Passage 1:Conaire CóemConaire Cóem ("the beautiful"), son of Mug Láma, son of Coirpre Crou-Chend, son of Coirpre Firmaora, son of Conaire Mór, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, the 111th High King of Ireland. He came to power on the death of his father-in-law Conn Cétchathach, and ruled for seven or eight years, at the end of which he was killed by Nemed, son of Sroibcenn, in the battle of Gruitine. He was succeeded by Conn's son Art.Time frameThe Lebor Gabála Érenn synchronises his reign with that of the Roman emperor Commodus (180–192). The chronology of Geoffrey Keating's Foras Feasa ar Éirinn dates his reign to 136–143, that of the Annals of the Four Masters to 157–165.IssueConaire had three sons by Conn's daughter Saraid. From his third son came the Síl Conairi, named after Conaire Cóem himself or his ancestor Conaire Mór.Cairpre Músc, ancestor of the Múscraige and Corcu DuibneCairpre Baschaín, ancestor of the Corcu BaiscindCairpre Riata, ancestor of the Dál RiataPassage 2:Guillaume WittouckGuillaume Wittouck (1749 - 1829) was a Belgian lawyer and High Magistrate. He was the Grandfather of industrialist Paul Wittouck and of Belgian navigator Guillaume Delcourt.BiographyGuillaume Wittouck, born in Drogenbos on 30 October 1749 and died in Brussels on 12 June 1829, lawyer at the Brabant Council, became Counselor at the Supreme Court of Brabant in 1791. During the Brabant Revolution, he sided with the Vonckists, who were in favor of new ideas. When Belgium joined France, he became substitute for the commissioner of the Directory at the Civil Court of the Department of the Dyle, then under the consulate, in 1800, judge at the Brussels Court of Appeal, then from 1804 to 1814, under the Empire, counselor at the Court of Appeal of Brussels, then advisor to the Superior Court of Brussels. He married in Brussels (Church of Saint Nicolas) on 29 June 1778, Anne Marie Cools, born in Gooik on 25 January 1754, died in Brussels on 11 April 1824, daughter of Jean Cools and Adrienne Galmaert descendants of the Seven Noble Houses of Brussels.Guillaume Wittouck acquired on 28th Floreal of the year VIII (18 May 1800) the castle of Petit-Bigard in Leeuw-Saint-Pierre with a field of one hundred hectares. Petit-Bigard will remain the home of the elder branch until its sale in 1941.Passage 3:Coirpre mac FogartaigCoirpre mac Fogartaig (died 771) was a King of Brega of the Uí Chernaig sept of Lagore of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Ui Neill. He was the son of the high king Fogartach mac Néill (died 724).He is not listed in the poem on the Síl nÁedo Sláine rulers in the Book of Leinster, however at his death obit in the annals for 771 he is called King of Brega. His accession to the rule of the Uí Chernaig sept in south Brega cannot be dated with certainty. His brother Fergus mac Fogartaig (died 751) is called King of South Brega at his death obit. The annals then record the deaths of his cousin Domnall mac Áeda in 759 and his brother Finsnechta mac Fogartaig in 761 with no titles. As for his accession to all of Brega, the death of the Brega king Dúngal mac Amalgado of the rival northern Uí Chonaing sept of Cnogba (Knowth) occurred in 759.Coirpre is first mentioned in the annals with regard to the death of his son Cellach, who was killed by robbers in 767. Then Coirpre is driven into exile in 769 by Donnchad Midi (died 797) of the rival southern Ui Neill branch of Clann Cholmáin based in Mide. A battle had been fought between the men of Mide and Brega in 766. The year after Coirpre's exile the men of southern Brega were defeated at the Battle of Bolgg Bóinne in 770 and two members of the sept were slain, Cernach mac Flainn (a grandson of Fogartach) and Flaithbertach mac Flainn as well as the vassal king Uarchride mac Baeth of the Deisi Brega. This was in conjunction with a campaign of Donnchad Midi versus Leinster and may have been part of that or Donnchad may have defeated the men of southern Brega on is way home. Coirpre then reappears in the year 771 at his death obit with the title King of Brega.NotesSee alsoKings of BregaPassage 4:Fogartach mac NéillFogartach Mac'Artain (died 724), sometimes called Fogartach ua Cernaich, was an Irish king who is reckoned a High King of Ireland. He belonged to the Uí Chernaig sept of the Síl nÁedo Sláine branch of the southern Uí Néill. He was King of Brega and was the son of Niall mac Cernaig Sotal (died 701) and great-grandson of the high king Diarmait mac Áedo Sláine (died 665).King of BregaFogartach may be identified with the "Focortoch" who signed as a guarantor of the Cáin Adomnáin at Birr in 697.The earliest report of him in the Irish annals is his flight from the battlefield at the Battle of Claenath (Clane, Co. Kildare) in 704 following the defeat of a number of southern Uí Néill kings by Cellach Cualann (died 715), King of Leinster.In 714, Fogartach was deposed as king of Brega and exiled in Britain. It has been suggested that it was the High King, Fergal mac Máele Dúin (died 722), who deposed him, but it appears more likely that this was a dispute within the fractious Síl nÁedo Sláine, and that Fogartach was removed by his uncle Conall Grant (died 718), assisted by Murchad Midi (died 715) of Clann Cholmáin. Conall killed Murchad the following year and Fogartach returned in 716.He caused some manner of disturbance in 717 at the Oenach Tailtiu—an annual Uí Néill gathering held at Teltown—where "Ruba's son and Dub Sléibe's son" were killed, but the annalistic record lacks sufficient context to explain what happened there and why.The following year Conall Grant won a battle against a coalition of southern Uí Néill kings at Kells, but was killed by Fergal mac Máele Dúin later that year.In the early 720s, Fogartach's lands were under attack by the kings of Leinster and Cathal mac Finguine, king of Munster. Fergal mac Máele Dúin undertook campaigns against Leinster in revenge, but was killed by the Leinstermen on one of these, at the battle of Allen, on 11 December 722. His brother Áed Laigin was slain in this battle.High KingFogartach replaced Fergal as High King, but himself fell victim to the war within the Síl nÁedo Sláine, being killed in the battle of Cenn Deilgden by his distant kinsman and successor Cináed mac Írgalaig of the Uí Chonaing sept of North Brega. This was an old feud, Cináed's father having assassinated Fogartach's father in 701. The report of his death in the Annals of Ulster does not refer to him as High King.DescendantsHis sons included:Flann Foirbthe (died 716) who died in his father's lifetime.-His son Cernach was slain at the Battle of Bolg Bóinne in 770.Cernach mac Fogartaig (died 738) killed by his criminal adherents.Fergus mac Fogartaig (died 751) called King of South Brega at his death obit.Finsnechta mac Fogartaig (died 761)Coirpre mac Fogartaig (died 771) called King of Brega in his death obit.Fogartach mac Cummascaig (died 786) king of South BregaCummuscach mac Fogartaig (flourished 778)His descendants representing the main line of the Uí Chernaig sept based at Lagore were in rivalry with his uncle Conall Grant's descendants, the Síl Conaill Graint based at Calatruim for the rule of southern Brega.NotesPassage 5:Kaya AlpKaya Alp (Ottoman Turkish:  , lit. 'Brave Rock') was, according to Ottoman tradition, the son of Kızıl Buğa or Basuk and the father of Suleyman Shah. He was the grandfather of Ertuğrul Ghazi, the father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman I. He was also famously known for being the successing name of Ertokus Bey’s son Kaya Alp. He was a descendant of the ancestor of his tribe, Kayı son of Gun son of Oghuz Khagan, the legendary progenitor of the Oghuz Turks.Passage 6:Prithvipati ShahPrithvipati Shah (Nepali:  ) was the king of the Gorkha Kingdom in the South Asian subcontinent, present-day Nepal. He was the grandfather of Nara Bhupal Shah and reigned from 1673–1716.King Prithvipati Shah ascended to the throne after the demise of his father. He was the longest serving king of the Gorkha Kingdom but his reign saw a lot of struggles.Passage 7:John WestleyRev. John Wesley (1636–78) was an English nonconformist minister. He was the grandfather of John Wesley (founder of Methodism).LifeJohn Wesly (his own spelling), Westley, or Wesley was probably born at Bridport, Dorset, although some authorities claim he was born in Devon, the son of the Rev. Bartholomew Westley and Ann Colley, daughter of Sir Henry Colley of Carbery Castle in County Kildare, Ireland. He was educated at Dorchester Grammar School and as a student of New Inn Hall, Oxford, where he matriculated on 23 April 1651, and graduated B.A. on 23 January 1655, and M.A. on 4 July 1657. After his appointment as an evangelist, he preached at Melcombe Regis, Radipole, and other areas in Dorset. Never episcopally ordained, he was approved by Oliver Cromwell's Commission of Triers in 1658 and appointed Vicar of Winterborne Whitechurch.The report of his interview in 1661 with Gilbert Ironside the elder, his diocesan, according to Alexander Gordon writing in the Dictionary of National Biography, shows him to have been an Independent. He was imprisoned for not using the Book of Common Prayer, imprisoned again and ejected in 1662. After the Conventicle Act 1664 he continued to preach in small gatherings at Preston and then Poole, until his death at Preston in 1678.FamilyHe married a daughter of John White, who was related also to Thomas Fuller. White, the "Patriarch of Dorchester", married a sister of Cornelius Burges. Westley's eldest son was Timothy (born 1659). Their second son was Rev. Samuel Wesley, a High Church Anglican vicar and the father of John and Charles Wesley. A younger son, Matthew Wesley, remained a nonconformist, became a London apothecary, and died on 10 June 1737, leaving a son, Matthew, in India; he provided for some of his brother Samuel's daughters.NotesAdditional sourcesMatthews, A. G., "Calamy Revised", Oxford University Press, 1934, page 521. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Wesley, Samuel (1662-1735)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.Passage 8:Fujiwara no NagaraThis is about the 9th-century Japanese statesman.  For the 10th-century Japanese poet also known as Nagayoshi, see Fujiwara no Nagatō.Fujiwara no Nagara (, 802 – 6 August 856), also known as Fujiwara no Nagayoshi, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician of the early Heian period. He was the grandfather of Emperor Yōzei.LifeNagara was born as the eldest son of the sadaijin Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, a powerful figure in the court of Emperor Saga. He was also a descendant of the early Japanese emperors and was well trusted by Emperor Ninmyō since his time as crown prince, and attended on him frequently. However, after Ninmyō took the throne, Nagara's advancement was overtaken by his younger brother Fujiwara no Yoshifusa. He served as director of the kurōdo-dokoro () and division chief () in the imperial guard before finally making sangi and joining the kugyō in 844, ten years after his younger brother.In 850, Nagara's nephew Emperor Montoku took the throne, and Nagara was promoted to shō shi-i no ge () and then ju san-mi (), and in 851 to shō san-mi (). In the same year, though, Nagara was overtaken once more as his brother Fujiwara no Yoshimi, more than ten years his junior, was promoted to chūnagon. In 854, when Yoshimi was promoted to dainagon, Nagara was promoted to fill his old position of chūnagon. In 856 he was promoted to  (ju ni-i), but died shortly thereafter at the age of 55.LegacyAfter Nagara's death, his daughter Takaiko became a court lady of Emperor Seiwa. In 877, after her son Prince Sadaakira took the throne as Emperor Yōzei, Nagara was posthumously promoted to shō ichi-i () and sadaijin, and again in 879 to daijō-daijin.Nagara was overtaken in life by his brother Yoshifusa and Yoshimi, but he had more children, and his descendants thrived. His third son Fujiwara no Mototsune was adopted by Yoshifusa, and his line branched into various powerful clans, including the five regent houses.Before the Middle Ages, there may have been a tendency to view Mototsune's biological father Nagara rather than his adoptive father Yoshifusa as his parent, making Nagara out as the ancestor of the regent family. This may have impacted the Ōkagami, leading it to depict Nagara as the head of the Hokke instead of Yoshifusa.PersonalityNagara had a noble disposition, both tender-hearted and magnanimous. Despite being overtaken by his brothers, he continued to love them deeply. He was treated his subordinates with tolerance, and was loved by people of all ranks. When Emperor Ninmyō died, Fuyutsugu is said to have mourned him like a parent, even abstaining from food as he prayed for the happiness of the Emperor's spirit.When he served Emperor Montoku in his youth, the Emperor treated him as an equal, but Nagara did not abandon formal dress or display an overly familiar attitude.GenealogyFather: Fujiwara no FuyutsuguMother: Fujiwara no Mitsuko (), daughter of Fujiwara no Matsukuri ()Wife: Nanba no Fuchiko ()Eldest son: Fujiwara no Kunitsune (, 828–908)Second son: Fujiwara no Tōtsune (, 835–888)Wife: Fujiwara no Otoharu (), daughter of Fujiwara no Fusatsugu ()Third son: Fujiwara no Mototsune (, 836–891), adopted by Fujiwara no YoshifusaFourth son: Fujiwara no Takatsune (, ?–893)Fifth son: Fujiwara no Hirotsune (, 838–883)Sixth son: Fujiwara no Kiyotsune (, 846–915)Daughter: Fujiwara no Takaiko (, 842–910), court lady of Emperor Seiwa, mother of Emperor YōzeiUnknown wife (possibly Nanba no Fuchiko ( ))Daughter: Fujiwara no Shukushi (, 838–906), wife of Fujiwara no Ujimune, adoptive mother of Emperor Uda, Naishi-no-kami ()Daughter: Fujiwara no Ariko (, ?–866), wife of Taira no Takamune, Naishi-no-suke ()NotesPassage 9:Lyon CohenLyon Cohen (born Yehuda Leib Cohen; May 11, 1868 – August 17, 1937) was a Polish-born Canadian businessman and a philanthropist. He was the grandfather of singer/poet Leonard Cohen.BiographyCohen was born in Congress Poland, part of the Russian Empire, to a Jewish family on May 11, 1868. He immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1871. He was educated at the McGill Model School and the Catholic Commercial Academy in Montreal. In 1888, he entered the firm of Lee & Cohen in Montreal; later became partner with his father in the firm of L. Cohen & Son; in 1895, he established W. R. Cuthbert & Co; in 1900, he organized the Canadian Improvement Co., a dredging contractor; in 1906, he founded The Freedman Co. in Montreal; and in May 1919, he organized and became President of Canadian Export Clothiers, Ltd.  The Freedman Company went on to become one of Montreal’s largest clothing companies.In 1897, Cohen and Samuel William Jacobs founded the Canadian Jewish Times, the first English-language Jewish newspaper in Canada. The newspaper promoted the Canadianization of recent East European Jewish immigrants and encouraged their acceptance of Canadian customs as Cohen felt that the old world customs of immigrant Jews were one of the main causes of anti-Semitism. In 1914, the paper was purchased by Hirsch Wolofsky, owner of the Yiddish-language Keneder Adler, who transformed it into the Canadian Jewish Chronicle.He died on August 17, 1937, at the age of 69.PhilanthropyCohen was elected the first president of the Canadian Jewish Congress in 1919 and organized the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada. Cohen was also a leader of the Young Men’s Hebrew Benevolent Society (later the Baron de Hirsch Institute) and the United Talmud Torahs, a Jewish day school in Montreal. He also served as president of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim and president of the Jewish Colonization Association in Canada.Personal lifeCohen married Rachel Friedman of Montreal on February 17, 1891. She was the founder and President of Jewish Endeavour Sewing School. They had three sons and one daughter:Nathan Bernard Cohen, who served as a lieutenant in the World War; he married Lithuanian Jewish immigrant Masha Klonitsky and they had one daughter and one son:Esther Cohen andsinger/poet Leonard Cohen.Horace Rives Cohen, who was a captain and quartermaster of his battalion in World War I;Lawrence Zebulun Cohen, student at McGill University, andSylvia Lillian Cohen.Passage 10:Abd al-MuttalibShayba ibn Hāshim (Arabic:   ; c. 497–578), better known as Abd al-Mualib, (Arabic:  , lit. ' Servant of Muttalib') was the fourth chief of the Quraysh tribal confederation. He was the grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.Early lifeHis father was Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf,: 81 the progenitor of the distinguished Banu Hashim, a clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. They claimed descent from Ismā'īl and Ibrāhīm. His mother was Salma bint Amr, from the Banu Najjar, a clan of the Khazraj tribe in Yathrib (later called Madinah). Hashim died while doing business in Gaza, before Abd al-Muttalib was born.: 81 His real name was "Shaiba" meaning 'the ancient one' or 'white-haired' because of the streak of white through his jet-black hair, and is sometimes also called Shaybah al-amd ("The white streak of praise").: 81–82 After his father's death he was raised in Yathrib with his mother and her family until about the age of eight, when his uncle Muttalib ibn Abd Manaf went to see him and asked his mother Salmah to entrust Shaybah to his care. Salmah was unwilling to let her son go and Shaiba refused to leave his mother without her consent. Mualib then pointed out that the possibilities Yathrib had to offer were incomparable to Mecca. Salmah was impressed with his arguments, so she agreed to let him go. Upon first arriving in Mecca, the people assumed the unknown child was Muttalib's servant and started calling him 'Abd al-Muttalib ("servant of Muttalib").: 85–86Chieftain of Hashim clanWhen Mualib died, Shaiba succeeded him as the chief of the Hāshim clan. Following his uncle Al-Mualib, he took over the duties of providing the pilgrims with food and water, and carried on the practices of his forefathers with his people. He attained such eminence as none of his forefathers enjoyed; his people loved him and his reputation was great among them.: 61 'Umar ibn Al-Khaāb's grandfather Nufayl ibn Abdul Uzza arbitrated in a dispute between 'Abdul-Mualib and arb ibn Umayyah, Abu Sufyan's father, over the custodianship of the Kaaba. Nufayl gave his verdict in favour of 'Abdul-Mualib. Addressing arb ibn Umayyah, he said:Why do you pick a quarrel with a person who is taller than you in stature; more imposing than you in appearance; more refined than you in intellect; whose progeny outnumbers yours and whose generosity outshines yours in lustre? Do not, however, construe this into any disparagement of your good qualities which I highly appreciate. You are as gentle as a lamb, you are renowned throughout Arabia for the stentorian tones of your voice, and you are an asset to your tribe.Discovery of Zam Zam Well'Abdul-Mualib said that while sleeping in the sacred enclosure, he had dreamed he was ordered to dig at the worship place of the Quraysh between the two deities Isāf and Nā'ila. There he would find the Zamzam Well, which the Jurhum tribe had filled in when they left Mecca. The Quraysh tried to stop him digging in that spot, but his son Al-ārith stood guard until they gave up their protests. After three days of digging, ' Abdul-Mualib found traces of an ancient religious well and exclaimed, "Allahuakbar!" Some of the Quraysh disputed his claim to sole rights over water, then one of them suggested that they go to a female shaman who lived afar. It was said that she could summon jinns and that she could help them decide who was the owner of the well. So, 11 people from the 11 tribes went on the expedition. They had to cross the desert to meet the priestess but then they got lost. There was a lack of food and water and people started to lose hope of ever getting out. One of them suggested that they dig their own graves and if they died, the last person standing would bury the others. So all began digging their own graves and just as Abdul-Mualib started digging, water spewed out from the hole he dug and everyone became overjoyed. It was then and there decided that Abdul-Muttalib was the owner of the Zam Zam well. Thereafter he supplied pilgrims to the Kaaba with Zam Zam water, which soon eclipsed all the other wells in Mecca because it was considered sacred.: 86–89 : 62–65The Year of the ElephantAccording to Muslim tradition, the Ethiopian governor of Yemen, Abrahah al-Ashram, envied the Kaaba's reverence among the Arabs and, being a Christian, he built a cathedral on


Passage 1:Henry Bryant (naturalist)Henry Bryant (May 12, 1820 – February 2, 1867) was an American physician and naturalist.Early lifeBryant was born in Boston, and graduated from Harvard University in 1840, and then followed this from a degree at Harvard Medical School in 1843. Following this, he went to Paris to study medicine, but his health broke down while researching at a Paris hospital. In order to restore his health, he joined the French army in Algeria as a surgeon. In October 1847, Bryant returned to Boston to work with Dr. Henry Jacob Bigelow as a surgeon, but after a few months his health broke down again. After being forced to abandon medicine because of ill health, Bryant turned to natural history, especially ornithology, which was a childhood passion. Bryant visited nearby Cohasset, Massachusetts for one of his first collecting trips, but he seriously injured his stomach from a fall while landing his boat. After his recovery, he decided to push himself further in an attempt to strengthen his body. His collecting trips became more frequent and more far flung.Civil War serviceBryant took a break from natural history to volunteer as a surgeon during the American Civil War. He accepted an appointment as a surgeon for the 20th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was also known as "The Harvard Regiment." By September 1861, Bryant was promoted to brigade surgeon. Soon after, he served on the staff of General Frederick W. Lander until March 2, 1862, when the general died of pneumonia.After Lander's death, Bryant was appointed Medical Director for General James Shield, a future senator. While serving as this post, Bryant fell off his horse so hard that his knee was nearly amputated. Despite the pain, he continued his duties. In the middle of 1862, he was placed in charge of organizing several hospitals, including Cliffburn Hospital and Lincoln Hospital. However, his mental and physical health collapsed again, and he resigned his commission in May 1863.Life after the Civil WarAfter the Civil War ended, Bryant made several trips to France, including to purchase the Frédéric de Lafresnaye collection of birds in 1865, which he presented to the Boston Society of Natural History. This collection contained nearly 9,000 mostly non-American specimen. The unpacking and remounting of the specimen was conducted by younger naturalists, including Charles Johnson Maynard, and took about a year to complete.In addition to his visits to France, Bryant collected birds in Florida, the Bahamas, Ontario and Labrador, North Carolina, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. He was one of the first American ornithologists in the Caribbean.He died in Puerto Rico on February 2, 1867 during a brief illness on a collecting trip.Passage 2:Abd al-MuttalibShayba ibn Hāshim (Arabic:   ; c. 497–578), better known as Abd al-Mualib, (Arabic:  , lit. 'Servant of Muttalib') was the fourth chief of the Quraysh tribal confederation. He was the grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.Early lifeHis father was Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf,: 81 the progenitor of the distinguished Banu Hashim, a clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. They claimed descent from Ismā'īl and Ibrāhīm. His mother was Salma bint Amr, from the Banu Najjar, a clan of the Khazraj tribe in Yathrib (later called Madinah). Hashim died while doing business in Gaza, before Abd al-Muttalib was born.: 81 His real name was "Shaiba" meaning 'the ancient one' or 'white-haired' because of the streak of white through his jet-black hair, and is sometimes also called Shaybah al-amd ("The white streak of praise").: 81–82 After his father's death he was raised in Yathrib with his mother and her family until about the age of eight, when his uncle Muttalib ibn Abd Manaf went to see him and asked his mother Salmah to entrust Shaybah to his care. Salmah was unwilling to let her son go and Shaiba refused to leave his mother without her consent. Mualib then pointed out that the possibilities Yathrib had to offer were incomparable to Mecca. Salmah was impressed with his arguments, so she agreed to let him go. Upon first arriving in Mecca, the people assumed the unknown child was Muttalib's servant and started calling him 'Abd al-Muttalib ("servant of Muttalib").: 85–86Chieftain of Hashim clanWhen Mualib died, Shaiba succeeded him as the chief of the Hāshim clan. Following his uncle Al-Mualib, he took over the duties of providing the pilgrims with food and water, and carried on the practices of his forefathers with his people. He attained such eminence as none of his forefathers enjoyed; his people loved him and his reputation was great among them.: 61 'Umar ibn Al-Khaāb's grandfather Nufayl ibn Abdul Uzza arbitrated in a dispute between 'Abdul-Mualib and arb ibn Umayyah, Abu Sufyan's father, over the custodianship of the Kaaba. Nufayl gave his verdict in favour of 'Abdul-Mualib. Addressing arb ibn Umayyah, he said:Why do you pick a quarrel with a person who is taller than you in stature; more imposing than you in appearance; more refined than you in intellect; whose progeny outnumbers yours and whose generosity outshines yours in lustre? Do not, however, construe this into any disparagement of your good qualities which I highly appreciate. You are as gentle as a lamb, you are renowned throughout Arabia for the stentorian tones of your voice, and you are an asset to your tribe.Discovery of Zam Zam Well'Abdul-Mualib said that while sleeping in the sacred enclosure, he had dreamed he was ordered to dig at the worship place of the Quraysh between the two deities Isāf and Nā'ila. There he would find the Zamzam Well, which the Jurhum tribe had filled in when they left Mecca. The Quraysh tried to stop him digging in that spot, but his son Al-ārith stood guard until they gave up their protests. After three days of digging, 'Abdul-Mualib found traces of an ancient religious well and exclaimed, " Allahuakbar!" Some of the Quraysh disputed his claim to sole rights over water, then one of them suggested that they go to a female shaman who lived afar. It was said that she could summon jinns and that she could help them decide who was the owner of the well. So, 11 people from the 11 tribes went on the expedition. They had to cross the desert to meet the priestess but then they got lost. There was a lack of food and water and people started to lose hope of ever getting out. One of them suggested that they dig their own graves and if they died, the last person standing would bury the others. So all began digging their own graves and just as Abdul-Mualib started digging, water spewed out from the hole he dug and everyone became overjoyed. It was then and there decided that Abdul-Muttalib was the owner of the Zam Zam well. Thereafter he supplied pilgrims to the Kaaba with Zam Zam water, which soon eclipsed all the other wells in Mecca because it was considered sacred.: 86–89 : 62–65The Year of the ElephantAccording to Muslim tradition, the Ethiopian governor of Yemen, Abrahah al-Ashram, envied the Kaaba's reverence among the Arabs and, being a Christian, he built a cathedral on Sana'a and ordered pilgrimage be made there.: 21 The order was ignored and someone desecrated (some saying in the form of defecation: 696 note 35 ) the cathedral. Abrahah decided to avenge this act by demolishing the Kaaba and he advanced with an army towards Mecca.: 22–23 There were thirteen elephants in Abrahah's army: 99 : 26 and the year came to be known as 'Ām al-Fīl (the Year of the Elephant), beginning a trend for reckoning the years in Arabia which was used until 'Umar ibn Al-Khaāb replaced it with the Islamic Calendar in 638 CE (17 AH), with the first year of the Islamic Calendar being 622 CE.When news of the advance of Abrahah's army came, the Arab tribes of Quraysh, Kinānah, Khuzā'ah and Hudhayl united in defence of the Kaaba. A man from the imyar tribe was sent by Abrahah to advise them that he only wished to demolish the Kaaba and if they resisted, they would be crushed. " Abdul-Mualib told the Meccans to seek refuge in the nearest high hills while he, with some leading members of Quraysh, remained within the precincts of the Kaaba. Abrahah sent a dispatch inviting 'Abdul-Mualib to meet him and discuss matters. When 'Abdul-Mualib left the meeting he was heard saying, "The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonour the servants of His House.": 24–26 It is recorded that when Abrahah's forces neared the Kaaba, Allah commanded small birds (abābīl) to destroy Abrahah's army, raining down pebbles on it from their beaks. Abrahah was seriously wounded and retreated towards Yemen but died on the way.: 26–27 This event is referred to in the following Qur'anic chapter:Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant?Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray?And He sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay, so He rendered them like straw eaten up.Most Islamic sources place the event around the year that Muhammad was born, 570 CE, though other scholars place it one or two decades earlier. A tradition attributed to Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri in the musannaf of Abd al-Razzaq al-Sanani places it before the birth of Muhammad's father.Sacrificing his son AbdullahAl-Harith was 'Abdul-Mualib's only son at the time he dug the Zamzam Well.: 64 When the Quraysh tried to help him in the digging, he vowed that if he were to have ten sons to protect him, he would sacrifice one of them to Allah at the Kaaba. Later, after nine more sons had been born to him, he told them he must keep the vow. The divination arrows fell upon his favourite son Abdullah. The Quraysh protested 'Abdul-Mualib's intention to sacrifice his son and demanded that he sacrifice something else instead. 'Abdul-Mualib agreed to consult a "sorceress with a familiar spirit". She told him to cast lots between Abdullah and ten camels. If Abdullah were chosen, he had to add ten more camels, and keep on doing the same until his Lord accepted the camels in Abdullah's place. When the number of camels reached 100, the lot fell on the camels. 'Abdul-Mualib confirmed this by repeating the test three times. Then the camels were sacrificed, and Abdullah was spared.: 66–68FamilyWivesAbd al-Muttalib had six known wives.Sumra bint Jundab of the Hawazin tribe.Lubnā bint Hājar of the Khuza'a tribe.Fatima bint Amr of the Makhzum clan of the Quraysh tribe.Halah bint Wuhayb of the Zuhrah clan of the Quraysh tribe.Natīla bint Janab of the Namir tribe.Mumanna'a bint Amr of the Khuza'a tribe.ChildrenAccording to Ibn Hisham, Abd al-Mualib had ten sons and six daughters.: 707–708 note 97 However, Ibn Sa'd lists twelve sons.: 99–101 By Sumra bint Jundab:Al-ārith.: 708 He was the firstborn and he died before his father.: 99 Quthum.: 100 He is not listed by Ibn Hisham.By Fatima bint Amr:Al-Zubayr.: 707 He was a poet and a chief; his father made a will in his favour.: 99 He died before Islam, leaving two sons and daughters.: 101 : 34–35 Abu Talib, born as Abd Manaf,: 99 : 707 father of the future Caliph Ali. He later became chief of the Hashim clan.Abdullah, the father of Muhammad.: 99 : 707 Umm Hakim al-Bayda,: 100 : 707 the maternal grandmother of the third Caliph Uthman.: 32 Barra,: 100 : 707 the mother of Abu Salama.: 33 Arwa.: 100 : 707 Atika,: 100 : 707 a wife of Abu Umayya ibn al-Mughira.: 31 Umayma,: 100 : 707 the mother of Zaynab bint Jahsh and Abd Allah ibn Jahsh.: 33 By Lubnā bint Hājar:Abd al-'Uzzā, better known as Abū Lahab.: 100 : 708 By Halah bint Wuhayb:amza,: 707 the first big leader of Islam. He killed many leaders of the kufar and was considered as the strongest man of the quraysh. He was martyred at Uhud.: 100 afīyya.: 100 : 707 Al-Muqawwim.: 707 He married Qilaba bint Amr ibn Ju'ana ibn Sa'd al-Sahmia, and had children named Abd Allah, Bakr, Hind, Arwa, and Umm Amr (Qutayla or Amra).Hajl.: 707 He married Umm Murra bint Abi Qays ibn Abd Wud, and had two sons, named Abd Allah, Ubayd Allah, and three daughters named Murra, Rabi'a, and Fakhita.By Natīlah bint Khubāb:al-'Abbas,: 100 : 707 ancestor of the Abbasid caliphs.irār,: 707 who died before Islam.: 100 Jahl, died before IslamImran, died before IslamBy Mumanna'a bint 'Amr:Mus'ab, who, according to Ibn Saad, was the one known as al-Ghaydāq.: 100 He is not listed by Ibn Hisham.Al-Ghaydaq, died before Islam.Abd al-Ka'ba, died before Islam.: 100 Al-Mughira,: 100 who had the byname al-Ghaydaq.The family tree and some of his important descendantsDeathAbdul Muttalib's son 'Abdullāh died four months before Muammad's birth, after which Abdul Muttalib took care of his daughter-in-law Āminah. One day Muhammad's mother, Amina, wanted to go to Yathrib, where her husband, Abdullah, died. So, Muhammad, Amina, Abd al-Muttalib and their caretaker, Umm Ayman started their journey to Medina, which is around 500 kilometres away from Makkah. They stayed there for three weeks, then, started their journey back to Mecca. But, when they reached halfway, at Al-Abwa', Amina became very sick and died six years after her husband's death. She was buried over there. From then, Muhammad became an orphan. Abd al-Muttalib became very sad for Muhammad because he loved him so much. Abd al-Muttalib took care of Muhammad. But when Muhammad was eight years old, the very old Abd al-Muttalib became very sick and died at age 81-82 in 578-579 CE.Shaybah ibn Hāshim's grave can be found in the Jannat al-Mu'allā cemetery in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.See alsoFamily tree of MuhammadFamily tree of Shaiba ibn HashimSahabaPassage 3:Fujiwara no NagaraThis is about the 9th-century Japanese statesman.  For the 10th-century Japanese poet also known as Nagayoshi, see Fujiwara no Nagatō.Fujiwara no Nagara (, 802 – 6 August 856), also known as Fujiwara no Nagayoshi, was a Japanese statesman, courtier and politician of the early Heian period. He was the grandfather of Emperor Yōzei.LifeNagara was born as the eldest son of the sadaijin Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, a powerful figure in the court of Emperor Saga. He was also a descendant of the early Japanese emperors and was well trusted by Emperor Ninmyō since his time as crown prince, and attended on him frequently. However, after Ninmyō took the throne, Nagara's advancement was overtaken by his younger brother Fujiwara no Yoshifusa. He served as director of the kurōdo-dokoro () and division chief () in the imperial guard before finally making sangi and joining the kugyō in 844, ten years after his younger brother.In 850, Nagara's nephew Emperor Montoku took the throne, and Nagara was promoted to shō shi-i no ge () and then ju san-mi ( ), and in 851 to shō san-mi (). In the same year, though, Nagara was overtaken once more as his brother Fujiwara no Yoshimi, more than ten years his junior, was promoted to chūnagon. In 854, when Yoshimi was promoted to dainagon, Nagara was promoted to fill his old position of chūnagon. In 856 he was promoted to  (ju ni-i), but died shortly thereafter at the age of 55.LegacyAfter Nagara's death, his daughter Takaiko became a court lady of Emperor Seiwa. In 877, after her son Prince Sadaakira took the throne as Emperor Yōzei, Nagara was posthumously promoted to shō ichi-i () and sadaijin, and again in 879 to daijō-daijin.Nagara was overtaken in life by his brother Yoshifusa and Yoshimi, but he had more children, and his descendants thrived. His third son Fujiwara no Mototsune was adopted by Yoshifusa, and his line branched into various powerful clans, including the five regent houses.Before the Middle Ages, there may have been a tendency to view Mototsune's biological father Nagara rather than his adoptive father Yoshifusa as his parent, making Nagara out as the ancestor of the regent family. This may have impacted the Ōkagami, leading it to depict Nagara as the head of the Hokke instead of Yoshifusa.PersonalityNagara had a noble disposition, both tender-hearted and magnanimous. Despite being overtaken by his brothers, he continued to love them deeply. He was treated his subordinates with tolerance, and was loved by people of all ranks. When Emperor Ninmyō died, Fuyutsugu is said to have mourned him like a parent, even abstaining from food as he prayed for the happiness of the Emperor's spirit.When he served Emperor Montoku in his youth, the Emperor treated him as an equal, but Nagara did not abandon formal dress or display an overly familiar attitude.GenealogyFather: Fujiwara no FuyutsuguMother: Fujiwara no Mitsuko (), daughter of Fujiwara no Matsukuri ()Wife: Nanba no Fuchiko ()Eldest son: Fujiwara no Kunitsune (, 828–908)Second son: Fujiwara no Tōtsune (, 835–888)Wife: Fujiwara no Otoharu (), daughter of Fujiwara no Fusatsugu ()Third son: Fujiwara no Mototsune (, 836–891), adopted by Fujiwara no YoshifusaFourth son: Fujiwara no Takatsune (, ?–893)Fifth son: Fujiwara no Hirotsune (, 838–883)Sixth son: Fujiwara no Kiyotsune (, 846–915)Daughter: Fujiwara no Takaiko (, 842–910), court lady of Emperor Seiwa, mother of Emperor YōzeiUnknown wife (possibly Nanba no Fuchiko ( ))Daughter: Fujiwara no Shukushi (, 838–906), wife of Fujiwara no Ujimune, adoptive mother of Emperor Uda, Naishi-no-kami ()Daughter: Fujiwara no Ariko (, ?–866), wife of Taira no Takamune, Naishi-no-suke ()NotesPassage 4:John WestleyRev. John Wesley (1636–78) was an English nonconformist minister. He was the grandfather of John Wesley (founder of Methodism).LifeJohn Wesly (his own spelling), Westley, or Wesley was probably born at Bridport, Dorset, although some authorities claim he was born in Devon, the son of the Rev. Bartholomew Westley and Ann Colley, daughter of Sir Henry Colley of Carbery Castle in County Kildare, Ireland. He was educated at Dorchester Grammar School and as a student of New Inn Hall, Oxford, where he matriculated on 23 April 1651, and graduated B.A. on 23 January 1655, and M.A. on 4 July 1657. After his appointment as an evangelist, he preached at Melcombe Regis, Radipole, and other areas in Dorset. Never episcopally ordained, he was approved by Oliver Cromwell's Commission of Triers in 1658 and appointed Vicar of Winterborne Whitechurch.The report of his interview in 1661 with Gilbert Ironside the elder, his diocesan, according to Alexander Gordon writing in the Dictionary of National Biography, shows him to have been an Independent. He was imprisoned for not using the Book of Common Prayer, imprisoned again and ejected in 1662. After the Conventicle Act 1664 he continued to preach in small gatherings at Preston and then Poole, until his death at Preston in 1678.FamilyHe married a daughter of John White, who was related also to Thomas Fuller. White, the "Patriarch of Dorchester", married a sister of Cornelius Burges. Westley's eldest son was Timothy (born 1659). Their second son was Rev. Samuel Wesley, a High Church Anglican vicar and the father of John and Charles Wesley. A younger son, Matthew Wesley, remained a nonconformist, became a London apothecary, and died on 10 June 1737, leaving a son, Matthew, in India; he provided for some of his brother Samuel's daughters.NotesAdditional sourcesMatthews, A. G., "Calamy Revised", Oxford University Press, 1934, page 521. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Wesley, Samuel (1662-1735)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.Passage 5:Kaya AlpKaya Alp (Ottoman Turkish:  , lit. 'Brave Rock') was, according to Ottoman tradition, the son of Kızıl Buğa or Basuk and the father of Suleyman Shah. He was the grandfather of Ertuğrul Ghazi, the father of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman I. He was also famously known for being the successing name of Ertokus Bey’s son Kaya Alp. He was a descendant of the ancestor of his tribe, Kayı son of Gun son of Oghuz Khagan, the legendary progenitor of the Oghuz Turks.Passage 6:Yazdegerd IIIYazdegerd III (also spelled Yazdgerd III and Yazdgird III; Middle Persian: ) was the last Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 632 to 651. His father was Shahriyar and his grandfather was Khosrow II.Ascending the throne at the age of eight, the young shah lacked authority and reigned as figurehead, whilst real power was in the hands of the army commanders, courtiers, and powerful members of the aristocracy, who engaged in internecine warfare. The Sasanian Empire was weakened severely by these internal conflicts, resulting in invasions by the Göktürks from the east, and Khazars from the west. It was, however, the Arabs, united under the banner of Islam, who dealt the decisive blow. Yazdegerd was unable to contain the Arab invasion of


Passage 1:John VI, Duke of MecklenburgJohn VI, Duke of Mecklenburg (1439–1474) was a Duke of Mecklenburg.LifeJohn was the second son of Henry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg, and his wife Dorothea, daughter ofElector Frederick I of Brandenburg.His earliest documented official act (jointly with the father) was in 1451.  In 1464 he ruled an apanage of several districts jointly with his brother Albert VI, but did not participateactively in administering them.In 1472, John VI was engaged to Sophie, the daughter of Duke Eric II of Pomerania.  The marriage was set to be celebrated in 1474.  However, John VI died before the marriage tookplace.  The exact date of his death is unknown; he is last mentioned in a document dated 20 May 1474.His last illness was contracted on a journey to Franconia to visit his uncle Elector Albrecht III Achilles ofBrandenburg.  In Kulmbach, he was infected with the plague and died.  He was probably buried in Poor Clares monastery in Hof.External linksGenealogical table of the House of MecklenburgPassage 2:Eric II, Duke ofMecklenburgEric II, Duke of Mecklenburg (German: Erich II., Herzog zu Mecklenburg; 3 September 1483 – 21/22 December 1508) was Duke of Mecklenburg, a son of Magnus II, Duke of Mecklenburg, and his wifeSophie of Pomerania-Stettin.Eric ruled Mecklenburg-Schwerin jointly with his brothers Henry V and Albert VII and his uncle Balthasar after his father's death on 27 December 1503.  Eric himself probably died on 21December or 22 December 1508. He was buried in the Doberan Minster in Bad Doberan. He never married and died childless.Passage 3:John I, Duke of Mecklenburg-StargardJohn I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard(1326 – 9 August 1392 or 9 February 1393), Duke of Mecklenburg from 1344 to 1352 and Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard from 1352 to 1392.FamilyHe was probably the youngest child from the second marriage of LordHenry II "the Lion" of Mecklenburg and Anna of Saxe-Wittenberg, a daughter of Duke Albert II of Saxe-Wittenberg.LifeJohn I was probably born in 1326.  His father died in 1329, and he remained under guardianshipuntil 1344, when he came of age and began to carry a seal as a participant in the governance of Mecklenburg.  On 8 July 1348, Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV raised John and his brother Albert II to the rank of Dukein Prague.  John, Albert and Charles initially supported the False Waldemar, but in 1350 they reconciled with his supporter Duke Louis V of Bavaria.Upon the division of Mecklenburg on 25 November 1352, John wasawarded the Lordships of Stargard, Sternbuerg and Ture.  He supported his nephew Albert III of Mecklenburg in his attempts to be recognized as King of Sweden.Marriages and issueJohn married three times. His firstwife Rixa (background unknown) probably died soon after the wedding and the marriage remained childless.His second wife Anna was a daughter of the count Adolf VII of Pinneberg and Schauenburg.  She probablydied in 1358.  John and Anna had a daughter Anna, who married Wartislaw VI of Pomerania-Wolgast on 4 April 1363.John's third wife Agnes was the daughter of Ulrich II of Lindow-Ruppin and widow of Lord Nicholas IVof Werle.  They probably married in 1358 and had five children together:John II (died between 6 July and 9 October 1416), co-regent, then Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard, from 1408 Lord of Sternberg, Friedland,Fürstenberg and LychenUlrich I (died 8 April 1417), co-regent, then Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard (1392–1417), from 1408 Lord of Neubrandenburg, Stargard, Strelitz and Wesenberg (with Lize)Rudolf (died after 28July 1415), was initially Bishop of Skara and from 1390 as Rudolf III Bishop of SchwerinAlbert I (died 1397), co-regent of Mecklenburg, from 1396 Coadjutor of DorpatContance (born c. 1373, died 1408)ExternallinksGenealogical table of the House of MecklenburgPassage 4:Eilika of SaxonyEilika of Saxony (c. 1080 – 16 January 1142) was a daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony and a member of the Billung dynasty. Throughmarriage to Otto of Ballenstedt, she was countess of Ballenstedt.LifeEilika was the younger daughter of Magnus, Duke of Saxony and Sophia, daughter of King Béla I of Hungary. Since Eilika had no brothers, after herfather's death in 1106, Eilika and her sister, Wulfhilde of Saxony, inherited his property. Eilika received property in Bernburg, Weißenfels, Werben and perhaps also in Burgwerden and Kreichau, as well as the Palatinateof Saxony.In 1130 Eilika was in conflict with the citizens of the city of Halle, probably because of her support for Archbishop Norbert of Magdeburg. Fighting broke out, during which Conrad of Eichstadt was killed, andfrom which Eilika only escaped with difficulty.  Around 1131 Eilika wrested the advocacy of the monastery of Goseck (monastery) from Louis of Thuringia, and took it for herself. In 1133 Eilika expelled Abbot Bertoldfrom Goseck for incompetency. In 1134 she introduced his successor, Abbot Penther, to the abbey with a solemn address to the monks. In 1138 Eilika was accused of tyranny (tyrannis), and attacked at her castle ofBernburg.Marriage and childrenEilika married Count Otto of Ballenstedt before 1095. With Otto, Eilika had two children: Albert the Bear and Adelaide of Ballenstedt, who married Henry II, Margrave of theNordmark.Passage 5:Henry IV, Duke of MecklenburgHenry IV, Duke of Mecklenburg (1417 – 9 March 1477) was from 1422 to 1477 Duke of Mecklenburg.LifeHenry IV of Mecklenburg, because of his obesity and lavishlifestyle also called the "Henry the Fat", was the son of the Duke John IV of Mecklenburg and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg.He inherited Mecklenburg when his father died in 1422.  His mother, Catherine, and his uncle,Albert V, acted as Regents until 1436.  He then ruled jointly with his brother John V, until his brothers death in 1442.  In May 1432, he married Dorothea of Brandenburg, the daughter of Elector Frederick I ofBrandenburg.With the death of Prince William of Werle in 1436, the male line of the Werle branch of the House of Mecklenburg died out, and Werle fell to the Duchy of Mecklenburg.  After Duke Ulrich II ofMecklenburg-Stargard died in 1471, Mecklenburg was again united under one ruler.The Stettin War of Succession between the Pomeranian Dukes and the Brandenburg Electors ended in late May 1472 through Henry'smediation.At the end of his life, he gradually transferred his power to his sons Albert, John and Magnus.  After Henry's death they ruled jointly, until John died in 1474 and Albert in 1483.  After Albert's death, Magnusruled alone.  His younger brother Balthasar cared little about the business of government.Henry died in 1477 and was buried in the Doberan Abbey.IssueAlbert VI († 1483), Duke of MecklenburgJohn VI († 1474), Dukeof MecklenburgMagnus II, Duke of MecklenburgBalthasar Duke of Mecklenburg, coadjutor of the diocese of Schwerin until 1479.External linksGenealogical table of the House of MecklenburgPassage 6:John III, Duke ofMecklenburg-StargardJohn III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Stargard (1389 – after 11 November 1438) was from 1416 to 1438 Duke of Mecklenburg, Lord of Stargard, Sternberg, Friedland, Fürstenberg, and Lychen.  Todistinguish him from John V, Duke of Mecklenburg, he is sometimes called John the Elder.FamilyHe was the oldest child of Duke John II and his wife Catherine (Wilheida) of Lithuania.LifeJohn III was probably born in1389.  In 1416, he took over the reign of Sternberg from his father.  He was taken prisoner by Brandenburg, for unknown reasons.  He was released on 28 June 1427, under the condition that he had to swear an oathof allegiance to the Margrave of Brandenburg.In 1436, he and his cousin Henry and his remote cousin Henry IV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, jointly inherited the Lordship of Werle.He married Luttrud, the daughter ofAlbert IV of Anhalt-Köthen.  She was probably a sister of Anna, the first wife of William of Werle, the last Lord of Werle.  The marriage remained childless.John III died in 1438 and was probably buried in Sternberg.  Hiscousin Henry of Mecklenburg-Stargard inherited his possessions.Passage 7:Magnus I, Duke of MecklenburgMagnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg (1345 – 1 September 1384) was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1383 until hisdeath.  Magnus was the third son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia of Sweden, the sister of the King Magnus IV of Sweden.  Sometime after 1362, he married Elizabeth of Pomerania-Wolgast,daughter of Barnim IV, Duke of Pomerania.Magnus had two children:John IV, Regent of Mecklenburg from 1384 to 1395 and co-regent from 1395 to 1422Euphemia (d. 16 October 1417);married on 18 October 1397with Lord Balthasar of WerleAfter the death of his brother Henry III in 1383, he ruled Mecklenburg jointly with Henry's son Albert IV until his own death in 1384.External linksGenealogical table of the House ofMecklenburgPassage 8:Euphemia of SwedenEuphemia of Sweden (Swedish: Eufemia Eriksdotter; 1317 – 16 June 1370) was a Swedish princess. She was Duchess consort of Mecklenburg, heiress of Sweden and ofNorway, and mother of King Albert of Sweden. (c. 1338-1412) .BiographyEarly lifeEuphemia was born in 1317 to Eric Magnusson (b. c. 1282-1318), Duke of Södermanland, second son of King Magnus I of Sweden, andPrincess Ingeborg of Norway (1300–1360), the heiress and the only legitimate daughter of King Haakon V of Norway (1270– 1319).In 1319, her infant elder brother Magnus VII of Norway (1316–1374) succeeded theirmaternal grandfather to the throne of Norway. That same year, Swedish nobles exiled their uncle, King Birger of Sweden, after which the infant Magnus was elected King of Sweden. Their mother Ingeborg had a seat inthe guardian government as well as the position of an independent ruler of her own fiefs, and played an important part during their childhood and adolescence.The 24 July 1321 marriage contract for Euphemia wassigned at Bohus in her mother's fief in Bohuslän. Her mother had plans to take control over Danish Scania, next to her duchy. The marriage was arranged with the terms that Mecklenburg, Saxony, Holstein, Rendsburgand Schleswig would assist Ingeborg in the conquest of Scania. This was approved by the council of Norway but not Sweden. When Ingeborg's forces under command of Knut Porse of Varberg, invaded Scania in1322–23, Mecklenburg betrayed her and the alliance was broken. Eventually, the affair of Euphemia's marriage led to a conflict between Ingeborg and the governments of Sweden and Norway, which led to the demiseof Ingeborg's political position in the guardian governments. The marriage took place anyway, after a fifteen-year engagement. Euphemia did not lack influence in Sweden. She is known to have acted as the witness ofseals in several documents. In 1335, when King Magnus appointed Nils Abjörnsson (Sparre av Tofta) to drots, the condition that Euphemia would act as his adviser was included in his appointment.Duchess ofMecklenburgEuphemia was married in Rostock on April 10, 1336, to her distant kinsman, Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg (1318 – 2 February 1379), a North-German lord deeply interested in obtaining some power inScandinavia. Later the same year, the couple returned to Sweden with Rudolf of Saxony and Henry of Holstein to be present at the coronation of her brother and sister-in-law Blanche of Namur. In Germany, Euphemia'slife as a Duchess consort of Mecklenburg does not appear to have affected her status in Sweden, as she was still a political factor there and her name was still placed on various documents. She was the mistress of avery expensive ducal court. In 1340–41, she convinced Magnus to grant renewed trading privileges in Norway to the Hanseatic cities of Mecklenburg, Rostock and Wismar. On 15 April 1357, she granted her the estatesHammar and Farthses  to Skänninge Abbey following the deaths of her half-brothers Haakon and Canute in 1350. She was last confirmed alive 27 October 1363, when she gave up the ownership of her dower estate inMecklenburg. Her death year is not known, but she is confirmed dead 16 June 1370, when her widower made a vicaria to her memory. Euphemia lived  to see her own second son depose her brother from the Swedishthrone, and ascend as King Albert of Sweden in 1364.IssueAt the time of her death, she had five surviving children:Henry III, Duke of Mecklenburg (c. 1337–1383); Married, firstly, Ingeborg of Denmark (1347–c.1370), eldest daughter of sonless King Waldemar IV of Denmark. They had children: Albert (claimant to position of Hereditary Prince of Denmark), Euphemia, Mary, and Ingeborg. Henry III married, secondly, Matilda ofWerle.Albert III, Duke of Mecklenburg  (1340–1412), King of Sweden from 1364 to 1389. Married, firstly, in 1359, Richardis of Schwerin (died 1377); they had children: Eric I, Duke of Mecklenburg (Hereditary Prince ofSweden) and Richardis Catherine. Albert married, secondly, Agnes of Brunswick-Lüneburg (d. 1434).Magnus I, Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1385); married, in 1369, Elisabeth of Pomerania-Rügen. They had at least oneson, John and possibly the daughter, EuphemiaIngeborg of Mecklenburg (d. c. 1395); she married, firstly, Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria (1330–1365);  Married  secondly, Henry II, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg(c. 1317–1384); had several children: Gerhard, Albert, Henry, and Sophia.Anna of Mecklenburg (died 1415); married in 1362/6 Count Adolf of Holstein (died 1390).AncestryPassage 9:Henry III, Duke ofMecklenburgHenry III, Duke of Mecklenburg (c. 1337 – 24 April 1383) was Duke of Mecklenburg from 1379 until his death.LifeHenry was the first son of Duke Albert II of Mecklenburg and his wife Euphemia of Sweden,the sister of King Magnus IV of Sweden.Henry III was first married in 1362 to Ingeborg of Denmark, daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark.  They had four children:Albrecht IV, co-regent of Mecklenburg from 1383to 1388Euphemia, married from 1377 to John V of Werle-GüstrowMaria of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, mother of Eric of Pomerania, married to Duke Wartislaw VII of PomeraniaIngeborg, from 1398 the abbess of the PoorClares abbey in Ribnitz.After Ingeborg's death, Henry was married on 26 February 1377 to Matilda of Werle, the daughter of Lord Bernard II of Werle.  This marriage remained childless.After an accident at a tournamentin Wismar, Henry III died on 24 April 1383 at his castle in Schwerin and was buried in the Doberan Minster.  His brother Magnus I and his son Albert IV took up a brief joint rule of Mecklenburg, which lasted until1384.External linksGenealogical table of the House of Mecklenburg== Footnotes ==Passage 10:Christopher, Duke of MecklenburgChristopher, Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch (30 July 1537 – 4 March 1592) was a sonof Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg.  He was Duke of Mecklenburg-Gadebusch, as well as administrator of Ratzeburg and of the Commandery of Mirow.LifeChristopher was born in Augsburg. At the urging of his elderbrother John Albert I, the cathedral chapter appointed Christopher as the successor of Bishop Christopher I of Ratzeburg in 1554.  Christopher thus became the first Lutheran administrator of the Bishopric.In 1555, hewas also elected coadjutor of Bishop William of Riga, with the right of succession.  His election was controversial and led to armed clashes.  During a clash on 1 July 1556 in Koknese, Christoper and William were bothtaken prisoner.  They were released in 1557, and Christopher was recognized as coadjutor.  However, when William died in 1563, Christopher found himself unable to exercise his right of succession.  Instead, he wastaken prisoner again during renewed fighting against Poland.  He was released in 1569, after he had renounced all claims on Riga.  After his release, he returned to Mecklenburg.He died on 4 March 1592 at TempzinAbbey and was buried in the northern chapel of the high choir of Schwerin Cathedral.  His widow commissioned a grave monument, which shows a couple kneeling before a prie-dieu.  It was crafted in the workshop ofthe Flemish sculptor Robert Coppens, with assistance from the Pomeranian painter Georg Strachen.Marriages and issueChristopher married his first wife on 27 October 1573 in Kolding.  She was Princess Dorothea ofDenmark (1528 – 11 November 1575), a daughter of King Frederick I of Denmark.  She died only two years later, in Schönberg, which was the capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Ratzeburg.He married his second wife on7 May 1581 in Stockholm. She was Princess Elizabeth of Sweden (4 April 1549 – 12 November 1597), a daughter of King Gustav I of Sweden. With her he had a daughter:Margaret Elisabeth (11 July 1584 – 16November 1616), married on 9 October 1608 to John Albert II, Duke of Mecklenburg.After Christopher's death, she returned to Sweden, where she lived in Norrköping.  She died in 1616 and was buried in UppsalaCathedral.


Passage 1:Vadim VlasovVadim Nikolayevich Vlasov (Russian: Вадим Николаевич Власов; born 19 December 1980) is a former Russian football player.Vlasov played in the Russian Premier League with FC LokomotivNizhny Novgorod.He is a younger brother of Dmitri Vlasov.Passage 2:Claude BraceyClaude Bracey (June 8, 1909 – September 23, 1940), known variously as the "Texas Flyer," the "Dixie Flyer," and the "TexasTornado," was an American sprinter who tied world records in the 100-yard and 100-meter races between 1928 and 1932.  He competed for the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and also wonthe 100-yard and 220-yard sprints at the 1928 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships.Early lifeBracey grew up in Humble, Texas and attended Humble High School.  As a boy, he participated in games of"hare-and-hound," in which the children would chase each other from one end of town to the other.  Bracey was so fast that rival sides would quarrel over who which side would have him.  He gained prominence as arunner at Humble High.Rice UniversityBracey attended Rice Institute located in Houston, Texas.  He competed in intercollegiate track for the Rice Owls from 1927 to 1930 and for the United States at the 1928 SummerOlympics in Amsterdam.  He was regarded as "the first man to bring Rice Institute athletic fame."  Bracey was considered a "big and rangy" runner.  Between 1928 and 1929, he gained weight and was reported in 1929to be six feet tall and approximately 160 pounds.  In 1929, Bracey described his minimalist approach to training as follows:"Sprinters are born, not made, and running comes natural with me.  As long as I take care ofmyself and eat reasonably, I get along fine. I don't train any during the summer.  That's vacation time and I make it that by spending those weeks fishing.  Laying off like that doesn't bother me.  After all, a dash mandoesn't need much wind.  I only take two or three breaths in 100 yards."A feature story published in 1929 described Bracey as "almost a recluse," a quiet person who rarely left campus, never wears formal clothes, and"thinks society is all wet."Championships and recordsIn June 1928, Bracey won both sprint events at the 1928 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships with times of 9.6 seconds in the 100-yard race and 20.9seconds in the 220-yard race.  He was the first athlete from Rice to win an NCAA track championship in any event, and it was 1938 before another Rice athlete (Fred Wolcott) accomplished the feat.He qualified for theU.S. Olympic team in 1928 and traveled with the team to the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.  He finished fifth in the semifinals of the 100-meter race at the Olympic games with a time of 10.8 seconds. He wasthe first Rice athlete to compete in the Olympic games; it was 1948 before another Rice athlete competed in the Olympics.At the Texas Relays in March 1929, Bracey tied the world record in the 100-yard sprint with atime of 9.5 seconds.  The next day, he ran the event in 9.4 seconds, but the record was not recognized due to wind conditions.  Football coach Knute Rockne officiated the sprint event in which Bracey's world record wasdisallowed due to wind conditions.  Rockne told reporters that Bracey was the best sprinter he had seen and added: "Bracey is a streak.  He is as good as any of them off the marks and runs the last 40 yards faster thanany man I ever saw.  He had the wind with him when he did 9.4 at Dallas but on both that occasion and the day before he beat George Simpson of Ohio State by about four yards.  You all know how good Simpson is."Atthe 1929 NCAA Men's Track and Field Championships, Bracey lost his title in the sprint events as Ohio State's George Simpson won both events, and Bracey finished second in the 100-yard race and third in the220-yard event.Bracey continued to compete through 1932.  He tied the world record in the 100-meter race with a time of 10.4 seconds in June 1932.  In July 1932, he qualified in the preliminaries of the 100-meterand 200-meter events at the Far Western Olympic team trials at Long Beach, California.  However, he was taken to a hospital the following day after an attack of appendicitis and was unable to participate in the finals,which were held while he was in the hospital.Death and posthumous honorsBracey died in Buckeye, Arizona on September 23, 1940, leaving behind wife, Anna Bess Singleton Bracey and daughter, Linda Anne Bracey(Mulpagano) who was 4 months of age at the time of her father's death.In 1970, Bracey was selected as one of the initial inductees into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame.Passage 3:John G. AdolfiJohn Gustav Adolfi(February 19, 1888 – May 11, 1933) was an American silent film director, actor, and screenwriter who was involved in more than 100 productions throughout his career. An early acting credit was in the recentlyrestored 1912 film Robin Hood.BiographyHe was born in New York City to Gustav Adolfi and Jennie Reinhardt. Adolfi entered films as an actor in The Spy: A Romantic Story of the Civil War in 1907, but after appearing inthirty or so films he switched roles and concentrated on directing until his death in 1933 from a brain hemorrhage in British Columbia, Canada while hunting bears.FilmographyPassage 4:Charles J. HuntCharles J. Hunt(April 8, 1881 – February 3, 1976) was an American film editor and director. He also worked at various times as an actor, production manager and associate producer.Selected filmographyThe Fate of a Flirt (1925)TheSmoke Eaters (1926)The Dixie Flyer (1926)The Warning Signal (1926)Modern Daughters (1927)The Show Girl (1927)On the Stroke of Twelve (1927)The Midnight Watch (1927)South of Panama (1928)Queen of theChorus (1928)Thundergod (1928)Smoke Bellew (1929)Rider of the Plains (1931)Riders of the North (1931)Police Court (1932)Trailing the Killer (1932)Law of the West (1932)The Devil on Horseback (1936)We're in theLegion Now! (1936)Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936)Captain Calamity (1936)Passage 5:La Bestia humanaLa Bestia humana is a 1957 Argentine film whose story is based on the 1890 novel La Bête Humaine by the Frenchwriter Émile Zola.External linksLa Bestia humana at IMDbPassage 6:Bucky MooreWilliam Elton "Bucky" Moore (May 5, 1905 – December 18, 1980) was an American football player who played two seasons in theNational Football League with the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He played college football at Loyola University New Orleans and attended Loyola High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was inducted intothe Loyola Wolf Pack Hall of Fame in 1964. Morre was also nicknamed the "Dixie Flyer".Passage 7:Hugh Moore (businessman)Hugh Everett Moore (1887–1972) was an advertising expert and the founder and longtimepresident of the Dixie Cup Company, manufacturer of the disposable paper Dixie Cup. Inspired by William Vogt’s book Road to Survival, Moore started to work outside his business, using his fortune and expertise tosupport the development of transatlantic structures facilitating international peace and influence population discourse and policy for the primary purpose of decreasing the number of humans.Diplomatic, political andadvocacy activitiesIn addition to his success in the cup business, Moore held many functions in the field of international relations, playing a role in the stabilization of world politics during and after the Second World War.He was founding member of the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies in 1940; chairman of the executive committee of the US League of Nations Association from 1940 to 1943 and president of AmericansUnited for World Organization, 1944.In 1944, Moore founded the Hugh Moore Fund for International Peace to fund organizations involved in population control. The Fund published Moore's pamphlet "The PopulationBomb is Everyone's Baby" in 1954. He was credited by the authors of the globally bestselling 1968 book "The Population Bomb", Anne Howland Ehrlich and Paul R. Ehrlich to have used these words first.Moore was aconsultant to the State Department at the United Nations Conference in 1945.Moore was a member of the American Association for the United Nations from 1945 to 1954. He served as treasurer of the Committee forthe Marshall Plan in 1948. Moore was a member of the Atlantic Union Committee from 1949 to 1960 and Chair of the Executive Committee from 1949 to 1951. He was chairman of the finance committee of the WoodrowWilson Foundation from 1951 to 1952 and chairman of the fundraising arm of the UN education program in 1955.He was a member of the US Committee on NATO from 1961 to 1972. Moore was Chairman of the Boardof the Population Reference Bureau, vice-president of International Planned Parenthood Federation in 1964, president of the Association for Voluntary Sterilization from 1964 to 1969, and cofounder of the PopulationCrisis Committee in 1965.Awards and honorsHugh Moore received an honorary degree of Humane Letters from Lafayette College in 1961.Passage 8:College LoversCollege Lovers is a 1930 American talkiePre-Code   comedy film produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., and directed by John G. Adolfi. The movie stars Jack Whiting, Marian Nixon, Frank McHugh and Guinn 'Big Boy'Williams. The film was based on the story by Earl Baldwin.PlotGuinn 'Big Boy' Williams, a star football player, decides to leave Sanford college after he has found that his girlfriend has eloped with another man. He isdriven to the train station by Russell Hopton, his best friend, and also a football player for the same college. Jack Whiting, who plays the part of the student manager of the Sanford college athletic association as well aspart of the president of the student body, knows that the college needs Williams to win the important game against Colton college.Whiting conspires with his girlfriend, played by Marian Nixon, to stop Williams fromleaving. He also makes use of Frank McHugh, who plays the part of Whiting's assistant in the film. Nixon fakes a suicide on a bridge when she notices Hopton and Williams approaching. They quickly run to help  her andboth of them fall in love with her, without realizing that she really love Whiting. Williams and Hopton soon become suspicious of each other and constantly spy on each other, leaving Nixon to spend her time withWhiting. Just before the big game, Hopton and Williams have an argument and show no interest in the upcoming game. Whiting suggests that Nixon write each of them an identical love note, telling the recipient thatshe loves him alone.When Williams and Hopton receive these notes, they end their quarrelling, each thinking that Nixon prefers them to the other. Halfway through the game, one of them discovers the other's note andthey begin  accusing each other of stealing their notes. Their fighting causes them to be benched. Colton ties the score and promises to be the winner, which so scares Hopton and Williams that they shake hands and goback into the game. When the winning touchdown for Sanford is a matter of inches away from the goal line, the two backs waste the last minute of the game trying to decide which of them will have the honor of makingthe final touchdown and the game ends in a tie.CastJack Whiting as Frank TaylorMarian Nixon as Madge HuttonFrank McHugh as Speed HaskinsGuinn 'Big Boy' Williams as Tiny CourtleyRussell Hopton as EddieSmithWade Boteler as Coach DonovanPhyllis Crane as Josephine CraneRichard Tucker as Gene HuttonCharles Judels as SpectatorPauline Wagner as Frank McHugh's girl friendProductionThe film was planned as afull-scale musical comedy. The majority of the musical numbers of this film, however, were cut out before general release in the United States because the public had grown tired of musicals by late 1930. Althoughmusic was mentioned when the film was first released, ads and reviews soon mentioned that, even though Jack Whiting was a musical comedy star, there was no singing in the picture. These cuts accounts for the veryshort length of the film. The film was marketed as a straight comedy film. The complete musical film was released intact in countries outside the United States where a backlash against musicals neveroccurred.SongsAlthough some modern sources mention the songs "One Minute of Heaven" and "Up and At 'Em" as being performed in this film, they were actually written for the 1929 musical comedy The Forward Pass.Since the film is now lost, and the music was cut from circulating prints in the United States, it is not certain what songs were written for this picture.PreservationNo film elements are known to survive, although there isa copy of the screenplay in the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at  Princeton University Library. The soundtrack, which was recorded on Vitaphone disks, may survive in private hands. It is unknownwhether a copy of this full version still exists.See alsoList of lost filmsPassage 9:Miloš ZličićMiloš Zličić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Зличић; born 29 December 1999) is a Serbian football forward who plays for Smederevo1924. He is a younger brother of Lazar Zličić.Club careerVojvodinaBorn in Novi Sad, Zličić passed Vojvodina youth school and joined the first team at the age of 16. Previously, he was nominated for the best player ofthe "Tournament of Friendship", played in 2015. He made his senior debut in a friendly match against OFK Bačka during the spring half of the 2015–16 season, along with a year younger Mihajlo Nešković. Zličić madean official debut for Vojvodina in the 16th fixture of the 2016–17 Serbian SuperLiga season, played on 19 November 2016 against Novi Pazar.Loan to CementIn July 2018, Zličić joined the Serbian League Vojvodina sideCement Beočin on half-year loan deal. Zličić made his debut in an official match for Cement on 18 August, in the first round of the new season of the Serbian League Vojvodina, in a defeat against Omladinac. He scoredhis first senior goal on 25 August, in victory against Radnički.International careerZličić was called in Serbia U15 national team squad during the 2014, and he also appeared for under-16 national team between 2014 and2015. He was also member of a U17 level later. After that, he was member of a U18 level, and scored goal against Slovenia U18.Career statisticsAs of 26 February 2020Passage 10:The Dixie FlyerThe Dixie Flyer is a1926 American silent action film directed by Charles J. Hunt and starring Cullen Landis, Eva Novak and Ferdinand Munier.CastCullen Landis as 'Sunrise' SmithEva Novak as Rose Rapley / Rose JonesFerdinand Munier asPresident John J. RapleyJohn Elliott as Vice-president Arthur BedfordArt Rowlands as Tom BedfordPat Harmon as Chief Clerk J. K. BurkeFrank Davis as Mike ClancyMary Gordon as Mrs. Clancy


Passage 1:Jon LeachJonathan Leach (born April 18, 1973) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He is the husband of Lindsay Davenport.Professional careerLeach, an All-American player at USC,made his Grand Slam debut at the 1991 US Open when he partnered David Witt in the men's doubles. He competed in the doubles at Indian Wells in 1992 with Brian MacPhie and before exiting in the second round theydefeated a seeded pairing of Luke Jensen and Laurie Warder. A doubles specialist, his only singles appearance came at Indian Wells in 1994. With Brett Hansen-Dent as his partner, Leach made the second round of the1995 US Open, with a win over Dutch players Richard Krajicek and Jan Siemerink. At the 1996 US Open, his third and final appearance at the tournament, Leach partnered with his brother Rick. He also played in themixed doubles, with Amy Frazier. His only doubles title on the ATP Challenger Tour came at Weiden, Germany in 1996.Personal lifeThe son of former USC tennis coach Dick Leach, he was brought up in California andwent to Laguna Beach High School. Leach married tennis player Lindsay Davenport in Hawaii on April 25, 2003. Their first child, a son named Jagger, was born in 2007. They have had a further three children, alldaughters. An investment banker, Leach is also involved in coaching and worked with young American player Madison Keys in the 2015 season. His elder brother, Rick Leach, was also a professional tennis player, whowon five Grand Slam doubles titles and reached number one in the world for doubles.Challenger titlesDoubles: (1)Passage 2:LapidothLapidoth (Hebrew:  Lapīō, "torches") was the husband ofDeborah the fourth Judge of Israel. Lapidoth is also a Hebrew male given name.Passage 3:Alan PownallStephen Alan Fletcher Pownall (born 30 December 1984) is an English singer-songwriter and the husband ofactress Gabriella Wilde.MusicThe son of Orlando Pownall, QC, he grew up in Richmond-upon-Thames and was educated at Windlesham House School, Marlborough College and Shiplake College. Originally interested infashion, he worked for French designer Roland Mouret for two years, where he was advised to study in Milan. He went on to study fashion design but dropped out a year later in 2006 to pursue a music career inLondon.After meeting Adele at one of her early gigs, he told her that he was making music and she should look it up. To his surprise, he was contacted via his MySpace profile and asked to support her on her first Britishtour. As he only had a four-song set, he wrote a lot of his material whilst on tour. He also toured with Paloma Faith, Lissie, Marina and the Diamonds, Noah and the Whale and Florence and the Machine.He shared a flatin London with fellow singer/songwriter Jay Jay Pistolet (who would go on to become the front man of The Vaccines). He later moved in with Marcus Mumford and Winston Marshall from Mumford and Sons, who hesupposedly introduced to Ted Dwane.In one interview he claims to be "all but deaf in right ear."Pownall's debut EP was released on 5 April 2010 through Mercury Records and his album True Love Stories was releasedon 25 June 2010. They parted company shortly after the release in late 2010, with Pownall taking a two and a half year break from music.Pownall and   formed the electro-pop duo Pale in late 2012, with Pownall as thesinger. Pale has supported The Vaccines and Sky Ferreira on tour.  They worked with Jas Shaw of Simian Mobile Disco to produce their first two singles, released through the independent label 37 Adventures. As ofNovember 2017, their Facebook and Soundcloud pages show that Pale has been dormant since releasing an EP, The Comeback, in 2014.Since 2019, Pownall has been releasing and performing under the pseudonymAlan Power.Personal lifeOn 13 September 2014, Pownall married actress Gabriella Wilde. The couple's first son, Sasha Blue Pownall, was born on 3 February 2014. In 2016, Wilde gave birth to their second son, ShilohSilva Pownall. Gabriella has since given birth to their third son Skye in 2019.DiscographyStudio albumPassage 4:James Randall MarshJames Randall Marsh (1896–1966) was an American artist and the husband of AnneSteele Marsh.BiographyMarsh was born in 1896 in Paris, France. He was the son of Frederick Dana Marsh and Alice Randall Marsh. He was the brother of the painter Reginald Marsh.He married Anne Steele in 1925 andthe couple settled in Essex Fells, New Jersey. There Marsh set up a metal forge which he used to create industrial and residential lighting fixtures. In 1948, the Marshes relocated to Pittstown, New Jersey where Jamescontinued operating a forge, expanding the operation to include decorative metal work. His work was mainly in the American Arts and Craft style.In 1952, Marsh was instrumental in establishing the Hunterdon ArtMuseum. When an 1836 stone mill became available for sale, Marsh and his neighbors decided to turn it into an art center, with Marsh providing most of the purchase price. The museum, with workshops, is still inoperation and the building is listed as Dunham's Mill on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.In 1964, he purchased the M. C. Mulligan & Sons Quarry, also listed on the NRHP,and donated it to the Clinton Historical Museum, now known as the Red Mill Museum Village. On October 9, 1965, the James Randall Marsh Historical Park was dedicated at the museum.Marsh died on January 20, 1966,in Flemington.Passage 5:Devisingh Ransingh ShekhawatDevisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat (c. 1934 – 24 February 2023) was an Indian agriculturist and politician who served as the first gentleman of India as the husbandof President Pratibha Patil. He also served as the first gentleman of Rajasthan and also as mayor of Amravati. He was a member of the Indian National Congress.Early lifeDevisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, who was then alecturer in chemistry, married Pratibha Patil on 7 July 1965. The couple had a daughter and a son, Raosaheb Shekhawat, who is also a politician.Shekhawat was awarded a PhD from the University of Mumbai in 1972.Prior to his wife's elevation to her presidential role, he had been principal of a college operated by his wife's Vidya Bharati Shikshan Sanstha foundation and also a First Mayor of Amravati (1991–1992). Like his wife, hewas a member of the Indian National Congress party. He was also an agriculturalist and a former member of the Legislative Assembly, being elected for the period 1985–1990 from the Amravati constituency in theMaharashtra state legislature. He lost his deposit in the 1995 contest for that constituency.Various accusations against Shekhawat and Patil emerged after the latter was nominated for the office of president. Amongthese was the case of Kisan Dhage, a teacher in a school run by Vidya Prasarak Shikshan Mandal in Buldana district, who committed suicide in November 1998. He left a note saying that he was committing suicidebecause he was tired of the mental harassment caused by Shekhawat, who was chairman of the institution, and four others. When the police registered the case as "accidental death", Dhage's wife appealed to theJudicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Jalgaon Jamod, a tehsil in Buldana district. The JMFC ordered the police to start criminal proceedings. Shekhawat petitioned the courts seeking dismissal of charges of abettingDhage's suicide. Two lower courts turned down this plea and by June 2007 the issue was pending in the Bombay High Court. A judge at that court dismissed the charges against Shekhawat in 2009 on the grounds thatthere was no proof of direct involvement, although one of his co-accused remained subject to the proceedings.In 2009, a court ruled that Shekhawat had colluded with five relatives and local officials to illegally transferinto his ownership 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) of land in Chandrapur belonging to a Dalit farmer. This was one of several allegations of corruption and irregularities to emerge during Patil's presidency in relation to her and herfamily.First Gentleman of Rajasthan (2004–2007)Upon Shekhawat's wife's succession as governor of Rajasthan, he moved into Raj Bhavan, Jaipur succeeding as the first gentleman of Rajasthan for 3 years.FirstGentleman of India (2007–2012)On 25 July 2007 Shekhawat became the first first gentleman of India upon his wife's succession as the twelfth — and first woman — President of India for a full five-yearterm.DeathShekhawat died on 24 February 2023 at the age of 89.Passage 6:Periyar E. V. RamasamyErode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 1879 – 24 December 1973), revered as Periyar or Thanthai Periyar,was an Indian social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam. He is known as the 'Father of the Dravidian movement'. He rebelled against Brahminical dominance andgender and caste inequality in Tamil Nadu. Since 2021, the Indian state of Tamil Nadu celebrates his birth anniversary as 'Social Justice Day'.Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress in 1919, but resigned in1925 when he felt that the party was only serving the interests of Brahmins. He questioned the subjugation of non-Brahmin Dravidians as Brahmins enjoyed gifts and donations from non-Brahmins but opposed anddiscriminated against non-Brahmins in cultural and religious matters. He declared his political/social views to be "no god; no religion; no Gandhi; no Congress; and no brahmins."In 1924, Ramasamy participated innon-violent agitation (satyagraha) in Vaikom, Travancore. From 1929 to 1932 Ramasamy made a tour of British Malaya, Europe, and Soviet Union which influenced him. In 1939, Ramasamy became the head of theJustice Party, and in 1944, he changed its name to Dravidar Kazhagam. The party later split with one group led by C. N. Annadurai forming the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949. While continuing theSelf-Respect Movement, he advocated for an independent Dravida Nadu (land of the Dravidians).Ramasamy promoted the principles of rationalism, self-respect, women’s rights and eradication of caste. He opposed theexploitation and marginalisation of the non-Brahmin Dravidian people of South India and the imposition of what he considered Indo-Aryan India.BiographyEarly yearsErode Venkata Ramasamy was born on 17September 1879 to a Kannada Balija merchant family in Erode, then a part of the Coimbatore district of the Madras Presidency. Ramasamy's father was Venkatappa Nayakar (or Venkata), and his mother Chinnathyee,Muthammal was a Tamilian. He had one elder brother named Krishnaswamy and two sisters named Kannamma and Ponnuthoy. He later came to be known as "Periyar" meaning 'respected one' or 'elder' in theTamil.Ramasamy married when he was 19, and had a daughter who lived for only 5 months. His first wife, Nagammai, died in 1933. Ramasamy married for a second time in July 1948. His second wife, Maniammai,continued Ramasamy's social work after his death in 1973, and his ideas then were advocated by Dravidar Kazhagam.In 1929, Ramasamy announced the deletion of his caste title Naicker from his name at the FirstProvincial Self-Respect Conference of Chengalpattu. He could speak three Dravidian languages: Kannada,Telugu and Tamil. Ramasamy attended school for five years after which he joined his father's trade at the age of12. He used to listen to Tamil Vaishnavite gurus who gave discourses in his house enjoying his father's hospitality. At a young age, he began questioning the apparent contradictions in the Hindu mythological stories. AsRamasamy grew, he felt that people used religion only as a mask to deceive innocent people and therefore took it as one of his duties in life to warn people against superstitions and priests.Kashi Pilgrimage IncidentIn1904, Ramasamy went on a pilgrimage to Kashi to visit the revered Shiva temple of Kashi Vishwanath. Though regarded as one of the holiest sites of Hinduism, he witnessed immoral activities such as begging, andfloating dead bodies. His frustrations extended to functional Hinduism in general when he experienced what he called Brahmanic exploitation.However, one particular incident in Kasi had a profound impact onRamasamy's ideology and future work. At the worship site there were free meals offered to guests. To Ramasamy's shock, he was refused meals at choultries, which exclusively fed Brahmins. Due to extreme hunger,Ramasamy felt compelled to enter one of the eateries disguised as a Brahmin with a sacred thread on his bare chest, but was betrayed by his moustache. The gatekeeper at the temple concluded that Ramasamy wasnot a Brahmin, as Brahmins were not permitted by the Hindu shastras to have moustaches. He not only prevented Ramasamy's entry but also pushed him rudely into the street.As his hunger became intolerable,Ramasamy was forced to feed on leftovers from the streets. Around this time, he realised that the eatery which had refused him entry was built by a wealthy non-Brahmin from South India. This discriminatory attitudedealt a blow to Ramasamy's regard for Hinduism, for the events he had witnessed at Kasi were completely different from the picture of Kasi he had in mind, as a holy place which welcomed all. Ramasamy was a theistuntil his visit to Kasi, after which his views changed and he became an atheist.Member of Congress Party (1919–1925)Ramasamy joined the Indian National Congress in 1919 after quitting his business and resigningfrom public posts. He held the chairmanship of Erode Municipality and wholeheartedly undertook constructive programs spreading the use of Khadi, picketing toddy shops, boycotting shops selling foreign cloth, anderadicating untouchability. In 1921, Ramasamy courted imprisonment for picketing toddy shops in Erode. When his wife as well as his sister joined the agitation, it gained momentum, and the administration was forcedto come to a compromise. He was again arrested during the Non-Cooperation movement and the Temperance movement. In 1922, Ramasamy was elected the President of the Madras Presidency Congress Committeeduring the Tirupur session, where he advocated strongly for reservation in government jobs and education. His attempts were defeated in the Congress party due to discrimination and indifference, which led to hisleaving the party in 1925.Vaikom Satyagraha (1924–1925)Vaikom Satyagraha was a  nonviolent agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore by theCongress Party. Kingdom of Travancore was known for its rigid and oppressive caste system and hence Swami Vivekananda called Travancore a "lunatic asylum".In Vaikom, a small town in Kerala state, thenTravancore, there were strict laws of untouchability in and around the temple area. Dalits, also known as Harijans, were not allowed into the close streets around and leading to the temple, let alone inside it. Anti-castefeelings were growing and in 1924 Vaikom was chosen as a suitable place for an organised Satyagraha. Under his guidance a movement had already begun with the aim of giving all castes the right to enter the temples.Thus, agitations and demonstrations took place.Ramasamy  was invited to led the movement as he was the President of the Madras Presidency Congress.On 14 April, Ramasamy and his wife Nagamma arrived inVaikom. They were immediately arrested and imprisoned for participation.Ramasamy  and his followers continued to give support to the movement until it was withdrawn during which he was arrested again.The way inwhich the Vaikom Satyagraha events have been recorded provides a clue to the image of the respective organisers. In an article entitle Gandhi and Ambedkar, A Study in Leadership, Eleanor Zelliot relates the 'VaikomSatyagraha', including Gandhi's negotiations with the temple authorities in relation to the event. Furthermore, the editor of Ramasamy's Thoughts states that Brahmins purposely suppressed news about Ramasamy'sparticipation. A leading Congress magazine, Young India, in its extensive reports on Vaikom never mentions Ramasamy.After the intervention of Mahatma Gandhi, the agitation was given up and a compromise reachedwith Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi who released all those arrested and opened the north, south and west public roads leading to Vaikom Mahadeva Temple to all castes.She refused to open the eastern road.Thecompromise was criticized by Ramasamy. Only in 1936, after the Temple Entry Proclamation, was access to the eastern road and entry into the temple allowed to the lower castes.In 1925 the Madras PresidencyCongress passed an unanimously resolution hailing Ramasamy  as Vaikom Veerar or Hero of Vaikom in the Kanchipuram Session.Self-Respect MovementRamasamy and his followers campaigned constantly to influenceand pressure the government to take measures to remove social inequality,(abolish untouchability, manual scavenging system etc.) even while other nationalist forerunners focused on the struggle for politicalindependence. The Self-Respect Movement was described from the beginning as "dedicated to the goal of giving non-Brahmins a sense of pride based on their Dravidian past".In 1952, the Ramasamy Self-RespectMovement Institution was registered with a list of objectives of the institution from which may be quoted as for the diffusion of useful knowledge of political education; to allow people to live a life of freedom fromslavery to anything against reason and self respect; to do away with needless customs, meaningless ceremonies, and blind superstitious beliefs in society; to put an end to the present social system in which caste,religion, community and traditional occupations based on the accident of birth, have chained the mass of the people and created "superior" and "inferior" classes... and to give people equal rights; to completelyeradicate untouchability and to establish a united society based on brother/sisterhood; to give equal rights to women; to prevent child marriages and marriages based on law favourable to one sect, to conduct andencourage love marriages, widow marriages, inter caste and inter-religious marriages and to have the marriages registered under the Civil Law; and to establish and maintain homes for orphans and widows and to runeducational institutions. Propagation of the philosophy of self respect became the full-time activity of Ramasamy since 1925. A Tamil weekly Kudi Arasu started in 1925, while the English journal Revolt started in 1928carried on the propaganda among the English educated people. The Self-Respect Movement began to grow fast and received the sympathy of the heads of the Justice Party from the beginning. In May 1929, aconference of Self-Respect Volunteers was held at Pattukkotai under the presidency of S. Guruswami. K.V. Alagiriswami took charge as the head of the volunteer band. Conferences followed in succession throughout theTamil districts of the former Madras Presidency. A training school in Self-Respect was opened at Erode, the home town of Ramasamy. The object was not just to introduce social reform but to bring about a socialrevolution to foster a new spirit and build a new society.International travel (1929–1932)Between 1929 and 1935, under the strain of the Great Depression, political thinking worldwide received a jolt from the spread ofinternational communism. Indian political parties, movements and considerable sections of leadership were also affected by inter-continental ideologies. The Self-Respect Movement also came under the influence of theleftist philosophies and institutions. Ramasamy, after establishing the Self-Respect Movement as an independent institution, began to look for ways to strengthen it politically and socially. To accomplish this, he studiedthe history and politics of different countries, and personally observed these systems at work.Ramasamy toured Malaya for a month, from December 1929 to January 1930, to propagate the self-respect philosophy.Embarking on his journey from Nagapattinam with his wife Nagammal and his followers, Ramasamy was received by 50,000 Tamil Malaysians in Penang. During the same month, he inaugurated the Tamils Conference,convened by the Tamils Reformatory Sangam in Ipoh, and then went to Singapore. In December 1931 he undertook a tour of Europe, accompanied by S. Ramanathan and Erode Ramu, to personally acquaint himselfwith their political systems, social movements, way of life, economic and social progress and administration of public bodies. He visited Egypt, Greece, Turkey, the Soviet Union, Germany, England, Spain, France andPortugal, staying in Russia for three months. On his return journey he halted at Ceylon and returned to India in November 1932.The tour shaped the political ideology of Ramasamy to achieve the social concept of