[Wikipedia Daily Article] July 6: 2012 Summer Olympics bids

[Faraaz Damji]

   The 2012 Summer Olympics bids comprised bids by nine cities to host
   the 2012 Summer Olympics.  The International Olympic Committee
   shortlisted five of them — London, Madrid, Moscow, New York City, and
   Paris — and London eventually prevailed, becoming the first city to
   host the Olympic Games three times.  The bidding process for the 2012
   Olympics was considered one of the most hotly contested in the history
   of the IOC.  Paris was seen as the front-runner for most of the
   campaign, but last-minute lobbying by London's supporters was one
   factor that led to the success of its bid.  Madrid was regarded as one
   of the favourites, but the city did not receive enough votes to
   surpass Paris and London.  After a technical evaluation of the nine
   original bids, the top five were shortlisted on May 18, 2004, becoming
   official candidates.  The remaining applicant cities — Havana,
   Istanbul, Leipzig and Rio de Janeiro — were eliminated.  On July 6,
   2005, in a four-round voting of the IOC (gathered at the 117th IOC
   Session in Singapore), Moscow, New York City, and Madrid were
   eliminated in the first three rounds.  By a margin of four votes over
   Paris, London won the final round and secured the right to host the
   2012 Olympics.

Read the rest of this article:
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_bids


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Today's selected anniversaries:

1415:
   Jan Hus, founder of the Christian Hussite reform movement, was burned
   at the stake for committing heresy.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus)

1885:
   French chemist Louis Pasteur successfully tested his vaccine against
   rabies on nine-year-old Joseph Meister after he was bitten by an
   infected dog.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies)

1887:
   King Kalākaua of Hawai'i was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution,
   stripping the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority as well as
   disfranchising all Asians, most native Hawaiians, and the poor.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1887_Constitution_of_the_Kingdom_of_Hawaii)

1942:
   Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the "Secret Annexe"
   above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank)

1966:
   Hastings Banda became the first president of Malawi, exactly two years
   after the country was granted independence from the United Kingdom.
   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Banda)


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Wikiquote of the day:

   Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.  Without them
   humanity cannot survive.  -- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
   (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tenzin_Gyatso%2C_14th_Dalai_Lama)