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UEFA

UEFA

The Union of European Football Associations, almost always referred to by the acronym UEFA (pronounced you-AY-fuh), is the administrative and controlling body for European football. It represents the national football associations of Europe, runs Europe-wide national and club competitions, controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those competitions. UEFA is one of the six continental confederations of FIFA. Of all the confederations, it is by far the strongest in terms of wealth and influence over the global game. Virtually all of the world's top players play in European leagues because of the salaries available from the world's wealthiest football clubs, particularly in England, Italy, Spain and Germany. Many of the world's strongest national sides are in UEFA. Of the 32 available spots in the 2006 World Cup, 14 are allocated to UEFA national teams. UEFA was founded on June 15, 1954 in Basel, Switzerland following discussions between the French, Italian and Belgian FAs. The headquarters was in Paris until 1959 when the organisation moved to Bern. Henri Delaunay was the first General Secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the president. Its administrative centre since 1995 is in Nyon, Switzerland. It was initially made up of 25 national associations. Currently there are 52 associations, including those of Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (see the bottom of this page or List of UEFA national football teams). UEFA, as a representative of the national associations, has had a number of bruising clashes with the European Commission. In the 1990s the issues of television rights and especially international transfers (the Bosman ruling) have had to undergo some major changes to remain in line with European law.

UEFA General Secretaries

Called Chief Executive since December 1999:
- Henri Delaunay
- Pierre Delaunay
- Hans Bangerter (1960 - 1989)
- Gerhard Aigner
- Lars-Christer Olsson

UEFA Presidents


- Ebbe Schwartz
- Gustav Wiederkehr
- Artemio Franchi
- Jacques Georges
- Lennart Johansson (1990-)

Competitions

International

The main competition for men's national teams is the European Football Championship, started in 1958, with the first finals in 1960, and known as the European Nations Cup until 1964. UEFA also runs national competitions at Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 levels. For women's national teams, UEFA operates the UEFA Women's Championship for senior national sides and the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship at under-19 level. UEFA also organises the UEFA/CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams. In futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Championship.

Club

UEFA also runs the two main club competitions in Europe: the UEFA Champions League, for national league champions, was first held in 1955, and was known as the European Champion Clubs Cup until 1991; and the UEFA Cup, for national knockout cup winners and high-placed league teams, was launched by UEFA in 1971 as a successor to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (also begun in 1955). A third competition, the Cup Winners' Cup, started in 1960 and was absorbed into the UEFA Cup in 1999. Only four teams have won each of the three competitions, a feat that is no longer possible for any team that did not win the Cup Winners' Cup. There are currently ten teams throughout Europe that have won two of the three trophies; of these, six require a win in the Champions League and four require a UEFA Cup win. The UEFA Super Cup, which pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the UEFA Cup (previously the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup), came into being in 1973. The UEFA Intertoto Cup is a summer competition, previously operated by several Central European football associations, which was relaunched by UEFA in 1995 as a qualifying competition for the UEFA Cup. Recently, UEFA launched the UEFA Regions Cup, for semi-professional teams. UEFA also conducts the UEFA Women's Cup for women's club teams. In futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Cup. The European/South American Cup was jointly organised with CONMEBOL between the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores winners.

UEFA World Cup Qualifiers

The following UEFA members have competed in the FIFA World Cup (totals include qualification for the 2006 World Cup)
- 16 appearances:
(incl. 10 as West Germany)

- 12:



- 11:


- 9:

- 8:
+



+ (Kingdom of Yugoslavia and SFR Yugoslavia only)
- 7:




+
- 4:

- 3:





- 2:

(incl. 1 as FR Yugoslavia)

- 1:
,
+

(qualified when member of AFC)



+ = team and national federation no longer exist

See also


- UEFA Jubilee Awards
- UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll
- European football records

External links


- [http://www.uefa.com/ UEFA homepage] UEFA ja:欧州サッカー連盟

FIFA

right The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, universally known by its acronym FIFA, is the international governing body of football (soccer). Its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland and its current president is Sepp Blatter.

History

:Main article: History of FIFA The need for a single body to oversee the worldwide game became apparent at the beginning of the 20th century with the increasing popularity of international fixtures. The English Football Association had chaired many discussions on setting up an international body, but was perceived as making no progress. It fell to seven other European countries to band together to form this association. FIFA was founded in Paris on May 21, 1904 - the French name and acronym persist to this day, even in English-speaking countries. Its first president was Robert Guérin. FIFA presided over its first international competition in 1906, however it met with little approval or success. This, in combination with economic factors, led to the swift replacement of Guérin with Daniel Burley Woolfall from England, by now a member association. The next tournament staged, the football competition for the 1908 Olympics in London was more successful, despite the presence of professional footballers, contrary to the founding principles of FIFA. Membership of FIFA expanded beyond Europe with the application of South Africa in 1909, Argentina in 1912 and the United States in 1913. FIFA however floundered during World War I with many players sent off to war and the possibility of travel for international fixtures severely limited. Post-war, following the death of Woolfall, the organisation fell into the hands of Dutchman Carl Hirschmann. It was saved from extinction, but at the cost of the withdrawal of the Home Nations, who cited an unwillingness to participate in international competitions with their recent World War enemies.

The World Cup

:Main article: Football World Cup Jules Rimet became the third President of FIFA in 1921. He presided over another two successful Olympic competitions despite the absence of England and Scotland. The success of the competitions, combined with the rising profile of the game, allowed FIFA to seriously consider, for the first time, staging its own regular World Championship. Talks on the matter began in 1928, and the first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930 and was won by the home nation. Despite the reluctance of participation from European nations (due to the travel time required and the ongoing economic depression), the tournament was considered a success and plans were laid for the next World Cup in 1934, in Italy. Excluding a break for World War II, the World Cup continues to be held once every four years, with the most recent tournament in 2002 held in Japan and South Korea. The next World Cup will be held in Germany in 2006.

Other tournaments

Aside from the World Cup and Olympic competitions, FIFA organises World Championships for players at under-17 level and youth level. In addition to this, it has introduced the Confederations Cup, a competition for the champions from each confederation (plus the hosts and World Cup Winners), every two years; in the year before a World Cup, it serves as a dry run for that competition, with the World Cup host staging the tournament as a test of facilities. With the development of the women's game, FIFA introduced the Women's World Cup in 1991 and the Women's Under-20 World Championship in 2002. A U-17 women's championship will start in 2008. FIFA's only major club competition is the FIFA Club World Championship. It was slated as the natural progression of the European/South American Cup (which itself ran under a variety of names) to include clubs from all confederations. The tournament was not warmly received on its debut in 2000 and its 2002 edition was cancelled. The tournament, with a shorter revised format, is due to return in Japan in 2005. FIFA also presides over World Cups in modified forms of the game including beach football (the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and futsal (the FIFA Futsal World Cup).

Laws of the game

The laws of football that govern the game are not solely the responsibility of FIFA; they are maintained by a body called the International Football Association Board (IFAB). FIFA has a 50% representation on its board (four representatives); the other four are provided by the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, in recognition of the British nations' unique contribution to the creation and history of the game.

Organisation

Northern Ireland Under the auspices of the President, FIFA is split into six confederations which oversee the game in the different continents and regions of the world. National federations must claim membership to both FIFA and the confederation in which their nation is geographically resident for their teams to qualify for entry to FIFA's competitions (with a few geographic exceptions listed below):
- AFC - Asian Football Confederation in Asia
- CAF - Confédération Africaine de Football in Africa
- CONMEBOL - Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol in South America
- CONCACAF - Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football in North America and Central America
- OFC - Oceania Football Confederation in Australia and Oceania
- UEFA - Union of European Football Associations in Europe. Nations straddling the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia have generally had their choice of confederation. As a result, nations including Russia and Turkey have chosen to become part of UEFA despite the bulk of their land area being in Asia. Israel, although lying entirely within Asia, joined UEFA in 1994, after decades of isolation by many of its Middle Eastern neighbors. Kazakhstan were the latest nation to make the move from AFC to UEFA, in 2002. Guyana and Suriname have always been CONCACAF members despite being South American countries. Australia have been given permission to join the AFC instead of the OFC from 2006 onwards. Australia have long lobbied for a change due to its national team's strength, which is disproportionate to the other Oceania teams. No team from the OFC is offered automatic qualification to the World Cup; instead the winner of their section must play a play-off against a CONMEBOL side, a hurdle at which Australia have traditionally fallen. Perhaps ironically, Australia successfully qualified for the by winning just such a playoff in a penalty shootout against Uruguay, just a few months after the clearance to move was granted. In total, FIFA recognises 207 national federations and their associated national teams; see the list of national football teams and their respective country codes. The FIFA World Rankings are updated monthly and rank each team based on their performance in international competitions, qualifiers, and friendly matches. There is also a world ranking for women's football, updated four times a year.

Recognitions and awards

FIFA awards, each year, the title of FIFA World Player of the Year to the most prestigious player of the year, as part of its annual awards ceremony with also recognises team and international football achievements. As part of its centennial celebrations in 2004, FIFA organised a "Match of the Century" between France and Brazil, the most successful national teams of the last decade. In addition, it commissioned arguably the most famous player ever, Pelé, to produce a list of the greatest players of all time. This list, the FIFA 100, included 50 players who were still actively playing at the time of publication (one of whom was female), and 75 retired players (including himself, but not including deceased players, with one woman). The list was originally planned to be just 100 players long but Pelé is understood to have found it too hard to choose just 100.

Commercial activities

FIFA announced in April 2004 that it is expecting to earn $144 million profit on $1.64 billion in revenue between 2003 and 2006. FIFA has licensed its name and copyrighted content to computer game designer EA Sports to provide a number of footballs simulation games for PC and various game consoles. A new instalment in this FIFA series of games is introduced each year, and additional versions are released with World Cup branding to coincide with these tournaments. There was also a one-off "urban football" game (FIFA Street).

External link


- [http://www.fifa.com/ FIFA web site] FIFA zh-min-nan:FIFA ko:국제축구연맹 ja:国際サッカー連盟

Serie A

Serie A is the top division of the Italian Football League, the highest football league in Italy. The division consists of 20 clubs from the 2004-05 season, with each team competing against each other team twice, round-robin style, for a total of 38 matches per season. The bottom three clubs in the league table are relegated to Serie B. The top two clubs from Serie B are promoted automatically, while the third- through sixth-place clubs enter a promotion playoff for the final place in Serie A. The promotion playoff, similar to that used for years in England's Football League, was first employed in 2004-05. Serie A, as it is structured today, began in 1929. From 1898 to 1929 the competition was organised into regional groups. No title was awarded in 1927 after Torino were stripped of the championship by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). Torino were declared champions in the 1948-49 season following a plane crash near the end of the season in which the entire team was killed. The Serie A Championship is often referred to as the Scudetto (small shield) because the winning team will bear a small coat of arms with the Italian tricolour on their uniform in the following season. The most successful league club is Juventus with 28 championships, followed by A.C. Milan (17), Internazionale (13) and Genoa C&FC (9). Each ten titles won allow the team to wear a golden star, so Juventus has two stars, while Milan and Internazionale have one star.

Teams 2005-06

The 2005-06 season presents twenty teams. The first two teams will enter to the UEFA Champions League, while the third and fourth will compete for the qualification to the same tournament. The fifth and sixth teams, as well as the winner of the Coppa Italia, will enter into UEFA Cup. For the season 2005-06, the Italian teams playing Champions League are Juventus, Milan, Internazionale, and Udinese – the last two entered through qualification matches; Sampdoria, Palermo and Roma (as runner-up in Coppa Italia) will play in the UEFA Cup.

Champions

Image:Totti-a.s.Roma-celebration.jpg|2000-01. Transfer on a Roman house to celebrate Totti and A.S. Roma 3rd scudetto. Image:Milano Scudetto Milan 1.jpg|2003-04. Celebrations in Milan for the 17th scudetto of A.C. Milan. Category:Italian football competitions Category:National football (soccer) premier leagues ja:セリエA (サッカー)

La Liga

The Spanish football league is called La Liga. It is divided into various divisions. The top two: Primera división (First division) and Segunda división (Second division) have professional teams. The lower leagues are amateur. The structure of Liga:
- Primera división (20 teams)
- Segunda división (22 teams)
- Segunda división B (4 groups, 20 teams each)
- Tercera división
- Regional divisions The number of regional divisions depends on the region, in Catalonia, for example, there are five divisions under Tercera división:
- Primera catalana
- Preferente
- Primera regional
- Segunda regional
- Tercera regional In other regions there are fewer divisions. The number of teams in each division also depends on the region: there are groups in Tercera that have 18 teams, and some others that have 20.

Liga championship rules

Each team of every division has to play with all the other teams of its division twice, once at home and the other at the opponent's stadium. This means that in Primera división the league ends after every team plays 38 matches. Like many other leagues in continental Europe, the Primera takes a winter break once each team has played half its schedule. One unusual feature of the league is that the two halves of the season are played in the same order—that is, the order of each team's first-half fixtures is repeated in the second half of the season, with the only difference being the stadiums used. Each victory adds 3 points to the team in the league ranking. Each drawn adds 1 point. At the end of the league, the winner is: #The team that has most points in the ranking. #If two or more teams are level on points, the winner is the team that has the best results head-to-head. #If there is no winner after applying the second rule, then the team with the best overall goal difference wins.

Champions by year

Top flight champions in Spanish football

First Division Winners: :::Catalonia
- 29 wins: Real Madrid :::Real Madrid
- 17 wins: Barcelona :::Barcelona
- 9 wins: Atlético de Madrid :::Atlético de Madrid
- 8 wins: Athletic Bilbao :::Athletic Bilbao
- 6 wins: Valencia :::Valencia
- 2 wins: Real Sociedad :::Real Sociedad
- 1 wins: Sevilla :::Sevilla
- 1 wins: Real Betis :::Real Betis
- 1 wins: Deportivo de La Coruña

Seasons La Liga

Season 2005/06: Spanish First Division season 2005/2006 Season 2004/05: Spanish First Division season 2004/2005

Teams For season 2005/06


- Played in every First Division season.
- Relegated to Second Division after the 2004/05 season:
  - Albacete Albacete
  - Levante Levante
  - Numancia Numancia

See also


- Football in Spain
- List of football clubs in Spain

External link


- [http://www.lfp.es/ Official web site] Category:Spanish football competitions Category:National football (soccer) premier leagues ja:リーガ・エスパニョーラ

Football World Cup 2006

The 2006 Football World Cup (officially titled 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™) finals are scheduled to take place in Germany between 9 June and 9 July 2006. Qualification for the tournament is now complete, with all 32 competing teams confirmed.

Venues

A total of 12 German cities have been selected to host the World Cup final tournament: The effective capacity of some of the stadia in the World Cup, in particular the Westfalenstadion, will be lower than the figures quoted, as the Bundesliga regulations allow for terracing in stadia but the FIFA rules do not, and hence seating will have to be installed in the terraced areas for the World Cup thus reducing the capacity somewhat. Also, during the World Cup proper, many of the stadiums will be officially known by different names, as FIFA prohibits sponsorship of stadium names. For example, Allianz Arena will be known during the competition as "FIFA WM-Stadion München" (FIFA World Cup Stadium Munich), while Veltins-Arena will revert to its original name of "Arena AufSchalke". It is perhaps noteworthy that of the twelve hosting cities, all but one (Leipzig) are in what was West Germany.

Teams

The field for the 2006 World Cup has been finalized. The following teams have qualified (shown by region): For details, see Football World Cup 2006 (qualification).

Groups

The seeded teams for the 2006 cup are as follows. By prior agreement, was seeded into Group A. The remaining seeds were announced on December 5, 2005; they are:
-
-
-
-
-
-
- . The unseeded teams were divided into 3 "pots" according to geography--Pot B contained 8 of the 9 remaining European sides, excluding . Pot C contained the five African entries, as well as , , and ; Pot D contained sides from Asia and the CONCACAF region. A special pot contained Serbia and Montenegro; this was done to ensure that no group contained 3 European teams. On December 9, 2005 the draw was held and the group assignments announced. Group E, with , the , the , and , is already regarded as a group of death, as any two of the four could conceiveably advance to the second round; the same could be said of Group C, with , , and the . The draw was parodied by an online advertisement for Carlsberg lager as part of their long-running If Carlsberg made .... it would probably be the best ... in the world series, in which Germany, traditional opponents (and the usual nemesis) of England in World Cup fixtures, find themselves drawn in the same group as Brazil, Argentina and France whereas England's group is comprised of Lappland, Outer Mongolia and Vatican City. [http://www.worldfootballnetwork.co.uk]

Group A

09 June 2006 14 June 2006 15 June 2006 20 June 2006

Group B

10 June 2006 15 June 2006 20 June 2006

Group C

10 June 2006 11 June 2006 16 June 2006 21 June 2006

Group D

11 June 2006 16 June 2006 17 June 2006 21 June 2006

Group E

12 June 2006 17 June 2006 22 June 2006

Group F

12 June 2006 13 June 2006 18 June 2006 22 June 2006

Group G

13 June 2006 18 June 2006 19 June 2006 23 June 2006

Group H

14 June 2006 19 June 2006 23 June 2006

Round of 16

24 June 2006 25 June 2006 26 June 2006 27 June 2006

Quarter Finals

30 June 2006 01 July 2006

Semi Finals

04 July 2006 05 July 2006

Third Place

08 July 2006

Final

09 July 2006

Miscellaneous

The hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas will sing the official song, which will be written by Brian Eno. The mascots for the competition are Goleo VI and Pille

External links


- [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com Official FIFAWorldCup site]
- [http://www.fifa.com Official FIFA Website]
- [http://www.world-cup-schedule.com World Cup Schedule Website]
- [http://www.4wdmedia.de/download/fifa-worldcup-2006.ics All matches as iCal-calendar] Category:Football World Cup Category:Sports festivals hosted in Germany Football World Cup
- ja:2006 FIFAワールドカップ ko:2006년 축구 월드컵 th:ฟุตบอลโลก 2006 zh-min-nan:2006 nî Kha-kiû Sè-kài-poe

June 15

June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining.

Events


- 763 BC - Assyrians record a solar eclipse that will be used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history.
- 923 - Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Simple is arrested by the supporters of Duke Rudolph of Burgundy.
- 1184 - King Magnus V of Norway is killed at the battle of Fimreite.
- 1215 - King John of England puts his seal to the Magna Carta.
- 1219 - Dannebrog - oldest national flag in the world - and flag of Denmark. According to legend, fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse in Estonia, and turned the Danes' luck.
- 1246 - With the death of Duke Frederick II, the Babenberg dynasty ends in Austria.
- 1389 - Battle of Kosovo: The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians.
- 1409 - Western Schism: The Catholic church is led into a double schism as Petros Philargos is elected Pope Alexander V by the Council of Pisa, joining Pope Gregory XII in Rome and Pope Benedict XII in Avignon.
- 1520 - Pope Leo X threatens to excommunicate Martin Luther.
- 1667 - The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean Baptiste. He transfuses 12 fluid ounces (350 ml) of sheep blood to a 15-year-old boy. The boy later dies and Baptiste is accused of murder.
- 1752 - Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity.
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: George Washington is appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
- 1776 - Delaware Separation Day - The Delaware General Assembly votes to suspend government under the British Crown.
- 1785 - Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (1783), and his companion, Pierre Romain, become the first-ever casualties of an air crash when their hot air balloon explodes during their attempt to cross the English Channel.
- 1804 - New Hampshire approves the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratifying the document.
- 1808 - Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain.
- 1836 - Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state.
- 1844 - Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
- 1846 - The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- 1859 - Pig War: Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between U.S. and British/Canadian settlers.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Petersburg begins – Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant and troops led by Confederate General Robert E. Lee battle for the last time.
- 1864 - Arlington National Cemetery is established when 200 acres (0.8 km²) around Arlington Mansion are officially set aside as a military cemetery by U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.
- 1877 - Henry Ossian Flipper becomes the first African American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy.
- 1904 - A fire aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1000.
- 1905 - Princess Margaret of Connaught marries Gustav, Crown Prince of Sweden.
- 1909 - Representatives from England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lords and form the Imperial Cricket Conference.
- 1911 - Tabulating Computing Recording Corporation (IBM) is incorporated.
- 1913 - US troops under General John 'Black Jack' Pershing massacre at least 2,000 Philippine men, women and children at Bud Bagsak.
- 1916 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America.
- 1919 - John Alcock and Arthur Brown complete first nonstop transatlantic flight at Clifden, County Galway, Ireland.
- 1924 - Native Americans are proclaimed United States citizens.
- 1934 - The U.S.'s Great Smoky Mountains National Park is founded.
- 1944 - World War II: Battle of Saipan: The United States invades Saipan.
- 1944 - In the Saskatchewan general election, 1944, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government of North America.
- 1945 - The General Dutch Youth League (ANJV) is founded in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- 1954 - UEFA (the Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is formed in Basle, Switzerland.
- 1955 - The Eisenhower administration stages the first annual "Operation Alert" (OPAL) exercise, an attempt to assess the USA's preparations for a nuclear attack.
- 1957 - Eindhoven University of Technology is founded.
- 1962 - Students for a Democratic Society complete the Port Huron Statement.
- 1969 - Hee Haw debuts on CBS television, quickly becoming an institution.
- 1978 - King Hussein of Jordan marries 26-year-old Lisa Halaby.
- 1992 - The United States Supreme Court rules in US vs. Alvarez-Machain that it is permissible for the USA to abduct suspects in foreign countries and bring them to the USA for trial, without approval from those other countries. No reciprocal right is recognized for the reverse to happen in the USA.
- 1994 - Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations.
- 1996 - In Manchester, UK, a terrorist bomb injures over 200 people and devastates a large part of the city centre.
- 1999 - George Morber Senior and Carolyn Frederick are murdered by Ángel Maturino Reséndiz in Gorham, Illinois, USA. They are his eighth and ninth victims, in his seventh and final incident.

Births


- 1330 - Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales (d. 1376)
- 1594 - Nicolas Poussin, French painter (d. 1665)
- 1623 - Cornelis de Witt, Dutch politician (d. 1672)
- 1624 - Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist (d. 1704)
- 1755 - Antoine François, comte de Fourcroy, French chemist (d. 1809)
- 1767 - Rachel Donelson Jackson, First Lady of the United States
- 1789 - Josiah Henson, American slave and settlement founder (d. 1883)
- 1801 - Benjamin Raymond, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1883)
- 1805 - William Butler Ogden, first Mayor of Chicago (d. 1877)
- 1843 - Edvard Grieg, Norwegian composer (d. 1907)
- 1882 - Ion Antonescu, Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1946)
- 1888 - Ramón López Velarde, Mexican poet (d. 1921)
- 1900 - Gotthard Günther, German philosopher (d. 1984)
- 1902 - Erik Erikson, psychoanalyst (d. 1994)
- 1906 - Léon Degrelle, Belgian SS officer (d. 1994)
- 1914 - Yuri Andropov, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (d. 1984)
- 1915 - Thomas Huckle Weller, American virologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1916 - Herbert Simon, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
- 1917 - John Fenn, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1917 - Lash La Rue, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1921 - Errol Garner, American musician (d. 1977)
- 1932 - Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York
- 1936 - William Joseph Levada, American Catholic prelate
- 1937 - Waylon Jennings, American singer (d. 2002)
- 1938 - Billy Williams, baseball player
- 1939 - Brian Jacques, British author
- 1941 - Harry Nilsson, American singer and composer (d. 1994)
- 1943 - Xaviera Hollander, Dutch author
- 1943 - Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark
- 1946 - Noddy Holder, English singer (Slade)
- 1947 - John Hoagland, American photographer
- 1948 - Mike Holmgren, American football coach
- 1949 - Dusty Baker, baseball player and manager
- 1949 - Simon Callow, British actor
- 1954 - James Belushi, American actor
- 1958 - Wade Boggs, baseball player
- 1958 - Eric Heiden, American speed skater
- 1963 - Helen Hunt, American actress
- 1964 - Courteney Cox, American actress
- 1965 - Bernard Hopkins, American boxer
- 1967 - Eric Stefani, American musician and animator
- 1969 - Ice Cube, American singer and actor
- 1969 - Oliver Kahn, German footballer
- 1971 - Edwin Brienen, Dutch director
- 1972 - Andy Pettitte, baseball player
- 1973 - Neil Patrick Harris, American actor
- 1973 - Tore André Flo, Norwegian footballer
- 1978 - Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
- 1980 - Cara Zavaleta, American model
- 1981 - Mary Carey, American actress
- 1981 - Billy Martin, American musician

Deaths


- 923 - Robert I of France (b. c. 865)
- 1073 - Emperor Go-Sanjō of Japan (b. 1034)
- 1246 - Duke Frederick II of Austria (b. 1219)
- 1381 - John Cavendish, Lord Chief Justice of England
- 1381 - Wat Tyler, English rebel
- 1383 - John VI Cantacuzenus, Byzantine Emperor
- 1389 - Prince Lazar, Serbian Orthodox saint (b. 1329)
- 1467 - Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1396)
- 1521 - Tamás Bakócz. Hungarian Catholic cardinal and statesman (b. 1442)
- 1614 - Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton, English politician (b. 1540)
- 1679 - Guillaume Courtois, French painter (b. 1628)
- 1724 - Henry Sacheverell, English churchman and politician (b. 1674)
- 1750 - Marguerite De Launay, Baronne Staal, French writer (b. 1684)
- 1768 - James Short, Scottish mathematician and optician (b. 1710)
- 1772 - Louis-Claude Daquin, French composer (b. 1694)
- 1849 - James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United States (b. 1795)
- 1888 - Emperor Friedrich III of Germany (b. 1831)
- 1889 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian poet (b. 1850)
- 1934 - Alfred Bruneau, French composer (d. 1857)
- 1941 - Evelyn Underhill, British writer (b. 1875)
- 1941 - Otfrid Foerster, German neurologist (b. 1873)
- 1962 - Alfred Cortot, Swiss pianist (b. 1877)
- 1965 - E. A. Speiser, American Bible scholar (b. 1902)
- 1968 - Sam Crawford, baseball player (b. 1880)
- 1971 - Wendell Meredith Stanley, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1976 - Jimmy Dykes, baseball player and manager (b. 1896)
- 1984 - Meredith Willson, American composer (b. 1902)
- 1985 - Andy Stanfield, American athlete (b. 1927)
- 1989 - Victor French, American actor (b. 1934)
- 1991 - Arthur Lewis, British economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
- 1993 - John Connally, American politican (b. 1917)
- 1993 - James Hunt, English race car driver (b. 1947)
- 1995 - John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (b. 1903)
- 1996 - Ella Fitzgerald, American singer (b. 1917)
- 2003 - Hume Cronyn, Canadian actor (b. 1911)

Holidays and observances


- Commemoration of Evelyn Underhill (Anglican mystic and poet)
- Roman Empire – ninth and final day of the Vestalia in honor of Vesta
- Roman Catholic Church – Feast of Saint Germaine Cousin, patron of shepherdesses and of victims of child abuse
- Saint Vitus' Day – Vitus Diena held in medieval Latvia
- Malawi's Freedom Day
- Commemoration of William Adams (Miura Anjin 三浦按針) a man shipwrecked in Japan in the 1600s, and whom James Clavell's "Shogun" was based upon.
- Flag Day in Denmark

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/15 BBC: On This Day] ---- June 14 - June 16 - May 15 - July 15 – listing of all days ko:6월 15일 ms:15 Jun ja:6月15日 simple:June 15 th:15 มิถุนายน

Basel

Basel (English traditionally: Basle , German: Basel , French: Bâle , Italian: Basilea ) is Switzerland's third most populous city (188,000 inhabitants in the canton of Basel-City as of 2004; the 690,000 inhabitants in the conurbation stretching across the immediate cantonal and national boundaries made Basel Switzerland's second-largest urban area as of 2003). Located in north-west Switzerland on the river Rhine, Basel functions as a major industrial centre for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. The city borders both Germany and France. The Basel region, culturally extending into German Baden and French Alsace, reflects the heritage of its three states in the modern Latin name: "Regio TriRhena". It has the oldest university of the Swiss Confederation (1460).

Transportation

Basel has Switzerland's only cargo port, through which goods pass along the navigable stretches of the Rhine. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the only airport in the world operated jointly by three countries, France and Switzerland and Germany. Contrary to popular belief, the airport is located completely on French soil. The airport itself is split into two architecturally independent halves, one half serving the French side and the other half serving the Swiss side; there is a customs point at the middle of the airport so that people can "emigrate" to the other side of the airport. Basel has long held an important place as a rail hub. Three railway stations—those of the German, French and Swiss networks—lie within the city (although the Swiss (Basel SBB) and French (Basel SNCF) stations are actually in the same complex, separated by Customs and Immigration facilities). A goods railway complex exists as well. Basel has an extensive public transportation network serving the city and connecting to surrounding suburbs. The green-colored local trams and buses are operated by the BVB ([http://www.bvb-basel.ch/ Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe]). The yellow-colored buses and trams are operated by the BLT ([http://www.blt.ch/ Baselland Transport]), and connect areas in the nearby half-canton of Basel-Land to central Basel. The trams are powered by overhead lines, and the bus fleet is mix of electric and conventional fuel-powered vehicles. The BVB also shares commuter bus lines in cooperation with transit authorities in the neighboring Alsace region in France and Baden region in Germany. overhead lines

Industry and trade

overhead lines An annual Federal Swiss trade fair (Mustermesse) takes place in Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine. Other important trade shows include "Basel" (watches and jewelry), Art, Orbit and Cultura. The Swiss chemical industry operates largely from Basel, with Novartis, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Clariant, and Hoffmann-La Roche headquartered there. Pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals have become the modern focus of the city's industrial production. Some of the chemical industry's most notable creations include DDT, Araldite and LSD. UBS AG maintains central offices in Basel, giving finance a pivotal role in the local economy. The importance of banking began when the Bank for International Settlements located within the city in 1930. Basel's innovative financial industry includes institutions like the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Responsible for the Basel Accords, this organization fundamentally changed Risk Management within its industry. Risk Management Basel has Switzerland's tallest building, Basler Messeturm.

History and science

Basel traces its history back to at least the days of the Roman empire settlement of Augusta Raurica though even older Celtic settlements (including a "vitrified fort") have been discovered recently predating the roman castle. The city's position on the Rhine long emphasised its importance: Basel for many centuries possessed the only bridge over the river "between Lake Constance and the sea". From 999, Basel was ruled by prince-bishops (see Bishop of Basel) In 1019 the construction of the cathedral of Basel began under german Emperor Henrich II. In 1225-1226 the Bridge over the Rhine was constructed by Bishop Heinrich von Thun and lesser Basel (Kleinbasel) founded as a beachhead to protect the bridge. In 1356 an earthquake caused extensive damage in the city destroying a vast number of castles in the vicinity, allowing the city to offer courts in the city to nobles as an alternative to rebuilding their castles in exchange for their protection of the city. The De Bâle family moves in and helps rebuild the city and surrounding country, but set up house in Basel-Land. Basel became the focal point of western Christendom during the 15th-century Council of Basel (1431-1449), including the 1439 election of antipope Felix V. In 1459 Pope Pius II endowed the University of Basel where notables like Erasmus of Rotterdam, Paracelsus and Hans Holbein the younger teached. At the same time printing was introduced in Basel by apprentices of Gutenberg. The Schwabe publishing house was founded 1488 by Johannes Petri and is the oldest publishing house still in business. Johann Froben also operated his printing house in Basel and was notable for publishing works by Erasmus. In 1495, Basel was incorporated in the Upper Rhenish Imperial Circle, the bishop sitting on the Bench of the Ecclesiastical Princes. In 1500 the construction of the cathedral of Basel (german: Münster) was finished. In 1501 Basel de-facto separated from the Holy Roman Empire and joined the Swiss Confederation as 11th state, and began of the construction of the city council building. The bishop continued to reside in Basel until the reformation of Oecolampadius in 1529. The bishop's crook was however retained as the city's coat of arms. In 1543 De Humanis Corporis Fabrica, the first anatomy book was published and printed in Basel by Andreas Vesalius (1514 - 1564). In 1662 the Amerbaschsches Kabinett formed the basis of the world's first public art collection and exposition, forming the core of the museum of art of Basel.

Quarters

Basel is not subdivided into official counties, districts or boroughs, but into unofficial quarters. There are 19 quarters; the municipalities of Riehen and Bettingen are not included.

Architecture

The Romanesque Münster, with its two (uneven) towers forms an architectural monument which survived medieval earthquake. The tomb of Erasmus lies inside the Münster. Basel is also host to an array of buildings by internationally renowned architects, such as the Beyeler Foundation by Renzo Piano, or the Vitra complex in nearby Weil am Rhein, comprised of three buildings by Zaha Hadid (fire station), Frank Gehry (design museum), Tadao Ando (conference centre), Mario Botta (Jean Tinguely Museum and Bank of International settlements)and several buildings by Herzog & de Meuron (originally from Basel, but otherwise known as the architects of the Tate Modern in London).

Education

Basel hosts Switzerland's oldest university, the University of Basel, dating from 1459. Erasmus, Paracelsus, Daniel Bernoulli, Leonhard Euler and Friedrich Nietzsche worked here. More recently, its work in tropical medicine has gained prominence. Basel is renowned for various scientific societies, as the Entomological Society of Basel (Entomologische Gesellschaft Basel, EGB), which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2005 .

Politics

Geo-politically, the city of Basel functions as the capital of the Swiss half-canton of Basel-Stadt, though several of its suburbs form part of the half-canton of Basel-Landschaft or of the canton of Aargau.

People from Basel


- Karl Barth, theologian
- Black Tiger, rapper
- Lucius Munatius Plancus, city founder
- Jacob Burckhardt, professor in history, theology, philosophy
- Jacob Bernoulli (1654-1705), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), mathematician
- Johann Bernoulli (1710-1790), mathematician
- Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) mathematician
- Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician
- Arthur Cohn, film producer (won 6 Oscars)
- Jakob Emanuel Handmann (1718-1781), painter
- Dani Levy, film maker
- Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher
- Beat Raaflaub, conductor
- -minu, columnist
- Roger Federer, tennis player

Sport

Basel has a reputation in Switzerland as a successful sporting city. The soccer club FC Basel continues to be successful and in recognition of this the city will be one of the venues for the 2008 European Championships, as well as Geneva, Zürich and Bern. The championships will be jointly hosted by Switzerland and Austria. The largest indoor tennis event in Europe occurs in Basel every October. The best ATP-Professionals play every year at the "Davidoff Swiss Indoors". In 2002, the World Judo Championships took place in Basel. Basel features a large soccer stadium, a modern ice hockey hall and an admitted sports hall.

Culture

Basel has a reputation as one of the most important cultural cities in Europe. In 1997, it contended to become the "European Capital of Culture". In May 2004, the fifth EJCF choir festival will open: this Basel tradition started in 1992. Host of this festival is the local Basel Boys Choir. The city is also known for "The Basel Elite", the posh and old money social circle that the city can more than cater to. Although Switzerland can technically have no nobility since such a status would depend on the country being a monarchy, which it isn't, the Basel Elite would be the closest thing, and are represented as such by their familiarities with present-day nobilities from bordering countries. One such example is the DeBâle family of Allschwil, who have lived in the area for centuries, but have not acknowledged the nobility that has been bestowed upon them from actual monarchies. The carnival of the city of Basel (Basler Fasnacht) is a major cultural event in the year. The carnival is one of the biggest in Switzerland and attracts large crowds every year, despite the fact that it starts at four in the morning (Morgestraich) and lasts for exactly 72 hours, taking in various parades. For more information see also [http://www.fasnacht.ch/?pm_1=21&mid=21] Basler Zeitung is the local newspaper.

Museums


- Historical Museum Basel [http://www.hmb.ch]
- Kunstmuseum Basel Museum für Gegenwartskunst [http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch/en/]
- Tinguely museum [http://www.tinguely.ch/en/index.html]
- Antikenmuseum Basel [http://www.antikenmuseumbasel.ch]
- Architekturmuseum Basel [http://www.architekturmuseum.ch]
- Puppenhausmuseum [http://www.puppenhausmuseum.ch]
- Pharmazie-Historisches Museum Basel [http://www.pharmaziemuseum.ch]
- Naturhistorisches Museum Basel [http://www.nmb.bs.ch]

Chronological table

External links


- [http://www.basel.ch/en/basel.html Basel Official Site]
- [http://www.baseltourismus.ch/opencms/opencms/bstour/english/index.html Basel Tourimus]
-
- [http://www.museenbasel.ch/index_e.cfm Museen Basel Online] Overview of museums in Basel
- [http://www.egbasel.ch Entomological Society of Basel (in German)] Category:Cities in Switzerland Category:Cantonal capitals of Switzerland Category:Cities on the Rhine als:Basel ja:バーゼル

French Football Federation

The French Football Federation (FFF) (French: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It organises the French football league, Championnats Nationaux, and the men's and women's national teams. It was a founding member of both FIFA and UEFA. It is based in Paris.

External links


- [http://www.fff.fr Official site] Category:Football (soccer) governing bodies Category:Football in France Category:Sports governing bodies in France

Italian Football Federation

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) (Italian: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio) is the governing body of football in Italy. It organises the Italian football league, Coppa Italia, Italian national football team, and the Italian women's national football team. It is based in Rome. It was a founding member of both FIFA and UEFA. Between 1964 and 1980 foreign players were banned from the Italian league, primarily to revive the national team.

External links


- [http://www.figc.it Official site] (in Italian and English) Category:Football (soccer) governing bodies Category:Football in Italy

1959

1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. It is also a song by The Sisters of Mercy on the album Floodland.

Events

January


- January 1 - Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin.
- January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance.
- January 2 - CBS Radio cuts four soap operas: Backstage Wife, Our Gal Sunday, Road of Life, and This is Nora Drake.
- January 2 - Castro's troops approach Havana.
- January 3 - Island of Addu in the Maldives declares independence.
- January 3 - Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
- January 4 - In Cuba rebel troops lead by Che Guevara and Glenfuego enter Havana.
- January 4 - In Léopoldville 42 people are killed during clashes between the police and participants of a meeting of the Abako party.
- January 6 - Fidel Castro arrives in Havana.
- January 7 - The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.
- January 8 - Charles De Gaulle inaugurated as the first president of French Fifth Republic.
- January 13 - Cuban communists execute 71 supporters of Fulgencio Batista.
- January 22 - Knox Mine Disaster - water breaches River Slope mine in Port Griffith, Pennsylvania - 12 miners dead.

February


- February 1 - A referendum in Switzerland turns down female suffrage.
- February 3 - The chartered plane transporting musicians Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper goes down in an Iowa snowstorm, killing all four occupants on board. The tragedy is later termed "The Day the Music Died," popularized in Don McLean's song, "American Pie."
- February 6 - At Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first successful test firing of a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile is accomplished.
- February 15 - Mattel's Barbie doll goes on sale in the USA.
- February 16 - Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba.
- February 16 - Blizzard causes a massive power outage in Newfoundland.
- February 17 - USA launches Vanguard II weather satellite.
- February 18 - Jesus Sosa Blanco, murderer of 108 people, executed in Cuba.
- February 18 - Women in Nepal vote for the first time.
- February 19 - The United Kingdom grants Cyprus its independence.
- February 22 - Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.
- February 26 - Author Walter Mene throws acid on Rubens painting in Munich.

March-May


- March 1 - USS Tuscaloosa, USS New Orleans, USS Tennessee and USS West Virginia struck from the Naval Vessel Register.
- March 1 – Archbishop Makarios returns to Cyprus from exile.
- March 8 - Last television appearance of The Marx Brothers, in The Incredible Jewel Robbery.
- March 9 - The Barbie doll debuts.
- March 17 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet and travels to India.
- March 18 - American President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs bill allowing for Hawaiian statehood.
- March 19 - Two other islands join Addu in the United Suvadida Republic (abolished September 1963).
- March 31 - Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida is dedicated and opens its gates.
- March 31 - Dalai Lama leaves Tibet.
- April 9 - NASA announces its selection of seven military pilots to become the first US astronauts (see Mercury Seven).
- April 25 - The St. Lawrence Seaway linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean officially opens to shipping.

May-July


- May - First Ten Tors event held in Dartmoor.
- late May / early June - import tariffs lifted in the United Kingdom.
- May 24 - British Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day.
- June 3 - Singapore becomes a self governing crown colony of Britain with Lee Kuan Yew as Prime Minister.
- June 5 - A new government of the State of Singapore is sworn in by Sir William Goode. Two former Ministers were re-elected to the Legislative Assembly.
- June 8 - The USS Barbero and United States Postal Service attempt the delivery of mail via Missile Mail.
- June 9 - The USS George Washington is launched as the first submarine to carry ballistic missiles.
- June 14 - A three-front revolutionary invasion by air and sea takes place in the Dominican Republic consisting of exiles aided by Fidel Castro whose purpose was to overthrow dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. Within a few days all but four are captured and executed. Trujillo is killed less than two years later by men partly inspired by the deaths of the 1959 martyrs.
- June 23 - Sean Lemass becomes the third Taoiseach of Ireland.
- June 23 - Convicted Manhattan Project spy Klaus Fuchs is released after only nine years in prison and allowed to emigrate to Dresden, East Germany (where he resumed a scientific career).
- June 26 - Queen Elizabeth II and US Dwight Eisenhower open Saint Lawrence Seaway.
- July 2 - Royal wedding in Belgium: Prince Albert marries the Italian princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria.
- July 4 - With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- July 7 - 14:28 UT Venus occulted the star Regulus. The rare event which will next occur on October 1, 2044 was used for determining the diameter of Venus and the structure of Venus' atmosphere.
- July 15 - Steel industry strike in USA.
- July 24 - At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, US vice-president Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev have a "kitchen debate."

August-December


- August 4 - Martial law declared in Laos.
- August 7 - Explorer program: The United States launches Explorer 6 from the Atlantic Missile Range in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- August 8 - Flood in Formosa leaves 2,000 dead.
- August 14 - Explorer VI sends the first picture of Earth from space
- August 15 - Cyprus gains independence.
- August 16 - Explorer VI sends back the first picture of Earth from space.
- August 21 - Hawaii is admitted as the 50th U.S. state.
- August 24 - Cyprus joins United Nations.
- September 13 - Luna 2 crashes onto the Moon as the first man-made object.
- September 14 - Luna II reaches Moon as the first man-made object.
- September 15 - Russian probe Luna 2 sends back first photos of the far side of Earth's Moon.
- September 25 - Ceylon's prime minister SWRD Bandaranaike assassinated.
- October 12 - At the national congress of APRA in Peru a group of leftist radicals are expelled from the party. They will later form APRA Rebelde.
- October 12 - Large scale diamond robbery in London.
- October 13 - USA launches Explorer VII.
- October 21 - Mau Mau leader Dedan Kimathi is arrested in Nyeri, Kenya.
- October 21 - In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opens to the public. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
- October 31 - Riots in the Belgian Congo.
- October 31 - Lee Harvey Oswald announces in Moscow he won't ever return to US.
- November 1 - Ice Hockey: After being struck in the face with a hockey puck, Montreal Canadiens goaltender, Jacques Plante offered to return to play on the condition that he can wear his protective face mask. It was the first time such equipment was used in a regular NHL game.
- November 2 - Quiz show scandals: "Twenty-One" game show contestant Charles Van Doren admits to a Congressional committee that he had been given questions and answers in advance.
- November 15 - Four members of the Herbert Clutter Family murdered at their farm outside Holcomb, Kansas.
- November 19 - The Ford Motor Company announces the discontinuation of the unpopular Edsel automobile, which had been introduced to the American public on "E Day" only two years earlier -- September 4, 1957.
- November 28 - Anti-USA demonstrations in Panama.
- December 1 - Cold War: Antarctic Treaty signed - 12 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union, sign a landmark treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on that continent (this was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War).
- December 2 - Malpasset dam in southern France collapses and water flows over the town of Frejus - 412 dead.
- December 14 - Makarios selected first president of Cyprus.

Unknown date


- The neutrino is first experimentally detected, by Cowan and Reines.
- TAT-2 cable goes into operation.
- Workers World Party is founded by Sam Marcy.
- The first skull of Australopithecus is discovered by Louis Leakey and his wife