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Achill Island | Deserted Village | Deserted Village
Close to Dugort, at the base of Slievemore mountain lies the Deserted Village. There are approximately 80 ruined houses in the village. The houses were built of unmortared stone. Each house consisted of just one room. In the area surrounding the Deserted Village, including on the mountain slopes, there is evidence of 'lazy beds' in which crops like potatoes were grown. In Achill, as in other areas of Ireland, a 'rundale' system was used for farming. This meant that the land around a village was rented from a landlord. This land was then shared by all the villagers to graze their cattle and sheep. Each family would then have two or three small pieces of land scattered about the village, which they used to grow crops. For many years people lived in the village and then in 1845 famine struck in Achill as it did in the rest of Ireland. Most of the families moved to the nearby village of Dooagh, which is beside the sea, while others emigrated. Living beside the sea meant that fish and shellfish could be used for food. The village was completely abandoned and is now known as the 'Deserted Village'.
While abandoned, the families that moved to Dooagh (and their descendants) continued to use the village as a 'booley village'.Deserted village, Slievemore, Achill Island, achill247.com Retrieved on 17 February 2008. This means that during the summer season, the younger members of the family, teenage boys and girls, would take the livestock to the area and tend flocks or herds on the hillside and stay in the houses of the Deserted Village. They would then return to Dooagh in the autumn. This custom continued until the 1940s. Boolying was also carried out in other areas of Achill, including Annagh on Croaghaun mountain and in Curraun. At Ailt, Kildownet, the remains of a similar deserted village can be found. This village was deserted in 1855 when the tenants were evicted by the local landlord so the land could be used for cattle grazing; the tenants were forced to rent holdings in Currane, Dooega and Slievemore. Others emigrated to America. |
Achill Island | Archaeology | Archaeology
thumb|The "Deserted Village" at the foot of Slievemore was a 'booley' village (see transhumance).
In 2009, a summer field school excavated Round House 2 on Slievemore Mountain under the direction of archaeologist Stuart Rathbone. Only the outside north wall, entrance way and inside of the Round House were completely excavated.Amanda Burt, member of Achill Field School, Summer 2009.
From 2004 to 2006, the Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project directed by Chuck Meide was sponsored by the College of William and Mary, the Institute of Maritime History, the Achill Folklife Centre (now the Achill Archaeology Centre), and the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP). This project focused on the documentation of archaeological resources related to Achill's rich maritime heritage. Maritime archaeologists recorded a 19th-century fishing station, an ice house, boat house ruins, a number of anchors which had been salvaged from the sea, 19th-century and more recent currach pens, a number of traditional vernacular watercraft including a possibly 100-year-old Achill yawl, and the remains of four historic shipwrecks. |
Achill Island | Other places of interest | Other places of interest
thumb|Keem Bay
thumb|Croaghaun, the third highest sea cliff in Europe
thumb|Slievemore mountain dominates the centre of the island
thumb|Caisleán Ghráinne, also known as Kildownet Castle
The cliffs of Croaghaun on the western end of the island are the third highest sea cliffs in Europe but are inaccessible by road. Near the westernmost point of Achill, Achill Head, is Keem Bay. Keel Beach is visited by tourists and used as a surfing location. South of Keem beach is Moytoge Head, which with its rounded appearance drops dramatically down to the ocean. An old British observation post, built during World War I to prevent the Germans from landing arms for the Irish Republican Army, still stands on Moytoge. During the Emergency (WWII), this post was rebuilt by the Irish Defence Forces as a lookout post for the Coast Watching Service wing of the Defence Forces. It operated from 1939 to 1945.See Michael Kennedy, Guarding Neutral Ireland (Dublin, 2008), p. 50
The mountain of Slievemore, (672 m) rises dramatically in the north of the island. On its slops is an abandoned village, the "Deserted Village". West of this ruined village is an old Martello tower, again built by the British to warn of any possible French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. The area also has an approximately 5000-year-old Neolithic tomb.
Achillbeg (, Little Achill) is a small island just off Achill's southern tip. Its inhabitants were resettled on Achill in the 1960s.Jonathan Beaumont (2005), Achillbeg: The Life of an Island; A plaque to the boxer Johnny Kilbane is situated on Achillbeg and was erected to celebrate 100 years since his first championship win.
Caisleán Ghráinne, also known as Kildownet Castle, is a small tower house built in the early 1400s. It is located in Cloughmore, on the south of Achill Island. It is noted for its associations with Grace O'Malley, along with the larger Rockfleet Castle in Newport. |
Achill Island | Economy and tourism | Economy and tourism
While a number of attempts at setting up small industrial units on the island have been made, its economy is largely dependent on tourism. Subventions from Achill people working abroad allowed a number of families to remain living in Achill throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In the past, fishing was a significant activity but this aspect of the economy has since reduced. At one stage, the island was known for its shark fishing, and basking shark in particular was fished for its valuable shark liver oil.
During the 1960s and 1970s, there was growth in tourism. The largest employers on Achill include its two hotels. The island has several bars, cafes and restaurants. The island's Atlantic location means that seafood, including lobster, mussels, salmon, trout and winkles, are common. Lamb and beef are also popular. |
Achill Island | Religion | Religion
Most people on Achill are either Roman Catholic or Anglican (Church of Ireland).
Catholic churches on the island include: Bunnacurry Church (Saint Josephs), The Valley Church (only open for certain events), Pollagh Church, Dooega Church and Achill Sound Church.
There is a Church of Ireland church (St. Thomas's church) at Dugort.
The House of Prayer, a controversial "religious retreat" on the island, was established in 1993. |
Achill Island | Artists | Artists
For almost two centuries, a number of artists have had a close relationship with Achill Island, including the landscape painter Paul Henry. Within the emerging Irish Free State, Paul Henry's landscapes from Achill and other areas reinforced a vision of Ireland of communities living in harmony with the land. He lived in Achill for almost a decade with his wife, artist Grace Henry and, while using similar subject-matter, the pair developed very different styles.
This relationship of artists with Achill was particularly intense in the early decades of the twentieth century when Eva O'Flaherty (1874–1963) became a focal point for artistic networking on the island. A network of over 200 artists linked to Achill is charted in "Achill Painters - An Island History" and includes painters such as the Belgian Marie Howet, the American Robert Henri, the modernist painter Mainie Jellett and contemporary artist Camille Souter.
The 2018 Coming Home Art & The Great Hunger exhibition, in partnership with The Great Hunger Museum of Quinnipiac University, USA, featured Achill's Deserted Village and the island lazy beds prominently in works by Geraldine O'Reilly and Alanna O'Kelly; also included was an 1873 painting, 'Cottage, Achill Island' by Alexander Williams - one of the first artists to open up the island to a wider audience. |
Achill Island | Education | Education
Hedge schools existed in most villages of Achill in various periods of history. A university was started by the missions to Achill in Mweelin.
At the turn of the 21st century there were two secondary schools in Achill: Mc Hale College and Scoil Damhnait. These two schools amalgamated, in 2011, to form Coláiste Pobail Acla.
For primary education, there are eight national schools. These including Bullsmouth NS, Valley NS, Bunnacurry NS, Dookinella NS, Dooagh NS, Saula NS, Achill Sound NS and Tonragee NS. |
Achill Island | Transport | Transport
thumb|As of the early 20th century, a railway station operated on Achill. |
Achill Island | Rail | Rail
Achill railway station, still on the mainland and not on the island, was opened by the Midland Great Western Railway on 13 May 1895, the terminus of its line from Westport via Newport and Mulranny. The station, and the line, were closed by the Great Southern Railways on 1 October 1937. The Great Western Greenway, created during 2010 and 2011, follows the line's route and has proved to be very successful in attracting visitors to Achill and the surrounding areas. |
Achill Island | Road | Road
The R319 road is the main road onto the island.
Bus Éireann's route 450 operates several times daily to Westport and Louisburgh from the island. Bus Éireann also provides transport for the area's secondary school children. |
Achill Island | Sport | Sport
Achill has a Gaelic football club which competes in the junior championship and division 1E of the Mayo League. There are also Achill Rovers which play in the Mayo Association Football League.
There is a 9-hole links golf course on the island. Outdoor activities can be done through Achill Outdoor Education Centre. Achill Island's rugged landscape and the surrounding ocean offers multiple locations for outdoor adventure activities, like surfing, kite-surfing and sea kayaking. Fishing and watersports are also common. Sailing regattas featuring a local vessel type, the Achill Yawl, have been run since the 19th century. |
Achill Island | Demographics | Demographics
In 2016, the population was 2,594, with 5.2% claiming they spoke Irish on a daily basis outside the education system. The island's population has declined from around 6,000 before the Great Famine of the mid-19th century.
The table below reports data on Achill Island's population taken from Discover the Islands of Ireland (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the census of Ireland. |
Achill Island | Notable people | Notable people
Heinrich Böll, German writer who spent several summers with his family and later lived several months per year on the island
Charles Boycott (1832–1897), unpopular landowner from whom the term boycott arose
Nancy Corrigan, pioneer aviator, second female commercial pilot in the US.
Dermot Freyer (1883–1970), writer who opened a hotel on the island
Paul Henry, artist, stayed on the island for a number of years in the early 1900s
James Kilbane, singer, lives on the island
Johnny Kilbane, boxer
Saoirse McHugh, former Green Party politician
Danny McNamara, musician
Richard McNamara, musician
Eva O'Flaherty, Nationalist, model and milliner
Manus Patten, recipient of the Scott Medal
Thomas Patten, from Dooega. Died during the Siege of Madrid in December 1936
Honor Tracy, author, lived there until her death in 1989 |
Achill Island | In popular culture | In popular culture
The island is featured throughout the film The Banshees of Inisherin in various locations on the island including Keem Bay, Cloughmore, and Purteen Pier.
The island is also the primary setting of the visual novel If Found.... |
Achill Island | Further reading | Further reading
Heinrich Böll: Irisches Tagebuch, Berlin, 1957
Bob Kingston The Deserted Village at Slievemore, Castlebar, 1990
Theresa McDonald: Achill: 5000 B.C. to 1900 A.D.: Archeology History Folklore, I.A.S. Publications [1992]
Rosa Meehan: The Story of Mayo, Castlebar, 2003
James Carney: The Playboy & the Yellow lady, 1986 Poolbeg
Hugo Hamilton: The Island of Talking, 2007
Mealla Nī Ghiobúin: Dugort, Achill Island 1831–1861: The Rise and Fall of a Missionary Community, 2001
Patricia Byrne: The Veiled Woman of Achill – Island Outrage & A Playboy Drama, 2012
Mary J. Murphy: Achill's Eva O'Flaherty – Forgotten Island Heroine, 2011
Patricia Byrne: The Preacher and The Prelate – The Achill Mission Colony and The Battle for Souls in Famine Ireland, 2018
Mary J. Murphy, Achill Painters - An Island History, 2020 |
Achill Island | See also | See also
List of islands of County Mayo |
Achill Island | References | References |
Achill Island | External links | External links
Colaiste Pobail Acla students project on the Achill area
Achill Island Maritime Archaeology Project
VisitAchill multilingual visitor's site
Category:Islands of County Mayo
Category:Gaeltacht places in County Mayo |
Achill Island | Table of Content | Short description, History, Overlords, Immigration, Specific historical sites and events, Grace O'Malley's Castle, Achill Mission, Railway, Kildamhnait, The Monastery, Valley House, Deserted Village, Archaeology, Other places of interest, Economy and tourism, Religion, Artists, Education, Transport, Rail, Road, Sport, Demographics, Notable people, In popular culture, Further reading, See also, References, External links |
Algebraically closed field | Short description | In mathematics, a field is algebraically closed if every non-constant polynomial in (the univariate polynomial ring with coefficients in ) has a root in . In other words, a field is algebraically closed if the fundamental theorem of algebra holds for it.
Every field is contained in an algebraically closed field and the roots in of the polynomials with coefficients in form an algebraically closed field called an algebraic closure of Given two algebraic closures of there are isomorphisms between them that fix the elements of
Algebraically closed fields appear in the following chain of class inclusions: |
Algebraically closed field | Examples | Examples
As an example, the field of real numbers is not algebraically closed, because the polynomial equation has no solution in real numbers, even though all its coefficients (1 and 0) are real. The same argument proves that no subfield of the real field is algebraically closed; in particular, the field of rational numbers is not algebraically closed. By contrast, the fundamental theorem of algebra states that the field of complex numbers is algebraically closed. Another example of an algebraically closed field is the field of (complex) algebraic numbers.
No finite field F is algebraically closed, because if a1, a2, ..., an are the elements of F, then the polynomial (x − a1)(x − a2) ⋯ (x − an) + 1
has no zero in F. However, the union of all finite fields of a fixed characteristic p (p prime) is an algebraically closed field, which is, in fact, the algebraic closure of the field with p elements.
The field of rational functions with complex coefficients is not closed; for example, the polynomial has roots , which are not elements of . |
Algebraically closed field | Equivalent properties | Equivalent properties
Given a field F, the assertion "F is algebraically closed" is equivalent to other assertions: |
Algebraically closed field | The only irreducible polynomials are those of degree one | The only irreducible polynomials are those of degree one
The field F is algebraically closed if and only if the only irreducible polynomials in the polynomial ring F[x] are those of degree one.
The assertion "the polynomials of degree one are irreducible" is trivially true for any field. If F is algebraically closed and p(x) is an irreducible polynomial of F[x], then it has some root a and therefore p(x) is a multiple of . Since p(x) is irreducible, this means that , for some . On the other hand, if F is not algebraically closed, then there is some non-constant polynomial p(x) in F[x] without roots in F. Let q(x) be some irreducible factor of p(x). Since p(x) has no roots in F, q(x) also has no roots in F. Therefore, q(x) has degree greater than one, since every first degree polynomial has one root in F. |
Algebraically closed field | Every polynomial is a product of first degree polynomials | Every polynomial is a product of first degree polynomials
The field F is algebraically closed if and only if every polynomial p(x) of degree n ≥ 1, with coefficients in F, splits into linear factors. In other words, there are elements k, x1, x2, ..., xn of the field F such that p(x) = k(x − x1)(x − x2) ⋯ (x − xn).
If F has this property, then clearly every non-constant polynomial in F[x] has some root in F; in other words, F is algebraically closed. On the other hand, that the property stated here holds for F if F is algebraically closed follows from the previous property together with the fact that, for any field K, any polynomial in K[x] can be written as a product of irreducible polynomials. |
Algebraically closed field | Polynomials of prime degree have roots | Polynomials of prime degree have roots
If every polynomial over F of prime degree has a root in F, then every non-constant polynomial has a root in F.Shipman, J. Improving the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra The Mathematical Intelligencer, Volume 29 (2007), Number 4. pp. 9–14 It follows that a field is algebraically closed if and only if every polynomial over F of prime degree has a root in F. |
Algebraically closed field | The field has no proper algebraic extension | The field has no proper algebraic extension
The field F is algebraically closed if and only if it has no proper algebraic extension.
If F has no proper algebraic extension, let p(x) be some irreducible polynomial in F[x]. Then the quotient of F[x] modulo the ideal generated by p(x) is an algebraic extension of F whose degree is equal to the degree of p(x). Since it is not a proper extension, its degree is 1 and therefore the degree of p(x) is 1.
On the other hand, if F has some proper algebraic extension K, then the minimal polynomial of an element in K \ F is irreducible and its degree is greater than 1. |
Algebraically closed field | The field has no proper finite extension | The field has no proper finite extension
The field F is algebraically closed if and only if it has no proper finite extension because if, within the previous proof, the term "algebraic extension" is replaced by the term "finite extension", then the proof is still valid. (Finite extensions are necessarily algebraic.) |
Algebraically closed field | Every endomorphism of ''F<sup>n</sup>'' has some eigenvector | Every endomorphism of Fn has some eigenvector
The field F is algebraically closed if and only if, for each natural number n, every linear map from Fn into itself has some eigenvector.
An endomorphism of Fn has an eigenvector if and only if its characteristic polynomial has some root. Therefore, when F is algebraically closed, every endomorphism of Fn has some eigenvector. On the other hand, if every endomorphism of Fn has an eigenvector, let p(x) be an element of F[x]. Dividing by its leading coefficient, we get another polynomial q(x) which has roots if and only if p(x) has roots. But if , then q(x) is the characteristic polynomial of the n×n companion matrix |
Algebraically closed field | Decomposition of rational expressions | Decomposition of rational expressions
The field F is algebraically closed if and only if every rational function in one variable x, with coefficients in F, can be written as the sum of a polynomial function with rational functions of the form a/(x − b)n, where n is a natural number, and a and b are elements of F.
If F is algebraically closed then, since the irreducible polynomials in F[x] are all of degree 1, the property stated above holds by the theorem on partial fraction decomposition.
On the other hand, suppose that the property stated above holds for the field F. Let p(x) be an irreducible element in F[x]. Then the rational function 1/p can be written as the sum of a polynomial function q with rational functions of the form a/(x – b)n. Therefore, the rational expression
can be written as a quotient of two polynomials in which the denominator is a product of first degree polynomials. Since p(x) is irreducible, it must divide this product and, therefore, it must also be a first degree polynomial. |
Algebraically closed field | Relatively prime polynomials and roots | Relatively prime polynomials and roots
For any field F, if two polynomials are relatively prime then they do not have a common root, for if was a common root, then p(x) and q(x) would both be multiples of and therefore they would not be relatively prime. The fields for which the reverse implication holds (that is, the fields such that whenever two polynomials have no common root then they are relatively prime) are precisely the algebraically closed fields.
If the field F is algebraically closed, let p(x) and q(x) be two polynomials which are not relatively prime and let r(x) be their greatest common divisor. Then, since r(x) is not constant, it will have some root a, which will be then a common root of p(x) and q(x).
If F is not algebraically closed, let p(x) be a polynomial whose degree is at least 1 without roots. Then p(x) and p(x) are not relatively prime, but they have no common roots (since none of them has roots). |
Algebraically closed field | Other properties | Other properties
If F is an algebraically closed field and n is a natural number, then F contains all nth roots of unity, because these are (by definition) the n (not necessarily distinct) zeroes of the polynomial xn − 1. A field extension that is contained in an extension generated by the roots of unity is a cyclotomic extension, and the extension of a field generated by all roots of unity is sometimes called its cyclotomic closure. Thus algebraically closed fields are cyclotomically closed. The converse is not true. Even assuming that every polynomial of the form xn − a splits into linear factors is not enough to assure that the field is algebraically closed.
If a proposition which can be expressed in the language of first-order logic is true for an algebraically closed field, then it is true for every algebraically closed field with the same characteristic. Furthermore, if such a proposition is valid for an algebraically closed field with characteristic 0, then not only is it valid for all other algebraically closed fields with characteristic 0, but there is some natural number N such that the proposition is valid for every algebraically closed field with characteristic p when p > N.See subsections Rings and fields and Properties of mathematical theories in §2 of J. Barwise's "An introduction to first-order logic".
Every field F has some extension which is algebraically closed. Such an extension is called an algebraically closed extension. Among all such extensions there is one and only one (up to isomorphism, but not unique isomorphism) which is an algebraic extension of F;See Lang's Algebra, §VII.2 or van der Waerden's Algebra I, §10.1. it is called the algebraic closure of F.
The theory of algebraically closed fields has quantifier elimination. |
Algebraically closed field | Notes | Notes |
Algebraically closed field | References | References
Category:Field (mathematics) |
Algebraically closed field | Table of Content | Short description, Examples, Equivalent properties, The only irreducible polynomials are those of degree one, Every polynomial is a product of first degree polynomials, Polynomials of prime degree have roots, The field has no proper algebraic extension, The field has no proper finite extension, Every endomorphism of ''F<sup>n</sup>'' has some eigenvector, Decomposition of rational expressions, Relatively prime polynomials and roots, Other properties, Notes, References |
August 6 | pp-move | |
August 6 | Events | Events |
August 6 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
686 – The Ummayad forces suffer a deceisive defeat against the pro-Alid forces under Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar in the battle of Khazir.
1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean.
1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. |
August 6 | 1601–1900 | 1601–1900
1661 – The Treaty of The Hague is signed by Portugal and the Dutch Republic.
1777 – American Revolutionary War: The bloody Battle of Oriskany prevents American relief of the Siege of Fort Stanwix.
1787 – Sixty proof sheets of the Constitution of the United States are delivered to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1806 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares the moribund empire to be dissolved, although he retains power in the Austrian Empire.
1819 – Norwich University is founded in Vermont as the first private military school in the United States.
1824 – Peruvian War of Independence: Patriot forces led by Simón Bolívar defeat the Spanish Royalist army in the Battle of Junín.
1825 – The Bolivian Declaration of Independence is proclaimed.
1861 – Britain imposes the Lagos Treaty of Cession to suppress slavery in what is now Nigeria.
1862 – American Civil War: The Confederate ironclad is scuttled on the Mississippi River after suffering catastrophic engine failure near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1870 – Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Spicheren is fought, resulting in a German victory.
1870 – Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Wörth results in a decisive German victory.
1890 – At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair. |
August 6 | 1901–present | 1901–present
1901 – Kiowa land in Oklahoma is opened for white settlement, effectively dissolving the contiguous reservation.
1914 – World War I: U-boat campaign: Two days after the United Kingdom had declared war on Germany over the German invasion of Belgium, ten German U-boats leave their base in Heligoland to attack Royal Navy warships in the North Sea.
1914 – World War I: Serbia declares war on Germany; Austria declares war on Russia.
1915 – World War I: Battle of Sari Bair: The Allies mount a diversionary attack timed to coincide with a major Allied landing of reinforcements at Suvla Bay.
1917 – World War I: Battle of Mărășești between the Romanian and German armies begins.
1926 – Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
1926 – First public screening using the Vitaphone process
1940 – Estonia is annexed by the Soviet Union.
1942 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands becomes the first reigning queen to address a joint session of the United States Congress.
1944 – The Warsaw Uprising occurs on August 1. It is brutally suppressed and all able-bodied men in Kraków are detained afterwards to prevent a similar uprising, the Kraków Uprising, that was planned but never carried out.
1945 – World War II: Hiroshima, Japan is devastated when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay. Around 70,000 people are killed instantly, and some tens of thousands die in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning.
1956 – After going bankrupt in 1955, the American broadcaster DuMont Television Network makes its final broadcast, a boxing match from St. Nicholas Arena in New York in the Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena series.
1958 – Law of Permanent Defense of Democracy, outlawing the Communist Party of Chile and banning 26,650 persons from the electoral lists,Adam Feinstein, Pablo Neruda: A Passion for Life url is repealed in Chile.
1960 – Cuban Revolution: Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation.
1962 – Jamaica becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
1965 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.
1986 – A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
1990 – Gulf War: The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
1991 – Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Web. WWW makes its first appearance as a publicly available service on the Internet.
1991 – Takako Doi, chair of the Social Democratic Party, becomes Japan's first female speaker of the House of Representatives.
1996 – NASA announces that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms.
1997 – Korean Air Flight 801 crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam, killing 229 of the 254 people on board.
2001 – Erwadi fire incident: Twenty-eight mentally ill persons tied to a chain are burnt to death at a faith based institution at Erwadi, Tamil Nadu.
2008 – A military junta led by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz stages a coup d'état in Mauritania, overthrowing president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi.
2010 – Flash floods across a large part of Jammu and Kashmir, India, damages 71 towns and kills at least 255 people.
2011 – War in Afghanistan: A United States military helicopter is shot down, killing 30 American special forces members and a working dog, seven Afghan soldiers, and one Afghan civilian. It was the deadliest single event for the United States in the War in Afghanistan.
2012 – NASA's Curiosity rover lands on the surface of Mars.
2015 – A suicide bomb attack kills at least 15 people at a mosque in the Saudi city of Abha. |
August 6 | Births | Births |
August 6 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
1180 – Emperor Go-Toba of Japan (d. 1239)
1504 – Matthew Parker, English archbishop (d. 1575)
1572 – Fakhr-al-Din II, Druze emir (d. 1635) |
August 6 | 1601–1900 | 1601–1900
1605 – Bulstrode Whitelocke, English lawyer (d. 1675)
1609 – Richard Bennett, English-American politician, Colonial Governor of Virginia (d. 1675)
1619 – Barbara Strozzi, Italian composer and singer-songwriter (d. 1677)
1622 – Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, Dutch admiral (d. 1666)
1638 – Nicolas Malebranche, French priest and philosopher (d. 1715)
1644 – Louise de La Vallière, French mistress of Louis XIV of France (d. 1710)
1651 – François Fénelon, French archbishop and poet (d. 1715)
1656 – Claude de Forbin, French general (d. 1733)
1666 – Maria Sophia of Neuburg (d. 1699)
1667 – Johann Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (d. 1748)
1697 – Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1745)
1715 – Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, French author (d. 1747)
1765 – Petros Mavromichalis, Greek general and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1848)
1766 – William Hyde Wollaston, English chemist and physicist (d. 1828)
1768 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French general and politician (d. 1813)
1775 – Daniel O'Connell, Irish lawyer and politician, Lord Mayor of Dublin (d. 1847)
1809 – Alfred, Lord Tennyson, English poet (d. 1892)
1826 – Thomas Alexander Browne, English-Australian author (d. 1915)
1835 – Hjalmar Kiærskou, Danish botanist (d. 1900)
1844 – Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1900)
1844 – James Henry Greathead, South African-English engineer (d. 1896)
1848 – Susie Taylor, American writer and first black Army nurse (d. 1912)
1846 – Anna Haining Bates, Canadian-American giant (d. 1888)
1868 – Paul Claudel, French poet and playwright (d. 1955)
1874 – Charles Fort, American author (d. 1932)
1877 – Wallace H. White Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1952)
1880 – Hans Moser, Austrian actor and singer (d. 1964)
1881 – Leo Carrillo, American actor (d. 1961)
1881 – Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, pharmacologist, and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955)
1881 – Louella Parsons, American journalist (d. 1972)
1883 – Constance Georgina Adams, South African botanist (d. 1968)
1883 – Scott Nearing, American economist and educator (d. 1983)
1886 – Edward Ballantine, American composer and academic (d. 1971)
1887 – Dudley Benjafield, English racing driver (d. 1957)
1889 – George Kenney, Canadian-American general (d. 1977)
1889 – John Middleton Murry, English poet and author (d. 1957)
1891 – William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, English field marshal and politician, 13th Governor-General of Australia (d. 1970)
1895 – Frank Nicklin, Australian politician, 28th Premier of Queensland (d. 1978)
1900 – Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, co-founded Texas Instruments (d. 2003) |
August 6 | 1901–present | 1901–present
1901 – Dutch Schultz, American gangster (d. 1935)
1903 – Virginia Foster Durr, American civil rights activist (d. 1999)
1904 – Jean Dessès, Greek-Egyptian fashion designer (d. 1970)
1904 – Henry Iba, American basketball player and coach (d. 1993)
1906 – Vic Dickenson, American trombonist (d. 1984)
1908 – Maria Ludwika Bernhard, Polish classical archaeologist and a member of WWII Polish resistance (d. 1998)
1908 – Helen Jacobs, American tennis player and commander (d. 1997)
1908 – Lajos Vajda, Hungarian painter and illustrator (d. 1941)
1909 – Diana Keppel, Countess of Albemarle (d. 2013)
1910 – Adoniran Barbosa, Brazilian musician, singer, composer, humorist, and actor (d. 1982)
1910 – Charles Crichton, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
1911 – Lucille Ball, American actress, television producer and businesswoman (d. 1989)
1911 – Norman Gordon, South African cricketer (d. 2014)
1911 – Constance Heaven, English author and actress (d. 1995)
1912 – Richard C. Miller, American photographer (d. 2010)
1914 – Gordon Freeth, Australian lawyer and politician, 24th Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 2001)
1916 – Richard Hofstadter, American historian and academic (d. 1970)
1916 – Dom Mintoff, Maltese journalist and politician, 8th Prime Minister of Malta (d. 2012)
1917 – Barbara Cooney, American author and illustrator (d. 2000)
1917 – Robert Mitchum, American actor (d. 1997)
1918 – Norman Granz, American-Swiss record producer and manager (d. 2001)
1919 – Pauline Betz, American tennis player (d. 2011)
1920 – John Graves, American author (d. 2013)
1920 – Ella Raines, American actress (d. 1988)
1922 – Freddie Laker, English businessman, founded Laker Airways (d. 2006)
1922 – Dan Walker, American lawyer and politician, 36th Governor of Illinois (d. 2015)
1923 – Jess Collins, American painter (d. 2004)
1923 – Paul Hellyer, Canadian engineer and politician, 16th Canadian Minister of Defence (d. 2021)
1924 – Samuel Bowers, American white supremacist, co-founded the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (d. 2006)
1924 – Ella Jenkins, American folk singer (d. 2024)
1926 – Elisabeth Beresford, English journalist and author (d. 2010)
1926 – Frank Finlay, English actor (d. 2016)
1926 – Clem Labine, American baseball player and manager (d. 2007)
1926 – János Rózsás, Hungarian author (d. 2012)
1926 – Norman Wexler, American screenwriter (d. 1999)
1928 – Herb Moford, American baseball player (d. 2005)
1928 – Andy Warhol, American painter, photographer and film director (d. 1987)
1929 – Mike Elliott, Jamaican saxophonist
1929 – Roch La Salle, Canadian politician, 42nd Canadian Minister of Public Works (d. 2007)
1930 – Abbey Lincoln, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2010)
1931 – Chalmers Johnson, American scholar and author (d. 2010)
1932 – Michael Deeley, English screenwriter and producer
1932 – Howard Hodgkin, English painter (d. 2017)
1932 – Charles Wood, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2020)
1933 – A. G. Kripal Singh, Indian cricketer (d. 1987)
1934 – Piers Anthony, English-American soldier and author
1934 – Chris Bonington, English mountaineer and author
1934 – Billy Boston, Welsh rugby player and soldier
1935 – Fortunato Baldelli, Italian cardinal (d. 2012)
1935 – Octavio Getino, Spanish-Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 2012)
1937 – Baden Powell de Aquino, Brazilian guitarist and composer (d. 2000)
1937 – Charlie Haden, American bassist and composer (d. 2014)
1937 – Barbara Windsor, English actress (d. 2020)
1938 – Paul Bartel, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
1938 – Peter Bonerz, American actor and director
1938 – Bert Yancey, American golfer (d. 1994)
1940 – Mukhu Aliyev, Russian philologist and politician, 2nd President of Dagestan
1940 – Egil Kapstad, Norwegian pianist and composer (d. 2017)
1940 – Louise Sorel, American actress
1941 – Ray Culp, American baseball player
1942 – Byard Lancaster, American saxophonist and flute player (d. 2012)
1943 – Jon Postel, American computer scientist and academic (d. 1998)
1944 – Inday Badiday, Filipino journalist and actress (d. 2003)
1944 – Michael Mingos, English chemist and academic
1944 – Martin Wharton, English bishop
1945 – Ron Jones, English director and production manager (d. 1993)
1946 – Allan Holdsworth, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer (d. 2017)
1947 – Radhia Cousot, French computer scientist and academic (d. 2014)
1949 – Dino Bravo, Italian-Canadian wrestler (d. 1993)
1950 – Dorian Harewood, American actor
1951 – Catherine Hicks, American actress
1951 – Daryl Somers, Australian television host and singer
1952 – Pat MacDonald, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1952 – David McLetchie, Scottish lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
1952 – Ton Scherpenzeel, Dutch keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
1954 – Mark Hughes, English-Australian rugby league player
1956 – Bill Emmott, English journalist and author
1957 – Bob Horner, American baseball player
1957 – Jim McGreevey, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Governor of New Jersey
1958 – Randy DeBarge, American singer-songwriter and bass player
1959 – Rajendra Singh, Indian environmentalist
1959 – Joyce Sims, American singer (d. 2022)
1960 – Dale Ellis, American basketball player
1961 – Mary Ann Sieghart, English journalist and radio host
1962 – Michelle Yeoh, Malaysian-Hong Kong actress and producerEncyclopædia Britannica Almanac 2010, p. 75
1963 – Charles Ingram, English soldier, author, and game show contestant
1963 – Kevin Mitnick, American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker (d. 2023)
1964 – Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo, Nigerian journalist, activist, social media expert, and pharmacist
1965 – Stéphane Peterhansel, French racing driver
1965 – Yuki Kajiura, Japanese pianist and composer
1965 – David Robinson, American basketball player and lieutenant
1968 – Jack de Gier, Dutch footballer
1969 – Simon Doull, New Zealand cricketer and sportscaster
1969 – Elliott Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2003)
1970 – M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-American director, producer, and screenwriter
1972 – Geri Halliwell, English singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress
1972 – Jason O'Mara, Irish actor
1973 – Vera Farmiga, American actress
1973 – Stuart O'Grady, Australian cyclist
1975 – Jason Crump, English-Australian motorcycle racer
1975 – Renate Götschl, Austrian skier
1975 – Víctor Zambrano, Venezuelan baseball player
1976 – Soleil Moon Frye, American actress
1976 – Melissa George, Australian-American actress
1977 – Leandro Amaral, Brazilian footballer
1977 – Jimmy Nielsen, Danish footballer and manager
1977 – Luciano Zavagno, Argentinian footballer
1979 – Francesco Bellotti, Italian cyclist
1979 – Jaime Correa, Mexican footballer
1979 – Travis Reed, American basketball player
1981 – Leslie Odom Jr., American actor and singer
1981 – Diána Póth, Hungarian figure skater
1983 – Robin van Persie, Dutch footballer
1984 – Vedad Ibišević, Bosnian footballer
1984 – Maja Ognjenović, Serbian volleyball player
1984 – Jesse Ryder, New Zealand cricketer
1985 – Mickaël Delage, French cyclist
1985 – Bafétimbi Gomis, French footballer
1985 – Garrett Weber-Gale, American swimmer
1986 – Raphael Pyrasch, German rugby player
1987 – Leanne Crichton, Scottish footballer
1991 – Wilmer Flores, Venezuelan baseball player
1991 – Jiao Liuyang, Chinese swimmer
1995 – Rebecca Peterson, Swedish tennis player
1999 – Hunter Greene, American baseball player
1999 – Rebeka Masarova, Spanish-Swiss tennis player
2002 – Nessa Barrett, American singer-songwriter.
2004 – Takhmina Ikromova, Uzbekistani rhythmic gymnast |
August 6 | Deaths | Deaths |
August 6 | Pre-1600 | Pre-1600
258 – Pope Sixtus II
523 – Pope Hormisdas (b. 450)
750 – Marwan II, Umayyad general and caliph (b. 688)
1027 – Richard III, Duke of Normandy
1162 – Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona (b. 1113)
1195 – Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria (b. 1129)
1221 – Saint Dominic, Spanish priest, founded the Dominican Order (b. 1170)
1272 – Stephen V of Hungary (b. 1239)
1384 – Francesco I of Lesbos
1412 – Margherita of Durazzo, Queen consort of Charles III of Naples (b. 1347)
1414 – Ladislaus of Naples (b. 1377)
1458 – Pope Callixtus III (b. 1378)
1530 – Jacopo Sannazaro, Italian poet (b. 1458)
1553 – Girolamo Fracastoro, Italian physician (b. 1478)
1588 – Josias I, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg, Count of Waldeck-Eisenberg (1578–1588) (b. 1554) |
August 6 | 1601–1900 | 1601–1900
1628 – Johannes Junius, German lawyer and politician (b. 1573)
1637 – Ben Jonson, English poet and playwright (b. 1572)
1645 – Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex, English merchant and politician (b. 1575)
1657 – Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Ukrainian soldier and politician, 1st Hetman of Zaporizhian Host (b. 1595)
1660 – Diego Velázquez, Spanish painter and educator (b. 1599)
1666 – Tjerk Hiddes de Vries, Frisian naval hero and commander (b. 1622)
1679 – John Snell, Scottish-English soldier and philanthropist, founded the Snell Exhibition (b. 1629)
1694 – Antoine Arnauld, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1612)
1695 – François de Harlay de Champvallon, French archbishop (b. 1625)
1753 – Georg Wilhelm Richmann, Estonian-Russian physicist and academic (b. 1711)
1757 – Ádám Mányoki, Hungarian painter (b. 1673)
1794 – Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, English lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1714)
1815 – James A. Bayard, American lawyer and politician (b. 1767)
1828 – Konstantin von Benckendorff, Russian general and diplomat (b. 1785)
1850 – Edward Walsh, Irish poet (b. 1805)
1866 – John Mason Neale, English priest, scholar, and hymnwriter (b. 1818)
1881 – James Springer White, American religious leader, co-founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church (b. 1821)
1893 – Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel, Swiss lawyer and politician (b. 1811) |
August 6 | 1901–present | 1901–present
1904 – Eduard Hanslick, Austrian author and critic (b. 1825)
1906 – George Waterhouse, English-New Zealand politician, 7th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1824)
1915 – Jennie de la Montagnie Lozier, American physician (b. 1841)
1920 – Stefan Bastyr, Polish pilot and author (b. 1890)
1925 – Surendranath Banerjee, Indian academic and politician (b. 1848)
1925 – Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro, Italian mathematician (b. 1853)
1931 – Bix Beiderbecke, American cornet player, pianist, and composer (b. 1903)
1945 – Richard Bong, American soldier and pilot, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1920)The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among other periodicals, all carried prominent front page stories about Bong's death on August 7, 1945, despite the prevalence of the news on the first atomic bombing. "Jet plane explosion kills Major Bong, Top U.S. Ace," The New York Times (August 7, 1945), p. 1; "Major Bong, top air ace, killed in crash of Army P-80 jet-fighter," The Washington Post (August 6, 1945), p.1; "Jet plane explosion kills Maj. Bong; Ace's 'Shooting Star' blows up in test flight over north Hollywood", Los Angeles Times (August 6, 1945), p.1.
1945 – Hiram Johnson, American lawyer and politician, 23rd Governor of California (b. 1866)
1946 – Tony Lazzeri, American baseball player and coach (b. 1903)
1952 – Betty Allan, Australian statistician and biometrician (b. 1905)
1959 – Preston Sturges, American director, screenwriter, and playwright (b. 1898)
1964 – Cedric Hardwicke, English actor and director (b. 1893)
1968 – Ye Gongchuo, Chinese politician, poet, and calligrapher (b. 1881)
1969 – Theodor W. Adorno, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1903)
1970 – Nikos Tsiforos, Greek director and screenwriter (b. 1912)
1973 – Fulgencio Batista, Cuban colonel and politician, 9th President of Cuba (b. 1901)
1976 – Gregor Piatigorsky, Russian-American cellist and educator (b. 1903)
1978 – Pope Paul VI (b. 1897)
1978 – Edward Durell Stone, American architect, designed Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (b. 1902)
1979 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
1983 – Klaus Nomi, German singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1944)
1985 – Forbes Burnham, Guyanese politician, 2nd President of Guyana (b. 1923)
1986 – Emilio Fernández, Mexican actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
1987 – Ira C. Eaker, American general (b. 1896)
1990 – Jacques Soustelle, French anthropologist and politician (b. 1912)
1991 – Shapour Bakhtiar, Iranian soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Iran (b. 1915)
1991 – Roland Michener, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Governor General of Canada (b. 1900)
1991 – Harry Reasoner, American journalist, co-created 60 Minutes (b. 1923)
1992 – Leszek Błażyński, Polish boxer (b. 1949)
1993 – Tex Hughson, American baseball player (b. 1916)
1994 – Domenico Modugno, Italian singer-songwriter and politician (b. 1928)
1997 – Shin Ki-ha, South Korean lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
1998 – André Weil, French-American mathematician and academic (b. 1906)
2001 – Jorge Amado, Brazilian novelist and poet (b. 1912)
2001 – Adhar Kumar Chatterji, Indian Naval officer (b. 1914)
2001 – Wilhelm Mohnke, German general (b. 1911)
2001 – Shan Ratnam, Sri Lankan physician and academic (b. 1928)
2001 – Dorothy Tutin, English actress (b. 1930)
2002 – Edsger W. Dijkstra, Dutch physicist, computer scientist, and academic (b. 1930)
2003 – Julius Baker, American flute player and educator (b. 1915)
2004 – Rick James, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1948)
2004 – Donald Justice, American poet and academic (b. 1925)
2005 – Robin Cook, Scottish educator and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (b. 1946)
2005 – Creme Puff, tabby domestic cat, oldest recorded cat (b. 1967)
2007 – Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian guitarist (b. 1969)
2008 – Angelos Kitsos, Greek lawyer and author (b. 1934)
2009 – Riccardo Cassin, Italian mountaineer and author (b. 1909)
2009 – Willy DeVille, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
2009 – John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1950)
2011 – Fe del Mundo, Filipino pediatrician and educator (b. 1911)
2012 – Richard Cragun, American-Brazilian ballet dancer and choreographer (b. 1944)
2012 – Marvin Hamlisch, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1944)
2012 – Robert Hughes, Australian-American author and critic (b. 1938)
2012 – Bernard Lovell, English physicist and astronomer (b. 1913)
2012 – Mark O'Donnell, American playwright (b. 1954)
2012 – Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist and educator (b. 1918)
2012 – Dan Roundfield, American basketball player (b. 1953)
2013 – Stan Lynde, American author and illustrator (b. 1931)
2013 – Mava Lee Thomas, American baseball player (b. 1929)
2013 – Jerry Wolman, American businessman (b. 1927)
2014 – Ralph Bryans, Northern Irish motorcycle racer (b. 1941)
2014 – Ananda W.P. Guruge, Sri Lankan scholar and diplomat (b. 1928)
2014 – John Woodland Hastings, American biochemist and academic (b. 1927)
2015 – Ray Hill, American football player (b. 1975)
2015 – Orna Porat, German-Israeli actress (b. 1924)
2017 – Betty Cuthbert, Australian sprinter (b. 1938)
2017 – Darren Daulton, American baseball player (b. 1962)
2018 – Joël Robuchon, French Chef (b. 1945)
2018 – Margaret Heckler, American politician (b. 1931)
2018 – Anya Krugovoy Silver, American poet (b. 1968)
2024 – Billy Bean, American baseball player (b. 1964)
2024 – Connie Chiume, South African actress and filmmaker (b. 1952) |
August 6 | Holidays and observances | Holidays and observances
Christian holidays and observances
Transfiguration of Jesus
Anna Maria Rubatto
Hormisdas
Justus and Pastor
August 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Accession Day. (United Arab Emirates)
Independence Day (Bolivia), celebrates the independence of Bolivia from Spain in 1825.
Independence Day (Jamaica), celebrates the independence of Jamaica from the United Kingdom in 1962.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (Hiroshima, Japan)
Russian Railway Troops Day (Russia) |
August 6 | References | References |
August 6 | External links | External links
Category:Days of August |
August 6 | Table of Content | pp-move, Events, Pre-1600, 1601–1900, 1901–present, Births, Pre-1600, 1601–1900, 1901–present, Deaths, Pre-1600, 1601–1900, 1901–present, Holidays and observances, References, External links |
Anatoly Karpov | Short description | Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (, ; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian and former Soviet chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, and politician. He was the 12th World Chess Champion from 1975 to 1985, a three-time FIDE World Champion (1993, 1996, 1998), twice World Chess champion as a member of the USSR team (1985, 1989), and a six-time winner of Chess Olympiads as a member of the USSR team (1972, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988). The International Association of Chess Press awarded him nine Chess Oscars (1973–77, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984).
Karpov's chess tournament successes include over 160 first-place finishes. In his 1994 book My Best Games, Karpov says he played some 200 tournaments and matches, and won more than 100. He had a peak Elo rating of 2780, and his 102 total months world number one is the third-longest of all time, behind Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov. Karpov is also an elected Member of the State Duma in Russia. Since 2006, he has chaired the Commission for Ecological Safety and Environmental Protection of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, and since 2007 he has been a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defence. |
Anatoly Karpov | Early life | Early life
Karpov was born into a Russian family on May 23, 1951,How Karpov Wins, p. xiiiDeep Blue: An Artificial Intelligence Milestonebats, p. 44 in Zlatoust, in the Urals region of the former Soviet Union, and learned to play chess at the age of four. His early rise in chess was swift, as he became a candidate master by age 11. At 12, he was accepted into Mikhail Botvinnik's prestigious chess school, though Botvinnik made the following remark about the young Karpov: "The boy does not have a clue about chess, and there's no future at all for him in this profession."
Karpov acknowledged that his understanding of chess theory was very confused at that time, and later wrote that the homework Botvinnik assigned greatly helped him, since it required that he consult chess books and work diligently. Karpov improved so quickly under Botvinnik's tutelage that he became the youngest Soviet master in history at the age of fifteen in 1966; this tied the record established by Boris Spassky in 1952. |
Anatoly Karpov | Career | Career |
Anatoly Karpov | Young master | Young master
thumb|262px|Karpov in 1967
Karpov finished first in his first international tournament, in Třinec, several months later, ahead of Viktor Kupreichik. In 1967, he won the annual Niemeyer Tournament in Groningen. Karpov won a gold medal for academic excellence in high school, and entered Moscow State University in 1968 to study mathematics. He later transferred to Leningrad State University, eventually graduating from there in economics. One reason for the transfer was to be closer to his coach, grandmaster Semyon Furman, who lived in Leningrad. In his writings, Karpov credits Furman as a major influence on his development as a world-class player.
In 1969, Karpov became the first Soviet player since Spassky (1955) to win the World Junior Championship, scoring an undefeated 10/11 in the final A group at Stockholm. This victory earned him the International Master title. In 1970, Karpov tied for fourth and fifth places with Pal Benko at an international tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, and earned the international grandmaster title. FIDE awarded him the title during its 41st congress, held during the Chess Olympiad in Siegen, West Germany in September 1970. |
Anatoly Karpov | Grandmaster | Grandmaster
Karpov won the 1971 Alekhine Memorial tournament in Moscow (jointly with Leonid Stein), ahead of a star-studded field, for his first significant adult victory. His Elo rating shot from 2540 in 1971 to 2660 in 1973, during which he shared second place in the 1973 Soviet championship, one point behind Spassky, and qualified for the Leningrad Interzonal. |
Anatoly Karpov | Candidate | Candidate
Karpov's world junior championship qualified him for one of the two Interzonals,Zonal Qualifiers 1972-1975, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages a stage in the 1975 World Championship cycle to choose the challenger to play world champion Bobby Fischer. He finished equal first in the Leningrad Interzonal, qualifying for the 1974 Candidates Matches.
Karpov defeated Lev Polugaevsky by the score of +3=5 in the first Candidates' match, earning the right to face former champion Boris Spassky in the semifinal round. Karpov was on record saying that he believed Spassky would easily beat him and win the Candidates' cycle to face Fischer, and that he (Karpov) would win the following Candidates' cycle in 1977. Spassky won the first game as Black in good style, but tenacious, aggressive play from Karpov secured him overall victory by +4−1=6.
The Candidates' final was played in Moscow with Victor Korchnoi. Karpov took an early lead, winning the second game against the Sicilian Dragon, then scoring another victory in the sixth game. Following ten consecutive draws, Korchnoi threw away a winning position in the seventeenth game to give Karpov a 3–0 lead. In game 19, Korchnoi succeeded in winning a long endgame, then notched a speedy victory after a blunder by Karpov two games later. Three more draws, the last agreed by Karpov when he was in a clearly better position, closed the match, with Karpov prevailing +3−2=19, entitling him to move on to challenge Fischer for the world title.chessgames.com, Karpov - Korchnoi Candidates Final (1974) |
Anatoly Karpov | Match with Fischer in 1975 | Match with Fischer in 1975
Though a world championship match between Karpov and Fischer was highly anticipated, those hopes were never realised. Fischer not only insisted that the match be the first to ten wins (draws not counting), but also that the champion retain the crown if the score was tied 9–9. FIDE, the International Chess Federation, refused to allow this proviso, and gave both players a deadline of April 1, 1975, to agree to play the match under the FIDE-approved rules. When Fischer did not agree, FIDE President Max Euwe declared on April 3, 1975, that Fischer had forfeited his title and Karpov was the new World Champion. Karpov later attempted to set up another match with Fischer, but the negotiations fell through. This thrust the young Karpov into the role of World Champion without having faced the reigning champion.
Garry Kasparov argued that Karpov would have had good chances because he had beaten Spassky convincingly and was a new breed of tough professional, and indeed had higher quality games, while Fischer had been inactive for three years.Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, part IV: Fischer, p. 474 This view is echoed by Karpov himself. Spassky thought that Fischer would have won in 1975, but Karpov would have qualified again and beaten Fischer in 1978.In an article (PDF) published in 2004 on the Chesscafe website Susan Polgar wrote: "I spoke to Boris Spassky about this same issue and he believes that Bobby would have won in 1975, but that Anatoly would have won the rematch." Karpov has said that if he had had the opportunity to play Fischer for the championship in his twenties, he could have been a much better player as a result. |
Anatoly Karpov | World champion | World champion
thumb|300px|Karpov with FIDE president Max Euwe and wife in 1976
Determined to prove himself a legitimate champion, Karpov participated in nearly every major tournament for the next ten years. He convincingly won the Milan tournament in 1975, and captured his first of three Soviet titles in 1976. He created a phenomenal streak of tournament wins against the strongest players in the world. Karpov held the record for most consecutive tournament victories (9) until it was shattered by Garry Kasparov (15). As a result, most chess professionals soon agreed that Karpov was a legitimate world champion.
In 1978, Karpov's first title defence was against Viktor Korchnoi, the opponent he had defeated in the 1973–75 Candidates' cycle; the match was played at Baguio, Philippines, with the winner needing six victories.
As in 1974, Karpov took an early lead, winning the eighth game after seven draws to open the match. When the score was +5−2=20 in Karpov's favour, Korchnoi staged a comeback, and won three of the next four games to draw level with Karpov. Karpov then won the very next game to retain the title (+6−5=21).chessgames.com, Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1978 Three years later, Korchnoi reemerged as the Candidates' winner against German finalist Robert Hübner to challenge Karpov in Merano, Italy. Karpov handily won this match, 11–7 (+6−2=10), in what is remembered as the "Massacre in Merano".
Karpov's tournament career reached a peak at the Montreal "Tournament of Stars" tournament in 1979, where he finished joint first (+7−1=10) with Mikhail Tal ahead of a field of strong grandmasters completed by Jan Timman, Ljubomir Ljubojević, Boris Spassky, Vlastimil Hort, Lajos Portisch, Robert Hübner, Bent Larsen and Lubomir Kavalek. He dominated Las Palmas in 1977 with 13½/15. He also won the prestigious Bugojno tournament in 1978 (shared), 1980 and 1986, the Linares tournament in 1981 (shared with Larry Christiansen) and 1994, the Tilburg tournament in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, and 1983, and the Soviet Championship in 1976, 1983, and 1988.chessgames.com, Anatoly Karpov
Karpov represented the Soviet Union at six Chess Olympiads, in all of which the USSR won the team gold medal. He played as the first reserve at Skopje 1972, winning the board prize with 13/15. At Nice 1974, he advanced to board one and again won the board prize with 12/14. At La Valletta 1980, he was again board one and scored 9/12. At Lucerne 1982, he scored 6½/8 on board one. At Dubai 1986, he scored 6/9 on board two. His last was Thessaloniki 1988, where on board two he scored 8/10. In Olympiad play, Karpov lost only two games out of 68 played. To illustrate Karpov's dominance over his peers as champion, his score was +13−1=22 versus Spassky, +8=19 versus Robert Hübner, +12−1=29 versus Ulf Andersson, +3−1=10 versus Vasily Smyslov, +1=19 versus Mikhail Tal, +19-7=23 versus Ljubomir Ljubojević. |
Anatoly Karpov | Rivalry with Kasparov | Rivalry with Kasparov |
Anatoly Karpov | FIDE champion again (1993–1999) | FIDE champion again (1993–1999)
thumb|Karpov in 1993
In 1992, Karpov lost a Candidates Match against Nigel Short. But in the World Chess Championship 1993, Karpov reacquired the FIDE World Champion title when Kasparov and Short split from FIDE. Karpov defeated Timman – the loser of the Candidates' final against Short.
The next major meeting of Kasparov and Karpov was the 1994 Linares chess tournament. The field, in eventual finishing order, was Karpov, Kasparov, Shirov, Bareev, Kramnik, Lautier, Anand, Kamsky, Topalov, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Illescas, Judit Polgár, and Beliavsky; with an average Elo rating of 2685, the highest ever at that time. Impressed by the strength of the tournament, Kasparov had said several days before the tournament that the winner could rightly be called the world champion of tournaments. Perhaps spurred on by this comment, Karpov played the best tournament of his life. He was undefeated and earned 11 points out of 13 (the best world-class tournament winning percentage since Alekhine won San Remo in 1930), finishing 2½ points ahead of second-place Kasparov and Shirov. Many of his wins were spectacular (in particular, his win over Topalov is considered possibly the finest of his career). This performance against the best players in the world put his Elo rating tournament performance at 2985, the highest performance rating of any player in history up until 2009, when Magnus Carlsen won the category XXI Pearl Spring chess tournament with a performance of 3002. Chess statistician Jeff Sonas considers Karpov's Linares performance the best tournament result in history."Facts and figures: Magnus Carlsen's performance in Nanjing". ChessBase. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
Karpov defended his FIDE title against the rising star Gata Kamsky (+6−3=9) in 1996. In 1998, FIDE largely scrapped the old system of Candidates' Matches, instead having a large knockout event in which a large number of players contested short matches against each other over just a few weeks. In the first of these events, the FIDE World Chess Championship 1998, champion Karpov was seeded straight into the final, defeating Viswanathan Anand (+2−2=2, rapid tiebreak 2–0). In the subsequent cycle, the format was changed, with the champion having to qualify. Karpov refused to defend his title, and ceased to be FIDE World Champion after the FIDE World Chess Championship 1999. |
Anatoly Karpov | Towards retirement | Towards retirement
Karpov's classical tournament play has been seriously limited since 1997, since he prefers to be more involved in Russian politics. He had been a member of the Supreme Soviet Commission for Foreign Affairs and the president of the Soviet Peace Fund before the Soviet Union dissolved. In addition, he has been involved in several disputes with FIDE. In the September 2009 FIDE rating list, he dropped out of the world's Top 100 for the first time. Karpov usually limits his play to exhibition events, and has revamped his style to specialize in rapid chess. In 2002, he won a match against Kasparov, defeating him in a rapid time control match 2½–1½. In 2006, he tied for first with Kasparov in a blitz tournament, ahead of Korchnoi and Judit Polgár.
Karpov and Kasparov played a mixed 12-game match from September 21–24, 2009, in Valencia, Spain. It consisted of four rapid (or semi-rapid) and eight blitz games and took place exactly 25 years after the two players' legendary encounter at the World Chess Championship 1984. Kasparov won the match 9–3. Karpov played a match against Yasser Seirawan in 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri, an important center of the North American chess scene, winning 8–6 (+5−3=6). In November 2012, he won the Cap d'Agde rapid tournament that bears his name (Anatoly Karpov Trophy), beating Vasyl Ivanchuk (ranked 9th in the October 2012 FIDE world rankings) in the final. |
Anatoly Karpov | Professional and political career after retirement from chess | Professional and political career after retirement from chess
thumb|Karpov founded his chess school in the tan building. The sign bearing his name has been removed, and the school is in the process of changing its name.
In 2003, Karpov opened his first American chess school in Lindsborg, Kansas. On March 2, 2022, the school announced a name change to International Chess Institute of the Midwest due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Karpov has been a member of the sixth, seventh and eighth Russian State Dumas. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. He has involved himself in several humanitarian causes, such as advocating the use of iodised salt. On December 17, 2012, Karpov supported the Dima Yakovlev Law banning adoption of Russian orphans by U.S. citizens.
Karpov expressed support of the unilateral annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and accused Europe of trying to demonize Putin. In August 2019, Maxim Dlugy said that Karpov had been waiting since March for the approval of a non-immigrant visa to the United States, despite frequently visiting the country since 1972. Karpov had been scheduled to teach a summer camp at the Chess Max Academy. Dlugy said that Karpov had been questioned at the US embassy in Moscow about whether he planned to communicate with American politicians. Karpov was among the Russian State Duma members placed under sanctions by the EU and UK during the Russo-Ukrainian War. In March 2022, after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the FIDE Council suspended Karpov's title of FIDE Ambassador for Life.
In November 2022, Karpov was placed in an induced coma after receiving a head injury. Karpov's daughter Sofia and the Russian Chess Federation said that he had accidentally fallen. Karpov made a full recovery from the injury. |
Anatoly Karpov | Candidate for FIDE presidency | Candidate for FIDE presidency
In March 2010, Karpov announced that he would be a candidate for the presidency of FIDE. The election took place in September 2010 at the 39th Chess Olympiad. In May, a fundraising event took place in New York with the participation of Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, who both supported his bid and campaigned for him. Nigel Short also supported Karpov's candidacy. On September 29, 2010, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was reelected as president of FIDE, 95 votes to 55. |
Anatoly Karpov | Style | Style
Karpov's playing style, described as a "boa constrictor", is solidly positional, taking minimal risks but reacting mercilessly to the slightest error by his opponent. As a result, he is often compared to José Raúl Capablanca, the third world champion. Karpov himself describes his style as follows:Let us say the game may be continued in two ways: one of them is a beautiful tactical blow that gives rise to variations that don't yield to precise calculations; the other is clear positional pressure that leads to an endgame with microscopic chances of victory.... I would choose [the latter] without thinking twice. If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic. |
Anatoly Karpov | Notable games | Notable games
Viktor Korchnoi vs. Anatoly Karpov, Moscow 1973 Karpov sacrifices a pawn for a strong center and attack.
Anatoly Karpov vs. Gyula Sax, Linares 1983 Karpov sacrifices for an attack that wins the game 20 moves later, after another spectacular sacrifice from Karpov and counter-sacrifice from Sax. It won the tournament's first . This was not the first time Karpov used the sharp Keres Attack (6.g4) – see his win in Anatoly Karpov vs. Vlastimil Hort, Alekhine Memorial Tournament, Moscow 1971.
Anatoly Karpov vs. Veselin Topalov, Dos Hermanas 1994 This game features a sham sacrifice of two pieces, which Karpov regains with a variation, culminating in the win of an exchange with a technically won endgame. |
Anatoly Karpov | Hobbies | Hobbies
Karpov's extensive stamp collection of Belgian philately and Belgian Congo stamps and postal history covering mail from 1742 through 1980 was sold by David Feldman's auction company between December 2011 and 2012. He is also known to have large chess stamp and chess book collections. His private chess library consists of 9,000 books.
Karpov is also an enthusiastic Backgammon player. |
Anatoly Karpov | Honours and awards | Honours and awards
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd class (2001) – for outstanding contribution to the implementation of charitable programmes, the strengthening of peace and friendship between the peoples
Order of Friendship (2011) – for his great contribution to strengthening peace and friendship between peoples and productive social activities
Order of Lenin (1981)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1978)
Order of Merit, 2nd class (Ukraine) (November 13, 2006) – for his contribution to the victims of the Chernobyl disaster
Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow, 2nd class (1996)
Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 2nd class (2001)
Medal "For outstanding contribution to the Collector business in Russia"
Honorary member of the Soviet Philately Society (1979)
Diploma of the State Duma of the Russian Federation No. 1
Order "For outstanding achievements in sport" (Republic of Cuba)
Medal of Tsiolkovsky Cosmonautics Federation of Russia
Medal "For Strengthening the penal system", 1st and 2nd class
Breastplate of the 1st degree of the Interior Ministry
International Association of Chess Press, 9 times voted the best chess player of the year and awarded the "Chess Oscar"
Order of Saint Nestor the Chronicler, 1st class
Asteroid 90414 Karpov is named after Karpov
Anatoly Karpov International Chess Tournament, an annual round-robin tournament held in his honour in Poikovsky, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia since 2000 |
Anatoly Karpov | Books | Books
Karpov has authored or co-authored several books, most of which have been translated into English.
Karpov, A.E. Ninth vertical. 1978. Moscow: Molodaya Gvardia.
(also a 1992 Simon & Schuster edition) |
Anatoly Karpov | References | References |
Anatoly Karpov | Further reading | Further reading
Fine, Rueben (1983). The World's Great Chess Games. Dover. .
Hurst, Sarah (2002). Curse of Kirsan: Adventures in the Chess Underworld. Russell Enterprises. .
Karpov, Anatoly (2003). Anatoly Karpov's Best Games. Batsford. .
Winter, Edward G., editor (1981).World Chess Champions. Pergamon Press. . |
Anatoly Karpov | External links | External links
Karpov's official homepage
Edward Winter, "Books about Korchnoi and Karpov", Chess Notes
25 minute video interview with Karpov, OnlineChessLessons.NET, June 19, 2012
"Anatoly Karpov tells all" (2015 interview by Sport Express, translated by ChessBase): part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
Category:1951 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Zlatoust
Category:United Russia politicians
Category:Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Category:Members of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union
Category:Sixth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Category:Seventh convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Category:Eighth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Category:Members of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
Category:Soviet chess players
Category:Soviet chess writers
Category:Soviet journalists
Category:Soviet male writers
Category:Russian chess players
Category:Russian chess writers
Category:Russian male journalists
Category:Russian philatelists
Category:20th-century Russian male writers
Category:21st-century Russian male writers
Category:Russian sportsperson-politicians
Category:Russian book and manuscript collectors
Category:Chess Olympiad competitors
Category:Chess Grandmasters
Category:World chess champions
Category:World Junior Chess Champions
Category:Saint Petersburg State University alumni
Category:Honorary members of the Russian Academy of Arts
Category:Russian individuals subject to United Kingdom sanctions
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Category:UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors
Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Category:Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 2nd class
Category:Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class
Category:Recipients of the Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow
Category:Recipients of the Olympic Order
Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 2nd class
Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class
Category:Recipients of the Order of May |
Anatoly Karpov | Table of Content | Short description, Early life, Career, Young master, Grandmaster, Candidate, Match with Fischer in 1975, World champion, Rivalry with Kasparov, FIDE champion again (1993–1999), Towards retirement, Professional and political career after retirement from chess, Candidate for FIDE presidency, Style, Notable games, Hobbies, Honours and awards, Books, References, Further reading, External links |
Aspect ratio | Short description | The aspect ratio of a geometric shape is the ratio of its sizes in different dimensions. For example, the aspect ratio of a rectangle is the ratio of its longer side to its shorter side—the ratio of width to height, when the rectangle is oriented as a "landscape".
The aspect ratio is most often expressed as two integer numbers separated by a colon (x:y), less commonly as a simple or decimal fraction. The values x and y do not represent actual widths and heights but, rather, the proportion between width and height. As an example, 8:5, 16:10, 1.6:1, and 1.6 are all ways of representing the same aspect ratio.
In objects of more than two dimensions, such as hyperrectangles, the aspect ratio can still be defined as the ratio of the longest side to the shortest side. |
Aspect ratio | Applications and uses | Applications and uses
The term is most commonly used with reference to:
Graphic / image
Image aspect ratio
Display aspect ratio
Paper size
Standard photographic print sizes
Motion picture film formats
Standard ad size
Pixel aspect ratio
Photolithography: the aspect ratio of an etched, or deposited structure is the ratio of the height of its vertical side wall to its width.
HARMST High Aspect Ratios allow the construction of tall microstructures without slant
Tire code
Tire sizing
Turbocharger impeller sizing
Wing aspect ratio of an aircraft or bird
Astigmatism of an optical lens
Nanorod dimensions
Shape factor (image analysis and microscopy)
Finite Element Analysis
Flag design; see List of aspect ratios of national flags |
Aspect ratio | Aspect ratios of simple shapes | Aspect ratios of simple shapes |
Aspect ratio | Rectangles | Rectangles
For a rectangle, the aspect ratio denotes the ratio of the width to the height of the rectangle. A square has the smallest possible aspect ratio of 1:1.
Examples:
4:3 = 1.: Some (not all) 20th century computer monitors (VGA, XGA, etc.), standard-definition television
: international paper sizes (ISO 216)
3:2 = 1.5: 35mm still camera film, iPhone (until iPhone 5) displays
16:10 = 1.6: commonly used widescreen computer displays (WXGA)
Φ:1 = 1.618...: golden ratio, close to 16:10
5:3 = 1.: super 16 mm, a standard film gauge in many European countries
16:9 = 1.: widescreen TV and most laptops
2:1 = 2: dominoes
64:27 = 2.: ultra-widescreen, 21:9
32:9 = 3.: super ultra-widescreen |
Aspect ratio | Ellipses | Ellipses
For an ellipse, the aspect ratio denotes the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis. An ellipse with an aspect ratio of 1:1 is a circle.
center|500px |
Aspect ratio | Aspect ratios of general shapes | Aspect ratios of general shapes
In geometry, there are several alternative definitions to aspect ratios of general compact sets in a d-dimensional space:
The diameter-width aspect ratio (DWAR) of a compact set is the ratio of its diameter to its width. A circle has the minimal DWAR which is 1. A square has a DWAR of .
The cube-volume aspect ratio (CVAR) of a compact set is the d-th root of the ratio of the d-volume of the smallest enclosing axes-parallel d-cube, to the set's own d-volume. A square has the minimal CVAR which is 1. A circle has a CVAR of . An axis-parallel rectangle of width W and height H, where W>H, has a CVAR of .
If the dimension d is fixed, then all reasonable definitions of aspect ratio are equivalent to within constant factors. |
Aspect ratio | Notations | Notations
Aspect ratios are mathematically expressed as x:y (pronounced "x-to-y").
Cinematographic aspect ratios are usually denoted as a (rounded) decimal multiple of width vs unit height, while photographic and videographic aspect ratios are usually defined and denoted by whole number ratios of width to height. In digital images there is a subtle distinction between the display aspect ratio (the image as displayed) and the storage aspect ratio (the ratio of pixel dimensions); see Distinctions. |
Aspect ratio | See also | See also
Axial ratio
Ratio
Equidimensional ratios in 3D
List of film formats
Squeeze mapping
Scale (ratio)
Vertical orientation |
Aspect ratio | References | References
Category:Ratios |
Aspect ratio | Table of Content | Short description, Applications and uses, Aspect ratios of simple shapes, Rectangles, Ellipses, Aspect ratios of general shapes, Notations, See also, References |
Auto racing | short description | Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non-racing disciplines.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various types were organized, with the first recorded as early as 1867. Many of the earliest events were effectively reliability trials, aimed at proving these new machines were a practical mode of transport, but soon became an important way for automobile makers to demonstrate their machines. By the 1930s, specialist racing cars had developed.
There are now numerous different categories, each with different rules and regulations. |
Auto racing | History | History
thumb|Albert Lemaître classified first in his Peugeot Type 5 3hp in the Paris–Rouen.
thumb|Fernand Gabriel driving a Mors in Paris-Madrid 1903
thumb|A remaining section of the Brooklands track in 2007
The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route occurred at 4:30 A.M. on August 30, 1867, between Ashton-under-Lyne and Old Trafford, England, a distance of . It was won by the carriage of Isaac Watt Boulton.
Internal combustion auto racing events began soon after the construction of the first successful gasoline-fueled automobiles. The first organized contest was on April 28, 1887, by the chief editor of Paris publication , Monsieur Fossier. It ran from Neuilly Bridge to the Bois de Boulogne.
On July 22, 1894, the Parisian magazine organized what is considered to be the world's first motoring competition, from Paris to Rouen. One hundred and two competitors paid a 10-franc entrance fee.
The first American automobile race is generally considered to be the Thanksgiving Day Chicago Times-Herald race of November 28, 1895. Press coverage of the event first aroused significant American interest in the automobile.
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily, Italy near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973, and it was discontinued in 1977.
The oldest surviving sports car racing event is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, begun in 1923. It is run by the Automobile Club of the West (ACO). Team Ferrari won the race in 2023.
With auto construction and racing dominated by France, the French automobile club ACF staged a number of major international races, usually from or to Paris, connecting with another major city, in France or elsewhere in Europe.
Aspendale Racecourse, in Australia, was the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit, opening in January 1906. The pear-shaped track was close to a mile in length, with slightly banked curves and a gravel surface of crushed cement.
Brooklands, in Surrey, England, was the first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing venue, opening in June 1907. It featured a concrete track with high-speed banked corners.
One of the oldest existing purpose-built and still in use automobile race course in the United States is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It is the largest capacity sports venue of any variety worldwide, with a top capacity of some 257,000+ seated spectators.
NASCAR was founded by Bill France Sr. on February 21, 1948, with the help of several other drivers. The first NASCAR "Strictly Stock" race ever was held on June 19, 1949, at Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S..
From 1962, sports cars temporarily took a back seat to GT cars, with the (FIA) replacing the World Championship for Sports Cars with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers.
From 1962 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series, sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston. The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as the reduction of the schedule from 56 to 34 races a year, established 1972 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era".
The IMSA GT Series evolved into the American Le Mans Series, which ran its first season in 1998. The European races eventually became the closely related European Le Mans Series, both of which mix prototypes and GTs.
(TC) is a popular touring car racing series in Argentina, and one of the oldest car racing series still active in the world. The first TC competition took place in 1931 with 12 races, each in a different province. Future Formula One star Juan Manuel Fangio (Chevrolet) won the 1940 and 1941 editions of the TC. It was during this time that the series' Chevrolet-Ford rivalry began, with Ford acquiring most of its historical victories.
Over the last few years, auto racing has seen a transformative shift, echoing past pivots. The industry, much like the cars it champions, has had to navigate through a global pandemic and a persistent chip shortage, each threatening to derail production schedules. At the same time, a new course is being charted towards an electric future, a dramatic change in direction that is challenging the old guard of gasoline engines. There is also a growing number of events for electric racing cars, such as the Formula E, the Eco Grand Prix or the Electric GT Championship. |
Auto racing | Categories | Categories |
Auto racing | Open-wheel racing | Open-wheel racing
thumb|Fernando Alonso driving the Ferrari 150º Italia at Sepang International Circuit
thumb|The Dallara DW12 IndyCar driven by Pippa Mann during practice for the 2019 Indianapolis 500
thumb|Formula Three car racing at the Hockenheimring, 2008
thumb|The 2017 Formula Student electric race-car of the Delft University of Technology
thumb|Racing driver's view
In single-seater (open-wheel) racing, the wheels are not covered, and the cars often have aerofoil wings front and rear to produce downforce and enhance adhesion to the track. The most popular varieties of open-wheel road racing are Formula One, IndyCar Series and Super Formula. In Europe and Asia, open-wheeled racing is commonly referred to as 'Formula', with appropriate hierarchical suffixes. In North America, the 'Formula' terminology is not followed (with the exception of Formula One). The sport is usually arranged to follow an international format (such as Formula One), a regional format (such as the Formula 3 Euro Series), and/or a domestic, or country-specific, format (such as the German Formula 3 championship, or the British Formula Ford).
Formula One is a worldwide series that runs only street circuit and race tracks. These cars are heavily based on technology and their aerodynamics. The speed record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya hitting 373 km/h (232 mph). Some of the most prominent races are the Monaco Grand Prix, the Italian Grand Prix, and the British Grand Prix. The season ends with the crowning of the World Championship for drivers and constructors.
In the United States, the most popular series is the IndyCar Series. The cars have traditionally been similar to, though less technologically sophisticated than, F1 cars, with more restrictions on technology aimed at controlling costs. While these cars are not as technologically advanced, they are faster, in part due to their lower downforce compared to Formula One cars, and also because they compete on oval race tracks, being able to average a lap at 388 km/h (241 mph). The series' biggest race is the Indianapolis 500, which is commonly referred to as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" due to being the longest continuously run race in the series and having the largest crowd for a single-day sporting event (350,000+).
The other major international single-seater racing series is Formula 2 (formerly known as Formula 3000 and GP2 Series). Regional series include Super Formula and Formula V6 Asia (specifically in Asia), Formula Renault 3.5 (also known as the World Series by Renault, succession series of World Series by Nissan), Formula Three, Formula Palmer Audi and Formula Atlantic. In 2009, the FIA Formula Two Championship brought about the revival of the F2 series. Domestic, or country-specific, series include Formula Three and Formula Renault, with the leading introductory series being Formula Ford.
Single-seater racing is not limited merely to professional teams and drivers. There exist many amateur racing clubs. In the UK, the major club series are the Monoposto Racing Club, BRSCC F3 (formerly ClubF3, formerly ARP F3), Formula Vee and Club Formula Ford. Each series caters to a section of the market, with some primarily providing low-cost racing, while others aim for an authentic experience using the same regulations as the professional series (BRSCC F3). The SCCA is also responsible for sanctioning single-seater racing in much of North America.
There are other categories of single-seater racing, including kart racing, which employs a small, low-cost machine on small tracks. Many of the current top drivers began their careers in karts. Formula Ford represents the most popular first open-wheel category for up-and-coming drivers stepping up from karts. The series is still the preferred option, as it has introduced an aero package and slicks, allowing the junior drivers to gain experience in a race car with dynamics closer to Formula One. The Star Mazda Series is another entry-level series. Indy Lights represent the last step on the Road to Indy, being less powerful and lighter than an IndyCar racer.
Students at colleges and universities can also take part in single-seater racing through the Formula SAE competition, which involves designing and building a single-seater car in a multidisciplinary team and racing it at the competition. This also develops other soft skills, such as teamwork, while promoting motorsport and engineering.
The world's first all-female Formula racing team was created in 2006. The group was an assemblage of drivers from different racing disciplines and formed for an MTV reality pilot, which was shot at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
In December 2005, the FIA gave approval to Superleague Formula racing, which debuted in 2008, whereby the racing teams are owned and run by prominent sports clubs such as A.C. Milan and Liverpool F.C.
After 25 years away from the sport, former Formula 2 champion Jonathan Palmer reopened the F2 category again; most drivers have graduated from the Formula Palmer Audi series. The category is officially registered as the FIA Formula Two championship. Most rounds have two races and are support races to the FIA World Touring Car Championship. |
Auto racing | Touring car racing | Touring car racing
thumb|Opening lap of 2012 WTCC Race of Japan
Touring car racing is a style of road racing that is run with production-derived four-seat race cars. The lesser use of aerodynamics means following cars have a much easier time following and passing than in open-wheel racing. It often features full-contact racing with subtle bumping and nudging due to the small speed differentials and large grids.
The major touring car championships conducted worldwide are the Supercars Championship (Australia), British Touring Car Championship, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), World Touring Car Championship and the World Touring Car Cup. The European Touring Car Cup is a one-day event open to Super 2000 specification touring cars from Europe's many national championships. While Super GT traces its lineage to the now-defunct JGTC, the cars are much more similar to GT3 race cars than proper touring cars, and also have much more aggressive aerodynamics.
The Sports Car Club of America's SPEED World Challenge Touring Car and GT championships are dominant in North America. America's historic Trans-Am Series is undergoing a period of transition, but is still the longest-running road racing series in the U.S. The National Auto Sport Association also provides a venue for amateurs to compete in home-built factory-derived vehicles on various local circuits. |
Auto racing | Sports car racing | Sports car racing
thumb|FIA GT1 at Silverstone in 2011
thumb|The Audi R18, a Le Mans Prototype car, during an endurance race
In sports car racing, production-derived versions of two-seat sports cars, also known as grand tourers (GTs), and purpose-built sports prototype cars compete within their respective classes on closed circuits. The premier championship series of sports car racing is the FIA World Endurance Championship. The main series for GT car racing is the GT World Challenge Europe, divided into two separate championships: the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. This series has formed after the folding of the various FIA GT championships.
The prevailing classes of GT cars are GT3, GT4 and GT2 class cars. GT2 cars have powerful engines, often exceeding 600 horsepower. However, they have less downforce than GT3 cars and also have less driver aids. GT3 cars are far and away the most popular class of GT cars, with premier racing series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA both using GT3 as their top class of GT car. GT3 cars have more significant aero than a GT2 car, but also have less horsepower, typically falling in between 500 and 550 horsepower. GT4 class cars have very little aerodynamics and less horsepower than GT3 machinery, typically around 450 horsepower. GT4 typically serves as the last step up to premier GT-class racing.
Other major GT championships include the GT World Challenge America, GT World Challenge Asia, Super GT, and the International GT Open. There are minor regional and national GT series using mainly GT4 and GT3 cars featuring both amateur and professional drivers.
Sports prototypes, unlike GT cars, do not rely on road-legal cars as a base. They are closed-wheel and often closed-cockpit purpose-built race cars intended mainly for endurance racing. They have much lower weight, more horsepower and more downforce compared to GT cars, making them much faster. They are raced in the 24 hours of Le Mans (held annually since 1923) and in the (European) Le Mans series, Asian Le Mans Series and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. These cars are referred to as LMP (Le Mans prototype) cars with LMH and LMDh cars being run mainly by manufacturers and the slightly less powerful LMP2 cars run by privateer teams. All three Le Mans Series run GT cars in addition to Le Mans Prototypes; these cars have different restrictions than the FIA GT cars.
Another prototype and GT racing championship exists in the United States; the Grand-Am, which began in 2000, sanctions its own endurance series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, which consists of slower and lower-cost Daytona Prototype race cars compared to LMP and FIA GT cars. The Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series announced a merger between the two series forming the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2014.
These races are often conducted over long distances, at least , and cars are driven by teams of two or more drivers, switching every few hours. Due to the performance difference between production-based sports cars and purpose-built sports prototypes, one race usually involves several racing classes, each fighting for its own championship.
Famous sports car races include the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 24 Hours of Spa-Franchorchamps, the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, and the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. There is also the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring on the famed Nordschleife track and the Dubai 24 Hour, which is aimed at GT3 and below cars with a mixture of professional and pro-am drivers. |
Auto racing | Production-car racing | Production-car racing
Production-car racing, otherwise known as "showroom stock" in the US, is an economical and rules-restricted version of touring-car racing, mainly used to restrict costs. Numerous production racing categories are based on particular makes of cars.
Most series, with a few exceptions, follow the Group N regulation. There are several different series that are run all over the world, most notably, Japan's Super Taikyu and IMSA's Firehawk Series, which ran in the 1980s and 1990s all over the United States. |
Auto racing | Stock car racing | Stock car racing
thumb|NASCAR green flag start at Daytona International Speedway for the 2015 Daytona 500
thumb|Jimmie Johnson leads the field racing three-wide multiple rows back at Daytona International Speedway in the 2015 Daytona 500.
thumb|An ASA Late Model Series stock car on an asphalt track
In North America, stock car racing is the most popular form of auto racing. Primarily raced on oval tracks, stock cars vaguely resemble production cars, but are in fact purpose-built racing machines that are built to tight specifications and, together with touring cars, also called Silhouette racing cars.
The largest stock car racing governing body is NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). NASCAR's premier series is the NASCAR Cup Series, its most famous races being the Daytona 500, the Southern 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Brickyard 400. NASCAR also runs several feeder series, including the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series (a pickup truck racing series). The series conduct races across the entire continental United States. NASCAR also sanctions series outside of the United States, including the NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, and NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race.
NASCAR also governs several smaller regional series, such as the Whelen Modified Tour. Modified cars are best described as open-wheel cars. Modified cars have no parts related to the stock vehicle for which they are named after. A number of modified cars display a "manufacturer's" logo and "vehicle name", yet use components produced by another automobile manufacturer.
There are also other stock car governing bodies, most notably the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA).
In the UK, British Stock car racing is also referred to as "Short Circuit Racing". UK Stock car racing started in the 1950s and grew rapidly through the 1960s and 1970s. Events take place on shale or tarmac tracks – usually around 1/4 mile long. There are around 35 tracks in the UK and upwards of 7000 active drivers. The sport is split into three basic divisions – distinguished by the rules regarding car contact during racing. The most famous championship are the BriSCA F1 Stock Cars.
Full-contact formulas include Bangers, Bombers, and Rookie Bangers – and racing features Demolition Derbies, Figure of Eight, and Oval Racing.
Semi Contact Formulas include BriSCA F1, F2, and Superstox – where bumpers are used tactically.
Non-contact formulas include National Hot Rods, Stock Rods, and Lightning Rods. |
Auto racing | One-make racing | One-make racing
One-make, or single marque, championships often employ production-based cars from a single manufacturer or even a single model from a manufacturer's range. There are numerous notable one-make formulae from various countries and regions, some of which – such as the Porsche Supercup and, previously, IROC – have fostered many distinct national championships. Single marque series are often found at the club level, to which the production-based cars, limited modifications, and close parity in performance are very well suited. Some of the better-known single-make series are the Mini 7 Championship (Europe's longest-running one-make championship), the Radical European Masters, John Cooper Mini Challenge, Clio Cup, Ginettas, Caterhams, BMWs, and MX5s. There are also single-chassis single seater formulae, such as Formula Renault and Formula BMW, usually as "feeder" series for "senior" race formula (in the fashion of farm teams). |
Auto racing | Drag racing | Drag racing
thumb|Jet-propelled dragster in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa
thumb|Two modified AMCs launching at a dragstrip
In drag racing, the objective is to complete a given straight-line distance, from a standing start, ahead of a vehicle in a parallel lane. This distance is traditionally , though and are also common. The vehicles may or may not be given the signal to start at the same time, depending on the class of racing. Vehicles range from the everyday car to the purpose-built dragster. Speeds and elapsed time differ from class to class. Average street cars cover the mile in 12 to 16 seconds, whereas a top fuel dragster takes 4.5 seconds or less, reaching speeds of up to . Drag racing was organized as a sport by Wally Parks in the early 1950s through the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). The NHRA was formed to discourage street racing.
When launching, a top fuel dragster will accelerate at 3.4 g (33 m/s2), and when braking parachutes are deployed the deceleration is 4 g (39 m/s2), more than the Space Shuttle experiences. A top fuel car can be heard over away and can generate a reading from 1.5 to 3.9 on the Richter scale.
Drag racing is two cars head-to-head, the winner proceeding to the next round. Professional classes are all first to the finish line wins. Sportsman racing is handicapped (slower car getting a head start) using an index (a lowest e.t. allowed), and cars running under (quicker than) their index "break out" and lose. The slowest cars, bracket racers, are also handicapped, but rather than an index, they use a dial-in. |
Auto racing | Off-road racing | Off-road racing
thumb|Rod Hall in a Hummer H3 during a Best in the Desert race
In off-road racing, various classes of specially modified vehicles, including cars, compete in races through off-road environments. In North America these races often take place in the desert, such as the famous Baja 1000. Another format for off-road racing happens on closed-course short course tracks such as Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. In the 1980s and 1990s, the short course was extended to racing inside stadiums in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group; this format was revived by Robby Gordon in 2013 with his Stadium Super Trucks series.
In Europe, "offroad" refers to events such as autocross or rallycross, while desert races and rally-raids such as the Paris-Dakar, Master Rallye or European "bajas" are called "cross-country rallies". |
Auto racing | Kart racing | Kart racing
thumb|A sprint kart race in Atwater California hosted by the International Karting Federation
The modern kart was invented by Art Ingels, a fabricator at the Indianapolis-car manufacturer Kurtis-Kraft, in Southern California in 1956. Ingels took a small chainsaw engine and mounted it to a simple tube-frame chassis weighing less than 100 lb. Ingels, and everyone else who drove the kart, were startled at its performance capabilities. The sport soon blossomed in Southern California, and quickly spread around the world. Although often seen as the entry point for serious racers into the sport, kart racing, or karting, can be an economical way for amateurs to try racing and is also a fully-fledged international sport in its own right. A large proportion of professional racing drivers began in karts, often from a very young age, such as Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. Several former motorcycle champions have also taken up the sport, notably Wayne Rainey, who was paralysed in a racing accident and now races a hand-controlled kart. As one of the cheapest ways to race, karting is seeing its popularity grow worldwide.
Despite their diminutive size, karts of the most powerful class, superkart (assuming a weight of 205 kg (452 lb), and a power output of 100 hp (75 kW)), can have a power-to-weight ratio (including the driver) of 490 hp/tonne (0.22 hp/lb). Without the driver, this figure doubles, to almost 980 hp/tonne (0.44 hp/lb). |
Auto racing | Historical racing | Historical racing
thumb|Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, 2008
Historic motorsport or vintage motorsport uses vehicles limited to a particular era. Only safety precautions are modernized in these hobbyist races. A historical event can be of various types of motorsport disciplines, from road racing to rallying. Because it is based on a particular era it is more hobbyist-oriented, reducing corporate sponsorship. The only modern equipment used is related to safety and timing. A historical event can be of a number of different motorsport disciplines.
Some of the most famous events include the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival in Britain and Monterey Historic in the United States. Championships range from "grass root" Austin Seven racing to the FIA Thoroughbred Grand Prix Championship for classic Formula One chassis. While there are several professional teams and drivers in historical racing, this branch of auto sport tends to be contested by wealthy car owners and is thus more amateur and less competitive in its approach. |
Auto racing | Other categories | Other categories |
Auto racing | Scoring | Scoring
Each motor racing series has a points system, and a set of rules and regulations that define how points are accrued. Nearly all series award points according to the finishing position of the competitors in each race. Some series only award points for a certain number of finishing positions. In Formula One, for example, only the top ten finishers get points. Drivers may be forced to finish the race or complete a certain number of the laps in order to score points.
In some series, points are also awarded based on lap leading, lap times, overtaking and qualifying positions (in particular by achieving pole positions and fastest laps). In NASCAR, for example, besides receiving points depending on the final standings, one point is awarded for leading a lap and one point for leading the most laps in the race. In other series, such as for the National Hot Rod Association, points are awarded for attempting the race along with a podium finish in any of the four qualifying rounds, as an incentive to have drivers participate week after week to compete. |
Auto racing | Use of flags | Use of flags
In many types of auto races, particularly those held on closed courses, flags are displayed to indicate the general status of the track and to communicate instructions to competitors. While individual series have different rules, and the flags have changed from the first years (e.g., red used to start a race), these are generally accepted.
Flag Displayed from the start tower Displayed from the observation post25px|border|Green flagThe session has started or resumed after a full course caution or stop.End of the hazardous section of the track.25px|border|Yellow flagFull course caution condition for ovals. On road courses, it means a local area of caution. Depending on the type of racing, either two yellow flags will be used for a full course caution or a sign with 'SC' (Safety car) will be used as the field follows the pace/safety car on track and no cars may pass. However, if the safety car gives a green light, then the cars behind can pass the safety car (lapped cars only).Local caution condition —no cars may pass at the particular corner where being displayed. When Stationary indicates hazard off-course, when Waving indicates hazard on-course.25px|Yellow flag with red stripesDebris, fluid, or other hazard on the track surface.Debris, fluid, or other hazard on the track surface.25px|border|Black flagThe car with the indicated number must pit for consultation.The session is halted, all cars on the course must return to the pit lane. May also be seen combined with a green flag to indicate oil on the track, typically referred to as a 'pickle' flag combination.25px|border|Meatball flagThe car with the indicated number has mechanical trouble and must pit.25px|border|Black and white flagThe driver of the car with the indicated number has been penalized for misbehaviour.25px|border|White cross flagThe driver of the car with the indicated number is disqualified or will not be scored until they report to the pits.25px|border|Blue flag with yellow stripeThe car should give way to faster traffic. This may be an advisory or an order depending on the series.A car is being advised or ordered to give way to faster traffic approaching.25px|border|Red flagThe session is stopped. All cars must halt on the track or return to the pit lane.25px|border|White flagDepending on the series, either one lap remains or a slow vehicle is on the track.A slow vehicle is on the track.25px|border|Chequered flagThe session has concluded. |
Auto racing | Accidents | Accidents
The worst accident in racing history is the 1955 Le Mans disaster, where more than 80 people died, including the French driver Pierre Levegh. |
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