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We Are the World

"We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is the eighth-best-selling physical single of all time.

Soon after the British group Band Aid released "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in December 1984, musician and activist Harry Belafonte decided to create an American benefit single for African famine relief. With fundraiser Ken Kragen, he enlisted several musicians. Jackson and Richie completed the writing the night before the first recording session, on January 21, 1985. The event brought together some of the era's best-known musicians.

One musician deliberately omitted was John Denver who had asked to participate but was rejected, despite his previous commitment to charity work. Ken Kragen claimed it was due to some people feeling that Denver's image would affect the credibility of the song as a pop-rock anthem. "I didn't agree with this assessment," Kragen said, but reluctantly turned Denver down. Denver recalled the rejection in his 1994 autobiography "Take Me Home", stating that "It broke my heart not to be included"

"We Are the World" was released on March 7, 1985, as the first single from the album by Columbia Records. It topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling U.S. pop single in history. "We Are the World" was certified quadruple platinum, becoming the first single to be certified multi-platinum. Its awards include four Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, and a People's Choice Award.

"We Are the World" was promoted with a music video, a VHS, a special edition magazine, a simulcast, and several books, posters, and shirts. The promotion and merchandise helped "We Are the World" raise more than $80 million ($0 million today) for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States. Another cast of singers recorded a new version, "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", to raise relief following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Background
In 1985, inspired by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in the UK, the American entertainer and activist Harry Belafonte decided to organize a US equivalent. He planned to have the proceeds donated to a new organization, United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa). The organization would provide food and relief aid for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, which killed about one million people. Belafonte also planned to set aside money to help eliminate hunger in the United States of America.

Belafonte contacted the entertainment manager and fundraiser Ken Kragen, who enlisted his clients Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers. In turn, they enlisted Stevie Wonder, to add more "name value". Quincy Jones was drafted to co-produce, taking time out from his work on the film The Color Purple. Jones also telephoned Michael Jackson, who had just concluded a tour with his brothers.

Writing
Jackson told Richie that he wanted to help write the song. The songwriting team originally included Wonder, but his time was constrained by his song-writing for the film The Woman in Red. Jackson and Richie wrote "We Are the World" at Hayvenhurst, the Jackson family home in Encino, California. They sought to write a song that would be easy to sing, memorable and anthemic. For a week, they spent every night working on lyrics and melodies in Jackson's bedroom. Jackson's older sister La Toya recounted the process: "I'd go into the room while they were writing and it would be very quiet, which is odd, since Michael's usually very cheery when he works. It was very emotional for them." She said later that Jackson had written most of the lyrics.

Richie recorded two melodies for "We Are the World", to which Jackson added music on the same day. Jackson said, "I love working quickly. I went ahead without even Lionel knowing. I couldn't wait. I went in and came out the same night with the song completed: drums, piano, strings, and words to the chorus." Jackson presented his demo to Richie and Jones, who were both shocked; they did not expect him to complete the structure of the song so quickly. The next meetings between Jackson and Richie were unfruitful; they produced no additional vocals and got no work done. On the night of January 21, 1985, the night before the first recording session, Richie and Jackson completed the lyrics and melody.

Recording

The first night of recording, January 22, 1985, had tight security on hand, as Richie, Jackson, Wonder, and Jones started work on "We Are the World" at Kenny Rogers' Lion Share Recording Studio. The studio, on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, was filled with session musicians, technicians, video crews, retinue, assistants, and organizers as the celebrity musicians entered. Jones hired session musicians to lay down the backing tracks: John "JR" Robinson on drums, Louis Johnson on bass, and pianist Greg Phillinganes. (These three first played together on "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" produced by Jones for Jackson.) Richie sat down at the piano to teach everyone the song. When it was time to roll tape, Robinson cleared the room of non-musicians, and the backing tracks were recorded. After this, a vocal guide of "We Are the World" was recorded by Richie and Jackson, mixed with the instrumental tracks, and duplicated on tape for each of the invited performers. The guide was recorded on the sixth take, as Jones felt that there was too much "thought" in the previous versions.

Following their work on the vocal guide, Jackson and Jones began thinking of alternatives for the line "There's a chance we're taking, we're taking our own lives". The pair was concerned that line would be considered a reference to suicide. As the group listened to a playback of the chorus, Richie declared that the last part of the line should be changed to "We're 'saving' our own lives". Jones also suggested altering the former part of the line. "One thing we don't want to do, especially with this group, is look like we're patting ourselves on the back. So it's really: 'There's a choice we're making.'" Around 1:30 am, the four musicians ended the night by finishing a chorus of melodic vocalizations, including the sound "sha-lum sha-lin-gay". Jones told the group that they were not to add anything else to the tape, and said: "If we get too good, someone's gonna start playing it on the radio."

On January 24, 1985, after a day of rest, Jones shipped Richie and Jackson's vocal guide to all the artists who would be involved the recording. Enclosed in the package was a letter from Jones imploring the artists not to share the tape or make copies. He wrote: "In the years to come, when your children ask, 'What did mommy and daddy do for the war against world famine?', you can say proudly,  this  was your contribution." Ken Kragen chaired a production meeting at a bungalow off Sunset Boulevard on January 25, 1985. There, his team discussed where the recording sessions should take place. Kragen was concerned that a leak of the location would trigger a paparazzi frenzy and drive the celebrities away. Jones was concerned about assigning performers to sing solos, saying that so much talent on hand made the task like "putting a watermelon in a Coke bottle". The following evening, Richie held a choreography session at his home, where it was decided who would stand where.

The final night of recording was held on January 28, 1985, at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood. Jackson arrived at 8 p.m., earlier than the others, to record his solo section and record a vocal chorus alone. He was joined by the remaining USA for Africa artists, who included Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen and Tina Turner, and Jackson's siblings Jackie, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Tito. Many of the participants came straight from an American Music Awards ceremony that had been held that night.

Prince, who would have had a part in which he and Michael Jackson sang to each other, did not attend. One newspaper said that Prince did not want to record with other acts; another report, from the time of "We Are the World"'s recording, suggested that he did not want to partake because the organizer, Bob Geldof, called him a "creep". During the session, Richie spoke with Prince on the phone, and declined Prince's offer to play a guitar solo in a separate room. Instead, Prince donated an exclusive track, "4 the Tears in Your Eyes", to the We Are the World album. Wonder asked Eddie Murphy to participate, but Murphy declined because he was busy recording his single "Party All the Time". Murphy later said after he "realized what it was, [he] felt like an idiot". More than 45 of America's top musicians participated, and another 50 had to be turned away. A sign taped to the studio door read: "Check your ego at the door." Wonder greeted the musicians as they entered, and said that if the recording was not completed in one take, he and Ray Charles, two blind men, would drive everybody home.

Each performer took their position at around 10:30 p.m. and began to sing. Several hours passed before Wonder announced that he would like to substitute a line in Swahili for the "sha-lum sha-lin-gay" sound, causing Waylon Jennings to leave. A heated debate ensued, in which several artists also rejected the suggestion. The "sha-lum sha-lin-gay" sound ran into opposition as well and was removed. Jennings returned and participated in the recording. The participants eventually decided to sing something meaningful in English. They chose to sing the new line "one world, our children", which most of the participants enjoyed.

In the early hours of the morning, two Ethiopian women, guests of Wonder, were brought in. They thanked the singers on behalf of their country, bringing several artists to tears. Wonder attempted to lighten the mood, by joking that the recording session gave him a chance to "see" Charles, saying, "We just sort of bumped into each other!" Under the circumstances, the solo parts presented a variety of challenges, but were all successfully recorded that night. The final version was completed at 8 a.m.

Lyrics
"We Are the World" is sung from a first-person viewpoint, allowing the audience to "internalize" the message by singing the word we together. It has been described as "an appeal to human compassion". The first lines of the chorus are: "We are the world, we are the children / we are the ones who make a brighter day / so let's start giving".

Arrangement
Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner and Billy Joel sing the first verse; Michael Jackson and Diana Ross sing the first chorus; Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson and Al Jarreau sing the second verse; Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry and Daryl Hall sing the second chorus; Jackson, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, and Kim Carnes sing the bridge. "We Are the World" concludes with Bob Dylan and Ray Charles singing a full chorus, Wonder and Springsteen duetting, and ad libs from Charles and Ingram. The structure is said to "create a sense of continuous surprise and emotional buildup".

The following people sang in the chorus: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, and Smokey Robinson.

Release
On March 7, 1985, "We Are the World" was released as a single, in both 7-inch and 12-inch formats. The song was the only one released from the We Are the World album and became a chart success around the world. In the U.S., it was a number-one hit on the R&B singles chart, the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for a month. The single had debuted at number 21 on the Hot 100, and it took four weeks for the song to claim the number one spot, half the time a single would normally have taken to reach its charting peak. On the Hot 100, the song moved from 21 to 5 to 2 and then number 1. "We Are the World" might have reached the top of the Hot 100 chart sooner, were it not for the success of Phil Collins' "One More Night", which received support from both pop and rock listeners. "We Are the World" also entered Billboards Top Rock Tracks and Hot Country Singles charts, where it peaked at numbers 27 and 76 respectively. The song became the first single since the Beatles' "Let It Be" to enter Billboard's Top 5 within two weeks of release. Outside the U.S., the single reached number one in Australia, France, Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The song peaked at number 2 in two countries: Germany and Austria.

The single was also a commercial success: the initial shipment of 800,000 "We Are the World" records sold out within three days of release. The record became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. At Tower Records in West Hollywood, 1,000 copies of the song were sold in two days. Store worker Richard Petitpas commented, "A number one single sells about 100 to 125 copies a week. This is absolutely unheard of." By the end of 1985, "We Are the World" had become the year's best-selling single. Five years later it was revealed that the song had become the biggest single of the 1980s. "We Are the World" was eventually cited as the best-selling single in U.S. and pop music history. The song became the first single to be certified multi-platinum; it received a 4× certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. The estimated global sales of "We Are the World" are said to be 20 million.

Reception
"We Are the World" received mixed reviews. American journalist Greil Marcus felt that it sounded like a Pepsi jingle. He wrote that "the constant repetition of 'There's a choice we're making' conflates with Pepsi's trademarked 'The choice of a new generation' in a way that, on the part of Pepsi-contracted song writers Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, is certainly not intentional, and even more certainly beyond the realm of serendipity." Marcus added, "In the realm of contextualization, 'We Are the World' says less about Ethiopia than it does about Pepsi—and the true result will likely be less that certain Ethiopian individuals will live, or anyway live a bit longer than they otherwise would have, than that Pepsi will get the catch phrase of its advertising campaign sung for free by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, and all the rest." Professor and activist Reebee Garofalo agreed, calling the line "We're saving our own lives" a "distasteful element of self-indulgence". He asserted that the artists of USA for Africa were proclaiming "their own salvation for singing about an issue they will never experience on behalf of a people most of them will never encounter".

In contrast, Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the phrase "There's a choice we're making, We're saving our own lives". He wrote that the line assumed "an extra emotional dimension when sung by people with superstar mystiques". Holden wrote that the song was "an artistic triumph that transcends its official nature". He noted that unlike Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas", the vocals on "We Are the World" were "artfully interwoven" and emphasized the individuality of each singer. Holden concluded that "We Are the World" was "a simple, eloquent ballad" and a "fully- [sic]realized pop statement that would sound outstanding even if it weren't recorded by stars".

The song proved popular with both young and old listeners. People in Columbia, Missouri, reported they bought more than one copy of the single, some buying up to five copies of the record at one time.

According to the music critic and Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh, "We Are the World" was not widely accepted within the rock music community. Marsh said it was dismissed as it was not "a rock record, a critique of the political policies that created the famine, a way of finding out how and why famines occur, an all-inclusive representation of the entire worldwide spectrum of post-Presley popular music". Though Marsh agreed with some of the criticisms, he felt that, despite its sentimentality, "We Are the World" was a large-scale pop event with serious political overtones.

"We Are the World" was recognized with several awards following its release. At the 1986 Grammy Awards, the song and its music video won four awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Music Video, Short Form. The music video was awarded two honors at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards. It collected the awards for Best Group Video and Viewer's Choice. People's Choice Awards recognized "We Are the World" with the Favorite New Song award in 1986. In the same year, the American Music Awards named "We Are the World" "Song of the Year", and honored organizer Harry Belafonte with the Award of Appreciation. Collecting his award, Belafonte thanked Ken Kragen, Quincy Jones, and "the two artists who, without their great gift would not have inspired us in quite the same way as we were inspired, Mr. Lionel Richie and Mr. Michael Jackson". Following the speech, the majority of USA for Africa reunited on stage, closing the ceremony with "We Are the World".

"We Are the World" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021.

Vinyl single

 * 1) "We Are the World" (USA for Africa) – 4:51
 * 2) "Grace" (Quincy Jones) – 4:30

Marketing and promotion
"We Are the World" was promoted with a music video, a video cassette, and several other items made available to the public, including books, posters, shirts and buttons. All proceeds from the sale of official USA for Africa merchandise went directly to the famine relief fund. All of the merchandise sold well; the video cassette—titled We Are the World: The Video Event—documented the making of the song, and became the ninth-best-selling video of 1985. All of the video elements were produced by Howard G. Malley and Craig B. Golin along with April Lee Grebb as the production supervisor. The music video showed the recording of "We Are the World", and drew criticism from some. Michael Jackson was reported to have joked before filming, "People will know it's me as soon as they see the socks. Try taking footage of Bruce Springsteen's socks and see if anyone knows who they belong to."

The song was also promoted with a special edition of the American magazine Life. The publication had been the only media outlet permitted inside A&M Recording Studios on the night of January 28, 1985. All other press organizations were barred from reporting the events leading up to and during "We Are the World"'s recording. Life ran a cover story of the recording session in its April 1985 edition of the monthly magazine. Seven members of USA for Africa were pictured on the cover: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Willie Nelson. Inside the magazine were photographs of the "We Are the World" participants working and taking breaks.

"We Are the World" received worldwide radio coverage in the form of an international simultaneous broadcast later that year. Upon spinning the song on their local stations, Georgia radio disc jockeys Bob Wolf and Don Briscar came up with the idea for a worldwide simulcast. They called hundreds of radio and satellite stations asking them to participate. On the morning of April 5, 1985 (Good Friday of that year) at 3:50 pm GMT, over 8,000 radio stations simultaneously broadcast the song around the world. As the song was broadcast, hundreds of people sang along on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. A year later, on March 28, 1986 (Good Friday of that year), the simultaneous radio broadcast of "We Are the World" was repeated over 6,000 radio stations worldwide.

"We Are the World" gained further promotion and coverage on May 25, 1986, when it was played during a major benefit event held throughout the US. Hands Across America—USA for Africa's follow-up project—was an event in which millions of people formed a human chain across the US. The event was held to draw attention to hunger and homelessness in the United States. "We Are the World"'s co-writer, Michael Jackson, had wanted his song to be the official theme for the event. The other board members of USA for Africa outvoted him, and it was instead decided that a new song would be created and released for the event, titled "Hands Across America". When released, the new song did not achieve the level of success that "We Are the World" did, and the decision to use it as the official theme for the event led to Jackson—who co-owned the publishing rights to "We Are the World"—resigning from the board of directors of USA for Africa.

Humanitarian aid
Four months after the release of "We Are the World", USA for Africa had taken in almost $10.8 million (equivalent to $0 million today). The majority of the money came from record sales within the US. Members of the public also donated money—almost $1.3 million within the same time period. In May 1985, USA for Africa officials estimated that they had sold between $45 million and $47 million worth of official merchandise around the world. Organizer Ken Kragen announced that they would not be distributing all of the money at once. Instead, he revealed that the foundation would be looking into finding a long-term solution for Africa's problems. "We could go out and spend it all in one shot. Maybe we'd save some lives in the short term but it would be like putting a Band-Aid over a serious wound." Kragen noted that experts had predicted that it would take at least 10 to 20 years to make a slight difference to Africa's long-term problems.

In June 1985, the first USA for Africa cargo jet carrying food, medicine, and clothing departed for Ethiopia and Sudan. It stopped en route in New York, where 15,000 T-shirts were added to the cargo. Included in the supplies were high-protein biscuits, high-protein vitamins, medicine, tents, blankets and refrigeration equipment. Harry Belafonte, representing the USA for Africa musicians, visited Sudan in the same month. The trip was his last stop on a four-nation tour of Africa. Tanzanian Prime Minister Salim Ahmed Salim greeted and praised Belafonte, telling him, "I personally and the people of Tanzania are moved by this tremendous example of human solidarity."

One year after the release of "We Are the World", organizers noted that $44.5 million had been raised for USA for Africa's humanitarian fund. They stated that they were confident that they would reach an initial set target of $50 million (equivalent to $0 million in 2024). By October 1986, it was revealed that their $50 million target had been met and exceeded; CBS Records gave USA for Africa a check for $2.5 million, drawing the total amount of money to $51.2 million. USA for Africa's Hands Across America event had also raised a significant amount of money—approximately $24.5 million for the hungry in the US.

Since its release, "We Are the World" has raised over $80 million (equivalent to $0 million today) for humanitarian causes. Ninety percent of the money was pledged to African relief, both long and short term. The long-term initiative included efforts in birth control and food production. The remaining 10 percent of funds was earmarked for domestic hunger and homeless programs in the US. From the African fund, over 70 recovery and development projects were launched in seven African nations. Such projects included aid in agriculture, fishing, water management, manufacturing and reforestation. Training programs were also developed in the African countries of Mozambique, Senegal, Chad, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, and Mali.

Following Jackson's death in 2009, Elias Kifle Maraim Beyene, who grew up in Ethiopia and was a beneficiary of the aid provided by the single, related: "I won't ever forget Michael Jackson because his contribution to the song We are the World had a very significant effect on my life. I am 50 now but 25 years ago I was living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which at that time was suffering from a long drought and famine. It was a terrible situation. Lots of people became sick and many more died. Around one million people in all were killed by the famine. In 1984 Michael Jackson, along with a number of other leading musicians, made the song We are the World to raise money for Africa. We received a lot of aid from the world and I was one of those who directly benefitted from it. The wheat flour that was distributed to the famine victims was different to the usual cereal we bought at the market. We baked a special bread from it. The local people named the bread after the great artist and it became known as Michael Bread. It was soft and delicious.

When you have been through such hard times you never forget events like this. If you speak to anyone who was in Addis Ababa at that time they will all know what Michael Bread is and I know I will remember it for the rest of my life."

Notable live performances
"We Are the World" has been performed live by members of USA for Africa on several occasions both together and individually. One of the earliest such performances came in 1985, during the rock music concert Live Aid, which ended with more than 100 musicians singing the song on stage. Harry Belafonte and Lionel Richie made surprise appearances for the live rendition of the song. Michael Jackson would have joined the artists, but was "working around the clock in the studio on a project that he's made a major commitment to", according to his press agent, Norman Winter.

An inaugural celebration was held for US President-elect Bill Clinton in January 1993. The event was staged by Clinton's Hollywood friends at the Lincoln Memorial and drew hundreds of thousands of people. Aretha Franklin, LL Cool J, Michael Bolton and Tony Bennett were among some of the musicians in attendance. Said Jones, "I've never seen so many great performers come together with so much love and selflessness." The celebration included a performance of "We Are the World", which involved Clinton, his daughter Chelsea, and his wife Hillary singing the song along with USA for Africa's Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. The New York Times' Edward Rothstein commented on the event, stating, "The most enduring image may be of Mr. Clinton singing along in 'We Are the World', the first President to aspire, however futilely, to hipness."

As a prelude to his song "Heal the World", "We Are the World" was performed as an interlude during two of Michael Jackson's tours, the Dangerous World Tour (1992–1993) and the HIStory World Tour (1996–1997), as well as Jackson's performance at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in 1993. Jackson briefly performed the song with a chorus at the 2006 World Music Awards in London, which marked his last live public performance. Jackson planned to use the song for his This Is It comeback concerts at the O2 Arena in London from 2009 to 2010, but the shows were cancelled due to his sudden death.

Michael Jackson died in June 2009, after suffering a cardiac arrest. His memorial service was held several days later on July 7, and was reported to have been viewed by more than one billion people. The finale of the event featured group renditions of the Jackson anthems "We Are the World" and "Heal the World". The singalong of "We Are the World" was led by Darryl Phinnessee, who had worked with Jackson since the late 1980s. It also featured co-writer Lionel Richie and Jackson's family, including his children. Following the performance, "We Are the World" re-entered the US charts for the first time since its 1985 release. The song debuted at number 50 on Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart.

25 for Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, the island's most severe earthquake in over 200 years. The epicenter of the quake was just outside the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. The Haitian government confirmed the deaths of over 230,000 civilians because of the disaster and the injuries of around 300,000. Approximately 1.2 million people were homeless and the lack of temporary shelter may have led to the outbreak of disease.

To raise money for earthquake victims, a new celebrity version of "We Are the World" was recorded on February 1, 2010, and released on February 12, 2010. Over 75 musicians were involved in the remake, which was recorded in the same studio as the 1985 original. The new version features revised lyrics as well as a rap part pertaining to Haiti. Michael Jackson's younger sister Janet duets with her late brother on the track, as per a request from their mother Katherine. In the video and on the track, archival material of Michael Jackson is used from the original 1985 recording. This version is also infamous for the way Wyclef sings towards the end of the song, fluctuating his voice in a manner that sounds like, as a music writer for the San Francisco Chronicle called it, "Not unlike a cross between a fire siren and the sound of Wyclef giving himself a hernia."

On February 20, 2010, a non-celebrity remake, "We Are the World 25 for Haiti (YouTube edition)", was posted to the video sharing website YouTube. Internet personality and singer-songwriter Lisa Lavie conceived and organized the Internet collaboration of 57 unsigned or independent YouTube musicians geographically distributed around the world. Lavie's 2010 YouTube version, a cover of the 1985 original, excludes the rap segment and minimizes the Auto-tune that characterizes the 2010 celebrity remake. Another 2010 remake of the original is the Spanish-language "Somos El Mundo". It was written by Emilio Estefan and his wife Gloria Estefan, and produced by Emilio, Quincy Jones and Univision Communications, the company that funded the project.

Legacy
"We Are the World" has been recognized as a politically important song, which "affected an international focus on Africa that was simply unprecedented". It has been credited with creating a climate in which musicians from around the world felt inclined to follow. According to The New York Times' Stephen Holden, since the release of "We Are the World", it has been noted that movement has been made within popular music to create songs that address humanitarian concerns. "We Are the World" was also influential in subverting the way music and meaning were produced, showing that musically and racially diverse musicians could work together both productively and creatively. Ebony described the January 28 recording session, in which Quincy Jones brought together a multi-racial group, as being "a major moment in world music that showed we can change the world". "We Are the World", along with Live Aid and Farm Aid, demonstrated that rock music had become more than entertainment, but a political and social movement. Journalist Robert Palmer noted that such songs and events had the ability to reach people around the world, send them a message, and then get results.

Since the release of "We Are the World", and the Band Aid single that influenced it, numerous songs have been recorded in a similar fashion, with the intent to aid disaster victims throughout the world. One such example involved a supergroup of Latin musicians billed as "Hermanos del Tercer Mundo", or "Brothers of the Third World". Among the supergroup of 62 recording artists were Julio Iglesias, José Feliciano, and Sérgio Mendes. Their famine relief song was recorded in the same studio as "We Are the World". Half of the profits raised from the charity single was pledged to USA for Africa. The rest of the money was to be used for impoverished Latin American countries. Other notable examples include the 1989 cover of the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water" by a supergroup of hard rock, prog rock, and heavy metal musicians collaborating as Rock Aid Armenia to raise money for victims of the devastating 1988 Armenian earthquake, the 1986 all-star OPM single "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo", which talked about the optimism the Filipinos needed after the People Power Revolution, the 1997 Star Records all-star recording "Sa Araw ng Pasko", the 2003 all-star OPM recording "Biyahe Tayo" which promoted Philippine tourism and its subsequent 2011 remake "Pilipinas, Tara Na!" and the 2009 all-star OPM recordings "Star ng Pasko" and "Kaya Natin Ito!" as a means to provide hope to the survivors of Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Ondoy). Several GMA Network personalities also recorded another inspirational ballad, "Bangon Kaibigan" in 2013 to provide hope to the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda).

The 20th anniversary of "We Are the World" was celebrated in 2005. Radio stations around the world paid homage to USA for Africa's creation by simultaneously broadcasting the charity song. In addition to the simulcast, the milestone was marked by the release of a two-disc DVD called We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song. Ken Kragen asserted that the reason behind the simulcast and DVD release was not for USA for Africa to praise themselves for doing a good job, but to "use it to do some more good [for the original charity]. That's all we care about accomplishing." Harry Belafonte also commented on the 20th anniversary of the song. He acknowledged that "We Are the World" had "stood the test of time"; anyone old enough to remember it can still at least hum along.

On January 29, 2024, a documentary titled The Greatest Night in Pop, was released on Netflix. The documentary, which was directed by Bao Nguyen, chronicles the obstacles and the behind-the-scenes stories that led to the creation of the song. The documentary features new interviews with Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, Huey Lewis, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper and others involved with the song who reflect on the song and its legacy.

title: We Are the World


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Talk:Emperor (band)

whoever keeps deleting my additions..
you might as well stop because im not vandalising the page as you are trying to make it look like. i once again made an addition because again you re-did the part where it says "samoth went along with members of mayhem to burn down the ancient churches of norway". first of all, as ive clearly stated and have sources from, no members of mayhem were involved in the church burnings. you also put down a link to a source which does not even note that members of mayhem were involved in church burnings, all it proves is that EURONYMOUS (not members) of mayhem was involved in a pile of bible burnings at a nearby ski jump. i also noted that they were at a point signed to deathlike silence productions, which was also deleted. once again, im not vandalising and im clearly just trying to put down here that they were signed to that label, despite the fact that you may think they werent just because they released no material. if you want proof of this, i cannot find an internet source, but an even more reliable source, because it is listed on an emperor cd itself with a poster containing small advertisements and pictures of the band. on one of the advertisements it says to "WATCH OUT FOR THE NEW LP ON DEATHLIKE SILENCE PRODUCTIONS". <<<there is ur proof, u dont think thats good enough either? go and buy the new box version of Wrath of the Tyrant, and you can see for yourself. also, if you have a problem with my additions to this page or any others, leave a note on the discussion page. Okram 09 (talk) 01:56, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

"Members of Mayhem"
the following quote above will be deleted in every part of the emperor page and every page that its on the emperor band members. this quote is so stupid and its becoming annoying. no "members of mayhem" were even involved in the church burnings, let alone some stupid claim that they went to "burn bibles at a nearby ski jump". this page is supposed to be about the band emperor and their music, not some stupid black metal myths. if any of yous need proof that no mayhem members were in the church burnings, look at an interview with necrobutcher, where he even states that it was a stupid thing to do. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Okram 09 (talk • contribs) 08:05, 5 August 2008 (UTC) Also, just noting that for a brief period, the band was signed to DSP, but didnt release any albums from there. so im noting that they were signed to DSP. i have no internet link sources for this, but if anyone else owns the box set version of the wrath of the tyrant, it shows on a poster that comes with the cd many different photos and early advertisements of emperor. one of the excerpts states to "watch out for the next release on deathlike silence productions". this being on an official emperor cd can simply prove they were signed to DSP, though nevertheless still released no material on that label. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Okram 09 (talk • contribs) 01:21, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

Euronymous was involved in at least one church burning. 65.25.104.44 (talk) 17:24, 12 April 2011 (UTC)

Album Capitalization
Regarding album titles, I personally feel that all words should be capitalized, whether they are conjuctions or not. It seems inconsistent (even though it is traditional) to have a mixture of upper and lower case words, and inconsistency is the enemy. This is perhaps a moot point, but I think it ought to be defined one way or another as to which should be used. I think we ought to capitalize all words in a title, whether it is an album, a book, or whatever else. Nyght 23:05, May 28, 2004 (UTC)

 * Wikipedia naming convention is that "Titles of books, films and other works are also capitalized, except for minor words, e.g. A New Kind of Science, Ghost in the Shell.", which also as far as I know is the most common practice Skrim 18:32, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

Melodic Black Metal and Symphonic black metal
Melodic black metal AND symphonic black metal are the two genres from the first emperor album, in the nightside eclipse. only symphonic black metal is mentioned and i think melodic black metal should be as much credited as that as it is symphonic black metal. if you look at the melodic black metal page, it states certain characteristics which all appear on in the nightside eclipse album. e.g. occasional clean vocals,atmospheric (NOT SYMPHONIC OR ORCHESTRATIONAL) sounds, not uncommon guitar solos. its all there. plus, if you didnt notice, EMPEROR IS LISTED ON THE NOTABLE MELODIC BLACK METAL BANDS PART of that page! because there is not a "reliable" source for them being melodic black metal, it is as much unreliable as symphonic black metal could be. the only source is from metal-archives. which is a byist website anyway. whoever keeps changing it and constantly getting rid of melodic black metal being listed on the page and thinking that its pure vandalism of the page, at least explain why you think its not right to be there. and ask many other people. look at all the comments! everyone is saying that theyr melodic black metal. so whoever wants to get rid of the edit again, have the decency to reply to this message! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Okram 09 (talk • contribs) 06:43, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

Musician Names
I've moved the given names of the musicians to comments in the source. It's standard operating procedure in black metal not to call the musicians by their given names (starting with Quorthon, whose real name we still don't even know). Giving out Ihsahn's and Samoth's real names without warning is essentially a spoiler for fans of the band. I think many of us don't want to know what their "real names" are; in fact, for all intents and purposes, their stage names are their real names. Vivacissamamente

 * Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a black metal fan page. I vote for using the artists' real names in the article. --Rapunzel 06:09, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

 * You win. What I was doing was little better than deciding I didn't like English grammar and was going to change it. Thanks.

Quorthon's real name is Ace Börje Forsberg, it was written on his obituary. I also changed the description of Cradle of Filth from black metal to gothic metal. http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=24Ladysway1985

 * I say I don't want to know his given name, and in response you tell me. Thanks. Vivacissamamente

 * No, I responded to your statement that Quorthon's real name was not known. Don't bitch. As for Cradle of Filth, well, Flowing Tears, For My Pain, Lacrimus Profundere and others sound almost nothing like Tristania or Theatre of Tragedy, etc. Just as there are different kinds of metal, it is not unexpected that there are different kinds of gothic metal. Cradle of Filth's black metal influence is clear, but all in all that is not what they are. "Extreme gothic metal" is a fitting description in my opinion. So, enough with this. Ladysway1985

Genres
Cradle of Filth might belong to quite a few musical genres, but they are definitely not gothic metal! Sirenia, Theatre of Tragedy, Lacrimas Profundere, Xandria, To/Die/For and so many others are gothic metal, so please compare the sound of these bands with CoF and notice that this has absolutely no sense. You may write that they are a group of sell-out posers who think they are black metal despite not being, whatever, but they are not goth metal. --Sn0wflake 17:59, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

 * i see cradle of filth as more as melodic black metal than anything else. lol sellouts, so true.

 * Cradle of filth is not black metal, I thought that was a debate that ended some time ago. Why does it still appear as black metal, I agree gothic metal isn't their genre either, so there must be some genre they fit.Ptikobj 20:01, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

 * CoF is not melodic black metal AT ALL, and that is an insult! Bands like Rotting Christ are melodic black (on most of their releases).  CoF is not pure gothic metal, but there way of playing has many gothic metal elements.  I'd just call them extreme metal, but bad. 76.105.40.151 21:35, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

 * Hi, welcome to the Emperor discussion page. Take bitching about CoF's genre to that page. Blackmetalbaz (talk) 01:46, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

i have no idea why emperors genre is reffered to as "symphonic extreme metal". does that even exist? everyone knows they are a symphonic black metal band and also their old recordings were melodic black metal. i got complaints because i wrote a similar comment on the c.o.f. discussion page because their genre is debated very much. fair enough, i get that now. but emperor is not debated within their genre. the characteristics are there in their first album at least of melodic black metal, and of course, symphonic black metal. i just think that they should be labelled as a melodic black metal band and as a symphonic black metal band because they are. please someone on the site agree this fact so i can add (not change) the genre name as melodic black metal above or below symphonic black metal. this is correct, and there should not be any problems with it. it is at least more accurate than "extreme symphonic metal". —Preceding unsigned comment added by Okram 09 (talk • contribs) 10:21, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Cradle of Filth support
I just want to correct an error in the article... Emperor didnt support cradle of filth. CoF supported emperor.. www.emperorhorde.com  for confirmation. The official emperor site

Extreme symphonic metal
I'm confused...I don't see how "extreme symphonic metal" is anything but a broader term that encompasses "symphonic black metal". Do we really need to say "symphonic black metal" AND "extreme symphonic metal" on the genre listings? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by PearlTheater (talk • contribs) 18:21, 9 December 2006 (UTC).

I agree. It seems completely unnecessary to mention "extreme symphonic metal" since it doesn't have it's own article and is two separate genres scrunched together. Zanders5k 20:44, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

It is necessary to have both because he band changed their style from Symphonic Black Metal to Symphonic Extreme Metal. Symphonic Extreme Metal is the equivalent of saying Symphonic Blackened Death Metal. Emperor did Change their style halfway through their career and there are sources that call them Symphonic Extreme Metal. It stays. --Sindelar 15:51, 10 November 2007 (UTC)

Ehm but Emperor was creators of Melodic Black metal NOT Symphonic Black metal. Listen to ITNE, it was first melodic black metal release and there's NOTHING Symphonic about it. Also there's nothing sort of "death metal" about Emperor, NOT even in their later career. Growling vocals alone doesn't make it "death metal". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.112.23.199 (talk) 09:05, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

 * Look, 'extreme symphonic metal' or 'symphonic extreme metal' or whatever are not real genres. They don't even have Wikipedia pages, and if you created them, I imagine they'd end up as AfD fodder pretty swiftly. Therefore there is no point whatsoever listing such illusory genres within the infobox when they're just going to get re-directed elsewhere. Blackmetalbaz (talk) 01:54, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

'Extreme symhponic metal' doesnt exist. whoever put it there did it cos they read the crappy genre name off metal-archives. it should NOT be listed there and it should be symhponic black metal AND melodic black metal (for in the nightside eclipse). the first album is melodic black metal and the rest are symphonic black metal and like it is mentioned by a few from the previous album, that with elements of progressive metal. someone tell me that they understand this so when i add (NOT CHANGE) melodic black metal to their genres list, it will not be changed. and for those who are complaining that theyre not, you have them listed on the melodic black metal page, so then there should be no problem changing the genre on their own page. also before i even joined wikipedia, i remember seeing melodic black metal listed on the emperor page. so i am not the only one. i also say that c.o.f. is melodic black metal on the first 3 albums too but their genre is debated so i am not going to get into that. but emperors genre IS NOT DEBATED. Okram 09 8 March 2008 —Preceding comment was added at 03:25, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:AnthemsToTheWelkinAtDusk.jpg
Image:AnthemsToTheWelkinAtDusk.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in Wikipedia articles constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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Fair use rationale for Image:Prometheusthedescipleoffire&demise.JPG
Image:Prometheusthedescipleoffire&demise.JPG is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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What about?
What about the Call From the Grave Rehearsal release? I don't see that in the discography section... 76.105.40.151 21:37, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Inthenightsideeclipseemperor.jpg
Image:Inthenightsideeclipseemperor.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 18:40, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Record Label
I see that In the Nightside Eclipse is noted as released under Roadrunner Records. To my knowledge Emperor has had no affiliation with Roadrunner and I am unable to find sources that prove me wrong. The band's official website cites the album being released under Candlelight Records and re-released by Candlelight and Century Media. Emperor was with Candlelight Records consistently for their primary studio releases, and seeing as how I can find no evidence of a connection with Roadrunner, citing it as such seems amiss.--Junked up (talk) 20:05, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

 * I'm not even sure Roadrunner was around when Nightside was released... Yeah, it sounds unrealistic. Without any sources, change it. ≈  The Haunted Angel  21:18, 24 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Roadrunner certainly existed then (they've been around since at least the mid-80's i nfact) but without having any copies on hand, emperorhorde.com indicates that it's a Candlelight release and that's good enough for me. Thee darcy (talk) 19:34, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

 * Ah, my mistake then; although I wouldn't imagine Roadrunner signing a black metal band - at least not today's Roadrunner. I think the closest they get today is Cradle. ≈  The Haunted Angel  19:43, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Release formatting
It appears that using the album covers on this page has been deemed unacceptable, so I'm going to format the album section like the other releases. It's too bad but it'll look nicer this way. I guess we'll just have to learn to be happy with the more detailed info appearing on the album pages. Thee darcy (talk) 17:21, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

ItNE credits
Hoping to get some support here- every couple of months a whole bunch of BS gets added to the ItNE page about how the album was recorded at Samoth's home studio in Tromso, it was produced by Samoth, it was released on Roadrunner (see "Record Label" above), Ihsahn and Samoth were the only musicians who played on it, and so on... just keep an eye out for it if you can. I'm trying to stay on top of it but it's always anon IP users who seem unwilling to provide any source on the info their providing- info that contradicts the albumliner notes & the band website, but still, it'd be nice to see where this stuff is coming from.

Anyway. Just keep an eye out. Thee darcy (talk) 16:41, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Scholarship in or band contest around 1991?
In Det svarte alvor, Jon Jarle Haugen said that Emperor received some scholarship in 1991, and I also heard about some band contest Emperor participated in; unfortunately, I don’t know more about this. Who does? By the way, Haugen also said that Emperor’s fascination with Satanism wasn’t that special since Edvard Grieg wrote Til en hunndjevel, Klaus Egge wrote so-called Devil music and Faust also found his way into operas. --217 /83 18:42, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

“highly influential”
I can understand this edit, but this is not just opinion, at least not for Wrath of the Tyrant and In the Nightside Eclipse. There may be more bands copying Burzum and Darkthrone, but Emperor’s early work is highly influential. --217 /83 18:36, 17 March 2012 (UTC)
 * My suggestion is phrase it along the lines as "has been regarded as highly influential" with sources, preferably primary sources from bands (particularly prominent bands) themselves. Dark Prime (talk) 21:12, 17 March 2012 (UTC)
 * Yes, that and also some journalists since some users might not accept the edits otherwise. --217 /83 19:49, 18 March 2012 (UTC)

Timeline
Could we have a timeline showing major releases and members at the time (like in the pages Mayhem, Metallica and Slayer)? That is, if someone would be so kind... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Vargtimmen (talk • contribs) 22:20, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

Progressive Metal
i added Technical Black Metal to genres,because the Progressive style of their last album. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GREYBOYY (talk • contribs) 14:31, 30 January 2015 (UTC)

"Controversy"?
Hi,

Why is the material on arson called a controversy? Doesn't that require some, well, controversy?

And why is it included at all? The ref is some weird fanblog, generally not RS and absolutely not for BLP material. T 85.166.162.8 (talk) 22:12, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

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

title: Talk:Emperor (band)


text:
Bylany (archaeological site)

Bylany is a Danubian Neolithic (New Stone Age) archaeological site located around 65 km east of Prague in the Czech region of Bohemia. Excavation began in 1955 and work continues today.

Bylany (Bohemia, Czech Republic), in addition to Eythra (Saxony, Germany), Herxheim (Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany), Těšetice (Moravia, Czech Republic), is regarded as the residential area for the first farmers in Europe and one of the largest Neolithic settlements in Central Europe. The area is agricultural and consists of many streams, ravines, and marshlands.

The archaeological site at Bylany was the area of two defining Danubian cultures, the Linear Pottery culture (from German: Linearbandkeramik), often abbreviated as LBK, and the Stroked Pottery culture (from German: Stichbandkeramik), often abbreviated as STK. The LBK culture is theorised to have covered the period between 5600-5000 cal. BC, and the STK culture the period between 5000-4400 cal. BC. These dates are contested, and some archaeologists place the dates of the LBK culture closer to 5500-4900/4950 cal. BC.

Excavations and studies over the years have unearthed many artefacts of the Neolithic period. These include pottery fragments (LBK and STK origins), and stone tools. Studies have also uncovered non-moveable features of the period these include longhouses and rondels identified using non-destructive methodologies i.e. aerial and geophysical prospection, and other methods such as magneto-metric anaysis. Pottery is used by archaeologists to determine the chronology of events at Bylany as the differing of styles and techniques to decorate and create suggests the time period and culture that produced the artefact. Czech archaeologists in Prague have sort to make a digitised museum to present the site to a global audience. This has been accomplished by using technologies such as Optical 3D scanning, 3D photogrammetry, and 3D modelling.

Landscape
The landscape of the area is agricultural in its nature. The most common soil in the settlement area is a fertile brown earth on a loess base. The sections of the site are separated by streams, ravines, or marshland.

Cultures
The Czech Republic is a Central European country, the site at Bylany was once the home to the oldest agricultural population of the Neolithic period in this section of Europe. Pottery varying in its decorative styling is the only artefact that can delineate the precise chronology of the Neolithic cultures at Bylany. Information centring on the cultural populations within the Neolithic settlements are not solidified with some archaeologists suggesting that the populations were not "culturally unified" but rather a diverse group of inhabitants. The multiformity is proposed in theory to not be isolated just to social aspects but to be associated with economic or subsistence characteristics.

Linear Pottery Culture
The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) comes from the German word ‘Linearbandkeramik’, which translates to ‘linear band pottery’. The name is derived from the style of pottery decoration used by the culture, more so the incised lines or bands. Bylany is one of the largest LBK settlements in central Europe. The genesis of the LBK is thought to be in the Carpathian basin. Estimates place the culture at the site at around 5600-5500 cal. BC until approximately 5000-4900 cal. BC. The LBK period at Bylany is thought to have had 25 settlement phases.

Stroked Pottery Culture
The Stroked Pottery culture (STK), originating from the German word ‘Stichbandkeramik’ translating into English “Stitch band pottery”, was the successor to the LBK. The culture gets its name from the different style of pottery decoration used, which was the narrower engraved lines, increased density of strokes, and proliferation of engraved lines with punctures. The estimated timeline of the culture is the period between 5000 cal. BC and 4400 cal. BC. These dates are conflicted with one study suggesting the date is 4950-4400 cal. BC.

Artefacts
Since the first excavations in the 1950s, the archaeological site at Bylany has yielded a varying degree of Neolithic artefacts including pottery fragments, lithics, grinding tools, chipped stone (flints), polished stone (axes and adzes), whetstones (abrading, smoothing, and polishing tools), hand stones, and non-moveable pits, postholes, and ditches.

Pottery
The changing of pottery style is the feature that defines the chronology of the LBK and STK cultures. The pottery differs in decorative features with both cultures using numerous characteristics that differentiated one another. LBK cultures can be seen to have used engraved broad grooves, engraved lines, engraved bands filled with punctures, engraved lines with punctures, dense punctures on a very fine engraved line, independent punctures, and engraved lines with adjacent punctures. The STK cultures began to use narrower engraved lines, increased density of strokes, and proliferation of engraved lines with punctures.

Types of pottery
Two units of pottery were created; coarse ceramics (course ware) and fine ceramics (fine ware), both with individual uses in society. Course ware can be identified by its course, thick walls, whereas fine ware was of an elegant appearance typically with engraved linear decorations. Fine ware is thought to have needed a great proficiency as the decorations were more complex (incised lines), whereas course ware did not necessary demand this skill. Various cases have found that LBK and STK fine ware share commonalities. Course ware is theorised to have been used for food preparation, storage, and packaging. Fine ware in contrast is believed to have been used for food consumption.

Manufacturing techniques
Archaeologists use modern technology such as micro-tomography (uCT) as one way to determine the manufacturing technique used to create the pottery. This technique was created to visualise the inner structure of i.e. pottery sherds. The digital creation shows the porous structure and geometrical parameters (total porosity, pore size distribution and pore shape). This technique is able to identify the organic temper in cases where all the organic material is burnt due to the firing process in hardening the pottery paste.

LBK Neolithic pottery was created by a facet of techniques. One technique is the coiling of the potters clay. The clay is rolled out into a cylindrical shape. The clay is then coiled and layered onto one another forming any basic or more complex structure desired.

Archaeologists theorise techniques in which the pottery was tempered. One theorised technique is adding cow-dung in varying ratios to be used for tempering the clay, this may increase the clays plasticity. A modern study tested the hypothesis that dung was used in the crafting of pottery. The study suggests that the "presence of gel-forming hydrated organic polymers increases the clay's plasticity". The porous nature of the resultant vessel may also serve to preserve water in warmer condition as the pot keeps the contents cool by permitting slow evaporation through the porous walls. Other organic tempering materials may have been used by the LBK such as wood and straw, these materials leave voids in the pottery with specific morphology.

Atypical pottery
Socio-economic status and or newcomers from other LBK settlements are theorised to have produced atypical decorations on pottery. This theory is postulated on the basis that the finding of these types of fragments are in smaller houses.

Structures
None of the physical structures remain from the Neolithic period at Bylany, rather they have left imprints to the likes of pits, post holes, grooves and foundation trenches in the ground and archaeologist are able to decrypt their formal and spatial relationship.

Longhouses
One common structure includes longhouses, referred to as European Neolithic longhouses, which were made of wooden timber framing and wattle daub walls and typically ranged in length between four and fifty meters, with early studies (1950s) and more recent (2013) studies placing the average between six and twenty meters. Long houses were typically a quadrangular shape. The elevation of these structures is debated, as it is unknown if the houses were on terrain level or elevated. Long houses are thought to have originated in the Carpathian basin, specifically in western Hungary. Past research suggested that longhouses were rather from the western section of central Europe, as this type of finding was rare in the Carpathian basin. Recent excavations in Transdanubia (Hungry) has provided evidence of sedentary life and the formative period. It uncovered the earliest Central European house type. Extensive excavations in the Balaton region and across Transdanubia have also revealed 45,050 LBK houses (arranged in regular rows). The finding of LBK houses in the Transdanubia has risen ten-fold.

Rondels
A typical structure in agricultural areas of Central Europe (including Bylany) are rondels, sometimes referred to as earthworks enclosures, circular ditched enclosures, or Kreisgrabenanlagen. They are circular ditched enclosures, usually with palisades forming what is speculated to be some sort of defensive structure. Rondels date to at least the fifth millennium BC and can be associated with both the LBK and STK cultures. The artefacts were identified using non-destructive methods i.e. aerial or geophysical prospection. Issues arise with these methodologies as the thick layer of loess beneath the topsoil does not allow for clear visualisation of these features. Some studies have opted to use magneto-metric (Geometrics G-806 and G-816 proton magnetometers, Geoscan Research FM-36 single fluxgate gradiometer, and the Magneto-Arch five-channel fluxgate gradiometer system with FMG-650B fluxgate gradiometer) surveying techniques. The Bohemia region alone has uncovered 30 Neolithic rondels, archaeologist are adamant that there are a greater number yet to be discovered. In the 1980s the postulated and "archaeologically anticipated" double ditched circular enclosure was documented. The specifications for the double ditched enclosure were: Inner ditch 90m diameter, 2.2m width, and a 1.3m depth; Outer ditch 110m diameter, 2.4m width, and a 1.3m depth. Later studies (1990-1992) identified a third outer ditch, which was considered to be irregular.

Modernisation of the Bylany site
Czech archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology (Prague) argued that the Neolithic site at Bylany was virtually “invisible”, meaning it was indistinguishable from the modern landscape, to the public. This is due to the artefacts and evidence of the LBK and STK cultures being buried underneath layers of earth. This is also the case for other Neolithic sites in Europe (Eythra, Herxheim, and Těšetice). They sort to modernise the typical “brick and mortar” museums, which “seek visitors only from within a limited target group”, and used modern technologies, optical 3D scanning, 3D Photogrammetry, and 3D Modelling, to create digital composites which formed a virtual gallery or virtual museum. The composed artefacts can display textual, visual, and spatial characters building a virtual three-dimensional artefact (e.g., pottery, lithics and grinding tools), which can be accessed via e.g. a portal electronic device (smartphone, tablet, and laptop). Providing a further explanation that the "rapid advances of information technologies globally (high speed internet and computers etc.) created room for a change”.

Optical 3D scanning
Optical 3D scanning is not new in the field of archaeology. It can scan an object or environment and create a point cloud of the sample, which can be reconstructed to create a three-dimensional image which can, if chosen, display colour and texture. This type of device has the advantage of creating realistic spatial models of the artefact. The device used in this study was the smartSCAN-3D scanner.

3D photogrammetry
Multi-image photogrammetry uses multiple images in conjunction with specific software to create three-dimensional objects. This study used Photomodeler and ImageMaster as the processing software. It has enabled archaeologists to digitise immovable objects.

3D modelling
Three-dimensional models are created using the two-dimensional data i.e., floor plans and aerial photos. After a preliminary image is created extra layers are added such as the roofing, string walls and interior and exterior equipment. The authors of this report opted to use the programme Blender (open source).

Importance
The Neolithic period (9500 cal. BC – 1900 cal. BC), which current evidence (cultivation and animal domestication) suggests began in southwest Asia in 9500 cal. BC, changed the way we as human survived and diminished the necessity of hunting and gathering with the adoption of farming and animal keeping. Evidence found at Bylany (settlement agglomeration) and even Eythra (wooden water wells), Herxheim (rondels with human remains), and Těšetice (circle wall enclosures), have shifted the insight into the first European farmers.

title: Bylany (archaeological site)


text:
Talk:Ayad Allawi

Untitled
What! no mention of the CIA connection? Wetman 23:06, 28 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Could we get more info on his CIA connections? --Tothebarricades.tk 00:34, 30 May 2004 (UTC)

There is an article at http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=526008 about Allawi. It is only short but it does contain some meat, notably that he is responsible for the 45min launch time for WMD claim.

Is the photo working for other people? It isn't for me. -- Cabalamat 22:49, 30 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Works for me ~Resister 22:56, 30 May 2004 (UTC)

In January 2004, Allawi made the controversial claim to British Intelligence that Iraq could deploy its weapons of mass destruction within "45 minutes." An Allawi spokesman later admitted that the claim was a "crock of shit."

Is this really supposed to be January 2004 and not 2003? That would make alot more sense. ~ Resister 23:36, 5 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I fixed that. Jan 2004 was the date of the "crock of shit" quote (from here) ~ Commodore Sloat 19:08, 12 Jun 2004

"His long-standing ties to the CIA are well documented."
Where, exactly, are Allawi's ties to the CIA well documented?

 * Nobody really questions those links to the CIA and MI6, e.g. look here, . A bit more detail can be found here and here  (about 2/3 down). More on INA's relationship with CIA and MI6 can be found on Cambrige professor Glen Rangwala's website . pir 13:12, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

ordered by Iraq's then deputy president, Saddam Hussein.
Does anyone have a source for the claim "It is presumed that the attack was an assassination ordered by Iraq's then deputy president, Saddam Hussein." Having it as an assumed Iraqi ordered assination attempt is one thing but personally attributing it to Hussien who was deputy then seems like a western attempt to blame everything on the "Big Bad Guy" Steven jones 11:54, 11 Jun 2004 (UTC)

1963: assassin?
Where in the world does it say this guy was an assassin? I know he was attacked by one; but can we get a source for that outstanding claim?

 * I guess you'll have to have a look at Talib Shabib's memoirs for that. The allegation is repeated here pir 09:28, 18 Jul 2004 (UTC)

 * OK, I e-mailed Glen Rangwala, Cambridge lecturer in Middle Eastern politics and Iraq expert about this. Here's what he says:

 * ''I haven't seen any evidence of the claim that he was an assassin in 1963.

 * ''Firstly, the claim in Wiki is unclear. It doesn't specify when in 1963 - a very turbulent year in Iraq's history - that was: before the overthrow of Qasim on 8 Feb (when Allawi was still only 17)? In the Ba'th-dominated interregnum (8 Feb - 18 Nov)? Or in the purges and street fighting following the countercoup? This would be important because it would give some meaning to "assassin" - does it mean (i) Ba'th revolutionary, (ii) agent of the Ba'th state, or (iii) street fighter?

 * ''Although I've heard that Allawi joined up with the Ba'th in his teens, I would think that it highly unlikely that he knew about the 1963 coup (a secret military-led operation) in advance. So option (i) seems implausible. Option (ii) may though be more plausible - the Ba'th did use its covert wing actively in the interregnum, and it was shoehorning many of its young men into that apparatus. It probably wouldn't make much sense to call option (iii) an "assassin", as the situation of civil disorder and violence was extensive - to call someone an "assassin" presupposes that it was otherwise calm.

 * ''The second problem though with the claim is the reference Wiki makes - the memoirs of Talib Shabib. Do you know for sure of this? I haven't read these - they, I think, are Ali Karim's account of their conversations about 1963, published 2 years after Shabib died, not a written autobiography as such. Also, would Shabib know if Allawi was an assassin? Shabib wasn't involved with internal security issues at the time - he was foreign minister. Also, Shabib was working with Allawi in coordinating the Iraqi opposition up until his death, so I would be surprised if he was providing material to undermine the credibility of his ally.

 * ''So my own recommendation would be that unless you have firmer evidence of the claim made about Allawi that it shouldn't be made in this way.

So let's remove it, it really doesn't hold up. pir 11:35, 18 Jul 2004 (UTC)

What in the... is an MP
It says his father was an MP. Could someone clarify the article to say what exactly an MP is? I'm guessing it means a member of parliment, further I'm guessing it's British terminonlogy that, due to my geography, I'm not familiar with. Thanks.

 * Yes, MP means Member of Parliament. -- Anon.

Al Kader allegations about torturer Allawi
Al Kader is a splinter of the Iraqi Communist Party. Allegations against Allawi are made in

translation (found on internet):

Alawi enetered medical college in Baghdad in 1961, and that was the year he join the Ba’ath party.

...

In 1962 he took part in the Student strike, which the Ba’ath more or less had orchestrated, and had his leg broken in a scuffle with Qassim’s security forces. He was also a member of the Ba’athist secret national guad organisation, which was assigned special duties including assassination of Qassimist political figures.

...

After the coup of 8th February 1963, Allawi was one of the uniformed guards in the medical college and had guard duties in many important centres including the palace of the end where a special interrogation centre was set up to investigate any forces suspected of being anti-coupe (especially the ICP, and Democratic parties, Qassimists and Nassirist activist and some others). In the palace of the end he was known as the Doctor of the palace as well as other less flattering nicknames, and practiced torture and personal and political violence against hundreds of detainies especially those who were students in the medical college...

He is personally accused of torturing to death a number of activists, notably: Mohammad Al-Wadrdi, Faisla Al-Hajjaj, and Sabah Al-Merza the female medical student, and all three were trade union activists with ICP membership...

end translation

Article name
Shouldn't this be at "Ayad Allawi"? All the news reports I've read spell his name with an A and not an I. Mike H 20:55, Nov 13, 2004 (UTC)

 * Actually, now that I see it, non-American sources spell it "Iyad" while American sources spell it "Ayad". Hm. Mike H 08:46, Nov 14, 2004 (UTC)

Personal Execution Allegation
On July 17, two Australian newspapers, the Sydney Morning Herald [20] (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/16/1089694568757.html?oneclick=true), [21] (http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0716-01.htm) and The Age [22] (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/16/1089694560142.html?oneclick=true), published an article alleging that one week before the handover of sovereignty, Allawi himself summarily executed six suspected insurgents at a Baghdad police station. The allegations are false. [23] (http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2004/s1155990.htm) and the execution is said to have taken place in presence of about a dozen Iraqi police, four American security men and Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib. Mr Allawi reportedly said that the execution was to "send a clear message to the police on how to deal with insurgents". Both Allawi's office and Naqib have denied the report. US ambassador John Negroponte did not clearly deny the allegations. Additionally, the allegations made by Sydney Morning Herald journalist Paul McGeough went largely unreported by mainstream American media. Iraq's Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin pledged to investigate the allegations against his PM.[24] (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200407/s1156598.htm)

---

What the hell is the sentence "The allegations are false" doing in the midst of all this? I checked the link that is supposed to back up that bare assertion, and and it just reports an interview with the Australian journalist who uncovered the story, who reiterates the claim and makes clear that he had reason to believe his sources were reliable. Of course that isn't positive proof, but it certainly doesn't prove that the allegations are false or unfounded. If no-one can justify the inclusion of the sentence in question, I'll delete it in a week or so. ---Dan W

 * No need to wait, be bold. That edit was made by an anon user who also removed information from the article without explanation, and made sundry other dubious changes. I've reverted until the user can make a case for the changes here. Thanks for pointing it out, though. Khanartist  19:17, 2005 Jan 31 (UTC)

Support of military operations in Fallujah? Not telling the whole story
Just to say that he supported the assault on Fallujah which made him unpopular is too little information. He supported the first Marine assault on insurgents in Fallujah, but just before it was finished he wanted it stopped because of the mounting political pressure it was under to have it stopped. He then supported the idea of the city being managed by former Iraqi Army generals and policemen (like the "Fallujah Brigade") but that put the city back in the hands of former insurgents and Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi moved into the city. So when the Marines decided to go in again and finish the job he didn't offer any opposition to them. So the Marines assaulted the city again (Operation Phantom Fury) and this time took the entire city and got it all under control. 24.231.246.30 (talk) 00:03, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

Who is Autour?
What is the source for the claim that Allawi's first wife was called "Autour?" Autour is French for "around," is it ever used as a name? A New York Times article refers to her as "Ettor," but that too seems hard to confirm. The NYT article also says she later died of her wounds in the 1978 assassination attempt on Allawi, how does that fit with this article's claim that they divorced by mutual agreement? --Vaughan Pratt (talk) 22:05, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Article cleanup
This article reads as if it's been written by a third grader in some parts. I've seen well written articles that have been torn apart based on grammar. And yet many others, such as this one, still fly. Perhaps the bigger priority is accurate information. 74.109.55.203 (talk) 01:56, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

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Year of birth
Was he born in 1945? In The reference, Britannica, was he born in 1945. And It was earlier written 1944 her, but changed to 1945. Kronny (talk) 20:09, 14 February 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:Ayad Allawi


text:
Jorge González (Puerto Rican runner)

Jorge Luis "Peco" González Rivera (born 20 December 1952) is a former Puerto Rican Olympic runner. He achieved victory in numerous races and participated in various international events, including the Pan American Games and the Olympic Games. In 1982, he set the all-time record for the Ponce Marathon, a record that, as of 2023, remains unbroken.

Biography
González gained significant fame in Puerto Rico, where he is affectionately known as Peco (after Pecos Bill, the fastest cowboy to ever live). Despite high expectations at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California, he did not secure any Olympic medals.

The peak of his popularity was during the 1980s, marked by national tours across Puerto Rico, autograph signings at department stores, and appearances in television commercials.

González, a native of Utuado, Puerto Rico, still resides there. The city hosts the Jorge "Peco" González Coliseum, named in his honor.

González's first marriage to Aida Luz Reyes resulted in his only daughter, Katherine González, who currently resides in the United States.

Athletics career
At the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, he secured Puerto Rico's first Pan American athletics gold medal.

title: Jorge González (Puerto Rican runner)


text:
Sandia Base

Sandia Base was the principal nuclear weapons installation of the United States Department of Defense from 1946 to 1971. It was located on the southeastern edge of Albuquerque, New Mexico. For 25 years, the top-secret Sandia Base and its subsidiary installation, Manzano Base, carried on the atomic weapons research, development, design, testing, and training commenced by the Manhattan Project during World War II. Fabrication, assembly, and storage of nuclear weapons was also done at Sandia Base. The base played a key role in the United States nuclear deterrence capability during the Cold War. In 1971 it was merged into Kirtland Air Force Base.

Geography
Sandia Base was located at about 35° 02' 25" N, 106° 32' 59" W at an elevation 5394 ft above sea level. It was in the southeast quadrant of Albuquerque, bounded roughly by Louisiana Boulevard SE and Kirtland Air Force Base on the west, and Eubank Avenue SE and the Sandia Mountains on the east, and Isleta Pueblo lands on the south. There were security gates on Gibson Avenue SE and Wyoming Boulevard SE.

Early history
The base was created on the site formerly occupied by Oxnard Field, once the major Albuquerque airport. A competing airport took most of the local traffic in the 1930s. The U.S. Army bought the field after 1939.

Transition to nuclear weapons activities
Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer faced the challenges of turning a war-driven, short-term bomb design effort into a stable peacetime operation in charge of producing and maintaining a nuclear stockpile for the nation. A serious short-term problem was retaining personnel, particularly at Los Alamos where many scientists and technicians were eager to return to civilian pursuits. The solutions to the challenges led directly to the transformation of Albuquerque's old Oxnard Field into the nation's principal nuclear weapons installation.

Atomic Bomb engineering was carried out by the Z Division, named for its director, Dr. Jerrold R. Zacharias from Los Alamos. Z Division was conceived as an ordnance design, testing, and assembly arm. However, space was at a premium at Los Alamos. Additionally, members of Z Division needed to work closely with the military. Groves also decided as part of an effort to retain personnel to focus the laboratory more on weapons development by relocating various weapons production and assembly activities away from Los Alamos. Thus, the decision was taken to move Z Division to the old Oxnard Field. Already at the close of the war, the engineering group of Z Division had begun consolidating weapons assembly functions there. Z Division was initially located at Wendover Field, Utah but moved to Oxnard Field, New Mexico, in September 1945 to be closer to Los Alamos. By 1946, the site was being referred to as "Sandia Base" after the nearby Sandia Mountains.

In January 1947, the rest of Z Division completed its move to Sandia Base. That same month, Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson and Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal established the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project (AFSWP) to assume all of the military functions of the Manhattan Engineering District. The ASWP took over the Albuquerque base. Z Division and AFSWP brought to Sandia Base the strict secrecy which had prevailed at Los Alamos. In 1947, amid much public speculation about what was going on at Sandia Base, the military would only say that the activities at Sandia Base were secret under the Atomic Energy Act. When Secretary of the Army Kenneth Claiborne Royall visited Sandia Base in 1948, he falsely announced that "guided missile" development was underway at the base.

The Armed Forces Special Weapons Project and its successors
AFSWP was given responsibility for discharging all military functions relating to atomic energy in coordination with the Atomic Energy Commission. General Groves was placed in charge, and reported directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Concerned about the postwar status of the nation's nuclear stockpile, Groves had already dispatched Col. Gilbert M. Dorland to Sandia Base to evaluate the engineering efforts being made there. Dorland eventually assembled a group of about sixty young Army officers, later nicknamed the "Sandia Pioneers," to oversee the bomb fabrication efforts. Dorland also established a nuclear weapons training school at Sandia Base.

The Pioneers learned and practiced how to assemble atomic bombs and how to load them onto aircraft for long range missions. The aircraft used for these practice missions were Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers similar to the ones that flew the first atomic missions over Japan in 1945. The Pioneers and the 509th Bombardment Group (successor to the 509th Composite Group that flew the 1945 missions) flew the practice missions from Kirtland AFB to Wendover, Utah. The 509th was stationed at Walker Air Force Base near Roswell, New Mexico.

On April 12, 1950, a B-29 from the 509th Bombardment Group crashed at Sandia Base shortly after takeoff. Thirteen crewmen were killed. The military imposed strict security over the crash site. The official version of the crash stated that the B-29 was on a routine "navigation training flight." The Air Force said the B-29 had taken off from Walker AFB and had landed at Kirtland AFB to "refuel."

At Sandia Base, the Pioneers worked with Sandia Laboratory and the AEC to perfect the design, assembly, storage, and delivery of atomic weapons. In 1948, the Pioneers supported Operation Sandstone, the atmospheric test series at Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

The Sandstone test series was successful, but logistics, weather, security, and safety suggested the need for a continental test site. Thus, AFSWP conducted a top secret study, named Project Nutmeg, to search for such a site. In 1950, AFSWP concluded that a site on the Air Force's Las Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range in Nevada was the right place. President Truman approved the location, known as Frenchman Flat.

The first post-war continental atomic test was conducted on January 27, 1951. A weapon assembled at Sandia Base was dropped from a Boeing B-50 Superfortress ("D" model) bomber in the successful "Able" shot. Thereafter, some 927 atmospheric and underground nuclear tests occurred at what is now known as the Nevada Test Site. These tests were supported by AFSWP and its successors from Sandia Base and its successor.

A United States Naval Air Detachment of eleven aircraft assigned to Sandia Base in June 1949 was sequentially renamed the Naval Air Special Weapons Facility (NASWF) in August 1952, the Naval Nuclear Ordnance Evaluation Unit (NNOEU) in 1958, and the Naval Weapons Evaluation Facility (NWEF) in March 1961. Before the NWEF ceased flight test operations in September 1992, nuclear compatibility and safety certification had been completed for 76 versions of 32 different Navy nuclear-capable fighter and attack aircraft. Following accidents aboard USS Oriskany (CV-34) in 1966 and USS Forrestal (CV-59) in 1967, NWEF applied nuclear safety protocols to develop procedures to safely stow, handle, transport, assemble, disassemble, preload, load, unload, arm, dearm, rearm, and deliver non-nuclear aviation ordnance including bombs, torpedoes, naval mines, missiles and conventional stores from sonobuoys to Air-Delivered Seismic Intrusion Detectors (ADSID).

In 1959, because AFSWP was redesignated the Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA), the Sandia Base was designated Headquarters Field Command, DASA. Over the next dozen years, Field Command was headed by Army, Navy, and Air Force officers.

Sandia Base personnel were dispatched to assist in two major incidents involving the loss and recovery of nuclear weapons in the 1960s. In 1966, a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber and a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling plane collided in mid-air over the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain. This event is referred to as the Palomares incident. Three of four missing nuclear weapons were found on land near the fishing village of Palomares in Spain. The fourth was found in the sea after a lengthy search. The second incident occurred in 1968 when a B-52 bomber crashed near Thule, Greenland. Three weapons were recovered; a fourth is believed to remain in the ocean.

Always on the itinerary of key political figures, Sandia Base hosted President John F. Kennedy on December 7, 1962. On April 17, 1966, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey toured facilities at Sandia Base.

In 1971, DASA was redesignated Defense Nuclear Agency. The field activities remained at Sandia Base, which was merged into Kirtland Air Force Base. Defense Nuclear Agency returned to its roots by being renamed Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) without further change of mission or functions in 1996. DSWA was abolished, effective October 1, 1998, with functions transferred to the newly established Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

Sandia National Laboratories
After the move to Sandia Base, Los Alamos Laboratory's Z Division grew to almost 500 people, and became a separate branch of Los Alamos on April 1, 1948. Named Sandia Laboratory, the organization continued to grow to approximately 1000 employees by mid-1948.

The University of California, long-time manager of Los Alamos, indicated that it no longer desired to be involved in the engineering part of nuclear weapons development. Thus, in 1949, AT&T's manufacturing arm, Western Electric, accepted the management role on a no-profit, no-fee basis. Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Electric, was formed to manage the lab. AT&T maintained the contract until 1993 when Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) took over. The largest organization at Sandia Base, it became Sandia National Laboratories in 1979. It now operates facilities in Albuquerque and Livermore, California. The organization continues to expand into new areas of research, such as renewable energy sources.

Manzano Base
In August, 1947, the Denver Post ran a copyrighted story that claimed the military was building a secret base consisting of huge caverns for atomic weapons defense purposes. The Post said the new base was in the Manzano Mountains southeast of Sandia Base. The military responded by issuing a statement that operations and construction near Sandia Base were top-secret. In fact, however, the AFSWP was building one of several bases around the country that would be used for nuclear weapons storage. The AFSWP code-named the base "Site Able."

Construction of Site Able was delayed by a strike in which laborers demanded a 25-cent per hour increase in their minimum wage of $1.75 per hour.

On February 22, 1952, the now-completed Site Able was renamed Manzano Base and turned over to the operational control of the Air Force. The Denver Post story apparently was correct insofar as it described the general nature of the base. What appeared to be secure bunkers were visible to people (mostly military personnel) who went to a recreational camping area nearby known as Coyote Canyon. The military, however, never officially confirmed the nature of the activities at Manzano Base. At one point, a military spokesman said that Manzano Base had nothing to do with Sandia Base. Manzano has since been identified as the first of six original National Stockpile Sites (NSS) (for nuclear weapons). The other original NSS installations similar to Manzano were: Site Baker at Killeen Base, adjacent to Gray Air Force Base and Fort Hood, Texas; Site Charlie at Campbell Air Force Base and adjacent to Fort Campbell (Tennessee and Kentucky); Site Dog at Bossier Base, adjacent to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana; Lake Mead Base, adjacent to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada; and Medina Base, adjacent to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

On July 1, 1971, Manzano Base was merged, along with Sandia Base, into Kirtland Air Force Base.

Other incidents at Sandia Base
On March 8, 1950, a fire of undetermined origin swept through the stockade at Sandia Base, killing fourteen prisoners. Several officers and military firefighters were seriously injured.

On May 22, 1957, a B-36 ferrying a nuclear weapon from Biggs AFB to Kirtland AFB dropped a nuclear weapon on approach to Kirtland AFB. The weapon impacted the ground 4.5 miles south of the Kirtland control tower and 0.3 miles west of the Sandia Base reservation. The weapon was completely destroyed by the detonation of its high explosive material, creating a crater 12 feet deep and 25 feet in diameter. Radioactive contamination at the crater lip amounted to 0.5 milliroentgen.

The Sandia Base community
Because of the presence of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project and its successors, Sandia Base had military personnel of all of the services, as well as Department of Defense civilian employees. Sandia Lab brought more civilians to the base community.

Although most of the base was restricted, the rest of the base resembled other U.S. military installations in the world. By the 1950s, there were places for several thousand military family members to live, shop, attend school, recreate, and worship. The Army was in charge of running these parts of the base.

Housing for military families existed in three areas of Sandia Base. In the southwest corner of the base was an area of Wherry housing, known as Zia Park. On the northwest side of the base was an area of Capehart housing, known as Pershing Park. This area stretched from Wyoming Boulevard almost to the Gibson Avenue gate. East of Wyoming Boulevard was an area of Capehart housing, known informally as "The Loops," because the streets were circular and had names such as 10th Loop, 11th Loop, etc.

Zia Park was once thought to house chemical warfare training; however, the only evidence suggesting chemical warfare training as reported by Kirtland AFB personnel is an old hand drawn map identifying this area as a chemical warfare training area. No other recorded maps have identified this area as a chemical training area, so the exact history of this site is in question. KAFB personnel thought this site was used during WWII, as a possible tear gas training site.

There were two schools on the base. Sandia Base Elementary School was on Wyoming Boulevard between Pershing Park and the Loops; Wherry Elementary School was located in Zia Park. Both schools were, and still are, operated by the Albuquerque Public Schools system. Older children from Sandia Base attended Van Buren Junior High School, just outside the base, and Highland High School in southeast Albuquerque.

Sandia Base had an officers club, an NCO club, a commissary, a base exchange, a movie theater, a swimming pool, a library, and a teen club. Sandia Base also had a club for civilian employees. There were two chapels, a hospital, and a pre-school on the base.

Merger with Kirtland Air Force Base
On July 1, 1971, Sandia Base and Manzano Base were merged into Kirtland Air Force Base, their neighbor to the west. The merger was concurrent with the change of DASA into the Defense Nuclear Agency. The Air Force took over host responsibilities for the nation's military nuclear weapons program.

title: Sandia Base