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After his easy victory over Babylonia, described in the Cyrus Cylinder, a masterpiece of diplomatic propaganda mixed with deep political wisdom, the Achaemenid Persian Cyrus the Great presented himself not as a conqueror, but a liberator, a restorer of the right religion (of Marduk) and the legitimate successor to the crown. He took the title of "King of Babylon and King of the Lands". Cyrus had no thought of forcing conquered people into a single mould, and had the sense not to change the institutions of each kingdom, but rather attached them to the Persian crown. In 537 BC he allowed more than 40,000 Jews to leave Babylon and return to Palestine.

He also declared the first Charter of Human Rights known to mankind, which is written on the clay cylinder now at the British Museum.

The following is a translation of part of the cuneiform script on the original cylinder. Although sections of the cylinder have been destroyed through time, the principal message of Cyrus' Declaration is readily apparent.

This page relates to the Star Trek usage of NCC. For alternate meanings of NCC, see NCC (disambiguation)

NCC is a fictional designation for starships conceived within Star Trek. According to Star Trek chronology, the term was first used in the Original Series. It has been suggested that the prefix "NCC" was used by the creators of Star Trek analogously to the United States Navy's hull classification symbols, and was a combination of a ship prefix "NS" ("Nuclear Ship"), and the Soviet Union acronym "CCCP" to show that the two countries had to work together to establish Starfleet. Another more popular theory is that it derives from the 'NC' prefix used for United States airplanes - creator Gene Roddenberry and Enterprise designer Matt Jefferies (after whom the "Jeffries tube" was named) were pilots.

According to non-canonical sources, "NCC" is in reference to the contract required to build a starship and to easily be able to identify parts from ships when salvaged. It is suggested that "NCC" is short for "Naval Construction Contract", this number is imprinted into every part laid into the ship, similar to the imprinting of Naval hull numbers into parts and systems on modern ships, (i.e. CVN-65 is stamped into every part on the USS Enterprise the US aircraft carrier).

Another non-canon but logical use for such a serial number would be as a "navigation contact code", embedded in continously-broadcast subspace signals that would identify the vessel to other approaching ships. Given the typical distances between "nearby" spacecraft, this would probably be a more practical use of NCC numbers than an applied hull marking.

Väinö I of Finland (1868 – 1940) was elected King of Finland, but renounced the throne after Imperial Germany's defeat in World War I.

On Germany's urging, Finland had declared itself independent from Russia on December 6, 1917, (recognized by Bolshevist Russia on January 4, 1918), and there was a fierce debate on whether the new state should declare itself a republic or remain a monarchy. This culminated after the Civil War in Finland, during the Social Democrats' exclusion from the Eduskunta, which on October 9, 1918, elected the German prince Frederick of Hesse to the Finnish throne. (German spelling: Prinz Friedrich Karl von Hessen-Kassel).

Lithuania had already in July 1918 taken a similar step, electing Wilhelm Karl, Duke of Urach, Count of Württemberg (1864–1928), as King Mindove II of Lithuania. For Latvia and Estonia, a "General Provincial Assembly" consisting of Baltic-German aristocrats, had called upon the German Kaiser Wilhelm to recognize the Baltic provinces as a joint monarchy and a German protectorate. Consequently Adolf Friedrich, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1873–1969), brother of Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands, was nominated Duke of "the United Baltic Duchy" by the Germans.

Independent Finland had initially, like the Baltic provinces, close ties with Imperial Germany. Germany was the only power that had supported the preparations for independence, not the least by the training of voluntary Finnish Jaeger troops. Germany had also had a military intervention in the Civil War in Finland, despite her own precarious situation. Finland's position vis-à-vis Germany was already in spring 1918 evolving towards that of a protectorate, and the election of Prinz Friedrich, brother-in-law of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, was rather thought of as a confirmation of the close relations.

The adoption of a new monarchist constitution had been delayed, and the legitimacy of the royal election was based upon the Instrument of Government of 1772, adopted under King Gustav III of Sweden, when Finland had been a part of Sweden. The same constitutional document had also served as the basis for the rule of the Russian Tsars, as Grand Dukes of Finland, during the 19th century.

In the Finnish election document the prince is called Fredrik Kaarle, but according to conventional wisdom his name as king would have been Väinö I of Finland. Although the correctness of this name is not quite undisputed, it is repeated in many places, for instance at Finland's parliament's official web-site1.

On November 11, 1918, the armistice between the warring parties of World War I was signed, and two days earlier Kaiser Wilhelm had abdicated and Germany was declared a Republic. Germany's defeat in the war, and the stated fact that none of the allies would ever accept a German-born prince as the king of Finland, led Frederick to finally renounce the throne on December 14, 1918, and subsequently for Finland to also adopt a republican constitution.

fi:Väinö I nl:Väinö I van Finland de:Väinö I. (Finnland)