1.
Olena Kostevych
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Olena Dmytrivna Kostevych is a Ukrainian pistol shooter. She is the 2004 Olympic champion in the 10 metre air pistol event, Kostevych was born in Khabarovsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. She is a student at the Chernihiv State Technological University in Chernihiv, at the age of 17, she won the 10 m air pistol event at the 2002 ISSF World Shooting Championships. She followed this with a victory in the 2003 ISSF World Cup Final, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, she placed 26th in the 25 metre pistol event and 31st in 10 metre air pistol. Her Ukrainian record of 394 is one point higher than the world record, at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Kostevych won bronze medals in the 10 metre air pistol and 25 meter sport pistol competitions. She won no medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Olena Kostevych at the International Shooting Sport Federation Olena Kostevych
2.
Shooting at the Summer Olympics
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Shooting sports have been included at every Summer Olympic Games since the birth of the modern Olympic movement at the 1896 Summer Olympics except at the 1904 &1928 editions. Mens Shooting was one of the nine events at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, in the Paris Games in 1900, live pigeons were used as moving targets. After the 1900 games, the pigeons were replaced with clay targets, in 1907, the International Shooting Sport Federation came into existence and brought some standardizations to the sport. When shooting was reintroduced in 1932, it consisted of two events. From this, the number of events have increased steadily until reaching the 2000–2004 maximum of seventeen events, the 2008 games had only fifteen. Events marked as Mens were actually open events from 1968 until 1980, two women won medals in such mixed events, Margaret Murdock, silver in Rifle 3 positions and Zhang Shan, gold in Skeet. Events on the current program are listed at the top, updated after 2016 Olympics ISSF World Shooting Championships List of Olympic venues in shooting Medals by NOC MEN 1896-2008 WOMEN 1976-2008 ISSF History - International Shooting Sport Federation
3.
ISSF shooting events
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The International Shooting Sport Federation recognizes several shooting events, some of which have Olympic status. They are divided into four disciplines, rifle, pistol, shotgun, the main distinctions between different rifle events are the distances to the target and the shooting positions used. For the other disciplines, the position is always standing, and changes include limits to shooting times and this separates them from International Practical Shooting Confederation events and other kinds of action shooting. In rifle, pistol and running events, the maximum score for each shot is 10. In shotgun events, there is only hit and miss, in the 300 metre rifle events and the 50 metre rifle and pistol events, all participants of a main competition must compete at the same time. If the range capacity is not enough for this, a round is conducted the day before the main competition. From this round, only so many shooters advance as the capacity can allow. The program of the round is the same as that of the match or qualification round. The match, or qualification round in case of Olympic events, is then the part of the competition. In all events except those where elimination rounds are held, shooters are divided as necessary into relays, in matches consisting of two stages, all shooters must complete the first stage before the second stage may commence. The stages are not seldom completed on two consecutive days, in larger matches, but only in the Olympic events, a final is added to the qualification round. The top eight contestants, qualify for the final, the final consists of 10 shots in the 50 metre and 10 metre events,20 shots in the 25 metre events, and one series in the shotgun events. In rifle and pistol finals, the zones are divided into decimals. In shotgun finals, there is only a hit or a miss. In all cases, the score is added to the score of the qualification round. Ties are resolved by shooting as many shots as needed to break them. However, the recorded ten-shot series are used for tie-breaking, so that the participant with the better last series comes before the other, from 2009 however, the number of inner tens, where applicable, will be the first tie-breaking criterion. In events without finals this tie-breaking system can decide championships, while in Olympic events it only decides the qualification, in 25 metre center-fire pistol and 25 metre standard pistol, ties for medal places are resolved by a one-string shoot-off
4.
International Shooting Sport Federation
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The ISSF headquarters is based in Munich, Germany. Shooting sports currently consist of three different disciplines, Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun, each and every one of them includes multiple events, varying for distance from the target, position and type of sport gun. Olympic shooting includes five different pistol events,10 m Air Pistol Men,10 m Air Pistol Women,50 m Pistol Men,25 m Pistol Women,25 m Rapid Fire Pistol Men. For 10 m Air Pistol events, athletes use air pistols loaded with. 177/4.5 mm calibre pellets, for 25 m and 50 m Pistol events, athletes use pistol loaded with. 22/5.6 mm calibre shots. 25 m Pistol Women finals are conducted over two phases, semi-finals and medal matches, also according to the new rules, all Pistol finals start from zero and the qualification score is no longer carried forward into the final. The 10 m Air Pistol Men event is conducted in standing position, athletes reload after each shot, as pistols are single-loaded. The qualifications round consists of 60 shots, while in the elimination-style final athletes can shoot a maximum of 20 shots, following the athletes presentation, the final begins with 2 series of 3 shots, where each series must be fired in 150 seconds. After the first 2 series, a maximum of 14 single shots can be fired, from this point, the lowest-ranked athlete is eliminated after every 2 shots. The final ends up only two athletes left on the line and the last 2 shots deciding the gold medal winner. Tie scores are broken by shoot-offs shots, just like in the men event, the 10 m Air Pistol Women event is conducted in standing position, the target is placed at a distance of 10 meters and athletes reload after each shot. The women qualifications consist of 40 shots, while the final consists of a maximum of 20 shots. The final procedure is very similar to the men event, as it begins with 2 series of 3 shots. After the first 2 series, a maximum of 14 single shots can be fired, from this point, the lowest-ranked athlete is eliminated after every 2 shots. The final ends up only two athletes left on the line, and the last 2 shots deciding the gold medal winner. Ties are broken by shoot-offs shots, the 50 m Pistol Men event is conducted in standing position. The target is placed at a distance of 50 meters and athletes reload after each shot, the qualification round consists of 60 shots and the elimination-style final consists of a maximum of 20 shots. Just like in the two 10 m events the final begins with 2 series of 3 shots, where each series must be fired in 150 seconds. After the first two series, a maximum of 14 single shots can be fired, and in this case each shot must be fired in 50 second, from this point, the lowest-ranked athlete is eliminated after every 2 shots
5.
ISSF 10 meter air rifle
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It is one of the ISSF-governed shooting events included in the Olympic games. Shots are fired from the position only, as opposed to some other airgun shooting disciplines such as for three positions or in disabled sports. The major competitions are the Olympic Games every four years and the ISSF World Shooting Championships every four years. In addition, the event is included in the ISSF World Cup series, the ISSF World Cup Final, in continental championships, in many clubs and ranges, electronic targets are now being used instead of the traditional paper targets. Scores in 10 meter air rifle have improved rapidly during the last few decades, the majority of these full marks were achieved at non-directly ISSF supervised international and national-level matches and championships, where official ISSF recognized world records cannot be set. This leads to national records in fact being equal to the world records. Until 2013 the maximum achievable aggregate score is 709 for men and 509 for women, no top competitor has achieved an official perfect aggregate score. In the 20 shots final the highest achievable final score is 218.0 points, up to 2016 no top competitor has achieved an official perfect final score. The course of fire is a number of sighter shots followed by 60 competition shots for men or 40 competition shots for women. During this initial or qualification phase a maximum of 10 points are awarded for each shot, every scoring ring is 5 mm wide and sub-divided in 0.5 mm increments in 10 subrings. In November 2012, The ISSF announced new rules for 2013-2016. The new finals has shooters starting from zero, eliminating the qualification scores that used to be combined with the scores for competition results. The new format begins with 2 series of 3 shots each and this is followed by 14 single shots each fired on command with 50 seconds for each shot. Eliminations of the lowest scoring finalists begin after the eighth shot, there are a total of 20 finals shots, setting the highest possible 20 shots score at 218.0 points. If there is a tie for the lowest ranking athlete to be eliminated, for the 10 meter air rifle and air pistol disciplines, match diabolo pellets are used. These pellets have wadcutter heads, meaning the front is flat, match pellets are offered in tins and more elaborate packagings that avoid deformation and other damage that could impair their uniformity.48 mm up to 4.52 mm. Group sizes of 4.5 mm diameter are theoretically possible, unbatched ammunition, especially if the air gun is not regularly cleaned, is generally thought to be capable of only 8.0 mm diameter group sizes. Batch-testing match pellets for a gun is not generally thought to be worthwhile until the shooter reaches a high proficiency level
6.
.177 caliber
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.177 caliber is the smallest diameter of pellets widely used in air guns, and is the only caliber generally accepted for formal target competition. It is also used for hunting small game, as well as in Field Target competition. Steel BB shot is 0. 175-inch diameter, some air guns are designed to accept.177 pellets.177 lead shot, or.175 steel BBs interchangeably. If two guns fire pellets of different weights, the gun firing the lighter pellet must fire it at a velocity to achieve the same muzzle energy. This is an important consideration in locations where air guns are legally restricted by muzzle energy, however, because the lighter projectile has a lower ballistic coefficient, it loses its initial energy to air resistance faster than a heavier, slower pellet. Therefore, a pellet may be preferred for hunting. Information on.177 air rifle pellets 4 mm caliber Air gun BB gun Pellet Weapon
7.
Caliber
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In guns, particularly firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel, or the diameter of the projectile it fires, in hundredths or sometimes thousandths of an inch. For example, a 45 caliber firearm has a diameter of.45 of an inch. Barrel diameters can also be expressed using metric dimensions, as in 9mm pistol, when the barrel diameter is given in inches, the abbreviation cal can be used. Good performance requires a bullet to closely match the diameter of a barrel to ensure a good seal. While modern cartridges and cartridge firearms are referred to by the cartridge name. Firearm calibers outside the range of 17 to 50 exist, but are rarely encountered. Larger calibers, such as.577.585.600.700, the.950 JDJ is the only known cartridge beyond 79 caliber used in a rifle. Referring to artillery, caliber is used to describe the length as multiples of the bore diameter. A 5-inch 50 calibre gun has a diameter of 5 in. The main guns of the USS Missouri are 1650 caliber, makers of early cartridge arms had to invent methods of naming the cartridges, since no established convention existed then. One of the early established cartridge arms was the Spencer repeating rifle, later various derivatives were created using the same basic cartridge, but with smaller-diameter bullets, these were named by the cartridge diameter at the base and mouth. The original No.56 became the. 56-56, and the smaller versions. 56-52. 56-50, the. 56-52, the most common of the new calibers, used a 50-cal bullet. Optionally, the weight in grains was designated, e. g. 45-70-405. Variations on these methods persist today, with new cartridges such as the.204 Ruger, metric diameters for small arms refer to cartridge dimensions and are expressed with an × between the bore diameter and the length of the cartridge case, for example,7. 62×51 NATO. This indicates that the diameter is 7. 62mm, loaded in a case 51mm long. Similarly, the 6. 5×55 Swedish cartridge has a diameter of 6.5 mm. An exception to rule is the proprietary cartridge used by U. S. maker Lazzeroni. The following table lists commonly used calibers where both metric and imperial are used as equivalents
8.
Air gun
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Both the rifle and handgun forms typically propel metallic projectiles, either the non-spherical pellets, or the spherical BBs. Certain types of air guns may also propel arrows or darts, the first air guns were developed in the 1500s. The guns have used in hunting, sporting and warfare. Air guns use three types of power, depending on the design, spring-piston, pneumatic and compressed carbon dioxide, Air guns represent the oldest pneumatic technology. The oldest existing mechanical air gun, an air gun dating back to about 1580, is in the Livrustkammaren Museum in Stockholm. This is the time most historians recognize as the beginning of the air gun. In the 17th century, air guns, in calibers. 30–.51, were used to hunt big game deer and these air rifles were charged using a pump to fill an air reservoir and gave velocities from 650 to 1,000 feet per second. They were also used in warfare, the most recognized example being the Girandoni air rifle, at that time, they had compelling advantages over the primitive firearms of the day. For example, air guns could be discharged in wet weather and rain, moreover, they were quieter than a firearm of similar caliber, had no muzzle flash, and were smokeless. Thus, they did not disclose the shooters position or obscure the shooters view, in the hands of skilled soldiers, they gave the military a distinct advantage. France, Austria and other nations had special sniper detachments using air rifles, the Austrian 1770 model was named Windbüchse. The air reservoir was a removable, club-shaped, butt, the Windbüchse carried twenty-two.51 caliber lead balls in a tubular magazine. A skilled shooter could fire off one magazine in about thirty seconds, a shot from this air gun could penetrate an inch thick wooden board at a hundred paces, an effect roughly equal to that of a modern 9×19mm or.45 ACP caliber pistol. The celebrated Lewis and Clark Expedition carried an air gun. It held 22.46 caliber round balls in a tubular magazine mounted on the side of the barrel, the butt served as the air reservoir and had a working pressure of 800 psi. The rifle was said to be capable of 22 aimed shots per minute and had a bore of 0.452 in. One of the first commercially successful and mass-produced air guns was manufactured by the W. F and their first model air gun was called the Challenger and marketed in 1888. Their next model was the Chicago followed by the King, the Chicago model was sold by Sears, Roebuck for 73 cents in its catalog
9.
ISSF 50 meter pistol
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The 50 meter pistol, formerly and unofficially still often called free pistol, is one of the ISSF shooting events. It provides the purest precision shooting among the events, and is one of the oldest shooting types, dating back to the 19th century. Most of the changes concern distance, caliber, type of pistol, the target of this event has never changed since 1900, and the distance since 1912. Competitors have been using the single shot 22 rim-fire pistol since 1908, the sport traced back to the beginning of indoor flobert Pistol parlor shooting in Europe during the 1870s, which in turn traced back to 18th century pistol dueling. The pistol used must be in caliber.22 Long Rifle ammunition, may only be loaded one round at a time. It must also be operated by one hand and not supported by any part of the shooters body. Apart from that, there are no rules for the pistol. Precision pistols with barrels, grips fitted to the shooters hand, very light trigger pull. The course of fire is 60 shots within a time of two hours. The target is the same as in 25 metre center-fire pistol, five hundred seventy out of the maximum 600 is considered a world-class result. The current world record,583, was achieved in the World shooting Championships Granada in 2014 by the South Korean Jin Jong-oh, most shooters excelling in 50 metre pistol also compete at the same level in 10 metre air pistol, a similar precision event. ISSF has introduced a series of World Cup competitions for Olympic shooting events in 1986, Jin Jong-oh is the only double Olympic champion in 50 metre pistol, he is the only shooter to have won three consecutive Olympic gold medals in one event. Paul Van Asbroeck has won the most number of Olympic and World titles combined with seven titles, torsten Ullman won six over the span of 1933-1952, including four successive Championships between 1933 and 1937. Wilhem Schnyder won four consecutive World Championships between 1924 and 1928, Van Asbroeck, Ullman, Huelet Benner and Jin are only ones to have held the Olympic and the World titles simultaneously. Benner, on the hand, is the only shooter with two titles in both events. Several athletes have won 50 metre pistol and 10 metre air pistol titles, skanåkers 1993 World Cup Final victory was achieved at the age of 59, it was also his last international victory. The distance of the Free Pistol event was 30 metre initially and this was because 30 metre was used in the German Championship, the most important competition at the time. Starting from the 1900 Olympics, which served as the first world championship for Free Pistol
10.
Electronic scoring system
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The score may also be shown on a big screen for audience at the shooting range, and this has in many ways revolutionized the shooting sport. Some systems even allow real time publishing on the internet, the scoring can also be held back by the Range Officer until the string of fire is finished, so that scores for each competitor can be shown in ascending order. Targets are available for calibers ranging from air gun pellets up to the 105 mm tank shell, some advantages of electronic scoring systems are, Makes organizing matches easier, since the scores are calculated automatically. Provides the shooter immediate and precise feedback, and can be used for training, real time scoring is more exciting to audience, and has in many ways revolutionized the shooting sport. Some disadvantages of electronic scoring systems are, Relatively high construction costs, vulnerability to lightning strikes because of long cables in the ground combined with sensitive electronics. The cables around the stand are vulnerable to bullets. This can especially be a problem in speed shooting competitions where some of the shots may miss the target, to protect the cables, brackets made of hardened steel have been used in stangskyting and felthurtigskyting. All types of electronic targets use some form of equations to triangulate the position of bullet impact. Sound-chamber targets is the oldest type of electronic targets, and uses the Mach wave of the bullet to determine its position as it passes through the target. The first sound-chamber system for big bore rifles was patented in 1975 and it functions by using microphones to measure the sound wave of the projectile as it passes through the target. The target is built like a frame and covered with rubber sheets front, inside the chamber there are microphones, either three in the bottom of the frame, or one in each of the four corners. Additionally, the air temperature inside the target is measured to calculate the speed of sound. In 2010 Sius Ascor released Laserscore, the first electronic target system using lasers, since the measuring method is optical and theres no moving parts, the target is almost free from wear and maintenance. Data can be transferred either wirelessly or through cables, cables are often used for permanent installations, while wireless radio transmissions are used for targets placed provisionally in the field and for running targets. So that hobbyists can build an electronic target for under 50 USD, the system is supposed to be portable, accurate within 5 mm, plot impact locations quickly and transmit the data wirelessly to a laptop or smartphone. During the project both soft targets and hard targets was tested, and hard targets were the most successful giving an electronic precision of 2 cm, to function satisfactorily, E-Targ suggests that the electronic precision should be at least 10 times better than the expected precision of the shooter. Steel target Video, Kongsberg Target Systemt - Animation of How It Works Video, Silver Mountain Targets How It Works Video, An Overview of SIUS Electronic Target and Scoring Systems
11.
Acoustics
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Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of technology may be called an acoustical engineer. The application of acoustics is present in almost all aspects of society with the most obvious being the audio. Hearing is one of the most crucial means of survival in the animal world, accordingly, the science of acoustics spreads across many facets of human society—music, medicine, architecture, industrial production, warfare and more. Likewise, animal species such as songbirds and frogs use sound, art, craft, science and technology have provoked one another to advance the whole, as in many other fields of knowledge. Robert Bruce Lindsays Wheel of Acoustics is a well accepted overview of the fields in acoustics. The word acoustic is derived from the Greek word ἀκουστικός, meaning of or for hearing, ready to hear and that from ἀκουστός, heard, audible, which in turn derives from the verb ἀκούω, I hear. The Latin synonym is sonic, after which the term used to be a synonym for acoustics. Frequencies above and below the range are called ultrasonic and infrasonic. If, for example, a string of a length would sound particularly harmonious with a string of twice the length. In modern parlance, if a string sounds the note C when plucked, a string twice as long will sound a C an octave lower. In one system of tuning, the tones in between are then given by 16,9 for D,8,5 for E,3,2 for F,4,3 for G,6,5 for A. Aristotle understood that sound consisted of compressions and rarefactions of air which falls upon, a very good expression of the nature of wave motion. The physical understanding of acoustical processes advanced rapidly during and after the Scientific Revolution, mainly Galileo Galilei but also Marin Mersenne, independently, discovered the complete laws of vibrating strings. Experimental measurements of the speed of sound in air were carried out successfully between 1630 and 1680 by a number of investigators, prominently Mersenne, meanwhile, Newton derived the relationship for wave velocity in solids, a cornerstone of physical acoustics. The eighteenth century saw advances in acoustics as mathematicians applied the new techniques of calculus to elaborate theories of sound wave propagation. Also in the 19th century, Wheatstone, Ohm, and Henry developed the analogy between electricity and acoustics, the twentieth century saw a burgeoning of technological applications of the large body of scientific knowledge that was by then in place. The first such application was Sabine’s groundbreaking work in architectural acoustics, Underwater acoustics was used for detecting submarines in the first World War
12.
Baikal IZH-46M
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The Baikal IZH-46M is a competition-grade, single-shot pneumatic air gun, with a hammer-forged, rifled barrel. The gun is charged with a stroke of an underlever cocking arm. Unlike guns intended only for plinking, several features of competition such as the IZH-46M mark it as designed for high-precision shooting. For instance, the IZH-46Ms rear sight can be adjusted for windage/elevation, and the trigger is adjustable for position, travel, the gun can also be dry-fired without charging. The ergonomic grip features an adjustable handrest, the Baikal IZH-46M is the current production run of the original Baikal IZH-46. The only visible and mechanical difference is the IZH-46M is built with a longer air compression cylinder. The extra length of the air compression cylinder allows the 46M to have a 60 ft/s increase in velocity over the original 46. The IZH-46M has a velocity of approximately 470 ft/s. In either original IZH46 or current IZH46M form, the pistol is a consistent shooting precision 10 m airgun. Though more expensive than many commonly available airguns, the IZH-46M is inexpensive in comparison to similarly featured competition guns. Sometimes called MP46-M Baikal Canadas page on the IZH-46M PAs page on the IZH-46M
13.
Anatomical terminology
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Anatomical terminology is a form of scientific terminology used by anatomists, zoologists, and health professionals such as doctors. Anatomical terminology uses many terms, suffixes, and prefixes deriving from Ancient Greek. These terms can be confusing to those unfamiliar with them, but can be more precise reducing ambiguity, also, since these anatomical terms are not used in everyday conversation, their meanings are less likely to change, and less likely to be misinterpreted. By using precise anatomical terminology such ambiguity is eliminated, an international standard for anatomical terminology, Terminologia Anatomica has been created. Anatomical terminology has quite regular morphology, the prefixes and suffixes are used to add meanings to different roots. The root of a term refers to an organ, tissue. For example, in the disorder hypertension, the prefix hyper- means high or over, the roots, prefixes and suffixes are often derived from Greek or Latin, and often quite dissimilar from their English-language variants. Latin names of such as musculus biceps brachii can be split up and refer to, musculus for muscle, biceps for two-headed. The first word tells us what we are speaking about, the second describes it, when describing the position of anatomical structures, structures may be described according to the anatomical landmark they are near. These landmarks may include structures, such as the umbilicus or sternum, or anatomical lines, the cephalon or cephalic region refers to the head. This area is differentiated into the cranium, facies, frons, oculus, auris, bucca, nausus, oris. The neck area is called the cervicis or cervical region, examples of structures named according to this include the frontalis muscle, submental lymph nodes, buccal membrane and orbicularis oculi muscle. Sometimes, unique terminology is used to reduce confusion in different parts of the body, for example, different terms are used when it comes to the skull in compliance with its embryonic origin and its tilted position compared to in other animals. Here, Rostral refers to proximity to the front of the nose, similarly, in the arms, different terminology is often used in the arms, in part to reduce ambiguity as what is the front, back, inner and outer surfaces. For this reason, the terms below are used, Radial referring to the radius bone, ulnar referring to the ulna bone, medially positioned when in the standard anatomical position. Other terms are used to describe the movement and actions of the hands and feet. International morphological terminology is used by the colleges of medicine and dentistry and it facilitates communication and exchanges between scientists from different countries of the world and it is used daily in the fields of research, teaching and medical care. The international morphological terminology refers to morphological sciences as a biological sciences branch, in this field, the form and structure are examined as well as the changes or developments in the organism
14.
Pellet (air gun)
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A pellet is a non-spherical projectile designed to be fired from an air gun. It can have a flat, round, hollow or pointed tip, from the waist back, the pellet is hollow, and flares out to full diameter when pressurized by the gun. The head, or solid part in front of the waist, is sized to fit the bore just touching the rifling. This keeps the pellet centred in the bore, while keeping the friction as low as possible, the effect of friction is used in order to keep the pellet stationary until the piston has reached the end of its travel, compressing as much air as is possible. The skirt of the pellet is thin, and made of a material, usually lead or lead alloy. When shot, the skirt will obturate to fit the bore and provide a good seal, in a smoothbore barrel, the skirt will still flare to provide a tight seal, but since there is no rifling, the pellet will not spin, and is less accurate. In most cases of type, the solid head in the front. However, this is not always the case, and some types of this nature will tumble in flight. When this happens the pellet will not leave a clean, round hole in the paper and this phenomenon is known as keyholing. Pellets are designed to travel at subsonic speeds, high velocities can cause light pellets to overly deform, or even break apart in flight. The transition from subsonic to supersonic velocities will cause almost all pellets to tumble, the closer a pellet gets to the speed of sound, the more unstable it becomes. This is a problem for high powered break-barrel and pre-charged pneumatic air rifles, a few companies have addressed this issue by manufacturing heavier than normal pellets for use in these high powered air guns. The heavier weight of these pellets ensure that they travel at speeds well below the sound barrier, resulting in less tumbling. Their weight also makes them susceptible to air resistance, and thus imparts more kinetic energy downrange. Match pellets are used for the 10 metre air rifle and 10 metre air pistol disciplines and these 4.5 mm calibre pellets have wadcutter heads, meaning the front is flat, that leave clean round holes in paper targets for easy scoring. Match pellets are offered in tins and more elaborate packagings that avoid deformation, match pellets are made of soft lead. The antimony content is used to control the hardness of the soft lead alloy and it is a very soft alloy, which makes it easy to process. Since the soft lead alloy is prone to strongly deform when striking a bullet catcher, it loses its kinetic energy
15.
Wadcutter
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A wadcutter is a special-purpose flat-fronted bullet specially designed for shooting paper targets, usually at close range and at subsonic velocities typically under approximately 900 ft/s. Wadcutters are often used in handgun and airgun competitions, a wadcutter has a flat or nearly flat front that is typically as wide as the caliber size or only slightly smaller in diameter than caliber size. For target shooting, a wadcutter cuts a clean hole through the paper target, making it easier to score. A variety of wadcutter types exist, HBWC, DEWC, BBWC, HBWC rounds are best used at only the lowest velocities, as by being hollow at the rear end, they can split under heavy loads. DEWC rounds are best suited for automatic press reloading uses, as they may be used when loaded with either end pointed forward, BBWC have been developed to permit easier bullet insertion into the case when reloading. Some SWC bullet designs have a smaller diameter rear end, making these bullets suitable for use with gas checks, properly lubricated SWC bullets with gas checks are suitable for use at velocities exceeding 1700 ft/s, the gas check reducing leading within the bore. The maximum accurate distance of wadcutters varies considerably with the shape of the front of the bullet, full caliber diameter wadcutters are suitable for use only at short ranges, typically not being used at ranges exceeding 25 yards where accuracy is especially desirable. At distances beyond 50 yards, full caliber diameter wadcutters become highly inaccurate, on the other hand, SWC bullets can maintain high accuracy at ranges exceeding 100 yards. In general, semi-wadcutters having a rounded nose are more accurate than wadcutters having a flat-front profile. In contrast, flat-front profile wadcutters tend to have improved lethality for hunting or self-defense purposes, all lead wadcutters require proper lubrication to prevent leading of rifling and forcing cones when used in firearms. With proper lubrication, no leading for solid lead wadcutters occurs until velocities exceed approximately 940 ft/s, without proper lubrication, however, severe leading can occur quickly, in as few as a couple of rounds. Most DEWC, BBWC, HBWC, and SWC bullets have 1,2, or 3 lubrication grooves, used in revolvers, wadcutters must be roll crimped. Used in semi-automatic pistols, wadcutters must be taper crimped, wadcutter bullets for center-fire firearms often have a modified profile with a reduced-diameter central point or rounded section. This was developed to allow the use of bullets without causing excessive damage to the rubber anti-splashback curtain on indoor ranges. Both varieties of wadcutters are commercially available, although primarily intended for target practice, wadcutters can be used for close-in self-defense and hunting because their sharp edges and close-range accuracy are claimed to increase lethality. Wadcutters are typically made from lead, deposition of lead into the rifling grooves of barrels and into the forcing cones of revolvers limits the maximum usable velocity of wadcutters to less than about 900 ft/s. Either a mechanical lead removing tool and/or chemical removal techniques may be used to remove the lead build-up caused from shooting wadcutters at too high a velocity. Target airguns used for 10 metre air rifle and 10 metre air pistol competitions generally shoot wadcutter pellets at muzzle velocities around 175 m/s
16.
Benelli Kite
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The Benelli Kite is a single shot.177 inch calibre pre-charged pneumatic air pistol designed for the 10 m Air Pistol ISSF shooting event. It is manufactured by Benelli Armi SpA of Italy, the Kite was used by Francesco Bruno to win a gold medal in the Italian Championship 2008. It is also used by Tanyu Kiryakov, who won gold in the 10 m Air Pistol at the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988, the model pictured here is fitted with a stabilising balance weight, designed to further improve stability of the pistol during firing and to minimize recoil. The barrel is manufactured by Lothar Walther with 12-twist right-hand rifling and 450 mm pitch, Air power is supplied from an under-barrel cylinder, available in four different capacities, long, intermediate, medium and short. It uses atmospheric air compressed to 200 bars, a pressure gauge on the end of the cylinder allows for constant monitoring of the pressure. The Benelli Kite features micrometric rear sight adjustment with four settings,1 click =1 mm windage at 10 metres,1 click =2 mm elevation at 10 metres. The sight aperture is adjustable by lever and screw, the following tables show the results achieved by competitive shooters using the Benelli Kite in major competitions, Benelli Kite Young - smaller version of the Kite, for junior competitors. Benelli Armi SpA10 metre Air Pistol ISSF shooting events
17.
Benelli Kite Young
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The Benelli Kite Young is a single shot.177 inch calibre pre-charged pneumatic air pistol designed for the 10 m Air Pistol ISSF shooting events. It is especially designed for use by competitors, and those shooters who regard weight as an issue. The larger version is the Benelli Kite and it is manufactured by Benelli Armi SpA of Italy. Like all air pistols designed for the 10 m Air Pistol event, it has adjustable sights, trigger. The barrel is manufactured by Lothar Walther, Air power is supplied from an under-barrel cylinder, available in three different capacities, intermediate, medium and short. The Benelli Kite Young features micrometric rear sight adjustment with four settings,1 click =1 mm windage at 10 metres,1 click =2 mm elevation at 10 metres. The sight aperture is adjustable by lever and screw, Benelli Kite - the full-sized model. Official homepage - Italy Official homepage - USA
18.
Feinwerkbau
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Feinwerkbau /ˈfaɪnwɜːrkbaʊ/, often abbreviated FWB, is a German manufacturer of firearms. It is aimed mainly at competitive ISSF shooting events, including some contested at the Olympic Games as governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation and it also offers several accessories, an archery trigger release and high-precision industrial machining and manufacturing services. Feinwerkbau has on-site service staff available at various European shooting events, the name Feinwerkbau is German, which translates to precision technology works. In the late 1950s they returned to their design focus with the development of the first truly successful recoilless target air rifle. This was launched as the LG150 in 1963 and was followed with their first air-pistol in 1965
19.
Steyr LP 10
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The Steyr LP10 is a single shot 4.5 mm calibre pre-charged pneumatic air pistol designed for the 10 metre air pistol ISSF shooting events. It is manufactured by Steyr Sportwaffen GmbH of Austria, the pistol must also be able to be tailored by adjustable user interfaces and various accessories to individual shooters personal preferences. Combined with appropriate match pellets the pistol has to produce a consistent 10 ring performance, after its introduction in 2000 the LP10 has proven to be a competitive match air pistol. In ISSF World Cup events competitors equipped with LP 10s also won multiple medals, the pistol uses dehumidified compressed air as propellant for the diabolo air gun pellets. This is stored in cylinders that have a maximum filling pressure of 200 bar. The air for actual shooting is drawn from the storage cylinder. According to Steyr their compressed-air cylinders have a capacity for about 180 shots. Further the barrel has three holes drilled on top along its length and a brake to counteract muzzle rise. Finally the muzzle velocity of the pellets is adjustable to minimize movement, like all air pistols designed for the 10 metre air pistol event, it has fully adjustable sights. The rear sight is adjustable without tools for elevation and windage, the depth of the rear notch is adjustable with a screwdriver to lengthen or shorten the sight line length from 316 up to 365 mm. The pistol has two stage three dimensionally adjustable trigger which can be adjusted for overtravel, First stage weight and travel, second stage weight, the trigger pull weight is factory adjusted to 500 gram to comply with the ISSF10 metre air pistol rules. The trigger mechanism also has dry fire capability, dry fire means a marksman can practice/simulate shooting without actually firing a pellet or seeping any air from a mounted pre-compressed air cylinder. The standard anatomically shaped grip is made by Morini has an adjustable palm shelf, rake and rotation can be adjusted with screws under the grip. Visually the LP10 is set apart from most similar pistols due to its barrel shroud and it is also offered in an optional distinctive silver coloured brushed metal finish. The pistol comes with four 10 gram barrel weights that fit in slots on either side of the barrel, older pistols were delivered in a simple cardbox case with pre-compressed air cylinders and a separate pressure gauge. Aftermarket accessories from other manufacturers like target pistol grips that will fit the LP10 are also available, in 2009 Steyr released the LP10 E, which has an electronic trigger. According to the two standard 1.5 V AAA batteries provide enough electric capacity for 25,000 shots/trigger release cycles. In 2016 Steyr released the evo featuring a mechanical trigger and the evo E, the evo pistols are technically based on the LP10 line and feature several evolutionary improvements
20.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
21.
Phoenix, Arizona
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Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U. S. state of Arizona. Phoenix is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the metropolitan area is the 12th largest by population in the United States, with approximately 4.3 million people as of 2010. Settled in 1867 as a community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers. Located in the reaches of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix has a subtropical desert climate. Despite this, its canal system led to a farming community, many of the original crops remaining important parts of the Phoenix economy for decades, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus. The city averaged a four percent annual growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s. This growth rate slowed during the Great Recession of 2007–09, and has rebounded slowly, Phoenix is the cultural center of the Valley of the Sun, as well as the entire state. For more than 2,000 years, the Hohokam people occupied the land that would become Phoenix, the Hohokam created roughly 135 miles of irrigation canals, making the desert land arable. Paths of these canals would later used for the modern Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal. The Hohokam also carried out trade with the nearby Anasazi, Mogollon and Sinagua. It is believed that between 1300 and 1450, periods of drought and severe floods led to the Hohokam civilizations abandonment of the area. After the departure of the Hohokam, groups of Akimel Oodham, Tohono Oodham and Maricopa tribes began to use the area, as well as segments of the Yavapai and Apache. The Oodham were offshoots of the Sobaipuri tribe, who in turn were thought to be the descendants of the formerly urbanized Hohokam and their crops included corn, beans, and squash for food, while cotton and tobacco were also cultivated. Mostly a peaceful group, they did together with the Maricopa for their mutual protection against incursions by both the Yuma and Apache tribes. The Tohono Oodham lived in the region as well, but their concentration was to the south. Living in small settlements, the Oodham were seasonal farmers who took advantage of the rains and they also hunted local game such as deer, rabbit, and javalina for meat. When the Mexican–American War ended in 1848, Mexico ceded its northern zone to the United States, the Phoenix area became part of the New Mexico Territory. In 1863 the mining town of Wickenburg was the first to be established in what is now Maricopa County, at the time Maricopa County had not yet been incorporated, the land was within Yavapai County, which included the major town of Prescott to the north of Wickenburg
22.
Switzerland
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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
23.
Thun
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Thun is a town and a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 43,783 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2013. It is located where the Aare flows out of Lake Thun,30 kilometres south of Bern, besides tourism, machine and precision instrument engineering, the largest garrison in the country, the food industry, armaments and publishing are of economic importance to Thun. The official language of Thun is German, but the spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect. The area of what is now Thun was inhabited since the Neolithic age, during the early Bronze Age there were a number of settlements along the lake shore and the Aare. A site at Renzenbühl had a chief or noblemans grave which contained one of the richest collections of early Bronze Age artifacts in Europe. Another site at Wiler contained approximately 1,500 maritime snail shells which were harvested from the Mediterranean, the name of the town derives from the Celtic term Dunum, meaning fortified town. It fell to Rome in 58 BC, when Roman legions conquered almost all of Switzerland, the Romans were driven out of Thun, and out of the rest of Switzerland, by the Burgundians around 400 AD. The Aare became the frontier between the Christian Burgundians and the Pagan, German-speaking Alemanni, who lived north, the region was mentioned for the first time during the 7th century, in the chronicle of Frankish monk Fredgar. The town is first mentioned in 1133 as Tuno, the region of Thun became a part of the Holy Roman Empire in 1033, when Conrad II gained the title of King of Burgundy. The emperors entrusted the Zähringen family, centred in Bern, with subduing the unruly nobles of central Switzerland, around 1190 Duke Bertold V of Zähringen, built Thun castle and expanded the town. After Bertolds death in 1218, his territories went to Ulrich III von Kyburg, in 1264 Thun received town rights and in 1384 the town was bought by the canton of Bern. Thun was the capital of the Canton of Oberland of the Helvetic Republic, in 1819 a Military School was founded in the town, which later developed into the main military school in Switzerland. Thun was connected to the network of Switzerland in 1859. The center of Thun is located on the Aare, just downstream of the point where that river flows out of Lake Thun, the town covers an area of 21.6 km2, with the town boundaries reaching up to 4 km from the town centre. The town ranges in altitude between about 560 m, in the center, and 1,170 m, on its eastern boundary. Thun has an area of 21.58 km2, as of the 2004 survey, a total of 6.03 km2 or 27. 9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 4.32 km2 or 20. 0% is forested. Of rest of the municipality 10.76 km2 or 49. 9% is settled,0.29 km2 or 1. 3% is either rivers or lakes and 0.19 km2 or 0. 9% is unproductive land. From the same survey, industrial buildings made up 5. 7% of the area while housing and buildings made up 26. 8%
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South Korea
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a sovereign state in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The earliest Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC, with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC and its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the third largest in the world, along with 12 World Heritage Sites. Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910, Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945, peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the worlds 10th largest defence budget. South Koreas tiger economy soared at an average of 10% for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River. A long legacy of openness and focus on innovation made it successful, today, it is the worlds fifth largest exporter with the G20s largest budget surplus and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia. It has free trade agreements with 75% of the economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China, the US. Since 1988, its constitution guarantees a liberal democracy with high government transparency, high personal freedoms led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture such as K-pop and K-drama, a phenomenon called the Korean Wave, known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style. Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI, South Korea is a leader in low carbon growth, committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC. It is the third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance, ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance. It is the worlds largest spender on R&D per GDP, leading the OECD in graduates in science, the name Korea derives from the name Goryeo. The name Goryeo itself was first used by the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo in the 5th century as a form of its name. The 10th-century kingdom of Goryeo succeeded Goguryeo, and thus inherited its name, the modern spelling of Korea first appeared in the late 17th century in the travel writings of the Dutch East India Companys Hendrick Hamel. After Goryeo was replaced by Joseon in 1392, Joseon became the name for the entire territory. The new official name has its origin in the ancient country of Gojoseon, in 1897, the Joseon dynasty changed the official name of the country from Joseon to Daehan Jeguk. The name Daehan, which means great Han literally, derives from Samhan, however, the name Joseon was still widely used by Koreans to refer to their country, though it was no longer the official name. Under Japanese rule, the two names Han and Joseon coexisted, there were several groups who fought for independence, the most notable being the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Following the surrender of Japan, in 1945, the Republic of Korea was adopted as the name for the new country. Since the government only controlled the part of the Korean Peninsula
25.
Seoul
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The Seoul Capital Area houses up to half of the countrys population of 50.22 million people with 678,102 international residents. Situated on the Han River, Seouls history stretches back more than two years when it was founded in 18 BCE by Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It continued as the capital of Korea under the Joseon Dynasty, the Seoul Capital Area contains five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Seoul is surrounded by mountains, the tallest being Mt. Bukhan, in 2015, it was rated Asias most livable city with the second highest quality of life globally by Arcadis. In 2014, the citys GDP per capita of $39,786 was comparable to that of France and Finland. Ranked sixth in the Global Power City Index and Global Financial Centres Index, Seoul is the worlds most wired city and ranked first in technology readiness by PwCs Cities of Opportunity report. It is served by the KTX high-speed rail and the Seoul Subway, providing 4G LTE, WiFi, Seoul is connected via AREX to Incheon International Airport, rated the worlds best airport nine years in a row by Airports Council International. Lotte World Tower, a 556-metre supertall skyscraper with 123 floors, has built in Seoul and become the OECDs tallest in 2016. Its Lotte Cinema houses the worlds largest cinema screen, Seouls COEX Mall is the worlds largest underground shopping mall. Seoul hosted the 1986 Asian Games,1988 Summer Olympics,2002 FIFA World Cup, the Miss Universe 1980 pageant, a UNESCO City of Design, Seoul was named the 2010 World Design Capital. The city has known in the past by the names Wirye-seong, Hanju. During Japans annexation in Korea, Hanseong was renamed to Keijō by the Imperial authorities to prevent confusion with the hanja 漢, in reality, the ancient name of Seoul, Hanseong, originally had the meaning of big or vast. Its current name originated from the Korean word meaning city, which is believed to be derived from the word Seorabeol, which originally referred to Gyeongju. Unlike most place names in Korea, Seoul has no corresponding hanja, on January 18,2005, Seoul government officially changed its official Chinese language name to Shouer from the historic Hancheng, of which use is becoming less common. Settlement of the Han River area, where present-day Seoul is located, Seoul is first recorded as Wiryeseong, the capital of Baekje in the northeastern Seoul area. There are several city walls remaining in the area date from this time. Pungnaptoseong, a wall just outside Seoul, is widely believed to have been at the main Wiryeseong site. As the Three Kingdoms competed for this region, control passed from Baekje to Goguryeo in the 5th century
26.
Thomas Guinn
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Thomas Guinn was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22,1863, on May 22,1863, General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an assault on the Confederate heights at Vicksburg, Mississippi. The plan called for a party of volunteers to build a bridge across a moat. The volunteers knew the odds were against survival and the mission was called, in nineteenth century vernacular, only single men were accepted as volunteers and even then, twice as many men as needed came forward and were turned away. The assault began in the morning following a naval bombardment. The Union soldiers came under fire immediately and were pinned down in the ditch they were to cross. Despite repeated attacks by the main Union body, the men of the forlorn hope were unable to retreat until nightfall, of the 150 men in the storming party, nearly half were killed. Seventy-nine of the survivors were awarded the Medal of Honor, “For gallantry in the charge of the volunteer storming party on 22 May 1863. ”List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients, G-L Thomas Guinn. Findagrave A Forlorn Hope Vicksburg Medal of Honor Recipients
27.
Dominican Republic
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The Dominican Republic is a sovereign state occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western one-third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, christopher Columbus landed on the Western part of Hispaniola, in what is now Haiti, on December 6,1492. The island became the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in the New World, the Dominican people declared independence in November 1821 but were forcefully annexed by their more powerful neighbor Haiti in February 1822. After the 1844 victory in the Dominican War of Independence against Haitian rule the country again under Spanish colonial rule until the Dominican War of Restoration of 1865. The Dominican Republic experienced mostly internal strife until 1916, a civil war in 1965, the countrys last, was ended by another U. S. military occupation and was followed by the authoritarian rule of Joaquín Balaguer, 1966–1978. Since then, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy and has been led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time since 1996. Danilo Medina, the Dominican Republics current president, succeeded Fernandez in 2012, the Dominican Republic has the ninth-largest economy in Latin America and is the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. Though long known for agriculture and mining, the economy is now dominated by services. Over the last two decades, the Dominican Republic have been standing out as one of the economies in the Americas – with an average real GDP growth rate of 5. 4% between 1992 and 2014. GDP growth in 2014 and 2015 reached 7.3 and 7. 0%, respectively, in the first half of 2016 the Dominican economy grew 7. 4% continuing its trend of rapid economic growth. Recent growth has been driven by construction, manufacturing and tourism, private consumption has been strong, as a result of low inflation, job creation, as well as high level of remittances. The Dominican Republic has a market, Bolsa de Valores de la Republica Dominicana. and advanced telecommunication system. Nevertheless, unemployment, government corruption, and inconsistent electric service remain major Dominican problems, the country also has marked income inequality. International migration affects the Dominican Republic greatly, as it receives, mass illegal Haitian immigration and the integration of Dominicans of Haitian descent are major issues. A large Dominican diaspora exists, mostly in the United States, contributes to development, the Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the Caribbean. The year-round golf courses are major attractions, the island has an average temperature of 26 °C and great climatic and biological diversity. The country is also the site of the first cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress built in all of the Americas, located in Santo Domingos Colonial Zone, a World Heritage Site. Music and sport are of importance in the Dominican culture, with Merengue and Bachata as the national dance and music
28.
Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo, officially Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic and the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. In 2010, its population was counted as 965,040, the city is coterminous with the boundaries of the Distrito Nacional, itself bordered on three sides by Santo Domingo Province. Santo Domingo is the site of the first university, cathedral, castle, monastery, the citys Colonial Zone was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Santo Domingo was called Ciudad Trujillo, from 1936 to 1961, after the Dominican Republics dictator, Rafael Trujillo, following his assassination, the city resumed its original designation. Santo Domingo is the cultural, financial, political, commercial and industrial center of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo also serves as the chief seaport of the country. The citys harbor at the mouth of the Ozama River accommodates the largest vessels, temperatures are high year round, with a cool breeze around winter time. At the time, the territory consisted of five chiefdoms, Marién, Maguá, Maguana, Jaragua. These were ruled respectively by caciques Guacanagarix, Guarionex, Caonabo, Bohechío, dating from 1496, when the Spanish settled on the island, and officially from 5 August 1498, Santo Domingo became the oldest European city in the Americas. Bartholomew Columbus founded the settlement and named it La Nueva Isabela, in 1495 it was renamed Santo Domingo, in honor of Saint Dominic. Santo Domingo came to be known as the Gateway to the Caribbean, in June 1502, Santo Domingo was destroyed by a major hurricane, and the new Governor Nicolás de Ovando had it rebuilt on a different site on the other side of the Ozama River. The original layout of the city and a portion of its defensive wall can still be appreciated today throughout the Colonial Zone. Diego Colon arrived in 1509, assuming the powers of Viceroy, in 1512, Ferdinand established a Real Audiencia with Juan Ortiz de Matienzo, Marcelo de Villalobos, and Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon appointed as judges of appeal. In 1514, Pedro Ibanez de Ibarra arrived with the Laws of Burgos, rodrigo de Alburquerque was named repartidor de indios and soon named visitadores to enforce the laws. In 1586, Francis Drake captured the city and held it for ransom, an expedition sent by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 attacked the city of Santo Domingo, but was defeated. The English troops withdrew and took the less guarded colony of Jamaica, in 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick included the acknowledgement by Spain of Frances dominion over the Western third of the island, now Haiti. From 1795 to 1822 the city changed several times along with the colony it headed. The city was ceded to France in 1795 after years of struggles, it was captured by Haitian rebels in 1801, recovered by France in 1802. In 1821 Santo Domingo became the capital of an independent nation after the Criollo bourgeois within the country, led by José Núñez de Cáceres, the nation was unified with Haiti just two months later
29.
Venezuela
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Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a federal republic located on the northern coast of South America. It is bordered by Colombia on the west, Brazil on the south, Guyana on the east, Venezuela covers 916,445 km2 and has an estimated population of 31775371. The territory now known as Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from indigenous peoples and it gained full independence as a separate country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, since 1958, the country has had a series of democratic governments. This new constitution changed the name of the country to República Bolivariana de Venezuela. Venezuela is a presidential republic consisting of 23 states, the Capital District. Venezuela also claims all Guyanese territory west of the Essequibo River, oil was discovered in the early 20th century, and Venezuela has the worlds largest known oil reserves and has been one of the worlds leading exporters of oil. Previously an underdeveloped exporter of commodities such as coffee and cocoa, oil quickly came to dominate exports. The recovery of oil prices in the early 2000s gave Venezuela oil funds not seen since the 1980s, the Venezuelan government then established populist policies that initially boosted the Venezuelan economy and increased social spending, significantly reducing economic inequality and poverty. However, such policies later became controversial since they destabilized the economy, resulting in hyperinflation, an economic depression. According to the most popular and accepted version, in 1499, the stilt houses in the area of Lake Maracaibo reminded the navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, of the city of Venice, so he named the region Veneziola Piccola Venezia. The name acquired its current spelling as a result of Spanish influence, where the suffix -uela is used as a term, thus. The German language 16th century-term for the area, Klein-Venedig, also means little Venice, however, Martín Fernández de Enciso, a member of the Vespucci and Ojeda crew, gave a different account. In his work Summa de geografía, he states that they found people who called themselves the Veneciuela. Thus, the name Venezuela may have evolved from the native word and it is not known how many people lived in Venezuela before the Spanish conquest, it has been estimated at around one million. In addition to indigenous peoples known today, the population included historic groups such as the Kalina, Auaké, Caquetio, Mariche, the Timoto-Cuica culture was the most complex society in Pre-Columbian Venezuela, with pre-planned permanent villages, surrounded by irrigated, terraced fields. They also stored water in tanks and their houses were made primarily of stone and wood with thatched roofs. They were peaceful, for the most part, and depended on growing crops, regional crops included potatoes and ullucos
30.
Caracas
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Caracas, officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital, the center of the Greater Caracas Area, and the largest city of Venezuela. Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the part of the country. Terrain suitable for building lies between 760 and 910 m above sea level, the valley is close to the Caribbean Sea, separated from the coast by a steep 2, 200-metre-high mountain range, Cerro El Ávila, to the south there are more hills and mountains. Libertador holds many of the government buildings and is the Capital District, the Distrito Capital had a population of 2,013,366 as of 2011, while the Metropolitan District of Caracas was estimated at 3,273,863 as of 2013. The Metropolitan Region of Caracas has an population of 5,243,301. Businesses that are located in the city include service companies, banks and it has a largely service-based economy, apart from some industrial activity in its metropolitan area. The Caracas Stock Exchange and Petróleos de Venezuela are headquartered in Caracas, PDVSA is the largest company in Venezuela. Caracas is also Venezuelas cultural capital, with restaurants, theaters, museums. Some of the tallest skyscrapers in Latin America are located in Caracas, in 2015, Venezuela and its capital, Caracas, had the highest per capita murder rates in the world, with 119 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Most murders and other violent crimes go unsolved, at the time of the founding of the city in 1567, the valley of Caracas was populated by indigenous peoples. Francisco Fajardo, the son of a Spanish captain and a Guaiqueri cacica, fajardos settlement did not last long. It was destroyed by natives of the led by Terepaima. This was the last rebellion on the part of the natives, on 25 July 1567, Captain Diego de Losada laid the foundations of the city of Santiago de León de Caracas. The foundation −1567 – I take possession of land in the name of God. In 1577 Caracas became the capital of the Spanish Empires Venezuela Province under Governor Juan de Pimentel, during the 17th century, the coast of Venezuela was frequently raided by pirates. With the coastal mountains as a barrier, Caracas was relatively immune to such attacks, encountering little resistance, the invaders sacked and set fire to the town after a failed ransom negotiation. As the cocoa cultivation and exports under the Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas grew in importance, in 1777, Caracas became the capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela. José María España and Manuel Gual led a revolution aimed at independence
31.
Alexander Melentyev
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Alexander Remmovich Melentyev was a Soviet competitive sport shooter who won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics. The world record he set in 1980 remained unbeaten for 34 years and he was the first Olympic gold medalist from Kyrgyzstan. Melentyev was born in the Russian city of Penza but grew up in the Kyrgyz SSR, at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Melentyev achieved a world record result of 581 in the 50 m pistol event in setting a new world and a new Olympic record. The world record was surpassed by Jin Jong-oh at the 2014 World Championships, dataOlympics profile Profile Media related to Aleksandr Melentyev at Wikimedia Commons
32.
Austria
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Austria, officially the Republic of Austria, is a federal republic and a landlocked country of over 8.7 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, the territory of Austria covers 83,879 km2. The terrain is mountainous, lying within the Alps, only 32% of the country is below 500 m. The majority of the population speaks local Bavarian dialects of German as their native language, other local official languages are Hungarian, Burgenland Croatian, and Slovene. The origins of modern-day Austria date back to the time of the Habsburg dynasty, from the time of the Reformation, many northern German princes, resenting the authority of the Emperor, used Protestantism as a flag of rebellion. Following Napoleons defeat, Prussia emerged as Austrias chief competitor for rule of a greater Germany, Austrias defeat by Prussia at the Battle of Königgrätz, during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, cleared the way for Prussia to assert control over the rest of Germany. In 1867, the empire was reformed into Austria-Hungary, Austria was thus the first to go to war in the July Crisis, which would ultimately escalate into World War I. The First Austrian Republic was established in 1919, in 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss. This lasted until the end of World War II in 1945, after which Germany was occupied by the Allies, in 1955, the Austrian State Treaty re-established Austria as a sovereign state, ending the occupation. In the same year, the Austrian Parliament created the Declaration of Neutrality which declared that the Second Austrian Republic would become permanently neutral, today, Austria is a parliamentary representative democracy comprising nine federal states. The capital and largest city, with a population exceeding 1.7 million, is Vienna, other major urban areas of Austria include Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Austria is one of the richest countries in the world, with a nominal per capita GDP of $43,724, the country has developed a high standard of living and in 2014 was ranked 21st in the world for its Human Development Index. Austria has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, joined the European Union in 1995, Austria also signed the Schengen Agreement in 1995, and adopted the euro currency in 1999. The German name for Austria, Österreich, meant eastern realm in Old High German, and is cognate with the word Ostarrîchi and this word is probably a translation of Medieval Latin Marchia orientalis into a local dialect. Austria was a prefecture of Bavaria created in 976, the word Austria is a Latinisation of the German name and was first recorded in the 12th century. Accordingly, Norig would essentially mean the same as Ostarrîchi and Österreich, the Celtic name was eventually Latinised to Noricum after the Romans conquered the area that encloses most of modern-day Austria, around 15 BC. Noricum later became a Roman province in the mid-first century AD, heers hypothesis is not accepted by linguists. Settled in ancient times, the Central European land that is now Austria was occupied in pre-Roman times by various Celtic tribes, the Celtic kingdom of Noricum was later claimed by the Roman Empire and made a province
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Innsbruck
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Innsbruck is the capital city of Tyrol in western Austria. It is located in the Inn valley, at its junction with the Wipp valley, Innsbruck lies about halfway between Munich in Germany and Verona in Italy. Located in the valley between high mountains, the so-called North Chain in the Karwendel Alps to the north. Innsbruck is an internationally renowned winter sports centre, and hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics as well as the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics, Innsbruck also hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics in 2012. The name translates as Inn bridge, earliest traces suggest initial inhabitation in the early Stone Age. Surviving pre-Roman place names show that the area has been populated continuously, in the 4th century the Romans established the army station Veldidena at Oenipons, to protect the economically important commercial road from Verona-Brenner-Augsburg in their province of Raetia. The first mention of Innsbruck dates back to the name Oeni Pontum or Oeni Pons which is Latin for bridge over the Inn, the Counts of Andechs acquired the town in 1180. In 1248 the town passed into the hands of the Counts of Tyrol, the citys arms show a birds-eye view of the Inn bridge, a design used since 1267. The route over the Brenner Pass was then a major transport, the revenues generated by serving as a transit station enabled the city to flourish. Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and in the 15th century the city became a centre of European politics, the city benefited from the emperors presence as can be seen for example in the Hofkirche. Here a funeral monument for Maximilian was planned and erected partly by his successors, the ensemble with a cenotaph and the bronze statues of real and mythical ancestors of the Habsburgian emperor are one of the main artistic monuments of Innsbruck. A regular postal service between Innsbruck and Mechelen was established in 1490 by the Thurn-und-Taxis-Post, in 1564 Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria received the rulership over Tirol and other Further Austrian possessions administrated from Innsbruck up to the 18th century. He had Schloss Ambras built and arranged there his unique Renaissance collections nowadays mainly part of Viennas Kunsthistorisches Museum, up to 1665 a stirps of the Habsburgian dynasty ruled in Innsbruck with an independent court. In the 1620s the first opera house north of the Alps was erected in Innsbruck, in 1669 the university was founded. Also as a compensation for the court as Emperor Leopold I again reigned from Vienna, during the Napoleonic Wars Tyrol was ceded to Bavaria, ally of France. Andreas Hofer led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory in the Battles of Bergisel against the combined Bavarian and French forces, the combined army later overran the Tyrolean militia army and until 1814 Innsbruck was part of Bavaria. After the Vienna Congress Austrian rule was restored, until 1918, the town was part of the Austrian monarchy, head of the district of the same name, one of the 21 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in the Tyrol province. The Tyrolean hero Andreas Hofer was executed in Mantua, his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823, during World War I, the only recorded action taking place in Innsbruck was near the end of the war
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Mexico
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Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a federal republic in the southern half of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States, to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean, to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometers, Mexico is the sixth largest country in the Americas by total area, Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states and a federal district that is also its capital and most populous city. Other metropolises include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, pre-Columbian Mexico was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya and Aztec before first contact with Europeans. In 1521, the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its base in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Three centuries later, this territory became Mexico following recognition in 1821 after the colonys Mexican War of Independence. The tumultuous post-independence period was characterized by instability and many political changes. The Mexican–American War led to the cession of the extensive northern borderlands, one-third of its territory. The Pastry War, the Franco-Mexican War, a civil war, the dictatorship was overthrown in the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the countrys current political system. Mexico has the fifteenth largest nominal GDP and the eleventh largest by purchasing power parity, the Mexican economy is strongly linked to those of its North American Free Trade Agreement partners, especially the United States. Mexico was the first Latin American member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and it is classified as an upper-middle income country by the World Bank and a newly industrialized country by several analysts. By 2050, Mexico could become the fifth or seventh largest economy. The country is considered both a power and middle power, and is often identified as an emerging global power. Due to its culture and history, Mexico ranks first in the Americas. Mexico is a country, ranking fourth in the world by biodiversity. In 2015 it was the 9th most visited country in the world, Mexico is a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G8+5, the G20, the Uniting for Consensus and the Pacific Alliance. Mēxihco is the Nahuatl term for the heartland of the Aztec Empire, namely, the Valley of Mexico, and its people, the Mexica and this became the future State of Mexico as a division of New Spain prior to independence. It is generally considered to be a toponym for the valley became the primary ethnonym for the Aztec Triple Alliance as a result. After New Spain won independence from Spain, representatives decided to name the new country after its capital and this was founded in 1524 on top of the ancient Mexica capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan