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2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics (''Torino 2006'') was held on 10 February 2006 beginning at 20:00 CET (UTC+1) at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy. The ceremony was attended by 35,000 spectators with the presence of numerous international and Italian guests on the stage and heads of state and government on the stands. The event was broadcast live to an estimated two-billion audience worldwide by 32 television cameras. The ceremony saluted the region's culture and history, was highlighted by Italian celebrities and showcased Italian designs. There were the customary parade of athletes and raising of the host nation's flag and the Olympic flag. Apart from the choreography, the fireworks, and the pageantry, the ceremony was a reminder of peace as a goal of these Games. It climaxed with the lighting of the Olympic Flame. Program The theme of the program was "Passion Lives Here," and the 4000m2 stage was shaped like an anatomic heart with a mosh pit in the centr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter Olympics, the first being in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo; Italy had also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1960 in Rome. Turin was selected as the host city for the 2006 Games in June 1999. The official motto of Torino 2006 was "Passion lives here". The Games' logo depicted a stylized profile of the Mole Antonelliana building, drawn in white and blue ice crystals, signifying the snow and the sky. The crystal web was also meant to portray the web of new technologies and the Olympic spirit of community. The 2006 Olympic mascots were Neve ("snow" in Italian), a female snowball, and Gliz, a male ice cube. Italy is scheduled to host the Winter Olympics in 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, 20 years after the 2006 event and the city will host ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and even "E-minus" for events that involve spacecraft that are already in space, where the "T" could stand for "Test" or "Time", and the "E" stands for "Encounter", as with a comet or some other space object, like a spacecraft. Other events for which countdowns are commonly used include the detonation of an explosive, the start of a race, the start of the New Year, or any anxiously anticipated event. An early use of a countdown once signaled the start of a Cambridge University rowing race. One of the first known associations with rockets was in the 1929 German science fiction movie '' Frau im Mond'' (English: ''Woman in the Moon'') written by Thea von Harbou and directed by Fritz Lang in an attempt to increase the drama of the launch sequence ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ouverture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which were independent, self-existing, instrumental, programmatic works that foreshadowed genres such as the symphonic poem. These were "at first undoubtedly intended to be played at the head of a programme". The idea of an instrumental opening to opera existed during the 17th century. Peri's '' Euridice'' opens with a brief instrumental ritornello, and Monteverdi's ''L'Orfeo'' (1607) opens with a toccata, in this case a fanfare for muted trumpets. More important was the prologue, consisting of sung dialogue between allegorical characters which introduced the overarching themes of the stories depicted. French overture As a musical form, the French overture first appears in the court ballet and operatic overtures of Jean-Baptiste Lully, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Se Canto
"Se Canta" (; 'If It Sings'), also known as "Se Chanta" or "Aqueras Montanhas", is an anthem associated with Occitania. It is also a very old popular song, known all over Occitania. According to legend, it was written by Gaston III Fébus (1331–1391), Count of Foix and Béarn. Since 1993, it has an official status in Aran Valley (a comarca in Catalonia, Spain) with the title ''Montanhes Araneses''. It has been the official anthem of Toulouse FC since August 6, 2010. It is also popular in the High Aragon (Spain) with the name of ''Aqueras montanyas'' or ''Aqueras montañas'', sung in Aragonese, with similar lyrics. It was compiled by the Aragonese group Biella Nuei and later sung, among others, by the singer-songwriter José Antonio Labordeta. ''Se Canta'' is often regarded as the unofficial anthem of all Occitania and most people living in that region know the words to the first verse and chorus even if they are not native Occitan speakers themselves. Notable occasions on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European nations tend towards more ornate and operatic pieces, while those in the Middle East, Oceania, Africa, and the Caribbean use a more simplistic fanfare. Some countries that are devolved into multiple constituent states have their own official musical compositions for them (such as with the United Kingdom, Russia, and the Soviet Union); their constituencies' songs are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states. History In the early modern period, some European monarchies adopted royal anthems. Some of these anthems have survived into current use. " God Save the King/Queen", first performed in 1619, remains the royal anthem of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms . , adopted as the roya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Occitania
Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except the French Basque Country and French Catalonia) as well as part of Spain ( Aran Valley), Monaco, and parts of Italy ( Occitan Valleys). Occitania has been recognized as a linguistic and cultural concept since the Middle Ages. The territory was united in Roman times as the '' Seven Provinces'' () and in the Early Middle Ages (''Aquitanica'' or the Visigothic Kingdom of Toulouse, or the share of Louis the Pious following Thionville ''divisio regnorum'' in 806). Currently, the region has a population of 16 million, and between 200,000 and 800,000Fabrice BERNISSAN (2012). "Combien l'occitan compte de locuteurs en 2012 ?", ''Revue de Linguistique Romane'', 76 (12/2011-07/2012), pp. 467-512« De fait, le nombre des locuteurs de l� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Circle Pit
A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any point of the circle and the centre is called the radius. The length of a line segment connecting two points on the circle and passing through the centre is called the diameter. A circle bounds a region of the plane called a disc. The circle has been known since before the beginning of recorded history. Natural circles are common, such as the full moon or a slice of round fruit. The circle is the basis for the wheel, which, with related inventions such as gears, makes much of modern machinery possible. In mathematics, the study of the circle has helped inspire the development of geometry, astronomy and calculus. Terminology * Annulus: a ring-shaped object, the region bounded by two concentric circles. * Arc: any connected part of a circle. Specifying two end points of an arc and a centre allows for two arcs that together mak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. With its urban area's population numbering over 3.6 million, it is the List of urban areas in the European Union, eighth-largest urban area in the European Union (EU). The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens), which constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire urban area, had a population of 643,452 (2021) within its official limits, and a land area of . Athens is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years, and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BCE. According to Greek mythology the city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries, with 301 medal events in 28 different Olympic sports, sports. The 2004 Games marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance, and also marked the first time Athens hosted the Games since their first modern incarnation in 1896 Summer Olympics, 1896 as well as the return of the Olympic games to its birthplace. Athens became the fourth city to host the Summer Olympic Games on two occasions (together with Paris, London and Los Angeles). A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games, replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since 1928 Summer Olympics, 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synchronised Swimming
Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming), also known as artistic swimming, is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World Aquatics (formerly known as FINA). It has traditionally been a women's sport, although FINA introduced a new mixed gender duet competition that included one male swimmer in each duet at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships and European Aquatics introduced men's individual events at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships. From 2024, men are able to compete in the team event at the Olympics. Synchronized swimming has been part of the Summer Olympics program since 1984, featuring both women's duet and team events. In 2017, under the instruction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FINA renamed the sport from "synchronized swimming" to "artistic swimming" —a decision that has faced controversy. The new official name has yet t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inline Skate
Inline skates are boots with wheels arranged in a single line from front to back, allowing one to move in an ice skate-like fashion. Inline skates are technically a type of roller skate, but most people associate the term roller skates with quad skates, another type of roller skate with a two-by-two wheel arrangement similar to a car. Quad skates were popularized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inline skates became prominent in the late 1980s with the rise of Rollerblade, Inc., and peaked in the late 1990s. The registered trademark '' Rollerblade'' has since become a generic trademark due to its popularity. To this day, "rollerblades" continues to be used in everyday language to refer to inline skates. In the 21st century, inline skates come in many varieties, suitable for different types of inline skating activities and sports such as recreational skating, urban skating, roller hockey, street hockey, speed skating, slalom skating, aggressive skating, vert skatin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the northwest. Piedmont also borders Switzerland to the north and France to the west. Piedmont has an area of , making it the second-largest region of Italy after Sicily. It has 4,255,702 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital of Piedmont is Turin, which was also the capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865. Toponymy The French ''Piedmont'', the Italian ''Piemonte'', and other variant cognates come from the medieval Latin or , i.e. , meaning "at the foot of the mountains" (referring to the Alps), attested in documents from the end of the 12th century. Geography Piedmont is surrounded on three sides by the Alps, including Monte Viso, Monviso, where the Po River, river Po rises, and Monte Rosa. It borders France (Auvergne-Rhône ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
