Ursus A

Ursus A was a series of Polish lorries and buses. It was a license-built modification of the Italian SPA 25C Polonia trucks.

In 1924 the Polish government ordered a large series of license-built 3-ton Berliet CBA lorries and 1.5-ton SPA 25C Polonia trucks. Ursus was to deliver 1050 trucks in three batches of 200 Berliets and 150 SPAs each. The first batch was to be imported from France and Italy, the second locally assembled from imported parts, while the final batch was to be produced locally in Poland. The company started building a new factory in Czechowice near Warsaw to accommodate the new production lines, but construction was slow. Eventually the Polish Army agreed to buy 400 Berliets from France and allowed the Ursus company to focus on SPA production. On 11 July 1928 the first 52 Ursus A trucks left the factory.

Ursus A was basically a modification of the Italian truck, adapted to harsh Polish weather and poor roads. Initially modifications were minor, the basic difference was a larger payload (2.5 tons instead of 2) and a simplified cooler. Overtime additional modifications were added (notably three types of cabs), which led to a variety of variants being produced. Until 1931, when production was phased out in favour of Polski Fiat 621, 884 vehicles were delivered, including 509 for the civilian market.

Ursus

Ursus may refer to:

Quo Vadis (novel)

Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero, commonly known as Quo Vadis, is a historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz in Polish. "Quo vadis Domine" is Latin for "Where are you going, Lord?" and alludes to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, in which Peter flees Rome but on his way meets Jesus and asks him why he is going to Rome. Jesus says, "I am going back to be crucified again", which makes Peter go back to Rome and accept martyrdom.

The novel Quo Vadis tells of a love that develops between a young Christian woman, Ligia (or Lygia), and Marcus Vinicius, a Roman patrician. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of emperor Nero, circa AD 64.

Sienkiewicz studied the Roman Empire extensively prior to writing the novel, with the aim of getting historical details correct. Consequently, several historical figures appear in the book. As a whole, the novel carries an outspoken pro-Christian message.

Published in installments in three Polish dailies in 1895, it came out in book form in 1896 and has since been translated into more than 50 languages. This novel contributed to Sienkiewicz's Nobel Prize for literature in 1905.

Ursus (genus)

Ursus is a genus in the family Ursidae (bears) that includes the widely distributed brown bears, the polar bear, and black bears. The name is derived from the Latin ursus, meaning bear.

Species and subspecies of Ursus