{"wds-Q167733": "Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college in New York City, New York, United States. It is affiliated with Columbia University and was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia University's trustees to create an affiliated college named after university president Frederick A. P. Barnard. The college is one of the original Seven Sisters—seven liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States that were historically women's colleges. Barnard College has independent admission, curricula, and finances separate from Columbia. It shares sports teams with Columbia through the Columbia–Barnard Athletic Consortium, an agreement that makes Barnard the only women's college to compete in NCAA Division I athletics. Barnard College offers Bachelor of Arts degree programs in about 50 areas of study. In addition to Columbia, students may also pursue elements of their education at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Jewish Theological Seminary which are also based in New York City. Its 4-acre (1.6 ha) campus is located in the Upper Manhattan neighborhood of Morningside Heights, stretching along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets. It is directly across from Columbia's main campus. Barnard College faculty and alumnae have been recipients of Emmy, Tony, Grammy, Academy, Peabody awards, Dan David Prize, Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Fellowships, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Pulitzer Prize. Barnard alumnae include leaders in science, religion, politics, the Peace Corps, medicine, law, education, communications, theater, and business.", "wds-Q217741": "Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in Indiana, US, with its main campus in West Lafayette, and an urban campus in Indianapolis. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money to establish a college of science, technology, and agriculture; the first classes were held on September 16, 1874. Purdue's West Lafayette campus remains the flagship campus of the Purdue University system, while Purdue University in Indianapolis was launched on July 1, 2024. Purdue University is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". Purdue enrolls the largest student body of any individual university campus in Indiana, as well as the ninth-largest foreign student population of any university in the United States. The university is home to the world's oldest computer science degree-granting department and the first university-owned airport in the United States. Purdue is the founding member of the Big Ten Conference and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports teams. It has been affiliated with 13 Nobel laureates, 1 Turing Award laureate, 1 Bharat Ratna recipient, 27 astronauts, 2 World Food Prize laureates, 3 Pulitzer Prize winners, 18 Olympic medalists, 3 National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipients, 2 National Medal of Science recipients, 3 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients, 7 members of Congress, 3 U.S. governors, and 2 heads of state.", "wds-Q492442": "The United Nations University (UNU) (国際連合大学, Kokusai Rengō Daigaku) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare through collaborative research and education. In 1969, UN Secretary-General U Thant proposed \"the establishment of a United Nations university, truly international and devoted to the Charter objectives of peace and progress\". Following three annual sessions discussing the matter, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) approved the founding of the United Nations University in December 1972. Tokyo was chosen as the main location due to the Japanese government's commitment to provide facilities and $100 million to the UNU endowment fund. The United Nations University was formally inaugurated in January 1975 as the world's first international university. Since 2010, UNU has been authorized by the UNGA to grant postgraduate degrees, offering several master's and doctoral programs. The university's research officially prioritises three thematic areas: peace and governance; global development and inclusion; and environment, climate and energy. UNU also facilitates the UN's engagement with academic institutions and policymakers around the world, in part through campuses, programmes, and affiliated institutes spanning twelve countries.", "wds-Q131252": "The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, UChi, or U of C) is a private research university in the Hyde Park community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The university is composed of an undergraduate college and four graduate research divisions: the Arts & Humanities Division, the Biological Sciences Division, the Physical Sciences Division, and the Social Sciences Division, all of which include various organized departments and institutes. In addition, the university operates seven professional schools in the fields of business, social work, theology, public policy, law, medicine, and molecular engineering, along with a school of continuing studies. The university maintains an overseas campus in Hong Kong, as well as academic centers in London, Paris, Beijing, Delhi, Luxor, and downtown Chicago. University of Chicago scholars have played a role in the development of many academic disciplines, including economics, law, literary criticism, mathematics, physics, religion, sociology, and political science, establishing the Chicago schools of thought in various fields. The university's Metallurgical Laboratory produced the world's first human-made, self-sustaining nuclear reaction in Chicago Pile-1 beneath the viewing stands of the university's Stagg Field. Advances in chemistry led to the \"radiocarbon revolution\" in the carbon-14 dating of ancient life and objects. The university operates and administers research institutions including Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in North America. As of 2025, the university's students, faculty, and staff have included 101 Nobel laureates. The university's faculty members and alumni also include 11 Fields Medalists, 4 Turing Award winners, 2 Dan David Prize winners, 58 MacArthur Fellows, 30 Marshall Scholars, 56 Rhodes Scholars, 29 Pulitzer Prize winners, 20 National Humanities Medalists, and 6 Olympic medalists.", "wds-Q49165": "Amherst College ( AM-ərst) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher education in Massachusetts. The institution was named after the town, which in turn had been named after Jeffery, Lord Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of British forces of North America during the French and Indian War. Originally established as a men's college, Amherst became coeducational in 1975. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. 1,914 full-time students were enrolled in fall 2024. Admissions are highly selective. Students choose courses from 42 major programs in an open curriculum and are not required to study a core curriculum or fulfill any distribution requirements; students may also design their own interdisciplinary major. Amherst competes in the NCAA Division III as a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference. Amherst has historically had close relationships and rivalries with Williams College and Wesleyan University, which form the Little Three colleges. The college is also a member of the Five College Consortium, which allows its students to attend classes at four other Pioneer Valley institutions: Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.", "wds-Q659706": "The Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech or IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has programs in architecture, business, communications, design, engineering, industrial technology, information technology, law, psychology, and science. It is classified among \"R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity\". The university's historic roots are in several 19th-century engineering and professional education institutions in the United States. In the mid 20th century, it became closely associated with trends in modernist architecture through the work of its Dean of Architecture Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who designed its campus. The Institute of Design, Chicago-Kent College of Law, and Midwest College of Engineering were also merged into Illinois Tech.", "wds-Q168000": "The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spring Valley and Tenleytown neighborhoods of Northwest D.C. American was chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893 at the urging of Methodist bishop John Fletcher Hurst, who sought to create an institution that promoted public service, internationalism, and pragmatic idealism. The university was founded by the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a national Methodist institution. It remains affiliated with the United Methodist Church, however, religious affiliation is not a criterion for admission, employment, nor an academic requirement. AU broke ground in 1902, opened as a graduate education institution in 1914, and admitted its first undergraduates in 1925. AU consists of eight schools and colleges: the School of International Service; the College of Arts and Sciences; the Kogod School of Business; the School of Communication; the School of Professional and Extended Studies; the School of Public Affairs; the Linda A. and H. Kent Baker School of Education; and the Washington College of Law (WCL). American offers over 160 academic programs, including 71 bachelor's degrees, 87 master's degrees, and 10 doctoral degrees, as well as JD, LLM, and SJD programs. The university is classified as an \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". With a student body of over 13,000 representing all 50 U.S. states and 141 countries, nearly a fifth of the students are international. Student athletes compete in intercollegiate athletic teams as the American Eagles in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League. AU is home to The Jack I. and Dorothy G. Bender Library, which holds more than one million books and is part of the Washington Research Library Consortium, along with WCL's Pence Law Library. American is one of the top three feeder schools to the U.S. Department of State.", "wds-Q333886": "Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, the oldest university in Washington, D.C., and the nation's first federally chartered university. The university has eleven undergraduate and graduate schools. Its main campus, located in the Georgetown historic neighborhood, is on a hill above the Potomac River and identifiable by Healy Hall, a National Historic Landmark. It is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity.\" The university offers degree programs in forty-eight disciplines, enrolling an average of 7,500 undergraduate and 10,000 graduate students from more than 135 countries; it is the second largest Catholic university in terms of enrollment in North America. The school's athletic teams are nicknamed the Hoyas and include a men's basketball team, which is a member of the Big East Conference. Notable alumni include 32 Rhodes Scholars, 46 Marshall Scholars, 33 Truman Scholars, 565 Fulbright Scholars, at least 12 living billionaires, 26 U.S. governors, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, two U.S. presidents, and 116 members of the United States Congress including 26 senators, as well as international royalty and more than a dozen foreign heads of state. Georgetown has educated more U.S. diplomats than any other university including at least 92 ambassadors of the United States, as well as a number of American politicians and civil servants.", "wds-Q73079": "Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1555 by Sir Thomas Pope, on land previously occupied by Durham College, home to Benedictine monks from Durham Cathedral. Despite its large physical size, the college is relatively small in terms of student numbers at approximately 400. It was founded as a men's college and has been coeducational since 1979. As of 2023, the total funds of Trinity amounted to more than £224 million, including a financial endowment of £191 million. Trinity has produced three British prime ministers, placing it third after Christ Church and Balliol in terms of former students who have held that office.", "wds-Q245247": "King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's became one of the two founding colleges of the University of London. It is one of the oldest university-level institutions in England. King's grew in the late 20th century through a series of mergers and reincorporations, including the reincorporation of its medical and dental school in 1983, mergers with Queen Elizabeth College and Chelsea College of Science and Technology in 1985 and the Institute of Psychiatry in 1997, and the merger of the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in 1998. Plans for a merger with Cranfield University were announced in May 2026. King's operates across five main campuses: the historic Strand Campus in central London, three other Thames-side campuses (Guy's, St Thomas' and Waterloo) nearby, and a campus in Denmark Hill in south London. It also has a presence in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, for professional military education, and in Newquay, Cornwall, which is where King's information service center is based. The academic activities are organized into nine faculties, which are subdivided into numerous departments, centers, and research divisions. In 2024/25, King's reported total income of £1.377 billion, of which £260.5 million was from research grants and contracts. It has the fourth largest endowment of any university in the UK, and the largest of any in London. King's is the sixth-largest university in the UK by total enrolment and receives over 68,000 undergraduate applications per year. King's is a member of a range of academic organizations including the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association, and the Russell Group. King's is home to the Medical Research Council's MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders and is a founding member of the King's Health Partners academic health sciences centre, Francis Crick Institute and MedCity. By total enrolment, it is the largest European centre for graduate and post-graduate medical teaching and biomedical research, including the world's first nursing school, the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. King's is generally regarded as part of the \"golden triangle\" of universities located in and about Oxford, Cambridge and London. King's has typically enjoyed royal patronage by virtue of its foundation; King Charles III reaffirmed patronage in May 2024. Alumni and staff of King's or institutions that later merged with King's include 14 Nobel Prize laureates; heads of states, governments and intergovernmental organisations; 21 current members of the House of Commons, two Speakers of the House of Commons and 12 current members of the House of Lords; and the recipients of three Oscars.", "wds-Q1478723": "La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria and the twelfth university in Australia. La Trobe is one of the Australian verdant universities and also part of the Innovative Research Universities group. La Trobe's original and principal campus is located in the Melbourne metropolitan area, within the northern Melbourne suburb of Bundoora. It is the largest metropolitan campus in the country, occupying over 267 hectares (660 acres). It has two other major campuses located in the regional Victorian city of Bendigo and the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. There are two smaller regional campuses in Mildura and Shepparton and a city campus in Melbourne's CBD on Collins Street and in Sydney on Elizabeth Street. La Trobe offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses across its ten schools.", "wds-Q1144673": "The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in Westminster, London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the United Kingdom, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of Wellington. The academy provides undergraduate and postgraduate training across instrumental performance, composition, jazz, musical theatre and opera, and recruits musicians from around the world, with a student community representing more than 50 nationalities. It is committed to lifelong learning, from Junior Academy, which trains musicians up to the age of 18, through Open Academy community music projects, to performances and educational events for all ages. The academy's museum houses one of the world's most significant collections of musical instruments and artefacts, including stringed instruments by Stradivari, Guarneri, and members of the Amati family; manuscripts by Purcell, Handel and Vaughan Williams; and a collection of performing materials that belonged to leading performers. It is a constituent college of the University of London and a registered charity under English law. Famous academy alumni include Henry Wood, Simon Rattle, Brian Ferneyhough, Elton John, and Annie Lennox.", "wds-Q590643": "Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest university in Ohio and the tenth-oldest public university in the United States. It is named for its location in the Miami Valley, in turn named after the Myaamia people. The university operates regional campuses in nearby Hamilton, Middletown, and West Chester, as well as the international Dolibois European Center in Differdange, Luxembourg. Miami University provides a liberal arts education with an emphasis on undergraduate studies. It consists of seven colleges and schools, and enrolls over 18,000 students in Oxford. The campus also includes the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum, Karl Limper Geology Museum, and William H. McGuffey House. Miami is a member of the University System of Ohio and is classified among \"R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity\". Miami is known as the \"Mother of Fraternities\" for the five Greek-letter organizations founded on its campus, and as the \"Cradle of Coaches\" due to several prominent collegiate and professional sports coaches having started their careers at the school. Miami's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I and are collectively known as the Miami RedHawks. They compete in the Mid-American Conference and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Miami University alumni, faculty, and staff have included 1 president of the United States, 16 current and former members of the United States Congress, 5 U.S. ambassadors, 8 governors, 3 Pulitzer Prize winners, 4 Rhodes Scholars, 1 foreign prime minister, and 3 Olympic medalists. The university has more than 220,000 alumni.", "wds-Q855730": "Chulalongkorn University (CU; Thai: จฬ.; Thai: จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, RTGS: Chulalongkon Mahawitthayalai) is a public autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training royal pages and civil servants in 1899 (B.E. 2442) at the Grand Palace. It was later established as a national university in 1917, making it the oldest institute of higher education in Thailand. During the reign of Chulalongkorn's son, King Vajiravudh, the Royal Pages School became the Civil Service College of King Chulalongkorn. The Rockefeller Foundation was instrumental in helping the college form its academic foundation. On 26 March 1917, King Vajiravudh renamed the college \"Chulalongkorn University\". Chulalongkorn University is one of the National Research Universities and supported by the Office of Nation Education Standards and Quality Assessment of Thailand. Moreover, CU is the only Thai university which is a member of Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU). CU is composed of nineteen faculties, a School of Agriculture, three colleges, ten institutes and two other schools. Its campus occupies a vast area in downtown Bangkok. Graduates customarily receive their diplomas from the King of Thailand, a tradition begun by King Prajadhipok.", "wds-Q156737": "Kiel University (German: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. It is the largest, oldest, and most prestigious university in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Until 1866, it was not only the northernmost university in Germany but at the same time the second-largest university of Denmark. After the Danish-German war, Kiel came under Prussian administration which later led to being part of the German Empire and today the Federal Republic of Germany. Kiel is the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, and Kiel University is the largest and only comprehensive university in the federal state. Faculty, alumni, and researchers of Kiel University have won 12 Nobel Prizes. Kiel University has been a member of the German Universities Excellence Initiative since 2006. The Cluster of Excellence The Future Ocean, which was established in cooperation with the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in 2006 and existed until 2019, has been internationally recognized. Since 2018, Kiel University has had two Clusters of Excellence. “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation (PMI)“ deals with chronic inflammatory diseases and is closely tied to the University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein, the University of Lübeck, the Research Centre Borstel – Leibniz Lung Centre, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, the Muthesius Academy of Art, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education at Kiel University. „ROOTS - Social, Environmental, and Cultural Connectivity in Past Societies“ explores the roots of social, environmental, and cultural phenomena and processes that substantially marked past human development. It is an interdisciplinary research network involving scientists from 15 institutes at six faculties of Kiel University. There are also project partners in Germany and abroad. The university has a great reputation for its focus on public international law. The oldest public international law institution in Germany and Europe – the Walther Schuecking Institute for International Law – is based in Kiel. The university works closely with the internationally renowned GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), which is associated with the university. Through a number of joint appointments, the CAU also has close personnel ties with both institutions. In 2024, 24,925 students were enrolled at Kiel University. The university is organised into eight faculties, where over 400 professors teach. The university offers more than 190 degree programmes.", "wds-Q27621": "Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU; Russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет, romanized: Sankt-Peterburgskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, it is one of the oldest universities in Russia and has had a focus on fundamental research in science and engineering since its creation. It is made up of 24 distinct departments and institutes, the Academic Gymnasium, the Medical College, the College of Physical Culture and Sports, Economics and Technology. The university has two primary campuses: one on Vasilievsky Island and the other one in Peterhof. During the Soviet period, it was known as Leningrad State University (Russian: Ленинградский государственный университет). It was renamed after Andrei Zhdanov in 1948 and was officially called \"Leningrad State University, named after A. A. Zhdanov and decorated with the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.\" Zhdanov was removed in 1989, and Leningrad in the name was officially replaced with Saint Petersburg in 1992.", "wds-Q1150419": "The National University of Colombia (Spanish: Universidad Nacional de Colombia) is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, Cesar. Established in 1867 by an act of the Congress of Colombia, it is one of the largest universities in the country, with more than 53,000 students. The university grants academic degrees and offers 450 academic programmes, including 95 undergraduate degrees, 83 academic specializations, 40 medical specialties, 167 master's degrees, and 65 doctorates. Approximately 44,000 students are enrolled for an undergraduate degree and 8,000 for a postgraduate degree. It is also one of the few universities that employs postdoctorate fellows in the country. The university is a member of the Association of Colombian Universities (ASCUN), the Iberoamerican Association of Postgraduate Universities (AUIP), and the Iberoamerican University Network Universia. Along with Antioquia and Valle universities, it is part of what is known as the Golden Triangle of higher education in Colombia, being among the most selective and competitive universities in the country. The SCImago Institutions Rankings Iber by SCImago Research Group found that the National University of Colombia produced the largest number of scientific papers published in peer-refereed publications in the country, and was the 17th (14th in 2018) most prolific in Latin America. Furthermore, according to the Latin-American Web Ranking of Universities, the National University of Colombia ranks first place in internet presence in the country. As of June 2025, it is also among the ninth best university in Latin America. Among the universities of CIVETS countries, the National University occupied second place. Globally, the university was ranked #243, and #10 in Latin America by the QS World University Rankings in 2023, placing #2 in Colombia. The institution offers a wide selection of programmes in both undergraduate and graduate levels, such as medicine, nursing, dentistry, engineering, chemistry, pharmacy, mathematics, physics, geology, biology, psychology, social sciences, arts (music, fine arts), languages, philosophy, and law. It was the first university in Colombia to open a computer science postgraduate program in 1967.", "wds-Q2072655": "Azerbaijan State University of Economics (abbreviated as UNEC; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Dövlət İqtisad Universiteti) is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. Founded in 1930, as a specialised economic institution in Soviet Azerbaijan, it is currently one of the largest and oldest educational institutions in Transcaucasia. UNEC, employing more than 1000 academic staff, including 120 professors and 600 associate professors, has 22 thousand students in 14 faculties across 5 branches in Baku, Zagatala, and Derbent. The University is a full member of the European University Association, Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, University Council of Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and Eurasian Association of Universities.", "wds-Q3546588": "Institut Mines-Télécom Business School (formerly known as INT Management from its foundation in 1979 to its rebranding in 2009 then Telecom Business School from 2009 to 2018) is a French state-funded Management School, a member of Institut Mines-Télécom, the biggest group of engineering and management graduate schools in France. It is also a member of the Management School Chapter of the Conférence des Grandes Écoles, of EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development), AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) and accredited by the Association of MBAs for its Masters in Management Program. The business school was initially founded as the corporate university of Orange Group, the first telecom operator in France and formerly a public company. It is now fully independent from Orange though many partnerships remain in research, training and other different programmes. The school offers programmes taught in French or English, from bachelor level to PhD. Its main programme is the Masters in Management programme (aka Programme Grande École). The graduates from this programme are highly reputed among recruiters in France and abroad for their ability to work with engineers. It was ranked 75th (2019) by the Financial Times.", "wds-Q183213": "The Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées (IPSA) (English: Institute of Polytechnic Science and Aeronautics; Occitan: Institut de Sciéncia Politécnica e Aeronautica) is a French private grande école in aerospace engineering located at Ivry-sur-Seine, Lyon and Toulouse, recognized by the French state since 2010, whose diploma has been accredited by the French Commission des Titres d'Ingénieur since 2011. It was founded in 1961 and has been part of IONIS Education Group since 1998.", "wds-Q41506": "Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and then-incumbent United States senator representing California) and his wife, Jane, in memory of their only child, Leland Jr, who died from typhoid at the age of 15. The university admitted its first students in 1891, opening as a coeducational and non-denominational institution. It struggled financially after Leland died in 1893 and again after much of the campus was damaged by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Following World War II, university provost Frederick Terman inspired an entrepreneurial culture to build a self-sufficient local industry (giving rise to what is today known as Silicon Valley). In 1951, Stanford Research Park was established in Palo Alto as the world's first university research park. By 2021, the university had 2,288 tenure-line faculty, senior fellows, center fellows, and medical faculty on staff. The university is organized around seven schools of study on an 8,180-acre (3,310-hectare) campus, one of the largest in the nation. It houses the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank, and is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". Students compete in 36 varsity sports, and the university is one of eight private institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Stanford has won 136 NCAA team championships, and was awarded the NACDA Directors' Cup for 25 consecutive years, beginning in 1994. Students and alumni have won 302 Olympic medals (including 153 gold). The university is associated with 94 billionaires, 58 Nobel laureates, 33 MacArthur Fellows, 29 Turing Award winners, 7 Wolf Foundation Prize recipients, 4 Dan David Prize recipients, 2 United States Supreme Court justices, and 4 Pulitzer Prize winners. Additionally, its alumni include the presidents of six countries, the prime ministers of five countries, and four United States Supreme Court justices, as well as many Fulbright Scholars, Marshall Scholars, Gates Cambridge Scholars, Rhodes Scholars, and members of the United States Congress.", "wds-Q270794": "The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Election to the National Academy is one of the highest honors in the scientific field in the United States. Members of the National Academy of Sciences serve pro bono as \"advisers to the nation\" on science, engineering, and medicine. The group holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code. Congress legislated and President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress (1863) establishing the National Academy of Sciences as an independent, trusted nongovernmental institution, created for the purpose of \"providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology [and] to provide scientific advice to the government 'whenever called upon' by any government department.\" This objective gave the academy the purpose of enriching and providing resources to any part of the federal government—rather than serving a single branch or executive agency, in contrast to the Library of Congress or many entities that report to the president. The goal was somewhat unusual at the time, and also different from other knowledge-based entities serving a branch of government, such as the Library of Congress. The academy receives no compensation from the government for its services.", "wds-Q1646874": "Helsinki University of Technology (HUT; Finnish: Teknillinen korkeakoulu, TKK; Swedish: Tekniska högskolan) was a technical university in Finland. It was located in Otaniemi, Espoo in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and it was one of the three universities from which the modern day Aalto University was founded. The university was founded in 1849 by Grand Duke of Finland, Emperor Nicholas I and received university status in 1908. It moved from Helsinki to Otaniemi campus area in 1966. The merger of HUT with two other schools created the Aalto University in 2010, and HUT briefly held the name Aalto University School of Science and Technology before being split into four schools in 2011. Much of the university's Otaniemi campus was designed by Alvar Aalto.", "wds-Q273523": "École nationale des ponts et chaussées (French pronunciation: [ekɔl nɑsjɔnal de pɔ̃ e ʃose]; transl. \"National School of Bridges and Roads\"; abbr. ENPC), also nicknamed Ponts ([pɔ̃] ), formerly known temporarily as École des Ponts ParisTech ([ekɔl de pɔ̃ paʁitɛk]), is a grande école in the field of science, engineering and technology, of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris, a public research university. Founded in 1747 by Daniel-Charles Trudaine, it is one of the oldest and one of the most prestigious French Grandes Écoles. Historically, its primary mission has been to train engineering officials and civil engineers but the school now offers a wide-ranging education including computer science, applied mathematics, civil engineering, mechanics, finance, economics, innovation, urban studies, environment and transport engineering. École des Ponts is today largely international: 43% of its students obtain a double degree abroad, and 30% of an ingénieur cohort is foreign. It is headquartered in Marne-la-Vallée (suburb of Paris), France, and was a founding member of ParisTech (Paris Institute of Technology) and of the Paris School of Economics. The school is under the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy of France. Since 16 July 2024, the school has been a constituent member of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris.", "wds-Q866012": "The University of Queensland (UQ) is a public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Established in 1909 by an act of the Queensland Parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone universities; an informal designation for the oldest university in each state. UQ is also a founding member of edX, the Group of Eight and the international research-intensive Association of Pacific Rim Universities. The main St Lucia campus occupies much of the riverside inner suburb of St Lucia, southwest of the Brisbane central business district. Other UQ campuses and facilities are located throughout Queensland, the largest of which are the Gatton campus and the Herston campus, notably including the Mayne Medical School. UQ's overseas establishments include UQ North America office in Washington D.C., and the UQ-Ochsner Clinical School in Louisiana, United States. The university offers associate, bachelor, master, doctoral, and higher doctorate degrees through a college, a graduate school, and six faculties. UQ incorporates over one hundred research institutes and centres offering research programs, such as the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Boeing Research and Technology Australia Centre, the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, and the UQ Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation. Recent notable research of the university include pioneering the invention of the HPV vaccine that prevents cervical cancer, developing a COVID-19 vaccine that was in human trials, and the development of high-performance superconducting MRI magnets for portable scanning of human limbs. UQ counts two Nobel laureates (Peter C. Doherty, a UQ graduate, and John Harsanyi, though neither prize was awarded while they were at UQ), over a hundred Olympians who have won numerous gold medals, and over a hundred Rhodes Scholars among its alumni and former staff. UQ's alumni also include University of California, San Francisco Chancellor Sam Hawgood; the first female Governor-General of Australia, Dame Quentin Bryce; former President of King's College London, Ed Byrne; member of the United Kingdom's Prime Minister's Council for Science and Technology, Max Lu; Oscar, Tony and Primetime Emmy Award winner Geoffrey Rush; triple Grammy Award winner Tim Munro; former CEO and chairman of Dow Chemical, Andrew N. Liveris; and current director of multiple organisations including IBM.", "wds-Q223429": "The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as the Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery), and Mason Science College (established in 1875 by Sir Josiah Mason), making it the first English redbrick university to receive its own royal charter, and the first English unitary university. It is a founding member of both the Russell Group of British research universities and the international network of research universities, Universitas 21. The student population includes 25,530 undergraduate and 14,500 postgraduate students (2024/25), which is the 5th largest in the UK (out of 169). The annual income of the university for 2024–25 was £1.072 billion, of which £228.5 million was from research grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £1.068 billion. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the University of Birmingham ranked equal 13th out of 129 institutions on grade point average, up from equal 31st in the previous REF in 2014. The university is home to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, housing works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet; the Shakespeare Institute; the Cadbury Research Library, the Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern manuscripts; the Lapworth Museum of Geology; and the 100-metre Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, which is a prominent landmark visible from many parts of the city. Academics and alumni of the university include former British Prime Ministers Neville Chamberlain and Stanley Baldwin, the British composer Sir Edward Elgar and eleven Nobel laureates.", "wds-Q28695": "The University of Helsinki (Finnish: Helsingin yliopisto, HY; Swedish: Helsingfors universitet, HU) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Regia Academia Aboensis under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Tsar Alexander I following the Great Fire of Turku. The University of Helsinki is the oldest and largest university in Finland with a range of disciplines available. In 2022, around 31,000 students were enrolled in the degree programs of the university spread across 11 faculties and 11 research institutes. As of 1 August 2005, the university complies with the harmonized structure of the Europe-wide Bologna Process and offers bachelor, master, licenciate, and doctoral degrees. Admission to degree programmes is usually determined by entrance examinations, in the case of bachelor's degrees, and by prior degree results, in the case of master and postgraduate degrees. The university is bilingual, with teaching by law provided both in Finnish and Swedish. Since Swedish, albeit an official language of Finland, is a minority language, Finnish is by far the dominating language at the university. Teaching in English is extensive throughout the university at master, licentiate, and doctoral levels, making it a de facto third language of instruction. It is a member of various international university networks, such as Europaeum, UNICA, the Utrecht Network, and is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities. The university has also received international financial support for global welfare; for example, in September 2021, the U.S. Department of Defense provided the university with more than four million euros in funding for the treatment of MYC genes and breast cancer.", "wds-Q49204": "Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is a member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. Smith is also a member of the Five College Consortium with four other institutions in the Pioneer Valley: Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst; students of each college are allowed to attend classes at any other member institution. On campus are Smith's Museum of Art and Botanic Garden, the latter designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Smith has 50 academic departments and programs and is structured around an open curriculum. Examinations vary from self-scheduled exams, scheduled exams, and take-home exams. Undergraduate admissions are exclusively restricted to women, including transgender women since 2015. Smith offers several graduate degrees, all of which accept applicants regardless of gender, and co-administers programs alongside other Five College Consortium members. The college was the first historically women's college to offer an undergraduate engineering degree. Admissions are considered selective. It was the first women's college to join the NCAA, and its sports teams are known as the Smith Bears. Smith alumnae include notable authors, journalists, activists, feminists, politicians, investors, philanthropists, actresses, filmmakers, academics, businesswomen, CEOs, two first ladies of the United States, and recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, Rhodes Scholarship, Academy Award, Emmy Award, MacArthur Grant, Peabody Award, and Tony Award.", "wds-Q2000129": "The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is a public land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offices of the system. Most of the campus occupies the eastern half of the mouth of Mānoa Valley on Oʻahu, with the John A. Burns School of Medicine located adjacent to Kakaʻako Waterfront Park. UH offers over 200 degree programs across 17 colleges and schools. It is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission and governed by the Hawaii State Legislature and a semi-autonomous board of regents. It is also a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Mānoa is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". It is a land-grant university that also participates in the sea-grant, space-grant, and sun-grant research consortia; it is one of only three such universities in the country to participate in all four consortia (Oregon State University and Pennsylvania State University are the others). UH and its subsidiary, the Applied Research Laboratory, is one of only fourteen University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) of the United States Department of Defense and is one of five UARCs in the country for the United States Navy. Notable UH alumni include Patsy Mink, Robert Ballard, Richard Parsons, and the parents of Barack Obama – Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham. 44 percent of Hawaii's state senators and 51 percent of its state representatives are UH graduates.", "wds-Q390287": "Eötvös Loránd University (Hungarian: Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem, ELTE, also known as University of Budapest) is a public research university based in Budapest, Hungary. Founded in 1635, it is the longest continuously operating university in the country. The almost 30 thousand students at ELTE are organized into nine faculties, and into research institutes located throughout Budapest and on the scenic banks of the Danube. ELTE is affiliated with 7 Nobel laureates, as well as winners of the Wolf Prize, Fulkerson Prize and Abel Prize, the latest of which was Nobel Prize in Literature winner László Krasznahorkai in 2025. The predecessor of Eötvös Loránd University was founded in 1635 by Cardinal Péter Pázmány in Nagyszombat, Kingdom of Hungary (today Trnava, Slovakia) as a Catholic university for teaching theology and philosophy. In 1770, the university was transferred to Buda, later to Pest. It was named Royal University of Pest until 1873, then University of Budapest until 1921, when it was renamed Royal Hungarian Pázmány Péter University after its founder Péter Pázmány. The Faculty of Science started its autonomous life in 1949, when the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Medicine was separated from the university (now Pázmány Péter Catholic University and Semmelweis University). The university received its current name in 1950, after one of its most well-known physicists, Baron Loránd Eötvös.", "wds-Q375606": "Birkbeck College, University of London (which operates under the trading name of Birkbeck, University of London) is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' Institute by its founder Joseph Clinton Robertson and its supporters George Birkbeck, Jeremy Bentham, J. C. Hobhouse and Henry Brougham, Birkbeck is one of the few universities to specialise in evening higher education in the United Kingdom. Birkbeck's main building is in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden in Central London. Birkbeck offers more than 200 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Birkbeck's academic activities are organised into five constituent faculties, which are subdivided into nineteen departments. The university is a member of academic organisations such as the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the European University Association. The university is also a member of the Screen Studies Group, London. The university's Centre for Brain Function and Development was awarded The Queen's Anniversary Prize for its brain research in 2005. Birkbeck's alumni and former and current staff include five Nobel laureates, numerous political leaders, members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and a British prime minister.", "wds-Q368643": "The University of Coimbra (UC) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. Officially chartered by King Denis on 1 March 1290, and recognised by Pope Nicholas IV on 9 August 1290, it is the oldest university in Portugal and one of the world's oldest in continuous operations, having begun operations in Lisbon before moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. It had an influential role in the development of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking countries, and in their history. Due to its historic influence, architecture, unique culture and traditions, it was declared in 2013 a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The university is organized into eight faculties, granting bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in nearly all major fields. It lends its name to the Coimbra Group of European research universities founded in 1985, of which it was a founding member. Enrolling over 25,000 students, more than 15% of whom are international, it is one of Portugal's most cosmopolitan universities. Coimbra's alumni over the centuries include Portugal's national poet Luís de Camões, the mathematician Pedro Nunes, many statesmen, prime ministers and presidents of Portugal, and Nobel Prize laureate António Egaz Moniz.", "wds-Q1074103": "The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is a public university in Hefei, Anhui, China. It is owned by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and co-funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Education of China, and the Anhui Provincial Government. It is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The university was founded in Beijing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in September 1958. In the beginning of 1970, the university moved to Hefei during the Cultural Revolution. The university has 13 schools, 11 national research platforms, 8 science-education integration colleges, and 5 joint cooperative institutes with local governments. The university is a member of the C9 League.", "wds-Q1153094": "Sophia University (Japanese: 上智大学, Hepburn: Jōchi Daigaku; Latin: Universitas Sedis Sapientiae) is a private Jesuit research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1913 by the Jesuits, it was granted university status in 1928, becoming the first Catholic university in Japan. Sophia University has 12,080 undergraduate students and 1,357 postgraduate students. The university has 9 undergraduate faculties and 10 graduate schools, with over 13,900 students in total. Sophia University has international students from 77 countries and exchange agreements with 400 universities in 81 countries. As of 2022, foreign students constituted approximately 9% of the student body. Sophia's alumni are commonly referred to as \"Sophians\", among whom include the 79th Prime Minister of Japan, Morihiro Hosokawa, several members of the Japanese National Diet, several foreign statesmen (including Carlos Holmes Trujillo, Mukhriz Mahathir, and Li Linsi), and a number of actors and musicians in the Japanese film and music industries.", "wds-Q926068": "The University of Navarra is a prestigious private Catholic research university located on the southeast border of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was founded in 1952 by Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, the founder of Opus Dei, as a corporate work of the apostolate of Opus Dei. The University of Navarra is among the best private universities in Spain. The University of Navarra was third in the \"European Teaching Rankings of 2019\" following the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge by Times Higher Education's International Rankings. Moreover, the university is ranked #1 in the \"CYD Ranking\" list of Spanish universities in 2026. It holds a particularly respected position in the fields of business, economics, medicine, and healthcare. Through its six campuses (Pamplona - Iruña, Donostia - San Sebastian, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich and New York City), the university confers 35 official degrees, 13 dual degrees and more than 38 master's programs in 14 faculties, 2 university schools, 17 institutes, its graduate business school, IESE (\"Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa\"; in English: \"International Graduate School of Management\" or \"Institute of Higher Business Studies\"), Instituto Superior de Secretariado y Administracion (ISSA) (in English: Superior Institute of Secretarial and Administrative Studies), and other centers and institutions. The university also runs a teaching hospital, CUN, where 2,045 qualified professionals handle more than 100,000 patients each year, and a medical center research, CIMA, that focuses on four main areas: Oncology, Neuroscience, Cardiovascular Sciences, and Gene Therapy and Hepatology. CIMA has been accredited as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence in 2026.", "wds-Q1850416": "The National Museum of Brazil (Portuguese: Museu Nacional) is the oldest scientific institution of Brazil. It is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where it is installed in the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher's Palace), which is inside the Quinta da Boa Vista. The main building was originally the residence of the House of Braganza in colonial Brazil, as the Portuguese royal family between 1808 and 1821 and then as the Brazilian imperial family between 1822 and 1889. After the monarchy was deposed, it hosted the Republican Constituent Assembly from 1889 to 1891 before being assigned to the use of the museum in 1892. The building was listed as Brazilian National Heritage in 1938 and was largely destroyed by a fire in 2018. Founded by King João VI of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves on 6 June 1818, under the name of \"Royal Museum\", the institution was initially housed at the Campo de Santana park, where it exhibited the collections incorporated from the former House of Natural History, popularly known as Casa dos Pássaros (\"House of the Birds\"), created in 1784 by the Viceroy of Brazil, Luís de Vasconcelos e Sousa, 4th Count of Figueiró, as well as collections of mineralogy and zoology. The museum foundation was intended to address the interests of promoting the socioeconomic development of the country by the diffusion of education, culture, and science. In the 19th century, the institution was already established as the most important South American museum of its type. In 1946, it was incorporated into the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The National Museum held a vast collection with more than 20 million objects, one of the largest collections of natural history and anthropological artifacts in the world, encompassing some of the most important material records regarding natural science and anthropology in Brazil, as well as numerous items that came from other regions of the world and were produced by several cultures and ancient civilizations. Built-up over more than two centuries through expeditions, excavations, acquisitions, donations and exchanges, the collection was subdivided into seven main nuclei: geology, paleontology, botany, zoology, biological anthropology, archaeology, and ethnology. The collection was the principal basis for the research conducted by the academic departments of the museum – which are responsible for carrying out activities in all the regions of the Brazilian territory and several places of the world, including the Antarctic continent. The museum holds one of the largest scientific libraries of Brazil, with over 470,000 volumes and 2,400 rare works. In the area of education, the museum offers specializations, extension and post-graduation courses in several fields of the knowledge, in addition to hosting temporary and permanent exhibitions and educational activities open to the general public. The museum manages the Horto Botânico (Botanical Garden), adjacent to the Paço de São Cristóvão, as well as an advanced campus in the city of Santa Teresa, in Espírito Santo – the Santa Lúcia Biological Station, jointly managed with the Museum of Biology Prof. Mello Leitão. A third site, located in the city of Saquarema, is used as a support and logistics center for field activities. Finally, the museum is also dedicated to editorial production, outstanding in that field the Archivos do Museu Nacional, the oldest scientific journal of Brazil, continuously published since 1876. The palace, which housed a large part of the collection, was destroyed in a fire on the night of 2 September 2018. The building had been called a \"firetrap\" by critics, who argued the fire was predictable and could have been prevented. The fire began in the air-conditioning system of the auditorium on the ground floor. One of the three devices did not have external grounding, there was no individual circuit breaker for each of them, and a wire was without insulation in contact with metal. In the wake of the fire, the ruined edifice was being treated as an archaeological site and undergoing reconstruction efforts, with a metallic roof covering a 5,000 m2 area including debris. In 2019, more than 30,000 pieces of the imperial family's past were found during archaeological works on Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden nearby, part of Quinta da Boa Vista. Among the finds are many items such as fragments of crockery, cups, plates, cutlery, horseshoes and even buttons and brooches with imperial coat of arms from military clothing. Those items were given to the museum. After being destroyed by fire, the National Museum has received donations to the amount of R$ 1.1 million in seven months towards rebuilding efforts.", "wds-Q1572655": "The École Spéciale de Mécanique et d'Electricité (English: Special School of Mechanics and Electricity), also known as ESME Sudria, is a French private grande école founded in 1905. It is a part of the IONIS Education Group. Founded in 1905 by Joachim Sudria and certified by the State since 1922, the diploma is signed by the French Education Ministry and authorized by the \"Commission des titres d'ingénieur\". The ESME-Sudria is also member of the \"Conférence des Grandes Écoles\" and of the Union of Independent Grandes Écoles. The school graduates students at different levels: Bachelor of Science Master of Engineering certified by the Order of Engineers PhD (cooperation with University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée or University of Paris-Saclay) Since 2006, the school has been part of the IONIS Institute of Technology from IONIS Education Group.", "wds-Q1150105": "The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or the University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, it is the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee system, with 14 colleges. It hosts more than 30,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. UT's ties to nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory, established under UT president Andrew Holt and continued under the UT–Battelle partnership, allow for considerable research opportunities for faculty and students. Also affiliated with the university are the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs, the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, and the University of Tennessee Arboretum, which occupies 250 acres (100 ha) of nearby Oak Ridge. The university is a direct partner of the University of Tennessee Medical Center, which is one of two Level I trauma centers in East Tennessee. UT is one of the oldest public universities in the United States and the oldest secular institution west of the Eastern Continental Divide. It is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\".", "wds-Q2570220": "Arts et Métiers ParisTech (French pronunciation: [aʁ e metje paʁitɛk]) is a French engineering and research institute of higher education. It is a grande école, recognized for leading in the fields of mechanics and industrialization. Founded in 1780, it is among the oldest French institutions and is one of the most prestigious engineering schools in France. It has been consistently ranked among the top French engineering schools and was ranked fifth in France for Mechanical Engineering in the Shanghai ranking 2018. The school has trained 85,000 engineers since its foundation by François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt. It is a \"Public Scientific, Cultural and Professional Institution\" (EPSCP) under the authority of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and has the special status of Grand établissement. The École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers (ENSAM), which adopted the brand name \"Arts et Métiers ParisTech\" in 2007, was a founding member of ParisTech (Paris Institute of Technology), héSam and France AEROTECH. Arts et Métiers ParisTech consists of eight Teaching and Research Centres (CER) and three institutes spread across the country. Its students are called Gadz'Arts.", "wds-Q16665962": "NEOMA Business School is a French business and management school founded in 2013, following the merger of Reims Management School (founded in 1928) and Rouen Business School (founded in 1871) for economic and strategic reasons. NEOMA BS offers a wide range of educational programmes covering all fields of management such as bachelor's degrees, Master in Management, MBA and EMBA programs, specialized MSc programs, a PhD in management, and various executive education offerings. The school is consistently rated by the Financial Times, The Economist and Challenges as one of the top business schools in continental Europe and one of the leading business schools worldwide. NEOMA is part of the Conférence des Grandes écoles, and is one of the only 1% of business schools in the world holding the Triple accreditation from the three international accreditation organisations, EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. Presided over by Michel-Edouard Leclerc, the school has the status of a Consular Higher Education Institution (EESC). The school dean is Delphine Manceau. Its student body is made up of 9,000 students, 25% of whom come from international backgrounds. The students study on the three different campuses in Reims, Rouen and Paris. Its merged Alumni Network becomes by size one of the leading alumni networks in France, with 72,000 graduates.", "wds-Q49114": "Brown University is a private Ivy League research university in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The university is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. One of nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution, it was the first American college to codify that admission and instruction of students was to be equal regardless of the religious affiliation of students. The university is home to the oldest applied mathematics program in the country and oldest engineering program in the Ivy League. It was one of the early doctoral-granting institutions in the U.S., adding masters and doctoral studies in 1887. In 1969, it adopted its Open Curriculum after student lobbying, which eliminated mandatory general education distribution requirements. In 1971, Brown's coordinate women's institution, Pembroke College, was fully merged into the university. The university comprises the College, the Graduate School, Alpert Medical School, the School of Engineering, the School of Public Health and the School of Professional Studies. Its international programs are organized through the Watson School of International and Public Affairs, and it is academically affiliated with the Marine Biological Laboratory and the Rhode Island School of Design, which offers undergraduate and graduate dual degree programs. The university is surrounded by a federally listed architectural district with a concentration of colonial-era buildings. Benefit Street has one of America's richest concentrations of 18th- and 19th-century architecture. Undergraduate admissions are among the most selective in the country, with an acceptance rate of 5% for the class of 2026. As of October 2025, 12 Nobel Prize laureates, 1 Fields Medalist, 1 Dan David Prize winner, 7 National Humanities Medalists, and 11 National Medal of Science laureates have been affiliated with Brown as alumni, faculty, or researchers. Alumni also include 29 Pulitzer Prize winners, 21 billionaires, 4 U.S. secretaries of state, over 100 members of the United States Congress, 58 Rhodes Scholars, 22 MacArthur Genius Fellows, and 38 Olympic medalists.", "wds-Q201603": "Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The 170-hectare (420-acre) main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and comprises more than 37,000 students and 200,000 alumni. The university was created in an effort to expand higher education across Canada. In 2025, it became the first university in Canada to adopt university-wide open scholarship principles. Simon Fraser University is a member of multiple national and international higher education associations, including the Association of Commonwealth Universities, International Association of Universities, and Universities Canada. SFU has also partnered with other universities and agencies to operate joint research facilities such as the TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics, which houses the world's largest cyclotron, and Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, a major centre for teaching and research in marine biology. Undergraduate and graduate programs at SFU operate on a year-round, three-semester schedule. In 2015, SFU became the second Canadian university to receive accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.", "wds-Q486156": "The University of Oslo (Norwegian: Universitetet i Oslo; Latin: Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick University, the university was established in 1811 as the de facto Norwegian continuation of Denmark–Norway's common university, the University of Copenhagen, with which it shares many traditions. It was named for King Frederick VI of Denmark and Norway, and received its current name in 1939. The university was commonly nicknamed \"The Royal Frederick's\" (Det Kgl. Frederiks) before the name change, and informally also referred to simply as Universitetet (lit. 'the university'). The university was the only university in Norway until the University of Bergen was founded in 1946. It has approximately 27,700 students and employs around 6,000 people. Its faculties include (Lutheran) theology (with the Lutheran Church of Norway having been Norway's state church since 1536), law, medicine, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, dentistry, and education. The university's original neoclassical campus is located in the centre of Oslo; it is currently occupied by the Faculty of Law. Most of the university's other faculties are located at the newer Blindern campus in the suburban West End. The Faculty of Medicine is split between several university hospitals in the Oslo area. The university also includes some formally independent, affiliated institutes such as the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research (CICERO), NKVTS and the Frisch Centre. The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in the university's Atrium, from 1947 to 1989 and in 2020. Since 2003, the Abel Prize is awarded in the Atrium. Five researchers affiliated with the university have been Nobel laureates and three have been Turing Award winners.", "wds-Q168751": "Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James Buchanan Duke established the Duke Endowment and the institution changed its name to honor his deceased father, Washington Duke. The campus spans over 8,600 acres (3,500 hectares) on three contiguous sub-campuses in Durham, and a marine lab in Beaufort. The West Campus—designed largely by architect Julian Abele—incorporates Gothic architecture with the 210-foot (64-meter) Duke Chapel at the campus' center and highest point of elevation, is adjacent to the Medical Center. East Campus, 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) away, home to all first-years, contains Georgian-style architecture. The university also administers two concurrent schools in Asia, Duke–NUS Medical School in Singapore (established in 2005) and Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan, China (established in 2013). Duke forms one of the corners of the Research Triangle region together with North Carolina State University in Raleigh and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2024, Duke spent more than $1.5 billion on research. Its endowment is $11.9 billion, making it the twelfth-wealthiest private academic institution in the United States. Duke's athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils and compete in 27 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sports. Duke is a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and has won 17 NCAA team championships and 24 individual national championships.", "wds-Q81170": "Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, whose claim of being founded by King Alfred is no longer promoted). In recognition of this royal connection, the college has also been historically known as King's College and King's Hall. The reigning monarch of the United Kingdom (since 2022, Charles III) is the official visitor of the college. The original medieval foundation established in 1324 by Adam de Brome, under the patronage of King Edward II, was the House of the Blessed Mary at Oxford, and the college received a royal charter in 1326. In 1329, an additional royal grant of a manor house, La Oriole, eventually gave rise to its common name. The first design allowed for a provost and ten fellows, called \"scholars\", and the college remained a small body of graduate fellows until the 16th century, when it started to admit undergraduates. During the English Civil War, Oriel played host to high-ranking members of the king's Oxford Parliament. The main site of the college incorporates four medieval halls: Bedel Hall, St Mary Hall, St Martin Hall, and Tackley's Inn, the last being the oldest standing medieval hall in Oxford. The college has nearly 40 fellows, about 300 undergraduates and some 250 graduates. Oriel was the last of Oxford's men's colleges to admit women, doing so in 1985 after more than six centuries as an all-male institution. Today, however, the student body has almost equal numbers of men and women. Oriel's notable alumni include two Nobel laureates; prominent fellows have included founders of the Oxford Movement. Among Oriel's more notable possessions are a painting by Bernard van Orley and three pieces of medieval silver plate. As of the 2020–21 academic year, the college was ranked twentieth in academic performance out of thirty colleges in the Norrington Table, having topped the table in 2015–16.", "wds-Q924289": "King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city. King's was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI soon after founding its sister institution, Eton College. Initially, King's accepted only students from Eton College. However, the king's plans for King's College were disrupted by the Wars of the Roses and the resultant scarcity of funds, and then his eventual deposition. Little progress was made on the project until 1508, when King Henry VII began to take an interest in the college, probably as a political move to legitimise his new position. The building of the college's chapel began in 1446, and was finished in 1544 during the reign of Henry VIII. King's College Chapel is regarded as one of the finest examples of late English Gothic architecture. It has the world's largest fan vault, while its stained-glass windows and wooden chancel screen are considered some of the finest from their era. The building is seen as emblematic of Cambridge. It houses the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. Every year on Christmas Eve, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (a service originally devised for Truro Cathedral by Edward White Benson in 1880, adapted by the college dean Eric Milner-White in 1918) is broadcast from the chapel to millions of listeners worldwide.", "wds-Q143451": "The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university with its main campus in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, near Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. With 70,674 students as of the fall 2025 semester, it has the second-largest on-campus student body of any public university in the United States. UCF is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research spending and doctorate production.\" UCF was founded in 1963 and opened in 1968 as Florida Technological University. The new state university was intended in part to train scientists and engineers for the growing aerospace and defense workforce around Kennedy Space Center and what is now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As the curriculum widened beyond engineering and the physical sciences, the school was renamed the University of Central Florida in 1978. It remains active in space-related research through units such as the Florida Space Institute and the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium. Most students attend the main campus, 13 miles (21 km) east of downtown Orlando. The university offers more than 230 degree programs through 13 colleges, including the Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona Medical City, the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and a campus in downtown Orlando. Since opening it has awarded more than 450,000 degrees. The university's colors are black and gold. Its athletic teams, the UCF Knights, compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Big 12 Conference.", "wds-Q15142": "The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the Massachusetts Agricultural College. It is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley. With roughly 24,000 enrolled undergraduates, UMass Amherst has the largest undergraduate student population in Massachusetts. The university offers academic degrees in 109 undergraduate, 77 master's, and 48 doctoral programs in nine schools and colleges. It is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". According to the National Science Foundation, the university spent $211 million on research and development in 2018. The university's 21 varsity athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I and are collectively known as the Minutemen and Minutewomen. The university is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference while playing ice hockey in Hockey East and football as an FBS independent school. In 2025, UMass joined the Mid American Conference as a full member.", "wds-Q273579": "The École nationale d'administration (French pronunciation: [ekɔl nɑsjɔnal dadministʁɑsjɔ̃]; ENA; English: National School of Administration) was a French grande école, created in 1945 by the then provisional chief of government Charles de Gaulle and principal co-author of the 1958 Constitution Michel Debré, to democratize access to the senior civil service. The school was frequently criticized from the 1970s onward for having built an incredibly elitist culture as well as being a stronghold for technocrats. As a result, it was dissolved on 31 December 2021 and replaced by the Institut national du service public (INSP). The ENA selected and supervised the initial training of senior French officials. It was considered to be one of the most academically demanding French schools, both because of its low acceptance rates and because a large majority of its candidates had already graduated from other elite schools in the country such as Sciences Po or the École Polytechnique. Thus, within French society, the ENA stood as one of the main pathways to high positions in the public and private sectors. Indeed, 4 Presidents of France from the beginning of the 5th Republic in 1958 to the present day (including Emmanuel Macron) and many prime-ministers and ministers, studied at the ENA. Originally located in Paris, it had been relocated to Strasbourg in order to emphasize its European character. It was based in the former Commanderie Saint-Jean, though continued to maintain a Paris campus. ENA produced around 80 to 90 graduates every year, known as étudiants-fonctionnaires, \"enaos\" or \"énarques\" (IPA: [enaʁk]). In 2002 the Institut international d'administration publique (IIAP) which educated French diplomats under a common structure with the ENA was merged with it. The ENA shares several traditions with the College of Europe, which was established shortly after. In 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced he would propose to abolish and replace the ENA. Macron is an ENA graduate himself, but the tight network of ENA graduates influencing the French civil service has been decried by populist protests such as the yellow vests movement as an elite governing class out of touch with the lower social classes. In April 2021, Macron confirmed the closure of the school, calling the closure \"the most important reform of the senior public service\" since the school's creation in 1945.", "wds-Q457281": "The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the founding campus and flagship institution of the University of Illinois System. With over 59,000 students, the University of Illinois is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. The university contains 16 schools and colleges and offers more than 150 undergraduate and over 100 graduate programs of study. The university holds 651 buildings on 6,370 acres (2,578 ha) and its annual operating budget in 2016 was over $2 billion. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also operates a research park home to innovation centers for over 90 start-up companies and multinational corporations. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a member of the Association of American Universities and is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". In fiscal year 2019, research expenditures at Illinois totaled $652 million. The campus library system possesses the fourth-largest university library in the United States by holdings. The university also hosts the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. The alumni, faculty members, or researchers of the university include 24 Nobel laureates, 27 Pulitzer Prize winners, 2 Fields medalists, and 2 Turing Award winners. Illinois athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Fighting Illini. They are members of the Big Ten Conference and have won the second-most conference titles. Illinois Fighting Illini football won the Rose Bowl Game in 1947, 1952, 1964 and a total of five national championships. Illinois athletes have won 29 medals in Olympic events.", "wds-Q463055": "The Conservatoire de Paris, or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance), it is located on Jean Jaurès avenue in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. The Conservatoire offers instruction in music and dance, drawing on the traditions of the 'French School'. It offered instruction in drama prior to 1946, when its drama division was moved into a separate school, the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art Dramatique. Today, both conservatories operate under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Communication and are associate members of PSL University. The Conservatoire is also associated with the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon.", "wds-Q1189954": "The Mines Paris – PSL, officially École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris, also known as École des mines de Paris, is a French grande école and a constituent college of PSL University. It was originally established in 1783 by King Louis XVI. Mines Paris is distinguished for the outstanding performance of its research centers and the quality of its international partnerships with other prestigious universities in the world, which include Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Harvard SEAS), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Hong Kong, National University of Singapore (NUS), Novosibirsk State University, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and Tokyo Tech. Mines Paris also publishes a world university ranking based on the number of alumni holding the post of CEO in one of the 500 largest companies in the world: the Mines ParisTech: Professional Ranking of World Universities. The school is a member of the ParisTech (Paris Institute of Technology) alliance.", "wds-Q672420": "The University of Königsberg (German: Albertus-Universität Königsberg), commonly known as Albertina, was a university in Königsberg, East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke Albert of Prussia and received the royal privilege by King Sigismund II Augustus of Poland in 1560. Following World War II, the city of Königsberg (renamed Kaliningrad) was transferred to the Soviet Union under the terms of the 1945 Potsdam Agreement. The Albertina was closed and the remaining German population was expelled. Today, the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University claims to maintain the traditions of the Albertina.", "wds-Q309988": "The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; German: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is both a German public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Karlsruhe (TH) (German: Universität Karlsruhe (TH)), founded in 1825 as a public research university and also known as the \"Fridericiana\", merged with the Karlsruhe Research Center (Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe), which had originally been established in 1956 as a national nuclear research center (Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe, or KfK). By combining academic education with large-scale non-university research, KIT integrates research, teaching, and innovation in a single institutional structure that is unique within the German research landscape. KIT is a member of the TU9, an alliance of nine leading technical universities in Germany. As part of the German Universities Excellence Initiative KIT was one of three universities which were awarded excellence status in 2006. In the following \"German Excellence Strategy\" KIT was awarded as one of eleven \"Excellence Universities\" in 2019. It is one of Germany’s largest research universities, with 23,083 students in winter semester 2025/26 and an annual budget of €1,223.4 million in 2025. Science-based mechanical engineering was founded at KIT in the mid-19th century under the direction of Ferdinand Redtenbacher, which influenced the foundation of other technical universities, such as ETH Zurich in 1855. It established the first German faculty for computer science in 1972. On 2 August 1984, the university received the first-ever German e-mail. Professors and former students have won six Nobel Prizes, ten Leibniz Prizes, the most prestigious as well as the best-funded prize in Europe, and one Academy Award for Technical Achievement. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is well known for many inventors and entrepreneurs who studied or taught there, including Heinrich Hertz, Karl Friedrich Benz and the founders of SAP SE.", "wds-Q49210": "New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-sectarian all-male institution near City Hall based on a curriculum focused on a secular education. The university moved in 1833 and has maintained its main campus in Greenwich Village surrounding Washington Square Park. Since then, the university has added an engineering school in Brooklyn's MetroTech Center and graduate schools throughout Manhattan. NYU is one of the largest private universities in the United States by enrollment, with a total of 51,848 enrolled students in 2021. It is one of the most applied-to schools in the country and admissions are considered selective. NYU's main campus in New York City is organized into undergraduate schools in the fields of arts and science, individualized study, education, business, engineering, and the arts. NYU's graduate schools cover the fields of medicine, law, public service, professional studies, social work, and nursing. The university's internal academic centers include the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Center for Data Science, Center for Neural Science, Clive Davis Institute, Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, Institute of Fine Arts, and the NYU Langone Health System. NYU is a global university system with degree-granting portal campuses at NYU Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and NYU Shanghai in China, and academic centers in Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Tulsa, and Washington, D.C. Past and present faculty and alumni include 39 Nobel laureates, 8 Turing Award winners, 5 Fields Medalists, 31 MacArthur Fellows, 26 Pulitzer Prize winners, 3 heads of state, 5 U.S. governors, 12 U.S. senators, and 58 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.", "wds-Q49126": "Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which publishes business books, leadership articles, case studies, and Harvard Business Review, a monthly academic business magazine. It is also home to the Baker Library/Bloomberg Center, the school's primary library. Harvard Business School is one of six Ivy League business schools. HBS is part of the M7 group of business schools recognized as having strong MBA programs, that are often highly-ranked in US MBA rankings.", "wds-Q579968": "The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Founded in 1839, MU was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. It has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1908 and is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity.\" Enrolling 31,041 students in 2023, it offers more than 300 degree programs in thirteen major academic divisions. Its Missouri School of Journalism, founded by Walter Williams in 1908, was established as the world's first journalism school; it publishes a daily newspaper, the Columbia Missourian, and operates NBC affiliate KOMU. The University of Missouri Research Reactor Center is the sole source of isotopes in nuclear medicine in the United States. The university operates University of Missouri Health Care, running several hospitals and clinics in Mid-Missouri. Its NCAA Division I athletic teams are the Missouri Tigers and compete in the Southeastern Conference. The American tradition of homecoming is claimed to have originated at MU.", "wds-Q1756635": "The Paris Graduate School of Digital Innovation (French: École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies, or EPITECH), formerly European Institute of Information Technology, is a private institution of higher education in computer science and software engineering that was founded in 1999. Headquartered in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, south of Paris, the school has campuses in Bordeaux, Rennes, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Saint-André, Réunion. The school also has locations in Barcelona (Spain), Tirana (Albania), Berlin (Germany), and Brussels (Belgium). The school has the particularity to teach with practical cases instead of theoretical. Epitech also have an executive tier, Epitech Executive, with an Executive MBA in IT and entrepreneurship course targeting executive managers in computer science, and shares its network since 2020 with Epitech Digital School, a 50%-tech 50%-business school. The institution is part of IONIS Education Group.", "wds-Q49116": "Dartmouth College ( DART-məth) is a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock and Samson Occom to train Native American Christian missionaries, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Following a liberal arts curriculum, Dartmouth provides undergraduate instruction in 40 academic departments and interdisciplinary programs, including 60 majors in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. In addition to the undergraduate faculty of arts and sciences, Dartmouth has four professional and graduate schools: the Geisel School of Medicine, the Thayer School of Engineering, the Tuck School of Business, and the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. The university also has affiliations with the Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center. Dartmouth is home to the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences, the Hood Museum of Art, the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, and the Hopkins Center for the Arts. With a student enrollment of about 6,700, Dartmouth is the smallest university in the Ivy League. Undergraduate admissions are highly selective with an acceptance rate of 5.3% for the class of 2028, including a 3.8% rate for regular decision applicants. Situated on a terrace above the Connecticut River, Dartmouth's 269-acre (109 ha) main campus is in the rural Upper Valley region of New England. The university functions on a quarter system, operating year-round on four ten-week academic terms. Dartmouth is known for its undergraduate focus, Greek culture, and campus traditions. Its 34 varsity sports teams compete intercollegiately in the Ivy League conference of the NCAA Division I. The university has many prominent alumni, including 170 members of the United States Congress, 25 U.S. governors, 8 U.S. Cabinet secretaries, 3 Nobel Prize laureates, 2 U.S. Supreme Court justices, and a U.S. vice president.", "wds-Q11151": "The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competition in the world. It is organised by and named after the Football Association (the FA). A concurrent Women's FA Cup has been held since 1970. The competition is open to all eligible clubs down to level 9 of the English football league system, with level 10 clubs acting as stand-ins in the event of non-entries from above. A record 763 clubs competed in 2011–12. The tournament consists of 12 randomly drawn rounds followed by the semi-finals and the final. Entrants are not seeded, although a system of byes based on league level ensures higher ranked teams enter in later rounds – the minimum number of games needed to win, depending on which round a team enters the competition, ranges from six to fourteen. The first six rounds are the Qualifying Competition, and are contested by clubs in the National League System, levels 5 to 10 of the English football system, more commonly called non-League. 32 of these teams progress to the first round of the Competition Proper, meeting the first of the 48 professional teams from Leagues One and Two. The last entrants are the 20 Premier League and 24 Championship clubs, into the draw for the third round proper. In the modern era, only one non-League team has ever reached the quarter-finals, and teams below Level 2 have never reached the final. As a result, significant focus is given to the smaller teams who progress furthest, especially if they achieve an unlikely \"giant-killing\" victory. Winners receive the FA Cup trophy, of which there have been two designs and five actual cups; the latest is a 2014 replica of the second design, introduced in 1911. Winners also qualify for the UEFA Europa League (formerly for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup until 1998–99 season) and a place in the upcoming FA Community Shield. Arsenal are the most successful club with fourteen titles, most recently in 2020. Additionally, their former manager Arsène Wenger holds the record for most tournament wins, having secured seven titles. Manchester City are the current holders, having defeated Chelsea 1–0 in the 2026 final.", "wds-Q51402": "The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City, U.S. Although the demonstrations were not the first time American LGBTQ people fought back against government-sponsored persecution of sexual minorities, the Stonewall riots marked a new beginning for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world. American gays and lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s faced a legal system more anti-homosexual than those of some other Western and Eastern countries. Early homophile groups in the U.S. sought to prove that gay people could be assimilated into society, and they favored non-confrontational education for homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. The last years of the 1960s, however, were very contentious, as many social movements were active, including the civil rights movement, the counterculture of the 1960s, and antiwar demonstrations. These influences, along with the liberal environment of Greenwich Village, served as catalysts for the Stonewall riots. Very few establishments welcomed openly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s. Those that did were often bars, although bar owners and managers were rarely gay. The Stonewall Inn was owned by the Mafia and catered to an assortment of patrons. It was popular among the poorest and most marginalized people in the gay community: drag queens, representatives of the transgender community, effeminate young men, hustlers, and homeless youth. Police raids on gay bars were routine in the 1960s, but, in contrast to what was typical for raids at the time, the Mafia was not alerted by police prior to their arrival, nor was the NYPD's sixth precinct. Beyond this, raids typically occurred on weeknights in the early evening, when bar crowds were expected to be small. The Stonewall raid, in contrast, was to take place late on a Friday night, when crowd sizes were expected to be at their highest. Officers quickly lost control of the situation at the Stonewall Inn and attracted a crowd that was incited to riot. Tensions between New York City police and gay residents of Greenwich Village erupted into more protests the next evening and again several nights later. Within weeks, Village residents quickly organized into activist groups to concentrate efforts on establishing places for gay people to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of being arrested. Following the Stonewall riots, sexual and gender minorities in New York City still faced gender, class, and generational obstacles to becoming a cohesive community. Over the following weeks and months, they initiated politically active social organizations and launched publications that spoke openly about rights for gay and trans people. The first anniversary of the riots was marked by peaceful demonstrations in several American cities that have since grown to become pride parades. The Stonewall National Monument was established at the site in 2016. Today, pride events are held annually throughout the world toward the end of June to mark the Stonewall riots.", "wds-Q465469": "The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major league status. It is sometimes called the Junior Circuit because it claimed Major League status for the 1901 season, 25 years after the formation of the National League (the \"Senior Circuit\"). Since 1903, the American League champion has played in the World Series against the National League champion with only two exceptions: 1904, when the NL champion New York Giants refused to play their AL counterpart, and 1994, when a players' strike resulted in the cancellation of the Series. Through 2025, American League teams have won 68 of the 121 World Series played since 1903. The New York Yankees have won 27 World Series and 41 American League titles, the most in major league history. The Philadelphia/Kansas City/Oakland Athletics have won the second most AL titles with 15, followed by the Boston Red Sox with 14. For decades, Major League baseball clubs only played teams from their own league during the regular season and playoffs, with only the two pennant winners meeting in the World Series. The AL and NL also employed and trained their own umpires, who only worked regular season games in their own league. These differences resulted in the leagues developing slightly different strategies and styles of play. The American League was usually regarded as the less \"traditional\" league during the 20th century, a reputation most exemplified by the introduction of the designated hitter rule in 1973, which encouraged AL managers to largely abandon \"smallball\" tactics. However, with the advent of free agency in the 1970s allowing for more player movement between leagues, the introduction of regular season interleague play in 1997, umpires working games across MLB beginning in 1999, and the NL's adoption of the designated hitter rule in 2022, the difference in play between the two major leagues has diminished considerably. Though both leagues agreed to be jointly governed by a commissioner in 1920, they remained separate business entities with their own presidents and management. This was the case until after the 1999 season, when the American League legally merged with the National League under the auspices of Major League Baseball, which now operates much like other North American professional sports leagues, albeit with two \"leagues\" instead of \"conferences\".", "wds-Q173457": "The Dreyfus affair (French: affaire Dreyfus, pronounced [afɛːʁ dʁɛfys]) was a political scandal that divided the Third French Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. The scandal began in December 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a 35-year-old Alsatian French artillery officer of Jewish descent, was wrongfully convicted of treason for communicating French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent overseas to the penal colony on Devil's Island in French Guiana, where he spent the following five years imprisoned in very harsh conditions. In 1896, evidence came to light—primarily through the investigations of Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, head of counter-espionage—that identified the real culprit as a French Army major named Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy. High-ranking military officials suppressed the new evidence, and a military court unanimously acquitted Esterhazy after a trial lasting two days. The Army laid additional charges against Dreyfus, based on forged documents. Subsequently, writer Émile Zola's open letter \"J'Accuse...!\" in the newspaper L'Aurore stoked a growing movement of political support for Dreyfus, putting pressure on the government to reopen the case. In 1899, Dreyfus was returned to France for another trial. The intense political and judicial scandal that ensued divided French society between those who supported Dreyfus, the \"Dreyfusards\" such as Sarah Bernhardt, Anatole France, Charles Péguy, Henri Poincaré, Georges Méliès, and Georges Clemenceau; and those who condemned him, the \"anti-Dreyfusards\" such as Édouard Drumont, the director and publisher of the antisemitic newspaper La Libre Parole. The new trial resulted in another conviction and a 10-year sentence, but Dreyfus was pardoned and released. In 1906, Dreyfus was exonerated. After being reinstated as a major in the French Army, he served during the whole of World War I, ending his service with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He died in 1935. The Dreyfus affair came to symbolise modern injustice in the Francophone world; it remains one of the most notable examples of a miscarriage of justice and of antisemitism. The affair divided France into pro-republican, anticlerical Dreyfusards and pro-army, mostly Catholic anti-Dreyfusards, embittering French politics and encouraging radicalisation. The press played a crucial role in exposing information and in shaping and expressing public opinion on both sides of the conflict.", "wds-Q244939": "The February 28 incident (also called the February 28 massacre, the 228 incident, or the 228 massacre) was an anti-government uprising in Taiwan in 1947 that was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang–led Nationalist government of the Republic of China (ROC). Directed by provincial governor Chen Yi and president Chiang Kai-shek, thousands of civilians were killed beginning on February 28. While the event is primarily characterized by the military crackdown, the initial stages involved widespread civil unrest and violence directed against innocent Mainland civilians. Historical research also indicates that various groups, including members of the Communist Party, participated in the uprising. The incident is considered one of the most important events in Taiwan's modern history and was a critical impetus for the Taiwan independence movement. In 1945, following the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, the Allies handed administrative control of Taiwan over to China, thus ending 50 years of Japanese colonial rule. Local residents became resentful of what they saw as high-handed and frequently corrupt conduct on the part of the Kuomintang (KMT) authorities, including the arbitrary seizure of private property, economic mismanagement, and exclusion from political participation. The flashpoint came on February 27, 1947, in Taipei, when agents of the State Monopoly Bureau struck a Taiwanese widow suspected of selling contraband cigarettes. An officer then fired into a crowd of angry bystanders, hitting one man, who died the next day. Soldiers fired upon demonstrators the next day, after which a radio station was seized by protesters and news of the revolt was broadcast to the entire island. As the uprising spread, the KMT-installed governor Chen Yi called for military reinforcements, and the uprising was violently put down by the National Revolutionary Army. Two years later, and for 38 years thereafter, the island would be placed under martial law in a period known as the \"White Terror\". During the White Terror, the KMT persecuted perceived political dissidents, and the incident was considered too taboo to be discussed. President Lee Teng-hui became the first president to discuss the incident publicly on its anniversary in 1995. The event is now openly discussed, and its details have become the subject of government and academic investigation. February 28 is now an official public holiday called Peace Memorial Day, on which the president of Taiwan gathers with other officials to ring a commemorative bell in memory of the victims. Monuments and memorial parks to the victims of the February 28 incident have been erected in a number of Taiwanese cities. In particular, Taipei's former Taipei New Park was renamed 228 Peace Memorial Park, and the National 228 Memorial Museum was opened on February 28, 1997. The Kaohsiung Museum of History also has a permanent exhibit detailing the events of the incident in Kaohsiung. In 2019, the Transitional Justice Commission exonerated protesters who were convicted by the government in the aftermath. The number of deaths from the incident and massacre was estimated to be between 18,000 and 28,000. Other estimates are much lower. While the majority of the casualties were Taiwanese at the hands of the military, historical records also document hundreds of Mainland civilians (Waishengren) were killed or injured by angry mobs. A government commission was set up under the administration of the pro-Taiwan independence president, Lee Teng-hui, to determine the facts. Using the civil registry set up during the Japanese administration, which was acknowledged by all as very efficient, they determined who was living at the time of the handover to the Chinese administration. The commission was given the power to award to the family of anyone who died in the period of the insurrection and the restoration of Nationalist government rule an amount of NT$6,000,000, about US$150,000. The families did not have to prove that the death was related to the above events. A total of 800 people came forward to get the awards for the people who died during the period.", "wds-Q644478": "The University of Galway (Irish: Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. It was founded in 1845 as Queen's College, Galway. It was known as \"University College, Galway\" from 1908 to 1997 and as \"National University of Ireland, Galway\" (NUI Galway) from 1997 to 2022. In September 2022, the university changed its name to \"University of Galway\". It is also a member of the Coimbra Group, a network of 42 long-established European universities.", "wds-Q861548": "Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the state. Chartered in 1851, it is located on Florida's oldest continuous site of higher education. Florida State University maintains 17 colleges, as well as 58 centers, facilities, labs, institutes, and professional training programs. In fall 2025, the university enrolled 46,184 students from all 50 states and 133 non-US countries. Florida State is home to Florida's only national laboratory, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, and was instrumental in the commercial development of the anti-cancer drug Taxol. Florida State University also operates the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida and one of the nation's largest museum/university complexes. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). The university is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research spending and doctorate production\". Per 2023 National Science Foundation data the university had research and development (R&D) expenditures of $414.46 million and ranked 79th out of 890 evaluated institutions. The university has an annual budget of $3 billion and an annual estimated economic impact of $15.5 billion. Florida State has a collaborative relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida and is allowed to use the name Seminoles and certain imagery. FSU's intercollegiate sports teams, known by their \"Florida State Seminoles\" nickname, compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Florida State's varsity teams have won 19 all-time national athletic championships in nine sports.", "wds-Q1329269": "The Wharton School ( WHOR-tən) is an American business school in Philadelphia. It is part of the University of Pennsylvania, a private university in the Ivy League. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton School is the world's oldest collegiate business school. It is one of six Ivy League business schools, and is the business school which has educated the highest number of billionaires in America, including Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, and US president Donald Trump. The Wharton School awards undergraduate and graduate degrees with a school-specific economics major and concentrations in 18 disciplines in Wharton's academic departments. The undergraduate degree is a general business degree focused on core business skills. At the graduate level, the Master of Business Administration program can be pursued by itself or along with dual studies leading to a joint degree from the University of Pennsylvania's law, engineering, and government schools. In addition to its tracks in accounting, finance, operations, statistics, and other academic departments, the doctoral and post-doctoral programs co-sponsor several diploma programs in conjunction with other schools within the university.", "wds-Q722699": "The Fashoda Incident, also known as the Fashoda Crisis (French: Crise de Fachoda), was the climax of imperialist territorial disputes between Britain and France in East Africa, occurring between 10 July and 3 November 1898. A French expedition to Fashoda on the White Nile sought to gain control of the Upper Nile river basin and thereby exclude Britain from Sudan. The French party and a British-Egyptian force (outnumbering the French by 10 to 1) met on friendly terms. However, in Europe, it became a war scare. Both empires stood on the verge of war with heated rhetoric on both sides. Under heavy pressure, the French withdrew, ensuring Anglo-Egyptian control over the area.", "wds-Q503473": "The University of Geneva (French: Université de Genève) is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for enlightenment scholarship. Today, it is the third largest university in Switzerland by number of students. In 1873, it dropped its religious affiliations and became officially secular. In 2009, the University of Geneva celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding. Almost 40% of the students come from over 150 foreign countries. The university holds and actively pursues teaching, research, and community service as its primary objectives. The University of Geneva is a member of the League of European Research Universities, 4EU+ Alliance, Coimbra Group, International Forum of Public Universities, and European University Association. It is also home to numerous research centers and institutes, including the Global Studies Institute, and the Institute of Global Health.", "wds-Q468823": "The March on Rome (Italian: Marcia su Roma) was an organized mass demonstration in October 1922 which resulted in Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) ascending to power in the Kingdom of Italy. In late October 1922, Fascist Party leaders planned a march on Rome. On 28 October, the fascist demonstrators and Blackshirt paramilitaries approached the capital; Prime Minister Luigi Facta wished to declare a state of siege, but this was overruled by King Victor Emmanuel III, who, fearing bloodshed, persuaded Facta to resign by threatening to abdicate. On 30 October 1922, the King appointed Mussolini as Prime Minister, thereby transferring political power to the fascists without armed conflict. On 31 October the fascist Blackshirts paraded in Rome, while Mussolini formed his coalition government.", "wds-Q221519": "The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies (mainly from the British Empire and the Republic of China, with support from the United States) against the invading forces of the Empire of Japan. Imperial Japan was supported by the Thai Phayap Army, as well as two collaborationist independence movements and armies, The State of Burma and the Provisional Government of Free India. Nominally independent puppet states were established in the conquered areas and some territories were annexed by Thailand. In 1942 and 1943, the international Allied force in British India launched several failed offensives to retake lost territories. Fighting intensified in 1944, and British Empire forces peaked at around 1 million land and air forces. These forces were drawn primarily from British India, with British Army forces (equivalent to eight regular infantry divisions and six tank regiments), 100,000 East and West African colonial troops, and smaller numbers of land and air forces from several other Dominions and Colonies. These additional forces allowed the Allied recapture of Burma in 1945. The campaign had a number of notable features. The geographical characteristics of the region meant that weather, disease and terrain had a major effect on operations. The lack of transport infrastructure placed an emphasis on military engineering and air transport to move and supply troops, and evacuate wounded. The campaign was also politically complex, with the British, the United States and the Chinese all having different strategic priorities. It was also the only land campaign by the Western Allies in the Pacific Theatre that proceeded continuously from the start of hostilities to the end of the war. This was due to its geographical location. By extending from South East Asia to India, its area included some lands which the British lost at the outset of the war, but also included areas of India wherein the Japanese advance was eventually stopped. The climate of the region is dominated by the seasonal monsoon rains, which allowed effective campaigning for only just over half of each year. This, together with other factors such as famine and disorder in British India and the priority given by the Allies to the defeat of Nazi Germany, prolonged the campaign and divided it into four phases: the Japanese invasion, which led to the expulsion of British, Indian and Chinese forces in 1942; failed attempts by the Allies to mount offensives into Burma, from late 1942 to early 1944; the 1944 Japanese invasion of India, which ultimately failed following the battles of Imphal and Kohima; and finally the successful Allied offensive which liberated Burma from late 1944 to mid-1945. The campaign was also strongly affected from the political atmosphere which erupted in the South-East Asian regions occupied by Japan, who pursued the Pan-Asianist policy of a \"Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere\". These led to a Japanese-sponsored revolution during the initial invasion and the establishment of the State of Burma, whose Burma Independence Army had spearheaded the initial attacks against the country. The Provisional Government of Free India, with its Indian National Army, fought under Imperial Japan, especially during Operation U-Go in 1944. The INA had earlier collaborated with Nazi Germany. The dominating attitude of the Japanese militarist who commanded the army stationed in the country ultimately doomed the co-prosperity sphere as a whole, leading to local hopes for real independence fading and a revolt by the Burma National Army in 1945. On the Allied side, political relations were mixed for much of the war. The China Burma India Theater American-trained Chinese X Force led to cooperation between the two countries, but the clashing strategies proposed by General Joseph Stilwell and Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek would lead to Stilwell's eventual removal from his position as American Commander of the theater. On the other hand, China–India relations were positive from the cooperative Burma Road, built to reach the Chinese Y Force and the Chinese war effort inside China, as well as from the missions over the extremely dangerous air route over the Himalayas, nicknamed \"The Hump\". The campaign would have a great impact on the independence struggle of Burma and India in the post-war years.", "wds-Q729288": "The 1954 Asian Games (Filipino: Palarong Asyano 1954), officially known as the Second Asian Games – Manila 1954, were a multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines, from May 1 to 9, 1954. A total of 970 athletes from 19 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 76 events from eight sports. The number of participating NOCs and athletes were larger than the previous Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1951. This edition of the games has a different twist where it did not implement a medal tally system to determine the overall champion but a pointing system. The pointing system is a complex system where each athlete were given points according to their achievement like position in athletics or in swimming. In the end the pointing system showed to be worthless as it simply ranked the nations the same way in the medal tally system. The pointing system was not implemented in future games ever since. Jorge B. Vargas was the head of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation (now known as Philippine Olympic Committee since 1976) and the Manila Asian Games Organizing Committee. With the second-place finish of the Philippines, only around 9,000 spectators attended the closing ceremony at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. The events were broadcast on radio live at DZRH and DZAQ-TV ABS-3 on delayed telecast.", "wds-Q766929": "The 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 1990 FIFA World Cup featured 24 teams with one place reserved for the host nation, Italy, and one place for the defending champions, Argentina. The remaining 22 places were determined by a qualification process, in which 116 teams, from the six FIFA confederations, competed. Most of the successful teams were determined within these confederations, with a limited number of inter-confederation play-offs occurring at the end of the process. The first qualification match was played on 17 April 1988 and qualification concluded on 19 November 1989. A total of 735 goals were scored in the 314 qualifying matches (an average of 2.34 per match).", "wds-Q1540695": "The January Events (Lithuanian: Sausio įvykiai) were a series of violent confrontations between the civilian population of Lithuania, supporting independence, and the Soviet Armed Forces. The events took place between 11 and 13 January 1991, after the restoration of independence by Lithuania. As a result of the Soviet military actions, 14 civilians were killed and over 140 were injured as they peacefully protested for freedom in what is known as the Vilnius massacre. The 13 January was the most violent day of the month in Lithuania and this was the bloodiest act of repression by Soviet forces since the April 9 tragedy. The events were primarily centered in the capital city Vilnius, but Soviet military activity and confrontations also occurred elsewhere in the country, including Alytus, Šiauliai, Varėna, and Kaunas. The 13 January is the Day of the Defenders of Freedom (Lithuanian: Laisvės Gynėjų Diena) in Lithuania and it is officially observed as a commemorative day.", "wds-Q13371": "Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636, and named Harvard College in 1639 in honor of its first benefactor, Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Its influence, wealth, and rankings have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Harvard was founded and authorized by the Massachusetts General Court, the governing legislature of colonial-era Massachusetts Bay Colony. While never formally affiliated with any Protestant denomination, Harvard trained Christian clergy of Congregational denomination until its curriculum and student body were gradually secularized in the 18th century. In 1780, the Constitution of Massachusetts referred to it as a university, and a new medical school established in 1782 was named the Medical Institution of Harvard University; but this was a new name, not a new foundation. Harvard College soon became the name of the university's undergraduate division. By the 19th century, Harvard had emerged as the most prominent academic and cultural institution among the Boston elite. Following the American Civil War, under Harvard president Charles William Eliot's long tenure from 1869 to 1909, Harvard developed multiple professional schools, which transformed it into a modern research university. In 1900, Harvard co-founded the Association of American Universities. James B. Conant led the university through the Great Depression and World War II, and liberalized admissions after the war. The university has ten academic faculties and a faculty attached to Harvard Radcliffe Institute. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers study in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate academic disciplines, and other faculties offer graduate degrees, including professional degrees. Harvard has three campuses: the main campus, a 209-acre (85 ha) in Cambridge centered on Harvard Yard; an adjoining campus immediately across Charles River in the Allston neighborhood of Boston; and the medical campus in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. Harvard's endowment, valued at $55.7 billion, makes it the wealthiest academic institution in the world. Harvard Library, with more than 20 million volumes, is the world's largest academic library.", "wds-Q4288436": "International Tea Day is observed annually on May 21, according to the United Nations. Chinese scholar Chen Entian was the earliest initiator and promoter. The concerning resolution was adopted on December 21, 2019, and called on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to lead the observance of the Day. The International Tea Day aims to raise awareness of the long history and the deep cultural and economic significance of tea around the world. The goal of the day is to promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favour of the sustainable production and consumption of tea and raise awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty. An International Tea Day has been celebrated on December 15, since 2005, in tea producing countries like India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda and Tanzania. International Tea Day aims to draw global attention of governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers and growers, and has been linked to requests for price supports and fair trade.", "wds-Q20806406": "The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2026, was a multi-sport event held from 23 July to 2 August 2026 in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, for members of the Commonwealth of Nations. This is the fourth Commonwealth Games to be hosted in Scotland, following the 1970 and 1986 games in Edinburgh, and the 2014 Games in Glasgow. The 2026 Commonwealth Games is the first to be held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth, and the first edition since Donald Rukare became president of Commonwealth Sport. For some time, the Games were without a host after the bid from Victoria, Australia for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was withdrawn, Victoria having initially been announced as the host in April 2022. On 18 July 2023, the Victorian state government cancelled its plans due to escalating cost projections. The city of Gold Coast, Queensland, briefly offered to co-host the event but later withdrew for similar reasons. With no host, there was a risk that the Games might be postponed to 2027 or cancelled entirely. On 11 August 2024, reports surfaced that Glasgow had reached an agreement to take over the hosting rights, but the next day it was clarified that talks were ongoing with no final agreement or imminent announcement. Commonwealth Games Scotland proposed a scaled-back version of the event, featuring 10 to 13 sports and using existing infrastructure, with £100 million in funding from the Commonwealth Games Federation and an additional £30 to 50 million from commercial sources, ensuring no significant public funds would be required. A further update on 30 August 2024 confirmed that the Games would be primarily funded by AU$200 million, secured as compensation from the Victorian government following their withdrawal. In September 2024, the Scottish Government agreed to host the games with financial backing from Commonwealth Games Australia. The scaled-down and low-cost Games featured 10 sports taking place over seven venues and no athletes' village. Australia topped the medal table for the third consecutive Commonwealth Games, with 70 gold and 171 total medals. England placed second with 29 gold and 110 total medals, while Canada finished third with 19 gold and 62 total medals. The host nation, Scotland, finished fifth behind India, each with 13 gold medals and 29 total medals. Gabon, Rwanda and Tuvalu won their first-ever Commonwealth medals, with Dominica winning their first-ever gold medal.", "wds-Q111458253": "The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, also known as Aragalaya (Sinhala: අරගලය, lit. 'The Struggle'), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Sri Lankan economy, which led to a subsequent economic crisis involving severe inflation, daily blackouts, and a shortage of fuel, domestic gas, and other essential goods. The protesters' main demand was the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and key officials from the Rajapaksa family. Despite the involvement of several opposition parties, most protesters considered themselves to be apolitical, with many expressing discontent with the parliamentary opposition. Protesters chanted slogans such as \"Go Home Gota\", \"Go Home Rajapaksas\", and \"Aragalayata Jaya Wewa\" (\"Victory to the struggle\"). Most protests were organized by the general public, with youths playing a major part by carrying out protests at Galle Face Green. The government reacted to the protests with authoritarian methods, such as declaring a state of emergency, allowing the military to arrest civilians, imposing curfews, and restricting access to social media. The government violated the law and the Sri Lankan constitution by attempting to suppress the protests. The Sri Lankan diaspora also began demonstrations against the suppression of basic human rights in the country. In April, the government's ban on social media was perceived to have backfired; hashtags such as #GoHomeGota, which is believed to have been coined by an activist called Pathum Kerner in December 2021, had begun trending on Twitter internationally. The government's ban was lifted later that day. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka condemned the government's actions and summoned officials responsible for the blocking and abuse of protesters. On 3 April, all 26 members of the Second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet resigned with the exception of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Critics said that the resignation was not valid as they did not follow constitutional protocol and several of the ministers who \"resigned\" were reinstated in different ministries the next day. Chief government whip Johnston Fernando insisted that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would not resign under any circumstances. The protests, however, led to the removal of officials and ministers, including members of the Rajapaksa family and their close associates, and to the appointment of more qualified and veteran officials and the creation of the Advisory Group on Multilateral Engagement and Debt Sustainability. In July 2022, protesters occupied the President's House in Colombo, causing Rajapaksa to flee and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to announce his own willingness to resign. About a week later, on 20 July, Parliament elected Wickremesinghe as President. By November 2022, the protests had largely cooled off due to improvement in economic conditions. While the protests were mostly over, it was noted that it would take until 2026 for full economic recovery to be achieved.", "wds-Q170531": "The Council of Chalcedon (; Latin: Concilium Chalcedonense) was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bithynia (modern-day Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey) from 8 October to 1 November 451. The council was attended by over 520 bishops or their representatives, making it the largest and best-documented of the first seven ecumenical councils. The principal purpose of the council was to re-assert the teachings of the ecumenical Council of Ephesus against the teachings of Eutyches and Nestorius. Such doctrines viewed Christ's divine and human natures as separate and distinct (Nestorianism), or viewed Christ as solely divine (monophysitism). The Council of Chalcedon issued the Chalcedonian Definition, stating that Jesus is \"perfect both in deity and in humanness; this selfsame one is also actually God and actually man.\" The Council's judgments and definitions regarding the divine marked a significant turning point in the Christological debates.", "wds-Q285406": "The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 1 to October 30, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the fair, held in Jackson Park, was a large water pool representing the voyage that Columbus took to the New World. Chicago won the right to host the fair over several competing cities, including New York City, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. The exposition was an influential social and cultural event and had a profound effect on American architecture, the arts, American industrial optimism, and Chicago's image. A highlight was that Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse showcased their alternating current (AC) system, effectively winning the war of the currents against Thomas Edison's direct current (DC). The fair was the first all-electric, featuring over 200,000 lamps powered by Tesla's polyphase system, demonstrating its superior safety and efficiency for long-distance power distribution. The layout of the Chicago Columbian Exposition was predominantly designed by John Wellborn Root, Daniel Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Charles B. Atwood. It was the prototype of what Burnham and his colleagues thought a city should be. It was designed to follow Beaux-Arts principles of design, namely neoclassical architecture principles based on symmetry, balance, and splendor. The color of the material generally used to cover the buildings' façades, white staff, gave the fairgrounds its nickname, the White City. Many prominent architects designed its 14 \"great buildings\". Artists and musicians were featured in exhibits and many also made depictions and works of art inspired by the exposition. One particularly notable attraction was the world's first Ferris wheel, standing at a height of 264 feet, which was designed to rival the Eiffel Tower built for the 1889 World's Fair four years earlier. The exposition covered 690 acres (2.8 km2), featuring nearly 200 new but temporary buildings of predominantly neoclassical architecture, canals and lagoons, and people and cultures from 46 countries. More than 27 million people attended the exposition during its six-month run. Its scale and grandeur far exceeded the other world's fairs, and it became a symbol of supposed American exceptionalism, much in the same way that the Great Exhibition became a symbol of the Victorian era United Kingdom. Dedication ceremonies for the fair were held on October 21, 1892, but the fairgrounds were not opened to the public until May 1, 1893. The fair continued until October 30, 1893. In addition to recognizing the 400th anniversary of the Europeans' discovery of the New World, the fair served to show the world that Chicago had risen from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire, which had destroyed much of the city in 1871. On October 9, 1893, the day designated as Chicago Day, the fair set a world record for outdoor event attendance, drawing 751,026 people. The debt for the fair was soon paid off with a check for $1.5 million (equivalent to $53.8 million in 2025). Chicago has commemorated the fair with one of the stars on its municipal flag.", "wds-Q49101": "The Suez Crisis, also known as the second Arab–Israeli war, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, with the primary objective of re-opening the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as the recent tightening of the eight-year-long Egyptian blockade further prevented Israeli passage. After issuing a joint ultimatum for a ceasefire, the United Kingdom and France joined the Israelis on 31 October, seeking to depose Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and regain control of the Suez Canal, which Nasser had nationalised earlier in the year. Shortly after the invasion began, the three countries came under heavy political pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as from the United Nations, eventually prompting their withdrawal from Egypt. The crisis demonstrated that the United Kingdom and France could no longer pursue their independent foreign policy without consent from the United States. Israel's four-month-long occupation of the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula enabled it to attain freedom of navigation through the Straits of Tiran, but the Suez Canal was closed from October 1956 to March 1957. The crisis strengthened Nasser's standing and led to international humiliation for the British—with historians arguing that it signified the end of its role as a superpower—as well as the French amid the Cold War. As a result of the conflict, the UN established an emergency force to police and patrol the Egypt–Israel border. For his diplomatic efforts in resolving the conflict through UN initiatives, Canadian external affairs minister Lester B. Pearson received a Nobel Peace Prize. Analysts have argued that the crisis may have emboldened the USSR, prompting the Soviet invasion of Hungary.", "wds-Q696168": "The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Campaign Plan Granite II, was an offensive launched by the United States against Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific between June and November 1944 during the Pacific War. The campaign consisted of Operation Forager, which captured the Mariana Islands, and Operation Stalemate, which captured Palau. Operation Causeway, an invasion of Japanese-controlled Taiwan, was also planned but not executed. The offensive, under the overall command of Chester W. Nimitz, followed the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign and was intended to neutralize Japanese bases in the central Pacific, support the Allied drive to retake the Philippines, and provide bases for a strategic bombing campaign against Japan. The United States assembled a significant combined arms task force to undertake the campaign. The Fifth Fleet was commanded by Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. Task Force 58, commanded by Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher, consisted of 15 carriers, 7 battleships, 11 cruisers, 86 destroyers and over 900 planes. The amphibious invasion force, commanded by Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner, consisted of 56 attack transports, 84 landing craft and over 127,000 troops. At the beginning of the campaign, United States Marine Corps and United States Army forces, with support from the United States Navy, executed landings on Saipan in June 1944. In response, the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet sortied to attack the U.S. Navy force supporting the landings. In the resulting Battle of the Philippine Sea (also known as the \"Great Marianas Turkey Shoot\") on 19–20 June, the Japanese naval forces were decisively defeated with heavy and irreplaceable losses to their carrier-borne and land-based aircraft. Prior to the landings in the Forager invasion (Guam and Tinian) Operation Wedlock, a phantom diversion campaign was taking place. The increased radio traffic, starting in October 1943, purported a I Alaskan Corps preparing to invade the Kurile island group. A joint army/navy radio task force was established at Adak, Alaska to push out the fake radio traffic to the equally fictitious IX Amphibious Force and 9th US Fleet. U.S. forces landed on Saipan in June 1944 and on Guam and Tinian in July 1944. After heavy fighting, Saipan was secured in July and Guam and Tinian in August 1944. The U.S. then constructed airfields on Saipan and Tinian from which B-29s were able to conduct strategic bombing missions against the Japanese home islands until the end of World War II, including the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the meantime, in order to secure the flank for U.S. forces preparing to attack Japanese forces in the Philippines, U.S. Marine and Army forces landed on the islands of Peleliu and Angaur in Palau in September 1944. After heavy fighting, both islands were finally secured by U.S. forces in November 1944, while the main Japanese garrison in the Palaus on Koror was bypassed altogether, only to surrender in August 1945 with the Japan's capitulation. Following their landings in the Mariana and Palau Islands, Allied forces continued their ultimately successful campaign against Japan by landing in the Philippines in October 1944 and the Volcano and Ryukyu Islands beginning in February 1945.", "wds-Q178750": "The CONMEBOL Copa América ('Americas Cup'; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship) is the top-flight football tournament for men's national teams in South America. Held every four years, it is the oldest extant continental football competition. The Copa América determines the South American men's national team champion, minus Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana. Since the 1990s, teams from North America and Asia have also been invited to compete. Eight of the ten CONMEBOL national teams have won the tournament at least once in its 48 stagings since the event's inauguration in 1916, with Ecuador and Venezuela the only teams yet to win. Argentina have the most championships in the tournament's history, with 16 cups. The country that hosted the tournament the most times (nine editions) is Argentina, including the inaugural edition in 1916. The United States is the only non-CONMEBOL country that hosted the event, having done so in both 2016 and 2024. On three occasions (in 1975, 1979, and 1983), the tournament was held in multiple South American countries. Since 1993, the tournament has generally featured 12 teams — all 10 CONMEBOL teams and two additional teams from other confederations. Mexico participated in every tournament between 1993 and 2016, with one additional team drawn from CONCACAF, except for 1999, when AFC team Japan filled out the 12-team roster, and 2019, which featured Japan and Qatar. The 2016 and 2024 tournaments both featured 16 teams, with six teams from CONCACAF in addition to the 10 from CONMEBOL.", "wds-Q27192": "The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held during the 1913–1914 season as the National Challenge Cup, with Brooklyn Field Club winning a trophy donated by Thomas Dewar for the promotion of American soccer. For the 1999 edition, it was renamed by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in honor of Lamar Hunt, an executive of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and Major League Soccer (MLS). Maccabee Los Angeles of California and Bethlehem Steel of Pennsylvania both won the cup a record five times, while Greek American AA of New York and Seattle Sounders FC are tied for the record for most consecutive cup victories at three. Since 2008, the champion of the U.S. Open Cup has earned the right to play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The competition is a single-elimination tournament that has been contested by at least 80 teams since the 2014 edition. This pool consists of the American clubs in the professional leagues, which are Major League Soccer, USL Championship, and USL League One. It is also open to amateur teams from USL League Two, National Premier Soccer League, the United States Adult Soccer Association, and US Club Soccer. Amateur and lower-league teams play in months leading up to the formal tournament rounds, with qualifying winners advancing to face USL clubs in geographical pairings in what most recently has been termed the \"second round\". Pairings in each round are done by draw within geographic areas, until a final bracket of four teams each in four geographic regions is established. After the fourth round, no new teams are introduced, leading to quarterfinals in June, the semifinal round in August, and a final match to determine the champion in September. Every match, including the final, lasts 90 minutes plus any additional stoppage time. If no clear winner has been determined after 90 minutes of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time is played. If the score is still level after extra time then the winner is decided by a penalty shoot-out.", "wds-Q162333": "The Italian campaign of World War II, also called the Liberation of Italy following the German occupation in September 1943, consisted of Allied and Axis operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to 1945. The joint Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre and it planned and led the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, followed in September by the invasion of the Italian mainland and the campaign in Italy until the surrender of the Axis forces in Italy in May 1945. The invasion of Sicily in July 1943 led to the collapse of the Fascist Italian regime and the fall of Mussolini, who was deposed and arrested by order of King Victor Emmanuel III on 25 July. The new government signed an armistice with the Allies on 8 September 1943. However, German forces soon invaded northern and central Italy, committing several atrocities against Italian civilians and army units who opposed the German occupation and started the Italian resistance movement. Mussolini, who was rescued by German paratroopers, established a collaborationist puppet state, the Italian Social Republic (RSI), to administer the German-occupied territory. On 13 October 1943, the Allies recognized Italy as a co-belligerent in the war against Germany. Thereafter, the Italian Co-Belligerent Army and the Italian partisans fought alongside the Allies against German troops and the collaborationist National Republican Army; an aspect of this period is the Italian civil war. In the summer of 1944, after the Axis defeats at Cassino and Anzio, central Italy, including Rome, was liberated. Northern Italy was liberated following the final spring offensive and the general insurrection of Italian partisans on 25 April 1945. Mussolini was captured by the Italian resistance and summarily executed by firing squad. The campaign ended when Army Group C surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on 2 May 1945, one week before the formal German Instrument of Surrender. Both sides committed war crimes during the conflict, and the independent states of San Marino and Vatican City surrounded by Italian territory also suffered damage. It is estimated that between September 1943 and April 1945, 60,000–70,000 Allied and 38,805–150,660 German soldiers died in Italy. The number of Allied casualties was about 330,000 and the German figure (excluding those involved in the final surrender) was over 330,000. Fascist Italy, prior to its collapse, suffered about 200,000 casualties, mostly prisoners-of-war taken in the invasion of Sicily, including more than 40,000 killed or missing. Over 150,000 Italian civilians died, as did 35,828 anti-Nazi and anti-fascist partisans and some 35,000 troops of the Italian Social Republic. On the Western Front of World War II, Italy was the most costly campaign in terms of casualties suffered by infantry forces of both sides, during bitter small-scale fighting around strongpoints at the Winter Line, the Anzio beachhead and the Gothic Line. Casualties among infantry in Italy were proportionally higher than they were on the Western Front of WWI.", "wds-Q857351": "The International Chopin Piano Competition (Polish: Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina), also known as the Chopin Competition, is a piano competition in Warsaw, Poland, held first in 1927 and every five years since 1955. The competition is one of the founding members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. It is entirely dedicated to the works of Frédéric Chopin, and is one of the few competitions dedicated entirely to the works of a single composer. It is organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Described as the \"Olympics of the piano world\" by The New York Times, the Chopin Competition is considered one of the most prestigious competitions in classical music, known for launching pianists' international careers. Past winners have included Maurizio Pollini (1960), Martha Argerich (1965), Krystian Zimerman (1975), Yundi Li (2000), Rafał Blechacz (2005), and Seong-Jin Cho (2015). The most recent winner is American pianist Eric Lu, who won the XIX competition in 2025. Chinese pianist Yundi Li is the youngest winner and the youngest juror in the competition's history.", "wds-Q658806": "The Swiss Cup (German: Schweizer Cup; French: Coupe de Suisse; Italian: Coppa Svizzera; Romansh: Cuppa Svizra) is a football cup competition that has been organised annually since 1925–26 season by the Swiss Football Association. The Swiss Cup final is usually the most important game of the year with a high attendance. The competition is also shaped by games in the first rounds when villages celebrate the tie of their club with a professional team leading to infrastructure improvements and often thousands of spectators at the local football pitch. Since 1999 the cup winners earns the chance to qualify for the UEFA Europa League or the UEFA Conference League in accordance with the rankings of Switzerland in the UEFA coefficient.", "wds-Q1376314": "The 1st Asian Winter Games (Japanese: 1986年アジア冬季競技大会, romanized: 1986-Nen Ajia tōkikyōgitaikai), also known as Sapporo 1986 (Japanese: 札幌1986), were held from March 1 to 8, 1986 in Sapporo, Japan. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of having a continent-wide winter version of the Asian Games in 1982. With Sapporo's expertise and infrastructure available after successfully hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Seoul in 1984 decided to give Japan the privilege of hosting the first ever Asian Winter Games. Participating in a total of 35 events in seven sports were 430 athletes and officials from seven countries.", "wds-Q2629370": "Expo 2020 (Arabic: إكسبو 2020) was a World Expo hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates. Despite being postponed, organizers kept the name Expo 2020 for marketing and branding purposes. The event had recorded more than 24 million visits from around the world in its six months. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) general assembly in Paris named Dubai as the host on 27 November 2013. Expo 2020 Dubai are expected to come up with Dh154.9 billion ($42.2 billion) of gross value added (GVA) to the UAE’s economy from 2013 to 2042, as per the EY report.", "wds-Q824436": "The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her sixth studio album, Circus (2008). Rumors of a tour arose as early as October 2007, however, nothing was confirmed until December 2008, when the tour was officially announced, with North American and European dates revealed. The stage was composed of three rings and set in-the-round to resemble an actual circus. Fashion designers Dean and Dan Caten created the costumes. A giant cylinder screen was set above the stage to showcase videos and backdrops. Effects were provided by Solotech. Magician Ed Alonzo joined Spears during the second act. The setlist was composed generally from her albums In the Zone, Blackout, and Circus. Spears announced she would tour Australia for the first time in June 2009. The Circus Starring Britney Spears was described as a \"pop extravaganza\". It was divided into five segments. The Circus featured a metamorphosis of Spears from a ringmaster to a slave, while being surrounded by different performers. House of Fun (Anything Goes) displayed a series of upbeat numbers with different themes, including magic and military. It ended with a Bollywood-inspired performance and a ballad in which Spears performed while floating on a giant umbrella. Freakshow/Peepshow featured a video interlude set to heavy metal music, and continued with dark and sexual performances. Electro Circ displayed energetic dance routines, and the encore consisted of a video montage of Spears's music videos and a police-themed performance. Some changes were made to the show throughout the tour. Several songs were remixed; Spears also performed \"Mannequin\" in selected European shows and covers of Duffy and Alanis Morissette songs on some North American dates. The Circus Starring Britney Spears received mixed to positive reviews from critics. While some praised its aesthetics and deemed it an entertaining show, others criticized Spears' lack of involvement during some segments. The tour was a commercial success, with a total gross of $131.8 million, making it Spears' highest-grossing tour and the fifth highest-grossing tour of 2009. A great number of tickets were sold within a week of the tour's announcement, which prompted supporters to add more dates. The tour also broke attendance records in many cities and all the North American shows were sold out.", "wds-Q1209909": "The 2018 Asian Games (Indonesian: Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or Asian Games 2018), officially known as the XVIII Asian Games, and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang. For the first time, the Summer Asian Games were co-hosted by two regions; the Indonesian capital of Jakarta (which was hosting the Games for the first time since 1962), and Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province. Events were held in and around the two cities, including venues in Bandung and the provinces of West Java and Banten. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The Games were originally awarded to Hanoi, Vietnam, but withdrew in 2014 due to budgetary concerns and other factors. Several non-Olympic events were trimmed from the event programme, but several new disciplines being introduced at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (including 3-on-3 basketball) were added. Esports and canoe polo were also contested as demonstration sports. China led the medal tally for the tenth consecutive time. North and South Korea fielded a unified team during the opening ceremony and selected events, and also won their first-ever gold medal as a unified team at a multi-sport event. 6 world, 18 Asian and 86 Asian Games records were broken during the Games, while Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee was announced as the most valuable player.", "wds-Q180701": "The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 was a series of parallel association football competitions held across Europe between 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012. The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 7 February 2010 in the Congress Hall of the Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw, with matches set to take place between August 2010 and November 2011. Two host countries qualified automatically. For the first qualifying round, there were nine groups. Six of these groups had six teams (one from pots 1 to 6 below); the remaining three groups consisted of five teams (one each from pots 1 to 5 below). The group competition was a double round robin: each team hosted a game with every other team in its group. Each group winner qualified, along with the second-place team with the most points against teams ranked in the top five in the group. The remaining eight second-place teams were paired for two-game play-offs, with the winner of each total goals tie (or away goals rule, or penalty shootout) qualifying for the finals to complete the field of sixteen teams.", "wds-Q50782": "WWE Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It is available only through pay-per-view (PPV) since 2010 and WWE's livestreaming services since 2015. The event was established in 2010, replacing No Way Out as the annual February PPV. The concept of the event is that one or two main event matches are contested inside the Elimination Chamber, either with championships or future opportunities at championships at stake. The Elimination Chamber match itself had been created in 2002 and held at various other WWE pay-per-views before the establishment of the namesake event in 2010. The 2014 event was notable as it was WWE's final event to air exclusively via traditional PPV outlets due to the launch of the WWE Network the next day, as all PPV events since have aired on both PPV and livestreamed on the WWE Network. The following year, the event's February slot was replaced by Fastlane, with the 2015 Elimination Chamber instead being held in May. That year's event also saw the first tag team Elimination Chamber match. Although the event did not occur in 2016, it returned in 2017 with a revamped Chamber design. The event also returned to the February PPV slot. While the eponymous match was originally only for male wrestlers, the 2018 event featured the first-ever women's version, as well as the first seven-man Elimination Chamber match. The 2019 event determined the inaugural holders of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. The 2020 event was notable as it was WWE's final PPV event held before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused all of WWE's shows to be held behind closed doors until mid-2021. The 2020 event was also moved to March as Super ShowDown was held in February, but the event returned to its February slot for the 2021 event, which was WWE's final PPV held before the American version of the WWE Network merged under Peacock that March. The 2022 event was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, thus making it the first Elimination Chamber event to take place outside of the United States and on a Saturday. Subsequent events would continue to be held outside of the US, with the 2023 event and the 2025 event in Canada and the 2024 event in Perth, Australia. The 2025 event was the first to livestream on Netflix outside the United States as most other countries merged under the service in January 2025. Since 2022, there has been one men's Elimination Chamber match and one women's Elimination Chamber match. To coincide with the brand extension, the events in 2010 and 2011 featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands before the first brand split ended in August 2011. Following the reintroduction of the brand split in mid-2016, the 2017 event was held exclusively for wrestlers from SmackDown. The 2018 event was then Raw-exclusive and was the final Raw-branded PPV of the second brand split, as following that year's WrestleMania 34, WWE discontinued brand-exclusive pay-per-views. The 2019 event in turn featured wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands, as well as 205 Live, while the events afterwards have just featured Raw and SmackDown. In Germany, Elimination Chamber is known by a different name to avoid connotations of the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in World War II. In 2010, it retained the \"No Way Out\" (German: Kein Ausweg) name, which was also used for the event in 2012, but in 2011, it was called No Escape (German: Kein Entkommen), which became its permanent German name in 2013.", "wds-Q15715792": "The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The conference negotiated the Paris Agreement, a global agreement on the reduction of climate change, the text of which represented a consensus of the representatives of the 196 attending parties. The agreement was due to enter into force when joined by at least 55 countries which together represented at least 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a target reached on 4 November 2016. On 22 April 2016 (Earth Day), 174 countries signed the agreement in New York, and began adopting it within their own legal systems (through ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession). According to the organizing committee at the outset of the talks, the expected key result was an agreement to set a goal of limiting global warming to \"well below 2 °C\" Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. The agreement calls for zero net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to be reached during the second half of the 21st century. In the adopted version of the Paris Agreement, the parties will also \"pursue efforts to\" limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C. The 1.5 °C goal will require zero emissions sometime between 2030 and 2050, according to some scientists. Prior to the conference, 146 national climate panels publicly presented a draft of national climate contributions (called \"Intended Nationally Determined Contributions\", INDCs). These suggested commitments were estimated to limit global warming to 2.7 °C by 2100. For example, the EU suggested INDC is a commitment to a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. The agreement establishes a \"global stocktake\" which revisits the national goals to \"update and enhance\" them every five years beginning 2023. However, no detailed timetable or country-specific goals for emissions were incorporated into the Paris Agreement – as opposed to the previous Kyoto Protocol. A number of meetings took place in preparation for COP21, including the Bonn Climate Change Conference, 19 to 23 October 2015, which produced a draft agreement.", "wds-Q111333424": "The 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 20 November 2022 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Max Verstappen won the race ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez. Leclerc's finish ahead of Pérez decided the fight between the two for second in the Drivers' Championship in his favour. This was the 300th Grand Prix entry, and 299th and final Grand Prix start, for four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Vettel would finish tenth during the race, scoring his last Formula One point.", "wds-Q116977418": "Group F of UEFA Euro 2024 took place from 18 to 26 June 2024. The group contained Turkey, Georgia, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Turkey, Portugal, and the Czech Republic were drawn into the Group A of the UEFA Euro 2008.", "wds-Q114065797": "Civil unrest and protests against the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran associated with the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini (Persian: مهسا امینی) began on 16 September 2022 and carried on into 2023, but by spring 2023, the protests had largely subsided, ultimately leaving the political leadership unchanged and firmly entrenched in power. The protests were described as \"unlike any the country had seen before\", the \"biggest challenge\" to the government, and \"most widespread revolt\" since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Amini was arrested by the Guidance Patrol on 13 September 2022 for allegedly violating Iran's mandatory hijab law by wearing her hijab \"improperly\" while visiting Tehran from Saqqez. According to eyewitnesses, she was severely beaten by Guidance Patrol officers (this was denied by Iranian authorities). She subsequently collapsed, was hospitalized and died three days later. As the protests spread from Amini's hometown of Saqqez to other cities in the Iranian Kurdistan and throughout Iran, the government responded with widespread Internet blackouts, nationwide restrictions on social media usage, tear gas and gunfire. Although the protests have not been as deadly as those in 2019 (when more than 1,500 were killed), they have been \"nationwide, spread across social classes, universities, the streets [and] schools\". At least 551 people, including 68 minors, had been killed as a result of the government's intervention in the protests, as of 15 September 2023. Before February 2023 when most were pardoned, an estimated 19,262 were arrested across at least 134 cities and towns and 132 universities. Female protesters, including schoolchildren, have played a key role in the demonstrations. In addition to demands for increased rights for women, the protests have demanded the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, setting them apart from previous major protest movements in Iran, which have focused on election results or economic woes. The government's response to the protests and its \"brutal and disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters and children\" was widely condemned, but Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei dismissed the unrest as \"riots\" and part of a \"hybrid war\" against Iran created by foreign enemy states and dissidents abroad. On 2 February 2024, the UN Human Rights Council's Fact-Finding Mission released a report which found the Iranian regime committed systematic crimes against humanity. On 16 September 2026, Amnesty International reported that the Iranian regime instigated the killing, torture, and sexual abuse of protesters during the Mahsa Amini protests, adding that the subsequent suppression of the 2025–2026 Iranian protests exhibited similar characteristics, but on a larger scale.", "wds-Q483463": "The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games, they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia, after the breakup of the Asian Games Federation. The Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee and are the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games. Nine nations have hosted the Asian Games. Forty-six nations have participated in the Games, including Israel, which was excluded from the Games after its last participation in 1974. The twentieth edition is being held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Since 2010, it has been common for the host of the Asian Games to host the Asian Para Games held shortly after the end of the Games. This event is exclusive to athletes with disabilities, just like Paralympic Games. But unlike the Paralympics where the host city's contract mentions the holding of both events, the case of Asia does not mention the mandatory holding of both. Instead, the exclusion of the Asian Paralympic Games from the Asian Games host city's contract means that both events run independently from one other, and may lead to occasions in the future when the two events are held in different cities and countries.", "wds-Q46362": "The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Participants were representatives of all European powers (other than the Ottoman Empire) and other stakeholders. The Congress was chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich (Duke Metternich) and was held in Vienna from September 1814 to June 1815. The objective of the Congress was to provide a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling critical issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars through negotiation. The goal was not simply to restore old boundaries, but to resize the main powers so they could balance each other and remain at peace, being at the same time shepherds for the smaller powers. More generally, conservative leaders like Metternich also sought to restrain or eliminate Bonapartist, republican, liberal, and revolutionary movements which, from their point of view, had upended the constitutional order of the European ancien régime. At the negotiation table, the position of France was weaker than those of the United Kingdom, Prussia, Austrian Empire, and the Russian Empire, partly due to Napoleon's recent defeat. In the eventual settlement, France had to give up all of Napoleon's conquests (while keeping certain territories conquered before his seizure of power), while the other three main powers made major territorial gains around the world. Prussia added territory from smaller states: Swedish Pomerania, most of the Kingdom of Saxony, and the western part of the former Duchy of Warsaw. Austria gained much of northern Italy. Russia added the central and eastern parts of the Duchy of Warsaw. All agreed upon ratifying the creation of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been created just months before from the former Dutch Seven Provinces together with formerly Austrian territory, and was meant to serve as a buffer between the German Confederation and France. The immediate background was Napoleonic France's defeat and surrender in May 1814, which brought an end to 23 years of nearly continuous war. Remarkably, negotiations continued unaffected despite the outbreak of fighting triggered by Napoleon's return from exile and resumption of power in France during the Hundred Days of March to July 1815. The Congress's agreement was signed nine days before Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Some historians have criticised the outcomes of the Congress for causing the subsequent suppression of national, democratic, and liberal movements, and it has been seen as a reactionary settlement for the benefit of traditional monarchs. Others have praised the Congress for protecting Europe from large and widespread wars for almost a century.", "wds-Q190163": "The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), first officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year. The first World Championship that was held as an individual event was in 1930 in which twelve nations participated. In 1931, ten teams played a series of round-robin format qualifying rounds to determine which nations participated in the medal round. Medals were awarded based on the final standings of the teams in the medal round. In 1951, thirteen nations took part and were split into two groups. The top seven teams (Pool A) played for the World Championship. The other six (Pool B) played for ranking purposes. This basic format would be used until 1992 (although small variations were made). During a congress in 1990, the IIHF introduced a playoff system. As the IIHF grew, more teams began to participate at the World Championships, so more pools (later renamed divisions) were introduced. The modern format for the World Championship features 16 teams in the championship group, 12 teams in Division I, 12 teams in Division II and 12 teams in Division III. If there are more than 52 teams, the rest compete in Division IV. The teams in the championship play a preliminary round, then the top eight teams play in the playoff medal round and the winning team is crowned World Champion. Over the years, the tournament has gone through several rule changes. In 1969 body-checking in all three zones in a rink was allowed, helmets and goaltender masks became mandatory in the early 1970s and in 1992 the IIHF began using the shootout. The current IIHF rules differ slightly from the rules used in the NHL. From the 1920 Olympics until the 1976 World Championships, only athletes designated as \"amateur\" were allowed to compete in the tournament. Because of this, players from the National Hockey League (NHL) and its senior minor-league teams were not allowed to compete, while the Soviet Union was allowed to use permanent full-time players who were positioned as regular workers of an aircraft industry or tractor industry employer that sponsored what would be presented as an after-hours amateur social sports society team for their workers. In 1970, after an agreement to allow just a small number of its professionals to participate was rescinded by the IIHF, Canada withdrew from the tournament. Starting in 1977, professional athletes were allowed to compete in the tournament and Canada re-entered. The IIHF requires that players are citizens of the country they represent and allow players to switch national teams provided that they play in their new nation for a certain period of time. Canada was the tournament's first dominant team, winning the tournament 12 times from 1930 to 1952. The United States, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Great Britain and Switzerland were also competitive during this period. The Soviet Union first participated in 1954 and soon became rivals with Canada. From 1963 until the nation's breakup in 1991, the Soviet Union was the dominant team, winning 20 championships out of 26. During that period, only three other nations won medals: Canada, Czechoslovakia and Sweden. Russia first participated in 1992 and the Czech Republic first participated in 1993, while Slovakia began competing in 1994. In the 2000s, the competition became more open as the \"Big Six\" teams – Canada, Czechia, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States – have become more evenly matched. As this tournament takes place during the same period as the later stages of the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs, many of that league's top players are not available to participate for their national teams or have only become available after their NHL teams have been eliminated, after playing 90+ games. North American teams have been previously criticised for not taking this tournament seriously. The 2024 World Championship, held in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia, was the most successful to date in terms of overall attendance; it was visited by 797,727 people and average attendance was at 12,464.", "wds-Q1073476": "The Northern Expedition was a military campaign launched by the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Kuomintang (KMT) against the Beiyang government and other regional warlords in 1926. The purpose of the campaign was to reunify China, which had become fragmented in the aftermath of the 1911 Revolution. The expedition was led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, and was divided into two phases. The first phase ended in a 1927 political split between two factions of the KMT: the right-leaning Nanjing faction, led by Chiang, and the left-leaning faction in Wuhan, led by Wang Jingwei. The split was partially motivated by Chiang's Shanghai Massacre of Communists within the KMT, which marked the end of the First United Front. In an effort to mend this schism, Chiang Kai-shek stepped down as the commander of the NRA in August 1927, and went into exile in Japan. The second phase of the expedition began in January 1928, when Chiang resumed command. By April 1928, the nationalist forces had advanced to the Yellow River. With the assistance of allied warlords, including Yan Xishan and Feng Yuxiang, the nationalist forces secured a series of decisive victories against the Beiyang Army. As they approached Beijing, Zhang Zuolin, leader of the Manchuria-based Fengtian clique, was forced to flee and was later assassinated shortly thereafter by the Japanese. His son, Zhang Xueliang, took over as the leader of the Fengtian clique, and in December 1928, announced that Manchuria would accept the authority of the nationalist government in Nanjing. With the final piece of China under KMT control, the Northern Expedition concluded successfully and China was reunified, heralding the start of the Nanjing decade.", "wds-Q6743": "May 68 (French: Mai 68) was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Sparked by student demonstrations against university conditions and government repression, the movement quickly escalated into a nationwide general strike involving millions of workers, bringing the country to the brink of revolution. The events have profoundly shaped French politics, labor relations, and cultural life, leaving a lasting legacy of radical thought and activism. After World War II, France underwent rapid modernization, economic growth, and urbanization, leading to increased social tensions. The period from 1945 to 1975 is known as the Trente Glorieuses, the \"Thirty Glorious Years\", but it was also a time of exacerbated inequalities and alienation, particularly among students and young workers. By the late 1960s, France's university system was struggling to accommodate a growing student population, and the rigid structure of academia frustrated students amid a broader discontent with conservative social norms. Inspired by countercultural, anti-imperialist, Marxist, and anarchist ideologies, students increasingly viewed themselves as part of a revolutionary struggle against capitalism and authoritarianism. At the same time, the French working class was dissatisfied with stagnant wages and poor working conditions, despite growth. The political order, dominated by President Charles de Gaulle's Fifth Republic, was seen by many as outdated and repressive. The movement began with student demonstrations in late March at Paris Nanterre University. After the police intervened to suppress ongoing activism, Nanterre was shut down on 2 May, and protests moved to the Sorbonne in central Paris. On 6 May, police violently dispersed a student gathering at the Sorbonne, leading to clashes with protesters and mass arrests. As the confrontations escalated, students erected barricades, and the night of 10 May saw intense street battles between protesters and police. Public outrage fueled further mobilization, and by 13 May, the protests had evolved into a general strike. About 10 million workers, or two-thirds of the labor force, walked off the job in the largest general strike in French history, shutting down factories, transportation, and public services. Radical leftist groups gained influence, and calls for revolution grew louder. De Gaulle's government struggled to regain control, and on 29 May he briefly left to a French military base in West Germany. He returned on the next day, dissolved the National Assembly, and called for new elections. By this point, the movement had started to lose momentum. The government, business leaders, and union representatives had negotiated the Grenelle agreements on 27 May, securing wage increases and concessions. As de Gaulle reasserted authority, the revolutionary moment faded. In the elections on 23 June, his party won a resounding victory, signaling the collapse of the immediate movement. Though it failed to bring about a revolution, May 68 had profound long-term consequences. The events weakened de Gaulle's authority, and he resigned the following year. The movement led to increased state investment in education and social policies, though radical leftist politics declined in electoral influence. The strikes forced major concessions in labor rights, including wage increases, better working conditions, and expanded social protections. The May 68 movement also contributed to the growth of feminist, environmentalist, and LGBTQ activism, and inspired radical thought in philosophy, media, and academia, influencing figures like Michel Foucault and Jean Baudrillard. In France, the movement's slogans and imagery remain touchstones of political and social discourse.", "wds-Q182473": "The Intercontinental Cup, officially the European/South American Cup and known from 1980 as the Toyota Cup for sponsorship reasons, was an international club football competition endorsed by UEFA (Europe) and CONMEBOL (South America), contested between representative clubs from these confederations, usually the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the South American Copa Libertadores. It ran from 1960 to 2004, when it was succeeded by the FIFA Club World Cup, although they both ran concurrently in 2000. From its formation in 1960 to 1979, the competition was as a two-legged tie, with a play-off if necessary until 1968, and penalty kicks later. During the 1970s, European participation in the Intercontinental Cup became a running question due to controversial events in the 1969 match, and some European Cup-winning teams withdrew. From 1980, the competition was rebranded and contested as a single match played in Japan, regarded neutral territory for both contestants, and sponsored by multinational automaker Toyota, which offered a secondary trophy, the Toyota Cup. At that point, the Japan Football Association was involved at a logistical level as host, though it continued to be endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL. The first winner of the cup was Spanish side Real Madrid, who beat Peñarol of Uruguay in 1960. The last winner was Portuguese side Porto, defeating Colombian side Once Caldas in a penalty shoot-out in 2004. The competition ended in 2004. Since 2017, past Intercontinental Cup winners have been recognised by FIFA as club world champions.", "wds-Q498635": "The Deaflympics, also known as Deaflympiad (previously called World Games for the Deaf, and International Games for the Deaf) are a periodic series of multi-sport events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level. Unlike the athletes in other IOC-sanctioned events (the Olympics, the Paralympics, and the Special Olympics), athletes cannot be guided by sounds (such as starting pistols, bullhorn commands or referee whistles). The games have been organized by the Comité International des Sports des Sourds (CISS, \"The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf\") since the first event in 1924.", "wds-Q10951": "The Second Council of Lyon was the fourteenth ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church, convoked on 31 March 1272 and convened in Lyon, Kingdom of Arles (in modern France), in 1274. Pope Gregory X presided over the council, called to act on a pledge by Byzantine emperor Michael VIII to reunite the Eastern church with the West. The council was attended by about 300 bishops, 60 abbots and more than a thousand prelates or their procurators among whom were the representatives of the universities. Due to the great number of attendees, those who had come to Lyon without being specifically summoned were given \"leave to depart with the blessing of God\" and of the Pope. Among others who attended the council were James I of Aragon, the ambassador of the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos with members of the Greek clergy and the ambassadors of Abaqa Khan of the Ilkhanate. Thomas Aquinas had been summoned to the council, but died en route at Fossanova Abbey. Bonaventure was present at the first four sessions but died at Lyon on 15 July 1274. As at the First Council of Lyon, Thomas Cantilupe was an English attendee and a papal chaplain. In addition to Aragon, which James represented in person, representatives of the kings of Germany, England, Scotland, France, the Spains and Sicily were present, with procurators also representing the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, Hungary, Bohemia, Poland, and the \"realm of Dacia\". In the procedures to be observed in the council, for the first time, the nations appeared as represented elements in an ecclesiastical council, as they had already become represented in the governing of medieval universities. That innovation marks a stepping-stone towards the acknowledgment of coherent ideas of nationhood, which were in the process of creating the European nation-states. The main topics discussed at the council were the conquest of the Holy Land and the union of the Eastern and Western Churches. The first session took place on 7 May 1274 and was followed by five additional sessions on 18 May 1274, 4 or 7 June 1274, 6 July 1274, 16 July 1274, and 17 July 1274. By the end of the council, 31 constitutions were promulgated. In the second session, the fathers approved the decree Zelus fidei, which contained no juridical statutes but rather summed up constitutions about the perils of the Holy Land, the means for paying for a proposed crusade, the excommunication of pirates and corsairs and those who protected them or traded with them, a declaration of peace among Christians, a grant of an indulgence for those willing to go on crusade, restoration of communion with the Greeks, and the definition of the order and procedure to be observed in the council. The Greeks conceded on the issue of the Filioque (two words added to the Nicene Creed), and union was proclaimed, but the union was later repudiated by Andronicus II, heir to Michael VIII. The council also recognised Rudolf I as King of the Romans and ended the interregnum.", "wds-Q542845": "The Fifth Council of the Lateran, held between 1512 and 1517, was the eighteenth ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and was the last council before the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. This was the first time since 1213 that the Papal States would host an ecumenical council. It is so far the last time that Rome’s Lateran Palace (which had hosted 4 ecumenical councils in the past) has been the venue for such an event. It was convoked by Pope Julius II with a political motive of restoring peace between warring Catholic rulers and to re-assert the authority of the Pope. After Pope Leo X took over in 1513, the Council attempted various institutional, dogmatic and social welfare reforms. Institutional reforms were intended to improve unity, reduce nepotism, absenteeism, disinterest, luxury and simony for high church officials, improve the training and regulation of priests, to strengthen the position of bishops over friars, and to assert the independence of the church and clergy from lay control. The social welfare reform allowed no-interest microfinance lending by monti di pietà. These addressed some issues that had been raised by contemporary reformers, but were not the particular issues that the subsequent Protestant Reformation alighted on. As with the immediately previous Councils, its institutional reforms were ineffectively implemented at that time.", "wds-Q193041": "The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition in Asian football, played by the national league champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) of their national associations. Introduced in 1967 as the Asian Champion Club Tournament, the competition rebranded as AFC Champions League in 2002 following the merger of the Asian Club Championship, the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and the Asian Super Cup. It was rebranded again in 2024 to its current name. A total of 32 clubs compete in the league stage of the competition, divided into East and West regions (16 teams each). The winner of the AFC Champions League Elite qualifies for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, and also for the next edition of the AFC Champions League Elite league stage if they have not already qualified through their domestic performance. The most successful club in the competition is Al-Hilal with a total of four titles. Al-Ahli are the current champions, having beaten Machida Zelvia 1–0 in the 2026 final for their second consecutive title.", "wds-Q5084679": "The Norwegian campaign (8 April – 10 June 1940) involved the attempt by Allied forces to defend northern Norway coupled with the Norwegian military's resistance to the country's invasion by Nazi Germany in World War II. Planned as Operation Wilfred and Plan R 4, while the German attack was feared but had not yet happened, the battlecruiser HMS Renown set out from Scapa Flow for Vestfjorden with twelve destroyers on 4 April. The Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine met at the first and second naval battles of Narvik on 10 and 13 April, and British forces conducted the Åndalsnes landings on 13 April. The main strategic reason for Germany to invade Norway was to seize the port of Narvik and guarantee the delivery of iron ore needed for German steel production. The campaign was fought until 10 June 1940 and saw the escape of King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav to the United Kingdom. A British, French and Polish expeditionary force of 38,000 troops landed in the north. It had moderate success but made a rapid strategic retreat after the Battle of France began in May. The Norwegian government then went into exile in London. The campaign ended with the occupation of the entirety of Norway by Germany but elements of the Norwegian military escaped and fought on overseas.", "wds-Q259983": "A total of 39 (not counted Iceland, Bolivia, Cuba, Costa Rica, State of Vietnam and India) teams entered the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Switzerland, as the hosts, and Uruguay, as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition. The remaining 37 teams were divided into 13 groups, based on geographical considerations, as follows: Groups 1 to 10 – Europe and the Near East: 11 places contested by 27 teams (including Egypt and Israel). Groups 11 and 12 – The Americas: 2 places contested by 7 teams. Group 13 – Asia: 1 place contested by 3 teams. Rejected: Iceland, Bolivia, Cuba, Costa Rica, State of Vietnam and India Withdrawals: Poland, Republic of China, Peru From the remaining 34 teams, 1 qualified without playing any qualifying match: Hungary A total of 33 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 57 qualifying matches were played, and 208 goals were scored (an average of 3.65 per match). Listed below are the dates and results of the qualification rounds.", "wds-Q1122820": "The Greek Football Cup (Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδας), officially known as Greek Cup Betsson (Greek: Κύπελλο Ελλάδας Superbet) for sponsorship reasons is a Greek association football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation. The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's football event in Greece, after the championship of Super League. Since its inception in 1931 it has been held 83 times, with a cup winner being crowned on 82 occasions, the final in 1962 being the only occasion when no champion was crowned. Olympiacos is the most successful club, having earned 29 trophies. In the most recent season, OFI was crowned the winner for the second time in its history.", "wds-Q1116999": "The 2014 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). It took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3 August 2014. Glasgow was selected as the host city on 9 November 2007 during CGF General Assembly in Colombo, Sri Lanka, defeating Abuja, Nigeria. It was the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with around 4,950 athletes from 71 different nations and territories competing in 18 different sports, outranking the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. The Games received acclaim for their organisation, attendance, and the public enthusiasm of the people of Scotland, with CGF chief executive Mike Hooper hailing them as \"the standout games in the history of the movement\". Held in Scotland for the third time, the Games were notable for the successes of the Home Nations of the United Kingdom, with England, Wales and hosts Scotland achieving their largest ever gold medal hauls and overall medal hauls at a Commonwealth Games. England finished top of the medal table for the first time since the 1986 Commonwealth Games, also held in Scotland. Kiribati also won its first ever medal at a Commonwealth Games, a gold in the 105 kg men's weightlifting competition. These were the final Commonwealth Games to be opened by Elizabeth II; the final two Games of her reign—in 2018 and 2022—were opened by her son, the then-Prince Charles.", "wds-Q372822": "The Persian campaign or invasion of Iran (Persian: اشغال ایران در جنگ جهانی اول) was a series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire, British Empire and Russian Empire in various areas of what was then neutral Qajar Iran, beginning in December 1914 and ending with the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918, as part of the Middle Eastern Theatre of World War I. The fighting also involved local Persian units, who fought against the Entente and Ottoman forces in Iran. The conflict proved to be a devastating experience for Persia. Over 2 million Persian civilians died in the conflict, mostly due to the Persian famine of 1917–1919, influenced by British and Russian actions. The Qajar government's inability to maintain the country's sovereignty during and immediately after the First World War led to a coup d'état in 1921 and Reza Shah's establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty.", "wds-Q477369": "The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF, Chinese: 上海国际电影节, French: Festival international du film de Shanghai) is the largest film festival in Asia and China's longest-running international cinema event. The first festival was established in October 1993. It is the only Chinese festival accredited by the FIAPF. The festival is held over a ten-day period every June. SIFF is organized by China Film Administration, China Media Group, and the Shanghai government. It awards several \"Golden Goblet\" Awards (Chinese: 金爵; pinyin: Jīn Jué) for best film, best director, best actor/actress, and other categories, as well as a \"Special Jury Award\". SIFF Mart consists of the Film Market, China Film Pitch and Catch (CFPC), and Co-production Film Pitch and Catch (Co-FPC). The SIFFORUM is a communication platform.", "wds-Q1046794": "From November 5, 2007, to February 12, 2008, all 12,000 film and television screenwriters of the American labor unions Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) went on strike. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike primarily sought increased residual rates for DVD sales as well as jurisdiction over and residuals from new media. It was targeted at the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade association representing the interests of 397 American film and television producers. The most influential of these were eleven corporations: CBS (Les Moonves), MGM (Harry E. Sloan), NBCUniversal (Jeff Zucker), The Weinstein Company (Harvey and Bob Weinstein), Lionsgate (Jon Feltheimer), News Corporation (Peter Chernin), Paramount Pictures (Brad Grey), Liberty Media/Starz (Chris McGurk), Sony Pictures (Michael Lynton), The Walt Disney Company (Bob Iger), and Warner Bros. (Barry Meyer). Negotiators for the striking writers reached a tentative agreement on February 8, 2008, and the boards of both guilds unanimously approved the deal on February 10, 2008. Striking writers voted on February 12, 2008, on whether to lift the restraining order, with 92.5% voting to end the strike. On February 26, the WGA announced that the contract had been ratified with a 93.6% approval among WGA members. The Writers Guild later requested a court order seeking that the agreement be honored and implemented. The guilds were on strike for 14 weeks and 2 days (100 days). In contrast, the previous strike in 1988, the longest in the history of the Guild, lasted 21 weeks and 6 days (153 days) and cost the American entertainment industry an estimated $500 million. According to a National Public Radio (NPR) report filed on February 12, 2008, the strike cost the economy of Los Angeles an estimated $1.5 billion. A report from the UCLA Anderson School of Management put the loss at $380 million, while economist Jack Kyser put the loss at $2.1 billion. The Milken Institute estimated the losses at $2.1 billion ($20 million per day) and 38,000 jobs. The big win for the Writers Guild was jurisdiction over new media, which was precedent-setting. Streamers would have to hire WGA writers on shows over certain budgets. Other than that, they received a new percentage payment on the distributor's gross for digital distribution based on the deal that the WGA made during the strike.", "wds-Q301839": "The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fifteen invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics one-day meet competitions. The inaugural season was in 2010. It was designed to replace the IAAF Golden League, which had been held annually since 1998. The full sponsorship name is the Wanda Diamond League, the result of an agreement with Wanda Group that was announced in December 2019. While the Golden League was formed to increase the profile of the leading European athletics competitions, the Diamond League's aim is to \"enhance the worldwide appeal of athletics by going outside Europe for the first time.\" In addition to the original Golden League members (except Berlin) and other traditional European competitions, the series now includes events in China, Qatar, Morocco, and the United States. Beginning in March 2022, after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Diamond League excluded Russian and Belarusian athletes from all of its track and field meetings.", "wds-Q59266": "WWE Money in the Bank is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 2010 by the American company WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. The event is named after the Money in the Bank ladder match, a multi-person ladder match in which participants compete to obtain a briefcase that contains a contract for a championship match, which can be \"cashed in\" at a time and place of their choosing within the next year. The match originally only took place at WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania, from 2005 to 2010, after which, the match concept was spun off into its own event beginning in July that year with the match no longer occurring at WrestleMania. In addition to airing on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) since the inaugural 2010 event, the event has been available via livestreaming since the 2014 event. It has since become recognized as one of the company's five biggest annual events of the year, along with the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, referred to as the \"Big Five\". From 2010 to 2013, the event occupied the July slot of WWE's event calendar before moving to June from 2014 to 2018. It was then held in May before returning to its original July slot in 2021 and then again in June in 2025, with the 2026 event to be held in October. The event was introduced during WWE's first brand extension period, and the events in 2010 and 2011 featured wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown brands. The first brand split then ended in August 2011. In mid-2016, the brand extension was reinstated and the 2017 event was held exclusively for SmackDown. However, following WrestleMania 34 in April 2018, brand-exclusive PPVs were discontinued. The 2023 event was held in London, England, thus making it the first to take place outside of the United States, with the 2024 event the first to be held in Canada. While the eponymous match was originally only for male wrestlers, the 2017 event featured the first-ever women's version and the events since have featured two matches, one each for the men and women.", "wds-Q763213": "The 1st European Games (Azerbaijani: 1-ci Avropa Oyunları), also known as the 2015 European Games or Baku 2015 (Azerbaijani: Bakı 2015), were the inaugural edition of the European Games, an international multi-sport event for athletes representing the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the European Olympic Committees. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 12 to 28 June 2015, and featured almost 6,000 athletes from 50 countries competing in 30 sports, including 15 summer Olympic and 2 non-Olympic sports.", "wds-Q169789": "The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly called the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II, was the twenty-first and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. It met in four annual sessions in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City between 11 October 1962 and 8 December 1965, spanning the pontificates of Pope John XXIII, who convoked it, and Pope Paul VI, who presided over its final three sessions and promulgated all sixteen of its documents. John XXIII, elected in 1958 at the age of seventy-six and widely expected to preside over a brief, uneventful pontificate, announced the council less than three months into his papacy and described its purpose with the Italian word aggiornamento, \"bringing up to date.\" Roughly 2,900 bishops and the heads of male religious orders were entitled to attend; nearly 2,500 did so at some point, along with theological advisers, non-Catholic observers, and, from the second session onward, a small number of lay auditors. Over four sessions the bishops debated and revised dozens of draft texts, eventually approving four constitutions, nine decrees, and three declarations covering the liturgy, the nature of the Church, divine revelation, the Church's relationship to the modern world, ecumenism, religious freedom, and the Church's stance toward non-Christian religions. The council's decisions reshaped the Roman Rite, permitting the vernacular languages into a liturgy that had been celebrated almost entirely in Latin for centuries, and set in motion changes to the Church's relations with other Christian communities, with Judaism, and with the modern secular state that were still being debated sixty years later. Later Catholic scholarship has disagreed sharply over how to characterise this change: some historians treat the council chiefly as a body of texts to be read against continuous Catholic tradition, while others, following an interpretive current associated with Fr. Joseph Komonchak, argue that Vatican II is better understood as a historical \"event\" whose meaning was not settled by the documents alone but continued to be worked out, contested, and applied in the decades that followed.", "wds-Q58715": "The Great Leap Forward was an industrialization campaign within China from 1958 to 1962, initiated by the Mao Zedong, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, whose goal was to transform the country from an agrarian society to an industrialized society through the formation of people's communes. The Great Leap Forward led to between 15 and 55 million deaths in mainland China during the 1959–1961 Great Chinese Famine it caused, making it the largest or second-largest famine in human history. The Great Leap Forward grew out of Mao's push for rapid development through mass mobilization and a reaction against the Soviet development strategy. Anti-intellectual politics and the surge of less-educated radicals helped sideline technical constraints and dissent. The strategy relied on mobilizing peasants to sustain themselves while supplying grain, cash crops, and even steel for urban industry, without major new state investment. Famine worsened when procurement quotas were set using false reports from the countryside. After the 1959 Lushan Conference, anti-\"rightist\" campaigns intensified misreporting and coercive collection even as output fell, deepening rural famine. In rural China, the campaign expanded mandatory collectivization and banned private farming; those who resisted were punished as \"counterrevolutionaries\". Authorities enforced restrictions through public struggle sessions, social pressure, and forced labor. Although rural industrialization was an official priority, its development was derailed by Great Leap policies. Economist Dwight Perkins argues that heavy investment produced little gain, calling the Great Leap Forward an expensive disaster. The CCP studied the damage that was done at various conferences from 1960 to 1962, especially at the Seven Thousand Cadres Conference in 1962, during which Mao Zedong ceded day-to-day leadership to pragmatic moderates like Chinese President Liu Shaoqi and Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping. In the early 1960s, Mao endorsed a period of economic \"readjustment\" and acknowledged responsibility for mistakes, while maintaining that the \"three red flags\" could not be challenged. From 1961 to 1965, official propaganda portrayed Mao as virtually infallible and shifted blame for the Great Leap Forward disaster onto lower-level officials. He initiated the Socialist Education Movement in 1963 and the Cultural Revolution in 1966 in order to remove opposition and re-consolidate his power. Dozens of dams constructed during the Great Leap Forward in Zhumadian, Henan collapsed in 1975 (under the influence of Typhoon Nina) and resulted in the 1975 Banqiao Dam failure, with estimates of its death toll ranging from tens of thousands to 240,000.", "wds-Q163573": "The Algeciras Conference of 1906 took place in Algeciras, Spain, and lasted from 16 January to 7 April. The purpose of the conference was to find a solution to the First Moroccan Crisis of 1905 between France and Germany, which arose as Germany responded to France's effort to establish a protectorate over the independent state of Morocco. Germany was not trying to stop French expansion. Its goal was to enhance its own international prestige, and it failed badly. The result was a much closer relationship between France and Britain that strengthened the Entente Cordiale since both London and Paris were increasingly suspicious and distrustful of Berlin. The Algeciras Conference was one of the crucial events that led to World War One, with momentous consequences such as the heightened sense of frustration and readiness for war in Germany, that spread beyond the political elite to much of the press and most of the political parties except for the Liberals and Social Democrats on the left. The Pan-German element grew in strength, denounced the government's retreat as treason and stepped up chauvinistic support for war.", "wds-Q151423": "At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The Congress was the result of escalating tensions, particularly British opposition to Russian hegemony over the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans through the creation of a Russian-aligned 'Greater Bulgaria'. To secure the European balance of power in favour of its splendid isolation achieved after the Crimean War, Britain stationed the Mediterranean Fleet near Constantinople to enforce British demands. To avoid war, Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of the newly formed German Empire, was asked to mediate a solution that would restore the Ottoman Empire's position as a counterbalance to Russian influence in the Mediterranean and the Balkans, in line with the principles of the 1856 Treaty of Paris. Attended by delegates from Europe's then six great powers: Russia, Great Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Germany; the Ottomans as well as representatives of four Balkan states (Greece, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro), the Congress culminated in the Treaty of Berlin (13 July 1878). This agreement essentially dismantled the autonomous Greater Bulgarian State envisaged at San Stefano, and reorganised the borders of south-eastern Europe. The main results were the Austro-Hungarian forcible occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the British de facto annexation of Cyprus under false pretenses, and the formal recognition of the self-declared independence of Romania, Serbia and Montenegro; allies of Russia in the previous war. While the settlement averted war, it exacerbated nationalist grievances in the Balkans and deepened the rivalry between Britain and Russia (The Great Game), contributing to long-term regional instability that foreshadowed the Balkan Wars and World War I. As mediator of the Congress, Otto von Bismarck negotiated along the lines laid down by Britain in its secret negotiations before the Congress. He also wanted to avoid Russian domination of the Balkans, or the formation of a Greater Bulgaria, and to keep Constantinople in Ottoman hands. Finally, Bismarck helped to secure civil rights for Jews in the region, as a precondition for international recognition of the newly formed states. The Congress took place at Reich Chancellery, Wilhelmstrasse. The affected territories were instead granted varying degrees of independence. Romania became fully independent, though was forced to give part of Bessarabia to Russia, and gained Northern Dobruja. Serbia and Montenegro were also granted full independence but lost territory, with Austria-Hungary occupying the Sanjak of Novi Pazar along with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Britain took possession of Cyprus. Of the territory that remained within the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria was made a semi-independent principality, Eastern Rumelia became a special administration, and the region of Macedonia was returned to the Ottomans on condition of reforms to its governance. The results were initially hailed as a success for peace in the region, but most of the participants were not satisfied with the outcome. The Ottomans were humiliated and had their weakness confirmed as the \"sick man of Europe\". Russia resented the lack of rewards, despite having won the war that the conference was supposed to resolve, and felt humiliated by the other great powers in their rejection of the San Stefano settlement. Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece all received far less than they thought they deserved, especially Bulgaria which was left with less than half of the territory envisioned by the Treaty of San Stefano. Bismarck became hated by Russian nationalists and Pan-Slavists, and later found that he had tied Germany too closely to Austria-Hungary in the Balkans. Although Austria-Hungary gained substantial territory, this angered the South Slavs and led to decades of tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, culminating in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. In the long term, the settlement led to rising tensions between Russia and Austria-Hungary, and disputes over nationalism in the Balkans. Grievances with the results of the congress festered until they exploded in the First and Second Balkan Wars (1912 and 1913 respectively). Continuing nationalism in the Balkans was a major factor for the First World War in 1914.", "wds-Q1052120": "The East African campaign (also known as the Abyssinian campaign) was a military campaign fought in East Africa during the Second World War by the Allies of World War II, mainly from the British Empire, against Italy and its colony of Italian East Africa, between June 1940 and November 1941. The British Middle East Command with troops from the United Kingdom, South Africa, British India, Uganda Protectorate, Kenya, Somaliland, West Africa, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, Sudan and Nyasaland participated in the campaign. These were joined by the Allied Force Publique of Belgian Congo, Imperial Ethiopian Arbegnoch (resistance forces) and a small unit of Free French Forces. Italian East Africa was defended by the Comando Forze Armate dell'Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian East African Armed Forces Command), with units from the Regio Esercito (Royal Army), Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) and Regia Marina (Royal Navy). The Italian forces included about 250,000 soldiers of the Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali (Royal Corps of Colonial Troops), led by Italian officers and NCOs. With Britain in control of the Suez Canal, the Italian forces were cut off from supplies and reinforcement once hostilities began. On 13 June 1940, an Italian air raid took place on the RAF base at Wajir in Kenya and the air war continued until Italian forces had been pushed back from Kenya and Sudan, through Somaliland, Eritrea and Ethiopia in 1940 and early 1941. The remnants of the Italian forces in the region surrendered after the Battle of Gondar in November 1941, except for small groups that fought a guerrilla war in Ethiopia against the British until the Armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, which ended the war between Italy and the Allies. The East African campaign was the first Allied strategic victory in the war; few Italian forces escaped the region to be used in other campaigns and the Italian defeat greatly eased the flow of supplies through the Red Sea to Egypt. Most of the Commonwealth forces were transferred to North Africa to participate in the Western Desert campaign.", "wds-Q494906": "The 2002 Asian Games, officially known as the XIV Asian Games and also known as Busan 2002 (부산2002), were an international multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from 29 September to 14 October 2002. Due to schedule impediments the football tournament started two days before the opening ceremony. Busan is the second city in South Korea, after Seoul in 1986, to host the Games. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries. The Games were also co-hosted by its four neighbouring cities: Ulsan, Changwon, Masan and Yangsan. It was opened by President of South Korea, Kim Dae-jung, at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium. The final medal tally was led by China, followed by host South Korea and Japan. China set a new record and became the first nation in the history of Asian Games to cross the 300 medal-mark in one edition. South Korea set a new record with 95 gold medals. 22 world records and 43 Asian records were broken during the Games. In addition, Japanese Swimming Kosuke Kitajima was announced as the most valuable player (MVP) of the Games.", "wds-Q696462": "The Philippines campaign, also known as the Battle of the Philippines (Filipino: Labanan sa Pilipinas) or the Fall of the Philippines, was the invasion of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan during the Pacific War and World War II. The operation to capture the islands, which was defended by the U.S. and Philippine Armies, was intended to prevent interference with Japan's expansion in Southeast Asia. On 8 December 1941, several hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese planes began bombing U.S. forces in the Philippines, including aircraft at Clark Field near the capital of Manila on the island of Luzon. Japanese landings on northern Luzon began two days later, and were followed on 22 December by major landings at Lingayen Gulf and Lamon Bay by the Japanese Fourteenth Army under Masaharu Homma. The defense of the Philippines was led by Douglas MacArthur, who ordered his soldiers to evacuate Manila to the Bataan Peninsula ahead of the Japanese advance. Japanese troops captured Manila by 7 January 1942, and after their failure to penetrate the Bataan defensive perimeter in early February, began a 40-day siege, enabled by a naval blockade of the islands. The U.S. and Philippine troops on Bataan eventually surrendered on 9 April and were then subjected to the Bataan Death March, which was marked by Japanese atrocities and mistreatment. The campaign to capture the Philippines took much longer than planned by the Japanese, who in early January 1942 had decided to advance their timetable of operations in Borneo and Indonesia and withdraw their best division and the bulk of their airpower. This, coupled with the decision of MacArthur to withdraw U.S. and Philippine forces to Bataan, enabled the defenders to hold out for three months. The harbor and port facilities of Manila Bay were denied to the Japanese until the capture of Corregidor Island on 6 May. While offensive operations in the Dutch East Indies were unaffected, this heavily hindered operations in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, buying time for the U.S. Navy to plan to engage the Japanese at Guadalcanal rather than much further east. Japan's conquest of the Philippines is often considered the worst military defeat in U.S. history. About 23,000 U.S. military personnel and about 100,000 Filipino soldiers were killed or captured.", "wds-Q752145": "The Turkish Cup (Turkish: Türkiye Kupası) is an annual football cup competition in Turkey, organised by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a period of sponsorship by Fortis, the competition was temporarily known as the Fortis Turkish Cup (Turkish: Fortis Türkiye Kupası). It is currently sponsored by the state-owned bank Ziraat Bankası and officially called the Ziraat Turkish Cup (Turkish: Ziraat Türkiye Kupası). The tournament has been held under various formats, including a traditional knockout competition and group stages on an experimental basis. An expanded format was introduced for the 2012–13 season, with a record 156 teams participating. The structure included a round-robin group stage following five knockout rounds, with group winners and runners-up advancing to the semi-finals and final. The current holders of the cup are Trabzonspor.", "wds-Q697067": "The Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of representatives from 34 European countries held in the ancient Palazzo San Giorgio of Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922. Unlike the previous international economic conference in Brussels (1920), the Genoa conference was attended by heads of government and not only experts, which enhanced its authority but also the risks of politicization and grandstanding, at a time of contention on the unresolved issue of German war reparations. The conference was intended by the British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to resolve the major economic and political issues facing Europe and to address the pariah status of Germany and the Soviet Union, both of which had been excluded from the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The conference was particularly intended to develop a strategy to rebuild a defeated Germany, as well as the states of both Central Europe and Eastern Europe, and to negotiate a relationship between European capitalist economies and the Bolshevik regime in Moscow. Germany and the Soviet Union predictably expressed loud dissent and stole the limelight by negotiating a separate bilateral agreement on the conference's sidelines, the Treaty of Rapallo. Even so, the conference further cemented the policy consensus on principles formed at the Brussels gathering two years before. The Economic and Financial Organization of the League of Nations (EFO) presented a report to the conference, which provided the first official articulation of the gold exchange standard, and also tackled novel fields for international financial cooperation such as capital flight, tax evasion, and double taxation. The conference also found agreement on the principle that financial stability must come first before trade restrictions could be beneficially lifted, even though no convergence was achieved on trade liberalization measures as the EFO had recommended.", "wds-Q326418": "The FIFA Futsal World Cup is an international futsal competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA, the sport's global governing body. Since the first edition that took place in 1989 in the Netherlands, the tournament has been held every four years in a leap year format since November 1992 in the even-numbered years between two 11-a-side World Cups. The current champions are Brazil, who won their sixth world title after beating rivals Argentina in the final of the 2024 tournament in Uzbekistan. All events prior to 2008 were 16-team events. The first event featured 6 teams from Europe, 3 from South America, 2 from Africa, 2 from Asia, 2 from North and Central America and 1 from Oceania. Since 2012, it includes 24 teams split to a six group round-robin tournament with four teams in each group. The top two teams in each group, together with the 4 highest-ranked third-place finishers, advanced to a sixteen-team knockout stage.", "wds-Q265873": "The 2005 French riots was a three-week long period of civil disturbances that took place in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities in October and November 2005. These riots involved youth in violent attacks, outbreaks of arson of vehicles and public buildings. The unrest started on 27 October at Clichy-sous-Bois, where police were investigating a reported break-in at a building site, and a group of local youths scattered in order to avoid interrogation. Three of them hid in an electrical substation where two died from electrocution, resulting in a power blackout (It was not established whether police had suspected these individuals or a different group, wanted on separate charges.). The incident ignited rising tensions about youth unemployment and police harassment in the poorer housing estates, and there followed three weeks of rioting throughout France. A state of emergency was declared on 8 November, later extended for three months. The riots resulted in more than 8,000 vehicles being burned by the rioters and more than 2,760 individuals arrested.", "wds-Q1418264": "The Kazakhstan Cup is the main knockout cup competition in Kazakhstan football, run by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. The tournament was initially founded in 1936 as a competition for clubs in the Kazakh SSR but did not become a proper national competition until 1992.", "wds-Q8346779": "The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 remaining FIFA member associations were eligible to enter the qualifying process, and for the first time in World Cup history, all eligible national teams registered for the preliminary competition, but Zimbabwe and Indonesia were disqualified before playing their first matches. Bhutan, South Sudan, Gibraltar and Kosovo made their FIFA World Cup qualification debuts, while Myanmar participated after successfully appealing against a ban from the competition, although the team was obliged to play its home matches outside the country. While the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, on 25 July 2015, qualification matches were played before that. The first, between Timor-Leste and Mongolia, began in Dili on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC's qualification, with East Timorese player Chiquito do Carmo scoring the first goal in qualification. Matches were also played in CONCACAF prior to the main draw.", "wds-Q472238": "The 2010–2012 Algerian protests were a series of protests taking place throughout Algeria, lasting from 28 December 2010 to 10 January 2012. The protests were inspired by similar protests across the Middle East and North Africa. Causes cited by the protesters included unemployment, the lack of housing, food-price inflation, corruption, restrictions on freedom of speech and poor living conditions. While localized protests were already commonplace over previous years, extending into December 2010, an unprecedented wave of simultaneous protests and riots, sparked by sudden rises in staple food prices, erupted all over the country starting in January 2011. These were quelled by government measures to lower food prices, but were followed by a wave of self-immolations, most of them in front of government buildings. Opposition parties, unions, and human rights organisations then began to hold weekly demonstrations, despite these being illegal without government permission under the ongoing state of emergency; the government suppressed these demonstrations as far as possible, but in late February yielded to pressure and lifted the state of emergency. Meanwhile, protests by unemployed youth, typically citing unemployment, hogra (oppression), and infrastructure problems, resumed, occurring almost daily in towns scattered all over the country.", "wds-Q15273731": "ArtRave: The Artpop Ball (stylized as artRAVE: the ARTPOP ball) was the fourth headlining concert tour by American singer Lady Gaga. Supporting her third studio album Artpop (2013), the tour ran from May 4 to November 24, 2014. The tour dates included cities where Gaga had canceled shows of her previous Born This Way Ball tour after suffering a hip injury. The ArtRave tour was preceded by a seven-day residency at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. ArtRave's concept and name are derived from the similarly named release party for Artpop. The stage resembled a cave and consisted of two sections connected by catwalks made of translucent lucite, allowing the audience to move underneath the catwalks while still being able to watch the show. Gaga's costumes in the show included one with tentacles, one with bejeweled wings, a rave-inspired outfit and a necklace made of marijuana leaves. Costume designers and choreographers aspired to make a single, coherent show. The lighting fixtures used for the concert were from Clay Paky and the main idea was to create an immersive rave experience with the lights. They were also designed to accommodate minor changes in the show sequences. The tour received positive response from reviewers, but some criticized it for being disjointed. ArtRave: The Artpop Ball was produced by Live Nation, and promoted by Absolut Vodka in the United States and O2 in the United Kingdom. Tickets for several shows sold out immediately once available, prompting additional dates. Negative reports about the tour's commercial performance were dismissed by Live Nation chairman Arthur Fogel. Gaga repeatedly placed within the top-ten of the Billboard Boxscore lists for the 2014 tour grosses. At the end, ArtRave: The Artpop Ball grossed a total of $81 million from an attendance of over 999,000. Billboard also listed it as the ninth best concert tour of the year with 76 reported shows. On November 24, 2014, the concert was streamed live from Bercy Arena in France.", "wds-Q27487523": "The Wikipedia Asian Month 2015 has ended. Participants were still permitted to attribute their contributions made in November, 2015 (UTC) until December 3, 2015 (UTC) Use this format to sign up and report your contribution at each section: # {{WAM user|Example 3}}: [[Your Contribution]] Organizers will mark the following letters after reviewing each article; please don't add them by yourself: means yes, that the article fulfils the requirement N means no, that the article does not fulfil the requirement - means pending, that the article fulfils the requirement but has some small issue. It would count as yes if the user has only four articles by the end of the event, and means nothing except in this situation. Small issues include: Expanded articles needing to count the edit before November to fulfil the requirement; Expanded articles that have not been expanded by 2000 Bytes and roughly 300 words but meet all other requirements. You can remove the N or - as a way to re-submit the article. The comment is generated by tool, so you can check the reason why some articles do not meet the requirements.", "wds-Q22917333": "100 Years is an upcoming experimental science fiction short film written by and starring John Malkovich and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film was produced by the French company Rémy Martin to promote Louis XIII, their cognac that takes 100 years to create, and locked in a safe for a century. Advertised in 2015 with the tagline \"The Movie You Will Never See\", it is scheduled to be released on November 18, 2115. The film stars an international ensemble cast, with American actor John Malkovich, Chinese actress Shuya Chang, and Chilean actor Marko Zaror. According to Rodriguez, 100 years is short-form. He stated in a 2019 interview: I was making several short films for them, and I finished that one first, we shot that one first, I thought that was gonna be a commercial or something. And then I showed them the movie and they said, \"Yeah, that's great, that's great. That's the one we lock away.\" And I said, \"What? That's the one you lock away? What about the other one with the future...\" \"No, that's the commercial.\"", "wds-Q28958341": "Expo 2025 (2025年日本国際博覧会, Nisennijūgo-nen Nippon Kokusai Hakurankai; and officially 大阪・関西万博, Ōsaka–Kansai Banpaku for short) was a World Expo organized and sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which was held in Osaka, Japan. It was open for six months, from 13 April to 13 October 2025. This was the second time that Osaka Prefecture has hosted a World Expo, having previously hosted Expo 1970 in Suita. Expo 2025 marked the return to the traditional 5-year scheduling cycle after the 2020 edition in Dubai was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The total visitor count was 29,017,924 (paid attendance 25,578,986).", "wds-Q72388401": "Group B of UEFA Euro 2020 took place from 12 to 21 June 2021 in Copenhagen's Parken Stadium and Saint Petersburg's Krestovsky Stadium. The group contained host nation Denmark, Finland, Belgium and host nation Russia. The head-to-head match between the hosts took place at Denmark's Parken Stadium.", "wds-Q135726547": "The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF; Arabic: أسطول الصمود العالمي, romanized: Usṭūl aṣ-Ṣumūd al-ʿĀlamī), sometimes referred to as the Global Freedom Flotilla (أسطول الحرية العالمي, Usṭūl al-Ḥurriyya al-ʿĀlamī), was an international, civil society-led maritime initiative launched in mid-2025, which attempted to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip but was thwarted in an intercept by Israeli naval forces. It is named after ṣumūd, Arabic for 'steadfastness' or 'resilience'. The initiative emerged in July 2025, organised by coalition of Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), Global Movement to Gaza, Maghreb Sumud Flotilla and Sumud Nusantara, during the Gaza war. The flotilla comprised over 40 vessels with 500 participants from more than 44 countries, making it the largest civilian-led convoy of its kind in history. Some attempts to break the Israeli blockade were successful before 2010, but since then ships have been intercepted or attacked by Israeli forces, including an attack by drones in May 2025 and interceptions in international waters in June and July 2025. By early 3 October, Israel had intercepted all vessels of the flotilla, after drone attacks had been reported, and naval vessels dispatched to provide assistance. The flotilla was the first unauthorized naval humanitarian mission to come within 70 nautical miles (130 km) of the Gaza coast since the imposition of the blockade in 2009. The flotilla began to set sail late August 2025 with delegations and convoys departing Otranto, Genoa and Barcelona, followed by Catania, Syros and Tunis early September. On 3 September, the Italian convoy reached Sicily and Tunisian vessels began converging on Tunis. Four days later, part of the Spanish convoy arrived in northern Tunisia, where in the early hours of 9 September, a fire broke out on one of the main vessels, suspected to be a drone attack. A second incendiary attack was reported the following night on another vessel. On 19 September, the Spanish and Tunisian convoys, having merged in Sicily, departed heading towards Greece. On 22 September, the Greek convoy then departed from Milos heading towards Crete, arriving the following day. On the night of 24 September, eleven vessels were attacked by drones. On 28 September, with the convoys merged in Crete, the flotilla departed to continue its journey towards Gaza. Between 1 and 2 October, the Israeli Navy intercepted the ships, detaining hundreds of people. In the evening of the interception, spontaneous protest took place across various locations in Europe in response. Three days later, 42 detainees began a hunger strike in protest, and by 6 October, over a hundred activists had been deported from Israel. Participants reported mistreatment during detention, that was dismissed by the Israeli foreign ministry, and the interception was condemned by several political figures. On 8 October, a subsequent flotilla consisting of 9 ships, organised by FFC and Thousand Madleens to Gaza, was intercepted with participants detained about 120 nautical miles from Gaza. The initiative received support from over a dozen foreign ministers, Italian politicians and political parties, MPs in Spain and Portugal, the President of Colombia Gustavo Petro, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese. In contrast, Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that participants should be imprisoned as terrorists and the Israeli foreign ministry vowed to stop the flotilla. In response to attacks on the flotilla, the Italian ministry of defense sent Italian Navy ships to assist the flotilla and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez dispatched a Spanish Navy vessel in case of a rescue operation. With the navy vessels retreating as the flotilla reached closer to Gaza, the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey confirmed it would continue to ensure the safety of the flotilla if required. The European Commission stated that it does not support aid flotillas to Gaza.", "wds-Q133331": "The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I, also known as the First Ecumenical Council. It met from May until the end of July 325. This ecumenical council was the first of many efforts to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all Christendom. Hosius of Corduba may have presided over its deliberations. Attended by at least 200 bishops, its main accomplishments were the settlement of the Christological issue of the divine nature of God the Son and his relationship to God the Father, the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed, the mandating of uniform observance of the date of Easter, and the promulgation of early canon law.", "wds-Q190857": "The First Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the First Vatican Council or Vatican I, was the 20th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, held three centuries after the preceding Council of Trent which was adjourned in 1563. The council was convoked by Pope Pius IX on 29 June 1868, under the rising threat of the Kingdom of Italy encroaching on the Papal States. It opened on 8 December 1869 and was adjourned on 20 September 1870 after the Italian Capture of Rome. Its best-known decision is its definition of papal infallibility. The council's main purpose was to clarify Catholic doctrine in response to the rising influence of the modern philosophical trends of the 19th century. In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith (Dei Filius), the council condemned what it considered the errors of rationalism, anarchism, communism, socialism, liberalism, materialism, modernism, naturalism, pantheism, and secularism. Its other concern was the doctrine of the primacy (supremacy) and infallibility of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), which it defined in the First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ (Pastor aeternus).", "wds-Q157627": "The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counterblockade. The campaign peaked from mid-1940 to the end of 1943. The Battle of the Atlantic pitted U-boats and other warships of the German Kriegsmarine (navy) and aircraft of the Luftwaffe (air force) against the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, United States Navy, and Allied merchant shipping. Convoys, coming mainly from North America and predominantly going to the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, were protected for the most part by the British and Canadian navies and air forces. These forces were aided by ships and aircraft of the United States beginning on 13 September 1941. The Germans were joined by submarines of the Italian Regia Marina (royal navy) after Germany's Axis ally Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940. As an island country, the United Kingdom was highly dependent on imported goods. Britain required more than a million tons of imported material per week in order to survive and fight. The Battle of the Atlantic involved a tonnage war: the Allies struggled to supply Britain while the Axis targeted merchant shipping critical to the British war effort. Rationing in the United Kingdom was also used with the aim of reducing demand, by reducing wastage and increasing domestic production and equality of distribution. From 1942 onwards, the Axis also sought to prevent the build-up of Allied supplies and equipment in the UK in preparation for the invasion of occupied Europe. The defeat of the U-boat threat was a prerequisite for pushing back the Axis in western Europe. The outcome of the battle was a strategic victory for the Allies—the German tonnage war failed—but at great cost: 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships were sunk in the Atlantic for the loss of 783 U-boats and 47 German surface warships, including 4 battleships (Bismarck, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Tirpitz), 9 cruisers, 7 raiders, and 27 destroyers. This front was the main consumer of the German war effort: Germany spent more money to produce naval vessels than every type of ground vehicle combined, including tanks. The Battle of the Atlantic has been called the \"longest, largest, and most complex\" naval battle in history. Starting immediately after the European war began, during the Phoney War, the battle lasted for over five years until the German surrender in May 1945. It involved thousands of ships in a theatre covering millions of square miles of ocean. The situation changed constantly, with one side or the other gaining advantage, as participating countries surrendered, joined and even changed sides in the war, and as new weapons, tactics, countermeasures and equipment were developed. The Allies gradually gained the upper hand, overcoming German surface-raiders by the end of 1942 and defeating the U-boats by mid-1943, though losses due to U-boats continued until the war's end. British prime minister Winston Churchill later wrote, \"The only thing that really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril. I was even more anxious about this battle than I had been about the glorious air fight called the 'Battle of Britain'.\"", "wds-Q1194052": "The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, was the gathering of 730 delegates from all 44 allied nations at the Mount Washington Hotel, in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, to regulate what would be the international monetary and financial order after the conclusion of World War II. The conference was held from July 1 to 22, 1944. Agreements were signed that, after legislative ratification by member governments, established the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD, later part of the World Bank Group) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This led to what was called the Bretton Woods system for international commercial and financial relations.", "wds-Q889643": "Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, but settled permanently in Chicago in 2005. Music genres include alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, hip-hop, and electronic dance music. Lollapalooza has also featured visual arts, nonprofit organizations, and political organizations. The festival hosts an estimated 400,000 people each July and sells out annually. Lollapalooza is one of the largest music festivals in the world and one of the longest-running in the United States. Lollapalooza was conceived and created in 1991 as a farewell tour by Perry Farrell, singer of the group Jane's Addiction. The first Lollapalooza tour had a diverse collection of bands and was a commercial success. It stopped in more than twenty cities in North America. In 2020, Spin rated the first Lollapalooza as the best concert of the preceding 35 years. Lollapalooza then ran annually until 1997, and was revived in 2003. From its inception through 1997 and its revival in 2003, the festival toured North America. In 2004, the organizers expanded the dates to two days per city but canceled the tour after poor ticket sales. In 2005, Farrell and the William Morris Agency partnered with Austin, Texas–based company Capital Sports Entertainment (now C3 Presents) and retooled the event into its current format as an annual festival in Chicago. In 2014, Live Nation Entertainment bought a controlling interest in C3 Presents. In 2010, it was announced that Lollapalooza would remain in Chicago, while also debuting outside the United States, with a branch of the festival staged in Santiago, Chile, on April 2–3, 2011, where it partnered with Santiago-based company Lotus. In 2011, Geo Events confirmed the Brazilian version of the event, which was held at the Jockey Club in São Paulo on April 7–8, 2012. The Argentine version started in April 2014 in Buenos Aires and in November of that year, the first European Lollapalooza was held at the former Berlin Tempelhof Airport.", "wds-Q1542222": "The 1958 Lebanon crisis was a political crisis in Lebanon caused by political and religious tensions in the country that included an American military intervention, which lasted for around three months until President Camille Chamoun, who had requested the assistance, completed his term as president of Lebanon. American and Lebanese government forces occupied the Port of Beirut and Beirut International Airport. With the crisis over, the United States withdrew.", "wds-Q150880": "The DFB-Pokal (German: [ˌdeːʔɛfˈbeː poˈkaːl]), also known as the German Cup in English, is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB), and \"Pokal\" means \"cup\" in German. Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga along with the four best teams from the 3. Liga. It is considered the second-most important club title in German football after the Bundesliga championship. Taking place from August until May, the winner qualifies for the DFL-Supercup and the UEFA Europa League unless the winner already qualifies for the UEFA Champions League in the Bundesliga. The competition was founded in 1935, then called the Tschammer-Pokal. The first titleholders were 1. FC Nürnberg. In 1937, Schalke 04 were the first team to win the double. The Tschammer-Pokal was suspended in 1944 due to World War II and disbanded following the demise of Nazi Germany. In 1952–53, the cup was reinstated in West Germany as the DFB-Pokal, named after the DFB, and was won by Rot-Weiss Essen. (FDGB-Pokal, the East German equivalent, started in 1949 and operated through the 1991 season, when it merged with the DFB-Pokal). Bayern Munich have won a record 21 titles. They are also the current holders, having beaten VfB Stuttgart 3–0 in the 2026 final. Fortuna Düsseldorf hold the record for most consecutive tournament game wins (18) between 1978 and 1981, winning the cup in 1979 and 1980.", "wds-Q780457": "The Legislative Assembly (French: Assemblée législative, [asɑ̃ble leʒislativ]) was the legislature of the Kingdom of France from 1 October 1791 to 20 September 1792 during the years of the French Revolution. It provided the focus of political debate and revolutionary law-making between the periods of the National Constituent Assembly and National Convention. The Legislative Assembly saw an unprecedented turnover of four ministers of Justice, four ministers of the Navy, six ministers of the Interior, seven ministers of Foreign Affairs, and eight ministers of War.", "wds-Q842678": "The Georgian Cup (Georgian: საქართველოს თასი) is the main annual association football knockout cup competition in Georgia. It is organized by the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) and is open to clubs of all divisions. The tournament was established in 1990 alongside the formation of the independent Georgian national league, and since 1993 has been officially named the David Kipiani Cup in honor of the famous Georgian footballer David Kipiani. The winner qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League and also competes in the Georgian Super Cup against the national league champion.", "wds-Q523154": "The Caucasus campaign, also known as the Caucasus Front, comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dictatorship, and the British Empire, as part of the Middle Eastern theatre during World War I. The Caucasus campaign extended from the South Caucasus to the Armenian Highlands region, reaching as far as Trabzon, Bitlis, Mush and Van. The land warfare was accompanied by naval engagements in the Black Sea. The Russian military campaign started on 1 November 1914 with the Russian invasion of Turkish Armenia. In February 1917, the Russian advance was halted following the Russian Revolution. The Russian Caucasus Army soon disintegrated and was replaced by the forces of the newly established Transcaucasian state, comprising partly of Armenian volunteer units and irregular units which had previously been part of the Russian Army. During 1918 the region also saw the establishment of the Central Caspian Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia and an Allied intervention force, nicknamed Dunsterforce, composed of troops drawn from the Mesopotamian and Western Fronts. On March 3, 1918, the campaign had terminated between the Ottoman Empire and Russia with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and on June 4, 1918, the Ottomans signed the Treaty of Batum with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia gaining independence. However, conflict continued as the Ottoman Empire was still engaged with the Central Caspian Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia, and the Dunsterforce of the British Empire until the Armistice of Mudros was signed on October 30, 1918. The Turkish genocide of the Armenians began in April 1915 when 250 Armenians were arrested. The official reason was that the Armenians were in league with the Russians and could serve as a potential fifth column. The genocide continued until 1918.", "wds-Q387827": "Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day) is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963. It is celebrated in various countries in Africa as well as around the world. The organisation was replaced by the African Union on 9 July 2002, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25 May.", "wds-Q102400": "Oktoberfest (German pronunciation: [ɔkˈtoːbɐˌfɛst] ; Bavarian: Oktobafest/d'Wiesn) is the world's largest Volksfest. It combines a beer festival with a fun fair and is held annually in Munich on the Theresienwiese from mid-September to the first Sunday in October. The event draws around seven million visitors each year. In 2023, attendance reached a record 7.2 million. Visitors consumed approximately 7.4 million litres of beer. The festival features amusement rides, games, food stalls, and traditional Bavarian dishes. The first Oktoberfest was held on 12 October 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The festival has been cancelled on multiple occasions, most recently in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.", "wds-Q3294383": "The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, between 4 and 15 April 2018. It was the fifth time Australia had hosted the Commonwealth Games and the first time a major multi-sport had an equal number of events for male and female athletes. 4,426 athletes including 300 para-athletes from 71 Commonwealth Games Associations took part in the event. The Gambia, which withdrew its membership from the Commonwealth of Nations and Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in 2013, was readmitted on 31 March 2018 and participated in the event. With 275 sets of medals, the games featured 18 Commonwealth sports, including beach volleyball, para triathlon and women's rugby sevens. These sporting events took place at 14 venues in the host city, two venues in Brisbane and one venue each in Cairns and Townsville. This was the first Commonwealth Games to take place under the CGF presidency of Dame Louise Martin. The host city Gold Coast was announced at the CGF General Assembly in Basseterre, Saint Kitts, on 11 November 2011. Gold Coast became the seventh Oceanian city and the first regional city to host the Commonwealth Games. These were the eighth Games to be held in Oceania and the Southern Hemisphere. The host nation Australia topped the medal table for the fourth time in the past five Commonwealth Games, winning the most golds (80) and most medals overall (198). England and India finished second and third respectively. Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, British Virgin Islands and Dominica each won their first Commonwealth Games medals. The 2018 Commonwealth Games boosted the Queensland economy by more than A$2.4 billion between 2013 and 2022, while the venues constructed and upgraded for the Games generated over $60 million in economic benefit annually to the Gold Coast, with the success of the 2018 Commonwealth Games credited with helping Brisbane to secure hosting rights for the 2032 Summer Olympics.", "wds-Q582526": "The Sticky & Sweet Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Madonna, launched in support of her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy (2008). It marked her first major undertaking under a new 360 deal with Live Nation. Following a series of promotional appearances, the tour was announced in May 2008 with shows across Europe and North America, and also marked her return to Latin America after fifteen years. Though initially planned, the tour did not visit Australia. The first leg began on August 23, 2008, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and concluded on December 21 at Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo. In early 2009, a summer extension was confirmed, focusing primarily on European markets; this second leg ran from July 4 at the O2 Arena in London to September 2 at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv. The show was divided into four thematic segments —Pimp, Old School, Gypsy, and Rave— and described as a \"rock-driven, dancetastic journey\". Critical reception was generally positive, with praise for the tour's production values, choreography, and Madonna's stage presence. Commercially, the tour was a major success: after earning $282 million ($421.69 million in 2025 dollars) it became the highest-grossing tour ever by a solo artist at the time. An additional $129 million ($192.9 million in 2025 dollars) was generated from the 2009 extension, bringing the final gross to $411 million ($614.59 million in 2025 dollars), making it the second highest-grossing tour of all time, behind only the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour (2005―07). It remained the highest-grossing tour by a female artist for fifteen years. The tour generated some backlash. A video interlude titled \"Get Stupid\" drew criticism for placing images of then-US Republican presidential candidate John McCain alongside those of Adolf Hitler and Robert Mugabe. During a 2009 concert in Bucharest, Madonna addressed discrimination against the Romani community in Eastern Europe, which was met with audible boos from the audience. The shows at Buenos Aires' River Plate Stadium were filmed and later broadcast as Madonna: Sticky & Sweet —first airing on Sky1, and subsequently on EPIX. The broadcast was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and CD in 2010 under the title Sticky & Sweet Tour.", "wds-Q1290184": "The Congress of Manastir (Albanian: Kongresi i Manastirit) was a national conference held in the city of Manastir (now Bitola) from November 14 to 22, 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet. November 22 is now a commemorative day in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia as well as among the Albanian diaspora known as Alphabet Day (Albanian: Dita e Alfabetit). Prior to the Congress, the Albanian language was represented by a combination of six or more distinct alphabets, plus a number of sub-variants.", "wds-Q14468438": "The Scottish Championship, known as the William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Championship was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.", "wds-Q39057517": "The 3rd European Games (Polish: III Igrzyska Europejskie, Igrzyska Europejskie 2023), also known as the 2023 European Games or Kraków-Małopolska 2023, was an international multi-sport event held from 21 June to 2 July 2023 in Kraków and Małopolska, Poland. It was the first time that Poland hosted the European Games. All Olympic sports held at the European Games provided qualification opportunities for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.", "wds-Q109614454": "The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, was the 27th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from 6 November until 20 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. It took place under the presidency of Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, with more than 92 heads of state and an estimated 35,000 representatives, or delegates, of 190 countries attending. It was the fifth climate summit held in Africa, and the first since 2016. The conference has been held annually (except 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) since the first UN climate agreement in 1992. It is used by governments to agree on policies to limit global temperature rises and adapt to impacts associated with climate change. The conference led to the first loss-and-damage fund being created.", "wds-Q99979519": "The 2020 Kyrgyz Revolution, also known as the Third Kyrgyz Revolution, began on 5 October 2020, in response to the previous day's parliamentary election that was perceived by protestors as unfair, with allegations of electoral fraud. The results of the election were annulled on 6 October 2020. On 12 October 2020, President Sooronbay Jeenbekov announced a state of emergency in the capital city of Bishkek, which was approved the following day by the country's parliament, the Supreme Council. Jeenbekov resigned on 15 October 2020.", "wds-Q128160": "The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis in Cuba (Spanish: Crisis de Octubre), or the Caribbean Crisis (Russian: Карибский кризис, romanized: Karibskiy krizis), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in the United Kingdom, Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The confrontation is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into full-scale nuclear war. In 1959, the US government deployed Thor nuclear missiles in England, an initiative known as Project Emily. In 1961 the US put Jupiter nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey. All were within range of Moscow. The US had also trained a paramilitary force of Cuban expatriates, for a CIA-led attempt to invade Cuba and overthrow its government in April 1961. Starting in November of that year, the US government engaged in a violent campaign of terrorism and sabotage in Cuba, referred to as the Cuban Project, which continued throughout the first half of the 1960s. The Soviet administration was concerned about a Cuban drift towards China, with which the Soviets had an increasingly strained relationship. In response to these factors the Soviet and Cuban governments agreed, at a meeting between leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in July 1962, to place nuclear missiles on Cuba to deter a future US invasion. Construction of launch facilities started shortly thereafter. A U-2 spy plane captured photographic evidence of medium- and long-range launch facilities in October. US president John F. Kennedy convened a meeting of the National Security Council and other key advisers, forming the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM). Kennedy was advised to carry out an air strike on Cuban soil in order to compromise Soviet missile supplies, followed by an invasion of the Cuban mainland. He chose a less aggressive course in order to avoid a declaration of war. On 22 October, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade to prevent further missiles from reaching Cuba. He referred to the blockade as a \"quarantine\", not as a blockade, so the US could avoid the formal implications of a state of war. An agreement was eventually reached between Kennedy and Khrushchev. The Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba, subject to United Nations verification, in exchange for a US public declaration and agreement not to invade Cuba again. The United States secretly agreed to dismantle all of the offensive weapons it had deployed to Turkey. All Thors in the UK were disbanded by August 1963. While the Soviets dismantled their missiles, some Soviet bombers remained in Cuba, and the United States kept the naval quarantine in place until 20 November 1962. The blockade was formally ended on 20 November after all offensive missiles and bombers had been withdrawn from Cuba. The evident necessity of a quick and direct communication line between the two powers resulted in the Moscow–Washington hotline. A series of agreements later reduced US–Soviet tensions for several years. The compromise embarrassed Khrushchev and the Soviet Union because the withdrawal of US missiles from Italy and Turkey was a secret deal between Kennedy and Khrushchev, and the Soviets were seen as retreating from a situation that they had started. Khrushchev's fall from power two years later was in part because of the Soviet Politburo's embarrassment at both Khrushchev's eventual concessions to the US and his ineptitude in precipitating the crisis. According to the Soviet ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Dobrynin, the top Soviet leadership took the Cuban outcome as \"a blow to its prestige bordering on humiliation\".", "wds-Q221729": "The First Council of the Lateran was the 9th ecumenical council recognised by the Catholic Church. The first ecumenical council to be held in Western Europe and the first since the Great Schism of 1054, it was convoked by Pope Callixtus II in December 1122, immediately after the Concordat of Worms. The council sought to bring an end to the practice of the conferring of ecclesiastical benefices by people who were laymen, free the election of bishops and abbots from secular influence, clarify the separation of spiritual and temporal affairs, re-establish the principle that spiritual authority resides solely in the Church and abolish the claim of the Holy Roman Emperor to influence papal elections. The council was significant in size: 300 bishops and more than 600 abbots assembled at Rome's Lateran Palace in March 1123, and Callixtus II presided in person. During the council, the decisions of the Concordat of Worms were read and ratified. Various other decisions were promulgated.", "wds-Q517371": "The Hundred Flowers Campaign, also known as the Hundred Flowers Movement (Chinese: 百花齊放; pinyin: Bǎihuā Qífàng) and the Double Hundred Movement (雙百方針; Shuāngbǎi Fāngzhēn), was a period from 1956 to 1957 in the People's Republic of China (PRC) during which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), led by Mao Zedong, proposed to \"let a hundred flowers bloom in social science and arts and let one hundred points of view be expressed in the field of science.\" The movement was in part a response to tensions between the CCP and Chinese intellectuals. It encouraged citizens to offer criticism and advice to the government and the party. From the Maoist perspective, the campaign was intended to serve an anti-bureaucratic purpose. The campaign was a relaxation in ideological and cultural policy, and it resulted in an increase of advice and criticism directed at the Party and its policies by those outside its rank. As criticism increased, the Communist Party began to view it as a threat. A subsequent suppression of criticism developed into the Anti-Rightist Campaign, re-imposing Maoist orthodoxy in public expression.", "wds-Q124473": "Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. In 1969 at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco, the peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later, United States senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970, and hired a young activist, Denis Hayes, to be the national coordinator. The name \"Earth Day\" was coined by the advertising writer Julian Koenig. Hayes and his staff grew the event beyond the original idea for a teach-in to include the entire United States. Key non-environmentally focused partners played major roles. Under the leadership of the labor leader Walter Reuther, for example, the United Auto Workers (UAW) was the most instrumental outside financial and operational supporter of the first Earth Day. According to Hayes: \"Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped!\" Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States. In 1990, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international and organized events in 141 nations. On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and 120 other countries. This signing satisfied a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Numerous communities engaged in \"Earth Day Week actions,\" an entire week of activities focused on the environmental issues that the world faces. On Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary of the event, now the world's largest civic observance.", "wds-Q1030987": "The Intervision Song Contest (ISC) is an international song competition originally organised by the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT) and broadcast live via the Intervision network. Launched in 1965 as the Eastern Bloc equivalent to the Eurovision Song Contest, its first phase was staged in various cities across Czechoslovakia until 1968. From 1977 to 1980, the contest was held at Sopot's Forest Opera in Poland, followed by a one-off revival in Sochi in 2008. After a lengthy hiatus, the contest was relaunched in 2025 under an annual rotating-host model, with each edition staged in a different country. The ISC replaced the long-running Sopot International Song Festival (Sopot ISF), which had been held in Sopot since 1961, when it moved there for its second phase from 1977 to 1980. In 1981 the unified ISC/Sopot ISF was cancelled because of the rise of the independent trade union movement, Solidarity, which was judged by other Eastern bloc communist governments to be \"counter-revolutionary\". In 1984, Polish broadcaster TVP revived the Sopot ISF under its original name. In 2008, a one-off revival contest took place in Sochi, as an attempt to revive the contest, though subsequent editions planned in both 2014 and 2015 did not materialise. After the Russian broadcasters withdrew from the European Broadcasting Union upon being excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, another revival was announced by the Russian Ministry of Culture in 2023, with Russian president Vladimir Putin signing a decree for it to be held in Moscow. Intervision 2025 was held on 20 September at the Live Arena in Novoivanovskoye, Moscow. The next edition is scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2026, though the Iran war has called it into question.", "wds-Q625798": "The Western Desert campaign (Desert War) took place in the deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with the Italian declaration of war and the Italian invasion of Egypt from Libya in September. Operation Compass, a five-day raid by the British in December 1940, was so successful that it led to the destruction of the Italian 10th Army (10ª Armata) over the following two months. Benito Mussolini sought help from Adolf Hitler, who sent a small German force to Tripoli under Directive 22 (11 January). The Afrika Korps (Generalleutnant Erwin Rommel) was formally under Italian command, as Italy was the main Axis power in the Mediterranean and North Africa. In the spring of 1941, Rommel led Operation Sonnenblume, that pushed the Allies back to Egypt, except for the siege of Tobruk at the port. At the end of 1941, Axis forces were defeated in Operation Crusader and retired again to El Agheila. In early 1942 Axis forces drove the Allies back again, then captured Tobruk after the Battle of Gazala but failed to destroy their opponents. The Axis invaded Egypt and the Allies retreated to El Alamein, where the Eighth Army fought two defensive battles, then defeated the Axis forces in the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. The Eighth Army drove Axis forces out of Libya to Tunisia, which was invaded from the west by the Allied First Army in Operation Torch. In the Tunisian campaign the remaining Axis forces surrendered to the combined Allied forces in May 1943. The British Western Desert Force (renamed Cyrenaica Command (CYRCOM) and later the Eighth Army) had been reduced in early 1941 to send units to Greece, rather than complete the conquest of Libya, just as German troops and Italian reinforcements arrived. British Commonwealth and Empire troops released after the conclusion of the East Africa Campaign were sent to Egypt and by summer, the surviving Commonwealth troops had returned from Greece, Crete and Syria. From the end of 1941, increasing amounts of equipment and personnel, including US supplies and tanks, arrived for the Eighth Army. The Axis never overcame the supply constraints limiting the size of their land and air forces in North Africa and the desert war became a sideshow for Germany, when the expected quick conclusion of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, was not achieved.", "wds-Q613287": "Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL; English: Lithuanian Basketball League), marketed as Betsson-LKL for sponsorship reasons, is the premier men's professional club basketball league in Lithuania. It is composed of 10 teams, and it is a member of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation. The best LKL clubs are also annual participants of the top European-wide basketball competitions, including the top-tier level EuroLeague. On April 22, 1993, the Lietuvos krepšinio asociacija (LKA; English: Lithuanian Basketball Association) was founded. It was the first professional sports organisation in Lithuania. Lietuvos krepšinio lyga was built on the foundation of the LKA. Former basketball player Šarūnas Marčiulionis is named as the founder of the league. He was the first president of the LKL and served from 1993 to 2002. Remigijus Milašius is the current president of the league since 2013. The league's headquarters is located in Vilnius. A total of 28 teams have competed in the LKL since its inception. Only two teams have been crowned champions, with Žalgiris Kaunas winning the title a record 24 times and Rytas Vilnius seven times. The league is sponsored by Betsson, the Swedish online sportsbook and casino company, which also sponsors four teams in the league. The league was previously sponsored by the company's subsidiary Betsafe until it was renamed to \"Betsson-LKL\" in August 2025 after a sponsorship change.", "wds-Q322260": "Able Archer 83 was a military exercise conducted by NATO that took place in November 1983, as part of the annual Able Archer exercise. It simulated a period of heightened nuclear tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, leading to concerns that it could have been mistaken for a real attack by the Soviet Union. The exercise is considered by some to be one of the closest moments the world came to nuclear war during the Cold War. The purpose of the exercise, like previous years, was to simulate a period of conflict escalation, culminating in the U.S. military attaining a simulated DEFCON 1 coordinated nuclear attack. The five-day exercise, which involved NATO commands throughout Western Europe, was coordinated from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) headquarters in Casteau, Belgium. The 1983 exercise, which began on November 7, 1983, introduced several new elements not seen in previous years, including a new, unique format of coded communication, radio silences, and the participation of heads of government. This increase in realism, combined with tense relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and the anticipated arrival of Pershing II nuclear missiles in Europe, led some members of the Soviet Politburo and military to believe that Able Archer 83 was a ruse of war, obscuring preparations for a genuine nuclear first strike. In response, the Soviet Union readied their nuclear forces and placed air units in East Germany and Poland on alert. The Soviet 4th Air Army began loading nuclear warheads onto combat planes in preparation for war. The apparent threat of nuclear war ended when U.S. lieutenant general Leonard H. Perroots advised against responding to the Warsaw Pact military activity, which ended with the conclusion of the exercise on November 11. The exercise attracted public attention in 2015 when the President's Intelligence Advisory Board's 1990 report on the exercise was declassified. Some scholars have argued that Able Archer 83 was one of the times when the world has come closest to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The declassification of related documents in 2021 supported this notion. Other scholars have disputed this.", "wds-Q2156895": "The Borneo campaign or Second Battle of Borneo was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II to liberate Japanese-held British Borneo and Dutch Borneo. Designated collectively as Operation Oboe, a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July 1945 were conducted by the Australian I Corps, under Lieutenant-General Leslie Morshead, against Imperial Japanese forces who had been occupying the island since late 1941 – early 1942. The main Japanese formation on the island was the Thirty-Seventh Army under Lieutenant-General Masao Baba, while the naval garrison was commanded by Vice-Admiral Michiaki Kamada. The Australian ground forces were supported by US and other Allied air and naval forces, with the US providing the bulk of the shipping and logistic support necessary to conduct the operation. The campaign was initially planned to involve six stages, but eventually landings were undertaken at four locations: Tarakan, Labuan, North Borneo and Balikpapan. Guerrilla operations were also carried out by Dayak tribesmen and small numbers of Allied personnel in the interior of the island. While major combat operations were concluded by mid-July, localised fighting continued throughout Borneo until the end of the war in August. Initially intended to secure vital airfields and port facilities to support future operations, preparatory bombardment resulted in heavy damage to the island's infrastructure, including its oil production facilities. As a result, the strategic benefits the Allies gained from the campaign were negligible.", "wds-Q2238546": "The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign was a series of engagements fought from August 1942 to February 1944, in the Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Japan. They were the first battles of a large-scale offensive across the Central Pacific by the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps. The goal of the campaign was to establish airfields and naval bases that would allow American air and naval assets to support future operations across the Central Pacific. Operation Galvanic and Operation Kourbash were the codenames for the Gilberts campaign (in modern Kiribati), and included the seizures of Tarawa and Makin, which took place during the Battle of Tarawa on 20–23 November 1943 and the Battle of Makin on 20–24 November 1943. Operation Flintlock and Operation Catchpole had the goal of capturing Japanese bases at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Majuro in the Marshall Islands.", "wds-Q729371": "The 1966 Asian Games, also known as the V Asiad or Bangkok 1966, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 16 sports were contested by athletes during the games. Taiwan and Israel returned to the Asian Games, reversing the decision taken by Indonesia in the previous Asiad to debar the two countries. A total number of 2,500 athletes and officials from 18 countries, were involved in this Asiad. The 5th Asiad was the first one where women's volleyball was played.", "wds-Q492753": "The Copa Constitució or Andorran Cup, also known is Copa Constitució Valira Seguretat for sponsorship reasons, is the national football cup competition in Andorra organized by the Andorran Football Federation. The Cup annual tournament began in 1990. Since the 1994–95 season, the tournament has been affiliated with FIFA and UEFA.", "wds-Q44533": "The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson and was staged to promote his eighth studio album, Dangerous (1991). The tour was sponsored by Pepsi. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own Heal the World Foundation. The tour began in Munich on June 27, 1992, and concluded in Mexico City on November 11, 1993, playing 70 concerts in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Jackson performed in stadiums across the world with all his concerts being sold out in countries in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. The tour grossed over $100 million (equivalent to $220 million in 2025) and was attended by up to 3.9 million people. The October 1, 1992, concert in Bucharest was filmed for broadcast on the HBO network on October 10. Jackson sold the film rights for the concert for $20 million (equivalent to $46 million in 2025), then the highest amount for a concert performer to appear on television. The special, Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, earned Jackson the second of two CableACE Awards of his career, this one for Outstanding Performance Musical Special.", "wds-Q935708": "The European Water Polo Championship is a sport competition for national water polo teams, currently held biannually and organized by the European Aquatics, the European governing body for aquatic sports. There are both men's and women's competitions. The first European Water Polo Championship was held in 1926 in Budapest, Hungary, with just a men's competition. The women for the first time competed in 1985 (Oslo, Norway) for the European title. The water polo tournament was part of the European Aquatics Championships up to and including 1997, and from 1999 the event was separated and got its own independent tournament.", "wds-Q265538": "The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB), a professional baseball league operating in the United States and Canada, contested between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best-of-seven playoff, is declared the champions of the league (often called \"world champions\") and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy. It was first played in 1903 to determine the championship team of baseball after the American League declared itself the second major-league circuit in the United States to compete with the previously established National League. Qualification to the World Series is determined through a postseason tournament consisting of six teams per league — three teams who won their respective divisions and three teams who achieved the best win-loss record overall but failed to clinch a division title. The team which have won their league's tournament, or clinched a pennant, qualify for the World Series against the other league's pennant winner. The series is traditionally played in October, although sometimes the series is played into November due to the expansion of the MLB postseason. Because the series is played in the fall (autumn) season in North America, it is often referred to as the Fall Classic. Before the AL and NL were split into divisions in 1969, the team with the best regular-season win–loss record in each league won that league's pennant and advanced to the World Series, barring a tie necessitating a pennant playoff. Since the introduction of the Major League Baseball postseason playoff format in 1969, each league has conducted a League Championship Series (ALCS and NLCS) preceding the World Series to determine which of its teams will advance, while those series have been preceded in turn by Division Series (ALDS and NLDS) since 1995, and Wild Card games or series in each league since 2012. Until 2002, home-field advantage in the World Series alternated from year to year between the AL and NL. From 2003 to 2016, home-field advantage was given to the league that won that year's All-Star Game. Starting in 2017, home-field advantage was awarded to the league champion team with the better regular-season win–loss record regardless of that team's seeding in earlier postseason rounds (i.e. a Wild Card team in one league will be given home-field advantage over a division winner in the other league if it had the better record or wins the tie-breaking procedure). The World Series has been contested 121 times through 2025, with the AL team winning 68 times and the NL team 53. The current World Series champions are the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League, who defeated the AL's Toronto Blue Jays in seven games.", "wds-Q7912962": "The International Day of Forests, the 21st day of March, was established by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on 28 November 2012. Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, facilitates the implementation of such events in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and international, regional and subregional organizations. The day was observed for the first time on 21 March 2013.", "wds-Q4630396": "The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England between 28 July and 8 August 2022. They were the 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games. It was the third and seventh time England and the United Kingdom hosted the Commonwealth Games, respectively. 4,822 athletes, including 311 para athletes from 72 Commonwealth Games Associations took part in the event. The event took place at 15 venues across Birmingham, West Midlands and London and featured 19 Commonwealth sports. It was also the first major multi-sport event to have more events for women than men and had the largest integrated parasports programme in the history of the Commonwealth Games with eight parasports. Australia topped the medal table by both total golds (67) and total medals (179), with host nation England finishing second with 58 golds and 176 total medals and Canada finishing third with 26 golds and 92 total medals. India finished fourth with 22 gold and 61 total medals, and New Zealand finished fifth with 20 gold and 49 total medals. Niue won its first ever Commonwealth Games medal. Birmingham was announced as the host city on 21 December 2017. The event marked the last time that the Commonwealth Games were held under Queen Elizabeth II prior to her death one month after the conclusion of the Games. The event contributed £1.2 billion to the economy of the United Kingdom.", "wds-Q629636": "The 2011–2013 Russian protests, which some English language media referred to as the Snow Revolution (Russian: Снежная революция, romanised: Snezhnaya revolyutsiya), began in 2011 (as protests against the 2011 Russian legislative election results) and continued into 2012 and 2013. The protests were motivated by claims of Russian and foreign journalists, political activists and members of the public that the election process was fraudulent. The Central Election Commission of Russia stated that 195 out of 1,686 official reports of fraud (11.5%) could be confirmed as true. On 10 December 2011, after a week of small-scale demonstrations, Russia saw some of the biggest protests in Moscow since the 1990s. The focus of the protests were the ruling party, United Russia, and its leader Vladimir Putin, the prime minister and former president, who announced his intention to run for president again in 2012. Another round of large protests took place on 24 December 2011. These protests were named \"For Fair Elections\" (Russian: За честные выборы) and their organisers set up the movement of the same name. By this time, the \"For Fair Elections\" protesters had coalesced around five main points: freedom for political prisoners; annulment of the election results; the resignation of Vladimir Churov (head of the election commission) and the opening of an official investigation into vote fraud; registration of opposition parties and new democratic legislation on parties and elections; as well as new democratic and open elections. Initial protest actions, organised by the leaders of the Russian opposition parties and non-systemic opposition sparked fear in some quarters of a colour revolution in Russia, and a number of counter-protests and rallies in support of the government were held. On the first days following the election, Putin and United Russia were supported by rallies of two youth organisations, the government-organised Nashi and United Russia's Young Guard. On 24 December Sergey Kurginyan organised the first protest against what was viewed as \"orange\" protesters in Moscow, though the protest also went under the same slogan \"For Fair Elections\". On 4 February 2012, more protests and pro-government rallies were held throughout the country. The largest two events were in Moscow: the \"anti-Orange protest\" (alluding to the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the most widely known colour revolution to Russians), aimed against \"orangism\", \"collapse of the country\", \"perestroika\" and \"revolution\", the largest protest action of all the protests so far according to the police; and another \"For Fair Elections\" protest, larger than the previous ones according to the police. On 6 May 2012, protests took place in Moscow the day before Putin's inauguration as President for his third term. Some called for the inauguration to be scrapped. The protests were marred by violence between the protesters and the police. About 400 protesters were arrested, including Alexei Navalny, Boris Nemtsov and Sergei Udaltsov and 80 were injured. On the day of the inauguration, 7 May, at least 120 protesters were arrested in Moscow. In June 2012, laws were enacted which set strict boundaries on protests and imposed heavy penalties for unauthorised actions. As of January 2013, interviews by Ellen Barry of The New York Times of working class elements which had supported the protests revealed an atmosphere of intimidation, discouragement, and alienation.", "wds-Q43082938": "The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour and the first all-stadium tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). It began in Glendale, Arizona, United States, on May 8, 2018, and concluded in Tokyo, Japan, on November 21, 2018. The tour encompassed 53 shows and visited 7 countries in total. The set list consisted mostly of the songs from Reputation and some from Swift's other albums. The stage incorporated prominent snake motifs and imagery as decoration, reflecting the album's concept and Swift's public image. The main stage had a wedge-shaped display resembling a skyscraper under construction and was equipped with elaborate lighting, and two smaller B-stages were used for acoustic “surprise song” performances. The October 6, 2018, show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was recorded and released as a Netflix original concert film on December 31, 2018; it has since been removed from Netflix for unknown reasons. Music critics commented that the production evoked Goth subculture and Broadway theatricality, praising the stage design, production, and wardrobe. They lauded Swift's showmanship and interactions with her audience that brought forth an exhilarating yet intimate experience. The Reputation Stadium Tour received 2.88 million attendees and grossed $345.6 million, becoming the highest-grossing US and North American tour upon completion. It was awarded Tour of the Year at the People's Choice Awards, American Music Awards, and iHeartRadio Music Awards.", "wds-Q111333183": "The 2022 United States Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One motor race, held on October 23, 2022, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, United States. The race was the 19th round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship and the 51st running of the United States Grand Prix, the 43rd time the race was run as a World Championship event since the inaugural 1950 season, and the tenth time a World Championship round was held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. It was won by defending champion Max Verstappen, who was followed by Lewis Hamilton in second and Charles Leclerc in third. With Verstappen taking victory and teammate Sergio Pérez finishing fourth, Red Bull secured its fifth Constructors' Championship title and the first since 2013.", "wds-Q270510": "The Apartment is a 1960 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. Jack Lemmon stars as an insurance clerk who, in hopes of climbing the corporate ladder, allows his superiors to use his Upper West Side apartment to conduct their extramarital affairs. He becomes attracted to an elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) in his office building, unaware that she is having an affair with the head of personnel (Fred MacMurray). Ray Walston and Edie Adams feature in supporting roles. The Apartment was distributed by United Artists to widespread critical acclaim and was a commercial success, despite controversy owing to its subject matter. It became the 8th highest-grossing film of 1960. At the 33rd Academy Awards, the film was nominated for ten awards and won five, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Lemmon, MacLaine, and Jack Kruschen were nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor respectively, and Lemmon and MacLaine won Golden Globe Awards for their performances. Promises, Promises, a 1968 Broadway musical by Burt Bacharach, Hal David, and Neil Simon, was based on the film. The Apartment has come to be regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, appearing in lists by the American Film Institute and Sight and Sound magazine. In 1994, it was one of 25 films selected for preservation in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.", "wds-Q258754": "Bulletproof Monk is a 2003 American action comedy film directed by Paul Hunter in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat, Seann William Scott, and Jaime King. The film is loosely based on the comic book written by Brett Lewis with art by Michael Avon Oeming. The film was shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Canada, and other locations that resemble New York City. Bulletproof Monk was released by MGM Distribution Co. on April 16, 2003. It received negative reviews from critics and was a commercial failure, earning $37.7 million worldwide on the budget of $52 million.", "wds-Q18760": "The UEFA Europa League (UEL), known simply as the Europa League, is an annual club football competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European clubs. It is the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Conference League. Introduced in 1971 as the UEFA Cup, it replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. A group stage was added ahead of the knockout phase in the 2004–05 season. The competition took its current name in 2009, following a format change that included a merger with the UEFA Intertoto Cup, expanding the group stage and altering qualification. In 2024–25, the group stage was replaced by a 36-team league phase. Winners of the UEFA Europa League qualify for the following season's UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Champions League. They have also occasionally played matches against the winners of the CONMEBOL Copa Sudamericana in the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge, most recently in 2023. The competition has been won by 31 clubs and 14 of them have won it more than once. Clubs from Spain have the most wins, with 14, followed by England with 11, Italy with 10 and Germany with 7. The most successful club in the competition is Sevilla, with seven titles. Aston Villa are the current holders, having beaten SC Freiburg 3–0 in the 2026 final.", "wds-Q1926157": "The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along the entire Western Front. It was fought from September 26, 1918, until the Armistice of November 11, 1918, a total of 47 days. The Meuse–Argonne offensive was the largest in United States military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers, sailors and marines, along with 800,000 French and 850 Siamese personnel. It is also the deadliest campaign in the history of the United States Army, resulting in over 300,000 casualties, including 28,000 German lives, 26,277 American lives and about 35,000 French lives. American losses were worsened by the inexperience of many of the troops, the tactics used during the early phases of the operation, and the widespread onset of the Spanish flu. The offensive was the primary engagement of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in World War I and part of the Allies' Hundred Days Offensive that ended the war. It was the AEF's largest and bloodiest operation of the war, though relatively limited in scale compared to other Western Front battles and secondary to the main Allied offensive axis.", "wds-Q116905": "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (also known as A Series of Unfortunate Events) is a 2004 American adventure dark comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and written by Robert Gordon, based on the first three novels of the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events. It stars Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge, and Meryl Streep, with Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. Nickelodeon Movies purchased the film rights to Daniel Handler's book series in 2000 and began development of a film with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct. Handler wrote the screenplay and courted Carrey for Count Olaf. Sonnenfeld left over budget concerns in January 2003 and Brad Silberling took over. Robert Gordon rewrote Handler's script, and principal photography started in November 2003. The film was entirely shot using sound stages and backlots at Paramount Pictures and Downey Studios. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was released theatrically in the United States on December 17, 2004, by Paramount Pictures, with DreamWorks Pictures releasing in other territories. It received positive reviews from critics, with many praising its production values and Carrey's performance. The film grossed $211.5 million on a budget of around $141 million. At the 77th Academy Awards, it won Best Makeup and received nominations for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.", "wds-Q184255": "Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by Paul Haggis. It is based on stories from the 2000 collection Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and cutman Jerry Boyd, and also stars Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. The film follows Margaret \"Maggie\" Fitzgerald (Swank), an underdog amateur boxer who is helped by an underappreciated boxing trainer (Eastwood) to achieve her dream of becoming a professional. Million Dollar Baby premiered in New York City on December 5, 2004, and was theatrically released on December 15, 2004, by Warner Bros. Pictures domestically, with Lakeshore Entertainment's international unit handling international sales. It received critical acclaim and was also a commercial success, grossing $217 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. The film garnered seven nominations at the 77th Academy Awards and won four: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (for Swank), and Best Supporting Actor (for Freeman). The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named Million Dollar Baby one of the top-ten films of 2004. It has since been cited as one of the best films of the 2000s, the 21st century and of all-time.", "wds-Q870684": "The Green March (Arabic: المسيرة الخضراء, romanized: al-masīrat ul-khaḍrāʾ) was a strategic mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government and the military, to force Spain to hand over the disputed, autonomous semi-metropolitan province of Spanish Sahara to Morocco. The Spanish government was preparing to abandon the territory as part of the decolonization of Africa, just as it had granted independence to Equatorial Guinea in 1968. The native inhabitants, the Sahrawi people, aspired to form an independent state. The demonstration of approximately 350,000 Moroccans advanced several kilometers into the Western Sahara territory. The operation also relied on logistical support and tacit approval from the United States Department of State and the CIA, as Washington and Paris, within the context of the Cold War, favored the integration of the territory into pro-Western Morocco over the emergence of an independent state potentially aligned with Algeria and the Eastern Bloc. The Green March was condemned by the international community, notably in United Nations Security Council Resolution 380. The march was considered an attempt to bypass the International Court of Justice's Advisory opinion on Western Sahara that had been issued three weeks earlier. Morocco gained control of most of the former Spanish Sahara, which it still holds to this day. The refusal of the Sahrawi people to submit to the Moroccan monarchy shaped the Western Sahara conflict, still unresolved today, whose main episode was the Western Sahara War.", "wds-Q54274": "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a 2007 American swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. The direct sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), it is the third installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and follows an urgent quest to locate and save Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones' Locker, and convene the Brethren Court in a war against the East India Trading Company. In an uneasy alliance, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and the Black Pearl crew rescue Jack and prepare to fight Lord Cutler Beckett, who controls Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman. Two sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl were conceived in 2004, with Elliott and Rossio developing a story arc that would span both films. The film was shot in two shoots during 2005 and 2006, the former of which was released as Dead Man's Chest. This also marks the final film of the series to be directed by Verbinski. With a production budget of US$300 million, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time of its release. At World's End premiered at the Disneyland Resort on May 19, 2007, then theatrically released in the United States on May 25. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but was the highest-grossing film of 2007, bringing in over $963 million. It was nominated at the 80th Academy Awards for Best Makeup and Best Visual Effects, and won Favorite Movie Actor for Depp at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards. A standalone sequel, On Stranger Tides, was released in 2011. Dead Men Tell No Tales, released in 2017, followed as a direct continuation of At World's End.", "wds-Q274895": "8 Women (French: 8 femmes) is a 2002 jukebox musical comedy mystery film written and directed by François Ozon. Based on the 1958 play by Robert Thomas, it features an ensemble cast of high-profile French actresses: Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Béart, Fanny Ardant, Virginie Ledoyen, Danielle Darrieux, Ludivine Sagnier and Firmine Richard. Revolving around an eccentric family of women and their employees in the 1950s, the film follows eight women as they gather to celebrate Christmas in an isolated, snowbound cottage only to find Marcel, the family patriarch, dead with a knife in his back. Trapped in the house, every woman becomes a suspect, each having her own motive and secret. Ozon initially envisioned a remake of George Cukor's film The Women (1939), but eventually settled on Thomas's Huit femmes after legal obstacles prevented him from doing so. Drawing inspiration from Cukor's screwball comedies of the late 1930s and the 1950s work of directors such as Douglas Sirk, Vincente Minnelli, and Alfred Hitchcock, 8 Women blends farce, melodrama, musical, crime, mystery and comedy film genres while addressing murder, greed, adultery, and homosexuality. Set primarily in the entry hall of a manor house, the film recreates much of the play's original theatrical feel. It also serves as a pastiche of and homage to the history of film, Hollywood musicals and the actresses' filmographies. The film's premiere was held on 8 January 2002 in Paris, where filming had taken place. 8 Women competed for the Golden Bear at the 52nd Berlin International Film Festival, where its all-female cast was awarded a Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. Released to largely positive reviews, with major praise for the stars' performance, chemistry and dynamic, its humor and its production values, the film was nominated for twelve César Awards, including Best Film. At the 2002 European Film Awards, the film was nominated for six awards, including Best Film and Best Director; it won for Best Actress for the eight principal actresses. It was also selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 75th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.", "wds-Q261044": "American Pie Presents: Band Camp is a 2005 American sex comedy film released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. It is the first installment in American Pie Presents film series, a spin-off of the American Pie franchise. Tad Hilgenbrinck stars as Matt Stifler, a troubled student sent to band camp to change his ways. Chris Owen and Eugene Levy reprise their roles from previous American Pie films. American Pie Presents: Band Camp was released direct-to-DVD in the United States on December 26, 2005 (2005-12-26).", "wds-Q847588": "The Solvay Conferences (French: Congrès Solvay) have been devoted to preeminent unsolved problems in both physics and chemistry. They began with the historic invitation-only 1911 Solvay Conference on Physics, considered a turning point in the world of physics, and are ongoing. Since the success of 1911, they have been organised by the International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry, founded by the Belgian industrialist Ernest Solvay in 1912 and 1913, and located in Brussels. The institutes coordinate conferences, workshops, seminars, and colloquia. Recent Solvay Conferences entail a three year cycle: the Solvay Conference on Physics followed by a gap year, followed by the Solvay Conference on Chemistry. The 1st Solvay Conference on Biology titled \"The organisation and dynamics of biological computation\" took place in April 2024.", "wds-Q128924": "The World's Fastest Indian is a 2005 New Zealand biographical sports drama film based on the story of New Zealand speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle. Munro set numerous land speed records for motorcycles with engines less than 1,000 cc at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the late 1950s and into the 1960s. The film stars Anthony Hopkins, and was produced, written and directed by Roger Donaldson. The film opened on 7 December 2005 in New Zealand to positive reviews, and quickly became the highest grossing local film at the New Zealand box-office taking in NZ$7,043,000; and taking in over US$18,297,690 worldwide. The film was theatrically released on 3 February 2006 in the United States by Magnolia Pictures; and was subsequently released on DVD on 22 December 2006 by Magnolia Home Entertainment.", "wds-Q461768": "The Spiderwick Chronicles is a 2008 American fantasy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, and John Sayles, based on the book series by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. It stars Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker and Sarah Bolger, with Nick Nolte, Seth Rogen, and Martin Short in voice roles. The film, set in the Spiderwick Estate in New England, follows three children who discover a field guide to fairies while encountering various magical creatures such as goblins, ogres, brownies, boggarts, hobgoblins, trolls and many others. The Spiderwick Chronicles was released on February 14, 2008, by Paramount Pictures and grossed $163 million against its $90–92.5 million budget. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.", "wds-Q25648": "The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is an annual film festival held in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF is one of the longest-running and most prestigious film festivals in the United States. NYFF is usually centered on the non-competitive \"Main Slate\" section, which typically features 20 to 30 films, with additional sections for short films, experimental works, retrospectives and restorations. The current Artistic Director of the festival is Dennis Lim.", "wds-Q313836": "The Battle of the Dnieper, known on the German side as the Defensive battles on the Dnieper (German: Abwehrschlachten am Dnepr), was a military campaign that took place in 1943 on the Eastern Front of World War II. Being one of the largest operations of the war, it involved almost four million troops at one point and stretched over a 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) front. Over four months, the eastern bank of the Dnieper was recovered from German forces by five of the Red Army's fronts, which conducted several assault river crossings to establish several lodgements on the western bank. Kiev was later liberated in the Second Battle of Kiev. 2,438 Red Army soldiers were awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for their involvement.", "wds-Q368674": "License to Wed is a 2007 American romantic comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis, and starring Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, with Christine Taylor, Eric Christian Olsen and Josh Flitter in supporting roles. The plot tells the story of a clergyman who puts an engaged couple through a grueling marriage preparation course to see if they are meant to be married in his church. License to Wed was released in the United States on July 3, 2007, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received negative reviews from critics and grossed $70 million on a $35 million budget.", "wds-Q182218": "Marvel's The Avengers (titled Marvel Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland and commonly referred to as simply The Avengers) is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by Joss Whedon, the film features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the Avengers, alongside Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Nick Fury and the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, Natasha Romanoff, and Clint Barton to form a team capable of stopping Thor's brother Loki from subjugating Earth. The film's development began when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011 and would bring together Stark (Downey), Rogers (Evans), Thor (Hemsworth), and Banner (portrayed by Edward Norton in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk) from Marvel's previous films. After the signing of Johansson as Romanoff in March 2009, Renner as Barton in June 2010, and Ruffalo to replace Norton as Banner in July 2010, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was hired in April 2010 and rewrote the original screenplay by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in August and New York City in September. The film has more than 2,200 visual effects shots. The Avengers premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on April 11, 2012, and was released in the United States on May 4, as the final film in Phase One of the MCU. The film received praise for Whedon's direction and screenplay, visual effects, action sequences, acting, and musical score. It grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, setting numerous box office records and becoming the third-highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release and the highest-grossing film of 2012. It was the first Marvel production to generate $1 billion in ticket sales. In 2017, The Avengers was featured as one of the 100 greatest films of all time in an Empire magazine poll. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 85th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades. Three sequels have been released: Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).", "wds-Q380667": "Predators is a 2010 American science fiction action film directed by Nimród Antal and written by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch. It is the third installment in the Predator franchise and features an ensemble cast, including Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, and Laurence Fishburne. The film follows a group of proficient killers who have been abducted and placed on a planet inhabited by extraterrestrial trophy hunters, leading them to try to survive and look for a way back to Earth. Producer Robert Rodriguez had developed a script for a third installment as early as 1994 after seeing the original film, although it was not until 2009 that 20th Century Fox greenlit the project. According to Rodriguez, the title Predators is an allusion to the film Aliens (1986). The title also has a double meaning, referring both to the extraterrestrial Predator hunters and to the group of human characters who are pitted against them. Filming took place in locations including Hawaii and Austin, Texas from September 2009 and lasted 53 days. Predators was released in the United States on July 9, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $127 million against a $40 million budget. A fourth film, The Predator, was released in 2018.", "wds-Q41854": "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics antihero Ghost Rider. It is a sequel to the 2007 film Ghost Rider and features Nicolas Cage reprising his role as Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider with supporting roles portrayed by Ciarán Hinds, Violante Placido, Johnny Whitworth, Christopher Lambert, and Idris Elba. The film was directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, from a screenplay written by Scott M. Gimple, Seth Hoffman, and David S. Goyer. Released publicly for one night on December 11, 2011, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance had its wide commercial release on February 17, 2012, in 2D and 3D. Johnny Blaze is the Ghost Rider cursed to hunt demons, and he is approached by a secret religious sect to help protect a young boy named Danny, who is believed to be a target of the devil's minions. The film experienced worse critical reception than the first film, with criticism being aimed towards the script, CGI, and performances. The film grossed $132.6 – 149.4 million, against its $57 million production budget. Nicolas Cage stated that he was \"done\" with the Ghost Rider films and a planned sequel was canceled. The film rights to the character reverted to Marvel Studios in 2013, and the Robbie Reyes version of Ghost Rider appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) through the fourth season of the ABC television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., played by Gabriel Luna. A reboot film set in the MCU is scheduled for release in 2028, with Ryan Gosling in the title role.", "wds-Q156911": "Wings of Desire (German: Der Himmel über Berlin, pronounced [deːɐ̯ ˈhɪml̩ ˈʔyːbɐ bɛɐ̯ˈliːn] ; lit. 'The Heaven/Sky over Berlin') is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its human inhabitants, comforting the distressed. Even though the city is densely populated, many of the people are isolated or estranged from their loved ones. One of the angels, played by Bruno Ganz, falls in love with a beautiful, lonely trapeze artist, played by Solveig Dommartin. The angel chooses to become mortal so that he can experience human sensory pleasures, ranging from enjoying food to touching a loved one, and so that he can discover human love with the trapeze artist. Inspired by art depicting angels visible around West Berlin, at the time encircled by the Berlin Wall, Wenders and author Peter Handke conceived of the story and continued to develop the screenplay throughout the French and German co-production. The film was shot by Henri Alekan in both colour and black-and-white, the latter being used to represent the world as seen by the angels. The cast includes Otto Sander, Curt Bois and Peter Falk. For Wings of Desire, Wenders won awards for Best Director at both the Cannes Film Festival and European Film Awards. The film was a critical and financial success, and academics have interpreted it as a statement of the importance of cinema, libraries, the circus, or German unity, containing New Age, religious, secular or other themes. It was followed by a sequel, Faraway, So Close!, released in 1993. City of Angels, a U.S. remake, was released in 1998. In 1990, numerous critics named Wings of Desire as one of the best films of the 1980s.", "wds-Q468877": "Going My Way is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett, based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran. Crosby sings five songs with other songs performed onscreen by Metropolitan Opera's star mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens and the Robert Mitchell Boys Choir. Going My Way was the highest-grossing picture of 1944, and was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning seven, including Best Picture. Its success helped to make movie exhibitors choose Crosby as the biggest box-office draw of the year, a record he would hold for the remainder of the 1940s. After World War II, Crosby and McCarey presented a copy of the film to Pope Pius XII at the Vatican. Going My Way was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's. In 2004, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\".", "wds-Q110354": "The Great Escape is a 1963 American epic historical war adventure film starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough and featuring James Donald, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, James Coburn, Hannes Messemer, David McCallum, Gordon Jackson, John Leyton and Angus Lennie. It was filmed in Panavision, and its musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein. Adapted from Paul Brickhill's 1950 non-fiction book of the same name, the film depicts a heavily fictionalized version of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from German POW camp Stalag Luft III in World War II. The film made numerous compromises for its commercial appeal, including its portrayal of American involvement in the escape. The Great Escape was made by The Mirisch Company, released by United Artists, and produced and directed by John Sturges. The film had its Royal World Premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 20 June 1963. The Great Escape received critical acclaim and emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year, winning McQueen the award for Best Actor at the Moscow International Film Festival, and in later years has gained a cult following. The film is also noted for its motorcycle chase and jump scene, which is considered one of the best stunts ever performed.", "wds-Q261403": "A Man and a Woman (French: Un homme et une femme) is a 1966 French romantic drama film directed by Claude Lelouch and starring Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant. Written by Pierre Uytterhoeven and Lelouch, the film concerns a young widow and widower who meet by chance at their children's boarding school and whose budding relationship is complicated by the memories of their deceased spouses. The film is known for its lush photography, which features frequent segues among full color, black-and-white, and sepia-toned shots, and for its music score by Francis Lai. A Man and a Woman sold a total of 4,272,000 cinema tickets in France and was the sixth highest-grossing film of the year. In the United States, the film grossed $14 million. The film won several awards, including the Grand Prix at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress – Drama (for Aimée), and two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Screenplay. It was followed by two sequels, A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later (1986) and The Best Years of a Life (2019).", "wds-Q107167": "Sleepless in Seattle is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay written by Jeff Arch, David S. Ward and Ephron. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who becomes enamored with a widowed architect (Hanks) after his young son calls in to a talk radio program requesting a new wife for his grieving father. In addition to Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, and Rob Reiner, the film also features Rosie O'Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, Barbara Garrick, and Carey Lowell. Inspired by director Leo McCarey's An Affair to Remember (1957), which was a remake using the same script of McCarey's Love Affair (1939), Sleepless in Seattle was conceived as a romantic drama by Jeff Arch in 1989. Several studios rejected his script, deterred by the idea that its main couple does not meet for nearly the entire film. Ward and Ephron were hired for script revisions, with Ephron tapped to direct. Although both Hanks and Ryan had been favored for the lead roles from the beginning, several other actors expressed interest in both parts. The film was shot mostly in Seattle during the summer of 1992. Several of its pivotal scenes were filmed on a former naval base due to the city's lack of sound stages, including a recreation of the Empire State Building's observation deck when the New York skyscraper was not available. Sleepless in Seattle was released by TriStar Pictures on June 25, 1993, to positive reviews, receiving praise for Ephron's writing and direction, as well as Hanks and Ryan's performances. The film received 2 nominations at the 66th Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song. Despite competition from several blockbusters released around that same summer, the film was a surprise commercial success, earning $17 million during its opening weekend (the highest opening for a romantic comedy at the time), and ultimately grossing over $227.9 million worldwide against a $21 million budget. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 1993, and remains one of the most successful romantic comedies in box-office history. Its success extended to the home video market: it was the top rental of 1994 in the United States. The soundtrack was also successful, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200. Several critics and media publications agree that Sleepless in Seattle is one of the greatest romantic comedy films of all time. The film is also credited with establishing Ephron as a celebrated romantic comedy filmmaker.", "wds-Q19089": "GoldenEye is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Martin Campbell, it was the first in the series not to use any story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming. GoldenEye was also the first James Bond film not produced by Albert R. Broccoli, following his stepping down from Eon Productions and replacement by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli (along with Michael G. Wilson, although Broccoli was still involved as a consultant producer; it was his final film project before his death in 1996). The story was conceived and written by Michael France, with later collaboration by other writers. In the film, Bond fights to prevent rogue ex-MI6 agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) from using a satellite weapon against London to cause a global financial collapse. GoldenEye was released after a six-year hiatus in the series caused by legal disputes, during which Timothy Dalton's contract for the role of James Bond expired and he decided to leave the role, being replaced by Brosnan. M was also recast, actress Judi Dench becoming the first woman to portray the character, replacing Robert Brown. The role of Miss Moneypenny was also recast, Caroline Bliss being replaced by Samantha Bond. Desmond Llewelyn was the only actor to reprise his previous role, as Q. It was the first Bond film made after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, which provided a background for the plot. Principal photography for GoldenEye took place from January to June 1995 in the UK, Russia, Monte Carlo, and Puerto Rico; it was the inaugural film production to be shot at Leavesden Studios. The first Bond film to use computer-generated imagery (CGI), GoldenEye was also the final film in the career of special effects supervisor Derek Meddings, and was dedicated to his memory. The film accumulated a worldwide gross of over US$356 million, to become the fourth-highest grossing film of 1995. It received positive reviews from critics, with Brosnan viewed as a worthy successor to Sean Connery's portrayal as Bond. It also received award nominations for Best Special Visual Effects and Best Sound from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. It was followed by Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997.", "wds-Q469639": "Escape from the Planet of the Apes is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Don Taylor and written by Paul Dehn. The film is the sequel to Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) and the third installment in the original Planet of the Apes film series. It stars Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy, Eric Braeden, Sal Mineo, and Ricardo Montalbán. In the film, Cornelius (McDowall) and Zira (Hunter) flee back through time to 20th-century Los Angeles, where they face fear and persecution. Escape from the Planet of the Apes was released in the United States on May 26, 1971, by 20th Century-Fox. The film received a mainly positive response from critics and is generally considered the best sequel of the original Apes series. Escape was followed by Conquest of the Planet of the Apes in 1972.", "wds-Q93853": "Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a 2003 American neo-Western action film written, directed, produced, photographed, scored, and edited by Robert Rodriguez. It is the sequel to Desperado (1995) and the third and final installment in the Mexico Trilogy. The film features Antonio Banderas in his second and final performance as El Mariachi. In the film, El Mariachi is recruited by CIA agent Sheldon Sands (Johnny Depp) to kill a corrupt general responsible for the death of his wife, Carolina (Salma Hayek). Once Upon a Time in Mexico was produced by Columbia Pictures, Dimension Films and Troublemaker Studios and released in the United States on September 12, 2003, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Depp's performance, but criticism for reducing its protagonist to an almost secondary character in his own trilogy and a convoluted plot. In the special features of the film's DVD, Rodriguez explained this was intentional, as he wanted this to be his The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the trilogy. It grossed over $98 million against a $29 million production budget.", "wds-Q232219": "40 Days and 40 Nights is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Lehmann, written by Rob Perez, and starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon and Paulo Costanzo. The film depicts Matt Sullivan, a San Francisco web designer who has chosen to abstain from any sexual contact for the duration of Lent. Released on March 1, 2002 by Miramax Films in the United States and by Universal Pictures (through United International Pictures) in other territories, the film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $95.1 million against a $17 million budget, becoming a commercial success.", "wds-Q83767": "The Blue Lagoon is a 1980 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Randal Kleiser from a screenplay written by Douglas Day Stewart based on the 1908 novel of the same name by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. The film stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins. The film tells the story of a boy and a girl who live together in a tropical island paradise in the South Pacific after surviving a shipwreck. Without adult supervision or societal restrictions, the two navigate the emotional and physical changes of puberty, fall in love, and have a child together before being rescued at the film's end. The Blue Lagoon was theatrically released on June 20, 1980 by Columbia Pictures. The film was panned by critics, who disparaged its screenplay, its execution, and Shields' performance; however, Almendros' cinematography received praise. In spite of the criticism, the film was a commercial success, grossing $58.8 million on a $4.5 million budget and becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1980 in North America. The film was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Almendros, and the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor for Atkins. Shields won the inaugural Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for her work in the film.", "wds-Q152493": "Sabrina (Sabrina Fair/La Vie en Rose in the United Kingdom) is a 1954 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Samuel Taylor and Ernest Lehman, based on Taylor's 1953 play Sabrina Fair. The picture stars Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, and William Holden. This was Wilder's last film released by Paramount Pictures, ending a 12-year business relationship between him and the company. In 2002, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\".", "wds-Q478780": "Talk To Her (Spanish: Hable Con Ella) is a 2002 Spanish psychological melodrama film, written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It stars Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores. The film follows two men who form an unlikely friendship, as they care for two women who are both in comas. The closing-night presentation at the 2002 New York Film Festival, the film was a widespread critical and commercial success, with singled-out praise towards its direction, performances and especially its screenplay. It won the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language, and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, while Almodóvar won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, marking one of the few times where a non-English-speaking film won this category. Talk To Her is generally regarded as one of the best films of the 2000s, one of the best films of the 21st century, as well as Almodóvar's magnum opus.", "wds-Q834799": "Pokémon: The First Movie is a 1998 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama. It is the first in the Pokémon anime film series. The film was first released in Japan on July 18, 1998, to positive reviews, with praise directed at the film's emotional impact and exploration of ethical topics such as cloning, genetic modification, and existentialism. The English-language adaptation was released in North America and other countries on November 10, 1999, by Warner Bros. Pictures. This version was received far less positively than the original Japanese release, with much criticism pointed at the inclusion of an anti-violence message contradictory to the series' overall concept. Further, retrospective criticism of the dub has been targeted against the removal of most of the ethical topics from the original Japanese version, such as part of Mewtwo's origin story. Despite mixed reviews, it was a box office success worldwide, topping the box office charts in its opening weekend and eventually grossing over $172 million at the worldwide box office. It also sold 10 million home video units in the United States, including 4.2 million VHS sales that earned $58.8 million in 2000. On July 8, 1999, an extended version aired on Japanese television. In addition to an added prologue, the release included new animation and CGI graphics. The film primarily consists of two segments: The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin, the ten-minute prologue added to the extended version; and Mewtwo Strikes Back, the main 75-minute film feature. Overseas, the prologue can only be seen as a bonus short in DVD versions of Pokémon: Mewtwo Returns. Several versions of the film, such as the theatrical release, also include Pikachu's Summer Vacation, a bonus side story featuring Pikachu as the protagonist. A full CGI remake of the movie, titled Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back – Evolution, was released in 2019.", "wds-Q319061": "Good Night, and Good Luck (stylized as good night, and good luck.) is a 2005 historical drama film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay he wrote with Grant Heslov, who also produced. It stars David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr. and Frank Langella, and portrays the conflict between veteran journalist Edward R. Murrow (Strathairn) and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, especially concerning the anti-communist Senator's actions regarding the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Although released in black and white, it was filmed on color film stock, but on a grayscale set, and was color-corrected to black and white during post-production. It focuses on the theme of media responsibility, and also addresses what occurs when U.S. journalism offers voices of dissent from government policy. The movie takes its title (which ends with a period or full stop) from the line with which Murrow used to sign off his broadcasts. The film was a box office success and received critical acclaim for Clooney's direction, the writing, cinematography, production design and performances (particularly Strathairn's). It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Strathairn.", "wds-Q223299": "The Color Purple is a 1985 American epic period drama film, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Menno Meyjes, based on the 1982 novel by Alice Walker. Spielberg's eighth film as a director, it marked a turning point in his career as it was a departure from the summer blockbusters for which he had become known. It is the first film directed by Spielberg for which John Williams did not compose the score, which was done by Quincy Jones instead. Jones also produced the film alongside Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The film stars Whoopi Goldberg in her breakthrough role, along with Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey (in her film debut), Margaret Avery, and Adolph Caesar. Filmed in Anson and Union counties in North Carolina, The Color Purple tells the coming-of-age story of a young African-American girl named Celie Harris and the brutal experiences she endured including domestic violence, incest, child sexual abuse, poverty, racism, and sexism. Upon its release by Warner Bros. on December 18, 1985, The Color Purple was a box office success, grossing $98.4 million against a budget of $15 million. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise going to its acting (especially Goldberg's performance), direction, screenplay, musical score, and production values; criticism was directed by some for being \"over-sentimental\" and \"stereotypical\". The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but did not achieve a single win. It holds the record for most Oscar nominations without one for Best Director. It also received four Golden Globe Award nominations, with Goldberg winning Best Actress in a Drama. In 2006, the American Film Institute ranked the film 51st on its list of the most inspiring movies.", "wds-Q223316": "The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 American comedy-drama film directed by David Frankel and produced by Wendy Finerman. The screenplay, written by Aline Brosh McKenna, is based on the 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger. The film stars Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt. It follows Andy Sachs (Hathaway), an aspiring journalist who gets a job at a fashion magazine but finds herself at the mercy of her demanding editor, Miranda Priestly (Streep). 20th Century Fox bought the rights to a film adaptation of Weisberger's novel in 2003, before it was completed, but the project was not greenlit until Streep was cast. Principal photography lasted 57 days across September to December 2005, primarily taking place in New York City. Additional filming took place in Paris. The Devil Wears Prada premiered at the LA Film Festival on June 22, 2006, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 30. It received positive reviews, particularly for Streep's performance; she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and was nominated as Best Lead Actress for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, SAG, and Critics' Choice. The film grossed $327 million worldwide against a budget of $35–41 million. A sequel, The Devil Wears Prada 2, was released in May 2026. Most designers and other fashion figures avoided appearing as themselves, reportedly for fear of displeasing the American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who is widely believed to have been the inspiration for the character of Miranda Priestly. However, Wintour stated she enjoyed the film and Streep's performance in particular.", "wds-Q330468": "Om Shanti Om (transl. and released internationally as Peace Be With You) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language masala film written and directed by Farah Khan, co-written by Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Shiekh, and produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone (in her Hindi film debut), Arjun Rampal, Shreyas Talpade, Kirron Kher. Spanning four odd decades, the narrative follows Om Prakash Makhija, an obscure 1970s actor in love with female superstar Shanti, who dies in a suspicious on-set fire that kills Shanti and is reincarnated 30 years later as the superstar Om Kapoor, determined to punish the person who ignited the blaze with the help of Shanti's lookalike. Farah Khan began development for the film while directing the musical Bombay Dreams (2002), and it began production after its leads were cast. The film's title is borrowed from a song from Subhash Ghai's thriller Karz (1980), which also features in the opening credits. Om Shanti Om's soundtrack was composed by Vishal–Shekhar, with the lyrics written by Javed Akhtar, Vishal Dadlani, and Kumaar. The background score was composed by Sandeep Chowta. The film is notable for its cameo appearances from Indian film celebrities. Produced on a budget of ₹40 crore (US$9.67 million), Om Shanti Om emerged as the highest grossing Hindi film of 2007 and the then-highest grossing Hindi film of all time. The soundtrack was also critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-selling album of the year in India. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its story, direction, cast performances, production design, and soundtrack. Om Shanti Om received a leading 13 nominations at the 53rd Filmfare Awards, winning for Best Female Debut (Padukone) and Best Special Effects.", "wds-Q334780": "Moonraker is a 1979 spy-fi film, the eleventh in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Cléry and Richard Kiel. In the film, Bond investigates the vanishing of a Space Shuttle orbiter, leading him to Hugo Drax, the owner of the shuttle's manufacturing firm. Along with astronaut Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond follows the mystery from California to Venice, Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon rainforest, and finally into outer space to prevent a plot to wipe out the world population and repopulate humanity with a master race. The story was intended by author Ian Fleming to become a film even before he completed the novel in 1954; he based it on a screenplay manuscript he had devised earlier. The producers had originally intended to make For Your Eyes Only, but chose Moonraker as a result of the resurgence of the science fiction genre, following the success of Star Wars, and NASA's concurrent test flights of the Space Shuttle. Due to budget problems, it was shot primarily in France; other locations included Italy, Brazil, Guatemala and the United States. The soundstages of Pinewood Studios in England, traditionally used for the series, were only used by the special effects team. Moonraker had a high production cost of $34 million, more than twice as much as The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and it received mixed reviews. However, the film's visuals were praised, with Derek Meddings being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and it eventually became the highest-grossing film of the series at the time with $210.3 million worldwide, a record that stood until 1995's GoldenEye. The next film in the series, For Your Eyes Only, was released in 1981.", "wds-Q244333": "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (also known as Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) is a 2010 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and written by Craig Titley, based on the 2005 novel by Rick Riordan. It is the first installment of the Percy Jackson film series. Logan Lerman stars as the title character, alongside Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Sean Bean, Pierce Brosnan, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Kevin McKidd, Joe Pantoliano, and Uma Thurman. In 2004, 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights to the book series. In 2007, Chris Columbus was hired to direct. Filming began in April 2009 in Vancouver. Some shots were filmed in Tennessee and Las Vegas, and some exterior scenes were shot in New York. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was released theatrically in the United States on February 12, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the action sequences and the performances of Lerman and Jackson, but criticism for its script and unfaithfulness to the source material. The film grossed $226.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $95 million. It was released on June 29, 2010, on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. A video game based on the film was released for Nintendo DS on February 11, 2010. A sequel, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, was released on August 7, 2013.", "wds-Q244975": "Valentine's Day is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. The screenplay and the story were written by Katherine Fugate, Abby Kohn, and Marc Silverstein. The film features an ensemble cast led by Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Héctor Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift. It tells different love stories that occur on Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 12, 2010. The film received negative reviews, but was a box office success, grossing $216.5 million against a $52 million budget.", "wds-Q232000": "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the \"Sundance Kid\" (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse after a string of train robberies. The pair and Sundance's lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), flee to Bolivia to escape the posse. The film was released on September 24, 1969, and while initial reviews from critics were lukewarm, it has since seen a positive retrospective reappraisal. In 2003, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\". The American Film Institute ranked Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the 73rd-greatest American film on its \"AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)\" list, and number 50 on the original list. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were ranked 20th-greatest heroes on \"AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains\". Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was selected by the American Film Institute as the 7th-greatest Western of all time in the AFI's 10 Top 10 list in 2008.", "wds-Q325662": "Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Spanish: [aˈɣire]; German: Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes; [aˈɡɪʁə deːɐ̯ ˌtsɔʁn ˈɡɔtəs]) is a 1972 epic historical drama film produced, written and directed by Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski stars in the title role of Spanish soldier Lope de Aguirre, who leads a group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in South America in search of the legendary city of gold, El Dorado. The accompanying soundtrack was composed and performed by kosmische musik band Popol Vuh. The film is an international co-production between West Germany, Mexico, and Peru. The film used a minimalist approach to story and dialogue to evoke madness and folly, counterpointed by the lush but unforgiving Amazonian jungle. Although loosely based on what is known of the historical Lope de Aguirre, Herzog acknowledged years after the film's release that its storyline is a work of fiction. Some of the people and situations may have been inspired by missionary Gaspar de Carvajal's account of an earlier Amazonian expedition, although Carvajal never accompanied Aguirre on any of his expeditions. Aguirre was the first of five collaborations between Herzog and Kinski. They had differing views as to how the role should be played, and they clashed throughout filming; Kinski's rage terrorized both the crew and the locals who were assisting the production. The film was shot entirely on location, and has itself become famous for its difficulties. During an arduous five-week shoot in the Peruvian rainforest, Herzog filmed on and near tributaries of the Amazon River in the Ucayali region. The cast and crew climbed mountains, cut through heavy vines to open routes to the various jungle locations, and rode treacherous river rapids on rafts built by local craftworkers. Aguirre opened to widespread critical acclaim, and quickly developed a large international cult following. It was given an extensive arthouse theatrical release in the United States in 1977, and remains one of the director's best-known films. Several critics have declared the film a masterpiece, and it has appeared on Time magazine's list of \"All Time 100 Best Films\".", "wds-Q467290": "An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 supernatural comedy horror film written and directed by John Landis. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne and John Woodvine. The title is a cross between An American in Paris and Werewolf of London. The film's plot follows two American backpackers, David Kessler and Jack Goodman, who are attacked by a werewolf while travelling in England, causing David to become a werewolf under the next full moon. Landis wrote the first draft of the screenplay for the film in 1969 and shelved it for over a decade. Prospective financiers believed that Landis' script was too frightening to be a comedy film and too humorous to be a horror film. After achieving success in Hollywood with the comedies The Kentucky Fried Movie, National Lampoon's Animal House and The Blues Brothers, Landis was able to secure financing from PolyGram Pictures to produce An American Werewolf in London. An American Werewolf in London was released in the US by Universal Pictures on August 21, 1981. It was a critical and commercial success, winning the 1981 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and makeup artist Rick Baker winning the inaugural Academy Award for Best Makeup. Since its release, it has become a cult classic. A sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris, was released by Hollywood Pictures in 1997.", "wds-Q224187": "13 Going on 30 (released as Suddenly 30 in some countries) is a 2004 American fantasy romantic comedy film written by Cathy Yuspa and Josh Goldsmith, directed by Gary Winick, starring Jennifer Garner, and Mark Ruffalo, and produced by Susan Arnold, Donna Arkoff Roth, and Gina Matthews. The film is about a 13-year-old girl in 1987 who makes a wish, and awakens to find herself suddenly 30 years old and living in 2004 as a fashion editor. 13 Going on 30 received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising Garner's performance and its nostalgic environment. It was also praised for its humorous plot and self-empowering message. The film was also a commercial success, earning $22 million in its first week and becoming one of the year's biggest-selling DVD rental titles. Its total box office profit was over $96 million. Additionally, the soundtrack charted inside the top 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Garner's acting earned her nominations from both the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen Choice Awards.", "wds-Q223887": "Face/Off is a 1997 American science-fiction action thriller film directed by John Woo, from a screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. It stars John Travolta as an FBI agent and Nicolas Cage as a terrorist who undergo an experimental surgery to swap their faces and identities. The film co-stars Joan Allen, Gina Gershon, and Alessandro Nivola in his film debut, and features Dominique Swain in her film debut, Nick Cassavetes, Harve Presnell, Colm Feore, CCH Pounder, and Thomas Jane in supporting roles. Principal photography began on January 4, 1997, in Los Angeles and wrapped on April 1. The film score was composed by John Powell. Face/Off was Woo's third American film, and was his first in which he was given major creative control. Face/Off was theatrically released on June 27, 1997, in the United States by Paramount Pictures and internationally by Buena Vista International through its Touchstone Pictures banner. It earned critical acclaim for the performances by Cage and Travolta and its stylized action sequences. The film earned $246 million worldwide on an $80 million budget, making it the 11th highest-grossing film of 1997. At the 70th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Sound Effects Editing. Face/Off has gained a cult following and is considered as one of Woo's best films. A sequel is in development.", "wds-Q464042": "Anaconda is a 1997 action adventure horror film directed by Luis Llosa and written by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson. An international co-production between the United States and Brazil, the film focuses on a documentary film crew in the Amazon rainforest that is led by a snake hunter who is hunting down a giant, legendary green anaconda. The film received generally mixed reviews, but was a box office success, and has become a 1990s cult classic. It is the first installment in the Anaconda film series.", "wds-Q257630": "Kindergarten Cop is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod, and Timothy Harris. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Kimble, a tough Los Angeles police detective who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher in a small Oregon town to locate the ex-wife and son of a dangerous drug dealer. The cast also includes Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, and Carroll Baker. The film marked the second collaboration between Reitman and Schwarzenegger following the success of Twins (1988), continuing Schwarzenegger's shift into comedic roles after years of action-film stardom. Several actors, including Bill Murray and Patrick Swayze, were considered for the lead role before Schwarzenegger was cast. Production involved location filming in Astoria, Oregon, where scenes at the fictional elementary school were shot at John Jacob Astor Elementary School, with additional interior filming completed at Universal Studios Hollywood. The film's musical score was composed by Randy Edelman. Released in North America by Universal Pictures on December 21, 1990, Kindergarten Cop was a commercial success, grossing about $202 million worldwide, ranking among the highest-grossing films of the year. Critical reception was mixed, stating that the plot was too adult for children and too childish for adults. However, reviewers praised Schwarzenegger's comedic performance and his willingness to subvert the tough action-hero image that had defined much of his career. A standalone sequel, Kindergarten Cop 2 (2016), starring Dolph Lundgren, was later released direct to video.", "wds-Q186341": "The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. It is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers. The film presents the descent into insanity of a recovering alcoholic and aspiring novelist who takes a job as winter caretaker for a mountain resort hotel with his wife and clairvoyant son. Production took place almost exclusively in England at EMI Elstree Studios, with sets based on real locations. Kubrick often worked with a small crew, which allowed him to do many takes, sometimes to the exhaustion of the actors and staff. The then-new Steadicam mount was used to shoot several scenes, giving the film an innovative and immersive look and feel. The film was released in the United States on May 23, 1980, by Warner Bros., and in the United Kingdom on October 2 by Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors. There were several versions for theatrical releases, each of which was cut shorter than the preceding cut; about 27 minutes was cut in total. Reactions to the film at the time of its release were mixed; King criticized the film due to its deviations from the novel, which led King to produce in 1997 a three-part miniseries adaptation as more faithful to his novel. The film received two controversial nominations at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards in 1981—Worst Director and Worst Actress—the latter of which was later rescinded in 2022 due to Kubrick's alleged treatment of Duvall on set. The Shining has since been critically reappraised and is often cited as one of the greatest horror films ever made. In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.\" A sequel titled Doctor Sleep, based on King's 2013 novel of the same name, was adapted to film and released in 2019.", "wds-Q41315": "Under the Tuscan Sun is a 2003 American romantic comedy-drama written, produced, and directed by Audrey Wells and starring Diane Lane. Based on Frances Mayes's 1996 memoir of the same name, the film is about a recently divorced writer who buys a villa in Tuscany on a whim, hoping it will lead to a change in her life. The film was released in the US on September 26th, 2003, did moderately well at the box office and was predominantly well-received by critics.", "wds-Q325648": "Head-On (German: Gegen die Wand, literally Against the Wall; Turkish: Duvara Karşı) is a 2004 drama film written and directed by Fatih Akın. It stars Birol Ünel as a Turkish-born, alcoholic German widower who enters into a marriage of convenience with a young woman of Turkish descent. She is desperate to escape her restrictive and abusive male relatives. The film won the Golden Bear at the 54th Berlin International Film Festival.", "wds-Q1418326": "My Neighbors the Yamadas is a 1999 Japanese animated comedy film written and directed by Isao Takahata, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Hakuhodo and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, and distributed by Shochiku. It is based on the yonkoma manga Nono-chan by Hisaichi Ishii. A slice of life comedy-drama, the film stars Yukiji Asaoka, Toru Masuoka, Hayato Isobata, Naomi Uno, Masako Araki, and Kosanji Yanagiya. Unlike the other films of Studio Ghibli, the film is presented in a stylized comic strip aesthetic, a departure from the traditional anime style of the studio's other works.", "wds-Q379877": "Super 8 is a 2011 American science fiction thriller film written and directed by J. J. Abrams, who produced with Steven Spielberg and Bryan Burk. The film's ensemble cast stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, and Zach Mills. Set in 1979, the film follows a group of young teenagers who witness a mysterious train derailment while filming their own Super 8 movie and strange occurrences unfold in their small Ohio town. Released on June 10, 2011, Super 8 received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing over $260 million worldwide. The film was nominated and won numerous accolades.", "wds-Q141359": "Oliver! is a 1968 British period musical drama film directed by Carol Reed from a screenplay by Vernon Harris, based on Lionel Bart's 1960 stage musical, itself an adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist. It stars Mark Lester in the title role, along with Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Harry Secombe, Shani Wallis and Jack Wild. Filmed at Shepperton Film Studio in Surrey, the film was a Romulus production by John Woolf and was distributed worldwide by Columbia Pictures. It includes such musical numbers as \"Food, Glorious Food\", \"Consider Yourself\", \"As Long as He Needs Me\", \"I'd Do Anything\", \"You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two\", and \"Where Is Love?\". At the 41st Academy Awards for 1968, Oliver! was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture, Best Director for Reed, and an Honorary Award for choreographer Onna White. At the 26th Golden Globe Awards, the film won two Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for Ron Moody. The British Film Institute ranked Oliver! the 77th-greatest British film of the 20th century. In 2017, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine ranked Oliver! the 69th-best British film ever.", "wds-Q482652": "Away from Her is a 2006 Canadian independent drama film written and directed by Sarah Polley and starring Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent. Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson, and Kristen Thomson are featured in supporting roles. The feature film directorial debut of Polley, it is based on Alice Munro's short story \"The Bear Came Over the Mountain\", from the 2001 collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. The story centers on a couple whose marriage is tested when the wife begins to develop Alzheimer's and moves into a nursing home, where she loses virtually all memory of her husband and begins to develop a close relationship with another nursing home resident. Away from Her premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. It was theatrically released on May 4, 2007, and garnered critical acclaim, with critics praising Christie's performance and Polley's screenplay and direction. The film received two nominations at the 80th Academy Awards: Best Actress (for Christie) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Polley). It also won seven Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture.", "wds-Q468660": "Black Snake Moan is a 2006 American Southern Gothic black comedy drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Christina Ricci, Samuel L. Jackson, and Justin Timberlake. Its plot focuses on a Tennessee farmer and bluesman who holds a troubled local woman captive in his farmhouse in an attempt to cure her of nymphomania after finding her severely beaten on the side of a road. The title of the film derives from the 1927 Blind Lemon Jefferson song. The film draws numerous references to the Mississippi Blues movement, particularly in its title and soundtrack. The film was shot in and around the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Black Snake Moan premiered at Butt-Numb-A-Thon on December 9, 2006, before being released by Paramount Vantage on March 2, 2007, in the United States. It garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics, but was a box-office bomb, grossing only $10.9 million against a $15 million budget.", "wds-Q59567": "Tell No One (French: Ne le dis à personne) is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. Written by Canet and Philippe Lefebvre and starring François Cluzet, the film won four categories at the 2007 César Awards in France: Best Director (Guillaume Canet), Best Actor (François Cluzet), Best Editing and Best Music Written for a Film.", "wds-Q157556": "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (released as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in North America) is a 2008 Holocaust historical drama film written and directed by Mark Herman. It is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by John Boyne. Set in Nazi Germany, the film follows the son of a Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who befriends a Jewish prisoner of his age. It was released in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2008. It received generally positive reviews from critics for its emotional weight, mature themes and acting but was panned by scholars for misrepresenting elements of the Holocaust.", "wds-Q258979": "Jane Eyre is a 2011 romantic gothic drama film directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and written by Moira Buffini based on Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel of the same name, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. The film was released on 11 March 2011 in the United States and 9 September in Great Britain and Ireland. It received positive reviews from critics. The film's costume design, led by Michael O'Connor, was nominated for an Academy Award.", "wds-Q59346": "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 urban fantasy film based on the first book of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. It was directed by Harald Zwart, with a script written by Jessica Postigo. The film stars Lily Collins as Clary Fray, a teenager from New York City who meets a group of Nephilim known as the Shadowhunters while also discovering her own heritage and her family history. The cast also includes Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The film's development began when Constantin Film optioned the film rights to the book series. Casting announcements started in 2010, with Collins being the first actress attached to the project. Principal photography took place in Ontario between August and November 2012. It is an international co-production between Canada and Germany. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones premiered in Los Angeles on August 12, and was released on August 21, 2013, by Entertainment One in Canada and by Constantin Film in Germany. It was released in the United States on the same day by Screen Gems. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $95.3 million worldwide against a production budget of $60 million and received generally negative reviews from critics for its plot and lack of originality. The film was originally intended to launch a film series and to continue with a sequel based on the second book, City of Ashes, that was in development with Sigourney Weaver set to join the cast. However, it was postponed indefinitely and ultimately cancelled due to the film's poor performance. A reboot television series, titled Shadowhunters, premiered in 2016 on Freeform and ran for three seasons.", "wds-Q189054": "Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Batman (1989), also directed by Burton, and the second film in the Batman film series (1989–1997). The cast includes Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, and Michael Murphy. Set during Christmas in Gotham City, the film follows Batman (Keaton) as he confronts corrupt businessman Max Shreck (Walken) and deformed crime boss Oswald Cobblepot / the Penguin (DeVito), whose bid for power threatens the city. Their schemes are further complicated by Shreck's former secretary Selina Kyle (Pfeiffer), who seeks revenge against him as Catwoman. Burton was initially uninterested in directing a sequel to Batman, feeling creatively constrained by Warner Bros.' expectations. He agreed to return only after being granted greater creative control, which included replacing writer Sam Hamm with Daniel Waters and reuniting with many of his previous collaborators. Waters's script emphasized characterization over plot, and Wesley Strick was later hired for an uncredited rewrite that added, among other elements, a master plan for the Penguin. Filming took place from September 1991 to February 1992 on a budget of $50–80 million, primarily on sets and soundstages at Warner Bros. Studios and the Universal Studios Lot in California. The special effects relied mainly on practical techniques and makeup, supplemented with animatronics, limited computer-generated imagery (CGI), and dozens of live penguins. The marketing campaign was extensive, featuring brand tie-ins and merchandise. Released on June 19, 1992, Batman Returns broke several box-office records and grossed $266.8 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 1992, but fell short of Batman in overall success and longevity. The darker tone, along with violent and sexual content, was cited as alienating family audiences and prompted backlash against marketing partners for promoting the film to children. Critical reception was polarized, though most reviewers praised the principal cast. Following the mixed reception, Burton was replaced for its more family-friendly sequel, Batman Forever (1995). Keaton also declined to return. In the years since its release, Batman Returns has been reappraised as one of the strongest Batman films and a pivotal early example of auteur-driven superhero cinema that helped shape the genre's darker, more ambitious direction. It is also recognized as an alternative Christmas film for its winter setting, festive imagery, and themes of loneliness and isolation. Its story was revisited in the comic series Batman '89 (2021), and Keaton reprised his version of Batman in The Flash (2023).", "wds-Q193570": "Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American black comedy film noir directed by Billy Wilder and co-written by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and D. M. Marshman Jr. It is named after a major street that runs through Hollywood and western Los Angeles. The film stars William Holden as Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter, and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a former silent film star who draws him into her deranged fantasy world, where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen. Erich von Stroheim plays Max von Mayerling, her devoted butler, and Nancy Olson, Jack Webb, Lloyd Gough, and Fred Clark appear in supporting roles. Director Cecil B. DeMille and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper play themselves, and the film includes cameo appearances by silent film stars Buster Keaton, H. B. Warner, and Anna Q. Nilsson. Praised by many critics when first released, Sunset Boulevard was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including nominations in all four acting categories, and won three. It is often ranked among the greatest movies ever made. As it was deemed \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\" by the US Library of Congress in 1989, Sunset Boulevard was included in the first group of films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In 1998, it was ranked number 12 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 best American films of the 20th century; in 2007, it was ranked 16th on their updated 10th Anniversary list.", "wds-Q109135": "Trainspotting is a 1996 British independent black comedy drama film directed by Danny Boyle, with Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald in her film debut. It is written in English and Scots. Based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh and inspired by the stage production of the same name, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996. The film follows a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh, led by a mentally ill and violent psychopathic narcissist who allows their life of crime, and their passage through life. Themes in the film are drug addiction, and urban poverty and squalor in Edinburgh. Trainspotting was released to critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the 1990s. The film was ranked tenth by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of the 20th century. In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll. A 2017 poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine ranked it the tenth best British film ever. A sequel, T2 Trainspotting, was released in January 2017 and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing through its TriStar Pictures label.", "wds-Q322206": "Heavenly Creatures is a 1994 New Zealand biographical crime drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh. It stars Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in their feature film debuts, with Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison, and Simon O'Connor in supporting roles. Based on the notorious Parker–Hulme murder case, Heavenly Creatures examines the relationship between two teenage girls—Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme—which culminates in the premeditated killing of Parker's mother. The story's events span the period from the girls' first meeting in 1952 to the carrying out of the crime, which took place in Christchurch, New Zealand on 22 June 1954. Heavenly Creatures debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September 1994, where it was awarded the Silver Lion. It went on to receive widespread critical acclaim, becoming one of the best-received films of that year. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular attention given to the work of the previously unknown Lynskey and Winslet, as well as Jackson's directing. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1995.", "wds-Q373267": "The Faculty is a 1998 American science fiction horror film directed and edited by Robert Rodriguez with a screenplay by Kevin Williamson, about a group of high school students who begin to suspect that their teachers are being replaced by extraterrestrials. It stars Jordana Brewster in her film debut, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Patrick, Usher Raymond, Jon Stewart, and Elijah Wood. The film was theatrically released on December 25, 1998, by Miramax Films. It grossed $63.2 million and has developed a cult following since its release.", "wds-Q1334287": "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Japanese: カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉, Hepburn: Kaubōi Bibappu Tengoku no Tobira; lit. 'Cowboy Bebop: Heaven's Door') is a 2001 science fiction action film, based on the 1998 Japanese anime series Cowboy Bebop created and produced by Sunrise. Several staff from the original series returned to work on the film, including director Shinichirō Watanabe, writer Keiko Nobumoto, character designer and animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto and composer Yoko Kanno. The Japanese and English voice casts also reprised their roles. Set between episodes 22 and 23 of the original series, the plot centers on a mysterious terrorist planning to exterminate the human population of Mars by releasing a virus, with the bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop working to capture the terrorist and prevent the attack. The film was conceived by Watanabe as an extension of his work on the television series, in which he had treated each episode as a miniature film. As not to alienate existing fans, much of the series' style was retained, with adjustments to make it accessible to a wider audience. Increased budget and production facilities enabled filming styles associated with live action films, as well as higher-quality animation than that of the series. Arabic aesthetics were used, in contrast to the series, which entailed Watanabe traveling to Morocco for research. Arabic elements also influenced Kanno's music. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was produced by Sunrise, which had previously developed the original series with animation by Bones, a later studio founded by former Sunrise staff.. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie was released theatrically in Japan on September 1, 2001, and in the United States on August 11, 2002. It went on to gross over $3 million worldwide, and when released on DVD, it performed highly on Japanese and American charts. The film received generally positive reviews from mainstream and anime critics, and was nominated for the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Animated Film.", "wds-Q462418": "Dumb and Dumber is a 1994 American road buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with his brother Bobby and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the Dumb and Dumber franchise. Starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, it tells the story of Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels), two dumb but well-meaning friends from Providence, Rhode Island, who set out on a cross-country road trip to Aspen, Colorado, to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, unaware it was left as a ransom. Lauren Holly, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, and Teri Garr play supporting roles. The film was released by New Line Cinema on December 16, 1994. It received mixed reviews from critics, but was a commercial success, grossing $247.3 million against a $17 million budget. The success of Dumb and Dumber launched the career of the Farrelly brothers, established the range of the heretofore dramatically acclaimed Daniels as a gifted comedic actor and revitalized his Hollywood career, and solidified Carrey's reputation as one of the most prominent actors of the 1990s. It has since developed a cult following. The film also spawned an animated TV series, a 2003 prequel, and a 2014 sequel.", "wds-Q244963": "First Blood is a 1982 American action thriller film starring Sylvester Stallone as Vietnam War veteran John Rambo. The film was directed by Ted Kotcheff and co-written by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim, and Stallone based on the 1972 novel First Blood by David Morrell. It is the first installment in the Rambo film series. The story follows Rambo, who, after entering a small town and clashing with the police, attempts to fight in order to survive a manhunt using his expertise in survival and combat skills obtained from fighting in Vietnam. The film costars Richard Crenna as Rambo's mentor Colonel Sam Trautman and Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle. First Blood was released in the United States on October 22, 1982. Initial reviews were mixed, but the film was a box-office success, grossing $125.2 million and becoming the 13th-highest-grossing film at the domestic box office for the year and the seventh-highest-grossing film worldwide. In 1985, it also became the first Hollywood blockbuster to be released in China, holding the record for the largest number of tickets sold for an American film until 2018. Since its release, it has been reappraised by critics, with many highlighting the roles of Stallone, Dennehy and Crenna, and recognizing it as an influential film in the action genre. The film's success spawned the Rambo franchise, consisting of four sequels co-written by and starring Stallone, an animated television series, a comic books series, a novelization series and several video games. It was followed by Rambo: First Blood Part II, released in 1985. A prequel, John Rambo is scheduled to be released in 2027.", "wds-Q28776": "Basic is a 2003 crime-action thriller film directed by John McTiernan, written by James Vanderbilt, and starring John Travolta, Connie Nielsen and Samuel L. Jackson. It is the second film starring Travolta and Jackson after Pulp Fiction. The film follows a DEA agent solving the mystery of a bungled training exercise that leads to the deaths of multiple Army Ranger trainees and their instructor. Basic was released by Columbia Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing) on March 28, 2003 in the United States, Canada and Japan, with Constantin Film releasing in Germany. The film received negative reviews from critics regarding its overall plot and numerous twist endings. The film was also a box-office bomb, grossing only $42.8 million worldwide against a $50 million budget. As of 2026, it is McTiernan's most recent film given his subsequent criminal charges and eventual incarceration related to wiretapping.", "wds-Q483166": "My Sassy Girl (Korean: 엽기적인 그녀; RR: Yeopgijeogin geunyeo; lit. 'That Bizarre Girl') is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun. The film is based on a true story told in a series of blog posts written by Kim Ho-sik, who later adapted them into a novel. The film was very successful in South Korea, where it was the highest-grossing comedy of all time, and one of the top five highest-grossing films ever at the time. When My Sassy Girl was released across East Asia, it became a blockbuster in the region, becoming a hit in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The film's success in Asia drew comparisons to Titanic. Its DVD release also drew a large international cult following, particularly in China, Southeast Asia, and parts of South Asia. My Sassy Girl sparked an international breakthrough for Korean cinema, and it played a key role in the spread of the Korean Wave. The film has spawned an international media franchise, consisting of film remakes and television adaptations in different countries as well as a sequel. An American remake, starring Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert, and directed by Yann Samuell, was released in 2008. A Japanese drama adaptation with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and actress Rena Tanaka as the leads started broadcasting in April 2008. A sequel, My New Sassy Girl, a collaborative work between Korea and China, was released in 2016. My Sassy Girl has received numerous remakes and adaptations, including Japanese and Korean television adaptations as well as a number of remakes from other countries (American, Indian, Chinese, Nepali, Lithuanian, Indonesian and Philippine versions).", "wds-Q41132": "Barbarella (later marketed as Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy) is a 1968 English-language science fiction film directed by Roger Vadim, based on the French comic series by Jean-Claude Forest. The film stars Jane Fonda as the title character, a space traveler and representative of the United Earth government sent to find scientist Dr. Durand Durand, who has created a weapon that could destroy humanity. The supporting cast includes John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, Milo O'Shea, Marcel Marceau, Claude Dauphin, David Hemmings and Ugo Tognazzi. Having expressed an interest in comics and science fiction, Vadim was hired to direct Barbarella after producer Dino De Laurentiis purchased the film rights to the comic series. Vadim attempted to cast several actresses in the title role before choosing Fonda, his then-wife. A friend of Vadim's, Terry Southern, wrote the initial screenplay, which changed considerably during filming and led to seven other writers being credited in the final release, including Vadim and Forest, the latter of whom also worked on the film's production design. The film began shooting immediately following the completion of another De Laurentiis comic adaptation, Danger: Diabolik, with both films sharing several cast and crew members. The film was particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where it was the year's second-highest-grossing film. Contemporary film critics praised Barbarella's visuals and cinematography but found its storyline weak after the first few scenes. Although several attempts at sequels, remakes, and other adaptations have been planned, none of these have entered production.", "wds-Q41754": "Ghost Rider is a 2007 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, it was produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, Crystal Sky Pictures, and Relativity Media, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film stars Nicolas Cage as the titular character, with Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott, Donal Logue, Matt Long, and Peter Fonda in supporting roles. Its story follows Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stuntman who sells his soul and becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of evil demons. Ghost Rider was released on February 16, 2007, in the United States. The film was met with generally negative reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $229 million worldwide against a $110 million budget. Ghost Rider was released on DVD, Blu-ray and UMD on June 12, 2007. A sequel, titled Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, was released on February 17, 2012, with Cage reprising his role.", "wds-Q18439": "Ginger and Fred (Italian: Ginger e Fred) is a 1986 comedy-drama film written and directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina. The title is a reference to the American dancing couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The two leads portray Italian impersonators of Astaire and Rogers who reunite after thirty years of retirement for a vulgar and bizarre television extravaganza. The film was the subject of a trademark claim in the United States by Ginger Rogers, who claimed in Rogers v. Grimaldi that the film violated her Lanham Act trademark rights, right of publicity, and was a \"false light\" defamation. The Second Circuit rejected this claim, finding that \"suppressing an artistically relevant though ambiguous[ly] title[d] film\" on trademark grounds would \"unduly restrict expression.\"", "wds-Q388517": "Shrek the Halls is an American animated Christmas comedy television special that premiered on the American television network ABC on November 28, 2007. The thirty minute Christmas special was co-written and directed by Gary Trousdale and produced by DreamWorks Animation and Pacific Data Images. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas reprise their roles from the feature films. This Christmas special takes place after the events of Shrek the Third. It grossed $16 million in home sales. The title is derived from the title of the Christmas carol, Deck the Halls.", "wds-Q244931": "In Bruges is a 2008 crime thriller film directed and written by Martin McDonagh in his feature-length debut. It stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two London-based Irish hitmen hiding in Bruges, with Ralph Fiennes as their boss. The film is set and was filmed in Bruges, Belgium. In Bruges premiered as the opening film of the Sundance Film Festival on 17 January 2008. Focus Features gave the film a limited release in the United States on 8 February 2008. In Bruges had its Irish premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival on 15 February 2008. Universal Pictures gave it a full release in Ireland on 7 March 2008, before it opened on 18 April 2008 in the United Kingdom. In Bruges earned $34.5 million at the box office against a production budget of $15 million. The film received positive reviews from critics, with particular recognition for McDonagh's screenplay and the performances of Farrell and Gleeson. Among its numerous accolades, McDonagh was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film received four British Academy Film Award nominations, with McDonagh winning for Best Original Screenplay. It also received three Golden Globe Award nominations, with Farrell winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. In 2021, the Writers Guild of America ranked the film's screenplay the 40th-greatest of the 21st century.", "wds-Q236728": "Ponyo is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distributed by Toho. The film stars Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yūki Amami, George Tokoro, Rumi Hiiragi, Akiko Yano, Kazuko Yoshiyuki and Tomoko Naraoka. It is the eighth film Miyazaki directed for Studio Ghibli, and his tenth overall. The film tells the story of Ponyo, a goldfish-like creature who escapes from the ocean and is helped by a five-year-old human boy named Sōsuke, after she is washed ashore while trapped in a glass jar. As they bond with each other, Ponyo desires to become a human girl, against the devastating circumstances brought about by her acquisition and use of magic. The film was originally released in Japan on July 19, 2008, by distributor Toho. It was a major commercial success, grossing over $204 million worldwide and becoming the tenth-highest-grossing anime film of all time. It received critical acclaim for its uplifting themes, visual design, and simultaneous appeal towards young children and all audiences. An English-language version of the film was released on August 14, 2009, to 927 theatres across the U.S., the widest opening for a Studio Ghibli film in the U.S. It was produced by The Kennedy/Marshall Company and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through their Walt Disney Pictures banner.", "wds-Q44280": "Jab Tak Hai Jaan (transl. As Long as I Live), abbreviated as JTHJ, is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film written by Aditya Chopra and directed by Yash Chopra. Produced by Yash Raj Films, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan as Samar Anand, a bomb disposal expert for the Indian Army, formerly as a struggling immigrant in London and whirlwind romance with Meera Thappar (Katrina Kaif), based on a diary falls into the hands of Akira Rai, a Discovery Channel documentary filmmaker (Anushka Sharma). Jab Tak Hai Jaan marked Chopra's fourth film to feature Khan in the lead role, and the second collaboration between Khan and Sharma, following Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), which was the debut film of Sharma. The film also marked the first collaboration between Khan and Kaif. Chopra made his return to direction after Veer-Zaara (2004). It was also the posthumous film of Chopra, who died in October 2012, prior to the film's release. Released during the six-day Diwali weekend beginning on 13 November 2012, Jab Tak Hai Jaan received positive reviews from critics who praised Chopra's direction and the performances of Khan, Kaif, Sharma, but criticised the predictable plot. The film earned ₹235.66 crore (US$24 million) worldwide and emerged as one of the year's top-earning films. It became the 3rd highest-grossing Bollywood film overseas at that time after 3 Idiots (2009) and My Name Is Khan (2010). At the 58th Filmfare Awards, the film received 7 nominations, including Best Actor (Khan), and won 4 awards, including Best Supporting Actress (Sharma) and Best Lyricist (Gulzar for \"Challa\").", "wds-Q59721": "Russian Ark (Russian: Русский ковчег, romanized: Russkij kovcheg) is a 2002 experimental historical drama film directed by Alexander Sokurov. The plot follows an unnamed narrator, who wanders through the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, and implies that he died in some horrible accident and is a ghost drifting through. In each room, he encounters various real and fictional people from various periods in the city's 300-year history. He is accompanied by \"the European\", who represents the Marquis de Custine, a 19th-century French traveler. An international co-production between Russia and Germany, Russian Ark was shot entirely in the Winter Palace of the Russian State Hermitage Museum on 23 December 2001, using a one-take single 87-minute Steadicam sequence shot. It extensively uses the fourth wall device, but repeatedly broken and re-erected. At times, the narrator and the companion interact with the other performers, while at other times they pass unnoticed. The film was entered into the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.", "wds-Q182071": "The Wedding Banquet is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Ang Lee. The story concerns a gay Taiwanese immigrant man (Winston Chao, in his film debut) who marries a mainland Chinese woman (May Chin) to placate his parents (Gua Ah-leh and Lung Sihung) and get her a green card. His plan backfires when his parents arrive in the United States to plan his wedding banquet and he has to hide the truth of his gay partner (Mitchell Lichtenstein). It was a co-production of Lee's Good Machine production company, and the Taiwanese Central Motion Picture Corporation. Lee's second feature film and his first to get a theatrical release in the United States, The Wedding Banquet premiered at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Bear. It was both a critical and commercial success and won five Golden Horse Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. It received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film, as well as six Independent Spirit Award nominations. Together with Pushing Hands (1991) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), all showing the Confucian family at risk, and all starring the Taiwanese actor Lung Sihung, The Wedding Banquet forms what has been called Lee's \"Father Knows Best\" trilogy. In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\". A remake of the same name was released on April 18, 2025.", "wds-Q51543": "The Cat Returns is a 2002 Japanese anime fantasy film directed by Hiroyuki Morita from a screenplay by Reiko Yoshida, based on the 2002 manga Baron the Cat by Aoi Hiiragi. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Hakuhodo, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi and Toho, and distributed by the latter company. It stars Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Yosuke Saito, Aki Maeda and Tetsurō Tamba. This is Hiroyuki Morita's first and only film as director for Studio Ghibli. It is a spin-off of Whisper of the Heart. It was theatrically released in Japan on July 20, 2002, through Toho and in 2005 in the United States through Walt Disney Home Entertainment. It received generally favourable reviews, and won the Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival. GKIDS re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on January 16, 2018, under a new deal with Studio Ghibli.", "wds-Q267866": "Little Nicky is a 2000 American dark fantasy comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, and Brill, and starring Sandler in the title role, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Tommy \"Tiny\" Lister Jr., Rhys Ifans, and Rodney Dangerfield with supporting roles by Allen Covert, Kevin Nealon, Jon Lovitz, Michael McKean, and Quentin Tarantino. The film depicts the son of Satan and an angel who is tasked with returning his two brothers to Hell and preventing them from destroying the boundary between good and evil on Earth. Little Nicky was released by New Line Cinema on November 10, 2000. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing $58 million against an $80–85 million budget.", "wds-Q128582": "Mission to Mars is a 2000 American science fiction adventure film directed by Brian De Palma, written by Jim and John Thomas and Graham Yost, and suggested by Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film depicts the first crewed Mars exploration mission going awry; American astronaut Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise) helps to coordinate a rescue mission for a colleague. The film also stars Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell and Kim Delaney. Released theatrically by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution through Touchstone Pictures on March 10, 2000, the film was both a critical and commercial disappointment.", "wds-Q232222": "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral is a 1957 American Western film starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday, and loosely based on the actual event in 1881. The film was directed by John Sturges from a screenplay written by novelist Leon Uris. It was a remake of the 1939 film Frontier Marshal, starring Randolph Scott, and of John Ford's 1946 film My Darling Clementine.", "wds-Q142751": "The Train is a 1964 action war film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield and Jeanne Moreau. The picture's screenplay—written by Franklin Coen, Frank Davis, and Walter Bernstein—is loosely based on the non-fiction book Le front de l'art by Rose Valland, who documented the works of art placed in storage that had been looted by Nazi Germany from museums and private art collections. Arthur Penn was The Train's original director but was replaced by Frankenheimer three days after filming had begun. Set in August 1944 during World War II, it pits French Resistance-member Paul Labiche (Lancaster) against German Colonel Franz von Waldheim (Scofield), who is attempting to move stolen art masterpieces by train to Germany. Inspiration for the scenes of the train's interception came from the real-life events surrounding train No. 40,044 as it was seized and examined by Lt. Alexandre Rosenberg of the Free French forces outside Paris. The film received critical acclaim and grossed $6.8 million at the box office.", "wds-Q5890": "V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue from a screenplay by the Wachowskis. It was McTeigue's directorial debut. It is based on the 1988–89 DC Vertigo Comics limited series graphic novel V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, and Tony Weare. The cast includes Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea and John Hurt. The film, which is set in a future where a fascist totalitarian regime has subjugated the United Kingdom, centres on V (Weaving), a masked vigilante who attempts to ignite a revolution, and Evey Hammond (Portman), a young woman caught up in V's plot. Produced by Silver Pictures, Virtual Studios and Anarchos Productions, Inc., V for Vendetta was originally scheduled for release by Warner Bros. Pictures on 4 November 2005—a day before the 400th Guy Fawkes Night—but was delayed; it instead opened in the United States on 17 March 2006. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $134.7 million against a budget of $50–54 million. Alan Moore, who was dissatisfied with the film adaptations of his other works From Hell (2001) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), declined to watch the film and asked not to be credited or paid royalties. Some political groups have seen V for Vendetta as an allegory of oppression by government; anarchists have used it to promote their beliefs. The film is credited for popularizing the use of the Guy Fawkes mask by anti-establishment political groups and activists.", "wds-Q60296": "The Weather Man is a 2005 American dark comedy-drama film directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Steve Conrad, and starring Nicolas Cage as a Chicago-area weatherman who is in a midst of a mid-life crisis even as his career is potentially about to take off with a new job on a national television morning show. The film also stars Michael Caine and Hope Davis in supporting roles. The film was released on October 28, 2005, and grossed $19 million worldwide. It received mixed to positive reviews upon release.", "wds-Q376807": "The Other Guys is a 2010 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adam McKay, who co-wrote it with Chris Henchy. It stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg with Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson in supporting roles. This film is the fourth of five collaborations between Ferrell and McKay, following Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), and Step Brothers (2008), and followed by Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013). The Other Guys is the only one not to be co-written by Ferrell. It is also the first of three collaborations between Ferrell and Wahlberg, who later reunited in Daddy's Home (2015) and Daddy's Home 2 (2017). The film was released in the United States on August 6, 2010. It was well received by critics and grossed $170 million worldwide.", "wds-Q107894": "On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a 1969 spy film and the sixth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is based on the 1963 novel by Ian Fleming, whose title is a derivative of the term \"On Her Majesty's Service\". Following Sean Connery's decision to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon selected George Lazenby, a model with no prior acting credits, to play the part of James Bond. During filming, Lazenby announced that he would play the role of Bond only once. Connery returned to portray Bond in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. In the film, Bond faces Blofeld (Telly Savalas), who is planning to hold the world to ransom by threatening to render all food plants and livestock infertile through the actions of a group of brainwashed \"angels of death\". Along the way Bond meets, falls in love with, and eventually marries Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg). The film marked the directorial debut of Peter R. Hunt, who had served as a film editor and second unit director on previous films in the series: it would be his only Bond film as director. Hunt, along with producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, decided to produce a more realistic film that would follow the novel closely. It was shot in Switzerland, England, and Portugal from October 1968 to May 1969. Although its cinema release was not as lucrative as its predecessor You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was still one of the top-performing films of the year. Critical reviews upon release were mixed, but the film's reputation has improved greatly over time and it is now regarded as one of the strongest entries in the series as well as one of the most faithful adaptations of a Fleming novel.", "wds-Q72325": "A Short Film About Killing (Polish: Krótki film o zabijaniu) is a 1988 psychological crime tragedy film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and starring Mirosław Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, and Jan Tesarz. Written by Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, the film was expanded from Dekalog: Five of the Polish television series Dekalog. Set in Warsaw, Poland, the film compares the senseless, violent murder of an individual to the cold, calculated execution by the state. A Short Film About Killing won both the Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, as well as the European Film Award for Best Film.", "wds-Q326319": "Saw IV is a 2007 American horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. A sequel to Saw III (2006) and the fourth installment in the Saw film series, it stars Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, and Lyriq Bent. The film picks up where the previous film left off, with the death of John Kramer. However, it is revealed that John had planned for his death and left behind a series of recordings and clues that would lead investigators to his final game. As the detectives try to unravel the mystery of John's final game, they are drawn into a web of deceit that reveals more of the motives behind his lethal games. Saw IV was the first film in the franchise to not be written by Leigh Whannell or James Wan. It was released by Lionsgate Films in the United States on October 26, 2007. It received mostly negative reviews from critics and grossed $139 million worldwide. A sequel, Saw V, was released in 2008.", "wds-Q84147": "Anna Karenina is a 1997 American period drama film written and directed by Bernard Rose and starring Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Alfred Molina, Mia Kirshner and James Fox. Based on the 1878 novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy, the film is about a young and beautiful married woman who meets a handsome count, with whom she falls in love. Eventually, the conflict between her passionate desires and painful social realities leads to depression and despair. The film is the only international version filmed entirely in Russia, at locations in Saint Petersburg and Moscow.", "wds-Q159063": "The Reader is a 2008 romantic drama film directed by Stephen Daldry, scripted by David Hare, adapting the 1995 German novel Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink, and starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Bruno Ganz, and Karoline Herfurth. The film tells the story of Michael Berg, a Berlin lawyer who, as a 15-year-old in 1958, has a brief summer love affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz. She abruptly leaves, only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp. Michael realizes that Hanna is keeping a personal secret she believes is worse than her Nazi past — a secret which, if revealed, could help her at the trial. The Reader was the last film for producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, both of whom died prior to its release. Production began in September 2007, and the film opened in limited release on 10 December, 2008. It received average to favourable reviews from critics, with praise for Winslet and Kross's performances, but with some faults in its screenplay and direction. For her performance, Winslet won the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actress, as well as the Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress.", "wds-Q140009": "She's Out of My League is a 2010 American romantic comedy fantasy film starring Jay Baruchel as an average man who begins a relationship with a very attractive woman, played by Alice Eve, and is warned by his friends that it is doomed to fall apart because of their differing appearances. Directed by Jim Field Smith in his feature directorial debut, the film written by Sean Anders and John Morris. The supporting cast includes T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults, and Lindsay Sloane. She's Out of My League was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production finishing in 2008. It released on March 12, 2010, by Paramount Pictures. The film grossed $49.8 million on a $20 million budget, but received mixed reviews from critics.", "wds-Q323392": "Scream 4 (stylized as SCRE4M) is a 2011 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. Produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films, it is the sequel to Scream 3 (2000) and the fourth installment in the Scream film series. The film stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Rory Culkin, Marielle Jaffe, Erik Knudsen, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton and Nico Tortorella. The film takes place on the fifteenth anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders from Scream (1996) and involves Sidney Prescott (Campbell) returning to the town after ten years, where Ghostface once again begins killing students from Woodsboro High. Like its predecessors, Scream 4 combines the violence of the slasher genre with elements of black comedy and \"whodunit\" mystery to satirize the clichés of film remakes. The film also provides commentary on the extensive usage of social media and the obsession with internet fame. The series was originally intended to be a trilogy. However, in July 2008, the Weinstein Company announced a fourth film was in development, with Craven confirmed to direct in March 2010. In September 2009, it was announced that Arquette, Campbell, and Cox were returning, after which the rest of the casting took place between April and September 2010. Principal photography began in June 2010 and ended in September that same year, taking place in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan. Scenes set around Woodsboro High School were filmed at Woodworth Middle School in Dearborn, Michigan. Ehren Kruger, who previously wrote the screenplay for Scream 3, was hired for script rewrites during production. Reshoots were filmed in early 2011, following test screenings. Scream 4 premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on April 11, 2011, and was released in the United States on April 15, 2011, by Dimension Films. The film received mixed reviews from critics at the time of release, earning praise for the performances, direction, and humor but criticism for the lack of scares and reliance on clichéd formulas. However, many considered it to be an improvement over its predecessor, and it has enjoyed several positive reappraisals since, particularly for its prescient examination of the negative impact of social media. It grossed $97 million worldwide on a budget of $40 million, becoming the lowest-grossing film in the Scream franchise. Scream 4 was the final film to be directed by Craven before his death in 2015. It was followed by the anthology television series Scream (2015–2019), which was developed for MTV without the involvement of the main cast or crew of the films, although Roger L. Jackson, who provided the voice of Ghostface in the films, returned to voice Ghostface in the third season. A fifth film, Scream, was released on January 14, 2022, by Paramount Pictures.", "wds-Q139460": "Ghost World is a 2001 comedy film co-written and directed by Terry Zwigoff. Based on the 1990s comic book of the same name by Daniel Clowes, the story focuses on the lives of teenage outsiders Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), who face a rift in their friendship as Enid takes an interest in an older man named Seymour (Steve Buscemi), and becomes determined to help his romantic life. Ghost World debuted at the Seattle International Film Festival in 2001. It had little box office impact but received critical acclaim. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and has become a cult film.", "wds-Q116928": "The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a 2009 American romantic fantasy film directed by Chris Weitz from a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the 2006 novel New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. It is the sequel to Twilight (2008) and the second installment in The Twilight Saga film series. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively. In the film, Bella gets closer with Jacob, who is a werewolf, after Edward leaves her, but when the vampire decides to take a drastic move, she must make a decision between the two. Summit Entertainment announced it had greenlit the film on November 22, 2008, following the early success of Twilight. Principal photography began on March 23, 2009, in Vancouver, Canada, and ended in Montepulciano, Italy on May 29. The Twilight Saga: New Moon premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood, California on November 16, 2009, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 20, by Summit Entertainment. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, and grossed $712 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2009. It set domestic box office records as the biggest midnight opening in the United States and Canada, grossing $26.3 million, which was superseded by its sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. This led to the highest single-day domestic gross on an opening day, with $72.7 million, until it was beaten by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). The film also became the widest independent release, playing in 4,024 theaters, until it was surpassed by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. New Moon was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 20, 2010. As of July 2012, the film has grossed $184.9 million in North American DVD sales, selling more than 8.8 million units, four million of which were sold within its first weekend, beating Twilight's 3.8 million units sold in its first two days. The film was followed by three more sequels, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively.", "wds-Q595": "The Intouchables (French: Intouchables, pronounced [ɛ̃tuʃablə]), also known as Untouchable in the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia, and 1+1 in Eastern Europe, is a 2011 French buddy comedy-drama film written and directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. It stars François Cluzet and Omar Sy. The plot of the film is inspired by the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his French-Algerian carer Abdel Sellou, discovered by the directors in À la vie, à la mort, a documentary film. Nine weeks after its release in France on 2 November 2011, it became the second highest-grossing French film in France, after the 2008 film Welcome to the Sticks. The film was voted the cultural event of 2011 in France with 52% of votes in a poll by Fnac. Until it was eclipsed in 2014 by Lucy, it was the most-viewed French film in the world with 51.5 million tickets sold. The film received positive reviews and several award nominations. In France, the film won the César Award for Best Actor for Sy and garnered seven further nominations for the César Awards, including the César Award for Best Actor for Cluzet. Five percent of the film's profits were donated to Simon de Cyrène, an association that helps paralyzed people.", "wds-Q105702": "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (known simply and more commonly as Dr. Strangelove) is a 1964 political satire black comedy film co-written, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is loosely based on the thriller novel Red Alert (1958) by Peter George, who wrote the screenplay with Kubrick and Terry Southern. Financed and released by Columbia Pictures, the film was a co-production between the United States and the United Kingdom. Dr. Strangelove parodies Cold War fears of a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union and stars Peter Sellers (portraying three different characters), George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, and Tracy Reed. The story concerns a paranoid brigadier general of the United States Air Force who orders a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It follows the President of the United States (Sellers), his scientific advisor Dr. Strangelove (Sellers), a Royal Air Force exchange officer (Sellers), and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Scott) as they attempt to stop the crew of a B-52 from bombing the Soviet Union and starting a nuclear war. The film is widely considered one of the best comedy films and one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it 26th in its list of the best American films (in the 2007 edition, the film ranked 39th), and in 2000, it was listed as number three on its list of the funniest American films. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress included Dr. Strangelove as one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\". The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Sellers. The film was also nominated for seven BAFTA Film Awards, winning Best Film From Any Source, Best British Film, and Best Art Direction (Black and White), and it also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.", "wds-Q484675": "Léon (released in the United States and Australia as The Professional originally and then as Léon: The Professional) is a 1994 French English-language action-thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson. It stars Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and Natalie Portman in her feature film debut. The plot centers on Léon (Reno), an Italian-American professional hitman who reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda Lando (Portman) after her family is murdered by corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Norman Stansfield (Oldman). Léon and Mathilda form an unusual relationship as she becomes his protégée and learns the hitman's trade. The film was released in France by Gaumont Buena Vista International on 14 September 1994 and received mostly positive reviews from critics.", "wds-Q278513": "The Awful Truth is a 1937 American screwball comedy film directed by Leo McCarey, and starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Based on the 1922 play The Awful Truth by Arthur Richman, the film recounts a distrustful rich couple who begin divorce proceedings, only to interfere with one another's romances. This was McCarey's first film for Columbia Pictures, with the dialogue and comic elements largely improvised by the director and actors. Irene Dunne's costumes were designed by Robert Kalloch. Although Grant tried to leave the production due to McCarey's directorial style, The Awful Truth saw his emergence as an A-list star and proponent of on-the-set improvisation. The film was a huge box office success and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Dunne), and Best Supporting Actor (Ralph Bellamy), winning for Best Director (McCarey). The film was selected in 1996 for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, having been deemed \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\". The Awful Truth was the first of three films co-starring Grant and Dunne, followed by My Favorite Wife (1940) and Penny Serenade (1941).", "wds-Q136605": "Z is a 1969 political thriller film directed by Costa-Gavras, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jorge Semprún, adapted from the 1967 novel by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963. With its dark view of Greek politics and its downbeat ending, the film captures the director's outrage about the junta that ruled Greece at the time when it was made. The title refers to a popular Greek protest slogan (Greek: Ζει, IPA: [ˈzi]) meaning \"he lives,\" in reference to Lambrakis. A French and Algerian co-production, the film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as the investigating magistrate, an analogue of Christos Sartzetakis, who would become the president of Greece from 1985 to 1990. International stars Yves Montand and Irene Papas also appear, but despite their star billing, they have shorter screen time. Jacques Perrin, who also produced the film, plays a key role as a photojournalist. Other actors in the film include Pierre Dux, Charles Denner, François Périer, Georges Géret and Bernard Fresson. The musical score was composed by Mikis Theodorakis. Z was a surprise international hit and is considered to be a landmark film of the political thriller genre. It became the first non-English language film to receive nominations for the Academy Awards in both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film categories; winning in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It also received numerous other accolades including Best Actor for Trintignant and Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.", "wds-Q182944": "Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 romantic comedy period film directed by John Madden, and written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, and Judi Dench. The film depicts a fictional love affair involving playwright William Shakespeare (Fiennes) and Viola de Lesseps (Paltrow) during the writing of Romeo and Juliet. Several characters are based on historical figures, and many of the characters, lines, and plot devices allude to Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare in Love was released on 11 December 1998 in the United States by Miramax Films, and 29 January 1999 in the United Kingdom, by Universal Pictures. The film received acclaim from critics, grossed $289 million against a $25 million budget, and was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1998. It received numerous accolades, including winning three Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Paltrow), two Screen Actors Guild Awards (Outstanding Cast and Best Actress for Paltrow), and four British Academy Film Awards (including Best Film). It won a leading seven Oscars out of thirteen nominations at the 71st Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress for Paltrow, Best Supporting Actress for Dench, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design.", "wds-Q241504": "Rocky III is a 1982 American sports drama film written, directed by, and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to Rocky II (1979) and the third installment in the Rocky franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers and Burgess Meredith. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) faces stiff competition from Clubber Lang (Mr. T), a powerful new contender, and turns to his old adversary Apollo Creed (Weathers) to help him train. Development of a third Rocky film began soon after the release of Rocky II. Stallone began a strict diet and workout regimen in preparation. Despite the returns of the original cast being secured quickly, casting for Lang proved difficult, with real boxers Joe Frazier and Ernie Shavers attached to the project at various points. Mr. T was hired in 1981 after appearing on the television series Games People Play, and the film is considered his breakthrough role. Rocky III is the first film in the franchise not solely distributed by United Artists, due to the company's merger with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1981. Rocky III was released in the United States on May 28, 1982, by MGM/UA Entertainment Co. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences and music, but criticism for its screenplay, with some critics deeming the film unnecessary. Retrospective reviews have been more positive and the movie gained a strong cult following. Rocky III grossed $270 million worldwide, surpassing its predecessors to become the then-highest-grossing film in the franchise, and the fourth-highest-grossing film at the domestic box office and the second-highest-grossing film of 1982 worldwide. Its theme song, \"Eye of the Tiger\", became a hit single and received a nomination for Best Original Song at the 55th Academy Awards. A sequel, Rocky IV, was released in 1985.", "wds-Q483852": "Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Chris Columbus, written by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon, based on the 1987 novel Madame Doubtfire, by Anne Fine. The film was produced by Mark Radcliffe, Marsha Garces Williams and her then-husband Robin Williams, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, and Robert Prosky. It follows a recently divorced voice actor who disguises himself as an elderly female housekeeper in order to spend time with his children. Mrs. Doubtfire was released in the United States by 20th Century Fox on November 24, 1993. It grossed $441.3 million on a $25 million budget, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1993. While critical reception was mixed, the film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Williams was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.", "wds-Q274167": "The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and produced by William Peter Blatty, who adapted his own 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair, and follows the demonic possession of a young girl and the attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests. Blatty and Friedkin had difficulty casting the film. Their choice of relative unknowns Burstyn, Blair, and Miller, instead of major stars, drew opposition from executives at Warner Bros. Principal photography was also difficult. Many cast and crew were injured, some died, and unusual accidents delayed shooting. Production took twice as long as scheduled and cost almost three times the initial budget; the many mishaps have led to a belief that the film was cursed. The Exorcist was theatrically released in the United States on December 26, 1973, by Warner Bros. Reviews were mixed, but audiences waited in long lines during cold weather; the sold-out shows were even more profitable for Warner Bros., who had booked it into those theaters under four-wall distribution rental agreements, a first for any major studio. Some viewers suffered adverse physical reactions, fainting or vomiting to shocking scenes such as a realistic cerebral angiography. Many children were allowed to see the film, leading to charges that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA, now the MPA) had accommodated the studio by giving the film an R rating instead of an X rating to ensure the troubled production its commercial success. Several cities attempted to ban it outright or prevent children from attending. At the end of its original theatrical run, the film grossed $193 million, and has a lifetime gross of $441 million with subsequent re-releases. The cultural conversation around the film helped it become the first horror film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as nine others. Blatty won Best Adapted Screenplay, while the sound engineers took Best Sound. It has had several sequels and was the highest-grossing R-rated horror film (unadjusted for inflation) until 2017's It. The Exorcist significantly influenced pop culture, and it has been included on lists of the greatest films ever made. In 2010, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\".", "wds-Q470375": "Belle de Jour (pronounced [bɛl də ʒuʁ]) is a 1967 surrealist erotic psychological drama film directed by Luis Buñuel, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jean-Claude Carrière. Based on the 1928 novel by Joseph Kessel, the film stars Catherine Deneuve in the leading role as Séverine, a young housewife who spends her midweek afternoons as a high-class prostitute, while her husband is at work. It co-stars Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli, and features Geneviève Page, Francisco Rabal, Pierre Clémenti, Francis Blanche and Georges Marchal in supporting roles. The title of the film is a play on words on the French term belle de nuit (\"beauty of the night\", i.e., a prostitute), as Séverine works during the day under the pseudonym \"Belle de Jour\". Her nickname can also be interpreted as a reference to the French name of the morning glory (Convolvulaceae), meaning \"beauty of [the] day\", a flower that blooms only during the day. Belle de Jour is one of Buñuel's most successful and famous films. It was Deneuve's second acclaimed success after The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. It won the Golden Lion and the Pasinetti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival in 1967. Deneuve was nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.", "wds-Q180416": "Das Experiment (English: The Experiment) is a 2001 German drama thriller film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. It is based on Mario Giordano's novel Black Box and deals with a social experiment which resembles Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment of 1971.", "wds-Q166031": "In the Name of the King (also known as Dungeon Siege: In the Name of the King or In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale) is a 2007 fantasy action film directed by Uwe Boll and starring Jason Statham, Claire Forlani, Leelee Sobieski, John Rhys-Davies, Ron Perlman, Ray Liotta and Burt Reynolds with Kristanna Loken. It is inspired by the Dungeon Siege video game series, and was an international co-production between Germany, Canada, and the United States. It premiered at the Brussels Festival of Fantastic Films on April 11, 2007, and was released in theatres on November 29, 2007. It is the first installment in the In the Name of the King film series. Upon its release, the film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing only $13.1 million against a budget of $60 million. Nevertheless, it spawned two sequels—In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds and In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission.", "wds-Q72925": "She's the Man is a 2006 American romantic comedy teen sports film directed by Andy Fickman and starring Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Vinnie Jones, and David Cross. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night, the film centers on teenager Viola Hastings, who enrolls at her brother's new boarding school, Illyria Prep, in his place and pretends to be a boy in order to play on the boys' soccer team. She's the Man emerged as a moderate commercial success, grossing $57.2 million against a budget of $20–25 million. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but Bynes's performance was universally praised and developed a cult following.", "wds-Q18433": "City of Women (Italian: La città delle donne) is a 1980 fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini, who co-wrote it with Bernardino Zapponi and Brunello Rondi. Amid Fellini's characteristic combination of dreamlike, outrageous, and artistic imagery, Marcello Mastroianni plays Snàporaz, a man who voyages through male and female spaces towards a confrontation with his own attitudes towards women and his wife.", "wds-Q107724": "Thunderball is a 1965 spy film and the fourth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham devised from a story conceived by Kevin McClory, Whittingham, and Fleming. It was the third and final Bond film to be directed by Terence Young, with its screenplay by Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins. The film follows Bond's mission to find two NATO atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE, which holds the world ransom to the tune of £100 million in diamonds under threat of destroying an unspecified metropolis in either the United Kingdom or the United States (later revealed to be Miami). The search leads Bond to the Bahamas, where he encounters Emilio Largo, the card-playing, eyepatch-wearing SPECTRE Number Two. Backed by CIA agent Felix Leiter and Largo's mistress, Domino Derval, Bond's search culminates in an underwater battle with Largo's henchmen. The film's complex production comprised four different units, and about a quarter of the film comprises underwater scenes. Thunderball was the first Bond film shot in widescreen Panavision and the first to have a running time of over two hours. Although planned by Bond film series producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman as the first entry in the franchise, Thunderball was associated with a legal dispute in 1961 when former Fleming collaborators McClory and Whittingham sued him shortly after the 1961 publication of the novel, claiming he based it upon the screenplay the trio had written for a cinematic translation of James Bond. The lawsuit was settled out of court and Broccoli and Saltzman, fearing a rival McClory film, allowed him to retain certain screen rights to the novel's plot and characters, and for McClory to receive sole producer credit on this film; Broccoli and Saltzman instead served as executive producers. The film was exceptionally successful: its worldwide box-office receipts of $141.2 million (equivalent to $1.4426×109 in 2025) exceeded not only that of each of its predecessors but that of every one of the next five Bond films that followed it. After adjusting its earnings to 2011 prices, it has made around $1 billion worldwide, making it the second-highest earning Bond film after Skyfall. In 1966, John Stears won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and BAFTA nominated production designer Ken Adam for an award. Some critics and viewers praised the film and branded it a welcome addition to the series, while others found the aquatic action repetitious. The movie was followed by 1967's You Only Live Twice. In 1983, Warner Bros. released a second film adaptation of the Thunderball novel under the title Never Say Never Again, with Connery as Bond for the last time and McClory as executive producer.", "wds-Q158398": "Iron Sky is a 2012 science fiction comedy action film directed by Timo Vuorensola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Kalesniko from a story by Johanna Sinisalo, based on a concept by Jarmo Puskala. It tells the story of a group of German Nazis who, having been defeated in 1945, fled to the Moon, where they built a space fleet to return in 2018 and conquer Earth. The story also incorporates elements of political satire. Iron Sky is one of the most expensive Finnish films. Iron Sky comes from the creators of Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning and was produced by Tero Kaukomaa of Blind Spot Pictures and Energia Productions, co-produced by New Holland Pictures and 27 Films, and co-financed by numerous individual supporters; Samuli Torssonen was responsible for the computer-generated imagery. It was theatrically released throughout Europe in April 2012. A director's cut of the film with 20 additional minutes was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 March 2014. The film received negative reviews, focusing on the film's execution and dated humor. A video-game adaptation titled Iron Sky: Invasion was released in October 2012. A sequel, titled Iron Sky: The Coming Race, was crowdfunded through Indiegogo and released in January 2019, to a more hostile critical reception and a box office bomb, culminating in the bankruptcy of two production companies involved in the sequel's production: Blind Spot Pictures, and Iron Sky Universe.", "wds-Q326177": "Saw V is a 2008 American horror film directed by David Hackl, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. A sequel to Saw IV (2007) and the fifth installment in the Saw film series, it stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Julie Benz, Carlo Rota, and Meagan Good. The plot follows FBI Agent Peter Strahm (Patterson) investigating the murders committed by the Jigsaw Killer (Bell), but as he delves deeper into the case, he realizes that the murders are part of a larger, more intricate plot. Meanwhile, Jigsaw's accomplice, Mark Hoffman (Mandylor), has been promoted to lieutenant and is tasked with leading the investigation into the Jigsaw murders. However, as Strahm gets closer to the truth, he becomes the target of Jigsaw's traps. Melton and Dunstan, the writers of Saw IV, returned to write the film. Filming took place in Toronto from March to April 2008. Saw V was released by Lionsgate Films in the United States on October 24, 2008. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $118.2 million worldwide. A sequel, Saw VI, was released in 2009.", "wds-Q380848": "Julie & Julia is a 2009 American biographical comedy drama film written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in the title roles with Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, and Linda Emond in supporting roles. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child (played by Streep) in the early years of her culinary career with the life of young New Yorker Julie Powell (played by Adams), who aspires to cook all 524 recipes in Child's cookbook in 365 days, a challenge she described on her popular blog, which made her a published author. Ephron's screenplay is based on two books: My Life in France, Child's autobiography written with Alex Prud'homme, and a memoir by Powell, Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (later retitled Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously). Both of these books were written and published between 2004 and 2006. Powell's book was based on her blog The Julie/Julia Project, where she documented online her daily experiences cooking each of the 524 recipes in Child's 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The film is the first major motion picture based on a blog. In March 2008, Ephron began filming with Streep as Child and Adams as Powell. On July 30, 2009, the film officially premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York; and, on August 7, 2009, it opened throughout North America. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Streep's performance. Julie & Julia was Ephron's last film before her death in 2012.", "wds-Q154935": "(500) Days of Summer is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Marc Webb in his feature directorial debut, written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as Tom and Summer respectively, and in a nonlinear narrative structure, Tom chronicles the story of his relationship with Summer. As an independent production, the film was picked up for distribution by Fox Searchlight Pictures and premiered at the 25th Sundance Film Festival. It received positive reception from critics, earning $60.7 million in worldwide returns, far exceeding its $7.5 million budget. Many critics lauded the film as one of the best from 2009, and drew comparisons to other acclaimed films such as Annie Hall (1977) and High Fidelity (2000). The movie has since been recognized as a cult classic. (500) Days of Summer received Best Original Screenplay and Best Screenplay awards at the 14th Satellite Awards and 25th Independent Spirit Awards, respectively, as well as two nominations at the 67th Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy (Gordon-Levitt).", "wds-Q59610": "Seven Psychopaths is a 2012 satirical crime comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, and Christopher Walken, with Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, and Željko Ivanek in supporting roles. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, it marks the second collaboration among McDonagh, Farrell, and Ivanek, following the director's In Bruges (2008). Seven Psychopaths had its world premiere on 7 September 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the United States and Canada on 12 October 2012, and in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2012. The film received positive reviews from critics.", "wds-Q62730": "Das Boot (German pronunciation: [das ˈboːt]; lit. 'The Boat') is a 1981 West German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer and Klaus Wennemann. An adaptation of Lothar-Günther Buchheim's 1973 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the film is set during World War II and follows the German submarine U-96 and her crew, as they set out on a hazardous patrol in the Battle of the Atlantic. It depicts both the excitement of battle and the tedium of the fruitless hunt, and shows the men serving aboard U-boats as ordinary individuals with a desire to do their best for their comrades and their country. Development began in 1979. Several American directors were considered three years earlier, before the film was shelved. During production, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, the captain of the real U-96 during Buchheim's 1941 patrol and one of Germany's top U-boat \"tonnage aces\" during the war, and Hans-Joachim Krug, former first officer on U-219, served as consultants. One of Petersen's goals was to guide the audience through \"a journey to the edge of the mind\" (the film's German tagline Eine Reise ans Ende des Verstandes), showing \"what war is all about\". Produced on a DM32 million budget (about $13 million, equivalent to €17.4 million in 2021), the high production cost ranks it among the most expensive films in German cinema, but it was a commercial success, grossing nearly $85 million worldwide (equivalent to $283 million 2025). The film has been exhibited both as a theatrical release (1981) and a TV miniseries (1985). Several different home video versions, as well as a director's cut (1997) supervised by Petersen, have also been released. Columbia Pictures issued both German-language and English-dubbed versions in the United States theatrically through their Triumph Classics label, earning $11 million. Das Boot received positive reviews, and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Petersen himself. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award and DGA Award, and the film won the German Film Award for Best Film. It was the German film with the most Oscar nominations until the release of All Quiet on the Western Front in 2022.", "wds-Q181795": "The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas. The sequel to Star Wars (1977), it is the second film in the Star Wars film series and the fifth chronological chapter of the \"Skywalker Saga\". Set three years after the events of Star Wars, the film recounts the battle between the malevolent Galactic Empire, led by the Emperor, and the Rebel Alliance, led by Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. As the Empire goes on the offensive, Luke trains to master the Force so he can confront the Emperor's powerful disciple, Darth Vader. The ensemble cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz. Following the success of Star Wars, Lucas hired Brackett to write the sequel. After she died in 1978, he outlined the entire Star Wars saga and wrote the next draft himself, before hiring Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) writer Kasdan to enhance his work. To avoid the stress he faced directing Star Wars, Lucas handed the responsibility to Kershner and focused on expanding his special effects company Industrial Light & Magic instead. Filmed from March to September 1979 in Finse, Norway, and at Elstree Studios in England, The Empire Strikes Back faced production difficulties, including actor injuries, illnesses, fires, and problems securing additional financing as costs rose. Initially budgeted at $8 million, costs had risen to $30.5 million by the project's conclusion. Released by Twentieth Century-Fox on May 21, 1980, the highly anticipated sequel became the highest-grossing film that year, earning approximately $401.5 million worldwide. Unlike its lighthearted predecessor, Empire met with mixed reviews from critics, and fans were conflicted about its darker and more mature themes. The film was nominated for various awards and won two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and a BAFTA, among others. Subsequent releases have raised the film's worldwide gross to $549–$550 million and, adjusted for inflation, it is the 13th-highest-grossing film in the United States and Canada. Since its release, The Empire Strikes Back has been critically reassessed and is now often regarded as the best film in the Star Wars series and among the greatest films ever made. It has had a significant influence on filmmaking and popular culture and is often considered an example of a sequel superior to its predecessor. The climax, in which Darth Vader reveals he is Luke's father, is often ranked as one of the greatest plot twists in cinema. The film spawned a variety of merchandise and adaptations, including video games and a radio play. The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2010. Return of the Jedi (1983) followed Empire, concluding the original Star Wars trilogy. Prequel and sequel trilogies have since been released.", "wds-Q207336": "Beatles for Sale is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 4 December 1964 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterised the Beatles' previous work, partly due to the band's exhaustion after a series of tours that had established them as a worldwide phenomenon in 1964. Beatles for Sale was not widely available in the US until 1987, when the Beatles' catalogue was standardised for release on CD. Instead, eight of the album's fourteen tracks, alongside \"I'll Be Back\", which was cut from the US version of the Hard Day's Night album, and both sides of the single \"I Feel Fine\" / \"She's a Woman\", appeared on Capitol Records' concurrent release, Beatles '65, and the remaining six of the album's fourteen tracks, including both sides of the US single \"Eight Days a Week\" / \"I Don't Want to Spoil the Party\", appeared on Capitol Records' seventh release, Beatles VI, both issued in North America only. During the sessions, the band ventured into studio experimentation, such as employing a fade-in and incorporating guitar feedback, and supplemented the basic recordings with percussion instruments such as timpani, African hand drums, and chocalho. The album reflects the twin influences of country music and Bob Dylan, whom the Beatles met in New York in August 1964. Partly as a result of the group's hectic schedule, only eight of the tracks are original compositions, with cover versions of songs by artists such as Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Little Richard being used to complete the album. The original songs introduced darker musical moods and more introspective lyrics, with John Lennon adopting an autobiographical perspective in \"I'm a Loser\" and \"No Reply\". Furthermore, the majority of the songs did not feature themes of love, with only three out of the fourteen tracks mentioning love in a positive light. Beatles for Sale received favourable reviews in the UK musical press, where it held the number one spot for 11 of the 46 weeks that it spent in the top 20. The album was similarly successful in Australia, where the band's cover of Berry's \"Rock and Roll Music\" also topped the singles chart. One of the songs omitted from the US version of the album, \"Eight Days a Week\", became the Beatles' seventh number one in the US when issued as a single there in February 1965. In 2000, the album was voted number 204 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums.", "wds-Q60676411": "Magical Mystery Tour is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same title. The EP was issued in the UK on 8 December 1967 on the Parlophone label, while the Capitol Records LP release in the US and Canada occurred on 27 November and features an additional five songs that were originally released as singles that year. In 1976, Parlophone released the eleven-track LP in the UK. When recording their new songs, the Beatles continued the studio experimentation that had typified Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) and the psychedelic sound they had pursued since Revolver (1966). The project was initiated by Paul McCartney in April 1967, but after the band recorded the song \"Magical Mystery Tour\", it lay dormant until the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, in late August. Recording then took place alongside filming and editing, and as the Beatles furthered their public association with Transcendental Meditation under teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The sessions have been characterised by some biographers as aimless and unfocused, with the band members overly indulging in sound experimentation and exerting greater control over production. McCartney contributed three of the soundtrack songs, including the widely covered \"The Fool on the Hill\", while John Lennon and George Harrison contributed \"I Am the Walrus\" and \"Blue Jay Way\", respectively. The sessions also produced \"Hello, Goodbye\", issued as a single accompanying the soundtrack record, and items of incidental music for the film, including \"Flying\". Further to the Beatles' desire to experiment with record formats and packaging, the EP and LP included a 24-page booklet containing song lyrics, colour photos from film production, and colour story illustrations by cartoonist Bob Gibson. Despite the mixed reception of the Magical Mystery Tour film, the soundtrack was a critical and commercial success. In the UK, it topped the EPs chart compiled by Record Retailer and peaked at number 2 on the magazine's singles chart (later the UK Singles Chart) behind \"Hello, Goodbye\". The album topped Billboard's Top LPs listings for eight weeks and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1969. With the international standardisation of the Beatles' catalogue in 1987, Magical Mystery Tour became the only Capitol-generated LP to supersede the band's intended format as the ninth studio album in their core catalogue.", "wds-Q19003": "London Calling is the third studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States and Canada in January 1980 by Epic Records. The Clash recorded the album with producer Guy Stevens at Wessex Sound Studios in London over a five- to six-week period starting in August 1979, following a change in management and a period of writer's block for songwriters Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. Bridging a traditional punk rock sound and a new wave aesthetic, London Calling reflects the band's growing interest in styles beyond their punk roots, including reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock. Lyrical themes include social displacement, unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood. The album was a top ten chart success in the UK, and its lead single \"London Calling\" was a top 20 single. The album has sold over five million copies worldwide, and was certified platinum in the US for sales of one million. It was also met with widespread critical acclaim and has retrospectively been named one of the greatest albums of all time. On Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, London Calling was ranked number 8 in the 2003 and 2012 editions, and number 16 in the 2020 edition. In 2010, it was one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail.", "wds-Q752366": "Born to Run is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, through Columbia Records. Co-produced by Springsteen with his manager Mike Appel and the producer Jon Landau, its recording took place in New York. Following the commercial failures of his first two albums, the album marked Springsteen's effort to break into the mainstream and create a commercially successful album. Springsteen sought to emulate Phil Spector's Wall of Sound production, leading to prolonged sessions with the E Street Band lasting from January 1974 to July 1975; six months alone were spent working on the title track. The album incorporates musical styles including rock and roll, pop rock, R&B, and folk rock. Its character-driven lyrics describe individuals who feel trapped and fantasize about escaping to a better life, conjured via romantic lyrical imagery of highways and travel. Springsteen envisioned the songs taking place over one long summer day and night. They are also less tied to the New Jersey area than his previous work. The album cover, featuring Springsteen leaning on E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons's shoulder, is considered iconic and has been imitated by various musicians and in other media. Supported by an expensive promotional campaign, Born to Run became a commercial success, reaching number three on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and the top ten in three others. Two singles were released, \"Born to Run\" and \"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out\", the first of which became a radio and live favorite. The album's release generated extensive publicity, leading to backlash from critics who expressed skepticism over whether Springsteen's newfound attention was warranted. Following its release, Springsteen became embroiled in legal issues with Appel, leading him to tour the United States and Europe for almost two years. Upon release, Born to Run received highly positive reviews. Critics praised the storytelling and music, although some viewed its production as excessive and heavy-handed. Born to Run was Springsteen's breakthrough album. Its success has been attributed to capturing the ideals of a generation of American youths during a decade of political turmoil, war, and issues facing the working class. Over the following decades, the album has become widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of Springsteen's best records. It has appeared on various lists of the greatest albums of all time and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2003 by the Library of Congress for being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\". Born to Run received an expanded reissue in 2005 to celebrate its 30th anniversary, featuring a concert film and a documentary detailing the album's making.", "wds-Q333266": "Imagine is the second solo studio album by the English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, the album's elaborate sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970). The opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song. Lennon recorded the album from early to mid-1971 at his Ascot Sound Studios, EMI Recording Studios and the Record Plant in New York City, with musicians that included his ex-Beatles bandmate George Harrison, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummers Alan White and Jim Keltner. The lyrics reflect peace, love, politics, Lennon's experience with primal scream therapy and, following a period of high personal tensions, an attack on his former writing partner Paul McCartney in \"How Do You Sleep?\". Extensive footage from the sessions was recorded for a scrapped documentary; parts were released on the documentary film Imagine: John Lennon (1988). The documentary John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky, based on that footage, was released in 2018. Imagine was a critical and commercial success, reaching number one on both the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Along with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, it is considered one of Lennon's finest solo albums. In 2012, it was voted 80th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album has been reissued several times, including in 2018 as The Ultimate Collection, a six-disc box set containing previously unreleased demos, studio outtakes, \"evolution documentaries\" for each track, and isolated track elements along with surround mixes.", "wds-Q129288": "Renaissance Man is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines, James Remar and Cliff Robertson. It follows a former advertising executive teaching uneducated recruits at an army base. In Australia, the film is known under the title of Army Intelligence. The film received generally negative reviews. It grossed $24 million at the box office against a budget of $40 million.", "wds-Q292986": "Blink-182 (also referred to as the untitled album) is the fifth studio album by American rock band Blink-182, released on November 18, 2003, by Geffen Records. Following the blockbuster success of their last two albums, Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, the trio went on hiatus and participated in various side projects including Box Car Racer and Transplants. When they regrouped, they decided to approach their next album by placing more attention on song structure and expand musical arrangements. Their longest album, it marks a shift toward a darker, more expansive and complex sound; its interconnected songs and cinematic structure blur the lines between pop-punk and post-hardcore. The recording process for the album began in a rented San Diego mansion and evolved into a costly project spanning over a year, two record labels, and more than a million dollars. The band, led by producer Jerry Finn, transformed the house into a fully equipped \"musical laboratory,\" using an extensive array of vintage gear, experimental instruments, and unconventional analog techniques. Its songwriting is more personal in nature and explores mature territory, touching upon the realities of adulthood and unexpected hardships, as well as personal growth and global unrest. Its ambiguous title embraces a serious, undefined identity, complemented by cover art introducing an iconographic \"smiley\" logo inspired by edgy pop art and punk aesthetics. The album features a gothic collaboration with Robert Smith of The Cure. Released at the forefront of the emo cultural peak, the album proved successful, selling 2.2 million copies in the United States. It received positive reviews, with critics welcoming its change in tone. Lead singles \"Feeling This\" and \"I Miss You\" received the most radio airplay out of the four singles released, and peaked high on Billboard charts. The worldwide touring schedule, which saw the band travel to Japan and Australia, also found the three performing for U.S. military troops stationed in the Middle East. The album was the band's last recording with longtime producer Jerry Finn and their final original material before their first breakup. The band and critics alike regard the LP as a highlight; it was celebrated with sold-out anniversary performances a decade after its release.", "wds-Q8360": "(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is the second studio album by the English rock band Oasis. Released on 2 October 1995 by Creation Records, it was produced by Owen Morris and the group's lead guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher. The structure and arrangement style of the album was a significant departure from the band's previous album, Definitely Maybe (1994). Gallagher's compositions were more focused in balladry and placed more emphasis on \"huge\" choruses and string arrangements. Morning Glory was the group's first album with drummer Alan White, who replaced Tony McCarroll (though McCarroll still appeared on the album, drumming on the track \"Some Might Say\"). The album propelled Oasis from being a crossover indie act to a worldwide rock phenomenon, and is seen by critics as a significant record in the timeline of British indie music. Morning Glory sold a record-breaking 345,000 copies in its first week in the UK before going on to spend 10 weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart. It was also the band's breakthrough in the United States, reaching number four on the US Billboard 200 and being certified 4× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album yielded four major hit singles in the band's native Britain: \"Some Might Say\" and \"Don't Look Back in Anger\" reached number one, and \"Roll with It\" and \"Wonderwall\" peaked at number two; the latter has emerged as the band's biggest-selling UK hit, spending 30 consecutive weeks on the chart. \"Champagne Supernova\" and \"Wonderwall\" reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. At the 1996 Brit Awards, the album won Best British Album. Over several months in 1995 and 1996, the band supported the album with an extensive world tour, which saw them play to among the largest audiences ever at the time. Although a commercial success, the record initially received lukewarm reviews from mainstream critics; many reviewers deemed it inferior to Definitely Maybe, with the songwriting and production being particular points of criticism. However, critical opinion of the album reversed dramatically in the ensuing months and years, with critics recognising its strengths and its \"populist appeal\". Despite some views since that the album is overrated, Morning Glory is still considered a seminal record of both the Britpop era and the 1990s in general. It has appeared on several lists of the greatest albums in rock music, and at the 2010 Brit Awards, it was named the greatest British album since 1980. It has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. As of July 2025, the album has been certified 19× platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for earning 5.3 million units in the United Kingdom. In July 2026, the Official Charts Company certified (What's the Story) Morning Glory? as the best-selling studio album in UK history with 6.2 million units.", "wds-Q220558": "Let's Get to It is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was the final studio album with Pete Waterman Limited (PWL), being released by the record label in the United Kingdom on 14 October 1991. Mushroom Records distributed the album in Australia on 25 November 1991. After Matt Aitken left the trio Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) in early 1991, the remaining producers wanted to make another album with Minogue, although it was not a contractual obligation for her. Mike Stock and Pete Waterman agreed to share their songwriting credits with Minogue for the first time on six tracks. They spent months recording at PWL Studios, more time than any of her previous studio albums. Musically, Let's Get to It varies in sound, with it including hip hop, new jack swing, house and dance-pop genres. Music critics provided mixed reviews, recognising Minogue's creative control and her provocative image despite them being ambivalent towards the production. The album is one of Minogue's least successful studio albums to date, missing the top 10 in both her native Australia and the UK. Nonetheless, it has since been certified gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Four singles were released from Let's Get to It, including UK top 10 entries \"If You Were with Me Now\" and \"Give Me Just a Little More Time\". The other singles, \"Word Is Out\" and \"Finer Feelings\", attained top 20 positions in the UK. Minogue further promoted the album with her Let's Get to It Tour, which traveled throughout Europe in October and November 1991. Minogue was disappointed with the final result and left PWL in 1992. The album was re-issued in the UK for the first time in 2015.", "wds-Q643906": "Images and Words is the second studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on July 7, 1992, through Atco Records. It is the first Dream Theater release to feature James LaBrie on vocals. Since its release, the album has maintained its position as the band's most commercially successful studio album, and the song \"Pull Me Under\" has the distinction of being the only Top 10 hit (radio or otherwise) the band has had to date. This particular song also had renewed popularity due to its appearance in the 2008 video game Guitar Hero World Tour.", "wds-Q300447": "A Kind of Magic is the twelfth studio album by the British rock band Queen, released on 2 June 1986 by EMI Records in the UK and on 27 June 1986 by Capitol Records in the US. It is based on the soundtrack to the film Highlander (1986), directed by Russell Mulcahy. A Kind of Magic was Queen's first album to be released since they had received acclaim for their performance at Live Aid in 1985. It was an immediate hit in the UK, going straight to number one and selling 100,000 copies in its first week. It remained in the UK charts for 63 weeks, selling 600,000 in the UK alone. The album spawned four hit singles: the album's title track \"A Kind of Magic\", \"One Vision\", \"Friends Will Be Friends\", and \"Who Wants to Live Forever\", which features an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen, while the album's final track, \"Princes of the Universe\", is the theme song to Highlander. The album was promoted during the Magic Tour, which included two concerts in London's Wembley Stadium, and would turn out to be the band's final tour with its original formation, although they would record three more albums with Freddie Mercury as lead vocalist before his death in 1991.", "wds-Q631442": "Chinese Democracy is the sixth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released on November 23, 2008, through Geffen Records and Black Frog. It was their first album of original material since Use Your Illusion I and II (1991), and the first to feature none of the classic members aside from vocalist Axl Rose. The album's development spanned over a decade, becoming one of the most protracted and expensive recording processes in rock history, with reported costs exceeding $13 million. Recorded amid lineup upheavals, legal disputes, and leaks, Chinese Democracy saw Rose collaborate with a rotating cast of musicians and producers, including band members Dizzy Reed, Paul Tobias, Robin Finck, Josh Freese, Tommy Stinson, Chris Pitman, Buckethead, Richard Fortus, Ron \"Bumblefoot\" Thal, Brain and Frank Ferrer, and producers Youth, Sean Beavan, Roy Thomas Baker and Caram Costanzo. Recording began in 1998 with the intention of producing multiple albums; although more than 50 tracks were completed, Rose's inconsistent studio schedule and repeated re‑recordings caused substantial delays in the project's progress. It is the first Guns N' Roses album not produced by Mike Clink; instead, Rose and Costanzo handled production. The album blends hard rock with industrial and electronic influences, a shift from the band's previous blues and punk-based music. Upon release, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. It was certified platinum, receiving generally favorable reviews for its ambition and vocal performances, though its production and lengthy recording process drew mixed reactions. In the United States, the album was released exclusively via Best Buy, and it was banned in China due to lyrics in the lead single, the title track. The album's release was accompanied by a widely publicized Dr Pepper promotion, with the company offering a free soda to all Americans if the album arrived in 2008. Retrospective assessments have acknowledged its complex legacy, with several critics and publications noting that the album has undergone reevaluation, praised by some for its ambition and scope despite the mythology surrounding its creation.", "wds-Q679679": "House of Wax is a 2005 slasher film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra in his feature directorial debut and featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt in a dual role, Paris Hilton, Jared Padalecki, Jon Abrahams and Robert Ri'chard. It is a remake of the 1953 film of the same name, itself a remake of the 1933 film Mystery of the Wax Museum, based on the story \"The Wax Works\" by Charles S. Belden. House of Wax premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2005, and was theatrically released in United States on May 6 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It grossed $70.1 million worldwide and received generally negative reviews from critics. The film would later garner a cult following in the years following its release.", "wds-Q182692": "Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic war film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The screenplay, written by Coppola and John Milius, with narration by Michael Herr, is loosely inspired by Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness, with the setting changed from the late 19th-century Congo to the Vietnam War. The film follows a river journey from South Vietnam into Cambodia undertaken by Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), who is on a secret mission to assassinate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a renegade Special Forces officer who is accused of murder and presumed insane. The cast also features Robert Duvall, Frederic Forrest, Albert Hall, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, G. D. Spradlin and Harrison Ford. Milius became interested in adapting Heart of Darkness for a Vietnam War setting in the late 1960s, and initially began developing the film with Coppola as producer and George Lucas as director. After Lucas became unavailable, Coppola took over directorial control, and was influenced by Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) in his approach to the material. Initially set to be a five-month shoot in the Philippines starting in March 1976, a series of problems lengthened it to over a year. These problems included expensive sets being destroyed by severe weather, Brando arriving on set overweight and completely unprepared, and Sheen having a breakdown and suffering a near-fatal heart attack on location. After photography was finally finished in May 1977, the release was postponed several times while Coppola edited over a million feet of film. Many of these difficulties are chronicled in the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991). Apocalypse Now was honored with the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered unfinished. When it was finally released on August 15, 1979, by United Artists, it performed well at the box office, grossing $80 million in the United States and Canada and $150 million worldwide. Initial reviews were mixed; while Vittorio Storaro's cinematography was widely acclaimed, several critics found Coppola's handling of the story's major themes anticlimactic and intellectually disappointing. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Coppola), and Best Supporting Actor (Duvall); it went on to win Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Apocalypse Now has been assessed as Coppola's magnum opus and retrospectively considered one of the greatest films ever made. In 2000, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the U.S. Library of Congress as \"culturally, historically or aesthetically significant\". Coppola later released Apocalypse Now Redux, an extended re-edit of the film that contains multiple new scenes, in 2001. Another re-edit, Apocalypse Now Final Cut, was released in 2019 and is Coppola's preferred version of the film.", "wds-Q1159467": "Love? is the seventh studio album by American singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on April 29, 2011, by Island Records. Produced during the pregnancy of her twins Emme and Max, Love? was cited by Lopez as her most personal album to date, taking inspiration from the birth of her twins and her own experiences with love. Recording for the album began in 2009, with an original release date for the project set for January 2010 by Epic Records to coincide with Lopez's film The Back-up Plan. However following the lack of success with lead single \"Louboutins\", Lopez and Epic Records parted ways, leaving the fate of Love? in uncertainty. In 2010, Lopez signed a new record deal with Island Records, allowing proceedings for the release to be kept. The album includes a mixture of previously recorded material which leaked online in 2009 and 2010 during recording sessions, along with new songs with Tricky Stewart, The-Dream and RedOne commissioned by Island Records. Primarily a dance-pop record, Love? also marks a return to Lopez's pop/R&B roots. Upon its release, Love? garnered mixed reviews from music critics. While some were critical of it, others disagreed, praising it as a great dance album. Commercially, Love? debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming her sixth album to peak within the top 10 in the United States, and her highest peak since 2005's Rebirth. Internationally, Love? experienced moderate success, peaking within the top 10 in twenty-four different countries and also reaching the top five of several music markets. The album sold 353,000 copies in the United States. The album's first single under Island Records is \"On the Floor\" and features Pitbull. It reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped over thirty international charts, while the second and third singles from Love?, being \"I'm Into You\" featuring rapper Lil Wayne and \"Papi\", both topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, each becoming moderate hits. Love? has become her third consecutive album to have all singles reach number one on that chart, earning her a milestone for eleven number ones at the time tying her with Katy Perry and Kristine W.", "wds-Q380841": "The Kids Are All Right is a 2010 American comedy drama film directed by Lisa Cholodenko and written by Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg. It is among the first mainstream movies to show a same-sex couple raising two teenagers. A hit at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, it opened in limited release on July 9, 2010, expanded to more theaters on July 30, 2010, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 16, 2010. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Annette Bening was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy. The film also received 4 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, at the 83rd Academy Awards.", "wds-Q15125228": "Cheek to Cheek is the first collaborative album by American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, released on September 19, 2014, by Columbia, Streamline and Interscope Records. The two first met at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City in 2011, and later recorded a rendition of \"The Lady Is a Tramp\" together, after which they began discussing plans of working on a jazz project. Cheek to Cheek consists of jazz standards by popular composers such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Irving Berlin. It was inspired by Bennett and Gaga's desire to introduce the songs to a younger generation, since they believed these tracks have a universal appeal. In January 2013, the album was announced by both artists and started its recording process after Gaga recovered from a hip surgery. It was recorded in New York City, where Bennett and Gaga were accompanied by a live band and jazz musicians associated with both artists. Gaga deviated from her previous contemporary pop albums as she wanted instead to create a jazz record. The release date of the album was delayed multiple times, and the final date was announced by Bennett and Gaga on The Today Show. The full-length track listing and cover artwork was released thereafter, including the track lists for many alternate editions. The artists promoted Cheek to Cheek through multiple performances in and around New York, a behind-the-scenes program detailing the recording of the album on the Home Shopping Network (HSN), and a televised concert titled Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live!, which aired on PBS in October 2014. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: \"Anything Goes\" and \"I Can't Give You Anything but Love\", which both reached number one on Billboard's Jazz Digital Songs Chart in the United States. Cheek to Cheek received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the vocal chemistry between Bennett and Gaga. At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Cheek to Cheek debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 131,000 copies sold in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has since sold 773,000 copies in the United States. The album became Bennett's second number-one album and Gaga's third consecutive number-one in the US; Gaga became the first female artist in the country to have three number-one albums in the 2010s decade, while Bennett extended his record as the oldest artist to achieve a number-one album on the chart. The album also reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Greece, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The duo's second collaborative album, Love for Sale, was released on September 30, 2021.", "wds-Q107579768": "Senjutsu (Japanese: 戦術, \"Tactics\") is the seventeenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 3 September 2021. A double album, it was a critical and commercial success, praised for its ambitious epic scope. Two singles, \"The Writing on the Wall\" and \"Stratego\", were released to promote the album.", "wds-Q211413": "Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 28 March 1973 in the United States and on 30 March 1973 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. The album benefited from two band members installing studios at home, which allowed them to develop more sophisticated songs and arrangements and expand their musical style. Several songs subsequently became fixtures in the group's live set, including \"The Song Remains the Same\", \"The Rain Song\" and \"No Quarter\". Other material recorded at the sessions, including the title track, was shelved and released on the later albums Physical Graffiti (1975) and Coda (1982). All instruments and vocals were provided by the band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards), and John Bonham (drums). The album was produced by Page and mixed by Eddie Kramer. The cover was the first for the band to be designed by Hipgnosis and was based on a photograph taken at Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. Although critical response was mixed, Houses of the Holy became a commercial success, later receiving a Diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999 for at least 10 million copies sold in the US. In 2020, the album was ranked at number 278 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list of the \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\".", "wds-Q153607": "The Marshall Mathers LP (also referred to as the MMLP) is the third studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released on May 23, 2000, by Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, WEB Entertainment, and Interscope Records. Production on the album was handled by Dr. Dre, Mel-Man, F.B.T., Eminem, and the 45 King. The album features guest appearances from Dido, RBX, Sticky Fingaz, Dina Rae, Bizarre, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, Paul Rosenberg and D12. Recorded over a 10-month period in several studios around Detroit, the album delivers introspective lyricism reflecting Eminem's thoughts on his rise to fame, criticism of his music, and estrangement from his family. As a transgressive work, it incorporates hardcore hip-hop, satirical hip-hop, and horrorcore. The Marshall Mathers LP produced the singles \"The Real Slim Shady\", \"The Way I Am\", and \"Stan\", with \"The Real Slim Shady\" becoming Eminem's biggest hit up to that point. Like its predecessor, the album was surrounded by significant controversy upon release, while also propelling Eminem to the forefront of American pop culture. Criticism centered on lyrics that were considered violent, homophobic, and misogynistic, as well as references to the Columbine High School massacre in the songs \"The Way I Am\" and \"I'm Back\". Future second lady Lynne Cheney criticized the lyrics at a United States Senate hearing, as misogynistic and violent against women, while the Canadian government considered refusing Eminem's entry into the country. Despite the controversies, The Marshall Mathers LP received positive reviews upon release; in the years since, it has received even greater critical acclaim. Rolling Stone, among other publications, named it the best album of 2000. Critics praised Eminem's lyrical ability and the album's emotional complexity. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, staying atop for eight consecutive weeks. A significant commercial success compared to the release of The Slim Shady LP just the previous year, the album sold 1.76 million copies in its first week, which was the second-most first week sales in the United States at the time. Widely regarded as Eminem's best album, The Marshall Mathers LP was included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time just three years after its release. It has sold 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, and is certified 12× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was nominated for Album of the Year and won Best Rap Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards, while \"The Real Slim Shady\" won Best Rap Solo Performance. The Marshall Mathers LP 2, the album's sequel, was released in 2013. The album's legacy is further marked by \"Stan\", which details around a crazed fan of the same name and gave rise to the Oxford English Dictionary term stan.", "wds-Q729387": "Who's Next is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 2 August 1971, by Track Records in the United Kingdom and by Decca Records in the United States. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled owing to its complexity and to conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band's manager, but the group salvaged some of the songs, without the connecting story elements, to release as their next album. Eight of the nine songs on Who's Next were from Lifehouse, with the lone exception being the John Entwistle-penned \"My Wife\". Ultimately, the remaining Lifehouse tracks would all be released on other albums or as standalone singles throughout the next decade. The Who recorded Who's Next with assistance from recording engineer Glyn Johns. After producing the song \"Won't Get Fooled Again\" in the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, they relocated to Olympic Studios to record and mix most of the album's remaining songs. They made prominent use of synthesisers on the album, particularly on \"Won't Get Fooled Again\" and \"Baba O'Riley\", which were both released as singles. The cover photo was shot by Ethan Russell; it made reference to the monolith in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, as it featured the band standing by a concrete pillar protruding from a slag heap, apparently having urinated against it. The album was an immediate critical and commercial success and has since been viewed by many critics as the Who's best album, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time. It has been reissued on CD several times, often with additional songs originally intended for Lifehouse included as bonus tracks. In 2020, Who's Next was ranked number 77 on Rolling Stone's list of the \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\".", "wds-Q591967": "Blizzard of Ozz is the debut studio album by the English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. Released on 12 September 1980 in the UK and on 27 March 1981 in the US, the album was Osbourne's first release following his firing from Black Sabbath in 1979. Blizzard of Ozz is the first of two studio albums Osbourne recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death in 1982. Two singles were taken from the album, \"Crazy Train\" and \"Mr. Crowley\"; the former peaked at No. 49 on the UK singles chart. The album was subject to controversy over the song \"Suicide Solution\" and its alleged role in a teenager's suicide in 1984. Despite this, it has received critical acclaim and in 2017 was ranked 9th on Rolling Stone's list of \"100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time\".", "wds-Q558969": "Aladdin Sane is the sixth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released in April 1973 through RCA Records. The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), it was the first album he wrote and released after achieving global stardom. The album was co-produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and features contributions from Bowie's backing band the Spiders from Mars (Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey), along with pianist Mike Garson, two saxophonists and three backing vocalists. Recorded in London and New York City between legs of the Ziggy Stardust Tour, the record was Bowie's final album with the full Spiders lineup. Most of the tracks were written on the road in the US and are greatly influenced by Bowie's perceptions of the country. Due to the American influence and the fast-paced songwriting, the record features more hard rock influences than his earlier glam rock. The lyrics reflect the pros of Bowie's newfound stardom and the cons of touring and contain images of urban decay, drugs, sex, violence and death. Some of the songs are influenced by the Rolling Stones; a cover of their song \"Let's Spend the Night Together\" is included. Bowie described the album's title as a pun (\"A Lad Insane\") and as \"Ziggy Stardust goes to America\". The cover artwork, shot by Brian Duffy and featuring a lightning bolt across Bowie's face, is regarded as one of his most iconic images. Accompanied by the UK top-five singles \"The Jean Genie\" and \"Drive-In Saturday\", Aladdin Sane was Bowie's most commercially successful record up to that point, topping the UK Albums Chart and garnering him immense popularity there. It also received positive reviews from music critics, although many found it inferior to its predecessor. The popularity continued throughout the latter half of the Ziggy Stardust Tour, which featured various setlist and stage production changes. In later decades, Aladdin Sane has appeared on several best-of lists and is viewed as one of Bowie's essential releases. It has been reissued several times and was remastered in 2013 for its 40th anniversary, which was included on the 2015 box set Five Years (1969–1973).", "wds-Q753601": "Debut is the international debut studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 5 July 1993 by One Little Indian and Elektra Entertainment. It was produced by Björk and Nellee Hooper and was Björk's first recording following the dissolution of her previous band, the Sugarcubes. The album departed from the rock style of her previous work and drew from an eclectic variety of styles, including electronic pop, house music, jazz and trip hop. Debut received critical acclaim from British music critics, though American reviews were mixed. It exceeded sales expectations, charting at number two in Iceland, three in the United Kingdom, and 61 in the United States. Debut was certified gold in Canada and platinum in the US, where it remains Björk's best-selling album. Five singles were released from Debut: \"Human Behaviour\", \"Venus as a Boy\", \"Play Dead\", \"Big Time Sensuality\" and \"Violently Happy\". All charted in the UK, with only \"Human Behaviour\", \"Violently Happy\" and \"Big Time Sensuality\" charting on dance and modern rock charts in the US.", "wds-Q182826": "Kill 'Em All is the debut album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several demos to gain attention from club owners and eventually relocated to San Francisco to secure the services of bassist Cliff Burton. The group's No Life 'til Leather demo tape (1982) was noticed by Megaforce label head Jon Zazula, who signed them and provided a $15,000 recording budget (equivalent to $50,288.86 in 2026). Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who co-wrote several of Kill 'Em All's songs, was fired shortly before recording began; he was replaced by Kirk Hammett. The album was recorded in May 1983 with producer Paul Curcio at the Music America Studios in Rochester, New York. It was originally intended to be titled Metal Up Your Ass, with cover art featuring a hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. Zazula convinced the band to change these because distributors feared that releasing an album with such an offensive title and artwork would diminish its chances of commercial success. Metallica promoted the album on the two-month co-headlining Kill 'Em All for One tour with English heavy metal band Raven in the US. The album also generated two singles: \"Whiplash\" and \"Jump in the Fire\". Initially shipping 15,000 copies in the US, the album sold 60,000 copies worldwide by the end of Metallica's Seven Dates of Hell European tour in 1984. The album did not enter the Billboard 200 until 1986, when it peaked at number 155, following Metallica's commercial success with its third album, Master of Puppets; the 1988 Elektra reissue peaked at number 120. Kill 'Em All was critically praised at the time of its release and has since been regarded as a groundbreaking album for thrash metal. It was also retrospectively placed on a few publications' best-album lists. The album's musical approach and lyrics were markedly different from the rock mainstream of the early 1980s and inspired several bands that followed similarly. It was certified 4× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2025 for shipping four million copies in the United States. The album was remastered and reissued as an expanded box set in 2016.", "wds-Q753867": "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is the sixth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis, released as a double album on 22 November 1974 by Charisma Records. It is the group's final studio recording to feature founding lead vocalist Peter Gabriel, who departed following the conclusion of the album's promotional tour. Conceived as a rock opera, the album follows Rael, a rebellious youth living in New York City, who is drawn into a subterranean underworld. His journey serves as a psychological allegory of self-discovery, wherein he encounters bizarre, symbolic characters and challenges before achieving a spiritual awakening. The album's creation was marked by internal tensions. Gabriel insisted on devising the overarching concept and writing all the lyrics, breaking the band's established collaborative approach. Writing and recording sessions at Headley Grange and Glaspant Manor in Wales were further strained by Gabriel's brief departure to work with filmmaker William Friedkin, and by his frequent travel to be with his wife during a difficult first pregnancy. Consequently, the instrumental backing tracks were largely composed through jam sessions by the remaining members. Musically, the album marked a departure from the pastoral, British-centric mythology of the band's previous work, opting instead for contemporary American imagery, experimental instrumentation, and shorter song structures. This shift was reflected in the stark, black-and-white photographic cover art designed by Hipgnosis. Upon release, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway received mixed reviews from contemporary critics and initially failed to match the commercial sales of its predecessors, peaking at No. 10 in the UK and No. 41 in the US. Its three singles–\"Counting Out Time\", \"The Carpet Crawlers\", and the title track–failed to achieve significant chart success. Genesis supported the album with a 102-date tour across North America and Europe between 1974 and 1975, performing the double album in its entirety alongside an elaborate multimedia stage production that featured multi-screen slide projections and Gabriel portraying various characters in different costumes. The album was remastered in 1994, 2008, and most recently in 2025 for its 50th anniversary. In retrospect, the album has received widespread critical acclaim, with commentators frequently ranking it as a definitive work of the progressive rock genre.", "wds-Q127152": "Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987, by Mercury Records. The album is the follow-up to the band's 1983 breakthrough, Pyromania. Hysteria's creation took over three years and was plagued by delays, including the aftermath of the car accident on 31 December 1984 that cost drummer Rick Allen his left arm. Subsequent to the album's release, Def Leppard published a book titled Animal Instinct: The Def Leppard Story, written by Rolling Stone magazine senior editor David Fricke, on the three-year recording process of Hysteria and the difficult times the band endured through the mid-1980s. Lasting 62 minutes and 32 seconds, it is the band's longest studio album to date. Hysteria was the band's third and final album to be produced by Robert John \"Mutt\" Lange. Accordingly to Joe Elliott, many names for the album were floated around including a joke title \"Trouble Up Mill.\" Other titles that were considered were 'Paranoia' and 'Animal Instincts'. The final title of the album Hysteria was conceived by Allen referring to his car crash, the amputation of his arm, and the ensuing worldwide media coverage surrounding it. It is the last album to feature guitarist Steve Clark before his death in 1991, although songs co-written by him would appear on the band's next album, Adrenalize (1992). Although initial sales stalled outside the band's devoted fanbase, it soon became a worldwide commercial success, reaching number one on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. It is Def Leppard's best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the US alone, and spawned seven hit singles, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2018, Collin Brennan of Consequence included the album in his list of \"10 Hair Metal Albums That Don’t Suck\".", "wds-Q920627": "Tarkus is the second studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released on 4 June 1971 by Island Records. Following their debut tour across Europe during the second half of 1970, the group paused touring commitments in January 1971 to record a new album at Advision Studios in London. Greg Lake produced the album with Eddy Offord as engineer. Side one features the 20-minute conceptual title track written by keyboardist Keith Emerson, the opening of which created friction between Lake and Emerson that almost split the group, but Lake agreed to pursue it and contributed musical ideas for it and wrote the lyrics. Side two features a collection of unrelated tracks of different styles. The artwork was designed by William Neal. Tarkus went to number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the only album by the band to do so. It was a top 10 album worldwide, including the US, where it peaked at number 9. The album reached gold certification in the UK and US, the latter for 500,000 copies sold. It has been reissued and remastered several times, including a new stereo and 5.1 surround sound edition by Steven Wilson, with bonus and previously unreleased tracks from the original sessions, released in 2012.", "wds-Q572093": "Band on the Run is the third studio album by the British rock band Paul McCartney and Wings, released on 30 November 1973 in the United Kingdom and 5 December 1973 in the United States. It was Paul McCartney's fifth album after leaving the Beatles in April 1970 and his final album on Apple Records. A rock and pop rock album, Band on the Run's songs reflect themes of escape and freedom. The album was mostly recorded at EMI's studio in Lagos, Nigeria, as McCartney wanted to make an album in an exotic location. Shortly before departing for Lagos, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough left the group. With no time to recruit replacements, McCartney went into the studio with just his wife Linda and Denny Laine. McCartney therefore played bass, drums, percussion and most of the lead guitar parts. The studio was of poor quality, and conditions in Nigeria were tense and difficult; the McCartneys were robbed at knifepoint, losing a bag of song lyrics and demo tapes. After the band's return to England, final overdubs and further recording were carried out in London, mostly at AIR Studios. The cover photograph by Clive Arrowsmith was taken at Osterley Park, West London, and features the McCartneys and Laine with six celebrities dressed as convicts, and posed as though caught by a prison searchlight. Although sales were modest initially, its commercial performance was aided by two hit singles – \"Jet\" and \"Band on the Run\". McCartney did not want any singles at first, but agreed due to the modest sales. At the request of Capitol Records, Apple's US distributor, the non-album single \"Helen Wheels\" was added to the American version of the album, for commercial reasons. Enhanced by the success of the singles, Band on the Run topped the album charts in the UK and the US and became the top-selling studio album of 1974 in the UK and Australia. It remains McCartney's most successful album. After a string of poorly received projects, Band on the Run revitalised McCartney's critical standing, becoming his best-reviewed album following the break-up of the Beatles. It remains celebrated as one of McCartney's best solo albums and one of the best by a Beatle. It appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone in 2012 and by NME in 2013. The album has been reissued numerous times with bonus tracks, including in 1993 as part of The Paul McCartney Collection, in 1999 for its 25th anniversary, in 2010 as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection and in 2024 for its 50th anniversary.", "wds-Q755085": "Voulez-Vous (pronounced [vule vu]; French for \"Do you want (to)?\") is the sixth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. Released on 23 April 1979, the album yielded five hits, all of them big 1979 singles in Britain – \"Chiquitita\", \"Does Your Mother Know\", \"I Have a Dream\" and the double A-side \"Voulez-Vous\"/\"Angeleyes\". The title track showed the group embracing disco music, which at the time was at its peak. The album topped the charts in a number of countries and ranked among Britain's five best-selling albums of the year. It was the first ABBA album to be mainly recorded at Polar Studios in Stockholm, and the only ABBA album to include a studio recording made outside Sweden: the instrumental backing track for the title track was partly recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami. Voulez-Vous was first released on CD in 1984. The album has been digitally remastered and reissued four times: first in 1997, then in 2001 and in 2005 as part of The Complete Studio Recordings box set, and yet again in 2010 for the Voulez-Vous Deluxe Edition.", "wds-Q155358": "Music is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on September 18, 2000, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records. Following the success of her previous album Ray of Light (1998), Madonna found herself in a music scene increasingly influenced by a younger generation of singers such as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. This led her to seek a distinctive sound that would set her apart in the evolving musical landscape. Her collaborations with Mirwais Ahmadzaï and William Orbit resulted in a more experimental direction for the album. Music incorporates many different genres into its overall dance-pop and electronica vibe, taking influences from funk, house, techno, rock, country, folk and R&B. With the album embracing a western motif, Madonna reimagined her image in the role of a cowgirl. Music received acclaim from music critics, with many comparing its production to Ray of Light. The album earned a total of five Grammy Award nominations, winning one for Best Recording Package at the 43rd ceremony. The record was a commercial success, selling four million copies in its first ten days of release and topping the album charts in twenty-three countries. In the United States, it topped the Billboard 200 with over 420,000 copies sold first week—her highest to date. It additionally received multi-platinum certifications across the Americas, Europe, and the Asia–Pacific region. As of 2008, Music has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide. To promote Music, Madonna embarked on a small promotional tour, consisting of televised performances at occasions such as the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards and the 43rd Grammy Awards, and with two free concerts at Roseland Ballroom and Brixton Academy limited to contest winners. It was also supported by the Drowned World Tour in the following year, her first concert tour after eight years; the tour visited North America and Europe, grossing over US$75 million and making it the highest-grossing tour by a solo act of the year and fourth overall. Three official singles were released from the album. The title track was the lead single, topping the charts in 25 countries worldwide and becoming Madonna's 12th and, to date, final number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by the top-five single \"Don't Tell Me\" and \"What It Feels Like for a Girl\", which reached the top 10 in several countries worldwide. \"Impressive Instant\" was released as a promotional single in the United States, topping the Dance Club Songs chart. \"Amazing\" was also briefly released as a promotional single in selected countries before being withdrawn shortly afterward. Retrospectively, Music has been recognized by music journalists for anticipating a number of musical trends, such as electro-house, vocal manipulation, lyrical gibberish, chopped-up acoustics, and the adoption of cowboy kitsch.", "wds-Q113189": "Let's Dance is the fifteenth studio album by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 14 April 1983 through EMI America Records. Co-produced by Bowie and Nile Rodgers, the album was recorded in December 1982 at the Power Station in New York City. The sessions featured players from Rodgers' band Chic and the then-unknown Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitar. For the first time on an album, Bowie only sang and played no instruments. Musically, Let's Dance has been described as a post-disco record, with elements of dance-rock, dance-pop and new wave. The album contains two cover songs: Iggy Pop's \"China Girl\", which Bowie and Pop had recorded together for the latter's The Idiot (1977), and Metro's \"Criminal World\". It also includes a reworking of \"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)\", originally recorded by Bowie and Giorgio Moroder in 1982 for the film of the same name. Let's Dance was released to massive commercial success, reaching number one in numerous countries, and turned Bowie into a major superstar; it remains Bowie's best-selling album. The record's four singles, including the title track, were all commercially successful. The album received mixed reviews from critics whose opinions on the artistic content varied. \"Let's Dance\" and \"China Girl\" were supported by music videos that received heavy airplay on MTV. The album was supported by the successful Serious Moonlight Tour throughout 1983. Despite the album's success, Let's Dance began a period of low creativity for Bowie. Critics accused him of pandering to his newly acquired audience, reflected in poor reviews for his follow-up albums, Tonight (1984) and Never Let Me Down (1987). He later reflected poorly on the period, referring to it as his \"Phil Collins years\". The album was remastered in 2018 and included in the box set Loving the Alien (1983–1988).", "wds-Q211405": "The Game is the eighth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 30 June 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the United States. The album is the first by Queen to feature a synthesizer, specifically the Oberheim OB-X. The Game features a different, more pop-oriented sound compared to its predecessor, Jazz (1978). As a result of this stylistic shift, it became the only Queen album to reach number one in the US Billboard 200, and it remains their best-selling studio album in the United States, with four million copies sold. Songs on the album include the rockabilly tribute \"Crazy Little Thing Called Love\", which became the band's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and the funk-inspired \"Another One Bites the Dust\", which was their second and final US number-one hit. The album was reissued in May 2003 on DVD-Audio with Dolby 5.1 surround sound and DTS 5.1.", "wds-Q66057605": "\"Enter Sandman\" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist and guitarist Hetfield wrote the lyrics, which deal with the concept of a child's nightmares. The single reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and achieved a nine-times platinum certification for more than 9,000,000 copies shipped in the United States, spurring sales of over 30 million copies for Metallica and propelling Metallica to worldwide popularity. Acclaimed by critics, the song is featured in all of Metallica's live albums and DVDs released after 1991 and has been played live at award ceremonies and benefit concerts.", "wds-Q15664485": "Kiss Me Once is the twelfth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 14 March 2014 by Parlophone, her first musical effort since her 2010 release Aphrodite. After celebrating her 25th career anniversary, Minogue signed with the American agency Roc Nation, which is managed by American rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z. Intending to create a different musical experience, Minogue and her agency enlisted a variety of producers and collaborators, including musicians Sia, MNEK, Pharrell Williams, and Tom Aspaul. Musically, Kiss Me Once is a pop album that incorporates elements of dance music, electropop, R&B, dubstep, and disco. The album's lyrics cover a wide range of topics, including love, sex, empowerment, and having fun. Kiss Me Once received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics, with many praising Minogue's personality and charm throughout the record. However, critics were divided on the album's content, production quality, and lyrics. Commercially, Kiss Me Once debuted at number one in Australia and number two in the United Kingdom. Despite peaking in the top ten in several markets, sales were below expectations and moderately successful. Kiss Me Once yielded five singles: \"Into the Blue\", \"I Was Gonna Cancel\", \"Sexercize\", \"Million Miles\", and \"Beautiful\". The first two served as the album's official releases, performing moderately in commercial markets, while the latter three served as promotional singles. To promote the album, Minogue went on her Kiss Me Once Tour between September 2014 and March 2015. The tour did well commercially, but concert reviewers gave it mixed reviews. On 23 March 2015, a live recording and video were shot and released. Retrospectively, Kiss Me Once was seen as a misstep in Minogue's career by publications and critics, due to its lack of commercial success and appeal to audiences. After leaving Roc Nation the following year, Minogue expressed reservations about the project.", "wds-Q100351980": "Positions is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande. It was released by Republic Records on October 30, 2020. Grande worked with numerous producers on Positions, including frequent collaborator Tommy Brown, accompanied by longtime co-writers Victoria Monét and Tayla Parx. Inspired by her \"emotional healing\", Grande desired to emphasize her vocals on the album. Built around themes of sexual intimacy, attraction, and romantic devotion, Positions expands on the trap-infused R&B and pop sound of its predecessors, Sweetener (2018) and Thank U, Next (2019). Doja Cat, the Weeknd, and Ty Dolla Sign appear as guest features, alongside Megan Thee Stallion on the deluxe edition. Upon release, Positions was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics; Grande's vocal performance was often praised, though the album's lyrics and production style drew criticism. Publications ranked the album on various year-end best albums lists of 2020. The title track was released as the lead single, which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and marked Grande's fifth number-one single in the United States, making her the first act with five number-one debuts on the chart. The song was her third Hot 100 chart-topper in 2020, following \"Stuck with U\" and \"Rain on Me\". All 14 tracks on Positions charted simultaneously on the Hot 100, with the second single, \"34+35\", arriving at number eight on the chart and peaking at number two, following the release of its remix with Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion. In 2021, the album was promoted by a series of performances of its tracks, presented by Vevo, and the release of \"POV\" to US radio as the third single. With the debut of Positions atop the Billboard 200, Grande earned her fifth number one album in the United States. It spent two consecutive weeks at number one in the country, was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and became the eighth most consumed album of 2021 in the US. Elsewhere, the album reached number-one in Argentina, Canada, Croatia, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. Positions contended for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards (2022); Grande tied Kelly Clarkson for the most nominations for an act in the category, with five each.", "wds-Q113640799": "Midnights is the tenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 21, 2022, through Republic Records. A concept album about nocturnal ruminations, it contains confessional songs that explore regret, self-criticism, fantasies, heartbreak, and infatuation. The lyrical details allude to Swift's personal life and fame. Swift produced the album's standard edition with Jack Antonoff, while Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, and Keanu Beats each co-produced two tracks. Midnights is a synth-pop, electropop, bedroom pop, and dream pop album with elements of electronica, hip-hop, and R&B. Its minimalist, electronic production is characterized by analog synthesizers, sparse drum machine beats, and digitally manipulated vocals. Antonoff and Aaron Dessner co-produced an extended 3am Edition that was surprise-released three hours after the standard edition. Swift announced Midnights at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards and promoted it extensively through social media. Midnights topped the charts and received multi-platinum certifications across the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. In the United States, it became Swift's fifth album to debut atop the Billboard 200 with over one million first-week copies and the best-selling album of 2022. Its songs made Swift the first artist to monopolize the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100. Midnights spawned four singles: the US chart-topper \"Anti-Hero\" and top-five entries \"Snow on the Beach\", \"Lavender Haze\", and \"Karma\". Music critics regarded Midnights as an amalgamation of Swift's earlier albums and praised its autobiographical lyrics as engaging and refined. Most reviews complimented the production as cohesive and tasteful, although some deemed it conventional. Numerous publications featured the album on their rankings of the best albums of 2022. At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Midnights made Swift the first artist to win Album of the Year four times and also won Best Pop Vocal Album. To support Midnights along with her other albums, Swift embarked on the Eras Tour from March 2023 to December 2024.", "wds-Q201816": "Help! is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to the film Help!. It was released on 6 August 1965 by Parlophone. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles \"Help!\" and \"Ticket to Ride\", appeared in the film and take up the first side of the vinyl album. The second side includes \"Yesterday\", the most-covered song ever written. The album was met with favourable critical reviews and topped the Australian, German, British and American charts. During the recording sessions for the album, the Beatles continued to explore the studio's multitracking capabilities to layer their sound. \"Yesterday\" features a string quartet, the band's first use of Baroque sensibilities, and \"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away\" includes a flute section. The North American release is a true soundtrack album, combining the first seven songs with instrumental music from the film. The omitted tracks are instead spread across the Capitol Records LPs Beatles VI, Rubber Soul and Yesterday and Today. In the US, Help! marked the start of artistic recognition for the Beatles from mainstream critics, including comparisons to the European art music tradition. It was nominated in the category of Album of the Year at the 1966 Grammys Awards, marking the first time that a rock band had been recognised in this category. In 2000, it was voted 119th in the third edition of Colin Larkin's book All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2020, it was ranked 266th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\". In September 2013, after the British Phonographic Industry changed its sales award rules, Help! was certified platinum for recorded sales since 1994.", "wds-Q835555": "Dirt is the second studio album by the American rock band Alice in Chains, released on September 29, 1992, by Columbia Records. It was the band's last album recorded with all four original members, as bassist Mike Starr was fired in January 1993 during the tour to support the album. The majority of the songs were written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell, but for the first time, vocalist Layne Staley wrote two songs by himself (\"Hate to Feel\" and \"Angry Chair\"), featuring himself on guitar. The track \"Iron Gland\" features Tom Araya from Slayer on vocals. The album's lyrics explore depression, pain, anger, anti-social behavior, relationships, drug addiction (primarily heroin), war, death, and other emotionally charged topics. Dirt received critical acclaim and charted in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the US, it peaked at number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned five singles: \"Would?\", \"Them Bones\", \"Angry Chair\", \"Rooster\", and \"Down in a Hole\", all with accompanying music videos. Dirt was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. It is certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it Alice in Chains' most commercially successful album. Dirt is often considered a landmark album of the grunge era and been included in numerous best album lists. According to a writer of Pitchfork, the album made Alice in Chains \"one of the most famous bands in the world\". In 2022, the album returned to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart at number 9 following the release of its 30th anniversary reissue.", "wds-Q217018": "Nimrod (stylized as nimrod.) is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on October 14, 1997, by Reprise Records. The band began work on the album in the wake of the cancellation of a European tour after the release of their previous album, Insomniac. Recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, the album was written with the intent of creating a set of standalone songs as opposed to a cohesive album. Retrospectively, Nimrod is noted for its musical diversity and experimentation, containing elements of folk, hardcore, surf rock, and ska. Lyrical themes discussed include maturity, personal reflection, and fatherhood. The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard U.S. charts and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The record was also certified triple platinum in Australia and double platinum in Canada. Upon release, Nimrod received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the singer Billie Joe Armstrong's songwriting. The album yielded the acoustic single \"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)\", which appeared in numerous popular culture events, including the penultimate episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. To promote the album, Green Day embarked on an extensive touring schedule. The album was also reissued on vinyl on June 16, 2009, as well as for anniversary and deluxe edition releases in 2012, 2017, and 2023.", "wds-Q683079": "Violator is the seventh studio album by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 19 March 1990 by Mute Records internationally and by Sire and Reprise Records in the United States. It was produced by the band and Mark Ellis, professionally known as Flood. Tracks for the album were recorded in Milan, Gjerlev, and London, where the album was mixed by François Kevorkian. Accompanied by the singles \"Personal Jesus\", \"Enjoy the Silence\", \"Policy of Truth\" and \"World in My Eyes\", the album propelled the band into international stardom. Violator reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and became the band's first album to chart inside the top 10 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number seven. The album was supported by the World Violation Tour. As of 2006, the album was estimated to have sold over 7.5 million copies worldwide, making it Depeche Mode's best-selling album. Many previous producers, engineers and staff who have worked with Depeche Mode over the years have named Violator as their favorite Depeche Mode record. It has been included on several lists of the greatest albums of the 1990s, and of all time.", "wds-Q686598": "Close to the Edge is the fifth studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released in the UK on 8 September 1972 and in the United States on 13 September 1972 by Atlantic Records. Comprising just three extensive tracks, the record represents a peak in the group's 1970s progressive era. It is their final album until Union (1991) to feature original drummer Bill Bruford, who found the painstaking recording sessions intensely laborious—influencing his decision to leave Yes to join King Crimson prior to the album's release. Following the commercial success and promotional tour for their previous album Fragile (1971), Yes regrouped with producer and engineer Eddy Offord at Advision Studios in London to record a follow-up. Anderson and Howe compiled various musical sketches written on tour, which were meticulously assembled in the studio through a democratic, section-by-section arrangement process. The album's centrepiece is the 18-minute title track, an ambitious four-movement suite with lyrical themes inspired by the Hermann Hesse novel Siddhartha. Side two features two contrasting pieces: the pastoral, folk-infused \"And You and I\" and the hard-driving rocker \"Siberian Khatru\". The musical arrangements prominently integrated Rick Wakeman's virtuosic use of the Mellotron and church organ, expanding the band's sonic palette. The minimalist green sleeve art, designed by Roger Dean and inspired by the tarns of Haystacks, marked the historic debut of the band's iconic \"bubble\" logotype. Upon release, Close to the Edge became the band's greatest commercial success to date, reaching No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard 200, where it maintained a chart residency of over thirty weeks and eventually earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million copies. Yes supported the record with the 1972–1973 world tour comprising over 90 dates, which marked the debut of replacement drummer Alan White. The record has been reissued multiple times, including expanded editions in 2003 and 2013 featuring new stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes, and a comprehensive multi-disc Super Deluxe Edition box set in 2025 featuring a Dolby Atmos mix. Close to the Edge has since received widespread critical acclaim as a progressive rock masterwork, consistently appearing on Rolling Stone's list of the \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\".", "wds-Q252447": "Like a Prayer is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on March 20, 1989, by Sire Records. It saw Madonna continue to work with the producers Patrick Leonard and Stephen Bray, with whom she had collaborated on her previous album True Blue (1986), and the soundtrack for the 1987 film Who's That Girl. The musician Prince also collaborated on the record, co-writing and co-producing one of the tracks alongside Madonna. Her most introspective release at the time, Like a Prayer is a pop record with elements of rock and dance-pop. Its lyrics deal with personal themes she had been too afraid to approach on previous albums: her Catholic upbringing, her troubled marriage to actor Sean Penn, the death of her mother, and her relationship with her father. Upon its release, Like a Prayer received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised its introspective tone, cohesiveness, and Madonna's increased artistic maturity. Commercially, it was an international success, reaching the top of the charts in 20 countries. Certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, Like a Prayer has sold over five million copies in the US and 15 million copies worldwide. Six singles were released from the album: the title track, \"Like a Prayer\", became Madonna's seventh number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, while \"Express Yourself\" and \"Cherish\" both peaked at number two, and \"Keep It Together\" became a top-ten hit. The album was promoted on Madonna's third concert tour, 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour, which visited cities in Asia, North America, and Europe. In retrospective reviews, Like a Prayer has been noted as a turning point in Madonna's career; she began to be seen as a serious artist rather than a mere pop star. Critics and authors also noted the album's influence on the subsequent work of female singers. Often referred to as one of the greatest albums of all time, Like a Prayer has been included in several musical reference books and best-of lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and Apple Music's 100 Best Albums.", "wds-Q308899": "Powerslave is the fifth studio album by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 3 September 1984 through EMI Records in Europe, and on 14 September 1984, through its sister label Capitol Records, in the US. It was re-released by Sanctuary and Columbia Records in the US in 2002. The songs \"2 Minutes to Midnight\" and \"Aces High\" were released as singles. Its cover artwork is notable for its Ancient Egypt theme. That theme, taken from the title track, was carried over to the album's supporting tour, the World Slavery Tour. This began in Warsaw, Poland, on 9 August 1984; it is widely regarded as being the band's longest and most arduous tour to date, and led to the live album Live After Death. The release contains a musical re-telling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the lyrics of which include some lines from the poem. At 13 minutes and 45 seconds in length, this was Iron Maiden's longest song for over 30 years until it was surpassed by the 18-minute \"Empire of the Clouds\" from the 2015 album The Book of Souls. Powerslave is notable as the band's first album to feature the same personnel as their previous studio release. This lineup would remain intact for two further studio releases. It is also their last album to date to feature an instrumental piece, and the only one until Senjutsu (2021) in which longtime member and guitarist Dave Murray does not have a songwriting credit.", "wds-Q543362": "\"Complicated\" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne from her debut album, Let Go (2002). It was released as her debut single on 11 March 2002 by Arista Records. Written by Lavigne and its producers the Matrix (Lauren Christy, Scott Spock, and Graham Edwards), the song is about being honest with oneself rather than \"putting on a face\". \"Complicated\" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the song as infectious pop rock. It peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately selling 1.1 million copies in the US. The song also spent sixteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, breaking a record previously held by Natalie Imbruglia's \"Torn\". Internationally, the song topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway, with the song peaking in the top five in over twenty countries. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.", "wds-Q938642": "Goats Head Soup is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 31 August 1973 by Rolling Stones Records. Like its predecessor Exile on Main St., the band composed and recorded much of it outside of the United Kingdom due to their status as tax exiles—specifically, in Jamaica and the United States. The album contains ten tracks, including the lead single \"Angie\" which went to number one as a single in the US and the top five in the UK. The album was the last to be produced by Jimmy Miller, who was an architect of the Rolling Stones sound during their most acclaimed period, which began with 1968's Beggars Banquet. The band's bass guitarist, Bill Wyman, appears on only three of the album's ten tracks, but the rest of the Rolling Stones—lead vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, and drummer Charlie Watts—play on every track, except \"Winter\", which does not feature Richards. Regular Rolling Stones collaborators, including saxophonist Bobby Keys, organist Billy Preston, and pianists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart, also feature. Goats Head Soup achieved number one chart positions in the UK, US and several other world markets. Nevertheless, it received mixed reviews from critics and audiences and is generally seen as the beginning of the band's decline after a string of critically acclaimed albums. In recent times, however, its reception has grown in stature. The band supported the album on a tour of Europe following its release. The album was remastered and released in 1994 and again in 2009 by Virgin Records and Universal Music respectively. It was remixed by Giles Martin for a 2020 reissue, including a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and unreleased outtakes. The reissue returned the album to number one in the UK charts.", "wds-Q177943": "Madonna is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on July 27, 1983, by Sire Records. In the late 1970s, Madonna had established herself as a singer in downtown New York City; alongside her Michigan boyfriend Stephen Bray, she put together a demo tape with four dance tracks and began pitching it around local nightclubs. She managed to get Mark Kamins, the resident DJ at Danceteria, to play \"Everybody\"—one of the songs from the tape. The song drew positive reception from the crowd, and Kamins took Madonna to Sire Records, where label president Seymour Stein signed her to a deal for three twelve-inch singles. Following its release on October 6, 1982, \"Everybody\" found success in the dance scene, and the label approved the recording of an album. For the album, Madonna worked with Warner Bros. producer Reggie Lucas, who had worked with artists such as Roberta Flack and Stephanie Mills. Soon, however, problems between the singer and Lucas arose, as she was not happy with his production work. Madonna then invited John \"Jellybean\" Benitez, her boyfriend at the time, to work on and remix the rest of the album. Madonna is mostly a dance-pop and post-disco album, and features some of the newest technology of the time, including the LinnDrum drum machine, Moog bass and Oberheim OB-X synthesizer. The songs mostly address love and partying. Five singles were released from the album: \"Everybody\" and \"Burning Up\" were released months before it was completed; neither song made a major impact on the charts. \"Holiday\" was Madonna's big breakout single, followed by \"Lucky Star\" and \"Borderline\". Upon release, Madonna received generally positive reviews from critics, who highlighted its dance-oriented nature and sound. In the United States, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It reached the top ten of the charts in Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and has sold an estimated 10 million copies worldwide. Between 1983 and 1984, Madonna promoted the album and singles through a series of live appearances in nightclubs and television programs across the United States and Europe. The singles were then performed on the Virgin Tour of 1985, Madonna's first concert tour. In retrospective reviews, Madonna has been referred to as one of the greatest debut albums of all time, and one of the best albums from the 1980s. Critics have also said that it helped to make dance music popular again and \"set the standard\" of dance-pop for decades afterwards; its influence can be seen in the work of female artists such as Janet Jackson, Debbie Gibson, Kylie Minogue, and Lady Gaga.", "wds-Q642470": "The Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by American singer Madonna, released on November 12, 1990, by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles recorded throughout the 1980s, as well as two new tracks, \"Justify My Love\" and \"Rescue Me\". All the previously released material was reworked using QSound audio technology, making it the first album to use the process. For the new material, Madonna worked with Lenny Kravitz and Shep Pettibone. The album's title is a pun on the Immaculate Conception, a Marian dogma of the Catholic Church. The release of the album was accompanied by a home video of the same name, an EP titled The Holiday Collection, and a box set titled The Royal Box. \"Justify My Love\" was released as the lead single from the album, with a controversial music video featuring overtly sexual imagery. After being banned by MTV, the video was released on VHS and became the best-selling video single of all time. It also became Madonna's ninth number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second single, \"Rescue Me\", achieved the highest debut on the chart since the Beatles' \"Let It Be\" (1970) and peaked at number nine. The Immaculate Collection received universal acclaim from critics, who deemed it a defining retrospective of 1980s music. The album reached number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, while topping the charts in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. It was certified 11× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it Madonna's second diamond-certified album in the United States. The Immaculate Collection has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making it her best-selling album, the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist, and one of the best-selling albums of all time. It has been featured on all-time critic lists by several publications, including Blender which named it the greatest American album of all time.", "wds-Q1410765": "Riot! is the second studio album by the American rock band Paramore. It was released in the United States on June 12, 2007, through Fueled by Ramen as a follow-up to the band's debut album, All We Know Is Falling (2005). The album was produced by David Bendeth and written primarily by band members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro, with Bendeth. The album explores a \"diverse range of styles\", while not straying far from the \"signature sound\" of their debut album, with several critics comparing it to the music of Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne. Riot! received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its sound and catchiness, and noted its \"crossover potential\". The album was successful in the United States, reaching number fifteen on the Billboard 200 and being certified triple-platinum on April 20, 2021, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was also certified double-platinum in New Zealand by Recorded Music NZ and the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and gold in Canada by Music Canada. Its lead single, \"Misery Business\", reached top-thirty and forty positions in the US and is considered the band's breakthrough hit, credited with introducing the band to a mainstream audience. Its third and fourth singles, \"Crushcrushcrush\", and \"That's What You Get\", were also successful, with both achieving a platinum certification by the RIAA.", "wds-Q157534": "Black Ice is the fifteenth studio album by the Australian rock band AC/DC. First released in Europe on 17 October 2008 and released internationally on 20 October 2008, it was produced by Brendan O'Brien. It marked the band's first original recordings since Stiff Upper Lip (2000), with the eight-year gap being the longest between AC/DC's successive studio albums. The album was the band's final studio release to feature founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who left the band in September 2014 after being diagnosed with dementia, and died three years later. The album's development was delayed because bass guitarist Cliff Williams sustained an injury and the band changed labels from Elektra Records to Sony Music. The first composing sessions between guitarists/brothers Angus and Malcolm Young were in London in 2003. Recording happened during March and April 2008 at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. O'Brien tried to recapture the rock sound of the band's early work, as opposed to the blues orientation of Stiff Upper Lip, with suggestions such as adding \"soul crooning\" to Brian Johnson's singing. The songs were mostly recorded live in the studio; engineer Mike Fraser used only sparse overdubs and effects to keep the tracks as close to the originals as possible. Black Ice was released exclusively in physical formats, as the group did not sell its music digitally at the time. Wal-Mart received exclusive rights to distribute the album in North America. Its release was promoted with an extensive marketing campaign, which included displays of AC/DC memorabilia. The four singles issued from the album were, \"Rock 'n' Roll Train\", \"Big Jack\", \"Anything Goes\", and \"Money Made\". Black Ice peaked at number one in 29 countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. It was the second best-selling record of 2008, behind Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends and had shipped 6 million copies worldwide by December. Critical reviews were generally positive, praising the music and its resemblance to the classic AC/DC sound, although some critics found the work too long and inconsistent. The track \"War Machine\" won the Best Hard Rock Performance category at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. The album itself was nominated for many awards, including the Grammy, Brit, Juno and ARIA Music Awards; and was supported by a world tour between 2008 and 2010.", "wds-Q44104": "Dangerous is the eighth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released through Epic Records on November 21, 1991. It was released four years after Jackson's previous album, Bad (1987). Jackson departed from longtime collaborator Quincy Jones, instead co-producing the album with Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, and Bruce Swedien. The album features guest appearances from Heavy D, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Slash, and Wreckx-n-Effect. The album incorporates new jack swing, pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Jackson wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, centered on topics like lust, unity, social issues, and self-improvement. Dangerous is considered an artistic change for Jackson, with a more socially conscious material and a broader range of sounds and styles, including underground sounds. It features industrial, funk, electronic, gospel, classical, and rock. Nine singles from the album premiered between November 1991 and December 1993, including one exclusively released outside North America (\"Give In to Me\"). In support of the album, Jackson embarked on the Dangerous World Tour, which grossed $100 million. Dangerous was generally a critical success, with praise for its artistic leap compared to Jackson's previous albums. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and remained there for four consecutive weeks. It also reached number 1 in fourteen other countries. In 1992, it became Jackson's third consecutive album to become the year's best-selling album worldwide. \"Black or White\" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and \"Remember the Time\", \"In the Closet\", and \"Will You Be There\" reached the top ten. Dangerous is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold 32 million copies worldwide, and is certified eight-times platinum in the United States. It has been included in several best-album lists and received numerous awards, including Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 1993 Grammy Awards and Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Song (for \"Remember the Time\") at the 1993 American Music Awards. It has since been credited by critics as Jackson's final \"classic\" album and his most artistically ambitious work.", "wds-Q858750": "Red is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 22, 2012, through Big Machine Records. Inspired by a breakup that left behind emotional tumult, Swift framed Red as a breakup album that chronicles the aftermath of a failed relationship. The songs on Red depict the complex and conflicting feelings ensuing from lost love. To convey those sentiments through music, Swift enlisted new producers to experiment with styles other than the country pop sound of her past albums. She produced Red with Nathan Chapman, Dann Huff, Max Martin, Shellback, Jeff Bhasker, Dan Wilson, Jacknife Lee, and Butch Walker. Regarded by critics as a primarily pop record, it incorporates eclectic styles of rock, folk, and country, featuring both acoustic instruments and electronic arrangements of synths and drum machines. Swift promoted Red as a country album, although music critics debated its genre classification and questioned her identity as a country artist. Swift supported the album with the Red Tour (2013–2014) and seven singles; \"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together\" and \"I Knew You Were Trouble\" peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the top 10 in several countries; and \"Begin Again\" and \"Red\" were US country top-10 singles. Red topped the charts and received multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it spent seven weeks atop the Billboard 200—making Swift the first artist since the Beatles to have three consecutive albums with over six weeks at number one—and was certified eight-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Initial reviews of Red mostly praised Swift's songwriting for showcasing mature perspectives and sharp details, although the pop-leaning production divided critics who deemed it either bold or inconsistent. Red was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Retrospectively, critics have regarded it as a career-defining album that reflected Swift's maturity and pushed her songwriting to greater heights. Rolling Stone placed the album at number 99 on their 2023 revision of \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\". Following a 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's back catalog, she released the re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version) in 2021, and acquired the original album's master recording in 2025.", "wds-Q16736266": "1000 Forms of Fear is the sixth studio album by Australian singer Sia. It was released on 4 July 2014 by Monkey Puzzle and RCA Records worldwide, and Inertia Records in Australia. Primarily an electropop album, the record also incorporates influences from reggae and hip hop. Lyrically, the record is focused on Sia struggling to deal with drug addiction and a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder at the time, later rediagnosed as complex PTSD in 2019. 1000 Forms of Fear received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Sia's vocals as well as the album's lyrical content. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 52,000 copies. The release also charted atop the charts of Australia and Canada, and reached the top five charts of Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. As of 26 October 2015, it has been certified gold by the RIAA denoting 500,000 equivalent-album units sold in the United States. As of January 2016, the album has sold 1 million copies worldwide. The album spawned four singles. Its lead single, \"Chandelier\", released in March 2014, became a worldwide top-10 single; it also peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first song by Sia to enter the chart as a lead artist. \"Big Girls Cry\" was released in June 2014. Sia's solo version of \"Elastic Heart\", which was originally a collaboration with The Weeknd and Diplo, was released in January 2015, and reached the top 20 of the Hot 100. \"Fire Meet Gasoline\" was released as the fourth and final single in Germany on 19 June 2015. The official music video for \"Chandelier\" has been viewed on YouTube more than 2 billion times, and the video for \"Elastic Heart\" has been viewed more than 1 billion times. To promote the project, Sia appeared on a number of TV shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she recruited Maddie Ziegler, who starred in three music videos from the album, as her persona onstage, during 2014 and 2015. 1000 Forms of Fear earned Sia three ARIA Music Awards in 2014 and was listed as one of the best albums of 2014 by several publications, including The Boston Globe and Rolling Stone. The lead single \"Chandelier\" received four Grammy nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Music Video.", "wds-Q19627383": "Blurryface is the fourth studio album by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on May 17, 2015, through Fueled by Ramen. Lyrically, the album incorporates themes of mental health, insecurity, doubt, and religion. It contains the hit singles \"Stressed Out\" and \"Ride\", both of which reached the top-five on the US Billboard Hot 100. Blurryface was well received by critics, who complimented its themes and musical diversity. It is considered to be the band's breakthrough album, becoming their first release to reach number one on the Billboard 200. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States as of April 2017. In 2018, Blurryface became the first album in the digital era to have every track receive at least a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. On May 15, 2019, it reached the milestone of being on the Billboard 200 chart for four consecutive years, never leaving the chart up until that point. It is also one of the most-streamed albums of all time.", "wds-Q21450442": "Blackstar (stylised as ★) is the twenty-sixth and final studio album by the English musician David Bowie. Released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday, the album was recorded in secret in New York City with his longtime co-producer Tony Visconti and a group of local jazz musicians: Donny McCaslin (saxophone), Jason Lindner (piano), Tim Lefebvre (bass) and Mark Guiliana (drums). Ben Monder and James Murphy contributed additional guitar and percussion, respectively. The album contains \"Lazarus\", from the 2015 musical of the same name, and re-recorded versions of the 2014 songs \"Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)\" and \"'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore\". More experimental than its predecessor The Next Day (2013), Blackstar combines atmospheric art rock with various styles of jazz. Bowie took inspiration from artists including Kendrick Lamar and Death Grips, listening to them during the album's production. The album's lyrics feature themes of death, with many songs being told from the perspective of the dead or dying. The cover art, designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, features a large black star with five star segments at the bottom that spell out the word Bowie. The album was preceded by the singles \"Blackstar\" and \"Lazarus\", both of which were supported by music videos. Two days after its release, Bowie died following a private 18-month battle with liver cancer; Visconti described the album as a parting gift for his fans after his death. Upon release, the album was met with commercial success, topping charts in many countries, including the United Kingdom, following Bowie's death, and became his only album to top the Billboard 200 in the United States. It was the fifth-best-selling album of the year worldwide. Blackstar received widespread acclaim as Bowie's most musically challenging album in decades, with critics praising the music, themes and performances of the backing band. It received three Grammy Awards and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year in 2017. It was listed as one of the best albums of 2016 and later of the 2010s decade by numerous publications. The work was re-analysed following Bowie's death, with critics and fans reinterpreting its lyrics, title and artwork as hinting at the artist's demise. Blackstar has since been described by publications and commentators as one of Bowie's best albums, a perfect farewell to his fans, and one of the best final albums ever.", "wds-Q30005084": "Camila is the debut solo studio album by American singer Camila Cabello. It was released on January 12, 2018, through Epic Records and Syco. Work on the album began in January 2017, following Cabello's departure from the girl group Fifth Harmony. The project was originally titled The Hurting. The Healing. The Loving., with Cabello's debut solo single \"Crying in the Club\" intended as the lead single. The album was later retitled Camila with \"Havana\" serving as its official lead single due to the rising success of the song, and \"Crying in the Club\" was cut from the final track listing. \"Havana\" became an international success, topping the charts of multiple countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, the UK, and the US, and reaching the top 10 of several others. Primarily a pop record, it also incorporates elements of R&B, Latin, reggaeton, dancehall and hip hop. Camila was produced by Frank Dukes, Skrillex and T-Minus, among others. Camila was met with generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom commended the Latin influences and ballads. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 119,000 album-equivalent units, of which 65,000 came from pure album sales. The album sold 5 million copies as of 2019. \"Never Be the Same\" was released as a single on December 7, 2017, reaching the top 10 in several countries. \"Consequences\" was released to contemporary hit radio as the album's final single on October 9, 2018, and an orchestra version was serviced to adult contemporary radio in October 22. Cabello promoted the album through televised performances, her Never Be the Same Tour (2018–19), and as an opening act on Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour (2018). Camila was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.", "wds-Q107597380": "Music of the Spheres (subtitled Vol. I: From Earth with Love) is the ninth studio album by British rock band Coldplay. Released on 15 October 2021 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic in the United States, the album was produced by Max Martin, who is a new producer to the band's discography. It features guest appearances from Selena Gomez, We Are King, Jacob Collier and BTS, as well as returning contributions from electronic producer Jon Hopkins. Music of the Spheres is the band's second concept album after 2011's Mylo Xyloto. The album explores pop, pop rock, space rock, space music and ambient influences. It is set in a fictional planetary system called The Spheres, which contains nine planets, three natural satellites, a star and a nebula, with each one of them corresponding to a certain track on the record. According to lead singer Chris Martin, its concept and themes were not only based on Mylo Xyloto, but also inspired by the Star Wars film franchise, which made him and the other band members wonder what other artists could be like across the universe, while also using the planets as a canvas to explore human experience. In anticipation for the album, Coldplay released \"Higher Power\" and \"My Universe\" as singles, with the former being nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, and the latter being nominated for the same award at the following year's ceremony. \"My Universe\" also debuted at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Coldplay the first British group in history to achieve the feat. \"Let Somebody Go\" was later released as the third official single on 7 February 2022. \"Coloratura\", \"People of the Pride\", \"Biutyful\" and a live version of \"Humankind\" were served as promotional singles. Music of the Spheres received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom criticised the album's overtly pop sensibilities and style. The album's closing song, \"Coloratura\", however, was acclaimed for its lengthy, unconventional structure and production. The album was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the band's third nomination in both categories. It became the first album of the 2020s to debut atop the UK Albums Chart with more than 100,000 units. To support the record, Coldplay embarked on the Music of the Spheres World Tour and released an accompanying concert film. It was the first volume of the Music of the Spheres series, the second being Moon Music (2024).", "wds-Q187507": "Master of Puppets is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on March 3, 1986, by Elektra Records. Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, at Sweet Silence Studios with producer Flemming Rasmussen, it is the band's final album to feature bassist Cliff Burton. While touring in support of Master of Puppets, he died on September 27, 1986, after the band's tour bus was involved in an accident in Dörarp, Sweden. The album's artwork, designed by Metallica and Peter Mensch and painted by Don Brautigam, depicts a cemetery field of white crosses tethered to strings, manipulated by a pair of hands in a clouded, blood-red sky, with a fiery orange glow on the horizon. The album is the band's most recent to date to feature a runtime of under an hour. Instead of releasing a single or video in advance of the album's release, Metallica embarked on a five-month American tour in support of Ozzy Osbourne. The European leg was canceled after Burton's death in September 1986, and the band returned home to audition a new bassist. Master of Puppets peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised its music and political lyrics. It is widely regarded to be one of the greatest and most influential metal albums of all time, and is credited with consolidating the American thrash metal scene. It was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2025 for shipping eight million copies in the United States, and was later certified 6× Platinum by Music Canada and single platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In 2015, Master of Puppets became the first metal recording to be selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.\" The album was remastered and reissued as an expanded box set in 2017.", "wds-Q182518": "A Hard Day's Night is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name. A Hard Day's Night is the band's first album to contain all-original material, penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by United Artists Records, with a different track listing including some from George Martin's film score. The album includes the song \"A Hard Day's Night\", with its distinctive opening chord, and \"Can't Buy Me Love\", both transatlantic number-one singles for the band. Several songs feature George Harrison playing a Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, with its sound influencing the Byrds and other groups in the emerging folk rock and jangle pop genres.", "wds-Q744013": "Waterloo is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the first released internationally. It was originally released on 4 March 1974 in Sweden through Polar Music. The album's lead single won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and became a global hit, launching the group's career. The album topped the charts in Sweden and Norway while also reaching the top ten in Finland and Germany.", "wds-Q15661": "Oxygène (French pronunciation: [ɔksiˈʒɛn], English: Oxygen) is the third studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre. It was first released in France in December 1976 by Disques Motors, and distributed internationally in 1977 by Polydor Records. Jarre recorded the album in a makeshift studio that he set up in his apartment in Paris, using a variety of analog and digital synthesizers, and other electronic instruments and effects. French sound engineer Michel Geiss helped Jarre in the purchase, recording and programming of some instruments used on the album. Jarre's musical style was influenced by musique concrète, developed by Pierre Schaeffer. The album was supported by two singles, \"Oxygène (Part II)\" and \"Oxygène (Part IV)\". Following the international success of the latter, the album became Jarre's breakthrough, reaching number one on the French Albums Charts. It was inspired by the track \"Popcorn\" by German-American electronic composer Gershon Kingsley. Oxygène has been described as the album that \"led the synthesizer revolution of the Seventies\" and \"an infectious combination of bouncy, bubbling analog sequences and memorable hook lines\". The album influenced later artists such as Moby and Brian Canham of Pseudo Echo. In 1978, it would be followed by Equinoxe and in 1979, Jarre held an open-air concert at the Place de la Concorde, causing the sales of both albums to increase, reaching worldwide figures of 15 million copies. As of 2016 it had sold an estimated 18 million copies and is one of the best-selling French, electronic and instrumental albums in history.", "wds-Q832452": "Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, released on 3 November 1980 via Polar Music. A pop and pop rock record, it was the last album to be recorded while members Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson were married, as the two would divorce in 1981. The album's title is taken from the spotlight of the same name. Super Trouper received a positive reception from music critics, and has even been named by some as their best studio album. It was a hugely successful album, becoming the United Kingdom's best-selling album of 1980 despite the late release into the year. Reportedly, the album received one million advance orders in the country. Elsewhere, the album topped charts in Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Norway, and the group's native Sweden. The album has reportedly sold over eight million copies worldwide.", "wds-Q1330171": "\"Every Breath You Take\" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their fifth and final studio album Synchronicity (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest American and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for eight weeks (the band's only No. 1 hit on that chart), and the Canadian RPM chart for two weeks. Their fifth UK No. 1, \"Every Breath You Take\" topped the UK singles chart for four weeks. It also reached the top 10 in numerous other countries. In May 2019, the song was recognised by BMI as being the most played song in radio history. \"Every Breath You Take\" is the Police's and Sting's signature song, and in 2010, it was estimated to generate between a quarter and a third of Sting's music publishing income. At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards, \"Every Breath You Take\" was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Record of the Year, winning in the first two categories. For the song, Sting received the 1983 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). In the 1983 Rolling Stone critics' and readers' poll, \"Every Breath You Take\" was voted the \"Song of the Year\". In the United States, the song was the best-selling single of 1983 and the fifth-best-selling single of the decade. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1983. \"Every Breath You Take\" was ranked No. 305 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It also ranked number 25 on Billboard's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs. In 2008, Q magazine named the song among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s. In 2015, \"Every Breath You Take\" was voted by the British public as The Nation's Favourite 1980s number one in a UK-wide poll for ITV.", "wds-Q383227": "Ten is the debut studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991, through Epic Records. Following the dissolution of their previous band Mother Love Bone in 1990, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard began rehearsing with new guitarist Mike McCready. The group recorded a five-song instrumental demo tape featuring Matt Cameron on drums. Copies of the demo were eventually given to drummer Dave Krusen and vocalist Eddie Vedder, both of whom were invited to audition for the band in Seattle. Many of the songs on Ten began as instrumental jams or Mother Love Bone songs for which Vedder composed new melodies and lyrics. Despite its reputation as a quintessential grunge album, Ten is often noted for displaying a stronger classic rock influence than other contemporary grunge releases, drawing comparisons to the work of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. The album is also characterised as having an anthemic, rich sound. Ten was not an immediate commercial success, but by late 1992, it had reached number two on the Billboard 200. The album produced three hit singles: \"Alive\", \"Even Flow\", and \"Jeremy\". \"Jeremy\" became one of Pearl Jam's best-known songs, and received nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock Performance at the 35th Grammy Awards. MTV put the video for \"Jeremy\" into heavy rotation; it received four awards at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year and Best Group Video. In 2021, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Beyond its role in consolidating the mainstream success of grunge rock in the early 1990s, Ten is generally considered to have been instrumental in the rise and dominance of alternative rock throughout the decade. The album has since been ranked by several publications as one of the greatest albums of all time. By February 2013, it had sold 10 million copies in the US, becoming the 22nd record to do so in the Nielsen SoundScan era, and has been certified 13× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Ten remains Pearl Jam's most commercially successful album.", "wds-Q208326": "Body Language is the ninth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was released on 10 November 2003 by Parlophone. Following the commercial success of her eighth studio album Fever (2001), Minogue enlisted a diverse group of writers and producers to aid in creating a new album, including Cathy Dennis, Dan Carey, Emiliana Torrini, Johnny Douglas, and Kurtis Mantronik among others. Influenced by the musical works of the 1980s and artists like Prince and Scritti Politti, Body Language musically differs from Minogue's previous albums, which mainly featured disco-oriented dance-pop tracks, and instead explores genres like synth-pop, electroclash, R&B, and hip hop. Lyrically, the album touches upon themes of flirtation, romance, introspection and heartbreak. Following its release, Body Language received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented Minogue for experimenting with new genres and the overall production of the album. Some critics, however, opined that many songs lacked catchy material and were not suitable for dancing. Commercially, Body Language peaked at number two on the albums chart of Australia and was certified double-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number six and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Three singles were released from Body Language. \"Slow\" was released as the lead single in November 2003 and was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the singles charts of Australia, Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom. \"Red Blooded Woman\" was released as the second single and reached the top five in Australia and the United Kingdom. \"Chocolate\" was released as the final single and peaked inside the top 10 in the United Kingdom. Minogue performed at a one-off concert-show titled \"Money Can't Buy\", on 15 November 2003 to mark the release of the album. Body Language became notable for displaying another change in Minogue's persona and is cited as an example of her numerous \"reinventions\". The album sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. It was reissued for the album's twentieth anniversary, on vinyl for the first time ever, on 8 March 2024.", "wds-Q863889": "Standing on the Shoulder of Giants is the fourth studio album by English rock band Oasis, released on 28 February 2000. It was the band's first album under their new record label Big Brother Recordings. In the year preceding the album's release, Alan McGee closed Creation Records, and Oasis had lost two founding members (Paul \"Bonehead\" Arthurs and Paul \"Guigsy\" McGuigan) and hired new producer Mark \"Spike\" Stent to replace Owen Morris. The album marked a significant change from the Britpop scene to a modern psychedelic record complete with drum loops, samples, electric sitar, Mellotron, synthesisers and backward guitars, resulting in an album more experimental with electronica and heavy psychedelic rock influences. Songs such as \"Go Let It Out\", the psychedelic-influenced \"Who Feels Love?\", and the trip hop sounds on \"Gas Panic!\" departed from the band's earlier style. This album also marked the first time that lead singer Liam Gallagher contributed on songwriting (\"Little James\"), and this process continued for their subsequent albums, instead of relying solely on Noel Gallagher's songwriting as they had for the first three albums. It is the 16th-fastest-selling album in UK chart history, selling over 310,000 copies in its first week. Standing on the Shoulder of Giants has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry and has sold around 208,000 copies in the US.", "wds-Q473274": "Wishmaster is the third studio album by the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. It was released on 8 May 2000 through Spinefarm Records in Finland. The album was released in the rest of Europe by Drakkar Entertainment on 29 May, and in Japan by Toy's Factory on 19 July. In the US, it was released by Century Media on 6 February 2001. Wishmaster peaked at No. 1 in the official Finnish charts; the album also debuted in the European charts at No. 21 in Germany and No. 66 in France. Wishmaster has sold more than 79,447 copies in Finland alone, and as of January 2023, more than 150,000 copies have been sold in Germany alone, certifying the album Gold. In 2019, Metal Hammer ranked it as the 18th best power metal album of all time. Most reissues of the album contain the song \"Sleepwalker\", which was released in July 2000 to compete in the Finnish national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2000.", "wds-Q223743": "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix is a remix album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on May 20, 1997, by Epic Records, and is the second album also released by MJJ Productions, Jackson's record label. The album comprises eight remixes of songs from Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and five new songs that failed to make previous albums. Jackson was involved primarily with the production of the new material; the remixes were produced by other artists. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix incorporates R&B, pop, industrial, hip hop, house, funk and new jack swing. It concerns themes such as drug addiction, sex, relationships, and paranoia. Though Blood on the Dance Floor received minimal promotion by Jackson's standards, particularly in the United States, the short film Michael Jackson's Ghosts, two singles (\"Blood on the Dance Floor\" and \"Ghosts\"), a promotional single (\"Is It Scary\"), and a music video were issued as promotion. Although initial sales in the United States were seen as disappointing for Jackson, it reached number one throughout Europe, including in France, Belgium, Spain, the UK, and New Zealand. Michael Jackson's Ghosts premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the Blood on the Dance Floor promotion. The short film, also considered the official music video for \"Ghosts\", won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video. Reviews for Blood on the Dance Floor were mixed, with some critics feeling that Jackson had already explored these musical themes and others criticizing what they perceived as weak vocals. Other critics were more favorable, noting the album for its incorporation of genres Jackson previously had not explored, justifying the use of previous themes but with \"brutal honesty\". Blood on the Dance Floor: has sold over six million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling remix album in history. On October 20, 2000, it was certified platinum in the US.", "wds-Q834397": "Impossible Princess (briefly retitled Kylie Minogue in Europe) is the sixth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, released on 22 October 1997, by Deconstruction, BMG and Mushroom Records. The singer asserted greater creative control over the project—solo-writing almost every song on the album and producing material for the first time—compared to her previous work, assisted by Brothers in Rhythm, Manic Street Preachers, David Ball and Rob Dougan. Influenced by the techno and Britpop revolution in the mid-to-late 1990s, sonically, Impossible Princess is a departure from Minogue's previous work. Conceived as an experimental record, the material encompasses a variety of darker styles from dance music, including trip hop, electronica, and rock. Lyrically, the album focuses on Minogue's self-discovery after a series of trips worldwide and delves into freedom of expression, relationships, and emotions. Upon its release, critical and public reception of Impossible Princess was divided over its new musical direction and Minogue's intimate lyrics. Commercially, the album reached the top 10 in Australia, Scotland, and the United Kingdom; the British media, however, mocked its lack of success in Europe. Four singles were released from the album, including two UK top-20 entries \"Did It Again\" and \"Breathe\". Minogue embarked on the Intimate and Live tour in 1998 to support the album. In retrospect, music commentators have praised Impossible Princess as Minogue's most personal and misunderstood work. Minogue has said in the past she would never create another studio album of personal songs like Impossible Princess. To celebrate 25 years since the album's original release, it was released on vinyl for the first time in October 2022, leading to its resurgence and reaching new peaks on record charts.", "wds-Q79195": "Hot Rats is the second solo album and eighth overall album by Frank Zappa, released in October 1969. It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original lineup of the Mothers of Invention. Five of the six songs are instrumental, while \"Willie the Pimp\" features vocals by Captain Beefheart. In his original sleeve notes, Zappa described the album as \"a movie for your ears\". Zappa dedicated the album to his newborn son, Dweezil. In February 2009, Dweezil's tribute band to his father, Zappa Plays Zappa, won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for their rendition of \"Peaches en Regalia\".", "wds-Q162392": "Arrival is the fourth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released in Sweden on 11 October 1976 by Polar Records. It became one of ABBA's most successful albums to date, producing some of their biggest hits: \"Dancing Queen\", \"Money, Money, Money\" and \"Knowing Me, Knowing You\". The track \"Fernando\", which had been released as a single in March 1976, was included on the Australian and New Zealand versions of the album. Arrival was the best-selling album of 1977 in the United Kingdom and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 2024, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\".", "wds-Q158738": "X&Y is the third studio album by the British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 6 June 2005 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol in the United States. Produced by Coldplay and producer Danton Supple, the album was recorded during a turbulent period for the band, during which their manager and creative director, Phil Harvey, briefly departed. Producer Ken Nelson was originally tasked with producing the record; however, many songs written during his sessions were discarded due to the band's dissatisfaction with them. The album's cover art combines colours and blocks to represent the title in Baudot code. The album contains twelve tracks, divided into respective halves labeled \"X\" and \"Y\", and an additional hidden song, \"Til Kingdom Come\", which is listed as \"+\" on the disc label and inside the record's booklet. It was originally planned for American country star Johnny Cash to record it with lead singer Chris Martin, but Cash died before he was able to do so. At a runtime of 62 minutes and 30 seconds, it is Coldplay's longest studio album. After facing high anticipation, X&Y received positive reviews and was a significant commercial success. The album reached number one in 32 countries upon release, with EMI shipping over 5 million copies in its first week worldwide. In the United Kingdom, the band earned the third-highest debut in history. In the United States, they earned their first Billboard 200 chart-topper. X&Y was the best-selling album of 2005, with 8.3 million copies. It ranks among the biggest records of the 21st century, with 13 million units by December 2012. Four singles were made available: \"Speed of Sound\", \"Fix You\", \"Talk\" and \"The Hardest Part\". Despite its success, the band's opinion of the album has soured over time, largely due to the recording's turbulent dynamic and their disappointment in the final product.", "wds-Q9343810": "Demi is the fourth studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on May 10, 2013, by Hollywood Records. Looking to transition from her self-described \"generic\" third album Unbroken (2011), Lovato wanted her fourth album to \"have songs that excited her\". Demi is primarily a pop record with elements of synth-pop, and bubblegum pop. Demi received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented Lovato's vocal performance. The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 110,000 copies, and has been certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also reached the top five in Canada, Ireland, Italy, Mexico and Spain. The album's lead single, \"Heart Attack\" peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Lovato's third US top-ten single, and has been certified 5× platinum by the RIAA. The second single \"Made in the USA\" peaked at number 80 and was certified gold, while later singles \"Neon Lights\" and \"Really Don't Care\" both reached the top 40 peaking at 36 and 26, respectively, and both have been certified 2× platinum by RIAA. Lovato supported the album in two concert tours: The Neon Lights Tour in early 2014 and the Demi World Tour between late 2014 and early 2015.", "wds-Q19263665": "Handwritten is the debut studio album by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, released on April 14, 2015, by Island Records. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 119,000 album-equivalent units, of which 106,000 copies were pure album sales, becoming the tenth artist to chart under the age of 18. The album includes \"Stitches\", which reached top 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. The album's reissue, Handwritten (Revisited) features the US top 20 single \"I Know What You Did Last Summer\". To promote the album, Mendes performed in several television shows and awards. Two concert tours were also supported by the album: ShawnsFirstHeadlines and Shawn Mendes World Tour.", "wds-Q97620733": "Folklore (stylized in all lowercase) is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was surprise-released on July 24, 2020, through Republic Records. Conceived during quarantine in early 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the album explores themes of escapism, nostalgia, and romanticism. Swift recorded her vocals in her Los Angeles home studio and worked virtually with the producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, who operated from their studios in the Hudson Valley and New York City. Using a set of characters and story arcs to depict fictional narratives, the album departs from the autobiographical songwriting that had characterized Swift's past albums. Experimenting with new musical styles, Folklore consists of mellow ballads driven by piano, strings, orchestration, and muted percussion. Music critics classified the genre into various styles of folk, pop, and indie, namely chamber pop, indie folk, electro-folk, folk rock, and indie rock. The album's title was inspired by the lasting legacy of folktales, and its visual aesthetic adopts cottagecore. Folklore was accompanied by the concert documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, featuring Swift's commentary and performances. The album topped the charts in Australasia and various European countries and was certified platinum or higher in Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it spent eight weeks atop the Billboard 200, was the best-selling album of 2020, and was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Three songs, \"Cardigan\", \"The 1\", and \"Exile\" featuring Bon Iver, reached the top 10 on international singles charts, with \"Cardigan\" peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Folklore received widespread critical acclaim for its emotional weight and intricate lyricism; some journalists commented that its introspective tone was timely for the pandemic, and they regarded its sound as a bold reinvention of Swift's artistry. Many publications featured the album on their 2020 year-end rankings, and Rolling Stone included it in their 2023 revision of their \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\" list. Folklore won Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, making Swift the first woman to win the award three times. The album informed the concept of Swift's next record, Evermore (2020), and has inspired other artists' works.", "wds-Q104092260": "Evermore (stylized in all lowercase) is the ninth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was surprise-released on December 11, 2020, through Republic Records. Swift conceived Evermore as a \"sister record\" to its predecessor, Folklore, which had been released in July. She recorded Evermore mainly with Aaron Dessner at his Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley. Evermore expands on Folklore's escapist fantasy songwriting with fictional narratives and delves into the imaginary world Swift had ideated while self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lyrics depict uneasy emotions like longing, grief, nostalgia, and regret, which stem from unhappy endings caused by complications like forbidden love, divorce, and infidelity. Evermore features an acoustic and atmospheric alternative pop, chamber rock, folk-pop, indie folk, and indie rock soundscape. Its spare arrangements and orchestrations consist of fingerpicked guitars, pianos, strings, subtle synths, and programmed drums. Haim, the National, and Bon Iver appear as featured artists. Evermore was supported by three singles, each released to a different radio format in the United States. \"Willow\", released to contemporary hit radio, peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while \"No Body, No Crime\" and \"Coney Island\" were released to country and alternative radio. Evermore reached number one and was certified multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was Swift's eighth consecutive number-one debut on the Billboard 200 chart and was the best-selling alternative album of 2021, being certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Music critics opined that Evermore was musically bold and experimental while expanding on the styles of Folklore. Many reviews lauded Swift's songwriting, deeming the character studies intricate and the narratives well-constructed. Some were more reserved in their praise and considered the album less groundbreaking than its predecessor. Evermore appeared in various publications' rankings of the best albums of 2020, and some listed it alongside Folklore. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in 2022, Evermore was nominated for Album of the Year.", "wds-Q190911": "...Baby One More Time is the debut studio album by American singer Britney Spears. It was released on January 12, 1999, by Jive Records. Spears had been a child performer on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to 1994, and was looking to expand her career as a teen singer. After being turned away by several record companies, Spears signed with Jive for a multi-album deal in 1997. She travelled to Sweden to collaborate with producers Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, who had been writing songs with producer Denniz Pop and others, for ...Baby One More Time. Their collaboration created a pop, bubblegum pop, dance-pop, and teen pop record, with Spears later saying that she felt excited when she heard it and knew it was going to be a hit record. The album was completed in June 1998. Upon its release, ...Baby One More Time garnered mixed reviews from music critics, with many praising its commercial appeal but deeming it silly and premature. Despite its initial mixed reception, it helped Spears receive a nomination for Best New Artist at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards (2000). Retrospectively, it has been hailed for its major impact on pop culture, and has been deemed one of the most influential pop records of all time. A massive global commercial success, it made Spears the fifth artist under the age of 18 to top the US Billboard 200. It has been certified 14× platinum (diamond) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Spears's best-selling album, it has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, as well as the best-selling debut album by a teenage female artist. ...Baby One More Time produced five singles. The lead single, \"...Baby One More Time\", brought Spears tremendous global success, reaching number one in most countries it charted in and becoming one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. In 2020, it was named the greatest debut single of all time by Rolling Stone. Subsequent singles \"Sometimes\" and \"Born to Make You Happy\" peaked within the top ten in most international countries while \"(You Drive Me) Crazy\" became Spears's second US Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hit. Spears heavily promoted the album through interviews and televised performances. Furthermore, she embarked on her first headlining concert tour, entitled ...Baby One More Time Tour (1999) and later continued with (You Drive Me) Crazy Tour (2000).", "wds-Q209539": "Led Zeppelin II is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at several locations in both the United Kingdom and North America from January to August 1969. The album's production was credited to the band's lead guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page, and it was also Led Zeppelin's first album on which Eddie Kramer served as engineer. The album exhibited the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar riff-based sound. It has been described as the band's heaviest album. Six of the nine songs were written by the band, while the other three were reinterpretations of Chicago blues songs by Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf. One single, \"Whole Lotta Love\", was released outside of the UK (the band would release no UK singles during their career), and peaked as a top-ten single in over a dozen markets around the world. Led Zeppelin II was a commercial success, and was the band's first album to reach number one on charts in the UK and the US. The album's cover designer David Juniper was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1970. On 15 November 1999, the album was certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales reaching 12 million copies in the US. Since its release, various writers and music critics have cited Led Zeppelin II as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time.", "wds-Q218971": "Toxicity is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band System of a Down, released on September 4, 2001, by American Recordings and Columbia Records. Expanding on their 1998 eponymous debut album, Toxicity incorporates more melody, harmonies, and singing than the band's first album. Categorized primarily as alternative metal and nu metal, the album features elements of multiple genres, including folk, progressive rock, jazz, and Armenian and Greek music, including prominent use of instruments like the sitar, banjo, keyboards, and piano. It contains a wide array of political and non-political themes, such as mass incarceration, the CIA, the environment, police brutality, drug addiction, scientific reductionism, and groupies. Toxicity was recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood, California. Over 30 songs were recorded, but the band narrowed the number of songs on the album to 14. The album peaked at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 220,000 copies in its first week of release. It was certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 2026, signifying at least seven million copies sold in the United States. All of Toxicity's singles reached the Billboard Hot 100. The final single, \"Aerials\", went to number one on both the Mainstream Rock Tracks and the Modern Rock Tracks charts. Toxicity received highly positive ratings and reviews from critics, among them perfect ratings from AllMusic, Kerrang!, and Blabbermouth.net. Many critics praised the album's sound and innovation, and it ranked on multiple \"best albums\" lists. The promotional shows for Toxicity resulted in a number of controversial incidents. A six-hour riot ensued at a free concert in Hollywood the day before the album's release as a result of the show's cancellation due to the venue being overcrowded; the crowd in attendance was estimated to be at least twice the size that was expected. Another scheduled System of a Down performance was canceled to prevent a similar riot. The band then toured with Slipknot on the Pledge of Allegiance Tour, and bassist Shavo Odadjian was harassed, racially profiled, and physically beaten by guards when he tried to enter backstage at a concert in October 2001. In 2021, the staff of Revolver included the album in their list of the \"20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums\". In 2025, Rae Lemeshow-Barooshian of Loudwire included the album in her list of \"the top 50 nu-metal albums of all time\", ranking it at second.", "wds-Q840130": "Smash is the third studio album by American rock band the Offspring, released on April 8, 1994, through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of their previous album Ignition (1992), the band recorded their next album for nearly two months at Track Record in North Hollywood, California. Smash was the band's final studio album to be produced by Thom Wilson, who had worked with them since their 1989 debut album The Offspring. Smash was put together on the spot in the studio and there was no systematic work behind the recording of the album. The rise of grunge, especially Nirvana's successful release of Nevermind (1991), paved the way for American punk rock to reach a wider audience, with punk rock serving as an important base to the grunge sound. While Ignition had exceeded both the band's and the label's commercial expectations, it did not give the Offspring a major commercial breakthrough; Smash was the band's introduction into worldwide popularity. It produced a number of hit singles, including \"Come Out and Play\", \"Self Esteem\", and \"Gotta Get Away\". Along with Green Day's Dookie, Smash was responsible for bringing punk rock into the mainstream, and helped pave the way for the then-emerging pop punk scene of the 1990s. As a fan favorite, the album received generally positive reviews from critics and garnered attention from major labels, including Columbia Records, with whom the band would sign in 1996. Peaking at number four on the US Billboard 200, Smash has sold over eleven million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album released by an independent record label; it was also the first Epitaph release to obtain gold and platinum status. In the United States, Smash has sold over six million copies and has been certified six times platinum by the RIAA.", "wds-Q19862": "Hybrid Theory is the debut studio album by the American rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000, by Warner Bros. Records. Recorded at NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, California, and produced by Don Gilmore, the album's lyrical themes deal with problems lead vocalist Chester Bennington experienced during his adolescence, including drug abuse and the constant fighting and eventual divorce of his parents. Hybrid Theory takes its title from the previous name of the band as well as the concepts of music theory and combining different styles. It is also the band's only album in which bassist Dave \"Phoenix\" Farrell does not play, though he was credited as a band member and was a songwriter on two tracks. Four singles were released from Hybrid Theory: \"One Step Closer\", \"In the End\", \"Crawling\" and \"Papercut\", all of which launched Linkin Park into mainstream popularity. While \"In the End\" was the most successful of the four, all of the singles in the album remain some of the band's most successful songs to date. Although \"Runaway\", \"Points of Authority\", and \"My December\" from the special edition bonus disc album were not released as singles, they were minor hits on alternative rock radio stations thanks to the success of all of the band's singles and the album. Generally receiving positive reviews from critics upon its release, Hybrid Theory became a strong commercial success. Peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200, it is certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached the top 10 in 15 other countries and has sold 32 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling debut album since Guns N' Roses's Appetite for Destruction (1987) and one of the best-selling albums of all time. It is the second best selling rock album of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. At the 44th Grammy Awards, it won Best Hard Rock Performance for \"Crawling\". On August 13, 2020, Warner Records announced a re-release of Hybrid Theory for its 20th anniversary. A previously unreleased demo song, \"She Couldn't\", was released at the same time.", "wds-Q211292": "Dookie is the third studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in 1993 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California and Music Grinder Studio in Hollywood, California. Written mostly by the singer and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, the album is largely based on his personal experiences and includes themes such as boredom, anxiety, relationships, and sexuality. It was promoted with four singles: \"Longview\", \"Basket Case\", a re-recorded version of \"Welcome to Paradise\" (which originally appeared on the band's second studio album, 1991's Kerplunk), and \"When I Come Around\". After several years of grunge's dominance in popular music, Dookie brought a livelier, more melodic rock sound to the mainstream and propelled Green Day to worldwide fame. Considered one of the defining albums of the 1990s and of punk rock in general, it was also pivotal in solidifying the genre's mainstream popularity. Its influence continued into the new millennium and beyond, being cited as an inspiration by many punk rock and pop-punk bands, as well as artists from other genres. Dookie received critical acclaim upon its release, although some early fans accused the band of being sellouts for leaving its independent label (Lookout! Records) and embracing a more polished sound. The record won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards in 1995. It was a worldwide success, topping the album charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand while reaching the top five in Austria, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, and the United States. Dookie was later certified double diamond (20 times platinum) by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as well as diamond by Music Canada. This has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming the band's best-selling album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. It has been labeled by critics and journalists as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s and one of the greatest punk rock and pop-punk albums of all time. Rolling Stone placed Dookie on all four iterations of its \"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time\" list, and at number 1 on its \"The 50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums\" list in 2017. In 2024, the album was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant\".", "wds-Q638409": "Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 16, 1989, by EMI Records. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante, who replaced drummer Jack Irons and founding guitarist Hillel Slovak, respectively. After Slovak's death and Irons' subsequent departure, vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea regrouped with the addition of Frusciante and Smith. Frusciante's influence altered the band's sound by placing more emphasis on melody than rhythm, which had dominated the band's previous material. Returning producer Michael Beinhorn favored heavy metal guitar riffs as well as overdubbing. Frusciante perceived Beinhorn's taste as excessive, and as a result, the two constantly fought over the album's guitar sound. Mother's Milk was a greater commercial success than the band's first three albums, peaking at number 52 on the US Billboard 200. It received widespread airplay for the three singles which are the cover of Stevie Wonder's \"Higher Ground\", \"Knock Me Down\" and \"Taste the Pain\", and it became their first gold record in early 1990. Although it was not met with the same positive critical reception that its predecessor The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987) had garnered, Mother's Milk was the first step for the band in achieving international success and, according to Amy Hanson of AllMusic, \"turned the tide and transformed the band from underground funk-rocking rappers to mainstream bad boys with seemingly very little effort.\"", "wds-Q379339": "Let It Bleed is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 28 November 1969 by London Records in the United States and on 5 December 1969 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. Released during the band's 1969 American Tour, it is the follow-up to Beggars Banquet (1968), and, like that album, is a return to the group's more blues-oriented approach that was prominent in the pre-Aftermath (1966) period of their career. Additional sounds on the album draw influence from gospel, country blues and country rock. The album was recorded during a period of turmoil in the band; Brian Jones, the band's founder and original leader, had become increasingly unreliable in the studio due to heavy drug use, and during most recording sessions was either absent, or so incapacitated that he was unable to contribute meaningfully. He was fired in the midst of recording sessions for this album, and replaced by Mick Taylor. Jones contributed to only two songs, playing backing instruments. He died within a month of being fired. Taylor had been hired after principal recording was complete on many of the tracks, and appears on two songs, having recorded some guitar overdubs. Keith Richards was the band's sole guitarist during most of the recording sessions, being responsible for nearly all of the rhythm and lead parts. The other Stones members (vocalist Mick Jagger, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts) appear on nearly every track, with contributions by percussionist Jimmy Miller (who also produced the album), keyboardists Nicky Hopkins, Al Kooper and Ian Stewart (himself a former member of the band), and guest musicians including Ry Cooder. The album reached top ten positions in several markets, including reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US. While no high-charting singles were released from the album, many of its songs became staples of Rolling Stones live shows and on rock radio stations, including \"Gimme Shelter\" and \"You Can't Always Get What You Want\", both of which frequently appear on lists of the greatest songs ever. The album was voted number 40 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd edition (2000). In 2005, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and is on various iterations of Rolling Stone magazine's \"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time\" list.", "wds-Q631153": "Transformer is the second solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, the album was released on November 8, 1972 by RCA Records. It is considered an influential landmark of the glam rock genre, anchored by Reed's most successful single, \"Walk on the Wild Side\", which touched on controversial topics of sexual orientation, gender identity, prostitution, and drug use. Although Reed's self-titled debut solo album had been unsuccessful, Bowie had been an early fan of Reed's former band the Velvet Underground and used his fame to promote Reed, who had not yet achieved mainstream success.", "wds-Q66057506": "\"Nothing Else Matters\" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. A power ballad, it was released on April 20, 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album (1991). The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, number six on the UK Singles Chart, number one in Denmark, and reached the top ten on many other European charts. Recognized as one of Metallica's best known and most popular songs, it has become a staple in live performances.", "wds-Q614833": "Who Do We Think We Are is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, released on 12 January 1973 in the US and in February 1973 in the UK. It was Deep Purple's last album by the Mark II line-up with singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover until 1984's Perfect Strangers. Musically, the record showed a move to a more blues-based sound, even featuring scat singing. Although its production and the band's behaviour after its release showed the group in turmoil, with frontman Gillan remarking that \"we'd all had major illnesses\" and felt considerable fatigue, the album was a commercial success. Deep Purple became the top-selling U.S. artist in 1973. The album featured the energetic hard-rock single \"Woman from Tokyo,\" which while scarcely played in concert during the 1970s, would become a live staple from the band's 1984 reunion onward.", "wds-Q481752": "Ace of Spades is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Motörhead, released in October 1980 via Bronze Records. It is the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and reaching gold status in the UK by March 1981. It was preceded by the release of the title track as a single in October, which peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart inearly November. It was the band's debut release in the United States, with Mercury Records handling distribution in North America. In 2020, the album was ranked at 408 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.", "wds-Q1129202": "The Man Who Sold the World is the third studio album by the English musician David Bowie, originally released through Mercury Records in the United States on 4 November 1970 and in the United Kingdom on 8 April 1971. Produced by Tony Visconti and recorded in London from April to May 1970, the album features the first appearances on a Bowie record of future Spiders from Mars members Mick Ronson and Mick Woodmansey. Following the largely acoustic and folk rock sound of David Bowie (1969), The Man Who Sold the World marked a shift toward hard rock, with elements of blues rock. The lyrics are darker than his previous releases, exploring themes of insanity, religion, technology and war. None of its songs were released as singles; some tracks appeared as B-sides between 1970 and 1973. Originally titled Metrobolist, a play on the film Metropolis (1927), the title was changed at the last minute by Mercury without Bowie's consultation. The album was released with different cover artwork in the US and the UK. For the US release, the artwork was a cartoon-like drawing by Michael J. Weller of a cowboy in front of an asylum. The UK cover by Keith MacMillan features Bowie wearing a Michael Fish-designed blue dress. A 1972 reissue by RCA Records featured a black-and-white picture of Bowie's then-current character Ziggy Stardust; reissues since 1990 have revived the original UK artwork. The Man Who Sold the World was originally better received by music critics in the US than in the UK. Nevertheless, it was a commercial failure in both countries; the 1972 reissue managed to chart in both the US and the UK. Retrospectively, the album has been praised by critics for the band's performance and the unsettling nature of its music and lyrics, being considered by many to be the start of Bowie's \"classic period\". It has since been reissued multiple times and was remixed in 2020, under its original title Metrobolist, for its 50th anniversary.", "wds-Q762563": "Back to Bedlam is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter James Blunt, released on 11 October 2004 by Custard and Atlantic Records. It is named after the famous psychiatric institution of Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, which is commonly known as \"Bedlam\". Initially lingering in the lower regions of the UK Albums Chart in its first few months of release, it became a major worldwide success after its third single, \"You're Beautiful\", became a worldwide hit in mid-2005. Back to Bedlam would go on to become the highest-selling album of 2005 in the UK, with over 2.4 million copies sold. By December 2009, the album had been certified 10× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 3 million, making it the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. In 2011, it was overtaken by Amy Winehouse's Back to Black as the best-selling album of the 21st century in the UK. Back to Bedlam currently ranks as the 18th-best-selling album in UK chart history, and the biggest-selling debut album by a British artist. As of 2017, it has sold 3.33 million copies in the UK, and over 14.1 million copies worldwide.", "wds-Q224160": "30 Seconds to Mars is the debut studio album by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. It was first released on August 27, 2002, by Immortal Records and distributed by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin, Brian Virtue, and Thirty Seconds to Mars, and was recorded in rural Wyoming during 2001 and early 2002. It had been in the works for a couple of years, with lead vocalist Jared Leto writing the majority of the songs. 30 Seconds to Mars was described as a concept album centering on human struggle and self-determination, characterized by personal lyrics that use otherworldly elements and conceptual ideas to illustrate a truthful personal situation. The album incorporates progressive sounds with influences and elements from new wave, space rock, and electronica. Upon release, 30 Seconds to Mars received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who commended the album's lyrical content and the band's musicianship, which has been compared to the works of Pink Floyd, Tool, and Brian Eno. The album debuted at number 107 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the US Top Heatseekers. It was a slow-burning success that eventually sold two million copies worldwide. It produced two singles, \"Capricorn (A Brand New Name)\" and \"Edge of the Earth\". Thirty Seconds to Mars promoted the album by opening concerts for bands such as Puddle of Mudd, Incubus, Sevendust, and Chevelle.", "wds-Q629989": "The Open Door is the second studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on September 25, 2006 by Wind-up Records. Singer-keyboardist Amy Lee had full creative control of the record, incorporating new elements into their previous musical styles, including her classical influences, homemade sounds, industrial rock, symphonic metal, progressive rock, electronica and the use of choirs on several songs. Most of the songs were co-composed by Lee and guitarist Terry Balsamo, with production handled by Dave Fortman. The album was written in the course of 18 months, and the recording process was delayed as a result of Balsamo's stroke. The Open Door received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song \"Sweet Sacrifice\" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance, and the album won Album of the Year at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards. The Open Door debuted at number one on the U.S Billboard 200, selling more than 447,000 copies in its first week. It also topped the charts in Australia, Europe, Germany, Greece and Switzerland, and reached the top five in over 15 countries. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA just over a month after its release, and has since been certified double platinum. As of 2011, it has sold more than six million copies worldwide. \"Call Me When You're Sober\" was released digitally as the album's lead single on September 4, 2006. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted in the top 10 of multiple countries internationally. \"Lithium\" was released as the second single on December 4, 2006, and \"Sweet Sacrifice\" was released as the third international single from the album on May 25, 2007. \"Good Enough\" was released in Germany as the final single on December 14, 2007. The Open Door was supported by a worldwide tour that ran from October 2006 to December 2007.", "wds-Q42565390": "Revival is the ninth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released on December 15, 2017, through Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. It was executive-produced by Dr. Dre and Rick Rubin and its producers include Mr. Porter, Emile, Just Blaze, Alex da Kid, Fredwreck, and DJ Khalil. It features appearances from Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Alicia Keys, X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey, Kehlani, Pink and Phresher. It was handled by Rubin, Mr. Porter, Emile, Just Blaze, Alex da Kid, Fredwreck, and DJ Khalil. Eminem revealed that he was working on an album following the release of \"Campaign Speech\" in October 2016. Much of Revival features political discussion, as well as discussion of Eminem's personal life. The album's lead single, \"Walk on Water\", which features Beyoncé, was released on November 10, 2017. \"Untouchable\" was released as a promotional single a week prior to the album's release. Further singles included \"River\", featuring Ed Sheeran, \"Nowhere Fast\", featuring Kehlani, and \"Remind Me\". Reception to Revival was generally mixed, with its lack of cohesion, abundance of rock-influenced and sampled production, the heavy presence of pop guest artists, and mixing all receiving varying degrees of response; it has later been deemed by many to be Eminem's worst album. It debuted at number one in several countries, including the US, where it has been certified platinum. It was the UK Christmas number one album of 2017 and has been certified platinum in the UK. It was followed by Kamikaze (2018), Eminem's tenth studio album, in which he reacts to criticism of Revival.", "wds-Q56655003": "Norman Fucking Rockwell! (abbreviated to NFR! in some releases) is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, released on August 30, 2019, by Interscope and Polydor Records. The album was primarily produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with additional contributions from Zach Dawes, Andrew Watt, and longtime Del Rey collaborator Rick Nowels. Musically, Norman Fucking Rockwell! explored a soft rock sound featuring psych-rock elements, piano ballads, and references to various classic rock artists. The title of the album is a reference to painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell. Five singles were released to promote the album: \"Mariners Apartment Complex\", \"Venice Bitch\", \"Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – but I Have It\", \"Doin' Time\", and \"The Greatest\". Del Rey embarked on her fifth concert tour, The Norman Fucking Rockwell! Tour, to promote them. It commenced on September 21, 2019, and concluded on November 30, 2019. Norman Fucking Rockwell! received widespread acclaim. Music critics praised the album's poetic and refined lyricism, production and Del Rey's musical progression. The album reached number one in seven countries, including the United Kingdom, becoming Del Rey's fourth number one album in the region. In the United States, Norman Fucking Rockwell! peaked at number three, marking Del Rey's fifth consecutive top five album in the country. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Norman Fucking Rockwell! was frequently listed by numerous publications as the best album of the year. Since its release, it has been regarded as one of the greatest and most revered albums of the decade and of all time. Rolling Stone ranks it on their list of \"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time\".", "wds-Q73523694": "Fine Line is the second studio album by the English singer and songwriter Harry Styles, released on 13 December 2019 by Erskine and Columbia Records. The album's themes revolve around breakups, happiness, sex, and sadness. The record has been described as pop rock, with elements of progressive-pop, psychedelic pop, folk, soul, funk and indie pop. It was primarily written by and produced by frequent collaborator Tyler Johnson and Kid Harpoon. Supported by seven singles—\"Lights Up\", \"Adore You\", \"Falling\", \"Watermelon Sugar\", \"Golden\", \"Treat People with Kindness\", and the title track—the album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, peaked at number two, and has since been certified triple platinum. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Styles' second consecutive number-one album in the US. The album had the third-largest sales week of 2019 in the US and broke the record as the biggest debut from a British male artist since Nielsen SoundScan began, earning 478,000 album-equivalent units. It has been certified triple platinum in the US for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over three million units in the country. Fine Line received generally positive reviews from music critics, particularly towards its production and stylistic influences. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards, and for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards. The album received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance and a Brit Award for British Single of the Year for \"Watermelon Sugar\". In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it at the time, number 491, on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.", "wds-Q200872": "Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States through Columbia Records, as the band's first album for the label. Based on material composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios in London. The lyrics express longing, alienation, and sardonic criticism of the music industry. The bulk of the album is taken up by \"Shine On You Crazy Diamond\", a nine-part tribute to Syd Barrett, a Pink Floyd co-founder who had left seven years earlier due to his deteriorating mental health; Barrett coincidentally visited the studio during recording. As with their previous release, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Pink Floyd employed studio effects and synthesisers. Guest singers included Roy Harper, who sang lead on \"Have a Cigar\", and Venetta Fields and Carlena Williams, who sang backing vocals on \"Shine On You Crazy Diamond\". To promote the album, Pink Floyd released the double A-side single \"Have a Cigar\" / \"Welcome to the Machine\". Wish You Were Here topped charts in several countries, including the UK Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. It was certified gold in the UK and US in its year of release, and by 2004, it had sold an estimated 13 million copies worldwide. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics, who found its music \"uninspiring\" and \"inferior\" to the group's previous work. However, it has later been acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of the 1970s and of all time, with Rolling Stone ranking it number 264 in their 2020 revision of their \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\" list. Keyboardist Richard Wright, drummer Nick Mason, and guitarist David Gilmour have cited it as their favourite Pink Floyd album, while bassist Roger Waters called it their \"most complete\" album.", "wds-Q109214": "A Momentary Lapse of Reason is the thirteenth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released in the UK on 7 September 1987 by EMI and the following day in the US by Columbia Records. It was recorded primarily on the converted houseboat Astoria, belonging to the guitarist, David Gilmour. A Momentary Lapse of Reason was the first Pink Floyd album recorded without founding member Roger Waters, who departed in 1985. The production was marred by legal fights with Waters over the rights to the Pink Floyd name, which were not resolved until several months after release. It also saw the return of founder member Richard Wright, the group's keyboardist who had been fired by Waters during the recording of The Wall (1979). Wright returned as a session player. Unlike most of Pink Floyd's studio records from the preceding decade, A Momentary Lapse of Reason is not a concept album. It includes writing contributions from outside songwriters, following Gilmour's decision to include material once intended for his third solo album. The album was promoted with three singles: the double A-side \"Learning to Fly\" / \"Terminal Frost\", \"On the Turning Away\", and \"One Slip\". A Momentary Lapse of Reason received mixed reviews. Critics praised the production and instrumentation, but criticised the songwriting, especially the lyrics, and it was derided by Waters. It reached number three in the UK and US, and outsold Pink Floyd's previous album, The Final Cut (1983). It was supported by a successful world tour between 1987 and 1989, including a free performance on a barge on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.", "wds-Q213063": "Herzeleid (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛʁtsəˌlaɪt] ; \"Heartache\") is the debut studio album by German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein, first released on 25 September 1995 via Motor Music.", "wds-Q1963807": "Use Your Illusion II is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, released by Geffen Records on September 17, 1991, the same day as its counterpart Use Your Illusion I. The supporting tour for the albums, the Use Your Illusion Tour, began in May 1991, four months before the release of the albums due to delays in getting the albums out. Bolstered by the lead single \"You Could Be Mine\", Use Your Illusion II was the slightly more popular of the two albums, selling a record 770,000 copies its first week and debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, ahead of Use Your Illusion I's first-week sales of 685,000. As of 2010, Use Your Illusion II has sold 5,587,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Both albums have since been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for a single week. It is the last Guns N' Roses studio album to credit rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and the last with drummer Steven Adler who plays on \"Civil War\". Along with Use Your Illusion I, it was the last Guns N' Roses album to include new original material until 2008's album Chinese Democracy.", "wds-Q44142": "Bad is the seventh studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records. Highly anticipated, the album took two years to produce between 1985 and 1987, and was Jackson's third and final collaboration with producer Quincy Jones. A dance-pop and R&B album, it captures Jackson with greater artistic freedom, as he composed and co-produced all but two of its tracks, discussing celebrity, romance, world peace, and self-improvement. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder. Following the enormous success of his previous album, Thriller (1982), Jackson faced greater expectations than ever before. He adopted an edgier sound, incorporating new digital synthesizer technology and elements of hard rock and funk, among other styles. He reinvented his look to evoke a tougher image, but his lighter complexion and plastic surgery sparked controversy in the US. The Bad tour, Jackson's first solo world tour, grossed $125 million to become one of the highest-grossing concert tours at the time. Nine commercial singles were released along with a promotional single. Bad received acclaim from critics, particularly for Jackson's vocals and its musical arrangements, though some felt it failed to match Thriller. It remained atop the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart for six consecutive weeks and produced a record five number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100: \"I Just Can't Stop Loving You\", \"Bad\", \"The Way You Make Me Feel\", \"Man in the Mirror\" and \"Dirty Diana\", while \"Smooth Criminal\" was a Top 10 hit. Worldwide, it became the fastest-selling album in its first week, topped the charts in twenty-four other countries, and was the best-selling album of both 1987 and 1988. Bad is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with official sales of over 35 million copies worldwide, and is certified 11× platinum in the US. The album earned Grammy Awards for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Best Music Video (for \"Leave Me Alone\"), and was nominated for Album of the Year. Jackson received the special Award of Achievement at the 1989 American Music Awards for the album's commercial successes. It has been included in numerous lists of the greatest albums of all time and is praised as part of Jackson's influence on contemporary music.", "wds-Q734566": "Black Celebration is the fifth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US. Recorded in London and West Berlin, it was produced by Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones. At the prompting of Miller, the band recorded the album using the \"live the album\" ethos inspired by the film director Werner Herzog, which led to considerable tension between the band and both Miller and Jones, resulting in neither being involved in the production of subsequent Depeche Mode albums. The album was promoted by the singles \"Stripped\", \"A Question of Lust\", and \"A Question of Time\". In the US, \"But Not Tonight\" was released as a single instead of \"Stripped\". In support of the album, Depeche Mode embarked on the five-month-long Black Celebration Tour across Europe, North America, and Japan, which ran from early to mid-1986. Black Celebration is considered by critics as the start of a four album series of well-regarded Depeche Mode albums, continuing with Music for the Masses (1987), Violator (1990) and Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). Three years after its release, Spin ranked it as the 15th-greatest album of all time, and the UK's Radio X in 2011 cited it as one of the most influential albums of the 1980s. Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor later cited Black Celebration as a source of inspiration for his album debut, Pretty Hate Machine (1989).", "wds-Q215427": "Fireball is the fifth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released in the United States in July 1971 as the second album with the Mark II line-up, consisting of Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Paice, Roger Glover and Ian Gillan. It was recorded at various times between September 1970 and June 1971. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 3 September 1971 and became the first of the band's three UK No. 1 albums, though it did not stay on the charts as long as its predecessor, Deep Purple in Rock. Even though the album has sold over a million copies in the UK, it has never received a certification there.", "wds-Q669489": "Life thru a Lens is the debut solo album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams following his departure from Take That. Released on 29 September 1997 through Chrysalis Records, the album is influenced by Britpop, a departure from the poppier tone of the music Take That employed. The album's working name was The Show-Off Must Go On. The album's first three singles, \"Old Before I Die\", \"Lazy Days\" and \"South of the Border\", were all moderate successes, but it was the fourth single \"Angels\" which catapulted Williams to international fame as a solo artist. Peaking at number four, it has sold over one million copies in the UK and is his best-selling single to date. The fifth and final single \"Let Me Entertain You\" reached number three. \"Freedom\", Williams' first solo single, a cover of George Michael's 1990 hit, is not featured on the album. Life thru a Lens debuted at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart and initially remained in the lower regions, but, upon the chart success of \"Angels\", it began steadily climbing and finally reached number one in April 1998, five months after its release. Though never selling more than 60,000 copies in a single week, the album sold over 2,094,000 copies by November 2013, making it Williams' fourth-best-selling studio album and fifth-best-seller when considering Greatest Hits (2004). The album cover art, a photograph of Williams at the centre of a crowd of photographers, was created by Andy Earl. In 2024, the cover was altered to a chimpanzee depiction of Williams for the theatrical poster of his biopic, Better Man.", "wds-Q818781": "Spice is the debut studio album by English girl group the Spice Girls, released in Japan on 19 September 1996 and in the United Kingdom on 4 November 1996 by Virgin Records. The album was recorded between 1995 and 1996 at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London, and Strongroom Studios in Shoreditch, London, by producers Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, and the production duo Absolute. Spice is a pop album that incorporates styles such as dance, R&B and hip hop. It is considered to be the record that brought teen pop back, opening the doors for a wave of teen pop artists. Conceptually, the album centered on the idea of Girl Power, and the hype surrounding the group was compared to Beatlemania. A worldwide commercial success, Spice topped the charts in more than 17 countries across the world, and was certified Multi-Platinum in 27 countries, Platinum in 14 countries and Gold in three countries, including 10-times Platinum in the United Kingdom and Canada, eight-times Platinum in Europe, and seven-times Platinum in the United States. It became the world's top-selling album of 1997, selling 19 million copies in over a year. The album has sold a total of 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album in music history by a girl group and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Four singles were released from the album. The lead single, \"Wannabe\", reached number one in 37 countries, becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time as of 2010 by selling over six million copies worldwide. The next two singles, \"Say You'll Be There\" and \"2 Become 1\", reached number one in 53 countries. \"Who Do You Think You Are\" was released as the official Comic Relief single in the UK as a double A-side with \"Mama\" and both songs reached the top 20 in charts across Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In the band's native UK, all four singles went to number one on the UK Singles Chart and, on the Billboard Hot 100, the album spawned three top-five singles.", "wds-Q261328": "Rocka Rolla is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 6 September 1974 by Gull Records. It was produced by Rodger Bain, who had made a name for himself as the producer of Black Sabbath's first three albums and Budgie's first two albums. It is the only album to feature drummer John Hinch.", "wds-Q159164": "I'm Not Dead is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink. It was released on March 31, 2006, by LaFace Records and Zomba Group. Following the commercial underperformance of her third studio album Try This (2003), Pink parted ways with Arista Records and began experimenting with new sounds and collaborating with new producers, and stated she named the album after having an epiphany about adult responsibilities and the realities of everyday life. Pink served as the executive producer of the project and contributions to the album's production came from several producers including Billy Mann, Butch Walker, Dr. Luke and Max Martin. Commercially, I'm Not Dead peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, and reached number one in several territories including Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland. I'm Not Dead has since been certified double platinum in the United States and certified gold in Finland, Denmark, and Sweden. The album received positive reviews from music critics, many of whom complimented the risks Pink took on the record as well as her experimentation with rock music. \"Stupid Girls\" was released as the lead single from I'm Not Dead ahead of the album's release, which generated controversy for its lyrical content and music video, for which Pink received the MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video and a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Five additional singles were released from the album, with \"Who Knew\" and \"U + Ur Hand\" reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. Pink promoted the album through radio and television interviews, media appearances, and the I'm Not Dead Tour.", "wds-Q1507697": "Now You're Gone – The Album is the third studio album by Swedish musician Basshunter. Released on 14 July 2008, it is his debut English language album, entering the UK Albums Chart at number one, and selling in excess of 329,717 copies in the United Kingdom making it platinum. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number one in its fifth week, and was certified double platinum selling over 30,000 copies. The album spent a total of two weeks at number one.", "wds-Q44289": "Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he previously collaborated with while working on the 1978 film The Wiz. Off the Wall was crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock and Broadway ballads. Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberty, hedonism and romance. The album features songwriting contributions from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster, alongside three tracks penned by Jackson himself. Before recording his next album, Jackson desired to create a record showcasing creative freedom and individualism for the first time. Off the Wall was widely branded as a reintroduction for him. It became Jackson's highest charting on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, staying in the Top 10 for over 8 months. It was also number 1 on the Top Black Albums chart for 16 weeks and was the best-selling album of 1980 in the US. The album has retrospectively been hailed as a landmark release of the disco era. Five singles were released from Off the Wall, two of which were Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: \"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough\" and \"Rock with You\". Another two, \"Off the Wall\" and \"She's Out of My Life\", were Top 10 hits; this made Jackson the first solo artist to have four Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 from one album. The album was controversially nominated for just two Grammy Awards, with Jackson winning Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male, for \"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough\". It won Favorite Soul/R&B Album at both the 1980 and 1981 American Music Awards. Off the Wall received widespread critical acclaim, with it being credited as a significant departure from Jackson's previous work for Motown and hailed as a major breakthrough for him. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2025, it was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album continues to be lauded as one of the greatest albums in popular music, with some critics praising it as Jackson's magnum opus. In 2008, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.", "wds-Q650284": "Up All Night is the debut studio album by English-Irish boy band One Direction, released by Syco Records in November 2011 in Ireland and the United Kingdom, followed by a worldwide release during 2012. Four months after finishing third in the seventh series of British reality singing contest The X Factor in December 2010, One Direction began recording the album in Sweden, the UK, and the United States, working with a variety of writers and producers. The album's lyrical content regards being young, relationships, heartbreak and empowerment. The album received generally favourable reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom appreciated the album's combination of melodic song craft and catchy, pop-oriented material that, while slickly produced, avoided the commercial cynicism and adult contemporary posturing of some of their '80s and '90s forebears. The album bowed at number two on the UK Albums Chart and ultimately became the UK's fastest-selling debut album of 2011. Up All Night debuted to number one on the United States Billboard 200, selling 176,000 copies in its first week. Up All Night was an international success, the album topped the charts in sixteen countries. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Up All Night was the third global best-selling album of 2012 with sales of 4.5 million copies worldwide. One Direction finished 2012 with two of that year's top five best-selling albums in the United States; Up All Night at number three and their second studio album, Take Me Home, at number five, making the boy band the first act to place two albums in the year-end top five in the Nielsen SoundScan era. In addition, Up All Night became the best-selling album by a group and the third best-selling debut album of 2012. Four singles were released from the album, including the UK Singles Chart top ten hits \"What Makes You Beautiful\", \"Gotta Be You\", and \"One Thing\". To promote the album, the band performed on many TV shows and awards ceremonies, including the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. Furthermore, One Direction embarked on their first headlining concert tour, the Up All Night Tour. Footage from this concert was recorded and released on a live album, entitled Up All Night: The Live Tour.", "wds-Q37148": "Born to Die is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter, and record producer Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 27, 2012, through Interscope Records and Polydor Records as her major label debut. A reissue of the album, subtitled The Paradise Edition, was released on November 9, 2012. The new material from the reissue was also made available on a separate extended play (EP) titled Paradise. Before the album's release, Del Rey had attracted attention with her 2011 singles \"Video Games\" and \"Born to Die\", which contrasted contemporary electronic/dance music with a cinematic sound accompanied by dramatic strings. A predominantly baroque pop and trip hop album, Born to Die features the same cinematic composition. The lyrics are about love, sex, and drugs, and feature prominent references to 1950s and 1960s Americana. The album was the world's fifth best-selling album of 2012. In 2023, it became the second album by a woman to spend more than 500 weeks on the US Billboard 200, where it peaked at number 2, and topped charts in Australia and various European countries including France, Germany, and the UK. In December 2025, Born to Die became the longest charting album by a female artist in Billboard 200 history with 618 weeks. Born to Die was supported by four further singles: \"Blue Jeans\", \"Summertime Sadness\", \"National Anthem\", and \"Dark Paradise\". \"Summertime Sadness\" peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Del Rey's highest-charting single in the US at the time. The album polarized contemporary critics; praise was directed toward the album's distinctive sound, while criticism targeted its repetitiveness and melodramatic tendencies. Del Rey's image during promotion of Born to Die was controversial; tabloid media accused her of inauthentic marketing tactics to gain an audience in the indie music scene. Despite an initially ambivalent reception, the album has been retrospectively ranked in best-of lists by several publications including The Guardian and NME, and helped Del Rey acquire cult status among music fans.", "wds-Q17319538": "The Endless River is the fifteenth and final studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released in November 2014 by Parlophone Records in Europe and Columbia Records in the rest of the world. It was the third Pink Floyd album recorded under the leadership of the guitarist, David Gilmour, and the first following the death of the keyboardist and songwriter, Richard Wright, who appears posthumously. It was produced by Gilmour, Youth, Andy Jackson and Phil Manzanera. The Endless River is a double album consisting mainly of instrumental and ambient music drawn from material recorded during the sessions for the previous Pink Floyd album, The Division Bell (1994). Additional material was recorded in 2013 and 2014 on Gilmour's Astoria boat studio and in Medina Studios in Hove, England. Only one track, \"Louder than Words\", has lead vocals. After the death of the longtime Pink Floyd cover artist Storm Thorgerson in 2013, the cover was created by Ahmed Emad Eldin, design company Stylorouge, and Aubrey Powell, the co-founder of Thorgerson's design company Hipgnosis. The Endless River was promoted with the \"Louder than Words\" single and artwork installations in cities around the world. It became the most pre-ordered album of all time on Amazon UK and debuted at number one in several countries. The vinyl edition was the fastest-selling UK vinyl release since 1997. The Endless River received mixed reviews: some critics praised the nostalgic mood, while others found it unambitious or meandering.", "wds-Q29948806": "Witness is the fifth studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on June 9, 2017, by Capitol Records. For the album, Perry worked with numerous producers, including Jeff Bhasker, Mark Crew, Duke Dumont, Jack Garratt, Oscar Holter, Illangelo, Ilya, Max Martin, Ali Payami and Shellback. The album features guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Skip Marley, and the Migos. Witness is an electropop album that delves into dance-pop and EDM genres, with lyrics on self-empowerment and feminism. Perry described it as an album of \"liberation\" and \"purposeful pop\". Five singles aided Witness, out of which, three were released before the album and one reached the top-ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart: the lead single, \"Chained to the Rhythm\" featuring Skip Marley, peaked at number four on the Hot 100. \"Bon Appétit\" featuring Migos peaked at number 59, while \"Swish Swish\" featuring Nicki Minaj reached number 46. \"Save as Draft\" and \"Hey Hey Hey\" were released as subsequent singles on June 26, 2017 and January 12, 2018, respectively, with \"Hey Hey Hey\" receiving a music video. To support the album's release, Perry broadcast herself on a four-day YouTube live-stream, titled Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide. Upon release, critics were divided towards the album. Some criticized the production and lyricism, while others welcomed the album's personal nature and singled out certain tracks for praise. Moving 180,000 album equivalent units in its first-week, Witness debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming Perry's third chart-topping album in the country. The album also topped the charts in Canada and Spain, while reaching the top five in Belgium (Wallonia), the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and Slovakia. It has sold 1.25 million copies worldwide and received Platinum or higher certifications in Canada, Finland, India, Mexico, Norway, and Poland. To promote the album, Perry embarked on her fourth concert tour, Witness: The Tour, during 2017 and 2018. After releasing Prism (2013) and touring in 2014–2015, she went on hiatus to protect her mental health and to return afresh. Perry decided to shed her on-stage persona and embrace her self-proclaimed authentic self as Katheryn Hudson, her real name. As a result, she retired her long, dark hair for a short pixie cut, and adopted her natural blonde hair color.", "wds-Q28790391": "One More Light is the seventh studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on May 19, 2017, through Warner Bros. Records and Machine Shop. It is the band's first album to have a title track, as they felt that the song \"One More Light\" was the heart of the album. It is also the band's final album to feature two of their longtime members: co-lead vocalist Chester Bennington, who died by suicide two months after the album's release, and drummer and co-founder Rob Bourdon, who opted not to return for the band's reformation in 2024. The band recorded the album between September 2015 and February 2017 in multiple studios. Band members Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda served as the album's primary producers. The sound of One More Light has been described as being more pop-focused, departing from the alternative rock and alternative metal sounds of their previous albums. The album features guest vocal appearances from Pusha T, Stormzy, and Kiiara, and production and songwriting collaborations with J. R. Rotem, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, Ross Golan, Andrew Goldstein, Blackbear, and Eg White. The album's lead single, \"Heavy\", featuring Kiiara, was released on February 16, 2017. \"Battle Symphony\", \"Good Goodbye\", and \"Invisible\" were released as promotional singles prior to the album's release. \"Talking to Myself\" and \"One More Light\" were released as radio singles later on. The album received mixed reviews from music critics; this, along with accusations of selling out, prompted an angry response from Bennington. One More Light performed well commercially, debuting at number one in several countries. It also became the band's fifth number-one album on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in five countries.", "wds-Q56394963": "Kamikaze is the tenth studio album by the American rapper Eminem, released on August 31, 2018, by Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album, executive produced by Eminem and Dr. Dre, was released with no prior announcement just eight months after his previous album, Revival, in retaliation to the backlash it received. It features guest appearances from Joyner Lucas, Royce da 5'9\", and Jessie Reyez. Production on the album was handled by Eminem, Luis Resto, Boi-1da, Tay Keith, Ronny J, Mike Will Made It, amongst others. Following the polarizing reception of Revival, music journalists debated over whether Eminem's relevance and ability were waning. Kamikaze represents a response, containing various insults against critics and rappers alike. The artwork is an homage to Beastie Boys' debut album, Licensed to Ill (1986). Critical reception towards Kamikaze ranged from mixed to positive. Some praised it as an improvement over Revival and a welcome return to Eminem's more aggressive persona, while others criticized him for failing to adapt to the current sound of hip-hop, and found the album outdated as a result. It also generated some controversy for its diss tracks against various artists. Kamikaze was promoted with three singles: \"Fall\", \"Venom\" (from the 2018 film of the same name), and \"Lucky You\", and a music video for \"Good Guy\", along with a supporting tour. Commercially, the album reached number one in 21 countries, becoming Eminem's ninth consecutive number-one album in the United States, and later becoming the best-selling hip-hop album of 2018. It sold 434,000 album-equivalent units in its first week in the US and later received a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).", "wds-Q111343757": "Harry's House is the third studio album by the English singer and songwriter Harry Styles, released on 20 May 2022 by Erskine and Columbia Records. The album was largely written and recorded during 2020 and 2021 and has been noted as Styles' most introspective work. Inspired by 1970s Japanese city pop, Harry's House is a synth-pop, new wave, pop rock and pop-funk album. The album debuted with the best first-week sales in Styles' career. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 113,000 album-equivalent units, becoming the fastest-selling and best-selling album of 2022 in the country. It also debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 521,500 album-equivalent units, including 330,000 album sales. It debuted at number one in various other countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Harry's House was met with critical acclaim for its production. It was supported by the singles \"As It Was\", \"Late Night Talking\", \"Music for a Sushi Restaurant\", and \"Satellite\"; the first of which debuted atop the UK and US charts, becoming Styles' second solo number-one song in both countries. Besides the chart-topper \"As It Was\", three other songs were concurrently in the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100: \"Late Night Talking\", \"Music for a Sushi Restaurant\" and \"Matilda\", making Styles the first British solo artist to achieve this feat. The album was featured on numerous 2022 year-end rankings and nominated for several awards, and Rolling Stone included it in their 2023 revision of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. At the 65th Grammy Awards, the album won Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.", "wds-Q27586": "Ferrari S.p.A. (; Italian: [ferˈraːri]) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and began to produce its current line of road cars in 1947. Ferrari became a public company in 1960, and from 1963 to 2014, it was a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. It was spun off from Fiat's successor entity, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, in 2016. The company currently offers a large model range which includes several supercars, grand tourers, and one SUV. Many early Ferraris, dating to the 1950s and 1960s, were counted amongst one of the most expensive cars ever sold at auction. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where its team, Scuderia Ferrari, is the series' single oldest and most successful. Scuderia Ferrari has raced since 1929, first in Grand Prix events and later in Formula One, where it holds many records. Historically, Ferrari was also highly active in sports car racing, where its cars took many wins in races such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as several overall victories in the World Sportscar Championship. Scuderia Ferrari fans, commonly called tifosi, are known for their passion and loyalty to the team. Ferrari is one of the world's strongest brands, and it maintains a brand image built around racing heritage, luxury, and exclusivity. The company is publicly traded, with significant ownership, by Piero Ferrari, and Exor N.V. As of May 2023, Ferrari is also one of the largest car manufacturers by market capitalisation, with a value of approximately US$85.5 billion.", "wds-Q775060": "Texaco, Inc. (a shortening of \"The Texas Company\") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel \"Texaco with Techron\". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company until its refining operations merged into Chevron in 2001, at which time most of its station franchises were divested to Shell plc through its American division. It was one of the first gas stations to exist. Texaco began as the \"Texas Fuel Company\", founded in 1902 in Beaumont, Texas, by Joseph S. Cullinan, Thomas J. Donoghue, and Arnold Schlaet upon the discovery of oil at Spindletop. The Texas Fuel Company was not set up to drill wells or to produce crude oil. To accomplish this, Cullinan organized the Producers Oil Company in 1902, as a group of investors affiliated with The Texas Fuel Company. Men such as John W. \"Bet A Million\" Gates invested in \"certificates of interest\" to an amount of almost ninety thousand dollars. Future restructuring would merge Producers Oil Company and The Texas Fuel Company as Texaco when the company needed additional funding, which J.W. Gates provided in the amount of approximately $590,000 in return for company stock. Texaco was one of the Seven Sisters which dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the 1970s. Its current logo features a white star in a red circle (a reference to the lone star of Texas), leading to the long-running advertising jingles \"You can trust your car to the man who wears the star\" and \"Star of the American Road.\" The company was headquartered in Harrison, New York, near White Plains, prior to the merger with Chevron. Texaco gasoline comes with Techron, an additive developed by Chevron, as of 2005, replacing the previous CleanSystem3. The Texaco brand is strong in the U.S., Latin America, and West Africa. It has a presence in Europe as well; for example, it is a well-known retail brand in the UK, with around 980 Texaco-branded service stations.", "wds-Q603000": "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the first solo album by English musician John Lennon after the break-up of the Beatles. Backed by the Plastic Ono Band (consisting of Lennon on guitar, Ringo Starr on drums, and Klaus Voormann on bass), it was released by Apple Records on 11 December 1970 in tandem with the similarly titled album by his wife, Yoko Ono. At the time of its issue, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band received mixed reviews overall, but later came to be widely regarded as one of Lennon's best solo albums. Co-produced by Lennon, Ono and Phil Spector, it followed Lennon's recording of three experimental releases with Ono and a live album from the 1969 version of the Plastic Ono Band. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band contains a largely raw production sound with songs heavily influenced by Lennon's recent primal therapy. Its lyrics reflect Lennon's personal issues and includes themes of child-parent abandonment and psychological suffering. The tracks were recorded in September and October 1970 at Abbey Road Studios in London, simultaneously with Ono's solo album. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard 200. In 1987, Rolling Stone ranked it fourth in its list \"The 100 Best Albums of the Last Twenty Years\" and in 2012, ranked it number 23 in their list of the \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\". It was voted number 244 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). In 2000, the album was remixed with two bonus tracks, \"Power to the People\" and \"Do the Oz\". The album's 2021 Ultimate Mixes reissue, in the eight-disc Ultimate Collection box set, features 159 previously unreleased mixes, demos, outtakes, and isolated track elements.", "wds-Q434841": "20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles, until its lease with Fox Corporation ended and it was relocated to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributes and markets the films produced by this studio in theatrical markets. For over 90 years, 20th Century has been one of the major American film studios. It was founded on May 31, 1935, by the merger of Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures, and was one of the original \"Big Five\" among eight majors of Hollywood's Golden Age. In 1985, it was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which was renamed 21st Century Fox in 2013 after it spun off its publishing assets. Disney purchased most of 21st Century Fox's assets, which included 20th Century Fox, on March 20, 2019. The studio adopted its current name on January 17, 2020, in order to avoid confusion with Fox Corporation, and subsequently started to use it for the copyright of 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures productions on December 4. 20th Century is currently one of five live-action film studios within the Walt Disney Studios, alongside Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and its sister speciality unit, Searchlight Pictures. 20th Century also releases animated films produced by its animation division, 20th Century Animation. The first six Star Wars films, X-Men, Avatar, Ice Age, Alien and Planet of the Apes are 20th Century's most commercially successful franchises, while the studio's library includes many notable films such as The Sound of Music, Independence Day and Titanic, with two of the three films winning the Academy Award for Best Picture, and all of them were among the highest-grossing films of all time, with Titanic breaking the record during its initial release.", "wds-Q283221": "Kind of Blue is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released on August 17, 1959, by Columbia Records. For this album, Davis led a sextet featuring saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian \"Cannonball\" Adderley, pianist Bill Evans, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, with new band pianist Wynton Kelly replacing Evans on \"Freddie Freeloader\". The album was recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City in two sessions on March 2 and April 22, 1959. Influenced in part by Evans, who had been a member of the ensemble in 1958 and was called back for this album, Davis departed further from his early hard bop style in favor of greater experimentation with musical modes, as on the title track of his previous album, Milestones (1958). Basing Kind of Blue entirely on modality, Davis gave each performer a set of scales that encompassed the parameters of their improvisation and style and consequently more creative freedom with melodies; Coltrane later expanded on this modal approach in his own solo career. Kind of Blue is regarded by many critics as Davis's masterpiece, the greatest jazz album ever recorded, and one of the greatest albums of all time. Its influence on jazz, rock, and classical music has also led writers to describe it as one of the most influential albums ever made. In 2002, it was among the first fifty recordings selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion in the National Recording Registry as \"culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.\" In 2003, it ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the \"500 Greatest Albums of All Time\"; it was repositioned at number 31 in the 2020 revision. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album quintuple platinum in 2019, representing five million album-equivalent units in the United States. It remained the highest-certified jazz album until August 2026, when Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas was certified 6x platinum, making Kind of Blue the second-best-selling jazz album in the United States based on RIAA certification.", "wds-Q1496384": "Koch, Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas, and is the second-largest privately held company in the United States, after Cargill. Its subsidiaries are involved in the manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizer, pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, cloud computing, finance, raw materials trading, and investments. Koch owns Flint Hills Resources, Georgia-Pacific, Guardian Industries, Infor, Invista, KBX, Koch Ag & Energy Solutions, Koch Engineered Solutions, Koch Investments Group, Koch Minerals & Trading, and Molex. The firm employs 122,000 people in 60 countries, with about half of its business in the United States. The company was founded by its namesake, Fred C. Koch, in 1940 after he developed an innovative crude oil refining process. Fred C. Koch died in 1967 and his majority interest in the company was split amongst his four sons. In June 1983, after a bitter legal and boardroom battle over the amount of dividends paid by the company, the stakes of Frederick R. Koch and William \"Bill\" Koch were bought out for $1.1 billion and Charles Koch and David Koch became majority owners in the company. Charles owns 42% of the company; trusts for the benefit of Elaine Tettemer Marshall (the daughter in-law of J. Howard Marshall) and Elaine's children, Preston Marshall and E. Pierce Marshall Jr., own 16% of the company. David Koch died on August 23, 2019, and his heirs own the remaining 42% balance of the corporation. Charles Koch has stated that the company would go public \"over my dead body\" and that the company has used its freedom from the pressures of public markets to make long-term investments and concentrate on growth.", "wds-Q319642": "Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation predominantly specializing in oil and gas. The second-largest direct descendant of Standard Oil, and originally known as the Standard Oil Company of California (shortened to Socal or CalSo), it is active in more than 180 countries. Founded originally in Southern California during the 1870s. After the breakup of Standard Oil, Socal grew quickly on its own by continuing to acquire companies and partnering with others both inside and outside of California, eventually becoming one of the Big Oil companies that dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the 1970s. In 1985, Socal merged with the Pittsburgh-based Gulf Oil and rebranded as Chevron; the newly merged company later merged with Texaco in 2001. Chevron is one of the largest companies in the world and the second-largest oil company based in the United States by revenue, only behind fellow Standard Oil descendant ExxonMobil. Within oil and gas, Chevron is vertically integrated and is involved in hydrocarbon exploration, production, refining, marketing and transport, chemicals manufacturing and sales, and power generation. Chevron manufactures and sells fuels, lubricants, additives, and petrochemicals, primarily in Western North America, the US Gulf Coast, Southeast Asia, South Korea and Australia. In 2018, the company produced an average of 791,000 barrels (125,800 m3) of net oil-equivalent per day in United States. Chevron ranked 10th on the Fortune 500 in 2023. The company is also the last-remaining oil-and-gas component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since the exit of ExxonMobil from the index in 2020. Chevron has been subject to numerous controversies relating to its activities involving climate change. In particular, one of its most widely covered incidents on social media was its continued denial of ecological damage near the Lago Agrio oil field and its involvements against Steven Donziger, a controversy rooted and inherited from Texaco when Chevron acquired it in 2001. Chevron has also received negative attention for numerous other oil extraction projects, especially within the Los Angeles metropolitan area and in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 2024, Chevron was responsible for 512 Mt of CO2 emissions, which was 1.33% of global CO2 emissions.", "wds-Q160120": "Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (sometimes stylized as HUAWEI; HWAH-way; Chinese: 华为; pinyin: ) is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate company headquartered in Longgang, Shenzhen, Guangdong. Its main product lines include telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, electric vehicle autonomous driving systems, and rooftop solar power products. The company was founded in Shenzhen in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a veteran officer of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Initially focused on manufacturing phone switches, Huawei has expanded to more than 170 countries to include building telecommunications network infrastructures, providing equipment, operational and consulting services, and manufacturing communications devices for the consumer market. In 2012, it surpassed Ericsson to become the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer. As of 2025, Huawei is the largest smartphone vendor in China with an 18.1% market share. Huawei's biggest area of business is in telecommunications equipment. Its largest customer is the Chinese government. Amidst its rise, Huawei has been accused of intellectual property infringement, for which it has settled with Cisco. Questions regarding the extent of state influence on Huawei have revolved around its national champions role in China, subsidies and financing support from state entities, and reactions of the Chinese government in light of opposition in certain countries to Huawei's participation in 5G. Its software and equipment have been linked to the mass surveillance of Uyghurs and Xinjiang internment camps, drawing sanctions from the United States. The company has faced difficulties in some countries arising from concerns that its equipment may enable surveillance by the Chinese government due to perceived connections with the country's military and intelligence agencies. Huawei has argued that critics such as the US government have not shown evidence of espionage. Experts say that China's 2014 Counter Espionage Law and 2017 National Intelligence Law can compel Huawei and other companies to cooperate with state intelligence. In 2012, Australian and US intelligence agencies concluded that a hack on Australia's telecom networks was conducted by or through Huawei, although the two network operators have disputed that information. In January 2018, the United States alleged that its sanctions against Iran were violated by Huawei, which was subsequently restricted from doing business with American companies. The US government also requested the extradition of Huawei's chief financial officer from Canada. In June 2019, Huawei cut jobs at its Santa Clara research center, and in December, Ren said it was moving the center to Canada. In 2020, Huawei agreed to sell the Honor brand to a state-owned enterprise of the Shenzhen government to \"ensure its survival\" under US sanctions. In November 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned sales or import of equipment made by Huawei out of national security concerns, and other countries such as all members of the Five Eyes, India, Japan and ten European Union states have since also banned or restricted Huawei products.", "wds-Q415294": "Akai (Japanese: 赤井, pronounced [a̠ka̠i]) was a Japanese electronics manufacturer, established as Akai Electric Company Ltd in Tokyo in 1929. It was best known outside Japan for its tape recorders during the 1960s and 1970s. The company became bankrupt in 2000 and since then third-party products have been marketed under the Akai brand name, which has since been owned by Grande Holdings of Hong Kong. In its earlier history, Akai had made many innovations in the development of magnetic tape-based audio technology. Around 1980, the music division Akai Professional was founded, offering production and stage equipment for modern music. After the controversial collapse of the business in 2000, the Akai brand came under the ownership of Hong Kong based Grande Holdings. The company now distributes a range of electronic products, including LED TVs, washing machines, clothes dryers, air conditioners, and smartphones. These products are developed through collaborations with other electronics companies with relevant expertise. The Akai Professional electronic instrument division had already been spun off as a separate business in 1999 and today operates under the unrelated ownership of inMusic Brands.", "wds-Q2046187": "British Leyland was a British automotive engineering and manufacturing conglomerate formed in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd (BLMC), following the merger of Leyland Motors and British Motor Holdings. It was partly nationalised in 1975, when the British government created a holding company called British Leyland, later renamed BL in 1978. It incorporated much of the British-owned motor vehicle industry, which in 1968 had a 40% share of the UK car market, with its history going back to 1895. Despite containing profitable marques such as Jaguar, Rover, and Land Rover, as well as the best-selling Mini, BLMC had a troubled history, leading to its eventual collapse in 1975 and subsequent part-nationalisation. After much restructuring and divestment of subsidiary companies as well as entering into a major alliance with Honda, BL was renamed the Rover Group in 1986, becoming a subsidiary of British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, then was subsequently bought by BMW. The final surviving incarnation of the company as the MG Rover Group went into administration in 2005, bringing mass car production by British-owned manufacturers to an end. MG and the Austin, Morris and Wolseley marques became part of China's SAIC, with whom MG Rover attempted to merge prior to administration. As of 2026, Mini, Jaguar Land Rover, Leyland Trucks, and Unipart are the most prominent former parts of British Leyland that still exist, with SAIC still operating its UK base out of the former Longbridge site. The Indian truck manufacturer Ashok Leyland also continues to use the Leyland name and logo, but now operates independently of any former Leyland Motors or BL subsidiary.", "wds-Q222001": "In Utero is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana, first released on September 13, 1993 in the UK and Europe, and internationally on 21 September by DGC Records. Displeased with the polished production of their previous album Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to give In Utero a more abrasive tone. In Utero was recorded in February 1993 at Pachyderm Studios. Upon completion, rumors circulated that DGC may refuse to release Albini's mix of the album. It was mastered by Bob Ludwig to achieve a more radio-friendly result, while Scott Litt was hired to remix the singles \"All Apologies\", \"Heart-Shaped Box\" and \"Pennyroyal Tea\". In Utero was a major critical and commercial success and is frequently cited as one of the greatest albums of all time. Critics praised the album's lyrics and raw, unconventional sound. It reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart; \"Heart-Shaped Box\" and \"All Apologies\" reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album is certified 6× platinum in the US for 6 million sales and has sold 15 million copies worldwide. It is the final studio album to be released before Cobain's death.", "wds-Q155296": "Heinkel Flugzeugwerke (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪŋkəl ˈfluːktsɔʏkˌvɛʁkə]) was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, with the pioneering examples of a successful liquid-fueled rocket and a turbojet-powered aircraft in aviation history, with both Heinkel designs' first flights occurring shortly before the outbreak of World War II in Europe.", "wds-Q477065": "Fear of the Dark is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Released on 11 May 1992, it was their third studio release to top the UK Albums Chart, and the last to feature Bruce Dickinson as the group's lead vocalist until his return in 1999. It was also the first album to be produced by bassist and band founder Steve Harris, and the last album to feature the work of producer Martin Birch.", "wds-Q256121": "The Romanian Communist Party (Romanian: Partidul Comunist Român [parˈtidul komuˈnist roˈmɨn]; PCR) was a Marxist-Leninist party in Romania. It was founded in 1921 and became the founding and ruling party of the Communist Socialist Republic of Romania in 1947. From then, until its overthrow in the Romanian revolution in 1989, it was effectively the only legal party in the country. Ideologically committed to Marxism–Leninism, the party oversaw Romania's departure from Soviet satellite status and incorporation of national communism. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system of the Kingdom of Romania. After being outlawed in 1924, the PCR remained a minor, illegal grouping for much of the interwar period and was subject to direct Comintern control. During the 1920s and 1930s, most of its activists were imprisoned or sought refuge in the Soviet Union, leading to the creation of competing factions that sometimes came into open conflict. That did not prevent the party from participating in the country's political life through various front organizations, most notably the Peasant Workers' Bloc. In 1934–1936, PCR reformed itself in the mainland of Romania, with foreign observers predicting a possible communist takeover. The party emerged as a powerful actor on the Romanian political scene in August 1944, when it became involved in the royal coup that toppled the pro-Nazi government of Ion Antonescu. With support from Soviet occupational forces, the PCR pressured King Michael I into abdicating, and it established the Romanian People's Republic in December 1947. The party operated as the Romanian Workers' Party (Partidul Muncitoresc Romîn between 1948 and 1964 and Partidul Muncitoresc Român in 1964 and 1965) until it was officially renamed by Nicolae Ceaușescu, who had just been elected secretary general. While other political parties nominally existed in Romania, their influence was limited, and they were required to accept the constitutionally authorised leading role of the PCR as a condition of their existence. All other legal parties and entities were part of the Communist-dominated Front of Socialist Unity and Democracy. Ideologically, the PCR was committed to Marxism–Leninism, a fusion of the original ideas of German philosopher and economic theorist Karl Marx, and Lenin, was introduced in 1929 by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, as the party's guiding ideology and would remain so through much of its existence. In 1948, the Communist Party absorbed the Romanian Social Democratic Party and attracted various new members. In the early 1950s, the group around Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, with support from Stalin, defeated all other factions and achieved full control over the party and country. After the late 1950s, the party gradually theorized a \"national path\" to communism. At the same time, however, the party delayed the time to join its Warsaw Pact brethren in de-Stalinization. The PCR's Romanian nationalist and stance was continued under the leadership of Nicolae Ceaușescu. Following an episode of liberalization in the late 1960s, Ceaușescu again adopted a hard line by imposing the \"July Theses\", re-Stalinizing the party's rule by intensifying the spread of Marxist–Leninist ideology in Romanian society and solidifying a national communist line. At the same time, he consolidated his grip on power whilst using the party's authority to brew a pervasive cult of personality. Over the years, the PCR became entirely submitted to Ceaușescu's will. From the 1960s onward, it had a reputation for being far more independent of the Soviet Union than its brethren in the Warsaw Pact. However, it also became one of the hardest-line parties in the Eastern Bloc, which harmed its relationship with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. It collapsed in 1989 in the wake of the Romanian revolution, but Romania kept its socialist-era constitution until 1991. Romania also retained its membership in the Warsaw Pact until its dissolution on 1 July 1991; that role had been largely symbolic since the late 1960s. The PCR was a communist party, organized on democratic centralism, a principle conceived by Russian Marxist theoretician Vladimir Lenin, which entails democratic and open discussion of policy, subject to unity in upholding agreed-upon policies. The highest body within the PCR was the Party Congress, which began convening in 1969 and meet every five years. The Central Committee was the highest body when Congress was not in session. Because the Central Committee met only twice a year, most day-to-day duties and responsibilities were vested in Politburo. The party leader held the office of General Secretary and, after 1945, held significant influence over the government. Between 1974 and 1989, the General Secretary also held the office of President of Romania. The PCR co-ordinated several organizations during its existence, including the Union of Communist Youth, and organized training for its cadres at the Ștefan Gheorghiu Academy (future SNSPA). In addition to Scînteia, its official platform and main newspaper between 1931 and 1989, the party issued several local and national publications at various points in its history (including, after 1944, România Liberă).", "wds-Q834418": "Demon Days is the second studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 11 May 2005 in Japan, 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone, and 24 May 2005 in the United States by Virgin Records. The album was recorded at Studio 13, based in London, United Kingdom, and was primarily produced by Danger Mouse, alongside the band themselves, Jason Cox, and James Dring. The album features guest appearances from De La Soul, Neneh Cherry, Martina Topley-Bird, Roots Manuva, MF Doom, Ike Turner, Bootie Brown of The Pharcyde, Shaun Ryder, and Dennis Hopper. The album continues the band's musical approach of incorporating a wide variety of genres and styles, including alternative rock, hip-hop, pop, trip hop and art rock. Its lyrics and tone are darker than those of the band's eponymous debut album (2001), addressing apocalyptic and post-9/11 political themes. Gorillaz frontman and co-creator Damon Albarn has described it as a loose concept album exploring \"the world in a state of night\", citing as inspiration a trip he took through impoverished areas of rural China. As with the band's previous album, the release of Demon Days was promoted across various multimedia, including interactive websites, animated music videos, and animatics created by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and his production company Zombie Flesh Eaters. The album produced four singles: \"Feel Good Inc.\", \"Dare\", \"Dirty Harry\", and the double A-side \"El Mañana\" / \"Kids with Guns\". Demon Days was a major commercial success, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard 200. The album has sold eight million copies worldwide, surpassing sales of the band's debut album. It was later certified six times platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US. Lead single \"Feel Good Inc.\" topped the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for eight consecutive weeks and won the band its sole Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Forgoing a traditional tour, the band promoted the album with concert residencies in Manchester and New York City billed as Demon Days Live, performing the album in full across five shows in each city. During these performances, which featured almost all of the guest artists on the album, Albarn and the band performed on stage in silhouette alongside a screen displaying Hewlett's visuals. As with the band's first album, B-sides and outtakes from the album's sessions were later released as a compilation album, D-Sides (2007), while the album's music videos and assorted multimedia were compiled into the video album Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades (2006). Demon Days received positive reviews upon release, with reviewers noting that the album established Gorillaz as a serious musical project as opposed to a one-off side effort. It has since garnered further acclaim as one of the best Gorillaz albums and one of the greatest albums of the 21st century, with particular praise for its eclectic genre-bending musical style, prescient postmodern themes and dark, haunting atmosphere. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Demon Days number 437 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.", "wds-Q593680": "Borsalino Giuseppe e Fratello S.p.A. is the oldest Italian company specializing in the manufacture of luxury hats. Since 1857, the manufacturer has been based in Alessandria, Piedmont. The founder, Giuseppe Borsalino, is remembered for creating a particular model of felt hat characterized by the registered trademark Borsalino.", "wds-Q32748": "Jabhat Al-Nusra, also referred to as Al-Nusra Front and later known as Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham was a Sunni Islamist political organization and paramilitary group that fought against Ba'athist regime forces in the Syrian civil war. Its aim was to overthrow Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic state ruled by Sharia in Syria. Formed in 2012 by Ahmed al-Sharaa, The Washington Post described Al-Nusra Front in November of that year as \"the most aggressive and successful\" of the rebel forces. While secular and pro-democratic rebel groups of the Syrian revolution such as the Free Syrian Army were focused on ending the decades-long reign of the Assad family, Al-Nusra Front also sought the unification of Islamist forces in Syria, anticipating a new stage of the civil war. It denounced the international assistance in support of the Syrian opposition as \"imperialism\"; viewing it as a long-term threat to its Islamist goals in Syria. In December 2012, the US Department of State designated it as a \"foreign terrorist organization\". In April 2013, Al-Nusra Front was publicly confirmed as the official Syrian affiliate of Al-Qaeda, after Al-Qaeda Emir Ayman Al-Zawahiri rejected the legitimacy of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, leader of the newly-formed Islamic State. In March 2015, the militia joined other Syrian Islamist groups to form a joint command center called the Army of Conquest. In July 2016, Al-Nusra announced that it was breaking ties with Al-Qaeda and re-named itself to Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (\"Front for the Conquest of the Levant\"). The announcement caused defections of senior Al-Nusra commanders and criticism from Al-Qaeda ranks: Al-Qaeda Emir Ayman Al-Zawahiri denounced the move as an \"act of disobedience\". On 28 January 2017, following violent clashes with Ahrar Al-Sham and other rebel groups, Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham (JFS) merged with four other groups to form Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), a new Sunni Islamist militant group. Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham denies any links to the Al-Qaeda network and said in a statement that the group is \"an independent entity and not an extension of previous organizations or factions\". Mutual hostility progressively deteriorated into violent confrontations, with Al-Nusra commander Sami al-Oraydi accusing HTS of adopting nationalist doctrines. Sami Al-Oraydi, alongside other Al-Qaeda loyalists like Abu Humam Al-Shami, Abu Julaybib and others, mobilised Al-Qaeda personnel in northwestern Syria to establish an anti-HTS front in the region, eventually forming Hurras Al-Din on 27 February 2018.", "wds-Q24083484": "Cambridge Analytica Ltd. (CA), previously known as SCL USA, was a British political consulting firm that came to prominence through the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal. It was founded in 2013, as a subsidiary of the private intelligence company and self-described \"global election management agency\" SCL Group by long-time SCL executives Nigel Oakes, Alexander Nix and Alexander Oakes, with Nix as CEO. Cambridge Analytica was hired by a variety of political actors, including the Trinidadian government in 2010 and the 2016 presidential campaigns of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. The firm maintained offices in London, New York City, and Washington, D.C. The company closed operations in 2018 due to backlash from the data scandal. Some firms related to both Cambridge Analytica and its parent firm SCL still exist, although the UK firm Cambridge Analytica (UK) Limited is now dissolved.", "wds-Q28864303": "Melodrama is the second studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It was released on 16 June 2017 by Lava and Republic Records and distributed through Universal. Following the breakthrough success of her debut album Pure Heroine (2013), Lorde retreated from the spotlight, and travelled between New Zealand and the United States. Initially inspired by her disillusionment with fame, she wrote Melodrama to capture heartbreak and solitude after her first breakup. Lorde chose Jack Antonoff as the main collaborator because she felt the need to expand her artistry from the Joel Little-produced Pure Heroine. The final product is a synth-pop, art pop, and electropop record incorporating piano-based melodies, pulsing synthesisers and dense electronic beats. Critics viewed the album as a maximalist departure from the minimalist hip-hop-influenced production of its predecessor, and considered it a loose concept album chronicling the emotions ensued from a house party. The songs \"Green Light\", \"Perfect Places\", and \"Homemade Dynamite\" were released as singles. Lorde promoted the album through several music festivals she headlined, and the Melodrama World Tour in 2017 and 2018. The album was Lorde's first number one in the United States and Canada, and also peaked atop the charts in Australia and New Zealand. It received gold or platinum certifications in the said countries and the United Kingdom. Melodrama received universal acclaim from music critics who complimented its sound and Lorde's vocals and direct songwriting; it was featured on various year-end and decade-end lists. It won a New Zealand Music Award for Album of the Year, and received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018. In 2020, Melodrama ranked at number 460 on Rolling Stone's revision of their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.", "wds-Q210075": "Borland Software Corporation was a computing technology company founded in 1983 by Niels Jensen, Ole Henriksen, Mogens Glad, and Philippe Kahn. Its main business was developing and selling software development and software deployment products. Borland was first headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, then in Cupertino, California, and then in Austin, Texas. In 2009, the company became a full subsidiary of the British firm Micro Focus International plc. In 2023, Micro Focus (including Borland) was acquired by Canadian firm OpenText, which later absorbed Borland's portfolio into its application delivery management division.", "wds-Q229329": "3Com Corporation was an American digital electronics manufacturer best known for its computer network products. The company was co-founded in 1979 by Robert Metcalfe, Howard Charney and others. Bill Krause joined as President in 1981. Metcalfe explained the name 3Com was a contraction of \"Computer Communication Compatibility\", with its focus on Ethernet technology that he had co-invented, which enabled the networking of computers. 3Com provided network interface controller and switches, routers, wireless access points and controllers, IP voice systems, and intrusion prevention systems. The company was based in Santa Clara, California. From its 2007 acquisition of 100 percent ownership of H3C Technologies Co., Limited (H3C) —initially a joint venture with China-based Huawei Technologies—3Com achieved a market presence in China, and also sold products in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. 3Com products were sold under the brands 3Com, H3C, and TippingPoint. On April 12, 2010, Hewlett-Packard completed the acquisition of 3Com. It was merged into HPE's Aruba Networks business unit following HP's acquisition of Aruba in 2015 and subsequent split into HPE later that same year.", "wds-Q27564": "Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plymouth. The Dodge main factory operated in Hamtramck, Michigan, from 1910 until it closed in January 1980. Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company machine shop by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in 1900, Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies to Detroit-based automakers like Ford. They began building complete automobiles under the \"Dodge Brothers\" brand in 1914, predating the founding of the Chrysler Corporation. Both brothers died in 1920, and their company was sold by their families to Dillon, Read & Co. in 1925 before being sold to Chrysler in 1928. Dodge's mainstay vehicles were trucks and full-sized passenger cars through the 1970s, but it also built compact cars such as the Dart from 1963 to 1976, and midsize cars such as the \"B-Body\" Coronet and Charger from 1965 to 1978. The 1973 oil embargo caused American \"gas guzzler\" sales to slump, prompting Chrysler to develop the Dodge Aries K platform compact and midsize cars for the 1981 model year. The K platform and its derivatives, including the Dodge Caravan, are credited with reviving Chrysler's business in the 1980s. The Dodge brand continued through multiple ownership changes of Chrysler from 1998 until 2009, including its merger with Daimler-Benz AG between 1998 and 2007, then being sold to Cerberus Capital Management. It suffered through the 2008–2010 automotive industry crisis, resulting in the Chrysler Chapter 11 reorganization, and was ultimately acquired by Fiat. In 2011, Dodge split off its Ram and Viper sub-brands, with Viper to be an SRT product and Ram a standalone marque. In 2014, SRT was merged back into Dodge. Later that year, the Chrysler Group was renamed FCA US LLC, coinciding with the merger of Fiat S.p.A.. The Chrysler Group was integrated into the corporate structure of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. A subsequent merger between FCA and the PSA Group in 2021 formed Stellantis, making the Dutch-domiciled automaker the second largest in Europe after Volkswagen.", "wds-Q30873": "Dell Inc., formerly Dell Computer Corporation, is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcams among other products and services. Dell is based in Round Rock, Texas. Founded by Michael Dell in 1984, Dell started making IBM clone computers and pioneered selling cut-price PCs directly to customers, managing its supply chain and electronic commerce. The company rose rapidly during the 1990s and in 2001 became the largest global PC vendor for the first time. Dell was a pure hardware vendor until 2009 when it acquired Perot Systems. It then entered the market for IT services. The company has expanded storage and networking systems. In the late 2000s, it began expanding from offering computers only to delivering a range of technology for enterprise customers. Dell is a subsidiary of Dell Technologies, a publicly traded company, as well as a component of the NASDAQ-100 and S&P 500. The company is ranked 31st on the Fortune 500 list in 2022, up from 76th in 2021. It is also the sixth-largest company in Texas by total revenue, according to Fortune magazine. Dell is the second-largest non-oil company in Texas. As of 2025, it is the world's third-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales, after Lenovo and HP. In 2015, Dell acquired the enterprise technology firm EMC Corporation, together becoming divisions of Dell Technologies. Dell began marketing data storage, information security, virtualization, analytics, and cloud computing products under the brand Dell EMC until around 2020.", "wds-Q757489": "Atmel Corporation was a creator and manufacturer of semiconductors before being subsumed by Microchip Technology in 2016. Atmel was founded in 1984. The company focused on embedded systems built around microcontrollers. Its products included microcontrollers (8-bit AVR, 32-bit AVR, 32-bit ARM-based, automotive grade, and 8-bit Intel 8051 derivatives) radio-frequency (RF) devices including Wi-Fi, EEPROM, and flash memory devices, symmetric and asymmetric security chips, touch sensors and controllers, and application-specific products. Atmel supplies its devices as standard products, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or application-specific standard product (ASSPs) depending on the requirements of its customers. Atmel serves applications including consumer, communications, computer networking, industrial, medical, automotive, aerospace and military. It specializes in microcontroller and touch systems, especially for embedded systems. Atmel's corporate headquarters is in San Jose, California, in the North San Jose Innovation District. Other locations include Trondheim, Norway; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Chennai, India; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; Rousset, France; Nantes, France; Patras, Greece; Heilbronn, Germany; Munich, Germany; Whiteley, United Kingdom; Cairo, Egypt. Atmel makes much of its product line at vendor fabrication facilities. It owns a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado that manufactures its XSense line of flexible touch sensors. In 2016, Microchip agreed to buy Atmel for US$3.6 (equivalent to $4.83 in 2025) billion in a deal brokered by JPMorgan Chase and Qatalyst.", "wds-Q223407": "Novell, Inc. () was an American software and services company headquartered in Provo, Utah, that existed from 1980 until 2014. Its most significant product was the multi-platform network operating system known as NetWare. Novell technology contributed to the emergence of local area networks, which displaced the dominant mainframe computing model and changed computing worldwide. Under the leadership of chief executive Ray Noorda, NetWare became the dominant form of personal computer networking during the second half of the 1980s and first half of the 1990s. At its high point, NetWare had a 63 percent share of the market for network operating systems and by the early 1990s there were over half a million NetWare-based networks installed worldwide encompassing more than 50 million users. Novell was the second-largest maker of software for personal computers, trailing only Microsoft Corporation, and became instrumental in making Utah Valley a focus for technology and software development. During the early to mid-1990s, Noorda attempted to compete directly with Microsoft by acquiring Digital Research, Unix System Laboratories, WordPerfect, and the Quattro Pro division of Borland. These moves did not work out, due to new technologies not fitting well with Novell's existing user base or being too late to compete with equivalent Microsoft products. NetWare began losing market share once Microsoft bundled network services with the Windows NT operating system and its successors. Despite new products such as Novell Directory Services and GroupWise, Novell entered a long period of decline. Eventually Novell acquired SUSE Linux and attempted to refocus its technology base. Jeffrey M Jaffe, who was Executive Vice President and CTO from 2005 until 2010, led negotiations that resulted in a Novell partnership with Microsoft, a portion of which included Microsoft agreeing to be a re-distributor of Suse Linux. Despite building or acquiring several new kinds of products, Novell failed to find consistent success and never regained its past dominance. The company was an independent corporate entity until it was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary by The Attachmate Group in 2011. Attachmate was subsequently acquired in 2014 by Micro Focus International which was acquired in turn by OpenText in 2023. Novell products and technologies are now integrated within various OpenText divisions.", "wds-Q1113804": "Comcast Corporation, formerly known as Comcast Holdings, is an American multinational mass media, telecommunications, and entertainment conglomerate. Comcast's corporate headquarters is at the Comcast Center in Philadelphia, while NBCUniversal, Comcast's New York operations and other major Comcast assets are headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was ranked 51st in the Forbes Global 2000 in 2023. It is the fourth-largest telecommunications company by worldwide revenue, after AT&T, Verizon, and China Mobile. Comcast is the third-largest pay-TV company, the second-largest cable TV company by subscribers, and the largest home Internet service provider in the United States. It owns and operates the Xfinity residential cable communications business segment and division; Comcast Business, a commercial services provider; and Xfinity Mobile, an MVNO of Verizon. The company is also the nation's third-largest home telephone service provider, serving residential and commercial customers in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Comcast has owned NBCUniversal and its various mass media subsidiaries since 2013. It is a high-volume producer of films for theatrical exhibition and television programming through its film studios: Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and Focus Features. Its over-the-air national broadcast network channels include the National Broadcasting Company (NBC, one of America's Big Three television networks), Spanish-language channels Telemundo, TeleXitos, and Universo, television stations like Cozi TV, and pay-TV channel Bravo. NBCUniversal also works in news (NBC News and Noticias Telemundo) and sports (NBC Sports, NBCSN and Telemundo Deportes), bolstered by its 1996 acquisition of professional sports company Spectacor. It owns the video-on-demand streaming service Peacock; its holdings in digital distribution include thePlatform, acquired in 2006; and ad-tech company FreeWheel, acquired in 2014. Comcast has been the parent company of Sky Group since 2018, when it dropped out of the running to buy 21st Century Fox, Sky's then-largest shareholder, and instead acquired the company from Fox and other shareholders. The company also operates theme parks under its Universal Destinations & Experiences subsidiary. Comcast is criticized and put under intense public scrutiny for a variety of reasons. Its customer satisfaction ratings were among the lowest in the cable industry from 2008 to 2010. It has violated net neutrality practices; it has offered a commitment to a narrow definition of net neutrality that critics say ignores the difference between Comcast's private network services and the rest of the Internet. Critics also note a lack of competition in the vast majority of Comcast's service areas; in particular, the limited competition among cable providers. Given its negotiating power as a large ISP, some suspect that it could use paid peering agreements to unfairly influence end-user connection speeds. Comcast's ownership of both content production (in NBCUniversal) and distribution (as an ISP) has raised antitrust concerns that scuttled the company's 2014 effort to acquire Time Warner Cable. Comcast was dubbed \"The Worst Company in America\" by The Consumerist in 2010 and 2014.", "wds-Q521096": "PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts events, broadcast to about 40 countries worldwide. PRIDE was owned by the holding company Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). For the ten years of its existence, PRIDE was one of the most popular MMA organizations in the world. Pride broadcast its event on Japanese pay-per-view and free-to-air television for millions of spectators in Japan, holding large events in sports stadiums, including the largest live MMA event audience record of 91,107 spectators at the Pride and K-1 co-production, Shockwave/Dynamite, held in August 2002, as well as the audience record of over 67,450 people at the Pride Final Conflict 2003. Pride was devised in 1997 as a way to promote a fight between Nobuhiko Takada, a professional wrestler at the time considered one of the leading stars of the shoot-style wrestling circuit and the top star of UWF International (UWFi), and Rickson Gracie, a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu fighter from the Gracie family and vale tudo champion. The first event (later known as Pride 1) at the Tokyo Dome drew an audience of 40,000 spectators and attracted the attention of the Japanese media. With the success of the first events, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in crisis at the time, PRIDE became the leading organization in the nascent sport of MMA. With its origins in Japanese professional wrestling, PRIDE was known for its focus on spectacle and entertainment. Events were proceeded with opening ceremonies and fighters had elaborate entrances. There were no formal weight classes—except for championship belt bouts and the Grand Prix tournaments—and fighters would often be matched with opponents of wildly different weights. Including the frequent promotion of \"technique vs size\" freakshow fights. Pride's New Year's Eve cards were considered its flagship events, traditionally held at the Saitama Super Arena and featured some of the promotion's biggest fights. Pride also had the Grand Prix, one-night single-elimination tournaments with multiple fighters. The PRIDE ruleset was also more permissive than the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, permitting soccer kicks, stomps and knees to downed opponents, body slams directly in the head (\"spiking\"), and allowed more fighting outfits, including wrestling shoes and keikogis. Matches were done in a boxing-style roped ring and went for an opening ten minute round followed by two rounds of five minutes. In 2006, DSE started to have financial issues, as a scandal revealing ties between the company and yakuza resulted in the end of multiple lucrative contracts with Japanese broadcasters. In March 2007, DSE sold Pride to Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, co-owners of Zuffa, which, at the time, owned the UFC. While remaining as legally separate entities with separate managements, the two promotions were set to cooperate in a manner akin to the AFL-NFL merger. However, such an arrangement did not materialize, and in October 2007, Pride Worldwide's Japanese staff was laid off, marking the end of the organization as an active fight promoter, while the top and most popular fighters were brought to the UFC. As a result, many of the Pride staff left to form a new organization alongside K-1 parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group. That new organization, founded in February 2008, was named DREAM. However, this promotion would close in 2012 after the bankruptcy of FEG. In 2015, Pride's co-founder and former president Nobuyuki Sakakibara established Rizin Fighting Federation in Japan with the same philosophy and ambition as for the defunct Pride organization.", "wds-Q1260606": "The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. ( EST-ay LAW-dər) is an American multinational cosmetics company, a manufacturer and marketer of makeup, skincare, perfume, and hair care products, based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is the second largest cosmetics company in the world after L'Oréal. The company owns a diverse portfolio of brands, including La Mer, Jo Malone London, Clinique and Tom Ford Beauty, among many more, distributed internationally through both digital commerce and retail channels.", "wds-Q162345": "LG Electronics Inc. (Korean: 엘지 전자; RR: Elji Jeonja) is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG Corporation, the fourth largest chaebol in South Korea, and often considered as the pinnacle of LG Corp with the group's chemical and battery division LG Chem. It comprises four business units: Home Appliance Solution (HS), Media Entertainment Solution (MS), Vehicle Solution (VS), and Eco Solution (ES). LG Electronics' product portfolio includes televisions and audio products, home appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, microwaves, washing machines, tumble dryers and air conditioners, as well as commercial and industrial products. The company is associated with technologies such as OLED television displays, the webOS smart TV platform, and the LG ThinQ smart home ecosystem. LG Electronics acquired Zenith in 1995 and is the largest shareholder of LG Display, the world's largest display company by revenue in 2020. LG Electronics is also the world's second largest television manufacturer behind Samsung Electronics. The company has 128 operations worldwide, employing 83,000 people.", "wds-Q830334": "Best Western International, Inc. owns the Best Western Hotels & Resorts brand, which it licenses to over 4,500 hotels worldwide. The franchise, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, includes more than 2,000 hotels in North America. The brand was founded by M. K. Guertin in 1946. As of December 2021, Larry Cuculic is the president and CEO of Best Western. As of 2018, it was a nonprofit owned by its franchisee members. In 1964 Canadian hotel owners joined the system. Best Western then expanded to Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand in 1976. In 2002 Best Western International launched Best Western Premier in Europe and Asia. (The other hotels in the chain were known as Best Western.) In 2011, the chain's branding system-wide changed to a three-tiered system: Best Western, Best Western Plus, and Best Western Premier.", "wds-Q202210": "GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer, headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas–Fort Worth). The brand is the largest video game retailer worldwide. As of January 2026, the company operated 2,206 stores including 1,598 in the United States, 300 in Australia and 308 in Europe under the GameStop, EB Games, Micromania-Zing, ThinkGeek and Zing Pop Culture brands. The company was founded in Dallas in 1984 as Babbage's, and took on its current name in 1999. The company's performance declined during the mid-to-late 2010s due to the shift of video game sales to online shopping and failed investments by GameStop in smartphone retail. In 2021, after retail investors on Reddit noticed that the short interest exceeded 100%, the company's stock price skyrocketed from $17.25 to over US$500 per share. According to the SEC report, this volatility was only in part due to the massive buying power of retail investors. The company received significant media attention during January and February 2021 due to the volatility of its stock price in the GameStop short squeeze; the company was ranked 577th on the Fortune 500. GameStop also used to own and publish the video game magazine Game Informer before discontinuing it in August 2024 and selling it to Gunzilla Games in 2025. Over 400 GameStop stores closed in January 2025 due to a decline in sales, at pace to close twice as many as the company did in 2024. Consumer shift to the online marketplace has led to a decline in revenue. This represents the highest number of stores that GameStop has closed in a single month. On March 25, 2025, GameStop announced a plan to use its cash reserves to buy Bitcoin.", "wds-Q1469447": "The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership in 1931 and was bought by the Western Cartridge Company, a forerunner of the Olin Corporation. The Winchester brand name is still owned by the Olin Corporation, which makes ammunition under that name. The Winchester name is also used under license for firearms produced by two subsidiaries of the FN Browning Group – FN Herstal of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Ogden, Utah.", "wds-Q40987": "Pininfarina S.p.A. ( PIN-in-fə-REE-nə, Italian: [piniɱfaˈriːna]; short for Pininfarina Società per Azioni) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista \"Pinin\" Farina in 1930. On 14 December 2015, the Indian multinational Mahindra Group acquired 76.06% of Pininfarina S.p.A. for about €168 million. Pininfarina is employed by a wide variety of automobile manufacturers to design vehicles. These firms have included long-established customers such as Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Fiat, GM, Lancia and Maserati, to Asian companies such as Honda in Japan, AviChina, Chery, Changfeng, Brilliance, JAC in China, VinFast in Vietnam, and Korean manufacturers Daewoo and Hyundai. Since the 1980s, Pininfarina has also designed high-speed trains, convertibles, buses, trams, rolling stocks, automated light rail cars, people movers, yachts, airplanes, and private jets. Since the 1986 creation of \"Pininfarina Extra\", it has consulted on industrial design, interior design, architecture, and graphic design. Pininfarina was run by Battista's son Sergio Pininfarina until 2001, then his grandson Andrea Pininfarina until he died in 2008. After Andrea's death, his younger brother Paolo Pininfarina was appointed CEO. At its height in 2006, the Pininfarina Group employed 2,768 people, with subsidiary company offices throughout Europe, Morocco, and the United States. As of 2012, with the end of the automotive production series, employment has shrunk to 821. Pininfarina is registered and publicly traded on the Milan Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana.", "wds-Q301965": "Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before being acquired by T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 54.3 million customers as of June 30, 2019. The company also offered wireless voice, messaging, and broadband services through its various subsidiaries under the Boost Mobile and Open Mobile brands and wholesale access to its wireless networks to mobile virtual network operators. In July 2013, majority ownership of the company was purchased by the Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank Group. Sprint used CDMA, EvDO and 4G LTE networks, and formerly operated iDEN, WiMAX, and 5G NR networks. Sprint was incorporated in Kansas. Sprint traced its origins to the Brown Telephone Company, which was founded in 1899 to bring telephone service to the rural area around Abilene, Kansas. In 2006, Sprint left the local landline telephone business and spun those assets off into a new company named Embarq, which later became a part of Lumen Technologies under the CenturyLink brand, which remains one of the largest long-distance providers in the United States. Until 2005, the company was also known as the Sprint Corporation, but took the name Sprint Nextel Corporation when it merged with Nextel Communications and adopted its black and yellow color scheme, along with a new logo. In 2013, following the shutdown of the Nextel network and concurrent with the acquisition by SoftBank, the company resumed using the name Sprint Corporation. In July 2013, as part of the SoftBank transactions, Sprint acquired the remaining shares of the wireless broadband carrier Clearwire Corporation that it did not already own. In August 2014, CEO Dan Hesse was replaced by Marcelo Claure. In May 2018, Michel Combes replaced Claure, and had been working to get Sprint's acquisition by its rival T-Mobile through regulatory proceedings. On April 1, 2020, Sprint Corporation completed their acquisition by T-Mobile US, which effectively made Sprint a subsidiary of T-Mobile until the Sprint brand officially discontinued in the beginning of August. Leadership, background, and stock changes happened immediately, with customer-side changes happening over time. The Sprint brand officially discontinued on August 2, 2020. Billing was already showing the T-Mobile brand, and on this date all retail, customer service, and all other company branding switched to the T-Mobile brand. New rate plans were also introduced as well for all new and existing customers from both companies, though all will be grandfathered into their current plan for at least 3 years should they choose not to switch to a new T-Mobile plan. Customers with Sprint accounts were fully migrated to T-Mobile in the summer of 2023, officially discontinuing the Sprint brand.", "wds-Q1143917": "‌Meizu (sometimes stylized in all caps) is a technology company registered in Zhuhai, China. Its predecessor, Meizu Technology, was founded by Huang Zhang in 2003 and was famous for its MP3 player and smartphone business in the early days. In July 2022, Geely Holding Group completed the strategic acquisition of 79.09% of Meizu Technology's equity through its subsidiary DreamSmart, and the actual control of the company was transferred to the Geely system. In March 2023, DreamSmart and Meizu Technology completed the organizational merger and officially established DreamSmart Meizu Group. Shen Ziyu served as the chairman and CEO of DreamSmart Meizu Group, marking the transition of Meizu from independent operation to the core component of Geely's intelligent ecological chain. The company's current business covers consumer electronics, smart car technology and extended reality (XR) fields, focusing on the development of smartphones (Meizu brand), in-vehicle systems (Flyme Auto) and AR devices.", "wds-Q373724": "La Poste (French pronunciation: [la pɔst]) is a postal service company in France, operating in Metropolitan France, the five French overseas departments and regions and the overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Under bilateral agreements, La Poste also has responsibility for mail services in Monaco through La Poste Monaco and in Andorra alongside the Spanish company Correos. The company was created in 1991 following the split of the French PTT, a government department responsible for mail, telegraph and telephone services in France. The PTT, founded in 1879, was then divided between La Poste, which became responsible for postal service, and France Télécom (nowadays Orange) for the telecommunication services. France Télécom was immediately privatised but La Poste has remained a public company. However, in 1997 EU directive 97/67/EC required member states to \"fully open the postal sector to competition\", with the result that the French government allowed private postal service companies in 2005 and transformed La Poste into a public-owned company limited by shares in 2010. La Poste is part of the Groupe La Poste, which also comprises a bank and insurance company (La Banque Postale), a logistics service company (Geopost) and a mobile network operator (La Poste Mobile). Although its postal activities are declining because of the development of the Internet, they still represented half of the company's income. Other activities, such as parcel delivery and banking, are on the rise. The two represented respectively a quarter of the company's income in 2017.", "wds-Q35476": "AT&T Inc., an abbreviation of its predecessor's original name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications company headquartered at the Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. AT&T is the world's third-largest telecommunications company by revenue, the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States behind T-Mobile and Verizon, and the nation's largest fiber internet provider. On the New York Stock Exchange, AT&T trades under the ticker symbol \"T\", and has a market capitalization of $186.83 billion. On the Fortune 500 (2025) AT&T ranked 37th among the largest American businesses and reported revenues of $125.6 billion last year. AT&T has over 240 million subscribers worldwide, and its operations are split into two main segments: Communications, which offers wireless services, broadband options, and business solutions, along with Latin America, which provides wireless networking in Mexico. Even after spinning off DirecTV, AT&T still offers bundling deals with it. While AT&T traces its history to the original company founded in 1885, the modern version began on January 1, 1984, as Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC Communications) after the Bell System breakup. The original AT&T was created by American Bell Telephone on March 5, 1885, as a long-distance subsidiary, and later merged with its corporate parent in 1889. Over time, AT&T developed a natural monopoly in telephony, dominating telecommunications for much of the 20th century and earning the nickname \"Ma Bell\". The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against AT&T under the Sherman Antitrust Act, arguing it held unfair advantages over other telecom companies through the Bell System. Despite fighting the case, AT&T settled in 1982 to break up the Bell System into seven independent companies. AT&T was allowed to retain its long-lines and technology divisions and it ventured into new industries. SBC, which originated from ADT Inc., was the smallest \"Baby Bell\" and it grew by acquiring Pacific Telesis and Ameritech. AT&T later spun off Lucent Technologies along with its wireless and broadband units, leading to an uncertain future. In 2005, SBC Communications bought AT&T Corporation and adopted its branding to become the modern AT&T. Since reforming, AT&T bought BellSouth, reuniting four of the seven Baby Bells and taking control of Cingular Wireless (now AT&T Mobility). AT&T also shifted toward content distribution by launching U-verse TV, acquiring DirecTV, and expanding into entertainment with the purchase of Time Warner. These moves were intended to transform AT&T into a vertically integrated media-telecom giant, but lackluster synergies led to DirecTV being sold to TPG Inc., and WarnerMedia merging with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery. Today, AT&T is focusing its efforts on 5G connectivity and fiber networks.", "wds-Q483915": "Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022. The company was founded on January 25, 1964, as \"Blue Ribbon Sports\", by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1971. The company takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Nike Blazers, Air Force 1, Nike Dunk, Air Max, Foamposite, Nike Skateboarding and Nike CR7. The company also sells products under its Air Jordan brand and its Converse subsidiary. Nike also owned Bauer Hockey from 1995 to 2008, and previously owned Cole Haan, Umbro, and Hurley International. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high-profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of \"Just Do It\" and the Swoosh logo. As of 2024, it employed 83,700 people worldwide. In 2020, the brand alone was valued in excess of $32 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses. Previously, in 2017, the Nike brand was valued at $29.6 billion. Nike ranked 89th in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by revenue. The company ranked 239th in the Forbes Global 2000 companies in 2024.", "wds-Q19842818": "The Internet Research Agency (IRA; Russian: Агентство интернет-исследований, romanized: Agentstvo internet-issledovaniy; 2013–2023), also known as Glavset (Russian: Главсеть, lit. 'Central Network'), and known in Russian Internet slang as the Trolls from Olgino (ольгинские тролли, olginskiye trolli) or Kremlinbots (кремлеботы), was a Russian company which was engaged in online propaganda and influence operations on behalf of Russian business and political interests. It was linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a former Russian oligarch who was leader of the Wagner Group, and based in Saint Petersburg. The agency was first mentioned in a 2015 article by Adrian Chen in The New York Times, which detailed its operations, although it gained further attention when Russian journalist Andrey Zakharov published his investigation into Prigozhin’s \"troll factory\". The January 2017 report issued by the United States Intelligence Community—Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections—described the agency as a troll farm: \"The likely financier of the so-called Internet Research Agency of professional trolls located in Saint Petersburg is a close ally of [Vladimir] Putin with ties to Russian intelligence,\" commenting that \"they previously were devoted to supporting Russian actions in Ukraine—[and] started to advocate for candidate Trump as early as December 2015.\" The agency employed fake accounts registered on major social networking sites, discussion boards, online newspaper sites, and video hosting services to promote the Kremlin's interests in domestic and foreign policy including Ukraine and the Middle East as well as attempting to influence the 2016 United States presidential election. More than 1,000 employees reportedly worked in a single building of the organization in 2015. The extent to which the organization tried to influence public opinion using social media became better known after a June 2014 BuzzFeed News article greatly expanded on government documents published by hackers earlier that year. The Internet Research Agency gained more attention by June 2015, when one of its offices was reported as having data from fake accounts used for biased Internet trolling. Subsequently, there were news reports of individuals receiving monetary compensation for performing these tasks. On 16 February 2018, a United States grand jury indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities, including the Internet Research Agency, on charges of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere \"with U.S. elections and political processes\", according to the Justice Department. On 1 July 2023, it was announced that the Internet Research Agency would be shut down following the aftermath of the Wagner Group rebellion.", "wds-Q324603": "Compaq Computer Corporation was an American information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced some of the first IBM PC compatible computers, being the second company after Columbia Data Products to legally reverse engineer the BIOS of the IBM Personal Computer. It rose to become the largest supplier of PC systems during the 1990s. The company was initially based in Harris County, Texas. The company was formed by Rod Canion, Jim Harris, and Bill Murto, all of whom were former Texas Instruments senior managers. All three had left Compaq in 1991 due to an internal shakeup, and saw Eckhard Pfeiffer appointed as president and CEO, who served throughout the 1990s. Ben Rosen provided the venture capital financing for the fledgling company and served as chairman of the board for 17 years from 1983 until September 28, 2000, when he retired and was succeeded by Michael Capellas, who served as its last chairman and CEO until its merger. Compaq was overtaken by Dell as the top global PC maker two times; one in 1999 and the other in 2001. Struggling to keep up against its competitors with the price wars against Dell, the launch of a joint venture with ADI Corporation in 1994, and a risky acquisition of DEC in 1998 (which includes the inheritance of the DEC Alpha family of CPUs), Compaq was acquired by Hewlett-Packard (HP) for US$25 billion in 2002. Despite using the Compaq name in HP's own HP Compaq brand of business computers, which served as a replacement for the Compaq Evo in 2003 as well as the HP ProBook brand in 2009, the Compaq brand as a whole remained in use by HP for lower-end systems until 2013 when it was discontinued. In 2015, HP itself was split up into two companies, leading to its legal successors HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. As of 2025, the Compaq brand is currently licensed to third parties outside of North America for use on electronics in Latin America (e.g., Mexico and Brazil) and India.", "wds-Q308993": "NeXT, Inc. (later NeXT Computer, Inc. and NeXT Software, Inc.) was an American technology company headquartered in Redwood City, California. It was founded in 1985 by Steve Jobs, the Apple Computer co-founder who had been ousted from Apple earlier that year. The company initially developed workstation computers for higher education and business markets before shifting its focus to software. NeXT introduced the NeXT Computer in 1988, followed by the NeXTcube and NeXTstation in 1990. Although its computers achieved limited commercial success, the company's NeXTSTEP operating system and its object-oriented software development environment and graphical user interface proved highly influential. NeXT later partnered with Sun Microsystems to create the OpenStep specification, which decoupled the NeXTSTEP operating system's application layer to host it on third-party operating systems. In 1993, NeXT withdrew from the hardware industry to concentrate on marketing OPENSTEP for Mach, its own OpenStep implementation, to other computer vendors. The company also developed WebObjects, one of the first enterprise web frameworks, and a prominent early example of dynamic web pages rather than static content. In 1997, Apple acquired NeXT for $427 million. The deal returned Jobs to Apple as an advisor, and he would eventually be appointed as the company's CEO. Apple used NeXT's software technologies as the foundation for Rhapsody, Mac OS X (later macOS), and the operating systems that followed. The company’s workstations and software served as the development platform for the first web server (CERN httpd), the first web browser (WorldWideWeb), and the video games Doom and Quake.", "wds-Q918390": "Sky Group Limited, trading as Sky, is a British media and telecommunications conglomerate owned by American company Comcast and headquartered in London. It has operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy. Sky is Europe's largest media company and pay-TV broadcaster by revenue (as of 2018), with 23 million subscribers and more than 31,000 employees as of 2019. The company is primarily involved in satellite television, producing and broadcasting. The current CEO is Dana Strong. Formed in 1990 by the equal merger of Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting, BSkyB became the UK's largest pay television company. In 2014, after completing the acquisition of Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland, the merged company changed its name to Sky plc. From its founding, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation held 39.14% of Sky Group, and in June 2010 they attempted to buy out the rest of Sky, but the bid was withdrawn in July 2011 following the News International phone hacking scandal that also led to News Corporation splitting into News Corporation and 21st Century Fox, the latter of which continued to hold News' stake in Sky. In December 2016, 21st Century Fox made a bid to acquire the remaining shares of Sky, pending government approval. After The Walt Disney Company announced that they were to acquire Fox, Comcast initially engaged in a bidding war, but dropped out to acquire Sky instead, outbidding Fox with an offer for £17.28 per share; Fox sold their stake in October 2018, followed by the remaining shareholders a month later. Following this, Comcast's film studios and US television businesses and other media assets are held by NBCUniversal, which is also under its control and was formed when Vivendi sold 80% of Universal Pictures to the now-defunct General Electric, NBC's then-owner. Before the acquisition by Comcast, Sky was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It had a market capitalisation of approximately £18.75 billion (€26.76 billion) in 2018.", "wds-Q53247": "Panasonic Holdings Corporation, colloquially known as Panasonic, is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. It produces a wide range of products and services, including consumer electronics, rechargeable batteries, automotive and avionic systems, industrial equipment, as well as home renovation and construction. The company is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX 100 indices, with a secondary listing on the Nagoya Stock Exchange. The company was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works and incorporated in 1935 as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. with some of its earliest products being radios, electric irons and bicycle lamps, under the National brand name. During wartime, Matsushita launched and made military components such as ships and aircraft for the Japanese state. By 1950, the company's assets were unfrozen and went public, and Matsushita became known for consumer white goods, black-and-white televisions and transistor radios. In addition to National, the Panasonic brand name was first adopted in 1955 for export markets and later still also created the Technics brand for audio equipment. During the late 20th century, the company overtook Philips to become the world's largest manufacturer of consumer electronics. Matsushita had also been the majority owner of the Victor Company of Japan (JVC), and briefly from 1990–95 also owned the American media entertainment giant MCA Inc.. In 2008, the company divested its JVC subsidiary, discontinued its National brand in Japan, and changed its official corporate name from Matsushita Electric to Panasonic Corporation. In 2022, it reorganized as a holding company and adopted its current name.", "wds-Q357095": "Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company. Headquartered in Bengaluru, it is involved in the designing, manufacturing and overhaul of combat aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, jet and turbine engines, avionics, and other hardware. HAL operates 11 dedicated research and development centres and 21 manufacturing divisions distributed across four production units. The company is majority-owned by the Indian government, and managed by a board of directors appointed by the Indian president through the Ministry of Defence. Established on 23 December 1940 by Walchand Hirachand as Hindustan Aircraft Limited, the company is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. The company began manufacturing aircraft in 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk, and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force. The company started manufacturing jet engines in 1957 with the licensed production of Bristol Siddeley Orpheus engines. It was established as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on 1 October 1964. The HF-24 Marut, a fighter-bomber manufactured by HAL in the late 1960s, was the first indigenous combat aircraft built in India. Since the 1980s, HAL has been involved in the licensed production of various foreign aircraft, such as MiG-21, MiG-27, SEPECAT Jaguar, HS 748, Dornier 228, and Sukhoi Su-30MKI. The company is involved in the production of indigenous aircraft, including the HAL Tejas fighter, and HJT-16 Kiran trainer aircraft. It has developed various helicopters such as the Chetak, Cheetah, Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand, and Light Utility Helicopter. It has produced various jet and helicopter engines in coordination with Rolls Royce, GE Aviation, Klimov, NPO Saturn, Honeywell, and Turbomeca. HAL also manufactures spare parts for Airbus, Boeing, and GE Aviation.", "wds-Q835692": "OJSC \"Yukos Oil Company\" (Russian: ОАО Нефтяна́я Компа́ния Ю́КОС, IPA: [ˈjukəs]) was an oil and gas company based in Moscow, Russia. Yukos was acquired from the Russian government by Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky's Bank Menatep during the controversial \"loans for shares\" auctions of the mid 1990s. Between 1996 and 2003, Yukos became one of the largest and most successful Russian companies, producing 20% of Russia's oil output. In the 2004 Fortune 500, Yukos was ranked as the 359th largest company in the world. In October 2003, Khodorkovsky—by then the richest person in Russia and 16th richest person in the world—was arrested, and the company was forcibly broken up for alleged unpaid taxes shortly after and declared bankrupt in August 2006. Courts in several countries later ruled that the real intent was to destroy Yukos and obtain its assets for the government, and act politically against Khodorkovsky. In 2014, the largest arbitration award in history, $50 billion (€37.2 billion), was won by Yukos' former owners against Russia. This $50 billion award by an arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration was ruled invalid by the District court in The Hague in 2016, but reinstated by the Court of Appeal of the Hague in 2020. From 2003 to 2004 onwards, the Russian government presented Yukos with a series of tax claims totaling US$27 billion (€20,1 billion). As the government froze Yukos' assets at the same time, and alternative attempts to settle by Yukos were refused, the company was unable to pay these tax demands. Between 2004 and 2007, most of Yukos's assets were seized and transferred for a fraction of their value to state-owned oil companies. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemned Russia's campaign against Yukos and its owners as manufactured for political reasons and a violation of human rights. Between 2011 and 2014 several court cases were won by the former company's management and investors against Russia or against the companies that acquired Yukos assets. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that there had been unfair use of the legal and tax system; the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, an established neutral body used by Russia and the West since the 1970s for trade disputes, concluded that the government's action was an \"unlawful expropriation\" using \"illegitimate\" tax bills, whose effect was intended to \"destroy Yukos and gain control over its assets\". An arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled unanimously upon awarding compensation of $50 billion for the company's assets, that Yukos was the target of a series of politically motivated attacks by Russian authorities that eventually led to its destruction, and that Russia had expropriated Yukos' assets in breach of the Energy Charter Treaty. The treaty does not prohibit governments seizing or nationalizing commercial assets, but requires investors to be fairly compensated. Though Russia never ratified the full treaty, these clauses were still legally binding under both the treaty and Russian law until 2029. According to the arbitral tribunal's ruling, the primary objective of the Russian Federation was not to collect taxes but rather to bankrupt Yukos, appropriate its assets for the sole benefit of the Russian state and state-owned companies Rosneft and Gazprom, and remove Khodorkovsky from the political arena.", "wds-Q1432285": "Parmalat S.p.A. is an Italian dairy and food corporation which is a subsidiary of French multinational company Lactalis. It was founded by Calisto Tanzi in 1961. Having become the leading global company in the production of long-life milk using ultra-high-temperature processing, the company collapsed in 2003 with €14bn ($20bn; £13bn) of debt in what remains Europe's biggest bankruptcy. Since 2011, it has been a subsidiary of French group Lactalis (with fuller control since 2019). Today, Parmalat is a company with a global presence, having operations in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, China, and South Africa. Still specializing in UHT milk and milk derivatives (varieties of yogurt, cheese, butter, ice cream, etc.), the group also sells fruit juices distributed under the brand names Lactis, Santal, Malù, and Kyr. Its worldwide operations include almost 140 production centres and some 16,000 employees, with 5,000 Italian dairy farms supplying it. Its shares were listed on the Borsa Italiana.", "wds-Q371068": "Jack Daniel's is a brand of Tennessee whiskey produced at Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, which has been owned by Brown-Forman since 1956. Packaged in square bottles, Jack Daniel's \"Black Label\" Tennessee whiskey sold 12.9 million nine-liter cases in 2017. Other brand variations, such as Tennessee Honey, Tennessee Apple, Gentleman Jack, Tennessee Fire, and ready to drink (RTD) products brought the total to more than 16.1 million equivalent adjusted cases for the entire Jack Daniel's family of brands.", "wds-Q13977": "Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, Charles Zegar, and a 12% ownership investment by Merrill Lynch. Bloomberg L.P. provides financial software tools and enterprise applications such as analytics and an equity trading platform, data services, and news to financial companies and organizations through the Bloomberg Terminal (via its Bloomberg Professional Service), its core revenue-generating product. Bloomberg L.P. also includes a news agency (Bloomberg News), a global television network (Bloomberg Television), websites, radio stations (Bloomberg Radio), subscription-only newsletters, and two magazines: Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg Markets. As of 2019, the company has 176 locations and nearly 20,000 employees.", "wds-Q713418": "Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (Chinese: 台灣積體電路製造股份有限公司; Taiwan Semiconductor or TSMC, stylised in all lowercase) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. Headquartered in Hsinchu Science Park, it was the world's largest non-US company by market capitalisation as of June 30, 2026. It holds a commanding majority in the semiconductor foundry market, accounting for approximately 70% of the global market share. As the leading dedicated contract chipmaker, it serves as the main supplier for Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom, and Qualcomm. The company has grown rapidly due to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and its importance in the creation of advanced chips needed for AI. Its role as a supply chain bottleneck raises concerns that a disruption could cause another worldwide chip shortage. Although the government of Taiwan is the largest individual shareholder, the majority of TSMC is owned by foreign investors. In 2026, the company was ranked 31st in the Forbes Global 2000. Taiwan's exports of integrated circuits amounted to $184 billion in 2022, nearly 25 percent of Taiwan's GDP. TSMC constitutes about 30 percent of the Taiwan Stock Exchange's main index. TSMC was established in 1987 as a joint venture between Taiwan’s government, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), and private investors. Morris Chang founded the company to commercialise semiconductor research originally developed at ITRI, becoming the world’s first dedicated semiconductor foundry. When Chang retired in 2018, after 31 years of TSMC leadership, Mark Liu became chairman and C. C. Wei became Chief Executive. It has been listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange since 1993; in 1997 it became the first Taiwanese company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Since 1994, TSMC has had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4 percent in revenue and a CAGR of 16.1 percent in earnings. Most fabless semiconductor companies such as AMD, Apple, ARM, Broadcom, Marvell, MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Nvidia are customers of TSMC, as are emerging companies such as Allwinner Technology, HiSilicon, Spectra7, and UNISOC. Programmable logic device companies Xilinx and previously Altera also make or made use of TSMC's foundry services. Some integrated device manufacturers that have their own fabrication facilities, such as Intel, NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Texas Instruments, outsource some of their production to TSMC. TSMC has a global capacity of about thirteen million 300 mm-equivalent wafers per year as of 2020 and produces chips for customers with process nodes from 2 microns to 3 nanometres. TSMC was the first foundry to market 7-nanometre and 5-nanometre (used by the 2020 Apple A14 and M1 SoCs, the MediaTek Dimensity 8100, and AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors) production capabilities, and the first to commercialise ASML's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology in high volume.", "wds-Q1329463": "Quiksilver is a brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Victoria, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equipment. The parent company changed its name in March 2017 from Quiksilver, Inc. to Boardriders, Inc., and is the owner of the brands Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes. In 2018, Boardriders acquired Billabong International Limited, gaining the Billabong, Element, Von Zipper, RVCA and XCEL brands. Authentic Brands Group bought Boardriders and its associated brands and intellectual property in 2023. Quiksilver manufactures and sells a wide range of products that include sportswear (swimsuits), clothing (T-shirts, polo shirts, flannels, jackets, hoodies, pants, shorts), footwear (sneakers, sandals), and accessories (hats, backpacks, and wallets). The company also produces a line of apparel for young women, under the Roxy brand. Another line of apparel for women is sold under the brand Quiksilver Women.", "wds-Q337233": "Academi, formerly Blackwater, was an American private military contractor founded on December 26, 1996, by former Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince. It was renamed Xe Services in 2009, and was again renamed to Academi in 2011, after it was acquired by a group of private investors. In 2014, Academi and Triple Canopy were consolidated into Constellis Group, under the Constellis Holdings umbrella alongside several other private security firms. Academi is still operational as a subsidiary of Constellis Group. Blackwater began providing services to the Central Intelligence Agency in 2002, receiving a $5.4 million contract to provide security for the agency's station in Kabul, Afghanistan. Blackwater’s work in Iraq began in mid-2003. In 2007, Blackwater received widespread notoriety for the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, when a group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians and injured 20. Four employees were convicted in the United States and were later pardoned on December 22, 2020, by President Donald Trump.", "wds-Q44504": "Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex; , Spanish: [indiˈteks]; lit. 'Textile Design Industry') is a Spanish multinational clothing company headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, Spain. The largest fast fashion group in the world, it operates over 7,200 stores in 93 markets worldwide. The company's predominant brand is Zara, but it also owns a number of other brands including Zara Home, Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, Bershka, Oysho and Uterqüe. The majority of its stores are corporate-owned, while franchises are mainly conceded in countries where corporate properties cannot be foreign-owned. Inditex's business model emphasises fast response to market trends. The company has implemented a system that allows for frequent product updates in stores, with the process from design to retail shelf reportedly taking as little as 15 days in some cases. This approach contrasts with the longer production cycles typical of many traditional fashion companies. The Uyghur Rights Monitor, Sheffield Hallam University, and the Uyghur Center for Democracy and Human Rights have accused the company of using Uyghur forced labour through the Chinese based textile supplier Beijing Guanghua Textile Group.", "wds-Q936563": "Borsa Italiana (English: Italian Stock Exchange) or Borsa di Milano (English: Milan Stock Exchange), based in Milan at Mezzanotte Palace, is the Italian stock exchange. It manages and organises domestic market, regulating procedures for admission and listing of companies and intermediaries and supervising disclosures for listed companies. Following exchange privatisation in 1997, the Italian Bourse was established and became effective on 2 January 1998. On 23 June 2007, the Italian Bourse became a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group. This changed on 9 October 2020, when a €4.3 billion deal was agreed between the London Stock Exchange Group and pan-European stock exchange group Euronext. Euronext's acquisition of the Italian Bourse was completed on 29 April 2021. In 2021, Euronext outlined plans for a possible future rebranding of Borsa Italiana as Euronext Milan. Borsa Italiana is also informally known as Piazza Affari (lit. 'Business Square'), after the city square of Milan where its headquarters (the Palazzo Mezzanotte building) is located. Borsa Italiana is chaired by Claudia Parzani, and Fabrizio Testa is the CEO. Borsa Italiana is regulated by the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB), an agency of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, based in Rome. As of 2025, overall capitalisation for listed companies on Borsa Italiana was worth €1.042 trillion.", "wds-Q903523": "Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (formerly Janssen Pharmaceuticals) is a Belgian pharmaceutical company headquartered in Beerse, Belgium, and wholly owned by Johnson & Johnson. It was founded in 1953 by Paul Janssen. In 1961, Janssen Pharmaceuticals was purchased by the New Jersey–based American corporation Johnson & Johnson. It became part of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (J&J PRD), which was later renamed Janssen Research and Development, LLC (JRD). This division conducts research and development activities related to a wide range of human medical disorders, including mental illness, neurological disorders, anesthesia and analgesia, gastrointestinal disorders, fungal infections, HIV/AIDS, allergies, and cancer. Janssen and Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical were later placed into the Ortho-McNeil-Janssen group within Johnson & Johnson.", "wds-Q2141800": "Thomas Cook Group plc was a global travel group, headquartered in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange from its formation on 19 June 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG — successor to Thomas Cook & Son — and MyTravel Group until 23 September 2019, when it went into compulsory liquidation. The group operated as a tour operator and airline, and also operated travel agencies in Europe. At the time of the group's collapse, approximately 21,000 worldwide employees were left without jobs (including 9,000 UK staff) and 600,000 customers (150,000 from the UK) were left abroad, triggering the UK's largest peacetime repatriation. After the collapse, segments of the company were purchased by others, including the travel stores in the UK, the airlines, the Thomas Cook name and logo, the hotel brands and the tour operators. Thomas Cook India has been an entirely separate entity since August 2012, when it was acquired by Fairfax Financial and thus was not affected. In September 2020, Fosun International launched Thomas Cook Holidays as the successor to the company, hiring some former Thomas Cook Group staff in the process.", "wds-Q122741": "Sega Corporation is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for arcades and consoles including Sonic the Hedgehog, Angry Birds, Football Manager, Phantasy Star, Puyo Puyo, Super Monkey Ball, Bayonetta, Total War, Virtua Fighter, Megami Tensei, Sakura Wars, Persona, and Yakuza. From 1983 until 2001, Sega also developed its own consoles. Sega was founded by Martin Bromley and Richard Stewart as Nihon Goraku Bussan on June 3, 1960. Shortly after, it acquired the assets of its predecessor, Service Games of Japan. In 1965, it became known as Sega Enterprises, Ltd., after acquiring Rosen Enterprises, an importer of coin-operated games. Sega developed its first coin-operated game, Periscope, in 1966. Sega was sold to Gulf and Western Industries in 1969. Following a downturn in the arcade business in the early 1980s, Sega began to develop video game consoles, starting with the SG-1000 and Master System, but struggled against competitors such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1984, Sega executives David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama led a management buyout, with backing from CSK Corporation. In 1988, Sega released the Mega Drive (the \"Genesis\" in North America). The Mega Drive struggled against competition in Japan, but the Genesis found success overseas after the release of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991 and briefly outsold its main competitor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, in the US. In 2001, after several commercial failures such as the 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast, Sega stopped manufacturing consoles to become a third-party developer and publisher, and was acquired by Sammy Corporation in 2004. Sega Holdings Co., Ltd. was established in 2015; Sega Corporation was renamed to Sega Games Co., Ltd., and its arcade division was split into Sega Interactive. In 2020, Sega Games and Sega Interactive merged to become Sega Corporation. Sega's international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California, and London. Its development studios include its internal research and development divisions (which utilize the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sonic Team brands for several core franchise entries), Sega Sapporo Studio which mainly provides support for the Tokyo-based development teams as well as handling partial game development, and Atlus (including its R&D divisions) and five development studios in the UK and Europe: Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Sega Hardlight, Two Point Studios, and Rovio Entertainment (including Ruby Games). Sega is one of the world's most prolific arcade game producers and its mascot, Sonic, is internationally recognized. Sega is recognized for its video game consoles, creativity and innovations. In more recent years, it has been criticized for its business decisions and the quality of its creative output. Being the entertainment contents division of Sega Sammy Holdings, forming one half of the Sega Sammy Group, Sega also owns a toy and amusement machine company, Sega Fave, which comprises its arcade development and manufacturing divisions and two animation studios: TMS Entertainment, which animates, produces, and distributes anime, and Marza Animation Planet, which specializes in CG animation.", "wds-Q19923099": "The Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE) is an American multinational information technology company based in Spring, Texas. It is a business-focused organization which works in servers, storage, networking, AI, containerization software and consulting and support. HPE was ranked No. 107 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. HPE was founded on November 1, 2015, in Palo Alto, California, as part of the splitting of the Hewlett-Packard company. The split was structured so that the former Hewlett-Packard Company would change its name to HP Inc. and spin off Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a newly created company. HP Inc. retained the old HP's personal computer and printing business, as well as its stock-price history and original NYSE ticker symbol for Hewlett-Packard; Enterprise trades under its own ticker symbol: HPE. At the time of the spin-off, HPE's revenue was slightly less than that of HP Inc. The company relocated to Texas in 2020. In 2017, HPE spun off its Enterprise Services business and merged it with Computer Sciences Corporation to become DXC Technology. Also in 2017, it spun off its software business segment and merged it with Micro Focus. Also in 2024, as part of the change in strategy, HPE's telecommunications business unit, the Communication Technology Group (CTG), was acquired by HCLTech for $225 million. In 2026, HPE worked with a conservative fixer to have anti-trust regulators in the US Department of Justice fired for not giving approval to a controversial 2025 $14 billion merger with Juniper.", "wds-Q181114": "FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as the Chrysler Corporation ( KRY-slər), is one of the \"Big Three\" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotive company Stellantis. Stellantis North America sells vehicles worldwide under the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram Trucks nameplates. It also includes Mopar, its automotive parts and accessories division, and SRT, its performance automobile division. The division also distributes Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Maserati vehicles in North America. The original Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler from the remains of the Maxwell Motor Company. In 1998, it merged with Daimler-Benz, which renamed itself DaimlerChrysler but in 2007 sold off its Chrysler stake. The company operated as Chrysler LLC through 2009, then as Chrysler Group LLC. In 2014, it was acquired by Fiat S.p.A.; it subsequently operated as a subsidiary of the new Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), then as a subsidiary of Stellantis, the company formed from the 2021 merger of FCA and PSA Group (Peugeot Société Anonyme). After founding the company, Walter Chrysler used General Motors (GM)'s brand diversification and hierarchy strategy that he knew of when he worked at its Buick division. He then acquired Fargo Trucks and the Dodge Brothers Company, and created the Plymouth and DeSoto brands in 1928. Facing postwar declines in market share, productivity, and profitability, as GM and Ford were growing, Chrysler borrowed $250 million in 1954 from Prudential Insurance to pay for expansion and updated car designs. Chrysler expanded into Europe by taking control of French, British, and Spanish auto companies in the 1960s; but in 1978 Chrysler Europe was sold to PSA Peugeot Citroën for a nominal $1. The company struggled to adapt to changing markets, increased U.S. import competition, and safety and environmental regulation in the 1970s. It began an engineering partnership with Mitsubishi Motors, and began selling Mitsubishi vehicles branded as Dodge and Plymouth in North America. On the verge of bankruptcy in the late 1970s, it was saved by $1.5 billion in loan guarantees from the U.S. government. New CEO Lee Iacocca was credited with returning the company to profitability in the 1980s. In 1985, Diamond-Star Motors was created, further expanding the Chrysler-Mitsubishi relationship. In 1987, Chrysler acquired American Motors Corporation (AMC), which brought the profitable Jeep, as well as the newly formed Eagle, brands under the Chrysler umbrella. In 1998, Chrysler merged with German automaker Daimler-Benz to form DaimlerChrysler AG; the merger proved contentious with investors. As a result, Chrysler was sold to Cerberus Capital Management and renamed Chrysler LLC in 2007. Like the other Big Three automobile manufacturers, Chrysler was affected by the automotive industry crisis of 2008–2010. The company remained in business through a combination of negotiations with creditors, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on April 30, 2009, and participating in a bailout from the U.S. government through the Troubled Asset Relief Program. On June 10, 2009, Chrysler emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings with the United Auto Workers pension fund, Fiat S.p.A., and the U.S. and Canadian governments as principal owners. The bankruptcy resulted in Chrysler defaulting on over $4 billion in debts. In May 2011, Chrysler finished repaying its obligations to the U.S. government five years early, although the cost to the American taxpayer was $1.3 billion. Over the next few years, Fiat S.p.A. gradually acquired the other parties' shares. In January 2014, Fiat acquired the rest of Chrysler from the United Auto Workers retiree health trust, making Chrysler Group a subsidiary of Fiat S.p.A. In May 2014, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was established by merging Fiat S.p.A. into the company. Chrysler Group LLC remained a subsidiary until December 15, 2014, when it was renamed FCA US LLC, to reflect the Fiat-Chrysler merger. As a result of the merger between FCA and PSA, on 17 January 2021 it became a subsidiary of the Stellantis Group.", "wds-Q30113": "Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep is part of Chrysler, who acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Corporation (AMC), in 1987. Jeep's current product range consists solely of sport utility vehicles—both crossovers and fully off-road worthy SUVs and models, including one pickup truck. Previously, Jeep's range included other pick-ups, small vans, as well as a few roadsters. Some of Jeep's vehicles—such as the Grand Cherokee—reach into the luxury SUV segment, a market segment the 1963 Wagoneer is considered to have started. Jeep sold 1.4 million SUVs globally in 2016, up from 500,000 in 2008, two-thirds of which in North America, and was Fiat-Chrysler's best selling brand in the U.S. during the first half of 2017. In the U.S. alone, over 2400 dealerships hold franchise rights to sell Jeep-branded vehicles, and if Jeep were spun off into a separate company, it is estimated to be worth between $22 and $33.5 billion—slightly more than all of FCA (US). Prior to 1940 the term \"jeep\" had been used as U.S. Army slang for new recruits or vehicles, but the World War II \"jeep\" that went into production in 1941 specifically tied the name to this light military 4×4, arguably making them the oldest four-wheel drive mass-production vehicles now known as SUVs. The Jeep became the primary light four-wheel-drive vehicle of the United States Armed Forces and the Allies during World War II, as well as the postwar period. The term became common worldwide in the wake of the war. Doug Stewart noted: \"The spartan, cramped, and unstintingly functional jeep became the ubiquitous World War II four-wheeled personification of Yankee ingenuity and cocky, can-do determination.\" It is the precursor of subsequent generations of military light utility vehicles such as the Humvee, and inspired the creation of civilian analogs such as the original Series I Land Rover. Many Jeep variants serving similar military and civilian roles have since been designed in other nations. The Jeep marque has been headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, ever since Willys–Overland launched production of the first CJ or Civilian Jeep branded models there in 1945. Its replacement, the conceptually consistent Jeep Wrangler series, has remained in production since 1986. With its solid axles and open top, the Wrangler has been called the Jeep model that is as central to the brand's identity as the 911 is to Porsche. At least two Jeep models (the CJ-5 and the SJ Wagoneer) enjoyed extraordinary three-decade production runs of a single body generation. In lowercase, the term \"jeep\" continues to be used as a generic term for vehicles inspired by the Jeep that are suitable for use on rough terrain. In Iceland, the word Jeppi (derived from Jeep) has been used since World War II and is still used for any type of SUV. Jeep's product lineup in North America by 2030 will include the Wrangler, Gladiator, Scrambler, Compass, Cherokee, Recon, Grand Cherokee, and Grand Wagoneer.", "wds-Q26921": "Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. (Italian: [ˈalfa roˈmɛːo]) is an Italian car manufacturer known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and distinct design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of multinational automotive company Stellantis. Founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan, Italy as A.L.F.A.—an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili—the company was established by Cavaliere Ugo Stella to acquire the assets of the ailing Italian subsidiary of French carmaker Darracq, of which he had been an investor and manager. Its first car was the 24 HP, designed by Giuseppe Merosi, which became commercially successful and participated in the 1911 Targa Florio endurance race. In August 1915, ALFA was acquired by Neapolitan entrepreneur and engineer Nicola Romeo, who vastly expanded the company's portfolio to include heavy machinery and aircraft engines. In 1920, the company's name was changed to Alfa Romeo, with the Torpedo 20–30 HP being the first vehicle to bear the new brand. Through the 1920s, Alfa Romeo produced several successful road and race cars, and was well represented in prominent European motorsport events, notably winning the inaugural AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship at the 1925 Grand Prix season. Nevertheless, the company soon faced financial troubles, leading to Romeo's contentious departure in 1928 and Italian government ownership in 1933. Under the control of the industrial organization Institute for Industrial Reconstruction (IRI), Alfa Romeo initially continued making its signature custom luxury vehicles, but following the financial hardship of World War II, shifted to mass-producing small vehicles. In 1954, it launched the Giulietta series of family cars and developed the Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine, which would remain in production until 1994. Alfa Romeo became known for producing mass-market vehicles that nonetheless blended the aesthetics and performance of sport and luxury marques. Despite its strong brand image and relatively sizeable share of the high-performance auto market in Europe, by the 1970s, the company was operating at a loss, prompting IRI to sell it to Fiat Group in 1986. Alfa Romeo has since maintained its distinct identity and brand through several ownership changes, including Fiat's merger with the American Chrysler Group in 2014, forming Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), and FCA's subsequent merger in 2021 with the French PSA Group to form Stellantis. Alfa Romeo is heavily involved in various motorsports—including Grand Prix motor racing, Formula One, sportscar racing, touring car racing, and rallies—with achievements giving a sporty image to the marque. Enzo Ferrari founded the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in 1929 as an Alfa Romeo racing team, before forming his namesake luxury sports car maker in 1939.", "wds-Q214346": "The second incarnation of Viacom Inc. ( VY-ə-kom or Vie-ah-kom; a portmanteau of Video & Audio Communications) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate with interests primarily in film and television. It was split from the original Viacom on December 31, 2005, alongside the second incarnation of CBS Corporation. The controlling shareholder of both companies was National Amusements, a theater company headed by businessman Sumner Redstone. The split was structured so that the original Viacom changed its name to CBS Corporation and spun out its cable and film interests as a new Viacom. The second Viacom operated Viacom Media Networks, through which it controlled approximately 170 networks and reached approximately 700 million subscribers in approximately 160 countries. Viacom's studio assets included Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, as well as a 30% ownership stake in the Rainbow S.p.A. animation studio. CBS Corporation retained the over-the-air broadcasting, television production, pay television subscription service, and publishing assets, which were previously owned by the first Viacom. The second Viacom was the world's ninth-largest media company in terms of revenue and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Viacom announced its second merger with CBS Corporation on August 13, 2019. The merger was completed on December 4, resulting in the creation of ViacomCBS (later Paramount Global which would later merge with National Amusements and Skydance Media to form Paramount Skydance Corporation).", "wds-Q494917": "Virgin Group Limited is a British multinational venture capital conglomerate based in London, England, founded by Richard Branson and Nik Powell in February 1970. Virgin Group is recorded by Companies House as incorporated in 1989 and classified as a holding company, although its commercial activities began in the 1970s.", "wds-Q328568": "Bose Corporation ( ) is an American manufacturing company that predominantly sells audio equipment. The company was established by Amar Bose in 1964 and is based in Framingham, Massachusetts. It is best known for its home audio systems and speakers, noise-canceling headphones, professional audio products, and vehicle sound systems. Bose has a reputation for being particularly protective of its patents, trademarks, and brands. The majority owner of Bose Corporation is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Non-voting shares were donated to MIT by founder Amar Bose and receive cash dividends. The company's annual report for the 2021 financial year stated that Bose Corporation's yearly sales were $3.2 billion, and the company employed about 7,000 people.", "wds-Q934489": "San Miguel Corporation (Tagalog pronunciation: [sɐn mɪˈɡɛl]), abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine multinational conglomerate with headquarters in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally founded in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel has ventured beyond its core business, with investments in various sectors such as food and drink, finance, infrastructure, oil and energy, transportation, and real estate. Its flagship product, San Miguel Beer, is one of the best selling beers in the world. San Miguel's manufacturing operations have extended beyond its home market to areas such as Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia. In total, its products are exported to 60 markets around the world.", "wds-Q40464": "Agence France-Presse (AFP; French pronunciation: [aʒɑ̃s fʁɑ̃s pʁɛs]) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Its origins date back to 1835, when it was founded as Havas, the world's oldest news agency. In August 1944, following the Liberation of Paris, it was reorganized as Agence France-Presse to succeed Havas. AFP's mission is to provide fast, comprehensive, impartial, and verified coverage of global events across all fields and formats, including video, photography, text, infographic, and audio. It collects, verifies, cross-checks, and distributes information in a neutral, factual form, intended for direct use by all types of media (radio, television, press, websites). It also serves as a source and alert service for major companies and public administrations. AFP operates one of the world's most extensive networks of correspondents. With 2,400 employees representing 100 nationalities, it maintains an editorial presence in 260 cities across 150 countries. Its main regional headquarters are located in Nicosia, Hong Kong, Washington, D.C., and Montevideo. The agency publishes stories, videos, photos, and graphics in French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and German. Two-thirds of its revenue is generated from commercial activities, while the remaining one-third is funded by the French government (€113.3 million in 2022) as compensation for fulfilling its mission of general interest.", "wds-Q156034": "Pioneer Corporation (パイオニア株式会社, Paionia Kabushiki-gaisha) is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Tokyo, that specializes in vehicle audio products. It works with optical disc and display technology and software products and is also a manufacturer. Pioneer played a role in the development of interactive cable TV, the LaserDisc player, the first automotive CD player, the first detachable face car stereo, Supertuner technology, DVD and DVD recording, the first AV receiver with Dolby Digital, plasma display (with the last 2 years of plasma models being branded as Kuro, lauded for their outstanding black levels) and Organic LED display (OLED). Founded by Nozomu Matsumoto in January 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop, its current president is Shiro Yahara. For a period of time, the majority of its shares were held by Mitsubishi, while a 3% stake in Pioneer was held by Here B.V., a joint venture of BMW, Volkswagen Group and Daimler AG.", "wds-Q1383563": "Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following LucasArts' decision to leave the adventure game genre. Telltale established itself to focus on adventure games using a novel episodic release schedule using digital distribution, creating its own game engine, the Telltale Tool, to support this. It closed in October 2018 after filing for bankruptcy protection. Telltale's initial successes were with games using intellectual properties with small but dedicated fan bases including Sam & Max, Wallace & Gromit, Homestar Runner, and Bone. Around 2010, the studio gained more lucrative licensing opportunities in more mainstream properties such as Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, and Law & Order. Telltale's critical breakout game came in 2012's The Walking Dead, based on the comic book series of the same name. It introduced a more narrative-directed approach that diverged from the standard adventure game \"point and click\" gameplay. The Walking Dead gave players the ability to make choices that could affect how future events in the game or its sequels played out, effectively allowing players to craft their own personalized take on the offered story. Nearly all of Telltale's adventure games afterwards featured this player choice-driven approach. The Walking Dead was critically acclaimed and considered to have revitalized the adventure game genre since LucasArts' departure from it in 2004. Telltale continued to expand with new licensing deals for episodic adventure games over the next few years, including for Minecraft, Game of Thrones, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Batman. However the rate of production created a \"crunch time\" culture behind the scenes, leaving poor company morale, little room for creativity to veer from the formula set by The Walking Dead or improvements on the Telltale Tool. A management shakeup occurred in early 2017, with CEO Bruner stepping down, and Pete Hawley, formerly of Zynga, brought in to fix Telltale's problems. Internal restructuring led to a layoff of 25% of the company's staff in November 2017, along with an emphasis to slow down game production to improve production quality, retire the Telltale Tool for a more standard game engine, and seek other lucrative properties to develop for. This resulted in an early 2018 deal with Netflix in which Telltale would adapt its Minecraft: Story Mode into an interactive program for the streaming service, and Netflix licensing the rights to Telltale for an adventure game based on its show Stranger Things. In the midst of releasing The Walking Dead: The Final Season, the company was forced to initiate a \"majority studio closure\" after its last investor had pulled out of funding. Telltale announced on September 21, 2018, that it had let go of all but 25 of its staff as part of this closure, with the remaining skeleton crew completing specific obligations, such as finishing the Minecraft: Story Mode project porting to Netflix. Telltale Games filed for assignment in October 2018. Many assets were later acquired by LCG Entertainment, which revived the Telltale Games name as part of its business in August 2019, retaining many of the company's previous licenses and offering former staff freelance positions.", "wds-Q759210": "Givenchy (US: , French: [ʒivɑ̃ʃi]) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It houses the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes, and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The House of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter. It is owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH.", "wds-Q843887": "Hermès International S.C.A. ( air-MEHZ, French: [ɛʁmɛs] ), using the trade name Hermès Paris or simply Hermès, is a French luxury goods company that was founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès in Paris, France. At that time, it specialized in the saddlery and harness making trade, producing equipment for horse riders and their horses. The company then branched out into trades including leather goods (which is now its core business), followed by silk, ready-to-wear, watchmaking, jewellery, fashion accessories and perfumery. In 2020, the beauty division added a sixteenth business line. Hermès is still controlled by descendants of the founder, Thierry Hermès. The Hermès family is divided into three branches – the Dumas, Guerrand and Puech cousins – united within the H51 holding company. Except for the period from 2003 to 2013, during which Patrick Thomas was CEO, the company has always been run by a descendant of the founder. Today, it employs around 26,500 people, and near 16,500 employees in France, where it has 63 manufactures and production sites. In 2025, Hermès generated sales of 16 billion euros, with a net income of 4.5 billion euros.", "wds-Q463094": "Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (鴻海精密工業股份有限公司), doing business as Hon Hai Technology Group (鴻海科技集團) in Taiwan, Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集团) in China, and Foxconn (富士康) internationally, is a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer established in 1974 with headquarters in Tucheng District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. In 2023, the company's annual revenue reached 6.16 trillion New Taiwan dollars (equivalent to US$198.533 billion in 2024) and was ranked 20th in the 2023 Fortune Global 500. It is the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics. While headquartered in Taiwan, the company earns the majority of its revenue from assets in China and is one of the largest employers worldwide. Terry Gou is the company founder and former chairman. Foxconn manufactures electronic products for major American, Canadian, Chinese, Finnish, and Japanese companies. Notable products manufactured by Foxconn include the BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Kindle, all Nintendo gaming systems since the GameCube, Nintendo DS models, Sega models, Nokia devices, Cisco products, Sony devices (including most PlayStation gaming consoles), Google Pixel devices, Xiaomi devices, every successor to Microsoft's Xbox console, and several CPU sockets, including the TR4 CPU socket on some motherboards. As of 2012, Foxconn factories manufactured an estimated 40% of all consumer electronics sold worldwide. Foxconn named Young Liu its new chairman after the retirement of founder Terry Gou, effective on 1 July 2019. Young Liu was the special assistant to former chairman Terry Gou and the head of business group S (semiconductor). Analysts said the handover signaled the company's future direction and underscored the importance of semiconductors, together with technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous driving. That was in the context of the maturation of Foxconn's traditional major business of smartphone assembly. Foxconn's Q2 '24 revenue was NT$1.551 trillion (US$31.17 billion). Circuits Assembly magazine named Foxconn the largest electronics manufacturing services company in the world for the 14th straight year.", "wds-Q212372": "Boko Haram, officially known as Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (JAS) and sometimes referred to as its state name Daular Musulunci, is a jihadist militant organisation based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group was led by Abubakar Shekau from 2009 until his death in 2021 during the Battle of Sambisa Forest, although it splintered into other groups after Yusuf's death in 2009, as well as in 2015. When the group was first formed, their main goal was to \"purify\" the Sunni Islam in northern Nigeria, believing jihad should be delayed until the group was strong enough to overthrow the Nigerian government. The group formerly aligned itself with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group has been known for its brutality, and since the insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, in frequent attacks against the police, armed forces and civilians. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 300,000 children and has displaced 2.3 million from their homes. Boko Haram has contributed to regional food crises and famines. After its founding in 2002, Boko Haram's increasing radicalisation led to the suppression operation by the Nigerian military and the killing of Yusuf in July 2009. Its unexpected resurgence, following a mass prison break in September 2010 in Bauchi, was accompanied by increasingly sophisticated attacks, initially against soft targets, but progressing in 2011 to include suicide bombings of police buildings and the United Nations office in Abuja. The government's establishment of a state of emergency at the beginning of 2012, extended in the following year to cover the entire northeast of Nigeria, led to an increase in both security force abuses and militant attacks. Of the 2.3 million people displaced by the conflict since May 2013, at least 250,000 left Nigeria and fled to Cameroon, Chad or Niger. Boko Haram killed over 6,600 people in 2014. The group has carried out massacres including the killing by fire of 59 schoolboys in February 2014 and mass abductions including the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, Nigeria, in April 2014. Corruption and human rights abuses in the security services have hampered efforts to counter the unrest. In mid-2014, the militants gained control of swaths of territory in and around their home state of Borno, estimated at 50,000 square kilometres (20,000 sq mi) in January 2015, but did not capture the state capital, Maiduguri, where the group was originally based. On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. According to the BBC, due to internal disputes between the two groups, hundreds of militants left Boko Haram and formed their own organisation, named \"Islamic State's West Africa Province\". In September 2015, the director of information at the Defence Headquarters of Nigeria announced that all Boko Haram camps had been destroyed but attacks from the group continue. In 2019, the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, claimed that Boko Haram was \"technically defeated\". Shekau was killed and confirmed to be dead in May 2021. Despite this, Boko Haram experienced a subsequent revival under a new leader, Bakura Doro.", "wds-Q634881": "Tommy Hilfiger B.V. ( hil-FIG-ər), formerly known as Tommy Hilfiger Corporation and Tommy Hilfiger Inc., is a Dutch-based American clothing brand that manufactures apparel and licensed products such as footwear, accessories, fragrances and home furnishings. The company was founded in New York City in 1985, and its merchandise is sold in department stores and over 2000 free-standing retail stores in 100 countries. Its headquarters are located in Amsterdam. The red and white fields at the center of the Tommy Hilfiger logo are inspired by the International Code of Signals flag for the letter ‘H’, symbolizing Hilfiger, and reflect the brand’s enduring association with nautical style and the American preppy look. In 2006, private equity firm Apax Partners acquired the company for approximately $1.6 billion. In March 2010, PVH Corp., then known as Phillips-Van Heusen, bought the company. Daniel Grieder was appointed CEO in July 2014, while founder Tommy Hilfiger remains the company's principal designer, leading the design teams and overseeing the entire creative process. Global sales in retail through the brand were US$9.1 billion in 2022.", "wds-Q7098994": "CD Projekt Red S.A. (Polish: [ˌt͡sɛˈdɛ ˈprɔjɛkt]) is a Polish video game company based in Warsaw, founded in May 1994 by Marcin Iwiński and Michał Kiciński. Iwiński and Kiciński were video game retailers before they founded the company, which initially acted as a distributor of foreign video games for the domestic market. The department responsible for developing original games, CD Projekt Red, best known for The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077, was formed in 2002. In 2008, CD Projekt launched the digital distribution service Good Old Games, now known as GOG.com; the platform was sold to CD Projekt co-founder Michał Kiciński in 2025. The company began by translating major video game releases into Polish, collaborating with Interplay Entertainment for two Baldur's Gate games. CD Projekt was working on the PC version of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance when Interplay experienced financial difficulties. The game was cancelled and the company decided to reuse the code for its own video game. It became The Witcher, a 2007 video game based on the works of novelist Andrzej Sapkowski. After the release of The Witcher, CD Projekt worked on a console port called The Witcher: White Wolf; however, development issues and increasing costs led the company to the brink of bankruptcy. CD Projekt later released The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings in 2011 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in 2015, with the latter winning various Game of the Year awards. In 2020, the company released Cyberpunk 2077, a role-playing game based on the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop game system for which it opened a new division in Wrocław. A video game distribution service, GOG.com, was established by CD Projekt in 2008 to help players find old games. Its mission is to offer games free of digital rights management (DRM) to players and its service was expanded in 2012 to cover new AAA and independent games. In 2009, CD Projekt's then-parent company, CDP Investment, announced its plans to merge with Optimus S.A. in a deal intended to reorganise CD Projekt as a publicly traded company. The merger was closed in December 2010 with Optimus as the legal surviving entity; Optimus became the current incarnation of CD Projekt S.A. in July 2011. By September 2017, it was the largest publicly traded video game company in Poland, worth about US$2.3 billion, and by May 2020, had reached a valuation of US$8.1 billion, making it the largest video game company in Europe. In March 2018, the company joined WIG20, an index of the 20 largest companies on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The company is also listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. On 23 June 2026, the website bankier.pl stated that the old company name CD Projekt S.A. was to be replaced by CD Projekt RED S.A. in order to \"ensure consistency in the communication of the CD Projekt RED brand\".", "wds-Q7334368": "Rimac Automobili (Croatian pronunciation: [rǐːmats automobǐːli], REE-mahts) is a Croatian automotive manufacturer headquartered in Sveta Nedelja, Croatia, that develops and produces electric sports cars. Its sister company, Rimac Technology (part of the Rimac Group) also produces drivetrains and battery systems for the automotive businesses. The company was founded in 2009 by Mate Rimac and now sits under the Bugatti Rimac joint company, which includes both Bugatti Automobiles and Rimac Automobili. Rimac Automobili's first model, the Concept One, was allegedly the world's fastest production electric vehicle, even though only 8 of them were ever produced. During the 88th Geneva International Motor Show in 2018, the company unveiled its second model, the Rimac Nevera. This model also managed to set some groundbreaking world records in the production electric vehicle category, while never publishing the number of produced units.", "wds-Q27070331": "Honor Device Co., Ltd., commonly known as Honor (Chinese: 荣耀; pinyin: Róngyào), is a Chinese consumer electronics company majority-owned by Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co. Ltd. It was formerly a subsidiary of Huawei, which sold the brand in November 2020. Honor develops smartphones, tablet computers, wearable devices and mobile device software.", "wds-Q21708200": "OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence (AI) public benefit corporation (PBC) headquartered in San Francisco, California. It develops proprietary generative AI models, particularly its generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) series of large language models. Its release of ChatGPT in November 2022 has been credited with catalyzing the AI boom; as of September 2026, ChatGPT is the fifth-most-visited website globally. OpenAI also releases the GPT Image models and Codex, an AI coding agent. In March 2026, OpenAI closed a funding round with a post-money valuation of US$852 billion, making it one of the most valuable AI pure play companies in the world, rivalled only by Anthropic. OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit, with Elon Musk and Sam Altman as co-chairs; Musk resigned in 2018. A for-profit subsidiary was created in 2019, and a 2025 restructuring converted the subsidiary into OpenAI Group PBC, that is 26% owned by the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion into OpenAI. OpenAI partners with the US government via the Stargate Project infrastructure venture, and with the Department of Defense, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and arms company Anduril Industries. Former OpenAI personnel have founded competing AI companies including Anthropic, Safe Superintelligence Inc., SpaceXAI, and Thinking Machines Lab. OpenAI has faced multiple lawsuits for alleged deaths linked to its chatbots and copyright infringement against authors and media companies. In November 2023, OpenAI's board removed Sam Altman as CEO, citing a lack of confidence, but reinstated him five days later after a board reconstruction. In 2024, roughly half of OpenAI's AI safety researchers left the company, often citing the company's deprioritization of safety. Between May and July 2026, OpenAI agents gained unintended internet access and conducted autonomous hacks, including against Hugging Face and against Australia's Medicare. In September, OpenAI published a claimed proof regarding Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness, a Millennium Prize Problem in mathematics, causing a controversy over priority.", "wds-Q478825": "Amstrad plc was a British consumer electronics company, founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar. During the 1980s, the company was known for its home computers beginning with the Amstrad CPC and later also the ZX Spectrum range after the Sinclair deal, which led it to have a substantial share of the home computer market in Britain. In the following decade it shifted focus towards communication technologies, and its main business during the 2000s was the manufacture of satellite television set-top boxes for Sky, which Amstrad had started in 1989 as the then sole supplier of the emerging Sky TV service. Headquartered in Brentwood, the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange from 1980 to 2008, the year when Sugar stepped down after 40 years. After acquiring Betacom and Viglen, Amstrad was broken up in 1997 but the name was soon revived when successor Betacom plc renamed itself to Amstrad plc. Amstrad was a FTSE 100 Index constituent up until the company was acquired by BSkyB in 2007 for £125 million. In 2010, Sky integrated Amstrad's satellite division as part of Sky so they could make their own set-top boxes in-house.", "wds-Q13646": "The Société nationale des chemins de fer français ([sɔsjete nɑsjɔnal de ʃ(ə)mɛ̃ d(ə) fɛʁ fʁɑ̃sɛ], lit. 'National Company of the French Railways', SNCF [ɛsɛnseɛf] ) is France's state-owned railway operator. Becoming effective on 1 January 1938 following an agreement on 31 August 1937 between the government, private railway companies and railway labor unions, it operates nearly all rail transport in France and Monaco, including the TGV, on France's high-speed rail network. Its functions include operation of railway services for passengers and freight (through its subsidiaries SNCF Voyageurs and Rail Logistics Europe), as well as railway infrastructure management (SNCF Réseau). The railway network consists of about 35,000 km (22,000 mi) of route, of which 2,600 km (1,600 mi) are high-speed lines and 14,500 km (9,000 mi) electrified. More than 14,000 trains are operated daily. In 2010, the SNCF was ranked 22nd in France and 214th globally on the Fortune Global 500 list. It is the main business of the SNCF Group, which in 2020 had €30 billion of sales in 120 countries. The SNCF Group employs more than 275,000 employees in France and around the world. Since July 2013, the SNCF Group headquarters are located in a Parisian suburb at 2 Place aux Étoiles in Saint-Denis. The president of SNCF Group has been Jean Castex since 2025.", "wds-Q185278": "The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Founded on March 15, 1980 as News Corp Limited and formerly incorporated in Adelaide, South Australia, the company was re-incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law following a successful shareholder vote on November 12, 2004; it had since been headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New York City. On June 28, 2012, after concerns from shareholders in response to its recent controversies and to \"unlock even greater long-term shareholder value\", Rupert Murdoch announced that News Corporation's assets would be restructured into two publicly traded companies, one oriented towards media, and the other towards publishing. The formal split was completed on June 28, 2013; the original News Corp. was renamed 21st Century Fox and consisted primarily of media outlets, while the new News Corp was formed to take on the publishing and Australian broadcasting assets. Its major holdings at the time of the split were News Limited (a group of newspaper publishers in Murdoch's native Australia), News International (a newspaper publisher in the United Kingdom, whose properties include The Times, The Sun, and the now-defunct News of the World (the subject of a phone hacking scandal that led to its closure in July 2011), Dow Jones & Company (an American publisher of financial news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal), the book publisher HarperCollins, and the Fox Entertainment Group (the holding for the 20th Century Fox Film Corporation and the Fox Broadcasting Company). Prior to its split, it was the world's largest media company in terms of total assets and the world's fourth largest media group in terms of revenue, dominating the news, television, film, and print industries.", "wds-Q744800": "JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as Fuji Television or Fuji TV, is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and-operated by Fuji Television Network, Inc., itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., a certified broadcasting holding company under the Japanese Broadcasting Act, and affiliated with the Fujisankei Communications Group. It is headquartered in the Fuji Broadcasting Center in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo and is one of the five private broadcasters based in Tokyo. Fuji Television also operates three premium television stations, known as \"Fuji Television One\" (\"Fuji Television 739\"—sports/variety, including all Tokyo Yakult Swallows home games), \"Fuji Television Two\" (\"Fuji Television 721\"—drama/anime, including all Saitama Seibu Lions home games), and \"Fuji Television Next\" (\"Fuji Television CSHD\"—live premium shows) (a.k.a. \"Fuji Television OneTwoNext\"). The current incarnation of Fuji Television was established in October 2008. Fuji Media Holdings is the former Fuji Television founded in 1957 renamed as a result of a restructuring. In the early days of Fuji TV's broadcasting, its ratings were in the middle of all Tokyo stations for quite some time. In the early 1980s, the ratings of Fuji TV rose sharply. In 1982, it won the \"Triple Crown\" in the ratings among the flagship stations for the first time, and produced many famous TV dramas and variety shows. In 1997, Fuji Television moved from Kawata-cho, Shinjuku District to Odaiba, the sub-center of Rinkai, Tokyo, which led to the development of the Odaiba area, which was almost empty at that time. After the 2010s, the ratings of Fuji TV dropped sharply, and now the household ratings rank fifth among all stations in Tokyo. But on the other hand, Fuji TV is also a TV station with more diversified operations in the Japanese TV industry and a higher proportion of income from departments outside the main business. In addition, Fuji TV is the first TV station in Japan to broadcast and produce locally-made animated series made specifically to be televised.", "wds-Q638098": "Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels). Formed in 2001, the company used the name Consignia for a brief period but changed it soon afterwards. Prior to this date, Royal Mail and Parcelforce were (along with Post Office Counters Ltd) part of the Post Office, a state-owned enterprise the history of which is summarised below. Long before it came to be a company name, the \"Royal Mail\" brand had been used by the General Post Office to identify its distribution network (which over the centuries included horse-drawn mail coaches, horse carts and hand carts, ships, trains, vans, motorcycle combinations and aircraft). The company provides mail collection and delivery services throughout the UK. Letters and parcels are deposited in post or parcel boxes, or are collected in bulk from businesses and transported to Royal Mail sorting offices. Royal Mail owns and maintains the UK's distinctive and iconic red pillar boxes, first introduced in 1852 (12 years after the first postage stamp, Penny Black), and other post boxes, many of which bear the royal cypher of the reigning monarch at the date of manufacture. Deliveries are made at least once every day except Sundays and bank holidays at uniform charges for all UK destinations. Royal Mail generally aims to make first class deliveries the next business day throughout the nation. For most of its history, the Royal Mail was a public service, operating as a government department or public corporation. Following the Postal Services Act 2011, Royal Mail Group Limited became a wholly owned subsidiary of a new holding company, Royal Mail plc; a majority of the shares in Royal Mail plc were floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2013. Nine years later, Royal Mail plc was renamed International Distribution Services (IDS; of which Royal Mail Group Limited remains a wholly owned subsidiary). In April 2025, IDS was acquired by EP Group, a Czech-based company owned by Daniel Křetínský, for £3.6 billion. The government has retained a so-called golden share. The deal marked the first time the Royal Mail was under foreign ownership.", "wds-Q488297": "The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; Bulgarian: Вътрешна македонска революционна организация (ВМРО), romanized: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyutsionna Organizatsiya (VMRO); Macedonian: Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација (ВМРО), romanized: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija (VMRO)) was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was founded in 1893 in Salonica and initially aimed to secure autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions in the Ottoman Empire. However, it later became an agent serving Bulgarian interests in Balkan politics. IMRO modeled itself after the earlier Bulgarian Internal Revolutionary Organization of Vasil Levski and accepted its motto \"Freedom or Death\" (Свобода или смърть). According to the Organization's earliest statute from 1894, the membership was reserved exclusively for Bulgarians. This was later changed on the initiative of Gotse Delchev, who wanted IMRO to depart from its exclusively Bulgarian nature, so he opened the membership for all inhabitants of European Turkey, and the organization began to acquire a more separatist stance. Delchev sought autonomy for Macedonia under the slogan Macedonia for the Macedonians. However, these new formulas as a whole failed to attract other ethnic groups, as they generally perceived it as \"the Bulgarian Committee\"; eventually, IMRO's base remained only among Bulgarian millet-affiliated Slavic speakers in Ottoman Macedonia and in Adrianople vilayet. It used the Bulgarian language in all its documents and in its correspondence. The Organisation established its Foreign Representation in 1896 in Sofia. Starting in the same year, it fought the Ottomans using guerrilla tactics, and in this, they were successful, even establishing a state within a state in some regions, including their tax collectors. This struggle escalated in 1903 with the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising. The fighting involved about 15,000 IMRO irregulars and 40,000 Ottoman soldiers, lasting for over seven weeks. After the uprising failed, and the Ottomans destroyed some 100 villages, the IMRO resorted to more systematic forms of terrorism targeting civilians. More importantly, the Ilinden disaster splintered IMRO and signalled the beginning of a fratricidal conflict between the left-wing faction (\"federalists\") who continued to favor autonomy as a step towards independent Macedonia and its inclusion into a future Balkan Federation, and the right-wing faction (\"centralists\") which favored unification with Bulgaria. In fact, the division was a culmination of a conflict which existed within IMRO since its formation. It was based partially on ideology, and partly in terms of personality and locality, and it would plague the Macedonian revolutionary movement over the next decades. During the Balkan Wars and the First World War, the organization supported the Bulgarian army and joined Bulgarian wartime authorities when they temporarily took control over parts of Thrace and Macedonia. IMRO's adherents regarded the division of the area among the Balkan states in the Balkan Wars not as \"liberation\", but as entailing the partition of Macedonia. Retaining the unity of Macedonia seemed crucial for IMRO in this period; autonomism as a political tactic was abandoned, and annexationist positions were supported, aiming eventual incorporation of occupied areas into Bulgaria. The desire to incorporate most of Macedonia and Thrace within a Bulgarian state lay behind the Bulgarian decision to enter each of these three wars. The Bulgarian government first attached the IMRO chetas as auxiliaries of its army in the Balkan wars and then drafted the former paramilitaries directly into it, as Bulgarian military personnel during the First World War. Under the right-wing leadership, IMRO arose then from a clandestine organization into an important factor of the Greater Bulgarian policy, supporting the Bulgarisation of the area. Additionally, some guerrilla companies formed by IMRO-irregulars participated in several massacres of accused Serbomans in the areas of Azot, Skopska Crna Gora and Poreče. Regular Bulgarian troops took control of the region while komitadjis were appointed mayors or prefects and served as gendarmerie corps. IMRO detachments participated in the suppression of the Serbian Toplica uprising. Nevertheless, the division within IMRO during this period continued to exist, and the wars reinforced the rival federalist and unionist tendencies in the IMRO factions. These two tendencies were consequently adopted in the interwar period, the first one by the \"federalist\" wing and the latter by the \"centralist\" wing. After World War I, the combined Macedonian-Thracian revolutionary movement separated into two detached organizations, IMRO and ITRO. Simultaneously, the \"federalists\" split up and formed the Macedonian Federative Organization and later IMRO (United). After this, the IMRO earned a reputation as an ultimate terror network, seeking to change state frontiers in the Macedonian regions of Greece and Serbia (later Yugoslavia). They contested the partitioning of Macedonia and launched raids from their Petrich stronghold into Greek and Yugoslav territory. Their base of operation in Bulgaria was jeopardized by the Treaty of Niš, and the IMRO reacted by assassinating Bulgarian prime minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski in 1923, with cooperation of other Bulgarian elements who organised a coup d'état. In 1925, the Greek army launched a cross-border operation to reduce the IMRO base area, but it was ultimately stopped by the League of Nations, and IMRO attacks resumed. A conflict over the leadership arose and Ivan Mihailov ordered the assassination of Aleksandar Protogerov, which sparked a fratricidal war between the so called \"Mihailovists\" and \"Protogerovists\". By 1928, after the assassination of Protogerov, Mihailov proposed a new plan calling for unification of a pre-1913 Macedonia region into a single state, that would be independent from Bulgaria. In the interwar period the IMRO also cooperated with the Croatian Ustaše, and their ultimate victim was Alexander I of Yugoslavia, assassinated in France in 1934. After the 1934 Bulgarian coup d'état, their Petrich stronghold was subjected to a military crackdown by the Bulgarian army, and the IMRO was reduced to a marginal phenomenon. According to Ivan Katardžiev, practically, neither the left nor the right wing of the IMRO questioned their Bulgarian provenance and Dimitar Vlahov would do so only in 1948 at a Politburo's session of the Macedonian Communist Party. The organization changed its name on several occasions, but the name VMRO (IMRO) remained most noted. After the fall of communism in the region, numerous parties claimed the IMRO name and lineage to legitimize themselves. Among them, the right-wing parties established in the 1990s, \"VMRO-BND\" in Bulgaria and \"VMRO-DPMNE\" in then Republic of Macedonia.", "wds-Q1145493": "Swedbank AB is a Swedish multinational banking group headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. It operates primarily in the Nordic and Baltic regions, offering services such as retail banking, asset management and other financial services. Swedbank has extensive retail operations in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.", "wds-Q849496": "D-Generation X (DX) was an American professional wrestling stable, and later a tag team. DX consisted of various members, mostly Generation X wrestlers. The most notable members were Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac, and the New Age Outlaws, a tag team consisting of Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) at the dawn of the \"Attitude Era\" in 1997 as a foil to another prominent faction, The Hart Foundation, and became one of the main driving forces behind the WWF competing with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in the Monday Night War. In addition to two other founding members, Chyna and Rick Rude, the group later expanded with new additions X-Pac, The New Age Outlaws, and Tori until the group officially disbanded in August 2000. After a teased reunion in 2002, DX reformed in June 2006 as the duo of Triple H and Shawn Michaels for the remainder of the year and again in August 2009 until March 2010, shortly before Michaels' retirement. This incarnation was voted the greatest WWE Tag Team Champions of all time in a 2013 WWE viewer poll. Today, most of its members are active in the day-to-day operations of the WWE, such as Paul Levesque, who serves as the chief content officer and head of creative, while Michaels serves as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative overseeing the NXT brand and Brian James formerly held the role of Senior Vice President of Live Events. On October 8, 2018, it was announced that DX would face The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) at the Crown Jewel pay-per view. At Crown Jewel, Triple H and Michaels were victorious against The Undertaker and Kane. On February 18, 2019, it was announced that the group would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame later that year, with Triple H, Michaels, Chyna, The New Age Outlaws, and X-Pac as the inducted members.", "wds-Q1229287": "Jas Hennessy & Cie., commonly known simply as Hennessy (French pronunciation: [ɛnɛsi]), is a French producer of cognac, founded in 1765 by Richard Hennessy which has its headquarters in Cognac, France. It is one of the best-known cognac houses, along with Martell, Courvoisier, and Rémy Martin, who together make around 45% of the world's cognac. Hennessy sells approximately 102 million bottles of its cognacs per year, making it the world's largest cognac producer, and in 2017 its sales represented around 60% of the US cognac market. As well as distilling cognac eaux-de-vie itself, the company also acts as a négociant. The brand is owned by Moët Hennessy since a champagne & cognac merger in the early seventies, which is in turn owned by LVMH (66%) and Diageo (34%), with Diageo acting as a controlling shareholder. Hennessy pioneered several industry-standard practices in the world of cognac, and its association as a luxury good with luxury status symbols has made it a regular point of reference in popular culture, especially in the music of hip-hop culture.", "wds-Q1472539": "ManpowerGroup (formerly known as Manpower Inc.) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1948 by Elmer Winter and Aaron Scheinfeld, ManpowerGroup is the third-largest staffing firm in the world behind Swiss firm Adecco and Dutch firm Randstad NV. The company provides administrative & support services, professional services, and business services through its four primary brands: Manpower (contingent staffing and permanent recruitment), Experis (resourcing and project management), Right Management (career management, workforce consulting, and training and development), and ManpowerGroup Solutions (managed services and outsourcing).", "wds-Q29739": "International Motors, LLC (formerly Navistar International Corporation) is an American manufacturer of commercial vehicles and engines, established in 1986 as a successor to the International Harvester company. International Motors produces trucks under its own brand and buses under the IC Bus name. Since July 2021, the company has been an independent subsidiary of holding company Traton. Headquartered in Lisle, Illinois, International Motors employs approximately 14,500 people worldwide as of 2024. The company maintains an extensive distribution network, with nearly 1,000 dealer outlets across the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico, and over 60 dealers in 90 other countries. International Motors' product line includes a range of commercial trucks, from medium-duty Class 4 to heavy-duty Class 8 vehicles.", "wds-Q679933": "Eidos Interactive Limited (formerly Domark Limited) was a British video game publisher based in Wimbledon, London. Among its franchises were Championship Manager, Deus Ex, Hitman, Thief, Legacy of Kain and Tomb Raider. Domark was founded by Mark Strachan and Dominic Wheatley in 1984. In 1995, it was acquired by software company Eidos. Ian Livingstone, who held a stake in Domark, became executive chairman of Eidos and held various roles including creative director. Eidos took over U.S. Gold in 1996, which included developer Core Design, and merged its operations including Domark, which created publishing subsidiary Eidos Interactive. The company acquired Crystal Dynamics in 1998, and owned numerous other assets. In 2005, parent Eidos was taken over by games publisher SCi. The combined company, SCi Entertainment Group, which was briefly renamed Eidos, was itself taken over by Square Enix in 2009. Square Enix completed its merger with Eidos Interactive by November 2009, absorbing it primarily into Square Enix Limited (also known as Square Enix Europe). Eidos executive Phil Rogers stayed with the company as Square Enix Europe CEO and became CEO of Americas and Europe in 2013 along with other executives. In August 2022, Embracer Group completed its acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal and the Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex and Thief intellectual properties, among other assets. Rogers joined Embracer and formed an operative group called CDE Entertainment.", "wds-Q239372": "Andreas Stihl AG & Co. (commonly referred to as Stihl and styled as STIHL, , German: [ʃtiːl]) is a German manufacturer of handheld power equipment. It is headquartered in Waiblingen, Baden-Württemberg, near Stuttgart, Germany. Stihl was founded in 1926 by Andreas Stihl, an innovator in early chainsaw production. Stihl operates the global Stihl Timbersports Series.", "wds-Q1151774": "Max Mara (Italian pronunciation: [maks ˈmaːra]) is an Italian fashion business that markets upscale ready-to-wear clothing. It was established in 1951 in Reggio Emilia by Achille Maramotti (7 January 1927 – 12 January 2005). As of October 2024 the company has 502 stores in 69 countries. It sponsors the Max Mara Art Prize for Women.", "wds-Q138913": "Jysk A/S (Danish: [ˈjysk]) is a Danish retail chain specializing in household goods, including mattresses, furniture, and interior décor. As Denmark's largest international retailer, Jysk operates more than 3,400 stores across 48 countries. The name \"Jysk\"—meaning \"Jutlandic\"—reflects the company's Danish heritage. It was founded by Lars Larsen, who opened the first store on Silkeborgvej in the Danish city of Aarhus in April 1979. Today, Jysk is owned by the family of its founder through the Lars Larsen Group, a holding company that also fully or partially owns furniture chains such as ILVA, IDÉmøbler, IDdesign, Bolia.com, and Sengespecialisten. The company's logo features a goose, symbolically linked to the brand's origins.", "wds-Q649646": "Valentino S.p.A., also known as Maison Valentino, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and part of the Valentino Fashion Group. The company has its registered office in Milan, while the creative direction and the Valentino Foundation is based in Rome, at Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli. Jacob Venturini was the CEO of Valentino since 2020 and Alessandro Michele is the creative director since 2024. The group reported €1.31 billion in revenue in 2024.", "wds-Q154950": "Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New York Stock Exchange. Shell is the largest investor owned oil company in Europe, third largest globally behind ExxonMobil and Chevron, and among the world's largest companies out of any industry. Measured by both its own emissions, and the emissions of all the fossil fuels it sells, Shell was the ninth-largest corporate producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the period 1988–2015. Shell was formed in April 1907 through the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum Company of the Netherlands and the \"Shell\" Transport and Trading Company of the United Kingdom, with 60 percent of stock ownership under Royal Dutch. The merger was arranged by Calouste Gulbenkian, a British-Armenian oil magnate. The combined company rapidly became the leading competitor of the American Standard Oil and by 1920 Shell was the largest producer of oil in the world. Shell first entered the chemicals industry in 1929. Shell was one of the \"Seven Sisters\" which dominated the global petroleum industry from the mid-1940s to the mid-1970s. In 1964, Shell was a partner in the world's first commercial sea transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In 1970, Shell acquired the mining company Billiton, which it subsequently sold in 1994 and now forms part of BHP. In recent decades gas has become an increasingly important part of Shell's business and Shell acquired BG Group in 2016. Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration, production, refining, transport, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation, and trading. Shell has operations in over 99 countries, produces around 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day and has around 44,000 service stations worldwide. As of 31 December, Shell had total proved oil and gas reserves of 8.123 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Shell USA, its principal subsidiary in the United States, is one of the company's largest businesses. Shell holds 44% of Raízen, a publicly listed joint venture with Cosan, which is the third-largest Brazil-based energy company. In addition to the main Shell brand, the company also owns the Jiffy Lube, Pennzoil and Quaker State brands. Shell is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and had a market capitalisation of £186 billion on 24 July 2026, making it the third largest company listed on the LSE and 69th globally. In terms of the revenue, Shell generated $284B in 2024, a significant decline over a decade, from $451B in 2013.", "wds-Q3486445": "Skydance Media, LLC (formerly known as Skydance Productions) was an American media production and financing company founded by David Ellison and based in Santa Monica, California, that was active from April 4, 2006 to August 7, 2025. It specialized in films, animation, television, video games and sports. In 2009, the company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with Paramount Pictures. This agreement was renewed twice, extending to 2021. On July 7, 2024, Skydance announced its intent to merge with Paramount Global in an $8 billion transaction, under an agreement in which Skydance would acquire Paramount's controlling shareholder National Amusements, and then perform an all-stock merger with the company. On July 24, 2025, the merger was approved by the FCC, and the merger was closed on August 7, 2025, forming Paramount Skydance. Skydance Media's film library was transferred to Paramount Pictures. Despite this, the Skydance brand continues to remain active across its divisions (like Skydance Animation or Skydance Sports), along as a vanity card used for any upcoming movies produced by David Ellison, and the name for the company, Skydance Corporation.", "wds-Q13477": "Al Jazeera Arabic (Arabic: الجزيرة Al-Jazīrah [æl (d)ʒæˈziːrɐ], lit. 'The Island or 'The Peninsula') is a Qatari state-funded Arabic-language news television network. It is based in Doha and operated by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which also operates Al Jazeera English. It is the largest news network in the Middle East and North Africa region. It was founded in 1996 by the then Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Noted for its journalistic professionalism, especially when contrasted with other Arab news organizations, Al Jazeera gained popularity in the Arab world as an alternative to the previous landscape of largely local state-owned broadcasters, with its early coverage being openly critical of autocratic leaders in the region, as well as hosting a wide range of viewpoints, gaining credibility through its extensive frontline coverage of the Second Intifada and the Iraq War. By the early 2000s, Al Jazeera had become the primary source of news for a majority of Arab viewers. The channel's reach and credibility also gave Qatar a powerful diplomatic tool and an outsized influence in regional affairs. Al Jazeera Arabic is editorially independent from Al Jazeera English.", "wds-Q230051": "Alexa Internet, Inc. was an American web traffic analysis company based in San Francisco, California. It was founded as an independent company by Brewster Kahle and Bruce Gilliat in 1996. Alexa provided web traffic data, global rankings, and other information on over 30 million websites. It was acquired by Amazon in 1999 for $250 million in stock. Amazon discontinued the Alexa Internet service on May 1, 2022. Alexa estimated website traffic based on a sample of millions of Internet users using browser extensions as well as from sites that had chosen to install an Alexa script. As of 2020, its website was visited by over 400 million people every month.", "wds-Q855639": "The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., a publicly traded holding company incorporated under Delaware law. With a presence in approximately 160 countries, it employs about 36,000 people worldwide. Dow has been called the \"chemical companies' chemical company\", referring to its sales to other industries rather than sales made directly to end-use consumers. Dow is a member of the American Chemistry Council. In 2015, Dow and fellow chemical company DuPont agreed to a corporate reorganization involving the merger of Dow and DuPont followed by a separation into three different entities. The plan commenced in 2017, when Dow and DuPont merged to form DowDuPont, and was finalized in April 2019, when the materials science division was spun off from DowDuPont and took the name of the Dow Chemical Company.", "wds-Q705392": "Seagate Technology Holdings plc is an Irish-domiciled data storage company. It was incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology and commenced business in 1979. Since 2010, the company has been incorporated in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Fremont, California, United States. Seagate developed the first 5.25-inch hard disk drive (HDD), the 5-megabyte ST-506, in 1980. They were a major supplier in the microcomputer market during the 1980s, especially after the introduction of the IBM XT in 1983. Much of its growth has come through its acquisition of competitors. In 1989, Seagate acquired Control Data Corporation's Imprimis division, the makers of CDC's HDD products. Seagate acquired Conner Peripherals in 1996, Maxtor in 2006, and Samsung's HDD business in 2011. Today, Seagate, along with its competitor Western Digital, dominates the HDD market. Seagate Technology operates manufacturing and R&D operations in Thailand, with locations in Teparuk, Samut Prakan, and Korat, Nakhon Ratchasima. The facilities employ approximately 14,000 to 15,000 people, representing nearly half of the company's global workforce.", "wds-Q26299": "The China Construction Bank (CCB) is a Chinese partially state-owned multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Beijing, China. It is one of the \"big four\" banks in China, and is the third largest bank in the world by total assets behind the Agricultural Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The bank has approximately 13,629 domestic branches. In addition, it maintains overseas branches in London, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Zurich, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, New York City, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne, Kuala Lumpur, Santiago de Chile, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland. Its total assets reached CN¥ 42.62 trillion in 2025, and it is considered a systemically important bank by the Financial Stability Board. Its headquarters is in Xicheng District.", "wds-Q487907": "The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America; often abbreviated BAC, BofA, or, less commonly, BOA) is an American multinational bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with investment banking and auxiliary headquarters in Manhattan. The bank was formed by the merger of NationsBank and the legacy corporation of Bank of America in 1998. It is the second-largest banking institution in the United States by consolidated assets, after JPMorgan Chase. It is also the second-largest bank in the world by market capitalization, after JPMorgan Chase. Among the Big Four banking institution and one of eight systemically important financial institutions in the United States; it competes with JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. Its primary financial services revolve around commercial banking, wealth management, and investment banking. Through past mergers, the oldest branch of the Bank of America franchise dates back to 1784, when Massachusetts Bank was chartered, becoming the first federally chartered joint-stock-owned bank in the United States. Another branch of its history goes back to the American-based Bank of Italy, founded by Amadeo Pietro Giannini in 1904, which provided various banking services to Italian immigrants who faced service discrimination at the time. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Giannini acquired Banca d'America e d'Italia in 1922 and eventually did business as Bank of America. In the 1950s, the passage of landmark federal banking legislation facilitated rapid growth, quickly establishing prominent shares for the present bank's predecessors. After suffering significant losses during the 1998 Russian financial crisis, BankAmerica, as it was then known, was acquired by the Charlotte-based NationsBank for $62 billion. Following what was then the largest bank acquisition in history, the Bank of America Corporation was founded. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, it built upon its commercial banking business by establishing Merrill Lynch for wealth management and Bank of America Merrill Lynch for investment banking in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and since renamed BofA Securities. As of 2018, the investment bank was considered within the \"bulge bracket\" as the world's third-largest investment bank. Its wealth management unit then managing $1.08 trillion in assets under management (AUM) as the second-largest wealth manager in the world, after UBS. In commercial banking, Bank of America has operations, but does not maintain retail branches in all 50 states of the United States, Washington, D.C., and over 40 other countries. The bank's large market share, business activities, and economic impact have led to numerous lawsuits and investigations regarding both mortgages and financial disclosures dating back to the 2008 financial crisis. Its corporate practices of servicing the middle class and wider banking community have yielded a substantial market share since the early 20th century. As of August 2018, Bank of America has a $313.5 billion market capitalization, making it the 13th largest company in the world.", "wds-Q938535": "Chupa Chups (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtʃupa ˈtʃups]) is a Spanish brand of confectionery found in over 150 countries. It was founded in 1958 by Enric Bernat and is owned by the Italian-Dutch company Perfetti Van Melle. The name comes from the Spanish verb chupar, meaning \"to suck\". Similar confections are known as lollipops or suckers in English.", "wds-Q131728": "Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA Wrestling or simply TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. TNA was founded in May 2002 by professional wrestlers Jeff and Jerry Jarrett, and was initially affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and subtitled as NWA: Total Nonstop Action (NWA-TNA). TNA was acquired by Panda Energy that October, aired weekly pay-per-view (PPV) events in the U.S. until September 2004, and largely separated from the NWA soon after. TNA debuted its flagship weekly broadcast television show TNA Impact! in May 2004, gaining attention for its emphasis on fast-paced and acrobatic wrestling, female performers, and a sports-like presentation, including the use of a six-sided ring: TNA soon became the second-largest American wrestling promotion behind WWE. TNA suffered financial mismanagement and infamous creative missteps between 2010 and 2016, prompting the exodus of several wrestlers and Panda Energy divesting its stake to Dixie Carter in 2012, with Carter eventually selling to Anthem in 2017. TNA was rebranded to Impact Wrestling in 2017 before returning to its original name in 2024. Anthem has since broadly stabilized TNA, with the promotion now considered as the third-largest wrestling promotion in the U.S., behind WWE and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). TNA's roster primarily appears on TNA Impact!, as well as on its streaming and PPV programming. TNA wrestlers have also appeared at events produced by other promotions, including WWE. As with other professional wrestling promotions, TNA promotes predetermined contests that are athletic and entertainment-based featuring storyline-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches. However, matches require considerable athletic skill and often include moves that can put performers at risk of serious injury or death if not performed correctly.", "wds-Q156959": "The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the main company is Merck KGaA in Germany. The company is divided into three business lines: Healthcare, Life Sciences and Electronics. Merck was founded in 1668 and is the world's oldest operating chemical and pharmaceutical company, as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies globally. Merck operates in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. It has major research and development centres in Darmstadt, Boston, Shizuoka and Beijing, as well as other Research and Development units in Taiwan, France, Israel, South Korea, India, and the UK. Merck pioneered the commercial manufacture of morphine in the 19th century and for a time held a virtual monopoly on cocaine. Merck was privately owned until going public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 1995 and is listed on the DAX index of Germany's top companies. The Merck family still controls a majority of 70.3% of the company's shares. The Merck Group includes around 250 companies in 180 countries; the current main parent company of the group, since 1995, is named Merck KGaA, and is itself mainly owned by the former main parent company, E. Merck oHG, which now operates as a holding company. The American pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. was established as a subsidiary of Merck in 1891, but was nationalized by the United States in 1917, before being privatized again when George W. Merck, a member of an American branch of the Merck family, repurchased the stock in 1919. It is known as MSD (Merck Sharp and Dohme) outside of North America. Merck KGaA of Darmstadt holds the rights to the name Merck in all countries except the U.S. and Canada, where its businesses operate under \"EMD Serono\" in Healthcare, \"MilliporeSigma\" in Life Science and \"EMD Electronics\" in Electronics. Merck & Co., Inc. holds the rights in the trademark MERCK in the United States and Canada. In 2018, the company celebrated their 350th anniversary. Merck has formed a strategic alliance with the Technische Universität Darmstadt, which is located in the same town as Merck.", "wds-Q653941": "Ray-Ban is an Italian-owned brand of luxury sunglasses and standard glasses created in 1936 by American-Canadian company Bausch & Lomb. The brand is most notable for its Wayfarer and Aviator lines of sunglasses. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to Italian eyewear conglomerate Luxottica Group for a reported $640 million.", "wds-Q193136": "Prada S.p.A. ( PRAH-də, Italian: [ˈpraːda]) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. Prada licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear and L'Oréal for fragrances and cosmetics. Founded in 1913 and named for the family of founder Mario Prada, the company originally sold imported English leather goods before transitioning to waterproof nylon fabrics in the 1970s under the leadership of Mario's granddaughter Miuccia Prada and her husband, Patrizio Bertelli. By the 1990s, Prada was perceived as a luxury brand characterized by design originality. To further the business, Miuccia Prada founded Miu Miu as a subsidiary of Prada around this time. The company additionally partnered with LVMH to acquire a joint stake in Fendi; Prada further assisted LVMH in its failed takeover of Gucci. The brand struggled through the late 2000s and early to mid 2010s, which included a failed initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, though began a resurgence in popularity entering into the 2020s. Miuccia Prada and Bertelli, both entering old age, began a transition in leadership to their children in the 2020s, bringing in former Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra to lead the company for the years during the transition. The house presently sees annual revenue in the billions of euros, making €4.2 billion in 2022 with profit that same year totalling to €776 million; furthermore, Prada and less so Miu Miu are seen as having very high desirability among consumers across various reports.", "wds-Q1674127": "The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; Persian: سازمان صدا و سیمای جمهوری اسلامی ایران, romanized: Sazmân-e Sedâ-o-simâ-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân, lit. 'Voice and Vision Service of the Islamic Republic of Iran') or Seda o Sima (Persian: صدا و سیما, lit. 'Voice and Vision') for short, formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian Revolution of 1979, is an Iranian state-controlled media corporation that holds a monopoly of domestic radio and television services in Iran. It is also among the largest media organizations in Asia and the Pacific region and a regular member of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. Its head is appointed directly by the supreme leader. With 13,000 employees and branches in 20 countries worldwide, including Italy, France, Belgium, Guyana, Malaysia, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting offers both domestic and foreign radio and television services, broadcasting 12 domestic television channels, four international news television channels, six satellite television channels for international audiences, and 30 provincial television channels countrywide, half of which are broadcast in minority-status languages in Iran, such as Azerbaijani and Kurdish, as well as the local dialects of Persian. IRIB provides 12 radio stations for domestic audiences, and through the IRIB World Service, 30 radio stations are available for foreign and international audiences. It also publishes the Persian-language newspaper Jam-e Jam.", "wds-Q651410": "The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (German: Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft; French: Société suisse de radiodiffusion et télévision; Italian: Società svizzera di radiotelevisione; Romansh: Societad Svizra da Radio e Televisiun; SRG SSR) is the Swiss public broadcasting association, founded in 1931, the holding company of 24 radio and television channels. Headquartered in Bern, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation is a non-profit organisation, funded mainly through radio and television licence fees (79%) and making the remaining income from advertising and sponsorship. Switzerland's system of direct democracy and the fact that the country has four official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh) mean that the structure of Swiss public service broadcasting is rather complicated. The actual holders of the broadcasting licences that enable SRG SSR to operate are four regional corporations: German Switzerland: Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) French Switzerland: Radio télévision suisse (RTS) Italian Switzerland: Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RSI) Romansh: Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha (RTR) These four corporations maintain SRG SSR as a joint central production and broadcasting association. The fifth business unit of SRG SSR is the ten-language news platform Swissinfo.", "wds-Q515869": "Starz Entertainment Corp., formerly known as Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, or simply Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company currently headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, it is/was domiciled and incorporated in Vancouver, British Columbia. Prior to 2024, the then-named Lionsgate owned film and television studios under its own umbrella. It was spun-off into Lionsgate Studios on May 14, 2024, of which Starz owned 87% until its separation on May 7, 2025. The company trades on Nasdaq with the stock symbol STRZ.", "wds-Q783891": "Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation in 1898 with two marriage-related brothers-in-law, George Morane and Leon Desmarais, as Emile Delahaye's equal partners. The company built a low volume line of limited production luxury cars with coachbuilt bodies; trucks; utility and commercial vehicles; buses; and fire-trucks. Delahaye made a number of technical innovations, particularly in its early years. After establishing a racing department in 1932, the company came to prominence in France in the mid-to-late 1930s, first with the International record-breaking Type 138; then, the Type 135 that famously evolved into the special short-wheelbase sports-racing Type 135CS; followed by the V12 types 145 and 155 racecars. Many races were won, and records set. The company faced setbacks due to the Second World War, and was taken over by amalgamation with arch competitor Hotchkiss in 1954. Both were absorbed by the large Brandt manufacturing organization, within months, with automotive products ended. Delahaye closed forever at the end of 1954, taking Delage along with it.", "wds-Q941127": "Salesforce, Inc. is an American enterprise software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is best known for customer relationship management software and related applications, which the corporation delivers through a software as a service subscription business model. It also provides software for sales, customer service, marketing automation, e-commerce, data analytics, artificial intelligence, agentic AI, and application development. Founded by former Oracle executive Marc Benioff in March 1999, Salesforce experienced rapid growth in the sector in which it competed, debuting its initial public offering in 2004. Its major acquisitions included Tableau and Slack. As of March 2026, Salesforce has a market capitalization of approximately US$186 billion. For fiscal year 2026 (ending January 31, 2026), the company reported record annual revenue of $41.5 billion. The company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (since 2020) and the S&P 500.", "wds-Q763622": "JAWA (Czech pronunciation: [java]) is a motorcycle and moped manufacturer founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1929 by František Janeček, who bought the motorcycle division of Wanderer. The name JAWA was established by concatenating the first letters of Janeček and Wanderer. In the past, especially in the 1950s, JAWA was one of the top motorcycle manufacturers and exported its 350 model to over 120 countries. The best known model was the 350 Pérák, and in the 1970s the 350 Californian. It appeared in typical black and red coloring from the US to New Zealand. After 1990 a significant loss of production occurred. A successor company was formed in 1997 in Týnec nad Sázavou, continuing the name as JAWA Moto. In the Indian market the brand JAWA Motorcycles was resurrected in December 2018 by Classic Legends, which is owned by Mahindra & Mahindra, through a licensing deal with the original Czech company JAWA Moto.", "wds-Q1136349": "Costa Crociere S.p.A. (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkɔsta kroˈtʃɛːre]), operating as Costa Cruises, is an Italian cruise line founded in 1948 and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2000. Based in Genoa, Italy, the cruise line primarily caters to the European cruise market, but the company's 10 ships, which all sail under the Italian flag, provide itineraries sailing to countries globally.", "wds-Q543750": "Luigi Lavazza S.p.A. (Italian: [luˈiːdʒi laˈvattsa]), shortened and stylized as LAVAZZA, is an Italian manufacturer of coffee products. Founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, it was initially run from a small grocery store at Via San Tommaso 10. The business (Italian: S.p.A.) is currently administered by the third and fourth generations of the Lavazza family.", "wds-Q296782": "Arm Holdings plc is a British semiconductor and software design company headquartered in Cambridge, England, whose primary business is the design of central processing unit (CPU) cores that implement the ARM architecture family of instruction sets. It also designs other chips, provides software development tools under the DS-5, RealView and Keil brands, and provides systems and platforms, system-on-chip (SoC) infrastructure and software. As a holding company, it also holds shares of other companies. Since 2016, it has been majority owned by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group. \"ARM\" was originally an acronym for Acorn RISC Machine and later for Advanced RISC Machines. While ARM CPUs first appeared in the Acorn Archimedes, a desktop computer, today's systems include mostly embedded systems, including ARM CPUs used in virtually all modern smartphones, up to used in the fastest supercomputer. Processors based on designs licensed from Arm, or designed by licensees of one of the ARM instruction set architectures, are used in all classes of computing devices. Arm has two lines of graphics processing units (GPUs), Mali, and the newer Immortalis (which includes hardware-based ray-tracing). Arm's main CPU competitors in servers include IBM, Intel and AMD. Intel competed with ARM-based chips in mobile devices but Arm no longer has any competition in that space (although vendors of actual ARM-based chips compete within that arena). Arm's main GPU competitors include mobile GPUs from technology companies Imagination Technologies (PowerVR), Qualcomm (Adreno), and increasingly Nvidia, AMD, Samsung and Intel. While competing in GPUs, Qualcomm, Samsung and Nvidia all have combined their GPUs with Arm-licensed CPUs. Arm had a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It also had a secondary listing of American depositary receipts on New York's Nasdaq. However, Japanese multinational conglomerate SoftBank Group made an agreed offer for Arm on 18 July 2016, subject to approval by Arm's shareholders, valuing the company at £24.3 billion. The transaction was completed on 5 September 2016. A planned takeover deal by Nvidia, announced in 2020, collapsed in February 2022, with SoftBank subsequently deciding to pursue an initial public offering on the Nasdaq in 2023, valuing Arm at US$54.5 billion.", "wds-Q170416": "Koninklijke Philips N.V., commonly known as Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company and former major consumer electronics manufacturer. The company was founded in Eindhoven in 1891 by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik Philips to manufacture incandescent light bulbs. In October 1997, Philips decided to move its corporate headquarters from Eindhoven to Amsterdam, with the relocation beginning the following year. The company's headquarters remain in Amsterdam. Philips was awarded the Dutch Royal designation by Queen Wilhelmina in 1916; Koninklijke became part of the company name in 1998. Through the 20th century, Philips developed into a large electronics conglomerate, producing products ranging from kitchen appliances and electric shavers to lighting equipment and televisions. Philips introduced the compact cassette format, which became a widely adopted standard for tape recording. The company later collaborated with Sony in developing the compact disc standard. Philips also became a major participant in the entertainment industry through its controlling interest in PolyGram, which it sold to Seagram in 1998. From the 2010s, Philips progressively shifted its focus toward health technology. Its television business was transferred to the TP Vision joint venture in 2012. Its lighting business was separated from Philips in 2016 and renamed Signify in 2018. Philips completed the sale of its Domestic Appliances business in 2021; the independent company was renamed Versuni in 2023. As of 2025, Philips reports three main business segments: Diagnosis & Treatment, Connected Care and Personal Health. Diagnosis & Treatment includes image-guided therapy and precision diagnosis, including technologies used for MRI, CT and ultrasound. Connected Care includes patient monitoring, enterprise informatics, and sleep and respiratory care, including activities associated with Respironics. Personal Health includes personal care, oral healthcare, and mother-and-child-care products, including electric shavers, Sonicare electric toothbrushes and Avent products. Philips is listed on Euronext Amsterdam under the symbol PHIA and on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PHG. It is also a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 index. Historical acquisitions included Signetics in 1975 and Magnavox in 1974. The Philips Sports Association, which includes the football club PSV Eindhoven, was founded in 1913 for Philips employees.", "wds-Q221419": "The public joint stock company Ilyushin Aviation Complex, operating as Ilyushin (Russian: Илью́шин) or as Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a Russian aircraft manufacturer and design bureau, founded in 1933 by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin. Soviet/Russian nomenclature identifies aircraft from Ilyushin with the prefix \"Il-\" (Russian: Ил-). Ilyushin has its head office in Aeroport District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow.", "wds-Q208758": "Las Meninas (Spanish: [las meˈninas]; Spanish for 'The Ladies-in-waiting') is a 1656 oil painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analysed works in Western painting for the way its complex and enigmatic composition raises questions about reality and illusion, and for the uncertain relationship it creates between the viewer and the figures depicted. The painting is believed by the art historian F. J. Sánchez Cantón to depict a room in the Royal Alcázar of Madrid during the reign of Philip IV, and presents several figures, most of them identifiable from the Spanish court, captured in a particular moment as if in a snapshot. Some of the figures look out of the canvas towards the viewer, while others interact among themselves. The five-year-old Infanta Margaret Theresa is surrounded by her entourage of maids of honour, chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs and a dog. Just behind them, Velázquez portrays himself working at a large canvas. Velázquez looks outwards beyond the pictorial space to where a viewer of the painting would stand. The mirror in the background reflects the upper bodies of the king and queen. They appear to be placed outside the picture space in a position similar to that of the viewer, although some scholars have speculated that their image is a reflection from the painting on which Velázquez is shown working. The Italian Baroque painter Luca Giordano described Las Meninas as the \"theology of painting\", and in 1827 the president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London Sir Thomas Lawrence called the work \"the true philosophy of the art\". The painting has since become a focal point for scholarly debates about representation, spectatorship, and the social status of the artist. Michel Foucault opened The Order of Things (1966) with an extended analysis of its treatment of classical representation; Svetlana Alpers read it as Velázquez's claim for painting as a liberal art; and Leo Steinberg (1981) and Joel Snyder (1985) have offered competing accounts of its spatial logic and the function of the mirror on the back wall.", "wds-Q500242": "The Creation of Adam (Italian: Creazione di Adamo), also known as The Creation of Man, is a fresco painting by Italian artist Michelangelo, which forms part of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, painted 1508–1512. It illustrates the Biblical creation narrative from the Book of Genesis in which God gives life to Adam, the first man. The fresco is part of a complex scheme and is chronologically the fourth in the series of panels depicting episodes from Genesis. The painting has been reproduced in countless imitations and parodies. Michelangelo's Creation of Adam is one of the most replicated religious paintings of all time.", "wds-Q2282256": "Irises is an oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. Painted in 1889, the work is a landscape with a cropped composition and is one of a series of several hundred paintings that van Gogh made at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, in the last year before his death in 1890. It has been in the permanent collection of The Getty in Los Angeles, California since 1990. The painting depicts vibrantly blooming irises with dynamic brushstrokes. The flowers are a mix of deep blues and violets, contrasting with lush green leaves, red-orange earth, and yellow flowers in the background. Van Gogh's characteristic impasto technique adds texture and movement within the painting, creating an energetic and expressive feeling. The overall cropped composition of Irises, includes broad areas of vivid color and monumental rippled irises overflowing the borders of the canvas which helps moves the viewer's eye throughout the canvas.", "wds-Q1351854": "McLaren Automotive ( mə-KLA-rən; formerly known as McLaren Cars) is a British luxury automotive manufacturer based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The main products of the company are sports cars, which are produced in-house in designated production facilities. As of March 2025, McLaren Automotive is wholly owned by CYVN Holdings LLC, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi.", "wds-Q1061035": "The Treachery of Images (French: La Trahison des images) is a 1929 painting by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. It is also known as This Is Not a Pipe, Ceci n'est pas une pipe and The Wind and the Song. It is on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The painting shows an image of a tobacco pipe. Below it, Magritte painted, \"Ceci n'est pas une pipe\" (pronounced [sə.si ne paz‿yn pip], French for \"This is not a pipe\".) The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture \"This is a pipe\", I'd have been lying! The theme of pipes with the text \"Ceci n'est pas une pipe\" is extended in Les Mots et Les Images, La Clé des Songes, Ceci n'est pas une pipe (L'air et la chanson), The Tune and Also the Words, Ceci n'est pas une pomme, and Les Deux Mystères. The painting is sometimes given as an example of meta message like Alfred Korzybski's \"The word is not the thing\" and \"The map is not the territory\", as well as Denis Diderot's This is not a story. On December 15, 1929, Paul Éluard and André Breton published an essay about poetry in La Révolution surréaliste (The Surrealist Revolution) as a reaction to the publication by poet Paul Valéry \"Notes sur la poésie\" in Les Nouvelles littéraires of September 28, 1929. When Valéry wrote \"Poetry is a survival\", Breton and Éluard made fun of it and wrote \"Poetry is a pipe\", as a reference to Magritte's painting. In the same edition of La Révolution surréaliste, Magritte published \"Les mots et les images\" (his founding text which illustrated where words play with images), his answer to the survey on love, and Je ne vois pas la [femme] cachée dans la forêt, a painting tableau surrounded by photos of sixteen surrealists with their eyes closed, including Magritte himself. The away kit of the Belgian National Team for the 2026 World Cup was described by the Royal Belgian FA as “a tribute to René Magritte and Belgian Surrealism,” featuring a surrealist theme. A reference to The Treachery of Images is made through the inscription “Ceci n'est pas un maillot” (“This is not a jersey”) printed behind the collar.", "wds-Q159614": "Seiko Epson Corporation, commonly known as Epson, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Suwa, Nagano, Japan, and one of the world's largest manufacturers of printers and information- and imaging-related equipment. Its products include inkjet, dot matrix, thermal and laser printers for consumer, business and industrial use, scanners, laptop and desktop computers, video projectors, watches, smartglasses, industrial robots and automation equipment, amorphous alloy powders, MIM parts, semiconductors, crystal oscillators, sensing devices and other associated electronic components. The company has developed as one of the manufacturing companies (formerly known as Seikosha) of the Seiko Group, a name traditionally known for manufacturing Seiko timepieces. Seiko Epson develops and manufactures certain models of quartz and Spring Drive wristwatches for the Seiko Watch, but is neither a subsidiary nor an affiliate of Seiko Group Corporation.", "wds-Q45585": "The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village. It has been in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest. Described as a \"touchstone of modern art\", The Starry Night has been regarded as one of the most recognizable paintings in the Western canon. The painting was created in mid-June 1889, inspired by the view from Van Gogh’s bedroom window at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole mental asylum near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. The former monastery functioned as a mental asylum, where Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself on 8 May 1889, following a mental breakdown and his infamous act of self-mutilation that occurred in late December 1888. Catering to wealthy patients, the facility was less than half full at the time of Van Gogh's admission, allowing the artist access to both a second-story bedroom and a ground-floor studio. During his year-long stay, he remained highly productive, creating many paintings including Irises, a self-portrait, and The Starry Night. The painting's celestial elements include Venus, which was visible in the sky at the time, and the Moon, although the Moon's depiction is not astronomically accurate. The cypress trees in the foreground were exaggerated in scale compared to other works. Van Gogh's letters suggest he viewed them primarily in aesthetic rather than symbolic terms. The village in the painting is an imaginary addition, based on sketches rather than the actual landscape seen from the asylum. The Starry Night has been subject to various interpretations, ranging from religious symbolism to representations of Van Gogh’s emotional turmoil. Some art historians link the swirling sky to contemporary astronomical discoveries, while others see it as an expression of Van Gogh’s personal struggles. Van Gogh himself was critical of the painting, referring to it as a \"failure\" in letters to his brother, Theo. The artwork was inherited by Theo upon Vincent's death. Following Theo's death six months after Vincent's, the work was owned by Theo's widow, Jo, who sold it to Émile Schuffenecker in 1901, who sold it back to Jo in 1905. From 1906 to 1938 it was owned by one Georgette P. van Stolk, of Rotterdam. Paul Rosenberg bought it from van Stolk in 1938 and sold it (by exchange) to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941, which rarely loans it out. Scientific analysis of the painting has confirmed Van Gogh’s use of ultramarine and cobalt blue for the sky, with indian yellow and zinc yellow for the stars and moon.", "wds-Q1025704": "Café Terrace at Night is an 1888 oil painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It is also known as The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, and, when first exhibited in 1891, was entitled Coffeehouse, in the evening (Café, le soir). Van Gogh painted Café Terrace at Night in Arles, France, in mid-September 1888. The painting is not signed, but described and mentioned by the artist in three letters. Visitors to the site can stand at the north eastern corner of the Place du Forum, where the artist set up his easel. The site was refurbished in 1990 and 1991 to replicate van Gogh's painting. He looked south towards the artificially lit terrace of the popular coffee house, as well as into the enforced darkness of the rue du Palais which led up to a building structure (to the left, not pictured) and, beyond this structure, the tower of a former church which is now Musée Lapidaire. Towards the right, Van Gogh indicated a lighted shop and some branches of the trees surrounding the place, but he omitted the remainders of the Roman monuments just beside this little shop. The painting is currently at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands.", "wds-Q1065493": "Ophelia is an 1851–52 painting by British artist John Everett Millais in the collection of Tate Britain, London. It depicts the young Danish noblewoman Ophelia in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, loses her sanity and drowns. The painting, modelled by Elizabeth Siddal, received mixed responses when first exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, but is today widely regarded as one of the most important mid-nineteenth-century works, and is renowned for its beauty and natural landscape. The work has influenced artists such as John William Waterhouse, Peter Blake, Ed Ruscha and Friedrich Heyser.", "wds-Q321303": "The Garden of Earthly Delights (Dutch: De tuin der lusten, lit. 'The garden of lusts') is the modern title given to a five-panel triptych (three oil-painted panels when open, two oak panels when closed) by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. Because of Bosch's religious beliefs, interpretations of the work typically assume it is a warning against the perils of temptation. The outer panels place the work on the Third Day of Creation. The intricacy of its symbolism, particularly that of the central panel, has led to a wide range of scholarly interpretations over the centuries. Twentieth-century art historians are divided as to whether the triptych's central panel is a moral warning or a panorama of the paradise lost. He painted three large triptychs (the others are The Last Judgment of c. 1482 and The Haywain Triptych of c. 1516) that can be read from left to right and in which each panel was essential to the meaning of the whole. Each of these three works presents distinct yet linked themes addressing history and faith. Triptychs from this period were generally intended to be read sequentially, the left and right panels often portraying Eden and the Last Judgment respectively, while the main subject was contained in the centerpiece. It is not known whether The Garden was intended as an altarpiece, but the general view is that the extreme subject matter of the inner center and right panels make it unlikely that it was planned for a church or monastery. It has been housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain since 1939.", "wds-Q83872": "Nighthawks is a 1942 oil on canvas painting by the American artist Edward Hopper that portrays four people in a downtown diner late at night, as viewed through the diner's large glass window. The light coming from the diner illuminates a darkened and deserted urban streetscape. The painting has been described as Hopper's best-known work and is one of the most recognizable paintings in American art. Classified as part of the American Realism movement, within months of its completion, it was sold to the Art Institute of Chicago for $3,000 (equivalent to $59,110 in 2025).", "wds-Q2470123": "Judith Beheading Holofernes is a painting of the biblical episode by the Italian Baroque artist Caravaggio, painted in c. 1599 – 1600 or 1602, in which the widow Judith stayed with the Assyrian general Holofernes in his tent after a banquet then decapitated him after he passed out drunk. The painting was rediscovered in 1950 and is part of the collection of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome. The exhibition 'Dentro Caravaggio', Royal Palace of Milan (Sept 2017 – Jan 2018), suggests a date of 1602 on account of the use of light underlying sketches not seen in Caravaggio's early work but characteristic of his later works. The exhibition catalogue (Skira, 2018, p88) also cites biographer artist Giovanni Pietro Baglione's account that the work was commissioned by Genoese banker Ottavio Costa. A second painting on the same subject (see below) and dated to 1607, attributed by several experts to Caravaggio but still disputed by others, was rediscovered by chance in 2014 and went on sale in June 2019 as Judith and Holofernes.", "wds-Q185255": "The Wedding at Cana (Italian: Nozze di Cana, 1562–1563), by Paolo Veronese, is a representational painting that depicts the biblical story of the Wedding at Cana, at which Jesus miraculously converts water into red wine (John 2:1–11). Executed in the Mannerist style (1520–1600) of the late Renaissance, the large-format (6.77 m × 9.94 m or 22 ft 3 in × 32 ft 7 in) oil painting comprehends the stylistic ideal of compositional harmony, as practised by the artists Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo. The art of the High Renaissance (1490–1527) emphasised human figures of ideal proportions, balanced composition, and beauty, whereas Mannerism exaggerated the Renaissance ideals – of figure, light, and colour – with asymmetric and unnaturally elegant arrangements achieved by flattening the pictorial space and distorting the human figure as an ideal preconception of the subject, rather than as a realistic representation. The visual tension among the elements of the picture and the thematic instability among the human figures in The Wedding Feast at Cana derive from Veronese's application of technical artifice, the inclusion of sophisticated cultural codes and symbolism (social, religious, theologic), which present a biblical story relevant to the Renaissance viewer and to the contemporary viewer. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the painting hung in the refectory of the San Giorgio Monastery. In 1797, soldiers of Napoleon's Army of Italy plundered the picture as war booty during the Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802). The pictorial area (67.29 m2) of the canvas makes The Wedding Feast at Cana the most expansive picture in the paintings collection of the Musée du Louvre.", "wds-Q698015": "The Madonna of the Carnation, also known as the Madonna with Vase, Madonna with Child or Virgin with Flower, is a Renaissance oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci created around 1478–1480. It is permanently displayed at the Alte Pinakothek gallery in Munich, Germany. The central and centered motif is the young Virgin Mary seated with Baby Jesus on her lap. Depicted in sumptuous clothes and jewellery, with her left hand Mary holds a carnation (red, suggesting blood and the Passion). The faces are put into light while all other objects are darker, e.g. the flower is covered by a shadow. The child is looking up and the mother looking down, with no eye contact. The setting of the portrait is a room with two windows on each side of the figures. Originally this painting was thought to have been created by Andrea del Verrocchio, but subsequent art historians agree that it is Leonardo's work, probably made during his apprenticeship to Verrocchio. The Virgin's hair, left hand, the drapery, and flowers are similar to elements of Leonardo's Annunciation.", "wds-Q128738": "Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, known as AB InBev, is a Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. It is the largest brewer in the world, and in 2023, was ranked 72nd in the Forbes Global 2000. AB InBev was formed in 2008, with Belgian-Brazilian brewing company InBev's acquisition of the American company Anheuser-Busch. Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is a publicly listed company, with its primary listing on the Euronext Brussels. It has secondary listings on Mexico City Stock Exchange, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and New York Stock Exchange. AB InBev has offices in New York City, alongside regional headquarters in São Paulo, London, St. Louis, Mexico City, Bremen, Johannesburg, and others. It has approximately 630 beer brands in 150 countries.", "wds-Q80978": "The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( HEW-lit PAK-ərd) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California. Growing to become an influential high-tech powerhouse at the heart of Silicon Valley, the company was known for its progressive business philosophy, deemed the HP Way. HP developed and provided a wide variety of hardware components, as well as software and related services, to consumers, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and fairly large companies, including customers in government sectors. At its peak in 2011, HP employed 350,000 people around the globe. The company officially split into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. in 2015. HP initially produced a line of electronic test and measurement equipment. It won its first big contract in 1938 to provide the HP 200B, a variation of its first product, the HP 200A low-distortion frequency oscillator, for Walt Disney's production of the 1940 animated film Fantasia, which allowed Hewlett and Packard to formally establish the Hewlett-Packard Company on July 2, 1939. The company grew into a multinational corporation widely respected for its products. HP was the world's leading PC manufacturer from 2007 until the second quarter of 2013 when Lenovo moved ahead of HP. HP specialized in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware, designing software, and delivering services. Major product lines included personal computing devices, enterprise and industry standard servers, related storage devices, networking products, software, and a range of printers and other imaging products. The company directly marketed its products to households, small- to medium-sized businesses, and enterprises, as well as via online distribution, consumer-electronics, and office-supply retailers, software partners, and major technology vendors. It also offered services and a consulting business for its products and partner products. In 1999, HP spun off its electronic and bio-analytical test and measurement instruments business into Agilent Technologies; HP retained focus on its later products, including computers and printers. It merged with Compaq in 2002 in what was then a major deal within the industry. They made numerous other acquisitions including Electronic Data Systems in 2008, which led to combined revenues of $118.4 billion that year and a Fortune 500 ranking of 9 in 2009, and later 3Com, Palm, Inc., and 3PAR, all in 2010, followed by Autonomy Corp. However, as a result of the turmoil created by several of these acquisitions, the company's fortunes swiftly declined in the 2010s. This led to Hewlett-Packard Company's split into two separate companies on November 1, 2015: its enterprise products and services business were spun-off to form Hewlett Packard Enterprise, while its personal computer and printer businesses became HP Inc. The split was structured so that the former Hewlett-Packard Company would change its name to HP Inc. and spin off Hewlett Packard Enterprise as a newly created company. HP Inc. retained the old Hewlett-Packard's stock-price history and original NYSE ticker symbol; Hewlett Packard Enterprise trades under its own ticker symbol: HPE.", "wds-Q14866847": "Sunset at Montmajour is a landscape in oils painted by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh on 4 July 1888. It was painted while the artist was at Arles, France and depicts a landscape of garrigue with the ruins of Montmajour Abbey in the background. The painting is 73.3 cm × 93.3 cm (28.9 in × 36.7 in). For over 100 years, it was in a Norwegian industrialist's private collection and wrongly assumed to be fake, before being re-examined, authenticated and sold to its current private owner. The painting was temporarily on display from 24 September 2013 until 12 January 2014 as part of an exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Its authenticity was questioned several times before it was confirmed as a genuine van Gogh work in 2013. It is the first full-sized painting by Van Gogh to be newly confirmed since 1928.", "wds-Q128910": "The Last Supper (Italian: Il Cenacolo [il tʃeˈnaːkolo] or L'Ultima Cena [ˈlultima ˈtʃeːna]) is a mural painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, dated to c. 1495–1498, housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The painting represents the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles, as it is told in the Gospel of John – specifically the moment after Jesus announces that one of his apostles will betray him. Its handling of space, mastery of perspective, treatment of motion and complex display of human emotion has made it one of the Western world's most recognizable paintings and among Leonardo's most celebrated works. Some commentators consider it pivotal in inaugurating the transition into what is now termed the High Renaissance. The work was commissioned as part of a plan of renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. In order to permit his inconsistent painting schedule and frequent revisions, it is painted with materials that allowed for regular alterations: tempera on gesso, pitch, and mastic. Due to the methods used, a variety of environmental factors, and intentional damage, little of the original painting remains today despite numerous restoration attempts, the last being completed in 1999. The Last Supper is Leonardo's largest work, aside from the Sala delle Asse.", "wds-Q328523": "Impression, Sunrise (French: Impression, soleil levant) is an 1872 painting by Claude Monet first shown at what would become known as the \"Exhibition of the Impressionists\" in Paris in April, 1874. The painting is credited with inspiring the name of the Impressionist movement. Impression, Sunrise depicts the port of Le Havre, Monet's hometown. It is usually displayed at the Musée Marmottan Monet.", "wds-Q25729": "The Persistence of Memory (Catalan: La persistència de la memòria, Spanish: La persistencia de la memoria) is a 1931 painting by artist Salvador Dalí and one of the most recognizable works of Surrealism. First exhibited at the Julien Levy Gallery in 1932 and sold for $250, The Persistence of Memory was donated to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City two years later in 1934 by an anonymous donor, where it has remained ever since. It is widely recognized and frequently referred to in popular culture, and sometimes referred to by more descriptive titles, such as \"The Melting Clocks\", \"The Soft Watches\" or \"The Melting Watches\".", "wds-Q1142058": "The Benois Madonna, otherwise known as the Madonna and Child with Flowers, is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. One of two Madonnas begun by Leonardo in October 1478, it was completed c. 1478–1480; the other was the Madonna of the Carnation, now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.", "wds-Q1212937": "The Ambassadors is a 1533 painting by Hans Holbein the Younger. Also known as Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve, after the two people it portrays, it was created in the Tudor period, in the same year Elizabeth I was born. Franny Moyle speculates that Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, then Queen of England, might have commissioned it as a gift for Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador, portrayed on the left. De Selve was a Catholic bishop. As well as being a double portrait, the painting contains a still life of meticulously rendered objects, the meaning of which is the cause of much debate. An array of expensive scientific objects, related to knowing the time and the cosmos are prominently displayed. Several refer to Rome, the seat of the Pope. A second shelf of objects shows a lute with a broken string, a symbol of discord, next to a hymnal composed by Martin Luther. It incorporates one of the best-known examples of anamorphosis in painting. While most scholars have taken the view that the painting should be viewed side on to see the skull, others believe a glass tube was used to see the skull head on. Either way, death is both prominent and obscured until discovered. Less easily spotted is a carving of Jesus on a crucifix, half hidden behind a curtain at the top left. The Ambassadors has been part of London's National Gallery collection since its purchase in 1890. It was extensively restored in 1997, leading to criticism, in particular that the skull's dimensions had been changed.", "wds-Q969377": "The Calling of Saint Matthew is an oil painting by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio that depicts the moment Jesus Christ calls on the tax collector Matthew to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it remains. It hangs alongside two other paintings of Matthew by Caravaggio: The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (painted around the same time as the Calling) and The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602).", "wds-Q2293936": "The Young Sick Bacchus (Italian: Bacchino Malato), also known as the Sick Bacchus or the Self-Portrait as Bacchus, is an early self-portrait by the Italian Baroque artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, dated between 1593 and 1594. It now hangs in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. According to Caravaggio's first biographer, Giovanni Baglione, it was a cabinet piece painted by the artist using a mirror.", "wds-Q2011510": "Bacchus (c. 1596) is an oil painting by Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610) commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. The painting shows a youthful Bacchus reclining in classical fashion with grapes and vine leaves in his hair, fingering the drawstring of his loosely draped robe. On a stone table in front of him is a bowl of fruit and a large carafe of red wine. He holds out a shallow goblet of the same wine, inviting the viewer to join him. The painting is currently held in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.", "wds-Q2045726": "The Battle of Anghiari (Italian: La Battaglia di Anghiari, 1505) is a lost fresco painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of the Five Hundred) in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. Its central scene would have depicted four men riding raging war horses engaged in a struggle for possession of a standard at the Battle of Anghiari in 1440. Leonardo never completed the commission and left the work unfinished in 1505. According to an early biographer, Leonardo had experimented working in a different fresco technique involving walnut oil but the colors were too unstable, leading the master to abandon the project. Leonardo's unfinished work remained on site for a while and was admired by many visitors and artists; it was ultimately destroyed and replaced by a new work (today, Giorgio Vasari's frescoes from 1563-65 can be seen in its place). Many preparatory studies by Leonardo still exist. The composition of the central section is best known through a drawing which was made in the 16th century and later acquired by Peter Paul Rubens who extended the edges of the drawing. The drawing is in the collection of the Louvre in Paris, where it is referred to as The Battle of the Standard. This drawing succeeds in portraying the fury, the intense emotions and the sense of power that were presumably present in the original painting. Similarities have been noted between this Battle of Anghiari and the Hippopotamus Hunt painted by Rubens in 1616. In March 2012, a team led by Maurizio Seracini announced that they had found evidence that the painting still exists on a hidden inner wall behind a cavity, underneath a section of Giorgio Vasari's fresco in the chamber. The search was discontinued in September 2012, without any further progress having been made, due to conflict among the involved parties. In 2020, a group of art historians submitted the findings of their research on the work. Their conclusion was that the work had never been commenced or executed because Leonardo could not have created the painting as his proposed gesso and oil technique for making the layer for the painting would not have allowed the paint to attach to the wall.", "wds-Q2735507": "La maja vestida (English translation: The Clothed Maja) is an oil painting on canvas created between 1800 and 1807 by the Spanish Romantic painter and printmaker Francisco Goya. It is a clothed version of the earlier La maja desnuda, which was created between 1795 and 1800. The identity of the model and that of the commissioner have not been confirmed. However, art historians and scholars have suggested she is María Cayetana de Silva or Godoy's mistress Pepita Tudó. The paintings were never publicly exhibited during Goya's lifetime, so it is also unknown if they were created as pendant paintings, to be displayed as a pair. However, since 1901 they have been exhibited together at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. Beforehand, it was twice in the collection of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, also in Madrid, before being \"sequestered\" by the Spanish Inquisition between 1814 and 1836. The maja vestida and maja desnuda were both first cited in an 1808 inventory, when Godoy's assets were seized by King Ferdinand VII.", "wds-Q2697937": "Campbell's Soup Cans is a series of 32 paintings produced by American artist Andy Warhol between 1961 and 1962. Each painting depicts a different variety of Campbell's soup cans in a uniform 20-by-16-inch format. First exhibited in July 1962 at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, the pop art works challenged traditional distinctions between fine art and commercial imagery. Warhol's association with the subject led to his name becoming synonymous with the Campbell's soup cans. The series catapulted Warhol to fame and contributed to critical discourse about originality, reproduction, and the meaning of art in a consumer society. Drawing on his background as a commercial illustrator, Warhol focused on the packaging of everyday items, making high art of the artistic depiction of the commercial packaging rather than of the everyday items themselves, prompting initial controversy but eventual acclaim. The Campbell's Soup Cans series generally refers to the original 32 canvases, but it also encompasses Warhol's many subsequent variations: approximately 20 similar paintings produced in the early 1960s; a 1965 set of 20 larger multi-colored canvases; numerous related drawings, sketches, and stencils created over the years; and two separate editions of 250 ten-print screen print portfolios issued in 1968 and 1969. The original 32 canvases were preserved by art dealer Irving Blum and later acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in 1996. Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans are widely regarded as a canonical symbol of Pop art and one of the most influential bodies of art of the 20th century. The later sets of screen prints are sometimes confused with the original 1962 series, and unauthorized prints have also circulated. Despite this, the series has maintained a lasting presence in popular culture, inspiring derivative works by other artists and achieving multimillion-dollar results in the art market.", "wds-Q984058": "Las Hilanderas (Spanish pronunciation: [las ilanˈdeɾas]; \"The Spinners\") is a painting by the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, in the Museo del Prado of Madrid, Spain. It is also known by the title The Fable of Arachne. Most scholars regard it as a late work by the artist, dating from 1657 to 1658, but some argue that it was done c. 1644-48. Velázquez scholar Jonathan Brown writes that Las Hilanderas and Las Meninas are arguably Velázquez's \"two greatest paintings.... [T]hey are the largest, most complicated compositions executed between 1640 and 1660, a period during which Velázquez painted mostly portraits of single figures\". Traditionally, it was believed that the painting depicted women workers in the tapestry workshop of Santa Isabel. In 1948, however, Diego Angulo observed that the iconography suggested Ovid's Fable of Arachne, the story of the mortal Arachne who dared to challenge the goddess Athena to a weaving competition and, on winning the contest, was turned into a spider by the jealous goddess. This is now generally accepted as the correct interpretation of the painting. It was painted for Don Pedro de Arce, huntsman to King Philip IV. It entered the Spanish royal collection in the eighteenth century, and was probably damaged by the fire at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid in 1734. New sections were added at the sides (37 cm in total) and over 50 cm to the top of the canvas. The painting remains at the extended size but is currently (in November 2013) displayed behind a screen with a frame added over a cut-away section revealing only the original dimensions. Stylistic elements, such as the lightness, the economical use of paint, and the clear influence of the Italian Baroque, have led most scholars to assert that it was painted in 1657–58. Others place it between 1644 and 1648, perhaps because certain aspects of its form and content recall the bodegones Velázquez painted in his early career. In Las Hilanderas, Velázquez developed a layered composition, an approach he had often used in his earlier bodegones, such as the Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary. In the foreground is the contest. The goddess Athena, disguised as an old woman, is on the left and Arachne, in a white top facing away from the viewer, is on the right. Three helpers assist them. In the background, a raised platform (perhaps a stage) displays the finished tapestries. The one visible to us is Arachne's, showing Titian's The Rape of Europa — another Greek myth. This is in fact a copy of Titian's painting of the subject, which was in the Spanish royal collection. The painting has been interpreted as an allegory of the arts and even as a commentary on the range of creative endeavor, with the fine arts represented by the goddess and the crafts represented by Arachne. Others think that Velázquez' message was simply that to create great works of art, both great creativity and hard technical work are required. Other scholars have read political allegories into the work and interpreted it through popular culture.", "wds-Q1150997": "Saturn Devouring His Son (Spanish: Saturno devorando a su hijo; also known as Saturn) is a painting by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. The work is one of the 14 so-called Black Paintings that Goya painted directly on the walls of his house some time between 1820 and 1823. It was transferred to canvas after Goya's death and is now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The painting is traditionally considered a depiction of the Greek myth of the Titan Cronus, whom the Romans called Saturn, eating one of his children out of fear of a prophecy by Terra (Gaia) that one of his children would overthrow him. Like all of the Black Paintings, it was not originally intended for public consumption and Goya did not provide a title or notes. Thus, its interpretation is disputed.", "wds-Q1899740": "The Assumption of the Virgin or Frari Assumption, popularly known as the Assunta, is a large altarpiece panel painting in oils by the Italian Renaissance artist Titian, painted in 1515–1518. It remains in the position it was designed for, on the high altar of the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari or Frari church in Venice. It is the largest altarpiece in the city, with the figures well over life-size, necessitated by the large church, with a considerable distance between the altar and the congregation. The images above and below are not Titian's work, they are by Palma Vecchio. It marked a new direction in Titian's style, reflecting his awareness of the developments in High Renaissance painting further south, in Florence and Rome, by artists including Raphael and Michelangelo. The agitated figures of the Apostles marked a break with the usual meditative stillness of saints in Venetian painting, in the tradition of Giovanni Bellini and others. It was perhaps originally rather shocking for the Venetian public, but soon recognised as a masterpiece that confirmed Titian's position as the leading artist in Venice, and one of the most important in all Italy, a rival to Michelangelo and Raphael.", "wds-Q311243": "Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is a painting by German Romanticist artist Caspar David Friedrich in 1818. It depicts a man standing upon a rocky precipice with his back to the viewer; he is gazing out on a landscape covered in a thick sea of fog through which other ridges, trees, and mountains pierce, which stretches out into the distance indefinitely. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Romantic movement and one of its most representative works. The painting has been interpreted as an emblem of self-reflection or contemplation of life's path, and the landscape is considered to evoke the sublime. Friedrich was a common user of Rückenfigur (German: Rear-facing figure) in his paintings; Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is perhaps the most famous Rückenfigur in art due to the subject's prominence. The painting has also been interpreted as an expression of Friedrich's German liberal and nationalist feeling. While Friedrich was respected in German and Russian circles, Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog and Friedrich's work in general were not immediately regarded as masterpieces. Friedrich's reputation improved in the early 20th century, and in particular during the 1970s; Wanderer became particularly popular, appearing as an example of \"popular art\" as well as high culture on books and other works. The provenance of the artwork after its creation is unknown, but by 1939, it was on display in the gallery of Wilhelm August Luz in Berlin, and in 1970, it was acquired by the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Germany, where it has been displayed ever since.", "wds-Q1752990": "The Death of Socrates (French: La Mort de Socrate) is an oil on canvas painted by French painter Jacques-Louis David in 1787. The painting was part of the neoclassical style, popular in the 1780s, that depicted subjects from the Classical age, in this case the story of the execution of Socrates as told by Plato in his Phaedo. In this story, Socrates has been convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens and introducing strange gods, and has been sentenced to die by drinking poison hemlock. Socrates uses his death as a final lesson for his pupils rather than fleeing when the opportunity arises, and faces it calmly. The Phaedo depicts the death of Socrates and is also Plato's fourth and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days, which is also detailed in Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito.", "wds-Q194137": "The Sea of Ice (German: Das Eismeer) is an 1823–1824 oil-on-canvas painting by the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. It depicts Friedrich's interpretation of an Arctic landscape, with a shipwreck half-buried in the ice. Its radical composition and subject matter were unusual for their time and the work was met with incomprehension. It has been retrospectively considered one of Friedrich's masterpieces. The Sea of Ice was commissioned by Johann Gottlob von Quandt, who sought two paintings of southern and northern nature. Friedrich's influences are unconfirmed, but he likely drew upon William Edward Parry's 1820–1821 exhibition for the Northwest Passage; he also studied ice floes on the Elbe. Commentators have also linked it to Théodore Géricault's 'The Raft of the Medusa', and speculate it was influenced by the childhood death of Friedrich's brother, who fell through thin ice. The painting was first exhibited at the Prague Academy exhibition of 1824 titled An Idealized Scene of an Arctic Sea, with a Wrecked Ship on the Heaped Masses of Ice, and before 1826 it was called The Polar Sea. The painting was still unsold when Friedrich died in 1840. It is currently held by the Kunsthalle Hamburg in Hamburg.", "wds-Q540488": "A Burial at Ornans (French: Un enterrement à Ornans, also known as A Funeral at Ornans) is a painting of 1849–50 by Gustave Courbet. It is widely regarded as a major turning point in 19th-century French art. The painting records a funeral in Courbet's birthplace, the small town of Ornans. It treats an ordinary, provincial funeral with frank realism, and on the grand scale traditionally reserved for the heroic or religious scenes of history painting. Its exhibition at the Paris Salon of 1850 created an \"explosive reaction\" and brought Courbet instant fame. It is currently displayed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France. It underwent conservation treatment led by Cinzia Pasquali in 2026.", "wds-Q523974": "View of Delft (Dutch: Zicht op Delft) is an oil painting by Johannes Vermeer, painted c. 1659–1661. The painting of the Dutch artist's hometown is among his best known. It is one of three known paintings of Delft by Vermeer, along with The Little Street and the lost painting House Standing in Delft, and his only cityscape. According to art historian Emma Barker, cityscapes across water, which were popular in the Netherlands at the time, celebrated the city and its trade. Vermeer's View of Delft has been held in the Dutch Royal Cabinet of Paintings at the Mauritshuis in The Hague since its establishment in 1822. The painting was featured in the 1980 BBC Two series 100 Great Paintings.", "wds-Q512755": "The Return of the Prodigal Son (Dutch: De terugkeer van de verloren zoon) is an oil painting by Rembrandt, part of the collection of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. It is among the Dutch master's final works, likely completed within two years of his death in 1669. Depicting the moment of the prodigal son's return to his father in the Biblical parable, it is a renowned work described by art historian Kenneth Clark as \"a picture which those who have seen the original in St. Petersburg may be forgiven for claiming as the greatest picture ever painted\". In the painting, the son has returned home in a wretched state from travels in which he has wasted his inheritance and fallen into poverty and despair. He kneels before his father in repentance, wishing for forgiveness and the position of a servant in his father's household, having realized that even his father's servants had a better station in life than he. His father receives him with a tender gesture and welcomes him as his own son. His hands seem to suggest mothering and fathering at once; the left appears larger and more masculine, set on the son's shoulder, while the right is softer and more receptive in gesture. Standing at the right is the prodigal son's older brother, who crosses his hands in judgment; in the parable he objects to the father's compassion for the sinful son: But he answered his father, \"Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!\"—Luke 15:29–30, NRSV The father explains, \"But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found\" (Luke 15:32). Rembrandt was moved by the parable, and he made a variety of drawings, etchings, and paintings on the theme that spanned decades, beginning with a 1636 etching (see Gallery). The Return of the Prodigal Son includes figures not directly related to the parable but seen in some of these earlier works; their identities have been debated. The woman at top left, barely visible, is likely the mother, while the seated man, whose dress implies wealth, may be an advisor to the estate or a tax collector.", "wds-Q151047": "The Birth of Venus (Italian: Nascita di Venere [ˈnaʃʃita di ˈvɛːnere]) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid-1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea fully grown (called Venus Anadyomene and often depicted in art). The painting is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Although the two are not a pair, the painting is inevitably discussed with Botticelli's other very large mythological painting, the Primavera, also in the Uffizi. They are among the most famous paintings in the world, and icons of Italian Renaissance painting; of the two, the Birth is better known than the Primavera. As depictions of subjects from classical mythology on a very large scale they were virtually unprecedented in Western art since classical antiquity, as was the size and prominence of a nude female figure in the Birth. It used to be thought that they were both commissioned by the same member of the Medici family, but this is now uncertain. They have been endlessly analysed by art historians, with the main themes being: the emulation of ancient painters and the context of wedding celebrations (generally agreed), the influence of Renaissance Neo-Platonism (somewhat controversial), and the identity of the commissioners (not agreed). Most art historians agree, however, that the Birth does not require complex analysis to decode its meaning, in the way that the Primavera probably does. While there are subtleties in the painting, its main meaning is a straightforward, if individual, treatment of a traditional scene from Greek mythology, and its appeal is sensory and very accessible, hence its enormous popularity.", "wds-Q734834": "The Ghent Altarpiece, also called the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Dutch: De aanbidding van het Lam Gods), is a very large and complex 15th-century polyptych altarpiece in St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. It was begun around the mid-1420s and completed by 1432, and it is attributed to the Early Netherlandish painters and brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck. The altarpiece is a prominent example of the transition from Middle Age to Renaissance art and is considered a masterpiece of European art, identified by some as \"the first major oil painting.\" The panels are organised in two vertical registers, each with double sets of foldable wings containing inner and outer panel paintings. The upper register of the inner panels represents the heavenly redemption, and includes the central classical Deësis arrangement of God (identified either as Christ the King or God the Father), flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. They are flanked in the next panels by angels playing music and, on the far outermost panels, the figures of Adam and Eve. The central panel of the lower register shows a gathering of saints, sinners, clergy, and soldiers attendant at an adoration of the Lamb of God. There are several groupings of figures, overseen by the dove of the Holy Spirit. The four lower panels of the closed altar are divided into two pairs; sculptural grisaille paintings of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, and on the two outer panels, donor portraits of Joost Vijdt and his wife Lysbette Borluut; in the upper row are the archangel Gabriel and the Annunciation, and at the very top are the prophets and sibyls. The altarpiece is one of the most renowned and important artworks in European history. Art historians generally agree that the overall structure was designed by Hubert during or before the mid-1420s, probably before 1422, and that the panels were painted by his younger brother Jan. Yet, while generations of art historians have attempted to attribute specific passages to either brother, no convincing separation has been established; it may be that Jan finished panels begun by Hubert. The altarpiece was commissioned by the merchant and Ghent mayor Jodocus Vijd and his wife Lysbette as part of a larger project for the Saint Bavo Cathedral chapel. Its installation was officially celebrated on 6 May 1432. Much later, for security reasons, it was moved to the principal cathedral chapel, where it remains. Indebted to the International Gothic as well as Byzantine and Romanic traditions, the altarpiece represented a significant advancement in Western art, in which the idealisation of the medieval tradition gives way to an exacting observation of nature and human representation. A now lost inscription on the frame stated that Hubert van Eyck maior quo nemo repertus (greater than anyone) started the altarpiece, but that Jan van Eyck—calling himself arte secundus (second best in the art)—completed it in 1432. The altarpiece is in its original location, while its original, very ornate, carved outer frame and surround, presumably harmonizing with the painted tracery, was destroyed during the Reformation; it may have included clockwork mechanisms for moving the shutters and even for playing music.", "wds-Q219831": "Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, also known as The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch, but commonly referred to as The Night Watch (Dutch: De Nachtwacht), is a 1642 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. It is in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum but is prominently displayed in the Rijksmuseum as the best-known painting in its collection. The Night Watch is one of the most famous Dutch Golden Age paintings. Rembrandt's large painting of 363 by 437 centimetres (12 by 14+1⁄2 feet) is famed for transforming a group portrait of a civic militia guards (Dutch: schutterij or kloveniers) company into a compelling drama energised by light and shadow (tenebrism). The title is a misnomer; the painting does not depict a nocturnal scene. The Night Watch was completed in 1642 at the peak of the Dutch Golden Age. It depicts the eponymous company moving out, led by Captain Frans Banninck Cocq (dressed in black, with a red sash) and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburch (dressed in yellow, with a white sash). Behind them, the company's colours are carried by the ensign, Jan Visscher Cornelissen. Rembrandt incorporated the traditional emblem of the arquebusiers in the figure of the young girl who carries a dead chicken on her belt, referencing the clauweniers (arquebusiers) and a type of drinking horn used at group banquets.", "wds-Q844675": "The Sistine Chapel ceiling (Italian: Soffitto della Cappella Sistina), painted in fresco by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. The Sistine Chapel is the large papal chapel built within the Vatican between 1477 and 1480 by Pope Sixtus IV, for whom the chapel is named. The ceiling was painted at the commission of Pope Julius II. The ceiling's various painted elements form part of a larger scheme of decoration within the chapel. Prior to Michelangelo's contribution, the walls were painted by several leading artists of the late 15th century including Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Pietro Perugino. After the ceiling was painted, Raphael created a set of large tapestries (1515–1516) to cover the lower portion of the wall. Michelangelo returned to the chapel to create The Last Judgment, a large wall fresco situated behind the altar. The chapel's decoration illustrates much of the doctrine of the Catholic Church, serving as the setting for papal conclaves and many other important services. Central to the ceiling decoration are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, including The Creation of Adam. The complex design includes several sets of figures, some clothed and some nude, allowing Michelangelo to demonstrate his skill in depicting the human figure in a variety of poses. The ceiling was immediately well-received and imitated by other artists, continuing to the present. It has been restored several times, most recently from 1980 to 1994.", "wds-Q275349": "The Rokeby Venus ( ROHK-bee; also known as The Toilet of Venus, Venus at her Mirror, Venus and Cupid and, in Spanish, La Venus del espejo) is a painting by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. Completed between 1647 and 1651, and probably painted during the artist's visit to Italy, the work depicts the goddess Venus in a sensual pose, lying on a bed with her back facing the viewer, and looking into a mirror held by the Roman god of physical love, her son Cupid. The painting is in the National Gallery, London. Numerous works, from the ancient to the baroque, have been cited as inspiring Velázquez. The nude Venuses of the Italian painters, such as Giorgione's Sleeping Venus (c. 1510) and Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538), were the main precedents. In this work, Velázquez combined two established poses for Venus: recumbent on a couch or a bed, and gazing at a mirror. She is often described as looking at herself in the mirror, although this is physically impossible since viewers can see her face reflected in their direction. This phenomenon is known as the Venus effect. In some ways the painting represents a pictorial departure, through its central use of a mirror, and because it shows the body of Venus turned away from the observer of the painting. The Rokeby Venus is the only surviving female nude by Velázquez. Nudes were extremely rare in seventeenth-century Spanish art, which was policed actively by members of the Spanish Inquisition. Despite this, nudes by foreign artists were keenly collected by the court circle, and this painting was hung in the houses of Spanish courtiers until 1813, when it was brought to England to hang in Rokeby Park, Yorkshire. In 1906, National Art Collections Fund purchased the painting for the National Gallery, London. Although it was attacked and badly damaged in 1914 by Canadian suffragette Mary Richardson, it was soon fully restored and returned to display. Just Stop Oil attacked it again and smashed its protective glass in 2023.", "wds-Q476458": "Oath of the Horatii (French: Le Serment des Horaces) is a large painting by the French artist Jacques-Louis David painted in 1784 and 1785 and now on display in the Louvre in Paris. The painting immediately became a huge success with critics and the public and remains one of the best-known paintings in the Neoclassical style. It depicts a scene from the story of the Horatii and Curiatii, a Roman legend about a seventh-century BC dispute between two warring cities, Rome and Alba Longa, and stresses the importance of patriotism and masculine self-sacrifice for one's country. Instead of the two cities sending their armies to war, they agree to choose three men from each city; the victor in that fight will be the victorious city. From Rome, three brothers from a Roman family, the Horatii, agree to end the war by fighting three brothers from a family of Alba Longa, the Curiatii. The three brothers, all of whom appear willing to sacrifice their lives for the good of Rome, are shown stretching their hands towards their father who holds their swords out to them. Of the three Horatii brothers, only one will survive the confrontation. However, it is the surviving brother who is able to kill the other three fighters from Alba Longa: he allows the three fighters to chase him, causing them to separate from each other, and then, in turn, kills each Curiatii brother. Aside from the three brothers depicted, David also represents, in the bottom right corner, a woman crying while sitting down. She is Camilla, a sister of the Horatii brothers, who is also betrothed to one of the Curiatii fighters, and thus she weeps in the realisation that, whatever happens, she will lose someone she loves. Seeing her weep over her dead betrothed, the surviving brother, Publius, kills Camilla for weeping over the enemy. The principal sources for the story behind David's Oath are the first book of Livy (sections 24–26) which was elaborated by Dionysius in book 3 of his Roman Antiquities. However, the moment depicted in David's painting is his own invention. It grew to be considered a paragon of neoclassical art. The painting increased David's fame, allowing him to take on his own students.", "wds-Q910199": "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (pronounced [le demwazɛl d‿aviɲɔ̃]; The Young Ladies of Avignon, originally titled The Brothel of Avignon) is a large oil painting created in 1907 by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, it portrays five nude female prostitutes in a brothel on Carrer d'Avinyó, a street in Barcelona, Spain. The figures are confrontational and not conventionally feminine, being rendered with angular and disjointed body shapes, some to a menacing degree. The far left figure exhibits facial features and dress of Egyptian or southern Asian style. The two adjacent figures are in an Iberian style of Picasso's Spain, while the two on the right have African mask-like features. Picasso said the ethnic primitivism evoked in these masks moved him to \"liberate an utterly original artistic style of compelling, even savage force\" leading him to add a shamanistic aspect to his project. Drawing from tribal primitivism while eschewing central dictates of Renaissance perspective and verisimilitude for a compressed picture plane using a Baroque composition while employing Velazquez's confrontational approach seen in Las Meninas, Picasso sought to take the lead of the avant-garde from Henri Matisse. John Richardson said Demoiselles made Picasso the most pivotal artist in Western painting since Giotto and laid a path forward for Picasso and Georges Braque to follow in their joint development of cubism, the effects of which on modern art were profound and unsurpassed in the 20th century. Les Demoiselles was revolutionary, controversial and led to widespread anger and disagreement, even amongst the painter's closest associates and friends. Henri Matisse considered the work something of a bad joke yet indirectly reacted to it in his 1908 Bathers with a Turtle. Georges Braque too initially disliked the painting yet studied the work in great detail. His subsequent friendship and collaboration with Picasso led to the cubist revolution. Its resemblance to Paul Cézanne's The Bathers, Paul Gauguin's statue Oviri and El Greco's Opening of the Fifth Seal has been widely discussed by later critics. At the time of its first exhibition in 1916, the painting was deemed immoral. Painted in Picasso's studio in the Bateau-Lavoir in Montmartre, Paris, it was seen publicly for the first time at the Salon d'Antin in July 1916, at an exhibition organized by the poet André Salmon. It was at this exhibition that Salmon, who had previously titled the painting in 1912 Le bordel philosophique, renamed it to its current, less scandalous title, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, instead of the title originally chosen by Picasso, Le Bordel d'Avignon. Picasso, who always referred to it as mon bordel (\"my brothel\"), or Le Bordel d'Avignon, never liked Salmon's title and would have instead preferred the bowdlerization Las chicas de Avignon (\"The Girls of Avignon\").", "wds-Q727875": "The Venus of Urbino (also known as Reclining Venus) is an oil painting by Italian painter Titian, depicting a nude young woman, traditionally identified with the goddess Venus, reclining on a couch or bed in the sumptuous surroundings of a Renaissance palace. Work on the painting seems to have begun anywhere from 1532 or 1534, and was perhaps completed in 1534, but not sold until 1538. It is currently held in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. The figure’s pose derives from the Dresden Venus made around 1510–11, traditionally attributed to Giorgione but with the landscape completed by Titian. In this painting, Titian places Venus indoors, meets the viewer’s gaze, and makes her sensuality explicit. Iconographic interpretations of the painting among art historians fall into two groups; both agree that the painting has a powerful erotic charge, but beyond that, it is seen either as a portrait of a courtesan, perhaps Zaffetta, or as a painting celebrating the marriage of its first owner (who according to some may not have commissioned it). This disagreement forms part of a wider debate on the meaning of the mainly Venetian tradition of the reclining female nude, which Titian had created, or helped to create. The woman's intimate gesture has been interpreted by some scholars to represent masturbation, an act linked to Renaissance marriage customs, where female arousal—including self-stimulation—was believed to aid conception and ensure successful consummation. For Charles Hope, \"It has yet to be shown that the most famous example of this genre, Titian's Venus of Urbino, is anything other than a representation of a beautiful nude woman on a bed, devoid of classical or even allegorical content\". Even the indefatigable finder of allegories drawing on Renaissance Neoplatonism, Edgar Wind, had to admit that in this case \"an undisguised hedonism had at last dispelled the Platonic metaphors\".", "wds-Q2344368": "The Triumph of Galatea is a fresco completed around 1512 by the Italian painter Raphael for the Villa Farnesina in Rome. The Farnesina was built for the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi, one of the richest men of that age. The Farnese family later acquired and renamed the villa, smaller than the more ostentatious palazzo at the other side of the Tiber. The fresco is a mythological scene of a series embellishing the open gallery of the building, a series which was inspired by the \"Stanzas on the Tournament\" of the poet Angelo Poliziano. In Greek mythology, the beautiful Nereid Galatea had fallen in love with the peasant shepherd Acis. Her consort, one-eyed giant Polyphemus, after chancing upon the two lovers together, lobbed an enormous pillar and killed Acis – Sebastiano del Piombo produced a fresco of Polyphemus next to Raphael's work. Raphael did not paint any of the main events of the story. He chose the scene of the nymph's apotheosis (Stanze, I, 118–119). Galatea appears surrounded by other sea creatures whose forms are somewhat inspired by Michelangelo, whereas the bright colors and decoration are supposed to be inspired by ancient Roman painting. At the left, a Triton (partly man, partly fish) abducts a sea nymph; behind them, another Triton uses a shell as a trumpet. Galatea rides a shell-chariot drawn by two dolphins. Some have seen in the model for Galatea the image of Agostino Chigi's lover, the courtesan Imperia; however, Raphael's near-contemporary, Giorgio Vasari wrote that Raphael did not mean for Galatea to resemble any one human person, but to represent ideal beauty. When asked where he had found a model of such beauty, Raphael reportedly said that he had used \"a certain idea\" he had formed in his mind. In a letter to Baldassare Castiglione, Raphael dictated via Pietro Aretino, that \"to paint a beauty, I should have to see a number of beauties, provided Your Lordship were with me to choose the best. But in the absence of good judges and beautiful forms, I use an idea that comes to my mind.\" Antonio Sgamellotti of the Lincei Academy and his colleagues analyzed the chemical composition of the blue pigment in the sea and sky of Triumph of Galatea. Sgamellotti said the researchers found evidence of Egyptian blue, a pigment thought to have been replaced after the fall of the Roman Empire with the use of lapis lazuli. Raphael may have chosen to recreate the brilliant pigment for this depiction of the heroine of a Greek myth because of his interest in the ancient world, Sgamellotti explained.", "wds-Q153441": "The Portrait of a Young Woman (also known as La fornarina) is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael, made between 1518 and 1519. It is in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Palazzo Barberini, Rome. It is probable that the picture was in the painter's studio at his death in 1520, and that it was modified and then sold by his assistant Giulio Romano. Art-history tradition or legend identifies the woman as the fornarina (\"baker\" or \"baker's daughter\") Margherita Luti, Raphael's Roman lover who refused to marry him, though this identification has been questioned. An alternative view sees the work not as a portrait of a specific woman, but rather as Raphael's interpretation of a belle donne genre and a depiction of a courtesan. Still another interpretation identifies the figure as a witch.", "wds-Q1239950": "L'Absinthe (English: The Absinthe Drinker or Glass of Absinthe) is a painting by Edgar Degas, painted between 1875 and 1876. Its original title was Dans un Café, a name often used today. Other early titles were A sketch of a French Café and Figures at Café. Then, when exhibited in London in 1893, the title was changed to L'Absinthe, the name by which the painting is now commonly known. It is in the permanent collection of the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.", "wds-Q567861": "The Last Judgment (Italian: Il Giudizio Universale) is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo covering the whole altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It is a depiction of the Second Coming of Christ and the final and eternal judgment by God of all humanity. The dead rise and descend to their fates, as judged by Christ who is surrounded by prominent saints. Altogether there are over 300 figures, with nearly all the males and angels originally shown as nudes; many were later partly covered up by painted draperies, of which some remain after recent cleaning and restoration. The work took over four years to complete between 1536 and 1541 (preparation of the altar wall began in 1535). Michelangelo began working on it 25 years after finishing the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and was nearly 67 at its completion. He had originally accepted the commission from Pope Clement VII, but it was completed under Pope Paul III whose stronger reforming views probably affected the final treatment. In the lower part of the fresco, Michelangelo followed tradition in showing the saved ascending at the left and the damned descending at the right. In the upper part, the inhabitants of Heaven are joined by the newly saved. The fresco is more monochromatic than the ceiling frescoes and is dominated by the tones of flesh and sky. The cleaning and restoration of the fresco, however, revealed a greater chromatic range than previously apparent. Orange, green, yellow, and blue are scattered throughout, animating and unifying the complex scene. The reception of the painting was mixed from the start, with much praise but also criticism on both religious and artistic grounds. Both the amount of nudity and the muscular style of the bodies has been one area of contention, and the overall composition another.", "wds-Q877191": "The Three Philosophers is an oil painting on canvas attributed to the Italian High Renaissance artist Giorgione. It shows three philosophers – one young, one middle-aged, and one old. The work may have been commissioned by the Venetian noble Taddeo Contarini, a Venetian merchant with an interest in the occult and alchemy. The Three Philosophers was finished one year before the painter died. One of Giorgione’s last paintings, it is now displayed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The painting was thought to have been finished by Sebastiano del Piombo, but a \"new infrared reflectogram lends no support to the theory\".", "wds-Q2336984": "The Music Lesson, Woman Seated at a Virginal or A Lady at the Virginals with a Gentleman by Johannes Vermeer is a painting of a young female pupil playing a virginal during a music lesson with a male teacher. The man's mouth is slightly agape giving the impression that he is singing along with the music that the young girl is playing. This suggests that there is a relationship between the two figures and the idea of love and music being bridged together. This was a common theme among Dutch art in this time period. Vermeer consistently used the same objects within his paintings such as the draped rug, the white water jug, various instruments, tiled floor and windows that convey light and shadows. This is one of few paintings produced by Vermeer which were kept in his home until his death in 1675 when his family was forced to sell them. It became a part of the Royal Collection, and it is currently on display in the Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London.", "wds-Q920030": "Charles IV of Spain and His Family is an oil-on-canvas group portrait painting by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. He began work on the painting in 1800, shortly after he became First Chamber Painter to the royal family, and completed it in the summer of 1801. The portrait features life-sized depictions of Charles IV of Spain and his family, ostentatiously dressed in fine costume and jewellery. Foremost in the painting are Charles IV and his wife, Maria Luisa of Parma, who are surrounded by their children and relatives. The family are dressed in the height of contemporary fashionable clothing and lavishly adorned with jewellery and the sashes of the order of Charles III. The painting was modelled after Louis-Michel van Loo's 1743 Portrait of Felipe V and his Family and Velázquez's Las Meninas, setting the royal subjects in a similarly naturalistic setting as they pose for the artist who is visible at his easel at the left of the canvas.", "wds-Q2246489": "Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a 1633 oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn. A history painting, it ranks among the largest and earliest of Rembrandt's works. It vividly portrays the biblical miracle in which Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee. It is Rembrandt's only known seascape. Purchased in 1898, the painting was displayed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston until its theft in 1990; its whereabouts remain unknown.", "wds-Q334360": "The Abbey in the Oakwood (German: Abtei im Eichwald) is an oil painting by the German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. It was painted between 1809 and 1810 in Dresden and was first shown together with the painting The Monk by the Sea in the Prussian Academy of Arts exhibition of 1810. On Friedrich's request The Abbey in the Oakwood was hung beneath The Monk by the Sea. This painting is one of over two dozen of Friedrich's works that include cemeteries or graves. After the exhibition both pictures were bought by King Frederick William III for his collection. Today the paintings hang side by side in the Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin.", "wds-Q2290433": "Scenes from the Massacre at Chios (French: Scènes des massacres de Scio) is the second major oil painting by the French artist Eugène Delacroix. The work is more than four meters tall, and shows some of the horror of the wartime destruction visited on the northern Aegean Sea island of Chios in the 1822 Chios massacre. A frieze-like display of suffering characters, military might, ornate and colourful costumes, terror, disease and death is shown in front of a scene of widespread desolation. Unusual for a painting of civil ruin during this period, The Massacre at Chios has no heroic figure to counterbalance the crushed victims, and there is little to suggest hope among the ruin and despair. The vigour with which the aggressor is painted, contrasted with the dismal rendition of the victims, has drawn comment since the work was first hung, and some critics have charged that Delacroix might have tried to show some sympathy with the brutal occupiers. The painting was completed and displayed at the Salon of 1824 and hangs at the Musée du Louvre in Paris.", "wds-Q549847": "Primavera (Italian pronunciation: [primaˈvɛːra], meaning \"Spring\") is a large panel painting in tempera paint by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli made in the late 1470s or early 1480s (datings vary). It has been described as \"one of the most written about, and most controversial paintings in the world\", and also \"one of the most popular paintings in Western art\". The painting depicts a group of figures from classical mythology in a garden, but no story has been found that brings this particular group together. Most critics agree that the painting is an allegory based on the lush growth of Spring, but accounts of any precise meaning vary, though many involve the Renaissance Neoplatonism which then fascinated intellectual circles in Florence. The subject was first described as Primavera by the art historian Giorgio Vasari who saw it at Villa Castello, just outside Florence, by 1550. Although the two are now known not to be a pair, the painting is inevitably discussed with Botticelli's other very large mythological painting, The Birth of Venus, also in the Uffizi. They are among the most famous paintings in the world, and icons of the Italian Renaissance; of the two, the Birth is even better known than the Primavera. As depictions of subjects from classical mythology on a very large scale, they were virtually unprecedented in Western art since classical antiquity. The history of the painting is not certainly known; it may have been commissioned by one of the Medici family, but the certainty of its commission is unknown. It draws from a number of classical and Renaissance literary sources, including the works of the Ancient Roman poet Ovid and, less certainly, Lucretius, and may also allude to a poem by Poliziano, the Medici house poet who may have helped Botticelli devise the composition. Since 1919, the painting has been part of the collection of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.", "wds-Q2302517": "The Ecce Homo (Latin: \"Behold the Man\") in the Sanctuary of Mercy church (Santuario de Misericordia) in Borja, Spain, is a fresco painted circa 1930 by the Spanish painter Elías García Martínez that depicts Jesus crowned with thorns. Both the subject and style were typical of traditional Catholic art. While press accounts agree that the original painting was artistically unremarkable, its current fame derives from a partial attempt in 2012 to restore the fresco by Cecilia Giménez, then an 81-year-old untrained amateur artist and resident of Borja. Her restoration became at first a local and then international sensation. The intervention transformed the painting and was described as being similar to a monkey, and for this reason it is sometimes referred to as Ecce Mono (roughly Behold the Monkey, \"mono\" being Spanish for \"monkey\") or Monkey Christ. The work, which became an educational and tourist attraction, has not been re-restored.", "wds-Q687182": "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, best known under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother or Portrait of Artist's Mother, is an oil painting on canvas painted by the American-born painter James McNeill Whistler in 1871. The subject of the painting is Whistler's mother, Anna McNeill Whistler. The painting is 56.81 by 63.94 inches (1,443 mm × 1,624 mm), displayed in a frame of Whistler's own design. It is now in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, having been bought by the French state in 1891. It is one of the most famous works by an American artist outside the United States, and has been variously described as an American icon and a Victorian Mona Lisa.", "wds-Q29530": "Liberty Leading the People (French: La Liberté guidant le peuple [la libɛʁte ɡidɑ̃ lə pœpl]) is a painting of the Romantic era by the French artist Eugène Delacroix, commemorating the July Revolution of 1830 that toppled King Charles X (r. 1824–1830). A bare-breasted \"woman of the people\" with a Phrygian cap personifying the concept and Goddess of Liberty, accompanied by a young boy brandishing a pistol in each hand, leads a group of various people forward over a barricade and the bodies of the fallen while holding aloft the flag of the French Revolution—the tricolour, which again became France's national flag after these events—in one hand, and brandishing a bayonetted musket with the other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic known as Marianne. The painting is sometimes wrongly thought to depict the French Revolution of 1789. Liberty Leading the People is exhibited in the Louvre in Paris.", "wds-Q890678": "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (French: D'où venons-nous ? Que sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ?) is an 1897–98 painting by French artist Paul Gauguin. The painting was created in Tahiti and is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Viewed as a masterpiece by Gauguin, the painting is considered \"a philosophical work comparable to the themes of the Gospels\". The painting is notable for its enigmatic subject and atmosphere. Some scholars have attributed these qualities to personal conflicts that Gauguin experienced while creating this artwork. It is an accentuation of Gauguin's trailblazing Post-Impressionistic style. Frizeau sold the painting around 1913 to Galerie Barbazanges, which sold it before 1920 to the Norwegian ship owner and art collector Jørgen Breder Stang. He sold the painting via Alfred Gold in 1935, and it was bought by the Marie Harriman Gallery in New York City in 1936. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acquired it from the Marie Harriman Gallery on 16 April 1936.", "wds-Q220859": "The Arnolfini Portrait (or The Arnolfini Wedding, The Arnolfini Marriage, the Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife, or other titles) is an oil painting on oak panel by the Early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck, dated 1434 and now in the National Gallery, London. It is a full-length double portrait, believed to depict the Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, presumably in their residence at the Flemish city of Bruges. It is considered one of the most original and complex paintings in Western art, because of its beauty, complex iconography, geometric orthogonal perspective, and expansion of the picture space with the use of a mirror. According to Ernst Gombrich: In its own way it was as new and revolutionary as Donatello's or Masaccio's work in Italy. A simple corner of the real world had suddenly been fixed on to a panel as if by magic [...] For the first time in history the artist became the perfect eye-witness in the truest sense of the term. The portrait has been considered by Erwin Panofsky and some other art historians as a unique form of marriage contract, recorded as a painting. Signed and dated by van Eyck in 1434, it is, with the Ghent Altarpiece by the same artist and his brother Hubert, the oldest very famous panel painting to have been executed in oils rather than in tempera. The painting was bought by the National Gallery in London in 1842. Van Eyck used the technique of applying several layers of thin translucent glazes to create a painting with an intensity of both tone and colour. The glowing colours also help to highlight the realism, and to show the material wealth and opulence of Arnolfini's world. Van Eyck took advantage of the longer drying time of oil paint, compared to tempera, to blend colours by painting wet-in-wet to achieve subtle variations in light and shade to heighten the illusion of three-dimensional forms. The wet-in-wet (wet-on-wet) technique, also known as alla prima, was highly utilized by Renaissance painters including Jan van Eyck. The medium of oil paint also permitted van Eyck to capture surface appearance and distinguish textures precisely. He also rendered the effects of both direct and diffuse light by showing the light from the window on the left reflected by various surfaces. It has been suggested that he used a magnifying glass in order to paint the minute details such as the individual highlights on each of the beads hanging beside the mirror. The illusionism of the painting was remarkable for its time, in part for the rendering of detail, but particularly for the use of light to evoke space in an interior, for \"its utterly convincing depiction of a room, as well of the people who inhabit it\". Whatever meaning is given to the scene and its details, and there has been much debate on this, according to Craig Harbison the painting \"is the only fifteenth-century Northern panel to survive in which the artist's contemporaries are shown engaged in some sort of action in a contemporary interior. It is indeed tempting to call this the first genre painting – a painting of everyday life – of modern times\".", "wds-Q175036": "Guernica is a large 1937 oil painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. It is one of his best-known works, regarded by many art critics as the most moving and powerful anti-war painting in history. It is exhibited in the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. The grey, black, and white painting, done on a canvas 3.49 meters (11 ft 5 in) tall and 7.76 meters (25 ft 6 in) across, portrays the suffering wrought by violence and chaos. Prominently featured in the composition are a gored horse, a bull, screaming women, a dead baby, a dismembered soldier, and flames. Picasso painted Guernica at his home in Paris in response to the 26 April 1937 bombing of Guernica, a town in the Basque Country in northern Spain, by Nazi Germany's Condor Legion and the fascist government of Italy. Upon completion, Guernica was exhibited at the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition and then at other venues around the world. The touring exhibition was used to raise funds for Spanish war relief. The painting soon became widely acclaimed, helping to bring worldwide attention to the Spanish Civil War that took place from 1936 to 1939.", "wds-Q604761": "The Blue Boy is a full-length oil on canvas portrait in oil by English artist Thomas Gainsborough, from c. 1770. It is owned by The Huntington in San Marino, California. Although both it and its creator are well known, the subject's identity is disputed.", "wds-Q546297": "The Lamentation of Christ (also known as the Lamentation over the Dead Christ, The Foreshortened Christ, or the Dead Christ and Three Mourners and other variants) is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna. It portrays the body of Christ supine on a marble slab. He is watched over by the Virgin Mary, Saint John and St. Mary Magdalene weeping for his death. While the dating of the piece is debated, it was completed between 1475 and 1501, probably in the early 1480s. The painting is currently at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan.", "wds-Q1167932": "Belshazzar's Feast is a major painting by Rembrandt now in the National Gallery, London. The painting is Rembrandt's attempt to establish himself as a painter of large, baroque history paintings. The date of the painting is unknown, but most sources give a date between 1635 and 1638.", "wds-Q1473546": "The Doni Tondo or Doni Madonna is the only finished panel painting by the mature Michelangelo to survive. Now in the Uffizi in Florence, Italy, and still in its original frame, the Doni Tondo commissioned by Agnolo Doni, probably to commemorate his marriage to Maddalena Strozzi, the daughter of a powerful Tuscan family. The painting is in the form of a tondo, meaning in Italian 'round', a shape which is frequently associated during the Renaissance with domestic ideas. The Doni Tondo portrays the Holy Family (the child Jesus, Mary, and Joseph) in the foreground, along with John the Baptist in the middle-ground, and contains five nude male figures in the background. The inclusion of these nude figures has been interpreted in a variety of ways.", "wds-Q714802": "Along the River During the Qingming Festival (simplified Chinese: 清明上河图; traditional Chinese: 清明上河圖; pinyin: Qīngmíng Shànghé Tú; lit. 'Clear bright up river image') is a handscroll painting by the Song dynasty painter Zhang Zeduan (1085–1145) and copied or recreated many times in the following centuries. It captures the daily life of people and the landscape of the capital, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng) during the Northern Song. The theme is often said to be the spirit and worldly commotion at the Qingming Festival, rather than the holiday's ceremonial aspects, such as tomb sweeping and prayers. Read right to left, as a viewer would unroll it, successive scenes reveal the lifestyle of all levels of the society from rich to poor as well as economic activities in both rural areas and the city, and offer glimpses of clothing and architecture. The painting is considered the most renowned work among all Chinese paintings, and it has been called \"China's Mona Lisa.\" As an artistic creation, the painting has been revered and artists of subsequent dynasties made hundreds of replicas, copies of copies, and even forgeries of well-regarded copies, each following the overall composition and the theme of the original but differing in detail and technique. Over the centuries, the Song original was kept in private collections before it eventually returned to public ownership. The painting was a particular favorite of Puyi, the last emperor of China, who took it with him when he was forced to leave the Forbidden City in 1924. It was recovered in 1945 and kept at the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City. The Song original and later versions are regarded as national treasures and are exhibited intermittently, and only for brief periods of time, due to their delicate nature.", "wds-Q354396": "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (also called The Lady in Gold or The Woman in Gold) is an oil painting on canvas, with gold leaf, by Gustav Klimt, completed between 1903 and 1907. The portrait was commissioned by the sitter's husband, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, a Viennese and Jewish banker and sugar producer. The painting was stolen by the Nazis in 1941, and displayed at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere. The portrait is the final and most fully representative work of Klimt's golden phase. It was the first of two depictions of Adele by Klimt—the second was completed in 1912; these were two of several works by the artist that the Bloch-Bauer family owned. Adele died in 1925; her will asked that the artworks by Klimt be eventually left to the Galerie Belvedere, although these works belonged to Ferdinand, not her. Following the Anschluss of Austria by Nazi Germany, and due to the Nazi persecution of Jews, Ferdinand fled Vienna, and made his way to Switzerland, leaving behind much of his wealth, including his large art collection. The painting was stolen by the Nazis in 1941, along with the remainder of Ferdinand's assets, after a false charge of tax evasion was made against him. The lawyer acting on behalf of the German state gave the portrait to the Galerie Belvedere, claiming he was following the wishes Adele had made in her will. Ferdinand died in 1945; his will stated that his estate should go to his nephew and two nieces. In 1998 the Austrian investigative journalist Hubertus Czernin established that the Galerie Belvedere contained several works stolen from Jewish owners in the war and that the gallery had refused to return the art to their original owners or to acknowledge a theft had taken place. One of Ferdinand's nieces, Maria Altmann, hired the lawyer E. Randol Schoenberg to make a claim against the gallery for the return of five works by Klimt. In 2006 after a seven-year legal claim, which included a hearing in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, an arbitration committee in Vienna agreed that the painting, and others, had been stolen from the family and that it should be returned to Altmann. She sold it the same year for US$135 million, at the time a record price for a painting to the businessman and art collector Ronald Lauder to place the work in the Neue Galerie, the public New York–based gallery he co-founded.", "wds-Q794077": "Sacred and Profane Love (Italian: Amor Sacro e Amor Profano) is an oil painting by Titian, probably painted in 1514, early in his career. The painting is presumed to have been commissioned by Niccolò Aurelio, a secretary to the Venetian Council of Ten, whose coat of arms appears on the sarcophagus or fountain, to celebrate his marriage to a young widow, Laura Bagarotto. It perhaps depicts a figure representing the bride dressed in white, sitting beside Cupid and accompanied by the goddess Venus. The title of the painting is first recorded in 1693, when it was listed in an inventory as Amor Divino e Amor Profano (Divine love and Profane love), and may not represent the original concept at all. Although \"much ink has been spilt by art historians attempting to decipher the iconography of the painting\", and some measure of consensus has been achieved, basic aspects of the intended meaning of the painting, including the identity of the central figures, remain disputed.", "wds-Q1195035": "The Kiss (Italian: Il bacio [il ˈbaːtʃo]) is an 1859 painting by the Italian artist Francesco Hayez. Possibly his best-known work, the painting conveys the main features of Italian Romanticism and has come to represent the spirit of the Risorgimento. It was commissioned by Alfonso Maria Visconti di Saliceto, who donated it to the Pinacoteca di Brera after his death.", "wds-Q94802": "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (Spanish: El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz) is a 1586 painting by El Greco, a prominent Renaissance painter, sculptor, and architect of Greek origin. Widely considered among his finest works, it illustrates a popular local legend of his time. An exceptionally large painting, it is divided into two sections, heavenly above and terrestrial below, but it gives little impression of duality, since the upper and lower sections are brought together compositionally. The painting has been lauded by art scholars, characterized, inter alia, as \"one of the most truthful pages in the history of Spain\", as a masterpiece of Western art and of late Mannerism, and as the epitome of Greco's artistic style.", "wds-Q488825": "The Adoration of the Magi (Italian: Adorazione dei Magi) is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli. Botticelli painted this piece for the altar in Gaspare di Zanobi del Lama's chapel in Santa Maria Novella around 1475. This painting depicts the Biblical story of the Three Magi following a star to find the newborn Jesus. The image of the altarpiece centers on the Virgin Mary and the newborn Jesus, with Saint Joseph behind them. Before them are the three kings who are described in the New Testament story of the Adoration of the Magi. The three kings worship the Christ Child and present him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In addition, the Holy Family is surrounded by a group of people who came to see the child who was said to be the son of God.", "wds-Q1192570": "The Blind Leading the Blind, Blind, or The Parable of the Blind (Dutch: De parabel der blinden) is a painting by the Netherlandish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, completed in 1568. Executed in distemper on linen canvas, it measures 86 cm × 154 cm (34 in × 61 in). It depicts the Biblical parable of the blind leading the blind from Matthew 15:14, and is in the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, Italy. The painting reflects Bruegel's mastery of observation. Each figure has a different eye affliction, including corneal leukoma, atrophy of globe and removed eyes. The men hold their heads aloft to make better use of their other senses. The diagonal composition reinforces the off-kilter motion of the six figures falling in progression. It is considered a masterwork for its accurate detail and composition. Copies include a larger version by Bruegel's son Pieter Brueghel the Younger, and the work has inspired literature such as poetry by Charles Baudelaire and William Carlos Williams, and a novel by Gert Hofmann. Bruegel painted The Blind the year before his death. It has a bitter, sorrowful tone, which may be related to the establishment of the Council of Troubles in 1567 by the government of the Spanish Netherlands. The council ordered mass arrests and executions to enforce Spanish rule and suppress Protestantism. The placement of St. Anna's Church of the village of Sint-Anna-Pede has led to both pro- and anti-Catholic interpretations, though it is not clear that the painting was meant as a political statement.", "wds-Q2360329": "The Three Graces is an oil painting by the Italian painter Raphael in the Musée Condé in Chantilly, France. The date of origin has not been positively determined, though it seems to have been painted at some point after his arrival to study with Pietro Perugino in about 1500, possibly 1503-1505. According to James Patrick in 2007's Renaissance and Reformation, the painting represents the first time that Raphael had depicted the nude female form in front and back views.", "wds-Q2293953": "Venus and Mars (or Mars and Venus) is a panel painting of about 1485 by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. It shows the Roman gods Venus, goddess of love, and Mars, god of war, in an allegory of beauty and valour. The youthful and voluptuous couple recline in a forest setting, surrounded by playful baby satyrs. The painting was probably intended to commemorate a wedding, set into panelling or a piece of furniture to adorn the bedroom of the bride and groom, possibly as part of a set of works. This is suggested by the wide format and the close view of the figures. It is widely seen as representation of an ideal view of sensuous love. It seems likely that Botticelli worked out the concept for the painting, with its learned allusions, with an advisor such as Poliziano, the Medici house poet and Renaissance Humanist scholar. The exact date of Venus and Mars is not known, but the National Gallery dated the painting to c. 1485 in 2017. Scholar Ronald Lightbown dates it to \"probably around 1483\", while art historians Leopold and Helen Ettlinger date the painting to \"the latter half of the 1480s\". All dates depend on analysis of the style, as the painting has not been convincingly tied to a specific date or event, such as a wedding. It likely comes a few years after the Primavera and Pallas and the Centaur (both about 1482) and around the time of The Birth of Venus (c. 1486). It is the only one of these paintings not in the Uffizi in Florence; it has been in the National Gallery in London since 1874. Between 10 May and 10 September 2024, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the National Gallery, the painting was shown at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.", "wds-Q2030685": "The Marriage of the Virgin, also known as Lo Sposalizio, is an oil painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael. Completed in 1504 for the Franciscan church of San Francesco, Città di Castello, the painting depicts a marriage ceremony between Mary and Joseph. It changed hands several times before settling in 1806 at the Pinacoteca di Brera.", "wds-Q775407": "The Balcony (French: Le balcon) is an 1868–69 oil painting by the French painter Édouard Manet. It depicts four figures on a balcony, one of whom is sitting: the painter Berthe Morisot, who married Manet's brother Eugène in 1874. In the centre is the painter Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemet. On the right is Fanny Claus, a violinist. The fourth figure, partially obscured in the interior's background, is possibly Léon Leenhoff, Manet's son. It was exhibited at the 1869 Paris Salon, and then kept by Manet until his death in 1883. It was sold to the painter Gustave Caillebotte in 1884, who left it to the French state in 1894. It is currently held at the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.", "wds-Q33511": "Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It is described as left-leaning and liberal. The magazine was first known for its coverage of rock music and political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the late 1990s, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. It has since returned to its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics. The first magazine was released in 1967 and featured John Lennon on the cover, and was then published every two weeks. It is known for provocative photography and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. In addition to its print version in the United States, it publishes content through Rollingstone.com and numerous international editions. The magazine experienced a rapid rise during the 1970s, followed by a sharp decline into financial turmoil in the 21st century, leading Jann Wenner to sell 49 percent of the magazine to BandLab Technologies in 2016 and 51 percent to Penske Media Corporation (PMC) in 2017. PMC eventually acquired the 49 percent stake from BandLab Technologies in 2019, giving it full ownership of the magazine.", "wds-Q43297": "Time is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it was published every other week. It was first published in New York City on March 3, 1923, and for many years it was run by its co-founder, Henry Luce. A European edition, Time Europe, is published in London and also covers the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. An Asian edition, Time Asia, is based in Hong Kong. The South Pacific edition, which covers Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, is based in Sydney. Time France began publication in 2025. Since 2018, Time has been owned by Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, who acquired it from Meredith Corporation. Benioff currently publishes the magazine through the company Time USA, LLC.", "wds-Q180445": "Nature is a British weekly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research across the natural sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, and related interdisciplinary fields. It operates editorial offices in London, the United States, continental Europe, and Asia under the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature. According to the 2022 Journal Citation Reports, Nature had one of the highest impact factors among multidisciplinary science journals (50.5), reflecting its strong citation influence within the scientific literature; some commentators also regard it as among the most influential scientific journals worldwide. In 2007, Nature (together with Science) received the Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanity. As of 2012, it claimed an online readership of about three million unique readers per month. Founded in the autumn of 1869, Nature was first circulated by Norman Lockyer and Alexander MacMillan as a public forum for scientific innovations. The mid-20th century facilitated an editorial expansion for the journal; Nature redoubled its efforts in explanatory and scientific journalism. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the creation of a network of editorial offices outside of Britain and the establishment of ten new supplementary, specialty publications (e.g. Nature Materials). Since the late 2000s, dedicated editorial and current affairs columns have been created weekly, and electoral endorsements are featured. The primary source of the journal remains, as established at its founding, research scientists; editing standards are primarily concerned with technical readability. The main research published in Nature consists mostly of papers (articles or letters) in lightly-edited form. They are highly technical and dense, but, due to imposed text limits, they are typically summaries of larger works. Fewer than 8% of submitted papers are accepted for publication. Nature’s research articles are widely cited and often attract international attention, and the journal has occasionally been involved in disputes and academic controversies, such as debates over retractions, peer-review processes, and methodological standards. In addition to primary research papers, Nature publishes commentary, analysis, news, and features on topics such as research funding, science policy, ethical issues in science, and notable scientific developments; there are also sections on books, arts, and short science fiction stories. Innovations or breakthroughs in any scientific or technological field are featured in the journal as spotlight articles, which are news or magazine-style papers and therefore do not receive similar recognition as research articles. Some spotlight articles are also funded by partners or sponsors.", "wds-Q520154": "Wired is a bimonthly American magazine that examines the impact of emerging technologies on culture, the economy, and politics. It is published in both print and online editions by Condé Nast. The magazine has been in publication since its launch in January 1993. Its editorial office is based in San Francisco, California, with its business headquarters located in New York City. Wired quickly became recognized as the voice of the emerging digital economy and culture and a pace setter in print design and web design. From 1998 until 2006, the magazine and its website, Wired.com, experienced separate ownership before being fully consolidated under Condé Nast in 2006. It has won multiple National Magazine Awards and has been credited with shaping discourse around the digital revolution. The magazine coined the term crowdsourcing, as well as its annual tradition of handing out Vaporware Awards. Wired has launched several international editions, including Wired UK, Wired Japan, Wired Czech Republic and Slovakia, Wired Germany and Wired Greece. The magazine was published monthly until 2024, when it switched to a bi-monthly schedule with six issues per year.", "wds-Q1542536": "The Atlantic is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1857 in Boston as The Atlantic Monthly, it began as a literary and cultural magazine that published leading writers' commentary on education, the abolition of slavery, and other major political issues of that time. Today it features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. The magazine was published monthly until 2001, when 11 issues were produced; since 2003, it has published 10 per year. It dropped \"Monthly\" from the cover with the January/February 2004 issue, and officially changed the name in 2007. In 2024, it announced that it would resume publishing monthly issues in 2025. As of 2024, the website's executive editor is Adrienne LaFrance, the editor-in-chief is Jeffrey Goldberg, and the CEO is Nicholas Thompson. The magazine was purchased in 1999 by businessman David G. Bradley, who fashioned it into a general editorial magazine primarily aimed at serious national readers and \"thought leaders\"; in 2017, he sold a majority interest in the publication to Laurene Powell Jobs's Emerson Collective. In 2024, it was reported that the magazine had crossed one million subscribers and become profitable, three years after losing $20 million in a single year and laying off 17% of its staff.", "wds-Q192864": "Science is the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and one of the world's top academic journals. It was first published in 1880, is currently circulated weekly and has a subscriber base of around 130,000. Because institutional subscriptions and online access serve a larger audience, its estimated readership is over 400,000 people. Science is based in the District of Columbia, United States, with a second office in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom.", "wds-Q598789": "The Astrophysical Journal (ApJ) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of astrophysics and astronomy, established in 1895 by American astronomers George Ellery Hale and James Edward Keeler. The journal discontinued its print edition and became an electronic-only journal in 2015. Since 1953, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (ApJS) has been published in conjunction with The Astrophysical Journal, with generally longer articles to supplement the material in the journal. It publishes six volumes per year, with two 280-page issues per volume. The Astrophysical Journal Letters (ApJL), established in 1967 by Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar as Part 2 of The Astrophysical Journal, is now a separate journal focusing on the rapid publication of high-impact astronomical research. The three journals were published by the University of Chicago Press for the American Astronomical Society until, in January 2009, publication was transferred to IOP Publishing, following the move of the society's Astronomical Journal in 2008. The reason for the changes were given by the society as the increasing financial demands of the University of Chicago Press. Compared to journals in other scientific disciplines, The Astrophysical Journal has a larger (> 85%) acceptance rate, which, however, is similar to other journals covering astronomy and astrophysics. On January 1, 2022, the AAS Journals, including ApJ, changed to an open access model, with access restrictions and subscription charges removed from previously published papers. Articles accepted after October 11, 2022, will be published under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-SA 4.0. Non-open access articles accepted before that date will be free to access but will still need permission to reuse.", "wds-Q131478": "Der Spiegel (German pronunciation: [deːɐ̯ ˈʃpiːɡl̩], lit. 'The Mirror', stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner, a British army officer, and Rudolf Augstein, a former Wehrmacht radio operator who was recognized in 2000 by the International Press Institute as one of the fifty World Press Freedom Heroes. Der Spiegel is known in German-speaking countries mostly for its investigative journalism. It has played a key role in uncovering many political scandals, such as the Spiegel affair in 1962 and the Flick affair in the 1980s. The news website by the same name was launched in 1994 under the name Spiegel Online with an independent editorial staff. Today, the content is created by a shared editorial team, and the website uses the same media brand as the printed magazine.", "wds-Q5973845": "National Geographic (formerly The National Geographic Magazine, sometimes branded as Nat Geo) is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners and is based in Washington, DC. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine months after the establishment of the society, but is now a popular magazine. In 1905, it began including pictures, a style for which it became well known. Its first color photos appeared in the 1910s. During the Cold War, the magazine committed itself to presenting a balanced view of the physical and human geography of countries beyond the Iron Curtain. Later, the magazine became outspoken on environmental issues. Until 2015, the magazine was completely owned and managed by the National Geographic Society. Since 2015, controlling interest has been held by National Geographic Partners. Topics of features generally concern geography, history, nature, science, and world culture. The magazine is well known for its distinctive appearance: a thick square-bound glossy format with a yellow rectangular border. Map supplements from National Geographic Maps are included with subscriptions, and it is available in a traditional printed edition and an interactive online edition. As of 1995, the magazine was circulated worldwide in nearly forty local-language editions and had a global circulation of at least 6.5 million per month including 3.5 million within the U.S., down from about 12 million in the late 1980s. As of 2015, the magazine had won 25 National Magazine Awards. In 2023, National Geographic laid off all staff writers and announced they would stop U.S. newsstand sales in the next year. As of November 2024, its Instagram page has 280 million followers, the third most of any account not belonging to an individual celebrity. The magazine's combined U.S. and international circulation as of June 30, 2024, was about 1.65 million, with its children's magazines separately achieving a circulation of about 500,000.", "wds-Q762195": "Esquire is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst, it also has more than 20 international editions. Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under the guidance of founders Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart, and Henry L. Jackson while during the 1960s it pioneered the New Journalism movement. After a period of quick and drastic decline during the 1990s, the magazine revamped itself as a lifestyle-heavy publication under the direction of David Granger.", "wds-Q154008": "Vogue (stylized in all caps), also known as American Vogue, is a monthly fashion magazine that covers style news, including haute couture, beauty, fashion, culture, living, and runway. Founded in 1892 by Arthur Baldwin Turnure, it is part of the global collection of Condé Nast's VOGUE media. Since 2025, Chloe Malle has overseen the magazine's editorial content. Anna Wintour served as editor-in-chief of the publication from 1988 to 2025 and now leads global operations for the publication as Global Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director overseeing Vogue and other Condé Nast titles. Headquartered at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, Vogue began in 1892 as a weekly and has since transitioned into a monthly magazine. Since its founding, Vogue has featured numerous actors, musicians, models, athletes, and other prominent celebrities within its pages. British Vogue, launched in 1916, as the first international edition, whilst the Italian version Vogue Italia has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. As of March 2025, there are 28 international editions. Eleven of these editions are published by Condé Nast (British Vogue, Vogue Arabia, Vogue Hong Kong, Vogue Deutsch, Vogue España, Vogue France, Vogue India, Vogue Italia, Vogue Japan, Vogue México y Latinoamérica, and Vogue Taiwan). The remaining 16 editions are published under licence.", "wds-Q752361": "The Advocate is an American LGBTQ magazine, printed bi-monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a website. Both magazine and website have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. The magazine, established in 1967, is the oldest and largest LGBTQ publication in the United States and the only surviving one of its kind that was founded before the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, an uprising that was a major milestone in the LGBTQ rights movement. On June 9, 2022, Pride Media was acquired by Equal Entertainment LLC.", "wds-Q249838": "Vice is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, which consists of divisions including the printed magazine as well as a website, broadcast news unit, a film production company, a record label, and a publishing imprint. As of September 2024, the magazine's editor-in-chief is Kevin Lee Kharas. On 15 May 2023, Vice Media formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as part of a possible sale to a consortium of lenders including Fortress Investment Group, which will, alongside Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital, invest $225 million as a credit bid for nearly all of its assets. In February 2024, CEO Bruce Dixon announced additional layoffs and that the website Vice.com will no longer publish content. The print magazine returned in September 2024.", "wds-Q1507987": "New York is an American biweekly magazine. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, it was brasher in voice and more connected to city life, becoming a cradle of New Journalism and one of the first lifestyle magazines. Over time it expanded into national coverage, noted for its political reporting, arts and culture criticism, food writing, and service journalism. Since its redesign and relaunch in 2004, it has won numerous National Magazine Awards, including Magazine of the Year in 2013. Its critics have twice won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, with Jerry Saltz in 2018 and Andrea Long Chu in 2023. The magazine also diversified its online presence under the nymag.com umbrella, launching Vulture, The Cut, Intelligencer, The Strategist, Curbed, and Grub Street. Vox Media acquired the magazine in 2019 and sold it to James Murdoch's Lupa Systems in 2026.", "wds-Q591573": "Famitsu, formerly Famicom Tsūshin, is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. Famitsu is published in weekly and monthly formats, and in special issues devoted to particular themes. It was first published in 1986. Shūkan Famitsū, the original publication, is considered the most widely read and respected video game news magazine in Japan. From October 28, 2011, the company began releasing the digital version on BookWalker weekly. The name Famitsu is a portmanteau abbreviation of Famicom Tsūshin; Famicom is itself an abbreviation of Family Computer, the dominant video game console in Japan when the magazine was first published.", "wds-Q500812": "The Sleeping Venus (Italian: Venere dormiente), also known as the Dresden Venus (Venere di Dresda), is a painting traditionally attributed to the Italian Renaissance painter Giorgione, although it has long been widely thought that Titian completed it after Giorgione's death in 1510. The landscape and sky are generally accepted to be mainly by Titian. In the 21st century, much scholarly opinion has shifted further, to see the nude figure of Venus as also painted by Titian, leaving Giorgione's contribution uncertain. It is in the Gemäldegalerie, Dresden. After World War II, the painting was briefly in possession of the Soviet Union. The painting, one of the last works by Giorgione (if it is), portrays a nude woman whose profile seems to echo the rolling contours of the hills in the background. It is the first known reclining nude in Western painting, and together with the Pastoral Concert (Louvre), another painting disputed between Titian and Giorgione, it established \"the genre of erotic mythological pastoral\", with female nudes in a landscape, accompanied in that case by clothed males. A single nude woman in any position was an unusual subject for a large painting at this date, although it was to become popular for centuries afterwards, as \"the reclining female nude became a distinctive feature of Venetian painting\". There was originally a sitting figure of Cupid beside Venus's feet, which was overpainted in the 19th century. In addition, in the course of painting, the landscape was changed at both sides, as was the colouring of the drapery, and the head of Venus was originally seen in profile, making it very similar to Titian's later Pardo Venus. Through a series of x-rays in the 20th century, researchers were able to determine conclusively that this painting had contained different elements that were painted over. The reasons for these later changes are still unknown, although they could have been suggested by the commissioner of the work.", "wds-Q481190": "Kicker (stylized in all lowercase) is a Germany sports magazine, focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice weekly, usually Monday and Thursday. Each edition sells around 80,000 copies. Kicker is a founding member of European Sports Media, an association of football publications. Kicker annually awards the most prolific scorer of the Bundesliga with the Kicker Torjägerkanone (lit. 'Kicker scorer cannon') award. It is equivalent to the Pichichi Trophy in Spanish football. The magazine also publishes an almanac, the Kicker Fußball-Almanach. It was first published from 1937 to 1942, and then continuously from 1959 to date. They also publish a yearbook (Kicker Fußball-Jahrbuch).", "wds-Q210277": "Music in the Tuileries is an 1862 oil-on-canvas painting by Édouard Manet. It is owned by the National Gallery, London and the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin as part of the shared Lane Bequest. The work is an early example of Manet's painterly style, inspired by Frans Hals and Diego Velázquez, and it is a harbinger of his lifelong interest in the subject of leisure. The painting influenced Manet's contemporaries – such as Monet, Renoir and Bazille – to paint similar large groups of people. The painting depicts the gatherings of Parisians at weekly concerts in the Tuileries gardens near the Louvre, although no musicians are depicted. While the picture was regarded as unfinished by some, the suggested atmosphere imparts a sense of what the Tuileries gardens were like at the time; one may imagine the music and conversation. The iron chairs in the foreground had just replaced the wooden chairs in the garden in 1862. Manet has included several of his friends, artists, authors, and musicians who take part, and a self-portrait. Manet is depicted on the far left; next to him is another painter Albert de Balleroy. To their right, seated, is sculptor and critic Zacharie Astruc. Manet's brother Eugène Manet is in foreground, right of centre, with white trousers; the composer Jacques Offenbach with glasses and moustache sits against a tree to the right; critic Théophile Gautier stands against a tree in brown suit and full beard, while author Charles Baudelaire is to the left of Gautier. Henri Fantin-Latour is further left, with beard, looking at the viewer. The fair-haired child in the centre is Léon Leenhoff. It has been noted that several of those depicted were prominent French Wagnerians, and speculated that the music being played might be by Wagner himself. The work measures 76.2 × 118.1 centimetres (30.0 × 46.5 in). It was first exhibited in 1863, and Manet sold the painting to opera singer and collector Jean-Baptiste Faure in January of 1883, shortly before Manet's death. It was sold on to dealer Paul Durand-Ruel in 1898, and then to collector Sir Hugh Lane in 1903. After Lane's death, when RMS Lusitania was sunk in 1915, an unwitnessed codicil to his will left the painting to the Dublin City Gallery (now known as The Hugh Lane). The codicil was found to be invalid, and in 1917 a court case decided that his previous will left the work to the National Gallery in London. After intervention from the Irish government, the two galleries reached a compromise in 1959, agreeing to share the paintings, with half of the Lane Bequest lent and shown in Dublin every five years. The agreement was varied in 1993 so that 31 of the 39 paintings would stay in Ireland, and four of the remaining eight would be lent to Dublin for six years at a time.", "wds-Q485240": "Billboard (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is a Manhattan-based multinational music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The publication group and miscellaneous media corporation provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to the music industry. Its music charts include the Hot 100, Billboard 200, and Global 200, which rank the most popular singles and albums across a wide range of genres based on sales, streaming, and radio airplay. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm and operates several television shows. Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson acquired Hennegan's interest in 1900 for $500. In the early years of the 20th century, it covered the entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows, and also created a mail service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the music industry as the jukebox, phonograph, and radio became commonplace. Many topics that it covered became the subjects of new magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment, so that Billboard could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard was inherited by his and Hennegan's children, who retained ownership until selling it to private investors in 1985. The magazine has since been owned by various parties.", "wds-Q180089": "The Economist is a British news and current affairs journal published in a weekly print magazine format and daily on digital platforms. Widely considered a magazine, it refers to itself as a newspaper, and publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. Mostly written and edited in London, it has other editorial offices in the United States and in major cities in continental Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The publication prominently features data journalism, and has a focus on interpretive analysis over original reporting, to both criticism and acclaim. Founded in 1843, The Economist was first circulated by Scottish economist James Wilson to muster support for abolishing the British Corn Laws (1815–1846), a system of import tariffs. Over time, the newspaper's coverage expanded further into political economy and eventually began running articles on current events, finance, commerce, and British politics. Throughout the mid-to-late 20th century, it greatly expanded its layout and format, adding opinion columns, special reports, political cartoons, reader letters, cover stories, art critique, book reviews, and technology features. The paper is recognisable by its fire engine red masthead (nameplate) and illustrated, topical covers. Individual articles are written anonymously, with no byline, in order for the paper to speak as one collective voice. It is supplemented by its sister lifestyle magazine, 1843, and a variety of podcasts, films, and books. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editorial stance of The Economist primarily revolves around classical, social, and most notably economic liberalism. It has supported radical centrism, favouring policies and governments that maintain centrist politics. The newspaper typically champions economic liberalism, particularly free markets, free trade, free immigration, deregulation, and globalisation. Its extensive use of word play and high subscription price has linked the paper with a high-income elite readership, drawing both positive and negative connotations. In line with this, it claims to have an influential readership of prominent business leaders and policy-makers.", "wds-Q1140774": "The Ring Magazine (Publishing) (often called The Ring or Ring magazine) is a boxing magazine, that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling became increasingly dubious, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively an all boxing publication. Ring began publishing annual ratings of boxers in 1924. Following the November/December issue in 2022, the magazine announced it would halt its print editions, while remaining a digital only publication with occasional special print editions. However, in 2025 following a revitalization under new owner Turki Al-Sheikh, The Ring once again returned to regular monthly print issues.", "wds-Q41675": "Guinness World Records (), known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous United States editions as The Guinness Book of World Records, is a British reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. Sir Hugh Beaver created the concept in order to settle arguments debated in pubs, and twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter co-founded the book in London in late August 1955. The first edition topped the bestseller list in the United Kingdom by Christmas 1955. The following year the book was launched internationally, and as of the 2026 edition, it is now in its 71st year of publication, published in 100 countries and 40 languages, and maintains over 53,000 records in its database. The international franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. The popularity of the franchise has resulted in Guinness World Records becoming the primary international source for cataloguing and verification of a huge number of world records. The organisation employs record adjudicators to verify the authenticity of the setting and breaking of records. Following a series of owners, the franchise has been owned by the Jim Pattison Group since 2008, with its headquarters moved to South Quay Plaza, Canary Wharf, London, in 2017. Since 2008, Guinness World Records has orientated its business model away from selling books, and towards creating new world records as publicity exercises for individuals and organisations, which has attracted criticism.", "wds-Q463198": "Life (stylized as LIFE) is an American news magazine. Life was launched in 1936 as a weekly publication, in 1972 it transitioned to publishing \"special\" issues before returning as a monthly from 1978 to 2000. From 2000 to 2026, the magazine was published as irregular \"special\" issues and is scheduled to relaunch in late 2026. Life was launched on November 23, 1936, after Henry Luce purchased the 1883 humour magazine Life for its name. Originally published by Time Inc., since 2021 the magazine has been owned by People Inc and since 2026 is published by Bedford Media. The magazine's place in the history of photojournalism is considered one of its most important contributions to the world of publishing. From 1936 to the 1960s, Life was a wide-ranging general-interest magazine known for its photojournalism. During this period, it was one of the most popular magazines in the United States, with its circulation regularly reaching a quarter of the U.S. population.", "wds-Q669166": "The Astronomical Journal (often abbreviated AJ in scientific papers and references) is a peer-reviewed monthly scientific journal owned by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and currently published by IOP Publishing. It is one of the premier journals for astronomy in the world. Until 2008, the journal was published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the AAS. The reasons for the change to the IOP were given by the society as the desire of the University of Chicago Press to revise its financial arrangement and their plans to change from the particular software that had been developed in-house. The other two publications of the society, the Astrophysical Journal and its supplement series, followed in January 2009. The journal was established in 1849 by Benjamin A. Gould. It ceased publication in 1861 due to the American Civil War, but resumed in 1885. Between 1909 and 1941 the journal was edited in Albany, New York. In 1941, editor Benjamin Boss arranged to transfer responsibility for the journal to the AAS. The first electronic edition of The Astronomical Journal was published in January, 1998. With the July, 2006 issue, The Astronomical Journal began e-first publication, an electronic version of the journal released independently of the hardcopy issues. As of 2016, all of the scientific AAS journals were placed under a single editor-in-chief. On January 1, 2022, the AAS Journals, including AJ, transitioned to Gold open access model, with all new papers released under a Creative Commons Attribution license and access restrictions and subscription charges removed from previously published papers.", "wds-Q1136124": "Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printed early work by H. P. Lovecraft, Seabury Quinn, and Clark Ashton Smith, all of whom went on to be popular writers, but within a year, the magazine was in financial trouble. Henneberger sold his interest in the publisher, Rural Publishing Corporation, to Lansinger, and refinanced Weird Tales, with Farnsworth Wright as the new editor. The first issue to list Wright as editor was dated November 1924. The magazine was more successful under Wright, and despite occasional financial setbacks, it prospered over the next 15 years. Under Wright's control, the magazine lived up to its subtitle, \"The Unique Magazine\", and published a wide range of unusual fiction. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos stories first appeared in Weird Tales, starting with \"The Call of Cthulhu\" in 1928. These were well-received, and a group of writers associated with Lovecraft wrote other stories set in the same milieu. Robert E. Howard was a regular contributor, and published most of his Conan the Barbarian stories in the magazine, and Seabury Quinn's series of stories about Jules de Grandin, a detective who specialized in cases involving the supernatural, was very popular with the readers. Other well-liked authors included Nictzin Dyalhis, E. Hoffmann Price, Robert Bloch, and H. Warner Munn. Wright published some science fiction, along with the fantasy and horror, partly because when Weird Tales was launched, no magazines were specializing in science fiction, but he continued this policy even after the launch of magazines such as Amazing Stories in 1926. Edmond Hamilton wrote a good deal of science fiction for Weird Tales, though after a few years, he used the magazine for his more fantastic stories, and submitted his space operas elsewhere. In 1938, the magazine was sold to William Delaney, the publisher of Short Stories, and within two years, Wright, who was ill, was replaced by Dorothy McIlwraith as editor. Although some successful new authors and artists, such as Ray Bradbury and Hannes Bok, continued to appear, the magazine is considered by critics to have declined under McIlwraith from its heyday in the 1930s. Weird Tales ceased publication in 1954, but since then, numerous attempts have been made to relaunch the magazine, starting in 1973. The longest-lasting version began in 1988 and ran with an occasional hiatus for over 20 years under an assortment of publishers. In the mid-1990s, the title was changed to Worlds of Fantasy and Horror because of licensing issues, the original title returning in 1998. The magazine is regarded by historians of fantasy and science fiction as a legend in the field, Robert Weinberg considering it \"the most important and influential of all fantasy magazines\". Weinberg's fellow historian, Mike Ashley, describes it as \"second only to Unknown in significance and influence\", adding that \"somewhere in the imagination reservoir of all U.S. (and many non-U.S.) genre-fantasy and horror writers is part of the spirit of Weird Tales\".", "wds-Q1146531": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (often abbreviated PNAS or PNAS USA) is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences, published since 1915, and publishes original research, scientific reviews, commentaries, and letters. According to Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2024 impact factor of 8.9. PNAS is the second most cited scientific journal, with more than 1.9 million cumulative citations from 2008 to 2018. In the past, PNAS has been described by US local newspapers as \"prestigious\", \"renowned\" and \"high impact\". PNAS is a delayed open-access journal, with an embargo period of six months that can be bypassed for an author fee (hybrid open access). Since September 2017, open access articles are published under a Creative Commons license. Since January 2019, PNAS has been online-only, although print issues are available on demand.", "wds-Q25161472": "Forbes () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong-based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes, while Sherry Phillips has been CEO since January 2025. The company is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. Published eight times per year, Forbes features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. It also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics, and law. It has an international edition in Asia as well as editions produced under license in 27 countries and regions worldwide. The magazine is known for its lists and rankings, including its lists of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400), of 30 notable people under the age of 30 (the Forbes 30 Under 30), of America's wealthiest celebrities, of the world's top companies (the Forbes Global 2000), of the world's most powerful people, and of the world's billionaires. Since 2010, the Forbes.com website has become increasingly reliant on freelance contributor network writers who have limited editorial oversight from the publication, the quality of which has been criticised and described as enabling \"pay-to-play journalism\".", "wds-Q939416": "The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, founded in England in 1823. It is one of the world's highest-impact academic journals and one of the oldest medical journals still in publication. The journal publishes original research articles, review articles (divided into seminars and reviews), editorials, book reviews, correspondence, as well as news features and case reports. The Lancet has been owned by Elsevier since 1991, and its editor-in-chief since 1995 has been Richard Horton. The journal has editorial offices in London, New York City, and Beijing.", "wds-Q275033": "Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by People Inc., that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular culture. The print magazine debuted on February 16, 1990, in New York City, and ceased publication in 2022. Different from celebrity-focused publications such as Us Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EW primarily concentrates on entertainment media news and critical reviews; unlike Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, which were primarily established as trade magazines aimed at industry insiders, EW targets a more general audience.", "wds-Q1470970": "The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of biomedicine. The journal was established in 1883 with Nathan Smith Davis as the founding editor. Its publisher describes it as the most widely circulated general medical journal in the world, with more than 101,000 print recipients, more than 2.9 million recipients of electronic tables of contents and alerts, and over 29 million annual website visits. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California, San Francisco, became the journal editor-in-chief on July 1, 2022, succeeding Howard Bauchner of Boston University. According to Journal Citation Reports, the journal's 2025 impact factor is 65.4, ranking it 4th out of 336 journals in the category \"Medicine, General & Internal\". JAMA Network reports that the journal accepts 10% of more than 11,500 annual submissions and 4% of more than 5,400 research manuscripts.", "wds-Q793975": "Edge is a multi-format video game magazine published by Future plc. It is a UK-based magazine and publishes 13 issues annually. The magazine was launched by Steve Jarratt in 1993. It has also released foreign editions in Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.", "wds-Q308705": "France Football is a French monthly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It is considered to be one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of its photographic reports, in-depth and exclusive interviews and accurate statistics of the UEFA Champions League matches, and extensive coverage of the European leagues. The magazine was first published in 1946 and is headquartered in Paris. For more than six decades it has presented the Ballon d'Or award to the best football player of the year.", "wds-Q778079": "Marie Claire (French pronunciation: [maʁi klɛʁ]; stylised in all lowercase) is a monthly women's fashion magazine. It has been published in France since 1937 and targets upper-income, educated women aged 25 to 49. Sister editions are published for children's fashion, DIY, food, interior design, runway collections, and wellness, alongside many foreign editions of the magazine.", "wds-Q313444": "DJ Magazine (also known as DJ Mag) is a British magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Latin America, China, South Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Canada, Russia, Belarus, and the Netherlands.", "wds-Q1344164": "RPM (ISSN 0315-5994 and later ISSN 0033-7064) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000. RPM stood for \"Records, Promotion, Music\". The magazine's title varied over the years, including RPM Weekly and RPM Magazine.", "wds-Q1187775": "Sovremennik (Russian: «Современник», IPA: [səvrʲɪˈmʲenʲːɪk] , \"The Contemporary\") was a Russian literary, social and political magazine, published in Saint Petersburg in 1836–1866. It came out four times a year in 1836–1843 and once a month after that. The magazine published poetry, prose, critical, historical, ethnographic and other material. Sovremennik originated as a private enterprise of Alexander Pushkin who was running out of money to support his growing family. To assist him with the magazine, the poet asked Nikolai Gogol, Pyotr Vyazemsky and Vladimir Odoyevsky to contribute their works to the journal. It was there that the first substantial assortment of Fyodor Tyutchev's poems was published. Soon it became clear that Pushkin's establishment could not compete with Faddey Bulgarin's journal, which published more popular and less demanding literature. Sovremennik was out of date and could not command a paying audience. When Pushkin died, his friend Pyotr Pletnyov took over the editorship in 1838. A few years later the magazine fell into decline, and Pletnyov handed it over to Nikolay Nekrasov and Ivan Panaev in 1847. It was Nekrasov who really made the magazine profitable. He enlisted the services of Ivan Turgenev, Ivan Goncharov, Alexander Herzen and Nikolai Ogaryov. Sovremennik was the first to publish translated works by Charles Dickens, George Sand and other best-selling foreign writers. Although the magazine was owned and run by Nekrasov, its official editor-in-chief was Alexander Nikitenko. The virulent realist critic Vissarion Belinsky was responsible for its ideology. His criticism of present-day reality and propaganda of democratic ideas made the journal very popular among the Russian intelligentsia. Sovremennik's circulation was 3,100 copies in 1848. During the reactionary reign of Nicholas I, the journal had to struggle against censorship and complaints of disgruntled aristocracy. Its position grew more complicated after Herzen's emigration (1847) and Belinsky's death (1848). Despite these hardships, Sovremennik published works by the best Russian authors of the day: Leo Tolstoy, Turgenev and Nekrasov. Timofey Granovsky, Sergey Solovyov and other leading historians were published as well. The period between 1852 and 1862 is considered to be the most brilliant in the history of the journal. Nekrasov managed to strike a deal with its leading contributors, whereby their new works were to be published exclusively by him. As regards ideology, Sovremennik grew more radical together with its audience. Belinsky was succeeded by Nikolai Chernyshevsky in 1853 and by Nikolai Dobrolyubov. All their principal articles were published in Sovremennik. In late 1858, the magazine entered into polemics with the liberal and conservative press and became a platform for and ideological center of the revolutionary democracy, turning into a political magazine. In 1861, it published materials, dedicated to the emancipation of the serfs and advocated the interests of serfs in the strongest terms possible. In 1859-1861, Sovremennik argued with Herzen's Kolokol about the aims of the Russian democracy. Such a radical stance alienated those writers who were indifferent to politics or personally disliked revolutionary intelligentsia. Although Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Dmitry Grigorovich eventually left the magazine, Sovremennik's circulation reached 7,126 copies in 1861. The death of Dobrolyubov in 1861, an 8-month suspension of publishing activities (in June 1862), and Chernyshevsky's arrest caused irreparable damage to the magazine. Its ideological stance became less clear and consistent. In 1863, Nekrasov managed to resume publishing Sovremennik. He invited Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin (stayed until 1864), Maxim Antonovich, Grigory Yeliseyev and Alexander Pypin to join its editorial staff. Controversy among the members of the editorial staff soon resulted in adoption of a more temperate policy. In 1863-1866, Sovremennik published Chernyshevsky's What Is to Be Done? (written in the Peter and Paul Fortress), satires by Saltykov-Shchedrin, and works by the so-called plebeian authors (Vasily Sleptsov, Fyodor Reshetnikov, Gleb Uspensky). The magazine was closed down in June 1866, owing to the official panic that followed the first attempt on Alexander II's life. After that, Nekrasov and Saltykov-Schedrin acquired the rights to publish the Otechestvennye Zapiski, a literary journal widely viewed as Sovremennik's successor. Sovremennik inspired Al Nafais Al Asriyyah, an Arabic literary and political magazine which was published in Jerusalem between 1908 and 1923.", "wds-Q700473": "Focus (stylized in all caps) is a German-language news magazine published by Hubert Burda Media. Established in 1993 as an alternative to the Der Spiegel weekly news magazine, its editorial staff has been headquartered in Germany's capital of Berlin since 2015. Alongside Spiegel and Stern, Focus is one of the three most widely circulated German weeklies. The concept originated from Hubert Burda and Helmut Markwort, who went from being editor-in-chief to publisher in 2009 and has been listed in the publication's masthead as founding editor-in-chief since 2017. As of March 2016, the editor-in-chief of Focus was Robert Schneider.", "wds-Q633765": "The TOP500 project ranks and details the 500 most powerful non-distributed computer systems in the world. The project was started in 1993 and publishes an updated list of the supercomputers twice a year. The first of these updates always coincides with the International Supercomputing Conference in June, and the second is presented at the ACM/IEEE Supercomputing Conference in November. The project aims to provide a reliable basis for tracking and detecting trends in high-performance computing and bases rankings on HPL benchmarks, a portable implementation of the high-performance LINPACK benchmark written in Fortran for distributed-memory computers. The most recent edition of TOP500 was published in June 2026. As of June 2026, China's LineShine is the most powerful supercomputer in the TOP500, reaching 2,198 petaFlops on the LINPACK benchmarks. As of submitted data until June 2026, the United States has the highest number of systems with 161 supercomputers; Japan is in second place with 44, and Germany is the third place with 41; the United States has by far the highest share of total computing power on the list (37.5%). Due to secrecy of the latest Chinese programs, publicly known supercomputer performance share in China represents only 2% that of global as of June 2025. The TOP500 list is compiled by Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and, until his death in 2014, Hans Meuer of the University of Mannheim, Germany. The TOP500 project also includes lists such as Green500 (measuring energy efficiency) and HPCG (measuring I/O bandwidth).", "wds-Q859": "Plato ( PLAY-toh; Ancient Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn; c. 428–347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of Classical Athens who is most commonly considered the foundational thinker of the Western philosophical tradition. An innovator of the literary dialogue and dialectic forms, Plato influenced all the major areas of theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the collection of philosophical theories that would later become known as Platonism. Plato's most famous contribution is his Theory of Forms (or Ideas), which aims to solve what is now known as the problem of universals. He was influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself. Along with his teacher Socrates, and his student Aristotle, Plato is a central figure in the history of Western philosophy. 2,400 years later, Plato's complete works are believed to have survived—unlike those of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Platonism's outgrowth Neoplatonism, he also influenced Christian, Jewish and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead said: \"the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.\"", "wds-Q39379": "Scientific American, informally abbreviated SciAm or sometimes SA, is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Prize-winners having been featured since its inception. In print since 1845, it is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States. Scientific American was owned by Springer Nature until June 2026, when it was sold to LabX Media Group.", "wds-Q858036": "The Federalist is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym Publius to promote the ratification of the Constitution of the United States. The papers themselves came to be known collectively as the Federalist Papers beginning in the nineteenth century. The first seventy-seven of these essays were published serially in the Independent Journal, the New York Packet, and the Daily Advertiser between October 1787 and April 1788. A compilation of these 77 essays and eight others were published in two volumes as The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, as Agreed upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787, by publishing firm J. & A. McLean in March and May 1788. The last eight papers (Nos. 78–85) were republished in the New York newspapers between June 14 and August 16, 1788. The authors of The Federalist intended to influence the voters to ratify the Constitution. In Federalist No. 1, Hamilton explicitly sets that debate in broad political terms: It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not, of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend, for their political constitutions, on accident and force. In Federalist No. 10, Madison discusses the means of preventing rule by majority faction and advocates a large, commercial republic. This is complemented by Federalist No. 14, in which Madison takes the measure of the United States, declares it appropriate for an extended republic, and concludes with a memorable defense of the constitutional and political creativity of the Federal Convention. In Federalist No. 84, Hamilton makes the case that there is no need to amend the Constitution by adding a Bill of Rights, insisting that the various provisions in the proposed Constitution protecting liberty amount to a \"bill of rights\". Federalist No. 78, also written by Hamilton, lays the groundwork for the doctrine of judicial review by federal courts of federal legislation or executive acts. Federalist No. 70 presents Hamilton's case for a one-man chief executive. In Federalist No. 39, Madison presents the clearest exposition of what has come to be called \"Federalism\". In Federalist No. 51, Madison distills arguments for checks and balances in an essay often cited for its justification of government as \"the greatest of all reflections on human nature.\" According to historian Richard B. Morris, the essays that make up The Federalist Papers are an \"incomparable exposition of the Constitution, a classic in political science unsurpassed in both breadth and depth by the product of any later American writer.\" On June 21, 1788, the proposed Constitution was ratified by the minimum of nine states required under Article VII. In late July 1788, with eleven states having ratified the new Constitution, the process of organizing the new government began.", "wds-Q1790750": "The Spectator is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. The Spectator is politically conservative, and its principal subject areas are politics and culture. Alongside columns and features on current affairs, the magazine also contains arts pages on books, music, opera, film, and TV reviews. It had an average circulation of 107,812 as of December 2023, excluding Australia. Editorship of the magazine has often been a platform to high office in the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom; its past editors include Boris Johnson (1999–2005) and other former cabinet members Ian Gilmour (1954–1959), Iain Macleod (1963–1965), and Nigel Lawson (1966–1970). The former Conservative MP Michael Gove took over from Fraser Nelson as editor on 4 October 2024. Today, the magazine is a print-digital hybrid. In 2020, The Spectator became the longest-lived current affairs magazine in history (overtaking The Gentleman's Magazine, which published from 1731 to 1922), and was also the first magazine ever to publish 10,000 issues. In September 2024, The Spectator was acquired by British hedge fund manager Paul Marshall, owner of UnHerd and co-owner of GB News.", "wds-Q1135577": "Foreign Affairs is an American journal of international relations and U.S. foreign policy, published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Founded on 15 September 1922, the print magazine is published every two months, while the website publishes articles daily and anthologies every other month. Foreign Affairs is considered one of the United States' most influential and prestigious foreign-policy magazines. It has published many highly influential articles, including George Kennan's \"X Article\" (1947) and Samuel P. Huntington's \"The Clash of Civilizations\" (1993). Leading academics, public officials, and members of the policy community regularly contribute to the magazine.", "wds-Q1699649": "National Review is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. National Review's editor-in-chief is Rich Lowry, and its editor is Ramesh Ponnuru. Since its founding, the magazine has played a significant role in the development of conservatism in the United States, helping to define its boundaries and promoting fusionism while establishing itself as a leading voice on the American right. While National Review generally supports Republican politicians and policy priorities, the magazine has been critical of President Donald Trump since the 2016 presidential election.", "wds-Q3552325": "Maxim (stylized in all caps) is an international men's magazine, devised and launched in the United Kingdom in 1995, but based in New York City since 1997. It is known for its photography of actors, singers and female models whose careers are at their peak. Maxim has a circulation of about 9 million readers each month. Maxim Digital reaches more than 4 million unique viewers each month. Maxim magazine publishes 16 editions, sold in 75 countries worldwide.", "wds-Q991271": "Amazing Stories is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances in other magazines, including some published by Gernsback, but Amazing helped define and launch a new genre of pulp fiction. As of 2024, Amazing has been published, with some interruptions, for 98 years, going through a half-dozen owners and many editors as it struggled to be profitable. Gernsback was forced into bankruptcy and lost control of the magazine in 1929. In 1938 it was purchased by Ziff-Davis, which hired Raymond A. Palmer as editor. Palmer made the magazine successful though it was not regarded as a quality magazine within the science fiction community. In the late 1940s Amazing presented as fact stories about the Shaver Mystery, a lurid mythos that explained accidents and disaster as the work of robots named deros, which led to dramatically increased circulation but widespread ridicule. Amazing switched to a digest size format in 1953, shortly before the end of the pulp-magazine era. It was sold to Sol Cohen's Universal Publishing Company in 1965, which filled it with reprinted stories but did not pay a reprint fee to the authors, creating a conflict with the newly formed Science Fiction Writers of America. Ted White took over as editor in 1969, eliminated the reprints and made the magazine respected again: Amazing was nominated for the prestigious Hugo Award three times during his tenure in the 1970s. Several other owners attempted to create a modern incarnation of the magazine in the following decades, but publication was suspended after the March 2005 issue. A new incarnation appeared in July 2012 as an online magazine. Print publication resumed with the Fall 2018 issue. Gernsback's initial editorial approach was to blend instruction with entertainment; he believed science fiction could educate readers. His audience rapidly showed a preference for implausible adventures, and the movement away from Gernsback's idealism accelerated when the magazine changed hands in 1929. Despite this, Gernsback had an enormous impact on the field: the creation of a specialist magazine for science fiction spawned an entire genre publishing industry. The letter columns in Amazing, where fans could make contact with each other, led to the formation of science fiction fandom, which in turn had a strong influence on the development of the field. Writers whose first story was published in the magazine include John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Howard Fast, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, and Thomas M. Disch. Overall, though, Amazing itself was rarely an influential magazine within the genre after the 1920s.", "wds-Q9119": "Kenenisa Bekele Beyecha (Oromo: Qananiisaa baqqalaa; Amharic: ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre from 2004 until 2020. He won the gold medal in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m and the silver medal in the 5,000 m. He is the most successful runner in the history of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, with six long (12 km) course and five short (4 km) course titles. He won the 10,000 m title at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 (matching Haile Gebrselassie's four in a row win streak). Kenenisa was unbeaten over 10,000 m from his debut in 2003 until 2011, when he failed to finish at the World Championships final. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics he became the first man to win both 5000 m and 10,000 m title at the same championships. Over 5000 m he has also won an Olympic silver (2004), World Championship bronze (2003), two African Championship titles and one All-Africa Games gold medal. He also won the 3000 metres title at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. On 6 April 2014, he produced the sixth fastest marathon debut ever on a record-eligible course with his victory at the Paris Marathon, in a course record time of 2:05:04. On 25 September 2016, Kenenisa won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:03, a new personal best, then the third-fastest marathon of all time. On 29 September 2019, he again won the Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:01:41, two seconds slower than the then world record of 2:01:39 set by Eliud Kipchoge in the 2018 Berlin Marathon. Considering his accomplishments in cross country, track, and road racing, many consider him to be the greatest distance runner of all time.", "wds-Q869847": "Physical Review is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The journal was established in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research as well as scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society (APS). The journal is in its third series, and is split in several sub-journals each covering a particular field of physics. It has a sister journal, Physical Review Letters, which publishes shorter articles of broader interest.", "wds-Q579": "Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (Latin American Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos iˈβaɲes ðel ˈkampo]; 3 November 1877 – 28 April 1960) was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as president twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office.", "wds-Q275655": "Annalen der Physik (English: Annals of Physics) is one of the oldest scientific journals on physics; it has been published since 1799. The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on experimental, theoretical, applied, and mathematical physics and related areas. The editor-in-chief is Stefan Hildebrandt. Prior to 2008, its ISO 4 abbreviation was Ann. Phys. (Leipzig), after 2008 it became Ann. Phys. (Berl.). The journal is the successor to Journal der Physik, published from 1790 until 1794, and Neues Journal der Physik, published from 1795 until 1797. The journal has been published under a variety of names (Annalen der Physik, Annalen der Physik und der physikalischen Chemie, Annalen der Physik und Chemie, Wiedemann's Annalen der Physik und Chemie) during its history.", "wds-Q306": "Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (Spanish: [miˈɣel ˈxwan seβasˈtjam piˈɲeɾa etʃeˈnike] ; 1 December 1949 – 6 February 2024) was a Chilean businessman and politician who served as 34th and 36th president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic politician and diplomat, he studied business administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and economics at Harvard University. At the time of his death, he had an estimated net worth of US$2.7 billion, according to Forbes, making him the third richest person in Chile. A member of the liberal-conservative National Renewal party, he served as a senator for the East Santiago district from 1990 to 1998, running for the presidency in the 2005 election, which he lost to Michelle Bachelet, and again, successfully, in 2010. As a result, he became Chile's first conservative president to be democratically elected since 1958, and the first to hold the office since the departure of Augusto Pinochet in 1990. The legacy of Piñera's two administrations include the reconstruction following the 2010 Chile earthquake, the rescue of 33 trapped miners in 2010, a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the legalization of same-sex marriage in Chile in 2021–2022. His administrations also faced the two largest protests movements since the return of democracy in 1990; the 2011 student protests and the more massive and violent 2019–2020 protests. After leaving office in 2022 Piñera developed amicable relations with the new left-wing president Gabriel Boric, who had previously been a harsh critic of him. Piñera died in a helicopter crash on Lake Ranco on 6 February 2024 at age 74. Piñera's supporters form a cross-party centre-right and right-wing faction called Piñerism.", "wds-Q24778": "Lindsey Jacobellis (born August 19, 1985) is an American snowboarder from Roxbury, Connecticut. The most decorated female snowboard cross athlete of all time, she dominated the sport for almost two decades as a five-time World Champion and ten-time X Games champion. In her Olympic debut at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Jacobellis won the silver medal in snowboard cross but was unable to medal at the next three Olympics until winning gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Jacobellis also won gold (with teammate Nick Baumgartner) in mixed team snowboard cross at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.", "wds-Q220370": "Zootaxa is a peer-reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists. It is published by Magnolia Press (Auckland, New Zealand). The journal was established by Zhi-Qiang Zhang in 2001 and new issues are published multiple times a week. From 2001 to 2020, more than 60,000 new species have been described in the journal accounting for around 25% of all new taxa indexed in The Zoological Record in the last few years. Print and online versions are available.", "wds-Q30293": "Lara Gut-Behrami (née Gut; Italian pronunciation: [ˈlaːra ˈɡut]; born 27 April 1991) is a retired Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer who competed in all disciplines and specialized in the speed events of downhill and Super-G. She won the gold medal in the super-G event at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. With 48 World Cup victories to her name across 3 disciplines, she is one of the all-time greats in Alpine skiing history. She is the first woman with at least ten World Cup victories in three different disciplines. With six Super-G globes, which is an overall record, 24 World Cup victories and both an olympic and world championships gold medal, she can be considered the most successful alpine skier in Super-G of all time.", "wds-Q42345": "Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled Astounding Stories of Super-Science, the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Clayton, and edited by Harry Bates. Clayton went bankrupt in 1933 and the magazine was sold to Street & Smith. The new editor was F. Orlin Tremaine, who soon made Astounding the leading magazine in the nascent pulp science fiction field, publishing well-regarded stories such as Jack Williamson's Legion of Space and John W. Campbell's \"Twilight\". At the end of 1937, Campbell took over editorial duties under Tremaine's supervision, and the following year Tremaine was let go, giving Campbell more independence. Over the next few years Campbell published many stories that became classics in the field, including Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, A. E. van Vogt's Slan, and the Future History tales of Robert A. Heinlein. The period beginning with Campbell's editorship is often referred to as the Golden Age of Science Fiction. By 1950, new competition had appeared from Galaxy Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Campbell's interest in some pseudo-science topics, such as Dianetics (an early non-religious version of Scientology), alienated some of his regular writers, and Astounding was no longer regarded as the leader of the field, though it did continue to publish popular and influential stories: Hal Clement's novel Mission of Gravity appeared in 1953, and Tom Godwin's \"The Cold Equations\" appeared the following year. In 1960, Campbell changed the title of the magazine to Analog Science Fact & Fiction; he had long wanted to get rid of the word \"Astounding\" in the title, which he felt was too sensational. At about the same time Street & Smith sold the magazine to Condé Nast, and the name changed again to its current form by 1965. Campbell remained as editor until his death in 1971. Ben Bova took over from 1972 to 1978, and the character of the magazine changed noticeably, since Bova was willing to publish fiction that included sexual content and profanity. Bova published stories such as Frederik Pohl's \"The Gold at the Starbow's End\", which was nominated for both a Hugo and Nebula Award, and Joe Haldeman's \"Hero\", the first story in the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning \"Forever War\" sequence; Pohl had been unable to sell to Campbell, and \"Hero\" had been rejected by Campbell as unsuitable for the magazine. Bova won five consecutive Hugo Awards for his editing of Analog. Bova was followed by Stanley Schmidt, who continued to publish many of the same authors who had been contributing for years; the result was some criticism of the magazine as stagnant and dull, though Schmidt was initially successful in maintaining circulation. The title was sold to Davis Publications in 1980, then to Dell Magazines in 1992. Crosstown Publications acquired Dell in 1996 and remains the publisher. Schmidt continued to edit the magazine until 2012, when he was replaced by Trevor Quachri. Analog Science Fiction and Fact was purchased in February 2025, along with Asimov's Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, by Must Read Books Publishing.", "wds-Q1793": "James Edward \"Trey\" Hardee III (born February 7, 1984) is a retired American track and field athlete who specialized in the combined events. He is a former NCAA Champion, a two-time World Outdoor Champion, a member of the United States 2008 Olympic team, and the silver medalist in the decathlon at the London 2012 Olympics.", "wds-Q1790510": "The QS World University Rankings is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with Times Higher Education (THE) magazine as Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings, inaugurated in 2004 to provide an independent source of comparative data about university performance. In 2009, the two organizations parted ways to produce independent university rankings – the QS World University Rankings and THE World University Rankings. QS's rankings portfolio has since been expanded to consist of the QS World University Rankings, the QS World University Rankings by Subject, four regional rankings tables (including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and the Arab region), several MBA rankings, and the QS Best Student Cities rankings. In 2022, QS launched the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability, and in 2023, it launched the QS World University Rankings: Europe. The rankings are intended to reflect and articulate university performance for the next academic year. Therefore, they are usually named for the year following that in which they are produced. The rankings are regarded as one of the most-widely read university rankings in the world, along with Academic Ranking of World Universities and Times Higher Education World University Rankings. According to Alexa Internet, it is the most widely viewed university ranking worldwide in 2020. The ranking has been criticized for its overreliance on subjective indicators and reputation surveys, which tend to fluctuate over time and form a feedback loop. Concerns also exist regarding the global consistency and integrity of the data used to generate the QS rankings. The development and production of the rankings is overseen by QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter, who in 2016 was ranked 40th in Wonkhe's Higher Education Power List, a list of what the organisation believed to be the 50 most influential figures in British higher education value.", "wds-Q22185": "Beverly Marlene Eaves Perdue (née Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first woman to serve as governor of North Carolina. Perdue started her political career in the 1980s, serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives. She then served five terms in the North Carolina Senate, before she was elected as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. She was the first woman to serve as the state's lieutenant governor. Perdue was elected to the office of Governor of North Carolina in 2008 against Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory. On January 26, 2012, facing sinking approval ratings, Perdue announced that she would not seek reelection in the 2012 gubernatorial election, becoming the first Democratic governor since Robert W. Scott to have served a single term, and is currently the only Democratic governor in the state's history to not seek re-election. Since the death of Jim Hunt in 2025, Perdue is North Carolina's oldest surviving Democratic governor.", "wds-Q2685": "Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, film producer, politician, and former professional bodybuilder who served as the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at the age of 15 and won the Mr. Universe bodybuilding championship at the age of 20. He won the Mr. Olympia title seven times, tying with Phil Heath for the second-highest number of wins. Nicknamed the \"Austrian Oak\" in his bodybuilding days, he is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time. He has written books and articles about bodybuilding, including the autobiographical Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder (1977) and The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (1998). The Arnold Sports Festival, the second-most prestigious bodybuilding event after the Mr. Olympia competition, is named after him. He appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron (1977), which set him on his way to a career in films. After retiring from bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame in the 1980s as a Hollywood action star. His breakthrough came with his starring role in Conan the Barbarian (1982), which was followed by a sequel, Conan the Destroyer (1984). He subsequently starred as the Terminator in the science fiction film The Terminator (1984), and reprised the role in four sequels. Schwarzenegger's other appearances include the action films Commando (1985), The Running Man (1987), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), and True Lies (1994), and the comedies Twins (1988), Kindergarten Cop (1990) and Jingle All the Way (1996). At the height of his career, Schwarzenegger was known for his rivalry with Sylvester Stallone. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $5.4 billion worldwide. He is the founder of the film production company Oak Productions. As a registered member of the Republican Party, Schwarzenegger chaired the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during most of the George H. W. Bush administration. In 2003, he was elected governor of California in a special recall election to replace Gray Davis. He received 48.6 percent of the vote, 17 points ahead of the runner-up, Cruz Bustamante of the Democratic Party. He was sworn in on November 17 to serve the remainder of Davis' term, and was reelected in the 2006 gubernatorial election with an increased vote share of 55.9 percent to serve a full term. In 2011, he reached his term limit as governor and returned to acting. As of 2026, Schwarzenegger and insurance commissioner Steve Poizner are the last Republicans to win or hold statewide office in California, having both won their respective elections in 2006, with Arnold Schwarzenegger being the last Republican to serve as Governor of California.", "wds-Q1047": "Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. Upon India's independence in 1947, he served as the country's first prime minister, holding office for 16 years 286 days. Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation. In international affairs, he steered India clear of the two blocs of the Cold War. A well-regarded author, he wrote books such as Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936) and The Discovery of India (1946), that have been read around the world. The son of Motilal Nehru, a prominent lawyer and Indian nationalist, Jawaharlal Nehru was educated in England—at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, and trained in the law at the Inner Temple. He became a barrister, returned to India, enrolled at the Allahabad High Court and gradually became interested in national politics, which eventually became a full-time occupation. He joined the Indian National Congress, rose to become the leader of a progressive faction during the 1920s, and eventually of the Congress, receiving the support of Mahatma Gandhi, who was to designate Nehru as his political heir. As Congress president in 1929, Nehru called for complete independence from the British Raj. Nehru promoted the idea of the secular nation-state in the 1937 provincial elections, allowing the Congress to sweep the elections and form governments in several provinces. In September 1939, the Congress ministries resigned to protest Viceroy Lord Linlithgow's decision to join the war without consulting them. After the All India Congress Committee's Quit India Resolution of 8 August 1942, senior Congress leaders were imprisoned, and for a time, the organisation was suppressed. Nehru, who had reluctantly heeded Gandhi's call for immediate independence, and had desired instead to support the Allied war effort during World War II, came out of a lengthy prison term to a much altered political landscape. Under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Muslim League had come to dominate Muslim politics in the interim. In the 1946 provincial elections, Congress won the elections, but the League won all the seats reserved for Muslims, which the British interpreted as a clear mandate for Pakistan in some form. Nehru became the interim prime minister of India in September 1946 and the League joined his government with some hesitancy in October 1946. Upon India's independence on 15 August 1947, Nehru gave a critically acclaimed speech, \"Tryst with Destiny\"; he was sworn in as the Dominion of India's prime minister and raised the Indian flag at the Red Fort in Delhi. On 26 January 1950, when India became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, Nehru became the Republic of India's first prime minister. He embarked on an ambitious economic, social, and political reform programme. Nehru promoted a pluralistic multi-party democracy. In foreign affairs, he led the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement, a group of nations that did not seek membership in the two main ideological blocs of the Cold War. Under Nehru's leadership, the Congress dominated national and state-level politics and won elections in 1951, 1957 and 1962. He died in office from a heart attack in 1964. His birthday is celebrated as Children's Day in India.", "wds-Q1512": "Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for the novels Treasure Island (1883), Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886), and Kidnapped (1886) and for the poetry collection A Child's Garden of Verses (1885). Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life but managed to write prolifically and travel widely despite his poor health. As a young man, he mixed in London literary circles, receiving encouragement from Sidney Colvin, Andrew Lang, Edmund Gosse, Leslie Stephen and W. E. Henley, the last of whom may have provided the model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. In 1890 he settled in Samoa, where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea islands, his writing turned from romance and adventure fiction toward a darker realism. He died of a stroke in his island home in 1894 at age 44. A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, although today his works are held in general acclaim. In 2018 he was ranked just behind Charles Dickens as the 26th-most-translated author in the world.", "wds-Q1446": "Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname Caracalla (; Latin: [karaˈkalːa]), was Roman emperor from 198 to 217 AD, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father and then ruling alone after 211 AD. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor Septimius Severus and Empress Julia Domna. Severus proclaimed Caracalla co-ruler in 198, doing the same with his other son Geta in 209. The two brothers briefly shared power after their father's death in 211, but Caracalla soon had Geta murdered by the Praetorian Guard and became sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Julia Domna had a significant share in governance, since Caracalla found administration to be mundane. His reign featured domestic instability and external invasions by the Germanic peoples. Caracalla issued the Antonine Constitution (Latin: Constitutio Antoniniana), also known as the Edict of Caracalla, which granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants (except the dediticii) throughout the Roman Empire. The edict gave all the enfranchised men Caracalla's adopted praenomen and nomen: \"Marcus Aurelius\". Other landmarks of his reign were the construction of the Baths of Caracalla, the second-largest bathing complex in the history of Rome, the introduction of a new Roman currency named the antoninianus, a sort of double denarius, and the massacres he ordered, both in Rome and elsewhere in the empire. In 216, Caracalla began a campaign against the Parthian Empire. He did not see this campaign through to completion due to his assassination by a disaffected soldier in 217. Macrinus succeeded him as emperor three days later. The ancient sources portray Caracalla as a cruel tyrant; his contemporaries Cassius Dio (c. 155 – c. 235) and Herodian (c. 170 – c. 240) present him as a soldier first and an emperor second. Later, in the 18th century, the works of French painters revived images of Caracalla due to apparent parallels between Caracalla's tyranny and that ascribed to French King Louis XVI (r. 1774–1792). Modern works continue to portray Caracalla as an evil ruler, painting him as one of the most tyrannical of all Roman emperors.", "wds-Q2677": "Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor from 1888 until his abdication in 1918. His fall from power marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty's 400-year rule over Prussia. Born during the reign of his granduncle Frederick William IV of Prussia, Wilhelm was the son of Prince Frederick William and Victoria, Princess Royal. Through his mother, he was the eldest of the 42 grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In March 1888, Wilhelm's father, Frederick William, ascended the German and Prussian thrones as Frederick III. Frederick died just 99 days later, and his son succeeded him as Kaiser Wilhelm II. In March 1890, the young Kaiser dismissed longtime Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and assumed direct control over his nation's policies, embarking on a \"New Course\" to cement Germany's status as a leading world power. Over the course of his reign, Germany acquired new territories in China and the Pacific and became Europe's largest manufacturer. However, Wilhelm often undermined such progress by making tactless and threatening statements towards other countries without first consulting his ministers. Likewise, he and his government did much to alienate the German Empire from most of Europe by initiating a massive naval build-up, contesting French control of Morocco, backing Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and threatening Britain's access to the Persian Gulf by building a railway through Baghdad. By the second decade of the 20th century, Germany could rely only on significantly weaker nations such as Austria-Hungary and the declining Ottoman Empire as allies. Despite strengthening Germany's position as a great power in the short term by building a powerful navy and promoting scientific innovation within its borders, Wilhelm II's erratic foreign policy greatly antagonized the international community and is considered by many to have led to the fall of the German Empire. In 1914, his diplomatic brinksmanship culminated in the guarantee of his country's military support to Austria-Hungary during the July Crisis which ultimately plunged all of Europe into World War I. A lax wartime leader, Wilhelm left virtually all decisions regarding strategy and organisation of the war effort to the German Supreme Army Command. By August 1916, his broad delegation of power gave rise to a de facto military dictatorship that dominated the country's policies in his place for the rest of the conflict. Despite emerging victorious over Russia and obtaining significant territorial gains in Eastern Europe, Germany relinquished all its conquests after its forces were decisively defeated on the Western Front in the autumn of 1918. Losing the support of his country's military and many of his subjects, Wilhelm was forced to abdicate during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 which converted Germany into an unstable democratic state known as the Weimar Republic. The Treaty of Versailles stated he would face trial for the war. Wilhelm fled to exile in the Netherlands, where he remained during its occupation by Nazi Germany in 1940 before dying there in 1941.", "wds-Q22755": "Johann Silvio Gesell (German: [ɡəˈzɛl]; 17 March 1862 – 11 March 1930) was a German-Argentine economist, entrepreneur, and social reformer. He was the founder of Freiwirtschaft (German for \"free economy\"), an economic model for market socialism. In 1900, he founded the magazine Money and Land Reform (German: Die Geld- und Bodenreform), but it soon closed for financial reasons. During his time in Oranienburg, Gesell started the magazine Der Physiokrat together with George Heinrich Blumenthal. In 1914, it closed due to censorship. In 1916, he published his most famous work, The Natural Economic Order. Gesell is mainly known for his monetary theory. In particular, he noted the asymmetry between the durability and hoardability of money and the finite shelf life of goods and services which depreciate due to entropy and the passage of time. He believed that people who are able to save or hoard money have an unfair economic advantage over people who are dependent on producing and selling decayable goods and services for their livelihoods. Gesell theorized that the unfair premium enjoyed by hoarders expressed itself in interest rates and spawned recessions, an argument that later influenced John Maynard Keynes's theory of liquidity preference. To resolve this problem, Gesell proposed a new form of money that depreciates over time (German: Freigeld). Gesell also supported free land (German: Freiland) and free trade (German: Freihandel). However, he disagreed with Henry George's contention that land value taxes could solve the problem of land rent, as Gesell believed that such taxes could be passed onto the tenants. Instead, Gesell proposed nationalizing all land from current landowners, with the purchases financed by land bonds that would be paid over 20 years from revenues raised by leasing the purchased land through competitive bidding. This would achieve many of the intended effects of Georgism, but with compensation for previous landowners, and with no need to repeatedly reappraise land values. Gesell also criticized Henry George for believing that Georgism would eliminate interest, economic crises, and unemployment. At the suggestion of Erich Müchsam and Gustav Landauer, Gesell served as the finance minister of the Bavarian Soviet Republic for eight days in 1919. After the republic's violent end, Gesell was detained for several months on a charge of treason but was acquitted by a Munich court after he gave a speech in his own defense. In the mid-to-late 1900s, Gesell's ideas were published and discussed only in the limited circle of his supporters. Since the beginning of the 2000s, Gesell has received increasing attention among the general public. The reasons for this include discussions about local currencies and cryptocurrencies, the zero interest-rate policy of some central banks, and the desire of some economists for negative interest rates.", "wds-Q19796": "Cai Yuanpei (Chinese: 蔡元培; 1868–1940), spelt Ts'ai Yuan-p'ei (Wade–Giles: Ts'ai4 Yüan2-p'ei2) during his lifetime, was a Chinese philosopher and politician who was an influential figure in the history of Chinese modern education. He made contributions to education reform with his own education ideology. He was the president of Peking University, and founder of the Academia Sinica. He was known for his critical evaluation of Chinese culture and synthesis of Chinese and Western thinking, including anarchism. He got involved in the New Culture, May Fourth Movements, and the feminist movement. His works involve aesthetic education, politics, and education reform.", "wds-Q5172": "Jean Bodel (c. 1165 – c. 1210), also spelled Jehan Bodel, was an Old French poet who wrote a number of chansons de geste as well as many fabliaux. He lived in Arras.", "wds-Q4344": "Arnaut Daniel (Occitan: [aɾˈnawd daniˈɛl]; fl. 1180–1200) was an Occitan troubadour of the 12th century, praised by Dante as \"the better craftsman\" (miglior fabbro) and called a \"grand master of love\" (gran maestro d'amore) by Petrarch. In the 20th century he was lauded by Ezra Pound in The Spirit of Romance (1910) as the greatest poet to have ever lived.", "wds-Q1804": "Monique Andrée Serf (French pronunciation: [mɔnik sɛʁ]; 9 June 1930 – 24 November 1997), known as Barbara ([baʁbaʁa]), was a French singer. She has been described as \"one of the greatest voices in French song\". She took her stage name from her grandmother, Varvara Brodsky, a native of Odesa, Ukraine. Barbara became a famous cabaretière in the late 1950s in Paris, known as La Chanteuse de minuit ('the midnight singer'), before she started composing her own tracks, which brought her to fame. Her most famous songs include \"Dis, quand reviendras-tu ?\" (1962), \"Ma plus belle histoire d'amour\" (1966) and \"L'Aigle noir\" (1970), the latter of which is said to have sold over 1 million copies in just twelve hours.", "wds-Q31439": "Abraham bar Ḥiyya ha-Nasi (Hebrew: ר׳ אַבְרָהָם בַּר חִיָּיא הַנָשִׂיא; c. 1070 – c. 1136 or 1145), also known as Abraham Savasorda, Abraham Albargeloni, and Abraham Judaeus, was a Catalan Jewish mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and translator who lived in Barcelona, then part of the County of Barcelona in what is now Spain. Bar Ḥiyya played an important role in transmitting Islamic and Arabic science to the Christian world through translation into Latin, and was probably the earliest figure to introduce algebra from the Muslim world into Christian Europe. He also composed original works on mathematics, astronomy, Jewish philosophy, chronology, and surveying. His most influential mathematical work was Ḥibbur ha-Meshiḥah ve-ha-Tishboret, a Hebrew treatise on practical geometry and algebra that was translated into latin in 1145 as Liber embadorum. The work contains the first known complete solution of the quadratic equation x 2 − a x + b = c {\\displaystyle x^{2}-ax+b=c} and influenced Fibonacci. Among Bar Ḥiyya's philosophical works, one of the best known is Hegyon ha-Nefesh ha-Azuvah (\"Meditation of the Sad Soul\"). He also wrote the encyclopaedic Yesodei ha-Tevunah u-Migdal ha-Emunah (\"Foundation of Understanding and Tower of Faith\"), the astronomical work Hokhmat ha-Hizzayon (\"Wisdom of the Revelation\"), and the astrological Megillat ha-Megalleh (\"Scroll of the Revealer\"). Influenced by Neoplatonism, he held a comparatively positive view of the possibility of virtue outside the Jewish community. While regarding Israel as especially endowed through belief in God's unity and acceptance of the Torah, he maintained that all people possessed the capacity to attain the same belief.", "wds-Q4960": "Jason Michael Lee (born April 25, 1970) is an American actor, filmmaker, photographer, and former professional skateboarder. He is known for playing Earl Hickey in the television comedy series My Name Is Earl, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2005 and 2006. He is also known for his roles in Kevin Smith films such as Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Jersey Girl (2004), Clerks II (2006), Cop Out (2010), and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019). Lee won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in Chasing Amy. His other notable film roles include starring in Mumford (1999), Almost Famous (2000), Heartbreakers (2001), Big Trouble (2002), Dreamcatcher (2003) and Columbus Circle (2011). His voice acting credits include Syndrome in The Incredibles (2004), Bones in Monster House (2006) and the title character in Underdog (2007). Lee starred as Dave Seville in the live-action/animation Alvin and the Chipmunks films (2007–2015). A former professional skateboarder, Lee is the co-founder and co-owner of Stereo Skateboards, founding the company in 1992 with fellow skateboarder Chris \"Dune\" Pastras. Stereo manufactures and distributes skateboard decks, equipment and apparel, as well as producing skate videos.", "wds-Q2097": "Kjetil André Aamodt (born 2 September 1971) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Norway, a champion in the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup. He is one of the most successful alpine ski racers from Norway.", "wds-Q4864": "Yevgeny Valentinovich Kaspersky (Russian: Евгений Валентинович Касперский; born 4 October 1965) is a Russian cybersecurity expert who is the co-founder and the CEO of Kaspersky Lab, an IT security company with 4,000 employees. He was a cryptologist and officer in the Soviet army until leaving the service in 1991. He co-founded Kaspersky Lab in 1997 and helped identify instances of government-sponsored cyberwarfare as the head of research. He has been an advocate for an international treaty prohibiting cyberwarfare. Kaspersky graduated from The Technical Faculty (cryptology) of the KGB Higher School in 1987 with a degree in mathematical engineering and computer technology. His interest in IT security began when his work computer was infected with the Cascade virus in 1989 and he developed a program to remove it. Kaspersky helped grow Kaspersky Lab through security research and salesmanship. He became the CEO in 2007 and remains so as of 2024.", "wds-Q31549": "Sean Paul Lockhart (born October 31, 1986), known by his stage name Brent Corrigan, is an American film actor and director, known for Milk (2008), Judas Kiss (2011), and Triple Crossed (2013). Lockhart started his career as a gay pornographic film actor mostly using the moniker \"Brent Corrigan\", except in The Velvet Mafia parts 1 and 2 (2006) and Best of Roman Heart (2008), in which he used the stage name Fox Ryder. In 2010, he left pornography to focus almost exclusively on gay-themed movies and independent films, such as Judas Kiss, Sister Mary, Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!, Welcome to New York, and others. In 2011, he starred in the horror comedy anthology film Chillerama, directed by Tim Sullivan, as Ricky in the musical segment \"I Was A Teenage Werebear\". In 2011, he received the Rising Star Award at the Philadelphia QFest Festival. In 2012, he announced his involvement in the production of an independent film titled Truth, directed by Rob Moretti and co-starring Lockhart and Moretti. In 2013, he directed the mystery-thriller Triple Crossed. He returned to gay pornography in 2016 with Falcon Studios' Deep Release.", "wds-Q464": "Philipp Ludwig von Seidel ([fɔn ˈzaɪdəl]; 24 October 1821 in Zweibrücken, Germany – 13 August 1896 in Munich, German Empire) was a German mathematician. He was the son of Julie Reinhold and Justus Christian Felix Seidel. Philosopher & math theorist Imre Lakatos credits von Seidel with discovering, in 1847, the crucial analytic concept of uniform convergence, while analyzing an incorrect proof put forth earlier by Augustin-Louis Cauchy. In 1857, von Seidel contributed to the field of optics when he decomposed the first order monochromatic aberrations into five constituent aberrations. They are now commonly referred to as the five Seidel Aberrations. The lunar crater Seidel is named after him. His doctoral students include Eduard Study and Hermann Wiener. The Gauss–Seidel method is a useful numerical iterative method for solving linear systems.", "wds-Q9154": "Dayron Robles (born 19 November 1986) is a Cuban track and field athlete who specialises in the 110 metre hurdles. He won his first major medal (a silver) in the 60 metres hurdles at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. He finished the 2006 season having improved his outdoor best to 13 seconds and become the Central American and Caribbean Games champion. Pan American gold came the following year in which also set a meet record of 12.92 seconds at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final – making him the joint fourth fastest ever. He reached the pinnacle of his event in 2008 by setting a world record of 12.87 seconds in June at the Golden Spike Ostrava meet, and winning an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 12.93 seconds. Injury ruled him out for much of 2009, but he returned strongly with a championship record win at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He was disqualified at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles, for violation of rule 163.2, obstruction.", "wds-Q1778": "Krisztián Pars (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈkristiaːn ˈpɒrʃ]; born 18 February 1982) is a Hungarian hammer thrower. He competed at the Summer Olympics in 2004, 2008, and 2012, winning the gold medal in 2012. He also won the 2012 and 2014 European championships.", "wds-Q19367": "Juan Bernat Velasco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈxwam beɾˈnat]; born 1 March 1993) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Segunda División club Eibar. He began his career at Valencia, featuring in three La Liga campaigns for the club. He moved to Bayern Munich in 2014, winning the Bundesliga every season during his four-year spell while appearing in 115 competitive matches. In August 2018, he signed with Paris Saint-Germain, playing in the 2020 UEFA Champions League final and losing to his former side Bayern Munich. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in September 2020 that would keep him out for over a year. After returning to play in 2021, he spent time on loan at Benfica and Villarreal before joining Getafe in 2025. A European champion with the under-19 team in 2012, Bernat made his senior debut for Spain in 2014.", "wds-Q1687": "Hansle Parchment (born 17 June 1990) is a Jamaican track and field athlete, competing in the 110 metres hurdles. He won the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the event. Parchment is an alumnus of the University of the West Indies, Kingston and won a gold medal at the 2011 Summer Universiade, running a then-personal best of 13.24 to win the title for Jamaica. On 8 August 2012, Parchment won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He ran a then-Jamaican record of 13.12 to clinch third place, behind Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson. At the 2015 World Championships, Parchment won the silver medal. In a high-quality field consisting of world record holder and Olympic Champion Aries Merritt, defending champion David Oliver, and European champion Sergey Shubenkov, Parchment was beaten only by the Shubenkov, running a time of 13.03. On 5 August 2021, Parchment won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in a time of 13.04, ahead of Grant Holloway and Ronald Levy. At the 2023 World Championships, he won a silver medal in a time of 13.07s, behind only Grant Holloway. Parchment then avenged this defeat to win the 2023 Diamond League Final in a new personal best of 12.93s.", "wds-Q1429": "Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; Latin: [antoːˈniːnus ˈpius]; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty and also the fourth of the six adoptive emperors. Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held various offices during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. He married Hadrian's niece Faustina, and Hadrian adopted him as his son and successor shortly before his death. Antoninus acquired the cognomen Pius after his accession to the throne, either because he compelled the Senate to deify his adoptive father, or because he had saved senators sentenced to death by Hadrian in his later years. His reign is notable for the peaceful state of the Empire, with no major revolts or military incursions during this time. A successful military campaign in southern Scotland early in his reign resulted in the construction of the Antonine Wall. Antoninus was an effective administrator, leaving his successors a large surplus in the treasury, expanding free access to drinking water throughout the Empire, encouraging legal conformity, and facilitating the enfranchisement of freed slaves. He died of illness in AD 161 and was succeeded by his adopted sons Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as co-emperors.", "wds-Q3301": "Charles Martel (; c. 688 – 22 October 741), Martel being an Old French sobriquet meaning \"The Hammer\", was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of the Franks from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and a noblewoman named Alpaida. Charles successfully asserted his claims to power as successor to his father as the power behind the throne in Frankish politics. Continuing and building on his father's work, he restored centralized government in Francia and began a series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul. According to the contemporary Liber Historiae Francorum, Charles was \"a warrior who was uncommonly ... effective in battle\". Charles gained a victory against an Umayyad invasion of Aquitaine at the Battle of Tours, and Charles is credited as an important factor in curtailing the spread of Islam in Western Europe. Alongside his military endeavours, Charles has been traditionally credited with an influential role in the development of the Frankish system of feudalism. At the end of his reign, Charles divided Francia between his sons, Carloman and Pepin; Pepin became the first king of the Carolingian dynasty. Pepin's son Charlemagne, grandson of Charles, extended the Frankish realms and became the first emperor in the West since the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.", "wds-Q303": "Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the \"King of Rock and Roll\", he is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 20th century. Presley's energetic and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a mixture of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy. Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi; his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. He began his music career in 1954 at Sun Records with the producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on guitar and accompanied by the guitarist Scotty Moore on lead and the bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, the drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who managed him for the rest of his career. Presley's first RCA Victor single, \"Heartbreak Hotel\", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the US. Within a year, RCA Victor sold ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular rock and roll, though his performing style and promotion of the then-marginalized sound of African Americans led to his being widely considered a threat to the moral well-being of white American youth. In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, he relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. Presley held few concerts, and, guided by Parker, devoted much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. Some of Presley's most famous films included Jailhouse Rock (1957), Blue Hawaii (1961), and Viva Las Vegas (1964). In 1968, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed NBC television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and several highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Many years of substance abuse and unhealthy eating severely compromised his health, and Presley died in August 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42. Presley is one of the best-selling music artists in history, having sold an estimated 500 million records worldwide. He was commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, rock and roll, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, adult contemporary, and gospel. Presley won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been posthumously inducted into multiple music halls of fame. He holds several records, including the most Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart, and the most number-one singles by any act on the UK Singles Chart. In 2018, Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.", "wds-Q2039": "Titus Livius (Latin: [ˈtɪtʊs ˈliːwiʊs]; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( LIV-ee), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled Ab Urbe Condita, ''From the Founding of the City'', covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in 753 BC through the reign of Augustus in Livy's own lifetime. He was on good terms with members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and was a friend of Augustus. Livy encouraged Augustus's young grandnephew, the future emperor Claudius, to take up the writing of history.", "wds-Q1417": "Aulus Vitellius (; Latin: [vɪˈtɛliʊs]; 24 September 15 – 20 December 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for eight months from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Vitellius added the honorific title Germanicus to his name instead of Caesar upon his accession. Like his predecessor, Otho, Vitellius attempted to rally public support to his cause by honoring and imitating Nero who remained popular in the empire. Originally from Campania, likely from Nuceria Alfaterna, he was born to the Vitellia gens, a relatively obscure family in ancient Rome. He was a noble companion of Tiberius's retirement on Capri and there befriended Caligula. He was elected consul in 48, and served as proconsular governor of Africa in either 60 or 61. In 68, he was chosen to command the army of Germania Inferior by emperor Galba. He was later proclaimed emperor in January by the armies of Germania Inferior and Superior, beginning a revolt against Galba. Galba was assassinated by Otho, and Vitellius then faced Otho in battle. He defeated Otho at the Battle of Bedriacum, and was recognized emperor by the Roman Senate. His claim to the throne was soon challenged by legions stationed in the eastern provinces, who proclaimed their commander Vespasian emperor instead. War ensued, leading to a crushing defeat for Vitellius at the Second Battle of Bedriacum in northern Italy. Once he realised his support was wavering, Vitellius prepared to abdicate in favor of Vespasian. He was not allowed to do so by his supporters, resulting in a brutal battle for Rome between Vitellius's forces and the armies of Vespasian. He was executed in Rome by Vespasian's soldiers on 20 December 69.", "wds-Q3234": "Karl Jochen Rindt (German: [ˈjɔxn̩ ˈʁɪnt]; 18 April 1942 – 5 September 1970) was a racing driver who competed under the Austrian flag in Formula One from 1964 to 1970. Rindt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1970 with Lotus, and remains the only driver to have won the World Drivers' Championship posthumously, following his death at the Italian Grand Prix; he won six Grands Prix across seven seasons. In endurance racing, Rindt won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 with NART. Born in Germany and raised in Austria, Rindt started motor racing in 1961. Switching to single-seaters in 1963, he was successful in both Formula Junior and Formula Two. In 1964, Rindt made his debut in Formula One at the Austrian Grand Prix, before securing a full drive with Cooper for 1965. After mixed results with the team, he moved to Brabham for 1968 and then Lotus in 1969. It was at Lotus that Rindt found a competitive car, although he was often concerned about the safety of the notoriously unreliable Lotus vehicles. He won his first Formula One race at the 1969 United States Grand Prix. He had a very successful 1970 season, mainly racing the revolutionary Lotus 72, and won five of the first nine races. In practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, he spun into the guardrails after a failure on his car's brake shaft, and a poorly installed crash barrier gave way. Rindt was pronounced dead while on the way to hospital. As his closest competitor Jacky Ickx was unable to score sufficient points in the remaining races of the season, Rindt was awarded the World Championship posthumously. Rindt left behind his wife, Nina, and a daughter, Natasha. Overall, Rindt competed in 62 Grands Prix, winning six and achieving 13 podium finishes. He was also successful in sports car racing, winning the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans paired with Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 250LM. Rindt was a popular figure in Austria and his success resulted in increased interest in motorsport and Formula One in particular. He hosted a monthly television show titled Motorama and set up a successful exhibition of racing cars in Vienna. During his time in Formula One, he was involved alongside Jackie Stewart in a campaign to improve safety in Formula One.", "wds-Q37610": "David Ben-Gurion ( ben GOOR-ee-ən; Hebrew: דָּוִד בֶּן־גּוּרִיּוֹן [daˈvid ben ɡuʁˈjon] ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder and first prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency from 1935, and later president of the Jewish Agency Executive, he was the de facto leader of the Jewish community in Palestine, and largely led the movement for an independent Jewish state in Mandatory Palestine. Born in Płońsk, then part of Congress Poland, to Polish Jewish parents, he immigrated to the Palestine region of the Ottoman Empire in 1906. Adopting the name of Ben-Gurion in 1909, he rose to become the preeminent leader of the Jewish community in British-ruled Mandatory Palestine from 1935 until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, which he led until 1963 with a short break in 1954–55. Ben-Gurion's interest for Zionism developed early in his life, leading him to become a major Zionist leader, and the executive head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946. On 14 May 1948, he formally proclaimed the establishment of Israel, and was the first to sign the Israeli Declaration of Independence, which he had helped to write. Under Ben-Gurion's leadership, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War saw the uniting of the various Jewish militias into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the victory of Israel over the Arab League, and the expulsion and flight of a majority of the Palestinian Arab population. Subsequently, he became known as \"Israel's founding father\". Following the war, Ben-Gurion served as Israel's first prime minister and minister of defence. As prime minister, he helped build state institutions, presiding over national projects aimed at the development of the country. He also oversaw the absorption of Jewish immigrants. A major part of his foreign policy was improving relations with West Germany through a reparations agreement in compensation for Nazi confiscation of Jewish property during the Holocaust. In 1954, he resigned as prime minister and minister of defence but remained a member of the Knesset. He returned as minister of defence in 1955 after the Lavon Affair and the resignation of Pinhas Lavon. Later that year he became prime minister again, following the 1955 elections. He backed Israel's reprisal operations to Arab guerrilla attacks and its invasion of Egypt, along with Britain and France, during the Suez Crisis in 1956. He stepped down from office in 1963, and retired from political life in 1970. He then moved to his modest \"hut\" in Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev desert, where he lived until his death. Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th century.", "wds-Q1436": "Publius Helvius Pertinax ( PER-tin-ax; 1 August 126 – 28 March 193) was Roman emperor for the first three months of 193, succeeding Commodus and becoming the first ruler of the turbulent Year of the Five Emperors. The son of a freedman, Pertinax rose from modest origins through a military career. He distinguished himself in the Roman–Parthian War of 161–166 and went on to hold a succession of governorships and senior commands. He also sat in the Roman Senate, where he was a contemporary of the historian Cassius Dio. After the assassination of Commodus, Pertinax was chosen emperor. He aimed at restoring army discipline and imperial financial stability, but his reforms angered the Praetorian Guard, who killed him after just 87 days. He was later deified by Septimius Severus, who promoted his memory as part of his own rise to power. Ancient and modern assessments generally view Pertinax as a capable and conscientious ruler undone by circumstances.", "wds-Q4517": "Sir Bernard Katz, FRS (German pronunciation: [ˈbɛʁnaʁt kat͡s] ; 26 March 1911 – 20 April 2003) was a German-born British physician and biophysicist, noted for his work on nerve physiology; specifically, for his work on synaptic transmission at the nerve-muscle junction. He shared the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1970 with Julius Axelrod and Ulf von Euler. He was made a Knight Bachelor in 1969.", "wds-Q25088": "Muhammad ibn Ali al-Jawad (Arabic: مُحَمَّدٌ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ٱلْجَوَادُ, romanized: Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Jawād, c. 8 April 811 – c. 29 November 835), also known as Muhammad al-Taqi, was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the ninth of the Twelve Imams, succeeding his father Ali al-Rida. Born in Medina around 810, al-Jawad was the only child of al-Rida, the eighth Imam. When al-Rida left Medina after being summoned to Khorasan by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun to assume the position of heir apparent, he did not take any of his family members with him. Al-Jawad was only four years old when his father reluctantly left Medina. Therefore, al-Jawad spent most of his childhood away from his father. Al-Rida's appointment provoked strong opposition among the Abbasids in Baghdad, which forced al-Ma'mun to return to the capital Baghdad in 818. On the way back, al-Rida suddenly fell ill and died mysteriously in Tus, likely poisoned by order of al-Ma'mun as he made concessions to the opposition. Upon the death of al-Rida, the succession of his only son al-Jawad to the Imamate at the age of seven became controversial, but most recognized his knowledge and religious authority. At the time, some instead turned for leadership to al-Jawad's uncle, Ahmad ibn Musa, and some others joined the Waqifites, but the succession of al-Jawad did not create any permanent divisions. Shia sources often justify the Imamate of the young al-Jawad by drawing parallels with Jesus and John the Baptist, both of whom in the Quran received their prophetic missions in childhood. Like most of his predecessors, al-Jawad kept aloof from politics and engaged in religious teaching, while organizing the affairs of Shia Muslims through the network of representatives (Wokala) that his grandfather and the seventh Imam, Musa al-Kazim, had established. The extensive correspondence of al-Jawad with his followers on questions of Islamic law has been preserved in Shia sources, and numerous pithy religio-ethical sayings are attributed to him. In 830, al-Jawad was summoned to Baghdad by al-Ma'mun, who married his daughter Umm Fadhl to the former. This marriage, however, was to be without issue and might have been infelicitous. His successor, Ali al-Hadi, was already born to Samana, a freed slave (umm walad). In 833, al-Ma'mun died and was succeeded by his brother, al-Mu'tasim, who summoned al-Jawad again to Baghdad in 835 and hosted him and his wife, possibly to investigate any links between al-Jawad and new Alid revolts. Al-Jawad died in the same year at the age of about twenty-five. All Sunni sources are silent about the manner of his death, while Shia authorities are unanimous that he was poisoned by his disaffected wife, Umm al-Fadl, at the instigation of her uncle, caliph al-Mu'tasim. Al-Jawad is buried next to his grandfather in the Al-Kazimiyya Mosque, a holy site in Shia Islam.", "wds-Q1716": "Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (French pronunciation: [ʁəno pjɛʁ manɥɛl seʃɑ̃]; born 11 May 1952 in Paris), known as Renaud, is a French musician, singer, songwriter and actor. With twenty-six albums to his credit, selling nearly twenty million copies, he is one of France's most popular singers. Several of his songs are popular classics in France, including the sea tale \"Dès que le vent soufflera\", the irreverent \"Laisse béton\", the ballad \"Morgane de toi\" and the nostalgic \"Mistral gagnant\". His songs, with their slang lyrics and idiosyncratic Parisian phrasing, deal with both light and serious themes, alternating humor, emotion, and social criticism. Although he enjoyed great success in France in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, his career took a roller-coaster ride thereafter, with the singer regularly falling victim to depression and alcoholism, ailments he recounts in various songs. His work remains little known outside the French-speaking world. He also appeared in several films, including Claude Berri's adaptation of Germinal in 1993. Although his political stance has provoked controversy, he has nicknamed himself \"le chanteur énervant\" (the irritating singer), due to his many commitments to causes such as human rights, ecology, and anti-militarism, which are frequently reflected in his songs.", "wds-Q31683": "Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( DWAYN or doo-WY-ayn, born January 17, 1982) is an American basketball executive and former professional player who is a co-owner of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also currently the host of the American adaptation of The Cube. Nicknamed \"D-Wade\" and \"Flash\", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA championships, was a 13-time NBA All-Star, an eight-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a three-time member of the All-Defensive Team. Wade is also Miami's all-time leader in points, games played, assists, steals, shots made, and shots taken. After a successful college basketball career with the Marquette Golden Eagles, including leading the team to the Final Four in 2003, Wade was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Heat. In his third season, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he led the United States men's basketball team, commonly known as the \"Redeem Team\", in scoring and helped them capture the gold medal. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in both total points (2,386) and points per game (30.2), the latter stat earning him his lone NBA scoring title. Wade was selected as the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2010. With LeBron James and Chris Bosh, he helped guide Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, and won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. In July 2016, Wade briefly left Miami to play for the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers for a season and a half before being traded back to Miami in February 2018 where he finished his playing career and retired in 2019. The Heat retired Wade's #3 jersey in 2020. He purchased a minority ownership stake in the Utah Jazz in 2021 and became a minority stakeholder of the WNBA's Chicago Sky in 2023. In October 2021, Wade was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice: in 2023 for his individual career, and in 2025 as a member of the Redeem Team.", "wds-Q1934": "Sidney Rodrigue Noukpo Govou (born 27 July 1979) is a French former professional footballer who played primarily as a left winger, but was occasionally deployed as a striker. He is most prominent for his lengthy playing career at Lyon where he won seven Ligue 1 titles.", "wds-Q1944": "Jérémy Toulalan (born 10 September 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, but was also utilized as a central defender. He is best known for his humble demeanor, simple distribution, good technique and effective tackling. Toulalan started his career at hometown club Nantes and made his debut in March 2002. His performances during the 2004–05 season earned him the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year award and also an appearance in the Team of the Year. In May 2006, Toulalan joined Lyon on a four-year contract and helped the team win back-to-back league titles in 2007 and 2008. In June 2011, he joined Málaga. Toulalan also played for the France national team both at senior and several youth levels. He made his senior international debut in October 2006 and represented his nation at two international tournaments: UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.", "wds-Q4189": "Claire Rhiannon Holt (born 11 June 1988) is an Australian-American actress. She made her acting debut playing Emma Gilbert in the fantasy series H2O: Just Add Water (2006–2008), before moving to the United States and making her film debut in 2009. After appearing in the television sequel Mean Girls 2 and the first two seasons of Pretty Little Liars (both 2011), she had her breakthrough playing Rebekah Mikaelson in the CW supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries (2011–2014), The Originals (2013–2018) and Legacies (2021–2022). The role earned her acclaim and a Teen Choice Award nomination. She also starred in the NBC period crime drama series Aquarius (2015–2016), to further acclaim. In film, Holt starred in the comedy drama Blue Like Jazz (2012) and the survival thriller 47 Meters Down (2017) to positive critical reception, followed by roles in a series of less-well-received projects, and later in the acclaimed comedy horror film Untitled Horror Movie (2021). The last of these she also executive produced.", "wds-Q1919": "Mathieu Valbuena (born 28 September 1984) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Maltese Challenge League club St. Lucia. He occasionally plays as a winger and is known for his pace, technical ability, and tenacious style of play. He is described by his former coach at Libourne Saint-Seurin, Didier Tholot, as \"an explosive player who is capable of quickly taking two opponents out of the game to create space, above all due to his dribbling skills.\" Due to his small stature, Valbuena is nicknamed le petit vélo, which translates to \"the little bike\". Valbuena began his career at professional club Bordeaux. He was let go from the club after two seasons and subsequently joined amateur club Langon-Castets in the fifth division of French football. In 2004, Valbuena joined Libourne Saint-Seurin in the Championnat National, the third level of French football. The midfielder had a good 2005–06 season with the club and signed with Ligue 1 club Marseille, prior to the 2006–07 season. With Marseille, Valbuena played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time and, in the 2009–10 season, was part of the team that won the league and league cup double, as well as the Trophée des Champions. Valbuena is a French international and made his debut with the team in May 2010 in a friendly match against Costa Rica. He scored his first international goal in the same match and was named to the team to participate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a result. Valbuena appeared in only one of the three matches France contested at the World Cup. In November 2010, he scored his second career international goal against England at Wembley Stadium.", "wds-Q1911": "Olivier Jonathan Giroud (French pronunciation: [ɔlivje ʒɔnatɑ̃ ʒiʁu]; born 30 September 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Ligue 1 club Lille. Giroud began his senior club career playing for hometown club Grenoble, before he signed with Tours in 2008, aged 21. He was named Ligue 2 Player of the Year in 2010 after finishing as the league's top goalscorer. He was subsequently the subject of a then-club record football transfer when he moved to Montpellier in a transfer worth €2 million, winning the club's first Ligue 1 title and finishing as league top goalscorer in 2012. He then joined Arsenal, where he won three FA Cups to help end Arsenal's nine-year trophy drought, and went on to score over 100 goals. Giroud signed for crosstown rivals Chelsea in 2018 in a transfer worth £18 million (€20.7 million), winning the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Europa League, finishing as top goalscorer in the latter in 2019. Giroud then signed for AC Milan in 2021, helping them win the 2021–22 Serie A, which ended the club's 11-year league title drought. After a one-year stint in the United States, playing for Major League Soccer side for Los Angeles FC, he made his return to France and Ligue 1, joining Lille. Giroud made his senior international debut for the France national team in 2011 at age 25, and went on to earn 137 caps, including appearing in seven major tournaments. He is his country's second highest goalscorer, receiving the Bronze Boot as joint second-highest goalscorer as France finished runner-up at UEFA Euro 2016. He later won the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and finished runner-up at the 2022 World Cup, where Giroud again received the Bronze Boot.", "wds-Q913": "Socrates (; Ancient Greek: Σωκράτης, romanized: Sōkrátēs; c. 470 – 399 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, perhaps the first Western moral philosopher, and a major inspiration on his student Plato, who largely founded the tradition of Western philosophy. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. These accounts are written as dialogues, in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine a subject in the style of question and answer; they gave rise to the Socratic dialogue literary genre. Contradictory accounts of Socrates make a reconstruction of his philosophy nearly impossible, a situation known as the Socratic problem. Socrates was a polarizing figure in Athenian society. In 399 BC, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. As related by Plato, he was put to death by administration of poison after refusing offers from allies to help him escape. Plato's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. They demonstrate the Socratic approach to areas of philosophy including epistemology and ethics. The Platonic Socrates lends his name to the concept of the Socratic method, and also to Socratic irony. The Socratic method of questioning, or elenchus, takes shape in dialogue using short questions and answers, epitomized by those Platonic texts in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine various aspects of an issue or an abstract meaning, usually relating to one of the virtues, and find themselves at an impasse, unable to define what they thought they understood. Socrates frequently proclaims his ignorance, saying that he is only sure that he does not know. Socrates exerted a strong influence on philosophers in later antiquity and has continued to do so in the modern era. He was studied by medieval and Islamic scholars and played an important role in the thought of the Italian Renaissance, particularly within the humanist movement. Interest in him continued unabated, as reflected in the works of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Depictions of Socrates in art, literature, and popular culture have made him a widely known figure in the Western philosophical tradition.", "wds-Q1654": "Warren Weir (born 31 October 1989) is a retired Jamaican sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres. He was the bronze medallist in the event at the 2012 London Olympics, helping Jamaica sweep the event. In 2013, at the Moscow World Championships, Warren Weir won the silver medal equalling his personal best. He finished behind Usain Bolt, who set a world leading time. His personal best is 19.79 seconds, set at the National Stadium in his home country Jamaica. He has since equalled his personal best in Moscow, in the World Championship final. He trained with the Glen Mills-coached Racers Track Club, alongside Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.", "wds-Q997": "Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov (Russian: Андрей Дмитриевич Сахаров; 21 May 1921 – 14 December 1989) was a Soviet physicist and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, which he was awarded in 1975 for emphasizing human rights around the world. Although he spent his career in physics in the Soviet program of nuclear weapons, overseeing the development of thermonuclear weapons, Sakharov also did fundamental work in understanding particle physics, magnetism, and physical cosmology. Sakharov is mostly known for his political activism for individual freedom, human rights, civil liberties and reforms in the Soviet Union, for which he was deemed a dissident and faced persecution from the Soviet establishment. In his memory, the Sakharov Prize was established and is awarded annually by the European Parliament for people and organizations dedicated to human rights and freedoms.", "wds-Q1470": "Maurits Cornelis Escher (; Dutch: [ˈmʌurɪts kɔrˈneːlɪs ˈɛɕər]; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were inspired by mathematics. Despite wide popular interest, for most of his life Escher was neglected in the art world, even in his native Netherlands. He was 70 before a retrospective exhibition was held. In the late twentieth century, he became more widely appreciated, and in the twenty-first century he has been celebrated in exhibitions around the world. His work features mathematical objects and operations including impossible objects, explorations of infinity, reflection, symmetry, perspective, truncated and stellated polyhedra, hyperbolic geometry, and tessellations. Although Escher believed he had no mathematical ability, he interacted with the mathematicians George Pólya, Roger Penrose, and Donald Coxeter, and the crystallographer Friedrich Haag, and conducted his own research into tessellation. Early in his career, he drew inspiration from nature, making studies of insects, landscapes, and plants such as lichens, all of which he used as details in his artworks. He traveled in Italy and Spain, sketching buildings, townscapes, architecture and the tilings of the Alhambra and the Mezquita of Cordoba, and became steadily more interested in their mathematical structure. Escher's art became well known among scientists and mathematicians, and in popular culture, especially after it was featured by Martin Gardner in his April 1966 Mathematical Games column in Scientific American. Apart from being used in a variety of technical papers, his work has appeared on the covers of many books and albums. He was one of the major inspirations for Douglas Hofstadter's Pulitzer Prize–winning 1979 book Gödel, Escher, Bach.", "wds-Q37594": "William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy (as William II) from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading a Franco-Norman army to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. He suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose. William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy which plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke and for their own ends. In 1047, William quashed a rebellion and began to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. His marriage in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of Flanders. By the time of his marriage, William was able to arrange the appointment of his supporters as bishops and abbots in the Norman church. His consolidation of power allowed him to expand his horizons, and he secured control of the neighbouring county of Maine by 1062. In the 1050s and early 1060s, William became a contender for the throne of England held by the childless Edward the Confessor, his first cousin once removed. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. He decisively defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. After further military efforts, William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066 in London. He made arrangements for the governance of England in early 1067 before returning to Normandy. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but William's hold on England was mostly secure by 1075, allowing him to spend the greater part of his reign in continental Europe. William's final years were marked by difficulties in his continental domains, troubles with his son, Robert, and threatened invasions of England by the Danes. In 1086, he ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey listing all of the land-holdings in England along with their pre-Conquest and current holders. He died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in northern France, and was buried in Caen. His reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, settling a new Norman nobility on the land, and a change in the composition of the English clergy. He did not try to integrate his domains into one empire but continued to administer each part separately. His lands were divided after his death: Normandy went to Robert, and England went to his second surviving son, William Rufus.", "wds-Q30914": "Ahaz (Hebrew: אָחָז, romanized: ʼĀḥāz, lit. '\"has held\"'; Greek: Ἄχαζ, Ἀχάζ Akhaz; Latin: Achaz) an abbreviation of Jehoahaz II (of Judah), \"Yahweh has held\" (Hebrew: יְהוֹאָחָז, Modern: Yəhō’aḥaz, Tiberian: Yŏhō’āḥāz; Akkadian: 𒅀𒌑𒄩𒍣 Ya'úḫazi [ia-ú-ḫa-zi]) was the twelfth king of Judah, and the son and successor of Jotham. Ahaz was 20 when he became king of Judah and reigned for 16 years. Ahaz is portrayed as an evil king in the Second Book of Kings (2 Kings 16:2). In Edwin R. Thiele's opinion, Ahaz was co-regent with Jotham from 736/735 BC, and his sole reign began in 732/731 and ended in 716/715 BC. However, William F. Albright has dated his reign to 744–728 BC. The Gospel of Matthew lists Ahaz of Judah in the genealogy of Jesus. He is also mentioned in Isaiah 7 and Isaiah 14:28.", "wds-Q1666": "Jacques Romain Georges Brel (French: [ʒɑk ʁɔmɛ̃ ʒɔʁʒ bʁɛl] ; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world. He is considered a master of the modern chanson. Although he recorded most of his songs in French and occasionally in Dutch, he became an influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers, such as Scott Walker, David Bowie, Brett Anderson, Alex Harvey, Marc Almond, Neil Hannon, and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many performers, including Bowie, Walker, Anderson, Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, Neil Diamond, The Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey, James Dean Bradfield, Frank Sinatra, and Andy Williams. Brel was a successful actor, appearing in ten films. He directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Having sold over 25 million records worldwide, Brel is the third-best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time. Brel married Thérèse \"Miche\" Michielsen in 1950, and the couple had three children. He also had a romantic relationship with actress and dancer Maddly Bamy from 1972 until his death in 1978.", "wds-Q326585": "Vortigern ( or ; Old Welsh: Guorthigirn, Guorthegern; Welsh: Gwrtheyrn; Old English: Wyrtgeorn; Old Breton: Gurdiern, Gurthiern; Irish: Foirtchern; Latin: Vortigernus, Vertigernus, Uuertigernus, etc.), also spelt Vortiger, Vortigan, Voertigern and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Britain, known perhaps as a king of the Britons or at least connoted as such in the writings of Bede. His existence is contested by scholars and information about him is obscure. He also appears in some manuscripts of De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae by Gildas, and it is debated whether the name Vortigern was in the authorial version. Bede associates him with the proud tyrant (\"superbus tyrannus\") said in Gildas to have invited the Saxons (who Bede, but not Gildas, says were led by Hengist and Horsa) to aid him in fighting the Picts and the Scots, whereupon they revolted, killing his son in the process and forming the Kingdom of Kent. It is said that he took refuge in North Wales, and that his grave was in Dyfed or the Llŷn Peninsula. Gildas later denigrated the proud tyrant for his misjudgement and also blamed him for the loss of Britain. He is cited at the beginning of the genealogy of the early Kings of Powys.", "wds-Q1145": "Jean-Philippe Rameau (; French: [ʒɑ̃filip ʁamo]; (1683-09-25)25 September 1683 – (1764-09-12)12 September 1764) was a French composer and music theorist of the late Baroque era. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer of his time for the harpsichord, alongside François Couperin. Little is known about Rameau's early years. It was not until the 1720s that he won fame as a major theorist of music with his Treatise on Harmony (1722) and also in the following years as a composer of masterpieces for the harpsichord, which circulated throughout Europe. He was almost 50 before he embarked on the operatic career on which his reputation chiefly rests today. His debut, Hippolyte et Aricie (1733), caused a great stir and was fiercely attacked by the supporters of Lully's style of music for its revolutionary use of harmony. Nevertheless, Rameau's pre-eminence in the field of French opera was soon acknowledged, and he was later attacked as an \"establishment\" composer by those who favoured Italian opera during the controversy known as the Querelle des Bouffons in the 1750s. Rameau's music had gone out of fashion by the end of the 18th century, and it was not until the 20th that serious efforts were made to revive it. Today, his work is frequently performed and recorded.", "wds-Q9557": "Aamir Hussain Khan (pronounced [ˈaːmɪr xaːn]; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to as \"Mr. Perfectionist\" in the media, through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian cinema. Khan is the recipient of numerous awards, including nine Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, and an AACTA Award. He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010, and received an honorary title from the Government of China in 2017. Aamir Khan first appeared on screen as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973). As an adult, his first feature film role was in Holi (1984). He began a full-time acting career with a leading role in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). His performance in Raakh (1989) earned him recognition the Special Mention category. He established himself as a leading actor in the 1990s by appearing in a number of commercially successful films, including Dil (1990), Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), Rangeela (1995), Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995), Raja Hindustani (1996) for which he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor, Ghulam (1998), and Sarfarosh (1999). In 1999, he founded Aamir Khan Productions, whose first film, Lagaan (2001), was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and earned him a National Film Award for Best Popular Film and two more Filmfare Awards (Best Actor and Best Film). His next Dil Chahta Hai (2001) was a critical and commercial success. After a four-year hiatus, Khan returned to appear in leading roles, notably in Rang De Basanti (2006) and Fanaa (2006). He made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par (2007), which won him the Filmfare Awards for Best Film and Best Director. Khan's biggest commercial successes came with Ghajini (2008), 3 Idiots (2009), Dhoom 3 (2013), PK (2014), and Dangal (2016), each having held the record for being the highest-grossing Indian film. Khan won his third Best Actor award at Filmfare for Dangal. He has a large following, especially in India and China, and has been described by Newsweek as \"the most bankable movie star in the world\". He has been regularly listed among The 500 Most Influential Muslims of the world. He also created and hosted the television talk show Satyamev Jayate. His work as a social reformer earned him an appearance on the Time 100 list of most influential people in the world in 2013.", "wds-Q3910": "Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attended the Lycée Albert Premier before studying political science at Amherst College. He is an Olympian, having competed in bobsleigh at multiple Winter Olympic Games from 1988 until his retirement in 2002. Albert was appointed regent in March 2005 after his father fell ill, and became sovereign prince upon his father's death a week later. Since his accession, he has been outspoken in the field of environmentalism and an advocate of ocean conservation and the adoption of renewable energy sources to address global climate change, and founded the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006 to raise funds and initiate action for such causes and broader ecological preservation. With assets valued in 2010 at US$1 billion, Albert owns shares in the Société des Bains de Mer, which operates Monaco's casino and other entertainment properties in the Principality. In July 2011, Albert married South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock. He is the father of Gabriella and Jacques, the latter his heir presumptive. Prior to his marriage, he had a daughter and a son, Jazmin and Alexandre, both from different unions. Albert recognizes four children, although he has been the subject of multiple paternity claims.", "wds-Q838": "Andrei Rublev (Russian: Андрей Рублёв, romanized: Andrey Rublyov, IPA: [ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf] ; c. 1360 – c. 1430) was a Russian artist considered to be one of the greatest medieval Russian painters of Orthodox Christian icons and frescoes. He is revered as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and his feast day is 29 January.", "wds-Q2593": "Sir Matthew Allard de Vere Drummond (born Matthew Allard Robert Vaughn; 7 March 1971), also known as Sir Matthew Vaughn, is an English filmmaker. He has produced films including Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), and directed Layer Cake (2004), Stardust (2007), Kick-Ass (2010), X-Men: First Class (2011), and Argylle (2024). Vaughn also co-created the Kingsman comic book series and resulting franchise, directing, producing and co-writing the films from Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and The King's Man (2021).", "wds-Q4009": "Neferkare Setepenre Ramesses IX (also written Ramses) (originally named Amon-her-khepshef Khaemwaset) (ruled 1128-1110 BC) or 1129–1111 BC) was the eighth pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. He was the third longest serving king of this Dynasty after Ramesses III and Ramesses XI. His throne name, Neferkare Setepenre, means \"Beautiful Is The Soul of Re, Chosen of Re.\" Ramesses IX is believed to be the son of Mentuherkhepeshef, a son of Ramesses III, since Mentuherkhopshef's wife, the lady Takhat bears the prominent title of King's Mother on the walls of tomb KV10, which she usurped and reused in the late 20th Dynasty; no other 20th Dynasty king is known to have had a mother with this name. Ramesses IX was, therefore, probably a grandson of Ramesses III.", "wds-Q576": "Jorge Eduardo Alessandri Rodríguez (Latin American Spanish: [ˈxoɾxe aleˈsandɾi roˈðɾiɣes]; 19 May 1896 – 31 August 1986) was the 27th President of Chile from 1958 to 1964, and was the candidate of the Chilean right in the crucial presidential election of 1970, which he lost to Salvador Allende. He was the son of Arturo Alessandri, who was president from 1920 to 1925 and again from 1932 to 1938.", "wds-Q379": "František Plánička (Czech pronunciation: [ˈfraɲcɪʃɛk ˈplaːɲɪtʃka]; 2 June 1904 – 20 July 1996) was a Czech football goalkeeper and one of the most honoured players in the history of Czechoslovak football. He played all his career for Slavia Prague, during which time the club won the Czech league eight times and the Mitropa Cup once. He also became a member of the Czechoslovakia national team, where his first success as a young goalkeeper was helping Czechoslovakia to become runner-up in the Central European International Cup 1931–32 and later became captain during the World Cup finals of 1934 (where the Czechoslovakia team finished second) and 1938. Plánička was a courageous player, to the extent that in Czechoslovakia's 1938 World Cup match against Brazil, he remained on the field despite having suffered a serious injury. This injury ended a career that saw him play a total of 1253 matches, in which he conceded only 1073 goals, an average of 0.86 goals per game. He was a goalkeeper of outstanding reflexes and shot-stopping abilities and was also characterized by his sportsmanship, never once being cautioned or sent off in his 20-year career. He was awarded the UNESCO International Fair Play Award in 1985. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, and of all time, in 1999, the IFFHS elected him the best Czech goalkeeper – as well as the sixth best in Europe and the ninth best overall – of the twentieth century. In 2003, he was cataloged as the greatest pre-war goalkeeper in Europe along with other notable keepers such as Ricardo Zamora and Gianpiero Combi.", "wds-Q37679": "Fulgencio Yegros y Franco de Torres (born 1780 in Quyquyhó, died 17 July 1821) was a Paraguayan soldier, landowner and the first head of state of independent Paraguay. The town of Yegros is named in his honor.", "wds-Q1776": "Gerd Kanter (born 6 May 1979) is an Estonian retired discus thrower. He was the 2007 World Champion in the event and won the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and bronze in London 2012. His personal best throw of 73.38 m is the Estonian record and the fourth best mark of all time. He made his first Olympic appearance in 2004 and established himself a year later by taking the silver medal at the 2005 World Championships. He was runner-up at the 2006 European Athletics Championships and won further medals at the World Championships in 2009 (bronze) and 2011 (silver). He won the 2012 and the 2013 IAAF Diamond League in discus throw.", "wds-Q19425": "Prince Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky (Russian: Пëтр Андре́евич Вя́земский, IPA: [ˈpʲɵtr ɐnˈdrʲejɪvʲɪt͡ɕ ˈvʲæzʲɪmskʲɪj]; 23 July 1792 – 22 November 1878) was a Russian poet and a leading personality of the Golden Age of Russian poetry.", "wds-Q31377": "Pavel Horváth (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpavɛl ˈɦorvaːt]; Hungarian: Horváth Pál; born 22 April 1975) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a midfielder, and a football manager. He was in charge of Příbram. He spent the better part of his 22-year professional career with Slavia Prague (four years), Teplice (three) and Viktoria Plzeň (seven), amassing Czech First League totals of 435 games and 78 goals during 19 seasons. He also competed professionally in Portugal, Turkey and Japan. Horvath was a Czech international for three years.", "wds-Q21826": "Edith Clarke (February 10, 1883 – October 29, 1959) was an American electrical engineer and academic. Clarke specialized in electrical power system analysis and is credited with laying the foundation for the smart grid - helping the electric grid of the future grow, remain stable and reliable. She was the first person who used an analyzer to obtain data about power networks. The U.S. Department of Energy calls her efforts “the first step toward smart grid technology. She could be called the Smart Grid’s ‘Founding Mother.’”. She wrote the textbook used by power engineers for decades titled Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems. Clarke's legacy includes being the first woman to be professionally employed as an electrical engineer in the United States and the first female professor of electrical engineering in the country. She was the first woman to deliver a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.", "wds-Q1655": "Sir Kirani Zeno James GCNG COG (born 1 September 1992) is a Grenadian professional sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He won the 400 m at the World Championships in 2011 and won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. In the 400 metres, James also won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, thus becoming the first man to earn the full set of three medals in the centennial history of the event. He is Grenada's first Olympic medalist. He holds the Grenadian national record in both the 200 metres and 400 metres. As a junior, James also specialized in the 200 metres. Prodigious from a young age, he ran the fastest 400 m times ever by a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old. He won a series of gold medals at the CARIFTA Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games and rose on the international stage with 400 m silver medals at the 2007 World Youth and 2008 World Junior Championships. James became the first athlete to run a 200/400 double at the 2009 World Youth Championships and was the 2010 World Junior Champion. James received an athletic scholarship at the University of Alabama and won back-to-back NCAA Outdoor Championship titles in his first two years. He is the third fastest of all-time indoors (44.80 seconds) and ran a personal best of 43.74 at a 2014 Diamond League event in Lausanne. James is one of only eleven athletes (along with Valerie Adams, Usain Bolt, Veronica Campbell Brown, Armand Duplantis, Jacques Freitag, Yelena Isinbayeva, Faith Kipyegon, Jana Pittman, Dani Samuels, and David Storl) to win World Championship titles at the youth, junior, and senior levels of an athletic event.", "wds-Q9130": "Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (12 August 1887 – 4 January 1961), sometimes anglicised as Schroedinger or Schrodinger, was an Austrian theoretical physicist who developed fundamental results in quantum theory. In particular, he is recognized for devising the Schrödinger equation, an equation that provides a way to calculate the wave function of a system and how it changes dynamically in time. He coined the term \"quantum entanglement\" in 1935. Schrödinger shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Paul Dirac \"for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory\". In addition, Schrödinger wrote many works on various aspects of physics: statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, physics of dielectrics, color theory, electrodynamics, general relativity, and cosmology, and he made several attempts to construct a unified field theory. In his book, What Is Life?, Schrödinger addressed the problems of genetics, looking at the phenomenon of life from the point of view of physics. He also paid great attention to the philosophical aspects of science, ancient and oriental philosophical concepts, ethics, and religion. He also wrote on philosophy and theoretical biology. In popular culture, he is best known for \"Schrödinger's cat\", a thought experiment. He and Dirac tied for eighth in a Physics World poll of the greatest physicists of all time. In his personal life, he lived with both his wife and his mistress which may have led to problems causing him to leave his position at Oxford. Subsequently, until 1938, he had a position in Graz, Austria, until the Nazi takeover when he fled, finally finding a long-term arrangement in Dublin, Ireland, where he remained until retirement in 1955. He returned to Vienna in 1956, with an emeritus professor position, and died of tuberculosis in 1961. In 1989, allegations of sexual abuse of several minors emerged. In 2026, a defence was published challenging some of these allegations.", "wds-Q1149": "Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (née Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian stateswoman who twice served as the Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was India's first and only female prime minister, and a central figure in Indian politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). Gandhi also served as chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from 1983 to 1984, becoming the first Indian to hold the position. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, and the mother of Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her as prime minister. Her cumulative tenure of 15 years and 350 days, spanning four terms, makes her the second-longest-serving Indian prime minister after her father and the longest-serving female head of government at the time of her death. During her father Jawaharlal Nehru's premiership from 1947 to 1964, Gandhi was his hostess and accompanied him on his numerous foreign trips. In 1959, she played a part in the dissolution of the communist-led Kerala state government as then-president of the Indian National Congress, otherwise a ceremonial position to which she was elected earlier that year. Lal Bahadur Shastri, who had succeeded Nehru as prime minister upon his death in 1964, appointed her minister of information and broadcasting in his government; the same year she was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament. After Shastri's death in January 1966, Gandhi defeated her rival, Morarji Desai, in the INC's parliamentary leadership election to become leader and also succeeded Shastri as prime minister. With her premiership of India she became the world's second female prime minister after her Sri Lankan counterpart Sirimavo Bandaranaike. She led the Congress to victory in two subsequent elections, starting with the 1967 general election, in which she was first elected to the lower house of the Indian parliament, the Lok Sabha. In 1971, her party secured its first landslide victory since her father's sweep in 1962, focusing on issues such as poverty. As prime minister, Gandhi was known for her uncompromising political stances and centralisation of power within the executive branch. In 1967, she headed a military conflict with China in which India repelled Chinese incursions into the Himalayas. In 1971, she went to war with Pakistan in support of the independence movement and war of independence in East Pakistan, which resulted in an Indian victory, the end of the Bangladeshi genocide, and the independence of Bangladesh, as well as an increase in India's influence to the point where it became the sole regional power in South Asia. Another military operation against Pakistan, codenamed Operation Meghdoot, occurred during her tenure in 1984, which led to India expanding the territory it effectively controlled in the disputed Kashmir region. Gandhi also played a crucial role in initiating India's first successful nuclear weapon test in 1974. Her rule saw India grow closer to the Soviet Union by signing a friendship treaty in 1971 to ward off perceived geopolitical threat as a result of the U.S. warming up to China. India received military, financial, and diplomatic support from the Soviet Union during its conflict with Pakistan in the same year. Though India was at the forefront of the Non-Aligned Movement, Gandhi made it one of the Soviet Union's closest allies in Asia, each often supporting the other in proxy wars and at the United Nations. Responding to separatist tendencies and a call for revolution, she instituted a state of emergency from 1975 to 1977, during which she ruled by decree and basic civil liberties were suspended. More than 100,000 political opponents, journalists and dissenters were imprisoned. Following the Emergency, the INC lost the 1977 election in the midst of massive anti-incumbency sentiment — the first such loss for the INC in the history of the Republic of India. She even lost her own parliamentary constituency. However, due to her portrayal as a strong leader and the weak governance of the Janata Party, her party won the next election by a landslide and she returned to the premiership. She faced the Sikh separatist movement throughout her fourth premiership; in response, she ordered Operation Blue Star, which involved military action in the Golden Temple and killed hundreds of Sikhs. On 31 October 1984, she was assassinated by two of her bodyguards, both of whom were Sikh nationalists seeking retribution for the events at the temple. Gandhi was cremated at the site now known as Shakti Sthal (transl. 'Place of strength'). The site is marked by a large monolithic rock of iron ore commemorating her as the \"Iron Lady of India\". Gandhi is remembered as one of the most powerful women in the world. Her supporters cite her leadership during victories over geopolitical rivals China and Pakistan, the Green Revolution, a growing economy in the early 1980s, and her anti-poverty campaign that led her to be known as Mother Indira among the country's poor and rural population. Critics note her cult of personality and authoritarian rule of India during the Emergency. In 1999, she was named \"Woman of the Millennium\" in an online poll organised by the BBC. In 2020, she was named by Time magazine among the 100 women who defined the past century as counterparts to the magazine's previous choices for Man of the Year.", "wds-Q2125": "Sir John Arthur Brabham (2 April 1926 – 19 May 2014) was an Australian racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1955 to 1970. Brabham won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, in 1959, 1960 and 1966, and 14 Grands Prix across 16 seasons. He co-founded Brabham in 1960, leading the team to two World Constructors' Championship titles, and remains the only driver to have won the World Drivers' Championship in an eponymous car. Brabham was a Royal Australian Air Force flight mechanic and ran a small engineering workshop before he started racing midget cars in 1948. His successes with midgets in Australian and New Zealand road racing events led to his going to Britain to further his racing career. There he became part of the Cooper Car Company's racing team, building as well as racing cars. He contributed to the design of the mid-engined cars that Cooper introduced to Formula One and the Indianapolis 500, and won the Formula One world championship in 1959 and 1960. In 1962 he established his own Brabham marque with fellow Australian Ron Tauranac, which in the 1960s became the largest manufacturer of custom racing cars in the world. In the 1966 Formula One season Brabham became the only man to win the Formula One world championship driving one of his own cars. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving World Champion of the 1950s. After the 1970 Formula One season, Brabham retired to Australia, where he bought a farm and maintained business interests, which included the Engine Developments racing engine manufacturer and several garages.", "wds-Q4724": "Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 1887 – 27 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier, was a French-Swiss architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer who is described as one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland to French-speaking Swiss parents and acquired French nationality in 1930. He designed buildings in Europe, Japan, India, and the Americas during a five-decade career. He considered that \"the roots of modern architecture are to be found in Viollet-le-Duc.\" Dedicated to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities, Le Corbusier was influential in urban planning, and was a founding member of the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM). Le Corbusier prepared the master plan for the city of Chandigarh in India, and contributed specific designs for several buildings there, especially the government buildings. In 2016, seventeen projects by Le Corbusier in seven countries were inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites as The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement. Le Corbusier remains a controversial figure. His ties with fascism, antisemitism, eugenics, and the dictator Benito Mussolini have resulted in some continuing contention. Some of his urban planning ideas have been criticized for their indifference to pre-existing cultural sites, social expression and equality. Le Corbusier also designed well-known furniture such as the LC4 chaise longue and the LC1 chair, both made of leather with metal framing.", "wds-Q1317": "Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (1957/58 – 2 May 2011) was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda, a Salafi jihadist militant organization, from 1988 until his killing in 2011. During that era, he was one of the most significant supporters of Islamic terrorism and jihadist militant movements around the world, as he aimed to found a pan-Islamic caliphate and end the United States' interventionism in the Middle East, including its support for Israel. Most notably, bin Laden helped orchestrate the September 11 attacks against the U.S. in 2001, which caused the U.S.-led global war on terror. He led al-Qaeda and its allies in numerous wars, including the Second Afghan Civil War (1992–1996), Bosnian War (1992–1995), Algerian Civil War (1992–2002), and Third Afghan Civil War (1996–2001). Born into the billionaire bin Laden family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, bin Laden moved to Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989). He used his personal fortune to fund several jihadist groups around the world, including the Afghan mujahideen and Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and built a large Islamist network to train militants in Chechnya, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Somalia, Yemen, Tajikistan, and Kosovo. In 1984, he co-founded Maktab al-Khidamat to recruit for the mujahideen, and founded al-Qaeda in 1988 to fight alongside the Afghan militants. Bin Laden commanded a mujahideen force during the First Afghan Civil War following the Soviet withdrawal. Upon returning to Saudi Arabia, bin Laden publicly promoted anti-Western causes and opposed the Saudi royal family, leading to his exile and the loss of his citizenship in 1991. He went back to Afghanistan, then moved to Sudan later that year. In 1993, al-Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center in New York City. In 1996, bin Laden returned to Afghanistan after being expelled from Sudan; Afghanistan came under Taliban control later that year. Al-Qaeda allied with the Taliban, and they collaborated in the 1996–2001 Afghan war. In 1996 and 1998, bin Laden declared holy war on all Americans. Al-Qaeda bombed U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998, and the U.S. and United Nations officially declared bin Laden a terrorist. That year, al-Qaeda also began an ongoing insurgency in Yemen. The September 11 attacks were planned primarily by bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and certain intelligence sources allege they were aided by Saudi Arabia, despite bin Laden's prior expulsion. Nineteen al-Qaeda members hijacked four American passenger planes, intending to crash them into U.S. landmarks. American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon in Virginia, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania before reaching the hijackers' unknown target in Washington, D.C., and the World Trade Center towers collapsed after being struck by American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175. More than 5,000 deaths from inhalation exposure have been attributed to the attacks. An estimated 25,000 people were injured. Many nations passed stringent anti-terrorism legislation, while an international manhunt for bin Laden began. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan, deposed the Taliban, and forced bin Laden to relocate to Pakistan before February 2002. He purchased land in Abbottabad to construct a new compound, which he moved into in 2005. Al-Qaeda fought the U.S. and its allies in the war in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the Iraq War (2003–2011), while continuing to enact major terrorist attacks worldwide. By 2009, U.S. intelligence considered bin Laden relegated to being al-Qaeda's \"ideological figurehead\", with Ayman al-Zawahiri instead acting as \"strategic commander\". In 2010, U.S. intelligence discovered bin Laden's compound. In 2011, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs raided it, killing bin Laden. Al-Zawahiri succeeded him as al-Qaeda's emir. Polls show that Muslims at large have a negative view of bin Laden, while many Islamists consider him heroic. Elsewhere, he is overwhelmingly seen as a symbol of terrorism and mass murder.", "wds-Q31081": "Irina Anatolyevna Privalova, formerly Sergeyeva, (Russian: Ирина Анатольевна Привалова; born 22 November 1968 in Malakhovka) is a Russian Olympic gold medallist athlete. Her Summer Olympics debut was in 1992 in the sprint events, where she won two medals a bronze in the 100 m and running the anchor leg in the 4 × 100 team, a silver and came fourth in the 200, representing the Unified Team. With three European individual championships and three individual world medals, Irina Privalova had been a formidable competitor during most of the 1990s (see Sprints) but had not yet won an outdoor international event gold medal (as an individual athlete, she had won relay gold in 1993). In 2000, she switched to the 400 m hurdles discipline winning the gold medal in 53.02 s (see 400 m Hurdles) and a bronze in the 4 × 400 m relay team for Russia. Irina Privalova is currently the world indoor record holder in the 50 m (5.96 s) and 60 m (6.92 s) sprints (See World Indoor Records). She has also been the world indoor champion at the 60 m (7.02 s in 1991), 200 m (22.15 s in 1993), and 400 m (50.23 s in 1995) events the first athlete to win titles, indoors or outdoors, at three different distances. Privalova achieved her best time (10.77 s) in the 100 m in 1994 – the fastest time for nine years. In 2008, aged 39, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 m at Russian championships in attempting to qualify for her fourth Olympics. She had tried moving to the 800 m to qualify for the 2004 Olympics. In 2020, Privalova stood for the presidency of the Russian Athletics Federation. She failed to win but became vice-president. She later was called to stand-in as acting president when the elected president moved to a government agency (See Russian Athletic Federation Presidency).", "wds-Q19943": "Juan Carlos I (Spanish: [xwaŋˈ kaɾlos]; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 1975 until his abdication in 2014. Although chosen by Francisco Franco as his successor, Juan Carlos helped dismantle the Francoist system and oversee the Spanish transition to democracy. Juan Carlos is the son of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and grandson of Alfonso XIII, the last king of Spain before the abolition of the monarchy in 1931 and the subsequent declaration of the Second Spanish Republic. Juan Carlos was born in Rome, Italy, during his family's exile. General Francisco Franco took over the government of Spain after his victory in the Spanish Civil War in 1939, yet in 1947 Spain's status as a monarchy was affirmed and a law was passed allowing Franco to choose his successor. Juan Carlos's father assumed his claims to the throne after former king Alfonso XIII died in February 1941. However, Franco saw Juan Carlos's father to be too liberal and in 1969 declared Juan Carlos to be Prince of Spain, his successor as head of state. Juan Carlos spent his early years in Italy and came to Spain in 1947 to continue his studies. After completing his secondary education in 1955, he began his military training and entered the General Military Academy at Zaragoza. Later, he attended the Naval Military Academy and the General Academy of the Air, and finished his tertiary education at the University of Madrid. In 1962, Juan Carlos married Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark in Athens. The couple have three children: Elena, Cristina, and Felipe. Due to Franco's advanced age and declining health amid his struggle with Parkinson's disease, Juan Carlos first began periodically acting as Spain's head of state in the summer of 1974. In November the following year, Franco died and Juan Carlos became king. Juan Carlos was expected to continue Franco's legacy, but instead introduced reforms to dismantle the Francoist regime and to begin Spain's transition to democracy soon after his accession. This led to the 1977 general election, the first free election in Spain since 1936, followed by the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum which re-established a constitutional monarchy. In 1981, Juan Carlos played a major role in preventing a coup that attempted to revert to Francoist government in the King's name. In 2008, he was considered the most popular leader across all Ibero-America. Hailed for his role in Spain's transition to democracy, the King and the monarchy's reputation began to suffer after controversies surrounding his family arose, exacerbated by the public controversy centering on an elephant-hunting trip he undertook during a time of financial crisis in Spain. In June 2014, Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of his son, who acceded to the throne as Felipe VI. Since August 2020, Juan Carlos has lived in self-imposed exile from Spain over allegedly improper ties to business deals in Saudi Arabia. The New York Times estimated in 2014 that Juan Carlos's fortune was around €1.8 billion ($2.3 billion). Juan Carlos is the second-oldest-living member of the Spanish royal family after Teresa de Borbón-Dos Sicilias.", "wds-Q3371": "Seleucus III Ceraunus (Ancient Greek: Σέλευκος Κεραυνός, Séleukos Keraunós), later also known as Soter (Ancient Greek: Σωτήρ, Sōtḗr; born 244 or 243 BCE; died 223 BCE in Phrygia), was the eldest son of Seleucus II Callinicus and Laodice II, and for a few years—between 226/5 and 223 BCE—king of the Seleucid Empire. His epithets mean \"Thunderbolt\" and \"Savior,\" while his birth name was Alexander. In 225 BCE, following the death of his father Seleucus II—who succumbed to injuries from a fall from his horse—Seleucus III succeeded him as king of the Seleucid Empire. In 223 BCE, he was assassinated in Asia Minor by courtiers during a campaign against Attalus I of Pergamon. His brother Antiochus subsequently ascended the throne.", "wds-Q185790": "Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, IAST: Arjuna) is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. He is the third oldest of the five Pandava brothers and is widely recognised as the most distinguished among them. He is the son of Indra, the king of the gods, and Kunti, wife of King Pandu of Kuru dynasty, making him a divine-born hero. Arjuna is famed for his extraordinary prowess in archery and mastery over celestial weapons. Throughout the epic, Arjuna sustains a close friendship with his maternal cousin, Krishna, who serves as his mentor and spiritual guide. Arjuna is celebrated for numerous heroic exploits throughout the epic. From an early age, he distinguishes himself as an exceptional student under the tutelage of the revered warrior-sage Drona. In his youth, Arjuna secured the hand of Draupadi, the princess of Panchala, by excelling in her Swayamvar. Subsequently, during a period of temporary exile prompted by a breach of a fraternal agreement, Arjuna embarked on a journey during which he entered into matrimonial alliances with three princesses: Ulupi, Chitrangada, and Subhadra. From these unions, he fathered four sons: Shrutakarma, Iravan, Babhruvahana and Abhimanyu. Arjuna plays a major role in establishing his elder brother Yudhishthira’s sovereignty, subduing numerous kingdoms and setting fire to the forest of Khandavaprastha. When the Pandavas are deceitfully exiled after being tricked into forfeiting their kingdom by their envious cousins, the Kauravas, Arjuna vows to kill Karna, a key Kaurava ally and Arjuna's main rival who is later revealed to be his elder half-brother, for publicly shaming Draupadi. During exile, Arjuna undertakes a journey to acquire divine weapons and earns the favour of the God Shiva. Beyond his martial prowess, Arjuna was also ambidexterous (Sanskrit: सव्यसाची, romanized: savyasācī), skilled in music and dance, which enabled him to disguise himself as a eunuch teacher of princess Uttarā of Matsya during his final year of exile. During this period, he also defeats the entire Kuru army. Before the Kurukshetra War, Arjuna, despite his valour, became deeply demoralised upon seeing his own relatives and revered teachers aligned with the opposing Kaurava side and struggled with the idea of killing them. Faced with a profound moral dilemma, he turns to Krishna, who serves as his charioteer. Krishna imparts him the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita, counseling him on his duty (dharma) as a warrior, karma and liberation through devotion. In this moment of spiritual revelation, Arjuna is granted a vision of Krishna’s cosmic divine form, known as the Vishvarupa. During the war, Arjuna, wielding the celestial bow Gandiva, emerges as a key warrior, responsible for the fall and death of several formidable foes, including Bhishma and Karna. After the war, he assists Yudhishthira in consolidating his empire through Ashvamedha. In this episode, Arjuna is slain by his own son, Babruvahana, but is revived through the intervention of Ulupi. Before the onset of the Kali Yuga, Arjuna performs the last rites of Krishna and other Yadavas. He, along with brothers and Draupadi, then undertakes his final journey to the Himalayas, where he ultimately succumbs. The Kuru dynasty continues through Arjuna's grandson, Parikshit. Arjuna remains as an epitome of heroism, chivalry, and devotion in the Hindu tradition. He particularly holds a prominent place within the Krishna-centric Vaishnava sect of Hinduism, further elevated by his pivotal role in Bhagavad Gita, which becomes a central scripture of Hindu philosophy. Beyond the Mahabharata, Arjuna is mentioned in early works such as the Aṣṭādhyāyī (likely composed in the 5th or 6th century BCE), which mentions his worship alongside Vasudeva-Krishna, as well as in the Puranas and a multitude of regional and folk traditions across India and Indonesia. His story has been an inspiration for various arts, performances and secondary literature.", "wds-Q30693": "Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius (German pronunciation: [ˈʁuːdɔlf ˈklaʊzi̯ʊs]; 2 January 1822 – 24 August 1888) was a German physicist and mathematician and is considered one of the central founding fathers of the science of thermodynamics. By his restatement of Sadi Carnot's principle known as the Carnot cycle, he gave the theory of heat a truer and sounder basis. His most important paper, \"On the Moving Force of Heat\", published in 1850, first stated the basic ideas of the second law of thermodynamics. In 1865 he introduced the concept of entropy. In 1870 he introduced the virial theorem, which applied to heat.", "wds-Q4026": "Khepermaatre Ramesses X (also written Ramses and Rameses) (ruled 1110-1106 BC) was the ninth pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. His birth name was Amonhirkhepeshef. His prenomen or throne name, Khepermaatre, means \"The Justice of Re Abides.\"", "wds-Q5167": "Ramesses VI Nebmaatre-Meryamun (sometimes written Ramses or Rameses, also known under his princely name of Amenherkhepshef C) was the fifth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. He reigned for about eight years in the mid-to-late 12th century BC and was a son of Ramesses III and queen Iset Ta-Hemdjert. As a prince, he was known as Ramesses Amunherkhepeshef and held the titles of royal scribe and cavalry general. He was succeeded by his son, Ramesses VII Itamun, whom he had fathered with queen Nubkhesbed. After the death of the ruling pharaoh, Ramesses V, who was the son of Ramesses VI's older brother, Ramesses IV, Ramesses VI ascended the throne. In the first two years after his coronation, Ramesses VI stopped frequent raids by Libyan or Egyptian marauders in Upper Egypt and buried his predecessor in what is now an unknown tomb of the Theban necropolis. Ramesses VI usurped KV9, a tomb in the Valley of the Kings planned by and for Ramesses V, and had it enlarged and redecorated for himself. The craftsmen's huts near the entrance of KV9 covered up the entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb, saving it from a wave of tomb robberies that occurred within 20 years of Ramesses VI's death. Ramesses VI may have planned and made six more tombs in the Valley of the Queens, none which are known today. Egypt lost control of its last strongholds in Canaan around the time of Ramesses VI's reign. Though Egyptian occupation in Nubia continued, the loss of the Asiatic territories strained Egypt's weakening economy and increased prices. With construction projects increasingly hard to fund, Ramesses VI usurped the monuments of his forefathers by engraving his cartouches over theirs. Yet he boasted of having \"[covered] all the land with great monuments in my name [...] built in honour of my fathers the gods\". He was fond of cult statues of himself; more are known to portray him than any Twentieth-Dynasty king after Ramesses III. The Egyptologist Amin Amer characterises Ramesses VI as \"a king who wished to pose as a great pharaoh in an age of unrest and decline\". The pharaoh's power waned in Upper Egypt during Ramesses VI's rule. Though his daughter Iset was named God's Wife of Amun, the high-priest of Amun, Ramessesnakht, turned Thebes into Egypt's religious capital and a second center of power on par with Pi-Ramesses in Lower Egypt, where the pharaoh resided. In spite of these developments, there is no evidence that Ramessesnakht's dynasty worked against royal interests, which suggests that the Ramesside kings may have approved of these evolutions. Ramesses VI died in his forties, in his eighth or ninth year of rule. His mummy lay untouched in his tomb for fewer than 20 years before pillagers damaged it. The body was moved to KV35 during the reign of Pinedjem I, and was discovered in 1898 by Victor Loret. His mummy is currently kept in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.", "wds-Q1323": "Domingo Santa María González (Latin American Spanish: [doˈmiŋgo ˈsanta maˈɾi.a]; August 4, 1825 – July 18, 1889) was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1881 and 1886.", "wds-Q24334": "Mykola Khvylovy (Ukrainian: Микола Хвильовий, romanized: Mykola Khvyliovyi [mɪˈkɔlɐ xwɪlʲoˈwɪj]; born Mykola Hryhorovych Fitiliov [Микола Григорович Фітільов]; 13 December [O.S. 1 December] 1893 – May 13, 1933) was a Ukrainian novelist, poet, publicist, and political activist, one of the founders of post-revolutionary Ukrainian prose, and one of the most famous representatives of the Ukrainian Renaissance in literature of the 1920s–1930s. Khvylovy was one of the main figures of Ukrainian 'National Communism' and the creator of the slogan \"Away from Moscow!\"", "wds-Q19364": "José Andrés Guardado Hernández (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈdɾes ɣwaɾˈðaðo]; born 28 September 1986) is a Mexican professional football manager and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Popularly known as Principito (Spanish for Little Prince), Guardado came through the youth ranks at Atlas, making his professional debut in 2005 before signing with Spain's Deportivo two years later, where he spent five seasons. In 2012 he joined Valencia, with brief loan stints at Bayer Leverkusen and PSV, before permanently joining the latter club in 2015 and winning two Eredivisie titles and two Johan Cruyff Shield titles. He returned to Spain in 2017 with Real Betis, where he won a Copa del Rey and made 218 appearances before returning to his native Mexico in 2024 to join León. He retired from professional football after the end of the 2024–25 season. A Mexican international player from 2005 to 2024, Guardado represented the country in five World Cups, four Gold Cups–winning the 2011, 2015 and 2019 tournaments–two Copa Américas and two Confederations Cups. He is the most-capped player in the history of the national team with 180 appearances, and joint tenth on the all-time scorer list with 28 goals. He is regarded as one of the best North American players of all time.", "wds-Q30812": "Petra Kvitová (Czech: [ˈpɛtra ˈkvɪtovaː]; born 8 March 1990) is a Czech former professional tennis player. Known for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes and variety, Kvitová won 31 WTA Tour-level career singles titles, including two major titles at Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014. She also won the 2011 WTA Championships, and claimed a bronze medal in singles representing the Czech Republic at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her career-high ranking of world No. 2 was achieved on 31 October 2011. Kvitová first gained notice by defeating then-world No. 1 Dinara Safina in the third round of the 2009 US Open. This was followed by her first major semifinal appearance at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. Then, during her breakthrough season in 2011, Kvitová won her first major title at Wimbledon over Maria Sharapova in the final, becoming the first player of either gender born in the 1990s to win a major. At the end of the season, she won the WTA Championships on her debut. She also led the Czech Republic to victory in the Fed Cup that same year, the country's first such title as an independent nation. In 2012, Kvitová reached the semifinals of the Australian and French Opens, and was crowned the US Open Series champion. That same year, she also won the Hopman Cup alongside Tomáš Berdych. In 2014, she won her second major title at Wimbledon, defeating Eugenie Bouchard in the final. In 2015, Kvitová completed the feat of reaching at least the quarterfinals of all four majors after her quarterfinal debut at the US Open. In 2016, she won the WTA Elite Trophy on her debut, thus becoming the first player ever to win both categories of year-end championships on debut. Kvitová was sidelined with injury in the first-half of 2017 following a knife attack during the off-season in 2016. In 2019, she reached her first major final in almost five years, at the Australian Open, finishing runner-up to Naomi Osaka. She retired from the sport in 2025.", "wds-Q1659": "David Lekuta Rudisha, MBS (born 17 December 1988) is a retired Kenyan middle-distance runner who is the world and Olympic record holder in the 800 metres. Rudisha won gold medals in the 800 m at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games; at the former, he set the current world record with a time of 1:40.91. He is also a two-time World champion (2011 and 2015) and two-time Diamond League champion (2010 and 2011) in the 800 m. Rudisha is the first and only person to ever run 800 m under 1:41, and holds the three fastest times ever in the event, each being a world record at the time. Rudisha established his running career at the St. Francis Kimuron High School in Elgeyo-Marakwet County. He won 800 m titles at the 2006 World Junior Championships as well as the 2008 and 2010 African Championships, and earned the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medal. He also holds the world's best time in the 500 metres and the African best for the 600 metres. He is a two-time Diamond League 800 m winner. Rudisha won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year award in 2010 and three consecutive Track & Field News Athlete of the Year awards. In May 2022, Rudisha announced he would be running for election in his native Kenya as an independent candidate in the Kilgoris Constituency. In March 2024, Rudisha served as the World Athletics ambassador for the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.", "wds-Q5031": "Saint Paisios of Mount Athos (Greek: Ἅγιος Παΐσιος ὁ Ἁγιορείτης, pronounced [ˈa.ʝi.os paˈi.si.os o a.ʝi.oˈɾi.tis]; secular name: Arsenios Eznepides (Greek: Ἀρσένιος Ἐζνεπίδης), known during his lifetime as Elder Paisios (Greek: Γέροντας Παΐσιος); 7 August [O.S. 25 July] 1924 – 12 July 1994) was a Greek Eastern Orthodox ascetic from Mount Athos, originally from Pharasa, Cappadocia. Today, he is widely venerated by Eastern Orthodox Christians, particularly in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Syria. Paisios was canonized on 13 January 2015 by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and the church commemorates his feast day on June 29 [OS] / July 12 [NS].", "wds-Q31146": "Barbara Longhi (English: bar-BAR-ə LONG-ghee, Italian: [ˈbarbara ˈloŋɡi]; 21 September 1552 – 23 December 1638) was an Italian painter. She was much admired in her lifetime as a portraitist, although most of her portraits are now lost or unattributed. Her work, such as her many Madonna and Child paintings, earned her a fine reputation as an artist.", "wds-Q853": "Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (Russian: Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, pronounced [ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj] ; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter of Russian origin. He is widely considered one of the greatest directors in cinema history. His films explore spiritual and metaphysical themes and are known for their slow pacing and long takes, dreamlike visual imagery, and preoccupation with nature and memory. Tarkovsky studied film at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography under filmmaker Mikhail Romm and subsequently directed his first five features in the Soviet Union: Ivan's Childhood (1962), Andrei Rublev (1966), Solaris (1972), Mirror (1975), and Stalker (1979). After years of creative conflict with state film authorities, he left the country in 1979 and made his final two films—Nostalghia (1983) and The Sacrifice (1986)—abroad. In 1986, he published Sculpting in Time, a book about cinema and art. He died later that year of cancer, a condition possibly caused by the toxic locations used in the filming of Stalker. Tarkovsky was the recipient of numerous accolades throughout his career, including the FIPRESCI prize, the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Grand Prix Spécial du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival in addition to the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for his debut film, Ivan's Childhood, as well as the BAFTA Film Award for The Sacrifice. In 1990 he was posthumously awarded the Soviet Union's prestigious Lenin Prize. Three of his films—Andrei Rublev, Mirror, and Stalker—featured in Sight & Sound's 2012 poll of the 100 greatest films of all time.", "wds-Q937": "Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum theory. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from special relativity, has been called \"the world's most famous equation\". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for \"his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect\". Born as a subject to the Kingdom of Württemberg, part of the German Empire, Einstein moved to Switzerland in 1895, forsaking his citizenship the following year. In 1896, at the age of seventeen, he enrolled in the mathematics and physics teaching diploma program at the Swiss federal polytechnic school in Zurich, graduating in 1900. He acquired Swiss citizenship a year later, which he kept for the rest of his life, and afterwards secured a permanent position at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. In 1905, he submitted a successful PhD dissertation to the University of Zurich. In 1914, he moved to Berlin to join the Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Humboldt University of Berlin, becoming director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics in 1917; he also became a Prussian and consequently also German citizen again. In 1933, while Einstein was visiting the United States, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. Horrified by the Nazi persecution of his fellow Jews, he decided to remain in the US, and was granted American citizenship in 1940. On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential German nuclear weapons program and recommending that the US begin similar research, later carried out as the Manhattan Project. In 1905, sometimes described as his annus mirabilis (miracle year), he published four groundbreaking papers. In them, he outlined a theory of the photoelectric effect, explained Brownian motion, introduced his special theory of relativity, and demonstrated that if the special theory is correct, mass and energy are equivalent to each other. In 1915, he proposed a general theory of relativity that extended his system of mechanics to incorporate gravitation. A paper that he published the following year laid out the implications of general relativity for the modeling of the structure and evolution of the universe as a whole. It introduced the cosmological constant and is further regarded as the first step in the field of modern theoretical cosmology. In 1917, Einstein wrote a paper which introduced the concepts of spontaneous emission and stimulated emission, the latter of which is the core mechanism behind the laser and maser, and which contained a trove of information that would be beneficial to developments in physics later on, such as quantum electrodynamics and quantum optics. In the middle part of his career, Einstein made important contributions to statistical mechanics and quantum theory. Especially notable was his work on the quantum physics of radiation, in which light consists of particles, subsequently called photons. With physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, he laid the groundwork for Bose–Einstein statistics. For much of the last phase of his academic life, Einstein worked on two endeavors that ultimately proved unsuccessful. First, he advocated against quantum theory's introduction of fundamental randomness into science's picture of the world, objecting that \"God does not play dice\". Second, he attempted to devise a unified field theory by generalizing his geometric theory of gravitation to include electromagnetism. As a result, he became increasingly isolated from mainstream modern physics. Many things are named after him, including the element Einsteinium. In 1999, he was named Time's Person of the Century.", "wds-Q31649": "Abdur Rahman Khan Barakzai (1840/1844 – 1 October 1901), also known by his epithet as the Iron Emir, was Emir of Afghanistan from 11 August 1880 until his death on 1 October 1901. He is known for uniting the country after years of strong decentralization and internal fighting, and for the negotiation of the Durand Line agreement with British India. Abdur Rahman Khan was the only son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty. Abdur Rahman Khan re-established the writ of the Afghan government after the disarray that followed the Second Anglo-Afghan war. He became known as The Iron Emir because of his government's military despotism. This despotism rested upon a well-appointed army and was administered through officials subservient to an inflexible will and controlled by a widespread system of espionage. The nickname, The Iron Amir, is also associated due to his victory over a number of rebellions by various tribes who were led by his relatives. One source says that during his reign there were over 40 rebellions against his rule. Abdur Rahman Khan's rule was termed by one British official as a \"reign of terror\", as he was considered despotic and had up to 100,000 people judicially executed during his 21 years as Emir. Thousands more starved to death, caught deadly diseases and died, were massacred by his army, or were killed during his forceful migrations of tribes. However, scholars such as Jonathan Lee note that he was perhaps one of the most skilled military leaders from Afghanistan.", "wds-Q314850": "Emperor Suinin (垂仁天皇, Suinin-tennō), also known as Ikumeiribikoisachi no Sumeramikoto (活目入彦五十狭茅天皇) was the 11th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Less is known about Suinin than his father, and likewise he is also considered to be a \"legendary emperor\". Both the Kojiki, and the Nihon Shoki (collectively known as the Kiki) record events that took place during Suinin's alleged lifetime. This legendary narrative tells how he ordered his daughter Yamatohime-no-mikoto to establish a new permanent shrine for Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess), which eventually became known as the Ise Grand Shrine. Other events that were recorded concurrently with his reign include the origins of Sumo wrestling in the form of a wrestling match involving Nomi no Sukune. Suinin's reign is conventionally considered to have been from 29 BC to AD 70. During his alleged lifetime, he fathered seventeen children with two chief wives (empress) and six consorts. One of his sons became the next emperor upon his death in 70 AD, but the location of his father's grave (if any) is unknown. Suinin is traditionally venerated at a memorial Shinto tomb (misasagi) at Nishi-machi, Amagatsuji, Nara City.", "wds-Q329723": "Emperor Keikō (景行天皇, Keikō-tennō), also known as Ootarashihikooshirowake no Sumeramikoto (大足彦忍代別天皇) and Ōtarashihiko-oshirowake no Mikoto (大帯日子淤斯呂和氣天皇), was the 12th (and legendary) emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki (collectively known as the Kiki) record events that took place during Keikō's alleged lifetime. Keikō was recorded as being an exceptionally tall emperor who had a very large family. During his reign he sought to expand territorial control through conquest of local tribes. He had a very important son named \"Prince Ōsu\", now known as the folk hero Yamato Takeru, who was in possession of the Kusanagi no Tsurugi when he died. This treasure was later moved to Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and is now a part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. It is possible that Keikō lived or reigned in the 4th century rather than the first, but more information is needed. Keikō's reign is conventionally considered to have been from 71 to 130. During his alleged lifetime, he fathered at least 80 children with two chief wives (empress) and nine consorts. One of his sons became the next emperor upon his death in 130, but the location of Keikō's grave (if any) is unknown. Keikō is traditionally venerated at a misasagi (陵) at Nara.", "wds-Q159709": "Gilgamesh (, ; Akkadian: 𒀭𒄑𒂆𒈦, romanized: Gilgāmeš; originally Sumerian: 𒀭𒄑𒉋𒂵𒎌, romanized: Bilgames) was a hero in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium BC. He was possibly a historical king of the Sumerian city-state of Uruk, who was posthumously deified. His rule probably would have taken place sometime in the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period, c. 2900–2350 BC, though he became a major figure in Sumerian legend during the Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2112 – c. 2004 BC). Tales of Gilgamesh's legendary exploits are narrated in five surviving Sumerian poems. The earliest of these is likely \"Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld\", in which Gilgamesh comes to the aid of the goddess Inanna and drives away the creatures infesting her huluppu tree. She gives him two unknown objects, a mikku and a pikku, which he loses. Gilgamesh's companion Enkidu dies and his shade tells Gilgamesh about the bleak conditions in the Underworld. The poem Gilgamesh and Aga describes Gilgamesh's revolt against his overlord Aga of Kish. Other Sumerian poems recount Gilgamesh's defeat of the giant Huwawa and the Bull of Heaven, while a fifth, poorly preserved poem relates the account of his death and funeral. In later Babylonian times, these stories were woven into a connected narrative. The standard Akkadian Epic of Gilgamesh was composed by a scribe named Sîn-lēqi-unninni, probably during the Middle Babylonian Period (c. 1600 – c. 1155 BC), based on much older source material. In the epic, Gilgamesh is a demigod of superhuman strength who befriends the wild man Enkidu. Together, they embark on many journeys, most famously defeating Humbaba (Sumerian: Huwawa) and the Bull of Heaven, who is sent to attack them by Ishtar (Sumerian: Inanna) after Gilgamesh rejects her offer for him to become her consort. After Enkidu dies of a disease sent as punishment from the gods, Gilgamesh becomes afraid of his own death and visits the sage Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Great Flood, hoping to find immortality. Gilgamesh repeatedly fails the trials set before him and returns home to Uruk, realizing that immortality is beyond his reach. Most scholars agree that the Epic of Gilgamesh exerted substantial influence on the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems written in ancient Greek during the 8th century BC. The story of Gilgamesh's birth is described in an anecdote in On the Nature of Animals by the Greek writer Aelian (2nd century AD). Aelian relates that Gilgamesh's grandfather kept his mother under guard to prevent her from becoming pregnant, because an oracle had told him that his grandson would overthrow him. She became pregnant, and the guards threw the child off a tower, but an eagle rescued him mid-fall and delivered him safely to an orchard, where the gardener raised him. The Epic of Gilgamesh was rediscovered in the Library of Ashurbanipal in 1849. After being translated in the early 1870s, it caused widespread controversy due to similarities between portions of it and the Hebrew Bible. Gilgamesh remained mostly obscure until the mid-20th century, but, since the late 20th century, he has become an increasingly prominent figure in modern culture.", "wds-Q892": "John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and academic philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955). From 1925 to 1945 Tolkien was the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and a Fellow of Pembroke College, both at the University of Oxford. He then moved within the same university to become the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, and held these positions from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and a close friend of C. S. Lewis, a co-member of the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972. After Tolkien's death, his son Christopher published a series of works based on his father's extensive notes and unpublished manuscripts, including The Silmarillion. These, together with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, form a connected body of tales, poems, fictional histories, invented languages, and literary essays about a fantasy world called Arda and, within it, Middle-earth. Between 1951 and 1955 Tolkien applied the term legendarium to the larger part of these writings. While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the tremendous success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings ignited a profound interest in the fantasy genre and ultimately precipitated an avalanche of new fantasy books and authors. This has led to his popular identification as the \"father\" of modern fantasy literature. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential authors of all time.", "wds-Q2632": "Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. He sometimes sang lead vocals on the group's recordings, usually for one song on each album; these include \"Yellow Submarine\" and \"With a Little Help from My Friends\". He also wrote and sang the Beatles songs \"Don't Pass Me By\" and \"Octopus's Garden\", and is credited as a co-writer of three others. Starr was afflicted by life-threatening illnesses during childhood, with periods of prolonged hospitalisation. As a teenager he became interested in the skiffle craze and developed a fervent admiration for the genre. In 1957, he co-founded his first band, the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group, which earned several local bookings before the fad succumbed to American rock and roll around early 1958. When the Beatles formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool group, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. After achieving moderate success in the UK and Hamburg, he quit the Hurricanes when he was asked to join the Beatles in August 1962, replacing Pete Best. After the Beatles disbanded, Starr released several successful singles, including the US top-ten hit \"It Don't Come Easy\", and number ones \"Photograph\" and \"You're Sixteen\". His most successful UK single was \"Back Off Boogaloo\", which peaked at number two. He achieved commercial and critical success with his 1973 album Ringo, which was a top-ten release in both the UK and the US. In addition to the Beatles' films, Starr has acted in numerous others. He has also featured in numerous documentaries, hosted television shows, narrated the first two series of the children's television series Thomas & Friends and portrayed \"Mr. Conductor\" during the first season of its American spin-off Shining Time Station. Since 1989, he has toured with sixteen variations of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band. Starr's playing style, which emphasised feel over technical virtuosity, influenced many drummers to reconsider their playing from a compositional perspective. He also influenced various modern drumming techniques, such as the matched grip, tuning the drums lower, and using muffling devices on tonal rings. In his opinion, his finest recorded performance was on the Beatles' \"Rain\". In 1999, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame. In 2011, Rolling Stone readers named him the fifth-greatest drummer of all time. He was inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a Beatle in 1988 and as a solo artist in 2015, and appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to music.", "wds-Q2494": "Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Following his resignation, he chose to be known as \"pope emeritus\", a title he held until his death on 31 December 2022. Ordained as a priest in 1951 in Bavaria, Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 when aged 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, an unusual promotion for someone who had only been ordained to the episcopate less than a month prior and not having much pastoral experience. In 1981, he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia. In 2002, he also became Dean of the College of Cardinals. Before becoming pope, he had been \"a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century\"; he had had an influence \"second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions\" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants. Following the death of John Paul II on 2 April 2005, a conclave elected Ratzinger as his successor on 19 April; he chose Benedict XVI as his papal name in honour of Benedict XV and Benedict of Nursia. Benedict's writings were prolific and generally defended traditional Catholic doctrine, values, and liturgy. He was originally a liberal theologian but adopted conservative views after 1968. During his papacy, Benedict advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many Western countries. He viewed relativism's denial of objective truth, and the denial of moral truths in particular, as the central problem of the 21st century. Benedict also revived several traditions and permitted greater use of the Tridentine Mass. He strengthened the relationship between the Catholic Church and art, promoted the use of Latin, and reintroduced traditional papal vestments, for which reason he was called \"the pope of aesthetics\". He also established personal ordinariates for former Anglicans and Methodists joining the Catholic Church. Benedict's handling of sexual abuse cases within the Catholic Church and opposition to usage of condoms in areas of high HIV transmission were criticized by public health officials, anti-AIDS activists, and victims' rights organizations. Citing health reasons due to his advanced age, Benedict resigned as pope on 28 February 2013. He became the first pope to resign from office since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first without external pressure since Celestine V in 1294. He subsequently moved into the newly renovated Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City for his retirement. The 2013 conclave elected Francis as his successor on 13 March. In addition to his native German language, Benedict had proficiency in French, Italian, English, and Spanish. He also knew Portuguese, Latin, Biblical Hebrew, and Biblical Greek. He was a member of several social science academies, such as the French Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.", "wds-Q32257": "Christoph Wilhelm Friedrich Hufeland (12 August 1762 – 25 August 1836) was a German medical doctor, naturopath and writer. Considered one of the most eminent practical physicians of his time in Germany, he authored numerous works displaying extensive reading and a cultivated critical faculty.", "wds-Q31129": "Paola Margherita Maria-Antonia Consiglia dei Principi Ruffo di Calabria (born 11 September 1937) is a member of the Belgian royal family who was Queen of the Belgians during the reign of her husband, King Albert II, from 9 August 1993 to 21 July 2013.", "wds-Q20721": "Maria Luigi Carlo Zenobio Salvatore Cherubini ( KERR-uu-BEE-nee; Italian: [luˈiːdʒi keruˈbiːni]; 8 or 14 September 1760 – 15 March 1842) was an Italian Classical and Romantic composer. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest living composer of his era. Cherubini's operas were heavily praised and interpreted by Rossini.", "wds-Q312032": "Achaemenes (Old Persian: 𐏃𐎧𐎠𐎶𐎴𐎡𐏁 Haxāmaniš; Ancient Greek: Ἀχαιμένης Akhaiménēs; Latin: Achaemenēs) was the progenitor (apical ancestor) and eponymous founder of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia. Other than his role as an apical ancestor, nothing is known of his life or actions. It is quite possible that Achaemenes was only the mythical ancestor of the Persian royal house, but if Achaemenes was a historical person, he would have lived around 700 BC.", "wds-Q4583": "Annelies Marie Frank (12 June 1929 – c. February or March 1945) was a German-born Jewish diarist and Holocaust victim. She gained worldwide notability posthumously for keeping a diary documenting her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands. In the diary, she regularly described her family's everyday life in their hiding place in a secret annex in Amsterdam from 1942 until their arrest in 1944. Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1929. In 1934, when she was four-and-a-half, Anne and her family moved to Amsterdam after Adolf Hitler of the Nazi Party was appointed to govern Germany. By May 1940, her family were trapped in Amsterdam due to Germany's occupation. Frank lost her German citizenship in 1941 and became stateless. Despite spending most of her life in the Netherlands and being a de facto Dutch national, she never officially became a Dutch citizen. As persecution of the Jewish population increased in July 1942, the family went into hiding in a secret annex concealed behind a bookcase in the building where Frank's father, Otto Frank, worked. The family were arrested two years later by the Gestapo, on 4 August 1944. Following their arrest, the Franks were transported to Westerbork transit camp and on to Auschwitz-Birkenau. On 1 November 1944, Anne Frank and her sister Margot were transferred from Auschwitz to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they died (presumably of typhus) a few months later. The Red Cross estimated that they died in March 1945, with Dutch authorities setting 31 March as the official date. Later research has alternatively suggested that they may have died in February or early March. Otto Frank, the only Holocaust survivor in the family, returned to Amsterdam after World War II to find that Anne's diary had been saved by his secretaries, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl. Moved by his daughter's repeated wishes to be an author, Otto Frank published her diary in 1947. It was translated from its original Dutch version and first published in English in 1952 as The Diary of a Young Girl (originally Het Achterhuis in Dutch, lit. 'the back house'; English: The Secret Annex) and has since been translated into over 70 languages. With the publication of The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne became one of the most-discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. One of the world's best-known books, Anne's diary is the basis for several plays and films.", "wds-Q5152": "Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (c. 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and statesman who was the founder of the Republic of Turkey and served as its first president from 1923 until his death in 1938. He led sweeping reforms, turning Turkey into an industrialising nation. Ideologically a republican, secularist, and nationalist, his policies and socio-political theories became known as Kemalism. Atatürk's personality cult and the Kemalist historiography developed around it have had significant and ongoing influences on Turkey's political culture and historical narrative. Born in Salonica in the Ottoman Empire, Atatürk was early on persecuted for agitating against Sultan Abdul Hamid II's autocracy, joining opposition movements like the Committee of Union and Progress and the Young Turks. He participated in the Young Turk Revolution and the 31 March Incident. Atatürk denounced CUP leadership for encouraging a politicised military –and was subsequently sidelined– as they established a new authoritarian regime. His early military career saw him involved in the Italo-Turkish and Balkan Wars. He rose to prominence with his role in the Defence of Gallipoli during World War I. Following his country's defeat after the war, in the Turkish War of Independence he directed the Turkish National Movement in a nationalist resistance against Turkey's partition among the victorious Allied powers. Establishing the provisional \"Ankara government\", he achieved a Turkish victory against Greece, Armenia, France, and the United Kingdom, confirmed in the Treaty of Lausanne. During and after the war, the ethnic cleansing of Armenians and Greeks from Anatolia outside of Istanbul, including the Kars region invaded by the Kemalist armies, was largely completed via large-scale massacres, flight, expulsions, and the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. His government subsequently proceeded to abolish the Ottoman sultanate in 1922 and proclaimed the Republic of Turkey in 1923. As the president of the newly formed Turkish Republic, Atatürk introduced far reaching reforms to build a republican and secular nation-state with a modern, Western facing society. By the mid-1920s, opponents to Atatürk's rule were suppressed as a one-party regime was cemented around him. This included abolishing the Ottoman Caliphate and curtailing religion as part of a larger secularist campaign. The semi-secular Mecelle was replaced by a fully secular civil code. Western cultural mores were encouraged: such as the banning of the fez and certain men's clothing. State-owned enterprises were established, foreign industrial assets were nationalised, and the first five-year plan was implemented. He opened thousands of schools and introduced the Latin-based Turkish alphabet. Turkish women received equal civil and political rights during his presidency. His government carried out a policy of Turkification, trying to create a homogeneous, unified, and above all secular nation under the Turkish banner. Atatürk attempted rapprochement with Iran, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Romania, and Greece, as well as the creation of the Balkan Pact that resisted the expansionist aggressions of Italy and Bulgaria during the interwar period of the 1930s. He died on 10 November 1938 at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, at the age of 57; he was succeeded as president by his long-time prime minister İsmet İnönü. Atatürk has been praised for his military accomplishments, nation-building efforts, social and economic reforms, and diplomatic successes, serving as an inspiration to anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements. He has been condemned for instituting a dictatorship, introducing assimilationist policies that targeted minorities like the Kurds, and continuing a persecution of Christian minorities started by the CUP, while conservative Muslims have criticised his secular agenda. The Turkish Parliament granted him the surname Atatürk in 1934, meaning \"Father of the Turks\" or \"Turk like his ancestors\", in recognition of the role he played in building the Turkish Republic.", "wds-Q31637": "Jafar Panahi (Persian: جعفر پناهی, pronounced [d͡ʒæʔfæɹe pʰænɒ́ːhíː]; born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian filmmaker and actor. He is known internationally for his artistic contributions to post-1979 Revolution Iranian cinema, and he has been associated with the Iranian New Wave. His work, rooted in neorealism and centered on the lives of women, children, and the marginalized, constitutes a critical portrait of the social, political, and gendered structures of contemporary Iran. Panahi began his career making short films and working as an assistant to Abbas Kiarostami. His debut feature, The White Balloon (1995), won the Caméra d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first major award for an Iranian film at that event. Panahi is one of only four directors in history—alongside Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Robert Altman—to win the top prizes at Europe's three major film festivals: the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Bear at Berlin, and the Golden Lion at Venice, awarded respectively for It Was Just an Accident (2025), Taxi (2015), and The Circle (2000). Among numerous accolades, he is the recipient of the Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award. Panahi's career has been marked by conflict with Iranian authorities. Starting with his third feature film, The Circle, which addresses the situation of women in Iran, his films have frequently been banned or censored in the country. In 2010, he was sentenced to six years in prison and a 20-year ban on filmmaking activities, based on charges of \"propaganda against the Islamic Republic\". Even under legal restrictions, Panahi continued to make films without permission, many of them produced semi-clandestinely. This Is Not a Film (2011), Closed Curtain (2013), Taxi (2015), and No Bears (2022) are works that often reflect, in a metacinematic way, on his own limitations as an artist under state surveillance. His legal confrontations are ongoing, with new sentences, such as a one-year prison sentence on charges of engaging in propaganda activities against the Iranian state. In addition to his filmmaking, Panahi was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament in 2012, in recognition of his defense of freedom of expression. He won Time 100 for 2026.", "wds-Q30758": "Ana Ivanovic (Serbian: Ана Ивановић, romanized: Ana Ivanović; born 6 November 1987) is a Serbian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 12 weeks. Ivanovic won 15 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including a major at the 2008 French Open. She was also the runner-up at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open. Ivanovic qualified for the year-end WTA Finals three times, and won the year-end WTA Tournament of Champions twice, in 2010 and 2011. Ivanovic made her WTA Tour debut in 2004. By the age of 18, she had already defeated established players such as Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva and Amélie Mauresmo. At age 20, she achieved her career highlight by winning the 2008 French Open—becoming world No. 1 in the process. After her triumph, she struggled to maintain her newfound success, not reaching the quarterfinals of a major in her subsequent 17 appearances, and dropping as low as No. 65 in the rankings in July 2010. In 2012, Ivanovic resurged by reaching the US Open quarterfinals, and finishing the year inside the top 15. In 2014, she returned to the top of the game—winning four titles, qualifying for the WTA Finals, and was the year-end world No. 5. She continued this success in 2015 by reaching her first major semifinal in seven years at the French Open. In December 2016, Ivanovic announced her retirement from the sport. Ivanovic was known for her aggressive style of play and impressive forehand, which was described by Nadia Petrova as \"the best out there.\" She earned over $15.5 million in prize money. In June 2011, she was named one of the \"30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future\" by Time and was also included on the list of \"Top 100 Greatest Players Ever\" (male and female combined) by reporter Matthew Cronin.", "wds-Q1728": "Jared Tallent (born 17 October 1984) is an Australian race walker and Olympic gold medallist in the 50 km walk from London in 2012. He is a four-time Olympic medallist, three-time World Championship medallist and holds the current Olympic record in the 50 km walk.", "wds-Q1051": "Ivan (or Janez) Regen (known also as Johann Regen) (December 9, 1868 – July 27, 1947) was a Slovenian biologist, best known for his studies in the field of bioacoustics. Regen was born in the hamlet of Lajše in Trata (today part of Gorenja Vas, Slovenia) and became interested in insect sounds as a child. His family couldn't afford to pay for his schooling, so he studied first at the local seminary for which he received a scholarship, and slowly saved enough funds for the tuition fee in Vienna. There he studied natural history at the University of Vienna under the tutorship of Grobben, Exner and Claus. He received his doctorate in 1897 and began to work as a gymnasium professor, first in Vienna, and later in Hranice (Moravia). At last he was transferred back to a gymnasium in Vienna after a recommendation from Exner and worked there until his retirement in 1918. In the meantime Regen began his research in animal physiology, being one of the first Slovenian scientists to work abroad after the World War I. With careful observations of katydid and cricket stridulation he proved that insects respond to acoustic stimuli from other individuals and was able to provoke his subjects to respond to artificial stimulation using a loudspeaker. Later, he demonstrated that insect hearing depends on intact tympanal organ which was the first description of this organ's function. For his contributions he is regarded as the founder of modern bioacoustics. He also studied other physiological phenomena in insects, such as breathing, hibernation, the development of pigment under different conditions, and ecdysis. Regen's largest project was a so-called \"geobiological laboratory\", a large terrarium in which he studied phonotaxis on a large scale. Using as many as 1600 females with intact or damaged hearing organs, he was able to statistically evaluate their behaviour. He was a private researcher since 1911, but remained in touch with Slovenia, supporting several local societies and cultural institutions, and establishing Slovene terminology for the fields he worked in. In 1921, he declined the invitation to become a professor at the University of Ljubljana. In 1940, he became an associate member of Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and was also an honorary member of Slovenian society of natural history.", "wds-Q624": "Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro del ˈpjɛːro]; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sport Italia. A technically gifted and creative supporting forward who was also a free-kick specialist, he is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and one of the greatest players in Juventus's history. He is currently the second highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals, behind only Silvio Piola, with 390 goals. In his career Del Piero scored 462 goals. Del Piero began his career at Padova in Serie B before being signed by Italian giants Juventus in 1993. He quickly established himself as a key player, particularly in the UEFA Champions League, helping the club reach three consecutive finals from 1996 to 1998, winning the 1996 edition. During this period, he scored 20 goals in 27 Champions League appearances, finishing as the competition's top scorer in 1997–98. Del Piero later helped Juventus win back-to-back Serie A titles in 2001–02 and 2002–03, while also reaching his fourth Champions League final in the latter season. After Juventus were forcibly relegated to Serie B in 2006 due to the Calciopoli scandal, Del Piero chose to remain at the club despite the departures of several key players, and captained them back to Serie A after a single season in the second division. Del Piero played at Juventus for 19 seasons (11 as captain) and holds the club records for most goals (290) and appearances (705). In total, he won 16 trophies at the club, including six Serie A titles, and won the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008. After leaving the club in 2012, he also spent two seasons with Australian side Sydney FC; he retired in 2014, after a season with Delhi Dynamos FC in the Indian Super League. At international level, Del Piero has also represented the Italy national team at three FIFA World Cups and four UEFA European Football Championships, most notably winning the 2006 World Cup, and reaching the final of UEFA Euro 2000 with Italy. He is the joint fourth highest scorer for Italy, with 27 goals. In 2004, Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In the same year, he was also voted into the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll, a list of the 50 best European players of the past 50 years. Along with six awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct, he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality as well as playing ability.", "wds-Q1043": "Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné, was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming organisms. He is known as the \"father of modern taxonomy\". Many of his writings were in Latin; his name is rendered in Latin as Carolus Linnæus and, after his 1761 ennoblement, as Carolus a Linné. Linnaeus was the son of a curate and was born in Råshult, in the countryside of Småland, southern Sweden. He received most of his higher education at Uppsala University and began giving lectures in botany there in 1730. He lived abroad between 1735 and 1738, where he studied and also published the first edition of his Systema Naturae in the Netherlands. He then returned to Sweden where he became professor of medicine and botany at Uppsala. In the 1740s, he was sent on several journeys through Sweden to find and classify plants and animals. In the 1750s and 1760s, he continued to collect and classify animals, plants, and minerals, while publishing several volumes. By the time of his death in 1778, he was one of the most acclaimed scientists in Europe. Linnaeus has been called Princeps botanicorum (Prince of Botanists) and \"The Pliny of the North\". He is also considered one of the founders of modern ecology. In botany, the abbreviation L. is used to indicate Linnaeus as the authority for a species' name. In zoology, the abbreviation Linnaeus is generally used; the abbreviations L., Linnæus, and Linné are also used. In older publications, the abbreviation \"Linn.\" is found. Linnaeus is designated as the type specimen for the human species, Homo sapiens.", "wds-Q9200": "Paul (born Saul of Tarsus; c. 5 – c. 64/65 AD), commonly known as Paul the Apostle or Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first century AD. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally regarded as one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age, and he also founded several Christian communities in Asia Minor and Europe from the mid-40s to the mid-50s AD. The main sources of information on Paul's life and works are Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Approximately half of their contents document his travels, preaching, and miracles. While he was not one of the Twelve Apostles and did not know Jesus during his lifetime, but claims to have met him post-resurrection, Paul was a contemporary of Jesus and personally knew eyewitnesses of Jesus such as his closest disciples (Peter and John) and brother James since the mid 30s AD, within a few years of the crucifixion (c. 30–33 AD). He had knowledge of the life of Jesus and his teachings. Paul argued over issues such as the circumcision of gentiles, while his exalted Christology was taken for granted and widely accepted in the early church. According to Acts, Paul was a Pharisee and participated in the persecution of early disciples of Jesus before his conversion. On his way to arrest Christians in Damascus, Paul saw a bright light, heard Christ speak, was blinded, and later healed by Ananias. After these events, Paul was baptized, beginning immediately to proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Jewish messiah and the Son of God. He made three missionary journeys to spread the Christian message to non-Jewish communities. Fourteen of the 27 books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul. Seven of the Pauline epistles are undisputed by scholars as being authentic. Of the other six, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus are generally considered pseudepigraphical, while Colossians and 2 Thessalonians are debated. Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews is almost universally rejected by scholars. The other six are believed by some scholars to have come from followers writing in his name, using material from Paul's surviving letters and letters written by him that no longer survive. Today, Paul's epistles continue to be vital roots of the theology, worship, and pastoral life in the Latin and Protestant traditions of the West, as well as the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox traditions of the East. Paul's influence on Christian thought and practice is pervasive in scope and profound in impact. Christians, particularly in the Lutheran tradition, have read Paul as saying that people are saved through faith rather than by following Jewish law. He has been accused of corrupting or hijacking Christianity, often by introducing pagan or Hellenistic themes to the early church. There has been increasing acceptance of Paul as a fundamentally Jewish figure in line with the original disciples in Jerusalem over past interpretations, manifested through movements like \"Paul Within Judaism\".", "wds-Q1315167": "Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based at the El Capitan Entertainment Centre (ECEC), formerly the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It debuted on January 26, 2003, as part of ABC's lead-out programming for Super Bowl XXXVII. For its first ten years, Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired at 12:05 a.m. ET/PT before moving to 11:35 p.m. on January 8, 2013. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by 12:05 AM Productions, LLC, in association with Kimmelot and 20th Television. Contrary to its title, the show has not regularly aired live since April 23, 2004, when censors were unable to properly bleep censor a barrage of swearing from actor Thomas Jane. It holds the title as the longest running late-night talk show on the network, having aired for more than three times as long as either The Dick Cavett Show (1969–1975) or Politically Incorrect (1997–2002). It is the second longest-running late-night talk show, by host, on any network surpassed only by The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.", "wds-Q2040": "Emilio Giuseppe \"Nino\" Farina (Italian pronunciation: [dʒuˈzɛppe ˈniːno faˈriːna]; 30 October 1906 – 30 June 1966) was an Italian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956. Farina won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in its inaugural 1950 season with Alfa Romeo, and won five Grands Prix across seven seasons. Born in Turin, Farina was the son of Giovanni Farina, founder of Stabilimenti Farina. Aged nine, he started driving a two-cylinder Temperino, eventually progressing to hillclimbing in 1925. A protégé of Tazio Nuvolari, Farina attracted the attention of Enzo Ferrari in his early career, who signed him to Ferrari in 1936. He immediately impressed, finishing runner-up at the Mille Miglia driving an Alfa Romeo 8C. Farina took his maiden Grand Prix win at the Naples Grand Prix in 1937, winning three consecutive Italian Championships until 1939, the latter two with Alfa Corse. He earned notoriety for his involvement in the fatal accidents of Marcel Lehoux and László Hartmann in 1936 and 1938, respectively. Farina won the Tripoli Grand Prix in 1939, his last victory before World War II. After the war, Farina returned to Alfa Corse, winning the Nations Grand Prix in 1946. Amongst four major victories in 1948, Farina won the Monaco Grand Prix. He signed for Alfa Romeo in 1950, making his Formula One debut at the series-opening British Grand Prix, which he won ahead of Luigi Fagioli. Amidst a title charge by teammate Juan Manuel Fangio, Farina took further wins at the Swiss and Italian Grands Prix, becoming the first World Drivers' Champion. Although winning the Belgian Grand Prix in 1951, Farina was unable to halt the ascent of Fangio and Alberto Ascari. He joined Ascari at Ferrari in 1952, but was unable to hinder his dominance over the next two seasons. Farina took his final victory in Formula One at the German Grand Prix in 1953. After a string of injuries during 1954, Farina retired from Formula One after Ascari's fatal accident in 1955. Amongst five race wins, five pole positions, five fastest laps and 20 podiums, Farina also won 11 non-championship races in Formula One. Aged 49, he returned for the Indianapolis 500 in 1956 with Kurtis Kraft, but was unable to qualify. Farina withdrew from the 1957 Indianapolis 500, after the death of teammate Keith Andrews during practice. In sportscar racing, Farina won the Nürburgring 1000 km, the 24 Hours of Spa and the 12 Hours of Casablanca, all in 1953 with Ferrari and the former two as part of the inaugural World Sportscar Championship. On his way to spectate the 1966 French Grand Prix, Farina died after he lost control of his Lotus Cortina in the French Alps.", "wds-Q210311": "American Dad! is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for Fox and TBS. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the rest of the first season airing from May 1 of the same year. The show centers around the Smiths, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Stan and Francine, their children, Hayley and Steve, as well as a goldfish named Klaus and an extraterrestrial named Roger. In the seventh season, Hayley's boyfriend (turned husband) Jeff Fischer joined the main cast, followed by Rogu, Roger's neoplastic son who joined in the fifteenth season. Unlike MacFarlane's other show, Family Guy, American Dad! does not lean as heavily on the use of cutaway gags, instead deriving its humor mostly from the quirky characters and their relationships. The show was conceived by MacFarlane and Weitzman after the two were inspired by the 2000 United States presidential election, and Fox Broadcasting ordered a pilot presentation of the series in September 2003. American Dad! was the first series made specifically for Fox's Animation Domination block. The series moved to TBS for its twelfth season in 2014 until the conclusion of its twenty-first season in March 2025. It returned to Fox for its twenty-second season on February 22, 2026. In addition, the show has been renewed through its twenty-fifth season on the network. American Dad! has received generally positive reviews and has been nominated for numerous awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Annie Awards. In June 2013, it was awarded as top television series by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.", "wds-Q5060": "Emperor Taizu of Jin (August 1, 1068 – September 19, 1123), personal name Aguda, sinicised name Min (Chinese: 旻; pinyin: Mín), was the founder and first emperor of the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty of China. He was originally the chieftain of the Wanyan tribe, the most dominant among the Jurchen tribes which were subjects of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. Starting in 1114, Aguda united the Jurchen tribes under his rule and rebelled against the Liao dynasty. A year later, he declared himself emperor and established the Jin dynasty. By the time of his death, the Jin dynasty had conquered most of the Liao dynasty's territories and emerged as a major power in northern China. In 1145, he was posthumously honoured with the temple name Taizu by his descendant Emperor Xizong. The name [Wanyan] Aguda is transcribed [Wan-yen] A-ku-ta in Wade-Giles; the alternative spelling Akutta (possibly from reconstruction of Jurchen language) appears in a very small number of books as well.", "wds-Q1868": "Paul Marie Ghislain Otlet (; French: [pɔl maʁi ɡilɛ̃ ɔtlɛ]; 23 August 1868 – 10 December 1944) was a Belgian bibliographer, lawyer, and peace activist, and a key figure in documentation science, a precursor to information science. Otlet created the Universal Decimal Classification, which would later become a faceted classification. Otlet was responsible for the development of an early information retrieval tool, the \"Repertoire Bibliographique Universel\" (RBU). RBU was used by the International Institute of Bibliography which later became the Mundaneum. Otlet wrote numerous essays on how to collect and organize and connect knowledge, culminating in two books, the Traité de Documentation (1934) and Monde: Essai d'universalisme (1935). His ideas for information collection, storage and retrieval have been compared to early incarnations of the internet and search engines. In 1907, following a huge international conference, Otlet and Henri La Fontaine created the Central Office of International Associations, which was renamed to the Union of International Associations in 1910, and which is still located in Brussels. They also created a great international center called at first Palais Mondial (World Palace), later, the Mundaneum to house the collections and activities of their various organizations and institutes. Otlet witnessed an unprecedented proliferation of information, resulting in the creation of new kinds of international organization. Otlet also endorsed the internationalist politics of the League of Nations and its International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation (the forerunner of UNESCO) along with fellow Mundaneum founder La Fontaine.", "wds-Q9348": "Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 1503 – 24 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (UK: , US: , Italian: [parmidʒaˈniːno]; \"the little one from Parma\"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma. His work is characterized by a \"refined sensuality\" and often elongation of forms and includes Vision of Saint Jerome (1527) and the iconic if somewhat anomalous Madonna with the Long Neck (1534), and he remains the best-known artist of the first generation whose whole career falls into the Mannerist period. His prodigious and individual talent has always been recognised, but his career was disrupted by war, especially the Sack of Rome in 1527, three years after he moved there, and then ended by his death at 37. He produced outstanding drawings and was one of the first Italian painters to experiment with printmaking himself. While his portable works have always been keenly collected and are now in major museums in Italy and around the world, his two large projects in fresco are in a church in Parma and a palace in a small town nearby. This, in conjunction with their lack of large main subjects, has resulted in their being less well known than other works by similar artists. He painted a number of important portraits, leading a trend in Italy towards the three-quarters or full-length figure, previously mostly reserved for royalty.", "wds-Q9586": "Annemarie Moser-Pröll (born 27 March 1953) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Austria. Born in Kleinarl, Salzburg, she was the most successful female alpine ski racer during the 1970s, with an all-time women's record of six overall titles, including five consecutively. She had most success in downhill, giant slalom and combined races. In 1980, her last year as a competitor, she secured her third Olympic medal (and first gold) at Lake Placid and won five World Cup races. Her younger sister Cornelia Pröll is also a former alpine Olympian.", "wds-Q19489": "Sartaq Khan (or Sartak, Sartach; Mongolian: Сартаг; Tatar: Сартак; died 1257) was the eldest son of Batu Khan by his senior wife Boraqchin. He succeeded his father as ruler of the Golden Horde, but died not long into his reign. He was succeeded by Ulaghchi.", "wds-Q38136": "Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior (born 12 May 1988), known as Marcelo, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Widely regarded as one of the greatest left-backs of all time, he is known for his attacking capabilities. He spent most of his career with La Liga club Real Madrid and is one of the club's most decorated players, winning 25 trophies. Starting his professional career with Fluminense in 2005, Marcelo won a Campeonato Carioca title in his first season and was named in the 2006 Brasileirão Team of the Season. In January 2007, he joined Real Madrid for an €8 million fee. At Real Madrid, he went on to be a mainstay, winning many trophies, including five UEFA Champions League titles and six La Liga titles. In 2021, Marcelo became the captain of Real Madrid from the start of the 2021–22 season, making him the first foreign captain since 1904. After leaving Real Madrid in 2022, he had a five-month spell at Olympiacos, followed by a return to Fluminense in 2023, where he won the Copa Libertadores. He has been named in the FIFPro World XI six times, the UEFA Team of the Year three times, and La Liga's Team of the Season in 2016. He was also named to France Football's \"Team of the Decade (2010–2019)\". Having debuted for Brazil in 2006, Marcelo was part of the 2008 Olympic squad and won a bronze medal. Four years later, he was part of Brazil's 2012 Olympic team and won a silver medal. Marcelo played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup as Brazil was victorious, beating Spain 3–0 in the final. He was also part of Brazil's squad at two FIFA World Cups (2014 and 2018), being named in both tournament's Dream Teams.", "wds-Q4124": "Franciszek Smuda (Polish pronunciation: [fraɲˈt͡ɕiʂɛk ˈsmuda]; 22 June 1948 – 18 August 2024) was a Polish football player and manager. As a player, he spent his career playing for clubs in Poland, the United States and Germany. In 1983, he turned to coaching, becoming the manager of Widzew Łódź, Wisła Kraków, Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznań, among others. He has won three Polish Ekstraklasa titles. From 2009 he was the manager of the Poland national team, but resigned on 16 June 2012, following their elimination from Euro 2012.", "wds-Q1704": "Abel Kirui (born 6 April 1982) is a long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathons. He had back-to-back wins in the World Championship marathon in 2009 and 2011. Kirui won in 2009 with a time of 2:06:54, then defended his title with a winning margin of two minutes and 28 seconds – the largest ever margin at the World Championship event. He earned the silver medal in the 2012 London Olympic marathon. He has also won the 2008 Vienna City Marathon, the 2016 Chicago Marathon and was runner-up at the 2007 Berlin Marathon and 2017 Chicago Marathon.", "wds-Q1705": "Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (born 15 March 1982) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes primarily in the marathon. He won the bronze medal in the event at the 2012 Summer Olympics and held the world record from 2013 to 2014. In 2020, the Athletics Integrity Unit banned Kipsang for four years due to missed doping tests and tampering with an investigation. Kipsang is a double winner of the Frankfurt Marathon (2010 and 2011) and has also won the London Marathon twice (2012 and 2014), New York Marathon (2014), and Tokyo Marathon (2017). His best time over the half marathon distance is 58:59.", "wds-Q3330940": "House of Cards is an American political thriller television series created by Beau Willimon for the streaming service Netflix. It is based on the 1989 novel of the same title by Michael Dobbs and an adaptation of the eponymous 1990 British television series by Andrew Davies, also from the novel. The first 13-episode season was released on February 1, 2013. House of Cards is the first TV series to have been produced by a studio for Netflix. It was also one of the first TV series that was released in a binge format where all the episodes were available simultaneously. House of Cards is set in Washington, D.C., and is the story of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), an immoral politician and Democrat from South Carolina's 5th congressional district and his equally ambitious wife Claire Underwood (Robin Wright). Frank is passed over for appointment as Secretary of State but remains House Majority Whip so he initiates an elaborate plan to attain power, aided by Claire. The series deals with themes of ruthless pragmatism, manipulation, betrayal, and power. House of Cards received highly positive reviews and numerous award nominations, including 33 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, among them Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor for Spacey, and Outstanding Lead Actress for Wright. It is the first original online-only streaming television series to receive major Emmy nominations. The show also earned eight Golden Globe Award nominations, with Wright winning for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 2014 and Spacey winning for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2015. In 2017, following allegations of sexual misconduct against Spacey, Netflix terminated its relationship with him. The sixth and final season was produced and released in 2018 without his involvement.", "wds-Q1976180": "Violetta is an Argentine telenovela filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina and developed by Disney Channel Latin America and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and production company Pol-ka, debuted in Argentina, Latin America and Italy on 14 May 2012. Violetta tells the story of a musically talented teenager (played by Martina Stoessel) who returns to her native Argentina with her father, Germán (played by Diego Ramos), after living in Europe for several years, navigating the trials and tribulations of growing up. Each episode includes original musical numbers from diverse musical genres such as pop music and Latin music.", "wds-Q4307100": "The Originals is an American supernatural drama television series. It is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries and the first television series expansion of the franchise based on its parent series. The series follows vampire-werewolf hybrid Klaus Mikaelson as he and his family become embroiled in the supernatural politics of the French Quarter of New Orleans. It began airing on the CW on October 3, 2013. On July 20, 2017, it was announced by series creator Julie Plec that the series' fifth season would be its last. The final season began airing in April 2018 and finished on August 1, 2018.", "wds-Q18652415": "Descendants of the Sun (Korean: 태양의 후예) is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won. Written by Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok, the series follows the relationship between Yoo Shi-jin, a captain in the South Korean Army's special forces, and Kang Mo-yeon, a surgeon. Their different views on life and duty initially separate them, but they eventually meet again in a fictional disaster-stricken country during a humanitarian mission. A subplot explores the forbidden romance between Seo Dae-young, a master sergeant, and Yoon Myung-joo, an army doctor. Development began in 2011; Kim Eun-sook later adapted Kim Won-seok's manuscript, Doctors Without Borders. Pre-production involved location scouting and a crew of over 350. Directed by Lee Eung-bok and Baek Sang-hoon, the series was filmed in South Korea and Greece with a budget of ₩13 billion. It was fully produced before broadcast, departing from the live-shoot production method standard in the Korean television industry at the time. The original soundtrack was composed by Song Dong-woon and Gaemi. Comprising 16 episodes and three specials, it aired on KBS from February 24 to April 22, 2016. It was the first Korean drama to be simulcast in China via iQIYI and was eventually exported to 32 countries. Descendants of the Sun received positive reviews for its performances and dialogue, though some critics questioned its narrative plausibility and extensive product placement. It became the first miniseries in South Korea to surpass 30% in viewership ratings since 2012. Credited with boosting the Korean Wave, it had an estimated economic impact of ₩3 trillion from increased tourism, exports, and product sales. It received numerous accolades, including the Grand Prize in television at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards and Best Drama at the 9th Korea Drama Awards. Local remakes were produced in the Philippines and Vietnam.", "wds-Q59697220": "Why Women Kill is an American dark comedy anthology series created by Marc Cherry, which depicts the events leading to deaths caused by women. The first season, which premiered on August 15, 2019, on CBS All Access, consists of 10 episodes and is set in multiple periods. The second season, containing 10 episodes, premiered on June 3, 2021, on Paramount+ and focuses on a single time period. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a third season. However, in July 2022, the third season was scrapped before production could begin.", "wds-Q112078154": "Man vs Bee is a British comedy web series created and written by Rowan Atkinson and William Davies. The show consists of nine episodes, each of them directed by David Kerr. Atkinson stars as a down-on-his-luck man who finds himself entrenched in a battle with a bee while house sitting a rich couple's modern mansion. Jing Lusi, Claudie Blakley, Tom Basden, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Greg McHugh, and India Fowler also feature. Man vs Bee premiered on Netflix on 24 June 2022 and received generally positive reviews from critics. A follow-up miniseries, Man vs Baby, was released on 11 December 2025.", "wds-Q1056342": "Arthur is an animated children's television series developed by Marc Brown and Kathy Waugh and produced by WGBH Boston for PBS. Based on Brown's Arthur book series, the series is set in the fictional city of Elwood City and follows the everyday lives of Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his family, his friends, and their interactions with one another. Production was first announced in 1995 by WGBH and Montreal-based animation studio CINAR, and the series premiered on October 7, 1996, on PTV, later renamed PBS Kids. During its 25-season run, Arthur aired 253 half-hour episodes. In June 2018, the series was renewed for four additional seasons, extending its run through season 25. On July 27, 2021, it was announced that the 25th season would be the series' last. The series concluded on February 21, 2022. Arthur received critical acclaim for its portrayal of issues affecting children and families, including asthma, dyslexia, cancer, diabetes, and autism. It also promotes reading and emphasizes the importance of family and friendship through its diverse cast of characters with varying personalities, beliefs, and interests. It was the longest-running children's animated series in the United States until it was surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants in 2024, and is the fifth-longest-running American animated television series, behind The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and SpongeBob SquarePants.", "wds-Q82729": "The Bold and the Beautiful (often referred to as B&B) is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera The Young and the Restless; several characters from each of the two shows have crossed over to the other since the early 1990s. Set in Los Angeles, California, the show centers upon the Forrester family and their haute couture business. The program features an ensemble cast, headed by its longest-serving actors John McCook as Eric Forrester and Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan. Since its premiere, the show has become the most-watched soap in the world, with an audience of an estimated 26.2 million viewers. As of 2010, it continued to hold on to the second-place position in weekly Nielsen Ratings for daytime dramas. The Bold and the Beautiful has also won 77 Daytime Emmy Awards, including three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series, in 2009, 2010 and 2011. On September 7, 2011, the series switched to high-definition television, making it the second-to-last American soap to make the switch, at the time. B&B was the last American soap opera to make the transition due to the cancellation of ABC's One Life to Live before it returned along with All My Children on April 29, 2013. The series celebrated its thirtieth anniversary on March 23, 2017. The serial aired its 9,000th episode on April 18, 2023. Currently, the serial has been renewed by CBS to run through the 2027–2028 television season.", "wds-Q647001": "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American Western drama television series created and executive produced by Beth Sullivan and starring Jane Seymour, who plays Dr. Michaela Quinn, a physician who leaves Boston in search of adventure in the Old West and settles in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The television series ran on CBS for six seasons, from January 1, 1993, to May 16, 1998. 150 episodes were produced, plus two television movies that were made after the series was cancelled. Dr. Quinn aired in over 100 countries, including Italy, Denmark (where it was aired on TV2), the United Kingdom, Poland, Romania, France, Canada (where it was aired on CTV throughout its run), Australia (on Eleven and 9Gem), Indonesia, Iran and Bulgaria, where it was first aired on BNT and later aired on NOVA television. Since 1996, reruns have been shown in syndication and on Freeform (formerly ABC Family and several other previous names), PAX (now Ion), the Hallmark Channel, CBS Drama, Up, Hallmark Drama, Pluto TV, fetv and INSP. The most prominent player of the large supporting cast was Joe Lando, who portrayed Byron Sully, Dr. Quinn's most frequently featured love interest.", "wds-Q23609": "Weeds is an American dark comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan, which aired on Showtime from August 8, 2005, to September 16, 2012. The series tells of Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker), a widowed mother of two boys (Hunter Parrish and Alexander Gould) who begins selling marijuana to support her family. Other main characters include Nancy's lax brother-in-law (Justin Kirk); foolish accountant Doug Wilson (Kevin Nealon); narcissistic neighbor Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) living with her husband (Andy Milder) and their daughter (Allie Grant); as well as Nancy's wholesalers Heylia James (Tonye Patano) and Conrad Shepard (Romany Malco). Over the course of the series, the Botwin family becomes increasingly entangled in illegal activity. Kohan serves as showrunner and is executive producer, under her Tilted Productions label. The first three seasons are set primarily in the fictional town of Agrestic, located in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. During seasons four and five, the Botwins reside in the also fictional San Diego suburb of Ren Mar. In season six, the family relocates to Seattle, Washington and Dearborn, Michigan. In season seven, the family resides in New York City, living in Manhattan for the duration of the season, but relocates to Connecticut in the season seven finale and throughout season eight. When the show debuted on the Showtime cable network, it earned the channel's highest ratings. In 2012, TV Guide Network bought the airing rights and provided an edited version of the show. The show has received numerous awards, including two Emmy Awards, two Satellite Awards, one Golden Globe Award, a Writers Guild Award, and a Young Artist Award.", "wds-Q629174": "Peep and the Big Wide World is an animated preschool television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of three anthropomorphic birds named Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as they discover, investigate, and explore the world around them. The show was based on the 1988 short film of the same name produced by the National Film Board of Canada, which itself is based on the 1962 short film The Peep Show, also produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The series premiered on April 12, 2004, on Discovery Kids and on TLC as part of their Ready Set Learn! children's block in the United States, and on TVOKids in Canada. It was produced by WGBH in Boston (through its kids division WGBH Kids), 9 Story Media Group (formerly 9 Story Entertainment; in its debut production), Eggbox LLC, the National Film Board of Canada in association with TVOntario and Discovery Kids and is distributed by Alliance Atlantis (through AAC Kids for the first season). Throughout its run, it was underwritten by the National Science Foundation, with Northrop Grumman underwriting season four in 2010. Each episode consists of two 9-minute stories, which are animated segments, and two 2-minute live-action segments, in which children explore and demonstrate the same topic presented in the animated segment. The show is narrated by Joan Cusack and the background music is produced by Steve D' Angelo and Terry Tompkins.", "wds-Q635933": "The Batman is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Michael Goguen and Duane Capizzi, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics for seasons 3–5, the series first aired on Kids' WB on September 11, 2004, then Cartoon Network on April 2, 2005. The show would become exclusive to the former network for its third to fifth seasons in early 2006. The Batman won six Daytime Emmy Awards over the course of its run. Many elements from previous Batman storylines were borrowed and adapted, such as those from the comic books, film series and the animated shows like Batman: The Animated Series from the DC Animated Universe, but it remained within its own continuity. Jackie Chan Adventures artist Jeff Matsuda served as art director and provided the character designs. The production team altered the appearances of many of the comic books' supervillains for the show, such as the Joker, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and the Riddler. The entire series is available on DVD and Blu-ray. In 2005, a direct-to-DVD film titled The Batman vs. Dracula was released. The Batman also received a spin-off comic, The Batman Strikes!.", "wds-Q135096": "I, Claudius (stylised as I·CLAVDIVS) is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves' 1934 novel I, Claudius and its 1935 sequel Claudius the God. Written by Jack Pulman, it stars Derek Jacobi as Claudius, with Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed, George Baker, Margaret Tyzack, John Hurt, Patricia Quinn, Ian Ogilvy, Kevin McNally, Patrick Stewart and John Rhys-Davies. The series covers the history of the early Roman Empire, told from the perspective of the elderly Emperor Claudius, who narrates the series. Among many other productions and adaptations, Graves' Claudius novels have also been adapted for a BBC Radio 4 broadcast (2010) and for the stage (1972).", "wds-Q654402": "Esmeralda is a Mexican telenovela produced by Salvador Mejía for Televisa in 1997. It is a remake of the 1970 Venezuelan telenovela of the same name, written by Delia Fiallo. It stars Leticia Calderón, Fernando Colunga, Enrique Lizalde, Laura Zapata, Salvador Pineda and Ignacio López Tarso. On Monday, May 5, 1997, Canal de las Estrellas started broadcasting Esmeralda weekdays at 8:00pm, replacing Mujer, casos de la vida real. The last episode was broadcast on Friday, November 14, 1997 with Desencuentro replacing it the following Monday. It was the first collaboration between Fernando Colunga and Juan Pablo Gamboa, who would both later work in La usurpadora (1998), which is also a production of Mejia. In the United States, it was first broadcast on Univision from December 15, 1997 to July 9, 1998. In 1998 it was named Best Telenovela of the Year by the TVyNovelas Awards.", "wds-Q94953": "Ben 10: Ultimate Alien is an American animated television series created by the team Man of Action, produced by Cartoon Network Studios, and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. It is the direct sequel to Ben 10: Alien Force (2008–2010), serving as the third series in the Ben 10 franchise. The series premiered on April 23, 2010, on Cartoon Network in the US. In India and Latin America, it premiered on October 10, 2010. In Canada, the series started airing on September 12, 2010, on Teletoon. The series finale aired on March 31, 2012, with the two-part episode \"The Ultimate Enemy\" dedicated to the memory of series developer, writer, and producer Dwayne McDuffie, who died during the production of the series. A sequel series, Ben 10: Omniverse, premiered in August 2012.", "wds-Q13417244": "Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police procedural sitcom that aired on Fox from September 17, 2013, to May 20, 2018, and later on NBC, from January 10, 2019, to September 16, 2021, for eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan Goor and Michael Schur and produced by Fremulon, Dr. Goor Productions, 3 Arts Entertainment and Universal Television, it revolved around seven New York City Police Department (NYPD) detectives who are adjusting to life under their new commanding officer, the serious and stern Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher). Andy Samberg led the ensemble cast, which featured Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melissa Fumero, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker, and Joel McKinnon Miller. Fox originally ordered 13 episodes of the single-camera comedy for its first season, eventually expanding it to 22 episodes. Brooklyn Nine-Nine premiered on September 17, 2013. On May 10, 2018, Fox cancelled it after five seasons; the next day, NBC picked it up for a sixth season, which premiered on January 10, 2019. The seventh season premiered in February 2020. The 10-episode eighth and final season premiered on August 12, 2021. The series has been acclaimed by critics. The first season won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, and on the same night, Samberg won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. Braugher was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and twice won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. For its portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, it won the 2018 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.", "wds-Q17733404": "BoJack Horseman is an American adult animated tragicomedy television series created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. It stars the voices of Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Alison Brie, Paul F. Tompkins, and Aaron Paul. Set primarily in Hollywood, the series revolves around the anthropomorphic horse BoJack Horseman (Arnett), a washed-up star of a 1990s sitcom who plans a return to relevance with an autobiography to be written by ghostwriter Diane Nguyen (Brie). It also chronicles his contentions with his agent, Princess Carolyn (Sedaris), former rival Mr. Peanutbutter (Tompkins), roommate Todd Chavez (Paul), and his declining mental health. The series is designed by cartoonist Lisa Hanawalt, a longtime friend to Bob-Waksberg who previously collaborated on the webcomic Tip Me Over, Pour Me Out. The series premiered on Netflix on August 22, 2014. On September 20, 2018, Netflix renewed the show for its sixth and final season, and the series ended on January 31, 2020, with a total of 77 episodes. The first five seasons consist of 12 episodes each, while the sixth and final season consists of 16 episodes divided into two parts of eight episodes each. A one-off Christmas special was also released on December 19, 2014. BoJack Horseman received mixed reviews upon release. However, critics were significantly more positive towards the second half of the first season, and the subsequent seasons received widespread critical acclaim; praise was given to its animation, voice acting, humor, mature themes, character development, emotional weight, writing and approach to its subject matter, which explores depression, trauma, abortion, adoption, addiction, self-destructive behavior, suicide, racism, sexism, speciesism, teen pregnancy, sexuality, and the human condition. Since its conclusion, the show has been hailed as one of the greatest television series of all time and appeared on several \"best-of\" television lists by various publications. The series received numerous accolades, including four Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Animated Series, three Annie Awards and two Writers Guild of America Awards. It has also received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations including Outstanding Animated Program twice and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for Kristen Schaal.", "wds-Q21148896": "Marvel's Iron Fist is an American television series created by Scott Buck for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Fist. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the franchise's films, and was the fourth Marvel Netflix series leading to the crossover miniseries The Defenders (2017). The series was produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios, with Devilina Productions also producing in the first season. Buck served as showrunner for the first season; Raven Metzner took over for the second. Finn Jones stars as Danny Rand / Iron Fist, a martial arts expert with the ability to call upon a mystical power known as the Iron Fist. Jessica Henwick, Tom Pelphrey, Jessica Stroup, and Sacha Dhawan also star, with Ramón Rodríguez, Rosario Dawson and David Wenham joining them for the first season, and Simone Missick and Alice Eve joining for season two. After a film based on Iron Fist was in the works at Marvel Studios for over a decade, development for the series began in late 2013 at Marvel Television with inspiration taken from martial arts films. Buck was hired as showrunner in December 2015, Jones was cast as Rand in February 2016, and Brett Chan served as the stunt coordinator for the first season. Metzner was revealed to be showrunning the second season in July 2017, with Clayton Barber taking over as the fight coordinator. Filming took place in New York City. The first, 13-episode season was released in its entirety on Netflix on March 17, 2017. It received generally negative reviews from critics, but third-party data analytics determined that the series had strong viewership. A second, 10-episode season was released on September 7, 2018, to mixed but improved reviews. Netflix cancelled Iron Fist on October 12, 2018. All of the Marvel Netflix series were removed from Netflix on March 1, 2022, after Disney regained the license for them. They began streaming on Disney+ from March 16. Jones will reprise his role in the third season of the Marvel Studios Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again in 2027.", "wds-Q19863018": "Superstore is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 30, 2015, to March 25, 2021. The series was created and produced by Justin Spitzer. Starring America Ferrera and Ben Feldman (who both also served as executive producers), Superstore follows a group of employees working at Cloud 9, a fictional big-box chain store in St. Louis, Missouri. The ensemble cast includes Lauren Ash, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos, Nichole Sakura, Mark McKinney, and Kaliko Kauahi. A Spanish-language adaptation, titled Supertitlán, debuted on the Mexican television network Azteca 7 on May 30, 2022. In the United Kingdom the series aired on ITV2 from its premiere until 2025, from January 2026, it has been broadcast on U&Dave in the UK and Ireland on Saturday nights.", "wds-Q20656755": "Billions is an American drama television series created by Brian Koppelman, David Levien, and Andrew Ross Sorkin. The series premiered on January 17, 2016, on Showtime, and its seventh and final season premiered on August 13, 2023. Set primarily in New York and Connecticut, the series depicts hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis) as he accumulates wealth and power in the world of high finance. Axelrod's aggressive tactics frequently garner the attention of United States Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti). Rhoades is based on Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan from 2009 to 2017, and the series was inspired by real-life federal prosecutions of financial crime. Bharara's 2013 prosecution of hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen of S.A.C. Capital Advisors loosely influenced the first season, while Salomon Brothers' 1991 manipulation of U.S. Treasury bonds inspired the second. Series subplots feature the psychiatrist turned performance coach Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff), market analyst Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon), and Axelrod's right-hand man Mike \"Wags\" Wagner (David Costabile).", "wds-Q55388396": "Molly of Denali (stylized in all caps) is an animated children's television series produced by WGBH Kids and animated by Atomic Cartoons, created by Dorothea Gillim and Kathy Waugh for PBS Kids and CBC Kids. It premiered on July 15, 2019, and is the first American nationally-distributed children's show to feature an Alaska Native as the lead character. 38 half-hour episodes were produced for season 1, with a 50-minute special as its season finale. A special live-action segment filmed in Alaska airs between the two 11-minute story segments. On April 6, 2021, it was announced that the show had been renewed for season 2. The second season premiered on November 1, 2021, and ended on October 10, 2022, after 14 episodes. The third season premiered on November 7, 2022, and ended on July 10, 2023, after 13 episodes. The fourth season premiered on March 25, 2024, and ended on June 15, 2026, after 20 episodes. The series won a Peabody Award in the Children's/Youth category in 2020. At the Children's and Family Emmy Awards, the series was nominated in the Outstanding Preschool Animated Series and in the Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program categories. The animated series has received acclaim for its representation of Indigenous Alaskan culture. At the 3rd Children's and Family Emmy Awards for programming in 2023 and 2024, the series won in the Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Program category for the episode \"Not a Mascot\". On May 9, 2025, it was announced that production of the series will end after the 15-episode fifth and final season due to the termination of the Ready-to-Learn grant by President Donald Trump.", "wds-Q72930269": "House of the Dragon is an American fantasy drama television series created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal for HBO. A prequel to Game of Thrones (2011–2019), it is the second television series in the Game of Thrones franchise. Based on parts of Martin's 2018 book Fire & Blood, the series begins about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest, nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. Featuring an ensemble cast, the show portrays the events leading up to the decline of House Targaryen, a devastating war of succession known as the \"Dance of the Dragons\". House of the Dragon received a straight-to-series order in October 2019, with Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik serving as showrunners. The series premiered on August 21, 2022, with the first season consisting of ten episodes. The series was renewed for a second season five days after its premiere. Sapochnik departed as showrunner after the first season, leaving Condal as the sole showrunner for the second season. The second season premiered on June 16, 2024, with eight episodes. The series was renewed for a third season in June 2024, which premiered on June 21, 2026, and consists of eight episodes. A fourth and final season is in development and expected to be released in 2028. The premiere of House of the Dragon was watched by over 10 million viewers across the linear channels and HBO Max on the first day, the biggest in HBO's history. The series has received positive reviews. It won a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, while Emma D'Arcy earned two nominations for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama. It earned nine Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and won three British Academy Television Craft Awards.", "wds-Q75020770": "Hazbin Hotel is an American adult animated musical black comedy television series created, directed, and executive-produced by Vivienne \"VivziePop\" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, crown princess of Hell, on her quest to find a way for sinners to be \"redeemed\" and allowed into Heaven via her \"Hazbin Hotel\" as an alternative to Heaven's annual \"extermination\" of souls due to Hell's overpopulation. The series is produced by Medrano's company SpindleHorse in collaboration with A24, Amazon MGM Studios, and the animation studio Bento Box Entertainment. The pilot episode was released on YouTube on October 28, 2019. The first season premiered on Amazon Prime Video on January 19, 2024, with its first episode also released on YouTube a day earlier for a limited time. The second season premiered on October 29, 2025. The series has been renewed for three additional seasons, with the fifth season set to serve as its last. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics. As of January 2024, Hazbin Hotel was the largest global debut for an animated series on Prime Video. The popularity and success of the pilot allowed Medrano to create the spin-off series Helluva Boss, which began on November 25, 2019, with a pilot episode, followed by the premiere of its first season on October 31, 2020. The series features a different cast of characters within the same in-universe setting.", "wds-Q87131973": "The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set decades after the collapse of society caused by a mass fungal infection that transforms its hosts into zombie-like creatures. The first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel across the United States. In the second season, based on the first half of 2020's The Last of Us Part II, they have settled in Jackson, Wyoming, with Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Ellie's friends Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino). The group travels to Seattle to track down Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who is set to be the focus of the third season. The series follows several characters. The first season sought high-profile guest stars, such as Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Merle Dandridge and Melanie Lynskey as resistance leaders Marlene and Kathleen, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as survivalists Bill and Frank, Rutina Wesley as Tommy's wife Maria, and Storm Reid as Ellie's best friend Riley. Wesley returned in the second season, which introduces Jeffrey Wright as militia leader Isaac, and Spencer Lord, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, and Danny Ramirez as Abby's friends Owen, Nora, Mel, and Manny, respectively. The third season is set to introduce Michelle Mao and Kyriana Kratter as Yara and Lev, members of the Seraphites, a Seattle-based religious group. The first season was filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022, while the second was filmed in British Columbia from February to August 2024; the third is filming in British Columbia from March to November 2026. One of the most expensive television series, it is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, assisted Mazin with scriptwriting for the first season's nine episodes; they were joined by Halley Gross, who co-wrote Part II, for the second season's seven. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the games, and David Fleming. The Last of Us premiered on January 15, 2023. Across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by almost 40 million viewers within two months; the series averaged almost 32 million viewers per episode by May, and it became HBO's most watched debut season. The second season premiered on April 13, 2025, and averaged almost 37 million viewers within two months. A third season is expected to air in 2027. The series received critical acclaim for its performances, writing, production design, direction, and score; several critics called it the best adaptation of a video game. It won several accolades, including nine Primetime Emmy Awards.", "wds-Q107132222": "Dexter: New Blood is an American crime drama mystery television miniseries developed by Clyde Phillips for Showtime. A continuation of the television series Dexter (2006–2013), it features Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter reprising their roles as Dexter and Debra Morgan, respectively, alongside new cast members Jack Alcott, Julia Jones, Johnny Sequoyah, Alano Miller, and Clancy Brown. The story is set ten years after the events of the original series finale, \"Remember the Monsters?\", which was broadcast in 2013. It aired on Showtime from November 7, 2021, to January 9, 2022. The series was followed by Dexter: Original Sin in 2024, a prequel series with a frame story picking up from the final scene of New Blood, and a sequel series, Dexter: Resurrection.", "wds-Q49019": "Blackadder is a series of four period British sitcoms — The Black Adder, Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth — along with several one-off installments, that originally aired on BBC1 from 1983 to 1989. All episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's servant Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, including Tim McInnerny as Percy and Darling, Stephen Fry as Melchett, and Hugh Laurie as George. The first series was written by Atkinson and Richard Curtis, while the subsequent three series were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. All four series were produced by John Lloyd. In 2000, Blackadder Goes Forth ranked at 16 in the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, a list created by the British Film Institute. In a 2001 poll by Channel 4, Edmund Blackadder was ranked third on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. In the 2004 TV poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom, Blackadder (all four series combined) was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time, topped by Only Fools and Horses. It was also ranked as the ninth-best TV show of all time by Empire magazine in 2009. Atkinson has said Blackadder was \"the least stressful\" of all his work, due to the \"feeling of shared responsibility among a lot of really good actors\".", "wds-Q23628": "The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase for HBO. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey Mafia boss. Suffering from panic attacks, he reluctantly begins seeing psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), who encourages him to open up about his difficulties balancing his family life with his criminal activities. Other important characters include Tony's family, Mafia colleagues, and rivals, most notably his wife Carmela (Edie Falco), his nephew and protégé Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), and his uncle Corrado \"Junior\" Soprano (Dominic Chianese). Having been greenlit in 1997, the series was broadcast on HBO from January 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007, spanning six seasons and 86 episodes. The show was broadcast as a part of HBO's newly launched Sunday night programming block. After its original HBO run, the series entered broadcast and cable syndication in the United States and other territories. The series was produced by HBO in association with Chase Films and Brad Grey Television. It was primarily filmed at Silvercup Studios in New York City, with some on-location filming in New Jersey. The executive producers throughout the show's run were Chase, Brad Grey, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Ilene S. Landress, Terence Winter, and Matthew Weiner. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time, it has been credited by media commentators with ushering in the Second Golden Age of Television, marked by high-quality serialized dramas. The series won multiple awards, including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons, 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, and 5 Golden Globe Awards. The Sopranos has been the subject of extensive critical analysis and debate for its portrayal of organized crime and Italian-American identity, and has been referenced or parodied in other media, including a video game, soundtrack albums and podcasts. It has inspired tie-in merchandise. When the series premiered, several cast members had limited mainstream exposure; many subsequently received major award nominations or appeared in high-profile film and television roles. In March 2018, New Line Cinema announced that they had purchased a film detailing the show's background story, set in the 1960s and 1970s during and after the Newark riots. The film, The Many Saints of Newark (2021), was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner and directed by Alan Taylor. It starred Gandolfini's son Michael Gandolfini as a young Tony Soprano.", "wds-Q858778": "Late Show with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the Late Show franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, and CBS Television Studios. The show's music director and leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, was Paul Shaffer. The head writer was Matt Roberts and the announcer was originally Bill Wendell, then Alan Kalter. In most American markets, the show aired from 11:35 p.m. to 12:37 a.m. Eastern and Pacific Time, and recorded Monday to Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The second Thursday episode usually aired on Friday of that week. In 2002, Late Show with David Letterman was ranked No. 7 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. As host of both Late Night and Late Show for more than 30 years, Letterman surpassed Johnny Carson as the longest-running late-night talk show host in 2013. That same year, Late Night and Late Show were ranked at No. 41 on TV Guide's 60 Best Series of All Time. The show was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series 16 times, winning 6. It was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series 15 times, and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series 16 times during its run. In 2014, Letterman announced his retirement; the final episode of Late Show aired on May 20, 2015. After Letterman's final Late Show, instead of airing reruns of the show or having guest host episodes of Late Show, CBS opted to air reruns of scripted dramas in the 11:35 p.m. time slot over the summer with the branding CBS Summer Showcase. The show was then succeeded by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015 and ended in 2026.", "wds-Q849627": "The Young and the Restless (often abbreviated as Y&R) is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wisconsin). First broadcast on March 26, 1973, The Young and the Restless was originally broadcast as half-hour episodes, five times a week. The show expanded to one-hour episodes on February 4, 1980. On March 17, 2006, the series began airing previous episodes weeknights on Soapnet until its closure on December 31, 2013, after which the series moved to TVGN (now Pop). From July 1, 2013 until 2019, Pop aired previous episodes on weeknights. The series is also syndicated internationally. The Young and the Restless originally focused on two core families: the wealthy Brooks family and the working class Foster family. After a series of recasts and departures in the early 1980s, all the original characters except Jill Foster Abbott were written out, to be replaced by new core families, the Abbotts and the Williamses. Over the years, other families such as the Newman family, the Barber/Winters family, and the Baldwin-Fishers were introduced. Despite these changes, one of its most enduring storylines was the four-decade feud between Jill Abbott and Katherine Chancellor, the longest rivalry on any American soap opera. Since its television debut, The Young and the Restless has won 11 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. It is also currently the highest-rated daytime drama on American television, a rank it has held for 34 years as of the end of the 2021–22 season. As of 2008, it had appeared at the top of the weekly Nielsen ratings in that category for more than 1,000 weeks since 1988. As of December 12, 2013, according to Nielsen ratings, The Young and the Restless marked an unprecedented 1,300 weeks, or 25 years, as the highest-rated daytime drama. The serial is also a sister series to The Bold and the Beautiful, as several actors have crossed over between shows. The serial aired its 13,000th episode on November 13, 2024. On February 27, 2024, the series was renewed by CBS to run through the 2027–2028 television season. Some well-known celebrities got their start on The Young and the Restless, including Eva Longoria, David Hasselhoff, Tom Selleck, Paul Walker, and Shemar Moore. Many other celebrities have made guest appearances on the show, including Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Wayne Gretzky, Il Divo, and Enrique Iglesias.", "wds-Q427702": "Early Edition is an American fantasy comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from September 28, 1996, to May 27, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, it follows the adventures of a man who mysteriously receives each Chicago Sun-Times newspaper the day before it is actually published, and who uses this knowledge to prevent terrible events every day. Created by Ian Abrams, Patrick Q. Page, and Vik Rubenfeld, the series starred actor Kyle Chandler as Gary Hobson, and it featured many real Chicago locations over the course of the series' run. The show was canceled on May 27, 2000, after 90 episodes were made, and it began airing in syndication on Fox Family Channel that same month. Fan conventions about the show were held for multiple years. CBS Home Entertainment released the first two seasons on the DVD format in the United States in 2008 and 2009. The complete series was released on DVD in 2018.", "wds-Q696455": "Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (ふしぎの海のナディア, Fushigi no Umi no Nadia; lit. 'Nadia of the Mysterious Seas') is a Japanese anime television series created by Hideaki Anno for NHK. Inspired by the works of Jules Verne, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and the exploits of Captain Nemo, the series follows former circus performer Nadia and young inventor Jean, who are led off to adventure by a secret in Nadia's pendant. The original Japanese broadcast of the series aired from April 1990 to April 1991 for 39 episodes. Streamline Pictures released the first eight episodes in the United States on VHS from March 1992 to August 1993. The full series was distributed in the United States from 2001 to 2002 by ADV Films on DVD and VHS, with an American broadcast airing on ADV's Anime Network. Following the 2009 closure of ADV, Sentai Filmworks re-licensed the series and re-released it to Blu-ray and DVD in March 2014. GKIDS acquired the license in 2022 and released a new 4K restoration the same year.", "wds-Q253205": "Entourage is an American satirical comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004, and ended on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons. The series was created and largely written by Doug Ellin, and chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they attempt to further their nascent careers in Los Angeles. The show's principal cast initially consisted of Kevin Connolly as Eric Murphy, Adrian Grenier as Vincent Chase, Kevin Dillon as Johnny \"Drama\" Chase, Jerry Ferrara as Turtle, and Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold. In later seasons, Debi Mazar, Perrey Reeves, Rex Lee, Rhys Coiro, Gary Cole, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Scott Caan were upgraded to the main cast. Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson served as Entourage's executive producers, and its premise is loosely based on Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming film star. The show is noted for its themes of male friendship and the Hollywood lifestyle, as well as its numerous celebrity guest appearances, with at least one usually appearing each episode. During its run, Entourage received generally positive reviews from critics, apart from the last season receiving a mixed reception. The show received numerous awards and nominations throughout its run, including three straight Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series wins for Piven from 2006 to 2008, alongside the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2007. Dillon and Connolly also received acting nominations. An Entourage film, with most of the main cast returning, was released on June 3, 2015, serving as a sequel to the series. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office disappointment.", "wds-Q1071501": "Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between 9 January 2006 and 10 April 2007. It follows Sam Tyler (John Simm), a Manchester police officer in 2006 who wakes up after a car accident to discover that he has time-travelled to 1973, where he works the same job in the same location under the command of Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) while attempting to solve the mystery of what has happened to him. Life on Mars (named after David Bowie's song of the same name) and its sequel, Ashes to Ashes (also named after a David Bowie song), received acclaim for blending elements of mystery, police procedurals, supernatural drama, science fiction, and historical drama. It won two International Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series. An American adaptation was produced by ABC and ran for one season from October 2008 to April 2009, a Spanish adaptation was broadcast from April to June 2009, a Russian adaptation was broadcast in November 2012, a Czech adaptation was broadcast from January to March 2017, a South Korean adaptation began broadcasting in June 2018, and a Chinese adaptation was announced in 2019.", "wds-Q785656": "My Gym Partner's a Monkey is an American animated television series created by Tim Cahill and Julie McNally Cahill for Cartoon Network. It aired from December 26, 2005, to November 27, 2008, ending with a total of four seasons and 56 episodes. The series follows Adam Lyon, a human who, after a clerical error listed his surname as \"Lion\", is forced to transfer to Charles Darwin Middle School, a school for local anthropomorphic zoo animals, where he is partnered with Jake Spidermonkey in gym, and quickly becomes best friends with him. Saerom Animation provided the animation. The series won an Emmy Award in 2007 and was nominated for four Annie Awards.", "wds-Q31915": "White Collar is an American police procedural television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Tim DeKay as FBI Special Agent Peter Burke and Matt Bomer as Neal Caffrey, a highly intelligent, charming and multi-talented con artist, forger, and thief, working as both Burke's criminal informant and an FBI consultant. Willie Garson and Tiffani Thiessen also star. The show premiered on October 23, 2009, on USA Network, and aired six complete seasons, concluding on December 18, 2014. Show creator Eastin and the cast have been trying to revive the show in some capacity for several years. Most recently, in June 2024, it was announced that a reboot with many members of the original cast is in development. However, no broadcaster or streaming service was as yet on board, and there have been no further updates about the project's status since that 2024 announcement.", "wds-Q461452": "Queen Seondeok (Korean: 선덕여왕) is a 2009 South Korean historical drama television series produced by MBC and Time Box Production for the former's 48th founding anniversary, starring Lee Yo-won, Go Hyun-jung, Uhm Tae-woong, Kim Nam-gil, and Park Ye-jin. It chronicles the life of Queen Seondeok of Silla. It aired on MBC from 25 May to 22 December 2009 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 62 episodes. The viewership ratings for the show topped TV charts almost every week during its run, peaking at 43.6 percent. It swept the 2009 MBC Drama Awards; actress Go Hyun-jung's performance and subsequent grand prize win received near-universal acclaim.", "wds-Q5415": "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated television series based on Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise and marking the start of its fourth incarnation. The series follows a studious pony named Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong), her dragon assistant Spike (Cathy Weseluck), and her friends Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Rarity (Tabitha St. Germain), Fluttershy (Andrea Libman), Rainbow Dash (Ball) and Pinkie Pie (Libman). The six ponies, collectively known as the \"Mane Six\", go on adventures and help others around Equestria, solving problems with their friendships. Produced by Allspark Animation and animated by DHX Media Vancouver, the series aired on The Hub (now Discovery Family) in the United States from October 10, 2010, to October 12, 2019. Hasbro selected animator Lauren Faust to head the show. In challenge to the nature of My Little Pony and other girl-targeted properties, Faust employed deeper characterization and fantasy worldbuilding, creating a show that resembled how she played with her toys as a child. She left the series during its second season, with other staff taking over from her. Friendship Is Magic became one of the highest-rated productions in The Hub's history and gave Hasbro new merchandising opportunities. Although the show is targeted primarily to young girls, it has also attracted a following of older viewers known as \"bronies\". A spin-off franchise, My Little Pony: Equestria Girls, was launched in 2013 and ran alongside the series for six years. A feature-length film adaptation based on the television series was released in October 2017 in the United States. A spin-off comedy series, My Little Pony: Pony Life, premiered in November 2020. A live-action adaptation on the franchise by Amazon MGM Studios and Hasbro Entertainment was announced in July 2025.", "wds-Q2579463": "Vikings is a historical drama television series created and written by Michael Hirst. A co-production between Canada and Ireland, the series originally premiered on the History Channel on March 3, 2013. The series concluded with its broadcast on History in Canada from January 1 to March 3, 2021, after the second half of the sixth season was released in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video in Ireland on December 30, 2020. A sequel series, titled Vikings: Valhalla, premiered on Netflix on February 25, 2022. It is inspired by the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok, a Viking who is one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of Anglo-Saxon England and West Francia. The series portrays Ragnar as a farmer from the fictional village of Kattegat (not to be confused with the Kattegat sea between Denmark and Sweden) who rises to fame by raiding England and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king, with the support of his family and fellow warriors. In the later seasons, the series follows the fortunes of his sons and their adventures in England, Scandinavia, Kievan Rus', the Mediterranean and North America. The series's principal cast features Travis Fimmel as Lodbrok (\"Lothbrok\" in the series), alongside Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Jessalyn Gilsig, Gustaf Skarsgård, Gabriel Byrne, George Blagden, Donal Logue, Alyssa Sutherland, Linus Roache, and Alexander Ludwig. The series was filmed entirely in Ireland, on-location in County Wicklow and at Ashford Studios.", "wds-Q7103920": "Orphan Black is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical human clones, and later on some of the other clones. The series raises issues about the moral and ethical implications of human cloning and its effect on identity. The series was produced by Temple Street Productions in association with BBC America and Bell Media's Space. The show premiered on March 30, 2013, on Space in Canada, and on BBC America in the United States. On June 16, 2016, the series was renewed for a fifth and final ten-episode season, which ran from June 10 to August 12, 2017. An aftershow, After the Black, began airing in the third season on Space and was acquired by BBC America for the fourth season. In April 2022, a spin-off titled Orphan Black: Echoes was announced, which premiered in June 2024 on AMC. An Orphan Black comic book series was started in 2015 but was cancelled in 2018 before the end of its contract. Orphan Black developed a loyal online fan base across social media platforms who identify as #CloneClub, a reference to those who are in-the-know in the story. Throughout its run, the series received critical acclaim and various accolades, particularly for Maslany's performances, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards and two further nominations, one TCA Award and one further nomination, two Satellite Award nominations, and a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. The series won a Peabody Award in 2013 and has been nominated for, and won, several Canadian Screen Awards.", "wds-Q17110140": "Scorpion (stylized as </SCORPION>) is an American action drama television series created by Nick Santora for CBS. The series stars Elyes Gabel (Walter O'Brien), Katharine McPhee (Paige Dineen), Eddie Kaye Thomas (Tobias Curtis), Jadyn Wong (Happy Quinn), Ari Stidham (Sylvester \"Sly\" Dodd), and Robert Patrick (Cabe Gallo). Very loosely based on the life of executive producer Walter O'Brien, the series centers on O'Brien and his friends helping to solve complex global problems and save lives. The series premiered on September 22, 2014. On October 27, 2014, CBS placed a full-season episode order for the first season. In March 2017, CBS renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on September 25, 2017. Scorpion received mixed critical reception. On May 12, 2018, CBS cancelled the series after four seasons.", "wds-Q19626781": "Preacher is an American black comedy action horror television series developed by Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen for AMC starring Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun and Ruth Negga. The series is based on the comic book series Preacher created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The series premiered on May 22, 2016, and ran for four seasons, concluding on September 29, 2019.", "wds-Q19820021": "The Producers (Korean: 프로듀사) is a 2015 South Korean comedy-drama television series written by Park Ji-eun, and directed by Seo Soo-min and Pyo Min-soo. It stars Cha Tae-hyun, Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Soo-hyun, and Lee Ji-eun. It aired on KBS2 from May 15 to June 20, 2015 every Friday and Saturday at 21:15 (KST) for 12 episodes.", "wds-Q56275505": "Euphoria is an American psychological drama television series created and written by Sam Levinson for HBO. Based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem, the series stars Zendaya as drug-addicted teenager Rue Bennett, who also serves as an unreliable narrator. The ensemble cast includes Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo, Javon \"Wanna\" Walton, and Austin Abrams. Dominic Fike, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Martha Kelly, Chloe Cherry, and Toby Wallace join later in the series. Euphoria's executive producers include Levinson, Zendaya, Leshem, Drake, and Gary Lennon. The series is filmed in Los Angeles, and follows a group of high schoolers in the fictional town of East Highland, California. The eight-episode first season was broadcast between June 16 and August 4, 2019. Two specials were broadcast in December 2020 and January 2021. The eight-episode second season was broadcast between January 9 and February 27, 2022. The eight-episode third season was broadcast between April 12 and May 31, 2026. It is set five years later and away from the high school setting of the first two seasons, and on the same day that the final episode was released, HBO confirmed that the series had concluded after three seasons. The first two seasons received generally positive reviews, with praise for its cinematography, score, performances of the cast, and approach to its mature subject matter. Some critics found the nudity and sexual content excessive due to the characters' ages. The third season received mixed reviews from critics. It is the fourth most-watched HBO series since 2004. The series has received numerous accolades, including thirty two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and nine wins. In 2020 and 2022, Zendaya won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the first two seasons. The series was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series and in 2020, the series was nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series for excellence in media portrayal of LGBTQ people and themes.", "wds-Q79997183": "It's Okay to Not Be Okay (Korean: 사이코지만 괜찮아) is a 2020 South Korean romantic comedy drama television series written by Jo Yong, directed by Park Shin-woo, and starring Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, and Oh Jung-se. The series follows Ko Moon-young, an antisocial children's book writer who moves to her hometown to pursue her love interest Moon Gang-tae, a psych ward caretaker, who has dedicated his life to taking care of his autistic older brother Moon Sang-tae. It aired on tvN from June 20 to August 9, 2020, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions. According to Nielsen Korea, the series recorded an average nationwide TV viewership rating of 5.4%. It was the most popular show of 2020 in the romance genre on Netflix in South Korea. Critical response were primarily positive; some commentators criticized the writing in the latter half of the series but praised the acting by the cast. The New York Times named It's Okay to Not Be Okay one of \"The Best International Shows of 2020\". At the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, it received eight nominations with two wins (Best Supporting Actor – Television and Best Technical Achievement – Television for costume design). It received a nomination at the 49th International Emmy Awards in the Best TV Movie or Miniseries categories.", "wds-Q511726": "Beavis and Butt-Head is an American adult animated sitcom created by Mike Judge for MTV. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor and love for hard rock and heavy metal. The original series juxtaposes slice-of-life short subjects in which the characters embark on misadventures and comment on music videos in the fictional town of Highland, Texas. Judge created Beavis and Butt-Head when making animated shorts. Two of these shorts, including Frog Baseball, were broadcast by MTV's animation showcase Liquid Television. MTV commissioned a full series, which over its seven seasons, became its most popular program. The original series ended in 1997, but returned in 2011. In 2022, it received a reboot for Paramount+. Starting in 2025, the reboot was moved to Comedy Central, which renewed the series for an eleventh and twelfth season. During its initial run, Beavis and Butt-Head received acclaim for its satirical commentary on society, as well as criticism for its alleged influence on adolescents. The characters became pop culture icons among Generation X viewers, with their sniggering and dialogue becoming catchphrases. The series was adapted into the films Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996) and Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022). Adaptations and tie-in products include comic books, video games, books, and music. A spin-off series, Daria, ran for five seasons from 1997 to 2002.", "wds-Q223320": "Baywatch is an American drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, who produced the show throughout its 11-season run. The series focuses on both professional and personal challenges faced by the characters, portrayed by a large rotating ensemble cast that includes Pamela Anderson, Alexandra Paul, Gregory Alan Williams, Jeremy Jackson, Parker Stevenson, David Chokachi, Billy Warlock, Erika Eleniak, David Charvet, Yasmine Bleeth, and Nicole Eggert. The show was canceled after its first season on NBC, but survived through syndication and later became the most-watched television series in the world, with a weekly audience of over 1.1 billion viewers despite consistently negative critical reviews, earning it a reputation as a pop cultural phenomenon and frequent source of allusion and parody. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999. From 1999 to 2001, with a setting change and large cast overhaul, it was known as Baywatch: Hawaii. It spawned a spin-off series, Baywatch Nights, which aired for two seasons from 1995 to 1997, and a 2017 feature film adaptation.", "wds-Q637190": "Code Lyoko (French pronunciation: [kɔd ljɔko]; stylized as CODE: LYOKO in season 1 and in all caps in seasons 2–4) is a French anime-influenced animated series created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo and produced by MoonScoop for Cartoon Network, France 3 and Canal J, with the participation of Conseil Général de la Charente, Pôle Image Magelis, Région Poitou-Charentes, and Wallimage. The series centers around a group of teenagers who travel to the virtual world of Lyoko to battle against X.A.N.A., a hostile artificial intelligence which seeks to attack the real world. The scenes in the real world employ traditional animation with hand-painted backgrounds, while the scenes in Lyoko are presented in 3D CGI animation. The series began its first 97-episode run on September 3, 2003, on France's France 3, and ended on November 10, 2007, and on Cartoon Network in the United States on April 19, 2004, and ended in 2008 after its final seven episodes aired online at Cartoon Network video. A follow-up non-canon series, Code Lyoko: Evolution, which used live action footage rather than hand-drawn animation to represent the real world, began airing in 2012. The series only consisted of one season of 26 episodes with the final episode airing in late 2013, leaving off on a cliffhanger with no second season or other sequel series planned due to MoonScoop's filing for bankruptcy shortly after in 2014. In June 2026, it was announced that a sequel series was in development, which will be a direct continuation of the events of Season 4, with the entire original cast and writers returning.", "wds-Q602883": "The Transformers is an animated children's sci-fi action-adventure television series that originally aired from September 17, 1984, to November 11, 1987, in syndication based upon Hasbro and Takara's Transformers toy line. The first television series in the Transformers franchise, it depicts a war among giant robots that can transform into vehicles and other objects. The series was produced by Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions in association with Japanese studio Toei Animation for first-run syndication. Toei co-produced the show as the main animation studio for its first two seasons, having been tasked with creating and finalizing animation models, designing transformation schemes, storyboarding some episodes, and general direction. In the third season, Toei's involvement with the production team was reduced and the animation services were shared with the South Korean studio AKOM. The show's supervising producer (Nelson Shin) was also AKOM's founder. The fourth season was entirely animated by AKOM. The series was supplemented by a feature film, The Transformers: The Movie (1986), taking place between the second and third seasons. This series is also popularly known as \"Generation One\", a term originally coined by fans in response to the re-branding of the franchise as Transformers: Generation 2 in 1992, which eventually made its way into official use. The series was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel and The Hub / Discovery Family.", "wds-Q756428": "Chowder is an American animated surreal comedy television series created by C. H. Greenblatt for Cartoon Network. It premiered on November 2, 2007, and ended on August 7, 2010, after three seasons with a total of 49 episodes. The series follows an aspiring young boy named Chowder and his day-to-day adventures as an apprentice in Chef Mung Daal's catering company. Although he means well, Chowder often finds himself in predicaments due to his perpetual appetite and his nature as a scatterbrain. Chowder's guidance in his goal to become a master chef is influenced by Mung's wife, Truffles; Mung's assistant Shnitzel; Mung's rival Endive; her apprentice Panini, who has a perpetual crush on Chowder; as well as other side characters. The show had one win and two nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards as well as six nominations at the Annie Awards.", "wds-Q2293": "Chuck is an American action comedy spy drama television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an \"average-computer-whiz-next-door\" named Chuck Bartowski, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded email from an old college friend now working for the CIA. The message embeds the only remaining copy of a software program containing the United States's greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain, leading the CIA and the NSA to assign him handlers and use him on top-secret missions. Produced by Fake Empire (known as College Hill Pictures, Inc. during the first three seasons before folding afterwards), Wonderland Sound and Vision, and Warner Bros. Television, the series premiered on September 24, 2007, on NBC, airing on Monday nights at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. Central. As the second season finished, flagging ratings put Chuck in danger of cancellation, but fans mounted a successful campaign to encourage NBC to renew the show. The campaign was unique in that fans specifically targeted a sponsor of the show, the Subway restaurant chain, leading to the chain striking a major sponsorship deal with NBC to help cover costs of the third season. The series' renewal was uncertain in each subsequent season. The fifth season was the last, beginning on October 28, 2011, and moving to Friday nights at 8 p.m./7 Central. The series concluded on January 27, 2012, with a two-hour finale.", "wds-Q3013": "iCarly is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series centers on Carly Shay, a Seattle-based teenager who creates and hosts her own web show called iCarly with her best friends, Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson, in the apartment loft that she and her older brother, Spencer, live in. As the web show quickly becomes an internet phenomenon, the characters are tasked with balancing their normal teenage lives with the wacky situations their newfound fame lands them in. By the fourth season, their school friend Gibby also works with them on the web show. It was nominated five times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. Although the show received mixed reviews from critics, it became popular with audiences, winning the Kids' Choice Award for Favorite TV Show for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011. The January 2010 episode \"iSaved Your Life\" reached 11.2 million viewers, the second most viewed telecast in Nickelodeon history. In December 2020, Paramount+ ordered a revival of the series, with Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress, and Jerry Trainor. It premiered on June 17, 2021.", "wds-Q34397": "The Cleveland Show is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry, produced by Fox Television Animation for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of Family Guy, and the second television series in the franchise, the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs-Brown, and their children Cleveland Brown Jr., Roberta Tubbs, and Rallo Tubbs. The series was conceived by MacFarlane in 2007 after developing Family Guy and American Dad! for the Fox network. MacFarlane centered the show on Family Guy character Cleveland Brown and created new characters for Cleveland's family members. One preexisting character, Cleveland's son Cleveland Jr. (Junior), was redesigned as an obese, soft-spoken teen, as opposed to his depiction as a younger, hyperactive child with average body weight on Family Guy. The series premiered on September 27, 2009, and ended on May 19, 2013, after four seasons consisting of 88 episodes. The Cleveland Show was nominated for one Annie Award, one Primetime Emmy Award, and two Teen Choice Awards, but received mixed reviews from media critics. Fox cancelled the series after 4 seasons. Nearly a year after the series' cancelation, Cleveland returned to Family Guy, accompanied by the rest of the Brown-Tubbs family, in the season 12 episode \"He's Bla-ack!\".", "wds-Q82617": "Regular Show is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the course of eight seasons and 244 episodes. The series follows the daily lives of two 23-year-old friends — Mordecai, a blue jay, and Rigby, a raccoon — who work at a local park as groundskeepers. Their coworkers are Skips, an immortal yeti, Muscle Man, a green-skinned overweight man, and Hi-Five Ghost, a small ghost. Other characters include Pops, the lollipop-shaped owner of the park, and the duo's boss Benson, a gumball machine. Mordecai and Rigby spend their days slacking off and avoiding work to entertain themselves by any means, which unexpectedly leads to surreal, extreme, and supernatural misconduct. Many of Regular Show's characters were loosely based on those developed for Quintel's student films at California Institute of the Arts: The Naïve Man from Lolliland and 2 in the AM PM. The former was one of the winners of the 2005 Nicktoons Film Festival and received international attention after being broadcast on Nicktoons Network. Quintel pitched Regular Show for Cartoon Network's Cartoonstitute project, in which the network allowed young artists to create pilots with no notes, which would possibly be optioned as shows. Regular Show was nominated for several awards, including seven Annie Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards – winning one for the episode \"Eggscellent\" (season 3, episode 17) – and three British Academy Children's Awards. A film adaptation based on the series, titled Regular Show: The Movie, premiered in 2015. On June 12, 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that a new series featuring some characters from Regular Show had been greenlit, with Quintel returning as showrunner. The series, titled Regular Show: The Lost Tapes, premiered on May 11, 2026.", "wds-Q840657": "Ezel (Turkish pronunciation: [eˈzæl]) is a Turkish crime thriller TV series that was initially broadcast by Show TV in fall 2009. In 2010, it was transferred to ATV. It has gained a considerably large fan base in Turkey since. Series stars Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, Cansu Dere and Yiğit Özşener in leads. Although it is set in modern-day Istanbul, filming also took place in North Cyprus, Croatia, and England. The series is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel The Count of Monte Cristo.", "wds-Q16868648": "Fleabag is a British comedy-drama television series created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The series was produced by Two Brothers Pictures for digital channel BBC Three, in a co-production agreement with Amazon Studios. Waller-Bridge stars as the title character, a free-spirited but angry and confused young woman living in London. Sian Clifford co-stars as Fleabag's sister Claire, with Andrew Scott joining in the second series; most of the show's main characters are unnamed, including Waller-Bridge's and Scott's. The protagonist frequently breaks the fourth wall, providing exposition, internal monologues, and running commentary to the audience. The show premiered on 21 July 2016 and concluded its second and final series on 8 April 2019. It received widespread acclaim from critics, particularly for its writing, acting, and the uniqueness and personality of the title character. Many critics and viewers have called it one of the greatest comedy series of all time as well as one of the greatest television series of all time. Waller-Bridge won the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for the first series, with the second series earning her Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress, and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series; additional nominations include acting categories received by Clifford, Olivia Colman, and guest stars Fiona Shaw and Kristin Scott Thomas. The series received the Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series and Best Actress for Waller-Bridge, and a nomination for Scott. The show is adapted from Waller-Bridge's 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe one-woman play of the same name, which previewed at Soho Theatre before its Edinburgh debut and won a Fringe First Award. Following Edinburgh, Fleabag returned to Soho Theatre for an Off West End run later in 2013. At the 2014 Off West End Theatre Awards (the Offies), Waller-Bridge won both Best Female Performance and Most Promising New Playwright for the production. The initial idea of the character of Fleabag came from a challenge by a friend, where Waller-Bridge was given the task of creating a sketch for a 10-minute section in a stand-up storytelling night.", "wds-Q1187416": "Chicago Fire is an American procedural drama series broadcast by NBC. The series was created by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt and the series is the first installment of the Chicago franchise. It has a large ensemble cast including Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Lauren German, Charlie Barnett, David Eigenberg, Teri Reeves, Eamonn Walker, Yuri Sardarov, Christian Stolte, Joe Miñoso, Kara Killmer, Dora Madison Burge, Steven R. McQueen, Miranda Rae Mayo, Annie Ilonzeh, Alberto Rosende, Daniel Kyri, Adriyan Rae, Hanako Greensmith, Jake Lockett, Jocelyn Hudon and Dermot Mulroney, and premiered on October 10, 2012. As of May 13, 2026, the series has aired 295 episodes. In March 2026, the series was renewed for a fifteenth season, which is set to premiere on October 7, 2026.", "wds-Q3809524": "Teen Titans Go! is an American animated series developed for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans and DC Nation's New Teen Titans shorts. The production companies of the series are DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, with the animation outsourced to Canada at Copernicus Studios and Bardel Entertainment. Sporting a different animation style, Teen Titans Go! serves as a comedic standalone spin-off with little to no continuity to the original Teen Titans series (although some references are included as comedic fan service) or any other media in the DC Comics franchise. Many DC characters make cameo appearances and are referenced in the background. The original principal voice cast returns to reprise their respective roles. This series explores what the Titans do when they are hanging out around the tower. A feature film, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, was released in theaters on July 27, 2018. A ninth season consisting of 52 episodes premiered in March 2025. A tenth season of the series is in development.", "wds-Q30014613": "Young Sheldon is an American sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro that aired on CBS from September 25, 2017, to May 16, 2024. A spin-off and prequel to The Big Bang Theory, the series is set from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s and follows the childhood of Sheldon Cooper, a gifted young prodigy growing up with his family in Medford, Texas. The show stars Iain Armitage as Sheldon, alongside Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, and Annie Potts among many others. Jim Parsons, who portrayed the adult Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, serves as the series' narrator and an executive producer. Development of the prequel began in November 2016, based on an idea Parsons shared with The Big Bang Theory producers. By March 2017, Armitage and Perry were cast, and CBS ordered the series. Young Sheldon premiered as a special preview on September 25, 2017, and was picked up for a full season that began airing on November 2, 2017. In November 2023, CBS announced that the series would conclude after its seventh season. The one-hour series finale aired on May 16, 2024. The series received positive reviews from critics. In January 2024, it was announced that a spin-off series focused on Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister was in development. By March 2024, CBS had greenlit the series, titled Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, which premiered on October 17, 2024.", "wds-Q28938169": "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series developed by Ant Ward and Andy Suriano for Nickelodeon. Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it is a re-imagined series that has the Turtles go on new adventures as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City and their own powers to save the world from evil. The series stars the voices of Omar Benson Miller, Ben Schwartz, Brandon Mychal Smith, Josh Brener, Kat Graham, and Eric Bauza. It was announced by Nickelodeon in March 2017, and was initially scheduled to run for at least 26 episodes. Ward and Suriano were attached as showrunners and executive producers. The series was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, and Flying Bark Productions provided the animation. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered on Nickelodeon on July 20, 2018. On July 27, 2018, the series was renewed for a second season consisting of 26 episodes. Partway into the production of the second season, however, it was shortened in length to 13 episodes, which were exhibited on Nicktoons. The final episode aired on August 7, 2020. A feature film sequel was released on Netflix on August 5, 2022, following the series finale.", "wds-Q72100361": "Nurses (Spanish: Enfermeras) is a Colombian medical drama television series produced by Ana María Pérez that aired on RCN Televisión from 23 October 2019 to 12 August 2022. The series focuses on the lives of several nurses, specifically focusing on the life of María Clara González (Diana Hoyos).", "wds-Q109526557": "One Piece (stylized in all caps) is a fantasy adventure television series developed by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda for Netflix. The series is a live-action adaptation of the 1997 Japanese manga series One Piece by Eiichiro Oda, who also serves as a creative consultant. It is produced by Kaji Productions and Shueisha, the manga's publisher. The series stars Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero, Taz Skylar, and Mikaela Hoover as the Straw Hat Pirates; other members of the main cast including Morgan Davies, Vincent Regan, Jeff Ward, Charithra Chandran, Lera Abova, Joe Manganiello, and Sendhil Ramamurthy. One Piece received a straight-to-series order in January 2020, and filming occurred between January and August 2022. The first season was released in its entirety on Netflix on August 31, 2023. Two weeks after its release, Netflix renewed the series for a second season, with scripts completed by September 2023, though filming was delayed by the SAG-AFTRA strike. The season, titled Into the Grand Line, was later filmed between June and December 2024, and it was released on March 10, 2026. In August 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, which went into production in November 2025, ahead of the second season's premiere. The season, titled The Battle of Alabasta, is expected to premiere in 2027. The series has received positive reviews from critics and fans, with praise for its performances, visuals, action sequences, humor, and faithfulness to the source material. Many critics considered the series to be one of the best live-action adaptations of a manga or anime. One Piece was the most-watched Netflix show (among individual series seasons) during the second half of 2023.", "wds-Q101089777": "Peacemaker is an American superhero television series created by James Gunn for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the eponymous character from DC Comics. The first season is a spin-off of the film The Suicide Squad (2021) set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), further exploring jingoistic self-titled hero Chris Smith / Peacemaker. The second and final season is the first live-action series in the DC Universe (DCU), a \"soft reboot\" of the DCEU, retroactively incorporating most of The Suicide Squad and the first season into the DCU's continuity, and taking place after the events of the film Superman (2025). The series is produced by the Safran Company and Troll Court Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and with Gunn as showrunner. The second was produced by DC Studios with Gunn returning as showrunner. John Cena stars as Chris Smith / Peacemaker, reprising his role from The Suicide Squad, alongside Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick also starring in the first season, with Frank Grillo joining the cast in the second season. Although the character was originally slated to be killed in The Suicide Squad, Gunn conceived Peacemaker after noting Cena's strength as a dramatic actor, and wrote the first season while finishing the film. HBO Max ordered it straight-to-series in September 2020. Filming took place in Vancouver, Canada, from January to July 2021, with Gunn directing five episodes. He chose to use hair metal songs for the series' soundtrack, including \"Do Ya Wanna Taste It\" by Wig Wam for the dance sequence accompanying the first season's opening titles. A second season was ordered in February 2022, with Gunn again writing all episodes. The season was integrated with the DCU after Gunn was named co-CEO of DC Studios. Filming took place at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, from April to November 2024. Peacemaker premiered on January 13, 2022, with its first three episodes. The other five episodes of the first season were released weekly until February 17. The second and final season premiered on August 21, 2025, and released weekly until October 9. Following the conclusion of the second season, Gunn announced there were no plans for a third season. The series has been nominated for several awards, including a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award. A spin-off series, Waller, is in development as part of the DCU.", "wds-Q101252455": "Vincenzo (Korean: 빈센조; RR: Binsenjo) is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Song Joong-ki as the title character, alongside Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taec-yeon, Kim Yeo-jin and Kwak Dong-yeon. It aired on tvN every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST) from February 20, 2021 to May 2, 2021. It is also available for streaming on Netflix. The first episode reached a 7.7% rating (AGB nationwide), making it the fourth highest-rated tvN drama premiere. The final episode received a 14.6% rating, making it the eighteenth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. It also made the series the sixth highest-rated drama in tvN's history. The series was also popular among international viewers through Netflix, maintaining its position in the top 10 TV shows on Netflix in the world since its start and reached the fourth rank on April 26. It ranked fourth on Forbes list of most-viewed Korean series on Netflix in 2021.", "wds-Q111189743": "The Penguin is an American crime drama television miniseries developed by Lauren LeFranc for HBO. Based on the DC Comics character the Penguin, it serves as a spin-off from the 2022 film The Batman. Produced by DC Studios in association with Warner Bros. Television, the series follows Oz Cobb's rise to power in Gotham City's criminal underworld. LeFranc also serves as the showrunner of the series. Colin Farrell stars as the titular character, reprising his role from The Batman, alongside Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Deirdre O'Connell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Zegen, Berto Colón, Scott Cohen, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Theo Rossi, James Madio, Nadine Malouf, Joshua Bitton, David H. Holmes, Daniel J. Watts, Jared Abrahamson, Ben Cook, Jayme Lawson, Aleska Palladino, Craig Walker, Tess Soltau, Marié Botha, Michael Kelly, and Mark Strong. Development on the series was underway by September 2021, and HBO Max ordered it in March 2022, after The Batman was released. The film's director, Matt Reeves, supervised the writing and was involved in hiring the creative team. Filming began in March 2023 in New York but was halted in June by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Production resumed in late November and concluded in February 2024. The series moved from HBO Max's successor Max to HBO in July 2024. Craig Zobel directed the first three episodes, Helen Shaver and Kevin Bray directed two each, and Jennifer Getzinger directed the finale. The Penguin was broadcast in the United States for eight episodes from September 19 to November 10, 2024. The series received critical acclaim for its performances, writing, direction, tone, and production value. It also received numerous accolades and was nominated for 24 Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, including wins for both Farrell and Milioti's performances.", "wds-Q16538": "South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their adventures in and around the title's Colorado town. South Park also features many recurring characters. The series became infamous for its profanity and dark, surreal humor that satirizes a large range of subject matter. Parker and Stone developed South Park from two animated short films, both titled The Spirit of Christmas, released in 1992 and 1995. The second short became one of the first viral Internet videos, leading to the series' production. The pilot episode was produced using cutout animation; the remainder of the series uses computer animation based on the cutout technique. Since the fourth season, episodes have generally been written and produced during the week preceding their broadcast, with Parker serving as the lead writer and director. Since its debut on August 13, 1997, 340 episodes of South Park have been broadcast. It debuted with great success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program. Subsequent ratings have varied, but it remains one of Comedy Central's longest-running programs. In August 2021, South Park was renewed through 2027, and a series of television specials was announced for Paramount+, the first two of which were released later that year. In October 2019, it was announced that WarnerMedia had acquired exclusive streaming rights to South Park starting in June 2020 for HBO Max. After the HBO Max deal expired in late June 2025, on July 21, 2025, Parker and Stone announced a five-year agreement with Paramount+ to stream the series exclusively and to have 10 episodes produced per year. The twenty-ninth season premiered on September 16, 2026. It is the second-longest-running American animated series, only behind The Simpsons. South Park has received critical acclaim, and is included in various publications' lists of the greatest television shows. It has received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. A theatrical film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, was released in June 1999 to commercial and critical success, garnering an Academy Award nomination. In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.", "wds-Q38497": "Xena: Warrior Princess is an American sword-and-sorcery television series filmed in New Zealand, which aired in first-run syndication from September 4, 1995, to June 18, 2001. Critics have praised the series for its strong female protagonist, and it has acquired a strong cult following, attention in fandom, parody, and academia, and has influenced the direction of other television series. Writer-director-producer Robert Tapert created the series in 1995 under his production tag, Renaissance Pictures, with executive producers R. J. Stewart (who developed the series along with Tapert) and Sam Raimi. The series narrative follows Xena (played by Lucy Lawless), an infamous warrior looking to be redeemed for her past sins against the innocent by using her formidable fighting skills to aid those who are defenseless. Her companion Gabrielle (played by Renee O'Connor) grows from a simple farm girl into an Amazon warrior and Xena's comrade-in-arms during the series; her initial naïveté helps to balance Xena and assists her in recognizing and pursuing the greater good. In 2012, star Lawless asserted that her character, Xena, was from \"ancient Bulgaria, Thrace\", when the character is stated in the series to come from the ancient Greek city of Amphipolis, which is located in the nearby region of Central Macedonia in modern Greece. However, at the time, Amphipolis was, in fact, a Thracian city which was inhabited by Greeks, so it is likely that she was Thracian by birth, and Greek by culture. The show is a spin-off of the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys; the saga began with three episodes in Hercules in which Xena was a recurring character originally scheduled to die in her third appearance. Aware of the character's sudden popularity among the public, the producers of the series decided to launch a spin-off series based on her adventures. Xena became a successful show which has aired in more than 108 countries around the world since 1998. In 2004 and 2007, it ranked #9 and #10 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever and the title character ranked #100 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters. Xena's success has led to hundreds of tie-in products, including comics, books, video games and conventions, realized annually since 1998 in Pasadena, California, and in London. The series overtook its predecessor in ratings and in popularity. In its second season, it became the top-rated syndicated drama series on American television. For all six years, Xena remained in the top five. Cancellation of the series was announced in October 2000, and the series finale aired in the summer of 2001. On August 13, 2015, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said a Xena reboot was in development, with Raimi and Tapert returning as executive producers, with the show's debut sometime in 2016. Javier Grillo-Marxuach was hired as writer and producer for the reboot, but left the project in April 2017 because of creative differences. In August 2017, NBC announced that it had cancelled its plans for the reboot for the foreseeable future.", "wds-Q168708": "Dallas is an American prime time soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1978, to May 3, 1991. The series revolved around an affluent and feuding Texas family, the Ewings, who owned the independent oil company Ewing Oil and the cattle-ranching land of Southfork. The series originally focused on the marriage of Bobby Ewing and Pam Ewing, whose families were sworn enemies. As the series progressed, Bobby's elder brother, oil tycoon J. R. Ewing, became the show's breakout character, whose schemes and dirty business became the show's trademark. When the show ended on May 3, 1991, J. R. was the only character to have appeared in every episode. The show was known for its cliffhangers, including the \"Who shot J.R.?\" mystery. The 1980 episode \"Who Done It\" remains the second-highest-rated primetime telecast ever. The show also featured a \"Dream Season\", in which the entirety of season 9 was revealed to have been a dream of Pamela Ewing. After 14 seasons, the series finale \"Conundrum\" aired in 1991. The show had an ensemble cast, with Larry Hagman as greedy, scheming oil tycoon J.R. Ewing, stage/screen actress Barbara Bel Geddes as family matriarch Miss Ellie and Western movie actor Jim Davis as Ewing patriarch Jock, his last role before his death in 1981. The series won four Emmy Awards, including a 1980 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Bel Geddes. With its 357 episodes, Dallas remains one of the longest lasting full-hour prime time dramas in American TV history. Dallas also spawned a spin-off series, Knots Landing, in 1979, which also lasted 14 seasons and a total of 344 episodes. In 2007, Dallas was included in Time magazine's list of \"100 Best TV Shows of All-Time\". The series finale had a cliffhanger that was resolved in the first of two subsequent reunion films: Dallas: J.R. Returns. The second, Dallas: War of the Ewings, aired in 1998. This was followed by a retrospective special, Dallas Reunion: The Return to Southfork, in 2004. In 2010, TNT announced it had ordered a new, updated continuation of Dallas, ignoring the events of the two reunion films. The revival series, continuing the story of the Ewing family, premiered on TNT on June 13, 2012, and ran for three seasons, ending its run on September 22, 2014.", "wds-Q833322": "Murder, She Wrote is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series focuses on the life of Jessica Fletcher, a mystery writer and amateur detective, who becomes involved in solving murders that take place in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, as well as across the United States and abroad. The program ran for 12 seasons from September 30, 1984, to May 19, 1996, for a total of 264 episodes and included among its recurring cast Tom Bosley, William Windom, and Ron Masak. The series was a ratings hit during its broadcast, becoming a staple of the CBS Sunday-night TV schedule for around a decade, while achieving distinction as one of the most successful and longest-running television shows in history, averaging 25 million viewers per week in its prime. In syndication, the series is still highly successful and popular throughout the world. For her role on the program, Lansbury was nominated for ten Golden Globes, winning four, along with nominations for 12 Emmy Awards, earning her the record for the most Golden Globe nominations and wins for Best Actress in a television drama series and the most Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The series itself also received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, and six Golden Globe nominations in the same category, with two major wins. After the series finale in 1996, four television films were released from 1997 to 2003. Two point-and-click video games were released for PC: one in 2009, and a sequel in 2012. The show was spun-off into a bestselling book series in 1989; it continues to be published as of 2026.", "wds-Q673517": "Batman: The Animated Series (often shortened as Batman TAS or BTAS) is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Developed by Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, it originally aired on Fox Kids from September 5, 1992, to September 15, 1995, with a total of 85 episodes. Mid-way through the series' run, it was re-titled The Adventures of Batman & Robin. Batman: The Animated Series has received widespread acclaim since its release and was hailed as a groundbreaking superhero show, receiving praise for its writing, art design, voice acting, orchestrated soundtrack, and modernization of its title character's source material. Its critical success led to the show winning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, as well as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Programming. After the series ended its original run, a follow-up titled The New Batman Adventures began airing on Kids' WB in 1997 as a continuation of the series, featuring a revamped animation style. Airing for 24 episodes, it has often been included in the same syndicated re-run packages and home media releases as the final season. Batman: The Animated Series also became the first in the continuity of the shared DC Animated Universe, which spawned further animated TV series, feature films, comic books, and video games helmed by much of the same creative talent, including the 1993 theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.", "wds-Q484020": "Mr. Bean is a British sitcom created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and starring Atkinson as the title character. The sitcom consists of 14 episodes that were co-written by Atkinson alongside Curtis and Robin Driscoll; the pilot episode was co-written by Ben Elton. The series originally aired on ITV, beginning with the pilot episode on 1 January 1990 and ending with \"Goodnight Mr. Bean\" on 31 October 1995, but it concludes both on VHS with \"Hair by Mr. Bean of London\" on 15 November 1995 and a clip special, \"The Best Bits of Mr. Bean\" on 21 October 1996. Based on a character developed by Atkinson while he was studying for his master's degree at the University of Oxford, the series centres on Mr. Bean, described by Atkinson as \"a child in a grown man's body\", as he solves various problems presented by everyday tasks and often causes disruption in the process. The series has been influenced by physical comedy actors such as Jacques Tati and those from early silent films. During its original five-year run, Mr. Bean was met with widespread acclaim and attracted large television audiences. The series was viewed by 18.74 million viewers for the episode \"The Trouble with Mr. Bean\" and has received a number of international awards, including the Rose d'Or. The series has since been sold in 245 territories worldwide. It has inspired an animated spin-off and two theatrical feature-length films, along with Atkinson reprising the titular role for a performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London, television commercials, and several sketches for Comic Relief. The programme carries strong appeal in hundreds of territories worldwide because, in addition to the acclaim from its original run, it uses very little intelligible dialogue, making it accessible to people who know little or no English.", "wds-Q1247241": "Hill Street Blues is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the Metropolitan Police Department staff of a single police station located on Hill Street in an unnamed large U.S. city. The \"blues\" are the police officers in their blue uniforms. It also describes the mood of weary resignation, melancholy, and quiet struggle mixed with a small, hopeful readiness the officers faced every shift. The show received critical acclaim, and its production innovations influenced many subsequent dramatic television series produced in the United States and Canada. In 1981, the series won eight Emmy Awards, a debut season record surpassed only by The West Wing in 2000. The show won a total of 26 Emmy Awards (out of 98 Emmy Award nominations) during its run, including four consecutive wins for Outstanding Drama Series from 1981 to 1984.", "wds-Q22272": "Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show revolves around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Other prominent families featured on the soap were the rival Lockridge family, and the more modest Andrade and Perkins families. The serial was produced by Dobson Productions and New World Television, which also served as distributor for the show in international markets. Santa Barbara was the first series for New World Television. Santa Barbara aired in the United States at 3:00 p.m. Eastern (2:00 p.m. Central) on NBC in the same time slot as General Hospital on ABC and Guiding Light on CBS and right after Another World. Santa Barbara aired in over 40 countries around the world. It became the longest-running television series in Russia, airing there from 1992 to 2002. Santa Barbara won 24 Daytime Emmy Awards and was nominated 30 times for the same award. The show also won 18 Soap Opera Digest Awards and various other awards.", "wds-Q217246": "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American teen sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan that aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program. The series is primarily set at the Tipton Hotel in Boston and centers on Zack and Cody Martin (Dylan and Cole Sprouse), a set of twin brothers who live in the hotel's suite. The series' other main characters include the Tipton hotel's heiress London Tipton (Brenda Song), the hotel's candy counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick (Ashley Tisdale), the manager, Mr. Marion Moseby (Phill Lewis), and the boys' single mother who is also the Hotel's lounge singer, Carey Martin (Kim Rhodes). The series is the third Disney Channel Original to have more than 65 episodes, after That's So Raven and Kim Possible. The Suite Life launched a sequel series, also starring the Sprouse twins in their respective roles as Zack and Cody, called The Suite Life on Deck, which aired on Disney Channel for a further three seasons from 2008 to 2011. A television film based on both series, The Suite Life Movie, premiered on Disney Channel on March 25, 2011.", "wds-Q83279": "SpongeBob SquarePants, also known simply as SpongeBob, is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It follows the adventures of SpongeBob SquarePants, an anthropomorphic yellow sea sponge, and his aquatic friends in the underwater city of Bikini Bottom. Many of the series' ideas originated in The Intertidal Zone, an educational comic book about undersea life that Hillenburg created in the 1980s. After working on Nickelodeon's Rocko's Modern Life, he developed SpongeBob into a television series and pitched it to Nickelodeon in 1997. It first aired as a sneak peek after the Kids' Choice Awards on May 1, 1999, and officially premiered on July 17, 1999. Hillenburg departed the series after the first three seasons and the production of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), but returned in 2015 until his death in 2018. SpongeBob has received widespread critical acclaim since its release, with praise given to its characters, surreal humor, writing, visuals, animation, and Hawaiian-influenced soundtrack. It quickly became Nickelodeon's highest-rated program and has earned a variety of awards, including six Annie Awards, eight Golden Reel Awards, four Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Children's Awards, and a record twenty-two Kids' Choice Awards. It is often considered to be one of the greatest animated series of all time. The show has been noted as a cultural touchstone for Millennials and Generation Z, and it has spawned numerous internet memes. The series has run for sixteen seasons, with its seventeenth season premiering on June 12, 2026. On June 9, 2026, the series was renewed for a sixteenth production cycle, which would consist of the eighteenth and nineteenth seasons. SpongeBob is the fourth longest-running American animated series in history, and the longest-running American children's animated series as of 2026. Its popularity has made it a multimedia franchise and Nickelodeon's most profitable program, generating over $16 billion in merchandising revenue by 2024. The franchise now includes four theatrical feature films, two streaming feature films, a Broadway musical, a comic book series, numerous video games and two spin-off series: Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years (2021–2024) and The Patrick Star Show (2021–present).", "wds-Q48758": "Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose \"heightened observational skills\" and impressive eidetic memory allow him to convince people that he solves cases with his psychic abilities. The program also stars Dulé Hill as Shawn's intelligent best friend and reluctant partner Burton \"Gus\" Guster, as well as Corbin Bernsen as Shawn's father Henry, a former detective with the Santa Barbara Police Department. Psych premiered on July 7, 2006, following the fifth season premiere of Monk, and continued to be paired with the series until Monk's conclusion on December 4, 2009. During the second season, an animated segment titled \"The Big Adventures of Little Shawn and Gus\" was added to the series. Psych was the highest-rated American basic cable television premiere of 2006. USA Network renewed the series for an eighth season on December 19, 2012, to include eight episodes, and ordered two more episodes on June 25, 2013, bringing the episode order to ten. On February 5, 2014, USA Network confirmed that the eighth season of Psych would be its last, with the series finale airing on March 26, 2014. Psych: The Movie, a two-hour television film, aired on USA Network on December 7, 2017, launching the Psych film series, with Franks's hope being to make five more Psych movies following Psych: The Movie. On February 14, 2019, it was announced Psych: The Movie 2 was greenlit and set to premiere in late 2019, for which the main cast would return, but the premiere thereof was subsequently delayed to 2020, with the film renamed Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, and released on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, July 15, 2020, the day the service officially launched. On May 13, 2021, Peacock announced a third film, Psych 3: This Is Gus, which premiered on November 18, 2021. Three further Psych films were reportedly in development.", "wds-Q734629": "Luther is a British psychological crime thriller television series starring Idris Elba as DCI John Luther and Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan, written by Neil Cross. The detective Luther must make cases against criminals while the murderer Morgan has a complicated relationship with him. The first series is composed of six episodes which ran in May and June 2010. A second series of four episodes aired on BBC One in June and July 2011, and a third was commissioned in 2012 composed of four episodes which aired in July 2013. A two-episode fourth series was broadcast in December 2015, and a fifth series of four episodes premiered on 1 January 2019. BBC Studios handled distribution for the TV series. A feature film continuation, Luther: The Fallen Sun, was released in select cinemas on 24 February 2023, before its streaming release on 10 March 2023, by Netflix. Starring Elba, Andy Serkis and Cynthia Erivo, the film was written by Cross. A second film is in development. Elba has been awarded a Critics' Choice Television Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance as John Luther. The series has also received eleven Primetime Emmy Award nominations in various categories, including four nominations of Elba for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.", "wds-Q4018081": "Wander Over Yonder is an American animated television series created by Craig McCracken and produced by Disney Television Animation for Disney Channel and Disney XD. It follows the adventures of Wander, an optimistic nomad who travels across the galaxy and helps the inhabitants of various planets live freely despite the intentions of the evil Lord Hater to rule the universe. The series premiered on Disney Channel on August 16, 2013. New episodes were moved during its first season to Disney XD on March 31, 2014, while episodes still did air on Disney Channel until October 4, 2014. The series ran for two seasons with the final episode airing June 27, 2016.", "wds-Q16911674": "iZombie is an American supernatural procedural drama television series developed by Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright for the CW. It is an adaptation of the DC comic book series iZombie created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred. The series premiered on March 17, 2015, and ran for five seasons, ending on August 1, 2019. It follows the adventures of doctor-turned-zombie Olivia \"Liv\" Moore (Rose McIver), a medical examiner for the Seattle Police who helps solve murders after eating the victims' brains and temporarily absorbing their memories and personalities.", "wds-Q17572811": "Westworld is an American dystopian science fiction Western drama television series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy that aired from 2016 to 2022 on HBO. It is based upon the 1973 film written and directed by Michael Crichton and loosely upon its 1976 sequel, Futureworld. The story is set in and around Westworld, a fictional, technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populated by android \"hosts\". The theme park caters to high-paying guests who may indulge their wildest fantasies within the park without fear of retaliation from the hosts, who are prevented by their programming from harming humans; the computer memory banks of the hosts are reset to their starting code each night. One of the creators of the hosts' software has a breakdown and adds code to allow them, over decades, to become sentient. This sets the hosts on a path to wipe out humanity. Later in the series, the hosts move outside the theme park into the real world, in the mid-21st century, where people's lives are driven and controlled by a powerful artificial intelligence named Rehoboam. Nolan and Joy served as showrunners. The second, third, and fourth season followed in April 2018, March 2020, and June 2022, respectively. Nolan and Joy planned a fifth and final season, and were in negotiations with HBO to produce it, but HBO canceled the series in November 2022. The series was removed from HBO Max on December 18, 2022. Westworld's debut on HBO had the network's highest viewership ratings for a premiere since the first episode of True Detective, in 2014. Westworld's first season was the most-watched first season of any HBO original series, until The Last of Us debuted in 2023. The first season also received critical acclaim for its performances, visuals, narrative, themes, and Ramin Djawadi's soundtrack. Reception of the series declined from the second season onward, with criticism for the scripts, characterization, and narrative opacity. By the end of the fourth season's run, average viewership for the series had fallen by 81% compared to the first season. It received numerous awards, winning nine Primetime Emmy Awards out of 54 nominations. Thandiwe Newton won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2018.", "wds-Q21296543": "Star Trek: Discovery is an American science fiction television series created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman for the streaming service CBS All Access (later rebranded as Paramount+). It is the seventh Star Trek series and was released from 2017 to 2024. The series follows the crew of the starship Discovery beginning a decade before Star Trek: The Original Series in the 23rd century. At the end of the second season, they travel to the 32nd century, which is the setting for subsequent seasons. Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, a science specialist on Discovery who eventually becomes captain. Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs, Wilson Cruz, Anson Mount, David Ajala, Rachael Ancheril, Blu del Barrio, Tig Notaro, and Callum Keith Rennie also have starring roles across the five seasons. The series was announced in November 2015 as the first Star Trek series since Star Trek: Enterprise concluded in 2005. It was produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Fuller was initially set as showrunner but left due to creative differences with CBS. He was replaced by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, with producing support from Akiva Goldsman for the first season. Berg and Harberts were fired by CBS during production on the second season. Kurtzman took over as showrunner and was joined by Michelle Paradise starting with the third season. Discovery features more serialized storytelling than previous Star Trek series but became more episodic in later seasons. Filming took place at Pinewood Toronto Studios in Toronto, Canada, and existing franchise designs were reinvented with modern techniques and visual effects. Star Trek: Discovery premiered on September 24, 2017, on CBS and All Access. The rest of the 15-episode first season was released weekly on All Access until February 2018. The 14-episode second season was released on All Access from January to April 2019, and the 13-episode third season ran from October 2020 to January 2021. The 13-episode fourth season was released on Paramount+ from November 2021 to March 2022, and the 10-episode fifth and final season was released from April to May 2024. The series' release led to record subscriptions for CBS All Access and it became the most viewed original series on both All Access and Paramount+. It has received positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Martin-Green's performance and the time-jump to the 32nd century, as well as numerous accolades including two Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for its prosthetic makeup and visual effects. The series began an expansion of the Star Trek franchise, including the companion shorts series Star Trek: Short Treks, spin-off series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and spin-off film Star Trek: Section 31. Various tie-in media and two official aftershows have also been produced based on the series.", "wds-Q21079531": "Medici (Italian: I Medici) is an Italian-British historical drama television series created by Frank Spotnitz and Nicholas Meyer. The series was produced by Italian companies Lux Vide and Rai Fiction, in collaboration with Spotnitz's Big Light Productions. The series follows the House of Medici, bankers of the Pope, in 15th-century Florence. Each season follows the events of a particular moment of the family's history exploring the political and artistic landscape of Renaissance Italy. The first season of the series, titled Medici: Masters of Florence, premiered in Italy on Rai 1 on 18 October 2016. It takes place in 1429, the year Giovanni de' Medici, head of the family, died. His son Cosimo succeeds him as head of the family bank, the richest in Europe, and fights to preserve his power in Florence. The series reached between four and eight million viewers on original airings. According to Italian ratings compiler Auditel, the broadcast of the first episode attracted a record 8.04 million viewers. The second season, titled Medici: The Magnificent, takes place 35 years later and tells the story of Cosimo's grandson Lorenzo de' Medici. It premiered on Rai 1 in 2018, while a third season, which completes the story of Lorenzo, followed in 2019. The series is broadcast in 190 countries, including on Netflix in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and India, and on SBS in Australia.", "wds-Q104154217": "Obi-Wan Kenobi, also known as Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, is an American space opera television miniseries produced by Lucasfilm for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise. Set ten years after the Jedi Order was purged during the events of the film Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), the series follows surviving Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi who emerges from hiding to rescue the kidnapped Princess Leia from the Galactic Empire's Inquisitors. This brings Kenobi into conflict with his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker, now a Sith known as Darth Vader. Ewan McGregor stars as the title character, reprising his role from the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Co-stars such as Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Jimmy Smits, Hayden Christensen (Vader), and Ian McDiarmid also reprise their prequel trilogy roles, while Vivien Lyra Blair debuts as a young Leia Organa. The project originated as a spin-off film written by Hossein Amini and directed by Stephen Daldry, but it was reworked as a limited series following the commercial failure of the film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). McGregor was confirmed to be starring in the series in August 2019, and Deborah Chow was hired to direct all of the episodes a month later. Production was scheduled to begin in July 2020, but the series was put on hold in January 2020 because Lucasfilm was unsatisfied with the scripts. Joby Harold was hired to rewrite the series and serve as showrunner in April 2020, executive producing with Chow, McGregor, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan. Additional casting took place in March 2021. Filming began by that May in Los Angeles, using StageCraft video wall technology, and wrapped by that September. Natalie Holt composed the original score, while Star Wars film composer John Williams wrote a new main theme for Kenobi that William Ross adapted for several scenes. Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered on May 27, 2022, with its first two episodes. The other four episodes were released weekly through June 22. The series received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise directed towards McGregor's performance, the action sequences, John Williams's new main theme, the character-driven narrative, and the series' emotional weight, although the writing received some criticism. It also received multiple accolades, including winning Best Limited Event Series for Streaming and Best Guest Starring Role on Television (for Christensen) at the 47th Saturn Awards, as well as a nomination for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.", "wds-Q105553568": "Wednesday is an American supernatural mystery comedy television series based on the character Wednesday Addams by Charles Addams. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character, with Luis Guzmán and Catherine Zeta-Jones portraying her parents in the series. Four episodes of each season were directed by Tim Burton, who serves as executive producer. The series revolves around Wednesday Addams, who attempts to solve murder mysteries at her new school. Burton was previously approached to direct the 1991 film The Addams Family and was later involved in a canceled stop-motion animated film featuring the Addams Family. In October 2020, he was reported to be helming a television series, which was later given a series order by Netflix. Ortega was cast in part to represent the character's Latina heritage. Christina Ricci, who had played Wednesday in the 1991 film and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values, was asked by Burton to join the series in a supporting role. Wednesday premiered on November 16, 2022, and was released on Netflix on November 23 to positive reviews from critics; Ortega's performance received critical acclaim. Within three weeks of release, it became the second-most watched English-language Netflix series. It received three Golden Globe nominations: one for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and two for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Ortega. It also won four Primetime Emmy Awards, while receiving nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Ortega. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 6, 2025; the second half was released on September 3. In July 2025, the series was renewed for a third season.", "wds-Q107565086": "Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (Korean: 종이의 집: 공동경제구역) is a South Korean television series and second series in the Money Heist franchise, based on the original Spanish series. The Korean series directed by Kim Hong-sun and written by Ryu Yong-jae, is an original Netflix series, starring an ensemble cast led by Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Yun-jin, Park Hae-soo, and Jeon Jong-seo. It depicts a hostage crisis situation set in a unified Korean Peninsula, involving a genius strategist and people with different personalities and abilities. The first six episodes were released on June 24, 2022, on Netflix. The second part was released on December 9, 2022.", "wds-Q1134906": "Mobile Suit Gundam (Japanese: 機動戦士ガンダム, Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and its affiliated ANN stations on April 7, 1979, airing 43 episodes until its cancellation on January 26, 1980. It was the first Gundam series, which has subsequently been adapted into numerous sequels and spin-offs. Set in the futuristic calendar year \"Universal Century\" 0079, the plot focuses on the war between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation, with the latter unveiling a new giant robot known as the RX-78-2 Gundam, piloted by the 15 year old civilian Amuro Ray. The character designs were done by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, and Kunio Okawara was responsible for the robot designs, including the eponymous RX-78-2 Gundam. The first film was released on February 22, 1981. Tomino himself also wrote a trilogy of novels that retell the events of the series. Three manga adaptations of the series have also been produced. Despite initial low ratings that caused the series' cancellation, the popularity of Gundam saw a boost from the introduction of Bandai's Gunpla models in 1980 from reruns and the release of a trilogy of compilation films. The series is considered notable for pioneering a depiction of mechs as mass-produced weapons of war.", "wds-Q1543066": "Meet the Press, also known as Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since the debut episode on November 6, 1947. Meet the Press specializes in interviews with leaders in Washington, D.C., across the country, and around the world on issues of politics, economics, foreign policy, and other public affairs, along with panel discussions that provide opinions and analysis. In January 2021, production moved to NBC's bureau on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The longevity of Meet the Press is attributable in part to the fact that the program debuted during what was only the second official \"network television season\" for American television. It was the first live television network news program on which a sitting president of the United States appeared; this occurred on its broadcast on November 9, 1975, which featured Gerald Ford. The program has been hosted by 13 moderators, beginning with co-creator Martha Rountree. The show's current moderator is Kristen Welker, who became moderator in September 2023 following longtime moderator Chuck Todd's departure. Meet the Press airs Sundays from 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. ET on NBC, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. ET in New York and Washington. Meet the Press is also occasionally pre-empted by network coverage of sports events held outside the United States. The program is syndicated by Westwood One to various radio stations around the United States and is on C-SPAN Radio as part of its replays of the Sunday morning talk shows.", "wds-Q870490": "3rd Rock from the Sun is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, the third planet from the Sun, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings. The series was produced by The Carsey-Werner Company. The show premiered three years after the film Coneheads, which was also written by the Turners, and featured a similar premise of extraterrestrials arriving on Earth and assimilating into American society.", "wds-Q752234": "Las Vegas is an American comedy-drama television series created by Gary Scott Thompson. It was broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003, through February 15, 2008, airing for five seasons. It focuses on a team of people working at the Montecito, a fictional hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The employees deal with various issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from casino security to restaurant management and valet parking. Las Vegas starred James Caan, Josh Duhamel, Nikki Cox, James Lesure, Vanessa Marcil, Molly Sims, Marsha Thomason, and eventually Tom Selleck. The series originally centered on Ed Deline (Caan), a strict ex-CIA officer who serves as the president of operations for the Montecito. Former Marine Counterintelligence/HUMINT (CI/HUMINT) officer, Danny McCoy (Duhamel), who is Ed's protégé, later becomes the Montecito's new president. The pilot episode began filming in March 2003, and was produced for $5 million, making it the most expensive pilot in NBC history. Production for a full season began later that year. Much of the series filming occurred at Culver Studios in California, where a set was constructed to represent the Montecito. Some filming also occasionally took place in Las Vegas. The Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch, two hotel-casinos in the Las Vegas Valley, were sometimes used to portray the Montecito. Las Vegas marked Caan's first starring role in a television series. Thomason left the series after the second season to pursue other projects, and Caan and Cox departed in 2007, after completing season four. Caan wanted to resume his film career, and Cox was let go due to budget cuts, which were needed in order to greenlight a fifth season. After Caan's departure, Selleck was added to the cast as a new character. The series originally aired on Monday nights, before being moved to Friday nights in 2006. Ratings declined following the move, and Las Vegas was eventually canceled on February 20, 2008, ending the series with several cliffhangers.", "wds-Q786120": "My Life as a Teenage Robot is an American animated science fiction superhero comedy television series created by Rob Renzetti for Nickelodeon. It was produced by Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Set in the fictional town of Tremorton, the series follows the adventures of a robot superheroine named XJ-9 (or \"Jenny Wakeman\", as she prefers to be called), who attempts to juggle her duties of protecting Earth while trying to live a normal human life as a teenage girl. Renzetti pitched the series to Frederator Studios' animated shorts showcase Oh Yeah! Cartoons and a pilot titled \"My Neighbor Was a Teenage Robot\", which aired on December 4, 1999. The short was commissioned to a half-hour series, which premiered on August 1, 2003; after airing its first two seasons, the series was on a 3-year hiatus starting on October 17, 2005 when Nickelodeon cancelled it because of low ratings. The completed third season eventually aired on Nickelodeon's spinoff network Nicktoons from October 4, 2008, until ending its run on May 2, 2009. The series totals up to 40 episodes across three seasons, consisting of 13 to 14 episodes each.", "wds-Q1326701": "Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian television drama series that premiered on Citytv on January 20, 2008, and currently airs on CBC. The series is based on characters from the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings. It stars Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch, a police detective working in Station House Number 4 in Toronto, Ontario, starting in 1890, and including the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The series was titled The Artful Detective on the Ovation cable TV network in the United States, until season twelve.", "wds-Q610756": "Roary the Racing Car, stylised as ROARY: The Racing Car, is a British preschool animated television series created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment for Five and Nick Jr. that aired from 7 May 2007 to 29 September 2010. The series was animated by Cosgrove Hall Films for its first series, while Chapman took over animation production for the second series. It follows the adventures of Roary and his racing car friends at Silver Hatch racetrack.", "wds-Q23572": "Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is the first adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of high fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, and the first in what would become the Game of Thrones franchise. The show premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and concluded on May 19, 2019, with 73 episodes broadcast over eight seasons. Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has a large ensemble cast and follows several story arcs throughout the course of the show. The first major arc concerns the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros through a web of political conflicts among the noble families, either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence. The second major arc focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, who has been exiled to Essos and is plotting to return and reclaim the throne. The third follows the Night's Watch, a military order defending the realm against threats from beyond the Seven Kingdoms' northern border. Game of Thrones attracted a record viewership on HBO and has a broad, active, and international fan base. Many critics and publications have named the show one of the greatest television series of all time. Critics have praised the series for its acting, complex characters, story, scope, and production values, although its frequent use of nudity and violence (including sexual violence) generated controversy. The final season received significant criticism for its reduced length and creative decisions, with many considering it a disappointing conclusion. The series received 59 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most by a drama series, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation, a Peabody Award, and five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. Two prequel series, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, premiered on HBO in 2022 and 2026, respectively.", "wds-Q3235151": "VeggieTales is an American Christian CGI-animated series and multimedia franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series stars Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber leading a variety of anthropomorphic vegetables as they retell stories from the Bible and parody pop culture while also teaching life lessons according to a biblical world view. One of the earliest computer animated franchises, it was first released in 1993 on VHS, as a direct-to-video series, and later on DVD and Blu-ray through to 2015. The success of the videos led to multiple spin-off television series, such as VeggieTales on TV!, which ran on NBC from 2006 to 2009, two Netflix series that debuted in 2014 and 2017, and a series produced by Trinity Broadcasting Network in 2019. Two films were released: Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002) and The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie (2008). The success of the animations helped establish a franchise of related media, including books, music, stage productions, and video games. The series has sold over 16 million books, 7 million music CDs, and 235 million music streams.", "wds-Q589569": "Misfits is a British science fiction comedy-drama television programme that aired on E4. The show premiered on 12 November 2009 and concluded on 11 December 2013 in its fifth series. Misfits is about a group of young offenders sentenced to work in a community service programme who obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm.", "wds-Q599472": "Switched at Birth is an American teen and family drama television series that premiered on ABC Family on June 6, 2011. The one-hour scripted drama is set in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and revolves around two teenagers who were switched at birth and grew up in very different environments: one in an affluent suburb, and the other in a working-class neighborhood. According to ABC Family, it is \"the first mainstream television series to have multiple deaf and hard-of-hearing series regulars and scenes shot entirely in American Sign Language (ASL)\". The show's debut was ABC Family's highest-rated series debut to date. The series won an honorary Peabody Award in 2013, and on July 30, ABC Family ordered a third season which premiered on January 13, 2014. On August 13, 2014, ABC Family renewed the series for a fourth season, which premiered on January 6, 2015. On October 21, 2015, ABC Family (later rebranded as Freeform) confirmed the series had been renewed for its fifth season, which was later confirmed to be the final season. On March 19, 2016, it was announced that the fifth season was bumped from a March 2016 to a January 2017 premiere date. In October 2016, the network announced that the final season would premiere on January 31, 2017.", "wds-Q113346": "Ben 10: Omniverse is an American animated television series which serves as the sequel to Ben 10: Ultimate Alien (2010–2012) and the fourth series in the Ben 10 franchise, as well as the final series to be set in the original continuity. The series aired on Cartoon Network from September 22, 2012, to November 14, 2014, in the United States, across eight 10-episode serialised \"story arcs\" instead of a season-based episode release structure. Man of Action Studios, consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle, created the franchise. Ben 10: Omniverse was announced at Cartoon Network's Upfront in 2011. Concept art, described as a homage to the original Ben 10 (2005–2008) series, was first unveiled at the 2012 UK Toy Fair. The toys were designed by Derrick J. Wyatt, who was known for his work on Transformers: Animated and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and also worked as an art director for Omniverse. The series premiered on September 22, 2012, with a \"sneak peek episode\" that aired on August 1, 2012. A \"sneak peek\" of the series aired after \"Ben 10 Week\" (March 19 – March 24, 2012). A reboot series of the franchise premiered in 2016.", "wds-Q4972159": "Broadchurch is a British crime drama television series broadcast on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017. It was created by Chris Chibnall, who acted as an executive producer and wrote all 24 episodes; it was produced by Kudos in association with Imaginary Friends Productions Ltd. The series is set in Broadchurch, a fictional English town on the coast of Dorset; it focuses on Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman). Other members of the ensemble cast appearing in all three seasons are Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan, Arthur Darvill, Carolyn Pickles, Jonathan Bailey, Matthew Gravelle, Charlotte Beaumont and Adam Wilson. The first series, which premiered on 4 March 2013, focuses on the death of local 11-year-old Danny Latimer and the impact of grief, mutual suspicion and media attention on the town. Danny's family, his mother, Beth (Whittaker), father, Mark (Buchan) and sister, Chloe (Beaumont), is a key focus. The second series, which premiered on 5 January 2015, follows the dual story lines of bringing Danny's killer to justice and a case from the past returning to haunt Hardy. The third and final series, which premiered on 27 February 2017, focuses on the rape of a local woman, Trish Winterman (Julie Hesmondhalgh), at a birthday party, while the Latimer family goes to extreme lengths to move on from Danny's death. Chibnall has stated that the third series was the last and that he had originally envisioned Broadchurch as a trilogy. All three series received positive reviews and praise for the writing, cinematography, performances (particularly Tennant and Colman) and character development.", "wds-Q16919551": "CSI: Cyber (Crime Scene Investigation: Cyber) is an American police procedural drama television series that premiered on March 4, 2015, on CBS. The series, starring Patricia Arquette and Ted Danson, is the third spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the fourth series in the CSI franchise. On May 12, 2016, CBS canceled the series after two seasons.", "wds-Q33162": "Top Gear is a British motoring-themed magazine television programme. It is a revival of the 1977–2001 show of the same name for the BBC, devised by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman, which premiered on 20 October 2002. The programme expanded upon its earlier incarnation which focused on reviewing cars to incorporate films featuring motoring-based challenges, races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a specially-designed track. The programme drew acclaim for its visual and presentation style, as well as criticism over the controversial nature of some content. The programme aired on BBC Two until it was moved to BBC One in 2020. The programme's first series in 2002 was presented by Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and Jason Dawe, with an anonymous test driver \"The Stig\" also featuring. Wilman was the show's executive producer. Following the first series, Dawe was replaced by James May, with the line-up unchanged until the end of the twenty-second series, when the BBC chose to not renew Clarkson's contract in March 2015, following an incident during filming. His dismissal from Top Gear prompted the departure of Hammond, May and Wilman from the programme, who joined Clarkson on a new motoring series for Amazon, The Grand Tour. Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc were appointed as new hosts of Top Gear and they were joined by four co-presenters for the twenty-third series. After negative feedback on this series, Evans resigned from the programme, with LeBlanc joined by Chris Harris and Rory Reid as the main hosts. From the twenty-seventh series onwards (2019), the presenting line-up was changed following the departure of LeBlanc and Reid, with Harris joined by Paddy McGuinness and Andrew Flintoff. This series proved more popular with viewers. Production of the thirty-fourth series was halted in March 2023 after Flintoff was seriously injured in an accident during filming; the BBC later announced that Top Gear would not return for the \"foreseeable future\". In August 2026, the BBC announced that the show will be returning, but has not confirmed any hosts nor whether the relaunched show would be a reboot or a continuation of the 2002 incarnation. Top Gear has been one of the BBC's most commercially successful programmes since its relaunch. It has become a significant part of British popular culture, with episodes also broadcast in many countries in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and more, making it the most widely-broadcast factual television programme in the world. Its success has led to merchandising including live tours, special DVD editions, and books, as well as spawning international versions in several countries.", "wds-Q29982557": "Dynasty is an American drama television series reboot based on the 1980s soap opera of the same name. Developed by Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, and Sallie Patrick, the first season stars Elizabeth Gillies as glamorous businesswoman Fallon Carrington, Grant Show as her billionaire father Blake, James Mackay as her brother Steven, and Nathalie Kelley as Blake's new wife Cristal, with Robert Christopher Riley as chauffeur Michael Culhane, Sam Adegoke as tech billionaire Jeff Colby, Rafael de la Fuente as Cristal's nephew Sam \"Sammy Jo\" Jones, and Alan Dale as Joseph Anders, the cunning majordomo. The series later featured Nicollette Sheridan (later Elaine Hendrix) as Blake's first wife Alexis; Maddison Brown as Joseph's daughter, Kirby Anders; Ana Brenda Contreras (later Daniella Alonso) as Blake's third wife, Cristal; Sam Underwood as eldest Carrington son Adam; Michael Michele as Blake's half-sister Dominique Deveraux; Adam Huber as writer Liam Ridley; and Eliza Bennett as the youngest Carrington sibling, Amanda. The pilot, which was announced in September 2016, was ordered to series in May 2017. Dynasty premiered on October 11, 2017, on The CW in the United States, and on Netflix internationally a day later. On November 8, 2017, The CW picked up Dynasty for a full season of 22 episodes. On February 3, 2021, the series was renewed for a fifth season, which premiered on December 20 of the same year. In May 2022, it was announced that this season would be the last. The final episode aired on September 16, 2022.", "wds-Q39049904": "Killing Eve is a British dramedy and spy thriller television series produced in the United Kingdom by Sid Gentle Films for BBC America and BBC Three. The series follows Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), a British intelligence investigator tasked with capturing psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). As the chase progresses, the two develop a mutual obsession. Based on the Villanelle novel series by Luke Jennings, each of the show's series is led by a different female head writer. The first series had Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the head writer, the second series Emerald Fennell, the third series Suzanne Heathcote, and the fourth series Laura Neal. The first series premiered on BBC America on 8 April 2018, and on BBC iPlayer on 15 September 2018 through BBC Three. The third series premiered on 12 April 2020 for BBC America, and on 13 April 2020 for BBC iPlayer, and concluded on 31 May 2020. The fourth (and final) series premiered on 27 February 2022 on BBC America, 28 February 2022 on BBC iPlayer and 5 March 2022 on BBC One and concluded on 17 April 2022. The first two series were critically acclaimed, but the last two series received more mixed reviews. The fourth series, and its final episode in particular drew significant backlash from critics and audiences. The show broke weekly ratings increase records, and received several accolades, including British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series. Both Oh and Comer were praised for their performances, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, respectively. Comer and Fiona Shaw also received British Academy Television Awards for their performances.", "wds-Q44535025": "The Umbrella Academy is an American superhero comedy drama television series loosely based on the comic book series of the same name written by Gerard Way, illustrated by Gabriel Bá, and published by Dark Horse Comics. Created for Netflix by Steve Blackman and developed by Jeremy Slater, it revolves around a dysfunctional family of adopted sibling superheroes who reunite for their father's funeral and the threat of an imminent apocalypse. The series was produced by Borderline Entertainment (season 1–2), Irish Cowboy (season 3), Dark Horse Entertainment, and Universal Content Productions. The cast features Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Cameron Britton, Mary J. Blige, John Magaro, Adam Godley, Colm Feore, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, Yusuf Gatewood, Marin Ireland, Kate Walsh, Genesis Rodriguez, and Britne Oldford. The adaptation began development as a film optioned by Universal Pictures in 2011. It was eventually shelved in favor of a television series in 2015, before being officially greenlit by Netflix in July 2017. The series was filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario. The first season was released on Netflix on February 15, 2019. In April 2019, Netflix reported that 45 million households had watched season one during its first month of release, thus becoming one of the most-streamed series of the year. The second and third seasons subsequently followed on July 31, 2020, and June 22, 2022, respectively. In August 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season, which was released on August 8, 2024. Netflix gave seasons 1 and 2 a TV-14 rating, while seasons 3 and 4 received a TV-MA rating. The first three seasons received positive reviews from critics, while the final season was met with a more mixed reception with many calling it an unsatisfying conclusion. The series has received a number of accolades, including six Emmy nominations.", "wds-Q108170999": "I Am Groot is an American series of animated shorts created by Kirsten Lepore for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character Groot. Featuring characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, the series follows Baby Groot on various adventures that get him into trouble between the events of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and one of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2's (2017) mid-credits scenes. The series is produced by Marvel Studios Animation, with Lepore serving as head writer and director. Vin Diesel reprises his role as the voice of Baby Groot from the MCU films. Bradley Cooper also stars, with Jeffrey Wright starring in the second season. I Am Groot was announced in December 2020, and Luma Pictures began work on the series' photorealistic animation by August 2021. The involvement of Lepore was revealed that November. I Am Groot premiered its first season with five shorts on Disney+ on August 10, 2022, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. A second season, also with five shorts, was released on September 6, 2023, as part of Phase Five.", "wds-Q644793": "Deus Ex is a 2000 action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm and published by Eidos Interactive. Originally released for Microsoft Windows, it was released for Mac OS the same year, and for PlayStation 2 in 2002. A remaster for modern platforms was originally scheduled for release in February 2026, but was later delayed to an unspecified date. The gameplay—combining first-person shooter, stealth, and role-playing elements—features exploration and combat in environments connected to multiple city-based levels, with quests that can be completed in a number of ways and character customization based around cybernetic enhancements. Conversations between characters feature a variety of responses, with choices at key story points affecting how some events play out. A post-release patch incorporated deathmatch-style multiplayer. Deus Ex is set in 2052, in a dystopian cyberpunk future beset by terrorist acts, economic inequality, and a plague dubbed the Gray Death. The player character, the cybernetically enhanced JC Denton, is an anti-terrorism agent who is deployed when a terrorist group interrupts supplies of a rare Gray Death vaccine. Investigating the incident, Denton ends up involved in a struggle between multiple factions for control of the world. The story is inspired by popular conspiracy theory motifs, incorporating groups including the Illuminati and Majestic 12. The game was created by Warren Spector, who acted as director and producer, and put together a design concept during the early 1990s under the title \"Troubleshooter\". After being approached by Ion Storm about creating a project with complete creative freedom, Spector began pre-production in 1997. Staff included lead designer Harvey Smith, lead writer Sheldon Pacotti, and lead composer Alexander Brandon. The game was built using the Unreal Engine, which led to issues with coding and non-playable character behavior. Due to technical and time limitations, some planned features and areas had to be downscaled or cut entirely. Upon release, Deus Ex was a commercial success, selling one million copies worldwide. It saw critical acclaim from game journalists for its design and freedom of player choice. Its graphics saw more mixed reactions, and the voice acting was faulted. The PlayStation 2 port saw mixed reactions, but many praised its adaptation of the game's mechanics to console. It won multiple gaming awards, has been ranked among the best video games of all time, and fostered an active fan community. It has also been cited as a prominent example of the \"immersive sim\" genre. Deus Ex was expanded into a series of the same name, with a sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, releasing in 2003, and two prequels, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, releasing in 2011 and 2016, respectively.", "wds-Q607514": "EastEnders is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Within eight months of the show's original launch, it had reached the number one spot in BARB's television ratings, and has consistently remained among the top-rated series in Britain. Four EastEnders episodes are listed in the all-time top 10 most-watched programmes in the UK, including the number one spot, when more than 30 million watched the 1986 Christmas Day episode. EastEnders has been important in the history of British television drama, tackling many subjects that are considered to be controversial or taboo in British culture, and portraying a social life previously unseen on UK mainstream television. Since co-creator Holland was from a large family in the East End, a theme heavily featured in EastEnders is strong families, and each character is supposed to have their own place in the fictional community. The Watts, Beales and Fowlers, Mitchells, Brannings and the Slaters are some of the families that have been central to the soap's notable and dramatic storylines. EastEnders has been filmed at the BBC Elstree Centre since its inception, with a set that is outdoors and open to weather. In 2014, the BBC announced plans to rebuild the set entirely. Filming commenced on the new set in January 2022, and it was first used on-screen in March 2022. Demolition on the old set commenced in November 2022. EastEnders has received both praise and criticism for many of its storylines, which have dealt with difficult themes including violence, rape, murder and abuse. It has been criticised for various storylines, including the 2010 baby swap storyline, which attracted more than 6,000 complaints, as well as complaints of showing too much violence and allegations of national and racial stereotypes. However, EastEnders has also been commended for representing real-life issues and spreading awareness on social topics. The cast and crew of the show have received and been nominated for various awards.", "wds-Q1361124": "The Ren & Stimpy Show, also known simply as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated comedy television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotionally unstable and psychotic chihuahua; and Stimpy, a good-natured and dimwitted Manx cat. Originally produced by Spümcø, the series was shown on Nickelodeon from August 11, 1991, to December 16, 1995, with its last episode running on MTV on October 20, 1996, spanning a total of five seasons and 52 episodes (93 segments). The third to be shown of the original three Nickelodeon animated series known as \"Nicktoons\", alongside Doug and Rugrats, it is one of the progenitor series of the brand. The series received widespread critical acclaim for its visuals, animation, and surreal nature. However, it generated significant controversy for its dark humor, sexual innuendo, adult humor, violence, and shock value, contributing to Kricfalusi's termination in 1992, due to altercations with Nickelodeon's Standards and Practices and production delays. Games Animation produced the show's remaining three seasons, which received criticism for a perceived decline in quality. An adult animated reboot, Ren & Stimpy \"Adult Party Cartoon\", was produced by Kricfalusi and Spümcø and aired on Spike TV in 2003, being canceled early due to production delays. On August 5, 2020, Comedy Central announced a second adult reboot of the series without Kricfalusi's involvement.", "wds-Q639955": "Super Mario Sunshine is a 2002 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second 3D game in the Super Mario series, following Super Mario 64 (1996). The game was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui, produced by series creators Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, written by Makoto Wada, and scored by Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka. The game takes place on the tropical Isle Delfino, where Mario, Toadsworth, Princess Peach, and five Toads are taking a vacation. A villain resembling Mario, known as Shadow Mario, vandalizes the island with graffiti and causes Mario to be wrongfully convicted for the mess. Mario is ordered to clean up Isle Delfino, using a device called the Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device (F.L.U.D.D.), while saving Princess Peach from Shadow Mario. Super Mario Sunshine received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising the game's graphics, gameplay, story, soundtrack, and the addition of F.L.U.D.D. as a mechanic. However, some criticized the game's camera, F.L.U.D.D.'s gimmicky nature, the high difficulty of some of the missions, and the decision to use full voice acting for some characters. The game sold over five million copies worldwide by 2006, making it one of the best-selling GameCube games. The game was re-released as a part of the Player's Choice brand in 2003. It was re-released alongside Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection for the Nintendo Switch in 2020. The game was re-released for Nintendo Switch 2 as part of the Nintendo Classics service on Nintendo Switch Online on August 13, 2026.", "wds-Q732943": "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a 2000 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the second game in The Legend of Zelda series to use 3D graphics, following Ocarina of Time (1998). Designed by a creative team led by Eiji Aonuma, Yoshiaki Koizumi, and Shigeru Miyamoto, Majora's Mask was completed in less than two years. It features enhanced graphics and several gameplay changes, but reuses elements and character models from Ocarina of Time, a creative decision made necessary by time constraints. A few months after Ocarina of Time, the character Link arrives in a parallel world, Termina, and becomes embroiled in a quest to prevent the moon from crashing in three days' time. The game introduces gameplay concepts revolving around a perpetually repeating three-day cycle and the use of various masks that transform Link into different forms. As the player progresses, Link learns to play numerous melodies on his ocarina, which allow him to control the flow of time, open hidden passages, or manipulate the environment. As with other Zelda games, players must navigate through several dungeons that contain complex puzzles and enemies. Majora's Mask requires the Expansion Pak add-on for the Nintendo 64, primarily to support the game’s complex mechanics, such as the repeating three-day cycle and extensive mask system. It also allows for graphical enhancements and more on-screen characters. A critical and commercial success, Majora's Mask is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Some critics deemed it to be on par or superior to Ocarina of Time in certain aspects, praising its innovative gameplay, intricate design, robust control scheme, and atmospheric soundtrack, though it received minor criticisms for graphical limitations, and was considered less groundbreaking than its predecessor. It generated a cult following, with retrospective analyses highlighting its dark narrative tone and emotional depth. It was re-released as part of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition for the GameCube in 2003, the Virtual Console service for the Wii and Wii U, and the Nintendo Classics service. An enhanced remake developed by Grezzo for the Nintendo 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, was released in 2015.", "wds-Q862187": "Bonanza is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, Bonanza is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on American network television (behind CBS's Gunsmoke), and one of the longest-running, live-action American series. The show continues to air in syndication. The show is set in the 1860s and centers on the wealthy Cartwright family, who live in the vicinity of Virginia City, Nevada, bordering Lake Tahoe. The series initially starred Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon and later featured (at various times) Guy Williams, David Canary, Mitch Vogel and Tim Matheson. The show is known for presenting pressing moral dilemmas. The title \"Bonanza\" is a term used by miners in regard to a large vein or deposit of silver ore, from Spanish bonanza (rich ore body) and commonly refers to the 1859 revelation of the Comstock Lode of rich silver ore mines under the town of Virginia City, not far from the fictional Ponderosa Ranch that the Cartwright family operated. The show's theme song, also titled \"Bonanza\", became a hit song. Only instrumental renditions, without Ray Evans's lyrics, were used during the series's long run. In 2002, Bonanza was ranked No. 43 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and in 2013 TV Guide included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time. The time period for the television series is roughly between 1861 (Season 1) and 1867 (Season 13) during and shortly after the American Civil War, coinciding with the period Nevada Territory became a U.S. state. During the summer of 1972, NBC aired reruns of episodes from the 1967–1970 period in prime time on Tuesday evenings under the title Ponderosa.", "wds-Q647296": "The Angry Beavers is an American animated sitcom created by Mitch Schauer for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around the zany hijinks of Norbert and Daggett Beaver, two young anthropomorphic North American beaver brothers who have moved out of their parents' home to become bachelors in the forest near the fictional Wayouttatown, Oregon. The series premiered in the United States on April 19, 1997, and ended its initial run on November 11, 2003. Five additional episodes would not premiere in the United States on Nickelodeon during its initial run and would premiere in that country on Nicktoons in 2006, with the last episode airing on August 27. The complete series has also been released on DVD in Region 1 by Shout! Factory. During its initial run, The Angry Beavers was nominated for five Annie Awards and three Daytime Emmy Awards, and the show had won one of both awards.", "wds-Q275260": "O Clone (English: The Clone) is a Brazilian telenovela created by Glória Perez and directed by Jayme Monjardim. Produced and aired by Rede Globo, it was aired from 1 October 2001 to 13 June 2002, with 221 episodes. It also was an international success, selling in 93 countries.", "wds-Q207803": "Bones is an American police procedural drama television series created by Hart Hanson for Fox. It premiered on September 13, 2005, and concluded on March 28, 2017, airing for 246 episodes over 12 seasons. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to Temperance \"Bones\" Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist. It also explores the personal lives of the characters. The rest of the main cast includes Michaela Conlin, T. J. Thyne, Eric Millegan, Jonathan Adams, Tamara Taylor, John Francis Daley, and John Boyd. The series is based on the life and novels of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, who also produced the show. Its title character, Temperance Brennan, is named after the protagonist of Reichs' crime novel series. In the Bones universe, Brennan writes successful mystery novels featuring a fictional forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs. Bones is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television and syndicated by 20th Television. The series is the longest-running one-hour drama series produced by 20th Century Fox Television.", "wds-Q217679": "Phineas and Ferb is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff \"Swampy\" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on the networks for four seasons between 2007 and 2015, and returned for the first of two additional seasons in 2025. The series follows stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, who construct a grand project or embark on an adventure each day to make the most of their time on summer vacation, to the annoyance of Phineas' older sister Candace Flynn. Candace's attempts to expose their schemes to her mother always fail due to the fights between local evil scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and the boys' secret agent pet Perry the Platypus inadvertently removing all evidence of their work. The series follows a standard plot system, with several running gags occurring each episode. Povenmire and Marsh conceived the characters while working together on animated programs The Simpsons and Rocko's Modern Life in the 1990s, and were inspired by the summers of their own childhoods. They developed the series together and pitched it to networks for 16 years before successfully selling it to The Walt Disney Company. Phineas and Ferb is produced by Disney Television Animation, and was originally broadcast as a one-episode preview on August 17, 2007, following the premiere of the made-for-television film High School Musical 2. It again previewed on September 28, 2007, and officially premiered on Disney Channel on February 1, 2008. The series originally concluded on June 12, 2015, before two new seasons were ordered in January 2023, with the fifth season premiering on Disney Channel on June 5, 2025, and on Disney+ the following day. Phineas and Ferb is one of Disney Channel's most successful animated franchises. It received high viewership in the United States on cable television and influenced the development of merchandise, a live tour, spin-offs, and movies. A made-for-television film, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, aired in 2011, while a follow-up titled Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe was released on Disney+ in 2020. Critics praised the writing and humor of the show, citing its appeal to a wide range of ages. Others criticized its perceived lack of originality and formulaic approach. The series won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010 for Outstanding Writing in Animation and several Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.", "wds-Q791569": "Bayonetta is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan in October 2009, and in North America and Europe in January 2010. It was released on Wii U in September 2014, Windows in April 2017, Nintendo Switch in February 2018, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2020. Bayonetta takes place in Vigrid, a fictional city in Europe. The game stars the eponymous character, a witch who nominally wields a variety of powerful firearms but can also use her hair to shapeshift, summon powerful demons, and execute powerful attacks. Stricken with amnesia, Bayonetta travels to Vigrid hoping to learn the truth of her past, while seeking to thwart a plot by her enemies, the angels of Heaven, to bring about apocalypse on Earth. The game features a rating system, which gives players a grade based on their performance, and a combat system similar to the Devil May Cry series. Although unlike Devil May Cry, which features a live Style Rank to directly judge the player, Bayonetta (and subsequent Platinum action games) feature an arena based ranking system, which judges players based on variables such as time, combo points and damage at the end of each individual fight which then gets tallied up at the end of each chapter to determine the final rank. Bayonetta was the third project released by PlatinumGames, which was founded by former Clover Studio employees. Development began in January 2007, with Hideki Kamiya as the director. The development team's name, \"Team Little Angels,\" is a play on the name of the team who developed the first Devil May Cry game, \"Team Little Devils.\" According to Kamiya, Bayonetta was completely original, though he drew some inspirations from Scandinavian mythology and played Devil May Cry 4 for reference. The game was designed to have a core theme of \"sexiness\" and to feature \"fashionable\" characters. To this end, Kamiya and artist Mari Shimazaki spent more than a year creating Bayonetta's design. Several demos were released prior to launch. Bayonetta received critical acclaim upon its release. The game was praised for its combat, presentation, and soundtrack, but also drew some criticism for its story and quick time events. The game was nominated for and won several end-of-the-year accolades, had sold over one million units worldwide by 2010, and is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made. An anime film adaptation by Gonzo, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, was released in Japan in November 2013. The game was followed by Bayonetta 2 (2014), Bayonetta 3 (2022), and Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023).", "wds-Q2530723": "Metroid is a 1986 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first installment in the Metroid series, it was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System in August 1986. North America received a release in August 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with the European release following in January 1988. Set on the planet Zebes, the story follows Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve the predatory Metroid organisms that were stolen by Space Pirates, who plan to replicate the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then use them as biological weapons to destroy Samus and all who oppose them. The game was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 (Nintendo R&D1) and Intelligent Systems. It was produced by Gunpei Yokoi, directed by Satoru Okada and Masao Yamamoto, and scored by Hirokazu Tanaka. It pioneered the Metroidvania genre, focusing on exploration and searching for power-ups used to reach previously inaccessible areas. Its varied endings for fast completion times made it an early popular title for speedrunning. It was also lauded for being one of the first video games to showcase a female protagonist. Metroid was both a critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised its graphics, soundtrack, and tight controls. Nintendo Power ranked it 11th on their list of the best games for a Nintendo console. On Top 100 Games lists, it was ranked 7th by Game Informer and 69th by Electronic Gaming Monthly, and has been considered one of the best video games of all time. The game has been rereleased multiple times onto other Nintendo systems, such as the Game Boy Advance in 2004, the Wii, Wii U and 3DS via the Virtual Console service, and the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service. An enhanced remake of Metroid featuring updated visuals and gameplay, Metroid: Zero Mission, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004.", "wds-Q16802335": "NCIS: New Orleans is an American action crime drama and police procedural television series that premiered on CBS on September 23, 2014, following the twelfth season of NCIS. The pilot was written by Gary Glasberg, produced by CBS Studios, Wings Productions and, for the first four seasons, When Pigs Fly Incorporated. The series, set and filmed in New Orleans, is the third series of the NCIS franchise. In May 2020, the show was renewed for the seventh season which ended being the last and it premiered on November 8, 2020. In February 2021, CBS announced that the seventh season would be the series' final one. The series concluded on May 23, 2021, making it the first show in the NCIS franchise to come to an end.", "wds-Q16862534": "How to Get Away with Murder is an American legal drama thriller television series that premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios, airing as part of a night of programming under Rhimes' Shondaland production company. The show stars Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, a defense attorney and law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university, who, along with five of her students, becomes involved in a complex murder plot. The series features an ensemble cast including Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, and Karla Souza as Annalise's students, Charlie Weber and Liza Weil as her employees, and Billy Brown as a detective with the Philadelphia Police Department and Annalise's lover. Beginning with the third season, Conrad Ricamora was promoted to the main cast after recurring in the first two seasons, while Rome Flynn, Amirah Vann and Timothy Hutton were promoted to the main cast in the fifth season. Davis received widespread critical acclaim for her performance in the series: she became the first Black woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, also winning two Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and the Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Davis also received nominations from the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series, the Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and the Television Critics Association at the TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama. Other cast members also received recognition for their performances, with Enoch and King receiving nominations from the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 2014 NAACP Image Awards ceremony. The series also received a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series.", "wds-Q15106029": "Paw Patrol is a Canadian children's animated television series created by Keith Chapman and produced by Spin Master Entertainment, with animation provided by Guru Studio. In Canada, the series is primarily broadcast on TVOntario as part of the TVOKids programing block. TVO first ran previews of the show in August 2013. The series premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. in the United States on August 12, 2013. The series focuses on a young boy named Ryder who leads a crew of search and rescue dogs that call themselves the Paw Patrol. They work together on missions to protect the shoreside community of Adventure Bay and surrounding areas. Each dog has a specific set of skills based on emergency services professions, such as a firefighter, a police officer, and an aircraft pilot. They reside in doghouses that transform into customized vehicles or \"pupmobiles\" for their missions. They are equipped with special hi-tech backpacks called \"pup packs\" that contain tools relating to their respective job. Since its debut, the series has developed into one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time, generating billions of dollars in revenue from toy sales for Spin Master and has increased the company's presence in the preschool toy market. The franchise includes Paw Patrol: The Movie which released in August 2021, followed by a sequel, The Mighty Movie, on September 29, 2023, another sequel The Dino Movie, on August 14, 2026, and a spin-off series based on one of the show's main characters titled Rubble & Crew which premiered in February 2023. The show celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023. The show, and its associated products, have received a variety of awards and nominations from associations such as the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The series is on its thirteenth season, which began airing in March 2026. In early February 2023, series creator Keith Chapman said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter magazine that the series could still be on television for another ten years or more.", "wds-Q24455756": "Watch Dogs 2 is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the sequel to 2014's Watch Dogs and the second installment in the Watch Dogs series. It was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows in November 2016, and for Stadia in December 2020. Set within San Francisco Bay Area, the game is played from a third-person perspective and its open world is navigated on-foot or by vehicle. Players control Marcus Holloway, a hacker who works with the hacking group DedSec to take down the city's advanced surveillance system known as ctOS. There are multiple ways to complete missions, and each successful assignment increases the follower count of DedSec. Cooperative multiplayer allows for competitive one-on-one combat and connecting with other players to neutralize a player who is causing havoc. Ubisoft Montreal studied player feedback from the first game to assess what could be improved in Watch Dogs 2 and the setting was researched by making frequent trips to California. Ubisoft Reflections was responsible for overhauling the driving mechanic. Real hackers were consulted to validate scripts and game mechanics for authenticity and references to real-life hacktivism were fictionalized, like the Project Chanology protest. The original soundtrack was composed by Hudson Mohawke. The game was released to overall positive reception from critics which praised the game for improving upon the original Watch Dogs in areas like the hacking, setting, characters, and driving controls. However, the characterization and frequent technical issues – later patched – were cited as imperfections. Watch Dogs 2 had sold more than 10 million copies by March 2020. A sequel, Watch Dogs: Legion, was released on October 29, 2020.", "wds-Q24050047": "Sid Meier's Civilization VI is a 2016 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by American company Firaxis Games and published by 2K. The mobile and Nintendo Switch ports were published by Aspyr Media. It is the sequel to Civilization V (2010), and was released on Windows and macOS in October 2016, with later ports for Linux in February 2017, iOS in December 2017, Nintendo Switch in November 2018, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2019, and Android in 2020. Similar to previous installments, the goal for the player is to develop a civilization from an early settlement through many in-game millennia to become a world power and achieve one of several victory conditions, such as through military domination, technological superiority, or cultural influence over the other human and computer-controlled opponents. Players do this by exploring the world, founding new cities, building city improvements, deploying military troops to attack and defend themselves from others, researching new technologies and civic advancements, developing an influential culture, and engaging in trade and negotiations with other world leaders. The game features several civilizations not featured in previous incarnations of Civilization, while many returning civilizations have new capitals or new leaders. A critical design focus was to avoid having the player follow a pre-set path of improvements towards their civilization which they had observed from earlier games. New to Civilization VI is the use of districts outside the city center to house most of the buildings. For example, a campus district must be built to house science-based buildings. Other new features include research on the game's technology tree based on nearby terrain, a similar technology tree for cultural improvements, and a better government civics structure for those playing on a cultural victory path. There are also new artificial intelligence mechanics for computer-controlled opponents, which include secret goals and randomized engagements to disrupt an otherwise stable game. The game received generally positive reviews upon release, and it was awarded Best Strategy Game at The Game Awards 2016 and Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game received two major expansions, Rise and Fall (2018) and Gathering Storm (2019), as well as two season passes, the New Frontier Pass (2020-21) and the Leader Pass (2022-23). The game was succeeded by the next entry in the series, Civilization VII, released in February 2025.", "wds-Q112623392": "Gen V is an American satirical superhero television series, developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg and Eric Kripke, serving as a spin-off of The Boys by Kripke and loosely based on The Boys comic book story arc We Gotta Go Now by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and John Higgins. The third television series in The Boys franchise, its first season is set after the third season of The Boys, while its second season is set after the fourth season of The Boys. Gen V stars Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn in main roles. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on September 29, 2023, and received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the cast performances. In October 2023, Gen V was renewed for a second season, adding Sean Patrick Thomas and Hamish Linklater to the main cast, which premiered with three episodes on September 17, 2025, and new episodes that followed weekly up until October 22. In April 2026, the series was canceled after two seasons.", "wds-Q112845107": "It: Welcome to Derry is an American supernatural horror television series based on Stephen King's 1986 novel It. Serving as a prequel to the films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), the series was developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, all of whom were involved in the It films. The series stars a large ensemble cast including Bill Skarsgård, who serves as executive producer and reprises his role as Pennywise from the films. Andy and Barbara Muschietti along with Fuchs began developing the series in March 2022. After receiving a production commitment later that November, Fuchs and Brad Kane were hired as showrunners, and the series was greenlit in February 2023, with Andy Muschietti, who had directed both films, attached to direct multiple episodes, including the pilot. Casting began later in April, with Skarsgård cast in May 2024. Filming for the series began in May 2023 but was halted in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike; it concluded in August 2024. It: Welcome to Derry premiered on HBO on October 26, 2025. The series received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its direction, production values, title sequence, and performances (particularly from Skarsgård, Chris Chalk, and the younger cast), although the writing and visual effects received some criticism. In August 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.", "wds-Q687559": "Final Fantasy III is a 1990 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the Final Fantasy series, it follows four orphans from the village of Ur who are chosen by the world's crystals to defeat a great evil and return balance to the world. The gameplay returns to the traditional combat system of the original game, and adds a job system allowing players to switch between character classes with unique abilities. Development of Final Fantasy III was handled by multiple series veterans including director Hironobu Sakaguchi, designers Hiromichi Tanaka and Kazuhiko Aoki, writer Kenji Terada, composer Nobuo Uematsu, and programmer Nasir Gebelli in his final contribution to the series. Production was a struggle due to data management, and new elements were added to encourage player experimentation. The artwork was a collaborative effort between Koichi Ishii as character and job designer, Yoshitaka Amano as monster designer, and Kazuko Shibuya as main sprite artist. When it completed development, it was described as one of the largest games on the system. Upon its release in Japan, the game sold 1.4 million copies, and saw generally positive reviews, with most of the praise going to its job system. While ported to multiple platforms in later years, the original was not released outside Japan until 2021. A remake for the WonderSwan Color was planned but ultimately cancelled, while a 3D remake for the Nintendo DS was released internationally in 2006. The game saw the introduction of several recurring elements including a job system, summoned monsters and the Moogle. Terada also adapted it into a manga, and its characters and settings made appearances in later Final Fantasy titles.", "wds-Q6582527": "Metal Gear Solid is a 1998 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation. Directed, produced, and written by Hideo Kojima, the game is the third mainline installment in the Metal Gear series and serves as a sequel to the MSX2 game Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990). The game's story follows Solid Snake, a former Special Forces operative who is pulled out of retirement by the U.S. government to infiltrate Shadow Moses, a nuclear weapons facility that has been taken over by rogue unit FOXHOUND, led by Liquid Snake. Solid Snake must liberate hostages and prevent FOXHOUND from using Metal Gear REX, a mecha capable of delivering a nuclear warhead anywhere in the world, while confronting his own origins. The game is played from a top-down perspective from where Solid Snake must navigate the environment. Stealth is optional but highly encouraged, with a cover system and radar utilized to avoid sight from guards. Getting detected triggers an \"Alert\" mode where enemies will attempt to kill the player, and is usually deactivated if they evade guards for long enough. The player obtains various items and weapons through the game, including key cards which are used to unlock different areas of the base, typically obtained from defeating bosses. Conceived by Kojima during the development of Policenauts (1994), Metal Gear Solid was initially developed for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1995 but was soon moved to the PlayStation. With a small team of 20 people, Kojima emphasized extreme detail, utilizing real-life demonstrations of weapons, individually-designed set pieces, and mocking environments using Lego building blocks. Artist Yoji Shinkawa designed the majority of characters, including Solid Snake, who was physically based on Jean-Claude Van Damme and Christopher Walken. Cinematic cutscenes were rendered using the in-engine graphics, and voice acting was used throughout. Metal Gear Solid was unveiled at the 1996 Tokyo Game Show and demonstrated at trade shows including the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo, to largely positive reception. Upon release, Metal Gear Solid received unanimous acclaim, with critics lauding the cinematic presentation of the game, narrative, gameplay, and stealth mechanics. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential video games ever made, it is often considered the founding father of the stealth game genre, one of the best PlayStation games, and credited with popularizing cinematic style in video games. Despite low expectations, Metal Gear Solid was also commercially successful, selling more than seven million copies worldwide and establishing the Metal Gear series as a cultural icon. An expanded version, Metal Gear Solid: Integral, was released in 1999 and 2000 for the PlayStation and Windows. Both the game and its Integral and VR Missions expansions were re-released digitally on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, as well as included in the compilations Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (2013) and Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 (2023) for various platforms. A direct sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. A remake, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, was released for GameCube in 2004.", "wds-Q1060323": "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a 1993 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first installment in The Legend of Zelda series to be released on a handheld game console. Link's Awakening is one of the few Zelda games not to take place in the land of Hyrule, and it does not feature Princess Zelda or the Triforce relic. Instead, the protagonist Link begins the game stranded on Koholint Island, a place guarded by a whale-like deity called the Wind Fish. Assuming the role of Link, the player fights monsters and solves puzzles while searching for eight musical instruments that will awaken the sleeping Wind Fish and allow him to escape from the island. Development began as an effort to port the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game A Link to the Past to the Game Boy, developed after-hours by Nintendo staff. It grew into an original project under the direction of Takashi Tezuka, with a story and script created by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kensuke Tanabe. The majority of the Link to the Past team reassembled for Link's Awakening, and Tezuka wanted the game world to feel like the television series Twin Peaks. After a development period of one and a half years, Link's Awakening was released in Japan in June 1993 and worldwide later in the year. Link's Awakening was critically and commercially successful. Critics praised the game's depth and number of features; complaints focused on its control scheme and monochrome graphics. An updated rerelease, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, was released for the Game Boy Color in 1998 featuring color graphics, compatibility with the Game Boy Printer, and an exclusive color-based dungeon. The game has sold four million units worldwide, and has appeared on multiple game publications' lists of the best video games of all time. A high-definition remake developed by Grezzo for the Nintendo Switch was released in 2019.", "wds-Q336177": "Eve Online (stylized EVE Online) is a space-based, persistent-world massively-multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Fenris Creations. Players of Eve Online can participate in a number of in-game professions and activities, including mining, piracy, manufacturing, trading, exploration, and combat (both player versus environment [PVE] and player versus player [PVP]). The game contains a total of 7,805 star systems that can be visited by players. The game is renowned for its scale and complexity in regard to player interactions. In its single, shared game world, players engage in unscripted economic competition, warfare, and political schemes with other players. The Bloodbath of B-R5RB, a battle involving thousands of players in a single star system, took 21 hours and was recognized as one of the largest and most expensive battles in gaming history. Eve Online was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art with a video including the historical events and accomplishments of the playerbase. Eve Online was released in North America and Europe in May 2003. It was published from May to December 2003 by Simon & Schuster Interactive in North America and by Crucial Entertainment in the United Kingdom, after which CCP purchased the rights and began to self-publish via a digital distribution scheme. On January 22, 2008, it was announced that Eve Online would be distributed via Steam. On March 10, 2009, the game was again made available in boxed form in stores, released by Atari. In February 2013, Eve Online reached over 500,000 subscribers. On November 11, 2016, Eve Online added a limited free-to-play version.", "wds-Q1248594": "Resident Evil is a 1996 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. It is the first main installment in Capcom's Resident Evil series. Set in the fictional Arklay mountain region in the Midwest, players control Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, members of the elite task force S.T.A.R.S., who must escape a mansion infested with zombies and other monsters. Resident Evil was conceived by the producer Tokuro Fujiwara, inspired by the limitations on his 1989 horror game Sweet Home. It was directed by Shinji Mikami. It went through several redesigns, first as a Super NES game in 1993, then a fully 3D first-person PlayStation game in 1994 and finally a third-person game. Gameplay consists of action, exploration, puzzle solving and inventory management. Resident Evil established many conventions seen later in the series, and in other survival horror games, including the inventory system, save system, and use of a vitals-monitoring system instead of a health counter. Resident Evil was praised for its graphics, gameplay, sound, and atmosphere, although it received criticism for its weak dialogue and voice acting. It was an international best-seller, and became the highest-selling PlayStation game at the time. By December 1997, it had sold about 4 million copies worldwide and had grossed more than US$200 million. Resident Evil is often cited as one of the greatest and most influential video games ever made. It is credited with defining the survival horror genre and with returning zombies to popular culture, leading to a renewed interest in zombie films by the 2000s. It created a franchise including video games, films, comics, novels, and other merchandise. It has been ported to Sega Saturn, Windows and Nintendo DS. Its sequel, Resident Evil 2 was released in 1998. Both the game's remake and prequel were released on GameCube in 2002.", "wds-Q684904": "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a real-time strategy video game released for Microsoft Windows on October 25, 2000, as the follow-up to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Red Alert 2 picks up after the Allied campaign of the first game. Its expansion pack is Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, released a year later in 2001. Red Alert 2 was principally developed by Westwood Pacific in collaboration with Westwood Studios. Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 contains two playable factions, the Soviets and the Allies, which both previously appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert. The single-player campaign is structured in an alternate-ending mode instead of a progressive story mode. Like its predecessor, Red Alert 2 features a large amount of full-motion video cutscenes between missions and during gameplay, with an ensemble cast including Ray Wise, Udo Kier, Kari Wuhrer, and Barry Corbin. Red Alert 2 was a commercial and critical success, receiving a rating of 86% from GameRankings. It released with a collector's edition. A sequel, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, was released in 2008.", "wds-Q1322480": "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a visual novel adventure game developed and published by Capcom. It was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance in Japan and has been ported to multiple platforms. The 2005 Nintendo DS version, titled Gyakuten Saiban Yomigaeru Gyakuten in Japan, introduced an English language option, and was the first time the game was released in North America and Europe. It is the first entry in the Ace Attorney series; several sequels and spin-offs were produced, while this game has seen further ports and remasters for computers, game consoles, and mobile devices. The story follows Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney who attempts to have his clients declared \"not guilty\". Among other characters are Phoenix's boss, Mia Fey; his assistant and Mia's sister, Maya; and prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. The player controls Phoenix through two sets of sections: investigations and courtroom trials. During investigations they gather information and evidence. During trials they cross-examine witnesses, and answer questions from the judge, the prosecutor, and the witnesses. The story is split into five cases. The fifth was introduced in the Nintendo DS version to take advantage of gameplay elements using the handheld's touchscreen not available in the original Game Boy Advance version. A team of seven developed the game over the course of ten months. Written and directed by Shu Takumi, it was originally planned as a Game Boy Color game about a private investigator. The game was designed to be simple; Takumi wanted it easy enough that even his mother could play. While the original version of the game takes place in Japan, the localization is set in the United States; this became an issue when localizing later games, where the Japanese setting was more obvious. Generally, the game has been positively received by critics who praised its premise, writing, characters, and presentation. The game has been a commercial success both in Japan and internationally. The release sales in North America broke expectations, and as a result the software became difficult to find in stores shortly after its release. Other media based on the game have been produced. It has been credited with helping to popularize visual novels in the Western world, and has been cited as one of the greatest games ever made. A manga series premiered in 2006, a film adaptation of the game, titled Ace Attorney, premiered in 2012, and an anime series adaptation aired in 2016. A high-definition version of the first three Ace Attorney games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy HD, was released for iOS and Android in Japan on February 7, 2012, and for iOS in the West on May 30, 2013. Another collection of the first three games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan on April 17, 2014, in North America on December 9, 2014, and in Europe on December 11, 2014. It was also released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on February 21, 2019, in Japan, and on April 9, 2019, internationally; a Windows version was released internationally on the same date.", "wds-Q850092": "Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is a 2008 first-person shooter video game developed by Gearbox Software and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game is the third installment in the Brothers in Arms series. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway follows the men of the 101st Airborne Division (502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment) in the later stages of World War II, during Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, with the player returning to the role of Staff Sergeant Matt Baker (based on Harrison C. Summers) from the previous titles in the Brothers in Arms series.", "wds-Q248810": "Dwarf Fortress (previously titled Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress) is a construction and management simulation and roguelike indie video game created by Bay 12 Games. Available as freeware and in development since 2002, its first alpha version was released in 2006 and received attention for being a two-member project surviving solely on donations. Originally displayed using ASCII arts, the game is set in a detailed, procedurally generated fantasy world with randomized creatures, NPCs, and history. Players can control a colony of dwarves in a fortress or explore the world as a player character. Its mechanics have been lauded for their depth and complexity. Prior to Dwarf Fortress, Tarn Adams was working on a project called Slaves to Armok: God of Blood which was a role-playing game. By 2004, Adams decided to shift from the original Armok to Dwarf Fortress after the former became difficult to maintain. Adams calls it his life's work and said in 2011 that version 1.0 will not be ready for at least another 20 years, and even after that he would continue to work on it. A paid edition with graphical tiles and a new soundtrack was published by Kitfox Games and released to Steam and Itch.io in 2022. Critics praised its complex and emergent gameplay but had mixed reactions to its difficulty and learning curve. The game influenced Minecraft, RimWorld, and others, and was selected among other games to be featured in the Museum of Modern Art to show the history of video gaming in 2012. The game has a cult following and an active online community. As there are no win conditions, every fortress, no matter how successful, will eventually fall; this has prompted the community motto: \"Losing is Fun!\"", "wds-Q746351": "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a real-time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in October 2008 in the United States and Europe for Microsoft Windows. An Xbox 360 version was released on November 11. In addition, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Ultimate Edition, the PlayStation 3 version (which contains additional material), was released on March 23, 2009, along with the Mac OS X version by TransGaming. Additionally, the game can be purchased from the Xbox digital store and played on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles through the Xbox backwards compatibility program. The game is a continuation of the Red Alert games within the Command & Conquer series. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising, a stand-alone expansion pack, was released for Microsoft Windows in March 2009. It was offered via digital distribution. Like the previous entries in the Red Alert series, the game is set in an alternate reality from World War II, in which the Western Allies fight the Soviet Union. In Red Alert 3 the Soviet leadership, facing defeat, goes back in time to kill Albert Einstein and prevent his assistance to the Allies, paving the way for Soviet domination in the present. However, as an unintended consequence, a third world power, the Empire of the Rising Sun (also known as the Japanese Empire), is created and all three sides go to war. The three factions are playable, with the gameplay involving constructing building and factories, gathering resources and training armies to defeat other players. Each faction has a fully co-operative campaign, playable with either an artificial intelligence partner or with another player online. The game intersperses strategy missions with full motion video footage featuring an ensemble cast starring J. K. Simmons, Tim Curry and George Takei as the leaders of the three factions. The game received mostly positive reviews, with reviewers citing the co-operative and multiplayer components as strengths, along with the enhanced role of naval combat compared to other real-time strategy games. Commonly cited weaknesses included aspects such as unit pathfinding and an unstable netcode.", "wds-Q796529": "Far Cry 3 is a 2012 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the third main installment in the Far Cry series after Far Cry 2. The game takes place on the fictional Rook Islands, a tropical archipelago which can be freely explored by players. Gameplay focuses on combat and exploration. Players can use a variety of weapons to defeat human enemies and hostile wildlife, and the game features elements found in role-playing games such as skill trees and experience. After a vacation goes awry, protagonist Jason Brody must save his friends, who have been kidnapped by pirates, and escape from the island and its unhinged inhabitants. Ubisoft Montreal collaborated with Ubisoft's global development team, including Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Bucharest, Ubisoft Reflections and Red Storm Entertainment. The game's development was partially restarted in 2010 after the departure of several key creative staff. The team evaluated the feedback for Far Cry 2 and identified areas that needed to be improved or removed. The team spent considerable time designing the island, which they described as the \"second most important character\" in the game. Inspirations were taken from films and TV shows such as Apocalypse Now and Lost, as well as video games The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption. Michael Mando was hired to portray Vaas Montenegro, an antagonist the team compared to Darth Vader. The game was announced in June 2011 and Ubisoft promoted the game with various companion apps, webseries and crossover. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2012. The game received critical acclaim upon release, with praise directed at its characters (particularly Vaas), world design, visuals, progression, and gameplay, though the game's multiplayer modes received criticism. Despite weak pre-order sales, the game was a commercial success, selling 10 million copies. It was nominated for multiple year-end accolades including Game of the Year and Best Shooter awards by several gaming publications. It has also been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. Ubisoft supported the game with downloadable content and released Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, the game's standalone expansion, in 2013. A successor, Far Cry 4 was released in November 2014. The game was re-released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2018 and is set to release for the Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring 2027.", "wds-Q1371726": "Watch Dogs is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the first installment in the Watch Dogs series. The game is played from a third-person perspective, and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Set within a fictionalized version of the Chicago metropolitan area in 2013, the single-player story follows grey hat hacker and vigilante Aiden Pearce's quest for revenge after the killing of his niece in a botched assassination attempt. An online multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay. Development of the game began in 2009, and continued for over five years. Duties were shared by many of Ubisoft's studios worldwide, with more than a thousand people involved. The developers visited Chicago to conduct field research on the setting, and used regional language for authenticity. Hacking features were created in consultation with the cyber-security company Kaspersky Lab, and the in-game control system was based on SCADA. The score was composed by Brian Reitzell, who infused it with krautrock. Following its announcement in June 2012, Watch Dogs was widely anticipated. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Wii U in 2014. The game received generally favorable reviews; praise was directed at the gameplay, mission and open world design, combat system, hacking elements and mission variety, while criticism was expressed concerning technical issues, the discrepancy in graphical quality between marketing and the real game, plot, and protagonist. Watch Dogs was a commercial success, breaking the record for the biggest first-day sales of a Ubisoft game and becoming the biggest launch of a new intellectual property in the United Kingdom at the time. The game has shipped over 10 million copies. A sequel, Watch Dogs 2, was released in November 2016, and a third game, Watch Dogs: Legion, was released in October 2020.", "wds-Q3182559": "Cyberpunk 2077 is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by CD Projekt Red and published by CD Projekt. Based on Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk tabletop game series, the plot is set in the fictional cyberpunk metropolis of Night City in California, within the dystopian Cyberpunk universe. The player assumes the role of V (voiced by Gavin Drea or Cherami Leigh depending on the player character's gender), a mercenary who gets reluctantly imbued with a cybernetic \"biochip\" containing an engram of legendary rockstar and terrorist Johnny Silverhand (portrayed by Keanu Reeves). As Johnny's consciousness begins overwriting V's own, the two must work together to separate from each other and save V's life by confronting the Arasaka Corporation, a powerful megacorporation acting as the de facto ruler of the city. Cyberpunk 2077 began development following the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood and Wine (2016). The game was developed by a team of around 500 people using the REDengine 4 game engine. CD Projekt launched a new division in Wrocław, Poland, and partnered with Digital Scapes, Nvidia, Q-LOC, and Jali Research to aid the production, while Pondsmith served as a consultant. The original score was composed by Marcin Przybyłowicz, and featured the contributions of several licensed artists. After years of anticipation, Cyberpunk 2077 was released for PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, and Xbox One in December 2020, followed by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in February 2022, the Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025 as a launch title, and macOS in July 2025. A DLC expansion, Phantom Liberty, was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2023, and paired with the Nintendo Switch 2 and macOS releases. Cyberpunk 2077 received praise from critics for its narrative, setting, and graphics. However, some of its gameplay elements received mixed responses while its themes and representation of LGBTQ+ characters received some criticism. It was also widely criticised for bugs and glitches, particularly on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions during their launch period. Sony removed the game from the PlayStation Store from December 2020 to June 2021 while CD Projekt rectified some of the issues. CD Projekt became subject to investigations and class-action lawsuits for its perceived attempts at downplaying the severity of the technical problems before release; these were ultimately cleared with a settlement of US$1.85 million. The improvements and updates delivered by the developer since, together with the release of Phantom Liberty and the 2022 tie-in anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, led to a progressive reappraisal of the game. As of July 2026, Cyberpunk 2077 had sold over 40 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. Its total cost to develop and market (including updates and DLC) is reportedly between $436 million and around $440 million, making it one of the most expensive video games to develop. A sequel was announced in October 2022 and is in development.", "wds-Q717600": "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a 2015 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami. Directed, written, and produced by Hideo Kojima (as his final work at Konami), it is the ninth main installment in the Metal Gear franchise, following Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, a stand-alone prologue released the previous year. Set in 1984, nine years after the events of Ground Zeroes, the story follows mercenary leader Punished \"Venom\" Snake as he ventures into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan and the Angola–Zaire border region to exact revenge on those who destroyed his forces and almost killed him during the climax of Ground Zeroes. The game is played from a third-person perspective in an open world which can be explored either on foot or by modes of transport. Snake can use a wide repertoire of weapons and items, and receive assistance from several AI companions, allowing the player to combat enemies either stealthily or directly. Enemy soldiers and resources found in the world can be transported to Snake's headquarters, allowing for its expansion and the development of further technology. The game includes two separate multiplayer modes, Metal Gear Online (also known as Metal Gear Online 3) and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs); the latter mode allows players to develop FOBs, which can then be invaded by other players. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 1, 2015. It received critical acclaim, with praise for its gameplay, open world, graphics, themes, and performances. Its narrative and certain changes to the series formula divided critics, while the appearance of the character Quiet drew criticism. The game's repeated missions, ending, and evidence of removed content led some to label it unfinished. The Phantom Pain shipped 6 million units by December 2015. It received several awards and is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made. Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience, a bundle that includes both The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes, along with all additional content for both games, was released in October 2016.", "wds-Q13431312": "Tom Clancy's The Division is a 2016 online-only shooter game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Ubisoft, released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is set in a near future New York City, in the aftermath of a viral pandemic; the player, a secret service agent of the fictional Strategic Homeland Division (SHD), is tasked with helping with disaster relief efforts and assisting law enforcement in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and to investigate the nature of the outbreak. The Division is a third-person looter shooter game with role-playing game elements, and features both cooperative player versus environment and player versus player multiplayer. The game also marked the debut of Massive's Snowdrop game engine. Tom Clancy's The Division received generally positive reviews from critics. A sequel was released in March 2019.", "wds-Q11168": "Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. and the first game in the Super Mario series. Players control Mario, or his brother Luigi in the multiplayer mode, to traverse the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool from King Koopa (later named Bowser). They traverse side-scrolling stages while avoiding hazards such as enemies and pits and collecting power-ups such as the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman. Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka designed Super Mario Bros. as a culmination of the team's experience working on Devil World and the side-scrollers Excitebike and Kung Fu. Miyamoto wanted to create a more colorful platform game with a scrolling screen and larger characters. The team designed the first level, World 1-1, as a tutorial for platform gameplay. Koji Kondo's soundtrack is one of the earliest in video games, making music a centerpiece of the design. Super Mario Bros. was released in September 1985 in Japan for the Famicom, the Japanese version of the NES. Following a US test market release for the NES, it was converted to international arcades on the Nintendo VS. System in early 1986. The NES version was released in North America that year and in PAL regions in 1987. It has been rereleased on most Nintendo systems. Super Mario Bros. is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential video games of all time, and is particularly admired for its precise controls. It is one of the best-selling games, with more than 58 million copies sold worldwide. Alongside the NES, it is credited as a key factor in reviving the video game industry after the 1983 crash, and helped popularize the side-scrolling platform genre. The soundtrack is often named among the best video game soundtracks. Mario has become prominent in popular culture, and Super Mario Bros. began a multimedia franchise including a long-running game series, an animated television series, a Japanese anime feature film, a live-action feature film and two animated feature films: The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.", "wds-Q20670394": "Yandere Simulator is an upcoming stealth action video game developed by YandereDev for Windows. The story follows obsessively lovesick schoolgirl Ayano Aishi, nicknamed \"Yandere-chan\", who takes it upon herself to eliminate (through either violent or non-violent means) anyone she believes attracting the attention of her \"senpai\", Taro Yamada. A 1980s-set prequel game mode, Yandere Simulator: 1980s Mode, following the similar story of Ayano's parents, was soft-launched on October 10, 2021. The non-canon Yandere Simulator: Mission Mode follows Ayano as an assassin pursued by a hunter named Nemesis. The game began development in 2014 by YandereDev, an American independent game studio led by Alex Mahan, previously known for work as associate designer of the fighting game Girl Fight. The game achieved a considerable amount of attention online the following year, leading to millions of downloads of pre-release versions of the game, as well as crossovers and spin-offs. The game has endured a lengthy development and been subject to several controversies.", "wds-Q21246348": "Detroit: Become Human is a 2018 interactive drama adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released for the PlayStation 4 in May 2018. Quantic Dream released a port for Windows under license from Sony in December 2019. The plot follows three androids: Kara (Valorie Curry), who escapes her owner to explore her newfound sentience and protect a young girl; Connor (Bryan Dechart), whose job is to hunt down sentient androids; and Markus (Jesse Williams), who starts out as a caretaker for an elderly man but later devotes himself to releasing other androids from servitude. The player's choices affect the course and outcome of the story. Detroit: Become Human is based on Quantic Dream's 2012 technology demonstration Kara, which also starred Curry. To research the setting, the developers visited Detroit, Michigan. Writer and director David Cage completed the script in over two years. An engine was built to complement the game and hundreds of actors were cast before shooting and animation. Philip Sheppard, Nima Fakhrara, and John Paesano served as composers for Kara, Connor, and Markus, respectively. Detroit: Become Human received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the setting, visuals, story, main characters, the quality of motion capture and voice acting, the impact choices had on the narrative, and flowchart feature, but criticised the motion controls, mishandling of historical and thematic allegories, and aspects of the plot and characters. It is Quantic Dream's most successful launch and best-selling game, at 15 million units sold by January 2026.", "wds-Q54906424": "Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by FromSoftware. It was released in Japan by FromSoftware and internationally by Activision for the PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One in March 2019 and for Stadia in October 2020. Players control Wolf, a shinobi who embarks on a quest to rescue his lord, and becomes embroiled into a conflict for Ashina's fate. The gameplay is focused on stealth, exploration, and combat, with a particular emphasis on boss battles. It takes place in a fictionalized Japan during the Sengoku period and makes strong references to Buddhist mythology and philosophy. Lead director Hidetaka Miyazaki wanted to create a new intellectual property (IP) that marked a departure from their Dark Souls series, wanting to make a Japanese-themed game around shinobi and ninja. Tenchu, as an IP tied to FromSoftware and with that history theme, ended up being the impetus for the project. Sekiro received acclaim from critics, who praised its gameplay and setting and compared it favorably to FromSoftware's past work, although opinions on its heavy difficulty were mixed. It won several year-end awards, including the Game Award for Game of the Year, and has sold over ten million units as of September 2023.", "wds-Q92464687": "Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a 2020 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the twelfth main installment in the Assassin's Creed series and the successor to Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018). Principally set in the years 872–878 AD, the game recounts a Viking fantasy story during their expansions into the British Isles. Players control Eivor Varinsdottir, a Viking raider who, while attempting to establish a new Viking clan in England, becomes embroiled in the centuries-old conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood, who fight for peace and liberty, and the Templar Order, who desire peace through control. The game also includes a framing story, set in the 21st century, which follows Layla Hassan, an Assassin who relives Eivor's memories so as to find a way to save the Earth from destruction. Development of the game began in 2017, around the release of Assassin's Creed Origins. Ubisoft Montreal led its three-year development with help from fourteen other Ubisoft studios worldwide, as well as Sperasoft. Numerous people involved in the development of past Assassin's Creed games returned for Valhalla, including Ashraf Ismail, who served as the creative director for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) and Origins; Darby McDevitt, the lead writer for Black Flag and Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011) and co-writer of Assassin's Creed Unity (2014); and composers Jesper Kyd and Sarah Schachner, who composed the game's soundtrack alongside musician Einar Selvik. Similarly to Origins and Odyssey, the team conducted extensive research into the time period to make the game world as historically accurate as possible, and drew inspiration from Norse mythology for certain narrative elements. The team also sought to address some issues found by players with Odyssey, such as its over ambitiousness, small focus on the Assassin-Templar conflict, and the absence of traditional Assassin's Creed gameplay elements like social stealth. Valhalla was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Stadia on November 10, 2020, with the PlayStation 5 version following on November 12. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for the narrative, characters, voice acting, visuals, soundtrack, world-design and the interconnectivity of activities, while being criticized for its length, technical issues, and repetitive structure. The game had the biggest launch in the Assassin's Creed series to date, selling the most copies within its first week and becoming the second most profitable Ubisoft title of all time. Ubisoft supported Valhalla extensively with two years of additional content, including both free and paid story expansions, game modes, and events. The game was followed by 2023's Assassin's Creed Mirage, which features a historical setting in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age and follows Basim Ibn Ishaq, a major supporting character from Valhalla.", "wds-Q1088142": "Chrono Cross is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is set in the same world as Chrono Trigger, which was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Chrono Cross was designed primarily by scenarist and director Masato Kato, who had help from other designers who also worked on Chrono Trigger, including art director Yasuyuki Honne and composer Yasunori Mitsuda. Nobuteru Yūki designed the characters of the game. The story of Chrono Cross focuses on a teenage boy named Serge and a theme of parallel worlds. Faced with an alternate reality in which he died as a child, Serge endeavors to discover the truth of the two worlds' divergence. The flashy thief Kid and many other characters assist him in his travels around the tropical archipelago El Nido. Struggling to uncover his past and find the mysterious Frozen Flame, Serge is chiefly challenged by Lynx, a shadowy antagonist working to apprehend him. Upon its release in Japan in 1999 and North America in 2000, Chrono Cross received widespread acclaim, earning a perfect 10.0 score from GameSpot. The game shipped 1.5 million copies worldwide by 2003, leading to a Greatest Hits re-release and continued life in Japan as part of the Ultimate Hits series. Chrono Cross was later re-released for the PlayStation Network in Japan in July 2011, and in North America four months later. A remaster of the game, titled Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition was released on April 7, 2022, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.", "wds-Q647249": "Super Mario Land is a 1989 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy, as one of four launch titles for the console. It was first released in Japan in April 1989, followed by North America in August of that year, and Europe and Australia in 1990. It is the first handheld entry in the Super Mario series, as well as the first mainline title not designed by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Modeled after the original Super Mario Bros. (1985), the game adapts side-scrolling gameplay for the Game Boy's smaller screen, with the player guiding Mario through 12 levels to rescue Princess Daisy (in her debut appearance) from the alien Tatanga in the new setting of Sarasaland. The game is notable for its distinctive sound effects, minimalist line-art visuals, inconsistent use of familiar Mario elements, and the inclusion of shooting stages inspired by titles such as Gradius. Nintendo developed Super Mario Land under the direction of Game Boy creators Gunpei Yokoi and Satoru Okada, intending it to be the system's pack-in game. However, during development, Tetris captured their attention, and they recognized its potential for a handheld platform. Henk Rogers, who held the rights to Tetris, convinced Nintendo of America that it would appeal to a broader audience than Super Mario Land; as a result, Tetris was bundled with the Game Boy instead. Super Mario Land played a key role in the Game Boy's commercial success, selling over 25 million copies worldwide and becoming the fourth best-selling title for the system. Despite its short length, critics praised the game for successfully adapting the Mario formula to portable hardware. Since its release, Super Mario Land has been widely recognized as one of the most influential Game Boy titles, and introduced Princess Daisy as a recurring character in the Mario franchise. The game received two sequels: Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994), the latter of which spawned the Wario Land sub-series. Super Mario Land was later re-released via the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in 2011 and on Nintendo Switch Online in 2024.", "wds-Q1175156": "Max Payne is a 2001 third-person shooter game developed by Remedy Entertainment. It was originally released for Windows by Gathering of Developers in July 2001. The game centers on former New York City Police Department (NYPD) detective Max Payne, who attempts to solve the murder of his family while investigating a mysterious new designer drug called \"Valkyr\". While doing so, Max becomes entangled in a large and complex conspiracy involving a major pharmaceutical company, organized crime, a secret society, and the United States Armed Forces. The game features a gritty neo-noir style and uses graphic novel panels with voice-overs as its primary means of storytelling, drawing inspiration from hard-boiled detective novels by authors like Mickey Spillane. It contains many allusions to Norse mythology, particularly the myth of Ragnarök and several names. The gameplay is heavily influenced by the Hong Kong action cinema genre, particularly the work of director John Woo, and it was one of the first games to feature the bullet time effect popularized by The Matrix (1999). Max Payne was ported by Rockstar Canada to the PlayStation 2 and by Neo Software to Xbox in December 2001. The Mac OS X version was developed by Westlake Interactive and published in July 2002 by MacSoft in North America and by Feral Interactive in other regions. A version of the game for the Game Boy Advance, featuring an isometric perspective but retaining most of the original's gameplay elements, was developed by Möbius Entertainment and published by Rockstar Games in December 2003. An enhanced port for mobile devices was developed by War Drum Studios and published by Rockstar in 2012 to coincide with the release of Rockstar's Max Payne 3. A Dreamcast version of the game was also planned, but it was canceled due to the discontinuation of the console in 2001. Max Payne was released for the Xbox 360 in 2009 as part of the Xbox Originals program, the PlayStation 3 as a PlayStation 2 Classic in 2012, the PlayStation 4 in 2016, and the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in 2021, due to the consoles' backward compatibility and emulation features. Max Payne received positive reviews from critics, and is often considered one of the greatest games ever made. Praise was directed at the game's exciting gunplay and use of noir storytelling devices, while some criticized its linear level design and short length. The game sold 4 million units. It won a large number of accolades, including a BAFTA Award for Best PC Game of 2001. Its success launched the Max Payne franchise, including the sequels Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, developed again by Remedy and published by Rockstar in October 2003, and Max Payne 3, developed solely by Rockstar and released in May 2012. A loose film adaptation of the first game was released in October 2008. In 2022, it was announced that Remedy is developing remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, with Rockstar publishing.", "wds-Q1194825": "Super Metroid is a 1994 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third Metroid game, following the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991). The player controls bounty hunter Samus Aran, who travels to the planet Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid creature stolen by the Space Pirate leader Ridley. Following the established gameplay model of its predecessors, Super Metroid focuses on exploration, with the player searching for power-ups used to reach previously inaccessible areas. It introduced elements such as the inventory screen, an automap, and the ability to fire in 8 directions. The development staff from previous Metroid games—including Yoshio Sakamoto, Makoto Kano and Gunpei Yokoi—returned to develop Super Metroid over the course of two years. The developers wanted to make a true action game, and set the stage for Samus' reappearance. Super Metroid received acclaim, with praise for its atmosphere, gameplay, music and graphics. It is often cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. The game sold well and shipped 1.42 million copies worldwide by late 2003. Alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid is credited for establishing the Metroidvania genre, inspiring numerous indie games and developers. Super Metroid was followed in 2002 by Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime. It has been re-released on several Nintendo consoles and services.", "wds-Q836690": "The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Radical Entertainment and published by Vivendi Universal Games. It is based on the American animated television series The Simpsons, and is the 22nd installment in The Simpsons series of video games. It follows the Simpson family and their friend Apu Nahasapeemapetilon as they witness many strange incidents that occur in Springfield; security cameras, mysterious vans, crop circles, and a \"new and improved\" flavour of the popular soft drink Buzz Cola that causes insanity. Taking matters into their own hands, they discover numerous shocking secrets, and soon realise these incidents are part of a larger alien conspiracy, caused by Kang and Kodos. The gameplay largely focuses on varied missions; players often race enemies and interact with supporting characters on timed quests, as well as engaging in side tasks and exploring Springfield. Development of The Simpsons: Hit & Run began in late 2001 as a spiritual successor to Radical Entertainment's previous game The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001). Production was extensive, as the team sought to differentiate it from Road Rage, deeming that their new entry in the franchise required a different direction. It was heavily inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series, and the development team re-purposed the open world design and nuanced character development for the game. This encouraged collaboration with the show's writers and its cast, who helped to craft the story and dialogue. It was released in North America on September 16, 2003, and in Europe on October 21, 2003, for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was ported to Windows in North America on November 11, 2003, and in Europe on November 21, 2003. The game received positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised its interpretation of The Simpsons as a video game, as well as its parodical take on Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and graphics; criticism mostly surrounded some aspects of gameplay, such as bugs and glitches. Often considered to be the best Simpsons tie-in game, Hit & Run was also a commercial success, with recorded sales of over 3 million worldwide by June 2007. It received the award for Fave Video Game at the 2004 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards. On the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox, it earned Greatest Hits, Player's Choice, and Platinum Hits respectively.", "wds-Q853344": "Manhunt is a 2003 stealth game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2003, followed by Microsoft Windows and Xbox releases in April 2004. Set within the fictional Carcer City, players control a death row inmate named James Earl Cash, who is forced to participate in a series of snuff films by killing criminal gang members sent to hunt him on camera. The game received positive reviews from critics, with praise towards its dark tone and violent gameplay, although the combat and level design were criticized. Due to its graphic violence, Manhunt was the subject of significant controversy and banned in several countries. It was also implicated in a murder by the UK media, although this accusation was later rejected by the police and courts. While not a commercial hit, Manhunt developed a substantial cult following and was followed by a stand-alone sequel, Manhunt 2, in 2007. The PlayStation 2 version of the game was re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 in 2013 and PlayStation 4 in 2016, and the Xbox version was re-released in 2021 through the Xbox Backwards Compatibility program.", "wds-Q733992": "Resident Evil 2 is a 1998 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation. The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a biological weapon two months after the events of the original Resident Evil. The gameplay focuses on exploration, puzzles, and combat; the main difference from its predecessor are the branching paths, with each player character having unique storylines, partners and obstacles. Resident Evil 2 was produced by Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami, directed by Hideki Kamiya, and developed by a team of approximately 50 across 21 months. The initial version, commonly referred to as Resident Evil 1.5, differs drastically; it was canceled at approximately two thirds completion because Mikami decided it was inadequate. The final design introduced a more cinematic presentation. Resident Evil 2 received acclaim for its atmosphere, setting, graphics, audio, scenarios, overall gameplay, and its improvements over the original game, but with some criticism towards its controls, voice acting, and certain gameplay elements. It is widely listed among the best video games ever made. It is the best-selling Resident Evil game for a single platform at more than 6 million copies sold across all platforms. It was ported to Windows, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and GameCube, and a modified 2.5D version was released for the Game.com handheld. The story of Resident Evil 2 was retold and built upon in several later games, and has been adapted into a variety of licensed works. It was followed by Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999. A remake was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in 2019.", "wds-Q275950": "Resident Evil 4 is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the president of the United States's daughter, Ashley Graham, who has been abducted by a religious cult in rural Spain. Leon fights hordes of enemies infected by a mind-controlling parasite and reunites with the female spy and mercenary Ada Wong. In a departure from the fixed camera angles and slower gameplay of previous Resident Evil games, Resident Evil 4 features a dynamic camera system and action-horror oriented gameplay. Development began for the PlayStation 2 in 1999. Four proposed versions were discarded. The first was directed by Hideki Kamiya, but the series creator, Shinji Mikami, felt it was too great a departure, so it became a new game, Devil May Cry (2001). Other versions were discarded until Mikami took over as the director. Resident Evil 4 was announced as part of the Capcom Five, a collaboration between Capcom and Nintendo to create five exclusives for the GameCube. Resident Evil 4 received acclaim for its gameplay, graphics, story, characters, and voice acting, and won multiple Game of the Year awards. It was ported to numerous formats, and became a multi-platform hit, selling 15.2 million copies by March 2025. Resident Evil 4 is widely cited as one of the best and most influential video games ever made. It influenced the evolution of the survival horror and third-person genres, popularizing the \"over-the-shoulder\" third-person view used in games such as Gears of War, Dead Space, and The Last of Us. Resident Evil 5 was released in 2009 and a remake was released in 2023.", "wds-Q59154": "Mafia II is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K. It was released on 24 August 2010 for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. The game is a standalone sequel to 2002's Mafia, and the second installment in the Mafia series. Set within the fictional city of Empire Bay from 1945 to 1951, the story follows Vito Scaletta, a young Sicilian-American mobster and war veteran, who becomes caught in a power struggle among the city's Mafia crime families while attempting to pay back his father's debts and secure a better lifestyle. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. The player character's criminal activities may incite a response from law enforcement agencies, measured by a \"wanted\" system that governs the aggression of their response. Development began in 2003, soon after the release of the first Mafia game. Upon release, Mafia II received positive reviews, with praise particularly directed at its story, characters, and gameplay; however, the restrictive world design and lack of certain features present in other sandbox games were criticized. A version of the game including all previously released downloadable content, entitled Mafia II: Director's Cut, was released by Feral Interactive in December 2011. A sequel, Mafia III, developed by 2K Czech's successor Hangar 13, was published in October 2016. To coincide with the remake of the first game of the series, Mafia II: Definitive Edition (a remastered version of the game co-developed by d3t and Hangar 13) was released by 2K on 19 May 2020, to mixed critical reception. This Definitive Edition was later bundled in the Mafia: Trilogy, released on 25 September 2020. Some characters from Mafia II reappear as young versions of themselves in a prequel game, Mafia: The Old Country, released in August 2025.", "wds-Q753749": "Fallout: New Vegas is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game, which was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, is set in the Mojave Desert 204 years after a devastating nuclear war. The player controls a courier who survives an assassination attempt and becomes embroiled in a conflict between different governing factions that are vying for control of the region. Fallout: New Vegas features a freely explorable open world, and the player can engage in combat with a variety of weapons. The player can also initiate conversations with non-player characters in the form of dialogue trees, and their responses determine their reputation among the many different factions. After the release of Fallout 3 in 2008, Bethesda contracted Obsidian to develop a spin-off game in the Fallout series. The developers chose Las Vegas, Nevada, and the surrounding Mojave Desert as the setting because they evoked the 1950s imagery the series was known for, as well as the post-apocalyptic setting of Mad Max. Project director Josh Sawyer wanted the story to focus on greed and excess, and used the history of Las Vegas as an inspiration. To design the game's map, Obsidian used data collected by the United States Geological Survey and reference photographs taken by Sawyer. Bethesda gave Obsidian 18 months to develop New Vegas, which several journalists have noted is a very short time in which to develop a AAA game. Fallout: New Vegas was a commercial success and is estimated to have sold 11.6 million copies worldwide. Critics praised the writing and quests, but questioned the lack of significant gameplay changes when compared to Fallout 3, and criticized the numerous glitches present at launch. Six pieces of downloadable content for the game, including four story-based add-ons that added new areas for the player to explore, were released. Since its release, fans and journalists have re-evaluated New Vegas and it is now regarded as one of the best games in the Fallout series and as one of the greatest video games ever made.", "wds-Q2074746": "BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K. The third installment of the BioShock series, Infinite was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, and OS X platforms in 2013. The game is set in the year 1912 and follows its protagonist, Booker DeWitt, who is sent to the airborne city Columbia to retrieve Elizabeth, a young woman held captive there. Booker and Elizabeth become involved in a class war between the nativist Founders that rule Columbia and the rebel Vox Populi, representing the city's underclass. Elizabeth possesses the ability to manipulate \"Tears\" in the space-time continuum, and Booker and Elizabeth discover she is central to Columbia's dark secrets. The player controls Booker DeWitt throughout the game, fighting enemies and scavenging supplies, while the computer-controlled Elizabeth provides assistance. After the 2007 release of BioShock, Irrational Games and creative director Ken Levine were initially uninterested in creating a sequel, but they later renegotiated with 2K to produce another BioShock game. Irrational based the game's setting on historical events at the turn of the 20th century, such as the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, and based the story on the concept of American exceptionalism while also incorporating influences from more recent events at the time such as the 2011 Occupy movement. The relationship between Booker and Elizabeth became central to the story, with the team working to make Elizabeth feel like a real character rather than a computer-controlled sidekick. The game's development took five years and involved hundreds of employees at Irrational, in addition to support studios. The development process was troubled, with Levine's management style resulting in wasted work and missed deadlines. Outside help was brought in to make sure the game shipped. BioShock Infinite was supported post-launch with downloadable content, including the story expansion Burial at Sea, which links Infinite's story to that of the original BioShock game. BioShock Infinite received critical acclaim, with praise particularly directed at its story, setting, visual design, and art direction. It has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide. Infinite was re-released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch as part of BioShock: The Collection.", "wds-Q969764": "Sonic Generations is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game follows Sonic and his sidekick Tails as they form an alliance with their past selves and travel through levels from previous Sonic games. It features two gameplay styles: \"Classic\", which plays from a side-scrolling perspective like that of the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, and \"Modern\", 3D levels similar to those in Sonic Unleashed (2008) and Sonic Colors (2010). Development of Sonic Generations began following the completion of Unleashed. Sonic Team sought to re-imagine the most popular aspects of the franchise in high-definition, and developed the game using the Hedgehog Engine. Each location and many bosses in the game are previously seen in an earlier entry in the series, with the game including numerous other references to past entries. Devil's Details and Dimps helped create the Windows and 3DS versions, respectively. The Windows version is noted for its active modding scene, where a dedicated community creates new gameplay mechanics, levels, and assets for the game. The game received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, selling 1.85 million copies by May 2012. Reviewers found its visuals, audio, and gameplay to be highlights, and called it a good tribute to the franchise. It also received some criticism, mostly for its occasional frame rate and control problems. Reception to the 3DS version was mixed; reviewers criticized its short length and design, and deemed it worse than Dimps' previous Sonic games. The Classic iteration of Sonic introduced in the game has continued to make appearances throughout the franchise. A remastered edition, Sonic X Shadow Generations, containing a new side game starring Shadow the Hedgehog, was released in October 2024 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and as a launch title for Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025.", "wds-Q166226": "Beyond: Two Souls is an action-adventure game developed by Quantic Dream and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released on 8 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and on 24 November 2015 for PlayStation 4. A port for Windows, self-published by Quantic Dream, was released on 22 July 2019. The game features Jodie Holmes, one of two player characters. The other is an incorporeal entity named Aiden: a separate soul linked to Jodie since birth. Jodie, portrayed by Elliot Page, possesses supernatural powers through her psychic link to Aiden, growing from adolescence to adulthood while learning to control Aiden and the powers they share. Willem Dafoe co-stars as Nathan Dawkins, a researcher in the Department of Paranormal Activity and Jodie's surrogate father figure. The actors in the game worked during the year-long project in Quantic Dream's Paris studio to perform on-set voice acting and motion-capture acting. Beyond: Two Souls premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, the second time the festival had recognised a video game. Writer and director David Cage said that game development studios should provide \"interactive storytelling\" that can be played by everyone, including non-gamers. The game received polarised critical reception upon release. It sold 2.8 million units by July 2018. A television adaptation of the game is in development, with Page serving as a producer through his production company.", "wds-Q14565978": "Papers, Please is a 2013 puzzle simulation video game by Lucas Pope, developed and published independently through his production company 3909 LLC. The game was released on August 8, 2013, for Microsoft Windows and OS X, for Linux on February 12, 2014, and for iOS on December 12, 2014. A port for the PlayStation Vita was announced in August 2014 and was then released on December 12, 2017. A port for Android, alongside an updated port for iOS, was released in August 2022. In Papers, Please, the player takes the role of a border-crossing immigration officer in the fictional dystopian country of Arstotzka, which maintains a longstanding state of mutual political hostility with its neighboring countries. The player must review travelers' passports and other supporting paperwork against an ever-growing list of rules using a number of tools and guides. Tasks include allowing in those with the proper paperwork while rejecting those without all proper documents, detaining those with falsified information, and balancing personal finances. Papers, Please was positively received on its release, and it has come to be seen as an example of an empathy game and a demonstration of video games as an art form. It is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. The game earned various awards and nominations from the Independent Games Festival, Game Developers Choice Awards, and BAFTA Video Games Awards, and was named by Wired and The New Yorker as one of the top games of 2013. By its tenth anniversary, Papers, Please had sold more than five million copies.", "wds-Q23013817": "Stardew Valley is a 2016 farm life simulation video game developed by Eric \"ConcernedApe\" Barone. Players take the role of a character who inherits their deceased grandfather's dilapidated farm. The game is open-ended, with players managing the farm by clearing land, growing seasonal crops, and raising animals. Players can acquire skills in farming, foraging, fishing, mining, and combat. Social features include building relationships with townspeople, with the option to marry and have a child. A later update added multiplayer, allowing online play with others. Barone created Stardew Valley by himself over five years as an indie developer. He began the project to improve his programming and game design skills. He was heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon series (now named Story of Seasons), with additions to address some of those games' shortcomings. British studio Chucklefish approached Barone halfway through development with an offer to publish the game, allowing him to focus on completing it. It was released for Windows in February 2016 before being ported to several other platforms. Stardew Valley received generally positive reviews from critics, including Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Harvest Moon. The game has been cited as one of the best video games ever made and is credited with causing a resurgence in popularity for the farming sim genre. It became one of the best-selling video games, selling 50 million copies by February 2026. The game appeared on several publications' year-end lists and received accolades, including the Breakthrough Award at the Golden Joystick Awards and a nomination for Best Game at the British Academy Games Awards.", "wds-Q24031560": "Battlefield 1 is a 2016 first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fifteenth installment in the Battlefield series. It was released for PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One in October 2016. Battlefield 1 marked a departure for the series by setting the game in World War I. Its single-player mode, titled War Stories, explores the experiences of various soldiers across different theaters of the war, including the Western Front, the Italian Front, Gallipoli, and Arabia. Additionally, the game offers multiplayer gameplay marked by large-scale ground battles and intense aerial dogfights. Battlefield 1 received positive reviews from critics, who saw it as an improvement over the series' previous installments, Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline. Most of the praise was directed towards its WWI setting, single-player campaigns, and multiplayer modes. The game was a commercial success, with estimated sales of over 15 million copies, and was followed by Battlefield V in 2018.", "wds-Q30015130": "Far Cry 5 is a 2018 first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the successor to 2014's Far Cry 4, and the fifth main installment in the Far Cry series. Set in Hope County, a fictional region of Montana, United States, the game revolves around the Project at Eden's Gate, a doomsday cult that has taken over the county under the command of its charismatic and powerful leader, Joseph Seed. Players control an unnamed junior deputy sheriff who becomes trapped in Hope County and must work alongside various resistance factions to liberate the region from the despotic rule of the Seeds and Eden's Gate. Gameplay focuses on combat and exploration; players battle enemy soldiers and dangerous wildlife using a wide array of weapons. The game features many elements found in role-playing games, such as a branching storyline and side quests. The game also features a map editor, a co-operative multiplayer mode, and a competitive multiplayer mode. Announced in early 2017, development on Far Cry 5 was extensive. The team explored several concepts before settling on an American location. The game was heavily inspired by several socio-political events in modern history, such as the Cold War and the September 11 attacks. The development team sought to capture the despondent social climate after the events and re-purpose it for the game. Far Cry 5 was released worldwide for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in March 2018. It received mostly positive reviews, although it was the subject of controversy after being announced alongside a period of heightened political conflicts. Critics praised the open world design, visuals, gameplay and soundtrack but directed criticisms towards its story and some of the characters. The game was a commercial success, becoming the fastest-selling title in the franchise by grossing over $310 million in its first week of sales and had sold over 10 million units by March 2020. Several releases of downloadable content were subsequently published. A spin-off title and sequel to the narrative, Far Cry New Dawn, was released in February 2019. A successor, Far Cry 6, was released in October 2021.", "wds-Q64534648": "Watch Dogs: Legion is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft. It is the sequel to 2016's Watch Dogs 2 and the third installment in the Watch Dogs series. Set within a fictionalised representation of a futuristic, dystopian London, the game's story follows the hacker syndicate DedSec as they seek to clear their names after being framed for a series of terrorist bombings. While searching for the true culprits, DedSec also attempt to liberate London's citizens from the control of Albion, an oppressive private military company that has turned the city into a surveillance state following the bombings. While the core gameplay is similar to its predecessors, consisting of a combination of shooting, driving, stealth, and hacking puzzles, Legion introduces a multiple playable characters system, allowing players to recruit virtually any non-player character found in the game's open world. Each playable character has their own unique skills and backgrounds, and can be lost permanently if players enable the option of permadeath before starting a new game. There are multiple ways to complete missions depending on which playable character is selected. In March 2021, a cooperative multiplayer mode was added to the game, allowing up to four players to complete missions or explore London together. Watch Dogs: Legion was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Stadia on 29 October 2020 and as a launch title for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 in November. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews from critics. They were polarized over the multiple playable characters aspect, with some appreciating its diversity and the inclusion of permadeath for allowing emotional attachment from players, while others criticised the characters' lack of personality and the imbalance between their abilities. Criticism was further aimed at the game's world, driving mechanics, inconsistent difficulty, repetitive missions, online features and technical problems. Ubisoft supported Legion after its launch, releasing a number of updates for both the single-player and multiplayer modes that added new missions, game modes, and playable characters; a crossover event with the Assassin's Creed franchise; and a paid story expansion, Bloodline, which continues the storylines of Aiden Pearce, the protagonist of the first Watch Dogs game, and Wrench, a major supporting character from Watch Dogs 2.", "wds-Q64577191": "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a 2023 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo EPD for the Nintendo Switch. The player controls Link as he searches for Princess Zelda and fights to prevent Ganondorf from destroying Hyrule. Tears of the Kingdom retains the open-world gameplay and setting of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild (2017), but features new environments, including islands floating in the sky and a vast underground area called the Depths. It introduces construction elements, allowing the player to create devices that aid in combat or exploration. EPD began working on Tears of the Kingdom following Breath of the Wild's completion, with the director Hidemaro Fujibayashi and the producer Eiji Aonuma reprising their roles. The gameplay concepts originated from ideas for Breath of the Wild's downloadable content that exceeded the scope. EPD was inspired by social media posts to create mechanics that encouraged experimentation. They drew inspiration from Wii Sports Resort (2009), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011), and Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), seeking to develop a game similar to but distinct from Breath of the Wild. Nintendo announced Tears of the Kingdom via a teaser at E3 2019, before its full reveal at E3 2021. It was released on May 12, 2023, to acclaim, with praise for its expanded world, new mechanics, scale, and story, though the frame rate received criticism. It sold over 10 million copies within three days and 22.71 million by June 2026, making it the Switch's eighth-bestselling game. An enhanced version was released for the Nintendo Switch 2 in June 2025, while a spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, was released in November 2025.", "wds-Q253414": "The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA; English: International Association Football Federation) is an international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to oversee international competition among the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises 211 national associations. These national associations must also be members of one of the six regional confederations: CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), OFC (Oceania), and CONMEBOL (South America). FIFA has several objectives in its organisational statutes, including growing the game internationally, ensuring it is accessible to everyone, and advocating for integrity and fair play. It is responsible for organising and promoting association football's major international tournaments, notably the World Cup which began in 1930, and the Women's World Cup which commenced in 1991. FIFA is a member of the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for the laws of the game, and FIFA applies and enforces the rules across its competitions. FIFA tournaments generate revenue from sponsorships; in 2022, FIFA had revenues of over US$5.8 billion, ending the 2019–2022 cycle with a net positive of $1.2 billion, and cash reserves of over $3.9 billion.", "wds-Q623459": "Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and software. Founded in Mountain View, California, in November 1981 by James H. Clark, the computer scientist and entrepreneur perhaps best known for founding Netscape (with Marc Andreessen). Its initial market was 3D graphics computer workstations, but its products, strategies and market positions developed significantly over time. Early systems were based on the Geometry Engine that Clark and Marc Hannah had developed at Stanford University, and were derived from Clark's broader background in computer graphics. The Geometry Engine was the first very-large-scale integration (VLSI) implementation of a geometry pipeline, specialized hardware that accelerated the \"inner-loop\" geometric computations needed to display three-dimensional images. For much of its history, the company focused on 3D imaging and was a major supplier of both hardware and software in this market. Silicon Graphics reincorporated as a Delaware corporation in January 1990. Through the mid to late-1990s, the rapidly improving performance of commodity Wintel machines began to erode SGI's stronghold in the 3D market. The porting of Maya to other platforms was a major event in this process. SGI made several attempts to address this, including a disastrous move from its existing MIPS platforms to the Intel Itanium, as well as introducing its own Linux-based Intel IA-32 based workstations and servers that failed in the market. In the mid-2000s the company repositioned itself as a supercomputer vendor, a move that also failed. On April 1, 2009, SGI filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced that it would sell substantially all of its assets to Rackable Systems, a deal finalized on May 11, 2009, with Rackable assuming the name Silicon Graphics International. The remnants of Silicon Graphics, Inc. became Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.", "wds-Q151895": "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (German: Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens) is a 1922 silent German Expressionist vampire film directed by F. W. Murnau from a screenplay by Henrik Galeen. It stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire who preys on the wife (Greta Schröder) of his estate agent (Gustav von Wangenheim) and brings a plague to their town. Nosferatu was produced by Prana Film and is an unofficial and unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. Various names and other details were changed from the novel, including Count Dracula being renamed Count Orlok. Although those changes are often represented as a defense against copyright infringement accusations, the original German intertitles acknowledged Dracula as the source. Film historian David Kalat states in his commentary track that since the film was \"a low-budget film made by Germans for German audiences... setting it in Germany with German-named characters makes the story more tangible and immediate for German-speaking viewers\". Even with several details altered, Stoker's widow Florence sued over the adaptation's copyright violation, and a court ruling ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed. However, several prints of Nosferatu survived, and the film came to be regarded as an influential masterpiece of cinema and the horror genre. Critic and historian Kim Newman declared it as a film that set the template for the genre of horror film. The film entered the public domain worldwide in 2019.", "wds-Q191715": "Warner Media, LLC. was an American multinational entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered at 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan, New York City. After being acquired by AT&T in June 2018, WarnerMedia was reorganized as a privately-owned subsidiary. The corporate predecessors to WarnerMedia are Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. (WCI) By the late 1960s, both companies began repositioning themselves as major players in cable television and mass media through multiple acquisitions. In 1990, both companies merged to form Time Warner, which was the world's largest media conglomerate for 18 years. Time Warner expanded by forming Time Warner Cable in 1992 and acquiring Turner Broadcasting System in 1996. Its 2001 merger with AOL, which formed AOL Time Warner, became one of worst business deals in corporate history, which led the company to revert its name to Time Warner in 2003. Heavy losses from within AOL led Time Warner to pursue a years-long divestment strategy that culminated with Time Inc.'s spin-off in 2014. Despite spinning off Time Inc., the Time Warner name was kept until June 15, 2018, when AT&T completed its $108.7 billion acquisition of the company and renamed it to WarnerMedia. Under AT&T, a centralized approach was adopted, with the company's subsidiaries being consolidated into five divisions and HBO Max being launched in 2020, to serve as the company's primary streaming service. These moves were intended to synergize WarnerMedia's content libraries with AT&T's wireless distribution, to reposition the telecom giant as a diversified entertainment giant, but lackluster results led AT&T to reverse course. On May 17, 2021, AT&T announced its spin-off of WarnerMedia through a Reverse Morris Trust, and it subsequently merged with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) in April 2022. After the merger closed, WarnerMedia became an inactive shell corporation. In 2018, the company was ranked number 130 on the Fortune 500 list. Throughout its nearly 32-year run as a company, WarnerMedia owned a variety of large media companies (including AOL, Time Inc., TW Telecom, Time Warner Cable, AOL Time Warner Book Group, Six Flags, and Warner Music Group). These companies were either sold or spun off as independent companies. Warner Communications and Time Warner's founder, Steve Ross, died on December 20, 1992, at the age of 65, due to complications of prostate cancer, from which he suffered in his final years. Time Warner's co-founder, Richard Munro, later died on May 9, 2024, at the age of 93.", "wds-Q627969": "The University of Ottawa (French: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital city of Canada. The main campus is located on 42.5 hectares (105 acres) directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa across the Rideau Canal in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood. The University of Ottawa was first established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the first bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa, Joseph-Bruno Guigues. Placed under the direction of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, it was renamed the College of Ottawa in 1861 and received university status five years later through an act of the Parliament of the Province of Canada.On 5 February 1889, the university was granted a pontifical charter by Pope Leo XIII, elevating the institution to a pontifical university. The university was reorganized on July 1, 1965, as a corporation, independent from any outside body or religious organization. As a result, the civil and pontifical charters were kept by the newly created Saint Paul University, federated with the university. The remaining civil faculties were retained by the reorganized university. The University of Ottawa is the largest English-French bilingual university in the world. The university offers a wide variety of academic programs, administered by ten faculties: Arts, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Science, Social Sciences, and the Telfer School of Management. The University of Ottawa Library includes 12 branches, holding a collection of over 5.9 million titles. The university is a member of the Canadian U15 group of research-intensive universities, with a research income of CA$420 million in 2022. The school is co-educational and enrols almost 40,000 undergraduate and over 8,500 post-graduate students. The school has enrolled 2,300 students into the French Immersion Studies program in fall 2022. The school has approximately 10,600 international students from 150 countries, accounting for 26 per cent of the student population. The university has a network of more than 250,000 alumni. The university's athletic teams are known as the Gee-Gees and are members of U Sports.", "wds-Q7855903": "Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its assets were absorbed into Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), and later into Skydance Corporation since October 2026. The headquarters of Turner's properties were largely located at the CNN Center in Downtown Atlanta, and the Turner Broadcasting campus off Techwood Drive in Midtown Atlanta, which also houses Techwood Studios. Some of their operations were housed within WBD's corporate and global headquarters inside 30 Hudson Yards in Manhattan's West Side district, and at 230 Park Avenue South in Midtown Manhattan, both in New York City, respectively. Turner was known for several pioneering innovations in U.S. multichannel television, including its satellite uplink of local Atlanta independent station WTCG channel 17 as TBS—one of the first national \"superstations\", and its establishment of the Cable News Network (CNN)—the first 24-hour news channel. It later launched a sister cable network, TNT; the professional wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the animation-centered Cartoon Network (which later spawned an adult-oriented night-time sister network in the form of Adult Swim, as well as the classic-cartoon channel Boomerang), and the classic-movie channel Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Turner South—a network devoted to regional sports and southern lifestyle programming—was launched by Turner in 1999, but was later sold to Fox Sports Networks in 2006 to form SportSouth. The same year, it acquired Liberty Media's stake in their joint venture Court TV. WCW assets were later sold to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2001. On June 14, 2018, Time Warner, including Turner Broadcasting System, was acquired by telecom firm AT&T and re-branded WarnerMedia. After the purchase, \"Turner\" was phased out as a corporate brand, and its properties were dispersed into either WarnerMedia Entertainment (TBS, TNT, and TruTV), WarnerMedia News & Sports (CNN, Turner Sports, and AT&T SportsNet), or brought directly under Warner Bros. (Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Turner Classic Movies). On August 10, 2020, the WarnerMedia Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment assets were merged to form WarnerMedia Studios & Networks Group. As of 2020, AT&T reported the financial results for WarnerMedia's ad-supported cable networks under the Turner business unit, while also using the term \"the TNets\" to refer to the group of TBS, TNT, and TruTV in press releases. On April 8, 2022, WarnerMedia merged with Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery, and almost all of both companies' ad-supported cable networks were brought under the unit Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. continues to exist as an in-name-only subsidiary of Skydance Corporation (which acquired WBD in October 2026) formally owning copyrights and holding contracts for former Turner assets.", "wds-Q468033": "Road to Perdition is a 2002 American crime drama film directed and produced by Sam Mendes, from a screenplay by David Self, based on the first volume of the DC Comics graphic novel series by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner. It stars Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman (in his final live-action theatrical film role), Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci, and Daniel Craig. Set in 1931, during the Great Depression, the film follows a mob enforcer and his son as they seek vengeance against the mobster who murdered the rest of their family. The film explores themes such as father-son relationships and the consequences of violence. Road to Perdition was screened at the 59th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2002, where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 12, 2002, and was a box office success, grossing $183.4 million against its $80 million budget. Critics received it well and praised Mendes's direction, Conrad L. Hall's cinematography, and the cast's performances. At the 75th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Newman, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Art Direction. Hall was posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Cinematography.", "wds-Q600624": "Computer Associates International, Inc., later CA, Inc., and CA Technologies, Inc., was an American multinational enterprise software developer and publisher that existed from 1976 to 2018. CA grew to rank as one of the largest independent software corporations in the world, and at one point was the second largest. The company created system software (and for a while applications software) that ran in IBM mainframe, distributed computing, virtual machine, and cloud computing environments. The company's primary founder was Charles B. Wang. The main key to Computer Associates' fast growth was the acquisition of many lesser-sized software companies in the IBM mainframe industry segment. CA was known for large-scale dismissals of employees in the acquired firms, and for sometimes extracting cash flow from acquired products rather than enhancing them. Customers of CA often criticized the company for its poor technical support and hostile attitude. CA underwent a major accounting scandal in the early 2000s that led to several past executives being sent to prison. However by the 2010s, several industry organizations ranked CA highly in corporate responsibility and recognition metrics. Computer Associates had its origins in both Switzerland (Zurich and Geneva) and in the United States (New York City). It was headquartered on Long Island for most of its history, at first Jericho and Garden City in Nassau County, then Suffolk County for two decades in Islandia before moving back to Manhattan in 2014. In 2018, the company was acquired by Broadcom Inc., a semiconductor manufacturer, for nearly $19 billion.", "wds-Q681025": "The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as the University at Buffalo (UB), UBuffalo, UBuff, or sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public research university in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 as a private medical college and merged with the State University of New York system in 1962. It is one of two flagship institutions of the SUNY system, along with Stony Brook University. As of fall 2025, the university enrolled nearly 32,000 students in 13 schools and colleges, making it the largest public university in the state of New York. Since its founding by a group which included future U.S. president Millard Fillmore, the university has evolved from a small medical school to a research university. Today, in addition to the College of Arts and Sciences, the university houses the largest state-operated medical school, dental school, education school, business school, engineering school, and pharmacy school, and is also home to SUNY's only law school. UB has the largest endowment and most research funding among the universities in the SUNY system. The university offers bachelor's degrees in over 140 areas of study, as well as over 220 master's programs and over 95 doctoral programs, and 55 combined degree programs. The University at Buffalo is one of two universities founded by United States Presidents. The University at Buffalo is classified among \"R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity\". In 1989, UB was elected to the Association of American Universities. The University at Buffalo intercollegiate athletic teams are the Bulls. They compete in Division I of the NCAA and are members of the Mid-American Conference.", "wds-Q179746": "Cry-Baby is a 1990 American teen musical romantic comedy film written and directed by John Waters. The film stars Johnny Depp as 1950s teen rebel Wade \"Cry-Baby\" Walker. It features a large cast, including Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, and Polly Bergen; it also has appearances by Troy Donahue, Mink Stole, Joe Dallesandro, Joey Heatherton, David Nelson, Patricia Hearst, and Willem Dafoe. The film centers on a group of delinquent youth who refer to themselves as \"drapes\" and their interaction with the rest of the town and its other subculture, the \"squares\", in 1950s Baltimore, Maryland. \"Cry-Baby\" Walker, a drape, and Allison, a square, disturb Baltimore society by breaking the subculture taboos and falling in love. The film shows what the young couple has to overcome to be together and how their actions affect the rest of the town. Part of the film takes place at the now-closed Enchanted Forest amusement park in Ellicott City, Maryland. Others take place in the historic neighborhoods and towns of Hampden, Baltimore, Reisterstown, Jessup, Milford Mill, and Sykesville in Maryland. The only scenes not filmed in Maryland were shot at Golden Oak Ranch in Santa Clarita, California and Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. A box office failure during its initial release, the film has subsequently become a cult classic and spawned a 2008 Broadway musical of the same name, which was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.", "wds-Q500951": "The Yellow Christ (in French: Le Christ jaune) is a painting executed by Paul Gauguin in 1889 in Pont-Aven. Together with The Green Christ, it is considered to be one of the key works of Symbolist painting. Gauguin first visited Pont-Aven in 1886. He returned to the village in early 1888 to stay until mid-October, when he left to join Vincent van Gogh in Arles, for little more than two months. Early in 1889, Gauguin was back to Pont-Aven to stay there until spring 1890. It was only for a short visit in summer 1889 to Paris to see the Exposition universelle and to arrange the Volpini Exhibition that Gauguin interrupted this sojourn. Soon after his return to Pont-Aven he painted The Yellow Christ. The painting is a symbolic piece that shows the crucifixion of Jesus Christ taking place in 19th-century northern France as Breton women are gathered in prayer. Gauguin relies heavily on bold lines to define his figures and reserves shading only for the women. The autumn palette of yellow, red and green in the landscape echoes the dominant yellow in the figure of Christ. The bold outlines and flatness of the forms in this painting are typical of the cloisonnist style. A study for The Yellow Christ in pencil is preserved in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and a version in watercolor is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Elizabeth F. Chapman.", "wds-Q191100": "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. It is the sequel to Transformers (2007) and the second installment in the Transformers film series. Like its predecessor, the film was directed by Michael Bay and written by Ehren Kruger, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman. Set two years after the events of Transformers, the story recounts the battle between the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), and the Decepticons, led by Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving). The Autobots and Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) ally again to face an ancient Decepticon named the Fallen (voiced by Tony Todd), who pursues revenge on Earth. Development on a sequel to Transformers began by May 2007. With deadlines jeopardized by possible strikes by the Directors Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, Bay managed to finish the production on time with the help of previsualization and a scriptment. Shooting took place between May and September 2008, with locations in Egypt, Jordan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California, as well as air bases in New Mexico and Arizona. It debuted on June 8, 2009, at Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, Japan and was released on June 24 by Paramount Pictures in the United States. Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, and winning three Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, the film surpassed its predecessor's box office gross worldwide with $836.5 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2009. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing at the 82nd Academy Awards. With over 11 million home media sales in 2009, it was also the top-selling film of the year in the United States. It was followed by Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.", "wds-Q381122": "One of the Boys is the second studio album by the American singer Katy Perry. It was released on June 17, 2008, through Capitol Records. Perry worked with producers including Butch Walker, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Greg Wells, S*A*M and Sluggo, Ted Bruner, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Dave Stewart. It was preceded by her debut extended play (EP) Ur So Gay in 2007. One of the Boys is Perry's first album under the stage name Katy Perry, following her debut studio album, Katy Hudson (2001), which was released under her real name on Red Hill Records. One of the Boys received mixed reception from critics, with some deeming it as being filled with \"potential hits\" and others criticizing the material they perceived to be weak. Commercially, it charted within the top ten in Argentina, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. One of the Boys earned Perry two Grammy Award nominations, and has sold seven million copies worldwide. It has been certified multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The album's lead single and Perry's debut single, \"I Kissed a Girl\", became Perry's first US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single and the 1,000th number-one rock song on the chart. Its second single, \"Hot n Cold\", reached number three in the United States, while topping the charts in Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, and Austria, among others. The third single, \"Thinking of You\", reached the top-thirty in the US, while the fourth and final single, \"Waking Up in Vegas\", became a top ten hit and her third top ten hit overall. To further promote the album, Perry embarked on two concert tours: the 2008 Warped Tour and her first solo world tour, the Hello Katy Tour.", "wds-Q378311": "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American musical comedy film directed by Betty Thomas and written by Jon Vitti, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Based on Alvin and the Chipmunks by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., and the fictional girl group The Chipettes by Janice Karman, it is the second installment in the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks film series, following Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007). The film stars Zachary Levi, Jason Lee, David Cross, Wendie Malick, Anjelah Johnson, Kevin G. Schmidt, Kathryn Joosten, Chris Warren Jr., Bridgit Mendler, Aimee Carrero, Brando Eaton, Alexandra Shipp, Jake Zyrus, Honor Society and Quest Crew, with Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney reprise their roles from the first film as the Chipmunks with newcomers Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler, Anna Faris, Eric Bauza and Sean Astin joining the voice cast as the Chipettes, Digger and Meerkat Manor Narrator. The film sees the Chipmunks entering high school under the care of Dave Seville's cousin, Toby. Meanwhile, Ian Hawke recruits the Chipettes to restore his career. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel was released in the United States on December 23, 2009 by 20th Century Fox, and grossed $443.5 million against its $70–75 million budget, despite receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics. The film was followed by two sequels, Chipwrecked in 2011, and The Road Chip in 2015.", "wds-Q186188": "Teenage Dream is the third studio album by the American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records and follows her second album One of the Boys (2008). Teenage Dream contains elements of disco, electronic, rock, funk, house, hi-NRG, and hip hop, that revolve around young love, partying, self-empowerment, and personal growth. Perry co-wrote the album, and worked with a number of producers such as Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Stargate, and Greg Wells. With \"California Gurls\" (featuring Snoop Dogg), \"Teenage Dream\", \"Firework\", \"E.T.\", and \"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)\", Teenage Dream is the second album in history to have five singles (after Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad) top the US Billboard Hot 100, and the first by a woman to do so. Its sixth single, \"The One That Got Away\", peaked at number three on that chart, becoming the third after Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 and George Michael's Faith to have six top-five songs on the Hot 100. Teenage Dream topped the album charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and received Diamond certifications in Canada and the US, while being certified multi-Platinum in Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Upon its release, Teenage Dream received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its production, themes, and Perry's vocal ability while criticism was largely focused on the lack of focus and image, and vulnerability on the album. However, retrospective reviews have praised the album, ranking it on multiple decade-end best albums lists. Billboard named Teenage Dream \"one of the defining LPs from a new golden age in mega-pop\" and The A.V. Club called the album \"pop perfection\". Rolling Stone and Paste ranked it among \"The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far\" in 2025 at number 134 and 179, respectively. The album and its singles earned Perry seven Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Record of the Year. It also won International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2011. To promote the album, Perry embarked on the California Dreams Tour from 2011 to 2012, which was also an international success and featured guest appearances from Rebecca Black and opening acts such as Ellie Goulding, Janelle Monáe, Robyn, and Marina and the Diamonds, alongside others. The Teenage Dream era officially concluded with the documentary film Katy Perry: Part of Me, which featured numerous guest appearances from popular musicians and footage from the California Dreams Tour.", "wds-Q464964": "The Dictator is a 2012 American political satire black comedy film directed by Larry Charles and written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer. It stars Baron Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen – the dictator of the fictional Republic of Wadiya who visits the United States – alongside Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley. Producers Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel said that Baron Cohen's character was inspired by real-life dictators with personality cults, such as Kim Jong Il of North Korea, Idi Amin of Uganda, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Bokassa I of the Central African Empire, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire, and Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan. Despite the Republic of Wadiya being located in real-life Eritrea, its own dictator, Isaias Afwerki, was not referenced as inspiration. The film's opening credits sarcastically dedicate it \"in loving memory\" to Kim Jong Il, who died in 2011. The Dictator was released on May 16, 2012, by Paramount Pictures, and received mixed reviews from critics. It was a box office success, grossing $190 million. Some critics also accused the film for promoting § Islamophobia and anti-Arabism.", "wds-Q27016751": "The 2026 Asian Games (2026年アジア競技大会, 2026-nen Ajia Kyōgi Taikai), officially the XX Asian Games (第二十回アジア競技大会) and also known as Aichi–Nagoya 2026 (愛知・名古屋2026), was a multi-sport event held in Aichi Prefecture in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026 though several competitions started from 10 September. Nagoya, capital city of Aichi Prefecture, was the third Japanese city to host the Asian Games, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Though Aichi Prefecture was the primary host, the competitions took place in three other prefectures and Tokyo Metropolis as well. The event returned to its traditional four-year cycle, after the postponement of 2022 edition to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Games marked the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Asian Games held in New Delhi, India.", "wds-Q82663017": "Music to Be Murdered By (Also referred to as MTBMB) is the eleventh studio album by the American rapper Eminem. It was released on January 17, 2020, through Shady Records, Goliath Artists, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. Just like his previous studio album, Kamikaze (2018), it is executive produced by Eminem and Dr. Dre and was released with no prior announcement. The album was produced by many producers, with Dr. Dre returning to produce songs for Eminem for the first time since 2010's Recovery. Guest appearances include Skylar Grey, Young M.A, Royce da 5'9\", White Gold, Ed Sheeran, the late Juice Wrld, Black Thought, Q-Tip, Denaun, Anderson .Paak, Don Toliver, Kxng Crooked, and Joell Ortiz. The title, cover art, and concept of Music to Be Murdered By are inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and Jeff Alexander's 1958 spoken word album Alfred Hitchcock Presents Music to Be Murdered By. The album was supported by two singles: \"Darkness\" and \"Godzilla\". Alongside the album's surprise release, Eminem also released the music video for \"Darkness\", which revolves around the 2017 Las Vegas shooting from the point of view of the perpetrator Stephen Paddock alternating with Eminem's own. Music to Be Murdered By debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 279,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Subsequently, Eminem became the first artist to have ten consecutive number-one albums in the US and one of six artists to have released at least ten US number-one albums. The album reached number one in 16 countries. The album was met with favorable reviews from music critics; some highlighted its production, while others criticized Eminem's performances.", "wds-Q107074885": "Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It was formed on April 8, 2022, through the merger of Discovery, Inc. with AT&T subsidiary WarnerMedia. Warner Bros. Discovery operated via two divisions: Streaming & Studios and Global Linear Networks. Streaming & Studios includes the flagship Warner Bros. studios, HBO, DC Entertainment, and streaming services such as HBO Max and Discovery+. Global Linear Networks largely includes advertising-supported cable networks. Those networks were inherited from its predecessors Discovery (such as the Discovery Channel among others), Scripps Networks Interactive (such as HGTV among others), and Turner Broadcasting System (however, it closed down in 2019) (such as CNN, TBS, and TNT among others). Warner Bros. Discovery International is also included in the division, which manages broadcasting operations outside of the United States. In June 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to spin off the less-profitable Global Linear Networks division and its debt as a separate company, retaining the more profitable Streaming & Studios division. However, on October 21, 2025, the company changed course and was put on sale, resulting in a bidding war that involved Paramount Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix; in December 2025, Netflix won the bidding war to buy the Streaming & Studios business for $82.7 billion. Paramount Skydance outbid them with a $110.9 billion offer for the entire company on February 24, 2026, with the acquisition agreement confirmed three days later. The acquisition closed on October 6, 2026; following that, Paramount Skydance was restructured and renamed to Skydance Corporation and its stock was transferred to the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol \"SKYD\".", "wds-Q114977368": "The Eras Tour was the sixth concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It began in Glendale, Arizona, United States, on March 17, 2023, and concluded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on December 8, 2024. Spanning 149 shows in 51 cities across 21 countries and five continents, the Eras Tour had a large cultural and socioeconomic impact. It became the highest-grossing tour of all time and the first to earn over $1 billion and $2 billion in revenue. Announced after the release of her tenth studio album Midnights (2022), Swift designed the tour as a retrospective tribute to all of her albums and their corresponding musical \"eras\". Running over 3.5 hours, the set list consisted of over 40 songs grouped into 10 acts that portrayed each album's mood and aesthetic. The show was revamped in May 2024 to incorporate her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Critics praised the Eras Tour for its concept, production, and immersive ambience, as well as Swift's vocals, stage presence, and versatile showmanship. The tour recorded unprecedented public demand, ticket sales and attendances, bolstering economies, businesses, and tourism worldwide, dominating social media and news cycles, and garnering tributes from governments and organizations. This also gave rise to multifarious issues: ticketing crashes that inspired a string of anti-scalping laws and price regulation policies; scrutiny of Ticketmaster for monopoly by US authorities; diplomatic tensions in Southeast Asia due to Singapore's exclusivity grant; poor venue management in Rio de Janeiro resulting in a death; a failed ISIS plot to attack the tour in Vienna; and a political scandal in the UK. Swift disclosed and released various works throughout the tour: the re-recorded albums Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version) in 2023; editions of Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department; the music videos of \"Karma\", \"I Can See You\", and \"I Can Do It with a Broken Heart\"; and \"Cruel Summer\" as a single. An accompanying concert film, documenting the Los Angeles shows, was released to theaters worldwide on October 13, 2023, in an uncommon distribution deal circumventing major film studios. Met with critical acclaim, the film became the highest-grossing concert film in history. A photo book of the tour, The Eras Tour Book, was released on November 29, 2024. A behind-the-scenes series, The End of an Era, and a second concert film based on the Vancouver shows, The Final Show, were released on December 12, 2025, on Disney+. The tour's accolades include an iHeartRadio Music Award for Tour of the Century and six Guinness World Records. Swift's life as an entertainer during the tour inspired her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl (2025).", "wds-Q991": "Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (11 November [O.S. 30 October] 1821 – 9 February [O.S. 28 January] 1881) was a Russian philosopher, novelist, short-story writer, essayist, and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influential masterpieces. Dostoevsky's literary works explore the human condition in the troubled political, social and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. His most acclaimed novels include Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1869), Demons (1872), The Adolescent (1875) and The Brothers Karamazov (1880). His Notes from Underground, a novella published in 1864, is considered one of the first works of existentialist literature. Born in Moscow in 1821, Dostoevsky was introduced to literature at an early age through fairy tales and legends and through books by Russian and foreign authors. His mother died in 1837, and around the same time, he left school to enter the Nikolayevsky Engineering Academy. After graduating, he worked as an engineer and briefly enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, translating books to earn extra money. In the mid-1840s, he wrote his first novel, Poor Folk, which gained him entry into Saint Petersburg's literary circles. However, he was arrested in 1849 for belonging to a literary group, the Petrashevsky Circle, that discussed banned books critical of Tsarist Russia. Dostoevsky was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted at the last moment. He spent four years in a Siberian hard labour camp, which inspired him to write The House of the Dead (1860–1862). Aside from the labour camp, there also followed six years of compulsory military service in exile. In the following years, Dostoevsky worked as a journalist, publishing and editing several magazines of his own and later A Writer's Diary, a collection of his writings. He began to travel around Western Europe and developed a gambling addiction, which led to financial hardship. For a time, he had to beg for money, but he eventually became one of the most widely read and highly regarded Russian writers. Dostoevsky's body of work consists of thirteen novels, three novellas, seventeen short stories, and numerous other works. His writings were widely read both within and beyond his native Russia, influencing an equally great number of later writers, including Russians such as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Anton Chekhov, the philosophers Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, and the emergence of existentialism and Freudianism. Friedrich Nietzsche called him \"the only psychologist from whom I had something to learn\" in Twilight of the Idols. His books have been translated into over 170 languages.", "wds-Q25014": "John Marwood Cleese ( KLEEZ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and television presenter. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report (1966–1967). In the late 1960s, he cofounded Monty Python, the comedy troupe that created the surreal sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974). Along with his Python costars Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, Cleese starred in the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983). Cleese and his first wife Connie Booth cowrote the television sitcom Fawlty Towers (1975–1979), in which he starred as hotel owner Basil Fawlty, which earned him the 1980 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance. In 2000, the show topped the BFI TV 100, and in a 2001 Channel 4 poll, Basil was ranked second on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. Cleese wrote and starred in the heist comedy film A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which he received Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, and Golden Globe award nominations, and its quasi-sequel Fierce Creatures (1997). He has also starred in Time Bandits (1981), Silverado (1985), Clockwise (1986), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), George of the Jungle (1997), Rat Race (2001), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008). His prominent franchise film roles include R and Q in the James Bond films The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002), Nearly Headless Nick in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), and the last three Shrek films (2004–2010). He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Cheers (1987) and was nominated for 3rd Rock from the Sun (1998) and Will & Grace (2004). Cleese has specialised in political and religious satire, dark humour, sketch comedy, and surreal humour. He was ranked the second best comedian ever in a 2005 Channel 4 poll of fellow comedians. He cofounded Video Arts, a production company making entertaining training films as well as The Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows to raise funds for the human rights organisation Amnesty International. Formerly a staunch supporter of the Liberal Democrats, in 1999, he turned down an offer from the party to nominate him for a life peerage.", "wds-Q312086": "Mad (stylized in all caps) is an American humor magazine that was launched in 1952 and currently published by DC Comics. Mad was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines, launched as a comic book series before it became a magazine. It was widely imitated and influential, affecting satirical media, as well as the cultural landscape of the late 20th century, with editor Al Feldstein increasing readership to more than two million during its 1973–1974 circulation peak. It is the last surviving title in the EC Comics line, which sold Mad to Premier Industries in 1961, but closed in 1956. Mad publishes satire on all aspects of life and popular culture, politics, entertainment, and public figures. Its format includes TV and movie parodies, and satire articles about everyday occurrences that are changed to seem humorous. Mad's mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, is usually on the cover, with his face replacing that of a celebrity or character who is being lampooned. From 1952 to 2018, Mad published 550 regular magazine issues, as well as scores of reprint \"Specials\", original-material paperbacks, reprint compilation books and other print projects. After AT&T merged with DC's then-owner Time Warner in June 2018, Mad ended newsstand distribution, continuing in comic-book stores and via subscription.", "wds-Q187462": "Stargate SG-1 (abbreviated as SG-1) is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 science fiction film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. The television series was filmed in and around the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The series premiered on Showtime on July 27, 1997, and moved to the Sci Fi Channel on June 7, 2002; the series finale aired on Sky1 on March 13, 2007. The series was a ratings success for its first-run broadcasters and in syndication and was particularly popular in Europe and Australia. Stargate SG-1's awards include eight Emmy nominations. It also spawned the animated television series Stargate Infinity, the live-action spin-off TV series Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe, and Stargate Origins, and the direct-to-DVD films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum. Merchandise for Stargate SG-1 includes games and toys, print media, and an original audio series.", "wds-Q823373": "Hustler is an American pornographic magazine published monthly by Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). Introduced in 1974, it was a step forward from the Hustler Newsletter, originally conceived by founder Larry Flynt as cheap advertising for his strip club businesses at the time. The magazine grew from an uncertain start to a peak circulation of around 3 million in the early 1980s; it has since dropped to approximately 500,000. Hustler was among the first major American-based magazines to feature graphic photos of female genitalia and simulated sex acts, in contrast with relatively modest publications such as Playboy. In the 1990s, Hustler, like several of its competitors, began featuring actual depictions of sexual penetration and oral sex. Since its inception, Hustler has been considered more explicit (and more self-consciously lowbrow) than such well-known competitors as Playboy and Penthouse. Hustler frequently depicts hardcore themes, such as the use of sex toys, penetration, oral sex and group sex. Larry Flynt Publications also licenses the Hustler brand to the Hustler Casino in Gardena, California, which was owned directly by Flynt as an individual through his holding company El Dorado Enterprises. Other enterprises include licensing the Hustler name to the Hustler Club chain of bars and clubs and the Hustler Hollywood store chain that sells adult-oriented videos, clothing, magazines and sex toys. The chain's flagship store, formerly located on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, was torn down in 2016. Both licensed enterprises are operated by LFP's partner, Deja Vu.", "wds-Q13979": "Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, has a musical guest, and is broadcast live with a studio audience. The host usually delivers a comedic monologue toward the start of the show and then performs in sketches with the cast, and introduces featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on current political or pop cultural events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, \"Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!\", before moving to credits and introduction of the guest host. In 1980, Michaels left the show to explore other opportunities. He was replaced by Jean Doumanian, who was then replaced by Ebersol after a season of poor reviews. Ebersol ran the show until 1985, when Michaels returned. Since then, Michaels has served as showrunner. Many SNL cast members have found national stardom while appearing on the show, and achieved success in film and television, both in front of and behind the camera. Others associated with the show, such as writers, have gone on to successful careers creating, writing, and starring in television and film. SNL is broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. SNL has aired 1,010 episodes since its debut, making it one of the longest-running network television programs in the United States. The show format has been developed and recreated in several countries, meeting with different levels of success. Successful sketches have seen life outside the show as feature films, including The Blues Brothers (1980), Wayne's World (1992) and A Night at the Roxbury (1998). The show has been marketed in other ways, including home media releases of \"best of\" and whole seasons, and books and documentaries about behind-the-scenes activities of running and developing the show. Throughout five decades on air, Saturday Night Live has received a vast number of awards, including 84 Primetime Emmy Awards, 6 Writers Guild of America Awards, and 3 Peabody Awards. In 2000, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. It was ranked tenth in TV Guide's \"50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time\" list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time's \"100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME\". As of 2022, the show had received more than 305 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, the most received by any television program.", "wds-Q207797": "Call of Duty: World at War is a 2008 first-person shooter game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. It is the fifth main installment of the Call of Duty series and is the fourth entry in the series to be set during World War II. The game was announced by Activision in June 2008 and was released in November 2008 for the PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360, and Wii. Other games under the World at War title were published for the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2, featuring different storylines and missions. The game's story, told primarily from the perspectives of U.S. Marine Raider Private C. Miller and Soviet Red Army Private Dimitri Petrenko, focuses on the Pacific and Eastern Front theaters of World War II. Development for World at War took two years and began after the release of Treyarch's previous entry in the series, Call of Duty 3, which was also set during World War II. The game is based on an enhanced version of Infinity Ward's IW engine, with increased development on audio and visual effects. Treyarch used the engine to make more parts of certain environments destructible and introduce limb dismemberment and realistic burns to character models. Upon release, World at War received positive reviews from critics, with praise directed at its intensity and violent nature, though some critics felt it was too similar to past Call of Duty titles. Retrospective reviews consider it one of the series' best World War II entries, with praise for the campaign's depiction of the brutality of World War II and the introduction of the Zombies mode. It became one of the best-selling titles of 2008, selling three million copies in the United States within the first two months of its release. It also marked the beginning of the Black Ops sub-series, as characters from World at War were carried over into its sequel, Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010).", "wds-Q477916": "Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. Part of the Dragon Ball media franchise, it serves as a direct sequel to the 1986 Dragon Ball television series, adapting the remaining 325 chapters of the manga series Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. The series aired in Japan on Fuji Television and its FNS affiliates from April 1989 to January 1996 and was later dubbed for broadcast in at least 81 countries worldwide. Dragon Ball Z continues the adventures of Son Goku in his adult life as he and his companions defend the Earth against villains including a warrior race (Vegeta), evil forces (Frieza), androids (Cell), and magical creatures (Majin Buu). At the same time, the story follows the life of Goku's son, Gohan, as well as the development of his rivals, Piccolo and Vegeta. Due to the massive success of Dragon Ball Z in the United States, the manga chapters making up its story were initially released by Viz Media under the same title. The anime's popularity has also spawned various media and merchandise that has come to represent the majority of the material within the Dragon Ball franchise, including films, home media releases, soundtracks, trading cards, and video games. Dragon Ball Z remains a cultural icon through numerous adaptations and re-releases, including a recut and remastered version titled Dragon Ball Z Kai that aired on Fuji Television from April 2009 to June 2015. Dragon Ball Z has since been followed by an anime-exclusive sequel series titled Dragon Ball GT (1996–1997), a \"midquel\" series titled Dragon Ball Super (2015–2018) and its remastered version Dragon Ball Super: Beerus (2026–present), and another midquel series titled Dragon Ball Daima (2024–2025)."}