At this very moment, the best football players from all over the world are making their way to sunny South Africa to compete for the prize of all prizes. All eyes will turn to the Rainbow Nation to see if the numerous critics and doubters were right after all: They don’t believe the country is ready to host the greatest show on earth. Well, the time for words and debate is over, let the action begin and we’ll find out for ourselves!

Behind all the exciting games and magnificent stadia we will be seeing on our screens and the long hours we will be spending encouraging our team on to at least one more win, there is a fascinating country extending well beyond what will be shown.

Don’t worry, this is not a history class, nor a geography test about South Africa. It is just a quick introduction to some facts you may find interesting (like the fact that Kruger National Park is almost the same size as Holland). Hopefully what follows will help add context and flavour to a whole month of football and activities that will happen in Answers.

The Rainbow Nation

South Africans often describe themselves as the Rainbow Nation due to their wide ranging diversity in people and cultural groups. South Africa has a population of 45 million people speaking 11 official languages, with Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans being the most common home languages (English is the fifth most common home language, but is understood by most people as, primarily for economic and political reasons, it is the lingua franca).

The best known and biggest cultural group in South Africa is the Zulus. They proudly defend and practice their own traditions, and became a very important force against the British army in the late 19th Century.

Unusually, the country has three capital cities: Cape Town (Legislative), Pretoria (Administrative), and Bloemfontein (Judicial).

The South African flag as we know it today was adopted on Liberty Day, April 27th 1994 (during the first democratic elections after the abolishment of apartheid.

Sports

Sport in South Africa is almost a national religion! Children actively engage in all types of sport from a very young age and inevitably dream of emulating their heroes in football, rugby, cricket and just about every other sport you can think of.

Since the first democratic elections were celebrated in 1994, South Africa has hosted a variety of international sporting tournaments: The Rugby World cup in 1995 (which they won), Football’s African Cup of Nations in 1996 (which they won), and the Cricket World Cup in 2003. The country has also hosted auto racing’s A1 Grand Prix since 2006.

South Africa has always been a formidable competitor in Rugby Union. The national team, the Springboks, have won the Rugby World Cup on two occasions: 1995 and 2007.

Bafana Bafana (as the South African football team are known, meaning “The Boys”) have the hopes of a nation riding on their shoulders. The South African Football Association (SAFA) was banned from all international football events from 1974 till 1992, so winning the African Cup of Nations in 1996 was a significant triumph. Since then Bafana Bafana have proven somewhat inconsistent, slaying giants one moment and losing dismally to underdogs the next. So anything could happen in June/July 2010!

Famous South Africans

You may know of several other famous South Africans, but here we offer a small list of some of the names that have conquered the world, and you may be surprised by some of them:

J.R.R. Tolkien, writer and author of “Lord of the Rings”.

J.M. Coetzee, writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Nelson Mandela, revolutionary leader, first black president and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Charlize Theron, the first South African actress to win an Oscar.

Christian Barnard, the doctor who realised the first ever heart transplant.

Jody Sheckter, Formula 1 champion in 1979.

Gary Player, World Golf Hall of Famer and winner of 9 major tournaments

Desmond Tutu, Archbishop and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984

Hugh Masekela, Grammy Award nominated musician best known as a trumpeter

As we mentioned, this is just a small introduction to South Africa, and the beginning of a whole month of activities that we have prepared for the Answers Community around the FIFA World Cup. Stay tuned, and you will find yourself in the middle of a number of contests, activities and rewards that we’ve set up for you along the way.

“May the best team win!”

There are a lot of questions in Yahoo! Answers about the first person in space. For the record it was Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union, who went to space in 1961. But not all great astronauts walk on two feet. Some have four legs, fur, and a deeply rooted desire to lick themselves.

By 1961, outer space was old news to animals. The first animal to travel to outer space was a Russian dog named Laika. She was rocketed skyward in 1957. She died during the trip, but that didn’t stop other dogs from following in her pawsteps.

After Laika’s ill-fated journey, the Soviet Union enlisted other canine cosmonauts. Sputnik 5 was “manned” by Strelka and Belka, two brave pups. They were the first dogs to survive a trip in orbit. Sputnik 9, which launched in 1961, also featured a dog, this time named Chernushka. This dog shared the rocket with some mice and a guinea pig.

The United States went a different route when it came to choosing animal astronauts. Instead of sending man’s best friend to explore the final frontier, the Americans enlisted monkeys for the job. The first American animal (not counting mice) to break the confines of the atmosphere was a squirrel monkey named Gordo (like Laika, Gordo died during the journey). Ol’ Gordo was followed by other monkeys named Able, Baker, Sam, Miss Sam, Ham, and Enos. Ham was the first chimpanzee to visit space, and made headlines when he shook hands with the commander of the recovery ship.

You might think that animals in space are a thing of the past. But non-human astronauts are still a relatively common occurrence. Earlier this year, Iran sent a rodent, two turtles and some worms into space. They all returned to Earth alive and well. And all owe a debt of gratitude to the brave creatures who paved the way, whether they wanted to or not.

Now, a question for those of you with pets. Do you think your cat, dog, turtle, snake, or goldfish would make a good astronaut? If so, why? If not, why not?

Thanks for reading,

Mike

Photo by geoconklin2001

While most of us celebrate the fact that Monday, January 18^th is Martin Luther King, Jr, Day, did you know that it actually took 15 years for Congressman John Conyers and others to lobby for this day to become a nationally recognized day?

The bill was introduced to congress just 4 days after Dr. King was shot, but it wasn’t signed into law by President Ronald Reagan until Nov. 2, 1983. In the interim, several states (including Illinois, Massachusetts, and Connecticut) had passed their own versions of the holiday to celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy.

Today, MLK day is designed to celebrate not only Dr. King’s birthday (which is actually on January 15^th) but also to recognize civil service, and, civil rights: two things Dr. King fought hard for and believed in.

Dr. King is most widely known for his “I have a dream speech” but he also often said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”

So on this day of service, reflection, and remembrance, what are you doing to help your community and those around you? Tell us by leaving a comment below!

To learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. read his mini-biography here.

- Spellbound: 30,127 points, Level 7, 65% Best Answer

Every so often we like to profile some of the amazing answerers we see on the site like Tunisian Belle and Calimecita. Today we are happy to put the spotlight on Spellbound: our resident history expert. Russia is his real passion but he is able to answer questions on many subjects. But don’t just take our word for it–here are some of his Best Answers:

• Did Joseph Stalin command the army during the Second World War?
• Why did the Art capitol move from Paris post-War?
• What was the significance of the Soviet satellite nations?

Spellbound in his own words…

“I’ve always enjoyed history, probably that comes from being taken round castles in North Wales as a child, but I also think that the past is alive, because the consequences of actions taken hundreds of years ago can have a direct impact on our lives – Magna Carta being an obvious example.

I am, by education, a Russologist, specialising in the late Soviet period.  I find the USSR fascinating.  It was such a mysterious place, as Churchill said of it “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”.

Other than the Soviet period, I love the medieval English period.  It was such a theatrical period, with larger than life characters, such as Simon De Montefort and Owen Glydwr.

The most misunderstood period of history is probably the Roman period.  In school Roman history is taught as though it were a homogenous, unchanging entity, whereas it was a fluid, dynamic ever changing creation, so much so, that the late Roman period bears little relation to the Rome of Julius Caeser and Augustus.

My favourite question is probably “Why did Germany surrender in 1918?”

The reason I like this question is that it is a clear question, the questioner sounds as though they are interested in the topic – it’s not just for homework help, and although the question may be a simple one, to answer the question well requires a detailed, well thought out answer.

Favorite answer? I have so many, but I think Brother Ranulf always provides food for thought, I thought the questions were really interesting and his answers are really well researched and thought out.”

Some Best Answers by Brother Ranulf, chosen by Spellbound:

• What happened to unchivalrous knights?
• How were monk’s animals and possessions protected in a Viking raid?
• After the Norman Conquest in 1066, what buildings were destroyed and what was built?

Know someone who’s “wowed” you on Answers? Think somebody deserves to be celebrated as next Featured User on the Answers Blog? We want to hear from you!