title: My Hero Academia

text: Nick Creamer of "Anime News Network" gave the first volume a B. Creamer praised the art, describing it as "absolutely professional". He labeled that Horikoshi's art was "consistent and highly polished", but also stating that it was fast-paced and very sharply drawn. He also praised the plot and characters, saying that despite the fact it felt like a typical Shōnen plot, it did well enough to still feel fresh and entertaining. He stated that the characters has a great energy and personality while bend and interact in general ways although it has dynamic angles and wild expressions, and felt distinctive while also sharing the stylistic similarities. He concludes that it's a "mature" work from a professional who clearly knows his craft, despite the story isn't beautiful. Isaac Akers from "The Fandom Post" ranked the second volume as a B+. He praised the art, saying that Horikoshi's character designs and strong art bolster the volume's ability to feel as if it does everything it does just because it likes doing it. He also compliments in how much Horikoshi likes drawing. He concluded that this series was difficult to dislike, making it as the "real joy to read" by executing on the author's ideas and enough nerve and twist.


title: My Hero Academia

text: Sean Gaffney from "A Case Suitable for Treatment" referred to the art as "smooth" and complemented how it flows with the action. Gaffney also praised the story, characters and fight scenes, stating that the story flows nicely with each of their individual personalities and the fights are smooth and non-confusing. Manga Bookshelf praised the first volume for its art, saying that it demonstrated Horikoshi's skill very well, though criticizing it for having too much narration at some points. In the review between volumes 1 and 19, Michelle Smith from "Soliloquy in Blue" called the plot "very good", but also stated that the main reason he liked the series was the characters, specifically praising most of the main cast. However, they did criticize the series for not giving some of the female characters enough spotlight. In a review of the second volume, Leroy Douresseaux from "Comic Book Bin" also praised the story, specifically the way it tells comedy and drama. Marina Garrow from "Anime Feminist" praised the way the plot handles damsel-in-distress elements, especially when compared to other "shōnen" series, stating that the female characters are not the only characters that need saving, and when they do need saving, the situations are realistic and not over-exaggerated.


title: My Hero Academia

text: On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season of "My Hero Academia" holds an approval rating of 100%, with an average rating of 8.7/10 based on 9 critical reviews. In Crunchyroll's inaugural The Anime Awards, Izuku Midoriya was awarded the "Hero of the Year" category while the anime series was nominated in six other categories including "Anime of the Year". At the 2nd Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2018, the series won seven out of ten nominations: Best Action, Best Animation, Best Opening ("Peace Sign"), Best Girl (Ochaco Uraraka), Best Boy (Shoto Todoroki), Best Villain (Stain), and second Best Hero category (Izuku Midoriya); in addition of Industry Icon Award to Christopher Sabat for his role of All Might. The series ranked 14th in Tokyo Anime Award Festival in the Best 100 TV Anime 2017 category. It ranked first in a "mega poll" of the number of readers for Best Anime of 2017 and 2018 by "Anime News Network". In January 2021, it was revealed that the anime series was the fourth most-watched anime series on Crunchyroll in 2020, being watched in 23 countries and territories, including North America, South and Central America, and Europe.


title: My Hero Academia

text: "My Hero Academia" sales was quite high, and has been successful in Japan since the release of the anime. The five volumes of the first season on Blu-ray and DVD were released in Japan, with each release appeared in Oricon's Animation Blu-ray and the Animation DVD disc ranking, respectively. The first Blu-ray edition of "My Hero Academia" was ranked 5th in the first week of Oricon's Blu-ray Disc ranking, while the first DVD edition ranked fourth with 2,184 copies. The second Blu-ray and DVD sets were also ranked, with the Blu-ray edition at #6 and DVD at #5 for a week. The third Blu-ray edition was ranked 4th with 1,700 copies, while the DVD release was 8th with 1,184 copies. The fourth Blu-ray and DVD collections were ranked 5th and 4th, respectively. The fifth Blu-ray and DVD release sale was higher than the previous volumes, where the Blu-ray ranked third with 1,473 copies and the DVD ranked second with 1,068 copies in one week. Four volumes of the second season on Blu-ray and DVD were appeared in the Oricon's Animation Blu-ray and DVD disc ranking. The first Blu-ray edition was ranked 7th, while the DVD ranked 5th. The third Blu-ray edition was among the top 20 in Oricon's Animation Blu-ray disc ranking, while the DVD was 10th among the 30 Animation DVD rankings. The seventh Blu-ray and DVD were ranked 8th. The eighth Blu-ray and DVD sets were ranked 4th, respectively. By the end of 2017, the "Bootleg" soundtrack album by Kenshi Yonezu, which includes the second season's opening theme song "Peace Sign", became the top-selling anime CD album on the Oricon's chart with 241,754 discs in sale.


title: My Hero Academia

text: In the first half of 2018, the "Bootleg" soundtrack was again the top-selling anime CD album on the Oricon's chart. Seven volumes of the third season on Blu-ray and DVD were appeared in the Oricon's Animation Blu-ray and DVD disc ranking, respectively. The first Blu-ray edition was ranked 9th, while the DVD ranked 3rd. The second Blu-ray edition was #6, while the DVD was #5. The third Blu-ray edition ranked 4th, and the DVD ranked second. The fourth Blu-ray and DVD sets were ranked fifth and sixth, respectively. The fifth Blu-ray edition was ranked third with 1,194 copies, while the DVD ranked second. The seventh Blu-ray and DVD editions were ranked 9th and 6th, respectively. The eighth Blu-ray and DVD collections were ranked fourth and third, respectively. The series' first film that contains a "Plus Ultra" edition in both Blu-ray and DVD were selling higher prior to the release in Japan where they topped the Oricon's chart in a week, with the standard editions ranked higher simultaneously. By the end of 2018, "Bootleg" became the top-selling anime CD album for the second consecutive year with the other compilation, "LiSA BEST -Day-" which includes an ending theme song of the second season, "Datte Atashi no Hero" by LiSA, ranked 9th on the Oricon's chart simultaneously.


title: My Hero Academia

text: Alex Osborn of "IGN" gave the first season of the anime series positive marks, praising it for its action, story, and characters, while criticizing its villains for being underdeveloped. In a review for the second season, Osborn praised it as "truly something special", complimenting the animation, character developments, and the emotional weight of the season. Chris Beveridge from "The Fandom Post" praised the anime. He said that despite the fact its long running series, it manages to not feel directionless and has several great moments. Nick Creamer from "Anime News Network" also praised the adaptation. He gave praise to the music, animation in the action scenes, while criticizing the sometimes-sluggish pacing and stating the animation can be average at times. In his review of the second season, he gave it praise for the improvements made to both the pacing and animation.


title: My Hero Academia

text: Both the original Japanese cast and the English dub received praise from critics. Creamer rated both equally, stating that the dub cast all the major characters very well, though criticizing some of the background characters. Andy Hanley from "UK Anime Network" concured, stating both casts had strong performances, however, they gave special praise to the dub cast, saying that each actor fits their roles very well. Sam Leach of "Anime News Network" highlighted the 49th episode where it is the battle between All Might and All For One. Leach wrote: "It was unavoidable that this was going to be a beautiful episode. That bloodied-up All Might is striking in either form, and you can tell they pulled out all the stops in making the big hits as intense and crazy as possible. From a pacing perspective, I'm really pleased with how this Bakugo Rescue arc played out." He concluded: "This is "My Hero Academia"s proudest moment in the spotlight. Not only does it continue to be the darling of modern "Shonen Jump" with one of the mostly perfectly tuned anime adaptations a long-running series has ever received, this is an accomplishment of storytelling across the board."


title: My Hero Academia

text: The anime series has been named as one of the best of 2010s in several publications. Writing for "Comic Book Resources", Sage Ashford ranked it fourth on his list, praising its character development that makes everyone understand and chose all of the U.A. High students in different reasons. Although he criticized that the series doesn't have anything "new", it executes the classic shōnen tropes perfectly which results to be one of the most finely tuned battle shōnen ever created. "Paste" ranked "My Hero Academia" among the top 50 anime of all time. In November 2019, "Polygon" named it as one of the best anime of the 2010s. Austen Goslin wrote that the show "feels like the evolution of the shonen. While the earlier days of action shonen often relegated plot as merely a bridge between two fights, "My Hero" elevates it to the main attraction." Crunchyroll listed it in their "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s". Joe Luster wrote: "Like the great shonen forefathers before it, "My Hero Academia" follows a winning formula, and it does so with an unforgettable cast of characters and a rogues gallery of villains that create stakes that feel genuinely high." In January 2020, "IGN" and "Thrillist" named it among the best anime series of the 2010s. "Japan Web Magazine" ranked the series 25th on its list of "30 Best Anime of All Time".


title: My Hero Academia

text: In early 2020, the series caused a controversy in South Korea and China for a character's name allegedly referencing Unit 731, an infamous Imperial Japanese army unit known for vivisecting captured Chinese, Korean, and Russian individuals. In response, it has been removed from digital platforms in China, and the character's name was changed to no longer reference Unit 731. A day prior, both "Weekly Shōnen Jump" manga magazine publisher Shueisha and the manga's author Kōhei Horikoshi issued an individual apology statements on Twitter.


title: My Hero Academia

text: In the aftermath of the manga's removal from its services in China, the English-language news service Abacus reached out to bilibili and Tencent for its request. The former stated that the removal was "in accordance with China's policies" but declined to comment further, while the latter did not respond to Abacus' request for comment. The character's name was changed again by the digital version of "Weekly Shōnen Jump" following the backlash. Shueisha promised that "going forward, we intend to devote our energies toward deepening our understanding of a variety of historical and cultural matters." Both the publisher and manga's creator reiterated that the reference to war crimes within the character's name was wholly unintentional.


title: Halle Berry

text: Halle Maria Berry (; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Miss World 1986. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy "Boomerang" (1992), alongside Eddie Murphy, which led to roles in "The Flintstones" (1994) and "Bulworth" (1998) as well as the television film "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" (1999), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry established herself as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance of a struggling widow in the romantic drama "Monster's Ball" (2001)—becoming both the only Black woman and the only woman of color to have won the award—and took on high-profile roles such as Storm in four installments of the "X-Men" film series (2000–2014), the henchwoman of a robber in the thriller "Swordfish" (2001), Bond girl Jinx in "Die Another Day" (2002), and the title role in the much-derided "Catwoman" (2004), the latter for which she received US$12.5 million.


title: Halle Berry

text: A varying critical and commercial reception followed in subsequent years, with "Perfect Stranger" (2007), "Cloud Atlas" (2012) and "The Call" (2013) being among her notable film releases in that period. She launched a production company, 606 Films, in 2014 and has been involved in the production of a number of projects in which she performed, such as the CBS science fiction series "Extant" (2014–2015). She appeared in the action films "" (2017) and "" (2019) and made her directorial debut with the Netflix drama "Bruised" (2020).


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry has been a Revlon spokesmodel since 1996. She was formerly married to baseball player David Justice, singer-songwriter Eric Benét, and actor Olivier Martinez. She has two children, one with Martinez and another with model Gabriel Aubry.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry was born Maria Halle Berry in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 14, 1966, to Judith Ann (née Hawkins), a white English immigrant from Liverpool, and Jerome Jesse Berry, an African-American man. Her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry at the age of five. Her parents selected her middle name from Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in Cleveland. Berry's mother worked as a psychiatric nurse, and her father worked in the same hospital as an attendant in the psychiatric ward; he later became a bus driver. They divorced when Berry was four years old, and she and her older sister Heidi Berry-Henderson were raised exclusively by their mother. She has been estranged from her father since childhood, noting in 1992 that she did not even know if he was still alive. Her father was abusive to her mother, and Berry has recalled witnessing her mother being beaten daily, kicked down stairs, and hit in the head with a wine bottle.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry grew up in Oakwood, Ohio, and graduated from Bedford High School, where she was a cheerleader, honor student, editor of the school newspaper, and prom queen. She worked in the children's department at Higbee's Department store. She then studied at Cuyahoga Community College. In the 1980s, she entered several beauty contests, winning Miss Teen All American 1985 and Miss Ohio USA in 1986. She was the 1986 Miss USA first runner-up to Christy Fichtner of Texas. In the Miss USA 1986 pageant interview competition, she said she hoped to become an entertainer or to have something to do with the media. Her interview was awarded the highest score by the judges. She was the first African-American Miss World entrant in 1986, where she finished sixth and Trinidad and Tobago's Giselle Laronde was crowned Miss World.


title: Halle Berry

text: In 1989, Berry moved to New York City to pursue her acting ambitions. During her early time there, she ran out of money and briefly lived in a homeless shelter and a YMCA. Her situation improved by the end of that year, and she was cast in the role of model Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series "Living Dolls", which was shot in New York and was a spin-off of the hit series "Who's the Boss?". During the taping of "Living Dolls", she lapsed into a coma and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. After the cancellation of "Living Dolls", she moved to Los Angeles.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry's film debut was in a small role for Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever" (1991), in which she played Vivian, a drug addict. That same year, Berry had her first co-starring role in "Strictly Business". In 1992, Berry portrayed a career woman who falls for the lead character played by Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy "Boomerang". The following year, she caught the public's attention as a headstrong biracial slave in the TV adaptation of "", based on the book by Alex Haley. Berry was in the live-action "Flintstones" movie playing the part of "Sharon Stone," a sultry secretary who attempts to seduce Fred Flintstone.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry tackled a more serious role, playing a former drug addict struggling to regain custody of her son in "Losing Isaiah" (1995), starring opposite Jessica Lange. She portrayed Sandra Beecher in "Race the Sun" (1996), which was based on a true story, shot in Australia, and co-starred alongside Kurt Russell in "Executive Decision". Beginning in 1996, she was a Revlon spokeswoman for seven years and renewed her contract in 2004.


title: Halle Berry

text: She starred alongside Natalie Deselle Reid in the 1997 comedy film "B*A*P*S". In 1998, Berry received praise for her role in "Bulworth" as an intelligent woman raised by activists who gives a politician (Warren Beatty) a new lease on life. The same year, she played the singer Zola Taylor, one of the three wives of pop singer Frankie Lymon, in the biopic "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".


title: Halle Berry

text: In the 1999 HBO biopic "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge", she portrayed the first African American woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and it was to Berry a heart-felt project that she introduced, co-produced and fought intensely for it to come through. Berry's performance was recognized with several awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry portrayed the mutant superhero Storm in the film adaptation of the comic book series "X-Men" (2000) and its sequels, "X2" (2003), "" (2006) and "" (2014). In 2001, Berry appeared in the film "Swordfish", which featured her first topless scene. At first, she was opposed to a sunbathing scene in the film in which she would appear topless, but Berry eventually agreed. Some people attributed her change of heart to a substantial increase in the amount Warner Bros. offered her; she was reportedly paid an additional $500,000 for the short scene. Berry denied these stories, telling one interviewer that they amused her and "made for great publicity for the movie." After turning down numerous roles that required nudity, she said she decided to make "Swordfish" because her then-husband, Eric Benét, supported her and encouraged her to take risks.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove, the troubled wife of an executed murderer (Sean Combs), in the 2001 feature film "Monster's Ball". Her performance was awarded the National Board of Review and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress; in an interesting coincidence she became the first African American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress (earlier in her career, she portrayed Dorothy Dandridge, the first African American to be nominated for Best Actress, and who was born at the same hospital as Berry, in Cleveland, Ohio). The NAACP issued the statement: "Congratulations to Halle Berry and Denzel Washington for giving us hope and making us proud. If this is a sign that Hollywood is finally ready to give opportunity and judge performance based on skill and not on skin color then it is a good thing." This role generated controversy. Her graphic nude love scene with a racist character played by co-star Billy Bob Thornton was the subject of much media chatter and discussion among African Americans. Many in the African-American community were critical of Berry for taking the part. Berry responded: "I don't really see a reason to ever go that far again. That was a unique movie. That scene was special and pivotal and needed to be there, and it would be a really special script that would require something like that again."


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry asked for a higher fee for Revlon advertisements after winning the Oscar. Ron Perelman, the cosmetics firm's chief, congratulated her, saying how happy he was that she modeled for his company. She replied, "Of course, you'll have to pay me more." Perelman stalked off in a rage. In accepting her award, she gave an acceptance speech honoring previous black actresses who had never had the opportunity. She said, "This moment is so much bigger than me. This is for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance tonight because this door has been opened."


title: Halle Berry

text: As Bond girl Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson in the 2002 blockbuster "Die Another Day", Berry recreated a scene from "Dr. No", emerging from the surf to be greeted by James Bond as Ursula Andress had 40 years earlier. Lindy Hemming, costume designer on "Die Another Day", had insisted that Berry wear a bikini and knife as a homage. Berry has said of the scene: "It's splashy", "exciting", "sexy", "provocative" and "it will keep me still out there after winning an Oscar." According to an ITV news poll, Jinx was voted the fourth toughest girl on screen of all time. Berry was hurt during filming when debris from a smoke grenade flew into her eye. It was removed in a 30-minute operation. After Berry won the Academy Award, rewrites were commissioned to give her more screentime for "X2".


title: Halle Berry

text: She starred in the psychological thriller "Gothika" opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in November 2003, during which she broke her arm in a scene with Downey, who twisted her arm too hard. Production was halted for eight weeks. It was a moderate hit at the United States box office, taking in $60 million; it earned another $80 million abroad. Berry appeared in the nu metal band Limp Bizkit's music video for "Behind Blue Eyes" for the motion picture soundtrack for the film. The same year, she was named No. 1 in "FHM"s 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry starred as the title role in the film "Catwoman", for which she received US$12.5 million. and is widely regarded by critics as one of the worst films ever made. She was awarded the Worst Actress Razzie Award for her performance; she appeared at the ceremony to accept the award in person (while holding her Oscar from "Monster's Ball") with a sense of humor, considering it an experience of the "rock bottom" in order to be "at the top." Holding the Academy Award in one hand and the Razzie in the other she said, "I never in my life thought that I would be up here, winning a Razzie! It's not like I ever aspired to be here, but thank you. When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner."


title: Halle Berry

text: Her next film appearance was in the Oprah Winfrey-produced ABC television movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God" (2005), an adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel, with Berry portraying a free-spirited woman whose unconventional sexual mores upset her 1920s contemporaries in a small community. She received her second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her role. Also in 2005, she served as an executive producer in "Lackawanna Blues", and landed her voice for the character of Cappy, one of the many mechanical beings in the animated feature "Robots".


title: Halle Berry

text: In the thriller "Perfect Stranger" (2007), Berry starred with Bruce Willis, playing a reporter who goes undercover to uncover the killer of her childhood friend. The film grossed a modest US$73 million worldwide, and received lukewarm reviews from critics, who felt that despite the presence of Berry and Willis, it is "too convoluted to work, and features a twist ending that's irritating and superfluous." Her next 2007 film release was the drama "Things We Lost in the Fire", co-starring Benicio del Toro, where she took on the role of a recent widow befriending the troubled friend of her late husband. The film was the first time in which she worked with a female director, Danish Susanne Bier, giving her a new feeling of "thinking the same way," which she appreciated. While the film made US$8.6 million in its global theatrical run, it garnered positive reviews from writers; "The Austin Chronicle" found the film to be "an impeccably constructed and perfectly paced drama of domestic and internal volatility" and felt that "Berry is brilliant here, as good as she's ever been."


title: Halle Berry

text: In April 2007, Berry was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Kodak Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard for her contributions to the film industry, and by the end of the decade, she established herself as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, earning an estimated $10 million per film.


title: Halle Berry

text: In the independent drama "Frankie and Alice" (2010), Berry played the leading role of a young multiracial American woman with dissociative identity disorder struggling against her alter personality to retain her true self. The film received a limited theatrical release, to a mixed critical response. "The Hollywood Reporter" nevertheless described the film as "a well-wrought psychological drama that delves into the dark side of one woman's psyche" and found Berry to be "spellbinding" in it. She earned the African-American Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. She next made part of a large ensemble cast in Garry Marshall's romantic comedy "New Year's Eve" (2011), with Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Biel, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Sofía Vergara, among many others. In the film, she took on the supporting role of a nurse befriending a man in the final stages (De Niro). While the film was panned by critics, it made US$142 million worldwide.


title: Halle Berry

text: In 2012, Berry starred as an expert diver tutor alongside then-husband Olivier Martinez in the little-seen thriller "Dark Tide", and led an ensemble cast opposite Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent in The Wachowskis's epic science fiction film "Cloud Atlas" (2012), with each of the actors playing six different characters across a period of five centuries. Budgeted at US$128.8 million, "Cloud Atlas" made US$130.4 million worldwide, and garnered polarized reactions from both critics and audiences.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry appeared in a segment of the independent anthology comedy "Movie 43" (2013), which the "Chicago Sun-Times" called "the "Citizen Kane" of awful." Berry found greater success with her next performance, as a 9-1-1 operator receiving a call from a girl kidnapped by a serial killer, in the crime thriller "The Call" (2013). Berry was drawn to "the idea of being a part of a movie that was so empowering for women. We don't often get to play roles like this, where ordinary people become heroic and do something extraordinary." Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" found the film to be "an effectively creepy thriller," while reviewer Dwight Brown felt that "the script gives Berry a blue-collar character she can make accessible, vulnerable and gutsy[...]." "The Call" was a sleeper hit, grossing US$68.6 million around the globe.


title: Halle Berry

text: In 2014, Berry signed on to star and serve as a co-executive producer in CBS drama series "Extant", where she took on the role of Molly Woods, an astronaut who struggles to reconnect with her husband and android son after spending 13 months in space. The show ran for two seasons until 2015, receiving largely positive reviews from critics. "USA Today" remarked: "She [Halle Berry] brings a dignity and gravity to Molly, a projected intelligence that allows you to buy her as an astronaut and to see what has happened to her as frightening rather than ridiculous. Berry's all in, and you float along." Also in 2014, Berry launched a new production company, 606 Films, with producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. It is named after the Anti-Paparazzi Bill, SB 606, that the actress pushed for and which was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown in the fall of 2013. The new company emerged as part of a deal for Berry to work in "Extant".


title: Halle Berry

text: In the stand-up comedy concert film "" (2016), Berry appeared as herself, opposite Kevin Hart, attending a poker game event that goes horribly wrong. She provided uncredited vocals to the song, "Calling All My Lovelies" by Bruno Mars from his third studio album, "24K Magic" (2016). "Kidnap", an abduction thriller Berry filmed in 2014, was released in 2017. In the film, she starred as a diner waitress tailing a vehicle when her son is kidnapped by its occupants. "Kidnap" grossed US$34 million and garnered mixed reviews from writers, who felt that it "strays into poorly scripted exploitation too often to take advantage of its pulpy premise — or the still-impressive talents of [Berry]." She next played an agent employed by a secret American spy organisation in the action comedy sequel "" (2017), as part of an ensemble cast, consisting of Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, and Elton John. While critical response towards the film was mixed, it made US$414 million worldwide.


title: Halle Berry

text: Alongside Daniel Craig, Berry starred as a working-class mother during the 1992 Los Angeles riots in Deniz Gamze Ergüven's drama "Kings" (2017). The film found a limited theatrical release following its initial screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, and as part of an overall lukewarm reception, "Variety" noted: "It should be said that Berry has given some of the best and worst performances of the past quarter-century, but this is perhaps the only one that swings to both extremes in the same movie." Berry competed against James Corden in the first rap battle on the first episode of TBS's "Drop the Mic", originally aired on October 24, 2017.


title: Halle Berry

text: She played Sofia, an assassin, in the film "", which was released on May 17, 2019, by Lionsgate. She is, as of February 2019, executive producer of the BET television series "Boomerang", based on the film in which she starred. The series premiered February 12, 2019.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry made her directorial debut with the feature "Bruised" in which she plays a disgraced MMA fighter named Jackie Justice, who reconnects with her estranged son. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2020 and was released on Netflix in November 2021. Berry received a positive review from "Deadline" for her performance.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry was ranked No. 1 on "People" "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" list in 2003 after making the top ten seven times and appeared No. 1 on "FHM" "100 Sexiest Women in the World" the same year. She was named "Esquire" magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in October 2008, about which she stated: "I don't know exactly what it means, but being 42 and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it." "Men's Health" ranked her at No. 35 on their "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" list. In 2009, she was voted #23 on "Empire"'s 100 Sexiest Film Stars. The same year, rapper Hurricane Chris released a song entitled "Halle Berry (She's Fine)," extolling Berry's beauty and sex appeal. At the age of 42 (in 2008), she was named the "Sexiest Black Woman" by Access Hollywood's "TV One Access" survey. Born to an African-American father and a white mother, Berry has stated that her biracial background was "painful and confusing" when she was a young woman, and she made the decision early on to identify as a black woman because she knew that was how she would be perceived.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry dated Chicago dentist John Ronan from March 1989 to October 1991. In November 1993, Ronan sued Berry for $80,000 in what he claimed were unpaid loans to help launch her career. Berry contended that the money was a gift, and a judge dismissed the case because Ronan did not list Berry as a debtor when he filed for bankruptcy in 1992.


title: Halle Berry

text: According to Berry, a beating from a former abusive boyfriend during the filming of "The Last Boy Scout" in 1991 punctured her eardrum and caused her to lose 80% of her hearing in her left ear. She has never named the abuser, but said that he was someone "well known in Hollywood". In 2004, her former boyfriend Christopher Williams accused Wesley Snipes of being responsible for the incident, saying, "I'm so tired of people thinking I'm the guy [who did it]. Wesley Snipes busted her eardrum, not me."


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry first saw baseball player David Justice on TV playing in an MTV celebrity baseball game in February 1992. When a reporter from Justice's hometown of Cincinnati told her that Justice was a fan, Berry gave her phone number to the reporter to give to Justice. Berry married Justice shortly after midnight on January 1, 1993. Following their separation in February 1996, Berry stated publicly that she was so depressed that she considered taking her own life. Berry and Justice were officially divorced on June 20, 1997.


title: Halle Berry

text: In May 2000, Berry pleaded no contest to charges of leaving the scene of a car accident and was sentenced to three years’ probation, fined $13,500 and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry married her second husband, singer-songwriter Eric Benét, on January 24, 2001, following a two-year courtship. Benét underwent treatment for sex addiction in 2002, and by early October 2003 they had separated, with the divorce finalized on January 3, 2005.


title: Halle Berry

text: In November 2005, Berry began dating French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, whom she met at a Versace photoshoot. Berry gave birth to their daughter in March 2008. On April 30, 2010, Berry and Aubry announced their relationship had ended some months earlier. In January 2011, Berry and Aubry became involved in a highly publicized custody battle, centered primarily on Berry's desire to move with their daughter from Los Angeles, where Berry and Aubry resided, to France, the home of French actor Olivier Martinez, whom Berry had started dating in 2010 after they met while filming "Dark Tide" in South Africa. Aubry objected to the move on the grounds that it would interfere with their joint custody arrangement. In November 2012, a judge denied Berry's request to move the couple's daughter to France in light of Aubry's objections. Less than two weeks later, on November 22, 2012, Aubry and Martinez were both treated at a hospital for injuries after engaging in a physical altercation at Berry's residence. Martinez performed a citizen's arrest on Aubry, and because it was considered a domestic violence incident, was granted a temporary emergency protective order preventing Aubry from coming within 100 yards of Berry, Martinez, and the child with whom he shares custody with Berry, until November 29, 2012. In turn, Aubry obtained a temporary restraining order against Martinez on November 26, 2012, asserting that the fight began when Martinez threatened to kill Aubry if he did not allow the couple to move to France. Leaked court documents included photos showing significant injuries to Aubry's face, which were widely displayed in the media. On November 29, 2012, Berry's lawyer announced that Berry and Aubry had reached an amicable custody agreement in court. In June 2014, a Superior Court ruling called for Berry to pay Aubry $16,000 a month in child support (around 200k/year) as well as a retroactive payment of $115,000 and a sum of $300,000 for Aubry's attorney fees.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry and Martinez confirmed their engagement in March 2012, and married in France on July 13, 2013. In October 2013, Berry gave birth to their son. In 2015, after two years of marriage, the couple announced they were divorcing. The divorce was reported to have been finalized in December 2016, however, as of November 2020, the case is ongoing.


title: Halle Berry

text: Berry started dating Grammy winning American musician Van Hunt in 2020, which was revealed through her Instagram.


title: Halle Berry

text: Along with Pierce Brosnan, Cindy Crawford, Jane Seymour, Dick Van Dyke, Téa Leoni, and Daryl Hannah, Berry successfully fought in 2006 against the Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas facility that was proposed off the coast of Malibu. Berry said, "I care about the air we breathe, I care about the marine life and the ecosystem of the ocean." In May 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the facility. Hasty Pudding Theatricals gave her its 2006 "Woman of The Year" award. Berry took part in a nearly 2,000-house cell-phone bank campaign for Barack Obama in February 2008. In April 2013, she appeared in a video clip for Gucci's "Chime for Change" campaign that aims to raise funds and awareness of women's issues in terms of education, health, and justice. In August 2013, Berry testified alongside Jennifer Garner before the California State Assembly's Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would protect celebrities' children from harassment by photographers. The bill passed in September.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion (pronounced "Megan the Stallion"), is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally from Houston, Texas, she first garnered attention when videos of her freestyling became popular on social media platforms such as Instagram. Megan Thee Stallion signed to 300 Entertainment in 2018, where she released the mixtape "Fever" (2019) and the extended play "Suga" (2020), both of which reached the top ten of the "Billboard" 200.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: She released her debut studio album "Good News" (2020) to critical acclaim, appearing on several year-end best album lists. She earned her first and second number-one singles on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 with the remix of her song "Savage" (featuring Beyoncé), and her feature on Cardi B's single "WAP"; the latter of which was her first number one in several other countries, as well as the "Billboard" Global 200 chart. In 2021, she was featured alongside Doja Cat on the remix of Ariana Grande's 2020 single "34+35", which reached number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100. She followed this with her debut compilation album "Something for Thee Hotties" (2021), which reached the top ten on the "Billboard" 200, and spawned the single "Thot Shit", which reached the top twenty in the US, and received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance nomination.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Throughout her career, Megan Thee Stallion has received several accolades, including six BET Awards, five BET Hip Hop Awards, four American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, a "Billboard" Women in Music Award, and three Grammy Awards. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, she became the second female rapper to win Best New Artist, after Lauryn Hill in 1999. In 2020, "Time" named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on their annual list. Outside of music, she has focused on her education, graduating from Texas Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration in 2021.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Jovon Ruth Pete was born on February 15, 1995, in San Antonio, Texas, and her mother, Holly Thomas, immediately moved to Houston after her birth. Thomas rapped under the name "Holly-Wood" and would bring her daughter with her to recording sessions instead of putting her in daycare. Pete was raised in the South Park neighborhood of Houston before moving with her mother to Pearland at age 14, where she lived until she turned 18. Pete began writing raps at age 14. When she eventually showed Thomas her rapping skills at age 18, Thomas required that Pete wait until she was 21 to pursue rapping as a career. Her mother commented that her lyrics were too sexually suggestive for her young age. Pete attended Pearland High School and graduated in 2013. Her father died during her freshman year of high school.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In 2013, while Pete was a student at Prairie View A&M University, she began uploading videos of herself freestyling on social media. A clip of Pete battling against male opponents in a "cypher" went viral. The exposure helped Pete gain a larger digital presence and following on social media. She garnered fans by posting her freestyles on her Instagram while in college. She refers to her fans as "hotties" and credits her hyperactive fan base for her early success. After taking time off from school, Pete resumed her studies at Texas Southern University. She graduated on December 11, 2021, with a Bachelor of Science in health administration.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: She adopted the stage name "Megan Thee Stallion" because she was called a "stallion" in adolescence due to her height () and "thick" body frame; voluptuous and statuesque women in the Southern United States are colloquially called "stallions".


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In April 2016, Megan Thee Stallion released her first single "Like a Stallion". This was followed by the small SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes "Rich Ratchet" (2016), and "Megan Mix" (2017). In September 2017, Megan Thee Stallion made her professional solo debut with the commercially released EP "Make It Hot." The EP's 2017 single "Last Week in HTx" became her most successful single during this time, amassing several million views on YouTube. In 2017, Megan Thee Stallion released the song "Stalli (Freestyle)", as a rework of late musician XXXTentacion's "Look at Me!".


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Around this time, Megan Thee Stallion auditioned to be a cast member on "Love & Hip Hop: Houston"; however, the proposed spin-off of the "Love & Hip Hop" franchise was postponed indefinitely in June 2016.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In early 2018, Megan Thee Stallion signed with 1501 Certified Entertainment, an independent label in Houston run by T. Farris and owned by former baseball player Carl Crawford. The first female rapper signed to the label, she then performed at SXSW in March 2018. In June 2018, Megan Thee Stallion released a 10-song extended play titled "Tina Snow" under the label"." The EP was named after her alter ego, "Tina Snow", who she describes as "a more raw version" of herself. "Tina Snow" was positively received by critics. Eric Torres of "Pitchfork" wrote: "she provided plenty of freak anthems with quotable lyrics to wield against ain't-shit men". She stated in an interview with "Mic" that she is not afraid to talk about sexuality, nor does she feel boxed in to either the "intelligent" or "freak" dichotomy. Nandi Howard of "The Fader" referred to her ability to rap with "electrifying pace and precision". In November 2018, Megan Thee Stallion announced that she had signed with 300 Entertainment, making her the first female rapper to be signed by the label. It was during this time that she was scheduled to support Australian rapper Iggy Azalea on her Bad Girls Tour; however, the tour was later cancelled.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On January 22, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion released "Big Ole Freak" as a single from her EP, "Tina Snow", and also filmed a music video for the track. The single, "Is It Love This Time", is sampled throughout the single. On April 15, "Big Ole Freak" charted at number 99 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 giving Megan Thee Stallion her first chart entry, with it later peaking at number 65 on the Hot 100. "Fever", her second mixtape, was released on May 17, 2019. The album received critical acclaim and landed on several year-end critics lists, with "Paper" calling it the best album of 2019. Taylor Crumpton of "Pitchfork" rated the album 8/10 and wrote in the review, "Megan's delivery of perfectly executed bars are comparable to successions from a fully automatic machine gun; a carefully studied aim of fiery stanzas that could only be carried by a rapper with extensive knowledge of the genre's early practices of battle rap." On May 21, 2019, she released the music video for the opening album track, "Realer", which is inspired by the blaxploitation film style. On June 20, 2019, she was announced to be one of eleven artists included in the 12th edition of "XXL"s "Freshman Class". Her freestyle in the cypher was praised by music critics. In July 2019, Chance The Rapper released his debut studio album, "The Big Day," and Megan Thee Stallion was featured on the track, "Handsome". On August 2, 2019, "A Black Lady Sketch Show" premiered on HBO; the show uses Megan Thee Stallion's song "Hot Girl" in the opening title sequence.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On August 9, 2019, Megan Thee Stallion released the single "Hot Girl Summer", featuring fellow American rapper Nicki Minaj and singer Ty Dolla Sign. The song, an ode to her viral "hot girl summer" meme, came about after an Instagram Live session between Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion. It peaked at number 11 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's first top 20 single, and topped the "Rolling Stone" 100. The week thereafter, she featured on Quality Control compilation album, "Quality Control: Control the Streets, Volume 2," on the track "Pastor", alongside Quavo and City Girls. In September 2019, Megan Thee Stallion signed a management deal with Roc Nation. In October 2019, she created and starred in a horror series, "Hottieween", directed by Teyana Taylor. In that same month, she performed a NPR Tiny Desk Concert during the Tiny Desk Fest. In November 2019, "Time" placed Megan Thee Stallion on their inaugural "Time 100 Next" list.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In January 2020, Megan Thee Stallion released the single "Diamonds" with singer Normani, for of the superhero film "Birds of Prey" released the same year. That same month, she announced her debut album "Suga" and released the lead single "B.I.T.C.H.". In February 2020, she featured on the single "Fkn Around" by Phony Ppl, and appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", performing "B.I.T.C.H.". The next month, she announced that her debut album was delayed as a result of her attempting to renegotiate her contract with 1501 Certified. She started the hashtag "#FreeTheeStallion" to raise awareness of the issue, noting that "[she did not] understand some of the verbiage" when she signed the initial contract with 1501.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On March 6, 2020, she released the EP, "Suga", against the wishes of 1501, after a judge granted a temporary restraining order against the label"." That same month, the song "Savage" from the EP went viral on TikTok, when popular user Keara Wilson used it for a dance challenge video, which racked up 15.7 million views and 2.4 million likes as of March 20, 2020. A remix featuring Beyoncé was released on April 29, 2020. The song became Megan thee Stallion's first top 10 entry in the United States shortly after the remix's release, eventually becoming her first chart topper in the country. "Savage" also helped boost "Suga"s sales, propelling it up to number 7 on the "Billboard" 200. Proceeds from the song went to Houston nonprofit Bread of Life which provides disaster relief for residents affected by COVID-19. Megan Thee Stallion was also judge on the HBO Max voguing competition show "Legendary" which debuted in May 2020. She released the song "Girls in the Hood" on June 26, 2020, before featuring on Cardi B's single "WAP" and appearing in its music video in August 2020. "WAP" became her second number-one single in the U.S., breaking the record for the most streams for a song in its first week of release in the U.S. (93 million).


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Thee Stallion became a Global Brand Ambassador for Revlon in August 2020. She received her first-ever "Billboard" Music Award nomination when she was nominated for Top Rap Female Artist in September 2020. A few days later, she was featured in the annual "Time" 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Her write-up for this listing was composed by American actress Taraji P. Henson. Megan Thee Stallion tied with Drake when she received eight nominations at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. She also tied with Justin Bieber as the most nominated musician at the 2020 People's Choice Awards, earning six nominations each. Megan Thee Stallion would also become the second most-nominated act at the 2020 American Music Awards. In October 2020, she released the single, "Don't Stop" featuring rapper Young Thug, and promoted it by performing it on the 46th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live". She performed a "politically charged" version of "Savage" that evening, in which she addressed racism, the Attorney General of Kentucky Daniel Cameron, and sent a message about the importance of protecting black women and the Black Lives Matter movement. She continued working for this cause by writing an op-ed for "The New York Times" titled "Why I Speak Up for Black Women", which received acclaim. Megan Thee Stallion appeared in the 2020 comedy special "". She received four nominations at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year for "Savage (Remix)". She went on to win the former, which made her the first female hip hop artist to do so since Lauryn Hill in 1999, as well as Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance, both for "Savage (Remix)".


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On November 13, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion announced the release of her debut studio album "Good News", which was released on November 20, 2020. The release of the album also coincided with its fourth single "Body" as well as its music video. The album debuted at number 2 on the "Billboard" 200 and at number 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums with over 100,000 album-equivalent units sold. On January 14, 2021, Megan Thee Stallion was featured on the remix of Ariana Grande's single "34+35", the second single from her sixth studio album "Positions" alongside American singer and rapper Doja Cat. A music video for the remix was later released on February 12, 2021. In June, she released the single "Thot Shit" with a music video that follows around an hypocritical social conservative politician. Megan Thee Stallion won the most awards at the 2021 BET Awards ceremony with four. Boy band BTS released a remix of the single "Butter" featuring the rapper, which reached number three on the "Billboard" Global 200. She also led the nominations for the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards along with Cardi B, with nine each; both rappers won the most awards during the ceremony with three for "WAP". Megan Thee Stallion was featured on DJ Snake's single "SG", along with Ozuna and Lisa of Blackpink, released in October. Megan released "Something for Thee Hotties", a collection of previously unreleased songs and freestyles, on October 29, 2021. The compilation album debuted at number five on the US "Billboard" 200, becoming Megan Thee Stallion's fourth top 10.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On September 16, 2021, Post Malone announced the Posty Fest 2021 lineup, with Megan Thee Stallion as one of the performers at the festival based in Arlington, Texas, next October. Megan was honored as one of "Glamour"s Women of the Year in November. Megan won three awards at the 2021 American Music Awards, tying with Doja Cat and BTS for the most during the night.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Thee Stallion graduated from Texas Southern University on December 11, 2021. Shortly after, Megan was honored with the 18th Congressional District of Texas Hero Award by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee for her philanthropy efforts in Houston. In the coming days after Megan's graduation, she signed an exclusive first-look deal with Netflix that will see her create and produce executive content, including television series and other projects.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On March 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion released a collaboration with English singer Dua Lipa, named "Sweetest Pie". On March 27, Megan made a surprise appearance at the 94th Academy Awards where she performed alongside various artists "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from the film "Encanto". Megan made history becoming the 2nd female rapper to perform the Academy Awards. the first being Queen Latifah in the 81st Academy Awards ceremony. She received acclaim at the Oscars for the surprise performance, with "Rolling Stone" stating: "Megan Thee Stallion Makes 'Encanto' Track...All the More Magical at Oscars."


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Outside of music, on February 15, 2022 - her birthday - Megan Thee Stallion announced the launching of a nonprofit, the Pete and Thomas Foundation, in honor of her late mother and father Holly Thomas & Joseph Pete Jr. The foundation seeks to help underserved communities in Houston, Texas and beyond with education, housing, and health and wellness needs. On May 1, 2022, the Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner honored Megan for her philanthropic and humanitarian efforts for the Houston people by proclaiming May 2 Megan Thee Stallion Day in Houston, Texas, which falls on the same day as her grandmother and late mother's birthday. She received an honorary key to the City of Houston, a symbolic cowboy hat and belt buckle. In a "Rolling Stone" cover story, Megan revealed that she collaborated with Future for her upcoming second album on a song titled "Pressurelicious".


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On August 11, 2022, Megan Thee Stallion took to Twitter to announce that her second studio album "Traumazine" would be released the next day.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Thee Stallion is known for her confidence, sensuality, and explicit lyrics. She presents her sexuality throughout her lyrics, videos, and live performances. In an interview with "Pitchfork" she stated, "It's not just about being sexy, it's about being confident and me being confident in my sexuality." On her Texas rap origins, she told "Rolling Stone", "I don't feel like we ever really had a female rapper come from Houston or Texas and shut shit down. So that's where I'm coming from."


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Thee Stallion cites her mother as her first and biggest influence. She has considered Pimp C and his 2006 solo album, "Pimpalation", an influence since her childhood, admiring his talk-rap delivery and "cockiness", and stating that she wants to inspire the same confidence that the rapper does through his music. Other inspirations she has named are the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Queen Latifah, and Three 6 Mafia, and she credits Q-Tip as her mentor. She has said in interviews that when she was coming of age in the 2000s, she would listen to her favorite rap songs from acts like Three 6 Mafia and Pimp C, and ask herself, "How good would this sound if a girl did it?"


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: She has also been influenced by Beyoncé. In her Grammy Awards acceptance speech with Beyoncé for "Savage", she said: "Ever since I was little, I was like, 'you know what? One day, I'm gonna grow up and I'm gonna be like the rap Beyoncé.' That was definitely my goal. [..] I love her work ethic, I love the way she is, I love the way she carries herself." In a "Teen Vogue" interview, she spoke about Nicki Minaj as another influence: "[she] was here before us, so this is who we had to look at, at this time. So, definitely she has been an inspiration to me."


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In multiple interviews, Megan Thee Stallion has referred to herself as "Tina Snow", one of her alter egos and also the name of her debut EP, "Tina Snow". It was influenced by Pimp C's alias Tony Snow, and has similar confidence and an unapologetic sexually dominant delivery. "Hot Girl Meg" is another alter ego who is described as embodying Megan Thee Stallion's carefree and outgoing side, which she compares to a "college, party girl." She stated that she introduced "Hot Girl Meg" on her EP, "Fever". She has also referred to herself as "Thee Hood Tyra Banks""."


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan originated the viral catchphrase "hot girl summer" on social media. It is a derivative of another of her most-known catchphrases, "hot girl", also derived from "real hot girl shit". She first used the phrase in a tweet on April 14, 2018. It later appeared on the "Fever" album cover, which read, "She's thee HOT GIRL and she's bringing THEE HEAT." She defined the term as "women and men being unapologetically them, just having a good-ass time, hyping up their friends, doing you." Megan Thee Stallion officially trademarked the term "hot girl summer" in September 2019 after applying for it in July of that year. A song of the same name was released on August 9, 2019.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In addition to "hot girl" and "hot girl summer", Megan Thee Stallion is known for her signature ad-lib which involves sticking her tongue out, creating a "creaky", audible "agh" or "blah" sound. In August 2019, Twitter created an official emoji for this tongue symbol which could be spawned directly after the hashtag "#megantheestallion". This symbol also inspired the cover art of her EP "Suga" which was revealed in March 2020.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In September 2021, Megan partnered with Nike for a promotional campaign and fitness program through the Nike Training Club app. In October 2021, Megan appeared on First We Feast and Complex Media's Hot Ones. On October 14, 2021, it was announced that Megan Thee Stallion signed a wide-ranging deal with multinational fast-food company Popeyes that includes her own Popeyes franchise, a new hot sauce (Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce) and co-branded merchandise. She partnered with Cheetos for a Super Bowl commercial in 2022.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan was on the grid of the 2021 United States Grand Prix where attempts to interview her by Martin Brundle were snubbed by her bodyguards leading to criticism, causing F1 to introduce the "Brundle Clause", prohibiting bodyguards on the race grid.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On December 16, 2021, she signed an exclusive first-look deal at Netflix, to create and executive produce new series and other projects. On February 17, 2022, it was announced that Megan will co-star in A24's first movie musical titled "F*cking Identical Twins," described as "a spin on "The Parent Trap"". She guest starred in the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe series "" as a fictionalized version of herself.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: She contributed $15,400 worth of Thanksgiving turkeys and helped hand them out to 1,050 households in need at the Houston Food Bank portwall pantry, in November 2019. In April 2020, she donated over $10,000 to bail relief effort for Houston protestors. The same month, Megan teamed up with Amazon Music to donate to a Nursing Facility in Houston. All the proceeds collected from her collaboration on Beyonce's Savage (remix) went to Bread of Life, which helps local Houston communities with Covid-19 relief efforts. The song raised over $2.5 million dollars.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In October 2020, she partnered with Amazon Music's rap rotation to launched the "Don't Stop" scholarship fund that awarded two women of color pursuing associate, bachelor or postgraduate degrees, $10,000 each. In February 2021, she launched "Hotties Helping Houston" with Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, the National Association of Christian Churches disaster services, Taraji P. Henson, 300 Entertainment, Maroon 5, Revlon, Mielle Organics, Fashion Nova, and Billie Eilish to help senior citizens and single moms recovering from the area's storm related devastation. In March 2021, she collaborated with Fashion Nova for the 'Women on Top" initiative, which would give away $1 million dollars to support female-owned businesses and organizations. The same month, along with Fashion Nova and journalist May Lee, they donated $50,000 after the Atlanta spa shootings to the legal non-profit, Advancing Justice Atlanta.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In June 2021, she offered a full tuition, four year scholarship to the Roc Nation school of music, sports & entertainment at Long Island University. In June 2021, she partnered with Cash App to make "Investing for Hotties" educational videos. This partnership also donated $1 million dollars worth of stock to randomly-selected fans.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In October 2021, as part of her wide-ranging agreement with Popeyes, she made a six-figure donation to the charitable organization Houston Random Acts of Kindness.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: BTS Army launched "Thee Army Fund" project, in collaboration with the "Hotties" which raised over $120,000 to donate to three different organizations: (Woman for Afghan Women, Black Women of Wellness, and Houston Food Bank) in her name to congratulate her on the Butter (Remix). As part of her ceremony to receive the key to the city of Houston, the non-profit Pete and Thomas Foundation donated $5,000 to three people in Houston to assist with their education, housing and wellness expenses.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Thee Stallion mentioned being part Creole in her songs "Cocky AF" and "Freak Nasty" as well as in a tweet in September 2017. Her mother, Holly Thomas, died in March 2019 from a longstanding cancerous brain tumor, and Megan's great-grandmother died in the same month. She mentioned her mother's death ("Ever since my mama died, 2019") on beginning of her song "Flip Flop" from the second studio album, "Traumazine", released on August 12, 2022. In addition to acting as her manager, Megan's grandmother was a major influence on her decision to study health administration and also helped foster her goal to establish assisted living facilities in her hometown of Houston.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: She has six dogs: three French bulldogs named 4oe (pronounced Four), Dos, and Oneita; a Cane Corso named X; a Pitbull named Five; and a Merle Dog named Six.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Megan Thee Stallion confirmed her relationship with fellow rapper Pardison Fontaine via Instagram Live on February 19, 2021.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On July 15, 2020, Megan Thee Stallion stated that she had suffered gunshot wounds and that she had undergone surgery to remove the bullets. Her statement countered an earlier TMZ report that she had injured her foot on broken glass three days prior when she was in a car with rap and R&B musician Tory Lanez (Daystar Peterson) and an unidentified woman; the car was pulled over by police and Peterson was arrested on gun charges following a vehicle search.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On July 27, 2020, she revealed that she was shot in both feet and denounced the rumors in an Instagram Live session, where she also recounted the incident and cried. The following month, Megan claimed that Peterson was the person who shot her, saying that "I didn't tell the police what happened immediately right there because I didn't want to die." On September 25, 2020, Peterson released his fifth album, "Daystar", in which he addresses the allegations on nearly every song, and denies that he shot Megan, while also claiming she and her team were "trying to frame" him.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: The same day, in a statement to "Variety", Megan's attorney, Alex Spiro, claimed Peterson's representatives had attempted to launch a "smear campaign" using falsified messages to "peddle a false narrative" discrediting Megan. Peterson's team denied this, saying that they would investigate who was behind the fake emails and would take appropriate action. Megan later stated that she had been offered money by Peterson and his team to keep quiet on the issue following the incident.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: On October 8, 2020, Peterson was charged with shooting Megan Thee Stallion by L.A. County prosecutors. An arraignment for him was scheduled on October 13; however, it was delayed to November 18, after Peterson's attorney requested a continuance. Megan was issued a protection order against Peterson, directing him to stay at least 100 yards away from Megan and not contact her. He was also ordered to surrender any guns he owns. In an op-ed for "The New York Times", published on October 13, 2020, Megan addressed the shooting allegation further, writing: "Black women are still constantly disrespected and disregarded in so many areas of life. I was recently the victim of an act of violence by a man. After a party, I was shot twice as I walked away from him. We were not in a relationship. Truthfully, I was shocked that I ended up in that place."


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: Peterson pleaded not guilty to assault with a semiautomatic handgun in late November 2020. In the same month, Megan Thee Stallion released her debut studio album, "Good News", on which the album opener is the diss track "Shots Fired" directed towards Peterson. The song gained acclaim, with many critics noting that it samples and interpolates the 1995 song "Who Shot Ya?" by The Notorious B.I.G.


title: Megan Thee Stallion

text: In April 2022, Peterson was arrested for violating a protection order relating to the case; he was released shortly after on an increased bond of $350,000. On the 13th of December, Megan Thee Stallion testified in Lanez's assault trial reliving the events and stating that she "wish she had died".


title: Moscow

text: Moscow ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million residents within the city limits, over 17 million residents in the urban area, and over 21.5 million residents in the metropolitan area. The city covers an area of , while the urban area covers , and the metropolitan area covers over . Moscow is among the world's largest cities; being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.


title: Moscow

text: First documented in 1147, Moscow grew to become a prosperous and powerful city that served as the capital of the Grand Duchy that bears its name. When the Grand Duchy of Moscow evolved into the Tsardom of Russia, Moscow remained the political and economic center for most of the Tsardom's history. When the Tsardom was reformed into the Russian Empire, the capital was moved from Moscow to Saint Petersburg diminishing the influence of the city. The capital was then moved back to Moscow following the October Revolution and the city was brought back as the political center of the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow remained the capital city of the contemporary and newly established Russian Federation.


title: Moscow

text: The northernmost and coldest megacity in the world, with a history that spans eight centuries, Moscow is governed as a federal city (since 1993) that serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific center of Russia and Eastern Europe. As an alpha world city, Moscow has one of the world's largest urban economies. The city is one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world, and is one of Europe's most visited cities. Moscow is home to the seventh-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world. The Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centers in Europe and the world, and features the majority of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Moscow was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics, and one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


title: Moscow

text: As the historic core of Russia, Moscow serves as the home of numerous Russian artists, scientists, and sports figures due to the presence of its various museums, academic and political institutions, and theaters. The city is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is well known for its display of Russian architecture, particularly its historic Red Square, and buildings such as the Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow Kremlin, of which the latter serves as the seat of power of the Government of Russia. Moscow is home to many Russian companies in numerous industries and is served by a comprehensive transit network, which includes four international airports, ten railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail system, and most notably the Moscow Metro, the busiest metro system in Europe, and one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. The city has over 40 percent of its territory covered by greenery, making it one of the greenest cities in Europe and the world.


title: Moscow

text: The name of the city is thought to be derived from the name of the Moskva River. Several theories of the origin of the name of the river have been proposed. Finno-Ugric Merya and Muroma people, who were among the several pre-Slavic tribes which originally inhabited the area, called the river supposedly "Mustajoki", in English: "Black river". It has been suggested that the name of the city derives from this term.


title: Moscow

text: The most linguistically well-grounded and widely accepted is from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *"mŭzg"-/"muzg"- from the Proto-Indo-European *""- "wet", so the name "Moskva" might signify a river at a wetland or a marsh. Its cognates include , "pool, puddle", and "to wash", "to drown", "to dip, immerse". In many Slavic countries Moskov is a surname, most common in Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and North Macedonia. Additionally, there are similarly named places in Poland like Mozgawa.


title: Moscow

text: The original Old Russian form of the name is reconstructed as *, *, hence it was one of a few Slavic "ū"-stem nouns. As with other nouns of that declension, it had been undergoing a morphological transformation at the early stage of the development of the language, as a result, the first written mentions in the 12th century were , (accusative case), , (locative case), , (genitive case). From the latter forms came to the modern Russian name , , which is a result of morphological generalization with the numerous Slavic "ā"-stem nouns.


title: Moscow

text: However, the form "Moskovĭ" has left some traces in many other languages, including , , , , , , , , , and .


title: Moscow

text: In a similar manner the Latin name has been formed, later it became a colloquial name for Russia used in Western Europe in the 16th–17th centuries. From it as well came English "Muscovy" and "muscovite".


title: Moscow

text: Various other theories (of Celtic, Iranian, Caucasic origins), having little or no scientific ground, are now largely rejected by contemporary linguists.


title: Moscow

text: Moscow has acquired several epithets, most referring to its size and preeminent status within the nation: The "Third Rome" (), the "Whitestone One" (), the "First Throne" (), the "Forty Soroks" () ("sorok" meaning both "forty, a great many" and "a district or parish" in Old Russian). Moscow is also one of the twelve Hero Cities. The demonym for a Moscow resident is "" ("moskvich") for male or "ка" ("moskvichka") for female, rendered in English as "Muscovite". The name "Moscow" is abbreviated "MSK" ( in Russian).


title: Moscow

text: Archaeological digs show that the site of today's Moscow and the surrounding area have been inhabited since time immemorial. Among the earliest finds are relics of the Lyalovo culture, which experts assign to the Neolithic period, the last phase of the Stone Age.


title: Moscow

text: They confirm that the first inhabitants of the area were hunters and gatherers. Around 950 AD, two Slavic tribes, Vyatichi and Krivichi, settled here. Possibly the Vyatichi formed the core of Moscow's indigenous population.


title: Moscow

text: The first known reference to Moscow dates from 1147 as a meeting place of Yuri Dolgoruky and Sviatoslav Olgovich. At the time it was a minor town on the western border of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality. The chronicle says, "Come, my brother, to Moskov" ().


title: Moscow

text: In 1156, Knyaz Yuri Dolgorukiy fortified the town with a timber fence and a moat. In the course of the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus', the Mongols under Batu Khan burned the city to the ground and killed its inhabitants.


title: Moscow

text: The timber fort "na Moskvě" "on the Moscow River" was inherited by Daniel, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, in the 1260s, at the time considered the least valuable of his father's possessions.


title: Moscow

text: Daniel was still a child at the time, and the big fort was governed by (deputies), appointed by Daniel's paternal uncle, Yaroslav of Tver.


title: Moscow

text: Daniel came of age in the 1270s and became involved in the power struggles of the principality with lasting success, siding with his brother Dmitry in his bid for the rule of Novgorod. From 1283 he acted as the ruler of an independent principality alongside Dmitry, who became Grand Duke of Vladimir.


title: Moscow

text: Daniel has been credited with founding the first Moscow monasteries, dedicated to the Lord's Epiphany and to Saint Daniel.


title: Moscow

text: Daniel ruled Moscow as Grand Duke until 1303 and established it as a prosperous city that would eclipse its parent principality of Vladimir by the 1320s.


title: Moscow

text: On the right bank of the Moskva River, at a distance of from the Kremlin, not later than in 1282, Daniel founded the first monastery with the wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite, which is now the Danilov Monastery. Daniel died in 1303, at the age of 42. Before his death, he became a monk and, according to his will, was buried in the cemetery of the St. Daniel Monastery.


title: Moscow

text: Moscow was quite stable and prosperous for many years and attracted a large number of refugees from across Russia. The Rurikids maintained large landholdings by practicing primogeniture, whereby all land was passed to the eldest sons, rather than dividing it up among all sons. By 1304, Yury of Moscow contested with Mikhail of Tver for the throne of the principality of Vladimir. Ivan I eventually defeated Tver to become the sole collector of taxes for the Mongol rulers, making Moscow the capital of Vladimir-Suzdal. By paying high tribute, Ivan won an important concession from the Khan.


title: Moscow

text: While the Khan of the Golden Horde initially attempted to limit Moscow's influence, when the growth of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania began to threaten all of Russia, the Khan strengthened Moscow to counterbalance Lithuania, allowing it to become one of the most powerful cities in Russia. In 1380, prince Dmitry Donskoy of Moscow led a united Russian army to an important victory over the Mongols in the Battle of Kulikovo. Afterward, Moscow took the leading role in liberating Russia from Mongol domination. In 1480, Ivan III had finally broken the Russians free from Tatar control, and Moscow became the capital of an empire that would eventually encompass all of Russia and Siberia, and parts of many other lands.


title: Moscow

text: In 1462 Ivan III, (1440–1505) became Grand Prince of Moscow (then part of the medieval Muscovy state). He began fighting the Tatars, enlarged the territory of Muscovy, and enriched his capital city. By 1500 it had a population of 100,000 and was one of the largest cities in the world. He conquered the far larger principality of Novgorod to the north, which had been allied to the hostile Lithuanians. Thus he enlarged the territory sevenfold, from . He took control of the ancient "Novgorod Chronicle" and made it a propaganda vehicle for his regime.


title: Moscow

text: The original Moscow Kremlin was built in the 14th century. It was reconstructed by Ivan, who in the 1480s invited architects from Renaissance Italy, such as Petrus Antonius Solarius, who designed the new Kremlin wall and its towers, and Marco Ruffo who designed the new palace for the prince. The Kremlin walls as they now appear are those designed by Solarius, completed in 1495. The Kremlin's Great Bell Tower was built in 1505–08 and augmented to its present height in 1600.


title: Moscow

text: A trading settlement, or "posad", grew up to the east of the Kremlin, in the area known as "Zaradye" (Зарядье). In the time of Ivan III, the Red Square, originally named the Hollow Field (Полое поле) appeared.


title: Moscow

text: In 1508–1516, the Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin (Novy) arranged for the construction of a moat in front of the eastern wall, which would connect the Moskva and Neglinnaya and be filled in with water from Neglinnaya. This moat, known as the Alevizov moat and having a length of , width of , and a depth of was lined with limestone and, in 1533, fenced on both sides with low, cogged-brick walls.


title: Moscow

text: In the 16th and 17th centuries, the three circular defenses were built: Kitay-gorod (Китай-город), the White City (Белый город) and the Earthen City (Земляной город). However, in 1547, two fires destroyed much of the town, and in 1571 the Crimean Tatars captured Moscow, burning everything except the Kremlin. The annals record that only 30,000 of 200,000 inhabitants survived.


title: Moscow

text: The Crimean Tatars attacked again in 1591, but this time were held back by new defense walls, built between 1584 and 1591 by a craftsman named Fyodor Kon. In 1592, an outer earth rampart with 50 towers was erected around the city, including an area on the right bank of the Moscow River. As an outermost line of defense, a chain of strongly fortified monasteries was established beyond the ramparts to the south and east, principally the Novodevichy Convent and Donskoy, Danilov, Simonov, Novospasskiy, and Andronikov monasteries, most of which now house museums. From its ramparts, the city became poetically known as "Bielokamennaya", the "White-Walled." The city's limits as marked by the ramparts built in 1592 are now marked by the Garden Ring.


title: Moscow

text: Three square gates existed on the eastern side of the Kremlin wall, which in the 17th century, were known as Konstantino-Eleninsky, Spassky, Nikolsky (owing their names to the icons of Constantine and Helen, the Saviour and St. Nicholas that hung over them). The last two were directly opposite the Red Square, while the Konstantino-Elenensky gate was located behind Saint Basil's Cathedral.


title: Moscow

text: The Russian famine of 1601–03 killed perhaps 100,000 in Moscow. From 1610 through 1612, troops of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth occupied Moscow, as its ruler Sigismund III tried to take the Russian throne. In 1612, the people of Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian cities conducted by prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin rose against the Polish occupants, besieged the Kremlin, and expelled them. In 1613, the Zemsky sobor elected Michael Romanov tsar, establishing the Romanov dynasty. The 17th century was rich in popular risings, such as the liberation of Moscow from the Polish–Lithuanian invaders (1612), the Salt Riot (1648), the Copper Riot (1662), and the Moscow Uprising of 1682.


title: Moscow

text: During the first half of the 17th century, the population of Moscow doubled from roughly 100,000 to 200,000. It expanded beyond its ramparts in the later 17th century. It is estimated, that in the middle of the 17th century, 20% of Moscow suburb's inhabitants were from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, practically all of them being driven from their homeland to Moscow by Muscovite invaders. By 1682, there were 692 households established north of the ramparts, by Ukrainians and Belarusians abducted from their hometowns in the course of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667). These new outskirts of the city came to be known as the "Meshchanskaya sloboda", after Ruthenian "meshchane" "town people". The term "meshchane" (мещане) acquired pejorative connotations in 18th-century Russia and today means "petty bourgeois" or "narrow-minded philistine".


title: Moscow

text: The entire city of the late 17th century, including the slobodas that grew up outside the city ramparts, are contained within what is today Moscow's Central Administrative Okrug.


title: Moscow

text: Numerous disasters befell the city. The plague epidemics ravaged Moscow in 1570–1571, 1592 and 1654–1656. The plague killed upwards of 80% of the people in 1654–55. Fires burned out much of the wooden city in 1626 and 1648.


title: Moscow

text: In 1712 Peter the Great moved his government to the newly built Saint Petersburg on the Baltic coast. Moscow ceased to be Russia's capital, except for a brief period from 1728 to 1732 under the influence of the Supreme Privy Council.


title: Moscow

text: After losing the status as the capital of the empire, the population of Moscow at first decreased, from 200,000 in the 17th century to 130,000 in 1750. But after 1750, the population grew more than tenfold over the remaining duration of the Russian Empire, reaching 1.8 million by 1915. The 1770–1772 Russian plague killed up to 100,000 people in Moscow.


title: Moscow

text: By 1700, the building of cobbled roads had begun. In November 1730, the permanent street light was introduced, and by 1867 many streets had a gaslight. In 1883, near the Prechistinskiye Gates, arc lamps were installed. In 1741 Moscow was surrounded by a barricade long, the Kamer-Kollezhskiy barrier, with 16 gates at which customs tolls were collected. Its line is traced today by a number of streets called "val" (“ramparts”).


title: Moscow

text: Between 1781 and 1804 the Mytischinskiy water pipe (the first in Russia) was built. In 1813, following the destruction of much of the city during the French occupation, a Commission for the Construction of the City of Moscow was established. It launched a great program of rebuilding, including a partial replanning of the city-centre. Among many buildings constructed or reconstructed at this time was the Grand Kremlin Palace and the Kremlin Armoury, the Moscow University, the Moscow Manege (Riding School), and the Bolshoi Theatre. In 1903 the Moskvoretskaya water supply was completed.


title: Moscow

text: In the early 19th century, the Arch of Konstantino-Elenensky gate was paved with bricks, but the Spassky Gate was the main front gate of the Kremlin and used for royal entrances. From this gate, wooden and (following the 17th-century improvements) stone bridges stretched across the moat. Books were sold on this bridge and stone platforms were built nearby for guns – "raskats". The Tsar Cannon was located on the platform of the Lobnoye mesto.


title: Moscow

text: The road connecting Moscow with St. Petersburg, now the M10 highway, was completed in 1746, its Moscow end following the old Tver road, which had existed since the 16th century. It became known as "Peterburskoye Schosse" after it was paved in the 1780s. Petrovsky Palace was built in 1776–1780 by Matvey Kazakov.


title: Moscow

text: When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, the Moscovites were evacuated. It is suspected that the Moscow fire was principally the effect of Russian sabotage. Napoleon's "Grande Armée" was forced to retreat and was nearly annihilated by the devastating Russian winter and sporadic attacks by Russian military forces. As many as 400,000 of Napoleon's soldiers died during this time.


title: Moscow

text: Moscow State University was established in 1755. Its main building was reconstructed after the 1812 fire by Domenico Giliardi. The "Moskovskiye Vedomosti" newspaper appeared from 1756, originally in weekly intervals, and from 1859 as a daily newspaper.


title: Moscow

text: The Arbat Street had been in existence since at least the 15th century, but it was developed into a prestigious area during the 18th century. It was destroyed in the fire of 1812 and was rebuilt completely in the early 19th century.


title: Moscow

text: In the 1830s, general Alexander Bashilov planned the first regular grid of city streets north from Petrovsky Palace. Khodynka field south of the highway was used for military training. Smolensky Rail station (forerunner of present-day Belorussky Rail Terminal) was inaugurated in 1870. Sokolniki Park, in the 18th century the home of the tsar's falconers well outside Moscow, became contiguous with the expanding city in the later 19th century and was developed into a public municipal park in 1878. The suburban Savyolovsky Rail Terminal was built in 1902. In January 1905, the institution of the City Governor, or Mayor, was officially introduced in Moscow, and Alexander Adrianov became Moscow's first official mayor.


title: Moscow

text: When Catherine II came to power in 1762, the city's filth and the smell of sewage were depicted by observers as a symptom of disorderly lifestyles of lower-class Russians recently arrived from the farms. Elites called for improving sanitation, which became part of Catherine's plans for increasing control over social life. National political and military successes from 1812 through 1855 calmed the critics and validated efforts to produce a more enlightened and stable society. There was less talk about the smell and the poor conditions of public health. However, in the wake of Russia's failures in the Crimean War in 1855–56, confidence in the ability of the state to maintain order in the slums eroded, and demands for improved public health put filth back on the agenda.


title: Moscow

text: In November 1917, upon learning of the uprising happening in Petrograd, Moscow's Bolsheviks also began their uprising. On November 2 (15), 1917, after heavy fighting, Soviet power was established in Moscow.


title: Moscow

text: Then Vladimir Lenin, fearing possible foreign invasion, moved the capital from Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) back to Moscow on March 12, 1918. The Kremlin once again became the seat of power and the political centre of the new state.


title: Moscow

text: With the change in values imposed by communist ideology, the tradition of preservation of cultural heritage was broken. Independent preservation societies, even those that defended only secular landmarks such as Moscow-based OIRU were disbanded by the end of the 1920s. A new anti-religious campaign, launched in 1929, coincided with the collectivization of peasants; the destruction of churches in the cities peaked around 1932. In 1937 several letters were written to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to rename Moscow to "Stalindar" or "Stalinodar," one from an elderly pensioner whose dream was to "live in Stalinodar" and had selected the name to represent the "gift" (dar) of the genius of Stalin. Stalin rejected this suggestion, and after it was suggested again to him by Nikolai Yezhov, he was outraged, saying "What do I need this for?". This was following Stalin banning the renaming of places in his name in 1936.


title: Moscow

text: During World War II, the Soviet State Committee of Defence and the General Staff of the Red Army were located in Moscow. In 1941, 16 divisions of the national volunteers (more than 160,000 people), 25 battalions (18,000 people), and four engineering regiments were formed among the Muscovites. Between October 1941 and January 1942, the German Army Group Centre was stopped at the outskirts of the city and then driven off in the course of the Battle of Moscow. Many factories were evacuated, together with much of the government, and from October 20 the city was declared to be in a state of siege. Its remaining inhabitants built and manned antitank defenses, while the city was bombarded from the air. On May 1, 1944, a medal "For the defence of Moscow" and in 1947 another medal "In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow" was instituted.


title: Moscow

text: Both German and Soviet casualties during the Battle of Moscow have been a subject of debate, as various sources provide somewhat different estimates. Total casualties between September 30, 1941, and January 7, 1942, are estimated to be between 248,000 and 400,000 for the Wehrmacht and between 650,000 and 1,280,000 for the Red Army.


title: Moscow

text: During the postwar years, there was a serious housing crisis, solved by the invention of high-rise apartments. There are over 11,000 of these standardised and prefabricated apartment blocks, housing the majority of Moscow's population, making it by far the city with the most high-rise buildings. Apartments were built and partly furnished in the factory before being raised and stacked into tall columns. The popular Soviet-era comic film "Irony of Fate" parodies this construction method.


title: Moscow

text: The city of Zelenograd was built in 1958 at from the city centre to the north-west, along with the Leningradskoye Shosse, and incorporated as one of Moscow's administrative okrugs. Moscow State University moved to its campus on Sparrow Hills in 1953.


title: Moscow

text: In 1959 Nikita Khrushchev launched his anti-religious campaign. By 1964 over 10 thousand churches out of 20 thousand were shut down (mostly in rural areas) and many were demolished. Of 58 monasteries and convents operating in 1959, only sixteen remained by 1964; of Moscow's fifty churches operating in 1959, thirty were closed and six demolished.


title: Moscow

text: On May 8, 1965, due to the actual 20th anniversary of the victory in World War II, Moscow was awarded a title of the Hero City.


title: Moscow

text: The Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) was opened in 1961. It had four lanes running along the city borders. The MKAD marked the administrative boundaries of the city of Moscow until the 1980s when outlying suburbs beyond the ring road began to be incorporated. In 1980, Moscow hosted the Summer Olympic Games, which were boycotted by the United States and several other Western countries due to the Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan in late 1979. In 1991 Moscow was the scene of a coup attempt by conservative communists opposed to the liberal reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev.


title: Moscow

text: When the USSR was dissolved in the same year, Moscow remained the capital of the Russian SFSR (on December 25, 1991, the Russian SFSR was renamed the Russian Federation). Since then, a market economy has emerged in Moscow, producing an explosion of Western-style retailing, services, architecture, and lifestyles.


title: Moscow

text: The city has continued to grow during the 1990s to 2000s, its population rising from below nine to above ten million. Mason and Nigmatullina argue that Soviet-era urban-growth controls (before 1991) produced controlled and sustainable metropolitan development, typified by the greenbelt built in 1935. Since then, however, there has been a dramatic growth of low-density suburban sprawl, created by heavy demand for single-family dwellings as opposed to crowded apartments. In 1995–1997 the MKAD ring road was widened from the initial four to ten lanes.


title: Moscow

text: In December 2002 Bulvar Dmitriya Donskogo became the first Moscow Metro station that opened beyond the limits of MKAD. The Third Ring Road, intermediate between the early 19th-century Garden Ring and the Soviet-era outer ring road, was completed in 2004. The greenbelt is becoming more and more fragmented, and satellite cities are appearing at the fringe. Summer dachas are being converted into year-round residences, and with the proliferation of automobiles there is heavy traffic congestion. Multiple old churches and other examples of architectural heritage that had been demolished during the Stalin era have been restored, such as the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.


title: Moscow

text: In 2010s Moscow's Administration has launched some long duration projects like the "Moja Ulitsa" (in English: "My Street") urban redevelopment program or the Residency renovation one.


title: Moscow

text: By its territorial expansion on July 1, 2012, southwest into the Moscow Oblast the area of the capital more than doubled, going from , resulting in Moscow becoming the largest city on the European continent by area; it also gained an additional population of 233,000 people. The annexed territory was officially named "Новая Москва" (New Moscow).


title: Moscow

text: Moscow is situated on the banks of the Moskva River, which flows for just over through the East European Plain in central Russia, not far from the natural border of the forest and forest-steppe zone. 49 bridges span the river and its canals within the city's limits. The elevation of Moscow at the All-Russia Exhibition Center (VVC), where the leading Moscow weather station is situated, is . Teplostan Upland is the city's highest point at . The width of Moscow city (not limiting MKAD) from west to east is , and the length from north to south is .


title: Moscow

text: Moscow serves as the reference point for the time zone used in most of European Russia, Belarus and the Republic of Crimea. The areas operate in what is referred to in international standards as "Moscow Standard Time (MSK, )", which is 3 hours ahead of UTC, or UTC+3. Daylight saving time is no longer observed. According to the geographical longitude the average solar noon in Moscow occurs at 12:30.


title: Moscow

text: Moscow has a humid continental climate (Köppen: "Dfb") with long, cold (although average by Russian standards) winters usually lasting from mid-November to the end of March, and warm summers. More extreme continental climates at the same latitude- such as parts of Eastern Canada or Siberia- have much colder winters than Moscow, suggesting that there is still significant moderation from the Atlantic Ocean despite the fact that Moscow is far from the sea. Weather can fluctuate widely, with temperatures ranging from in the city and in the suburbs to above in the winter, and from in the summer.


title: Moscow

text: Typical high temperatures in the warm months of June, July, and August are around a comfortable , but during heat waves (which can occur between May and September), daytime high temperatures often exceed , sometimes for a week or two at a time. In the winter, average temperatures normally drop to approximately , though almost every winter there are periods of warmth with day temperatures rising above , and periods of cooling with night temperatures falling below . These periods usually last about a week or two. The growing season in Moscow normally lasts for 156 days usually around May 1 to October 5.


title: Moscow

text: The highest temperature ever recorded was at the VVC weather station and in the center of Moscow and Domodedovo airport on July 29, 2010, during the unusual 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat waves. Record high and average temperatures were recorded for January, March, April, May, June, July, August, November, and December in 2007–2022. The average July temperature from 1991 to 2020 is . The lowest ever recorded temperature was in January 1940. Snow, which is present for about five months a year, often begins to fall mid-October, while snow cover lies in November and melts at the beginning of April.


title: Moscow

text: On average, Moscow has 1731 hours of sunshine per year, varying from a low of 8% in December to 52% from May to August. This large annual variation is due to convective cloud formation. In the winter, moist air from the Atlantic condenses in the cold continental interior, resulting in very overcast conditions. However, this same continental influence results in considerably sunnier summers than oceanic cities of similar latitude such as Edinburgh. Between 2004 and 2010, the average was between 1800 and 2000 hours with a tendency to more sunshine in summer months, up to a record 411 hours in July 2014, 79% of possible sunshine. December 2017 was the darkest month in Moscow since records began, with only six minutes of sunlight.


title: Moscow

text: Temperatures in the centre of Moscow are often significantly higher than in the outskirts and nearby suburbs, especially in winter. For example, if the average February temperature in the north-east of Moscow is , in the suburbs it is about . The temperature difference between the centre of Moscow and nearby areas of Moscow Oblast can sometimes be more than on frosty winter nights.


title: Moscow

text: Recent changes in Moscow's regional climate, since it is in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, are often cited by climate scientists as evidence of global warming, though by definition, climate change is global, not regional. During the summer, extreme heat is often observed in the city (2001, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2021). Along with a southern part of Central Russia, after recent years of hot summer seasons, the climate of the city gets hot-summer classification trends. Winter also became significantly milder: for example, the average January temperature in the early 1900s was , while now it is about . At the end of January–February it is often colder, with frosts reaching a few nights per year (2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013).


title: Moscow

text: The last decade was the warmest in the history of meteorological observations of Moscow. Temperature changes in the city are depicted in the table below:


title: Moscow

text: According to the results of the 2021 Census, the population of Moscow was 13,010,112; up from 11,503,501 recorded in the 2010 Census.


title: Moscow

text: The official population of Moscow is based on those holding "permanent residency". According to Russia's Federal Migration Service, Moscow holds 1.8 million official "guests" who have temporary residency on the basis of visas or other documentation, giving a legal population of 13.3 million. The number of Illegal immigrants, the vast majority originating from Central Asia, is estimated to be an additional 1 million people, giving a total population of about 14.3 million.


title: Moscow

text: Christians form the majority of the city's population; most of whom adhere Russian Orthodox Church. The Patriarch of Moscow serves as the head of the church and resides in the Danilov Monastery. Moscow was called the "city of 40 times 40 churches"—prior to 1917. Moscow is Russia's capital of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which has been the country's traditional religion.


title: Moscow

text: Other religions practiced in Moscow include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Yazidism, and Rodnovery. The Moscow Mufti Council claimed that Muslims numbered around 1.5 million of 10.5 million of the city's population in 2010; There are four mosques in the city.


title: Moscow

text: Moscow's architecture is world-renowned. Moscow is the site of Saint Basil's Cathedral, with its elegant onion domes, as well as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Seven Sisters. The first Kremlin was built in the middle of the 12th century.


title: Moscow

text: Medieval Moscow's design was of concentric walls and intersecting radial thoroughfares. This layout, as well as Moscow's rivers, helped shape Moscow's design in subsequent centuries.