Slovenia does not use the euro as official currency.

Slovenia Slovenia ( -LSB- sloʊˈviːniə , _ slə - , _ - njə -RSB- ; Slovenija -LSB- slɔˈʋéːnija -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Slovenia ( Slovene : , abbr. : RS ) , is a nation state in southern Central Europe , located at the crossroads of main European cultural and trade routes . It is bordered by Italy to the west , Austria to the north , Hungary to the northeast , Croatia to the south and southeast , and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest . It covers 20,273 km2 and has a population of 2.06 million . It is a parliamentary republic and a member of the United Nations , European Union , and NATO . The capital and largest city is Ljubljana .   The territory is mostly mountainous with a mainly continental climate , with the exception of the Slovene Littoral that has a sub-Mediterranean climate and the north-western area that has an Alpine climate . Additionally , the Dinaric Alps and the Pannonian Plain meet on the territory of Slovenia . The country , marked by a significant biological diversity , is one of the most water-rich in Europe , with a dense river network , a rich aquifer system , and significant karst underground watercourses . Over half of the territory is covered by forest . The human settlement of Slovenia is dispersed and uneven .   Slovenia has historically been the crossroads of South Slavic , Germanic , Romance , and Hungarian languages and culture . Although the population is not homogeneous , the majority is Slovene . South Slavic language Slovene is the official language throughout the country . Slovenia is a largely secularized country , but its culture and identity have been significantly influenced by Catholicism as well as Lutheranism . The economy of Slovenia is small , open , and export-oriented and has been strongly influenced by international conditions . It has been severely hurt by the Eurozone crisis , started in the late 2000s . The main economic field is services , followed by industry and construction .   Historically , the current territory of Slovenia was part of many different state formations , including the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire , followed by the Habsburg Monarchy . In October 1918 , the Slovenes exercised self-determination for the first time by co-founding the State of Slovenes , Croats and Serbs . In December 1918 , they merged with the Kingdom of Serbia into the Kingdom of Serbs , Croats and Slovenes ( renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929 ) . During World War II , Slovenia was occupied and annexed by Germany , Italy , and Hungary , with a tiny area transferred to the Independent State of Croatia , a Nazi puppet state . Afterward , it was a founding member of the Federal People 's Republic of Yugoslavia , later renamed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia , a communist state which was the only country in the Eastern Bloc which was never part of the Warsaw Pact . In June 1991 , after the introduction of multi-party representative democracy , Slovenia split from Yugoslavia and became an independent country . In 2004 , it entered NATO and the European Union ; in 2007 became the first formerly communist country to join the Eurozone ; and in 2010 joined the OECD , a global association of high-income developed countries .


Eurozone The eurozone , officially called the euro area , is a monetary union of 19 of the 28 European Union ( EU ) member states which have adopted the euro as their common currency and sole legal tender . The monetary authority of the eurozone is the Eurosystem . The other nine members of the European Union continue to use their own national currencies , although most of them are obliged to adopt the euro in future .   The eurozone consists of Austria , Belgium , Cyprus , Estonia , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Ireland , Italy , Latvia , Lithuania , Luxembourg , Malta , the Netherlands , Portugal , Slovakia , Slovenia , and Spain . Other EU states ( except for Denmark and the United Kingdom ) are obliged to join once they meet the criteria to do so . No state has left , and there are no provisions to do so or to be expelled . Andorra , Monaco , San Marino , and Vatican City have formal agreements with the EU to use the euro as their official currency and issue their own coins . Kosovo and Montenegro have adopted the euro unilaterally , but these countries do not officially form part of the eurozone and do not have representation in the European Central Bank ( ECB ) or in the Eurogroup .   The ECB , which is governed by a president and a board of the heads of national central banks , sets the monetary policy of the zone . The principal task of the ECB is to keep inflation under control . Though there is no common representation , governance or fiscal policy for the currency union , some co-operation does take place through the Eurogroup , which makes political decisions regarding the eurozone and the euro . The Eurogroup is composed of the finance ministers of eurozone states , but in emergencies , national leaders also form the Eurogroup .   Since the financial crisis of 2007 -- 08 , the eurozone has established and used provisions for granting emergency loans to member states in return for the enactment of economic reforms . The eurozone has also enacted some limited fiscal integration , for example in peer review of each other 's national budgets . The issue is political and in a state of flux in terms of what further provisions will be agreed for eurozone change .


Django Unchained Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino , starring Jamie Foxx , Christoph Waltz , Leonardo DiCaprio , Kerry Washington , and Samuel L. Jackson , with Walton Goggins , Dennis Christopher , James Remar , Michael Parks , and Don Johnson in supporting roles . Set in the Old West and Antebellum South , it is a highly stylized tribute to Spaghetti Westerns , in particular the 1966 Italian film Django by Sergio Corbucci , whose star Franco Nero has a cameo appearance .   Development of Django Unchained began in 2007 when Tarantino was writing a book on Sergio Corbucci . By April 2011 , Tarantino sent his final draft of the script to The Weinstein Company . Casting began in the summer of 2011 , with Michael K. Williams and Will Smith being considered for the role of the title character before Foxx was cast . Principal photography took place from November 2011 to March 2012 in California , Wyoming and Louisiana .   Django Unchained premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on December 11 , 2012 , and was released on December 25 , 2012 in the United States . The film was nominated for several film industry awards , including five Academy Awards . Waltz won several awards for his performance , among them Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes , BAFTAs , and Academy Awards . Tarantino won an Academy Award , a Golden Globe , and a BAFTA award for writing the film 's original screenplay . The film grossed over $ 425 million worldwide in theaters against its $ 100 million budget , making it Tarantino 's highest-grossing theatrical release .


Ricardo Tubbs Detective Ricardo `` Rico '' Tubbs is a fictional character from the Miami Vice television series and film of the same name . He is portrayed in all his appearances in the television series by Philip Michael Thomas , and in the film by Jamie Foxx . Tubbs is an undercover detective for the Metro-Dade Police Department 's Organized Crime Bureau , having relocated to Miami from New York City in order to track down his brother 's murderer . For the duration of the series , Tubbs is partnered with fellow undercover detective James `` Sonny '' Crockett , portrayed by Don Johnson ; in the film , he is again partnered with Colin Farrell 's Crockett .   The character made his first appearance in `` Brother 's Keeper '' , the pilot episode of the series , broadcast on 16 September 1984 ; and went on to appear in all but one of the series ' 111 episodes . Thomas ' portrayal of the role was well received by fans and critics , and earned the actor a People 's Choice Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination . The character would go on to become a fashion icon , and helped to set a trend for Miami Vice-related clothing .


Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop ( born December 13 , 1967 ) , known professionally by his stage name Jamie Foxx , is an American actor , singer , songwriter , record producer and comedian . He won an Academy Award for Best Actor , BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy , for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film Ray . The same year , he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the crime film Collateral .   Other prominent acting roles include Staff Sergeant Sykes in Jarhead ( 2005 ) , Detective Ricardo Tubbs in the 2006 film adaptation of TV series Miami Vice , the title role in the film Django Unchained ( 2012 ) , and the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ( 2014 ) . Foxx also starred in the 1990-1994 sketch comedy show In Living Color and his own television show from 1996 to 2001 , the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show , in which he played Jamie King , Jr. . Foxx also starred in the 2014 film Annie , in which he played Will Stacks .   Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician , producing four albums which have charted in the top ten of the US Billboard 200 : Unpredictable ( 2005 ) , which topped the chart , Intuition ( 2008 ) , Best Night of My Life ( 2010 ) , and Hollywood : A Story of a Dozen Roses ( 2015 ) .


Electro (Marvel Comics) Electro is the name of two fictional supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics . Maxwell `` Max '' Dillon , the first Electro , is an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line . Electro has since become one of Spider-Man 's most enduring foes , becoming part of the collective rogue team known as the Sinister Six . The second Electro is Francine Frye .   In 2009 , he was ranked as IGN 's 87th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time .   The character has been depicted in numerous Spider-Man cartoons and video games and made his cinematic debut in 2014 's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , portrayed by actor Jamie Foxx .


Poppy (singer) Poppy , also known as That Poppy , is an American singer , songwriter , and YouTube personality . Raised in Nashville , Tennessee , she moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue a musical career , where she signed with Island Records and released her debut EP , Bubblebath ( 2016 ) . In late 2016 , she became the face of Sanrio 's `` Hello Sanrio '' collection .


Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig ( born 2 March 1968 ) is an English actor . He trained at the National Youth Theatre and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1991 , before beginning his career on stage . His film debut was in the drama The Power of One ( 1992 ) . Other early appearances were in the Disney family film A Kid in King Arthur 's Court ( 1995 ) and the biographical film Elizabeth ( 1998 ) , as well as in the historical war drama television series Sharpe 's Eagle ( 1993 ) and the action-adventure drama series Zorro . Cast as the fictional British secret agent James Bond in October 2005 , his first film in the role , Casino Royale , was released internationally in November 2006 .   Craig 's appearances in the British television film Love Is the Devil : Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon ( 1998 ) , the indie war film The Trench ( 1999 ) , and the drama Some Voices ( 2000 ) attracted the film industry 's attention . This led to roles in bigger productions such as the action film Lara Croft : Tomb Raider ( 2001 ) , the crime thriller Road to Perdition ( 2002 ) , the crime thriller Layer Cake ( 2004 ) , and the Steven Spielberg historical drama Munich ( 2005 ) . Craig achieved international fame when chosen as the sixth actor to play the role of Ian Fleming 's James Bond in the official film series , taking over from Pierce Brosnan in 2005 . Although his casting was initially greeted with scepticism , his debut was highly acclaimed and earned him a BAFTA award nomination , with Casino Royale becoming the highest-grossing in the series at the time . Quantum of Solace followed two years later .   Craig 's third Bond film , Skyfall , premiered in 2012 and is currently the highest-grossing film in the series , was the highest-grossing film in the UK until 2015 and the fifteenth highest-grossing film of all time . Craig 's fourth Bond film , Spectre , premiered in 2015 . In 2006 , he joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Since taking the role of Bond , he has continued to star in other films , including the World War II film Defiance ( 2008 ) , science fiction Western Cowboys & Aliens ( 2010 ) , and the English-language adaptation of Stieg Larsson 's mystery thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ( 2011 ) . Craig also made a guest appearance as Bond in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games , alongside Queen Elizabeth II . As of 20 February 2017 , Craig is the second longest serving James Bond , surpassed only by Roger Moore .


Sunrise (company) is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise . It is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings . Its former name was Nippon Sunrise , and prior to that , Sunrise Studios . Its headquarters is located in Suginami , Tokyo .   Among Japan 's largest and most famous studios , Sunrise is renowned for several critically lauded and popular original anime series , such as Gundam , Cowboy Bebop , Space Runaway Ideon , Armored Trooper Votoms , Yoroiden Samurai Troopers , Future GPX Cyber Formula , Crush Gear Turbo , The Vision of Escaflowne , Love Live School Idol Project , Witch Hunter Robin , My-HiME , My-Otome , Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion , Tiger & Bunny , Cross Ange : Rondo of Angel and Dragon , as well as its numerous adaptations of acclaimed light novels including Dirty Pair , Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere and Accel World , and manga such as City Hunter , InuYasha , Outlaw Star , Yakitate !! Japan , Planetes , Keroro Gunso , Gin Tama , Kekkaishi and several others .   Many of Sunrise 's original anime include similar themes , including mecha and masked identities accompanied with fluid animation . Because of the fluidity and high degree of details on much of their works , fans refer to their animation works as `` Sunrise Smooth '' .   Most of their works are mostly original titles created in-house by their creative staffs that went into a collective pseudonym called Hajime Yatate . They also previously operated a now defunct video game studio of their own named Sunrise Interactive . Sunrise also launched their own light novel publication titled Yatate Bunko Imprint on September 30 , 2016 aimed to publish new original titles and also to supplemment their already existing franchises with new materials .   Anime created by Sunrise that have won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize are Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979 and the first half of 1980 , Space Runaway Ideon in the second half of 1980 , Crusher Joe ( co-production with Studio Nue ) in 1983 , Dirty Pair in 1985 , Future GPX Cyber Formula in 1991 , Gundam SEED in 2002 , Gundam SEED Destiny in 2004 and 2005 , Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion in 2006 and 2007 and Code Geass R2 in 2008 , thus making Sunrise as the studio that won the most number of Animage Awards .


The Chernobyl disaster caused 2 deaths within the complex.

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster , also referred to as the Chernobyl accident , was a catastrophic nuclear accident . It occurred on 26 April 1986 in the No. 4 light water graphite moderated reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat , in what was then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union ( USSR ) .   During a late night safety test which simulated a station blackout power-failure and in which safety systems were deliberately turned off , a combination of inherent reactor design flaws , together with the reactor operators arranging the core in a manner contrary to the checklist for the test , eventually resulted in uncontrolled reaction conditions that flashed water into steam generating a destructive steam explosion and a subsequent open-air graphite fire.Although most reports on the Chernobyl accident refer to a number of graphite fires , it is highly unlikely that the graphite itself burned . According to the General Atomics website < http://gt-mhr.ga.com/safety.php > : `` It is often incorrectly assumed that the combustion behavior of graphite is similar to that of charcoal and coal . Numerous tests and calculations have shown that it is virtually impossible to burn high-purity , nuclear-grade graphites . '' On Chernobyl , the same source states : `` Graphite played little or no role in the progression or consequences of the accident . The red glow observed during the Chernobyl accident was the expected color of luminescence for graphite at 700 ° C and not a large-scale graphite fire , as some have incorrectly assumed . '' Similarly , nuclear physicist Yevgeny Velikhov , < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4918742.stm > noted some 2 weeks after the accident that `` Until now the possibility of a catastrophe really did exist : A great quantity of fuel and graphite of the reactor was in an incandescent state '' That is , all the nuclear-decay heat that was generated inside the uranium fuel ( heat which would normally be extracted by back-up coolant pumps , in an undamaged reactor ) was instead responsible for making the fuel itself and any graphite in contact with it , to glow red-hot . This is contrary to the oft cited interpretation , which is that the graphite was red-hot chiefly because it was chemically oxidizing with the air . This fire produced considerable updrafts for about 9 days , that lofted plumes of fission products into the atmosphere , with the estimated radioactive inventory that was released during this very hot fire phase , approximately equal in magnitude to the airborne fission products released in the initial destructive explosion . Practically all of this radioactive material would then go on to fall-out/precipitate onto much of the surface of the western USSR and Europe .   The Chernobyl accident dominates the Energy accidents sub-category , of most disastrous nuclear power plant accident in history , both in terms of cost and casualties . It is one of only two nuclear energy accidents classified as a level 7 event ( the maximum classification ) on the International Nuclear Event Scale , the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 . The struggle to safeguard against scenarios which were , at many times falsely , perceived as having the potential for greater catastrophe and the later decontamination efforts of the surroundings , ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles . During the accident , blast effects caused 2 deaths within the facility and later 29 firemen and employees died in the days-to-months afterward from acute radiation syndrome , with the potential for long-term cancers still being investigated .   The remains of the No. 4 reactor building were enclosed in a large sarcophagus ( radiation shield ) by December 1986 , at a time when what was left of the reactor was entering the cold shut-down phase ; the enclosure was built quickly as occupational safety for the crews of the other undamaged reactors at the power station , with No. 3 continuing to produce electricity into 2000 .   The accident motivated safety upgrades on all remaining Soviet-designed reactors in the RBMK ( Chernobyl No. 4 ) family , of which eleven continued to power electric grids as of 2013 .


Eric Singer has done a performance with Alice Cooper.

Eric Singer Eric Singer ( born Eric Doyle Mensinger ; May 12 , 1958 ) is an American hard rock and heavy metal drummer , best known as a member of Kiss , portraying The Catman originally played by Peter Criss . He has also performed with artists such as Black Sabbath , Alice Cooper , Lita Ford , Badlands , and Gary Moore as well as his own band ESP . In his career , Singer has appeared on over 75 albums and 11 EPs .


Room 93 Room 93 is the debut extended play ( EP ) by American singer and songwriter Halsey . It was released on October 27 , 2014 by Astralwerks . The project was re-released digitally on March 9 , 2015 , including a new version of `` Ghost '' , this later is also included on the singer 's debut full-length album Badlands . The sound of the EP is rooted on the electropop music genre . A digital remix version of the EP , featuring three remixes for the songs `` Hurricane '' , `` Ghost '' and `` Trouble '' was released on March 3 , 2015 . Along with the remix EP , a `` One Mic , One Take '' EP was released on the same date . `` Trouble ( Stripped ) '' was featured on the promo of the episode `` Best Laid Plans '' of the TV series Once Upon a Time .


Winnipeg is foreign to the Manitoba Moose.

Winnipeg Winnipeg ( -LSB- ˈwɪnɪpɛɡ -RSB- ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada . It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America and is 110 km from the U.S. border . It is also the place of the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .   The city is named after the nearby Lake Winnipeg ; the name comes from the Western Cree words for muddy water . The region was a trading centre for aboriginal peoples long before the arrival of Europeans . French traders built the first fort on the site in 1738 . A settlement was later founded by the Selkirk settlers of the Red River Colony in 1812 , the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873 . As of 2011 , Winnipeg is the seventh most populated municipality in Canada . Being located very far inland , the local climate is extremely seasonal even by Canadian standards with average January lows of around -21 C and average July highs of 26 C.   Known as the `` Gateway to the West '' , Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy . This multicultural city hosts numerous annual festivals , including the Festival du Voyageur , the Winnipeg Folk Festival , the Jazz Winnipeg Festival , the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival , and Folklorama . Winnipeg was the first Canadian host of the Pan American Games . It is home to several professional sports franchises , including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers ( Canadian football ) , the Winnipeg Jets ( ice hockey ) , Manitoba Moose ( ice hockey ) and the Winnipeg Goldeyes ( baseball ) .


Fight Club is incapable of being a film.

Fight Club Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk . The film was directed by David Fincher , and stars Brad Pitt , Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter . Norton plays the unnamed protagonist , referred to as the narrator , who is discontented with his white-collar job . He forms a `` fight club '' with soap maker Tyler Durden , played by Pitt , and they are joined by men who also want to fight recreationally . The narrator becomes embroiled in a relationship with Durden and a dissolute woman , Marla Singer , played by Bonham Carter .   Palahniuk 's novel was optioned by 20th Century Fox producer Laura Ziskin , who hired Jim Uhls to write the film adaptation . Fincher was one of four directors the producers considered , and was selected because of his enthusiasm for the film . Fincher developed the script with Uhls and sought screenwriting advice from the cast and others in the film industry . The director and the cast compared the film to Rebel Without a Cause ( 1955 ) and The Graduate ( 1967 ) . They said its theme was the conflict between a generation of young people and the value system of advertising . The director copied the homoerotic overtones from Palahniuk 's novel to make audiences uncomfortable and keep them from anticipating the twist ending .   Studio executives did not like the film and restructured Fincher 's intended marketing campaign to try to reduce anticipated losses . Fight Club failed to meet the studio 's expectations at the box office and initially received polarizing reactions from critics , becoming one of the most controversial and talked-about films of the year . Critics praised the acting , directing , themes and messages but debated the explicit violence and moral ambiguity . Over time , however , reception towards the film has become largely positive with critics and audiences , finding critical and commercial success with its DVD release , which established Fight Club as a cult film . It is now regarded by many as one of the greatest films of the 1990s .


Big Bang won 0 awards at the 9th MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

Big Bang (South Korean band) Big Bang ( Korean : 빅뱅 ) is a South Korean boy band formed by YG Entertainment . Consisting of members G-Dragon , T.O.P , Taeyang , Daesung , and Seungri , the group officially debuted on August 19 , 2006 . Despite initial lukewarm receptions , their breakthrough came with the extended play , Always ( 2007 ) , which yielded the number one song `` Lies '' ( Korean : 거짓말 Revised Romanization : Geojitmal ) . The song went on to top major Korean music charts for a record-breaking seven consecutive weeks , and won Song of the Year at the 9th Mnet Korean Music Festival .   Big Bang 's follow-up releases furthered their success and popularity : Hot Issue ( 2007 ) spawned the chart-topping song `` Last Farewell , '' ( Korean : 마지막 인사 Revised Romanization : Majimak Insa ) , while Stand Up ( 2008 ) produced `` Day by Day '' ( Korean : 하루하루 , Revised Romanization : Haru Haru ) . After receiving the Artist of the Year award from the 2008 Mnet Korean Music Festival , the group expanded their endeavors to Japan , releasing both their second Korean studio-album , Remember , and their first Japanese album , Number 1 , in the same year , and consequently winning three awards at the 9th MTV Video Music Awards Japan . They would go on to release four more Japanese studio albums : Big Bang ( 2009 ) , Big Bang 2 ( 2011 ) , and the Japanese-language edition of Alive ( 2012 ) and Made Series ( 2016 ) . Amidst their Japanese promotions , the members branched out to do solo activities : Taeyang and G-Dragon released solo albums , G-Dragon and T.O.P formed a sub-unit , Seungri and Daesung acted in musicals and hosted variety shows , and T.O.P went on to star in various films and television shows .   After a two-year hiatus in South Korea , Big Bang reunited in 2011 with their EP Tonight ( 2011 ) . Promotions were cut short when multiple members encountered legal issues . By the end of the year , Big Bang emerged as the inaugural Best Worldwide Act winner at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards . Three months after their win in Europe , Big Bang released their most successful physical album , the Korean EP Alive ( 2012 ) , earning their second Artist of the Year Award at the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards . Alive became the first Korean album to chart on the Billboard 200 , with the group embarking on their first ever world tour that concluded in early 2013 . The critically acclaimed Made ( 2016 ) was preceded by several chart-topping singles , winning the group their third Artist of the Year award at the 17th Mnet Asian Music Awards . Their second world tour in support of the album gathered 1.5 million attendance , making it the largest tour by any Korean act .   Labeled as the `` Kings of K-pop '' and the `` Nation 's Boy Band , '' the members ' involvement in composing and producing their own music , most notably G-Dragon , has earned the group respect and praise from the music industry . The quintet has been hailed K-pop icons for their part in spreading the Hallyu Wave around the globe along with their influence in the genre . Big Bang have sold over 140 million records , making them the best-selling digital group of all-time in Asia and one of the best-selling boy bands in the world . They have won numerous awards and set several records , including being the act who spent the most months at number one on the Gaon Chart and the most weeks at number one on Melon , besides being the all-time best-selling artist in Cyworld . Big Bang was the first Korean artist to enter Forbes Magazine '' 's Celebrity 100 and the 30 under 30 most influential musicians in the world lists . Citing their global popularity and contribution to K-pop , The Washington Post '' have described them as `` the biggest band in Asia '' and the Hollywood Reporter as `` the biggest boy band in the world . ''


Blackhat (film) Blackhat is a 2015 American action thriller mystery film co-written , co-produced and directed by Michael Mann . The film stars Chris Hemsworth , Tang Wei , Viola Davis , Holt McCallany , and Wang Leehom . The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 8 , 2015 , and was released in theaters on January 16 . Blackhat was a box office bomb , earning only $ 19.7 million at the box office against a budget of $ 70 million . While the movie received generally mixed-to-negative reviews , with criticisms focused on casting and pace , some critics found brilliance in the film , enough to place the film in some critics ' year-end lists .


Tom Hiddleston Thomas William Hiddleston ( born 9 February 1981 ) is an English actor , producer and musical performer . At the beginning of his career , he appeared in West End theatre productions of Cymbeline ( 2007 ) and Ivanov ( 2008 ) . He won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play for his role in Cymbeline and was also nominated for the same award for his role as Cassio in Othello .   He came to wider public attention when cast as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , appearing in Thor ( 2011 ) , The Avengers ( 2012 ) , Thor : The Dark World ( 2013 ) , and Thor : Ragnarok ( 2017 ) . In 2011 , he won the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer and was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award . Hiddleston has also appeared in Steven Spielberg 's War Horse ( 2011 ) , The Deep Blue Sea ( 2011 ) , Woody Allen 's romantic comedy Midnight in Paris ( 2011 ) , the 2012 BBC series Henry IV and Henry V , and the romantic vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive ( 2013 ) .   In late 2013 and early 2014 , Hiddleston starred as the title character in the Donmar Warehouse production of Coriolanus , winning the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor . In 2015 , he starred in Guillermo del Toro 's Crimson Peak , Ben Wheatley 's High Rise , and played the troubled country music singer Hank Williams in the biopic I Saw The Light .   In 2016 , he starred in and was an executive producer of the AMC / BBC limited series The Night Manager , for which he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and Outstanding Limited Series , and won his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film .


George H. W. Bush was vice president of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush ( born June 12 , 1924 ) is an American politician who was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989 . A member of the Republican Party , he was previously a congressman , ambassador , and Director of Central Intelligence . He is the oldest living former President and Vice President . Since 2000 , Bush has often been referred to as `` George H. W. Bush '' , `` Bush 41 '' , `` Bush the Elder '' , or `` George Bush Senior '' to distinguish him from his eldest son , George W. Bush , who became the 43rd President of the United States after the 2000 election .   Bush was born in Milton , Massachusetts , to Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush . Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 , Bush postponed his university studies , enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday , and became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time . He served until the end of the war , then attended Yale University . Graduating in 1948 , he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business , becoming a millionaire by the age of 40 . Bush became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company , and he won election to the House of Representatives in 1966 . In 1971 , President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Ambassador to the United Nations , and in 1973 , Bush became the Chairman of the Republican National Committee . The following year , President Gerald Ford appointed Bush as the ambassador to the People 's Republic of China , and later reassigned Bush to the position of Director of Central Intelligence . Bush ran for president in 1980 but was defeated in the Republican primary by Ronald Reagan . Reagan chose Bush as his running mate , and Bush became vice president after the Reagan -- Bush ticket won the 1980 election . During his eight-year tenure as vice president , Bush headed administration task forces on deregulation and fighting the `` War on Drugs '' .   In 1988 , Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Reagan as President , defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis . Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency : military operations were conducted in Panama and the Persian Gulf ; the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 , and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later . Though the agreement was not ratified until after he left office , Bush also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement , which created a trade bloc consisting of the United States , Canada , and Mexico . Domestically , Bush reneged on a 1988 campaign promise and , after a struggle with Congress , signed an increase in taxes that Congress had passed . In the wake of a weak recovery from an economic recession , along with continuing budget deficits and the diminution of foreign politics as a major issue in a post-Cold War political climate , he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton .   Bush left office in 1993 . His presidential library was dedicated in 1997 , and he has been active -- often alongside Bill Clinton -- in various humanitarian activities . With George W. Bush 's victory in the 2000 presidential election , Bush and his son became the second father-son combination to serve as president , following John Adams and John Quincy Adams . Another member of the Bush family , Bush 's second son Jeb Bush , served as the 43rd Governor of Florida ( 1999 -- 2007 ) and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 .


The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup took place between January 29 to August 20.

2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 18th FIFA U-20 World Cup . Colombia hosted the tournament between 29 July and 20 August 2011 , with matches being played in eight cities . The tournament was won by Brazil who claimed their fifth title .   At a FIFA Executive Committee meeting held in Sydney on 26 May 2008 , Colombia beat the only other candidate country , Venezuela , for the right to organize the U-20 World Cup . It was suggested by the then-Vice President of Colombia Francisco Santos Calderón that it was needed to withdraw from the race with Brazil to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup so the nation could concentrate on hosting the `` best possible games '' .   In an inspection tour of development works in March 2010 , Jack Warner , then the vice president of FIFA , said that the completion of this tournament could provide Colombia with a launch pad to become a possible host for the 2026 World Cup . The official song of the tournament was `` Nuestra Fiesta '' by Colombian singer Jorge Celedón .


Texas Longhorns men's basketball has won 27 division championships.

Texas Longhorns men's basketball The Texas Longhorns men 's basketball team '' ' represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate men 's basketball competition . The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference .   The University of Texas began varsity intercollegiate competition in men 's basketball in 1906 . The Longhorns rank 17th in total victories among all NCAA Division I college basketball programs and 25th in all-time win percentage among programs with at least 50 years in Division I , with an all-time win-loss record of 1750 -- 1054 . Among Big 12 Conference men 's basketball programs , Texas is second only to Kansas in both all-time wins and all-time win percentage .   The Longhorns have won 27 total conference championships in men 's basketball and have made 33 total appearances in the NCAA Tournament ( 11th-most appearances all time , with a 35 -- 36 overall record ) , reaching the NCAA Final Four three times ( 1943 , 1947 , 2003 ) and the NCAA Regional Finals ( Elite Eight ) seven times . As of March 21 , 2017 , Texas ranks fifth among all Division I men 's basketball programs for total NCAA Tournament games won without having won the national championship ( 35 ) , trailing Purdue ( 36 ) , Notre Dame ( 38 ) , Illinois ( 40 ) , and Oklahoma ( 41 ) .   The Texas basketball program experienced substantial success during the early decades of its existence , but its success in the modern era is of relatively recent vintage . After two losing seasons during the program 's first five years , Texas suffered only one losing season from 1912 to 1950 , achieving a winning percentage of .703 during that span , reaching two Final Fours and one Elite Eight during the first decade of the NCAA Tournament , and receiving retroactive recognition as the 1933 national champion from the Premo-Porretta Power Poll ; from 1951 to 1988 , the Longhorns finished with losing records 14 times , recorded a winning percentage of .522 , and participated in the expanded Tournament only five times . Texas achieved some measures of national recognition during the tenures of head coaches Abe Lemons ( 1976 -- 82 ) and Tom Penders ( 1988 -- 98 ) , but the program rose to its highest level of prominence under the direction of former head coach Rick Barnes ( 1998 -- 2015 ) . Barnes guided Texas to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances in his 17 seasons with the program , including a school-record fourteen consecutive appearances ( 1999 -- 2012 ) , as well as fifteen 20-win seasons overall and a school-best thirteen consecutive 20-win seasons ( 2000 -- 12 ) .   Since 1977 , the team has played its home games in the Frank Erwin Special Events Center , where it has compiled a record of 487 -- 119 as of March 7 , 2017 . The team is currently led by second-year head coach Shaka Smart .


Northeast megalopolis includes Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

Northeast megalopolis The Northeast megalopolis ( also Boston -- Washington Corridor or Bos-Wash Corridor ) is the most heavily urbanized region of the United States , running primarily northeast to southwest from the northern suburbs of Boston , Massachusetts , to the southern suburbs of Washington , D.C. , in Northern Virginia . It includes the major cities of Boston , Providence , Hartford , New York City , Philadelphia , Baltimore , and Washington , D.C. , along with their metropolitan areas and suburbs as well as many smaller urban centers .   On a map , the Northeast megalopolis appears almost as a straight line . As of the year 2000 , the region contained 49.6 million people , about 17 % of the U.S. population on less than 2 % of the nation 's land area , with a population density of 931.3 people per square mile ( 359.6 people/km2 ) , compared to the U.S. average of 80.5 per square mile 2 ( 31 people/km2 ) . America 2050 projections expect the area to grow to 58.1 million people by 2025 .   French geographer Jean Gottmann popularized the term in his landmark 1961 study of the region , Megalopolis : The Urbanized Northeastern Seaboard of the United States . Gottmann concluded that the region 's cities , while discrete and independent , are uniquely tied to each other through the intermeshing of their suburban zones , taking on some characteristics of a single , massive city : a megalopolis .


Nikola Tesla received an education in physics.

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( Никола Тесла 10 July 1856 -- 7 January 1943 ) was a Serbian-American inventor , electrical engineer , mechanical engineer , physicist , and futurist who is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current ( AC ) electricity supply system .   Born and raised in the Austrian Empire , Tesla received an advanced education in engineering and physics in the 1870s and gained practical experience in the early 1880s working in telephony and at Continental Edison in the new electric power industry . He emigrated to the United States in 1884 , where he would become a naturalized citizen . He worked for a short time at the Edison Machine Works in New York City before he struck out on his own . With the help of partners to finance and market his ideas , Tesla set up laboratories and companies in New York to develop a range of electrical and mechanical devices . His alternating current ( AC ) induction motor and related polyphase AC patents , licensed by Westinghouse Electric in 1888 , earned him a considerable amount of money and became the cornerstone of the polyphase system which that company would eventually market .   Attempting to develop inventions he could patent and market , Tesla conducted a range of experiments with mechanical oscillators/generators , electrical discharge tubes , and early X-ray imaging . He also built a wireless-controlled boat , one of the first ever exhibited . Tesla became well known as an inventor and would demonstrate his achievements to celebrities and wealthy patrons at his lab , and was noted for his showmanship at public lectures .   Throughout the 1890s , Tesla would pursue his ideas for wireless lighting and worldwide wireless electric power distribution in his high-voltage , high-frequency power experiments in New York and Colorado Springs . In 1893 , he made pronouncements on the possibility of wireless communication with his devices . Tesla tried to put these ideas to practical use in his unfinished Wardenclyffe Tower project , an intercontinental wireless communication and power transmitter , but ran out of funding before he could complete it .   After Wardenclyffe , Tesla went on to try and develop a series of inventions in the 1910s and 1920s with varying degrees of success . Having spent most of his money , he lived in a series of New York hotels , leaving behind unpaid bills . The nature of his earlier work and the pronouncements he made to the press later in life earned him the reputation of an archetypal `` mad scientist '' in American popular culture . Tesla died in New York City in January 1943 . His work fell into relative obscurity following his death , but in 1960 , the General Conference on Weights and Measures named the SI unit of magnetic flux density the tesla in his honor . There has been a resurgence in popular interest in Tesla since the 1990s .


Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton ( born April 1 , 1980 ) is an American professional wrestler and actor . He is currently signed to WWE , where he performs on the SmackDown brand .   Orton is a 13-time world champion . Orton has held the WWE Championship nine times ( eighth reign was as WWE World Heavyweight Champion ) and WWE 's World Heavyweight Championship four times , and was the final holder of the World Heavyweight Championship , which he unified with the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion . Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler ; his grandfather Bob Orton , Sr. , his father `` Cowboy '' Bob Orton , and his uncle Barry Orton all competed in the professional wrestling business . Before being promoted to the main World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) roster , Orton trained in and wrestled for Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling for a month . He was then sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) , where he held the OVW Hardcore Championship twice .   Orton became a member of the stable Evolution shortly after his WWE debut , which quickly led to an Intercontinental Championship reign , his first title with the company . He also acquired the moniker `` The Legend Killer '' during a storyline where he began disrespecting and then physically attacking WWE Hall of Famers and wrestling veterans . At age 24 , he became the youngest world champion in WWE history after he won the World Heavyweight Championship . With this win , he departed from Evolution and a feud with his former stablemates began . In 2006 , Orton joined forces with Edge in a tag team known as Rated-RKO . Together , they held the World Tag Team Championship . After Rated-RKO disbanded in mid-2007 , Orton gained two WWE Championship reigns in one night , when at 27 he became the youngest two-time WWE Champion . He formed the group The Legacy with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in 2008 . It disbanded in 2010 and Orton returned to singles competition . From 2013 to 2015 , Orton was aligned with The Authority , who named him the `` face of the WWE '' . In late 2016 he joined The Wyatt Family , winning the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship with stablemates Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper before turning on Wyatt in February 2017 .   Overall , Orton has won 16 total championships in WWE . He is the winner of the 2013 Money in the Bank ladder match , both the 2009 and 2017 Royal Rumble matches , and has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WWE , including WrestleMania XXV and WrestleMania XXX .


Nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person , place , or thing , for affection or ridicule .   The term hypocoristic is used to refer to a nickname of affection between those in love or with a close emotional bond , compared with a term of endearment . The term diminutive name refers to nicknames that convey smallness , hence something regarded with affection or familiarity ( e.g. , referring to children ) , or contempt .   The distinction between the two is often blurred . It is a form of endearment and amusement . As a concept , it is distinct from both pseudonym and stage name , and also from a title ( for example , City of Fountains ) , although there may be overlap in these concepts .   A moniker also means a nickname or personal name .  The word often distinguishes personal names from nicknames that became proper names out of former nicknames . English examples are Bob and Rob , nickname variants for Robert .   A nickname is often considered desirable , symbolising a form of acceptance , but can sometimes be a form of ridicule .


In 2008, Arjun Kapoor hosted the seventh season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi.

Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor ( -LSB- ɐrˈɟun kəˈpuːr -RSB- ; born 26 June 1985 ) is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films . He is the son of film producers Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie Kapoor . After working as an assistant director and associate producer on several films , including Kal Ho Naa Ho ( 2003 ) and Wanted ( 2009 ) , he made his acting debut with Habib Faisal 's romantic drama Ishaqzaade ( 2012 ) , for which he was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut .   Kapoor went on to portray a coal bandit in the action film Gunday ( 2014 ) , an aspiring writer in the romance 2 States ( 2014 ) and a stay-at-home husband in the romantic comedy Ki & Ka ( 2016 ) ; all three films earned over worldwide . In addition to acting in film , Kapoor has hosted the 16th IIFA Awards ceremony in 2015 and the seventh season of the television reality show Fear Factor : Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2016 .


John Malkovich starred in Ripley's Game.

John Malkovich John Gavin Malkovich ( born December 9 , 1953 ) is an American actor , director , and producer . He has appeared in more than 70 films . For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire , he received Academy Award nominations . He has also appeared in films such as Empire of the Sun , The Killing Fields , Con Air , Of Mice and Men , Rounders , Ripley 's Game , Knockaround Guys , Being John Malkovich , Shadow of the Vampire , Burn After Reading , RED , Mulholland Falls , Dangerous Liaisons , and Warm Bodies , as well as producing films such as Ghost World , Juno , and The Perks of Being a Wallflower .   In January 2017 , he launched his menswear fashion line with an online shop .


Andy Warhol has creations that are highly valuable and collectible.

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol ( -LSB- ˈwɔrhɒl -RSB- born Andrew Warhola ; August 6 , 1928 -- February 22 , 1987 ) was an American artist , director and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art . His works explore the relationship between artistic expression , celebrity culture , and advertising that flourished by the 1960s , and span a variety of media , including painting , silkscreening , photography , film , and sculpture . Some of his best known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell 's Soup Cans ( 1962 ) and Marilyn Diptych ( 1962 ) , the experimental film Chelsea Girls ( 1966 ) , and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable ( 1966 -- 67 ) .   Born and raised in Pittsburgh , Warhol initially pursued a successful career as a commercial illustrator . After exhibiting his work in several galleries in the late 1950s , he began to receive recognition as an influential and controversial artist . His New York studio , The Factory , became a well-known gathering place that brought together distinguished intellectuals , drag queens , playwrights , Bohemian street people , Hollywood celebrities , and wealthy patrons . He promoted a collection of personalities known as Warhol superstars , and is credited with coining the widely used expression `` 15 minutes of fame . '' In the late 1960s , he managed and produced the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground and founded Interview magazine . He authored numerous books , including The Philosophy of Andy Warhol and Popism : The Warhol Sixties . He is also notable as a gay man who lived openly as such before the gay liberation movement . After a gallbladder surgery in 1987 , Warhol died in February of that year at the age of 58 .   Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions , books , and feature and documentary films . The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city of Pittsburgh , which holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives , is the largest museum in the United States dedicated to a single artist . Many of his creations are very collectible and highly valuable . The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is US$ 105 million for a 1963 canvas titled `` Silver Car Crash ( Double Disaster ) '' ; his works include some of the most expensive paintings ever sold . A 2009 article in The Economist described Warhol as the `` bellwether of the art market '' .


Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft . As the successor to the original Xbox , it is the second console in the Xbox series . The Xbox 360 competed with Sony 's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo 's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles . The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12 , 2005 , with detailed launch and game information announced ed later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo ( E3 ) .   The Xbox 360 features an online service , Xbox Live , which was expanded from its previous iteration on the original Xbox and received regular updates during the console 's lifetime . Available in free and subscription-based varieties , Xbox Live allows users to : play games online ; download games ( through Xbox Live Arcade ) and game demos ; purchase and stream music , television programs , and films through the Xbox Music and Xbox Video portals ; and access third-party content services through media streaming applications . In addition to online multimedia features , the Xbox 360 allows users to stream media from local PCs . Several peripherals have been released , including wireless controllers , expanded hard drive storage , and the Kinect motion sensing camera . The release of these additional services and peripherals helped the Xbox brand grow from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia , turning it into a hub for living-room computing entertainment .   Launched worldwide across 2005 -- 2006 , the Xbox 360 was initially in short supply in many regions , including North America and Europe . The earliest versions of the console suffered from a high failure rate , indicated by the so-called `` Red Ring of Death '' , necessitating an extension of the device 's warranty period . Microsoft released two redesigned models of the console : the Xbox 360 S in 2010 , and the Xbox 360 E in 2013 . As of June 2014 , 84 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide , making it the sixth-highest-selling video game console in history , and the highest-selling console made by an American company . Although not the best-selling console of its generation , the Xbox 360 was deemed by TechRadar to be the most influential through its emphasis on digital media distribution and multiplayer gaming on Xbox Live .   The Xbox 360 's successor , the Xbox One , was released on November 22 , 2013 . On April 20 , 2016 , Microsoft announced that it would end the production of new Xbox 360 hardware , although the company will continue to support the platform .


PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 ( PS3 ) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment . It is the successor to PlayStation 2 , and is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles . It was first released on November 11 , 2006 , in Japan , November 17 , 2006 , in North America , and March 23 , 2007 , in Europe and Australia . The PlayStation 3 mainly competes against consoles such as Microsoft 's Xbox 360 and Nintendo 's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles .   The console was first officially announced at E3 2005 , and was released at the end of 2006 . It was the first console to use Blu-ray Disc as its primary storage medium . The console was the first PlayStation to integrate social gaming services , including being the first to introduce Sony 's social gaming service , PlayStation Network , and its remote connectivity with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita , being able to remote control the console from the devices . In September 2009 , the Slim model of the PlayStation 3 was released . It no longer provided the hardware ability to run PS2 games . It was lighter and thinner than the original version , and featured a redesigned logo and marketing design , as well as a minor start-up change in software . A Super Slim variation was then released in late 2012 , further refining and redesigning the console .   The system had a slow start in the market but managed to recover , particularly after the introduction of the Slim model . As of March 2016 , PlayStation 3 has sold 85 million units worldwide , putting it about on par with Xbox 360 , but behind the Wii . Its successor , the PlayStation 4 , was released later in November 2013 . On September 29 , 2015 , Sony confirmed that sales of the PlayStation 3 were to be discontinued in New Zealand , but the system remains in production in other markets . In March 2017 , the official site for PlayStation 3 in Japan was updated to state that it would be discontinued soon .   On 29 May 2017 , the PlayStation 3 was discontinued in Japan , as of 2015 , the PS3 is getting discontinued in certain parts of the world .  The PlayStation 3 will be discontinued worldwide soon .


Portal 2 Portal 2 is a 2011 first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation . It is the sequel to Portal ( 2007 ) and was released on April 19 , 2011 , for Microsoft Windows , OS X , Linux , PlayStation 3 , and Xbox 360 . The retail versions of the game are distributed by Electronic Arts while online distribution of the Microsoft Windows , Mac OS X and Linux versions is handled by Valve 's content delivery service Steam . Portal 2 was announced on March 5 , 2010 , following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game . Before the game 's release on Steam , the company released the Potato Sack , a second multi-week alternate reality game , involving 13 independently developed titles which culminated in a distributed computing spoof to release Portal 2 several hours early .   The game retains Portals gameplay elements , and adds new features , including tractor beams , laser redirection , bridges made of light , and paint-like ` gels ' accelerating the player 's speed , allowing the player-character to jump higher or place portals on any surface . These gels were created by the team from the Independent Games Festival-winning DigiPen student project Tag : The Power of Paint . In the single-player campaign , the player controls protagonist Chell , awoken from suspended animation after many years , who must navigate the now-dilapidated Aperture Science Enrichment Center during its reconstruction by the reactivated GLaDOS , a powerful supercomputer . The storyline introduces new characters , including Wheatley ( Stephen Merchant ) and Cave Johnson ( J. K. Simmons ) . Ellen McLain reprised the role of GLaDOS . Jonathan Coulton and The National each produced a song for the game . Portal 2 also includes a two-player cooperative mode , in which the robotic player-characters Atlas and P-Body ( both voiced by Dee Bradley Baker ) are each given a portal gun and are required to work together to solve puzzles . Valve provided post-release support for the game , including additional downloadable content and a simplified map editor to allow players to create and share test chambers with others .   Although some reviewers initially expressed concerns about the difficulty of expanding Portal into a full sequel , Portal 2 received critical acclaim , particularly for its writing , pacing , and dark humor . The voice work of McLain , Merchant , and Simmons were also praised , as were the new gameplay elements , the challenging but surmountable learning curve , and the additional cooperative mode . Some journalists ranked Portal 2 among the best games of 2011 , and several named it their Game of the Year . Portal 2 has since been hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time .


Heidi Klum had the lead role in Ella Enchanted.

Heidi Klum Heidi Klum ( -LSB- ˈhaɪ̯di ˈklʊm -RSB- ; born June 1 , 1973 ) is a German-American supermodel , television personality , businesswoman , fashion designer , singer , television producer , author , and actress . She appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and in 1999 became the first German model to become a Victoria 's Secret Angel .   Following a successful modeling career , Klum became the host and a judge of Germany 's Next Topmodel and the reality show Project Runway which earned her an Emmy nomination in 2008 and a win in 2013 for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program ( shared with co-host Tim Gunn ) ; Klum has been nominated for six Emmy Awards . She has worked as a spokesmodel for Dannon and H&M , and has appeared in numerous commercials for McDonald 's , Volkswagen and others . In 2009 , Klum became Barbie 's official ambassador on Barbie 's 50th anniversary . As an occasional actress , she had supporting roles in movies including Blow Dry ( 2001 ) , Ella Enchanted ( 2004 ) , and made cameo appearances in The Devil Wears Prada ( 2006 ) and Perfect Stranger ( 2007 ) . She has also appeared on TV shows including Sex and the City , How I Met Your Mother , Desperate Housewives and Parks and Recreation . Currently , Klum is a judge on the NBC reality show America 's Got Talent .   In May 2011 , Forbes magazine estimated Klum 's total earnings for that year as . She is ranked second on Forbes list of the `` World 's Top-Earning Models '' , behind Gisele Bündchen . Forbes noted that since ending her 13-year run as a Victoria 's Secret Angel , Klum has become more of a businesswoman than a model . In 2008 , she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship .


Seth MacFarlane did not secure studio support for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane ( -LSB- ˈsɛθ_ˈwʊdbɛri_məkˈfɑrlɪn -RSB- born October 26 , 1973 ) is an American actor , filmmaker , and singer , working primarily in animation and comedy , as well as live-action and other genres . MacFarlane is the creator of the TV series Family Guy ( 1999 -- 2003 , 2005 -- present ) , co-creator of the TV series American Dad ! ( 2005 -- present ) and The Cleveland Show ( 2009 -- 13 ) . He also wrote , directed , and starred in the films Ted ( 2012 ) , its sequel Ted 2 ( 2015 ) , and A Million Ways to Die in the West ( 2014 ) .   MacFarlane is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design , where he studied animation . Recruited to Hollywood , he was an animator and writer for Hanna-Barbera for several television series , including Johnny Bravo , Cow and Chicken , Dexter 's Laboratory , I Am Weasel , and Larry & Steve . As an actor , he has made guest appearances on series , such as Gilmore Girls , The War at Home and FlashForward . In 2008 , he created his own YouTube series titled Seth MacFarlane 's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy . He won several awards for his work on Family Guy , including two Primetime Emmy Awards and an Annie Award . In 2009 , he won the Webby Award for Film & Video Person of the Year . He occasionally speaks at universities and colleges throughout the United States , and he is a supporter of gay rights .   MacFarlane 's first feature-length comedy film , Ted , features his voice acting and performance-capture as the titular anthropomorphic teddy bear and became the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy . As a singer MacFarlane has performed at several venues , including Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall . MacFarlane has released three studio albums , in the same vein of his musical idol Frank Sinatra , beginning with Music Is Better Than Words in 2011 . He wrote the lyrics for the Academy Award-nominated song `` Everybody Needs a Best Friend '' for Ted .   MacFarlane served as executive producer of Cosmos : A Spacetime Odyssey , an update of the 1980s Carl Sagan -- hosted Cosmos series , hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson . MacFarlane was instrumental in providing funding for the series , as well as securing studio support for it from other entertainment executives .


The Vietnam War changed nothing politically.

Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords , officially titled the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam , was a peace treaty signed on January 27 , 1973 to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War . The treaty included the governments of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( North Vietnam ) , the Republic of Vietnam ( South Vietnam ) , and the United States , as well as the Provisional Revolutionary Government ( PRG ) that represented indigenous South Vietnamese revolutionaries . It ended direct U.S. military combat , and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam . However , the agreement was not ratified by the United States Senate .   The negotiations that led to the accord began in 1968 , after various lengthy delays . As a result of the accord , the International Control Commission ( ICC ) was replaced by the International Commission of Control and Supervision ( ICCS ) to fulfill the agreement . The main negotiators of the agreement were United States National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and Vietnamese politburo member Lê Đức Thọ ; the two men were awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts , although Lê Đức Thọ refused to accept it .


Vietnam War The Vietnam War ( Chiến tranh Việt Nam ) , also known as the Second Indochina War , and known in Vietnam as Resistance War Against America ( Kháng chiến chống Mỹ ) or simply the American War , was a war that occurred in Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 . It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and the government of South Vietnam . The North Vietnamese army was supported by the Soviet Union , China and other communist allies and the South Vietnamese army was supported by the United States , South Korea , Australia , Thailand and other anti-communist allies . The war is therefore considered a Cold War-era proxy war .   The Viet Cong ( also known as the National Liberation Front , or NLF ) , a South Vietnamese communist common front aided by the North , fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region , while the People 's Army of Vietnam , also known as the North Vietnamese Army ( NVA ) , engaged in more conventional warfare , at times committing large units to battle . As the war continued , the military actions of the Viet Cong decreased as the role and engagement of the NVA grew . U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations , involving ground forces , artillery , and airstrikes . In the course of the war , the U.S. conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam .   The North Vietnamese government and the Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam . They viewed the conflict as a colonial war and a continuation of the First Indochina War against forces from France and later on the United States . The U.S. government viewed its involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam . This was part of the domino theory of a wider containment policy , with the stated aim of stopping the spread of communism worldwide .   Beginning in 1950 , American military advisors arrived in what was then French Indochina.The Military Assistance Advisory Group , Indochina ( with an authorized strength of 128 men ) was set up in September 1950 with a mission to oversee the use and distribution of US military equipment by the French and their allies . U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s , with troop levels tripling in 1961 and again in 1962 . U.S. involvement escalated further following the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident , in which a U.S. destroyer clashed with North Vietnamese fast attack craft , which was followed by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution , which gave the U.S. president authorization to increase U.S. military presence . Regular U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965 . Operations crossed international borders : bordering areas of Laos and Cambodia were heavily bombed by U.S. forces as American involvement in the war peaked in 1968 , the same year that the communist side launched the Tet Offensive . The Tet Offensive failed in its goal of overthrowing the South Vietnamese government , but became the turning point in the war , as it persuaded a large segment of the U.S. population that its government 's claims of progress toward winning the war were illusory despite many years of massive U.S. military aid to South Vietnam .   Gradual withdrawal of U.S. ground forces began as part of `` Vietnamization '' , which aimed to end American involvement in the war while transferring the task of fighting the communists to the South Vietnamese themselves . Despite the Paris Peace Accord , which was signed by all parties in January 1973 , the fighting continued . In the U.S. and the Western world , a large anti-Vietnam War movement developed as part of a larger counterculture . The war changed the dynamics between the Eastern and Western Blocs , and altered North -- South relations .   Direct U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973 . The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese Army in April 1975 marked the end of the war , and North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year . The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities ( see Vietnam War casualties ) . Estimates of the number of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians killed vary from 966,000 to 3.8 million . Some 240,000 -- 300,000 Cambodians , 20,000 -- 62,000 Laotians , and 58,220 U.S. service members also died in the conflict , and a further 1,626 remain missing in action .


Dwyane Wade Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( -LSB- dweɪn -RSB- ; born January 17 , 1982 ) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . He has established himself as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league . Wade had the top-selling jersey in the NBA for nearly two years , leading the league in jersey sales from the 2005 NBA Playoffs , until the midpoint of the 2006 -- 07 season .   After a successful college career at Marquette , Wade was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Miami Heat . He was named to the All-Rookie team and the All-Star team the following twelve seasons . In his third season , Wade led the Heat to their first NBA championship in franchise history and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP . At the 2008 Summer Olympics , Wade led the United States men 's basketball team , commonly known as the `` Redeem Team '' , in scoring , and helped them capture gold medal honors in Beijing , China . In the 2008 -- 09 season , Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title . With LeBron James and Chris Bosh , Wade guided Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014 , winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 . In 2016 , Wade departed the Heat in free agency to play for the Chicago Bulls .


Warm Leatherette was released by a British-Armenian record label.

Warm Leatherette (album) Warm Leatherette is the fourth studio album by Grace Jones , released on 9 May 1980 by Island Records . The album features contributions from the reggae production duo Sly and Robbie and is a departure from Jones ' earlier disco sound , moving towards a new wave-reggae direction .


Island Records Island Records is a British-American record label that operates as a division of Universal Music Group ( UMG ) . It was founded by Chris Blackwell , Graeme Goodall and Leslie Kong in Jamaica in 1959 . Blackwell sold the label to PolyGram in 1989 . Both Island and another label recently acquired by PolyGram , A&M Records , were both at the time the largest independent record labels in history , with Island in particular having exerted a major influence on the progressive UK music scene in the early 1970s .   Three Island labels exist in the world : Island UK , Island US , and Island Australia , with the main label operating out of London . Notable artists on the UK roster include Ariana Grande , U2 , Mumford & Sons , Amy Winehouse , Ben Howard , Florence + The Machine , John Newman , Hozier , Catfish and the Bottlemen , Disclosure , AlunaGeorge , Keane , James Morrison , Annie Lennox , That Poppy and PJ Harvey .   Current key people of Island Records include Island president Darcus Beese , OBE and MD Jon Turner . Partially due to the label 's significant legacy , Island remains one of UMG 's pre-eminent record labels . In a 50-year anniversary documentary , Island Records artist Melissa Etheridge stated : `` If you want to look at world music , music of the last fifty years that changed the world , you need look no further than Island Records . ''


Soundgarden Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle , Washington , in 1984 by singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell , lead guitarist Kim Thayil , and bassist Hiro Yamamoto . Matt Cameron became the band 's full-time drummer in 1986 , while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990 . Cornell remained in Soundgarden until his death in May 2017 , putting the band 's future in doubt and leaving Thayil as the only remaining original member of the band .   Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge , a style of alternative rock that developed in Seattle , and was one of a number of grunge bands signed to the record label Sub Pop . Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label ( A&M Records in 1988 ) , though the band did not achieve commercial success until they popularized the genre in the early 1990s with Seattle contemporaries Pearl Jam , Nirvana , and Alice in Chains .   Soundgarden achieved its biggest success with the 1994 album Superunknown , which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and yielded the Grammy Award-winning singles `` Black Hole Sun '' and `` Spoonman '' . In 1997 , the band broke up due to internal strife over its creative direction . After more than a decade of working on projects and other bands , Soundgarden reunited in 2010 and their sixth studio album , King Animal , was released two years later .   As of 2012 , Soundgarden sold more than 10.5 million records in the United States , and an estimated 22.5 million worldwide . VH1 ranked Soundgarden at number 14 in their special 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock .


King Kong (2005 film) King Kong is a 2005 epic monster adventure film co-written , produced , and directed by Peter Jackson . A remake of the 1933 film of the same name , the film stars Naomi Watts , Jack Black , Adrien Brody , and , through motion capture , Andy Serkis as the title character . Set in 1933 , King Kong tells the story of an ambitious filmmaker who coerces his cast and hired ship crew to travel to the mysterious Skull Island . There they encounter Kong , a legendary giant gorilla , whom they capture and take to New York City .   Filming for King Kong took place in New Zealand from September 2004 to March 2005 . The project 's budget climbed from an initial $ 150 million to a then-record-breaking $ 207 million . It was released on December 14 , 2005 in Germany and on December 16 in the United States , and made an opening of $ 50.1 million . While it performed lower than expected , King Kong made domestic and worldwide grosses that eventually added up to $ 550 million , becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film in Universal Pictures history . It also generated $ 100 million in DVD sales upon its home video release . The film garnered positive reviews from critics and appeared on several top ten lists for 2005 . It was praised for its special effects , performances , sense of spectacle and comparison to the 1933 original . It won three Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing , Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects .


Laura Prepon starred in Orange is the New Black.

Laura Prepon Laura Helene Prepon ( born March 7 , 1980 ) is an American actress , producer , and author . She is known for her role as Donna Pinciotti in all eight seasons of the Fox sitcom That '70s Show ( 1998 -- 2006 ) , and for her role as Alex Vause in the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black ( 2013 -- present ) . Following That '70s Show , Prepon worked mainly in television . She made her film debut in 2001 with the independent film Southlander . Her other films include the romantic drama Come Early Morning ( 2006 ) , the comedy Lay the Favorite ( 2012 ) , the thriller The Girl on the Train ( 2016 ) , and The Hero ( 2017 ) .


Alex Vause Alex Vause is a fictional character played by Laura Prepon on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black . She is a love interest of the protagonist Piper Chapman throughout the series . The character is loosely based on the real ex-girlfriend of Piper Kerman , author of Orange Is the New Black : My Year in a Women 's Prison . She is a main character in seasons one , three , and four and a recurring character in season two .


Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia . It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia , with an estimated population of 2.06 million living in Greater Perth . Perth is part of the South West Land Division of Western Australia , with the majority of the metropolitan area located on the Swan Coastal Plain , a narrow strip between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Scarp . The first areas settled were on the Swan River , with the city 's central business district and port ( Fremantle ) both located on its shores .   Perth was founded by Captain James Stirling in 1829 as the administrative centre of the Swan River Colony . It gained city status ( currently vested in the smaller City of Perth ) in 1856 , and was promoted to the status of a Lord Mayorality in 1929 . The city is named after Perth , Scotland , due to the influence of Sir George Murray , Member of Parliament for Perthshire and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies . The city 's population increased substantially as a result of the Western Australian gold rushes in the late 19th century . During Australia 's involvement in World War II , Fremantle served as a base for submarines operating in the Pacific Theatre , and a US Navy Catalina flying boat fleet was based at Matilda Bay . An influx of immigrants after the war , predominantly from Britain , Greece , Italy and Yugoslavia , led to rapid population growth . This was followed by a surge in economic activity flowing from several mining booms in the late 20th and early 21st centuries that saw Perth become the regional headquarters for a number of large mining operations located around the state .   As part of Perth 's role as the capital of Western Australia , the state 's Parliament and Supreme Court are located within the city , as is Government House , the residence of the Governor of Western Australia . Perth came seventh in the Economist Intelligence Unit 's August 2016 list of the world 's most liveable cities , and was classified by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network in 2010 as a world city .   Perth is divided into 30 local government areas and 250 suburbs , stretching from Two Rocks in the north to Singleton in the south , and east inland to The Lake . Outside of the main CBD , important urban centres within Perth include Armadale , Fremantle , Joondalup , Midland , and Rockingham . Most of those were originally established as separate settlements , and retained a distinct identity after being subsumed into the wider metropolitan area . Mandurah , Western Australia 's second-largest city , has in recent years formed a conurbation with Perth along the coast , though for most purposes it is still considered a separate city .


South America is home to the Amazon River, the largest river in the world.

South America South America is a continent located in the western hemisphere , mostly in the southern hemisphere , with a relatively small portion in the northern hemisphere . It may also be considered a subcontinent of the Americas , which is the model used in nations that speak Romance languages . The reference to South America instead of other regions ( like Latin America or the Southern Cone ) has increased in the last decades due to changing geopolitical dynamics ( in particular , the rise of Brazil ) .   It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean ; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest . It includes twelve sovereign states ( Argentina , Bolivia , Brazil , Chile , Colombia , Ecuador , Guyana , Paraguay , Peru , Suriname , Uruguay , and Venezuela ) , a part of France ( French Guiana ) , and a non-sovereign area ( the Falkland Islands , a British Overseas Territory though this is disputed by Argentina ) . In addition to this , the ABC islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , Trinidad and Tobago , and Panama may also be considered part of South America .   South America has an area of 17,840,000 square kilometers ( 6,890,000 sq mi ) . Its population has been estimated at more than 371,090,000 . South America ranks fourth in area ( after Asia , Africa , and North America ) and fifth in population ( after Asia , Africa , Europe , and North America ) . Brazil is by far the most populous South American country , with more than half of the continent 's population , followed by Colombia , Argentina , Venezuela and Peru . In recent decades Brazil has also concentrated half of the region 's GDP and has become a first regional power .   Most of the population lives near the continent 's western or eastern coasts while the interior and the far south are sparsely populated . The geography of western South America is dominated by the Andes mountains ; in contrast , the eastern part contains both highland regions and large lowlands where rivers such as the Amazon , Orinoco , and Paraná flow . Most of the continent lies in the tropics .   The continent 's cultural and ethnic outlook has its origin with the interaction of indigenous peoples with European conquerors and immigrants and , more locally , with African slaves . Given a long history of colonialism , the overwhelming majority of South Americans speak Portuguese or Spanish , and societies and states commonly reflect Western traditions .


Amazon River The Amazon River , usually abbreviated to Amazon ( -LSB- ˈæməzɒn -RSB- or -LSB- ˈæməzən -RSB- Spanish and Amazonas ) , in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world and according to some authors , the longest in length .   The headwaters of the Apurímac River on Nevado Mismi had been considered for nearly a century as the Amazon 's most distant source , until a 2014 study found it to be the Cordillera Rumi Cruz at the headwaters of the Mantaro River in Peru . The Mantaro and Apurímac confluence , and with other tributaries form the Ucayali River , which in turn confluences with the Marañón River upstream of Iquitos , Peru , to form what countries other than Brazil consider to be the main stem of the Amazon . Brazilians call this section the Solimões River above its confluence with the Rio Negro to form what Brazilians call the Amazon at the Meeting of Waters ( Encontro das Águas ) at Manaus , the river 's largest city .   At an average discharge of about 209000 m3/s -- approximately 6591 km3/a , greater than the next seven largest independent rivers combined -- the Amazon represents 20 % of the global riverine discharge to the ocean . The Amazon basin is the largest drainage basin in the world , with an area of approximately 7050000 km2 . The portion of the river 's drainage basin in Brazil alone is larger than any other river 's basin . The Amazon enters Brazil with only one-fifth of the flow it finally discharges into the Atlantic Ocean , yet already has a greater flow at this point than the discharge of any other river .


Jerry Goldsmith received zero Grammy Award nominations.

Jerry Goldsmith Jerrald King `` Jerry '' Goldsmith ( February 10 , 1929July 21 , 2004 ) was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring . He composed scores for such noteworthy films as Star Trek : The Motion Picture ( Which he personally considered his best work ) , The Sand Pebbles , Logan 's Run , Planet of the Apes , Patton , Papillon , Chinatown , The Wind and the Lion , The Omen , The Boys from Brazil , Capricorn One , Alien , Poltergeist , The Secret of NIMH , Gremlins , Hoosiers , Total Recall , Basic Instinct , Rudy , Air Force One , L.A. Confidential , Mulan , The Mummy , three Rambo films , Explorers and four other Star Trek films .   He collaborated with some of film history 's most accomplished directors , including Robert Wise , Howard Hawks , Otto Preminger , Joe Dante , Richard Donner , Roman Polanski , Ridley Scott , Michael Winner , Steven Spielberg , Paul Verhoeven , and Franklin J. Schaffner .   Goldsmith was nominated for six Grammy Awards , five Primetime Emmy Awards , nine Golden Globe Awards , four British Academy Film Awards , and eighteen Academy Awards ( he won only one , in 1976 , for The Omen ) .


Martina Navratilova is only a soccer player.

1975 Federation Cup (tennis) The 1975 Federation Cup was the 13th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women 's tennis . 31 nations participated in the tournament , which was held at the Aixoise C.C. , Aix-en-Provence , France , from 5 -- 11 May . Czechoslovakia defeated Australia in the final , giving Czechoslovakia their first title .


Steffi Graf Stefanie Maria `` Steffi '' Graf ( -LSB- ˈʃtɛfiː ˈgʁa : f -RSB- ; born 14 June 1969 ) is a German former tennis player , who was ranked world No. 1 during her career . Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles . Her 22 singles titles put her second on the list of Major wins by a tennis player ( male or female ) since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968 and is third all-time behind Margaret Court ( 24 ) and Serena Williams ( 23 ) . In 1988 , she became the first and only tennis player ( male or female ) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year . Furthermore , she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least four times .   Graf was ranked world No. 1 by the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) for a record 377 total weeks -- the longest period for which any player , male or female , has held the number-one ranking since the WTA and the Association of Tennis Professionals began issuing rankings . She won 107 singles titles , which ranks her third on the WTA 's all-time list after Martina Navratilova ( 167 titles ) and Chris Evert ( 157 titles ) . She and Margaret Court are the only players , male or female , to win three grand slams in a calendar year five times ( 1988 , 1989 , 1993 , 1995 and 1996 ) .   Notable features of Graf 's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces , footwork and her powerful forehand drive . Graf won six French Open singles titles ( second to Evert ) , seven Wimbledon singles titles , four Australian Open titles , and five U.S. Open singles titles . She is the only singles player ( male or female ) to have achieved a Grand Slam since hard court was introduced as a surface at the US Open in 1978 . Consequently , Graf 's Grand Slam was achieved on grass , clay , and hard court while the previous five Grand Slams were decided on only grass and clay . Graf reached thirteen consecutive Grand Slam singles finals , from the 1987 French Open through to the 1990 French Open , winning nine of them . She won 5 consecutive Majors ( 1988 Australian Open to 1989 Australian Open ) , and seven Majors out of eight , in two calendar years ( 1988 Australian Open to 1989 US Open , except 1989 French Open ) . She reached a total of 31 Grand Slam singles finals .   Graf is regarded by some to be the greatest female tennis player of all time . Navratilova included Graf on her list of great players . In 1999 Billie Jean King said `` Steffi is definitely the greatest women 's tennis player of all time '' . In December 1999 , Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press . Tennis writer Steve Flink , in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century , named her as the best female player of the 20th century . In March 2012 , Tennis Channel picked Graf as the greatest female tennis player ever in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all time .   Graf retired in 1999 while she was ranked World No. 3 . She married former World No. 1 men 's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001 . The couple has two children -- Jaden Gil and Jaz Elle . Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004 .


History of tennis The game that most people call tennis is the direct descendant of what is now known as real tennis or royal tennis ( which continues to be played today as a separate sport with more complex rules ) . Most of the rules of the game commonly known as tennis derive from real or royal tennis . It is reasonable to see both sports as variations of the same game . Most historians believe that tennis originated in the monastic cloisters in northern France in the 12th century , but the ball was then struck with the palm of the hand , hence the name jeu de paume ( `` game of the palm '' ) . It was not until the 16th century that rackets came into use , and the game began to be called `` tennis . '' It was popular in England and France and Henry VIII of England was a big fan of the game , now referred to as real tennis .   Many original tennis courts remain , including courts at Oxford , Cambridge , Falkland Palace in Fife where Mary Queen of Scots regularly played , and Hampton Court Palace . Many of the French courts were decommissioned with the terror that accompanied the French Revolution . The Tennis Court Oath ( Serment du Jeu de Paume ) was a pivotal event during the first days of the French Revolution . The Oath was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General on 20 June 1789 . Any history of tennis that ignores its origins in the game that was ( and is still in certain circles ) known as tennis until `` lawn tennis '' became popular in the late nineteenth century is inaccurate .   The Davis Cup , an annual competition between men 's national teams , dates to 1900 . The analogous competition for women 's national teams , the Fed Cup , was founded as the Federation Cup in 1963 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Tennis Federation , also known as the ITF .   In 1926 , promoter C.C. Pyle created the first professional tennis tour with a group of American and French tennis players playing exhibition matches to paying audiences . The most notable of these early professionals were the American Vinnie Richards and the Frenchwoman Suzanne Lenglen . Once a player turned pro he or she could not compete in the major ( amateur ) tournaments .   In 1968 , commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the abandonment of this distinction , inaugurating the `` open era '' , in which all players could compete in all tournaments , and top players were able to make their living from tennis . With the beginning of the open era , the establishment of an international professional tennis circuit , and revenues from the sale of television rights , tennis 's popularity has spread worldwide , and the sport has shed its upper/middle-class English-speaking image ( although it is acknowledged that this stereotype still exists ) .


Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova ( Martina Navrátilová -LSB- ˈmarcɪna ˈnavraːcɪlovaː -RSB- ; born Martina Šubertová -LSB- ˈmarcɪna ˈʃubɛrtovaː -RSB- ; October 18 , 1956 ) is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach . In 2005 , Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005 .   Navratilova was World No. 1 for a total of 332 weeks in singles , and a record 237 weeks in doubles , making her the only player in history to have held the top spot in both singles and doubles for over 200 weeks . She was year-end singles No. 1 seven times , including a record five consecutive years , as well as year-end doubles No. 1 five times , including three consecutive years during which she held the ranking for the entire year .   She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles , 31 major women 's doubles titles ( an all-time record ) , and 10 major mixed doubles titles , marking the open-era record for most Grand Slam titles . She reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times , including nine consecutive years from 1982 through 1990 , and won the women 's singles title at Wimbledon a record nine times ( surpassing Helen Wills Moody 's eight Wimbledon titles ) , including a run of six consecutive titles -- the best performance by any professional player at a major event . She and Billie Jean King each won 20 Wimbledon titles , an all-time record . Navratilova is one of just three women ever to have accomplished a Career Grand Slam in singles , women 's doubles , and mixed doubles ( called the Grand Slam `` boxed set '' ) , a distinction she shares with Margaret Court and Doris Hart .   Navratilova holds the records for most singles titles ( 167 ) and for most doubles titles ( 177 ) in the open era . Her record as No. 1 in singles ( 1982 -- 86 ) is the most dominant in professional tennis . Over five consecutive seasons , she won 428 of 442 singles matches , averaging fewer than 3 losses per year to 87 wins , for a sustained winning percentage of 96.8 % . She holds the best season win-loss record for the open era , 86-1 ( 98.9 % ) in 1983 , and four of the top six open era seasons . She recorded the longest winning streak in the open era ( 74 consecutive matches ) and three of the six longest winning streaks .   She and Serena Williams are the only Open Era players to have won six major singles crowns without the loss of a set . Navratilova , Margaret Court and Maureen Connolly share the record for the most consecutive major singles titles ( six ) . Navratilova reached 11 consecutive major singles finals , second all-time to Steffi Graf 's 13 , and is the only woman ever to reach 19 consecutive major semi-finals . Navratilova also won the season-ending WTA Tour Championships for top ranked players a record eight times and made the finals a record 14 times . She is the only person of either sex to have won eight different tournaments at least seven times . She was ranked in the world 's top 10 in singles for a record 20 consecutive years ( 1975 -- 1994 ) , a span which included 19 years in the top 5 , 15 years in the top 3 , and 7 years as the world No. 1 ranked singles player . Navratilova is regarded by some to be the greatest female tennis player of all time .   In women 's doubles , Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 consecutive matches and won all four major titles -- the Grand Slam -- in 1984 . The pair set an all-time record of 79 titles together and tied Louise Brough Clapp 's and Margaret Osborne duPont 's record of 20 major women 's doubles titles as a team . Navratilova also won the WTA Tour Championships doubles title a record 11 times . She is one of only five tennis players all-time to win a multiple slam set in two disciplines , matching Margaret Court , Roy Emerson , Frank Sedgman and Serena Williams . Navratilova took her last major title in 2006 , winning the mixed doubles crown at the 2006 US Open , just short of her 50th birthday -- 32 years after her first Grand Slam title in 1974 .   Originally from Czechoslovakia , she was stripped of her citizenship when , in 1975 at the age of 18 , she asked the United States for political asylum and was granted temporary residency . At the time , Navratilova was told by the Czechoslovak Sports Federation that she was becoming too Americanized and that she should go back to school and make tennis secondary . Navratilova became a US citizen in 1981 , and on January 9 , 2008 , she acquired Czech citizenship . She stated she has not renounced her U.S. citizenship nor does she plan to do so and that acquiring her Czech citizenship was not politically motivated .


1982 Federation Cup (tennis) The 1982 Federation Cup was the 20th edition of the most important competition between national teams in women 's tennis . The tournament was held at the Decathlon Club in Santa Clara , CA , United States , from 19 -- 25 July . The United States won their record seventh consecutive title , defeating West Germany in the final without losing a rubber .


WTA Finals The WTA Finals ( formerly known as the WTA Tour Championships short : WTA Championships ) , is a professional tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season for the top-ranked players on the Women 's Tennis Association ( WTA ) tour . The location and number of players has changed since the first edition in 1972 . Since 2003 there have been eight singles players divided into two round robin groups , and eight doubles teams .   The WTA Finals is unofficially considered the fifth most prestigious event of a season after the four Grand Slam tournaments . It also has the largest prize money and ranking points after the majors . The most successful finals player is Martina Navratilova , who has won 8 singles titles and 13 doubles titles .   To qualify for the WTA Finals , WTA players compete throughout the year in over 53 WTA tournaments throughout the world , as well as the four Grand Slam events . Players earn ranking points on the Porsche Race To Singapore leaderboard , and the top 8 singles players and top 8 doubles teams on this leaderboard at the conclusion of the year ( as of the Monday following the final regular season tournament ) earn the right to compete in the WTA Championships . For singles , all results from that year count towards a player 's ranking ; for doubles , only the best 11 results for a team from that year count towards the team 's ranking .   Qualified players participate in a round-robin format in two groups of four . The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the semifinals . Doubles teams participate in a single elimination draw .


2006 US Open (tennis) The 2006 US Open began 28 August and finished on 10 September 2006 .   Roger Federer was successful in defending his 2005 title , defeating 2003 champion Andy Roddick in the final . Kim Clijsters was unable to defend her title due to injury . 19-year-old Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam title , defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final . It was Henin-Hardenne 's third Grand Slam final loss of 2006 , having lost the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals earlier in the year .