Today in history

[Алексей Конобеев]

I don't really know whether this should go into this topic or into "Today's birthday", but today is the day when Donald Fauntleroy Duck was born. This well-known Walt Disney cartoon character first appeared in public on June 9 1934. Very soon he became even more popular than Mickey Mouse. Donald stars in 128 cartoons and also co-stars in several more, with Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Goofy. He is so popular than in 1938 a daily comic strip about him appeared in a newspaper in the USA and now there are comic books about Donald in many European countries. During the war Donald was the main character in numerous patriotic and propaganda films. This is what Disney website says about Donald: "Donald Duck has a good heart and always has good intentions. Well, almost always. Actually, it's his second or third intentions that are the good ones, but by the time they surface Donald's already off and running in the wrong direction. He refuses to let anyone or anything stand in his way. It doesn't matter how much humiliation the world dishes out to him, Donald will take it and come back for more. He's a loser, not a quitter, and he'll go down fighting... Hot-headed Donald is a little man in a big world that's trying to keep him down."

Donald is famous for the way he speaks and a few catchphrases.

 

"Donald has a few memorable phrases that he occasionally comes out with in given situations. "What's the Big Idea!?" is a common one, which Donald usually says when stumbling across other characters in the midst of planning some sort of retaliation or prank, and sometimes when certain things don't go as planned or don't work properly. "Aw Phooey!" is another memorable saying Donald makes, usually after giving up on a particular action or event. Another popular phrase Donald says, in particular to Daisy, is, "Hiya, toots!". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Duck)

 

Here's an old Donald Duck Christmas cartoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IfeuQ6Ayos

 

Enjoy! And should we say "Many happy returns!"?

[Владислав]

I don't really know whether this should go into this topic or into "Today's birthday", but today is the day when Donald Fauntleroy Duck was born. This well-known Walt Disney cartoon character first appeared in public on June 9 1934. Very soon he became even more popular than Mickey Mouse. Donald stars in 128 cartoons and also co-stars in several more, with Mickey Mouse, Pluto and Goofy. He is so popular than in 1938 a daily comic strip about him appeared in a newspaper in the USA and now there are comic books about Donald in many European countries. During the war Donald was the main character in numerous patriotic and propaganda films. This is what Disney website says about Donald: "Donald Duck has a good heart and always has good intentions. Well, almost always. Actually, it's his second or third intentions that are the good ones, but by the time they surface Donald's already off and running in the wrong direction. He refuses to let anyone or anything stand in his way. It doesn't matter how much humiliation the world dishes out to him, Donald will take it and come back for more. He's a loser, not a quitter, and he'll go down fighting... Hot-headed Donald is a little man in a big world that's trying to keep him down."

Donald is famous for the way he speaks and a few catchphrases.

 

"Donald has a few memorable phrases that he occasionally comes out with in given situations. "What's the Big Idea!?" is a common one, which Donald usually says when stumbling across other characters in the midst of planning some sort of retaliation or prank, and sometimes when certain things don't go as planned or don't work properly. "Aw Phooey!" is another memorable saying Donald makes, usually after giving up on a particular action or event. Another popular phrase Donald says, in particular to Daisy, is, "Hiya, toots!". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Duck)

 

Here's an old Donald Duck Christmas cartoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IfeuQ6Ayos

 

Enjoy! And should we say "Many happy returns!"?

 

Спасибо за интересную информацию и замечательный мультик! Я его на Рождество уже показывал своим ученикам. Все были в восторге.

[Алексей Конобеев]

Спасибо за интересную информацию и замечательный мультик! Я его на Рождество уже показывал своим ученикам. Все были в восторге.

Я с учениками посильнее в это мультфильме отключаю звук и проводим конкурс "комментаторов" - вслух описывают то, чтопроисходит на экране. СЛова простые, разве что надо дать icicle, fur-coat и еще несколько. И просто успеть сказать фразы типа Donald is wearing a fur-coat. he is going out. he is pulling a sledge on a string behind him оказывается очень непростой задачей даже для старшеклассников. Зато очень любят это упражнение, так как и свой словарный запас таким образом проверяют и расширяют, и учатся говорить просто о том, что видят.

[Владислав]

Я с учениками посильнее в это мультфильме отключаю звук и проводим конкурс "комментаторов" - вслух описывают то, чтопроисходит на экране. СЛова простые, разве что надо дать icicle, fur-coat и еще несколько. И просто успеть сказать фразы типа Donald is wearing a fur-coat. he is going out. he is pulling a sledge on a string behind him оказывается очень непростой задачей даже для старшеклассников. Зато очень любят это упражнение, так как и свой словарный запас таким образом проверяют и расширяют, и учатся говорить просто о том, что видят.

 

Спасибо за то, что поделились опытом, Алексей! Обязательно попробую проделать тоже самое со своими учащимися.

[Алексей Конобеев]

On this day in 1215 a very important document was signed and stamped. This document changed the course not only of English history, but also influenced the development of democracy as we know it today. The king, who was compelled to sign the document, was afterwards nicknamed "Lackland". Of course, we are talking about King John and the Magna Carta Libertatum, or the Great Charter of Liberty. The document was written in Latin and is still known under its Latin name.

 

Magna Carta required King John of England to proclaim certain rights, respect certain legal procedures, and accept that his will could be bound by the law. It explicitly protected certain rights of the King's subjects, whether free or fettered — and implicitly supported what became the writ of habeas corpus, allowing appeal against unlawful imprisonment.

Magna Carta influenced the development of the common law and many constitutional documents, including the United States Constitution. Many clauses were renewed throughout the Middle Ages, and continued to be renewed as late as the 18th century. By the second half of the 19th century, however, most clauses in their original form had been repealed from English law.

 

King John was a younger brother of King Richard the Lionheart, the same Richard who was much more interested in fighting in crusades in the Holy Land than in governing his country. After Richard's death John became king, but he experienced a series of political and military failures abroad and he tried to rule unlawfully, so his barons revolted against him.

King John's actions in France were a major cause of discontent in the realm. At the time of his accession to the throne after Richard's death, there were no set rules to define the line of succession. King John, as Richard's younger brother, was crowned over Richard's nephew, Arthur of Brittany, since Arthur still had a claim over the Anjou empire. However, John needed the approval of the French king, Philip Augustus. To get it, John gave to Philip large tracts of the French-speaking Anjou territories.

 

When John later married Isabella of Angoulême, her previous fiancé (Hugh X of Lusignan, one of John's vassals) appealed to Philip, who then declared forfeit all of John's French lands, including the rich Normandy. Philip declared Arthur as the true ruler of the Anjou throne and invaded John's French holdings in mid-1202 to give it to him. John had to act to save face, but his eventual actions did not achieve this—Arthur disappeared in suspicious circumstances, and John was widely believed to have murdered him, thus losing the little support he had from his French barons.

 

After the defeat of John's allies at the Battle of Bouvines,[2] Philip retained all of John's northern French territories, including Normandy (although Aquitaine remained in English hands for a time). These serious military defeats, which lost to the English a major source of income, made John unpopular at home. Worse, to recoup his expenses, he had to further tax the already unhappy barons.

King John I needed money for armies, but the loss of the French territories, especially Normandy, greatly reduced the state income, and a huge tax would need to be raised to reclaim these territories. Yet, it was difficult to raise taxes because of the tradition of keeping them unchanged.

 

John relied on clever manipulation of pre-existing rights, including those of forest law, which regulated the king's hunting preserves, which were easily violated and severely punished. John also increased the pre-existing scutage (feudal payment to an overlord replacing direct military service) eleven times in his seventeen years as king, as compared to eleven times during the reign of the preceding three monarchs. The last two of these increases were double the increase of their predecessors. He also imposed the first income tax, raising the (then) extortionate sum of £70,000.

King John also quarreled with the Pope, because he refused to accept the papal emissary as the appointed Archbishop of Canterbury and exhiled him from England. Infuriated, Innocent III ordered an interdict (prevention of public worship — mass, marriages, the ringing of church bells, etc.) in England in 1208, excommunicated John in 1209, and encouraged Philip to invade England in 1212.

 

By 1215, some of the most important barons in England had had enough, and with the support of Prince Louis the French Dauphin and King Alexander II of the Scots, they entered London in force on 10 June 1215,[3] with the city showing its sympathy with their cause by opening its gates to them.

They, and many of the moderates not in overt rebellion, forced King John to agree to the "Articles of the Barons", to which his Great Seal was attached in the meadow at Runnymede on 15 June 1215. In return, the barons renewed their oaths of fealty to King John on 19 June 1215.

 

You can see a digital copy of the original magna Carta and its translation here: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/index.html

[Алексей Конобеев]

The first life insurance policy in England was taken out on June 18, 1583. The insurer was Richard Martin, an alderman of London, who had a patent from Queen Elizabeth I to run "A Chamber of Insurance" He isured the life of a salter called William Gibbons, for 12 months, at the premium of 8% at the cost of 383 pounds. William Gibbons died on may 28 of the next year, but Richard Martin refused to pay the bonus as he argued that 12 months meant twelve 28-day months. It took several court hearings to resolve the case, when the bonus was paid to the heirs of Mr. Gibbons in 1587.

[Алексей Конобеев]

On June 21, 1978 the famous musical "Evita" was opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. The musical closed in that theatre 8 February 1986, after 2,900 performances. But it still runs in theatres worldwide, including its motherland, England, tours inthe USA and many other countries.

A major 1996 film of the musical was made, starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas.

It is interesting to look at how the musical came into being. In 1972 the author of the lyrics, Tim Rice, heard a radio play about Eva Duarte de Perón and approached Lloyd Webber with an idea for a musical collaboration based on her life. The more Rice investigated Eva Perón, going so far as to travel to Buenos Aires to research her life, the more fascinated he became by the woman; he even named his first daughter after her. The idea of writing a score including tangos, paso dobles, and similar Latin flavours intrigued Lloyd Webber, but at first he rejected the idea. Just like they did with their first musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", they first recorded an album. In Britain, Australia, South Africa, South America, and various parts of Europe, sales of the concept album exceeded those of Jesus Christ Superstar; in the United States, however, it never achieved the same level of success. Lloyd Webber and Rice reworked several elements of the musical before producing it for the stage. Some songs were dropped and some shortened, while others were introduced and some lyrics rewritten.

The musical includes different types of music; classical, Latino, ballads and rock music. It is based on a true story of a very interesting woman who rose from poverty to the status of the first lady of Argentina and some people to this day believe that she was a saint, while others heartily disapprove of her.

The 1996 film got an Oscar for the song "You must love me".

This extract from the film shows the first time Evita met her future husband colonel Peron who with her help became president: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amzY937o9wU

[tam]

On June 21, 1978 the famous musical "Evita" was opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in London.

 

This extract from the film shows the first time Evita met her future husband colonel Peron who with her help became president: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amzY937o9wU

 

Алексей Васильевич! Разрешите использовать этот текст для моей разработки "Evita". Разумеется со ссылкой на Вас и на englishteachers.ru

[Алексей Конобеев]

Алексей Васильевич! Разрешите использовать этот текст для моей разработки "Evita". Разумеется со ссылкой на Вас и на englishteachers.ru

Татьяна Геннадьевна, с огромным удовольствием. все, что я пишу на форуме, можно использовать :-) Я и тему эту создал специально чтобы было где брать материалы и не приходилось долго их искать

[tam]

Татьяна Геннадьевна, с огромным удовольствием. все, что я пишу на форуме, можно использовать :-) Я и тему эту создал специально чтобы было где брать материалы и не приходилось долго их искать

[Алексей Конобеев]

On June 22 in 1675 King Charles II commisioned the construction of the Royal Observatory in Greenwish. At this time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal (initially filled by John Flamsteed), to serve as the director of the observatory and to "apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation." The observatory was built close to the place where Greenwich palace and Greenwich castle had stood.

Flamsteed House, the original part of the Observatory, was was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. It cost £520 (£20 over budget) to build.

In the 19th century geographers of the world agreed that Greenwich meridian would be considered to be the Prime Meridian.

The Observatory underwent an attempted bombing in 1894. This was possibly the first 'international terrorist' incident in Britain. The bomb was detonated by a 26-year-old French anarchist named Martial Bourdin. It is not known why he chose the observatory. Read more about the bombing here.

Now the Observatory is a museum, but it still keeps the customs of the dropping Time ball. A bright orange Time Ball drops on the roof of the Observatory every day at 1 pm. The Time Ball was first dropped in 1833 to mark the time. It was suggested that the Time Ball should drop at midday, but then the astronomers were too busy watching the sun, so the ball is dropped at 1 pm instead.

 

Read more about the history and traditions of the Observatory here.

[Алексей Конобеев]

On June 24 in 1497 John Cabot reached Canada (the island of Newfoundland), thus becoming the first European to reach this part of North America after the Vikings.

John Cabot is also known under several other names: Giovanni Caboto, Zuen Caboto, Juan Caboto, Jean Caboto. The only existing document bearing his signature comes from venice, and he signed his name there in its Venetian form as Zuan Chabotto. On the whole, historians believe that John Cabot was Italian, although his exect birthplace is unknown. What is known is that in 1476 Cabot was made a Venetian citizen, which required a minimum of fifteen years residency in the city.

 

In 1470s John Cabot engaged in sea trade, a record remains telling oh his selling a slave on Crete. He also participated in house building, worked as a civil engineer in Spain, and by 1484 was married and had two sons. His thrid son was born later than this date.

 

In mid1490-s he decided to go on an expedition across the Atlantic. He asked for support in Spain and Portugal, but got none (as Christopher Columbus had already embarked on his first voyage) and moved to England. On 5 March 1496 he gor a royal patent which allowed him to embark on his expedition from Bristol. This is what was written in the patent signed by Henry VII:

..free authority, faculty and power to sail to all parts, regions and coasts of the eastern, western and northern sea, under our banners, flags and ensigns, with five ships or vessels of whatsoever burden and quality they may be, and with so many and with such mariners and men as they may wish to take with them in the said ships, at their own proper costs and charges, to find, discover and investigate whatsoever islands, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels, in whatsoever part of the world placed, which before this time were unknown to all Christians.

 

All that is known about Cabot's first voyage (made in 1497) is contained in a letter from John Day (a Bristol merchant) to Christopher Columbus. Day wrote: "Since your Lordship wants information relating to the first voyage, here is what happened: he went with one ship, his crew confused him, he was short of supplies and ran into bad weather, and he decided to turn back."

 

Unabashed, John Cabot makes another voyage and a chrobicler writes in 1565: "This year, on St. John the Baptist's Day [24 June 1497], the land of America was found by the Merchants of Bristow in a shippe of Bristowe, called the Mathew; the which said the ship departed from the port of Bristowe, the second day of May, and came home again the 6th of August next following." There are also letters from 1497 that prove the chronicler right.

 

And now imagine what it must have been like for Cabot and his crew to sail across the ocean in search of unknown lands. Cabot used only one "little ship", of 50 tons burden, called the Matthew of Bristol. It was said to be laden with sufficient supplies for "seven or eight months". The ship departed in May , with a crew of either eighteen men or twenty. Leaving Bristol, the expedition sailed past Ireland and across the Atlantic making landfall somewhere on the coast of North America on June 24, 1497. Cabot is only reported to have landed once during the expedition and did not advance "beyond the shooting distance of a crossbow". The crew only appeared to have remained on land long enough to take on fresh water and to raise the Venetian and Papal banners and claim the land for the King of England. After this landing, Cabot spent some weeks "discovering the coast". On August 6 the expedition returned to Bristol.

 

Back in Britain Cabot went to see the King and got his reward on 10 August - £10, which was the equivalent to about two-years pay for an ordinary labourer or craftsman. Also, as a contemporary wrote on 23 August, Cabot "is called the Great Admiral and vast honour is paid to him and he goes dressed in silk, and these English run after him like mad". In December 1497 the explorer was awarded a pension of £20 per year and in February 1498 he was given an additional patent to help him prepare a second expedition. The Great Chronicle of London reports that Cabot departed with a fleet of five ships from Bristol at the beginning of May, one of which had been prepared by the King.

No other records remain of that final expedition, although some evidence suggests that John Cabot returned to England and died around 1500.

 

John Cabot's statues stand in England and Canada now, there are streets and buildings named after him, and there are at least two cabot towers - one in Bristol and another one on Newfoundland.

 

Bristol University is engaged in Cabot project - a research project aimed at discovering more information about this brave man.

You can also watch a short video about John Cabot here: http://www.nfb.ca/film/john_cabot_a_man_of_the_renaissance

[Алексей Конобеев]

On June 29 in 1613 the Globe Theatre burnt down during a performance of "Henry VIII".

The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. The exact location of the original theatre was unknown a small part of its foundations, including one original pier base, was discovered in 1989 beneath a car park.

he Globe was owned by actors who were also shareholders in Lord Chamberlain's Men. The Globe was built in 1599 using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, which had been built in Shoreditch in 1576. That theatre's building belonged to the father of one of the actors, but the land was not theirs, it was leased for 21 years and the landlord claimed that when the lease ended, the building became his as well. However, on 28 December 1598, while the landlord was celebrating Christmas at his country home, carpenter Peter Street, supported by the players and their friends, dismantled The Theatre beam by beam and transported it to a waterfront warehouse near Bridewell. When more favourable weather came in the following spring, the material was ferried over the Thames to reconstruct it as The Globe on some marshy gardens to the south of Maiden Lane, Southwark. As I've written earlier, on June 29 in 1613 the theatre burnt down because during a performance of "Henry VIII" a cannon misfired and set the building on fire. According to one of the few surviving documents of the event, no one was hurt except a man whose burning breeches were put out with a bottle of ale. The theatre was rebuilt in the following year. Like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642. It was pulled down in 1644.

 

(based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_Theatre)

[Алексей Конобеев]

On June 30 in 1896 was opened one of the most famous bridges in the world, Tower Bridge. The bridge was officially opened by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), and his wife, The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark) and quickly became one of the most favourite symbols of London.

 

The bridge is 244 metres long, and each of its two towers is 65 metres high. The bridge has a hydraulic mechanism and can be raised to let large ships pass. The original mechanism was largely replaced in 1974. However, some of the original hydraulic machinery has been retained, although it is no longer in use. It is now part of the bridge museum, with the engine room open to the public. The high-level walkways between the towers are now part of the bridge exhibition and you can enjoy the views of London from there.

You can find more information on the official website of Tower Bridge, including a live webcam.

[tam]

On June 30 in 1896 was opened one of the most famous bridges in the world, Tower Bridge. The bridge was officially opened by The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), and his wife, The Princess of Wales (Alexandra of Denmark) and quickly became one of the most favourite symbols of London.

 

The bridge is 244 metres long, and each of its two towers is 65 metres high. The bridge has a hydraulic mechanism and can be raised to let large ships pass. The original mechanism was largely replaced in 1974. However, some of the original hydraulic machinery has been retained, although it is no longer in use. It is now part of the bridge museum, with the engine room open to the public. The high-level walkways between the towers are now part of the bridge exhibition and you can enjoy the views of London from there.

You can find more information on the official website of Tower Bridge, including a live webcam.

Большое спасибо за интереснейшую информацию. Вы всегда подсказываете идеи для работы.

[Алексей Конобеев]

Большое спасибо за интереснейшую информацию. Вы всегда подсказываете идеи для работы.

Татьяна Геннадьевна, а какая у вас на этот раз идея? Новая презентация? будет очень интер6есно посмотреть, Вы всегда великолепно воплощаете любую идею.

[tam]

Татьяна Геннадьевна, а какая у вас на этот раз идея? Новая презентация? будет очень интер6есно посмотреть, Вы всегда великолепно воплощаете любую идею.

Да, это будет виртуальная экскурсия по мосту Тауэр. Я делала такую работу по реке Темзе. Интересно получилось. Нужно только разработать задания к той работе. Я ее опубликовала без заданий.

http://www.zavuch.info/component/mtree/ino...ver-thames.html

[Алексей Конобеев]

Да, это будет виртуальная экскурсия по мосту Тауэр. Я делала такую работу по реке Темзе. Интересно получилось. Нужно только разработать задания к той работе. Я ее опубликовала без заданий.

http://www.zavuch.info/component/mtree/ino...ver-thames.html

Там для скачивания регистрация требуется? :-(

[Алексей Конобеев]

July the 1st is Canada Day. It is a national holiday in canada and is often referred to as canada's birthday.

Its history dates back to July 1, 1867, when the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada were united into Canada, then a federation of four provinces. This became possible through the Constitution Act of 1867. Canada became a kingdom in its own right on that date, but the British Parliament retained some rights of political control over it until 1982.

The holiday, known now as Canada day, was officially established as a celebration of the union, only in 1879. Then the holiday was called Dominion Day, but it was renamed Canada Day on October 27, 1982. Until then it was gradually gaining popularity as a national holiday, with celebrations becoming bigger year by year. Many events are now organised on this day, including parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts, as well as citizenship ceremonies for new citizens. The Governor general presides over concerts on Parliament Hill in the country's capital, Ottawa. Queen Elizabeth II attended the celebrations in 1990, 1992, and 1997. This year the Queen is also attending Canada Day. This is an extract from the Canada and New York Visit Communique from the Royal website:

"The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, is paying a Royal Visit to Canada from 28 June to 6 July to celebrate the centenary of the Canadian Navy and to mark Canada Day.

 

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will then continue to New York where The Queen will visit the United Nations and address the UN General Assembly on 6 July.

 

In Canada, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Toronto. " http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary...a28June6Ju.aspx

 

Canadians living in other countries also celebrate Canada Day. And today is a great day to wish good luck to all Canadians and say: |Happy Birthday, Canada!"

[Алексей Конобеев]

On July 2 (June 20 O.S) 1860 the city of Vladivostok was founded. Of course, this was not the moment when people began to settle in the area. In the Middle ages the place used to be populated by different peoples and belong to several kingdoms such as the Mohe, Goguryeo, and Balhae, and later, the Khitans and the Jurchens. In the 13 - 14th centuries there was an acient city there called Yongmingcheng - "city of eternal light". However, the territory lost its population after the Mongol wars of the 13th century and few people lived there until the 19th century.

According to the treaty of Nerchinsk the entire territory belonged to China. However, later treaties, such as the Treaty of Aigun of 1858 and the Treaty of Peking of 1860 stated that China ceded the territory to Russia. The Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, Nikolay Muravyov, visited the peninsula and the bay in the summer of 1859 and next year on June 20 OS (July 2 NS) the ship Manchur, under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Alexey Shefner, called at the Golden Horn Bay to found an outpost called Vladivostok. Warrant officer Nikolay Komarov with 28 soldiers and two non-commissioned officers under his command were brought from Nikolayevsk-on-Amur to construct the first buildings of the future city. This was the beginning of Vladivostok.

Today, on its 150th birthday, Vladivostok is an important seaport, military base and a centre of science, with the population of approximately 580 990 people (the population of the local area is 605.2 people). Vladivostok has always played an important role in Russia's international relations, housing several consulates and consulates general, as well as being Russia's stronghold on the Pacific ocean.

 

I spent three days in Vladivostok in 2007. The city looks beautiful with its bays and old buildings, and the military ships in the harbour. This is where the Trans-Siberian railway ends, and to fly from Vladivostok to Moscow takes 9 hours. People of Vladivostok are especially nice and friendly and I would like all of us to wish Vladivostok a very happy birthday and many happy returns of the day.

[Алексей Конобеев]

On July 8 (June 27 OS) Peter the Great won one of the most important battles of the Great Nothern War, a battle that signified a steady rise of the Russian Empire. The battle happened near the city of Poltava and is calles the Battle of Poltava.

Although the defeat at Narva in 1700 made peter the Grat withdraw his forces from further battles, the king Charles XII of sweden was still fighting Augustus II of Saxony and Poland, Peter's ally. This was the time when peter the Great reformed his army, founded the city of St. Petersburg on former Swedish territory. Although Charles XII moved his expedition army towards Moscow on August 22, 1707, it took the troops almost two years to reach Smolensk. Charles XII decided to move his army to Malorossiya where he was promised support by the hetman Mazepa, who was hoping to rule Ukraine under the Swedes. But Peter had already strengthened his position in Poltava with his reformed army, and on June 27 Old Style the two armies met in battle.

All in all, the Swedes had up to 30 000 men in the expedition army, out of which approximately 8,200 infantry, 7,800 cavalry, 1,000 hussars and 4 cannons participated in the battle. Peter the Great had up to 60 000 people, out of which 25,000 infantry, 9,000 dragoons and Cossacks were involved in the battle.

The Russian army defeated the Swedes. Several thousand prisoners were taken, many of whom were put to work building the new city of Saint Petersburg. Charles and Mazepa managed to escape with about 1,500 men to Bendery, Moldavia, then controlled by the Ottoman Empire. Charles spent five years in exile there before he was able to return to Sweden. The battle put an end to the military power of the Swedish empire and saved the Russian empire, including Malorossiya, from destruction.

You can read the report of the battle, written by Peter the Great (in Russian) here: http://www.hrono.ru/dokum/1700dok/17090628relacia.html

[Harry Smith]

On this day in 1951, Paris, the capital city of France, celebrates turning 2,000 years old. In fact, a few more candles would've technically been required on the birthday cake, as the City of Lights was most likely founded around 250 B.C.

Read more: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

 

Today is Thursday, July 8, the 189th day of 2010. There are 176 days left in the year.

 

Today's Highlight in History:

 

On July 8, 1950, President Harry S. Truman named Gen. Douglas MacArthur commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea. (But Truman ended up sacking MacArthur for insubordination nine months later, replacing him with Lt. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway.)

 

On this date:

 

In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a Royal Charter to Rhode Island.

 

In 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, in Philadelphia.

 

Read more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/history

[Алексей Конобеев]

On July 13, 1923, the Hollywood sign was officially dedicated. It's interesting that initially the sign said "Hollywoodland" and was created as an advertisement of a real estate agency, advertising a new housing development in the hills above the Hollywood district of Los Angeles as a "superb environment without excessive cost on the Hollywood side of the hills." The sign became famous after its initial puprose was fulfilled and it was changed into "Hollywood". Now there is a special Hollywood Sign Trust, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to physically maintain, repair and secure the Hollywood sign. The sign was intended to stay for a year and a half but with the development of American cinema it became very closely associated with it and therefore it still stays now. In September 1932, actress Peg Entwistle committed suicide by jumping to her death from the letter "H".

 

Over the years the sign was altered several times. Partly it was due to reconstruction, because with years the condition of the letters became so bad that several were destroyed completely and the entire sign had to be reconstructed. Also, it was altered by pranksters and sometimes even by the city officials to reflect some events. Some of the examples of such alterations include;

HOLLYWEED - January 1976, noting new state marijuana law

GO NAVY - November 1983, before that year's Army-Navy Game at the Rose Bowl stadium

HOLYWOOD - September 1987, for Pope John Paul II's arrival

OIL WAR - 1991, for the Persian Gulf war

JOLLYGOOD - when Virgin Air began flying nonstop from LA to London

On January 1, 2000, the sign was lit up in an array of flashing colors in celebration of the New Millennium.

 

Many cities around the worl imitated the sign in different ways. One of the imitations I saw in Russia was this spring in Kemerovo, with the difference that the letters were not white. There the word is Kuzbass.

[Алексей Конобеев]

On August 20 (Aug. 9th old style) in 1721 the famous fountains of peterhof, including the Grand Cascade, were first started. On the day before Peter the Great struck the final stroke and brought down the remaining barrier between the channel, dug from the local river and the pipes of Peterhof. It took water one day to reach the fountains.

It's interestimng to note, that the Grand cascade, created to resemble that of versailles, is one of the largest fountain ensembles in the world. It goes downhill towards the Baltic Sea, from the grotto and Samson to the channel that leads to the pier.

There are many beautiful fountains in the parks of Peterhof, but some of the very popular ones are "secret" joke fountains. They are designed to soak the visitors and are disguised as trees, a bench with an umbrella above it from which the water pours etc.

 

A peculiar thing about the fountains' design is that they work without pumps. All the water is supplied from natural springs and collects in special reservoirs in the Upper Garden, from where it is distributed throughout the fountains of the Lower Garden. However, the Grand cascade needs so much water, that a special aqueduct was built to bring the water from a special high-elevation source.

The fountains are officially opened every year in May and it is usually a great festival with music and fireworks.

 

You can read more about Peterhof and its palaces and parks here: http://www.saint-petersburg.com/peterhof/

[Алексей Конобеев]

On August 24, 1814, British troops burned down large parts of Washington DC< including the White House and two buildings of the Capitol which was still under construction then. All these events happened during the so-called war of 1812. American films and books often talk about this Burning of Washington as an attempt of the Royal Britain to avenge for the Revolution and the War of Independence, but the real story is a bit different. In 1813 American troops looted and burned the city of York (now Toronto) in Canada, including the parliament buildings of Upper Canada. To prevent further American incursions into canada, British forces took Washington. The forces were too small in number to occupy the city, so the commander of the forces, general Robert Ross, ordered to burn and destroy as many of public buildings as possible. However, he ordered the soldiers not to touch the residential areas and private property. So both the White House and the two buildings of the Capitol - the Senate and the House of Representatives - were burnt, as well as the Library of Congress, the US Treasury and the Navy Yard. Since it was raining, the soldiers added fuel to the flames. However, less than a day after the attack began, a hurricane came, followed by a tornado. The rain and the wind put outthe fires and made the British troops leave the city. The actual occupation of Washington by British soldiers lasted for about 26 hours, but that was enough to cause much damage. American troops stopped their incursions into Canada and the burning of Washington contributed to the signing of the Treaty of Ghent next year.