Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 109

Year 109 (CIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Palma and Tullus (or, less frequently, year 862 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 109 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events[link]

By place[link]

Roman Empire[link]

• The Baths of Trajan built by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus are dedicated during the Kalends. The thermae are constructed on the platform of the Palace of Nero (Domus Aurea).
• June 24 – The Aqua Traiana is inaugurated by emperor Trajan, the aqueduct channels water from Lake Bracciano, 40 kilometers (25 mi) north-west of Rome.
• Osroes I of Parthia succeeds his brother Pacorus II and rules over the western Parthian Empire.
• Pliny the Younger is legate to Bithynia.

By topic[link]

Religion[link]

• The Christian Church proclaims itself to be universal (catholic).

Births[link]

Deaths[link]

References[link]

Alice Herz-Sommer, also known as Alice Sommer-Hertz and Alice Sommer, (born 26 November 1903) is a Czech pianist, music teacher and survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Herz-Sommer has lived in North London, United Kingdom since 1986, and is the world’s oldest known Holocaust survivor.^[1]

Background[link]

Herz-Sommer was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary, along with her twin sister Mariana, to Friedrich and Sofie Herz; he was a merchant and her mother was highly educated and moved in circles of well-known writers. Herz-Sommer's older sister Irma taught her how to play piano, which she studied diligently. She also studied under Vaclav Stepan, and at the Prague German Conservatory of Music. She had begun giving concerts and making a name for herself before the Germans took over her city.

She married businessman and amateur musician Leopold Sommer in 1931 and they had a son, Raphael ("Rafi") (1937-2001).^[2] After the invasion of Czechoslovakia, most of her family and friends emigrated to Palestine via Romania, including Max Brod and brother-in-law Felix Weltsch, but Herz-Sommer stayed in Prague to care for her ill mother, who was one of the first to be sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp. In July 1943, Herz-Sommer, her husband Leopold, and their six-year-old son were sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp. Herz-Sommer played at over 100 concerts in the camp along with other musicians. Leopold was later sent to Auschwitz and though he survived the camp, died at Dachau in 1944. After the Soviet liberation of Theresienstadt in 1945, Herz-Sommer and Rafi returned to Prague and in March 1949 emigrated to Israel to be reunited with her family. She lived in Israel and worked as a music teacher in Jerusalem until emigrating to London, United Kingdom with her son, an accomplished cellist, in 1986.

Herz-Sommer was the subject of a bestselling book A Garden of Eden in Hell recalling the events of the concentration camps. In 2010, a television programme was aired on BBC4 to recognise her life story. Herz-Sommer attributes her longevity to her optimism. "A Century of Wisdom: Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World's Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor" by Caroline Stoessinger, was published March 2012. The book has a foreword by Vaclav Havel, Czech's first free president and a friend of both the author and Herz-Sommer.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Muller, Melissa and Piechocki , Reinhard (2007) A Garden of Eden in Hell: The Life of Alice Herz-Sommer. Macmillan; illustrated edition ISBN 978-0-230-52802-4

• Stoessinger, Caroline. A Century of Wisdom: Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World's Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor. Spiegel & Grau (March 20, 2012). ISBN-13: 978-0812992816

External links[link]

• "Life is beautiful" Guardian article 13 December 2006
• "I look at the good". Haaretz article 21 January 2010
• "I played Chopin as they sent my family to their deaths" Jewish Chronicle article
• "A Life in the Day: Alice Herz-Sommer" The Sunday Times 27 January 2008
• Interview with Tony Robbins 2011, Interview Huffington Post

Programmes and film[link]

• "Alice Sommer Herz at 106: Everything Is a Present" BBC documentary Made by Christopher Nupen
• "Surviving the Holocaust BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour programme. 27 Jan 2006
• YouTube film "Alice Dancing Under the Gallows". (12 minutes)
• 13 June 2010 Guardian video (3 mins) "Holocaust survivor Alice Herz Sommer playing piano"
• Film - We want the light, featuring Sommer Hertz by Christopher Nupen.
• Alice Herz-Sommer tells her life story at Web of Stories (video)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

Alice Herz (25 May 1882 – 26 March 1965) was the first activist in the United States known to have immolated herself in protest of the escalating Vietnam War, following the example of Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức who immolated himself in protest of the alleged oppression of Buddhists under the South Vietnamese government. She was a longtime peace activist, and also spoke Esperanto. Herz self-immolated on March 16, 1965, in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 82. Stephen Burke and sons, William Burke and Stephen Burke, were driving by and saw her burning and put out the flames. She died of her injuries ten days later. According to Taylor Branch's At Canaan's Edge (2006), it was President Lyndon Baines Johnson's address to Congress in support of a Voting Rights Act that led her to believe the moment was propitious to protest the Vietnam War. The war continued for another ten years following her death.

A German of Jewish ancestry, Herz was a widow who left Germany with her daughter, Helga, in 1933, saying that she anticipated the advent of Nazism long before it arrived. Alice and Helga Herz were living in France when Germany invaded in 1940. After spending time in an internment camp, Camp du Gurs, near the Spanish border, Alice and Helga eventually came to the United States in 1942. They settled in Detroit, where Helga became a librarian at the Detroit Public Library and Alice worked for some time as an adjunct instructor of German at Wayne State University. The pair petitioned for, but were denied, U.S. citizenship due to their refusal to vow to defend the nation by arms. Helga Herz later reapplied and was granted citizenship in 1954. (A video about their lives, produced by Helga's cousin, Diane Herz, is available on the Helga Herz Fan Page on Facebook.)

Herz wrote a last testament, which she distributed to several friends and fellow activists before her death. The testament specifically refers to her decision to follow the protest methods of the Buddhist Vietnamese monks and nuns, whose acts of self-immolation had received worldwide attention. Confiding to a friend before her death, Herz remarked that she had used all of the accepted protest methods available to activists—including marching, protesting, and writing countless articles and letters—and she wondered what else she could do. Japanese author and philosopher Shingo Shibata established the Alice Herz Peace Fund shortly after her death. A plaza in Berlin (Alice Herz Platz) was named in her honor.

See also[link]

• List of political self-immolations

References[link]

• Buckley, Thomas. "Man, 22, Immolates Himself In Antiwar Protest at U.N." New York Times 10 Nov. 1965
• Jones, David R. "Woman, 82, Sets Herself Afire In Street as Protest on Vietnam." New York Times 18 March 1965
• Speaking Out Against the Vietnam War

Antonio Cromartie

Cromartie in April 2010.
No. 31     New York Jets
Cornerback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1984-04-15) April 15, 1984 (age 28)
Place of birth: Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
College: Florida State
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Debuted in 2006 for the San Diego Chargers
Career history
San Diego Chargers (2006–2009) New York Jets (2010–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
USA Today Defensive High School Player of the Year (2002) Longest play in NFL history (109.5–yard missed field goal touchdown return on Nov. 4, 2007) 1× Pro Bowl selection (2007) 1× All-Pro selection (2007) NFL Interception Leader (2007) NFL Alumni Defensive Back Player of the Year (2007)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
Tackles 252 Sacks 0.0 INTs 22 Passes defensed 70 Stats at NFL.com

Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is an American football cornerback for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers 19th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

Cromartie is credited with the longest play in NFL history, returning a missed Ryan Longwell field goal 109 yards for a touchdown on November 4, 2007.^[1]

Early years[link]

Cromartie, born in Tallahassee, Florida, was a versatile player at Tallahassee's Lincoln High School. Throughout his senior season, Cromartie recorded 12 tackles and 2 interceptions, returned 3 punts and 2 kicks for TDs, had 450 yards and 1 touchdown on 30 catches and ran the ball 13 times for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns. This was enough to earn Cromartie 2002 USA Today defensive player of the year.^[2] Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Cromartie ranked sixth among cornerback prospects in the nation.^[3]

Cromartie was also a standout in track and placed 3rd in the 110m hurdles and as a member of the 4x100 m relay team at the Class 5A County track meet.

College career[link]

Cromartie decided to stay close to home for college and committed to playing college football at Florida State. After flashing playmaking potential as a nickelback and kick returner his first two years, Cromartie tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in July, 2005 during voluntary workouts before his junior year and was forced to miss the entire season. He was potentially going to play at wide receiver during his junior year.^[4]

Professional career[link]

2006 NFL Draft[link]

Despite being removed from competitive football for an entire year, Cromartie was still selected as the 19th overall pick of the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Chargers based on his great potential. After not performing much at the NFL Scouting Combine, on March 16, 2006, just 8 months after surgery to repair his torn ACL, Cromartie performed at his pro day in 2006 for scouts.^[5][6]

San Diego Chargers[link]

Antonio Cromartie during his tenure with the Chargers.

On July 25, 2006, Cromartie signed a 5-year, $13 .5 million contract with $7.35 million guaranteed with the Chargers. In his first season with the Chargers, Cromartie saw action at cornerback and on special teams. Toward the end of the season, Cromartie handled some punt and kickoff return duties. In a game against the Oakland Raiders, Cromartie returned a kickoff 91 yards, the longest return for the team since 2001.

Cromartie wore jersey #25 his rookie season but switched to #31 as a Charger for subsequent years, the reverse of #13, the jersey he wore at Florida State.

On October 28, 2007, Cromartie had two interceptions, returning one 70 yards for a touchdown, 91 total interception return yards, and a fumble recovery for another touchdown while leading the Chargers to a 35-10 victory against the Houston Texans. He was subsequently nominated for the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

The following week, Cromartie made NFL history. Minnesota Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell came onto the field to attempt a 58-yard field goal to end the first half. The Chargers put Cromartie in the endzone to return the field goal in case of a missed kick. The field goal attempt missed the goalposts and fell toward the back of the endzone. Cromartie caught the football, came down with both feet in bounds, two inches from the back of the end zone, and began the return. Cromartie returned the missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown at The Metrodome, setting a record for the longest play in NFL history. This record can be equaled but never exceeded (barring a rule change); a regulation football field is 100 yards long, the end zones are 10 yards deep, a play ends when the ball crosses the goal line, and all plays are rounded down to the nearest yard. Therefore, according to the current rules of the game, 109 is the theoretical maximum for plays in the NFL.

The next week Cromartie made his first NFL start in place of the injured Quentin Jammer and intercepted three passes thrown by Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts; the last of which was a leaping one-handed interception in front of Colts WR Reggie Wayne.^[7] Cromartie, who is left-handed, called the one-handed interception the best play of his short career.^[8] He is the first player to intercept Peyton Manning three times in one game during the regular season, and earned Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the game.^[9]

On November 24, Cromartie became the starting cornerback, replacing Drayton Florence (who became a free agent at the end of the season). In the AFC Divisional game against the Colts, Cromartie recorded another interception against Peyton Manning, and his defensive efforts during the game (including a forced fumble against Marvin Harrison) helped the Chargers knock off the defending champion Colts.

On December 16, Cromartie set a franchise record by recording his 10th interception of the season, breaking the previous record of 9 interceptions set by Charlie McNeil in 1961. His 10 interceptions led the NFL for number of interceptions in 2007. In addition, Cromartie had 2 post season interceptions.

Cromartie was one of three cornerbacks selected to the 2007 AFC Pro Bowl team, his first selection. At the Pro Bowl, Cromartie intercepted two passes.

Cromartie was not as successful in 2008, his third season. After stating before the season began that he'd like to break the all-time interception record in a season (14), he managed only 2 interceptions for the season. At the end of the season, Cromartie announced that he played the entire season with a broken hip. The injury was sustained in the first week of the season against the Carolina Panthers.

Cromartie stated that the 2009 season was his best season yet.^{[citation needed]} He finished the regular season with 3 interceptions, 33 tackles, and 10 passes defended. After a poor performance in a 17-14 home loss to the New York Jets in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Chargers were disappointed of Cromartie's apparent lack of effort in the game.^{[citation needed]}

New York Jets[link]

Cromartie was traded to the New York Jets on March 4, 2010 for a third-round draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft that could have turned into a second-round pick depending on Cromartie's performance.^[10] In his first regular season game with the Jets, Cromartie intercepted an errant throw from Joe Flacco which he returned 66 yards.^[11] Cromartie performed well however, he was inconsistent through the season. He finished the regular season with 3 interceptions and broke up 18 passes however he gave up 7 touchdowns.^[12] His kickoff return in the wild card round against the Indianapolis Colts helped to set up Nick Folk's game winning field goal.^[13]

The Jets re-signed Cromartie to a four-year, $32 million contract on August 1, 2011.^[12] In the home opener against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11, Cromartie gave up two touchdowns to Dez Bryant and Miles Austin however he rebounded the following week intercepting two passes by Luke McCown.^[14] Cromartie was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Jaguars.^[15] The following week, Cromartie committed four penalties for 46 yards against the Oakland Raiders and fumbled a kickoff return that setup a Raiders touchdown. He left the game in the second half and was transported to Eden Medical Center where he was diagnosed with bruised ribs and a pulmonary contusion.^[16]

Personal life[link]

He is a cousin of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the Philadelphia Eagles, who was an All-American cornerback at Tennessee State University, and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the 16th pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Another cousin of his, Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, is a safety who is currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cromartie has fathered ten children with eight women living in six states.^[17] In March 2010, the Jets provided Cromartie with a $500,000 advance so he could make outstanding child support payments.^[18] Cromartie married Terricka Cason, who starred on E!'s Candy Girls, on July 2, 2010.^[18] Cason gave birth to a daughter in April 2010^[18] and a son in early 2012.^[19] In mid-April 2012, it was reported that Cason was expecting twins in November 2012, bringing Cromartie's total to 12 children.^[20]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Antonio Cromartie

• Florida State Seminoles bio
• New York Jets bio
• San Diego Chargers bio
• Antonio Cromartie on Twitter