title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 30 September 1983, Begum Khaleda Zia led the first major public rally in front of the party office and was hailed by the party workers. On 28 November 1983, she took part in the "gherao movement" (encircling) of the Secretariat building at Dhaka along with the alliance leaders, which was quelled by Ershad's ruthless police force and she was put under house arrest on the same day.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Due to the deteriorating health conditions, Justice Abdus Sattar resigned from the position of BNP chief on 13 January 1984 and was replaced by Begum Khaleda Zia who was then the Senior Vice President of the party. In May 1984, she was elected as the Chairperson of the party in a council by the councilors.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: After assuming the position of party chief, Khaleda Zia spearheaded the movement against Ershad. In 1984, along with other parties, she declared 6 February as the 'Demand Day' and 14 February as 'Protest Day'. Country-wide rallies were organized on those days and activists of the movement died on the streets fighting the ruthless police force loyal to President Ershad.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: The 7-party alliance held a countrywide 'Mass Resistance Day' on 9 July 1984, In support of their demand for the immediate withdrawal of Martial Law, the opposition forces called the countrywide gherao and demonstrations from 16–20 September and a full day hartal on 27 September of 1984.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: The protests continued in 1985 as well and as a result, in March of the same year Ershad-led government tightened the grip of martial law and put Begum Khaleda Zia under house arrest.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: To divert the political pressure, Lt. General Ershad declared a date for a fresh election in 1986. Initially, the two major opposition alliances, '7 party alliance' led by BNP and '15 party alliance' led by Awami League discussed the possibilities of participating in the election forming a greater election alliance to catch Ershad off the guard. But Awami League refused to form any election alliance and Sheikh Hasina in a public rally declared anyone who would join the election under Ershad would be a 'national traitors', on 19 March 1986.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: However, Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, along with Communist Party of Bangladesh and six other parties, joined the election under Ershad, resulting in the split between the 15 party alliance, On the other hand, Begum Khaleda Zia uncompromisingly declared the election illegal and urged people to resist the election.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: The government of Ershad put her under house arrest on the eve of the election while Awami League, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Communist Party of Bangladesh and other smaller parties took part in the election only to lose to the Jatiya Party of Ershad.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Begum Khaleda Zia's uncompromising attitude and her defiance to the military dictatorship made an image of an "Uncompromising leader" in the eyes of people. Dr Gowher Rizvi in his analysis wrote:


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Later in that year, on the eve of 1986 Bangladeshi presidential election, Khaleda Zia was put under house arrest once again.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Khaleda Zia was put under house arrest multiple times from 1986 to 1990 by Ershad's military government.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 13 October 1986, she was put under house arrest right before the 1986 Bangladeshi presidential election and was released only after the election. She took the lead on her release and initiated a fresh movement with a view to deposing Ershad. She called a half-day strike on 10 November of the same year only to be put under house arrest again.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 24 January 1987, when Sheikh Hasina joined the parliament session with other Awami League leaders, Khaleda Zia was on the street demanding the dissolution of the parliament. She called for a mass rally in Dhaka which turned violent and top leaders of BNP were arrested. After that, a series of strikes were organized by 7 party alliance led by Khaleda Zia from February to July 1987. On 22 October of the year, Khaleda Zia's BNP in collaboration with Sheikh Hasina's Awami League declared "Dhaka Seize" programme on 10 November to overthrow Ershad.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: As a countermeasure, Ershad's government rounded up thousands of political leaders and activists, but on the day of seizing there were complete chaos on the streets and dozens died. The government of Ershad put Khaleda Zia under house arrest after detaining her from Purbani Hotel, from where she was coordinating the movement. On 11 December 1987, Khaleda was set free but she immediately held a press conference and claimed that she was "prepared to die" to depose the dictator.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: After the eventful 1987, two following years went relatively calm with sporadic violence. A fresh wave of movements started when BNP's student wing Chatra Dal started winning most of the student union elections across the country. By 1990, Chatra Dal took control of 270 out of 321 student unions of the country, riding on the popularity of Khaleda Zia. They also won all the posts of Dhaka University Central Students' Union in 1990. The new committee of DUCSU led by Amanullah Aman declared fresh programmes to overthrow Ershad in line with BNP's programmes. On 10 October 1990, in a violent turn of events Chatra Dal leader Naziruddin Jehad died on the street of Dhaka that paved the way for a greater alliance between all the opposition forces.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: After two-month-long protests, BNP led by Begum Khaleda Zia, along with other political parties, compelled Ershad to offer his resignation on 4 December 1990.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Begum Khaleda Zia served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for three times. Her first term was from March 1991 to February 1996, second term lasted for a few weeks after February 1996 and third term was from October 2001 to October 2006. She is particularly remembered for her role in making education accessible and introducing some key economic reforms.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: A neutral caretaker government in Bangladesh oversaw elections on 27 February 1991 following eight years of Ershad presidency. BNP won 140 seats - 11 short of simple majority. Zia was sworn in as the country's first female prime minister on 20 March 1991 with the support of a majority of the deputies in parliament. With a unanimous vote, the parliament passed the 12th amendment to the constitution in August 1991. The acting president Shahabuddin Ahmed granted Zia nearly all of the powers that were vested in the president at the time, effectively returning Bangladesh to a parliamentary system in September.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: When Begum Khaleda Zia took charge in 1991, Bangladeshi children's average schooling years was around two years and for every three boys there was one girl studying in the same classroom. Begum Khaleda Zia promoted education and vocational training very aggressively. Her government made primary education free and mandatory for all. And for girls, the education was made free till 10th grade.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: To fund the implementation of new reforms and policies, in 1994 the allocation of budget in education sector was increased by 60% and received the highest allocation among other sectors.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: In 1990, only 31.73% students passed in the SSC examination and the rate was 30.11% for female. In 1995, thanks to her policies, 73.2% students passed the SSC examination and among the female students, 71.58% passed.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Some of the major economic reforms marked the first Khaleda Zia government that included the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT), formulation of Bank Company Act in 1991 and Financial Institutions Act in 1993, and the establishment of privatization board in 1993. Besides, Bangladesh signed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1993.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: The first Khaleda Zia government, to address popular demand, passed a law to allow the mayors of city corporations to be elected directly by the voters. Before that the elected ward councilors of each ward of the city corporation used to elect the mayor of the city.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia's administration abolished the Upazila system in November 1991. It formed the Local Government Structure Review Commission, which recommended a two-tier system of local government, district and union councils. Also the Thana Development and Coordination Committee was formed to coordinate development activities at the thana level.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: When the opposition boycotted the 15 February 1996 election, Zia's party BNP had a landslide victory in the 6th Jatiya Sangshad. Other major parties demanded a neutral caretaker government to be appointed to oversee the elections. The short-lived parliament hastily introduced the caretaker government by passing the 13th amendment to the constitution. The parliament was dissolved to pave the way for parliamentary elections within 90 days.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: In the 12 June 1996 elections, BNP lost to Sheikh Hasina's Awami League. Winning 116 seats, BNP emerged as the largest opposition party in the country's parliamentary history.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: The BNP formed a four-party alliance on 6 January 1999 to increase its chances to return to power in the next general elections. These included its former political foe the Jatiya Party, founded by President Ershad after he led a military government, and the Islamic parties of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and the Islami Oikya Jot. It encouraged protests against the ruling Awami League.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Many residents strongly criticized Zia and BNP for allying with Jamaat-e-Islami, which had opposed the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. The four-party alliance participated in the 1 October 2001 general elections, winning two-thirds of the seats in parliament and 46% of the vote (compared to the principal opposition party's 40%). Zia was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: She worked on a 100-day programme to fulfill most of her election pledges to the nation. During this term, the share of domestic resources in economic development efforts grew. Bangladesh began to attract a higher level of international investment for development of the country's infrastructure, energy resources and businesses, including from the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Restoration of law and order was an achievement during the period.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia promoted neighbourly relations in her foreign policy. In her "look-east policy," she worked to bolster regional cooperation in South Asia and adherence to the UN Charter of Human Rights. She negotiated settlement of international disputes, and renounced the use of force in international relations. Bangladesh began to participate in United Nations international peacekeeping efforts. In 2006, "Forbes" magazine featured her administration in a major story praising her achievements. Her government worked to educate young girls (nearly 70% of Bangladeshi women were illiterate) and distribute food to the poor (half of Bangladesh's 135 million people live below the poverty line). Her government promoted strong GDP growth (5%) based on economic reforms and support of an entrepreneurial culture.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: When Zia became prime minister for the third time, the GDP growth rate of Bangladesh remained above 6 percent. The Bangladesh per capita national income rose to 482 dollars. Foreign exchange reserve of Bangladesh had crossed 3 billion dollars from the previous 1 billion dollars. The foreign direct investments of Bangladesh had risen to 2.5 billion dollars. The industrial sector of the GDP had exceeded 17 percent at the end of Zia's office.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 29 October 2006, Zia's term in office ended. In accordance with the constitution, a caretaker government would manage in the 90-day interim before general elections. On the eve of the last day, rioting broke out on the streets of central Dhaka due to uncertainty over who would become Chief Advisor (head of the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh). Under the constitution, the immediate past Chief Justice was to be appointed. But, Chief Justice Khondokar Mahmud Hasan (K M Hasan) declined the position. President Iajuddin Ahmed, as provided for in the constitution, assumed power as Chief Advisor on 29 October 2006. He tried to arrange elections and bring all political parties to the table during months of violence; 40 people were killed and hundreds injured in the first month after the government's resignation in November 2006.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Mukhlesur Rahman Chowdhury, the presidential advisor, met with Zia and Sheikh Hasina, and other political parties to try to resolve issues and schedule elections. Negotiations continued against a backdrop of political bickering, protests and polarisation that threatened the economy. Officially on 26 December 2006, all political parties joined the planned 22 January 2007 elections. The Awami League pulled out at the last minute, and in January the military intervened to back the caretaker government for a longer interim period. It held power until holding general elections in December 2008.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Talks in China related to trade and prospective Chinese investment in Bangladesh, particularly the issue of financing Padma Bridge. At the beginning of 2012, the World Bank, a major prospective financier, had withdrawn, accusing of graft. The BNP announced that the Chinese funding for a second Padma Bridge was confirmed during her visit.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia's India visit was considered notable as BNP had been considered to have been anti-India compared to its rival Awami League. At her meeting with Prime Minister Singh, Zia said her party wanted to work with India for mutual benefit, including the fight against extremism. Indian officials announced they had come to agreement with her to pursue a common geopolitical doctrine in the greater region to discourage terrorists.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Former Bangladesh Bank governor Fakhruddin Ahmed became the Chief Adviser to the interim caretaker government on 12 January 2007. In March, Zia's eldest son, Tarique Rahman, was arrested for corruption. Enforcing the suppression of political activity under the state of emergency, from 9 April, the government barred politicians from visiting Zia's residence. Her other son, Arafat Rahman (Coco), was arrested for corruption on 16 April. On 17 April, The Daily Star reported that Zia had agreed to go into exile with Arafat. Her family said, the Saudi Arabian government reportedly declined to allow her into the kingdom - apparently because "it was reluctant to take in an unwilling guest". Based on an appeal, on 22 April the High Court issued a ruling for the government to explain that she was not confined to her house. On 25 April, the government lifted restrictions on both Zia and Sheikh Hasina. On 7 May, the High Court ordered the government to explain continuing restrictions on Zia.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 17 July, the Anti Corruption Commission Bangladesh (ACC) sent notices to both Zia and Hasina, requesting that details of their assets be submitted to the commission within one week. Zia was asked to appear in court on 27 September in connection with a case for not submitting service returns for Daily Dinkal Publications Limited for years. On 2 September, the government filed charges of corruption against Zia related to the awarding of contracts to Global Agro Trade Company in 2003. She was arrested on 3 September. She was detained in a makeshift prison on the parliament building premises. On the same day, Zia expelled her party Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Joint Secretary General Whip Ashraf Hossain for breaching party discipline.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: BNP standing committee members chose former Minister of Finance Saifur Rahman and former Minister of Water Resources Hafizuddin Ahmed to lead the party. Bangladesh Election Commission subsequently invited Hafizuddin's faction, rather than Zia's, to participate in talks, effectively recognizing the former as the legitimate BNP. Zia challenged this in court, but her appeal was rejected on 10 April 2008.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: In December 2008, the caretaker government organized general elections where Zia's party lost to the Awami League and its Grand Alliance (with 13 smaller parties) which took a two-thirds majority of seats in the parliament. Sheikh Hasina became the prime minister, and her party formed government in early 2009. Zia became the opposition leader of the parliament.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia's family had been living for 38 years in the 2.72-acre plot house at 6 Shaheed Mainul Road house in Dhaka Cantonment. It was the official residence of her husband, Ziaur Rahman, when he was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS) of the Bangladesh Army. After he became the President of Bangladesh, he kept the house as his residence. Following his assassination in 1981, the acting President Abdus Sattar, leased the house "for life" to Zia, for a nominal ৳101. When the army took over the government in 1983, Hussain Mohammad Ershad confirmed this arrangement.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 20 April 2009, the Directorate of Military Lands and Cantonments handed a notice asking Zia to vacate the cantonment residence. Several allegations and irregularities mentioned in the notice - first, Zia had been carrying out political activities from the house – which went against a condition of the allotment; second, one cannot get allotment of two government houses in the capital; third, a civilian cannot get a resident lease within a cantonment. Zia vacated the house on 13 November 2010. She then moved to the residence of her brother, Sayeed Iskandar, at the Gulshan neighborhood.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia's party took a stance on not participating in the 2014 Bangladeshi general election unless it was administered under a nonpartisan caretaker government, but the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina rejected the demand. The Bangladesh Awami League, led by Hasina, won the election in 232 seats (out of 300). The official counts from Dhaka suggested that the turnout here averaged about 22 percent.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: In 2016, BNP announced its new National Standing Committee, in which Zia retained her position as the chairperson.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 3 July 2008, during the 2007–08 caretaker government rule, ACC had filed a graft case, accusing Zia and five others of misappropriating over Tk 2.1 crore that had come from a foreign bank as grants for orphans. According to the case, on 9 June 1991, $1.255M (Tk 4.45 crore) grant was transferred from United Saudi Commercial Bank to "Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund" - a fund that was created by then Prime Minister Zia shortly before the transfer of the grant as part of the embezzlement scheme. On 5 September 1993, she issued a Tk 2.33 crore cheque from the "Prime Minister's Orphanage Fund" to the "Zia Orphanage Trust" on the pretext of building an orphanage in Bogra. By April 2006, the deposited amount grew to Tk 3.37 crore with accrued interest. In April, June and July 2006, some of the money was transferred to bank accounts of three other accused – Salimul, Mominur and Sharfuddin – through different transactions. On 15 February 2007, Tk 2.10 crore was withdrawn through pay orders from two of the FDR accounts. Zia was accused of misappropriating that money by transferring the amount from a public fund to a private one.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 8 February 2018, during the Awami League government rule, Zia was sentenced to prison for five years in that corruption case. Mobile phone jammers were installed at Bakshibazar court premises ahead of the verdict. Her party claimed that the verdict was politically biased. Zia was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after the verdict. She was imprisoned as the sole inmate at the jail since all the inmates had been transferred to the newly built Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj in 2016. On 11 February 2018, Dhaka Special Judge's Court 5 directed the authorities of Dhaka Central Jail to provide first class division to Zia. On 31 October 2018, the High Court raised her jail term to 10 years after ACC pleaded for a revision.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 30 October 2018, in another case, "Zia Charitable Trust Graft Case", Zia was sentenced to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment. Khaleda is also accused in other 32 cases including "Gatco Graft Case", "Niko Graft Case", "Barapukuria Coalmine Graft Case", "Darussalam Police Station Cases", "Jatrabari Police Station Cases", "Sedition Case", "Bomb Attack on Shipping Minister Case", "Khulna Arson Case", "Comilla Arson Case", "Celebrating Fake Birthday Case", "Undermining National Flag Case" and "Loan Default Case".


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia's nomination papers to contest for Feni-1, Bogra-6 and Bogra-7 constituencies at the 2018 general election were rejected. She was not able to contest because according to article 66 (2) (d) of the constitution, "a person shall be disqualified for election as, or for being, a member of parliament who has been, on conviction for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude, sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years, unless a period of five years has elapsed since his/her release". Her party lost that general election to Awami League.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University for medical treatment on 1 April 2019. The High Court and the Supreme Court rejected her bail plea on humanitarian grounds a total four times.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: On 25 March 2020, Zia was released from prison for six months, conditioned she would stay at her home in Gulshan and not leave the country. The government issued this executive decision as per section 401 (1) of the Criminal Code of Procedure (CrPC). As of November 2021, the term of her release has so far been extended four times.


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia has been suffering from chronic kidney conditions, decompensated liver diseases, unstable haemoglobin, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other age-related complications. In April 2021, several staff members in Zia's home tested positive for COVID-19. Zia also found to have contracted the virus but she exhibited no symptoms and recovered later. On 28 November, the medical board formed for Zia's treatment announced that she had been suffering from liver cirrhosis. Plea for allowing to fly abroad for medical care has been denied by the court. Zia underwent treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka during 27 April–19 June 2021, 12 October–3 November 2021 and again since 14 November 2021. On 9 January 2022, Zia was transferred from critical care unit (CCU).


title: Khaleda Zia

text: Zia claims 15 August as her birthday, which is a matter of controversy in Bangladesh politics. 15 August is the day many immediate family members of Zia's political rival, Sheikh Hasina, including her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were killed. As a result of the deaths, 15 August is officially declared National Mourning Day of Bangladesh. None of Zia's government issued identification documents show her birthday on 15 August. Khaleda Zia's father claimed that his daughter's date of birth is 5 September 1945. Her matriculation examination certificate lists a birth date of 9 August 1945. Her marriage certificate lists 5 September 1945. Zia's passport indicates a birth date of 19 August 1945. Kader Siddiqui, a political ally of Zia, urged her not to celebrate her birthday on 15 August. The High Court filed a petition against Zia on this issue.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Frederick Robert Williamson (born March 5, 1938), also known as The Hammer, is an American actor and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s. Williamson is perhaps best known for his film career, starring as Tommy Gibbs in the 1973 crime drama film "Black Caesar" and its sequel "Hell Up in Harlem". Williamson also had other notable roles in other 1970s blaxploitation films such as "Hammer" (1972), "That Man Bolt" (1973) and "Three the Hard Way" (1974).


title: Fred Williamson

text: Born in Gary, Indiana, Williamson was the oldest child born to Frank, a welder and Lydia Williamson. Williamson attended Froebel High School, where he ran track and played football. He graduated in 1956. After high school, Williamson left Gary for Evanston, Illinois to attend Northwestern University on a football scholarship.


title: Fred Williamson

text: After playing college football for Northwestern in the late 1950s, Williamson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers. When during training camp he was switched to their defense, his attitude over the switch prompted him to play his position with too much aggression, and the coach of the 49ers asked him to quit "hammering" his players. Thus, "The Hammer" quickly stuck and became his nickname.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Williamson played one year for the Steelers in the National Football League in 1960. Next, he moved to the new American Football League. Williamson played four seasons for the AFL's Oakland Raiders, making the AFL All-Star team in 1961, 1962, and 1963. He also played three seasons for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs. During his period of playing for the Chiefs, Williamson became one of football's first self-promoters, nurturing the nickname "The Hammer" because he used his forearm to deliver karate-style blows to the heads of opposing players, especially wide receivers. Before Super Bowl I, Williamson garnered national headlines by boasting that he would knock the Green Bay Packers starting receivers, Carroll Dale and Boyd Dowler, out of the game. He stated "Two hammers to Dowler, one to Dale should be enough".


title: Fred Williamson

text: His prediction turned out to be an ironic one because "they "(Green Bay)" broke the hammer" as Williamson himself was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter on the way to a 35–10 defeat. Williamson's head met the knee of the Packers' running back Donny Anderson. Williamson later suffered a broken arm from his own teammate when Chiefs linebacker Sherrill Headrick fell on him. Williamson finished his eight-season pro football career in 1967 with a history of many hard tackles, passes knocked away, and 36 pass interceptions in 104 games. Williamson returned his interceptions for 479 yards and two touchdowns. After signing with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League during the 1968 season, but not having played in a league game, Williamson retired.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Williamson became an actor much in the mold of star running back Jim Brown. He acted alongside Brown in films such as "Three the Hard Way" (1974), "Take a Hard Ride" (1975), "One Down, Two to Go" (1982), "Original Gangstas" (1996) and "On the Edge" (2002). Williamson also guest starred with Brown in various television roles. In October 1973, Williamson posed nude for "Playgirl" magazine, preempting Brown's appearance in 1974. Williamson's early television roles included a role in the original "" episode "The Cloud Minders" (1969), in which he played Anka. He also played Diahann Carroll's love interest in the sitcom "Julia". In an interview for the DVD of "Bronx Warriors", Williamson stated that his role in "Julia" was created for him when he convinced the producers that the Black community was upset that Julia had a different boyfriend every week.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Williamson's early film work included roles in "M*A*S*H" (1970) and "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon" (1970). He portrayed an escaped slave who flees westward in "The Legend of Nigger Charley" (1972). He played the role of an African-American gangster in the film "Black Caesar" (1973) and its subsequent sequel, "Hell Up in Harlem" (also 1973). Williamson also starred in the 1975 western film "Boss Nigger", in which he played the title role. After this he appeared as an actor in several films, most of which are considered to be of the "blaxploitation" genre. Williamson starred alongside Peter Boyle and Eli Wallach in the movie "Crazy Joe" (1974). In 1974, Williamson was selected by the ABC television network as a commentator on "Monday Night Football" to replace Don Meredith, who had left to pursue an acting and broadcasting career at rival network NBC. Williamson was used on a few pre-season broadcasts, but was quickly declared unsuitable by ABC. He was relieved of his duties at the beginning of the regular season, becoming the first "MNF" personality not to endure for an entire season. He was replaced by the fellow former player (and fellow Gary, Indiana, native) Alex Karras.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Williamson co-starred in the short-lived series "Half Nelson" (1985). During the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, Williamson frequently appeared on television as a spokesman for King Cobra malt liquor ("Don't let the smooth taste fool you."), as did fellow actor/martial artist Martin Kove. In 1994, Williamson, along with many other black actors from the 'Blaxploitation' movie era (namely Antonio Fargas, Pam Grier, Rudy Ray Moore, and Ron O'Neal) made a cameo appearance on Snoop Doggy Dogg's music video "Doggy Dogg World", where he appears as himself using his pro-football nickname "The Hammer". Williamson co-starred with George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino in "From Dusk till Dawn" (1996), directed by Robert Rodriguez. He was in the cast of the original "The Inglorious Bastards" (1978), which would later inspire Tarantino's 2009 film of similar name.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Williamson has continued his career as an actor and director into the 21st Century, appearing in the reboot film "Starsky & Hutch" (2004) derived from the 1970s television series.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Since the 1970s, Williamson has had another career as a director and producer. His first film as producer was "Boss Nigger" (1975), in which he also starred. His second film as producer was with "Mean Johnny Barrows" (1976), a predecessor of the "Rambo" films which similarly featured a violent Vietnam Vet plot (though the novel "First Blood" on which the film "First Blood" was based was written in 1972). He has since directed over 20 features. In the middle of the 1970s, Williamson relocated to Rome, Italy and formed his own company Po' Boy Productions, which started to produce actioners including "Adios Amigo" (1976) and "Death Journey" (1976), both of which starred and were directed by Williamson. Although his most recent efforts as director and producer have mainly been direct-to-video, Williamson remains an active film maker.


title: Fred Williamson

text: Williamson has been married twice. His first marriage was to Ginette Lavonda from 1960 until 1967. Williamson has been married to Linda Williamson since 1988. Williamson has at least three children but some sources state he has at least six. Williamson has black belts in Kenpō, Shotokan karate and taekwondo. Since 1997, Williamson has had a home in Palm Springs, California.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Robert Roy MacGregor (; 7 March 1671 – 28 December 1734) was a Scottish outlaw, who later became a folk hero.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Rob Roy was born in the Kingdom of Scotland at Glengyle, at the head of Loch Katrine, as recorded in the baptismal register of Buchanan, Stirling. His parents were the local Clan MacGregor Tacksman, Donald Glas MacGregor, and Margaret Campbell. He was also descended from the Clan MacDonald of Keppoch through his paternal grandmother.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: In January 1693, at Corrie Arklet farm near Inversnaid, he married Mary MacGregor of Comar (1671–1745), who was born at Leny Farm, Strathyre. The couple had four sons: James Mor MacGregor (1695–1754), Ranald (1706–1786), Coll (died 1735) and Robert (1715–1754)—known as Robìn Òig or Young Rob. It has been argued that they also adopted a cousin named Duncan, but this is not certain.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Along with many Highland clansmen, at the age of eighteen Rob Roy MacGregor together with his father joined the Jacobite rising of 1689 led by John Graham, 1st Viscount Dundee and Sir Ewen Cameron of Lochiel, to support the Stuart King James VII, whose flight from Britain had been declared by Parliament to be an abdication, following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Although victorious in initial battles, Dundee was killed at the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689, deflating the rebellion. MacGregor's father was taken to jail, where he was held on high treason charges for two years. MacGregor's mother Margaret's health failed during Donald's time in prison. By the time Donald was finally released, his wife was dead.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Like many other Scottish clan chiefs during the 17th and 18th centuries, MacGregor operated an extralegal Watch over the cattle herds of the Lowland gentry in return for protection money, which was used to feed the families of his tenants and clansmen. Any cattle that were stolen from herds under his Watch were either retrieved or paid for in full.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: MacGregor became a respected cattleman—this was a time when cattle raiding and selling protection against theft were commonplace means of earning a living. MacGregor borrowed a large sum to increase his own cattle herd, but owing to the disappearance of his chief herder, who was entrusted with the money, MacGregor defaulted on his loan.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: As a result, he was branded an outlaw, and his wife and family were evicted from their house at Inversnaid, which was then burned down. After his principal creditor, James Graham, 1st Duke of Montrose, seized his lands, MacGregor waged a private blood feud against the Duke, both raiding his cattle and robbing his rents.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Another version of this series of events states that MacGregor's estates of Craigrostan and Ardess were forfeited for his part in the Jacobite rising of 1715. The Duke of Montrose acquired the property in 1720 by open purchase from the Commissioners of Enquiry.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: In 1716, MacGregor moved to Glen Shira for a short time and lived under the protection of John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, also known as Red John of the Battles, "Iain Ruaidh nan Cath". Argyll negotiated an amnesty and protection for Rob and granted him permission to build a house in the Glen for the surrendering up of weapons. "Traditionally the story goes that Argyll only received a large cache of rusty old weapons." A sporran and dirk handle which belonged to Rob Roy can still be seen at Inveraray Castle. Rob Roy only used this house occasionally for the next three or four years.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: In July 1717, MacGregor and the whole of the Clan Gregor were specifically excluded from the benefits of the Indemnity Act 1717 which had the effect of pardoning all others who took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: MacGregor participated in the Battle of Glen Shiel in 1719, in which a British Government army with allied Highlanders defeated a force of Jacobite Scots supported by the Spanish. Two of the Jacobite commanders, Lord George Murray and the 5th Earl of Seaforth, were badly wounded. Some accounts claim that Rob Roy himself was wounded, but the actual text of Ormonde's account of the battle provides no evidence for this claim. Instead, it states that Seaforth was wounded: "Finding himself hard-pressed, Lord Seaforth sent for further support. A reinforcement under Rob Roy went to his aid, but before it reached him the greater part of his men had given way, and he himself had been severely wounded in the arm."


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Sometime around 1720 and after the heat of MacGregor’s involvement at the Battle of Glen Shiel had died down, Rob Roy moved to Monachyle Tuarach by Loch Doine. Sometime before 1722, he finally moved to Inverlochlarig Beag on the Braes of Balquhidder.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: MacGregor's feud against the Duke of Montrose continued until 1722, when he was forced to surrender. Later imprisoned, he was finally pardoned in 1727. He died in his house at Inverlochlarig Beg, Balquhidder, on 28 December 1734, aged 63.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: K. Macleay, M.D., in "Historical Memoirs of Rob Roy and the Clan MacGregor" quotes, "but he had taken the resolution of becoming a Roman Catholic, and he accordingly left the lonely residence we have described, and returning to Perthshire, went to a Mr. Alexander Drummond, an old priest of that faith, who resided at Drummond Castle." Macleay takes the view that Rob did this out of sorrow for his crimes.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Glengyle House, on the shore of Loch Katrine, dates back to the early 18th century, with a porch dated to 1707, and is built on the site of the 17th century stone cottage where Rob Roy is said to have been born. Since the 1930s, the Category B-listed building had been in the hands of successive water authorities, but was identified as surplus to requirements and put up for auction in November 2004, despite objections from the Scottish National Party.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: The Rob Roy Way, a long distance footpath from Drymen to Pitlochry, was created in 2002 and named in Rob Roy's honour.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Descendants of Rob Roy settled around McGregor, Iowa, United States, and in 1849 it was reported that the original MacGregor seal and signet was owned by Alex McGregor of Iowa. The Scots Gaelic clan seal was inscribed "S' Rioghal Mo Dhream" ("Royal is my race"). The signet was a bloodstone from Loch Lomond, and was sketched by William Williams.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: The year 1723 saw the publication of a fictionalised account of his life, "The Highland Rogue". Rob Roy became a legend in his own lifetime, and George I was moved to issue a pardon for his crimes just as he was about to be transported to the colonies. The publication of "Rob Roy", by Sir Walter Scott in 1817, further added to his fame and fleshed out his biography. Hector Berlioz was inspired by the book to compose an overture. William Wordsworth wrote a poem called "Rob Roy's Grave" during a visit to Scotland. (The 1803 tour was documented by his sister Dorothy in "Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland". The editor of the book changed the place of burial to the present location.)


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: Adaptations of his story have also been told in film, including the silent film "Rob Roy" (1922); the Walt Disney Productions film "Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue" (1953); and the "Rob Roy" (1995) film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring Liam Neeson as the title character, and shot entirely on location in the Scottish Highlands.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: The 1995 "Rob Roy" film was also novelized in that year by Donald McFarlan based on the screenplay by Alan Sharp.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: In 1894, a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City created the Rob Roy cocktail in honour of the premiere of "Rob Roy", an operetta by composer Reginald De Koven and lyricist Harry B. Smith loosely based upon Robert Roy MacGregor.


title: Rob Roy MacGregor

text: In 2017, a new statue of Rob Roy was commissioned to be installed in Peterculter, Aberdeen. The sculptor appointed was David J. Mitchell, a graduate of Grays School of Art in Aberdeen. The statue was publicly unveiled at a ceremony on the bridge on 16 September 2017.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws is the nickname of a fictional henchman in the "James Bond" films "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) and "Moonraker" (1979), played in both films by actor Richard Kiel. The character is known for his towering height and his metal teeth.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: The character was inspired by Ian Fleming's description of a hoodlum named Sol "Horror" Horowitz in his novel "The Spy Who Loved Me". When Horror speaks, he reveals steel-capped teeth. The initial script of "The Spy Who Loved Me" concluded with Jaws being killed by the shark, but after a rough test screening, Jaws was so well-liked that the scene was changed to have him survive. In the storyboard of the sequence from "Moonraker" (1979), Jaws appeared with an Emilio Largo-style eyepatch, and a mustache, neither of which were seen in the films.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: The character's teeth play a prominent role in the films. Albert R. Broccoli is credited with adding steel teeth to the character for "The Spy Who Loved Me". Katharina Kubrick Hobbs designed the teeth as cog-like in shape, as he felt that pointed teeth could have injured Kiel. Broccoli originally hired John Chambers to make the teeth; however, these were not used, as they did not meet Broccoli's standards. Broccoli then sent Kiel to Peter Thomas, a dental technician who worked near Pinewood Studios, to construct the appliances. Kiel stated the props were uncomfortable for him and he could only wear them for less than one minute before gagging. When the script called for a close-up of Kiel using the teeth to bite through a cable, a stunt cable made from liquorice was used. After shooting a scene, the teeth were placed in a plastic container with cotton wool in the bottom of it and the teeth were rinsed with mouthwash before drying for use in the next scene. After the James Bond films, the teeth were taken to an unknown location. In 2002, the teeth were displayed as part of an exhibition at Science Museum, London to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of "Dr. No".


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws first appeared in the 1977 film "The Spy Who Loved Me" as a henchman to the villain, Karl Stromberg. He was an assassin, and is last seen swimming in the ocean after escaping from the Atlantis city ship on which Bond had killed Stromberg before it was torpedoed and sunk.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In the next film, "Moonraker" (1979), Jaws is employed by both Bond's unspecified enemy in the pre-credits sequence, and the main villain Hugo Drax. Jaws is evidently well known among criminals, as Drax is pleased to learn that Jaws is available to hire.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In his second appearance Jaws changed from a ruthless and unstoppable killing machine to more of a comedic figure (commencing with the cable car sequence) and he eventually turns against Drax and helps Bond to defeat him. In addition to having steel teeth, Jaws was also gigantic and extremely strong, which forced Bond to be especially inventive while fighting him. In combat during "The Spy Who Loved Me", Bond found himself caught in an unbreakable death grip by Jaws, who was about to fatally bite him; Bond escaped by using a broken electric lamp to send an electric shock through the assassin's teeth to stun him. In "Moonraker" he gains a girlfriend (Dolly) who, like Jaws, seems to almost never speak (she says nothing audible in the film) and who is the primary reason for his reformation.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws also has an uncanny ability to survive any misfortune seemingly unscathed and come back to challenge Bond again. In "The Spy Who Loved Me", Jaws survives an Egyptian structure's collapse on top of him, being hit by a van, being thrown from a rapidly moving train, sitting in the passenger seat of a car which veers off a cliff in Sardinia and lands in a hut below (to the owner's dismay), a battle underwater with a shark and the destruction of Stromberg's lair. In "Moonraker", he survives falling several thousand feet after accidentally disabling his own parachute (he falls through a circus tent and lands in the trapeze net), a crash through a building inside a runaway cable car (where he meets and falls in love with Dolly) and going over Iguazu Falls. After each of these incidents (except the last), he always picks himself up, dusts off his jacket, straightens his tie (in much the same way as Bond himself) and nonchalantly walks away. As Jaws escapes from Drax's disintegrating space station to an escape pod with his girlfriend; they open a bottle of champagne, and Jaws speaks his only line in the entire franchise: "Well, here's to us." The viewer is later informed that Jaws and Dolly made it back to Earth safely.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In 1979, there were plans to bring Jaws back for a third film. In "For Your Eyes Only", Jaws would marry Dolly. However, due to a change in production personnel and a desire to make the films more down-to-earth, the producers chose not to bring Kiel or Jaws back.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Most of the background information on Jaws comes from Christopher Wood's novelisation of the film "The Spy Who Loved Me"; published as "James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me" to differentiate from Ian Fleming's novel. In Wood's version, Jaws' real name is Zbigniew Krycsiwiki. He was born in Poland, the product of a union between the strong man of a travelling circus and the Chief Wardress at the Women's Prison in Kraków. The relationship and subsequent marriage had been a stormy one and, when it broke up, the young Zbigniew stayed with his mother and attended school and subsequently university in Cracow. He grew to a prodigious height but in temperament he followed his father and was surly and uncooperative, given to sudden outbreaks of violent temper. Because of his size he commanded a place in the university basketball team, but he was sluggish of reaction and his lack of speed was constantly exposed by more skilful but less physically endowed players. After a failed attempt at a basketball career, Krycsiwiki was arrested by the secret police for having taken part in the (fictitious) "1972 bread riots". While he was imprisoned, the police "beat him with hollow steel clubs encased in thick leather" until they thought he was dead, leaving his jaw broken beyond repair. Krycsiwiki later escaped and stowed aboard one of Stromberg's vessels. Eventually he was caught, but instead of turning him in, Stromberg hired a prestigious doctor to create an artificial jaw. After 14 operations Krycsiwiki's jaw was restored using steel components that created two rows of terrifying razor-sharp teeth, although Jaws was left mute. Since none of the above is actually mentioned in either movie, this is not necessarily considered canonical, and Wood contradicts his own continuity when one compares his scripts and his novelisations.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In the novelisation of "The Spy Who Loved Me", Wood specifically states that Jaws is a mute. However, though Jaws remains mute in Wood's "James Bond and Moonraker" novelisation, he actually "does" speak at the end of the film. In the book, Jaws remains attached to the magnet that Bond dips into the tank, as opposed to the film where Bond releases Jaws from the magnet into the water: "Now both hands were tearing at the magnet, and Jaws twisted furiously like a fish on the hook. As Bond watched in fascinated horror, a relentless triangle streaked up behind the stricken giant. A huge gray force launched itself through the wild water, and two rows of white teeth closed around the threshing flesh."


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws appeared in the 1990s animated spin-off "James Bond Jr." as a member of the SCUM organization and partner-in-crime of fellow henchman Nick Nack. In the show, Jaws underwent some change in his appearance; he was more muscular, his chin was also metal, and he spoke regularly. He is voiced by Jan Rabson.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws' principal video game appearances are in the 1997 Nintendo 64 game "GoldenEye 007" in a bonus mission in which he is a henchman to the deceased Hugo Drax whom Bond needs to defeat, and has multiple appearances in the multi-platform 2004 game "" as a henchman to Nikolai Diavolo. Both games use Richard Kiel's likeness and voice (grunts and sound effects).


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In "Everything or Nothing", Jaws is electrocuted and is inside a train that plummets into a canyon. Later he drives a tanker intending to destroy the New Orleans levees, but Bond destroys his tanker by sending it off of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway; Bond exclaiming, "I have a sinking feeling that won't be the last I'll see of him". In a fight on a large lift, in which Jaws is equipped with a flamethrower, Bond shoots the flamethrower backpack which ignites Jaws. Bond then climbs into the cockpit of a plane and ejects his seat as the lift plummets to the ground. When Bond subsequently lands on the remains of the lift, Jaws is nowhere to be found, leaving his fate ambiguous. He cannot be hurt himself, and any players that try to hurt him will be killed almost immediately by him.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws is an unlockable multiplayer character in "GoldenEye 007" as well as in "", where he is the tallest character in the game, his punches can kill almost instantly, and the character model's teeth are visible at close range. Jaws is a playable multiplayer character in the 2010 remake "GoldenEye 007" for the Wii, and in the 2011 re-release "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded" for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. He is also in the 2012 James Bond game "007 Legends".


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws appears in the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game "", where he wanders briefly around a section toward the end of the first stage and defeats the player with one hit. He also serves as the game's final boss.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws also appears in the Game Boy game "James Bond 007" as a boss, where Bond must lead him to magnetized pads that will temporarily hold him in place, allowing time for Bond to attack him.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In the 2015 Bond movie "Spectre", the henchman Mr Hinx (Dave Bautista) has similarities to Jaws, such as a massive build (though not an actual giant), immense strength and almost no dialogue. He also engages Bond in a lengthy fight on a train.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws was spoofed in Mel Brooks' 1977 film "High Anxiety", featuring a hired killer named Braces (played by Rudy De Luca) who is wearing large metal braces on his teeth. An unrelated character named Braces from the video games "TimeSplitters 2" and "" is also referencing Jaws. The film 2008 "Get Smart", which is both a parody of and an homage to the "James Bond" film series, features a character named Dalip (played by The Great Khali), who looks like Jaws and does his "Moonraker" stunt of falling from the sky without a parachute and surviving; he also helps the film's protagonists in the end.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: Jaws makes a cameo appearance in the animated series "Jackie Chan Adventures" (episode "Tough Luck"), where he auditions as a prospective henchman for Finn and gets his steel teeth (which are revealed to be dentures) stuck in a board he bites into. In the final credits sequence of the film adaptation of "Inspector Gadget", Doctor Claw's assistant is shown attending a Henchman's Anonymous meeting; Richard Kiel, who is billed in the credits as "Famous Big Guy with Metal Teeth", is in attendance. Kiel also played Reace, a very similar character to Jaws (complete with metal teeth), in the 1976 film "Silver Streak". In "Aces Go Places 3", the third movie in a James Bond spoof series, Kiel plays a villain named "Big G", which resembles Jaws, though he has no metal teeth. The film also features an actor who resembles the character Oddjob, another James Bond villain.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: In the 2002 French comedy movie Le Boulet, Gary Tiplady portrayed a similar character named Requin The Giant.


title: Jaws (James Bond)

text: "MythBusters" tested the plausibility of Jaws biting through the steel cable car wire. The model based on the dentures used in the movie had little impact on the steel cable, even with a hydraulic press at ten times human bite strength. Jamie Hyneman then took huge metal pincers and became "Claws", who, as the announcer said, was "meaner than Oddjob, more ferocious than Jaws, taller than Nick Nack, and creepier than Tee Hee." With the metal pincers, he gets through the cord easily.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Number One Observatory Circle is the official residence of the vice president of the United States. Located on the northeast grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., the house was built in 1893 for the observatory superintendent. The chief of naval operations (CNO) liked the house so much that in 1923 he took over the house for himself. It remained the residence of the CNO until 1974, when Congress authorized its transformation to an official residence for the vice president, though a temporary one. It is still the "official temporary residence of the vice president of the United States" by law. The 1974 congressional authorization covered the cost of refurbishment and furnishing the house.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Although Number One Observatory Circle was made available to the vice president in 1974, more than three years passed before a vice president lived full-time in the house. Vice President Gerald Ford became president before he could use the house. His vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, primarily used the home for entertainment as he already had a well-secured residence in Washington, D.C., though the Rockefellers donated millions of dollars' worth of furnishings to the house. Vice President Walter Mondale was the first vice president to move into the house. Every vice president since has lived there.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The vice-presidential mansion was refurbished by the United States Navy in early 2001, slightly delaying the move of Vice President Dick Cheney and his family. Similarly, Vice President Kamala Harris delayed moving in until April 2021 while renovations occurred.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The house at One Observatory Circle was designed by architect Leon E. Dessez and built in 1893 for $20,000 (equivalent to $ in ) for the use of the superintendent of the Naval Observatory who was the original resident. It was built on of land which had originally been part of a farm called Northview, which the Navy purchased in 1880. Northview had been the property of widow Margaret Barber, who at the time of the abolition of slavery in the District in 1862 was one of its largest slaveholders.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The Naval Observatory is located from the White House and directly to its south is the British Embassy. The observatory was moved from Foggy Bottom to its present location the same year the house was completed and 12 observatory superintendents lived in what was then known as "The Superintendent's House". In 1928, with the passage of Public Law 630, Congress appropriated it for the chief of naval operations, and in June 1929, Charles Hughes became the first resident of what became known as "Admiral's House". For the next 45 years, it served as the home of such Admirals as Richard Leigh, Chester Nimitz, and Elmo Zumwalt.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Previously, serving vice presidents had lived in hotels or their own private homes. In 1923, to honor her late husband, Senator John B. Henderson's widow offered to provide their newly built home as an official residence. President Calvin Coolidge, who lived in a hotel when he served as vice president from 1921 to 1923, wrote in his autobiography that an "official residence with suitable maintenance should be provided for the Vice-President," and that the office "should have a settled and permanent habitation and a place, irrespective of the financial ability of its temporary occupant."


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: In 1966, the House Public Works Committee approved the construction of a three-story vice presidential residence at the Naval Observatory. A month later, President Lyndon B. Johnson suspended construction until the economy improved; construction never restarted.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The exact location was to be determined later by the GAO and the Navy. Construction was to commence on the residence when funding was available once the Vietnam War was over. In the interim, the Secret Service paid for expensive upgrades to the private homes of vice presidents Hubert Humphrey, Spiro Agnew, and Gerald Ford. Agnew lived in his house for only three months in 1973 before resigning; shortly after, he sold it at a large profit, in part because of the upgrades (additional quarters for the Secret Service, fences and a new driveway for example), paid for by the government. This resulted in a minor scandal. A subsequent investigation showed that it would be cheaper to immediately set up the new vice presidential residence rather than secure private homes.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: In July 1974, Congress passed a new law to make Admiral's House the "official temporary residence of the vice president of the United States" effective upon the termination of service of the incumbent chief of naval operations. Work began on preparing Admiral's House to be the temporary vice president's residence later that fall, after Richard Nixon's resignation and move of the CNO to Quarters A at the Navy Yard. The decision was largely made as it was increasingly expensive to add security and communicative equipment to each new vice presidential residence. Elmo Zumwalt was the last chief of naval operations to live in Number One Observatory Circle before it became the official residence of the vice president. For Zumwalt, not pleased with the choice, this was reason enough to challenge Virginia senator Harry F. Byrd Jr. in the 1976 Senate election.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The 1974 renovation replaced and updated building systems and increased the size of several rooms by removing internal walls. As a part of this renovation, interior trim was painted white, and the walls a palette of mostly neutral colors. Little consideration was given to historic preservation with interior or exterior spaces. No attempt was made to restore any interior space to its appearance at the period of construction or early use. The 1961 era white paint on the exterior was retained. Second-floor shutters, which appear in an 1895 photograph, were reinstalled.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The house formally opened as the vice presidential residence in September 1975. Vice President Gerald Ford would have been the first resident if President Richard Nixon hadn't resigned, leaving the White House to Ford. The new vice president Nelson Rockefeller chose to live in his larger private home instead and used Admiral's House only for entertaining. In January 1977, Walter Mondale became the first vice president to live in the house, and it has served as the home of every vice president since.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Instead of building a new vice presidential residence, One Observatory Circle continued to have extensive remodels. In 1976, the Navy spent $276,000 to replace 22 window units with steam heat and central air conditioning; the leaky roof was replaced in 1980 with slate. In 1981, George H. W. Bush and Second Lady Barbara raised $187,000 for carpeting, furniture, and upholstery when they moved in. The next year the Navy spent $34,000 to repair the porch roof. Repairs to interior and exterior walls damaged by water seepage amounted to $225,000, and $8,000 more was spent to build a small master bedroom. Bush also constructed a horseshoe pit and quarter-mile track around the residence. During his eight years at the residence, Vice President Bush hosted over 900 parties.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Dan Quayle delayed his move in by a month in 1989, for an extensive $300,000 remodelling that included a rebuilt third floor with bedrooms suitable for children, a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and an upgraded bathroom off the vice president's room. A putting green was added in 1989 and a swimming pool, hot tub, and pool house in 1991 – all paid for by private donations. A skylit exercise room was added to the rooftop around that time, and numerous security enhancements were also performed.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The Navy, responsible for upkeep on the residence, decided in 1991 that Congress would never build a permanent vice president's residence (ostensibly next door to Admiral's House) and opted instead to remodel and repair the house substantially. Al Gore agreed to delay his move into the house by nearly six months in 1993 to allow for the largest renovation of the house since 1974. The $1.6 million repair job replaced the heating, air conditioning and plumbing, removed asbestos, rewired the electrical, replaced the ventilation systems, restored the porch, and upgraded the family quarters on the second floor.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: In 1991, during the tenure of Vice President Dan Quayle, a non-profit organization, the Vice President's Residence Foundation, was founded to raise funds to redecorate the residency. Quayle also added an exercise room and a pool to the house.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence made few changes to the residence, besides the Second Lady's addition of a beehive to the grounds in 2017.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff moved into Number One Observatory on April 7, 2021. They temporarily resided at Blair House during the renovations as they agreed to move in once the $3.8 million upgrades to the residence had been completed. The repairs consisted of replacing chimney liners, heating, air-conditioning, and plumbing systems. Harris was responsible for having the kitchen remodeled and the hardwood floors refurbished.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: In October 2021, Emhoff affixed a white mezuzah to the right-hand side of the doorway of the residence's wooden entryway, which marked the first time an executive home in American history has carried the abiding sign of sanctity of a Jewish home.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: On November 28, 2021, Harris and Emhoff became the first second couple to light a menorah in the window of the official residence in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah. On April 15, 2022, Harris and Emhoff became the first known second family to host a Passover Seder at the vice president's residence.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The house is built in the Queen Anne style prevalent in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Hallmarks of the Queen Anne style are an asymmetrical floor plan, a series of rooms opening to each other rather than a common central hall, round turret rooms, inglenooks near fireplaces, and broad verandas wrapping the ground floor, all of which are found at Number One Observatory Circle.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: When the house was constructed, its exterior was faced in terracotta brick. The wood trim was painted in a warm putty-gray, and the wooden porch in a combination of the putty-gray and white. Window frames and mullions were painted the same gray, and shutters were painted olive green. The interior was furnished mostly with the personal furnishings of the Naval Observatory superintendent and later those of the chief of naval operations. Period photographs of the interior show middle-class nineteenth-century furnishings in various styles, including Eastlake. Walls were covered in patterned wall-papers.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: By the first decade of the twentieth century, Victorian-style architecture had begun to fall out of fashion. Many houses that were initially built in brick or wood with complex painting were simplified and "colonialized" by being painted white. This frequently happened inside as well as outside. Substantial wood millwork of mahogany, quarter-sawn oak, American chestnut, and walnut were often painted over in white to "lighten" rooms and make them feel more contemporary. The home's exterior was originally dark red brick until 1960 when it was painted "feather" gray. It was changed to white with black shutters in 1963, and by 1993 was cream-colored.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: The house is . The house's first floor has a dining room, garden room, living room, lounges, pantry kitchen, reception hall, sitting room, and veranda. The second floor contains the main bedroom suite, an additional bedroom, a den, and a study. The attic, once the servants' quarters, now houses four bedrooms. The main kitchen is located in the basement.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Most of the furnishings placed in the house following the 1974 renovation were twentieth-century copies of either colonial or Federal style pieces. A notable exception was a bed placed in the house by Nelson Rockefeller. The bed was designed by surrealist artist Max Ernst. Called the "cage" bed, the headboard had the form of a Greek pediment, and the baseboard a lower version of a pediment. The Rockefellers twice offered the bed permanently to the house but it was turned down both by Vice President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle. On visiting Barbara Bush at the house, Mrs. Rockefeller offered her the bed, and Mrs. Bush responded, "you are always welcome in this house, but there's no need to bring your own bed." The Rockefellers did leave a lithograph called "The Great Ignoramus", several antique Korean and Japanese chests, and nearly a dozen other pieces.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: When the Mondales occupied the house, Joan Mondale introduced more saturated upholstery and wall colors and contemporary art. Like the Rockefellers, the Mondales brought some Asian antiques into the house. The Bush family, working with interior decorator Mark Hampton, used a palette of celadon, lime green, and light blue. The Quayles removed the lime green and used off-white. The Gores oversaw a complete redecoration, the addition of a new dining-room table, new furniture for the library, and a substantial renovation of the grounds and porches to make them more suitable for outdoor entertaining. Immediately before the Cheneys moved in, some needed work on the air conditioning and heating was performed and the interiors were repainted. The Cheneys brought several pieces of contemporary art into the house.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: Unlike the White House, Number One Observatory Circle, and the surrounding Naval Observatory, do not offer any public tours.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: In December 2002, following the September 11 attacks, neighbors of the Number One Observatory Circle, then inhabited by Cheney, complained of loud "blasts" and construction noises. Occurring several times and lasting up to five seconds, the vibrations were able to knock mirrors off the walls of some nearby residences. Neighbors who complained about the construction received a letter from the observatory's superintendent reading, "Due to its sensitive nature in support of national security and homeland defense, project-specific information is classified and cannot be released." It was widely speculated that a nuclear bunker was being constructed.


title: Number One Observatory Circle

text: In 2009, recently inaugurated Vice President Joe Biden reportedly revealed the existence of an underground "9/11" bunker beneath the house. Elizabeth Alexander, Biden's press secretary, explained the following day, "What the vice president described in his comments was not—as some press reports have suggested—an underground facility, but rather, an upstairs work space in the residence, which he understood was frequently used by Vice President Cheney and his aides." "The Christian Science Monitor" suggested that Biden was actually referring to a tunnel which leads to one of the Navy-operated telescopes on the grounds.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Joe Spinell (born Joseph Spagnuolo; October 28, 1936 – January 13, 1989) was an American character actor who appeared in films in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as various stage productions on and off Broadway. He played supporting roles in "The Godfather" (1972) and "The Godfather Part II" (1974), "Rocky" (1976), "Rocky II" (1979), "Taxi Driver" (1976), "Sorcerer" (1977), "Cruising" (1980), etc.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Until Spinell's passing in 1989, his career consisted of bit to major supporting roles. Spinell played lead roles in horror films, sharing the screen with actress Caroline Munro in the first two: the psychological slasher film "Maniac" (1980), the horror comedy "The Last Horror Film" (1982), and the slasher film "The Undertaker" (1988) released posthumously.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Spinell was born Joseph Spagnuolo () in Manhattan, New York, the youngest of six children of Italian immigrant parents. His father, Pelegrino Spagnuolo (1892–1950), died from liver and kidney disease. His mother, Filomena Spagnuolo (1903–1987), was an actress who played bit parts in several movies, some of them alongside her son. Spinell was born at his family's apartment on Second Avenue in Kips Bay, Manhattan, an area then home to 10,000 Italian Americans. A few years after the death of his father, he moved with his mother and older siblings to Woodside, Queens, New York, where he lived off-and-on for the remainder of his life. In the mid and late 1970s when living in California, he lived in an apartment in the Oakwood Apartments complex near Toluca Lake located on Barham Boulvard. He was known to heavily abuse drugs and alcohol intermittently throughout his career, especially during periods of unemployment. Spinell was born with hemophilia and had chronic asthma for most of his life.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Because of his large, heavyset frame and imposing looks, Spinell was often cast as criminals, thugs, or corrupt police officers. As a teenager and young adult, Spinell starred in various stage plays, both on and off Broadway.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1971, he landed his first film role in a small part as the mafioso hitman Willi Cicci working for the Corleone crime family in the crime film "The Godfather," directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972 and was for a time the highest-grossing film ever made. It won the Oscars for Best Picture, Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as other nominations. Spinell was so liked by Coppola that he asked Spinell to sit in on much more of the film's shooting than was required, for which he was paid the daily actor rate even if not appearing in the day's scenes.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1974, Spinell reprised his role as Willi Cicci in "The Godfather Part II", where Cicci is still working for the Corleone crime family, but having been promoted from "soldier" (aka: 'button man') to being the personal bodyguard to Frank Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo). The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and became the first sequel to win for Best Picture. It was Paramount Pictures' highest-grossing film of 1974 and was the fifth-highest-grossing picture in North America that year. Spinell was set to reprise his role as Willi Cicci in The Godfather Part III (1990) but he died before filming began.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1975, he acted in Frank Perry's "Rancho Deluxe", Barry Shear's "Strike Force", Dick Richards's "Farewell, My Lovely," and Thomas McGuane's "92 in the Shade".


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1976, he acted in Paul Mazursky's "Next Stop, Greenwich Village," Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver", and Bob Rafelson's "Stay Hungry." That year, Spinell played a loan shark role in John G. Avildsen's "Rocky." It earned $225 million in global box office receipts, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1976, went on to win three Oscars, including Best Picture, and turned lead actor Sylvester Stallone into a major star.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1977, he acted in "Sorcerer, a" thriller adaptation of "The Wages of Fear" directed by William Friedkin.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1978, he acted in Paul Williams's "Nunzio", John Milius's "Big Wednesday", Sylvester Stallone's "Paradise Alley", and "The One Man Jury". He also played the main antagonist in Luigi Cozzi's Italian-produced space opera "Starcrash", starring Caroline Munro and Marjoe Gortner.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1979, he acted in Jonathan Demme's "Last Embrace", and William Richert's "Winter Kills." Spinell reprised his role as Gazzo in "Rocky II" this time directed by Sylvester Stallone. "Rocky II" finished in the top three highest-grossing films of 1979, in both the North American market and worldwide. The film grossed $6,390,537 during its opening weekend, $85,182,160 at the U.S. box office, and $200,182,160 overall.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Although primarily known as a character actor, Spinell co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in his first lead role as a serial killer in the 1980 film, "Maniac". The psychological slasher film directed by William Lustig.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Also in 1980, he acted in Curtis Hanson's "The Little Dragons", William Friedkin's "Cruising", William Peter Blatty's"The Ninth Configuration," Bernard L. Kowalski's "Nightside"", Stuart" Rosenberg's "Brubaker," Brian G. Hutton's "The First Deadly Sin", and Jonathan Demme's "Melvin and Howard""."


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1981, Spinell had a supporting role in the Sylvester Stallone action film "Nighthawks," and Richard Elfman's "Forbidden Zone."


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1982, he acted in "National Lampoon's Movie Madness," "Night Shift," "Monsignor," and "One Down, Two to Go." That year he starred in David Winters's horror comedy "The Last Horror Film", co-starring Caroline Munro. It played in film festivals, at the Saturn Awards it received nominations, and at the Sitges Film Festival it was part of their official selection, and won best cinematography.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1983, he played a corrupt lawyer in William Lustig's vigilante film "Vigilante." He also acted in Curtis Hanson's "Losin' It," Nicolas Roeg's "Eureka", and Fred Williamson's"The Last Fight" .


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1986, he acted in John Byrum's"The Whoopee Boys", Robert Forster's "Hollywood Harry", and Fred Williamson's "The Messenger". That year, he made "", a horror short promotional film directed by Buddy Giovinazzo and co-written by Spinell and Joe Cirillo which was loosely based on a 1973 feature film titled "An Eye for an Eye" (aka: "The Psychopath"). The short film was produced by Joe Spinell in order to raise financing for a sequel to Spinell's 1980 horror film "Maniac". The short was included with the 30th anniversary edition release of "Maniac".


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1988, Spinell played a corrupt military official in David A. Prior's "Operation Warzone". His last lead role was completed in 1988, a slasher film named "The Undertaker". The film was never released for the public, only existed in an incomplete form. In 2010, "The Undertaker" was released on DVD release by Code Red, and restored by Vinegar Syndrome on Blu-ray in 2016. The film is considered a cult classic, due in part to Joe Spinell's involvement and its long and troubled production.


title: Joe Spinell

text: In 1989, Spinell played a U.S. government official in "Rapid Fire", directed by David A. Prior which was his final role.


title: Joe Spinell

text: Spinell was married to adult film star Jean Jennings (1957-2011) from February 1977 to July 1979. Together they had one daughter before they divorced.


title: Joe Spinell

text: A close friend of Sylvester Stallone, Spinell was the godfather of his son Sage Stallone. Spinell had a falling out with Sylvester Stallone during the filming of their final collaboration "Nighthawks" (1981).


title: Joe Spinell

text: Spinell died in his apartment located off Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside, Queens, New York on January 13, 1989, at the age of 52. Sometime during that morning, he cut himself badly on his glass shower stall door after apparently slipping in the bathtub while showering. Soon afterward he fell asleep on his living room couch and instead of calling for help, his hemophilia caused him to bleed to death. Spinell was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Queens near his home.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: The 1950 Formula One season was the fourth season of the FIA's Formula One motor racing. It featured the inaugural FIA World Championship of Drivers, which commenced on 13 May and ended on 3 September, as well as several non-championship races. The championship consisted of six Grand Prix races, each held in Europe and open to Formula One cars, plus the Indianapolis 500, which was run to AAA National Championship regulations. Giuseppe Farina won the championship from Juan Manuel Fangio and Luigi Fagioli.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: The inaugural World Championship of Drivers saw Alfa Romeo dominate with their supercharged 158, a well-developed pre-war design that debuted in 1938; this car won all six championship Grands Prix in 1950. All of the Formula One-regulated races in the championship were run in Europe. The Indianapolis 500 (which, unlike all the other races, was staged on an oval) was run to American AAA regulations, not FIA Formula One regulations, and none of the regular drivers who competed in Europe competed in the 500, and vice versa. Alfa Romeo drivers consequently dominated the championship with Italian Giuseppe "Nino" Farina edging out Argentine teammate Juan Manuel Fangio because of his fourth place in Belgium. Although the Indianapolis 500, which ran to different regulations, was included in the World Championship each year from 1950 to 1960, it attracted very little European participation and, conversely, very few American Indianapolis drivers entered any Grands Prix.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: Championship points were awarded to the top five finishers in each race on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis, and 1 point was awarded for the fastest lap of each race. Points for shared drives were divided equally between the drivers, regardless of how many laps each driver completed during the race. Only the best four results from the seven races could be retained by each driver for World Championship classification.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: The Alfa Romeo team dominated the British Grand Prix at the fast Silverstone circuit in England, locking out the four-car front row of the grid. With King George VI in attendance, Giuseppe Farina won the race from pole position, also setting the fastest lap. The podium was completed by his teammates Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell, while the remaining Alfa driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, was forced to retire after experiencing problems with his engine. The final points scorers were the works Talbot-Lagos of Yves Giraud-Cabantous and Louis Rosier, both two laps behind the leaders.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: Scuderia Ferrari made their World Championship debut around the streets of Monaco. Their leading drivers, Luigi Villoresi and Alberto Ascari had to settle for the third row of the grid, however, while the Alfa Romeos of Fangio and Farina again started from the front row, alongside the privateer Maserati of José Froilán González. Polesitter Fangio took a comfortable victory, setting the race's fastest lap, a whole lap ahead of Ascari, with the third-placed Louis Chiron a further lap back in the works Maserati. A first-lap accident caused by the damp track had eliminated nine of the nineteen starters—including Farina and Fagioli—while González, who had incurred damage in the pile-up, retired on the following lap. Villoresi, although delayed by the accident, had made his way through the field to second place but was forced to retire with an axle problem. Fangio's win brought him level with Farina in the points standings.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: The Indianapolis 500, the third round of the inaugural World Championship of Drivers held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States, was won by the Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser of Johnnie Parsons, ahead of the Deidt-Offenhausers of Bill Holland and Mauri Rose. The race was stopped after 138 of the scheduled 200 laps due to rain.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: Alfa Romeo's dominance continued when the World Championship returned to Europe for the Swiss Grand Prix at the tree-lined Bremgarten circuit outside Bern. Fangio, Farina, and Fagioli locked out the front row of the grid for Alfa, while the Ferraris of Villoresi and Ascari started from the second row. Fangio was the initial leader, starting from pole position, but Farina passed him on lap seven. Ascari and Villoresi were both able to compete with the third Alfa of Fagioli in the early stages, although both had retired by the ten-lap mark. Farina took the win and the fastest lap, finishing just ahead of Fagioli, while Rosier, in third place due to Fangio's retirement, took Talbot-Lago's first podium. Farina's second win of the season put him six points clear of the consistent Fagioli, while Fangio was a further three points behind, having only scored points in one race (in Monaco, where he won).


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: Alfa Romeo took their third front row lockout of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix at the speedy Spa-Francorchamps circuit, while the Ferrari of Villoresi shared the second row with the privateer Talbot-Lago of Raymond Sommer. The Alfas were once again untouchable at the start of the race, but when they stopped for fuel, Sommer emerged as an unlikely race leader. His lead, however, was short-lived, and he was forced to retire when his engine blew up. Fangio ultimately took the victory, ahead of Fagioli, who again finished second. Rosier again made the podium in his Talbot-Lago. He had been able to pass the polesitter Farina when the Italian picked up transmission problems towards the end of the race. It was not all bad for Farina, however, as he picked up the point for fastest lap. Fagioli and Fangio closed the gap to Farina in the points standings—Fagioli was just four points adrift, while Fangio was a further point behind.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: At Reims-Gueux, Alfa Romeo was largely unchallenged at the French Grand Prix at the high-speed Reims-Gueux circuit due to the withdrawal of the works Ferraris of Ascari and Villoresi. The Alfas produced yet another lockout of the front row of the grid, with Fangio taking pole for the third time in six races. The power of the Alfas suited this public road circuit- made up entirely of long straights, and Farina, starting from second, led for the first quarter of the race before fuel problems put him to the back of the field. He fought back to third before he was forced to retire (he was ultimately classified seventh). Fangio picked up the fastest lap on his way to his second consecutive victory. Fagioli finished second for the fourth time out of five starts, while Peter Whitehead, in a privateer Ferrari, took a maiden podium in his first start of the season. Fangio took the championship lead as a result of his victory. Fagioli remained in second, while Farina dropped to third, four points behind his Argentinian teammate.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: The final championship round of the season was the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza Autodrome near Milan, and all three of the regular Alfa Romeo drivers were in contention for the title. If Fangio finished first or second, he would win the title, regardless of where his teammates finished. If Farina failed to score at least five points, he would be unable to take the title. Fagioli's only chance of becoming World Champion was if he won the race and set the fastest lap; even then, he would need Farina to finish no higher than third, and Fangio would have to score no points at all.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: Fangio again took pole position, but Alfa Romeo could not make it a fifth front-row lockout of the season, as Ascari qualified second for Ferrari. Farina started from third, while Consalvo Sanesi completed the front row in an additional Alfa Romeo. Fagioli could only manage fifth on the grid, alongside the fifth Alfa of Piero Taruffi, the second Ferrari of Dorino Serafini, and Sommer in a Talbot-Lago. Farina took the lead early on, with Ascari and Fangio not far behind. Ascari briefly held the lead but was forced to retire when his engine overheated. Two laps later, Fangio also retired due to problems with his gearbox. Taruffi's car, which was now running in second, was taken over by Fangio, although the Argentinian was forced to retire for the second time in the race, this time with engine problems. Ascari took over Serafini's car and ultimately finished second behind Farina, whose victory clinched the title by taking him three points clear of Fangio. Fagioli finished third in the race, and clinched the same position in the Drivers' Championship standings.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: In this first World Championship of Drivers, 14 teams (4 works and ten independent) participated, along with several privately entered cars, in the six European Grands Prix. Only US teams, constructors, and drivers participated in the Indianapolis 500. The chassis, engine, and car numbers varied from race to race.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: Points were awarded on an 8–6–4–3–2 basis to the first five finishers at each Grand Prix, with an additional point awarded for setting the fastest lap. Only the best four results counting towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.


title: 1950 Formula One season

text: The following Formula One races, which did not count towards the World Championship of Drivers, were also held in 1950.


title: Teletoon

text: Teletoon (stylized as TELETOON) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Teletoon Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of Corus Entertainment. Its name is a portmanteau of "television" and "cartoon". The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers.


title: Teletoon

text: It was launched on October 17, 1997 by a consortium of Western International Communications, Astral Media, Shaw Communications, Cinar and Nelvana. Later on, Astral Media acquired WIC's shares of Teletoon in 2000 while Shaw spun off its media assets to form Corus Entertainment who acquired Nelvana that same year. Corus became the sole owner of Teletoon in 2013 following Bell Media's acquisition of Astral Media. From that point on, Teletoon airs some its selected original programming alongside imported programming from U.S.-based Cartoon Network, who Teletoon would later launch its own version many years later.


title: Teletoon

text: Teletoon operates two timeshift feeds running on Eastern and Pacific schedules. Along with its French-language counterpart Télétoon, it is available in over 7.3 million households in Canada as of November 2013.


title: Teletoon

text: In 1997, Teletoon was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) after a related application for a channel to be called "Fun TV" had been denied. The channel was launched on October 17, 1997, with the first episode of "Caillou" called “Caillou Makes Cookies” as a first show/episode to air. At the time, it used the subtitle "The Animation Station" with "It's Unreal!" as its slogan, and "It's Time To Twist!" as its short lived slogan from 1999 to 2000, similar to how The Comedy Network did the slogan "Time Well Wasted" from 1997 to 2011. The latter slogan has been used during the channel's pre-launch but it would be rarely used again until 1998. In 2000, it would become the channel's only slogan.


title: Teletoon

text: The channel was originally owned by a consortium made up of various other 1990s Canadian specialty services and producers: Family Channel acting as managing partner at 53.3% (Superchannel/WIC and The Movie Network/Astral Media), YTV at 26.7%, (Shaw Communications), Cinar, and Nelvana with 10% each.


title: Teletoon

text: On March 4, 2013, Corus Entertainment announced that they would buy Astral's stake in Teletoon and take full ownership of the channel. The purchase was in relation to Bell Media's takeover of Astral (which had earlier been rejected by the CRTC in October 2012, but was restructured to allow the sale of certain Astral Media properties in order to allow the purchase to clear regulatory hurdles). Corus's purchase was cleared by the Competition Bureau two weeks later on March 18; on December 20, 2013, the CRTC approved Corus's full ownership of Teletoon and ownership was transferred on January 1, 2014. The channel continues to be owned by Teletoon Canada, now wholly owned by Corus Entertainment under its Corus Kids division.


title: Teletoon

text: Teletoon's license originally required that 90% of all programs on the channel be animated. Teletoon previously aired preschool-oriented programming, which was day-parted from 4:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.


title: Teletoon

text: In 2013, after Astral Media's stake in TELETOON Canada Inc. was purchased by Corus Entertainment, several of Teletoon's original and acquired shows began airing on YTV. In turn, Teletoon began airing anime series that aired on YTV, including "Yu-Gi-Oh!", beginning with "Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II", and "Pokémon", beginning with "XY" and reruns of "Pokémon: Advanced".


title: Teletoon

text: Since its inception, Teletoon has acquired numerous television series from the U.S.-based Cartoon Network and its late night block, Adult Swim. From September 1, 2015 to Fall 2016, original programming from the American channel was moved over to its Canadian counterpart. Around the same time, several "retro" programs airing on Teletoon Retro, which closed down on the same date, began airing on Teletoon. Teletoon would also premiere new original programming from Cartoon Network's sister channel, Boomerang.


title: Teletoon

text: On April 1, 2019, following the relaunch of Action as a full-time Adult Swim channel, Teletoon's adult-oriented programs were moved to Adult Swim; with Teletoon shifting to family-oriented programming.


title: Teletoon

text: At its inception in 1996, the channel had a stated goal of producing 78 half-hours of original content every year, and it has been active in commissioning programming since then. The licence granted by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1996 required a gradual increase in the portion of Canadian programming on the schedule by about five percent each year starting from 40% in its first year of operation to 60% by 2002. In 1998, network management decided to focus on renewals instead of new shows—adopting a more cautious strategy than launching a significant number of new series, as it had in the prior year. By 2001, however, the station was noted as possibly being the Canadian channel with the highest spending on original production, having invested in 98 series, including 225 half-hour episodes that fall season.


title: Teletoon

text: As a bilingual service, Teletoon/Télétoon maintains two separate broadcast feeds, with a single licence for the English and French-language channels. It is one of only two Canadian specialty services with such a licence. At the original licensing hearing before the CRTC, the network's operators had stated that the two channels "would be similar in nature and programmed with a similar attitude towards them. But for the reasons of rights availability, for the reasons of the question of advertising to children in Québec and for the reason of dealing with the differences in the market, there might be variations in the services offered." To this end, the station implemented a requirement that all original programming be delivered in both languages. By 2007, however, this condition had been relaxed to apply "whenever possible", and over the following years some original series were only shown on one of the channels.


title: Teletoon

text: From 1998 to 1999, Teletoon was airing bumpers with its first mascot, "Teletina". These bumpers were made by Spin Productions in Toronto. Several more bumpers using CGI animation made by Guru Studio subsequently premiered on the channel. An updated look for the channel was unveiled, along with a new logo, for a partial rebranding in 2005.


title: Teletoon

text: On November 24, 2000, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved multiple applications from Teletoon Canada Inc. to launch six Category 2 television channels named Teletoon Action, Teletoon Adult, Teletoon Art, Teletoon Multi, Teletoon Pop and Teletoon Retro. None of the channels launched and their broadcast licenses expired on November 24, 2004. The Teletoon Retro concept would later be revived under a different license.


title: Teletoon

text: Télétoon is the French counterpart to Teletoon which broadcasts most of the shows from its English counterpart in French.


title: Teletoon

text: On November 4, 2011, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved an application from Teletoon to launch Teletoon Kapow!, a Category B digital cable and satellite channel devoted "programming from international markets, featuring the latest trends in non-violent action, adventure, superheroes, comedy and interactivity." On February 2, 2012, Teletoon announced that it would launch a local Cartoon Network channel in Canada. It debuted using the Teletoon Kapow! license on July 4, 2012.


title: Teletoon

text: As of September 1, 2015, Cartoon Network operates under the broadcast license originally granted for Teletoon Retro. Corus then had the Teletoon Kapow! license revoked on October 2, 2015.


title: Teletoon

text: Teletoon+ is a subscription video on demand service which launched September 1, 2022 on Amazon Prime Video Channels, replacing Corus's previous Nick+ service (which was a streaming counterpart to its Nickelodeon channel). The service features exclusive content acquired from Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation.


title: Teletoon

text: Teletoon Retro was a Category B digital cable and satellite channel that debuted in Fall 2007, and was named after a program block that featured classic animated series. Shows seen on the channel included "The Tom and Jerry Show", "The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show", "Scooby-Doo", "The Flintstones", "The Raccoons", "The Jetsons", "The Pink Panther", "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids", "Inspector Gadget", and "Gumby"; several classic films also aired on it.


title: Teletoon

text: The channel was discontinued on September 1, 2015, with Disney Channel Canada (on Bell Aliant, Bell Satellite TV, EastLink, Telus Optik TV, VMedia, Vidéotron, MTS, Bell Fibe TV, NorthernTel, Novus, and Zazeen), or Cartoon Network (on Shaw Direct/Shaw Cable, Rogers Cable, SaskTel, and Westman Communications) taking over its slot on several aforementioned providers. In the years since, Teletoon has aired classic programming during non-peak viewing hours.


title: Teletoon

text: Launched in September 2002 as "The Detour on Teletoon", the block is an amalgamation of it and "Teletoon Unleashed", an adult programming block. Its French counterpart, "Télétoon la nuit", airs on the Francophone Télétoon channel. In September 2009, the block was relaunched under its current name with an overhaul of its appearance.


title: Teletoon

text: In March 2019, with the pending launch of the Adult Swim channel on April 1, 2019, it was announced that the block would be discontinued.


title: Leonard Hofstadter

text: Leonard Leakey Hofstadter, Ph.D., is a fictional character portrayed by Johnny Galecki in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." Leonard is an experimental physicist, who shares an apartment with colleague and best friend Dr. Sheldon Cooper. For his portrayal, Galecki was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 2011.


title: Leonard Hofstadter

text: Penny is Leonard's next-door neighbor (across the hall) and main love interest, and the teasing of romance between the two of them is a major force driving the series. In season 9, "The Gorilla Dissolution", they get engaged and married in Las Vegas.


title: Leonard Hofstadter

text: Leonard is named after actor/producer Sheldon Leonard, and Nobel Prize in Physics Laureate Robert Hofstadter. Macaulay Culkin was originally offered the part but he turned it down as he didn’t like the pitch. Johnny Galecki was originally asked to play the role of Sheldon Cooper, but thought he would be "better suited" for the character of Leonard. Leonard is one of four characters to appear in every episode of the series, along with Sheldon, Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali.


title: Leonard Hofstadter

text: Originally from New Jersey and a graduate of Princeton University, Leonard works as a Caltech experimental physicist, mainly working with lasers, and shares an apartment with colleague Sheldon Cooper in Pasadena, California. He is usually seen wearing his characteristic black thick-framed glasses, low-cut black Converse All Stars sneakers, pastel hoodies or neutral-colored sweat jackets (i.e. jackets with integrated hoodies) or a combination of the two, brown or red trousers, or (less frequently) jeans and physics-themed T-shirts. At night Leonard wears a white t-shirt, a maroon robe and white socks. His various girlfriends have tried to change his outfits: Penny had no success, while Stephanie got him to wear dress shirts and sweaters (which he found uncomfortable), and Priya got him to switch briefly to dress shirts, waistcoats and dark slacks; he reverted to his original outfits after she left for India, but started eschewing his hoodies in favor of button-down shirts and non-hooded jackets towards the end of the seventh season; a trend that continued into successive seasons.


title: Leonard Hofstadter

text: Although Leonard feels at home with his geek colleagues, he wants to be more social. Of all the main characters, he is the one who has almost no difficulty interacting with "non-geek" individuals. He is instantly captivated by Penny, and from the beginning sets out to date her.