title: Solihull

text: The red sandstone parish church of St. Alphege dates from a similar period to Hobs Moat and is a large and handsome example of English Gothic church architecture, with a traditional spire 168 feet (51 metres) high, making it visible from a great distance. It is located at the head of High Street and is a Grade I listed building. It was founded in about 1220 by Hugh de Oddingsell. A chantry chapel was also founded there by Sir William de Oddingsell in 1277 and the upper chapel in St Alphege was built for a chantry.


title: Solihull

text: By 1242, the Manor of Solihull was granted a Royal charter to hold a weekly market and an annual fair "on the vigil, the feast and the morrow of St Alphege" (18-20 April). It was around this time that Solihull became a hub for its surrounding parishes.


title: Solihull

text: The town of Solihull would later absorb the nearby settlement of Longdon. The first recorded reference to Longdon was in 1086 as 'Langedone', meaning the 'long hill'. The 'long hill' in question was the hill on what is now Solihull's Marsh Lane and Yew Tree Lane, leading from the River Blythe up onto Elmdon Heath. The Longdon Manor House was at its edge on Copt Heath. In 1161 the Manor of Longdon had been property of Ketelberne de Langdon, who founded Henwood Priory and gave his name to the settlement of Catherine-de-Barnes (a corruption of the name Ketelberne). The assimilation of Longdon into Solihull was so total that few references exist today indicating it was ever a separate place.


title: Solihull

text: The Longdon area bordered onto the settlement of Hampton in Arden, appearing in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as 'Hantone'. Despite bordering Solihull, Hampton in Arden would not be incorporated into the borough of Solihull until later. From the middle of the 12th century Hampton in Arden was owned by the de Arden family, and also included the then hamlet of Knowle. Knowle would become a royal manor in 1285 when the de Arden family sold it to King Edward I and Queen Eleanor. In 1396, Walter Cook applied for a faculty to build a church in 'Knoll', so the villagers would no longer have to cross the treacherous waters of the river Blythe to get to church, and this was granted by Pope Boniface IX on 4 May 1396. By 1402 the church was consecrated and Knowle broke away from Hampton in Arden, later becoming part of the borough of Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: Near Knowle lies the settlement of Temple Balsall, part of the borough of Solihull, that was founded by the Knights Templar, who farmed about 650 acres (2.6 km) of the estate in the 12th century, and established the church and the Balsall Preceptory.


title: Solihull

text: By 1295, the Manor of Solihull had passed from the Odingsells via heiress to the de Birmingham family, however they in turn quickly passed it into the Le Despencer family. The Despencers found themselves at odds with the Trussell family of nearby Nuthurst (now in the borough of Solihull) during the baronial revolt under Edward II. The warring between the two families ended when Sir William Trussell of Nuthurst led the invasion of England by Queen Isabella against Edward II, which installed Edward III on the throne. Hugh Despenser was executed and Sir William Trussell was made the King's Secretary of State for England under Edward III. The rivalry between the two families was intense, and at one point the grandson of Sir William Trussell, Sir John Trussell, abducted the widow of Hugh Despenser's grandson (also called Hugh Despenser), after he was killed in battle, and forced her to marry him in an ultimately futile attempt to take the manor of Solihull. The Despencers would briefly fall back into favour some years later when helping with the campaigns of Edward the Black Prince.


title: Solihull

text: It is during this time in the 14th century that Hobs Moat Castle is believed to have fallen into ruin. Antiquary Sir William Dugdale would visit the site three centuries later in 1656, finding only "a large Moat" and was informed by the locals that the castle there had long since been removed. The Odingsells had built a new purpose-built manor house closer to the new town centre, called Silhill Hall, at some point in the 13th century.


title: Solihull

text: Within the Longdon area of Solihull, is an area known as Malvern, named for Simon de Malverne, believed to be of Malvern in Worcestershire, assassinated in 1317. A moated site opposite the end of Marsh Lane is believed to be the de Malvern former home.


title: Solihull

text: By the 14th century, the town had become famed for its blacksmiths, and the Solihull High Street was known as le Smythestret. This was because of its location in the Forest of Arden, and the abundance of trees required to provide fuel for the fires. The town was also known for textiles. The end of Dury Lane was known as Teinters Green, believed to be an area where cloth was stretched on tenter hooks.


title: Solihull

text: In the grounds of St Alphege church is a now Grade II listed ruin dating from the 14th century. It is believed to have been a well house for a holy spring, and later possibly an Oratory.


title: Solihull

text: Historians have suggested that the Shakespeare family, ancestors of William Shakespeare (born a few miles south in Stratford-upon-Avon), were originally from Solihull's Balsall, with their names appearing in local registers between 1385 and 1457. Shakespeare's mother, Mary Arden, was from a cadet branch of the de Arden family of Castle Bromwich in the borough of Solihull. Shakespeare's son Hamnet Shakespeare's baptism on 23 March 1560 is recorded in the Register of Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: In 1400, Thomas Despenser, 1st Earl of Gloucester died a traitor for his part in the Epiphany Rising, and so the Crown took custody of the manor because the heir, Richard le Despenser, was a minor.


title: Solihull

text: The manor of Solihull remained property of the king for many years, and was passed through a number of custodians or lessees. In 1495 the Greswolde family of Solihull and nearby Kenilworth, while serving as the Kings custodians of the manor of Solihull, built the house on the Solihull High Street called Lime Tree House now erroneously known as the 'Manor House' (as no lord of the manor ever lived there - Silhill Hall was the manor house for Solihull).


title: Solihull

text: The manor of Solihull was eventually granted to the Duke of Norfolk, who in turn passed it on in 1530 to the local Throckmorton family of Coughton Court. Solihull was owned by the Throckmorton's during the Throckmorton Plot of 1583, and the planning of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament in which the Throckmorton's were heavily involved. Their co-conspirators included the Catesby family of Lapworth (then part of the borough of Solihull), and the Digby family who were Lords of the Manor of Coleshill (much of which is part of the borough of Solihull today). They rented a house in London from Henry Ferrers of Baddesley Clinton (then in the borough of Solihull) to store the gunpowder. Sir Richard Walsh, owner of Walsh Hall in Meriden (part of the modern borough of Solihull) was the Sheriff of Worcestershire who eventually cornered and killed the gunpowder plotters. John Greswolde, brother of Robert Greswolde, of the wider Greswolde family of Solihull, was an attendant of Henry Garnet (a priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605). It was said that when John was arrested and interrogated after the Gunpowder plot he was racked so badly at the Tower of London that it was rumoured he was dead.


title: Solihull

text: The sub-manor of Longdon in Solihull meanwhile had passed to the Greswolde family, in the era of Elizabeth I, however it soon passed through a daughter to Thomas Dabridgecourt. In 1680 the Rev. Henry Greswolde, then rector of Solihull, bought a large farm called Malvern Farm, in the Malvern part of Longdon Manor, to establish a new family seat, which would be called Malvern Hall.


title: Solihull

text: In 1604 the Throckmorton family sold the Manor of Solihull to Edmund Hawes. The Hawes family were already prominent local landowners, having owned the Hillfields area of Solihull since 1311, when Thomas Hawes, a lawyer, purchased the land. William & Ursula Hawes had constructed Hillfield Hall in 1576, a grand Tudor hall with battlements and a long gallery. The hall oversaw five farms, including Hillfields and Shelly farm. William Hawes lived there until his death in 1611. Shelly had been a thriving hamlet during the 13th and 14th centuries, and included Monkspath, but there was little mention of the area by the 17th century. Hillfield Hall remains residential to this day, while the 16th-century Grade II listed Shelly farmhouse is an upmarket bar and restaurant.


title: Solihull

text: The historic Solihull School was also founded in 1560 (although not on its present site). On the right along High Street from St Alphege Church porch is one of the town's oldest landmarks, the George, a hotel which dates from the 16th century.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull appears to have survived the English Civil War of 1642–1651 relatively unscathed, even though many important close engagements and battles were fought nearby including the Battle of Edgehill to the south and the Battle of Camp Hill to the north. It is reported that Prince Rupert, commander of the Royalist forces, was on his way to meet King Charles in Solihull when he was skirmished by Parliamentary forces in the Battle of Kings Norton.


title: Solihull

text: Before its eventual sale to the Greswoldes as part of the Manor of Longdon, the Malvern area of Solihull had been the property of Parliamentarian commander Robert Greville. The Greville family remained important to the area, with Fulke Greville, 5th Baron Brooke being erroneously recorded as the Lord of the Manor of Longdon in 1682. A branch of the Greville family would make donations for schools in Knowle in the early 1700s.


title: Solihull

text: In the modern era, Solihull became quieter, with textile working and iron working still prominent in the town. The Manor of Solihull continued to pass through a number of other holders including the Archer family of Umberslade Hall in Nuthurst. Eventually in 1850 it passed to Robert Short an officer in the East India Company, who left it to his son in law, Rev. John Couchman. The Couchman's remain the Lords of the Manor of Solihull to the present day.


title: Solihull

text: By the 1700s, work was underway on Malvern Hall, with Humphrey Greswolde overseeing, it would be completed in the first half of the century. The hall featured a gatehouse onto the Warwick Road designed by Sir John Soane, architect of the Bank of England. In 1809 the hall would be painted by John Constable, for his patron, Henry Greswolde Lewis. The Greswoldes would later sell the house to Solihull council who converted the estate into Malvern Park. The hall is today part of Solihull School.


title: Solihull

text: Also constructed in 1712, was Touchwood Hall at the end of Dury Lane on Teinters Green. The hall would serve as the home of the Holbeche family, former lords of the manor at Widney Manor and a prominent local family. The hall would later be held by the Madeley and Martineau families. The hall was demolished in 1963 but lends its name to Solihull's famous shopping centre.


title: Solihull

text: During this time poets William Shenstone and Richard Jago attended Solihull School, where today, two houses are named after them.


title: Solihull

text: In 1775, Monkspath Hall would be constructed, which would capture the nations media attention two centuries later when it was illegally demolished, sparking a court case which demanded it be put back exactly as it was.


title: Solihull

text: In 1785, the Earl of Aylesford would help found, and become patron, of the Woodmen of Arden. This is a prestigious society of Toxophilites who meet to shoot longbows at their ground in the Forest of Arden in Meriden, in the borough of Solihull. The Woodmen target shoot at only one distance, 100 yards and score in the Archers disfavour. Archery had always been an important sport in Solihull. On the doorway of the church of St Alphage are incisions which are arrow sharpening marks from the 1360s when men were required to practice archery on a Sunday to ensure a ready supply of archers. The long marks have been made by Broadheads, the round by Bodkins - types of arrowheads used with the long bows of the time. The society is strictly limited to a membership of 80, with this rule only having been bent once, when in 1835 Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, Lord of the Manor of Hampton in Arden, was added.


title: Solihull

text: In the early 1800s, Isaac William Lillingston sold the Manor of Hampton in Arden to former Prime Minister, and founder of the modern police force, Sir Robert Peel. Peel and his son Sir Frederick Peel modernised and made improvements to Hampton in Arden, including the construction of a new manor house, (which is today the Michelin starred Peel's Restaurant).


title: Solihull

text: It was also during the early 1800s that abolitionist William Wilberforce moved to the Elmdon area of Solihull following his marriage to Barbara Spooner, of the Spooner banking family who were the owners of Elmdon hall. A road - Wilberforce Way - is named for him north of Solihull town centre.


title: Solihull

text: The manor of Longdon came to famous poet Lord Byron in 1815 by his marriage with Anne, daughter of Sir Ralph Milbanke Noel, and on her death in 1860 passed to her grandson the Earl of Lovelace. Two roads in Solihull are named after the family, Lady Byron Lane and Lovelace Avenue.


title: Solihull

text: Longdon Hall, with its remaining manorial rights, was later bought by a solicitor, Mr. J. B. Clarke of Birmingham in 1899 and soon afterwards sold to Mr. Alfred Lovekin, a silversmith. Mr Lovekin also leased land near Solihull town centre from the Chattock family of Castle Bromwich, on which he built the Jacobean style Tudor Grange Hall. After Mr Lovekin's death, Tudor Grange Hall was sold to Sir Alfred Bird, 1st Baronet, a chemist and politician, who would later leave the land for creation of a Tudor Grange grammar school and Tudor Grange Park. Longdon hall was eventually sold to a nearby golfcourse.


title: Solihull

text: In 1868, George Muntz of nearby Umberslade, a campaigner for suffrage and friend of Thomas Attwood, would become the owner of the manor of Widney Manor. He would also later buy land in Bentley Heath and develop the Solihull area of Dorridge.


title: Solihull

text: In the 1870s, the Hobday family would construct Monkspath Priory. The property would later serve Solihull as the Regency Club, a gentlemen's club and banqueting complex, before becoming a hotel in the late 20th century.


title: Solihull

text: In 1870, metallurgist and inventor James Fern Webster moved to Whitlocks End on the outskirts of Solihull. While here, he discovered the process for making the extraction of aluminium sufficiently cost effective for the metal to be used in the manufacture of everyday objects. Before this, aluminium was considered a precious metal, with bars of aluminium exhibited alongside the French Crown Jewels in the Paris Exhibition of 1855. In 1878, Webster was producing 100 pounds of pure Aluminium every week at his Solihull Lodge factory.


title: Solihull

text: In 1898, the Fowlers Cheese company - the oldest cheese manufacturer in England, founded 1670 - moved to its current site in Earlswood.


title: Solihull

text: In the 1890s, famed pen manufacturer Joseph Gillott constructed New Berry Hall outside Catherine de Barnes. The architect of the hall was J. A. Chatwin who designed the Victoria Tower in the Houses of Parliament. Around this time Chatwin also designed School House at Solihull School.


title: Solihull

text: It was said the post office in Castle Bromwich, later part of the borough of Solihull, was one of the first locations to have a telephone installed outside of London. The purported reason for this is that in 1876 Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was visiting, supposedly to court Lady Bradford at Castle Bromwich Hall, and needed to be able to contact the government in London.


title: Solihull

text: During the Victorian era a rare fluted pillar box was installed on Dog Kennel lane. Today it is Grade II listed. The post box is designed to look like a Doric column.


title: Solihull

text: Unlike major cities to the north, the Industrial Revolution largely passed Solihull and much of the rest of rural Warwickshire by, and until the 20th century Solihull remained a small market town. Local population growth was due to a number of factors, perhaps most significantly, the release of large tracts of land for housing development attracting inward migration of new residents from across the United Kingdom.


title: Solihull

text: In 1894, Solihull (including the parishes of Shirley, Baddesley Clinton, Barston, Lapworth, Balsall, Bushwood, Elmdon, Knowle, Nuthurst, Packwood and Tanworth-in-Arden) was made into the Solihull Rural District in the county of Warwickshire. In 1932 some of its rural areas were taken away when the RDC was succeeded by Solihull Urban District Council.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull School continued to grow during this period. Arthur Tolkien, father of J. R. R. Tolkien (the author of "The Lord of the Rings" series of books) was a pupil there during the 1860s. J. R. R. Tolkien mentioned Solihull and Solihull School in some of his letters. J. R. R. Tolkien's son Michael would go on to teach at Solihull School in the 1950s.


title: Solihull

text: In 1909, Cathleen Cartland would found one of the countries first non-denominational co-educational preparatory schools - Ruckleigh School - in Solihull, many decades before others followed.


title: Solihull

text: Like most other parts of the UK, Solihull and its borough was impacted by the First World War. In 1914 the Army Remount Service, responsible for the nations war horses (specifically collecting horses and dispatching them on to combat areas) was headquartered in what is now the Wilson Arms in Knowle. The town and borough also provided a number of Auxiliary Hospitals. The village of Hockley Heath was bombed by a lost Zeppelin L 62.


title: Solihull

text: In 1936, two Solihull farms were bought for the construction of a shadow factory to prepare for the Second World War. The purpose of the shadow factories were to be as secret as possible, often located in rural areas, to prevent enemy bombing. After the war in 1948, this factory would become the home of the Land Rover car company.


title: Solihull

text: On 8 July 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and the Duchess of Kent opened Solihull's airport 'Elmdon Airport'. The Elmdon Terminal, which incorporated the airport's air traffic control tower, is famous for having been designed by Norman and Dawbarn in an Art Deco style. Shortly after opening it would be requisitioned for the Second World War, becoming RAF Elmdon. On 8 July 1946, the aerodrome was reopened to civilian operations, though it remained under government control. In 1960 control of the airport was handed to Birmingham City Council, and the airport was renamed 'Birmingham International Airport'. At the time despite being England's second city, Birmingham was without an airport and Elmdon Airport in Solihull was the closest. Reflecting the fact that Birmingham Airport was in Solihull and not Birmingham, a train station called Birmingham International Rail Station was added to transport travelers the 8 mile journey into Birmingham. The airport and station are connected via Air-Rail Link. The airport is still affectionately known amongst some Solihull residents as Elmdon Airport.


title: Solihull

text: By the time the Second World War started Solihull had become a reception area for evacuated Children from Coventry and the East End of London. Some barrage balloons, smokescreens and searchlights were erected around Solihull in an effort to confuse any enemy bomber planes flying over head on their way to critical major industrial areas. A military convalescent hospital was opened in Tudor Grange House. A British Restaurant was opened up on Mill Lane. The town adopted the ship HMS Vivacious in 1942. In preparation for the D-Day landings, an American Army headquarters was established on Blossomfield Road. The town also had a Home Guard Battalion.


title: Solihull

text: In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II granted a Royal Charter of Incorporation making Solihull into a Municipal Borough; ten years later it was given the status of County Borough. Reorganisation of boundaries and council responsibilities in 1974 created the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull by the merger of the Solihull County Borough and most of the Meriden Rural District, which forms the main rural part of the borough and county. It included Balsall Common, Barston, Berkswell, Bickenhill, Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Elmdon, Fordbridge, Hampton in Arden, Hockley Heath, Kingshurst, Knowle, Marston Green, Meriden, Olton, Smiths Wood, Solihull, Shirley and Temple Balsall. A coat of arms was granted to the borough, with a Black Griffin taken from the arms of the Earls of Aylesford of Meriden, a Silver Fleur-de-lys comes from the Digby family associated with Coleshill and Fordbridge, and a Black Greyhound taken from the arms of the Greswolds, of Solihull town.


title: Solihull

text: Until the early 1960s, the main high street remained much as it would have been in the late 19th century with several streets of Victorian terraced houses linking High Street with Warwick Road. The construction of the central shopping area known as Mell Square (named after W. Maurice Mell, the town clerk who planned the work) involved the demolition of properties in Mill Lane and Drury Lane, some of which were several hundred years old, together with that of the large Victorian Congregational church that had stood on the corner of Union Street and Warwick Road.


title: Solihull

text: In 1966, Silhill Hall, the 13th century manor house of Solihull was illegally demolished by the owner Malcolm Ross who attempted unsuccessfully to claim that a violent storm had made the structure unsafe. The site of the property is now used for housing, remembered only by the name of Silhill Hall road.


title: Solihull

text: In 1986, the Solihull borough effectively became a unitary authority after the abolition of the County Council. The borough is administered from a building on Church Hill in Solihull town centre.


title: Solihull

text: On 23 November 1981, an F0/T1 tornado touched down in nearby Shirley. The tornado later moved over Solihull town centre, causing some damage to the town centre before dissipating.


title: Solihull

text: Despite its proximity to cities like Birmingham to the northwest, Coventry to the east, Worcester to the southwest and the build-up of conurbations around nearby Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, and Royal Leamington Spa, Solihull maintains its unique and distinct identity and remains largely surrounded by green belt countryside.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull itself remains administered by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, effectively a unitary authority providing the majority of local government services. Regional administrative functions such as policing, fire and public transport are organised through the West Midlands administrative division and combined authority.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull is located south of the centre of England in the Forest of Arden area on the River Blythe 127 m (416 ft) above sea level. The town, and most of the borough is within the West Midlands Green Belt.


title: Solihull

text: Via national roads and/or motorways, the town is southeast of Birmingham, 14 miles (21 km) west of Coventry, northwest of Warwick, northeast of Worcester and northwest of London.


title: Solihull

text: Due to its growth, Solihull was promoted from an urban district to a municipal borough, the honour being bestowed by Princess Margaret, who waved from the balcony of the Old Council House in March 1954.


title: Solihull

text: The Queen opened the new civic hall in the town in May 1962. The town became a county borough in 1964. In 1974, the Solihull county borough was merged with the rural district surrounding Meriden to form the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. This also includes the districts known as Shirley, Knowle, Dorridge, Balsall Common, Castle Bromwich and Chelmsley Wood.


title: Solihull

text: There are now 17 wards in Solihull; Olton, Knowle, Dorridge, Silhill, Blythe, Meriden, Elmdon, Lyndon, Smith's Wood, Chelmsley Wood, Hockley Heath, St. Alphege, Shirley West, Shirley East, Shirley South, Kingshurst & Fordbridge, Castle Bromwich and Bickenhill. Each ward is represented by three councillors at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, making a total of 51 councillors. The mayor is elected by the council and is currently (2022) Ken Meeson of the Conservative Party.


title: Solihull

text: Regionally, Solihull comes under the West Midlands Combined Authority, and therefore also takes part in elections for the Mayor of the West Midlands and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.


title: Solihull

text: The member of parliament for the Solihull constituency is former Conservative Julian Knight, who won his seat in 2015 running on a Conservative ticket. The seat is one of two parliamentary seats within the Borough of Solihull, the other being Meriden constituency, named for the village of Meriden within the Meriden Gap.


title: Solihull

text: Traditionally the Mayor of Solihull is driven in a Land Rover - usually a Range Rover - with the license plate 'Sol 1', reflecting the towns connection to the Land Rover vehicle manufacturer.


title: Solihull

text: Although the town and borough of Solihull are in the West Midlands metropolitan county, Solihull is in the historic county of Warwickshire. This means the town can fly the flag of Warwickshire and celebrate "Warwickshire Day", when an official date is agreed upon. Some local support has been recorded to return the borough entirely to Warwickshire, such as when Bath was returned to Somerset after the abolition of the County of Avon.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull has no university, but there are seven universities within of the town in the surrounding cities. However, Solihull College, formerly known as the Solihull Technical College, incorporates a University Centre which offers several foundation degree and full degree courses, particularly in technical subject areas such as computer sciences and engineering. These courses are offered through the college's partner, the University of Warwick. As yet the college has not applied to attain university college status.


title: Solihull

text: There is also a sixth form college located on the outskirts of the town centre. This is known as Solihull Sixth Form College.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull School is an independent school and is located on Warwick Road near the centre of the town. It was founded in 1560 and celebrated its 450th anniversary in 2010.


title: Solihull

text: Ruckleigh School is an independent preparatory school founded in 1909 by Cathleen Cartland and is notable for being a nondenominational co-educational school many decades before any others followed. Another preparatory school called Eversfield School is also located in the town centre.


title: Solihull

text: The town centre is also well served by some high performing state schools. Tudor Grange house, a now grade II listed property, was completed in Solihull in 1887 for Alfred Lovekin, a silversmith, who later sold the estate to Sir Alfred Bird, the owner of Bird's Custard then produced at the Birmingham Custard Factory. The Bird family bequeathed the house and estate to the people of Solihull for the construction of a 'Tudor Grange' grammar school around the turn of the century. After Tudor Grange grammar school had been established on this site, other parcels of the estate were passed on by the school for other neighbouring schools, colleges and parkland. Tudor Grange School and Solihull School continue to enjoy a friendly sporting rivalry centred around rugby union. Solihull's state schools, Tudor Grange School and Arden Academy, regularly feature in good school guides, such as "the "Tatler" guide to the best state secondary schools".


title: Solihull

text: Solihull had a 'Wave 1' proposal of the Building Schools for the Future investment programme approved. They were awarded over £80 million to transform six schools in the north of the borough in December 2004. As a result of the funding, there will be six new schools constructed within seven years. The school curriculum will be redesigned as well as a further £6 million investment in managed ICT services. The six schools to be rebuilt are Park Hall Academy, Smith's Wood Academy, Archbishop Grimshaw, Lanchester Special School, Forest Oak School and Merstone school. Forest Oak and Merstone have been already rebuilt on one site. Lanchester, Park Hall and Smith's Wood have been built by BAM PPP, under 'Private Finance Initiative'. Archbishop Grimshaw has been built by BAM PPP under a traditional contract.


title: Solihull

text: A number of main roads pass through Solihull including the A41 Birmingham to Warwick road and the A34 Birmingham to Stratford road: the A34 becomes the commercial centre of Shirley, making for a busy town-centre feel along the main road.


title: Solihull

text: The M42 and the M40 both pass through the outskirts of the borough of Solihull, providing very rapid links to Oxford and London in the South East, and to the rest of the motorway network surrounding the West Midlands region. The M42 opens up to the M5, providing links to Cheltenham, the West Country and South West England.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull railway station is on the former Great Western Railway line to London Paddington although trains now run along the Chiltern Main Line terminating at London Marylebone.


title: Solihull

text: Other railway links are provided on the West Coast Main Line, as Birmingham International railway station lies within the borough's boundaries and offers frequent express connections to London. Express train services through Solihull are now run by Chiltern Railways and local services by West Midlands Railway. Cross Country trains pass through the station but no longer stop here.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull will be served by a HS2 interchange station if the project is approved, putting London just 38 minutes away by train.


title: Solihull

text: Local bus services are provided largely by National Express West Midlands from their Yardley Wood and Acocks Green depots in south and southeast Birmingham respectively. Other services are provided by Diamond West Midlands, including service X20 between Coventry and Stratford-upon-Avon, Landflight and Diamond Bus. Until 2019 Diamond buses operated the "Signature" brand of buses in Solihull. The Diamond buses operating in Solihull were fitted with leather seats and wireless internet, and used the cleanest bus engines in Europe. The Diamond buses have since moved elsewhere.


title: Solihull

text: Due to a review of services in Warwickshire by Diamond, service X20 was split into two parts from 13th August 2022 with Stagecoach operating the Stratford to Solihull section daily. The remaining section between Solihull and Coventry will continue to be operated by Diamond Mon-Sat until 28th August 2022 when this section will be operated by Stagecoach as service 82. Stagecoach will also begin operating services 87 & 88 on the same date.


title: Solihull

text: In preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games which will be held across the West Midlands and Warwickshire, Transport for West Midlands is constructing a new Bus Rapid Transit network of tram style buses that will form critical infrastructure ahead of the games. The new network, known as Sprint, will utilise dedicated lanes and zero-emission tram style buses which will provide off-board ticketing, multiple-door boarding, wheelchair and pushchair access, free Wi-Fi, and air conditioning as well as on-board audio visual announcements and travel information. The network will connect Solihull town centre, Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre and future HS2 Interchange (all in Solihull) with Birmingham City Centre, and other parts of the region, such as the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield. Any green space lost as part of Sprint's proposals will be replaced according to the local highway authority tree replacement policy. Work commenced on the network in March 2021.


title: Solihull

text: The Grand Union Canal passes across Solihull, coming within of the town centre and linking the town to the River Thames in London. There are a flight of five locks at Knowle added in the 1930s which are wide enough to allow narrowboats to navigate together, side by side.


title: Solihull

text: The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal passes through Hockley Heath in the Borough of Solihull. Hockley Wharf (now a public house) served the rest of the surrounding Solihull area and beyond. Non-perishable goods were unloaded there, including timber, lime, coke, coal, cement, bricks and salt. The last commercial load was brought into the wharf on Christmas Eve, 1929.


title: Solihull

text: Bicycling in Solihull is popular, and as of March 2021 it was announced that Solihull would benefit from a cycle hire scheme, where residents and visitors would be able to hire bikes from an app on their phone. Three free to use cycle repair stations are being installed across the borough, and new cycle lanes added.


title: Solihull

text: In 2024, work will commence on an extension to the Transport for West Midlands West Midlands Metro tram network down to Solihull. The extension will link up to Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre and future HS2 Interchange with the wider network, before continuing on through the region, going as far south as the University of Warwick.


title: Solihull

text: Birmingham Airport is located in the Elmdon part of Solihull and was known as Elmdon Airport until control passed from the government to Birmingham City Council in the 1960s, as Birmingham itself was without an airport. Elmdon Airport was 8 miles from Birmingham, but still closer than any other contender. The airport is connected to the NEC and Birmingham International Station via the Air-Rail Link APM.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull offers a variety of shopping facilities. In recent years, the town has undergone much development, and its High Street has been pedestrianised since 1994. On 2 July 2002, a large new shopping centre, Touchwood, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The Crown Estate has an equity interest in the shopping centre. In 2014 the town was listed as one of the top five destinations for shopping in the UK. In addition to the Touchwood shopping centre it also has an open-air 1960s-style shopping centre called Mell Square which was constructed following the demolition of several terraces of Victorian houses and the original Solihull Congregational Church. When Mell Square was first opened it was known for its large block of fountains, which were switched off and removed in the late 80s. In recent years some residents have called for the fountains to be returned. Luxury vehicle sales also make up some of the Solihull economy, with a dealership for Rolls-Royce, and other luxury car marques, present in the town.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull is the home of the four-wheel-drive car manufacturer Land Rover. Its main production plant is situated east of the Lode Heath district, along with a range of other major companies. Engineering and professional services firm Arup have a large presence in Solihull. Fitness apparel manufacturer Gymshark has been based in Solihull since 2012.


title: Solihull

text: The Solihull village of Meriden was the famous home of the Triumph motorbike factory from 1942 to 1983. In January 2021 motorcycle company Norton announced they would be investing in a technologically advanced production site and headquarters in Solihull. The Lucas company, who supplied lighting and electric components to the motorcycle and aerospace industries was also headquartered in Solihull for many years, with a research facility in Shirley.


title: Solihull

text: Food and drink production and hospitality also make up part of the local Solihull economy. Earlswood in the Solihull borough is home to Fowlers, established since 1670, it is the oldest cheese-making business in England. The company still makes all its cheese by hand. In Catherine de Barnes is the Silhill Brewery. The former home of retail bakers Three Cooks was based in Solihull, and after it was brought out of administration in 2006, the new company Cooks the Bakery retains its HQ in Solihull. The pub company Enterprise Inns is also headquartered in Solihull. The Grenade Protein Bar company, valued at £200m in 2021, is based in Solihull, having been started by a couple from Solihull in 2010.


title: Solihull

text: There are a number of restaurants and eateries in Solihull, including the Michelin starred Peel's Restaurant.


title: Solihull

text: Financial services make up some of the Solihull economy. Personal loan provider Paragon, and retail and commercial bank Secure Trust Bank are both based in Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: The National Exhibition Centre is within the borough of Solihull, which hosts a number of national trade shows, such as The Horse of the Year Show and The Crufts International Dog Show. The Blythe Valley Business Park is also both within the borough of Solihull. Both have excellent links to Birmingham Airport and the M42, M40 and M6 motorways.


title: Solihull

text: A number of regional and national charities are based in, or have offices in, Solihull. Royal Star and Garter Homes a charity founded in 1916 to provide care for ex-Service people and their partners who live with disability or dementia, operates one of its three state of the art care homes in Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: In Solihull is the Resorts World Arena, a multipurpose indoor arena with a capacity of 15,685 opened in 1980 with a concert by Queen. A number of internationally renowned acts have performed there in recent years, including Lady Gaga and Adele. In 2019, Resorts World Arena had the fifth highest ticket sales of an arena venue in the United Kingdom.


title: Solihull

text: The town has a professional ballet school, which teaches according to the International Dance Teachers Association syllabus.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull is home to a large number of public sculptures and art works. There are also a number of museums, galleries and historic properties open to the public.


title: Solihull

text: The Solihull Arts Complex includes the Courtyard Gallery and Art Space, an exhibition space and gallery. The town also has a number of private art galleries.


title: Solihull

text: Reflecting the towns British motorcycle heritage, as home to the Triumph Motorcycle company for many years, Solihull also has the National Motorcycle Museum. The museum was founded in 1984 and is affiliated to the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust. The museum has become the largest collection of British motorcycles in the world, with over 250,000 visitors a year.


title: Solihull

text: Berry Mound is the site of an Iron Age hill fort dating back to the 1st century BC in Shirely, Solihull, on the Worcestershire border.


title: Solihull

text: Hobs Moat in Olton, Solihull, is the site of the ruined 12th-century castle of the Lords of the Manor of Solihull. Today it is a scheduled ancient monument and Local nature reserve. The ruin itself is now below ground level, but the moated earthworks remain above the ground level.


title: Solihull

text: Baddesley Clinton is a 13th-century Grade I Listed moated manor house in the village of Baddesley Clinton on the border of the borough of Solihull managed by the National Trust.


title: Solihull

text: Packwood House is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house on the outskirts of the borough of Solihull managed by the National Trust. It was home to the Featherston family, who would later marry into the Dilke family of nearby Maxstoke Castle. They also provided the first usher at Solihull School, where a house is named Featherston. The yew tree topiary garden of Packwood House is also famous in its own right, and is supposed to symbolise the Sermon on the Mount. Packwood church, known as St Giles, was the location of the marriage of the parents of Samuel Johnson, author of the first dictionary. Samuel's mother, Sara Ford, was from Packwood and St Giles was her parish church.


title: Solihull

text: Berkswell Mill is a historic windmill in the borough of Solihull which is occasionally open to the public.


title: Solihull

text: There is a historic miniature steam railway founded in 1936 in Illshaw Heath in the borough of Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull has a number of parks and local nature reserves, including the UK's first dedicated hedgehog conservation area.


title: Solihull

text: The nearest parks to the town centre are Malvern and Brueton Parks. They are interlinked and cover a total area of about . Brueton Park used to be part of the grounds of Malvern Hall, which dates back to about 1690. Tudor Grange Park is also close to the town centre. The River Blythe, a headwater tributary of the River Trent, passes through parts of Solihull including Malvern and Tudor Grange Parks.


title: Solihull

text: Other parks across the borough include Elmdon Park, Hillfield Park, Cole Bank Park, Knowle Park, Langley Hall Park and Shirley Park.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull's Leisure sector has seen growth in recent years, with an average tourism spend in the region per person of £4,081 in 2018.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull has numerous leisure facilities including a public swimming pool on the edge of Tudor Grange Park. This pool replaced the old Tudor Grange Sports Centre, which was demolished in 2007, to make way for the brand new leisure centre (A combination of the old Norman Green Athletics Centre and Tudor Grange Sports Centre). This in turn had replaced the outdoor swimming pool – Malvern Park Lido – that had served Solihull from 1954 till its closure in 1982. At present there are two sports centres, the more modern Tudor Grange Sports Centre, and the older North Solihull Sports Centre. There is also an outdoor wooden skateboarding and in-line skating facility in Tudor Grange Park.


title: Solihull

text: On the outskirts of Solihull is the Bear Grylls Adventure Park, run by Merlin Entertainments and named after British adventurer Bear Grylls. The centre offers rock climbing, indoor skydiving, a zip line from a Chinook helicopter, Europe's tallest high ropes, an assault course and a chance to dive with sharks.


title: Solihull

text: At the Solihull Land Rover plant is the Land Rover Experience which features a "14 miles of varied terrain on the legendary Jungle Track, Land Track and Adventure Zone" and driving experiences can be booked.


title: Solihull

text: The borough is well served by numerous youth groups, both from the statutory and voluntary sector. There are several Scout groups including Knowle Sea Scout Group which is based in the south of Solihull and is sponsored by the Royal Navy providing a wide programme of activities for young people from all over Solihull aged from 6 to 18. The recently refurbished ice rink on Hobs Moat Road is home to Solihull's ice hockey teams, the Solihull Barons, Solihull Vikings, a junior ice hockey team, the Mohawks ice racing club, as well as ice dance and figure skating clubs. Above the ice rink was a Riley's snooker club before the company entered administration in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Solihull

text: A number of service organisations and other clubs operate in Solihull including a Round Table, and a Women's Institute founded over 90 years ago. There is a Freemasonic temple in Knowle hosting a number of lodges.


title: Solihull

text: The Lunar Society of Birmingham, a local learned society re-founded by Dame Rachel Waterhouse, is headquartered in Shirley, Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: Every year since the early 1930s (apart from gaps during world wars, and in 2020 due to COVID-19), Solihull Carnival has taken place. This is now fixed to the first weekend after the June half-term and takes place in Tudor Grange Park, organised by Shirley Round Table.


title: Solihull

text: Tudor Grange Park is also the venue for the annual free firework display held on the Saturday closest to 5 November, organised by Solihull Round Table. The event attracts about 15,000 people to the park.


title: Solihull

text: Every year the town plays host to the Crufts international dog show at its National Exhibition Centre.


title: Solihull

text: The council hosts a popular farmers market every first Friday of the month on the High Street to cater to the increased demand for organic and locally grown food.


title: Solihull

text: Every year a large unofficial St George's Day Parade takes place, meeting in Solihull, traveling down through neighbouring Henley-in-Arden and into Stratford-upon-Avon.


title: Solihull

text: The largest football club in the town is Solihull Moors, who play at Damson Park, from the town centre. The club was established in 2007 following the merger of Solihull Borough and Moor Green and currently play in the National League after being promoted from the National League North at the end of the 2015–16 season.


title: Solihull

text: Birmingham & Solihull R.F.C., known as "the Bees", compete in Midlands 4 West (South) league as of 2020–21. The club had a brief period in the RFU Championship (the second tier of English Rugby) in 2010. The club played at a ground in the Solihull town centre at Sharmans Cross Road until August 2010 when they were relegated from the Championship. Following a brief spell at Solihull Moors' Damson Park ground the club now play at Portway. Other amateur clubs play in the borough at various levels.


title: Solihull

text: There are several local level cricket clubs across Solihull, including Hampton and Solihull CC and Solihull Municipal CC, both of whom compete in the Warwickshire Cricket League and Arden Sunday Cricket League.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull Riding Club is the longest established riding club in the UK. It has one of the largest indoor riding arenas in the country and a premier competition centre.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull borough is home to two sailing clubs. The Earlswood Lakes Sailing Club founded in 1960 meet at Windmill Lake amongst the Earlswood Lakes. The Olton Mere Sailing Club founded in 1926 meet at Olton Reservoir.


title: Solihull

text: Tennis is a popular sport in Solihull with courts available to the public in Malvern Park. The Solihull Arden Racquets Club is a thriving racquets and fitness club in Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull has a number of golf clubs and facilities, including Shirley Golf Club, Olton Golf Club, Copt Heath Golf Club, Robin Hood Golf Club, West Midlands Golf Club, Widney Manor Golf Club, Tidbury Green Golf Club, the Arden Course at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club, an 18-hole pitch and putt at Tudor Grange Park, and a driving range at Four Ashes. Arden Golf Club, Solihull, (now defunct) was founded in 1891. The course was still appearing on maps into the 1930s.


title: Solihull

text: Archery has always been a prominent sport in Solihull. The Meriden Archery Club, founded in 1936, meet within the grounds of the Packington Estate and practice target archery. The Forest of Arden Bowmen practice field archery in grounds nearby.


title: Solihull

text: Meriden is also home to the Woodmen of the Forest of Arden founded 1785, an illustrious society of archers who shoot a unique and historic type of clout archery with longbows.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull is also home to Solihull Cycling Club which was founded in 1929. The club has produced National Champions, Olympic Medallists and Tour de France riders


title: Solihull

text: Meriden is home to the National Cyclists Memorial, dedicated to the cyclists who died in the First World War. National cycling organisations commemorate these deaths with an annual mid-May service on the green.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull Swimming Club is based at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre. First established in 1963, the club now boasts over 600 members and also runs water polo teams.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull also has a number of field hockey clubs, namely Old Silhillians Hockey Club, Olton & West Warwickshire Hockey Club and Solihull Blossomfield Hockey Club.


title: Solihull

text: Gaelic games are played by Warwickshire GAA who play their home matches in Páirc na hÉireann in Solihull.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull town has several suburbs including Olton (formerly known as Ulverli), Solihull Lodge, Blossomfield, Sharmans Cross, Cranmore, Shirley (considered a sub-town of Solihull), Longdon, Shirley Heath, Hillfield, Monkspath, Widney Manor, Lode Heath, Elmdon Heath, Hobs Moat, Haslucks Green and World's End.


title: Solihull

text: Solihull Borough includes several satellite towns and villages including Barston, Balsall Common, Bentley Heath, Bickenhill, Blythe Valley, Castle Bromwich, Catherine-de-Barnes, Cheswick Green and Illshaw Heath, Copt Heath, Dickens Heath and Whitlocks End, Dorridge, Eastcote, Elmdon, Hampton in Arden, Hockley Heath and Nuthurst, Knowle, Meriden, Ravenshaw, Tidbury Green, and Temple Balsall.


title: Solihull

text: William Camden visited Solihull in 1558 and said of it in his work "Britannia": "I saw Solyhill; but in it, setting aside the church, there is nothing worth sight."


title: Solihull

text: In David Turner's 1962 play "Semi-Detached", Solihull is parodied as Dowlihull, a fictional town where the protagonist aspires to live.


title: Solihull

text: In the British Political TV Series Yes Minister, in the S1E07 1980 episode "Jobs For The Boys" a public-private partnership project is called the "Solihull Project".


title: Solihull

text: The steam engine used as the Hogwarts Express in the "Harry Potter" film franchise was the GWR 4900 Class 5972 Olton Hall, named for the now demolished Olton Hall estate in Olton, Solihull.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on Fox Sports Florida.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner. The number-seven pick in the 1997 inaugural WNBA draft, she followed her career at the University of Southern California with eight WNBA All-Star selections and two WNBA championships over the course of 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, before retiring in 2009. Leslie was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. All throughout her WNBA career, Leslie also played for USA Basketball in international competition, winning four Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008) and two FIBA World Championships (1998, 2002).


title: Lisa Leslie

text: In 2015, Leslie was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie was born in Compton, California, the daughter of Christine Lauren Leslie, who stood , and Walter Leslie, a former professional basketball player. Christine started her own truck driving business to support her three children. Walter left the family when her mother was four months pregnant with her. Leslie has two sisters: Dionne, who is five years older, and Tiffany, who is eight years younger. She also has a brother, Elgin (named after Elgin Baylor of the LA Lakers). She played on an all-girls team with the record 33–1.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: During the first few weeks of middle school, a classmate asked Leslie to help out the basketball team. On her first day of basketball tryouts, team members were told to split into two groups for layup drills: lefties and righties. Leslie was the only lefty in the group, so from then on, she decided to become right-hand dominant so she would not have to stand in a line by herself. That decision worked to her advantage, as she became ambidextrous.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: In eighth grade, she transferred to a junior high school without a girls' basketball team, and joined a boys' basketball team. Her success there contributed to her confidence in her playing abilities.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: At the age of 14, before Leslie had started high school at Morningside, she received more than a hundred college recruiting letters, including some from top Division I programs at the University of Tennessee and Stanford University.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie continued her education in 1986 by enrolling at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California. She made an immediate impact on the basketball program, starting every game for the girl's varsity team. She also joined the volleyball team and competed in track and field. She ended up being a state qualifier in the 400-meter run and the high jump.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: By the time she was a sophomore in high school, she was able to dunk the ball in the open court, even though she was not able to palm the ball. She was her team's leading scorer and rebounder and led them to the 1989 California state championship. Leslie was invited to participate in the USA's Junior World Championship team. Entering her senior year, she developed into the top player in the country. She led her team to a state championship averaging 27 points and 15 rebounds per game. She tied the national record for points scored by a high school basketball player with Cheryl Miller in 1990 with 101 points scored, all in the first half. She had scored 105 points but four of the points were due to a technical foul charged on the opposing team for a delay of game after halftime, which were later voided as the game was deemed to end after the first half.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie attended women's basketball powerhouse the University of Southern California from 1990 to 1994. She graduated from USC with a bachelor's degree in communications and later completed her master's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie played in a total of 120 college games, averaging 20.1 points, hitting 53.4% of her shots, and knocking down 69.8% of her free throws. She set the Pac-10 Conference records for scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots accumulating 2,414 points, 1,214 rebounds, and 321 blocked shots. She also holds the USC single season record for blocked shots (95).


title: Lisa Leslie

text: During her college career, USC compiled a 89–31 record. They won one Pac-10 conference championship and earned four NCAA tournament appearances. Leslie was honored with All-Pac-10 recognition all four years, as well as becoming the first player in Pac-10 history to obtain first team all four years and earn the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year award in 1991. Leslie was also honored on the national platform by earning the national freshman of the year award in 1991. In 1994, she won multiple national player of the year awards—the Naismith College Player of the Year award, the USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award, the Honda Sports Award for basketball, and the WBCA Player of the Year award. In 1992, 1993, and 1994, she earned All-American Honors as well.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: The WNBA was incorporated in 1996 and began playing in 1997. Leslie was drafted on January 22 by the Los Angeles Sparks as part of the Initial Allocation phase of the draft. She helped the Sparks make the playoffs five consecutive times, but the team did not win a WNBA title until 2001. That year, Leslie was named the 2001 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category) by the Women's Sports Foundation.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: On July 30, 2002, Leslie became the first woman to dunk the ball in a WNBA game. That same year she became the first WNBA player to score over 3,000 total career points and contributed to the Sparks winning their second straight WNBA championship that season. Two seasons later, she became the first player to reach the 4,000-career point milestone. Leslie remains the Sparks' career scoring and rebounding leader. She is the 4th highest all-time rebound leader, after Rebekkah Brunson, Sylvia Fowles, and Tamika Catchings. Within that same season, she also became the third player in WNBA history to record a triple double, when she had 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks. In the 2005 WNBA All-Star Game, Leslie had also become the first WNBA player to dunk in an all-star game. On August 11, 2009, Leslie became the first player to score 6,000 points in a career. Earlier that month she was the first player to reach 10,000 career PRA (points + rebounds + assists), a statistic fundamental to the WNBA "Pick One Challenge" fantasy game.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie announced her retirement effective at the end of the 2009 season on February 4, 2009. The Sparks held a farewell ceremony for Leslie during their final home game of the season in September. She finished holding the league records for points (6,263), rebounds (3,307) and PRA (10,444). In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in the fifteen-year history of the WNBA. In 2016, she was voted into the WNBA Top 20@20, in celebration of the league's 20th anniversary.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie was named to the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team (now called the U19 team). She was 17 at the time, the youngest player on the USA team. The team participated in the second Junior World Championship, held in Bilbao, Spain in July 1989. The USA team lost their opening game to South Korea in overtime, then lost a two-point game to Australia. After winning their next game against Bulgaria, behind 22 points and nine rebounds from Leslie, the USA team again fell in a close game, losing by three points to Czechoslovakia. After beating Zaire in their next game, the USA team played Spain, and fell three points short. Leslie led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks, averaging 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and recording 21 blocks over the course of the event. The USA team finished in seventh place.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie was a member of the USA team competing at the 1991 World University Games held in Sheffield, England. Leslie was the second leading scorer on the USA squad, averaging 13.0 points per game, and helped the Tara VanDerveer-coached team to a 7–0 record and the gold medal.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: She competed with USA Basketball as a member of the 1992 Jones Cup Team that won the Gold in Taipei for the first time since 1987.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie has made four consecutive Olympic appearances, and has earned four gold medals. She was the second female basketball player ever to earn that many gold medals, after Teresa Edwards. Leslie has also made appearances with the United States national women's basketball team where she won gold medals in 1996 and 2000, and has also earned a world championship. Leslie scored 35 points against Japan in the semifinals of the 1996 Olympics to set an American Olympic women's scoring record.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie is one of seven USA Basketball's three-time Olympians, and one of two players with four gold medals. She led the U.S. team in scoring during the 2004 Olympic Games. During her third Olympic completion, she became the USA's all-time leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker in Olympic competition. Every time she has competed in a major international event, she has compiled double-digit scoring averages. Leslie, at age 20, was also the youngest player to participate at the USA Olympic Trials in 1992.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie has had a rivalry with Lauren Jackson ever since the 2000 Olympics, when the Australian star ripped out Leslie's hair extensions during a game.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Apart from basketball, Leslie is also a fashion model and an aspiring actress. She has been featured in "Vogue" and "Newsweek", as well as many sports publications. She has been on ESPN numerous times and has been a guest star on several television shows such as "Sister Sister", "The Game", and "One on One". She is a guest commentator for "Sports Zone" on KABC-TV/Los Angeles and wears the Circle 7 logo from the channel when on the show. She has also acted in a variety of commercials. Early in her career she signed a modeling contract with the Wilhelmina modeling agency. Leslie appeared on the show, "Superstars", and she and her partner, David Charvet, took third place after David injured his wrist. Leslie also played herself in an episode of the TV-show "The Jersey" called "Nick's a Chick", where she switched bodies with a boy named Nick Lighter (played by Michael Galeota). In addition, she played herself in one episode of "The Simpsons". She also appeared in the movie "Think Like A Man", and played as herself. Leslie is also a playable character in the original Backyard Basketball, alongside Kevin Garnett. She was only the fourth female professional athlete in the Backyard Sports series, after Brianna Scurry, Brandi Chastain, and Tiffeny Milbrett. She also appeared in the 2nd episode of "All in with Cam" with host Cam Newton. In 2013, Leslie switched places with Downtown Julie Brown on the show "Celebrity Wife Swap". On January 28, 2016, it was announced that she would be a contestant in "The New Celebrity Apprentice" (also known as "Celebrity Apprentice 8"). Recently, she played septuagenarian Betty Lou in "Uncle Drew" which hit the theaters in June 2018.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Since her retirement from professional basketball, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several sports networks, such as NBC, ABC and Fox Sports Net. She had also released an autobiography called "Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You". In 2011, she had become a co-owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. In 2018, Leslie joined Fox Sports Florida as a studio analyst on Orlando Magic broadcasts.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie was named coach of the Triplets - an expansion team of the BIG3 three-on-three league founded by Ice Cube - on January 10, 2019, and that year led the team to a 7–1 record, and winning the BIG3 Championship.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: On November 5, 2005, Leslie married Michael Lockwood, who played basketball for the United States Air Force Academy and is a pilot for UPS. In 2007, she took a year's leave from professional basketball for a pregnancy, and her daughter was born in 2007. Leslie returned to the WNBA for the 2008 season. Leslie had her second child in 2010.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie is also a Christian. In an interview, she spoke out about her faith by saying: "As a prayerful kid, I was always putting my faith and goals in the Lord’s name. That was always one of the things that helped me the most. I always wanted to fulfill His purpose. I think that’s really been the saving grace for me. When you have faith, you have to step out on it [and trust God]."


title: Lisa Leslie

text: On February 4, 2020, Leslie was interviewed by Gayle King to talk about her friendship with Kobe Bryant. During the interview, Leslie was asked about Bryant's sexual assault case in 2003. Leslie responded that those accusations did not align with the person she knew.


title: Lisa Leslie

text: Leslie is now a realtor and co-founder of a sports and entertainment real-estate firm named Aston Rose.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (; 21 May 192114 December 1989) was a Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, nobel laureate and activist for nuclear disarmament, peace, and human rights.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: He became renowned as the designer of the Soviet Union's RDS-37, a codename for Soviet development of thermonuclear weapons. Sakharov later became an advocate of civil liberties and civil reforms in the Soviet Union, for which he faced state persecution; these efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. The Sakharov Prize, which is awarded annually by the European Parliament for people and organizations dedicated to human rights and freedoms, is named in his honor.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov was born in Moscow on May 21, 1921. His father was Dmitri Ivanovich Sakharov, a physics professor and an amateur pianist. His father taught at the Second Moscow State University. Andrei's grandfather Ivan had been a prominent lawyer in the Russian Empire who had displayed respect for social awareness and humanitarian principles (including advocating the abolition of capital punishment) that would later influence his grandson. Sakharov's mother was Yekaterina Alekseevna Sofiano, a daughter of the army general Aleksey Semenovich Sofiano. Sakharov's parents and paternal grandmother, Maria Petrovna, largely shaped his personality. His mother and grandmother were churchgoers; his father was a nonbeliever. When Andrei was about thirteen, he realized that he did not believe. However, despite being an atheist, he did believe in a "guiding principle" that transcends the physical laws.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov entered Physics Department of Moscow State University in 1938. Following evacuation in 1941 during the Great Patriotic War (World War II), he graduated in Aşgabat, in today's Turkmenistan. He was then assigned to laboratory work in Ulyanovsk. In 1943, he married Klavdia Alekseyevna Vikhireva, with whom he raised two daughters and a son. Klavdia would later die in 1969. He returned to Moscow in 1945 to study at the Theoretical Department of FIAN (the Physical Institute of the Soviet Academy of Sciences). He received his Ph.D. in 1947.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: After World War II, he researched cosmic rays. In mid-1948 he participated in the Soviet atomic bomb project under Igor Kurchatov and Igor Tamm. Sakharov's study group at FIAN in 1948 came up with a second concept in August–September 1948. Adding a shell of natural, unenriched uranium around the deuterium would increase the deuterium concentration at the uranium-deuterium boundary and the overall yield of the device, because the natural uranium would capture neutrons and itself fission as part of the thermonuclear reaction. This idea of a layered fission-fusion-fission bomb led Sakharov to call it the "sloika", or layered cake. The first Soviet atomic device was tested on August 29, 1949. After moving to Sarov in 1950, Sakharov played a key role in the development of the first megaton-range Soviet hydrogen bomb using a design known as "Sakharov's Third Idea" in Russia and the Teller–Ulam design in the United States. Before his "Third Idea", Sakharov tried a "layer cake" of alternating layers of fission and fusion fuel. The results were disappointing, yielding no more than a typical fission bomb. However the design was seen to be worth pursuing because deuterium is abundant and uranium is scarce, and he had no idea how powerful the US design was. Sakharov realised that in order to cause the explosion of one side of the fuel to symmetrically compress the fusion fuel, a mirror could be used to reflect the radiation. The details had not been officially declassified in Russia when Sakharov was writing his memoirs, but in the Teller–Ulam design, soft X-rays emitted by the fission bomb were focused onto a cylinder of lithium deuteride to compress it symmetrically. This is called radiation implosion. The Teller–Ulam design also had a secondary fission device inside the fusion cylinder to assist with the compression of the fusion fuel and generate neutrons to convert some of the lithium to tritium, producing a mixture of deuterium and tritium. Sakharov's idea was first tested as RDS-37 in 1955. A larger variation of the same design which Sakharov worked on was the 50 Mt Tsar Bomba of October 1961, which was the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov saw "striking parallels" between his fate and those of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller in the US. Sakharov believed that in this "tragic confrontation of two outstanding people", both deserved respect, because "each of them was certain he had right on his side and was morally obligated to go to the end in the name of truth." While Sakharov strongly disagreed with Teller over nuclear testing in the atmosphere and the Strategic Defense Initiative, he believed that American academics had been unfair to Teller's resolve to get the H-bomb for the United States since "all steps by the Americans of a temporary or permanent rejection of developing thermonuclear weapons would have been seen either as a clever feint, or as the manifestation of stupidity. In both cases, the reaction would have been the same – avoid the trap and immediately take advantage of the enemy's stupidity."


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov never felt that by creating nuclear weapons he had "known sin", in Oppenheimer's expression. He later wrote:


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1950 he proposed an idea for a controlled nuclear fusion reactor, the tokamak, which is still the basis for the majority of work in the area. Sakharov, in association with Tamm, proposed confining extremely hot ionized plasma by torus shaped magnetic fields for controlling thermonuclear fusion that led to the development of the tokamak device.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1951 he invented and tested the first explosively pumped flux compression generators, compressing magnetic fields by explosives. He called these devices MK (for "MagnetoKumulative") generators. The radial MK-1 produced a pulsed magnetic field of 25 megagauss (2500 teslas). The resulting helical MK-2 generated 1000 million amperes in 1953.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov then tested a MK-driven "plasma cannon" where a small aluminum ring was vaporized by huge eddy currents into a stable, self-confined toroidal plasmoid and was accelerated to 100 km/s. Sakharov later suggested replacing the copper coil in MK generators with a large superconductor solenoid to magnetically compress and focus underground nuclear explosions into a shaped charge effect. He theorized this could focus 10 protons per second on a 1 mm surface.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: After 1965 Sakharov returned to fundamental science and began working on particle physics and physical cosmology.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: He tried to explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe; in that regard, he was the first to give a theoretical motivation for proton decay. Proton decay was suggested by Wigner in 1949 and


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Proton decay experiments had been performed since 1954 already. Sakharov was the first to consider CPT-symmetric events occurring "before" the Big Bang:We can visualize that neutral spinless maximons (or photons) are produced at <nowiki>"</nowiki>t<nowiki>"</nowiki> < 0 from contracting matter having an excess of antiquarks, that they pass "one through the other" at the instant <nowiki>"</nowiki>t<nowiki>"</nowiki> = 0 when the density is infinite, and decay with an excess of quarks when <nowiki>"</nowiki>t<nowiki>"</nowiki> > 0, realizing total CPT symmetry of the universe. All the phenomena at t < 0 are assumed in this hypothesis to be CPT reflections of the phenomena at t > 0. His legacy in this domain are the famous conditions named after him: Baryon number violation, C-symmetry and CP-symmetry violation, and interactions out of thermal equilibrium.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov was also interested in explaining why the curvature of the universe is so small. This lead him to consider cyclic models, where the universe oscillates between contraction and expansion phases. In those models, after a certain number of cycles the curvature naturally becomes infinite even if it had not started this way: Sakharov considered three starting points, a flat universe with a slightly negative cosmological constant, a universe with a positive curvature and a zero cosmological constant, and a universe with a negative curvature and a slightly negative cosmological constant. Those last two models feature what Sakharov calls a reversal of the time arrow, which can be summarized as follows: He considers times t > 0 after the initial Big Bang singularity at t = 0 (which he calls "Friedman singularity" and denotes Φ) as well as times t < 0 before that singularity. He then assumes that entropy increases when time increases for t > 0 as well as when time decreases for t < 0, which constitutes his reversal of time. Then he considers the case when the universe at t < 0 is the image of the universe at t > 0 under CPT symmetry but also the case when it is not so: the universe has a non-zero CPT charge at t = 0 in this case. Sakharov considers a variant of this model where the reversal of the time arrow occurs at a point of maximum entropy instead of happening at the singularity. In those models there is no dynamic interaction between the universe at t < 0 and t > 0.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In his first model the two universes did not interact, except via local matter accumulation whose density and pressure become high enough to connect the two sheets through a bridge without spacetime between them, but with a continuity of geodesics beyond the Schwarzschild radius with no singularity, allowing an exchange of matter between the two conjugated sheets, based on an idea after Igor Dmitriyevich Novikov. Novikov called such singularities a "collapse" and an "anticollapse", which are an alternative to the couple black hole and white hole in the wormhole model. Sakharov also proposed the idea of induced gravity as an alternative theory of quantum gravity.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Since the late 1950s Sakharov had become concerned about the moral and political implications of his work. Politically active during the 1960s, Sakharov was against nuclear proliferation. Pushing for the end of atmospheric tests, he played a role in the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, signed in Moscow.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov was also involved in an event with political consequences in 1964, when the Soviet Academy of Sciences nominated for full membership Nikolai Nuzhdin, a follower of Trofim Lysenko (initiator of the Stalin-supported anti-genetics campaign Lysenkoism). Contrary to normal practice, Sakharov, a member of the academy, publicly spoke out against full membership for Nuzhdin and held him responsible for "the defamation, firing, arrest, even death, of many genuine scientists." In the end, Nuzhdin was not elected, but the episode prompted Sergei Khrushchev to order the KGB to gather compromising material on Sakharov.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: The major turn in Sakharov's political evolution came in 1967, when anti-ballistic missile defense became a key issue in US–Soviet relations. In a secret detailed letter to the Soviet leadership of July 21, 1967, Sakharov explained the need to "take the Americans at their word" and accept their proposal for a "bilateral rejection by the USA and the Soviet Union of the development of antiballistic missile defense" because an arms race in the new technology would otherwise increase the likelihood of nuclear war. He also asked permission to publish his manuscript, which accompanied the letter, in a newspaper to explain the dangers posed by that kind of defense. The government ignored his letter and refused to let him initiate a public discussion of ABMs in the Soviet press.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Since 1967, after the Six Day War and the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict, he actively supported Israel, as he reported more than once in the press, and also maintained friendly relations with refuseniks who later made aliyah.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In May 1968, Sakharov completed an essay, "Reflections on Progress, Peaceful Coexistence, and Intellectual Freedom". He described the anti-ballistic missile defense as a major threat of world nuclear war. After the essay was circulated in "samizdat" and then published outside the Soviet Union, Sakharov was banned from conducting any military-related research and returned to FIAN to study fundamental theoretical physics.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: For 12 years, until his exile to Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) in January 1980, Sakharov assumed the role of a widely recognized and open dissident in Moscow. He stood vigil outside closed courtrooms, wrote appeals on behalf of more than 200 individual prisoners, and continued to write essays about the need for democratization.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1970, Sakharov was among the three founding members of the Committee on Human Rights in the USSR, along with Valery Chalidze and Andrei Tverdokhlebov. The Committee wrote appeals, collected signatures for petitions and succeeded in affiliating with several international human rights organizations. Its work was the subject of many KGB reports and brought Sakharov under increasing pressure from the government.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: By 1973, Sakharov was meeting regularly with Western correspondents and holding press conferences in his apartment. He appealed to the US Congress to approve the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment to a trade bill, which coupled trade tariffs to the Kremlin's willingness to allow freer emigration.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1972, Sakharov became the target of sustained pressure from his fellow scientists in the Soviet Academy of Sciences and the Soviet press. The writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn came to his defence.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1973 and 1974, the Soviet media campaign continued, targeting both Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn for their pro-Western, anti-socialist positions.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov later described that it took "years" for him to "understand how much substitution, deceit, and lack of correspondence with reality there was" in the Soviet ideals. "At first I thought, despite everything that I saw with my own eyes, that the Soviet State was a breakthrough into the future, a kind of prototype for all countries". Then he came, in his words, to "the theory of symmetry: all governments and regimes to a first approximation are bad, all peoples are oppressed, and all are threatened by common dangers."


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov's ideas on social development led him to put forward the principle of human rights as a new basis of all politics. In his works, he declared that "the principle 'what is not prohibited is allowed' should be understood literally", and defied what he saw as unwritten ideological rules imposed by the Communist Party on the society in spite of a democratic Soviet Constitution (1936).


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In a letter written from exile, he cheered up a fellow physicist and free market advocate with the words: "Fortunately, the future is unpredictable and also – because of quantum effects – uncertain." For Sakharov, the indeterminacy of the future supported his belief that he could and should take personal responsibility for it.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1973, Sakharov was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and in 1974, he was awarded the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. The Norwegian Nobel Committee called him "a spokesman for the conscience of mankind". In the words of the Nobel Committee's citation: "In a convincing manner Sakharov has emphasised that Man's inviolable rights provide the only safe foundation for genuine and enduring international cooperation."


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov was not allowed to leave the Soviet Union to collect the prize. His wife, Yelena Bonner, read his speech at the ceremony in Oslo, Norway. On the day the prize was awarded, Sakharov was in Vilnius, where the human rights activist Sergei Kovalev was being tried. In his Nobel lecture, "Peace, Progress, Human Rights", Sakharov called for an end to the arms race, greater respect for the environment, international cooperation, and universal respect for human rights. He included a list of prisoners of conscience and political prisoners in the Soviet Union and stated that he shared the prize with them.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: By 1976, the head of the KGB, Yuri Andropov, was prepared to call Sakharov "Domestic Enemy Number One" before a group of KGB officers.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Sakharov was arrested on 22 January 1980, following his public protests against the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, and was sent to the city of Gorky, now Nizhny Novgorod, a city that was off limits to foreigners.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Between 1980 and 1986, Sakharov was kept under Soviet police surveillance. In his memoirs, he mentioned that their apartment in Gorky was repeatedly subjected to searches and heists. Sakharov was named the 1980 Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In May 1984, Sakharov's wife, Yelena Bonner, was detained, and Sakharov began a hunger strike, demanding permission for his wife to travel to the United States for heart surgery. He was forcibly hospitalized and force-fed. He was held in isolation for four months. In August 1984, Bonner was sentenced by a court to five years of exile in Gorky.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In April 1985, Sakharov started a new hunger strike for his wife to travel abroad for medical treatment. He again was taken to a hospital and force-fed. In August, the Politburo discussed what to do about Sakharov. He remained in the hospital until October 1985, when his wife was allowed to travel to the United States. She had heart surgery in the United States and returned to Gorky in June 1986.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In December 1985, the European Parliament established the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to be given annually for outstanding contributions to human rights.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: On 19 December 1986, Mikhail Gorbachev, who had initiated the policies of perestroika and glasnost, called Sakharov to tell him that he and his wife could return to Moscow.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1988, Sakharov was given the International Humanist Award by the International Humanist and Ethical Union. He helped to initiate the first independent legal political organizations and became prominent in the Soviet Union's growing political opposition. In March 1989, Sakharov was elected to the new parliament, the All-Union Congress of People's Deputies and co-led the democratic opposition, the Inter-Regional Deputies Group. In November the head of the KGB reported to Gorbachev on Sakharov's encouragement and support for the coal miners' strike in Vorkuta.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In December 1988, Sakharov visited Armenia and Azerbaijan on a fact-finding mission. He concluded, "For Azerbaijan the issue of Karabakh is a matter of ambition, for the Armenians of Karabakh, it is a matter of life and death".


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Soon after 9 p.m. on 14 December 1989, Sakharov went to his study to take a nap before preparing an important speech he was to deliver the next day in the Congress. His wife went to wake him at 11pm as he had requested but she found Sakharov dead on the floor. According to the notes of Yakov Rapoport, a senior pathologist present at the autopsy, it is most likely that Sakharov died of an arrhythmia consequent to dilated cardiomyopathy at the age of 68. He was interred in the Vostryakovskoye Cemetery in Moscow.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was established in 1988 by the European Parliament in his honour, and is the highest tribute to human rights endeavours awarded by the European Union. It is awarded annually by the parliament to "those who carry the spirit of Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov"; to "Laureates who, like Sakharov, dedicate their lives to peaceful struggle for human rights."


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: An Andrei Sakharov prize has also been awarded by the American Physical Society every second year since 2006 "to recognize outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights".


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 2004, with the approval of Yelena Bonner, an annual Sakharov Prize for journalism was established for reporters and commentators in Russia. Funded by former Soviet dissident Pyotr Vins, now a businessman in the US, the prize is administered by the Glasnost Defence Foundation in Moscow. The prize "for journalism as an act of conscience" has been won over the years by famous journalists such as Anna Politkovskaya and young reporters and editors working far from Russia's media capital, Moscow. The 2015 winner was Yelena Kostyuchenko.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: The Andrei Sakharov Archives and Human Rights Center, established at Brandeis University in 1993, are now housed at Harvard University.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: The documents from that archive were published by the Yale University Press in 2005. These documents are available online.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: Most of documents of the archive are letters from the head of the KGB to the Central Committee about activities of Soviet dissidents and recommendations about the interpretation in newspapers. The letters cover the period from 1968 to 1991 (Brezhnev stagnation). The documents characterize not only Sakharov's activity, but that of other dissidents, as well as that of highest-position apparatchiks and the KGB. No Russian equivalent of the KGB archive is available.


title: Andrei Sakharov

text: In 1980, Sakharov was stripped of all Soviet awards for "anti-Soviet activities". Later, during glasnost, he declined the return of his awards and, consequently, Mikhail Gorbachev did not sign the necessary decree.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (; "Botafogo Football and Rowing"), also known as "Botafogo", is a Brazilian sports club based in the bairro (neighborhood) of Botafogo, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Botafogo is mostly known for its association football team. It plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league. In 2000, Botafogo finished 12th in a vote by subscribers of "FIFA Magazine" for the FIFA Club of the Century.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In addition, the club has some of Brazilian football's most notable records, as the most unbeaten matches: 52 games between 1977 and 1978; the most unbeaten matches record in the Brazilian Championship games: 42, also between 1977 and 1978; the most player participations in total matches of the Brazil national football team (considering official and unofficial games): 1,094 participations and the most players assigned to the Brazil national team for World Cup. The club holds the record for the greatest victory ever recorded in Brazilian football: 24–0 against Sport Club Mangueira in 1909.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: On 12 August 1904, another club was founded in the neighborhood: the Electro Club, the name first given to the Botafogo Football Club. The idea came during an algebra lesson at Alfredo Gomes College, when Flávio Ramos wrote to his friend Emmanuel Sodré: "Itamar has a football club in Martins Ferreira Street. Let's establish another one, in Largo dos Leões, what do you think? We can speak to the Wernecks, to Arthur César, Vicente and Jacques". The Electro Club was founded, but its name did not last. After a suggestion from Dona Chiquitota, Flávio's grandmother, the club finally became the Botafogo Football Club, on September 18 of the same year. The colors were black and white like those of Juventus FC, the team of Itamar Tavares, one of the club's founders. Its badge was drawn by Basílio Vianna Jr., in Swiss style with the BFC monogram. The Botafogo Football Club would soon become one of the strongest football teams in Rio de Janeiro, winning the championships of 1907, 1910, 1912 and more.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: With the same name, the same location, the same colours and most important the same supporters, it seemed inevitable that the clubs would merge. They did so on 8 December1942, after a basketball match between both clubs, when Botafogo Football Club player Armando Albano died suddenly, that the idea of a merger began. On this tragic occasion, the president of Club de Regatas Botafogo, (also a major Brazilian poet), spoke: "At this time, I declare to Albano that his last match ended with the victory of his team. We won't play the time left on the clock. We all want the young fighter to leave this great night as a winner. This is how we salute him." Eduardo Góis Trindade, Botafogo Football Club's president said: "Between the matches of our clubs, only one can be the winner: Botafogo!." And then Schmidt declared the fusion: "What else do we need for our clubs to become one?." Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas finally came into being. The Football Club's badge became black, and the monogram substituted by Clube de Regatas' lone star.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The team won the Campeonato Carioca in 1907, 1910 and 1912. In 1909 the team beat Mangueira 24–0, which remains the highest score in Brazilian football.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In the 1940s, after the creation of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, the team's best player was Heleno de Freitas. However, Heleno did not win a championship for Botafogo. He scored 204 goals in 233 matches, but went to the Boca Juniors in 1948, the year Botafogo won its 9th state championship.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: They won the Campeonato Carioca in 1957, 1961 and 1962, and in 1968 they won Serie A, becoming the first "carioca" club to win the Brazilian league.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: 1989 ended a period of 21 years without a title when the club won the state championship, retaining the trophy in 1990.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In the 1990s, Botafogo won Copa Conmebol (the precursor of the current Copa Sudamericana). And in 1995 they won the Brazilian League for the second time in club's history, after drawing 1–1 the second leg of the Final against Santos FC at São Paulo.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Botafogo would be relegated to the Second Division after ranking last in the Brazilian League of 2002. In 2003, Botafogo ranked second in Brazil's Second division (after Palmeiras) and returned to the First Division.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In 2006, the club won the Rio de Janeiro State Championship for the 18th time, and again in 2010 and 2013 with the iconic players Loco Abreu and Seedorf, respectively.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In the 2020 edition of the Série A, Botafogo performed poorly and ended the championship in the last position, causing the club's relegation to the Série B for their third time in history.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Nowadays, Botafogo is the only club to have won titles in three different centuries, including the state championship for rowing in 1899.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Beginning in 2020, Botafogo underwent a series of internal audits in order to spin off its football division as a for-profit corporate entity, owned by the club, but which could be portioned and sold to investors. This was due to unprecedented legislation allowing for football clubs to be operated as corporations, and would be a solution to the severe financial crisis the club had faced for decades. Relegation to the Série B, however, delayed these plans.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The year 2021 saw Botafogo's debt reach one billion real. They placed 6th in the Rio de Janeiro State Championship, after a penalty decision lost to the also relegated Vasco da Gama. The club was off to a middling start to the Série B season, but bounced back after the hiring of manager Enderson Moreira, who was able to bring Botafogo back to the top tier of Brazilian football, as champions of the 2021 edition of Série B. It was Botafogo's second Série B title.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Meanwhile, the incoming administration had begun internal restructuring, hiring executive Jorge Braga for the brand-new post of CEO and downsizing its workforce considerably. Botafogo entered into a partnership with the investment firm XP Inc. in order to seek out potential buyers for its football division, which was in the process of becoming its own corporate entity. Congress had recently passed the Sociedade Anônima de Futebol (SAF) law, allowing foreigners to purchase shares in Brazilian football clubs for the first time in history.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Having averted complete financial disaster by returning to Série A, the country's top competitive tier, Botafogo finalized its transition into the SAF legal structure. The social club remained as an entity, owning 100% of Botafogo SAF's shares. In January 2022, it came to light that American investor John Textor, owner of a majority stake in Premier League club Crystal Palace F.C., was in talks to purchase a majority share of Botafogo. In February 2022, the club announced the acquisition of 90% of the shares of Botafogo's football division by Textor's holding company Eagle Holdings, and the start of a new era for the club.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The team's home ground is the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, named in honor of Nilton Santos, a former club player and two time world champion with the Brazil National Football Team, and some feel the greatest left back of all time, .


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The derby with Fluminense is known as the "Clássico Vovô" (Grandfather Derby) because it is the oldest derby in the whole country. Both teams faced each other for the first time in 1905.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The match with Vasco is known as the "Friendship Derby" because the supporters of both club have been friends historically. It is the only derby in the city that tends to be nonviolent.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The derby against Flamengo, "The Rivalry Derby", is the biggest one for the club, and one of the more important in Brazil. The clubs strongly dislike each other and the rivalry goes from the players on the pitch, to the fans, to both clubs' boardrooms. Players who participate in these matches usually become club idols. Some examples include: Garrincha, Manga, Jairzinho, Túlio Maravilha, and more recently Loco Abreu and Jefferson. Manga is known for a remarkable quote about this derby when he used to say that the player's prize money was already guaranteed because it was easy to beat Flamengo. Flamengo's biggest star Zico once said that at his childhood, Botafogo was the club he hated more because the "Glorioso" used to win all the derbies.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The Lone Star ("Estrela Solitária") is currently present in Botafogo's flag and crest. This star was the principal symbol of Club de Regatas Botafogo. After the two Botafogos merged, the Lone Star became one of the most important symbols of Botafogo's football team.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The old flag of Club de Regatas Botafogo was white with a small black square which contained the Lone Star. The Football Club had a flag with nine black and white stripes with the club's crest localized in the center. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas then based its flag on that of the two old clubs. The flag has five black and four white stripes, with a black square at the upper left side with the Lone Star.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Their primary uniform consists of a black jersey with vertical white stripes, black shorts and grey socks. Their secondary uniform is all white. An all black uniform may also be used. The socks, although traditionally grey, may also be black or even white on rare occasions.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: Botafogo's mascot is Manequinho, an urinating boy originating from a replica of the Manneken Pis statue that stands near Botafogo's headquarters, which on occasion had a Botafogo jersey put onto by supporters of the team. In 1948 a stray dog named "Biriba", known for urinating on the players, was the mascot that led them to the Campeonato Carioca. The first mascot was Donald Duck, who cartoonist Lorenzo Mollas drew in the early 1940s wearing Botafogo's jersey, but was never officially adopted due to rights issues.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In 2006 Botafogo had "Supergasbras" and "Alê" as sponsors, the arrangement during that year earned the team $3.2 million (R$7.2 million). The next year, Botafogo managed to sign the sixth highest sponsorship deal in Brazil the new sponsor "Liquigás", a Petrobrás subsidiary paid the club $3.9 million (R$7.8 million) under the terms of the one-year contract. In 2008 not only was the agreement with "Liquigás" renewed for another year, but it also became more lucrative since the sponsorship was raised to around $5 million (R$10.2 million).


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: In 2007, Botafogo generated the 12th largest amount of revenue for all Brazilian Football clubs— a total $20.8 million (or R$41.1 million) but Botafogo had a net loss of $1.9 million (or R$3.7 million). Also at the end of 2007 Botafogo had total debts of $106.1 million (or R$209.7 million).


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: However, in more recent years matters have taken a turn for the worse. The club has suffered various financial crises and a recent report stated that the club had to resort to handouts from benefactors in order to pay for basic necessities.


title: Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas

text: The club has some of Brazilian football's top records, as the most unbeaten matches: 52 games between 1977 and 1978; the matches unbeaten record in the Brazilian Championship games: 42, also between 1977 and 1978; the most player participations in total matches of the Brazil national football team (considering official and unofficial games): 1,094 participations and the most players assigned to the Brazil national team for World Cup.