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Sarah Fisher

Sarah Marie Fisher (born October 4, 1980) is an American retired professional race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League (IRL, now IndyCar Series) and the Indianapolis 500 intermittently from 1999 to 2010. She also raced in the NASCAR West Series in 2004 and 2005. Fisher took part in 81 IndyCar Series events, achieving a career-best finish of second at the 2001 Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami—the highest placing for a woman in the IRL until Danica Patrick's victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300. In 2002, Fisher was the first female driver to win a pole position in a major American open-wheel race and competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, more than any other woman.

Fisher was born into an Ohioan family with a background in racing; she began competing at the age of five when her parents entered her in a quarter-midget race before progressing to karting three years later. She won three World Karting Association championships, and she subsequently progressed into sprint car racing, where her success was moderate. Fisher made her IRL debut at the final race of the 1999 season. During her 11-year professional career, sponsorship problems limited her participation in the series. In 2008, Fisher established and drove for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing until her retirement at the end of 2010.

In retirement, Fisher focused full-time on Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, with drivers Ed Carpenter and Josef Newgarden achieving modest success with the team. She retained ownership of the team until she merged it with Ed Carpenter Racing, creating CFH Racing in 2010. In 2016, Fisher sold her stake in CFH Racing to focus on a full-time career in business in Indiana but remained with the team to help with sponsorship development. That year, she was hired as the IndyCar Series' official safety car driver, a role she shares with former driver Oriol Servià.

Early life and junior career
Sarah Marie Fisher was born on October 4, 1980, in Columbus, Ohio. An only child, she hailed from a family with a racing background; Fisher's father Dave, a self-employed mechanical engineer, competed in go-kart events against race car drivers Mark Dismore and Scott Goodyear. Her mother Reba, a middle-school teacher in technology, is the daughter of Evelyn Grindell, one of Ohio's early woman aviators, and drove go-karts in the backyard of her house. The couple met at a go-kart street race in Commercial Point. Fisher's grandparents owned a go-kart track in Richwood and her uncle was a local engine builder. She grew up in Commercial Point, a small farming village 20 mi south of Columbus, and was educated at Columbus School for Girls from preschool to third grade. As a young child, Fisher tried several sports, including soccer, swimming, and gymnastics; auto racing was the one thing that appealed most to her. She was taken by her parents to the local race track to watch her father compete.

Fisher was given her first car, a Barbie pedal vehicle, at age four. She began racing at age five when her parents fitted her into a blue and white 3 hp quarter-midget car she used for three years. Fisher's father devised a schedule to enter her at small, indoor tracks during the winter, and both her parents supported her early racing career. She cited Jacques Villeneuve, Steve Kinser and Dave Blaney as her racing heroes. When Fisher turned eight, she began racing go-karts in her age group on the East Coast of the United States, and learned of how karts worked from her father. She joined the World Karting Association (WKA), winning the Grand National Championship four times in 1991, 1993 and 1994; she was also Circleville Points Champion in 1993. Fisher and her family viewed her karting days as a family activity, not as a precedent to progression in the sport. She was introduced to endurance karting in 1994, learning endurance and patience, and reinforcing her smooth driving style. Fisher's father raised the seat in her car by 3 in and cut down on its front to improve her visibility, and she won the 1995 Dirt Track Racing Round-Up Rookie of the Year award.

In late 1995, John Bickford, the stepfather of Jeff Gordon, recommended Fisher to the Lyn St. James Foundation Driver Development Program and paid for all expenses. Fisher disliked the school because it focused mainly on the media and preparing the body and mind to drive and not on what the driver is doing inside the car. Not long after, her father purchased a 360 cuin sprint car and she drove eight World of Outlaws races. The following February, Fisher progressed to a 410 cuin car and raced locally with the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) during the season. She competed in all 62 races of the 1997 ASCoC, gaining a season-best finish of second at Eldora Speedway. Her father broke his arm at the start of the 1998 season, preventing him from rebuilding two engines to allow Fisher to continue racing. With her father's help, Fisher reconstructed both engines; he felt it would be better for her to compete against top-level sprint car drivers. During the year, Fisher participated in 40 events; by the end of the season she had learned the techniques of driving sprint cars.

By 1999, she and her father sought an alternative series to enter, following a suggestion from the CEO of one of her sponsors that she drive on pavement surfaces and not on dirt. Fisher's parents visited multiple tracks to sample three divisions of asphalt racing and they decided to enter her into the United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget division, which was the most competitive form of racing they saw. Fisher also drove in Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing-sanctioned events on asphalt ovals in the Midwestern United States. She won five feature races of the 23 she entered and broke Winchester Speedway's lap record. That year, Fisher graduated seventh overall in a class of 178 with honors and an A average from Teays Valley High School in Ashville, Ohio. She achieved a grade point average of 4.178, earning induction into the National Honor Society, and took 30 post-secondary credits at Columbus State Community College. Fisher enrolled at The Ohio State University in August 1999 to pursue a part-time undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering before she received a telephone call following the first day of classes inviting her to test an Indy Racing League (IRL) car.

1999–2003
Fisher's victory at Winchester Speedway attracted the attention of Team Pelfrey owner Dale Pelfrey. She signed a three-year contract to drive for Pelfrey on August 24, 1999, and passed an IRL-sanctioned rookie test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway supervised by former driver Johnny Rutherford six days later, becoming at the time the youngest person to do so. Fisher forwent a race at the track, wanting first to broaden her experience. She also chose not to enter the U.S. F2000 National Championship, a series in which several IRL drivers participated to further their careers. Since most of her previous experience was in dirt racing, she worked to familiarize herself with competing on asphalt tracks. Fisher made her IRL début at Texas Motor Speedway, qualifying in 17th place, making her the youngest person to take part in an IRL event. She finished the race in 25th place, having driven into the pit lane after 66 laps to retire with a failed timing chain.

Team owner Derrick Walker sought a young driver who could appeal to both fans and his sponsors; he felt Fisher was the ideal person. Prior to the race in Texas, Walker talked to Fisher about driving for his newly formed IRL team that would be built around an American rookie driver after one of his employees asked whether he considered her. After an attorney helped Fisher terminate her contract with Pelfrey on January 18, 2000, she signed a three-year contract to drive for Walker Racing and moved to Indianapolis to be close to the team. She worked with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner and driver coach Al Unser. Fisher missed the season's first race at Walt Disney World Speedway but finished 13th at Phoenix International Raceway. After two races with the team, Walker moved Fisher from an outdated Riley & Scott car to an Oldsmobile-powered Dallara. Two races later, she became the third—and youngest—woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500; she started 19th but retired on the 74th lap after a collision with Lyn St. James and Jaques Lazier, finishing 31st. Over the season, Fisher occasionally raced at the front of the field, becoming the youngest woman to achieve a podium position by finishing third, and the youngest female to lead a lap in the IRL in the Belterra Resort Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Her inexperience sometimes dropped her to the back of the running order in a race, and some drivers felt she was a risk in traffic. Fisher ended the year 18th in the drivers' standings and fans voted her Open Wheel Magazine Driver of the Year in the IRL category.

Fisher remained with Walker Racing for 2001, and was the first woman to compete full-time in the IRL. At the season's second race, the Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway, she took second place, the best finish of her IRL career, and the highest for a woman until Danica Patrick's 2008 Indy Japan 300 win. Fisher qualified 15th for the Indianapolis 500 but retired after seven laps when her car understeered into the turn-two wall, collecting Scott Goodyear. Two races later, at Pikes Peak International Raceway for the Radisson Indy 200, Fisher came tenth, her second and final top-ten finish of 2001. During practice for the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway two weeks later, she crashed heavily in turn two and was hospitalized with neck pains. Later that day, IRL's director of medical services Henry Bock declared Fisher fit to race, and she finished in 17th place after qualifying a season-high second. She finished no better than 11th in the final six races, and was 19th in the drivers' standings with 188 points. Fans voted Fisher the IRL's Most Popular Driver of 2001.

On April 8, 2002, Fisher requested a release from her contract with Walker Racing after it switched to the rival Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) full-time, and problems with finding sponsorship from her performance in the latter half of 2001 made a full IRL campaign was unfeasible. Walker wanted to enter Fisher into the Toyota Atlantic Series as preparation for CART, which she did not want to do because of her belief of the prestige of the Indianapolis 500 and wanted to help the IRL become the United States' premier open-wheel racing series. Her season began at the fund-raising Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, where she finished third in the pro class and fifth overall. Her race engineer was Mark Weida. Two days later, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing hired Fisher to drive its No. 24 G-Force GF05C Infiniti car in place of the injured Robbie Buhl in the season's fourth round, the Firestone Indy 225, where she finished a year-best fourth.

Fisher was later signed to race in the Indianapolis 500 in May in Dreyer and Reinbold's No. 23 car. She qualified ninth and finished the race 24th. A month later, Fisher signed to drive the rest of the season with Dreyer and Reinbold. After leading four laps for eighth at the Michigan Indy 400, Fisher set a Kentucky Speedway track record at 221.390 mph to earn the pole position for the Belterra Casino Indy 300, the first time a woman had claimed a pole in American open-wheel racing. In 10 races, she scored 161 points for 18th in the championship standings. Fisher was voted by fans as IRL's Most Popular Driver for the second successive year.

In September 2002, Fisher drove a MP4-17 car in a demonstration run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course in the 2002 United States Grand Prix. Fisher secured sponsorship to race the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 and Dreyer & Reinbold changed manufacturers to Dallara and engines to Chevrolet. At Phoenix International Speedway, the year's second race, she took her only top-ten finish of 2003, placing eighth. At the Indianapolis 500, she qualified in 24th; in the race, she retired after spinning into the turn-three wall due to an engine malfunction after 14 laps, bruising her left foot and finishing in 31st. However, Fisher had received enough sponsorship funding at Indianapolis to finish the season. At the Richmond race, she had her season's best qualifying performance, recording the second-fastest lap time. Fisher did not start the Firestone Indy 225 at Nazareth Speedway because of a severe back contusion from a serious accident. She finished her 14-race season 18th in the points standings, scoring 211 points, because she drove an underpowered car and had difficulty remaining on the same lap as the race leader. Fans voted Fisher the IRL's Most Popular Driver Award for the third year in a row.

2004–2007
After the season, Fisher moved from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to Kelley Racing after she learned that the team's general manager Jim Freudenberg might have had a potential seat for her; the team expressed its hope of racing in the majority of the 2004 season but Fisher did not enter the season-opening Toyota Indy 300 due to a lack of capital caused by the withdrawal of her primary sponsor December 2003. Two months later, Fisher entered the Indianapolis 500 in Kelley's No. 39 Dallara Toyota Indy V8 entry after they received sponsorship for the event. She qualified in 19th and finished the rain-shortened race in 21st. Afterward, she sought another team for which to drive. Later that year, Fisher made her stock car racing debut, entering a NASCAR West Series race in the No. 20 Bill McAnally Racing car at Phoenix after Richard Childress Racing (RCR) owner Richard Childress asked Bill McAnally if she could fill in for Kerry Earnhardt, who was competing in a Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway. This was to allow Childress to observe Fisher's ability in a stock car. Sadly, Fisher qualified in 14th and finished in 21st place due to a battery failure after 104 laps.

Fisher drove a Chevrolet Monte Carlo for RCR's development program through NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program in the full 2005 NASCAR West Series after Childress offered her a contract to drive for Bill McNally Racing. She signed a three-year contract with RCR when Childress offered it to her with full financial support from Chevrolet, and planned to compete in the Busch East Series and the ARCA Re/Max Series in 2006. To prepare for the season, Fisher acquainted herself with the heavier, less-powerful stock cars, which she found difficult to control. She declined offers to race in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 so she could keep a promise that she made to Childress and NASCAR president Mike Helton to refrain from doing Double Duty, and wanting to avoid sending a message that she was not committed to NASCAR. She began the season with a 20th-place finish in the United Rentals 100 at Phoenix. Three races later, Fisher had her first lead-lap finish, coming in 12th in the Autozone Twin Championships before earning her first top-ten result, an eighth in the King Taco 150 at Irwindale Speedway. She qualified a season-high third in the Coors Light 200 at Evergreen Speedway; Fisher led the first laps for a woman in NASCAR West Series history, finishing 11th. She had top-ten finishes at Pikes Peak, Thunderhill Raceway and Mesa Marin Raceway for a final championship standing of 12th with 1,471 points. Fisher's results made her eligible for the exhibition Toyota All-Star Showdown, where she finished 11th. She was named the NASCAR West Series Rookie of the Year and fans voted her the Most Popular Driver.

After Fisher could not put together a full NASCAR program due to sponsorship problems, she moved back to Indianapolis to find and prepare for a full-time role in the IndyCar Series. Although she missed the 2006 Indianapolis 500, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing signed her to a one-race contract for the Meijer Indy 300 in Kentucky. Fisher secured the seat by staying in contact with the team through her engagement with tire changer Andy O'Gara, as well as attending several IndyCar races throughout 2006. Additionally, the team contacted prospective sponsors requesting sufficient funding for her participation in place of Ryan Briscoe, who had Supercars commitments. Fisher finished in her starting position of 12th after car setup problems. Her performance in this race led Dreyer & Reinbold to hire her for the season-ending Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. Fisher ended the event in 16th, giving her a two-race points total of 32. She finished the year 25th in the drivers' standings.

Fisher returned to Dreyer & Reinbold for 2007 after the team expanded to two cars. Starting eighth in the season-opening XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 at Homestead–Miami Speedway, her best qualifying performance of the season, she finished in 11th place. Although Fisher's team did not originally plan for her to compete on road courses, Dreyer & Reinbold later added those races to Fisher's schedule. The first and best road-course finish of Fisher's career was a 15th-place result at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the season's second round. At the Indianapolis 500, Fisher qualified in 21st place, finishing 18th in the rain-shortened 166 lap race. Although Fisher struggled with her performance throughout the remainder of the season due to an uncompetitive car, she had two top-ten finishes; tenth at Texas Motor Speedway and seventh at Iowa Speedway. She finished 17th in the drivers' championship with 275 points.

2008–2010

Fisher left Dreyer & Reinbold at the conclusion of the season to establish Sarah Fisher Racing with her husband Andy O'Gara, father-in-law John O'Gara and agent Klint Briney in February 2008. She drove part-time in the No. 67 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R car. To compete in the Indianapolis 500, Fisher relied on fan funding and had to secure $1 million from sponsors to enter the race after funding from an energy drinks company failed to materialize. She qualified in 22nd place. In the race, Fisher was collected by Tony Kanaan after he spun exiting turn three on the 106th lap. She finished 30th. Afterward, she expressed concerns to ESPN reporter Jamie Little about not being able to enter any more events that year due to sponsorship issues. Fisher eventually obtained financial support for the Kentucky and Chicagoland races. She finished 15th in Kentucky after her rear-right suspension broke while battling Danica Patrick in turn one. At Chicagoland, she bruised her right ankle in a heavy collision with a SAFER barrier due to a mechanical fault, finishing in 24th place. With 37 points, she was 34th in the final standings.

In January 2009, Fisher received funding from her primary team sponsor to enter four oval-track events in the season: Kansas, Indianapolis, Kentucky and Chicagoland. She did not race a full schedule due to budgetary constraints caused by the global financial crisis that downturned the American economy. After finishing 13th in Kansas, she received additional sponsorship funding to compete at Texas and Homestead-Miami. She qualified 21st at the Indianapolis 500, finishing a career-best 17th place. By starting, she broke the record for the most starts by a woman in Indianapolis 500 history with eight. She received the Scott Brayton Award, voted on by the media and presented to the driver who best exemplified "the character and racing spirit of the late driver Scott Brayton". Fisher's best result for the rest of 2009 was a 12th-place finish at Kentucky. Her final championship placing was 25th, accruing 89 points.

Although the press initially reported that Fisher would compete in the 2010 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg for the first time since 2007, she chose to forgo the race and the following Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park and replace herself with fellow American driver Graham Rahal, persuading her primary sponsor that Rahal was ideal for her team. The two-race agreement reduced Fisher's 2010 schedule from nine to seven rounds. Thus, her first race of 2010 was at Kansas, where she finished 17th after a season-best qualifying start of 14th. At the Indianapolis 500, Fisher had a career-worst start of 29th; she finished the race 26th after she was collected in a lap 124 multi-car crash. Fisher's best result of the season was a 15th-place, which she achieved in Texas as well as in Chicagoland. She ended the season with a 22nd-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Fisher was 26th in the drivers' standings with 92 points. She looked for a full-time driver to replace her because she thought her driving was taking away from her ability to adequately run the team. Fisher left open that she would still run a part-time schedule the next season. In November, however, she announced her retirement from racing, and driver Ed Carpenter replaced her in the No. 67 car for the 2011 season.

Post-racing career
In her first season solely as a team owner, Fisher focused on all of the oval track races of the 2011 championship with 17 employees. In May 2011, she was appointed to a three-year term on the National Women's Business Council, a nonpartisan advisory panel to the President of the United States and Congress on woman's business issues. On the council, Fisher represented women in the entertainment and sporting industries, and she later participated in research initiatives aimed at helping women enter the American business sector. She formed an partnership with businessman and oil tycoon Wink Hartman in late 2011, and the renamed Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team began competing in the IndyCar Series full-time from 2012 onward. As co-owner of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, Fisher had moderate success; Carpenter took the team's only IndyCar Series victory at the 2011 Kentucky Indy 300, and two-second-place finishes were scored by his successor Josef Newgarden—one in each of 2013 and 2014.

In 2015, Fisher returned to competitive racing by entering the Chili Bowl; she had watched her brother-in-law participate at the race in 2014. Fisher's brother-in-law and several other drives helped to acquaint her with driving midget cars on dirt. She reached the C-Features portion of the tournament and was eliminated at that stage after finishing sixth in its first race. That year, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing merged with Ed Carpenter Racing to form CFH Racing. Newgarden won the 2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and the Honda Indy Toronto; he also earned two-second-place finishes at Pocono Raceway and Iowa Speedway. In January 2016, Fisher entered her second Chili Bowl, driving the No. 67SF car. She was eliminated after failing to finish high enough in the I-Main Division heat to advance further in the tournament.

Also in January 2016, Fisher sold her share in CFH Racing that month but stayed on to help the renamed Ed Carpenter Racing with sponsorship development, working with the team's existing partners. She focused on establishing a business venture, the Speedway Indoor Karting track in Speedway, Indiana, which began operations three months later. In September 2018, Fisher was part of a group of former team owners that purchased the defunct Whiteland Raceway Park in Whiteland, Indiana. The track reopened in October 2018.

In March 2016, Fisher accepted an offer by IndyCar's president of competition and operations Jay Frye to be its pace car driver for 14 out of 16 races, after the aging Johnny Rutherford retired for all but two events. Fisher was the sole driver of the pace car for 2017, but she shared the duties with former driver Oriol Servià in 2018, since she was not available for every race. She continued to drive the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 the following years. In 2022 she was the honorary pace car driver as well.

Public image and philanthropy
Fisher is listed at 5ft 2in and 120 lb. Amy Rosewater of USA Today noted that Fisher was called "the poster child of the IRL" in its formative years. Dave Scheiber of the St. Petersburg Times describes her as having a "upbeat style, big smile and engaging laugh that punctuates her conversations", making her popular with IndyCar's fanbase. Unlike Patrick, Fisher did not promote herself by exploiting her glamorous side, stating "That's definitely not me. It's not my personality." She had difficulty finding funding throughout her career because sponsors wanted her to be "more than a novelty in a man's sport" and become competitive.

She was the first female driver who had experience in midget and sprint car racing to compete at the Indianapolis 500. Fisher eschewed the issue of gender, saying "I definitely don't look that way, The car doesn't know if it's being driven by a man or woman." Although team owner Derrick Walker said Fisher moved into top-level open-wheel racing early because she was a woman, she was included on Sports Illustrated's list of Top 10 Female Race Car Drivers in the World in 2007.

In June 2002, Fisher lent her support to the Girl Scouts' campaign "Girls Go Tech", which encourages young women to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She worked with the ALS Association Indiana Chapter in late 2011, raising more than $25,000 in a fundraiser in Beech Grove, Indiana to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after an employee of Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing was diagnosed with the disease. Fisher co-wrote a book titled "99 Things Women Wish They Knew Before Getting Behind the Wheel of Their Dream Job" in 2010.

Personal life
Fisher entered Butler University in 2000, studying part-time for a degree in mechanical engineering but leaving before she finished her course because of the demands of her racing schedule. She also enrolled at Ellis College of the New York Institute of Technology for a short time. In August 2013, Fisher began studying for a bachelor's degree at WGU Indiana's College of Business. The university allowed her to be flexible with her scheduling arrangements, and she graduated in April 2019.

Fisher married front-left tire changer Andy O'Gara on September 15, 2007, at St. Roch Catholic Church in front of members of the IndyCar community. They have two children, who compete in racing events.

American open wheel results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; Small number denotes finishing position)

IRL IndyCar Series

 * 1 The VisionAire 500K was abandoned after three spectators were killed when debris from a crash on the track went into the grandstands.
 * 2 Run on same day.
 * 3 Non-points-paying, exhibition race.

NASCAR
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. Small number denotes finishing position )

title: Sarah Fisher


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304 Olga

Olga (minor planet designation: 304 Olga) is a large Main belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material.

It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 14 February 1891 in Vienna.

304 Olga was identified as one of three asteroids that were likely to be a parent body for chondrites along with 449 Hamburga and 335 Roberta. All three asteroids were known to have low-albedo (not reflect as much light) and be close to "meteorite producing resonances". Chrondrites are the most common type of meteor found on Earth, accounting for over 80% of all meteors. They are named for the tiny spherical silicate particles that are found inside them (those particles are called chondrules).

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

title: 304 Olga


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Melbourne United

Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena.

The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as the Melbourne Tigers. The Tigers were led by coach Lindsay Gaze and his son Andrew from 1984 until 2005, with the pair guiding the Tigers to two championships in the 1990s. The pair were supported by fellow club legends such as Dave Simmons, Lanard Copeland and Mark Bradtke. Four consecutive NBL Grand Finals followed between 2006 and 2009, with championships coming in 2006 and 2008 behind the likes of Chris Anstey and Darryl McDonald. After 31 seasons known as the Melbourne Tigers, the franchise underwent a controversial rebrand in 2014, changing the name of the team to Melbourne United. United won NBL championships in 2018 and 2021. The franchise's six championships is second only to the Perth Wildcats (ten) for most titles in NBL history.

Gaze era (1984–2005)
In 1984, the Melbourne Tigers debuted in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team had won the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) championship and Australian Basketball Association (ABA) National championship in 1983 (see Melbourne Tigers (NBL1 South)). The Tigers initially struggled in the NBL due to a lack of financial resources. During the early struggles of the 1980s, the Tigers were led by coach Lindsay Gaze and his son Andrew. Andrew Gaze was a prolific scorer, as he set a still-standing NBL record with 44.1 points per game for the 1987 season. During the year, he had a 60-point game against the Newcastle Falcons. Despite his dominance, the Tigers finished with a 3–23 record. The addition of imports David Colbert and Dave Simmons in 1989 saw the Tigers make their first-ever finals appearance. The addition of Lanard Copeland in 1992 led to the Tigers reaching their maiden NBL Grand Final series, where they were defeated 2–1 by the South East Melbourne Magic. Gaze and Copeland formed arguably the best back-court partnership in NBL history, with Copeland happily playing second fiddle to Gaze and almost always stepping up as the "go to" man when Gaze was absent. Joining Gaze, Copeland and Simmons in 1993 was Mark Bradtke, as the foursome led the Tigers back to the NBL Grand Final, where they faced the Perth Wildcats. Having split the first two games, Game 3 in Perth went down to the wire. A tense and tight affair led to a frantic final minute – with the Wildcats trailing by three and Andrew Vlahov holding possession, his three-point attempt from the top of the arc looked oh-so-good, before completing a near-full circle of the rim and hitting the backboard before rattling out. It was a fitting maiden championship win for Andrew and Lindsay Gaze, with the father-son duo embracing in a memorable teary breakdown following the game.

The Tigers returned to the NBL Grand Final in 1996, where they were once again beaten 2–1 by the South East Melbourne Magic. Following the 1996 season, the Tigers parted ways with Dave Simmons. The 1997 season began with import Jarvis Lang being released and replaced by Marcus Timmons. Behind Gaze, Copeland, Bradtke and Timmons, the Tigers reached their fourth NBL Grand Final series, as they finished the 1997 season on a 17–1 run that included a record 16-game winning streak. They once again faced the Magic, this time claiming a 2–1 victory to win their second NBL Championship.

The Tigers were unable to recapture their championship form throughout the rest of the 1990s and the early 2000s. In 2002, the franchise entered into private ownership after the organisation had racked up a $2 million debt. A new ownership consortium under Melbourne businessman Seamus McPeake and the Gazes saw financial stability restored to the organisation for the 2002–03 season.

New championship era (2005–2009)
The Gaze era ended in 2005 with the retirement of coach Lindsay and the sport's greatest Australian player, Andrew. In addition, the Tigers parted ways with both Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland. Darryl McDonald and imports Rashad Tucker and Dave Thomas were joined by Chris Anstey for the 2005–06 season. Fellow stalwarts in the team included Daryl Corletto, Stephen Hoare and Tommy Greer. Behind coach Al Westover, the Tigers reached the 2006 NBL Grand Final series, where they swept the Sydney Kings 3–0. The 2006–07 season saw the Tigers return to the NBL Grand Final, where they were defeated 3–1 by the Brisbane Bullets. The 2007 off-season saw the Tigers acquire David Barlow and Nathan Crosswell, joining a core of Anstey, McDonald, Thomas, Corletto, Hoare and Greer. Import Sean Lampley joined the Tigers mid-season and helped them reach their third straight NBL Grand Final, where they once again faced the Sydney Kings. The series was tied at 2–2 heading into the deciding Game 5. Game 5 saw the Tigers complete the job they were so close to doing in Game 4 at home by winning 85–73 at the Kingdome to celebrate Darryl McDonald's last game in style. Both Anstey and Thomas finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. In 2008, the Tigers acquired the services of Sam Mackinnon and Ebi Ere, while long-time swingman Dave Thomas departed for Cairns. However, following an injury to Mackinnon and the mid-season departure of Rod Grizzard, Thomas and Luke Kendall were acquired in January 2009. The 2008–09 season saw the Tigers return to the NBL Grand Final for a fourth straight year, but they were defeated 3–2 by the South Dragons.

End of Tigers era (2009–2014)
In May 2009, the Tigers made a short-lived decision to sit out the 2009–10 season, after losing money in 2008–09 for the first time in five years. The franchise felt that NBL reforms had not gone far enough to make it feasible to play. They ultimately continued on in the now eight-team competition in 2009–10.

Sam Mackinnon continued on with the Tigers in 2009, while Mark Worthington was acquired following the demise of the South Dragons. Star imports Ebi Ere and Dave Thomas parted ways with Melbourne after the franchise decided to go with an 'all-Australian' roster. The policy was short-lived as Julius Hodge joined the Tigers in November, while Mike Rose joined the squad in January.

In the off-season of 2010, the Tigers roster was dismantled after the departure of Hodge, Worthington and Nathan Crosswell, as well as the retirements of NBL greats Mackinnon and Anstey. The team picked up imports TJ Campbell and Eric Devendorf, as well as Australians Cameron Tragardh, Matt Burston, Wade Helliwell, Luke Nevill and Lucas Walker. Corletto and Greer continued on with the Tigers, as did Bennie Lewis. 2010 NBL MVP Corey Williams joined the squad in November in place of the outgoing Campbell, while Nevill and Devendorf were let go in February. Club legend Darryl McDonald completed the 2010–11 season as coach of the Tigers following the sacking of Al Westover.

In the off-season of 2011, the Tigers acquired the services of coach Trevor Gleeson, and recruited Ayinde Ubaka, Ron Dorsey and Daniel Dillon from Cairns. They also acquired Liam Rush to go along with the addition of Patty Mills for the duration of the 2011 NBA lockout. In January 2012, following a 13-point loss to the Gold Coast Blaze, owner Seamus McPeake made a post-game address to the playing group and then sacked Ubaka on the spot, while Gleeson was at a press conference.

In 2012, the Tigers acquired Chris Goulding, Nate Tomlinson, Adam Ballinger, and imports Seth Scott and Kevin Braswell. Burston, Walker, Rush, Lewis and Greer continued on, while club legend Chris Anstey became head coach. In November of the 2012–13 season, Jonny Flynn replaced Braswell, but the Tigers missed the post-season for the fourth straight year.

The 2013–14 season saw the return of Mark Worthington to the Tigers, while Goulding, Tomlinson, Ballinger, Walker and Greer all continued on under Anstey. Ayinde Ubaka had a short-lived stint with the Tigers to begin the season, before Mustapha Farrakhan Jr. replaced him in November to team up alongside fellow import Scott Morrison. Goulding was key to the Tigers reaching the finals for the first time since 2009, where they lost to the Adelaide 36ers in the semis.

Melbourne United (2014–present)
On 20 May 2014, the franchise was rebranded as Melbourne United. The change was made to symbolise the connection to all of Victorian basketball, with the navy blue logo of Melbourne United becoming the new face of professional basketball in Victoria, replacing the Melbourne Tigers brand. Owner Larry Kestelman wanted to end the partisan divisions between the Tigers (which was also domestic association) and other Victorian supporters and bring the state together behind one NBL team. The change was met with strong opposition from members, fans and past legends such as Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland, with the latter even stating he wanted his jersey "taken down from the rafters".

Tigers legend Daryl Corletto returned to the franchise in 2014 after three years with the New Zealand Breakers, while David Barlow returned after five years in Europe following the retirement of Tommy Greer. Mark Worthington, Lucas Walker and Nate Tomlinson continued on from the Tigers to United, while Daniel Kickert joined the squad alongside imports Jordan McRae and Stephen Dennis. Following an 89–61 loss to the Cairns Taipans in the 2014–15 season opener, coach Chris Anstey resigned and was replaced by his assistant Darryl McDonald in the interim. United went on to finish their inaugural season in fifth place with a 13–15 record.

In 2015, United hired Dean Demopoulos as coach and acquired swingman Todd Blanchfield. The franchise also welcomed back Chris Goulding after he spent the 2014–15 season in Spain. With Kickert and Tomlinson continuing on, United recruited Majok Majok alongside imports Hakim Warrick and Stephen Holt. Brad Hill was signed as an injury-replacement for Barlow prior to the season after Barlow suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Melbourne went on to claim the minor premiership in 2015–16 with a first-place finish and an 18–10 record, before losing to the fourth-seeded New Zealand Breakers in the semi-finals.

In 2016, Goulding, Blanchfield, Majok and Tomlinson were joined by new recruits Tai Wesley and David Andersen. Barlow also returned to the line-up after recovering from the Achilles injury. United started the 2016–17 season with imports Cedric Jackson, Devin Williams and Ramone Moore, but ultimately replaced all three mid-season with Casper Ware, Josh Boone and Lasan Kromah respectively. While Kromah failed to make an impact, Ware and Boone led Melbourne to a late-season finals charge, only to miss out by two games.

The 2017 off-season saw the departure of Dean Demopoulos and the hiring of Dean Vickerman as head coach. Under Demopoulos, United underachieved due to a one-dimensional game plan and a lack of direction at the defensive end. With Vickerman came a cultural shift based around sharing the wealth offensively and leading from within. With a returning cast of Goulding, Ware, Boone, Wesley, Andersen, Barlow and Majok, United acquired the services of Casey Prather, a swingman coming off back-to-back championships with the Perth Wildcats. United also signed former one-time Melbourne Tiger Daniel Dillon, but an Achilles injury to Dillon forced the team to sign Peter Hooley in his place. United were title favourites at the start of the 2017–18 season, but fell to a 2–3 record following a loss to the Brisbane Bullets in Round 4. In December, Prather went down with a possible season-ending elbow injury and was replaced by Carrick Felix. With defensive-minded Felix in the line-up, United went 9–1. Felix was removed from Melbourne's active roster in mid-February following Prather's return from injury. United finished the regular season as minor premiers for the second time in three years, earning a 20–8 record. They went on to sweep the Breakers in the semi-finals to reach the 2018 NBL Grand Final series. There they faced the Adelaide 36ers. With the series tied at 2–2 heading into the deciding Game 5, Ware and Goulding each scored 23 points with Prather adding 19 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to lead United to a 100–82 win, as the franchise claimed their first NBL Championship under the new moniker. Goulding was named grand final MVP.

In the 2018–19 NBL season, United returned to the NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 3–1 to the Perth Wildcats.

In the 2020–21 NBL season, United were crowned minor premiers with a 28–8 record behind the likes of Goulding, Jock Landale, Scotty Hopson and Mitch McCarron. They reached their third grand final in four years with a 2–1 semi-final series win over their crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Phoenix. They went on to sweep the Perth Wildcats in the grand final series 3–0 to win their second championship as United and sixth as a franchise. Landale was named grand final MVP.

In the 2021–22 NBL season, United were crowned minor premiers for the second year in a row.

In the 2023–24 NBL season, United finished as minor premiers and returned to the NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 3–2 to the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Home arena
The Melbourne Tigers played out of their traditional home, the 2,000 seat Albert Park Basketball Stadium, from 1984 to 1987 before moving into the 7,200-capacity Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre (more commonly known as The Glass House) in 1988. The Tigers played in The Glass House (which it shared with the North Melbourne Giants) from 1987 to 1991 before they and new team South East Melbourne Magic both moved into the 14,820-seat National Tennis Centre in 1992. The centre could hold up to 15,400 for basketball (almost 2,000 more than the Brisbane Entertainment Centre which at 13,500 had been the largest venue since 1986), easily making it the largest venue in the NBL at the time. The Tigers enjoyed success at the Tennis Centre, winning the NBL championship in 1993 and again in 1997 as well as making the Grand Final in 1992 and 1996. In 1996, the Tigers and Magic set a then NBL record attendance of 15,366 for a regular season game at the Tennis Centre, while the 1996 Grand Final series between the two Melbourne rivals set an NBL record aggregate attendance of 43,605 over the 3-game series, a record that still stands as of the 2016–17 NBL season.

Citing the rising costs of playing games at the Tennis Centre, the Tigers moved to the newly built, 10,500 capacity Vodafone Arena (now John Cain Arena) in 2000. Located next door to the Tennis Centre, the Tigers remained at Vodafone until 2002 before they moved again into the smaller (3,500 seat) State Netball and Hockey Centre.

Since 2012, the club has split its games between John Cain Arena and the Netball Centre, but in 2015 also played games at the newly renovated Margaret Court Arena which (as part of the Melbourne Park tennis complex) had been given a retractable-roof as well as an upgrade from 6,000 to 7,500 seats. In 2016–17, Melbourne United will play most of its games at John Cain Arena with a select number of games played at the Netball Centre during January due to the Australian Open tennis (John Cain Arena is the second largest arena at Melbourne Park).

Melbourne's all-time home game attendance record was set on 11 July 1994 when 15,129 attended a Round 14 game between the Tigers and South East Melbourne at the Tennis Centre. As Melbourne United, the team's record home attendance of 10,300 was set on 4 December 2016 against the New Zealand Breakers at Melbourne Arena during Round 9 of the 2016–17 NBL season.

 * Albert Park Basketball Stadium (1984–1987)
 * Melbourne Entertainment Centre (1988–1991)
 * Rod Laver Arena (1992–2000)
 * John Cain Arena (2000–2002, 2012–present)
 * State Netball Hockey Centre (2002–2017)
 * Margaret Court Arena (2014–2016)

Since 2018, United have trained and had their head offices located at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Albert Park.

Honour roll
Source: Melbourne United History, Melbourne Tigers History

All-time records
As of the end of the 2022–23 season

Summary
Source: Melbourne United Board

Notable past players
• 🇦🇺 Kyle Adnam (2015–2018)

• /🇨🇦 Caleb Agada (2021–2022)

• 🇦🇺 David Andersen (2016–2018, 2021)

• 🇦🇺 Chris Anstey (1994, 2005–2010)

• 🇯🇵 Yudai Baba (2020–2021, 2022)

• 🇦🇺 David Barlow (2007–2009, 2014–2023)

• 🇦🇺 Todd Blanchfield (2015–2017)

• 🇺🇸 Josh Boone (2016–2019)

• 🇦🇺 Mark Bradtke (1993–1996, 1997–2005)

• 🇺🇸 Kevin Braswell (2012–2013)

• 🇦🇺 Matt Burston (2010–2013)

• 🇺🇸/🇦🇺 Lanard Copeland (1992–2005)

• 🇦🇺/🇬🇧 Daryl Corletto (2001–2011, 2014–2015)

• 🇦🇺 Nathan Crosswell (1999–2002, 2007–2010)

• 🇺🇸 Bennett Davison (1999–2000)

• 🇦🇺 Matthew Dellavedova (2021–2022)

• 🇺🇸 Stephen Dennis (2014–2015)

• 🇺🇸/ Ebi Ere (2008–2009)

• 🇺🇸 Carrick Felix (2017–2018)

• 🇺🇸 Jonny Flynn (2012–2013)

• 🇦🇺 Andrew Gaze (1984–2005)

• 🇦🇺 Warrick Giddey (1989–2002)

• 🇺🇸/🇦🇺 Brian Goorjian (1984–1985)

• 🇦🇺 Ray Gordon (1984–1986, 1989–1999)

• 🇦🇺 Chris Goulding (2012–2014, 2015–present)

• 🇦🇺 Tommy Greer (2005–2014)

• 🇦🇺 Stephen Hoare (2000–2009)

• 🇺🇸/🇦🇬 Julius Hodge (2009–2010)

• 🇺🇸 Scotty Hopson (2020–2021)

• 🇺🇸 Stephen Holt (2015–2016)

• 🇩🇪/ Ariel Hukporti (2021–present)

• 🇳🇿 Shea Ili (2019–present)

• 🇦🇺 Daniel Johnson (2008–2010)

• 🇺🇸 D. J. Kennedy (2018–2019)

• 🇦🇺 Daniel Kickert (2014–2016)

• 🇺🇸 Stanton Kidd (2019–2020)

• 🇺🇸 Sean Lampley (2007–2008)

• 🇦🇺 Jock Landale (2020–2021)

• 🇺🇸 Shawn Long (2019–2020)

• 🇸🇸/🇦🇺 Jo Lual-Acuil (2019–2022, 2023–present)

• 🇦🇺 Sam Mackinnon (2008–2010)

• 🇸🇸/🇦🇺 Majok Majok (2015–2018)

• 🇦🇺 Mitch McCarron (2018–2021)

• 🇺🇸/🇦🇺 Darryl McDonald (2003–2008)

• 🇺🇸 Jordan McRae (2014–2015)

• 🇦🇺 Patty Mills (2011)

• 🇦🇺 Neil Mottram (2002–2006)

• 🇪🇪 Martin Müürsepp (2007)

• 🇦🇺 Luke Nevill (2010–2011)

• 🇦🇺 Brad Newley (2021–present)

• 🇳🇿 Alex Pledger (2018–2020)

• 🇺🇸 Casey Prather (2017–2018, 2019–2020)

• 🇺🇸/🇳🇿 Dion Prewster (2021–2022)

• 🇦🇺 Robert Sibley (1992–1993)

• 🇺🇸/🇦🇺 David Simmons (1989–1996)

• 🇳🇿 Tohi Smith-Milner (2015–2020)

• 🇺🇸 Paul Stanley (1986)

• 🇦🇺 David Stiff (2004–2008)

• 🇨🇦 Dave Thomas (2003–2008, 2008–2009)

• 🇺🇸 Marcus Timmons (1997–1999, 2002–2003)

• 🇦🇺 Nate Tomlinson (2012–2017)

• 🇦🇺 Cameron Tragardh (2010–2012)

• 🇺🇸 Melo Trimble (2019–2020)

• 🇺🇸 Rashad Tucker (2004–2007)

• 🇺🇸/ Ayinde Ubaka (2011–2012, 2013)

• 🇦🇺 Lucas Walker (2010–2015)

• 🇺🇸 Casper Ware (2016–2019)

• 🇺🇸 Hakim Warrick (2015–2016)

• 🇬🇺/🇺🇸 Tai Wesley (2016–2018)

• 🇦🇺 Jack White (2020–2022)

• 🇺🇸/🇯🇲 Corey Williams (2010–2011)

• 🇦🇺 Mark Worthington (2009–2010, 2013–2015)

title: Melbourne United


text:
305 Gordonia

Gordonia (minor planet designation: 305 Gordonia) is a fairly typical, although sizeable Main belt asteroid.

It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 16 February 1891 in Nice and named after James Gordon Bennett Jr., his patron.

The light curve of 305 Gordonia shows a periodicity of 12.89 ± 0.01 hours, during which time the brightness of the object varies by 0.17 ± 0.03 in magnitude.

title: 305 Gordonia


text:
Estonian Left Party

Estonian Left Party (Eesti Vasakpartei, EVP) was a leftist socialist political party in Estonia.

History

 * 1990: Registration of the independent Estonian Communist Party (EKP).
 * 1992: Congress of EKP renamed Estonian Democratic Labour Party (EDTP).
 * July 1995: EDLP joined New European Left Forum.
 * 1997: Party renamed the Estonian Social Democratic Labour Party (ESDTP).
 * 2004: ESDTP becomes founding member of European Left party.
 * December 2004: Estonian Social Democratic Labour Party changes name to Estonian Left Party (EVP).

According to the statutes of party, the party congress elects the Party Chairman and Executive board as well as nominates a consultative Central Council representing all regional organizations. Local policies are developed by local organizations, while central bodies formulate national policies.

EVP lost representatives in parliament on the 2003 elections when they got 2,059 votes (0.4%). In 2007 election, it fell further to 0.1% and again got no seats.

The party has been chaired by:
 * Vaino Väljas (1992–1995)
 * Hillar Eller (1995–1996)
 * Tiit Toomsalu (1996–2004)
 * Sirje Kingsepp (2004–2007)

On 28 June 2008, the Estonian Left Party and the Constitution Party merged to form the Estonian United Left Party (Eestimaa Ühendatud Vasakpartei).

In a privacy rights legal dispute between Sirje Kingsepp and Eesti Päevaleht, the party was deemed "completely marginal" in Estonia's public life.

title: Estonian Left Party


text:
306 Unitas

Unitas (minor planet designation: 306 Unitas) is a typical main belt asteroid that was discovered by Elia Millosevich on 1 March 1891 in Rome. The asteroid was named by the director of the Modena Observatory in honor of the Italian astronomer Angelo Secchi (author of Unità delle forze fisiche) and the unification of Italy. It is classified as an S-type asteroid.

In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered light curve data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including (306) Unitas. The computed shape model for this asteroid is regular, while the light curve displays two maxima per rotation. Lightcurve data has also been recorded by observers at the Antelope Hill Observatory, which has been designated as an official observatory by the Minor Planet Center.

Measurements of the thermal inertia of 306 Unitas give an estimate range from 100 to 260 m−2 K−1 s−1/2, compared to 50 for lunar regolith and 400 for coarse sand in an atmosphere.

Although 306 Unitas has an orbit similar to the Vesta family asteroids, it was found to be an unrelated interloper on the basis of its non-matching spectral type.

title: 306 Unitas


text: Category:Military of Bahrain

title: Category:Military of Bahrain


text:
307 Nike

Nike (minor planet designation: 307 Nike) is a sizeable asteroid of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 5 March 1891 while working at the Nice Observatory. Charlois named it after the Greek goddess of victory, as well as the Greek name for the city where it was discovered. Measurement of the light curve of this asteroid in 2000 indicates a rotation period of 7.902 ± 0.005 hours.

On 2 December 1972, Pioneer 10 made one of its nearest passages of an asteroid when it passed 307 Nike at a distance of about 8.8 million kilometers (0.059 AU) during the spacecraft's pioneering trip through the asteroid belt. No data was collected.

title: 307 Nike


text:
308 Polyxo

Polyxo (minor planet designation: 308 Polyxo) is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by A. Borrelly on March 31, 1891, in Marseilles. It is orbiting the Sun at a distance of $140.69 km$ with a low orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.04 and a period of 1665.5 days. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 4.36° to the plane of the ecliptic.

308 Polyxo is classified as a rare T-type asteroid, with a spectrum that bears some similarity to the Tagish Lake meteorite. A spectral feature at a wavelength of $130 km$ suggests aqueous alteration of some surface materials. Photometric measurements reported in 1983 give a rotation period of 12.03 hours and a brightness variation of 0.20 in magnitude. The adaptive optics instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory shows an oblate object with a diameter of 130 km. The size ratio between the major and minor axes is 1.26 ± 0.11. Light curves for this object suggests it has a very irregular shape.

Stellar occultation events were observed for this asteroid during 2000 and 2004. The resulting chords provided cross-section diameter estimates of 144.4 and 117.1 km, respectively.

title: 308 Polyxo


text:
Besant Nagar, Chennai

Besant Nagar is an upscale, exclusive residential neighbourhood in South Chennai, India. It is located along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

The neighbourhood is inhabited by highly affluent population and is dotted with many upmarket restaurants, cafes and boutiques. The main attraction is Elliot's Beach, named after Edward Elliot, the former Governor of Madras. It forms the end-point of the Marina Beach shore. This has become an attractive spot for youngsters and elders alike with the pleasant sceneries and the ambiance it provides.

History
Kalakshetra Academy, the dance school started in 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband George Arundale and their associates at the Theosophical Society is also present in this locality. Besant Nagar was developed by Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) in the early 1970s and up to the early 1980s. It was developed in an area of about 4 sq km encompassing the surroundings of Indra Nagar and Shastri Nagar. TNHB developed residential plots, apartments, commercial complexes, wide roads, school zones, bus terminus and large parks. The Central Government Staff Quarters, popularly known as C.P.W.D. quarters, is located here and contributed to the development of the locality. Besant Nagar is also the residence of (former) World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand.

Places of worship
The Arulmigu Mahalakshmi Temple is located on the shores of Besant Nagar Beach. This is the only temple dedicated to Sri Mahalaksahmi, the Consort of Sriman Narayanan (Sri Mahavishnu), on the east coast in Tamil Nadu. Other notable places of worship include the Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple (inaugurated in 1977), Ashtalakshmi Kovil (1976), Arupadai Murugan Kovil (1986), Ratnagirishwarar Kovil (1968) and the Velankanni Church.

Educational institutions
The Besant Theosophical High School, The School KFI, St. John's English School & Junior College, Olcott Memorial School and Arignar Anna Government High School are some of the other schools in Besant Nagar.

The Besant Theosophical High School founded in 1934, is the oldest unit of the Kalakshetra Foundation. It's affiliated with the State Board syllabus and offers education primarily in Tamil, with the option of English.

Olcott Memorial High School (OMHS) is named after its founder Colonel Henry Steel Olcott who founded the school in 1894. The Panchama Free School as it was then called, it was founded to provide schooling access to the children of the fifth caste who were denied access to the regular schools.

The School, KFI has been functioning on leased premises of The Theosophical Society since 1979. The school will shift to a new location and continue its valuable educational work with the help and support of parents, alumni and well-wishers of the school. The new residential Krishnamurti school, Pathashaala, near Chennai commenced in August, 2010.

Shiv Nadar School, Chennai has also come up in Besant Nagar- it has commenced its academic journey from June 2023 onwards to children from Nursery to Grade 4 for now. Shiv Nadar Foundation has announced the launch of a K-12 (from kindergarten to 12th grade) school chain in Chennai- Shiv Nadar School. The academic session for Nursery to Grade 4 will begin from June 2023 onwards. Around 150 students will be enrolled in the first year of operations, the school plans on increasing admissions every year.

The school campus spans across 14-acres of land in the Damodar Gardens located near the Elliot's beach. The school will have separate block for the junior, middle, and senior school students. The students will be able to avail facilities like state-of-the-art science lab, play area, multi-purpose indoor sports complex, sports field for athletics a dining hall, an auditorium, a swimming pool and a playground among others. The entire campus will be ready by 2024.

Arignar Anna Govt Higher Secondary School is an English medium school. The school was founded in the year 1964 and it is affiliated with the State board. The school is a Co-educational school and it has classes from 6 to 12. The School does not have a pre-primary section.

St. John's English School & Junior College also shortly known as St. John's Besant Nagar is a CBSE affiliated higher secondary school in Besant Nagar, Chennai. The school was established in 1981. It caters to the age group 2 years to 18 years - from classes Pre-KG to XII, with a total strength of 2,500 students.

Other institutions
The Rajaji Bhavan building housing many Central Government offices greets you as you enter Besant Nagar. It also houses a Railway Booking counter for the convenience of the residents of the locality as well as for the other areas around Besant nagar.

Besant Nagar is an excellent example of organized government town planning by Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB). Originally a quiet residential area, the popularity of the nearby Elliot's beach has led to a steady increase in traffic and commercial activities.

The Reserve Bank of India staff quarters, The CPWD Quarters housing the officials of various Central Government departments, The Customs Colony, The Government Officials Cooperative Housing Society residences, and the TNHB housing buildings all laid out in neat fashion, along with modern individual residential buildings all add charm and order to the locality.

The beach and the 6th avenue are the venue for many events like the Vintage Car Rally, Half Marathons, the Army Band, Musical and Promotional events, Food Carnivals and many more.

In October 2015, The Hindu publication introduced the concept of a Car Free Sunday along the beach promenade in order to connect with the local community. This event is inspired by Ciclovía in Bogota, Colombia. In the past year, the Car Free Sunday has become a meeting place for families to walk along the beach, do joint sessions of Zumba, yoga, engage in sport, sing, have a fitness tryout while the kids can cycle, play local, traditional games right on the street, without the hassle and noise of traffic and vehicles.

To the North East is the Fishermen village of Urur Kuppam and to the South East is a Fishermen hamlet near the Velankanni Church.

This area is bound fully on the east by the Bay of Bengal (Elliots Beach), on the South by the Kalakshetra Campus, on the North by the Theosophical Society and its sprawling forested green campus ( with the Adyar Estuaries still further to its North) that except through the Besant Avenue in the North-West, the approach from Shastri nagar in the west as two points, there is no chance of traffic congestion.

Bus depot
The Besant Nagar bus terminal is used by 85 different buses making 500 trips every day. Around 4,000 people use the terminal every day.

In October 2012, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) decided to convert the Besant Nagar bus terminal into a depot. The depot will be 70 percent larger than the terminal. The depot is being built at a cost of ₹ 5 million and is expected to be completed in less than a year. On year 2020 Besant nagar bus depot was defunct and merge with the MTC region Adyar bus depot.

title: Besant Nagar, Chennai


text:
309 Fraternitas

Fraternitas (minor planet designation: 309 Fraternitas) is a typical Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 6 April 1891 in Vienna. The asteroid name is Latin for 'fraternity'; it was so named in order to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Maturitätsprüfung Fraternity.

This minor planet is orbiting the Sun at a distance of $45.32 km$ with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.115 and a period of 1588.7 days. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 3.72° of the ecliptic. Analysis of the asymmetric bimodal light curve of the asteroid from photometric data collected during 2014 provide a rotation period of $0.06$ with a brightness variation of $2.665 AU$ in magnitude.

title: 309 Fraternitas


text:
310 Margarita

Margarita (minor planet designation: 310 Margarita) is a typical Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 16 May 1891 in Nice.

title: 310 Margarita


text:
Marco Antonio de Dominis

Marco Antonio de Dominis (Markantun de Dominis; 1560 – 7 September 1624) was a Dalmatian ecclesiastic, archbishop of Split and Primate of Dalmatia and all Croatia, adjudged heretic of the Catholic faith, polymath and man of science.

Early life
He was born on the island of Rab (today part of Croatia), off the coast of Dalmatia, in a noble family of Dalmatian origin. Educated at the Illyrian College at Loreto and at the University of Padua, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1579 and taught mathematics, logic, and rhetoric at Padua and Brescia, Italy.

He was educated by the Jesuits in their colleges at Loreto and Padua, and is supposed by some to have joined the Society; the more usual opinion, however, is that he was dissuaded from doing so by Cardinal Aldobrandini. For some time he was employed as a teacher at Verona, a professor of mathematics at Padua, and a professor of rhetoric and philosophy at Brescia.

Religious politics
In 1596 he was, through imperial influence, appointed Bishop of Senj and Modruš in Croatia in August 1600, and transferred in November 1602 to the archiepiscopal see of Split. His endeavors to reform the church soon brought him into conflict with his suffragans; and the interference of the papal court with his rights as metropolitan, an attitude intensified by the quarrel between the Papacy and Venice, made his position intolerable. This, at any rate, is the account given in his own apology, the Consilium profectionis in which he also states that it was these troubles that led him to those researches into ecclesiastical law, church history, and dogmatic theology, which, while confirming him in his love for the ideal of the true Catholic Church, convinced him that the papal system was far from approximating to it.

He sided with Venice, in whose territory his diocese was situated, during the quarrel between Pope Paul V and the Republic (1606–7). That fact, combined with a correspondence with Paolo Sarpi and conflicts with his clergy and fellow bishops, which culminated in the loss of an important financial case in the Roman Curia, led to the resignation of his office in favor of a relative and his retirement to Venice.

To England
Threatened by the Inquisition, he prepared to apostatize, entered into communication with the English ambassador to Venice, Sir Henry Wotton, and having been assured of a welcome, left for England in 1616.

He was received with open arms by James I, who quartered him upon Archbishop Abbot of Canterbury, called on the other bishops to pay him a pension, and granted him precedence after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. De Dominis took part, as assistant, in the consecration of George Montaigne as Bishop of Lincoln, and Nicolas Felton as Bishop of Bristol on 14 December 1617. In that same year, James I made him Dean of Windsor and granted him the Mastership of the Savoy.

Contemporary writers give no pleasant account of him, describing him as fat, irascible, pretentious and very avaricious; but his ability was undoubted, and in the theological controversies of the time he soon took a foremost place.

His vanity, avarice, and irascibility soon lost him his English friends; the projected Spanish marriage of Prince Charles made him anxious about the security of his position in England, and the election of Pope Gregory XV (9 February 1621) furnished him with an occasion of intimating, through Catholic diplomatists in England, his wish to return to Rome.

The king's anger was aroused when De Dominis announced his intention (16 January 1622), and Star-Chamber proceedings for illegal correspondence with Rome were threatened. Eventually he was allowed to depart, but his chests of hoarded money were seized by the king's men, and only restored in response to a piteous personal appeal to the king.

Return to Rome
Once out of England, his attacks upon the English Church were as violent as had been those on the Papacy, and in Sui Reditus ex Anglia Consilium (Paris, 1623) he recanted all he had written in his Consilium Profectionis (London, 1616), declaring that he had deliberately lied in all that he had said against Rome. After a stay of six months in Brussels he proceeded to Rome, where he lived on a pension assigned him by the Pope. On the death of Pope Gregory XV on 8 July 1623 the pension ceased, and irritation loosened his tongue.

Coming into conflict with the Inquisition he was declared a relapsed heretic and was confined to the Castel Sant'Angelo. He there died a natural death in September 1624.

Even his death did not end his trial. His case was continued after his death, and on 20 December 1624 judgment was pronounced over his corpse in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. His heresy was declared manifest, and by order of the Inquisition his body was taken from the coffin, dragged through the streets of Rome, and publicly burned in the Campo di Fiore together with his works, on 21 December 1624.

By a strange irony, the publication of his Reditus consilium was subsequently forbidden in Venice because of its uncompromising advocacy of the supremacy of the Pope over the temporal powers. As a theologian and an ecclesiastic Dominis was thoroughly discredited; as a man of science he was more happy.

Scientific
In 1611 he published, at Venice, a scientific work entitled: Tractatus de radiis visus et lucis in vitris, perspectivis et iride, in which, according to Isaac Newton, he was the first to develop the theory of the rainbow by drawing attention to the fact that in each raindrop the light undergoes two refractions and an intermediate reflection. His claim to that distinction is, however, disputed in favor of Descartes.

In 1625 his work "Euripus, seu de fluxu et refluxu maris sententia" was published posthumously in Rome. It is an important source for the strange story of the theory of tides. It contains an exact but qualitative, luni-solar explanation of the phaenomena. This explanation is directly connected with the later developments.

Religious
On his way to England, he published at Heidelberg a violent attack on Rome: Scogli del Christiano naufragio, afterwards reprinted in England.

In England, he wrote a number of anti-Roman sermons: the Papatus Romanus, issued anonymously (London, 1617; Frankfort, 1618); the Scogli del naufragio Christiano, written in Switzerland (London, (?) 1618), of which English, French and German translations also appeared; and a Sermon preached in Italian before the king.

His principal work was the De Republicâ Ecclesiasticâ contra Primatum Papæ (Vol. 1, 1617; vol. II, 1620, London; Vol. III, 1622, Hanau). The first part, after revision by Anglican theologians, was published under royal patronage in London (1617). In the main it is an elaborate treatise on the historic organization of the church, its principal note being its insistence on the divine prerogatives of the Catholic episcopate as against the encroachments of the papal monarchy.

In 1619 Dominis published in London from a manuscript Paolo Sarpi's Historia del Concilio Tridentino. This history of the Council of Trent appeared in Italian, with an anti-Roman title page and letter dedicatory to James I. The manuscript had been obtained from Sarpi for George Abbot by his agent Nathaniel Brent.

Representations
De Dominis was caricatured in Thomas Middleton's 1624 play A Game at Chess. He is portrayed as the cynical 'Fat Bishop of Spalato' who changes faiths as much as it suits him.

title: Marco Antonio de Dominis


text:
Fokker 50

The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner manufactured and supported by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It was designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50.

The Fokker 50 was developed during the early 1980s following a decline in the sales of the company's earlier F27 Friendship. It was decided that the new airliner would be a derivative of its predecessor, sharing much of its airframe and design features, while incorporating new advances and several improvements, such as the adoption of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127B turboprop engines, in order to produce a successor that had a 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption over the F27.

The Fokker 50 performed its maiden flight on 28 December 1985, and entered revenue service during 1987. The Fokker 60 has been operated by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF), ex-RNLAF aircraft are also in service with the Peruvian Naval Aviation and the Republic of China's Air Force.

Fokker 50
By the early 1980s, the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker, who had identified that sales of the Fokker F27 Friendship, a turboprop-powered airliner which had been in continual production since 1958, were beginning to decline. Accordingly, the company decided to conduct a series of design studies for follow-up products to the key elements of their existing product line, these being the centered around the F27 and the Fokker F28 Fellowship jet airliner. In November 1983, Fokker decided to commence simultaneous work on two development projects to develop a pair of new airliners - these being the Fokker 100, which was to succeed the F28, and the Fokker 50, which was the successor to the F27. The Fokker 50 programme suffered some delays, leading to the first aircraft being delivered more than a year following the final F27 delivery.

The Fokker 50 was basically an amalgamation of various refinements and improvements which had been made to the design of the F27 Friendship. As a result of these modifications, such as the adoption of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127B turboprop engines, Fokker was able to progressively reduce the F27's fuel consumption by 30 per cent. Various different propeller designs were adopted over timespan of the aircraft's production, while an increasing proportion of composite materials were used in the airframe, adjustments to the wing design, and a higher degree of cockpit automation were areas of major advances of the Fokker 50 over its predecessor.

Fokker partnered with several companies to manufacture portions of the Fokker 50; these included the wing being produced by Belgian aerospace firm SABCA, fuselage sections made by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, flaps and other components manufactured by German aerospace company Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), and vertical stabilizers and horizontal stabilizers built by Japanese multinational corporation Fuji Heavy Industries. A pair of prototypes, derived from F27 airframes, were produced; on 28 December 1985, the first of these prototypes performed its maiden flight. In 1987, certification of the Fokker 50 by the Dutch aviation authority RLD was successfully completed, and the first production aircraft was subsequently delivered to German airline DLT Luftverkehrsgesellschaft (DLT). DLT and Ansett Australia served as the airliner's launch customers.

Termination and further development
During 1994, Fokker had been incurring sizable losses on its operations, which led to cuts in the output of the Fokker 50 and threatened its long term viability. During early 1995, the firm embarked upon a major restructuring programme, including efforts to renegotiate prices with its suppliers, in what was viewed by aerospace publication Flight International as a last-ditch effort to save the company in its current form. By July 1995, Fokker was in negotiations with the Dutch government over the terms for a potential bailout of the company as losses continued to mount. Fokker's owner, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (DASA), had agreed to provide a rescue deal for the company, but this was contingent upon Dutch government participation.

In March 1996, production of the Fokker 50 was terminated as a consequence of Fokker itself having been forced into a state of bankruptcy. The financial difficulties suffered by the firm had been in part caused by the massive cost overruns which had been incurred on both the Fokker 50 and Fokker 100, as well as due to intense competition within the regional airliner sector that Fokker had designed and marketed these aircraft towards, which had not been helped by delays to the program in the face of multiple modern competitors in the form of the Saab 340, ATR 42 and Bombardier Dash 8. Despite repeated increases cost-efficiency of production realised within the final 12 months of production, these did not prove enough to save the company.

During 1997, as a result of the company having entered into liquidation, the final Fokker 50 aircraft was delivered that year. By the end of the program, a total of 213 Fokker 50s had been completed. As early as May 1996, proposals for the partial or complete restart of production of the type were mooted, amongst these being interest from Indian aerospace firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in establishing a Fokker 50 assembly line in India, however these did not come about.

In 1996, Fokker Services was established; holding the type certificate for the Fokker 50, the organisation provides comprehensive support and services to operators of the type, including training, logistics support, maintenance, modification, and engineering services. By August 2006, 171 Fokker 50 aircraft remained within airline service; major operators included: Avianca (10), Denim Air (12), Skyways Express (18) and VLM Airlines (20). Some 27 other airlines including Air Astana also operated smaller numbers of the type.

Fokker 60
The Fokker 60 is stretched version of the Fokker 50, being 1.62 m longer for a total length of 26.87 m. It featured a large cargo door on the right side, immediately behind the cockpit, for loading/unloading. Only four examples of the Fokker 60 were ever completed, all of which were delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force. All of them were part of 334 Squadron based at Eindhoven Airport. The type was typically used to transport equipment and soldiers, while it was occasionally used for paradrop operations as well.

Another 60 was under construction, but ultimately never completed due to Fokker's bankruptcy. In 2005, a pair of Fokker 60s (U-01, U-03) were converted to serve as maritime patrol aircraft as a temporary solution when it was decided to phase out the Royal Netherlands Navy P-3 Orions as a result of budget cuts. For two years, these aircraft were stationed at Hato AB Curaçao prior to their replacement in the form of civil-operated Bombardier DHC-8 aircraft in October 2007. Due to the Royal Netherlands Air Force having decided to procure two extra Lockheed C-130s, the Fokker 60s were phased out. All four Fokker 60 that were stored at Woensdrecht Air Base were sold to the Peruvian Naval Aviation, the first two planes were delivered on 8 June 2010 and the second batch of two planes were delivered at the end of 2010.

Design
The Fokker 50 is a twin turboprop-powered airliner. It was based on the earlier highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship, specifically the stretched F27-500 model. Structurally, the Fokker 50 owes much to the F27; basic construction of the fuselage, wings and empennage, which made extensive use of composite materials, hot-bonded structures and anti-corrosion treatments, remained mainly unchanged between the two aircraft apart from the strengthening of various sections where required. There were some changes made to specific areas of the aircraft, such as the wing being equipped with upturned ailerons and wingtips that effectively acted as wing endplates or winglets, it was also fitted with a larger number of smaller windows in the fuselage and a new two-wheel nose gear configuration, the latter enabling stable operations under uneven crosswind conditions.

Perhaps the most significant design change from the preceding Fokker F27 was the choice of engines used for the Fokker 50. The original Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines that had powered various marks of the F27, which had broadly provided between 1,268 and 1715 kW (1,700-2,300 hp), were replaced by a pair of more fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW124 powerplants, each capable of generating 1,864 kW, which drove sets of six-bladed Dowty Rotol propellers. These slow-turning propellers, along with other measures such as vibration absorbers, eliminate the need for active noise control systems while providing an average cabin noise level of 77 dBs.

The Fokker 50, unlike the F27, was furnished with a glass cockpit which incorporated an electronic flight instrument system and an automatic flight control system, the latter being certified for conducting Cat II approaches. The flying controls include a unique single lever that is capable of controlling both engine power and actuating the variable-pitch propellers, reducing complexity and pilot workload. The cockpit also features a three-stage integrated alerting system that issues warnings to the flying crew.

The Fokker 50 can carry up to 62 passengers over a range of 1,080 nmi at a typical speed of 286 kn, a 27 kn increase over the Fokker F27. Typical passenger seating arrangements range from 46 to 56 passengers, which includes overhead bins and a relatively wide central aisle. The airliner features four external doors along with integral airstairs, which enables quicker turnaround times through the faster egress and boarding of passengers and crew alike. Features such as an auxiliary power unit (APU), new generation slim seating and LED lighting in the cabin are also available as options and can be retrofitted to existing aircraft based upon customer demand.

The Fokker 50 is capable of using the majority of airports worldwide, including operations from unpaved surfaces, and has been described as possessing "first-rate short field performance" and capable of performing steep approaches to access airports such as London City Airport. The type has typically been marketed toward replacing older commuter and regional airliners in the 19-50 seat range. Although of possessing a design heavily dependent upon a previous generation of airliners, the Fokker 50 has often been highly appreciated by owners and pilots alike for its reliability, economics and flight characteristics. According to Fokker Services, the Fokker 50 possesses relatively low operational costs per trip and attributes this to its low maintenance costs, high reliability, competitive support.

Fokker 50

 * F27 Mark 050
 * Marketed as the Fokker 50 (or sometimes referred to as the Fokker 50-100), based on the F27 Mark 500 with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B or PW127B turboprop engines with six-bladed propellers, updated systems and cockpit instrumentation, increased use of composite structure, double the number of windows, change from pneumatic to hydraulic systems and addition of electronic engine and propeller controls and an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and integrated warning system.

 * F27 Mark 0502
 * Marketed as the Fokker 50, same as the 050 with reconfigured interior layout and change in type of aft emergency exits, six built (two for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, two for the Republic of Singapore Air Force and two for Royal Brunei Air Force). MSN 20280 built 1993 was fitted with PW125B Engines and an APU.

Fokker 60

 * F27 Mark 0604
 * Marketed as the Fokker 60, same as the 0502 with an increased fuselage length (1.02 m in front of wing and 0.80 m aft of wing), increased design weight and introduction of a large cargo door in the forward right side of the fuselage. Two Pratt & Whitney PW127B turboprop engines, four built.

Fokker 50 civil operators
As of August 2022, 83 Fokker 50 aircraft were in commercial service including:

• Aero-Pioneer Group (1)

• Aerojet Aviation (1)

• Air Panama (5)

• Amapola Flyg (12)

• ATSA Airlines (1)

• Blue Bird Aviation (1)

• Bluebird Aviation (1)

• Buffair Services (1)

• Busy Bee Congo (1)

• Eldinder Aviation (1)

• flyCAA (1)

• Freedom Airline Express (2)

• GCA Airlines (3)

• Gomair (2)

• I-Fly Air (1)

• Jetways Airlines (3)

• Jubba Airways (2)

• Karun Airlines (5)

• Leading Edge (6)

• Mandeeq Air (1)

• MAYAir (2)

• Mongolian Airways (1)

• Niger Airlines (1)

• Ocean Airlines (1)

• Orient Aviation Services (1)

• Qeshm Air (2)

• Renegade Air (2)

• Rudufu (2)

• Silverstone Air Services (8)

• Sky Capital Cargo (2)

• Skyward Express (9)

• Som Express Airways (1)

• Sudan Airways (1)

• Taftan Airlines (2)

Fokker 50 and 60 military and government operators
The following governments or military operators currently fly the Fokker 50 and Fokker 60 in passenger or cargo roles:

 * Peruvian Naval Aviation (2 Fokker 50, 2 Fokker 60)
 * Republic of Singapore Air Force (9)
 * Republic of China Air Force (3)
 * Royal Thai Police (1)
 * Tanzania Government Flight Agency (1)
 * Republic of China Air Force (3)
 * Royal Thai Police (1)
 * Tanzania Government Flight Agency (1)
 * Tanzania Government Flight Agency (1)
 * Tanzania Government Flight Agency (1)

Former operators
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• Airlines of New South Wales

• Alliance Airlines

• Ansett Australia

• Flight West Airlines

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• Air Antwerp

• Vizion Air

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• B&H Airlines

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• Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais

• OceanAir

• Rio Sul

• TAM Airlines

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• Royal Brunei Airlines

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• Avianca

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• Insel Air

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• Maersk Air

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• Estonian Air (1996–2003)

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• Ethiopian Airlines (1996–2012)

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• Contact Air

• Lufthansa CityLine

• OLT Express Germany

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• Minoan Air

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• Air Iceland Connect

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• Rajair

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• Indonesian National Police

• Asia Link Airlines

• Indonesia Air Transport

• Pelita Air

• Riau Airlines

• Sky Aviation

• TransNusa

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• Kish Air

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• Aer Lingus

• CityJet

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• Air Vallée

• MiniLiner

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• Air Astana

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• Bush Air Safaris

• Kenya Airways

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• Luxair

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• Firefly

• FlyAsianXpress

• Malaysia Airlines

• MASwings

• Pelangi Air

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• Aero Mongolia

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• Denim Air

• KLM Cityhopper

• KLM uk

• Royal Netherlands Air Force.

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• Virgin Nigeria Airways

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• Busy Bee

• Norwegian Air Shuttle (2000-2004)

• Scandinavian Airlines

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• Palestinian Airlines

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• VLM Airlines Slovenia

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• Iberia/Air Nostrum

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• Amapola Flyg

• BRA Braathens Regional Airlines

• Scandinavian Airlines

• Skyways

• Sparrow Aviation

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• Formosa Airlines/Mandarin Airlines

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• Air UK

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• Air Zimbabwe

Accidents with fatalities

 * On 15 September 1995, Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50 (9M-MGH) crashed during approach in Tawau, Sabah due to pilot error, killing 34 of 53 passengers and crew on board in the first hull loss of a Fokker 50.
 * On 6 November 2002, Luxair Flight 9642, a Fokker 50 aircraft en route to Luxembourg – Findel Airport crashed and burned on final approach to the airport about six nautical miles (11 km) short of the runway while trying to land in the fog. 20 out of 22 passengers and crew perished.
 * On 10 February 2004, Kish Air Flight 7170, a Fokker 50 crashed on approach to Sharjah International Airport, United Arab Emirates after both propellers reversed while causing a loss of control. All six crew and 37 of the 40 passengers on board were killed.
 * On 3 March 2013, a Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Fokker 50 registration 9Q-CBD crashed in poor weather while on approach to Goma International Airport in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all seven crew including Russian citizen, Alexander Bazhenov. There were three survivors.
 * On 2 July 2014, a Skyward International Aviation Fokker 50 registration 5Y-CET operating a cargo flight ferrying Khat and bound for Mogadishu, Somalia crashed into Embakasi suburbs after taking-off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. All four crew members died and the hull disintegrated and burnt partially on impact with a highrise structure.
 * On January 18, 2024, The chartered United Nations cargo plane was carrying relief supplies when it crashed while landing at El-Barde airstrip. The aircraft ran off the runway and hit a house. The pilot of the plane was killed.

Other incidents

 * On 18 July 2022, a Fokker 50 registration 5Y-JXN operated by Jubba Airways, crashes on landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Somalia coming to a stop upside down at the beginning of the runway. All 36 passengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft.
 * On 5 May 2024, a Fokker 50 registration D6-AIB operated by R Komor crashed at Mohéli airport at take-off.

title: Fokker 50


text:
Talk:GEOS

This page's former discussion on GEOS was moved to the talk pages for the two articles spun off from the original one: Talk:GEOS (8-bit operating system) and Talk:GEOS (16-bit operating system).

Any ideas about this use of the name: "The Giotto mission spacecraft was derived from the GEOS research satellite built by British Aerospace..."

Ojw 5 July 2005 11:55 (UTC)
 * I realise this is incredibly late but for the record GEOS in this case refers to Geostationary Earth Orbit Satellite, two of these ESA satellites launched in the late 70's. ChiZeroOne (talk) 01:52, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite spells GOES, not GEOS. The two originals were called "Goes East" and "Goes West", if I recall. Perhaps calling them GEOS is a common mistake? I'll be removing this link, since a link at GOES already does exist. --Mdwyer 17:28, 2 November 2005 (UTC)
 * For some reason this has found it's way back onto the page, I'll remove. ChiZeroOne (talk) 01:52, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

Disambiguation link repair - (You can help!)
Ran WikiCleaner to update bad links, missing pages, etc. MOS says to not pipe any add'l links in the description part, just the main word. Will work on correcting this on this page. Thanks! Funandtrvl (talk) 21:36, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

title: Talk:GEOS


text:
William Henry White

Sir William Henry White, (2 February 1845 – 27 February 1913) was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty.

Biography
White was born in Devonport, the son of Robert White, a currier, and his wife, Jane Matthews.

He became an apprentice at the naval dockyard there in 1859. In 1863, he obtained a scholarship to enter the newly formed Royal School of Naval Architecture in South Kensington, in London. After his apprenticeship he worked for the Admiralty on specifications and calculations for new ships, and became secretary to the then Chief Constructor of the Admiralty, Edward Reed, until the latter's resignation on 9 July 1870.

He was then appointed instructor on naval design at the Royal School of Naval Architecture, and in 1872 became secretary of the Council of Construction which oversaw all Royal Navy ship construction. From 1872–1873 he worked at Pembroke and Portsmouth Dockyards.

In March 1875 he was promoted to Assistant Constructor and married later in that year. He resigned from the Admiralty in April 1883 and joined Sir William Armstrong's company as designer and manager of their warship construction. He returned to the Admiralty as Director of Naval Construction and Assistant Controller of the Navy on 1 August 1885. He was immediately involved in a reorganisation of the dockyards and technical departments, and later worked on the design of the revolutionary Royal Sovereign-class battleships. He was knighted in 1895.

He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1901 following criticism in Parliament for the near-capsizing of the Royal Yacht, the Victoria and Albert, which had happened when she was floated out of the graving dock where she was being fitted out on 3 July 1900. The cause was around 700 tons of excessive weight above the centre of gravity of the ship, in particular a large amount of cement sound-proofing around the Royal apartments. Consequently, the metacentric height was reduced from a stable 2 feet to a very unsafe 3 inches. Although it exonerated him from direct responsibility, the Admiralty blamed him for "not sufficiently impressing upon your subordinates the novelty and importance of the task entrusted to them". He submitted his last design for a battleship, the King Edward VII class, in April 1901, but he was ill and constantly worried about trivial matters, unable to delegate even the most minor decision. He requested early retirement and left the Admiralty on 31 January 1902.

In the 16 years that he was head of naval construction, he bore ultimate responsibility for the design of 43 battleships, 26 armoured cruisers, 102 protected cruisers and 74 unarmoured warships, a total of 245 ships worth (in 1900) £80 million.

Following his retirement, he was a consulting architect in the design of the Cunard liner RMS Mauretania and president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Institution of Marine Engineers. He was also chairman of the council, Royal Society of Arts from 1909–1910 and governor of Imperial College from 1907 until his death. He died from a stroke in London on 27 February 1913.

White was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1888 He was conferred with Honorary Membership of the Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders in Scotland in 1894. He was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1900.

Publications

 * A Manual of Naval Architecture: For the use of Officers of the Royal Navy, Shipbuilders (1887)

title: William Henry White