A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit (e.g. Box Hill, Surrey).

The panoramic view from Connors Hill, near Swifts Creek, Victoria

Terminology[link]

A Khulan (Mongolian Wild Ass) on a hill in the Gobi of Mongolia at sunset.

The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is generally somewhat lower and less steep than a mountain. In the United Kingdom geographers historically regarded mountains as hills greater than 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, which formed the basis of the plot of the 1995 film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. In contrast, hillwalkers have tended to regard mountains as peaks 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level: the Oxford English Dictionary also suggests a limit of 2,000 feet (610 m). This has led to Cavanal Hill in Poteau, Oklahoma, receive billing as the "World's Tallest Hill" due to its height of 1,999 feet (609 m). Mountains in Scotland are frequently referred to as "hills" no matter what their height, as reflected in names such as the Cuillin Hills and the Torridon Hills. In Wales, the distinction is more a term of land use and appearance and has nothing to do with height.

A hillock is a small hill. Other words include knoll and (in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England) its variant, knowe.^[1]

Artificial hills may be referred to by a variety of technical names, including mound and tumulus.

Hills of the Judean Desert.

Hills may form through a number of geomorphic phenomena: faulting, erosion of larger landforms, such as mountains and movement and deposition of sediment by glaciers (e.g. moraines and drumlins, or by erosion exposing solid rock which then weathers down into a hill. The rounded peaks of hills results from the diffusive movement of soil and regolith covering the hill, a process known as downhill creep.

Areas that would otherwise have hills do not because of glacier cover during the Ice Age. The hills that existed before the ice age were worn down by the ice (and the rocks they carry) and/or the surrounding valleys and hollows were filled in with glacial drift, therefore leaving a level topography. The contrast between the flat plains of northern Indiana, once covered by ice, and the rugged hills of southern Indiana, where the ice never reached, is a result of this. Another example is the Driftless Zone, an island of hilly country that the ice sheets missed, surrounded by glacial plains, also in the American Midwest.

There are various specific names used to describe particular types of hill, based on appearance and method of formation. Many such names originated in one geographical region to describe a type of hill formation peculiar to that region, though the names are often adopted by geologists and used in a wider geographical context. These include:

• Drumlin – an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial action.
• Butte – an isolated hill with steep sides and a small flat top, formed by weathering.
• Tor – a rock formation found on a hilltop; also used to refer to the hill itself, especially in South West England.
• Puy – used especially in the Auvergne, France, to describe a conical volcanic hill.
• Pingo – a mound of earth-covered ice found in the Arctic and Antarctica.

Historical significance[link]

Clouds over hills

Hills have played an important role in history.

Many settlements were originally built on hills, either to avoid or curb floods, particularly if they were near a large body of water, or for defence, since they offer a good view of the surrounding land and require would-be attackers to fight uphill. For example, Ancient Rome was built on seven hills, protecting it from invaders.

In northern Europe, many ancient monuments are sited in heaps. Some of these are defensive structures (such as the hill-forts of the Iron Age), but others appear to have hardly any significance. In Britain, many churches at the tops of hills are thought to have been built on the sites of earlier pagan holy places. The National Cathedral in Washington, DC has followed this tradition and was built on the highest hill in that city.

Military significance[link]

The Battle of Bunker Hill

Hills provide a major advantage to an army, giving them an elevated firing position and forcing an opposing army to charge uphill to attack them. They may also conceal forces behind them, allowing a force to lay in wait on the crest of a hill, using that crest for cover, and firing on unsuspecting attackers as they broach the hilltop.

As a result, conventional military strategies often demand possession of high ground. Hills have become sites for many noted battles, such as the first recorded military conflict in Scotland known as the battle of Mons Graupius. Modern conflicts include the Battle of Bunker Hill (which was actually fought on Breed's Hill) in the American War for Independence and Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill in the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point of the American Civil War. The Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War won Americans control of Santiago. The Battle of Alesia was also fought from a hilltop fort. Fighting on Mamayev Kurgan during the Battle of Stalingrad and the Umurbrogol Pocket in the Battle of Peleliu were also examples of bloody fighting for high ground. Another recent example is the Kargil War between India and Pakistan.

The Great Wall in China is also an example of an advantage provider; it is built on mountain tops, and was meant to defend against invaders from the north, and among others, Mongolians.

Sports and games[link]

Hillwalkers on Beinn Dearg, Scotland

An example of a golf course in England that has hills

Hillwalking is a British English term for a form of hiking which involves the ascent of hills. The activity is usually distinguished from mountaineering as it does not involve ropes or technically difficult rock climbing, although the terms mountain and hill are often used interchangeably in Britain. Hillwalking is popular in mountainous areas such as the English Peak District or the Scottish Highlands. Many hills are categorised according to relative height or other criteria and feature on lists named after mountaineers, such as Munros (Scotland) or Wainwrights (England). Specific locating activities such as "peak bagging" (or "Munro bagging") involve climbing hills on these lists with the aim of completing (or "compleating") the list.

In golf, the terrain on golf courses is often made more rugged and hilly to make the holes harder to play. For example, the hole may be located at the top of a hill, and the course is designed specifically to make it almost impossible to allow the golf ball to rest near the top; it would roll down, and the player would have to try again.

Cheese rolling is an annual event in the West Country of England which involves rolling a wheel of cheese down a hill. Contestants stand at the top and chase the wheel of cheese to the bottom. The winner, the one who catches the cheese, gets to keep the wheel of cheese as a prize.

Largest man-made[link]

• Blackstrap Ski Hill (45 m (148 ft))^[2]
• Silbury Hill (40 m (130 ft))
• Grizzly Peak (Disneyland Resort) (34 m (112 ft))
• Mount Manisty 100ft
• Monks Mound (30 m (98 ft))
• Mount Gushmore (27 m (89 ft))

Gallery[link]

• 

  Cerro Paranal in Chile is a privileged place for astronomical observation.^[3], and home of ESO's telescopes.

• 

  A coffee plantation on a conical hill near Orosí, Costa Rica.

• 

  Some hills can be quite small, such as this Ant-hill

See also[link]

Look up hill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: hills

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2009)

• Earth Sculpture; Or, The Origin of Land-forms
• The International Geography

Adam Hills (born 10 July 1970) is an Australian comedian and television presenter.^[3] He has appeared on Australian and British television and is best known for his role hosting the Australian ABC music trivia show Spicks and Specks. He has been nominated for a Perrier Comedy Award and Gold Logie Award.

He began performing as a stand-up comedian in 1989 at the age of 19, and since 1997 has produced ten solo shows which have toured internationally. He has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Montreal Just for Laughs festival, earning three consecutive Perrier Award nominations for his Edinburgh shows in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

In 2002, he scored a minor hit with his single "Working Class Anthem", in which he sang the lyrics of the Australian National Anthem to the tune of "Working Class Man", a famous song by Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes.

Personal life[link]

Originally from the Sydney suburb of Loftus, Hills developed an interest in comedy after discovering an inflight comedy channel on a plane at the age of eight. Hills was born without a right foot and wears a prosthesis, which has become a frequent source of comedy in his act.^[4] He studied a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) at Macquarie University, graduating in 1991.

In December 2009, Hills married opera soprano Ali McGregor.^[5]

Their first child, a daughter named Beatrice Pearl, was born on 8 May 2010.

Career[link]

Stand-up career[link]

Hills entered the comedy scene in 1989 when he made his first appearance at the Sydney Comedy Store at the age of 19. He spent several years from 1991 splitting his time between stand-up gigs and breakfast radio, but by the mid-1990s Hills says the hours had become exhausting and he decided to focus on live comedy. In 1997 he premiered "Stand Up and Deliver", the first of 10 solo shows, all of which have toured internationally. He has travelled widely, performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Montreal Just For Laughs festival.^[6] He has been nominated for three consecutive Perrier Comedy Awards for his 2001, 2002 and 2003 solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe.^[7]

The title of his 2001 show, "Go You Big Red Fire Engine", was coined during a 1999 performance in Melbourne. Hills asked an audience member to yell his name to the audience and for the audience to yell it back, but instead the man yelled "Go you big red fire engine!"^[8] The phrase quickly became an audience chant, and Hills promised he would make it the name of his next show because, he says, "it was such an uplifting and genuinely silly moment."^[9] "Go You Big Red Fire Engine" later became the name of a second stand-up show and a comedy album; it also appeared in a Detroit newspaper, on a Swedish website and was yelled by Senator Natasha Stott Despoja in the Australian Parliament.^[8]

His artificial right foot is commonly used as a source of humour in his shows and the comedian has been known to remove it and pass it around. However, Hills had been performing live comedy for over a decade before he made reference to his prosthesis on stage, and it was only after "Go You Big Red Fire Engine" was nominated for a Perrier Award in 2001 that he began incorporating it into his act. Hills says he felt he could too easily have become a novelty act and that he "didn't want to be known as the one-legged comedian ... I wanted to prove myself as a comic before talking about this."^[10]

Hills regularly has a sign language interpreter at his festival shows, a move sparked by a performance he did in Adelaide at a disability art conference.^[11] An interpreter had been provided at the show, and Hills found that it not only allowed the deaf audience members to enjoy his material but was also an entertaining and fascinating experience for the hearing audience members. "Now I have hearing people who will only book [for signer shows]," he says.^[4]

Television career[link]

Hills is best known for his role on the Australian music trivia show Spicks and Specks, which he has hosted since its premiere in 2005. In late 2007, he joined the show on a national live tour dubbed the "Spicks and Speck-tacular", with appearances in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle and Perth.^[12] In late 2011 and early 2012, the show hit the road again for "Spicks and Speck-tacular The Finale", appearing in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Wollongong, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. He has also made appearances on Australian shows Rove Live, The Glass House and The Fat, as well as the British Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Mock the Week and Ask Rhod Gilbert [1].^[13] Additionally he appeared on the first TV edition of BBC Northern Ireland's Great Unanswered Questions [2]. He conducted backstage interviews at Australia's 2005 and 2006 Logie Awards and was one of three presenters at the 2007 awards.^[14][15]

In June 2008, Hills co-hosted the ABC coverage of the 2008 Summer Paralympics.^[16][17]

In July 2009, Hills appeared in Thank God You're Here; he also appeared on Good News Week.

Hills presented his own weekly talk show on the ABC from early 2011, entitled Adam Hills In Gordon Street Tonight.^[18]

Other work[link]

In 2002, Hills released a single titled Working Class Anthem, in which he sang the lyrics of the Australian National Anthem, "Advance Australia Fair", to the tune of "Working Class Man", a famous song by iconic Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes, titling it "Working Class Anthem". Around 40 comedians contributed to the song, which made the independent top 10 in Australia. All proceeds went to the Australasian Fire Authority Council, an organisation supported by Barnes and Jon Bon Jovi that supports firefighters. Hills has performed the song several times on television, including a performance honouring Barnes' guest appearance on Spicks and Specks.^[19]

Between 2003 and 2005, Hills wrote as a columnist for the BBC's disability website Ouch!.^[20]

Solo shows[link]

• Stand Up and Deliver (1997)
• Life Is Good (1998)
• My Own Little World (1999)
• Goody Two Shoes (2000)
• Go You Big Red Fire Engine (2001) – Perrier nominee
• Happy Feet (2002) – Perrier nominee
• Cut Loose (2003) – Perrier nominee
• Go You Big Red Fire Engine 2: Judgement Day (2004)
• Characterful (2006)
• Joymonger (2007)
• Inflatable (2009)
• Mess Around (2010)
• Mess Around (2011)

Awards[link]

For his television work, Hills has been nominated at the Logie Awards on numerous occasions. The categories he has been nominated for are:

• Most Popular New Male Talent: 2006
• Most Outstanding New Talent: 2006
• Gold Logie: 2008–2011
• Most Popular TV Presenter: 2008–2011

2012:

• Won Silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter
• Spicks & Specks won Logie for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program
• Nominated for Gold Logie ^[21]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Adam Hills on Twitter
• Columns written for the BBC Ouch! disability website
• MOSH Profile
• TGS Profile
• Interview
• Sydney Morning Herald article

Cristian Mungiu
Born	(1968-04-27) 27 April 1968 (age 44) Iaşi, Romania
Years active	1998 – present
Awards	Golden Palm 2007 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Cristian Mungiu (Romanian pronunciation: [kristiˈan munˈd͡ʒi.u]; b. 1968, Iaşi) is a Romanian filmmaker, winner of the Palme d'Or in 2007.

After studying English literature at the University of Iaşi, he worked for a few years as a teacher and as a journalist. After that, he enrolled at the University of Film in Bucharest to study film directing. After graduating in 1998, Mungiu made several short films. In 2002, he debuted with his first feature film, Occident. Occident enjoyed critical success, winning prizes in several film festivals and being featured in Director’s Fortnight at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2007 Mungiu wrote and directed his second feature, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. The film was received enthusiastically, attracting critical praise and being selected in the official competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where it eventually won the coveted Palme d'Or for feature film,^[1] marking the first time that prize was awarded to a Romanian filmmaker.

Mungiu has said that early Miloš Forman and Robert Altman are important filmmakers who influenced him. He also respects the realism of Bicycle Thieves, among other famous realistic films. Mungiu is the brother of political analyst Alina Mungiu-Pippidi.

His 2012 film Beyond the Hills was screened in competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival^[2][3] where Mungiu won the award for Best Screenplay^[4] and Cristina Flutur and Cosmina Stratan shared the award for Best Actress.^[4]

Filmography as director[link]

• 2000 Corul pompierilor (short)
• 2000 Nicio întâmplare (short)
• 2000 Zapping (short)
• 2002 Occident
• 2005 Lost and Found - segment Turkey Girl
• 2007 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
• 2009 Tales from the Golden Age
• 2012 Beyond the Hills

References[link]

External links[link]

• Cristian Mungiu at the Internet Movie Database
• (Romanian) 7 scenarii (7 Scripts), Editura LiterNet - screenplays volume by Cristian Mungiu
• interview with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days director Cristian Mungiu at european-films.net

"Run to the Hills" was Iron Maiden's sixth single and the first from their 1982 album The Number of the Beast. It was written by Steve Harris, the band's bassist and founding member, and remains one of their most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs^[1] and No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs.^[2] The guitar solo is played by Dave Murray.

Themes[link]

The song documents the conflict that occurred between European settlers in the New World and Native American tribes during the days of colonisation and later westward expansion.^[3][4] The song is written from both perspectives,^[5] covering the Natives' viewpoint in the first verse and the Europeans in the rest of the song.^[6]

Original 1982 release[link]

The song was released as a single on 12 February 1982 as a prelude to the album,^[7] making it Iron Maiden's debut release with new vocalist Bruce Dickinson. "Total Eclipse" was selected as the single's B-side over the song "Gangland", which in turn would appear on the initial version of the album.^[8] The band later regretted this decision, with Steve Harris commenting, "We chose the wrong track as the B-side. I think if "Total Eclipse" had been on the album instead of "Gangland", it would have been far better."^[8] The song was added to the The Number of the Beast album when it was remastered in 1998.

It is the second of three single covers featuring Derek Riggs' depiction of Satan, which debuted on "Purgatory" and later appeared on "The Number of the Beast" covers. According to Riggs, the idea behind the original "Run to the Hills" cover was based around the idea of a "power struggle in hell", in which the band's mascot, Eddie, battles Satan with a tomahawk (referencing the song's subject matter).^[9]

Other releases[link]

In 1985, a live version of "Run to the Hills", taken from Live After Death, was released as the band's thirteenth single, along with live versions of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" as its the B-sides. According to Riggs, he was asked to paint a cover illustration both "Run to the Hills" and "Phantom of the Opera" and so the artwork depicts Eddie as the phantom in a hilly landscape.^[10]

Following former drummer Clive Burr's announcement that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis, "Run to the Hills" was released again in 2002 to raise money for the newly established Clive Burr MS Trust Fund.^[11] Two variations were issued, the original studio version and a live version taken from the Rock in Rio concert, with different B-sides.^[12]

Appearances in media[link]

An all-star cover version of the song is found on the tribute album Numbers from the Beast, featuring Robin McAuley on vocals, Michael Schenker and Pete Fletcher on guitars, Tony Franklin on bass and Brian Tichy (Derek Sherinian, B'z) on drums.^[13][14] The all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens recorded the song on their self-titled debut album.^[15] Former Babes in Toyland singer and guitarist Kat Bjelland's Katastrophy Wife covered the song in their Heart On EP in 2007.^[16] The song was covered in 2008 by Sign on the tribute CD Maiden Heaven: A Tribute to Iron Maiden released by Kerrang! magazine.^[17] The Swedish lounge metal band Hellsongs included a cover version on their 2008 album Hymns in the Key of 666.^[18] In 2009, the eventual Swedish Idol 2009 series winner Erik Grönwall sang it during the live shows and released it as a single in the same year, peaking at No. 23 in the Swedish Singles Chart.^[19] Progressive metal band Dream Theater covered a live version of the song, along with the entire The Number Of The Beast album, as an "official bootleg".^[20]

The song is also featured in the soundtracks of several video games, including SSX On Tour as the title's main theme,^[21] and GTA IV: The Lost and Damned.^[22] In addition, a cover version is featured in Rock Band, in which it received an 'Impossible' difficulty rating,^[23] while the original version was made available via download in June 2009.^[24]

Track listing[link]

1982 7" single (UK: EMI 5263, UK: EMIP 5263 [picture disc], Germany: EMI 1A 006-07604, Netherlands: EMI 1A 006-07604)

1. "Run to the Hills" (Steve Harris) – 3:50
2. "Total Eclipse" (Clive Burr, Harris, Dave Murray) – 4:28

1982 12" maxi (Europe: EMI 1C K 052-07 604 Z)

1. "Run to the Hills" (Harris) – 3:51
2. "Total Eclipse" (Burr, Harris, Murray) – 4:24

1985 7" single (UK: EMI EMI 5542)

1. "Run to the Hills" (live - Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California 14-17 March 1985) (Harris) – 3:54
2. "Phantom of the Opera" (live - Hammersmith Odeon, London 8-12 October 1984) (Harris) – 7:20

1985 12" single (UK: EMI 12EMI 5542, UK: 12EMIP 5542 [picture disc])

1. "Run to the Hills" (live - Long Beach Arena, L.A. 14-17 March 1985) (Harris) – 3:54
2. "Phantom of the Opera" (live - Hammersmith Odeon, London 8-12 October 1984) (Harris) – 7:20
3. "Losfer Words (Big 'Orra)" (live - Hammersmith Odeon, London 8-12 October 1984) (Harris) – 4:14

2002 7" limited single (Europe: EMI EM 612)

1. "Run to the Hills" (Harris) – 3:50
2. "Total Eclipse" (live - Hammersmith Odeon, London 20 March 1982) (Burr, Harris, Murray) – 4:28

2002 CD single

Part I (UK: EMI CDEM 612/7243 5 50623 0 7)

This version contains the studio version of the song "Run to the Hills", while the B-sides were recorded live at the Reading Festival on 28 August 1982. It also includes the Camp Chaos version of the "Run to the Hills" music video.^[12]

1. "Run to the Hills" (Harris) – 3:50
2. "22 Acacia Avenue" (live - Reading Festival, Little Johns Farm, England 28 August 1982) (Harris, Adrian Smith) – 6:33
3. "The Prisoner" (live - Reading Festival, Little Johns Farm, England 28 August 1982) (Harris, Smith) – 5:55
4. "Run to the Hills" (Camp Chaos video) (Harris)

Part II (UK: EMI CDEM 612/7243 5 50623 0 7)

This version contains a live version of the song taken from the Rock in Rio live album, while the B-sides were recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon, London on 20 March 1982. The live video is also from the Rock in Rio concert.^[12]

1. "Run to the Hills" (live - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 19 January 2001) (Harris) – 4:59
2. "Children of the Damned" (live - Hammersmith Odeon, London 20 March 1982) (Smith, Harris) – 4:32
3. "Total Eclipse" (live - Hammersmith Odeon, London 20 March 1982) (Burr, Harris, Murray) – 3:57
4. "Run to the Hills" (live video)

Personnel[link]

1982 studio and live recordings

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
• Dave Murray – lead & rhythm guitar
• Adrian Smith – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Clive Burr – drums

1985 live recordings

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
• Dave Murray – lead & rhythm guitar
• Adrian Smith – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Nicko McBrain - drums

2001 live recording

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Steve Harris – bass, backing vocals
• Dave Murray – lead & rhythm guitar
• Adrian Smith – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Janick Gers - lead & rhythm guitar
• Nicko McBrain - drums

Chart performance[link]

Notes[link]

1. ^ Re-release of all four singles as part of The First Ten Years box set. Exceeded the length limit of the UK Singles chart.

Notes[link]