title: Tonies

abstract: Tonies SE is a toy retailer based in Düsseldorf and Luxembourg City. The company's main product is the Toniebox, a cube-shaped digital audio device designed for children.

text:
# Tonies

**Tonies SE** (stylized: tonies) is a toy retailer based in Düsseldorf and Luxembourg City. The company's main product is the Toniebox, a cube-shaped digital audio device designed for children.

## History

### Founding and beginnings

The concept of Tonies originated in 2013, when the prospective founder, Patric Faßbender, had the idea of developing a digital audio system for children in order to avoid scratched CDs and provide screen-free entertainment. Marcus Stahl became a business partner and took over the technical development of the Toniebox. The development of the speaker cube received backing from investors within their social network. Subsequently, Boxine GmbH was founded by Faßbender and Stahl in 2013 and garnered further support from investors.

In the summer of 2016, product development was completed, and Boxine launched the first Toniebox and 14 Tonies (audio play characters). Boxine received its first licence from WDR.

### Expansion and awards in German-speaking European countries

Up until 2017, the founders, Faßbender and Stahl, had to actively approach publishers to acquire licences. From 2018 onwards, publishers and large entertainment companies offered licences on their own initiative, and the company went on to produce Tonies characters such as Bibi and Tina, Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol, Pippi Longstocking, Benjamin the Elephant, characters from the Three Investigators series, and Sesame Street. Sales increased every year, with a temporary disruption of deliveries in 2017 and 2018 due to high demand, resulting in the depletion of boxes and figures. While the company sold 30,000 boxes in the first quarter of 2016, this number increased to 148,000 units in 2017. Around 600,000 boxes were sold in 2018 and 2.7 million figures were sold until 2018. Between 2017 and 2020, Boxine's revenue exceeded €100 million. In the German-speaking areas, Tonies increased its sales by 4.6 percent compared to the previous year, amounting to €158.3 million in 2022.

In 2016, Toniebox was awarded the Red Dot Design Award, followed by the German Design Award and the iF Product Design Award in 2017. In 2019, the company received the German Founder Award in the category *Rising Star*.

*IG Hörbuch*, an association of audiobook publishers and retailers within the German Book Trade Association, awarded their "Audiobook Person of the Year" award in 2020 to the two inventors of the Toniebox.

In January 2019, Boxine introduced the *Tonie Clip*, a new technology enabling the connection of existing toys to the Toniebox. In the same month, Playmobil became the first cooperation partner, incorporating the Tonie Clip into their radio play series, *Playmos*. Also in January 2019, the company announced its collaboration with Disney.

In September 2019, the industrial holding *Armira*, *Santo Venture Capital,* and Zalando founder Robert Gentz invested in Boxine. A spokeswoman for Boxine confirmed a partial change in shareholders but not a complete sale. According to the spokeswoman, the founders, Faßbender and Stahl, remained in the company and retained their shares. Only the strategic investors who were involved in Boxine before the shareholder change relinquished their shares.

### International expansion

Since October 2018, the company has been selling the Toniebox in Great Britain and Ireland. Since 2020, the Toniebox has also been available in the United States. In September 2021, the company started selling Tonies in France.

Since September 2022, Tonies has been working with Jebsen Group in Hong Kong, which sells English Tonies at Toys "R" Us and J Select, the Jebsen Group's retail store. Toys "R" Us and J Select distribute the Tonies to other regional retail partners. Since 2023, the company has also been active in the Canadian market.

### Initial public offering

In June 2021, Boxine announced its intention to go public with a Spac. At the end of August 2021, it was announced that Boxine would be listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange through a merger with the shell corporation 468 SPAC I SE. The management of the company remained with the company's two founders, both of whom retained their shares in the merged company. The merger was expected to generate gross proceeds of €400 million and valued the company at €870 million. The company was listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on November 29, 2021, and subsequently changed its name to Tonies SE. Tonies generated proceeds of €100 million with the IPO, and through a subsequent capital increase, the company generated additional capital of €60 million.

### More recent developments

In November 2022, Tonies produced a Tonies commercial with Disney, which features the Toniebox and Disney characters from the films Frozen, Moana, and The Lion King.

In May 2023, the group introduced a story generator based on ChatGPT, involving 1,000 households in Great Britain. Through the Mytonies app, parents and children were able to access a child-friendly version of ChatGPT and use artificial intelligence to invent new short stories. In the same month, the brand Leibniz-Keks launched a limited-edition pack of biscuits, containing 8 Creative Tonies in the design of biscuits. Additionally, Tonies began a collaboration with Warner Bros., expanding its range of Tonies figures to include characters such as Batman and Wonder Woman.

On 1 January 2024, the founders Faßbender and Stahl left the operative business of Tonies, and Tobias Wann became managing director.

## Company structure

Tonies conducts its business from six locations in Germany and one location each in the UK, USA, and France. Tonies' own subsidiaries sell to customers in the USA and France. Sales for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are combined in a British subsidiary.

### Shareholder structure

* Public Float – 40.86%
* Armira Partners GmbH & Co. KG – 27.54%
* Treasury Shares – 11.04%
* Höllenhunde GmbH – 8.25%
* 468 Spac Sponsers GmbH & Co. KG – 6.84%
* Santo Ella Co-Invest GmbH & Co. KG – 5.48%

(2 January 2024)

## Products

The Toniebox is a padded cube with a length of twelve centimetres. Audio playback starts when a figurine is placed on top of the box; when the figure is removed, playback pauses. The Toniebox does not contain any controls; the ears of the box serve as volume controls. After the initial installation, the content is permanently stored in the box and can be accessed offline. The storage capacity of the Toniebox is 400 hours. In addition to the Tonies figures and the Toniebox, the company offers so-called Creative Tonies, which can be filled with up to 90 minutes of custom content. The content of the Creative Tonies is not recorded directly via the Toniebox but can be loaded onto the Tonies via a smartphone app. The company maintains a Tonie Lab in which it develops its own audiobooks such as the Secret Science Club series, which introduces children to science.

The hard rubber Tonies figures are developed, designed, and tested in a development centre in Schwäbisch Gmünd, while they are manufactured in Tunisia and China. The Toniebox itself is produced in China and Hungary.

## InfoBox

Tonies SE
| Company type | SE |
| --- | --- |
| Industry | Toys |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Headquarters | Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |
| Key people | Tobias Wann, Jan Middelhoff |
| Products | Toniebox, Tonies, Accessories |
| Revenue | €258M (2022) |
| Number of employees | 400 (2022) |


title: Tonie van Dam

abstract: Tonie Marie van Dam is an American geophysicist and geodesist, known for her pioneering research on solid Earth deformations due to loads from atmospheric and hydrologic pressures. She and her collaborators used space geodetic observations and modeling for increased precision in measuring and understanding such loads.

text:
# Tonie van Dam

**Tonie Marie van Dam** (born April 19, 1960) is an American geophysicist and geodesist, known for her pioneering research on solid Earth deformations due to loads from atmospheric and hydrologic pressures. She and her collaborators used space geodetic observations and modeling for increased precision in measuring and understanding such loads.

## Biography

Tonie van Dam graduated in 1982 with a B.S. in physics and geology from Mary Washington College (now renamed the University of Mary Washington). At the University of Colorado Boulder, she graduated in 1991 with a Ph.D. in geophysics. Her Ph.D. thesis *Atmospheric Load Response of the Solid Earth and Oceans* was supervised by John M. Wahr. From 1991 to 1993 she was a postdoc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From 1993 to 2000 she worked for the U.S. civil service as a research geophysicist at the Geosciences Laboratory of the National Geodetic Survey (part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). In the *Faculté des Sciences, de la Technologie et de la Communication* at the University of Luxembourg, she was an associate professor from 2006 to 2013 and a full professor from 2013 to 2019. (In language skills, she has functional ability in French and basic skills in both Luxembourgish and Spanish.) In 2020 she was appointed to a full professorship in the University of Utah's Department of Geology and Geophysics.

Van Dam is the author or coauthor of more than 120 publications. Her research focuses on the geodesy and geophysics of loads from atmospheric and hydrologic pressures. Her 2001 article *Crustal displacements due to continental water loading* (written with six collaborators, including John M. Wahr, Geoffrey Blewitt, and Kristine M. Larson) is considered a classic in geodesy. Van Dam has served the community of geophysicists and geodesist in several capacities and since 2019 is a member of the board of directors of UNAVCO. She is an associate editor for the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences's *Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica* from 2010 to the present and for the International Association of Geodesy's *Journal of Geodesy* from 2015 to the present.

In 2017 van Dam was awarded Luxembourg's *Grand Prix en Sciences de l’Institut Grand-ducal, Science Geologiques/Prix Feidt*. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2017 appointed her the Bowie Lecturer and in 2020 elected her a Fellow of the AGU. She received in 2019 the European Geosciences Union’s Vening Meinesz Medal.

## Selected publications

1. "2019 Vening Meinesz Medal is awarded to Toni van Dam". *European Geosciences Union*.
2. "Tonie van Dam, Professor of Geology & Geophysics". *University of Utah*. CV
3. "Vening Meinesz Medal awarded to Tonie van Dam". *News, Université du Luxembourg*.
4. Van Dam, T. M.; Wahr, J. M. (1987). "Displacements of the Earth's surface due to atmospheric loading: Effects on gravity and baseline measurements". *Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth*. **92**: 1281–1286. Bibcode:1987JGR....92.1281V. doi:10.1029/JB092iB02p01281.
5. Dam, Tonie M van; Wahr, John M.; Milly, P. Chris D.; Francis, Olivier (2001). "Gravity Changes Due to Continental Water Storage". *Journal of the Geodetic Society of Japan*. **47**. doi:10.11366/sokuchi1954.47.249. S2CID 132648732.
6. Dam, T. M.; Wahr, J.; Chao, Y.; Leuliette, E. (1997). "Predictions of crustal deformation and of geoid and sea-level variability caused by oceanic and atmospheric loading". *Geophysical Journal International*. **129** (3): 507–517. Bibcode:1997GeoJI.129..507V. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.1997.tb04490.x.
7. Tregoning, P.; Van Dam, T. (2005). "Effects of atmospheric pressure loading and seven-parameter transformations on estimates of geocenter motion and station heights from space geodetic observations". *Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth*. **110** (B3). Bibcode:2005JGRB..110.3408T. doi:10.1029/2004JB003334.
8. Tregoning, P.; Van Dam, T. (2005). "Atmospheric pressure loading corrections applied to GPS data at the observation level". *Geophysical Research Letters*. **32** (22). Bibcode:2005GeoRL..3222310T. doi:10.1029/2005GL024104. S2CID 28448645.
9. Collilieux, Xavier; Altamimi, Zuheir; Coulot, David; Van Dam, Tonie; Ray, Jim (2010). "Impact of loading effects on determination of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame". *Advances in Space Research*. **45** (1): 144–154. Bibcode:2010AdSpR..45..144C. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2009.08.024.
10. Van Dam, T.; Collilieux, X.; Wuite, J.; Altamimi, Z.; Ray, J. (2012). "Nontidal ocean loading: Amplitudes and potential effects in GPS height time series". *Journal of Geodesy*. **86** (11): 1043–1057. Bibcode:2012JGeod..86.1043V. doi:10.1007/s00190-012-0564-5.
11. Van Dam, T.; Wahr, J.; Milly, P. C. D.; Shmakin, A. B.; Blewitt, G.; Lavallée, D.; Larson, K. M. (2001). "Crustal displacements due to continental water loading". *Geophysical Research Letters*. **28** (4): 651–654. Bibcode:2001GeoRL..28..651V. doi:10.1029/2000GL012120. S2CID 16913286.
12. "Prof Tonie van Dam Inducted as AGU Fellow". *News, Université du Luxembourg*. 19 November 2020.
13. "Tonie M. van Dam, Bowie Lecture, December 2017". *American Geophysical Union (AGU)*.


title: Tomorrow.io

abstract: Tomorrow.io is an American weather technology company. It provides real-time weather forecasting services and APIs.

text:
# Tomorrow.io

**Tomorrow.io** (formerly **ClimaCell**; legally known as **The Tomorrow Companies Inc.**) is an American weather technology company. It provides real-time weather forecasting services and APIs.

## History

The company was founded in 2016 as ClimaCell to develop a real-time weather forecasting service based on cellular and IoT monitoring systems.

In February 2021, Tomorrow.io announced Operation Tomorrow Space. The company hoped to broaden its business model by launching proprietary radar satellites to improve its forecasting abilities. In March of that year, it announced that it had raised $77 million in a series D round of funding.

## Technology

Tomorrow.io's primary goal was to use wireless communication infrastructure and IoT devices to collect real-time weather data. The company aimed to report conditions closer to the ground than satellite and higher resolution than Doppler weather radar techniques.

The information includes measurements on temperature, wind and precipitation data. After two years of development, Tomorrow.io's Weather Intelligence Platform (formerly Hypercast) was publicly launched in April 2017.

The company's Operation Tomorrow Space is launching weather radar satellites to improve forecasting accuracy and coverage. The first satellite of the constellation, Tomorrow-R1, launched on 15 April 2023 on a SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket as part of the Transporter-7 rideshare mission. The system operates in the Ka band to detect precipitation and ocean surface characteristics. The company plans to launch 20 satellites with a combination of active radar and passive microwave sensors.

## Business model

The company's software is designed to provide information to aviation, construction, insurance, sports, and utility services. Clients include JetBlue Airways, Delta, and the New England Patriots.

Tomorrow.io launched a mobile weather app, ClimaCell Weather, in 2019. The app was later renamed to Weather by Tomorrow.

## InfoBox

Tomorrow.io
| Company type | Private |
| --- | --- |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founder | * Shimon Elkabetz * Itai Zlotnik * Rei Goffer * Hagit Messer |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Shimon Elkabetz (CEO) |
| Products | * API * Weather Intelligence Platform * Tomorrow.io for Business * Insights Dashboard * Weather by Tomorrow |
| Number of employees | 125 (March 2021) |
| Website | https://www.tomorrow.io/ |


title: Tomás Pío Betancourt

abstract: Tomás Pío Betancourt was a Cuban landowner, lawyer, botanist, and the first historian of the town of Camagüey in Cuba.

text:
# Tomás Pío Betancourt

**Tomás Pío Betancourt** (1800 - August 4, 1863) was a Cuban landowner, lawyer, botanist, and the first historian of the town of Camagüey (formerly Puerto Príncipe) in Cuba.

## Biography

Tomás Pío Betancourt y Sánchez-Pereira was born in Puerto Príncipe (now Camagüey), Spanish Cuba around the early 1800s. His family was one of the wealthiest and most distinguished in the region. His lineage traces back to the surname Bettencourt.

On December 25, 1827, he married Maria Loreto Agramonte in the Camagüey Cathedral.

He was a member of the Patriotic Deputation of Camagüey and in 1835, he was a deputy of the Royal Development Board.

He, along with Gaspar Betancourt Cisneros and another landowner, successfully obtained a concession from Miguel Tacón in January 1837 to build a railway from Camagüey to Nuevitas.

He was the first Camagüey native to venture into the field of botany in the town. He was a pupil of Mariano Lagasca in Madrid. A series of his works on botany were published starting in 1839.

Tomás Pío Betancourt became the first historian of the town of Camagüey (formerly Puerto Príncipe) in Cuba. *Historia de Puerto Príncipe*, a foundational work in Camagüey's historiography was written by Tomás Pío Betancourt Sánchez-Pereira and published in 1840.

His daughter, Dolores Betancourt, was born in 1856 to him and Mercedes Agramonte who he married in 1852.

In the early 1860s, he was a lawyer in the Real Audiencia of Puerto Príncipe, the highest appellate court in Spanish colonies.

## Death

Tomás Pío Betancourt died on August 4, 1863.

Following his death, Tomás Betancourt had a district in Camagüey named after him.

## InfoBox

| Tomás Pío Betancourt | |
| --- | --- |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tomás Pío Betancourt y Sánchez-Pereira
1800
Puerto Príncipe, Captaincy General of Cuba, Spanish Empire |
| Died | August 4, 1863 |
| Nationality | Cuba |
|  | |


title: Tony Ferrara

abstract: Anthony Ferrara was an American professional baseball player, coach, and scout.

text:
# Tony Ferrara

**Anthony Ferrara** (c. 1927 – December 4, 2009) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and scout.

## Early life

Ferrara was born in Schenectady, New York in the late 1920s. After High school he got a scholarship to the University of Miami. After college he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and played minor league baseball before a shoulder injury ended his playing career.

## Coaching career

In the 1960s Ferrara spent five seasons as the hitting coach for St. Johns University.

In 1970, Ferrara moved to New York City and landed a job with the New York Yankees and remained with them until 1997, serving in a number of roles including batting practice pitcher, bullpen coach, and scout.

In 1999 former Yankee Rick Cerone asked Ferrara to become First base coach for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, a position he held for three seasons.

In 2007, he coached and managed in the professional Israel Baseball League and served as Assistant Commissioner..

In 2009, Ferrara returned to the Bears as bench coach.

## *The Natural*

In 1984, Ferrara served as technical advisor for the Robert Redford film *The Natural* and appeared in the film as third base coach.

## Death

Ferrara died on December 4, 2009, a few weeks after suffering a stroke. He is survived by his younger brother, Joseph A. Ferrara who resides in Florida.


title: Tommy Govan

abstract: Tommy Govan was a Scottish footballer who played during the 1950s and 1960s. He started his career with juvenile side Alva Albion Rangers before signing 'senior' with Dumbarton in 1957. Here he was a constant in the Dumbarton defence for over 10 years before moving on to Alloa Athletic.

text:
# Tommy Govan

**Tommy Govan** was a Scottish footballer who played during the 1950s and 1960s. He started his career with juvenile side Alva Albion Rangers before signing 'senior' with Dumbarton in 1957. Here he was a constant in the Dumbarton defence for over 10 years before moving on to Alloa Athletic.

## InfoBox

Tommy Govan
| Personal information | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Full name | Tommy Govan | | |
| Position(s) | Full Back | | |
| Youth career | | | |
|  | Alva Albion Rangers | | |
| Senior career\* | | | |
| Years | **Team** | **Apps** | **(Gls)** |
| 1957–1967 | Dumbarton | 249 | (4) |
| 1967–1968 | Alloa Athletic |  |  |
| \*Club domestic league appearances and goals | | | |


title: Tommy Goulden

abstract: Tommy Goulden is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at club level for the Leigh Miners Rangers, the Rochdale Hornets, Oldham and the Leigh Centurions.

text:
# Tommy Goulden

**Tommy Goulden** (born 30 June 1981) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at club level for the Leigh Miners Rangers, the Rochdale Hornets, Oldham and the Leigh Centurions.

## Playing career

Goulden began his career as an amateur with the Leigh Miners Rangers before turning professional with the Rochdale Hornets in 2005. He played two seasons apiece for the Rochdale Hornets and later Oldham before joining hometown club the Leigh Centurions before the start of the 2010 season.

Goulden was a regular try scorer during his career and featured in Leigh's 20-16 Northern Rail Cup Final victory over Halifax in 2011.

## InfoBox

Tommy Goulden
| Personal information | |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Tommy Goulden |
| Born | (1981-06-30) 30 June 1981 |
| Playing information | |
| Position | Second-row |
| Club  Years Team Pld T G FG P  2005–07 Rochdale Hornets 46 17 0 0 68  2008–09 Oldham 53 26 0 0 104  2010–15 Leigh Centurions 57 23 0 0 92  Total 156 66 0 0 264 | |
| As of 1 January 2012 | |


title: Tommy Gramly

abstract: Bert Thomas Gramly is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. He pitched three games for the Cleveland Indians during the 1968 season.

text:
# Tommy Gramly

**Bert Thomas Gramly** (born April 19, 1945 in Dallas, Texas) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for one season. He pitched three games for the Cleveland Indians during the 1968 season.

## InfoBox

| Tommy Gramly | |
| --- | --- |
| **Pitcher** | |
| **Born:**  (1945-04-19) April 19, 1945<br>Dallas, Texas | |
| **Batted:** Right**Threw:** Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 18, 1968, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 21, 1968, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 0–1 |
| Earned run average | 2.70 |
| Innings | 3⅓ |
|  | |
| Teams | |
|  | |


title: Tornodoxa dubicanella

abstract: Tornodoxa dubicanella is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Ueda in 2012. It is found in Japan. The length of the forewings is 5-6.5 mm for males and 5-5.5 mm for females.

text:
# Tornodoxa dubicanella

***Tornodoxa dubicanella*** is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Ueda in 2012. It is found in Japan (Hokkaido, Kyushu).

The length of the forewings is 5-6.5 mm for males and 5-5.5 mm for females.

## InfoBox

| *Tornodoxa dubicanella* | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gelechiidae |
| Genus: | *Tornodoxa* |
| Species: | ***T. dubicanella*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Tornodoxa dubicanella***<br>Ueda, 2012 | |
|


title: Toothlessness

abstract:
Toothlessness or edentulism is the condition of having no teeth. In organisms that naturally have teeth, it is the result of tooth loss.
Organisms that never possessed teeth can also be described as edentulous. Examples are the members of the former zoological classification order of Edentata, which included anteaters and sloths, as they possess no anterior teeth and no or poorly developed posterior teeth. In naturally dentate species, edentulism is more than just the simple presence or absence of teeth. It is biochemically complex because the teeth, jaws, and oral mucosa are dynamic. Processes such as bone remodeling in the jaws and inflammation of soft tissue in response to the oral microbiota are clinically important for edentulous people. For example, bone resorption in the jaw is frequently how the teeth were able to detach in the first place. The jaw in an edentulous area undergoes further resorption even after the teeth are gone; and the insertion of dental implants can elicit new bone formation, leading to osseointegration. Meanwhile, bacteria and yeasts of the oral cavity and the immune system of their host create an immensely complicated and constantly changing interplay that presents clinically as gingivitis, caries, stomatitis, and other periodontal pathology.

text:
# Toothlessness

**Toothlessness** or **edentulism** is the condition of having no teeth. In organisms that naturally have teeth, it is the result of tooth loss. Organisms that never possessed teeth can also be described as edentulous. Examples are the members of the former zoological classification order of *Edentata*, which included anteaters and sloths, as they possess no anterior teeth and no or poorly developed posterior teeth.

In naturally dentate species, edentulism is more than just the simple presence or absence of teeth. It is biochemically complex because the teeth, jaws, and oral mucosa are dynamic. Processes such as bone remodeling (loss and gain of bone tissue) in the jaws and inflammation of soft tissue in response to the oral microbiota are clinically important for edentulous people. For example, bone resorption in the jaw is frequently how the teeth were able to detach in the first place. The jaw in an edentulous area undergoes further resorption even after the teeth are gone; and the insertion of dental implants can elicit new bone formation, leading to osseointegration. Meanwhile, bacteria and yeasts of the oral cavity and the immune system of their host create an immensely complicated and constantly changing interplay that presents clinically as gingivitis, caries, stomatitis, and other periodontal pathology.

## Signs and symptoms

For people, the relevance and functionality of teeth can be easily taken for granted, but a closer examination of their considerable significance will demonstrate how they are actually very important. Among other things, teeth serve to:

Tooth loss also has a psychological impact: it has been shown to generally lower a patient's quality of life, with this compromised oral function leading to decreased self-esteem and a decline in psychological well-being. Patients may be embarrassed to smile, eat and talk.

### Facial support and aesthetics

When an individual's mouth is at rest, the teeth in the opposing jaws are nearly touching; there is what is referred to as a "freeway space" of roughly 2–3 mm. However, this distance is partially maintained as a result of the teeth limiting any further closure past the point of maximum intercuspidation. When there are no teeth present in the mouth, the natural vertical dimension of occlusion is lost and the mouth has a tendency to overclose. This causes the cheeks to exhibit a "sunken-in" appearance and wrinkle lines to form at the commissures. Additionally, the anterior teeth, when present, serve to properly support the lips and provide for certain aesthetic features, such as an acute nasiolabial angle. Loss of muscle tone and skin elasticity due to old age, when most individuals begin to experience edentulism, tend to further exacerbate this condition.

The tongue, which consists of a very dynamic group of muscles, tends to fill the space it is allowed, and in the absence of teeth, will broaden out. This makes it initially difficult to fabricate both complete dentures and removable partial dentures for patients exhibiting complete and partial edentulism, respectively; however, once the space is "taken back" by the prosthetic teeth, the tongue will return to a narrower body.

### Vertical dimension of occlusion

As stated, the position of maximal closure in the presence of teeth is referred to as maximum intercuspidation, and the vertical jaw relationship in this position is referred to as the vertical dimension of occlusion. With the loss of teeth, there is a decrease in this vertical dimension, as the mouth is allowed to overclose when there are no teeth present to block the further upward movement of the mandible towards the maxilla. This may contribute, as explained above, to a sunken-in appearance of the cheeks, because there is now "too much" cheek than is needed to extend from the maxilla to the mandible when in an over closed position. If this situation is left untreated for many years, the muscles and tendons of the mandible and the TMJ may manifest with altered tone and elasticity.

### Pronunciation

The teeth play a major role in speech. Some letter sounds require the lips and/or tongue to make contact with teeth for proper pronunciation of the sound, and lack of teeth will obviously affect the way in which an edentulous individual can pronounce these sounds.

For example, the consonant sounds of the English language *s*, *z*, *j*, and *x* are achieved with tooth-to-tooth contact; *d*, *n*, *l*, *t*, and *th* are achieved with tongue-to-tooth contact; the fricatives *f* and *v* are achieved through lip-to-tooth contact. The edentulous individual finds these sounds very difficult to enunciate properly.

### Preservation of alveolar ridge height

The alveolar ridges are columns of bone that surround and anchor the teeth and run the entire length, mesiodistally, of both the maxillary and mandibular dental arches. The alveolar bone is unique in that it exists for the sake of the teeth that it retains; when the teeth are absent, the bone slowly resorbs. The maxilla resorbs in a superioposterior direction, and the mandible resorbs in an inferioanterior direction, thus eventually converting an individual's occlusal scheme from a Class I to a Class III. Loss of teeth alters the form of the alveolar bone in 91% of cases.

In addition to this resorption of bone in the vertical and anterioposterior dimensions, the alveolus also resorbs faciolingually, thus diminishing the width of the ridge. What initially began as a tall bell curve (in the faciolingual dimension) eventually becomes much shorter and broader. Resorption is exacerbated by pressure on the bone; thus, long-term complete denture wearers will experience more drastic reductions to their ridges than non-denture wearers. Those individuals who do wear dentures can decrease the amount of bone loss by retaining some tooth roots in the form of overdenture abutments or have implants placed. Note that the depiction above shows a very excessive change and that this many take many years of denture wear to achieve.

Ridge resorption may also alter the form of the ridges to less predictable shapes, such as bulbous ridges with undercuts or even sharp, thin, knife-edged ridges, depending on the many possible factors that influenced the resorption.

Bone loss with missing teeth, partials and complete dentures is progressive. According to Wolff's law, bone is stimulated, strengthened and continually renewed directly by a tooth or an implant. Teeth and implants provide this direct stimulation which develops stronger bone around them.

A 1970 research study of 1012 patients by Jozewicz showed denture wearers had a significantly higher rate of bone loss. Tallgren's 25-year study in 1972 also showed denture wearers have continued bone loss over the years. The biting force on the gum tissue irritates the bone and it melts away with a decrease in volume and density. Carlsson's 1967 study showed a dramatic bone loss during the first year after a tooth extraction which continues over the years, even without a denture or partial on it.

The longer people are missing teeth, wear dentures or partials, the less bone they have in their jaws. This may result in decreased ability to chew food well, a decreased quality of life, social insecurity and decreasing esthetics because of a collapsing of the lower third of their face.

The bone loss also results in a significant decrease in chewing force, prompting many denture and partial wearers to avoid certain kinds of food. Food collecting under the appliance takes their enjoyment out of eating so they make their grocery and restaurant choices by what they can eat. There are several reports that correlate the quality and length of peoples lives with their ability to chew.

Dental implant studies from 1977 by Branemark and countless others show dental implants stop this progressive loss and stabilize the bone over the long term. Implanted teeth provide a stable, effective tooth replacement that feels natural. They also provide an improved ability to chew comfortably and for those missing many teeth an improved sense of well being. Dental implants have become the standard for replacing missing teeth in dentistry.

### Masticatory efficiency

Physiologically, teeth provide for greater chewing ability. They allow us to masticate food thoroughly, increasing the surface area necessary to allow for the enzymes present in the saliva, as well as in the stomach and intestines, to digest our food. Chewing also allows food to be prepared into small boli that are more readily swallowed than haphazard chunks of considerable size. For those who are even partially endentulous, it may become extremely difficult to chew food efficiently enough to swallow comfortably, although this is entirely dependent upon which teeth are lost. When an individual loses enough posterior teeth to make it difficult to chew, he or she may need to cut their food into very small pieces and learn how to make use of their anterior teeth to chew. If enough posterior teeth are missing, this will not only affect their chewing abilities, but also their occlusion; posterior teeth, in a mutually protected occlusion, help to protect the anterior teeth and the vertical dimension of occlusion and, when missing, the anterior teeth begin to bear a greater amount of force than they are structurally prepared for. Thus, loss of posterior teeth will cause the anterior teeth to splay. This can be prevented by obtaining dental prostheses, such as removable partial dentures, bridges or implant-supported crowns. In addition to reestablishing a protected occlusion, these prostheses can greatly improve one's chewing abilities.

As a consequence of a lack of certain nutrition due to altered eating habits, various health problems can occur, from the mild to the extreme. Lack of certain vitamins (,  and ) and low levels of riboflavin and thiamin can produce a variety of conditions, ranging from constipation, weight loss, arthritis and rheumatism. There are more serious conditions such as heart disease and Parkinson's disease and even to the extreme, certain types of Cancer. Treatments include changing approaches to eating such as cutting food in advance to make eating easier and less likely to avoid as well as consumer health products such as multivitamins and multi-minerals specifically designed to support the nutritional issues experienced by denture wearers.

Numerous studies linking edentulism with instances of disease and medical conditions have been reported. In a cross-sectional study, Hamasha and others found significant differences between edentulous and dentate individuals with respect to rates of atherosclerotic vascular disease, heart failure, ischemic heart disease and joint disease.

## Cause

Edentulism is a condition which can have multiple causes. In exceedingly rare cases, toothlessness may result from the teeth not developing in the first place (anodontia). However, in most cases it is as a result of permanent tooth extraction in adulthood. This may or may not be due to dental caries, periodontal disease (gum disease), trauma or other pathology of the face and mouth (i.e. cysts, tumours). In those under 45 years of age, dental caries is considered to be the main cause of toothlessness, whereas periodontal disease is the primary cause of tooth loss in older age groups.

## Replacing missing teeth

There are three main ways in which missing teeth can be replaced:

* Bridges: Used to replace one or more missing teeth. False teeth are supported by the remaining, adjacent natural teeth.
    + Advantages:
        - They are fixed, they do not require removal on a frequent basis. Therefore, they are easily maintained.
        - Can be cleaned by normal brushing procedures.
        - Unlike dentures, they do not require skill in their use. They will not move about.
    + Disadvantages:
        - They generally require the preparation of adjacent teeth. This is destructive and not required for the placement of a denture.
        - They have a higher rate of failure than either Dentures or Implants.
* Dentures: False teeth are mounted onto an acrylic base. These may be partial (to replace some missing teeth) or complete (where all the natural teeth are missing). Dentures may be removable, or fixed in the mouth by dental implants.
    + Advantages:
        - This is the least expensive option for the replacement of teeth.
        - The least invasive, no surgery needed (usually).
    + Disadvantages:
        - Quite often rely solely on the mucosa for support, do not tend to be as stable as the other options.
        - Very difficult to keep clean and can exacerbate any oral hygiene issues.
        - They are difficult to learn to use. Quite often require complex muscular control to hold them in place.
        - Not as efficient as other options. Foods such as apples and nuts will often have to be avoided.

* Dental Implants: To replace a single tooth, a screw (the implant) is placed into the jaw bone, which a false tooth is screwed onto. Implants can also be used to support bridges or dentures.
    + Advantages:
        - They are much more realistic than the other options. They have similar efficiency and aesthetics to an actual tooth.
        - They do not require the destruction of the adjacent teeth like bridges.
        - They last 5-8 times longer than both bridges and dentures. Despite the initial higher cost, it pays off in the long term.
        - Much easier to maintain, with oral hygiene procedures being rather similar to an actual tooth.
    + Disadvantages:
        - Cost: they are very expensive. A single implant will cost between £2000-3000 on average.
        - Surgery: Their placement requires quite invasive surgery. With surgery comes risks (e.g. infection, swelling, bleeding).
        - Replacement: The actual implant itself rarely requires replacement, but the actual abutment, or tooth sitting on top of the implant will. This needs replacing on average every 10–15 years.
        - Time: Once an implant has been placed, the tooth replacement does not occur immediately. Implants take time for bone integration. The majority require 3 to 6 months before the final restoration is placed.

## Clinical classification

A classification system has been developed by the American College of Prosthodontists. The classification are based on diagnostic findings, which is used to help practitioners determine appropriate treatments for patients.

The diagnostic criteria used to classify edentulism are:

There are four categories which are Class I, II, III and IV.

* Class I: Minimally compromised

This class is most likely to be successfully treated with complete dentures. The characteristics include:

* Residual bone height of 21mm or more measured at the lowest vertical height of the mandible shown on a panoramic radiograph.
* Residual ridge morphology resists horizontal and vertical movement of the denture base
* Location of muscle attachments that arc conducive to denture base stability and retention
* Class I maxillomandibular relationship.
* Class II: Moderately compromised

This class is distinguished by the continued degradation of the denture‐supporting anatomy. It is also characterised by specific patient management and lifestyle considerations as well as systemic disease interactions. Characteristics include:

* Residual bone height of 16 to 20mrn measured at the lowest vertical height of the mandible on a panoramic radiograph.
* Residual ridge morphology that does not show horizontal and vertical movement of the denture base.
* Location of muscle attachments with limited influence on denture base stability and retention.
* Class I maxillomandibular relationship.
* Minor modifiers, psychosocial considerations, mild systemic disease with oral manifestation.
* Class III: Substantially compromised

This classification level is where surgical revision of supporting structures is needed to allow for adequate prosthodontic function.

* Residual alveolar bone height of 11 to 15mm measured at the least vertical height of the mandible on a panoramic radiograph.
* Residual ridge morphology has minimum influence to resist horizontal or vertical movement of the denture base.
* Location of muscle attachments with moderate influence on denture base stability and retention.
* Class I, II or III maxillomandibular relationship.

The conditions that need preprosthetic surgery include:

1. minor soft tissue procedures
2. minor hard tissue procedures including alveoloplasty
3. simple implant placement, no augmentation required
4. multiple extractions leading to complete edentulism for immediate denture placement.

* Class IV: Severely compromised

This classification level depicts the most debilitated edentulous condition. Surgical reconstruction is almost always indicated but cannot always be accomplished because of the patient's health, preferences, dental history, and financial considerations. When surgical revision is not an option, prosthodontic techniques of a specialized nature must be used to achieve an adequate treatment outcome.

* Residual vertical bone height of 10mm or less measured at the least vertical height of the mandible on a panoramic radiograph.
* Residual ridge offers no resistance to horizontal or vertical movement.
* Muscle attachment location that can be expected to have significant influence on denture base stability and retention.
* Class I, II, or III maxillomandibular relationships.
* History of paresthesia or dysesthesia.

Major conditions requiring preprosthetic surgery

1. complex implant placement, augmentation required
2. surgical correction of dentofacial deformities
3. hard tissue augmentation required
4. major soft tissue revision required, i.e., vestibular extensions with or without soft tissue grafting.

## Epidemiology

Edentulism affects approximately 158 million people globally as of 2010 (2.3% of the population). It is more common in women at 2.7% compared to the male rate of 1.9%.

A cross-sectional analysis of data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) from 14 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) and Israel showed substantial variation in the age-standardized mean numbers of natural teeth amongst people aged 50 years and older, ranging from 14.3 teeth (Estonia) to 24.5 teeth (Sweden). The oral health goal of retaining at least 20 teeth at age 80 years was achieved by 25% of the population or less in most countries. A target concerning edentulism (≤15% in population aged 65–74 years) was reached in Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, France, and Germany. Tooth replacement practices varied especially for a number of up to five missing teeth which were more likely to be replaced in Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland than in Israel, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, and Sweden.

The prevalence of Kennedy Class III partial denture was predominant among younger population of 21-30 year and 31–40 years, whereas in group III between 41 and 50 years Class I was predominant. It can be stated that the need for prosthodontics care is expected to increase with age, and hence, more efforts should be made for improving dental education and motivation among patients.

Edentulism occurs more often in people from the lower end of the socioeconomic scale.

## Society and culture

It is estimated that tooth loss results in worldwide productivity losses in the size of about US$63 billion yearly.


title: Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation

abstract: The Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation is an Anishinabe band in Manitoba. They are located on reserve land at IR Valley River 63A. They number about 600 with a similar number located in various locations away from the reserve. The location of their land is east of Roblin and west of Grandview. The band members are associated with the West Region Tribal Council.

text:
# Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation

The **Tootinaowaziibeeng First Nation** is an Anishinabe band in Manitoba. They are located on reserve land at IR Valley River 63A. They number about 600 with a similar number located in various locations away from the reserve. The location of their land is east of Roblin and west of Grandview. The band members are associated with the West Region Tribal Council.

51°13′37″N 101°13′12″W / 51.227°N 101.220°W / 51.227; -101.220


title: Tophill Low

abstract: Tophill Low is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site is also an active water treatment works, operated by Yorkshire Water. It lies adjacent to the River Hull approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Driffield, and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the village of Watton. The site, which was designated a SSSI in 1989, consists of two artificial reservoirs. The nature reserve extends further to a total area of 300 acres. It is important as one of few inland standing open water bodies suitable for wintering wildfowl in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The reservoirs support nationally important numbers of gadwall, shoveler, and tufted duck. Also present are locally important numbers of goldeneye, great crested grebe, mallard, pochard, teal, and wigeon. The wider nature reserve comprises a variety of habitats with grassland, marshes, ponds, and woods supporting over 160 bird species across the year.

text:
# Tophill Low

**Tophill Low** is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The site is also an active water treatment works, operated by Yorkshire Water. It lies adjacent to the River Hull approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Driffield, and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the village of Watton. The site, which was designated a SSSI in 1989, consists of two artificial reservoirs. The nature reserve extends further to a total area of 300 acres (120 hectares).

It is important as one of few inland standing open water bodies suitable for wintering wildfowl in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The reservoirs support nationally important numbers of gadwall, shoveler, and tufted duck. Also present are locally important numbers of goldeneye, great crested grebe, mallard, pochard, teal, and wigeon. The wider nature reserve comprises a variety of habitats with grassland, marshes, ponds, and woods supporting over 160 bird species across the year.

## InfoBox

Tophill Low
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
| --- | --- |
| View from the North Lagoon hide at the Tophill Low nature reserve (taken 30 August 2018) | |
| Shown within the East Riding of Yorkshire | |
| Location | East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire |
| Grid reference | TA 073 486 |
| Coordinates | 53°55′21″N 0°22′03″W / 53.922431°N 0.36757357°W / 53.922431; -0.36757357 |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 34.6225 hectares (85.554 acres) |
| Notification | 1989 |
| Natural England website | |


title: Tommy Laurendine

abstract: Thomas Laurendine is an American football coach. He is the offensive line coach at the United States Naval Academy, a position he has held since 2024. Laurendine served as the head football coach at Sewanee: The University of the South from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as an offensive coordinator at Washington and Lee University, the University of West Alabama, Southern Arkansas University, Lenoir–Rhyne University and The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Laurendine was hired as Sewanee's 30th head coach on April 7, 2011. He resigned from his position at Sewanee in February 2017. On January 12, 2018, Laurendine was named offensive coordinator for the Mississippi College Choctaws.

text:
# Tommy Laurendine

**Thomas Laurendine** (born c.1968) is an American football coach. He is the offensive line coach at the United States Naval Academy, a position he has held since 2024. Laurendine served as the head football coach at Sewanee: The University of the South from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as an offensive coordinator at Washington and Lee University, the University of West Alabama, Southern Arkansas University, Lenoir–Rhyne University and The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. Laurendine was hired as Sewanee's 30th head coach on April 7, 2011. He resigned from his position at Sewanee in February 2017. On January 12, 2018, Laurendine was named offensive coordinator for the Mississippi College Choctaws.

## Head coaching record

| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Sewanee Tigers** *(Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference)* (2011) | | | | | | | | |
| 2011 | Sewanee | 5–5 | 2–4 | 5th |  |
| **Sewanee:** | | 5–5 | 2–4 |  | | | | |
| **Sewanee Tigers** *(Southern Athletic Association)* (2012–present) | | | | | | | | |
| 2012 | Sewanee | 3–7 | 1–3 | T–4th |  |
| 2013 | Sewanee | 4–6 | 3–3 | T–4th |  |
| 2014 | Sewanee | 2–8 | 1–5 | T–6th |  |
| 2015 | Sewanee | 1–9 | 0–8 | 9th |  |
| 2016 | Sewanee | 0–10 | 0–8 | 9th |  |
| **Sewanee:** | | 15–45 | 5–27 |  | | | | |
| **Total:** | | 15–45 |  | | | | | | |

## InfoBox

Tommy Laurendine
| Current position | |
| --- | --- |
| Title | Offensive line coach |
| Team | Navy |
| Conference | AAC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | c.1968 (age 5556)<br>Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1988–1989 | Lenoir–Rhyne |
|  | |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1990–1991 | Lenoir–Rhyne (assistant) |
| 1991–1994 | West Georgia (GA) |
| 1994–1995 | Northwest Whitfield HS (GA) (OC) |
| 1995–1997 | Washington and Lee (OC) |
| 1997–2000 | West Alabama (OC) |
| 2001–2006 | Southern Arkansas (OC) |
| 2007 | Washington and Lee (OC) |
| 2008–2009 | Lenoir–Rhyne (OC) |
| 2010 | The Citadel (OC) |
| 2011–2016 | Sewanee |
| 2018–2022 | Mississippi College (OC) |
| 2023 | Navy (FB) |
| 2024–present | Navy (OL) |
|  | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 15–45 |
|  | |


title: Torre-Pacheco

abstract: Torre-Pacheco is a municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain. It covers an area of 189.4 km⁲ and its population in 2019 was 35,676. The only high ground in the municipality is Cabezo Gordo hill, the location of the protected Sima de las Palomas archeological site. The town has one secondary education institution, the I.E.S. Gerardo Molina. The municipality is known for its golf courses, and its windmills are known region wide. Grant Biddle. A British property investor who recently took ownership of the local football team EF Torre Pacheco. Former owner of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterborough_Sports_F.C.

text:
# Torre-Pacheco

**Torre-Pacheco** (Spanish pronunciation: \[torepaˈtʃeko\]) is a municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain. It covers an area of 189.4 km2 and its population in 2019 was 35,676. The only high ground in the municipality is Cabezo Gordo hill, the location of the protected Sima de las Palomas archeological site. The town has one secondary education institution, the I.E.S. Gerardo Molina.

The municipality is known for its golf courses, and its windmills are known region wide.

Grant Biddle. A British property investor who recently took ownership of the local football team EF Torre Pacheco.

Former owner of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peterborough\_Sports\_F.C.

## Geography

### Physical geography

Torre-Pacheco municipality is located in the Campo de Cartagena region. Cabezo Gordo is one of its highest hills, at 312 metres above sea level. It has no rivers with a permanent water flow, although during rainy periods streams in several *arroyos* (sometimes called *ramblas*) flow into coastal saltwater lagoon the Mar Menor. Soil in the area mainly comprises sedimentary materials (loam, sandstone and limestone).

Torre-Pacheco is semi-enclosed by mountains. To the north lie the Columbares, Carrascoy, El Puerto de la Cadena, Escalona and Altalona ranges, and to the south the ranges of La Unión, Roldán, La Muela, Las Victorias and Cartagena.

The surrounding mountains have a significant influence on the semi-arid, Mediterranean climate of the municipality. Rainfall is usually below 300 millimetres, but when it occurs rain is often torrential. Highest rainfall occurs in autumn and spring, and the rainiest months are October and April. Temperatures are generally high, with a yearly average of 18 °C. Summers are hot, but can appear mild because of sea breezes. Winters are mild, with an average temperature of 10 °C.

Human activity has had a major impact on the territory, resulting in particular from the mechanization of local agriculture in the 1950s and 1960s.

### Human geography

In 2019, the municipality had a total population of 35,676. Of its towns and villages, Torre-Pacheco had 18,196 inhabitants, with 6,759 in Roldán (located in the northeastern quarter), 3,198 in Balsicas (placed in the north), 2,295 in Dolores (which occurs in the east), 1,212 in El Jimenado (located in the southwestern quarter), 1,212 in San Cayetano (placed in the northwest), 1,239 in Hoyamorena (which occurs in the southeast), 599 Hortichuela (located in the centre), 218 in El Abardinal (placed in the south), 178 in Santa Rosalía (which occurs in the southeast quarter), and 144 in Los Camachos (located in the eastern half).

## Demographics

As of 2020, 30.34% inhabitants are foreigners - 18.23% are Africans, 5.22% are European, 4.67% are Americans, and 2.22% are Asian. The below table shows total population per decade.

|  | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Population | 8,358 | 9,782 | 9,400 | 9,255 | 9,610 | 10,260 | 11,005 | 13,006 | 15,654 | 16,568 | 24,332 | 33,419 |
|

## History

The territory of the current municipality has been inhabited since the Lower Paleolithic. There is evidence of occupation by *Homo heidelbergensis* between 150,000 and 125,000 BC at the Sima de las Palomas site on Cabezo Gordo hill. Neanderthals also lived in the area from 120,000 to 35,000 BC.

The 16 Roman villas found in the area date back to the period of Roman Hispania. The Romans quarried marble from a Cabezo Gordo deposit. Among economic activities in the area, fertile soils made it suitable for crop growing and livestock farming.

The first historic references to Torre-Pacheco date back to the 13th century.

Landowners settling in the area of today's municipality in the Late Middle Ages gave their names to its towns and villages. The Saavedra family came from Galicia, the Roda family from Navarre, and the Pacheco family from Portugal. On 7 November 1478, the council of Murcia granted land to Pedro Pacheco. The tower and country property he built founded the town of Torre-Pacheco and gave it its name.

Settlements became established as families acquired land and built farmhouses, and the defensive towers that were their only protection given their distance from castles and mountains. These tower structures served for communication with the local population, and sheltered inhabitants from Berber raids in the area between the 13th and 18th centuries.

In the mid-16th century, the population increased in the Campo de Cartagena comarca, to which the territory belongs. This trend continued during the 17th century, as more people arrived. Los Álcazares, Fuente Álamo and Torre-Pacheco were the first settlements in the region where before there had only been sparsely scattered buildings. New localities formed between the 16th and 18th centuries. They included Balsicas, Roldán, Dolores, and Lo Ferro, a settlement founded when a Genoese family acquired land and settled in Murcia. Small churches and chapels were built the 17th century, and two of these gave their names to the villages of San Cayetano and Los Dolores.

In 1813, under the first Spanish Constitution of 1812 the Torre-Pacheco area became independent from the municipality of Murcia, and its town council was established. The Constitution was repealed by King Ferdinand VII the following year. During the Trienio Liberal (1820–1823) Torre-Pacheco's town council was reestablished. It was made permanent on 17 September 1836.

In 1900, the population of the area was 8,549. Fifty years later, it had increased to 10,409.

Unemployment in Torre-Pacheco was high for much of this period. Non-irrigated cultivation of cereal crops, almonds, grapes and olives was almost the only farming possible.

Since the 1950s, with the influx of technology and foreign farm workers, agriculture has become a major economic activity in the region. The main crops grown are artichoke, lettuce, broccoli, watermelon and melon.

## Economy

One of the main economy activities of Torre-Pachecho is agriculture. 62.8% of the territory is occupied by crop lands. The most widely grown products are the artichokes, melons and lettuces. 83.12% agreements corresponded to agriculture jobs in 2018 and 85.28% were signed by labourers.

Other noteworthy sectors are animal husbandry and services. 14.09% of the contracts existed in the tertiary sector area in Torre-Pacheco.

## Government

As generally in Spain, the governors are elected indirectly by voting for a political party in the autonomous community and municipality elections every four years. The political parties chooses the *concejales* (governors) from the votes and is occurs proportionally according to the votes. There is a largest government body named *consistorio*, which is made up of 21 members in Torre-Pacheco and a governing cabinet named *equipo de gobierno municipal*. The *alcalde* (head governor, equivalent of *mayor*) is elected from the members of the *consistorio* and he chooses the members of the *equipo de gobierno*. Nine members of the *consistorio* are partisans of Partido Independiente de Torre-Pacheco, eight members are partisans of Partido Socialista Obrero Español, three members are partisans of Vox, two members are partisans of Partido Popular and one member is partisan of Somos Región. The partisans of Partido Independiente de Torre-Pacheco and Paritio Socialista Obrero Español are also members of the governing cabinet.

| Governing party | |
| --- | --- |
| 2007–2011 | Partido Popular |
| 2011–2015 | Partido Popular |
| 2015–2019 | Partido Popular (until December) and Partido Indpependiente de Torre-Pacheco |

## Healthcare

The municipality is included in the Health area VIII (Mar Menor) of Region of Murcia. Two of the eight subareas occupy territory of the municipality: Torre-Pacheco Este (East Torre-Pacheco) and Torre-Pacheco Oeste (West Torre-Pacheco). The territory is home to five *consultorios* (primary healthcentre with fewer functions than the *centros de salud*) and they are distributed in the following way: one *consultorio* for Roldán, another for Balsicas, there is also a *consultorio* in Los Dolores, another one in El Jimenado and San Cayetano also hosts a health centre with this category. Two *centros de salud* are placed in the main town.

## Education

2 public early childhood and primary education centres, a *concertado* (private with government money supply) primary and secondary centre, and 2 public secondary education centres are located in the main town. Some villages such as Garre, Dolores, Alba, San Cayetano and Roldán host an early childhood and primary education centre. There is also a secondary education centre in Roldán.

Other centres that can be found in the main town are one of the national language teaching institution and another for agriculture education, where degrees of vocational education about this area are taught. A centre for adult education (CEA) is also located in the town.

## Transportation

Part of the A-30 national highway occurs in the south-west and near El Jimenado. The highway also takes place in the border between Lobosillo (Murcian exclave district) and Torre-Pacheco and the border between Fuente Álamo de Murcia and Torre-Pacheco. There is also a regional road named RM-F14, which connects the A-30 highway to the main town; the RM-F, which connects Cartagena and Torre-Pacheco; the RM-F36, which connects Cartagena and Torre-Pacheco; the RM-F30 road, which connects Torre-Pacheco and Los Alcázares; the RM-F21, which connects Torre-Pacheco and Roldán; and a few other regional roads.

The bus station is placed in the south-eastern quarter of the main town. Bus services from and to Murcia, Cartagena, Elche, Alicante, and other populated places are available. A railway traverses the municipality from south to north and occurs next to Torre-Pacheco by its west and next to Balsicas by its east. There is also a train station in both localities.

## Main sights

* **Centre for the Performing Arts, C.A.E.S.**: The Centre for the Performing Arts (Centro de Artes Escénicas, C.A.E.S.), inaugurated on 16 September 2006, is an example of modern architecture. Its 4000 m2 space houses facilities for drama, dance, music and cinema, and its auditorium seats 600 people.
* **Municipal library**: The municipal library was opened on 23 January 2007. The building has a surface area of 2,204 m2, and is set in 18,000 m2 of landscaped open space. The library is in part underground, where ramps connect several levels. The building holds a late-opening quiet area, classrooms and conference rooms, a reading and study room, and an exhibition gallery. The most notable feature of this architectural complex is its outdoor reading park.
* **Nuestra Señora del Rosario Church Tower**: The original church, dating back three centuries, was not granted protection as a historic monument by the Spanish Ministry of Culture's General Directorate for the Arts (Dirección General de Bellas Artes), and was demolished in 1971 by order of the bishopric. The foundation stone for a new tower was laid in 2005. On 7 October 2010, bells rang in the town for the first time in 38 years. The tower was formally inaugurated on 6 January 2011.
* **New town hall of Torre-Pacheco**: it was opened in 2011.

* **IFEPA**: Its name is an acronym that comes from *Instituto Ferial de Torre-Pacheco*. This huge building is home to several exhibitions and each one usually takes place at the same date every year. It was inaugurated in 1984.

* **El tío Facorro windmill**: The first documentary reference about this mill dates back to 1833. It has a circle-shaped plan and is 12 metres tall.

### Local sights

* **Castillo de Ros**: The castle was originally built for the Congregation of Saint Philip Neri, on its estate in the hamlet of Balsicas. It was bought by Antonio Ros de Olano y Perpigná, a soldier stationed in Cartagena, in February 1844. Antonio Ros was later named Viscount Ros de Olano and Marquis of Gaud-el-Yehi by Queen Isabella II. Various alterations were made to the building, known as the Castillo de Ros, by his son and grandson.
* **Casa Valderas**: This neoclassical leisure property was built in the final years of the 19th century. It is set among gardens and orchards.
* **El Pasico shrine**: This building was built in the 19th century and is related to a piece about the virgin, which is made of veins of alabaster. There is a religious legend about its appearance.
* **El Pasico windmil**l: Documentary sources mention this windmill to appear in 1844. It has a circle-shaped plan.

## Festivals

* The **El Pasico Festival** is a popular festival held on Easter Monday in association with the El Pasico shrine. A mass celebrated at the shrine is followed by a fair featuring amusement park rides and festivities. In the evening, the traditional *mona de Pascua* pastry is eaten.
* The **Melon Festival** was founded by the then mayor of Torre-Pacheco in 1969 to celebrate the melon, first grown in the municipality in the early 20th century.
* **International Flamenco Folk Singing Festiva**l: It takes place in Lo Ferrro, which is a little village near Roldán. It is held in the last week of August.
* **Patron saint festivity**: The reason for the festivity is the Virgin of the Rosary (the virgin in a facet in which she is related to the rosary catholic pray). It occurs in the first half of October. An event which consist in electing three female children and three female teenagers to hold the symbolic role of queen and Dames takes place in the beginning of the festivity and it is named *Coronación de reinas y damas*. There is also a function for opening the festivity which consist in firing a rocket-shaped firecracker and it is named *chupinazo*. A choir and dancing festival also occurs in a festive day. A flea market where handcraft elements are for sale is placed during the festive period. A parade also occurs during the festivity. A revere flower placement also takes place. Many other activities are also performed during this period.

### Festivities in other localities

* Patron saint festivity in Roldán: It is held in March and is devoted to Saint Joseph. Some events of the festivity are the *coronación de reinas y damas*, the *chupinazo*, a revere flower placement to the patron saint, a parade and a performance of a musical composition named *Diana Floreada*.
* Patron saint festivity in El Jimenado: It takes place in the first half of September.
* Patron saint festivity in Balsicas: Some events are the *coronación de reinas y damas* and a flower revere placement to the virgin.

## Notable people

* **Antonio Ros de Olano** (1808–1886): writer, politician, soldier. Antonio Ros fought in the First Carlist War (1833–1840) and in the Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860), in which his influence was decisive. He served as Trade Minister in Spain's Ministry of Trade, Education and Public Works, and was made a senator for life in 1877. He also held the 19th-century office of *jefe político superior* ('senior political chief'), the role of top administrative civil servant of a province of Spain. Antonio Ros was also a founder of Spain's 19th-century Unión Liberal (Liberal Union) party.
* **Pedro Cerdán Martínez** (1863–1947): architect. Known for designing notable buildings in La Unión, including the Antiguo Mercado Público de La Unión (former public market building).
* **Luis Manzanares** (1895–1980): writer.
* **Alberto Garre López** (1952): politician, president of Region of Murcia from 2014 to 2015.
* **Gloria Rodríguez Sánchez** (1992): road and track cyclist.

*This article contains information from the Spanish Wikipedia article Torre Pacheco, accessed on January 11, 2008.*

37°44′N 0°57′W / 37.733°N 0.950°W / 37.733; -0.950

## InfoBox

| Torre-Pacheco | |
| --- | --- |
| Municipality | |
| The church of San Cayetano (Murcia) | |
|  | |
| Location in Murcia | |
| Torre-PachecoLocation in SpainTorre-PachecoTorre-Pacheco (Spain) | |
| Coordinates: 37°44′35″N 0°57′14″W / 37.74306°N 0.95389°W / 37.74306; -0.95389 | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous Community | Region of Murcia |
| Province | Region of Murcia |
| Comarca | Comarca del Mar Menor |
| Own municipality | 1836 |
| Government | |
| Mayor | Daniel García Madrid (PP) |
| Area | |
| Total | 189 km2 (73 sq mi) |
| Elevation(AMSL) | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Population (2018) | |
| Total | 35,614 |
| Density | 190/km2 (490/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST (GMT +2)) |
| Postal code | 30700 |
| Area code | +34 (Spain) + 968 (Murcia) |
| Website | www.torrepacheco.es |


title: Torre, Switzerland

abstract: Torre was a municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Torre would merge with Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone and Olivone to form a new municipality to be called Blenio. This union was carried through on 22 October 2006.

text:
# Torre, Switzerland

**Torre** was a municipality in the district of Blenio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland.

On 25 January 2005, the cantonal authorities announced that Torre would merge with Aquila, Campo Blenio, Ghirone and Olivone to form a new municipality to be called Blenio. This union was carried through on 22 October 2006.

## InfoBox

| Torre | |
| --- | --- |
| Former municipality | |
|  | |
| Location of Torre | |
| TorreTorre | |
| Coordinates: 46°29′N 8°57′E / 46.483°N 8.950°E / 46.483; 8.950 | |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Canton | Ticino |
| District | Blenio |
| Area | |
| Total | 10.8 km2 (4.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 760 m (2,490 ft) |
| Population (December 2004) | |
| Total | 288 |
| Density | 27/km2 (69/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (Central European Time) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (Central European Summer Time) |
| Postal code(s) | 6717 |
| SFOS number | 5047 |
| ISO 3166 code | CH-TI |
| Surrounded by | Acquarossa, Aquila, Malvaglia |
| Website |
 |


title: Torre.co

text:
# Torre.co

Torre is the first company to fully automate recruiting end-to-end. It was founded as a startup company in 2019 by Colombian-American entrepreneur Alexander Torrenegra, who is also its CEO.

Using several types of artificial intelligence, including self-driving recruiters that replicate human intuition, Torre can automatically locate the best candidates from hundreds of sources, attract them, screen them, filter them, rank them, deliver detailed reports about each, and even re-engage them. This automation covers over 90% of the work traditionally done by recruiters, making the recruiting process three times faster, 50% less expensive, and significantly more accurate.

To achieve this level of accuracy, Torre does not rely on resumes, which are considered outdated and insufficient for effective AI integration. Torre bypasses resumes by capturing thousands of data points for each candidate across more than 100 factors, including psychometrics. This comprehensive data collection forms what Torre calls a person's "professional genome".

The collected information is processed through nine types of AI to predict a candidate’s suitability not only for a job but also for a company and even a specific team within that company. Currently in beta, Torre offers its technology for licensing or recruitment outsourcing to companies.

Torre is backed by early investors and executives from Apple, Amazon, Meta, and SpaceX. Their support is driven not only by the revolutionary nature of Torre’s AI but also by the mission to prevent human talent from going to waste by ensuring it is exposed to the right opportunities.

According to its founder, Torre uses artificial intelligence to help people find jobs in any country.

## Company overview and history

Torre users can create a “genome,” a profile that serves as an expanded résumé and includes information about their skills, experience, salary expectations, location and language preferences, personality traits, etc.

Torre is responsible for the creation of Emma, the first AI-driven recruiter designed to replicate human intuition and streamline the job search process for candidates and recruitment for companies.

The platform’s algorithm suggests job openings that match the potential candidate’s skills and preferences with a job opening's requirements. Posting job opportunities, applying to them, or hiring a candidate is free, although there’s the option of paying, so Torre handles the whole process on behalf of the users.

Torre is mainly owned by Emma, a holding company co-founded by Alexander Torrenegra, his wife Tania Zapata, and Santiago Jaramillo in 2019, which encompasses other of Torrenegra’s companies, like Bunny Studio and Tribe.

The names "Torre" and "Emma" were inspired by María Emma Torrenegra, Alexander’s maternal grandmother and one of his role models growing up. Torre also means “tower” in Spanish and other five romance languages.

In 2020, Torre reached 1 million users and extended its presence to 180 countries. Next year, 2021, Torre allied with Endeavor Colombia as a "Second Company", which refers to a company that joins through an Endeavor entrepreneur that already has one company in their network. Two of Torre’s founders, Andrés Cajiao and Daniela Ávila, were admitted to join Alexander Torrenegra as Endeavor entrepreneurs. The same year, Torre launched Torre Access, an accelerator for individuals to help them land better remote jobs in tech through coaching. A hundred professionals enrolled in its first cohort. It also secured a $10 million seed round led by former executives from Apple, Facebook, Uber, and SpaceX, to continue growing.

By 2022, Torre added cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin and Ethereum) to its list of compensation options for job opportunities.

In December 2023, Torre launched the Beta version of its platform, adding dozens of features and making its processes more accurate and automated.

## InfoBox

Torre
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Type of site | Matching network |
| Available in | * English * Spanish |
| Founded | 2019 |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Owner | Emma |
| Founder(s) |  |
| CEO | Alexander Torrenegra |
| URL | torre.ai |
| Registration | Required |
| Users | Over 1 million |
| Current status | Active |


title: Torre de' Roveri

abstract: Torre de' Roveri is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Milan and about 9 kilometres (6 mi) east of Bergamo. Torre de' Roveri borders the following municipalities: Albano Sant'Alessandro, Pedrengo, San Paolo d'Argon, Scanzorosciate.

text:
# Torre de' Roveri

**Torre de' Roveri** (Bergamasque: *Tór de Róer*) is a *comune* (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Milan and about 9 kilometres (6 mi) east of Bergamo.

Torre de' Roveri borders the following municipalities: Albano Sant'Alessandro, Pedrengo, San Paolo d'Argon, Scanzorosciate.

## InfoBox

| Tower of Durmasts | |
| --- | --- |
| *Comune* | |
| Comune di Torre de' Roveri | |
| Church | |
| Location of Tower of Durmasts | |
| Tower of DurmastsLocation of Tower of Durmasts in ItalyTower of DurmastsTower of Durmasts (Lombardy) | |
| Coordinates: 45°42′N 9°47′E / 45.700°N 9.783°E / 45.700; 9.783 | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Lombardy |
| Province | Bergamo (BG) |
| Government | |
| Mayor | Matteo Francesco Lebbolo |
| Area | |
| Total | 2.69 km2 (1.04 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 271 m (889 ft) |
| Population (31 May 2021) | |
| Total | 2,498 |
| Density | 930/km2 (2,400/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Torresi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 24060 |
| Dialing code | 035 |
| Website | Official website |


title: Watching America

abstract: Watching America is a website that publishes translated foreign articles from foreign newspapers into English. It was launched in 2005 and founded by Robin Koerner. Watching America states its goal is "to reflect as accurately as possible how others perceive the richest and most powerful country in the world." The site posts newly translated articles up on a daily basis, along with a link to the original article. The translations are done by native speakers of the relevant languages. It currently translates articles from Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, and Urdu. The website has been linked by Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Christian Science Monitor as well as cited in various published popular books and academic sources as a source.

text:
# Watching America

**Watching America** is a website that publishes translated foreign articles from foreign newspapers into English. It was launched in 2005 and founded by Robin Koerner. Watching America states its goal is "to reflect as accurately as possible how others perceive the richest and most powerful country in the world."

The site posts newly translated articles up on a daily basis, along with a link to the original article. The translations are done by native speakers of the relevant languages. It currently translates articles from Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, and Urdu.

The website has been linked by Foreign Policy, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, The Christian Science Monitor as well as cited in various published popular books and academic sources as a source.

## InfoBox

Watching America
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Type of site | News website |
| Available in | English |
| URL | www.watchingamerica.com |
| Launched | 2005 |


title: Vadugam

abstract: Vadugam is a panchayat village in Namakkal district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is 32 km from Salem, 333 km southwest of Chennai, 242 km south of Bangalore and 118 km northwest of Tiruchirapalli (Trichy).

text:
# Vadugam

**Vadugam** is a panchayat village in Namakkal district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is 32 km from Salem, 333 km southwest of Chennai, 242 km south of Bangalore and 118 km northwest of Tiruchirapalli (Trichy).

## Climate

The temperature ranges from 20 to 44 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

## Demographics

## Administration

M. Balan is the current Panchayat President of Vadugam as of 2021.

## Tourism

The main tourist and picnic spot of the Vadugam is the Perumpaalli Falls which has water falling from the height of about 100 feet at three different stages, which is located 8 km from Rasipuram,

Every year around April the village celebrates Mariamman festival for a fortnight. During this festival, Goddess Mariamman is decorated with jewellery and flower chariots and taken around the village at midnight. This festival is celebrated for a week.

## Education

### Schools

* Government Higher Secondary School - Vadugam
* Rassie Vidya Mandir Primary and Nursery School - Vadugam

The village has also has several other colleges, such as:

* Muthayammal Institutions
* Gnanmani Institutions
* Paavai Institutions
* Thiruvalluvar Govt. Arts College
* Mahendra Institutions
* AMS Engineering college
* Dr. Hanemann Homeopathy medical college

## Transport

The village is situated 10 km from Rasipuram with several buses round the clock. Buses are found frequently to Salem, Nammakal, Erode and villages around here.

Nearby railway junction is Rasipuram.

## InfoBox

| Vadugam Thoppanayanapatti | |
| --- | --- |
| village | |
| VadugamLocation in Tamil Nadu, India | |
| Coordinates: 11°29′28″N 78°14′49″E / 11.491022°N 78.2469°E / 11.491022; 78.2469 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Namakkal |
| Elevation | 246 m (807 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| Total | 3,000 |
| Languages | |
| Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 637407 |
| Sex ratio | 100:191 / |


title: Svanhild Salberg

abstract: Svanhild Salberg was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. Hailing from Skatval, she was a prolific contributor to the local revue scene. She was a member of the municipal council and Nord-Trøndelag county council. She served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Nord-Trøndelag during the terms 1977–1981 and 1981–1985. In total, she met during 83 days of parliamentary session.

text:
# Svanhild Salberg

**Svanhild Salberg** (3 July 1932 – 27 June 2019) was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. Hailing from Skatval, she was a prolific contributor to the local revue scene. She was a member of the municipal council and Nord-Trøndelag county council.

She served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Nord-Trøndelag during the terms 19771981 and 19811985. In total, she met during 83 days of parliamentary session.


abstract: Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X is a black-and-white 1944 war film about the heroic crew of an American aircraft carrier in the desperate early days of World War II in the Pacific theater, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Don Ameche, Dana Andrews and William Eythe. It was nominated for the 1944 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film title Wing and a Prayer was borrowed from a number one hit song in 1943, "Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer". In a bit of studio self-promotion, the carrier crew watches another 20th Century Fox picture, Tin Pan Alley (1940), during the film.

text:
# Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X

***Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X*** (also known as ***Queen of the Flat Tops***  and ***Torpedo Squadron Eight***) is a black-and-white 1944 war film about the heroic crew of an American aircraft carrier in the desperate early days of World War II in the Pacific theater, directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Don Ameche, Dana Andrews and William Eythe. It was nominated for the 1944 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

The film title *Wing and a Prayer* was borrowed from a number one hit song in 1943, "Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer". In a bit of studio self-promotion, the carrier crew watches another 20th Century Fox picture, *Tin Pan Alley* (1940), during the film.

## Plot

In the days just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American people are asking "Where is our navy? Why doesn't it fight?" Gravely weakened by the disaster, the US Navy comes up with a plan to trap the Japanese by using one carrier to imitate a fleet in order to deceive the Japanese Navy into heading for Midway, where they will be attacked. Meanwhile, on the carrier charged with the mission ("Carrier X"), flight commander Bingo Harper is in charge of the bomber crews that shouldered the burden in the desperate early days of the war. He is tough and sticks to the rules, while his young pilots behave more like youngsters and do not always understand his thinking.

A new squadron led by Lieutenant Commander Edward Moulton is assigned to the carrier. From the first landing, Harper notices a careless and inexperienced attitude by ex-Hollywood Academy Award–winning star, Ensign Hallam "Oscar" Scott. Harper warns Moulton that the squadron's safety cannot be jeopardized and any repeat of the sloppiness will not be tolerated. Moulton does his best with his men, but is far from having absolute control. During a bombing run, Ensign Breinard drops a bomb close to the carrier and Harper grounds him. After winning the Navy Cross for actions at Coral Sea, Ensign Cunningham fails to follow the correct takeoff procedure and ditches his aircraft into the sea: Harper forbids him to fly again. Later, Cunningham saves the ship in a suicide attack on a torpedo from a Japanese aircraft.

In the meantime, a message is received from Navy headquarters. The carrier is ordered to travel deep into enemy waters, near the Solomon Islands, and make its presence known in order to deceive the Japanese about American fleet dispositions and intentions. However, they are under strict orders not to fight. When Moulton's bombers encounter some Japanese aircraft, they follow orders and retreat, but two aircraft are lost. Not knowing the plan, the pilots are furious. This is repeated several times in other widely-separated locations, driving the aviators to the brink of rebellion. The carrier, however, accomplishes its mission as the Japanese believe that the sightings are of different American carriers, not just one.

Finally, the long-prepared trap is sprung. Deceived into believing that the American carriers are scattered across the Pacific, the Japanese are taken by surprise when the concentrated American fleet attacks their carriers. Many pilots are lost, but the Americans win a great victory. However, the last bomber, flown by Scott and very low on fuel, has trouble finding their carrier, which is concealed below low clouds. Moulton begs Harper to break radio silence or turn on the searchlights to guide him in, but Harper refuses to risk betraying the carrier's location to any Japanese submarines that may be lurking nearby. Eventually, Scott's aircraft is heard crashing into the water when it runs out of fuel. Moulton and Harper quarrel, but in a few minutes, it is reported that Scott has been picked up by a destroyer. Harper gives his men an explanation of his reasoning when giving orders which may mean sacrificing a few for the success of the mission.

## Cast

## Historical accuracy

*Wing and a Prayer ...* loosely portrays actual historic events related mainly with the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. The scenario is, however, intentionally changed to justify the initial defensive rather than offensive posture of a US Navy reeling from the early Japanese victories in 1942. The Battle of the Coral Sea is justified as a calculated plot to deceive the Japanese into believing that the U.S. fleet was scattered and vulnerable, while the Battle of Midway is depicted as the eventual springing of this carefully laid trap which thereby caught the enemy at a disadvantage.

## Production

*Wing and a Prayer* was based on Stanley Johnston’s *Queen of the Flat Tops* (1942), a book that 20th Century Fox tried to buy but the rights were not obtained. After a legal tangle, the studio dropped its plans to buy rights but Johnson sued and won a settlement in 1946.

Although some scenes were shot in studio back lots, and water tank, the carrier is the USS *Yorktown*, a typical *Essex* class, with filming by 20th Century Fox permitted by the US Navy during her shakedown cruise in 1943. The US Navy exacted control over the *Wing and a Prayer* to the extent that the film was a "semi-official" production.

The aircraft used in the *Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X* were mainly Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers. These were contemporary with US Navy carrier aircraft designs during 1943 and 1944 rather than 1942 when the film is set. In a few scenes, Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers appear which would have been accurate for 1942.

Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters play the part of Japanese "Zero" fighters in the film. A Curtiss-Wright CW-22 also makes a very brief appearance as a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. The action on the carrier deck is convincing as well as the character of the pilots. Real footage is mixed with action shot on the carrier. For some scenes, scale models were also utilized.

## Reception

Film critic Thomas M. Pryor reviewed *Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X* for *The New York Times*. He commented: "at once a sobering reminder of the perilous conditions under which the American Navy sailed the vast Pacific in the months immediately following Pearl Harbor and a first-rate piece of movie-making to boot."

### Notes

### Citations

1. Solomon 2002 p. 220.
2. "Review: 'Wing and a Prayer'." *Variety*, July 19, 1944, p. 13.
3. "Review: 'Wing and a Prayer'." *Harrison's Reports*, July 22, 1944, p. 118.
4. "Song: 'Wing and a Prayer'." *phrases.org*. Retrieved: October 13, 2010.
5. Orriss 1984, pp. 89–90.
6. Paris 1995, p. 161.
7. Pendo 1985, p. 211.
8. Guttman, Robert. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver: The last dive bomber." *HistoryNet*. Retrieved: March 28, 2017.
9. Orriss 1984, p. 90.
10. Beck 2016, p. 217.
11. Orriss 1984, p. 91.
12. Pryor, Thomas M. as T.M.P. "At the Globe and Gotham." *The New York Times*, August 31, 1944. Retrieved: March 28, 2017.

### Bibliography

* Beck, Simon D. *The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion*. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4766-2293-4.
* Orriss, Bruce. *When Hollywood Ruled the Skies: The Aviation Film Classics of World War II*. Hawthorne, California: Aero Associates Inc., 1984. ISBN 0-9613088-0-X.
* Paris, Michael. *From the Wright Brothers to Top Gun: Aviation, Nationalism, and Popular Cinema.* Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-7190-4074-0.
* Pendo, Stephen. *Aviation in the Cinema*. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1985. ISBN 0-8-1081-746-2.
* Solomon, Aubrey. *Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History*. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.

## InfoBox

| Wing and a Prayer, The Story of Carrier X | |
| --- | --- |
| 1944 theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Henry Hathaway |
| Written by | Jerome Cady |
| Produced by |  |
| Starring |  |
| Cinematography | Glen MacWilliams |
| Edited by | J. Watson Webb Jr. |
| Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
| Production<br>company | Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date | * July 24, 1944 (1944-07-24) |
| Running time | 97 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,250,000 |


title: Tollense

abstract: The Tollense is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany, right tributary of the Peene. It has a total length of 95.8 km. The upper course begins near a small lake named Mürzsee, near the village of Blumenholz. A part of it is traditionally called Ziemenbach, flowing to lake Lieps. From this lake to Lake Tollense (Tollensesee) it is nowadays called Liepskanal. The section from Lake Tollense to the junction with Peene river near Demmin has a length of 68 km. At this junction, the discharge and basin of Tollense is larger than the discharge and upstream basin of Peene river. The first kilometer of the outflow in Neubrandenburg is called Oberbach. Afterwards, it is reached by two major tributaries, Linde river from the east and Malliner Wasser from the west. The middling section of Tollense river is joined to Zarow river by three different Pseudo-bifurcations.

text:
# Tollense

The **Tollense** (German pronunciation: \[tɔˈlɛnzə\], from Slavic *dolenica* "lowland, (flat) valley") is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany, right tributary of the Peene. It has a total length of 95.8 km.

The upper course begins near a small lake named *Mürzsee*, near the village of Blumenholz. A part of it is traditionally called Ziemenbach, flowing to lake Lieps. From this lake to Lake Tollense (*Tollensesee*) it is nowadays called *Liepskanal*. The section from Lake Tollense to the junction with Peene river near Demmin has a length of 68 km. At this junction, the discharge and basin of Tollense is larger than the discharge and upstream basin of Peene river.

The first kilometer of the outflow in Neubrandenburg is called *Oberbach*. Afterwards, it is reached by two major tributaries, Linde river from the east and Malliner Wasser from the west. The middling section of Tollense river is joined to Zarow river by three different Pseudo-bifurcations.

## Tollense battle site

Human remains from the Bronze Age have been found in the Tollense valley (*Tollensetal*) since 1997 AD and excavated since 2007. Thousands of bone fragments belonging to a very large number of persons have since been discovered along with further corroborating evidence of battle; current estimates indicate that perhaps 4,000 warriors took part in a battle on the site circa 1250 BC. These findings were possible due to the preservation of the former fen ground and the fact that the Tollense has never really changed its course. Since the population density then was about 5 people per square kilometer, this would have been the most significant battle in Bronze Age period Germany yet to be discovered. Moreover, the Tollense valley is so far the largest excavated battle site of this age anywhere in the world. Further investigation of the site took place between 2010 and 2015. The vast scale of the battle indicates there were organized battles occurring in Bronze Age northern Europe with trained warriors and workers providing food to the warriors, which allowed the warriors to train full-time. Since writing would not reach Northern Europe for another millennia and a half, there are no records of the battle.

## InfoBox

| Tollense | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Location | |
| Country | Germany |
| State | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
| Physical characteristics | |
|  | |
| Source |  |
| location | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
|  | |
| Mouth |  |
| location | Demmin |
| coordinates | 53°53′57″N 13°1′57″E / 53.89917°N 13.03250°E / 53.89917; 13.03250 |
| Length | 95.81 km (59.53 mi) |
| Basin size | 1,799 km (1,118 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | PeeneBaltic Sea |


title: Zalesie, Gmina Świątniki Górne

abstract: Zalesie is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Świątniki Górne, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) east of Świątniki Górne and 15 km (9 mi) south of the regional capital Kraków.

text:
# Zalesie, Gmina Świątniki Górne

**Zalesie** \[zaˈlɛɕɛ\] is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Świątniki Górne, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately 4 kilometres (2 mi) east of Świątniki Górne and 15 km (9 mi) south of the regional capital Kraków.

## InfoBox

| Zalesie | |
| --- | --- |
| Settlement | |
| Zalesie | |
| Coordinates: 49°56′18″N 20°0′17″E / 49.93833°N 20.00472°E / 49.93833; 20.00472 | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Lesser Poland |
| County | Kraków |
| Gmina | Świątniki Górne |


title: William Young (Medal of Honor)

abstract:
William Young was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Born in about 1835 in New York, Young joined the navy from that state. He served during the civil war as a boatswain's mate on the USS Cayuga. In Louisiana on April 24–25, 1862, the ship led a Union fleet up the Mississippi River past two Confederate forts, Jackson and St. Philip, which guarded the approach to New Orleans. Young manned a Parrott gun throughout the battle despite heavy fire from Confederate ships and the two forts. Successfully passing the forts, the Union force went on to capture New Orleans. For his part in this action, Young was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on April 3, 1863. Young's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
On board the U.S.S. Cayuga during the capture of Forts St. Philip and Jackson and the taking of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862. As his ship led the advance column toward the barrier and both forts opened fire simultaneously, striking the vessel from stem to stern, Young calmly manned a Parrot gun throughout the action in which attempts by three rebel steamers to butt and board were thwarted and the ships driven off or captured, 11 gunboats were successfully engaged and garrisons forced to surrender. During the battle, the Cayuga sustained 46 hits.

text:
# William Young (Medal of Honor)

**William Young** (c. 1835 – December 26, 1878) was a Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip.

Born in about 1835 in New York, Young joined the navy from that state. He served during the civil war as a boatswain's mate on the USS *Cayuga*. In Louisiana on April 24–25, 1862, the ship led a Union fleet up the Mississippi River past two Confederate forts, Jackson and St. Philip, which guarded the approach to New Orleans. Young manned a Parrott gun throughout the battle despite heavy fire from Confederate ships and the two forts. Successfully passing the forts, the Union force went on to capture New Orleans. For his part in this action, Young was awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on April 3, 1863.

Young's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

> On board the U.S.S. *Cayuga* during the capture of Forts St. Philip and Jackson and the taking of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862. As his ship led the advance column toward the barrier and both forts opened fire simultaneously, striking the vessel from stem to stern, Young calmly manned a Parrot gun throughout the action in which attempts by three rebel steamers to butt and board were thwarted and the ships driven off or captured, 11 gunboats were successfully engaged and garrisons forced to surrender. During the battle, the *Cayuga* sustained 46 hits.

## InfoBox

| William Young | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Born | c. 1835
New York |
| Died | 1878
Erie, Pennsylvania |
| Place of burial | Erie Cemetery, Section 16 |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Rank | Boatswain's Mate |
| Unit | USS *Cayuga* |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War
Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |


title: Wilshire 4500

abstract: The Wilshire 4500 Completion Index, more commonly the Wilshire 4500, is a capitalization-weighted index of all stocks actively traded in the United States with the exception of the stocks included in the S&P 500 index. The index is created by removing the stocks in the S&P 500 Index from the Wilshire 5000. Many managers of small-cap and mid-cap funds use the Wilshire 4500 as a performance benchmark. The Thrift Savings Plan's small-cap fund used this index, although it now tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion Total Stock Market Index.

text:
# Wilshire 4500

The **Wilshire 4500 Completion Index**, more commonly the **Wilshire 4500**, is a capitalization-weighted index of all stocks actively traded in the United States with the exception of the stocks included in the S&P 500 index. The index is created by removing the stocks in the S&P 500 Index from the Wilshire 5000.

Many managers of small-cap and mid-cap funds use the Wilshire 4500 as a performance benchmark. The Thrift Savings Plan's small-cap fund used this index, although it now tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion Total Stock Market Index.