't coachable or smart enough to learn complicated plays, and lacked the competitive fire necessary for premier athletes. The victory, which was just shy of the Globetrotters' 3000th victory in 21 seasons, proved that none of this was true and that African-American players had the skill and ability to play in the professional leagues.

paragraph: In 1950, within two years of the Globetrotters-Lakers' game, the NBA integrated. Chuck Cooper, who had been a Globetrotter briefly, became the first black player to sign a contract with the NBA. Another two of the first black NBA players also were Globetrotters – Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton and Hank DeZonie.

paragraph: Also in 1950, the Globetrotters played their first game in Madison Square Garden, marking the first time the venue sold out for a basketball game. Following these successes, interest in the Globetrotters grew and Saperstein created two more teams in the United States, as well as an international squad. The Globetrotters have now played in more than 118 countries.

paragraph: Even after the NBA integrated, top black players continued to play for the Globetrotters. In 1958, Wilt Chamberlain joined the Globetrotters for a year before going to the NBA and becoming its most dominant player. In a 1999 interview, Wilt Chamberlain said, “The fraternity of the Globetrotters was one of the most rewarding times of my life. I almost did not go into the NBA.”

paragraph: Two feature-length movies have been made about the Globetrotters, "The Harlem Globetrotters" (1951) and "Go, Man, Go" (1954), the latter starring Dane Clark and Sidney Poitier. Several documentaries have also told the Globetrotters' story, including "The Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed the World" (2005), which featured Geese Ausbie, Larry Brown and Bill Bradley.

paragraph: Section::::Ownership of other sports teams.

paragraph: Saperstein was a leading figure in the black baseball leagues as well. At various times, he owned the Chicago Brown Bombers, the Birmingham Black Barons, and the Cincinnati Crescents baseball teams. He also created several new leagues, including the Negro Midwest League and, in partnership with Olympic track and field star Jesse Owens, the West Coast Negro Baseball League. When Saperstein's friend Bill Veeck took ownership of the Cleveland Indians in the late 40s, he hired Saperstein as his chief scout for African-American players. At Saperstein's suggestion, Veeck eventually signed Luke Easter, Minnie Minoso, Suitcase Simpson, Satchel Paige, and Larry Doby, the American Leagues's first black player.

paragraph: Saperstein also founded the white New York Nationals baseball team and the Boston Brownskins, a basketball team that served as a minor league club for the Globetrotters. He also booked games for the Hong Wah Kues, a basketball team of Chinese Americans from San Francisco. Started in 1939 with six players, the Hong Wah Kues became known for their speed and quick passing. They played the Harlem Globetrotters once, and lost.

paragraph: He had ambitions of owning a team in the National Basketball Association and hoped to start a team in California. That hope was dashed when the NBA approved the move of the Lakers from Minneapolis to L.A. The NBA also did not award the Warriors to Saperstein when the team moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Saperstein started the American Basketball League in 1961 and served as its commissioner, as well as owner of the league's Chicago Majors team. To differentiate the ABL from the NBA – and to promote the new league – Saperstein introduced a widened free throw lane and the three-point shot, both of which were later adopted by the NBA, although the ABL lasted only a season and a half. The NBA adopted the three-point shot in 1979.

paragraph: Section::::Legacy.

paragraph: In a time of racial segregation and bigotry in professional sports, Saperstein proudly showcased the talents of the nation's best black basketball players. Four years after the all-white National Basketball Association (originally called the Basketball Association of America) was formed, black players were finally allowed into the league.

paragraph: As the integrated NBA became recognized as the country's highest level of basketball, Saperstein focused the Globetrotters on entertainment, creating a popular act that played to audiences worldwide. In the years following World War II, the Globetrotters embarked on a “goodwill tour.” Among the more memorable of those games took place in Berlin's Olympic Stadium and featured Jesse Owens, who was traveling with the team. Owens returned to the stadium where he had won four gold medals 15 years earlier, after which Hitler famously refused to shake his hand.

paragraph: Although Saperstein worried about bringing the team into the racially charged atmosphere of Berlin, Owens and the Globetrotters were greeted by 75,000 cheering fans. The mayor of Berlin greeted Owens and famously said, "In 1936, Hitler refused to shake your hand. Today, I give you both of mine."

paragraph: As the movement for civil rights progressed, some alleged that Saperstein did not do enough to advance the equality of his black players. In the 50s and 60s, some players resented that, due to the prejudice of hotel owners, they continued to be housed in “colored” hotels in black neighborhoods, while players on Saperstein's white teams supposedly stayed in first-class hotels. There was also discontent among some Globetrotters that Saperstein reportedly paid white players on his other teams higher salaries. Others criticized the Globetrotters for their on-court antics, saying they played into racial stereotypes. In 1978, however, Jesse Jackson said: “They did not show blacks as stupid. On the contrary, they were shown as superior…they were able to turn science into an art form.” Meadowlark Lemon, who played with the Globetrotters from 1954 until 1979, also came to the Globetrotters's defense, saying that the team had “done more for the perception of black people, and the perception of America, than almost anything you could think of.”

paragraph: Section::::Personal life.

paragraph: Saperstein was the eldest of nine children, several of whom were involved with the Globetrotters. In the early years, Saperstein's then-teenage brother Harry worked as a typist and secretary, sending out press releases and game schedules. His sister Fay, the youngest sibling, helped Abe with paperwork for years and ran the New York office in the 1950s. After Abe's death in March 1966, his brother Morry Saperstein assisted in running the business before it was sold to a group of Chicago businessmen for $3.7 million and eventually moved from Chicago to New York City.

paragraph: On May 6, 1934, Saperstein married Sylvia Franklin from Chicago. They had two children, Jerry and Eloise. Jerry ran the international unit of the Globetrotters in the 1960s, founded the New York Sets, a charter franchise of World Team Tennis, and owned the San Francisco Shamrocks of the Pacific Hockey League. He then served as the first vice president at Madison Square Garden Corporation, reporting directly to the then-Chairman Sonny Werblin. Jerry has two sons, Adam and Lanier Saperstein, who live in the New York area. Eloise established a non-profit organization, the Abe Saperstein Foundation, designed to advance opportunities through sports for Chicago's youth, and she also was the first woman ever certified as an NBA player representative. She died on July 15, 2018, at the age of 81. Eloise is survived by her three children, Lonni, Avi and Abra, who live in the Chicago area.

paragraph: Saperstein was a tireless worker, taking off just one day a year, Yom Kippur. He continued to work right up until his death from a heart attack in March 1966. “He had more energy than the Grand Coulee Dam,” wrote Chuck Menville in "The Harlem Globetrotters: An Illustrated History". The news of Saperstein's death came as a shock to the Globetrotters. The team's star, Meadowlark Lemon, was on the road in Charlotte, North Carolina at the time. “My mouth went dry,” Lemon said. “The boys cried. I had to force myself to be funny. I did it only because Abe would have wanted the show to go on.” Saperstein is buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge, Illinois, near Chicago.

description: American basketball player

wikidata_label: Abe Saperstein

wikipedia_title: Abe Saperstein


text: geologist

text: NASA

text: astronaut

text: university professor

text: U.S. senator

text: New Mexico

text: Apollo 17

text: NASA's first scientist-astronaut group

text: Apollo

text: Lunar Module

text: Eugene Cernan

text: low Earth orbit

text: United States Senate

text: Republican

text: the 1976 election

text: Democratic

text: Joseph Montoya

text: In 1982

text: Jeff Bingaman

text: Santa Rita, New Mexico

text: Silver City

text: Western High School

text: B.S.

text: geology

text: California Institute of Technology

text: University of Oslo

text: Ph.D.

text: Harvard University

text: NASA

text: first group of scientist-astronauts

text: Flagstaff, Arizona

text: Air Force

text: UPT

text: geologic

text: CSM

text: LM

text: Richard F. Gordon Jr.

text: Vance Brand

text: Apollo 15

text: Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 were cancelled

text: geologist

text: NASA

text: Apollo 17

text: Joe Engle

text: Gene Cernan

text: Earth

text: The Blue Marble

text: Troctolite 76535

text: Republican

text: United States Senate

text: New Mexico

text: 1976 election

text: Joseph Montoya

text: Jeff Bingaman

text: University of Wisconsin–Madison

text: nuclear fusion

text: NASA Advisory Council

text: Susana Martinez

text: Silver City, New Mexico

text: Minnesota

text: Albuquerque, New Mexico

text: Planetary Society

text: Heartland Institute

text: Fox Business Network

text: CO

text: red herring

text: Alex Jones

text: the Heartland Institute

text: stalking horse

text: National Socialism

text: Wall Street Journal

text: William Happer

text: Tom Amandes

text: From the Earth to the Moon

text: Moon for Sale

text: Alex Jones

text: Bill Nye the Science Guy

text: James May on the Moon

text: Maltese

text: Xarabank

text: NASA Distinguished Service Medal

text: Geological Society of America

text: geoscience

text: G. K. Gilbert Award

text: AAPG

text: Leif Erikson Exploration Award

text: The Exploration Museum

text: International Space Hall of Fame

text: U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame

text: In the Shadow of the Moon

text: Colin Burgess

text: Astronaut-politician

text: University of Malta

categories: People from Santa Rita, New Mexico,Military personnel from New Mexico,United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees,University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty,Apollo program astronauts,American astronauts,New Mexico Republicans,Apollo 17,Republican Party United States Senators,1972 in spaceflight,American astronaut-politicians,Harvard University alumni,University of Oslo alumni,1935 births,United States Senators from New Mexico,California Institute of Technology alumni,Penrose Medal winners,Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal,People who have walked on the Moon,State cabinet secretaries of New Mexico,Living people,People from Silver City, New Mexico,Articles containing video clips,American geologists

paragraph: Harrison Schmitt

paragraph: Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt (born July 3, 1935) is an American geologist, retired NASA astronaut, university professor, former U.S. senator from New Mexico, and, as a crew member of Apollo 17, the most recent living person to have walked on the Moon.

paragraph: In December 1972, as one of the crew on board Apollo 17, Schmitt became the first member of NASA's first scientist-astronaut group to fly in space. As Apollo 17 was the last of the Apollo missions, he also became the twelfth and second-youngest person to set foot on the Moon, and the second-to-last person to step off of the Moon (he boarded the Lunar Module shortly before commander Eugene Cernan). Schmitt also remains the first and only professional scientist to have flown beyond low Earth orbit and to have visited the Moon. He was influential within the community of geologists supporting the Apollo program and, before starting his own preparations for an Apollo mission, had been one of the scientists training those Apollo astronauts chosen to visit the lunar surface.

paragraph: Schmitt resigned from NASA in August 1975 in order to run for election to the United States Senate as a member from New Mexico. As the Republican candidate in the 1976 election, he defeated the two-term Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya. In 1982, Schmitt was defeated by Democrat Jeff Bingaman.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.

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

paragraph: Born July 3, 1935, in Santa Rita, New Mexico, Schmitt grew up in nearby Silver City, and is a graduate of the Western High School (class of 1953). He received a B.S. degree in geology from the California Institute of Technology in 1957 and then spent a year studying geology at the University of Oslo in Norway. He received a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard University in 1964, based on his geological field studies in Norway.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:NASA career.

paragraph: Before joining NASA as a member of the first group of scientist-astronauts in June 1965, he worked at the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Center at Flagstaff, Arizona, developing geological field techniques that would be used by the Apollo crews. Following his selection, Schmitt spent his first year at Air Force UPT learning to become a jet pilot. Upon his return to the astronaut corps in Houston, he played a key role in training Apollo crews to be geologic observers when they were in lunar orbit and competent geologic field workers when they were on the lunar surface. After each of the landing missions, he participated in the examination and evaluation of the returned lunar samples and helped the crews with the scientific aspects of their mission reports.

paragraph: Schmitt spent considerable time becoming proficient in the CSM and LM systems. In March 1970 he became the first of the scientist-astronauts to be assigned to space flight, joining Richard F. Gordon Jr. (Commander) and Vance Brand (Command Module Pilot) on the Apollo 15 backup crew. The flight rotation put these three in line to fly as prime crew on the third following mission, Apollo 18. When Apollo 18 and Apollo 19 were cancelled in September 1970, the community of lunar geologists supporting Apollo felt so strongly about the need to land a professional geologist on the Moon, that they pressured NASA to reassign Schmitt to a remaining flight. As a result, Schmitt was assigned in August 1971 to fly on the last mission, Apollo 17, replacing Joe Engle as Lunar Module Pilot. Schmitt landed on the Moon with commander Gene Cernan in December 1972.

paragraph: Schmitt claims to have taken the photograph of the Earth known as "The Blue Marble", possibly one of the most widely distributed photographic images in existence. NASA officially credits the image to the entire Apollo 17 crew.

paragraph: While on the Moon's surface, Schmitt — the only geologist in the astronaut corps — collected the rock sample designated Troctolite 76535, which has been called "without doubt the most interesting sample returned from the Moon". Among other distinctions, it is the central piece of evidence suggesting that the Moon once possessed an active magnetic field.

paragraph: As he returned to the Lunar Module before Cernan, Schmitt is the next-to-last person to have walked on the Moon's surface. Since the death of Cernan in 2017, Schmitt is the most recent person to have walked on the Moon who is still alive.

paragraph: After the completion of Apollo 17, Schmitt played an active role in documenting the Apollo geologic results and also took on the task of organizing NASA's Energy Program Office.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:1976 Senate campaign.

paragraph: On August 30, 1975, Schmitt resigned from NASA to seek election as a Republican to the United States Senate representing New Mexico in the 1976 election. Schmitt campaigned for fourteen months, and his campaign focused on the future.

paragraph: In the Republican primary, held on June 1, 1976, Schmitt defeated Eugene Peirce. In the election, Schmitt opposed two-term Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya. He defeated Montoya 57% to 42%.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Senate career.

paragraph: He served one term and, notably, was the ranking Republican member of the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:1982 Senate campaign.

paragraph: He sought a second term in 1982, facing state Attorney General Jeff Bingaman. Bingaman attacked Schmitt for not paying enough attention to local matters; his campaign slogan asked, "What on Earth has he done for you lately?" This, combined with the deep recession, proved too much for Schmitt to overcome; he was defeated, 54% to 46%.

paragraph: Section::::Biography.:Post-Senate career.

paragraph: Following his Senate term, Schmitt has been a consultant in business, geology, space, and public policy.

paragraph: Schmitt is an adjunct professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and has long been a proponent of lunar resource utilization. In 1997 he proposed the Interlune InterMars Initiative, listing among its goals the advancement of private-sector acquisition and use of lunar resources, particularly lunar helium-3 as a fuel for notional nuclear fusion reactors.

paragraph: Schmitt was chair of the NASA Advisory Council, whose mandate is to provide technical advice to the NASA Administrator, from November 2005 until his abrupt resignation on October 16, 2008. In November 2008, he quit the Planetary Society over policy advocacy differences, citing the organization's statements on "focusing on Mars as the driving goal of human spaceflight" (Schmitt said that going back to the Moon would speed progress toward a manned Mars mission), on "accelerating research into global climate change through more comprehensive Earth observations" (Schmitt voiced objections to the notion of a present "scientific consensus" on climate change as any policy guide), and on international cooperation (which he felt would retard rather than accelerate progress), among other points of divergence.

paragraph: In January 2011, he was appointed as secretary of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department in the cabinet of Governor Susana Martinez, but was forced to give up the appointment the following month after refusing to submit to a required background investigation. "El Paso Times" called him the "most celebrated" candidate for New Mexico energy secretary.

paragraph: Schmitt wrote a book entitled "Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space" in 2006.

paragraph: He lives in Silver City, New Mexico, and spends some of his summer at his northern Minnesota lake cabin.

paragraph: Schmitt is also involved in several civic projects, including the improvement of the Senator Harrison H. Schmitt Big Sky Hang Glider Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

paragraph: Section::::Views on global warming.

paragraph: Schmitt's view on climate change diverges from the scientific consensus, as he emphasizes natural over human factors as driving climate. Schmitt has expressed the view that the risks posed by climate change are overrated, and suggests instead that climate change is a tool for people who are trying to increase the size of government. He resigned his membership in the Planetary Society primarily because of its Mars-first policy, but also because of its stance on global warming, writing in his resignation letter that the "'global warming scare' is being used as a political tool to increase government control over American lives, incomes and decision making. It has no place in the Society's activities." Schmitt spoke at the March 2009 International Conference on Climate Change sponsored by the Heartland Institute. He appeared in December that year on the Fox Business Network, saying "[t]he CO scare is a red herring".

paragraph: In a 2009 interview with conspiracy theorist and talk-radio host Alex Jones, Schmitt asserted a link between Soviet Communism and the American environmental movement: "I think the whole trend really began with the fall of the Soviet Union. Because the great champion of the opponents of liberty, namely communism, had to find some other place to go and they basically went into the environmental movement." At the Heartland Institute's sixth International Conference on Climate Change Schmitt said that climate change was a stalking horse for National Socialism.

paragraph: Schmitt co-authored a May 8, 2013 "Wall Street Journal" opinion column with William Happer, contending that increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are not significantly correlated with global warming, attributing the "single-minded demonization of this natural and essential atmospheric gas" to advocates of government control of energy production. Noting a positive relationship between crop resistance to drought and increasing carbon dioxide levels, the authors argued, "Contrary to what some would have us believe, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will benefit the increasing population on the planet by increasing agricultural productivity."

paragraph: Section::::In popular culture.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Schmitt was portrayed by Tom Amandes in the 1998 miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon".

paragraph: BULLET::::- Schmitt appeared in the 2007 BBC Two documentary "Moon for Sale".

paragraph: BULLET::::- Schmitt was interviewed on "Infowars", the Alex Jones radio show, on July 31, 2009, regarding his opposition to the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming. He admitted being a fan of the show, saying he "keeps up on things out here".

paragraph: BULLET::::- He appeared in an episode of the television show "Bill Nye the Science Guy".

paragraph: BULLET::::- He was interviewed in the 2009 BBC television show "James May on the Moon".

paragraph: BULLET::::- He was interviewed by Maltese television talk show "Xarabank", the episode airing December 11, 2009, 2045 CET.

paragraph: Section::::Awards and honors.

paragraph: BULLET::::- NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1973)

paragraph: BULLET::::- He was made an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of America for his efforts in geoscience in 1984.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 1989 Recipient of the G. K. Gilbert Award

paragraph: BULLET::::- One of the elementary schools in Schmitt's hometown of Silver City, New Mexico was named in his honor in the mid-1970s. An image of the astronaut riding a rocket through space is displayed on the front of Harrison Schmitt Elementary School.

paragraph: BULLET::::- AAPG's Special Award has been changed to the Harrison Schmitt Award in 2011. It recognizes individuals or organizations that, for a variety of reasons, do not qualify for other Association honors or awards. Schmitt received the award in 1973 for his contribution as the first geologist to land on the Moon and study its geology.

paragraph: BULLET::::- 2015 Recipient of the Leif Erikson Exploration Award, awarded by The Exploration Museum, for his scientific work on the surface of the Moon in 1972, and for his part in the geology training of all the astronauts that walked on the Moon before him.

paragraph: Schmitt was one of five inductees into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1977. He was one of 24 Apollo astronauts who were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.

paragraph: Section::::Media.

paragraph: Schmitt is one of the astronauts featured in the 2007 documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon". He also contributed to the book "NASA's Scientist-Astronauts" by David Shayler and Colin Burgess.

paragraph: Section::::See also.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Astronaut-politician

paragraph: Section::::External links.

paragraph: BULLET::::- Harrison Schmitt visits University of Malta in 2009 and Handaq School

paragraph: BULLET::::- Spacefacts biography of Harrison Schmitt

paragraph: BULLET::::- Space Policy Directive-1, in "The Federal Register"

alias:
Harrison Hagan Schmitt
Jack Schmitt
Dr. Harrison Hagan "Jack" Schmitt
Harrison H. Schmitt

description: United States astronaut, 12th man to set foot on the Moon

wikidata_label: Harrison Schmitt

wikipedia_title: Harrison Schmitt