title: Packard

text: In 1957, no more Packards were built in Detroit and the Clipper disappeared as a separate brand name. Instead, a Studebaker President–based car bearing the Packard Clipper nameplate appeared on the market, but sales were slow. Available in just two body styles, Town Sedan (four-door sedan) and Country Sedan (four-door station wagon), they were powered by Studebaker's V8 with a McCulloch supercharger, delivering the same as the 1956 Clipper Custom, although at higher revolutions. Borrowing design cues from the 1956 Clipper (visual in the grille and dash), with wheel covers, tail lamps, and dials from 1956 along with the Packard cormorant hood mascot and trunk chrome trim from 1955 senior Packards, front bumpers, and Dagmars from the 1956 model, the 1957 Packard Clipper was much more than a badge-engineered Studebaker—but also far from a Patrician. Had the company been able to invest more money to finish the transformation and position the car under a senior line of "true Packards", it might have been a successful Clipper. Standing alone the cars sold in limited numbers; a number of Packard dealers dropped their franchises while customers stayed away, despite huge price discounts, fearful of buying a car that could soon be an orphan. Additionally, there was internal competition from Studebaker-Packard dealers that also carried the Mercedes Benz brand, to which SP had the USA rights, with the market flooded by inexpensive cars, minor automakers struggled to sell vehicles at loss leader prices to keep up with Ford and GM. There was a general decline in demand for large cars heralded an industry switch to compact cars such as the Studebaker Lark.


title: Packard

text: The marque suffered further loss of exclusivity and consumers perceived a reduction in quality. Competitors and media critics described the new models as "Packardbakers". The 1958 models were launched with no series name, simply as "Packard". New body styles were introduced, and a two-door hardtop joined the four-door sedan. A new premier model appeared with a sporting profile: the Packard Hawk was based on the Studebaker Golden Hawk and featured a new nose and a fake spare wheel molded in the trunk lid reminiscent of the concurrent Imperial. The 1958 Packards were among the first in the industry to be "facelifted" with plastic parts. The housing for the new dual headlights and the complete fins were fiberglass parts grafted on Studebaker bodies. Very little chrome was on the lower front clip. Designer Duncan McRae managed to include the 1956 Clipper tail lights for one last time which also included the


title: Packard

text: "Packard Cusps" in the front hood. Added to the front of all but the Hawk were jet nacelles for quad headlights, in a desperate attempt to keep up with late-1950s styling cues. All Packards were equipped with road wheels to lower the profile. The public reaction was predictable and sales were 2,622 vehicles for the 1958 model year, even being outsold by Checker Motors Corp. The Studebaker factory was older than Packard's Detroit plant, with higher production requirements, which added to dipping sales. A new compact car on which the company staked its survival, the Lark, was a year away, and it also failed to sell in sufficient numbers to keep the marque afloat. Several makes were discontinued around this time: Packard, Edsel, Hudson, Nash, DeSoto, and Kaiser. Not since the 1930s had so many makes disappeared, and it would not be until the automotive industry crisis of 2008–10 that so many makes would be dropped at the same time again. The last Packard by Studebaker Packard Corporation rolled off the assembly line on July 16, 1958.


title: Packard

text: During the 1950s, a number of "dream cars" were built by Packard in an attempt to keep the marque alive in the imaginations of the American car-buying public. Included in this category are the 1952 Pan American that led to the production Caribbean and the Panther (also known as Daytona), based on a 1954 platform. Shortly after the introduction of the Caribbean, Packard showed a prototype hardtop called the Balboa. It featured a reverse-slanted rear window that could be lowered for ventilation, a feature introduced in a production car by Mercury in 1957 and still in production in 1966.


title: Packard

text: The Request was based on the 1955 Four Hundred hardtop, but featured a classic upright Packard fluted grille reminiscent of the prewar models. In addition, the 1957 engineering mule "Black Bess" was built to test new features for a future car. This car had a resemblance to the 1958 Edsel. It featured Packard's return to a vertical grill. This grill was very narrow with the familiar ox-yoke shape that was characteristic for Packard, and with front fenders with dual headlights resembling Chrysler products from that era. The engineering mule Black Bess was destroyed by the company shortly after the Packard plant was shuttered. Of the 10 Requests built, only four were sold off the showroom floor.


title: Packard

text: Dick Teague also designed the last Packard show car, the Predictor. This hardtop coupe's design followed the lines of the planned 1957 cars. It had many unusual features, among them a roof section that opened either by opening a door or activating a switch, well ahead of later T-tops. The car had seats that rotated out, allowing the passenger easy access, a feature later used on some Chrysler and GM products. The Predictor also had the opera windows, or portholes, found on concurrent Thunderbirds. Other novel ideas were overhead switches—these were in the production Avanti—and a dash design that followed the hood profile, centering dials in the center console area. This feature has only recently been used on production cars. The Predictor survives and is on display at the Studebaker National Museum section of the Center for History in South Bend, Indiana.


title: Packard

text: One unusual prototype, the Studebaker-Packard Astral, was made in 1957 and first unveiled at the South Bend Art Centre on January 12, 1958, and then at the March 1958 Geneva Motor Show. It had a single gyroscopic balanced wheel and the publicity data suggested it could be nuclear powered or have what the designers described as an ionic engine. No working prototype was ever made, nor was it likely that one was ever intended.


title: Packard

text: The Astral was designed by Edward E. Herrmann, Studebaker-Packard's director of interior design, as a project to give his team experience in working with glass-reinforced plastic. It was shown at Studebaker dealerships before being put into storage. Rediscovered 30 years later, the car was restored and put on display by the Studebaker museum.


title: Packard

text: Studebaker-Packard retired the Packard marque in 1959. In 1962, "Packard" was dropped off the corporation's name at a time when it was introducing the all-new Avanti, The Packard name had been considered for the Avanti, but a less anachronistic image was being sought for the new model. Thus the Packard name ceased to exist in the American auto industry.


title: Packard

text: In the late 1950s, Studebaker-Packard was approached by enthusiasts to rebadge the French car maker Facel-Vega's Excellence four-door hardtop as a Packard for sale in North America, using stock Packard V8s and identifying trim including red hexagonal wheel covers, cormorant hood ornament, and classic vertical ox-yoke grille. The proposition was rejected when Daimler-Benz threatened to pull out of its 1957 marketing and distribution agreement, which would have cost Studebaker-Packard more in revenue than they could have made from the badge-engineered Packard. Daimler-Benz had little of its own dealer network at the time and used this agreement to enter and become more established in the American market through SPC's dealer network, and felt this car was a threat to their models.


title: Packard

text: In the late 1990s, Roy Gullickson revived the Packard nameplate by buying the naming rights and logo and developing a Packard Twelve for the 1999 model year. His goal was an annual production of 2,000 cars, but a lack of investment funds stalled that plan indefinitely. The only prototype Twelve made was sold at an auto auction in Plymouth, MI, in July 2014 for $143,000.


title: Packard

text: Packard's engineering staff designed and built excellent, reliable engines. Packard offered a 12-cylinder engine—the "Twin Six"—as well as a low-compression straight-eight, but never a 16-cylinder engine. After WWII, Packard continued with their successful straight-eight-cylinder flathead engines. While as fast as the new GM and Chrysler OHV V8s, they were perceived as obsolete by buyers. By waiting until 1955, Packard was almost the last U.S. automaker to introduce a high-compression V8 engine. The design was physically large and entirely conventional, copying many of the first-generation Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Studebaker Kettering features. It was produced in and displacements. The Caribbean version had two four-barrel carburetors and produced . For 1956, a version was used in the Senior cars and the Caribbean two four-barrels produced .


title: Packard

text: Packard also made large aeronautical and marine engines. Chief engineer Jesse G. Vincent developed a V12 airplane engine called the "Liberty engine" that was used widely in Entente air corps during World War I. After the war the Liberty was adapted for marine use, becoming a multiple world record setter under inventor and boating pioneer Gar Wood from the late 1910s through the 1930s.


title: Packard

text: In the interbellum, Packard built one of the world's first diesel aviation engines, the 225-hp DR-980 radial. It powered the Stinson SM-8D, among others. It also powered a Bellanca CH-300 on a record endurance flight of over 84 hours, a mark that stood for more than 50 years. Other Packard-powered airplanes set several records during the 1920s.


title: Packard

text: During WWII, Packard license-built Rolls-Royce Merlin engines under the Packard V-1650 designation, used with great success in the famed P-51 Mustang fighter. A marine version of the successor to the V12 Liberty was adapted in three versions – M3-2500, M4-2500, and M5-2500 – to power the war's iconic PT boats.


title: Packard

text: After WWII, Packard produced a new line of flathead design six (model 1M-245) and eight (model 1M-356) cylinder marine engines based on the automobile versions and the experience gained from the war production. Of the 1M-245 type engines, only 1,865 were produced between Spring 1947 and January 1951, with only a handful of survivors. Of the 1M-356 type engines, approximately 1,525 were produced between 1947 and 1950. Even more rare is the experimental "R" type racing versions (1M-245 "R"), of which only 10 were produced with currently only one known survivor, a 1M-245 R six-cylinder engine powering today a 1936 Gar Wood Speedster.


title: Packard

text: Packard also developed two turbine aircraft engines for the US Air Force, the XJ41 and XJ49. This was one reason for the Curtiss-Wright take-over in 1956, Packard wanted to sell their own jet.


title: Packard

text: The National Packard Museum of Warren, Ohio USA is the official museum of both the original Packard Motor Car Company and The Packard Electric Company. Its purpose is to preserve the Packard legacy and recognize Packard’s influence in transportation and industrial history through interaction with the community and outreach programs.


title: Packard

text: Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum Was closed after the COVID-19 Pandemic and its entire collection of Packard cars and memborbilla was purchased by a local businessman. The collection was auctioned off in 2021.


title: Packard

text: The electrical connectors developed by Packard were used extensively by General Motors in its automobiles. The first series of connectors was the Packard 56, followed by the Weather Pack, and finally, the Metri Pack, which are still in common use today.


title: Packard

text: A massive crushing of circa 50 vintage Packards happened in 1977 in southern California and was dubbed by the Special-Interest auto magazine as "Crushathon". Cars formerly property of a Packard collector were auctioned off after his death. Due to different disagreements in the terms of the auction between SoCal Packard fan clubs, roughly half of the cars auctioned off did not meet the listed price leading to the cars being ultimately destroyed, despite their purportedly good mechanical and rust-free condition.


title: Packard

text: Packard Proving Grounds of Shelby Township, MI USA is the remnants of the former proving Grounds owned by The Packard Motor Car Foundation. The mission of the Packard Proving Grounds Historic Site is to preserve the legacy of the Packard Motor Car Company through the restoration and preservation of the Packard Proving Grounds, educating future generations about America’s automotive history.


title: Production car speed record

text: This is a list of the world's record-breaking top speeds achieved by street-legal production cars (as opposed to concept cars or modified cars). For the purposes of this list eligible cars are defined in the list's rules. This list uses a different definition to the List of automotive superlatives. The variation is because the term production car is otherwise undefined.


title: Production car speed record

text: Because of the inconsistencies with the various definitions of production cars, dubious claims by manufacturers and self-interest groups, and inconsistent or changing application of the definitions this list has a defined set of requirements. For further explanation of how these were arrived at see the talk pages of both this article and the above link. After the Koenigsegg Agera RS was found not eligible for this list since only 11 cars had engines rated higher than 865 kW, the former 25 car minimum was dropped and replaced with new rules based on suggestions by Koenigsegg PR manager Steven Wade.


title: Production car speed record

text: This list is also limited to post World War II production road cars which reached more than , older cars are excluded even if they were faster. The Benz Velo as the first petrol driven car is the only exception.


title: Production car speed record

text: To establish the top speed for cars the requirement is, in addition to the above, an independent road test with a two-way run. The mean of the top speed for both runs is taken as the car's top speed. In instances where the top speed has been determined by removing the limiter, the test met these requirements, and the car is sold with the limiter on then the limited speed is accepted as meeting this requirement. For the "McLaren F1" the estimation by "Car and Driver" about the speed at the rev-limiter is used.


title: Production car speed record

text: Comparing claimed speeds of the fastest production cars in the world, especially in historical cases, is difficult as there is no standardized method for determining the top speed and no central authority to verify any such claims. Examples of the difficulties faced were highlighted in a two-week long dispute regarding Bugatti's record set in 2010, and Hennessey's 2013 claim that their own top speed runslower than Bugatti's, lacking the required two-way average, and lacking the minimum 25 car production runwas the real record, due to an issue regarding electronic limiters.


title: Production car speed record

text: On 4 July 2010, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport reached for a two-way average. Bugatti built 30 identical Super Sports, with 5 of them named World Record Edition. All 30 were equipped with electronic limiters, but the World Record Edition had their limiters turned off for the record attempt. After the record run, all five had their electronic limiters reactivated, so that the entire production run was delivered to customers with a limit of . "Guinness Book of Records", which had listed speeds by British cars with modified rev. limiter as production car records in the 1990s, listed the unlimited as the production car speed record.


title: Production car speed record

text: In April 2013, following a press release claiming the record for the Hennessey Venom GT due to the electronic limiter issue, "The Sunday Times" quoted "Guinness" public relations director Jaime Strang as saying: "As the car's speed limiter was deactivated, this modification was against the official guidelines. Consequently, the vehicle's record set at is no longer valid." Five days later, "Guinness World Records" officially posted on its website that it: "...would like to confirm that Bugatti's record has not been disqualified; the record category is currently under review." Five days later Bugatti's speed record was confirmed: "Following a thorough review conducted with a number of external experts, Guinness World Records is pleased to announce the confirmation of Bugatti's record of Fastest production car achieved by the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport. The focus of the review was with respect to what may constitute a modification to a car's standard specification. Having evaluated all the necessary information, Guinness World Records is now satisfied that a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine."


title: Production car speed record

text: Some cars were not considered to be the fastest production vehicles, for various reasons. Here is a list of some well-known cars that have not been able to meet standards needed to be the fastest production car.


title: One-night stand

text: A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performance by an entertainer at a venue. The practice can be described as "sexual activity without emotional commitment or future involvement".


title: One-night stand

text: The one-night stand is the most common form of infidelity and is often used in research, polls and surveys to define the level of promiscuity in a society at any given time. It has been suggested that such an act can be as threatening to a relationship as a long-term affair:


title: One-night stand

text: Some women have suggested that women who feel sexually insecure or unfulfilled should seek out one-night stands for personal growth and fulfillment. One writes, "[a] one-night stand is the erotic manifestation of carpe diem— only we are seizing the night instead of the day". Another source advises women seeking empowerment to "jumpstart your heyday by having a one-night stand", and clarifies that the one-night stand should be a conscious decision.


title: One-night stand

text: The prevalence of one-night stands has been abetted by the advent of online dating apps such as Tinder and Grindr, which allow people to connect for purposes including sexual encounters, although these tools can also be used to seek longer-term relationship partners.


title: One-night stand

text: Relationship therapist Laura Berman suggests that the circumstances that lead to such an encounter do not necessarily preclude a later relationship:


title: One-night stand

text: In contrast to a one-night stand, when the individuals involved have recurrent sexual contact without romantic involvement, this is considered a casual sexual relationship.


title: Mellotron

text: The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. As the key is released, the tape is retracted by a spring to its initial position. Different portions of the tape can be played to access different sounds.


title: Mellotron

text: The Mellotron evolved from the similar Chamberlin, but could be mass-produced more efficiently. The first models were designed for the home and contained a variety of sounds, including automatic accompaniments. Bandleader Eric Robinson and television personality David Nixon helped promote the first instruments, and celebrities such as Princess Margaret were early adopters. It was adopted by rock and pop groups in the mid to late 1960s. One of the first pop songs featuring the Mellotron was Manfred Mann's "Semi-Detached, Suburban Mr. James" (1966). The Beatles used it on tracks including the hit single "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967). The Moody Blues keyboardist Mike Pinder used it extensively on the band's 1967 album "Days of Future Passed". The Mellotron became common in progressive rock, used by groups such as King Crimson and Genesis. Later models, such as the bestselling M400, dispensed with the accompaniments and some sound selection controls so it could be used by touring musicians. The instrument's popularity declined in the 1980s after the introduction of polyphonic synthesizers and samplers, despite high-profile users such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and XTC.


title: Mellotron

text: Production of the Mellotron ceased in 1986, but it regained popularity in the 1990s and was used by bands such as Oasis and Radiohead. This led to the resurrection of the original manufacturer, Streetly Electronics. In 2007, Streetly produced the M4000, which combined the layout of the M400 with the bank selection of earlier models.


title: Mellotron

text: The Mellotron uses the same concept as a sampler, but generates its sound using analogue samples recorded on audio tape rather than digital samples. When a key is pressed, a tape connected to it is pushed against a playback head, as in a tape deck. While the key remains depressed, the tape is drawn over the head, and a sound is played. When the key is released, a spring pulls the tape back to its original position.


title: Mellotron

text: A variety of sounds are available on the instrument. On earlier models, the instrument is split into "lead" and "rhythm" sections. There is a choice of six "stations" of rhythm sounds, each containing three rhythm tracks and three fill tracks. The fill tracks can also be mixed together. Similarly, there is a choice of six lead stations, each containing three lead instruments which can be mixed. In the centre of the Mellotron, there is a tuning button that allows a variation in pitch (tempo, in the case of the rhythm tracks). Later models do not have the concept of stations and have a single knob to select a sound, along with the tuning control. However, the frame containing the tapes is designed to be removed, and replaced with one with different sounds.


title: Mellotron

text: Although the Mellotron was designed to reproduce the sound of the original instrument, replaying a tape creates minor fluctuations in pitch (wow and flutter) and amplitude, so a note sounds slightly different each time it is played. Pressing a key harder allows the head to come into contact under greater pressure, to the extent that the Mellotron responds to aftertouch.


title: Mellotron

text: Another factor in the Mellotron's sound is that the individual notes were recorded in isolation. For a musician accustomed to playing in an orchestral setting, this was unusual, and meant that they had nothing against which to intonate. Noted cellist Reginald Kirby refused to downtune his cello to cover the lower range of the Mellotron, and so the bottom notes are actually performed on a double bass. According to Mellotron author Nick Awde, one note of the string sounds contains the sound of a chair being scraped in the background.


title: Mellotron

text: The original Mellotrons were intended to be used in the home or in clubs and were not designed for touring bands. Even the later M400, which was designed to be as portable as possible, weighed over . Smoke, variations in temperature, and humidity were also detrimental to the instrument's reliability. Moving the instrument between cold storage rooms and brightly lit stages could cause the tapes to stretch and stick on the capstan. Leslie Bradley recalls receiving some Mellotrons in for a repair "looking like a blacksmith had shaped horseshoes on top". Pressing too many keys at once caused the motor to drag, resulting in the notes sounding flat. Robert Fripp stated that "[t]uning a Mellotron doesn't". Dave Kean, an expert Mellotron repairer, recommends that older Mellotrons should not be immediately used after a period of inactivity, as the tape heads can become magnetised in storage and destroy the recordings on them if played.


title: Mellotron

text: Although tape samplers had been explored in research studios, the first commercially available keyboard-driven tape instruments were built and sold by California-based Harry Chamberlin. The concept of the Mellotron originated when Chamberlin's sales agent, Bill Fransen, brought two of Chamberlin's Musicmaster 600 instruments to England in 1962 to search for someone who could manufacture 70 matching tape heads for future Chamberlins. He met Frank, Norman, and Les Bradley of tape engineering company Bradmatic Ltd, who said they could improve on the original design. The Bradleys subsequently met bandleader Eric Robinson, who agreed to help finance the recording of the necessary instruments and sounds. Together with the Bradleys and television celebrity David Nixon, they formed a company, Mellotronics, in order to market the instrument. Robinson was particularly enthusiastic about the Mellotron, because he felt it would revitalise his career, which was then on the wane. He arranged the recording sessions at IBC Studios in London, which he co-owned with George Clouston.


title: Mellotron

text: The first model to be commercially manufactured was the Mk I in 1963. An updated version, the Mk II, was released the following year which featured the full set of sounds selectable by banks and stations. The instrument was expensive, costing £1,000 (), at a time when a typical house cost £2,000–£3,000.


title: Mellotron

text: Fransen failed to explain to the Bradleys that he was not the owner of the concept, and Chamberlin was unhappy with the fact that someone overseas was copying his idea. After some acrimony between the two parties, a deal was struck between them in 1966, whereby they would both continue to manufacture instruments independently. Bradmatic renamed themselves Streetly Electronics in 1970.


title: Mellotron

text: In 1970, the model M400 was released, which contained 35 notes (G–F) and a removable tape frame. It sold over 1,800 units. By the early 1970s, hundreds of the instruments were assembled and sold by EMI under exclusive licence. Following a financial and trademark dispute through a US distribution agreement, the Mellotron name was acquired by American-based Sound Sales. Streetly-manufactured instruments after 1976 were sold under the name Novatron. The American Mellotron distributor, Sound Sales, produced their own Mellotron model, the 4-Track, in the early 1980s. At the same time Streetly Electronics produced a road-cased version of the 400 – the T550 Novatron. By the mid-1980s, both Sound Sales and Streetly Electronics suffered severe financial setbacks, losing their market to synthesizers and solid-state electronic samplers, which rendered the Mellotron essentially obsolete. The company folded in 1986, and Les Bradley threw most of the manufacturing equipment into a skip. From 1963 until Streetly's closure, around 2,500 units had been built.


title: Mellotron

text: Streetly Electronics was subsequently reactivated by Les Bradley's son John and Martin Smith. After Les Bradley's death in 1997, they decided to resume full-time operation as a support and refurbishment business. By 2007, the stock of available instruments to repair and restore was diminishing, so they decided to build a new model, which became the M4000. The instrument combined the features of several previous models, and featured the layout and chassis of an M400 but with a digital bank selector that emulated the mechanical original in the Mk II.


title: Mellotron

text: The first notable musician to use the Mellotron was variety pianist Geoff Unwin, who was specifically hired by Robinson in 1962 to promote the use of the instrument. He toured with a Mk II Mellotron and made numerous appearances on television and radio. Unwin claimed that the automatic backing tracks on the Mk II's left-hand keyboard allowed him to provide more accomplished performances than his own basic skills on the piano could provide.


title: Mellotron

text: The earlier 1960s Mk II units were made for the home and the characteristics of the instrument attracted a number of celebrities. Among the early Mellotron owners were Princess Margaret, Peter Sellers, King Hussein of Jordan and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (whose Mellotron was installed in the Church of Scientology's head UK office at Saint Hill Manor). According to Robin Douglas-Home, Princess Margaret "adored it; (Lord Snowdon) positively loathed it".


title: Mellotron

text: After Mellotronics had targeted them as a potential customer, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop became interested in the possibilities of the instrument, hoping it would allow them to increase throughput. The corporation used two custom-made models that employed recorded sound effects throughout 1963 and 1964, but had problems with fluctuating tape speed and found the sound wasn't up to professional broadcast quality. The Mellotron was eventually dropped in favour of electronic oscillators and synthesizers.


title: Mellotron

text: British multi-instrumentalist Graham Bond is considered the first rock musician to record with a Mellotron, beginning in 1965. The first hit song to feature a Mellotron Mk II was "Baby Can It Be True", which Bond performed live with the machine in televised performances, using solenoids to trigger the tapes from his Hammond organ. This was followed by Manfred Mann, who used its reed sound on their late 1966 single "Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James". The band then included multiple Mellotron parts on their follow-up single, "Ha! Ha! Said the Clown".


title: Mellotron

text: Mike Pinder worked at Streetly Electronics for 18 months in the early 1960s as a tester, and was immediately excited by the possibilities of the instrument. After trying piano and Hammond organ, he settled on the Mellotron as the instrument of choice for his band, the Moody Blues, purchasing a second-hand model from Fort Dunlop Working Men's Club in Birmingham and using it extensively on every album from "Days of Future Passed" (1967) to "Octave" (1978). Pinder says he introduced John Lennon and Paul McCartney to the Mellotron, and convinced each of them to buy one. The Beatles hired a machine and used it on their single "Strawberry Fields Forever", recorded in various takes between November and December 1966. Author Mark Cunningham describes the part in "Strawberry Fields Forever" as "probably the most famous Mellotron figure of all-time". Although producer George Martin was unconvinced by the instrument, describing it "as if a Neanderthal piano had impregnated a primitive electronic keyboard", they continued to compose and record with various Mellotrons for the albums "Magical Mystery Tour" (1967) and "The Beatles" (1968, also known as "the White Album"). McCartney went on to use the Mellotron sporadically in his solo career.


title: Mellotron

text: The instrument became increasingly popular among rock and pop bands during the psychedelic era, adding what author Thom Holmes terms "an eerie, unearthly sound" to their recordings. Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones played a Mellotron on several of his band's songs over 1967–68. These include "We Love You", where he used the instrument to create a Moroccan-sounding horn section, "She's a Rainbow", "2000 Light Years from Home" and "Jigsaw Puzzle".


title: Mellotron

text: The Mellotron became a key instrument in progressive rock. King Crimson bought two Mellotrons when forming in 1969. They were aware of Pinder's contributions to the Moody Blues and did not want to sound similar, but concluded there was no other way of generating the orchestral sound. The instrument was originally played by Ian McDonald, and subsequently by Robert Fripp on McDonald's departure. Later member David Cross recalled he did not particularly want to play the Mellotron, but felt that it was simply what he needed to do as a member of the band. Tony Banks bought a Mellotron from Fripp in 1971, which he claimed was previously used by King Crimson, to use with Genesis. He decided to approach the instrument in a different way to a typical orchestra, using block chords, and later stated that he used it in the same manner as a synth pad on later albums. His unaccompanied introduction to "Watcher of the Skies" on the album "Foxtrot" (1972), played on a Mk II with combined strings and brass, became significant enough that Streetly Electronics provided a "Watcher Mix" sound with the M4000. Banks claims to still have a Mellotron in storage, but does not feel inclined to use it as he generally prefers to use up-to-date technology. Barclay James Harvest's Woolly Wolstenholme bought an M300 primarily to use for string sounds, and continued to play the instrument live into the 2000s as part of a reformed band.


title: Mellotron

text: Rick Wakeman played Mellotron on David Bowie's 1969 hit song "Space Oddity". Having previously found it difficult to keep in tune, Wakeman had discovered a way to do so using a special fingering technique.


title: Mellotron

text: The Mellotron was used by German electronic band Tangerine Dream through the 1970s, on albums such as "Atem" (1973), "Phaedra" (1974), "Rubycon" (1975), "Stratosfear" (1976), and "Encore" (1977). In the late 1970s, French duo Space Art used a Mellotron during the recording of their second album, "Trip in the Centre Head". In 1983, the band's Christopher Franke asked Mellotronics if they could produce a digital model, as the group migrated towards using samplers.


title: Mellotron

text: Although the Mellotron was not extensively used in the 1980s, a number of bands featured it as a prominent instrument. One of the few UK post-punk bands to do so was Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who featured it heavily on their platinum-selling 1981 album "Architecture & Morality". Andy McCluskey has stated they used the Mellotron because they were starting to run into limitations of the cheap monophonic synthesizers they had used up to that point. He bought a second-hand M400 and was immediately impressed with the strings and choir sounds. XTC's Dave Gregory recalls seeing bands using Mellotrons when growing up in the 1970s, and thought it would be an interesting addition to the group's sound. He bought a second-hand model in 1982 for £165, and first used it on the album "Mummer" (1983). IQ's Martin Orford bought a second-hand M400 and used it primarily for visual appeal rather than musical quality or convenience.


title: Mellotron

text: The Mellotron resurfaced in 1995 on Oasis' album "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" The instrument was played by both Noel Gallagher and Paul Arthurs on several tracks, but a particularly prominent use was the cello sound on the hit single "Wonderwall", played by Arthurs. It also notably appears on their 2000 single "Go Let It Out." Radiohead asked Streetly Electronics to restore and repair a model for them in 1997, and recorded with it on several tracks for their album "OK Computer" (1997). The French electronic duo Air extensively used a M400 on their two first albums "Moon Safari" in 1998 and "The Virgin Suicides" in 1999.


title: Mellotron

text: Spock's Beard's Ryo Okumoto is a fan of the Mellotron, saying it characterises the sound of the band. Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson has acquired one of King Crimson's old Mellotrons and, in 2013, gave a demonstration of the instrument in celebration of its 50th anniversary.


title: Mellotron

text: Alternative versions of the Mellotron were manufactured by competitors in the early to mid-1970s. The Mattel Optigan was a toy keyboard designed to be used in the home, which played back sounds using optical discs. This was followed by the Vako Orchestron in 1975, which used a more professional-sounding version of the same technology. It was popularised by Patrick Moraz.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: James Dansby Swanson (born February 11, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him first overall in the 2015 MLB Draft.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Born in Kennesaw, Georgia, to two former college athletes from Troy University, Swanson grew up supporting the Braves. He was a two-sport athlete at Marietta High School, earning the nickname "Three-point Swanson" for his basketball prowess. The Colorado Rockies selected him out of high school in the 38th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but Swanson opted not to sign, instead playing college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He missed most of his freshman season due to injuries, but had a breakout sophomore season as Vanderbilt's starting second baseman. The Commodores won their first ever national championship that season, and Swanson was named the 2014 College World Series Most Outstanding Player. He shifted back to shortstop in 2015 and won the Brooks Wallace Award for the best collegiate baseball player at that position.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson left Vanderbilt after the 2015 season to join the Diamondbacks and begin his professional baseball career. After one season in Arizona's farm system, he was traded to the Braves as part of a prospect package sent to Atlanta to acquire Shelby Miller. Swanson made his MLB debut in August 2016 and was the only Atlanta rookie named to the Braves' 2017 Opening Day roster, but he struggled both offensively and defensively and was sent back to Triple-A that July. Swanson's 2018 season was repeatedly derailed by wrist and hand injuries, and he missed a month of the 2019 season with a bruised heel. Healthy in 2020, Swanson set a career high with a .274 batting average, and his 49 runs scored were third in MLB. He followed this with a championship title in the 2021 World Series, the Braves' first since 1995.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson was born on February 11, 1994, in Kennesaw, Georgia. Both of his parents were college athletes at Troy University: his mother Nancy played basketball and tennis, while his father played baseball and served as an assistant coach for the Trojans. Growing up outside of Atlanta, Swanson was a childhood fan of the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB) and often attended games at Turner Field. He was a two-sport varsity athlete at Marietta High School in Georgia, playing for both the school's baseball and basketball teams. During his senior season on the Marietta Blue Devils basketball team, Swanson had a 44 percent three-point field goal shooting rate and averaged 14 points per game. He finished his three-year varsity team basketball career with 165 three-pointers, earning the nickname "Three-point Swanson".


title: Dansby Swanson

text: The Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB) selected Swanson in the 38th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but he opted not to sign with them, instead honoring his commitment to play college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Swanson had received recruitment offers from a number of universities, including Troy, Clemson, and Georgia Tech, but he agreed to attend Vanderbilt after a conversation with coach Tim Corbin. A freshman for Vanderbilt's 2013 season, injuries and youth limited Swanson to only 11 games, four of which he started at shortstop. First, a broken bone in his foot kept him on the sidelines for six weeks. When he returned from that injury, he suffered a torn glenoid labrum. During the offseason, Swanson underwent shoulder surgery and exercised to prepare for his sophomore season in 2014.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: When Tony Kemp left Vanderbilt after the 2014 season, Corbin asked Swanson to become the Commodores' starting second baseman as a sophomore in 2014. Swanson hit his first collegiate home run on February 28 in the fifth inning of Vanderbilt's 4–1 win over Stanford. By the end of March, Swanson's .430 on-base percentage (OBP) was second to shortstop Vince Conde on the Commodores. Swanson finished the regular Southeastern Conference (SEC) season with a team-leading .366 batting average, 47 runs scored, 21 doubles, and 17 stolen bases, and he was an All-SEC First Team selection. Although Vanderbilt was eliminated early in the 2014 SEC Tournament by Ole Miss, Swanson and the rest of the team still clinched a berth in that year's NCAA tournament. Partway through the tournament, Swanson recorded his 27th double of the season during Vanderbilt's 6–4 win over UC Irvine, tying the school record set by Warner Jones 10 years prior. Vanderbilt's postseason run concluded with their first ever national championship when they defeated Virginia 3–2 in the College World Series (CWS) finals. Swanson was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player after batting .323 with five runs scored and two RBI in the tournament, as well as for his defense at second base. He was also named to the All-Tournament team at designated hitter, while Branden Cogswell of Virginia received the honor at second base.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Going into the 2015 college baseball season, Conde's departure and the season-long suspension of third baseman Xavier Turner forced Corbin to move several members of his infield: freshman Will Toffey started at third base, which pushed Tyler Campbell, who had played at third during the CWS, to second, and in turn moved Swanson to shortstop. By the end of March, the Commodores were second in the SEC with a .312 batting average, while Swanson led the conference with 30 runs scored. Between 2014 and 2015, he made 117 consecutive starts for Vanderbilt before missing the Commodores' April 28 game due to illness. After finishing the regular season with a .347 batting average, 50 RBI, 34 extra-base hits, and a conference-leading 60 runs scored, Swanson was both named to the All-SEC Second Team and was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the best college baseball player in the United States. He was also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which ultimately went to Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas. Swanson rounded out the 2015 college baseball awards season with the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the best collegiate shortstop in the country.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: While facing Missouri in the 2015 SEC Tournament, both Swanson's two home runs and the Commodores' four as a team tied SEC Tournament single-game records. Vanderbilt finished second in the SEC Tournament after losing 7–3 to Florida in the conference finals. After hitting the game-winning home run against Indiana in the second game of the 2015 NCAA tournament, Swanson struggled in the tournament. Through the first eight games, he batted .242 with 11 strikeouts, and he was only 1-for-13 with five strikeouts and a defensive error in Vanderbilt's first three CWS games. In a rematch of the previous season's CWS, Virginia defeated Vanderbilt in the finals to win their first ever national title.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Swanson first overall in the 2015 MLB Draft. It was the first time that a college shortstop had been drafted first overall since the San Diego Padres took Bill Almon in 1974. He signed with the team on July 17, ten minutes before the 2p.m. (PT) deadline for that year's draft picks, and accepted a $6.5 million signing bonus. His professional baseball debut was delayed when, during a simulated game before assignment to one of the Diamondbacks' minor league affiliates, Swanson was hit in the face by a fastball from pitching prospect Yoan López. He was diagnosed with a concussion and required 14 stitches on the side of his mouth. After recovering from the hit, Swanson was assigned to the Class A Short Season Hillsboro Hops, making his professional debut on August 13, 2015. He went 0-for-2 at the plate, striking out twice, drawing a walk, and scoring a run. Having missed six weeks with the concussion, Swanson was told that he would finish out the season with Hillsboro rather than receiving a late-season promotion that would push his development. He played in 22 games for the Hops, batting .289 with one home run and 11 RBI in 83 at bats while leading Hillsboro to a Northwest League championship.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: On December 9, 2015, the Diamondbacks traded Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and Aaron Blair to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier. The Braves were in the middle of a rebuild, and president of baseball operations John Hart said that the team "wanted to make it painful for [Arizona] with players that we got back" by refusing a Miller trade until they received significant prospects like Swanson. After spending spring training with the Braves, Swanson was sent to the Class A-Advanced Carolina Mudcats. He played in 22 games there, batting .333 with a Carolina League-leading 12 doubles, before receiving a promotion to the Double-A Mississippi Braves at the end of April. Swanson spent the first part of the season in competition with Ozzie Albies for a future starting shortstop role in Atlanta, but in July, Albies, who had been playing in Triple-A, was sent down to Mississippi so that he and Swanson could practice as a second base-shortstop pair. That season, Swanson was selected to appear in both the Southern League All-Star Game and the All-Star Futures Game. He appeared in 84 games for Mississippi, batting .261 with eight home runs and 45 RBI. In 105 games between Carolina and Mississippi, he batted .275 for the minor league season, with nine home runs and 55 RBI in 411 at bats.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson was called up to Atlanta on August 16, 2016, after the Braves traded shortstop Erick Aybar to the Detroit Tigers to clear the position for him. He made his MLB debut that day, recording his first two major league hits, both singles, in a 10–3 loss to the Minnesota Twins. His first major league home run, coming in the second inning of a 9–7 loss to the Washington Nationals on September 6, was inside-the-park: the hit off of Gio Gonzalez went over Trea Turner and ricocheted off the center field fence, and Swanson beat Bryce Harper's throw home to record the run. It was the first inside-the-park home run for the Braves since Wes Helms in 2001, and Swanson was the first Brave since Paul Runge in 1985 to have his first career home run fall inside the park. He remained with the Braves through the remainder of their 2016 season, finishing the year with a .302 batting average, three home runs, 17 RBI, and 11 extra-base hits. Swanson had at least one hit in 25 of the 38 games in which he played.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson was the only rookie to make the Braves' 2017 Opening Day roster, joining Chase d'Arnaud, Freddie Freeman, Adonis Garcia, Jace Peterson, and Brandon Phillips in the infield. He began the season in a sophomore slump both offensively and defensively: by the end of May, Swanson was batting .185 with a .559 on-base plus slugging (OPS), while he had also committed 11 errors at shortstop. His struggles coincided with the arrival of Johan Camargo and Matt Adams, both of whom provided offensive power to the infield. Camargo in particular had taken over the majority of playing time at shortstop, while Ozzie Albies had just received a major league promotion. On July 27, Swanson was demoted to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, where he could receive more regular playing time. At the time, he had been hitting .213 with six home runs and 35 RBI in 95 games. Additionally, he only had three hits in 25 at bats following the All-Star break. In 11 games for Gwinnett, Swanson hit .237 with one home run and five RBI. He was suddenly called back up to the Braves on August 9 after Camargo suffered a knee injury during his pre-game ritual. After returning to Atlanta, Swanson settled back into the shortstop position, batting .337 with a .434 OBP in the month after he replaced Camargo. Defensively, he and Albies, now playing second base, formed a strong middle infield tandem. Swanson finished his first full season in Atlanta batting .232 with six home runs and 51 RBI in 144 games and 488 at bats.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson began the 2018 season on a hot streak, recording multiple hits in four of the Braves' first six games. He began feeling discomfort in his left wrist at the end of April, and after aggravating the injury during a game against the New York Mets, he was placed on the 10-day disabled list on May 4. The injury seemed to coincide with a sudden drop in offensive power from Swanson: after batting .358 with a .976 OPS in his first 16 games, he dropped to batting .191 with a .468 OPS in the next 12. After a rehabilitation game in Double-A, Swanson returned to the Braves' lineup on May 19. He again struggled through most of the season, batting .234 with a .704 OPS between June 1 and August 21, a stretch that ended with Swanson's first career multi-home run game. After hitting off of Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Ivan Nova in the fifth inning, he hit another home run in the seventh against reliever Michael Feliz, helping the Braves to a 6–1 win. He widened his batting stance in August and showed some improvement, batting .297 with six home runs between August 11 and September 2, but he hit only .161 in September.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: On September 25, 2018, Swanson left a game against the New York Mets in the second inning with wrist pain, later revealed to be a partially torn ligament in his left hand that ruled him out for the remainder of the regular season. He continued to feel discomfort afterwards and was prevented from playing in the 2018 National League Division Series (NLDS). Instead, Charlie Culberson filled in at shortstop during the Braves' postseason run. The Braves lost to the Dodgers in the four game NLDS, while Swanson's hand and wrist continued to bother him until November 5, when he underwent surgery to remove a loose piece of cartilage. The cartilage had been moving around his wrist, and Swanson described the experience as "like if you would slam a wedge doorstop into a door". In 136 games, Swanson batted .238 with 14 home runs and 59 RBI, while defensively he improved from −7 Defensive Runs Saved in 2017 to 10 in 2018.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: With his wrist no longer bothering him, Swanson showed a new offensive power during 2019 spring training, giving manager Brian Snitker hope that his production would increase. He seemed poised for a breakout through the first half of the season: by June 18, Swanson's 13 home runs were one shy of his previous career high, and his exit velocity, launch angle, and hard-hit rate at the plate all showed significant increases from the previous season. By the All-Star break, Swanson was batting .270 with 17 home runs and 57 RBI. On July 23, however, Swanson landed awkwardly on first base while attempting to run out a ground ball in a game against the Kansas City Royals, injuring his left heel in the process. The injury initially seemed minor, but he suffered a setback at the beginning of August, and after three weeks on the injured list, Swanson referred to the heel as "a frustrating injury". He was activated from the injured list on August 26, just over a month after suffering the injury. He struggled to hit after returning from the injury, batting only .141 in his first 23 games back from the injured list, but finished the season with eight hits in four games. In 545 plate appearances during the 2019 regular season, Swanson batted .251 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: After missing the previous year's postseason, Swanson was named to the Braves' roster as they faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2019 NLDS. In the ninth inning of Game 3, Swanson hit an RBI double off of Cardinals closer Carlos Martínez to tie the game 1–1. Adam Duvall followed this with a two-RBI single, and Mark Melancon held the Cardinals scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to win the game 3–1 for Atlanta. The Cardinals held on to win the series, however, with a 13–1 rout of the Braves in Game 5 to eliminate Atlanta from the playoffs. He went 5-for-18 at the plate during his first postseason run, with two RBI and three runs scored.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: On January 10, 2020, Swanson agreed to a one-year, $3.15 million contract extension with the Braves. He had an immediately strong start to the 2020 season, which began in July and was shortened to only 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Braves began their abbreviated season with a three-game series against the New York Mets, during which Swanson went 5-for-12 at the plate with a double, a home run, and six RBI. He hit his first walk-off home run on August 17, lifting the Braves to a 7–6 victory over the Washington Nationals. On September 9, Swanson was one of three Braves who scored five runs in the Braves' 29–9 rout of the Miami Marlins, a franchise record for the most runs in one game. Austin Riley and Adam Duvall also scored five runs apiece. Swanson played in all 60 games of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, setting career highs with a .274 batting average, .345 on-base percentage, and .464 slugging percentage while recording 10 home runs and 35 RBI. His 49 runs scored were the third in MLB, behind teammate Freddie Freeman's 51 and Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 50. After the season, which was played without spectators in attendance due to COVID-19 safety protocols, Swanson said that playing in empty ballparks "felt like backyard baseball a little bit", and the lack of audience distractions led players "to feel comfortable in their own skin".


title: Dansby Swanson

text: The Braves faced division rivals the Miami Marlins in the 2020 NLDS. Swanson's five RBI in the three-game series were the most of any Braves shortstop during a Division Series, while Atlanta advanced to the National League Championship Series (NLCS) for the first time since 2001. The Braves lost the 2020 NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, and Swanson cost the team a potential scoring opportunity on a fourth-inning baserunning error. He broke for home plate on a ground ball from Nick Markakis and was caught in a rundown by third baseman Justin Turner and catcher Will Smith. Smith tagged Swanson out and then threw the ball back to third base, where Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager tagged out Austin Riley, who had tried to advance from second base during Swanson's rundown. The Braves had been leading 3–2 at the time of the double play, but ultimately lost the game 4–3.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson filed for salary arbitration during the 2020–21 offseason, but arbitrators denied his request to make $6.7 million the following year, instead ruling that his salary would be $6 million. He began the 2021 season in a slump, batting only .209 with a .631 OPS and 31.4 percent strikeout rate by May 20, but began to pick up in May, with four home runs in a 13-game stretch. On June 3, both Swanson and his middle infield partner Ozzie Albies recorded the 500th hits of their MLB career. Swanson's came on a home run that traveled , the longest recorded during his time with the Braves. On July 22, Swanson hit his first major league grand slam, hitting against Matt Moore of the Philadelphia Phillies in a 7–2 Atlanta victory. It was his 17th home run of the season, tying Swanson's career high. He recorded another grand slam the following week, against John Curtiss of the Milwaukee Brewers. Swanson had hit a two-run home run earlier in the game, giving him 20 for the season, tying Denis Menke for the most of any Braves shortstop in one season. His next home run, which came against the Washington Nationals on August 13, gave Swanson the single-season home run record for any Braves shortstop. He played in 160 games during the 2021 regular season, the most of anyone in the National League, and batted .248 with 27 home runs and 88 RBI in 588 at bats.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: The Braves clinched the NL East for the fourth consecutive season on September 30, 2021, with a 5–3 win over the Phillies. Swanson was instrumental in that process, with two doubles, a home run, and five RBI in the last six games before the Braves clinched the title. Swanson's defensive abilities were on display against the Brewers in the 2021 NLDS: in Game 3, he held Milwaukee scoreless on separate occasions, first by preventing runners from advancing on a groundout from Lorenzo Cain and then by turning an eighth-inning double play to retire Jace Peterson and Willy Adames. He was less adept at the plate, going only 3-for-15 in the four-game series. The Braves faced the Dodgers in the 2021 NLCS, where in Game 1 Swanson tagged out Chris Taylor to prevent Los Angeles from breaking a 2–2 tie in the top of the ninth inning. The Braves won the game 3–2 on a walk-off RBI single from Austin Riley. His offensive troubles continued, however, with only two hits in 23 at bats during the six-game series. By Game 4 of the 2021 World Series, Swanson was only batting .225 in the postseason, and he had mostly gone hitless. In the seventh inning, however, he hit a fastball from Houston Astros reliever Cristian Javier for a game-tying home run. Jorge Soler's home run secured a 3–2 victory for Atlanta, putting them one game within reach of their first championship since 1995. With the Astros down 7–0 in Game 6, Swanson secured the final out of the game to give the Braves the World Series championship title.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson's salary for the 2022 season was decided via the arbitration process. He asked for and received $10 million. Swanson was named to the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game roster as a reserve. On September 30, 2022, Swanson hit his 100th career home run off of New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. Swanson was the only player in Major League Baseball to start all 162 games of the season. Swanson won his first Gold Glove Award at the end of the season. He became a free agent at the conclusion of the season.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: In 2014, Swanson represented USA Baseball at Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands. Through his first six starts, Swanson led the team with a .458 batting average in 24 at bats. The US team won the gold medal with their 6–3 victory over Japan, and Swanson went on to participate in the team's Cuban tour, in which they were swept by the host team. He had 66 at bats for Team USA, finishing second on the team with a .288 batting average.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson married Mallory Pugh of the Chicago Red Stars and the United States women's national soccer team on December 10, 2022. The couple met through Pugh's brother-in-law and Swanson's former teammate Jace Peterson and began dating in 2017.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson is the first MLB player to have "Dansby" in any part of his nameJustin and Leonidas Dansby appeared in Minor League Baseball but did not reach the majors. Swanson's first name is James; Dansby is his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three children, and both of his older siblings played college sports: Chase played baseball for the Mercer Bears, while his sister Lindsey was on the softball team at Georgia College.


title: Dansby Swanson

text: Swanson suffers from anxiety, which negatively impacted his performance during his first few seasons of professional baseball. A devout Christian, he credits his faith with helping him through his panic attacks.


title: The Giving Pledge

text: The Giving Pledge is a campaign to encourage extremely wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. , the pledge has 236 signatories from 28 countries. Most of the signatories of the pledge are billionaires, and as of 2016, their pledges are estimated to total US$600 billion.


title: The Giving Pledge

text: The organization's stated goal is to inspire the wealthy people of the world to give at least half of their net worth to philanthropy, either during their lifetime or upon their death. The pledge is a public gesture of an intention to give, not a legal contract. On The Giving Pledge's website, each individual or couple writes a letter explaining why they chose to give.


title: The Giving Pledge

text: In June 2010, the Giving Pledge campaign was formally announced and Bill Gates and Warren Buffett began recruiting members. As of August 2010, the aggregate wealth of the first 40 pledgers was $125 billion. As of April 2011, 69 billionaires had joined the campaign and given a pledge, and by the following year, "The Huffington Post" reported that a total of 81 billionaires had pledged. By May 2017, 158 individuals and/or couples were listed as pledgers. Not all pledgers are billionaires.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Gordon ( 1863), or "Whipped Peter", was an escaped American slave who became known as the subject of photographs documenting the extensive keloid scarring of his back from whippings received in slavery. The "scourged back" photo became one of the most widely circulated photos of the abolitionist movement during the American Civil War and remains one of the most infamous photos of that era.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: "The New York Times" writer Joan Paulson Gage noted, "The images of Wilson Chinn in chains, like the one of Gordon and his scarred back, are as disturbing today as they were in 1863. They serve as two of the earliest and most dramatic examples of how the newborn medium of photography could change the course of history." Most historians have accepted an 1863 "Harper's Weekly" article which consisted of a triptych of illustrations (all said to be of Gordon) and a narrative describing Gordon's escape from slavery and enlistment in the Union Army. However, the narrative was likely fabricated by Vincent Colyer, and Gordon and Peter are likely two different people.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Gordon escaped in March 1863 from the plantation of John and Bridget Lyons, who held him and nearly 40 other people in slavery at the time of the 1860 census. The Lyons plantation was located along the west bank of the Atchafalaya River in St. Landry Parish, between present-day Melville and Krotz Springs, Louisiana.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: To mask his scent from the bloodhounds that were chasing him, Gordon took onions from his plantation, which he carried in his pockets. After crossing each creek or swamp, he rubbed his body with the onions to throw the dogs off his scent. He fled over over the course of 10 days before reaching Union soldiers of the XIX Corps who were stationed in Baton Rouge.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: New Orleans-based photographers William D. McPherson and his partner Mr. Oliver, who were in camp at the time, produced carte de visite photos of Gordon showing his back.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Ten days from to-day I left the plantation. Overseer Artayou Carrier whipped me. I was two months in bed sore from the whipping. My master come after I was whipped; he discharged the overseer. My master was not present. I don't remember the whipping. I was two months in bed sore from the whipping and my sense began to come—I was sort of crazy. I tried to shoot everybody. They said so, I did not know. I did not know that I had attempted to shoot everyone; they told me so. I burned up all my clothes; but I don't recall that. I never was this way (crazy) before. I don't know what make me come that way (crazy). My master come after I was whipped; saw me in bed; he discharged the overseer. They told me I attempted to shoot my wife the first one; I did not shoot any one; I did not harm any one. My master's Capt. John Lyon, cotton planter, on Atchafalya, near Washington, Louisiana. Whipped two months before Christmas.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Dr. Samuel Knapp Towle, Surgeon, 30th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, wrote in a letter about meeting Gordon. He had expected him to be vicious due to the whip scars on his back. Instead, he said "he seems INTELLIGENT and WELL-BEHAVED." [Towle's emphasis]. Other physicians, like J.W. Mercer, Asst. Surgeon 47th Massachusetts Volunteers as well as a surgeon of the First Louisiana regiment (colored), said in 1863 that they had seen many backs like this and that when people talked of humane treatment of blacks, the photo of Gordon's back told the true story.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Gordon joined the Union Army as a guide three months after the Emancipation Proclamation allowed for the enrollment of freed slaves into the military forces. On one expedition, he was taken prisoner by the Confederates; they tied him up, beat him, and left him for dead. He survived and once more escaped to Union lines.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Gordon soon afterwards enlisted in a U.S. Colored Troops Civil War unit. He was said by "The Liberator" to have fought bravely as a sergeant in the Louisiana Native Guard during the Siege of Port Hudson in May 1863. It was the first time that African-American soldiers played a leading role in an assault.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: In July 1863 these images appeared in an article about Gordon published in "Harper's Weekly," the most widely read journal during the Civil War. The pictures of Gordon's scourged back provided Northerners with visual evidence of brutal treatment of enslaved people and inspired many free blacks to enlist in the Union Army.


title: Gordon (slave)

text: Theodore Tilton, editor of "The Independent" in New York stated in 1863: "This card-photograph should be multiplied by the hundred thousand, and scattered over the states. It tells the story in a way that even Mrs. Stowe cannot approach; because it tells the story to the eye. If seeing is believing—and it is in the immense majority of cases—seeing this card would be equivalent to believing things of the slave states which Northern men and women would move heaven and earth to abolish!"


title: Gordon (slave)

text: "The Atlantic" editor-in-chief James Bennet in 2011 noted, "Part of the incredible power of this image I think is the dignity of that man. He's posing. His expression is almost indifferent. I just find that remarkable. He's basically saying, 'This is a fact.'"


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a 2022 action-adventure turn-based strategy video game developed by Ubisoft Milan and Ubisoft Paris and published by Ubisoft for the Nintendo Switch. The game is a crossover between Nintendo's "Mario" and Ubisoft's "Rabbids" franchises and is a sequel to "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle" (2017). It was released on October 20, 2022, and received generally favorable reviews. Three downloadable content expansions are also in development, one featuring Rayman.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: "Sparks Of Hope" received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise towards the game's graphics, soundtrack, gameplay, and improvements to the battle system, though the loading times received some criticism.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: Gameplay in "Sparks of Hope" is largely similar to that of "Kingdom Battle". Players are able to build out their roster of characters from, Rabbid Peach, Rabbid Luigi, and Rabbid Mario, along with new characters Edge, Rabbid Rosalina, and Bowser (with the Rabbids being fully voiced for the first time). Players are also tasked with rescuing the Sparks throughout the galaxy, who provide distinct powers that will help the player in battle.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: Unlike the first game, level designs are less linear, and the turn-based tactical combat features a new system that disregards the first game's grid-based layout. This new combat has been compared to that of games such as "". Also featured are enemy encounters outside of turn-based combat. Mario can now be replaced by a different character. Lead designer Xavier Manzanares speaking about the new combat stated: "You can move in this area of movement the way you want; you can dash a Bob-omb, then you have it in your hand. You can move around as you want, but then it's going to explode. So, you have a few seconds to react, which is completely different from what we had in the past. And so, it brings this real-time element to the mix".


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: Sometime after the events of "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle", the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom, including Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, now peacefully coexist with the Rabbids and their Rabbid counterparts. The calm is suddenly broken when a horde of Rabbid-Luma hybrids called Sparks descend from the sky, pursued by a gigantic manta ray imbued with Darkmess, a shadowy corruptive substance. Rabbid Peach is accidentally abducted by the manta while attempting to take a selfie; Mario and their combat advisor drone Beep-0 free her from the Darkmess dimension inside the manta with the help of the Sparks. A malevolent entity known as Cursa then appears and attempts to destroy Mario, Rabbid Peach, and Beep-0, but the other heroes save them with a spaceship constructed from the Rabbids' . The ship's A.I., JEANIE, explains that the unique fusion of Rabbid and Luma DNA grants the Sparks unlimited power, and Cursa, whose corruptive influence has spread across the galaxy, wants to absorb that power for itself. The team resolves to find Cursa's stronghold and defeat them, saving as many Sparks and corrupted planets as possible, while also searching for Rosalina, the missing guardian of the Lumas.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: Mario's team travels to five different planets while gathering enough Purified Darkmess Crystals to safely travel to Cursa's stronghold – Beacon Beach, Pristine Peaks, Palette Prime, Terra Flora, and Barrendale Mesa. They are joined by three new heroes along the way: Edge, a stoic sword-wielding Rabbid also looking to save the Sparks; Rabbid Rosalina, a gloomy but intelligent Rabbid who is trying to find her hero Rosalina; and Bowser, Mario’s perpetual archnemesis whose army has been brainwashed by Cursa. Together, they help the wardens of each world dispel the Darkmess infection while also battling Cursa's team of corrupted Rabbids, brainwashed minions of Bowser, and the Spark Hunters – three female Rabbid hybrids named Midnite, Bedrock, and Daphne. Near the end of their journey, Cursa once again attempts to destroy the heroes but unexpectedly transforms into Rosalina, whose body has been merged and possessed by Cursa's spirit. Rosalina gives the team a crystal and helps them escape before Cursa regains control; from the crystal, they learn that Cursa was originally a surviving fragment of the Megabug, which was cast out into space and was merged/empowered by space debris, eventually gaining sentience, desiring to feed upon the life energies of the galaxy to grow. It ambushed the Comet Observatory, home to Rosalina, the Lumas, and a group of Rabbids, in an attempt to steal the space station's and the Lumas' power, but accidentally merged the Rabbids and Lumas together in a blast of energy when Rosalina sacrificed herself to ensure their safety, turning them into Sparks. Cursa needed to gather the Sparks' power in order to crush Rosalina's rebelling will against her possession.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: The team reaches Cursa's stronghold and destroys its protective shield with one of the wardens' inventions, revealing the Comet Observatory. In a frantic attempt to stop them, Cursa creates Darkmess clones of Bowser and Edge derived from the Megabug's and Cursa's record of their DNA. Edge admits that she is also a creation of Cursa and was once the leader of the Spark Hunters, but betrayed her creator after gaining free will while her comrades maintained their loyalty to Cursa. Although she attempts to leave in shame, the other heroes refuse to cast her out and at last confront Cursa. After a protracted battle, Cursa releases both Rosalina and the energy of the absorbed Sparks but makes one last-ditch effort to destroy them in its true form. The nine heroes, the Sparks, and Rosalina all combine their power into a final attack, which eradicates Cursa for good. Everyone returns to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Rosalina congratulates them for their efforts in saving the Sparks, the galaxy, and herself. Both Rabbid Rosalina and Edge decide to stay with the heroes, and Rosalina gives a final thank-you to Mario and Bowser before departing. Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, and Rabbid Peach attempt to play with an irritated Bowser, forcing Mario to save them from his fire breath, and Beep-0 connects with the now-sentient JEANIE in a post-credits scene.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: "Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope" was announced at E3 2021 and released on October 20, 2022. The game was a co-op development by Ubisoft Paris and Ubisoft Milan, with additional work by Ubisoft Pune, Ubisoft Chengdu and Ubisoft Montpellier. Creative director Davide Soliani stated that the development team had viewed the game as a spiritual successor to the first, and as a different take on the tactical genre in part due to the game having expanded beyond the Mushroom Kingdom to focus on a range of galactic locations. Its soundtrack was written by Grant Kirkhope (who composed the soundtrack for the first game), Gareth Coker (who composed the soundtrack for Ubisoft's "Immortals Fenyx Rising"), and Yoko Shimomura (who previously composed for the "Mario & Luigi" series).


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: The game is set to receive three downloadable content expansions via a season pass in 2023, including one featuring Rayman as a playable character.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: These three expansions, according to a Twitter post, include the Tower of Doooom (spelled with four "o"s), a post-game adventure featuring a new, mysterious villain in an enchanted forest-like planet, and the said Rayman adventure. The first will be released in early 2023, the second in mid 2023, and the third in late 2023.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: "Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope" received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregator Metacritic.


title: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

text: "Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope" sold 17,647 physical copies within its first week of release in Japan, making it the third bestselling retail game of the week in the country.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin (born 5 November 1963) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward. He was named the Ballon d'Or and IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year in 1991. Papin is the manager of Championnat National 2 club C'Chartres.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin achieved his greatest success while playing for Marseille between 1986 and 1992. He later played for AC Milan, FC Bayern Munich, Bordeaux, Guingamp, JS Saint-Pierroise and US Cap-Ferret. Papin also played 54 times for the French national team. After a short time as manager of French clubs, he joined the local amateur club AS Facture-Biganos Boïen as a player in 2009, aged 45.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin was known for his goalscoring, striking ability and volleys, which his fans nicknamed "Papinades" in his honour. In a 17-year career in many of Europe's biggest leagues, he scored nearly 350 goals in over 620 matches.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: In 1996, after their eight-month-old daughter was shown to have serious cerebral lesions, Jean-Pierre and his wife set up an association "Neuf de Coeur" (Nine of Hearts; Papin's shirt number was 9) to help others in that situation and, particularly, to find and apply methods to mentally and physically educate such children.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Born in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1963, Papin was the son of a professional football player, Guy Papin. After his parents divorced, he moved to live with his grandmother in Germont, a French city located near the Belgian border.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: At age 15, Papin started his professional career with Valenciennes, in Northern France, before moving to Club Brugge in Belgium.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin had a very successful first season at Club Brugge, scoring 32 goals in 43 games. Although he only played one season for Club Brugge, he was elected as its greatest ever foreign player by the supporters in 2008.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: At club level, he played for Valenciennes (1984–1985), Club Brugge (1985–1986), Marseille (1986–1992), AC Milan (1992–1994), Bayern Munich (1994–1996), Bordeaux (1996–1998), Guingamp (1998–1999) and Saint-Pierroise (1999–2001).


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: During Papin's hugely successful spell at Marseille, with the Frenchman as striker and skipper Marseille won four French league championships in a row (1989–1992), a league and cup double in 1989 and reached the final of the European Cup in 1991, losing to Red Star Belgrade after on penalties.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: During this period, Papin scored 181 goals in 279 games and was the league's top scorer for five consecutive seasons (from 1988 to 1992). While at Marseille he won the Ballon d'Or, awarded to Europe's top footballer, in 1991.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: In July 1992, Papin joined Italian giants AC Milan for a world record fee of £10 million, and was the first high-profile French player to join the Italian league since Michel Platini. However, he never established himself as a regular first team member with the "rossoneri" due to injuries and adaptation problems. As a foreign player in the Pre-Bosman rule era, Papin also suffered from the three-foreigner rule that made him compete for playing time with other foreign players such as Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Dejan Savićević, Zvonimir Boban, Brian Laudrup, Florin Răducioiu, and Marcel Desailly.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: He entered as a substitute during the 1993 Champions League final in which Milan lost to his former club, Marseille. He won the Champions League in the next year, but did not play in the final. Nevertheless, Papin has kept good memories of his spell in Italy and frequently cites former Milan managers Fabio Capello and Arrigo Sacchi as his models when coaching is concerned.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for £2.1 million, but his first season was once again plagued by injuries. In his second season in Germany he was part of the side that won the UEFA Cup against Bordeaux, a club that Papin would join the following season.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: With Bordeaux, he lost the 1997 Coupe de la Ligue final against Strasbourg. Papin's professional career ended in 1998 with Second Division side Guingamp.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: He was twice linked with clubs in England later in his playing career. First, in March 1994, he was a transfer target for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. Towards the end of his spell with Bordeaux in 1998, he was a target for ambitious Fulham, then a Division Two (third tier) side, and even expressed his desire to sign for the club. However, neither transfer ever happened and Papin finished his career without having spent any time in England.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin finished his career as a player in the amateur club US Cap-Ferret between 2001 and 2004. Then, after five years of managing, he played in another amateur club, AS Facture-Biganos Boïen.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin earned his first cap in a friendly match against Northern Ireland in February 1986 and appeared at the 1986 World Cup. He scored twice in four games: first during France opening game against Canada (1–0) and then during France's victory against Belgium (4–2), helping France finish third.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: While Papin scored an impressive number of goals during his nine-year international career, his record for France is a mixed one. Papin was part of the "cursed generation" of French players that came between the Platini era of the 80's and the 1998 world champions boasting the likes of Zidane, Thuram and Henry. Despite some talented players, the French national team failed to qualify for the 1988 European Championship and for 1990 and 1994 World Cups – the latter after two humiliating defeats on home soil against Israel and Bulgaria.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: The French team did manage to qualify for the Euro 1992 in Sweden, with Papin scoring 9 goals during the qualifying round. However, France fared disappointingly in the final competition and did not make it past the group stage, despite Papin scoring twice.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin has been described as "a fast and lethal striker, who made goal scoring his signature for club and country" and a player who could score in a variety of situation, "from neat, chipped finishes, low drives into the corner, towering headers and, in particular, thumping volleys."


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: In May 2006, Papin took over from Jacky Duguépéroux as the new coach of RC Strasbourg, who were relegated to the Second Division. He had previously been coaching FC Bassin d'Arcachon, an amateur team, and helped them to be promoted from CFA 2 to CFA.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: In 2006–07, he guided Strasbourg back to Ligue 1 with a third-placed finish but came under pressure shortly after the end of the season when internal conflicts at the club surfaced in the press. Several players, including '05 league cup final hero Jean-Christophe Devaux, also openly criticized Papin's methods.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Initially confirmed as manager for the 2007–08 season, he was forced to resign a week later after it was revealed that he had interviewed for the vacant managerial job at RC Lens only hours after his confirmation at Strasbourg. He was replaced by Jean-Marc Furlan, former manager of Troyes, while Lens selected Guy Roux as their new manager. Ironically, Papin eventually became the manager of Lens after the club lost at Strasbourg, as Roux resigned only five games into the 2007–08 season. In the midst of the season, Lens and Papin were fighting to avoid relegation to the Second Division. Lens was also eliminated in the first round of both the UEFA cup and the "Coupe de France" by, respectively, FC Copenhagen (1–1; 1–2) and Second Division side Chamois Niortais (0–1, at home).


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: On 29 December 2009, Châteauroux hired the coach to replace Dominique Bijotat. He left his position in May 2010 and was replaced by Didier Tholot.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: For the 2014–15 season, Papin once again took the managerial position at FC Bassin d'Archachon in Championnat de France Amateur 2.


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: Papin was also iconic in French pop culture because of his caricature in the satirical TV puppet show "Les Guignols de l'Info". At first, Papin was depicted as a rather dumb football player (a common stereotype in France), his only obsession being the many different ways to score goals. When Papin experienced difficulties in Italy, the coverage became more sympathetic, especially with the infamous "Reviens JPP !" song where even God Himself would urge Papin to come back to his home country, because "France needs you !".


title: Jean-Pierre Papin

text: After his daughter, Emily, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant, Papin started running the Neuf de cœur (Nine of Hearts) foundation, which provides support to families affected by the neurological disorder.


title: Fan service

text: , fanservice or , is material in a work of fiction or in a fictional series that is intentionally added to please the audience, often sexual in nature, such as nudity. The term originated in Japanese in the anime and manga fandom, but has been used in other languages and media. It is about "servicing" the fan – giving the fans "exactly what they want." Fan service can also refer (by means of text, symbol, image, sound) to other stories that contain visual elements.


title: Fan service

text: When anime and manga were translated into English by U.S. companies, the original work was often edited to remove some of the fan service, making it more appropriate for U.S. audiences. Mike Tatsugawa explained this change as a result of a difference between cultural values of Japan and the U.S, though this practice has since become less common and poorly regarded by anime fans. In fact, some import licences have little more than fan service as their selling point.


title: Fan service

text: Today, especially outside anime and manga, the term has expanded to hold a wider meaning. This includes any elements, be it visual nods, plot detours or otherwise, that are not needed by the actual plot or character development, but are included as nods to, or pandering to the long-term fans of the material, especially in context of sequels or prequels, or later seasons of series.


title: Fan service

text: The 1952 French film "Manina, la fille sans voiles" (Manina, the Girl Without Sails) was not imported into the United States until 1958 after the success of the film's star, Brigitte Bardot, in that country. In the US, the film was renamed "Manina, the Girl in the Bikini" to highlight the appeal of the star and her revealing outfit (then a matter of controversy), despite her not appearing in the first 40 minutes of the 76 minute film.


title: Fan service

text: Keith Russell regards the beginning of modern fan service as taking place in a permissive context, when "kids were just doing kids' stuff", which he believes allowed authors some latitude in regards to their subject matter. Beginning in the 1970s with "Cutey Honey" and continuing later with other magical girl shows, fan service in manga became more "risqué". By the 1980s, full frontal nudity and shower scenes became standard content for anime and manga fan service. In the West, obscenity laws and rating systems (such as the Comics Code Authority in the United States or the MPAA rating system, which replaced the Hays Code for film ratings) prevent or limit unnecessary displays of nudity in films and comic books. Bikini shots and topless scenes were still popular forms of audience arousal. In the 1983 film "Return of the Jedi", Carrie Fisher portrayed the character of Princess Leia wearing a metal bikini and chains while enslaved to the gangster Jabba the Hutt. This was an attempt to feminize the character and appeal to boys' fantasies. Some critics say that by portraying Leia as the object of desire to a crude monster, the film is reflecting the crude fantasies of its audience.


title: Fan service

text: Long shots of robots in mecha shows, sexual elements, violent episode-long fight scenes and emphasis on shipping can all be considered fan service as they are specifically aimed at pleasing the fans of any given show. Christian McCrea feels that Gainax is particularly good at addressing otaku through fan service by adding many "meta-references" and by showing "violence and hyperphysical activity". Baseball teams provide events that are described in Japan as fan service, such as dance shows, singing the team song or a performance by the team mascot.


title: Fan service

text: The typical, but not only, variety of fan service in anime or manga is racy, sexual or erotic content, such as nudity and other forms of eye candy (for example, maid costumes). Fan service is especially common in shounen manga (aimed at boys). In shounen manga, pin-up girl style images are common "in varying states of undress", often using an "accidental exposure" excuse to show a favourite female character or an upskirt "glimpse of a character's panties". Series aimed at an older audience include more explicit fan service. Jiggling breasts, known as the "Gainax bounce", are an example of fan service, created as a way to make a scene of the "Daicon IV" opening video a bit more "H". The "bounce" was taken up by other animators, including the creators of the hentai series "Cream Lemon". Shower scenes are very common in movies and in anime of the 1980s and 1990s, whereas many more recent TV series use trips to onsen (Japanese hot springs) or trips to tropical locales (or in some cases a swimming pool) in order to showcase the characters in bathing suits. Series aimed at males can also include fan service for women, as an attempt to court a wider audience.


title: Fan service

text: Keith Russell defines fan service as "the random and gratuitous display of a series of anticipated gestures common in Manga and Anime. These gestures include such things as panty shots, leg spreads and glimpses of breast". Russell regards fan service as being an aesthetic of the transient "glimpse", which he contrasts with the gaze, as it takes the mind unaware and open to "libidinous possibility" without mediation. He considers the fan service object to be reassuring in its unrealistic nature and to be confirming the "freedom of desire".


title: Fan service

text: Shoujo manga, aimed at female readers, also includes fan service, such as showing male characters "half-naked and in enticing poses". Robin Brenner notes that in the US comics culture, fan service aimed at women is rare, and also that in Japan, series can be famous for their fan service content. Chris Beveridge explains this mindset with "Agent Aika": "There's some sort of plot in there, but that's not the reason you're watching it. ... we're watching this for the sheer amount of fanservice." Male homoeroticism, such as accidental kisses, is a common feature of fan service for women and has been described as "easier to get away with" in terms of censorship than fan service for males. In the Boys' Love genre, fan service is "artwork or scenes" in products that "depict canonical characters in a homosocial / homoerotic context". Shoujo manga series may eroticise its female leads as well for crossover appeal, as fan service aimed at a potential male audience.


title: Fan service

text: Brenner notes that fan service can be offputting to teen readers, as in a male reading shoujo manga or a female reading shounen manga and that in general fan service is more criticised when it features a female character. She cites "Tenjo Tenge" as an example of a fan service–laden series. When the series was localised, a large amount of this fan service was removed, leading to outcry from fans.


title: Jagdtiger

text: The Jagdtiger ("Hunting Tiger"; officially designated Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf. B) is a German casemate-type heavy tank destroyer ("Jagdpanzer") of World War II. It was built upon the slightly lengthened chassis of a Tiger II. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 186.


title: Jagdtiger

text: The 71-tonne "Jagdtiger" was the heaviest armored fighting vehicle (AFV) used operationally by any nation in WWII and the heaviest combat vehicle of any type to be produced during the conflict. it was armed with a 128 mm Pak 44 L/55 main gun which could out-range and defeat any AFV fielded by the Allied forces.


title: Jagdtiger

text: It saw brief service in small numbers from late 1944 until the end of the war on both the Western and Eastern Front. Although 150 were ordered, only around 80 were produced. Due to an excessive weight and an underpowered drivetrain system, the "Jagdtiger" was plagued with mobility and mechanical problems. Three "Jagdtigers" survive in museums.


title: Jagdtiger

text: With the success of the StuG III, Marder I, Marder II, and Marder III , the military leadership of Nazi Germany decided to use the chassis of existing armored fighting vehicles as the basis for self-propelled guns (serving as assault guns and tank destroyers). German tank destroyers of World War II used fixed casemates instead of fully rotatable turrets to significantly reduce the cost, weight, and materials necessary for mounting large-caliber guns.


title: Jagdtiger

text: In early 1942, a request was made by the Army General Staff to mount a 128 mm gun on a self-propelled armored chassis. Firing tests of the 128 mm gun showed it to have a high percentage of hits; smaller caliber guns, such as the ubiquitous 88 mm and the slightly larger 105 mm, were also tested.


title: Jagdtiger

text: By early 1943, a decision was made to install a 128 mm gun on either a Panther or Tiger I chassis as a heavy assault gun. The Panther chassis was considered unsuitable after a wooden mockup of the design was constructed. On 20 October 1943, another wooden mockup was constructed on a Tiger II heavy tank chassis, and presented to Hitler in East Prussia. Two prototypes were produced: One was a version fitted with the eight-roadwheel Porsche suspension system (serial number 305001) and another version was equipped with the Henschel nine-overlapping roadwheel suspension system (serial number 305002), as used on the main-production Tiger IIs constructed by Henschel. They were completed in February 1944. It was originally designated as " VI" but was later renamed as the and received the Sd.Kfz. 186 designation as its inventory ordnance number.


title: Jagdtiger

text: The was a logical extension of the creation of designs from tank designs, such as the or the from the Panzer IV and Panther tanks respectively, with a fully armored and enclosed casemate-style fighting compartment. The used a boxy superstructure, with its sides integral with the hull sides, on top of a lengthened Tiger II chassis. Unlike the , the 's casemate design did not extend its glacis plate upwards in one piece to the full height of the casemate's "roof" – it used a separate forward plate to form its casemate structure atop the hull roof, and mount its anti-tank gun. The resulting vehicle featured very heavy armor. It had armor on the front of the casemate and on the glacis plate. The main gun mount had a limited traverse of only 10 degrees; the entire vehicle had to be turned to aim outside that narrow field of fire.


title: Jagdtiger

text: The suffered from a variety of mechanical and technical problems due to its immense weight and under-powered engine. The vehicle had frequent breakdowns; ultimately more were lost to mechanical problems or lack of fuel than to enemy action.


title: Jagdtiger

text: One hundred and fifty were initially ordered but only between 70 and 85 were produced at the Nibelungenwerk at St. Valentin, from July 1944 to May 1945. Eleven of them, serial numbers 305001 and 305003 to 305012, were produced with the Porsche suspension (with eight road wheels per side); all the rest used the Henschel suspension with nine road wheels per side.


title: Jagdtiger

text: Important parts such as the tub, superstructure and drive wheels were supplied by the . Details and production locations were known to the Allies through the resistance group around the later executed priest Heinrich Maier. Prisoners from the St. Valentin concentration camp were used to build the tank.


title: Jagdtiger

text: Production figures vary depending on source and other factors such as if prototypes are included and if those made after VE day are included: approximately 48 from July 1944 to the end of December 1944; 36 from January to April 1945, serial numbers from 305001 to 305088.


title: Jagdtiger

text: Only two heavy anti-tank battalions (), numbered the 512th and 653rd, were equipped with , with the first vehicles reaching the units in September 1944. About 20% were lost in combat, with most destroyed by their crews when abandoned because of breakdowns or lack of fuel.


title: Jagdtiger

text: The gun used two-part ammunition, which meant that the main projectile and the cased propellant-charge were loaded into the breech separately. Two loaders were tasked with this work, one for each type.


title: Jagdtiger

text: Tiger I tank ace Otto Carius commanded the second of three companies of in  512. His postwar memoir "Tigers in the Mud" provides a history of the 10 under his command. He said the were not utilized to their potential due to factors including Allied air supremacy making it difficult to maneuver and the heavy gun needing to be re-calibrated after travelling off-road even short distances. The vehicle was slow, having the same engine as the already-underpowered Tiger I and Tiger II. The vehicles' transmissions and differentials broke down easily because the whole 72-tonne vehicle needed to rotate for the gun's traverse. The enormous 128 mm main-gun had to be locked down during the vehicle's maneuvers, otherwise its mounting-brackets would wear out too much for accurate firing afterwards. This meant a crew-member had to exit the vehicle in combat and unlock the gun from its frontally mounted gun travel-lock before firing. Carius recorded that, in combat, a 128 mm projectile went through the walls of a house and destroyed an American tank behind it.


title: Jagdtiger

text: Insufficient training of vehicle crews and their poor morale during the last stage of the war were the biggest problems for crewmen under Carius's command. At the Ruhr Pocket, two commanders failed to attack an American armored column about away in broad daylight for fear of attracting an Allied air attack, even though the were well-camouflaged. Both vehicles broke down while hurriedly withdrawing through fear of the supposed air attack that did not materialize and one was then subsequently destroyed by its crew. To prevent such a disaster, at Siegen, Carius himself dug in his command vehicle on high ground. An approaching American armored column avoided his ambush because nearby German civilians warned them of it. Later, one of his vehicles fell into a bomb crater at night and was disabled while another was lost to a attack by friendly militia troops who had never seen a before and mistook it for an Allied vehicle.


title: Jagdtiger

text: The first lost in combat was during the failed Operation Nordwind offensive in France in 1945. Despite its heavy armour, this was lost to American infantry using a bazooka, which at the time was considered ineffective against such a massive vehicle.


title: Jagdtiger

text: Near Unna, one climbed a hill to attack five American tanks 600 meters away, leading to two withdrawing and the other three opening fire. The took several hits but none of the American projectiles could penetrate the thick frontal armor of the vehicle's casemate. However, the inexperienced German commander lost his nerve and turned around instead of backing down, thus exposing the thinner side armor, which was penetrated and all six crew members killed. Carius wrote that the crews were not trained or experienced enough to keep their thick frontal armour facing the enemy in combat.