List of Football World Cup Winners

List of Football World Cup Winners

* 1930
Winner: Uruguay
Runner-up: Argentina
Final score: Uruguay 4-2 Argentina
Host country: Uruguay

* 1934
Winner: Italy
Runner-up: Czechoslovakia
Final score: Italy 2-1 Czechoslovakia (Extra time)
Host country: Italy

* 1938
Winner: Italy
Runner-up: Hungary
Final score: Italy 4-2 Hungary
Host country: France

* 1950
Winner: Uruguay
Runner-up: Brazil
Final score: Uruguay 2-1 Brazil
Host country: Brazil

* 1954
Winner: West Germany
Runner-up: Hungary
Final score: West Germany 3-2 Hungary
Host country: Switzerland

* 1958
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Sweden
Final score: Brazil 5-2 Sweden
Host country: Sweden

* 1962
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Czechoslovakia
Final score: Brazil 3-1 Czechoslovakia
Host country: Chile

* 1966
Winner: England
Runner-up: West Germany
Final score: England 4-2 West Germany (Extra time)
Host country: England

* 1970
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Italy
Final score: Brazil 4-1 Italy
Host country: Mexico

* 1974
Winner: West Germany
Runner-up: Netherlands
Final score: West Germany 2-1 Netherlands
Host country: West Germany

* 1978
Winner: Argentina
Runner-up: Netherlands
Final score: Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (Extra time)
Host country: Argentina

* 1982
Winner: Italy
Runner-up: West Germany
Final score: Italy 3-1 West Germany
Host country: Spain

* 1986
Winner: Argentina
Runner-up: West Germany
Final score: Argentina 3-2 West Germany
Host country: Mexico

* 1990
Winner: West Germany
Runner-up: Argentina
Final score: West Germany 1-0 Argentina
Host country: Italy

* 1994
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Italy
Final score: Brazil 0-0 Italy (3-2 pen)
Host country: United States

* 1998
Winner: France
Runner-up: Brazil
Final score: France 3-0 Brazil
Host country: France

* 2002
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Germany
Final score: Brazil 2-0 Germany
Host country: South Korea & Japan

* 2006
Winner: Italy
Runner-up: France
Final score: Italy 1-1 France (5-3 pen)
Host country: Germany

* 2010
Winner: Spain
Runner-up: Netherlands
Final score: Spain 1-0 Netherlands (Extra time)
Host country: South Africa

10 Major Festivals Of India

The land which is known all over the globe for its cultural and religious diversity, India, observes festivals throughout the year. People belonging to different religions celebrate different festivals. However, some festivals have become pan-religious and are celebrated by all the sects in the society. Owing to this dense cultural identity of India, we hereby bring to you the top 10 festivals that are celebrated in India:

Diwali

Diwali, also termed as Deepawali, is widely celebrated and the most famous Indian festival. The festival is first said to have been celebrated by the people of Ayodhya when Lord Rama came back from exile with wife and brother after fourteen long years. The festival was celebrated by lighting little clay lamps and the whole city of Ayodhya was decorated for welcoming the mighty king.

Literal meaning of Diwali is row of lights. In the evening, after offering prayers to God Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi, people lit their houses with vibrant lights and candles thus creating a striking view. According to Hindu lunar calendar, festival takes place on the moonless night of dark half of Kartik. Highlight of the festival is the firework carried out all across the country.

Holi

Holi is a two day festival that also celebrates the victory of good over evil, as well as the abundance of the spring harvest season. It’s commonly referred to as the “Festival of Colors”. People exuberantly throw colored powder and water all over each other, have parties, and dance under water sprinklers. Bhang (a paste made from cannabis plants) is also traditionally consumed during the celebrations. Holi is a very carefree festival that’s great fun to participate in if you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.

Navaratri, Dussehra, and Durga Puja

The first nine days of this festival are known as Navaratri, and are filled with dance in honor of the Mother Goddess. The tenth day, called Dussehra, is devoted to celebrating the defeat of the demon king Ravana by Lord Rama. It also coincides with the victory of the revered warrior Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.

Last day of the celebrations come to an end by immersing the idols in the nearby water channels on the evening of Dashami as it is believed that goddess returns to her abode on this day.

Eid

Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is a three-day Muslim celebration. Ramadan is the Islamic holy month of fasting during which followers of Muslim religion observe a strict fast from dawn-to-sunset. It is believed that the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed in the month of Ramzan. Eid ul-Fitr is thus celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Baisakhi

Baisakhi or vaisakhi is celebrated by Sikhs and some sects of Hindus too. This harvest festival is celebrated especially in Punjab region by the Sikh community. For Sikhs, this festival celebrates for the new harvest and also the birth of Khalsa. Baisakhi is generally celebrated either on 13th or 14th April. People usually go to Amritsar to visit The Golden Temple. The folk dance of ‘bhangra’ is also performed by the people as a marker of their joy and happiness.

Christmas

Christmas, the annual celebration is a feast central to the Christian liturgical year. This festival is celebrated all over the world by Christians on December 25th. Family reunions and the exchange of gifts are the stock features of the festival. Christmas carols, cards and Santa Claus are some of the popular derivatives of the festival that have developed across the globe and have become a crucial part of Christmas celebrations.

Onam

Onam is the festival which is celebrated by the people of Kerala in South India. It is celebrated as the homecoming of the mythical king Mahabali. People wear new traditional dresses and eat the traditional food of rice poured on banana leaves along with four different types of dishes. They celebrate this occasion by decorating a pyramid of beautiful flowers and pray for their good health and wealth. On this day people of Kerala also participate in an enormous boat riding competition.

Ganesh Chaturthi

The spectacular eleven day Ganesh Chaturthi festival honors the birth of the beloved Hindu elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha. The start of the festival sees huge, elaborately crafted statutes of Ganesha installed in homes and podiums, which have been especially constructed and beautifully decorated. At the end of the festival, the statutes are paraded through the streets, accompanied by much singing and dancing, and then submerged in the ocean.

Raksha Bandhan

A festival celebrated to bring out the love and affection between brothers and sisters, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated mostly in north India. On this day, sisters pray for long life of their brothers and ask God to bless them with his blessings. As a symbol of their love and care for their brothers the sisters tie rakhi or a sacred threat of protection on their brothers’ wrists. Brothers, in turn, give them enticing rakhi gifts and promise to care for them till the end of their lives.

Karva Chauth

Another important Indian festival that celebrates the most beautiful relation on earth of that of a husband and wife is Karva Chauth. To ensure the well-being, wealth and long life of their husbands married women observes a very difficult fast on this occasion. They neither eat food nor drink water the whole day. They get dressed up like newly wedded brides and decorating hands and feet by creating intricate designs with henna is one of the most common traditions largely followed on this occasion.

LIST OF MISS WORLD (1951-2013)

1951 - Kiki Haakonson, Sweden

1952 - May Louise Flodin, Sweden

1953 - Denise Perrier, France

1954 - Antigone Costanda, Egypt

1955 - Carmen Zubillaga, Venezuela

1956 - Petra Schurmann, Germany

1957 - Marita Lindahl, Finland

1958 - Penelope Coelen, South Africa

1959 - Corine Rottschafer, Holland

1960 - Norma Cappagli, Argentina

1961 - Rosemarie Frankland, United Kingdom

1962 - Catharine Lodders, Holland

1963 - Carole Crawford, Jamaica

1964 - Ann Sidney, United Kingdom

1965 - Lesley Langley, United Kingdom

1966 - Reita Faria, India

1967 - Madeiline Hartog Bel, Peru

1968 - Penelope Plummer, Australia

1969 - Eva Reuber Staier, Austria

1970 - Jennifer Hosten, Grenada

1971 - Lucia Petterle, Brazil

1972 - Belina Green, Australia

1973 - Marjorie Wallace, USA

1974 - Anneline Kriel, South Africa

1975 - Winelia Merced, Puerto Rico

1976 - Cindy Breakspeare, Jamaica

1977 - Mary Stavin, Sweden

1978 - Silvana Suarez, Argentina

1979 - Gina Swainson, Bermuda

1980 - Kimberly Santos, Guam

1981 - Pilin Leon, Venezuela

1982 - Mariasela Lebron, Dominican Republic

1983 - Sarah Jane Hutt, United Kingdom

1984 - Astrid Herrera, Venezuela

1985 - Hofi Karlsdottir, Iceland

1986 - Giselle Laronde, Trinidad

1987 - Ulla Weigerstorfer, Austria

1988 - Linda Petursdottir, Iceland

1989 - Andeta Kreglicka, Poland

1990 - Gina Marie Tolleson, USA

1991 - Ninebeth Jiminez, Venezuela

1992 - Julia Kourotchkina, Russia

1993 - Lisa Hanna, Jamaica

1994 - Aishwariya Rai, India

1995 - Jacqueline Aquilera, Venezuela

1996 - Irene Skliva ,Greece

1997 - Diana Hayden, India

1998 - Linor Abargil, Israel

1999 - Yukta Mookhey, India

2000 - Priyanka Chopra, India

2001 - Ibiagbanidokibubo Asenite Darego Nigeria

2002 - Azra Akin—Turkey

2003 - Rosanna Davidson, Ireland

2004 - Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, Peru

2005 - Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir, Iceland

2006 - Tat’ana Kucharova, Czech Republic

2007 - Zhang Zhi Li, China PR

2008 - Ksenia Sukhinova, Russia

2009 - Kaiane Aldorino, Gibraltar

2010 - Alexandria Mills, USA

2011 - Ivian Sarcos, Venezuela

2012 - Wen Xia Yu, China PR

2013 - Megan Young, Philippines