Vespa () is an Italian luxury brand of scooters  and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The name means wasp in Italian. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co. S.p.A. of Pontedera, Italy to a full line of scooters and one of seven companies today owned by Piaggio.

From their inception, Vespa scooters have been known for their painted, pressed steel unibody which combines, in a unified structural unit, a complete cowling for the engine (enclosing the engine mechanism and concealing dirt or grease), a flat floorboard (providing foot protection), and a prominent front fairing (providing wind protection).

History

After World War II, in light of its agreement to cease war activities with the Allies, Italy had its aircraft industry severely restricted in both capability and capacity.

Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera bomber plane plant demolished by bombing. Italy's crippled economy, and the disastrous state of its roads, were not immediately conducive to the re-development of the automobile market. Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio's founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical field in order to address Italy's urgent need for a modern and affordable mode of transportation for the masses.

Design

In 1944, Piaggio engineers Renzo Spolti and Vittorio Casini designed a motorcycle with bodywork fully enclosing the drivetrain and forming a tall splash guard at the front. In addition to the bodywork, the design included handlebar-mounted controls, forced air cooling, wheels of small diameter, and a tall central section that had to be straddled.  Officially known as the MP5 ("Moto Piaggio no. 5"), the prototype was nicknamed "Paperino" (meaning "Donald Duck" in Italian).
Piaggio was displeased with the MP5, especially the tall central section.  He contracted aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio, to redesign the scooter.  D'Ascanio, who had earlier been consulted by Ferdinando Innocenti about scooter design and manufacture, made it immediately known that he hated motorcycles, believing them to be bulky, dirty, and unreliable.

D'Ascanio's MP6 prototype had its engine mounted beside the rear wheel.  The wheel was driven directly from the transmission, eliminating the drive chain and the oil and dirt associated with it. The prototype had a unit spar frame with stress-bearing steel outer panels.  These changes allowed the MP6 to have a step-through design instead of a tall centre section like that of the MP5 Paperino. The MP6 design also included a single-sided front suspension, interchangeable front and rear wheels mounted on stub axles, and a spare wheel. Other features of the MP6 were similar to those on the Paperino, including the handlebar-mounted controls and the enclosed bodywork with the tall front splash guard.

Upon seeing the MP6 for the first time, Enrico Piaggio exclaimed: "Sembra una vespa!" ("It looks like a wasp!") Piaggio effectively named his new scooter on the spot.  Vespa is both Latin and Italian for wasp—derived from the vehicle's body shape: the thicker rear part connected to the front part by a narrow waist, and the steering rod resembled antennae.

Product

On 23 April 1946, at 12 o'clock in the central office for inventions, models and makes of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Florence, Piaggio e C. S.p.A. took out a patent for a "motorcycle of a rational complexity of organs and elements combined with a frame with mudguards and a casing covering the whole mechanical part".

The basic patented design allowed a series of features to be deployed on the spar-frame that would later allow quick development of new models. The original Vespa featured a rear pillion seat for a passenger, or optionally a storage compartment. The original front protection "shield" was a flat piece of aero metal; later, this developed into a twin skin to allow additional storage behind the front shield, similar to the glove compartment in a car. The fuel cap was located underneath the (hinged) seat, which saved the cost of an additional lock on the fuel cap or need for additional metal work on the smooth skin.

The scooter had rigid rear suspension and small  wheels that allowed a compact design and plenty of room for the rider's legs. The Vespa's enclosed, horizontally mounted 98 cc two-stroke engine acted directly on the rear drive wheel through a three-speed transmission. The twistgrip-controlled gear change involved a system of rods. The early engine had no forced-air cooling, but fan blades were soon attached to the magneto-flywheel (which houses the points and generates electricity for accessories and for the engine's spark) to push air over the cylinder's cooling fins.  The modern Vespa engine is still cooled this way.

The MP6 prototype had large grilles on the front and rear of the rear fender covering the engine. This was done to allow air in to cool the engine, as the prototype did not have fan cooling.  A cooling fan similar to that used on the MP5 "Paperino" prototype was included in the design of the production Vespa, and the grilles were removed from the fender.

Launch
Piaggio filed a patent for the Vespa scooter design in April 1946. The application documents referred to a "model of a practical nature" for a "motorcycle with rationally placed parts and elements with a frame combining with mudguards and engine-cowling covering all working parts", of which "the whole constitutes a rational, comfortable motorcycle offering protection from mud and dust without jeopardizing requirements of appearance and elegance". The patent was approved the following December.

The first 13 examples appeared in spring 1946, and revealed their aeronautical background. In the first examples, one can recognize the typical aircraft technology. Attention to aerodynamics is evident in all the design, in particular on the tail. It was also one of the first vehicles to use monocoque construction (where the body is an integral part of the chassis).

The company was aiming to manufacture the new Vespa in large numbers, and their longstanding industrial experience led to an efficient Ford-style volume production line. The scooter was presented to the press at Rome Golf Club, where journalists were apparently mystified by the strange, pastel coloured, toy-like object on display. However, the road tests were encouraging, and even with no rear suspension the machine was more manoeuvrable and comfortable to ride than a traditional motorcycle.

Following its public debut at the 1946 Milan Fair, the first fifty sold slowly.  With the introduction of payment by installments, sales took off.

Sales and development

Piaggio sold some 2,500 Vespas in 1947, over 10,000 in 1948, 20,000 in 1949, and over 60,000 in 1950.

The biggest sales promo ever was Hollywood. In 1952, Audrey Hepburn side-saddled Gregory Peck's Vespa in the feature film Roman Holiday for a ride through Rome, resulting in over 100,000 sales. In 1956, John Wayne dismounted his horse in favor of the two-wheeler to originally get between takes on sets. as well as Marlon Brando, Dean Martin, and the entertainer Abbe Lane had become Vespa owners. William Wyler filmed Ben Hur in Rome in 1959, allowing Charlton Heston to abandon horse and chariot between takes to take a spin on the Vespa.

Vespa clubs popped up throughout Europe, and by 1952, worldwide Vespa Club membership had surpassed 50,000. By the mid-1950s, Vespas were being manufactured under licence in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Spain; in the 1960s, production was started in India, Brazil and Indonesia. By 1956, one million had been sold, then two million by 1960. By the 1960s, the Vespa—originally conceived as a utility vehicle—had come to symbolize freedom and imagination, and resulted in further sales boosts: four million by 1970, and ten million by the late 1980s.

Improvements were made to the original design and new models were introduced. The 1948 Vespa 125 had rear suspension and a bigger engine. The headlamp was moved up to the handlebars in 1953 and had more engine power and a restyled rear fairing. A cheaper spartan version was also available. One of the best-loved models was the Vespa 150 GS introduced in 1955 with a 150 cc engine, a long saddle, and the faired handlebar-headlamp unit. Then came the 50 cc of 1963, and in 1968 Vespa 125 Primavera became one of the most durable of all.

Vespas came in two sizes, referred to as "largeframe" and "smallframe". The smallframe scooters came in 50 cc, 90 cc, 100 cc, and 125 cc versions, all using an engine derived from the 50 cc model of 1963, and the largeframe scooters in 125 cc, 150 cc, 160 cc, 180 cc, and 200 cc displacements using engines derived from the redesigned 125 cc VNA engine from 1957.

The largeframe Vespa evolved into the PX range in the late 1970s and was produced in 125, 150 and 200 cc versions until July 2007. Starting in 1981, an 80cc version was available as well. Piaggio reintroduced the PX 125 and 150 models in 2011, with a revised EURO3 compliant engine.

The smallframe evolved into the PK range in the early 1980s, although some vintage-styled smallframes were produced for the Japanese market as late as the mid-1990s.

1950s and beyond
The ET model range stuck true to the wasp/aero design principles. It was lighter, more aerodynamic, had an automatic gearbox and could take a series of engines from a 50 cc in either two-stroke or four-stroke, up to a 150 cc four stroke.

Under new ownership

In 1959 Piaggio came under the control of the Agnelli family, the owners of car maker Fiat S.p.A. Vespa thrived until 1992 when Giovanni Alberto Agnelli became CEO, but Agnelli was already suffering from cancer and died in 1997. In 1999 Morgan Grenfell Private Equity acquired Piaggio, but a quickly hoped-for sale was dashed by a failed joint venture in China.

By 2003, the company found itself close to bankruptcy. Continual management changes and great sums spent on many different plans and products had saddled Piaggio with debt and left it vulnerable to competition from cheaper Asian rivals. Despite this, the brand was still well-known and products like the Vespa ET4 were gaining positive publicity. In October 2003 Roberto Colaninno made an initial investment of €100 million through his holding company Immsi S.p.A. in exchange for just under a third of Piaggio and the mandate to run it. Chief executive Rocco Sabelli redesigned the factory to Japanese principles so that every Piaggio scooter could be made on any assembly line.

In 2004, the company introduced a gas-electric hybrid scooter and a scooter with two wheels at the front and one at the back.

Piaggio acquired scooter and motorcycle maker Aprilia in 2006 and in that same year Piaggio shares were launched onto the Borsa Italiana with the listing symbol PIAGF.

Re-entry to North America

Piaggio first came back into the market in 2001 with the ET2 (two stroke 50 cc) and ET4 (four stroke 150 cc). In 2004, the PX (model year 2005) was re-introduced to North America to meet market demand for the classic Vespa design. Growth in the US market and worldwide environmental concerns meant a need for larger and cleaner engines, so Vespa developed the LEADER (Low Emissions ADvanced Engine Range) series of four-stroke engines. The larger Granturismo frame, with larger  wheels, was introduced to handle the additional power. The bike in 2006 spawned the iconic GTS-250ie version, with an upgraded suspension and the new QUASAR (QUArter-liter Smooth Augmented Range) 250 cc fuel-injected engine, capable of 80+ mph.  As of the end of 2010 the GTS 250 has been replaced by the GTS 300 which has a 278cc fuel - injected engine. In 2005, the ET was withdrawn from Europe and North America and replaced by a new small-frame scooter, the LX range. These were available in the US in 50 cc and 150 cc versions, while Europeans could choose a 50 cc, 125 cc and 150 cc.

Design icon

In recent years, many urban commuters have purchased new or restored Vespas.  A shortage of available parking for automobiles in large urban areas and the Vespa's low running costs are two reasons for the increase in Vespa (and other scooter) popularity. The cultural use of the scooter as a recreational vehicle with a sub-cultural following in the US, Canada and parts of Europe and Japan has also contributed to the rise in Vespa ownership. In contrast, the Vespa is considered a utilitarian vehicle for hauling products and sometimes up to 5 family members in much of Asia and Mexico.

This resurgence in interest in vintage motor scooters has also spawned a scooter restoration industry, with many restored Vespas being exported from Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia to the rest of the world.

There is a Piaggio Museum & Gift Shop adjacent to the plant in central Pontedera, near Pisa, Tuscany. The permanent exhibition includes those items which toured  venues such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Also on display is a model personally customised by Salvador Dalí in 1962.

The Miami Auto Museum in North Miami, Florida, claims to have largest collection of Vespa scooters with over 400 items.

Global markets

Europe
Vespa's largest market by all measures globally is still Italy, but as a result of the Mod subculture that developed in the 1960s, the United Kingdom is still Vespa's second largest global market—and at one point in the 1960s, its largest. The appeal of the Vespa to the style-conscious mods was the weather protection. Their counterparts, the rockers rode classic British motorcycles such as Triumph Bonneville and BSAs, and needed to wear leathers against the elements. Mods would modify their Vespas, adding lights, mascots, accessories, various racks and crash bars. A new lifestyle evolved in the UK, with thousands attending scooter rallies.

The dominance of the Vespa declined through the 1970s, as small car ownership increased and cheap and reliable commuter bikes like the Honda Super Cub hit sales. Despite the introduction of the more modern 'P' range in the 1970s, the lack of development cost Vespa, and like other markets, the sales fell off drastically in the economic boom of the 1980s. Then Vespa introduced the trendy automatic ET2, the city of London introduced the congestion charge and—partly with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's indirect help from his BBC2 TV series—sales suddenly leapt.

North America

Much as Vespa had used the Cushman Army scooter as inspiration for its original design, Vespa in turn made scooters for Sears, Roebuck & Company (labeled and marketed as "Allstate" scooters) and Cushman after World War II.

Imported by Morton Colby of Colby General Tire Company, 662 East Fordham Road, Bronx, New York, the Sears models were 3- and 4-speed 125 cc Vespas rebadged as Sears Allstate Cruiseaires. Innocenti also distributed their Lambretta brand via Montgomery Ward's catalogue during this post-World War II period. These were the premier brands of scooters, bringing premium pricing to many, including farmers, whose link to the outside world was via purchases made in these catalogues. Cushman sold rebadged Vespa scooters as Cushmans, but many Cushman dealers refused to market a "foreign" machine.  However, collectors prize the Cushman Vespa because it is relatively rare.

Two expensive product-liability lawsuits, increased competition from Japanese scooters, and certain states' passing so-called "green laws" led to the bankruptcy of Vespa's American importer and the withdrawal of Vespa from the US market in late 1981.

During 1981–2001, despite an absence of United States domestic sales, Vespas continued to have a core group of enthusiasts who kept vintage scooters on the road by rebuilding, restoring, and adding performance-enhancing engine parts as the stock parts would wear out.

Vespa returned to the American market in 2001 with a new, more modern style ET series, in 50 cc two and four stroke, and 150 cc four-stroke. "These adjustments in engine power and the production of high-end "touring" Vespas make it apt for long-distance driving." According to the Motorcycle Industry Council, U.S. scooter sales increased fivefold over six years, swelling from 12,000 units in 1997 to 69,000 units in 2002. Vespa sales in the U.S. increased 27 percent between 2001 and 2002. The 65 "Vespa Boutiques" scattered throughout the U.S. gave scooterists a place to buy, service, and customize Vespa scooters, and outfit themselves in everything from Vespa watches and helmets to Vespa jackets, T-shirts, and sunglasses. Vespa restarted its American sales effort, opening its first boutique on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, California.

In light of vastly-increasing US sales, Vespa developed the GT, offered as a 200 cc four-stroke and a 125 cc variant in Europe. In 2004, Vespa reintroduced a modernized PX 150 to the United States. In the fall of 2005, Piaggio offered their largest-selling Vespa scooter ever, the 250 cc-engined GTS250, available in Europe with ABS.  In 2009, Vespa released the GTS 300 which can cruise at .

Asia/Pacific
Vespa have exported Scooters to Australia since the 1960s. They have recently started exporting to India for the first time (traditionally, that market was served by licensed Indian versions of the Vespa made by LML and Bajaj). Vespa produces some of its scooters in Vietnam, and has also sold its Italian ones there.

Production outside Italy

Vespa scooters were sold beyond Europe and North America.  When expanding into these markets it was common for Vespa to partner with, or license certain models to, existing manufacturers.

India
Piaggio first licensed the production of Vespa scooters in India to Bajaj Auto in the 1960s. In 1971, Piaggio's license was not renewed as a part of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's privatization programs.  After the collaboration ended, Bajaj continued to produce scooters based on the Vespa design, namely the Chetak.

Another Vespa partner in India was that of LML Motors.  Beginning as a joint-venture with Piaggio in 1983, LML, in addition to being a large parts supplier for Piaggio, produced the P-Series scooters for the Indian market. In 1999, after protracted dispute with Piaggio, LML bought back Piaggio's stake in the company and the partnership ceased.  LML continued to produce (and also exported) the P-Series variant known as the Stella in the U.S. market and by other names in different markets.  LML Factory which produced these P-Series variants issued a notice of insolvency on 2 June 2017 and closed down permanently in 2018.

In the 2012 Auto Expo held in New Delhi, the iconic Vespa re-entered the Indian market. Piaggio unveiled its range of scooters at the Expo. This became the first such venture of Piaggio in India without a local partner.

Indonesia
Danmotor Vespa Indonesia (DMVI) was a joint venture between Indonesian interests and the East Asiatic Company, which was based in Denmark.  Between 1972 and 2001, it produced Vespas under license for the Indonesian market.
In 1976 approximately 40,000 units were produced giving DMVI the third biggest share of the Indonesian scooter market.  Government tax incentives allowed these scooters to be exported to Thailand at less than the domestic market price, so that they would be economically competitive.
DMVI only built 90 and 150cc models.  From 1972 onwards the company was located at a purpose-built factory in Pulo Gadung.  This was greatly expanded in 1977 to also manufacture sub-components, following a government decree that a higher domestically-built proportion of these should be used.  Sub-components were also bought from other Indonesian manufacturers after their quality had been approved by Piaggio.

Taiwan
Vespa has had various partnerships and presence in Taiwan. In 1965, Taiwan Vespa Co. Ltd was licensed for Vespa scooter production. From 1972 to 1982, Vespa entered into a collaboration with scooter manufacturer PGO. In 1978, Vespa entered into a collaboration with TGB, which to some extent, continues to this day (namely with CVT transmission production).

United Kingdom
In 1951, the financially troubled motorcycle manufacturer Douglas started production of Piaggio licensed Vespa scooters in Bristol, with a market to include some Commonwealth countries as well as the UK. It was a year which also saw the first meeting of the newly-formed Vespa scooter clubs with nearly 20,000 riders showing up for the event. Westinghouse took over Douglas in 1955, and while motorcycle production was stopped in 1957, Vespa production in Britain continued until 1965.

Douglas was more than a simple assembly plant for parts imported from Piaggio; many of the models made by Douglas had a high percentage of content manufactured by Douglas (eg cylinder heads, gear clusters, brake drums and other mechanical parts) or by UK supply companies (eg seats, carburetors, tyres, and some electrical components were made in the UK). Models made by Douglas were primarily the Vespa 125 and 150 (VBB).

Douglas produced Vespas which were often outdated compared to current Italian models. Douglas failed to meet the production numbers hoped for by Piaggio, though after production ceased in 1965, Douglas remained the UK importer for Vespa scooters until its demise in 1982.

Spain
In 1953 a factory in Madrid began production of Motovespas, production continued until 2000. The factory was demolished in 2001.

Soviet Union
Between 1956 and 1966 an unauthorised, reverse-engineered version of the Vespa was built and sold in the USSR by Vyatka.  This was withdrawn after protests by Piaggio.

Racing
In the 1950s and early 1960s, Vespa and Lambretta scooters were raced competitively against motorcycles, often winning the races. In the mid-1960s, motorcycle engines became larger and faster, and a gap was created—along with varying cc classifications. Since the 1980s, Vespa and Lambretta racing has grown into a serious sport in the United States. There are various classes in the United States, depending on the racing association. They are generally:
Small Frame Class: Open class up to 152 cc
Automatics Class
Specials Class

Models
There have been 34 different versions of the Vespa.  Today five series are in production: the classic manual transmission PX and the modern CVT transmission S, LX, GT, and GTS.

Historic
 Paperino – the original prototype made in 1945 at Biella
 Vespa 150 TAP – A Vespa modified for the French paratroopers that carried (not fired) an antitank weapon.
 VNC Super 125
 VBC Super 150
 VBA 150
 VB1 150
 VBB 150
 125 GT
 V9A
 VNA
 VNB 125
 Vespa U - U is for utilitaria (English - economic). 1953 model with a price of 110,000 Italian Lira (about US$175), 7,000 were produced
 GS 150
 GS 160
 SS 180
 Vespa 90 (3 spd)
 Vespa 50 (3 spd)
 SS50 (4 spd)
 SS90 (4 spd) - 90 SS Super Sprint
 150 GL
 90 Racer
 125 TS
 100 Sport
 125 GTR
 VLB 150 Sprint
 VLB 150 Sprint Veloce (Vespa Sprint)
 180 Super Sport
 Rally 180
 Rally 200
 125 Nuova (VMA-1T) - Prelude to Primavera
 Primavera 125 also ET3 (3 port version)
 PK 50
 PK 50 XL
 PK 50 Roma (Automatic)
 50 S
 50 Special
 50 Special Elestart
 50 Sprinter / 50 SR (D)
 50 Special Revival (Limited to 3,000 Italy-only numbered units, released in 1991)
 COSA 1 - 125 cc, 150 cc, 200 cc
 COSA 2 - 125 cc, 150 cc, 200 cc
 P 80 / P 80 E (France)
 P 80 X / PX 80 E (France)
 PK 80 S / Elestart
 PK 80 S Automatica / Elestart
 PK 100 S / Elestart
 PK 100 S Automatica
 PK 100 XL
P125ETS
 PK 125 XL / Elestart
 PK 125 S
 PK 125 E
 PK 125 Automatica (automatic transmission)
 Vespa P 150 S
 P 125 X
 PX 125 E/Electronic
 P 200 E
 PX 200 E FL
 PX 200 Serie Speciale (Limited to 400 UK-only numbered units)
 Vespa TX 200 (Spain only)
 T5 / Elestart (5 port engine 125 cc P series)
 T5 Classic (5 port engine 125 cc P series)
 T5 Millennium (5 port engine 125 cc P series) (Limited to 400 UK-only numbered units)

Recent
 ET2 50 - 2-stroke

 ET4 50 - 4-stroke
 ET4 125 (Euro Model)
 ET4 150 (Euro Model)
 ET4 150 (US model)
 ET8 150 (Eastern model)
 GT 125 (Granturismo 125)
 GT 200 (Granturismo 200)
 GTS 250ie
 GTS 250 Super - Only briefly sold in the US where the 278cc engine as used in the 300 Super had not yet been approved for use. Quickly replaced by the GTS 300 Super.
 PX 125
 PX 150 (reintroduced to US and Canadian Markets in 2004)
 PX 200
 PL 170

Current

LX 50
LX 125
LX 150
LXV 50 (65th anniversary variant of LX50)
LXV 125 (65th anniversary variant of LX125)
LXV 150 i.e.
GT 60° 250 cc Limited Edition. 999 produced worldwide in unique colours and each one receiving a commemorative badge, personalized with the owner's initials. Features the front-fender-mounted headlight, shared only with the GTV 250.
GTS 125
GTS 150
GTS 250ie
GTS 250 i.e. abs
GTS 300 (2010)
GTS 300 Super (2008)
GTV 125 (65th anniversary variant of GTS 125)
GT 60 (60th anniversary limited run variant of GTS 250) Features the fender mounted headlight as a tribute to the original Vespas.
GTV 250 Standard model based on the GTS250ie. Physically similar to the GT60, but available in a choice of colours.
GTV 300ie
PX 30 125 (A limited edition, only 1000 produced to celebrate the 30 years of the P range)
New PX 2011 150 (and later also 125); not just a limited edition: in 2011 the PX series restarted to be produced in Italy after a 3-year absence because of the European Union restriction about Euro III engines emissions not followed. In occasion of the 150th anniversary of Italian union, Piaggio has proposed this special version, with a re-designed saddle but with the same "Vespa experience".
S 50 and S 125 new model 2007, introduced at Milan Motorshow November 2006
S 150 (2008)
Zafferano 50 cc and 125 cc (A limited edition, only 200 produced)
Vespa Primavera 50 / 125 (Starting in 2014, this will be the current model and replacing the LX)
Vespa Sprint 50 / 125 (Starting in 2014, this will be the current model and replacing the S)

Vespa 946

The Vespa 946 is a scooter announced by Piaggio, to be sold under their Vespa brand starting in July 2013. Piaggio presented the retro-futurist Vespa Quarantasei concept, based on the 1945 Vespa MP6 prototype, at the 2011 EICMA motorcycle show. The final production version, renamed the Vespa 946, appeared the following year, at EICMA 2012. The 946 will be fitted with Piaggio's new air-cooled, three-valve, single-cylinder engine, with a claimed output of  for the  displacement version, and  for the  version.

Electric vehicles

Vespa Elettrica with a 2 kW battery  and a range of . There will be an hybrid option as well with a range of 200 km. Piaggio started production in September 2018 and it was released at the beginning of 2019.

Hybrids
Piaggio/Vespa is developing a range of hybrid scooters. Two models are being developed at present, based on the Vespa LX 50 and the Piaggio X8 125.

Specials
One-offs and special machines:

 Montlhéry – produced in 1950 to break world records on the French circuit of the same name. It smashed 17 records in 10 hours
 Torpedo – 1951 125 cc special with counter-opposing pistons. Dino Mazzoncini set the world record on the kilometre at an average of 171 km/h

See also

 List of companies of Italy
 List of motor scooter manufacturers and brands
 List of motorcycle manufacturers
 Vespa 400 – a car also made by Piaggio

References

Citations

Sources
Boni, Valeri. Vespa. Pub: Rizzoli International Publications, 1 Feb 2007.
Brockway, Eric. Vespa: An Illustrated History. Pub: Haynes Manuals Inc, 16 Aug 1999.
Giorgio Sarti, Giorgio. 1946–2006: 60 Years of the Vespa. Pub: J H Haynes & Co Ltd, 29 June 2006.
Jean Goyard, Jean & Soler, Bernard. The A–Z of Classic Scooters: The Illustrated Guide to All Makes and Models. Pub: J H Haynes & Co Ltd, 18 Jan 2007.

External links

 Vespa Vin Decoder—guide to decoding frame and engine numbers on older Vespas
 Vespa manuals— A nice collection of manuals for older Vespas
 Vespa at the Piaggio Museum the official factory museum
 Dolce vita on a Vespa—summary of Peter Moore's travels in Italy on a Vespa (from The Guardian)

Motor scooters
Motorcycle manufacturers of Italy
Piaggio Group
Piaggio motorcycles
Scooter manufacturers
Italian brands
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1946
1946 establishments in Italy
Transport in Italy
Road transport in Pakistan
Motorcycles introduced in the 1940s

Vespa


Chandler E. Woodcock is an American politician from Maine. Woodcock served as a Republican State Senator from Franklin County from 2000 to 2006. He was the Republican candidate for Governor of Maine in 2006. He won a close primary election by 3% on June 13, 2006, against David F. Emery and Peter Mills.  He lost to Governor John Baldacci, the Democratic incumbent in the November 7 election. In 2011, Republican Governor Paul LePage nominated Woodcock to be Maine's Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and he took office in the spring of that year.

Biography
Woodcock was born in Mechanic Falls, Maine, and grew up in Farmington, to a father who worked as a manager at the Forster Manufacturing Company and served in the Army Air Corps in World War II, and a mother who served as a United States Marine in World War II.

Woodcock enlisted in the Army after graduating from high school, and served a tour of duty during the Vietnam War.  After returning home, he earned a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Maine at Farmington and went on to teach high school in the public school system for the next 25 years, teaching at Livermore Falls High School, Mt. Blue High School, and Skowhegan Area High School. He also served as basketball coach at each school and led the Mount Blue High School girls' varsity basketball team to two Class A state championships.

Woodcock previously served for five years on the Board of Selectmen in Farmington (one year as Chairman of the Board), before being elected to the state Senate.  During his first term, he served on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee and the Legal and Veterans' Affairs Committee; during his second term, he served as Assistant Senate Republican Leader and on the Judiciary Committee.

Woodcock made a bid for the Governorship of Maine in 2006 but was defeated by incumbent John Baldacci. Woodcock ran as a publicly financed Clean Elections candidate.  In January, 2009, he became the executive director of the Maine Harness Horsemen's Association. He is also the co-host (with State Representative Tom Saviello of Wilton of a Public-access television talk show on Mount Blue Community Access TV called "Talkin Maine With the Bow Tie Boys"; both Woodcock and Saviello are known locally for wearing bow ties.

Woodcock is married to his wife Charlotte with whom he has three daughters and a son.

Electoral history

References

External links
 http://www.woodcockforgovernor.com
 http://www.myspace.com/woodcockforgovernor
 https://web.archive.org/web/20060714094245/http://www.bangordailynews.com/election/2006_primary/
 http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/templates/?a=135778
 http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=36930

American television talk show hosts
Schoolteachers from Maine
LePage Administration cabinet members
Living people
Republican Party Maine state senators
People from Farmington, Maine
People from Mechanic Falls, Maine
University of Maine at Farmington alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American politicians

Chandler Woodcock


CLEAPSS is an advisory service in the United Kingdom providing support in science and technology for a consortium of local authorities and their schools including establishments for pupils with special needs.

Independent schools, post-16 colleges, teacher training establishments, curriculum developers and others can apply for associate membership. CLEAPSS offers help from nursery education through to A-level studies or equivalent.

CLEAPSS first started in 1963 as CLEAPSE (Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Equipment). In 1988 the name was changed to CLEAPSS (Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services) to reflect a change of emphasis from equipment to a range of services. Since then, Local Education Authorities became Local Authorities (LAs) and CLEAPSS' services expanded to include D&T, so CLEAPSS was registered as a Trade Mark. CLEAPSS is now simply a name and not an acronym.

People served
CLEAPSS serves:

    teachers (including head teachers),
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    science advisers/inspectors/consultants,
    teacher trainers,
    health and safety advisers,
    architects (working for subscribers),
    other local authority officers,
    school governors.

Areas covered
CLEAPSS covers:

    health and safety including model risk assessments,
    chemicals, living organisms, equipment,
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    laboratory design, facilities and fittings,
    technicians and their jobs,
    D&T facilities and fittings.

CLEAPSS provides support for a consortium of local authorities. It is controlled by its members, which currently include all LAs throughout the British Isles (not Scotland) (100% of those eligible).

Associate members
CLEAPSS has around 2,000 associate members, i.e.:

    foundation and voluntary-aided schools (where not a member via a local authority),
    independent schools,
    incorporated colleges,
    teacher-training establishments and science learning centres,
    overseas institutions,
    field centres, museums, etc,
    curriculum developers.

Services provided
CLEAPSS provides:

    termly newsletters for primary and secondary schools,
    a wide range of free publications,
    model risk assessments,
    special risk assessments,
    low-cost training courses for technicians, teachers and local authority officers,
    a telephone helpline which takes nearly 7,000 calls per year,
    a monitoring service, e.g. for mercury spills,
    evaluations of equipment,
    advice on repairs,
    a H&S / Review service for publishers, exam. boards and other organisations producing teaching resources.

See also

 Education in the UK
 Science education

References

External links

Brunel University London
Education advocacy groups
Education in the London Borough of Hillingdon
Organisations based in the London Borough of Hillingdon
Science education in the United Kingdom

CLEAPSS


Reformist Movement is an alliance of two French-speaking and one German- speaking right- wing and centre-right political parties in Belgium. The Mouvement Réformateur is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the Liberal International.

MR was formed on March 24, 2002 by the merger of four existing parties:

 the then PRL (Parti réformateur libéral), the francophone liberals
 the FDF (Fédéralistes Démocrates Francophones);
 the MCC (Mouvement des Citoyens pour le Changement), a movement torn off from the PSC (Parti social Chrétien) around Gérard Deprez ;
 the PFF (Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt), the sister party of the then PRL in the German-speaking area.

References

Political parties in Belgium

Reformist Movement


Puntius paucimaculatus is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Puntius. It is found in freshwater habitats in China, but its validity is questionable and it may be a synonym of Barbodes semifasciolatus. As a food fish it is rated 5/5 stars by the National Food Convention of China.

References

Puntius
Fish described in 1982

Puntius paucimaculatus


The Philadelphia Negro is a sociological and epidemiological study of African Americans in Philadelphia that was written by W. E. B. Du Bois, commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania and published in 1899 with the intent of identifying social problems present in the African American community.

It was the first sociological case study of a black community in the United States and one of the earliest examples of sociology as a statistically based social science. The study challenged notions that Black Americans experienced poverty, illness, and deprivation because of their biological character.

Du Bois gathered information for the study in the period between August 1896 and December 1897. Du Bois carefully mapped every black residence, church, and business in the city's Seventh Ward, recording occupational and family structure. Du Bois's Philadelphia research was pivotal in his reformulation of the concept of race. He deduced that, "the Negro problem looked at in one way is but the old world questions of ignorance, poverty, crime, and the dislike of the stranger." He supported these claims with examples and survey analysis breakdowns throughout the journal.

Problem identification
During the 1890s, the Negro population in Philadelphia was afflicted with many of the problems seen across the U.S. in areas of low socioeconomic status. Crime, poverty and drug addiction were among the many issues that the Philadelphia Negro population dealt with that added to the apparent social blight of the community.

Survey conduct

In order to collect survey data, Du Bois and his wife moved into the 7th ward of Philadelphia; he then distributed the survey in impoverished quarters on Saint Mary Street, from 1896 to 1897. With his only appointed assistant, Isabel Eaton, Du Bois employed "archival research, descriptive statistics, and questionnaires." These surveys entailed questions about occupations, health, education, and religious, social, and family life. While conducting a door-to-door examination of the ward, Du Bois and Eaton were able to collect more than 5,000 personal interviews. This survey data included the vital statistics of Black individuals within the city, information about their places of birth, occupation, health, ages, sex, etc.

The sample size for Du Bois's study was limited in that it was a neighborhood study of the central Seventh Ward, which encompassed the area from Spruce to South Street and from Seventh Street to the Schuylkill River. There was significant diversity within this neighborhood. Its western fringe was occupied by affluent whites, its center filled with one of the nation's densest concentrations of Black elites, and its eastern front inhabited by numerous poor from both races. The eastern side was also notorious as the city's Black ghetto.

Findings of the study
The findings of Philadelphia research revealed a community of diversity and advancement; yet it simultaneously reaffirmed the reality of poverty, crime, and illiteracy. Addressing this contradiction, Du Bois explained that Black members of the community possessed their own internal class structure, and therefore should not be judged solely by the "submerged tenth," the ten percent of the population who were beneath the surface of socioeconomic viability. Likewise, the "Negro problem" was ostensibly "not one problem, but rather a plexus of social problems," and had less correlation to a black "social pathology" than to whites' enforcement of racial discrimination and a provision of unequal opportunity.

Du Bois emphasized socio-economic and historical causes of the "Negro problem," notably the exclusion of Black residents from the city's premier industrial jobs, the prevalence of Black single-family homes, and the continued legacy of slavery and unequal race relations. Such biased provision was evident in housing. Du Bois found that African Americans had to pay "abnormally high rents for the poorest accommodations, and race-prejudice accentuates this difficulty, out of which many evils grow."

Possible solutions
Du Bois ended his study with a section entitled "The Meaning of All of This." In this section he explained how the overarching dilemma that African Americans as viewed through the eyes of the majority of Americans. By changing how Blacks were perceived in America, from inferior to equally capable, he theorized that many of the problems seen in the Black community would subside. Du Bois stated that if change were expected to occur in Philadelphia's Black communities, both the Black and White communities would need to work in tandem. He assigned responsibilities for Blacks and Whites in this section.

Contemporary recognition
In spring 2008, Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program, in partnership with The Ward project, memorialized the history of The Philadelphia Negro with the mural Mapping Courage on the side of Engine Company 11's building at South 6th Street and South Street. The company was one of the original twenty-two fire companies established by Philadelphia's first paid municipal fire department in 1871. Until the Philadelphia Fire Department officially desegregated in 1952, Engine 11 was Philadelphia's de facto African American firehouse. The company's original building at 1016 South Street still stands and belongs to the Waters Memorial African Methodist Church.

See also
 History of African Americans in Philadelphia

References

External links
 The Philadelphia Negro, digital text

1899 non-fiction books
Works by W. E. B. Du Bois
History of Philadelphia
Sociology books
African-American history in Philadelphia
Books about Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Negro


Tammy Cheung is a Hong Kong documentary filmmaker.

Cheung was born in Shanghai, China. Her family moved to Hong Kong, where Cheung grew up. She later went to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to study film at Concordia University in the mid 1980s.

In 1999, she made her first documentary film, Invisible Women, which follows the lives of three Indian women in Hong Kong. She is an admirer of the American filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, and uses the style of Direct Cinema in her films.

In 2004, with other like-minded individuals from the fields of film, culture and education, Cheung founded Visible Record, which distributes and promotes documentary films in Hong Kong. The non-profit organisation also hosts the annual Chinese Documentary Festival.

In the past decade, Cheung has been regarded as one of the most respected documentary filmmakers in Hong Kong.

References

Living people
Hong Kong film producers
Date of birth missing (living people)
Hong Kong women artists
Year of birth missing (living people)

Tammy Cheung


The suedehead subculture was an early-1970s offshoot of skinhead subculture in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Although sharing similarities to 1960s skinheads, suedeheads grew their hair longer and dressed more formally. Although often working class like skinheads, some had white collar jobs. A female suedehead was a sort.

Suedeheads wore brogues, loafers or basketweave Norwegians instead of heavy boots. Suedeheads wore suits (especially in check patterns such as Prince of Wales and dogtooth) and other dressy outfits as everyday wear instead of just at dancehalls. Crombie-style overcoats and sheepskin coats became common. Most London suedeheads wore a silk handkerchief in the chest pocket of their Crombie, which also had a circular tie-pin through the Crombie and the handkerchief. Shirts often had large button-down collars, usually either pointed or rounded, called butterfly collars. The top shirts were Ben Shermans with a back pleat and top loop. Early on the most common style was a large windowpane check worn under a tank top. At the height of the era, shirts changed to muted pastel shades, with the colour being governed by the day of the week. Sta-Prest trousers became worn more than jeans, which had been common with skinheads.  Although the most popular form of trousers were the 2Tone Tonic, which changed colour as they moved. The most common base colours were blue and green, whilst the most favoured secondary colours were red, yellow and gold. Another characteristic was coloured socks—such as solid red or blue—instead of plain black or white.

Suedeheads shared the skinheads' interest in rocksteady, reggae, soul, R&B, funk and ska, but some suedeheads also listened to British glam rock bands such as The Sweet, Slade, Ziggy Stardust and Mott the Hoople. In the late 70s, most Suedeheads closely followed groups such as The Beat, Madness, the Specials and other artists on the 2Tone record label.

Suedeheads were portrayed in the east end London-based film Bronco Bullfrog and the Richard Allen novel Suedehead. In the late 1970s, a suedehead revival developed following the 1977 skinhead revival. This originated with a small number of individuals such as Hoxton Tom McCourt, who also became involved with the mod revival of the late 1970s.

In the early to mid-1970s many suedeheads also owned Lambretta scooters and there was a type of mini-mod revival. It was a crossover movement based on style, music, clothes and was most common amongst working-class teenagers living in the larger inner-city conurbations.

In the 1980s a number of fanzines were dedicated to the Suedehead culture including The Suedehead Times which released three issues between 1985 and 1986.

Morrissey released a single called "Suedehead" in 1988, although the lyrics appear to have nothing to do with suedehead subculture.

Footnotes

External links
 filmnoirbuff.com
 Skins, Suedes and Style from the Streets 1967–1973

Skinhead
Social class subcultures
History of subcultures
Working-class culture in the United Kingdom
Social class in Ireland
Socioeconomic stereotypes

Suedehead (subculture)


Goshen is a home rule-class city in Oldham County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 909 at the 2010 census.

Geography
Nestled along the banks of the Ohio River northeast of Louisville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

History
Founded in 1849, the community was first known as Saltillo for the Mexican city near the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War. When a new post office opened in 1851, it was named Goshen for the biblical Land of Goshen, which was described by American commentators as having had good soil. It was formally incorporated by the state assembly in 1990.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 909 people, 304 households, and 261 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 293 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.00% White, 2.40% African American, 0.80% Asian, 1.00% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.40% of the population.

There were 304 households, out of which 52.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were non-families. 11.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $84,250, and the median income for a family was $88,958. Males had a median income of $65,583 versus $51,667 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,076. None of the families and 0.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including none under 18 and 8.1% of those over 64.

Economy
It is known for its thoroughbred breeding farms, such as Upson Downs Farm and Sunny Acres Horse Farm (now occupied by Forever Green Farm Riding Academy). Goshen also is home to other farming operations, such as a tree farm called The Riverfarm. Goshen was formerly the location of Land O' Goshen farms, a horse and sheep breeding farm owned and operated by William Burke Belknap.

Goshen is home to various operations that are Kentucky Proud producers, these include: River Farm Nursery, Round Hill Farm LLC, Golden Drop Honey, Babs Bees, Field 51 Produce, and Blue Skies Horse Farm LLC.

Education
Goshen has a lending library, a branch of the Oldham County Public Library.

Notable people
Justin Thomas, professional golfer
William Burke Belknap, professor of economics at the University of Louisville

References

External links
 City website

Cities in Kentucky
Cities in Oldham County, Kentucky
Louisville metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1849
1849 establishments in Kentucky

Goshen, Kentucky


Suhaim bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Muhammed Al Thani (; 1933 – 21 August 1985) was a member of the ruling family of Qatar who served as the country's foreign minister. His brother, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, was the emir of Qatar.

Career
Sheikh Suhaim was appointed minister of foreign affairs in 1972. He served in the post until his death on 21 August 1985.
He had a great deal of participation, particularly in political, humanitarian, social and cultural activities.

In 1985, he plotted a coup against his brother Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani after he learned that Khalifa had named his own son, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, as the heir. He had his own cache of weapons and maintained a cadre of supporters in northern Qatar. After Suhaim died suddenly of a heart attack in August 1985, his sons blamed Ghanim Al Kuwari, the minister of information and culture, for not responding promptly to his calls for medical attention. They were imprisoned after they attempted to assassinate Al Kuwari.

Legacy
In 2008 a fellowship fund was established at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government for the memory of Suhaim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Children
He had nine sons and five daughters from the same wife, Muna bint Jassim Al Hassan Al Dosari.

Daughters
 Muna bint Suhaim
 Rudha bint Suhaim
 Amna bint Suhaim
 Al Anoud bint Suhaim
Muneera bint Suhaim

References

External links
althani tree

1933 births
1985 deaths
Foreign ministers of Qatar
Suhaim bin Hamad

Suhaim bin Hamad Al Thani


Leonard Hodgson (24 October 1889 in Fulham, London – 15 July 1969 in Leamington Spa) was an Anglican priest, philosopher, theologian, historian of the early Church and Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford from 1944 to 1958.

Early life
Hodgson was the son of Walter Hodgson (1853–1934), a shorthand writer to the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and of his wife Lillias Emma, a daughter of William Shaw of County Durham. He was educated at St Paul's School, London, and Hertford College, Oxford, where he took a second in Classical Moderations (Greek and Latin) in 1910, a first in Greats (Philosophy and Ancient History) in 1912 and a first in Theology in 1913. He then trained for the ministry at St Michael's College, Llandaff.

Career
He was ordained a deacon of the Church of England in 1913, after a year at Llandaff. He served briefly as a curate at St Mark's Church, Portsmouth, then in 1914, in a meteoric promotion, he became vice-principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford. In 1919 he was elected tutor in theology and dean of divinity at Magdalen College, Oxford. He was appointed professor of Christian apologetics the General Theological Seminary, New York City, in 1925. He was a canon of Winchester from 1931 to 1938, when he was elected as Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology and canon of Christ Church, Oxford.

During the 1930s he became an active ecumenist and served on the Anglican Council on Foreign Relations. He was also general secretary of the Edinburgh world conference on faith and order in 1937. From 1944 to 1958, he was Oxford's Regius Professor of Divinity. Twice nominated for episcopal office, he declined to become Bishop of Carlisle, and also refused the bishopric of Monmouth in 1940 in a move which some in the Church in Wales believe deprived the Province of a new and invigorating presence among its prelates. He delivered the Gifford lectures, For Faith and Freedom, from 1955 to 1957 at Glasgow University. From 1954 until 1966 (some of this time overlapping with his positions in Oxford) he was Warden of William Temple College, Rugby. In his book Sex and Christian Freedom (1967) he tried to "talk twentieth-century common sense without being disloyal to our ordination vows".

Career summary
Curate of St Mark's Church, Portsmouth, 1913–1914
Vice-Principal of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, 1914–1919
Examining chaplain to the Bishop of Lichfield, 1917 to 1925
Official Fellow and Dean of Divinity, Magdalen College, Oxford, 1919–1925
Professor of Christian Apologetics, General Theological Seminary, New York City, 1925–1931
Residentiary Canon of Winchester Cathedral 1931–1938
Examining chaplain to the Bishop of Winchester, 1932 to 1939
Theological Secretary to the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, 1933 to 1952
Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, 1938–1944
Regius Professor of Divinity and Canon of Christ Church, Oxford, 1944–1958
Warden of William Temple College, Rugby, 1954–1966
Member of council of St David's College, Lampeter

Family
In 1917, Hodgson proposed unsuccessfully to the novelist Dorothy L. Sayers. On 7 April 1920 he married Ethel Margaret du Plat (1888–1960), the daughter of the Rev. C. F. Archer, Rector of Moy, County Tyrone. They had a son and a daughter.

Major publications
The Place of Reason in Christian Apologetic (1925)

And was Made Man: An Introduction to the Study of the Gospels (1928)
Essays in Christian Philosophy (1930)
Eugenics (1933)
The Lord's Prayer (1934)
Democracy and Dictatorship in the Light of Christian Faith (1935)
The Grace of God in Faith and Philosophy (Paddock lectures, 1936)
This War and the Christian (1939)
The Christian Idea of Liberty (1941)
Towards a Christian Philosophy (1942)
The Doctrine of the Trinity (1943) (1942-1943 Croall Lectures, New College, Edinburgh)
Theology in an Age of Science (1944)
The Doctrine of the Church (1946)
Biblical Theology and the Sovereignty of God (1947)
Christian Faith and Practice (1950)
The Doctrine of the Atonement (1951)
For Faith and Freedom (1956) (1955–57 Gifford Lectures, Glasgow; 1968 edition: Vol. 1, Vol. 2)
Church and Sacraments in Divided Christendom (1959)
The Bible and the Training of the Clergy (1963)
Sex and Christian Freedom (1967)

Honours
Hon. Doctor of Civil Laws, Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Canada, 1929
Hon. Doctor of Sacred Theology, General Theological Seminary, New York City, 1931
Doctor of Divinity, Oxford University, 1938
Hon. Doctor of Divinity, Edinburgh University, 1938
Hon. Doctor of Divinity, Glasgow University, 1956
Hon. fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford, 1957
Hon. fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge, 1957
Emeritus Student, Christ Church, Oxford, 1959

References

Further reading
Hodgson, Leonard (1889–1969), theologian by Mark D. Chapman in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
HODGSON, Rev. Leonard, DD STD Hon. DCL in Who Was Who 1897–2006

1889 births
1969 deaths
Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford
20th-century English Anglican priests
Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford
Fellows of St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Fellows of Selwyn College, Cambridge
People educated at St Paul's School, London
English Christian theologians
English Anglican theologians
Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Oxford)
Regius Professors of Moral and Pastoral Theology
Alumni of St Michael's College, Llandaff
General Theological Seminary faculty
20th-century English philosophers

Leonard Hodgson


David Legge Brainard (December 21, 1856 – March 22, 1946) was a career officer in the United States Army. He enlisted in 1876, received his officer's commission in 1886, and served until 1919. Brainard attained the rank of brigadier general and served during World War I as U.S. military attaché in Lisbon, Portugal.

A native of Norway, New York, Brainard was raised and educated in Norway and nearby Freetown, and graduated from  the State Normal School in Cortland, New York.

In addition to his First World War service, Brainard was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, and Philippine–American War. He was also a noted arctic explorer who attained fame as one of only six survivors of the 1881 to 1884 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. He was the recipient of several civilian awards in recognition of his explorations. He died in Washington, D.C., on March 22, 1946, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Early life
Brainard was born in Norway, New York on December 21, 1856, the fifth son of Alanson Brainard and Maria C. Legge. His family moved to a farm in Freetown, New York, when he was ten years old, and Brainard was raised and educated in Norway and Freetown. He attended the State Normal School in Cortland, New York, and then decided upon a military career.

Military career

Start of career
Brainard enlisted in the United States Army in September 1876. He was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment  and served at Fort Keogh, Montana Territory during the Great Sioux War of 1876. On May 7, 1877, Brainard fought in the Battle of Little Muddy Creek, Montana, where he was wounded in the face and right hand. In August 1877, Brainard was one of four soldiers assigned to escort the Army's commanding general, William Tecumseh Sherman and Sherman's party on an inspection tour of Yellowstone National Park. In 1877 and 1878, he served under Nelson Appleton Miles in Montana during the Nez Perce War and Bannock War. He was promoted to corporal in October 1877, and sergeant in July 1879.

Arctic exploration

In 1880, he was selected for the Howgate expedition, which started for Greenland in July 1880, but turned back after a heavy storm damaged the expedition's ship. In 1881, he was detailed as first sergeant for the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, which was commanded by Adolphus Greely. Over the three years of this expedition he continuously kept a journal.

Twenty-five men began the expedition, which ran into difficulty when several attempts to resupply it failed, and several rescue attempts were forced to turn back. Among those who died was James Booth Lockwood, second-in-command and Brainard's companion on many excursions, including their record breaking push north to latitude 83°23 '30". Brainard wrote:

Brainard was later credited with saving as many expedition members as possible by closely rationing the group's limited food. Shortly before the survivors were rescued in the spring of 1884, Brainard, freezing, starving, and suffering from scurvy wrote: "Our own condition is so wretched, so palpably miserable, that death would be welcomed rather than feared ..." Brainard was one of only six survivors rescued by Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley on June 22. On that day, he was reportedly near death himself, too weak to hold a pencil so he could make an entry in his log.

Later career

In January 1885, Brainard sought a commission in the 10th Infantry Regiment, but the appointment went to Andre W. Brewster. In 1886, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 2nd Cavalry "as recognition of the gallant and meritorious services rendered by him in the Arctic expedition of 1881–1884." He then had the distinction of being the only living US Army officer, active or retired, who had been commissioned as a commendation for specific services.

Brainard was promoted to first lieutenant in August 1893. In October 1896 he transferred to the Subsistence Department and received promotion to captain. In December 1897, he participated in the Yukon Relief Mission, which provided emergency assistance to Klondike Gold Rush miners who were experiencing shortages of food.

In May 1898, Brainard was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and he served as chief commissary of the military forces in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War in 1898 and Philippine–American War in 1899. In May 1900, he was promoted to permanent major. His subsequent assignments included chief commissary of the Department of the East, Department of California, and Philippine Division. In 1905, Brainard received promotion to permanent lieutenant colonel. Brainard was a charter member of The Explorers Club and served its president from 1912 to 1913. He was promoted to colonel in June 1912.

In 1914, Brainard was assigned as U.S. military attaché in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In October 1917, Brainard received promotion to temporary brigadier general. During World War I, he served as military attaché in Lisbon, Portugal, and he retired as a brigadier general in October 1919.

Family
Brainard married Anna Chase in 1888, and they divorced in 1893. In 1917, he married Sara Hall Guthrie (1880–1953). Brainard had no children and was the stepfather of his second wife's daughter Elinor.

Retirement and death

After leaving the Army, Brainard was appointed vice president of the Association of Army and Navy Stores, and was named to the association's board of directors. He remained active in these roles until his death.

He was elected an honorary member of the American Polar Society in 1936, on his 80th birthday.

Brainard died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on March 22, 1946. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was the last survivor of the Greely Arctic Expedition.

Awards

Military awards

The Purple Heart medal was created in 1932. On January 27, 1933, Brainard received the award for wounds he sustained at the Battle of Little Muddy Creek on May 7, 1877. His was one of only two Purple Hearts known to have been awarded for the American Indian Wars, because posthumous awards were not authorized and eligible individuals had to proactively submit applications.

In addition to the Purple Heart, Brainard's military awards and decorations included:

Purple Heart
Indian Campaign Medal
Spanish Campaign Medal
Philippine Campaign Medal
World War I Victory Medal
Military Order of Christ (Grand Officer) (Portugal)
Military Order of Aviz (Grand Officer) (Portugal)
Legion of Honor (Officer) (France)

Civilian awards
In addition to his military awards, Brainard received the Royal Geographical Society's Back Award in 1886. He was a fellow of the American Geographical Society, and his arctic explorations resulted in award of the society's Charles P. Daly Medal in 1926. He was also a 1929 recipient of the civilian Explorers Club Medal.

Publications

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

 The Papers of David L. Brainard at Dartmouth College Library
 Elinor McVickar Correspondence with Ellen R. Brainard at Dartmouth College Library

1856 births
1946 deaths
United States military attachés
Military personnel from New York (state)
American military personnel of the Indian Wars
American military personnel of the Spanish–American War
American Polar Society honorary members
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Explorers of the Arctic
People from Herkimer County, New York
United States Army generals of World War I
United States Army generals
Grand Officers of the Order of Christ (Portugal)
Grand Officers of the Order of Aviz
Officers of the Legion of Honour
State University of New York at Cortland alumni

David L. Brainard


Mohammed Namadi Sambo (born 2 August 1954) is a Nigerian politician who was Vice President of Nigeria from 19 May 2010 to 29 May 2015. Before then, he served as the Governor of Kaduna from 2007 to 2010.

Biography
Sambo attended his primary school education at the Baptist Primary School in Kakuri Kaduna state in the year 1959, he then moved to Kobi Primary School, in Bauchi state and finally went to Towns School, Zaria where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC). After completing his primary school education, Sambo went to Government Secondary School, Zaria and obtained his West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1971.

While in 1972, Sambo was admitted to School of Basic Studies at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU) and later got admission to study Architectural science at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Where he graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture (B.Sc,) (Hons)

Also, in 1978, Sambo went on and obtained a Masters Degree in Architecture (M.sc) from the same university. Lastly, in 1978, Sambo was posted to the Ministry of Works and Housing for his National Youth Service in Oyo states.

As Governor
In May 2007, Sambo assumed office as Governor of Kaduna State. Where by his term ended on 18 May 2010. Sambo had an 11-point agenda as Governor of Kaduna State which was mainly focus on empowering the youth and women of the community and to address a very good security for the state. While still serving as governor, he was picked by the president of Nigeria to become the Vice President of Nigeria in early 2010.

As Vice President
After the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, Goodluck Jonathan became the President of Nigeria. Jonathan nominated Sambo as Vice President and his official correspondence conveying the nomination of Sambo for the VP position was received by the National Assembly on 15 May 2010. On 18 May 2010, the National Assembly approved the nomination.

On 19 May 2010, Namadi Sambo was formally sworn in as the Vice-President of Nigeria.

References

1954 births
Living people
Politicians from Kaduna State

Namadi Sambo