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Kate Adie

Kate Adie

Kate Adie (born September 19 1945) is a British journalist. Her most high-profile role was that of chief news reporter for BBC News during which time she became well-known for reporting from war zones from around the world. BBC News Adie was born in Sunderland. She is an avid fan of the city's football team, Sunderland A.F.C.. She had a private school education at Sunderland Church High School and Newcastle University where she took a degree in Scandinavian Studies. Her career with the BBC stints as a station assistant at Radio Durham and Radio Brighton before producing shows for Radio Bristol. She then switched to television, directing outside broadcasts. Stints in front of the camera followed on local TV news broadcasts in Newcastle, Plymouth and Southampton. She joined the national news team in 1979, working initially as a court correspondent. Her big break was the Iranian Embassy siege of 1980. At that time it represented a breakthrough for women journalists as until that time warzones and other hotspots were the preserve of male journalists. As that afternoon's duty reporter, Adie was first on the scene as the SAS stormed the embassy. The BBC interrupted coverage of the World Snooker Championships and Adie reported live and unscripted to one of the largest news audiences ever whilst crouched behind a car door. Adie was regularly dispatched to report on disasters and flare-ups throughout the 1980s, including the American bombing of Tripoli in 1986, which proved highly controversial with the Conservative Party Chairman Norman Tebbit, and the Lockerbie bombing of 1988. She was promoted to Chief News Correspondent in 1989 and held the role for fourteen years. One of her first assignments was to report from the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Major assignments followed in the Gulf War, war in the former Yugoslavia, the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and the British evacuation of foreign nationals from Sierra Leone in 2000. In 2003 Adie withdrew from front-line reporting. She currently works as a freelance journalist and public speaker. Kate Adie presents From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio 4. Her close-to-the-action approach once caused her to be shot at by an "irate Libyan". The shot nicked her collar bone but she didn't suffer permanent harm. Adie published a best-selling autobiography in 2002 which sharply criticized changing practices at BBC News. A second book, Corsets to Camouflage: Women and War, was published in 2003. Most recently, in 2005, Adie published her third book 'Nobody's Child.' This uncovers the problems of adoption and questions of identity. Most press reports indicate that Adie is an intensely private woman and say, with a hint of irritation, that little is known about her beyond her work at the BBC. Perhaps this explains why there was intense media interest when Adie met her biological parents (she was adopted at birth) for the first time in 1993. When the Mail on Sunday suggested that her "fearless reporter" image was a baseless myth, Adie sued, won, and was awarded £125,000 in damages. Adie was awarded the OBE in 1993 and the Richard Dimbleby Award from BAFTA in 1990. She has honorary degrees from six universities, is an Honorary Professor of Journalism at University of Sunderland and has an Honorary Fellowship at Royal Holloway, University of London.

References


- The Kindness of Strangers, Autobiography published by Headline, ISBN 075531073X

External links


- [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,573595,00.html A profile from the Observer that speculates on Adie's professional relationship with others in the BBC] Adie, Kate Adie, Kate Adie, Kate Adie, Kate Adie, Kate Adie, Kate

September 19

September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). There are 103 days remaining.

Events


- 1356 - In the Battle of Poitiers, the English defeat the French.
- 1692 - Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials.
- 1777 - First Battle of Saratoga/Battle of Freeman's Farm/Battle of Bemis Heights
- 1778 - The Continental Congress passes the first budget of the United States
- 1796 - George Washington makes his farewell address
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Iuka - Union troops under General William Rosecrans defeat a Confederate force commanded by General Sterling Price at Iuka, Mississippi
- 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Chickamauga
- 1893 - Women's suffrage: In New Zealand, the Electoral Act of 1893 is consented to by the governor giving all women in New Zealand the right to vote, beginning with the 1893 New Zealand general election.
- 1900 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together
- 1934 - Bruno Hauptmann is arrested for the murder of Charles Lindbergh Junior.
- 1944 - Armistice between Finland and Soviet Union signed. (End of the Continuation War)
- 1945 - Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) sentenced to death in London
- 1946 - The Council of Europe is founded following a speech given by Winston Churchill at the University of Zurich.
- 1952 - The US bars Charlie Chaplin from reentering the country after a trip to England
- 1957 - First U.S. underground nuclear bomb test
- 1957 - Dalida is the first artist to be awarded a gold record in France for 300 000 sales of "Bambino".
- 1959 - Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland.
- 1970 - Grateful Dead at Fillmore East.
- 1972 - A parcel bomb sent to Israeli Embassy in London kills one diplomat.
- 1973 - King Carl XVI Gustaf accedes to the throne of Sweden
- 1976 - A Turkish Boeing 727 hits a mountain in southern Turkey killing 155
- 1978 - Newspaper boy Carl Bridgewater is shot dead after disturbing burglars at a farm, leading to famous murder trial.
- 1981 - Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel reunite for a free concert in New York's Central Park
- 1982 - Scott Fahlman posts the first recorded instance of the emoticon :-) to an online bulletin board
- 1983 - Saint Kitts and Nevis gains its independence.
- 1985 - A strong earthquake hits Mexico City and other parts of Mexico, killing thousands and demolishing about 400 buildings.
- 1985 - Tipper Gore and other political wives form the Parents Music Resource Center.
- 1989 - A terrorist bomb explodes UTA Flight 772 in mid-air above the Tùnùrù Desert, Niger, killing 171.
- 1989 - Hurricane Hugo makes landfall in the U.S. state of South Carolina.
- 1991 - Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by a couple of German tourists.
- 1994 - The pilot episode of the hit medical drama ER airs in the United States, on NBC.
- 1995 - The Washington Post and the New York Times publish the Unabomber's manifesto.
- 1997 - Guelb El-Kebir massacre in Algeria; 53 killed.

Births


- 86 - Antoninus Pius, Roman Emperor (d. 161)
- 866 - Leo VI, Byzantine Emperor (d. 912)
- 1377 - Duke Albert IV of Austria (d. 1404)
- 1551 - King Henry III of France (d. 1589)
- 1676 - Eberhard IV Ludwig, Duke of Württemberg (d. 1733)
- 1714 - Charles Humphreys, American delegate to the Continental Congress (d. 1786)
- 1737 - Charles Carroll of Carrollton, American signer of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Senator (d. 1832)
- 1749 - Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, French mathematician (d. 1822)
- 1759 - William Kirby, English entomologist (d. 1850)
- 1778 - Henry Peter Brougham, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1811 - Orson Pratt, American religious leader (d. 1881)
- 1828 - Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1880)
- 1894 - John D. Dingell, U.S. Congressman from Michigan (d. 1955)
- 1901 - Joe Pasternak, Russian-born film producer (d. 1991)
- 1905 - Leon Jaworski, American Watergate scandal special prosecutor (d. 1982)
- 1908 - Mika Waltari, Finnish novelist (d. 1979)
- 1909 - Ferry Porsche, Austrian automobile pioneer (d. 1998)
- 1911 - Sir William Golding, English writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1993)
- 1912 - Kurt Sanderling, German conductor
- 1913 - Frances Farmer, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1919 - Mary Midgley, American philosopher
- 1920 - Roger Angell, American sports writer
- 1922 - Damon Knight, American writer (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Emil Zátopek, Czech athlete (d. 2000)
- 1922 - Dana Zátopková, Czech runner
- 1926 - Masatoshi Koshiba, Japanese physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1926 - Duke Snider, baseball player
- 1928 - William Hickey, American actor (d. 1997)
- 1928 - Adam West, American actor
- 1930 - Antonio Margheriti, Italian filmmaker
- 1931 - Brook Benton, American singer (d. 1988)
- 1933 - David McCallum, Scottish actor
- 1934 - Brian Epstein, English musical group manager (the Beatles) (d. 1967)
- 1935 - Benjamin Hacker, American naval aviator (d. 2003)
- 1936 - Al Oerter, American athlete
- 1937 - Abner Haynes, American football player
- 1940 - Paul Williams, American composer
- 1941 - Mama Cass Elliot, American musician (d. 1974)
- 1942 - Freda Payne, American singer and actress
- 1943 - Joe Morgan, baseball player
- 1945 - Randolph Mantooth, American actor
- 1948 - Jeremy Irons, English actor
- 1949 - Twiggy Lawson, English model
- 1950 - Joan Lunden, American journalist and television host
- 1952 - Nile Rodgers, American musician and composer
- 1958 - Lita Ford, English singer
- 1958 - Kevin Hooks, American actor and director
- 1958 - Azumah Nelson, Ghanian boxer
- 1963 - David Seaman, English footballer
- 1964 - Trisha Yearwood, American singer
- 1965 - Alexandra Vandernoot, Belgian actress
- 1967 - Jim Abbott, American baseball player
- 1967 - Alexander Karelin, Russian wrestler
- 1973 - Nick Colgan, Irish footballer
- 1974 - Jimmy Fallon, American actor and comedian
- 1974 - Victoria Silvstedt, Swedish model
- 1979 - Dannielle Brent, British actress

Deaths


- 690 - Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 602)
- 1339 - Emperor Go-Daigo of Japan (b. 1288)
- 1356 - Killed at the Battle of Poitiers:
  - Peter I, Duke of Bourbon (b. 1311)
  - Walter VI of Brienne, Constable of France (born 1304)
- 1668 - William Waller, English soldier
- 1692 - Giles Cory, American farmer killed in the Salem Witch Trials
- 1693 - Janez Vajkard Valvasor, Slovenian polymath (b. 1641)
- 1710 - Ole Rømer, Danish astronomer (b. 1644)
- 1881 - James Garfield, 20th President of the United States (b. 1831)
- 1927 - Michael Peter Ancher, Danish painter (b. 1849)
- 1935 - Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, Russian rocket scientist (b. 1857)
- 1938 - Pauline Frederick, American actress (b. 1883)
- 1942 - Condé Nast, American publisher (b. 1873)
- 1949 - Will Cuppy, American humorist (b. 1884)
- 1949 - Nikolaos Skalkottas, Greek composer (b. 1901)
- 1967 - Zinaida Serebryakova, Russian painter (b. 1884)
- 1968 - Chester Carlson, American inventor (b. 1906)
- 1968 - Red Foley, American singer (b. 1910)
- 1969 - Rex Ingram, American actor (b. 1895)
- 1972 - Robert Casadesus, French pianist (b. 1899)
- 1973 - Gram Parsons, American musician (b. 1946)
- 1985 - Italo Calvino, Italian writer (b. 1923)
- 1987 - Einar Gerhardsen, Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1897)
- 1990 - Hermes Pan, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1910)
- 1997 - Rich Mullins, American singer (b. 1955)
- 2003 - Slim Dusty, Australian singer (b. 1927)
- 2002 - Robert Guéï, ruler of Côte d'Ivoire (b. 1941)
- 2004 - Skeeter Davis, American singer (b. 1931)
- 2004 - Ellis Marsalis, Sr., American businessman, musician, and activist

Holidays and observances


- In ancient Greece, the sixth day of the Eleusinian Mysteries, when the procession to Eleusis began at the Kerameikos in Athens.
- RC Saints - Saint Januarius Also see September 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Church of England - Theodore of Tarsus
- Chile - Day of the Glories of the Army
- Japan - Respect for the Aged Day (beginning in 2003, Respect for the Aged Day is held on the third Monday of September.)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis - Independence Day (from Great Britain, 1983)
- International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Fictional


- Hermione Granger's birthday, from J.K. Rowling's series Harry Potter.
- Heine Westenfluss's birthday, from Gundam SEED DESTINY.

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/19 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/20050919.html The New York Times: On This Day] ---- September 18 · September 20 · August 19 · October 19 · more historical anniversaries ko:9월 19일 ms:19 September ja:9月19日 simple:September 19 th:19 กันยายน

Journalist

A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues and people. Reporters are one type of journalist. They create reports as a profession for broadcast or publication in mass media such as newspapers, television, radio, magazines, documentary film, and the Internet. Reporters find the sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and they are generally expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good. Depending on the context, the term journalist also includes various types of editors and visual journalists, such as photographers, graphic artists, and page designers.

Origin and scope of the term

In the early 19th century, journalist simply meant someone who wrote for journals, such as Charles Dickens in his early career. In the past century it has come to mean a writer for newspapers and magazines as well. Many people consider journalist interchangeable with reporter, a person who gathers information and creates a written report, or story. However, this overlooks many other types of journalists, including columnists, leader writers, photographers, editorial designers, and sub-editors (British) or copy editors (American). The only major distinction is that designers, writers and art directors who work exclusively on advertising material - that is, material in which the content is shaped by the person buying the ad, rather than the publication - are not considered journalists. Regardless of medium, the term journalist carries a connotation or expectation of professionalism in reporting, with consideration for truth and ethics although in some areas, such as the downmarket, scandal-led tabloids, the standards are deliberately negated.

18th-century journalists


- Joseph Addison - wrote many of the finest pieces in Steele's publications713-14), The Monitor (1714), The Manufacturer (1719-21), The Commentator (1720) and The Director (1720-1)
- Daniel Defoe - as editor of the Review, he can claim to have invented many of the most popular formats, including the eye-witness report, the travel piece and the strongly opinionated column. Defoe's Review began publication on February 19, 1704, and lasted until June 11, 1713. He was also involved in several other periodicals, including The Master Mercury (1704), Mercator: or, Commerce Retrieved
- Richard Steele - founded and edited London-based periodicals including The Guardian and The Spectator in the early 1700s.

19th-century journalists


- Nellie Bly (1865-1922) - undercover reporter
- William Cowper Brann (1855-1898) - colorful editor of the Iconoclast in Waco, Texas
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge - political essayist, poet, and reporter
- Charles Dickens (1812-1870) - started as a shorthand writer logging debates in the courts and Houses of Parliament before becoming a Parliamentary journalist
- Henry Dunckley (1823- 1896), editor of Manchester Examiner and Times
- Pierce Egan (1772-1849) - early sportswriter and reporter on popular culture
- Rudyard Kipling (1865-1956) - newspaper editor and correspondent in India
- Jacob Riis (1849-1914) - journalist and slum reformer
- [http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0001/royall.html Anne Newport Royall] - crusading reporter, author, newspaper publisher, first journalist to publish an interview with a sitting US President
- George Augustus Henry Sala (1828-1895) - editor and columnist

20th-century print journalists


- Adams (1871-1958) - American investigative journalist
- Jack Anderson - considered one of the fathers of investigative reporting
- Pierre Berton (1920-2004 -- colourful Klondike-born vocal Canadian nationalist figure and longtime journalist, author-historian, and broadcaster
- Herb Caen - a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from the late 1930s until his passing in 1997
- Winston Churchill (1874-1965) war correspondent in the Boer War, captured by the Boers
- Claud Cockburn (1904-1981) radical Irish journalist
- C.P. Connolly (1863-1935) radical American investigative journalist associated for many years with Collier's Weekly.
- Paul Foot (1938-2004)
- Allan Fotheringham - witty and influential Canadian journalist and commentator for the Vancouver Sun, Maclean's Magazine and the Globe and Mail.
- Martha Gellhorn (1908-1998) war correspondent
- Carl Gordon (1931-2002) - West of Scotland based Journalist and columnist for The Glasgow Herald
- Emily Hahn (1905-1997) - wrote extensively on China
- John L. Hess (1917-2005) - journalist, food critic for the New York Times
- Bruce Hutchison (1901-1992) - long-time editor of the Vancouver Sun and writer/reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press and the Victoria Times, and editor of several books; considered the dean of British Columbian journalists
- Pauline Kael (1919-2001) - film critic for The New Yorker
- Andrew Kopkind (1935-1994) - radical American journalist wrote extensively social movements in the 1960s
- Will Lang Jr. (1914-1968) staff reporter and bureau head for Time and Life magazines
- A.J. Liebling (1904-1963) American journalist closely associated with The New Yorker
- Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)
- Jonathan Meades
- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) - essayist, critic, and editor of The Baltimore Sun
- Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray (1908-1982)- editor and co-publisher of the outspoken and colourful backcountry newspaper, the Bridge River-Lillooet News and, later, the Alaska Highway News
- George Orwell (1903-1950), reported on poverty, misery, and the Spanish Civil War
- Robert Palmer (1945-1997) - first full-time, chief pop music critic for The New York Times, Rolling Stone contributing editor
- Daniel Pearl - acclaimed war correspondent
- William Rees-Mogg - editor of The Times newspaper from 1967 to 1981
- James ("Scotty") Reston (1909-1995), political commentator for the New York Times
- Edward Said (1935-2003) - essayist, Palestinian activist
- Paul Saint Pierre - (1923-present) - reporter, columnist, commentator in the Vancouver Sun and nationally across Canada, also a long-time Member of Parliament
- George Seldes (1890-1995), American journalist, editor and publisher of In Fact
- George Bernard Shaw - better known as a playwright, but influential as a music writer and wrote other forms of journalism
- Randy Shilts - reporter for The Advocate and San Francisco Chronicle
- Edgar Snow, pro-socialist journalist and writer, chronicled the Chinese revolution
- I.F. Stone (1907-1989), investigative journalist, publisher of I.F. Stone's Weekly
- Anna Louise Strong, pro-socialist journalist and writer
- Bob Woodward - Washington Post reporter, helped uncover the Watergate scandal of President Richard Nixon, in a historical journalistic partnership with Carl Bernstein; earned two Pulitzer Prizes
- Jack Wasserman - social/celebrity and politicial columnist for the Vancouver Sun beginning in 1949; Western Canada's equivalent to Walter Winchell
- Gary Webb - best known for his 1996 "Dark Alliance" investigative report series, in which he posited a connection between Nicaraguan Contras, the US military, and crack cocaine distribution in American cities
- Walter Winchell (1897-1972), American political columnist, radio broadcaster

20th-century broadcast journalists


- Lowell Bergman, a television producer for the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes; best known for investigating the tobacco industry
- David Brinkley, television anchor and interview show host on the American networks ABC and NBC
- Tom Brokaw, television journalist and former anchor and managing editor of The NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw
- Vernon Corea, a pioneering radio journalist and announcer with Radio Ceylon/SLBC and the BBC
- Walter Cronkite, former United Press correspondent, TV anchor for CBS News in the 50s, 60s
- Bob Edwards, anchor of Morning Edition on National Public Radio from 1979-2004
- Abraham Gubler, a television producer, magazine editor, journalist and broadcaster; best known for coverage of Iraq War
- Peter Jennings, television anchor for ABC
- Jim Lehrer, anchor of The Newshour with Jim Lehrer
- Dan Rather, succeeded Cronkite as managing editor and primary anchor of the CBS Evening News
- Edward R. Murrow, CBS News radio correspondent in London Blitz, maker of TV documentaries, noted interviewer
- Sorious Samura, CNN TV documentary maker from Sierra Leone
- Fritz Spiegl, popularizer of classical music for the BBC
- Brian Williams, succeeded Brokaw as managing editor and anchor of The NBC Nightly News

Internet-only journalists

In recent years the numbers of journalists publishing only on the Internet, as opposed to print or broadcast journalists whose work also appears online, has grown enormously. Some of the best-known include:
- Ana Marie Cox - works under the name Wonkette, known for humorous coverage of politics and life in Washington, D.C.
- Matt Drudge - The first famous Internet-only journalist for his work around scandals of the Clinton administration, in the United States.
- Richard Menta - Editor at MP3 Newswire and MP3.com

Journalists writing fiction

There are many examples of journalists who made their mark writing fiction or other non-journalism, including:
- Anthony Burgess, who wrote vast quantities of reviews and was famously fired as literary critic of the Yorkshire Post
- Amanda Craig, who writes satirical novels about English society
- Joan Didion
- Frederick Forsyth
- David Gates, who wrote about books and music for Newsweek
- Graham Greene who worked originally as sub-editor on The Times
- Carl Hiaasen, who writes about the corruption and glitter of Miami and Miami Beach, which he also covered as a reporter.
- Arturo Pérez Reverte and Manuel Leguineche were war correspondents before becoming successful Spanish novelists.
- Susan Sontag
- Calvin Trillin, who has written several humorous novels
- Tom Wolfe

Modern journalists

The explosion of modern media, including the creation of Internet-based news sources and the possibility that citizen journalism will greatly expand the field, has made it all but impossible to identify which journalists are notable, in the sense that they could be identified in the past.

See also


- Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
- Copy editor
- Editor
- Foreign correspondent
- International Freedom of Expression Exchange - monitors attacks on journalists
- Inverted pyramid - generally accepted method for composing a news story
- Investigative journalist
- Journalism scandals
- Lists of authors
- Muckraker
- Newsroom
- Objectivity (journalism)
- Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders)
- Scientific journalist
- Society of Professional Journalists - US professional organization
- Sportswriter
- War correspondent

External links


- [http://www.caj.ca/ Canadian Association of Journalists]
- [http://www.ifj.org/ International Federation of Journalists]
- [http://www.nuj.org.uk/ National Union of Journalists (UK)&(ROI)]
- [http://www.alliance.org.au/ Media, Arts and Entertainment Alliance (Australia)]
- [http://www.cpj.org/ Journalism.org: The Online Home of the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Committee of Concerned Journalists]
- [http://www.ire.org/ Investigative Reporters and Editors]
- [http://www.journalistid.com/ JournalistID International Database]
- [http://www.cpj.org/ Committee to Protect Journalists]
- [http://www.journalismnet.com/ The Investigative Guide to Internet Research]
- [http://www.theage.com.au/news/Opinion/The-write-stuff/2005/03/20/1111253883620.html?oneclick=true "The write stuff"]. The Age. March 21, 2005. Two reasons for being a journalist: curiosity and love of writing.
- [http://www.mp3newswire.net/stories/5002/journalist.html What Makes a Journalist?] - March 5, 2005 article in support of blogging as a form of journalism.
- Category:Media occupations ja:ジャーナリスト

BBC News

BBC News and Current Affairs (sometimes abbreviated BBC NCA) is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporation's newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. It claims to be the largest broadcast news gathering operation in the world and produces almost 100 hours of output daily. The current director is Helen Boaden. BBC News carries out a key objective of the BBC's Royal Charter, to "collect news and information in any part of the world and in any manner that may be thought fit". BBC News is based at the News Centre at Television Centre (TVC) and operates regional centres across the United Kingdom as well as 44 newsgathering bureaux around the world. Of these bureaux, 41 are based overseas. Political coverage is based at the Millbank Studios in Westminster. The News Centre brought radio and TV news operations together for the first time in BBC history. Due to the non-central location of TVC, however, the News Centre is due to move to BBC Radio's headquarters - BBC Broadcasting House, Central London in 2008. The News department consists of 3,500 staff of which 2,000 are journalists. The annual budget of BBC News is £350 million per year. BBC News output has won critical acclaim worldwide and praise for its unbiased and balanced reporting. It is, however, not free from controversies, the most recent being the Hutton Report which led to a shakeup of the corporation's operations. Within the United Kingdom BBC News faces stiff competition from Sky News and ITN. However, research has shown that viewers turn to the BBC for coverage of major events such as the Iraq war and September 11th attacks. In 2005, it was announced that the Six O'Clock News was the most popular daily news programme whilst the corporation's 24 hour rolling news channel, BBC News 24, was the most popular 24 hour news channel in Britain[http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4000000/newsid_4001900/4001991.stm].

History

Britain Britain The British Broadcasting Company broadcast its first radio bulletin on November 14 1922. On July 5 1954, the first television news bulletin was broadcast. The BBC celebrated 50 years of Television News on July 5 2004. The BBC television service originally carried news in the form of images with a newsreader narrating but off camera, having decided that a newsreader on screen would distract viewers from the stories. Newsreels had been in use for some time, shown at cinemas and other places of public gathering. These were adapted as Television Newsreel programmes. Several variations in how the main news programmes were named and shown occured with programmes such as Nationwide coming and going. A major relaunch of BBC television news output in 1993 included abolition of variation in sets and titles in favour of a single set with a common theme. The times of the main bulletins —one o'clock, six o'clock and nine o'clock, were, however unchanged, and the music, whilst consistent in style, was based on the previous theme adopted by each programme. The new set was a small one which took advantage of Silicon Graphics systems to create a virtual studio which appeared to be huge. The titles commenced with the BBC News logo imposed on a spinning globe, widening to reveal a glass sculpture of the BBC coat of arms (again computer generated) in front of a panoramic view of the studio. The colour of the sets varied, getting progressively darker throughout the day. Likewise the style of the theme changed, from a bright and driving theme for Breakfast News to an authoritative and more sombre version for the Nine O'Clock News. In 1997 the programme titles were altered slighlty to incorporate the new corporate logo and in 1999 the biggest relaunch occurred, with BBC One bulletins, BBC World and BBC News 24 adopting a common style. Most significantly BBC regional news programmes adopted the new corporate image for the first time, giving a common style across local, national and international BBC television news. It also caused changes to regional news. Regional stories were incorporated into the six o'clock news headlines. They English regions lost some time, however, as these regions now rejoined London for a national round-up at 6.55. Over the next few years the regional news programmes began adopting a unified look in line with the national news. Regional headlines were also added to the one o'clock news, and the main evening news, when it moved from nine o'clock to ten o'clock. In 1998 most of BBC Radio News joined BBC Television News at TVC in the new "News Centre" complex at the front of the building. In 2008 all BBC News, national radio and BBC World Service broadcasts will be moved to Broadcasting House in central London. The building is planned to have the largest live newsroom in the world.

News output

Television news

Broadcasting House Broadcasting House The Television News section of BBC News is responsible for the main news bulletins on BBC One and BBC Two, news output on BBC Three and BBC Four and the news networks BBC News 24 and BBC Parliament. It also provides news on Ceefax and the BBC News Website. BBC News provides 22 hours of programming each day for the international news and current affairs channel BBC World. The distinctive music on all BBC television news programmes was introduced in 1999 and composed by David Lowe. It was part of the extensive rebranding which commenced in 1999. The general theme was used not only on bulletins on BBC One but News 24, BBC World and local news programmes in the BBC's Nations and Regions. Lowe was also responsible for the music on Radio One's "Newsbeat". In 2003, following another relaunch of the corporation's output, all title music and graphics were altered with Lowe remaining as composer. On the 8th November 2005, it was announced that a controller of BBC News 24 would be appointed and a single editor would be used rather than two individuals for the One O'Clock and Six O'Clock news programmes. For the full directory of all the BBC's regional news programmes, see here

Radio news

BBC Radio News produces bulletins for the BBC's national radio stations and provides content for local BBC radio stations via the General News Service (GNS). BBC News does not produce the BBC's regional news bulletins, which are produced by the BBC nations and regions. The BBC World Service broadcasts to some 150 million people in 40 languages across the globe.

Online news

:Main article: BBC News Online BBC News Online is the BBC's news [http://news.bbc.co.uk/ website]. Launched in November 1997, it is one of the most popular news websites in the UK with around 15 million visitors every month. The website contains exhaustive international news coverage as well as entertainment, sport, science, and political news. Many reports are accompanied by audio and video from the BBC's television and radio news services. Certain BBC current affairs programmes such as Newsnight and Question Time are available to view on the site after they have been broadcast. The same is available with BBC News television bulletins and radio programmes. Certain radio broadcasts are available for download as podcasts as part of the BBC's download trial.

Opinions of BBC News

The BBC is frequently complimented in the public arena, both in the United Kingdom and globally. Alternative views are also expressed in print from time to time. Notable examples have been [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1530479,00.html Stop castrating the language], published in The Guardian, and [http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/005iqpvz.asp The Disgrace of the BBC], published in The Weekly Standard.

Censorship

BBC News has been banned in several countries primarily for unbiased reporting which has been unfavourable to the ruling government. Most notable examples have been in Uzbekistan [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4407086.stm], China [http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=21745] [http://www.chinaherald.net/2005/05/internet-google-web-accelerator-beats.html], Sri Lanka [http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/hrights/html/article/SU001021131957N200.html], Zimbabwe [http://www.afrol.com/News2002/zim040_joytv_bbc.htm] and Pakistan in 2005 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4437494.stm], though the details of the last are still unclear.

Hutton Inquiry

BBC News was at the centre of one the largest political controversies in recent years. Three BBC News reports (Andrew Gilligan's on Today, Gavin Hewitt's on The Ten O'Clock News and another on Newsnight) quoted an anonymous source that stated the British government (particularly the Prime Minister's office) had embellished the September Dossier with misleading exaggerations of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities. The Government angrily denounced the reports and accused the corporation of poor journalism. In subsequent weeks the corporation stood by the report, saying that it had a reliable source. Following intense media speculation, David Kelly was finally named in the press as the source for Gilligan's story on 9 July 2003. Kelly was found dead, apparently by suicide, in a field close to his home early on 18 July. An inquiry led by Lord Hutton was announced by the British government the following day to investigate the circumstances leading to Kelly's death, concluding that "Dr. Kelly took his own life."

Aftermath of Hutton report

In his report on January 28 2004, Lord Hutton concluded that Gilligan's original accusation was "unfounded" and the BBC's editorial and management processes were "defective". In particular, it specifically criticised the chain of management that caused the BBC to defend its story. The BBC Director of News, Richard Sambrook, the report said, had accepted Gilligan's word that his story was accurate rather than checking Gilligan's records more thoroughly. Davies had then told the BBC Board of Governors that he was happy with the story and told the Prime Minister that a satisfactory internal inquiry had taken place. The Board of Governors, under BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies' guidance, accepted that further investigation of the Government's complaints were unnecessary. Due to the level of criticism of the corporation in the Hutton report, Davies resigned on the day of publication. BBC News faced an important test, reporting on itself with the publication of the report, but by common consent managed this both independently and impartially. Davies was followed by Director General Greg Dyke the following day and Gilligan on January 30. While doubtless a traumatic experience for the corporation, an ICM poll in April 2003 indicated that it had sustained its position as the best and most trusted provider of news.

Editors


- Political Editor: Nick Robinson
- World Affairs Editor: John Simpson
- Economics Editor: Evan Davis
- Business Editor: Jeff Randall
- Europe Editor: Mark Mardell
- Middle East Editor: Jeremy Bowen

See also


- BBC News Online
- BBC Sport
- BBC Weather
- BBC World
- List of current BBC News Readers and Journalists
- List of former BBC News Readers and Journalists

References


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/about_bbc_news/ About BBC News]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/default.stm Newswatch]

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/ BBC News]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4417472.stm BBC News Article on news output shake up]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4400000/newsid_4401700/4401767.stm Newswatch Questioning Zimbabwe's Banning of the BBC] Category:BBC Category:Television news ja:BBC NEWS-->

Sunderland A.F.C.

Sunderland Association Football Club (Sunderland AFC or SAFC) is an English Premiership football club, based at the newly-built Stadium of Light in Sunderland, on the River Wear in the North-East of England. They are known as the 'Black Cats'; formerly they were the 'Rokerites' after Roker Park, which was their stadium from 1898 until 1997 or the 'Bank of England club' due to their prodigious spending on players in the first half of the 20th century. They have been the English champions six times, but the last time was 1936. They have also won the FA Cup twice, most famously as a Second Division club in 1973, when they beat the then-mighty Leeds United. Sunderland's traditional rivals are Newcastle United FC.

History

Sunderland A.F.C. was founded in 1879 under the name of 'Sunderland & District Teachers Association'. The team soon changed its name to Sunderland Association Football Club and began to recruit players who were not teachers. S.A.F.C. turned professional in 1885, the same year they recruited a number of Scotsmen, their first international players. In 1887 the club was split in two due to the influx of paid professional players pushing the local men out of the first team. In protest over this many of the best local players left the club and formed their own team, Sunderland Albion F.C. A brief rivalry was begun, peaking in 1890 when The Football League promised admission for just one of the teams. A deciding playoff was held; SAFC won. Sunderland Albion remained an amateur club, and gradually faded into obscurity. In the early years of the Football League SAFC were the most Northern top-flight team and often had to pay opposing teams' travel expenses. Over six seasons they lost only one home game and became the first side to win the league three times. From 1886–98 SAFC's home was at Newcastle Road; ironically, Newcastle United are their main rivals. In 1898, the Club moved to what would become their long-standing home, Roker Park. In 1913 Sunderland narrowly missed out on becoming one of the first clubs to win the double when they were beaten by Aston Villa — their major rivals for silverware at the time — in the final of the FA Cup. When the League restarted after World War II, Sunderland's fortunes took a turn for the worse, and in 1958 they were relegated from Division One for the first time. Sunderland's 68 unbroken years at the top flight was at the time a record in English football; since then, it has been surpassed by Arsenal with 79 seasons. In the following years they had several spells in the top flight, such as from 1964–70; however, they have yet to permanently regain their place in the foremost level of English football. Sunderland reached their lowest ebb in 1987 when they suffered relegation to the Third Division for the first time in their history. Under their new manager Dennis Smith, promotion was gained at the first attempt and Sunderland went back up as champions in 1988. Two years later they reached the Second Division playoff final and lost to Swindon Town at Wembley, but were promoted a few weeks later in place of Swindon - who remained in the Second Division after admitting financial irregularities. Sunderland went back down after just one season in the First Division, and failed to get anywhere near the playoff zone in 1991-92. One small consolation was a run to the FA Cup final which ended in defeat to Liverpool. Smith quit as manager soon afterwards and was replaced by his assistant Malcolm Crosby, who in turn resigned after less than a year to be replaced by Terry Butcher. Before the end of 1993, Butcher's short-lived reign as manager came to an end and he was replaced by Mick Buxton. Buxton fared a little longer, being sacked in March 1995. At this stage, Sunderland were in real danger of relegation from Division One. The club's board turned to Peter Reid as manager and his target was simple - to keep Sunderland clear of relegation. That objective was achieved within weeks and he was rewarded with a permanent contract. Peter Reid's first full season as Sunderland manager was a huge success. They cruised to the Division One title and gained promotion to the Premiership after five years in the league's second tier. But a shortage of goals sabotaged their chances of success during 1996-97, and they were relegated on the last day of the season. 1996-97 also marked the end of Sunderland's 99-year tenancy at Roker Park. That summer, the club relocated to the 42,000-seat Stadium of Light at Monkwearmouth - the largest club stadium to be built in England for more than 70 years. Its capacity has since been expanded to 49,000 seats and is currently the third largest club stadium in England. The name "Stadium of Light" comes from the area's mining history. The name is a reference to a miner's lamp, recognising the fact that the stadium is built on top a coal mine, and that many thousands of Sunderland fans, past and present, have worked in the region's mines Sunderland returned to the English Premiership in 1999/00, after cruising to an easy First Division championship in 1998/99 season with a record 105 league points. Over the next two seasons, Sunderland finished seventh — just missing out on a place in European competition both times. In 2001/02, however, the club barely escaped relegation, and in 2002/03 they finished dead last, with an English Premiership record low of 4 wins, 21 goals and 19 points. In addition, Sunderland soon found itself in debt for more than £35 million, and the club was forced to sell off most of its best players. In the 2004/05 season, Sunderland finished top of the table in the Coca-Cola Championship, returning to the Premiership for 2005. The return to England's top flight however has seen a return to the depressing days of the 2002-03 season when wins, goals, and points were scarce. For the first time in their history Sunderland have yet to win a single home game before Christmas. After the success of 5 years ago it would seem the team have regressed to being a 'yo-yo' club, and the chants for the Chairman, Bob Murray, to step down are getting louder with every disappointing result.

Trivia


- As a result of Sunderland's somewhat unusual footballing history, the phrase "Doing a Sunderland" has been independently coined in many areas, often with wildly different meanings. "Doing a Sunderland" can refer to having an extremely good cup run (a reference to Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup win against Leeds), being relegated in a humiliating fashion (as when the club produced the worst performance in premiership history in 2003), or gaining promotion after a spectacularly successful season in a lower grade (as when Sunderland won the league with a record 105 points in 1999).

Notable Sunderland players


- Jim Baxter
- Michael Bridges
- Raich Carter
- Brian Clough
- Eric Gates
- Bobby Gurney
- Charlie Hurley
- Ally McCoist
- Jimmy Montgomery
- Thomas Myhre
- Kevin Phillips
- Niall Quinn
- Leigh Richmond Roose
- Gary Rowell
- Len Shackleton
- Thomas Sørensen
- Stephen Elliott
- Dave Watson
- Julio Arca

Honours

Old division 1 winners:
- 1891/1892
- 1892/1893
- 1894/1895
- 1901/1902
- 1912/1913
- 1935/1936 Old division 1 runners up:
- 1893/1894
- 1897/1898
- 1900/1901
- 1922/1923
- 1934/1935 Football League Championship winners
- 2004/2005 New division 1 winners:
- 1995/1996
- 1998/1999 Old division 2 winners:
- 1975/1976 Old division 2 runners up:
- 1963/1964 Old division 3 winners:
- 1987/1988 FA Cup winners:
- 1936/1937
- 1972/1973 FA Cup runners up:
- 1912/1913
- 1941/1942
- 1991/1992 League Cup runners up:
- 1984/1985 Charity Shield winners:
- 1901/1902
- 1936/1937 Charity Shield runners up:
- 1937/1938

Current squad

As of 20 November, 2005:

Players out on loan


- 4. M 2005 Carl Robinson (on loan to Norwich City)
- 24. GK Norwich City Mart Poom (on loan to Arsenal)
- 25. D Arsenal Neill Collins (on loan to Hartlepool)
- 26 F Hartlepool Daryl Murphy (on loan to Sheffield Wednesday F.C.)
- 30 GK Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Joe Murphy (on loan to Walsall FC)

External links

Official website


- [http://www.safc.com/ Sunderland A.F.C.]

Other sites


- [http://www.onesunderland.com OneSunderland.com]
- [http://www.a-love-supreme.com A Love Supreme]
- [http://www.readytogo.net Ready To Go] Category:Sunderland A.F.C. Category:English football clubs Category:United Soccer Association teams Category:FA Premier League simple:Sunderland A.F.C.

Newcastle University

See:
- University of Newcastle (NSW), a university in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
- University of Newcastle upon Tyne, a university in England.

Durham

Durham (IPA: locally, in RP) is a small city in the north east of England. The county town of County Durham, it is well known for its Norman Cathedral and Castle, and is home to the Durham University, England's third oldest.

Geography

Durham is situated 15 miles (25 km) to the south of Newcastle upon Tyne, in North East England. The River Wear flows north through the city, enclosing the centre on three sides to create Durham's "peninsula". Durham is a hilly city, claiming to be built upon the symbolic seven hills. Upon the most central and prominant position high above the Wear, the cathedral dominates the skyline. The steep riverbanks are densely wooded, adding to the picturesque beauty of the city. West of the city centre, another river, the River Browney, drains south to join the Wear the the south of the city. Durham won the Large Town award in the 2005 Britain in Bloom awards. The county town of County Durham, Durham is located in the City of Durham local government district, which extends beyond the city, and has a total population of 87,656, and covers 186.68 square kilometres. The unparished area of Durham had a population of 29,091, whilst the built-up area of Durham had a population of 42,939. Durham's MP is Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour).

Transport

Durham railway station is situated on the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh and London; rail travellers coming from the south enter Durham over a spectacular Victorian viaduct high above the city. By road, the A1(M), the modern incarnation of the ancient Great North Road, passes just to the east of the city. (Its previous incarnation, now numbered A167, passes just to the west.) Durham has an airport, in name, the Durham Tees Valley Airport - but this is actually far closer to Darlington. The Market Place and peninsula form the UK's first (albeit small) congestion charging area, introduced in 2002. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2721545.stm]

Districts of Durham

The centre of Durham sits on a peninsula created by the River Wear. At the base of the peninsula is the market square, which still hosts regular markets; a permanent indoor market is also situated on the square. The square and surrounding streets are one of the main commercial and shopping areas of the city. From the market square, The Bailey leads south past Palace Green: The Bailey is almost entirely owned and occupied by the University and Cathedral. There are three old road bridges leading onto the peninsula, now all pedestrianised. Prebends Bridge is at the Southern tip of the Bailey. Heading east from the square, Elvet Bridge leads to the Elvet area of the city. Heading west, Milburngate Bridge leads to the Milburngate district, Crossgate and North Road, the other main shopping area of the city. West of here is an area colloquially known as "The Viaduct" after the structure which dominates, now largely student-populated. Beyond The Viaduct lies the outlying districts of Framwellgate Moor and Neville's Cross. Heading north from the market place leads to Claypath. The road curves back round to the East and beyond it lies Gilesgate and Gilesgate Moor.

History

Gilesgate Archeological evidences suggests a history of settlement at Durham since roughly 2000BC. The present city can clearly be traced back to 995AD, when a group of monks from Lindisfarne chose the strategic high peninsula as a place to settle with the body of Saint Cuthbert, founding a church there. The present Durham Cathedral was built from 1093, and still contains the remains of St Cuthbert as well as The Venerable Bede. It is regarded by many as the finest cathedral in the world. Facing the cathedral across Palace Green is Durham Castle, originally built by the Normans from 1071, on William the Conqueror's return from campaigning in Scotland. Some of the present structure is more recent, notably Salvin's Victorian restorations. The two buildings are jointly designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site- one of the original nine in Britain. Since 1837 the castle has been home to University College, the first college of the University. In the three centuries following the construction of the Castle, Durham was regularly besieged by the Scots, with the notable Battle of Neville's Cross (1346) occurring just one mile west of the city. 1346 In mediaeval times Durham was a major centre of both political and ecclesiastical power, mainly due to its strategic importance near the border with Scotland. County Durham was a palatinate, ruled by Prince-Bishops who had secular authority and considerable autonomy from Westminster, minting their own coinage, dispensing their own justice and with the right to maintain their own armies. Every Bishop of Durham from 1071 to 1836 was a Prince Bishop except for the first Norman-appointed bishop Walcher, who was an Earl-Bishop. (The term Prince Bishop, while a useful one, is not one which the Durham Bishops themselves would have recognised.) Henry VIII curtailed some of the Prince-Bishop's powers, and smashed the shrine of Cuthbert in 1538. Finally, the public climate surrounding the Great Reform Act of 1832 removed the Bishop's extraordinary powers. In 1832 the prestigious University of Durham was founded, which has several colleges on the peninsula and on Elvet Hill on the other side of the river. The 19th century also saw Durham grow as a centre of the coal mining industry. The first Durham Miners' Gala was held in 1871, and remains a popular annual event. The municipal borough and later county borough of Durham was formally known as 'Durham and Framwelgate', until it was merged with Durham Rural District and Brandon and Byshottles urban district to form the Durham district.

Famous Residents


- Barnabe Barnes Elizabethan poet
- Tony Blair Politician
- Edward Bradley Novelist ('Cuthbert Bede')
- Count Joseph Boruwlaski Celebrated dwarf
- George Camsell International footballer
- John Bacchus Dykes Hymnologist
- John Meade Falkner Arms manufacturer and novelist (Moonfleet)
- Godric of Finchale Hermit and popular medieval saint
- Dora Greenwell Poet
- Canon William Greenwell Antiquary
- John Gully Pugilist
- Ian Hay Novelist
- Lorna Hill Author of the 'Wells' ballet books
- Violet Hunt Novelist and 'new woman'
- Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad Philosopher and radio broadcaster
- James Finlay Johnston Science lecturere and educational benefactor
- Lawrence of Durham Poet
- Anna Maria Porter Novelist
- Jane Porter Novelist
- Reginald of Durham Hagiographer
- Simeon of Durham Historian
- Christopher Smart Poet
- Joseph Spence Literary memoirist
- Anne Stevenson Poet
- Robert Surtees Historian and antiquarian
- Hugh Walpole Novelist
- Walter of Durham 13th century painter
- Paul Collingwood English cricketer

See also


- History of Durham

External links


- [http://www.durhamcity.gov.uk/ Durham City Council]
- [http://www.dur.ac.uk/ Durham University]
- [http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dla0www/c_tour/tour.html Virtual tour of the peninsula]
- [http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/usp.nsf/pws/Your+County+-+2001+Census+Summary+Sheets 2001 Census data]
- [http://www.picturesofengland.com/history/durham-history.html A brief history of Durham] Category:Durham Category:Cities in England Category:English county towns

Radio Bristol

BBC Radio Bristol is the BBC Local Radio service for the English city of Bristol and surrounding area. Launched in September 1970, it broadcasts from its studios in Bristol on 94.9 (Ilchester Crescent, Bedminster), 95.5 (Mendip), 104.6 (Bath) FM, 1548 (Mangotsfield) AM and DAB. The strongest FM signal on 95.5 MHz, comes from the Mendip transmitter, near Glastonbury, which covers Bristol and north Somerset (but not southern-most Somerset), as well as quite a bit of Wiltshire and south-east Wales (even as far as Bridgend). Somerset Sound and BBC Bristol do share many programmes. Due to the hilly nature of the area, the Ilchester Crescent transmitter on 94.9 MHz fills in much-needed gaps in reception over central Bristol. It also carries Bristol's national radio FM frequencies. Radio Bristol's main competitor is GWR on 96.3FM. GWR bought up many national independent local radio stations in the 1990s. There are also Vibe 101 (formerly Galaxy 101) and Star 107.2. The Bath transmitter also broadcasts GWR on 103FM and Bath FM on 107.9FM. Mendip also broadcasts Orchard FM on 102.6FM, and Vibe 101 (which has a much more powerful signal than Radio Bristol) as well as the area's TV. In the evenings from 7pm (6pm on Saturdays), the output from Bristol is shared with all BBC local radio stations in the BBC West TV region. An excellent programme on Sunday from 7 - 8pm is Philip Hunt's Sounds of Brass, also heard in all the Points West and Spotlight TV news areas. The local BBC TV news is Points West, from Bristol. Kate Adie produced programmes for BBC Radio Bristol in the 1970s. Chris Morris also succeeded in pushing his luck as a presenter here.

External links


- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/radiobristol/ BBC Radio Bristol]
- [http://www.bbc.co.uk/england/radiobristol/content/tour/history.shtml Station history]
- [http://www.mediauk.com/radio/305 Media UK - BBC Radio Bristol]
- [http://www.arar93.dsl.pipex.com/mds975/txmaps/avon.html MDS975's Transmitter Map.]
- [http://www.geocities.com/thehotw/aircheck_UKAvonSomerset.htm History of local radio in Avon and Somerset.]
- [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/bath.asp Bath mast.]
- [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/bristol/ic/index.asp Ilchester Crescent, Bedminster mast.]
- [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/mangotsfield.asp Mangotsfield mast.]
- [http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/mendip/index.asp Mendip mast.]
- [http://www.4barsrest.com/general/radio_sob.asp Philip Hunt's Sounds of Brass.] Bristol Category:Bristol

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city in the South West of England, or alternatively the Westcountry, and is situated within the traditional county of Devon. It is located at the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar and at the head of one of the world's largest and most spectacular natural harbours, the Plymouth Sound. The city has a rich maritime past and was once one of the two most important Royal Navy bases in Britain, a factor that made the city a prime target of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. After the destruction of the dockyards and city centre in the blitz of 1941, Plymouth was rebuilt under the guidance of architect Patrick Abercrombie and is now one of the few remaining naval dockyards in Britain and the largest naval base in Western Europe. Important locations in the city include The Royal Citadel, Devonport Dockyard and The Barbican from where the Pilgrims left for the New World in 1620. People born in Plymouth are known as Plymothians or less formally as Janners. In the Royal Navy, "Guz" is a nickname for Devonport. The twin cities of Plymouth are:
- 25px 25px Brest, Brittany, France (twinned 1963)
- 25px Gdynia, Poland (twinned 1976)
- 25px Novorossiysk, Russia (twinned 1990)
- 25px San Sebastian, Spain (twinned 1990)
- 25px Plymouth, United States (twinned 2001) Plymouth also maintains a link with:
- 25px Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana

History

The earliest known settlement in Plymouth dates back to 1000BC with a small iron age trading port located at Mount Batten. It is thought that tin was brought here from Dartmoor via the Plym and traded with the ancient Phoenicians. When part of the Roman Empire this same port continued to trade tin along with cattle and hides. The small port was later overshadowed by the rise of the fishing village of Sutton. Roman Empire Sutton became a market town in 1254 and later was the first town incorporated by the English Parliament on 12 November, 1439. At the same time the name of the town was changed from Sutton to Plymouth. In 1403, the town was briefly occupied and burnt by the French, it was also from Plymouth that the Pilgrims sailed to the New World in 1620 aboard the Mayflower before landing at and founding the "Plymouth Colony". Plymouth was where the defeated Napolean Bonaparte was brought aboard the HMS Bellerophon before his exile to St Helena in 1815 and the surviving crew of the RMS Titanic disaster disembarked on their return to England in 1912. On on December 14 1810, Plymouth was struck by the strongest tornado yet reported in the UK (as of August 2005), with a T8 rating on the TORRO scale, and a wind speed of 213 to 240 mph. Most visitors to Plymouth are drawn to the spectacular Plymouth Hoe, a stretch of greensward overlooking Plymouth Sound; it is believed that this is the place where Sir Francis Drake completed his game of bowls before setting sail to defeat the Spanish Armada.

Plymouth during the Civil War

Plymouth sided with the Parliamentarians against Charles I in the English Civil War. The town held out for almost four years until the defeat of the Royalists. There are a number of Forts and Keeps from that era, the remains of which can still be seen. After the restoration of the monarchy, construction of The Royal Citadel began in 1665. It is interesting to note that cannons were placed on the walls both facing out to sea and towards the town. A reminder to the people of Plymouth what consequences a repeated stance against the monarchy could have in future.

Plymouth during the Second World War

Royalist Plymouth was one of Britain's principal naval dockyards, a naval tradition that continues to this day. The city was extensively blitzed during the Second World War, to the extent that approximately twice the amount of housing stock that existed prior to the war was destroyed during it (as a consequence of rebuilt houses being successively hit). Although the dockyards were the principal targets, civilian casualties were inevitably very high. The first bomb fell on the city on Saturday 6 July, 1940 at Swilly, killing 3 people. The last attack came on 30 April, 1944. Altogether 1,172 people were killed and 3,269 people were injured - these figures do not include the many service casualties. At one point the population fell from 220,000, at the start of the conflict, to 127,000. The two main shopping centres and nearly every civic building were destroyed, along with 20 schools and 40 churches. 3,754 houses were destroyed with a further 18,398 seriously damaged. In the midst of that devastation a famous wooden sign was anonymously posted over the door of St Andrew's Church saying simply Resurgam (I will rise again) indicating the wartime spirit. To this day the entrance of the church has been referred to as Resurgam door and a granite plaque with the word engraved is now permanently placed there. Plymouth was also one of the principal staging posts for the Normandy landings in June 1944.

Arts

Many highly acclaimed events and festivals are held in Plymouth including the British Fireworks Championships, World Championship Class 1 Powerboat Racing and Music of the Night, a massive outdoor production held every two years in The Royal Citadel involving the efforts of the 29th Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery, The Royal Artillery Band, the band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines and hundreds of local amateur performers.

Theatres

The premier theatre not only for Plymouth but of the entire Westcountry is the Theatre Royal and its Drum Theatre where many current and widely acclaimed productions are shown. The Theatre Royal recently opened its Production and Education Centre on the waterfront at Cattedown, otherwise known as TR2. This architecturally praised building ensures that drama and acting continue to succeed in the city. On The Barbican is the Barbican Theatre providing the opportunity for the people of Plymouth to access and participate in high quality drama and acting, it also hosts a monthly comedy night. Many amateur dramatic societies and schools of dance function in Plymouth and regularly perform at the Athenaeum Theatre, Devonport Playhouse and Globe Theatre. The Plymouth Pavilions opened in 1991, and stages regular music concerts to suit all tastes from rock and pop to ballet, and other live events. The Plymouth Music Accord is an organisation of classical music consisting of many amateur and professional orchestras and choirs such as the South West Sinfonietta, Plymouth Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic Choir, Opera South West, the City of Plymouth Concert Band, the University of Plymouth Choir and Orchestra and Plymouth Jazz Club.

Museums, Art Galleries and Historic Buildings

The Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery is home to vast collections of fine and decorative arts, natural history and human history. The museum's natural history collection consists of over 150,000 specimens of insects, birds, mammals, skeletons, plants, fossils and rocks along with an historic natural history library and archive. Many prehistoric artefacts from Dartmoor, important Bronze Age and Iron Age material from Mount Batten and medieval and post-medieval finds from Plymouth are found in the human history collection alongside artefacts from ancient Egypt and other ancient cultures of Europe and the Middle East. The Art Gallery boasts ever-changing art displays and exhibitions showcasing local and international art ranging from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The collections include 750 easel paintings, over 3000 watercolours and drawings, at least 5000 prints and a sizeable collection of sculptures. Work by local artists include that of Sir Joshua Reynolds and Robert Lenkiewicz along with work by artists of the 19th century Newlyn School, the influential 20th century St. Ives group of painters and works by the Camden Town Group. Camden Town Group The Plymouth Arts Centre is located in the historic Barbican and offers displays of work by a wide range of local, British and international artists such as Beryl Cook, Richard Deacon, Andy Goldsworthy and Sir Terry Frost. As well as promoting art, many independent art house and foreign films are also shown here. In a spectacularly converted church on North Hill is the Sherwell Centre that plays host to regular exhibitions, concerts, recitals, lectures and other public events. Many more small and privately owned galleries can be found on The Barbican. Other museums in Plymouth include the Plymouth Dome, the Plymouth & West Devon Record Office, Smeatons Tower, the Elizabethan House and Merchants House in addition to thousands of historic documents at various other locations. Plymouth is also home to the [http://www.national-aquarium.co.uk/] National Marine Aquarium. It is Britain's foremost aquarium. The synagogue, in Catherine Street, was built in 1762. It is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue still standing in the English-speaking world. Famous painters associated with Plymouth include Beryl Cook, Robert Lenkiewicz, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Benjamin Robert Haydon, Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, James Northcote and Samuel Prout. Writers who are associated with Plymouth include the noted Dartmoor ant