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Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. The Cronulla Sharks compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league competition. The Sharks, as they are commonly known, were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, predecessor of the Australian Rugby League and the current National Rugby League competition, in January 1967. The club competed in every premiership season since then and, during the Super League war, joined the rebel competition before continuing on in the re-united NRL Premiership. The Sharks have been in competition for 56 years, appearing in four grand finals, winning their first premiership in 2016 after defeating the Melbourne Storm at Stadium Australia.

History
In 1967 the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) added two new clubs to the competition, Cronulla-Sutherland and Penrith, the first to join the competition since Parramatta and Manly were admitted 20 years earlier in 1947.

Founded by Peter Burns, Cronulla debuted in 1967 wearing a sky blue jersey adorned with a white V and red numbers on the back, at the then club home ground of Sutherland Oval, under the captaincy of multiple premiership-winner Monty Porter and the coaching of Ken Kearney. Cronulla earned immediate recognition when they beat Eastern Suburbs at the Sydney Sports Ground in their first match. They had only two more wins, against Norths and Parramatta, and finished last on the competition table.

In mid-1968 the club moved permanently to Endeavour Field at Woolooware, and became the only club in Sydney to own their own ground. Their first match there was against Parramatta and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks won 10–7.

1970s
Cronulla made their first grand final in 1973 against Manly-Warringah losing 10–7. Cronulla met the Manly club again in the 1978 grand final, leading 7–2 well into the second half, before Manly came back and brought the scoreboard to 7–11. It took a late penalty goal from Steve Rogers to level scores at 11-all by full-time. The replay saw the Sharks opportunity pass by as they fielded a much-weakened team due to further injuries, eventually being shut-out by Manly 16–0. Cronulla were without suspended stars Greg Pierce and Dane Sorensen in both games, while hooker John McMartin, fullback Mick Mullane and Barry Andrews were all injured for the replay.

1980s
Cronulla suffered major financial trouble in 1983, with the NSWRL appointing an administrator and providing a loan. Western Suburbs and Newtown, both in a similar predicament, were refused a loan, with Newtown being forced out of the competition. Cronulla also made the final of the mid-week KB Cup, but lost again to Manly, 26–6.

In 1985, Cronulla was buoyed by the arrival of 'super coach' Jack Gibson, who had coached Easts and Parramatta to premierships. Gibson left the club in good shape in 1987, with the promise fulfilled in 1988 when Cronulla won the minor premiership, led by veteran second-rower Gavin Miller, who was named Dally M Player of the Year, and Rothmans Medal winning halfback, Barry Russell. However, Russell dislocated his shoulder two weeks before the finals, and missed the semi-final where Cronulla went down to Canterbury. He was rushed back in for the final against Balmain, but he was severely hampered by the injury, and Cronulla were bundled out. A bright spot for the Sharks, though, was the selection in the Australian team of Miller, and young centres, Ettingshausen and Mark McGaw.

In 1989, Cronulla sneaked into the finals after thrashing Illawarra 46–14 in the final round, followed by a memorable 38–14 victory over the Brisbane Broncos in the play-off for fifth position. However, they could not repeat the performance in their semi-final against eventual premiers Canberra, in what was their third game in seven days. Gavin Miller was rewarded for another great year with both the Dally M Player of the Year award and the Rothmans Medal.

1990s
Cronulla again dropped into a period of poor form and financial trouble in 1990, but the appointment as coach of rugby league Immortal, Arthur Beetson, in 1992 helped turn the on-field problems around. He helped develop a batch of promising players, including five-eighth Mitch Healey, fullback David Peachey, winger Richie Barnett, second-rower Sean Ryan, prop Adam Ritson, and hooker Aaron Raper, son of another Immortal, Johnny Raper. However, Cronulla were forced into receivership in 1993.

Beetson was replaced as coach in 1994 by John Lang, a former Australian hooker, and coach of the Brisbane Easts team. Lang brought halfback, Paul Green, down from Brisbane with him. A golden age for the club had begun, signalled by the two lower grade teams (President's Cup and Reserve grade) winning their competitions. During John Lang's coaching period, from 1994 to 2001, Cronulla made the semi-finals every year except for 1994 and 1998. The club had a glamorous image and attracted record crowds, with a corresponding financial improvement.

In 1995, Cronulla were one of the first clubs to join the Super League competition, which kicked off after protracted legal battles and much bitterness, in 1997. The club was motivated by a dissatisfaction with the perceived favouritism of the NSWRL administration towards other clubs, and a still-risky financial situation.

They reached the inaugural – and only – grand final of the ten-team Super League competition, only to lose to a vastly superior Brisbane side 26–8 in Brisbane. The game was notable for being the first grand final to be played outside Sydney. The club rejoined the reunited National Rugby League competition in 1998.

Arguably Cronulla's best season ever was in 1999, when they again won the Minor Premiership and the J. J. Giltinan Shield in convincing fashion. Cronulla-Sutherland easily accounted for the Brisbane Broncos in the quarter-final, and led 8–0 in the grand final qualifier against arch rivals the St George Illawarra Dragons before eventually losing 8–24. Following the season, a planned merger with South Sydney was met with staunch opposition from both clubs, and Cronulla was retained for the rationalised 14-team 2000 competition. Also in 1999, the Cronulla-Sutherland name was dropped, and the club was simply known as the "Sharks", and would be known as this until the end of 2002.

2000s
Cronulla lost the grand final qualifier in similar circumstances in 2001, to eventual premiers Newcastle. The year was marked by the sudden rise of halfback Preston Campbell, who was named Dally M Player of the Year, despite being a fringe first grader at the start of the season.

In 2002, John Lang was replaced by Australian coach Chris Anderson, who had led Canterbury Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm to premierships. The following two years were the most acrimonious in the club's history. The first year was almost an on-field success, as Anderson retained the core of John Lang's team, and the Sharks again reached the grand final qualifier. However another heartbreaking loss to New Zealand, the replacement of halfback Preston Campbell – a crowd favourite – with former Melbourne halfback Brett Kimmorley, and a string of released players signaled trouble for 2003.

This was realised with the sudden mid-season departure of long-time stalwarts Nick Graham and Dean Treister. The Sharks finished 11th, suffering a record 74–4 loss to Parramatta in a match marred by the controversial performance of referee Shayne Hayne. Three Cronulla players were sent from the field, including Sharks captain David Peachey, for ignoring the referee's instructions. Constant infighting between the board and the coach led to Anderson's departure at the end of the season.

The same year the club's name reverted to Cronulla-Sutherland, Chris Anderson was replaced by Stuart Raper, another son of Johnny Raper, and the coach of the President's Cup-winning team in 1994. A loyal clubman, he instantly brought a revival in club and supporter spirit. However, Raper's apparent focus on team harmony rather than results led to Cronulla's win percentage worsening, from 49% (24 wins 27 losses) under Anderson, to 43% (31 wins 42 losses).

Steve Rogers, the CEO of the Cronulla Sharks and a former club legend, died on 3 January 2006 at the age of 51 of a "mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol". In April, 2006, the NSW state coroner ruled that the death was accidental.

On 21 April 2006, after much work and lobbying carried out by then-Chairman Barry Pierce and Sharks board member Brian Quinn, Peter Costello, on behalf of the Federal Government, announced they would be funding a $9.6 million upgrade to Toyota Park. The funds were primarily used to construct the Southern Stand which was never completed but later named the Monty Porter Stand.

Cronulla finished the 2006 season in disastrous fashion. After winning 8 out of 9 games in the middle of the season and climbing to near the top of the ladder, the team experienced the worst losing streak in the club's history, losing their last 10 consecutive games. In a see-sawing match to finish a tumultuous season, the Sharks in their final game coming back from 26–0 down only to lose 26–24 to Canberra. A missed penalty goal in the dying seconds of the match would have sent the game into extra-time, allowing the chance for Cronulla to equal the biggest single-game comeback in the history of top-level rugby league in Australia.

On 22 September 2006, the Sharks Board ended weeks of speculation over the future of Coach Stuart Raper by sacking him as first-grade coach and handing him a sizeable payout, making him the second consecutive coach to receive such a payout. On 26 September, Australian Test Coach Ricky Stuart signed a three-year deal to coach the Sharks as of 2007, replacing Raper.

Round one of the 2007 NRL season saw Cronulla-Sutherland break their 10-game losing streak against the Penrith Panthers with an 18–0 victory at Toyota Park. Ricky Stuart led the Sharks to fifth on the ladder at the halfway mark of the season surprising many critics. Towards the end of the season, Cronulla plunged to 15th on the league ladder, slumping to seven straight losses. The season ended with the Sharks in 11th place, rounding off a heartbreaking season, with the club losing no less than nine matches by 4 points or less.

Cronulla-Sutherland had a strong season in 2008, finishing the season in equal first spot (third on for and against). They had one of the best defensive records, but one of the worst attacking records in the league. They had an excellent start to the season, beating defending grand finalists Manly and premiers Melbourne in away games in the first two rounds. After a comprehensive 36–10 victory over Canberra in the Qualifying Final at Toyota Stadium, Cronulla were beaten 28–0 by Melbourne (who later were found to be over the salary cap and cheating) in the Preliminary Final at the Sydney Football Stadium. This was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season.

During the 2009 season Cronulla's dire financial problems became public knowledge. Asset-rich, owning its stadium and the surrounding land, but with cash flow problems due to its low average home gate and poor on-field performances in recent seasons, the club announced plans for a partial relocation to the Central Coast, which was rebuffed by the NRL. It was to split home games for the 2010–14 seasons among:

 * 6 at Endeavour Field, to include local derbies with the St George Illawarra Dragons and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs,
 * 5 at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford, Central Coast, and
 * 1 at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, South Australia.

In May 2009, an ABC Four Corners investigation revealed the Sharks players involvement in a group sex scandal on a pre-season tour in 2002. The club further slid into crisis when it also emerged that CEO Tony Zappia had allegedly punched a female staff member and joked about it. Zappia and Coach Ricky Stuart also then attempted to bully the female staff member into retracting her complaint.

Zappia and Stuart were also investigated for their role around unusual financial transactions with Clint Elford, a fan who falsely claimed to be terminally ill, and who had sent money to Zappia and Stuart to spend on the Sharks. Elford was subsequently found guilty of fraud and Stuart refused to answer questions when the NRL launched an investigation. CEO Tony Zappia was investigated and subsequently sacked for his role.

On 26 May 2009 businessman Damian Irvine, together with a fresh board of directors, took over control of the club as the St George bank were threatening to foreclose.

They recorded 9 straight losses after a win in Round 1 in 2009 and despite a midseason revival with four straight wins, the Cronulla side slipped to ten straight defeats to equal the club's worst losing streak. One of these losses caused great controversy as the Sharks, playing against Manly, were forced to field just 12 men for most of the game after Luke Douglas was sent off by referee Phil Haines for a careless high tackle. The Sharks managed to avoid the wooden spoon in 2009 when the Roosters were soundly beaten by the Cowboys in the final round, resulting in a lower overall standing than the Sharks. Avoiding last position was a rare positive in a horror season for the Cronulla club.

2010
The start of the 2010 season saw Cronulla return confident of turning around recent disappointing results, however on-field performance remained poor. After the board developed a plan to refinance debt and a long-term financial strategy, Richard Fisk resigned in June 2010 due to his failure to find common ground with Chairman Irvine and his Board and a failure by Fisk to refresh the commercial area of the club. The club's head coach, Ricky Stuart, also tendered his resignation and was replaced towards the back end of the season by his then-assistant coach Shane Flanagan.

Promising wing/centre Blake Ferguson was criticised for comments about wanting to leave the club in order to achieve success. On Tuesday, 20 July Ricky Stuart left the Sharks for the rest of the season after admitting he could get no more out of the players and had "lost" them. Chairman Irvine opted to give a chance to Assistant NSW and Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan. After departing, Stuart also cited a fractured relationship with Chairman Damian Irvine as a reason for his departure despite the club making positive strides off-field under his guidance and commitment and Irvine making funds available to back Stuart in the player market as he wished.

2011
The 2011 season started so promising for the club. The addition of Wade Graham at five-eighth and New Zealand international Jeremy Smith to a pack already containing two origin players promised an end to the Sharks' status as cellar-dwellers. Despite being humiliated by Canberra at Canberra Stadium in round one, 40–12, the club won its next two matches. They beat defending premiers St. George Illawarra 16–10 at home in round two, and smashed Penrith 44–12 at Centerbet Stadium. Missing a number of first-team starters due to injury, Cronulla then lost five in a row to the New Zealand Warriors (26-18), Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (19-13), Newcastle Knights (24-20), North Queensland Cowboys (30-12), and South Sydney (31-12), dropping down the table, from 9th to 15th.

They broke their hoodoo in round ten, when they beat the struggling Sydney Roosters 18–4 at Toyota Stadium. They were again disappointing in round eleven, when they were defeated 40-6 by Parramatta at Parramatta Stadium. Despite losing 14–8 to the Storm in round 12, they were much improved and forced Melbourne into a classic showdown at AAMI Park in Melbourne. They then faced Brisbane at home in round 13, going down 34–16, before a bye in round 14 gave them the chance to regroup. While the Sharks were taking a much needed break skipper Paul Gallen led the NSW Blues Origin team to a memorable 18–8 victory over Queensland. He then played outstandingly for the Sharks in their round 15 match against Canterbury-Bankstown just three days after the State of Origin match, a game in which Cronulla beat Canterbury-Bankstown 26–10. The next four weeks saw a turnaround of the club's performance, with victory over the Gold Coast Titans 36-12 and the South Sydney Rabbitohs 24–4, before they took revenge against the Canberra Raiders 26–12.

2012
Cronulla lost their two props for the 2012 season, Origin representative Kade Snowden to Newcastle and Luke Douglas signing for the Gold Coast Titans. Captain Paul Gallen's transformation into an Origin prop alleviated this problem somewhat, and the Sharks were active in the player market, signing prop Jon Green from St George, former Shark Isaac de Gois, prop Mark Taufua from Newcastle, halfback Jeff Robson from Parramatta and props Bryce Gibbs and Andrew Fifita from Wests Tigers.

2012 began very well for the club under Chairman Damian Irvine, Coach Shane Flanagan. The recruitment by Mooney and Flanagan paid dividends with new recruits Jeff Robson, Andrew Fifita, Todd Carney, Ben Ross, Isaac De Gois and Mark Taufua taking pressure off Paul Gallen allowing him to hit a purple patch of form. The club won 6 matches in a row for the first time in over a decade and after 8 rounds were sitting third on the table as the highest placed Sydney based franchise.

A difficult State of Origin period saw injuries to captain Paul Gallen and star Todd Carney. Cronulla struggled to recover and struggled in the back half of the year, however still capped a remarkable turnaround by qualifying for their first finals series in 4 years, losing to Canberra in week one. The match notable for seeing Paul Gallen outplayed by young rival Josh Papalii and Todd Carney injuring his Achilles.

Sponsorship deals with SHARK Energy Drink, Fishermans Friends, and Luxbet flooded in and helped the financial situation off-field, with the close of Season 2012 seeing Shane Flanagan emerge as one of the game's leading up and coming head coaches and his mentor Damian Irvine the game's leading young administrator.

2013
At the beginning of Season 2013, Irvine stood down as chairman on learning of the questionable operational and duty of care practices of coach Shane Flanagan, and Darren Mooney during 2011 which exposed the club to the ASADA scandal. Flanagan was stood down and Peter Sharp stepped up to the head coaching role. Flanagan returned in 2013, a season in which the Sharks qualified for the competition semi finals, before he was forced to serve a 9-month suspension handed down by the NRL for breaches of basic governance and duty of care practices, thus validating the strong ethical stance made by Irvine and the board in March 2013.

Sharp again took over the reins, before resigning mid season the week after the club's greatest comeback victory, with the team coming from 22 nil down to beat the Brisbane Broncos 24–22. Following that win, a photo went viral of Sharks playmaker Todd Carney pretending to urinate into his own mouth. Just one day after Carney was stood down by Cronulla CEO Steve Noyce, Sharp resigned as interim head coach and was replaced by James Shepherd.

2014–2015
The 2014 season saw a myriad of struggles for Cronulla on the field, with injuries and the suspension of five players involved in the supplements scandal of 2011, missing games at the back end of the season. Cronulla finished 2014 with the Wooden Spoon.

In 2015, the club climbed the ladder to eventually finish 6th with two wins over eventual minor premiers Sydney Roosters and 2014's premiers South Sydney. 2015 was also the year Flanagan was reappointed as coach of Cronulla after sitting out the 2014 NRL season. The club would reach the second week of the finals series where they were defeated 39-0 by North Queensland in Townsville.

2016
The 2016 NRL season started with a 20–14 loss over 2015 premiers, North Queensland Cowboys. This was followed by a 30–2 win over the St. George Illawarra Dragons and a loss to Manly-Warringah, 22–12. Cronulla then went on to win 15 games in a row from Round 4 against the Melbourne Storm to Round 21, against the Gold Coast Titans, resulting in an 18-all draw. This was the largest win streak in the club's history. During this period Cronulla equalled their largest win score by defeating the Newcastle Knights 62–0.

They then went on to win 1 out of their last 5 games resulting in a drop from 1st to 3rd. In round 26, the Cronulla-Sutherland and Melbourne Storm faced off in a minor premiership showdown in which the Melbourne Storm won 26–6 in AAMI Park. They went on to defeat the Raiders in the Week 1 qualifying final 16-14 and earning the week off. Advancing to the Preliminary final, they defeated defending premiers North Queensland Cowboys 32–20 at the Sydney Football Stadium. They would face and defeat the Melbourne Storm in the 2016 NRL Grand Final. Cronulla, after leading 8–0 at half-time, prevailed in a gripping affair 14–12 to claim their first premiership in the club's 50-year history. Cronulla second rower Luke Lewis was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as Man of the Match.

Soon after the Maiden premiership victory stat player Ben Barba tested positive for Cocaine and was sacked from the club. Chairman Damian Keogh, who rose to the position on a platform of promising good governance and increased commercial experience garnered from his role as CEO of HOYTS Australia, was also arrested for possession of Cocaine whilst in Sydney's CBD and resigned from the position of Sharks Chairman as a result.

2017 World Club Challenge and 2017 season
Cronulla played Wigan Warriors at the DW Stadium on 19 February 2017, losing 22–6 to a strong Wigan side. In the 2017 NRL season, Cronulla reached the finals. In week one, Cronulla played against North Queensland in the elimination final. Cronulla went on to be upset 15-14 and were eliminated from the finals ending their premiership defence.

2018 and financial struggles
In the 2018 NRL season, Cronulla-Sutherland finished 4th on the table and qualified for the finals. The club would eventually reach the preliminary final but were defeated by Melbourne 22–6 at AAMI Park.

In November 2018, the Sharks sacked 10 staff members after $3m loss for 2018 season.

On 19 December 2018, Cronulla head coach Shane Flanagan was de-registered as a coach indefinitely for failing to adhere to the conditions of his suspension in 2014. The NRL integrity unit had found that Flanagan had sent more than fifty emails exchanged between Flanagan, club management and the football department which was strictly against the conditions of his suspension which included that Flanagan was to have no contact or involvement with the club during his ban. The NRL also fined Cronulla $800,000 as punishment.

During the 2019 preseason, on 29 November, it was confirmed that Cronulla would be forced into sacking 10 staff members to help their financial situation. It was reported that Cronulla had lost $3 million, despite being given support of the NRL.

2019
On 31 July 2019, it was revealed by the Sydney Morning Herald that Cronulla would be moving their home games away from Shark Park for two seasons as part of the club's redevelopment of the Cronulla Leagues Club and Shark Park itself.

At the end of the 2019 regular season, Cronulla finished 7th on the table with 12 wins and 12 losses and qualified for the finals. In the elimination final against Manly, Cronulla lost 28–16 at Brookvale Oval which ended their season.

2020
Cronulla-Sutherland finished 8th on the table in the 2020 NRL season and qualified for the finals after recovering from a poor start to the year. Cronulla were then eliminated in the first week of the finals losing to Canberra 32–20 at GIO Stadium.

2021
Cronulla started the 2021 NRL season two wins from their opening five games. Following the club's 28–16 loss against the Sydney Roosters, head coach John Morris was terminated from his position and replaced with interim head coach Josh Hannay. The club would then go on to lose their next five matches in a row. Cronulla then recovered to sit in eighth place with two games remaining of the regular season. In the final round of the year, Cronulla-Sutherland lost 28–16 against Melbourne and the Gold Coast leapfrogged them into eighth place after they defeated the New Zealand Warriors. Cronulla finished the season in ninth place and missed out on the finals for the first time since 2014.

2022
Cronulla surprised many in the 2022 NRL season after finishing second on the table at the end of the regular season. Throughout the year, Cronulla went on a six-game winning run. Halfback Nicho Hynes won the 2022 Dally M Medal with a record 38 votes. In the finals series, Cronulla were defeated 31–30 by North Queensland in the qualifying final which was played at Shark Park. Cronulla had led the match 30–22 with less than ten minutes to go before North Queensland forced the game into extra-time. Former Cronulla player Valentine Holmes kicked the winning field goal for North Queensland. The following week, Cronulla were defeated 38–12 by South Sydney in the semi-final which ended their season.

2023
Cronulla started the year strong, pushing into the top 4 at certain stages, before a mid-season slump dropped some of their momentum. They finished the 2023 in sixth place, eventually losing to the Sydney Roosters at Shark Park in an elimination final, 13-12.

Logo
The club wasn't known as the Sharks until after its initial admission into the competition. During Cronulla's first season the crest featured a drawing of Captain Cook's ship, HM BARK Endeavour. It is alleged that during the first season the club President suggested the 'Lions' while the captain Ken Kearney recommended the 'Sharks'. The mascot may have been named after the Cronulla Surf Club's rugby league teams of the 1970s. From the late 1970s through to the late 1990s, the Sharks used a predominantly black circular crest with a blue shark. This was changed after Super League in 1997 to a blue and white star-shaped design. Between 1999 and 2002, the name was shortened to simply the "Sharks". Since 2003, the name has since been changed back to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and changed their logo again in 2004, which is currently in use.

For Cronulla's maiden season in first grade a teal jersey with a white V was adopted from the Cronulla Surf Life Saving Club despite Cronulla's chocolate and gold design in the Sydney 2nd Division competition. The team colours of black, white and teal changed to sky blue, with grey being incorporated during Super League, and shortly after on the team's away strip.

Primary jerseys
Cronulla's club song is known as Up Up Cronulla, and is set to the tune of Beer Barrel Polka.

Stadium
When the Sharks entered the competition in 1967, they played their home games at Sutherland Oval. They only played there for two seasons with the Sharks winning their first game at the ground on 22 April 1967 NSWRFL season. The record attendance for Sutherland Oval was set in the last Cronulla game played at the ground when 12,578 saw the Sharks go down 32–4 to Canterbury Bankstown, then known as the Berries, now Bulldogs on 16 June 1968 NSWRFL season. Overall, the Sharks compiled a record of 4 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw at the venue.

In 1969, they then moved to Endeavour Field, where they have remained. This home ground has had numerous names over the years including Ronson Field, Shark Park, Toyota Park and until the end of 2012, Toyota Stadium. In 2013, it returned to the original name Endeavour Field. On 4 July 2013, the Cronulla Sharks announced their new stadium naming rights partner Remondis, an international waste solutions and management company.

In 2016 a new sponsorship deal for naming rights was signed with Southern Cross Group to name the stadium Southern Cross Group Stadium. The new partnership with Southern Cross Group (SCGroup) is a three-year deal, reportedly worth $1.5 million.

Southern Cross Group Stadium has a capacity of 22,000 people with the record attendance of 22,302 being set for a game against local rivals the St George Illawarra Dragons on 1 May 2004

Sharkies Leagues Club
The Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club is known as Sharkies, and is located on Captain Cook Drive at Woolooware. The leagues club sits beside the Cronulla Sutherland home ground, Endeavour Field.

Proposals to develop the land assets of the Leagues Club which owns the stadium and land around Endeavour Field stumbled for many years prior to arrival of renowned businessman Damian Irvine. In partnership with his head of finance Craig Douglas the plans finally became more tangible, as details of a residential and shopping centre were released. In August 2012, the club received final approval for their plans solving a 40-year-old problem of financial instability.

The arrival of respected CEO Lyall Gorman has seen 2016 be a watershed year off and on-field for the Sharks.

Sharks Immortals
The club has honoured five individuals as "Immortals" of the club:
 * Tommy Bishop, player-coach (1969–74)
 * Greg Pierce, player (1969–80) and coach (1981–82)
 * Steve Rogers, player (1973–85) and CEO
 * Gavin Miller, player (1980–92)
 * Andrew Ettingshausen, player (1983–2000)

Club captains
1 – Unknown number of matches as captain between 1972 and 1976.

Dream Team
Announced 2006

Team of the Half Century
Announced 2017

Club Legends
Announced 2003

 * Cliff Watson
 * Greg Pierce
 * Mark McGaw
 * Steve Rogers
 * Andrew Ettingshausen
 * Mat Rogers
 * Tommy Bishop
 * Gavin Miller
 * David Hatch
 * David Peachey

Team of the Decade
Announced 2020

Dally M Medal

 * Steve Rogers (1981)
 * Gavin Miller (1988, 1989)
 * Preston Campbell (2001)
 * Nicho Hynes (2022)

Rothmans Medal

 * Terry Hughes (1968)
 * Ken Maddison (1973)
 * Steve Rogers (1975)
 * Barry Russell (1988)
 * Gavin Miller (1989)
 * Paul Green (1995)

Clive Churchill Medal

 * Luke Lewis (2016)

Honours
Premierships: 1 (2016)

Runners-Up: 3 (1973, 1978, 1997SL)

Minor Premierships: 2 (1988, 1999)

Wooden Spoons: 3 (1967, 1969, 2014)

Finals Appearances: 25 (1973, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023)

Amco Cup: (1979)

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
This rivalry has been dubbed the "Battle of the Beaches", due to the geographical locations of the two clubs. Manly played the Sharks in two grand finals: 1973 and 1978, which are renowned for being the most brutal in history. Manly won both of these deciders, 10–7 in 1973 and 16–0 in the 1978 replay after the first game ended at 11-all. The Sea Eagles have traditionally had much success over the Sharks, with Cronulla winning at Manly's home ground just five times in their history. However the Sharks' biggest ever win came against Manly, a 68-6 thrashing in 2005. Cronulla and Manly play for the Steve Rogers Trophy when the two clubs meet in the NRL premiership each season. The two teams met in the 2013 finals, when Manly held off Cronulla by 24–18. Most recently the two teams met in the 2019 finals, when Manly beat Cronulla 28–16 at Brookvale Oval.

St. George Illawarra Dragons
Cronulla's fiercest rivalry is with their Southern Sydney neighbour, St George Illawarra Dragons. The success of the St. George club has often seen Cronulla labelled as the 'little brother' to the Dragons, further emphasised by the Dragons joint-venture with the Illawarra Steelers in 1998, effectively surrounding the Cronulla-Sutherland region geographically. On ANZAC Day 1999, Cronulla CEO Peter Gow famously cut up a St. George jersey with a pair of scissors in front of onlookers at Cronulla's leagues club and assaulted former St. George player Barry Beath who had become involved in the situation. Gow was later sacked by Cronulla for defacing the jersey and for assaulting a club patron.

Despite this the head-to-head match-up between the two clubs is surprisingly even. The two teams always lift the intensity when they meet, which has led to some classic matches over the years. In the 1999 preliminary final, Cronulla-Sutherland had won the minor premiership and looked like cruising to the grand final, before St George Illawarra scored 24 unanswered second half points to win 24–8. They would meet again in the finals in 2002, with Cronulla winning 40–24, and again in 2005 when St George Illawarra won 28–22. In round 18 of the 2023 NRL season, Cronulla recorded their biggest ever victory over either St. George or St. George Illawarra defeating the latter 52-16.

Melbourne Storm
A fairly recent rivalry that reached its height in the 2016 NRL Grand Final which was won by Cronulla.

Round 2 of the 2008 NRL season saw the sides meet at Olympic Park in Melbourne, and Cronulla was able to reverse the result by the same scoreline via a Brett Kimmorley field goal. The match was marred by an ugly brawl which saw Cronulla's Ben Ross and Melbourne's Brett White sent from the field. It was the only loss Melbourne suffered at home during the 2008 regular season.

The two sides met again in the preliminary final where Melbourne, despite missing captain Cameron Smith to suspension, defeated Cronulla 28–0 to advance to the grand final against Manly-Warringah.

Melbourne began the 2012 NRL season with nine straight victories, before a Paul Gallen-less Sharks pipped them 12-10 thanks to a Jeremy Smith try and clutch conversion from Todd Carney. It looked like Cronulla would land two wins over Melbourne that year, leading 18–10 with 90 seconds to go in the second game between the sides.

Melbourne somehow scored twice to win 20–18. The competitive rivalry between the two sides officially began in late 2015 when Melbourne beat Cronulla 30–2 in spiteful circumstances. Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan accused Melbourne of slowing down the game with their wrestling tackle technique. The loss meant that Melbourne leap-frogged Cronulla into 4th place heading into the finals. Again Cronulla-Sutherland handed Melbourne their first loss of the 2016 NRL season, winning the round 4 clash 14–6. It was the first match in Cronulla's record-breaking 15 matches winning streak.

The two sides would meet in the final round of the regular season with the winner taking out the minor premiership. Melbourne won 26-6 and took out the JJ Giltinan Shield. However, Cronulla-Sutherland would win the biggest game ever between the two sides 4 weeks later, winning the 2016 grand final by 14–12 in a thriller.

The two teams traded close wins in 2017, with Cronulla winning 11–2 at AAMI Park before Melbourne returned serve with an 18–13 victory at Southern Cross Group Stadium. 2018 saw Cronulla win both encounters with Melbourne during the regular season, yet despite this, lost to them in the preliminary final 22 to 6.

The match featured a controversial moment when Melbourne player Billy Slater made an illegal tackle on Cronulla winger Sosaia Feki while he was in the act of scoring, therefore constituting a professional foul. Slater managed to avoid the Sin Bin despite being penalised for the action, as well as avoiding suspension, with the NRL judiciary controversially ruling that the tackle did not constitute a shoulder charge. Their round 4 clash in 2018 saw a record 33 penalties blown, and Cameron Smith was sin-binned for the first time in his career.

In the 2021 NRL season, former Melbourne player Will Chambers signed a contract to join Cronulla-Sutherland which closed the chapter of the two sides competitive rivalry. Chambers had previously labelled Cronulla captain Paul Gallen and other Cronulla players as "Drug Cheats" during a 2017 game between the two sides.

Supporters
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks receive support from groups of fans, including the "Cronulla-Sutherland Supporters Club", supporter's website "Sharks Forever", and fan forum "Sharks Forever".

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks fans became widely known for the 'Spirit Fingers', when someone has a Place kick.

Notable Celebrity Supporters of the club:

 * valign=top |
 * Lara Bingle, Australian model and actress
 * John Boldeman, Australian nuclear scientist
 * Stuart Clark, former Australian cricketer
 * Bill Collins, Australian film critic and author
 * Peter Costello, former Federal Treasurer of Australia
 * Brendan Cowell, Australian actor, screenwriter, comedian and director
 * Dave Faulkner, Australian rock musician
 * Cathy Freeman, Australian former sprinter
 * Samuel Johnson, Australian actor, radio presenter, voiceover artist and philanthropist
 * valign=top |
 * Brendan Jones, Australian radio presenter
 * Daniel MacPherson, Australian actor and television presenter
 * Elle Macpherson, Australian model
 * Glenn McGrath, former Australian international cricketer and commentator
 * Scott Morrison, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
 * Shannon Noll, Australian singer-songwriter
 * Mark Occhilupo, Australian surfer
 * Glenn Wheeler Australian radio personality
 * Markus Zusak, Australian writer

title: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks


text:
Our Dumb Century

Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source is a satirical humor book written by the staff of The Onion and published by Three Rivers Press in 1999. The chief editor of the book was Scott Dikkers, with specific sections edited by Robert D. Siegel, Maria Schneider and John Krewson. It was awarded the 1999 Thurber Prize for American Humor.

The book, spun off from The Onion weekly-newspaper format of dryly satirizing current events, features mocked-up newspaper front pages from the entire 20th century, presented as though The Onion had been continuously in print since before 1900. The publication of the book is in itself a parody of other end of the century retrospectives that had been published in 1999, notably Time magazine and The New York Times.

Summary
The book satirizes many common beliefs, trends, and perceptions. For instance, in response to the John F. Kennedy assassination theories, one headline declares, "Kennedy Slain By CIA, Mafia, Castro, LBJ, Teamsters, Freemasons" and that he was shot "129 times from 43 different angles." This is later followed up by an article proclaiming that the "Warren Commission admits to killing JFK."

The book often takes a cynical look at American foreign policy over the ages, describing past events with revisionist, modern-day perspectives. For example, the Pearl Harbor attacks are described as being an attack on a "colonially-occupied US non-state" and President Woodrow Wilson encourages Americans to fight in World War I in order to "make the world safe for corporate oligarchy." The article on the 1920 granting of women's suffrage states "Women Finally Allowed to Participate in Meaningless Fiction of Democracy." The article on the beginning of World War II is "WA- (headline continued on page 2)," with "WA-" in especially large print.

Articles on major historical events are often preceded by ironic articles criticizing the irresponsibility that led to such events: For example, an issue dated a week before the 1929 crash of the American stock market heralds the market as "invincible" and urges readers to "put everything they have into the stock market". In similar fashion, an issue that precedes one announcing the outbreak of World War I shows Archduke Franz Ferdinand (whose assassination sparked the war) declaring that "no man can stop [him]".

Smaller stories in the book satirize social and pop-cultural trends of their respective eras, such as the faux-advertisements and gimmicks that abound in the top and bottom corners of the pages. For example, from the 1920s: ''No, No, Nanette Fever Bonus! Sheet Music from "Tea for Two" Inside''.

Since the book was written before the year 2000, its prediction for that year satirized Y2K and religious prophecies, including "Christian Right Ascends to Heaven," "All Corporations Merged Into OmniCorp," and a small graphic listing meteors headed for Earth by size.

Running gags
There are a number of running gags through this supposed history of the twentieth century, which are not immediately apparent. One is the existence of a piece of farmyard equipment called 'The Chicken Raper'. Another is that every major celebrity trial, from Fatty Arbuckle to O.J. Simpson, is referred to as "the trial of the century." A third is the newspaper fear-mongering by drawing a caricature of America's enemy du jour (among them, Spaniards, Nazis, and hippies) sexually assaulting the Statue of Liberty.

Three consecutive pages show a fictionalized end to Richard Nixon's presidency which loosely parallels the end of Gary Tison's life. First, Nixon is arrested for his connection to the Watergate scandal; the next week's headline says he then escaped and is on the run; the third says he was gunned down in a shootout with cops (but Spiro Agnew is still at large).

A more subtle satire is the rise of a (fictional) company called Global Tetrahedron, which first appears as a small business in the first decade of the century and gradually grows into a multinational behemoth. On April 25, 2024, The Onion was sold by G/O Media to a newly created firm also named Global Tetrahedron.

Publisher Emeritus, T. Herman Zweibel, writes frequent editorials, growing more and more erratic until he's removed from power by the board of directors in the 1950s.

Article titles from 1905 and from 2000 both read 'Arabs, Jews Forge New Age of Peace.'

Cultural references
Several events from the classic film It's a Wonderful Life are also used as stories, such as the Bedford Falls High School class drowning in a "jitterbugging accident", "Mr. Potter To Pay Fifty Cents on the Dollar" during the Great Depression and "Harry Bailey Wins Congressional Medal of Honor" in the World War II section, with Harry S. Truman quoted in the latter story as saying "we owe a great debt to George Bailey for pulling Harry out of the ice when he was 9" and saying George was declared 4-F because of his ear. Eventually, in the 1980s, George Bailey is indicted as part of the Savings and Loan scandal. Also present is the frequent theme of moral outrage at the amount of sex in popular culture, beginning with a depiction of women's undergarments reproduced from a Sears catalogue, then extending to jazz music (also thought to have sunk the Titanic), Clara Bow appearing sleeveless in a film, and culminating in "Hippies Celebrate Fuck Summer '67".

The space race is repeatedly covered, including such articles as "Bleeping Two-Foot Tin Ball Threatens Free World" about the Sputnik launch, "Soviets Ahead in Dog-Killing Race" about the flight of experimental animals, and finally "Holy Shit, Man Walks on Fucking Moon", a recreation of the Apollo 11 landing, complete with a radio transcript filled with profanity.

Critical reaction
The book became a number one New York Times best-seller shortly after its publication on April 1, 1999.

Other formats
An audio version of the book was produced by Scott Dikkers and adapted by Tim Harrod, and was presented as excerpts from the (real-life) nationally syndicated The Onion Radio News throughout the same time period and covering many of the same subjects.

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

title: Our Dumb Century


text: Template:Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)


text:
Bernie Mac

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. Hughley in the film The Original Kings of Comedy.

After briefly hosting the HBO show Midnight Mac, Mac appeared in several films in smaller roles. His most noted film roles were as Frank Catton in the Ocean's film series from 2001 through 2007 and as the title character of Mr. 3000. He was the star of his eponymous show, which ran from 2001 through 2006, earning him two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

Mac's other films included starring roles in The Players Club, Head of State, Bad Santa, Guess Who, Pride, and Soul Men.

Early life and education
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born on October 5, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. Mac was the second child of Mary McCullough and Jeffrey Harrison. Mac was raised by his single mother and his grandparents on the city's south side.

Mac began his high school career at Chicago Vocational High School. During 1973, Mac moved to Tampa, Florida, to attend Jesuit High School following the death of his mother during his sophomore year. Shortly afterward, Mac's older brother and his estranged father both died. Mac later returned to Chicago and graduated from Chicago Vocational in 1975.

During his 20s and through his early 30s, Mac worked in a variety of jobs, including janitor, coach, professional mover, cook, bus driver, Wonder Bread delivery man, furniture mover, and UPS agent, while doing comedy on the weekends at clubs and parties.

Career
Mac's influences were from The Three Stooges and listening to stand-up comedians Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Club. After he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, his popularity as a comedian began to grow. In 1992, a performance on the 3rd episode of HBO's Def Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight; after Martin Lawrence was unable to calm an increasingly hostile crowd, Mac went onstage and told the audience "I ain't scared o' you mothafuckas" and that he "didn't come here for no foolishness."

The Bernie Mac Show

In 2001, the Fox network gave Mac his own television sitcom called The Bernie Mac Show portraying a fictional version of himself. In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian of his sister's three children after she enters rehab. Mac broke the fourth wall to tell his thoughts to the audience.

The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. Mac, who grew up on Chicago's South Side, was a fan of the Chicago White Sox, and would often sneak a reference to his favorite team in episodes, including enlisting then-White Sox pitcher Jon Garland to make a guest cameo appearance. In the 2005 season he wore a White Sox jacket and cap, and congratulated his hometown Chicago White Sox and their staff members on their recent World Series championship.

The show was not renewed after the 2005–2006 season. The series finale aired on April 14, 2006. Among other awards, the show won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing", the Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, and the Humanitas Prize for television writing that promotes human dignity. His character on The Bernie Mac Show was ranked No. 47 in TV Guide list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time".

During his run on the show, Mac had co-starring roles in the Ocean's trilogy (2001–2007), Head of State (2003) and Bad Santa (2003), as well as starring roles in the baseball-themed film Mr. 3000 (2004) and Guess Who? (2005), a remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

Later years
On March 19, 2007, Mac told David Letterman on the CBS Late Show that he would retire from his 30-year career after he finished shooting the comedy film, The Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth, So Help Me Mac. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit", Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977 and was on the road 47 weeks out of the year."

During this time, Mac was having success as a popular film actor, starting with an appearance in the 2007 film Transformers as the car salesman "Bobby Bolivia", and serving as the voice of Zuba, Alex the Lion's long-lost father in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. He co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in the 2008 musical comedy Soul Men. These last two movies were released months after his death. His final film role was as Jimmy Lunchbox in the 2009 film Old Dogs which was released a year after his death.

Personal life
Mac married his high school sweetheart Rhonda Gore on September 17, 1977, and together they had a daughter in 1978.

Health and death
In the final 20 years of his life, Mac publicly disclosed that he had severe sarcoidosis, a disease of unknown origin that causes inflammation in tissue. On July 19, 2008, Mac was admitted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Chicago. After being treated in the ICU for three weeks, Mac went into cardiac arrest and subsequently died during the early morning hours on August 9, at the age of 50. However, the complications were not attributed to his sarcoidosis, according to his publicist.

Legacy and tributes
Mac's public memorial was held a week after his death at the House of Hope Church, with nearly 7,000 people in attendance. Notable mourners at Mac's funeral were Chris Rock, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Don Cheadle, the cast members from The Bernie Mac Show, and his Kings of Comedy fellows D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Steve Harvey.

The first two of Mac's posthumous films, Soul Men and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, were released three months after his death and were dedicated to him. Mac's third posthumously released and final film, Old Dogs, was released a year after his death. The 2008 Bud Billiken Parade, which was held in Chicago on the day of Mac's death, was also dedicated to his memory. On the day of Mac's funeral, his hometown's local television station WCIU-TV aired an exclusive television special, A Tribute to Bernie Mac, and had interviews with his former colleagues including Camille Winbush, Chris Rock, Joe Torry, Cameron Diaz, Don Cheadle, and some of his family members & close friends.

During Steve Harvey's television show which aired November 14, 2016, Harvey read a proclamation from Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel proclaiming November 14 as "Bernie Mac Day". Steve Harvey's guests included Bernie's wife Rhonda, their daughter Je'Niece, granddaughter Jasmine, and Bernie's The Original Kings of Comedy co-stars D. L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Guy Torry (who was the original host at the beginning of the tour). Mike Epps, appearing via satellite, along with the principal of Bernie and Rhonda's alma mater Chicago Vocational High School (CVS), revealed and unveiled the renaming of CVS Auditorium to the "Bernie Mac Auditorium".

On February 14, 2017, Rolling Stone named Bernie Mac #41 of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

title: Bernie Mac


text:
Robert A. Frosch

Robert Alan Frosch FREng (May 22, 1928 – December 30, 2020) was an American scientist who was the fifth administrator of NASA. He was the administrator from 1977 to 1981 during the Carter administration.

Biography
Born in New York City, Frosch was educated in the public school system in The Bronx. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in theoretical physics at Columbia University.

Between September 1951 and August 1963, Frosch worked as a research scientist and director of research programs for Hudson Laboratories of Columbia University in Dobbs Ferry, New York, an organization under contract to the Office of Naval Research. Until 1953, he worked on problems in underwater sound, sonar, oceanography, marine geology, and marine geophysics. Frosch was first associate and then director of the laboratories, where he managed 300 employees, two ocean-going research vessels, and a $3.5 million annual budget for fundamental research and engineering. During this period he was also technical director of Project Artemis, a very large experimental active sonar system development.

In September 1963, Frosch went to Washington, D.C., to work with the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) in the U.S. Department of Defense, serving as director for nuclear test detection (Project VELA), and then as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, sharing responsibility for managing a $270 million per year program of research and development. In July 1966 he became Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development, responsible for all Navy programs of research, development, engineering, test and evaluation averaging $2.5 billion annually. From January 1973 to July 1975, Frosch served as assistant executive director of the United Nations Environmental Program. With the rank of assistant secretary general of the United Nations, he was responsible for substantive global program activities of the United Nations system and other international activities related to environment matters. While at NASA, Frosch was responsible for overseeing the continuation of the development effort on the Space Shuttle program. During his tenure, the project underwent testing of the first orbiter, Enterprise, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in southern California.

He was appointed an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1989.

Frosch left NASA with the change of administrations in January 1981 to become vice president for research at the General Motors Research Laboratories. In 1985, he was the recipient of the Maurice Holland Award from the Industrial Research Institute for a paper published in IRI's journal, Research Management. In 1996, his leadership at GM was recognized once more by IRI with the presentation of their official Medal. After retiring, he remained active in scientific and technical policy activities; as a senior research fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and a guest investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Frosch died in South Hadley, Massachusetts, on December 30, 2020, at the age of 92, after a long illness.

title: Robert A. Frosch


text:
Geauga Lake

Geauga Lake was an amusement park in Bainbridge Township and Aurora, Ohio. It was established in 1887, in what had been a local recreation area adjacent to a lake of the same name. The first amusement ride was added in 1889, and the park's first roller coaster – the Big Dipper – was built in 1925. The park was sold to Funtime, Inc., in 1969 and was expanded over the years with additional rides and amenities. Funtime was acquired by Premier Parks in 1995, and for the 2000 season, they re-branded Geauga Lake as Six Flags Ohio, adding four new roller coasters. The following year, Six Flags bought the adjacent SeaWorld Ohio and combined the two parks under the name Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

The park changed ownership again in 2004 after a purchase by Cedar Fair, and was renamed Geauga Lake once more. The park's SeaWorld portion was transformed into a water park in 2005, and together they became known as Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom. On September 21, 2007, less than a week after Geauga Lake closed for the season, Cedar Fair announced that the amusement park would be permanently closed. The water park continued to operate as Wildwater Kingdom through the 2016 season, before being closed as well.

Pre-amusement park era
Geauga Lake was originally known as "Picnic Lake" or "Giles Pond" after early settler Sullivan Giles. Giles built a home in the area in 1817, and later established picnic grounds, a dance hall, and other entertainment, all of which was conveniently located near a train station, which brought in many visitors.

Geauga Lake opened for picnics and swimming in 1872. An 1880 history of Geauga County reported the Giles residence "being easy of access by rail" and a "very popular place of resort during the summer months, for fishing, picnic, and excursion parties." It also noted that "for the convenience of such parties, Mr. Giles has recently erected a hall of considerable size near the lake. The surrounding grounds are kept clean and attractive, and, without exception, this is the most charming place to spend a leisure day to be found in this section." At the time, a full-sized steamboat circled the lake, towing a large scow, topped with a dance floor. In 1907, the boat was shipped by rail to Brady Lake near Kent.

1887–1968: Geauga Lake amusement park
Geauga Lake park was established in 1887. Major league baseball games were played at Geauga Lake in 1888 by the Cleveland Forest Citys of the major league American Association. In 1889, the park installed its first ride, a steam-powered carousel. More rides would soon follow. William J. Kuhlman expanded the park in 1925 and added the Big Dipper coaster and the park's Olympic-sized swimming pool, the latter of which stayed in operation until the mid-1960s. On July 11, 1926, Olympic medalist and Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller set a new world record in the 220-yard freestyle swim in the pool in front of 3,000 spectators. Lake swimming also continued throughout the coming decades. A race track was added in 1931. A theater, dance hall, and bowling alley were also added around the same time. The park's dance hall and ballroom were major attractions, with live music performed by Guy Lombardo, Fred Waring, Artie Shaw, and other big names of the time. In 1937, the park's hand-carved 1926 Marcus Illions carousel was installed at a cost of $35,000, after having been located in Philadelphia and Birmingham.

In 1942, a tornado hit the park, injuring six, destroying multiple buildings, and damaging the Big Dipper. The park reported $50,000 in damages, but it rebuilt. In July 1944, Viola Schryer took over management of the park after the death of her uncle William Kuhlman.

In 1952, a fire destroyed the park's bowling alley, theater, dance hall and roller rink, with damages estimated at $500,000. Due to this, the park became strictly a seasonal amusement park, beach, and swimming area. The Olympic-sized swimming pool was closed and razed in the late 1960s, but lake swimming continued. Park admission was free, and park guests paid per ride.

1969–1999: Funtime era
In 1969, Funtime Incorporated purchased the park. The park's focus continued to be on rides and swimming. The race track closed in 1969. In 1970, a marine life park, SeaWorld Ohio, was built across the lake from the amusement park.

In 1972, the Gold Rush log flume water ride was added, and two years later Geauga Lake added the Skyscraper, which took passengers up 21 stories for views of the park. In 1973, the park converted to an admission charge with a pay-one-price for all the rides and attractions. The Geauga Dog became the park's mascot and would remain so until 1999. In 1976, the park added the Wildcat compact steel roller coaster, and a year later the park added the Double Loop, a looping steel coaster.

The Corkscrew coaster made its debut in 1978, making Geauga Lake the first amusement park in Ohio to have two looping coasters. Swimming in the lake continued to be popular at the park, so in 1983, the park added Boardwalk Shores, which featured a paddleboat marina, a new bath house, a children's swimming pool area, and water slides. A year later, The Wave, the first tsunami wave pool in the Midwest, opened.

In 1985, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, owner of SeaWorld, announced his intent to purchase Funtime and combine the two parks, but the deal was never completed. In 1986, more children's rides were added to a themed area known as Rainbow Island. Stingray water slides and the Euroracer Grand Prix rides were also added.

In 1988, Geauga Lake celebrated its centennial by introducing the Raging Wolf Bobs, a wooden roller coaster with a hybrid twister/out and back design modeled after the original Bobs roller coaster at Chicago's defunct Riverview Park. Two years later, the park re-themed the children's water area as Turtle Beach, which was advertised as the ultimate children's water playground. Geauga Lake expanded its midway with The Mirage and the $2.1 million Texas Twister in the early 1990s.

A corporate deal in 1995 saw Premier Parks acquiring Funtime, giving Geauga Lake a new owner. Premier Parks invested $9 million in new rides, including the Mind Eraser, a steel looping shuttle coaster designed by Vekoma, and Grizzly Run, a water rapids ride designed by Intamin. These attractions opened in 1996, and Corkscrew was closed and sold and moved to Dizzee World in India the same year. The next year, the park expanded its water area by 32000 sqft with Hook's Lagoon. Several new water slides were also added. Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall, an Intamin first generation freefall ride was also added in 1997.

In 1998, Premier Parks purchased Six Flags from Time Warner. Serial Thriller, an inverted coaster later known as Thunderhawk, was added as well. The next year, Americana, Time Warp, and Skycoaster were added.

2000–2003: Six Flags era
In 2000, Geauga Lake received a $40 million expansion and became Six Flags Ohio. As part of that expansion, the park received 20 new rides, including four new roller coasters: a junior coaster called Road Runner Express, a wooden coaster called Villain, a floorless coaster called Batman: Knight Flight and an inverted impulse coaster called Superman: Ultimate Escape. Also added was a new shoot the chute water ride named Shipwreck Falls and a new wave pool in the water park. The old wave pool was filled, and used for a new Looney Tunes themed kids' area known as Looney Tunes Boomtown.

Around this time, Busch Entertainment determined that its SeaWorld parks should feature roller coasters, water rides, and other attractions to supplement the marine displays and shows, and the company began de-emphasizing the educational aspects of its parks. Due to Six Flags Ohio's close proximity to SeaWorld Ohio, Busch approached Six Flags about buying the Six Flags park. Six Flags then made a counter offer to instead buy SeaWorld Ohio. That winter, Six Flags purchased SeaWorld Ohio for $110 million in cash, merging the two complexes into one, and changing the entire complex's name to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. By combining the parks, Six Flags created the largest theme park in the world to date, at 700 acres. The SeaWorld side became known as the "Wild Life" area and remained primarily marine life shows, with a few portable children's rides placed throughout. In 2001, the park planned to construct a 200-foot tall coaster on the SeaWorld side of the park, but later abandoned those plans due to height restrictions and other conflicts with the city of Aurora. The original amusement park area became known as the "Wild Rides" area and continued expansion with a Vekoma flying coaster called X-Flight. The original water park area also continued, so the park was marketed as "three parks for one price." In hopes to expand the water park, the addition of Hurricane Mountain, the then-largest water slide complex in North America, occurred in 2003, and the water park area was later renamed Hurricane Harbor.

2004–2007: Cedar Fair era
Facing financial difficulties across its chain, Six Flags considered selling the park. Two months before the 2004 season, a sale to Cedar Fair was announced. The deal was finalized less than a month later for $145 million. The Geauga Lake name was promptly restored to the park. To conform with copyright and trademark laws, all Looney Tunes and DC Comics branding was removed from the park. The Looney Tunes Boomtown kids' area was renamed Kidworks. The Hurricane Harbor water park area was renamed Hurricane Hannah's Waterpark. The marine life portion of the park was closed and demolished, and the animals were relocated to other Six Flags parks, including Six Flags Marine World and Six Flags Great Adventure.

Examples of name changes that took place include:
 * Batman: Knight Flight lost the Batman theming and opened in 2004 under the name of Dominator
 * Mind Eraser was renamed Head Spin
 * Serial Thriller was renamed Thunderhawk
 * Superman: Ultimate Escape was renamed Steel Venom
 * Road Runner Express was renamed Beaver Land Mine Ride

In 2005, Cedar Fair invested $26 million in Wildwater Kingdom, a new water park on the former SeaWorld site, which resulted in the park's name being changed to Geauga Lake & Wildwater Kingdom. The Wildwater Kingdom side had six water slides and a children's water play area. The Hurricane Hannah area remained. Mr. Hyde's Nasty Fall was closed at the end of 2005. Usable parts were salvaged for Demon Drop, then located at Cedar Point.

In 2006, Wildwater Kingdom was expanded to include Tidal Wave Bay. The Hurricane Hannah area was then shut down. The season was also scaled back, eliminating the spring and fall weekend operations, instead operating strictly between Memorial Day and Labor Day. At the end of the season, X-Flight and Steel Venom were removed. X-Flight was relocated to Kings Island and opened as Firehawk in 2007. Steel Venom was relocated to Dorney Park, where it opened for the 2008 season as Voodoo, and was later renamed Possessed.

Decline
Combined attendance at both parks reached an estimated 2.7 million visitors in 2001. By 2004, total park attendance had fallen to approximately 700,000 despite a $40 million investment on rides in 2000. Citing the Cleveland area as their "most difficult market," Six Flags sold the park to Cedar Fair in March 2004. Speculation that the amusement park side would eventually close began after Cedar Fair relocated two major roller coasters – Steel Venom and X-Flight – to other parks prior to the 2007 season.

Closing and land redevelopment
In 2007, the summer-only operation of Geauga Lake continued. The annual Oktoberfest festival weekend held in September every year concluded on September 16, 2007, marking the amusement park's last day of operation. On September 21, 2007, Cedar Fair announced that the ride side of Geauga Lake would permanently close, and that the water park side would continue to operate the following season as Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom. Cedar Fair also announced plans to move existing rides to other properties. This led to efforts from locals to save Geauga Lake, especially landmark rides such as the Big Dipper and the Carousel.

Cedar Fair placed the amusement park side's land up for sale in 2008. The remaining rides and remnants were auctioned separately on June 17, 2008.

In 2012 and 2013, Cleveland-based photographer and artist Johnny Joo visited Geauga Lake to capture the park in a state of decay. These photos brought heavy local attention from families who had visited the park in its heyday.

As late as January 2013, the amusement park side was still for sale, and projects similar to Crocker Park in Westlake, Ohio were being considered. Bainbridge Township and Cedar Fair hoped to have it resolved by the end of 2013. In March 2013, Cedar Fair announced that they were putting Geauga Lake's property up for sale again. Unlike before, they were willing to sell the land in parcels. Several companies showed interest in the land. On September 17, 2017, a plaque was unveiled in memory of the park.

On August 25, 2020, it was announced that PulteGroup, a home construction company, would be building a housing development on the site of the Wildwater Kingdom parking lot. PulteGroup acquired the 245 acre portion of the property for $2 million. The development, known as Renaissance Park at Geauga Lake, included street names like "Carousel Court" and "Dipper Way" to pay tribute to former Geauga Lake attractions. In October 2020, developer Industrial Commercial Properties bought the remaining 377 acres of the property with plans to build homes, restaurants, and retail establishments.

Fate of Geauga Lake's coasters

 * Beaver Land Mine Ride: Sold to Papéa Parc amusement park in Yvré-l'Evêque, France and renamed "The Roller Coaster."
 * Big Dipper: The roller coaster was listed for auction on eBay in 2010 but failed to receive a bid; it was demolished in October 2016.
 * Dominator: Relocated to Kings Dominion.
 * Double Loop: Demolished and sold to Cleveland Scrap for $25,000.
 * Head Spin: Relocated to Carowinds and renamed "The Flying Cobras."
 * Cyclone: Moved to Holiday World and renamed "Firecracker" in 1980. In 1998 it was moved to Jolly Roger Amusement Park under the same name. In 1999 it was purchased by Amusements of America, and renamed Avalanche. It remained in operation until 2009.
 * Little Dipper: Removed in 1975.
 * Raging Wolf Bobs: Demolished. Purchased for $2,500 at auction; some wood and track sold in online auctions; steel track, station, and all mechanical elements removed in 2008; part of track and car donated to Geauga County Historical Society. Two of the original red Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters cars were acquired in 2017 by the Amusement Preservation Museum, and have been fully restored.
 * Steel Venom: Relocated to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom as Possessed.
 * Thunderhawk: Relocated to Michigan's Adventure.
 * Villain: Demolished, sold to Cleveland Scrap for $2,500.
 * Wild Mouse: Relocated in 1972 to Chippewa Lake Park. It closed in 1978 alongside the park, and it was eventually torn down in 2013.
 * X-Flight: Relocated in March 2007 to Kings Island and renamed "Firehawk." It closed on October 28, 2018. It was demolished and removed from Kings Island after the 2018 season.

Past coasters and attractions
Below are some of the park's former rides that have been removed or are now operating at another amusement park.

Previous names and management
The park was originally two parks: Geauga Lake and SeaWorld Ohio. Geauga Lake became Six Flags Ohio in 2000 and for the 2001 season, SeaWorld Ohio was purchased by Six Flags and the entire complex was combined and renamed Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.

title: Geauga Lake


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Erode district

Erode District is one of the 38 districts in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was the largest district by area in the state before the formation of Tirupur district in 2009 and is the third largest by area, as of 2024. The headquarters of the district is Erode. The district is divided into two revenue divisions, Erode and Gobichettipalayam, and is further subdivided into 10 taluks.

The district is landlocked and lies towards the mid of the Indian peninsula and is bordered by the state of Karnataka to the north. Western Ghats pass through the region and is watered by Kaveri River which meets its major tributary Bhavani in the district. It covers an area of 6036 km2, and had a population of 2,251,744 as per the 2011 census. The major spoken language is Kongu Tamil, a dialect of Tamil. Hinduism is the major religion with nearly 94% adherents.

Archeological evidence from Kodumanal indicate that the region was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period (2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE) and it formed part of a ancient Roman trade route. The region was ruled by the Pandyas before the medieval Cholas conquered it in the 10th century CE. The region was ruled by Vijayanagara Empire in the 15th century followed by the Nayaks who introduced the Palayakkarar system. In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and after the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The region played a prominent role in the Second Polygar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. The district was part of the erstwhile Coimbatore district and came into existence on 17 September 1979.

The economy of the district is based predominantly on agriculture and textiles. The district is the top turmeric producer in Tamil Nadu, making up 43% of statewide production and is also a major producer of plantain, coconuts and white silk. The district is known for handloom and ready-made textile products. Erode Turmeric and Bhavani Jamakkalam are recognized Geographical Indications.

History
Archaeological excavations from Kodumanal on the banks of the Noyyal River show traces of civilization from 4th century BCE. Kodumanal is mentioned in Patiṟṟuppattu literature from the first century CE as a thriving industrial and commercial center. The evidence indicates that the region was ruled by the Cheras during the Sangam period (2nd century BCE to 3rd century CE) and it formed part of a ancient Roman trade route. The region came under the influence of the Pandyas during the reign of Arikesari Maravarman in the seventh century CE. Later, the region was ruled by various dynasties such as Rashtrakutas and Western Gangas.

The medieval Cholas conquered the Kongu Nadu in the 10th century CE. While the region was directly under the control of the Imperial Cholas till 1064 CE, the Kongu Cholas who were probably vassals or viceroys of the Cholas, ruled the region autonomously later starting. These rulers bore the title Konattar and adopted Chola titles and surnames. In the 13th century CE, after the death of Vikrama Chola II, the Pandyas under Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan I annexed the region. The rule of the Pandyas came to an end with the death of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I in 1318 CE. The Hoysalas ruled the region for sometime later with Vira Someshwara having a matrimonial alliance with both Pandyas and Cholas. After the defeat of Veera Ballala III of the Hoysalas, the region came under the control of the Delhi Sultanate. In the 15th century, Vijayanagara empire defeated the Mughals and established sway over the region.

After the Vijayanagara empire fell in 1646, the region was ruled by various Nayak governors of the erstwhile Vijayanagara empire who declared independence. They introduced the Palayakkarar system under which the region was divided into 24 Palayams(towns). In the later part of the 18th century, the region came under the Kingdom of Mysore and after the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed the region to the Madras Presidency in 1799. The region played a prominent role in the Second Polygar War (1801) when it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. Later, the British Empire took control of the region from the British East India Company in 1857. After Indian Independence in 1947, the region was part of the Madras State, which later became Tamil Nadu. The district was part of the erstwhile Coimbatore district and came into existence on 17 September 1979.

Geography
The district is landlocked, and is situated roughly at the center of the Indian Peninsula between latitude 10 36" and 11 58" north and between longitude 76 49" and 77 58" east. It is bordered by Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka State in the north. To the east, across the Kaveri River, lies Salem and Namakkal districts. It is bordered by Karur district in the southeast, Tirupur district in the south with Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts in to the west.

Western Ghats runs through the district and it is straddled by Eastern Ghats which is separated by Moyar River. The region comprises the high altitude regions of the north sloping gently towards a long undulating plain in the south. Bhavani River cuts the district roughly in the middle, flowing from west to east. It enters the district at Sathyamangalam, crossing Gobichettipalayam taluk before joining the Kaveri River flowing from the north, near the eastern edge at Bhavani. The river feeds the Bhavanisagar reservoir and Kodiveri Dam are major dams, which along with a canal system provide irrigation and drainage for the district. The other major tributaries of the Kaveri including the Noyyal and Amaravati, emerge from the mountains in the west.

The region has a tropical climate and the climate is characterized by dry weather throughout the year, except during the monsoons. The region depends on monsoons for rainfall. In March, the temperature begins to rise, which persists until the end of May, with the highest temperatures recorded during the period. The average maximum temperature is 39 °C and the average minimum temperature is 21 °C. The south-west monsoon winds passing through the Palghat gap loses most of its moisture when reaching the district and the region receives about 238 mm of rainfall in the months from June to August from the south-west monsoon. After a warm and foggy September, the north-east monsoon starts from October, lasting until early November. The district gets most of its rainfall from the north-east monsoon, averaging about 287 mm annually. The district gets a total average annual rainfall of 652 mm.

The major soil types found here are loamy soil and clay soil. The northern part of the district incorporating parts of Sathyamangalam and Gobichettipalayam taluks form the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is the largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. The region has one of the largest Indian Elephant and Bengal Tiger populations in the country.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Erode District had a population of 2,251,744 with a sex-ratio of 993 females for every 1,000 males, above the national average of 929. A total of 195,213 were under the age of six, constituting 99,943 males and 95,270 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 16.41% and 0.97% of the population, respectively. The literacy rate of the district was 66.29%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The district had a total of 658,071 households. There were 1,195,773 workers: 173,376 cultivators, 331,414 main agricultural labourers, 48,960 in household industries, 557,301 other workers, 84,722 marginal workers, 38,798 marginal agricultural labourers, 5,362 marginal workers in household industries, 4,794 marginal cultivators and 35,768 other marginal workers.

As per the 2011 census, 81.76% of the population spoke Tamil, 10.32% Telugu, 5.40% Kannada and 1.14% Urdu as their first language. Kongu Tamil (also called Kangee or Kongalam), a dialect, is predominantly spoken in the district. As per the census, Hinduism was the predominant religion with nearly 94% adherents.

Administration
The district is headquartered at Erode and is divided into two revenue divisions, Erode and Gobichettipalayam. It is further subdivided into 10 taluks for administrative purposes.

The district has one municipal corporation (Erode), one selection grade municipality (Gobichettipalayam), one first grade municipality (Sathyamangalam) and two second grade municipalities (Bhavani and Punjai Puliampatti). There are 42 town panchayats in the district.

Law and order
The Tamil Nadu Police, operates under the Home ministry of the Government of Tamil Nadu and is responsible for maintaining law and order in the district. It is headed by Superintendent of Police and operates 37 police stations spread across five geographical sub-divisions: Erode Town, Erode Rural, Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam. The judicial system with Madras High Court as the appellate authority, operates a district magistrate court at Erode with jurisdictional magistrate courts at Erode, Gobichettipalayam and Bhavani.

Politics
Parts of the district fall under three Parliamentary Constituencies: Erode, Nilgiris and Tiruppur. The district consists of eight assembly constituencies of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly: Anthiyur, Bhavani, Bhavani Sagar, Erode East, Erode West, Gobichettipalayam, Modakurichi and Perundurai.

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Economy
Agriculture is the major contributor to the economy of the district. Paddy, plantain, silk, cotton, turmeric, coconut and sugarcane are the major agricultural crops. The district is the top turmeric producer in Tamil Nadu, making up 43% of statewide production. Erode is an important market centre for turmeric, being known as "Turmeric City" and Erode Turmeric is a recognized Geographical Indication. The district is also the leading producer of plantain, coconuts and white silk in Tamil Nadu. Gobichettipalayam is a major center for copra and plantain trading and is one of the leading producers of silk cocoon in the country, with one of the country's first automated silk reeling units located here. Other major horticultural crops include fruits, vegetables, tapioca and yam, spices, betel vine and cocoa and flowers like rose, jasmine and marigold.

The district is one of the most industrialized districts in the state with more than 23,000 small scale industries and 1,200 factories. Textiles is the other major industry in the district. The district is known for its handloom textile products and ready-made garments. In 2005, Bhavani Jamakkalam was registered as a Geographical Indication. There are nearly 49,000 handloom and 39,000 powerlooms operating in the district with the sector employing more than 45,000 people. There are about 13 co-operative societies involved in the production and marketing of textiles.

Other major industries include oil mills, rice mills, food processing, leather products, paper products, vehicle parts, electrical equipment and metallic products. There are more than 450 oil mills involved in edible oil production. The district is also a leading producer of milk and other dairy products.

Transport
The transportation system in the district is well-developed with the district well-connected by a wide road network and a limited rail network. The district has one major railway station, Erode Junction. It is one of the major stations in the state and handles nearly 165 trains. It has a diesel locomotive shed and an electric loco shed attached to it.

The Highways Department (HD) of the state was established in April 1946 and is responsible for construction and maintenance of national highways, state highways, major district roads and other roads in the state. It operates through two divisions at Erode and Gobichettipalayam. The major arterial roads include NH-544, NH-948, NH-544H and NH 381A. State Highways include SH-15, SH-15A, SH-81, SH-79, SH-82, SH-84 and SH-96.

The district has four Regional Transport Office (RTO) sub-divisions, namely Erode East (TN 33), Gobichettipalayam (TN 36), Perundurai (TN 56) and Erode West (TN 86). Gobichettipalayam RTO has two sub-offices, namely Bhavani (TN 36W) and Sathyamangalam (TN 36Z). The Coimbatore division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) operates inter and intra-city routes. The State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) operates express bus services from Erode and Gobichettipalayam to major cities across the state and neighbouring states. Erode Central Bus Terminus, which serves as a major hub, is one of the largest in the state. Due to its proximity to the states of Karnataka and Kerala, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses also operate in the district.

The nearest major airport is the Coimbatore International Airport located in the nearby Coimbatore district, which has regular flights from/to major domestic destinations and international destinations like Sharjah, Colombo and Singapore.

Infrastructure
Fire services are handled by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services which operates 11 operating fire stations. The district is served by extensive postal and telephone networks. Postal service is handled by India Post, which operates more than 320 post offices in the district. The district is divided into two postal divisions, namely Erode and Gobichettipalayam with three head post offices at Erode, Bhavani and Gobichettipalayam. The district is serviced by almost all leading mobile phone operators including Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio offering 4G and 5G mobile services. Wireline and broadband services are offered by major operators and other smaller local operators. There are about 1354 beds in government hospitals across the district with major hospitals located at Erode, Perundurai and Gobichettipalayam, apart from other private hospitals.

Education
Erode district has several facilities for higher education. The district is divided into two educational districts, Gobichettipalayam and Erode. There are 1731 schools in the district including 113 nursery schools, 125 government aided schools and 216 self-financing schools. Erode Medical College at Perundurai is one of the oldest medical colleges in the state. Institute of Road and Transport Technology is a automobile research institute established by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation in 1984. Apart from this, there are many arts and science, engineering and management colleges in the district oldest of which include Chikkaiah Naicker College (1954) and Gobi Arts and Science College (1968).

Places of interest
Erode has many places of interest, attracting tourists from all over the state and other neighboring states. Notable ones include:

 * Bannari Amman Temple, Bannari
 * Bhavanisagar Dam, Bhavanisagar
 * Sangameswarar Temple, Bhavani
 * Chennimalai Murugan temple, Chennimalai
 * Kodiveri Dam, Gobichettipalayam
 * Pachaimalai Subramanya Swamy Temple, Gobichettipalayam
 * Pariyur Kondathu Kaliamman Temple, Gobichettipalayam
 * Kunderipallam Dam, Gobichettipalayam
 * Sathyamangalam Tiger reserve
 * Government Museum, Erode
 * Thindal Murugan Temple, Erode
 * Vellode Birds Sanctuary, Erode
 * Magudeshwarar Temple, Kodumudi
 * Vijayamangalam Jain temple

title: Erode district


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Oslofjord

The Oslofjord (Oslofjorden, ; Oslo Fjord  ) is an inlet in southeastern Norway. The 120 km fjord begins at the small village of Bonn in Frogn Municipality and stretching northwards to the city of Oslo, and then curving to the east and then south again. It then flows south to an imaginary line running between the Torbjørnskjær Lighthouse and Færder Lighthouse where it becomes part of the Skagerrak strait. The Skagerrak connects the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea. The Oslofjord is not a fjord in the geological sense, but in the Norwegian language, the term fjord can refer to a wide range of waterways including inlets such as this one.

The bay is divided into the inner (indre) and outer (ytre) Oslofjord, separated by the 17 km long by 1 km wide Drøbak Sound. The innermost part is known as Bunnefjorden.

Fjord
From 1624 until 1925 the name of the fjord was Christianiafjorden (or Kristianiafjorden), since Christiania was the name of the capital during this period (the Ch was changed to a K in 1877). Before that time, the Old Norse name of the fjord was Fold. The old name Fold led to the names of the counties of Vestfold ('the district west of Fold') and Østfold ('the district east of Fold') as well as the nearby district of Follo.

Geography
Each of the islands in the innermost part of the fjord has its own identity and distinguishing history. Among them are Hovedøya, Lindøya, Nakholmen, Bleikøya, Gressholmen, and Langøyene. These islands can be reached with the Oslo boats from Aker Brygge. Hovedøya contains monastery ruins, Gressholmen for its rabbits, Nakholmen, Bleikøya, Lindøya for their cosy cabins at the water's edge, and finally Langøyene for its camping possibilities and beach.

The inner part of the Oslofjord has steep and forest covered hill slopes down towards the fjord.

Climate
The Oslofjord has Norway's highest all year temperature: 7.5 C. February is the coldest month in the fjord with -1.3 C, while July normally reaches 17.2 C. The islands in the middle of the fjord are among Norway's warmest with high summer temperatures and moderate winters. The Oslofjord's relatively high temperatures enable various flora to flourish.

History
The oldest settlements in the area surrounding the Oslofjord date from the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. It was here on the eastern and western shores that three of the best preserved Viking ships were unearthed, including the Gokstad ship. In historical times, this bay was known by the current name of the region, Viken (the bay).

Oslofjord has been an important body of water strategically due to its proximity to the capital city of Oslo. During World War II, there were German installations at several points on its coastline. One installation in Hovedøya held 1,100 Wehrmacht soldiers and later women deemed Nazi collaborators at the National Internment Camp for Women in Hovedøya.

Norwegian painter Edvard Munch had a cottage and studio in Åsgårdstrand on the fjord and the Oslofjord appears in several of his paintings, including The Scream and Girls on the Pier.

Second World War
The fjord was the scene of a key event in the German invasion of Norway in April 1940, the Battle of Drøbak Sound. The invasion plan envisaged landing of 1,000 troops transported by ship to Oslo. Colonel Eriksen, Commander of the Oscarsborg fortress near Drøbak, mainly maintained for historical purposes, sank the German heavy cruiser Blücher in the Drøbak narrows.

The fortress's resistance blocked the route to Oslo, thus delaying the rest of the invading group long enough for the Norwegian royal family, government, parliament, and national treasury to evacuate. Thus Norway never surrendered to the Germans, leaving the Quisling government illegitimate and permitting Norway to participate as an ally in the war, rather than as a conquered nation.

Demographics
The entire population situated around the Oslofjord including Oslo is about 1.96 million, and the total population of all the counties situated around the fjord is approximately 2.2 million.

More than 40% of Norway's population resides under 45 minutes of driving from the Oslofjord. The Oslofjord has Norway's busiest traffic of ferries and cargo boats.

Although the Oslofjord contains hundreds of populated islands, most of the population of the fjord resides on the mainland.

Recreation
In the summer there are boats of all sizes on the fjord, and it is possible to go kayaking, canoeing, fishing, and sailing.

The Oslofjord is one of the nine venues of the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship.

title: Oslofjord


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Phone-sync

A phone-sync (also known as a tape-sync, a simul-rec, or a double-ender) was a technique used to conduct televised interviews over long distances in the 1980s before satellite television became commonplace, in order to provide video to what would otherwise be an audio-only interview. It was commonplace in such news programs as The Journal on CBC Television.

A standard Tape sync works as follows: an interviewer, usually in a television studio, is videotaped conducting an interview via a long-distance phone call to the interviewee in another part of the world. This interviewee, often in a studio in front of a background representing the city in which he or she is located, is videotaped as he or she participates in the interview. The two videotapes are then sent to the interviewer's production team to be synchronized through video editing. Cuts between shots of the interviewer and interviewee are made accordingly, and the higher-quality sound of the videotapes are used instead of the telephone audio. For effect, the interviewer may be taped looking into a bluescreen or greenscreen, into which the video of the interviewee would at this point be resized if necessary and inserted using chroma key.

The double-ender technique has become much less commonplace with the proliferation of live satellite television feeds and video over Internet (Skype, etc.), but is still used today when such technology is not available.

The double-ender technique can also be done with audio-only mediums, such as radio or podcasting. Syndicated radio show interviews are often done as a double-ender, with the host in their studio, and the guests recording in their own city, in the studio of their local affiliate.

Double-ender audio interviews have become more common with the rise in popularity of podcasting. The result is a cast that sounds like the hosts and guests are in the same room, when they're actually in different cities.

title: Phone-sync


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ARNES

The Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (Akademska in raziskovalna mreža Slovenije) is a public institute in Slovenia, established in May 1992. Its main task is development, operation and management of the communication and information network for education and research. ARNES also operates the Slovenian Internet Exchange. The members of its management board are appointed by the Government of Slovenia.

Also a part of ARNES, is SI-CERT, the Slovenian Computer Emergency Response Team. It was established in 1994 and has been led by Gorazd Božič. SI-CERT was involved in the take-down of the recordings of the Government of Slovenia's closed session recordings leaked in December 2011 on YouTube. The recordings were taken down by YouTube after the copyright-related lawsuit threat by SI-CERT. It has not been involved in the investigation of the leak.

title: ARNES


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Long-billed corella

The long-billed corella, also known as long-billed cockatoo or slender-billed corella (Cacatua tenuirostris), is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the little corella. This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a long, pale beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds. It has reddish-pink feathers on the breast and belly.

Taxonomy
The long-billed corella does not have any recognized subspecies. The first formal written description was by German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl in 1820. It is one of several related species of cockatoos called corellas and classified in the subgenus Licmetis within the genus Cacatua, members of which are known as "white cockatoos".

Description
The adult long-billed corella measures from 38 to 41 cm in length, has a wingspan around 80–90 cm, and averages 567 g in weight. It has a long, bone-coloured beak, and a rim of featherless, bluish skin around the eyes. The plumage is predominantly white with reddish feathers around the eyes and lores. The underside of the wings and tail feathers are tinged with yellow.

Distribution and habitat
The long-billed corella can be found in the wild in Victoria and southeastern New South Wales. It has extended its range since the 1970s into Melbourne, Victoria and can now be found in Tasmania, South Australia and southeast Queensland. A feral population resides in Perth, Western Australia as of the mid-1980s, which has conservation implications as this species may hybridize with the endangered western corella.

The long-billed corella is found in grassy woodlands and grasslands, including pasture, fields of agricultural crop, and urban parks.

Call
The call of the long-billed corella is a quick, quavering, falsetto currup!, wulluk-wulluk, or cadillac-cadillac combined with harsh screeches.

Breeding
Breeding generally takes place in Austral winter to spring (from July to November). Long-billed corellas form monogamous pairs and both sexes share the task of building the nest, incubating the eggs, and caring for the young. Nests are made in decayed debris, the hollows of large old eucalypts, and occasionally in the cavities of loose gravely cliffs. 2–3 dull white, oval eggs are laid on a lining of decayed wood. The incubation period is around 24 days and chicks spend about 56 days in the nest.

Feeding
The long-billed corella typically digs for roots, seeds, corms, and bulbs, especially from the weed onion grass. Native plants eaten include murnong Microseris lanceolata, but a substantial portion of the bird's diet now includes introduced plants.

As pets
Long-billed corellas are now popular as pets in many parts of Australia, although they were formerly uncommon, and their captive population has stabilised in the last decade. This may be due to their ability to mimic words and whole sentences to near perfection. The long-billed corella has been labeled the best "talker" of the Australian cockatoos, and possibly of all native Psittacines.

As pests
Long-billed corellas are viewed as agricultural pests, particularly in western Victoria and Western Australia. They can cause significant crop damage, are known for tearing and playing with pieces of asphalt along roadsides, and even damaging power lines. Permits are regularly issued in Western Australia (and sometimes in Victoria) for the culling of this species. Within New South Wales, the corellas are the most common avian pest among sporting fields and golf courses, as they can dig holes in the ground up to 3 in across and 6 in deep.

In July 2019, in a scene that was said to resemble a "horror movie", about 60 corellas in Adelaide, South Australia, died in a suspected case of poisoning after "falling from the sky" wailing and bleeding from their mouths. At least 57 (95%) of the 60 birds were long-billed corellas, with a few short-billed corellas. It was hoped that whoever poisoned them could be traced, after toxicology tests were performed (which could nevertheless take several weeks to complete); in Australia, people are required to register if they purchase poisons, according to Sarah King (founder of Casper's Bird Rescue, who witnessed the deaths). King also said that the poison was a slow-release variety that takes several painful weeks to kill the bird. Additionally, the local Alexandrina council had, previously, allowed for periodic culling of short-billed corellas due to crop damage, chewing on streetlights and wires, damaging infrastructure (such as buildings and sporting equipment), and unfairly outcompeting other native species of birds, insects, small mammals, and other organisms.

title: Long-billed corella