text: The standard yard and pound were lost in 1834 when a fire partially destroyed the Palace of Westminster. Following a report published in 1841 by a commission new standard yard and pound were manufactured using the best available secondary sources. Unlike the previous standard, the new pound standard was a pound avoirdupois. They were accepted by an Act of Parliament as the standards for length and weight in 1855. Following the debacle over the different gallons that had been adopted by the United States and the United Kingdom thirty years earlier, one of the copies of the standard yard was offered to and accepted by the United States Government.


title: Imperial and US customary measurement systems

text: The 1835 Weights and Measures Act tidied up a number of shortcomings in the 1825 Act. In response to representations from traders, the stone and the hundredweight were formally defined as being 14 pounds and 112 pounds respectively and the experiment of defining a "heaped" measure as outlined in the 1824 Act was abandoned. Not all trades followed the use of the 14 stone—Britten, in 1880 for example, catalogued a number of different values of the stone in various British towns and cities ranging from 4 lb to 26 lb The 1835 Act also restricted the use of Troy measure to precious metals and required that coal be sold by weight and not by volume.


text: The Weights and Measures Act of 1878 overhauled the inspection regime of weights and measures used in trade. The act also reaffirmed the use of the brass standard yard and platinum standard pound as the standards for use in the United Kingdom, reaffirmed the use of apothecaries measures in the pharmaceutical industry, reaffirmed the 1824 definition of the gallon, removed the Troy pound from the list of legal units of measure, added the fathom to the list of legal units and fixed the ratio of metric to imperial units at one metre being equal to 39.3708 inches and one kilogram being equal to 15432.3487 grains (1 lb = 0.453592654 kg). Subsequent to the passing of the act, the volume of the gallon which had been defined as being the volume of 10 lb distilled water at was remeasured and set at 277.42 cubic inches though HM Customs and Excise continued to use the 1824 definition for excise purposes.


text: The Weights and Measures Act of 1878 effectively prohibited the use of metric weights for trade, the United Kingdom having declined to sign the Convention of the Metre three years previously. The standard imperial yard was not stable – in 1947 its rate of shrinkage was quantified and found to be one part per million every 23 years. In April 1884 HJ Chaney, Warden of Standards in London unofficially contacted the BIPM (custodians of the standard metre) inquiring whether the BIPM would calibrate some metre standards that had been manufactured in the United Kingdom. Broch, director of the BIPM replied that he was not authorised to perform any such calibrations for non-member states. On 17 September 1884, the British Government signed the convention on behalf of the United Kingdom. The Weights and Measures Act of 1897 authorized the use of metric units for trade; a list of metric to imperial equivalents being published the following year.


text: Under the Weights and Measures Act of 1824 custody of the standard yard and pound and custody of the administration of weights and measures was entrusted to the Exchequer but verification was administered locally. The 1835 Act formally described the office and duties of Inspectors of Weights and Measures and required every borough to appoint such officers and the 1866 Act passed responsibility for weights and measures to the Board of Trade. In 1900 the Board of Trade established the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to provide laboratory facilities for weights and measures.


text: After the passage of the 1897 Act, weights and measures in the United Kingdom remained relatively unchanged until after the Second World War. By the middle of the century the difference of 2 parts per million between the British and US standard yards was causing problems—in 1900 a tolerance of 10 parts per million was adequate for science, but by 1950 this tolerance had shrunk to 0.25 parts per million. In 1960 representatives from the NPL and other national laboratories from the United States and Commonwealth agreed to redefine the yard as being exactly 0.9144 metres, an action that was ratified by the British Government as part of the 1963 Weights and Measures Act.


text: Metrication in the United Kingdom began in the mid-1960s. Initially this metrication was voluntary and by 1985 many traditional and imperial units of measure had been voluntarily removed from use in the retail trade. The Weights and Measures Act of 1985 formalized their removal for use in trade, though imperial units were retained for use on road signs and the most common imperial weights such as the foot, inch, pound, ounce, gallon and pint continued to be used in the retail trade for the sale of loose goods or goods measured or weighed in front of the customer. Since 1 January 2000 it has been unlawful to use imperial units for weights and measures in retail trade in the United Kingdom except as supplementary units or for the sale of draught beer and cider by the pint or milk that is sold in returnable containers.


text: When colonies attained dominion status, they also attained the right to control their own systems of weights and measures. Many adopted the imperial system of units with local variations. India and Hong Kong supplemented the imperial system of units with their own indigenous units of measure, parts of Canada and South Africa included land survey units of measure from earlier colonial masters in their systems of measure while many territories used only a subset of the units used in the United Kingdom—in particular the stone, quarter and cental were not catalogued in, amongst others, Australian, Canadian and Indian legislation. Furthermore, Canada aligned her ton with US measures by cataloguing the ton of 2000 lb as being legal for trade, but kept the imperial gallon.


text: The standardization of the yard in 1960 required not only agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, but also of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, all of whom had their own standards laboratories.


text: Prior to their declaration of independence in 1776, the thirteen colonies that were to become the United States used the English system of measurement. The Articles of Confederation which predated the Constitution gave the central government "the sole and exclusive right and power of...fixing the Standard of Weights and Measures throughout the United States." Subsequent to the formation of the United States, the Constitution reaffirmed the right of Congress to "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures" but reserved the right to regulate commerce and weights and measures to the individual states.


text: During the First Congress of the United States in 1789, Thomas Jefferson was detailed to draw up a plan for the currency and weights of measures that would be used in the new republic. In his response in 1790 he noted that the existing system of measure was sound but that control of the base artefact was not under the control of the United States. His report suggested a means of manufacturing a local standard and also left the way open for an adoption of a decimal-based system should this be appropriate. In the event, the existing standards were retained.


text: For many years no action was taken at the federal level to ensure harmony in units of measure – the units acquired by the early colonists appeared to serve their purpose. Congress did nothing, but Ferdinand Hassler, Superintendent of the East Coast survey, who in 1790 had met using contacts in his native Switzerland acquired a copy of the [French] "mètre des Archives".


text: In 1810 Ferdinand Hassler was dispatched to Europe by the Treasury to acquire measuring instruments and standards.


text: In 1827 Albert Gallatin, United States minister at London acquired an "exact copy" of the troy pound held by the British Government which in 1828 was adopted as the reference copy of weight in the United States.


text: In 1821 John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State submitted a report based on research commissioned by the Senate in 1817 which recommended against adoption of the metric system. Congress did nothing and in 1832 the Treasury adopted the yard of 36 inches as the unit of length for customs purposes, the avoirdupois pound of 7000 grains as the unit of weight and the gallon of 231 cubic inches (the "Queen Anne gallon") and the bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches as the units of volume. Congress did little to promote standards across the United States other than fixing the size of the yard and the gallon.


text: Throughout the nineteenth century individual states developed their own standards and in particular a variety of bushels based on weight (mass) rather than volume emerged, dependent on both commodity and state. This lack of uniformity crippled inter-state trade and in 1905 the National Bureau of Standards called a meeting of the states to discuss the lack of uniform standards and in many cases, a means of regulatory oversight. A meeting was held the following year and subsequently became an annual gathering known as the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). In 1915 the conference published its first model standards. The bushel was not fully standardized and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange still (May 2013) uses different bushels for different commodities—a bushel of corn being 56 lb, a bushel of oats 38 lb and a bushel of soybeans 60 lb and a bushel of red winter wheat (both hard and soft) also 60 lb. Other commodities at the exchange are reckoned in pounds, in short tons or in metric tons.


text: One of the actions taken by Congress was to permit the use of the metric system in trade (1866), made at the height of the metrication process in Latin America. Other actions were to ratify the Metre Convention in 1875 and under the Mendenhall Order of 1897, to redefine the pound and the yard in terms of the international prototype of the kilogram and the international prototype of the metre respectively.


text: In 1901 the administration of weights and measures was handed to a federal agency, the National Bureau of Standards, which in 1988 became the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Inactivity by Congress and the lack of uniformity of weights and measures which were crippling US economic growth in the nineteenth century led to the National Bureau of Standards to call a meeting of states in 1905 which resulted in the setting up of the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM). This organisation is the "de facto" controlling body for weights and measures in the United States, though in respect of international relations such as membership of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (an intergovernmental organization) the US Government itself has to take the lead.


text: During the twentieth century the principal change in the customary system of weights and measures was an agreement between NIST and the corresponding bodies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, signed in 1960, that redefined the yard and the pound in terms of the metre and the kilogram respectively. These new units became known as the international yard and pound. Congress has neither endorsed nor repudiated this action. (See ).


text: Two of the earliest such units of measure to come into use were the "horsepower" and the "degree Fahrenheit". The "horsepower" was defined by James Watt in 1782 as the power required to raise 33,000 pounds of water through a height of one foot in one minute and the degree Fahrenheit was first defined by Daniel Fahrenheit in about 1713 as being a temperature scale having its lower calibration point (0 °F) at temperature where a supersaturated salt/ice mixture froze and its upper calibration point at body temperature (96 °F). In 1777 the Royal Society, under the chairmanship of Henry Cavendish, proposed the definition of the Fahrenheit scale be modified such that the temperature corresponding to the melting point of ice be and the boiling point of water under standard atmospheric conditions be .


text: The British thermal unit (Btu) is defined as the heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It was in use before 1859 as a unit of heat based on imperial units rather than the metric units used by the French—Clément-Desormes having defined the calorie in terms of the kilogram and degrees Celsius ('centigrade') in 1824.


text: In 1873 a committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science under the chairmanship of William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) introduced the concept of coherence into units of measure and proposed the names dyne and erg as the units of force and work in the CGS system of units. Two years later James Thomson, older brother of William Thomson, introduced the term poundal as a coherent unit of force in the Foot–pound–second system (FPS) of measurement. The FPS unit of work is the foot-poundal.


text: Other systems for the measurement of dynamic quantities that used imperial and US customary units are the British Gravitational System (BG) proposed by Arthur Mason Worthington and the English Engineering System (EE). Both systems depend on the gravitational acceleration, and use the pound-force as the unit of force but use different approaches when applying Newton's laws of motion. In the BG system, force, rather than mass has a base unit while the slug is a derived unit of inertia (rather than mass). On the other hand, the EE system uses a different approach and introduces the acceleration due to gravity ("g") into its equations. Both these approaches led to slight variations in the meaning of the pound-force (and also of the kilogram-force) in different parts of the world. Various countries published standard values that should be used for "g", and in 1901 the CGPM published a standard value for "g" that should be used in the "International Service of Weights and Measures", namely , which is equal to the value of "g" at 45° latitude.


text: AE is ignored in many engineering courses and textbooks while some, such as Darby only uses EE (alongside SI), having described the BG and EE systems as "archaic".


text: The standard yard and [Troy] pound were lost in 1834 when a fire partially destroyed the Palace of Westminster. Following a report published in 1841 by a commission, a new standard yard and pound were manufactured using the best available secondary sources. Unlike the previous standard, the new pound standard, made of platinum, was a pound avoirdupois. The new yard, slightly longer than a yard to prevent wear as was experienced with the , was made of brass and had two gold plugs close to its end. Scratch marks on the plugs denoted the length of the yard. They were accepted by an Act of Parliament as the standards for length and weight in 1855. Following the debacle over the different gallons that had been adopted by the United States and the United Kingdom thirty years earlier, one of the copies of the standard yard and avoirdupois pound (known in the United States as the "Mint pound") was offered to and accepted by the United States government.


text: In the years that followed the passing of the 1878 act, the standard imperial yard was found to be shrinking at a rate, confirmed in 1950, to be nearly one part per million every 30 years. On the other hand, the international prototype metre, manufactured from a platinum-iridium alloy rather than brass by a British firm, which in 1889 replaced the as the standard for the metre, was found to be more stable than the standard yard. Both the United States and the United Kingdom, as signatories of the Metre Convention, took delivery of copies of both the standard metre and the standard kilogram. The "Mint pound" was also found to be of poor workmanship.


text: In 1866 the United States government legalised use of metric units in contract law, defining them in terms of the equivalent customary units to five significant figures, which was sufficient for purposes of trade. In 1893, under the Mendenhall Order the United States abandoned the 1855 yard as a standard of length and the "Mint pound" as a standard of mass, redefining them in terms of the metre and kilogram using the values of the 1866 legislation. In the United Kingdom fresh comparisons of the imperial and metric standards of length and mass were made and were used in the Weights and Measures Act 1897 to redefine the yard and pound in terms of the metre and kilogram respectively. In addition, the definitions of both the yard and the pound in terms of the artifacts held by the British government was reaffirmed giving both the yard and the pound two different definitions. The differences between the British and the US yard and pound was of the order of a few parts per million.


text: By the end of the Second World War, the standards laboratories of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa also had their own copies of the pound and the yard. These legal and technical discrepancies, described by McGreevy (pg 290) as being "unsound" led to the Commonwealth Science Conference of 1946. proposing that the Commonwealth countries and the United States should all redefine the yard and the pound in terms of an agreed fraction of the metre and kilogram respectively. Agreement was reached by the standards laboratories in 1960 to redefine the yard and the pound as


text: The final digit of the value chosen for the pound was chosen so as to make the number divisible by 7 without a repeating decimal, making the grain exactly .


text: This agreement was ratified by the United Kingdom in 1963 while Canada pre-empted the decision by adopting these values in 1951, nine years ahead of the full international agreement. The United States Congress has neither ratified nor repudiated the agreement.


text: Prior to 1960 the imperial and customary yard and the pound were sufficiently close to each other that for most practical purposes the differences in the sizes of units of length, area, volume and mass could be disregarded, though there were differences in usage - for example, in the United States short road distances are specified in feet while in the United Kingdom they are specified in yards The introduction of the international yard in 1960 caused small but noticeable effects in surveying in the United States which resulted in some states retaining the original definitions of the customary units of measure which are now known as the survey mile, foot, while other states adopted the international foot. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the survey foot will be obsolete as of January 1, 2023, and its use discouraged.


text: The definition of units of weight above a pound differed between the customary and the imperial system - the imperial system employed the stone of 14 pounds, the hundredweight of 8 stone and the ton of 2240 pounds (20 hundredweight), while the customary system of units did not employ the stone but has a hundredweight of 100 pounds and a ton of 2000 pounds. In international trade, the ton of 2240 pounds was often referred to as the "long ton" and the ton of 2000 pounds as the "short ton". When using customary units, it is usual to express body weight in pounds, but when using imperial units, to use stones and pounds.


text: In his "Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States", Thomas Jefferson, then secretary of state, identified 14 different gallons in English statutes varying in size from 224 to 282 cubic inches (3.67 to 4.62 litres).


text: In 1832, in the absence of any direction by Congress, the United States Treasury chose the second smallest gallon, the "Queen Anne gallon" of 231 cubic inches (3.785 litres), to be the official gallon in the United States for fiscal purposes. Sixteen US fluid ounces make a US pint (8 pints equals 1 gallon in both customary and imperial systems).


text: During the reform of weights and measures legislation in the United Kingdom in 1824, old gallons were replaced by the new imperial gallon, which was defined to be the volume to 10 pounds of water at 62 °F (17 °C), and was determined experimentally to be 277.42 cubic inches (4.54609 litres). Twenty imperial fluid ounces make an imperial pint, the imperial fluid ounce being 0.96 US fluid ounces.


text: The US Customary system of units makes use of set of dry units of capacity that have a similar set of names to those of liquid capacity, though different volumes: the dry pint having a volume of 33.6 cubic inches (550 ml) against the US fluid pint's volume of 28.875 cubic inches (473 ml) and the imperial pint of 34.68 cubic inches (568 ml). The imperial system of measure does not have an equivalent to the US customary system of "dry measure".


text: In the international commodities markets, the barrel (, ≈159 litres) is used in both London and New York/Chicago for trading in crude oil and the troy ounce (≈31.10 grams) for trading in precious metals, except the London markets use metric units and the Chicago Board of Trade uses customary units.


text: The tables below catalogue the imperial units of measure that were permitted for use in trade in the United Kingdom on the eve of metrication (1976) and the customary "units of measurement that have traditionally been used in the United States". In addition, named units of measure that are used in the engineering industry are also catalogued. Prior to metrication, the units of measure used in Ireland were the same as those used in the United Kingdom while those used in the British Commonwealth and in South Africa were in most cases a subset of those used in the United Kingdom with, in certain cases, local differences.


text: Unless otherwise specified, the units of measure quoted below were used in both the United States, the United Kingdom. The SI equivalents are quoted to four significant figures.


text: In 1893 the United States fixed the yard at metres, making the yard 0.9144018 metres and 1896 the British authorities fixed the yard as being 0.9143993 metres. At the time the discrepancy of about two parts per million was considered to be insignificant. In 1960, the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada and South Africa standardised their units of length by defining the "international yard" as being 0.9144 metres exactly. This change affected land surveyors in the United States and led to the old units being renamed "survey feet", "survey miles" etc. However the introduction of the metric-based Ordnance Survey National Grid in the United Kingdom in 1938 meant that British surveyors were unaffected by the change.


text: The introduction of the international yard in 1960 had no effect on British measurements of area, however US measurements of land area, as opposed to other measurements of area (such as pounds per "square inch") continued to be based on the US statute yard.


text: Several of the units of liquid volume have similar names, but have different volumes – and in the case of fluid ounces and pints, different relations. In addition the definitions of the imperial and US gallons are based on different concepts – the imperial gallon is defined in terms of the volume occupied by a specified mass of water, while the US gallon is specified in terms of cubic linear measurement.


text: Units of mass in both the imperial and US customary system have always used the same standard, though differences in multiples of the avoirdupois pound developed in the nineteenth century. Both systems used three scales – avoirdupois for general use, troy for precious metals, and apothecaries for medicine.


text: Apothecary mass were used in the pharmaceutical industry and have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages – the apothecary pound and ounce being the same as the troy pound and ounce, but each system having different divisions. In the United Kingdom, they were replaced by metric units in 1970.


text: The names of most derived units of measure in the imperial and US customary systems are concatenations of the constituent parts of the unit of measure, for example the unit of pressure is the "pounds [force] per square inch". Apart from the poundal, most of the named units of measure are non-coherent, but were adopted due to traditional working practice.


text: In addition to those catalogued above, there are hundreds of other units of measurement in both the imperial and the US customary system of measurement – many are specific to a particular industry of application. Such units could, in theory, be replaced by general units of the same dimension, for example the barrel (42 US gallons, 34.97 imperial gallons or 159.0 litres) used in the oil industry has the dimension of volume and could be replaced by the cubic metre or litre.


text: The definitions of potential difference (volt), electric current (ampere), electrical resistance (ohm) were defined in terms of metric units, international agreement having been reached at a series of IEC Congress in Chicago between 1881 and 1906 when the electrical industry started. At that time, the metric system had become established in continental Europe while an issue in the United Kingdom. Similarly, the radiological units of measurement were defined in terms of metric units, agreement first having been reached at the second International Congress of Radiology at Stockholm (1928).


text: In the 1960s a metrication program was initiated in most English-speaking countries, resulting in either the partial or total displacement of the imperial system or the US customary system of measure in those countries. The current status of imperial and US customary units, as summarised by NIST, is that "the SI metric system is now the official system of units in the United Kingdom, while the customary units are still predominantly used in the United States".


text: The situation is however not as clear-cut as this. In the United States, for example, the metric system is the predominant system of measure in certain fields such as automobile manufacture even though customary units are used in aircraft manufacture. In the United Kingdom, metric units are required for almost all regulated use of units of measure except for a few specifically exempt areas such as road signs, speedometers and draught beer. Metrication is also all but complete in the Commonwealth countries of Australia, India, New Zealand and South Africa; metrication in Canada has displaced the imperial system in many areas.


text: The imperial and US customary systems of measurement use the SI for their formal definitions, the yard being defined as 0.9144 metres exactly, the pound avoirdupois as exactly while both systems of measure share the definition of the second.


title: Exide Industries

text: Exide Industries Ltd, is an Indian multinational storage battery manufacturer company, headquartered in Kolkata. It is the largest manufacturer of automotive and industrial lead-acid batteries in India and fourth largest in the world. It has plants in India and Sri Lanka and dealership network in 46 countries spanning 5 continents. Exide also has four major lead-acid battery recycling facilities — two of which are in the United States, and Spain and Portugal each have one as well. The company claims that 99 percent of lead processed through these facilities is recycled.


title: Exide Industries

text: In January 2013, Exide Industries acquired 100% of the equity capital of ING Vysya Life Insurance. In May 2014, the name of ING Vysya Life Insurance Company Limited was changed to Exide Life Insurance Company Limited.


title: Exide Industries

text: The company has seven factories located across the country – two in Maharashtra, two in West Bengal - Shamnagar (Mother plant) & Haldia, one in Tamil Nadu Hosur, one in Haryana and two in Uttarakhand. Exide is the only company which provide submarine batteries to Indian Navy.


title: Exide Industries

text: This company was incorporated as Associated Battery Makers (Eastern) Ltd., on "31 January 1953" under the Companies Act, 1913 to purchase all or any of the assets of the business of manufacturers, buyers and sellers of and dealers in and repairers of electrical and chemical appliances and goods carried on by the Chloride Electric Storage Company (India) Ltd., in India, since 1916 with a view thereto to enter into and carry into effect (either with or without modification) an agreement which had already been prepared and was expressed to be made between the Chloride Electric Storage Co. (India) Ltd. on the one part and the company of the other part. The name of the company was changed to Chloride India Ltd. on 2 August 1972. The name of the company was again changed to Chloride Industries Ltd. vide fresh Certificate of Incorporation dated 12 October 1988. The company was further changed to Exide Industries Ltd. on "25 August 1995".


title: Exide Industries

text: The company’s predecessor carried on their operations as import house from 1916 under the name Chloride Electrical Storage Company. Thereafter, the company started manufacturing storage batteries in the country and have grown to become one of the largest manufacturer and exporter of batteries in the sub-continent today. Exide separated from its UK-based parent, Chloride Group Plc., in 1989, after the latter divested its ownership in favour of a group of Indian shareholders.


title: Exide Industries

text: Chloride Electric Storage Co. Ltd. (CESCO) was the United Kingdom-based division of the United States-based Electric Storage Battery Company (ESBC), a predecessor to today's Exide Technologies. In 1947, ESBC was forced to sell off CESCO following the decisions of a United States district court, and CESCO held the "Exide" trademark in the UK, and later sold batteries under the Exide name in India. In 1991, CESCO's successor, Chloride Group plc, fully divested its trademark in India and battery manufacturing operations to its current management. In 1997, Exide Industries filed a lawsuit against Exide Technologies of the United States when the latter tried entering the Indian market, and both companies entered a prolonged legal battle that was heard by the Delhi High Court, which led to a 2012 verdict that Exide Industries was the legal owner of the Exide trademark in India.


title: Exide Industries

text: An appeal was filed and in 2017, it was ruled that while Exide Industries was the trademark owner in India, Exide Technologies held the goodwill of the "Exide" name and both companies had a legitimate claim to use of the name in the Indian market. A further appeal from the Indian company that went to the Supreme Court of India led to a stay of the verdict, however, there was a restraining order on the use of the "Exide" name from the American company until the final verdict. Both parties settled in 2017, with an out of court settlement from Exide Industries to Exide Technologies, terms being that Exide Technologies waives any rights to the "Exide" trademark in India in perpetuity.


title: Exide Industries

text: R&D work is carried out on various facets of lead-acid battery technology, which include development of new products for applications such as Automotive, Motorbike, VRLA, Telecom, UPS, Railways, Defence, etc. primarily to make the product range internationally competitive. In addition, the R&D is engaged in projects embracing process technology aimed at - improving the product quality & consistency, production efficiency and material utilization. Furthermore, R&D programme includes improvement and indigenisation of materials such as metals, alloys, plastics, etc. R&D emphasis is on studying and improving the environmental aspects associate with the manufacturing process.


title: Exide Industries

text: 1916- Chloride Electric Storage Co. (CESCO) UK sets up trading operations in India as an import house.


title: Exide Industries

text: 1947- Incorporated as Associated Battery Makers (Eastern) Limited on 31 January 1947 under the Companies Act.


title: Exide Industries

text: 1994- Technical collaboration with Shin Kobe Electric Machinery Co. Ltd. of Japan, a subsidiary of the Hitachi Group.


title: Exide Industries

text: 1998- Acquisition of industrial/ manufacturing units of Standard Batteries Ltd located at Taloja & Kanjurmarg (Maharashtra), Guindy (Tamil Nadu) and plant at Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) from Cosepa Fiscal Industries Limited as a going concern.


title: Exide Industries

text: 2000- Acquisition of 100% stake in Chloride Batteries S E Asia Pte Ltd., Singapore and 49% stake in Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Limited, Sri Lanka.


title: Exide Industries

text: 2004- Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Limited, Sri Lanka became a subsidiary consequent to acquiring further 12.50% Equity holding.


title: Exide Industries

text: 2007- Caldyne Automatics Ltd becomes 100% subsidiary consequent to acquiring the balance 49% shareholding.


title: Exide Industries

text: 2013- Acquisition of 26% shares of ING Vysya Life Insurance Company adding a total of 100% stake leading to "Exide Life Insurance Company".


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The Lincoln MKX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV marketed and sold by the Lincoln brand of Ford Motor Company. As Lincoln is phasing out its use of "MK" model names, the MKX adopted the Lincoln Nautilus nameplate as part of a mid-cycle update for the 2019 model year. In production since 2007, the MKX ("X" stands for "crossover") is the first crossover SUV offered by the Lincoln brand; it is currently in its second generation. Initially the smallest Lincoln SUV, it is now slotted between the Lincoln Corsair and the Lincoln Aviator. The Lincoln counterpart of the Ford Edge CUV across both generations, the MKX has been the best-selling Lincoln model line since 2016.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The first-generation MKX was produced from 2007 to 2015, based upon the CD3 platform. The second generation is currently in production, based on the CD4 platform. Both generations of the MKX (and Nautilus) were manufactured at Oakville Assembly in Oakville, Ontario, Canada alongside the Ford Edge, Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The Lincoln MKX made its first appearance as the Lincoln Aviator concept vehicle at the 2004 North American International Auto Show as a successor to the first generation Aviator. The concept vehicle was smaller and more car-like with a V6 that was rated at and . The Aviator Concept also differed from the production model stylistically and with its panoramic sunroof. The production model received the MKX nameplate, with Lincoln management suggesting a "mark ex" pronunciation during the 2006 auto show circuit, which was then changed to the phonetic "M-K-X". Due to the similarity of the MKX name to the MDX name used by Acura for their competing luxury crossover, Honda, Acura's parent company, filed a lawsuit against Ford in January 2006, eventually settling the case out of court.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The 2007 MKX debuted in December 2006 as a rebadged variant of the Ford Edge. In addition to the chrome grille, the MKX's front fascia features projector-beam headlight assemblies with standard chrome-accented fog lights mounted in the lower fascia. The MKX features an optional adaptive headlight system that pivots the aim of the light projectors to match the steering inputs of the driver. In the rear, the MKX features dual chrome exhaust tips and brake lights backlit by LEDs with a light bar that crosses the MKX's liftgate. The optional sunroof, marketed as a "Panoramic Vista Roof", is the production version of the glass roof feature shown on the 2004 Aviator Concept. The Vista Roof features a forward power sunroof and a fixed rear moonroof with dual power sunshades.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The interior of the MKX features leather seating surfaces and wood accents in the steering wheel, dash area, and door panels. as well as carpeting, sound-deadening,<ref name="Int/Ext">Ford Motor Company. "2007 MKX Exterior/Interior." Ford Media. 2006. </ref> automatic headlights, dual power heated mirrors with puddle lamps, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, power windows with single touch up and down function and all-window capability, power locks, remote keyless entry with keypad, theater dimming for the interior lights, cruise control, air conditioning with automatic climate control, 8-way power driver and passenger seats, message center with compass, and a six speaker, AM/FM stereo radio with a 6-disc CD changer. Interior options include power driver and passenger lumbar supports, heated front seats, heated and cooled front seats (separate option), heated rear seats, an "Easy Fold" automatic folding second-row seat, a reverse sensing system, a power liftgate, a DVD-based navigation system, Sirius satellite radio, and a THX II-Certified audio system with 14 speakers. MKX's safety features include a tire pressure monitoring system, three-point seat belts, dual front-side airbags, front seat-deployed side airbags, and "Safety Canopy" curtain airbags.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: As a rebadged variant of the Ford Edge, the MKX also shares Ford's CD3 platform, unibody construction, four-wheel independent suspension with a MacPherson strut front suspension with L-shaped lower control arms and a four-link rear suspension with stamped steel control blades and monotube shocks. Both the front and rear suspensions feature an isolated subframe and stabilizer bar. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes are standard in all models with Ford's "AdvanceTrac" traction control system with Roll Stability Control (RSC) optional. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is optional.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The MKX comes with standard 18-inch machined aluminum wheels with 18-inch chrome wheels optional. The sole powertrain in the MKX is an all-aluminum, 3.7 L Duratec DOHC V6 mated to Ford's 6F50 6-speed automatic transmission. Like the Edge, which shares the powertrain, the MKX's engine produces at 6,250 rpm and of torque at 4,500 rpm; noticeable improvements over what the Aviator Concept's engine was rated at. The MKX, Edge, and Lincoln MKZ were the first recipients of Ford's 3.5 L Duratec V6. Front-wheel drive versions of the MKX come with a fuel tank while all-wheel drive models come with a fuel tank. The MKX has a base curb weight of when front-wheel drive only and when equipped with all-wheel drive.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: For 2008 changes for the MKX included Lincoln badges added near the front doors as well as Ford Sync, "Limited Edition" and "Monochromatic Limited Edition" packages with unique styling elements and 20-inch chrome wheels, and a voice-activated DVD navigation system. Previously optional features that were now standard included AdvanceTrac with RSC, a reverse sensing system, Sirius satellite radio, the THX II-Certified audio system, heated and cooled front seats, and driver and passenger power lumbar supports. No major changes were made for the 2009 MKX.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: For the 2011 model year, the MKX was refreshed with a new interior, a new front-end resembling the 2010–2012 MKZ, a new rear end and a 3.7-liter DOHC V6 which boosts the MKX's power up to and of torque.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The 2011 MKX featured the first application of the all-new MyLincoln Touch driver connect technology system.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The second generation Lincoln MKX was revealed as a concept vehicle at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show. The production model was revealed at the 2015 North American International Auto Show and officially went on sale in the fall of 2015 as a 2016 model. The base price remained similar to the 2015 MKX at just over $38,000.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The Lincoln MKX features Bi-Xenon HID Projector Headlights, LED Daytime Running Lights, LED Fog Lights, LED Taillights, or Full Adaptive LED Headlights with LED Amber Turn Signals, LED Daytime Running lights, LED Taillights, and LED Fog Lights which replaces the standard Bi-Xenon Headlights if the Lincoln MKX is equipped with Luxury Package. The standard engine is the Duratec 3.7 V6 rated at at 6500 rpm and at 4000 rpm. The optional engine is the all new Ecoboost V6 that produces at 5500 rpm and at 3000 rpm. Trim levels include Premiere, Select, Reserve and top level Black Label, which is three special appearance packages, a tradition started with the Designer Editions in 1976. The MKX offers the "Thoroughbred" (shared with the MKZ and the Continental), "Modern Heritage", and "Indulgence" theme appearance packages.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The transmission is no longer activated with a center console installed transmission selector; the computer controlled transmission uses buttons installed to the left of the MyLincoln Touch infotainment touch screen labeled "P, R, N, D, S". In the late 1950s a similar feature was offered on all 1957 and 1958 Mercury sedans called Multi-Drive. During the same time, Chrysler offered the push button TorqueFlite and Packard offered the . The "S" transmission selection represents "Sport" mode, where the Continuously Controlled Damping suspension, electric power steering and transmission shift points take on a different posture.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: For the 2019 model year, the second-generation MKX underwent a mid-cycle revision, taking on the Lincoln Nautilus nameplate. Adopting the styling of the newly introduced Continental and Navigator, the Nautilus transitioned from the previous split-wing grille to a large rectangular grille with a large Lincoln star emblem.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: The counterpart of the updated Ford Edge, the Nautilus is slotted between the Aviator and the MKC (which was replaced by Corsair for the 2020 model year) in Lincoln's lineup. A 2.0-litre EcoBoost inline-four is the standard engine, with a 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6 carried over from the MKX as an option; both engines are fitted with start-stop capability. An 8-speed automatic transmission is paired to both engines (replacing the previous 6-speed).


title: Lincoln MKX

text: For the 2021 model year, the Nautilus was once again refreshed with a new interior similar to the new Navigator, Aviator, and Corsair, featuring a larger 13.2" touchscreen and Ford's latest SYNC 4 system. Minor changes were also made to the front bumper.


title: Lincoln MKX

text: in 2022, it is announced by Ford Motor Company that along with Ford Edge, Lincoln Nautilus will be discontinued in 2024


title: Queen Cheorin

text: Queen Cheorin (27 April 1837 – 12 June 1878), of the Andong Kim clan, was queen consort of Joseon by marriage to King Cheoljong. She was known as Queen Dowager Myeongsun (명순대비) after the death of her husband and during King Gojong’s reign. When King Gojong proclaimed the Korean Empire, the Queen was posthumously given the title of “Cheorin, the Symbolic Empress” (철인장황후, 哲仁章皇后).


title: Queen Cheorin

text: Lady Kim was born into the (new) Andong Kim clan (Hangul: 신 안동 김씨; Hanja: 新 安東 金氏) on 27 April 1837 as the eldest daughter of Kim Mun-geun (Hangul: 김문근; Hanja: 金汶根) and his second wife, Lady Min of the Yeoheung Min clan. She had one younger brother.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: Lady Kim was not usually close to her parents or family, was known to be a woman of a few words, and did not easily reveal her feelings to those around her.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: As part of the Andong Kim clan's manipulation of King Cheoljong through Queen Sunwon, the 14-year-old Lady Kim married the 20-year-old King Cheoljong on November 17, 1851. As queen, it’s said that she wasn’t involved and did not side with her family in royal politics as she kept to herself.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: As the parents of the Queen consort, Lady Min received the royal title of “Internal Princess Consort Heungyang of the Yeoheung Min clan” (Hangul: 흥양부부인 여흥 민씨; Hanja: 興陽府夫人 驪興 閔氏). While her father received the royal title of “Internal Prince Yeongeun” (Hangul: 영은부원군, Hanja: 永恩府院君). Her father’s first wife, Lady Yi, also received the royal title of “Internal Princess Consort Yeonyang of the Yeonan Yi clan” (연양부부인 연안 이씨, 延陽府夫人 延安 金氏) as she was also considered the mother of Lady Kim.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: The Queen eventually gave birth to a son, Prince Royal Yi Yung-jun on 22 November 1858, but he died 6 months and 3 days later on 25 May 1859.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: As Cheoljong fell deeper under his illness, the Grand Royal Queen Dowager Sinjeong saw an opportunity to advance the cause of the Pungyang Jo clan (the only true rival of the Andong Kim clan).


title: Queen Cheorin

text: The 33-year-old King Cheoljong died on 16 January 1864 within Daejojeon Hall in Changdeok Palace. The cause of his death is ambiguous, as there was no clear official record about it. Some suggested that the death of cause of Cheoljong could be liver disease or tuberculosis; according to existing documents, however, it is still hard to give a certain conclusion to date.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: According to "Ilseongnok" ("Diary of Self-examination"), since Cheoljong ascended to the throne, he had a weak digestive system, causing a series of chronic disease throughout his life; Cheoljong also had symptoms of asthma and caught cold quite easily. Thus leaving the throne vacant and in need of an heir.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: The selection of the next king was in the hands of three dowagers: Queen Dowager Hyoyu, the widow of Crown Prince Hyomyeong and mother of King Heonjong, Queen Dowager Myeongheon, the widow of King Heonjong, and Queen Dowager Myeongsun, King Cheoljong's wife.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: Queen Dowager Hyoyu was approached by Yi Ha-eung, a descendant of King Injo (r. 1623–1649), whose father was made an adoptive son of Prince Eunsin, a nephew of King Yeongjo (r. 1724–1776). Yi Ha-eung's family branch belonged to an obscure line of descent of the Jeonju Yi clan, which had survived the often deadly political intrigue that frequently embroiled the Joseon court by forming no affiliations. Yi Ha-eung himself was ineligible for the throne due to a law that dictated that any possible heir had to be part of the generation after the most recent incumbent of the throne, but his second son Yi Myeong-bok (future Emperor Gojong), was a possible successor.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: The Pungyang Jo clan saw that Yi Myeong-bok was only twelve years old and would not be able to rule in his own name until he came of age, and that they could easily influence Yi Ha-eung, who would be acting as regent for the future King. As soon as news of Cheoljong's death reached Yi Ha-eung through his intricate network of spies, he and the Pungyang Jo clan took the royal seal – an object that was considered necessary for a legitimate reign to take place and aristocratic recognition to be received – effectively giving Queen Sinjeong absolute power to select the successor to the throne. By the time Cheoljong's death had become a known fact, the Andong Kim clan was powerless according to the law.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: On 16 January 1864, Yi Myeong-bok was appointed as Prince Ikseong by Grand Queen Dowager Sinjeong, and the next day, his father was granted the title of Grand Internal Prince ("Daewongun)."


title: Queen Cheorin

text: A few days later on January 21st, Yi Myeong-bok was enthroned as King Gojong, and Dowager Queen Sinjeong began her regency.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: Since Gojong was 12 years old, Queen Sinjeong invited the Daewongun to assist his son in ruling. She virtually renounced her right to be regent, and though she kept the title, the Daewongun was in fact the true ruler.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: The Queen Dowager Myeongsun had a futile 14-year reign as the Grand Internal Prince drove out and exterminated the Andong Kim clan’s power, and soon after the power of the Pungyang Jo clan.


title: Queen Cheorin

text: She later died on 12 June 1878 within Yanghwa Hall in Changgyeong Palace, and is buried in Yereung, Seoul, with her husband.


title: Graphic violence

text: Graphic violence refers to the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as film, television, and video games. It may be real, simulated live action, or animated.


title: Graphic violence

text: Intended limitedly for mature audience, the "graphic" in graphic violence is a synonym for "explicit", referring to the clear and unabashed nature of the violence portrayed.


title: Graphic violence

text: Graphic violence generally consists of any clear and uncensored depiction of various violent acts. Commonly included depictions include murder, assault with a deadly weapon, accidents which result in death or severe injury, suicide, and torture. In all cases, it is the explicitness of the violence and the injury inflicted which results in it being labeled "graphic". In fictional depictions, appropriately realistic plot elements are usually included to heighten the sense of realism (i.e. blood effects, prop weapons, CGI). In order to qualify for the "graphic" designation, the violence depicted must generally be of a particularly unmitigated and unshielded nature; an example would be a video of a man being shot, bleeding from the wound, and crumpling to the ground.


title: Graphic violence

text: Graphic violence arouses strong emotions, ranging from titillation and excitement to utter revulsion and even terror, depending on the mindset of the viewer and the method in which it is presented. A certain degree of graphic violence has become "de rigueur" in adult "action" genre, and it is presented in an amount and manner carefully deliberated to excite the emotions of the target demographic without inducing disgust or revulsion. Even more extreme and grotesque acts of graphic violence (generally revolving around mutilation) are often used in the horror genre in order to inspire even stronger emotions of fear and shock (which the viewing demographic would presumably be seeking).


title: Graphic violence

text: It is a highly controversial topic. Many believe that exposure to graphic violence leads to desensitization to committing acts of violence in person. It has led to censorship in extreme cases, and regulation in others. One notable case was the creation of the US Entertainment Software Rating Board in 1994. Many nations now require varying degrees of approval from television, movie, and software rating boards before a work can be released to the public.


title: Graphic violence

text: On the other hand, some critics claim that watching violent media content can be cathartic, providing "acceptable outlets for anti-social impulses."


title: Graphic violence

text: Graphic violence is used frequently in horror, action, and crime films. Several of these films were banned from certain countries for their violence. The snuff film takes horror to its furthest extreme as torture and murder are not simulated.


title: Graphic violence

text: Violence in films is not an old topic, recently a study presented in an annual American Academy of Pediatrics conference showed that the "good guys" in superhero movies were on average more violent than the villains, potentially sending a strongly negative message to young viewers.


title: Graphic violence

text: News media on television and online video frequently cover violent acts. The coverage may be preceded with a warning, stating that the footage may be disturbing to some viewers.


title: Graphic violence

text: Sometimes graphic images are censored, by blurring or blocking a portion of the image, cutting the violent portions out of an image sequence or by removing certain portions of film footage from viewing.


title: Graphic violence

text: Graphic and gory violence has started appearing in music videos in recent times, an example being the controversial music video for the song "Rock DJ" by British rock vocalist Robbie Williams, which features self-mutilation. Another example of a music video containing strong violence is the music video for the song "Hurricane" by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars and "Happiness in Slavery" by American industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails. The music video for "Forced Gender Reassignment" by American deathgrind band Cattle Decapitation displays such intense graphic violence that it is not hosted by many popular video hosting sites like YouTube and Dailymotion and is only hosted by Vimeo.


title: Graphic violence

text: Violent content has been a central part of video game controversy. Because violence in video games is interactive and not passive, critics such as Dave Grossman and Jack Thompson argue that violence in games hardens children to unethical acts, calling first-person shooter games "murder simulators", although no conclusive evidence has supported this belief.


title: Graphic violence

text: An example is the display of "gibs" (short for giblets), little bits or giant chunks of internal organs, flesh, and bone, when a character is killed.


title: Graphic violence

text: On the internet, several sites dedicated to recordings of real graphic violence, referred to as "gore", exist, such as Bestgore.com and Goregrish.com. Furthermore, many content-aggregator sites such as Reddit or imageboards and 4chan have their own subsites which are dedicated to or allow that kind of content. Some of those sites also require that gore material to be marked as it, often by the internet slang "NSFL" (shorthand for "not safe for life"). This kind of media might depict reality footage of war, car crashes and other accidents, decapitations, suicide, terrorism, murder, or executions.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: Bunnicula is an American animated television series from Warner Bros. Animation developed by Jessica Borutski, produced by Borutski and Maxwell Atoms, and distributed by Warner Bros. Television. It premiered on Cartoon Network on February 6, 2016, and then premiered on Boomerang on the same day. The show is loosely based on the children's book series of the same name by James and Deborah Howe. It is a dark comedy about a vampire rabbit named Bunnicula who drinks carrot juice instead of blood to strengthen his super abilities in new paranormal adventures. New episodes aired same-day on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. In 2017, the series was picked up for a second and third season.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: The series can be streamed on Boomerang's SVOD subscription service. The first season is also viewable by purchase on YouTube, within the United States, on both an individual-episode and full season basis.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: In May 2018, Warner Bros. announced that the third season of "Bunnicula" would premiere on the Boomerang streaming service in 2019. However, every episode from that season first premiered on the Boomerang network, airing from December 1, and ended on December 30.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: After moving to New Orleans with her father and pets, Chester & Harold, Mina Monroe is left with a key given to her by her late Aunt Marie that she uses to open a cellar in the Orlock Apartments. Doing this frees a vampire rabbit named Bunnicula who drains vegetables instead of blood to strengthen his powers. Unaware of his traits, she adopts him and makes him a new member of the Monroe family. The series is mostly set with Chester and Harold joining Bunnicula in his supernatural adventures involving situations only he can solve.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: In Canada, the series started airing on Teletoon on April 2, 2016. The series premiered on Boomerang on May 2 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The series premiered on Boomerang on July 18 in Australia and New Zealand.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: The series can also be streamed on Boomerang's SVOD subscription service, available on Android, iOS, desktop, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet, Roku and Chromecast. As of 2021, YouTube (in the United States) offers season 1 episodes of Bunnicula on a pay-per-view basis by episode, and by the total season.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: "Night of the Vegetable", a 2-disc DVD set featuring the first 20 episodes of season one, was released on June 27, 2017, by Warner Home Video. Originally, Warner Home Video was planning to release another 2-disc DVD set featuring the remaining 20 episodes of season one on February 13, 2018, but that release was cancelled for unknown reasons. Instead, Warner Home Video released "The Complete First Season", a 4-disc set containing all 40 episodes from season one, on May 8 the same year.


title: Bunnicula (TV series)

text: It has received positive reviews. Common Sense Media gave the series three stars out of five. Critic Emily Ashby states that the series is a fun pick for the whole family to enjoy with its silly antics and lighthearted paranormality.


title: Johnny Ball

text: Johnny Ball (born Graham Thalben Ball; 23 May 1938) is an English television personality, a populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball.


title: Johnny Ball

text: Ball was born in Bristol and attended Kingswood Primary School on the eastern edge of the city. Later in his childhood the family moved to Bolton, Lancashire, where he attended Bolton County Grammar School. He left formal education with two "O" Levels, one in mathematics and one in geography. He was called up for national service and spent three years in the Royal Air Force. He was posted to Wales as a radar operator and was later sent to Germany to monitor the Hamburg-Berlin air corridor.


title: Johnny Ball

text: Ball began his entertainment career by working as a Butlin's Redcoat, and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret. He was nicknamed Johnny after John Ball, who played for Bolton Wanderers from 1950 to 1958 and the name stuck.


title: Johnny Ball

text: Ball was a regular fixture on children's television from the mid 1970s and throughout the 1980s, presenting several series of science and technology programmes intended for children (including "Think of a Number"; "Think Again"; "Think Backwards"; "Think...This Way" and "Johnny Ball Reveals All"). He was also one of the hosts of pre-school programme "Play School" beginning in 1967 and continuing throughout the 1970s and beyond. As well as appearing on screen Ball wrote jokes for some shows including "Crackerjack". All of these shows (except the ITV programme "...Reveals All") appeared on the BBC. Ball's shows were known for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people.


title: Johnny Ball

text: In 2003, he appeared on "The Terry and Gaby Show" in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the "Radio Times" list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time. In July 2012, he presented a "Horizon" special on ageing on BBC Four. He has starred in ITV and Channel 4 television adverts as well as radio adverts for the Yorkshire-based firm Help-Link.


title: Johnny Ball

text: In 2012, Ball took part in the "Strictly Come Dancing" TV show, where he was paired with Aliona Vilani. A training accident in the three-week interval resulted in torn ligaments for Vilani, causing her to retire temporarily from the show. She was replaced by Iveta Lukošiūtė who, with Ball, was eliminated in the first week. Vilani returned in the final group dance alongside Ball. In a TV interview in October 2017, Ball claimed Vilani faked the injury, with Vilani denying the allegation and saying she would take legal advice over Ball's comments. There are no reports that she subsequently took any form of legal action. He was 74 at the time of Strictly, and he is the oldest contestant in the show's history.


title: Johnny Ball

text: Ball's daughter Zoe by his first wife, Julia née Anderson, previously presented "" for BBC TV and currently presents the breakfast show on BBC Radio 2. The couple divorced when Zoe was two.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is a base of the United States Navy located adjacent to the city of St. Marys in Camden County, Georgia, on the North River in southeastern Georgia, and 38 miles (61 km) from Jacksonville, Florida. The Submarine Base is the U.S. Atlantic Fleet's home port for U.S. Navy Fleet ballistic missile nuclear submarines capable of being armed with Trident missile nuclear weapons. This submarine base covers about 16,000 acres (6,400 hectares) of land, of which 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) are protected wetlands.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Archeological research has revealed a pre-Columbian era Indian presence throughout the area, dating back thousands of years.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Early in the 19th century, much of what is now the submarine base was the site of several plantations, including Cherry Point, Harmony Hall, New Canaan, Marianna and Kings Bay. Beginning in the 1790s, Thomas King built a plantation along the bay. John Houston McIntosh built a considerably larger plantation known as New Canaan, where he grew cotton and sugar cane.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The plantation system declined following the Civil War, and the land was broken up into smaller holdings. No residents were paid the going rate for the land that was used to build the submarine base. One land owner was paid four thousand dollars for 62 acres of deep water land. Such residents harvested shrimp, fish and other seafood, and trapped and hunted to supplement small-scale farming of corn, sugar and other vegetables.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The US Army began to acquire of land at Kings Bay in 1954 to build a military ocean terminal to ship ammunition in case of a national emergency. Construction began in 1955 and was completed in 1958. A 200-foot-wide channel was dredged to Cumberland Sound, and included two turning basins.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The most prominent feature of the terminal was its , concrete-and-steel wharf (600 m × 26 m). It had three parallel railroad tracks, enabling the simultaneous loading of several ammunition ships from rail cars and trucks.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Elsewhere on the base, the Army laid of railroad tracks. Spurs off the main line ran into temporary storage areas protected by earthen barricades. These mounds of dirt, still prominent features in many areas of the base, were designed to localize damage in case of explosive accidents.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: It was soon realized that there was no immediate operational need for the installation, so it was placed in an inactive ready status, and Blue Star Shipping Company signed a lease to use the wharf in 1959.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Although the army post was never activated to serve its primary purpose, it was used twice for other missions. In 1964, as Hurricane Dora hammered the area, nearly 100 area residents were sheltered aboard base. Also, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, an Army Transportation Battalion of 1,100 personnel and 70 small boats took up position at Kings Bay.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The chain of events that led to today's combination of high-tempo submarine operations at Kings Bay and the complex construction project that reshaped the face of thousands of acres of land began in 1975. At that time, treaty negotiations between Spain and the United States were in progress. A proposed change to the United States naval basing agreement with Spain included the withdrawal of the fleet ballistic-missile submarine squadron, Submarine Squadron 16, from its operational base at Rota, Spain, north-west of Gibraltar, giving easy access to Atlantic Ocean patrol areas. Anticipating that this would take place, Chief of Naval Operations James L. Holloway III ordered studies to select a new refit site on the East Coast.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: In January 1976, the negotiators initialed a draft treaty between Spain and the United States. It called for withdrawal of the submarine squadron from Rota by July 1979. The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in June 1976.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: After careful review, Kings Bay was selected in November 1976, shortly after the election of Georgian Jimmy Carter as the President. Soon afterward, the first Navy personnel arrived in the Kings Bay area and started preparations for the orderly transfer of property from the Army to the Navy. "Naval Submarine Support Base Kings Bay" was established in a developmental status 1 July 1978. The base—now "Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay", not only occupies the former Army terminal land, but several thousand additional acres.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Preparations for the arrival of the submarine squadron went forward with haste throughout the remainder of 1978 and into 1979. Commander Submarine Squadron 16 greeted the submarine tender , when it arrived at Kings Bay on 2 July 1979. Four days later, entered Kings Bay and moored alongside "Simon Lake"'s starboard side to begin a routine refit in preparation for another nuclear weapons deterrence patrol. Kings Bay has been an operating submarine base ever since that time.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: In May 1979, the U.S. Navy selected Kings Bay as its preferred East Coast site for the new Trident submarines. On 23 October 1980, after a one-year environmental impact study was completed, and with Congressional approval, the Secretary of the Navy announced that Kings Bay would be the future home port for the new Trident-missile submarines in the Atlantic Ocean.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The decision to base the Trident submarines at Kings Bay started the largest peacetime construction program ever undertaken by the U.S. Navy. The program took nine years to complete at a cost of about $1.3 billion. The building project included the construction of three major commands: Trident Training Facility (TTF), Trident Refit Facility (TRF), and Strategic Weapons Facility, Atlantic (SWFLANT).


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: On 15 January 1989, the first Trident submarine, , arrived at Kings Bay. She was followed by later that same year. was commissioned at Kings Bay in October 1990, and she was followed by in July 1991; in June 1992; in July 1993; in July 1994; in August 1995, and in July 1996. The commissioning of in September 1997 gave Kings Bay its maximum number of ten Trident submarines.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The enormous construction and organizational effort put forth by all the commands at Kings Bay reached their first goal in late March 1990, when the Trident II (D-5) missile made its first deterrent patrol on board the USS "Tennessee".


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The end of the Cold War and the reorganization of Naval and Air Force strategic weapons forces during the 1990s had a significant effect on the submarine base at Kings Bay. A high-level nuclear weapons policy review recommended that the U.S. Navy reduce its number of Trident Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines from 18 to 14 by 2005.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The decision was made to temporarily decommission the four oldest "Ohio"-class Trident missile submarines for extensive shipyard work in order to convert them into guided-missile submarines (SSGNs) carrying large numbers (about 150) of conventionally armed Tomahawk cruise missiles. These converted submarines also have accommodations for significant numbers of Navy SEALs or Marines.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Furthermore, several Trident submarines were transferred from the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet. USS "Pennsylvania" departed on 4 August 2003 and USS "Kentucky" departed on 24 August 2003, bound for the Trident submarine base at Bangor, Washington, as part of balancing the Trident fleet. In addition, both USS "Louisiana" and USS "Maine" were transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 2005.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: USS "Florida" and USS "Georgia" completed their conversions into guided missile submarines in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and now have their home port at the Kings Bay Submarine Base.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: On April 4, 2018, seven anti-war activists were arrested after breaking into the naval base and committing acts of vandalism after recording themselves dumping fake-blood on the ground while holding banners, spray painting anti-war and anti-nuclear slogans on facility walls and destroying equipment. The activists, calling themselves the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, were found guilty of three felonies and one misdemeanor. They are currently awaiting sentencing, where they could face up to 25 years in prison.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Submarine Group 10 was commissioned January 1, 1989, and is the senior commander at Kings Bay. Group 10 is a subordinate command to Commander Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet. It exercises command over various commands and units assigned, including operational and administrative control of the "Ohio"-class submarines based at Submarine Base Kings Bay.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Group 10 is the local coordinating authority for all matters assigned by the submarine force commander and exercises direct control over the administration and training of submarine offcrews at Kings Bay. Specifically included in these responsibilities are the proper integration and coordination of the facilities dedicated to training support of the Trident system.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: , Submarine Squadron 16 provided administrative support for the East Coast-based "Ohio"-class SSGN submarines. The squadron coordinates planning and executing all SSGN maintenance with Trident Refit Facility and is responsible for all material readiness and fiscal responsibility. The SSGN fleet relies heavily on this maintenance. In addition Submarine Squadron 16 will provide support for SSBNs during and after major overhaul periods.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Submarine Squadron 20 provides the same kind of support services as Submarine Squadron 16, except that it is responsible for the East Coast-based "Ohio"-class SSBN and the strategic deterrence missions those SSBNs undertake.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The submarine center provides centralized administrative and support services to the submarine squadron assisting them in their responsibilities for material, personnel, training and logistics of assigned and visiting submarines.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic (SWFLANT) provides strategic missiles and strategic weapons system support to the ballistic missile fleet. The command is responsible for assembling the D-5 missile and processing missile guidance and launcher subsystem components.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: Marine Corps Security Force Battalion, Kings Bay conducts security operations in Direct Support (DS) of SWFLANT. The battalion is commanded by a senior Marine Corps officer and provides security operations as approved by the Chief of Naval Operations, in coordination with the Commandant of the Marine Corps, As of June 27, 2008, MCSFCO was restructured from a company to a battalion. A similar sister battalion is stationed with the West Coast submarine base in Bangor, Washington. In addition to Marine Corps security forces, they are joined by Navy Master-at-Arms and Navy Law Enforcement/Security Officers with the 6490 designator. Both Masters-at-Arms and Navy Law Enforcement/Security Officers are part of the larger U.S. Navy Security Forces.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: One of the first Maritime Force Protection Units was established by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) at Kings Bay. The Maritime Force Protection Unit provides escort protection for the submarines as they transit on the surface, to and from their homeports.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The unit includes some smaller vessels, and two Marine Protector class cutters, the and the . The "Sea Dragon" and "Sea Dog", and two other cutters, the and , although crewed by sailors from the Coast Guard, they were ordered, and paid for, by the Navy. For protecting submarines the Navy requested a slightly modified design, which added gyrostabilized machine gun, with advanced optics, which was fired under remote control from the ship's bridge. The gyrostabilized gun's greater long range accuracy made it more appropriate for intercepting speedboats laden with a suicide bomb.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The Trident Refit Facility (TRF) is the largest tenant command at Kings Bay and has kept a significant portion of the United States Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines at sea since 1985. TRF provides quality industrial-level and logistics support for the incremental overhaul, modernization, and repair of Trident submarines. It also furnishes global submarine supplies and spare parts support. In addition, TRF provides maintenance and support services to other submarines, regional maintenance customers, and other activities as requested.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The Trident Refit Facility possesses the largest covered drydock in the world, measuring long, wide, and deep. A state-of-the-art Magnetic Silencing Facility (MSF) provides degaussing services, including ranging and the removal of permanent magnetism for submarines of the U.S. Navy and the British Royal Navy, as well as for steel-hulled surface warships. The MSF is the only facility of its kind on the East Coast, and it is also used for research for development of future magnetic systems. The Defensive Ordnance Support Facility maintains and stores all of the torpedoes carried by the Trident missile submarines for self-defense.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: The Trident Training Facility (TTF), with over 520,000 square feet (48,000 m²) of classroom and office space, trains Sailors in the skills necessary to operate and maintain the Trident submarine and its systems. TTF has an essential role in support of the Trident submarines and uses equipment trainers (simulators) to simulate, as realistically as possible, the actual equipment on the submarine. Trainers include damage control, fire fighting, ship control, navigation, and most weapons and engineering subsystems.


title: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

text: TTF's mission is to provide basic, advanced, functional, refresher and team training to Trident submarine crew members and submarine support personnel, in order to increase and maintain the knowledge and proficiency in specific skills and to provide specialized training. The United Kingdom's s, through the Polaris Sales Agreement, also uses the Trident missile and their sailors sometimes visit the Kings Bay Naval Base. Additionally, the Colombian Navy trained at TTF because of the lack of high technology trainers in their own country.


title: Salyut 1

text: Salyut 1 (DOS-1) () was the world's first space station launched into low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on April 19, 1971. The Salyut program followed this with five more successful launches of seven more stations. The final module of the program, "Zvezda" (DOS-8), became the core of the Russian segment of the International Space Station and remains in orbit.


title: Salyut 1

text: Salyut 1 was modified from one of the Almaz airframes, and was made out of five components: a transfer compartment, a main compartment, two auxiliary compartments, and the Orion 1 Space Observatory.


title: Salyut 1

text: Salyut 1 was visited by Soyuz 10 and Soyuz 11. The hard-docking of Soyuz 10 failed and the crew had to abort this mission. The Soyuz 11 crew achieved successful hard docking and performed experiments in Salyut 1 for 23 days. However, they were killed by asphyxia caused by failure of a valve just prior to Earth reentry, and are the only people to have died above the Kármán line. Salyut 1's mission was later terminated, and it burned up on reentry into Earth's atmosphere on October 11, 1971.


title: Salyut 1

text: Salyut 1 originated as a modification of the Soviet military's Almaz space station program that was then in development. After the landing of Apollo 11 on the Moon in July 1969, the Soviets began shifting the primary emphasis of their crewed space program to orbiting space stations, with a possible lunar landing later in the 1970s if the N-1 rocket became flight-worthy. Leonid Brezhnev canceled the lunar landing program in 1974 after four catastrophic N-1 launch failures. One other motivation for the space station program was a desire to one-up the US Skylab program then in development. The basic structure of Salyut 1 was adapted from the Almaz with a few modifications and would form the basis of all Soviet space stations through Mir.


title: Salyut 1

text: Civilian Soviet space stations were internally referred to as DOS (the Russian acronym for "Long-duration orbital station"), although publicly, the Salyut name was used for the first six DOS stations ("Mir" was internally known as DOS-7). Several military experiments were nonetheless carried on Salyut 1, including the OD-4 optical visual ranger, the Orion ultraviolet instrument for characterizing rocket exhaust plumes, and the highly classified Svinets radiometer.


title: Salyut 1

text: Construction of Salyut 1 began in early 1970, and after nearly a year it was shipped to the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Some remaining assembly had yet to be done, and this was completed at the launch center. The Salyut programme was managed by Kerim Kerimov, chairman of the state commission for Soyuz missions.


title: Salyut 1

text: Launch was planned for April 12, 1971 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight on Vostok 1, but technical problems delayed it until April 19. The first crew launched later in the Soyuz 10 mission, but they ran into troubles while docking and were unable to enter the station; the Soyuz 10 mission was aborted and the crew returned safely to Earth. A replacement crew launched on Soyuz 11 and remained on board for 23 days. This was the first time in the history of spaceflight that a space station had been occupied, and a new record was set for time spent in space. This success was, however, short-lived when the crew was killed during reentry, as a pressure-equalization valve in the Soyuz 11 reentry capsule had opened prematurely, causing the crew to asphyxiate. They were the first and, as of 2022, only humans to have died in space. After this accident, all missions were suspended while the Soyuz spacecraft was redesigned. The station was intentionally destroyed by de-orbiting after six months in orbit, because it ran out of fuel before a redesigned Soyuz spacecraft could be launched to it.


title: Salyut 1

text: At launch, the announced purpose of Salyut was to test the elements of the systems of a space station and to conduct scientific research and experiments. The craft was described as being in length, in maximum diameter, and in interior space with an on-orbit dry mass of . Of its several compartments, three were pressurized (100 m³ total), and two could be entered by the crew.


title: Salyut 1

text: The transfer compartment was equipped with the only docking port of Salyut 1, which allowed one Soyuz 7K-OKS spacecraft to dock. It was the first use of the Soviet SSVP docking system that allowed internal crew transfer, a system that is in use today. The docking cone had a front diameter and a aft diameter.


title: Salyut 1

text: The second and main compartment was about in diameter. Televised views showed enough space for eight large chairs (seven at work consoles), several control panels, and 20 portholes (some obstructed by instruments). In Salyut 1 the interior design used various colors (light and dark gray, apple green, light yellow) for supporting the cosmonauts’ orientation in weightlessness.


title: Salyut 1

text: The third pressurized compartment contained the control and communications equipment, the power supply, the life support system, and other auxiliary equipment. The fourth and final unpressurized compartment was about 2 m in diameter and contained the engine installations and associated control equipment. Salyut had buffer chemical batteries, reserve supplies of oxygen and water, and regeneration systems. Externally mounted were two double sets of solar cell panels that extended like wings from the smaller compartments at each end, the heat regulation system's radiators, and orientation and control devices.


title: Salyut 1

text: Salyut 1 was modified from one of the Almaz airframes. The unpressurized service module was the modified service module of a Soyuz craft.


title: Salyut 1

text: The astrophysical Orion 1 Space Observatory designed by Grigor Gurzadyan of Byurakan Observatory in Armenia, was installed in Salyut 1. Ultraviolet spectrograms of stars were obtained with the help of a mirror telescope of the Mersenne system and a spectrograph of the Wadsworth system using film sensitive to the far ultraviolet. The dispersion of the spectrograph was 32 Å/mm (3.2 nm/mm), while the resolution of the spectrograms derived was about 5 Å at 2600 Å (0.5 nm at 260 nm). Slitless spectrograms were obtained of the stars "Vega" and "Beta Centauri" between 2000 and 3800 Å (200 and 380 nm). The telescope was operated by crew member Viktor Patsayev, who became the first man to operate a telescope outside of the Earth's atmosphere.


title: Salyut 1

text: The only spacecraft that ever docked to Salyut 1 were Soyuz 10 and Soyuz 11. Soyuz 10 failed to hard-dock with Salyut 1 and had to abort the mission. Soyuz 11 conducted experiments in Salyut 1 for 23 days, however the cosmonauts later died during reentry in their Soyuz capsule.


title: Salyut 1

text: Soyuz 10 was launched on April 22, 1971, carrying cosmonauts Vladimir Shatalov, Aleksei Yeliseyev, and Nikolai Rukavishnikov. After taking 24 hours for rendezvous and approach, Soyuz 10 soft-docked with Salyut 1 on April 24 at 01:47 UTC and remained for 5.5 h. Hard-docking was unsuccessful due to technical malfunctions. The crew could not enter the station and had to return to Earth on April 24.


title: Salyut 1

text: Soyuz 11 was launched on June 6, 1971 at 04:55:09 UTC and took 3 hours and 19 minutes on June 7 to complete docking. The cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Viktor Patsayev, and Vladislav Volkov entered to Salyut 1 and their mission was announced as:


title: Salyut 1

text: On June 29, after 23 days and flying 362 orbits, the mission was cut short due to problems aboard the station, including an electrical fire. The crew transferred back to Soyuz 11 and reentered the Earth's atmosphere. The capsule parachuted to a soft landing at 23:16:52 UTC in Kazakhstan, but the recovery team opened the hatch to find all three crew members dead in their couches. An inquest found that a pressure relief valve had malfunctioned during reentry leading to a loss of cabin atmosphere. The crew were not wearing pressure suits, and it was decreed by the TsKBEM (the team of engineers who investigated the tragedy) that all further Soyuz missions would require the use of them.


title: Salyut 1

text: Salyut 1 was moved to a higher orbit in July–August 1971 to ensure that it would not be destroyed prematurely through orbital decay. In the meantime, Soyuz capsules were being substantially redesigned to allow pressure suits to be worn during launch, docking maneuvers, and re-entry. The Soyuz redesign effort took too long however, and by September, Salyut 1 was running out of fuel. It was decided to conclude the station's mission and on October 11, the main engines were fired for a deorbit maneuver. After 175 days, the world's first space station burned up over the Pacific Ocean.


title: Salyut 1

text: "Pravda" (October 26, 1971) reported that 75% of Salyut 1's studies were carried out by optical means and 20% by radio-technical means, while the remainder involved magnetometrical, gravitational, or other measurements. Synoptic readings were taken in both the visible and invisible parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.


title: Livadia Palace

text: Livadia Palace (, ) is a former summer retreat of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family in Livadiya, Crimea. The Yalta Conference was held there in 1945, when the palace housed the apartments of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and other members of the American delegation – the Soviet delegation was housed in the Yusupov Palace, and the British in the Vorontsov Palace some five miles distant. Today the palace houses a museum, but it is sometimes used for international summits.


title: Livadia Palace

text: Formerly granted to Lambros Katsonis and later a possession of the Potocki family, the Livadia estate became a summer residence of the Russian imperial family in the 1860s, when architect Ippolito Monighetti built a large palace, a small palace, and a church there. The residence was frequented by Alexander II of Russia, while his successor Alexander III used to live (and died) in the smaller palace. His son Nicholas II decided to have the larger palace demolished and replaced with a larger structure. (The smaller palace was preserved, as the place of his father's death, but was later destroyed during World War II.)


title: Livadia Palace

text: Around 1909, Nikolay Krasnov, Yalta's most fashionable architect, responsible for the grand ducal residences in Koreiz, was engaged to prepare plans for a new imperial palace. The Tsar's diary indicates that the design was much discussed in the Imperial Family; it was decided that all four façades of the palace should look different. After 17 months of construction, the new palace was inaugurated on 11 September 1911. In November Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna celebrated her 16th birthday at Livadia.


title: Livadia Palace

text: After the February Revolution in 1917, Nicholas's mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, fled to Livadia with some other members of the Imperial family. They were eventually rescued by the British ship HMS "Marlborough", sent by the Dowager Empress's nephew, King George V.


title: Livadia Palace

text: During the Second World War, a ceremony marking the successful completion of the German Crimean Campaign (1941–1942), with the capture of Sevastopol by the German 11th Army under the command of General Erich von Manstein, and Manstein's promotion to the rank of "Generalfeldmarschall" (field marshal), was held in the garden of Livadia Palace on July 6, 1942. Participants included officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers who were awarded the German "Ritterkreuz" (Knight's Cross) and the "Deutsches Kreuz in Gold" (German Cross in Gold).


title: Livadia Palace

text: The palace was once used as a mental institution, and is now a historical museum. Most of the historical furnishings have been lost, but anything that has been recovered can be seen for a small fee. In August 2007 the palace was recognized as a "landmark of modern history" by the Seven Wonders of Ukraine project. Ukrainian pop singer Sofia Rotaru, who celebrated her 60th birthday at the palace in the company of the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova – the second such meeting since the Yalta Conference – funded the restoration of Livadia Palace in 2008.


title: Livadia Palace

text: Numerous academic conferences have been held at the palace. Palace staff actively publish their research. Visitors are particularly interested in the events of 1945.


title: Livadia Palace

text: On 18 November 2017, the 123rd anniversary of Tsar Alexander III's burial, Russian president Vladimir Putin dedicated a monument to Alexander III on the grounds of the Levadia Palace. Putin said in part, "Alexander III loved Russia and believed in it, and, opening this monument today, we pay tribute to his deeds, achievements and merits, express our respect for the indissoluble history of our country, for people of all ranks and classes who honestly served the Fatherland."


title: Livadia Palace

text: The Livadia Palace is built of white Crimean limestone in the Neo-Renaissance style. The edifice features an arched portico of Carrara marble, a spacious Arabic patio, an Italian patio, a Florentine tower, ornate Bramantesque windows, a "balcony-belvedere", and multiple bays with jasper vases. A gallery connects the palace with a neo-Byzantine church of the Exaltation of the Cross, built by Monighetti in 1866.


title: Livadia Palace

text: The palace contains 116 rooms, with interiors furnished in different styles. There are a Pompeian vestibule, an English billiard-room, a Neo-baroque dining room, and a Jacob-style study of maple wood, which elicited particular admiration of Nicholas II.


title: Andrew Strong

text: Andrew Strong (born 14 November 1973) is an Irish singer and the son of Irish musician and singing coach Robert (Rob) Strong. He grew up in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, (where his father lived while performing with showbands), and Naas, County Kildare. He starred as Deco Cuffe in the 1991 cult film "The Commitments" based on the book by Roddy Doyle, despite being only 16 at the time. In 1992, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in "The Commitments", and with the cast, received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.


title: Andrew Strong

text: Since then, Strong has released a number of albums, including a platinum disc, and toured with artists including The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Bryan Adams.


title: Andrew Strong

text: Strong does not tour with the official tribute act to the Commitments, although he did perform with the original cast for the 20th anniversary concert in the O2 Arena in Dublin in March 2011.


title: Andrew Strong

text: In 2003, Strong formed The Bone Yard Boys with Bent Larsen Petersen, a partnership that endures to the present day. The Bone Yard Boys' music is more contemporary with influences from Bowie, U2, Soundgarden, Sly, and "pretty much everything what inspires them".


title: Andrew Strong

text: In 2005, Strong recorded "When I'm Coming Home" in Los Angeles for the film "Brothers". The following year, he released the album "Greatest Hits" on the Sony BMG label. This record consists of tracks from all of Strong's previous recordings and a couple of new tracks he co-wrote. During 2006 and 2007 he toured Europe and Australia to promote "Greatest Hits" while also writing and recording with The Bone Yard Boys.


title: Andrew Strong

text: In 2009, Strong played his first US East Coast tour since 1998, while also playing festivals in Europe, and also recording with The Bone Yard Boys. In 2010 he performed concerts on a US West Coast tour and played festivals in Europe. The Commitments got back together in March 2011 for a reunion tour to mark the 20th anniversary of the movie, with four shows in Ireland ending in the O2 Arena in Dublin to critical acclaim. They played to 24,000 people over four shows and also donated 30,000 euro to the Irish Cancer Society.


title: Andrew Strong

text: In 2014 Strong performed concerts in Australia, Germany, France (on 5 July 2014 at Cabannes, for the 10th edition of the "Nuit du Blues") and Denmark.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism and a social activist, particularly for women's suffrage.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Julia Ward was born in New York City. She was the fourth of seven children. Her father Samuel Ward III was a Wall Street stockbroker, banker, and strict Calvinist Episcopalian. Her mother was the poet Julia Rush Cutler Ward, related to Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of the American Revolution. She died during childbirth when Howe was five.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Howe was educated by private tutors and schools for young ladies until she was sixteen. Her eldest brother, Samuel Cutler Ward, traveled in Europe and brought home a private library. She had access to these books, many contradicting the Calvinistic view. She became well-read, though social as well as scholarly. She met, because of her father's status as a successful banker, Charles Dickens, Charles Sumner, and Margaret Fuller.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Her brother, Sam, married into the Astor family, allowing him great social freedom that he shared with his sister. The siblings were cast into mourning with the death of their father in 1839, the death of their brother, Henry, and the deaths of Samuel's wife, Emily, and their newborn child.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Though raised an Episcopalian, Julia became a Unitarian by 1841. In Boston, Ward met Samuel Gridley Howe, a physician and reformer who had founded the Perkins School for the Blind. Howe had courted her, but he had shown an interest in her sister Louisa. In 1843, they married despite their eighteen-year age difference. She gave birth to their first child while honeymooning in Europe. She bore their last child in December 1859 at the age of forty. They had six children: Julia Romana Howe (1844–1886), Florence Marion Howe (1845–1922), Henry Marion Howe (1848–1922), Laura Elizabeth Howe (1850–1943), Maud Howe (1855–1948), and Samuel Gridley Howe, Jr. (1859–1863). Howe was an aunt of novelist Francis Marion Crawford. Ward’s marriage to Howe was troublesome for her. He did not approve of her writing and did everything he could to disrupt her creative efforts.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Howe raised her children in South Boston, while her husband pursued his advocacy work. She hid her unhappiness with their marriage, earning the nickname "the family champagne" from her children. She made frequent visits to Gardiner, Maine, where she stayed at "The Yellow House," a home built originally in 1814 and later home to her daughter Laura.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: In 1852, the Howes bought a "country home" with 4.7 acres of land in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, which they called "Oak Glen." They continued to maintain homes in Boston and Newport, but spent several months each year at Oak Glen.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: She attended lectures, studied foreign languages, and wrote plays and dramas. Howe had published essays on Goethe, Schiller and Lamartine before her marriage in the "New York Review and Theological Review". Her first volume of poetry, "Passion-Flowers" was published anonymously in 1853. The book collected personal poems and was written without the knowledge of her husband, who was then editing the Free Soil newspaper "The Commonwealth". Her second anonymous collection, "Words for the Hour", appeared in 1857. She went on to write plays such as "Leonora", "The World's Own", and "Hippolytus". These works all contained allusions to her stultifying marriage.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: She went on trips including several for missions. In 1860, she published "A Trip to Cuba", which told of her 1859 trip. It had generated outrage from William Lloyd Garrison, an abolitionist, for its derogatory view of Blacks. Howe believed it was right to free the slaves but did not believe in racial equality. Several letters on High Newport society were published in the "New York Tribune" in 1860, as well.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Howe's being a published author troubled her husband greatly, especially due to the fact that her poems many times had to do with critiques of women's roles as wives, her own marriage, and women's place in society. Their marriage problems escalated to the point where they separated in 1852. Samuel, when he became her husband, had also taken complete control of her estate income. Upon her husband's death in 1876, she had found that through a series of bad investments, most of her money had been lost.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: Howe's writing and social activism were greatly shaped by her upbringing and married life. Much study has gone into her difficult marriage and how it influenced her work, both written and active.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: In the early 1870s, Howe was nominated by William Claflin the governor of Massachusetts as justice of the peace. However, there were uncertainties surrounding her appointment, as many believed women were not fit to hold office. In 1871, the Massachusetts supreme court made the decision that women could not hold any judicial offices without explicit authorization from the legislature, thereby nullifying Howe's appointment to justice of the peace. This led to activists petitioning for legislation allowing women to hold office, separate from legislating women's suffrage. Women's supporters believed that petitioning for officeholding before petitioning for a women's suffrage amendment would expedite women's involvement in politics.


title: Julia Ward Howe

text: She was inspired to write "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" after she and her husband visited Washington, D.C., and met Abraham Lincoln at the White House in . During the trip, her friend James Freeman Clarke suggested she write new words to the song "John Brown's Body", which she did on November 19. The song was set to William Steffe's already existing music and Howe's version was first published in the "Atlantic Monthly" in . It quickly became one of the most popular songs of the Union during the American Civil War.