document_title: A Wrinkle in Time

question_text: what kind of beings are mrs. whatsit mrs. who and mrs. which

text: A Wrinkle in Time

text: Publication history[edit]

text: The book was written between 1959 and 1960.[4] L'Engle wrote repeatedly about the writing of the story and the long struggle to get it published. In A Circle of Quiet (1972),[5] she explains that the book was conceived "during a time of transition." After years of living in rural Goshen, Connecticut, and running a general store, L'Engle's family, the Franklins, moved back to New York City, first taking a ten-week camping trip across the country and back again. L'Engle writes that "we drove through a world of deserts and buttes and leafless mountains, wholly new and alien to me. And suddenly into my mind came the names, Mrs Whatsit. Mrs Who. Mrs Which."[6] This was in the spring of 1959. L'Engle was reading about quantum physics at the time, which also made its way into the story.[7] When she completed the book in early 1960, however, it was rejected by at least 26 publishers, because it was, in L'Engle's words, "too different," and "because it deals overtly with the problem of evil, and it was really difficult for children, and was it a children's or an adults' book, anyhow?"[2][6]

text: In "A Special Message from Madeleine L'Engle" on the Random House website, L'Engle explains another possible reason for the rejections: "A Wrinkle in Time had a female protagonist in a science fiction book," which at the time was uncommon. After trying "forty-odd" publishers (L'Engle later said "twenty-six rejections"), L'Engle's agent returned the manuscript to her. Then at Christmas, L'Engle threw a tea party for her mother. One of the guests happened to know John C. Farrar of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and insisted that L'Engle should meet with him. Although the publisher did not, at the time, publish a line of children's books, Farrar met L'Engle, liked the novel, and ultimately published it.[8]

text: The book has been continuously in print since its first publication. The hardback edition is still published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. The original blue dust jacket by Ellen Raskin was replaced with new art by Leo and Diane Dillon, with the publication of A Swiftly Tilting Planet in 1978. The book has also been published in a 25th anniversary collectors' edition (limited to 500 signed and numbered copies), at least two book club editions (one hardback, one Scholastic Book Services paperback), as a trade paperback under the Dell Yearling imprint, and as a mass market paperback under the Dell Laurel-Leaf imprint. The cover art on the paperback editions has changed several times since first publication.

text: The book was reissued by Square Fish in trade and mass market paperback formats in May 2007, along with the rest of the Time Quintet. This new edition includes a previously unpublished interview with L'Engle as well as the text of her Newbery Medal acceptance speech.[9]

text: Plot summary[edit]

text: Thirteen-year-old Meg Murry's classmates and teachers see her as a troublesome and stubborn student. Her family knows that she is emotionally immature but also sees her capable of doing great things. The family includes her scientist mother Katherine, her missing scientist father Alexander, the twins Sandy and Dennys, and her five-year-old brother Charles Wallace Murry, a child genius who can sometimes read Meg's mind.

text: The book begins with the line "It was a dark and stormy night," an allusion to the opening words in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1830 novel Paul Clifford. Unable to sleep during a thunderstorm, Meg descends from her attic room to find Charles Wallace sitting at the table drinking milk and eating bread and jam. They are then joined by their mother, and are visited by their new eccentric neighbor, Mrs Whatsit. In the course of conversation, Mrs Whatsit casually mentions there is such a thing as a tesseract, which causes Katherine to almost faint.

text: The next morning, Meg discovers that the term refers to a scientific concept her father was working on before his mysterious disappearance. The following afternoon, Meg and Charles Wallace encounter Meg's schoolmate, Calvin O'Keefe, a high-school junior who, although he is a "big man on campus", considers himself a misfit as well. They then go to visit an old haunted house near town which Charles Wallace already knows is the home of Mrs Whatsit. There they encounter two companions of Mrs Whatsit's, the equally strange Mrs Who and the unseen voice of Mrs Which. She promises that she and her friends will help Meg find and rescue her father. A budding love interest develops between Meg and Calvin. In the evening, Charles Wallace declares it is time for them to go on their mission to save their father. This is accompanied by the appearance of the third member of the "Mrs Ws", Mrs Which, who appears to materialize out of nothing.

text: Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which turn out to be supernatural beings who transport Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe through the universe by means of tesseract, a fifth-dimensional phenomenon explained as being similar to folding the fabric of space and time. Their first stop is the planet Uriel, a Utopian world filled with Centaur-like beings who live in a state of light and love. Mrs Whatsit herself shows that she, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which are all these centaur-like creatures in disguise as humans. There the "Mrs Ws" reveal to the children that the universe is under attack from an evil being who appears as a large dark cloud called The Black Thing, which is essentially the personification of evil. The children are then taken elsewhere to visit a woman who is a medium (the "Happy Medium") with a crystal ball. In it, they see that Earth is partially covered by the darkness, although great religious figures, philosophers, and artists have been fighting against it. Mrs Whatsit is revealed to be a former star who exploded in an act of self-sacrifice to fight the darkness.

text: The children then travel to the dark planet of Camazotz, which has "given in" to the Black Thing. Meg's father is trapped there. They find that all the inhabitants behave in a mechanistic way and seem to be under the control of a single mind. At the planet's central headquarters (described as CENTRAL Central Intelligence), they discover a red-eyed man with telepathic abilities who can cast a hypnotic spell over their minds. He claims to know the whereabouts of their father. Charles Wallace deliberately looks into the red eyes of the man, allowing himself to be taken over by the mind controlling planet in order to find their father. Under its influence, he takes Meg and Calvin to the place where Alexander is being held prisoner because he would not succumb to the group mind.

text: The planet turns out to be controlled by an evil disembodied brain with powerful abilities, which the inhabitants of Camazotz call "IT." Charles Wallace takes them to the place where IT is held. In such proximity to IT, the children are threatened by a possible telepathic takeover of their minds. With special powers from Mrs Who's glasses, Alexander is able to "tesser" Calvin, Meg and himself away from Camazotz, but Charles Wallace is left behind, still under the influence of IT. Dr. Murry, inexperienced at tessering, does not know how to protect Meg from the Black Thing which surrounds the planet as they tesser through it, nearly killing her. When they arrive on the neighboring planet of Ixchel, Meg is nearly frozen, and paralyzed. Calvin and the Murrys are discovered by the planet's inhabitants - large, eyeless "beasts" with featureless faces, tentacles and four arms, who prove both wise and gentle. Meg's paralysis is cured under the care of one inhabitant, whom Meg nicknames "Aunt Beast." Meg overcomes her anger at her father for leaving Charles Wallace on Camazotz, realizing that parents can't fix everything, and sometimes children can solve problems themselves.

text: Then the trio of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which arrive. They charge Meg with rescuing Charles Wallace from IT, because only Meg has a strong enough bond with him. Their father had last seen Charles Wallace when he was a baby and Calvin had only just met him. They each give her a gift. Mrs Whatsit gives Meg her love. Mrs Who quotes to Meg a passage from the Bible about God choosing the foolish of the world to confound the wise, and the weak to defeat the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Mrs Which tells Meg that she has one thing that IT does not have but doesn't specify what it is. Upon arriving at the building where IT is housed, Charles Wallace is still there under IT's influence. Meg realizes that the one thing she has that IT does not is love. She focuses all her love at Charles Wallace and is able to free him from IT's control. Mrs Who, Mrs Which and Mrs Whatsit tesser the Murrys and Calvin back to Earth. In the vegetable garden they are all reunited with Katherine and the twins. Mrs Whatsit says that although she and the others like the spectacle of the family reuniting, they have to go somewhere. Before Mrs Whatsit finishes her sentence, she and the others disappear.

text: Major themes[edit]

text: Madeleine L'Engle's fantasy works are in part highly expressive of her Christian viewpoint in a manner somewhat similar to that of Christian fantasy writer C. S. Lewis. She was herself the official writer-in-residence at New York City's Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which is known for its prominent position in the liberal wing of the Episcopal Church.[10] L'Engle's liberal Christianity has been the target of criticism from more conservative Christians, especially with respect to certain elements of A Wrinkle in Time.[11]

text: The theme of picturing the fight of good against evil as a battle of light and darkness is a recurring one. Its manner is reminiscent of the prologue to the Gospel of John, which is quoted within the book. When the "Mrs Ws" reveal their secret roles in the cosmic fight against "the darkness" they ask the children to name some figures on Earth (a partially dark planet) who fight the darkness. They name Jesus, and later in the discussion Buddha is named as well, along with various creative artists and philanthropists. The three women are described as ancient star-beings who act as guardian angels.[12]

text: Further, the themes of "conformity" and the "status quo" are present. It is a generic theme that is within every society there is a powerful dominant group that challenges the minority group. Very few of the powerless members of this group are resilient. In this case, IT is the powerful dominant group that manipulates the planet of Camazotz into conformity (i.e., they all have the same rhythm). Even Charles Wallace falls prey (due to flattery) and is hence persuaded to conform. It is thanks to Meg that she and her family are able to break from conformity.[13] According to the author's granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voiklis, the story wasn't a simple allegory of communism; in a three-page passage that was cut before publication, the process of domination is said to be an outcome of dictatorship under totalitarian regimes, and by an excessive desire of security under democratic countries.[14][15]

text: Scholar Jean Fulton writes, "L'Engle's fiction for young readers is considered important partly because she was among the first to focus directly on the deep, delicate issues that young people must face, such as death, social conformity, and truth. L'Engle's work always is uplifting because she is able to look at the surface values of life from a perspective of wholeness, both joy and pain, transcending each to uncover the absolute nature of human experience that they share."[7]

text: Reception[edit]

text: At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews said, "Readers who relish symbolic reference may find this trip through time and space an exhilarating experience; the rest will be forced to ponder the double entendres."[16]

text: A Wrinkle in Time is on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 at number 23.[17] Reasons given include the book's references to witches and crystal balls,[18] the claim that it "challenges religious beliefs",[19] and the listing of Jesus "with the names of great artists, philosophers, scientists, and religious leaders".[20]

text: A 2004 study found that it was a common read-aloud book for sixth-graders in schools in San Diego County, California.[21] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children".[22] It was one of the "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.[23]

text: In 2016, the novel saw a spike in sales after Chelsea Clinton mentioned it as influential in her childhood in a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[24]

text: Characters[edit]

text: Main characters[edit]

text: Margaret "Meg" Murry[edit]

text: Meg is the outcast of the family and also the oldest child of scientists Alex and Kate Murry. Mathematically brilliant but less than adept at other subjects in school, Meg is "awkward", unpopular, and defensive around authority figures as well as her peers. Although she has the brains to accomplish difficult tasks, she rarely puts her strengths to use. She adores her mother and three brothers especially her youngest brother, Charles Wallace, and weeps much for her missing father. Like many adolescent girls, Meg is unhappy with her physical appearance, particularly her mouse-brown, unruly hair, braces and glasses, and considers herself a "monster" in comparison with her mother. But then she meets Calvin. She is about thirteen years old, and is a couple of grades below Calvin, who is fourteen years old but in eleventh grade. Introduced on the first page of the book, she is the story's main protagonist.

text: Charles Wallace Murry[edit]

text: Charles Wallace is the youngest Murry child, being five years old. He is very smart and is the most extraordinary and the most vulnerable of the novel's human characters, and the youngest to journey to Camazotz. Charles Wallace did not talk at all until he was nearly four years old, at which time he began to speak in complete sentences. Now five years old, Charles Wallace speaks only to his family, but can empathically or telepathically "read" certain people's thoughts and feelings, and above that has an extraordinary vocabulary. A biological "sport," he is intellectually curious, loving, and unfazed by extraordinary people and events. He was the first to meet the Mrs Ws and brought Meg to see them. Initially able to block IT out of his mind, he opens his mind to the Man with Red Eyes and thus falls under IT's control.

text: Calvin O'Keefe[edit]

text: Calvin is the third oldest of Paddy and Branwen O'Keefe's eleven children, a tall, thin, red-haired 14-year-old high school junior who is not the best in math but has to study to play on the school basketball team, and is one of the popular boys in high school. His mother is a very cranky, tired woman with too many children. Neglected by his own family, Calvin enters the lives of the Murry family, starting in Chapter Two. He also loves Meg Murry. He shows some signs of being able to communicate telepathically, the same power Charles Wallace seems to have, a technique referred to in later books as kything. He also feels as if he has been hiding his true self all his life, and likes the Murry family much more than his own, which is characterized by abuse and dysfunctional dynamics.

text: Primary immortal characters[edit]

text: The three characters of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which are beings who have the ability to travel at will across large stretches of time and space by dematerializing and rematerializing. They are capable of changing form, but spend most of their time on Earth as elderly women. All three are billions of years old, having once been stars that had each sacrificed themselves as a nova or supernova to destroy the parts of the Black Thing nearest them.

text: Mrs Whatsit[edit]

text: Mrs Whatsit is first described as a very old woman wrapped in layers of clothes with a jacket and first appears in chapter one. Charles Wallace finds her in a 'haunted house' in the woods, where she has been living with her two friends, Mrs Who and Mrs Which. Mrs Whatsit is the youngest of the Mrs Ws (despite being 2,379,152,497 years, 8 months, and 3 days old), and the best of the three at interacting with the children.

text: In Chapter Four, the group (Charles Wallace, Calvin, and Meg) witnesses the physical transformation of Mrs. Whatsit into a centaur-like winged being on the planet Uriel. After explaining the self-sacrificial stars to the children, Mrs Whatsit admits to Meg that she had once been one of them, and to Mrs Which that it hadn't been very long (from their perspective) since it happened.

text: Mrs Who[edit]

text: Mrs Who is described as a plump woman with spectacles. She communicates in Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese and Greek, notably quoting William Shakespeare, Pascal, Dante Alighieri, Seneca, A. Perez, Horace, Miguel de Cervantes, Delille, Euripides, the Bible and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Mrs Whatsit explains that Mrs Who finds it "difficult to verbalize" in her own words.

text: Mrs Which[edit]

text: Mrs Which's physical appearance is not set; she appears as a shimmering light most of the time. However, she does once take on the appearance of a traditional witch, complete with black hat and broom. She does not stay long in this form, though, as corporeal appearance is quite difficult for her to maintain. She first appears at the end of Chapter 3. She is the clear leader of the three women and the wisest, and upon appearing, immediately demonstrates her vast knowledge of understanding in tesseract travel. Her distinguishing quirk is her long, drawn-out method of speech, symbolized by doubled and tripled consonants in her words (as in; "Nnoww, cchilldrenn, yyou musstt nott bee frrightennedd att whatt iss ggoingg tto hhappenn,"). She is the one who usually provides the group, most especially Meg, with the clues the children need to solve the problems encountered during their travels.

text: The Man with Red Eyes[edit]

text: The Man with Red Eyes is a being whom Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin encounter on their quest to rescue Meg and Charles Wallace's father on the planet Camazotz. He is the Prime Coordinator on Camazotz. He and IT control Camazotz together and are the main antagonists. He entices Charles Wallace to look into his glowing red eyes in order to find his father. When Charles Wallace does so, he too becomes possessed by the mind of IT, after which the Man with Red Eyes drops out of the story.

text: IT[edit]

text: IT is the bodiless telepathic brain that dominates the planet of Camazotz and the main antagonist. IT controls all the people in Camazotz and makes people often do the same things together in a mechanistic synchronism as if they were robots. IT speaks through The Man With Red Eyes and later through Charles Wallace, and is functionally part of the interstellar cloud of evil called the Black Thing. IT is described as a giant sized human brain. Housed in a dome near the "CENTRAL Central Intelligence" building, IT is said to pulse and quiver on its dais. IT's aim is to enforce absolute conformity on Camazotz, with the claimed benefit of eliminating war, unhappiness and inefficiency. However, IT is aware of cruelty, referring to "ITself" as "the Happiest Sadist". While IT usually speaks through one of its pawns, IT can speak directly to people through telepathy, but IT only does this once throughout the entire novel. IT's name is always used whenever IT is spoken of (rather than the pronoun "it"), so pervasively that even the word "itself" is rewritten as "ITself."

text: The Black Thing[edit]

text: A formless, shadowy being. According to the Mrs. Whatsit, the Black Thing is the source of all evil in the universe, and little more is described of it. It is unclear from where the Black Thing came or what its motivations are. It is even unclear what its relationship to IT is, although it's suggested that IT is a powerful servant of the Black Thing. The Black Thing has been fought by many people, all of whom have added to the peace of the world, including Mr. Murry.

text: Sub-characters[edit]

text: Alex Murry[edit]

text: Meg's father is a physicist, researching the mysteries of the space/time continuum, specifically five-dimensional means of travel between planets. He is also the father of Meg, Sandy, Dennys and Charles Wallace. He has been missing for some time as the novel opens. Not even his government colleagues know where he is. He is usually referred to as Mr. Murry. His first name is revealed in the fifth and last Time novel An Acceptable Time. In the television adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, he is renamed Jack. He first appears in a flashback in Chapter One.

text: Dr. Katherine "Kate" Murry[edit]

text: Meg's mother is a microbiologist, wife of Dr. Alexander Murry, and mother of the four Murry children. She is considered beautiful by the Murry children and others, having "flaming red hair" and violet eyes. Her physical attractiveness, academic and scientific accomplishments give Meg a bit of an inferiority complex. She is introduced in Chapter One, and usually referred to as Mrs. Murry. As in her husband's case, her first name is given in the subsequently published An Acceptable Time. The television version of her character is renamed Dana.

text: Sandy Murry[edit]

text: Sandy and his twin brother Dennys are the middle children in the Murry family, older than Charles Wallace but younger than Meg. They are 10 years old at the time of this book. Sandy is named after his father, Dr. Alex Murry. Although they are certainly intelligent, Sandy and his twin are considered the "normal" children in the family: B students, good at sports, and well able to fit in with their peers. Of the twins, Sandy is generally the leader, and the more pragmatic of the two. He and Dennys first appear in Chapter One.

text: Dennys Murry[edit]

text: Dennys is the twin of Sandy Murry. Dennys and his twin are usually inseparable, with Dennys generally following Sandy's lead. However, Dennys is slightly less skeptical than his brother about the strange theories and even stranger adventures of Meg and Charles Wallace. (Note: The name Dennys is a shortened version of "Dionysus", which is the name of a Greek god, but is pronounced the same way as the more common spelling "Dennis.")

text: Mrs. Buncombe[edit]

text: The wife of the constable in Meg's hometown, who has twelve bed-sheets stolen from her at the beginning of the novel.[25]

text: Mr. Jenkins[edit]

text: Mr. Jenkins [25] is Meg's cold and unfeeling high-school principal who calls her "belligerent and uncooperative" and implies that her family is in denial about Mr. Murry's true whereabouts.

text: Supporting alien characters[edit]

text: The Happy Medium lives in a cavern on a planet in Orion's Belt. Human in appearance, she is described as wearing a satin gown and a silk turban, and uses a crystal ball to look at distant places and people. Her title comes from the character's jolly temperament, and her preference for looking at happy things. She helps Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace see The Black Thing through the crystal ball and understand what they are fighting against. She is introduced in chapter five. (The name "Happy Medium" is a pun alluding to the common expression for reaching an acceptable compromise: "to find a happy medium.")

text: Aunt Beast is a character who takes care of Meg and befriends her on the planet Ixchel after Meg is "frozen" by the Black Thing. Introduced in chapter ten, the character has four arms, no eyes, and numerous long, waving tentacles instead of fingers. Tall, gray in color, sightless and telepathic, Aunt Beast has a motherly, nurturing attitude toward Meg. The name Aunt Beast is one that Meg and the alien come up with together, based on the character's perusal of Meg's mind. The character's actual name, if any, is not given.

text: Locations[edit]

text: Early scenes in the novel take place in and around an unnamed village, later established in An Acceptable Time as being in Connecticut. The nearly 200-year-old Murry farmhouse has parallels in the Austin family series of books and in L'Engle's own Connecticut home, Crosswicks.[6]

text: When Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace travel to other planets, the ones whose names are given include the following:

text:
Camazotz – A planet of extreme, enforced conformity, ruled by a disembodied brain called IT. Camazotz is similar to Earth, with familiar trees such as birches, pines, and maples, an ordinary hill on which the children arrive, and a town with smokestacks, which "might have been one of any number of familiar towns". The horror of the place arises from its ordinary appearance, endlessly duplicated. Thus, the houses are "all exactly alike, small square boxes painted gray"; this characterization has been compared with "the burgeoning American suburbia"[26] such as the post-war housing developments of Levittown, Pennsylvania. The people who live in the houses are similarly described, with "mother figures" who "all gave the appearance of being the same". Camazotz has also been compared with "an early sixties American image of life in a Communist state", a characterization partially dismissed as too glib.[27] The name Camazotz refers to a Mayan bat god, one of L'Engle's many mythological allusions in her nomenclature.[28] It is also stated that Camazotz is a planet that has "given in" to the Black Thing, implying that it was not always the dystopian place that it is at present..
Ixchel – A planet of muted colors, inhabited by tall, sightless creatures with tentacles. It orbits the same sun as Camazotz. The name Ixchel refers to a Mayan jaguar goddess of medicine.[28]
Uriel – A planet with extremely tall mountains, an allusion to the Archangel Uriel. It is inhabited by creatures that resemble winged centaurs. It is "the third planet of the Star Malak (meaning 'angel' in Hebrew) in the spiral nebula Messier 101", which would place it at roughly 25 million light-years from Earth. The site of Mrs Whatsit's temporary transformation into one of these winged creatures, it is the place where "the guardian angels" (i.e. the Mrs Ws, who are explicitly referred to as such by Calvin later in the book) "show the questers a vision of the universe that is obscured on earth."[12]

text: They also stop briefly on an unnamed two-dimensional planet and on an unnamed planet in Orion's belt, the latter of which is the home of the Happy Medium.

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: Audio books[edit]

text: In 1994, Listening Library released an unabridged, 4-cassette audio edition read by the author.[29]

text: On January 10, 2012, Audible released a 50th anniversary edition recorded by Hope Davis.[30]

text: Film adaptations[edit]

text:
In 2003, a television adaptation of the novel was made by a collaboration of Canadian production companies, to be distributed in America by Disney. The movie was directed by John Kent Harrison, with a teleplay by Susan Shilliday. It cast Katie Stuart as Meg Murry, Alfre Woodard as Mrs.Whatsit, Alison Elliott as Mrs.Who, and Kate Nelligan as Mrs.Which. In an interview with Newsweek, when L'Engle was asked if the film "met her expectations", she said, "Yes, I expected it to be bad, and it is."[31]
A theatrical feature film adaptation of the novel by Walt Disney Pictures, was released in 2018. The film is directed by Ava DuVernay and stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Storm Reid, Michael Peña, and Zach Galifianakis.[32][33]

text: Play[edit]

text: An adaptation by James Sie premiered at the Lifeline Theatre in Chicago in 1990, and returned to the stage in 1998 and 2017.[34]

text: John Glore adapted the novel as a play that premiered in 2010. It was written for six actors playing 12 parts. One actor plays Mrs Whatsit, the Man with Red Eyes, and Camazotz Man. Dr. Kate Murry, Mrs Who, Camazotz Woman, and Aunt Beast also share one performer. The stage adaptation premiered in Costa Mesa, California, with productions in Bethesda, Maryland; Cincinnati; Philadelphia; Orlando; Portland, Oregon; and other cities.[35][36]

text: An adaptation by Tracy Young premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in April 2014, as well as at colleges and theaters around the U.S.[37]

text: Opera[edit]

text: In 1992, OperaDelaware (known for frequently adapting children's books) staged an opera based on A Wrinkle in Time written by Libby Larsen with a libretto by Walter Green. The review in Philly.com stated "The composer does not place arias and set pieces, but conversational ensembles with spoken dialogue that made the young daughter's climactic but concise song about familial love all the more imposing."[38][39]

text: Graphic novel[edit]

text: In 2010, Hope Larson announced that she was writing and illustrating the official graphic novel version of the book. This version was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in October 2012.[40][41]

text: References in popular culture[edit]

text: The television show Lost featured appearances of the book: it is one of the novels Sawyer reads on the Island, and it is seen on his dresser.[42]

text: Further reading[edit]

text: Other books in the series[edit]

text: L'Engle wrote four other books featuring this generation of the Murry family, collectively known as the Time Quintet.

text:
A Wind in the Door (1973) ISBN 0-374-38443-6
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978) ISBN 0-374-37362-0
Many Waters (1986) ISBN 0-374-34796-4
An Acceptable Time (1989) ISBN 0-374-30027-5

text: Jean C. Fulton remarks that the books are not "intended to be read consecutively, these books, though integrated, are independent." Although Many Waters was published approximately eight years after A Swiftly Tilting Planet, it takes place several years earlier, when Sandy and Dennys are in high school and Meg is in college.

text: Four further novels have been published that feature Meg and Calvin's children, especially Polly O'Keefe. The most recent of these, An Acceptable Time, features Meg's parents, and is marketed with the four Murry books as part of the Time Quintet; Sandy Murry appears prominently in A House Like a Lotus, which features Polly O'Keefe. Nearly every novel by Madeleine L'Engle connects to the Murry-O'Keefe series either directly or indirectly with appearances by recurring characters. See also: List of L'Engle's works and Major characters in the works of Madeleine L'Engle for further detail.

text: Concerning A Wrinkle in Time[edit]

text:
Scholastic BookFiles: A Reading Guide to A Wrinkle in Time ISBN 0-439-46364-5
Chase, Carole F. Suncatcher: A Study of Madeleine L'Engle and Her Writing, p. 170. Innisfree Press, 1998, ISBN 1-880913-31-3


document_title: Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry

question_text: who taught notre dame how to play football

question_tokens: who taught notre dame how to play football

root

text: Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry

text: Summary[edit]

text: Notre Dame and Michigan first played in 1887 in Notre Dame's first football game.[5] The Wolverines proceeded to win the first eight contests, before Notre Dame notched its first win in the series in 1909.[5] In 1942, in the first meeting since 1909, Michigan beat then #4 Notre Dame in Notre Dame Stadium. The next season, on October 9, top-ranked Notre Dame defeated second-ranked Michigan in the first matchup of top teams since the creation of the AP Poll in 1936. The teams ceased to play each other until the series was renewed in 1978. It has since been played annually with the exception of hiatuses in 1983–84, 1995–96, and 2000–01. After the 2014 meeting, the series went on hiatus. However, the series will be renewed in 2018 and 2019.[6] Michigan leads the series 24–17–1.

tag: p

text: Since the legalization of the forward pass in 1906, which many football historians agree is the beginning of the "Modern Era" of college football, the series is tied 17-17-1. Since the modern era, the NCAA recognizes Michigan with 5 National Championships (2 selected by the AP) and Notre Dame with 13 (8 selected by the AP).[7][8]

text: Origins and early years[edit]

text: 1887: Michigan teaches the game to Notre Dame[edit]

text: The first game took place in November 1887. Michigan had been playing football since 1879. Two players on Michigan's 1887 team, George Winthrop DeHaven, Jr. and William Warren Harless, had previously attended Notre Dame. In October 1887, DeHaven wrote to Brother Paul, who ran Notre Dame's intramural athletics program, telling him about the new game of football. Michigan had planned a game in Chicago on Thanksgiving Day, and the three men, DeHaven, Harless and Brother Paul, persuaded their respective schools to play a football match on the Notre Dame campus on the day before Thanksgiving.[9]

text: On November 22, 1887, the Michigan football team departed from the Michigan Central Railroad Depot in Ann Arbor on the late train. After breakfast in Niles, Michigan, the team changed trains and arrived in South Bend between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m.[10][11][12] The team was greeted by Father Superior Walsh and spent two hours touring the university buildings and departments of Notre Dame.

text: The game was the first played by a Notre Dame football team, and the Michigan team was credited with teaching the Notre Dame team the game before play began.[9][13] The Notre Dame student newspaper, Scholastic, reported: "It was not considered a match contest, as the home team had been organized only a few weeks, and the Michigan boys, the champions of the West, came more to instruct them in the points of the Rugby game than to win fresh laurels."[14] The proceedings began with a tutorial session in which players from both teams were divided irrespective of college.[12] For the first 30 minutes, the teams scrimmaged in a practice game with Michigan "exchanging six men for the same number from Notre Dame."[11]

text: After the practice session, the Michigan and Notre Dame teams played a game that lasted only half an hour which was described by The Chronicle (a University of Michigan newspaper) as follows: "The grounds were in very poor condition for playing, being covered with snow in a melting condition, and the players could scarcely keep their feet. Some time had been spent in preliminary practice; the game began and after rolling and tumbling in the mud for half an hour time was finally called, the score standing 8 to 0 in favor of U. of M."[10]

text: Between 400 and 500 students watched the game.[11] After the game, the team ate at the Notre Dame dining hall. The Notre Dame student newspaper reported on the gratitude of Notre Dame officials for Michigan's tutorial in the game of football: "After a hearty dinner, Rev. President Walsh thanked the Ann Arbor team for their visit, and assured them of the cordial reception that would always await them at Notre Dame."[12] Brother Paul arranged for carriages to take the team to Niles in time to catch the 3:00 train to Chicago.[11] The Notre Dame paper reported: "At 1 o'clock carriages were taken for Niles, and amidst rousing cheers the University of Michigan football team departed, leaving behind them a most favorable impression."[12]

text: 1888 games[edit]

text: After Michigan's visit to South Bend in November 1887, football became a popular game on the Notre Dame campus. A football association was formed with Brother Paul as the president. In the spring of 1888, Brother Paul challenged Michigan to return to South Bend. Two games were scheduled for a weekend in April 1888. On March 24, 1888, the Notre Dame student newspaper reported:

text:
"Mr. DeHaven writes from Ann Arbor that the boys from the University of Michigan have such pleasant
remembrances of their Thanksgiving game here that they would like to play here again."[15]

The Scholastic newspaper report, March 27, 1888.

tag: div

text: Michigan won the first game 26–6. The game was played at Green Stocking Ball Park before a crowd stated to be as low as 300 and as high as 800 spectators.[9][14] Before the game was played, a 100-yard dash was run with players from both teams participating. Michigan's James E. Duffy defeated Harry Jewett, the American sprint champion, in the race.[9] The game began at 3:20 p.m., and The Chronicle summarized the game as follows: "The feature of the game on our side was the tackling of Duffy, Harless, Babcock and Briggs, long runs and good passes by Rhodes, DeHaven, Wood, Ball and Button. As usual J. L. Duffy got in some good kicks."[16]

text: The second game was played the next day, after the players were taken for a boat ride on St. Joseph's Lake. The game began at about 2:00 p.m.[9] Michigan won 10–4. The spring games were a disappointment to some Michigan fans in that the Michigan football team had not allowed its opponents to score a single point since November 1883 – a span of more than four years. The Notre Dame team had scored 10 points in two games. DeHaven recalled that, when the Michigan players returned to Ann Arbor, they were booed on their arrival: "It was a badly battered team that landed in the crowded Ann Arbor depot, and we received a proper razzing for breaking a four-year record."[9] No Michigan football team returned to play at Notre Dame until 1942.

text: First hiatus[edit]

text: After the three games played at South Bend in 1887 and 1888, Michigan and Notre Dame did not face each other on the football field for a decade.[12]

text: 1898 to 1900[edit]

text: Michigan and Notre Dame resumed the rivalry in 1898 playing three games between 1898 and 1900. Michigan won all three games by a combined score of 42 to 0.[12]

text: The first game played in Ann Arbor between the Michigan and Notre Dame football teams occurred on October 23, 1898. The 1898 Michigan team was undefeated, won the school's first Western Conference championship, and inspired Louis Elbel to write Michigan's fight song, "The Victors". Michigan defeated Notre Dame, 23–0. The field was reported to be a "mudbath," which favored the Wolverines who played the game in long cleats.[17] William Caley scored three touchdowns in the game.[18] Notre Dame's highly touted 6-foot, 4-inch, 256-pound center, John Eggeman, was held in check by Michigan's backup center Harry Brown. The Chicago Daily Tribune reported: "Eggeman, the big center rush of the visitors, did not prove nearly so hard a proposition for Brown as was anticipated, and taken altogether the visitors' strength was considerably overestimated, if they played their game today."[18] The Irish managed only one first down and lost five fumbles.[9] Notre Dame halfback George Lins punched a Michigan player in frustration, claiming he had been held throughout the game by Michigan's quarterback. Notre Dame suspended Lins from the following week's game.[9] At the end of the game, the biggest crowd of the season "rushed the players off the field in honor."[19]

text: The teams played again at Regents Field in Ann Arbor in 1899, with Michigan winning the game 12–0. A newspaper account reported that Michigan's defense was generally good, and the team's overall performance against Notre Dame was "much superior" to that displayed in the prior week's game against Western Reserve.[20] In 1900, Michigan prevailed 7–0. The Wolverines scored two points on a safety when Notre Dame's kicker missed the ball on an attempted punt from behind the goal line. Michigan scored its only touchdown on a series of "hard line bucks" after two minutes of play.[21]

text: 1902: Notre Dame slows Yost's "Point-a-Minute" team[edit]

text: Fielding H. Yost took over as Michigan's coach in 1901. From 1901 to 1905, his "Point-a-Minute" squads (so named because they averaged a point for each minute of play) went 55–1–1, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 2,821 to 42. Michigan played Notre Dame only once during the "Point-a-Minute" year, on October 18, 1902, at a neutral site in Toledo, Ohio. The game was played on a slippery white clay field at Toledo's Armory Park following a night of rain. Michigan had been heavily favored to win, and betting on the game was 2 to 1 that Notre Dame would not score.[22] Though favored to run up a high score, Michigan scored only one touchdown and led 5–0 at the end of the first half.[22] While Michigan won the game 23–0, Notre Dame had slowed the "Point-a-Minute" offense that had scored 315 points (almost 80 points a game) in the first four games of the 1902 season. Michigan tackle Joe Maddock was the leading scorer in the game with 15 points on three touchdowns.[22]

text: Although Notre Dame did not score on Michigan, its captain, Louis J. Salmon, demonstrated why he had earned "the reputation of being the hardest line bucker in the west."[22] On one drive, Salmon took the ball to the Michigan 43-yard line in two attempts. After Notre Dame reached Michigan's 20-yard line, "Salmon went at it in the most vicious and determined manner to score. He took the ball eight times in succession but was finally held for downs on the 5-yard line."[22] In the second half, Michigan's running game wore down the Notre Dame defense. Michigan scored three touchdowns in the second half, and Notre Dame did not move into Michigan territory. Michigan end Curtis Redden was ejected after an altercation with Lonnegan of Notre Dame, though Redden claimed Lonnegan had been the instigator.[22] After the game, Yost said, "I am satisfied. The score is just about what I though it would be after I had taken a look at the field."[22]

text: Second hiatus[edit]

text: After playing four games between 1898 and 1902, Michigan and Notre Dame did not schedule games over the next five seasons.[12]

text: 1908 and 1909: Birth of the "Fighting Irish"[edit]

text: For the first time in six years, Michigan and Notre Dame met in October 1908, with Michigan winning, 12–6, at Ann Arbor's Ferry Field. Dave Allerdice scored all 12 of Michigan's points on three field goals – two in the first half and one in the last minute of the game. Notre Dame fullback Vaughan scored the only touchdown of the game on a long run from the 50-yard line.[23][24][25]

text: In November 1909, Notre Dame, coached by a former Michigan player in Frank Longman, defeated Michigan by a score of 11 to 3. The game was the ninth meeting in the rivalry, with Michigan having won the first eight games (five of them by shutouts) by a combined score of 121 to 16.[12] The 1909 gave birth to the "Fighting Irish" nickname. E. A. Batchelor, a sportswriter for the Detroit Free Press, submitted a report on the game with the headline: "'Shorty' Longman's Fighting Irishmen Humble the Wolverines to Tune of 11 to 3."[26] Batchelor opened his report as follows:

text:
"Eleven Fighting Irishman wrecked the Yost machine this afternoon. Three sons of Erin, individually and collectively representing the University of Notre Dame, not only beat the Michigan team, but dashed some of Michigan's greatest hopes and shattered Michigan's fairest dreams."[27]

Detroit Free Press report, November 7, 1909

text: Michigan football historian, John Kryk, later wrote: "With that flowery lead, E.A. Batchelor of the Detroit Free Press popularized a moniker Notre Dame teams would later come to embrace – and aptly summed up the greatest athletic achievement to that point in Notre Dame history."[9] Kryk noted that, according to Notre Dame folklore, Batchelor had overheard a Notre Dame player trying to motivate his teammates at halftime by pleading, "What's the matter with you guys? You're all Irish and you're not fighting worth a lick."[9]

text: Third hiatus[edit]

text: After Notre Dame defeated Michigan in 1909, the two teams were scheduled to rematch on November 5, 1910. Before the 1910 contest, Yost protested Notre Dame's intended use of two players (Philbrook and Dimmick) that he believed were ineligible and cancelled the 1910 meeting when Notre Dame did not bench the two players in question.[28] Yost later refused to schedule Notre Dame for any later seasons, deepening the feud between Yost and Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne. After cancelling the series, Yost was instrumental in corralling together the member schools of the Western Conference (the current day Big Ten Conference), refusing entry to Notre Dame and suggesting that conference members should not schedule the Fighting Irish. As a result of the boycott by Midwest opponents, Notre Dame scheduled games against schools on the east coast and west coast, such as USC and Army, and did not play Michigan again until 1942.[9]

text: 1942 and 1943[edit]

text: After the long hiatus, Michigan athletic director and head coach Fritz Crisler arranged with Elmer Layden for two games to be played with Notre Dame during the 1942 and 1943 seasons. The 1942 game was played in South Bend and matched Michigan and Notre Dame teams ranked #4 and #6 in the AP Poll. The Wolverines defeated the Fighting Irish 32–20 in front of a capacity crowd of 57,500. Tom Kuzma scored two touchdowns for Michigan.[29]

text: The 1943 game, played at Michigan Stadium, was the most anticipated game of the 1943 college football season. Notre Dame, coached by Frank Leahy and led by 1943 Heisman Trophy winner Angelo Bertelli, came into the game ranked #1 in the AP Poll with 53 first place votes.[30] Michigan, with All-American Bill Daley and Elroy "Crazy-Legs" Hirsch in the backfield, came into the game ranked #2 receiving 36 first place votes.[30] The game drew a record crowd of 85,688 spectators to Michigan Stadium.[18] Michigan coach Fritz Crisler announced before the game that Elroy Hirsch was suffering from damaged knee ligaments and might not be able to play.[31] Notre Dame won the game 35–12. According to the United Press game account, Bertelli's passing "caught the Wolverine secondary flatfooted and out of position repeatedly to make the rout complete."[32] The third quarter was marked by a malfunction of the electric clock at Michigan Stadium, resulting in a quarter that lasted 23 minutes. In the Chicago Daily Tribune, Wilfrid Smith analogized to the 1927 Long Count Fight and wrote that the period "will be remembered as the 'long third quarter' of collegiate sport."[18] After nine plays had been run in the fourth quarter, the timing error was discovered, and an announcement was made over the stadium's public address system that only two-and-a-half minutes remained in the game, as the fourth quarter was shortened to seven minutes. The only points in the short fourth quarter came on the last play of the game as Elroy Hirsch threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Paul White.[18][32][33] Notre Dame went on to win the 1943 national title, maintaining its #1 ranking in the AP Poll through the rest of the season.

text: 1947 national title dispute[edit]

text: In 1947, Notre Dame and Michigan fielded undefeated teams that traded the top spot in the poll all year. Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 and Michigan No. 2 on October 6, October 27, November 3, November 10, November 24, December 1, and in the final poll on December 8. Michigan was ranked No. 1 and Notre Dame No. 2 on October 13, October 20, and November 17. After the final poll was released before the bowls, as was the custom in those days, Notre Dame was awarded the AP National Title and trophy, which the school still holds. Both schools were 9–0.

text: After the final AP Poll, Michigan went on to beat USC in the 1948 Rose Bowl, 49–0, a greater margin than Notre Dame's victory over USC (38–7) in the final game of the regular season. Michigan's 49-point victory was the largest margin of victory ever against a USC team and most points scored in Rose Bowl history. Football writer Pete Rozelle reported on the reaction of the assembled writers in the Rose Bowl press box. "From Grantland Rice down through the ranks of the nation's top sports writers assembled in the Rose Bowl press box yesterday there was nothing but glowing expletives for the synchronized Michigan Wolverine wrecking crew that powered over Southern California, 49–0. While for the most part hedging from a comparison of Michigan with Notre Dame, the consensus of the scribes was that the offensive-minded Ann Arbor squad deserved no less than a co-rating with the Irish as America's Number One Collegiate eleven."[34] Grantland Rice, the dean of the nation's sports writers, wrote of Michigan: "It is the best all-around college football team I've seen this year. The backfield's brilliant passing and running skill gives Michigan the most powerful offense in the country."[34]

text: Notre Dame supporters argued that the post-season AP poll was final and should not be revisited. They contended that Michigan had run up the score on USC, noted that Notre Dame had not had an opportunity to play in a bowl game, and asserted that Michigan and other Big Nine schools were unwilling to schedule Notre Dame in the regular season.[35]

text: Detroit Free Press sports editor Lyall Smith argued the debate should be answered by comparing the two teams' performance against common opponents. Smith noted: "They played three common foes. Notre Dame beat Pitt, 40–6, a margin of 34 points: Michigan beat Pitt 59–0. Notre Dame defeated Northwestern, 26 to 19, a margin of seven points: Michigan beat the 'Cats 49 to 21, for a 28-point advantage. Notre Dame dropped USC, 36 to 7, in what Coach Frank Leahy termed his team's 'greatest game of the year,' while Michigan slaughtered the same Trojans, 49 to 0. Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32. Michigan's margin was 167 to 21."[36] Smith also pointed to Michigan's strength of schedule: "The teams Michigan played won 42 games, lost 48 and tied five. Notre Dame's adversaries won only 30, lost 45, and tied 6."[36]

text: In response to the debate over which team deserved to be recognized as the nation's best, the Associated Press decided to hold a post-bowl poll. The AP reported on the rationale for the special poll this way: "The Associated Press is polling sports editors of its member papers throughout the country to help settle the argument as to which is the better football team – Michigan or Notre Dame. The AP's final poll of the top ten teams, released Dec. 8 at the conclusion of the regulation season, resulted in Notre Dame winning first place with 1,410 points. Michigan was second with 1,289. . . . Returns so far received indicate that voting in this latest poll is likely to be the heaviest ever recorded."[37] Another AP report indicated the special poll was "conducted by popular demand" to answer "the burning sports question of the day" and to do so "at the ballot box."[38][39]

text: Michigan was voted No. 1 in the post-bowl poll by a vote of 226 to 119. The AP reported: "The nation's sports writers gave the final answer Tuesday to the raging controversy on the relative strength of the Notre Dame and Michigan football teams, and it was the Wolverines over the Irish by almost two to one — including those who saw both powerhouses perform. . . . In the over-all total, 226 writers in 48 states and the District of Columbia picked Michigan, 119 balloted for Notre Dame, and 12 called it a draw. Opinion of the 54 writers who saw both in action last fall coincided at almost the same ratio, with 33 giving the nod to Michigan, 17 to Notre Dame, and four voting for a tie."[40][41][42] The 357 votes cast in the post-bowl poll represented "the largest ever to take part in such an AP voting."[40]

text: Commenting on the special poll, Michigan coach Fritz Crisler said "the men who voted couldn't have made a mistake if they had picked either team." He described Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy as a "superb coach."[43] Notre Dame President, Father John Cavanagh said, "We at Notre Dame feel grateful for the magnanimous statement of Coach Crisler. I listened to Michigan against Southern California and have only praise for the skill and accomplishment of your fine team."[43]

text: Despite the magnanimous statements of Coach Crisler and Father Cavanagh, the reversed decision in the post-bowl poll only stoked the debate over which team was best. Said one columnist: "Hottest argument of the moment is the one over which had the better football team, Michigan or Notre Dame."[35] Forty years later, the debate was still ongoing. In 1988, Michigan center Dan Dworsky noted: "Notre Dame still claims that national championship and so do we."[44]

text: As selected by the AP poll, the NCAA record book officially recognizes Notre Dame as the sole champion in 1947. While the NCAA does acknowledge other selectors like the Billingsley, National Championship Foundation, and Helms, they only officially recognize the AP's selections between 1936-1949. [45]

text: Fourth hiatus[edit]

text: After the 1943 game, 35 years elapsed before Notre Dame played Michigan in football,[12] even though they competed against each other in other sports.

text: Modern era[edit]

text: 1969: Canham and Krause reach agreement[edit]

text: In 1968, Don Canham became Michigan's athletic director in a year in which Michigan's average home attendance was 67,000, far below the stadium's capacity of 101,000. Canham pursued various ways to increase attendance at the stadium. Canham had been Michigan's track coach since the 1940s, and he was friends with Notre Dame athletic director Moose Krause. Canham and Krause met at a post-season banquet in December 1968. Krause suggested that a game between Michigan and Notre Dame was sure to sell out the big stadium. In January 1969, representatives of the schools met again and agreed to a four-game series to commence in 1978.[9] Before the 1978 game was played, Canham and Krause agreed to extend the contract, scheduling six more game to be played from 1984 to 1989.[9]

text: Michigan's new head coach, Bo Schembechler, was reportedly delighted at the chance to face his close friend and former mentor Ara Parseghian. Schembechler reportedly told Parseghian, "Ara, I'm gonna whip your ass!"[9] Parseghian made what turned out to be a prophetic statement when he responded, "I'll be long gone by then."[9] By the time the two teams squared off in 1978, both coaches were correct: Ara had indeed left Notre Dame and Dan Devine had taken his place and the Wolverines delivered a thorough "whipping," 28–14.

text: 1978: The "Reunion" game[edit]

text: On September 23, 1978, the Irish and Wolverines met in South Bend for a game that Don Canham began promoting in 1971 as the "Reunion" game.[46] The game matched defending national champion Notre Dame led by Joe Montana against a Michigan team led by Rick Leach and ranked #5 in the AP Poll. Notre Dame took a 14–7 lead at the half, scoring early in the first quarter after Russell Davis fumbled the ball at Michigan's 17-yard line. However, Michigan scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half and won, 28–14. Rick Leach was the star of the game, accounting for all four Michigan touchdowns. Leach scored a rushing touchdown in the first half, but completed only 3 of 14 passes for 21 yards. In the second half, Leach completed 5 of 6 passes, with three of the passes going for touchdowns. For the Irish, Joe Montana completed 16 of 29 passes for 192 yards.[47]

text: 1979 to 1982[edit]

text: In 1979, the rivalry returned to Ann Arbor for the first time since 1943. In the season opener for both teams, Notre Dame upset #6 Michigan 12–10. Michigan dominated the game statistically with 306 yards of offense to 179 yards for Notre Dame. Notre Dame's scoring came on four field goals from walk-on place-kicker Chuck Male. The Wolverines led at the half, 10–6 and were shut down in the second half. Michigan had a chance to win with one second left, but a field goal attempt by Michigan's Bryan Virgil was blocked by linebacker Bob Crable, who climbed up the back of Michigan lineman Mike Trgovac to gain additional elevation. Crable said after the game, "I was up over the center and he stayed down. I stepped up on his back and caught the ball on my left hip."[48] A new rule was adopted the following season prohibiting this tactic. After the game, Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, said, "Our defense should have won the game." Notre Dame coach Dan Devine, whose team held Michigan to 94 yards in the second half, said, "Our defense rose to the occasion. We just asked the players to give a little more and dig down deep, and we asked 'Our Lady' to help us."[48]

text: The 1980 contest matched #8 Notre Dame against #12 Michigan in South Bend. The game was a see-saw affair in which Notre Dame take a 14–0 lead, only to have Michigan erase it by halftime and go up 21–14 in the third quarter. John Wangler replaced Rich Hewlett at quarterback in the second quarter and threw three touchdown passes for Michigan. Anthony Carter returned the opening kickoff in the second half 67 yards. John Krimm's interception for a touchdown brought the Irish to within one, but Harry Oliver missed the extra point. The Irish scored again on a four-yard run by Phil Carter to take a 26–21 lead with 3:03 remaining in the game. Wangler led the Wolverines on a 78-yard touchdown drive that featured a 37-yard run by Butch Woolfolk to the Notre Dame four-yard line with 1:06 left and a one-yard touchdown pass from Wangler to Craig Dunaway. Michigan led 27–26 with 41 seconds left. With one last shot, freshman quarterback Blair Kiel led the Irish from their own 20-yard line into Michigan territory. With four seconds left on the clock, Oliver atoned for his earlier missed extra point by kicking a 51-yard field goal as time ran out for a 29–27 Irish victory.[49]

text: 1981: Michigan 25, Notre Dame 7[edit]

text: Dan Devine retired after the 1980 season and was succeeded by Gerry Faust. The 1981 season opened for #1 Michigan with a disastrous 21–14 loss to Wisconsin while the Irish made Faust's debut a memorable one with a 27–9 victory over LSU. The win propelled Notre Dame to the top spot in the polls as they traveled to Ann Arbor for a showdown with the Wolverines. It was no contest as Michigan romped, holding the Irish without a first down through the second and third quarters. For Faust, it was all downhill as the Irish tumbled to a final 5–6 mark, their first losing season since 1963.[9]

text: 1982: Notre Dame 23, Michigan 17[edit]

text: The 1982 contest was the first night game in Notre Dame Stadium history.[9] Notre Dame's defense held Michigan to 41 rushing yards and despite a freak pass that was plucked off the back of an Irish defender and taken for a Wolverine touchdown, the Irish prevailed.[9]

text: 1985 to 1994[edit]

text: 1985: Michigan 20, Notre Dame 12[edit]

text: After a two-year hiatus, the two teams met in the 1985 season opener. Faust's teams had struggled through four seasons of inconsistency and it was hoped that they would be able to put it all together this year. Michigan meanwhile was coming off its worst season under Bo Schembechler, a 6–6 campaign. Notre Dame led 9–3 at the half, but their inability to score touchdowns raised some eyebrows.[9] Michigan took control in the second half and won, 20–12. Schembechler remarked afterwards that he expected much more from the Irish.[9]

text: 1986: Michigan 24, Notre Dame 23[edit]

text: Faust resigned at the end of the 1985 season and was succeeded by Lou Holtz. In the 1986 opener, the Irish did everything but beat the Wolverines. They never punted and amassed 455 yards of total offense as the Michigan defense, not knowing what to expect, was on its heels all afternoon.[9] Several turnovers deep in Michigan territory proved costly for Notre Dame. Tight end Joel Williams caught an apparent touchdown pass in the back of the end zone, but was ruled out of bounds even though it appeared otherwise. Ultimately, it all came down to a field goal attempt. Unlike 1980, John Carney's attempt was off the mark and Michigan escaped with a 24–23 victory. Irish fans gave the team a standing ovation as the teams left the field and Notre Dame was voted #20 in the polls the following week, the first time a team had ever ascended into the Top 20 after a loss.[9]

text: 1987: Notre Dame 26, Michigan 7[edit]

text: Seven Wolverine turnovers proved to be the difference as Notre Dame parlayed them into 17 points.

text: 1988: Notre Dame 19, Michigan 17[edit]

text: Ricky Watters' 81-yard punt return for a touchdown was the key play of the game. Notre Dame led at the half 13–0 and both of Michigan's touchdowns were set up by long kickoff returns. Reggie Ho was Notre Dame's unsung hero with four field goals, the last one coming with 1:13 left to put them up for good. Michigan had one last shot, but Mike Gillette missed a 48-yard attempt at the final gun.[9]

text: 1989: Notre Dame 24, Michigan 19[edit]

text: This was a memorable game for Irish fans, as Rocket Ismail returned two consecutive Michigan kickoffs for touchdowns.[9] Notre Dame attempted only two passes the entire game which was played in the rain. Schembechler retired from coaching after the 1989 season and handpicked Gary Moeller as his successor.

text: 1990: Notre Dame 28, Michigan 24[edit]

text: Notre Dame notched its fourth straight win over the Wolverines with a come-from-behind win. Trailing 24–14 in the third quarter, the Irish got a lucky bounce, or carom when an errant third down pass intended for Raghib Ismael found its way into the arms of receiver Lake Dawson and kept a scoring drive alive. Adrian Jarrell caught the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.[9]

text: 1991: Michigan 24, Notre Dame 14[edit]

text: Michigan kept possession for over 40 minutes and quarterback Elvis Grbac completed 20 of 22 passes, a record for a Notre Dame opponent.[9] This game was notable for Desmond Howard's dramatic catch in the end zone on 4th down and 1.

text: 1992: Notre Dame 17, Michigan 17[edit]

text: This game is remembered for Reggie Brooks scoring Notre Dame's first touchdown after being knocked out as he fell into the end zone. The Irish came back from a 17–7 deficit to salvage a tie.[9]

text: 1993: Notre Dame 27, Michigan 23[edit]

text: The Irish took a 27–10 lead in the third quarter and were poised to put the game out of reach when fullback Marc Edwards was stuffed on fourth and goal from the Michigan one-yard-line. Michigan then drove 99 yards for a touchdown and closed the gap to four with less than a minute to go before Notre Dame recovered an onside kick to preserve a 27–23 victory.[9]

text: 1994: Michigan 26, Notre Dame 24[edit]

text: A last-second field goal by Remy Hamilton enabled the Wolverines to escape with a victory.[9]

text: 1997 to 1999[edit]

text: 1997: Michigan 21, Notre Dame 14[edit]

text: After another two-year hiatus, the two teams met again in 1997. By then Holtz had left Notre Dame and defensive coordinator Bob Davie was named head coach. Gary Moeller resigned after the 1994 season and was succeeded by Lloyd Carr. Notre Dame took a 14–7 halftime lead before the Wolverines tied the score and eventually took a 21–14 lead. In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame managed to recover three Wolverine fumbles deep in Michigan territory, but came away empty each time. Michigan would go undefeated and capture a share of the national championship that season.[9]

text: 1998: Notre Dame 36, Michigan 20[edit]

text: The Irish opened the 1998 season with their best game under Davie with an impressive 36–20 victory over the defending national champion Wolverines. It marked the most points the Irish had ever scored against Michigan. The Wolverines led at the half, but Notre Dame seized the momentum in the third quarter and won going away.[9]

text: 1999: Michigan 26, Notre Dame 22[edit]

text: Notre Dame took a 22–19 lead in the fourth quarter before Michigan scored late to retake the lead, 26–22. The referees made a controversial call of excessive celebration on the go-ahead TD. Poor clock management proved costly for Notre Dame.[9] Out of time outs, the Irish drove frantically downfield only to have time run out when they could not get out of bounds.

text: 2002 to present[edit]

text: 2002: Notre Dame 25, Michigan 23[edit]

text: The two teams took another two-year hiatus in 2000 and 2001. By the time they met again in 2002, Bob Davie had been fired and Tyrone Willingham was named to succeed him. The teams turned the ball over a combined 8 times, including six lost fumbles. Even though Notre Dame would score its first offensive touchdowns of the year in this game, the defense once again proved its savior, as Shane Walton knocked away a 2-point conversion pass that would have tied the game with four minutes left. Walton would seal the game for good by intercepting Michigan's John Navarre in the final minute, and the Fighting Irish prevailed 25–23.

text: 2003: Michigan 38, Notre Dame 0[edit]

text: Michigan notched the first shutout in the series since 1902, a 38–0 blowout. Running back Chris Perry scored four touchdowns, three of them on the ground. 2003 proved to be a dismal season for Notre Dame.

text: 2004: Notre Dame 28, Michigan 20[edit]

text: In 2004, the Irish, coming off a disappointing 20–17 loss to BYU, beat the Wolverines, 28–20. Freshman tailback Darius Walker rushed for 115 yards for the Irish with 2 TD's while Brady Quinn passed for another 2 TD's.

text: 2005: Notre Dame 17, Michigan 10[edit]

text: Willingham was dismissed at the end of the 2004 season and was succeeded by Notre Dame alumnus Charlie Weis. In the 2005 contest, the Irish took a quick 14–0 lead as they drove impressively for touchdowns early. Michigan's defense stiffened and would only allow a field goal in the second half. The Wolverines managed to come to within a touchdown, but would not get any closer as Notre Dame prevailed, 17–10. Brady Quinn passed for 19–30 for 140 yards and 2 TD's to lead the Irish to victory.

text: 2006: Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21[edit]

text: Michigan scored the most points (47) either team has scored in the history of the rivalry en route to a 47–21 blowout. Michigan receiver Mario Manningham caught three touchdowns in the first half to help the Wolverines win against the Fighting Irish.

text: 2007: Michigan 38, Notre Dame 0[edit]

text: Both teams came into this game at 0–2 for the first time in the series' history. Michigan won a much needed game against a rebuilding Notre Dame team. The Wolverines' defense harassed Jimmy Clausen all game as the Irish offense struggled to get anything going. The victory helped propel Michigan to an 8–4 regular season and a victory in the Capital One Bowl against Florida, while Notre Dame finished 3–9.

text: 2008: Notre Dame 35, Michigan 17[edit]

text: Notre Dame jumped out to a quick 21–0 lead on their home field and never looked back. Michigan tried to mount a comeback, closing the score to 28–17 before a Brian Smith fumble recovery and score ensured a 35–17 victory for the Irish. The Irish would capitalize on 6 Michigan turnovers in all. Michigan's program was transitioning to a new coach and offense, while Notre Dame was looking to rebound from a 3–9 season. Notre Dame finished 7–6 while Michigan finished 3–9.

text: 2009: Michigan 38, Notre Dame 34[edit]

text: With Michigan trailing 34–31 with 16 seconds left, Wolverines quarterback Tate Forcier threw a touchdown pass with 11 seconds left on the clock to wideout Greg Mathews to seal a 38–34 comeback win for Michigan. This game set a record for the most total points in the history of the rivalry.[50]

text: 2010: Michigan 28, Notre Dame 24[edit]

text: Notre Dame came back from a 21–7 halftime deficit to take a 24–21 lead, but Michigan's Denard Robinson scored a 2-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left to give Michigan a 28–24 win. Robinson, a sophomore in his second career start, ran for 258 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for 244 yards with another touchdown.[51]

text: 2011: Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31[edit]

text: This time Michigan was the team to come back from a steep deficit. The Wolverines trailed 24–7 entering the fourth quarter and took a 28–24 lead with 1:22 left. Notre Dame scored a touchdown with 30 seconds left to take the lead 31–28, but Michigan's quarterback Denard Robinson drove the team 80 yards to score again with two seconds left. It was the latest point in the game that an opponent has scored a touchdown to beat Notre Dame.

text: Robinson ran for 108 yards and passed for 338 yards and four touchdowns. This was the first night game in the history of Michigan Stadium.[52] A crowd of 114,804 was in attendance, setting a post-1948 NCAA collegiate football attendance record. (A 1927 Notre Dame – Southern California game at Soldier Field in Chicago, prior to NCAA record keeping for attendance, drew an estimated 117,000 – 123,000.)[53][54][55]

text: 2012: Notre Dame 13, Michigan 6[edit]

text: Notre Dame forced 6 turnovers–including 5 interceptions on 5 consecutive Michigan passes, plus a Denard Robinson fumble—and defeated Michigan 13–6 in a home night game. Senior Irish linebacker Manti Te'o collected two interceptions, while Irish QB Tommy Rees replaced starter Everett Golson and provided the game's only touchdown on a 2-yard run.

text: 2013: Michigan 41 Notre Dame 30[edit]

text: For Michigan, Devin Gardner scored 4 touchdowns passing, and scored once running.

text: 2014: Notre Dame 31, Michigan 0[edit]

text: Everett Golson passed for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns while Cam McDaniel rushed for 25 yards and ran into the end zone once to lead Notre Dame to a 31–0 victory. Notre Dame's defense harassed Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner all night long.

text: With seven seconds (:07) left in the game and Michigan trailing 31-0, Gardner attempted one last pass attempt. The pass was intercepted by Elijah Shumate and returned for a touchdown and making the final score 37-0. During the return, Notre Dame safety Max Redfield blocked Gardner as Gardner began to run towards Shumate, Effectively ending Michigan's longest scoring streak of all time, that spanned all the way back to October 27, 1984. The officials penalized the play and called back the touchdown. Replays showed Gardner began to run towards Shumate, making him eligible to be blocked. NCAA rules forbid blocks on quarterbacks after an interception unless they are attempting to tackle or block another player.

text: Controversy over cessation[edit]

text: On September 25, 2012, Notre Dame announced that it would exercise its option to end the rivalry after the 2014 season. Michigan head coach Brady Hoke took issue with Notre Dame's decision, going so far as to say Notre Dame was "chickening out".[56] At the end of Michigan's 41–30 victory over Notre Dame on September 7, 2013, the speakers at Michigan Stadium loudly played "The Chicken Dance". However, on September 5, 2014, at Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame defeated Michigan 31–0 in the last scheduled meeting between these two schools (at the time). Just prior to the end of the game, the crowd began to chant "Na na na na... Na na na na... hey, hey, hey.... goodbye!" (in reference to the song of the same name by Steam)[57].

text: This has since changed, as the two schools will meet in 2018 and 2019 in a home-and-home series.

text: Series facts[edit]

text:
Statistic
Notre Dame
Michigan

Games played
42

Wins
17
24

Home wins
10
14

Road wins
7
9

Neutral site wins
0
1

Total points scored in the series
742
884

Most points scored in a game by one team in a win
36 (1998)
47 (2006)

Most points scored in a game by both teams
72 (2009 – UM 38, ND 34)

Most points scored in a game by one team in a loss
34 (2009)
27 (1980)

Fewest points scored in a game by both teams
7 (1900 – UM 7, ND 0)

Fewest points scored in a game by one team in a win
11 (1909)
7 (1900)

Largest margin of victory
31 (2014)
38 (2003, 2007)

Smallest margin of victory
2 (1979, 1988, 2002)
     1 (1986)

Longest winning streak
4 (1987 to 1990)
8 (1887 to 1908)

Source: [5]

tag: table

text: Game results[edit]

text:
Michigan victories
Notre Dame victories
Tie games

text:
No.
Date
Location
Winner
Score

1
1887
South Bend, IN
Michigan
8–0

2
1888
South Bend, IN
Michigan
26–6

3
1888
South Bend, IN
Michigan
10–4

4
1898
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
23–0

5
1899
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
12–0

6
1900
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
7–0

7
1902
Toledo, OH
Michigan
23–0

8
1908
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
12–0

9
1909
Ann Arbor, MI
Notre Dame
11–3

10
1942
South Bend, IN
Michigan
32–20

11
1943
Ann Arbor, MI
#1 Notre Dame
35–12

12
1978
South Bend, IN
#5 Michigan
28–14

13
1979
Ann Arbor, MI
#9 Notre Dame
12–10

14
1980
South Bend, IN
#8 Notre Dame
29–27

15
1981
Ann Arbor, MI
#11 Michigan
25–7

16
1982
South Bend, IN
#20 Notre Dame
23–17

17
1985
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
20–12

18
1986
South Bend, IN
#3 Michigan
24–23

19
1987
Ann Arbor, MI
#16 Notre Dame
26–7

20
1988
South Bend, IN
#13 Notre Dame
19–17

21
1989
Ann Arbor, MI
#1 Notre Dame
24–19

22
1990
South Bend, IN
#1 Notre Dame
28–24

No.
Date
Location
Winner
Score

23
1991
Ann Arbor, MI
#3 Michigan
24–14

24
1992
South Bend, IN
Tie
17–17

25
1993
Ann Arbor, MI
#11 Notre Dame
27–23

26
1994
South Bend, IN
#6 Michigan
26–24

27
1997
Ann Arbor, MI
#6 Michigan
21–14

28
1998
South Bend, IN
#22 Notre Dame
36–20

29
1999
Ann Arbor, MI
#7 Michigan
26–22

30
2002
South Bend, IN
#20 Notre Dame
25–23

31
2003
Ann Arbor, MI
#5 Michigan
38–0

32
2004
South Bend, IN
Notre Dame
28–20

33
2005
Ann Arbor, MI
#20 Notre Dame
17–10

34
2006
South Bend, IN
#11 Michigan
47–21

35
2007
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
38–0

36
2008
South Bend, IN
Notre Dame
35–17

37
2009
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
38–34

38
2010
South Bend, IN
Michigan
28–24

39
2011
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
35–31

40
2012
South Bend, IN
#11 Notre Dame
13–6

41
2013
Ann Arbor, MI
#17 Michigan
41–30

42
2014
South Bend, IN
#16 Notre Dame
31–0

Series: Michigan leads 24–17–1


document_title: High-pressure area

question_text: which direction does air circulate into low pressure zones in the northern and southern hemispheres

text: High-pressure area

text: Wind circulation in the northern and southern hemispheres[edit]

text: The direction of wind flow around an atmospheric high-pressure area and a low-pressure area, as seen from above, depends on the hemisphere. High-pressure systems rotate clockwise in the northern Hemisphere; low-pressure systems rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

text: The scientific terms in English used to describe the weather systems generated by highs and lows were introduced in the mid-1800s, mostly by the British. The scientific theories which explain the general phenomena originated about two centuries earlier.

text: The term Cyclone was coined by Henry Piddington of the British East India Company to describe the devastating storm of December 1789 in Coringa, India.[2] A cyclone forms around a low-pressure area. Anticyclone, the term for the kind of weather around a high-pressure area, was coined in 1877 by Francis Galton[3] to indicate an area whose winds revolved in the opposite direction of a cyclone. In British English, the opposite direction of clockwise is referred to as anticlockwise, making the label anticyclones a logical extension.

text: A simple rule is that for high-pressure areas, where generally air flows from the center outward, the coriolis force given by the earth's rotation to the air circulation is in the opposite direction of earth's apparent rotation if viewed from above the hemisphere's pole. So, both the earth and winds around a low-pressure area rotate counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern. The opposite to these two cases occurs in the case of a high. These results derive from the Coriolis effect; that article explains in detail the physics, and provides an animation of a model to aid understanding.

text: Formation[edit]

text: High-pressure systems form due to downward motion through the troposphere, the atmospheric layer where weather occurs. Preferred areas within a synoptic flow pattern in higher levels of the troposphere are beneath the western side of troughs.

text: On weather maps, these areas show converging winds (isotachs), also known as convergence, near or above the level of non-divergence, which is near the 500 hPa pressure surface about midway up through the troposphere, and about half the atmospheric pressure at the surface.[4][5]

text: High-pressure systems are alternatively referred to as anticyclones. On English-language weather maps, high-pressure centers are identified by the letter H in English,[6] within the isobar with the highest pressure value. On constant pressure upper level charts, it is located within the highest height line contour.[7]

text: Typical conditions[edit]

text: Highs are frequently associated with light winds at the surface and subsidence through the lower portion of the troposphere. In general, subsidence will dry out an air mass by adiabatic, or compressional, heating.[8] Thus, high pressure typically brings clear skies.[9] During the day, since no clouds are present to reflect sunlight, there is more incoming shortwave solar radiation and temperatures rise. At night, the absence of clouds means that outgoing longwave radiation (i.e. heat energy from the surface) is not absorbed, giving cooler diurnal low temperatures in all seasons. When surface winds become light, the subsidence produced directly under a high-pressure system can lead to a buildup of particulates in urban areas under the ridge, leading to widespread haze.[10] If the low level relative humidity rises towards 100 percent overnight, fog can form.[11]

text: Strong, vertically shallow high-pressure systems moving from higher latitudes to lower latitudes in the northern hemisphere are associated with continental arctic air masses.[12] Once arctic air moves over an unfrozen ocean, the air mass modifies greatly over the warmer water and takes on the character of a maritime air mass, which reduces the strength of the high-pressure system.[13] When extremely cold air moves over relatively warm oceans, polar lows can develop.[14] However, warm and moist (or maritime tropical) air masses that move poleward from tropical sources are slower to modify than arctic air masses.[15]

text: In climatology[edit]

text: In terms of climatology, high pressure forms at the horse latitudes, or torrid zone,[16] between the latitudes of 20 and 40 degrees from the equator, as a result of air that has been uplifted at the equator. As the hot air rises it cools, losing moisture; it is then transported poleward where it descends, creating the high-pressure area.[17] This is part of the Hadley cell circulation and is known as the subtropical ridge or subtropical high, and is strongest in the summer.[18] The subtropical ridge is a warm core high-pressure system, meaning it strengthens with height.[19] Many of the world's deserts are caused by these climatological high-pressure systems.[20]

text: Some climatological high-pressure areas acquire regionally based names. The land-based Siberian High often remains quasi-stationary for more than a month during the most frigid time of the year, making it unique in that regard. It is also a bit larger and more persistent than its counterpart in North America.[21] Surface winds accelerating down valleys down the western Pacific ocean coastline, causing the winter monsoon.[22] Arctic high-pressure systems such as the Siberian High are cold core, meaning that they weaken with height.[19] The influence of the Azores High, also known as the Bermuda High, brings fair weather over much of the North Atlantic Ocean and mid to late summer heat waves in western Europe.[23] Along its southerly periphery, the clockwise circulation often impels easterly waves, and tropical cyclones that develop from them, across the ocean towards landmasses in the western portion of ocean basins during the hurricane season.[24] The highest barometric pressure ever recorded on Earth was 1,085.7 hectopascals (32.06 inHg) measured in Tonsontsengel, Mongolia on 19 December 2001.[25]

text: Connection to wind[edit]

text: Wind flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.[26] This is due to density differences between the two air masses. Since stronger high-pressure systems contain cooler or drier air, the air mass is more dense and flows towards areas that are warm or moist, which are in the vicinity of low pressure areas in advance of their associated cold fronts. The stronger the pressure difference, or pressure gradient, between a high-pressure system and a low-pressure system, the stronger the wind. The coriolis force caused by the Earth's rotation is what gives winds within high-pressure systems their clockwise circulation in the northern hemisphere (as the wind moves outward and is deflected right from the center of high pressure) and counterclockwise circulation in the southern hemisphere (as the wind moves outward and is deflected left from the center of high pressure). Friction with land slows down the wind flowing out of high-pressure systems and causes wind to flow more outward than would be the case in the absence of friction. This is known as a geostrophic wind.[27]


document_title: Salt of the earth

question_text: where does the term salt of the earth come from

text: Salt of the earth

text: Literature[edit]

text:
A metaphor that occurs in the Sermon on the Mount, part of a discourse on salt and light

Matthew 5:13, the Bible verse in which this phrase appears

A book by Pope Benedict XVI

tag: ul

text: Film[edit]

text:
Salt of the Earth (1954 film), an American drama
Salt of the Earth: Palestinian Christians in the Northern West Bank, a 2004 documentary series
The Salt of the Earth (2014 film), a documentary

text: Music[edit]

text:
"Salt of the Earth" (song), a track on The Rolling Stones' 1968 album, Beggars Banquet
Salt of the Earth (The Soul Searchers album), a 1974 album
Salt of the Earth (Ricky Skaggs & The Whites album), a 2007 album
Salt of the Earth (EP), a 2008 EP by Texas in July

text: Other uses[edit]

text:
Salt of the Earth Strike (1950–52), American miners' strike better known as the Empire Zinc Strike
Salt shakers at Red Robin restaurants

text:
Disambiguation page providing links to articles with similar titles
This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Salt of the earth.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

text: Disambiguation pages

text: Disambiguation pages with short descriptionAll article disambiguation pagesAll disambiguation pages


document_title: Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)

question_text: who sang the theme song in the movie alfie

text: Alfie (Burt Bacharach song)

text: Background[edit]

text: Although Bacharach has cited "Alfie" as his personal favorite of his compositions, he and Hal David were not eager to write a song to promote the film Alfie (a release from Paramount Pictures, which owned Famous Music) when approached by Ed Wolpin of the Composers' Guild. David thought the title character's name pedestrian: "Writing a song about a man called 'Alfie' didn't seem too exciting at the time."

text: The composers agreed to submit an "Alfie" song if they could complete it within three weeks. Bacharach, in California, was inspired by a rough cut of the film about the Cockney womanizer played by Michael Caine. Bacharach felt that: "with 'Alfie' the lyric had to come first because it had to say what that movie was all about".[1] He arranged for David – in Long Island – to receive a script of the film to enable him to compose the lyrics. David utilized one of Caine's lines, "What's it all about?", as the opening phrase.  David's lyrics were then set to music by Bacharach. The original was recorded in the key of F-sharp major, but Bacharach usually plays it live in B-flat major, the same key in which Cilla Black recorded it.

text: Cilla Black version[edit]

text: Although Bacharach and David suggested "Alfie" be recorded by Dionne Warwick, their most prolific interpreter, Paramount felt the film's setting demanded the song be recorded by a UK singer.  Accordingly, Sandie Shaw, who had had a UK #1 hit with the Bacharach/David composition "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", was initially invited to record "Alfie". When Shaw declined, the song was offered to Cilla Black, who had also had a UK #1 with a Bacharach/David number, "Anyone Who Had a Heart".

text: Black was invited to record "Alfie" in a letter from Bacharach, and Black recalls him saying that the song had been written specially for her. Brian Epstein, her manager, was sent a demo[2] of the song, originally performed by 22-year-old Kenny Karen, with Bacharach on piano, accompanied by a string ensemble[3]. Black reacted negatively on hearing the demo "of some fella singing 'Alfie' ... I actually said to Brian 'I can't do this.' For a start - Alfie?? You call your dog Alfie! ... [Couldn't] it be Tarquin or something like that?"[4]

text: Black states that, rather than declining outright to record the song, she decided to set conditions: "I said I'd only do it if Burt Bacharach himself did the arrangement, never thinking for one moment that he would. [When] the reply came back from America that he'd be happy to...I said I would only do it if Burt came over to London for the recording session. 'Yes,' came the reply. Next I said that as well as the arrangements and coming over, he had to play [piano] on the session. To my astonishment it was agreed that Burt would do all three. So by this time, coward that I was, I really couldn't back out."

text: The session for Black's recording of "Alfie" took place in the autumn of 1965, in Studio One at Abbey Road, and was overseen by Black's regular producer George Martin. In addition to the agreed arranging and piano playing, Bacharach conducted a 48-piece orchestra, and the session also featured the Breakaways as background vocalists. According to Black, Bacharach had her record eighteen complete takes before he was satisfied with her vocal, while Bacharach's estimation of the total number of takes, including partial ones, is as high as "twenty-eight or twenty-nine...I kept going [thinking] can we get it a little better...[add] just some magic[?]. Cilla was great and wound up delivering a killer vocal as she did on so many of my songs."[5]

text: "Alfie" was released in January 1966, four months prior to the opening of the film. The single was essentially intended as a specialty item to foster interest in the upcoming film rather than a mainstream hit. However the track accrued enough interest to enter the UK Top 50 in April 1966, reaching #9 that May.[6][7]

text: Black's "Alfie" was released in Australia, New Zealand and the US in July 1966, a month prior to the release of the film in both countries. Despite the soundtrack appearance of a version of "Alfie" by Cher in the film's worldwide release, Black's "Alfie" was a sizable Australian hit at #22. It went to #20 in New Zealand.[8] In the US - where Black had previously enjoyed only one moderate success with "You're My World" in 1964 - her "Alfie" single just made the Billboard Hot 100 at #95, the pop mainstream sector's focus being primarily on Cher's version of the song, which was only a moderate hit in the US at #32. Interest in any one recorded version of "Alfie" was dissipated by the plethora of easy listening-oriented covers which were in release by the summer of 1966.

text: Cilla Black titled her 2004 autobiography What's It All About?, a reference to the opening phrase of the song. The grave marker beneath the headstone on her burial plot in Allerton Cemetery is inscribed with four lines taken from the bridge and the third verse of "Alfie". Lyrics from Black's hits "Step Inside Love" and "You're My World" also appear on the marker. The black marble headstone and marker were installed 18 April 2016, eight months after Black's death on 1 August 2015. Following the December 2015 theft of the original bronze nameplate, Black's grave remained unmarked until drier weather permitted the installation of the replacement marble headstone and marker. [9]

text: Cher version[edit]

text:
"Alfie"
Single by Cherfrom the album CherB-side
"She's No Better Than Me"Released
1966Format
7" singleGenre
Pop, folkLength
2:50Label
ImperialSongwriter(s)
Burt Bacharach, Hal DavidProducer(s)
Sonny BonoCher singles chronology

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (1966)

"Alfie" (1966)

"I Feel Something in the Air" (1966)

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)"(1966)

"Alfie"(1966)

"I Feel Something in the Air"(1966)

text:
"Alfie" (Cher version)

Problems playing this file? See media help.

text: Although Black's version of "Alfie" in F major had served as a promotional tool for the film's UK release rather than as the film's theme - being in fact featured nowhere on the soundtrack of the film's UK release - for the US release of the film Alfie the film's distributor United Artists wanted the song featured on the film's soundtrack despite the objections of the film's director Lewis Gilbert who felt the song "Alfie" would distract from the jazz score he had had Sonny Rollins provide for the film. United Artists compromised with Gilbert in keeping the prospective theme song out of the main body of the film Alfie but having it play during the closing credits.

text: Rather than utilize Black's version, United Artists commissioned a new version of the song "Alfie" by the American singer/actress Cher who was on the roster of Imperial Records. Recorded at Gold Star Studios, Cher's version of "Alfie" was released at the end of June 1966 almost two months prior to the film's US premiere (August 25, 1966); Sonny Bono's production showcased the song à la Phil Spector.  Despite being the follow-up to the #2 hit "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" Cher's version of "Alfie" rose no higher than #32.[10] Cher's version was also a top 40 hit in Canada, reaching #36.[11]

text: The versions of "Alfie" by both Cilla Black and Cher were released in Australia in July 1966, with Black's becoming the major hit at #22; the Cher version's Australian chart peak was #96. "Alfie" was featured on the October 1966 album release entitled Chér.

text: Charts[edit]

text:
Chart (1966)

Peakposition

Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12]

36

US Billboard Hot 100[13]

32

US Cashbox Sales Chart[14]

32

text: Early covers[edit]

text: Despite the relative failure of the version of "Alfie" cut for the US film release, Cilla Black's UK success with the song had attracted sufficient attention in the US for several American singers besides Cher to cover the song by the time the film Alfie opened in the US in August 1966. Two of these covers actually predate the Cher recording although neither was released prior to Cher's, the first evident recording of "Alfie" by an American singer being that cut by Jerry Butler in May 1966 which first appeared as a track on the December 1967 album release Mr Dream Merchant. Also in the spring of 1966 Dee Dee Warwick, while on a promotional junket to the UK, made a recording of "Alfie" at the Philips Studio in Marble Arch with Johnny Franz producing the session and Peter Knight arranging and conducting the orchestra; this version was first issued over a year later as the B-side of Dee Dee Warwick's 1967 single "Locked in Your Love".

text: At the time the film Alfie premiered in New York City August 25, 1966 at least eight recorded versions of the song "Alfie" were in release in the US: besides the Cher version from the film and the Cilla Black original which had been issued in the US that July to peak at No.95 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Alfie" had been recorded by Vikki Carr, Jack Jones, Tony Martin, Carmen McRae, Joanie Sommers and Billy Vaughn. The five last-named singers had recorded "Alfie" in hopes of taking the song into the Billboard Easy Listening chart rather than scoring a mainstream Pop hit and both Joanie Sommers and Carmen McRae did score an Easy Listening hit with their respective versions of "Alfie" (Sommers - #9; McRae - #29).

text: Dionne Warwick version[edit]

text:
"Alfie"Single by Dionne Warwickfrom the album Here Where There Is LoveB-side
"The Beginning of Loneliness"Released
March 1967Format
7" Vinyl singleRecorded
1966Genre
Soul, popLength
2:44Label
ScepterSongwriter(s)
Burt Bacharach, Hal DavidProducer(s)
Burt Bacharach, Hal DavidDionne Warwick singles chronology

"Another Night" (1966)

"The Beginning of Loneliness" / "Alfie" (1967)

"The Windows of the World"" (1967)

"Another Night"(1966)

"The Beginning of Loneliness"/"Alfie"(1967)

"The Windows of the World""(1967)

text: "Alfie" would not become a Top 15 hit in the US until the spring and summer of 1967 when Dionne Warwick, the most prolific interpreter of Bacharach/David compositions and the composers' original choice to record the song. Warwick's version peaked to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and #10 on the Canadian Singles Chart. Introduced on the December 1966 album release Here Where There Is Love, Warwick's version of "Alfie" had been an impromptu addition to a recording session at A&R Studio in New York City whose scheduled tracks had been completed early; Scepter Records A&R man Steve Tyrell suggested to Burt Bacharach that the booked time remaining be put to use by having Warwick record a version of "Alfie". Warwick, though feeling it pointless to increase the song's massive cover version count (there were by then some forty-two recorded versions of the song), was persuaded to record the song, cutting her vocal in a single take.

text: Although the "Alfie" track on  Warwick's Here Where There Is Love album began receiving radio airplay as early as January 1967, the track was not issued as a single until March 1967 and then as the intended B-side of the Bacharach/David composed "The Beginning of Loneliness"; however disc jockeys preferred "Alfie", flipped the single to its B-side, and the track began to ascend the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1967, with a major assist from Warwick's performance of "Alfie" on the 39th Academy Awards ceremony television broadcast live worldwide on April 10, 1967. Billboard's year end tally of the biggest Pop hits of 1967 ranked Warwick's version of "Alfie" at #44 in a Top 100 of the year composed otherwise of Top Ten hits.

text: Charts[edit]

text:
Chart (1967)

Peakposition

Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12]

10

US Cashbox Sales Chart[14]

15

US Billboard Hot 100[15]

15

US Billboard Hot R&B Songs[16]

5

text: Other versions[edit]

text: In 1968, Stevie Wonder released a harmonica instrumental version. This version made the Hot 100, peaking at #66, and it was also a Top 20 Easy Listening hit. Wonder's single was made for Gordy Records and released pseudonymously as Eivets Rednow - an inversion of "Stevie" and "Wonder".

text: Mina recorded the song in 1971 for her album Mina, also known as "the monkey album".

text: The Delfonics recorded "Alfie" for their 1968 La La Means I Love You album produced by Thom Bell; originally the B-side of the group's hit 1968 hit "Break Your Promise", the Delfonics' recording of "Alfie" had a belated A-side release in 1973 when it was a minor R&B hit (#88).

text: In 1994, Whitney Houston performed the song on select dates during her Bodyguard Tour, and her 1997 HBO televised concert, Classic Whitney: Live from Washington, D.C..

text: Joss Stone remade "Alfie" to play under the closing credits of the 2004 remake of the film Alfie.[17]

text: Other artists to record versions of "Alfie" include several versions by Bacharach himself, Patricia Barber, Tony Bennett,  Jerry Butler, Liane Carroll, Randy Crawford, Blossom Dearie, Bill Evans, Percy Faith,  Everything But The Girl, Maynard Ferguson, Renée Geyer, Stan Getz, Tony Hatch, Dick Hyman, Jack Jones, The Anita Kerr Singers, Chaka Khan, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Earl Klugh, Cleo Laine, Tony Martin, Johnny Mathis, David McCallum, Carmen McCrae, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Matt Monro, Olivia Newton-John, Elaine Paige, Rita Reys, Buddy Rich, Rumer, The John Scofield Trio, The Sweet Inspirations, Joanie Sommers, McCoy Tyner, Midge Ure, Sylvia Vrethammar (Swedish rendering), Sarah Vaughan, Billy Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, Andy Williams, Vanessa Williams, Kerry Ellis and Nanette Workman.

text: Barbra Streisand recorded the song for her 1969 album What About Today? and performed it on her Timeless Tour in 2000.

text: In a deleted scene from the movie Austin Powers in Goldmember, the song is parodied, with "Austin" replacing "Alfie" in the lyric. Alfie is sung by most of the main characters. Michael Caine, who plays Austin Powers' father, also played the character Alfie in the original 1966 movie, and scenes from the film appear in the background while he is singing. Susanna Hoffs made the recording of this version - entitled "Alfie (What's It All About, Austin?)" for the soundtrack album.

text: Bob Welch covered this song on his 2011 Album: Sings The Best Songs Ever Written

text: Recently, Gina Hayes recorded an updated/jazzy version of the song, which appears on her 2014 album "Montage".

text: Santana Lopez (portrayed by Naya Rivera) performed this song on the sixth episode of Glee's sixth season, "What The World Needs Now". The episode aired in the US on 6 February 2015.

text: Jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius references the main melody to demonstrate the use of bass for melodic lines in his 1985 instructional video Modern Electric Bass.