who is born on 29 february in india

Morarji Desai (29 February 1896 – 10 April 1995)[1] was an Indian independence activist and served between 1977 and 1979 as the 4th Prime Minister of India and led the government formed by the Janata Party. During his long career in politics, he held many important posts in government such as: Chief Minister of Bombay State, Home Minister, Finance Minister and 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of India. On the international scene, Desai holds international fame for his peace activism and made efforts to initiate peace between two rival South Asian states, Pakistan and India[citation needed]. After India's first nuclear explosion in 1974, Desai helped restore friendly relations with China and Pakistan, and vowed to avoid armed conflict such as Indo-Pakistani war of 1971. He was also accused of scaling down the Indian covert operations agency, the R&AW.

Morarji Desai

Morarji Desai was of Gujarati origin.[2] He was born in Bhadeli village, Bulsar district, Bombay Presidency (now in Gujarat) on 29 February 1896, the oldest of eight children. His father was a school teacher.[3]

Desai underwent his primary schooling in Saurashtra The Kundla School, Savarkundla now called J.V. Modi school and later joined Bai Ava Bai High School, Valsad. After graduating from Wilson College, Mumbai, he joined the civil service in Gujarat. Desai resigned as deputy collector of Godhra in May 1930 after being found guilty of going soft on Hindus during the riots of 1927-28 there.[4]

Desai then joined the freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi and joined the civil disobedience movement against British rule in India. He spent many years in jail during the freedom struggle and owing to his sharp leadership skills and tough spirit, he became a favourite amongst freedom-fighters and an important leader of the Indian National Congress in the Gujarat region. When provincial elections were held in 1934 and 1937, Desai was elected and served as the Revenue Minister and Home Minister of the Bombay Presidency.

Before the independence of India, he became Bombay's Home Minister and later was elected as Chief Minister of Bombay State in 1952. The state was a bi-lingual state, home to Gujarati-speaking and Marathi-speaking people. Since 1956, activist organization Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti led a movement for a Marathi-only speaking state of Maharashtra. A staunch nationalist himself, Morarji Desai was opposed to such movements, including the Mahagujarat Movement led by Indulal Yagnik demanding a new state of Gujarat. Desai proposed that the metropolitan Mumbai (as coined by earlier Koli inhabitants), be made into a union territory or a separate development region to suit its cosmopolitan nature, due to its long-settled citizens from diverse settings across various linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds spanning several generations. In opposition to his alleged Gandhian thoughts, Desai ordered police to fire on demonstrators of the Mumbai-unit of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti at Flora Fountain who had gathered there to demonstrate against government. The protesters were led by Senapati Bapat. Desai ordered firing which killed 105 protesters including an eleven-year-old girl during the incident. This escalated the issue and is believed to have forced the Federal Government to agree to two separate states based on language. After the formation of the present State of Maharashtra, Bombay, now Mumbai became its state capital. Flora Fountain was renamed "Hutatma Chowk" ("Martyrs' Square" in Marathi) to honour the 105 people killed in the firing. Later Desai moved to Delhi when he was inducted as Home Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

As Home Minister, Desai outlawed any portrayals of indecency (which included "kissing" scenes) in films and theatrical productions. Being a staunch Gandhian, Desai was socially conservative, pro-business, and in favour of free enterprise reforms, as opposed to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's socialistic policies.

Rising in Congress leadership, as a fierce nationalist with anti-corruption leanings, Desai was at odds with Prime Minister Nehru and his allies, and with Nehru's age and health failing, he was considered as a possible contender for the position of Prime Minister. Outflanked in the leadership contest after Nehru's death in 1964 by the Nehruvian Lal Bahadur Shastri, Desai remained content to build support within the ranks.

In early 1966, the unexpected passing away of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri after only 18 months in power made Morarji Desai once again a contender for the top position. However, he was defeated by Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, in the Congress party leadership election by a big margin. Desai served as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of India in the Indira Gandhi government until 1969 when Prime Minister Gandhi took the finance portfolio from him. At the same time, she also nationalized the fourteen largest banks in India. These acts compelled Morarji Desai to resign from the Gandhi cabinet. In the subsequent split of the Congress party, Morarji joined the Indian National Congress (Organisation) faction of the party, whereas Gandhi formed a new faction called Indian National Congress (Ruling). Alternatively, the two factions of Desai and Indira were called Syndicate and Indicate respectively. The 1971 general elections to the Indian parliament were won by Indira Gandhi's faction in a landslide. Morarji Desai, however, was elected as a member of the Lok Sabha or lower house of Parliament. Morarji Desai went on indefinite hunger strike on 12 March 1975 to support Nav Nirman movement of Gujarat.[5]

In 1975, Indira Gandhi was convicted of electoral fraud by the Allahabad High Court, after opponents alleged she had used government civil servants and equipment during the campaign for the 1971 General Elections.[6] During the subsequent Emergency rule in 1975â€“77, in a massive crackdown, Desai and other opposition leaders were jailed by the Indira Gandhi government.

The popular anti-corruption movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan and the anti-Emergency wave in 1977 led to the complete routing of the Congress party in Northern India, and a landslide victory for the opposition Janata alliance in the National elections held in March 1977. Morarji Desai was selected by the Janata alliance, later Janata Party as their parliamentary leader, and thus became the first non-Congress Prime Minister of India.

After Indira Gandhi decided to lift The Emergency, general elections were held. Janata Party registered a landslide victory in the election and Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. Desai worked to improve relations with neighbour and arch-rival Pakistan and restored normal relations with China, for the first time since the 1962 war. He communicated with Zia-ul-Haq and established friendly relations. Diplomatic relations were also re-established with China. His government undid many amendments made to the constitution during emergency and made it difficult for any future government to impose a national emergency. However, the Janata Party coalition, was full of personal and policy friction and thus failed to achieve much owing to continuous in-wrangling and much controversy. With no party in leadership of the coalition, rival groups vied to unseat Desai. Controversial trials of prominent Congress leaders, including Indira Gandhi over Emergency-era abuses worsened the fortunes of his administration.

Since India's first nuclear test in 1974, Desai kept India's nuclear reactors stating "they will never be used for atomic bombs, and I will see to it if I can help it".[7] In 1977, the Carter administration offered to sell heavy water and uranium to India for its nuclear reactors but required American on-site inspection of nuclear materials. Desai declined, seeing the American stance as contradictory, in light of its own nuclear arsenal.[8] Domestically, he played a crucial role in the Indian nuclear program after it was targeted by major nuclear powers after conducting a surprise test in 1974. Morarji Desai closed down much of India's premier intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), reducing its budget and operations. Desai remains the only Indian national to be conferred with Pakistan's highest civilian award, Nishan-e-Pakistan, which was conferred on him by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990 in a colorful ceremony. Later, his policies promoted social, health and administrative reforms in the country. It is rumored that he was a mole of CIA in Indira Gandhi led cabinet[citation needed]. He also revealed that the R&AW is well aware of Pakistan's Nuclear activity in Kahuta to the Pakistani general Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in a telephonic conversation[9]

Morarji Desai had described the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), India's external intelligence agency, as the praetorian guard of Indira Gandhi and had promised to stop all activities of the R&AW after becoming prime minister. He closed down much of the agency, and reduced its budget and operations,[10] such as closing its Information Division.[11] B. Raman, the former head of the Counter-Terrorism Division of R&AW and noted security analyst, reveals that, in an informal discussion, Morarji Desai indiscreetly told Pakistan's Chief Martial Law Administrator General Zia ul-Haq that his government was well aware of Pakistan's nuclear development.[9]

In 1979, Raj Narain and Charan Singh pulled out of the Janata Party, forcing Desai to resign from office and retire from politics. The chief reason for the collapse was the demand by the duo and other left leaning members like Madhu Limaye, Krishan Kant and George Fernandes that no member of the Janata party could simultaneously be a member of an alternative social or political organisation. This attack on "dual membership" was directed specifically at members of the Janata party who had been members of the Jan Sangh, and continued to be members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Jan Sangh's ideological parent.[12]

Morarji Desai campaigned for the Janata Party in 1980 General Election as a senior politician but did not contest the election himself. In retirement, he lived in Mumbai and died on 10 April 1995 at the age of 99.[13] From 13 December 1994, when former French Prime Minister Antoine Pinay died until his own death, Desai was the world's oldest living former head of government. He was much honoured in his last years as a freedom-fighter of his generation.

Morarji Desai was a strict follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principles and a moralist. He was a vegetarian "both by birth and by conviction."[14]

Morarji Desai was a Gandhian follower, social worker, institution builder and a great reformer. He was the Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith. Even during his term as the Prime Minister he used to visit and stay at Vidyapith during the month of October. He lived simply and used to write post cards himself even when he held the office of Prime Minister. Sardar Patel deputed him to conduct meetings of farmers in Kaira district which finally led to the establishment of the Amul Cooperative movement. During his rule, he withdrew intervention in Public Distribution System and rationing shops were literally lost due to cheap sugar and oil available in the market.

Morarji Desai married Gujraben in 1911, at the age of 15.[15] Gujraben lived to see her husband becoming Prime Minister, but she predeceased him. He is survived by his son Kanti Desai, and grandsons Jagdeep and Bharat Desai. Madhukeshwar Desai, one of his great-grandsons, son of Jagdeep Desai,[16] took it upon himself to revive the legacy of his illustrious great grandfather.[17] Madhukeshwar Desai is currently the National Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP.[18]

Vishaal Desai, son of Bharat Desai, is a writer and filmmaker.[19]

In 1978, Desai, a longtime practitioner of "urine therapy," spoke to Dan Rather on 60 Minutes about the benefits of drinking urine. Desai stated that urine therapy was the perfect medical solution for the millions of Indians who cannot afford medical treatment.[20][21][22] He also attibuted his longevity to drinking urine - which he called "the water of life".[23][24]


how many episodes are in season 2 of dance moms

The second season of Dance Moms, an American dance reality television created by Collins Avenue Productions, began airing on January 10, 2012 on Lifetime television network. The season concluded on September 25, 2012. The second season featured 30 episodes including 4 special episodes (Abby's Most OMG Moments, Abby's Dance-A-Thon, Reunion: Off the Dance Floor, Part 1 and Reunion: Off the Dance Floor, Part 2) bringing the episode count thus far to 43 episodes. However, Lifetime's episode guide does not list "Abby's Most OMG Moments" as an official season episode.[1]

Dance Moms (season 2)

The second season continues after the release of Chloe's music video. The dancers of the Abby Lee Dance Company, and their mothers return for another season of dance competitions. In this season, new dance moms and dancers are introduced into both the Abby Lee Dance Company and Candy Apples Dance Center.

The second season featured thirteen star billing cast members with various other dancers and moms appearing throughout the season.

It is the start of the new competition season, and Vivi-Anne's position on the team is soon replaced by new dancer, Kendall. Payton, a Senior dancer, had also auditioned for the spot but is doted for being too tall, which upsets her mother, Leslie. Meanwhile, Kendall's mother, Jill, quickly befriends Melissa, whereas the other mothers are hesitant to accept her due to rumors of being a "studio hopper". Additionally, Mackenzie learns she has come of age to perform in the Elite Team's group routines.

After appearing at the bottom of the pyramid, Jill sends Kendall to a studio where she would feel more appreciated: Candy Apples Dance Center. At competition, Abby is surprised to find Kendall dancing with the Candy Apples, and Nia worries that they will compete head-to-head. The ALDC performs a wedding themed group routine reflecting Melissa's talked-about secret, whereas the Candy Apples perform a funeral themed routine. Additionally, Kendall performs a solo using Abby's choreography.

Abby rehearses a group routine that involves the girls using large feathers as props. The mothers are outraged when they discover that the costumes for the dance make the girls appear nude on stage. Meanwhile, Abby is infuriated after learning that Chloe misses rehearsal to appear in a television spot for Cathy's husband's business. At competition, the mothers throw a surprise engagement party for Melissa, and Holly leads the girls out when a stripper arrives.

Abby eagerly wants to defeat the Candy Apples after a humiliating loss when the last competed against each other. Abby invites three Senior dances to join this week's group routine, and bumps up the choreography. Meanwhile, Kelly is concerned that Paige's solo routine is unchallenging and selects to re-choreograph the dance for her, which upsets Abby. Additionally, Cathy has hires two new choreographers to help with the Candy Apples' and produce a solo for Kendall, which Jill feels is poorly rehearsed.

Everyone is stunned to see Jill and Kendall walk in during pyramid, and Kendall is quickly placed on probation. Abby announces she has invited a Senior male dancer to perform in the group routine, which the girls seem excited about. At competition, an argument ensues after Abby finds Jill tying a ribbon in Kendall's hair. Meanwhile, Maddie learns she earned the coveted role on Drop Dead Diva. Additionally, Paige gets seriously injured backstage.


where is the uss west virginia battleship located

USS West Virginia (BB-48), a Colorado-class battleship, was the second United States Navy ship named in honor of the country's 35th state. She was laid down on 12 April 1920 at Newport News, Virginia, launched on 19 November 1921 and commissioned on 1 December 1923. Her first captain was Thomas J. Senn. After her shakedown and crew training were finished, she was overhauled at Hampton Roads and later ran aground in Lynnhaven Channel.

USS West Virginia (BB-48)

After her repairs she participated in exercises and engineering and gunnery courses, winning four medals in the latter. She participated in other fleet tactical development operations until 1939. In 1940 she was transferred to Pearl Harbor to guard against potential Japanese attack, and was sunk by six torpedoes and two bombs during the attack on Pearl Harbor. On 17 May 1942, she was salvaged from the seabed by draining the water from her hull.

After repairs in Pearl Harbor, she sailed to the Puget Sound Navy Yard. There she received an extensive refit, including the replacement of her 5-inch (127 mm)/25 caliber anti-aircraft guns and single-purpose 5-inch (127 mm)/51 caliber guns with 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber anti-aircraft guns. She left Puget Sound in July 1944 for Leyte Gulf.

She bombarded Leyte in November 1944, becoming part of a successful American plan to destroy the portion of the Japanese fleet trying to sail through the Surigao Strait, and later attacked Iwo Jima and Okinawa. At the end of the Pacific War she entered Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender and became part of Operation Magic Carpet, making three runs to Hawaii to transport veterans home. She was deactivated on 9 January 1947 and laid up at Bremerton, Washington, until sold for scrap on 24 August 1959.

West Virginia was 624 feet (190 m) long overall, had a beam of 97.3 ft (29.7 m) (114 ft (35 m) after her rebuild) and a draft of 30.5 ft (9.3 m). She displaced 32,100 long tons (32,600 t) as designed, and up to 33,060 long tons (33,590 t) at full load. The ship was powered by a four-shaft turbo-electric drive rated at 28,900 shaft horsepower (21,600 kW) and eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers, generating a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph). She had a range of 8,000 nautical miles (9,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) and a crew of 1,407 officers and enlisted men when commissioned.[1]

She was armed with a main battery of eight 16-inch (406 mm)/45 caliber Mark 1 guns in four twin gun turrets on the centerline, two forward and two aft. The secondary battery consisted of sixteen 5-inch (127 mm)/51 caliber guns. The anti-aircraft defense consisted of four 3-inch (76 mm)/23 caliber guns, which were soon replaced with four 5-inch/25 caliber guns. The secondary battery of 5-inch/51 caliber guns and the anti-aircraft battery of 5-inch/25 caliber guns were replaced with 5-inch/38 caliber guns. Standard for capital ships of the period, she carried two 21-inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes in deck-mounted torpedo launchers which were removed in a later overhaul.[1] A CXAM-1 Radar was installed in 1940.[2]

West Virginia's main armored belt was 13.5 inches (343 mm) thick over the magazines and the machinery spaces, and 8 inches (203 mm) elsewhere. The main-battery gun turrets had 18-inch-thick (460 mm) faces, and the supporting barbettes had 13 inches (330 mm) of armor plating on their exposed sides. Armor 3.5 inches (89 mm) thick protected the decks, and the conning tower had 11.5-inch-thick (290 mm) sides.[1]

West Virginia's keel was laid down at Newport News, Virginia on 12 April 1920 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. She was launched on 19 November 1921 and commissioned on 1 December 1923. Her first captain was Thomas J. Senn, while her construction was sponsored by Alice Wright Mann, daughter of Isaac T. Mann, a noted West Virginian. [3][4]

As she was one of the newest American super-dreadnoughts, she incorporated the latest features in naval design. Several different features from American battleships planned before the Battle of Jutland included a watertight, compartmentalized hull and the thickness of her armor.[3]

After her trials, shakedown and post-commission repairs, she departed Newport News for New York harbor for work purposes. After a brief amount of work at the New York Navy Yard, she departed the harbor for Hampton Roads for repairs. Along the way, she experienced steering gear troubles. When her overhaul was completed, she departed Hampton on the morning of 16 June 1924.[5][6]

At 10:10 am, while she was sailing down the center of Lynnhaven Channel, the quartermaster reported that the rudder indicator and emergency bell to the steering engine room were unresponsive. Captain Senn quickly ordered all engines stopped, but the engine-room telegraph would not respond to messages; there was no power to the engine-room or steering telegraphs.[5][6]

Using the voice tube from the bridge to main control, Senn ordered full power on the port engine and stopped the starboard. The crew tried to steer the ship with her engines and keep her in the channel and, when this failed, to keep her away from the edge of the channel. Their efforts were fruitless; the ship lost headway due to engine failure, and she ran aground on the soft mud bottom. In its investigation of the grounding, the court of inquiry found that "inaccurate and misleading navigational data" had been supplied to the ship; the chart legend indicated greater channel width than actually existed, and Senn and the navigator were exonerated. After she was repaired, West Virginia became the battle-fleet flagship on 30 October 1924.[6][7] The ship won the American Defense Society's American Defense Cup and the Spokane Cup, presented by the city's Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her excellence in short-range firing, in addition to Battle Efficiency Pennants in 1925, 1927, 1932 and 1935.[6][8]

During this period she underwent a cycle of training, maintenance and readiness exercises, participating in engineering and gunnery competitions and the annual fleet problems. In the latter, the fleet would be divided into opposing sides; a strategic or tactical situation would be implemented, with the lessons learned becoming part of a doctrine later tested in combat. As part of Fleet Problem V in 1925, she participated in an "attack" on the Hawaiian Islands to test its coastal defenses. The year after, she participated with the Battle fleet in a voyage to Australia and New Zealand. In later exercises, she sailed from Hawaii to first the Caribbean and then the Atlantic. She also made a voyage from Alaska to Panama.[6][9] In Fleet Problem XI, she and the battleship Tennessee accidentally fired several rounds at the aircraft carrier Saratoga, mistaking her for Lexington.[10]

She received performance-enhancing modifications, including the replacement of her original 3-inch (76 mm)/23 caliber anti-aircraft battery with 5-inch (130 mm)/25 calibler guns in 1927–28; the addition of platforms for half-inch (12.7 mm) machine guns at the foremast and maintop, and the addition of catapults to her quarterdeck, aft and number-three (high) turret. West Virginia was one of 14 ships to receive early RCA CXAM-1 radar.[2] During the late 1930s it became evident that it was only a matter of time before the United States became involved in another large-scale war, and the fleet was dispatched to the Pacific in the spring of 1939 and stationed in Hawaii in 1940 after Fleet Problem XXI as a Japanese deterrent.[6][11]

During 1941 West Virginia carried out intensive training from Pearl Harbor as part of a number of task forces and groups around Hawaii, with an unusually tense period beginning in late November and continuing into December. Training was usually followed by in-port upkeep along southeastern Ford Island.[2][6][11]

On Sunday, 7 December 1941, West Virginia was moored outboard from Tennessee at berth F-6 with 40 ft (12 m) of water beneath her keel. Shortly before 8:00 am, Japanese planes from a six-carrier task force began an attack on Pearl Harbor. Seven Japanese Type 91 aerial torpedoes struck the port side of West Virginia. One hit the steering gear, dislodging the rudder. At least three struck below the armor belt, with one or more striking the belt itself (requiring the replacement of seven armor plates).[12] One or two torpedoes exploded on the armored second deck after entering the listing ship through holes made by previous torpedoes. One torpedo failed to detonate, and was recovered and disarmed by shipyard explosive technicians. The torpedo attack made two large holes, extending from frames 43 to 52 and 62 to 97.[13][14]

West Virginia was also damaged by two Type 99 No. 80 Mk 5 bombs made from 16 in (410 mm) armor-piercing naval shells fitted with aerial fins. The first was found, unexploded, in debris on the second deck after passing through the searchlight platform, signal bridge and main deck deck near frame 70. The second bomb penetrated the 4-inch (100 mm) roof of turret three and broke apart destroying one of the turret's two guns, but did not detonate. It destroyed the Vought OS2U Kingfisher floatplane on the turret catapult. The impact knocked a second floatplane upside down to the main deck below, spilling gasoline (which ignited) from its fuel tanks. Burning aircraft fuel injured turret personnel and damaged the remaining gun. West Virginia was eventually engulfed by an oil-fed conflagration, begun by the burning Arizona and sustained for 30 hours by fuel leaking from both ships.[15]

Port-side torpedo damage caused rapid compartment flooding; prompt counter-flooding by four damage-control parties under the command of Lt. Commander John S. Harper and early closure of all water-tight doors and hatches ordered by Harper's assistant, Archie P. Kelley, prevented the ship from capsizing. Water damage ruined much of the ship's communications gear, including its battle-phone batteries. An experimental sound-powered telephone circuit connecting the central station with the damage-control parties, tested during the previous summer's damage-control drills, remained operative but was unused. Captain Mervyn S. Bennion,[A] unaware that Harper and Kelly had begun damage-control efforts, ordered Lieutenant C. V. Ricketts to begin counter-flooding the starboard compartments. Ricketts, delayed at his battle station and AA-gun batteries, arrived to find 30 to 40 starboard compartments already flooded. In his report, Ricketts wrote that he witnessed the flooding of one compartment. He then ordered all remaining starboard compartments flooded and returned to the bridge to help move the captain, mortally wounded by shrapnel. Harper's report on the counter-flooding of "all available voids", as directed, indicated that Ricketts' assistance had been unnecessary.[17]

During the attack's first wave and the counter-flooding overseen by Harper, executive officer Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter abandoned ship by jumping off the starboard quarterdeck. Harper was then notified by an officer on the conning tower that the captain was dying, the executive officer had abandoned ship and Harper (as third in command) was now the commanding officer. After confirming that all starboard compartments were flooded, Harper went to the conning tower. Countermanding the captain's dying order for all hands to abandon ship, he ordered repair parties to fight fires fore and aft. Fire hoses from Tennessee were passed to West Virginia; crews fought fires near turret three and elsewhere on the ship until about 2:00 pm, when Harper ordered the remaining crew to abandon ship.[18]

With a patch over the damaged area of her hull the battleship was pumped out, refloated on 17 May 1942 and docked in Drydock Number One on 9 June. This enabled a more detailed damage assessment, indicating six (not five) torpedo hits.[19][20]

During repairs, workers found the bodies of 66 West Virginia sailors who were trapped below when the ship sank.[21][19] Several were lying atop steam pipes, in the only remaining air bubble of flooded areas. Three were found in a storeroom compartment, where they had survived for a time on emergency rations and fresh water from a battle station;[21] a calendar indicated that they were alive through 23 December.[22] Although the remaining crew and shipyard workers were confronted with a monumental task because of the damage to her port side, West Virginia sailed from Pearl Harbor on 7 May 1943 to Bremerton, Washington and a complete rebuild at the Puget Sound Navy Yard.[19]

The hyperboloid cage masts supporting the three-tier fire-control tops, the two funnels, the open-mount 5-inch (127 mm)/25 caliber guns and the casemates with the single-purpose 5-inch/51 caliber guns were replaced by a single funnel and dual-purpose 5-inch/38 caliber guns. On the decks, 40 mm Bofors and 20 mm Oerlikon batteries were added.[6][19] Although the two-ocean naval policy dictated a beam limit of 108 feet (33 m) for U.S. battleships to traverse the Panama Canal, when Tennessee, California and West Virginia were rebuilt their beams were widened to 114 feet (35 m) feet, effectively limiting their service to the Pacific theater.[6][19] After her rebuild her appearance differed from her sister ship, Maryland, while resembling that of Tennessee and California except for her twin-gun main battery turrets.[6][19]

By early July 1944, West Virginia had been fully modernized, she sailed to Port Townsend, Washington, finishing trials on 12 July. She returned to Puget Sound for final repairs, before heading for her post-modernization shakedown at San Pedro, California.[6][19]

She completed her shakedown and departed for Pearl Harbor on 14 September.[19] She was escorted by two destroyers and arrived there on 23 September. She then sailed for Manus Island, being joined by the fleet carrier Hancock. Twelve days later, when she arrived in Seeadler Harbor she became part of Battleship Division 4. Another two days later, she became the flagship of Battleship Division 4 after Admiral Theodore Ruddock moved his flag from Maryland to West Virginia.[6][23]

Participating in the invasion of the Philippines, West Virginia sailed as part of Task Group 77.2 (TG 77.2) under Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf. On 18 October the battle line entered Leyte Gulf, with West Virginia behind California. At 4:45 pm, California dislodged a naval mine with her paravane; West Virginia avoided it, and it was destroyed a few moments later by gunfire from a destroyer in the screen.[6][24][25]

The next day West Virginia steamed to her assigned station in San Pedro Bay at 7:00 am to stand by and bombard shore targets in Tacloban, Leyte's capital. Retiring to sea that evening, the battleship and her consorts returned the next morning to attack Japanese installations in the Tacloban area.[6][24] Her gunners fired 278 16-inch (410 mm) and 1,586 5-inch (130 mm) shells, silencing the Japanese artillery and supporting the underwater demolition teams (UDTs) preparing the beaches for the 20 October assault. During the assault, Japanese planes flew over the landing area; West Virginia fired at those within range, but did not down any.[6][26]

On 21 October, as she sailed to her support position for the landing troops, the battleship touched the seabottom and sustained slight damage to three of her four propellers. Vibration from the damaged blades limited sustained speeds to 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h), or 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) in emergencies. For the next two days, she continued providing anti-aircraft fire for the invasion troops. She was situated close to the beachhead during the day and retreating seaward at night.[6][27]

Part of the Japanese fleet, four carriers and two hybrid battleship-carriers (Ise and Hyūga), sailed toward the Philippine Sea. A small surface force under Admiral Kiyohide Shima headed for the Sulu Sea; two striking forces consisting of battleships, cruisers and destroyers left Lingga Roads, Sumatra, before separating north of Borneo. The larger group, commanded by Admiral Takeo Kurita, passed north of the island of Palawan to cross the Sibuyan Sea.[28]

The smaller force, under Admiral Shoji Nishimura, turned south of Palawan and crossed the Sulu Sea to pass between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. Shima's force followed Nishimura's, heading for Leyte Gulf as the southern jaw of a pincer against the amphibious ships and transports unloading off the Leyte beachhead. When Nishimura advanced down the Surigao Strait, American PT boats sortied against his fleet.[28]

West Virginia, meanwhile, was leading a battle line of Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, and Pennsylvania. Since 12:21 am on 25 October, the battleship had received reports on the PT-boat and destroyer attacks; at 3:16 am, West Virginia's radar picked up Nishimura's force at a range of 42,000 yd (38,000 m) and reached a firing solution at 30,000 yd (27,000 m). After tracking the force, at 3:52 am West Virginia fired her eight 16-inch (406 mm) main-battery guns at a range of 22,800 yd (20,800 m) and struck the leading Japanese battleship with her first salvo. Five of her first six salvos struck Nishimura's ships; she fired a total of 16 salvos as Oldendorf crossed the T of the Japanese fleet, effectively destroying it. At 4:13 am, she ceased fire as the Japanese remnants fled back down the strait. Several burning Japanese ships blocked the strait, with West Virginia contributing to Yamashiro's sinking. On 29 October, she left the Philippines for Ulithi with Tennessee and Maryland. After Admiral Ruddock moved his flag from West Virginia back to Maryland, she headed for Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides for repairs.[28][29][30]

West Virginia returned to the Philippines on 26 November, resuming her patrols in Leyte Gulf as part of the antiaircraft screen for transports and amphibious ships. At 11:39 am on 27 November her antiaircraft guns shot down a kamikaze, and she assisted in downing others the next day.[6][31]

Rear Admiral Ruddock returned on 30 November and continued her operations off Leyte until 2 December, when the battleship headed for Palau. Flagship of a new task force, she proceeded toward the Sulu Sea to cover the landings on Mindoro.[32] Entering Leyte Gulf late in the evening of 12 December, she entered the Surigao Strait the next day and steamed into the Sulu Sea with a carrier force to provide cover for the transports. The battleship covered the retirement of the transports on 16 December, refueling in Leyte Gulf before returning to Kossol Roads (where she spent Christmas) at midday on 19 December.[6][31]

After Christmas, West Virginia returned to the Philippines. On 1 January, Rear Admiral Ingram C. Sowell relieved Ruddock as commander of the battleship division and she sailed for Leyte Gulf as part of TG 77.2. Entering the gulf in the predawn hours of 3 January, West Virginia proceeded into the Sulu Sea. Japanese air opposition, which intensified since the early Philippine campaign, was deadlier. A kamikaze crashed into the escort carrier Ommaney Bay at 5:12 pm on 4 January; her crew abandoned ship because of multiple fires, and were picked up by other ships in the screen. The destroyer Burns scuttled the sinking escort carrier with several torpedoes.[6][31]

Taking Ommaney Bay survivors from the destroyer Twiggs, West Virginia entered the South China Sea the next morning and defended the carriers from Japanese air attacks. The battleship moved inshore (with the carriers outside) to bombard San Fernando Point, hitting Japanese shore installations with her 16-inch (410 mm) guns. Kamikazes kept up their attacks despite heavy anti-aircraft fire and U.S. fighter planes, damaging HMAS Australia and the battleships California and New Mexico on 5 December.[6][33]

West Virginia took another group of survivors on board: the crew of the high-speed minesweeper Hovey, sunk by a Japanese torpedo on 6 January. Her 16-inch (410 mm) guns again bombarded Japanese shore positions at San Fabian on 8–9 January, as troops landed on 9 January. On the night of 9 January, the battleship finally transferred her passengers.[6][33]

After providing fire support all day on 10 January, West Virginia patrolled off Lingayen Gulf for the next week before replenishing her ammunition. During her shore-bombardment tours off San Fabian, she covered Underwater Demolition Team operations, destroyed mortar positions, entrenchments and gun emplacements and leveled San Fabian, destroying ammunition dumps, railway and road junctions, machine-gun positions and warehouses. During that time, the ship fired 395 16-inch (410 mm) shells and over 2,800 5-inch (130 mm) projectiles. Underway again at 7:07 am on 21 January, West Virginia began fire-support duties at 8:15 in readiness for cooperation with United States Army units ashore in the vicinity of Rosario and Santo Tomas. After several more days of readiness for fire support, West Virginia anchored in Lingayen Gulf on 1 February.[6][33]

As part of TG 77.2, West Virginia protected shipping at the Lingayen beachheads and was ready to provide army fire support. She left Lingayen Gulf, her duty completed there, on 10 February for Leyte Gulf. Before her departure she received 79 bags of United States mail, the first she received since Christmas Eve.[6][33]

After a stop at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, West Virginia arrived at Ulithi on 16 February for duty with the Fifth Fleet. The battleship quickly provisioned and refueled for another operation, loading about 300 tons (270 tonnes) of stores by 4:00 am on 17 February. At 7:30, she left for Iwo Jima with the destroyers Izard and McCall.[6][33]

West Virginia's crew sighted the island of Iwo Jima at a range of 82 miles (132Â km) on the morning of 19 February. When the distance closed, she could see the first landings on the island, with ships surrounding the island, shelling the island from all sides. Later on the morning, she received orders from a dispatch boat and within a half-hour she reached her post.[6][33]

By midday, she began bombarding the island with 16-inch rounds. Her 16-inch shells caused collapsed caves and destroyed artillery batteries, tanks, vehicles, anti-aircraft emplacements, and blockhouses. One salvo struck an ammunition storage area, with its explosions lasting about two hours. Leaving on 20 February for ammunition. On the next day, she returned and continued her duties. That day the United States Marine Corps took Mount Suribachi, a prominent landmark on one end of the island. From their position offshore, West Virginia's crew could see the flag flying from the top.[6][33]

For the rest of the month, she continued her fire support and anti-aircraft cover for the troops ashore. Japanese positions were heavily bombarded by the fleet with most structures and troop concentrations being destroyed. On 27 February, during her daily fire support duties, her crew spotted a coastal artillery battery firing at the destroyer Bryant. She approached towards shore and opened fire with her 5-inch (130 mm)/38 guns at a range of 600 yd (550 m), destroying the gun battery.[6][34]

The next day, she departed for ammunition. By the afternoon, she was back in action. Over the following days, she continued her fire support duties, destroying outposts and pillboxes with her secondary battery firing air bursts, mainly off the northeastern shore. On 4 March, she departed the island for the Caroline Islands, reaching Ulithi two days later.[6][34]

Joining TF 64 for the Battle of Okinawa, West Virginia departed on 21 March and reached her objective four days later. She spent the following days softening up Okinawa for the American landings, scheduled to begin on 1 April. In her first salvos of the operation, West Virginia shot 28 rounds of 16-inch (410 mm) gunfire against the Japanese batteries. Over the next few days kamikaze attacked the islands, and naval mines started to have an effect; one sank the minesweeper Skylark, 3,000 yd (2,700 m) off West Virginia's bow, at 9:30 am on 28 March.[6][35][36]

After restocking ammunition at Kerema Retto, she bombarded Okinawa on 1 April in support of the troops advancing rapidly inland. That day a kamikaze flew over her port side before looping over and crash-diving into a superstructure deck, killing four men and wounding 23. The plane's bomb broke loose and penetrated to the second deck; it was confirmed a dud by technicians. Although portions of the ship were severely damaged, she reported the damage as "fixable" and carried on.[6][37]

In early April, the Japanese attempted to strike at the invasion fleet in a suicide mission with the super-battleship Yamato. On the night of 7â€“8 April West Virginia sailed in the waters west of Okinawa, ready to intercept and engage the Japanese surface force headed her way. The next morning, the task force commander reported that Yamato had been sunk by U.S. aircraft.[6][37]

After Yamato's sinking, West Virginia continued providing illumination and counter-battery fire with her main and secondary batteries; Zellars, Tennessee, Salt Lake City, Stanly and others were damaged or sunk by kamikaze. Her shelling support shifted from the Marines to the Army, continuing until 20 April. She then sailed to Ulithi, turning back after the battleship Colorado was damaged by a powder explosion at Kerema Retto. At the Hagushi beach, West Virginia provided cover fire for the XXIVth Army Corps and sailed to Ulithi with San Francisco and Hobson[6][37]

Returning to Okinawa after brief repairs, she supported the Army and Marines until the end of June. On 1 June, she sent a spotting plane to locate an enemy blockhouse; several shots missed, but the next day she had four hits and seven misses on the blockhouse.[6][37]

Off Okinawa's southeastern coast, she broke up Japanese troop concentrations, destroyed caves and disrupted Japanese road traffic. On 16 June, while she was supporting the 1st Marine Division, her spotter plane crashed in Japanese-held territory. When rescue attempts failed, she borrowed a Vought OS2U Kingfisher from Tennessee. At the end of June she passed San Pedro Bay, Leyte, reaching the Philippines on 1 July escorted by Connolly. On the morning of 5 July, she received her first replacement troops since 1944. After loading ammunition, she trained in the Philippines until the end of the month.[6][37]

Sailing on 3 August for Okinawa, West Virginia reached Buckner Bay on 6 August—the day Little Boy, the first atomic bomb, was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. At 9:15 pm on 10 August, West Virginia picked up a radio report that the Japanese government agreed to surrender under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration if its people could keep the Emperor of Japan as their ruler. Although the ships in the bay soon began celebrating, on 12 August Pennsylvania was torpedoed; West Virginia sent a whaleboat the next day with pumps for the damaged ship.[6][38]

West Virginia sailed for Tokyo Bay on 24 August as part of TG 35.90. Reaching the bay a week later, she was present for the formal surrender on 2 September 1945 and five musicians from her band were temporarily transferred to Missouri to play at the ceremonies.[6][38]

West Virginia remained in Tokyo Bay into September, and on 14 September she received 270 passengers for transport to the U.S. West Coast. She got underway at midnight on 20 September, bound for Okinawa as part of TG 30.4. Moving to Buckner Bay on 23 September, the battleship sailed for Pearl Harbor soon afterwards and reached her destination on 4 October. She was painted, and the only passengers remaining were bound for San Diego, California. Leaving for California on 9 October, West Virginia moored at the Navy Pier at San Diego at 1:28 pm on the 22nd. Two days later, Rear Admiral I. C. Sowell lowered his flag as Commander, Battleship Division 4.[38]

On Navy Day, 25,554 visitors boarded the ship. Three days later, on 30 October, she sailed for Hawaii as part of Operation Magic Carpet. After three runs between Pearl Harbor the West Coast, she reached San Pedro, California on 17 December and spent Christmas debarking her third load of passengers. She left San Pedro on 4 January 1946 for Bremerton, Washington, reaching her destination on the 12th and beginning inactivation. Four days later she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she was moored alongside her sister ship Colorado.[38]

Entering her final stages of inactivation in late February 1946, she was decommissioned on 9 January 1947 and became part of the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She remained inactive until she was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on 1 March 1959. On 24 August she was sold for scrapping to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation of New York City, then towed from Bremerton to the Vigor Shipyards and broken up.[38][39][40]

An anti-aircraft gun is at City Park in Parkersburg, West Virginia and the ship's wheel and binnacle are on display at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.[38] To honor the sailors who died, the flagstaff that was sunk at Pearl Harbor is in Clarksburg, West Virginia, displayed in front of the Harrison County Courthouse. The mainmast of the ship sits in front of Oglebay Hall at West Virginia University, while the secondary con wheel was sent to Salem International University, Salem, West Virginia, where it is on display at the school's library.[41]

In 2000, governor Cecil Underwood issued a proclamation on the 59th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack naming Interstate 470 in West Virginia the USS West Virginia Memorial Highway.[42]


when do cells in the kidneys secrete renin quizlet

Juxtaglomerular cells secrete renin in response to a drop in pressure detected by stretch receptors in the vascular walls, or when stimulated by macula densa cells. Macula densa cells are located in the distal convoluted tubule, and stimulate juxtaglomerular cells to release renin when they detect a drop in sodium concentration in tubular fluid. Together, juxtaglomerular cells, extraglomerular mesangial cells and macula densa cells comprise the juxtaglomerular complex.

Juxtaglomerular cell

The juxtaglomerular cells (JG cells, or granular cells) are cells in the kidney that synthesize, store, and secrete the enzyme renin. They are specialized smooth muscle cells mainly in the walls of the afferent arterioles, and some in the efferent arterioles, that deliver blood to the glomerulus. In synthesizing renin, they play a critical role in the renin-angiotensin system and thus in autoregulation of the kidney.

In appropriately stained tissue sections, juxtaglomerular cells are distinguished by their granulated cytoplasm.

The juxtaglomerular cell is a cell that is located near the glomerulus, hence its name.

Similar to cardiac tissue, juxtaglomerular cells harbor Î²1 adrenergic receptors. When stimulated by epinephrine or norepinephrine, these receptors induce the secretion of renin. These cells also respond directly to a decrease in systemic blood pressure which is manifested as a lower renal perfusion pressure.


who is the honduran ambassador to the us

The ambassador is Jorge RamÃ³n Hernandez Alcerro.[2]

Embassy of Honduras in Washington, D.C.

The Embassy of Honduras in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of Honduras to the United States. It is located at 3007 Tilden Street Northwest, Washington, D.C..

The embassy also operates Consulates-General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Phoenix and San Francisco.[1]


what is the penny farthing made out of

One particular model, made by Pope Manufacturing Company in 1886, weighs 36 lb (16 kg), has a 60-spoke 53-inch (1.35 m) front wheel and a 20-spoke 18-inch rear wheel. It is fitted with solid rubber tires. The rims, frame, fork, and handlebars are made from hollow, steel tubing. The steel axles are mounted in adjustable ball bearings. The leather saddle is suspended by springs.[27]

Penny-farthing

The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler and ordinary, was the first machine to be called a "bicycle".[1] It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds (owing to it travelling a large distance for every rotation of the legs) and comfort (the large wheel provides greater shock absorption). It became obsolete from the late 1880s with the development of modern bicycles, which provided similar speed amplification via chain-driven gear trains and comfort through pneumatic tyres, and were marketed in comparison to penny-farthings as "safety bicycles" due to the reduced danger of falling and the reduced height to fall from.[2]

The name came from the British penny and farthing coins, one much larger than the other, so that the side view resembles a penny leading a farthing.[3] Although the name "penny-farthing" is now the most common, it was probably not used until the machines were nearly outdated; the first recorded print reference is from 1891 in Bicycling News.[4] For most of their reign, they were simply known as "bicycles". In the late 1890s, the name "ordinary" began to be used, to distinguish them from the emerging safety bicycles;[5] this term and "hi-wheel" (and variants) are preferred by many modern enthusiasts.[6][7]

Following the popularity of the boneshaker, Eugène Meyer, a Frenchman, invented the high-wheeler bicycle design in 1869 and fashioned the wire-spoke tension wheel.[8] Around 1870 English inventor James Starley, described as the father of the bicycle industry, and others, began producing bicycles based on the French boneshaker but with front wheels of increasing size,[3] because larger front wheels, up to 1.5 m (60 in) in diameter, enabled higher speeds on bicycles limited to direct drive.[2][3][9][10][11] In 1878, Albert Pope began manufacturing the Columbia bicycle outside Boston, starting their two-decade heyday in America.[3]

Although the trend was short-lived, the penny-farthing became a symbol of the late Victorian era. Its popularity also coincided with the birth of cycling as a sport.[3]

EugÃ¨ne Meyer of Paris, France is now regarded as the father of the high bicycle[8] by the International Cycling History Conference in place of James Starley. Meyer patented a wire-spoke tension wheel with individually adjustable spokes in 1869.[3] They were called "spider" wheels in Britain when introduced there.[3] Meyer produced a classic high bicycle design during the 1880s.

James Starley in Coventry added the tangent spokes[3] and the mounting step to his famous bicycle named "Ariel". He is regarded as the father of the British cycling industry. Ball bearings, solid rubber tires and hollow-section steel frames became standard, reducing weight and making the ride much smoother.[3]

Penny-farthing bicycles are dangerous due to the risk of headers (taking a fall over the handlebars head-first).  Makers developed "moustache" handlebars, allowing the rider's knees to clear them,[12] "Whatton" handlebars that wrapped around behind the legs,[13]  and ultimately (though too late, after development of the safety bicycle), the American "Eagle" and "Star" bicycles, whose large and small wheels were reversed.[14][15] This prevented headers, but left the danger of being thrown backwards when riding uphill. Other attempts included moving the seat rearward and driving the wheel by levers or treadles, as in the "Xtraordinary" and "Facile",[16][17] or gears, by chain as in the "Kangaroo" or at the hub, as in the "Crypto";[14] another option was to move the seat well back, as in the "Rational".[14][18]

Even so, bicycling remained the province of the urban well-to-do, and mainly men, until the 1890s,[19] and was a salient example of conspicuous consumption.[20]

The penny-farthing used a larger wheel than the velocipede, thus giving higher speeds on all but the steepest hills.  In addition, the large wheel gave a smoother ride,[21] important before the invention of pneumatic tires.[22]

Although the high riding position seems daunting to some, mounting can be learned on a lower velocipede.  Once the technique is mastered, a high wheeler can be mounted and dismounted easily on flat ground and some hills.[citation needed]

An attribute of the penny-farthing is that the rider sits high and nearly over the front axle.  When the wheel strikes rocks and ruts, or under hard braking, the rider can be pitched forward off the bicycle head-first.  Headers were relatively common and a significant, sometimes fatal, hazard. Riders coasting down hills often took their feet off the pedals and put them over the tops of the handlebars, so they would be pitched off feet-first instead of head-first.

Penny-farthing bicycles often used similar materials and construction as earlier velocipedes: cast iron frames, solid rubber tires, and plain bearings for pedals, steering, and wheels.  They were often quite durable and required little service.  For example, when cyclist Thomas Stevens rode around the world in the 1880s, he reported only one significant mechanical problem in over 20,000Â km, caused when the local military confiscated his bicycle and damaged the front wheel.

The well-known dangers of the penny-farthing[23] were, for the time of its prominence, outweighed by its strengths.  While it was a difficult, dangerous machine, it was simpler, lighter, and faster than the safer velocipedes of the time.  Two new developments changed this situation, and led to the rise of the safety bicycle.  The first was the chain drive, originally used on tricycles, allowing a gear ratio to be chosen independent of the wheel size.  The second was the pneumatic bicycle tire, allowing smaller wheels to provide a smooth ride.

The nephew of one of the men responsible for popularity of the penny-farthing was largely responsible for its demise. James Starley had built the Ariel (spirit of the air)[24] high-wheeler in 1870; but this was a time of innovation, and when chain drives were upgraded so that each link had a small roller, higher and higher speeds became possible without the large wheel. In 1885, Starley's nephew John Kemp Starley took these new developments to launch the modern bicycle, the Rover safety bicycle, so-called because the rider, seated much lower and farther behind the front wheel contact point, was less prone to a header.[3][25]

In 1888, when John Dunlop re-invented the pneumatic tire for his son's tricycle, the high wheel was made obsolete. The comfortable ride once found only on tall wheels could now be enjoyed on smaller chain-driven bicycles. By 1893, high-wheelers were no longer being produced.[2] Use lingered into the 1920s in track cycling until racing safety bicycles were adequately designed.

Today, enthusiasts ride restored penny-farthings, and a few manufacturers build new ones.[26]

The penny-farthing is a direct-drive bicycle, meaning the cranks and pedals are fixed directly to the hub. Instead of using gears to multiply the revolutions of the pedals, the driven wheel is enlarged to be close to the rider's inseam, to increase the maximum speed. This shifts the rider nearly on top of the wheel and makes it impossible for the rider to reach the ground while sitting on the seat.[3]

The frame is a single tube following the circumference of the front wheel, then diverting to a trailing wheel. A mounting peg is above the rear wheel. The front wheel is in a rigid fork with little if any trail. A spoon brake is usually fitted on the fork crown, operated by a lever from one of the handlebars. The bars are usually mustache shaped, dropping from the level of the headset. The saddle mounts on the frame less than 50 cm (18 in) behind the headset.

Another model, made by Humber and Co., Ltd., of Beeston, Nottingham, England, weighs only 24 lb (11 kg), and has 52- and 18-inch wheels. It has no step and no brakes, in order to minimize weight.[28]

A third model, also made by Pope Manufacturing Company, weighs 49Â lb and has forged steel forks. A brake lever on the right, a straight handlebar operates a spoon brake against the front wheel.[29]

All three have cranks that can be adjusted for length.

Mounting requires skill. The rider must first grasp the handlebar and place one foot on a peg above the back wheel. Then the rider scoots the bicycle forward to gain momentum and quickly jumps up onto the seat while continuing to steer the bicycle and maintain balance.
[30]

Although easy to ride slowly because of their high center of mass and the inverted pendulum effect,[31][32] the penny-farthing is prone to accidents. To stop, the rider presses back on the pedals while applying a spoon-shaped brake pressing the tire. The center of mass being high and not far behind the front wheel means any sudden stop or collision with a pothole or other obstruction can send the rider over the handlebars.[33] On long downhills, some riders hooked their feet over the handlebars. This made for quick descents but left no chance of stopping.[3] A new type of handlebar was introduced, called Whatton bars, that looped behind the legs so that riders could still keep their feet on the pedals and also be able to leap forward feet-first off the machine.[13]

A rider stands on the mounting peg to lift his other leg to a pedal

The rider astride the bicycle

A second person can be carried on the mounting peg

The first recorded hour record was set in 1876 when Frank Dodds of England pedalled 15.8 miles (25.4 km) in an hour on a high wheeler around the Cambridge University ground.[34][35]

The furthest (paced) hour record ever achieved on a penny-farthing bicycle was 22.09 miles (35.55Â km) by William A. Rowe, an American, in 1886.[36].

Until the 21st century, the last paced hour record to be set on a penny-farthing was probably BW Attlee's 1891 English amateur record of 21.10 miles (33.96Â km).[37] This was beaten by Scots cyclist Mark Beaumont at Herne Hill velodrome on 16th June 2018 when he covered 21.92 miles.[38][39]

In 1884, Thomas Stevens rode a Columbia penny-farthing from San Francisco to Boston[3]—the first cyclist to cross the United States. In 1885–86, he continued from London through Europe, the Middle East, China, and Japan, to become the first to ride around the world.

Tremendous feats of balance were reported, including negotiating a narrow bridge parapet and riding down the U.S. Capitol steps with the small wheel in front.[40]

The bike, with the one wheel dominating, led to riders being referred to in America as "wheelmen", a name that lived on for nearly a century in the League of American Wheelmen until renamed the League of American Bicyclists in 1994.[41] Clubs of racing cyclists wore uniforms of peaked caps, tight jackets and knee-length breeches, with leather shoes, the caps and jackets displaying the club's colors. In 1967 collectors and restorers of penny-farthings (and other early bicycles) founded the Wheelmen,[42] a non-profit organization "dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling".

The high-wheeler lives on in the gear inch units used by cyclists in English-speaking countries to describe gear ratios.[43] These are calculated by multiplying the wheel diameter in inches by the number of teeth on the front chain-wheel and dividing by the teeth on the rear sprocket. The result is the equivalent diameter of a penny-farthing wheel. A 60-inch gear, the largest practicable size for a high-wheeler, is nowadays a middle gear of a utility bicycle, while top gears on many exceed 100Â inches. There was at least one 64-inch Columbia made in the mid-1880s,[44] but 60 was the largest in regular production.


who said the hits just keep on coming

And the Hits Just Keep on Comin' is an album by Michael Nesmith. Recorded for RCA Records, it was the fifth solo album after leaving The Monkees. The album was recorded and released in 1972; all ten tracks had been composed by Nesmith prior to and during his time as a member of The Monkees.

And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'

The album features Nesmith on vocals and acoustic guitar and long-time accompanist Red Rhodes on pedal steel guitar. Nesmith has stated that the title of the album is a reaction to the record label repeatedly asking him to write more hit songs and features Nesmith's own version of his tune "Different Drum", a hit for The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt in 1967.[2]

The version of "Different Drum" found here features four verses as opposed to the three in Linda Ronstadt's version; the verses in the Ronstadt version are the song's first, the second, the bridge, and then the fourth. "Different Drum" made an unofficial debut on The Monkees episode "Too Many Girls" when Mike, posing as a mic-frightened folk singer, butchers its lyrics while playing the guitar.

Nesmith and Rhodes recorded an instrumental, "Cantata & Fugue In C&W," for the album but it was left off.

Several songs (notably "Keep On") reflect a theme common to Nesmith's country-flavored tracks â€” the theme of never letting fear get the best of you. The liner notes to the album are signed "Papa Nes".

The album was re-released on the Pacific Arts label and also reissued with Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash by RCA/BMG International in 2000.[3]

All songs by Michael Nesmith.


who was griffin how did he become invisible

Griffin is a brilliant research scientist who discovers a formula for making a human being invisible. The formula entails taking opium and another drug, which makes his blood boil, then processing his body in a radiator engine. He succeeds, but he finds himself unable to reverse the process. Unlike the character in the 1933 film, the Griffin of the novel is possibly a psychopath, even before he makes himself invisible.

Griffin (The Invisible Man)

Dr. Griffin is a fictional character, also known as The Invisible Man, who appears as the titular protagonist in H. G. Wells' 1897 science fiction novella The Invisible Man. In the original novel, Griffin is a scientist whose research in optics and experiments into changing the human body's refractive index to that of air results in his becoming invisible. The character has become iconic, particularly in horror fiction, and versions and variations have appeared throughout various media.

Griffin is a gifted young university medical student with albinism, who studies optical density. He believes he is on the verge of a great scientific discovery, but feels uncomfortable working under his professor. To ensure he gets sole credit for the discovery, he leaves university and moves to a dingy apartment to continue his experiments alone.

To finance his experiments, Griffin robs his own father, which drives the father to commit suicide (since the money had not even been his own). Working reclusively in his flat, Griffin invents a formula to bend light and decrease the refractive index of physical objects, making them invisible. He intends from the start to perform the process on neighbours' cat and then on himself, but is forced to rush his experiments due to persistent intrusion from his landlord, who is suspicious of his activities. He processes himself to hide from his landlord, and sets fire to the building to cover his tracks. He winds up alone, wandering invisible and naked through the streets of London, struggling to survive out in the open, unseen by those around him.

To make himself visible again, Griffin steals some clothes from a dingy backstreet theatre shop, including a trench-coat and hat. He wraps his head in bandages to conceal his invisibility, covering his eyes with large dark goggles. He takes up residence in the Coach and Horses Inn in the village of Iping, so he can reverse his experiment in a quiet environment, but complications arise with locals unnerved by his appearance. As a result, his progress slows and he has insufficient money to satisfy the pub owners. To pay the bill, Griffin burgles the home of Reverend Bunting. The police pursue him, and in a fit of frustrated anger he reveals his invisibility by throwing off his clothes and escaping.

Now driven insane by his inability to reverse the experiment, Griffin seeks assistance from a tramp named Thomas Marvel. He has Marvel carry money for him, but Marvel runs away with the money. Griffin pursues him to the town of Port Burdock, where he runs into his old schoolmate Dr. Kemp. Still bitter and angry towards the rest of humanity, Griffin attempts to convince Kemp to be his visible partner and help him begin a "reign of terror". Kemp, rather than assisting the crazed Invisible Man, alerts Colonel Adye of the Port Burdock police. Furious, Griffin vows to kill Kemp, but is forced to flee. Kemp rallies the people of Port Burdock, who find and overcome Griffin when he attempts a one-man siege on Kemp's house. Griffin is surrounded and beaten to death by a mob of navvies. The invisibility wears off in death, and Griffin's corpse becomes visible again.

In the 1933 film The Invisible Man, Griffin's first name is Jack (the novel never reveals his first name). He was played by Claude Rains.

Jack Griffin works for Dr. Cranley, assisting him in food preservation experiments alongside his friend Dr. Arthur Kemp. Griffin is deeply in love with Cranley's daughter, Flora, and the two plan to marry, but Griffin is poor and thus afraid he has nothing to offer her. He begins experimenting with an obscure and dangerous drug called monocane, hoping his work will make him rich and famousâ€”and a worthwhile husband for Flora.

Griffin discovers a combination of monocane and other chemicals that makes a person invisible. Too excited by his discovery to think clearly, Griffin leaves Kemp and the Cranleys to complete the experiment in solitude. He injects himself with the formula over the course of a month, and becomes invisible. Only after he is invisible does he realize he doesn't know how to reverse the process.

Panicking, Griffin goes to the village of Iping and rents a room in the Lion's Head Inn, where he begins searching for a formula to reverse the invisibility. He makes himself appear visible by wrapping his head in bandages and wearing dark goggles.

Curious locals, maddening side-effects of monocane, and frustration from multiple failed tests drive Griffin insane. After he assaults Jenny Hall and severely injures her husband, Herbert, Griffin is confronted by the police, but sheds his clothing to be invisible and eludes them. He seeks help from Kemp, but the monocane has so affected his mind that he succumbs to megalomania and plans world domination with "invisible armies." He wants to make Kemp his visible partner and assistant.

Not even a visit from Flora and her father helps ease Griffin's increasing insanity. He vows to kill Kemp after his old friend alerts Inspector Lane to his whereabouts, and despite intensive police protection surrounding Kemp, Griffin eventually makes good on his threats. After killing Kemp by tying him up in his car and sending it over a cliff, he seeks refuge from the cold in a farmer's barn. The farmer summons police, who set fire to the barn. As Griffin flees the burning barn, the Chief of Detectives, who can see his footprints in the snow, shoots at him, the shot passing through both of his lungs.

Griffin dies from the gunshot wounds in the hospital. During this the effects of the monocane begin to wear off, and Griffin returns to sanity, apologizing for his crimes, saying, "I meddled in things man must leave alone." The invisibility also wears off in death, and Griffin's body becomes visible again.

The film portrays Griffin more sympathetically than the novel. The novel's Griffin is callous and cruel from the beginning, and only pursues the experiment for wealth and his ego. The movie shows Griffin as an honorable man who is misguided. His insanity is purely a side-effect of the invisibility drug, and his motivation for the experiment was a misguided desire to do good for science and mankind, born primarily out of his love for his fiancée.

For the reboot film, Johnny Depp will portray the Invisible Man part of Universal's Dark Universe, but it is yet not certain if the character will be Dr. Griffin or a very different character.[1][2]

The Invisible Man appears in Mad Monster Party? voiced by Allen Swift impersonating Sydney Greenstreet. This depiction of the Invisible Man is shown to wear a fez, some sunglasses, and a house robe. He is among the monsters invited by Baron Boris von Frankenstein to attend his meeting at his castle on the Isle of Evil in the Caribbean Sea.

The Invisible Man appears in Mad Mad Mad Monsters (a "prequel of sorts" of Mad Monster Party?) voiced again by Allen Swift. He, his invisible wife Nagatha, and the Invisible Boy are invited by Baron Henry von Frankenstein to attend the wedding of Frankenstein's Monster and the Monster's Mate at the Transylvania Astoria Hotel.

In Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's comic book series, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hawley Griffin is depicted as a member of the Victorian-era team of agents for which the series is named. Griffin is given the first name "Hawley" in the title (as a reference to Hawley Crippen), and it is explained that the Invisible Man killed at the end of the book was actually a half-wit albino that Griffin made invisible as a guinea pig, allowing him to escape to Rosa Coote's boarding school, where he rapes at least three women while posing as the Holy Spirit until he is captured by the rest of the League. He is portrayed as a power-hungry psychopath and murderer, as in the novel, at one point killing a random policeman solely for his uniform and nearly abandoning the rest of the team on Professor Moriarty's cavorite-powered airship. In the second volume, he assaults Mina Murray and betrays his teammates to the Martians, stealing military plans for them so he could rule the Earth with them, and telling them to disable Nemo's submarine by doing something to the water in the Thames, which is why the Red Weed is used. Moore commented that it seemed fitting for Griffin to join the Martians as both hailed from novels by H. G. Wells. He is eventually raped and killed by Mister Hyde, who was able to see him all along as his vision operates in the infrared spectrum, a fact that he had hidden from Griffin.

In the film version, the Invisible Man who joins the League is not Griffin (due to copyright issues), but Rodney Skinner (played by Tony Curran), a cheerful thief who stole the invisibility formula from the original Invisible Man (presumably Griffin). The fact that his skin is invisible is also related to his name of "Skinner". Skin samples of him are taken by Dorian Gray for Professor Moriarty, allowing him to duplicate the invisibility process, but Skinner himself remains loyal to the League, infiltrating Moriarty's base and working out how best to destroy it. During the raid on Moriarty's lair, Moriarty's own invisible man is shot by Allan Quatermain while threatening Tom Sawyer. At the film's conclusion, the plans are lost through a hole in the ice when Moriarty is shot, while Skinner decides to remain with the League, now consisting of Captain Nemo, Mina Harker, Henry Jekyll, and Tom Sawyer.

Kevin J. Anderson's later book The Martian War reuses the name Hawley Griffin for the Invisible Man.

Griffin makes a brief cameo in Kim Newman's Anno Dracula (1992). Present during the basement meeting between Beauregard and Doctor Fu Manchu, he is described as a scientist and as "an albino who seemed to fade into the background."

On The Invisible Man television series on Syfy, the character was a thief (played by Vincent Ventresca) whose brother was a scientist who worked on the development of the invisibility gland. His character's nom de guerre was Swiss German, Arnaud DeFÃ¶hn,played by Joel Bissonnette although he went by the Swiss French name Arnaud De Thiel as a cover, while working on the gland. In attempting to retrieve the gland, he later uses the pseudonym Hawley Griffin (a reference to the League of Extraordinary Gentleman and the original Invisible Man), pretending to be a CIA agent from the South.

In Jeff Lemire's The Nobody the Invisible Man is named "John Griffen". John Griffen goes through a similar episode as the Invisible Man's "Griffin" does. Both men hide out in an Inn in a small town, only to be driven out because of fear and curiosity.

In Genndy Tartakovsky's 2012 Sony Pictures Animation film Hotel Transylvania, Griffin the Invisible Man (voiced by David Spade) is one of the supporting character monsters who checks into Hotel Transylvania, and is among Count Dracula's (Adam Sandler) circle of friends. This version is completely invisible, and his glasses are the only thing that can be seen in the movie. Gags centering on him, rely on his invisibility. During a pool party scene, Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi) pulls Griffin's swim trunks down causing him embarrassment even though he is invisible. In another scene in the sauna when Dracula makes a disparaging remark about people with red curly hair, Griffin takes offense to this, saying that he has red curly hair. Other jokes include Wayne and Wanda's werewolf pups attacking him whenever he holds bacon, and doing really badly at charades.

David Spade reprised his role as Griffin the Invisible Man in the 2015 Sony Pictures Animation sequel to Hotel Transylvania, Hotel Transylvania 2. He unsuccessfully tries to make his friends think he has an invisible girlfriend (and ironically finds one in the end).