Events

455 – Roman military commander Avitus is proclaimed Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

869 – A magnitude 8.6M_s earthquake and subsequent tsunami strikes the area around Sendai in the northern part of Honshu, Japan.

1357 – Emperor Charles IV assists in laying the foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague.

1386 – The Old Swiss Confederacy makes great strides in establishing control over its territory by soundly defeating the Archduchy of Austria in the Battle of Sempach.

1540 – King Henry VIII of England annuls his marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

1572 – Nineteen Catholics suffer martyrdom for their beliefs in the Dutch town of Gorkum.

1701 – War of the Spanish Succession: Austrians defeat France in the Battle of Carpi.

1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: French victory in the Battle of Melle allows them to capture Ghent in the days after.

1755 – French and Indian War: Braddock Expedition – British troops and colonial militiamen are ambushed and suffer a devastating defeat by French and Native American forces.

1776 – George Washington ordered the Declaration of Independence to be read out loud to members of the Continental Army in New York City for the first time.

1789 – In Versailles, the National Assembly reconstitutes itself as the National Constituent Assembly and begins preparations for a French constitution.

1790 – Russo-Swedish War: Second Battle of Svensksund – in the Baltic Sea, the Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian fleet.

1793 – The Act Against Slavery is passed in Upper Canada and the importation of slaves into Lower Canada is prohibited.

1807 – The Treaties of Tilsit are signed by Napoleon I of France and Alexander I of Russia.

1810 – Napoleon annexes the Kingdom of Holland as part of the First French Empire.

1811 – Explorer David Thompson posts a sign at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers (in modern Washington state, US), claiming the land for the United Kingdom.

1815 – Talleyrand becomes the first Prime Minister of France.

1816 – Argentina declares independence from Spain.

1821 – 470 prominent Cypriots including Archbishop Kyprianos are executed in response to Cypriot aid to the Greek War of Independence

1850 – U.S. President Zachary Taylor dies and Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States.

1850 – The Persian prophet Báb is executed in Tabriz, Persia.

1863 – American Civil War: the Siege of Port Hudson ends.

1868 – The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process of law.

1875 – Outbreak of the Herzegovina Uprising against Ottoman rule, which would last until 1878 and have far-reaching implications throughout the Balkans

1877 – The inaugural Wimbledon Championships opens.

1900 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom gives royal assent to an Act creating the Commonwealth of Australia thus uniting separate colonies on the continent under one federal government.

1900 – Boxer Rebellion: The Governor of Shanxi province in North China orders the execution of 45 foreign Christian missionaries and local church members, including children.

1918 – Great train wreck of 1918: in Nashville, Tennessee, an inbound local train collides with an outbound express killing 101 and injuring 171 people, making it the deadliest rail accident in United States history.

1922 – Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 meters freestyle in 58.6 seconds breaking the world swimming record and the 'minute barrier'.

1932 – The state of São Paulo revolts against the Brazilian Federal Government, starting the Constitutionalist Revolution

1943 – World War II: Operation Husky – Allied forces perform an amphibious invasion of Sicily.

1944 – World War II: Battle of Normandy – British and Canadian forces capture Caen, France.

1944 – World War II: Battle of Saipan – American forces take Saipan in the Mariana Islands.

1944 – World War II: Battle of Tali-Ihantala – Finland wins the Battle of Tali-Ihantala, the largest battle ever fought in northern Europe. The Red Army withdraws its troops from Ihantala and digs into defensive position, thus ending the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive.

1955 – The Russell-Einstein Manifesto is released by Bertrand Russell in London.

1958 – Lituya Bay is hit by a mega-tsunami. The wave is recorded at 524 meters high, the largest in recorded history.

1961 – Turkish voters approve the Turkish Constitution of 1961 in a referendum.

1962 – The Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear test is conducted by the United States of America.

1962 – Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans exhibition opens at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles.

1972 – The Troubles: In Belfast, British Army snipers shoot five civilians dead in the Springhill Massacre.

1979 – A car bomb destroys a Renault motor car owned by famed "Nazi hunters" Serge and Beate Klarsfeld at their home in France. A note purportedly from ODESSA claims responsibility.

1982 – Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner, Louisiana killing all 145 people on board and eight others on the ground.

1986 – The New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.

1995 – The Navaly church bombing is carried out by the Sri Lankan Air Force killing 125 Tamil civilian refugees.

1999 – Days of student protests begin after Iranian police and hardliners attack a student dormitory at the University of Tehran.

2006 – At least 122 people are killed after a Sibir Airlines Airbus A310 passenger jet, carrying 200 passengers veers off the runway while landing in wet conditions at Irkutsk Airport in Siberia.

2011 – South Sudan gains independence and secedes from Sudan.

Births

1511 – Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, wife of Christian III of Denmark (d. 1571)

1577 – Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, English-born Jamestown colonist (d. 1618)

1578 – Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1637)

1654 – Emperor Reigen of Japan (d. 1732)

1686 – Philip Livingston, American politician (d. 1749)

1689 – Alexis Piron, French epigrammatist and dramatist (d. 1773)

1721 – Johann Nikolaus Götz, German poet (d. 1781)

1753 – William Waldegrave, 1st Baron Radstock, English territorial governor (d. 1825)

1764 – Ann Radcliffe, English novelist (d. 1823)

1775 – Matthew Lewis, English novelist (d. 1818)

1786 – Princess Sophie Hélène Béatrice of France, daughter of Louis XVI of France and Marie Antoinette (d. 1787)

1800 – Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, German physician (d. 1885)

1808 – Alexander William Doniphan, American lawyer and soldier (d. 1887)

1819 – Elias Howe, American inventor (d. 1867)

1828 – Luigi Oreglia di Santo Stefano, Italian Catholic churchman (d. 1913)

1834 – Jan Neruda, Czech poet (d. 1891)

1836 – Camille of Renesse-Breidbach, Belgian nobleman and entrepreneur (d. 1904)

1848 – Robert I, Duke of Parma, Italian nobleman (d. 1907)

1858 – Franz Boas, German anthropologist (d. 1942)

1879 – Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer (d. 1936)

1879 – Carlos Chagas, Brazilian physician (d. 1934)

1889 – Leo Dandurand, American-born Canadian hockey executive (d. 1964)

1893 – George Geary, English cricketer (d. 1981)

1894 – Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)

1896 – Maria Gomes Valentim, Brazilian supercentenarian (d. 2011)

1901 – Dame Barbara Cartland, English novelist (d. 2000)

1901 – Konstantinos Kallias, Greek politician (d. 2004)

1905 – Clarence Campbell, Canadian hockey executive (d. 1984)

1908 – Allama Rasheed Turabi, Pakistani scholar, orator and philosopher (d. 1973)

1911 – Mervyn Peake, British writer and illustrator (d. 1968)

1911 – John A. Wheeler, American physicist (d. 2008)

1915 – David Diamond, American composer (d. 2005)

1916 – Sir Dean Goffin, New Zealand composer (d. 1984)

1916 – Edward Heath, British statesman (d. 2005)

1918 – Jarl Wahlström, Finnish 12th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1999)

1925 – Guru Dutt, Indian filmmaker and actor (d. 1964)

1925 – Charles E. Wicks, American academic

1926 – Ben Roy Mottelson, American-born physicist; Nobel laureate

1927 – Ed Ames, American singer and actor

1927 – Susan Cabot, American actress (d. 1986)

1927 – Red Kelly, Canadian ice hockey player

1928 – Federico Bahamontes, Spanish cyclist

1928 – Vince Edwards, American actor (d. 1996)

1929 – King Hassan II of Morocco (d. 1999)

1929 – Lee Hazlewood, American country singer, songwriter and producer (d. 2007)

1929 – Jesse McReynolds, American singer and mandolinist

1930 – Buddy Bregman, American musical arranger and conductor

1930 – Roy McLean, South African cricketer (d. 2007)

1932 – Donald Rumsfeld, 13th and 21st United States Secretary of Defense

1933 – Oliver Sacks, British neurologist and author

1934 – Michael Graves, American architect

1935 – Wim Duisenberg, Dutch economist and politician (d. 2005)

1935 – Michael Williams, English actor (d. 2001)

1936 – Floyd Abrams, American attorney and advocate

1936 – June Jordan, American poet, writer and teacher (d. 2002)

1936 – André Pronovost, French-Canadian ice hockey player

1936 – Richard Wilson, Scottish actor and director

1937 – David Hockney, English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer

1938 – Sanjeev Kumar, Indian actor (d.1985)

1938 – Brian Dennehy, American actor

1940 – Eugene Victor Wolfenstein, American political scientist (d. 2010)

1942 – Richard Roundtree, American actor

1942 – Edy Williams, American actress

1943 – John Casper, American astronaut

1945 – Dean R. Koontz, American novelist

1945 – Root Boy Slim, American entertainer (d. 1993)

1946 – Natasha Pyne, English actress

1946 – Bon Scott, Australian singer (AC/DC) (d. 1980)

1946 – Gerhard Kramm American atmospheric scientist

1947 – Haruomi Hosono, Japanese bassist (Yellow Magic Orchestra)

1947 – Mitch Mitchell, English drummer (Jimi Hendrix Experience) (d. 2008)

1947 – O.J. Simpson, American football player and actor

1948 – Hassan Wirajuda, Indonesian politician

1949 – Jesse Duplantis, American evangelist and author

1950 – Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian politician

1951 – Chris Cooper, American actor

1952 – John Tesh, American composer

1953 – Margie Gillis, Canadian dancer and choreographer

1953 – Thomas Ligotti, American writer

1955 – Steve Coppell, English footballer and manager

1955 – Fred Norris, American radio personality

1955 – Jimmy Smits, American actor

1955 – Willie Wilson, American baseball player

1955 – Lindsey Graham, American politician

1956 – Tom Hanks, American actor

1957 – Tim Kring, American writer and producer

1957 – Marc Almond, British singer

1957 – Kelly McGillis, American actress

1957 – Paul Merton, British comedian

1957 – Jim Paxson, American basketball player

1959 – Jim Kerr, Scottish singer (Simple Minds)

1959 – Kevin Nash, American pro wrestler

1959 – Clive Stafford Smith, British lawyer

1960 – Marc Mero, American pro wrestler

1963 – Klaus Theiss, German footballer

1964 – Courtney Love, American singer and guitarist (Hole) and actress

1964 – Gianluca Vialli, Italian football player and coach

1965 – Frank Bello, American bassist (Anthrax)

1965 – Thomas Jahn, German actor and director

1965 – David O'Hara, Scottish actor

1965 – Jason Rhoades, American installation artist (d. 2006)

1966 – Pamela Adlon, American voice actress

1967 – Gunnar Axén, Swedish politician

1967 – Mark Stoops, American football coach

1968 – Paolo Di Canio, Italian football player

1968 – Lars Gyllenhaal, Swedish historian

1969 – Jason Kearton, Australian footballer

1969 – Mark Lui, Hong Kong composer and producer

1970 – Dani Behr, English model and TV presenter

1970 – Trent Green, American football player

1970 – Masami Tsuda, Japanese manga author

1971 – Marc Andreessen, American software developer

1971 – Scott Grimes, American voice actor (American Dad!)

1973 – Kelly Holcomb, American football player

1973 – Enrique Murciano, American actor

1974 – Sian Berry, British politician

1974 – Gary Kelly, Irish football player

1974 – Nikola Sarcevic, Swedish bassist and singer (Millencolin)

1974 – Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Japanese actor & singer (SMAP)

1975 – Shelton Benjamin, American pro wrestler

1975 – Isaac Brock, American singer and musician (Modest Mouse, Ugly Casanova)

1975 – Craig Quinnell, Welsh rugby player

1975 – Jack White, American vocalist and musician (The White Stripes)

1976 – Christos Harisis, Greek basketball player

1976 – Fred Savage, American actor

1976 – Jochem Uytdehaage, Dutch speed skater

1978 – Kara Goucher, American long distance runner

1978 – Linda Park, American (Korean-born) actress

1978 – Mark Medlock, German singer

1978 – Nuno Santos, Portuguese footballer

1979 – Ella Koon, Hong Kong singer and actress

1979 – Suzanne Stokes, American model

1981 – Kimveer Gill, Canadian spree shooter (Dawson College shooting) (d. 2006)

1982 – Ashly DelGrosso, American ballroom dancer

1982 – Alecko Eskandarian, American footballer

1982 – Toby Kebbell, English actor

1982 – Maggie Ma, Canadian actress

1982 – Sakon Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver

1983 – Lucia Micarelli, American violinist (Jethro Tull)

1984 – Gianni Fabiano, Italian footballer

1984 – Jacob Hoggard, Canadian singer (Hedley)

1985 – Paweł Korzeniowski, Polish swimmer

1985 – Ashley Young, English footballer

1986 – Dominic Cervi, American footballer

1986 – Simon Dumont, American freestyle skier

1986 – Kiely Williams, American singer and actress

1991 – Spencer Elden, American model

1991 – Mitchel Musso, American actor

1993 – Jake Vargas, Filipino actor

1995 – Georgie Henley, English actress

Deaths

518 – Anastasius I, Byzantine Emperor (b. 430)

1228 – Stephen Langton, English clergyman, Archbishop of Canterbury (b.c. 1150)

1386 – Duke Leopold III of Austria (b. 1351)

1553 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony (b. 1521)

1654 – Ferdinand IV, King of the Romans (b. 1633)

1706 – Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, French-Canadian sailor and explorer (b. 1661)

1737 – Gian Gastone de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1671)

1742 – John Oldmixon, English historian (b. 1673)

1746 – King Philip V of Spain (b. 1683)

1747 – Giovanni Bononcini, Italian composer (b. 1670)

1756 – Pieter Langendijk, Dutch dramatist and poet (b. 1683); other date proposed is July 18 (see)

1766 – Jonathan Mayhew, American minister (b. 1720)

1771 – Michail Baknanas, Greek trader (birth year unknown)

1795 – Henry Seymour Conway, British general and statesman (b. 1721)

1797 – Edmund Burke, British philosopher and statesman (b. 1729)

1850 – Báb, Persian founder of Bábism (b. 1819)

1850 – Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States (b. 1784)

1852 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American politician (b. 1794)

1855 – FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, British military officer (b. 1788)

1856 – Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (b. 1776)

1856 – James Strang, American religious figure (b. 1813)

1880 – Paul Broca, French physician and anatomist (b. 1824)

1882 – Ignacio Carrera Pinto, Chilean war hero(b. 1848)

1903 – Alphonse Francois Renard, Belgian geologist (b. 1842)

1927 – John Drew Jr., American actor (b. 1853)

1932 – King C. Gillette, American inventor (b. 1855)

1937 – Oliver Law, American military officer (b. 1899)

1938 – Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (b. 1870)

1947 – Lucjan Żeligowski, Polish general (b. 1865)

1949 – Fritz Hart, English-born Australian composer (b. 1874)

1951 – Harry Heilmann, American baseball player (b. 1894)

1955 – Don Beauman, British racing driver (b. 1928)

1967 – Eugen Fischer, German physician (b. 1874)

1972 – Robert Weede, American baritone (b. 1903)

1974 – Earl Warren, American jurist (b. 1891)

1977 – Alice Paul, American suffragist figure (b. 1885)

1979 – Cornelia Otis Skinner, American actress and author (b. 1899)

1980 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet and lyricist (b. 1913)

1983 – Keith Wickenden, British politician (b. 1932)

1985 – Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (b. 1896)

1985 – Jimmy Kinnon, Scottish-born American founder of Narcotics Anonymous (b. 1911)

1986 – Nicholas VI, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria (b. 1915)

1992 – Kelvin Coe, Australian ballet dancer (b. 1946)

1992 – Eric Sevareid, American reporter (b. 1912)

1994 – Bill Mosienko, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)

1996 – Melvin Belli, American attorney (b. 1907)

1999 – Robert de Cotret, Canadian politician (b. 1944)

2000 – Doug Fisher, English actor (b. 1941)

2002 – Laurence Janifer, American writer (b. 1933)

2002 – Rod Steiger, American actor (b. 1925)

2004 – Paul Klebnikov, American journalist (b. 1963)

2004 – Isabel Sanford, American actress (b. 1917)

2004 – Riley Dobi Noel, American convicted murderer (b. 1972)

2005 – Chuck Cadman, Canadian politician (b. 1948)

2005 – Yevgenij Grishin, Russian speed skater (b. 1931)

2005 – Alex Shibicky, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)

2005 – Kevin Hagen, American actor (b. 1928)

2006 – Milan Williams, American keyboardist (The Commodores) (b. 1948)

2007 – Charles Lane, American actor (b. 1905)

2008 – Séamus Brennan, Irish politician (b. 1948)

2010 – Jessica Anderson, Australian novelist (b. 1916)

2011 – Don Ackerman, American basketball player (b. 1930)

2011 – Facundo Cabral, Argentine musician (b. 1937)

Holidays and observances

Caprotinia (Roman Empire)

Christian Feast Day:

*Agilulfus of Cologne

*Everilda

*Bl Marija Petković

*Martyr Saints of China

*Martyrs of Gorkum

*Our Lady of Peace, Octave of the Visitation

*Veronica Giuliani

*July 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Constitution Day (Australia)

Constitution Day (Palau)

Constitutionalist Revolution Day (São Paulo)

Independence Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the United Provinces of South America by the Congress of Tucumán in 1816. (Argentina)

Independence Day (South Sudan)

Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í Faith)

Nunavut Day (Nunavut)

External links

BBC: On This Day

On This Day in Canada

----

Category:Days of the year Category:July

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name	Imran Khan Niazi
birth date	November 25, 1952
birth place	Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
party	Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
spouse	Jemima Khan (1995 - 2004)
children	2 (Sulaiman Isa and Kasim)
residence	Lahore
occupation	Politician, philanthropist
religion	Islam
website	http://www.insaf.pk/ }}

playername	Imran Khan
country	Pakistan
fullname	Imran Khan Niazi
living	true
dayofbirth	25
monthofbirth	11
yearofbirth	1952
placeofbirth	Lahore, Punjab
countryofbirth	Pakistan
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right-arm fast
role	All-rounder
international	true
testdebutdate	3 June
testdebutyear	1971
testdebutagainst	England
testcap	65
lasttestdate	7 January
lasttestyear	1992
lasttestagainst	Sri Lanka
odidebutdate	31 August
odidebutyear	1974
odidebutagainst	England
odicap	12
lastodidate	25 March
lastodiyear	1992
lastodiagainst	England
club1	Sussex
year1	1977 – 1988
club2	New South Wales
year2	1984/85
club3	PIA
year3	1975 – 1981
club4	Worcestershire
year4	1971 – 1976
club5	Oxford University
year5	1973 – 1975
club6	Lahore
year6	1969 – 1971
columns	4
column1	Test
matches1	88
runs1	3807
bat avg1	37.69
100s/50s1	6/18
top score1	136
deliveries1	19458
wickets1	362
bowl avg1	22.81
fivefor1	23
tenfor1	6
best bowling1	8/58
catches/stumpings1	28/–
column2	ODI
matches2	175
runs2	3709
bat avg2	33.41
100s/50s2	1/19
top score2	102*
deliveries2	7461
wickets2	182
bowl avg2	26.61
fivefor2	1
tenfor2	n/a
best bowling2	6/14
catches/stumpings2	36/–
column3	FC
matches3	382
runs3	17771
bat avg3	36.79
100s/50s3	30/93
top score3	170
deliveries3	65224
wickets3	1287
bowl avg3	22.32
fivefor3	70
tenfor3	13
best bowling3	8/34
catches/stumpings3	117/–
column4	LA
matches4	425
runs4	10100
bat avg4	33.22
100s/50s4	5/66
top score4	114*
deliveries4	19122
wickets4	507
bowl avg4	22.31
fivefor4	6
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	6/14
catches/stumpings4	84/–
date	26 June
year	2008
source	http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/1/1383/1383.html CricketArchive }}

Imran Khan Niazi (Punjabi, Pashto, }}) (born 25 November 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century and being a politician since the mid-1990s. Currently, besides his political activism, Khan is also a philanthropist, cricket commentator and Chancellor of the University of Bradford.

Khan played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992 and served as its captain intermittently throughout 1982-1992. After retiring from cricket at the end of the 1987 World Cup, he was called back to join the team in 1988. At 39, Khan led his teammates to Pakistan's first and only World Cup victory in 1992. He has a record of 3807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, making him one of eight world cricketers to have achieved an 'All-rounder's Triple' in Test matches. On 14 July 2010, Khan was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In April 1996, Khan founded and became the chairman of a political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice). He represented Mianwali as a member of the National Assembly from November 2002 to October 2007. Khan, through worldwide fundraising, helped establish the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre in 1996 and Mianwali's Namal College in 2008.

Family, education, and personal life

Imran Khan was born to Shaukat Khanum (Burki) and Ikramullah Khan Niazi, a civil engineer, in Lahore. A quiet and shy boy in his youth, Khan grew up in a middle-class Niazi Pathan family with four sisters. Settled in Punjab, Khan's father descended from the Pashtun (Pathan) Niazi Shermankhel tribe of Mianwali in Punjab. Imran's Mother Shaukat Khanum (Burki's) family includes successful hockey players and cricketers such as Javed Burki and Majid Khan. Khan was educated at Aitchison College, the Cathedral School in Lahore, and the Royal Grammar School Worcester in England, where he excelled at cricket. In 1972, he enrolled to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford, where he graduated with a second-class degree in Politics and a third in Economics.

Marriage to Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith

On 16 May 1995, Khan married English socialite Jemima Goldsmith, a convert to Islam, in an Islamic ceremony in Paris. A month later, on 21 June, they were married again in a civil ceremony at the Richmond register office in England, followed by a reception at the Goldsmiths' house in Surrey. The marriage, described as "tough" by Khan, produced two sons, Sulaiman Isa (born 18 November 1996) and Kasim (born 10 April 1999). As an agreement of his marriage, Khan spent four months a year in England. On 22 June 2004, it was announced that the Khans had divorced because it was "difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan" .The marriage ended amicably. Imran has regular access to his children and his relationship with his ex-wife is friendly. Khan now resides in Bani Gala, Islamabad, where he built a farmhouse with the money he gained from selling his London flat. He grows fruit trees, wheat, and keeps cows, while also maintaining a cricket ground for his two sons, who visit during their holidays.

Cricket career

Khan made a lacklustre first-class cricket debut at the age of sixteen in Lahore. By the start of the 1970s, he was playing for his home teams of Lahore A (1969–70), Lahore B (1969–70), Lahore Greens (1970–71) and, eventually, Lahore (1970–71). Khan was part of Oxford University's Blues Cricket team during the 1973-75 seasons. At Worcestershire, where he played county cricket from 1971 to 1976, he was regarded as only an average medium pace bowler. During this decade, other teams represented by Khan include Dawood Industries (1975–76) and Pakistan International Airlines (1975–76 to 1980-81). From 1983 to 1988, he played for Sussex.

In 1971, Khan made his Test cricket debut against England at Birmingham. Three years later, he debuted in the One Day International (ODI) match, once again playing against England at Nottingham for the Prudential Trophy. After graduating from Oxford and finishing his tenure at Worcestershire, he returned to Pakistan in 1976 and secured a permanent place on his native national team starting from the 1976-77 season, during which they faced New Zealand and Australia. Following the Australian series, he toured the West Indies, where he met Tony Greig, who signed him up for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. His credentials as one of the fastest bowlers of the world started to establish when he finished third at 139.7 km/h in a fast bowling contest at Perth in 1978, behind Jeff Thomson and Michael Holding, but ahead of Dennis Lillee, Garth Le Roux and Andy Roberts.

As a fast bowler, Khan reached the peak of his powers in 1982. In 9 Tests, he got 62 wickets at 13.29 each, the lowest average of any bowler in Test history with at least 50 wickets in a calendar year. In January 1983, playing against India, he attained a Test bowling rating of 922 points. Although calculated retrospectively (ICC player ratings did not exist at the time), Khan's form and performance during this period ranks third in the ICC's All-Time Test Bowling Rankings.

Khan achieved the all-rounder's triple (securing 3000 runs and 300 wickets) in 75 Tests, the second fastest record behind Ian Botham's 72. He is also established as having the second highest all-time batting average of 61.86 for a Test batsman playing at position 6 of the batting order. He played his last Test match for Pakistan in January 1992, against Sri Lanka at Faisalabad. Khan retired permanently from cricket six months after his last ODI, the historic 1992 World Cup final against England at Melbourne, Australia. He ended his career with 88 Test matches, 126 innings and scored 3807 runs at an average of 37.69, including six centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score was 136 runs. As a bowler, he took 362 wickets in Test cricket, which made him the first Pakistani and world's fourth bowler to do so. In ODIs, he played 175 matches and scored 3709 runs at an average of 33.41. His highest score remains 102 not out. His best ODI bowling is documented at 6 wickets for 14 runs.

Captaincy

At the height of his career, in 1982, the thirty-year old Khan took over the captaincy of the Pakistani cricket team from Javed Miandad. Recalling his initial discomfort with this new role, he later said, "When I became the cricket captain, I couldn’t speak to the team directly I was so shy. I had to tell the manager, I said listen can you talk to them, this is what I want to convey to the team. I mean early team meetings I use to be so shy and embarrassed I couldn’t talk to the team." As a captain, Khan played 48 Test matches, out of which 14 were won by Pakistan, 8 lost and the rest of 26 were drawn. He also played 139 ODIs, winning 77, losing 57 and ending one in a tie.

In the team's second match under his leadership, Khan led them to their first Test win on English soil for 28 years at Lord's. Khan's first year as captain was the peak of his legacy as a fast bowler as well as an all-rounder. He recorded the best Test bowling of his career while taking 8 wickets for 58 runs against Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1981-82. He also topped both the bowling and batting averages against England in three Test series in 1982, taking 21 wickets and averaging 56 with the bat. Later the same year, he put up a highly acknowledged performance in a home series against the formidable Indian team by taking 40 wickets in six Tests at an average of 13.95. By the end of this series in 1982-83, Khan had taken 88 wickets in 13 Test matches over a period of one year as captain.

This same Test series against India, however, also resulted in a stress fracture in his shin that kept him out of cricket for more than two years. An experimental treatment funded by the Pakistani government helped him recover by the end of 1984 and he made a successful comeback to international cricket in the latter part of the 1984-85 season.

In 1987, Khan led Pakistan to its first ever Test series win in India, which was followed by Pakistan's first series victory in England the same year. During the 1980s, his team also recorded three creditable draws against the West Indies. India and Pakistan co-hosted the 1987 World Cup, but neither ventured beyond the semi-finals. Khan retired from international cricket at the end of the World Cup. In 1988, he was asked to return to the captaincy by the President Of Pakistan, General Zia-Ul-Haq, and on 18 January, he announced his decision to rejoin the team. Soon after returning to the captaincy, Khan led Pakistan to another winning tour in the West Indies, which he has recounted as "the last time I really bowled well". He was declared Man of the Series against West Indies in 1988 when he took 23 wickets in 3 tests.

Khan's career-high as a captain and cricketer came when he led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Playing with a brittle batting line-up, Khan promoted himself as a batsman to play in the top order along with Javed Miandad, but his contribution as a bowler was minimal. At the age of 39, Khan scored the highest runs of all the Pakistani batsmen and took the winning last wicket himself.

Post-retirement

In 1994, Khan had admitted that, during Test matches, he "occasionally scratched the side of the ball and lifted the seam." He had also added, "Only once did I use an object. When Sussex were playing Hampshire in 1981 the ball was not deviating at all. I got the 12th man to bring out a bottle top and it started to move around a lot." In 1996, Khan successfully defended himself in a libel action brought forth by former English captain and all-rounder Ian Botham and batsman Allan Lamb over comments they alleged were made by Khan in two articles about the above-mentioned ball-tampering and another article published in an Indian magazine, India Today. They claimed that, in the latter publication, Khan had called the two cricketers "racist, ill-educated and lacking in class." Khan protested that he had been misquoted, saying that he was defending himself after having admitted that he tampered with a ball in a county match 18 years ago. Khan won the libel case, which the judge labelled a "complete exercise in futility", with a 10-2 majority decision by the jury.

Since retiring, Khan has written opinion pieces on cricket for various British and Asian newspapers, especially regarding the Pakistani national team. His contributions have been published in India's Outlook magazine, the Guardian, the Independent, and the Telegraph. Khan also sometimes appears as a cricket commentator on Asian and British sports networks, including BBC Urdu and the Star TV network. In 2004, when the Indian cricket team toured Pakistan after 14 years, he was a commentator on TEN Sports' special live show, Straight Drive, while he was also a columnist for sify.com for the 2005 India-Pakistan Test series. He has provided analysis for every cricket World Cup since 1992, which includes providing match summaries for BBC during the 1999 World Cup.

In November 2009 Khan underwent emergency surgery at Lahore's Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital to remove an obstruction in his small intestine.

Social work

For more than four years after retiring from cricket in 1992, Khan focused his efforts solely on social work. By 1991, he had founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, a charity organisation bearing the name of his mother, Mrs. Shaukat Khanum. As the Trust's maiden endeavour, Khan established Pakistan's first and only cancer hospital, constructed using donations and funds exceeding $25 million, raised by Khan from all over the world. Inspired by the memory of his mother, who died of cancer, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, a charitable cancer hospital with 75 percent free care, opened in Lahore on 29 December 1994. Khan currently serves as the chairman of the hospital and continues to raise funds through charity and public donations. Princess of Wales Lady Diana also visited Lahore in 1996 in order to raise funds for the Cancer hospital.

During the 1990s, Khan also served as UNICEF's Special Representative for Sports and promoted health and immunisation programmes in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

On 27 April 2008, Khan's brainchild, a technical college in the Mianwali District called Namal College, was inaugurated. Namal College was built by the Mianwali Development Trust (MDT), as chaired by Khan, and was made an associate college of the University of Bradford (of which Khan is Chancellor) in December 2005. Currently, Khan is building another cancer hospital in Karachi, using his successful Lahore institution as a model. While in London, he also works with the Lord’s Taverners, a cricket charity.

Political work

Khan entered electoral politics after few years after the end of his professional cricketing career. Since then, his most significant political work has been to bring awareness towards the lack of justice in Pakistan. This movement to bring justice was coupled with awareness in media and harassment of judiciary by President Pervez Musharaf. The public, with the help of lawyers, NGOs and other major political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, fought a battle on the roads, getting judiciary eventually restored in its much improved (impartial)form . Initially, Imran Khan's politics were not taken seriously in Pakistan. However, his popularity has sharply risen, especially among women and the youth of Pakistan, after the repeated bad governance by the government and interference by US. Recently, Imran Khan has been the only politician who has responded to terrorism allegations on Pakistan. While Khan is viewed as a fundamentalist by some political circles, he has suggested solutions for helping US and NATO forces to fight terrorism while at the same time, not creating more terrorists in Pakistan. Imran Khan is sometimes viewed as a stubborn politician who does not involve others in decision making. However, Imran Khan has openly denied this allegation and claimed that the level of democracy in the executive committee meeting of his party (PTI) is unmatched by any other political party in Pakistan. While many people seem hopeless about Imran's political victory in Pakistan, he has known to someone possessing high level of determination and perseverance, as demonstrated by his cricket and philanthropic career. His political popularity is rising quickly in Pakistan and although the party has only one seat in 2002 elections and kept out of elections in 2008, resulting in no representation in Parliament, Imran Khan is considered as the one of the four major political leaders in Pakistan, especially by mainstream media (others being Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif and Altaf Hussain).

On 25 April 1996, Khan founded his own political party called the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with a proposed slogan of "Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem." Khan, who contested from 7 districts, and members of his party were universally defeated at the polls in the 1997 general elections. Khan supported General Pervez Musharraf's military coup in 1999, but denounced his presidency a few months before the 2002 general elections. Many political commentators and his opponents termed Khan's change in opinion an opportunistic move. "I regret supporting the referendum. I was made to understand that when he won, the general would begin a clean-up of the corrupt in the system. But really it wasn't the case," he later explained. During the 2002 election season, he also voiced his opposition to Pakistan's logistical support of US troops in Afghanistan by claiming that their country had become a "servant of America." PTI won 0.8% of the popular vote and one out of 272 open seats on the 20 October 2002 legislative elections. Khan, who was elected from the NA-71 constituency of Mianwali, was sworn in as an MP on 16 November.. As an MP, he was part of the Standing Committees on Kashmir and Public Accounts, and expressed legislative interest in Foreign Affairs, Education and Justice.

On 6 May 2005, Khan became one of the first Muslim figures to criticise a 300-word Newsweek story about the alleged desecration of the Qur'an in a U.S. military prison at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Khan held a press conference to denounce the article and demanded that Gen. Pervez Musharraf secure an apology from American president George W. Bush for the incident. In 2006, he exclaimed, "Musharraf is sitting here, and he licks George Bush’s shoes!" Criticizing Muslim leaders supportive of the Bush administration, he added, "They are the puppets sitting on the Muslim world. We want a sovereign Pakistan. We do not want a president to be a poodle of George Bush." During George W. Bush's visit to Pakistan in March 2006, Khan was placed under house arrest in Islamabad after his threats of organising a protest. In June 2007, the federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr. Sher Afghan Khan Niazi and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party filed separate ineligibility references against Khan, asking for his disqualification as member of the National Assembly on grounds of immorality. Both references, filed on the basis of articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan, were rejected on 5 September.

On 2 October 2007, as part of the All Parties Democratic Movement, Khan joined 85 other MPs to resign from Parliament in protest of the Presidential election scheduled for 6 October, which General Musharraf was contesting without resigning as army chief. On 3 November 2007, Khan was put under house arrest at his father's home hours after President Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan. Khan had demanded the death penalty for Musharraf after the imposition of emergency rule, which he equated to "committing treason". The next day, on 4 November, Khan escaped and went into peripatetic hiding. He eventually came out of hiding on 14 November to join a student protest at the University of the Punjab. At the rally, Khan was captured by students from the Jamaat-i-Islami political party, who claimed that Khan was an uninvited nuisance at the rally, and they handed him over to the police, who charged him under the Anti-terrorism act for allegedly inciting people to pick up arms, calling for civil disobedience, and for spreading hatred. Incarcerated in the Dera Ghazi Khan Jail, Khan's relatives had access to him and were able to meet him to deliver goods during his week-long stay in jail. On 19 November, Khan let out the word through PTI members and his family that he had begun a hunger strike but the Deputy Superintendent of Dera Ghazi Khan Jail denied this news, saying that Khan had bread, eggs and fruit for breakfast. Khan was one of the 3,000 political prisoners released from imprisonment on 21 November 2007.

His party boycotted the national elections on 18 February 2008 and hence, no member of PTI has served in Parliament since Khan's resignation in 2007. Despite no longer being a member of Parliament, Khan was placed under house arrest in the crackdown by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari of anti-government protests on 15 March 2009.

In April 2011, Khan lead protests over the drone attacks in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan. He and his protesters stayed on the streets overnight to show solidarity with the victims of these drone attacks by the US Military.

Ideology

Khan's proclaimed political platform and declarations include: Islamic values, to which he rededicated himself in the 1990s; liberal economics, with the promise of deregulating the economy and creating a welfare state; decreased bureaucracy and anti-corruption laws, to create and ensure a clean government; the establishment of an independent judiciary; overhaul of the country's police system; and an anti-militant vision for a democratic Pakistan.

Khan has credited his decision to enter politics with a spiritual awakening,"I never drank or smoked, but I used to do my share of partying. In my spiritual evolution there was a block," he explained to the American Washington Post. As an MP, Khan sometimes voted with a bloc of hard-line religious parties such as the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, whose leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he supported for prime minister over Musharraf's candidate in 2002. On religion in Pakistan, Khan has said that, "As time passes by, religious thought has to evolve, but it is not evolving, it is reacting against Western culture and often has nothing to do with faith or religion."

Khan told Britain's Daily Telegraph, "I want Pakistan to be a welfare state and a genuine democracy with a rule of law and an independent judiciary." Other ideas he has presented include a requirement of all students to spend a year after graduation teaching in the countryside and cutting down the over-staffed bureaucracy in order to send them to teach too. "We need decentralisation, empowering people at the grass roots," he has said. In June 2007, Khan publicly deplored Britain for knighting Indian-born author Salman Rushdie. He said, "Western civilisation should have been mindful of the injury the writer had caused to the Muslim community by writing his highly controversial book, The Satanic Verses."

Criticism

During the 1970s and 1980s, Khan became known as a socialite due to his "non-stop partying" at London nightclubs such as Annabel's and Tramp. though he claims to have hated English pubs and never drank alcohol. He also gained notoriety in London gossip columns for romancing young debutantes such as Susannah Constantine, Lady Liza Campbell and the artist Emma Sergeant.

Khan is often dismissed as a political lightweight and a celebrity outsider in Pakistan, where national newspapers also refer to him as a "spoiler politician". Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a political party with its voting stronghold in Karachi, has asserted that Khan is "a sick person who has been a total failure in politics and is alive just because of the media coverage". The Political observers say the crowds he draws are attracted by his cricketing celebrity, and the public has been reported to view him as a figure of entertainment rather than a serious political authority.

The Guardian newspaper in England described Khan as a "miserable politician," observing that, "Khan's ideas and affiliations since entering politics in 1996 have swerved and skidded like a rickshaw in a rainshower... He preaches democracy one day but gives a vote to reactionary mullahs the next." The charge constantly raised against Khan is that of hypocrisy and opportunism, including what has been called his life's "playboy to puritan U-turn." One of Pakistan's most controversial political commentators, Najam Sethi, stated that, "A lot of the Imran Khan story is about backtracking on a lot of things he said earlier, which is why this doesn’t inspire people." Khan's political flip-flops consist of his vocal criticism of President Musharraf after having supported his military takeover in 1999. Similarly, Khan has been a critic of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when Sharif was in power, having said at the time: "Our current prime minister has a fascist mind-set, and members of parliament cannot go against the ruling party. We think that every day he stays in power, the country is sinking more into anarchy.". In a column entitled "Will the Real Imran Please Stand Up," Pakistani columnist Amir Zia quoted one of PTI's Karachi-based leaders as saying, "Even we are finding it difficult to figure out the real Imran. He dons the shalwar-kameez and preaches desi and religious values while in Pakistan, but transforms himself completely while rubbing shoulders with the elite in Britain and elsewhere in the west."

In 2008, as part of the Hall of Shame awards for 2007, Pakistan's Newsline magazine gave Khan the "Paris Hilton award for being the most undeserving media darling." The 'citation' for Khan read: "He is the leader of a party that is the proud holder of one National Assembly seat (and) gets media coverage inversely proportional to his political influence." The Guardian has described the coverage garnered by Khan's post-retirement activities in England, where he made his name as a cricket star and a night-club regular., as "terrible tosh, with danger attached. It turns a great (and greatly miserable) Third World nation into a gossip-column annexe. We may all choke on such frivolity." After the 2008 general elections, political columnist Azam Khalil addressed Khan, who remains respected as a cricket legend, as one of the "utter failures in Pakistani politics". Writing in the Frontier Post, Khalil added: "Imran Khan has time and again changed his political course and at present has no political ideology and therefore was not taken seriously by a vast majority of the people."

Awards and honours

In 1992, Khan was given Pakistan's civil award, the Hilal-i-Imtiaz

In 1983, he had received the President’s Pride of Performance Award

Khan is featured in the University of Oxford's Hall of Fame and has been an honorary fellow of Oxford's Keble College.

On 7 December 2005, Khan was appointed the fifth Chancellor of the University of Bradford, where he is also a patron of the Born in Bradford research project.

In 1976 as well as 1980, Khan was awarded The Cricket Society Wetherall Award for being the leading all-rounder in English first-class cricket.

In 1983, he was also named Wisden Cricketer of the Year

In 1985, Sussex Cricket Society Player of the Year

In 1990, Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year

Khan is currently placed at Number 8 on the all-time list of the ESPN Legends of Cricket.

On 5 July 2008, he was one of several veteran Asian cricketers presented special silver jubilee awards at the inaugural Asian cricket Council (ACC) award ceremony in Karachi. On 8 July 2004, Khan was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2004 Asian Jewel Awards in London, for "acting as a figurehead for many international charities and working passionately and extensively in fund-raising activities. On 13 December 2007, Khan received the Humanitarian Award at the Asian Sports Awards in Kuala Lumpur for his efforts in setting up the first cancer hospital in Pakistan. In 2009, at International Cricket Council's centennial year celebration, Khan was one of fifty-five cricketers inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

Writings by Khan

Khan occasionally contributes opinion editorials on cricket and Pakistani politics to British newspapers. He has also published five works of non-fiction, including an autobiography co-written with Patrick Murphy. It was disclosed in 2008 that Khan did not write his second book, Indus Journey: A Personal View of Pakistan. Instead, his the book's publisher Jeremy Lewis revealed in a memoir that he had to write the book for Khan. Lewis recalls that when he asked Khan to show his writing for publication, "he handed me a leatherbound notebook or diary containing a few jottings and autobiographical snippets. It took me, at most, five minutes to read them; and that, it soon became apparent, was all we had to go on."

Books

Articles

Guardian comments, political and cricket commentary by Khan

Telegraph columns, sports articles penned by Khan from 2000 to present

We must address the root causes of this terror, Khan's editorial in the Independent following the 11 September attacks

Benazir Bhutto has only herself to blame, Khan's 2007 editorial on Bhutto's return to Pakistan

References

Further reading

External links

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Khan's political party

Chancellor: Imran Khan at the University of Bradford

Imran Khan: Pakistan has lost its dignity and self-esteem, Imran Khan, The Independent, 3 May 2011

;Articles

The NS Interview: Imran Khan Mehdi Hasan, New Statesman, 20 August 2010

Imran Khan's revolution, Murtaza Razvi, Dawn, 27 April 2011

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ar:عمران خان bn:ইমরান খান de:Imran Khan es:Imran Khan fr:Imran Khan gu:ઇમરાન ખાન hi:इमरान ख़ान id:Imran Khan Niazi kn:ಇಮ್ರಾನ್ ಖಾನ್ ka:იმრან ხანი mr:इम्रान खान ms:Imran Khan nl:Imran Khan ja:イムラン・カーン pnb:عمران خان ps:عمران خان simple:Imran Khan sv:Imran Khan ta:இம்ரான் கான் te:ఇమ్రాన్ ఖాన్ నియాజి ur:عمران خان zh:伊姆蘭·罕

name	Akiane Kramarik
birth date	July 09, 1994
birth place	Mount Morris, Illinois, U.S.
occupation	painter, poet
website	artakiane.com }}

Akiane Kramarik (born July 9, 1994) is an American poet and artistic prodigy.

Biography

Akiane Kramarik was born in Mount Morris, Illinois to a Lithuanian mother and an American father. She is homeschooled.

She is primarily a self-taught painter. However, she states that God has given her the visions and abilities to create her artwork, which is unusual for her family, considering both her parents were atheist at the time (they later converted to Christianity on account of Kramarik's paintings and visions). Kramarik started drawing at the age of four, advancing to painting at six, and writing poetry at seven. Her first completed self-portrait sold for US$10,000. A large portion of the money generated from sales is donated by Kramarik to charities. According to Kramarik, her art is inspired by her visions of heaven, and her personal connection with God. Kramarik's art depicts life, landscape, and people.

At the age of 10, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and at the age of 12, on CNN.

Bibliography

References

External links

Official website

Akiane gift site

Interview with Streetbrand Magazine

Category:American children Category:American painters Category:American poets Category:American Christians Category:People from Ogle County, Illinois Category:American child writers Category:1994 births Category:Living people Category:Women painters

da:Akiane Kramarik es:Akiane Kramarik pl:Akiane Kramarik pt:Akiane Kramarik zh:艾奇恩·卡瑪瑞克

name	Fred Rogers
birth name	Fred McFeely Rogers
birth date	March 20, 1928
birth place	Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death date	February 27, 2003
death place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
death cause	Stomach cancer
religion	Presbyterian Church(ordained in 1963)
other names	Mister RogersMr. Rogers
spouse	Sara Joanne Byrd (1952–2003)
occupation	Educator, minister, songwriter, television host
years active	1951–2002 }}

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968–2001), that featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh area shows dedicated to youth. The Public Broadcasting System developed his own nationally aired show in 1968 and over the course of three decades on television, he became an indelible American icon of children's entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. He testified to the U.S. Supreme Court on time shifting; and he gave a now-famous speech before the U.S. Senate, advocating government funding for children's television.

Rogers was honored extensively for his life work in children's education. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor, a Peabody Award for his career, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Two resolutions recognizing his work were unanimously passed by U.S. Congress, one of his trademark sweaters was acquired and is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, and several buildings and works of art in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory.

Personal life

Fred McFeely Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 40 miles (65 km) southeast of Pittsburgh, to James and Nancy Rogers; he had one sister, Elaine Rogers Crozier. Early in his life, he spent much of his free time with his maternal grandfather, Fred McFeely, who would later move to Florida, and had an interest in music. He would often sing along as his mother would play the piano and, at age five, began to play the piano as well.

Rogers graduated from Latrobe High School (1946). He studied at Dartmouth College (1946–48) in Hanover, New Hampshire, and transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition (1951).

At Rollins, Rogers met Sara Joanne Byrd, an Oakland, Florida, native; and they married on June 9, 1952. They had two sons, James (b. 1959) and John (b. 1961), and three grandsons, the third (Ian McFeely Rogers) born twelve days after Rogers' death. In 1963, Rogers graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian Church. During the course of his career, he garnered forty honorary degrees. Rogers was red-green color blind, swam every morning, was a vegetarian, and neither smoked nor drank.

Rogers had an apartment in New York City and a summer home on Nantucket island in Massachusetts.

Television career

Early work

Fred Rogers had a life-changing moment when he first saw television in his parents' home. He entered seminary after college; but, after his first experience as a viewer, he wanted to explore the potential of the medium. In an interview with CNN in his later years, Rogers stated, "I went into television because I hated it so, and I thought there was some way of using this fabulous instrument to be of nurture to those who would watch and listen."

He thus applied for a job at NBC in New York City in 1951 and was hired because of his Music degree. Rogers spent three years working on the production staffs for such music-centered programming as NBC Opera Theater. He also worked on Gabby Hayes' show for children. Ultimately, Rogers decided that commercial television's reliance on advertisement and merchandising undermined its ability to educate or enrich young audiences, so he quit NBC.

In 1954, he began working at WQED, a Pittsburgh public television station, as a puppeteer on a local children's show The Children's Corner. For the next seven years, he worked with host Josie Carey in unscripted live TV, developing many of the puppets, characters, and music used in his later work, such as King Friday XIII, and Curious X the Owl.

Rogers began wearing his famous sneakers when he found them to be quieter than his work shoes as he moved about behind the set. He was also the voices of King Friday XIII and Queen Sara Saturday (named after his wife), rulers of the neighborhood, as well as X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, Daniel Striped Tiger, Lady Elaine Fairchild, and Larry Horse. The show won a Sylvania Award for best children's show, and was briefly broadcast nationally on NBC.

During these eight years, he would leave the WQED studios during his lunch breaks to study theology at the nearby Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Rogers, however, was not interested in preaching; and, after his ordination, he was specifically charged to continue his work with Children's Television. He had also done work at the University of Pittsburgh's program in Child Development and Child Care.

In 1963, Rogers moved to Toronto, where he was contracted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to develop a 15-minute children's television program: Misterogers, which would be his debut in front of the camera. The show was a hit with children but lasted for only three seasons. Many of his famous set pieces—Trolley, Eiffel Tower, the 'tree', and 'castle'—were created by CBC designers. While in Canada, Rogers brought his friend and understudy Ernie Coombs, who would go on to create Mr. Dressup, a very successful and long-running children's show in Canada, and similar in many ways to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Mr. Dressup also used some of the songs that would be featured on Rogers' later program.

In 1966, Rogers acquired the rights to his program from the CBC and moved the show to WQED in Pittsburgh, where he had worked on The Children's Corner. He developed the new show for the Eastern Educational Network. Stations that carried the program were limited but did include educational stations in Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York City.

After returning to Pittsburgh, Rogers attended and participated in activities at the Sixth Presbyterian church in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, a More Light congregation which he attended until his death.

Distribution of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began on February 19, 1968. The following year, the show moved to PBS (Public Broadcasting Service). In 1971, Rogers formed Family Communications, Inc. (FCI), and the company established offices in the WQED building in Pittsburgh. Initially, the company served solely as the production arm of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but now develops and produces an array of children's programming and educational materials.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood began airing in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes; the last set of new episodes was taped in December 2000 and began airing in August 2001. At its peak, in 1985, 8% of U.S households tuned in to the show.

Each episode began the same way: Mister Rogers is seen coming home, singing his theme song "Won't You Be My Neighbor?", and changing into sneakers and a zippered cardigan sweater.

In a typical episode, Rogers might have an earnest conversation with his television audience, interact with live guests, take a field trip to such places as a bakery or a music store, or watch a short film.

Typical video subjects included demonstrations of how such inanimate objects as bulldozers and crayons work or are manufactured.

Each episode included a trip to Rogers' "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" featuring a trolley with its own chiming theme song, a castle, and the kingdom's citizens, including King Friday XIII. The subjects discussed in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe often allowed further development of themes discussed in Mister Rogers' "real" neighborhood.

Mister Rogers often fed his fish during episodes. They were originally named Fennel and Frieda.

Typically, each week's episode explored a major theme, such as going to school for the first time.

Originally, most episodes ended with a song entitled "Tomorrow", and Friday episodes looked forward to the week ahead with an adapted version of "It's Such a Good Feeling." In later seasons, all episodes ended with "Feeling."

Visually, the presentation of the show was very simple, and it did not feature the animation or fast pace of other children's shows, which Rogers thought of as "bombardment". Rogers also believed in not acting out a different persona on camera compared to how he acted off camera, stating that "One of the greatest gifts you can give anybody is the gift of your honest self. I also believe that kids can spot a phony a mile away." Rogers composed almost all of the music on the program. He wanted to teach children to love themselves and others, and he addressed common childhood fears with comforting songs and skits. For example, one of his famous songs explains how a child cannot be pulled down the bathtub drain because he or she will not fit. He even once took a trip to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh to show children that a hospital is not a place to fear. During the Gulf War (1990–91), he assured his audience that all children in the neighborhood would be well cared for and asked parents to promise to take care of their own children. The message was aired again by PBS during the media storm that preceded the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Other television work

In 1994, Rogers created another one-time special for PBS called Fred Rogers' Heroes which consisted of documentary portraits of four real-life people whose work helped make their communities better. Rogers, uncharacteristically dressed in a suit and tie, hosted in wraparound segments which did not use the "Neighborhood" set.

For a time Rogers produced specials for parents as a precursor to the subject of the week on the Neighborhood called "Mister Rogers Talks To Parents About [topic]". Rogers didn't host those specials though as other people like Joan Lunden, who hosted the Conflict special, and other news announcers played MC duties in front of a gallery of parents while Rogers answered questions from them. These specials were made to prep the parents for any questions the children might ask after watching the episodes on that topic of the week.

The only time Rogers appeared on television as someone other than himself was in 1996, when he played a preacher on one episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

In the mid-1980s, the Burger King fast-food chain lampooned Rogers' image with an actor called "Mr. Rodney", imitating Rogers' television character. Rogers found the character's pitching fast food as confusing to children, and called a press conference in which he stated that he did not endorse the company's use of his character or likeness (Rogers did no commercial endorsements of any kind throughout his career, though he acted as a pitchman for several non-profit organizations dedicated to learning over the years). The chain publicly apologized for the faux pas, and pulled the ads. By contrast, Fred Rogers found Eddie Murphy's parody of his show on Saturday Night Live, "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," amusing and affectionate, which was also initially broadcast at a time of night when his own child audience was not likely to see it.

Emmys for programming

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood won four Emmy awards, and Rogers received one for lifetime achievement.

During the 1997 Daytime Emmys, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from Esquire's coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:

Advocacy

PBS funding

In 1969, Rogers appeared before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications. His goal was to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, in response to significant proposed cuts. In about six minutes of testimony, Rogers spoke of the need for social and emotional education that public television provided. He passionately argued that alternative television programming like his Neighborhood helped encourage children to become happy and productive citizens, sometimes opposing less positive messages in media and in popular culture. He even recited the lyrics to one of his songs.

The chairman of the subcommittee, John O. Pastore, was not previously familiar with Rogers' work, and was sometimes described as impatient. However, he reported that the testimony had given him goosebumps, and declared, "I think it's wonderful. Looks like you just earned the $20 million." The subsequent congressional appropriation, for 1971, increased PBS funding from $9 million to $22 million.

VCR

During the controversy surrounding the introduction of the household VCR, Rogers was involved in supporting the manufacturers of VCRs in court. His 1979 testimony in the case Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. noted that he did not object to home recording of his television programs, for instance, by families in order to watch together at a later time. This testimony contrasted with the views of others in the television industry who objected to home recording or believed that devices to facilitate it should be taxed or regulated.

The Supreme Court considered the testimony of Rogers in its decision that held that the Betamax video recorder did not infringe copyright. The Court stated that his views were a notable piece of evidence "that many [television] producers are willing to allow private time-shifting to continue" and even quoted his testimony in a footnote:

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Death, awards, and memorials

Rogers was diagnosed with stomach cancer in December 2002, not long after his retirement. He underwent surgery on January 6, 2003, which was unsuccessful. A week earlier, he served as grand marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade, with Art Linkletter and Bill Cosby.

Rogers died on February 27, 2003 at his home with his wife by his side, less than a month before he would have turned 75. His death was such a significant event in Pittsburgh that the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published the next day devoted its coverage to him. The Reverend William P. Barker presided over a public memorial in Pittsburgh. More than 2,700 people attended the memorial at Heinz Hall, including former Good Morning America host David Hartman, Teresa Heinz Kerry, philanthropist Elsie Hillman, PBS President Pat Mitchell, Arthur creator Marc Brown, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar author-illustrator Eric Carle. Speakers remembered Rogers' love of children, devotion to his religion, enthusiasm for music, and quirks. Teresa Heinz Kerry said of Rogers, "He never condescended, just invited us into his conversation. He spoke to us as the people we were, not as the people others wished we were." Rogers is interred at Unity Cemetery in Latrobe.

On New Years Day of 2004, Michael Keaton hosted the PBS TV special "Mr. Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor". It was released on DVD September 28 that year. Keaton was a former stagehand on the show before he quit to become an actor. To mark what would have been his 80th birthday, Rogers' production company sponsored several events to memorialize him, including "Won't You Wear a Sweater Day", during which fans and neighbors were asked to wear their favorite sweaters in celebration.

The television industry honored Rogers with a George Foster Peabody Award "in recognition of 25 years of beautiful days in the neighborhood" in 1987, the same year he was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, the national fraternity for men of music. Rogers was a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1999. One of Rogers' iconic sweaters was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, which displays it as a "Treasure of American History". In 2002 Rogers received the PNC Commonwealth Award in Mass Communications.

He was furthermore awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002, for his contributions to children's education, justified by President George W. Bush, who said, "Fred Rogers has proven that television can soothe the soul and nurture the spirit and teach the very young". A year later, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Resolution 16 to commemorate the life of Fred Rogers. It read, in part, "Through his spirituality and placid nature, Mr. Rogers was able to reach out to our nation's children and encourage each of them to understand the important role they play in their communities and as part of their families. More importantly, he did not shy away from dealing with difficult issues of death and divorce but rather encouraged children to express their emotions in a healthy, constructive manner, often providing a simple answer to life's hardships."

Following Rogers' death, the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003 unanimously passed Resolution 111 honoring Rogers for "his legendary service to the improvement of the lives of children, his steadfast commitment to demonstrating the power of compassion, and his dedication to spreading kindness through example."

The same year the U.S. Presbyterian Church approved an overture "to observe a memorial time for the Reverend Fred M. Rogers" at its General Assembly. The rationale for the recognition of Rogers reads, "The Reverend Fred Rogers, a member of the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, as host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood since 1968, had a profound effect on the lives of millions of people across the country through his ministry to children and families. Mister Rogers promoted and supported Christian values in the public media with his demonstration of unconditional love. His ability to communicate with children and to help them understand and deal with difficult questions in their lives will be greatly missed."

Several buildings, monuments, and works of art are dedicated to Rogers' memory, including a mural sponsored by the Pittsburgh-based Sprout Fund in 2006, "Interpretations of Oakland," by John Laidacker that featured Mr. Rogers. Saint Vincent College in (Latrobe, Pennsylvania) completed construction of The Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media in 2008. The Fred Rogers Memorial Statue on the North Shore near Heinz Field in Pittsburgh was created by Robert Berks and dedicated in 2009.

The asteroid 26858 Misterrogers is named after Rogers. This naming, by the International Astronomical Union, was announced on May 2, 2003 by the director of the Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium & Observatory at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. The science center worked with Rogers' Family Communications, Inc. to produce a planetarium show for preschoolers called "The Sky Above Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", which plays at planetariums across the United States.

False rumors

A false rumor claims that Fred Rogers was once a U.S. Marine sniper in the Vietnam War. The rumor appeared on the Internet in 1994 and re-emerged several times over the next ten years, most notably after his death in 2003. However, Rogers never served in any branch of the military. Beginning in 1963, Rogers developed the Misterogers program for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1966, he moved back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the U.S. where he produced Mister Rogers' Neighborhood through the height of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. Related claims that Rogers had a number of military tattoos are also entirely false.

See also

Colcom Foundation

Notes

References

External links

PBS Kids: Official Site

The Fred M. Rogers Center

Fred Rogers' Company

Category:1928 births Category:2003 deaths Category:People from Latrobe, Pennsylvania Category:American Presbyterian clergy Category:Actors from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:American puppeteers Category:American television actors Category:American television personalities Category:American vegetarians Category:Christian vegetarians Category:Cancer deaths in Pennsylvania Category:Christianity in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Deaths from stomach cancer Category:PBS people Category:Peabody Award winners Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Category:Rollins College alumni

eo:Fred Rogers fa:فرد راجرز fr:Fred Rogers id:Fred Rogers pt:Fred Rogers simple:Fred Rogers sh:Mister Rogers

Name	Noel Gallagher
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Noel Thomas David Gallagher
Born	May 29, 1967 Manchester, England
Genre	Rock, Britpop, alternative rock, psychedelic rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter
Years active	1991–present
Instrument	Guitar, vocals, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, sitar, melodica, mellotron, piano, violin
Influeneces	John Lennon, Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Ian Brown.
Label	Creation, Big Brother, Epic, Sour Mash
Associated acts	Oasis, The Rain, Tailgunner, Smokin' Mojo Filters, Inspiral Carpets, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Notable instruments	Epiphone Supernova Signature ModelGibson ES-355Epiphone RivieraEpiphone SheratonGibson Les PaulGibson J-200Fender TelecasterGibson Trini LopezEpiphone Les Paul }}

Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He was formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

Raised in Burnage, Manchester with brother Liam, Noel began learning guitar at the age of thirteen. After a series of odd jobs in construction, Noel worked for local Manchester band, Inspiral Carpets as a roadie and technician in 1988. Whilst touring with the Inspiral Carpets, he learned that Liam had formed a band of his own, known as The Rain, which eventually took on the name "Oasis". After Noel returned to England, he was invited by Liam to join Oasis as songwriter and guitarist.

Oasis' debut album, Definitely Maybe (1994) marked the beginning of the band's rise to fame as head of the Britpop movement. Oasis' second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? reached the top of the album charts in many countries and their third studio album Be Here Now (album) became the fastest selling album in the United Kingdom of all time. Britpop soon declined in popularity however, and Oasis' next two albums failed to revive its popularity, however the band's final two albums Don't Believe the Truth (2005) and Dig Out Your Soul (2008) were hailed as the band's best efforts in over a decade, which found the band renewed success. On 28 August 2009, following an altercation with Liam prior to a gig in Paris, Noel announced his departure from Oasis and on 23 October 2009, he confirmed he would embark on a solo career.

Noel's run with Oasis was marked by turbulence, especially during the peak of Britpop, during which Noel was involved in several disputes with Liam, and the brothers' fights and wild lifestyles regularly made headlines in British tabloid newspapers. Noel (along with Oasis) also shared a personal rivalry with fellow Britpop band Blur. However, Noel was often regarded as the spear-head of the Britpop movement, and at one point of time, NME termed a number of Britpop bands (including The Boo Radleys, Ocean Colour Scene and Cast) as "Noelrock", citing Gallagher's influence on their success. Many have praised Gallagher's songwriting, with George Martin claiming Noel to be 'the finest songwriter of his generation'.

Childhood and early life

Noel Gallagher was born in Longsight, Manchester, to Irish parents Peggy and Thomas Gallagher. He was the couple's second child, after the birth of Paul Gallagher. Soon after the birth of younger brother Liam in 1972, the Gallaghers moved to Ashburn Avenue in the Manchester suburb of Burnage. Noel had an unhappy childhood. He and his brothers were often beaten by his alcoholic father, and he was often reclusive—Liam described him as "the weirdo in the family". Due to their unease around their father, Noel and Paul both developed stammers. As the oldest child, Paul was given a room to himself, and Noel was forced to share with Liam.

Peggy Gallagher acquired a legal notice of separation from her husband in 1976. Six years later she finally left him, taking the three boys with her. As teenagers the Gallagher brothers—especially Noel—were regular truants, often getting in trouble with the police. When his mother took a job working in the school canteen, Noel ensured that he stopped by to visit her during lunch before skipping the rest of the day. He was expelled from school at the age of 15 for throwing a bag of flour over a teacher. He used to hang around with the football hooligan firms Maine Line Crew, Under-5s and Young Guvnors in the 1980s, and at the age of thirteen, Noel received six months' probation for robbing a corner shop. It was during this period of probation, with little else to do, that Noel first began to teach himself to play a guitar his father had left him, imitating his favourite songs from the radio. Noel was particularly inspired by the debut of The Smiths on Top of the Pops in 1983, performing their single "This Charming Man". He later reflected, "From that day on ... I wanted to be [Smiths guitarist] Johnny Marr."

As teenagers the Gallagher brothers maintained limited contact with their father in order to secure jobs in construction. However, the relationship between father and sons continued to be tempestuous; Noel said, "Because we were always arguing we'd still be working at nine o'clock every night". Having left his father's building company, he took a job at another building firm sub-contracted to British Gas. There he sustained an injury when a heavy cap from a steel gas pipe landed on his right foot. Following a period of recuperation, Noel was offered a less physically demanding role in the company's storehouse, freeing up time in which to practice guitar and write songs. He claimed to have written at least three of the songs on Definitely Maybe in this storehouse (including "Live Forever" and "Columbia"). He later called the storehouse "The Hit Hut" and claimed the walls were painted gold Much of the late 1980s found Noel unemployed and living in a bedsit, occupying his time with recreational drug use, songwriting and guitar playing.

In May 1988, Noel met guitarist Graham Lambert of Inspiral Carpets during a Stone Roses show. The two struck up an acquaintanceship and Noel became a regular at Inspiral Carpets shows. When he heard singer Steve Holt was leaving the band, Noel auditioned to be the new vocalist. He was rejected, but became part of their road crew for two years. Singer Tom Hingley said Gallagher owes his own career to the band, since "his business sense, work ethic, message and humour are Inspiral down to the core." Noel struck up a friendship with monitor engineer Mark Coyle over their love of the Beatles, and the pair spent sound-checks dissecting the group's songs.

Career with Oasis

Joining the band

In 1991, Noel returned from an American tour with the Inspiral Carpets to find that his brother Liam had become a singer with a local band called "The Rain". Noel attended one of their concerts at Manchester's Boardwalk, but was unimpressed by the group's act. After rejecting an offer from Liam to be the band's manager, he agreed to join the band, on the condition that he take creative control of the group and become its sole songwriter. According to another source, Noel Gallagher told Liam and the rest of the group after having heard them play for the first time: "Let me write your songs and I'll take you to superstardom, or else you'll rot here in Manchester". His control over the band in its early years earned him the nickname "The Chief".

In May 1993, the band heard that a record executive from Creation Records would be scouting for talent at King Tut's in Glasgow. Together, they found the money to hire a van and make the six-hour journey. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club because no one notified the venue that Oasis had been added to the bill. The band eventually secured the opening slot and played a four-song set that impressed Creation founder Alan McGee. McGee then took the Live Demonstration tape to Sony America and invited Oasis to meet with him a week later in London, at which point they were signed to a six-album contract. Gallagher has since claimed that he only had six songs written at the time, and has put his success in the interview down to "bullshitting". However, McGee believes that when they met, Gallagher had fifty or so songs written, and merely lied about how prolific he had been following the contract. Richard Ashcroft was so impressed with Oasis during the time, that he invited them to tour with his band The Verve as an opening act.

Gallagher claimed to have written Oasis' first single, "Supersonic", in "the time it takes to play the song." "Supersonic" was released in early 1994 and peaked at No.31 on the official UK charts. The single was later followed by Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe, which was released in August 1994 and was a critical and commercial success. It became the fastest-selling debut album in British history at the time, and entered the UK Charts at #1. Despite their rapidly growing popularity, Noel briefly left Oasis in 1994 during their first American tour. The conditions were poor, and he felt the American audience—still preoccupied with grunge and metal—did not understand the band. Noel stated that his early songs, especially "Live Forever", were written to refute grunge's pessimism. Tensions mounted between him and Liam, culminating in a fight after a disastrous L.A. gig. Having effectively decided to quit the music industry, he flew to San Francisco without telling the band, management or the crew. It was during this time that Noel wrote "Talk Tonight" as a "thank you" for the girl he stayed with, who "talked him from off the ledge". He was tracked down by Creation's Tim Abbot and during a trip by the pair to Las Vegas, Noel decided to continue with the band. He reconciled with his brother and the tour resumed in Minneapolis.

Britpop and the height of fame

Gallagher followed up the debut in 1995 with Oasis' first UK No.1 single in "Some Might Say". This preceded their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, released later that year. Though it suffered initial critical apathy, the album became the second fastest-selling album ever in the UK, entering the UK album charts at No.1 and peaking at No.4 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The success of Oasis and his newfound fame and fortune were not lost on Gallagher, and both he and his brother became famous for their "rock and roll lifestyle". They drank heavily, abused drugs, fought fans, critics, peers, and each other, and made celebrity friends such as Ian Brown, Paul Weller, Mani, Mick Jagger, Kate Moss and Johnny Depp. Noel Gallagher spent extravagantly, buying various cars and a swimming pool, despite the fact he can neither drive, nor swim. He named his house in Belsize Park in London "Supernova Heights" (after the song "Champagne Supernova"), and his two cats "Benson" and "Hedges" after his favourite brand of cigarettes.

Oasis went on to have greater success with their next two singles, "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger" charting at No.2 and No.1 respectively; the former becoming their sole top 10 hit in the US. Originally, Noel had wanted to take lead vocals on "Wonderwall", but Liam insisted on singing it. As compensation, Noel decided he would sing lead vocals on "Don't Look Back in Anger". 1995 also saw Gallagher play two songs for the charity album Help!: "Fade Away", accompanied by friend and Oasis fan Johnny Depp and Depp's then-girlfriend Kate Moss; and The Beatles' 1969 hit "Come Together", along with Paul Weller, Paul McCartney and others in a supergroup called Smokin' Mojo Filters. Noel has also collaborated with the Chemical Brothers, Ian Brown, The Stands, The Prodigy and Weller, amongst others. Gallagher became so influential that a June 1996 NME article argued that "If Noel Gallagher, the most successful songwriter of his generation, champions a group, then said group are guaranteed more mainstream kudos and, quite possibly, more sales. And since Noel has taken to championing only five or six groups, then it's a powerful cabal he's promoting."

In March 1996, Noel and Liam Gallagher met their father again when the News of the World paid him to go to their hotel during a tour. Noel left for his room, later commenting "as far as I'm concerned, I haven't got a father. He's not a father to me, y'know? I don't respect him in any way whatsoever". Also in 1996, Oasis sold out two nights at Knebworth, playing to over 250,000 fans. Following the worldwide success of Morning Glory?, Be Here Now (1997) became Oasis' most eagerly anticipated album to date. As with the previous two albums, all the tracks were written by Noel. After an initial blaze of publicity, positive critical reviews, and commercial success, the album failed to live up to long-term expectations, and public goodwill towards Be Here Now was short-lived. The album was ultimately regarded by many as a bloated, over-indulgent version of Oasis, which Gallagher has since blamed on the drug-addicted state and indifference of the band at the time.

Gallagher began to suffer drug-induced panic attacks during this period. His depressed, paranoid state inspired the song "Gas Panic!", subsequently included on the 2000 album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. Gallagher has claimed to have quit using illicit drugs on 5 June 1998. He stated in 2001, "I liked drugs, I was good at them. But I'd had panic attacks for about a year and I stopped because I wanted to. After you make the decision, it is quite easy." Between 1993 and 1998, he claims, "I can hardly remember a thing."

Post-Britpop years

After the hype surrounding the release of Be Here Now had started to wane, critical response to the band became calmer and more considered, leading to a media backlash. In 1997, Noel was criticised for attending a high-profile and well-publicised media party at 10 Downing Street, hosted by the newly-appointed Prime Minister, Tony Blair, along with other celebrities and industry figures who had supported New Labour in the run-up to the general election. Both brother Liam and Blur's Damon Albarn declined their invitations, with Albarn commenting "Enjoy the schmooze, comrade." The perception of Gallagher as someone now mixing with politicians—or, in particular, a famous photograph of him sipping champagne with Blair—conflicted with the "working class hero" status championed through songs such as "Up in the Sky".

In 1999, rhythm guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs quit the band, with bassist Paul McGuigan following soon afterwards. As a result, the fourth studio album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, was recorded by just the Gallaghers and drummer Alan White, with Noel playing all guitar parts. Gallagher commented on Bonehead's departure, "It's hardly Paul McCartney leaving the Beatles, is it?". After the recording sessions were completed, Gallagher selected Gem Archer to join in place of Bonehead.

Later that year Alan McGee decided to leave Creation and sold the rest of his 51% stake in the label to Sony. Gallagher took this opportunity to set up Big Brother Recordings, which took over Oasis' distribution in the UK, but Sony imprint Epic Records continues to handle the band's international distribution. Around the time of the album's release, Andy Bell, formerly of Ride, joined the band as bassist. In 2001, Gallagher formed his own label, Sour Mash Records, which released records by the likes of Shack and Proud Mary. The incorporation of the label followed Gallagher's debut as a producer, working with Proud Mary on their debut, The Same Old Blues.

In late 2006, Gallagher toured the UK, Europe, Japan, America and Australia in a series of acclaimed intimate semi-acoustic gigs accompanied by Gem Archer and Terry Kirkbride on percussion. The show proved successful and a further series of sets took place in 2007. March 2007 saw Gallagher perform in Moscow—the first time an Oasis member has performed in Russia. Yet Gallagher dismissed claims that he was planning to embark on a solo career. In early 2007, Gallagher joined the rest of Oasis to collect the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" Award at the Brit Awards 2007.

Noel, along with the band recorded their seventh studio album between 2007 and the next year in Abbey Road Studios and Los Angeles, and started at the end of the summer of 2008 a tour that will last at least 12 months.

In March 2009, The Times in conjunction with iTunes released a selection of live recordings by Noel Gallagher taken from his semi-acoustic performance at the Royal Albert Hall on 27 March 2007 in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. The Dreams We Have as Children features classic and rare tracks from the Oasis canon along with several cover versions of some of Noel's favourite artists.

Departure from the band

On 28 August 2009 Noel quit Oasis after a fight with his brother, Liam Gallagher. A little before midnight on Friday he posted a statement on his message board called "Tales from the Middle of Nowhere" on the band's website announcing his departure.

Post-Oasis

Solo performances

Noel's first concerts without Oasis were announced on 1 February 2010 to be at London's Royal Albert Hall on 25 and 26 March 2010 for Teenage Cancer Trust . Noel was supported by The Courteeners and Plan B respectively. Terry Kirkbride and Gem Archer joined him on-stage, as did Jay Darlington, all of whom Gallagher had previously worked with while he was still a member of Oasis. He played a mostly acoustic set, and played a variety of Oasis album tracks and B-sides. It was almost the same set he played at the Royal Albert Hall in 2007. Noel also joined friend Paul Weller onstage in London on 21 April 2010, and played the Oasis song "Mucky Fingers" and a song he co wrote with Weller, "Echoes Round the Sun".

Returning to the studio

Noel confirmed that he would be returning to the studio in August 2010 to record drums for another unnamed artist. Paul Weller subsequently confirmed in an interview with Absolute Radio that he was the previously unnamed artist who would be using Noel's drumming services. He also denied rumours that he would be the Best Man for Russell Brand's marriage to Katy Perry. In August, it was mentioned on a UK Music blog, Sourmash Music, that Noel has been working with Liverpool's own The Sand Band. Lead singer David McDonnell has been co-writing with Noel and are looking to collaborate on future solo projects together.

On 24 November 2010, Miles Kane revealed that Noel sings on a track from his debut solo album entitled My Fantasy. He also revealed that he will appear on Noel's forthcoming album, playing guitar.

On 10 February 2011, Noel stated he has "not even started" his first solo record, despite Liam rumouring that he 'swiped' material from the Dig Out Your Soul sessions. "I am not recording new stuff, not just yet," Noel said to Talksport. "It'll be out when it's finished I guess. Well I've not even started it, so I don't know."

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

On 6 July 2011, Noel held a press conference in London during which he announced that Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will release a self-titled album on 17 October 2011, and the second being a collaboration album with Amorphous Androgynous would be released in 2012. He also announced that he would be going on tour, debuting in Dublin on 23 October 2011. The touring band for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds includes David McDonnell (guitar), Russell Pritchard (bass), Mikey Rowe (keyboards) and Jeremy Stacey (drums). On 20 July 2011, Noel released a 47 second trailer of his first single "The Death of You and Me". The video for the debut single was released on 25 July at 8:21 am (GMT).

Personal life

Relationships

At the age of 18, Gallagher became engaged to his then-girlfriend Diane, but they never married and eventually separated. In 1988, he moved out of his family home to live with Louise Jones, whom he described as his "soulmate" and for whom he wrote "Slide Away". They had an on-again, off-again relationship before finally separating in June 1994, with Gallagher stating, "I don’t think I’ll ever get over it."

In June 1997, Gallagher married Meg Mathews in Las Vegas, Nevada. He'd met her in 1994 through her roommate, MTV presenter Rebecca de Ruvo, whom he was dating at the time and whom he left for Mathews. Mathews gave birth to a daughter, Anaïs Gallagher, on 27 January 2000. Gallagher and Mathews divorced in January 2001 on grounds of his adultery with Scottish publicist Sara MacDonald. After the divorce was finalised, Gallagher claimed he had only admitted to cheating in order to speed up the divorce process and that he had never actually been unfaithful.

Since his separation from Mathews, Gallagher has been in a relationship with MacDonald, whom he met at club Space on Ibiza in June 2000. He wrote "Waiting for the Rapture" about their meeting. They have two sons, Donovan Rory MacDonald Gallagher (born 22 September 2007) and Sonny Patrick MacDonald Gallagher (born 1 October 2010). Gallagher and MacDonald were married on 18 June 2011 in a private ceremony at the Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest National Park.

Other

He was a frequent guest on The Russell Brand Show on BBC Radio 2, appearing on almost every show, leading Brand to dub him an unofficial "Co presenter". He is also a regular on the digital radio sports show, "TalkSPORT" Other notable friends of his are, Mani of Primal Scream, Richard Ashcroft of The Verve – for whom he dedicated a song, "Cast No Shadow", the band members of the Chemical Brothers, - Sex Pistols members John Lydon and Steve Jones the members of the rock band Kasabian, Andy Nicholson, boxer Ricky Hatton, Paul McCartney, Liverpool F.C footballer Jamie Carragher, Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller, Ian Brown, Kelly Jones and Johnny Depp (who played slide guitar on the Oasis song Fade In-Out). He was also good friends with Kate Moss who used to stay with him when she was visiting London. In 2001 he was reported to have an estimated personal fortune of £25 million. In 2009 The Sunday Times Rich List estimated Noel and Liam's combined personal fortune at £52 million.

Gallagher is a fan of football, being a well-known supporter of Manchester City F.C. He is a friend of former City midfielder Joey Barton, as well as Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Italian striker Alessandro Del Piero, who described Gallagher as Italy's "lucky mascot" during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and appears in the Oasis video "Lord Don't Slow Me Down". Gallagher was an official ambassador for England's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Gallagher stated in a 2006 radio interview with Russell Brand that he does not believe in God or "an all-guiding force." Although Gallagher isn't very religious, throughout his career many of his songs mention God; (Carry Us All, Gas Panic!, The Hindu Times, Little by Little, to name four) and all the tracks he had contributed to Dig Out Your Soul, as well as the other band mates' songs, have lyrics and references to God and other biblical terms. The entire record has been described by Noel as a "religious Armageddon". But in recent interviews for Dig Out Your Soul regarding religion, Noel stated "See, I don't know what I am. If I was an atheist I'd just write songs about not believing in God – but I don't know what I am."

In 2008 it was announced that Gallagher would sell his home in Ibiza located near fellow musician James Blunt's, saying while in Los Angeles on the Russell Brand BBC Radio 2 show that he "Can't stand living there in the knowledge that Blunt is nearby making terrible music."

Songwriting and musicianship

Noel Gallagher was the primary songwriter in Oasis, and on the group's first few albums he was the sole songwriting contributor. Gallagher is often criticised for the praise he gives to his own songs. He points out "If you'd written 'Live Forever', you'd be walking to a different tune the next day too." Gallagher has often been accused by critics of plagiarising the music of his heroes, but he has maintained outright homages in his music are his intention. In a 1996 Guitar World interview, he described himself as "a fan who writes songs" and stated, "I'm not saying, 'I'm the greatest songwriter in the world. Listen to me.' Usually, I'm saying, 'These are the greatest songwriters in the world. And I'm gonna put them all in this song"'. His response to critics about the topic of "blatantly pinching riffs" was, "No, I don't feel guilty. But you feel pissed off because you didn't do it first."

Though naturally left-handed, Gallagher plays guitar right-handed, which he claims is the only thing he can do with his non-dominant hand. Noel has said he sometimes does not understand his own lyrics, commenting in 2005 that "when I'm halfway through 'Don't Look Back in Anger' I say to myself. 'I still don't know what these words mean!'"

Changing band dynamic

Gallagher's role as chief songwriter for Oasis changed over time as he allowed a greater level of lyrical input from the other band members. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants included Oasis' first ever album track written by Liam Gallagher. Heathen Chemistry included a further three tracks by Liam (including the single "Songbird"), one by Archer and one by Andy Bell. Don't Believe the Truth featured another three tracks by Liam (though one of them, "Love Like a Bomb" was co-written with Archer), one from Archer, and two from Bell. The latter two albums have been greeted with increasing critical and commercial success in the U.K., particularly Don't Believe the Truth. Yet the second single from Don't Believe the Truth, "The Importance of Being Idle" became the second Noel-sung Oasis track to top the UK charts and was named 2005's finest track by Q magazine, as well as being nominated for the NME's "Best Song of 2005" award. However, on the last Oasis albums, Noel's increasing role as lead singer, apparently to compensate for his diminished role as songwriter, caused some tension with Liam.

Zak Starkey, son of former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and previous drummer for Gallagher's heroes The Who and Johnny Marr, replaced long-time drummer Alan White during the recording sessions for Don't Believe the Truth. The loss of White prompted Gallagher to comment, in a 2005 interview, that he puts Oasis' trouble with drummers, in part, to the fact that he is himself a talented drummer, saying "I get a lot of stick for it, but I'm the best drummer in the group."

Controversy

Gallagher is well known for his controversial, outspoken statements in the press; he acknowledged his tendency for faux pas in the song "My Big Mouth" on the album Be Here Now. Yet Gallagher has defended himself, saying "people think [I'm] controversial for the answers [I] give to silly questions in interviews, but ... I'm not thinking about insulting ... people; I say what I genuinely feel is in my heart. My conscience is clean, d'you know what I mean? Y'know, I'm true to myself—fuck everybody else." His opinions have earned him an "elder statesman" reputation, with NME dubbing him "The wisest man in rock".

Damon Albarn and Blur

The most infamous of Gallagher's controversial statements was in a 1995 interview with The Observer, where he expressed a wish for Damon Albarn and Alex James of rivals Blur to "catch AIDS and die", a comment which he quickly apologised publicly for, and stated that "AIDS is no laughing matter." This statement was preceded by the success of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, which led to a well-documented feud with fellow Britpop band Blur. The differing styles of the bands, coupled with their prominence within the Britpop movement, led the British media to seize upon the rivalry between the bands. Both factions played along, with the Gallaghers taunting Blur at the 1996 BRIT Awards by singing a rendition of "Parklife" when they collected their "Best British Band" award (with Liam changing the lyrics to "Shite-life").

Gallagher maintains that the rivalry was conceived by the magazine NME and members of Blur's entourage as a ploy to raise their respective profiles, and that since this point he has had no respect for either party. However, Albarn has suggested the roots of the feud were much more personal. By 2007, the tension between the two had cooled, and in an NME interview, Gallagher said "I've got a lot of respect for Damon, I really do mean it. Because I'm indifferent to Damon he thinks that I think he's a cunt. Our Liam will talk to him, I won't because he's just another singer in a band to me, but I don't think he's a cunt. Good luck to him!"

Liam Gallagher

The Gallagher brothers famously share a turbulent relationship; one of their arguments was even released on a 1995 bootleg single entitled Wibbling Rivalry. Although in recent years their relationship had stabilised, during the band's early career there were a handful of incidents where the two have actually come to blows. In an L.A. show during their first American tour in 1994, Liam took to changing the words of the songs so that they were offensive to both Americans and Noel. A confrontation after the show which led to a chair being thrown and a brawl caused Noel to leave the tour and head for Las Vegas; Noel later claimed he had "visions of Fear and Loathing flashing in [his] eyes". During recording sessions for the second Oasis album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, the brothers had a violent fight involving a cricket bat, when Liam invited everyone from a local pub back into the studio while Noel was trying to work. Noel took hold of the bat and whacked Liam over the head with it. The fight ended with Noel breaking Liam's foot. In 1996, Noel provided lead vocals at a performance for MTV Unplugged when Liam backed out minutes before the set was due to start. Liam claimed to have been struck down with a "sore throat"; the band later found out that Liam did not like performing acoustically. Noel was further angered when Liam proceeded to heckle him from the balcony and nurse his "sore throat" with beer and cigarettes while the band performed. Just before the band were about to board a plane to the United States for their crucial make-or-break US tour, Liam left the airport, claiming he had to find a house for his then-wife Patsy Kensit. He later joined the band for their last few gigs and the infamous MTV Awards performance; the remaining dates were scrapped. The band's future was tabloid daily news.

While on tour in Barcelona in 2000, Oasis were forced to cancel a gig when Alan White's arm seized up, and the band spent the night drinking instead. Liam made a derogatory comment about Noel's then-wife Meg Mathews, and attempted to cast doubt over the legitimacy of Noel's daughter Anais, causing a scuffle. Following this, Noel declared he was quitting overseas touring, but returned for an Oasis gig in Dublin on 8 July 2000. During the performance, the two brothers shook hands at the end of "Acquiesce".

However, the relationship between the two brothers had become strained throughout 2009, leading eventually to a last minute cancellation of an Oasis concert scheduled to take place on 28 August 2009 in Paris, due to an "altercation within the group." Later that evening, Noel confirmed he had left Oasis as he "simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer." Through the Oasis website, Noel said "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight". On 29 August, Noel expanded further on his blog, stating "the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new."

Glastonbury

Noel Gallagher blasted the organizers of the 2008 Glastonbury Festival for scheduling Jay-Z as a headliner for the traditionally guitar-driven festival:

"If it ain't broke don't fix it. If you start to break it then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?' I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong."'''

Emily Eavis, the organiser of England's famed Glastonbury music festival, said she was honoured U.S. hip-hop artist Jay-Z was headlining the event saying: "He is absolutely the right act for our festival," she said. "There is no reason why we should not have the greatest living hip-hop artist on at Glastonbury." Eavis also cited that Jay-Z was far from the first hip-hop artist to appear at Glastonbury. The Roots, Cypress Hill, and De La Soul had all previously performed at the Glastonbury Festival.

Jay-Z responded to this controversy saying the following:

"We don't play guitars, Noel, but hip-hop has put in its work like any other form of music. This headline show is just a natural progression. Rap music is still evolving. From Afrika Bambaataa DJ-ing in the Bronx and Run DMC going platinum, to Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince winning the first rap Grammy, I'm just next in the line. We have to respect each other's genre of music and move forward."

Jay-Z opened his set at Glastonbury 2008 with a cover of Oasis' song "Wonderwall". When Gallagher was asked about the incident he replied "The way it's played itself out is that I said Jay-Z had no right to play Glastonbury, which is a crock of horseshit. I got off a plane and someone asked me about the fact that Glastonbury hadn't sold out for the first time in years, and if it was because of Jay-Z. From there it grew into this crap that I was standing on an orange crate at Speakers' Corner saying, 'Gather round, brothers and sisters. Have you heard what's happening at Glastonbury this year?' I have a certain turn of phrase. So if I say, "Chicken sandwiches in McDonald's are just plain fucking wrong," it doesn't mean I'm attacking all chickens or all sandwiches. I've hung out with Jay-Z in Tokyo. I've seen his show. It's not my bag, but it's all right. We have a mutual friend in Chris Martin. So I am a guy who doesn't like hip-hop—shock, horror. I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when rap was inspirational. Public Enemy were awesome. But it's all about status and bling now, and it doesn't say anything to me." When Jay Z was asked about Gallagher's comments he said "I haven't spoken to him [Gallagher], I heard he was reaching out. I don't bear any grudge, it's all good. I just believe in good music and bad music, I've always said that. You look at any interview from the beginning of time, I've always stated that I don't believe in the lines and classifications that people put music in so they can easily define it". When asked who he would be interested in collaborating with in the future, the rapper said, "Anyone. Oasis as well – it doesn't matter to me."

Politics

Noel has spoken out about his political views on several occasions, most notably when he visited Tony Blair at No. 10 Downing Street in 1997. In an interview in 1997 when he was asked about why he visited Blair he replied, "I've taken a lot of flack for going to No. 10 Downing Street but the thing about that is, I never considered myself a rebel anyway. I wasn't going there representing the 'Indie community'. I wasn't representing anyone. I was going there for me. You have to understand that from when I went to school and from when I was born all we ever knew was conservative, Tory, right-wing government. What people don't mention is, they say 'He went to meet Tony Blair.' No. I went to meet the LABOUR prime minister. Our parents always drummed into us that the Labour Party was for the people and the Tory Party was not. I went to meet the Labour prime minister. Full stop."

In an interview in 2007 when asked about politics he said, "I'd been unemployed all my life. It was a big deal for me when he [Tony Blair] got in. Now David Cameron is no different than our Tony Blair and Gordon Brown is no different than our David Cameron. They're all cut from the same cloth and it annoys me that the biggest political icon in the last 30 years has been Margaret Thatcher, and she's a dick. Someone who tried to destroy the working class. It freaks me out. So I don't really think there's anything left to vote for. I believe that I, as a person, can only change things once every 5 years and that's by voting, and my point is that even casting that vote means that the same guy gets in, the only difference is one has a red tie and the other has a blue one. That's all it means, so I think that I should start the Gallagher Party."

He was open in his support for Barack Obama's successful bid for U.S. President, calling his acceptance speech to the 2008 Democratic National Convention "spellbinding."

In 1997 he played a 5 song set at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in NYC. As a result Oasis have been deemed "unsuitable" by the Chinese government, forcing a planned tour of the country in 2009 to be cancelled.

He has also been very vocal about knife crime. He said to one journalist, "It all goes back to the Thatcher Years. I know it's a cliché to say it but that's where the rot set in. If you go up north to any city there are rows and rows and rows of derelict houses. They can't even afford to knock them down and build something new, and that's where it all starts, if kids haven't got anything what are they supposed to do?"

When the interviewer suggested it was for status he replied, "In my day status was about trying to be somebody, not trying to kill somebody, so how's that all changed?"

Speaking out about the August 2011 riots that took place in England, Gallagher claimed that violent video games and television shows which children were being exposed to were partially to blame for social problems.

Musical equipment

Throughout his career Gallagher has used a wide range of different guitars, effect pedals and amplifers from his large collection.

Guitars

;Electric guitars

Epiphone Supernova – Gallagher's signature model combines features from Noel's most frequently used guitars over the years, including various Gibson and Epiphone semi acoustics. The most notable reference is the union jack paintjob, which echoes his custom-painted Epiphone Sheraton that he used at Maine Road in 1996. The model originally put out on the market for sale differs from the actual guitar that Gallagher uses. The line of guitars feature humbuckers and a stop-bar tailpiece, whereas Gallagher's actual guitar features mini-humbuckers and a frequensator tailpiece.

Epiphone Riviera – Gallagher has several in different finishes. A wine red model was Noel's main guitar for (What's The Story) Morning Glory tour and seen in the promotional videos for "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Roll with It", "Morning Glory" and "Champagne Supernova".

Epiphone Sheraton – Gallager owns several, one of which with the Union Jack graphics. Noel also used Sunburst and Wine Red models on the Be Here Now tour- one sunburst model even gained a Manchester City F.C. sticker on the pickguard. This guitar was used a lot during 1997–98.

Fender Telecaster – Gallagher uses several including one with pink paisley graphics. A white telecaster was given to Noel by Johnny Depp as a birthday present.

Rickenbacker 330 – Gallagher owns several including one previously owned by Paul Weller. Weller famously used this guitar when he performed Town Called Malice with his former band The Jam on Top of the Pops in 1982. It was given to Noel as a 30th Birthday Present by Weller.

Epiphone Les Paul – This was Gallagher's main guitar in Oasis' early days as seen in the UK promotional video for Supersonic.

Gibson Les Paul – Gallagher has owned several. This and the Gibson ES-355 (see below) are his main guitars for gigs. He owns a black Les Paul given to him by Johnny Marr.

Gibson Silver Florentine – Semi-hollow version of the Les Paul Custom. Noel's main guitar on part of the Be Here Now Tour (along with the Epiphone Sheraton). This guitar is no longer in his possession and was recently sold on eBay.

Gibson Firebird Non-Reverse – One of which is fitted with Bill Puplett Custom pick-ups. Used in numerous recordings including 'Morning Glory' and used on 'Top Of The Pops' for a performance of 'Rock n' Roll Star'. It's also seen in the 'Live Forever' US promotional video. This guitar was recently sold on Rockstars Guitars. Another Non-Reverse firebird with 3 stock pick-ups featured in the 'Cigarettes and Alcohol' promotional video.

Gibson ES-355 – Since 2002 this model has been Gallagher's main guitar for the majority of live performances.

Fender Jaguar – Noel is pictured using a blue Fender Jaguar in the promotional shots for the album Be Here Now. However there is no evidence that he used this guitar in the studio or live.

Gibson ES-345- Used in the studio and as a backup guitar on recent tours.

Epiphone Casino – Used by Noel on the Be Here Now Tour and in the studio. Seen in the Promotional video for Sunday Morning Call. Noel also used a casino with a natural finish (presumably a nod to John Lennon's famous 'stripped' casino), during the recording of Dig Out Your Soul. Noel can be seen using this guitar in the 'Gold and Silver and Sunshine' film from the Dig out your soul DVD.

Gibson Trini Lopez As seen in the promotional videos of The Hindu Times and Lyla, also used at Oasis's Glastonbury 2004 performance

Gibson Flying V Used for a short time around 1997–98, can be seen in the promotional video for D'You Know What I Mean?

Gibson ES-335 Used on the Track The Girl In The Dirty Shirt and various other studio recordings.

Gibson SG Gallagher isn't often seen with one, however he played a cherry red SG with a maestro tremolo at the Fuji Rock Festivalin 2009.

;Acoustic guitars Gallagher has two different Gibson J-200 standards that he plays as his main stage acoustics. One, used during live performances, has an Adidas sticker just above the neck joint and classic Gibson 'crown'-type fret markers. This guitar has a retrofitted soundhole single-coil pick-up. Gallagher's second SJ-200 is slightly different; rather than the 'crown' fret markers, it has "M"-shaped inlays. The second instrument has a similar pick-up to the first, but is different in that it has a brown, rounded pickguard- rather than the J-200's usual floral, unusually shaped one. Perhaps most notably, this guitar was used for portions of Gallagher's solo tour, which culminated in a recorded concert in Paris on 28 November 2006. Gallagher also owns a wide array of vintage Gibson and Martin guitars. On "Dig Out Your Soul," for instance, he played a 1970 Martin D-28. Other acoustics known to have been employed either in the studio or on-stage are a Takamine EF-325SRC, a Takamine FD −460SC, Takamine EG 335 12-string and a Takamine NV360S.:

In the beginning of Oasis, before Gallagher had his Gibson SJ-200s, he extensively played an Epiphone EJ-200, which can be seen in both the Wonderwall video and the live performance of "Talk Tonight" with Paul Weller. It's also the guitar he holds on the cover of Definitely Maybe and is seen on the cover of the Cigarettes and Alcohol single.

Effect pedals

In the early days of Oasis, Gallagher's effect setup was quite limited: he used a Boss delay pedal and a Roland Space Echo. By 2002, in contrast, his pedal board had ballooned to include a large array of stomp boxes as well as a large MIDI controller. Following is a list of all the guitar effects known to have been used from 1994 to 2009:

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9

Pete Cornish SS-2 Fuzz

THD Hot Plate Power Attenuator

Roland Space Echo

Maxon AD-80

Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

Boss DD-5 Digital Delay

Boss DD-6 Digital Delay (Analog Man modified)

Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter

Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer

Boss AB-2 2-Way Selector

Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner

Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler

Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere

Boss AC-2 and AC-3 Acoustic Simulator

Way Huge Aqua-Puss

Dunlop Cry Baby

Various Vox Wah pedals

Boss RV-3 and RV-5 Digital Reverb

Boss PN-2 Tremolo/Pan

SIB Echodrive

Boss LS-2 Line Selector

Analog Man King of Tone

Danelectro Dan-Echo

Boss HR-2 Harmonist

Boss SD-2 DUAL OverDrive

Crowther HotCake

DigiTech Whammy

Z.Vex Lo-Fi Loop Junky

Boss SL-20 Slicer [At the very end of the left side of his pedal board]

Amplification

Gallagher is well known for his changing amplification preferences. During the band's early days and the recording of its seminal album Definitely Maybe, Gallagher utilised a Marshall Valvestate 8080 solid-state combo run through an overdriven Vox AC30. When the band first appeared on television, the Vox had been replaced with a WEM Dominator 25-watt tube combo, special gold edition. By the time Oasis toured behind the album, however, the recording setup had been abandoned in favour of a 100-watt Marshall "NBs-On" JCM900 head and one or two matching 4x12 cabinets. Following the release of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Gallagher appeared with various amplifiers. Some sources indicate that he used a pair of Orange Overdrive 120 heads with four matching 4x12 cabinets, but photographs from this period clearly show him playing through a JCM900 stack, in this tour, in 1995–1996 he uses also two Laney combo: lc30 and lc50 as we can see in the DVD "...There and Then".

From 2000 onwards, however, Gallagher's setup has remained more or less intact in that it has revolved around the entrance of the 15-watt Fender Blues Junior. At one point he ran a pair of Blues Juniors into Marshall 4x12 cabinets loaded with Celestion G-12s. Other amps to have made appearances in his rig during this period are the Clark Beaufort Combo and the Clark Tyger Combo. Also present in his quite substantial rig were a vintage Vox AC50 head, and an unidentified Orange head which could very well be another Overdrive 120. During the "Don't Believe The Truth" tour he used a Fender Bassman head and matching cabinet with the two 4x12 Marshall cabs driven by a Blues Junior and the Vox AC50 Head. By 2008, Gallagher's rig had evolved again: a single Blues Junior coupled with three 2x12 Vertical Custom Hiwatt 100 combos. At the iTunes Festival at Camden Roundhouse, the rig had changed again; Gallagher had replaced one of the 2x12 Hiwatt combos with a Hiwatt amplifier head and matching 2x12 cabinet.

Discography

1994: Definitely Maybe

1995: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?

1997: Be Here Now

1998: The Masterplan (Compilation of B-sides)

2000: Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants

2000: Familiar To Millions (Live album recorded at Wembley Stadium)

2002: Heathen Chemistry

2005: Don't Believe The Truth

2008: Dig Out Your Soul

Albums

2009: The Dreams We Have as Children - Live at the Royal Albert Hall

2011: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

2012: TBA (collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous)

Also featured on:-

1995: Stanley Road by Paul Weller, acoustic guitar on "I Walk on Gilded Splinters"

1997: Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers, vocals on "Setting Sun"

1998: Saturnzreturn by Goldie, guitar on "Temper Temper"

1998: The X-Files: The Album, the track "Teotihuacan"

1999: Surrender by The Chemical Brothers, vocals on "Let Forever Be"

2000: Tailgunner by Tailgunner, drums

2000: The Same Old Blues by Proud Mary, production, plus additional vocals, guitars, bass and percussion

2002: Illumination by Paul Weller, drums, percussion & bass on "One X One"

2003 (Recorded in 2000): Live at the Royal Albert Hall by The Who, guitar, backing vocals on "Won't Get Fooled Again"

2004: Solarized by Ian Brown: collaboration on the song "Keep What Ya Got".

2004: All Years Leaving by The Stands, guitar on "Some Weekend Night"

2008: 22 Dreams by Paul Weller, bass, piano, mellotron and wurlitzer on "Echoes Round The Sun"

2011: Colour of the Trap by Miles Kane, backing vocals on "My Fantasy"

Charted songs

! Year	! Title	!style="width:3.5em;font-size:75%;"	!style="width:3.5em;font-size:75%;"	!style="width:3.5em;font-size:75%;"	! Album
1997	"Setting Sun"			style="text-align:center;"
1998	"Temper Temper"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
1999	"Let Forever Be"		style="text-align:center;"
	style="text-align:center;"
2004	"Keep What Ya Got"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
	"Don't Look Back in Anger"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;"
"Talk Tonight"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
"Cast No Shadow"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
"(It's Good) To Be Free"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"
2011	"The Death of You and Me"		style="text-align:center;"
style="text-align:center;"

Other

2011, Well... All Right! (compilation album compiled by Gallagher. Released covermount into Mojo (magazine).

References

Further reading

Gallagher, Paul; Christian, Terry. Brothers, From Childhood to Oasis (Virgin Books)

Harris, John. Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Da Capo Press, 2004. ISBN 0-306-81367-X

Hewitt, Paolo. Getting High: The Adventures of Oasis (Boxtree Press)

Mathur, Paul. Take Me There: The Story Of Oasis (Bloomsbury Publishing PLC)

Middles, Mick. Oasis: Round Their Way (Independent Music Press)

Moody, P. Oasis: Lost Inside (UFO Music Ltd)

Robertson, I. Oasis: What's The Story? (Blake Books)

Wheeler, J. Oasis: How Does It Feel? (UFO Books Ltd)

Williams, J. & Cook J. Oasis member attacked on stage (Canoe.ca)

External links

The Official Noel Gallagher Website

Noel Gallagher on Facebook

Noel Gallagher on Twitter

Noel Gallagher on YouTube

Noel Gallagher on SoundCLoud

Noel Gallagher on MySpace

Category:1967 births Category:English male singers Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English rock guitarists Category:English singer-songwriters Category:Lead guitarists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Manchester Category:Oasis (band) members Category:People from Burnage Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:Road crew

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