Scooter (motorcycle)

A scooter or motor scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the rider's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier. Scooter development continued in Europe and the United States between the World Wars.

The global popularity of scooters dates from the post-World War II introductions of the Vespa and the Lambretta. These scooters were intended to provide low-power personal transportation (engines from 50 to 250 cc or 3.1 to 15.3 cu in). The original layout is still widely used in this application. Maxi-scooters, with engines from 250 to 850 cc (15 to 52 cu in) have been developed for Western markets.

Scooters are popular for personal transport, partly due to being cheap to buy, easy to operate and convenient to park and store. Licensing requirements for scooters are easier and cheaper than for cars in most parts of the world, and insurance is usually cheaper.

Scooter (Belgian band)

Scooter was a Belgian pop band from Antwerp, that started in 1979 as Scooter on the Road. In 1981, they released the singles "Tattoo Turkey" and "Peppermint Girl". Due to guitarist Jan Fraeyman suffering from terminal illness he was replaced by Bert Decorte (from The Misters). Sadly, shortly after the release of their debut album One by One (1981), guitarist Jan Fraeyman died.

Scooter scored a megahit in Belgium ‘You (don’t want to be number one’) and won the Summerhit of 1981 award, an annual prize awarded by the Flemish broadcaster Radio 2.

The album “One by One” was produced by the drummer of the band, Herwig Duchateau, who was later successful as the producer of bands like The Bet, Schmutz, Won Ton Ton, The Machines, e.a.).

Scooter, now with guitarist Jan Verheyen after Bert Decorte left the band, released two more albums: Charm and Oblivion with American sounding songs like "Will I Ever Recover From You" (1982), "Stand Out" (1982) and "Minute by minute" (1983). In 1982, shortly after the release of Charm, keyboard player Pit Verlinde left the band.

Sputnik (rural locality)

Sputnik (Russian: Спутник) is the name of several rural localities in Russia:

Sputnik (comics)

Sputnik is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.

Publication history

Sputnik first appeared in Captain America #352-353 (April-May 1989), and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Kieron Dwyer.

The character subsequently appears as Vostok in Avengers #319-324 (July-October 1990), Incredible Hulk #393 (May 1992), Soviet Super-Soldiers #1 (November 1992), Quasar #54 (January 1994), Iron Man #9-10 (October-November 1998), Maximum Security 33 (January 2001), and Thunderbolts #57 (December 2001).

Sputnik appeared as part of the "Supreme Soviets" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #7.

Fictional character biography

The synthezoid originally known as Sputnik was a member of the Supreme Soviets. The team had been sent by the Soviet government to capture the Soviet Super-Soldiers, who were attempting to defect to the United States. Sputnik had been disguised by an illusion to appear as the Vision. Eventually, Captain America defeated the Supreme Soviets and freed the badly wounded Soviet Super-Soldiers.

Sputnik (magazine)

Sputnik (Russian: Спутник) was a Soviet magazine published from 1967 until 1991 by the Soviet press agency Novosti in several languages, targeted at both Eastern Bloc countries and Western nations. It was intended to be a Soviet equivalent to Reader's Digest, publishing news stories excerpted from the Soviet press in a similar size and paper.

Although already censored by the Soviet government, Sputnik was at times censored by the governments of countries at odds with the Kremlin, the most noted example being East Germany in 1988.

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