Billy

Sunday, Billy (William Ashley Sunday), 1863-1935, American evangelist, b. Ames, Iowa, in the era around World War I. A professional baseball player (1883-90), he later worked for the Young Men's Christian Association in Chicago (1891-95) and, during that time, became associated with the Presbyterian itinerant evangelist J. Wilbur Chapman (1859-1918). After leading a successful revival in Garner, Iowa (1896) Sunday became a full-time evangelist. Known as "the baseball evangelist," Sunday drew large crowds to his revivals with his flamboyant style. As the most popular American evangelist of the World War I era, he raised much of the popular support for prohibition.

Wilder, Billy, 1906-2002, American film director, producer, and writer, b. Sucha, Galicia (now Poland) as Samuel Wilder. He wrote for films in Berlin, fled the Nazis, and arrived in Hollywood in 1934. After writing various screenplays, he directed his first film in 1942, and soon developed a reputation as a witty and harshly sardonic critic of American mores. At first he mixed dramas and comedies, later concentrating on satire, and his 25 films represent many styles, approaches, and themes. His The Lost Weekend (1945), an unsparing study of alcoholism, won Academy Awards for direction, production, and screenplay; Sunset Boulevard (1950), an acidic look at Hollywood, won another for best screenplay; and The Apartment (1960), a morally ambiguous modern tale, again won him three Oscars. Wilder's Some Like It Hot (1959) is one of the finest comic films ever made. His other films include Double Indemnity (1944), Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Fedora (1979), and Buddy Buddy (1981).

Strayhorn, Billy (William Thomas Strayhorn), 1915-67, African-American jazz composer, arranger, lyricist, and pianist, b. Dayton, Ohio. Classically trained, he was drawn to jazz, and early in his career composed a number of songs. Among these was Lush Life (1938), written just before he met Duke Ellington, with whom he became a lifelong collaborator. By 1939 Strayhorn was writing songs, creating arrangements, and sometimes playing piano for the Ellington orchestra. Strayhorn's compositions include "Take the A Train," the group's theme, and such standards as "Chelsea Bridge," "Satin Doll," and "Passion Flower." His sophisticated approach and his introspective, nuanced, and impressionist-tinged style meshed beautifully with Ellington's own. It is sometimes difficult to tell which of the Duke's works have passages by the younger man, and some of Strayhorn's material has been mistaken for Ellington's. Openly gay in a homophobic era and business, Strayhorn avoided the spotlight, and his achievements and contributions to the Ellington sound were not fully understood by the public for many years. After "Stray"'s untimely death, Ellington paid tribute to him in And His Mother Called Him Bill (1967), an album of Strayhorn's compositions.

Graham, Billy (William Franklin Graham), 1918-, American evangelist, b. Charlotte, N.C., grad. Wheaton College (B.A., 1943). Graham was ordained a minister in the Southern Baptist Church (1939), was the pastor of a Chicago church (his first and last pastorate), and in 1944 became an evangelist for the American Youth for Christ movement. In 1949 he received national attention for an extended evangelical campaign in Los Angeles. He subsequently made preaching tours (for which he popularized the term "crusade") in most major U.S. cities and in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, and Russia. His reputation made him a favored guest among politicians and presidents. Graham, who in his preaching has consistently stressed personal conversion and scriptural authority, is identified with the conservative Protestant movement known as neo-evangelicalism (see fundamentalism) and is to a large degree responsible for establishing it as part of the American mainstream. He is also the co-founder of the journal Christianity Today. The Billy Graham Evangelical Association, founded in the early 1950s, publishes Decision magazine and produces programs for radio, television, and screen. Graham retired as head of the association in 2000; Franklin Graham, his son, succeeded him as its leader. Billy Graham held his final crusade in 2004.

orig. Samuel Wilder

(born June 22, 1906, Sucha, Austria—died March 27, 2002, Beverly Hills, Calif., U.S.) Austrian-born U.S. film director and screenwriter. Working as a reporter in Vienna and Berlin, he wrote screenplays for German films. He fled Germany in 1933 and arrived in Hollywood a year later. He cowrote screenplays with Charles Brackett and established his reputation as a director with Double Indemnity (1944). Noted for his humorous treatment of controversial subjects and his biting indictments of hypocrisy, he also directed The Lost Weekend (1945, Academy Award), Sunset Boulevard (1950, Academy Award for best screenplay), Stalag 17 (1953), and The Apartment (1960, Academy Award). His acclaimed comedies include Sabrina (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Some Like It Hot (1959), and Kiss Me, Stupid (1964).

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orig. William Ashley Sunday

(born Nov. 19, 1862/63, Ames, Iowa, U.S.—died Nov. 6, 1935, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. religious revivalist. He became a professional baseball player with the Chicago White Sox in 1883 and later played in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Philadelphia. In 1887 he underwent a conversion experience; he began preaching in 1897 and was ordained in the Presbyterian church in 1903. A flamboyant preacher of fundamentalist theology whose sermons reflected the social upheaval caused by the transition from a rural to an urban society, he advocated a strict morality and campaigned effectively for Prohibition. He conducted hundreds of revival meetings and reached an estimated 100 million people. His popularity faded in the 1920s, but he continued preaching until his death.

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orig. William Thomas Strayhorn

(born Nov. 29, 1915, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.—died May 31, 1967, New York, N.Y.) U.S. pianist, composer, and arranger. Strayhorn approached jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington with a composition in 1938, and he was soon contributing arrangements and original works to Ellington's band. His “Take the ‘A' Train,” recorded in 1941, became the band's theme song. His work so complemented Ellington's that it is often impossible to distinguish their respective contributions. Strayhorn made expressive ballads his specialty and became noted for the structural and harmonic sophistication of pieces such as “Lush Life,” “Something to Live For,” “Passion Flower,” and “Day Dream.”

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orig. William Mitchell

(born Dec. 29, 1879, Nice, France—died Feb. 19, 1936, New York, N.Y., U.S.) French-born U.S. aviator. He enlisted in the army and served in the Spanish-American War. He became the top U.S. air commander in World War I, initiating mass-bombing formations and leading an attack involving 1,500 planes. An outspoken advocate of a separate air force, he foresaw the replacement of the battleship by the bomber. When a navy dirigible was lost in a storm (1925), he accused the U.S. war and navy departments of incompetence; charged with insubordination, he was court-martialed and suspended from duty. He resigned in 1926 but continued to champion air power and to warn of advances by foreign air forces. In 1948 he was posthumously honoured by the new U.S. Air Force with a special medal.

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in full William Franklin Graham, Jr.

(born Nov. 7, 1918, Charlotte, N.C., U.S.) U.S. Christian evangelist. The son of a dairy farmer, he underwent a conversion experience at age 16 during a revival. After attending Bob Jones College and the Florida Bible Institute, he was ordained a Southern Baptist clergyman in 1940. He later earned a degree in anthropology from Wheaton College. He won numerous converts with his tent revivals and radio broadcasts, and by 1950 he had become fundamentalism's leading spokesman. He led a series of widely televised international revival crusades through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Minneapolis, Minn., and he enjoyed close associations with a series of U.S. presidents. Graham and his wife, Ruth, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1996.

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orig. William H. Bonney, Jr., or Henry McCarty

(born Nov. 23, 1859/60, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died July 14, 1881, Fort Sumner, N.M.) U.S. criminal. As a child he migrated with his family to Kansas, then lived in New Mexico from circa 1868. His career of lawlessness throughout the Southwest began early; by the time he was captured by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1880 he had allegedly killed 27 men. Convicted in New Mexico in 1881 and sentenced to hang, he escaped from jail, killing two deputies, and remained at large until Garrett tracked him down and killed him.

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orig. Samuel Wilder

(born June 22, 1906, Sucha, Austria—died March 27, 2002, Beverly Hills, Calif., U.S.) Austrian-born U.S. film director and screenwriter. Working as a reporter in Vienna and Berlin, he wrote screenplays for German films. He fled Germany in 1933 and arrived in Hollywood a year later. He cowrote screenplays with Charles Brackett and established his reputation as a director with Double Indemnity (1944). Noted for his humorous treatment of controversial subjects and his biting indictments of hypocrisy, he also directed The Lost Weekend (1945, Academy Award), Sunset Boulevard (1950, Academy Award for best screenplay), Stalag 17 (1953), and The Apartment (1960, Academy Award). His acclaimed comedies include Sabrina (1954), The Seven Year Itch (1955), Some Like It Hot (1959), and Kiss Me, Stupid (1964).

Learn more about Wilder, Billy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. William Ashley Sunday

(born Nov. 19, 1862/63, Ames, Iowa, U.S.—died Nov. 6, 1935, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. religious revivalist. He became a professional baseball player with the Chicago White Sox in 1883 and later played in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Philadelphia. In 1887 he underwent a conversion experience; he began preaching in 1897 and was ordained in the Presbyterian church in 1903. A flamboyant preacher of fundamentalist theology whose sermons reflected the social upheaval caused by the transition from a rural to an urban society, he advocated a strict morality and campaigned effectively for Prohibition. He conducted hundreds of revival meetings and reached an estimated 100 million people. His popularity faded in the 1920s, but he continued preaching until his death.

Learn more about Sunday, Billy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

orig. William Thomas Strayhorn

(born Nov. 29, 1915, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.—died May 31, 1967, New York, N.Y.) U.S. pianist, composer, and arranger. Strayhorn approached jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington with a composition in 1938, and he was soon contributing arrangements and original works to Ellington's band. His “Take the ‘A' Train,” recorded in 1941, became the band's theme song. His work so complemented Ellington's that it is often impossible to distinguish their respective contributions. Strayhorn made expressive ballads his specialty and became noted for the structural and harmonic sophistication of pieces such as “Lush Life,” “Something to Live For,” “Passion Flower,” and “Day Dream.”

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orig. William Mitchell

(born Dec. 29, 1879, Nice, France—died Feb. 19, 1936, New York, N.Y., U.S.) French-born U.S. aviator. He enlisted in the army and served in the Spanish-American War. He became the top U.S. air commander in World War I, initiating mass-bombing formations and leading an attack involving 1,500 planes. An outspoken advocate of a separate air force, he foresaw the replacement of the battleship by the bomber. When a navy dirigible was lost in a storm (1925), he accused the U.S. war and navy departments of incompetence; charged with insubordination, he was court-martialed and suspended from duty. He resigned in 1926 but continued to champion air power and to warn of advances by foreign air forces. In 1948 he was posthumously honoured by the new U.S. Air Force with a special medal.

Learn more about Mitchell, Billy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

in full William Franklin Graham, Jr.

(born Nov. 7, 1918, Charlotte, N.C., U.S.) U.S. Christian evangelist. The son of a dairy farmer, he underwent a conversion experience at age 16 during a revival. After attending Bob Jones College and the Florida Bible Institute, he was ordained a Southern Baptist clergyman in 1940. He later earned a degree in anthropology from Wheaton College. He won numerous converts with his tent revivals and radio broadcasts, and by 1950 he had become fundamentalism's leading spokesman. He led a series of widely televised international revival crusades through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Minneapolis, Minn., and he enjoyed close associations with a series of U.S. presidents. Graham and his wife, Ruth, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1996.

Learn more about Graham, Billy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Billy-Berclau is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

A small town east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D163 and N47 roads, surrounded by the Canal d’Aire. Light industry and a little farming have replaced the coal mining of the past.

History

The city was completely destroyed during the First World War.
On March 27th, 2003, an explosion at the dynamite factory killed 4 people.

Population

Population Evolution

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
2963	2979	3163	3579	4149	4259
Census count starting from 1962 : Population without double counting

Places of interest

• The church of Notre-Dame, rebuilt, as was most of the town, after the First World War.
• The remains of a Prévôté building (once belonging to an abbey)..
• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
• A German World War I cemetery.

See also

Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

External links

• Official website of Billy-Berclau
• Website about Artois
• The CWGC at the communal cemetery
• Billy-Berclau on the Quid website
• Website of the Communauté d'agglomération de l'Artois

Notes

• This article is based on the Billy-Berclau from the French Wikipedia, consulted on July 11th 2008.