:: wikimiki.org ::

July 18

July 18

July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining.

Events

- 390 BC - Battle of the Allia: A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome.
- 64 - Great fire of Rome: A fire begins to burn in the merchant area of Rome and soon burns completely out of control while Emperor Nero reportedly plays his lyre and sings while watching the blaze from a safe distance.
- 1195 - Battle of Alarcos, great victory of Almohad ruler Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur over the Castilian King Alfonso VIII
- 1536 - The authority of the Pope is declared void in England.
- 1830 - Uruguay adopts its first constitution.
- 1857 - Louis Faidherbe, French governor of Senegal, arrives to relieve French forces at Kayes, effectively ending El Hajj Umar Tall's war on the French.
- 1863 - American Civil War: The first formal African American military unit, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, unsuccessfully assaults Confederate-held Fort Wagner but their valiant fighting still proves the worth of African American soldiers during the war.
- 1872 - Britain introduces voting by secret ballot.
- 1873 - Oscar II of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Norway in Trondheim
- 1898 - Marie and Pierre Curie announce the discovery of a new element and proposed to call it polonium.
- 1914 - The United States Army's Signal Corps is formed, giving definite status to its air service for the first time.
- 1925 - Adolf Hitler publishes his personal manifesto Mein Kampf.
- 1938 - Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan arrives in Ireland.
- 1942 - World War II: The Germans test fly the Messerschmitt Me-262 using only its jets for the first time.
- 1944 - World War II: Hideki Tojo resigns as Prime Minister of Japan due to numerous setbacks in the war effort.
- 1947 - President Harry S. Truman signs the Presidential Succession Act into law which places the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore next in the line of succession after the United States Vice President.
- 1966 - Gemini 10 launched.
- 1968 - Vietnam War: The two-day Honolulu Conference begins in Honolulu, Hawaii between US President Lyndon B. Johnson and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu.
- 1968 - Intel incorporated.
- 1969 - After a party on Chappaquiddick Island, Senator Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts drives an Oldsmobile off a wooden bridge into a tide-swept pond and his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, dies.
- 1969 - Apollo 11 makes preparations for landing on the Moon.
- 1976 - Gymnast Nadia Comaneci, aged 14, scores first ever perfect 10 at the Olympics.
- 1977 - Vietnam joins the United Nations.
- 1982 - 268 campesinos ("countryside people") are slain in the Plan de Sánchez massacre in Ríos Montt's Guatemala.
- 1984 - McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro, California: In a fast-food restaurant, James Oliver Huberty kills 21 people and injures 19 others before being shot dead by police.
- 1984 - National Crime Authority. Formed, in Australia.
- 1986 - A tornado is broadcast live on KARE television in Minnesota when the station's helicopter pilot makes a chance encounter.
- 1986 - The motion picture Aliens opens in theaters.
- 1989 - Rebecca Schaeffer is shot by a crazed fan, prompting California to pass America's first anti-stalking law in 1990.
- 1992 - The ten victims of the La Cantuta massacre disappeared from their university in Lima.
- 1992 - 'The Late Show', starring the D-Generation Debuts on ABC T.V
- 1994 - In Buenos Aires, an explosion destroys a building housing several Jewish organizations killing 85 and injuring many more.
- 1994 - A court upholds NBA salary cap and draft rights.
- 1995 - On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupts. Over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital and forcing most of the population to flee.
- 1996 - Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River in Quebec, beginning one of Canada's costliest natural disasters ever.
- 1996 - In an event very similar to the Oklahoma tornado that would occur three years later, an F5 tornado hit the town of Oakfield, Wisconsin.
- 1997 - 8000 low-caste Indians riot in Mumbai (Bombay) following a funeral for 10 children who had been killed by police.
- 1998 - A 23-foot tidal wave kills nearly 3,000 people in Papua New Guinea.
- 2001 - In Baltimore, Maryland, a 60-car train derails in a tunnel, sparking a fire that lasts days and virtually shuts down downtown Baltimore.
- 2003 - Kobe Bryant is charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year old girl.

Births

- 1013 - Hermannus Contractus, learned monk (d. 1054)
- 1501 - Isabella of Burgundy, queen of Christian II of Denmark (d. 1526)
- 1504 - Heinrich Bullinger, Swiss religious reformer (d. 1575)
- 1552 - Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1612)
- 1634 - Johannes Camphuys, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (d. 1695)
- 1635 - Robert Hooke, English scientist (d. 1703)
- 1670 - Giovanni Bononcini, Italian composer (d. 1747)
- 1718 - Saverio Bettinelli, Italian writer (d. 1808)
- 1720 - Gilbert White, English ornithologist (d. 1793)
- 1797 - Immanuel Hermann Fichte, German philosopher (d. 1879)
- 1811 - William Makepeace Thackeray, English author (d. 1863)
- 1821 - Pauline Garcia-Viardot, French mezzo-soprano and composer (d. 1910)
- 1845 - Tristan Corbière, French poet (d. 1875)
- 1853 - Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1928)
- 1864 - Phillip Snowden, British politician (d. 1937)
- 1887 - Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian politician and traitor (d. 1945)
- 1890 - Frank Forde, fifteenth Prime Minister of Australia (d. 1983)
- 1892 - Arthur Friedenreich, Brazilian football player
- 1894 - Isaac Babel, Ukrainian writer (d. 1940)
- 1900 - Nathalie Sarraute, French writer (d. 1999)
- 1902 - Jessamyn West, American writer (d. 1984)
- 1902 - Chill Wills, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1906 - S. I. Hayakawa, American semanticist and politician (d. 1992)
- 1906 - Clifford Odets, American writer (d. 1963)
- 1909 - Andrei Gromyko, Soviet diplomat and President (d. 1989)
- 1909 - Mohammed Daoud Khan, President of Afghanistan (d. 1978)
- 1911 - Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (d. 2003)
- 1913 - Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (d. 1997)
- 1918 - Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- 1921 - John Glenn, astronaut and politician
- 1922 - Thomas Kuhn, American philosopher (d. 1996)
- 1923 - Jerome H. Lemelson, American inventor (d. 1997)
- 1925 - Shirley Strickland, Australian athlete
- 1927 - Kurt Masur, Silesian-born conductor
- 1929 - Dick Button, American figure skater
- 1929 - Screamin' Jay Hawkins, American singer (d. 2000)
- 1930 - Burt Kwouk, English actor
- 1933 - Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Russian poet
- 1935 - Jayendra Saraswathi, Hindu religious leader
- 1937 - Roald Hoffman, Polish-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1937 - Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist and author (d. 2005)
- 1940 - James Brolin, American actor
- 1940 - Joe Torre, baseball player and manager
- 1941 - Martha Reeves, American singer
- 1947 - Steve Forbes, American entrepreneur and politician
- 1948 - Hartmut Michel, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1950 - Sir Richard Branson, British entrepreneur
- 1951 - Elio Di Rupo, Belgian politician
- 1960 - Anne-Marie Johnson, American actress
- 1962 - Jack Irons, American drummer Red Hot Chili Peppers
- 1963 - Martín Torrijos Espino, President of Panama
- 1963 - Mike Greenwell, baseball player
- 1969 - Masanori Murakawa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1967 - Vin Diesel, American actor
- 1975 - Torii Hunter, baseball player
- 1975 - Daron Malakian, American guitarist (System of a Down)
- 1978 - Ben Sheets, baseball player
- 1980 - Kristen Bell, American actress

Deaths

- 1100 - Godfrey of Bouillon, French crusader
- 1488 - Alvise Cadamosto, Italian explorer (b. 1432)
- 1591 - Jacobus Gallus, Slovenian composer (b. 1550)
- 1608 - Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1546)
- 1610 - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Italian artist (b. 1573)
- 1623 - Pope Gregory XV
- 1639 - Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, German general (b. 1604)
- 1665 - Stefan Czarniecki, Polish general (b. 1599)
- 1695 - Johannes Camphuys, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (b. 1634)
- 1698 - Johann Heinrich Heidegger, Swiss theologian (b. 1633)
- 1721 - Antoine Watteau, French painter (b. 1684)
- 1730 - François de Neufville, duc de Villeroi, French soldier (b. 1644)
- 1792 - John Paul Jones, American naval commander (b. 1747)
- 1817 - Jane Austen, English novelist (b. 1775)
- 1863 - Robert Gould Shaw, American military officer (b. 1837)
- 1872 - Benito Juárez, President of Mexico (b. 1806)
- 1892 - Thomas Cook, English travel agent (b. 1808)
- 1949 - Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer (b. 1870)
- 1952 - Paul Saintenoy, Belgian architect (b. 1862)
- 1968 - Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
- 1988 - Nico, German-born model and singer (b. 1938)
- 1989 - Donnie Moore, baseball player (suicide) (b. 1954)
- 1990 - Yoon Boseon, President of South Korea (b. 1897)
- 1995 - Fabio Casartelli, Italian cyclist (b. 1970)
- 2001 - James Hatfield, American author
- 2001 - Fabio Taglioni, Italian automotive engineer (b. 1920)
- 2002 - Victor Emery, British theoretical physicist (b. 1933)
- 2004 - Paul Foot, British journalist (b. 1937)
- 2005 - William Westmoreland, U.S. Army general (b. 1914)

Holidays and observances

- Uruguay - Constitution Day
- Japan - Marine Day (3rd Monday of July, 2005)
- United States - National Ice Cream Day and National Caviar Day (mix those)

External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/18 BBC: On This Day] ---- July 17 - July 19 - June 18 - August 18 -- listing of all days ko:7월 18일 ja:7月18日 th:18 กรกฎาคม

July 18

July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining.

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

- Uruguay - Constitution Day
- Japan - Marine Day (3rd Monday of July, 2005)
- United States - National Ice Cream Day and National Caviar Day (mix those)

External links

Leap year

A leap year (or intercalary year) is a year containing an extra day or month in order to keep the calendar year in sync with an astronomical or seasonal year. Seasons and astronomical events do not repeat at an exact number of days, so a calendar which had the same number of days in each year would over time drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting (or intercalating) an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. Leap years (which keep the calendar in sync with the year) should not be confused with leap seconds (which keep clock time in sync with the day).

Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, adds a 29th day to February in all years evenly divisible by 4, except for century years (those ending in -00), which receive the extra day only if they are evenly divisible by 400. Thus 1996 was a leap year whereas 1999 was not, and 1600, 2000 and 2400 are leap years but 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not. The reasoning behind this rule is as follows:
- The Gregorian calendar is designed to keep the vernal equinox on or close to March 21, so that the date of Easter (celebrated on the Sunday after the 14th day of the Moon that falls on or after 21 March) remains correct with respect to the vernal equinox.
- The vernal equinox year is currently about 365.242375 days long.
- The Gregorian leap year rule gives an average year length of 365.2425 days. This difference of a little over 0.0001 days means that in around 8,000 years, the calendar will be about one day behind where it should be. But in 8,000 years' time the length of the vernal equinox year will have changed by an amount we can't accurately predict (see below). So the Gregorian leap year rule does a good enough job. Image:Gregoriancalendarleap.png

Which day is the leap day?

The Gregorian calendar is a modification of the Julian calendar first used by the Romans. The Roman calendar originated as a lunar calendar (though from the 5th century BC it no longer followed the real moon) and named its days after three of the phases of the moon: the new moon (calends, hence "calendar"), the first quarter (nones) and the full moon (ides). Days were counted down (inclusively) to the next named day, so 24 February was ante diem sextum calendas martii ("the sixth day before the calends of March"). Since 45 BC, February in a leap year had two days called "the sixth day before the calends of March". The extra day was originally the second of these, but since the third century it was the first. Hence the term bissextile day for 24 February in a bissextile year. Where this custom is followed, anniversaries after the inserted day are moved in leap years. For example, the former feast day of Saint Matthias, 24 February in ordinary years, would be 25 February in leap years. This historical nicety is, however, in the process of being discarded: The European Union declared that, starting in 2000, 29 February rather than 24 February would be leap day, and the Roman Catholic Church also now uses 29 February as leap day. The only tangible difference is felt in countries that celebrate feast days.

Julian calendar

The Julian calendar adds an extra day to February in years divisible by 4. This rule gives an average year length of 365.25 days. The excess of about 0.0076 days with respect to the vernal equinox year means that the vernal equinox moves a day earlier in the calendar every 130 years or so.

Revised Julian Calendar

The Revised Julian calendar adds an extra day to February in years divisible by 4, except for years divisible by 100 that do not leave a remainder of 200 or 600 when divided by 900. This rule agrees with the rule for the Gregorian calendar until 2799. The first year that dates in the Revised Julian calendar will not agree with the those in the Gregorian calendar will be 2800, because it will be a leap year in the Gregorian calendar but not in the Revised Julian calendar. This rule gives an average year length of 365.242222… days. This is a very good approximation to the mean tropical year, but because the vernal equinox tropical year is slightly longer, the Revised Julian calendar does not do as good a job as the Gregorian calendar of keeping the vernal equinox on or close to 21 March.

Chinese calendar

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, so a leap year has an extra month, often called an embolismic month after the Greek word for it. In the Chinese calendar the leap month is added according to a complicated rule, which ensures that month 11 is always the month that contains the northern winter solstice. The intercalary month takes the same number as the preceding month; for example, if it follows the second month then it is simply called "leap second month".

Hebrew calendar

The Hebrew calendar is also lunisolar with an embolistic month. In the Hebrew calendar the extra month is called Adar Alef (first Adar) and is added before Adar, which then becomes Adar Sheni (second Adar). According to the Metonic cycle, this is done seven times every nineteen years, specifically, in years, 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19. In addition, the Hebrew calendar has postponement rules that postpone the start of the year by one or two days. The year before the postponement gets one or two extra days, and the year whose start is postponed loses one or two days. These postponement rules reduce the number of different combinations of year length and starting day of the week from 28 to 14, and regulate the location of certain religious holidays in relation to the Sabbath.

Hindu Calendar

In the Hindu calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar, the embolismic month is called adhika maas (extra month). It is the month in which the sun is in the same sign of the stellar zodiac on two consecutive dark moons.

Iranian calendar

The Iranian calendar also has a single intercalated day once in every four years, but every 33 years or so the leap years will be five years apart instead of four years apart. The system used is more accurate and more complicated, and is based on the time of the March equinox as observed from Teheran. The 33-year period is not completely regular; every so often the 33-year cycle will be broken by a cycle of 29 or 37 years.

Long term leap year rules

The accumulated difference between the Gregorian calendar and the vernal equinoctial year amounts to 1 day in about 8,000 years. This suggests that the calendar needs to be improved by another refinement to the leap year rule: perhaps by avoiding leap years in years divisible by 8,000. (The most common such proposal is to avoid leap years in years divisible by 4,000 [http://www.google.com/search?q=%22gregorian+calendar%22+error+%22leap+year%22+4000]. This is based on the difference between the Gregorian calendar and the mean tropical year. Others claim, erroneously, that the Gregorian calendar itself already contains a refinement of this kind [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mleapyr.html].) However, there is little point in planning a calendar so far ahead because over a timescale of tens of thousands of years the number of days in a year will change for a number of reasons, most notably: #Precession of the equinoxes moves the position of the vernal equinox with respect to perihelion and so changes the length of the vernal equinoctial year. #Tidal acceleration from the sun and moon slows the rotation of the earth, making the day longer. In particular, the second component of change depends on such things as post-glacial rebound and sea level rise due to climate change. We can't predict these changes accurately enough to be able to make a calendar that will be accurate to a day in tens of thousands of years.

Marriage proposal

There is a tradition, said to go back to Saint Patrick and Saint Bridget in 5th century Ireland, whereby women may only make marriage proposals in leap years.

Saint Patrick and the leap year

:Saint Patrick, having driven the frogs out of the bogs was walking along the shores of Lough Neagh, when he was accosted by Saint Bridget in tears, and was told that a mutiny had broken out in the nunnery over which she presided, the ladies claiming the right of popping the question. :Saint Patrick said he would concede them the right every seventh year, when Saint Bridget threw her arms round his neck, and exclaimed, "Arrah, Pathrick, jewel, I daurn't go back to the girls wid such a proposal. Make it one year in four." Saint Patrick replied, "Bridget, acushla, squeeze me that way again, an' I'll give ye leap-year, the longest of the lot." Saint Bridget, upon this, popped the question to St Patrick himself, who, of course, could not marry: so he patched up the difficulty as best he could with a kiss and a silk gown. (Source: Evans, Ivor H, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Cassell, London, 1988) According to a 1288 law in Scotland, fines were levied if the proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to a silk gown to soften the blow. Because men felt that put them at too great a risk, the tradition was in some places tightened to restricting female proposals to 29 February.

Birthdays

A person who was born on 29 February may be called a "leapling". In non-leap years they usually celebrate their birthday on 28 February or 1 March. There are many instances in children's literature where a person's claim to be only a quarter of their actual age turns out be based on counting their leap-year birthdays. A similar device is used in the plot of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance. Category:Calendars Category:Units of time als:Schaltjahr ko:윤년 ja:閏年 simple:Leap year th:ปีอธิกสุรทิน

Battle of the Allia (390 BC)

The Battle of the Allia was a battle of the first Gallic invasion of Italy. The battle was fought near the Allia river, and the defeat of the Roman army opened the route for the Gauls to sack Rome. It was fought in 390/387 BC

Background

Prior to the battle, the Gauls invaded the Etruscan province of Siena and attacked the town of Clusium. The Clusians, overwhelmed by the size of the enemy in numbers and ferocity, called on Rome for help, though they were not allies or friends. Rome, weakened by recent wars, sent a delegation to investigate the situation. Negotiations broke down, resulting in Quintus Fabius, a member of a powerful patrician family, killing one of the Gallic leaders. The Gauls demanded the Fabians be handed over to them for justice. However, the defiant Romans not only refused, but, as Livy writes, "those who ought to have been punished were instead appointed for the coming year military tribunes with consular powers (the highest that could be granted)." The enraged Gauls promised war against the Romans to avenge the insult that they had been dealt, resulting in the Battle of the Allia and the subsequent siege of Rome itself.

Roman Disaster

According to the common (but incorrect) Varronian chronology, the battle took place on July 18, 390 BC, but a more plausible date is 387. Between 40,000 Romans under Quintus Sulpicius fought against the Senones, a Gallic tribe who were about equal in number, under Brennus. The Romans, with six legions, took post on the Allia to check the advance of the Senones on Rome. Here they were attacked by Brennus, who routed the right wing, where the younger soldiers were posted, then broke the Roman center and left, putting them to flight with enormous losses. The legions fled back to Rome in panic; as Livy states, "all hastened to Rome and took refuge in the Capitol without closing the gates." In Rome the citizens barricaded themselves on the Capitoline Hill, and according to legend Marcus Manlius Capitolinus was alerted to the Gallic attack by the sacred geese of Juno. The rest of the city was plundered and almost all of the Roman records were destroyed. As a result, all Roman history prior to this date is perhaps more legend than fact. Marcus Furius Camillus may have arrived with a relief army, but this may be Roman propaganda to help quell the humiliation of defeat. The Gauls may have been ill-prepared for the siege, and an epidemic broke out among them as a result of not burying the dead. Brennus and the Romans negotiated an end to the siege when the Romans agreed to pay one thousand pounds in gold. According to tradition, to add insult to humiliation, it was discovered that Brennus was using heavier weights than standard for weighing the gold. When the Romans complained, Brennus is said to have exclaimed "vae victis" - "woe to the vanquished". It was in this very moment that Camillus arrived with a Roman army, and, after putting his sword on the steelyard, replied "Not gold, but steel redeems the native land", thus attacking and defeating the Gauls.

Recovery and Reform

As a result of the siege and near total destruction of Rome, Rome built much stronger walls. The Romans also began restructuring their military organization: They ceased using the Greek phalanx style spear and adopted the gladius and better armor, such as replacing the bronze helmet for polished iron, which caused swords to be deflected. The legions were also reorganized. Recognizing the need for flexibility, the legion was organized into three lines of soldiers: the hastati in front, the principes in the middle, and the triarii in the rear. By putting the most experienced soldiers on the third line, the Romans achieved the capability to tire the enemies with the first two lines, and then to smash them with the third. These reforms would be in place until Publius Cornelius Scipio (consul 218 BC) would again make further reforms.

External links

- [http://www.roman-empire.net/army/army.html The Roman Army]
- [http://www.barca.fsnet.co.uk/gauls-invade-rome.htm The Gauls invade Rome]
- [http://www.livius.org/a/battlefields/allia/allia.html Allia]
- Herm, Gerhard, The Celts. The People who Came out of the Darkness, pp. 7–13. St. Martin's Press (1977). ISBN 0-312-12705-7.

References

- Allia Category:390 BC

Gauls

Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c.f. Greek Galatia) is the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. In English the word Gaul also refers to a Celtic inhabitant of that region in ancient times, but the Gauls were widespread in Europe by Roman times, speaking the Gaulish language. Besides the Gauls living on the territory of modern-day France, there were the Lepontii who had settled in the plains of northern Italy (Gallia Cisalpina), and the Helvetii who settled to the north of the alps, in Raetia. Gauls under Brennus sacked Rome circa 390 BC. In the Aegean world, a huge migration of Eastern Gauls appeared in Thrace, north of Greece, in 281 BC. Another Gaulish chieftain named Brennus, at the head of a large army, was only turned back from desecrating the Temple of Apollo at Delphi at the last minute, alarmed, it was said, by portents of thunder and lightning. At the same time a migrating band of Celts, some 10,000 fighting men, with their women and children and slaves, were moving through Thrace. Three tribes of Gauls crossed over from Thrace to Asia Minor at express invitation of Nicomedes I, king of Bithynia, who required help in a dynastic struggle against his brother. Eventually they settled down in eastern Phrygia and Cappadocia in central Anatolia, a region henceforth known as Galatia. The Gauls were called
- walha by Germanic tribes, a generic term for "foreigners" (see Etymology of Vlach).

Roman Gaul

:See main article: Roman Gaul. Roman rule in Gaul was established by Julius Caesar, who defeated the Celtic tribes in Gaul 58-51 BC and described his experiences in De Bello Gallico (About the Gallic War). The war cost the lives of more than a million Gauls, and a million further were enslaved. The area conquered by Caesar was called Gallia Comata: literally, "long-haired Gaul." The area was subsequently governed as a number of provinces. On December 31, 406 the Vandals, Alans and Suebians crossed the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia, and Roman rule in Gaul ended with the defeat of the Roman governor Syagrius by the Franks in AD 486.

Gaulish tribes

Caesar divided the people of Gaul into three broad groups: the Aquitani; Galli (who in their own language were called Celtae); and Belgae. In the modern sense, Gaulish tribes are defined linguistically, as speakers of dialects of the Gaulish language. While the Aquitani were probably Vascons, the Belgae would thus probably be counted among the Gaulish tribes. Julius Caesar's comments on these people from his book, The Gallic Wars, are worth quoting;

"All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts, in our Gauls, the third.

All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws.

The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine separate them from the Belgae.

Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are furthest from the civilization and refinement of [our] Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them, and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war; for which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valor, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war on their frontiers. One part of these, which it has been said that the Gauls occupy, takes its beginning at the river Rhone; it is bounded by the river Garonne, the ocean, and the territories of the Belgae; it borders, too, on the side of the Sequani and the Helvetii, upon the river Rhine, and stretches toward the north.

The Belgae rises from the extreme frontier of Gaul, extend to the lower part of the river Rhine; and look toward the north and the rising sun.

Aquitania extends from the river Garonne to the Pyrenaean mountains and to that part of the ocean which is near Spain: it looks between the setting of the sun, and the north star." 1

Source for The Gallic Wars

- http://classics.mit.edu/Caesar/gallic.html

Great Fire of Rome

The Great Fire of Rome erupted on the night of 18 July, in the year 64 AD, among the shops clustered around the Circus Maximus. The fire quickly spread throughout densely populated areas of the city, with their ancient winding lanes, due to the fact that many Romans lived in insulae, flammable apartment buildings of three to five floors, with wooden floors and partitions. These conditions allowed the fire to rage for six days before coming under control - only to reignite and burn for another three. The ancient Temple of Jupiter Stator and the hearth of the Vestal Virgins were both gone. Two thirds of Rome had been destroyed. The Roman Emperor Nero was away at Antium when the conflagration started. It is the disapproving aristocrat Tacitus (Annals, 15.38ff) who has kept alive the rumor that Nero stood on the private stage in his palace and extemporized verses comparing the present disaster to the Fall of Troy, accompanying himself on the lyre, while he watched the fire burn from a safe distance at his villa on the Quirinal Hill. Nero himself was even suspected of causing the fire in order to clear room for his planned palace. The wind that day was from the southeast, but the fire also advanced from the opposite direction, causing suspicions of arson to people who were unfamiliar with the convection physics of a firestorm. The great Fire burned hot enough to melt nails in the roofs: the remains have been recovered from the fire's ash layer, which lies buried under Imperial and modern Rome. However, historians from Tacitus doubt these allegations, that Nero "fiddled while Rome burned," believing them rumors given life by Nero's unpopularity. (Suetonius and Dio Cassius repeat the story without qualification; Tacitus describes it as a "rumor" which arose during the fire.) Nero, possibly to avoid blame for the incident, accused the Christian sect—already "hated for their abominations" (per flagitia invisos) according to Tacitus—for starting the fire and embarked on the earliest persecutions of Christians in Rome. Edward Champlin, in his Nero, favored the idea that Nero was actually the cause behind the burning of Rome. A minority view that has not established itself among Classical scholars was promoted by Gerhard Baudy. In his Die Brände Roms : Ein apokalyptisches Motiv in der antiken Historiographie, he suggested that the Christians set the fire in order to fulfill an Egyptian prophecy. The Egyptian prophecy stated that the day Sirius (the dog star) first rises would mark the fall of the great evil city. By setting fire to Rome on this day, the Christians would have suggested that Rome was both evil, and falling (in addition to the obvious physical damage caused by the fire). Most scholars, however, date the book of Revelation to the reign of Domitian, not Nero; it is also unlikely that Christians in Rome would be concerned with fulfilling a prophecy of such pagan Egyptian origin. There is no hard evidence of who or what actually caused it, and it is worth pointing out that fires were very common in Rome at the time. Rome was rebuilt after the fire and Nero played a large role in the reconstruction; it was then that the building of his famous Domus Aurea palace began. Furthermore, Nero established fire codes for the first time in Rome. Accounts of the fire are found in the Annals of Tacitus (15.38ff), in Suetonius' Life of Nero (ch. 38), and in the Roman History of Dio Cassius (ch. 62).

External links

- [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_rome/ "Secrets of the dead":] PBS series investigates clues that Nero circumvented the Senate by burning Rome
- [http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/rome.htm Tacitus describes the great Fire:] (in English) Category:Julio-Claudian Dynasty Category:Fires

Rome

Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital of Italy and of its Latium region. It is located on the Tiber and Aniene rivers, near the Mediterranean Sea, at . The Vatican City, a sovereign enclave within Rome, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the home of the Pope. Rome is the largest city and comune in Italy; the comune or municipality is one of the largest in Europe with an area of 1290 square kilometers. Within the city limits, the population is 2,823,807 (2004); almost 4 million live in the general area of Rome as represented by the province of Rome. The current mayor of Rome is Walter Veltroni. With a GDP of €75 billion (higher than New Zealand's and equivalent to Singapore's — all three have roughly the same population of around 4 million), in the year 2001 the comune of Rome produced 6.5% of Italy's total GDP, the highest rate among all of Italy's cities. The city's history extends nearly 2,800 years, during which time it has been the seat of ancient Rome (the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, Roman Empire), and later the Papal States, Kingdom of Italy and Italian Republic.

History

Demographics

Throughout its long history Rome has been a centre of learning, trade and commerce. The native Italian population have shared their city throughout the ages with migrants from across Europe and the wider world. In ancient times a large proportion of the population were foreign merchants, slaves, officials and their descendants who came from across the wide empire which bore the city's name. Today the population is very diverse with immigrants thought to make up as much as 20% of the population of the city.

Economy

Today Rome has a dynamic and diverse economy concentrating on innovation, technologies, communications and the service sector. They produce 6.5% of the national GDP (more than any other city in the Italy) and continues to grow at a higher rate than those in the rest of the country. Tourism is inevitably one of Rome's chief industries. The city is also a centre for banking, publishing, insurance, fashion, high-tech industries, housing, cinema (particularly at the famous Cinecittà studios, dubbed the "Hollywood on the Tiber"), and the aerospace industries. Many international headquarters, government ministries, conference centres, sports venues and museums are located in Rome's principal business districts: the E.U.R. (Esposizione Universale Roma); the Torrino (further south from the E.U.R.); the Magliana; the Parco de' Medici-Laurentina and the so-called Tiburtina-valley along the ancient Via Tiburtina.

Transportation

Esposizione Universale Roma district.]] Esposizione Universale Roma) from the park around the artificial lake. Rome, EUR district.]] Rome has an intercontinental airport named Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport - FCO, but more commonly known as Fiumicino, which also is Italy's chief airport, and the Giovan-Battista Pastine international airport (commonly referred to as Ciampino Airport), a joint civilian and military airport southeast of the city-center, along the Via Appia, which handles mainly charter flights and regional European flights including some low-cost airlines. A third airport, called Aeroporto dell'Urbe, is located in the north of the city along the ancient Via Salaria and handles mainly helicopters and private flights. A fourth airport, called Aeroporto di Centocelle, in the eastern part of Rome between the Via Prenestina and the Via Casilina, has been abandoned for some years now, but is currently being redeveloped as one of the largest public parks in Rome. A subway system operates in Rome called the "Metropolitana" or Rome Metro which was opened in 1955. There are 2 lines (A & B), a third (C) and a new branch of the B-line (B1) are under construction, while a fourth line (D) has been planned. The frequent archaeological findings delay underground work. Today's (2005) total length is 38 km. The two existing lines, A & B, only intersect at one point, Termini Station, the main train station in Rome (which also is the largest train station in Europe, underneath and around which exists now a lively shopping center known as the "Forum Termini" with more than 100 shops of various types). Other stations includes: Tiburtina (second-largest, which is currently being redeveloped and enlarged to become the main high-speed train hub in the city), Ostiense, Trastevere, Tuscolana, S. Pietro, Casilina, Torricola. The Rome Metro is part of an extensive transport network made of a tramway network, several suburban and urban lines in and around the city of Rome, plus an "express line" to Fiumicino Airport. Whereas most FS-Regionale lines (Regional State Railways) do provide mostly a suburban service with more than 20 stations scattered throughout the city, the Roma-Lido (starting at Ostiense station), the Roma-Pantano (starting nearby Termini) and the Roma-Nord (starting at Flaminio station) lines offer a metro-like service. Rome also has a comprehensive bus system. The web site (translated in english) of the [http://www.atac.roma.it/index.asp?lng=2 public transportation company (ATAC)] allows a route to be calculated using the buses and subways. [http://www.atac.roma.it/biglietti/index.asp?COD=320&LNG=2 Metrebus integrated fare system] allows holders of tickets and integrated passes to travel on all companies vehicles, within the validity time of the ticket purchased. Chronic congestion caused by cars during the 1970s and 1980s led to the banning of unauthorized traffic from the central part of city during workdays from 6.00 a.m to 6 p.m. (this area is officially called Zona a Traffico Limitato, Z.T.L. in short). Heavy traffic due to night-life crowds during week-ends led in recent years to the creation of other Z.T.L.s in the Trastevere and S. Lorenzo districts during the night, and to the experimentation of a new night Z.T.L. also in the city center (plans to create a night Z.T.L. in the Testaccio district as well are underway). In recent years, parking-spaces along the streets in wide areas of the city have been converted to pay-parkings, as new underground parkings spread throughout the city. In spite of all these measures, traffic remains an unsolved problem, as in the rest of the world's cities.

Education

Z.T.L. Rome continues to be the major education and research center of Italy, with many major universities that offer degrees in all fields. Among the prestigious educational establishments in Rome is the University of Rome La Sapienza (founded 1303), which is Europe’s biggest university with almost 150,000 students. The city is also home to three other public universities: Università degli studi di Roma “Tor Vergata”, more commonly called Roma 2, University of Roma Tre and the Istituto Universitario di Scienze Motorie. Undisputed as the greatest repository of western art of the last 3,000 years of human history, Rome is home to many foreign academic institutions, as well, such as The American Academy, The British School, The French Institute, The German Archaeological Institute, The Swedish Institute, and The Finnish Institute, The Japan Foundation. Several private universities are as well located in Rome, as:
- LUISS University (Libera università internazionale degli studi sociali), probably the most prestigious private university in Rome;
- Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, a renowned university in Italy;
- John Cabot University, a private American University;
- LUMSA University (Libera Universita Maria SS. Assunta);
- University of Malta, an International University;
- Libera Università di Roma "Leonardo da Vinci";
- Libera Università Degli Studi "S. Pio V";
- UPTER University;
- I.S.S.A.S. University. Still located in Rome are the Accademia di Santa Cecilia - the world's oldest academy of music (founded 1584), St. John's University's Rome campus which is located at the Pontificio Oratorio San Pietro, several academies of fine arts, colleges of the church, medical and Health research instituts.

Monuments and sights

- See Wikipedia's category "Monuments and sights of Rome"

Houses of worship

Churches

Rome is home to over 900 churches.

Basilicas

Patriarchal basilicas

- San Giovanni in Laterano (St. John in Lateran)
- San Pietro in Vaticano (St. Peter's)
- San Paolo fuori le Mura (St. Paul outside the Walls)
- Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major)
- San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St. Lawrence outside the Walls)

Other basilicas

- Sant'Agnese fuori le mura (St. Agnes outside the Walls)
- Sant'Andrea delle Fratte
- Santi Apostoli (Holy Apostles)
- San Bernardo alle Terme
- San Clemente (St. Clement)
- Santi Cosma e Damiano (SS. Cosmas and Damian)
- Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
- San Lorenzo in Lucina
- San Marco (St. Mark)
- Santa Maria degli Angeli
- Santa Maria in Aracoeli
- Santa Maria sopra Minerva
- San Martino ai Monti
- San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains)
- Santa Prassede (St. Praxedis)
- San Saba
- Santa Sabina
- San Sebastiano fuori le mura
- Santi Quattro Coronati
- Santa Maria in Trastevere

Other important churches

The following do not yet have Wikipedia articles, but are important nonetheless:
- San Giorgio al Velabro;
- San Giovanni dei Fiorentini;
- San Lorenzo in Miranda (temple of Antoninus and Faustina)
- Santi Marcellino e Pietro;
- Santa Maria della Pace;
- Santa Maria dei Monti;
- Santo Stefano Rotondo;

Non-Christian places of worship

- Great Synagogue of Rome
- Great Mosque of Rome and Islamic Cultural Center Image:Sicht vom petersdom roma.jpg|View over Rome from St. Peter's Basilica. Image:RomeSinagogue.jpg|Rome's main Synagogue in the old Jewish Ghetto district, on the banks of the Tiber river.

Administrative subdivision of Rome

The Administrative subdivision of Rome consists in the division of the large territory of Rome into 19 Districts.

Province of Rome

Rome is the capital of a province, with an area of 5,352 sq. km, and a total population of 3,700,424 (2001) in 120 comuni. The province can be viewed as the extended metropolitan area of the town of Rome, although in its more peripheral portions, especially to the north, it comprises towns surrounded by firmly rural landscape, just as towns elsewhere thruout Italy.

Markets and shopping areas

Porta Portese

Street market on Sunday mornings, from very early to around 1pm, on the left bank of the Tiber, between Porto Portese and Stazione Trastevere, centred on Via Portuense. The wares are mainly clothes, both old and new. The second-hand clothing stalls are by far the more popular, with the clothes sorted by type (leathers and furs, jeans, coats, children’s clothes, etc) and piled on large tables with everything at the same (low) price. Tables start at 50c, and range up to 20 euro for high-quality leather and fur.

Campo de' Fiori

Campo de' Fiori is one of the oldest markets in Rome, where food and flowers are most frequently found. Though the name literally means "field of flowers," there are no fields in sight; it's in the middle of downtown Rome, off of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The market is open every morning of the week except Sunday. Campo de' Fiori, surrounded by many bars and restaurants, is also a popular destination at night for locals and foreigners alike.

Symbols and trivia

Rome is commonly identified by several proper symbols, including the Colosseum, the she-wolf (Lupa capitolina), the imperial eagle, and the symbols of Christianity. The famous acronym SPQR recalls the ancient age and the unity between Roman Senate and Roman people. Rome is called "L'Urbe" (The City), "Caput mundi" (head of the world), "Città Eterna" (eternal city), and "Limen Apostolorum" (the threshold of the apostles). The town's colors are golden yellow and red (garnet): they stand, respectively, for christian and imperial dignities. Rome has two holidays of its own: April 21 (the founding of Rome), and June 29 (the feast of its patron saints, Peter and Paul). Other locally important dates are December 8 (the Immaculate Conception) and January 6 (Epiphany). The Grande Raccordo Anulare (commonly shortened "Il GRA" or "Il Raccordo"), which is more than 80 km long, once encircled the city. Rome has since grown past this round motorway, with new districts well beyond it. Some proverbs about the Eternal City:
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
- All roads lead to Rome.
- Rome wasn't built in a day. During its long history, Rome has always had a scarcity of native inhabitants, so by tradition a "true" Roman is one whose family has lived in Rome for no less than 7 generations: this is the original "Romano de Roma" (in Romanesco, the local dialect of Italian). For the autonomistic party Lega Nord, Rome is the symbol of the allegedly parasytical Italian central government, crystalized in their slogan Roma ladrona ("Thief Rome"). Image:Roma01.jpg|Senatus PopulusQue Romanus. Great Seal of Rome's municipality Image:polizia-roma.gif|Seal of Rome's City Police, with the seal and the she-wolf.

Events

Roma Europa Festival, September Annual appointment for modern art and theatre, music and dance, with artists from of all Europe. Festival Romics, October Comics and Cartoon Festival: exhibitions, cartoon film showings of designers and publishing companies. Roma Jazz Festival, October Festival of jazz music since of 1876. Italian and international artists. Roman Summers, from June to September Various events from music to theater, literary meetings and cinema. Events that take place in the most characteristic places in Rome that attract the participation of thousands of artists from all over the world.

Cultural Events

White Night

Series of events at venues throughout Rome on September: concerts, special outdoor performances, churches and monuments open to the public during, museums open all night with free entrance, shops open all nights. ([http://www.lanottebianca.it/index.asp?lang=en&destinazione=cosa_])

External links

- [http://www.comune.roma.it/cultura/ Official Site of the City of Rome]
- [http://www.romasotterranea.it/ Roma Sotterranea/Subterranean Rome]
- [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/home.html Bill Thayer's Gazetteer of Rome]
- [http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Arc/5319/eng.htm Andrea Pollett's Virtual Roma]
- [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9259/roma_ant.htm Roma Antica e Roma Moderna], in Italian
- [http://www.forbeginners.info/rome/ Rome for Beginners]
- [http://www.alberghi-a.roma.it/info.htm Informations and useful numbers about Rome]

Ancient Rome

- [http://www.romeartlover.it/Rome.htm Rome in the footsteps of an XVIIIth Century traveller]
- [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/ Encyclopædia Romana, by James Grout]
- [http://www.maquettes-historiques.net/page4.html La maquette de Rome]
- [http://intranet.grundel.nl/thinkquest/introduction.html "Forum Romanum", a ThinkQuest site]
- [http://www.vroma.org/~forum/ "Forum Romanum" Project at VRoma]

Christian Rome

- See Wikipedia's category "Churches of Rome"

Galleries

- [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov:81/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=15316 Satellite image of Rome] at NASA's Earth Observatory
- [http://myweb.lmu.edu/fjust/Rome.htm Ancient Rome, Images and Pictures]
- [http://map.cs.telespazio.it/fontane/index.html Fontanelle di Roma], including the aqueducts
- [http://www.compart-multimedia.com/virtuale/us/roma/movie.htm A virtual travel of Rome] pictures and virtual reality movies
- [http://www.rome.info/pictures/ Free Rome Pictures]
- [http://sabin.ro/gallery/album412 Rome Photo Gallery]
- [http://digilander.libero.it/fotogian/roma.html Photos of Rome]
- [http://www.photoroma.com/ PhotoRoma]
- [http://www2.siba.fi/~kkoskim/rooma/pages/MAIN.HTM Vedute di Roma]
- [http://www.secretrome.com Pictures of Rome]
- [http://rome.arounder.com/fullscreen.html Arounder.Com] (QTVR panoramas)

Maps

- [http://www.italy-weather-and-maps.com/maps/italy/lazio.gif Rome and environs (Lazio)]
- [http://www.statravel.co.uk/images/off/short_breaks/map/map_rom.gif downtown Rome]
- [http://www.walkingrome.com/links/Pianta-di-Roma-Web.jpg downtown Rome (WalkingRome)]
- [http://www.activitaly.it/infobase/index.php?lang=en Interactive map (Activitaly)]
- [http://www.duke.edu/~rkl7/Images/Rome%20City%20map.jpg Map of Ancient Rome]
- [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rome&spn=0.039455,0.126549&t=k&hl=en Google Maps satellite images of Rome]

Travel guides

- Category:Capitals in Europe Category:Holy cities Category:Roman sites of the Lazio
- Category:Host cities of the Summer Olympic Games Category:World Heritage Sites in Italy Category:Christianity als:Rom ko:로마 ja:ローマ simple:Rome

Nero

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (December 15, 37–June 9, 68), born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called (50–54) Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, was the fifth and last Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. On February 25, 50 Nero became heir to the then-Emperor, his grand-uncle and adoptive father Claudius, as Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus, succeeding to the throne on October 13, 54 with Claudius' death. In 66 he added the prefix Imperator to his name. In 68 Nero was deposed. His subsequent death was reportedly the result of suicide assisted by his scribe Epaphroditos.

Life

Family

Born in Antium (modern day Anzio), he was the only son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the younger, sister and reputed lover of Caligula. His father was grandson to an elder Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Aemilia Lepida through their son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. He was also great-grandson to Mark Antony and Octavia through their daughter Antonia Major. His mother was the namesake of her own mother Agrippina the elder who was granddaughter to Octavia's brother Caesar Augustus and his wife Scribonia through their daughter Julia Caesaris and her husband Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. His maternal grandfather Germanicus was himself grandson to Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia, adoptive grandson to her second husband Caesar Augustus, nephew and adoptive son of Tiberius, son of Drusus through his wife Antonia Minor (sister to Antonia Major), and brother to Claudius. For a complete picture of his family relationships, it is useful to consult the article Julio-Claudian Family Tree.

Rise to power

Birth under Caligula

Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was born on December 15, 37. At the time he was not expected to ever become Augustus. His maternal uncle Caligula had only started his own reign on March 16 of that year at the age of twenty-five. His predecessors Octavian and Tiberius had lived to become seventy-six and seventy-nine respectively. Providing that Caligula lived long enough to match them, he could produce his own heirs. Lucius would come to the attention of his uncle soon after his birth. Agrippina reportedly asked her brother to name the child. This would be an act of favor and would mark the child as a possible heir to his uncle. However Caligula only offered to name his nephew Claudius after their lame and stuttering uncle, apparently implying that he was as unlikely to become Augustus as Claudius. The relationship between brother and sister would soon apparently improve. A prominent scandal early in the new reign was Caligula's particularly close relationship to his three sisters Drusilla, Julia Livilla, and Agrippina. All three are featured with their brother in Roman currency of the time. The three women seem to have gained his favor and likely some amount of influence. The writings of Josephus, Suetonius, and Dio Cassius report on their reputed sexual relationshi

July 18

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

External links

July 18

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

External links

Leap year

Gregorian calendar

Which day is the leap day?

Julian calendar

Revised Julian Calendar

Chinese calendar

Hebrew calendar

Hindu Calendar

Iranian calendar

Long term leap year rules

Marriage proposal

Saint Patrick and the leap year

Birthdays

Battle of the Allia (390 BC)

Background

Roman Disaster

Recovery and Reform

External links

References

Gauls

Roman Gaul

Gaulish tribes

Source for The Gallic Wars

See also

Great Fire of Rome

External links

Rome

History

Demographics

Economy

Transportation

Education

Monuments and sights

Houses of worship

Churches

Basilicas

Patriarchal basilicas

Other basilicas

Other important churches

Non-Christian places of worship

Administrative subdivision of Rome

Province of Rome

Markets and shopping areas

Porta Portese

Campo de' Fiori

Symbols and trivia

Events

Cultural Events

White Night

External links

Ancient Rome

Christian Rome

Galleries

Maps

Travel guides

Nero

Life

Family

Rise to power

Birth under Caligula