1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
2.
Durban
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Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Durbans metropolitan municipality ranks third among the most populous areas in South Africa after Johannesburg. It is also the second most important manufacturing hub in South Africa after Johannesburg and it forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa and it is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism because of the citys warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal which is the 2nd most populous province in South Africa and it has the highest number of dollar millionaires added per year of any South African city with the number rising 200% between 2000 and 2014. In May 2015, Durban was officially recognised as one of the New7Wonders Cities together with Vigan, Doha, La Paz, Havana, Beirut, archaeological evidence from the Drakensberg mountains suggests that the Durban area has been inhabited by communities of hunter-gatherers since 100,000 BC. He named the area Natal, or Christmas in Portuguese, accompanying Farewell was an adventurer named Henry Francis Fynn. Fynn was able to befriend the Zulu King Shaka by helping him to recover from a wound he suffered in battle. As a token of Shakas gratitude, he granted Fynn a 30-mile strip of coast a hundred miles in depth. During a meeting of 35 European residents in Fynns territory on 23 June 1835, it was decided to build a town and name it dUrban after Sir Benjamin dUrban. The Voortrekkers established the Republic of Natalia in 1838, with its capital at Pietermaritzburg, piet Retief, leader of the Voortrekkers in Natal, negotiated with the Zulu King, Dingane, in order to obtain land for their farming purposes. After negotiations were concluded, Dingane however reneged and had Retief, thereafter the Zulus attacked and killed more than 500 Voortrekkers at Retiefs laager. The Voortrekkers retaliated and broke Dinganes power at the Battle of Blood River, the force arrived on 4 May 1842 and built a fortification that was later to be The Old Fort. On the night of 23/24 May 1842 the British attacked the Voortrekker camp at Congella, the attack failed, and the British had to withdraw to their camp which was put under siege. A local trader Dick King and his servant Ndongeni were able to escape the blockade and rode to Grahamstown, the reinforcements arrived in Durban 20 days later, the Voortrekkers retreated, and the siege was lifted. Fierce conflict with the Zulu population led to the evacuation of Durban, a British governor was appointed to the region and many settlers emigrated from Europe and the Cape Colony. The British established a sugar industry in the 1860s. Farm owners had a difficult time attracting Zulu labourers to work on their plantations, as a result of the importation of Indian labourers, Durban has the largest Asian community on the African continent, and has the largest Indian population outside of India
3.
South Africa
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and it is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, the remaining population consists of Africas largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a variety of cultures, languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the recognition of 11 official languages. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup détat, however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a role in the countrys recent history. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation, since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the countrys democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation to describe the multicultural diversity. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an economy. Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 34th-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed, nevertheless, South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence. The name South Africa is derived from the geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, since 1961 the long form name in English has been the Republic of South Africa. In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid-Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika, since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages. Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning south, is a name for South Africa. South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world, extensive fossil remains have been recovered from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has termed the Cradle of Humankind
4.
EThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
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EThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality created in 2000 that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding towns. EThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, the majority of its 3,442,361 people speak Zulu. It was formed from seven formerly independent local councils and tribal land, the derivation of the word eThekwini is debated, the name is said to mean either ‘lagoon’ or ‘the one-testicled one’, referring to the appearance of the Durban Bay. In an 1859 Zulu grammar book, Bishop Colenso asserted that the root word iTeku means bay of the sea and noted that the locative form, eTekwini, was used as a proper name for Durban. An 1895 English-Zulu dictionary translates the base word iteku as bay, creek, gulf or sinus, the municipal council consists of 219 members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. In the 2016 Municipal Elections the African National Congress won a majority of 56. 01% of the vote and 126 seats on the council, the second-largest party was the Democratic Alliance, which won 26. 9% of the vote and 61 seats. The Inkatha Freedom Party, the Economic Freedom Fighters and the African Independent Congress also won notable shares of the vote, the following table shows the detailed results of the election. The shack dwellers movement Abahlali baseMjondolo has members in more than 30 settlements in eThekwini, Abahlali have campaigned vigorously against evictions, against forced removals and for basic services and ongoing democratic consultation. At times there has been conflict between Abahlali and the municipal government. Durban Industry Climate Change Partnership Project Municipal Demarcation Board eThekwini Online The official site of Durban, South Africa
5.
Seating capacity
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Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats hundreds of thousands of people. The International Fire Code, portions of which have adopted by many jurisdictions, is directed more towards the use of a facility than the construction. It specifies, For areas having fixed seating without dividing arms and it also requires that every public venue submit a detailed site plan to the local fire code official, including details of the means of egress, seating capacity, arrangement of the seating. Once safety considerations have been satisfied, determinations of seating capacity turn on the size of the venue. For sports venues, the decision on maximum seating capacity is determined by several factors, chief among these are the primary sports program and the size of the market area. Seating capacity of venues also plays a role in what media they are able to provide, in contracting to permit performers to use a theatre or other performing space, the seating capacity of the performance facility must be disclosed. Seating capacity may influence the kind of contract to be used, the seating capacity must also be disclosed to the copyright owner in seeking a license for the copyrighted work to be performed in that venue. Venues that may be leased for private functions such as ballrooms and auditoriums generally advertise their seating capacity, seating capacity is also an important consideration in the construction and use of sports venues such as stadiums and arenas. The seating capacity for restaurants is reported as covers, a restaurant that can seat 99 is said to have 99 covers, seating capacity differs from total capacity, which describes the total number of people who can fit in a venue or in a vehicle either sitting or standing. Use of the term public capacity indicates that a venue is allowed to more people than it can actually seat. Again, the total number of people can refer to either the physical space available or limitations set by law
6.
Sharks (rugby union)
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The Cell C Sharks are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super Rugby competition. They are based in Durban and centred on the Sharks union, also based in Durban, in 1993–1995 South Africa was represented in the Super 10 by their three top unions. Natal qualified in 1993 and 1994, Natal were runners-up in 1994 after having lost to Queensland 21-10 in the final. In 1996 and 1997 South Africa was represented in the Super 12 by their four top unions rather than franchises, and Natal qualified and competed both years. They have never won any of the Super Rugby competition, but have reached the four times, as Natal in 1996. The side contains many Springbok players, including Tendai Beast Mtawarira, JP Pietersen, Jean Deysel, Coenie Oosthuizen and they have also featured many international stars including France international Frédéric Michalak. In 2010, they were slated to feature Argentine star Juan Martín Hernández, in 2017 they recruited Frances Clément Poitrenaud. Natal competed in the inaugural Super 10 during the 1993 season and they were in Pool A along with Auckland, Western Samoa, Queensland and Otago. They finished second in the pool on 12 points, behind Auckland on 16. The next season played in Pool b with New South Wales, Western Samoa, Auckland and Waikato. Natal lost the game 21 to 10, Natal did not play in the 1995 series. The Sharks Currie Cup team played in the first Super 12 season, after 11 games the Sharks finished fourth in the final standings, enough to get them through to the finals. They defeated Queensland at Ballymore 43 to 25 to get into the first Super 12 championship game and they finished inaugural runners-up, losing to Auckland 45 to 21 in Auckland. The following season Natal finished fourth again, but lost their semi-final against Auckland. In 1998 the Coastal Sharks won 7 of their 11 games and they were however defeated by the Crusaders in the semi finals. The following season the Sharks missed the finals, finishing 7th, in 2000 the Sharks finished last in the final standings. However the next season they came second - at the time their best ever finish - and after defeating the Cats, went to Canberra for the final, in 2002 the Sharks missed the finals after finishing 10th on the season table. The following season they came 11th,2004 was a better season for the team, coming in at 7th after the regular season
7.
Sharks (Currie Cup)
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The Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. The Sharks home stadium is Kings Park and they draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current representative team of the Natal Rugby Union, the team is the fourth most successful provincial union in the country having won the Currie Cup title seven times. Natal won its first Currie Cup competition until 1990, the year the union celebrated its centenary anniversary. Since then the Sharks have won the Currie Cup in 1992,1995,1996,2008,2010, for most of their history team was known simply as Natal, with a nickname of The Banana Boys until the mid-1990s when they were re-branded as the Sharks. The Sharks team that plays in the Super Rugby competition is essentially the same team - they also play in Durban and draw their players from the KwaZulu-Natal area. The Natal Rugby Union, renamed the kwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union in 1999 was formed in 1890, but it took 66 years for the union to enjoy its first Currie Cup final. Natal didnt enjoy any success prior to the 1960s, although legendary coach Izak van Heerden did manage to fashion two unbeaten seasons in ’61 and ’63, when the Currie Cup competition wasn’t held. The 1956 final saw Natal up against Northern Transvaal and even though it was contested at Kingsmead in Durban, with so many Springbok test matches in the early 1960s, the Currie Cup was contested only four times in that decade. Natal failed to make an impression, despite being able to call on the likes of Springboks Ormond Taylor, what followed was a rare third-place finish in the Currie Cup in 1980, with Claassen receiving inspirational support from Welshman Roger Gardner and former Wallaby Mark Loane. The standout result was a 22-19 defeat of Northern Transvaal – Natal’s first win over Northerns at Loftus Versfeld in 41 years, Northern Transvaal went on to win the Currie Cup again that year, but Natal were the only side to get the better of them. During the 80s, Natal could call on players of the calibre of Gawie Visagie, Henry Coxwell, Rob Hankinson and Mort Mortassagne, the side made up for this in 1984 by qualifying for the Currie Cup final, despite plying their trade in the B-Section. That was after a stunning victory over Free State, thanks to two tries from Des McLean and one each from Derek la Marque and Claassen. The Banana Boys gave an account of themselves in the 1984 final. For much of the 1980s Natal were written off as a B-Section team punching above their weight and it wasn’t until the arrival of legendary coach Ian McIntosh from Zimbabwe and the return to the A-Section in 1987 that they started to lay the foundations for success in the 1990s. After arriving in 1986, McIntosh quickly made his mark in Durban and spent the late 1980s building a squad and recruiting players he felt would serve the greater good of Natal Rugby. Despite Natal’s great season, the men from Pretoria were heavily favoured to win, and with match-winning flyhalf Naas Botha at the helm, it was widely accepted that the Blue Bulls just had to show up to win. The victorious side was captained by scrumhalf Craig Jamieson, who led the team on a parade through central Durban later in the week
8.
Stadium
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Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event at the ancient Greek Olympic festival was the race that comprised one length of the stade at Olympia, where the word stadium originated. In modern times, a stadium is officially a stadium when at least 50% of the capacity is an actual building. If the majority of the capacity is formed by grasshills, the venue is not officially considered a stadium. Most of the stadiums with a capacity of at least 10,000 are used for football, or soccer. A large amount of sports venues are also used for concerts. Stadium is the Latin form of the Greek word stadion, a measure of length equalling the length of 600 human feet, as feet are of variable length the exact length of a stadion depends on the exact length adopted for 1 foot at a given place and time. Although in modern terms 1 stadion =600 ft, in a historical context it may actually signify a length up to 15% larger or smaller. The equivalent Roman measure, the stadium, had a similar length — about 185 m -, the English use of stadium comes from the tiered infrastructure surrounding a Roman track of such length. Most dictionaries provide for both stadiums and stadia as valid English plurals, although etymological purists sometimes apply stadia only to measures of length in excess of 1 stadium. The oldest known stadium is the one in Olympia, in the western Peloponnese, Greece, initially the Games consisted of a single event, a sprint along the length of the stadium. The stadion, a measure of length, may be related to the Stadium, Greek and Roman stadiums have been found in numerous ancient cities, perhaps the most famous being the Stadium of Domitian, in Rome. The excavated and refurbished ancient Panathenaic stadium hosted a version of the Olympic Games in 1870,1875,1896 and 1906. The excavation and refurbishment of the stadium was part of the legacy of the Greek national benefactor Evangelos Zappas, the first stadiums to be built in the modern era were basic facilities, designed for the single purpose of fitting as many spectators in as possible. One such early stadium was the Lansdowne Road Stadium, the brainchild of Henry Dunlop, banned from locating sporting events at Trinity College, Dunlop built the stadium in 1872. Some 300 cartloads of soil from a trench beneath the railway were used to raise the ground, other early stadiums from this period in the UK include the Stamford Bridge stadium and Anfield stadium. In the U. S. However, many of these caught fire. All of the 19th-century wooden parks were replaced, some only a few years. Goodison Park was the first purpose-built football stadium in the world, walton-based building firm Kelly brothers were instructed to erect two uncovered stands that could each accommodate 4,000 spectators
9.
Kings Park Sporting Precinct
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Kings Park Sporting Precinct is a site located in Stamford Hill, Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. It was developed primarily to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the precinct regularly hosts domestic and international rugby union and association football events, as well as national and international swimming galas. The Kings Park Sporting Precinct is managed by the City of Durban, the Moses Mabhida Stadium was completed in 2009 and involved massive regeneration of the surrounding infrastructure. This included the construction of a walkway under NMR Avenue to Oasis/Country Club Beach in the east. This walkway links the stadium to the Golden Mile beachfront, in terms of cultural facilities, the stadium will also contain a sports museum, a multi-media centre and a sports science institute operated by the University of KwaZulu Natal. Walter Gilbert Road, which is situated between Moses Mabhida and Kings Park, is closed and pedestrianised during large events, currently, events held in the precinct are dominated by athletics, rugby, and soccer. The precinct also hosts events at the Kings Park Aquatics Centre. The precinct also serves as part of the routes for the Spar 10 km Ladies Race, East Coast Radio Big Walk and many functions at the Suncoast Casino, the Kings Park Sports Medicine Centre is located on Walter Gilbert Road between the two largest stadiums. The precinct, along with the ICC Durban will be the epicentre of the World Transplant Games in 2013, the M4 provides road access up the north coast and the M12 to the city centre. The R102 runs inland towards Westville, City of Durban Press Release City of Durban Press Release
10.
Renovation
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Renovation is the process of improving a broken, damaged, or outdated structure. Renovations are typically either commercial or residential, additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, or bringing something back to life and can apply in social contexts. For example, a community can be renovated if it is strengthened and revived, builders often renovate homes because it is a stable source of income. Wood is versatile and flexible, making it the easiest construction material for renovations, few homeowners or professional remodellers possess the skill and equipment that is required to alter steel-frame or concrete structures. Forest certification verifies that products have been sourced from well-managed forests. In North America, most structures are demolished because of forces such as zoning changes. Additionally, buildings that cannot be modified to serve the needs of the occupants are subject to demolition. Very few buildings on the continent are demolished due to structural degradation, the Athena Institute surveyed 227 commercial and residential buildings that were demolished in St. Paul, Minnesota, between 2000 and mid-2003. Thirty percent of the buildings were less than 50 years old, the four top reasons for demolition were “area redevelopment”, “building’s physical condition”, “not suitable for anticipated use”, and “fire damage”. Lack of maintenance was cited as the problem for 54 of the 70 buildings where physical condition was given as the reason for demolition. Most builders focus on building new homes, so renovating is typically an activity for such tradespeople. The processes and services required for renovations are quite specific and, once plans are signed off, renovations usually require all of the sub-trades that are needed for the construction of a new building. During renovation projects, flexibility is required from renovation companies to respond to unexpected issues that arise. Projects involving renovation require not just flexibility, but a plan that had agreed upon by multiple parties. The planning process will involve feedback from financial investors of the project, part of planning will also entail the collection of data for the completion of the project and then the project plan will be revised and given consent before continuing with renovations
11.
1995 Rugby World Cup
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The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to place in South Africa following the end of apartheid. The World Cup would also be the last major event of rugby unions amateur era, in the final, held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15–12, with Joel Stransky scoring a drop goal in extra time to win the match. Following South Africas victory, Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa, wearing a Springboks rugby shirt and cap, the eight quarter-finalists from the 1991 Rugby World Cup all received automatic entry, as did South Africa, as hosts. The remaining seven of the 16 positions available in the tournament were filled by regional qualifiers, the qualifying tournaments were broken up into regional associations, Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Côte dIvoire qualified through Africa, Japan through Asia, Argentina through the Americas, Italy, Romania and Wales through Europe, the 1995 tournament was the first Rugby World Cup to be hosted by just one country, and thus, all the venues are within the one country. In total, nine stadiums were used for the World Cup, most being owned by municipalities. Six of the nine stadiums were South African Test grounds, the four largest stadiums were used for the finals, with the final taking place at Johannesburgs Ellis Park. There were games originally scheduled to have played in Brakpan, Germiston, Pietermaritzburg and Witbank. This reduced the number of venues from 14 to 9, the reasons cited for this change had to do with facilities for both the press and spectators, as well as the security. The change in the itinerary occurred in January 1994, further changes occurred in April, so that evening games were played at stadiums with good floodlighting. It is also thought that Potchefstroom was an original venue, the competition began on 25 May, when the hosts South Africa defeated Australia 27–18 at Newlands in Cape Town. The tournament culminated with the final between South Africa and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June, in total, the tournament ran for thirty days. The nations were broken up into four pools of four, with each consisting of two teams that were automatically qualified and two that went through the qualifying tournaments. For example, the winner of A faces the runner up of B, the whole finals stage adopts a knock-out format, and the winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals, where winner 1 faces winner 2, and winner 3 faces winner 4. The winners advance to the final, and the losers contest a third/fourth place play-off two days before the final, a total of 32 matches were played throughout the tournament over 30 days from Thursday 25 May 1995 to Saturday 24 June 1995. Three minutes into the match between Côte dIvoire and Tonga, the Ivorian winger Max Brito was crushed beneath several other players, the final was contested by New Zealand and hosts South Africa
12.
Premier Soccer League
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The PSL was created following an agreement between the National Soccer League and the remnants of the National Premier Soccer League. The company acts as a body and competition organiser. The PSL are affiliated to the South African Football Association but SAFA do not govern the PSL competitions, the National First Division is the second-highest league of South African club soccer. Teams that are relegated from the PSL organised divisions compete in the SAFA Second Division, the Premier Soccer League sell the naming rights of their competitions to a title sponsor. The Baymed Cup was open to First Division sides, but the competition was terminated after one edition in 2006, licenses to participate in the league can be bought and sold on the free market. The two clubs were purchased for 8 million ZAR, the NSL is the only special member of the South African Football Association. The NSL has 32 members, the 16 clubs from the Premier Division and 16 clubs from the first division who together form the Board of governors, the Board of governors is the supreme body and its functions are stated in Article 13 of the NSL constitution. The Board of governors elects the Chairman and the Executive committee, it is empowered to delegate management, the Executive committee consists of 8 elected members and the Chief Executive Officer. The Executive is appointed for a period of four years at the general meeting. The Executive delegates some of its functions to the CEO
13.
Association football
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Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies making it the worlds most popular sport, the game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object of the game is to score by getting the ball into the opposing goal, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands or arms while it is in play, unless they are goalkeepers. Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the match wins. If the score is level at the end of the game, the Laws of the Game were originally codified in England by The Football Association in 1863. Association football is governed internationally by the International Federation of Association Football, the first written reference to the inflated ball used in the game was in the mid-14th century, Þe heued fro þe body went, Als it were a foteballe. The Online Etymology Dictionary states that the word soccer was split off in 1863, according to Partha Mazumdar, the term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford -er abbreviation of the word association. Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. People in Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand use either or both terms, although national associations in Australia and New Zealand now primarily use football for the formal name. According to FIFA, the Chinese competitive game cuju is the earliest form of football for which there is scientific evidence, cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was kicking a ball through an opening into a net. It was remarkably similar to football, though similarities to rugby occurred. During the Han Dynasty, cuju games were standardised and rules were established, phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games. An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a vase at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens appears on the UEFA European Championship Cup, athenaeus, writing in 228 AD, referenced the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence and they all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football. As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all football codes. Non-competitive games included kemari in Japan, chuk-guk in Korea and woggabaliri in Australia, Association football in itself does not have a classical history. Notwithstanding any similarities to other games played around the world FIFA have recognised that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe. The modern rules of football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England
14.
France national rugby union team
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The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and they have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams. Eight former French players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Years Day 1906 the national side played its first Test match – against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament in 1910, France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. The national team came of age during the 1950s and 1960s and they won their first Grand Slam in 1968. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the stage of every tournament. They have reached the three times, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 and 2011 and to Australia in 1999. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where, as in 2003, France traditionally play in blue shirts with white shorts and red socks, and are commonly referred to as les tricolores or les bleus. The French emblem is a golden rooster imposed upon a red shield and their alternative strip is composed of a white shirt and navy blue shorts and socks. Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by English merchants and students, on 26 February 1890, a French rugby team recruited from the Janson Desailly Lyceum defeated an international team at the Bois de Boulogne. Although France were represented at the 1900 Summer Olympics, their first official test match did not take place till New Years Day,1906 against the New Zealand All Blacks in Paris. France then played intermittently against the Home Nations until they joined them to form the Five Nations tournament in 1910, in 1913 France faced South Africas Springboks for the first time, losing 38–5. France also competed at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, France were ejected from the Five Nations in 1932 after being accused of professionalism in the French leagues at a time when rugby union was strictly amateur. Forced to play against weaker opposition, France went on a winning streak, France was invited to rejoin the Five Nations in 1939 but did not compete until 1947 as international rugby was suspended during World War II. French rugby came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, they won their first Five Nations championship and their first championship was won in 1954 when they shared the title with England and Wales. France won their first outright Five Nations championship in 1959, they won with two wins, a draw and a defeat, France first toured South Africa winning the test series in 1958. The Springboks also visited Paris in 1961, the test was not completed due to fighting amongst the players. France also toured New Zealand and Australia in 1961 losing both tests against the All Blacks but defeating Australias Wallabies and they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968 by beating all four other competing teams, and won numerous titles in the following years
15.
Ireland national rugby union team
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The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which they have won twelve times outright, the team also competes every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions. Ireland is also one of the four unions that make up the British and Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions, Irelands highest ever position in the World Rugby Rankings is second, which they reached for the first time in 2015. Dublin University was the first organised football club in Ireland. The club was organised by students who had learnt the game while at public schools in Great Britain, carlow, UCC, and Ballinasloe which amalgamated with Athlone to form Buccaneers. In 1874, the Irish Football Union was formed, Ireland lost their first test match against England 7–0 at the Oval on 15 February 1875. Both teams fielded 20 players in match, as was customary in the early years of rugby union. Irelands first home game was also against England in the year held at the Leinster Cricket Club in Rathmines as Lansdowne Road was deemed unsuitable. The first match at Lansdowne Road was held on 11 March 1878 and it was not until 1881 that Ireland first won a test, beating Scotland at Ormeau in Belfast. Ireland turned up two men short for their game in Cardiff in 1884 and had to borrow two Welsh players, the first victory Ireland had at Lansdowne Road took place on 5 February 1887. It was also their first win over England, by two goals to nil, on the third of March 1888, Ireland recorded their first win over Wales with a goal, a try and a drop goal to nil. In 1894, Ireland followed the Welsh model of using seven backs instead of six for the first time, after victory over England at Blackheath, Ireland won back-to-back matches for the first time when recording their first win over Scotland on 24 February 1894. Ireland went on to beat Wales in Belfast and win the Triple Crown for the first time, in the 1890s, Rugby was primarily a game for the Protestant middle class, the only Catholic in Edmund Forrests 1894 team was Tom Crean. Of the eighteen players used in the three games, thirteen were from three Dublin clubs – Wanderers, Dublin University and Bective Rangers – and the five were from Ulster. Such was the level of interest in the visit of the first All Blacks team to Dublin in November 1905 that the IRFU made the match the first all-ticket rugby international in history, Ireland played only seven forwards, copying the then New Zealand method of playing a rover. The game ended New Zealand 15 Ireland 0, on 20 March 1909, Ireland played France for the first time, beating them 19–8. This was Irelands biggest victory in international rugby at that time, their highest points tally,30 November 1912 was the first time the Springboks met Ireland at Lansdowne Road, the 1906 tour game having been played at Ravenhill. Ireland with seven new caps were overwhelmed by a margin of 38–0
16.
South Africa national rugby union team
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The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblems are the Springbok, the team has been representing South Africa in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. The team made its World Cup debut in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the tournament, South Africa regained their title as champions 12 years later, when they defeated England 15–6 in the 2007 final. They were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Springboks also compete in the annual Rugby Championship, along with southern-hemisphere counterparts Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. They have won this championship on three occasions in sixteen years and they also play Test matches against the various rugby-playing nations. Their position in the World Rugby Rankings has varied between the No.1 and No.7 positions, the first British Isles tour took place in 1891, at Diocesan College. These were the first representative games played by South African sides, the tourists won all twenty matches they played, conceding only one point. The British Isles success continued on their tour of 1896, winning three out of four tests against South Africa, South Africas play improved markedly from 1891, and their first test win in the final game was a pointer to the future. In 1903 the British Isles lost a series for the first time in South Africa, Rugby was given a huge boost by the early Lions tours, which created great interest in the South African press. South Africa would not lose another series—home or away—until 1956, the first South African team to tour the British Isles and France occurred during 1906–07. The team played tests against all four Home Nations, England managed a draw, but Scotland was the only one of the Home unions to gain a victory. The trip instilled a sense of pride among South Africans. The South Africans played a match against a France team while the official French team were in England. It was during this tour that the nickname Springboks was first used, the 1910 British Isles tour of South Africa was the first to include representatives from all four Home unions. The tourists won just one of their three tests, the Boks second European tour took place in 1912–13. They beat the four Home nations to earn their first Grand Slam, by the first World War, New Zealand and South Africa had established themselves as rugbys two greatest powers. A Springbok tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1921 was billed as The World Championship of Rugby, the All Blacks won the first Test 13–5, The Springboks recovered to win the second Test 9–5, and the final Test was drawn 0–0, resulting in a series draw. The 1924 British and Irish Lions team to South Africa lost all four Tests to the Springboks and this was the first side to pick up the name Lions, apparently picked up from the Lions embroidered on their ties
17.
Rugby World Cup
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The Rugby World Cup is a mens rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament was first held in 1987, when the tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand, New Zealand are the current champions, having defeated Australia in the final of the 2015 tournament in England. Four countries have won the trophy, New Zealand have won it three times, two teams have won twice, Australia and South Africa, while England have won it once, the tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sports international governing body. Sixteen teams were invited to participate in the tournament in 1987. Japan will host the event in 2019. Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the tournament, where eight of the sixteen places were contested in a twenty-four-nation tournament. The remaining twelve positions were filled by continental qualifying tournaments, positions were filled by three teams from the Americas, one from Asia, one from Africa, three from Europe and two from Oceania. Another two places were allocated for repechage, the second repechage position was determined between the runners-up from the Asia and Oceania qualifiers. The qualification system for the eight places is region-based, with a total eight teams allocated for Europe, five for Oceania. The last place is determined by an intercontinental play-off, the 2015 tournament involved twenty nations competing over six weeks. There were two stages, a pool and a knockout, Nations were divided into four pools, A through to D, of five nations each. The teams were seeded before the start of the tournament, with the seedings taken from the World Rankings in December 2012, the four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The next four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The remaining positions in each pool were filled by the qualifiers, Nations play four pool games, playing their respective pool members once each. A bonus points system is used during pool play, if two or more teams are level on points, a system of criteria is used to determine the higher ranked, the sixth and final criterion decides the higher rank through the official World Rankings. The winner and runner-up of each pool enter the knockout stage, the knockout stage consists of quarter- and semi-finals, and then the final. The winner of each pool is placed against a runner-up of a different pool in a quarter-final, the winner of each quarter-final goes on to the semi-finals, and the respective winners proceed to the final. Losers of the semi-finals contest for third place, called the Bronze Final, if a match in the knockout stages ends in a draw, the winner is determined through extra time
18.
Argentina national rugby union team
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The Argentina national rugby team, officially nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The Pumas play in sky blue and white jerseys and they are organised by the Argentine Rugby Union, Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team. As of November 2015 they are ranked 5th in the world by the IRB, although rugby union is nowhere near as popular as football in Argentina, Los Pumas impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen the sports popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires. A surprise victory over the hosts France in the first game of the 2007 World Cup took Argentina to fourth in the IRB World Rankings, the team were undefeated in their pool, and reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating Scotland 19–13 in their quarter-final. They were defeated 37–13 by eventual winners South Africa in the semi-finals, in March 2008 the team reached an all-time high of third in the IRB World Rankings. Argentina officially joined The Rugby Championship in a meeting in Buenos Aires on November 23,2011, in their first tournament in 2012, Argentina secured a 16–16 draw with The Springboks in only their second game. The 2014 Rugby Championship saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17, in the 2016 Rugby Championship, the Pumas split the first two games with the Springboks, winning the second game 26-24 at Salta on August 27,2016. The History of the Argentina national team starts with the first international played by an Argentine side v. the British Islands in 1910 when they toured on South America, Argentina gained recognition in 1965, when the team toured South Africa playing a series of friendly matches there. In that tour the team was nicknamed Los Pumas, a name that became an identity mark for Argentina. Argentina has taken part in all the Rugby World Cups since the first edition in 1987, Argentina followed their growing competitiveness in the Rugby Championship with a strong showing in the 2015 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the second time. The national side also plays the Rugby Championship since the 2012 edition, Argentina alternated blue and white jerseys during its first international matches in 1910. In 1927 Mr. Abelardo Gutiérrez of Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires proposed that Argentina should play against British Lions in a striped white and that request was accepted and Argentina wore the striped uniform for the first time in its history. Los Pumas play in a shirt in the flag colours of light blue and white, white shorts. In 2011, the UAR signed a deal with Nike which became the kit provider for all its national senior and youth teams. On September 1941, Abelardo Gutiérrez suggested a badge with the figure of a lion, the color of the crest was blue. The animal was later replaced by a native to Argentine species, so the jaguar was chosen due to his agility and courage and he tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team similar to existing international team nicknames such as All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies. He asked Isak van Heerden, the coach of the Natal Rugby team who was asked by the SARB to assist with the tour
19.
England national rugby union team
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The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and they are ranked second in the world by the International Rugby Board as of 20 June 2016. England were the first, and to date, the team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup. They were also runners-up in 1991 and 2007, the history of the team extends back to 1871 when the English rugby team played their first official Test match, losing to Scotland by one goal. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship which started in 1883, following the schism of rugby football in 1895, England did not win the Championship again until 1910. England first played against New Zealand in 1905, South Africa in 1906, England was one of the teams invited to take part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and went on to appear in the final in the second tournament in 1991, losing 12–6 to Australia. Following their 2003 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam, they went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup – defeating Australia 20–17 in extra time and they again contested the final in 2007, losing 15–6 to South Africa. England players traditionally wear a shirt with a Rose embroidered on the chest, white shorts. Their home ground is Twickenham Stadium where they first played in 1910, the team is administered by the Rugby Football Union. Four former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, Englands first international match was against Scotland on Monday 27 March 1871. Not only was this match Englands first, but it proved to be the first ever rugby union international. Scotland won the match by a goal and a try to a try, in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London on 5 February 1872 which saw England defeat Scotland by a goal, in those early days there was no points system, it was only after 1890 that a format allowing the introduction of a points system was provided. Up until 1875 international rugby matches were decided by the number of goals scored, in 1875, England played their first game against the Irish at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil, the match was Irelands first ever Test. England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup and their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardsons Field in Blackheath. England recorded their largest victory, defeating the Welsh by seven goals, six tries, in 1889, England played their first match against a non-home nations team when they defeated the New Zealand Natives by one goal and four tries to nil at Rectory Field in Blackheath. In 1890 England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland, England first played New Zealand in 1905. The All Blacks scored five tries, worth three points at this time, to win 15–0, England first played France in 1905, and Australia in 1909 when they were defeated 9–3
20.
Italy national rugby union team
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The Italy national rugby union team represents the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is known as the Azzurri. Italy has been playing rugby since 1929, and for decades were considered one of the best European teams outside the Five Nations Championship. Since 2000, Italy competes annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Scotland and they were the holders of the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for 2013, played annually against France. Italy is ranked 14th in the world by the IRB as of 22 April 2016, Italian rugby really came to prominence in 2000 when it was added to the Five Nations, creating the Six Nations. Initially on the end of heavy defeats, the side has grown in competitiveness, recording a fourth-place finish in 2007 and 2013. Italy have also competed at every Rugby World Cup since the first tournament in 1987, the team has developed a reputation for being a consistent middle player at the tournament. Italys showings since 2003 have consistently followed a formula where they managed two wins and two losses during the pool stages, the current head coach is Conor OShea. Number eight Sergio Parisse is their current captain, the first match played by an Italian XV was in 1911 between US Milanese and Voiron of France. On 25 July of the year the Propaganda Committee was formed which in 1928 became the Federazione Italiana Rugby. In May 1929, Italy played their first international losing 9–0 against Spain in Barcelona, post-war, there was a desire to return to normal and Italian rugby union entered a new dimension thanks to the help of Allied troops in Italy. In the 1970s and 1980s rugby union made enormous progress thanks to foreign players. Even foreign coaches were and continue to be chosen for the team, like Bertrande Fourcade. In 1973, the team went on a tour of South Africa. Tours of England and Scotland followed, as well as games against Australia and New Zealand, in 1978, Italy first played Argentina at Rovigo, winning 19-6. Since the mid 1980s, the Italian national side had been pursuing the ambition of playing in an expanded Five Nations Championship, in 1986, Italy hosted an England XV squad in Rome, drawing 15-15. The Azzurri took part in the first-ever Rugby World Cup match against New Zealand on 22 May 1987, the match proved a one-sided affair with New Zealand convincing 70–6 winners against a young Italian side. John Kirwan, later to become the Italian national coach, scored one of the tournament’s greatest-ever tries for the All Blacks, Italy beat Fiji but lost to Argentina and finished third in their pool, failing to make the finals
21.
Samoa national rugby union team
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The Samoa national rugby union team is the mens representative side of Samoa in rugby union. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the rugby unions of Samoa. The name Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior and they perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and they are ranked 12th in the world. Rugby was introduced to Samoa in the early 1920s and a body was soon formed. The first international was played as Western Samoa against Fiji in August 1924, along with Tonga, these nations would meet regularly and eventually contest competitions such as the Pacific Tri-Nations – with Western Samoa winning the first of these. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was known and competed as Western Samoa, Samoa have been to every Rugby World Cup since the 1991 tournament. That tournament, along with the 1995 competition saw them make the quarter-finals, under their new coach, the All Blacks legend Michael Jones, Samoa competed in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. However, Samoa had a dismal World Cup campaign, winning one match. Samoa showed a performance at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Manu Samoa play in blue and white uniforms and they do not train on Sundays because many of the team are devout Christians. The Marist Brothers brought the game of rugby to Western Samoa in 1924, on 18 August 1924, Western Samoa played its first international against Fiji in the capital Apia, the visitors winning 6–0. The match was played at 7am to allow the Samoans time to get to work afterwards and was played on a pitch with a tree on the halfway line. The return match was won 9–3 by Samoa to draw the series, in 1954 Western Samoan visited both Pacific Island neighbors Fiji and Tonga but had to wait a further 20 years before a tour of New Zealand took place. The Samoans won one of eight matches on that tour, the traditional tri-series between Tonga, Fiji and Western Samoa was established in 1982 with Western Samoa winning the first tournament. Wales visited Western Samoa and won the test 32–16 at Apia, the tour led to a return visit to Wales which brought Western Samoa out of International limbo, although Western Samoa were not invited to the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. The following year a 14-match tour of Europe took place before a World Cup elimination series in Tokyo, the Scots won comfortably 28–6, but the Samoans were clearly the personality team of the tournament. Over the next two years the side had a number of notable wins, the most outstanding achievement were in Sevens where it won the 1993 Hong Kong and 1992 Middlesex Sevens
22.
1996 African Cup of Nations
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The 1996 African Cup of Nations was the 20th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the soccer championship of Africa. It was hosted by South Africa, who replaced original hosts Kenya, the field expanded for the first time to sixteen teams, split into four groups of four, the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarterfinals. However, Nigeria withdrew from the tournament at the final moment, South Africa won its first championship, beating Tunisia in the final 2−0. For full qualification see,1996 African Cup of Nations qualification * Nigeria withdrew prior to the start of the finals, guinea, as the best side to not qualify, was offered Nigerias spot in the finals, but declined due to a lack of preparation time. Teams highlighted in green progress to the Quarter Finals, Nigeria withdrew, so their three matches were canceled. Vs. Zaire,16 January 1996 vs. Liberia,19 January 1996 vs. angelfire. com
23.
Gabon national football team
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The Gabon national football team, nicknamed Les Panthères or Les Brésiliens, is the national team of Gabon and is controlled by the Fédération Gabonaise de Football. They have never qualified for the World Cup, but have qualified five times for the Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon made their debut in April 1960 by entering the first Friendship Games tournament, created for French-speaking African countries, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. In the First Round they were drawn against Upper Volta, who were making their debut. They did not play another match for over a year and a half, until the time the tournament was staged, in December 1961 in Abidjan. They were drawn in Pool 3 alongside Cameroon and Senegal, Gabon began the tournament with a 3–2 defeat to Senegal on Christmas Day, before being thrashed 6–0 by Cameroon on Boxing Day, finishing bottom of their group. A few months after the tournament, the Gabonese Football Federation was formed to oversee the development of the national team. The new association would not have to long for their first win. They were drawn in Group C, along with British Gambia, the French amateur team and they opened on 12 April with a strong 4–0 win over Upper Volta, but were comfortably beaten 3–0 by the French amateurs 2 days later. A few months later, Gabon entered qualification for the 1966 FIFA World Cup held in England. However, on 8 October 1964 they withdrew from the competition, along all the other African entrants, in protest at FIFAs decision to only award 1 finals place to all of Africa. At the 35th FIFA Congress held in London, England on 6 July 1966 and they played one more friendly, a 3–0 home defeat to Ivory Coast in March, before entering qualification for the 1968 Olympic football tournament, held in Mexico. In the First Round, they were drawn against Guinea with whom they drew the first leg 0–0 at home on 18 June, before being routed in the second leg 6–1, in 1967, they also became full members of CAF. Following on from the Olympic qualifiers, Gabon did not play another match for two years until they travelled to Dahomey in August 1969 to play a friendly, which they lost 1–0. Gabon then did not play for over a year, before entering qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. Their attempt to qualify for the 1972 tournament held in Cameroon fell at the first hurdle however and they lost the first leg at home 2–1 on 8 November 1970, and were defeated 1–0 away two weeks later. Gabon then entered qualification for the 1972 Olympic football tournament held in West Germany, in the First Round they were drawn against Cameroon. Having lost the first leg 3–2 in Libreville on 30 May 1971, as a result of this withdrawal, they did not play another match for over a year until they entered the football tournament at the 1972 Central African Cup held in Brazzaville, Congo. The 5-team round robin tournament included, alongside Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Congo and they played their first match on 16 July against the Congo, losing 3–0
24.
Liberia national football team
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The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, is the national association football team of Liberia and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association. Although the country produced the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, Weah has been a patron of the Liberian team, not only has he played for and coached the side, but he also sponsored the team with his own money. Liberia has twice qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations –1996 and 2002, in 2010, the Hungarian Bertalan Bicskei, former coach of the national teams of Hungary and Malaysia, was named head coach of the Liberian national team. After being poisoned and seeking treatment, he was replaced by Roberto Landi for the rest of 2011. Since the retirement of George Weah, the roster of the team changed significantly. Currently, a lot of Liberian international footballers play in leagues, strikingly often in the Asian countries Indonesia. Caps and Goals updated as of 28 May 2016, official Website at liberiafa. com Liberia at FIFA. com Liberian-Soccer. com fan site
25.
DR Congo national football team
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo national football team is the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is controlled by the Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association. DR Congo have been ranked as high as 37 in the FIFA Rankings, as Zaire they were the first Sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and twice won the Africa Cup of Nations. The Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association was founded in 1919 when the country was not independent, the team played their first game in 1948 as Belgian Congo against Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia. The team recorded a 3–2 victory at home, DR Congo has been FIFA affiliated since 1962 and has been a member of CAF since 1963. The teams first official match was on the 11 April 1963, against Mauritania in the LAmitié Tournament played in Dakar, DR Congo won the match 6–0. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had its first international success at the 1968 African Cup of Nations held in Ethiopia, the teams biggest ever win came on 22 November 1969 when they recorded a 10–1 home victory against Zambia. The second continental title came at the 1974 African Cup of Nations in Egypt, the Leopards recorded a 2–1 victory against Guinea, another 2–1 victory against rivals Congo and a 4–1 victory against Mauritius. These results carried Zaire through to the semi-finals where they beat hosts Egypt 3–2, in the final, Zaire drew with Zambia 2–2. Therefore, the match was replayed two days later, where Zaire won the game 2–0, Zaire player Ndaye Mulamba was top scorer with nine goals, which remains a record for the tournament. After this, the returned to Zaire on the Presidential plane. Such was the desire to foster an identity of Zaire as a player that Mobutu paid for advertising hoardings at the World Cup to display messages such as ‘Zaire-Peace’. At the tournament itself, Zaire did not manage to score any goals and lost all of its games, however, their 9–0 loss against Yugoslavia remains one of the worst World Cup defeats. This was voted the 17th greatest World Cup moment in a Channel 4 poll, though many commentators held it to be an example of African footballs naïvety and indiscipline. However, Ilunga has claimed that he was aware of the rules and was hoping to convince the referee to send him off. The intended red card would have been a protest against his countrys authorities, morocco went on to win the tournament. From 1978 to 1986, the country did not qualify for the African Cup of Nations, in the 1988 African Cup of Nations, Zaire finished last in their group despite having two draws. From 1992 to 1996, Zaire, reached three consecutive African Cup of Nations quarter-finals, in 1992 and 1994 they were beaten by Nigeria, and in 1996 they were beaten by Ghana. In 1997, the name changed to DR Congo and the national team was re-branded as the Simbas
26.
Angola national football team
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The Angola national football team, nicknamed Palancas Negras, is the national team of Angola and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Futebol. Angola reached 45th in the FIFA Rankings in July 2002 and their greatest accomplishment was qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, as this was their first appearance on the World Cup finals stage. Angola played their first game against PR Congo on 8 February 1976, Angola qualified for their first Africa Cup of Nations in 1996. They were drawn in Group A with South Africa, Egypt and they lost their first two games to Egypt and South Africa, but managed a 3–3 draw against Cameroon. They finished bottom of the group and did not reach the second round, after missing the last 3 tournaments, they qualified for the 2006 African Nations Cup. They recorded their first African Cup of Nations win against Togo, winning 3–2 and they also drew 0–0 against Congo DR and lost 3–1 against Cameroon. Angolas best performance came in the 2008 African Nations Cup. They were drawn in Group D with Tunisia, South Africa and they drew 1–1 and 0–0 with South Africa and Tunisia, then defeated Senegal 3–1, two goals coming from Manucho. In the quarter-finals they were beaten by eventual winners Egypt 2–1, Angola also won the COSAFA Cup in 1999,2001 and 2004. Angola qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup after only losing one game in the qualifying ahead of favourites Nigeria, when picking the squad, Gonçalves sought advice from Chelsea manager José Mourinho, whose wife was born in Angola. Angolas Golden Generation saw players like Akwá, João Ricardo, Paulo Figueiredo, Angola played six warm-up games against South Korea, Mauritius, Lesotho, Argentina, Turkey and USA. Angola played their first World Cup finals game against Portuguese side, who won the match 1–0, there was a very friendly environment in and around the stadium during this match because of the links and friendship between the countries of Angola and Portugal. Angola were eliminated from the tournament only losing one game, the team had a bye through the first round of qualification and in the second round they were drawn in Group 3 along with Benin, Uganda and Niger. Despite winning their first two matches, Angola failed to proceed to the round, missing out by two points. As hosts of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Angola were seeded in Group A along with Mali, Algeria, coached by Manuel José, in their first game they drew 4–4 with Mali, after letting a 4–0 lead slip in the last 11 minutes. They recovered from this by beating Malawi 2–0 in the second match and they were knocked out in the quarter final after a 1–0 defeat by eventual finalists Ghana. COSAFA Cup,31999,2001,2004 Central African Games runners-up,11987 African Nations Championship runners-up,12011 As of 2013, Angola has qualified once for a FIFA World Cup. Its first participation on the FIFA World Cup qualification was on 1986 and they later lost on the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification #Second round to Algeria
27.
Cameroon national football team
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The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed in French Les Lions Indomptables, is the national team of Cameroon. It is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de Football and has qualified seven times for the FIFA World Cup, however, the team has only made it once out of the group stage. They were the first African team to reach the quarter-final of the World Cup, in 1990 and they have also won five Africa Cup of Nations titles. Cameroon played its first match against Belgian Congo in 1956, losing 3–2 and they first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 1970, but were knocked out in the first round. Two years later, as host nation, the Indomitable Lions finished third after being knocked out by their neighbours and they would not qualify for the competition for another ten years. Cameroon qualified for its first FIFA World Cup in 1982, with the increase of 16 to 24 teams Cameroon qualified along with Algeria to represent Africa in Spain. Cameroon was drawn into Group 1 with eventual winners Italy, Poland, in their first game, Cameroon faced Peru and drew 0–0. They then had a goalless draw with Poland before a surprise 1–1 draw with Italy. Despite being unbeaten they failed to qualify for the second round, two years later, Cameroon qualified for the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, held in the Ivory Coast. They finished second in their group before beating Algeria on penalties in the semi-final. In the final, Cameroon beat Nigeria 3–1 with goals from René NDjeya, Théophile Abega, Cameroon qualified for the 1990 World Cup by surpassing Nigeria and beating Tunisia in the final round playoff. In the final tournament, Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Argentina, Romania, Cameroon defeated defending champions Argentina in the opening game 1–0 with a goal scored by François Omam-Biyik. Cameroon later defeated Romania 2–1 and lost to the Soviet Union 0–4, in the second round, Cameroon defeated Colombia 2–1 with the 38-year-old Roger Milla scoring two goals in the extra time. In the quarter-finals, Cameroon faced England, England, however, equalized in the 83rd minute with a penalty from Gary Lineker, while Lineker again found the net via a 105th-minute penalty to make the eventual scoreline 3–2 for England. The team was coached by Russian manager and former player Valeri Nepomniachi, the 1994 World Cup in the United States saw the adjustment of representation for three African teams qualify. Cameroon qualified with Nigeria and Morocco, in the final tournament, Cameroon were drawn into Group B with Sweden, Brazil and Russia. After a 2–2 draw against Sweden, Cameroon were determined to make an impact, however, a 3–0 loss to Brazil and a heavy 6–1 loss to Russia knocked them out. In their last game against Russia, the then 42-year-old Roger Milla became the oldest player to play, the team was coached by French-born Henri Michel
28.
Tunisia national football team
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The Tunisia national football team, nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage, is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Tunisian Football Federation. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, nevertheless, they created history in that 1978 tournament in Argentina by becoming the first African side to win a World Cup match, beating Mexico 3–1. They also held defending champions West Germany to a draw before bowing out. They have since qualified for the three tournaments in succession, in 1998,2002 and 2006, they were the only African team to appear at both the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, Tunisia also won the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, when they hosted the tournament. Tunisias first World Cup was the 1978 competition held in Argentina and they became the first African team to win a World Cup game, defeating Mexico 3–1 in Rosario. A 1–0 defeat to 1974 semi-finalists Poland followed, but although The Eagles Of Carthage then held reigning champions West Germany to a 0–0 draw, Tunisia failed to qualify for the World Cup again until twenty years later. Adel Sellimis team were beaten 2–0 by England, and 1–0 by Colombia to eliminate them at the group stage and their only point was in a 1–1 draw with Romania. Tunisia reached their second successive World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and they started with a 2–0 loss against Russia, but a Raouf Bouzaiene free kick gave them a 1–1 draw against Belgium. Their final game resulted in a 2–0 defeat to co-hosts Japan, tunisias first major honour was the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, which they hosted. The tournament started with a 2–1 win over Rwanda in Rades and that was followed by a 3–0 win against DR Congo and a 1–1 draw with Guinea. Ali Boumnijel saved Peter Odemwingies strike, and Karim Haggui scored the spot kick to send the host nation through to their third Nations Cup final. Tunisia drew their game against Saudi Arabia 2–2, but lost their second match to Spain 3–1. This is a list of matches from the last twelve months, the following players have been called up to the squad within the last 12 months. Notes INJ Player withdrew from the due to an injury. As of 3 June 2016 Tunisian FA official site Tunisia World Cup Team Blog
29.
Zambia national football team
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The Zambia national football team represents Zambia in association football and is governed by the Football Association of Zambia. During the 1980s, they were known as the KK11, after the country adopted multiparty politics, the side was nicknamed Chipolopolo, the Copper Bullets. The team has three Africa Cup of Nations final appearances to its credit and they were once holders of the Africa Cup of Nations, winning in the 2012 final against Ivory Coast. After the departure of George Lwandamina in 2016, Wedson Nyirenda was appointed interim coach, as of 29 October, Nyirenda is reportedly being considered for promotion to permanent head coach. The countrys football association was formed in 1929 and joined FIFA in 1964,1930 to 1966 – Did not enter 1970 to 2014 – Did not qualify The following players were called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Cameroon on 12 November 2016. Caps and Goals updated as of 12 November 2016 after the game against Cameroon, the following players have been called up for Zambia in the last 12 months. Caps and goals correct as of March 27,2016, Zambia at FIFA. com Zambian Football Association official website ZambianFootball. net
30.
Whitney Houston
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Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time, Houston is one of pop musics best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200 million records sold worldwide. She released seven albums and two soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No.1 Billboard Hot 100 hits and she is the second artist behind Elton John and the only woman to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards on the Billboard magazine year-end charts. Houstons debut album, Whitney Houston, became the debut album by a woman in history. Rolling Stone named it the best album of 1986, and ranked it at number 254 on the magazines list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Her second studio album, Whitney, became the first album by a woman to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Houstons first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard. The films original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and its lead single, I Will Always Love You, won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and became the best-selling single by a woman in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act to sell more than a million copies of an album within a week period under Nielsen SoundScan system. The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the albums of all time. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale, the Preachers Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history. On February 11,2012, Houston was found dead in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills, the official coroners report showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub, with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and featured prominently in American, Whitney Houston was born on August 9,1963 in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. She was the daughter of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. and her elder brother Michael is a singer, and her elder half-brother is former basketball player Gary Garland. Her parents were both African American, through her mother, Houston was a first cousin of singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. Her godmother was Darlene Love and her aunt was Aretha Franklin. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey
31.
The Bodyguard World Tour
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The Bodyguard World Tour is the fifth concert tour by American recording artist, Whitney Houston. The tour was in support of her soundtrack album, The Bodyguard. With the enormous success of The Bodyguard movie and soundtrack, Houston went on a world tour to support her projects. Houston began rehearsals two months after giving birth to daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, the opening date was in Miami on July 5,1993. Houston received a lot of flak for showing up late and then telling a fan who wanted an autograph to sit down, Houston played five nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and then played six nights at the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. Most of the shows during this 1993 US leg were in theaters because Houston wanted an intimate setting, during the US leg, Houston took a break to fly over to Europe to accompany husband Bobby Brown on his tour. Gospel act Angie & Debbie Winans were the act for the 1993 US leg. During the second North American leg in 1994, Houston performed at the ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup at the Rose Bowl Stadium. During that time, the singer had throat ailments and had to cancel eight shows during that time, Houston also went public concerning having a miscarriage during the tour. The tour was a big success, many shows were among the highest grossing shows of their week. The grossings helped Houston make Forbes magazines Richest Entertainers list, Houston earned over $33 million during 1993 and 1994, the third highest for a female entertainer. Saving All My Love for You was turned into a smoky saloon-style ballad, many critics noted that the highlight of the show was when Houston took on And I Am Telling You from Dreamgirls, and I Loves You Porgy from Porgy and Bess. Stephen Holden wrote of the medley that her voice conveyed authority, power, determination, as always, Houston included gospel songs. She introduced her band while performing Revelation, Houston spoke about the Lord before going into Jesus Loves Me which was often accompanied with complete silence from the mesmerized crowd. During the last couple of years, since her marriage to Brown, the New York Post created a rumor that the singer had overdosed on diet pills, leading to a lawsuit filed by Houston. During her shows, while performing her love medley, Houston often denied tabloid rumors, Houston often brought her husband and baby to the stage with her to prove that they are a happy family and that the tabloids are wrong. Many critics felt that these tabloid stories helped her sing with conviction and emotion. Many critics praised her Aretha Franklin medley that she performed at certain shows, Houston performed Aint No Way, Natural Woman and Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
32.
Bon Jovi
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Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, lead guitarist Phil X. Phil X and McDonald both became members in 2016. In 1986, Bon Jovi achieved widespread global recognition with their third album, the bands fourth album, New Jersey was equally successful in 1988. In 1992, the returned with the album Keep the Faith. Their 2000 single Its My Life, which followed a second hiatus, Bon Jovi have been known to use different styles in their music, which has included country for their 2007 album Lost Highway. Thus far, Bon Jovi has released 13 studio albums, plus six compilations, the band has sold more than 130 million records worldwide and performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 34 million fans. Bon Jovi was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, Jon Bon Jovi began playing piano and guitar in 1975, at the age of 13, with his first band Raze. At 16, Bon Jovi met David Bryan and formed a band called Atlantic City Expressway, still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, playing local clubs like The Fast Lane, and opening for known acts in the area. By 1980, he formed band, The Rest, and opened up for New Jersey acts such as Southside Johnny. Bon Jovi made several demos—including one produced by Billy Squier—and sent them to record companies and his first professional recording was as lead vocals in R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas, which was part of the Christmas in the Stars album which his cousin co-produced. In 1983, a then-unknown Bon Jovi visited a local radio station WAPP103. 5FM The Apple in Lake Success, New York, and wrote and sang the jingles for the station. He spoke with DJ Chip Hobart and to the director, John Lassman. Bon Jovi was reluctant, but eventually gave them the song, WAPP worked with WOR-TV in nearby Secaucus, NJ on a music video show, Rock 9 Videos, for a short time in 1984. The studio musicians who helped record Runaway—known as The All Star Review—were guitarist Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka, the song began to get airplay in the New York area, then other sister stations in major markets picked up the song. In March 1983, Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who in turn called bassist Alec John Such, tapped to play lead guitar was Bon Jovis neighbor, Dave Sabo —though he never officially joined the band. He and Jon promised each other that made it first. Sabo later went on to form the group Skid Row, Jon saw and was impressed with hometown guitarist Richie Sambora
33.
Tina Turner
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Tina Turner, is an American-born Swiss recording artist, dancer, actress, and author, whose career has spanned more than half a century, earning her widespread recognition and numerous awards. Born and raised in the Southeastern United States, Turner obtained Swiss citizenship in 2013 and she began her musical career in the mid-1950s as a featured singer with Ike Turners Kings of Rhythm, first recording in 1958 under the name Little Ann. Her introduction to the public as Tina Turner began in 1960 as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Success followed with a string of notable hits credited to the duo, including A Fool in Love, River Deep – Mountain High, Proud Mary, and Nutbush City Limits, a song which she herself wrote. In her autobiography, I, Tina, she revealed several instances of domestic abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split. After her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career through live performances, Whats Love Got to Do with It, the lead single won three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year. Whats Love Got to Do with It was later used as the title of a loosely based biographical film adapted from her autobiography, One of the worlds best-selling artists of all time, she has also been referred to as The Queen of Rock n Roll. Turner has been termed the most successful female Rock n Roll artist, receiving eleven Grammy Awards, including eight competitive awards, Turner has also sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Her combined album and single sales total approximately 180 million copies worldwide and she is noted for her energetic stage presence, powerful vocals, and career longevity. In 2008, Turner returned from semi-retirement to embark on her Tina, Turners tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008–09. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Turner no.63 on their list of 100 greatest artists of all time, in 1991, Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Turner announced in December 2016 that she has been working on Tina, Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26,1939, in Nutbush, an unincorporated area in Haywood County, Tennessee. Her parents were Zelma Priscilla and Floyd Richard Bullock, Anna Mae was born at Poindexter Farm on Highway 180, where her father worked as an overseer of the sharecroppers. She is of African-American descent, with approximately 33% European and 1% Native American ancestry, Anna Mae had an older sister, Ruby Aillene. As young children, Anna Mae and Aillene were separated when their parents relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, after the war, the sisters reunited with their parents and moved with them to Knoxville. Two years later, the returned to Nutbush to live in the Flagg Grove community. In 1889, her uncle had sold the land on which the school was built to the school trustees. As a youngster, Anna Mae sang in the choir at Nutbushs Spring Hill Baptist Church
34.
Wildest Dreams Tour
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Wildest Dreams Tour is the seventh concert tour by American singer Tina Turner. The tour supported her eighth studio album Wildest Dreams. The tour is Turners biggest outing to date, performing over 250 dates in Europe, North America, lasting nearly 16 months, the tour is estimated to have grossed over $100 million. The tour was sponsored by Hanes, as Turner became the spokesperson for their new hosiery line, the tour was financially successful, especially in North America. It is estimated that tour grossed over 20 million dollars with an attendance of over 650,000 spectators, shortly after the release of the James Bond theme GoldenEye, Turner announced that she will embark on a tour in the Spring of 1996. The tour unofficially began with six dates in Asia, Africa. In April 1996, Turner performed a concert for the niece of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei. During rehearsals, Turner performed her concerts to date in the southeast Asia region. While performing in Johannesburg, Turner was joined onstage by Vusa Dance Company to perform Do What You Do, after the performance, Turner approached dancer David Matamela and gave him a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey Dance School. Despite current issues in South Africa for concert tours, Turners South African leg proved to be playing to over 100,000 spectators. During rehearsals, Turner was not impressed with the stage design and she felt the stage was too dark and felt awkward to perform on. It was later reworked to Turners liking, elements of the stage can be seen in Turners 50th Anniversary Tour. While promoting the North American leg of the tour, it was announced talk show personality Oprah Winfrey would follow the tour with her talk show from Houston to New York City. Winfrey described the event as her dream stating, She is our goddess of rock n roll and we are going to be right there with Miss Tina. Were going on tour with Tina, the Oprah Show is actually going on the road with Tina. I am the biggest Tina Turner fan there is, in her own words, Turner believed this could be her best tour in North America. She further commented, It could be my best tour ever in America, when I walk on stage, theres such a feeling of faces looking back at me with love and admiration. It really is about a desire from the people, the last tour I actually announced to my audience that I would be back. It was only because of feeling, because thats the kind of audience I have
35.
Gloria Estefan
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Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She started off her career as the singer in the group called Miami Latin Boys which was eventually known as Miami Sound Machine. Estefans breakthrough success with Conga in 1985 made her known worldwide and it won the grand prix in the 15th annual Tokyo Music Festival in Japan. In the middle of 1988 she and the band got their first number-one hit for the song Anything for You, in March 1990, Estefan had a severe accident in her tour bus. She made her comeback in March 1991 with a new world tour and her 1993 Spanish-language album Mi Tierra won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album. It was the first number-one album on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and it was also the first Diamond album in Spain. Many of her songs like Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, 1-2-3, Get On Your Feet, Here We Are, Coming Out of the Dark, Bad Boy, party Time and a remake of Vicki Sue Robinsons Turn the Beat Around became international hits, with chart-topping scores. Estefan has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, including 31.5 million in the United States alone and she has won seven Grammy Awards. Estefan also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in 2015, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to American music. Estefan also won an MTV Video Music Award, and two ACE Awards and she was honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement as well as being named BMI Songwriter of the Year. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received multiple Billboard Awards and she is also on the list of VH1 top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in Billboards Top 100 Greatest Artists Of All time. Estefan was born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García in Havana, Cuba, to José Fajardo and Gloria García, prior to the Cuban Revolution, her father was a Cuban soldier and a bodyguard for the wife of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The Fajardo family fled to Miami, Florida as a result of the Cuban Revolution, shortly after they moved to the United States, Glorias father joined the US military and fought in the Vietnam War and moved to Houston after his participation in the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Estefan was raised Catholic and attended St. Michael-Archangel School and Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami, Estefan father became ill after returning from Vietnam and Gloria helped her mother, Gloria Fajardo, care for him. Her mother worked as a schoolteacher for the Dade County Public School system, Gloria Estefan graduated from college in 1979 with a BA in psychology, with a minor in French, from the University of Miami. Estefan became a citizen of the United States in 1974, under the name Gloria Garcia Fajardo. Estefan became romantically involved with the Miami Sound Machines band leader, Emilio Estefan, as she later revealed, he was my first and only boyfriend. She and Emilio married on September 2,1978 and they have a son, Nayib and a daughter Emily
36.
Michael Jackson
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Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music, dance, the eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his career in 1971. In the early 1980s, Jackson became a dominant figure in popular music, the popularity of these videos helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Jacksons 1987 album Bad spawned the U. S and he continued to innovate with videos such as Black or White and Scream throughout the 1990s, and forged a reputation as a touring solo artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized a number of complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and his distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous artists of various music genres. Thriller is the album of all time, with estimated sales of 65 million copies worldwide. Jacksons other albums, including Off the Wall, Bad, Dangerous and he is recognized as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time by Guinness World Records. Jackson won hundreds of awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He became the first artist in history to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades when Love Never Felt So Good reached number nine on May 21,2014. Jackson traveled the world attending events honoring his humanitarianism, and, in 2000, aspects of Jacksons personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of sexual abuse, but the civil case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of child sexual abuse allegations. While preparing for his concert series, This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication on June 25,2009. The Los Angeles County Coroner ruled his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Jacksons death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and a live broadcast of his public memorial service was viewed around the world. Forbes ranks Jackson as the dead celebrity with earnings of $825 million in 2016. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958 and his mother, Katherine Esther Scruse, was a devout Jehovahs Witness. She played clarinet and piano and once aspired to be a country-and-western performer, michaels father, Joseph Walter Joe Jackson, a former boxer, was a steelworker at U. S. Steel
37.
HIStory World Tour
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The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American artist Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 83 concerts and was attended by approximately 4.5 million fans, the HIStory World Tour spanned the globe with stops in 57 cities,35 countries on 5 continents. Jackson performed a concert at Letna Park in Prague, one of Jacksons largest single attended concerts in his career, on October 7,1996, he performed for the first time ever in Arab world in front of 60,000 fans in Tunis in a solo tour. During the tours stopover in Sydney, Australia, he married his wife, Debbie Rowe in a private and he was interviewed by Molly Meldrum In Brisbane and dance with two women during You Are Not Alone. On January 3 and 4,1997 Jackson only performed two concerts in North America and he did not perform in the USA mainland, but rather in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Aloha Stadium to a crowd of 35,000 each. The second leg started on May 31,1997 at the Weserstadion in Bremen, set list changes included the addition of Blood on the Dance Floor and later on the removal of the Off the Wall Medley and The Way You Make Me Feel. Blood on the Dance Floor was taken off the set list after the concert in Oslo on August 19,1997, also, Jackson performed at the Parken Stadium on his 39th birthday with 60,000 fans. He was presented with a birthday cake, marching band. Professional footage of this is found in Michaels private home movies, the concert at Hippodrome Wellington of Ostend, Belgium, was supposed to be held on August 31,1997, but was postponed to September 3 following Princess Dianas death. S. S. With Blood on the Dance Floor, the song was performed in every concert until the one in Oslo, Norway on August 19,1997. Notes This concert marked the live performances of Scream/They Dont Care About Us/In the Closet, The Wind, You Are Not Alone. Gates of Kiev replaces Brace Yourself, stranger in Moscow replaces Human Nature. You Are Not Alone replaces I Just Cant Stop Loving You, the Way You Make Me Feel replaces Shes Out of My Life. Off the Wall Medley or Billie Jean is performed after The Jackson 5 Medley instead of Thriller, earth Song is present after Black or White HIStory replaces Man in the Mirror. Jackson was the first artist in history to sell out the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu and he performed two sold out concerts there on January 3 and 4,1997
38.
Janet Jackson
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Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. After signing a contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third studio album Control. Her collaborations with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis incorporated elements of rhythm and blues, funk, disco, rap, and industrial beats, which led to crossover success in popular music. In 1991 Jackson signed the first of two record-breaking multimillion-dollar contracts with Virgin Records, establishing her as one of the highest paid artists in the industry. Her debut album under the label, Janet, saw her develop an image as a sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her work. That same year, she appeared in her first starring role in Poetic Justice. By the end of the 1990s, she was the second most successful recording artist of the decade, the release of her seventh studio album All for You coincided with a celebration of her impact on popular music as the inaugural MTV Icon. After parting ways with Virgin she released her studio album, Discipline, her first. In 2015 she partnered with BMG Rights Management to launch her own label, Rhythm Nation. Having sold over 100 million records, Jackson is one of the artists in the history of contemporary music. In 2016, Billboard placed her number seven on its list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, in December 2016, the magazine named her the second most successful dance artist of all-time. One of the worlds most awarded artists, her longevity, records and she has been cited as an inspiration among numerous performers. Janet Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, the youngest of ten children, to Katherine Esther, the Jacksons were lower-middle class and devout Jehovahs Witnesses, although Jackson would later refrain from organized religion. At a young age, her brothers began performing as The Jackson 5 in the Chicago-Gary area, in March 1969, the group signed a record deal with Motown, and soon had their first number-one hit. The family then moved to the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, Jackson had initially desired to become a horse racing jockey or entertainment lawyer, with plans to support herself through acting. Despite this, she was anticipated to pursue a career in entertainment, at age seven, Jackson performed at the Las Vegas Strip at the MGM Casino. A biography revealed her father, Joseph Jackson, was emotionally withdrawn and she began acting in the variety show The Jacksons in 1976. In 1977, she was selected to have a role as Penny Gordon Woods in the sitcom Good Times
39.
The Velvet Rope Tour
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The Velvet Rope Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Launched in support of her studio album The Velvet Rope, the tour visited Europe, North America, Japan, New Zealand, Africa. Jackson was inspired to create a show using elements of Broadway theatre, portraying her struggle with depression. The tours stage production was developed as a setting, allowing spectators to cross beyond her velvet rope. It consists of songs, several band interludes, and intense choreography along with nine costume changes. Jackson depicts themes such as burlesque and domestic violence among the complex production of pyrotechnics and theatrics. Its setlist was composed of an array of Jacksons discography. The tour is divided into five segments, each displaying different themes, the shows suggestive promotional ads were banned from a number of publications. Billboards of the image were reported to traffic accidents in Europe. A number of reviews commended Jacksons stage presence as consistently exceptional and it broke several attendance records and is the most attended stadium concert of all time in Hawaii. A private show was held in South East Asia by request of Princess Hamidah of the Brunei Royal Family, HBO broadcast the show during a special titled The Velvet Rope, Live in Madison Square Garden. It drew over 15 million viewers and was the most watched program among homes subscribed to the network, the special won an Emmy Award, and was also nominated for Image Awards and TMF Awards. It was released on DVD as The Velvet Rope Tour – Live in Concert, various aspects of the tour have influenced numerous performers, including Britney Spears, Pink, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Panic. At the Disco, Jay-Z, and Arashi, Jackson notably selected N Sync and Usher to open for the tour, introducing both to the public during their early careers. It has also inspired the careers of several performers, dancers, Jackson developed the tour as an audiovisual storybook, sharing her life experience through the evolution of her music. Catherine McHugh of Entertainment Design reports Part of the reason Janet Jackson titled her latest record The Velvet Rope was to criticize barriers that separate different classes in society, so from the beginning of her show, Jackson strives to prove her accessibility to her audience. The spectacular opening presents Jacksons life—at least professionally—as an open book, the stage was designed by Mark Fisher, saying She wanted to have a book opening and herself come out of it. So I finessed that book into the video screen, Fisher explained, Each different scene in the show would be akin to turning the pages in this book, and all the albums that shed done in the past—Control, Rhythm Nation, janet. —would be represented
40.
Metallica
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Metallica is an American heavy metal band based in San Rafael, California. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles when vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield responded to an advertisement posted by drummer Lars Ulrich in a local newspaper, Metallicas current line-up comprises founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, longtime lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo. Guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted are former members of the band, the bands fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship placed them as one of the founding big four bands of thrash metal, alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. The band expanded its musical direction and achieved commercial success with its eponymous fifth album Metallica. The album was also their first to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, in 2000, Metallica joined with other artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the bands copyright-protected material without consent from the band. A settlement was reached and Napster became a pay-to-use service, the band returned to its original musical style with the release of Death Magnetic, and in 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica has released ten albums, four live albums, five extended plays,26 music videos. The band has won eight Grammy Awards and six of its albums have debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The bands eponymous 1991 album has sold over 16 million copies in the United States, Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 110 million records worldwide. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone, in 2012, Metallica formed the independent record label Blackened Recordings and took full ownership of its albums and videos. The band is currently promoting Hardwired. to Self-Destruct, which was released on November 18,2016, guitarists James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for the upcoming compilation album Metal Massacre. Slagel accepted and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar, the band was officially formed in October 1981, five months after Ulrich and Hetfield first met. Ulrich talked to his friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine, Quintana had proposed the names MetalMania and Metallica. A second advertisement was placed in The Recycler for a position as lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine answered, Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him after seeing his expensive guitar equipment. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song Hit the Lights for the Metal Massacre I compilation, Hetfield played bass on the song and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo. Metal Massacre I was released on June 14,1982, early pressings listed the band incorrectly as Mettallica, the bands first taste of live success came early, they were chosen to open for British heavy metal band Saxon at one gig of their 1982 US tour. Metallica recorded its first demo, Power Metal, an inspired by Quintanas early business cards in early 1982
41.
Escape from the Studio '06
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Escape from the Studio 06 was a 2006 concert tour by American heavy metal band Metallica. The tour took place during the process of the groups then-untitled ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. Metallica kept this tradition going by debuting a new song informally dubbed The New Song by frontman James Hetfield, which runs for approximately 8 minutes. Due to the repetition of the words Death is not the end in the lyrics, many chose to believe this to be the name of the song. The lyrics seem to talk about reincarnation, or, as it could be interpreted, during their August 12 gig in Tokyo, the band debuted more new material, a song referred to as The Other New Song. The song is shorter, clocking in at just over 3 minutes. Fan reactions have been mixed, with comparisons to work by punk pioneers The Misfits. After the tours conclusion, the band reentered their San Francisco workspace/studio to continue the process for their new album. In addition to a new material, Metallica also played the Master of Puppets album in its entirety at several of these shows. And in particular, rarely played album song Orion was dedicated to its primary writer, the Metallica portion of the tour logo is made up of taking one letter from several of their albums in a cut-and-paste fashion. The letters are as follows, The M is from Ride the Lightning, the E is from Garage Inc. The first A is from. And Justice for All, the first L is from Live Shit, Binge & Purge. The second L is from a One single/T-shirt logo from the. And Justice for All era, the I is from the Cunning Stunts live video/DVD. The C is from Kill Em All, the second A is from St. Anger. Creeping Death Fuel Harvester of Sorrow Welcome Home For Whom the Bell Tolls St. com News post about the tour on www. metallica. com
42.
Robbie Williams
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Robert Peter Robbie Williams is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995 and he has also had commercial success as a solo artist. Williams rose to fame in Take Thats first run in the early-to-mid-1990s, Williams also released seven number-one singles. On 15 July 2010, he rejoined Take That, the groups subsequent album Progress became the second fastest-selling album in UK chart history and the fastest-selling record of the century at the time. Gary Barlow has since confirmed that Williams had left for a time, although the departure was amicable. He is the best-selling British solo artist in the United Kingdom, in 2004, he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame after being voted the Greatest Artist of the 1990s. According to the British Phonographic Industry, Williams has been certified for 19.5 million albums and 6.8 million singles in the UK as a solo artist. Williams also topped the 2000–2010 UK airplay chart, racking up almost 50% more plays than the Sugababes at number 2, in 2014 he was awarded the freedom of his home town of Stoke-on-Trent, as well as having a tourist trail created and streets named in his honour. Williams was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and his maternal grandfather was Irish and hailed from Kilkenny. Williams attended St Margaret Ward Catholic School in Tunstall, before attending dance school UKDDF in Tunstall and he participated in several school plays, and his biggest role was that of the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver. In 1990, the sixteen-year-old Williams was the youngest member to join Take That, according to the documentary Take That, For the Record, his mother read an advertisement seeking members for a new boy band and suggested that he try out for the group. He met fellow member Mark Owen on the day of his audition/interview with Nigel Martin-Smith, during the heights of the bands popularity, Williams was known as the extrovert and cheeky practical joker of the band. However, he had conflicts with Martin-Smith over the rules for Take That members. In November 1994, Williamss drug abuse had escalated to the point of his having a drug overdose the night before the group was scheduled to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Barlow explained in interviews that Williams had given up trying to offer creative input, during one of the last rehearsals before the tour commenced, the group confronted Williams about his attitude and stated they wanted to do the tour without him. He agreed to quit and left the group in July 1995, despite the departure of Williams, Take That completed their Nobody Else Tour as a four-piece band. They later disbanded on 13 February 1996, Williamss 22nd birthday, shortly afterwards, Williams was photographed by the press partying with the members of Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Following his departure, he became the subject of shows and newspapers as he acknowledged his plans to become a solo singer
43.
Close Encounters Tour
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The Close Encounters Tour was a concert tour by British recording artist, Robbie Williams. Running from April to December 2006, the tour supported Williams sixth studio album, to date, it was the singers largest tour, playing over 50 shows in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia. It is believed to have played to over 3 million spectators, the name is derived from the 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Freshlyground Basement Jaxx Orson Sneaky Sound System La Portuaria Cancellations and rescheduled shows Official site
44.
Celine Dion
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Céline Marie Claudette Dion, CC OQ ChLD is a Canadian singer and businesswoman. Dion first gained recognition in the 1980s by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest where she represented Switzerland. Following a series of French albums during the 1980s, she signed on to Epic Records in the United States, in 1990, Dion released her debut English-language album, Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world. During the 1990s, with the help of Angélil, she achieved fame after releasing several English albums along with additional French albums. Her albums, Falling into You and Lets Talk About Love, were certified diamond in the US while Deux became the best-selling French-language album of all time. However, in 1999 at the height of her success, Dion announced a hiatus from entertainment to start a family and spend time with her husband and she returned to the top of pop music in 2002 and signed to perform nightly in A New Day. A five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Paradise and it became the most successful residency show of all time, grossing US $385 million. Dions music has influenced by genres ranging from rock and R&B to gospel. Her recordings are mainly in French and English, although she sings in Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Japanese. While her releases have received mixed critical reception, she is regarded as one of pop musics most influential voices. Dion has won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and she is the second best-selling female artist in the US during the Nielsen SoundScan era. In 2003, Dion was honoured by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for selling over 50 million albums in Europe, Dion remains the best-selling Canadian artist and one of the best-selling artists of all time with record sales of over 200 million copies worldwide. Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, the youngest of 14 children of Thérèse, a homemaker, and Adhémar Dion, Dion was raised a Roman Catholic in a poverty-stricken, but, by her own account, happy home in Charlemagne. Music had always been a part of the Dion family, indeed, Dion herself was named after the song Céline. Thereafter, she continued to perform with her siblings in her parentss small piano bar called Le Vieux Baril, from an early age, Dion had dreamed of being a performer. In a 1994 interview with People magazine, she recalled, I missed my family and my home, I had one dream, I wanted to be a singer. At age 12, Dion collaborated with her mother and her brother Jacques to write and compose her first song, Ce nétait quun rêve, whose title translates as It Was Only a Dream or Nothing But A Dream. Her brother, Michel Dion, sent the recording to music manager René Angélil, Angélil was moved to tears by Dions voice and decided to make her a star
45.
Taking Chances World Tour
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The Taking Chances World Tour is the ninth concert tour by Canadian singer Céline Dion, in support of her 2007 studio albums, Delles and Taking Chances. The tour marked the return of Dion after performing her groundbreaking show A New Day, in Las Vegas for five years. It also marks as her first concert tour in 9 years since her 1998–1999 Lets Talk About Love World Tour, the tour visited Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Pollstar announced its total gross at US$279.2 million, making it the second highest-grossing tour by a solo artist at that time and it was eventually surpassed by Madonnas MDNA Tour. The show, directed by Jamie King, combined Dions performances with color, fashion, Céline Dion performed some of her biggest hits, along with songs from her latest English album Taking Chances. The two-hour show was divided into four segments, soul, rock, Middle-Eastern and, Dion was supported by eight dancers. Rehearsals took place in December 2007 in Primm, Nevada and MGM Grand Garden Arena, the tour setup included about twenty LED screens, among them one that orbited above the stage, plus conveyor belts and elevators. Dion pre-recorded a selection of videos for her show, the introduction video showed her driving a car at high-speed, set to a remix of I Drove All Night as the beginning of her concert. As the tour went on, the intro video shaped up, another video showed the singer dressed in varying fashions over the years, with the My Heart Will Go On remix in the background. Jamie King joined the tour on 2 May 2008 in Manchester, before that date, the show was not on a central stage for logistics reasons. After two and a half months, Dion rehearsed again to perfect the show for the in the round setup, because of Dions bilingual career and the restrictions of certain arenas and stadiums on the tour, King had to direct and choreograph three separate shows. One show featured a set-list mostly of English-language songs, and was performed using the full system of mobile screens, elevators. A second show featured the center stage arrangement, but included about ten French language songs for performances in Francophone countries. A third, less complex show was used where the center stage arrangement would not fit into the venue or where it would be impractical to transport the stage. An end stage setup was used in cases, and featured a massive central video screen. Before the European leg, the central and end stage setups were redone, changing lights and cues, Dion premiered new costumes when the European tour began. Dion and her band rehearsed about 60 tracks, both in English and French, among those, about 27 songs were performed in each show, according to each visited market. Pour que tu maimes encore was performed throughout the whole tour and it is the best-selling French-language single of all time, and one of the only French songs in music history to achieve chart success in many non-Francophone countries
46.
Moses Mabhida Stadium
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The Moses Mabhida Stadium is a stadium in Durban, South Africa, named after Moses Mabhida, a former General Secretary of the South African Communist Party. The stadium became a venue for events, like bungee jumping, concerts, cricket, football, golf practice, motorsports. It was one of the host stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the stadium had a capacity of 62,760 during the World Cup and currently has a capacity of 54,000. The stadium is adjacent to the Kings Park Stadium, in the Kings Park Sporting Precinct, and it includes a sports institute, and a transmodal transport station. This newly built stadium is located on the grounds of the Kings Park Soccer Stadium, the stadium had the capacity to hold 62,760 spectators during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Its design allows the stadium seating to be adjusted,54,000 for local matches or up to 80,000 for events such as the Commonwealth Games and it has two permanent tiers of seating, a temporary third one was added for the World Cup. There are 120 corporate hospitality suites with 7,500 seats, the arch also represents the once divided nation coming together, inspired by the South African Flag. The arch consists of a 5×5m steel hollow box and weighs 2,600 tonnes, a funicular carries visitors from the north side of the stadium to a viewing platform at the top of the arch, offering a view over city and ocean. The south side features a 550-step adventure walk, on 24 February 2010 the worlds largest swing opened at the stadium. The swing allows clients to jump off the 4th ladder rung, Moses Mabhida Stadium roof consists of a 46,000 m2, Teflon-coated, glass-fibre membrane which produce a translucent glow when the stadium is lit. These are attached to the arch by 95mm diameter steel cables, the roof covers 88% of the seats. Around the perimeter,1,750 columns and 216 raking beams provides the main support, around the field, 900m of retaining walls stretches 8m high. A total of 1,780 pre-cast concrete seating panels creates the bowl form, there are over 80,000 square metres of floor space within the stadium structure. Over 100 columns surround the stadium, the height of the columns varies around the stadium, but the highest is 46m. In total 15,000 square metres of façade surround the stadium, a total of 550 aluminium fins fit between the main columns. Perforated metal sheeting was placed between the fins, where required. Durban was awarded the rights to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games on September 2,2015 at the General Assembly in Auckland, the Event is due to begin on 18 July 2022 the birthday of late former president Nelson Mandela. The stadium was one of the venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and hosted five games, one second round game
Argentina
England
Italy
Western Samoa
France
Ireland
South Africa
Gabon
Liberia
Zaire
Angola
Cameroon
Tunisia
Zambia
