Friday 21 November 2014

Sachin Tendulkar Biography - Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar is is considered one of the greatest batsmen, and most admired cricketer, of all time.


Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born April 24, 1973, in Bombay, India. Given his first cricket bat at the age 11.
 Tendulkar was just 16 when he became India's youngest Test cricketer. In 2005 he became the first cricketer to score 35 centuries (100 runs in a single inning) in Test play. In 2007 Tendulkar reached another major milestone, becoming the first player to record 15,000 runs in one-day international play. Considered by many to be the greatest cricket player of all time, Sendulkar took home the World Cup with his team in 2011 and retired from the sport two years later.

Early Years

Largely considered cricket's greatest batsman, Sachin Tendulkar was born April 24, 1973, in Bombay, India, to a middle-class family, the youngest of four children. His father was a professor while his mother worked for a life insurance company.
Named after his family's favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman, Tendulkar wasn't a particularly gifted student, but he'd always shown himself to be a standout athlete. He was 11 years old when he was given his first cricket bat, and his talent in the sport was immediately apparent. At the age of 14, he scored 329 out of a world-record stand of 664 in a school match. As his accomplishments grew, he became a sort of cult figure among Bombay schoolboys.
After high school, Tendulkar enrolled at Kirti College, where his father also taught. The fact that he decided to go to the school where his father worked came as no surprise. Tendulkar's family is very close, and years after he'd achieved stardom and cricket fame, he continued to live next door to his parents.

Professional Play

Tendulkar made his debut in international competition at 16 with a match against Pakistan in Karachi. He wasted little time matching the expectations surrounding his arrival on the professional field. At the age of 18 he scored a pair of centuries in Australia, then in 1994 he racked up a score of 179 in a match against the West Indies.
Tendulkar was just 23 when he was named captain of his country's team for the 1996 World Cup. While the tournament proved to be a disappointment for his club, Tendulkar did nothing to diminish his own standing as one of the world's dominant players, as he finished out the World Cup as the event's top scorer.
In India, Tendulkar's star shined even brighter. In a country reeling from troubled economic times, the young cricketer was seen as a symbol of hope by his countrymen that better times lay ahead. One national newsweekly went so far as to devote an entire issue to the young cricketer, dubbing him "The Last Hero" for his home country. His style of play—aggressive and inventive—resonated with the sport's fans, as did Tendulkar's unassuming off-the-field living. Even with his increasing wealth, Tendulkar showed humility and refused to flaunt his money.
Tendulkar's dominance of his sport continued even as he moved into his 30s. He scored his record-breaking 35th century in Test play in December 2005 in a match against Sri Lanka, and in June 2007 he set another mark when he became the first player to record 15,000 runs in one-day international play. In January 2010 he again moved into the record books when became the first batsman to score 13,000 runs in Test play. Just one month later, he registered another first, a "double century" in a match against South Africa. That same year he was named the 2010 International Cricket Council Cricketer of the Year.
In April 2011 Tendulkar chalked up another milestone when he led India to a World Cup victory, the first in his long career. During the tournament, the batsman again showed why he's one of the sport's greatest athletes by becoming the first batsman to score 2,000 runs and six centuries in World Cup play.

Post-Cricket Career

On June 4, 2012, Tendulkar was sworn in as Rajya Sabha member at the Parliament House in New Delhi. The following year, he retired from cricket activities across the board and began accumulation post-retirement accolades, notably becoming the first sportsperson and youngest person to be conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, in November 2013.


National honours

Other honours

Friday 14 November 2014

List Of Games For PC Without Graphic Card



ADVENT RISING
AGE OF WONDERS
AGE OF WONDERS 2: THE WIZARD'S THRONE
AGE OF WONDERS: SHADOW MAGIC
ALIEN BREED + TOWER ASSAULT
ALIEN NATIONS
ALIEN SHOOTER + EXPANSIONS
ALIEN SHOOTER 2: RELOADED
ALONE IN THE DARK 1+2+3
ALONE IN THE DARK: THE NEW NIGHTMARE
AMERZONE - THE EXPLORER'S LEGACY
ANOTHER WORLD: 15TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
APACHE VS. HAVOC
AQUANOX
AQUANOX 2: REVELATION
ARCANUM: OF STEAMWORKS AND MAGICK OBSCURA
ARMA GOLD EDITION
ARMA: COLD WAR ASSAULT
ARX FATALIS
ASSASSIN'S CREED DIRECTOR'S CUT
ATLANTIS 2: BEYOND ATLANTIS
ATLANTIS 3: THE NEW WORLD
ATLANTIS: THE LOST TALES


B-17 FLYING FORTRESS: THE MIGHTY 8TH
BALDUR'S GATE 2 COMPLETE
BALDUR'S GATE: THE ORIGINAL SAGA
BATTLE CHESS SPECIAL EDITION
BATTLE ISLE PLATINUM
BATTLE ISLE: THE ANDOSIA WAR
BENEATH A STEEL SKY
BETRAYAL AT KRONDOR PACK
BEYOND DIVINITY
BEYOND GOOD AND EVILT
BLAKE STONE: ALIENS OF GOLD
BLAKE STONE: PLANET STRIKE
BLOOD (ONE UNIT WHOLE BLOOD)
BLOOD 2: THE CHOSEN + EXPANSION
BLOODRAYNE
BLOODRAYNE 2
BOTANICULA
BROKEN SWORD 2: REMASTERED + THE ORIGINAL GAME
BROKEN SWORD 3: THE SLEEPING DRAGON
BROKEN SWORD 4: THE ANGEL OF DEATH ( SECRETS OF THE ARK )
BROKEN SWORD: DIRECTOR'S CUT + THE ORIGINAL GAME

CAESAR 3
CALL TO POWER 2
CANNON FODDER
CAPITALISM 2
CAPITALISM PLUS
CASTLES + CASTLES 2
CELTIC KINGS: RAGE OF WAR
CHASER
CHESSMASTER 9000
COMANCHE VS. HOKUM
COMBAT CHESS
COMBAT MISSION: BEYOND OVERLORD
COMMANDOS 2+3
COMMANDOS AMMO PACK
CONFLICT: DESERT STORM
CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD
CONSTRUCTOR
CREATURES EXODUS
CREATURES VILLAGE
CREATURES: THE ALBIAN YEARS
CRUSADER: NO REGRET
CRUSADER: NO REMORSE
CRUSADERS OF MIGHT AND MAGIC

DARK FALL 2: LIGHTS OUT
DARK FALL: THE JOURNAL
DARK REIGN + EXPANSION
DARK REIGN 2
DARKLANDS
DARKSTAR ONE
DARKSTONE
DESCENT + DESCENT 2
DESCENT 3 + EXPANSION
DESPERADOS 2: COOPER'S REVENGE
DESPERADOS: WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE
DEUS EXT GOTY EDITION
DIE BY THE SWORD + EXPANSION
DISCIPLES 2 GOLD
DISCIPLES: SACRED LANDS GOLD
DIVINE DIVINITY
DRAGONSPHERE
DREAM PINBALL 3D
DRIVERr: PARALLEL LINES
DUKE NUKEM 3D: ATOMIC EDITION
DUKE NUKEM: MANHATTAN PROJECT
DUNGEON KEEPER
DUNGEON KEEPER 2
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: DRAGONSHARD

EARTH 2140 TRILOGY
EARTH 2150 TRILOGY
EARTH 2160
EARTHWORM JIM 1 + 2
EARTHWORM JIM 3D
EMPIRE EARTH 2 GOLD EDITION
EMPIRE EARTH 3
EMPIRE EARTH: GOLD EDITION
ENCLAVE
EVIL GENIUS
EVOLVA
EXPENDABLE

F/A-18E SUPER HORNET
FAHRENHEIT ( INDIGO PROPHECY )
FALLOUT
FALLOUT 2
FALLOUT TACTICS
FANTASY WARS
FAR CRY
FEEBLE FILES, THE
FLATOUT
FORGOTTEN REALMS: DEMON STONE
FREEDOM FORCE VS. THE 3RD REICH
FREESPACE + EXPANSION
FREESPACE 2

GABRIEL KNIGHT 2: THE BEAST WITHIN
GABRIEL KNIGHT 3: BLOOD OF THE SACRED, BLOOD OF THE DAMNED
GABRIEL KNIGHT: SINS OF THE FATHERS
GANGLAND
GHOST MASTER
GIANTS: CITIZEN KABUTO
GOBLIIINS PACK
GORKY 17
GOTHIC
GOTHIC 2 GOLD EDITION
GOTHIC 3
GOTHIC 3: FORSAKEN GODS ENHANCED EDITION
GROUND CONTROL + EXPANSION
GROUND CONTROL 2: OPERATION EXODUS SE
GUILD GOLD EDITION, THE
GUILTY GEAR X2 #RELOAD

HAEGEMONIA GOLD EDITION
HERITAGE OF KINGS: THE SETTLERS
HEROES CHRONICLES: ALL CHAPTERS
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 2: GOLD EDITION
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 3: COMPLETE EDITION
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 4: COMPLETE
HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC 5 BUNDLE
HITMAN: CODENAME 47

I.G.I. 2: COVERT STRIKE
ICEWIND DALE 2 COMPLETE
ICEWIND DALE COMPLETE
IL-2 STURMOVIKT: 1946
IMPERIAL GLORY
IN COLD BLOOD
INCOMING + INCOMING FORCES
INCREDIBLE MACHINE MEGA PACK, THE
INDEPENDENCE WAR 2: EDGE OF CHAOS
INDEPENDENCE WAR DELUXE
INTERSTATE '76 ARSENAL, THE
INVICTUS: IN THE SHADOW OF OLYMPUS
IRON STORM
ISHAR COMPILATION

JACK ORLANDO: A CINEMATIC ADVENTURE (DC)
JAGGED ALLIANCE
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2: UNFINISHED BUSINESS
JAGGED ALLIANCE 2: WILDFIRE
JAGGED ALLIANCE: DEADLY GAMES
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
JOURNEYMAN PROJECT 2, THE
JUDGE DREDD: DREDD VS DEATH

KING'S BOUNTY: THE LEGEND
KING'S QUEST 1+2+3
KING'S QUEST 4+5+6
KING'S QUEST 7+8
KINGDOM: THE FAR REACHES
KINGPIN: LIFE OF CRIME
KNIGHTS AND MERCHANTS: THE PEASANTS REBELLION

LANDS OF LORET 1+2
LAST EXPRESS, THE
LEGACY OF KAIN : SOUL REAVER
LEGEND OF GRIMROCK
LIONHEART: LEGACY OF THE CRUSADER
LITIL DIVIL
LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE (RELENTLESS: TWINSEN'S ADVENTURE)
LITTLE BIG ADVENTURE 2 (TWINSEN'S ODYSSEY)
LOCOMOTION, CHRIS SAWYER'S
LONGEST JOURNEY, THE
LORDS OF MAGIC: SPECIAL EDITION
LORDS OF THE REALM 3
LORDS OF THE REALM: ROYAL EDITION
LURE OF THE TEMPTRESS

M.A.X. + M.A.X. 2
MACHINARIUM C.E
MAGIC CARPET
MANHOLE: MASTERPIECE EDITION, THE
MASTER OF MAGIC
MASTER OF ORION 1+2
MASTER OF ORION 3
MDK
MDK 2
MEGARACE 1+2
MEGARACE 3
MESSIAH
MIGHT AND MAGIC 6-PACK: LIMITED EDITION
MIGHT AND MAGIC 7: FOR BLOOD AND HONOR
MIGHT AND MAGIC 8: DAY OF THE DESTROYER
MIGHT AND MAGIC 9
MOB RULE
MOBILE FORCES
MOTO RACER
MOTO RACER 2
MOTO RACER 3
MYST: MASTERPIECE EDITION

NATIONS GOLD EDITION, THE
NEIGHBOURS FROM HELL COMPILATION
NEVERWINTER NIGHTS: DIAMOND EDITION
NORMALITY
NOX

ODDWORLD: ABE'S EXODDUS
ODDWORLD: ABE'S ODDYSEE
ODDWORLD: STRANGER'S WRATH
ORIGINAL WAR
OUTCAST

PAINKILLER BLACK EDITION
PANZER ELITE SPECIAL EDITION
PANZER GENERAL 2
PANZER GENERAL 3D ASSAULT
PATRICIAN 1+2
PATRICIAN 3
PERIMETER
PERSONAL NIGHTMARE
PHANTASMAGORIA
PHANTASMAGORIA 2
PINBALL GOLD PACK
PLANESCAPE: TORMENT
POD GOLD
POLICE QUEST 1+2+3+4
POLICE QUEST: SWAT 1+2
POPULOUS
POPULOUS THE BEGINNING
POPULOUS 2: TRIALS OF THE OLYMPIAN GODS
PORT ROYALE
PORT ROYALE 2
POSTAL 2 COMPLETE
POSTAL: CLASSIC AND UNCUT
PRAETORIANS
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME
PRO PINBALL BIG RACE USA
PRO PINBALL FANTASTIC JOURNEY
PRO PINBALL TIMESHOCK
PSYCHONAUTS
PURE PINBALL 2 REDUX

RAPTOR: CALL OF THE SHADOWS 2010 EDITION
RAYMAN 2: THE GREAT ESCAPE
RAYMAN 3: HOODLUM HAVOC
RAYMANr FOREVER
REAL MYST
REALMS OF ARKANIA 1+2
REALMS OF ARKANIA 3
REALMS OF THE HAUNTING
RED BARON PACK
REDNECK RAMPAGE COLLECTION
REOPUBLIC THE REVOLUTION
RESTAURANT EMPIRE
RETURN TO KRONDOR
RETURN TO ZORK
RISE OF THE TRIAD: DARK WAR
RIVEN: THE SEQUEL TO MYST
ROBINSON'S REQUIEM COLLECTION
ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON 2: TRIPLE THRILL PACK
ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON: DELUXE
RUNAWAY: A ROAD ADVENTURE

SACRED GOLD
SACRIFICE
SANITARIUM
SCRATCHES DIRECTOR'S CUT
SCREAMER
SECOND SIGHT
SENSIBLE SOCCER 2006
SEPTERRA CORE: LEGACY OF THE CREATOR
SERIOUS SAM: THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
SERIOUS SAM: THE SECOND ENCOUNTER
SETTLERSr 2: GOLD EDITION, THE
SEVEN KINGDOMS 2
SEVEN KINGDOMS: ANCIENT ADVERSARIES
SHADOWGROUNDS
SHATTERED STEEL
SHERLOCK HOLMES: SECRET OF THE SILVER EARRING
SHOGO: MOBILE ARMOR DIVISION
SID MEIER'S ALPHA CENTAURI
SILENT HUNTER 2
SIMCITY 2000T SPECIAL EDITION
SIMON THE SORCERER
SIMON THE SORCERER 2
SIMON THE SORCERER 3D
SLIPSTREAM 5000
SNIPER ELITE: BERLIN 1945
SOLDIERS: HEROES OF WORLD WAR II
SPACE QUEST 1+2+3
SPACE QUEST 4+5+6
SPACE RANGERS
SPACE RANGERS 2: DOMINATORS
SPEED BUSTERS: AMERICAN HIGHWAYS
SPELLFORCE 2: DRAGON STORM
SPELLFORCE 2: SHADOW WARS
SPELLFORCE PLATINUM
STAR CONTROL 1+2
STAR CONTROL 3
STAR WOLVES
STARFLIGHT 1+2
STILL LIFE
STONEKEEP
STRATEGIC COMMAND: EUROPEAN THEATER
STRONGHOLD
STRONGHOLD CRUSADER
SUPERFROG
SWAT 3: TACTICAL GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION
SYBERIA
SYBERIA 2
SYNDICATE

TEENAGENT
TEMPLE OF ELEMENTAL EVIL, THE
TEX MURPHY 1+2
TEX MURPHY: OVERSEER
TEX MURPHY: THE PANDORA DIRECTIVE
TEX MURPHY: UNDER A KILLING MOON
THIEF 2: THE METAL AGE
THIEF GOLD
THE WHISPERED WORLD
THEME HOSPITAL
TIME COMMANDO
TOM CLANCY'S GHOST RECONr
TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIXr
TOTAL ANNIHILATION: COMMANDER PACK
TOTAL ANNIHILATION: KINGDOMS + EXPANSION
TROPICO RELOADED
TWO WORLDS
TRINE
TYRIAN 2000

UFO: AFTERLIGHT
UFO: AFTERMATH
UFO: AFTERSHOCK
ULTIMA UNDERWORLD 1+2
ULTIMA 1+2+3
ULTIMA 4: QUEST OF THE AVATAR
ULTIMA 4+5+6
ULTIMA 7 THE COMPLETE EDITION
ULTIMA 8 G.E
UNREAL 2: THE AWAKENING SE
UNREAL GOLD
UNREAL TOURNAMENT 2004 ECE
UNREAL TOURNAMENT GOTY
URU: COMPLETE CHRONICLES

VAMPIRE THE MASQUERADE - REDEMPTION
VR SOCCER '96

WARLORDS BATTLECRY 3
WAXWORKS
WING COMMANDER : PRIVATEER
WING COMMANDER 1+2
WING COMMANDER 3 HEART OF THE TIGER
WING COMMANDER 4
WITCHER 2: ASSASSINS OF KINGS, THE
WITCHER: ENHANCED EDITION, THE
WORLD RALLY FEVER: BORN ON THE ROAD
WORMS UNITED

XIII

ZORK ANTHOLOGY, THE
ZORK NEMESIS: THE FORBIDDEN LANDS
ZORK: GRAND INQUISITOR

Thursday 25 September 2014

Bermuda Triangle Mystery

  • Located in the Atlantic Ocean, the Bermuda Triangle falls between Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Florida.

  • The Bermuda Triangle has long been believed to be the site where a number of mysterious plane and boat incidents have occurred.

  • While it has become part of popular culture to link the Bermuda Triangle to paranormal activity, most investigations indicate bad weather and human error are the more likely culprits.

  • Research has suggested that many original reports of strange incidents in the Bermuda Triangle were exaggerated and that the actual number of incidents in the area is similar to that of other parts of the ocean.

  • While its reputation may scare some people, the Bermuda Triangle is actually part of a regularly sailed shipping lane with cruise ships and other boats also frequently sailing through the area.

  • Aircraft are also common in the Bermuda Triangle with both private and commercial planes commonly flying through the air space.

  • Stories of unexplained disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle started to reach public awareness around 1950 and have been consistently reported since then.

  • Unverified supernatural explanations for Bermuda Triangle incidents have included references to UFO’s and even the mythical lost continent of Atlantis.

  • Other explanations have included magnetic anomalies, pirates, deliberate sinkings, hurricanes, gas deposits, rough weather, huge waves and human error.

  • Some famous reported incidents involving the Bermuda Triangle include:

  • The USS Cyclops and its crew of 309 that went missing after leaving Barbados in 1918.

  • The TBM Avenger bombers that went missing in 1945 during a training flight over the Atlantic.

  • A Douglas DC-3 aircraft containing 32 people that went missing in 1958, no trace of the aircraft was ever found.

  • A yacht was found in 1955 that had survived three hurricanes but was missing all its crew.

Albert Einstein - The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921

Albert Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Six weeks later the family moved to Munich, where he later on began his schooling at the Luitpold Gymnasium. Later, they moved to Italy and Albert continued his education at Aarau, Switzerland and in 1896 he entered the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich to be trained as a teacher in physics and mathematics. In 1901, the year he gained his diploma, he acquired Swiss citizenship and, as he was unable to find a teaching post, he accepted a position as technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office. In 1905 he obtained his doctor's degree.

During his stay at the Patent Office, and in his spare time, he produced much of his remarkable work and in 1908 he was appointed Privatdozent in Berne. In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, returning to Zurich in the following year to fill a similar post. In 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945.

After World War II, Einstein was a leading figure in the World Government Movement, he was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which he declined, and he collaborated with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Einstein always appeared to have a clear view of the problems of physics and the determination to solve them. He had a strategy of his own and was able to visualize the main stages on the way to his goal. He regarded his major achievements as mere stepping-stones for the next advance.

At the start of his scientific work, Einstein realized the inadequacies of Newtonian mechanics and his special theory of relativity stemmed from an attempt to reconcile the laws of mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. He dealt with classical problems of statistical mechanics and problems in which they were merged with quantum theory: this led to an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules. He investigated the thermal properties of light with a low radiation density and his observations laid the foundation of the photon theory of light.

In his early days in Berlin, Einstein postulated that the correct interpretation of the special theory of relativity must also furnish a theory of gravitation and in 1916 he published his paper on the general theory of relativity. During this time he also contributed to the problems of the theory of radiation and statistical mechanics.

In the 1920's, Einstein embarked on the construction of unified field theories, although he continued to work on the probabilistic interpretation of quantum theory, and he persevered with this work in America. He contributed to statistical mechanics by his development of the quantum theory of a monatomic gas and he has also accomplished valuable work in connection with atomic transition probabilities and relativistic cosmology.

After his retirement he continued to work towards the unification of the basic concepts of physics, taking the opposite approach, geometrisation, to the majority of physicists.

Einstein's researches are, of course, well chronicled and his more important works include Special Theory of Relativity (1905), Relativity (English translations, 1920 and 1950), General Theory of Relativity (1916), Investigations on Theory of Brownian Movement (1926), and The Evolution of Physics (1938). Among his non-scientific works, About Zionism (1930), Why War? (1933), My Philosophy (1934), and Out of My Later Years (1950) are perhaps the most important.

Albert Einstein received honorary doctorate degrees in science, medicine and philosophy from many European and American universities. During the 1920's he lectured in Europe, America and the Far East, and he was awarded Fellowships or Memberships of all the leading scientific academies throughout the world. He gained numerous awards in recognition of his work, including the Copley Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1925, and the Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute in 1935.

Einstein's gifts inevitably resulted in his dwelling much in intellectual solitude and, for relaxation, music played an important part in his life. He married Mileva Maric in 1903 and they had a daughter and two sons; their marriage was dissolved in 1919 and in the same year he married his cousin, Elsa Löwenthal, who died in 1936. He died on April 18, 1955 at Princeton, New Jersey.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Bruce Lee


Full Name: Mr. Bruce Lee, born Lee Jun Fan


Occupation: Film Actor, Martial Arts Expert, Television Actor
Date of Birth: November 27, 1940
Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, USA
Died: July 20, 1973
Place of Death: Hong Kong, China
Classification: Heroes & Icons




Born in the year of the Dragon on the hour of the Dragon destined Bruce Lee’s name “Little Dragon” when he first appeared in early Cantonese films of the 1950s. As a youngster, Bruce Lee was given the second name of “Small Phoenix” or Sai Fung, a feminine name given to him by his father to protect him against evil spirits.

As a teenager and under his father’s guidance, Bruce attended the prestigious high schools in Hong Kong known as La Salle College and St. Francis Xavier’s College in the latter 1950s. Here, with great academic discipline, Lee learned much that sparked his interest in the studies of philosophy. After only a few years, Lee was sent to the United States to finish his high school studies. Following, he attended the University of Washington to continue his philosophical studies, but without finishing, went on to his birthplace of San Francisco and Hollywood to pursue his acting career.

Bruce Lee went on to star in a few hit TV shows of the mid-1960s. In a show called The Green Hornet, Lee played Kato and used the proceeds to open up his own martial arts school. Called the Jeet Kune Do School, Bruce began teaching his newfound martial arts discipline and hoped to find some worthwhile protégés who could pass on his ideas and philosophies to others. What made his style different and highly unpopular with traditional martial artists was Lee’s partial abandoning of traditional, slow-moving martial arts. His new form consisted of superb bodily conditioning, quick-action attack, and mixed martial arts.

As Lee worked on his own fighting philosophies and techniques, he starred and acted in movies such as Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon. Within months, Lee had become an international icon for martial artists everywhere; teenagers and adults wanted to learn more about Lee’s secret Chinese-inspired martial arts.

Even though Bruce Lee died at the age of 32 by cerebral edema due to a reaction to Equagesic, a prescription headache medication given to him while he was in Hong Kong, he lives on in the hearts of the millions of martial artists he inspired. With his other films – arguably the world’s most admired martial arts film – Enter  the Dragon, Lee alone caused an immediate surge in the interest of martial arts in the USA, especially in the west, and around the world. While no autobiography was ever authored by him, he did write Bruce Lee’s Fighting Methods, The Philosophical Art of Self Defense, and The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.

Michael Jackson Biography



Birthdate: August 29, 1958
Birthplace: Gary, Indiana 


The Prince of Pop

Michael Jackson is the seventh of nine children. Along with four of his brothers, he began his career in the Jackson 5. From very early on, Michael showed huge talent, and he and his brother Jermaine became the main singers for the group. In 1968, when Michael was ten, Motown Records signed the Jackson 5. The group's first four singles--I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, and I'll Be There--all hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking a record for consecutive singles.

The King is Crowned

In the '70s, Michael recorded several solo albums. After meeting super producer Quincy Jones on the set of The Wiz (Michael played the Scarecrow), he and Jones produced Off the Wall in 1979, which won Michael his first awards as a solo artist. Michael's next album, Thriller, was his most successful and remains the best selling album of all time-it has sold approximately 100 million copies worldwide!
In 1984, Michael was filming a Pepsi commercial when his hair caught fire. His injuries required reconstructive surgery. But he wasn't gone long--the next year he and Lionel Ritchie wrote We are the World, a charity song that raised money for aid in the US and Africa. In 1987, he released Bad, which had five number one singles.

History, and the Future

With fame came more attention and scrutiny. People started calling him "Wacko Jacko," because of his changing appearance and his personal life. He released Dangerous in 1991, and made a huge splash performing at the Superbowl in 1993, but his career suffered when he was accused of molestation by a child who'd spent time at his ranch, Neverland. The charges were eventually dropped, and Michael went on to marry Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie, and to release the album HIStory. Two years later, they divorced and Michael married Deborah Jean Rowe. Together they had two children, Prince and Paris, before divorcing in 1999. He now has another daughter named Blanket (the mother is a secret).
Michael released Invincible in 2001, his first album in six years. In 2003, a second child molestation case was filed. He was acquitted (found innocent in the eyes of the law), and after the trial he moved to Bahrain in the Middle East. In 2008, Sony/BMG released Thriller 25, a special 25th anniversary edition of Thriller that hit number two in the US. On August 29, 2008, Michael Jackson celebrates his 50th birthday, on the same day the compilation album King of Pop drops in stores.

Did U Know?

  • Motown Records told fans Michael was nine years old when he was actually eleven to make him seem younger and cuter than he really was!
  • Michael has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once in the Jackson 5, and once as a solo artist.
  • Jackson has eight Guinness World Records. One is for Thriller as the best-selling album of all time.
  • Michael's famous companion Bubbles the chimpanzee now lives on an animal ranch in Sylmar, California. His handler says, "He's in his 20s. He's doing fine."
  • Michael suffers from Vitiligo, a skin disorder that causes loss of pigment in the skin.
  • At the 2006 World Music Awards, Michael was presented with the Diamond Award for selling over 100 million albums in his career.
  • Michael has given millions of dollars to charity, including profits from tours and the settlement of the Pepsi lawsuit. He has given to hospitals, orphanages and the United Negro College Fund, among others. He was also one of the first entertainers to call attention to the HIV/AIDS crisis and the need for research and funding to help stop it.

Michael Says...

"I've been in the entertainment industry since I was six years old. As Charles Dickens says, 'It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times.' But I would not change my career. While some have made deliberate attempts to hurt me, I take it in stride because I have a loving family, a strong faith and wonderful friends and fans who have, and continue, to support me."

Thursday 24 July 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup Final – Fourth title


In the Euro 2012, Germany was placed in group B along with Portugal, Netherlands, and Denmark. Germany won all three group matches. Germany defeated Greece in the quarter-final and set a record of 15 consecutive wins in all competitive matches. In the semi-finals, Germany lost to Italy by 1–2.


For the 2014 World Cup qualifying, Germany finished first in the group, qualifying for the World Cup. The draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals placed Germany in Group G, with Portugal, Ghana, and United States. They beat Portugal by 4–0, of which three were scored by Thomas Müller. In their match with Ghana, they led the game with Götze's scond half goal, but then conceded twice to Ghana with two consecutive goals. At the 71st minute, Klose scored a goal, helping Germany to draw 2–2 with Ghana. With that goal, Klose also nudged home his 15th World Cup goal to join former Brazil striker Ronaldo at the pinnacle of World Cup scorers. They then went on to defeat the United States team 1–0, securing them a spot in the round of sixteen against Algeria. The match remained goalless after regulation time and resulted in extra time being played. In the 92nd minute, André Schürrle scored a goal from a pass from Thomas Müller, while Mesut Özil scored the second goal in the 120th minute. Although Algeria managed to score one goal in injury time it wasn't enough for them and the match ended 2–1 securing Germany a place in the quarter final, setting them up to play France.

In the quarter-final match against France, Mats Hummels scored in the 13th minute as Germany won the game 1–0 to advance to a record fourth consecutive semi-finals 

During the semi-final against Brazil, Germany became the first team in history to score 5 goals in 18 minutes during the first half. They scored 4 goals in just 400 seconds and were 5-0 against Brazil by the end of the first half with goals from Thomas Müller, Miroslav Klose, Sami Khedira and two from Toni Kroos. Miroslav Klose also netted his 16th World Cup goal in the 23rd minute to secure his place in history with the most goals scored during World Cup games adding further insult to injury to Brazil as he dethroned former Brazilian National, Ronaldo, who held the previous record at 15 goals, which was set in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Ghana.

Germany then scored two goals in the second half of the game, both from substitute André Schürrle, to break the record for most goals scored against Brazil in a single game. By 90 minutes, Germany lead 7–0. They did, however, concede a late goal to Brazil's Oscar. The 7th goal also broke the record for most goals in a single semi-finals game. It was Brazil's worst ever World Cup defeat whilst Germany broke multiple World Cup records with the win, including the record broken by Klose, the first team to reach 4 consecutive World Cup semi finals, the first team to score 7 goals in a World Cup Finals knockout phase game, the fastest 5 consecutive goals in World Cup history (4 of which in just 400 seconds), the first team to score 5 goals in the first half in a World Cup semi final as well as being the topic of the most tweets ever on twitter about a certain subject when the previous social media record was smashed after Germany scored their 4th goal. Germany went on to win 7–1. The following day, Argentina won their semi final match against The Netherlands after a penalty shootout.

In the World Cup Final which was held at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on 13 July, Mario Götze's 113th minute goal helped Germany beat Argentina 1–0, becoming the first ever European team to win a FIFA World Cup in the Americas.

Saturday 28 June 2014

President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States.

Served as President: 1861-1865
Vice President: Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson
Party: Republican
Age at inauguration: 52

Born: February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky
Died: April 15, 1865. Lincoln died the morning after being shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C

Married: Mary Todd Lincoln
Children: Robert, Edward, William, Thomas
Nickname: Honest Abe


Biography:

What is Abraham Lincoln most known for?

Lincoln is most famous for leading the country during the American Civil War. His leadership in the North helped the country to remain strong and defeat the South keeping the country united. He also pushed for the freedom of all slaves throughout the nation.

Growing Up

Abraham Lincoln came from humble beginnings. He was born in a single-room log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky. His parents were Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln. His father lost everything when Abraham was young and they had to move to Perry County, Indiana where they struggled to get by. When he was just nine years old, his mother died and his sister Sarah took care of him until his father remarried.

Abraham had very little formal education, but had a strong interest in books and learning. Most of what he learned was self-educated and from books he borrowed. His family later moved to Illinois where Lincoln would set out on his own.

As a young man, Lincoln worked a variety of jobs including shopkeeper, surveyor, and postmaster. For a time, he even split firewood with an axe for a living. He soon moved into politics and won a seat in the Illinois Legislature when he was 25.

Before He Became President 
Lincoln served on the Illinois State Legislature for several terms. During that time he studied the law and began to work as a lawyer. He ran for the U.S. Congress in 1845. He won the election and served as a congressman for one term. After serving as congressman he continued to work as a lawyer. Later, Lincoln ran for the U.S. Senate, he did not win but he did gain national recognition for his arguments against slavery during the debates.

In 1860, Lincoln ran for President of the United States. He was a member of the fairly new Republican party which strongly opposed allowing any of the southern states to secede (leave the country). The republicans were also against slavery. They said they would allow for slavery to continue in the southern states, but that it would not be allowed to spread to new U.S. states or territories.

Abraham Lincoln Presidency

Lincoln won the 1860 election and was inaugurated as president in March of 1861. The southern states did not want Lincoln to be president. They did not agree with his policies. Before he was officially in office, they began to secede (leave the country). The first state to leave was South Carolina, but soon six more states followed and together they formed a new country called the Confederacy. This all happened after Lincoln won the election, but before he took the oath of office.

The Civil War

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter in South Carolina just a month after Lincoln took office. Lincoln was determined to maintain the "Union" of the states. He called for an army from the northern states to defeat the south. What followed was a bloody war that lasted four years and cost the lives of 600,000 Americans. Lincoln faced all sorts of opposition during the war, but managed to hold the country together.

The Emancipation Proclamation

On January 1, 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. This was an order that freed the slaves in the Confederate States. Although not all the slaves were immediately set free, it paved the way for the 13th Amendment which would free all slaves in the United States a few years later.

Gettysburg Address

Today, Lincoln is often remembered for a short speech he gave at Gettysburg on November 1, 1863. It's called the Gettysburg Address. It was only a few minutes long, but is considered one of the great speeches in American history.

The Civil War Ends

The Civil War finally ended on April 9, 1865 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Lincoln wanted the country to heal, forgive, and rebuild. He wanted to be generous to the southern states in helping them during the reconstruction. Unfortunately, he would not live to see the country rebuild.

How did he die?

President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at the Ford Theatre in Washington D.C. He died the next day on April 15, 1865.


Thursday 26 June 2014

20 ideas to make money online - Business Today - India

Go through these 20 options and find out which ones work for you.

Blogging
If you're a passionate closet writer who wants to be published but can't find a way to do so, make each keystroke your way to wealth by penning your own blog. Starting a blog doesn't require extensive technical skills but it's important that you have expertise in the field you are writing on. This will attract visitors to your site. Building a large following will enable you to earn profit by luring advertisers, writing paid reviews or getting commissions for promoting other people's products.

Paid Writing
If maintaining a blog is difficult for you but you still want to indulge your passion for writing, you can jot down articles for other blogs or sites such as Weblogs, Helium or PayPerPost. Writing an e-book can also be a good option. E-books are investment free, with no cost for printing and shipping. If you have a strong command over languages, you can become a copy editor, where Webmasters will pay you to read articles and correct grammatical errors, sentence fragments, etc.

e-tuitions/Webinars
The demand for tutors is high and growing. So, if you like helping others learn, e-teaching could be the earning ticket for you. All you need to become an online tutor is expertise in your subject and a few spare hours per week. TutorVista, e-tutor, SmartThinking and Tutor.com are some of the sites you can enroll with. If you gain a good reputation as a coach, you could even conduct Webinars-lectures or seminars transmitted over the Net. College and university students are willing to pay to gain entry to a well-respected Webinar.

Affilliate/Reseller
For those who have the knack of selling, one of the best ways to make money online is to become an affiliate/reseller. An affiliate is a person who gets a commission for selling every product that he promotes, whether on his Website or through any other avenue such as eBay. You don't have to own the product. You only need to sign up for an affiliate program with a company and start selling its products under your referral link. Firms such as Commission Junction or Click Bank have a large pool of products.

Buying/Selling domains
Buying and selling domain names is another way to make money from home and requires very little investment or time. You can buy domains at their registration prices or even cheaper and trade them at a profit. However, always research on sites such as sedo.co.uk, afternic.com, ebay.com or other domain auction sites to get an estimate of the hottest selling names. The best way to find good ones is to use terminated domain lists, which contain several expired names that are back in the pool.

Freelancing for Professionals
Freelancing is a great option for professionals who are experts in their respective trades and know how to ensure customer satisfaction. Various freelancing and project-oriented sites allow companies that need help to describe their projects. Freelancers and small businesses offer bids, ideas or proposals, from which the buyers can choose what they find most suitable. Websites such as Elance cover everything from programming and writing to data entry and design, while RentACoder focuses on software programming.

Advertising
You can sell space on your Website or blog for advertisements and you earn when these ads are clicked by visitors to your site. The sorting and placing of ads is free. The profitability of pay-per-click advertising depends on the traffic level of the Website and, most importantly, on the clickthrough rate and cost per click. Google AdSense is the most popular option, while others are BidVertiser, Text Link Ads and Blogads. Direct banner and RSS feed are some other forms of online advertising.

GPT Programme
GPT or Get-paid-to sites are becoming increasingly popular among teens. You get paid for signing up for free Websites, newsletters, playing games and filling out online surveys. These are suitable for people who don't have a skill set but want to earn extra money. Taking online surveys is simple- register with a few legitimate, paid survey sites and answer questions. The topics range from shopping to politics. This might not help you make a living, but you can earn good pocket money. Contests2win is one of the trusted GPT Websites.

Online Marketing
Once a Website is created and optimised for search engine (SEO), the SEM or Search Engine Marketing begins. A treasure trove lies hidden here. An SEO/SEM expert, who is responsible for marketing a Website, can promote it in various ways. These include article marketing, writing press releases, forum posting, blog posting, submitting your site to directories and search engines, social bookmarking, etc. Most companies don't do this in-house and pay you to conduct the SEM for them.

Making themes
As more and more people seek an online presence, the demand for Website templates and WordPress (Blog) themes will keep increasing. If you are good at Web designing and coding, you can earn a lot from designing Web themes. In this segment, there are mainstream Websites, such as TemplateMonster and ThemeForest, which act as a marketplace where you can sell your themes. Templates are sold and priced depending on the rights and features that are bundled with them.

Selling photos
If you enjoy photography and are good with a camera, you could be sitting on a huge reserve of revenue. There are people who will be interested in your collection of images. Nowadays, it's easy to take your photos to the public, providing a convenient way to build a secondary income stream. Many stock photo agencies, such as Fotolia, Dreamstime and Shutterstock, offer incentives for people to earn from their photos.

Support & service
Providing coding or fixing other Webmasters' issues is another great way to earn extra bucks. There are simple jobs ranging from adding a script to setting up sites, but knowledge of Web coding is essential. One can offer support for Web CMS (content management systems) like Drupal or Joomla. After you are comfortable with your own installation, you can help other people to set these up and configure them.

Stock/forex trading
Joining the stock/forex market may seem a bit risky. However, you can start small and continue researching till you gain experience in this area. Once you do, it will be easy to earn from exchanging foreign currencies and/or stocks. Their rates fluctuate depending on supply and demand, and economic and political influences in the world. The aim of any trader is to spot which currency/stock is likely to rise or fall in value against another. The more time you put in, the more you will earn.

Selling your own brand
If you have a flair for designing cool images, don't bother about creating your own inventory. As long as your design can be printed on a product, you can pocket some money. You can upload designs on various Websites such as CafePress, and if somebody orders these designs, the company will print them and distribute the products. It could be designs for T-shirts, hats, bags, books, posters, calendars, greeting cards, etc. You will receive a commission for each sale. Other such sites include Lulu and Zazzle.

Virtual Assistant
Small businesses always need help in running their processes, but may not be willing to hire a full-time employee. As a virtual assistant, you are expected to perform practically any administrative task that a traditional secretary or assistant would, such as make travel reservations, handle expense reimbursements or pay bills. You can do it from the comfort of your home, interacting with clients either online or by phone. Your expertise will decide how much moolah you rake in.

Inbound call centre
Many companies, who are facing space constraints, especially those in metro cities, prefer to hire workers outside their offices or outsource certain processes. You can set up an inbound call centre at home to handle such jobs. Research different companies that are outsourcing their work as they may have opportunities for inbound call centre agents. You can work for more than one company. This can be either a part-time or fulltime engagement, depending on your need.

You Tube
If there's a dramatic performer hidden inside you who craves applause and adulation, upload yourself on YouTube. You can be a filmmaker, musician or comedian who wants a wider audience. Your earnings will come from ads displayed on your video page. This process is similar to the pay-per-click advertising program common to other Websites and blogs. Sites such as Flixya and Mediaflix can be helpful in this regard.

Researching for others
Don't be morose if you can't write, design or code. Lack of talent cannot stop you from making money online. If you're willing to work hard for a few hours a week, you can take up simple research jobs for other people who don't have the time to do it themselves. You could search for opportunities in organisations that provide funding for research and offer to assist them through online investigation.

Building Applications
With smartphones gaining popularity, the demand for their applications, or apps as they are popularly known, has also shot up. There are over 3 million apps for the iPhone and over a million apps in Google's Android market. Most of these are selling like hot cakes. Developing and selling your own smartphone app is becoming a lucrative way to make money on the Internet. Apps cost virtually nothing to develop and entail no storage or shipping costs. So they enjoy the best profit margins.

Transcription
Medical transcription involves making written copies of oral material dictated by doctors or other medical experts. These may include history and physical reports, clinical notes, consultation notes, reports, letters, psychiatric evaluation and so on. The dictated material needs to be transcribed swiftly and accurately, which is the most challenging aspect of the job. To become a medical transcriptionist, you need to have a good knowledge of medical terminology and a high typing speed along with accuracy.

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Friday 20 June 2014

Adolf Hitler - Born: 04/20/1889, Died: 04/30/1945, Birthplace: Branau Am Inn, Austria

Hitler did not do particularly well in school, leaving formal education in 1905. Unable to settle into a regular job, he drifted. He wished to become an artist but was rejected from the Academy in Vienna.

Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in the small Austrian town of Braunau to Alois Hitler who later became a senior customs official and his wife Klara, who was from a poor peasant family.

At primary school, Hitler showed great intellectual potential and was extremely popular with fellow pupils as well as being admired for his leadership qualities. However, competition at secondary school was tougher and Hitler stopped trying as a result.

He also lost his popularity among his fellow students and instead preferred to re-enact battles from the Boer war with younger children. At the age of 15, he failed his exams and was told to repeat the year but he left without a formal education instead.

At the age of 18, he moved to Vienna with money inherited after his father's death in 1903, in order to pursue a career in art, as this was his best subject at school. However his applications for both the Vienna Academy of Art and the School of Architecture were rejected.

It was supposedly at this time that Hitler first became interested in politics and how the masses could be made to respond to certain themes. He was particularly impressed with the anti-Semitic, nationalist Christian-Socialist party.

During the First World War he volunteered to fight for the German Army and gained the rank of corporal, earning accolades as a dispatch-runner. He won several awards for bravery, including the Iron Cross First Class.

In October 1918, he was blinded in a mustard gas attack. Germany surrendered while Hitler was in hospital and he went into a state of great depression, spending lots of time in tears. After the war ended, Hitler's future seemed uncertain.

In 1919, Hitler attended his first meeting of the German Workers' party, an anti-Semitic, nationalist group as a spy for the German Army. However, he found he agreed with Anton Drexler's German nationalism and anti-Semitism. He disagreed with how they were organised leading him to make a passionate speech. Hitler quickly cemented his reputation as an engaging orator through his passion about the injustices faced by Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles.

It soon became clear that people were joining the party just to see Hitler make his speeches, which would leave the audience in a state of near hysteria and willing to do whatever he suggested.

He quickly rose through the ranks and, by 1921, was the leader of the re-named National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi).
With terrible economic conditions and rapid inflation, support for Hitler's party grew. By 1923, the Nazi's had 56,000 members and many more supporters.

On 8 and 9 November 1923, Hitler staged the Nazi Beer Hall Putsch. He hoped to force the Bavarian government to work with the Nazis and march together on Berlin. The attempt failed but, although Hitler was tried for treason, the judge gave him a very light sentence.

While in prison, Hitler wrote 'Mein Kampf', which formulated his political ideas. He reorganised his party on his release from jail, but it was not until the world depression hit Germany that the Nazis were able to attract significant followers.

By 1930, the Nazis were polling around 6.5 million votes. In the presidential elections of 1932, Hitler came second. On 30 January 1933, President Hindenburg was forced to appoint Hitler as Chancellor, given his popular support.

In office, Hitler set about consolidating his power, appointing Nazis to government and gaining control of emergency powers. He eliminated all opposition, in the name of emergency control and, with the death of Hindenburg in 1934, Hitler's power was secured.

Hitler put Germany's unemployed to work on a massive rearmament programme, using propaganda and manufacturing enemies, such as the Jews, to prepare the country for war. Initially, Hitler's actions were ignored by his powerful neighbours, as they believed appeasement was the only way to avoid a war.
In 1936, Hitler invaded the Rhineland, which had been demilitarised at Versailles. He then proceeded to annex Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia. Under the Munich Agreement of 1938, the West accepted this.
In 1939, Hitler made an alliance with Russia (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) and with Italy (Pact of Steel). On 1 September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and the Second World War began as a result. In April 1940, Denmark and Norway were also taken. France quickly followed.

Hitler had conquered much of Western Europe, now he turned his sights East. In 1941, despite the alliance, Germany invaded Russia under Operation Barbarossa. It was one of his greatest mistakes. With the German advance slowed by the Russians 'scorched earth' policy, the German army found themselves in the Russian winter without an adequate supply line. In 1943, they started their long retreat.

At the same time, the Western Allies were pushing hard, and began to advance on Germany. In response, Hitler withdrew almost entirely. It was reported he was increasingly erratic and out-of-touch.

In 1944, there was an unsuccessful assassination attempt and, in response, Hitler stepped up the atmosphere of suspicion and terror.

Hitler committed suicide on 30 April 1945, with his long term girlfriend Eva Braun, who he is thought to have perhaps married at the last minute. Germany's surrender followed soon after.

Saturday 14 June 2014

Nelson Mandela Biography - President (non-U.S.), Writer, Civil Rights Activist (1918–2013)

Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa in 1994, serving until 1999. A symbol of global peacemaking, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.


Synopsis

Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mveso, Transkei, South Africa. Becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20 years, he directed a campaign of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies. In 1993, Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country's apartheid system. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa's first black president. In 2009, Mandela's birthday (July 18) was declared "Mandela Day" to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader's legacy. Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013, at age 95.


Early Life

Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918, in the tiny village of Mvezo, on the banks of the Mbashe River in Transkei, South Africa. "Rolihlahla" in the Xhosa language literally means "pulling the branch of a tree," but more commonly translates as "troublemaker."
Nelson Mandela's father, who was destined to be a chief, served as a counselor to tribal chiefs for several years, but lost both his title and fortune over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate. Mandela was only an infant at the time, and his father's loss of status forced his mother to move the family to Qunu, an even smaller village north of Mvezo. The village was nestled in a narrow grassy valley; there were no roads, only foot paths that linked the pastures where livestock grazed. The family lived in huts and ate a local harvest of maize, sorghum, pumpkin and beans, which was all they could afford. Water came from springs and streams and cooking was done outdoors. Mandela played the games of young boys, acting out male rights-of-passage scenarios with toys he made from the natural materials available, including tree branches and
clay.

At the suggestion of one of his father's friends, Mandela was baptized in the Church. He went on to become the first in his family to attend school. As was custom at the time, and probably due to the bias of the British educational system in South Africa, Mandela's teacher told him that his new first name would be Nelson.


When Mandela was 9 years old, his father died of lung disease, causing his life to change dramatically. He was adopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people—a gesture done as a favor to Mandela's father, who, years earlier, had recommended Jongintaba be made chief. Mandela subsequently left the carefree life he knew in Qunu, fearing that he would never see his village again. He traveled by motorcar to Mqhekezweni, the provincial capital of Thembuland, to the chief's royal residence. Though he had not forgotten his beloved village of Qunu, he quickly adapted to the new, more sophisticated surroundings of Mqhekezweni.
Mandela was given the same status and responsibilities as the regent's two other children, his son and oldest child, Justice, and daughter Nomafu. Mandela took classes in a one-room school next to the palace, studying English, Xhosa, history and geography. It was during this period that Mandela developed an interest in African history, from elder chiefs who came to the Great Palace on official business. He learned how the African people had lived in relative peace until the coming of the white people. According to the elders, the children of South Africa had previously lived as brothers, but white men had shattered this fellowship. While black men shared their land, air and water with whites, white men took all of these things for themselves.
When Mandela was 16, it was time for him to partake in the traditional African circumcision ritual to mark his entrance into manhood. The ceremony of circumcision was not just a surgical procedure, but an elaborate ritual in preparation for manhood. In African tradition, an uncircumcised man cannot inherit his father's wealth, marry or officiate at tribal rituals. Mandela participated in the ceremony with 25 other boys. He welcomed the opportunity to partake in his people's customs and felt ready to make the transition from boyhood to manhood. His mood shifted during the proceedings, however, when Chief Meligqili, the main speaker at the ceremony, spoke sadly of the young men, explaining that they were enslaved in their own country. Because their land was controlled by white men, they would never have the power to govern themselves, the chief said. He went on to lament that the promise of the young men would be squandered as they struggled to make a living and perform mindless chores for white men. Mandela would later say that while the chief's words didn't make total sense to him at the time, they would eventually formulate his resolve for an independent South Africa.
From the time Mandela came under the guardianship of Regent Jongintaba, he was groomed to assume high office, not as a chief, but a counselor to one. As Thembu royalty, Mandela attended a Wesleyan mission school, the Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Wesleyan College, where, he would later state, he achieved academic success through "plain hard work." He also excelled at track and boxing. Mandela was initially mocked as a "country boy" by his Wesleyan classmates, but eventually became friends with several students, including Mathona, his first female friend.
In 1939, Mandela enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare, the only residential center of higher learning for blacks in South Africa at the time. Fort Hare was considered Africa's equivalent of the University of Oxford or Harvard University, drawing scholars from all parts of sub-Sahara Africa. In his first year at the university, Mandela took the required courses, but focused on Roman Dutch law to prepare for a career in civil service as an interpreter or clerk—regarded as the best profession that a black man could obtain at the time.
In his second year at Fort Hare, Mandela was elected to the Student Representative Council. For some time, students had been dissatisfied with the food and lack of power held by the SRC. During this election, a majority of students voted to boycott unless their demands were met. Aligning with the student majority, Mandela resigned from his position. Seeing this as an act of insubordination, the university's Dr. Kerr expelled Mandela for the rest of the year and gave him an ultimatum: He could return to the school if he agreed to serve on the SRC. When Mandela returned home, the regent was furious, telling him unequivocally that he would have to recant his decision and go back to school in the fall.

 

Mandela's Imprisonment

A few weeks after Mandela returned home, Regent Jongintaba announced that he had arranged a marriage for his adopted son. The regent wanted to make sure that Mandela's life was properly planned, and the arrangement was within his right, as tribal custom dictated. Shocked by the news, feeling trapped and believing that he had no other option than to follow this recent order, Mandela ran away from home. He settled in Johannesburg, where he worked a variety of jobs, including as a guard and a clerk, while completing his bachelor's degree via correspondence courses. He then enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg to study law.
Mandela soon became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement, joining the African National Congress in 1942. Within the ANC, a small group of young Africans banded together, calling themselves the African National Congress Youth League. Their goal was to transform the ANC into a mass grassroots movement, deriving strength from millions of rural peasants and working people who had no voice under the current regime. Specifically, the group believed that the ANC's old tactics of polite petitioning were ineffective. In 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League's methods of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-cooperation, with policy goals of full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights, and free and compulsory education for all children.
For 20 years, Mandela directed peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He founded the law firm Mandela and Tambo, partnering with Oliver Tambo, a brilliant student he'd met while attending Fort Hare. The law firm provided free and low-cost legal counsel to unrepresented blacks.
In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged with treason for their political advocacy (they were eventually acquitted). Meanwhile, the ANC was being challenged by Africanists, a new breed of black activists who believed that the pacifist method of the ANC was ineffective. Africanists soon broke away to form the Pan-Africanist Congress, which negatively affected the ANC; by 1959, the movement had lost much of its militant support.
In 1961, Mandela, who was formerly committed to nonviolent protest, began to believe that armed struggle was the only way to achieve change. He subsequently co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, also known as MK, an armed offshoot of the ANC dedicated to sabotage and guerilla war tactics to end apartheid. In 1961, Mandela orchestrated a three-day national workers' strike. He was arrested for leading the strike the following year, and was sentenced to five years in prison. In 1963, Mandela was brought to trial again. This time, he and 10 other ANC leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for political offenses, including sabotage.
Nelson Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years in prison. During this time, he contracted tuberculosis and, as a black political prisoner, received the lowest level of treatment from prison workers. However, while incarcerated, Mandela was able to earn a Bachelor of Law degree through a University of London correspondence program.
A 1981 memoir by South African intelligence agent Gordon Winter described a plot by the South African government to arrange for Mandela's escape so as to shoot him during the recapture; the plot was foiled by British intelligence. Mandela continued to be such a potent symbol of black resistance that a coordinated international campaign for his release was launched, and this international groundswell of support exemplified the power and esteem that Mandela had in the global political community.
In 1982, Mandela and other ANC leaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison, allegedly to enable contact between them and the South African government. In 1985, President P.W. Botha offered Mandela's release in exchange for renouncing armed struggle; the prisoner flatly rejected the offer. With increasing local and international pressure for his release, the government participated in several talks with Mandela over the ensuing years, but no deal was made. It wasn't until Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by Frederik Willem de Klerk that Mandela's release was finally announced—on February 11, 1990. De Klerk also unbanned the ANC, removed restrictions on political groups and suspended executions.

 

Prison Release and Presidency

Upon his release from prison, Nelson Mandela immediately urged foreign powers not to reduce their pressure on the South African government for constitutional reform. While he stated that he was committed to working toward peace, he declared that the ANC's armed struggle would continue until the black majority received the right to vote.
In 1991, Mandela was elected president of the African National Congress, with lifelong friend and colleague Oliver Tambo serving as national chairperson. Mandela continued to negotiate with President F.W. de Klerk toward the country's first multiracial elections. White South Africans were willing to share power, but many black South Africans wanted a complete transfer of power. The negotiations were often strained and news of violent eruptions, including the assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani, continued throughout the country. Mandela had to keep a delicate balance of political pressure and intense negotiations amid the demonstrations and armed resistance.
In 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward dismantling apartheid. And due in no small part to their work, negotiations between black and white South Africans prevailed: On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black president on May 10, 1994, at the age of 77, with de Klerk as his first deputy.

Also in 1994, Mandela published an autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, much of which he had secretly written while in prison. The following year, he was awarded the Order of Merit.
From 1994 until June 1999, Mandela worked to bring about the transition from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule. He used the nation's enthusiasm for sports as a pivot point to promote reconciliation between whites and blacks, encouraging black South Africans to support the once-hated national rugby team. In 1995, South Africa came to the world stage by hosting the Rugby World Cup, which brought further recognition and prestige to the young republic.
Mandela also worked to protect South Africa's economy from collapse during his presidency. Through his Reconstruction and Development Plan, the South African government funded the creation of jobs, housing and basic health care. In 1996, Mandela signed into law a new constitution for the nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule, and guaranteeing both the rights of minorities and the freedom of expression.

 

Retirement and Later Career

By the 1999 general election, Nelson Mandela had retired from active politics. He continued to maintain a busy schedule, however, raising money to build schools and clinics in South Africa's rural heartland through his foundation, and serving as a mediator in Burundi's civil war. He also published a number of books on his life and struggles, among them No Easy Walk to Freedom; Nelson Mandela: The Struggle is my Life; and Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales.
Mandela was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2001. In June 2004, at the age of 85, he announced his formal retirement from public life and returned to his native village of Qunu.
On July 18, 2007, Mandela convened a group of world leaders, including Graca Machel (whom Mandela would wed in 1998), Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Li Zhaoxing, Mary Robinson and Muhammad Yunus, to address some of the world's toughest issues. Aiming to work both publicly and privately to find solutions to problems around the globe, the group was aptly named "The Elders." The Elders' impact has spanned Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and their actions have included promoting peace and women's equality, demanding an end to atrocities, and supporting initiatives to address humanitarian crises and promote democracy.
In addition to advocating for peace and equality on both a national and global scale, in his later years, Mandela remained committed to the fight against AIDS—a disease that killed Mandela's son, Makgatho, in 2005.

 

In Recent Years

Nelson Mandela made his last public appearance at the final match of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. He remained largely out of the spotlight in his later years, choosing to spend much of his time in his childhood community of Qunu, south of Johannesburg. He did, however, visit with U.S.
first lady Michelle Obama, wife of President Barack Obama, during her trip to South Africa in 2011.
After suffering a lung infection in January 2011, Mandela was briefly hospitalized in Johannesburg to undergo surgery for a stomach ailment in early 2012. He was released after a few days, later returning to Qunu. Mandela would be hospitalized many times over the next several years—in December 2012, March 2013 and June 2013—for further testing and medical treatment relating to his recurrent lung infection. Following his June 2013 hospital visit, Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, canceled a scheduled appearance in London to remain at her husband's his side, and his daughter, Zenani Dlamini, Argentina's South African ambassador, flew back to South Africa to be with her father. Jacob Zuma, South Africa's president, issued a statement in response to public concern over Mandela's March 2013 health scare, asking for support in the form of prayer: "We appeal to the people of South Africa and the world to pray for our beloved Madiba and his family and to keep them in their thoughts," Zuma said.

 

Death and Legacy

On December 5, 2013, at the age of 95, Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. Zuma released a statement later that day, in which he spoke to Mandela's legacy: "Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world, let us reaffirm his vision of a society ... in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another," he said. For decades to come, Nelson Mandela will continue to be a source of inspiration for civil rights activists worldwide.
In 2009, Mandela's birthday (July 18) was declared Mandela Day, an international day to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader's legacy. According to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, the annual event is meant to encourage citizens worldwide to give back the way that Mandela has throughout his lifetime. A statement on the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory's website reads: "Mr. Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it's supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community."

 

Personal Life

Mandela was married three times, beginning with Evelyn Ntoko Mase (m. 1944-1957).
  The couple had four children together: Madiba Thembekile, Makgatho (d. 2005), Makaziwe and Maki. Mandela wed Winnie Madikizela in 1958; the couple had two daughters together, Zenani and Zindziswa, before splitting in 1996. Two years later, Mandela married Graca Machel, with whom he remained until his death in 2013.