Plutonium reacts with hydrogen and nitrogen.

Plutonium Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with symbol Pu and atomic number 94 . It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air , and forms a dull coating when oxidized . The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation states . It reacts with carbon , halogens , nitrogen , silicon and hydrogen . When exposed to moist air , it forms oxides and hydrides that can expand the sample up to 70 % in volume , which in turn flake off as a powder that is pyrophoric . It is radioactive and can accumulate in bones , which makes the handling of plutonium dangerous .   Plutonium was first produced and isolated on December 14 , 1940 by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg , Joseph W. Kennedy , Edwin M. McMillan , and Arthur C. Wahl by deuteron bombardment of uranium-238 in the 60-inch cyclotron at the University of California , Berkeley . They first synthesized neptunium-238 ( half-life 2.1 days ) which subsequently beta-decayed to form a new element with atomic number 94 and atomic weight 238 ( half-life 87.7 years ) . Uranium had been named after the planet Uranus and neptunium after the planet Neptune , and so element 94 was named after Pluto , which at the time was considered to be a planet as well . Wartime secrecy prevented them from announcing the discovery until 1948 . Plutonium is the element with the highest atomic number to occur in nature , as trace quantities similarly arise from natural uranium-238 capturing neutrons . Plutonium is much more common on Earth since 1945 as a product of neutron capture and beta decay , where some of the neutrons released by the fission process convert uranium-238 nuclei into plutonium-239 .   Both plutonium-239 and plutonium-241 are fissile , meaning that they can sustain a nuclear chain reaction , leading to applications in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors . Plutonium-240 exhibits a high rate of spontaneous fission , raising the neutron flux of any sample containing it . The presence of plutonium-240 limits a plutonium sample 's usability for weapons or its quality as reactor fuel , and the percentage of plutonium-240 determines its grade ( weapons-grade , fuel-grade , or reactor-grade ) . Plutonium-238 has a half-life of 88 years and emits alpha particles . It is a heat source in radioisotope thermoelectric generators , which are used to power some spacecraft . Plutonium isotopes are expensive and inconvenient to separate , so particular isotopes are usually manufactured in specialized reactors .   Producing plutonium in useful quantities for the first time was a major part of the Manhattan Project during World War II that developed the first atomic bombs . The Fat Man bombs used in the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945 , and in the bombing of Nagasaki in August 1945 , had plutonium cores . Human radiation experiments studying plutonium were conducted without informed consent , and several criticality accidents , some lethal , occurred after the war . Disposal of plutonium waste from nuclear power plants and dismantled nuclear weapons built during the Cold War is a nuclear-proliferation and environmental concern . Other sources of plutonium in the environment are fallout from numerous above-ground nuclear tests , now banned .


Rhode Island was one of the original colonies.

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( -LSB- roʊd_ˈaɪlənd -RSB- ) , officially the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations , is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States . Rhode Island is the smallest in area , the eighth least populous , and the second most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states , following New Jersey . Its official name is also the longest of any state in the Union . Rhode Island is bordered by Connecticut to the west , Massachusetts to the north and east , and the Atlantic Ocean to the south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound . The state also shares a short maritime border with New York .   On May 4 , 1776 , the Colony of Rhode Island became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown , and was the fourth among the newly sovereign states to ratify the Articles of Confederation on February 9 , 1778 . It boycotted the 1787 convention that drew up the United States Constitution and initially refused to ratify it . On May 29 , 1790 , Rhode Island became the 13th and last state to ratify the Constitution .   Rhode Island 's official nickname is `` The Ocean State '' , a reference to the fact that the state has several large bays and inlets that amount to about 14 % of its total area . Rhode Island covers 1214 sqmi , of which 1045 sqmi are land .


Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America , bordering the Atlantic Ocean . It was a colony of the Kingdom of England from 1636 to 1707 , when the Acts of Union were passed , and then a colony of the unified Kingdom of Great Britain until 1776 . After the American Revolution , it became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations ( commonly known as just Rhode Island ) .


Choir A choir ( -LSB- ` kwaɪ.ər -RSB- ) ( also known as a chorale or chorus ) is a musical ensemble of singers . Choral music , in turn , is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform . Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire , which spans from the Medieval era to the present , or popular music repertoire . Most choirs are led by a conductor , who leads the performances with arm and face gestures .   A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus . The former term is very often applied to groups affiliated with a church ( whether or not they actually occupy the choir ) and the second to groups that perform in theatres or concert halls , but this distinction is far from rigid . Choirs may sing without instrumental accompaniment , with the accompaniment of a piano or pipe organ , with a small ensemble ( e.g. , harpsichord , cello and double bass for a Baroque era piece ) , or with a full orchestra of 70 to 100 musicians .   The term `` Choir '' has the secondary definition of a subset of an ensemble ; thus one speaks of the `` woodwind choir '' of an orchestra , or different `` choirs '' of voices or instruments in a polychoral composition . In typical 18th - to 21st-century oratorios and masses , chorus or choir is usually understood to imply more than one singer per part , in contrast to the quartet of soloists also featured in these works .


Gold Gold is a chemical element with symbol Au ( from aurum ) and atomic number 79 . In its purest form , it is a bright , slightly reddish yellow , dense , soft , malleable , and ductile metal . Chemically , gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element . It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions . Gold often occurs in free elemental ( native ) form , as nuggets or grains , in rocks , in veins , and in alluvial deposits . It occurs in a solid solution series with the native element silver ( as electrum ) and also naturally alloyed with copper and palladium . Less commonly , it occurs in minerals as gold compounds , often with tellurium ( gold tellurides ) .   Gold 's atomic number of 79 makes it one of the higher numbered , naturally occurring elements . It is thought to have been produced in supernova nucleosynthesis , from the collision of neutron stars , and to have been present in the dust from which the Solar System formed . Because the Earth was molten when it was formed , almost all of the gold present in the early Earth probably sank into the planetary core . Therefore , most of the gold that is present today in the Earth 's crust and mantle is thought to have been delivered to Earth later , by asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment , about 4 billion years ago .   Gold is resistant to most acids , though it does dissolve in aqua regia , a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid , which forms a soluble tetrachloroaurate anion . Gold is insoluble in nitric acid , which dissolves silver and base metals , a property that has long been used to refine gold and to confirm the presence of gold in metallic objects , giving rise to the term acid test . Gold also dissolves in alkaline solutions of cyanide , which are used in mining and electroplating . Gold dissolves in mercury , forming amalgam alloys , but this is not a chemical reaction .   Historically , the value of gold was rooted in its relative rarity , easy handling and minting , easy smelting and fabrication , resistance to corrosion and other chemical reactions ( nobility ) and its distinctive color . As a precious metal , gold has been used for coinage , jewelry , and other arts throughout recorded history . In the past , a gold standard was often implemented as a monetary policy , but gold coins ceased to be minted as a circulating currency in the 1930s , and the world gold standard was abandoned for a fiat currency system after 1976 .   A total of 186,700 tonnes of gold is in existence above ground , as of 2015 . The world consumption of new gold produced is about 50 % in jewelry , 40 % in investments , and 10 % in industry . Gold 's high malleability , ductility , resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions , and conductivity of electricity have led to its continued use in corrosion resistant electrical connectors in all types of computerized devices ( its chief industrial use ) . Gold is also used in infrared shielding , colored-glass production , gold leafing , and tooth restoration . Certain gold salts are still used as anti-inflammatories in medicine . As of 2014 , the world 's largest gold producer by far was China with 450 tonnes .


To The Bone includes Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston, Lili Taylor, Alex Sharp, Liana Liberato, Brooke Smith, and Ciara Bravo.

To the Bone (film) To the Bone is a 2017 American drama film , written and directed by Marti Noxon . The film stars Lily Collins , Keanu Reeves , Carrie Preston , Lili Taylor , Alex Sharp , Liana Liberato , Brooke Smith , and Ciara Bravo . The film follows a girl ( Collins ) as she battles anorexia . It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22 , 2017 .


Albert Einstein received a Nobel Prize in Physics.

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( -LSB- ˈaɪnstaɪn -RSB- -LSB- ˈalbɛɐ̯t ˈaɪnʃtaɪn -RSB- ; 14 March 1879 -- 18 April 1955 ) was a German-born theoretical physicist . He developed the theory of relativity , one of the two pillars of modern physics ( alongside quantum mechanics ) . Einstein 's work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science . Einstein is best known by the general public for his mass -- energy equivalence formula ( which has been dubbed `` the world 's most famous equation '' ) . He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics `` for his services to theoretical physics , and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect '' , a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory .   Near the beginning of his career , Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field . This led him to develop his special theory of relativity during his time at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern ( 1902 -- 1909 ) , Switzerland . He realized , however , that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields , and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916 , he published a paper on general relativity . He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory , which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules . He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light . In 1917 , Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the large-scale structure of the universe .   Between 1895 and 1914 he lived in Switzerland ( except for one year in Prague , 1911 -- 12 ) , where he received his academic diploma from the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zürich ( later the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule , ETH ) in 1900 . He later taught there at the same institute as a professor of theoretical physics between 1912 and 1914 before he left for Berlin . In 1901 , after being stateless for more than five years , Einstein acquired Swiss citizenship , which he kept for the rest of his life . In 1905 , Einstein was awarded a PhD by the University of Zürich . The same year , his annus mirabilis ( miracle year ) , he published four groundbreaking papers , which were to bring him to the notice of the academic world , at the age of 26 .   He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and , being Jewish , did not go back to Germany , where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences . He settled in the United States , becoming an American citizen in 1940 . On the eve of World War II , he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of `` extremely powerful bombs of a new type '' and recommending that the U.S. begin similar research . This eventually led to what would become the Manhattan Project . Einstein supported defending the Allied forces , but generally denounced the idea of using the newly discovered nuclear fission as a weapon . Later , with the British philosopher Bertrand Russell , Einstein signed the Russell -- Einstein Manifesto , which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons . Einstein was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton , New Jersey , until his death in 1955 .   Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works . Einstein 's intellectual achievements and originality have made the word `` Einstein '' synonymous with `` genius '' .


Richard Curtis created a British charity.

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis , CBE ( born 8 November 1956 ) is a British screenwriter , producer and film director , who was born in New Zealand to Australian parents . One of Britain 's most successful comedy screenwriters , he is known primarily for romantic comedy films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral , Bridget Jones 's Diary , Notting Hill , and Love Actually , as well as the hit sitcoms Blackadder , Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley . He is also the co-founder of the British charity Comic Relief along with Sir Lenny Henry .   In 2007 , Curtis received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award , the highest award the British Film Academy can give a filmmaker . He received the BAFTA Humanitarian Award at the 2008 Britannia Awards , for co-creating Comic Relief and contributions to other charitable causes . In 2008 he was ranked number 12 in The Telegraph 's list of the `` 100 most powerful people in British culture '' . In 2012 , Curtis was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork -- the Beatles ' Sgt. Pepper 's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover -- to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life .


Comic Relief Comic Relief is an operating British charity , founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia . The highlight of Comic Relief 's appeal is Red Nose Day , a biennial telethon held in March , alternating with sister project Sport Relief .   A prominent biennial event in British popular culture , Comic Relief is one of the two high-profile telethon events held in the United Kingdom , the other being Children in Need , held annually in November .


Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( -LSB- ˈeɪbrəhæm_ˈlIŋkən -RSB- February 12 , 1809 -- April 15 , 1865 ) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 . Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War -- its bloodiest war and perhaps its greatest moral , constitutional , and political crisis . In doing so , he preserved the Union , paved the way to the abolition of slavery , strengthened the federal government , and modernized the economy .   Born in Hodgenville , Kentucky , Lincoln grew up on the western frontier in Kentucky and Indiana . Largely self-educated , he became a lawyer in Illinois , a Whig Party leader , and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives , in which he served for eight years . Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1846 , Lincoln promoted rapid modernization of the economy through banks , tariffs , and railroads . Because he had originally agreed not to run for a second term in Congress , and because his opposition to the Mexican -- American War was unpopular among Illinois voters , Lincoln returned to Springfield and resumed his successful law practice . Reentering politics in 1854 , he became a leader in building the new Republican Party , which had a statewide majority in Illinois . In 1858 , while taking part in a series of highly publicized debates with his opponent and rival , Democrat Stephen A. Douglas , Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery , but lost the U.S. Senate race to Douglas .   In 1860 , Lincoln secured the Republican Party presidential nomination as a moderate from a swing state . Though he gained very little support in the slaveholding states of the South , he swept the North and was elected president in 1860 . Lincoln 's victory prompted seven southern slave states to form the Confederate States of America before he moved into the White House -- no compromise or reconciliation was found regarding slavery and secession . Subsequently , on April 12 , 1861 , a Confederate attack on Fort Sumter inspired the North to enthusiastically rally behind the Union . As the leader of the moderate faction of the Republican Party , Lincoln confronted Radical Republicans , who demanded harsher treatment of the South , War Democrats , who called for more compromise , anti-war Democrats ( called Copperheads ) , who despised him , and irreconcilable secessionists , who plotted his assassination . Politically , Lincoln fought back by pitting his opponents against each other , by carefully planned political patronage , and by appealing to the American people with his powers of oratory . His Gettysburg Address became an iconic endorsement of the principles of nationalism , republicanism , equal rights , liberty , and democracy .   Lincoln initially concentrated on the military and political dimensions of the war . His primary goal was to reunite the nation . He suspended habeas corpus , leading to the controversial ex parte Merryman decision , and he averted potential British intervention in the war by defusing the Trent Affair in late 1861 . Lincoln closely supervised the war effort , especially the selection of top generals , including his most successful general , Ulysses S. Grant . He also made major decisions on Union war strategy , including a naval blockade that shut down the South 's normal trade , moves to take control of Kentucky and Tennessee , and using gunboats to gain control of the southern river system . Lincoln tried repeatedly to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond ; each time a general failed , Lincoln substituted another , until finally Grant succeeded . As the war progressed , his complex moves toward ending slavery included the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 ; Lincoln used the U.S. Army to protect escaped slaves , encouraged the border states to outlaw slavery , and pushed through Congress the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution , which permanently outlawed slavery .   An exceptionally astute politician deeply involved with power issues in each state , Lincoln reached out to the War Democrats and managed his own re-election campaign in the 1864 presidential election . Anticipating the war 's conclusion , Lincoln pushed a moderate view of Reconstruction , seeking to reunite the nation speedily through a policy of generous reconciliation in the face of lingering and bitter divisiveness . On April 14 , 1865 , five days after the surrender of Confederate commanding general Robert E. Lee , Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth , a Confederate sympathizer .   Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars and the public as among the greatest U.S. presidents .


Earth Earth ( from Eorðe -LSB- Γαῖα , Gaia -RSB- Terra ) , otherwise known as the World or the Globe , is the third planet from the Sun and the only object in the Universe known to harbor life . It is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest of the four terrestrial planets .   According to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence , Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago . Earth 's gravity interacts with other objects in space , especially the Sun and the Moon , Earth 's only natural satellite . During one orbit around the Sun , Earth rotates about its axis over 365 times ; thus , an Earth year is about 365.26 days long . Earth 's axis of rotation is tilted , producing seasonal variations on the planet 's surface . The gravitational interaction between the Earth and Moon causes ocean tides , stabilizes the Earth 's orientation on its axis , and gradually slows its rotation .   Earth 's lithosphere is divided into several rigid tectonic plates that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years . About 71 % of Earth 's surface is covered with water , mostly by its oceans . The remaining 29 % is land consisting of continents and islands that together have many lakes , rivers and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere . The majority of Earth 's polar regions are covered in ice , including the Antarctic ice sheet and the sea ice of the Arctic ice pack . Earth 's interior remains active with a solid iron inner core , a liquid outer core that generates the Earth 's magnetic field , and a convecting mantle that drives plate tectonics .   Within the first billion years of Earth 's history , life appeared in the oceans and began to affect the Earth 's atmosphere and surface , leading to the proliferation of aerobic and anaerobic organisms . Some geological evidence indicates that life may have arisen as much as 4.1 billion years ago . Since then , the combination of Earth 's distance from the Sun , physical properties , and geological history have allowed life to evolve and thrive . In the history of the Earth , biodiversity has gone through long periods of expansion , occasionally punctuated by mass extinction events . Over 99 % of all species that ever lived on Earth are extinct . Estimates of the number of species on Earth today vary widely ; most species have not been described . Over 7.4 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival . Humans have developed diverse societies and cultures ; politically , the world has about 200 sovereign states .


Kurt Angle is a WWE's World Heavyweight Championship winner.

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle ( born December 9 , 1968 ) is an American professional wrestler , actor , and retired amateur wrestler . He is currently signed to WWE , performing as the on-screen general manager for the Raw brand . While a student at Clarion University of Pennsylvania , Angle won numerous accolades , including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion . After graduating college , Angle won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships . He then won a freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics . Angle is one of four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam ( junior nationals , NCAA , World Championships , Olympics ) . In 2006 , he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time . He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments .   Angle made his first appearance at a professional wrestling event in 1996 , with his in-ring debut in 1999 . He signed a long-term contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF , now WWE ) that same year , and participated in his first televised storyline in March 1999 . After months of unaired matches , Angle made his official debut in November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000 , when he held the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship simultaneously . Four months later , he won the King of the Ring tournament , and not long after he began pursuing the WWF Championship , which he won in October ; this capped off a rookie year which is considered by many to be the greatest in professional wrestling history . Throughout his tenure in the WWF/WWE , Angle was a six-time world champion ( four reigns as WWF/WWE Champion , one as WCW Champion , and one as WWE 's World Heavyweight Champion ) , a one-time United States Champion , one-time Intercontinental Champion , one-time European Champion , one-time Hardcore Champion , and one-time WWE Tag Team Champion . He is the tenth Triple Crown Champion and the fifth Grand Slam Champion ( achieving this accolade twice under both the original and current format ) in WWE history . On March 31 2017 , Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame , becoming the third active wrestler to be inducted , after Ric Flair and Sting .   After leaving WWE in 2006 , Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA , now Impact Wrestling ) where he became a record six-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion ( and the inaugural titleholder ) , a two-time TNA World Tag Team Champion , and a one-time TNA X Division Champion . He is the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history and the only one to hold all the required titles at once . Angle is also a two-time King of the Mountain . As part of TNA , he made appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling ( NJPW ) and the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) , holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship once . In 2013 , Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame ( he is the second wrestler -- after Sting -- to be inducted into both the WWE and TNA halls of fame ) .   Between WWF/WWE , Japan , and TNA , Angle has won 13 world championships and 21 total championships . He is the only professional wrestler in history to have won the WWE Championship , WWE 's World Heavyweight Championship , the WCW Championship , the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , and the IWGP Heavyweight Championship . Angle is also the only person to have been King of the Mountain and King of the Ring . He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for both WWF/WWE and TNA throughout his career , including the flagship event for both promotions : WrestleMania in WWE , and Bound for Glory in TNA . In 2004 , the Wrestling Observer Newsletter inducted Angle into its Hall of Fame , and later named him `` Wrestler of the Decade '' for the 2000s . He is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time ; ESPN journalist and former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman described Angle as `` the greatest I 've ever seen in the ring '' .


This Sporting Life was directed by an American feature film director.

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson ( 17 April 1923 -- 30 August 1994 ) was a British feature film , theatre and documentary director , film critic , and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave . He is most widely remembered for his 1968 film if ... , which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and was Malcolm McDowell 's cinematic debut . He is also notable , though not a professional actor , for playing a minor role in the Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire . Malcolm McDowell produced a 2007 documentary about his experiences with Lindsay Anderson , Never Apologize .


This Sporting Life This Sporting Life is a 1963 British feature film based on the 1960 novel of the same name by David Storey , which won the 1960 Macmillan Fiction Award . It recounts the story of a rugby league footballer , Frank Machin , in Wakefield , a mining area of Yorkshire , whose romantic life is not as successful as his sporting life . Storey , a former professional rugby league footballer , also wrote the screenplay .   The film stars Richard Harris , Rachel Roberts , William Hartnell and Alan Badel . It was directed by Lindsay Anderson . The film was Richard Harris 's first starring role , and won him a Best Actor Award at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival . He was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role . Rachel Roberts won her second BAFTA award for This Sporting Life and an Oscar nomination for best actress . Harris was nominated for the BAFTA that year as well . The film opened at the Odeon Leicester Square in London 's West End on 7 February 1963 .


Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon , Jr. ( -LSB- ˈpɪnˌtʃɒn -RSB- , commonly -LSB- ˈpɪntʃən -RSB- born May 8 , 1937 ) is an American novelist . A MacArthur Fellow , he is noted for his dense and complex novels . His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter , genres and themes , including history , music , science , and mathematics . For Gravity 's Rainbow , Pynchon won the 1974 U.S. National Book Award for Fiction .   Hailing from Long Island , Pynchon served two years in the United States Navy and earned an English degree from Cornell University . After publishing several short stories in the late 1950s and early 1960s , he began composing the novels for which he is best known : V. ( 1963 ) , The Crying of Lot 49 ( 1966 ) , Gravity 's Rainbow ( 1973 ) , and Mason & Dixon ( 1997 ) . Pynchon is also notoriously reclusive ; very few photographs of him have ever been published , and rumors about his location and identity have circulated since the 1960s .   Pynchon 's most recent novel , Bleeding Edge , was published on September 17 , 2013 .


South Korea have the world's lowest median household income.

South Korea South Korea , officially the Republic of Korea ( ROK ; ) , is a sovereign state in East Asia , constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula . Officially , its territory consists of the whole Korean Peninsula and its adjacent islands , which are largely mountainous . South Koreans lead a distinctive urban lifestyle , as half of them live in high-rises concentrated in the Seoul Capital Area with 25 million residents and the world 's sixth leading global city with the fourth largest economy and seventh most sustainable city in the world .   The earliest neolithic Korean pottery dates to 8000 BC , with three kingdoms flourishing in the 1st century BC . The name Korea is derived from one of them , Goguryeo , also known as Koryŏ , which was a Han Chinese tributary state kingdom in East Asia that sent yearly tribute to the Emperor of China , ruling most of the Korean Peninsula and a small portion of Siberia and Inner Mongolia under Gwanggaeto the Great . Since their unification into Later Silla and Balhae in the 7th century , Korea enjoyed over a millennium of relative tranquility under long lasting dynasties . Under Sejong the Great in the 15th century , Koreans had one of the highest living standards in the world along with the Han Chinese and Japanese and developed improved versions many advanced innovations such as the metal movable type printing press in 1377 A.D. which was developed based on the previous Han Chinese Porcelain movable type printing press , used to print and publish the Jikji , the world 's oldest extant movable metal type printed paper book using the 8,000 year old traditional ancient Chinese writing system . Additionally , in 1443 Hangul was invented by the Korean King Sejong the Great as an easier alternative to the complex and difficult to learn ancient Chinese writing system which was usually reserved for elite academic scholars preparing for the imperial examinations of China . Hangul enabled anyone in the general Korean population to easily learn to read and write and transfer written information rather than spending years learning complicated ancient Chinese . Its rich and vibrant culture left 19 UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity , the third largest in the world , along with 12 World Heritage Sites . Annexed into Imperial Japan in 1910 , Korea was divided after its surrender in 1945 , but a North Korean invasion led to the Korean War ( 1950 -- 1953 ) . Peace has since mostly continued with the two agreeing to work peacefully for reunification and the South solidifying peace as a regional power with the world 's 10th largest defence budget .   South Korea , along with Taiwan , Singapore and Hong Kong ( China ) is one of the four high-tech industrialized developed countries often referred to as the Four Asian Economic Dragons . The South Korean economy soared at an annual average of 10 % for over 30 years in a period of rapid transformation called the Miracle on the Han River . A long legacy of openness and focus on innovation made it successful . Today , it is the world 's seventh largest advanced economy and fifth largest exporter with the G20 's largest budget surplus and highest credit rating of any country in East Asia . It has free trade agreements with 75 % of the world economy and is the only G20 nation trading freely with China , the US and the EU simultaneously . Since 1988 , its constitution guarantees a liberal democracy with high government transparency and many fundamental rights such as universal healthcare . High personal freedoms led to the rise of a globally influential pop culture such as K-pop and K-drama , a phenomenon called the Korean Wave , known for its distinctive fashionable and trendy style . Home of the UN Green Climate Fund and GGGI , South Korea is a leader in low carbon green growth , committed to helping developing countries as a major DAC and Paris Club contributor . It is the world 's third least ignorant country in the Index of Ignorance , ranking eighth highest for peaceful tolerance and inclusion of minorities on the Fragile States Index .   South Korea is a technologically advanced developed country driven by a highly educated and skilled workforce , having the world 's eighth highest median household income , the highest in Asia . Globally , it ranks highly in personal safety , job security , ease of doing business and healthcare quality , with the world 's third highest health adjusted life expectancy and fourth most efficient healthcare system . It is the world 's largest spender on R&D per GDP , leading the OECD in graduates in science and engineering and ranking third in the Youth Wellbeing Index . Home of Samsung , LG and Hyundai-Kia , South Korea was named the world 's most innovative country for 4 consecutive years since 2014 in the Bloomberg Innovation Index , ranking first in business R&D intensity , manufacturing value-added , patents filed per GDP , second in higher education efficiency and fourth in high-tech density and researcher concentration . In 2005 , it became the world 's first country to fully transition to high-speed Internet and today it has the world 's fastest Internet speed and highest smartphone ownership , ranking first in ICT Development , e-Government and 4G LTE coverage .


Zootopia premiered at a festival in 2016.

Zootopia Zootopia ( known as Zootropolis in some territories ) is a 2016 American 3D computer-animated buddy comedy-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures . It is the 55th Disney animated feature film . The film was directed by Byron Howard and Rich Moore , co-directed by Jared Bush , and stars the voices of Ginnifer Goodwin , Jason Bateman , Idris Elba , Jenny Slate , Nate Torrence , Bonnie Hunt , Don Lake , Tommy Chong , J. K. Simmons , Octavia Spencer , Alan Tudyk , and Shakira . The film details the unlikely partnership between a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist as they uncover a conspiracy involving the disappearance of savage predator inhabitants of a mammalian metropolis .   Zootopia premiered at the Brussels Animation Film Festival in Belgium on February 13 , 2016 , and went into general theatrical release in conventional 2D , Disney Digital 3-D , RealD 3D , and IMAX 3D formats in the United States on March 4 . The film received wide critical acclaim . It opened to a record-breaking box office success in several countries and earned a worldwide gross of over $ 1 billion , making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2016 and the 28th highest-grossing film of all time . The film was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2016 , and won the Academy Award , Golden Globe , Critics ' Choice Movie Award and Annie Award for Best Animated Feature Film , as well as receiving a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film .


Keegan-Michael Key was the only person ever to voice act in Hotel Transylvania 2.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Hotel Transylvania 2 is a 2015 American 3D computer animated fantasy-comedy film . It is the second installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise , and the sequel to the 2012 film Hotel Transylvania , with its director , Genndy Tartakovsky , and writer , Robert Smigel , returning for the film . Produced by Sony Pictures Animation , it was animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks , with an additional funding provided by LStar Capital .   Hotel Transylvania 2 takes place seven years after the first film , with the hotel now open to human guests . Mavis and Johnny have a young son named Dennis , whose lack of any vampire abilities worries his grandfather Dracula . When Mavis and Johnny go on a visit to Johnny 's parents , Dracula calls his friends to help him make Dennis a vampire . Soon , things turn upside-down when Dracula 's old-school human-hating father Vlad unexpectedly visits the hotel .   Original voices from the first film -- Adam Sandler , Andy Samberg , Selena Gomez , Kevin James , Steve Buscemi , David Spade , Fran Drescher , Molly Shannon -- returned for the sequel , with Keegan-Michael Key replacing CeeLo Green as Murray . New additions to the cast include Mel Brooks as Count Dracula 's father , Vlad ; Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally as Jonathan 's parents , Mike and Linda ; and Asher Blinkoff as Mavis and Johnny 's half-human/half-vampire son , Dennis . The film was released on September 25 , 2015 , by Columbia Pictures and was a box office success .   A third film , titled Hotel Transylvania 3 , is scheduled to be released on July 13 , 2018 .


Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children had a production budget of 110 million dollars.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (film) Miss Peregrine 's Home for Peculiar Children is a 2016 American dark fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by Jane Goldman , based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs . The film stars Eva Green , Asa Butterfield , Chris O'Dowd , Allison Janney , Rupert Everett , Terence Stamp , Ella Purnell with Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson .   Filming began in February 2015 in London and the Tampa Bay Area . The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin , Texas on September 25 , 2016 and was theatrically released in the United States on September 30 , 2016 by 20th Century Fox . It grossed $ 296 million worldwide against a production budget of $ 110 million .


Adolf Dassler was hired by Adidas long after it was founded.

Adolf Dassler Adolf `` Adi '' Dassler ( 3 November 1900 -- 6 September 1978 ) was the founder of the German sportswear company Adidas , and the younger brother of Rudolf Dassler , founder of Puma .


Saif Ali Khan had a role in artistic works.

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan ( -LSB- ˈsɛːf əˈli ˈxaːn -RSB- ; born Sajid Ali Khan on 16 August 1970 ) is an Indian film actor and producer . The son of actress Sharmila Tagore and the late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi , Khan made his acting debut in Yash Chopra 's unsuccessful drama Parampara ( 1993 ) , but achieved success with his roles in the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi and the action film Main Khiladi Tu Anari ( both 1994 ) . Khan 's career prospect declined through much of the 1990s , and his biggest commercial success of the decade came with the ensemble drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain ( 1999 ) . He rose to prominence with roles in two ensemble comedy-dramasDil Chahta Hai ( 2001 ) and Kal Ho Naa Ho ( 2003 ) .   The 2004 romantic comedy Hum Tum proved to be Khan 's first success in which he played the sole male lead , earning him the National Film Award for Best Actor , and starring roles in the drama Parineeta and the romantic comedy Salaam Namaste ( both 2005 ) established him as a leading actor in Bollywood . He went on to earn wide critical praise for his portrayal of an apprentice in the 2006 English film Being Cyrus , a character based on William Shakespeare 's antagonist Iago in the 2006 crime film Omkara and a terrorist in the 2009 thriller Kurbaan . Khan 's greatest commercial success came with the 2008 thriller Race and its 2013 sequel , the 2009 romance Love Aaj Kal , and the 2012 romantic comedy Cocktail .   Khan is the recipient of several accolades , including a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards , and received the Padma Shri , the fourth highest Indian civilian award , in 2010 . He has been noted for his performances in a range of film genres -- from crime dramas to thrillers and occasional romances -- and his film roles have been credited with contributing to a change in the concept of a Hindi film hero . Khan was married to his first wife , Amrita Singh , for thirteen years , after which he married the actress Kareena Kapoor . He has three childrentwo with Singh and one with Kapoor . In addition to film acting , Khan is a frequent television presenter , stage show performer and the owner of the production company Illuminati Films .


Diana Ross released Endless Love with Lionel Richie.

Diana Ross Diane Ernestine Earle Ross ( born March 26 , 1944 ) is an American singer , songwriter , actress , and record producer . Born and raised in Detroit , Michigan , Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes , which , during the 1960s , became Motown 's most successful act , and is to this day the United States ' most successful vocal group , as well as one of the world 's best-selling girl groups of all time . Ross ' success as lead singer of The Supremes made it possible for future African-American R&B and soul acts to find mainstream success . The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 , including `` Where Did Our Love Go '' , `` Baby Love '' , `` Come See About Me '' , `` Stop ! In the Name of Love '' , `` You Ca n't Hurry Love '' , `` You Keep Me Hangin ' On '' , `` Love Child '' , and `` Someday We 'll Be Together '' .   Following her departure from The Supremes in 1970 , Ross released her eponymous debut solo album that same year , which contained the Top 20 Pop hit `` Reach Out and Touch ( Somebody 's Hand ) '' and the number-one Pop hit `` Ai n't No Mountain High Enough '' . She later released the album Touch Me in the Morning in 1973 ; its title track reached number 1 , as her second solo hit . That same year , her album `` Lady Sings The Blues '' , which was the original soundtrack of her film based on the life of jazz singer Billie Holiday , went to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart , selling more than 300,000 copies within its first 8 days of release . By 1975 , the Mahogany soundtrack included her third number-one hit , `` Theme from Mahogany ( Do You Know Where You 're Going To ) '' . Her eponymous 1976 album included her fourth number-one hit , `` Love Hangover '' . In 1979 , Ross released the album The Boss . Her 1980 semi-eponymous album Diana reached number 2 on the US Billboard albums chart , and spawned the number-one hit `` Upside Down '' , and the international hit `` I 'm Coming Out '' . After leaving Motown , Ross achieved her sixth and final US number-one Pop hit , with the duet `` Endless Love '' , composed for the Brooke Shields film of the same name , by and performed with former Commodores front man , Lionel Richie . Ross and Richie performed the song on the telecast for the 54th Academy Awards , where the song was nominated in the category of `` Best Song '' .   Ross has also ventured into acting , with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award-nominated performance for her performance in the film Lady Sings the Blues ( 1972 ) . She also starred in two other films , Mahogany ( 1975 ) and The Wiz ( 1978 ) , later acting in the television films Out of Darkness ( 1994 ) , for which she also was nominated for a Golden Globe Award , and Double Platinum ( 1999 ) . Ross was named the `` Female Entertainer of the Century '' by Billboard magazine . In 1993 , the Guinness Book of World Records declared Ross the most successful female music artist in history , due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any female artist in the charts , with a career total of 70 hit singles with her work with the Supremes and as a solo artist . Ross has sold more than 100 million records worldwide , when her releases with the Supremes and as a solo artist are tallied . In 1988 , Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as member of the Supremes , alongside Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard . She was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007 , and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016 . She is a 12-time Grammy nominee , never earning a competitive honor , but later became the recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 . In December 2016 , Billboard magazine named her the 50th most successful dance artist of all time .


English language has Romance languages as an influence.

English language English -LSB- ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ -RSB- is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now the global lingua franca . Named after the Angles , one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to England , it ultimately derives its name from the Anglia ( Angeln ) peninsula in the Baltic Sea . It is closely related to the Frisian languages , but its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages , as well as by Latin and Romance languages , particularly French .   English is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states . It is the most commonly spoken language in the United Kingdom , the United States , Canada , Australia , Ireland , and New Zealand , and is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean , Africa , and South Asia . It is the third most common native language in the world , after Mandarin and Spanish . It is the most widely learned second language and an official language of the United Nations , of the European Union , and of many other world and regional international organisations . It is the most widely spoken Germanic language , accounting for at least 70 % of speakers of this Indo-European branch .   English has developed over the course of more than 1,400 years . The earliest forms of English , a set of Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the fifth century , are called Old English . Middle English began in the late 11th century with the Norman conquest of England , and was a period in which the language was influenced by French . Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the introduction of the printing press to London and the King James Bible , and the start of the Great Vowel Shift . Through the worldwide influence of the British Empire , modern English spread around the world from the 17th to mid-20th centuries . Through all types of printed and electronic media , as well as the emergence of the United States as a global superpower , English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and in professional contexts such as science , navigation , and law .   Modern English grammar is the result of a gradual change from a typical Indo-European dependent marking pattern with a rich inflectional morphology and relatively free word order , to a mostly analytic pattern with little inflection , a fairly fixed SVO word order and a complex syntax . Modern English relies more on auxiliary verbs and word order for the expression of complex tenses , aspect and mood , as well as passive constructions , interrogatives and some negation . Despite noticeable variation among the accents and dialects of English used in different countries and regions -- in terms of phonetics and phonology , and sometimes also vocabulary , grammar and spelling -- English-speakers from around the world are able to communicate with one another with relative ease .


Fist of Legend Fist of Legend is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Gordon Chan , featuring action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping , and produced by Jet Li , who also starred in the lead role . The film was released on 22 December 1994 . It is a remake of the 1972 Fist of Fury , which starred Bruce Lee as the lead character . The film is set in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1914 during the First World War as the Japanese forces are on their way to besiege the German port of Tsingtao in China . It currently holds a 100 % `` Certified Fresh '' rating on Rotten Tomatoes , based on 11 critics ' reviews .


Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung or Huang Feihong ( 9 July 1847 -- 25 March 1924 ) was a Chinese martial artist , physician , and folk hero , who has become the subject of numerous martial arts films and television series . He was considered an expert in the Hung Ga style of Chinese martial arts . As a physician , Wong practised and taught acupuncture and other forms of traditional Chinese medicine in Po Chi Lam , a medical clinic in Guangzhou City , Guangdong Province . A museum dedicated to him was built in his birthplace in Foshan City , Guangdong Province .   Among Wong 's students , the more notable ones include Lam Sai-wing ( Lin Shirong ) , Leung Foon ( 梁寬 ; Liang Kuan ) , Dang Fong ( Deng Fang ) , and Ling Wan-kai ( 凌雲階 ; Ling Yunjie ) .   Wong is sometimes incorrectly identified as one of the `` Ten Tigers of Canton '' . His father , Wong Kei-ying , was one of the ten but Wong himself was not . Wong is also sometimes referred to as the `` Tiger after the Ten Tigers '' .


Jet Li Li Lianjie ( born 26 April 1963 ) , better known by his stage name Jet Li , is a Chinese film actor , film producer , martial artist , and retired Wushu champion who was born in Beijing . He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen .   After three years of training with Wu Bin , Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team . After retiring from Wushu at age 19 , he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple ( 1982 ) . He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films , most notably as the lead in director Zhang Yimou 's 2002 Hero , Fist of Legend which is the best acclaimed Li movie by Rotten Tomatoes , and the Once Upon a Time in China series , in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei-hung .   Li 's first role in a non-Chinese film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 ( 1998 ) , and his first leading role in a Hollywood film was as Han Sing in Romeo Must Die ( 2000 ) . He has gone on to star in many action films , including in French cinema with Luc Besson Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed . He co-starred in The One ( 2001 ) , The Forbidden Kingdom ( 2008 ) with Jackie Chan , all three of The Expendables films with Sylvester Stallone , and as the title character villain in The Mummy : Tomb of the Dragon Emperor ( 2008 ) .


Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin ( born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. , January 20 , 1930 ) is an American engineer and former astronaut . As the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11 , he was one of the first two humans to land on the Moon , and the second person to walk on it . He set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on July 21 , 1969 ( UTC ) , following mission commander Neil Armstrong . He is a former U.S. Air Force officer with the Command Pilot rating . He also went into orbit on the Gemini 12 mission , finally achieving the goals for EVA ( space-walk work ) that paved the way to the Moon and success for the Gemini program ; he spent over five hours on EVA on that mission .


Spider-Man 3 is an historical re-enactment.

Spider-Man 3 Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios , and distributed by Columbia Pictures based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man . It was directed by Sam Raimi and scripted by Sam Raimi , Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent . It is the final film in Raimi 's Spider-Man film trilogy and the sequel to Spider-Man ( 2002 ) and Spider-Man 2 ( 2004 ) . The film stars Tobey Maguire , Kirsten Dunst , James Franco , Thomas Haden Church , Topher Grace , Bryce Dallas Howard , Rosemary Harris , J. K. Simmons , James Cromwell and Cliff Robertson in his final acting appearance before his death in 2011 . Following the events of Spider-Man 2 , Peter Parker has become a cultural phenomenon as Spider-Man , while Mary Jane Watson continues her Broadway career . Harry Osborn still seeks vengeance for his father 's death , and an escaped Flint Marko falls into a particle accelerator and is transformed into a shape-shifting sand manipulator . An extraterrestrial symbiote crashes to Earth and bonds with Peter , influencing his behavior for the worse .   Development of Spider-Man 3 began immediately after the release of Spider-Man 2 for a 2007 release . During pre-production , Raimi originally wanted another villain to be included along with Sandman , but at the request of producer Avi Arad he added Venom , and the producers also requested the addition of Gwen Stacy . Principal photography for the film began in January 2006 , and took place in Los Angeles and Cleveland , before moving to New York City from May until July 2006 . Additional pick-up shots were made after August and the film wrapped in October 2006 . During post-production , Sony Pictures Imageworks created 900 visual effects shots .   Spider-Man 3 premiered on April 16 , 2007 in Tokyo , and was released in the United States in both conventional and IMAX theaters on May 4 , 2007 . The film grossed $ 890.9 million worldwide , making it the most successful film of the trilogy financially and the second film in the franchise that was released on IMAX . A fourth film titled Spider-Man 4 was set to be released on May 6 , 2011 , but was canceled in favor of a reboot , The Amazing Spider-Man , released in 2012 .


Superhero film A superhero film , superhero movie or superhero motion picture is a film that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes : individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person and are dedicated to protecting the public . These films typically feature action , adventure , fantasy and/or science fiction elements , with the first film of a particular character often including a focus on the origin of his or her special powers and his or her first confrontation with his or her most famous supervillain or archenemy .   Most superhero movies are based on superhero comics . By contrast , several films such as the RoboCop series , The Meteor Man , Unbreakable , The Incredibles , Hancock and They Call Me Jeeg are original for the screen , while The Green Hornet is based primarily on the original radio series and its 1960s television adaptation , and both Underdog and The Powerpuff Girls are based on animated television series .   The most notable and successful superhero films of the present day are films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting with Iron Man ( 2008 ) and Christopher Nolan 's Dark Knight Trilogy .


Adolf Hitler was against German settlement in Eastern Europe.

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler ( -LSB- ˈadɔlf ˈhɪtlɐ -RSB- ; 20 April 1889 -- 30 April 1945 ) was a German politician who was the leader of the Nazi Party ( Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei ; NSDAP ) , Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 , and Führer ( `` Leader '' ) of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945 . As dictator of the German Reich , he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939 , and was central to the Holocaust .   Hitler was born in Austria , then part of Austria-Hungary , and raised near Linz . He moved to Germany in 1913 and was decorated during his service in the German Army in World War I . He joined the German Workers ' Party ( DAP ) , the precursor of the NSDAP , in 1919 and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921 . In 1923 he attempted a coup in Munich to seize power . The failed coup resulted in Hitler 's imprisonment , during which he dictated the first volume of his autobiography and political manifesto Mein Kampf ( `` My Struggle '' ) . After his release in 1924 , Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism , anti-semitism , and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda . Hitler frequently denounced international capitalism and communism as being part of a Jewish conspiracy .   By 1933 , the Nazi Party was the largest elected party in the German Reichstag , which led to Hitler 's appointment as Chancellor on 30 January 1933 . Following fresh elections won by his coalition , the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act , which began the process of transforming the Weimar Republic into Nazi Germany , a one-party dictatorship based on the totalitarian and autocratic ideology of National Socialism . Hitler aimed to eliminate Jews from Germany and establish a New Order to counter what he saw as the injustice of the post-World War I international order dominated by Britain and France . His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression , the effective abandonment of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I , and the annexation of territories that were home to millions of ethnic Germans -- actions which gave him significant popular support .   Hitler sought Lebensraum ( `` living space '' ) for the German people in Eastern Europe . His aggressive foreign policy is considered to be the primary cause of the outbreak of World War II in Europe . He directed large-scale rearmament and on 1 September 1939 invaded Poland , resulting in British and French declarations of war on Germany . In June 1941 , Hitler ordered an invasion of the Soviet Union . By the end of 1941 German forces and the European Axis powers occupied most of Europe and North Africa . Failure to defeat the Soviets and the entry of the United States into the war forced Germany onto the defensive and it suffered a series of escalating defeats . In the final days of the war , during the Battle of Berlin in 1945 , Hitler married his long-time lover , Eva Braun . On 30 April 1945 , less than two days later , the two killed themselves to avoid capture by the Red Army , and their corpses were burned .   Under Hitler 's leadership and racially motivated ideology , the Nazi regime was responsible for the genocide of at least 5.5 million Jews and millions of other victims whom he and his followers deemed Untermenschen ( `` sub-humans '' ) and socially undesirable . Hitler and the Nazi regime were also responsible for the killing of an estimated 19.3 million civilians and prisoners of war . In addition , 29 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of military action in the European Theatre of World War II . The number of civilians killed during the Second World War was unprecedented in warfare , and constitutes the deadliest conflict in human history .


Fairy Tail's main character is a teenager.

Fairy Tail is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima . It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 2 , 2006 , with the individual chapters collected and published into 61 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha as of May 17 , 2017 . The story follows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel , a teenage who is a member of the popular wizards ' guild Fairy Tail , as he searches for the dragon Igneel .   The manga has been adapted into an anime series produced by A-1 Pictures , Dentsu Inc. , and Satelight , which began broadcasting in Japan on October 12 , 2009 . Additionally , A-1 Pictures has developed seven original video animations and two animated feature films . The series ended its initial run on March 30 , 2013 . A second series premiered on TV Tokyo on April 5 , 2014 , and ended on March 26 , 2016 .   Fairy Tail was originally licensed for an English language release in North America by Del Rey Manga , which began releasing the individual volumes on March 25 , 2008 and ended its licensing with the 12th volume release in September 2010 . In December 2010 , Kodansha Comics USA took over North American release of the series . The Southeast Asian network Animax Asia aired an English-language version of the anime for seven seasons from 2010 to 2015 . The anime has been licensed by Funimation for an English-language release in North America . As of February 2017 , Fairy Tail had 60 million copies in print .


Alexandra Burke won the fifth series of The X Factor in 2008.

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke ( born 25 August 1988 ) is a British singer-songwriter and voice actor . Burke rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008 , becoming one of the most successful winners of the series . She has been signed to Epic Records , RCA Records and Syco Music .   After winning The X Factor , Burke released the winner 's single `` Hallelujah '' , which became the European record holder for single sales over a period of 24 hours , selling 105,000 in one day , and became the top-selling single of 2008 in the UK and the UK 's Christmas 2008 number one . By January 2009 , the single had sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone , a first for a British female soloist . In 2009 , Burke released her debut album , Overcome , which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart -- `` Hallelujah '' , `` Bad Boys '' , `` All Night Long '' and `` Start Without You '' -- and the album became one of the most successful albums of that year in the UK . The singles released from the album earned her three BRIT Award nominations . The album saw the release of UK top 10 hit , `` Broken Heels '' and `` The Silence '' . `` Elephant '' was released as Burke 's comeback single in February 2012 , and `` Let It Go '' served as the second single and Burke 's second album , Heartbreak on Hold , was released in June 2012 .   In June 2014 , Burke replaced Beverley Knight in the lead role of Rachel Marron in the West End musical The Bodyguard , at the Adelphi Theatre , touring with the production in 2015 and 2016 . In 2016 , Burke commenced a 12-month residency in Sister Act The Musical , leading the cast as Deloris Van Cartier .


Ricin Ricin ( -LSB- ˈraɪsɪn -RSB- ) is a highly toxic , naturally occurring lectin ( a carbohydrate-binding protein ) produced in the seeds of the castor oil plant , Ricinus communis . A dose of purified ricin powder the size of a few grains of table salt can kill an adult human . The median lethal dose ( LD50 ) of ricin is around 22 micrograms per kilogram of body weight if the exposure is from injection or inhalation ( 1.78 milligram for an average adult ) . Oral exposure to ricin is far less toxic as some of the poison is inactivated in the stomach . An estimated lethal oral dose in humans is approximately 1 milligram per kilogram .


A mockumentary format was used for the shooting of Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Drop Dead Gorgeous (film) Drop Dead Gorgeous is a 1999 American black comedy film directed by Michael Patrick Jann and starring Kirstie Alley , Ellen Barkin , Kirsten Dunst , Allison Janney , Denise Richards , Brittany Murphy , and Amy Adams in her film debut . Shot in a mockumentary format , it follows the contestants in a beauty pageant called the Sarah Rose Cosmetics Mount Rose American Teen Princess Pageant , held in the small fictional town of Mount Rose , Minnesota , in which various contestants die in suspicious ways .


Hadera is in a place in the Middle East.

Israel Israel ( -LSB- ˈɪzreiəl -RSB- ; ) , officially the State of Israel ( -LSB- mediˈnat jisʁaˈʔel -RSB- دَوْلَة إِسْرَائِيل -LSB- dawlat ʔisraːˈʔiːl -RSB- ) , is a country in the Middle East , on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea . It has land borders with Lebanon to the north , Syria to the northeast , Jordan on the east , the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west , respectively , and Egypt to the southwest . The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area . Israel 's economy and technology center is Tel Aviv , while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem , although the state 's sovereignty over East Jerusalem is internationally unrecognized.The Jerusalem Law states that `` Jerusalem , complete and united , is the capital of Israel '' and the city serves as the seat of the government , home to the President 's residence , government offices , supreme court , and parliament . United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 ( 20 August 1980 ; 14 -- 0 , U.S. abstaining ) declared the Jerusalem Law `` null and void '' and called on member states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Jerusalem . The United Nations and all member nations refuse to accept the Jerusalem Law ( see ) and maintain their embassies in other cities such as Tel Aviv , Ramat Gan , and Herzliya ( see the CIA Factbook and Map of Israel ) . The U.S. Congress subsequently adopted the Jerusalem Embassy Act , which said that the U.S. embassy should be relocated to Jerusalem and that it should be recognized as the capital of Israel . However , the US Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the provisions of the act `` invade exclusive presidential authorities in the field of foreign affairs and are unconstitutional '' . Since passage of the act , all presidents serving in office have determined that moving forward with the relocation would be detrimental to U.S. national security concerns and opted to issue waivers suspending any action on this front . The Palestinian Authority sees East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state . The city 's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority ( see `` Negotiating Jerusalem , '' Palestine -- Israel Journal ) . See Positions on Jerusalem for more information .   In 1947 , the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem . The plan was accepted by the Jewish Agency for Palestine , and rejected by Arab leaders . Next year , the Jewish Agency declared `` the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz Israel , to be known as the State of Israel . '' Israel has since fought several wars with neighboring Arab states , in the course of which it has occupied territories including the West Bank , Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip ( still considered occupied after 2005 disengagement ) . It extended its laws to the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem , but not the West Bank . Israel 's occupation of the Palestinian territories is the world 's longest military occupation in modern times . Efforts to resolve the Israeli -- Palestinian conflict have not resulted in peace . However , peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan have successfully been implemented .   The population of Israel , as defined by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , was estimated in to be people . It is the world 's only Jewish-majority state , with 74.8 % being designated as Jewish . The country 's second largest group of citizens are Arabs , at 20.8 % ( including the Druze and most East Jerusalem Arabs ) . The great majority of Israeli Arabs are Sunni Muslims , including significant numbers of semi-settled Negev Bedouins ; the rest are Christians and Druze . Other minorities include Arameans , Armenians , Assyrians , Black Hebrew Israelites , Circassians , Maronites and Samaritans . Israel also hosts a significant population of non-citizen foreign workers and asylum seekers from Africa and Asia , including illegal migrants from Sudan , Eritrea and other Sub-Saharan Africans .   In its Basic Laws , Israel defines itself as a Jewish and democratic state . Israel is a representative democracy with a parliamentary system , proportional representation and universal suffrage . The prime minister is head of government and the Knesset is the legislature . Israel is a developed country and an OECD member , with the 35th-largest economy in the world by nominal gross domestic product . The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentage of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree . The country has the highest standard of living in the Middle East and the third highest in Asia , and has one of the highest life expectancies in the world .


Hadera Hadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel , in the northern Sharon region , approximately 45 kilometers ( 28 miles ) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa . The city is located along 7 km ( 5 mi ) of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain . The city has a population of about 91,634 , which includes a high proportion of immigrants arriving since 1990 , notably from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union . In it had a population of .   Hadera was established in 1891 as a farming colony by members of the Zionist group , Hovevei Zion , from Lithuania and Latvia . By 1948 , it was a regional center with a population of 11,800 . In 1952 , Hadera was declared a city , with jurisdiction over an area of 53,000 dunams .


Faith Evans is the widow of Christopher George Latore Wallace.

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace ( May 21 , 1972 -- March 9 , 1997 ) , better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G. , Biggie , or Biggie Smalls , was an American rapper . He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time .   Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City . When he released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994 , he became a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene and increased New York 's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop was dominant in the mainstream . The following year , Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group , Junior M.A.F.I.A. . While recording his second album , Wallace was heavily involved in the growing East Coast -- West Coast hip hop feud .   On March 9 , 1997 , Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles . His double-disc album Life After Death , released 16 days later , rose to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000 by the Recording Industry Association of America , one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification . Wallace was noted for his `` loose , easy flow '' , dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities , sometimes changing his pitch on songs . Two more albums have been released since his death . He has certified sales of 17 million units in the United States .


Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans ( born June 10 , 1973 ) is an American singer-songwriter . Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey , Evans relocated to Los Angeles in 1993 for a career in the music business . After working as a backing vocalist for Al B. Sure and Christopher Williams , she became the first female artist to contract with Sean `` Puff Daddy '' Combs ' Bad Boy Entertainment recording company in 1994 , for which she collaborated with several label mates such as Mary J. Blige and Carl Thomas and released three platinum-certified studio albums between 1995 and 2001 , including Faith ( 1995 ) , Keep the Faith ( 1998 ) and Faithfully ( 2001 ) .   In 2003 , she ended her relationship with the company to sign with Capitol Records . Her first album released on the label , The First Lady ( 2005 ) became her highest-charting album at the time , reaching the top of the US Top R&B / Hip-Hop Albums charts , while the holiday album A Faithful Christmas , released the same year , would become her last release before the company was bought in 2007 . Following a longer hiatus , Evans released her fifth album Something About Faith on the independent label Prolific/E1 Music in 2010 .   Other than her recording career , Evans is mostly known as the widow of New York rapper Christopher `` The Notorious B.I.G. '' Wallace , whom she married on August 4 , 1994 , a few weeks after meeting at a Bad Boy photo shoot . The turbulent marriage resulted in Evans ' involvement in the East Coast -- West Coast hip hop rivalry , dominating the rap music news at the time , and ended with Wallace 's murder in an unsolved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles on March 9 , 1997 . A 1997 tribute single featuring Puff Daddy and the band 112 , named `` I 'll Be Missing You '' , won Evans a Grammy Award in 1998 . Also an actress and writer , Evans made her screen debut in the 2000 musical drama Turn It Up by Robert Adetuyi . Her autobiography Keep the Faith : A Memoir was released by Grand Central Publishing in 2008 and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category .


Animal Farm is included in the Great Books of the Western World selection.

Animal Farm Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell , first published in England on 17 August 1945 . According to Orwell , the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union . Orwell , a democratic socialist , was a critic of Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism , an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Spanish Civil War . The Soviet Union , he believed , had become a brutal dictatorship , built upon a cult of personality and enforced by a reign of terror . In a letter to Yvonne Davet , Orwell described Animal Farm as a satirical tale against Stalin ( `` un conte satirique contre Staline '' ) , and in his essay `` Why I Write '' ( 1946 ) , wrote that Animal Farm was the first book in which he tried , with full consciousness of what he was doing , `` to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole '' .   The original title was Animal Farm : A Fairy Story ; U.S. publishers dropped the subtitle when it was published in 1946 , and only one of the translations during Orwell 's lifetime kept it . Other titular variations include subtitles like `` A Satire '' and `` A Contemporary Satire '' . Orwell suggested the title Union des républiques socialistes animales for the French translation , which abbreviates to URSA , the Latin word for `` bear '' , a symbol of Russia . It also played on the French name of the Soviet Union , Union des républiques socialistes soviétiques .   Orwell wrote the book between November 1943 and February 1944 , when the UK was in its wartime alliance with the Soviet Union and the British people and intelligentsia held Stalin in high esteem , a phenomenon Orwell hated . The manuscript was initially rejected by a number of British and American publishers , including one of Orwell 's own , Victor Gollancz , which delayed its publication . It became a great commercial success when it did appear partly because international relations were transformed as the wartime alliance gave way to the Cold War .   Time magazine chose the book as one of the 100 best English-language novels ( 1923 to 2005 ) ; it also featured at number 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th-Century Novels . It won a Retrospective Hugo Award in 1996 , and is included in the Great Books of the Western World selection .


Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne ( born September 16 , 1993 ) , professionally known as Metro Boomin ( also known as Young Metro or simply Metro ) , is an American record producer , songwriter and DJ from St. Louis , Missouri .


Titanic's crew members all died on the ship.

RMS Titanic RMS Titanic ( -LSB- taɪˈtænɪk -RSB- ) was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in the early morning of 15 April 1912 , after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City . Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard , more than 1,500 died , making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history . The largest ship afloat at the time it entered service , the RMS Titanic was the second of three s operated by the White Star Line , and was built by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast . Thomas Andrews , her architect , died in the disaster .   Under the command of Edward Smith , who went down with the ship , Titanic carried some of the wealthiest people in the world , as well as hundreds of emigrants from Great Britain and Ireland , Scandinavia and elsewhere throughout Europe seeking a new life in North America . The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury , with an on-board gymnasium , swimming pool , libraries , high-class restaurants and opulent cabins . A high-power radiotelegraph transmitter was available for sending passenger `` marconigrams '' and for the ship 's operational use . Although Titanic had advanced safety features such as watertight compartments and remotely activated watertight doors , there were not enough lifeboats to accommodate all of those aboard , due to outdated maritime safety regulations . Titanic only carried enough lifeboats for 1,178 people -- slightly more than half of the number on board , and one third of her total capacity .   After leaving Southampton on 10 April 1912 , Titanic called at Cherbourg in France and Queenstown ( now Cobh ) in Ireland before heading west to New York . On 14 April , four days into the crossing and about 375 mi south of Newfoundland , she hit an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. ship 's time . The collision caused the ship 's hull plates to buckle inwards along her starboard ( right ) side and opened five of her sixteen watertight compartments to the sea ; she could only survive four flooding . Meanwhile , passengers and some crew members were evacuated in lifeboats , many of which were launched only partially loaded . A disproportionate number of men were left aboard because of a `` women and children first '' protocol for loading lifeboats . At 2:20 a.m. , she broke apart and foundered -- with well over one thousand people still aboard . Just under two hours after Titanic sank , the Cunard liner arrived at the scene , where she brought aboard an estimated 705 survivors .   The disaster was greeted with worldwide shock and outrage at the huge loss of life and the regulatory and operational failures that had led to it . Public inquiries in Britain and the United States led to major improvements in maritime safety . One of their most important legacies was the establishment in 1914 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) , which still governs maritime safety today . Additionally , several new wireless regulations were passed around the world in an effort to learn from the many missteps in wireless communications -- which could have saved many more passengers .   The wreck of Titanic , first discovered over 70 years after the sinking , remains on the seabed , split in two and gradually disintegrating at a depth of 12415 ft. Since her discovery in 1985 , thousands of artefacts have been recovered and put on display at museums around the world . Titanic has become one of the most famous ships in history ; her memory is kept alive by numerous works of popular culture , including books , folk songs , films , exhibits , and memorials . Titanic is the second largest ocean liner wreck in the world , only beaten by her sister , the largest ever sunk .


Mariah Carey failed to make US chart history.

List of best-selling albums by year in the United States This is a list of the best-selling albums by year in the United States . Billboard magazine began publishing year-end lists for album sales in 1956 . Until 1991 , the Billboard album chart was based on a survey of representative retail outlets that determined a ranking , not a tally of actual sales . Weekly surveys and year-end charts by Billboard and other publications such as now defunct Cash Box magazine sometimes differed . For instance , during the 1960s and 1970s , the number-one album as determined by these two publications differed in 10 out of 20 years . From 1992 onwards , the Billboard year-end and weekly charts were calculated by Nielsen SoundScan . Note that this slightly differs from prior Billboard year-end album charts , which were a measure of chart performances over twelve months from around December to November ( cutoff determined by Billboard ´ s publication schedule ) rather than actual total sales .


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 .


Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) is a trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States . Its members consist of record labels and distributors , which the RIAA says `` create , manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85 % of all legally sold recorded music in the United States . '' The RIAA headquarters is in Washington , D.C.   The RIAA was formed in 1952 . Its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems , work with trade unions , and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations . Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve , the format of the stereophonic record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm , 45 rpm , and 78 rpm records .   The RIAA says its current mission includes :  to protect intellectual property rights and the First Amendment rights of artists ;  to perform research about the music industry ;  to monitor and review relevant laws , regulations and policies .   Since 2001 , the RIAA has spent $ 2 to $ 6 million each year on lobbying in the United States .   The RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings , and it is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States .


Connaught Tunnel is located in a mountainous region.

Connaught Tunnel For the Connaught tunnel in East London , England , see Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway  The Connaught Tunnel is a railway tunnel under the Selkirk Mountains in southeastern British Columbia , Canada , near the city of Revelstoke . The 5.022 mi tunnel carries the Canadian Pacific Railway main line under Mount Macdonald and replaced the railway 's previous routing over Rogers Pass , which had been struck by several deadly avalanches since its completion in 1885 . At the time it was built , the Connaught Tunnel was the longest railway tunnel in North America . It was named for the Governor General of Canada -- the Prince Arthur , Duke of Connaught -- who in turn was named after the province of Connaught in Ireland .   Announced in February 1913 , the contract was awarded on July 1 , 1913 , to Foley Bros. . Welch and Stewart . The tunnel was designed by John G. Sullivan who joined the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1900 and eventually became Chief Engineer for Canada . A small tunnel was built , from which cross cuts were made to the main tunnel so work could carry on at a number of headings . The sub-contractor guaranteed to drill 900 ft of tunnel per month and started on April 2 , 1914 . Compressed air equipment and narrow gauge locomotives were used inside the tunnel . The company town housed some 300 workers . The tunnel was completed before the original deadline , with operation beginning December 16 , 1916 . It had a grade of only 0.95 per cent westward , and was tangent ; light at one end can be seen at the other , more than five miles away .   It cost $ 5.5 million , while a further $ 3 million were spent on track revision , which saw 14.5 mi abandoned including the Loops and over 4 mi of snow sheds . In all , the route was shortened by 4.3 mi .   Problems were encountered with ventilation , loose rocks and wet rails , which caused trains to stall . The tunnel was later lined with reinforced concrete and equipped with a better ventilation system . Originally double tracked , it was realigned with a single track in 1959 to accommodate higher freight cars .   In the late 1980s , the Mount Macdonald Tunnel was built to supplement the Connaught Tunnel and to lessen the grade on the eastern approach to the pass . Trains now predominantly travel east through the Connaught Tunnel and west through the Mount Macdonald Tunnel .   In 2001 , the Connaught Tunnel was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame . The Hall of Fame recognizes and establishes an enduring tribute to the people and things that have made significant contribution relating to railway industry in North America . The Connaught Tunnel was inducted in the `` Facilities and Structures '' category with `` National '' significance .


Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle , eastern Washington , and southeastern British Columbia . They begin at Mica Peak near Spokane and extend approximately 320 km north ( 200 miles ) from the border to Kinbasket Lake , at the now-inundated location of the onetime fur company post Boat Encampment . The range is bounded on its west , northeast and at its northern extremity by the Columbia River , or the reservoir lakes now filling most of that river 's course . From the Columbia 's confluence with the Beaver River , they are bounded on their east by the Purcell Trench , which contains the Beaver River , Duncan River , Duncan Lake , Kootenay Lake and the Kootenay River . The Selkirks are distinct from , and geologically older than , the Rocky Mountains . Together with the neighboring Monashee and Purcell Mountains , and sometimes including the Cariboo Mountains to the northwest , the Selkirks are part of a larger grouping known as the Columbia Mountains . A scenic highway loop , the International Selkirk Loop , encircles the southern portions of the mountain range .   The Selkirks were named after Thomas Douglas , 5th Earl of Selkirk .


A member of the Miami Marlins has never been presented with the Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award.

Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award ( MVP ) is an annual Major League Baseball ( MLB ) award , given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League . Since 1931 , it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers ' Association of America ( BBWAA ) . The winners receive the Kenesaw Mountain Landis Memorial Baseball Award , which became the official name of the award in 1944 , in honor of the first MLB commissioner , who served from 1920 until his death on November 25 , 1944 .   MVP voting takes place before the postseason , but the results are not announced until after the World Series . The BBWAA began by polling three writers in each league city in 1938 , reducing that number to two per league city in 1961 . The BBWAA does not offer a clear-cut definition of what `` most valuable '' means , instead leaving the judgment to the individual voters .   First basemen , with 34 winners , have won the most MVPs among infielders , followed by second basemen ( 16 ) , third basemen ( 15 ) , and shortstops ( 15 ) . Of the 24 pitchers who have won the award , 15 are right-handed while 9 are left-handed . Walter Johnson , Carl Hubbell , and Hal Newhouser are the only pitchers who have won multiple times , Newhouser winning consecutively in 1944 and 1945 .   Hank Greenberg , Stan Musial , Alex Rodriguez , and Robin Yount have won at different positions , while Rodriguez is the only player who has won the award with two different teams at two different positions . Barry Bonds has won the most often ( seven times ) and the most consecutively ( 2001 -- 04 ) . Jimmie Foxx was the first player to win multiple times ; 9 players have won three times , and 19 have won twice . Frank Robinson is the only player to win the award in both the American and National Leagues .   The award 's only tie occurred in the National League in 1979 , when Keith Hernandez and Willie Stargell received an equal number of points . There have been 18 unanimous winners , who received all the first-place votes . The New York Yankees have the most winning players with 22 , followed by the St. Louis Cardinals with 17 winners . The award has never been presented to a member of the following four teams : Arizona Diamondbacks , Miami Marlins , New York Mets , and Tampa Bay Rays . The most recent recipients are Mike Trout in the American League and Kris Bryant in the National League .   In recent decades , pitchers have rarely won the award . When Justin Verlander won the AL award in 2011 , he became the first pitcher in either league to be named the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992 . Verlander also became the first starting pitcher to win this award since Roger Clemens had accomplished the feat in 1986 . The National League went even longer without an MVP award to a pitcher -- after Bob Gibson won in 1968 , no pitcher in that league was named MVP until Clayton Kershaw in 2014 .


Boomerang (1992 film) is incapable of being released.

Boomerang (1992 film) Boomerang is a 1992 American romantic comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin . The film stars Eddie Murphy as Marcus Graham , a hotshot advertising executive who also happens to be an insatiable womanizer and male chauvinist . When he meets his new boss , Jacqueline Broyer ( Robin Givens ) , before Marcus discovers that she is essentially a female version of himself , and realizes he is receiving the same treatment that he delivers to others . The film also features Halle Berry , David Alan Grier , Martin Lawrence and Chris Rock .   Murphy assisted in developing the story with writers Barry W. Blaustein and David Sheffield , having worked with the writing duo since his days on Saturday Night Live . Murphy hired Hudlin to direct Boomerang , following the latter 's success with his debut film House Party ( 1990 ) . Hudlin and the writers aimed to create a romantic comedy that differed strongly from Murphy 's previous comic efforts . Filming took place mainly in New York City , while other scenes were filmed in Washington , D.C.   Boomerang was released in the United States on July 1 , 1992 . The film was the 18th highest grossing film in North America that year . Boomerang earned over $ 131 million worldwide during its theatrical run . The film garnered nominations at the BMI Film & TV Awards and the MTV Movie Awards , while its soundtrack became a top-selling album .


AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band , formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young . A hard rock/blues rock band , they have also been considered a heavy metal band , although they have always dubbed their music simply `` rock and roll '' .   AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album , High Voltage , in 1975 . Membership subsequently stabilised until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage . Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell , lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980 after a night of heavy alcohol consumption . The group considered disbanding , but buoyed by support from Scott 's parents , decided to continue and set about finding a new vocalist . Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and selected to replace Scott . Later that year , the band released the new album , Back in Black , which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott . The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all-time best-seller .   The band 's next album , For Those About to Rock We Salute You , was their first album to reach number one in the United States . Drummer Phil Rudd was fired in 1983 and replaced by ex-A II Z drummer Simon Wright , who left to join Dio in 1989 . The band experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of The Razors Edge . Phil Rudd returned in 1994 after Chris Slade , who was with the band from 1989 to 1994 , was asked to leave in favour of him , and contributed to the band 's 1995 album Ballbreaker . Stiff Upper Lip , released in 2000 , was well received by critics . The band 's studio album , Black Ice , released in 2008 , was the second-highest-selling album of that year , and their biggest chart hit since For Those About to Rock , eventually reaching No. 1 on all charts worldwide . The band 's line-up remained the same until 2014 with Malcolm Young 's retirement due to early-onset dementia and Rudd 's legal troubles . In 2016 , Johnson was advised to stop touring on account of worsening hearing loss and Guns N ' Roses frontman Axl Rose stepped in as the band 's vocalist for the remainder of that year 's dates . Long-term bass player Cliff Williams retired from the band at the end of their 2016 Rock Or Bust world tour .   AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide , including 71.5 million albums in the United States , adding them to the list of highest-certified music artists in the United States and the list of best-selling music artists . Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide , making it the second-highest-selling album by any artist -- and the highest-selling album by any band . The album has sold 22 million units in the US , where it is the sixth-highest-selling album of all time . AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1 's list of the `` 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock '' and were named the seventh `` Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time '' by MTV . In 2004 , AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the `` 100 Greatest Artists of All Time '' . Producer Rick Rubin , who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list , referred to AC/DC as `` the greatest rock and roll band of all time '' . In 2010 , AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the VH1 list of the `` 100 Greatest Artists of All Time '' .