document_title: The Flash (season 4)

question_text: when does flash come back on season 4 episode 17

root

text: The Flash (season 4)

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)

70
1
"The Flash Reborn"
Glen Winter
Story by : Andrew Kreisberg
Teleplay by : Todd Helbing & Eric Wallace
October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)
T27.13401
2.84[2]

Iris has been aiding Team Flash in Central City for six months, but refuses to grieve Barry. A flying samurai with superpowers appears in Central City, threatening to destroy the city if the real Flash does not face him. Cisco reveals he has formulated a way to bring back Barry without destabilizing the Speed Force and tracks down Caitlin for help, but is forbidden by Iris to bring Barry back. Against Iris' orders, Team Flash successfully returns Barry, who rambles random statements and continually writes symbols on the walls. Wally engages the samurai, but is defeated. Cisco deciphers Barry's writings and finds an apparently meaningless sentence. In an attempt to recover Barry's memories, Iris gives herself up to the samurai. The plan works and Barry speeds away, rescuing Iris and defeating the samurai, who is revealed to be an android. Caitlin rejoins Team Flash, but is revealed to have been working for a mobster called Amunet, while also continuing to prevent the Killer Frost personality from emerging. The "Samuroid" is revealed to have been controlled by the Thinker, whose plan was to draw out the Flash for his next schemes.

71
2
"Mixed Signals"
Alexandra La Roche
Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza
October 17, 2017 (2017-10-17)
T27.13402
2.54[3]

When Barry, Joe, and Cisco report to a crime scene, they discover remnants of a mysterious code. Cisco presents Barry with a technologically advanced suit, intended to facilitate his activities. He tests it out, trying to save someone from a haywire car controlled by metahuman Ramsey Deacon. Gypsy arrives on Earth-1 for a date with Cisco, who is forced to cancel it so as to focus on Deacon. Acting on a suggestion from Caitlin, Iris signs her and Barry up for couples therapy to sort out their relationship. Deacon kidnaps a witness, a former member of a tech team that stole his idea for profit. Barry and Wally go to save him, but Deacon uses his abilities to send Barry's suit haywire. On Iris' instruction, Barry throws lightning at himself, shorting out his suit. He then incapacitates Deacon, who is locked up in the meta wing of Iron Heights, revealed to be part of the Thinker's plan. Cisco finally goes out with Gypsy. Wondering how Deacon gained his powers being absent during the particle accelerator incident, Barry and Joe learn from Deacon that there are "others."

72
3
"Luck Be a Lady"
Armen V. Kevorkian
Sam Chalsen & Judalina Neira
October 24, 2017 (2017-10-24)
T27.13403
2.62[4]

In flashbacks, the Thinker observes Becky Sharpe, a woman with seemingly unending bad luck, and determines that she will be easily manipulated. In the present, Becky robs a bank and gets away when Barry slips on marbles. Harry arrives from Earth-2 and tells Wally that Jesse has decided to break up with him in order to focus on her vigilantism. Cisco deduces that Becky is a metahuman with the power of favorable luck while inducing misfortune to others. Barry realizes that the portal he used to escape the Speed Force exposed an entire busload of people, including Becky and Deacon, to transformative dark matter. Harry informs Cisco that Jesse has expelled him from her crime-fighting team due to his attitude. Becky's powers expand out of control, reactivating the particle accelerator, which Harry deliberately allows, nullifying Becky's powers and leading to her incarceration. Cisco and Harry identify twelve new metahumans created on the bus and the latter suspects that an unknown party has manipulated the events surrounding Barry's return. Wally decides to leave on a journey to find himself. The Thinker is revealed to be spying on S.T.A.R. Labs through the "Samuroid" helmet. Joe learns Cecile is pregnant.

73
4
"Elongated Journey Into Night"
Tom Cavanagh
Sterling Gates & Thomas Pound
October 31, 2017 (2017-10-31)
T27.13404
1.99[5]

Gypsy's father, Breacher, attacks Cisco, vowing to hunt and kill him in 24 hours, allowing the romance should he survive. Team Flash learns that the bus driver was murdered and tracks down another passenger, Ralph Dibny, former corrupt CCPD detective exposed by Barry and currently an infamous private investigator. As two thugs attack Dibny, he is revealed to have the power to stretch. Caitlin stabilizes his powers with a serum. The team learns that Ralph has been blackmailing Mayor Bellows for adultery, with the latter revealed to have hired the thugs. Barry confronts Ralph for his actions while the latter scolds him, claiming to have been a "good cop". He later stops blackmailing Bellows, who still attempts to kill him while Breacher mistakes the former for a Plastoid, the species that invaded Earth-19 previously, and attacks him. Cisco intervenes and saves Ralph, whom Barry, having revealed his alter-ego, convinces to help arrest an escaping Bellows. Admiring Cisco's gallantry, Breacher allows the relationship. Barry recruits Ralph for Team Flash and learns that someone named DeVoe instructed Ralph to watch Bellows. Barry remembers that Abra Kadabra and Savitar both mentioned DeVoe. Meanwhile, Caitlin finds a message on her apartment door.

74
5
"Girls Night Out"
Laura Belsey
Lauren Certo & Kristen Kim
November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
T27.13405
2.38[6]

While failing to track DeVoe, Team Flash is visited by Felicity, who joins Iris's bachelorette party. Mocking Cisco's plans for Barry's bachelor party, Ralph takes the men to a strip club, where they learn that Cecile's daughter, Joanie, is working. Joe confronts her, who states she is only doing feminist research. Ralph incites a brawl, leading to the men's arrest until Harry posts bail. Meanwhile, Amunet's enforcer, Norvock, demands Caitlin's return and attacks the women when she refuses. Killer Frost emerges and repels him, later telling Iris that Caitlin accepted Amunet's employment in exchange for the means to control Frost. Learning that Amunet is holding a metahuman she calls "the Weeper", whose tears are a strong narcotic, prisoner and intends to sell him, Iris's party decides to stop her. Though Caitlin refuses to join, she attacks Amunet when seeing her friends in danger. Using a strong magnet, the team robs Amunet's metal shards, leaving her powerless. Iris dissuades Frost from killing Amunet, who promises revenge. Both parties refuse to tell each other about their adventures. Iris asks Caitlin to be her maid of honor while Joe convinces Joanie to tell Cecile about her research. DeVoe captures the Weeper.

75
6
"When Harry Met Harry..."
Brent Crowell
Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza
November 14, 2017 (2017-11-14)
T27.13406
2.46[7]

Barry trains Ralph to use his abilities, with Cisco making a stretchable suit for him. Another bus metahuman, a Lakota Sioux Native named Mina Chayton, who can animate statues, starts attacking Central City & stealing pieces of a Black Bison necklace, which she claims belongs to her tribe. When Barry and Ralph catch up to her, she attacks Barry with a caveman statue and attempts a getaway. Ralph chooses to stop her, but a little girl is injured in the process. Ralph regrets his actions, but is comforted by Barry. Chayton escapes CCPD, going after the last necklace piece held at the museum. When Barry and Ralph confront her, she brings a dinosaur skeleton to life. Barry arrests Chayton while Ralph saves a security guard from the skeleton. Later, Ralph reveals he mailed the necklace back to Chayton's tribe, before visiting the little girl in the hospital, using his abilities to entertain her. Meanwhile, Harry, trying to make friends, works with his doppelgangers of alternate Earths, The Council of Wells. They figure out that DeVoe is a man named Clifford DeVoe. Barry and Joe head to DeVoe's house, to find out that he is a middle-aged man in a wheelchair.

76
7
"Therefore I Am"
David McWhirter
Eric Wallace & Thomas Pound
November 21, 2017 (2017-11-21)
T27.13407
2.20[8]

Barry and Joe interrogate DeVoe and his wife to try and get more information. In flashbacks, DeVoe and his wife build a thinking cap to improve his brain capacity, powering it through the particle accelerator explosion. DeVoe's increased brain power accelerates his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, forcing his wife to build him a special chair to keep him alive. Barry discovers the camera in the Samuroid head and goes to DeVoe's house, narrowly avoiding being caught by DeVoe's wife. Barry later confronts DeVoe, who reveals his true identity, leading to Cisco dubbing him "The Thinker". Wally returns to Team Flash from Blue Valley.

77
8
"Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3"
Dermott Downs
Story by : Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim
Teleplay by : Todd Helbing
November 28, 2017 (2017-11-28)
T27.13408
2.82[9]

Barry, Oliver, Sara, Alex, Martin and Jax wake up in a Nazi concentration camp on Earth-X wearing power dampeners. The arriving SS Sturmbannführer is revealed to be the Earth-X doppelgänger of Quentin Lance, who plans to execute them, but they are saved by Citizen Cold (the Earth-X doppelgänger of Leonard Snart) and Ray Terrill. Snart and Terrill take them to the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters, where the team meets the resistance movement's leader, General Schott (Winn Schott's Earth-X doppelgänger). They learn that the only way back to Earth-1 is through a temporal gateway in a research facility, which Schott plans to blow up to strand Dark Arrow (Oliver's Earth-X doppelgänger) on Earth-1. Oliver disguises himself as Dark Arrow to infiltrate the facility and discovers the Nazi doomsday device against parallel Earths is a militarized timeship called Wellenreiter. Barry and Ray battle the Freedom Fighters' Red Tornado to stop it from destroying the gateway while the rest of the team enters the facility to reactivate its portal, during which Stein is shot and gravely wounded. On Earth-1, Eobard Thawne prepares to perform surgery on Kara to save Overgirl. Felicity and Iris try to stop him, but are captured.

This episode continues a crossover event that begins on Supergirl season 3 episode 8 and Arrow season 6 episode 8, and concludes on Legends of Tomorrow season 3 episode 8.

78
9
"Don't Run"
Stefan Pleszczynski
Sam Chalsen & Judalina Neira
December 5, 2017 (2017-12-05)
T27.13409
2.22[10]

While out Christmas shopping, Barry is ambushed and kidnapped by DeVoe while Caitlin is kidnapped from Jitters by Amunet. Iris claims they have to look for both of them, despite Harry's claim that they have insufficient time and resources and that they can only afford to search for one. Barry is held in DeVoe's lair. Caitlin is forced by Amunet to perform surgery on a metahuman named Dominic Lanse, who can read minds. They try to escape, but Amunet blocks their exit. Caitlin manages to briefly incapacitate Amunet, and she and Dominic flee the building they are being held in. Once outside, they are rescued by Cisco and Ralph, as Iris has chosen to focus on finding Caitlin. Barry manages to escape from DeVoe. Team Flash celebrates Christmas at the West house and Dominic joins them. Barry gets a security alert from his apartment. When he arrives, he receives a phone call from Dominic, who reveals that Amunet re-kidnapped Dominic and DeVoe has transferred his consciousness into Dominic's body. Barry discovers DeVoe's original body dead on his apartment floor and he realizes DeVoe has framed him for his "murder"; the police arrive, and Barry lets himself get arrested, not wanting to leave Iris again.

79
10
"The Trial of The Flash"
Philip Chipera
Lauren Certo & Kristen Kim
January 16, 2018 (2018-01-16)
T27.13410
2.51[11]

Barry stands trial for the murder of Clifford DeVoe, with Cecile representing him. Cisco and Joe have to leave during the trial for a meta investigation, in which a meta caused people to collapse. Singh reveals to Joe he is appearing as a witness for the prosecution against Barry. The meta is eventually discovered as Neil Borman, who is a meta who produces radiation, which is causing the illness and collapsing. Barry takes him on, but is ill equipped to deal with the situation. Cisco and Killer Frost travel to the scene where Caitlin tries to freeze Borman, who quickly defrosts and incapacitates Caitlin. Barry creates a vacuum seal around Borman to contain the radiation, with Cisco transporting the radiation to the dead Earth-15, draining the meta and defeating him. Barry is eventually found guilty by the jury and is sentenced to life in prison.

80
11
"The Elongated Knight Rises"
Alexandra La Roche
Sterling Gates & Thomas Pound
January 23, 2018 (2018-01-23)
T27.13411
2.12[12]

Barry uses his speed to secretly help the guards contain the other inmates during a prison riot. He also befriends Dave Ratchet, his father's former cellmate. The next day, Barry meets Axel Walker who was later broken out of prison by his mother Zoey Clark, his father's one-time partner Prank. Axel challenges Ralph by threatening to cause chaos in the city. Ralph attempts to stop him but is wounded by Axel and is evacuated by Cisco. Ralph sneaks into the prison to talk to Barry about how scared he is. Barry reassures him that being a hero isn't about not being scared, but about having the ability to rise above your fear. Cisco and Caitlin go to rescue the hostages, but get captured by Axel and Zoey, who intend to kill them. Ralph arrives, and attempts to shield the two from an acid shower, until Wells manages to hack into the shower system to neutralize its acidity. Iris visits Barry in prison, where they reaffirm their love for each other. Ralph and Cisco go to get coffee, where they meet the excitable girl from the wedding. The girl writes in her journal, where she appears to be writing in the language Barry was using when he came out of the Speed Force.

81
12
"Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash"
Chris Peppe
Sam Chalsen & Judalina Neira
January 30, 2018 (2018-01-30)
T27.13412
2.60[13]

Cecile develops telepathic abilities as a result of her pregnancy, combined with dormant dark matter in her cells, which Caitlin assures her should be temporary. In prison, Barry learns that Ratchet is innocent of a robbery-homicide that was actually committed by Sylbert Rundine fifteen years prior. Barry asks the team to look into the case. Rundine turns out to be a bus meta with the ability to shrink and enlarge objects, and he shrinks Cisco and Ralph while escaping. Harry's attempted cure backfires, and Caitlin determines that if they are not re-enlarged within a certain period of time, their bodies will explode. The team confronts Rundine at a warehouse, where Harry tricks him into re-enlarging Ralph and Cisco. Rundine is arrested, but refuses to confess to the earlier crime. Barry gathers that even if Ratchet went free, he would be as unhappy in the city as he is in prison; he wishes to live in a secluded Chinese village called Jiaju, but fears he will never get there. Barry then uses his speed to take Ratchet to Jiaju, where he can live out his dream. After discovering Barry is the Flash, the prison's warden, Gregory Wolfe, locks Barry in his private metahuman wing, intending to sell him to Amunet.

82
13
"True Colors"
Tara Nicole Weyr
Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza
February 6, 2018 (2018-02-06)
T27.13413
2.28[14]

Wolfe plans to sell Barry and the imprisoned bus metas (Ramsey Deacon, Becky Sharpe, Mina Chaytan, and Sylbert Rundine) to Amunet, so they plan to escape. Cecile discovers Wolfe's plans after reading his mind. Ralph encounters a former colleague and his negative interaction with him prompts the discovery that he can shapeshift. His lack of mastery of the new ability prevents his attempt to foil Amunet's deal with Wolfe. Barry helps the metas escape the power dampeners, but they are cornered by Wolfe and Amunet. DeVoe arrives and again uses his chair to extract the metas' abilities, before transferring his mind into Sharpe's body. He then crushes Wolfe's skull as Marlize looks on in horror; Amunet flees. Ralph uses his shapeshifting ability to appear as the original DeVoe at Barry's appeal, claiming that he was unconscious at Barry's loft but not dead, which clears Barry's name. Team Flash realizes that DeVoe is only stealing powers from metahumans who were on the bus when the dark matter wave was unleashed, which means he will likely target Ralph as well. Back at the DeVoes' house, their marriage continues to deteriorate, and DeVoe drugs his wife with the Weeper's tears to maintain her devotion towards him.

83
14
"Subject 9"
Ralph Hemecker
Mike Alber & Gabe Snyder
February 27, 2018 (2018-02-27)
T27.13414
2.12[15]

Barry is put on indefinite leave at the CCPD due to his connection with the DeVoe case. The team encounter another bus metahuman named Izzy with sound wave abilities, amplified by her violin. She manages to use her abilities when DeVoe (inside Sharpe's body) comes to claim her. Barry and Ralph help to train Izzy to refine her abilities, which proves difficult when she gets hurt. Eventually DeVoe shows up once again, using Dominic's and Becky's abilities to make Barry experience a brain aneurysm, while using Rundine's abilities to incapacitate Ralph. DeVoe then once again uses the chair to transfer his mind into Izzy's body and escapes. Both Ralph and Barry comfort each other over their respective losses: Barry being let go from the police force and Ralph losing Izzy to DeVoe. These losses enforce both Barry's and Ralph's determination to bring DeVoe down and save the three remaining metas.

84
15
"Enter Flashtime"
Gregory Smith
Todd Helbing & Sterling Gates
March 6, 2018 (2018-03-06)
T27.13415
2.04[16]

Jesse comes to Earth-1 to have a talk with her dad. Eco-terrorist Veronica Dale sets off a nuclear bomb, which Barry tries to stop, entering a form of superspeed known as Flashtime, where everything is frozen. However, the bomb has already detonated, and he and Jesse cannot stop it or save everyone with superspeed. Jay Garrick comes from Earth-3 to help, but they are still unable to stop it. Barry remains in Flashtime for hours, bringing each of his friends into it, in an attempt to find a solution; they discuss options such as freezing it or sending it to another Earth, but none of those solutions prove to be viable. Eventually, Iris gives him the idea to retrieve the Quark Sphere from the Speed Force to send a blast lightning through the bomb, enough to disable it. Barry does so, and throws the Sphere back into the Speed Force, saving Central City. Jay admits he is retiring and going to train a new "female" speedster. Jesse and Jay return to their Earths, and Caitlin and Wells go for a coffee, where they encounter the mysterious girl.

85
16
"Run, Iris, Run"
Harry Jierjian
Eric Wallace
March 13, 2018 (2018-03-13)
T27.13416
2.09[17]

A metahuman with fire powers tries to rob Central City bank. Another bus meta named Matthew Kim touches the metahuman, which causes his powers to transfer to another individual. When Joe, Iris and Barry turn up to ask Kim a few questions, Barry and Iris come into contact with Kim, causing Barry to lose his speed and Iris to gain superspeed. Inspired by Thawne, Harry plans to build his own thinking cap to outwit DeVoe. With their roles reversed, Iris becomes Central City's hero speedster, while Barry must learn to act as team leader. The new metahuman demands money and terrorizes the city with his fire powers. Using Wells' thinking cap, the Team comes up with the idea for Iris to create a tidal wave, negating the flames and defeating the meta. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Kim touches Iris and Barry again, restoring the Flash's speed. At home, Iris admits that while she did enjoy having superspeed, Central City needs the light that Barry was, and she is happy being team leader. Wells uses his thinking cap once more, determining the final two bus metas are Janet Petty and Edwin Gauss.

86
17
"Null and Annoyed"
Kevin Smith
Lauren Certo & Kristen Kim
April 10, 2018 (2018-04-10)
T27.13417
1.82[18]

Barry and Ralph train to defeat DeVoe, with Barry becoming annoyed at Ralph's apparent inability to be serious. The team manages to locate another bus meta, Janet Petty. When Barry and Ralph confront her, it is revealed that Petty can manipulate a person's gravitational pull, which she demonstrates on Barry. Fearing once again that Ralph is not taking things seriously, Barry refuses to work with him. Ralph reveals his comedic attitude is due to a difficult childhood where his father abandoned him, causing him to make jokes whenever he is scared or under pressure. Barry relents and they go to stop Janet at a gala event. Janet uses her powers on Barry, causing him to float into the atmosphere. Barry tells the team to trust Ralph to improvise. Ralph detains Janet, then becomes a giant airbag to allow Barry to land safely. DeVoe's wife discovers he has been drugging her, so she will continue to assist him. Breacher comes to Earth-1 to ask Cisco for help as some of his powers have failed. Harry takes the thinking cap to Thawne's time vault to recharge it and activates Gideon.

87
18
"Lose Yourself"
Hanelle Culpepper
Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza
April 17, 2018 (2018-04-17)
T27.13418
1.88[19]

Team Flash track down the final bus meta Edwin Gauss, but are followed by the Samuroid, who injures Caitlin. The team rush back to Star Labs to regroup and heal. Caitlin reveals to Iris that Killer Frost is activated by her adrenal gland, and she is working on a way to separate them. Harry comes up with a tuning fork weapon that mimics Izzy's abilities in order to defeat DeVoe. Ralph reveals to Barry that he isn't afraid of losing his own life, but of Team Flash losing theirs, as he considers them family. Wells is shown to be addicted to the Thinking Cap, which Joe helps him deal with. Ralph takes the fork, with the intent to go with Edwin to kill DeVoe, which Barry argues against. Eventually, DeVoe manages to take over Edwin's mind, and as well takes the abilities of Janet Petty and Matthew Kim, before transferring his mind into Ralph's body. The team try to stop him, but DeVoe incapacitates them, and alters Caitlin's DNA, removing the dark matter and Killer Frost, before leaving. Back at his lair, DeVoe uses Ralph's morphing abilities to morph back into his original form, while he and Marlize plan their next move to destroy Team Flash.

88
19
"Fury Rogue"
Rachel Talalay
Joshua V. Gilbert & Jeff Hersh
April 24, 2018 (2018-04-24)
TBA
1.90[20]

With DeVoe moving forwards with his plans, Team Flash decide to secure Neil Borman. Barry and Cisco travel to Earth X to recruit Leo Snart as a backup, but are followed to Earth 1 by the Earth X doppelganger of Laurel Lance. Team Flash plan to deliver Borman to a safe ARGUS facility, using a suit to contain the radiation, with Snart on hand, in case Borman goes nuclear. Snart agrees to help, but claims he can only stay for 24 hours, as he is due to get married to Ray Terrill. DeVoe attempts to intercept the transfer, but he and Team Flash are further ambushed by Earth X Laurel, who kidnaps Caitlin, Borman and Joe, holding them at CCPD. Snart learns about Ralph, and convinces Barry to allow himself to grieve his fallen allies, which Barry eventually does, giving him strength to defeat Laurel. Lyla transfers Borman to another facility and Leo returns to Earth X. Cisco and Wells come up with a plan to boost Wells' thinking cap. Devoe goes more into his "god-complex"; stating that human emotion is a weakness, causing Marlize to doubt him.

89
20
"Therefore She Is"[21]
Rob J. Greenlea
Sterling Gates & Thomas Pound
May 1, 2018 (2018-05-01)
TBA
TBD

90
21
"Harry and the Harrisons"[22]
Kevin Mock
Judalina Neira & Lauren Certo
May 8, 2018 (2018-05-08)
TBA
TBD

91
22
"Think Fast"[23]
Viet Nguyen
Sam Chalsen & Kristen Kim
May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15)
TBA
TBD

92
23
"We Are the Flash"[24]
TBA
TBA
May 22, 2018 (2018-05-22)[25]
TBA
TBD

tag: table

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / Flash[26]
Candice Patton as Iris West[26]
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost[27]
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe[26]
Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West / Kid Flash[26]
Neil Sandilands as Clifford DeVoe / Thinker[28]
Tom Cavanagh as Harrison "Harry" Wells[26]
Jesse L. Martin as Joe West[26]

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton[29]
Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize DeVoe / Mechanic[28]
Jessica Camacho as Cynthia / Gypsy[30][31]
Patrick Sabongui as David Singh[32]
Donna Pescow as Sharon Finkel
Richard Brooks as Gregory Wolfe[33]
Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny / Elongated Man[34]
Katee Sackhoff as Amunet Black / Blacksmith[35]
Sugar Lyn Beard as Rebecca Sharpe / Hazard[36] and Clifford DeVoe / Thinker

text: Guest[edit]

text:
Britne Oldford as Shawna Baez / Peek-a-Boo[37]
Mark Sweatman as Norvok[38]
Dominic Burgess as Ramsey Deacon / Kilg%re[39]
Chelsea Kurtz as Mina Chayton / Black Bison[40]
Violett Beane as Jesse Chambers Wells / Jesse Quick[41]
Danny Trejo as Josh / Breacher[28][31]
Vito D'Ambrosio as Anthony Bellows
Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak[35]
Riley Jade Berglund as Joanie[42]
Matt Afonso as Weeper[43]
Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow and Dark Arrow[44]
Victor Garber as Martin Stein / Firestorm[44]
Caity Lotz as Sara Lance / White Canary[44]
Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers[44]
Franz Drameh as Jefferson Jackson / Firestorm[44]
Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance / Sturmbannführer
Jeremy Jordan as General Schott[44]
Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake / Black Canary
Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El / Kara Danvers / Supergirl and Overgirl[44]
Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart / Citizen Cold[45]
Russell Tovey as Ray Terrill / The Ray[44]
Frederick Schmidt voices Metallo-X
Kendrick Sampson as Dominic Lanse / Brainstorm[46] and Clifford DeVoe / Thinker
Mark Valley as Anton Slater[47]
Ryan Alexander McDonald as Neil Borman / Fallout
Devon Graye as Axel Walker / Trickster[48]
Corinne Bohrer as Zoey Clark / Prank[48]
Bill Goldberg as Dave Ratchet / Big Sir[48]
Derek Mears as Sylbert Rundine / Dwarfstar[49]
Paul McGillion as Earl Cox
Miranda MacDougall as Izzy Bowin / Fiddler[50] and Clifford DeVoe / Thinker
John Wesley Shipp as Jay Garrick[51]
Leonardo Nam as Matthew Kim / Melting Point[52]
Max Adler as Jaco Birch / Pyro[53]
Bethany Brown as Janet Petty / Null
Arturo Del Puerto as Edwin Gauss / Folded Man
Katie Cassidy as Siren-X
David Ramsey as John Diggle / Spartan
Anne Dudek as Tracy Brand[54]
Victoria Askounis as young Caitlin Snow[55]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The series was renewed for a fourth season on January 8, 2017,[56] earlier than usual for the series. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said on this, "The great thing about our dear friends at The CW and Mark Pedowitz picking the shows up as early as they did has allowed us to start building the schedules for next season."[57] In May 2017, it was announced that Aaron Helbing would not return as an executive producer for season four, with only Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Sarah Schechter, and Todd Helbing returning from previous seasons.[58] Todd Helbing and Kreisberg were slated to serve as the season's showrunners.[59][60] In November 2017, Kreisberg was suspended from his role as executive producer and showrunner on The Flash over allegations of sexual harassment.[61][62] By the end of the month, he had been fired, with his name eventually being removed from the credits from all shows he worked on. In addition, Berlanti would take additional responsibilities working with Helbing to co-showrun the season.[63]

tag: p

text: Writing[edit]

text:
The way I see it is, time is non-linear and everything is happening at once in the Speed Force. In some ways he's had an awakening and he's had a rebirth. Our first episode is called 'Reborn,' and it is a rebirth for Barry, but he's kind of scrambled, too, because he's experienced so much so quick over the course of six months, even though for him it was an eternity. He's not Barry when we see him for the first time.

—Grant Gustin on the rebirth of Barry in season four.[64]

tag: div

text: In March 2017, Kreisberg confirmed that the main villain for the fourth season would not be a speedster, like the previous three seasons.[65] Executive producers Aaron and Todd Helbing also mentioned that there would be less time travel in the season, with Aaron saying, "We like playing with the timelines and the different time periods and future and past. For now, I think we're going to focus on the present."[66] In June 2017, Clifford DeVoe / Thinker was reported to be the main antagonist of the season. He was first hinted in the third season episode "Abra Kadabra" when the titular villain mentions him among the Flash's greatest enemies, and again in the season finale "Finish Line" when Savitar mentions facing DeVoe but states that the Flash has not dealt with him yet.[67] At the series' San Diego Comic-Con panel, the speculation was confirmed, with Todd Helbing saying, "With three Speedsters in a row, this year it's the fastest man alive against the fastest mind alive."[29] He added that the writers were "making a conscious effort this year to get the fun quotient back up".[68]

text: Regarding the possibility of Wally West taking on the mantle of the Flash in Barry's absence, Keiynan Lonsdale said that "It's not something that's on my radar. I feel as though there is so much story to tell and Wally has so much growing to do... We need to see how these character realistically get to where they are headed for."[69] With the action picking up six months after season three, Kid Flash and Vibe are left to protect Central City, with Carlos Valdes saying "the team is sort of clutching at straws to keep the city together,... there is a unanimous feeling amongst the remaining members that it's just not the same without Barry... So in light of that, Cisco does whatever it takes to get his friends back."[70] Valdes also confirmed the return of Cisco's more lighthearted joking manner.[70] Candice Patton explained Iris West's larger role within Team Flash as "a way of distracting herself,"[70] adding that "[Iris] is forced to deal with that anger and resentment and abandonment by kind of focusing on protecting Central City... We're seeing a very different Iris, almost a very hardened Iris."[71] Kreisberg also hinted at some major growth for Iris this season, and noted that "the season premiere is all about Iris and Cisco, not Barry".[72]

text: In July 2017, Sterling Gates, DC Comics comic book writer, joined as a member of the fourth season's writing staff.[73] At the Television Critics Association press tour in August 2017, Pedowitz stated that the fourth season of The Flash is "going to try to find the lightness... of the Barry Allen of the first two seasons,"[74] and said that the show was likely "done with Speedster villains".[75] Later in the month, Kreisberg confirmed the return of Harry Wells from Earth-2, saying that "season 4 for Harry is really realizing what he's missing in his life and what it is he needs to become a better, more complete person, and so he's going to be going on a fairly epic emotional journey this season that is tied to the Thinker's plan," in addition to confirming the introduction of a new version of the Wells character.[76]

text: In September 2017, Helbing noted "There's a lot of love in the air this season," and compared Barry and Iris' reunion to "somebody going off to war for six months and coming back. There's a lot that Iris experienced that Barry didn't when he was gone, and it's really [about] the fun and the emotional component of making up that time when they weren't together." Helbing also explained that the Speed Force "let [Barry] deal with all of the baggage [from the past three seasons]. When he comes out, he's sort of left that all behind."[77] That month, Kreisberg also confirmed that Barry and Iris will be getting married this season,[78] while also revealing that the pair will be going to couples therapy since "[they] keep comically clashing inadvertently because [both are] used to being in charge, and so they wind up going... to work through it." He added, "The two of them with the therapist is some of the funniest stuff we have ever done on this show, but it also leads to a deepening of their relationship."[79]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Main cast members Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Keiynan Lonsdale, Tom Cavanagh, and Jesse L. Martin return from previous seasons as Barry Allen / The Flash, Iris West, Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost, Cisco Ramon / Vibe, Wally West / Kid Flash, Harrison Wells, and Joe West, respectively.[26] Cavanagh will portray Harry Wells from Earth-2 at the start of the season, without ruling out the possibility of introducing another incarnation of the Wells character later on.[70] Teasing the arrival of a new Harrison Wells, Cavanagh said, "We're going to start with Harry and then find a way, I think, to try and get a different version of Wells in there, be it some version of Harry or whatnot as the season's gaps present themselves."[80] Also returning from earlier in the series are Jessica Camacho as Gypsy,[30] and Anne Dudek as Tracy Brand.[54] It was revealed that Tom Felton, who joined the cast as Julian Albert in the third season, would not be a series regular in the fourth season, and that there were no plans for him to appear.[81] Julian's absence will be addressed "pretty quickly — there's a reason why he's no longer with the team," said Helbing.[82] In the season premiere, it is revealed that Julian has returned to London.[83] Kreisberg also confirmed that he had put on hold the planned return of Violett Beane as Jesse Quick due to the high number of speedsters on the show, but did not rule out a possible return in the future.[84] Beane eventually appeared as Jesse on the episode "Luck Be a Lady".[41] Britne Oldford, who previously appeared as Shawna Baez / Peek-a-Boo in the first season and the web series The Chronicles of Cisco, reprised her role in the season premiere.[37]

text: In July 2017, Neil Sandilands was announced to be cast as Clifford DeVoe, a metahuman genius who embarks on a seasonlong battle with the Flash in order to fix all that he deems wrong with humanity; while Kim Engelbrecht was announced as The Mechanic, Devoe's right hand and a highly intelligent engineer who designs devices for him; and Danny Trejo as Breacher, a bounty hunter from Earth-19 and the father of Gypsy.[28] Also in June, the series was looking to cast a role that "should put the visual effects department to the test",[85] with the role later revealed to be Ralph Dibny / Elongated Man, a metahuman with the ability to stretch his body to superhuman lengths and sizes.[86] Hartley Sawyer was cast in the recurring role that July as the fast-talking private investigator who after discovering his abilities will help Team Flash solve one of Central City's greatest mysteries.[34] The character was previously mentioned in the first season, as one of the fourteen people who seemingly died as a result of the particle accelerator explosion.[87] The next month, Katee Sackhoff was announced in the recurring role of Amunet Black / Blacksmith, who operates an underground black market of metahuman supervillains.[35]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Filming for the season began on July 4, 2017,[88] in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is set to conclude on April 21, 2018.[89] Kevin Smith will return to direct an episode in January 2018.[90]

text: Music[edit]

text: In August 2017, series composer Blake Neely and Nathaniel Blume began to compose the music for the fourth season.[91]

text: Arrowverse tie-ins[edit]

text: In May 2017, The CW president Mark Pedowitz officially announced plans for a four-show Arrowverse crossover event, crossing over episodes of the television series Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow.[92] The crossover, Crisis on Earth-X, began with Supergirl and a special airing of Arrow on November 27, 2017, and concluded on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow on November 28.[93] In August 2017, Berlanti noted that it would be "a big life event for a few different people" that would bring them all together for the crossover, adding "There are many life events that happen."[94] Prior to that, Arrow actress Emily Bett Rickards appears as Felicity Smoak in the fifth episode of the season.[35]

text: Release[edit]

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: The season began airing on October 10, 2017, on The CW in the United States,[95] and on CTV in Canada.[96] Sky One acquired the rights to air the season in the UK & Ireland, airing it alongside the other Arrowverse shows. The season premiered October 17.[97][98]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: In July 2017, cast from the series appeared at San Diego Comic-Con International to promote the season, where exclusive footage was shown.[99] During the panel, a trailer for the season was shown, with James Whitbrook at io9 feeling that despite the "grim" tone, there was "some fun signs of the team coming together to protect the city without [Barry],... Sprinkle in a few wacky things, like, say a goddamn Samuroid ripped straight from the comics, and ladies and gents, you've got a good season of The Flash lined up."[100] Ben Pearson with /Film felt seeing Iris West deal with the absence of Barry was "a nice change of pace for that character", but anticipated that "Barry [would] be back two or three episodes in at the latest."[101] Collider.com's Allison Keene also noted Iris "getting an actual storyline" with Barry gone, and similarly presumed that he "[would] be back in the fold by the end of the first episode" alike to Flashpoint in the third season. She added, "There are some new foes, lots of action, plenty of tech — it's great!"[102]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Air date
Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)

1
"The Flash Reborn"
October 10, 2017
1.1/4
2.84[2]
0.7
1.92
1.8
4.77[103]

2
"Mixed Signals"
October 17, 2017
0.9/4
2.54[3]
0.8
1.82
1.7
4.36[104]

3
"Luck Be a Lady"
October 24, 2017
1.0/4
2.62[4]
0.8
1.84
1.8
4.46[105]

4
"Elongated Journey Into Night"
October 31, 2017
0.7/3
1.99[5]
0.7
1.79
1.4
3.79[106]

5
"Girls Night Out"
November 7, 2017
0.9/4
2.38[6]
0.8
1.84
1.7
4.22[107]

6
"When Harry Met Harry..."
November 14, 2017
1.0/4
2.46[7]
0.7
1.83
1.7
4.29[108]

7
"Therefore I Am"
November 21, 2017
0.8/3
2.20[8]
0.8
2.08
1.6
4.28[109]

8
"Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3"
November 28, 2017
1.0/4
2.82[9]
0.7
1.83
1.7
4.64[110]

9
"Don't Run"
December 5, 2017
0.8/3
2.22[10]
0.6
1.45
1.4
3.67[111]

10
"The Trial of The Flash"
January 16, 2018
0.8/3
2.51[11]
0.7
1.55
1.5
4.06[112]

11
"The Elongated Knight Rises"
January 23, 2018
0.7/3
2.12[12]
0.7
1.69
1.4
3.81[113]

12
"Honey, I Shrunk Team Flash"
January 30, 2018
0.9/3
2.60[13]
0.8
1.84
1.7
4.43[114]

13
"True Colors"
February 6, 2018
0.8/3
2.28[14]
0.9
2.00
1.7
4.28[115]

14
"Subject 9"
February 27, 2018
0.7/3
2.12[15]
0.8
1.86
1.5
3.98[116]

15
"Enter Flashtime"
March 6, 2018
0.7/3
2.04[16]
0.8
1.83
1.5
3.87[117]

16
"Run, Iris, Run"
March 13, 2018
0.7/3
2.09[17]
0.7
1.58
1.4
3.67[118]

17
"Null and Annoyed"
April 10, 2018
0.6/2
1.82[18]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

18
"Lose Yourself"
April 17, 2018
0.7/3
1.88[19]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

19
"Fury Rogue"
April 24, 2018
0.6/2
1.90[20]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.36/10 based on 14 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "After an unsteady turn in season three, The Flash returns to its roots with a fourth season packed with humor, spectacle, and a whole lot of heart."[119]

text: Reviewing the first two episodes of the season, Allison Keene writing for Collider.com, felt the premiere "wipes the slate clean, fixing a lot of the issues that plagued the end of the last season, and setting up a much more toned-down storyline. Most importantly, it's brought back some fun." She added that with a "streamlined team," the core characters now have time to interact and have meaningful plot lines. On the second episode, Keene described it as "truly a delight" with the show taking "the time to focus on character relationships, and not just romantic relationships" and each character "feeling like a refreshed version of themselves, with new narrative purpose". She also highlighted the setup of the Thinker "as an Alchemy-like villain who manipulates evil metas into the Flash's path as part of some kind of masterplan", saying "The Flash is a series that truly works best as a procedural, with the team finding creative ways to bring down Villains of the Week."[120]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Nominee(s)
Result
Ref.

2018
Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite TV Actor
Grant Gustin
Nominated
[121]

Favorite TV Show
The Flash
Nominated

Saturn Awards
Best Guest-Starring Performance on Television
Hartley Sawyer
Pending
[122]

Best Superhero Television Series
The Flash
Pending

Best Supporting Actress on a Television Series
Candice Patton
Pending


document_title: History of the Forbidden City

question_text: who ordered the forbidden city to be built

text: History of the Forbidden City

text: Construction and Ming Dynasty[edit]

text: The site of the Forbidden City was situated on the Imperial city during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. After the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty moved the capital from Beijing in the north to Nanjing in the south, and in 1369 ordered that the Yuan palaces be razed. His son Zhu Di was created Prince of Yan with his seat in Beijing. In 1402, Zhu Di usurped the throne and became the Yongle Emperor. He made Beijing a secondary capital of the Ming empire, and construction began in 1406 of what would become the Forbidden City.[3] The Forbidden City's plan was designed by many architects and designers, and then it was examined by the Emperor's Ministry of Work.[4] The chief architects and engineers include Cai Xin,[4][5] Nguyen An, a Vietnamese eunuch,[6] Kuai Xiang, Lu Xiang and others.[4]

text: Construction lasted 14 years and employed the work of 100,000 skilled artisans and up to a million labourers.[7] The pillars of the most important halls were made of whole logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood (Chinese: 楠木; pinyin: nánmù) found in the jungles of south-western China. Such a feat was not to be repeated in subsequent years — the great pillars seen today were rebuilt using multiple pieces of pinewood in the Qing Dynasty.[8] The grand terraces and large stone carvings were made of stone from quarries near Beijing. The larger pieces could not be transported conventionally. Instead, wells were dug along the way, and water from the wells was poured on the road in deep winter, forming a layer of ice. The stones were dragged along the ice.[9]

text: The floors of major halls were paved with "golden bricks" (Chinese: 金砖; pinyin: jīnzhuān), baked with clay from seven counties of Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures.[10] Each batch took months to bake, resulting in smooth bricks that ring with a metallic sound.[7] Much of the interior pavings seen today are six-century-old originals.

text: Soil excavated during construction of the moat was piled up to the north of the palace to create an artificial hill, the Jingshan hill.[11]

text: Even before the palace was completed, Zhu Di moved to Beijing under the guise of "touring and hunting" (巡狩): the administrative centre of the empire gradually shifted from Nanjing to Beijing. When the palace was completed in 1420, Zhu Di moved there and Beijing officially became the primary capital of the empire.[9] However, scarcely nine months after their construction, the three main halls including the throne room burnt down, and it would be 23 years before they were rebuilt.

text: From 1420 to 1644, the Forbidden City was the seat of the Ming Dynasty. In April 1644, rebel forces led by Li Zicheng captured it, and Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, hanged himself on Jingshan Hill. Li Zicheng proclaimed himself emperor of the Shun Dynasty at the Hall of Military Eminence.[12] However, he soon fled before the combined armies of former Ming general Wu Sangui and Manchu forces, setting fire to parts of the Forbidden City in the process.[13]

text: Qing Dynasty[edit]

text: By October 1644, the Manchus had achieved supremacy in northern China, and prince regent Dorgon proclaimed the Qing Dynasty as the successor to the Ming. A ceremony was held at the Forbidden City to proclaim the young Shunzhi Emperor as ruler of all China.[14] The Qing rulers largely maintained the Palace's Ming Dynasty scheme, except for the names of some of the principal buildings. The Ming Dynasty names favoured the character ji (simplified Chinese: 极; traditional Chinese: 極), meaning "supremacy" or "extremity", while the new Qing names favoured names meaning "peace" and "harmony"; for example, Huangji Dian, the "Hall of Imperial Supremacy", was changed to Taihe Dian, the "Hall of Supreme Harmony".[15]

text: In addition, signs and name plates were made bilingual (Chinese and Manchu),[16] and the main part of the Empress's official bedchamber, the Hall of Earthly Tranquility, became a Shamanist shrine.[17]

text: The Forbidden City thus became the power centre of the Qing Dynasty. In 1860, during the Second Opium War, Anglo-French forces took control of the Forbidden City and occupied it until the end of the war.[18] In 1900 Empress Dowager Cixi fled from the Forbidden City during the Boxer Rebellion, leaving it to be occupied by forces of the treaty powers until the following year.

text: After being home to twenty-four emperors, fourteen of the Ming Dynasty and ten of the Qing Dynasty, the Forbidden City ceased to be the political centre of China in 1912, with the abdication of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. However, under an agreement signed between the Qing imperial house and the new Republic of China government, Puyi was allowed, in fact required, to live within the walls of the Forbidden City. Puyi and his family retained the use of the Inner Court, while the Outer Court was handed over to the Republican authorities. A museum was established in the Outer Court in 1914.[19]

text: After the revolution[edit]

text: Opposition to Puyi staying in the palace grew during the Beiyang government of the Republic of China.[20]

text: In 1923 Reginald Johnston, Puyi's English teacher, told Puyi about eunuchs smuggling treasures out of the palace and selling them in antique shops. Puyi ordered an audit of the palace's collections. Before it began, a fire consumed the gardens of the Palace of Establishing Prosperity (建福宫) where the bulk of the Qianlong Emperor's collection of art works was stored.[21] In his memoir, Puyi claimed the fire was started by the eunuchs to conceal their embezzlement. This fire further fuelled public sentiments against Puyi's continued occupation of the palace.[22] The gardens were not rebuilt until 2005.[23][not in citation given]

text: In 1924, Feng Yuxiang took control of Beijing in a coup. Denouncing the previous agreement with the Qing imperial house, Feng expelled Puyi from the Palace.[20] On October 10, 1925 (Double Ten Day), the Palace Museum was established in the Forbidden City. The large amount of treasures and curiosities housed there were gradually catalogued and put on public display.[24]

text: Soon, however, the Japanese invasion of China threatened the safety of these national treasures, and they were moved out of the Forbidden City. Starting in 1933, important artefacts were packed and evacuated. They were first shipped to Nanjing and thence to Shanghai. However, the Japanese forces soon threatened Shanghai. The Executive Yuan decided to evacuate the collections to the remote west. The artifacts were split into three lots. One took the northern route towards Shaanxi. One was shipped up the Yangtze River towards Sichuan. The final lot was transported south towards Guangxi. The pace of the Japanese advance forced the artifacts to be moved quickly to escape bombing and capture, often with just hours' notice. In the end, all three collections reached the relative safety of Sichuan, where they stayed until the end of the war.[25]

text: Meanwhile, the Japanese army captured the Forbidden City in Beijing, but were only able to remove a few large bronze tubs and a few pieces of cannon. Most of these were recovered after the war, in Tianjin.[18]

text: At the end of World War II in 1945, the artifacts were moved back to Nanjing and Beijing. Remarkably, none were damaged or lost.[26]

text: In the late 1940s, with the Kuomintang losing the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the artifacts from the Forbidden City and the National Museum in Nanjing to be moved to Taiwan. In the event no artifacts were shipped from Beijing, but many of the best collections stored in Nanjing were shipped to Taiwan, and today form the core of the National Palace Museum in Taipei.[27]

text: Under the People's Republic of China[edit]

text: In 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed at Tiananmen, directly in front of the Forbidden City. Over the next two decades various proposals were made to raze or reconstruct the Forbidden City to create a public park, a transport interchange, or "places of entertainment".[28]

text: The Forbidden City suffered some damage during this period, including the dismantling of the throne in the Hall of Middle Harmony, the removal of name tablets from several buildings and gardens, and the demolition of some minor gates and structures.[29]

text: The damage peaked during the Cultural Revolution. In 1966, the Hall of Worshipping Ancestors was modified and some artifacts destroyed for an exhibition of revolutionary mud sculptures. However, further destruction was prevented when Premier Zhou Enlai intervened by sending an army battalion to guard the city. These troops also prevented ransacking by the Red Guards who were swept up in the storm to demolish the "Four Olds". From 1966 to 1971, all gates to the Forbidden City were sealed, saving it from more destruction.[30]

text: The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties",[31] due to its significant place in the development of Chinese architecture and culture.

text: Present[edit]

text: Currently, the Palace Museum is responsible for the preservation and restoration of the Forbidden City. Building heights around the Forbidden City are restricted. In 2005, a sixteen-year restoration project was started to repair and restore all buildings in the Forbidden City to their pre-1912 state. This is the largest restoration of the Forbidden City undertaken in two centuries, and involves progressively closing off sections of the Forbidden City for assessment, repairs, and restoration.[32] Also as part of the project, some derelict or destroyed sections are being rebuilt. The gardens of the Palace of Establishing Prosperity, destroyed by fire in 1923, were rebuilt in 2005, but remain closed to the public.[23] The interior was also designed in a different style, and the buildings are used by visiting dignitaries.[21]

text: While effort has been made to prevent the commercialisation of the palace, a variety of commercial enterprises exist, such as souvenir shops and photography stands. These commercial enterprises often rouse controversy. A Starbucks store, which opened in 2000, sparked objections[33] and eventually closed on July 13, 2007.[34] Chinese media also took notice of a pair of souvenir shops that refused to admit Chinese citizens in 2006.[35] According to the reports, the purpose was to preserve an atmosphere where foreigners could be victims of price gouging. The Palace Museum promised to investigate the matter. Some commentators, such as influential Phoenix TV host Luqiu Luwei, have further questioned the whole practice of renting out premises in the Forbidden City as retail space.[36]

text: In 2005, IBM Corporation and the Palace Museum announced a joint project to build a World Wide Web-based virtual model of the Forbidden City and associated sites in Beijing.[37] The online cultural heritage project, titled The Forbidden City: Beyond Space and Time, will be presented in both English and Chinese, and provide interactive, three-dimensional, representations of Forbidden City structures and cultural artifacts.[37] The virtual Forbidden City will consist of some 800 buildings, and will launch sometime during 2008.[38]


document_title: Crate & Barrel

question_text: who is the ceo of crate and barrel

question_tokens: who is the ceo of crate and barrel

text: Crate & Barrel

text: History[edit]

text: Founding[edit]

text: Gordon and Carole Segal opened the first Crate & Barrel store on December 7, 1962,[2] at age 23.[3] The 1,700-square-foot (160 m2) space in part of an old elevator factory[4] was located at 1516 North Wells Street in the then-bohemian Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.[5] The inspiration was their honeymoon in the Caribbean, where the Segals saw inexpensive yet tasteful European household products for sale. They became interested in providing functional yet aesthetically pleasing products to young couples just starting out. Surprised to see that European manufacturers offered many beautiful and durable products at reasonable prices, they were inspired to start their own store in the United States.[5] The Segals started by recruiting an employee and leasing an abandoned elevator factory on Chicago's Wells Street. They traveled throughout Europe buying directly from glassblowers, ceramicists and factories making French copper pots and simple white bistro dinnerware.[6]

text: The first store opened in response to a flourishing of world trade in home furnishings due to the early 1960s round of talks about the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The Segals sought out small European companies that were not represented in America and negotiated direct purchases from these factories that could be sold to the consumer while avoiding a wholesaler's markup. To this day, a majority of Crate & Barrel's products are direct imports from Europe, though Thai, Mexican and Indian glass and textiles can also be found in their stores.

text: The Segals derived the company name by the materials that they originally used to display items in their Chicago store. The Segals were originally going to call their company "Barrel and Crate", but a friend suggested that they reverse the order of the words.[citation needed] They turned over the crates and barrels that the merchandise came in, let the wood excelsior spew out, and stacked up the china and glass. This helped emphasize their strongest selling point, that their products were direct imports.

text: In 1966, Segal and the designer Lon Habkirk visited the Design Research store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which had an "enormous influence" on their retailing approach. Habkirk later remarked: "Eventually we took the whole idea and translated it into a reproducible formula."[5]

text: Growth[edit]

text: In 1968, the Segals opened their second store in the Plaza del Lago shopping center in suburban Wilmette, Illinois, and third in Oak Brook, Illinois in 1971.[4][5] Its first store outside the Chicago area opened in Boston in 1977.[4] In 1979, it opened its second Cambridge, Massachusetts store in the building designed for the recently closed Design Research, which they had so admired.[5][7]

text: By 1985, the chain had grown to 17 stores,[5] and has continued to grow. In March 1995, it opened its first New York location (its 59th location), in Manhattan.[8] After selling a majority stake to German mail order company the Otto Group in 1998,[9] the company had financing to increase its rate of expansion.[10] (Otto became the sole owner in 2011.[11]) By 2002, it had grown to approximately 100 locations,[12] and over 135 locations by late 2004.[3]

text: Crate & Barrel's flagship store, located in Chicago on Michigan Avenue in the “Magnificent Mile”, closed in January 2018; the building will become a giant Starbucks coffee roastery and retail space.[13] Today there are 90 Crate and Barrel Stores, including 8 outlets, in the United States and Canada.[14]

text: International expansion[edit]

text: In September 2008, Crate & Barrel opened its first location outside the United States, at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[9] A new two story 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) building, similar to other newly opened stores in the U.S., was constructed. A second Canadian store, in Calgary, opened in October 2009.[15] A third Canadian store opened in Mississauga, Ontario, on October 28, 2010, at Square One Shopping Centre. Further stores opened in 2011 in Edmonton, Alberta at Southgate Centre,[16] another one in Spring 2012 at Carrefour Laval Shopping Centre in Laval, Quebec and another in Oakridge Centre mall in Vancouver, British Columbia in early 2013. Future international expansion in Canada and possibly other countries is also reportedly planned.[17][18]

text: In the fall of 2009, the company reported plans to open two stores in Dubai in 2010 via a franchise agreement with Al Tayer Group.[19][20]

text: Crate & Barrel opened its first Asian store in Singapore in January 2013, occupying two floors at Ion Orchard. [21][22]

text: Crate & Barrel has two stores in Taiwan, one is in Taipei and the other in Taichung.

text: Crate & Barrel opened its first store in Peru in 2015, and opened its first store in Colombia on December 2016 in Bogota- Parque La Colina Mall, via a franchise agreement with Falabella (retail store).[23]

text: Management[edit]

text: Barbara Turf, first hired in 1968, succeeded Gordon Segal as CEO of the company in May 2008.[9] In November 2008, it was reported that sales for the prior year for the chain were $1.3 billion.[9] Turf retired in 2012. Sascha Bopp was named to replace her.[24] Due to lackluster performance during the 2013 holiday season, poor operational decisions regarding policies and staffing, and growing disenchantment from employees, Bopp was removed from his position and terminated from the company in July 2014. While a replacement was sought, Otto Group asked Segal to return as a consultant to bring back the original company culture and values in an attempt to increase sales and employee productivity and morale.[25]

text: Doug Diemoz, formerly with competitors Restoration Hardware and Williams-Sonoma, became CEO of Crate & Barrel on August 1, 2015.[26] Doug Diemoz departed April 2017. It was announced Neela Montgomery would assume his role.[27]

text: Products[edit]

text: Crate & Barrel offers a variety of "upmarket" housewares, furniture, and related merchandise. These are displayed in the "vignette" style, where items are grouped together as they might appear in the home. The company was an innovator of this style, which has since become more widely used.[28]

text: Sister stores[edit]

text: Crate & Barrel has two sister brands. CB2 is a home furnishings division geared toward young adults[29] created in 2000.[30][31] The brand, open since 2000, now has 15 stores across the U.S. and Canada. An additional store is planned to open in Denver later this year. [32]

text: Crate and Barrel's kids brand The Land of Nod, acquired in 2001, plans to close all stores by the end of Spring 2018 and will become Crate&Kids, a kids furnishings, home goods and gifts product offering launching online and in 40 stores starting March 7.[33]


document_title: Early world maps

question_text: who were the the continent of the americas named after logically

text: Early world maps

text: Antiquity[edit]

text: Babylonian Imago Mundi (c. 600 BCE)[edit]

text: A Babylonian world map, known as the Imago Mundi, is commonly dated to the 6th century BCE.[1][2] The map as reconstructed by Eckhard Unger shows Babylon on the Euphrates, surrounded by a circular landmass showing Assyria, Urartu (Armenia)[3] and several cities, in turn surrounded by a "bitter river" (Oceanus), with seven islands arranged around it so as to form a seven-pointed star. The accompanying text mentions seven outer regions beyond the encircling ocean. The descriptions of five of them have survived:[4]

text:
the third island is where "the winged bird ends not his flight," i.e., cannot reach.
on the fourth island "the light is brighter than that of sunset or stars": it lay in the northwest, and after sunset in summer was practically in semi-obscurity.
The fifth island, due north, lay in complete darkness, a land "where one sees nothing," and "the sun is not visible."
the sixth island, "where a horned bull dwells and attacks the newcomer"
the seventh island lay in the east and is "where the morning dawns."

text: Anaximander (c. 610 – 546 BCE)[edit]

text: Anaximander (died c. 546 BCE) is credited with having created one of the first maps of the world,[5] which was circular in form and showed the known lands of the world grouped around the Aegean Sea at the center. This was all surrounded by the ocean.

text: Hecataeus of Miletus (c. 550–476 BCE)[edit]

text: Hecataeus of Miletus (died c. 476 BCE) is credited with a work entitled Ges Periodos ("Travels round the Earth" or "World Survey'), in two books each organized in the manner of a periplus, a point-to-point coastal survey. One on Europe, is essentially a periplus of the Mediterranean, describing each region in turn, reaching as far north as Scythia. The other book, on Asia, is arranged similarly to the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea of which a version of the 1st century CE survives. Hecataeus described the countries and inhabitants of the known world, the account of Egypt being particularly comprehensive; the descriptive matter was accompanied by a map, based upon Anaximander's map of the earth, which he corrected and enlarged. The work only survives in some 374 fragments, by far the majority being quoted in the geographical lexicon Ethnika compiled by Stephanus of Byzantium.

text: Eratosthenes (276–194 BCE)[edit]

text: Eratosthenes (276–194 BCE) drew an improved world map, incorporating information from the campaigns of Alexander the Great and his successors. Asia became wider, reflecting the new understanding of the actual size of the continent. Eratosthenes was also the first geographer to incorporate parallels and meridians within his cartographic depictions, attesting to his understanding of the spherical nature of the earth.

text: Posidonius (c. 150–130 BCE)[edit]

text: Posidonius (or Poseidonius) of Apameia (c. 135–51 BCE), was a Greek Stoic philosopher[7] who traveled throughout the Roman world and beyond and was a celebrated polymath throughout the Greco-Roman world, like Aristotle and Eratosthenes. His work "about the ocean and the adjacent areas" was a general geographical discussion, showing how all the forces had an effect on each other and applied also to human life. He measured the Earth's circumference by reference to the position of the star Canopus. His measure of 240,000 stadia translates to 24,000 miles (39,000 km), close to the actual circumference of 24,901 miles (40,074 km).[8] He was informed in his approach by Eratosthenes, who a century earlier used the elevation of the Sun at different latitudes. Both men's figures for the Earth's circumference were uncannily accurate, aided in each case by mutually compensating errors in measurement. However, the version of Posidonius' calculation popularised by Strabo was revised by correcting the distance between Rhodes and Alexandria to 3,750 stadia, resulting in a circumference of 180,000 stadia, or 18,000 miles (29,000 km).[9] Ptolemy discussed and favored this revised figure of Posidonius over Eratosthenes in his Geographia, and during the Middle Ages scholars divided into two camps regarding the circumference of the Earth, one side identifying with Eratosthenes' calculation and the other with Posidonius' 180,000 stadion measure.

text: Strabo (c. 64 BCE – 24 CE)[edit]

text: Strabo is mostly famous for his 17-volume work Geographica, which presented a descriptive history of people and places from different regions of the world known to his era.[10] The Geographica first appeared in Western Europe in Rome as a Latin translation issued around 1469. Although Strabo referenced the antique Greek astronomers Eratosthenes and Hipparchus and acknowledged their astronomical and mathematical efforts towards geography, he claimed that a descriptive approach was more practical. Geographica provides a valuable source of information on the ancient world, especially when this information is corroborated by other sources. Within the books of Geographica is a map of Europe. Whole world maps according to Strabo are reconstructions from his written text.

text: Pomponius Mela (c. 43 CE)[edit]

text: Pomponius is unique among ancient geographers in that, after dividing the earth into five zones, of which two only were habitable, he asserts the existence of antichthones, people inhabiting the southern temperate zone inaccessible to the folk of the northern temperate regions due to the unbearable heat of the intervening torrid belt. On the divisions and boundaries of Europe, Asia and Africa, he repeats Eratosthenes; like all classical geographers from Alexander the Great (except Ptolemy) he regards the Caspian Sea as an inlet of the Northern Ocean, corresponding to the Persian (Persian Gulf) and Arabian (Red Sea) gulfs on the south.

text: Marinus of Tyre (c. 120 CE)[edit]

text: Marinus of Tyre's world maps were the first in the Roman Empire to show China. Around 120 CE, Marinus wrote that the habitable world was bounded on the west by the Fortunate Islands. The text of his geographical treatise however is lost. He also invented the equirectangular projection, which is still used in map creation today. A few of Marinus' opinions are reported by Ptolemy. Marinus was of the opinion that the Okeanos was separated into an eastern and a western part by the continents (Europe, Asia and Africa). He thought that the inhabited world stretched in latitude from Thule (Shetland) to Agisymba (Tropic of Capricorn) and in longitude from the Isles of the Blessed to Shera (China). Marinus also coined the term Antarctic, referring to the opposite of the Arctic Circle. His chief legacy is that he first assigned to each place a proper latitude and longitude; he used a "Meridian of the Isles of the Blessed (Canary Islands or Cape Verde Islands)" as the zero meridian.

text: Ptolemy (c. 150)[edit]

text: Surviving texts of Ptolemy's Geography, first composed c. 150, note that he continued the use of Marinus's equirectangular projection for its regional maps while finding it inappropriate for maps of the entire known world. Instead, in Book VII of his work, he outlines three separate projections of increasing difficulty and fidelity. Ptolemy followed Marinus in underestimating the circumference of the world; combined with accurate absolute distances, this led him to also overestimate the length of the Mediterranean Sea in terms of degrees. His prime meridian at the Fortunate Isles was therefore around 10 actual degrees further west of Alexandria than intended, a mistake that was corrected by Al-Khwārizmī following the translation of Syriac editions of Ptolemy into Arabic in the 9th century. The oldest surviving manuscripts of the work date to Maximus Planudes's restoration of the text a little before 1300 at Chora Monastery in Constantinople (Istanbul); surviving manuscripts from this era seem to preserve separate recensions of the text which diverged as early as the 2nd or 4th century. A passage in some of the recensions credits an Agathodaemon with drafting a world map, but no maps seem to have survived to be used by Planude's monks. Instead, he commissioned new world maps calculated from Ptolemy's thousands of coordinates and drafted according to the text's 1st[11] and 2nd projections,[12] along with the equirectangular regional maps. A copy was translated into Latin by Jacobus Angelus at Florence around 1406 and soon supplemented with maps on the 1st projection. Maps using the 2nd projection were not made in Western Europe until Nicolaus Germanus's 1466 edition.[13] Ptolemy's 3rd (and hardest) projection does not seem to have been used at all before new discoveries expanded the known world beyond the point where it provided a useful format.[13]

text: Cicero's Dream of Scipio described the Earth as a globe of insignificant size in comparison to the remainder of the cosmos. Many medieval manuscripts of Macrobius' Commentary on the Dream of Scipio include maps of the Earth, including the antipodes, zonal maps showing the Ptolemaic climates derived from the concept of a spherical Earth and a diagram showing the Earth (labeled as globus terrae, the sphere of the Earth) at the center of the hierarchically ordered planetary spheres.[14][15]

text: Tabula Peutingeriana (4th century)[edit]

text: The Tabula Peutingeriana (Peutinger table) is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. It is a 13th-century copy of an original map dating from the 4th century, covering Europe, parts of Asia (India) and North-Africa. The map is named after Konrad Peutinger, a German 15th-16th-century humanist and antiquarian. The map was discovered in a library in Worms by Conrad Celtes, who was unable to publish his find before his death, and bequeathed the map in 1508 to Peutinger. It is conserved at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Hofburg, Vienna.

text: Middle Ages[edit]

text: Cosmas Indicopleustes' map (6th century)[edit]

text: Around 550 Cosmas Indicopleustes wrote the copiously illustrated Christian Topography, a work partly based on his personal experiences as a merchant on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean in the early 6th century. Though his cosmogony is refuted by modern science, he has given a historic description of India and Sri Lanka during of the 6th century, which is invaluable to historians. Cosmas seems to have personally visited the Kingdom of Axum in modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as India and Sri Lanka. In 522 CE, he visited the Malabar Coast (South India). A major feature of his Topography is Cosmas' worldview that the world is flat, and that the heavens form the shape of a box with a curved lid, a view he took from unconventional interpretations of Christian scripture. Cosmas aimed to prove that pre-Christian geographers had been wrong in asserting that the earth was spherical and that it was in fact modelled on the tabernacle, the house of worship described to Moses by God during the Jewish Exodus from Egypt.

text: Isidore of Sevilla's T and O map (c. 636)[edit]

text: The medieval T and O maps originate with the description of the world in the Etymologiae of Isidore of Sevilla (died 636). This qualitative and conceptual type of medieval cartography represents only the top-half of a spherical Earth.[16] It was presumably tacitly considered a convenient projection of the inhabited portion of the world known in Roman and Medieval times (that is, the northern temperate half of the globe). The T is the Mediterranean, dividing the three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa, and the O is the surrounding Ocean. Jerusalem was generally represented in the center of the map. Asia was typically the size of the other two continents combined. Because the sun rose in the east, Paradise (the Garden of Eden) was generally depicted as being in Asia, and Asia was situated at the top portion of the map.

text: Ibn Hawqals map (10th century)[edit]

text: Ibn Hawqal was an Arab scientist of the 10th century who developed a world map, based on his own travel experience and probably the works of Ptolemy. Another such cartographer was Al-Istakhri.[17]

text: Anglo-Saxon Cotton world map (c. 1040)[edit]

text: This map appears in a copy of a classical work on geography, the Latin version by Priscian of the Periegesis, that was among the manuscripts in the Cotton library (MS. Tiberius B.V., fol. 56v), now in the British Library. It is not intended purely as an illustration to that work, for it contains much material gathered from other sources, including some which would have been the most up-to-date available, although it is based on a distant Roman original (similar to the source of another 11th-century world map, illustrating an edition of Isidore of Seville)—on which the network of lines appears to indicate the boundaries of imperial provinces. The date of drawing was formerly estimated at about CE 992–994, based on suggested links to the journey of Archbishop Sigeric of Canterbury from Rome[18] but more recent analysis indicates that, although the information was revised about that time, the map was probably drawn between 1025 and 1050.[19]

text: Like the later map by al-Idrisi (see below) this map is clearly outside the largely symbolic early medieval mapping tradition, but equally it is not based on the famous Ptolemaic co-ordinate system. East is at the top, but Jerusalem is not in the centre, and the Garden of Eden is nowhere to be seen. Unusually, all the waterways of Africa, not just the Red Sea, are depicted in red (mountains are green). The depiction of the far East is ambitious, including India and Taprobane (Sri Lanka)—the latter depicted according to the exaggerated classical conception of its size. Unsurprisingly, Britain itself is depicted in some detail. Great Britain, unusually by medieval standards, is shown as one island, albeit with an exaggerated Cornish promontory, and Mona, Ireland and the many Scottish islands are all indicated. The cartographer is slightly confused by Iceland, depicting it both by a version of its classical name 'Thule', north-west of Britain, and as 'Island', logically linked with Scandinavia.

text: Beatus Mappa Mundi (1050)[edit]

text: Beatus of Liébana (c. 730–798) was an Asturian monk and theologian. He corresponded with Alcuin, and took part in the Adoptionist controversy, criticizing the views of Felix of Urgel and Elipandus of Toledo. He is best remembered today as the author of his Commentary on the Apocalypse, published in 776. An illustrated manuscript known as the Saint-Sever Beatus, featuring the Commentary, was produced around 1050 at the Abbey of Saint-Sever, Aquitaine, France. It contains one of the oldest Christian world maps as an illustration of the Commentary. Although the original manuscript and map has not survived, copies of the map survive in several of the extant manuscripts.

text: Mahmud al-Kashgari's map (1072)[edit]

text: Qarakhanid Uyghur scholar Mahmud al-Kashgari compiled a Compendium of the languages of the Turks in the 11th century. The manuscript is illustrated with a "Turkocentric" world map, oriented with east (or rather, perhaps, the direction of midsummer sunrise) on top, centered on the ancient city of Balasagun in what is now Kyrgyzstan, showing the Caspian Sea to the north, and Iraq, Armenia, Yemen and Egypt to the west, China and Japan to the east, Hindustan, Kashmir, Gog and Magog to the south. Conventional symbols are used throughout—blue lines for rivers, red lines for mountain ranges etc. The world is shown as encircled by the ocean.[20] The map is now kept at the Pera Museum in Istanbul.

text: Al-Idrisi's Tabula Rogeriana (1154)[edit]

text: The Arab geographer, Muhammad al-Idrisi, incorporated the knowledge of Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Far East gathered by Arab merchants and explorers with the information inherited from the classical geographers to create the most accurate map of the world at the time. It remained the most accurate world map for the next three centuries. The Tabula Rogeriana was drawn by Al-Idrisi in 1154 for the Norman King Roger II of Sicily, after a stay of eighteen years at his court, where he worked on the commentaries and illustrations of the map. The map, written in Arabic, shows the Eurasian continent in its entirety, but only shows the northern part of the African continent.

text: Ebstorf Mappa Mundi (1235)[edit]

text: The Ebstorf Map was an example of a European mappa mundi, made by Gervase of Ebstorf, who was possibly the same man as Gervase of Tilbury,[21] some time in the thirteenth century. It was a very large map: painted on 30 goatskins sewn together, it measured about 3.6 m × 3.6 m (12 ft × 12 ft). The head of Christ was depicted at the top of the map, with his hands on either side and his feet at the bottom.[22] The Map was a greatly elaborated version of the medieval tripartite or T and O map; it was centred on Jerusalem with east on top of the map. It represented Rome in the shape of a lion, and had an evident interest in the distribution of bishoprics.[23] The original was destroyed during World War II, but some photographs and colour copies remain.

text: Hereford Mappa Mundi (1300)[edit]

text: The Hereford Mappa Mundi is a detailed mappa mundi based on the T and O map style, dating to c. 1300. The map is signed by one "Richard of Haldingham or Lafford". Drawn on a single sheet of vellum, it measures 158 by 133 cm (62 by 52 in). The writing is in black ink, with additional red and gold, and blue or green for water (with the Red Sea coloured red). The captions demonstrate clearly the multiple functions of these large medieval maps, conveying a mass of information on Biblical subjects and general history, in addition to geography.

text: Jerusalem is drawn at the centre of the circle, east is on top, showing the Garden of Eden in a circle at the edge of the world (1). Great Britain is drawn at the northwestern border (bottom left, 22 & 23). Curiously, the labels for Africa and Europe are reversed, with Europe scribed in red and gold as 'Africa', and vice versa.

text: Pietro Vesconte's world map (1321)[edit]

text: Italian geographer Pietro Vesconte was a pioneer of the field of the portolan chart. His nautical charts are among the earliest to map the Mediterraean and Black Sea regions accurately. He also produced progressively more accurate depictions of the coastlines of northern Europe. In his world map of 1321 he brought his experience as a maker of portolans to bear; the map introduced a previously unheard of accuracy to the mappa mundi genre.[24] The world map, as well as a map of the Holy Land and plan of Acre and Jerusalem were made for inclusion in Marino Sanuto's Liber secretorum fidelium cruces.[25]

text: Catalan World Atlas (1375)[edit]

text: The Catalan World Atlas was produced by the Majorcan cartographic school and is attributed to Cresques Abraham. It has been in the royal library of France (now the Bibliothèque nationale de France) since the time of Charles V. The Catalan Atlas originally consisted of 6 vellum leaves folded down the middle painted in various colors including gold and silver. The first two leaves contain texts in Catalan language covering cosmography, astronomy, and astrology. These texts are accompanied by illustrations. The texts and illustration emphasize the Earth's spherical shape and the state of the known world. They also provide information to sailors on tides and how to tell time at night.

text: Unlike many other nautical charts, the Catalan Atlas is read with the north at the bottom. As a result of this the maps are oriented from left to right, from the Far East to the Atlantic. The first two leaves, forming the oriental portion of the Catalan Atlas, illustrate numerous religious references as well as a synthesis of medieval mappae mundi (Jerusalem located close to the centre) and the travel literature of the time, notably Marco Polo's Book of Marvels and the Travels and Voyage of Sir John Mandeville. Many Indian and Chinese cities can be identified.

text: "Da Ming Hunyi Tu" world map (after 1389)[edit]

text: The Da Ming Hunyi Tu (Chinese: 大明混一图; literally: "Amalgamated Map of the Great Ming Empire") world map, likely made in the late 14th or the 15th century,[26] shows China at the centre and Europe, half-way round the globe, depicted very small and horizontally compressed at the edge. The coast of Africa is also mapped from an Indian Ocean perspective, showing the Cape of Good Hope area. It is believed that maps of this type were made since about the 1320s, but all earlier specimens have been lost, so the earliest survivor is the elaborate, colourful Da Ming Hun Yi Tu, painted on 17 m2 (180 sq ft) of silk.

text: Kangnido world map (1402)[edit]

text: The Kangnido (the full Hanja name means "Map of Integrated Lands and Regions of Historical Countries and Capitals")[27] is a map of the world made in Korea in 1402. Created under the supervision of Korean officials as part of a cultural project of the newly founded Joseon Dynasty,[28] it is the most familiar example of the known-world maps based on Chinese cartographic techniques with additional input from western sources, via Islamic scholarship in the Mongol Empire. Superficially similar to the Da Ming Hun Yi Tu (which has been less well known in the West because it is kept in closed archive storage) the Kangnido shows its Korean origin in the enlargement of that country, and incorporates vastly improved (though wrongly positioned, scaled and oriented) mapping of Japan. Elsewhere, the map betrays a decorative rather than practical purpose, particularly in the portrayal of river systems, which form unnatural loops rarely seen on Chinese maps. Nonetheless, it is considered as "superior to anything produced in Europe prior to the end of the fifteenth century".[29]

text: De Virga world map (1411–1415)[edit]

text: The De Virga world map was made by Albertinus de Virga between 1411 and 1415. Albertin de Virga, a Venetian, is also known for a 1409 map of the Mediterranean, also made in Venice. The world map is circular, drawn on a piece of parchment 69.6 cm × 44 cm (27.4 in × 17.3 in). It consists of the map itself, about 44 cm (17 in) in diameter, and an extension containing a calendar and two tables.

text: Bianco's world map (1436)[edit]

text: Andrea Bianco's atlas of 1436 comprises ten leaves of vellum, measuring 29 cm × 38 cm (11 in × 15 in), in an 18th-century binding. The first leaf contains a description of the Rule of marteloio for resolving the course, with the "circle and square", two tables and two other diagrams. The next eight leaves contain various navigation charts. The ninth leaf contains a circular world map measuring 25 cm (9.8 in) in circumference. And the final leaf contains the Ptolemaic world map on Ptolemy's first projection, with graduation. Some believe Bianco's maps were the first to correctly portray the coast of Florida, as a macro-peninsula is attached to a large island labeled Antillia. Bianco also collaborated with Fra Mauro on the Fra Mauro world map of 1459.

text: Genoese map (1457)[edit]

text: The Genoese map of 1457 is a world map that relied extensively on the account of the traveler to Asia Niccolo da Conti, rather than the usual source of Marco Polo.[30] The author is unknown, but is a more modern development than the Fra Mauro world map, less intricate and complete, with fairly good proportions given to each of the continents. The map depicts the main landmarks of the time: Prester John in Africa, the Great Khan in China, "Xilam" (Ceylom) and Sumatra, and the design of a three-masted European ship in the Indian Ocean, something which had not occurred, suggesting that a sealane was a possibility.[30]

text: Fra Mauro world map (1459)[edit]

text: The Fra Mauro map was made between 1457 and 1459 by the Venetian monk Fra Mauro. It is a circular planisphere drawn on parchment and set in a wooden frame, about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in diameter. The original world map was made by Fra Mauro and his assistant Andrea Bianco, a sailor-cartographer, under a commission by king Afonso V of Portugal. The map was completed on April 24, 1459, and sent to Portugal, but did not survive to the present day. Fra Mauro died the next year while he was making a copy of the map for the Seignory of Venice, and the copy was completed by Andrea Bianco.

text: The map is preserved in the Museo Correr in Venice.

text: Martellus world map (1490)[edit]

text: The world map of Henricus Martellus Germanus (Heinrich Hammer), c. 1490, was remarkably similar to the terrestrial globe later produced by Martin Behaim in 1492, the Erdapfel. Both show heavy influences from Ptolemy, and both possibly derive from maps created around 1485 in Lisbon by Bartolomeo Columbus. Although Martellus is believed to have been born in Nuremberg, Behaim's home town, he lived and worked in Florence from 1480 to 1496.

text: Behaim's Erdapfel globe (1492)[edit]

text: The Erdapfel (German: earth apple) produced by Martin Behaim in 1492 is considered to be the oldest surviving terrestrial globe. It is constructed of a laminated linen ball reinforced with wood and overlaid with a map painted by Georg Glockendon.[31] The Americas are not included yet, as Columbus returned to Spain no sooner than March 1493. It shows a rather enlarged Eurasian continent and an empty ocean between Europe and Asia. Interestingly, the Caribbean islands may already be represented as well, even before Colombus's return, under the name of the mythical Saint Brendan's Island. Japan and Asian islands are disproportionately large. The idea to call the globe "apple" may be related to the Reichsapfel ("Imperial Apple", Globus cruciger) which was also kept in Nuremberg along with the Imperial Regalia (Reichskleinodien). In 1907, it was transferred to the Germanic Museum in Nuremberg.

text: After 1492[edit]

text: Juan de la Cosa map (1500)[edit]

text: The Juan de la Cosa, a Spanish cartographer, explorer and conquistador, born in Santoña in the northern autonomous region of Cantabria, made several maps of which the only survivor is the Mappa Mundi of 1500. It is the first known European cartographic representation of the Americas. It is now in the Museo Naval in Madrid. Reproductions of it are given by Humboldt in his Atlas géographique et physique.

text: Cantino world map (1502)[edit]

text: The Cantino planisphere or Cantino world map is the earliest surviving map showing Portuguese discoveries in the east and west. It is named after Alberto Cantino, an agent for the Duke of Ferrara, who successfully smuggled it from Portugal to Italy in 1502. It shows the islands of the Caribbean and the Florida coastline, as well as Africa, Europe and Asia. The map is particularly notable for portraying a fragmentary record of the Brazilian coast, discovered in 1500 by Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral who conjectured whether it was merely an island [32] or part of the continent that several Spanish expeditions had just encountered farther north (cf. Amerigo Vespucci).

text: Caverio Map (c. 1505)[edit]

text: The Caverio Map, also known as the Caveri Map or Canerio Map, is a map drawn by Nicolay de Caveri, circa 1505. It is hand drawn on parchment and coloured, being composed of ten sections or panels, measuring 2.25 by 1.15 metres (7.4 by 3.8 ft). Historians believe that this undated map signed with "Nicolay de Caveri Januensis" was completed in 1504–05. It was probably either made in Lisbon by the Genoese Canveri, or copied by him in Genoa from the very similar Cantino map. It shows the east coast of North America with surprising detail and was one of the primary sources used to make the Waldseemüller map in 1507. The Caverio map is currently at Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris.

text: Ruysch World Map (1507)[edit]

text: Johannes Ruysch an explorer, cartographer, astronomer and painter from the Low Countries produced the second oldest known printed representation of the New World.[33] The Ruysch map was published and widely distributed in 1507. It uses Ptolemy's coniform projection, as does the Contarini-Rosselli 1506 map. Both document Christopher Columbus' discoveries as well as that of John Cabot, including information from Portuguese sources and Marco Polo's account. There are notes on his map that clearly were from Portuguese sources. Newfoundland and Cuba are shown connected to Asia, as Columbus and Cabot believed. “Sipganus” (Marco Polo’s Japan) is identical with “Spagnola” (Hispaniola) on the Ruysch map. The presence of codfish is noted on the Ruysch map in the area of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and shows the discoveries the Portuguese had made along the African coast and shows India as a triangular peninsula with Ceylon in the correct proportion and position. Greenland is shown connected to Newfoundland and Asia on Ruysch's map, and not Europe as earlier maps had showed. Around the north pole, Ruysch drew islands, based on reports in the book Inventio Fortunata of the English friar Nicholas of Lynne. Interestingly, the island above Norway shows remarkable similarities to Svalbard, which would not be discovered until 1597 (by Willem Barents). Ruysch calls it 'European Hyberborea' and a peninsula stretching out towards it is clearly marked with the church of 'Sancti Odulfi', St Olaf's church in Vardø on the Finnmark coast.

text: Waldseemüller and Ringmann map (1507)[edit]

text: The cartographers Martin Waldseemüller and Matthias Ringmann from southern Germany, supported by the mapping friend René II, Duke of Lorraine, collected map data over several years, including information on the most recent discoveries, to build up a new collective work of geography and cartography. Along with a book they further incorporated, for the first time in history, the name America on a map, holding the strong opinion that it was a new continent that Amerigo Vespucci had discovered on his voyage and not only a few smaller islands as Christopher Columbus did in the West Indies.

text: Piri Reis map (1513)[edit]

text: The Piri Reis map is a famous world map created by 16th-century Ottoman Turkish admiral and cartographer Piri Reis. The surviving third of the map shows part of the western coasts of Europe and North Africa with reasonable accuracy, and the coast of Brazil is also easily recognizable. Various Atlantic islands including the Azores and Canary Islands are depicted, as is the mythical island of Antillia. The map is noteworthy for its apparent south-eastward extension of the American continent to depict a southern landmass that some controversially claim is evidence for early awareness of the existence of Antarctica. Alternatively, it has been suggested that this is actually a record of the coast as far as Cape Horn, explored secretly by Portuguese navigators before 1507 (when it appeared on the Waldseemüller map) and bent south-eastward simply to fit on the parchment.

text: Pietro Coppo map (1520)[edit]

text: The map by Pietro Coppo was one of the last world maps to feature the "Dragon's Tail" extending southwards from the far eastern extremity of Asia, the last vestige of Ptolemy's landlocked depiction of the Indian Ocean, nearly 1,500 years earlier.

text: Diogo Ribeiro map (1527)[edit]

text: Diogo Ribeiro, a Portuguese cartographer working for Spain, made what is considered the first scientific world map: the 1527 Padrón real, the first world map based on empiric latitude observations. There are 6 copies attributed to Ribeiro, including at the Weimar Grand Ducal Library (1527 Mundus Novus) and at the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, in Vatican City (1529 Propaganda Map or Carta Universal).[34] The layout of the map (Mapamundi) is strongly influenced by the information obtained during the Magellan-Elcano trip around the world. Diogo's map delineates very precisely the coasts of Central and South America. However, neither Australia nor Antarctica appear, and the Indian subcontinent is too small. The map shows, for the first time, the real extension of the Pacific Ocean. It also shows, for the first time, the North American coast as a continuous one (probably influenced by the Estêvão Gomes exploration in 1525). It also shows the demarcation of the Treaty of Tordesillas.

text: Mercator world map (1569)[edit]

text: Flemish geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator world map of 1569 introduced a cylindrical map projection that became the standard map projection known as the Mercator projection. It was a large planisphere measuring 202 by 124 cm (80 by 49 in), printed in eighteen separate sheets. While the linear scale is constant in all directions around any point, thus preserving the angles and the shapes of small objects (which makes the projection conformal), the Mercator projection distorts the size and shape of large objects, as the scale increases from the Equator to the poles, where it becomes infinite. The title (Nova et Aucta Orbis Terrae Descriptio ad Usum Navigatium Emendate: "new and augmented description of Earth corrected for the use of navigation") and the map legends show that the map was expressly conceived for the use of marine navigation. The principal feature of the projection is that Rhumb lines, sailing courses at a constant bearing, are mapped to straight lines on the map. The development of the Mercator projection represented a major breakthrough in the nautical cartography of the 16th century although it was only slowly adopted by seafaring nations.

text: "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum" by Abraham Ortelius (1570)[edit]

text: The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (or "Theatre of the World") is considered to be the first true modern atlas. Written by Abraham Ortelius and originally printed on May 20, 1570, in Antwerp, it consisted of a collection of uniform map sheets and sustaining text bound to form a book for which copper printing plates were specifically engraved. The Ortelius atlas is sometimes referred to as the summary of sixteenth-century cartography. Many of his atlas' maps were based upon sources that no longer exist or are extremely rare. Ortelius appended a unique source list (the "Catalogus Auctorum") identifying the names of contemporary cartographers, some of whom would otherwise have remained obscure. Three Latin editions of this (besides a Dutch, a French and a German edition) appeared before the end of 1572; twenty-five editions came out before Ortelius' death in 1598; and several others were published subsequently, for the atlas continued to be in demand until approximately 1612.

text: "Die ganze Welt in einem Kleberblat" by Heinrich Bünting (1581)[edit]

text: The Bünting Clover Leaf Map, also known as The World in a Cloverleaf, (German title: "Die ganze Welt in einem Kleberblat/Welches ist der Stadt Hannover meines lieben Vaterlandes Wapen") is an historic mappa mundi drawn by the German Protestant pastor, theologist, and cartographer Heinrich Bünting. The map was published in his book Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae (Travel through Holy Scripture) in 1581.

text: Today the map is found within the Eran Laor maps collection in the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. A mosaic model of the map is installed on the fence of Safra Square at the site of Jerusalem's city hall.

text: The map is a figurative illustration, in the manner of the medieval mappa mundi format, depicting the world via a clover shape.[35] The shape is a symbolisation of the Christian Trinity and a component at the symbolisation of the German city Hanover, where Bünting was born. The city of Jerusalem is represented as the centre, surrounded by three central continents, with some more areas of the world being accordingly illustrated separately from the clover.

text: "Kunyu Wanguo Quantu" by Matteo Ricci (1602)[edit]

text: Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (Chinese: 坤輿萬國全圖; literally: "A Map of the Myriad Countries of the World"; Italian: Carta Geografica Completa di tutti i Regni del Mondo, "Complete Geographical Map of all the Kingdoms of the World"), printed by Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci at the request by Wanli Emperor in 1602, is the first known European-styled Chinese world map (and the first Chinese map to show the Americas). The map is in Classical Chinese, with detailed annotations and descriptions of various regions of the world, a brief account of the discovery of the Americas, polar projections, scientific explanation of parallels and meridians, and proof that the sun is bigger than the moon. Following Chinese cartographical convention, Ricci placed China ("the Middle Kingdom") at the centre of the world. This map is a significant mark of the expansion Chinese knowledge of the world, and an important example of cultural syncretism directly between Europe and China. It was also exported to Korea and Japan as well. [36]

text: Hendrik Hondius map (1630)[edit]

text: Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica ac Hydrographica Tabula is a map of the world created by Hendrik Hondius in 1630, and published the following year at Amsterdam, in the atlas Atlantis Maioris Appendix. Illustrations of the four elements of fire, air, water, and land are included. In the four corners, there are portraits of Julius Caesar, Claudius Ptolemy, and the atlas's first two publishers, Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius, the father of Hendrik.[37] Among its claims to notability is the fact that it was the first dated map published in an atlas, and therefore the first widely available map, to show any part of Australia, the only previous map to do so being Hessel Gerritsz' 1627 Caert van't Landt van d'Eendracht ("Chart of the Land of Eendracht"), which was not widely distributed or recognised. The Australian coastline shown is part of the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, discovered by Jan Carstensz in 1623. Curiously, the map does not show the west coast features shown in Gerritsz' Caert.

text: Nicolaes Visscher map (1658)[edit]

text: This engraved double hemisphere map, Orbis Terrarum Nova et Accuratissima Tabula, was created by Nicolaes Visscher in 1658 in Amsterdam. It also contains smaller northern and southern polar projections. The border is decorated with mythological scenes, one in each corner, drawn by the painter Nicolaes Berchem, showing Zeus, Neptune, Persephone and Demeter. It is an early example of highly decorated Dutch world maps.[38][39]

text: Gerard van Schagen's map of the world (1689)[edit]

text: Gerard van Schagen (ca. 1642–1724?) was a cartographer from Amsterdam, known for his exquisite reproductions of maps, particularly of those by Nicolaes Visscher I and Frederick de Wit.[40][41][42] The map is of 1689. The original size is 48.3 cm × 56.0 cm (19.0 in × 22.0 in) and was produced using copper engraving. There is only one known example, which is in the Amsterdam University.

text: Samuel Dunn's map of the world (1794)[edit]

text: Samuel Dunn (died 1794) was a British mathematician and amateur astronomer. His map covers the entire world in a double hemisphere projection. This map follows shortly after the explorations of Captain Cook in the Arctic and Pacific Northwest, so the general outline of North America is known. However, when this map was made, few inland expeditions had extended westward beyond the Mississippi River.[43]