FILENIN SULTANLARI    

Filenin Sultanları competed in the FIVB Nations League, the first organization of the season. In the first week of the league played in Antalya, South Korea beat 3-0, Serbia beat 3-1, Italy beat 3-0, the USA lost 3-2, the Nationals beat the Netherlands 3-0, Canada 3-0 and the Dominican Republic 3-1 in the second week of the competition in Hong Kong, lost to Poland 3-0. The national team lost to Japan 3-2 in the first match of the third week of the league in Bangkok and managed to reach the final of the FIVB Nations League to be held in Arlington, Texas, USA by beating Thailand, Brazil and Croatia 3-0. The "Filenin Sultanları" defeated Italy 3-0 in the quarterfinals, USA 3-1 in the semifinals and China 3-1 in the final and won the gold medal in the FIVB Nations League for the first time in their history. The national team, which has achieved the success of rising to the first place in the ranking of countries for the first time in the history of Turkish volleyball, guaranteed to be at the top of the world ranking until May 2024 by defeating Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games Qualification.

        MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK

Mehmet II. was born on 29th March 1432, in Edirne. He was the son of Sultan Murad II. His mother was Huma Hatun.Mehmet II was a statesman and a military leader. He was educated by famous scholar Aksemseddin. Mehmet was speaking seven languages fluently. He also interested in philosophy and science. He was also interested in literature, fine arts and monumental architecture. Mehmet II. was ascended the throne in his 20th year.He took the name “conqueror” (fatih) after the conquest of Istanbul on 29th May 1453. The conquest of Istanbul spelled the end of the Byzantine Empire and entered a phase of urban revival under the wise and tolerant administrations of Mehmet and his immediate successors. The capture of Istanbul was followed by a long succession of campaigns which resulted in a tremendous extension of direct Ottoman rule. Among those areas that fell to Mehmet II were Serbia, Greece, the Empire of Trezibizond, Wallachia, Bosnia, Karaman, Albania and several Venetian and Geneose maritime establishments. The emperor had died on 3rd May 1481. He was buried in “Fatih Turbesi” (tomb), near the Mosque of Fatih in Istanbul.

            Fatih Sultan Mehmet

                Ulubatlı Hasan

Ulubatlı Hasan is an Ottoman soldier who lived in the last periods of the Ottoman Empire and has an important heroic story. Its name is based on a soldier named Hasan, who carried the flag of the Turkish army while fighting alongside the Seljuk Sultan Alparslan at the Battle of Manzikert Square (1071). Ulubatlı Hasan took part in the army of Fatih Sultan Mehmet during the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. Hasan is known as the first person to climb the walls of Istanbul and plant the Ottoman flag. This action took place at one of the critical moments of the siege and became a great source of morale and motivation in the conquest of Istanbul. Due to this brave action, he was praised by Fatih Sultan Mehmet and rewarded with various privileges. The heroism of Ulubatlı Hasan is remembered with great respect and gratitude by the Turkish nation.

                  Özlem Türeci

Özlem Türeci is a scientist and entrepreneur born in the Saarland region of Germany. After completing his medical education, Türeci focused on studies in the field of cancer and immunity. His Wife is Prof. Dr. Together with Uğur Şahin, they founded a biotechnology company called BioNTech. The company is focused on developing cancer treatments and vaccines using mRNA technology. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech together with Pfizer has achieved significant success worldwide. Özlem Türeci and her husband Uğur Şahin have gained great appreciation in the medical and scientific world for their leading roles in these vaccine studies. Along with her achievements, Türeci has also emphasized the importance of women scientists in leadership roles in the world of science.

Sabiha Gökçen is the most famous female Turk of all time. She is known as the world’s first female fighter pilot!

Gökçen was born in Bursa in 1912 and years later was adopted by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk after she approached him during his visit to Bursa in 1925 and expressed her desire to leave her awful living conditions behind and study at a boarding school. 

Throughout her flying career, Sabiha Gökçen completed an impressive 8,000 hours of flying and took part in 32 military operations! In 1996, the US Air Force selected her as the only female pilot for their poster of “The 20 Greatest Aviators in History.” 

The second largest airport in Istanbul (Sabiha Gökçen Airport) is named after her!

                    ROMANIA

                    SLOVAKIA

                        ITALY

JANNIK SINNER

Jannik Sinner, born 16 August 2001, is an Italian professional tennis player. He is currently ranked World No. 1 in singles by the ATP and is the  highest ranked Italian tennis player in history.

Sinner grew up in northern Italy in the predominantly German-speaking region of South Tyrol. After being a competitive skier between the ages of 8–12, Sinner switched to focus exclusively on tennis at age 13. He preferred it over skiing because he wanted to compete directly against an opponent and to have more margin of error over the course of an entire match.

 He also wanted to be in an individual sport where he could make all of the decisions, an opportunity he would not have in a team sport like football. Thanks to his impressive power and exceptional agility, he has conquered the tennis world. But Sinner stands out also for his modest personality and ambition. 

Young people especially like Jannik for the way he wins; the tennis player is a model of commitment, dedication and will. In his interviews he thanks his family and bring true values into modern sport.  He is not only a source of pride for Italy, but also a rising star of international tennis.

BEATRICE VENEZI

Beatrice Venezi, born in 1990, is an orchestra conductor, among the youngest in Europe, pianist and composer.

 Up to now, she has conducted orchestras all over the world and collaborated with the most important festivals and major theaters in the world. She has collaborated with prestigious musical institutions and internationally renowned performers such as Placido Domingo, Marcelo Àlvarez, Eleonora Abbagnato and Andrea Bocelli.

 During her precocious career she has received various awards, in particular for her artistic skills and commitment to the diffusion of classical musical culture in the younger generations. In fact, she is always on the front lines to help young people discover classical music, helping with initiatives in collaboration with key artists from different musical genres, for example her dialogue with Rocco Hunt (an Italian rapper) at the MTV Digital Days.

The social dimension of her music has an important message of open-mindedness and innovation. Thanks to her career in the world’s major theatres, including in very conservative countries where Beatrice was the first woman on the stage to receive admiration from the public in that role, she gained respect from her audience for her commitment towards eradicating all discrimination towards women.

Michelangelo Buonarroti, born on 6 March 1475 in Caprese, was one of the greatest artists in the history of art: his life, his masterpieces are the reasons for his greatness. The contemporaries of the great Tuscan artist already had a perception of the greatness of his genius, one of the greatest in the entire history of art. We can consider Michelangelo's experience unrepeatable: perhaps the greatest sculptor of all time, with his art he marked a fundamental watershed, many artists after him would have tried to imitate him without even coming close to his results, and his inspiration continues to provide ideas and suggestions centuries later.

Heir to the great art of Medici Florence, Michelangelo reached the peak of his artistic career thanks to the magnificent creations for the popes of Rome, such as the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Prominent figure of the Renaissance, he reflected in his works the crisis of an era that was sliding towards religious wars and the repression of the Counter-Reformation

Amongst his greatest achievements: Pietà in St. Peter’s (Rome); David in Florence; Moses (Rome); the Sistine chapel ceiling (Rome); The Last Judgment; St. Peter’s Basilica.

Life and work were one for Buonarroti: life determined his creations, work was his reason for living.

RITA LEVI- MONTALCINI

Born in 1909, Rita Levi-Montalcini began her groundbreaking research during World War II, where she conducted experiments on chick embryos in a home laboratory. She discovered nerve growth factor (NGF), a key protein that plays a crucial role in the growth and maintenance of nerve cells. This discovery had profound implications for understanding both normal development and diseases of the nervous system. Levi-Montalcini continued her scientific career, becoming a professor and establishing herself as a leading figure in neuroscience. Her work extended beyond the lab; she advocated for science education and women in science. Despite facing gender-based challenges, she became an inspiration for aspiring scientists. In addition to the Nobel Prize, she received numerous honours and awards for her contributions to science and medicine.

Rita Levi-Montalcini passed away in 2012, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of neuroscience.

FALCONE E BORSELLINO

Falcone and Borsellino were two prominent Italian magistrates who played crucial roles in the fight against the Sicilian Mafia, also known as Cosa Nostra.

Giovanni Falcone was born on May 18, 1939, in Palermo, Sicily. He became an anti-Mafia magistrate in the 1980s and was renowned for his innovative investigative techniques. Falcone is best known for his work on the Maxi Trial, which started in 1986 and resulted in the conviction of 338 Mafia members. His efforts significantly weakened the Mafia's power in Sicily.

Paolo Borsellino was born on January 19, 1940, also in Palermo. Like Falcone, he was a committed anti-Mafia prosecutor. 

They were both assassinated in 1992 with the use of car bombs within months of each other. Borsellino and Falcone were close friends and colleagues, working together on various investigations against Cosa Nostra. After Falcone's assassination, Borsellino continued the fight, knowing he was also a target.

Their heroism is above all the pursuing of their ideals and their idea of justice, considering that their were aware of what it would have happened to their lives.

                    HUNGARY