Charlemagne reached the height of his power in 800.

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( -LSB- ˈʃɑːrlᵻmeɪn -RSB- ) or Charles the Great ( 2 April 742/747/74828 January 814 ) , numbered Charles I , was the King of the Franks from 768 , King of the Lombards from 774 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 . He united much of Europe during the early Middle Ages . He was the first recognised emperor in western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier . The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded was called the Carolingian Empire .   Charlemagne was the oldest son of Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon . He became king in 768 following his father 's death , initially as co-ruler with his brother Carloman I. Carloman 's sudden death in 771 in unexplained circumstances left Charlemagne as the undisputed ruler of the Frankish Kingdom . He continued his father 's policy towards the papacy and became its protector , removing the Lombards from power in northern Italy and leading an incursion into Muslim Spain . He campaigned against the Saxons to his east , Christianising them upon penalty of death and leading to events such as the Massacre of Verden . Charlemagne reached the height of his power in 800 when he was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter 's Basilica .   Charlemagne has been called the `` Father of Europe '' ( Pater Europae ) , as he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire . His rule spurred the Carolingian Renaissance , a period of energetic cultural and intellectual activity within the Western Church . All Holy Roman Emperors considered their kingdoms to be descendants of Charlemagne 's empire , up to the last Emperor Francis II and the French and German monarchies .   However , the Eastern Orthodox Church views Charlemagne more controversially , labelling as heterodox his support of the filioque and recognition by the Bishop of Rome as legitimate Roman Emperor , rather than recognising Irene of Athens of the Eastern Roman Empire . These and other machinations led to the eventual split of Rome and Constantinople in the Great Schism of 1054 .   Charlemagne died in 814 , having ruled as emperor for thirteen years . He was laid to rest in his imperial capital of Aachen in what is today Germany . He married at least four times and had three legitimate sons , but only his son Louis the Pious survived to succeed him .


Quartet (2012 film) Quartet is a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play Quartet by Ronald Harwood , which ran in London 's West End from September 1999 until January 2000 . It was filmed late in 2011 at Hedsor House , Buckinghamshire . The film is actor Dustin Hoffman 's directorial debut .


Funny Girl (film) is a musical television show.

Funny Girl (film) Funny Girl is a 1968 American biographical romantic musical comedy-drama film directed by William Wyler . The screenplay by Isobel Lennart was adapted from her book for the stage musical of the same title . It is loosely based on the life and career of Broadway and film star and comedian Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein .   Produced by Brice 's son-in-law , Ray Stark , with music and lyrics by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill , the film stars Barbra Streisand ( reprising her Broadway role ) as Brice and Omar Sharif as Arnstein , with a supporting cast featuring Kay Medford , Anne Francis , Walter Pidgeon , Lee Allen , and Mae Questel .   Streisand won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance , tying with Katharine Hepburn ( The Lion in Winter ) . In 2006 , the American Film Institute ranked the film # 16 on its list commemorating AFI 's Greatest Movie Musicals . Previously it had ranked the film # 41 in its 2002 list of 100 Years ... 100 Passions , the songs `` People '' and `` Do n't Rain on My Parade '' at # 13 and # 46 , respectively , in its 2004 list of 100 Years ... 100 Songs , and the line `` Hello , gorgeous '' at # 81 in its 2005 list of 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes . Funny Girl is considered one of the greatest musical films ever .   In 2016 , Funny Girl was deemed `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' by the United States Library of Congress , and selected for preservation in its National Film Registry


Linda McCartney was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995.

Linda McCartney Linda Louise , Lady McCartney ( née Eastman ; formerly See ; September 24 , 1941 -- April 17 , 1998 ) was an American musician , photographer , animal rights activist , entrepreneur and publisher who was married to Paul McCartney of the Beatles . Prior to marrying Paul , she was a professional photographer of celebrities and contemporary musicians , with her work published in music industry magazines . Her photos were also published in the book Linda McCartney 's Sixties : Portrait of an Era , in 1992 .   Linda married McCartney in 1969 at St John 's Wood Church in London . Her daughter , Heather Louise , from her first marriage to Melville See , was adopted by her new husband . Together , the McCartneys had three other children .   In 1971 , after they married and following the break-up of the Beatles the previous year , Paul and Linda McCartney recorded the album Ram . Shortly afterwards , they formed the band Wings . She continued to be part of her husband 's touring band following Wings ' break-up in 1981 up until The New World Tour in 1993 .   She was an animal rights activist and wrote and published several vegetarian cookbooks , and founded the Linda McCartney Foods company with her husband .   In 1995 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and died from the disease in 1998 at the age of 56 .


Marie Curie Marie Skłodowska Curie ( -LSB- ˈkjʊri , _ kjʊˈriː -RSB- -LSB- kyʁi -RSB- ; -LSB- kʲiˈri -RSB- ; 7 November 18674 July 1934 ) , born Maria Salomea Skłodowska ( -LSB- ˈmarja salɔˈmɛa skwɔˈdɔfska -RSB- ) , was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity . She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize , the first person and only woman to win twice , the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences , and was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes . She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris , and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris .   She was born in Warsaw , in what was then the Kingdom of Poland , part of the Russian Empire . She studied at Warsaw 's clandestine Floating University and began her practical scientific training in Warsaw . In 1891 , aged 24 , she followed her older sister Bronisława to study in Paris , where she earned her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work . She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie and with physicist Henri Becquerel . She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry .   Her achievements included the development of the theory of radioactivity ( a term that she coined ) , techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes , and the discovery of two elements , polonium and radium . Under her direction , the world 's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms , using radioactive isotopes . She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and in Warsaw , which remain major centres of medical research today . During World War I , she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals .   While a French citizen , Marie Skłodowska Curie ( she used both surnames ) never lost her sense of Polish identity . She taught her daughters the Polish language and took them on visits to Poland . She named the first chemical element that she discoveredpolonium , which she isolated in 1898after her native country .   Curie died in 1934 , aged 66 , at a sanatorium in Sancellemoz ( Haute-Savoie ) , France , due to aplastic anemia brought on by exposure to radiation while carrying test tubes of radium in her pockets during research , and in the course of her work at field hospitals during World War I.


Mackenzie Foy portrayed Renesmee Cullen.

Mackenzie Foy Mackenzie Christine Foy ( born November 10 , 2000 ) is an American model and actress . She is best known for her role as Renesmee Cullen in the 2012 film The Twilight Saga : Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 , which earned her a Young Artist Award nomination as Best Supporting Young Actress in a Feature Film , and as the young Murphy in the 2014 space epic Interstellar , for which she received critical acclaim and several awards and nominations .


Andrew Jackson was the seventeenth POTUS.

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson ( March 15 , 1767 -- June 8 , 1845 ) was an American soldier and statesman who served as the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837 and was the founder of the Democratic Party . Before being elected to the presidency , Jackson served in Congress and gained fame as a general in the United States Army . As president , Jackson sought to advance the rights of the `` common man '' against a `` corrupt aristocracy '' and to preserve the Union .   He became a practicing lawyer in Tennessee and in 1791 he married Rachel Donelson Robards . Jackson served briefly in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate . Upon returning to Tennessee , he was appointed a justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court , serving from 1798 until 1804 . In 1801 , Jackson was appointed colonel in the Tennessee militia , and was elected its commander the following year . He led Tennessee militia and U.S. Army regulars during the Creek War of 1813 -- 1814 , winning a major victory at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend . The subsequent Treaty of Fort Jackson required the Creek surrender of vast lands in present-day Alabama and Georgia . Jackson won a decisive victory in the War of 1812 over the British army at the Battle of New Orleans , making him a national hero . Following the conclusion of the War of 1812 , Jackson led U.S. forces in the First Seminole War , which helped produce the Adams -- Onís Treaty of 1819 and the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States . Following the ratification of the treaty , Jackson briefly served as Florida 's first territorial governor before winning election as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee .   Jackson was a candidate for president in 1824 but , lacking a majority of electoral votes , lost the election in the House of Representatives to John Quincy Adams . In reaction to a `` corrupt bargain '' between opponents Adams and Henry Clay , Jackson 's supporters founded the Democratic Party . He ran again for president in 1828 against Adams and won in a landslide . As president , Jackson faced a threat of secession by South Carolina over the `` Tariff of Abominations '' enacted under Adams . The Nullification Crisis was defused when the tariff was amended and Jackson threatened the use of military force if South Carolina attempted to secede . Congress , led by Clay , attempted to reauthorize the Second Bank of the United States ; Jackson regarded the Bank as a corrupt institution and vetoed the renewal of its charter . After a lengthy struggle , Jackson and the congressional Democrats thoroughly dismantled the Bank . In 1835 , Jackson became the only president to completely pay off the national debt , fulfilling a longtime goal .   In foreign affairs , Jackson 's administration concluded a `` most favored nation '' treaty with Great Britain , settled U.S. claims of damages by France from the Napoleonic Wars , and recognized the Republic of Texas . His presidency marked the beginning of the ascendancy of the `` spoils system '' in American politics . In 1830 , Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act , which relocated most members of the Native American tribes in the South to Indian Territory ( now Oklahoma ) . The relocation process dispossessed the Indians and resulted in widespread death and sickness . In his retirement , Jackson remained active in Democratic Party politics , supporting the presidencies of Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk .   Jackson was widely revered in the United States , but his reputation has declined since the mid-20th century , largely due to his role in Indian removal and support for slavery . Surveys of historians and scholars have ranked Jackson between 6th and 18th most successful among United States presidents .


North Korea's largest city is its capital.

North Korea North Korea , officially the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea ( DPRK ) , is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula .  Pyongyang is the nation 's capital and largest city . To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok ( known as the Yalu in China ) and Tumen rivers ; it is bordered to the south by South Korea , with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone ( DMZ ) separating the two .   In 1910 , Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan . After the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II in 1945 , Korea was divided into two zones along the 38th parallel by the United States and the Soviet Union , with the north occupied by the Soviets and the south by the Americans . Negotiations on reunification failed , and in 1948 , separate governments were formed : the socialist Democratic People 's Republic of Korea in the north , and the capitalist Republic of Korea in the south . An invasion initiated by North Korea led to the Korean War ( 1950 -- 1953 ) . The Korean Armistice Agreement brought about a ceasefire , but no peace treaty was signed .   North Korea officially describes itself as a self-reliant socialist state and formally holds elections . Critics regard it as a totalitarian dictatorship . Various media outlets have called it Stalinist , particularly noting the elaborate cult of personality around Kim Il-sung and his family . International organizations have assessed that human rights violations in North Korea have no parallel in the contemporary world . The Workers ' Party of Korea ( WPK ) , led by a member of the ruling family , holds power in the state and leads the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland of which all political officers are required to be members .   Juche , an ideology of national self-reliance , was introduced into the constitution as a `` creative application of Marxism -- Leninism '' in 1972 . The means of production are owned by the state through state-run enterprises and collectivized farms . Most services such as healthcare , education , housing and food production are subsidized or state-funded . From 1994 to 1998 , North Korea suffered a famine that resulted in the deaths of between 240,000 and 3.5 million people , and the country continues to struggle with food production . North Korea follows Songun , or `` military-first '' policy . It is the country with the highest number of military and paramilitary personnel , with a total of 9,495,000 active , reserve , and paramilitary personnel . Its active duty army of 1.21 million is the fourth largest in the world , after China , the United States , and India . It possesses nuclear weapons . North Korea is an atheist state with no official religion and where public religion is discouraged .


John Connally John Bowden Connally , Jr. ( February 27 , 1917June 15 , 1993 ) , was an American politician . As a Democrat he served as Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy , as the 39th Governor of Texas , and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard Nixon . While Governor of Texas , he was seriously wounded when President Kennedy was assassinated . As Treasury Secretary , Connally is best remembered for removing the U.S. dollar from the gold standard in 1971 , an event known as the Nixon shock .   In 1973 he switched parties to become a Republican , and ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for President in 1980 .


Joy (entertainer) is a member of a South Korean girl group.

Joy (entertainer) Park Soo-young ( born September 3 , 1996 ) , known by the stage name Joy , is a South Korean singer and actress . She is a member of the K-pop girl group Red Velvet .


Helen Hunt has been in at least five different films.

Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt ( born June 15 , 1963 ) is an American actress , director , and screenwriter . She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years , and played single mother Carol Connelly in the 1997 romantic comedy film As Good as It Gets , for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress . Some of her other notable films include Twister ( 1996 ) , Cast Away ( 2000 ) , What Women Want ( 2000 ) , Pay It Forward ( 2000 ) , and The Sessions ( 2012 ) , the latter garnered her a second Academy Award nomination . She made her directorial debut in 2007 with Then She Found Me ( 2007 ) . Hunt has also won four Emmy Awards , four Golden Globe Awards , and two Screen Actors Guild Awards .


Sherlock (TV series) was released with tie-in short stories.

Sherlock (TV series) Sherlock is a crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes detective stories . Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss , it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson . Thirteen episodes have been produced , with three-part series airing from 2010 -- 2017 , and a special episode airing on 1 January 2016 . The series is set in the present day , while the one-off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories . Sherlock is a co-production of the British network BBC and the American station WGBH Boston for its Masterpiece anthology series on PBS , along with Hartswood Films , with Moffat , Gatiss , Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers . The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff , Wales , with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson 's 221B Baker Street residence .   Critical reception has been highly positive , with many reviews praising the quality of the writing , performances , and direction . Sherlock has been nominated for numerous awards including BAFTAs , Emmys , and a Golden Globe , winning several awards across a variety of categories . The show won in three categories at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries , Movie or a Dramatic Special for Moffat , Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Cumberbatch , and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Freeman . Two years later , it won Outstanding Television Movie . In addition , the show was also honoured with a Peabody Award in 2011 . The third series has become the UK 's most watched drama series since 2001 while interest in the fourth series appeared to slip by approximately twenty percent . Sherlock has been sold to 180 territories .   All of the series have been released on DVD and Blu-ray , alongside tie-in editions of selected original Conan Doyle stories and original soundtrack composed by David Arnold and Michael Price . In January 2014 , the show launched its official mobile app called Sherlock : The Network .


Paul Thomas Anderson produced the film Boogie Nights.

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson ( born June 26 , 1970 ) also known as P.T. Anderson , is an American filmmaker . Interested in film-making since a young age , Anderson was encouraged by his father to become a filmmaker .   In 1993 , he wrote and directed a short film titled Cigarettes & Coffee on a budget of $ 20,000 . After he attended the Sundance Institute , Anderson had a deal with Rysher Entertainment to direct his first feature film , a neo-noir crime thriller titled Hard Eight , in 1996 . Anderson received critical and commercial success for his film Boogie Nights ( 1997 ) , set during the Golden Age of Porn in the 1970s and 1980s . His third feature , Magnolia ( 1999 ) , takes place over a single day in the San Fernando Valley , following the interconnected lives of several characters in search of happiness and resolution . It received strongly positive reviews despite struggling at the box office . In 2002 , the romantic comedy-drama Punch-Drunk Love , Anderson 's fourth feature , was released to generally favorable reviews .   The epic drama There Will Be Blood ( 2007 ) , set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries , centers on a silver miner 's efforts to capitalize on the Southern California oil boom . Released after a five-year absence , it garnered wide acclaim from critics . Anderson 's sixth film , the drama The Master ( 2012 ) , was released to critical acclaim . His seventh film , the crime comedy-drama Inherent Vice , based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Pynchon , was released in 2014 , to general acclaim . His eighth film , Junun , is a documentary about the making of an album of the same name . His ninth film , Phantom Thread , which will reunite him with actor Daniel Day-Lewis , will be released on December 25 , 2017 .   Anderson has been nominated for six Academy Awards over the course of his career , while his works have earned a further fourteen Academy Award nominations and two wins for cast and crew . There Will Be Blood has been named by several critics as the best film of the 2000s . It later ranked , along with The Master and Inherent Vice , in the BBC 's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century .


Boogie Nights Boogie Nights is a 1997 American drama film written , produced and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson . It is set in Los Angeles ' San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic films , chronicling his rise in the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s through to his fall during the excesses of the 1980s . The film is an expansion of Anderson 's mockumentary short film The Dirk Diggler Story ( 1988 ) . It stars Mark Wahlberg , Julianne Moore , Burt Reynolds , Don Cheadle , John C. Reilly , William H. Macy and Heather Graham .   The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11 , 1997 and was released on October 10 , 1997 , and garnered critical acclaim . It was also nominated for three Academy Awards , including Best Original Screenplay for Anderson , Best Supporting Actress for Moore and Best Supporting Actor for Reynolds . The film 's soundtrack also received acclaim .


Andrew Wood isn't recognized as one of the founding fathers of grunge.

Andrew Wood (singer) Andrew Patrick Wood ( January 8 , 1966 -- March 19 , 1990 ) was an American musician best known as the lead singer for alternative rock bands Malfunkshun and Mother Love Bone . Wood was also known for his flamboyance .   Wood formed Malfunkshun in 1980 with his brother Kevin and Regan Hagar . The band used alter ego personas onstage , with Wood using the name Landrew the Love Child . Though the band only had two songs released , `` With Yo ' Heart ( Not Yo ' Hands ) '' and `` Stars-n-You '' , on the Deep Six compilation album , they are often cited as being among the `` founding fathers '' of the Seattle 's grunge movement . During his time in Malfunkshun , Wood started relying heavily on drugs , entering rehab in 1985 .   By 1988 , Malfunkshun had disbanded and Wood began jamming with Green River members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament . They soon began writing original material and formed Mother Love Bone the same year , adding guitarist Bruce Fairweather ( also a former member of Green River ) and drummer Greg Gilmore to the lineup . The following year , the band signed a deal with PolyGram , issuing a six-song EP , Shine , before going on to tour , supporting The Dogs D'Amour . Towards the end of the year , the band recorded their debut album , Apple , which was scheduled for release in 1990 .   Due to his struggle with drug addiction , Wood checked himself into rehab in 1989 , hoping to get clean for the release of Mother Love Bone 's debut album . On March 16 , 1990 , Wood was found in a comatose state by his girlfriend , Xana La Fuente , having overdosed on heroin . Wood was taken to the hospital and placed on life support . Wood 's condition had shown signs of improvement but he died three days later .


Nepal fi     Nepal ( -LSB- Nepālhelp = no -RSB- -RCB- -RCB- -LSB- neˈpal -RSB- ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal , is a landlocked central Himalayan country in South Asia . Nepal is divided into 7 provinces and 75 districts and 744 local units including 4 metropolises , 13 sub-metropolises , 246 municipal councils and 481 villages . It has a population of 26.4 million and is the 93rd largest country by area . Bordering China in the north and India in the south , east , and west , it is the largest sovereign Himalayan state . Nepal does not border Bangladesh , which is located within only 27 km ( 17 mi ) of its southeastern tip . Neither does it border Bhutan due to the Indian state of Sikkim being located in between . Nepal has a diverse geography , including fertile plains , subalpine forested hills , and eight of the world 's ten tallest mountains , including Mount Everest , the highest point on Earth . Kathmandu is the nation 's capital and largest city . It is a multiethnic nation with Nepali as the official language .   The territory of Nepal has a recorded history since the Neolithic age . The name `` Nepal '' is first recorded in texts from the Vedic Age , the era which founded Hinduism , the predominant religion of the country . In the middle of the first millennium BCE , Gautama Buddha , the founder of Buddhism , was born in southern Nepal . Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet . The Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal became known as Nepal proper because of its complex urban civilisation . It was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala . The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valley 's traders . The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture . By the 18th century , the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal . The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire , under its Rana dynasty of premiers . The country was never colonised but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and Colonial India . In the 20th century , Nepal ended its isolation and forged strong ties with regional powers . Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951 , but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs in 1960 and 2005 . The Nepalese Civil War resulted in the proclamation of a republic in 2008 , ending the reign of the world 's last Hindu monarchy .   Modern Nepal is a federal secular parliamentary republic . It has seven states . Nepal is a developing nation , ranking 144th on the Human Development Index ( HDI ) in 2016 . The country struggles with the transition from a monarchy to a republic . It also suffers from high levels of hunger and poverty . Despite these challenges , Nepal is making steady progress , with the government declaring its commitment to elevate the nation from least developed country status by 2022 . Nepal also has a vast potential to generate hydropower for export .   Nepal 's foreign relations expanded after the Anglo-Nepal Treaty of 1923 , which was recognised by the League of Nations . After a Soviet veto in 1949 , Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955 . Friendship treaties were signed with the Dominion of India in 1950 and the People 's Republic of China in 1960 . Nepal hosts the permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC ) , of which it is a founding member . Nepal is also a member of the Non Aligned Movement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative . The military of Nepal is the fifth largest in South Asia and is notable for its Gurkha history , particularly during the world wars , and has been a significant contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations .


Maria Sharapova plays Dr. House on House.

Maria Sharapova Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ( Мари́я Ю́рьевна Шара́пова ; born April 19 , 1987 ) is a Russian professional tennis player . A United States resident since 1994 , Sharapova has competed on the WTA tour since 2001 . She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions , for a total of 21 weeks . She is one of ten women , and the only Russian , to hold the career Grand Slam . She is also an Olympic medalist , having earned silver for Russia in women 's singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London .   Sharapova became the world No. 1 for the first time on August 22 , 2005 , at the age of 18 , and last held the ranking for the fifth time for four weeks from June 11 , 2012 , to July 8 , 2012 . Her 35 singles titles and five Grand Slam titles -- two at the French Open and one each at the Australian Open , Wimbledon , and US Open -- rank third among active players , behind Serena and Venus Williams . She won the year-ending WTA Finals in her debut in 2004 . She has also won three doubles titles .   Despite an injury-prone career , Sharapova has achieved a rare level of longevity in the women 's game . She won at least one singles title a year from 2003 until 2015 , a streak only bested by Steffi Graf , Martina Navratilova , and Chris Evert . Several tennis pundits and former players have called Sharapova one of tennis 's best competitors , with John McEnroe calling her one of the best the sport has ever seen .   Sharapova has been featured in a number of modeling assignments , including a feature in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue . She appeared in many advertisements , including those for Nike , Prince , and Canon , being the face of several fashion houses , most notably Cole Haan . Since February 2007 , she has been a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador , concerned specifically with the Chernobyl Recovery and Development Programme . In June 2011 , she was named one of the `` 30 Legends of Women 's Tennis : Past , Present and Future '' by Time and in March 2012 was named one of the `` 100 Greatest of All Time '' by Tennis Channel . According to Forbes , she has been named highest paid female athlete in the world for 11 consecutive years and earned 285 million including prize money since she turned pro in 2001 .   In March 2016 , Sharapova revealed she had failed a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open on January 26 , 2016 . She had tested positive for meldonium , a substance that had been banned , effective January 1 , 2016 by the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) . On June 8 , 2016 , she was suspended from playing tennis for two years by the International Tennis Federation ( ITF ) . On October 4 , 2016 , the suspension was reduced to 15 months , starting from the date of the failed test . She returned to the WTA tour on April 26 , 2017 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix .


Gregory House Gregory House , M.D. , commonly referred to by his surname House , is the title character of the American medical drama series House . Created by David Shore and portrayed by English actor Hugh Laurie , he leads a team of diagnosticians as the Head of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in Princeton , New Jersey ( based on the real-life Yale -- New Haven Hospital in New Haven , Connecticut ) .   House 's character has been described as a misanthrope , cynic , narcissist , and curmudgeon , the last of which was named one of the top television words of 2005 in honor of the character . He is the only character to appear in all 177 episodes and , except for Wilson 's brief appearance , is the only regular character to appear in the season six premiere .   In the series , the character 's unorthodox diagnostic approaches , radical therapeutic motives , and stalwart rationality have resulted in much conflict between him and his colleagues . House is also often portrayed as lacking sympathy for his patients , a practice that allots him time to solve pathological enigmas . The character is partly inspired by Sherlock Holmes . A portion of the show 's plot centers on House 's habitual use of Vicodin to manage pain stemming from a leg infarction involving his quadriceps muscle some years earlier , an injury that forces him to walk with a cane . This addiction is also one of the many parallels to Holmes , who was a habitual user of cocaine .   Throughout the series ' run , the character received generally positive reviews and was included in several best lists . Tom Shales of The Washington Post called House `` the most electrifying character to hit television in years '' . For his portrayal , Laurie has won various awards , including two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series -- Drama , two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Best Actor from Drama Series , two Satellite Awards for Best Actor in a Television Series -- Drama , two TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama , and a total of six Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series .


Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited in the eighties.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( pronounced -LSB- ˌlɛnərd_ˈskɪnərd -RSB- ) is an American rock band best known for popularizing the Southern rock genre during the 1970s . Originally formed in 1964 as My Backyard in Jacksonville , Florida , the band was also known by names such as The Noble Five and One Percent , before finally deciding on `` Lynyrd Skynyrd '' in 1969 . The band gained worldwide recognition for its live performances and signature songs `` Sweet Home Alabama '' and `` Free Bird '' . At the peak of their success , two band members and a backup singer died in an airplane crash in 1977 , putting an abrupt end to the band 's most popular incarnation . The band has sold 28 million records in the United States .   The surviving band members reformed in 1987 for a reunion tour with lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant , the younger brother of lead singer and founder Ronnie Van Zant . Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to tour and record with co-founder Gary Rossington , Johnny Van Zant , and guitarist Rickey Medlocke -- who first wrote and recorded with the band from 1971 to 1972 ( before his return to Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1996 ) . Fellow founding member Larry Junstrom , along with '70s members Ed King and Artimus Pyle , remain active in music but no longer tour or record with the band . Longtime drummer Michael Cartellone has recorded and toured with the band since 1999 . Lynyrd Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13 , 2006 .


R. Madhavan set up a production company.

R. Madhavan Ranganathan Madhavan ( born 1 June 1970 ) is an Indian actor , writer and film producer . Madhavan has received two Filmfare Awards , an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations . He has been described as one of the few actors in India who is able to achieve pan-Indian appeal , appearing in films from seven different languages .   Madhavan began his acting career with television guest appearances , including a role on the Zee TV prime-time soap opera Banegi Apni Baat in 1996 . After appearing in commercials and in small roles , he later gained recognition in the Tamil film industry through Mani Ratnam 's successful romance film Alaipayuthey ( 2000 ) . Madhavan soon developed an image as a romantic hero with notable roles in two of 2001 's highest grossing Tamil films , Gautham Menon 's directorial debut Minnale and Madras Talkies ' Dumm Dumm Dumm . He worked with Mani Ratnam again in the critically acclaimed 2002 film Kannathil Muthamittal playing the father of an adopted girl , whilst he achieved commercial success with his role in N. Linguswamy 's action film , Run ( 2002 ) .   Madhavan was cast alongside Kamal Haasan in the 2003 drama Anbe Sivam , which earned him two notable awards for Best Supporting Actor . In 2004 , he gave a critically acclaimed performance as the antagonist in the multi-starrer Aayutha Ezhuthu and the film secured him his first Filmfare Award for the intense portrayal of a rogue . In the mid-2000s , Madhavan also actively pursued a career in Hindi films , by appearing in supporting roles in three highly successful productions , Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra 's Rang De Basanti ( 2006 ) , Mani Ratnam 's biopic Guru ( 2007 ) and Rajkumar Hirani 's 3 Idiots ( 2009 ) , which went on to become the highest grossing Indian film of all time upon release . He simultaneously worked on Tamil films , gaining critical acclaim for his portrayal of a vigilante in his home production Evano Oruvan ( 2007 ) and for the successful bilingual horror film , Yavarum Nalam ( 2009 ) . After appearing in further box office hits , Tanu Weds Manu ( 2011 ) and Vettai ( 2012 ) , Madhavan took a break from acting . Returning after a three-year sabbatical in 2015 , his comeback films , the romantic-comedy Tanu Weds Manu Returns ( 2015 ) and the sports drama Irudhi Suttru ( 2016 ) , both won critical and commercial acclaim .   In addition to his acting career , Madhavan has worked as a writer on his films , hosted television programmes and has been a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products . He has also worked as a film producer , first making Evano Oruvan with Leukos Films , before setting up Tricolour Films to produce Saala Khadoos ( 2016 ) . Madhavan is noted for his philanthropic activities and promotes various causes such as environment , health and education . He is particularly vocal about the protection of animals and was awarded PETA 's Person of the Year recognition in 2012 .


The USS Constitution wasn't a naval ship.

USS Constitution USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled , three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy , named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America . She is the world 's oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat . Constitution was launched in 1797 , one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed . Joshua Humphreys designed the frigates to be the young Navy 's capital ships , and so Constitution and her sisters were larger and more heavily armed and built than standard frigates of the period . Constitution was built in the North End of Boston , Massachusetts at Edmund Hartt 's shipyard . Her first duties with the newly formed U.S. Navy were to provide protection for American merchant shipping during the Quasi-War with France and to defeat the Barbary pirates in the First Barbary War .   Constitution is most noted for her actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom , when she captured numerous merchant ships and defeated five British warships : , , , , and . The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of `` Old Ironsides '' and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping . She continued to serve as flagship in the Mediterranean and African squadrons , and circled the world in the 1840s . During the American Civil War , she served as a training ship for the United States Naval Academy . She carried American artwork and industrial displays to the Paris Exposition of 1878 .   Constitution was retired from active service in 1881 , and served as a receiving ship until designated a museum ship in 1907 . In 1934 , she completed a three-year , 90-port tour of the nation . Constitution sailed under her own power for her 200th birthday in 1997 , and again in August 2012 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory over Guerriere .   Constitutions stated mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy 's role in war and peace through educational outreach , historical demonstration , and active participation in public events as part of the Naval History & Heritage Command . As a fully commissioned U.S. Navy ship , her crew of 60 officers and sailors participate in ceremonies , educational programs , and special events while keeping Constitution open to visitors year round and providing free tours . The officers and crew are all active-duty U.S. Navy personnel and the assignment is considered to be special duty in the U.S. Navy . Traditionally , command of the vessel is assigned to a Navy commander . She is usually berthed at Pier 1 of the former Charlestown Navy Yard , at one end of Boston 's Freedom Trail . In May 2015 , Constitution entered Dry Dock 1 to begin a three-year restoration program .


Woody Allen died shortly after childbirth.

Woody Allen Heywood `` Woody '' Allen ( born Allan Stewart Konigsberg ; December 1 , 1935 ) is an American director , writer , actor , comedian , playwright , and musician whose career spans more than six decades .   He worked as a comedy writer in the 1950s , writing jokes and scripts for television and publishing several books of short humor pieces . In the early 1960s , Allen began performing as a stand-up comedian , emphasizing monologues rather than traditional jokes . As a comedian , he developed the persona of an insecure , intellectual , fretful nebbish , which he maintains is quite different from his real-life personality . In 2004 , Comedy Central ranked Allen in fourth place on a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians , while a UK survey ranked Allen as the third greatest comedian .   By the mid-1960s Allen was writing and directing films , first specializing in slapstick comedies before moving into dramatic material influenced by European art cinema during the 1970s , and alternating between comedies and dramas to the present . He is often identified as part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmakers of the mid-1960s to late 1970s . Allen often stars in his films , typically in the persona he developed as a standup . Some of the best-known of his over 40 films are Annie Hall ( 1977 ) , Manhattan ( 1979 ) , and Hannah and Her Sisters ( 1986 ) . In 2007 he said Stardust Memories ( 1980 ) , The Purple Rose of Cairo ( 1985 ) , and Match Point ( 2005 ) were his best films . Critic Roger Ebert described Allen as `` a treasure of the cinema '' .   Allen won four Academy Awards : three for Best Original Screenplay and one for Best Director ( Annie Hall ) . He also won nine British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards . His screenplay for Annie Hall was named the funniest screenplay by the Writers Guild of America in its list of the `` 101 Funniest Screenplays . '' In 2011 , PBS televised the film biography Woody Allen : A Documentary on the American Masters TV series .


Michael Fassbender was in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.

Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender ( born 2 April 1977 ) is a German-born Irish actor . His feature film debut was in the fantasy war epic 300 ( 2007 ) as a Spartan warrior ; his earlier roles included various stage productions , as well as starring roles on television such as in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers ( 2001 ) and the Sky One fantasy drama Hex ( 2004 -- 05 ) . He first came to prominence for his role as IRA activist Bobby Sands in Hunger ( 2008 ) , for which he won a British Independent Film Award . Subsequent roles include in the independent film Fish Tank ( 2009 ) , as a Royal Marines lieutenant in Inglourious Basterds ( 2009 ) , as Edward Rochester in the 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre , as Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method ( 2011 ) , as a sentient android in Prometheus ( 2012 ) and its sequel , Alien : Covenant ( 2017 ) , and in the musical comedy-drama Frank ( 2014 ) as an eccentric musician loosely inspired by Frank Sidebottom .   In 2011 , Fassbender debuted as the Marvel Comics antihero Magneto in X-Men : First Class , and went on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men : Days of Future Past ( 2014 ) , and reprise it again in X-Men : Apocalypse ( 2016 ) . Also in 2011 , Fassbender 's performance as a sex addict in Shame earned him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards . In 2013 , his role as slave owner Edwin Epps in the slavery epic 12 Years a Slave was similarly praised , earning him his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor . In 2013 , Fassbender appeared in another Ridley Scott film , The Counselor . In 2015 , he portrayed the title role in the Danny Boyle-directed biopic Steve Jobs ( 2015 ) , and played Macbeth in Justin Kurzel 's adaptation of William Shakespeare 's play . For the former , he has received Academy Award , BAFTA , Golden Globe and SAG nominations . In 2015 , he produced the western Slow West , in which he also starred .


Mariah Carey is exclusively from Colombia.

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( born March 27 , 1969 or 1970 ) is an American singer , songwriter , record producer , and actress . In 1990 , she rose to fame with the release of `` Vision of Love '' from her eponymous debut album . The album produced four chart-topping singles in the US and began what would become a string of commercially successful albums which solidified the singer as Columbias highest selling act . Carey and Boyz II Men spent a record sixteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995 -- 96 with `` One Sweet Day , '' which remains the longest-running number-one song in US chart history . Following a contentious divorce from Sony Music head Tommy Mottola , Carey adopted a new image and traversed towards hip hop with the release of Butterfly ( 1997 ) . In 1998 , she was honored as the world 's best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards and subsequently named the best-selling female artist of the millennium in 2000 .   Carey parted with Columbia in 2000 , and signed a record-breaking $ 100 million recording contract with Virgin Records America . In the weeks prior to the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying soundtrack in 2001 , she suffered a physical and emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for severe exhaustion . The project was poorly received and led to a general decline in the singer 's career . Carey 's recording contract was bought out for $ 50 million by Virgin and she signed a multi-million dollar deal with Island Records the following year . After a relatively unsuccessful period , she returned to the top of music charts with The Emancipation of Mimi ( 2005 ) . The album became the best-selling album in the US and the second best-seller worldwide in 2005 and produced `` We Belong Together , '' which became her most successful single of the 2000s , and was later named `` Song of the Decade '' by Billboard . Carey once again ventured into film with a well-received supporting role in Precious ( 2009 ) , and was awarded the `` Breakthrough Performance Award '' at the Palm Springs International Film Festival .   Throughout her career , Carey has sold more than 200 million records worldwide , making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time . According to the RIAA , she is the third-best-selling female artist in the United States , with 63.5 million certified albums . With the release of `` Touch My Body '' ( 2008 ) , Carey gained her 18th number-one single in the United States , more than any other solo artist . In 2012 , the singer was ranked second on VH1 's list of the `` 100 Greatest Women in Music . '' Aside from her commercial accomplishments , Carey has won 5 Grammy Awards , 19 World Music Awards , 11 American Music Awards , and 14 Billboard Music Awards and has been consistently credited with inspiring a generation of singers . Referred to as the `` songbird supreme '' by the Guinness World Records , she has a five-octave vocal range , power , melismatic style and signature use of the whistle register .


Daniel Craig is the first-longest serving James Bond.

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 .


The Impossible (2012 film) The Impossible ( Lo Imposible ) is a 2012 English-language Spanish disaster drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Sergio G. Sánchez . It is based on the experience of María Belón and her family in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami . The cast includes Naomi Watts , Ewan McGregor and Tom Holland .   The film received positive reviews from critics for its direction and its acting , especially for Watts who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress , the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress -- Motion Picture Drama , and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role .


Naomi Watts Naomi Ellen Watts ( born 28 September 1968 ) is an English actress and film producer . She made her screen debut in the Australian drama film For Love Alone ( 1986 ) and then appeared in the Australian television series Hey Dad . . ! ( 1990 ) , Brides of Christ ( 1991 ) and Home and Away ( 1991 ) and alongside Nicole Kidman and Thandie Newton in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film Flirting ( 1991 ) . After moving to America , Watts appeared in films , including Tank Girl ( 1995 ) , Children of the Corn IV : The Gathering ( 1996 ) and Dangerous Beauty ( 1998 ) and had the lead role in the television series Sleepwalkers ( 1997 -- 1998 ) .   After years as a struggling actress , Watts came to attention in David Lynch 's psychological thriller Mulholland Drive ( 2001 ) . The following year she enjoyed box-office success with her role as Rachel Keller in The Ring ( 2002 ) , the remake of a successful Japanese horror film . She then received nominations at the Academy Awards and the Screen Actors ' Guild Awards in the Best Actress categories for her portrayal of Cristina Peck in Alejandro González Iñárritu 's neo-noir 21 Grams ( 2003 ) . Her subsequent films include David O. Russell 's comedy I Heart Huckabees ( 2004 ) , the 2005 remake of King Kong , the crime-thriller Eastern Promises ( 2007 ) and the Tom Tykwer-directed thriller The International ( 2009 ) . Since then , Watts has portrayed Valerie Plame Wilson in the biographical drama Fair Game ( 2010 ) and Helen Gandy in Clint Eastwood 's biographical drama J. Edgar ( 2011 ) . For her leading role as Maria Bennett in the disaster film The Impossible ( 2012 ) , she received second nominations for the Academy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress and a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress .   In 2002 , Watts was included in People magazine 's 50 Most Beautiful People . In 2006 , she became a goodwill ambassador for Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS , which helps to raise awareness of AIDS-related issues . She has participated in several fundraisers for the cause , and she is presented as an inaugural member of AIDS Red Ribbon Awards .


Valerie Plame Valerie Elise Plame Wilson ( born August 13 , 1963 ) , known as Valerie Plame , Valerie E. Wilson , and Valerie Plame Wilson , is a former operations officer of the United States Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) , and the wife of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson . As the subject of the 2003 Plame affair , also known as the CIA leak scandal , Plame had her identity as covert officer of the CIA leaked to the press by members of the George W. Bush administration and subsequently made public . Plame has written a memoir detailing her career and the events leading up to her resignation from the CIA .


For Love Alone For Love Alone is a 1986 Australian film directed by Stephen Wallace and starring Helen Buday , Hugo Weaving and Sam Neill . The screenplay was written by Wallace , based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Christina Stead . The film marked the screen debut of Naomi Watts . The film was entered into the 37th Berlin International Film Festival .


Brides of Christ This article is about the Australian television show . For the early 1900s American religious cult see Edmund Creffield . For nuns , see nun .   Brides of Christ was an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991 .   The series takes place behind the walls of a Sydney convent school and deals with the struggles of both the Roman Catholic nuns and the young students to adapt to the many social changes taking place within the church and the outside world during the 1960s .   Six fifty-minute episodes were made . Each episode focused on a particular story and set of characters . Some characters would appear in multiple episodes with varying levels of prominence from episode to episode . Lead characters in one episode might appear in a support role in another episode . Josephine Byrnes ' character was the focus of both the first and last episodes .   In her first major role , Naomi Watts starred as Frances , one of the students . One episode also guest starred the then unknown Russell Crowe as a young man distressed about being called up for the Vietnam War .   The series was filmed on location at St Mary 's Tower 's , Douglas Park , New South Wales , Santa Sabina College , Strathfield , New South Wales and St Scholastica 's College , Glebe , New South Wales .   The entire series has since been released on DVD .


Paul Bettany has yet to play a Marvel character.

Paul Bettany Paul Bettany ( born 27 May 1971 ) is an English actor . He is known for his voice role as J.A.R.V.I.S. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , specifically the films Iron Man ( 2008 ) , Iron Man 2 ( 2010 ) , The Avengers ( 2012 ) , Iron Man 3 ( 2013 ) , and Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) , in which he also portrayed the Vision , in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for which he garnered praise . He reprised his role as the Vision in Captain America : Civil War ( 2016 ) . He first came to the attention of mainstream audiences when he appeared in the British film Gangster No. 1 ( 2000 ) , and director Brian Helgeland 's film A Knight 's Tale ( 2001 ) . He has gone on to appear in a wide variety of films , including A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) , Master and Commander : The Far Side of the World ( 2003 ) , Dogville ( 2003 ) , Wimbledon ( 2004 ) , and the adaptation of the novel The Da Vinci Code ( 2006 ) .   He has been nominated for various awards , including BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture . Bettany is married to American actress Jennifer Connelly , with whom he has two children . His most commercially successful films have been The Avengers , which grossed over US$ 1.5 billion , its sequel Avengers : Age of Ultron , which grossed over $ 1.4 billion , Iron Man 3 , which grossed over US$ 1.2 billion , Captain America : Civil War , which grossed over US$ 1.1 billion , and The Da Vinci Code , which grossed US$ 758 million .


One of Vera Farmiga's occupations is producer.

Vera Farmiga Vera Ann Farmiga ( -LSB- fɑrˈmiːɡə -RSB- born August 6 , 1973 ) is an American actress , director and producer . She began her career on Broadway in the play Taking Sides ( 1996 ) . She made her television debut in the Fox fantasy series Roar ( 1997 ) , and her film debut in the drama-thriller Return to Paradise ( 1998 ) .   Farmiga 's breakout role came in 2004 , when she portrayed a mother harboring a secret drug habit in the drama film Down to the Bone . She then co-starred in The Manchurian Candidate ( 2004 ) , The Departed ( 2006 ) , The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas ( 2008 ) , and Nothing But the Truth ( 2008 ) . She gained more critical acclaim for her role as Alex Goran in the 2009 comedy-drama Up in the Air , for which she was nominated for the Academy Award , BAFTA Award , Golden Globe Award , and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress .   She then had starring roles in Orphan ( 2009 ) , Source Code ( 2011 ) , and Safe House ( 2012 ) . Farmiga made her directorial debut with the drama film Higher Ground ( 2011 ) , in which she also starred in the lead role . In 2013 , she portrayed paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the horror film The Conjuring , and reprised the role in the 2016 sequel The Conjuring 2 .   From 2013 to 2017 , Farmiga starred as Norma Louise Bates in the A&E drama-thriller series Bates Motel , for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination . This role , along with her roles in Joshua , Orphan , and the two Conjuring films , has dubbed her as a contemporary scream queen .


Natalie Portman was the recipient of a Golden Globe Award.

Natalie Portman Natalie Portman ( born Neta-Lee Hershlag , נטע-לי הרשלג June 9 , 1981 ) is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship . Her first role was in the 1994 action thriller Léon : The Professional , opposite Jean Reno . She was later cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy ( released in 1999 , 2002 and 2005 ) .   Born in Jerusalem to an Israeli father and American mother , Portman grew up in the eastern United States from the age of three . She studied dancing and acting in New York , and starred in Star Wars : Episode I -- The Phantom Menace while still at high school on Long Island . In 1999 , Portman enrolled at Harvard University to study psychology , alongside her work as an actress ; she completed a bachelor 's degree in 2003 . During her studies she starred in a second Star Wars film and opened in New York City 's The Public Theater production of Anton Chekhov 's The Seagull in 2001 .   Portman won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for starring in the 2004 drama Closer , appeared in Star Wars : Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith the following year , and won a Constellation Award for Best Female Performance and the Saturn Award for Best Actress for her starring role in the political thriller V for Vendetta ( 2006 ) . She played leading roles in the historical dramas Goya 's Ghosts ( 2006 ) and The Other Boleyn Girl ( 2008 ) , and also appeared in Thor ( 2011 ) and its 2013 sequel . In 2010 , Portman starred in the psychological thriller film Black Swan . Her performance received widespread critical acclaim and she earned her first Academy Award for Best Actress , her second Golden Globe Award , the SAG Award , the BAFTA Award and the BFCA Award in 2011 . In 2016 , she portrayed First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the biographical drama Jackie . She was nominated for an Academy Award , a BAFTA Award , a Golden Globe Award , a Screen Actors Guild Award and won the BFCA for Best Actress .   In May 2008 , Portman served as the youngest member of the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival jury . The same year she directed a segment of the collective film New York , I Love You . Her first feature film as a director , A Tale of Love and Darkness , was released in 2015 .


Las Vegas Las Vegas ( -LSB- lɑːs_ˈveɪɡəs -RSB- , Spanish for `` The Meadows '' ) , officially the City of Las Vegas and often known simply as Vegas , is the 28th-most populated city in the United States , the most populated city in the state of Nevada , and the county seat of Clark County . The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert . Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for its gambling , shopping , fine dining , entertainment , and nightlife . It is the leading financial , commercial , and cultural center for Nevada .   The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World , and is famous for its mega casino -- hotels and associated activities . It is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry , claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any city in the world . Today , Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the world 's most visited tourist destinations . The city 's tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City , and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature , films , television programs , and music videos .   Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911 . At the close of the 20th century , it was the most populated American city founded within that century ( a similar distinction earned by Chicago in the 1800s ) . Population growth has accelerated since the 1960s , and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled , increasing by 85.2 % . Rapid growth has continued into the 21st century , and according to a 2013 estimate , the population is 603,488 with a regional population of 2,027,828 .   `` Las Vegas '' is often used to describe areas beyond official city limits -- especially the areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip , which is actually located within the unincorporated communities of Paradise , Winchester , and Enterprise .


Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz ( born September 8 , 1987 ) , better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper , songwriter , and actor . He released his debut album , Show and Prove , in 2006 , and signed to Warner Bros. . Records in 2007 . His Eurodance-influenced single , `` Say Yeah '' , received urban radio airplay , charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008 .   Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album , Deal or No Deal , in November 2009 . He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010 ; he then signed with Atlantic Records . He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic , `` Black and Yellow '' , which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . His debut album for the label , Rolling Papers , was released on March 29 , 2011 . He followed that album with O.N.I.F.C. on December 4 , 2012 , which was backed by the singles `` Work Hard , Play Hard '' and `` Remember You '' . Wiz released his fourth album Blacc Hollywood on August 18 , 2014 , backed by the lead single `` We Dem Boyz '' . In March 2015 , he released `` See You Again '' for the soundtrack of the film Furious 7 and the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 non-consecutive weeks .


Neil Armstrong commanded a space mission in 1966.

Gemini 8 Gemini 8 ( officially Gemini VIII ) was the sixth manned spaceflight in NASA 's Gemini program . The mission conducted the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit , but suffered the first critical in-space system failure of a U.S. spacecraft which threatened the lives of the astronauts and required immediate abort of the mission . The crew was returned to Earth safely . The only other time this happened was on the flight of Apollo 13 .   It was the twelfth manned American flight and the twenty-second manned spaceflight of all time ( including X-15 flights over 100 km ) . Command pilot Neil Armstrong 's flight marked the second time a U.S. civilian flew into space ( Joseph Albert Walker became the first U.S. civilian on X-15 Flight 90 ) . Armstrong had resigned his commission in the United States Naval Reserve in 1960 . The Soviet Union had launched the first civilian , Valentina Tereshkova ( also the first woman ) , aboard Vostok 6 on June 16 , 1963 .


Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong ( August 5 , 1930 -- August 25 , 2012 ) was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon . He was also an aerospace engineer , naval aviator , test pilot , and university professor . Before becoming an astronaut , Armstrong was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Korean War . After the war , he earned his bachelor 's degree at Purdue University and served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics ( NACA ) High-Speed Flight Station , where he logged over 900 flights . He later completed graduate studies at the University of Southern California .   A participant in the U.S. Air Force 's Man in Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs , Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962 . He made his first space flight as command pilot of Gemini 8 in March 1966 , becoming NASA 's first civilian astronaut to fly in space . He performed the first docking of two spacecraft , with pilot David Scott . This mission was aborted after Armstrong used some of his reentry control fuel to prevent a dangerous spin caused by a stuck thruster , in the first in-flight space emergency .   Armstrong 's second and last spaceflight was as commander of Apollo 11 , the first manned Moon landing mission in July 1969 . Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent two and a half hours outside the spacecraft , while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Command/Service Module . Along with Collins and Aldrin , Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon . President Jimmy Carter presented Armstrong the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978 . Armstrong and his former crewmates received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009 .   Armstrong died in Cincinnati , Ohio on August 25 , 2012 , at the age of 82 , after complications from coronary artery bypass surgery .


The Evil Queen has been portrayed live only by Anne Francine.

Evil Queen (Disney) The Evil Queen , also known as the Wicked Queen or just the Queen , and sometimes instead identified by her given name as Queen Grimhilde , is the primary antagonist in Disney 's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and a villain character in the extended Disney 's Snow White franchise . She is based on the Evil Queen character from the European fairy tale `` Snow White '' .   In the film , similar to the Brothers Grimm story , the Evil Queen is cold , cruel , and extremely vain , and obsessively desires to remain the `` fairest in the land '' . She becomes madly envious over the beauty of her stepdaughter , Princess Snow White , as well as the attentions of the Prince from another land ; such love triangle element is one of Disney 's changes to the story . This leads her to plot the death of Snow White and ultimately on the path to her own demise , which in the film is indirectly caused by the Seven Dwarfs . The film 's version of the Queen character uses her dark magic powers to actually transform herself into an old woman instead of just taking a disguise like in the Grimms ' story ; this appearance of hers is commonly referred to as the Wicked Witch or alternatively as the Old Hag or just the Witch . The Queen dies in the film , but lives on in a variety of noncanonical Disney works .   The film 's version of the Queen was created by Walt Disney and Joe Grant , and originally animated by Art Babbit and voiced by Lucille La Verne . Inspiration for her design came from the characters of Queen Hash-a-Motep from She and Princess Kriemhild from Die Nibelungen . The Queen has since been voiced by Eleanor Audley , June Foray , Janet Waldo , Eda Reiss Merin , Louise Chamis and Susanne Blakeslee , and was portrayed live by Anne Francine ( musical ) , Jane Curtin ( 50th anniversary TV special ) , and Olivia Wilde ( Disney Dream Portraits ) , Kathy Najimy ( Descendants ) , and in an alternative version , by Lana Parrilla ( Once Upon a Time ) .   This version of the classic fairy tale character has been very well received by film critics and the public , and is considered one of Disney 's most iconic and menacing villains . Besides in the film , the Evil Queen has made numerous appearances in Disney attractions and productions , including not only these directly related to the tale of Snow White , such as Fantasmic ! , The Kingdom Keepers and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep , sometimes appearing in them alongside Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty . The film 's version of the Queen has also become a popular archetype that influenced a number of artists and non-Disney works .


Hotel Transylvania was produced by Sony Pictures Animation.

Hotel Transylvania Hotel Transylvania is a 2012 American 3D computer-animated fantasy comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Columbia Pictures . It was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and produced by Michelle Murdocca , and stars the voices of Adam Sandler , Andy Samberg , Selena Gomez , Kevin James , Fran Drescher , Steve Buscemi , Molly Shannon , David Spade , and CeeLo Green . The film tells a story of Count Dracula , the owner of a hotel called Hotel Transylvania where the world 's monsters can take a rest from human civilization . Dracula invites some of the most famous monsters to celebrate the 118th birthday of his daughter Mavis . When the `` human-free hotel '' is unexpectedly visited by an ordinary 21-year-old traveler named Jonathan , Dracula must protect Mavis from falling in love with him before the hotel 's guests learn that there is a human in the castle , which may jeopardize the hotel 's future and his career .   The film was released on September 28 , 2012 and was met with mixed critical reception , while the general public received it favorably . Despite this , Hotel Transylvania earned a total of $ 358 million against a budget of $ 85 million at the box office . The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film . It launched a franchise with a sequel titled Hotel Transylvania 2 , which takes place seven years after the film , released in 2015 , and a third film scheduled for 2018 . A television series based on the film is planned to premiere on Disney Channel in June 2017 , and it will focus on the teenage years of Mavis and her friends at the Hotel Transylvania .


Charles II of England was born on 29 May 1630.

Charles II of England Charles II ( 29 May 1630 -- 6 February 1685 ) was king of England , Scotland and Ireland . He was king of Scotland from 1649 until his deposition in 1651 , and king of England , Scotland and Ireland from the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 until his death .   Charles II 's father , Charles I , was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649 , at the climax of the English Civil War . Although the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed Charles II king on 5 February 1649 , England entered the period known as the English Interregnum or the English Commonwealth , and the country was a de facto republic , led by Oliver Cromwell . Cromwell defeated Charles II at the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651 , and Charles fled to mainland Europe . Cromwell became virtual dictator of England , Scotland and Ireland , and Charles spent the next nine years in exile in France , the Dutch Republic and the Spanish Netherlands . A political crisis that followed the death of Cromwell in 1658 resulted in the restoration of the monarchy , and Charles was invited to return to Britain . On 29 May 1660 , his 30th birthday , he was received in London to public acclaim . After 1660 , all legal documents were dated as if he had succeeded his father as king in 1649 .   Charles 's English parliament enacted laws known as the Clarendon Code , designed to shore up the position of the re-established Church of England . Charles acquiesced to the Clarendon Code even though he favoured a policy of religious tolerance . The major foreign policy issue of his early reign was the Second Anglo-Dutch War . In 1670 , he entered into the secret treaty of Dover , an alliance with his first cousin King Louis XIV of France . Louis agreed to aid him in the Third Anglo-Dutch War and pay him a pension , and Charles secretly promised to convert to Catholicism at an unspecified future date . Charles attempted to introduce religious freedom for Catholics and Protestant dissenters with his 1672 Royal Declaration of Indulgence , but the English Parliament forced him to withdraw it . In 1679 , Titus Oates 's revelations of a supposed `` Popish Plot '' sparked the Exclusion Crisis when it was revealed that Charles 's brother and heir ( James , Duke of York ) was a Catholic . The crisis saw the birth of the pro-exclusion Whig and anti-exclusion Tory parties . Charles sided with the Tories , and , following the discovery of the Rye House Plot to murder Charles and James in 1683 , some Whig leaders were executed or forced into exile . Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1681 , and ruled alone until his death on 6 February 1685 . He was received into the Roman Catholic Church on his deathbed .   Charles was popularly known as the Merry Monarch , in reference to both the liveliness and hedonism of his court and the general relief at the return to normality after over a decade of rule by Cromwell and the Puritans . Charles 's wife , Catherine of Braganza , bore no live children , but Charles acknowledged at least twelve illegitimate children by various mistresses . He was succeeded by his brother James .


Doctor Who Doctor Who is a British science-fiction television programme produced by the BBC since 1963 . The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called `` The Doctor '' , an extraterrestrial being from the planet Gallifrey . He explores the universe in a time-travelling space ship called the TARDIS . Its exterior appears as a blue British police box , which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired . Accompanied by a number of companions , the Doctor combats a variety of foes , while working to save civilisations and help people in need .   The show is a significant part of British popular culture , and elsewhere it has gained a cult following . It has influenced generations of British television professionals , many of whom grew up watching the series . The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989 . There was an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot , in the form of a television film titled Doctor Who . The programme was relaunched in 2005 , and since then has been produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff . Doctor Who has also spawned numerous spin-offs , including comic books , films , novels , audio dramas , and the television series Torchwood ( 2006 -- 2011 ) , The Sarah Jane Adventures ( 2007 -- 2011 ) , K-9 ( 2009 -- 2010 ) , and Class '' ( 2016-present ) , and has been the subject of many parodies and references in popular culture .   Twelve actors have headlined the series as the Doctor . The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show with the concept of regeneration into a new incarnation -- an idea introduced in 1966 to allow the show to continue after the departure of original lead William Hartnell who was becoming very ill at the time . The concept is that this is a Time Lord trait through which the character of the Doctor takes on a new body and personality to recover from a severe injury or anything that would otherwise kill a normal person . Each actor 's portrayal differs , but all represent stages in the life of the same character and form a single narrative . The time-travelling feature of the plot means that different incarnations of the Doctor occasionally meet . The current lead , Peter Capaldi , took on the role after Matt Smith 's exit in the 2013 Christmas special `` The Time of the Doctor '' . In 2017 , Capaldi confirmed he would be leaving at the end of the tenth series , with his final appearance being the 2017 Christmas Special .


Batman Begins Batman Begins is a 2005 British-American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman , co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale , Michael Caine , Liam Neeson , Katie Holmes , Gary Oldman , Cillian Murphy , Tom Wilkinson , Rutger Hauer , Ken Watanabe , and Morgan Freeman . The film reboots the Batman film series , telling the origin story of the title character ( Bale ) , from his alter ego Bruce Wayne 's initial fear of bats , the death of his parents , his journey to become Batman , and his fight to stop Ra 's al Ghul ( Neeson ) and the Scarecrow ( Murphy ) from plunging Gotham City into chaos . Comic book storylines such as The Man Who Falls , Batman : Year One , and Batman : The Long Halloween served as inspiration .   After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Batman on screen following the critical failure and box office disappointment of Batman & Robin ( 1997 ) , Nolan and David S. Goyer began to work on the film in early 2003 and aimed for a darker and more realistic tone , with humanity and realism being the basis of the film . The goal was to get the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne . The film , which was primarily shot in Iceland and Chicago , relied on traditional stunts and miniatures , while computer-generated imagery was used minimally .   Batman Begins opened on June 15 , 2005 , in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters . It grossed over $ 48 million in its opening weekend in North America , eventually grossing over $ 374 million worldwide . The film received positive reviews and is considered by many to be one of the best superhero films of the 2000s . The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography and three BAFTA awards . It is followed by The Dark Knight ( 2008 ) and The Dark Knight Rises ( 2012 ) in a continual story-arc , which has later been referred to as The Dark Knight Trilogy .


Romelu Lukaku has been incapable of being a footballer his whole life.

Premier League The Premier League is an English professional league for men 's association football clubs . At the top of the English football league system , it is the country 's primary football competition . Contested by 20 clubs , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League ( EFL ; known as `` The Football League '' before 2016 -- 17 ) . Welsh clubs that compete in the English football league system can also qualify .   The Premier League is a corporation in which the 20 member clubs act as shareholders . Seasons run from August to May . Teams play 38 matches each ( playing each team in the league twice , home and away ) , totalling 380 matches in the season . Most games are played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons ; others during weekday evenings . It is colloquially known as the Premiership and outside the UK it is commonly referred to as the English Premier League ( EPL ) .   The competition formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from the Football League , which was founded in 1888 , and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal . The deal was worth # 1 billion a year domestically as of 2013 -- 14 , with BSkyB and BT Group securing the domestic rights to broadcast 116 and 38 games respectively . The league generates $ 2.2 billion per year in domestic and international television rights . In 2014/15 , teams were apportioned revenues of # 1.6 billion .   The Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world , broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people . In the 2014 -- 15 season , the average Premier League match attendance exceeded 36,000 , second highest of any professional football league behind the Bundesliga 's 43,500 . Most stadium occupancies are near capacity . The Premier League ranks third in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the past five seasons .   While 47 clubs have competed since the inception of the Premier League in 1992 , only six have won the title : Manchester United ( 13 ) , Chelsea ( 5 ) , Arsenal ( 3 ) , Manchester City ( 2 ) , Blackburn Rovers ( 1 ) and Leicester City ( 1 ) . The current champions are Chelsea , who secured the 2016 -- 17 title in early May 2017 .


List of Belgian football champions The Belgian football champions are the winners of the highest league in Belgian football , i.e. the Belgian First Division .


Ebony Shoe Award The Ebony Shoe award ( Dutch : Ebbenhouten schoen , French : Soulier d'ébène ) is a football award in Belgium given annually to the best African or African origin player in the Belgian Pro League . The jury is composed of the coaches of league clubs , the Belgian national team manager , sport journalists , and honorary juror ( s ) .   As of 2014 , Mbark Boussoufa ( 3 wins ) , Daniel Amokachi ( 2 wins ) and Vincent Kompany ( 2 wins ) are the only players to have won the trophy more than once .


Romelu Lukaku Romelu Menama Lukaku ( born 13 May 1993 ) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Everton and the Belgium national team . He is one of only five players to score 50 Premier League goals before his 23rd birthday , and the first foreign player to score 80 before his 24th birthday .   Lukaku started his career with local side Rupel Boom , before joining Lierse , where he earned a move to Anderlecht of the Belgian Pro League in 2006 . Lukaku made his professional debut while still at school at the age of 16 , and became the 2009 -- 10 top scorer in Belgium as Anderlecht won the Belgian championship . He also won the Belgian Ebony Shoe in 2011 . In the 2011 summer transfer window , Lukaku joined Premier League club Chelsea . He did not appear regularly in his first season there , and spent the following two seasons on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Everton respectively , signing permanently for the latter for a club record # 28 million in 2014 .   Lukaku made his senior international debut for Belgium in 2010 , and has since earned over 50 caps . He has also represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016 .


Belgian First Division A The Belgian First Division A is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium . Following the 2015 -- 16 season it was renamed from the Belgian Pro League ( officially known as Jupiler Pro League -LSB- -LSB- ˈʒypilɛr ˈproː ˈlik -RSB- -RSB- ) . Contested by 16 clubs , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Belgian First Division B. Seasons run from late July to early May , with teams playing 30 matches each in the regular season , and then entering play-offs 1 or play-offs 2 according to their position in the regular season . Play-offs 1 ( also known as the title playoffs ) are contested by the top 6 clubs in the regular season , with each club playing each other twice . Play-offs 2 ( also known as the Europa League playoff ) are contested by teams ranked 7 to 15 in the regular season , divided in two groups of 6 teams playing each other twice ( three teams from the Belgian First Division B also take part in playoff 2 ) . The team finishing in 16th place is relegated . the league was sponsored by AB InBev , brewers of Jupiler beer , and officially known as Jupiler Pro League , the sponsor name for the 2016 -- 17 Belgian First Division A is still unknown .   The competition was created in 1895 by the Royal Belgian Football Association and was first won by FC Liégeois . Of the 74 clubs to have competed in the first division since its creation , 15 have been crowned champions of Belgium . RSC Anderlecht is the most successful league club with 34 titles , followed by Club Brugge KV ( 14 ) , Union Saint-Gilloise ( 11 ) and Standard Liège ( 10 ) . It is currently ranked 10th in the UEFA rankings of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five-years . The competition was ranked 3rd when the UEFA first published their ranking in 1979 and also the next year in 1980 , which is the best ranking the Belgian First Division has ever achieved .


Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club ( -LSB- ˈtʃɛlsiː -RSB- ) is an English professional football club based in Fulham , London , that competes in the Premier League , of which they are reigning champions . Founded in 1905 , the club 's home ground since then has been Stamford Bridge .   Chelsea had their first major success in 1955 , when they won the league championship . They then won various cup competitions between 1965 and 1971 . The club 's greatest period of success has come during the last two decades ; winning 18 major trophies since 1997 . Chelsea have won six national league titles , seven FA Cups , five League Cups and four FA Community Shields , one UEFA Champions League , two UEFA Cup Winners ' Cups , one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Super Cup . Chelsea are the only London club to win the UEFA Champions League , and one of five clubs to have won all three main UEFA club competitions , first English to do so .   Chelsea 's regular kit colours are royal blue shirts and shorts with white socks . The club 's crest has been changed several times in attempts to re-brand the club and modernise its image . The current crest , featuring a ceremonial lion rampant regardant holding a staff , is a modification of the one introduced in the early 1950s . The club have the sixth-highest average all-time attendance in English football . Their average home gate for the 2016 -- 17 season was 41,507 , the sixth highest in the Premier League . Since 2003 , Chelsea have been owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich . In 2016 , they were ranked by Forbes magazine as the seventh most valuable football club in the world , at # 1.15 billion ( $ 1.66 billion ) .


2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup , the quadrennial world championship for men 's national football teams organized by FIFA . It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014 , after the country was awarded the hosting rights in 2007 . It was the second time that Brazil staged the competition ( the first was in 1950 ) , and the fifth time that it was held in South America .   Thirty-one national teams advanced through qualification competitions to join the host nation in the final tournament . A total of 64 matches were played in 12 venues located in as many host cities across Brazil . For the first time at a World Cup finals , match officials used goal-line technology , as well as vanishing foam for free kicks . FIFA Fan Fests in each host city gathered a total of 5 million people , and the country received 1 million visitors from 202 countries .   Every World Cup-winning team since the first edition in 1930 -- Argentina , Brazil , England , France , Germany , Italy , Spain and Uruguay -- qualified for this tournament . Spain , the title holders , were eliminated at the group stage , along with England and Italy . Uruguay were eliminated in the round of 16 , and France exited in the quarter-finals . Host nation Brazil , who had won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup , lost to Germany 7 -- 1 in the semi-finals and eventually finished in fourth place . In the final , Germany defeated Argentina 1 -- 0 to win the tournament and secure the country 's fourth world title , the first after the German reunification in 1990 , when as West Germany they also beat Argentina in the World Cup final .  Germany became the first European team to win a World Cup staged in the Americas , and this result marked the first time that sides from the same continent had won three consecutive tournaments ( following Italy in 2006 and Spain in 2010 ) .   As the winners , Germany qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia .


Belgium national football team The Belgian national football team has officially represented Belgium in association football since their maiden match in 1904 . The squad is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA -- both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team 's supervising body , the Royal Belgian Football Association ( RBFA ) . Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level , from 1920 to 1938 and from 1970 to 2002 , have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds . Most of Belgium 's home games are played at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels .   Belgium 's national team has participated in three quadrennial major football competitions . It appeared in the end stages of twelve FIFA World Cups and five UEFA European Football Championships , and featured at three Olympic football tournaments , including the 1920 Olympic tournament which they won . Other notable performances are victories over four reigning world champions -- West Germany , Brazil , Argentina and France -- between 1954 and 2002 . Belgium has long-standing football rivalries with its Dutch and French counterparts , having played both teams nearly every year from 1905 to 1967 . The squad has been known as the Red Devils since 1906 ; its fan club is named `` 1895 '' .   During the national player career of forward Paul Van Himst , the most-praised Belgian footballer of the 20th century , Belgium took third place at Euro 1972 . After that , they experienced two golden ages with many gifted players . In the first period , which lasted from the 1980s to the early 1990s , the team finished as runners-up at Euro 1980 and fourth in the 1986 World Cup . In the second , under guidance of Marc Wilmots in the 2010s , Belgium topped the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in November 2015 . Between September 2016 and October 2017 , they are competing in the European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup .


Everton F.C. Everton F.C. -LSB- ˈɛvərtən -RSB- is a football club in Liverpool , England , that currently competes in the Premier League , the top flight of English football . The club have competed in the top division for a record 114 seasons and won the League Championship nine times , and the FA Cup five times .   Formed in 1878 , Everton were founding members of The Football League in 1888 and won their first League Championship two seasons later . Following four League Championship and two FA Cup wins , Everton experienced a lull in the immediate post World War Two period , until a revival in the 1960s , which saw the club win two League Championships and an FA Cup . The mid-1980s represented their most recent period of sustained success , with two League Championships , an FA Cup , and the 1985 European Cup Winners ' Cup . The club 's most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup .   The club 's supporters are known as Evertonians . Everton have a rivalry with neighbours Liverpool , and the two sides contest the Merseyside derby . The club have been based at Goodison Park in Walton , Liverpool , since 1892 , after moving from Anfield following a row over its rent . The club 's home colours are royal blue shirts with white shorts and socks .


Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is capable of saving many lives.

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation , single-seat , twin-engine , all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force ( USAF ) . The result of the USAF 's Advanced Tactical Fighter program , the aircraft was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter , but also has ground attack , electronic warfare , and signal intelligence capabilities . The prime contractor , Lockheed Martin , built most of the F-22 's airframe and weapons systems and did its final assembly , while Boeing provided the wings , aft fuselage , avionics integration , and training systems .   The aircraft was variously designated F-22 and F/A -22 before it formally entered service in December 2005 as the F-22A . After a protracted development and despite operational issues , the USAF considers the F-22 critical to its tactical air power , and says that the aircraft is unmatched by any known or projected fighter . The Raptor 's combination of stealth , aerodynamic performance , and situational awareness gives the aircraft unprecedented air combat capabilities .   The high cost of the aircraft , a lack of clear air-to-air missions due to delays in Russian and Chinese fighter programs , a ban on exports , and development of the more versatile F-35 led to the end of F-22 production . A final procurement tally of 187 operational production aircraft was established in 2009 , and the last F-22 was delivered to the USAF in 2012 .


Pink Floyd was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London . They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music . Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics , sonic experimentation , extended compositions and elaborate live shows , they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in the history of popular music .   Pink Floyd were founded in 1965 by students Syd Barrett on guitar and lead vocals , Nick Mason on drums , Roger Waters on bass and vocals , and Richard Wright on keyboards and vocals . They gained popularity performing in London 's underground music scene during the late 1960s , and under Barrett 's leadership released two charting singles and a successful debut album , The Piper at the Gates of Dawn ( 1967 ) . Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined in December 1967 ; Barrett left in April 1968 due to deteriorating mental health . Waters became the band 's primary lyricist and conceptual leader , devising the concepts behind their albums The Dark Side of the Moon ( 1973 ) , Wish You Were Here ( 1975 ) , Animals ( 1977 ) , The Wall ( 1979 ) and The Final Cut ( 1983 ) . The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall became two of the best-selling albums of all time .   Following creative tensions , Wright left Pink Floyd in 1979 , followed by Waters in 1985 . Gilmour and Mason continued as Pink Floyd ; Wright rejoined them as a session musician and , later , a band member . The three produced two more albums -- A Momentary Lapse of Reason ( 1987 ) and The Division Bell ( 1994 ) -- and toured through 1994 . After nearly two decades of acrimony , Gilmour , Wright , and Mason reunited with Waters in 2005 to perform as Pink Floyd in London as part of the global awareness event Live 8 ; Gilmour and Waters later stated they have no plans to reunite as a band again . Barrett died in 2006 , and Wright in 2008 . The final Pink Floyd studio album , The Endless River ( 2014 ) , was recorded without Waters and based largely on unreleased material .   Pink Floyd were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 . By 2013 , the band had sold more than 250 million records worldwide , including 75 million certified units in the United States .


Boston Boston ( pronounced -LSB- ˈbɒstən -RSB- ) is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States . Boston is also the seat of Suffolk County , although the county government was disbanded on July 1 , 1999 . The city proper covers 48 mi2 with an estimated population of 667,137 in 2015 , making it the largest city in New England and the 23rd most populous city in the United States . The city is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston , a Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ) home to a census-estimated 4.7 million people in 2014 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country . Alternately , as a Combined Statistical Area ( CSA ) , this wider commuting region is home to some 8.1 million people , making it the sixth-largest as such in the United States .   One of the oldest cities in the United States , Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England . It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution , such as the Boston Massacre , the Boston Tea Party , the Battle of Bunker Hill , and the Siege of Boston . Upon U.S. independence from Great Britain , it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education and culture . Through land reclamation and municipal annexation , Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula . Its rich history attracts many tourists , with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20 million visitors per year . Boston 's many firsts include the United States ' first public school , Boston Latin School ( 1635 ) , first subway system , the Tremont Street Subway ( 1897 ) , and first public park , Boston Common ( 1634 ) .   The area 's many colleges and universities make Boston an international center of higher education , including law , medicine , engineering , and business , and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship , with nearly 2,000 startups . Boston 's economic base also includes finance , professional and business services , biotechnology , information technology , and government activities . Households in the city claim the highest average rate of philanthropy in the United States ; businesses and institutions rank among the top in the country for environmental sustainability and investment . The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification , though it remains high on world livability rankings .