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Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled, known as a skeleton bobsled (or bobsleigh), down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first. The sport and the sled may have been named from the bony appearance of the sled. Unlike other sliding sports of bobsleigh and luge, the race always involves single riders. Like bobsleigh, but unlike luge, the race begins with a running start from the opening gate at the top of the course. The skeleton sled is thinner and heavier than the luge sled, and skeleton gives the rider more precise control of the sled. Skeleton is the slowest of the three sliding sports, as skeleton's face-down, head-first riding position is less aerodynamic than luge's face-up, feet-first ride. Previously, skeleton appeared in the Olympic program in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1928 and again in 1948. It was added permanently to the Olympic program for the 2002 Winter Olympics, at which stage a women's race was added. Du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amy Williams
Amy Joy Williams, (born 29 September 1982) is a British former skeleton racer and Olympic gold medallist. Originally a runner, she began training in skeleton in 2002 after trying the sport on a push-start track at the University of Bath. Although unable to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics, she was a member of the Great Britain team four years later at the 2010 Games. She won a gold medal, becoming the first British individual gold medallist at a Winter Olympics for 30 years and the only British medallist in those Olympics. Early life and education Williams was born in Cambridge and brought up in Bath, being educated at Hayesfield School Technology College, Beechen Cliff School and the University of Bath. Her father, Ian Williams, was a professor of chemistry at the University of Bath, and her mother, Janet Williams, is a former midwife. Williams has a twin sister and an older brother. Career Williams was originally a 400m runner but she was unable to qualify for the n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brake
A brake is a machine, mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for Acceleration, slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Background Most brakes commonly use friction between two surfaces pressed together to convert the kinetic energy of the moving object into heat, though other methods of energy conversion may be employed. For example, regenerative braking converts much of the energy to electrical energy, which may be stored for later use. Other methods convert kinetic energy into potential energy in such stored forms as Compressed air energy storage, pressurized air or pressurized oil. Eddy current brakes use magnetic fields to convert kinetic energy into electric current in the brake disc, fin, or rail, which is converted into heat. Still other braking methods even transform kinetic energy into different forms, for example by transferring the en ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Styria
Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and clockwise, from the southwest, by the other Austrian states of Carinthia, Salzburg (federal state), Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and Burgenland. The state's capital is Graz, the second largest city in Austria after only Vienna. Name The March of Styria derived its name from the original seat of its ruling Otakars, Otakar dynasty: Steyr, in today's Upper Austria, which in turn derives its name from the namesake river of Steyr, stemming from the Celtic Stiria. In the native German the area is still called "Steiermark", while in English the Latin name "Styria" is used. Until the late 19th century however, the German name "Steyer", a slightly modernized spelling of Steyr, was also common. The ancient link between the city of Steyr and S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936. From the selection of a host city in a neutral country to the exclusion of Japan and Germany, the political atmosphere of the post-war world was inescapable during the 1948 Games. The organizing committee faced several challenges due to the lack of financial and human resources consumed by the war. These were the first of two winter Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström. 28 nations marched in the opening ceremonies on 30 January 1948. Bibi Torriani played for the Switzerland men's national ice hockey team and became the first ice hockey player to recite the Olympic Oath on behalf of all athletes. Nearly 670 ath ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1928 Winter Olympics
The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1928 (; ), were an international winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 11 to 19 February 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics to be held as a stand-alone event, not in conjunction with a Summer Olympic Games, Summer Olympics. The preceding 1924 Winter Olympics, 1924 Winter Games were retroactively renamed the inaugural Winter Olympics, although they had in fact been organised alongside the 1924 Summer Olympics in France. Before 1924, the winter events were included in the schedule of the Summer Games and there were no separate Winter Games. The 1928 Winter Games also replaced the now redundant Nordic Games, which had been held at varying intervals since early in the 20th century. The hosts were challenged by fluctuating weather conditions; the Olympic Games ceremony, opening ceremo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in Chamonix, France. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 394 CE. The Pierre de Coubertin, Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 1,500 years later in 1894, leading to the first modern Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic movement, Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. The original five Winter Olympic Sports (consisting of nine disciplines) were Bobsleigh at the 1924 Winter Olympics, bobsleigh, Curling at the 1924 Winter Olympics, curling, Ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics, ice hockey, Nordic skiing at the 1924 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celerina/Schlarigna
Celerina/Schlarigna (German/Italian ''Celerina''; Romansh ) is a municipality in the Maloja Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. History Celerina/Schlarigna was first mentioned in 1313 as ''Schellarin'' and in 1320 as ''Celarina''. In 1631, a fire destroyed 43 houses. From the 1860s onwards, tourism became more and more important to the village. The Cresta Run opened in 1884, the St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun in 1904 and the cable car to Saluver in 1958. In the course of the 20th century, the population structure of the originally Romansh-speaking farming village underwent radical change, with people moving to the thriving resort from the German-speaking part of Switzerland and also from Italy. Geography Celerina/Schlarigna has an area, , of . Of this area, 34% is used for agricultural purposes, while 30.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 4.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (31.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains). I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caspar Badrutt
Caspar Badrutt (July 21, 1848June 28, 1904) was a Swiss businessman, hotelier and restaurateur. He was the founder and proprietor of the famous Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Badrutt was almost solely responsible for developing the village into an international skiing destination. Early life Badrutt was born in Samedan on July 21, 1848, as the second son of Johannes Badrutt and his wife Maria (née Berry). His younger brother, Peter Robert Badrutt (1850–1907), became a serial businessman and Grand Councilor of Grisons from 1897 to 1898 (The Liberals (Switzerland), Liberals). Career He initially worked at his father's hotel, the Hotel Engadiner Kulm, before founding Badrutt's Palace in 1896. St. Moritz in the 19th century was known as a summer mineral spa town where the rich and royal took mineral cures during the months of May through September. However, Caspar's father, Johannes Badrutt, was discontent with having two thirds of the year without guests. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kulm (district)
Kulm District is a district in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It is located west of Lake Hallwil and covers parts of the Wyna and Suhre valleys. The principal town is Unterkulm; the largest municipality is Reinach. The district contains 16 municipalities, is 101.35 km2 in area and has a population of (as of ). Geography Kulm district has an area, , of . Of this area, or 49.8% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 31.8% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 14.2% is settled (buildings or roads). Demographics The Kulm district has a population () of . , 22.6% of the population are foreign nationals.Statistical Department of Canton Aargau -Bereich 01 -Bevölkerung accessed 20 January 2010 Economy there were 18,062 workers who lived in the municipality. Of ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norwegian Language
Norwegian ( ) is a North Germanic language from the Indo-European language family spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional varieties; some Norwegian and Swedish dialects, in particular, are very close. These Scandinavian languages, together with Faroese and Icelandic as well as some extinct languages, constitute the North Germanic languages. Faroese and Icelandic are not mutually intelligible with Norwegian in their spoken form because continental Scandinavian has diverged from them. While the two Germanic languages with the greatest numbers of speakers, English and German, have close similarities with Norwegian, neither is mutually intelligible with it. Norwegian is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Age. Today there are two official forms of ''written'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anglicized
Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language or culture; institutional, in which institutions are influenced by those of England or the United Kingdom; or Anglicisation (linguistics), linguistic, in which a non-English term or name is altered due to the cultural influence of the English language.Bridge, Carl, and Fedorowich, Kent. ''The British World: Diaspora, Culture, and Identity'', 2003, p. 89. "Beyond gaps in our information about who or what was affected by anglicisation is the matter of understanding the process more fully in terms of agency, periodisation, and extent and limitations." It can also refer to the influence of English soft power, which includes media, cuisine, popular culture, technology, business practices, laws and political systems. Anglicisation first occurre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the semi-exclave of Alaska in the northwest and the archipelago of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The United States asserts sovereignty over five Territories of the United States, major island territories and United States Minor Outlying Islands, various uninhabited islands in Oceania and the Caribbean. It is a megadiverse country, with the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, third-largest land area and List of countries and dependencies by population, third-largest population, exceeding 340 million. Its three Metropolitan statistical areas by population, largest metropolitan areas are New York metropolitan area, New York, Greater Los Angeles, Los Angel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
