Capital Punishment. Abolished: 1863 Venezuela; 1870 Netherlands; 1877 Costa Rica; 1949 Germany; 1965 Britain; 1969 Vatican City; 1972 US (reinstated 1976); 1976 Canada; 1981 France; (96 countries). Retained: Iran, Iraq, N Korea, USA (95 countries).

Central America Federation. 1823-40. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica. 1502 Columbus discovers. 1564 Spain settles. 1821 Independent. 1822 Mexican Empire. 1823 CAF. 1838 Republic.

McPherson, Aimee Semple.1890-1944. Controversial Canadian/US Pentacostal evangelist.

Pentecostalism. Protestant fundamentalist mystic sects. Baptism with Holy Spirit gives supernatural gifts, speaking in tongues.

Abd al-Mumin. 1094-1163. Founded Almohad Empire in north Africa and Spain. Massacred Almoravids.

Acid Rain. 1940-. Rain and fog of pH<5.5 caused by industrial air pollution. Prevalent in North America, Eastern Europe.

Adams, John. 1735-1826. Revolutionary, 2nd US president 1797-1801.

Adams, Samuel. 1722-1803. US Revolutionary: -“No taxation without representation”.

AFL-CIO. American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations. AFL 1886. CIO 1935. Merged, 1955. US labour union federation.

African Colonization. 1840-1920. 15C Portuguese exploration. 1884-1920 Africa divided by European powers. 1950- anti-colonial mvmts.

African National Congress. ANC. 1912-. Organization for black rights in South Africa outlawed to 1990. 1994- Ruling party. Mandela.

Africanus Sextus. c180-250. Wrote chronology of World, Creation to 221 AD.

Afrikaans. Dutch-derived language of South Africa.

Alabama Claims. 1872. US claim damages caused by British built warships in Civil War. $15M=£3.25M awarded by arbitration.

Alaska. 1741 Bering explores. 1799 Russian America. 1867 US buys for $7.2M. 1959 State.

Allen, Ethan. 1738-89. Led Green Mountain Boys in American Revolution. Failed to take Montreal, 1775.

Alliance for Progress. 1961. Coordination of Latin American economies, resistance to communism.

America. Term coined 1507 by Waldseemüller after Amerigo Vespucci.

American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU. 1920-. US legal action group supporting civil rights.

American Civil War. 1861-5. Abolitionist North defeats slave-owning South. Britain and France support South, Russia supports North. Union. Confederacy.

American Colonization Society. 1816-1912. Transported blacks to Liberia.

American Expeditionary Force. US forces in WWI.

American Revolution. 1775-1783. Independence won from Britain, United States of America formed.

America’s Cup. 1851. Royal Yacht Squadron race won by Americans until 1983. Oldest international sports trophy.

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