title: Mike Awesome

text: The retirement of Atsushi Onita led FMW to change its direction from deathmatch wrestling to technical wrestling style and Gladiator received a strong push as the archrival of the company's new top star Hayabusa. He was booked to win the Grand Slam Tournament in September, in which he defeated Hayabusa in the tournament final on September 26 to win the company's top title, the vacant Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship and cemented his place as the company's top villain. Gladiator made his first successful title defense against Horace Boulder on October 25. He suffered a knee injury in the fall of 1995, which forced him to vacate the title on January 5, 1996. Gladiator returned from injury to challenge Super Leather for the title on March 15, but was defeated by Leather. During this time, Víctor Quiñones' group Puerto Rican Army overturned W*ING and Lethal Weapon to become the top villainous group in FMW and Quinones was luring away members of both factions into his Puerto Rican Army, which led Gladiator to turn fan favorite for the first time in his career. At 7th Anniversary Show, Hisakatsu Oya, Horace Boulder and The Gladiator lost to Super Leather and The Headhunters in a match for the inaugural World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On May 27, Gladiator defeated Super Leather to win his second Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship. Gladiator successfully defended the title against Leather in a rematch on September 1. On September 15, Gladiator and Horace Boulder turned on Ricky Fuji during a match against Hideki Hosaka, Hido and Taka Michinoku. The entire Lethal Weapon attacked Fuji and turned on him to join Terry Funk's new group Funk Masters of Wrestling, which led Gladiator to turn into a villain again. On October 12, Gladiator attacked W*ING Kanemura after Kanemura successfully defended the Independent Heavyweight Championship against Hisakatsu Oya and Gladiator challenged Kanemura to a title unification match for both Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship and the Independent Heavyweight Championship at Year End Spectacular, which Gladiator won and unified both titles to become the first-ever FMW Double Champion. Gladiator successfully defended his Double Championship against Masato Tanaka on February 18, 1997. Gladiator would then resume his feud with the returning Atsushi Onita as the team of Gladiator, Terry Funk and Cactus Jack was defeated by Atsushi Onita, Masato Tanaka and W*ING Kanemura at 8th Anniversary Show on April 29. The following day, on April 30, Gladiator surpassed Atsushi Onita's fourth reign of 337 days to become the longest reigning Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion by having reigned for 338 days at that point.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On August 5, Hisakatsu Oya, Mr. Gannosuke and The Gladiator defeated Fuyuki-Gun at a Fuyuki Army show to win the World Street Fight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. They lost the title to the team of Hayabusa, Koji Nakagawa and Masato Tanaka on August 31. At Kawasaki Legend: Fall Spectacular, Gladiator lost the Double Championship to Masato Tanaka, thus ending his Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship reign at 489 days and his Independent Heavyweight Championship reign at 291 days, making him the longest reigning Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and the longest reigning Independent Heavyweight Champion.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Following Terry Funk's departure from FMW, Funk Masters (FMW) of Wrestling began to cripple as Atsushi Onita denounced himself as a FMW wrestler and formed ZEN on September 30, 1997 to feud with FMW. On October 21, Super Leather and The Gladiator lost a match to their former teammates Hisakatsu Oya and Mr. Gannosuke, after which Gladiator attacked Leather and officially ended Funk Masters of Wrestling. Later that night, Gladiator attacked Hayabusa after ZEN members defeated Hayabusa's team in the main event and then Gladiator raised the flag of ZEN and joined ZEN, which marked the first time in his career that he had become Atsushi Onita's ally after having feuded with him for the past seven years. Gladiator had lost his significance as a main event competitor after losing the Double Championship despite being the longest reigning champion and became a mid-card member of ZEN. The group turned fan favorites in the fall of 1997 when three of its members Mr. Gannosuke, Yukihiro Kanemura and Hido turned on Atsushi Onita and left the group and they would form Team No Respect in 1998.


title: Mike Awesome

text: In March, Gladiator participated in a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the Double Championship at 9th Anniversary Show. He defeated Hisakatsu Oya in the quarter-final and Yukihiro Kanemura in the semi-final to become the runner-up of the tournament as he lost to Hayabusa in the final. At FMW's first pay-per-view event FMW 9th Anniversary Show, Gladiator teamed with ZEN teammate Tetsuhiro Kuroda to take on TNR members Super Leather and Horace Boulder in a losing effort. Later at the event, Atsushi Onita lost a match to TNR member Kodo Fuyuki, which forced Onita to end ZEN. Gladiator became a free agent after ZEN's dissolution on May 5. Gladiator's last pay-per-view appearance in FMW was at the Welcome to the Darkside pay-per-view on August 22, where he defeated Naohiko Yamazaki, Yoshinori Sasaki and Mr. Pogo #2 in a gauntlet match. On August 26, Gladiator wrestled his last FMW match, in which he defeated longtime rival Super Leather. Alfonso injured his knee during the match and went on a hiatus, during which he returned to United States and toured with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) for the rest of the year. He left the company due to disagreement over Kodo Fuyuki's style of booking.


title: Mike Awesome

text: In 1993, Alfonso appeared in NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) for a short period (as "Awesome" Mike Awesome), he was convinced to do so by Sabu, whom he befriended during their time in Japan. After Sabu started working for ECW, he returned to Japan and told Michael about the promotion and how he should work there. Although he was initially hesitant, citing a lack of interest, Sabu managed to talk Alfonso into it, who used his frequent-flier miles to go to Philadelphia and wrestle a match for ECW.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On February 5, 1994 at ECW's event, The Night the Line Was Crossed, Awesome nearly injured wrestler, J.T. Smith when he performed a high-risk dive to the outside of the ring. Smith's back was folded backwards against the guard rail during the impact. This spot appeared in many ECW highlight reels including the intro to a variety of their television programs for years to come. (according to ECW announcer Joey Styles his own reaction to the spot inspired his "Oh my God" catchphrase).


title: Mike Awesome

text: Awesome returned to ECW in January 1997 at House Party, defeating Balls Mahoney. At Crossing the Line Again the following month, he lost to Louie Spicolli, departing ECW once more thereafter.


title: Mike Awesome

text: In January 1998, Awesome began appearing for ECW again and continued his feud with Masato Tanaka in the United States. Awesome began in ECW by losing to Tanaka on an episode ECW's weekly "Hardcore TV". However, following the match, he delivered an Awesome Bomb to Tanaka over the top rope through a table set up on the outside. Awesome lost to Tanaka again at the August Heat Wave pay-per-view event. In September 1998 at UltraClash, Awesome tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a bout with Balls Mahoney; he did not wrestle again until September 1999.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Almost immediately upon arriving in ECW for his third stint in September 1999, he shocked the wrestling world by winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at Anarchy Rulz by defeating the reigning champion Taz and nemesis Masato Tanaka in a three-way dance, which was signed on the spot. Awesome continued to be a major factor in ECW early in 2000, including teaming with Raven to beat Tanaka and Tommy Dreamer for the ECW World Tag Team Championship. He gained a new manager, Judge Jeff Jones, who managed Awesome to the top of winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice in 1999.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On April 10, 2000, Awesome made a surprise appearance on "WCW Monday Nitro"—aiding The New Blood by attacking Kevin Nash—while still reigning as ECW World Heavyweight Champion. Awesome's friend Lance Storm has said that he had refused to sign a new contract with ECW until Paul Heyman paid him overdue wages.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Due to concerns over legal issues WCW refrained from having Awesome appear on their television shows with the ECW belt. Eventually, a compromise was reached. Awesome (a WCW employee and ECW champion) appeared a few days later at an ECW event in Indianapolis, Indiana, accompanied by WCW's head of security, where he lost the title to Tazz (a World Wrestling Federation employee), who lost it a week later to Tommy Dreamer (a full-time ECW wrestler) (who incidentally lost it approximately 20 minutes later to Justin Credible). In a shoot interview released by Highspots in 2005, Awesome expressed that he would have rather faced off with his former ECW and WWE colleague Rhyno and suggested that they could have put on a more entertaining match regardless of the circumstances and the manner in which he had left ECW.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Now with WCW, Awesome continued to be a major factor with the New Blood for the next month, teaming with Billy Kidman occasionally to aid him in his feud with Hulk Hogan. Awesome also engaged in an on-and-off feud with Kevin Nash, as well as feuding with Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon. In May 2000, Awesome threw Kanyon off the top of the first level of a triple cage onto the entrance ramp, which started his "Career Killer" gimmick.


title: Mike Awesome

text: After Bash at the Beach in July 2000, his gimmick was tweaked, with him becoming infatuated with heavyset women and calling himself "The Fat Chick Thriller" and feuded with Scott Steiner and Lance Storm for the WCW United States Championship.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On the September 6, 2000 edition of Thunder, Awesome's gimmick was changed to "That '70s Guy" (a reference to the TV series "That '70s Show"), for which he dressed in 1970s-inspired attire and hosted the "Lava Lamp Lounge" interview segment. He was additionally given a bus that resembled the one featured on "The Partridge Family" to drive into arenas as part of his entrance. During this time, he had a feud with Vampiro, which resulted in brawls between Awesome and Vampiro's allies, the rap duo Insane Clown Posse (Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope). Awesome battled both ICP members in a handicap match on an episode of "Nitro", during which he hit Shaggy with a powerbomb on the roof of the bus that caused Shaggy to fall to the concrete floor below.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On the January 3, 2001 edition of Thunder, Awesome dropped the 1970s gimmick in favor of a "Canadian Career Killer" gimmick and joined WCW's Team Canada stable with Lance Storm and Elix Skipper. A feud with The Filthy Animals led to Awesome challenging Billy Kidman to a Hair-vs-Hair match, on January 15, however before the bout could take place, Team Canada attacked Kidman backstage, leaving him unable to compete. Kidman's bald stablemate Konnan replaced him and got the win, giving the Animals the right to cut off Awesome's longtime mullet. Awesome then faded into the background, mostly helping Storm in his battles against Ernest "The Cat" Miller. On the final Nitro on March 26, 2001, Awesome and Storm were defeated by Chuck Palumbo and Sean O'Haire in a WCW World Tag Team Championship match.


title: Mike Awesome

text: In an shoot interview released by Highspots in 2003, Awesome conspired that the infamous incident between Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan at Bash at the Beach 2000 may have been one of the underlying reasons as to why he was plagued by a string of unfavorable gimmicks. As a cousin of Michael Bollea (Horace Hogan, who also left WCW following the incident), Awesome suggested that Russo may have thought that he was just "too close of kin" to Hulk Hogan and decided to take it out on him.


title: Mike Awesome

text: He first made a appearance in WWF as a jobber on December 12, 1996 losing to Justin Credible who was known then as Aldo Montoya in a dark match for WWF Superstars of Wrestling.


title: Mike Awesome

text: After the March 2001 purchase of WCW by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Awesome became part of The Invasion storyline in the WWF. His WWF debut came on the June 25, 2001 episode of "Raw" during a match which saw Test defending his Hardcore Championship against Rhyno. After Rhyno Gored Test against a wall and pinned him he stood celebrating his new title only to be attacked by Awesome wielding a metal pipe. He then powerbombed Rhyno onto a ladder and pinned him, becoming champion himself due to the 24/7 rule. Awesome was the first "Invader" to gain gold in the WWF, stealing away with the Hardcore belt before any WWF wrestlers could catch him. Awesome's hardcore reign came to an end a few weeks later on the July 12 edition of "SmackDown!" when he was pinned by Jeff Hardy, thanks to distraction from Edge.


title: Mike Awesome

text: The feud continued when Edge introduced his tag team partner Christian into the rivalry. Awesome and Lance Storm were defeated by Edge and Christian at Invasion on July 22, Awesome's first WWF pay-per-view match. From here Awesome's push diminished and he began appearing mostly on WWF's b-shows, before being sidelined with an injury in November 2001.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Awesome returned to the SmackDown! brand on the July 27, 2002 edition of "Velocity" where he was defeated by Tajiri. Awesome was a mainstay on "Velocity", SmackDown!'s tertiary show, for the next few months jobbing to wrestlers such as Faarooq, Bull Buchanan, Mark Henry and Funaki.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Awesome was released from the WWE on September 27, 2002, along with Shawn Stasiak and Horace Hogan. Awesome was quoted saying, "Being in the WWE (formerly the WWF) sucked. I hated it. You had to kiss everybody's ass... You had to be on your political toes all the time. You would not believe the backstage politics. You were getting stabbed in the back constantly. I was so happy when I was told I was gone".


title: Mike Awesome

text: From 2002 to 2006, Awesome competed on the independent circuit in the United States and Japan where he returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling as "The Gladiator" once again. On the independent circuit, he had a short stint with Major League Wrestling (MLW) where he won the MLW World Heavyweight Championship from Satoshi Kojima, only to lose it ten minutes later to Steve Corino (Kojima's employers, AJPW would not allow him to drop the title to an employee of a rival company Zero-1).


title: Mike Awesome

text: In February 2006, after 17 years in the ring, Awesome announced his retirement from wrestling, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family and adding that he felt underpaid for his work at the One Night Stand event and that he would only return to the ring "if the money was right".


title: Mike Awesome

text: In April 2003, Awesome debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He wrestled several matches for the promotion before leaving in May 2003. His TNA in-ring debut was on April 16, 2003 where Awesome defeated Perry Saturn by DQ when The Sandman and New Jack interfered. On April 23, Awesome teamed with Brian Lee and Slash in a losing effort against Perry Saturn, New Jack and The Sandman. On May 14, Awesome competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Mike Sanders in a Tables Match.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Awesome made an appearance at WWE's (formerly the WWF) ECW One Night Stand reunion pay-per-view on June 13, 2005, defeating Masato Tanaka. The crowd greeted Awesome with jeers at the beginning of the match, and commentator Joey Styles made frequent references to Awesome's leaving of ECW for WCW and during the match, Styles infamously said, "And it's a shame he didn't succeed in taking his own life." (foreshadowing Awesome's unexpected real-life death 20 months later), but by the end the crowd were chanting "this match rules!" and gave both men a standing ovation.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Alfonso appeared in at least four wrestling video games including "ECW Hardcore Revolution", "WCW Backstage Assault", "", and "Fire Pro Wrestling Returns". The ECW toy series manufactured by Original San Francisco Toymakers released a Mike Awesome action figure in 2000. A WCW action figure of Awesome was released by Toy Biz in 2001.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Alfonso attended King High School in Tampa, Florida and trained at Stan's Gym, an old school muscle gym, on 56th Street. On May 11, 1991, he married his high school sweetheart Delisa Diann Bowers in Hillsborough, Florida. They had two children together; son Casey (born 1996) and daughter Carissa (born 2000). Alfonso was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and trail bike riding with friends and his son. He enjoyed mountain biking and would ride frequently at Alafia River State Park in Florida, close to his Tampa home.


title: Mike Awesome

text: Alfonso was the cousin of Hulk Hogan's nephew Michael Bollea, who was better known for his stint in WCW under the name Horace Hogan. He is no relation of fellow ECW alumnus Bill Alfonso.


title: Mike Awesome

text: After Awesome's retirement from professional wrestling, he served as a real estate agent in New Tampa, Florida.


title: Mike Awesome

text: On February 17, 2007, a group of Alfonso's friends found him dead after he had hanged himself inside his Tampa home. He was 42 years old. WWE acknowledged his death on the February 20 broadcast of "ECW on Sci-Fi" with an "In Memory..." graphic at the opening of the program, and two days later his family received friends at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home in Riverview, Florida.


title: Xing Fei

text: Xing Fei (, born October 1, 1994), also known as Fair Xing, is a Chinese actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the dramas "Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me" (2017), "Miracle Healer" (2017), "Miracle Healer Season 2" (2018), "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" (2019), "Your Highness Class Monitor" (2019), "Forget You Remember Love" (2020), " Moon Brightens for you" (2020), "My Little Happiness" (2021), and "Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard" (2021).


title: Xing Fei

text: Fair Xing, also known as Xing Fei, was born in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China on October 1, 1994. She graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.


title: Xing Fei

text: In 2015, Xing Fei became known after appearing in the variety program "Grade One Freshman". She then made her acting debut in the campus web drama "Campus Basketball Situation", and also featured in the youth sports drama "Tornado Girl".


title: Xing Fei

text: In 2017, Xing played the lead role in the romance comedy series "Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me". The web drama was a hit and led to increased recognition for Xing. Xing also played lead roles in web dramas "Basketball Fever" and "The Faded Light Years".


title: Xing Fei

text: In 2019, Xing starred in the romance comedy web drama "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", based on the novel of the same name by Zhao Qianqian. The series received positive reviews and had a score of 8.1 on Douban.


title: Xing Fei

text: In 2020, Xing starred in the romance comedy drama "Forget You Remember Love", a remake of the Taiwanese drama "The Prince Who Turns into a Frog".


title: Xing Fei

text: In 2021, she starred in the romance drama titled "My Little Happiness" opposite Tang Xiao Tian, based on the novel by Dong Ben Xi Gu.


title: Xing Fei

text: In the same year, she starred in the romance fantasy drama titled "Miss Crow with Mr Lizard" along with Ren Jialun (Allen Ren).


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Ford Fairlane is an automobile model that was sold between the 1955 and 1970 model years by Ford in North America. Taking its name from the Dearborn, Michigan estate of Henry Ford, the Fairlane nameplate was used for seven different generations of vehicles. Through its production, the model line would be marketed in a wide variety of body styles, including two-door and four-door sedans, two-door and four-door hardtops, station wagons, and both traditional and retractable-hardtop convertibles.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Initially introduced as the flagship of the full-size Ford range, the Fairlane marked the introduction of the Crown Victoria and 500 nameplates, both later becoming stand-alone full-size model lines (the latter, as the Ford Five Hundred).


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Following the introduction of the Ford Galaxie, the Fairlane 500 (and Fairlane) became Ford's base models, equivalent to the Chevrolet Bel Air and Biscayne respectively, until 1962, when it was repackaged as an intermediate-segment car (today, mid-size) from 1962 to 1970. For 1971, Ford expanded the Ford Torino nameplate across its entire intermediate range, dropping the Fairlane (and Falcon) nameplates in North America. In South America, the sixth generation Fairlane was marketed through 1981; Ford Australia used the nameplate on its own version of the Fairlane (a long-wheelbase Ford Falcon) through the 2007 model year.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: For the 1955 model year the Fairlane name replaced the Crestline as Ford's premier full-sized offering. Six different body styles were offered, including the Crown Victoria Skyliner with a tinted, transparent plastic roof, the regular Crown Victoria coupe with much stainless steel trim, a convertible Sunliner, the Victoria hardtop coupe, and traditional sedans. All featured the trademark stainless-steel "Fairlane stripe" on the side. Power options were a straight-6 engine and a V8. The Y-block was offered as an option and was called the Thunderbird V-8.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Fairlane 4-door Town Sedan was the most popular sedan Ford sold that year, having manufactured 254,437 with a listed retail price of US$1,960 ($ in dollars ).


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Few changes were made for 1956; a four-door Victoria hardtop and two new, more powerful V8 options, of and , the latter available up to , were introduced. The Lifeguard safety package was introduced. The two-door Victoria hardtop featured a new and slimmer roofline. A one-year only two-door station wagon, the 1956 Ford Parklane, featured Fairlane-level trim. It was marketed to compete against the Chevrolet Nomad.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: For 1957, a new style gave a longer, wider, lower, and sleeker look with low tailfins. The new proportions and modern styling were a hit with customers to the extent that the Ford outsold Chevrolet in 1957 for the first time since 1935. A new top trim level, the Fairlane 500 was added to the Fairlane model line and the Country Squire continued to be the luxury station wagon while the Country Sedan was now added to the Fairlane model line, while engine choices were largely the same as the year before. The big news for 1957 was the introduction of the Fairlane 500 Skyliner power retractable hardtop, whose solid top hinged and folded down into the trunk space at the touch of a button, while the Ford Ranchero 2-door coupe utility was also introduced.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Another facelift for 1958 had fashionable quad headlights, a grille that matched the 1958 Thunderbird, and other styling changes. New big-block FE V8s of 332 and 352 CID (5.4 L and 5.8 L) replaced the previous largest V8s, and a better three-speed automatic transmission was also available with a steering column transmission gear selector lever.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: A new top-level full-sized model was introduced at mid-year 1959, the Ford Galaxie. The 1959 Galaxie displayed both "Fairlane 500" and "Galaxie" badging.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Full-sized Fairlane and Fairlane 500 models were restyled for 1960 and again for the 1961 model year. The Galaxie series continued as the top-of-the-line full-sized Ford. Fairlane 500s demoted to mid-level in the lineup and were equivalent to the Chevrolet Bel Air. Fairlanes were primarily sold as base level trim models for fleet use (taxi, police). Both were only available as pillared sedans.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: While the 1960 de luxe Galaxie and Fairlane 500 series sported a tri-color Ford crest on the hood, base Fairlanes had "FORD" in chrome block letters across their hoods. For 1961, all models got the block letters on their hoods.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The big-block 390 CID V8 was available in 1961 as the top-horsepower option, as the "horsepower wars" in Detroit continued.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Fairlane name was moved to Ford's new intermediate, introduced for the 1962 model year, to bridge the gap between the compact Ford Falcon and the full-sized Galaxie, making it a competitor for GM's A-body "senior compacts", the Plymouth Belvedere, and the AMC Rambler. With an overall length of 197 in (5004 mm) and a wheelbase of 115.5 in (2934 mm), it was 16 in (406 mm) longer than the Falcon and 12.3 in (312 mm) shorter than the Galaxie. Wheel track varied from 53.5 in (1355 mm) to 56 in (1422 mm) depending on model and specification.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Like the Falcon, the Fairlane had a unibody frame, but the body incorporated an unusual feature Ford dubbed torque boxes, four boxed structures in the lower body structure designed to absorb road shock by moving slightly in the vertical plane. Suspension was a conventional short-long arm independent arrangement in front, with Hotchkiss drive in the rear. The Fairlane was initially offered only in two-door or four-door sedan body styles.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Fairlane's standard engine was the 170 CID (2.8 L) six, but as an option, it introduced Ford's new, lightweight small-block Windsor V8, initially with a displacement of 221 CID (3.6 L) and 145 hp (108 kW); a 260 CID (4.2 L) "Challenger" version with an advertised was added at mid-year. The Sports Coupe option débuted mid-year and featured bucket seats and a small floor console. The trim level supplemented the Fairlane and Fairlane 500 trim levels (the 500 model had more decorative trim, such as a wider chrome stripe down the side and three bullets on the rear quarter panels). The Challenger 289 CID engine was introduced in mid-1963, with solid lifters and other performance pieces helping the engine produce an advertised ; however, it was equipped with single exhaust like the less powerful engines. This engine was coded "K" in the vehicle identification number. Exterior identification was by fender-mounted "V" badges that read "289 High Performance". That same year, station wagons arrived, called the Ranch Wagon and Ranch Custom Wagon. All 1962 Fairlanes had "B" posts despite the popularity of the pillarless hardtop and convertible styles in that era.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Ford saw the problem and introduced two pillarless hardtop coupes for 1963, in Fairlane 500 and Sports Coupe trim. For 1963 and later Sports Coupe models, the center console, which had come from the Falcon parts bin for 1962, was changed to be similar to that of the Galaxie. Sports Coupe models got a floor-mounted shift lever for the center console when Cruise-O-Matic or 4-speed manual transmissions were specified; however when the two-speed Fordomatic was ordered, the shift lever was installed on the steering column (and the console was the same without the shifter). Front-end styling for the 1963 models mimicked the big Galaxie models, but the rear end retained the small tailfins and "pieplate" tail lamp styling cues. The Squire wagon (a fake woodie) was available for 1963 only, including one model with front bucket seats. The "Swing-Away" steering wheel became an option in 1964.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The 1964 and 1965, Fairlane ranges consisted of similar body styles: base Fairlane and Fairlane 500 two-door coupes and four-door sedans, and Fairlane 500 and Sports Coupe two-door hardtops. As in 1963, the Sports Coupe got its own standard "spinner" wheel covers and extra exterior brightwork. Large "Sports Coupe" scripts graced the "C" pillars. The Fairlane Squire wagon was dropped, but the standard station wagon was continued. The 221 V8 was dropped after 1963, leaving the six as the base engine and the 260 as the base V8. The "K-code" 271-horsepower 289 V8 continued into 1964, gaining dual exhausts, while a version of the 289 with a two-barrel carburetor and hydraulic lifters was introduced. The two-speed Fordomatic continued as the automatic transmission choice for the 260 in 1964, while 289 V8s got the three-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission option. All 1965 models featured wheels as standard, in place of the earlier wheels, and Fordomatic was finally phased out, leaving the Cruise-O-Matic as the only automatic available for the Fairlane. The 260 was also dropped after 1964, leaving the two-barrel 289 as the base V8. Styling-wise, in 1964, a new grille and headlight bezels were introduced, the tail fins were dropped, some chrome decorating on the side was changed, and the shape of the trunk lid changed. Styling features for 1965 included body-color headlight bezels for the deluxe models and rectangular taillight lenses, a return to the 1962-1963 trunk lid, along with less chrome on the body and a small standup hood ornament.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Australian and New Zealand models had longer cut-outs in the rear bumper to accommodate their license plates.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: As the muscle car market took shape, Ford built a small number of Fairlane two door hard tops prepared for drag racing during the 1963 season. These cars were running the 289 and were set up at Dearborn Steel Tubing that built the special cars for Ford special vehicle operations


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: . These soon evolved into the "Thunderbolts" for 1964. The racing Thunderbolt was a two-door post car, heavily modified to incorporate Ford's new 427 CID (7.0 L) V8 race engine with two four-barrel carburetors on a high-riser manifold, ram-air through the openings left by deleting the inboard headlights, equal-length headers, trunk-mounted battery, several fiberglass parts (hood, door skins, fenders, and front bumper), acrylic glass windows, and other lightweight options, including deleted rear-door window winders, carpeting, radio, sealant, sun visors, armrests, jack, lug wrench, heater, soundproofing, and passenger-side windshield wiper. The cars wore Fairlane 500 trim, and were only offered with the two-door sedan body. This special model, of which 111 to 127 total were made (sources disagree), delivered 657 hp (490 kW) at 7,500 rpm and was known as the Thunderbolt.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Racing in NHRA Super Stock (which required only fifty cars be available to the public), on -wide tires, the Thunderbolt was based on the midlevel Fairlane 500 two-door pillared sedan, and in 1964 set elapsed time and top speed records at 11.6 seconds and 124 mph (200 km/h). took the Super Stock title (with Gas Ronda taking the honors), and won the Manufacturer's Cup. The car as delivered was slightly too light to meet NHRA's 3200-lb (1451-kg) minimum weight unless it was raced with a full tank of gasoline, which would bring it to 3203 lb (1453 kg). NHRA rules at the time required a metal front bumper, so the cars began to be supplied with an aluminum bumper and previous purchasers were supplied with one.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Thunderbolt production was ended due to NHRA rule changes for Super Stock competition, requiring 500 vehicles be built to be entered in that class. Ford had been losing $1500 to $2000 on each Thunderbolt sold at the sticker price of $3900. The first 11 Thunderbolts were painted maroon (known as Vintage Burgundy in Ford literature), the rest white; 99 had manual transmissions. Many are still raced. About 50 similar Mercury Cyclones were also produced by Ford in 1964, destined to be modified to represent Ford in A/FX competition, which they dominated, as well. These vehicles varied greatly in wheel track due to customer options for varying suspension and wheel/tire combinations. Front tracks from 54 to 56 in and rear tracks from 53.5 to 55.5 in were common.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Fairlane was revised in 1966. The appearance was changed to match the full-sized Ford Galaxie, which had been restyled in the 1965 model year, and adopted vertically stacked dual headlights. The XL, GT, and GTA packages were introduced, as well as a convertible to join the existing range of sedans, hardtops, and station wagons. The "K-code" 289 CID engine was dropped this year. The GT featured a 390 CID FE V8 as standard, while the GTA also included the newly introduced the SportShift Cruise-o-Matic automatic transmission. The GT/GTA 390 CID engine developed with higher compression, and had a four-barrel carburetor. Mid year, Ford produced 57 special Fairlane 500 two-door hardtops with "R-code" V8 engine rated at at 6000 rpm and at 3700 rpm of torque, equipped with Ford's "Top-Loader" four-speed manual transmission. Built to qualify the engine/transmission combination for NHRA and IHRA Super Stock racing, they were white and had fiberglass hoods with a forward-facing hood scoop which ended at the edge of the hood. The Fairlane Squire wagon was reintroduced for 1966.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Minor trim changes were introduced for 1967 as the Fairlane was mildly facelifted. The 289 CID small-block was the base V8, with a 200 CID six standard, with the 390 CID optional (with either two- or four-barrel carburetor, at 275 and , respectively). The 427s were still available, either with a single four-barrel carburetor or dual quad carbs, developing 410 (W-code) and 425 bhp (R-code), 427s were available on XL models, but very few were built. The notable addition for the 1967 model year was a Ranchero pickup as part of the Fairlane range (from 1960 to 1965, the Ranchero was based on the Falcon, while in 1966 it used the Fairlane platform but Falcon styling). The 1967 Fairlanes also included a number of federal government-mandated safety features, including a new energy-absorbing steering column with a large padded steering wheel hub, soft interior trim, four-way hazard flashers, a dual-chamber braking system, and shoulder belt anchors. The convertible had a tempered safety glass rear window.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Falcon Ranchero and Falcon station wagon were, between 1966 and 1970, identical under the skin to the Fairlane versions of the same model. Only sheetmetal and trim differed.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Two different two-door coupe models were offered. The lower-end Fairlane Club Coupe had pillars separating the door glass and rear side glass, while the higher trim level Fairlanes were pillarless two-door hardtops, similar to the convertibles.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: A redesign was introduced for the 1968 model year, and continued the similarity to the Ford Galaxie series. The wheelbase remained at , but it grew in other dimensions. They were about four inches (102 mm) longer and heavier than the cars they replaced. A fastback Sportsroof model was introduced in the Fairlane 500 series, as well as a more luxurious Torino model at the top of the intermediate range, contributing 172,083 of the Fairlane's 371,787 units sold that year.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: In a cost-saving decision, the station wagons carried over the 1966-67 bodies from the cowl back. The Ranch Wagon model name was deleted; Fairlane wagons had either the base or the 500 trim. Base hardtop sales more than doubled, to 44,683 units.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The base engine was the I6, with several optional V8s. Early production 1968 base V8 Fairlanes were equipped with the two-barrel , while later units came with the . The GTs were part of the Torino range, with the 302 CID V8 standard, with optional engines being the 390 CID V8 in two- and four-barrel versions. The 390 four-barrel was supplanted mid-year as the top performance engine by the Cobra Jet, developing . There was also a Super Cobra Jet. The Fairlane 500, Ranchero, and Torino GT/GTA were also offered with the new 351W CID with a two-barrel producing 250 HP and only in the Torino GT/GTA the 351W four-barrel with 290 HP could be ordered.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Cobra was introduced in 1969 as a competitor for Plymouth's Road Runner. Basic models featured the 302 CID V8 and three-speed manual transmission as standard. Options included the 390 CID and two V8s. The Cobras had a standard 428 CID V8 rated at , while options included bucket seats, hood scoop, clock, tachometer, power disc brakes, and 4.30:1 rear axle gearing. "Regular" Fairlanes and Rancheros continued, all with bucket-seat options.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Ford's intermediates grew again in 1970, now with a wheelbase. At the start of the model year, only the Fairlane 500 remained as the base trim model in what was now effectively the Torino series.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The straight six-cylinder was the economy power, while largest engine was now a with four-barrel carburetor and . Different heads were optional and gave the Cobra and higher compression. Other options included the Cobra Jet Ram Air 429, though Ford quoted the same power output, and the Drag Pack rated at . However, the 1970s were slower than the 1969s, and race teams were forced to run the older models.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The Falcon name was transferred from Ford's now discontinued, in the US, compact to a basic, even lower-trim version of the intermediate platform as a "1970½" model on January 1, 1970. This series included a two-door sedan which was not available in the higher trim lines. For 1971, the Falcon and Fairlane 500 names were dropped, as all of the intermediate models took the Torino name. The Falcon and Fairlane names continued to be used in Australia through to the 21st century. The Fairlane name continued to be used in Venezuela through 1978 on corresponding Ford Torino and LTD II models.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: The four-door sedan of the 1968 body style was built in Argentina from 1969 to 1973 and the 1969 body style from 1973 to 1981 under the Fairlane name with three equipment packages: Standard, 500 and LTD. The car was similar to the American model except the engines. The two options were a 221 CID 6-cylinder with , and the old 292 phase I (1969–1971) CID "Y-block" V8 which had been last used in the 1964 F-Series truck; it was rated at , in 1971 the Ford Motor Company Argentina decided to make an improvement on the 292, was started by the covers mainly the problem of spark plugs was solved by giving an inclination towards the front of the engine that allowed an easier extraction in the car, changed the opening order and exhaust cam, valves larger intake (of the 292 heavy duty American) were placed, fuel lines making them more direct was improved with a new admission very similar to that of the small block 289, 302 pistons maximum compression with lomo brand Buxton were used, raising the compression at 8 to 1, allowing the engine erogue 185 HP at 4500 rpm, another improvement were leaks with individual manifold runners, eliminating the original American system of a manifold connected to another in series, used in trucks, in cars they were always individual. Distributors are different in coupling, calling FASE II . In 1978, the LTD "Elite" option was introduced as the most luxurious made in Argentina. By the end of production in 1981, almost 30,000 Fairlanes had been made.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: Ford manufactured the Torino in Venezuela marketed as the Fairlane and Fairlane 500. These cars were identical to the U.S. Torino through 1976 and both base Fairlane and upscale Fairlane 500 used the 1973–1974 Torino base model grille. For 1977–1978 the Fairlane was based on the American LTD II.


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: At the 2005 Auto Show circuit, Ford revealed a new concept car with the Fairlane nameplate. The "people-mover" Fairlane crossover utility vehicle concept featured three-row seating for six passengers, and previewed the chromed three-bar horizontal grill design, which also appeared on the 2006 Ford Fusion sedan and 2007 Ford Edge crossover utility vehicle."


title: Ford Fairlane (Americas)

text: A production version of the Fairlane concept, now called the Ford Flex, debuted at the 2007 New York Auto Show, and entered production for the 2009 model year in summer 2008. Unlike the concept, the production model comes with seven seats. It is built on the Ford D3 platform, which is also used by the Ford Taurus, and Mercury Sable. It is intended to replace the people-mover capability of the Ford Freestar minivan.


title: Rajaram I

text: Rajaram Bhosle I (Pronunciation: ]; – 3 March 1700) was the third "Chhatrapati" of Maratha Empire, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of the Shivaji, the founder of the empire and younger half-brother of Sambhaji, who he succeeded. His eleven-year reign was marked with a constant struggle against the Mughals. He was succeeded by his infant son Shivaji II under the regentship of his widow Tarabai.


title: Rajaram I

text: Rajaram was born in a family of Bhonsle clan, to Shivaji and his younger wife, Soyarabai on 24 February 1670. He was thirteen years younger than his brother, Sambhaji. Given the ambitious nature of Soyarabai, Rajaram was installed on the Maratha throne upon the death of his father in 1680. However, the Maratha generals wanted Sambhaji as the king and thus, he claimed the throne. Upon Sambhaji's death, Rajaram was crowned as Chhatrapati of the Maratha state.


title: Rajaram I

text: -year-old daughter of Shivaji's army chief, Prataprao Gujar. His other wives were Tarabai, the daughter of Hambirrao Mohite, the army chief who succeeded Prataprao, and Rajasbai from the influential Ghatge family of Kagal. Rajaram had three sons,


title: Rajaram I

text: After the death of Sambhaji, Rajaram was crowned at Raigad on 12 March 1689. As the Mughals started laying siege to the region around Raigad on 25 March 1689, the widow of Sambhaji (Maharani Yesubai) and her minister Ramchandra Pant Amatya sent young Rajaram to the stronghold of Pratapgad through Kavlya ghat. The Maratha army fought with the Mughals and led the new Maratha king, Rajaram to escape through Kavlya ghat to the fort of Jinji in present-day state of Tamil Nadu via Pratapgad and Vishalgad forts, Rajaram reached Keladi (Near present-day Sagar in Karnataka) in disguise and pursued assistance from Keladi Chennamma - who kept the Mughal attack in check to ensure safe passage and escape of Rajaram to Jinji where he reached after a month and a half on 1 November 1689. Details of his escape are known from the incomplete poetical biography of Rajaram, the "Rajaramacharita" written by his Rajpurohit, Keshav Pandit, in Sanskrit.


title: Rajaram I

text: Aurangzeb deputed Ghazi-ud-din Firoze Jung against the Marathas in the Deccan, and specially sent Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung to capture the Jingi Fort. He laid siege to it in September, 1690. After three failed attempts, it was finally captured after seven years on 8 January 1698. Rajaram, however, escaped and fled first to Vellore and later to Vishalgad.


title: Rajaram I

text: Rajaram occupied the fort at Jinji from 11 November 1689, but left before it fell in 1698, setting up his court at fort Satara. During that period when Jinji remained unconquered, "the intrepid Maratha commanders, Santaji Ghorpade and Dhanaji Jadhav, wrought havoc in the Karnataka and Maharashtra by defeating the Mughal generals and cutting off their lines of communication."


title: Rajaram I

text: Rajaram died of lung disease in 1700 because of excessive use of bidi at Sinhagad near Pune in Maharashtra leaving behind widows and infants. Janakibai, one of his widows, committed sati upon Rajaram's death. Another of Rajaram's widows, Tarabai proclaimed her young son, Shivaji II as the Chhatrapati and ruled as his regent. However, the release of Shahu, by the successors of Aurangzeb led to an internecine conflict between Tarabai and Shahu with the latter emerging as the successful claimant to the Maratha throne of Satara. Tarabai established a separate seat at Kolhapur and installed her son as the rival Chhatrapati. She was shortly deposed by Rajasbai, the other surviving widow of Rajaram. She installed her own son by Rajaram called Sambhaji II on the Kolhapur throne. The Kolhapur line has continued to this day through natural succession and adoptions per Hindu customs.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: In the history of video games, the third generation of game consoles, commonly referred to as the 8-bit era, began on July 15, 1983 with the Japanese release of two systems: Nintendo's Family Computer (commonly abbreviated to "Famicom") and Sega's SG-1000. When the Famicom was not released outside of Japan it was remodelled and marketed as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). This generation marked the end of the video game crash of 1983, and a shift in the dominance of home video game manufacturers from the United States to Japan. Handheld consoles were not a major part of this generation; the Game & Watch line from Nintendo (which started in 1980) and the Milton Bradley Microvision (which came out in 1979) that were sold at the time are both considered part of the previous generation due to hardware typical of the second generation.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: Improvements in technology gave consoles of this generation improved graphical and sound capabilities, comparable to golden age arcade games. The number of simultaneous colors on screen and the palette size both increased which, along with larger resolutions, more sprites on screen, and more advanced scrolling and pseudo-3D effects, which allowed developers to create scenes with more detail and animation. Audio technology improved and gave consoles the ability to produce a greater variation and range of sound. A notable innovation of this generation was the inclusion of cartridges with on-board memory and batteries to allow users to save their progress in a game, with Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda" introducing the technology to the market. This innovation allowed for much more expansive gaming worlds and in-depth story telling, since users could now save their progress rather than having to start each gaming session at the beginning. By the next generation, the capability to save games became ubiquitous—at first saving on the game cartridge itself and, later, when the industry changed to read-only optical disks, on memory cards, hard disk drives, and eventually cloud storage.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The best-selling console of this generation was the NES/Famicom from Nintendo, followed by the Sega Master System (the improved successor to the SG-1000), and the Atari 7800. Although the previous generation of consoles had also used 8-bit processors, it was at the end of the third generation that home consoles were first labeled and marketed by their "bits". This also came into fashion as fourth generation 16-bit systems like the Sega Genesis were marketed in order to differentiate between the generations. In Japan and North America, this generation was primarily dominated by the Famicom/NES, while the Master System dominated the Brazilian market, with the combined markets of Europe being more balanced in overall sales between the two main systems. The end of the third generation was marked by the emergence of 16-bit systems of the fourth generation and with the discontinuation of the Famicom on September 25, 2003. However in some cases, the third generation still lives on as dedicated console units still use hardware from the Famicom specification, such as the VT02/VT03 and OneBus hardware.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The Japanese video game market was still a growing "wide open" market for video game consoles in 1983. Japan had a relatively small console market, where only 300,000 consoles had been sold up until 1983, compared to the millions that had been sold in the United States up until then. A number of Japanese manufacturers attempted to compete for the "wide open" Japanese console market with their own consoles. The Epoch Cassette Vision, released in 1981, was the best-selling console in Japan at the time. It was followed by the Bandai Arcadia (priced ), a Japanese version of the Arcadia 2001 released in 1982, and the Atari 2800 (priced ), a Japanese version of the Atari 2600 marketed in May 1983.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The third generation of consoles began when two Japanese companies, Sega and Nintendo, decided to enter the console gaming market. On July 15, 1983, they both released new consoles in Japan, Sega's SG-1000 and Nintendo's Famicom. Both companies previously had success as arcade game companies. Sega, one of Japan's largest arcade companies, was intending to compete in both the console and personal computer markets, with a home computer version called the SC-3000 released at the same time. Meanwhile, Nintendo focused on making the Famicom more powerful than competing home systems so that it would be comparable to their "Donkey Kong" (1981) arcade video game hardware, while at the same time selling it for cheaper than the Cassette Vision, selling the Famicom for (about $150). Sega and Nintendo originally intended to release their new home systems exclusively for the Japanese market. Nintendo unveiled the Famicom shortly before the Tokyo Toy Show in June 1983, becoming a sensation among toy show exhibitors, prior to Sega unveiling the SG-1000 at the Tokyo Toy Show.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The Famicom went on to become very popular in Japan, where it quickly beat the Cassette Vision to become Japan's all-time best-selling console. Sega would become Nintendo's main competitor for console sales during the era. Sega's SG-1000, which preceded Sega's more commercially successful Master System, initially had little to distinguish itself from earlier consoles such as the ColecoVision and contemporary computers such as the MSX, although it was able to achieve advanced visual effects, including parallax scrolling in "Orguss" and sprite-scaling in "".


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: Following its success in Japan, Nintendo decided to enter the worldwide home video game market. With this in mind, the company approached the American company Atari, which had the majority share of the home video game market in North America, with a proposal for Atari to license the Famicom and distribute it. An agreement was concluded, which was to be signed at the Consumer Electronics Show in July 1983. At the same CES, however, Coleco exhibited its Coleco Adam home computer, which featured a version of Nintendo's "Donkey Kong". At that time, Atari had exclusive rights to distribute Nintendo games on home computers, and Coleco had exclusive rights to distribute the game on consoles. However, since Atari understood that Adam was a home computer, they postponed signing the agreement with Nintendo and asked the company to resolve the issue with rights. The problem was resolved, but during this time, the video game crash of 1983 had occurred and Atari began to lose influence in the market. With this, Nintendo had no competitor left and the company eventually decided to enter the market on its own.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: Nintendo were initially discouraged after the crash, with Nintendo of America's market research being met with warnings to stay away from home consoles and US retailers refusing to stock game consoles. As a result, Nintendo instead introduced the Famicom to North America in the form an arcade hardware, the Nintendo Vs. System, in 1984. It became a major success in North American arcades, giving Nintendo the confidence to release the Famicom in North America as a video game console, for which there was growing interest due to Nintendo's positive reputation in the arcades.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The company introduced a version of the Famicom in January 1985 at the Winter CES as the Nintendo Advanced Video System, short for NAVS. The gamepads were wireless and worked with it using an infrared port, and the bundle would also include a light gun. It was planned that the NAVS would be available in the spring of 1985. However, this did not happen and the console was shown again at the summer CES in June of that year, as an updated version called the Nintendo Entertainment System. The system was released in October 1985 as an experiment within New York City bounds with "Super Mario Bros." game bundled. The experiment was successful and showed that people still wanted to play games despite the 1983 crisis. After that the system was released in all North America in February 1986 at a price of 159 USD.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: In 1985, Sega succeeded the SG-1000 with the Master System, which incorporated hardware scrolling, alongside an increased color palette, greater memory, pseudo-3D effects, and stereoscopic 3-D, gaining a clear hardware advantage over the NES. However, the NES continued to dominate the North American and Japanese markets, while the Master System had more success in the European and South American markets.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The Nintendo Family Computer (commonly abbreviated the Famicom) became popular in Japan during this era, crowding out the other consoles in this generation. The Famicom's Western counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System, dominated the gaming market in North America, thanks in part to its restrictive licensing agreements with developers. This marked a shift in the dominance of home video games from the United States to Japan, to the point that "Computer Gaming World" described the "Nintendo craze" as a "non-event" for American video game designers as "virtually all the work to date has been done in Japan." The company had an estimated 65% of 1987 hardware sales in the console market; Atari Corporation had 24% (including the Atari 7800, 2600 Jr. and XEGS), Sega had 8%, and other companies had 3%.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The popularity of the Japanese consoles grew so quickly that in 1988 Epyx stated that, in contrast to a video game-hardware industry in 1984 that the company had described as "dead", the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than for all home-computer software. Nintendo sold seven million NES systems in 1988, almost as many as the number of units the Commodore 64 sold in its first five years. In 1988, "The Los Angeles Times" reported that the rise of video game consoles had a positive impact on computer games, sales of which grew 37% during the first quarter of 1988. In 1989, however, "Compute!" reported that Nintendo's popularity caused most computer-game companies to have poor sales during Christmas that year, resulting in serious financial problems for some, and after more than a decade making computer games, in 1989 Epyx converted completely to console cartridges. By 1990 30% of American households owned the NES, compared to 23% for all personal computers, and peer pressure to have a console was so great that even the children of computer-game developers demanded them despite parents' refusal and the presence of state-of-the-art computers and software at home. As "Computer Gaming World" reported in 1992, "The kids who don't have access to videogames are as culturally isolated as the kids in our own generation whose parents refused to buy a TV".


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: This era contributed many influential aspects to the history of the development of video games. The third generation saw the release of many of the first console role-playing video games (RPGs). Editing and censorship of video games was often used in localizing Japanese games to North America. It was during this time that many successful video game franchises began, which went onto to becoming mainstays of the video game industry. Some examples are "Super Mario Bros.", "Final Fantasy", "The Legend of Zelda", "Dragon Quest", "Metroid", "Mega Man", "Metal Gear", "Castlevania", "Phantasy Star", "Megami Tensei", "Ninja Gaiden", and "Bomberman".


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: In Europe during the late 1980s, the Master System had a stronger start than the Nintendo Entertainment System, with NES sales lagging behind the Master System in the United Kingdom. By 1990, the Master System was the biggest-selling console in Europe, though the NES was beginning to have a fast-growing user base in the United Kingdom.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The third generation also saw the beginning of the children's educational console market. Due to their reduced capacities, these systems typically were not labeled by their "bits" and were not marketed in competition with traditional video game consoles.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: In North America, the Atari 7800 and Master System were discontinued in 1992, while the NES continued to be produced for several more years. In Europe, the Master System was discontinued in the late 1990s. However it has continued to sell in Brazil through to the present day. In Japan, Nintendo continued to repair Famicom systems until October 31, 2007.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: On July 15, 1983, the SG-1000 was released in Japan, the first console to be created by Sega. It was released alongside the Famicom, making them the first two consoles of the third generation. While it did not sell as well as other consoles of the generation, it was considered important to the development of Sega as a console manufacturer.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The Famicom, released on July 15, 1983, in Japan and in the North American region in October 1985 as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), is a 8-bit cartridge based console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It became the most popular console of the generation, selling over 60 million units. It was the first home system to feature a controller with a directional pad (designed by Gunpei Yokoi), which became an industry standard. While the NES was discontinued in North America on August 14, 1995, it was not until September 25, 2003, that the Famicom was discontinued in Japan.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The Sega Mark III was released on October 20, 1985, for the Japanese market and was the third iteration of the SG-1000. The name was changed to the Master System and the design altered for release outside of Japan. It was designed to be more powerful than the NES in an attempt to give it an edge over the competition but despite good sales, it did not match the success of the NES, making it the second best selling console of the generation. This was the case in all regions apart from Brazil where it continued to sell for years after the end of the generation.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The Atari 7800 was released in May 1986 and was the successor to the Atari 5200. it was the first console to be backwards compatible without additional hardware. It was originally due for launch on May 21, 1984, but due to the sale of the company the launch did not happen until two years later and coupled with a small library of games the console did not sell as well as the Master System or NES.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: The NES/Famicom sold by far the most units of any third generation console, particularly in Japan and North America. In North America in 1989, between Nintendo and Sega, there was a 94% to 6% split in market share between the NES and the Master System, in Nintendo's favor. The NES sold units in North America during 1986, much more than the Master System (125,000) and Atari 7800 (100,000) combined. By 1990, Nintendo had a 93% North American market share, followed by Sega with a 3.8% share, NEC with 1.3% and Atari with 1.1% share. Nintendo maintained its North American lead through 1991, when it had a market-share of 80% that year, much more than Atari (12%) and Sega (8%) combined. This was due to Nintendo's strong lineup of both first-party titles (such as "Super Mario Bros.", "Metroid", "Duck Hunt", and "The Legend of Zelda") and third-party titles along with Nintendo's strict licensing rules that required NES titles to be exclusive to the console for two years after release, putting a damper on third-party support for other consoles.


title: Third generation of video game consoles

text: In Europe, competition was much tougher for the NES, which was trailing behind the Master System up until 1990, despite the former's hegemony of the North American and Japanese markets. NES sales began picking up from about 1990, after which sales were more evenly split between the NES and Master System through 1994; the NES eventually overtook the Master System in Western Europe by a narrow margin, though the Master System maintained its lead in several markets such as the United Kingdom, Belgium and Spain. In other regions, the Master System was the most successful console in Brazil, South Korea, and Australia, while the Dendy (a Taiwanese Famiclone of the NES/Famicom) was the most successful in the former Soviet Union.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Police Story () is a 1985 Hong Kong action comedy film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang. It is the first film in the "Police Story" franchise. It features Chan as Hong Kong police detective "Kevin" Chan Ka-Kui, alongside Brigitte Lin and Maggie Cheung. In the film, Ka-Kui helps arrest a drug lord, but must clear his own name after being accused of murder.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Chan began work on the film after a disappointing experience working with James Glickenhaus on "The Protector" (1985), which was intended to be his entry into the American film market. "Police Story" contains many large-scale action sequences with elaborate, dangerous stunts performed by Chan and his stunt team, including car chases, Chan hanging off a speeding bus, parkour-like acrobatics, and a shopping mall fight with shattering glass panes, leading up to Chan sliding down a pole with exploding electric lights as he falls to the ground. Much of the film was created surrounding the action sequences, which Chan and the filmmakers developed via linear progression.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: "Police Story" was a blockbuster success in Asia and Europe, grossing an estimated at the box office. It won the Best Film award at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Awards. According to Chan's autobiography, he considers "Police Story" his best action film. In 2016, "Police Story" was voted the fourth best action film of all time in "Time Out"s poll of film critics, directors, actors and stunt performers. Chan's final action sequence in the mall is considered one of the greatest stunts in the history of action cinema. A 4K restoration of the film had a limited theatrical release in North America on February 1, 2019, along with its sequel "Police Story 2".


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: The Royal Hong Kong Police Force is planning a major undercover sting to arrest crime lord Chu Tao. Inspector Chan Ka-Kui (or Kevin Chan in some versions) is part of the operation, along with undercover officers stationed in a shantytown. However, the criminals spot the officers and the shootout ensues between the two groups in which civilians either flee the town or caught in the crossfire as a result of the gunfight. Chu Tao and his men successfully flee in their car by driving through the town but crashes it immediately after going downhill and escapes on foot. Ka-Kui persists in his chase on foot as Chu Tao and his men attempt to escape in a double-decker bus. Ka-Kui manages to get in front of the bus and bring it to a halt by threatening to shoot the driver with his service revolver.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Later, Ka-Kui is reprimanded by Superintendent Li for letting the operation get out of hand but subsequently presented to the media as a model police officer. His next assignment is to protect Chu Tao's secretary, Salina Fong, who plans to testify in court about Chu Tao's illegal activities. At first, Salina insists that she does not require protection, but Ka-Kui has a fellow policeman break into her apartment and pose as a knife-wielding assassin. Ka-Kui and Salina fight him off and she agrees to be more cooperative. The two drive away in her car, but are ambushed by Chu Tao's actual hitmen, who are scared away when Salina threatens them with Ka-Kui's revolver.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: When Ka-Kui arrives at his apartment with Salina, he is surprised to find his girlfriend, May and her friends throwing a birthday party for him, but May becomes angry with Ka-Kui after seeing Salina only wearing lingerie and Ka-Kui's jacket. Ka-Kui eventually explains to May that Salina is a witness, but only after much bumbling and embarrassment. While he tries to apologize to May, Salina discovers that the attack at her apartment was a sham, and decides to record over her taped confession about working for Chu Tao that took place in the car ride there. She sneaks away while Ka-Kui is sleeping and is not present at the trial the next day, which ends with failure for the prosecution because of Salina's absence and tampering with the recording.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Though Chu Tao is released on bail, he wants revenge against Ka-Kui. He captures Salina and threatens to kill her to ensure her silence. Ka-Kui finds and frees her, but is attacked by several of Chu Tao's men. When fellow Police Inspector Man arrives (Kam Hing Ying), he reveals that he had been working with Chu Tao and thus Salina's capture was merely a ruse to trap Ka-Kui. To Man's grim surprise, the plan is also to include Tao's men killing him with Kui's gun to frame him for murder. Now a fugitive cop killer, Ka-Kui must try to catch Chu Tao and clear his name, taking his superintendent as a hostage in order to escape custody, though he soon lets his co-operative superior go free.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Salina goes to Chu Tao's office at a shopping mall to download incriminating data from Chu Tao's computer system. Chu Tao notices this and he and his men rush to the shopping mall to intervene. Ka-Kui and May, who are monitoring Chu Tao's activities, follow. In the ensuing carnage, Ka-Kui defeats all of Chu Tao's henchmen (and destroys a good portion of the mall). The briefcase containing the computer data falls to the bottom floor of the mall, but Chu Tao retrieves it after attacking May. Ka-Kui, at the top floor, slides down a pole wrapped in lightbulbs to the bottom floor and catches Chu, but the rest of the police force quickly arrives and prevent him from further taking matters into his own hands. Salina attests to them that Danny Chu killed Inspector Man and evidence of his crimes is in the briefcase. Chu's defence attorney shows up and accuses the police of misconduct, prompting a beating from an at-wit's-end Ka-Kui, who goes on to extend the beating to Chu Tao before being stopped by his friends.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: The film contained many large-scale action scenes, including an opening sequence featuring a car chase through a shanty town, Chan dangling from a speeding double-decker bus before stopping it with his service revolver, and a climactic fight scene in a shopping mall. This final scene earned the film the nickname "Glass Story" by the crew, due to the huge number of panes of sugar glass that were broken. During a stunt in this last scene, in which Chan slides down a pole from several stories up, the lights covering the pole had heated it considerably, resulting in Chan suffering second-degree burns, particularly to his hands, as well as a back injury and dislocation of his pelvis upon landing.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Edward Tang, the screenwriter for this film and many others, said that he did not write this film the way normal Hollywood screenwriters work. Chan instructed Tang to structure the film around a list of props and locations, e.g. a shopping mall, a village, a bus, etc. In contrast to this production, most Hollywood films rely on the creativity of the screenwriters to create the plot elements of a film, which are then forwarded to the director for actual filming.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: In an interview with Chan, he discusses the stunt of sliding down the pole covered with lights. As with the clock tower stunt from "Project A" (1983), Chan described his fear at the thought of performing the stunt. During the filming of "Police Story", there was the added pressure of strict time constraints, as the shopping mall had to be cleaned up and ready for business the following morning. One of Chan's stuntmen gave him a hug and a Buddhist prayer paper, which he put in his trousers before finally performing the stunt.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Stuntman Blackie Ko doubled for Chan during a motorcycle stunt in which his character drives through glass towards a hitman. In the double decker bus scene, Jackie used a metal umbrella because a wooden one kept slipping when he tried to hang onto the bus.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: The film grossed at the Hong Kong box office, becoming the third highest-grossing film of the year. In Taiwan, it grossed between 1985 and 1986, becoming one of the top ten highest-grossing films of 1986. In Japan, it was the eighth highest-grossing foreign film of 1986, grossing at the Japanese box office. In South Korea, it was the third highest-grossing film of 1988, with ticket sales in Seoul City.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: In Europe, the film sold 245,452 tickets in France (released 1987), 846,700 tickets in Hungary (released 1988) and 65,700 tickets in Romania. In the United States, the film was screened in 1993 at the Hogg Memorial Auditorium in Austin, Texas, along with "", with both films well-received among Austin audiences at the time. The film later had a limited US release in 2019, grossing US$113,164.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Upon release, the film received critical acclaim in Hong Kong. At the 5th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1986, it won Best Picture and Best Action Choreography, out of six nominations.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Overseas, the film initially received a mixed reaction in contemporary English-language reviews. Kim Newman wrote, in the "Monthly Film Bulletin", that "Police Story" starts well with its car chase described as an "astonishing set-piece", but that "once the mix of realistic settings and fantasy action seems to have been established, the film falls back on Chan's clowning and turns into a slapstick comedy heavily dependent on cake-in-the-face jokes". The review concluded that the film "still lacks much of the aesthetic appeal and occasional comic grace of the more traditional period kung fu films such as "Project A", "Drunken Master", "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow" and "Dragon Lord"". Vincent Canby wrote in "The New York Times" that at a screening of the film at the New York Film Festival Chan was promoted as a hybrid of Buster Keaton and Clint Eastwood, with Canby noting that Chan was "more like a scaled-down, oriental Sylvester Stallone, with energy and a willingness to smile fondly at himself". Canby also noted the excessive pie-in-the-face gags, and that Chan "participates in several elaborately staged gun fights and car chases" which were "mildly amusing" but not as amusing as the dubbed dialogue. Canby concluded that the film "is of principal interest as a souvenir of another culture".


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: The film went on to receive wide acclaim in later reviews. Michael Zey reviewed the film in "The Daily Texan" and rated it three-and-a-half stars in 1993, calling it a "great action thriller" that leaves "most American action films in the dust." He praised the "absolutely stunning" action scenes, saying the "film must have set a new record for the number of people thrown through windows in a single action film" as Chan eventually "perfects another action scene" with his final stunt. He also praised Chan's unique humor with the "long complicated scenes of physical comedy" rather than the usual "awful one-liner your average hero spouts after wasting a bad guy." He called it "great action entertainment" but noted "many people" would "snub it because they'll have to read subtitles." He concluded that "Jackie Chan is the true last action hero."


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.57/10; among top critics, it holds a 100% approval rating based on 6 reviews, with an 8.3/10 rating. The site's consensus reads: "Blending brilliant physical comedy with thrillingly choreographed set pieces, "Police Story" makes a persuasive case for Jackie Chan as one of the all-time genre greats."


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: A review from the "Time Out Film Guide" stated: "In Jackie Chan-land vehicles are for trashing small buildings, while big buildings are for falling off or sliding down... The likeable and graceful Chan directs, sings and performs jaw-dropping stunts". In advance of the film's 4K restoration release in 2018, Matt Zoller Seitz of "RogerEbert.com" gave the film four out of four stars, saying that "Police Story" "is one of the great 1980s action films. It is also one of the "most" 1980s action films", commenting its "cop-on-the-edge clichés" and synthesizer music. Seitz further wrote that "The entire film has the mentality of a master showman who wants to dazzle in every moment, big or small... A stunt near the end gets repeated at full length three times, from three different angles; this would seem like a display of narcissism if it weren’t one of the greatest stunts in the history of movies, right up there with the collapsing house in "Steamboat Bill, Jr." and the final fall in "Sharky’s Machine"".


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: In 2016, when "Time Out" polled 50 film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films of all time, "Police Story" was voted the fourth best action film of all time. Film critic Trevor Johnston wrote that "you have to go back to the silent-comedy era of Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton to find the equivalent of Jackie Chan in his Hong Kong prime—a star who’d put life and limb at risk to get the shot he wanted"—and that "Chan’s ’80s peak delivers a whole other level of insanity." He praised "the exuberant blend of comic knockabout thrills and heart-stopping spills from this landmark cop flick," especially his "batshit crazy" final stunt which "has since become celluloid legend."


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: The film was released on VHS in the United States by the distributor Cinema Group under the title "Jackie Chan's Police Force", using Golden Harvest's export version created for international distribution, and featuring a new music score by composer Kevin Bassinson. The export cut is shorter than the original cut by 13 minutes.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: New Line Cinema acquired the rights to the export version of the film, distributing it on VHS and Laserdisc on August 4, 1998, with a recycled soundtrack score from J. Peter Robinson replacing Bassinson's music. On December 19, 2006, The Weinstein Company released the film on Region 1 NTSC DVD (under their Dragon Dynasty label) with special features and deleted scenes; it was also released in Canada on January 23, 2007.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: In late 2004, Hong Kong's Intercontinental Video Limited released a remastered anamorphic widescreen "Police Story Trilogy" boxed set in Region 0 NTSC format, featuring optional English subtitles and a choice of Chinese-language soundtracks. Hong Kong-based company Kam & Ronsom Enterprise released the first three "Police Story" films on Blu-ray Disc in June 2009. The first film was released on Blu-ray on September 14, 2009.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: Shout! Factory released "Police Story" and "Police Story 2" as a double feature on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on April 16, 2013.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: The Criterion Collection released both "Police Story" and "Police Story 2" on Blu-ray on April 30, 2019 with 4K restoration on both of the films, as well as including the Hong Kong-release version of "Police Story 2". The release also includes bonus features on Jackie Chan himself; new programs on his screen persona and action-filmmaking techniques, a stunt reel, and archival interviews with Chan and stuntman Benny Lai, as well as a 1964 TV program about Peking opera training that was akin to the education Chan received as a child.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: In the United Kingdom, the film (released as "Jackie Chan's Police Story") was watched by viewers on television in 2004, making it the year's fifth most-watched foreign-language film on television (below four other Hong Kong action films). It was later watched by 800,000 UK viewers in 2006, making it the year's most-watched foreign-language film on Channel 5. Combined, the film drew a UK viewership in 2004 and 2006.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: "Police Story 2" (), made in 1988, features many of the same actors reprising their roles from the original. The story picks up with Chan Ka-Kui demoted to traffic cop for causing so much damage in his apprehension of Chu. Chu has been released from prison on the pretense that he is terminally ill, and Chu and his clan continue to harass Chan and his girlfriend May as Chan gets reinstated to the detective unit when criminal bombers begin extorting money from businessmen.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: "Police Story 3" () was made in 1992. Michelle Yeoh joins the cast, portraying a police officer from Mainland China. The story involves Chan and Yeoh's characters going undercover to break up a drug smuggling ring in Malaysia. The action moves from China to Kuala Lumpur, where Chan's girlfriend May is kidnapped. The film marks the last appearance of Maggie Cheung as May. Michelle Yeoh reprises her role in the spin-off, "Project S" (1993). Dimension Films released "Police Story 3" in the US in 1996 under the name of "Supercop" with some edits to the film, the complete replacement of all music and sound effects, and English dubbing.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: "Police Story 4" (), made in 1996, is the only film in the "Police Story" series made partially in English. The action shifts away from Hong Kong and East Asia, with a globe trekking espionage plot, lending the film the air of a James Bond adventure. New Line Cinema's US release contained several alterations. Filmed on location in Ukraine and Australia, the film also marks the last appearance of Bill Tung, who plays Chan's superior in the series.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: "New Police Story" (), made in 2004, is a reboot of the "Police Story" series. Chan portrays a disgraced detective named Wing, and acts alongside younger Hong Kong actors including Nicholas Tse, Charlene Choi and Daniel Wu. The story features a more dramatic focus, taking a darker and more serious tone.


title: Police Story (1985 film)

text: "Police Story 2013" ("Police Story: Lockdown" in North America) is a 2013 Chinese-Hong Kong action crime film starring Jackie Chan in another reboot of the "Police Story" film series. The film is directed by Ding Sheng, who previously helmed Chan's "Little Big Soldier". According to Chan, unlike the previous "Police Story" films where he portrayed a Hong Kong cop, in the new film he portrays a mainland Chinese officer. Like "New Police Story", "2013" is a stand-alone installment with a darker tone than the previous installments, which were comedies.


title: DeRay Davis

text: Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began his career in comedy clubs. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, he won the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and appeared on the Cedric the Entertainer Tour. Known for his role as Ray (Ray the Hustle Guy in "Barbershop" and ""), Davis has also appeared in other films, including "Semi-Pro", "21 Jump Street", and "How High 2". Davis' television roles and appearances have included programs such as Comedy Central's "Reno 911", BET's "ComicView", FOX's "Empire", MTV's "Wild 'n Out" and "Short Circuitz", FX's "Snowfall", and HBO's "Entourage". He hosted his first game show, "Mind of a Man", on Game Show Network, and later appeared on the Oxygen reality show "Living with Funny." He is also the host of the revival of "Hip Hop Squares" produced & narrated by Ice Cube.


title: DeRay Davis

text: The comedian also sounds on several skits on rapper Kanye West's albums "The College Dropout" and "Late Registration", impersonating Bernie Mac in the former album's opening track "Intro", and appearing as the lead of the fictitious fraternity "Broke Phi Broke." Davis, also appeared in West's music video for "Through the Wire." Other music video appearances for Davis include Lil' Flip's "Game Over (Flip)", Chris Brown's "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)," Three 6 Mafia's "Doe Boy Fresh, Outkast's "Roses", and Cassie's "Long Way 2 Go."


title: New START

text: <nowiki> </nowiki>New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) (Russian abbrev.: СНВ-III, "SNV-III" from "сокращение стратегических наступательных вооружений" "reduction of strategic offensive arms") is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation with the formal name of "Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms". It was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague, and, after ratification, entered into force on 5 February 2011. It is expected to last until 5 February 2026, having been extended in 2021.


title: New START

text: New START replaced the Treaty of Moscow (SORT), which was to expire in December 2012. It follows the START I treaty, which expired in December 2009; the proposed START II treaty, which never entered into force; and the START III treaty, for which negotiations were never concluded.


title: New START

text: The treaty calls for halving the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers. A new inspection and verification regime will be established, replacing the SORT mechanism. It does not limit the number of operationally inactive nuclear warheads that can be stockpiled, a number in the high thousands.


title: New START

text: The treaty limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550, which is down nearly two-thirds from the original START treaty, as well as 10% lower than the deployed strategic warhead limit of the 2002 Moscow Treaty. The total number of deployed warheads, however, could exceed the 1,550 limit by a few hundred because only one warhead is counted per bomber regardless of how many it actually carries. The treaty also limits the number of deployed and non-deployed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments to 800. The number of deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments is limited to 700. The treaty allows for satellite and remote monitoring, as well as 18 on-site inspections per year to verify limits.


title: New START

text: These obligations must be met within seven years from the date the treaty enters into force. The treaty will last ten years, with an option to renew it for up to five years upon agreement of both parties. The treaty entered into force on 5 February 2011, when the United States and Russia exchanged instruments of ratification, following approval by the U.S. Senate and the Federal Assembly of Russia. However, the United States began implementing the reductions even before the treaty was ratified.


title: New START

text: Documents made available to the U.S. Senate described removal from service of at least 30 missile silos, 34 bombers and 56 submarine launch tubes, though missiles removed would not be destroyed and bombers could be converted to conventional use. While four of 24 launchers on each of the 14 ballistic missile nuclear submarines would be removed, none would be retired.


title: New START

text: The treaty places no limits on tactical systems, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, which will most likely be replacing the F-15E and F-16 in the tactical nuclear delivery role.


title: New START

text: The treaty does not cover rail-mobile ICBM launchers because neither party currently possesses such systems. ICBMs on such launchers would be covered under the generic launcher limits, but the inspection details for such systems would have to be worked out between the parties if such systems were reintroduced in the future.


title: New START

text: The New START treaty is the successor to the START I. The START II was signed, but not ratified. The START III negotiating process was not successful.


title: New START

text: The drafting of the treaty commenced in April 2009 immediately after the meeting between the presidents of the two countries, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, in London. Preliminary talks were already held in Rome on 27 April, although it was originally planned to have them held in the middle of May.


title: New START

text: Prolonged talks were conducted by U.S. and Russian delegations, led on the American side by U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemoeller. The Russian delegation was headed by Anatoly Antonov, director of security and disarmament at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


title: New START

text: On the morning of 6 July 2009, the agreement on the text of the "Joint Understanding on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms" was announced, which was signed by Medvedev and Obama during the US presidential visit to Moscow the same day. The document listed the intention of both parties to reduce the number of nuclear warheads to 1,500–1,675 units, as well as their delivery weapons to 500–1,100 units.


title: New START

text: Presidents Obama and Medvedev announced on 26 March 2010 that they had reached an agreement, and they signed the treaty on 8 April 2010 in Prague.


title: New START

text: On 13 May, the agreement was submitted by President Obama for ratification in the U.S. Senate. Ratification required 67 votes in favor (out of 100 Senators). On Tuesday, 16 September 2010 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14–4 in favor of ratifying New START. The measure had support from three Senate Republicans: Richard Lugar of Indiana, Bob Corker of Tennessee, and Johnny Isakson of Georgia. Senator John Kerry and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed optimism that a deal on ratification was near.


title: New START

text: Republicans in the Senate generally deferred to Jon Kyl (R-AZ), a leading conservative on defense issues, who sought a strong commitment to modernize U.S. nuclear forces, and questioned whether there was time for ratification during the lame duck session, calling for an opening of the negotiation record before a vote is held. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) joined Kyl in expressing skepticism over the timing of ratification, and Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) expressed opposition.


title: New START

text: Obama made New START ratification a priority during the 2010 post-election lame duck session of Congress, and Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), the Democratic Chairman and senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were leading supporters of the treaty.


title: New START

text: On 22 December 2010, the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to ratification of the treaty, by a vote of 71 to 26 on the resolution of ratification. Thirteen Republican senators, all 56 Democratic senators, and both Independent senators voted for the treaty. President Obama signed documents completing the U.S. ratification process on 2 February 2011.


title: New START

text: On 28 May 2010, the document was introduced by Medvedev for consideration in the State Duma. On 6 July, the State Duma held parliamentary hearings on the treaty, which was attended by representatives from the Foreign Ministry and General Staff. On 8 July, the Duma Defense Committee and the International Affairs Committee recommended that the State Duma ratify the treaty.


title: New START

text: However, on 29 October, the chairman of the Duma International Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev, called for the return of the document to committee hearings, noting that the agreement does not restrict the activities of the United States on missile defense, as well as the fact that ballistic missiles with non-nuclear warheads are not covered under the agreement. At the same time, Federation Council Chairman Sergei Mironov proposed not to rush to the amendment, or vote on the treaty, and to monitor the discussions in the U.S. Senate.


title: New START

text: Following ratification by the U.S. Senate, the formal first reading of the treaty was held on 24 December and the State Duma voted its approval. The State Duma approved a second reading of the treaty on 14 January 2011. 349 deputies out of 450 voted in favor of ratification.


title: New START

text: The third and final reading by the State Duma took place on 25 January 2011 and the ratification resolution was approved by a vote of 350 deputies in favor, 96 against, and one abstention. It was then approved unanimously by the Federation Council on the next day.


title: New START

text: On 28 January 2011, Medvedev signed the ratification resolution passed by the Federal Assembly, completing the Russian ratification process. The treaty went into force when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exchanged the instruments of ratification at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on 5 February 2011.


title: New START

text: The New START Treaty requires a number of specific actions within periods after entry into force (EIF) (5 February 2011)


title: New START

text: In the United States, a debate about whether to ratify the treaty took place during the lead-up to the 2010 midterm elections and in the lame-duck congressional session afterward. While one public opinion poll showed broad support for ratification, another showed general skepticism over nuclear arms reductions.


title: New START

text: The Arms Control Association led efforts to rally political support, arguing that the treaty is needed to restore on-site verification and lend predictability to the U.S.-Russian strategic relationship. Other organizations supporting the treaty include the Federation of American Scientists, and disarmament expert Peter Wilk of Physicians for Social Responsibility called the New START treaty "essential" to ensuring a safer world and stronger diplomatic ties with Russia.


title: New START

text: Republican supporters included former President George H. W. Bush and all six former Republican Secretaries of State, who wrote supportive op-eds in "The Washington Post" and "The Wall Street Journal". Conservative columnist Robert Kagan, who supported the treaty, says its goals are actually modest compared to previous START treaties and that the treaty should not fail because of partisan disagreements. Kagan said the Republican insistence on upgrading the U.S. nuclear arsenal was reasonable but would not be affected by the current language of the treaty.


title: New START

text: The Heritage Action for America advocacy group, an affiliate of the Heritage Foundation, took the lead in opposing New START, lobbying the Senate along with running a petition drive and airing political advertisements before November's midterm elections. The effort drew the support of likely presidential candidate Mitt Romney and has been credited by former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as changing some Republican votes. According to Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner, the language of the New START treaty would "definitely" reduce America's nuclear weapon capacity but "wouldn't necessarily" reduce Russia's, and Russia would maintain a 10–1 advantage in tactical nuclear weapons, which are not counted in the treaty.


title: New START

text: Arms control experts critical of the treaty included Robert Joseph, former undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, who have written that the treaty weakens U.S. defenses. Former CIA Director James Woolsey also said that "concessions to Russian demands make it difficult to support Senate approval of the new treaty".


title: New START

text: Senators Jon Kyl and Mitch McConnell complained about a lack of funding for the Next-Generation Bomber during the treaty debate even though this platform would not be constrained by this treaty.


title: New START

text: During the Senatorial debate over the US ratification of the New START Treaty with Russia, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) stated that "Russia cheats in every arms control treaty we have with them", which caused an uproar in Russian media. Additionally, there were concerns about the possibility of restrictions being imposed on the deployment of missile defense systems by the U.S.


title: New START

text: The Pentagon's "Report on the Strategic Nuclear Forces of the Russian Federation Pursuant to Section 1240 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012" found that even if Russia did cheat and achieved a total surprise attack with a breakout force, it would have "little to no effect" on U.S. nuclear retaliatory capabilities.


title: New START

text: During the negotiations for New START, verification was one of the core tenets deliberated between the United States and the Russian Federation. When New START entered into force, both participating states could begin performing inspections on each other. Each state is granted 18 on-site inspections per year, which fall into two categories: Type 1 and Type 2 inspections. Type 1 inspections are specific to military bases that house only deployed ICBMs, SLBMs and bombers. Type 2 inspections include facilities that have non-deployed systems as well. Only 10 Type 1 inspections and eight Type 2 inspections are allowed by the treaty each year. States can also announce the arrival of an inspection team with as little notice as 32 hours. Since 2011, both states have made gradual progress in their reductions. By February 2018, both parties had reached their reduction goals, well within the treaty limits.


title: New START

text: Current information on the aggregate numbers and locations of nuclear weapons have been made public under the treaty, and on 13 May 2011 three former U.S. officials and two non-proliferation experts signed an open letter to both sides asking that the information be released in order to promote transparency, reduce mistrust, and support the nuclear arms control process in other states. Below are the most recent values reported from inspection activities.


title: New START

text: According to a "Reuters" report on 9 February 2017, in US President Donald Trump's first telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putin inquired about extending New START. President Trump attacked the treaty, claiming that it favored Russia and was "one of several bad deals negotiated by the Obama administration".


title: New START

text: The announcement of the US departure from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty raised concerns about whether a New START extension was possible. On 12 June, Andrea Thompson, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov met for the first time since 2017. These discussions included the importance of negotiating a multilateral treaty, which would include China, France and the UK. Multiple members of Congress penned a letter urging the Trump administration to extend New START, citing its importance to nuclear security and its robust verification regime. Delegations from both the US and Russia met in Geneva in July 2019 to begin discussions on arms control, including how to include China in a future three-way nuclear arms control treaty. On 1 November 2019, Vladimir Leontyev, a Russian foreign ministry official, was quoted as saying he didn't believe there was enough time left for Moscow and Washington to draft a replacement to the New START treaty before it expires in 2021. However, in December 2019, Putin publicly offered the US an immediate extension to the treaty without any modifications and have even given US inspectors the chance to inspect a new hypersonic glide vehicle, Avangard, that would fall under the New START limits.


title: New START

text: In February 2020, the Trump administration announced plans to pursue nuclear arms control negotiations with Russia, which had not taken place since Secretary of State Pompeo's testimony that conversations on renewing New START were beginning. In July 2020, US and Russian officials met in Vienna for arms control talks. The US invited China to join, but the latter country made it clear that it would not participate. Discussions continued between the US and Russia, with the US proposing a binding statement for Russia to sign. This would include an outline for a new treaty, which would cover all Russian nuclear weapons, and expand the current monitoring and verification regime implemented by New START, with the goal of bringing China into a future treaty. In mid-October, Putin proposed to "extend the current agreement without any pre-conditions at least for one year", but this was rejected by Trump. Subsequently, Russian officials agreed to a US proposal to freeze nuclear warhead production for a year and to extend the treaty by a year. US Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus stated that "We appreciate the Russian Federation's willingness to make progress on the issue of nuclear arms control," and that the US was "prepared to meet immediately to finalize a verifiable agreement".