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Wimbledon Championships

Wimbledon championships

The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly refered as simply Wimbledon, is the oldest and, arguably, most prestigious event in the sport of tennis. Held every June or July, the tournament is the third Grand Slam event played each year, preceded by the Australian Open and the French Open, and followed by the U.S. Open. The tournament (which is the only one of the Grand Slam events played on grass courts) lasts for a fortnight, subject to extensions for rain. Separate tournaments are simultaneously held for Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Youth tournaments - Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles and Girls' Doubles - are also held. Additionally, special invitational tournaments are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 45 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 35 and over Ladies' Doubles and wheelchair doubles.

History

wheelchair doubles The Championships were first played under the control of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1877 at a ground near Worple Road, Wimbledon; the only event held was Gentlemen's Singles. In 1884, the All England Club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles. Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913. The Championships moved to their present location, at a ground near Church Road, in 1922. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. Britons are very proud of the tournament but it is a source of national anguish and humour—no British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, and no British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977.

Events

There are five main events held at Wimbledon: Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. In addition, four events are held for juniors: Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles, and Girls' Doubles. (The Mixed Doubles event is not held at the junior level.) Finally, four invitational events are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 45 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles, and the Wheelchair Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles. Matches in the Gentlemen's Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles competitions are best-of-five sets; matches in all other events are best-of-three sets. Most events are single-elimination tournaments; in other words, a player who loses a single match is immediately eliminated from the tournament. However, the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles and the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles are both round-robin tournaments. Each year, the tournament begins six weeks before the first Monday in August. It is held two weeks after the Queen's Club Championships, which is considered the major warm-up for Wimbledon for male players. Another important warm-up tournament for the men is the Gerry Weber Open, which is held in Halle, Germany at about the same time as the Queen's Club Championships. Wimbledon usually lasts for two weeks; the main events span both weeks, but the junior and invitational events are for the most part held during the second week. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday," which is considered a rest day. However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday thrice in Championships history: in 1991, 1997, and 2004. On each of these occasions, Wimbledon has staged a "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets.

Players and seeding

A total of 128 players feature in each singles event, 64 pairs in each single-sex doubles event, and 48 pairs in Mixed Doubles. Players and doubles pairs are admitted to the main events on the basis of their international rankings. The Committee of Management and the Referee evaluate all applications for entry, and determine which players may be admitted to the tournament directly. The committee may admit a player without a high enough ranking as a "wild card." Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments, or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. The only wild card to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship was Goran Ivanisevic (2001); no wild card has ever won the Ladies' Singles Title. Players and pairs who neither have high enough rankings nor receive wild cards may participate in a qualifying tournament held one week before Wimbledon at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton. The singles qualifying competitions are three-round events; the same-sex doubles competitions last for only one round. There is no qualifying tournament for Mixed Doubles. No qualifier has won either the Gentlemen's Singles or the Ladies' Singles tournaments; in 1977, John McEnroe went farther than any other qualifier in history by reaching the semifinals. Players are admitted to the junior tournaments upon the recommendations of their national tennis associations, and, in the case of the singles events, on the basis of a qualifying competition. The Committee of Management determines which players may enter the four invitational events. The Committee seeds the top players and pairs (thirty-two players in each main singles events, and sixteen pairs in each main doubles event) on the basis of their rankings. The defending champion is normally, but not always, seeded first. A majority of the entrants are unseeded. Only two unseeded players have ever won the Gentlemen's Singles Championship: Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. No unseeded player has captured the Ladies' Singles title; the lowest seeded female champion was Venus Williams, who won in 2005 as the fourteenth seed. Unseeded pairs have won the doubles titles on numerous occasions; the 2005 Gentlemen's Doubles champions were not only unseeded, but also (for the first time ever) qualifiers.

Grounds

2005 The nineteen courts used for Wimbledon are all composed purely of rye grass. The speed and the low bounce of grass courts favours serve and volley players. Serve and volleyers such as Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras have all won the Championships. However, baseliners such as Björn Borg have also performed very well, as have all-court players like Roger Federer. Among women, the serve and volley strategy is less common; one of the few female serve and volleyers, Martina Navrátilová, won Wimbledon on a record nine occasions. The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are used only for two weeks a year, during the Championships. The remaining seventeen courts, however, are regularly used for other events hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. At one time, all of the other Grand Slam events were played on grass. The French Open abandoned grass for its current red clay in 1928, while the U.S. and Australian Opens stayed with grass decades longer. The U.S. Open abandoned grass for a synthetic clay surface in 1975, and changed again to a hard surface with its 1978 move to its current venue. The Australian Open abandoned grass for a different type of hard surface in 1988. The main court, Centre Court, was opened in 1922 when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved from Worple Road to Church Road. Due to possibility of rain during Wimbledon, a retractable roof is planned for the court; it is expected to be completed in 2009. The court has a capacity of almost 14,000; at its south end is the Royal Box, from which members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries watch matches. Centre Court usually hosts the finals and semifinals of the main events, as well as many matches in the earlier rounds involving top-seeded players. The second most important court is No. 1 Court. The court was constructed in 1997 to replace the old No. 1 Court, which was adjacent to Centre Court, but was demolished because its capacity for spectators was too low. The original No. 1 Court was said to have a unique, more intimate atmosphere, and was a favourite of many players. The new No. 1 Court has a capacity of approximately 11,000. The third-largest court, No. 2 Court, has been dubbed the "Graveyard of Champions" due to its reputation as the court on which many seeded players have been eliminated during the early rounds. Famous players who have lost on the Graveyard during early round play include John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, and Serena Williams. The court has a capacity of about 3,000. At the northern end of the grounds is a giant television screen on which important matches are broadcast. Fans watch from an area of grass officially known as Aorangi Park, but more commonly called Henman Hill. The "hill" takes its name from local favourite Tim Henman, whom many fans hope will become the first British man to win the tournament since Fred Perry did so in 1936. Due to Tim Henman's early exit and British newcomer Andy Murray's relative success in the 2005 Championship, the hill may be renamed as Murray Mound, Mount Murray, or Murray Field (after the Scottish rugby stadium).

Traditions

Scottish rugby stadium Scottish rugby stadium Dark green and purple are the traditional Wimbledon colours. Green apparel is worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys, and ball girls. The All England Club requires players to wear "predominantly white" clothing during matches. No other Grand Slam tournament has such a strict dress code for players. During matches, female players are always referred to with the title "Miss" or "Mrs". (Formerly, married female players were referred to by their husband's names: for example, Chris Evert-Lloyd appeared on scoreboards as "Mrs. J. M. Lloyd" during her marriage to John M. Lloyd. However, this custom has been abandoned.) On the other hand, the title "Mr" is never used for male players. Previously, players bowed or curtsied to members of the Royal Family seated in the Royal Box upon entering or leaving Centre Court. In 2003, however, the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, decided to discontinue the tradition. Now, players are required to bow or curtsy only if the Queen or the Prince of Wales is present. For the spectators, strawberries and cream is the traditional snack at Wimbledon. Approximately 28,000 kilograms of strawberries and 7,000 litres of cream are sold each year during the Championships.

Trophies and prize money

The Gentlemen's Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup 18.5 inches (about 47 cm) in height and 7.5 inches (about 19 cm) in diameter. The trophy has been awarded since 1887. It bears the inscription "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World." The Ladies' Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish," or simply the "Rosewater Dish." The salver, which is 18.75 inches (about 48 cm) in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology. The winners of the Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events receive silver cups. The runner-up in each event receives an inscribed silver plate. The trophies are usually presented by the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, and by his wife, HRH The Duchess of Kent. At Wimbledon, more prize money is awarded in the Gentlemen's events than in the Ladies' events. The French Open also offers higher prize money for men, but the Australian Open and the U.S. Open provide parity. The sums awarded to the winners of each of the main events in 2005 are as follows (the amounts shown for the doubles events are per pair):
- Gentlemen's Singles: £630,000
- Ladies' Singles: £600,000
- Gentlemen's Doubles: £218,500
- Ladies' Doubles: £203,250
- Mixed Doubles: £90,000

Champions

See: List of Wimbledon champions
- Men's Singles
- Women's Singles
- Men's Doubles
- Women's Doubles
- Mixed Doubles

- Last British men's singles champion: Fred Perry (1936)
- Last British women's singles champion: Virginia Wade (1977)

Records

External links

;Official websites :
- [http://www.wimbledon.org Wimbledon] ;General Wimbledon information :
- BBC Sports: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wimbledon Wimbledon Tennis] :
- Wimbledondraw.com: [http://www.wimbledondraw.com Wimbledon Tennis Tournament] :
- Wimbledontennis.co.uk [http://www.wimbledontennis.co.uk Wimbledon Tennis Resources] Wimbledon Wimbledon Wimbledon ja:ウィンブルドン選手権 th:การแข่งขันเทนนิสวิมเบิลดัน

June

June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. At the start of June, the sun rises in the constellation of Taurus; at the end of June, the sun rises in the constellation of Gemini. However, due to the precession of the equinoxes, June begins with the sun in the astrological sign of Gemini, ends with the sun in the astrological sign of Cancer.

Events in June

- The first Monday in June is one of the public holidays in the Republic of Ireland; in the Irish Calendar the month is called Meitheamh and is the middle month of the Summer season.
- The solstice called the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 20 June to 22 June (in UTC). In the pagan wheel of the year the summer solstice is the time of Litha and the winter solstice is that of Yule.
- Midsummer is celebrated in Sweden on the third Friday in June.
- Father's Day is celebrated in Belgium on the second Sunday in June. In the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland and Canada it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.
- Gay pride celebrations take place in many countries in honor of the Stonewall riots.
- The majority of the Portland Rose Festival occurs.
- St Jean Baptiste Day is celebrated on June 24 and is considered an important national holiday in Quebec.
- June Dairy Month is a month long celebration of Wisconsin's proud dairy heritage and quality dairy products. dairy rtyertyrt

Trivia

- No other month begins on the same day of the week as June.
- June's flower is the rose.
- June's birthstone is the pearl and Alexandrite.

External links

- [http://www.astro.uu.nl/~strous/AA/en/antwoorden/seizoenen.html Astronomy Answers article on the seasons] Category:Months ko:6월 ms:Jun ja:6月 simple:June th:มิถุนายน

July

July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. July begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Cancer and ends in the sign of Leo. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Gemini and ends in the constellation of Cancer. July was renamed for Julius Caesar; previously, it was called Quintilis in Latin, since it was the fifth month in the Roman calendar which started in March. It also was named because it was the month that Caesar was born. Because of its origin, until the 18th century this month's name was pronounced the same way as the name "Julie". In old Japanese calendar, the month is called fumi zuki (文月). In the pagan wheel of the year July ends at or near to Lughnasadh in the northern hemisphere and Imbolc in the southern hemisphere. Imbolc

Other names

- In the Irish Calendar the month is called Iúil and is the third and last month of the Summer season.
- In Finnish, the month is called heinäkuu, meaning "month of hay".

Trivia

- July begins on the same day of the week as April every year and also January in leap years.
- July's flower is the water lily.
- July's birthstone is the ruby.

Grand Slam in tennis

In tennis, a singles player or doubles team is said to have achieved the Grand Slam if they succeed in winning all four of the following championship titles in the same year:
- Australian Open
- French Open
- Wimbledon
- US Open These tournaments are therefore also known as the Grand Slam tournaments. They rank as the most important tennis tournaments of the year in the public mind, as well as in terms of world ranking points and prize-money awarded. The titles are known as Grand Slam titles.

History

The term Grand Slam was first used in 1933, by the American journalist John Kieran. In describing the attempt that year by Jack Crawford to win all four titles, he compared it with "a countered and vulnerable grand slam in bridge". Kieran singled out these four titles as being the biggest in tennis because, at the time, they were the main international championships held in the only four countries who had won the Davis Cup. Crawford failed to achieve the Grand Slam that year as he lost in the US Championships final to Fred Perry. It wasn't until 1938 that Donald Budge became the first person to achieve the Grand Slam. The expression Grand Slam, initially used to describe the winning of the tennis major events, was later incorporated by other sports, notably golf, to describe a similar accomplishment.

Winners

True Grand Slam

Singles

- Don Budge (1938)
- Maureen Connolly (1953)
- Rod Laver (1962)
- Rod Laver (1969)
- Margaret Smith Court (1970)
- Steffi Graf (1988) (also the Olympic Gold medal, thus winning a Golden Slam)

Doubles

- Frank Sedgman & Ken McGregor (1951)
- Margaret Smith & Ken Fletcher (1963)
- Martina Navratilova & Pam Shriver (1984) Additionally, three players won all four Doubles Grand Slam titles, but switched partners after the Australian Open:
- Maria Bueno (1960), with Christine Truman then Darlene Hard.
- Owen Davidson (1967), with Lesley Turner then Billie Jean King.
- Martina Hingis (1998), with Mirjana Lucic then Jana Novotna. Margaret Smith also won one more Doubles Grand Slam, switching partners twice:
- Margaret Smith (1965), with John Newcombe, then Ken Fletcher and finally, Fred Stolle. The only winner of the Grand Slam (all four tournaments in the same calendar year) in Junior singles is:
- Stefan Edberg (1983)

Four consecutive Grand Slam titles

Though the term was originally restricted to the winning of all four tournaments in the same calendar year, it is now sometimes used for holding all four titles simultaneously, regardless of the calendar. During an interview with Serena Williams at the U.S. Open, after she had won the title, an interviewer coined the term "Serena Slam" for this achievement. Serena did indeed succeed in winning this honour, but counter to Martina Navratilova before her, she had to leave it at four titles. Winners of all four Grand Slam tournaments consecutively, but not in a single calendar year: Singles:
- Martina Navratilova (1983-84) (six consecutive tournaments)
- Note: The Australian Open was held in December from 1977 through 1985, returning to its original January date in 1987. Her streak was Wimbledon, US, and Australian in 1983, followed by French, Wimbledon, and US in 1984.
- Steffi Graf (1993-94) Note: Graf also holds a True Grand Slam in 1988.
- Serena Williams (2002-03) Doubles:
- Gigi Fernandez & Natasha Zvereva (1992-93) (six consecutive titles from French Open '92 to Wimbledon '93.)

Career Grand Slam

Winning all four Grand Slam tournaments non-consecutively is described as a "career Grand Slam."

Singles

Players who won all four Grand Slam tournaments but not in a row include (age between square brackets):
- Fred Perry (1933-34-35) [26]
- Doris Hart (1949-50-51-54) [29]
- Shirley Fry (1951-56-57) [30]
- Roy Emerson (1961-63-64) [28]
- Billie Jean King (1966-67-68-72) [29]
- Chris Evert (1974-75-82) [28]
- Andre Agassi (1992-94-95-99) [29] Especially in the men's game, a number of dominant players of their eras have failed to achieve the Career Grand Slam because of their inability to win a particular tournament, usually due to that tournament being ill-suited to the player's game. John Newcombe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras all failed to win the French Open, while Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, and Mats Wilander all failed to win Wimbledon.

Doubles

Teams that have won a Career Grand Slam:
- Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde (1992-93-95-2000)
- Jacco Eltingh & Paul Haarhuis (1994-95-98)
- Serena Williams & Venus Williams (1999-2000-01) Players who won a Career Grand Slam in doubles:
- Shirley Fry (1950-51-57)
- Roy Emerson (1959-60-62)
- John Fitzgerald (1982-84-86-89)
- Anders Jarryd (1983-87-89)
- Helena Sukova (1989-90-93)
- Jana Novotna (1989-90-94)
- Jonas Bjorkman (1998-2002-03-05)

Mixed Doubles

Players who won a Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles:
- Frank Sedgman (1949-51)
- Billie Jean King (1967-68)
- Martina Navratilova (1974-85-2003)
- Todd Woodbridge (1990-92-93-94)
- Daniela Hantuchova (2001-02-05) Serena and Venus Williams won what could be called "Williams family Slam" in mixed doubles in 1998 when they held all 4 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

Golden Slam

The Golden Slam, or Golden Grand Slam, is winning all four Grand Slam tournaments, as well as the Gold medal in tennis at the Summer Olympics, in the same calendar year. The opportunities to do so have been rare, not just because the Summer Olympics are held only once every four years, but also because in between the games of 1924 and 1988, tennis was not a medal sport at the Games.

True Golden Slam

So far this feat has been achieved only once:
- Steffi Graf (1988)

Career Golden Slam

Winning all tournaments in a True Golden Slam, but non-consecutively:
- Players who won a Career Golden Slam:
- Andre Agassi (1992-94-95-96-99)
- Teams that won a Career Golden Slam:
- Serena Williams & Venus Williams (1999-2000-01)
- Gigi Fernandez won in the 1996 Olympics, partnering Mary Joe Fernandez. But won a career Grand Slam in Doubles partnering Natasha Zvereva

Small Slam

Players who have won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year, are sometimes said to have achieved a small slam.

Men

- Jack Crawford (1933)
- Fred Perry (1934)
- Tony Trabert (1955)
- Lew Hoad (1956)
- Ashley Cooper (1958)
- Roy Emerson (1964)
- Jimmy Connors (1974)
- Mats Wilander (1988)
- Roger Federer (2004) Juniors:
- Gael Monfils (2004)

Women

- Helen Wills Moody (1928, '29)
- Margaret Smith Court (1962, '65, '69, '73) - also winner of True Grand Slam
- Billie Jean King (1972)
- Martina Navratilova (1983, '84)
- Steffi Graf (1989, '93, '95, '96) - also winner of True Grand Slam
- Monica Seles (1991, '92)
- Martina Hingis (1997)
- Serena Williams (2002) - completed Serena Slam by winning the 2003 Australian Open title
The Career "Boxed Set"
Perhaps the greatest Grand Slam-related accomplishment imaginable is winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles in a calendar year—winning the singles, same-sex doubles, and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam events. Nobody has ever achieved this feat, but three women have completed the "boxed set" during their careers:
- Doris Hart
- Margaret Smith Court
- Martina Navratilova
See also

- List of Grand Slam Men's Singles champions
- List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions
- List of Grand Slam Men's Doubles champions
- List of Grand Slam Women's Doubles champions
- List of Grand Slam Mixed Doubles champions
- List of Grand Slam Junior's Singles champions
- Tennis statistics Category:Tennis ja:グランドスラム (テニス)

French Open

right The French Open, officially the Tournoi de Roland-Garros (English: Roland Garros Tournament), is a tennis event held from the middle of May to the beginning of June in Paris, France, and is the second of the world's Grand Slam tournaments. The French Open began as a national tournament in 1891. In 1925, the French Championships opened itself to international competitors with the event held on a grass surface alternatively between the Racing Club de France and the Stade Français. For the 1928 Davis Cup challenge, a new tennis stadium was built at Porte d’Auteuil. Named for a hero of World War I, the new Stade Roland Garros, and Court Philippe Chatrier, was built with a red clay (terre battue) playing surface, one which alters the ball's bounce and the player's approach to the match vis-à-vis grass courts. As such, over the years, clay court specialists have evolved who often succeed here whilst higher ranked players may struggle like the great champion Pete Sampras who won every other Grand Slam several times but never the French Open. On the female side of tennis, the French Open is the title that has prevented players such as Lindsay Davenport from achieving a career Grand Slam and in 1997, it was the only Grand Slam that a 16-year old Martina Hingis failed to win. In 1968 the French championship became the first Grand Slam tournament to go "open," allowing both amateurs and professionals to compete.

Trivia

Men's record holders for most wins since 1925:
- All competitions: Henri Cochet (France), 9 titles (4 singles, 3 doubles, 2 mixed doubles titles).
- Singles: Björn Borg (Sweden), 6.
- Consecutive singles titles: Björn Borg, 4.
- Doubles: Roy Emerson (Australia), 6. Ladies' record holders for most wins since 1925:
- All competitions: Margaret Smith Court (Australia), 13 (5 singles, 4 doubles, 4 mixed doubles titles)
- Singles: Chris Evert (USA), 7.
- Consecutive singles titles: Helen Wills Moody (USA), Hilde Sperling (Germany) and Monica Seles (Yugoslavia), 3.
- Doubles: Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia/USA), 7. Youngest Singles champions:
- Men: Michael Chang (1989): 17 yrs, 3 mos.
- Women: Monica Seles (1990): 16 yrs, 6 mos. Oldest Singles champions:
- Men: Andrés Gimeno (1972): 34 yrs, 10 mos.
- Women: Chris Evert (1986): 31 yrs, 5 mos. Other:
- Last French men's singles champion: Rafael Nadal (2005)
- Last French women's singles champion: Justine Henin-Hardenne (2005)
- Last Frenchman to win the men's singles: Yannick Noah (1983)
- Last Frenchwoman to win the women's singles: Mary Pierce (2000)

Champions

- Men's Singles
- Women's Singles
- Men's Doubles
- Women's Doubles
- Mixed Doubles

External links

- [http://www.rolandgarros.org Roland Garros official website]
- [http://roland-garros.france2.fr/ Roland Garros on France2] ja:全仏オープン

U.S. Open (tennis)

The United States Open tennis championships, commonly refered to as the U.S. Open or as simply the Open, is the fourth and final event of the Grand Slam in tennis. It is held annually in August/September and the main tournament consists of five championships: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for junior and senior players. Since 1978, the tournament has been held at the USTA National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York. The U.S. Open grew from an exclusive entertainment event for the high society to a $17 million prize money championship (~$1 million for winner of the singles tournament) for over 600 male and female professional players.

History

The U.S. Open originates from two separate tournaments: the men's tournament and the women's tournament. The event was first held in August 1881 and staged at the Newport Casino, Newport, Rhode Island (men's singles only). The championships were known as the U.S. National Singles Championship for men. Only clubs that were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association were permitted to enter. In 1900, U.S. National Men's Doubles Championship was held for the first time. Tournaments were held in the east and the west of the country in order to determine the best two teams (sectional winners). These would then compete in a play-off - the winner would play the defending champions in the challenge round. Six years after the men's nationals were held, the first official U.S. Women's National Singles Championship was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1887, followed by the U.S. Women's National Doubles Championship in 1889. The first U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship was held alongside the Women's Singles and Doubles. The Open Era began in 1968 when all five events were merged into the newly named U.S. Open at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. Notably, the 1968 combined tournament was opened to professionals; neither predecessor tournament allowed professionals to compete. That year 96 men and 63 women entered the event with prize money amounting to $100,000. In 1978, the event moved from Forest Hills to its current home at Flushing Meadows. The main court is located at the 23,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after Arthur Ashe, the great African American tennis player who won the inaugural U.S. Open in 1968. Ashe died in 1993 of AIDS, which he contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery. Court Number 2 is Louis Armstrong Stadium, which stood as the main stadium until the completion of Ashe stadium. The surfaces of all its courts are hard, so the U.S. Open always provides tennis at a very high speed. The US Open is also unique in that it is the only Grand Slam event where most of the courts are lighted, meaning that TV coverage of the tournament can extend into prime-time to attract more ratings. This has recently been used to the advantage of the USA Network on cable and especially for CBS, the American broadcast TV outlet for the Open for many years, who used their pull to move the women's singles final to Saturday night in order to draw better ratings. In 2005, All US Open and US Open Series Tennis courts were given blue inner courts and green outer courts to show uniformity, and to make it easier to see the ball. This change has been met with mixed reactions from both players and fans, many players saying that the ball is no easier to see with the blue courts.

Trivia

Men's record holders for most wins since 1925:
- All competitions:
- Singles:
- before 1968: Bill Larned; Bill Tilden; Richard Sears (USA), 7.
- since 1968: Jimmy Connors; Pete Sampras (USA), 5.
- Consecutive singles titles:
- before 1968: Richard Sears (USA), 7.
- since 1968: John McEnroe (USA); Ivan Lendl (CZE/USA), 3.
- Doubles: Ladies' record holders for most wins since 1887:
- All competitions:
- Singles:
- before 1968: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (USA), 8.
- since 1968: Chris Evert (USA), 7.
- Consecutive singles titles:
- before 1968: Molla Mallory; Helen Jacobs (USA), 4.
- since 1968: Chris Evert (USA), 4.
- Doubles:

- Last American men's singles champion: Andy Roddick (2003)
- Last American women's singles champion: Serena Williams (2002)

The U.S. Open Series

(The U.S. Open prize money of the Series' winners gets doubled.)
- 2004:
- Men: Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
- Women: Lindsay Davenport (USA)
- 2005:
- Men: Andy Roddick (USA)
- Women: Kim Clijsters (BEL)

Champions

- Men's Singles
- Women's Singles
- Men's Doubles
- Women's Doubles
- Mixed Doubles

External links

- [http://www.usopen.org/ Official Website]
- [http://www.tickets4concerts.com/event/901.html U.S. Open Tennis Tickets] ja:全米オープン (テニス)

Wheelchair Tennis

Wheelchair tennis is a sport for people with disabilities that is played on a regulation tennis court. All "pedestrian" variations of tennis are being played, i.e. same-sex doubles, mixed etc. The only rule that differs from non-wheelchair tennis is the one that concerns the number of bounces a ball may take before it must be played. In wheelchair tennis the ball may bounce up to two times, the second bounce may also occur outside of the field. This also holds true for service. Wheelchair tennis got started in the mid-70s thanks to the efforts of Brad Parks who is effectively the creator of competitive wheelchair tennis. Since then, a lot of effort has been put into the promotion of the sport in order to get rid of the therapy image that still clings to many sports for people with disabilities today. It has been a goal Paralympic sport since the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, but it wasn't until 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona that wheelchair tennis acquired the status of a full-fledged competition. The 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney have boosted public awareness immensely. Some of the most thrilling action of all the Paralympic Games could be seen especially in the last two rounds of the men's tournament where local hero David Hall beat Kai Schrameyer of Germany in the semifinal and went on to win the final against Texan Steve Welch. In the ITF men's rankings of January, 2004, Hall ranks first. The strongest woman is Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands.

External links

- [http://www.itfwheelchairtennis.com Wheelchair Tennis website from the ITF] Category:Disabled sports Category:Paralympic sports

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is based in Wimbledon in South London, at grid reference . It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, but is also a private members club. It was founded in 1868 as the All England Croquet Club and the then infant sport of tennis was added to its activities shortly afterwards. The first Championships were held in 1877, when it changed its name to The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. In 1882, croquet was dropped from the name, as tennis had become the main activity of the club. But in 1889, it was restored and the club's name became The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Initially a fun amateur event that occupied club members and their friends for a few days in each summer, the championships have now become far more prominent than the club itself. However, it still operates as a members tennis club, with all the courts except Centre Court and Number 1 court in use all year round. There are around 375 full members, 100 temporary playing members, and a number of honorary members, including past Wimbledon singles champions. The club also houses the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum, and it still has a croquet lawn, but it is too small for top level competitions. The club will be the venue for the tennis competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The club is planning to install a retractable roof on Centre Court by 2009.

External link

- [http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/about/club.html Club page on the Wimbledon Championships site] Category:Wimbledon Championships Category:Sport in London Category:2012 Summer Olympic venues Category:Tennis venues Category:Merton Category:Tennis in the United Kingdom

Wimbledon, London

Wimbledon (pronounced ) is a suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located seven miles (11.3 km) south west of Charing Cross. For most of the past one hundred years Wimbledon has been best known as the home of the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Name

The original meaning of the name is uncertain. The current spelling appears to have been settled on relatively recently in the early 19th century, the last in a long line of variations. The village is referred to as "Wimbedounyng" in a charter signed by King Edgar the Peaceful in 967 and is shown on J Cary's 1786 map of the London area as "Wimbleton".

History

Early history

Wimbledon has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age when the hill fort on Wimbledon Common is thought to have been constructed. The original centre of Wimbledon was at the top of the hill close to the common - the area now known locally as "the village". In 1087 when the Domesday Book was compiled, Wimbledon was part of the manor of Mortlake. The ownership of the manor of Wimbledon changed hands many times during its history. The manor was held by the church until 1398 when Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury fell out of favour with Richard II and was exiled. The manor was confiscated and became crown property.

16th century

The manor remained crown property until the reign of Henry VIII when it was granted briefly to Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex until Cromwell was executed in 1540 and the land was again confiscated. The manor was next held by Henry VIII's last wife and widow Catherine Parr until her death in 1548 when it again reverted to the monarch. In the 1550s, Henry's daughter, Mary I, granted the manor to Cardinal Reginald Pole who held it until his death in 1558 when it once again become royal property. Mary's sister, Elizabeth I held the property until 1574 when she gave the manor house (but not the manor) to Christopher Hatton who sold it in the same year to Sir Thomas Cecil, Earl of Exeter. The lands of the manor were given to the Cecil family in 1588 and a new manor house was constructed and gardens laid out in the formal Elizabethan style.

17th century

Wimbledon's convienent proximity to the capital was beginning to attract other wealthy families and in 1613 Robert Bell, Master of the Worshipful Company of Girdlers and a director of the British East India Company built Eagle House as a home at an easy distance from London. The Cecil family retained the manor for fifty years before it was bought by Charles I in 1638 for his Queen, Henrietta Maria. Following the King's execution in 1649, the manor pased rapidly through various parliamentarian ownerships including Leeds MP Adam Baynes and civil war general John Lambert but, following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, was back in the ownership of Henrietta Maria (now Charles I's widow and mother of the new King, Charles II). The Dowager Queen sold the manor in 1661 to George Digby, Earl of Bristol who employed John Evelyn to improve and update the landscape in accordance with the latest fashions including grottos and fountains. On his death in 1677 the manor was sold on again to the Lord High Treasurer, Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby.

18th century

The Osborne family sold the manor to Theodore Janssen in 1712. Janssen, a director of the The South Sea Company, began a new house to replace the Cecil-built manor house but, due to the spectacular collapse of the company, never finished it. The next owner was Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough who increased the land belonging to the manor and completed the construction of a house to replace Janssen's unfinished effort in 1735. On her death in 1744, the property passed to her grandson, John Spencer, and subsequently to the first Earl Spencer. The village continued to grow and the introduction in the 18th century of stagecoach services from the Dog and Fox public house made the journey to London routine, although not without the risk of being held-up by highwaymen such as Jerry Abershawe on the Portsmouth Road. The 1735 manor house burnt down in the 1780s and was replaced with Wimbledon Park House in 1801 by the second Earl. At this time the manor lands included Wimbledon Common (then called a heath) and the enclosed parkland around the manor house. The area of the park corresponded to the modern Wimbledon Park area, The house was situated to the east of St Mary's church. Wimbledon House, a separate residence close to the village at the south end of Parkside (near present day Peek Crescent), was home in the 1790s to the exiled French statesman Vicomte de Calonne, and later to the mother of writer Frederick Marryat. Their association with the area is recorded in the names of nearby Calonne and Marryat Roads. To the south of the common, the early 18th century Warren House (called Cannizaro House from 1841) was home to a series of grand residents.

19th century

The first decades of the 19th century were relatively quiet for Wimbledon, with a stable rural population coexisting alongside nobility and wealthy merchants from the city, but renewed upheaval came in 1838 when the opening of the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) brought a station to the south east of the village at the bottom of Wimbledon hill. The location of the station shifted the focus of the town's subsequent growth away from the original village centre. For a number of years Wimbledon Park was leased to the Duke of Somerset, who briefly in the 1820s employed a young Joseph Paxton as one of his gardeners, but, in the 1840s, the Spencer family sold the park as building land. A period of residential development began with the construction of large detached houses in the north of the park. In 1864 the Spencers attempted to get parliamentary permission to enclose the common for the creation of a new park with a house and gardens and to sell part for building. Following an enquiry, permission was refused and ownership of the common was transferred to a board of conservators for preservation in its natural condition. Transport links expanded further with new railway lines to Croydon (Wimbledon and Croydon Railway, opened in 1855) and Tooting (Tooting, Merton and Wimbledon Railway, opened in 1868). The Metropolitan District Railway (now London Underground's District Line) extended its service over new tracks from Putney in 1889. In the second half of the century Wimbledon experienced a very rapid expansion of its population. From a small base of just under 2,700 residents recorded in the 1851 census, the population grew by a minimum of 60 per cent each decade up to 1901 increasing fifteen-fold in fifty years. During this time large numbers of villas and terraced houses were built out along the roads from the centre towards neighbouring Putney, Merton Park and Raynes Park. The commercial and civic development of the town also accelerated during this period. Ely's department store opened in 1876 and shops began to stretch along the Broadway towards Merton. Wimbledon got its first police station in 1870, situated in Victoria Crescent. Cultural developments included a Literary Institute by the early 1860s and the opening of Wimbledon Library in 1887. The religious needs of the growing population were dealt with by a church building programme starting with the rebuilding of St Mary's Church in 1849 and the construction of Christ Church (1859) and Trinity Church (1862). The change of character of Wimbledon from village to small town was recognised in 1894 when it was classified under the Local Government Act as an Urban district to be administered by an elected council.

20th century

council Wimbledon's population continued to grow at the start of the 20th century, a condition recognised in 1905 when the status of the council was upgraded and the town was incorporated as a municipal borough with the power to select a Mayor. A civic coat-of-arms was granted the following year. The coat-of-arms incorporated heraldic elements associated with the history of the borough through the centuries. A black double headed eagle refers to the legend that Julius Caesar once made camp on the common, a sheaf of corn is borrowed from the arms of the Cecil family and the two Cornish Choughs above the crown are taken from the arms of Thomas Cromwell. The new borough took as its motto "Sine Labe Decus" meaning: "Honour without Stain". By the end of the first decade of the new century Wimbledon had established the beginnings of the Art School at the Gladstone Road Technical Institute and acquired its first cinema and the theatre. Somewhat unusually, at its opening the theatre's facilities included a Turkish baths. Following the First World War the council built itself a new red brick and Portland stone Town Hall next to the station on the corner of Queen's Road and Wimbledon Bridge. By the 1930s residential expansion had peaked in Wimbledon and the new focus for local growth had moved to neighbouring Morden which had remained rural until the arrival of the Underground at Morden station in 1926. Wimbledon station was rebuilt by Southern Railway with a simple Portland stone facade for the opening of a new railway branch line from Wimbledon to Sutton. The new line opened in 1930. Damage to housing stock in Wimbledon and other parts of London during the Second World War led to the final major building phase when many of the earlier Victorian houses built with large grounds in Wimbledon Park were sub-divided into apartments or demolished and replaced with apartment blocks. Other parts of Wimbledon Park which had previously escaped being built upon saw local authority estates constructed by the borough council to house some of those who had lost their homes. In 1965, a reorganisation of local government for London combined the Borough of Wimbledon with the Merton and Morden Urban District and the Borough of Mitcham into the London Borough of Merton. Initially, the new borough's administrative centre was at Wimbledon Town Hall but this moved to the fourteen storey Crown House in Morden in the early 1990s. 54 Wimbledon Parkside is home to the Papal Nuncio (ambassador) to Great Britain. During the 1970s and 1980s Wimbledon town centre struggled to compete commercially with the more developed centres at Kingston and Sutton. Part of the problem was the shortage of locations for large anchor stores to attract custom. After a number of years in which the council seemed unable to find a solution The Centre Court shopping centre was developed on land next to the station providing the much needed focus for retail expansion. The shopping centre incorporated the old town hall building.

Present day

As it was in the 16th and 17th century, Wimbledon's attraction remains its combination of convenient access to central London with the benefit of plentiful recreational facilities. Strong demand for homes, especially the larger properties in the Wimbledon Village and Wimbledon Park areas, has seen prices increase to amongst the highest in the outer London area. Wimbledon Village provides a good collection of quality bistros, restaurants and pubs and during the fortnight of the tennis championship the streets are crowded with visitors enjoying the facilites. The newly reopened New Wimbledon Theatre on the Broadway is also extremely popular throughout London, bringing in a large majority of West End productions.

Sport

Although now best known as the home of tennis, this was not the first sport to bring Wimbledon national fame.

Rifle shooting

In the 1860s, the newly formed National Rifle Association's held its first competition on Wimbledon Common. The association and the annual competition grew rapidly and by the early 1870s, rifle ranges were established on the common. In 1878 the competitions were lasting two weeks and attracting nearly 2,500 competitors, housed in temporary camps set up across the common. By the 1880s, however, the power and range of rifles had advanced to the extent that shooting in an increasingly populated area was no longer considered safe. The last meeting was held in 1889 before the NRA moved to Bisley in Surrey.

Tennis

In the 1870s, at the bottom of the hill on land between the railway line and Worple Road, the All-England Croquet Club had begun to hold its annual championships. But the popularity of croquet was waning as the new sport of lawn tennis began to spread and after initially setting aside just one of its lawns for tennis, the club decided to hold its first Lawn Tennis Championship in July 1877. By 1922, the popularity of tennis had grown to the extent that the club's small ground could no longer cope with the numbers of spectators and the renamed All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved to new grounds close to Wimbledon Park. Wimbledon historian Richard Milward recounts how King George V opened the new courts. "He gave three blows on a gong, the tarpaulins were removed, the first match started - and the rain came down..." The club's old grounds continue to be used as the sports ground for Wimbledon High School.

Football

Wimbledon has also been known for another brief period of sporting fame. From a small, long-established non-league team, Wimbledon Football Club had, starting in 1977, climbed quickly through the ranks of the football league structure, reaching the highest league in 1986 and winning the FA Cup against Liverpool in 1988. However, the close proximity of other more established teams such as Chelsea and Fulham and its small ground, meant that the club was never able to develop its fan base (and revenues) to the size needed for a top flight team. In 2000 the team was demoted from the top division of English football after just 14 years - the start of a rapid decline. Having already played their matches outside their home territory at Selhurst Park since 1991 when the Plough Lane ground was closed for safety reasons, the club moved 70 miles north to Milton Keynes in 2003. The team now plays under the name Milton Keynes Dons F.C.. As soon as The Football Association approved this move in May 2002, former Wimbledon FC supporters founded the semi-professional AFC Wimbledon, and support in Wimbledon overwhelmingly shifted to AFCW, who starting with their second season earned successive promotions to the First and Premier Divisions of the Isthmian League. As of May 2005 AFC Wimbledon completed the league and cup double for the second consecutive season.

Literature

In the world of literature, Wimbledon provides the principal setting for several comic novels by author Nigel Williams (including the best-selling The Wimbledon Poisoner and They Came from SW19) as well as for Elisabeth Beresford's series of children's stories about the Wombles. Wimbledon was also the site where the sixth Martian invasion cylinder landed in H.G. Wells' book The War of the Worlds and is mentioned briefly in his books, The Time Machine and When the Sleeper Wakes.

Famous residents past and present

- Lord Horatio Nelson
- Lord Baden-Powell - founder of the Scout movement; wrote Scouting for Boys while staying at the windmill on Wimbledon Common
- Raymond Briggs - cartoonist
- Joseph Bazalgette - civil engineer; his creation of the sewer network for central London eliminated the incidence of cholera epidemics
- Richard Briers - actor
- Duke & Duchess of Cannizaro
- William Congreve - inventor
- Annette Crosbie - actress
- Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville - Home Secretary and Secretary of State for War to William Pitt the Younger (who spent a lot of his time in Wimbledon himself)
- Hugh Dowding - commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain.
- Ford Madox Ford - novelist
- John William Godward - painter
- Robert Graves - poet
- Thomas Hughes - author of Tom Brown's Schooldays which was written in Wimbledon
- Don Lang - Britain's answer to Bill Haley; with his band, a mainstay of Britain's first television rock and roll programme Six-Five Special
- Frederick Marryat - novelist
- Charles Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham - Lord Chancellor
- Oliver Reed - actor
- Ralph Tubbs - architect; his buildings include the Dome of Discovery and Charing Cross Hospital
- June Whitfield - actress
- William Wilberforce - 19th century anti-slavery campaigner

Nearest places

- Merton Park
- Morden
- South Wimbledon
- Tooting
- Roehampton
- Mitcham
- Putney Nearest railway stations:
- Wimbledon station
- Wimbledon Chase railway station
- Raynes Park railway station Nearest Underground stations:
- Wimbledon
- Wimbledon Park
- South Wimbledon
- Wimbledon is also on the Tramlink

References

- Milward, Richard (1989). Historic Wimbledon, Caesar's Camp to Centre Court. The Windrush Press and Fielders of Wimbledon. ISBN 0-900075-16-3

External links

- [http://www.merton.gov.uk London Borough of Merton]
- Showing Wimbledon Village the station and Wimbledon Park House, Wimbledon House and Cannizaro House
- [http://www.afcwimbledon.co.uk AFC Wimbledon official site]
- [http://www.8thwimbledon.org/ 8th Wimbledon Scout Group]
- [http://www.wimbledonvisitor.com Complete Guide to Wimbledon]
- [http://www.whsa.co.uk/ WHSA - Wimbledon High School Parents Association] Category:Districts of London Category:Merton

1884

1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar).

Events

- January 4 - The Fabian Society is founded in London.
- January 18 - Dr William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Jesus Christ Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the UK.
- February 1 - Edition one of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.
- March 13 - The siege of Khartoum, Sudan begins (ends on January 26, 1885).
- April 22 - Colchester earthquake, England; the UK's most destructive.
- May 1 - the first proclamation of eight-hour workday by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States. May 1st, called May Day or Labour Day, is now a holiday recognized in almost every industrialized country.
- July 5 - Germany takes possession of Cameroon.
- August 5 - The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor.
- August 10 - A severe earthquake, magnitude 5.5, (intensity VII) occurs off the northeast Atlantic coast. The area affected extends from central Virginia to southern Maine, and west as far as Cleveland.
- October - International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. fixes the Greenwich meridian as the world's prime meridian.
- October 6 - United States Naval War College established in Newport, Rhode Island.
- October 18 - University of Wales, Bangor (UK) founded.
- October 22 - The first woman recieves a degree from an Irish university. The degree is granted by the Royal University of Ireland.
- November 1 - The Irish Gaelic Athletic Association is founded in Thurles, Ireland.
- November 2 - Timisoara is the first town of Europe with streets illuminated by electric light.
- November 4 - U.S. presidential election: Democrat Grover Cleveland defeats Republican James G. Blaine in a very close contest to win the first of his non-consecutive terms.
- November 15 - The Berlin Conference which regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa begins (ends February 26, 1885).
- November 25 - British surgeon John Dooglee makes the first successful removal of a brain tumor.
- December 1 - American Old West - Near Frisco, New Mexico (now Reserve, New Mexico), deputy sheriff Elfego Baca holds off a gang of 80 Texan cowboys who want to kill him for arresting cowboy Charles McCarthy (the cowboys were terrorizing the area's Hispanos and Baca was working against them).
- December 6 - Washington Monument was completed.
- December 16 - World Cotton Centennial World's Fair opens in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Bechuanaland becomes British protectorate.
- Stefan-Boltzmann law reformulated by Ludwig Boltzmann.
- British Police officers go on armed patrol in London.
- Mark Twain writes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Environmental change

- The Water Hyacinth is introduced in the US and quickly becomes an invasive species

Births

January-March

- January 2 - Oscar Micheaux, American filmmaker and author (d. 1951)
- January 12 - Texas Guinan, American vaudeville performer (d. 1933)
- January 13 - Sophie Tucker, Russian-born singer and comedienne (d. 1966)
- January 21 - Roger Baldwin, American social activist (d. 1981)
- January 23 - Ralph DePalma, Italian-born race car driver (d. 1956)
- January 28 - Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist, balloonist, and inventor (d. 1962)
- January 31 - Theodor Heuss, German politician and publicist (d. 1963)
- February 12 - Max Beckmann, German painter and graphic artist (d. 1950)
- February 12 - Marie Vassilieff, Russian artist (d. 1957)
- February 13 - Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American athlete and inventor (d. 1961)
- February 14 - Hezekiah M. Washburn, missionary (d. 1972)
- February 16 - Robert J. Flaherty, American filmmaker (d. 1951)
- February 18 - Andrew Watson Myles, Canadian politician (d. 1970)
- February 22 - Abe Attell, American boxer (d. 1970)
- March 1 - Isaac Todhunter, English mathematician (b. 1820)
- March 13 - Sir Hugh Walpole, English novelist (d. 1941)
- March 17 - Alcide Nunez, American jazz musician (d. 1934)
- March 24 - Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1966)
- March 25 - Georges Imbert, Alsatian chemist (d. 1950)
- March 26 - Wilhelm Backhaus, German pianist (d. 1969)

April-December

- April 4 - Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese naval commander (d. 1943)
- April 6 - Walter Huston, actor (d. 1950)
- April 12 - Otto Fritz Meyerhof, Germn-born physician and biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1951)
- May 1 - Henry Norwest, Canadian World War I sniper (d. 1918)
- May 8 - Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States (d. 1972)
- May 10 - Olga Petrova English-born actress (d. 1977)
- May 14 - Claudius Dornier, German aircraft designer (d. 1969)
- May 27 - Max Brod, Austrian author (d. 1968)
- May 28 - Edvard Beneš, Austrian politician (d. 1948)
- July 12 - Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1920)
- July 23 - Emil Jannings, Swiss actor (d. 1950)
- August 23 - Will Cuppy, American humorist (d. 1949)
- August 30 - Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
- September 17 - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, American composer (d. 1920)
- October 11 - Friedrich Bergius, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1949)
- October 11 - Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States (d. 1962)
- November 19 - José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player (d. 1942)
- November 20 - Norman Thomas, American social reformer (d. 1968)
- December 30 - Tojo Hideki, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1948)

Exact month/day unknown

- M. Louise Gross, American politician and lobbyist (d. 1951)
- Claudius Dornier, German aeroplane builder

Deaths

- January 6 - Gregor Mendel, Austrian geneticist (b. 1822)
- January 25 - Johann Gottfried Piefke, German conductor and composer (b. 1815)
- March 21 - Ezra Abbot, American Bible scholar (b. 1819)
- April 4 - Marie Bashkirtseff, Russian artist (b. 1858)
- May 12 - Bedrich Smetana, Czech composer (b. 1824)
- May 13 - Cyrus McCormick, American inventor (b. 1809)
- June 25 - Hans Rott, Austrian composer (b. 1858)
- July 1 - Allan Pinkerton, American detective (b. 1819)
- July 10 - Paul Morphy, American chess player (b. 1837)
- November 25 - Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe, German chemist (b. 1818) Category:1884 ko:1884년 ms:1884 simple:1884 th:พ.ศ. 2427

1913

1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. (click on link for calendar)

Events

January-March

- January 30 - House of Lords rejects Irish Home Rule Bill
- February 1 - New York City's Grand Central Terminal opens as the world's largest train station.
- February 3 - The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect income tax.
- February 3 - Trial of the remnants of the Bonnot gang begins.
- February 17 - The Armory Show opens in New York City. It displays works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century
- February 27 - Freezing weather stops everything in Balkans
- March - Outpouring of monarchist sentiment in Russia when the House of Romanov celebrate the 300th anniversary of their succession to the throne
- March 4 - End of term for President of the United States William Howard Taft. He is succeeded by Thomas Woodrow Wilson.
- March 12 - Canberra becomes the federal capital of Australia
- March 13 - Mexican Revolution - Pancho Villa returns to Mexico from his self-imposed exile in USA
- March 18 - George I of Greece is assassinated.
- March 20 - Sung Chiao-jen, a founder of the Chinese nationalist party (KMT) is wounded in an assassination attempt and dies 2 days after.
- March 25 - Venustiano Carranza announces his Plan of Guadaloupe and begins his rebellion against Victoriano Huerta's government as the head of "Constitutionals"
- March 26 - Balkan War: Bulgarian forces take Adrianople.

April-August

- April 8 - Passing of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, dictating the direct election of senators.
- April 24 - Woolworth Building opening ceremony.
- May 13 - Igor Sikorsky becomes the first person to pilot a four engine aircraft.
- May 14 - New York Governor William Sulzer approves the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation which begins operations with a $100,000,000 donation from John D. Rockefeller.
- May 29 - Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring is premiered in Paris
- May 30 - First Balkan War: A peace treaty is signed in London ending the war.
- June - First edition of the Christian Esoteric magazine Rays from the Rose Cross in the United States; still issued bimonthly till today.
- June 4 - Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of the king's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby. She is trampled and dies a few days later, never having regained consciousness.
- June 15 - Bud Bagsak Massacre: US troops under General John 'Black Jack' Pershing kill at least 2,000 relatively defenceless men, women and children, Bud Bagsak, Philippines.
- June 24 - Joseph Cook becomes the 6th Prime Minister of Australia.
- July 3 - Commemeration of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg draws thousands of United States Civil War veterans and their families to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
- July 10 - Death Valley, California hits 134 °F (~56.7 °C) which is the highest temperature recorded in the United States (as of 2004).
- August 4 - In China, province of Chungking declares independence. Chinese republican forces crush the rebellion in a couple of weeks
- August 13 - Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley in Sheffield.
- August 15 - Start of Dublin Lockout, all trade union members dismissed
- August 20 - 700 feet above Buc, France, parachutist Adolphe Pegond becomes the first person to jump from an airplane and land safely.

September-December

- September 23 - French aviator Roland Garros flies over the Mediterranean
- September 29 - Rudolf Diesel disappears en route to Britain
-