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Wetzlar

Wetzlar is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is the twelfth largest city in Hesse with currently 55,371 inhabitants at the beginning of 2019 (including second homes). As an important cultural, industrial and commercial center, the university town is one of the ten regional centers in the state of Hesse. A former free imperial city, it gained much of its fame as the seat of the Imperial Supreme Court (Reichskammergericht) of the Holy Roman Empire. Located 51 kilometers north of Frankfurt, at 8° 30′ E, 50° 34′ N, Wetzlar straddles the river Lahn and is on the German Timber-Frame Road, which passes mile upon mile of half-timbered houses. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis on the north edge of the Taunus. Tourists know the city for its ancient town and its medieval Catholic/Protestant shared cathedral of St. Mary. Notable architectural features include the Eisenmarkt and the steep gradients and tightly packed street layout of a medieval town. The building of the sandstone cathedral commenced in the 12th century in Romanesque style. In the later Middle Ages the construction continued under a master plan in Gothic style. The church was never finished—one steeple still remains uncompleted. The cathedral suffered heavy damage in the Second World War from aerial bombing, but restoration took place in the 1950s. On the outskirts of town along the river stand the ruins of several stone towers.

The town hosted the Hessentag state festival twice (the 15th and the 52nd in 1975 and 2012 respectively).

Geography

Wetzlar lies in the Lahn-Dill area in Middle Hesse on the river Lahn, not far downstream from where it changes direction from south to west in the heights near the mouth of the Dill. The town lies at a point that divides the low Hessian mountain ranges: south of the Lahn lies the Taunus; north of the Lahn and west of the Dill the Westerwald begins; north of the Lahn and east of the Dill the Rothaargebirge begin. The highest point within town limits is the Stoppelberg at 401 m above sea level.

Wetzlar's neighbouring towns and cities are Gießen (up the Lahn from centre to centre about 12 km), Koblenz 80 km down the Lahn, Limburg an der Lahn 40 km to the west, Siegen 50 km to the northwest, Dillenburg 30 km to the north, Marburg 30 km to the northeast and Frankfurt am Main 60 km to the south.

Wetzlar and Gießen are the two cores of this small (about 200,000 inhabitants) urban agglomeration in Middle Hesse. Along the valleys of the Lahn (east and west) and Dill (north) are heavily built-up neighbouring communities, whose built-up areas in some places merge with Wetzlar's. The low mountain ranges around Wetzlar to the northwest, northeast and south, on the other hand, are heavily wooded and very thinly populated.

Neighbouring communities
Wetzlar borders in the northwest on the town of Aßlar (Lahn-Dill-Kreis), to the north and northeast on the communities of Hohenahr (Lahn-Dill-Kreis) and Biebertal (Gießen district), to the east on the communities of Lahnau (Lahn-Dill-Kreis) and Heuchelheim and the town of Gießen (both in Gießen district), to the south on the communities of Hüttenberg and Schöffengrund and to the west on the town of Solms (all in the Lahn-Dill-Kreis).

Constituent communities

The core area of Wetzlar with 30,684 inhabitants is divided into twelve boroughs (Stadtbezirke): Altstadt, Neustadt, Hauser Berg, Büblingshausen, Sturzkopf, Stoppelberger Hohl, Nauborner Straße, Silhöfer Aue/Westend, Altenberger Strasse, Dalheim, Dillfeld and Niedergirmes. Niedergirmes is with over 6,000 inhabitants the largest municipality.

Furthermore, there are 8 districts (Stadtteile) outside the core area. Five of them have long since been swallowed up in Wetzlar's main built-up area. All, however, became part of Wetzlar with the dissolution of the city of Lahn in 1979, excluding Blasbach, Dutenhofen and Münchholzhausen which have long belonged to the city. These are east of the core towns of Naunheim (3882), Garbenheim (2080), Münchholzhausen (2420) and Dutenhofen (3152). Nauborn (3721) is located south of the core area and Steindorf (1704) follows on from the west central area. North of the core area are Blasbach (994) and Hermannstein (3588) (population in brackets, as of December 31, 2007).

Climate
Wetzlar has a year-round temperate seasonal climate of the middle latitudes. Between the different elevations there are different small climatic conditions. The daily mean temperature in summer is about 17 to 18 °C and in winter about 1 to 2 °C. The average rainfall is 600 to 700 mm, slightly below the German national average. On the high ground to the south and north of the Lahn valley there is a rainfall of 800 mm which is exactly the national average. The wettest months are June and December, with 74 mm and 73.3 mm, the driest month is February with 49.1 mm.

Demography
Wetzlar had on 31 December 2005 a municipal census for the city of 52,741 inhabitants (of which 21,946 are male and 24,313 female), 31,022 of which came from the core city (Kernstadt) and 21,719 in the 8 districts. Thus Wetzlar it the eleventh largest city in Hesse. The proportion of foreigners is 11.6% (6371 inhabitants), these are spread over 103 nations. The unemployment rate in the district of the employment agency without the offices of Dillenburg and Wetzlar Biedenkopf (which includes the city of Wetzlar, and 12 surrounding municipalities) was in July 2009 6.9%, which corresponds to 5698 unemployed.

Geology
Wetzlar lies on the eastern edge of the Rhenish Massif. The substrate consists of geologically young sediments of the Lahn and much older Devonian and Carboniferous rocks of the two main geological units of the Massif, the Lahnmulde and the so-called Giessen nappe. The northwestern part of the urban area lies on the Lahntal silt, sand and gravel, which have only slightly hardened. They were deposited by the River Lahn, at a point where its valley (which is still up to one kilometre wide) to the west becomes increasingly narrow and deep. The main part of the city is built on in part intensively folded, faulted and slated layers of shales, sandstone, quartzite and limestone. They were deposited in the Devonian and Carboniferous periods in a sea characterised by island chains, volcanoes and atolls that were pushed together and covered by a layer of rock that had been transported from another location during the period of mountain building known as the Variscan orogeny. The marine sedimentary rocks which resulted from this tectonic action now give the town its character as they were often used for building material.

History
The town's founding date is not known. There were "Bandkeramiker" settlements right on the western town limits, partly from 5,000 years BC.

Iron ore extraction and smelting in and around Wetzlar has been documented as early as the Celtic La Tène period. Iron processing has a tradition of around 2500 years there. There were also pit fields for copper, silver and gold in and around Wetzlar, albeit much later.

In the proximity of Wetzlar there are also a few Roman remains, which were constructed during the reign of the emperor Augustus (reigned 27 BC – 14 AD). There was a military camp at Dorlar and some Roman roadwork. The most important finding however is an uncompleted city (Waldgirmes Forum), which has been excavated since 1993. After their defeat in the battle of the Teutoburg Forest the Romans abandoned the area and withdrew to the Rhine border.

The name "Wetzlar" had come into being most likely by the 3rd century to the 8th century. The last syllable "―lar" suggests that the town was in existence by the 3rd century. The ending may be Celtic or Frankish (in the latter case, most likely referring to wooden defences around the town). The Conradine Gebhard, Count in the Wetterau, and as of 904 Duke of Lorraine, had a Church of the Saviour consecrated in 897, which replaced earlier structures. In the early 10th century came the founding of the Marienstift (monastery).

Free Imperial City

At some unknown time, Wetzlar was granted market rights, and thereby, the right to levy market dues. Within a year, a market community came into being. The monastery's forerunners were surely part of the crystallization point at which believers, traders and craftsmen met, above all on holidays.

The Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa (r. 1152–1190) created a Reichsvogtei (roughly "Imperial Bailiwick"), and in 1180 put Wetzlar's citizens on the same level as Frankfurt's. Wetzlar became a Free Imperial City and kept this distinction until 1803. For the town's protection, and to secure the Wetterau as an Imperial Province, he expanded high above Wetzlar the Imperial Castle (Reichsburg), which had most likely already stood in one form or another before then. The origin of the name "Reichsburg Kalsmunt" is not quite clear. The following explanation cannot be ruled out: Kals- = Karls and munt ≈ vassal, that is, a liege of the Frankish court. Thus it would seem to be a case of a building work from Charlemagne's time ("Charlemagne" is "Karl der Große" – "Charles the Great" (740s–814) – in German). Imperial coinage was struck at Kalsmunt. The commercial road, which crossed the Lahn at Wetzlar, the town's iron production, to which the Iron Market (forum ferri) still bears witness, the wool weaving mill and tanning seemed a good basis on which to develop the town further.

In 1285 the "false emperor" Dietrich Holzschuh, called Tile Kolup, who claimed to be Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (who actually had already died in Italy in 1250) came to Wetzlar. When the rightful king, Rudolph I (r. 1273–1291), heard of this and came to Wetzlar, the city leaders seized Tile Kolup and handed him over. He was sentenced as a warlock, a heretic and a blasphemer to a fiery death, which he suffered the next day in Wetzlar at the stake.

Until 1250, most of the town fortifications, whose remains can still be seen today, were complete. By the middle of the 14th century, it is reckoned, the town's population was 6,000, making it by the standards of the time a "city". About 1350, the high point of the town's development in the Middle Ages was reached.

Decades-long feuds with the Counts of Solms, who were trying to make Wetzlar into a Solms-domain city, threatened the vital commercial road. The Emperor supported the town, albeit vainly. The city plunged into debt and in 1387 it fell under forced administration; however, it was incorporated into the Swabian League of Towns. The town's decline led by the end of the Thirty Years' War to a drop in population, to 1,500.

A stroke of luck came Wetzlar's way in 1689 when the Holy Roman Empire's highest court, the Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court), was moved from Speyer to Wetzlar after Speyer had been devastated by the French in the War of the Palatinate Succession. Besides Vienna (residence of the Emperor) and Regensburg (seat of the Imperial Diet) Wetzlar thus gained a central function within the Holy Roman Empire and although it remained a tiny town it was regarded as one of its capitals. The court became the town's main employer; at the Empire's dissolution in 1806, it had a staff of about 150 including 20 judges, while a further 750 derived their income from it.

In the summer of 1772, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was at the Reichskammergericht as a trainee. His novel The Sorrows of Young Werther is inspired by real events which Goethe experienced in Wetzlar. In 1803 Wetzlar came under the rule of Karl Theodor Anton Maria von Dalberg, the Archchancellor of the Holy Roman Empire and a close ally of Napoleon Bonaparte and thus lost its status as a free town. With the Empire's dissolution in 1806, the great court also met its end. It was replaced by a school of law founded by Karl von Dalberg in 1808, which not only continued the Reichskammergericht's function of training constitutional lawyers, but also employed many of the former staff as teachers. A former legal trainee, Franz Stickel (1786–1848), was selected to translate the Code Napoleon that Dalberg introduced in his territories in 1810–11.

After the Congress of Vienna, the area passed to Prussia in 1815, and in 1822 it became the seat of the newly formed district of Wetzlar, which later became an exclave of the Rhine Province.

Wetzlar becomes an industrial town
Industrialization began once the Lahn was made into a navigable waterway. With the opening of two railway lines in 1862–1863 (the Lahntal railway from Wetzlar to Koblenz and the Cologne-Gießen Railway, the section through Wetzlar is now called the Dill Railway), which met in Wetzlar, the town found itself connected to raw material and outlet markets, becoming an industrial town. The strategic Cannons Railway, which was completed from Berlin to Metz via Wetzlar in 1882, was also sometimes known as the Wetzlar Railway (Wetzlarer Bahn) or Berlin–Wetzlar Railway (Berlin-Wetzlarer Bahn).

In 1869, in the municipal area alone, 100 ore mines were in operation. Wetzlar's first blast furnace, built by the brothers Buderus, went into service in 1872. As well, world-famous optical and precision mechanics companies such as Leitz (Leica), Hensoldt (Zeiss Optronics in the past, now Airbus), Pfeiffer Vacuum, Philips, Loh, Seibert, Hollmann, Minox and many others set up shop in the town.

For more than one hundred years, the iron ore found in the Lahn-Dill area (haematite) was processed at the Sophienhütte ironworks. As of 1887, iron ore mines were being shut down one by one, interrupted only by the First World War, because foreign ore from strip mines was being offered at lower prices on the world market. In 1926, mining came to an end altogether.

Wetzlar in the 20th century
As part of the progressing industrialization, the town outgrew its mediaeval town limits. In 1903 came the amalgamation of Niedergirmes with its extensive industrial works and the railway station neighbourhood. By the end of the First World War, the population had risen to over 15,000. Owing to increasing transportation problems, a ringroad was built to the west of the Old Town (Altstadt), taking the load off the old stone bridge across the Lahn by building a further bridge. In the Second World War, the town, being an industrial stronghold, also became the target of heavy bombing, which destroyed much of the railway station neighbourhood and Niedergirmes. The historic Old Town, however, was mostly spared the air raids.

After the Second World War ended in 1945, Wetzlar found itself in the American occupation zone, and later, once new boundaries had been drawn, in the Federal State of Hesse. By the beginning of the 1950s, owing to the huge numbers of displaced people from lost territories and refugees flooding into the town, the population had doubled to 30,000.

On 1 January 1977, as part of Hesse's municipal reforms, Wetzlar was united with the neighbouring town of Gießen and fourteen outlying communities to form the city of Lahn. This district-free city had about 156,000 inhabitants. The amalgamation was very unpopular, and after persistent protests – not least of all from Wetzlar – the city of Lahn was dissolved on 31 July 1979, and Wetzlar once again became an independent town. The municipal reforms, however, had been "worth the trouble" for Wetzlar inasmuch as the town gained eight new outlying communities in the deal, making both the town's area and population considerably greater than they had been. Moreover, Wetzlar has since this time been the seat of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis, which also came into being at the same time.

Town council
Elections to the town council were last held on 26 March 2006 for a five-year term. The SPD lost one seat, the Greens gained one. Voter participation fell from 45.9% in 2001 to 37.2%. Out of 38,918 eligible voters, 14,468 went to the polls. Hesse's next municipal elections will be held in March 2011.

Note: FWG is a citizens' coalition.

The majority of seats, and thereby the power, is held by a CDU-FWG-FDP coalition which holds, as also before the elections, 31 of the 59 seats.

Coat of arms
Wetzlar's civic coat of arms might heraldically be described thus: In gules a spreadeagle sable armed, langued and crowned Or, over its wing dexter a cross pattée argent.

The black Imperial eagle on a red background and with a golden crown stands for the town's former Imperial immediacy as a Free Imperial City (see History). The silver cross stands for the former Imperial City's right to mint coins. The arms are almost unchanged from those borne in the 12th century.

A new version of the coat of arms was to have been introduced in 2003, but it did not catch on. In the end, the "old" arms were kept.

Transport

 * Motorways
 * Wetzlar lies on the A45 (Sauerland-line Dortmund – Aschaffenburg) with the junctions Wetzlarer Kreuz [Wetzlar Cross] (to A480 to Wetzlar-North, Asslar and Wetzlar-Blasbach), Wetzlar-Ost [Wetzlar-East] (to B49 in direction city centre) and Wetzlar-Süd [Wetzlar-South] (into the southern quarters Münchholzhausen and Dutenhofen). The motorway A480 should actually lead from the Luxembourg border over Trier through the Westerwald up to the Hattenbacher Dreieck ([Hattenbach Triangle] to the A7). This distance was planned as A48. Because of high costs it was never completely realized. Now the B49 are to take up the traffic. Today the part of the A48 between Gießen and Wetzlar is called A480 and leads only from the departure Wetzlar-North/Asslar up to the Wetzlarer Cross and beyond that up to the present motorway end with the improvised exit after Wetzlar-Blasbach. Some kilometres to the northeast of Gießen the part removed so far continues and leads from Heuchelheim to the Reiskirchener Dreieck [Reiskirchen Triangle] at the A5.

 * Federal highways
 * The following federal highways lead through the city: B49 (Trier – Wetzlar – Alsfeld) in direction east–west and B277 (Siegen-Dillenburg-Wetzlar) as north-south connection. The B277a is rather a bypass road, it connects Asslar with Wetzlar-Dalheim. Between Wetzlar and Limburg (B49) the federal route is currently being expanded from one lane to two in each direction.

 * Railways
 * Wetzlar lies on the railroad lines Frankfurt am Main – Siegen – Cologne and Gießen – Limburg – Koblenz, which meet at Wetzlar station and are operated by RegionalBahn and RegionalExpress-trains. Since 2009 every morning and evening a EuroCity stops on its way to Klagenfurt or rather to Siegen. Beside the station Wetzlar, a further station exists in Dutenhofen. The earlier station in Wetzlar-Garbenheim was closed when this route to Wetzlar was shut down. The freight station has become smaller; since February 2007, Railion operates freight trains for central Hesse. Larger cities, which are directly reachable from Wetzlar are: Aachen, Cologne, Koblenz, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Salzburg, Siegen and Stuttgart.

 * Public transport
 * The city has a well organised urban bus network with twelve lines, all connecting to the central bus station (ZOB), in addition various lines handle the overland traffic into the surrounding countryside of Wetzlar. In the late evening hours the night bus line 007, the so-called DiscoBus, serves nearly all parts of the city. On all lines, the RMV pricing applies. Additionally the CityBus links the Old Town for 50c, weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00 and on workdays to 15:00 with the station and the shopping centre FORUM Wetzlar every 20 minutes.

 * Airports
 * The distance to Frankfurt Airport is about 70 km, to the regional airport Siegen approx. 40 km.

Retailing
According to the figures of the Society for Consumer Research Wetzlar is one of the most attractive commercial locations in Germany. The city has a high centrality coefficient and a retail turnover of around EUR 10,000 per inhabitant. In Germany it takes third place among all cities with over 50,000 inhabitants.

Wetzlar has two large shopping centres, of those the FORUM Wetzlar is the largest in central Hesse (Mittelhessen). It has around 110 shops and accommodates a large multi-storey car park of 1700 places. Retail trade is located mainly in the areas Bahnhofsstraße, Karl-Kellner-Ring and the historic old town. In the Bahnhofstraße, the Karl-Kellner-Ring and in the two shopping centres where almost all goods are available.

Enterprises
The city is home to some internationally active and well known enterprises. The Buderus company was created in the year 1731 and is one of the oldest still existing (large) enterprises. As BBT Thermotechnik, now part of the Bosch group, Buderus was for many decades one of the largest employers in the central Hessian area with more than 10,000 persons employed in Wetzlar alone (worldwide over 16,000), working in the areas casting (with cement), high-grade steel and heating technologies. Economic changes, repeated shifts of the stock majority as well as close-downs and sales of various divisions have strongly changed the company in the meantime. However, it ranks among the largest enterprises in Hesse. Wetzlar is apart from Jena and Oberkochen a German centre for optics as well as the most important German location for the precision engineering industry. The manufactured products have gained worldwide reputation. One of the most important companies in the area of microscopy is Leica Microsystems (formerly known as Ernst Leitz), which in its peak times employed over 7000 people in the city. Small format (35 mm) photography was invented in Wetzlar, and Leica cameras are well known for their excellent quality. In addition there are cameras of the companies Leidolf and Minox, binoculars and telescopes made by the company Hensoldt AG (now Carl Zeiss), part of the Zeiss group (over 2,000 people employed in peak times). Other well-known firms are Philips (with about 1,200 employed at times) or Siemens AG and Siemens VDO, since 2007 Continental AG or the Sancura BKK, a supraregional health insurance company, which is combined with the Taunus BKK. The Business park Spilburg, former barracks, became home to a number of innovative enterprises, particularly in the area of optics/precision mechanics, information technology and services. Additionally, areas in the Westend as well as the Hörnsheimer Eck and the Dillfeld are available for new businesses to set up.

Education system
Wetzlar offers a wide variety of educational paths students can choose from.

Nurseries
Traditionally a child's education starts in one of Wetzlar's 18 nurseries. There are public and private nurseries and religiously influenced ones. Children will spend between one and four years in one of these day cares, until they move on to an elementary school.

Elementary school
Wetzlar has around 12 elementary schools. This includes private schools and schools, who are dedicated to special needs children. Most elementary schools offer an afterschool day care program for students, whose parents are at work longer than the school day. In addition to these programs, the city has public day care facilities that provide afterschool care. The afterschool program consists of warm meals, tutors who help with homework and playtime. Kita Marienheim is an example. After spending four years in elementary school, students are off to middle school.

Secondary school
The middle (secondary) school system in Germany is quite extravagant, Wetzlar being no exception. There are three branches of middle school. The Gymnasium (comparable to A-Levels), Realschule (normal secondary school) and Hauptschule (lowest secondary school). Wetzlar has four secondary schools. The August-Bebel-Gesamtschule and the Eichendorfschule are so-called Gesamtschulen. They offer all three branches of secondary school. The Freiherr-vom-Stein Schule is a gymnasium (A-Level). The Steinschule recently changed from a G8 program, graduation after Grade 9, to a G9 program, graduation after Grade 10. It has a special program dedicated to science and sports classes. When applying to the school, students can decide if they'd like to join a sports class, a science class or a regular class. If they join a special class they will enjoy benefits, such as a whole day dedicated to their chosen subject (science or sports) and different fieldtrips. Next to the Steinschule is the Schule an der Brühlsbacher Warte. It is a school for special needs children. It is specialized in helping children with disabilities learn basic and career relevant skills.

After completing Grade 5 to Grade 10 students now make important future decisions. They can now choose an apprenticeship, higher education, work, take a year off and many more. Most students choose to pursue their education and go to one of Wetzlar's High Schools.

Upper secondary education
Wetzlar is home to three upper secondary schools. The Käthe-Kollwitz Schule is a vocational center, which is specialized in nutrition, health, personal hygiene, and social affairs. The school is named after Mrs. Käthe Kollwitz (1919–1945), a German artist. The Thedor-Heuss-Schule Wetzlar is a ‘Fachhochschule’ or ‘kaufmännische Berufsschule’, which can be roughly translated into ‘commercial vocational school’. They primarily focus on health and economic education. It is named after the first Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss (1884–1963). Named after the Johann Wolfang Goethe (1749–1832), a famous German writer and statesman, the Goetheschule Wetzlar it is the biggest upper secondary school in Hesse with over 1000 students and ca. 110 staff members. It is well known for its varieties of subjects and extracurricular activities, such as multiple language exchanges and class fieldtrips.

Before 2019 all three schools were sharing one facility that consisted of three smaller buildings connected by hallways, a shared auditorium and kiosk. Shortly before the new school year in 2019, the Goetheschule Wetzlar moved into a separate building. The old one was demolished, and the construction of the new school facility began. It is expected to be completed in 2021.

Higher education
The Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Germany. The campus in Wetzlar is located in a redeveloped former military barracks area. The Zentrum Dualer Hochschulstudien (ZDH) has been offering the StudiumPlus since April 25, 2001. StudiumPlus is a dual university degree, which is a cooperation between the TH Mittelhessen and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The cooperation includes over 1000 partner companies in the region. The dual study currently consists of seven bachelor's degree programs such as business administration, engineering / mechanical engineering, engineering / electrical engineering, civil engineering, software technology, organizational management in medicine and industrial engineering as well as the three master's degree programs in process management, systems engineering and technical sales.

Twin towns – sister cities
Wetzlar is twinned with:

 * 🇫🇷 Avignon, France
 * Colchester, United Kingdom
 * 🇩🇪 Ilmenau, Germany
 * 🇩🇪 Neukölln (Berlin), Germany
 * 🇨🇿 Písek, Czech Republic
 * 🇦🇹 Reith bei Kitzbühel, Austria
 * 🇦🇹 Schladming, Austria
 * 🇮🇹 Siena, Italy

Sponsorships
Wetzlar also sponsors:
 * 🇧🇫 Dori, Burkina Faso

Historic Old Town
The tightly woven ensemble of historic buildings and houses in the Old Town (Altstadt) with its half-timbered houses and stone buildings from Romanesque (Wetzlar Cathedral) to Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque is to a great extent as it was in the late 18th century, preserved and extensively restored. Thus the great squares of Buttermarkt/Domplatz ("Butter Market/Cathedral Square"), Fischmarkt ("Fish Market"), Eisenmarkt ("Iron Market"), Kornmarkt ("Grain Market"), and the former Franziskanerhof ("Franciscan Yard"), now called Schillerplatz. From the roughly 50 noteworthy buildings, a few are listed here:

 * A straight-walled half-timbered house from 1356
 * The "Old Coin" (Alte Münze) at the Iron Market
 * The "Roman Emperor" (Römische Kaiser) from the 15th century, a former theatre and ballroom
 * The former Teutonic Knights' Court (Deutschordenshof), today a town museum
 * The Lottehaus, Charlotte Buff's house
 * The Jerusalemhaus in which Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem shot himself, thus attaining sad fame as Werther
 * The princely Palais Papius in which is nowadays found the collection of historical furniture assembled by Dr Irmgard Freiin von Lemmers-Danforth

Also in the old outlying towns of Langgasse and Neustadt ("New Town"), connected to the Old Town by the Old Lahn Bridge (Alte Lahnbrücke), a number of historic buildings are preserved and are worth seeing. The New Town, however, has lost its mediaeval feel owing to its 20th-century four-lane roads.

The stone Alte Lahnbrücke was first mentioned in 1288. A building meant to serve as the town hall, built in the mid 14th century, was used by the Reichskammergericht as their seat and offices from 1689 to 1806, after many remodellings. Considerable remains of the town's 13th- and 14th-century fortifications are still preserved, for instance a fortress tower known as the Schneiderturm ("Tailor's Tower") or Säuturm ("Sow's Tower"), the Kalsmuntpforte ("Kalsmunt Gate" – see History) which was the town gate for the earlier suburb of Silhofen, as well as large sections of the town wall.

Wetzlar Cathedral
The Wetzlarer Dom (Wetzlar Cathedral) is one of Wetzlar's landmark buildings. Building work began on the cathedral in 1230 and is still not finished. It is the successor to a former "Church of the Saviour" consecrated in 897. The monastery and parish church was called Cathedral as of the late 17th century. This designation was acquired during the time that the Reichskammergericht was active in Wetzlar (1693–1806), when the Elector-Archbishop of Trier was Monastery Provost, making the church a "Bishop's Church".

Culture
The Phantastische Bibliothek Wetzlar (Fantastic Library of Wetzlar) is one of the largest public libraries specialising in fantastic literature worldwide, it is the largest in Europe. It is generally a reference library, open for the public and scientists.

Arena Wetzlar is a multi-functional arena and is primarily used for pop concerts, shows and team handball and is the home arena of HSG Wetzlar (Handball Bundesliga).

Every summer, operas, music and drama are performed in the open air at the Freilichtbühne during the month-long Wetzlar Festival ("Wetzlarer Festspiele").

Notable people

 * Friedrich Sixt von Armin (1851–1936), Prussian general
 * Klaus Enders (1937–2019), sidecar racer, world champion
 * Jörg Siebert (born 1944), rower, Olympic champion
 * Patrick Bernhardt (born 1971), racing driver
 * Lukas Müller (born 1987), rower, Olympic champion
 * Mareike Adams (born 1990), rower
 * Cenk Tosun (born 1991), Turkish footballer

title: Wetzlar


text:
Talk:Spencer family

General discussion
The definition here seems a bit wrong-headed. The "Spencer family" would ordinarily mean the descendants in male line only of a given Spencer (i.e., members of the "Spencer family" would ordinarily be presumed to have the surname "Spencer"). It may be reasonable to have an article about a given Spencer family (e.g., the Earls Spencer) but it does not seem reasonable to me to list every descendent, or even every notable descendent of Henry Spencer. -- Someone else 07:58 Feb 22, 2003 (UTC)

Don't forget the Earl Spencer (the 3rd perhaps?) who was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the 1880s at the time of the notorious Phoenix Park murders? JTD 08:31 Feb 22, 2003 (UTC)

 * Don't know whose idea the page was, but I think it's got a lot going for it, as long as it doesn't go into too much genealogical detail. These Spencers certainly do get about. Deb 21:53 Feb 23, 2003 (UTC)

 * It was originally started by Imran, but I'm not really sure where it can go from here. I suppose it could be about the various peerages that the family ended up with, and the members of those families, but listing non-Spencer descendants could get out of control, if it isn't already! You could come up with similar lists of notable descendants for any family that was well enough documented, but it would look a bit odd if articles like this ended up all over the Wikipedia... So I don't really know if it should be here. -- Oliver P. 22:04 Feb 23, 2003 (UTC)

lineage question
I am a little bit confused, because the information of the generations between the given "Henry Spencer" and the 1st Baron Spencer are various on the internet. Leo van de Pas says the Baron was a descendant of William Spencer, of Rodborne; but the Directory of Royal Genealogical Data says that the baron is a descendant of John Spencer, of Hodnell; both, John and William, being sons of Henry. Which information is the correct one? And how many generations are between Henry and the first baron? (My third genealogic source, ThePeerage.com, starts between Henry and the first baron.) VM 15:21, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Looking at the generations, Robert Lord Spencer's great-great-great-grandfather, William, was by both estimations the son of a John. It would appear that Leo has this John as the son of William (Henry's eldest son), whilst the DRGD has him as Henry's second son (who Leo says is a different John). I'd be inclined to go with Leo, as I'd imagine it's easier to lose a generation (and assume a son is his uncle of the same name) than vice versa, which would make William, the elder son, the ancestor in question. But that's just a guess — I'm afraid I can't provide a definitive answer. Proteus (Talk) 22:10, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

VM 12:29, 9 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Thank you very much for helping me. And it's free to all others to make things clearer, if they have better sources.

VM 10:46, 4 February 2011 (UTC)
 * I have found a further online source which leads from the 1st Baron through all the fathers back to this: familysearch.org/eng. Can one trust this source? Or isn't it reliable?

Shouldn't Sarah, Duchess of York be added as a descendant as she is a descendant of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who is listed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 89.102.4.4 (talk) 23:57, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

Edmund Spenser
I believe that Edmund Spenser, the great Elizabethan poet, claimed some sort of relation to this family in his poem, Colin Clouts Come Home Again and perhaps elsewhere, despite the lack of any real evidence for it. Can someone confirm this and perhaps make a mention of it in the article? (Eeesh 21:32, 5 June 2007 (UTC))

X
As regards the heraldry, doesn't a scallop have only two shells? In a shell game, a round object may be under one of the shells; the middle one? Additionally, a threepence coin sometimes has a rose centered behind the royal portrait. 68.84.25.148 (talk) 12:50, 2 April 2011 (UTC) Admiral Electric
 * More than one scallop produces more than 2 shells. Scallop shells were once pilgrim badges.

Churchill
Should the Spencer-Churchills, headed by the Dukes of Marlborough, be considered members of the Spencer family and thus appropriate subjects for this article? They are the senior male-line descendents of the ancient Spencers, having received the Churchill inheritance only through a female line. It seems perverse to me to consider them as having exited the family when the 5th Duke of Marlborough changed his surname to Spencer-Churchill. The question is relevant in part because of this edit, which was reverted. --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 19:12, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

 * Before I revise it AGAIN, can I ask you to give a reference to all this? The Spencer website at Althorp does not make any reference to Winston Churchill or any Spencer-Churchills in the family tree; I linked to that in a previous revision.  Also, look back to the very first comment under Lineage above: as the 2003 poster says, 'the Spencer family' can surely not be taken to mean EVERY descendant of the original Mr Spencer.  It seems to me that Winston Churchill is only a Spencer in as far as many thousands of people today (all descendants of the family since the 5th Duke of Marlborough) are Spencers too.  Ultimately unless you've got evidence somewhere that the Spencer family themselves at Althorp consider Churchill to have been 'a Spencer', I suggest it reverts back to something like 'Churchill was related to the Spencers' or 'Churchill's family was descended from the Spencers'. Matt, 20:25, 22 Nov 2012.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.25.1.122 (talk)

 * The Althorp website is not concerned with the Spencer family broadly defined, but with the branch that lives at Althorp, namely the comital branch or the Earls Spencer. That should not be taken to support the contention (which, to my knowledge, has only been made by yourself) that the ducal branch has somehow exited the family.  We are not talking about "every descendent of the original Mr Spencer"; even by agnatic reckoning, the ducal branch is genealogically senior to the comital branch.
 * Finally, the scope of this article originally encompassed both branches of the family. The recent changes to exclude the Spencer-Churchills were incomplete and only made the article a bit schizophrenic.  --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 02:22, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

 * When John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, died in 1722, the Marlborough titles passed to his eldest daughter Henrietta (1681-1733), the 2nd Duchess of Marlborough. When Henrietta died in 1733, the Marlborough titles passed to her nephew Charles Spencer (1706–1758), the third son of Henrietta's late sister Anne (1683-1716), who had married the 3rd Earl of Sunderland in 1699. After his older brother's death in 1729, Charles Spencer had already inherited the Spencer family estates as well as the titles of Earl of Sunderland (1643) and Baron Spencer of Wormleighton (1603), all in the Peerage of England. Upon his maternal aunt Henrietta's death in 1733, Charles Spencer also succeeded to the Marlborough family estates and titles and became the 3rd Duke. When he died in 1758, his titles passed to his eldest son, George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1739–1817), who was himself succeeded by his eldest son, the 5th Duke (1766–1840). The 5th Duke of Marlborough was authorised in 1817 to assume and bear the additional surname of Churchill in addition to his own surname of Spencer, in order to perpetuate the name of his illustrious great-great-grandfather. At the same time he received Royal Licence to quarter his paternal arms of Spencer with the coat of arms of Churchill. ( Paul Courtenay, The Armorial Bearings of Sir Winston Churchill) In other words, the Spencer-Churchill Dukes of Marlborough are in fact the senior line of the Spencer family, and also continue to hold the oldest Spencer peerages as Earl of Sunderland and Baron Spencer of Wormleighton. Annetromney (talk) 07:27, 21 July 2013 (UTC)

Dubious
I've queried the claim that "the Spencers are one of the very few British noble families to be the heirs body of a once sovereign family": There are plenty of British noble families descended from the various English or Scottish sovereign families, let alone those with connections to European ones. Why is this claim notable? And basing it on John Churchill's tenure as prince of Mindelheim (which his daughters didn't inherit) seems a bit of a stretch. It needs a citation at the very least. Swanny18 (talk) 21:51, 23 September 2014 (UTC)
 * It certainly needs a citation, but it is an accurate statement as far as I can tell. Being descended from someone is not the same as being heir of the body. For example, lots of people are descended from Sophia of Hanover, but only one is the heir of the body. Surtsicna (talk) 23:33, 23 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for replying to this; and yes, I misunderstood what “heirs body” meant.
 * But I still don't think it is saying very much. If they are heirs to a once-sovereign title that would be a claim of pretense, wouldn't it? Have the family asserted such a claim? Or was someone here being original?
 * Also, if heirs of the body follow the order of precedence in the original grant, then the present family are disqualified from inheriting an agnatic title just as Marlborough’s daughters were. But if an heir of the body is always by male preference primogeniture, regardless of the terms of the original grant, then the claim here would be that if the title still existed, they would be heirs to it, if only the Austrian inheritance rules recognized them as such. Which is like saying, “if we had some beans we could have beans on toast, if we had any bread”. Anyway, I've changed the tag to a cite erequest; if nothing turns up maybe we can delete it altogether. Swanny18 (talk) 16:47, 12 October 2014 (UTC)
 * I agree with you. Someone was certainly being original, and at the very least we are dealing with trivia. Why not be bold and remove it? Surtsicna (talk) 19:17, 12 October 2014 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the thought, but deleting it less than 48 hours after asking for a citation might be seen as over-zealous. I'll give it a bit longer, then go ahead if no-one else responds. Swanny18 (talk) 16:51, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

 * PS: OK, done. Swanny18 (talk) 20:48, 14 November 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130724063324/http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/unique-family/sir_john_spencer to http://www.spencerofalthorp.com/heritage/unique-family/sir_john_spencer
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130718222952/http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/reference/armorial-bearings-of-wsc to http://www.winstonchurchill.org/learn/reference/armorial-bearings-of-wsc
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090806182522/http://www.althorp.com/downloads/familytree.pdf to http://www.althorp.com/downloads/familytree.pdf
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Requested move 2 August 2018

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Moved — Amakuru (talk) 11:33, 9 August 2018 (UTC)

House of Spencer → Spencer family – This shouldn't have been done as an uncontroversial move because of the previous discussion: Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Royalty and Nobility/Archive 8. The old title should stay until there is consensus to change it. And articles shouldn't be moved unilaterally when there is previous discussion relating to the article title. Celia Homeford (talk) 08:40, 2 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Support none of the sources use "House of" and there is no reason that wikipedia should either. The official site of the Spencer family refers to it as a "family" and not a "house" http://spencerofalthorp.com/a-heritage/ Move as per the above discussion and WP:COMMONNAME and WP:NOTGOT (not game of thrones ;o) ). Dom from Paris (talk) 09:53, 2 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Support "House of" may work for some Continental nobility, but it's not idiomatic for English & other British ones. Johnbod (talk) 01:39, 3 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Support Rreagan007 (talk) 19:12, 3 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Support. House of Spencer sounds like a department store and this terminology is not generally used for British families. Should never have been moved in the first place. -- Necrothesp (talk) 13:21, 8 August 2018 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
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 * Gerard family crest.gif

Winston Churchill and Diana
What is their exact relation? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.100.251.67 (talk) 12:46, 16 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Anne Spencer, Countess of Sunderland (1683–1716). --95.24.66.204 (talk) 08:24, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

spawning

 * Founded in the 15th century, it has spawned numerous aristocratic titles including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the Churchill barony.

This implies that the first duke of Marlborough was a Spencer, which he wasn't; the title passed to the Spencers with the third duke. —Tamfang (talk) 02:57, 11 April 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 14:55, 8 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Diana, Princess of Wales 1997 (2).jpg

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Spencer family


text:
Talk:Kill Rock Stars

Famous people
I don't know, but this looks more to me like a description of famous people from Olympia than a description of the record label.

--aviado —Preceding undated comment added 08:00, 22 February 2003 (UTC)

 * i agree with the above comment, and i've excised the following text, which seemed to be more about the olympia music scene than about KRS. i did a cursory search of the label's website, and it doesn't look like wozniak, frost, cobain etc. had any major involvement in KRS...?

 * Such famous musicians such as Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, John Wozniak of Marcy Playground, and Jason Frost of Love Junkies frequented and lived in this tiny Western Musical Town in the early 1990s.

 * Esk 01:50, 2004 Mar 2 (UTC)

Indie cred
Is it possible to quantify the loss or gain of "indie cred?" Maybe I just object to the wording, or maybe I'm just being overly critical. Thoughts? --djrobgordon 23:05, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

Decembrists
I don't agree that the Decembrists are the most popular product of KRS. I've never even heard of them. This Decembrists band might be the most popular *now* but certainly not in the history of the label. I changed the sentence so it is now 97% opinion-free. Monkeyfacebag 03:38, 6 May 2006 (UTC)

Closing sentence
Unless there is some citable evidence for this closing sentence in the weighty introductory paragraph (i.e. marked consensus in the press or elsewhere in media in the characteristics describing the business practices of Kill Rock Stars), then I would like move for a rewrite on this article. I ask for a rewrite also because I think it needs to be better "Wikified" to conform to format.

When I talk about the 'closing sentence' I mean the following, which reads like pure hearsay in my view:

"The label has shown a marked trend in becoming more commerical, and L.A. based major label artist and producer Linda Perry of 4 non-blonds reissued her solo album on KRS in 2005, a very bourgeois, commercial move for the label, one which some diehard fans felt called into question the label's past strictly punk rock ethos."

Thanks for any consideration.

JuniorMuruin 20:56, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

 * I think you are right. The term bourgeois is too loaded. However, the trend toward commericalization is factual and clearly identifiable if you look at the trajectory of releases in the entirety of their catalogue. This label had it's roots in feminism and spoken word recordings. This is why it was known as an independent 'punk' label. With the addition of The Decemberists and Linda Perry to the roster, it became extremely commercial, both in terms of sales and through major label affiliation. This is all clearly shown on their website at: http://killrockstars.com. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.10.114.101 (talk) 07:59, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

 * it was changed. seems ok to me now.

 * -emperor_zing —Preceding undated comment added 08:08, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

regarding the notion that KRS is more commercial
Although it might be legitimate to believe that Kill Rock Stars has become more commercial, the examples cited are poor. When Kill Rock Stars signed the Decemberists they had sold 800 records of their debut album. Signing the Decemberists was well withint KRS's pattern of signing unestablished artists and trying to help them grow. I don't understand why the Decemberists' success is indicative of a move toward being "more commercial" if similar successes years earlier with Sleater-Kinney and Elliott Smith were not considered "more commercial." Kill Rock Stars licensed Linda Perry's album directly from her and the only way it could be construed as a "major label affiliation" is that the album originally appeared on a major label ten years earlier, but after 7 years the rights reverted to the artist, who licensed the album to Kill Rock Stars. Although Linda Perry has enjoyed success as a band member of 4 Non Blondes, and as a songwriter, she has never enjoyed commercial success as a solo artist, and the reissue of her solo album on Kill Rock Stars only sold a few thousand units, which can hardly be considered "commercial."

- Slim Moon — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.41.60.201 (talk) 05:13, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Broken link
The first page in the list of references is http://www.killrockstars.com/about/about.html which is 404. The site's about page is now at http://www.killrockstars.com/about. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mdz (talk • contribs) 15:31, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

Mary Lou Lord
Shouldn't Mary Lou Lord be mentioned here someplace.RichardBond (talk) 02:18, 18 December 2017 (UTC)

Temple Beth Hatfiloh
Wasn't KRS in the old synagogue downtown? If so, it should be mentioned in the article, given that the old temple is a prominent local landmark and has notable historical significance; it places KRS as an especially noteworthy and high-profile Olympia business in that era. Laodah 20:47, 23 November 2020 (UTC)

title: Talk:Kill Rock Stars


text:
Yolandita Monge

Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt (born September 16, 1955), known professionally as Yolandita Monge, is a Puerto Rican singer, actress, and television personality. She has been active in the music business since her teen years and has recorded 27 studio albums and two live albums, as well as several greatest hits compilations and special appearance recordings.

Early life and family
Monge was born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico on September 16, 1955, is the daughter of Iris Delia Betancourt and Héctor Monge. She lived the first seven years of her life in New York City and then came back to Puerto Rico. During the early 70s, she met Alfredo Lorenzo, in New York, and married him on November 13, 1975. They had a daughter, Noelia, but the marriage ended soon afterwards. In 1983, she married Venezuelan singer Balbino, whom she met in Buga, Colombia, and is the father of second daughter Paola González. A few years later, the couple filed for divorce. On December 31, 1989, Yolandita married her manager Carlos "Topy" Mamery and in 1991 gave birth to her only son Imanol Mamery.

Early career
Blessed with a powerful and versatile vocal range and timbre, Monge started out her career by winning a singing radio contest in 1966 (at the age of eleven). For such a young performer, she possessed an innate interpretative delivery well beyond her years that matched established performers of the time.

Yolandita was discovered by the producer Julio Alers, and later on, made her TV debut on Luis Vigoreaux's show, Luis Vigoreaux Presenta. She had a regular section in that show. In 1968, she signed with record label Patty Records, which released her first album, named Puerto Rico's Poignant... Powerful... Incomparable....

It was "El Estornudo" ("The Sneeze"), and her cover of Italian hit "Vida"' ("Life"), that made her a national star after she released her first album. At that young age, Yolandita would perform with legendary Argentinian singer Libertad Lamarque and then sing at the Festival De La Canción Nueva York (New York Song Festival). Soon, she found another job on TV, this time on Tommy Muñiz's show, El Show Del Mediodía.

She followed up with some other hits in Puerto Rico, but then she moved to Mexico, where she signed with Teca Records and had hits such as "Vete de Aqui" ("Get Out of Here"), "Dos Caminos Diferentes" ("Two Different Ways"), "¿Por qué, Papá?" ("Why, Dad?") and "La Voz Del Silencio" ("The Voice of Silence").

International breakthrough
1975 was a big year for Monge because she released a song named "Cierra Los Ojos" ("Close Your Eyes"), which was a hit in such South American countries as Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Argentina, and also in the Dominican Republic. Yolandita was now an international star.

Soon after, she would be signed by Coco Records of New York, and her career kept going on a steady rise internationally. She sang at the Carnegie Hall and was backed up by her artistic godmother, legendary Argentinian singer and actress, Libertad Lamarque.

International success: 1980s
In 1980, international label CBS Records International, (now Sony Discos), signed her up into their line-up. Tanto Amor (So much love) composed by Lou Briel, was the first hit song of that album named Fantasia produced by Pepe Luis Soto. She then released another album Historia de Amour which included many top hits. In 1983, she won the Buga Festival, in Buga, Colombia with a song that she wrote her self called Sí (Yes). Her next release in 1983, Sueños, continued her ascent as one of the most important and best selling female singers in Puerto Rico. This album marked a radical change in sound and image for Monge, moving towards the Latin pop tendencies of the time while keeping her interpretative delivery.

Monge continued her winning stride in the middle 1980s, when she released what possibly is one of her greatest album ever: Luz de Luna (Moonlight). This album included her classics "Te Veo Pasar" (I See You Walk By), "Señor Del Pasado" (Man from the Past), and "El Poder del Amor", which was a cover of the popular song "The Power of Love" (most recently recorded by Céline Dion). With this album, she became the first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a gold record.

She followed up that album with the equally successful Laberinto de Amor (Labyrinth of Love), which earned her another gold album and later went platinum. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, years before the Latin Grammy was created. In this album, she sang a Spanish version of "On My Own" ("Solo Yo") which is a song from the soundtrack of the famous Broadway musical Les Misérables. Yolandita was a household name. This album earned her a Grammy nomination in the Best Latin Pop artist category. With this nomination she became the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated to the Grammy Music Awards, joined by fellow Puerto Rican singer Lunna, as well in the same category. The album also went gold in many countries including the United States.

In 1988, she achieved multi platinum level sales with her album, Vivencias. Yolandita considers this album the best and most important album of her career. This release included such songs as: "Acariciame" ("Caress Me") and "Este Amor Que Hay Que Callar" ("This Love That We Must Keep Quiet") composed for her by the Spanish singer and author Braulio. She became the first Puerto Rican singer to win a gold album record, a platinum record and a double platinum.

Yolandita was claimed by the America's music magazine Billboard in 1988 as "The best-selling Latin artist of the year" due to being the first Puerto Rican female artist to sell millions of records. She also was claimed by the international music press as "The most important Latin singer of the decade" (1980–1990). NBC traveled all the way to Puerto Rico to interview Yolandita because they consider her the most relevant artist of the Latin music industry and she was even compared with Madonna. In the interview the reporter said: "Yolandita has no plans to make the crossover, so Madonna can relax."

Yolandita in the 1990s
After the huge success of Vivencias, she changed gears in terms of music style and released Portfolio in the summer of 1990, with the help of Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner which was one of the producers and songwriters. With Portfolio, she performed nine sold-out concerts at Puerto Rico's Centro de Bellas Artes (making a new record on sales), and at the Madison Square Garden. During her performances at the Centro de Bellas Artes, Yolandita became the first Latin performer, and one of the earliest recording artists, to use a wireless headset microphone, allowing her to dance while she sang.

After more than ten years at Sony Latin, Yolandita signed a multimillion-dollar recording contract with WEA-Latina, the first for a female pop artist in Puerto Rico. The first release was Cara de Ángel, the follow-up to Portfolio. It contains the radio hits "Sobreviviré", "Viviré Sin Tí", and "Entrega Total". In May 1992, for the "Cara de Angel Tour", Yolandita established a new record at the Performing Arts Center of Puerto Rico (Centro de Bellas Artes), becoming the biggest singer selling out all the concerts, without courtesy tickets, up to 12 concerts of the same tour, breaking her own record. Also in 1992, Yolandita was invited by Spanish Tenor, Plácido Domingo, to be part of a Special Tribute to the artist Goya, the tribute was a special-release album. Yolandita also released her first Christmas album in 1992 titled Mi Mejor Regalo.

In 1994, she became the first Puerto Rican female to land a commercial deal with Pepe Jeans London and also for Diet Pepsi. During that year, Monge released Fiebre de Luna, along with a change of image. The hit album included compositions from Las Diego and produced the hit singles "A Pesar del Tiempo" and "Como Puedes". She teamed with singer Ricardo Montaner to do a concert and they earned a Guinness World Records as becoming the first singers to perform 3 concerts in 3 different cities (Mayagüez, Ponce and San Juan) – all in the same day. This could be done, using air transportation by helicopter. It was called: El Suceso (The Event).

In 1995, Yolandita released the self-titled Yolandita, along with another change in image with long hair and a belly ring. Right after, Monge relocated to Colombia to act in telenovela alongside Puerto Rican actor Osvaldo Ríos. Yolandita was honored in 1996 by the Puerto Rican Senate for her long career as a singer and actress. She also earned two of the most prestigious awards of the Latin music industry, Premios Lo Nuestro and Premios Tu Música. Also in 1996, she participated in the annual music video special, produced by Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, dedicated to Pedro Flores, which usually includes only the most important and international singers the island has to offer.

In 1997, Yolandita released Mi Encuentro, which included bomba and plena, a Puerto Rican rhythm. The album was a hit and cemented the singer's ability to tacke any kind of music. The singer returned with another change of image and to her signature strong ballads with the album Siento in early 1999. The album was certified gold and included the hits "Dime", "Arriesgaré la Piel" and "Mala Sangre".

2000–present
In late 2000, Yolandita released her second live album Yolandita En Vivo recorded at Centro de Bellas Artes of Puerto Rico. It included many of her early hits and the duet "Sobrevivire" with her second daughter Paola González.

Yolandita took some time off and returned with Sexto Sentido in 2002, which included a collaboration with her eldest daughter and singer Noelia. This album was produced by Colombian producer Kike Santander and was certified gold. After that, the singer took a lengthy hiatus from recording to pursue other acting opportunities.

In 2004 she conducted her TV show for Telemundo called De Mujeres (Of Women). In this variety show she performed comedy skits and interviewed both local and international stars. She also sang with Julieta Venegas, Luis Fonsi, Lucecita Benítez, Víctor Manuelle, Chucho Avellanet, Gilberto Santa Rosa, La India, Gisselle, Lissette, Tito Nieves, Dagmar, Andy Montañez, Danny Rivera, and many more. These performances were once-in-a-lifetime duets that graced Puerto Rico's silver screen and kept the captive audience that followed the show wanting more.

After five years of not releasing a new album, Monge released on June 5, 2007, her album Demasiado Fuerte. It debuted number one in Billboard Latin Pop Albums making her return to music one of the greatest comebacks ever seen in the Latin Market. The album was produced by José Luis Pagán and Jorge Luis Piloto. Also, the album included the hits "Y Todavia" and the title track, "Demasiado Fuerte", both of which were remixed in reggaeton style and became hits in the urban radio stations in Puerto Rico and the Latin communities in United States. In November 2007, Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes with five sold-out concerts in support of the Demasiado Fuerte album. The singer received the best reviews of her career with those performances, which included duets with guest Glenn Monroig.

On October 6, 2008, Monge debuted the single "Mala". Immediately, on November 22, 2008, Yolandita released the album Mala, produced once again by José Luis Pagán and following the same musical and lyrical style as her previous Demasiado Fuerte. This album contains the song "Oportunidad Perdida" featuring Víctor Manuelle, which was re-recorded with Anthony Ríos in bachata style. Also, the song "Mala" was remixed in reggaeton style featuring Ivy Queen and in salsa style featuring La India. The song "Una y Otra Vez" was remixed in reggaeton style featuring Divino.

After the success of those radio remixes, Yolandita recorded a remix single with reggaeton artist Tito el Bambino called "El Amor", which used her same-titled smash hit from the 80s to his version. The song made it to the No. 1 spot in the Hot Latin Songs Billboard Chart.

On September 11, 2010, Yolandita debuted at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in the concert 20 Años de Vivencias, celebrating the twenty year anniversary of the release of her iconic album Vivencias. She performed the vast majority of her hits of the 70's, 80's, and 90's, as well as her current repertoire. Soon after, Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes in April 2011, for a once-in-a-lifetime sold-out concert accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico, as part of the thirty year anniversary celebration of the venue. All the songs were deconstructed and performed acoustically.

During 2012, Yolandita was one of three judges in Idol Puerto Rico, along with her husband Carlos 'Topy' Mamery and Ricardo Montaner during the second season of the program.

On November 13, 2012, Yolandita released her new album Más Para Dar, with lyrics written by herself and José Luis Pagán. The album was produced by José Luis Pagán and it follows the same musical and lyrical style as her previous records. Yolandita returned to Coliseo de Puerto Rico for the "Más Para Dar Tour" on March 16, 2013. Beginning in the Dominican Republic, this concert tour visited cities in the United States, Puerto Rico and Latin America. In the concerts at Santo Domingo, Yolandita shared the stage with Danny Rivera.

On December 3, 2014, her husband and manager of more than twenty years, Carlos 'Topy' Mamery, died of a massive heart attack. The funeral was held on December 5, 2014, alongside hundreds of fans, friends and family members. After that tragedy, Yolandita retired from public view for the following months of 2015.

On September 20, 2015, Yolandita returned to the concert stage after nine months of mourning at Coliseo de Puerto Rico for "Latidos de mi Corazón", a tribute to her late husband Carlos 'Topy' Mamery. She performed some of her hits and her new digital single Sin Tí, a song written by Las Diego, as well as other love songs from other artists. Her children, Imanol and Paola, joined her on stage for two songs, as well as some relatives of the Mamery and Monge families for the encore. On May 28, 2016, she presented the concert "Latidos de mi Corazón" at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in New York for her many fans there.

Yolandita recorded a jazz version of the Latin American standard Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado for Humberto Ramírez's new album Bohemia Jazz, released on January 27, 2016. The album contains other songs performed by Nydia Caro, Chucho Avellanet, Dagmar, Michelle Brava, Andy Montañez and Carola Ausbury. The singer was one of many artists that performed at the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2016, 2017 & 2018.

On May 13, 14 & 27, 2017, Yolandita teamed for the first time with Lissette Alvarez for a three sold-out performances at Centro de Bellas Artes of Caguas for the concert "Emociones". She sang her most beloved hits along with duets with Lissette Alvarez. The singers performed together the hits "Hoy Vine Con Ella", "Cantaré", "El Amor" and "Gracias a la Vida", as well as sharing a medley of both their greatest hits.

Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes for five sold-out performances of the new show "Por Tí" on December 6, 7 & 8, 2019 and February 14 & 15, 2020. Monge performed all her greatest hits including a new version of the 1989 club hit Por Ti and several other songs in an a cappella sing-along with the audience.

The singer remains active throughout the year performing in concerts and festivals in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries.

Yolandita, the actress
Monge has had a very distinguished acting career, she's acted in more than ten Spanish soap operas, as well as various theatre plays and TV shows. Among the telenovelas, she acted in: Vida (Life), (where she performed with Johanna Rosaly), La Mentira (The Lie), Poquita Cosa (Small Thing), Escándalo (Scandal) (where she acted alongside Andrés García, Iris Chacón and Charytín), and Ave de Paso (Bird of Passage), where she played the main role, and sang the theme song: "Nunca Te Diré Adiós", composed for her by Lou Briel. This song was a big hit in 1989, and it was included in a Special Edition Album: Yolandita Monge Live from New York. She also acted in the original version of the Colombian mega-hit soap opera, La Viuda de Blanco along with Osvaldo Ríos, Maria Helena Doehring, Jorge Enrique Abello and Danilo Santos. From 1996 to 1997, this soap opera was translated in more than 32 languages. Her theatrical debut was in La Visita de la Bestia, which is a Spanish version of Extremities, and she got good reviews from the press by playing the very dramatic main role. She also earned international recognition playing the Greek-soprano, Maria Callas, in the Spanish version of the Tony Award winner play Master Class (Clase Maestra) in 2003, for the Latin community in the United States and Latin America. Yolandita made all the critics bow when they saw her rendition of the late-diva. A year later she landed the lead female role in the musical La Verdadera Historia de Pedro Navaja (The True Story of Pedro Navaja), opposite Gilberto Santa Rosa. For her performance as Diana la Maromera (Diana the Juggler), in this musical, she got good reviews. In 1999, Monge headlined the TV movie Ocho años de Dolor (Eight Years of Pain), where she played a woman kidnapped by the famous Puerto Rican serial killer and fugitive of the law Toño Bicicleta. Yolandita's most recent acting role was in the Puerto Rican movie Mujeres sin Hombres (Women without Men), in 2006. She joined Sully Diaz and Claribel Medina in this story about 3 women and the revenge of men. After that in 2010, Yolandita starred in the first episode of the Telemundo TV Series called Extremos. In it she played the roles of twin sister. The reviews of Yolandita's acting role were good in this dramatic role. The critics indicated that "...When it comes to acting, Yolandita can be intense and excellent as she is as a singer...". Most recently, in 2017 she joined the cast of Malas and in 2018 she performed alongside other actresses in The Vagina Monologues.

Awards and recognitions
Here is a partial list of Yolandita's awards, honors and recognitions over the years.

 * 1983: Buga Song Festival – Won for the song Si.
 * 1985: The first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a Gold record.
 * 1987: Nomination. Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for Laberinto de Amor.
 * 1988: The best-selling Latin artist of the year, according to Billboard Magazine.
 * 1989: Nomination for Premio Lo Nuestro Best Female Ballad/Pop Singer
 * 1989: Paoli Award for Best Video of The Year for the video clip Por ti.
 * 1989: The first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a Platinum record.
 * 1992: The first artist selling out all the concerts, up to 12 concerts of the same tour.
 * 1993: ACE Awards – Special Award.
 * 1995: Guinness World Record – The first singer to perform 3 concerts in 3 different cities in the same day.
 * 1996: The Puerto Rican Senate Special Honor for her long career as a singer and actress.
 * 1997: Tu Musica Award – Projection in abroad.
 * 1997: Quijote Award for Best Musical Transmission (Cita con las Reinas).
 * 2000: Cassandra International Award.
 * 2001: A Star in the Boulevard of Stars in Santo Domingo.
 * 2002: Tu Musica Awards – Best Ballad Record by a female singer (Sexto Sentido).
 * 2003: An Award for her Trajectory as an Actress from The PR Government Florida District.
 * 2003 Dance Show of the Year: Yolandita Monge Sexto Sentido Concert.
 * 2006 Our pride Award – Institute of New York City.
 * 2007 Puerto Rican Pride Honor – 21st anniversary of Comité Puertorriqueño – a Puerto Rican heritage organization
 * 2008 Nomination. Spanish GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Music Artist.
 * 2008 Nomination. Billboard Latin Music Awards for Best Latin Pop Female Album for Demasiado Fuerte.
 * 2008 Finalist. Special Tu Mundo Award in Billboard Latin Music Awards

title: Yolandita Monge


text:
Old World vulture

Old World vultures are vultures that are found in the Old World, i.e. the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and which belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, buzzards, kites, and hawks.

Old World vultures are not closely related to the superficially similar New World vultures and condors, and do not share that group's good sense of smell. The similarities between the two groups of vultures are due to convergent evolution, rather than a close relationship. They were widespread in both the Old World and North America during the Neogene. Old World vultures are probably a polyphyletic group within Accipitridae, belonging to two separate not closely related groups within the family. Most authorities refer to two major clades: Gypaetinae (Gypaetus, Gypohierax and Neophron) and Aegypiinae (Aegypius, Gyps, Sarcogyps, Torgos, Trigonoceps and possibly Necrosyrtes). The former seem to be nested with Perninae hawks, while the latter are closely related and possibly even synonymous with Aquilinae. Within Aegypiinae, Torgos, Aegypius, Sarcogyps and Trigonoceps are particularly closely related and possibly within the same genus. Despite the name of the group, "Old World" vultures were widespread in North America until relatively recently, until the end of the Late Pleistocene epoch around 11,000 years ago.

Both Old World and New World vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. Old World vultures find carcasses exclusively by sight. A particular characteristic of many vultures is a semi-bald head, sometimes without feathers or with just simple down. Historically, it was thought that this was due to feeding habits, as feathers would be glued with decaying flesh and blood. However, more recent studies have shown that it is actually a thermoregulatory adaptation to avoid facial overheating; the presence or absence of complex feathers seems to matter little in feeding habits, as some vultures are quite raptorial.

Species
† = extinct

Population declines
More than half of the Old World vulture species are listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. Population declines are caused by a variety of threats that vary by species and region, with most notable declines in Asia due to diclofenac use. Within Africa, a combination of poisonings and vulture trade (including use as bushmeat and traditional medicine) account for roughly 90% of the population declines. And because vultures are scavengers, their population decline can have cultural, public health, and economic implications for communities and be even more problematic than the decline of other endangered species. Vulture populations are particularly vulnerable because they typically feed in large groups and easily fall victim to mass poisoning events.

Diclofenac
Diclofenac poisoning has caused the vulture population in India and Pakistan to decline by up to 99%, and two or three species of vulture in South Asia are nearing extinction. This has been caused by the practice of medicating working farm animals with diclofenac, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with anti-inflammatory and pain-killing actions. Diclofenac administration keeps animals that are ill or in pain working on the land for longer, but, if the ill animals die, their carcasses contain diclofenac. Farmers leave the dead animals out in the open, relying on vultures to tidy up. Diclofenac present in carcass flesh is eaten by vultures, which are sensitive to diclofenac, and they suffer kidney failure, visceral gout, and death as a result of diclofenac poisoning. The drug is poisonous enough that only a small amount of animal carcases need to contain it to have detrimental effects on vulture populations.

Meloxicam (another NSAID) has been found to be harmless to vultures and should prove an acceptable alternative to diclofenac. Bans on diclofenac in veterinary practices have been implemented in Pakistan and Nepal and selling or using the drug in India can result in jail time. But while the Government of India banned diclofenac, over a year later, in 2007, it continued to be sold and remains a problem in other parts of the world.

Poached carcass poisonings
Poisoning accounts for a majority of vulture deaths in Africa. Ivory poachers poison carcasses with the intent of killing vultures, since vultures circling over a carcass alert authorities to a kill. An increase in demand for ivory has both increased the rate of elephant poachings as well as increased the rate at which vultures are killed off by consuming the poisoned elephant remains. In Kruger National Park, white-backed vultures will be eradicated in the next 60 years if poisoned carcasses are not detected and neutralized. Eliminating carcass poisoning is challenging because it is far easier to carry out than to regulate. Park officials often lack the training to identify toxic chemicals before it is too late and calling on average community members to turn in perpetrators reports is challenging if financial incentives to do so are insufficient.

Agricultural poisonings
Vultures are also unintentionally poisoned when they consume carcasses of predators that have been poisoned by livestock farmers. For those who rely on livestock to make a living, illegal pesticides are often used on fruits, meats, or even the water in a wateringhole in order to eliminate large predators that threaten their livestock. Agricultural poisoning is relatively easy as it does not require specific skills and the poison is cheap with a long shelf life.

Traditional medicine/belief and use
Vultures in Africa are killed for use in traditional medicine as part of the African vulture trade. Vultures can be targeted for the industry directly or collected from other poisoning events, but close to 30% of vulture deaths recorded in Africa can be tied back to belief-based use. In South Africa, vulture consumption events have been estimated to occur 59,000 times a year. Vulture heads are believed to provide clairvoyance or good luck like winning the lottery. The length of time a vulture can be used by healers is dependent on size and species. Some healers have been recorded using Cape vultures for 6 years because they are said to last longer than other species. Others use 1-2 individuals a year but this rate is unsustainable given the estimated number of healers.

Muthi
In Southern Africa, traditional medicine is called Muthi. For some healers it is believed to cure illnesses, while others believe it cures curses. Vulture muthi involves separate body parts being dried, burned, or ground up. The results may be consumed by mixing with food, drinking, snorting, or applying to cuts. Some healers look for signs of poisoning when purchasing vultures, but others are unaware of how to do this and are at risk of poisoning their clients.

Bushmeat consumption
Another part of the African vulture trade is use for bushmeat consumption.

Electrical infrastructure
Collisions with electrical infrastructure account for roughly 9% of vulture deaths in Africa. Some organizations in South Africa are working with power companies to mitigate this threat.

Implications
As vultures play an important role in ecosystems, their population decline can have cultural, public health, and economic implications for communities.

The decline in vultures has led to hygiene problems in India as carcasses of dead animals now tend to rot, or be eaten by rats or feral dogs, rather than be consumed by vultures. Rabies among these other scavengers is a major health threat. India has one of the world's highest incidences of rabies.

For communities such as the Parsi, who practice sky burials in which human corpses are put on the top of a Tower of Silence, vulture population declines can have serious cultural implications.

Conservation efforts
Conservation efforts would be most effective in large, protected areas because vultures are most populous in those. Small but frequent poisoning events have a more detrimental effect on vulture populations than larger, infrequent events because population recovery is more successful when there is a longer time between poisonings. To increase populations, vultures can be reintroduced to poison-free protected areas near other groups of vultures to keep the populations high. This will make it easier for vultures to maintain some individuals after a poisoning event. A project named "Vulture Restaurant" is underway in Nepal in an effort to conserve the dwindling number of vultures. The "restaurant" is an open grassy area where naturally dying, sick, and old cows are fed to the vultures.

Organizations across Africa are working to reduce threats to vulture species with efforts to change and create policies to protect species both at the national and international scale. Proposed strategies to reduce poisoning events include mobile phone numbers to report offenders, campaigns to educate about poisoning risks to humans, and improving response speed to poisoning events. Poison response training would be an important implementation in conservation efforts because this is one of the most prevalent threats to vulture populations.

title: Old World vulture


text:
Isaac Singer

Isaac Merritt Singer (October 27, 1811 – July 23, 1875) was an American inventor, actor, and businessman. He made important improvements in the design of the sewing machine and was the founder of what became one of the first American multi-national businesses, the Singer Sewing Machine Company.

Many others, including Walter Hunt and Elias Howe, had patented sewing machines before Singer, but his success was based on the practicality of his machine, the ease with which it could be adapted to home use and its availability on an installments payment basis.

Singer died in 1875, dividing his $13 million fortune unequally among 20 of his living children by his wives and various mistresses, although one son, who had supported his mother in her divorce case against Singer, received only $500. Altogether, he fathered 26 children.

Early life
Isaac Merritt Singer was born on October 27, 1811, in Pittstown, Schaghticoke, New York. He was the youngest of eight children born to a German father, Adam Singer (né Reisinger) (1772–1855), and his American wife, Ruth (née Benson) Singer. His siblings were John Valentine Singer, Alexander Singer, Elizabeth (née Singer) Colby, Christiana (née Singer) Cleveland, and Elijah Singer. In 1821, his parents divorced and his mother abandoned Isaac. At twelve, he ran away from home to join a traveling stage act, called the Rochester Players, after finding bits of work as a joiner and lathe operator.

Career
In 1839, Singer obtained his first patent, for a machine to drill rock, selling it for $2,000 (or over $150,000 in 2024 dollars) to the I & M Canal Building Company. With this financial success, he opted to return to his career as an actor. He went on tour, forming a troupe known as the "Merritt Players", appearing onstage under the name "Isaac Merritt", with Mary Ann Sponsler (one of his mistresses) also appearing onstage, calling herself "Mrs. Merritt". The tour lasted about five years.

He developed and patented a "machine for carving wood and metal" on April 10, 1849.

At 38, with Mary Ann and eight children, he packed up his family and moved back to New York City, hoping to market his wood-block cutting machine. He obtained an advance to build a working prototype, and constructed one in A. B. Taylor & Co shop, where he met G. B. Zieber, who became Singer's financier and partner. However, not long after the machine was built, the steam boiler blew up at the shop, destroying the prototype. Zieber persuaded Singer to make a new start in Boston, a center of the printing trade. The singer went to Boston in 1850 to display his invention at the machine shop of Orson C. Phelps. Orders for Singer's wood cutting machine were not, however, forthcoming.

Lerow & Blodgett sewing machines were being constructed and repaired in Phelps' shop. Phelps asked Singer to look at the sewing machines, which were difficult to use and produce. Singer concluded that the sewing machine would be more reliable if the shuttle moved in a straight line rather than a circle, with a straight rather than a curved needle. Singer was able to obtain US Patent number 8294 for his improvements on August 12, 1851.

I. M. Singer & Co
In 1856, manufacturers Grover & Baker, Singer, Wheeler & Wilson, all accusing each other of patent infringement, met in Albany, New York to pursue their suits. Orlando B. Potter, a lawyer and president of the Grover and Baker Company, proposed that, rather than squander their profits on litigation, they pool their patents. This was the first patent pool, a process which enables the production of complicated machines without legal battles over patent rights. They agreed to form the Sewing Machine Combination, but for this to be of any use, they had to secure the cooperation of Elias Howe, who still held certain vital uncontested patents. Terms were arranged; Howe received a royalty on every sewing machine manufactured.

Sewing machines began to be mass-produced. I. M. Singer & Co manufactured 2,564 machines in 1856, and 13,000 in 1860 at a new plant on Mott Street in New York. Later, a massive plant was built near Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Up to then, sewing machines had been industrial machines, made for garments, shoes, bridles and for tailors, but in 1856, smaller machines began to be marketed for home use. However, at the then enormous price of over $100 ($0 in dollars), few sold. Singer invested heavily in mass production utilizing the concept of interchangeable parts developed by Samuel Colt and Eli Whitney for their firearms. He was able to cut the price in half, while at the same time increasing his profit margin by 530%. Singer was the first who put a family machine, "the turtle back", on the market. Eventually, the price came down to $10 ($0 in dollars). According to PBS, "His partner, Edward Cabot Clark, pioneered installment purchasing plans and accepted trade-ins, causing sales to soar."

Women were able to make items at home for their families or for sale and charitable groups began to support poorer women to find useful skills and respectable employment in sewing, such as The Ladies Work Society (1875), The Association for the Sale of Works of Ladies of Limited Means, The Co-operative Needlewoman's Society and associated magazines, pattern books and group classes began for the better off women who also wanted to have some form of useful, economic activity, which a sewing machine at home now offered.

I. M. Singer expanded into the European market, first starting in Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire, next to the iron foundries that supplied the castings for the chassis until expansion was hindered by the expansion of the foundries around them and they then moved to Clydebank, establishing the world's largest sewing machine factory, built between 1882 and 1885, by George McKenzie in Kilbowie, Clydebank, near Glasgow, consisting of two main manufacturing buildings on three levels (one building for making the domestic machines, the other for industrial model production), with a 200 ft (over 60meters) high tower with the 'Singer' name logo and four clock faces which was the largest four-sided clock tower at the time. Singer opened the factory at Clydebank with 3,500 people making 8,000 sewing machines a week on average. The factory was linked directly to railway lines, and via stations in Dumbarton and Helensburgh to assist in distribution. Later improvements included a further two levels for the production blocks and a power station and sawmills. (Note: images of the tower and the factory's transport connections are available on the Scottish National Buildings Record) The factory later supplied military and home sewers, and made munitions during World War II. In 1941, the factory and area was severely damaged (losing 390,000 sq ft 36,000 sq m) in the 'Clydebank Blitz' when at least 35,000 homes were damaged and 500 people, including 39 Singer workers were killed.

Even as early as 1880, Singer machines compared favorably with their nearest competitors: information articles becoming marketing tool. By the 1900s, this factory, controlled by the parent company, made 1.5million machines sold around the world, helping the Singer company in becoming one of the first American-based multinational corporations, with agencies in Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

Later as The Singer Manufacturing Company and its competitors expanded, due to its affordability (or purchase plan terms) by the 1940s there were 24,000 sewing classes a year running in the UK alone, and the 1944 Education Act made practical dressmaking a compulsory subject for girls in all state schools. By the 1950s, there were Singer Teen-Age Sewing Classes and advertising campaigns to encourage girls to make their own fashions to attract boys' interest.

Changes to company in Europe
In 1863, I. M. Singer & Co. was dissolved by mutual consent with Edward Cabot Clark seeing Singer's reputation as a risk to growth; but the business continued with Singer owning 40%  of shares and still on the board, as "The Singer Manufacturing Company", in 1887.

In 1871, Singer purchased an estate and settled with Isabella in Paignton, Devon, England. He commissioned the 110-roomed Oldway Mansion as his private residence, with a hall of mirrors, maze and grotto garden; it was rebuilt by Paris Singer, his third son from Isabella, in the style of the Palace of Versailles. And the area became known locally as 'Singerton'. It has been named by the Victorian Society as a heritage building at risk of disrepair.

Consequence on global garment industry
Singer's prototype sewing machine became the first to work in a practical way. It could sew 900 stitches per minute, far better than the 40 of an accomplished seamstress on simple work. This started the industrialisation of garment and textile manufacturing, as a shirt took an hour to make compared to fifteen hours previously, but these still needed finishing by hand, and the finishers worked alone on piecework terms at home, but mass over-production by factories' machines, led to pressure on wages and to unemployment.

In 1911, most of the mainly female workforce at the Clydebank Singer factory went on strike in support of 12 workers who had objected to increased workload and lower pay conditions imposed (by this time there were 11,500 employees). Although the strike did not succeed, Singer fired 400 workers including the union leaders. The Singer Strike was one of the key actions leading to protests known as Red Clydeside.

In the 1960s, Japanese production efficiency brought aluminium body machines and products at lower pricing which outsold the cast iron Singer machines. The symbolic tower was knocked down as the Singer Clydebank factory was modernised, but it closed in 1980 and was demolished in the late 1990s.

Personal life
In 1830, at nineteen, Isaac Singer married fifteen-year-old Catherine Maria Haley (1815–1884). The couple had two children before he left her to join the Baltimore Strolling Players. In 1860, Singer divorced Catherine on the basis of her adultery with Stephen Kent. Their son William spoke up for his mother in the divorce case and was snubbed by Singer, including in his will where William received just $500 of Singer's $13,000,000 fortune. Their two children were:
 * William Adam Singer (1834–1914), who in 1872 married Sarah Augusta Webb (1851–1909), a twin sister of William Seward Webb (who married Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt).
 * Lillian C. Singer (1837–1912), who married Harry Hodson.

In 1836, while still married to Catherine, Singer began a 25-year affair with Mary Ann Sponsler (1817–1896). Together, Mary Ann and Isaac had ten children, two of whom died at birth, including:
 * Isaac Augustus Singer (1837–1902), who married Sarah Jane Clarke.
 * Vouletti Theresa Singer (1840–1913), who married William Fash Proctor.
 * John Albert Singer (1842–1911), who married Jennie C. Belinski.
 * Fanny Elizabeth Singer (1844–1909), who married William S. Archer.
 * Jasper Hamlet Singer (1846–1922), who married Jane Collier Cook.
 * Mary Olivia Singer (1848–1900), who married Sturges Selleck Whitlock, a Connecticut state senator.
 * Julia Ann Singer (1855–1923), who married Martin J. Herz.
 * Caroline Virginia Singer (1857–1896), who married Augustus C. Foster.

Financial success allowed Singer to buy a mansion on Fifth Avenue, into which he moved his second family. He and Mary Ann had abandoned their joint acting company, the Merritt Players, as his inventions were more successful. He continued to live with Mary Ann, until she spotted him driving down Fifth Avenue seated beside Mary McGonigal, an employee, about whom Mary Ann already had suspicions. Reportedly, Singer also had an affair with McGonigal's sister, Kate McGonigal. Together, Mary McGonigal and Isaac were the parents of seven children (who used the surname Matthews), two of whom died at birth, including:
 * Ruth Mary Matthews (b. 1852)
 * Clara Matthews (1854–1933), who married Col. Hugh Stafford in 1880.
 * Margaret Matthews (1858–1939), who married Granville Henry Jackson Alexander, Esq., the High Sheriff of Armagh.
 * Charles Alexander Matthews (1859–1883), who married Minnie Mathews.
 * Florence Adelaide Matthews (c. 1859–1932), who married Harry Ruthven Pratt.

And Mary Ann, still calling herself Mrs. I. M. Singer, had her husband arrested for bigamy. Singer was let out on bond and, disgraced, fled to London in 1862, taking Mary McGonigal with him. In the aftermath, another of Isaac's families was discovered: he had a "wife", Mary Eastwood Walters, a machine demonstrator, and had had a daughter in Lower Manhattan:
 * Alice Eastwood (née Walters) Merritt (1852–1890), who adopted the surname Merritt and married twice, including to W. A. P. LaGrove at age eighteen in a marriage arranged by Singer.

By 1860, Isaac had fathered and acknowledged twenty children, sixteen of them still then living, by four women. In 1861, his longstanding mistress Mary Ann took him to court for abusing her and daughter Vouletti. With Isaac in London, Mary Ann began setting about securing a financial claim to his assets by filing documents detailing his infidelities, and claiming that, though she had never been formally married to Isaac, they were wed under common law by living together for seven months after Isaac had been divorced from his first wife, Catherine. Eventually, a settlement was made, but no divorce was granted. However, she asserted that she was free to marry, and indeed she married John E. Foster.

Isaac, meanwhile, had renewed acquaintance with Isabella Eugenie Boyer, a nineteen year old Frenchwoman, whom he had lived with in Paris when he was staying there in 1860. She left her husband and married Isaac, who was by now fifty, under the name of Isabella Eugenie Sommerville on June 13, 1863, while she was pregnant. Together, they had six children: Isaac Singer died in 1875, shortly after the wedding of his daughter by Mary Eastwood Walters, Alice, whose dress had cost as much as a London apartment. His funeral was an elaborate affair with eighty horse-drawn carriages, and around 2,000 mourners, to see him buried locally in Torquay Cemetery, at his request in three layers of coffin (cedar lined with satin, lead, English oak with silver decoration) and a marble tomb.
 * Sir Adam Mortimer Singer (1863–1929)
 * Winnaretta Eugenie Singer (1865–1943), a patron of 20th-century music who married Prince Louis de Scey-Montbéliard in 1887. They divorced in 1892 and she married Prince Edmond de Polignac.
 * Washington Merritt Grant Singer (1866–1934), who married Blanche Emmeline Hale and Ellen Mary Allen.
 * Paris Eugene Singer (1867–1932), who married Cecilia Henrietta Augusta "Lillie" Graham (1867–1951). Paris was a close friend of the Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner.
 * Isabelle-Blanche Singer (1869–1896), who married the French aristocrat Jean, Duc Decazes et de Glücksbierg in 1888.
 * Franklin Merritt Morse Singer (1870–1939), who married Emilie Maigret.

Legacy and honors

 * The World War II Liberty Ship SS Isaac M. Singer was named in his honor.
 * Singer Island, Florida was named for his son Paris Singer

title: Isaac Singer


text:
Talk:L'Hôpital's rule

Last limit
The last limit should be 1/2. Loisel 08:16 Feb 22, 2003 (UTC)
 * Yep, fixed it. Nice catch. Minesweeper 08:37 Feb 22, 2003 (UTC)

Typo in proof?
In the case when $$|g(x)| \to +\infty$$, shouldn't the formula read

{f(x) \over g(x)} = {f(y) \over g(x)} + \left [ 1 - {g(y) \over g(x)} \right ] {f'(\xi) \over g'(\xi)} $$ instead of

{f(x) \over g(x)} = {g(y) \over g(x)} + \left [ 1 - {g(y) \over g(x)} \right ] {f'(\xi) \over g'(\xi)} $$ (the numerator of the first term of the right hand side of the equation should be f(y) instead of g(y) imho) Kind regards, Pieter Penninckx

Yes it should. Even so, somebody should finish the second proof, there's a lot more that needs to be said.

Section 1 of the proof asserts: According to Cauchy's mean value theorem there is a constant xi in c < xi < c + h such that:

f'(xi) / g'(xi) = ( f(c + h) - f(c) ) / ( g(c + h) - g(c) )

But the logic of this assertion does not seem correct to me. Cauchy's mean value theorem states:

there is a constant Xi1 in c < Xi1 < c + h   such that f'(xi1) = ( f(c+h) - f(c) ) / h

there is a constant Xi2 in c < Xi2 < c + h   such that g'(xi2) = ( g(c+h) - g(c) ) / h

So certainly,

f'(xi1) / g'(xi2) = ( f(c+h) - f(c) ) / ( g(c+h) - g(c) )

However, you cannot assume that xi1 = xi2 !

"Hence Cauchy's mean value theorem ...it states that xi1 = xi2! And it's not proved like that." ~P. Y. from NTHU

I'm not saying the assertion is wrong, but I think the proof needs improvement.

 * Indeed, Cauchy's mean theorem CAN'T be derived that way. Instead it uses Rolle's theorem, see (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolle%27s_theorem) and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_value_theorem).

(http://planetmath.org/?op=getobj&from=objects&id=7611). The main text needs to be corrected.
 * The proof of "With the indeterminate form infinity over infinity" is simply wrong. The correct proof can be found here

Too strong requirement in overview?
Hello,

We were touched that $$ \lim_{x\to c}{f'(x) \over g'(x)} = A, A \in \mathbb{R}^* $$ requirement holds only for open interval (a,b) containing c (or with $$b=\infty$$ or $$a=-\infty$$)

Incorrect application of L'Hopital's rule in example image
The example below the infobox shows $$\lim_{x\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\sin{x}}{-0.5x} = -\frac{1}{2}\lim_{x\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\sin{x}}{x}$$. However, L'Hopital's rule cannot be applied to this limit, as the proof of the derivative of $$\sin{x}$$ depends on knowing precisely this limit.

Proof: $$ \frac{d}{dx}\sin{x}=\lim_{h\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\sin{(x+h)}-\sin{x}}{h}=\lim_{h\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\sin{x}\cos{h}+\cos{x}\sin{h}-\sin{x}}{h}=\cos{x}\lim_{h\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\sin{h}}{h}+\sin{x}\lim_{h\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\cos{x}-1}{h}, \lim_{h\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\sin{h}}{h}=1, \lim_{h\rightarrow{0}}\frac{\cos{x}-1}{h}=0 \therefore\frac{d}{dx}\sin{x}=\cos{x} $$

I think this should be changed to a different example.

Singularities421 (talk) 21:54, 21 March 2021 (UTC)

 * L'Hopital's rule is not used to prove sin(x) ~ x. Valery Zapolodov (talk) 12:14, 10 November 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:L'Hôpital's rule