document_title: The Imitation Game

question_text: who played young christopher in the imitation game

text: The Imitation Game

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1951, two policemen, Nock and Staehl, investigate the mathematician Alan Turing after an apparent break-in at his home. During his interrogation by Nock, Turing tells of his time working at Bletchley Park.

text: In 1927, the young Turing is unhappy and bullied at boarding school. He develops a friendship with Christopher Morcom, who sparks his interest in cryptography, and Turing develops romantic feelings for him. Before Turing can confess his love, Christopher dies unexpectedly from tuberculosis.

text: When Britain declares war on Germany in 1939, Turing travels to Bletchley Park, where, under the direction of Commander Alastair Denniston, he joins the cryptography team of Hugh Alexander, John Cairncross, Peter Hilton, Keith Furman and Charles Richards. The team are trying to decrypt the Enigma machine, which the Nazis use to send coded messages.

text: Turing is difficult to work with, and considers his colleagues inferior; he works alone to design a machine to decipher Enigma. After Denniston refuses to fund construction of the machine, Turing writes to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who puts Turing in charge of the team and funds the machine. Turing fires Furman and Richards and places a difficult crossword in newspapers to find replacements. Joan Clarke, a Cambridge graduate, surpasses Turing’s test but her parents will not allow her to work with the male cryptographers. Turing arranges for her to live and work with the female clerks who intercept the messages, and shares his plans with her.

text: Turing’s machine, which he names Christopher, is constructed, but cannot determine the Enigma settings before the Germans reset the Enigma encryption each day. Denniston orders it destroyed and Turing fired, but the other cryptographers threaten to leave if Turing goes. After Clarke plans to leave on the wishes of her parents, Turing proposes marriage, which she accepts. During their reception, Turing confirms his homosexuality to Cairncross, who warns him to keep it secret. After overhearing a conversation with a female clerk about messages she receives, Turing has an epiphany, realising he can program the machine to decode words he already knows exist in certain messages. After he recalibrates the machine, it quickly decodes a message and the cryptographers celebrate; however, Turing realises they cannot act on every decoded message or the Germans will realise Enigma has been broken.

text: Turing discovers that Cairncross is a Soviet spy. When Turing confronts him, Cairncross argues that the Soviets are allies working for the same goals, and threatens to retaliate by disclosing Turing’s homosexuality if his role as an agent is revealed. When the MI6 agent Stewart Menzies appears to threaten Clarke, Turing reveals that Cairncross is a spy. Menzies reveals he knew this already, and planted Cairncross among them in order to leak messages to the Soviets for British benefit. Fearing for her safety, Turing tells Clarke to leave Bletchley Park, revealing that he is gay and lying about never having cared for her. After the war, Menzies tells the cryptographers to destroy their work and that they can never see one another again or share what they have done.

text: In the 1950s Turing is convicted of indecency and, in lieu of a jail sentence, undergoes chemical castration so he can continue his work. Clarke visits him in his home and witnesses his physical and mental deterioration. She comforts him by saying that his work saved millions of lives.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing
Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke[6]
Matthew Goode as Hugh Alexander[7]
Rory Kinnear as Detective Nock[8]
Allen Leech as John Cairncross[9]
Matthew Beard as Peter Hilton[10]
Charles Dance as Cdr. Alastair Denniston
Mark Strong as Maj. Gen. Stewart Menzies[11]
James Northcote as Jack Good
Steven Waddington as Supt Smith
Tom Goodman-Hill as Sgt. Staehl
Alex Lawther as young Alan Turing
Jack Bannon as Christopher Morcom
Tuppence Middleton as Helen Stewart
David Charkham as Joan's Father, William Kemp Lowther Clarke
Victoria Wicks as Joan's Mother, Dorothy Clarke
Dominic Charman as Sherborne Student 1
James G. Nunn as Sherborne Student 2
Charlie Manton as Sherborne Student 3

text: Production[edit]

text: Before Cumberbatch joined the project, Warner Bros. bought the screenplay for a reported seven-figure sum because of Leonardo DiCaprio's interest in playing Turing.[12][13][14][15][16] In the end, DiCaprio did not come on board and the rights of the script reverted to the screenwriter. Black Bear Pictures subsequently committed to finance the film for $14 million.[4][17][18] Various directors were attached during development including Ron Howard and David Yates.[19] In December 2012, it was announced that Headhunters director Morten Tyldum would helm the project, making the film his English-language directorial debut.[20][21]

text: Principal photography began on 15 September 2013 in Britain. Filming locations included Turing's former school, Sherborne, Bletchley Park, where Turing and his colleagues worked during the war, and Central Saint Martins campus on Southampton Row in London.[22] Other locations included towns in England such as Nettlebed (Joyce Grove in Oxfordshire) and Chesham (Buckinghamshire). Scenes were also filmed at Bicester Airfield and outside the Law Society building in Chancery Lane. Principal photography finished on 11 November 2013.[23]

text: The bombe seen in the film is based on a replica of Turing's original machine, which is housed in the museum at Bletchley Park. However, production designer Maria Djurkovic admitted that her team made the machine more cinematic by making it larger and having more of its internal mechanisms visible.[24]

text: The film's title refers to Turing's proposed test of the same name, which he discussed in his 1950 paper on artificial intelligence entitled "Computing Machinery and Intelligence".[25]

text: The Weinstein Company acquired the film for $7 million in February 2014, the highest amount ever paid for US distribution rights at the European Film Market.[26] The film is also a recipient of Tribeca Film Festival's Sloan Filmmaker Fund, which grants filmmakers funding and guidance with regard to innovative films that are concerned with science, mathematics, and technology.[27]

text: Music[edit]

text:
The Imitation Game

Film score by Alexandre Desplat

Released
24 November 2014 (2014-11-24)

Genre
Soundtrack

Length
51:08

Label
Sony Music Entertainment

text: In June 2014, it was announced that Alexandre Desplat would provide the original score of the film.[28] Desplat composed and orchestrated the score in under three weeks.[29] It was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.[30] Desplat uses continuous piano arpeggios to represent both Turing's thinking mind and the workings of a mechanical machine.[30] He said of the complexity of the continuity and structure of the score:

text: [W]hen the camera at the end of the film has those beautiful shots of the young boy, the young Alan, and he's meeting with the professor who's telling him his friend Christopher is dead, and the camera is pushing in on him, I play Christopher's theme that we heard very early on in the film. There's a simple continuity there. It's the accumulation of these moments that I can slowly but surely play that make it even stronger.[30]

text: The score received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, losing to the score of The Grand Budapest Hotel, also composed by Desplat.

text: Release[edit]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: Following the Royal Pardon granted by the British government to Turing on 24 December 2013, the filmmakers released the first official promotional photograph of Cumberbatch in character beside Turing's bombe.[31][32] In the week of the anniversary of Turing's death in June 2014, Entertainment Weekly released two new stills which marked the first look at the characters played by Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Matthew Beard, and Allen Leech.[33] On what would have been Turing's 102nd birthday on 23 June, Empire released two photographs featuring Mark Strong and Charles Dance in character. Promotional stills were taken by photographer Jack English, who also photographed Cumberbatch for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.[34]

text: Princeton University Press and Vintage Books both released film tie-in editions of Andrew Hodges's biography Alan Turing: The Enigma in September 2014.[35] The first UK and US trailers were released on 22 July 2014.[36] The international teaser poster was released on 18 September 2014 with the tagline "The true enigma was the man who cracked the code".[37]

text: In November 2014, the Weinstein Company co-hosted a private screening of the film with Digital Sky Technologies billionaire Yuri Milner and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Attendees of the screening at Los Altos Hills, California included Silicon Valley's top executives, such as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Linkedin's Reid Hoffman, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Airbnb's Nathan Blecharczyk, and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Director Tyldum, screenwriter Moore, and actress Knightley were also in attendance.[38] In addition, Cumberbatch and Zuckerberg presented the Mathematics Prizes at the Breakthrough Awards on 10 November 2014 in honour of Turing.[39]

text: The bombe re-created by the filmmakers has been on display in a special The Imitation Game exhibition at Bletchley Park since 10 November 2014. The year-long exhibit features clothes worn by the actors and props used in the film.[40]

text: The official film website at theimitationgamemovie.com allows visitors to unlock exclusive content by solving crossword puzzles conceived by Turing.[42] Google, which sponsored the New York Premiere of the film, launched a competition called "The Code-Cracking Challenge" on 23 November 2014. It is a skill contest where entrants must crack a code provided by Google. The prize/s will be awarded to entrant/s who crack the code and submit their entry the fastest.[43]

text: In November 2014, ahead of the film's US release, The New York Times reprinted the original 1942 crossword puzzle from The Daily Telegraph used in recruiting codebreakers at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Entrants who solved the puzzle could mail in their results for a chance to win a trip for two to London and a tour of Bletchley Park.[44]

text: TWC launched a print and online campaign on 2 January 2015 featuring testimonials from leaders in the fields of technology, military, academia, and LGBTQ groups (all influenced by Turing's life and accomplishments) to promote the film and Turing's legacy. Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales all gave tribute quotes. There were also testimonials from LGBT leaders including HRC president Chad Griffin and GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis and from military leaders including the 22nd United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates.[41][45][46][47]

text: Theatrical release[edit]

text: The film had its world premiere at the 41st Telluride Film Festival in August 2014, and played at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival in September.[48] It had its European premiere as the opening film of the 58th BFI London Film Festival in October 2014.[49][50] It had a limited theatrical release on 28 November 2014 in the United States, two weeks after its premiere in the United Kingdom on 14 November.[13] The US distributor TWC stated that the film would initially debut in four cinemas in Los Angeles and New York, expanding to six new markets on 12 December before being released nationwide on Christmas Day.[51]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The Imitation Game was released on 31 March 2015 in the United States in two formats: a one-disc standard DVD and a Blu-ray with a digital copy of the film.[52]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The Imitation Game grossed $91.1 million in North America and $136.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $227.8 million, against a budget of $14 million.[5] It was the top-grossing independent film release of 2014.[53]

text: The film opened number two at the UK box office behind the big-budget film Interstellar, earning $4.3 million from 459 screens. Its opening box office figure was the third highest opening weekend haul for a British film in 2014. It achieved a 90% "definite recommend" from its core audience, according to exit poll figures. Its opening was 107% higher than that of Argo, 81% higher than Philomena and 26% higher than The Iron Lady following its debut.[54][55]

text: Debuting in four cinemas in Los Angeles and New York on 28 November, the film grossed $479,352 in its opening weekend with a $119,352 per-screen-average, the second highest per-screen-average of 2014 and the 7th highest of all time for a live-action film. Adjusted for inflation, it outperformed the Weinstein Company's own Oscar-winning films The King's Speech ($88,863 in 2010) and The Artist ($51,220 in 2011), which were also released on Thanksgiving weekend. The film expanded into additional markets on 12 December and was released nationwide on Christmas Day.[56][57][58]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91%, based on 251 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch illuminating its fact-based story, The Imitation Game serves as an eminently well-made entry in the "prestige biopic" genre."[59] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 73 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating a generally favourable rating of review.[60] The film received a grade of "A+" from market-research firm CinemaScore and was included in both the National Board of Review's and American Film Institute's "Top 10 Films of 2014".[61][62][63]

text: The New York Observer's Rex Reed declared that "one of the most important stories of the last century is one of the greatest movies of 2014".[64] Kaleem Aftab of The Independent gave the film a five-star review, hailing it the "Best British Film of the Year".[65][66] Lou Lumenick of the New York Post described it as a "thoroughly engrossing Oscar-caliber movie", while critic James Rocchi added that the film is "strong, stirring, triumphant and tragic".[67] Empire described it as a "superb thriller" and Glamour declared it "an instant classic".[68][69] Peter Debruge of Variety added that the film is "beautifully written, elegantly mounted and poignantly performed".[70] Critic Scott Foundas stated that the "movie is undeniably strong in its sense of a bright light burned out too soon, and the often undignified fate of those who dare to chafe at society's established norms".[71] Critic Leonard Maltin asserted that the film has "an ideal ensemble cast with every role filled to perfection". Praise went to Knightley's supporting performance as Clarke, Goldenberg's editing, Desplat's score, Faura's cinematography and Djurkovic's production design.[72] The film was enthusiastically received at the Telluride Film Festival and won the "People's Choice Award for Best Film" at TIFF, the highest prize of the festival.

text: Cumberbatch's performance was met with widespread acclaim from critics. TIME ranked Cumberbatch's portrayal number one in its Top 10 film performances of 2014, with the magazine's chief film critic Richard Corliss calling Cumberbatch's characterisation "the actor's oddest, fullest, most Cumberbatchian character yet ... he doesn't play Turing so much as inhabit him, bravely and sympathetically but without mediation".[73][74] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times declared Turing "the role of Cumberbatch's career", while A.O. Scott of The New York Times stated that it is "one of the year's finest pieces of screen acting".[75][76] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone asserted that the actor "gives an explosive, emotionally complex" portrayal. Critic Clayton Davis stated that it's a "performance for the ages ... proving he's one of the best actors working today".[77][78] Foundas of Variety wrote that Cumberbatch's acting is "masterful ... a marvel to watch", Manohla Dargis of The New York Times described it as "delicately nuanced, prickly and tragic" and Owen Gleiberman of the BBC proclaimed it an "emotionally tailored perfection".[79][80] It's "a storming performance from Cumberbatch: you'll be deciphering his work long after the credits roll" declared Dave Calhoun of Time Out.[81] In addition, Claudia Puig of USA Today concluded in her review, "It's Cumberbatch's nuanced, haunted performance that leaves the most powerful impression".[82] The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy reported that the undeniable highlight of the film was Cumberbatch, "whose charisma, tellingly modulated and naturalistic array of eccentricities, talent at indicating a mind never at rest and knack for simultaneously portraying physical oddness and attractiveness combine to create an entirely credible portrait of genius at work".[83][84] Critic Roger Friedman wrote at the end of his review, "Cumberbatch may be the closest thing we have to a real descendant of Sir Laurence Olivier".[85]

text: While praising the performances of Cumberbatch and Knightley, Catherine Shoard of The Guardian stated that the film is "too formulaic, too efficient at simply whisking you through and making sure you've clocked the diversity message".[86] Tim Robey of The Telegraph described it as "a film about a human calculator which feels ... a little too calculated".[87] Some critics also raised concerns about film's alleged reluctance to highlight Turing's homosexuality.[88] British historian Alex von Tunzelmann, writing for The Guardian in November 2014, pointed out many historical inaccuracies in the film, saying in conclusion: "Historically, The Imitation Game is as much of a garbled mess as a heap of unbroken code".[89] Journalist Christian Caryl also found numerous historical inaccuracies, describing the film as constituting "a bizarre departure from the historical record" that changed Turing's rich life to be "multiplex-friendly".[90] L.V. Anderson of Slate magazine compared the film's account of Turing's life and work to the biography it was based on, writing, "I discovered that The Imitation Game takes major liberties with its source material, injecting conflict where none existed, inventing entirely fictional characters, rearranging the chronology of events, and misrepresenting the very nature of Turing's work at Bletchley Park".[91] Andrew Grant of Science News wrote, "... like so many other Hollywood biopics, it takes some major artistic license – which is disappointing, because Turing's actual story is so compelling."[92] Computing historian Thomas Haigh, writing in the journal Communications of the ACM, said that "the film is a bad guide to reality but a useful summary of everything that the popular imagination gets wrong about Bletchley Park", that it "combines the traditional focus of popular science writing on the lone genius who changes the world with the modern movie superhero narrative of a freak who must overcome his own flaws before he can save the world", and that, together with the likes of A Beautiful Mind and The Theory of Everything, is part of a trend of "glossy scientific biopic[s]" that emphasize those famous scientists who were surrounded by tragedy rather than those who found contented lives, which in turn affects the way "[s]ome kinds of people, and work, have become famous and others have not."[93]

text: The Turing family[edit]

text: Despite earlier reservations, Turing's niece Inagh Payne told Allan Beswick of BBC Radio Manchester that the film "really did honour my uncle" after she watched the film at the London Film Festival in October 2014. In the same interview, Turing's nephew Dermont Turing stated that Cumberbatch is "perfect casting. I couldn't think of anyone better". James Turing, a great-nephew of the code-breaker, said Cumberbatch "knows things that I never knew before. The amount of knowledge he has about Alan is amazing".[94]

text: Social action[edit]

text: In January 2015, Cumberbatch, comedian-actor Stephen Fry, producer Harvey Weinstein, and Turing's great niece Rachel Barnes launched a campaign to pardon the 49,000 gay men convicted under the same law that led to Turing's chemical castration. An open letter published in The Guardian urged the British government and the Royal family, particularly Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, to aid the campaign.[95]

text: The Human Rights Campaign's Chad Griffin also offered his endorsement, saying: "Over 49,000 other gay men and women were persecuted in England under the same law. Turing was pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. The others were not. Honor this movie. Honor this man. And honor the movement to bring justice to the other 49,000."[96] Aiding the cause are campaigner Peter Tatchell, Attitude magazine, and other high-profile figures in the gay community.[97]

text: In February 2015, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Jessica Alba, Bryan Cranston, and Anna Wintour among others joined the petition at Pardon49k.org demanding pardons for victims of anti-gay laws.[98][99] Historians, including Justin Bengry of Birkbeck University of London and Matt Houlbrook of the University of Birmingham, argued that such a pardon would be "bad history" despite its political appeal, because of the broad variety of cases in which the historical laws were applied (including cases of rape) and the distortion of history resulting from an attempt to clean up the wrongdoings of the past post facto. Bengry also cites the existing ability of those convicted under repealed anti-homosexuality laws to have their convictions declared spent.[100]

text: Controversy[edit]

text: During production, there was criticism regarding the film's purported downplaying of Turing's homosexuality,[101] particularly condemning the portrayal of his relationship with close friend and one-time fiancée Joan Clarke. Hodges, author of the book upon which the film was based, described the script as having "built up the relationship with Joan much more than it actually was".[102] Turing's niece Payne thought that Knightley was inappropriately cast, as she described the real Clarke as "rather plain", and said: "I think they might be trying to romanticise it. It makes me a bit mad. You want the film to show it as it was, not a lot of nonsense."[103]

text: Speaking to Empire, director Tyldum expressed his decision to take on the project: "It is such a complex story. It was the gay rights element, but also how his (Turing's) ideas were kept secret and how incredibly important his work was during the war, that he was never given credit for it".[34] In an interview for GQ UK, Matthew Goode, who plays fellow cryptographer Hugh Alexander in the film, stated that the script focuses on "Turing's life and how as a nation we celebrated him as being a hero by chemically castrating him because he was gay".[104] The producers of the film stated: "There is not – and never has been – a version of our script where Alan Turing is anything other than homosexual, nor have we included fictitious sex scenes."[105]

text: In a January 2015 interview with The Huffington Post, its screenwriter Graham Moore said in response to complaints about the film's historical accuracy:

text: When you use the language of "fact checking" to talk about a film, I think you're sort of fundamentally misunderstanding how art works. You don't fact check Monet's Water Lilies. That's not what water lilies look like, that's what the sensation of experiencing water lilies feel like. That's the goal of the piece.[106]

text: In the same interview, Tyldum stated:

text: A lot of historical films sometimes feel like people reading a Wikipedia page to you onscreen, like just reciting "and then he did that, and then he did that, and then he did this other thing" – it's like a "Greatest Hits" compilation. We wanted the movie to be emotional and passionate. Our goal was to give you "What does Alan Turing feel like?" What does his story feel like? What'd it feel like to be Alan Turing? Can we create the experience of sort of "Alan Turing-ness" for an audience based on his life?[106]

text: For the most part, Hodges has not commented on the historical accuracy of the film, alluding to contractual obligations involving the film rights to his biography.[107]

text: Historical accuracy[edit]

text: The film has received criticism from historians and academics regarding inaccuracies in the events and people it portrays.

text: Historical events[edit]

text:
Naming the Enigma-breaking machine "Christopher" after Turing's childhood friend and suggesting that Turing was the only cryptographer working on it, with others either not helping or outright opposed.

In actuality, this electromechanical machine was called "Victory" and it was a collaborative, not individual, effort. It was a British Bombe machine, which was partly inspired by a design by the Polish cryptanalyst Marian Rejewski. Rejewski designed a machine in 1938 called bomba kryptologiczna which originally broken first German's Enigma machines by Polish Cipher Bureau before the second World War[108]. A new machine with a different strategy was designed by Turing (with a major contribution from mathematician Gordon Welchman, who goes unmentioned in the film, with the contribution attributed to Hugh Alexander instead) in 1940.

Suggesting that only this one machine was built, with Turing playing a large role in its construction.

More than 200 British Bombes were built under the supervision of chief engineer Harold Keen of the British Tabulating Machine Company. None of them were built at Bletchley Park.[93]

text:
Suggesting that the work at Bletchley Park was the effort of a small group of cryptographers who were stymied for the first few years of the war until a sudden breakthrough that allowed them to break Enigma.

Since 1932 Polish cryptanalysts Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski from Polish Cipher Bureau were breaking German Enigma messages. Their effort allowed Poles to build replicas of German machines in Warsaw for Polish secret service. Just before war, in 1939, Polish secret service revealed their work to French and English allies on a secret meeting on 26 and 27 July 1939,[109] in Pyry near Warsaw. Later during the war, thousands of men and women were working on the project by the time the war ended in 1945. The computing advances did not obviate the need for human labor, as the many teams of largely female operators certainly knew. Throughout the war, there were breakthroughs and setbacks when the design or use of the German Enigma machines was changed and the Bletchley Park code breakers had to adapt.[90][93]

Moreover, the breakthrough depicted in the film provides the impression that first the Bombe was developed, then only became effective after it was later realised that deciphering could be made easier by looking for known or speculated items contained in an intercepted message, a practice known in cryptanalysis as employing a crib. However, in reality, the opposite is true; the use of cribs was the central attack model upon which the Bombe's principal design was based, rather than being an afterthought to the design.

Suggesting that Enigma was the only German cipher broken at Bletchley Park.

The breaking of the Lorenz cipher, codenamed "Tunny", was arguably just as important as the breaking of Enigma in terms of contributing to the value of Ultra intelligence, and the code-breaking effort was in many ways more difficult. Neither the Tunny effort nor its main contributors, mathematician W. T. "Bill" Tutte and electrical engineer Tommy Flowers, are mentioned in the film. The Colossus computer they built goes unmentioned by name in the film, although there is an implicit suggestion that Turing was responsible for it, which he was not.[93]

Showing a scene where the Hut 8 team decides not to use broken codes to stop a German raid on a convoy that the brother of one of the code breakers (Peter Hilton) is serving on, to hide the fact they have broken the code.

In reality, Hilton had no such brother, and decisions about when and whether to use data from Ultra intelligence were made at much higher administrative levels.[91]

Showing Turing writing a letter to Churchill to gain control over Enigma breaking and obtain funding for the decryption machine.

Turing was actually not alone in making a different request with a number of colleagues, including Hugh Alexander, writing a letter to Churchill (who had earlier visited there) in an effort to get more administrative resources sent to Bletchley Park, which Churchill immediately did.[91]

The depiction of the recruitment of Joan Clarke as a result of an examination after solving a crossword puzzle in a newspaper.

In reality, Joan Clarke was recruited by her former academic supervisor, Gordon Welchman, to the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS).[91]

text: Turing's personality and personal life[edit]

text: Exaggerating Turing's social difficulties to the point of depicting him having Asperger syndrome or otherwise being on the autism spectrum.

text:
Scenes about Turing's childhood friend, including the manner in which Turing learned of Morcom's illness and death.[89][91]
Portraying Turing's arrest as happening in 1951 and having a detective suspect him of being a Soviet spy until Turing tells his code-breaking story in an interview with the detective, who then discovers Turing is gay.

Turing's arrest was in 1952. The detective in the film and the interview as portrayed are fictional. Turing was investigated for his homosexuality after a robbery at his house and was never investigated for espionage.[89]

Suggesting that the chemical castration that Turing was forced to undergo made him unable to think clearly or do any work.

Despite physical weakness and changes in Turing's body including gynaecomastia, at that time he was doing innovative work on mathematical biology, inspired by the very changes his body was undergoing due to chemical castration.[90][91]

Clarke visiting Turing in his home while he is serving probation.

There is no record of Clarke ever visiting Turing's residence during his probation, although Turing did stay in touch with her after the war and informed her of his upcoming trial for indecency.[91]

Stating outright that Turing committed suicide after a year of hormone treatment.

In reality, the nature of Turing's death is a matter of considerable debate. The chemical castration period ended fourteen months before his death. The official inquest into his death ruled that he had committed suicide by consuming a cyanide-laced apple. Turing biographer Andrew Hodges believes the death was indeed a suicide, re-enacting the poisoned apple from Snow White, Turing's favourite fairy tale, with some deliberate ambiguity included to permit Turing's mother to interpret it as an accident. However, Jack Copeland, an editor of volumes of Turing's work and Director of the Turing Archive for the History of Computing, has suggested that Turing's death may have been accidental, caused by the cyanide fumes produced by an experiment in his spare room, and that the investigation was poorly conducted.[91][113]

text: Personalities and actions of other characters[edit]

text:
Depicting Commander Denniston as a rigid officer, bound by military thinking and eager to shut down the decryption machine when it fails to deliver results.

Denniston's grandchildren stated that the film takes an "unwarranted sideswipe" at their grandfather's memory, showing him to be a "baddy" and a "hectoring character" who hinders the work of Turing. They said their grandfather had a completely different temperament from the one portrayed in the film and was entirely supportive of the work done by cryptographers under his command.[91][114] There is no record of the film's depicted interactions between Turing and Denniston. Indeed, before the war, Denniston recruited lecturers at Oxford and Cambridge, and Turing, Welchman, and others began working part-time for him then.[115]:9 Turing was always respected and considered one of the best code-breakers at Bletchley Park[91] and in short order took on the role of a leader there.[93]

Showing Turing interacting with Stewart Menzies, head of the British Secret Intelligence Service.

There are no records showing they interacted at all during Turing's time at Bletchley Park.[91]

Including an espionage subplot involving Turing working with John Cairncross.

Turing and Cairncross worked in different areas of Bletchley Park and there is no evidence they ever met.[90][91] Alex Von Tunzelmann was angered by this subplot (which suggests that Turing was for a while blackmailed into not revealing Cairncross as a spy lest his homosexuality be revealed), writing that "creative licence is one thing, but slandering a great man's reputation – while buying into the nasty 1950s prejudice that gay men automatically constituted a security risk – is quite another."[89]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: The Imitation Game has been nominated for, and has received, numerous awards, with Cumberbatch's portrayal of Turing particularly praised.[116][117][118][119] The film and its cast and crew were also honoured by Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organisation in the United States. "We are proud to honor the stars and filmmakers of The Imitation Game for bringing the captivating yet tragic story of Alan Turing to the big screen", HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement.[120]


document_title: List of National Football League career passing yards leaders

question_text: who is leading in passing yards in the nfl

root

text: Players with at least 30,000 regular season career passing yards[edit]

text:
Key

^

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

*

Denotes player who is still active in the NFL

tag: table

text: Through Week 8 of 2018 season

tag: p

text:
Rank

Player

Team(s) by season

Yards

1

Drew Brees*

San Diego Chargers (2001–2005) New Orleans Saints (2006–present)

72,435

2

Peyton Manning

Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011) Denver Broncos (2012–2015)

71,940

3

Brett Favre^

Atlanta Falcons (1991)Green Bay Packers (1992–2007) New York Jets (2008)Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)

71,838

4

Tom Brady*

New England Patriots (2000–present)

68,359

5

Dan Marino^

Miami Dolphins (1983–1999)

61,361

6

Eli Manning*

New York Giants (2004–present)

54,059

7

Ben Roethlisberger*

Pittsburgh Steelers (2004–present)

53,355

8

Philip Rivers*

San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers (2004–present)

52,356

9

John Elway^

Denver Broncos (1983–1998)

51,475

10

Warren Moon^

Houston Oilers (1984–1993)Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996)Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998)Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)

49,325

11

Fran Tarkenton^

Minnesota Vikings (1961–1966, 1972–1978)New York Giants (1967–1971)

47,003

12

Carson Palmer

Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2010)Oakland Raiders (2011–2012)Arizona Cardinals (2013–2017)

46,247

13

Vinny Testaverde

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987–1992)Cleveland Browns (1993–1995)Baltimore Ravens (1996–1997)New York Jets (1998–2003, 2005)Dallas Cowboys (2004)New England Patriots (2006)Carolina Panthers (2007)

46,233

14

Drew Bledsoe

New England Patriots (1993–2001)Buffalo Bills (2002–2004)Dallas Cowboys (2005–2006)

44,611

15

Matt Ryan*

Atlanta Falcons (2008–present)

44,131

16

Dan Fouts^

San Diego Chargers (1973–1987)

43,040

17

Kerry Collins

Carolina Panthers (1995–1998)[a])New Orleans Saints (1998)New York Giants (1999–2003)Oakland Raiders (2004–2005)Tennessee Titans (2006–2010)Indianapolis Colts (2011)

40,922

18

Aaron Rodgers*

Green Bay Packers (2005–present)

40,785

19

Joe Montana^

San Francisco 49ers (1979–1992)Kansas City Chiefs (1993–1994)

40,551

20

Johnny Unitas^

Baltimore Colts (1956–1972)San Diego Chargers (1973)

40,239

21

Dave Krieg

Seattle Seahawks (1980–1991)Kansas City Chiefs (1992–1993)Detroit Lions (1994)Arizona Cardinals (1995)Chicago Bears (1996)Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)

38,147

22

Joe Flacco*

Baltimore Ravens (2008–present)

38,039

23

Boomer Esiason

Cincinnati Bengals (1984–1992)New York Jets (1993–1995)Arizona Cardinals (1996)Cincinnati Bengals (1997)

37,920

24

Donovan McNabb

Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2009)Washington Redskins (2010)Minnesota Vikings (2011)

37,276

25

Matthew Stafford*

Detroit Lions (2009–present)

36,661

26

Matt Hasselbeck

Green Bay Packers (1998–2000)Seattle Seahawks (2001–2010)Tennessee Titans (2011–2012)Indianapolis Colts (2013–2015)

36,638

27

Jim Kelly^

Buffalo Bills (1986–1996)

35,467

28

Jay Cutler

Denver Broncos (2006–2008)Chicago Bears (2009–2016)Miami Dolphins (2017)

35,133

29

Jim Everett

Los Angeles Rams (1986–1993)New Orleans Saints (1994–1996)San Diego Chargers (1997)

34,837

30

Jim Hart

St. Louis Cardinals (1966–1983Washington Redskins 1984)

34,665

31

Steve DeBerg

San Francisco 49ers (1978–1980)Denver Broncos (1981–1983)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984–1987, 1992–1993[b]) Kansas City Chiefs (1988–1991)Miami Dolphins (1993)Atlanta Falcons (1998)

34,241

32

Tony Romo

Dallas Cowboys (2003–2016)

34,183

33

John Hadl

San Diego Chargers (1962–1972)Los Angeles Rams (1973–1974[c])Green Bay Packers (1974–1975)Houston Oilers (1976–1977)

33,503

34

Phil Simms

New York Giants (1979–1993)

33,462

35

Alex Smith*

San Francisco 49ers (2005–2012)Kansas City Chiefs (2013–2017)Washington Redskins (2018–present)

33,449

36

Steve Young^

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985–1986)San Francisco 49ers (1987–1999)

33,124

37

Troy Aikman^

Dallas Cowboys (1989–2000)

32,942

38

Ken Anderson

Cincinnati Bengals (1971–1986)

32,838

39

Kurt Warner^

St. Louis Rams (1998–2003)New York Giants (2004)Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009)

32,344

40

Sonny Jurgensen^

Philadelphia Eagles (1957–1963)Washington Redskins (1964–1974)

32,224

41

Mark Brunell

Green Bay Packers (1993–1994)Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–2003)Washington Redskins (2004–2006)New Orleans Saints (2008–2009)New York Jets (2010–2011)

32,072

42

John Brodie

San Francisco 49ers (1957–1973)

31,548

43

Steve McNair

Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans (1995–2005)Baltimore Ravens (2006–2007)

31,304

44

Norm Snead

Washington Redskins (1961–1963)Philadelphia Eagles (1964–1970)Minnesota Vikings (1971)New York Giants (1972–1974, 1976)San Francisco 49ers (1974–1975)

30,797

text: Note: Y. A. Tittle passed for 33,070 yards in his professional career. However, 4,731 of those yards came in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The NFL does not recognize statistics and records accrued in the AAFC.[1][2] As such, his career passing yards total in the NFL stands at 28,339.[3]

tag: ul

text: Active players with 26,000–29,999 yards[edit]

text: Through Week 8 of 2018 season; numbers in yards

text:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 28,541
Andy Dalton, 27,636
Cam Newton, 26,720

text: Players with the most career passing yards including playoff games[edit]

text: Active players are in bold. Minimum 60K yards.

text:
1

Peyton Manning

79,279

2

Tom Brady

78,585

3

Brett Favre

77,693

4

Drew Brees

76,644

5

Dan Marino

65,871

text: Historical passing yards leaders[edit]

text: Ten players are recognised as having held the record as the NFL's career passing yardage leader.[4]  The longest record holder was Fran Tarkenton who held the record for 19 years.

text:
Reign
Player
Team(s) while leader
Career passing yards
Season(s)

1932–1942(11 years)
Arnie Herber^  [5]
Green Bay Packers
639
1932

1,295
1933

2,094
1934

2,823
1935

4,062
1936

4,746
1937

5,082
1938

6,189
1939

6,749
1940–1942

1943–1958(16 years)
Sammy Baugh^  [6]
Washington Redskins
8,379
1943

9,228
1944

10,897
1945

12,060
1946

14,998
1947

17,597
1948

19,500
1949

20,630
1950

21,734
1951

21,886
1952–1958

1959–1963(5 years)
Bobby Layne^  [7]
Pittsburgh Steelers
22,063
1959

23,877
1960

25,082
1961

26,768
1962–1963

1964–1967(4 years)
Y. A. Tittle^  [3]
New York Giants
28,339
1964–1967

1968–1975(8 years)
Johnny Unitas^  [8]
Baltimore Colts (1968–1972)San Diego Chargers (1973)
33,160
1968

35,502
1969

37,715
1970

38,657
1971

39,768
1972

40,239
1973–1975

1976–1994(19 years)
Fran Tarkenton^  [9]
Minnesota Vikings
41,801
1976

43,535
1977

47,003
1978–1994

1995–2006(12 years)
Dan Marino^  [10]
Miami Dolphins
48,841
1995

51,636
1996

55,416
1997

58,913
1998

61,361
1999–2006

2007–2014(8 years)
Brett Favre^  [11]
Green Bay Packers (2007)New York Jets (2008)Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)
61,655
2007

65,127
2008

69,329
2009

71,838
2010–2014

2015–2017(3 years)
Peyton Manning  [12]

Denver Broncos

71,940

2015–2017

Since 2018(1 year)
Drew Brees[13]

New Orleans Saints

72,435

Since 2018


document_title: Amusement park

question_text: when was the first amusement park built in the us

text: Amusement park

text: History[edit]

text: Origins[edit]

text: The amusement park evolved from three earlier traditions: traveling or periodic fairs, pleasure gardens and exhibitions such as world fairs. The oldest influence was the periodic fair of the Middle Ages - one of the earliest was the Bartholomew Fair in England from 1133. By the 18th and 19th centuries, they had evolved into places of entertainment for the masses, where the public could view freak shows, acrobatics, conjuring and juggling, take part in competitions and walk through menageries.

text: A wave of innovation in the 1860s and 1870s created mechanical rides, such as the steam-powered carousel (built by Thomas Bradshaw, at the Aylsham Fair), and its derivatives, notably from Frederick Savage of King's Lynn, Norfolk whose fairground machinery was exported all over the world; his "galloping horses" innovation is seen in carousels today.[8] This inaugurated the era of the modern funfair ride, as the working classes were increasingly able to spend their surplus wages on entertainment.[9]

text: The second influence was the pleasure garden. An example of this is the world's oldest amusement park, Bakken ("The Hill"), opened in mainland Europe in 1583. It is located north of Copenhagen in Klampenborg, Denmark.[10][11]

text: Another early garden was the Vauxhall Gardens, founded in 1661 in London. By the late 18th century, the site had an admission fee for its many attractions. It regularly drew enormous crowds, with its paths often noted for romantic assignations; tightrope walkers, hot air balloon ascents, concerts and fireworks providing amusement. Although the gardens were originally designed for the elites, they soon became places of great social diversity. Public firework displays were put on at Marylebone Gardens, and Cremorne Gardens offered music, dancing and animal acrobatics displays.[12]

text: Prater in Vienna, Austria, began as a royal hunting ground which was opened in 1766 for public enjoyment. There followed coffee-houses and cafés, which led to the beginnings of the Wurstelprater as an amusement park.

text: The concept of a fixed park for amusement was further developed with the beginning of the world's fairs. The first World fair began in 1851 with the construction of the landmark Crystal Palace in London, England. The purpose of the exposition was to celebrate the industrial achievement of the nations of the world and it was designed to educate and entertain the visitors.[13]

text: American cities and business also saw the world's fair as a way of demonstrating economic and industrial success.[13] The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, Illinois was an early precursor to the modern amusement park. The fair was an enclosed site, that merged entertainment, engineering and education to entertain the masses. It set out to bedazzle the visitors, and successfully did so with a blaze of lights from the "White City." [2] To make sure that the fair was a financial success, the planners included a dedicated amusement concessions area called the Midway Plaisance.[13] Rides from this fair captured the imagination of the visitors and of amusement parks around the world, such as the first steel Ferris wheel, which was found in many other amusement areas, such as the Prater by 1896. Also, the experience of the enclosed ideal city with wonder, rides, culture and progress (electricity), was based on the creation of an illusory place.[2]

text: The "midway" introduced at the Columbian Exposition would become a standard part of most amusement parks, fairs, carnivals and circuses. The midway contained not only the rides, but other concessions and entertainments such as shooting galleries, penny arcades, games of chance and shows.[14]

text: Trolley parks and pleasure resorts[edit]

text: Many modern amusement parks evolved from earlier pleasure resorts that had become popular with the public for day-trips or weekend holidays, for example, seaside areas such as Blackpool, United Kingdom and Coney Island, United States.[15] In the United States, some amusement parks grew from picnic groves established along rivers and lakes that provided bathing and water sports, such as Lake Compounce in Connecticut, first established as a picturesque picnic park in 1846, and Riverside Park in Massachusetts, founded in the 1870s along the Connecticut River.[16]

text: The trick was getting the public to the seaside or resort location. For Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, on the Atlantic Ocean, a horse-drawn streetcar line brought pleasure seekers to the beach beginning in 1829. In 1875, a million passengers rode the Coney Island Railroad, and in 1876 two million visited Coney Island. Hotels and amusements were built to accommodate both the upper classes and the working class at the beach. The first carousel was installed in the 1870s, the first roller coaster, the "Switchback Railway", in 1884.

text: In England, Blackpool was a popular beachside location beginning in the 1700s. It rose to prominence as a seaside resort with the completion in 1846 of a branch line to Blackpool from Poulton on the main Preston and Wyre Joint Railway line. A sudden influx of visitors, arriving by rail, provided the motivation for entrepreneurs to build accommodation and create new attractions, leading to more visitors and a rapid cycle of growth throughout the 1850s and 1860s.

text: In 1879, large parts of the promenade at Blackpool were wired. The lighting and its accompanying pageants reinforced Blackpool's status as the North of England's most prominent holiday resort, and its specifically working class character. It was the forerunner of the present-day Blackpool Illuminations. By the 1890s, the town had a population of 35,000, and could accommodate 250,000 holidaymakers. The number of annual visitors, many staying for a week, was estimated at three million.

text: In the final decade of the 19th century, electric trolley lines were developed in many large American cities. Companies that established the trolley lines also developed trolley parks as destinations of these lines. Trolley parks such as Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Park, or Reading's Carsonia Park were initially popular natural leisure spots before local streetcar companies purchased the sites, expanding them from picnic groves to include regular entertainments, mechanical amusements, dance halls, sports fields, boat rides, restaurants and other resort facilities.

text: Some of these parks were developed in resort locations, such as bathing resorts at the seaside in New Jersey and New York. A premiere example in New Jersey was Atlantic City, a famous vacation resort. Entrepreneurs erected amusement parks on piers that extended from the boardwalk out over the ocean. The first of several was the Ocean Pier in 1891, followed later by the Steel Pier in 1898, both of which boasted rides and attractions typical of that time, such as Midway-style games and electric trolley rides. The boardwalk also had the first Roundabout installed in 1892 by William Somers, a wooden predecessor to the Ferris Wheel. Somers installed two others in Asbury Park, New Jersey and Coney Island, New York.[17][18]

text: Another early park was the Eldorado Amusement Park that opened in 1891 on the banks of the Hudson River, overlooking New York City. It consisted of 25 acres.[19]

text: Modern amusement parks[edit]

text: The first permanent enclosed entertainment area, regulated by a single company, was founded in Coney Island in 1895: Sea Lion Park at Coney Island in Brooklyn. This park was one of the first to charge admission to get into the park in addition to sell tickets for rides within the park.[2]

text: In 1897, Sea Lion Park was joined by Steeplechase Park, the first of three major amusement parks that would open in the Coney Island area. George Tilyou designed the park to provide thrills and entertainment. The combination of the nearby population center of New York City and the ease of access to the area made Coney Island the embodiment of the American amusement park.[2] Coney Island also featured Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904). Coney Island was a huge success and by year 1910 attendance on days could reach a million people.[2] Fueled by the efforts of Frederick Ingersoll who borrowed the name, other "Luna Parks" were quickly erected worldwide and opened to rave reviews.

text: The first amusement park in England was opened in 1896 - the Blackpool Pleasure Beach by W. G. Bean. In 1904, Sir Hiram Maxim's Captive Flying Machine was introduced; he had designed an early aircraft powered by steam engines that had been unsuccessful and instead opened up a pleasure ride of flying carriages that revolved around a central pylon. Other rides included the 'Grotto' (a fantasy ride), 'River Caves' (a scenic railway), water chutes and a toboganning tower.[20]

text: Fire was a constant threat in those days, as much of the construction within the amusement parks of the era was wooden. In 1911, Dreamland was the first Coney Island amusement park to completely burn down; in 1944, Luna Park also burned to the ground. Most of Ingersoll's Luna Parks were similarly destroyed, usually by arson, before his death in 1927.

text: The Golden Age[edit]

text: During the Gilded Age, many Americans began working fewer hours[21] and had more disposable income. With new-found money and time to spend on leisure activities, Americans sought new venues for entertainment. Amusement parks, set up outside major cities and in rural areas, emerged to meet this new economic opportunity. These parks served as source of fantasy and escape from real life.[2] By the early 1900s, hundreds of amusement parks were operating in the United States and Canada. Trolley parks stood outside many cities. Parks like Atlanta's Ponce de Leon[22] and Idora Park,[23] near Youngstown, OH, took passengers to traditionally popular picnic grounds, which by the late 1890s also often included rides like the Giant Swing, Carousel, and Shoot-the-Chutes. These amusement parks were often based on nationally known parks or world's fairs: they had names like Coney Island, White City, Luna Park, or Dreamland. The American Gilded Age was, in fact, amusement parks' Golden Age that reigned until the late 1920s.

text: The Golden Age of amusement parks also included the advent of the kiddie park. Founded in 1925, the original Kiddie Park is located in San Antonio, Texas and is still in operation today. The kiddie parks became popular all over America after World War II.[24]

text: This era saw the development of the new innovations in roller coasters that included extreme drops and speeds to thrill the riders. By the end of the First World War, people seemed to want an even more exciting entertainment, a need met by roller coasters.[25] Although the development of the automobile provided people with more options for satisfying their entertainment needs, the amusement parks after the war continued to be successful, while urban amusement parks saw declining attendance.[2] The 1920s is more properly known as the Golden Age of roller coasters, being the decade of frenetic building for these rides.[25]

text: In England, Dreamland Margate opened in 1880 with Frederick Savage's carousel the first amusement ride installed. In 1920 the Scenic Railway rollercoaster opened to the public with great success, carrying half a million passengers in its first year.[26] The park also installed other rides common to the time including a smaller roller coaster, the Joy Wheel, Miniature Railway, The Whip and the River Caves. A ballroom was constructed on the site of the Skating Rink in 1920 and in 1923 a Variety Cinema was built on the site. Between 1920 and 1935 over £500,000 was invested in the site, constantly adding new rides and facilities and culminating in the construction of the Dreamland Cinema complex in 1934 which stands to this day.[27]

text: Meanwhile, the Blackpool Pleasure Beach was also being developed. Frequent large-scale investments were responsible for the construction of many new rides, including the Virginia Reel, Whip, Noah's Ark, Big Dipper and Dodgems. In the 1920s the "Casino Building" was built, which remains to this day. In 1923, land was reclaimed from the sea front. It was at this period that the park moved to its 44-acre (180,000 m2) current location above what became Watson Road, which was built under the Pleasure Beach in 1932. During this time Joseph Emberton, an architect famous for his work in the amusement trade was brought in to redesign the architectural style of the Pleasure Beach rides, working on the "Grand National" roller coaster, "Noah's Ark" and the Casino building to name a few.

text: Depression and post-World War II decline[edit]

text: The Great Depression of the 1930s and World War II during the 1940s saw the decline of the amusement park industry. War caused the affluent urban population to move to the suburbs, television became a source of entertainment, and families went to amusement parks less often.[2]

text: By the 1950s, factors such as urban decay, crime, and even desegregation in the ghettos led to changing patterns in how people chose to spend their free time. Many of the older, traditional amusement parks closed or burned to the ground. Many would be taken out by the wrecking ball to make way for suburban housing and development. In 1964, Steeplechase Park, once the king of all amusement parks, closed down for good. The traditional amusement parks which survived, for example, Kennywood, in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, and Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio, did so in spite of the odds.[2]

text: Amusement and theme parks today[edit]

text: The amusement park industry's offerings range from large, worldwide type theme parks such as Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood to smaller and medium-sized theme parks such as the Six Flags parks and Cedar Fair parks. Countless smaller ventures exist across the United States and around the world. Simpler theme parks directly aimed at smaller children have also emerged, such as Legoland.

text: Examples of amusement parks in shopping malls exist in West Edmonton Mall, Alberta, Canada; Pier 39, San Francisco; Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota.

text: Family fun parks starting as miniature golf courses have begun to grow to include batting cages, go-karts, bumper cars, bumper boats and water slides. Some of these parks have grown to include even roller coasters, and traditional amusement parks now also have these competition areas in addition to their thrill rides.

text: As of 2008, the Walt Disney Company accounted for around half of the total industry's revenue in the US as a result of more than 50 million visitors of its U.S.-based attractions each year.[28]

text: In 2015, theme parks in the United States had a revenue of US$8 billion and theme parks in China had a revenue of US$4.6 billion, with China expected to overtake the United States by 2020.[29]

text: Other types of amusement park[edit]

text: Educational theme parks[edit]

text: Some parks use rides and attractions for educational purposes. Disney was the first to successfully open a large-scale theme park built around education. Named Epcot, it opened in 1982 as the second park in the Walt Disney World Resort. There are also Holy Land USA[30] and the Holy Land Experience,[31] which are theme parks built to inspire Christian piety. Dinosaur World entertains families with dinosaurs in natural settings, while the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks also offer educational experiences, with each of the parks housing several thousand animals, fish and other sea life in dozens of attractions and exhibits focusing on animal education.[32]

text: Created in 1977, the Puy du Fou is a much celebrated theme park in Vendée, France. It is centered around European, French and local history. It received several international prizes.

text: Family-owned theme parks[edit]

text: Some theme parks did evolve from more traditional amusement park enterprises, such as Knott's Berry Farm. In the 1920s, Walter Knott and his family sold berries from a roadside stand, which grew to include a restaurant serving fried chicken dinners. Within a few years, lines outside the restaurant were often several hours long. To entertain the waiting crowds, Walter Knott built a Ghost Town in 1940, using buildings relocated from real old west towns such as the Calico, California ghost town and Prescott, Arizona. In 1968, the Knott family fenced the farm, charged admission for the first time, and Knott's Berry Farm officially became an amusement park.[2] Because of its long history, Knott's Berry Farm currently claims to be "America's First Theme Park." Knott's Berry Farm is now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut may be the true oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States, open since 1846. Santa Claus Town, which opened in Santa Claus, Indiana in 1935 and included Santa's Candy Castle and other Santa Claus-themed attractions, is considered the first themed attraction in the United States: a precursor to the modern day theme park. Santa Claus Land (renamed Holiday World in 1984) opened in 1946 in Santa Claus, Indiana and many people will argue that it was the first true Theme Park despite Knott's history.[16] In the 1950s the Herschend family took over operation of the tourist attraction, Marvel Cave near Branson, Missouri. Over the next decade they modernized the cave, which led to large numbers of people waiting to take the tour. The Herschend family opened a recreation of the old mining town that once existed atop Marvel Cave. The small village eventually became the theme park, Silver Dollar City. The park is still owned and operated by the Herschends and the family has several other parks including Dollywood, Celebration City and Wild Adventures.

text: Regional parks[edit]

text: The first regional amusement park, as well as the first Six Flags park, Six Flags over Texas was officially opened in 1961 in Arlington, Texas.[33] The first Six Flags amusement park was the vision of Angus Wynne, Jr. and helped create the modern, competitive amusement park industry. In the late 1950s, Wynne visited Disneyland and was inspired to create an affordable, closer, and larger amusement park that would be filled with fantasy. He followed in the steps of Disney and had subdivisions within the park that reflected different lands. The subdivisions included the Old South and other sections that referenced Wynne's background.[34] By 1968, the second Six Flags park, Six Flags Over Georgia, opened, and in 1971, Six Flags Over Mid-America (now Six Flags St. Louis) opened near St. Louis, Missouri. Also in 1971 was the opening of the Walt Disney World resort complex in Florida, with the Magic Kingdom (1971), Epcot (1982), Disney's Hollywood Studios (1989) and Disney's Animal Kingdom (1998).

text: Admission prices and admission policies[edit]

text: Amusement parks collect much of their revenue from admission fees paid by guests attending the park. Other revenue sources include parking fees, food and beverage sales and souvenirs.

text: Practically all amusement parks operate using one of two admission principles:

text: Pay-as-you-go[edit]

text: In amusement parks using the pay-as-you-go scheme, a guest enters the park at little or no charge. The guest must then purchase rides individually, either at the attraction's entrance or by purchasing ride tickets (or a similar exchange method, like a token). The cost of the attraction is often based on its complexity or popularity. For example, a guest might pay one ticket to ride a carousel but four tickets to ride a roller coaster.

text: The park may allow guests to purchase a pass providing unlimited admissions to all attractions within the park for a specified duration of time. A wristband or pass is then shown at the attraction entrance to gain admission.

text: Disneyland opened in 1955 using the pay-as-you-go format.[35] Initially, guests paid the ride admission fees at the attractions. Within a short time, the problems of handling such large amounts of coins led to the development of a ticket system that, while now out of use, is still part of the amusement-park lexicon.[35] In this new format, guests purchased ticket books that contained a number of tickets, labeled "A," "B" and "C." Rides and attractions using an "A-ticket" were generally simple, with "B-tickets" and "C-tickets" used for the larger, more popular rides. Later, the "D-ticket" was added, then finally the now-famous "E-ticket", which was used on the biggest and most elaborate rides, like Space Mountain. Smaller tickets could be traded up for use on larger rides (i.e., two or three A-tickets would equal a single B-ticket). Disneyland, as well as the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, abandoned this practice in 1982.

text: The advantages of pay-as-you-go include the following:

text:
guests pay for only what they choose to experience, allowing them to visit the park for a short periods of time (whereas guests who get day passes in "Pay-one-price" are generally compelled to spend hours to make the most of the cost)
attraction costs can be changed easily to encourage use or capitalize on popularity
best suited to parks located in areas with high pedestrian traffic and surrounded by competing points-of-interest (i.e. shopping arcade or theatre not operated by the park) and/or natural attractions, that make it hard to charge an admission fee. For instance, Centreville Amusement Park was one of the numerous attractions on the Toronto Islands alongside beaches and boating clubs, and its pay-as-you-go fare scheme was suited its guests who usually spent only 1–2 hours at the park. For amusement parks inside shopping centers such as the West Edmonton Mall's Galaxyland, where amusement attractions exist alongside stores, pedestrian traffic consists of both shoppers and park guests, so it may not be practical to segregate the park premises and charge an admission fee.

text: The disadvantages of pay-as-you-go include the following:

text:
guests may get tired of spending money almost continuously
guests may not spend as much on food or souvenirs
results in high volumes of low-spending guests, and the resultant low profit margins are only sufficient for mature amusement parks that are not expanding[36]

text: Pay-one-price[edit]

text: An amusement park using the pay-one-price scheme will charge guests a single admission fee. The guest is then entitled to use most of the attractions (usually including flagship roller coasters) in the park as often as they wish during their visit. A daily admission pass (daypass) is the most basic fare on sale, also sold are season tickets which offer holders admission for the entire operating year[37] (plus special privileges for the newest attractions), and express passes which gives holders priority in bypassing lineup queues for popular attractions.

text: Pay-one-price format parks also have attractions that are not included in the admission charge; these are called "up-charge attractions" and can include Skycoasters or go-kart tracks, or games of skill where prizes are won.

text: When Angus Wynne, founder of Six Flags Over Texas, first visited Disneyland in 1959, he noted that park's pay-as-you-go format as a reason to make his park pay-one-price.[38] He thought that a family would be more likely to visit his park if they knew, up front, how much it would cost to attend.[38]

text: The advantages of pay-one-price include

text:
lower costs for the park operators, since ticket-takers are not needed at each attraction.
guests need not worry about spending money continuously on attractions, so they may spend more money on food and souvenirs.
more predictable price to offer guests since upfront cost is known.
better suited to amusement parks located in the suburbs or rural areas, with the park often as the only attraction there, which allows for a more captive audience to charge higher admission fees.
the higher profit margins, in turn, allow the park to add new attractions.

text: The disadvantages of pay-one-price include:

text:
price may be unattractive for guests who just visit the park to be with their families or use only few attractions.
guests are generally compelled to spend hours in order to make the most of the cost of a day pass, pricing is geared towards guests making a full day excursion rather than a short visit.

text: Rides and attractions[edit]

text: Mechanized thrill machines are a defining feature of amusement parks. Early rides include the carousel, which originally developed from cavalry training methods first used in the Middle Ages. By the 19th century, carousels were common in parks around the world. Another such ride which shaped the future of the amusement park was the roller coaster. The origins of roller coasters can be traced back to 17th-century Russia, where gravity-driven attractions, which at first only consisted of individual sleds or carts riding freely down chutes on top of specially constructed snow slopes with piles of sand at the bottom for braking, were used as winter leisure activities. These crude and temporarily built curiosities, known as Russian Mountains, were the beginning of the search for even more thrilling amusement park rides. The Columbian Exposition of 1893 was a particularly fertile testing ground for amusement rides and included some that the public had never seen before, such as the world's first Ferris wheel, one of the most recognized products of the fair. In the present day, many rides of various types are set around a specific theme.

text: Parks contains a mixture of attractions which can be divided into several categories.

text: Flat rides[edit]

text: Flat rides are usually considered to be those that move their passengers in a plane generally parallel to the ground.

text: There is a core set of flat rides which most amusement parks have, including the enterprise, tilt-a-whirl, gravitron, chairswing, swinging inverter ship, twister, and top spin. However, there is constant innovation, with new variations on ways to spin and throw passengers around appearing in an effort to keep attracting customers. Manufactures such as Huss and Zamperla specialise in creating flat rides among other amusement attractions.[citation needed]

text: Roller coasters[edit]

text: Amusement parks often feature multiple roller coasters of primarily timber or steel construction. Fundamentally, a roller coaster ride is one in which a specialized railroad system with steep drops and sharp curves, passengers sit and are restrained in cars, usually with two or more cars joined to form a train. Some roller coasters feature one or more inversions (such as vertical loops) which turn the riders upside down. Over the years there have been many roller coaster manufactures with a variety of types of roller coasters.

text: Popular manufactures today include:

text:
Bolliger & Mabillard
Gerstlauer
Great Coasters International
Intamin
Mack Rides
Premier Rides
Rocky Mountain Construction
Vekoma
Zamperla

text: Train rides[edit]

text: Amusement park railroads have had a long and varied history in American amusement parks as well as overseas. Some of the earliest park trains were not really trains; they were trolleys, which brought park patrons to the parks on regular rail lines from the cities to the end of the rail lines where the parks were located. As such, some older parks, such as Kennywood in Pennsylvania, were referred to as trolley parks. The earliest park trains that only operated on lines within the park's boundaries, such as the one on the Zephyr Railroad in Dorney Park, were mostly custom-built. Also, amusement park railroads tend to be narrow gauge, meaning the space between their rails is smaller than that of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railroads. Some specific narrow gauges that are common on amusement park railroads are 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge, 2 ft (610 mm), and 15 in (381 mm) gauge.

text: Past and present manufacturers include:

text:
Allan Herschell Company
Brookville Equipment Corporation
Cagney Brothers
Chance Rides
Crown Metal Products
Custom Fabricators
Custom Locomotives
Doppelmayr Garaventa Group
Hurlbut Amusement Co.
Katiland Trains
Miniature Train Co. (MTC)
National Amusement Devices Co. (NAD)
Ottaway
Sandley
Severn Lamb
Tampa Metal Products
Train Rides Unlimited

text: Water rides[edit]

text: Amusement parks with water resources generally feature a few water rides, such as the log flume, bumper boats, rapids and rowing boats. Such rides are usually gentler and shorter than roller coasters and many are suitable for all ages. Water rides are especially popular on hot days.

text: Dark rides[edit]

text: Overlapping with both train rides and water rides, dark rides are enclosed attractions in which patrons travel in guided vehicles along a predetermined path, through an array of illuminated scenes which may include lighting effects, animation, music and recorded dialogue, and other special effects.

text: Ferris wheels[edit]

text: Ferris wheels are the most common type of amusement ride at state fairs in the US.[39]

text: Transport rides[edit]

text: Transport rides are used to take large numbers of guests from one area to another, as an alternative to walking, especially for parks that are large or separated into distant areas. Transport rides include chairlifts, monorails, aerial trams, and escalators.[citation needed]

text: Ocean Park Hong Kong is well known for its 1.5-kilometre (0.9 mi) cable car connecting the Lowland and Headland areas of the park, and for having the world's second longest outdoor escalator in the Headland. Both transportation links provide scenic views of the park's hilly surroundings and, while originally intended for practicality rather than thrills or enjoyment, have become significant park attractions in their own right.[40]


document_title: If I Ran the Circus

question_text: what is the name of the circus in if i ran the circus

text: If I Ran the Circus

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
If I Ran the Circus

First edition cover

Author
Dr. Seuss

Country
United States

Language
English

Genre
Children's literature

Publisher
Random House

Publication date

1956

Media type
Print (Hardcover and paperback)

Pages
65

OCLC
471685

Preceded by
On Beyond Zebra!

Followed by
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

text: Children's literature portal

text: If I Ran the Circus is a children's book by Dr. Seuss, published in 1956 by Random House.

text: Like The Cat in the Hat, or the more political Yertle the Turtle, If I Ran the Circus develops a theme of cumulative fantasy leading to excess. The overt social commentary found in the Sneetches and the Zax demonstrates that Dr. Seuss was fascinated by the errors and excesses to which humans are prone,[1] and If I Ran the Circus also examines this interest, though more subtly and comically, given its earlier genesis.

text: Plot overview[edit]

text: Behind Mr. Sneelock's ramshackle store, there's an empty lot. Little Morris McGurk is convinced that if he could just clear out the rusty cans, the dead tree, and the old cars, nothing would prevent him from using the lot for the amazing, world-beating, Circus McGurkus. The more elaborate Morris' dreams about the circus become, the more they depend on the sleepy-looking and innocent Sneelock, who stands outside his ramshackle store sucking on a pipe, oblivious to the fate that awaits him in the depths of Morris's imagination. He doesn't yet know that he'll have to dispense 500 gallons of lemonade, be lassoed by a Wily Walloo, wrestle a Grizzly-Ghastly, and ski down a slope dotted with giant cacti. But if his performance is up to McGurkian expectations, then "Why, ladies and gentlemen, youngsters and oldsters, your heads will quite likely spin right off your shouldsters!"