title: West Memphis Three

text: There has been widespread criticism of the handling of the crime scene by the police. Misskelley's former attorney Dan Stidham cites multiple substantial police errors at the crime scene, characterizing it as "literally trampled, especially the creek bed." The bodies, he said, had been removed from the water before the coroner arrived to examine the scene and determine the state of rigor mortis, allowing the bodies to decay on the creek bank and to be exposed to sunlight and insects. The police did not telephone the coroner until almost two hours after the discovery of the floating shoe, resulting in a late appearance by the coroner. Officials failed to drain the creek in a timely manner and secure possible evidence in the water (the creek was sandbagged after the bodies were pulled from the water).


title: West Memphis Three

text: Stidham has called the coroner's investigation "extremely substandard." There was a small amount of blood found at the scene that was never tested. According to HBO's documentaries "" (1996) and "" (2000), no blood was found at the crime scene, indicating that the location where the bodies were found was not necessarily the location where the murders actually happened. After the initial investigation, the police failed to control disclosure of information and speculation about the crime scene.


title: West Memphis Three

text: According to Leveritt, "Police records were a mess. To call them disorderly would be putting it mildly." Leveritt speculated that the small local police force was overwhelmed by the crime, which was unlike any they had ever investigated. Police refused an unsolicited offer of aid and consultation from the violent crimes experts of the Arkansas State Police, and critics suggested this was due to the WMPD's being under investigation by the Arkansas State Police for suspected theft from the Crittenden County drug task force. Leveritt further noted that some of the physical evidence was stored in paper sacks obtained from a supermarket (with the supermarket's name printed on the bags) rather than in containers of known and controlled origin.


title: West Memphis Three

text: When police speculated about the assailant, the juvenile probation officer assisting at the scene of the murders speculated that Echols was "capable" of committing the murders," stating: "it looks like Damien Echols finally killed someone."


title: West Memphis Three

text: Brent Turvey, a forensic scientist and criminal profiler, stated in the film "Paradise Lost 2" that human bite marks could have been left on at least one of the victims. However, these potential bite marks were first noticed in photographs years after the trials and were not inspected by a board-certified medical examiner until four years after the murders. The defense's expert testified that the mark in question was not an adult bite mark, while experts put on by the State concluded that there was no bite mark at all. The State's experts had examined the actual bodies for any marks, and others conducted expert photo analysis of injuries. Upon further examination, it was concluded that if these marks were bite marks, they did not match the teeth of any of the three convicted.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In May 1994, the three defendants appealed their convictions; the convictions were upheld on direct appeal. In June 1996, Misskelley's lawyer, Dan Stidham, was preparing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In 2007, Echols petitioned for a retrial, based on a statute permitting post-conviction testing of DNA evidence due to technological advances made since 1994 which might provide exoneration for the wrongfully convicted. The petition failed when the original trial judge, Judge David Burnett, disallowed presentation of this information in his court. This ruling was in turn thrown out by the Arkansas Supreme Court as to all three defendants on November 4, 2010.


title: West Memphis Three

text: John Mark Byers, the adoptive father of victim Christopher Byers, gave a knife to cameraman Doug Cooper, who was working with documentary makers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky while filming the first "" feature. The knife was a folding hunting knife manufactured by Kershaw. According to the statements given by Berlinger and Sinofsky, Cooper informed them of his receipt of the knife on December 19, 1993. After the documentary crew returned to New York, Berlinger and Sinofsky were reported to have discovered what appeared to be blood on the knife. HBO executives ordered them to return the knife to the West Memphis Police Department. The knife was not received at the West Memphis Police Department until January 8, 1994.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Byers initially claimed the knife had never been used. However, after blood was found on the knife, Byers stated that he had used it only once, to cut deer meat. When told the blood matched both his and Chris' blood type, Byers said he had no idea how that blood might have gotten on the knife. During interrogation, West Memphis police suggested to Byers that he might have left the knife out accidentally, and Byers agreed with this. Byers later stated that he may have cut his thumb. Further testing of the knife produced inconclusive results about the source of the blood. Uncertainty remained due to the small amount of blood and because both John Mark Byers and Chris Byers had the same HLA-DQα genotype.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Byers agreed to and passed a polygraph test about the murders during the filming of "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations", but the documentary indicated that Byers was under the influence of several psychoactive prescription medications that could have affected the test results.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Following their convictions, Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin submitted imprints of their teeth. These were compared to the alleged bite marks on Stevie Branch's forehead that had not been mentioned in the original autopsy or trial. No matches were found. John Mark Byers had his teeth removed in 1997, after the first trial but before an imprint could be made. His stated reasons for the removal are apparently contradictory. He has claimed both that the seizure medication he was taking caused periodontal disease, and that he planned the removal because of other kinds of dental problems which had troubled him for years.


title: West Memphis Three

text: After an expert examined autopsy photos and noted what he thought might be the imprint of a belt buckle on Byers' corpse, the elder Byers revealed to the police that he had spanked his stepson shortly before the boy disappeared.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In October 2003, Vicki Hutcheson, who had played a part in the arrests of Misskelley, Echols, and Baldwin, gave an interview to the "Arkansas Times" in which she stated that every word she had given to the police was a fabrication. She further asserted that the police had implied that if she did not cooperate with them they would take away her child. She said that when she visited the police station, employees had photographs of Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley on the wall and were using them as dart targets. She also claims that an audiotape the police said was "unintelligible" (and that they eventually lost) was perfectly clear and contained no incriminating statements.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In 2007, DNA collected from the crime scene was tested. None was found to match DNA from Echols, Baldwin, or Misskelley. A hair "not inconsistent with" Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, was found tied into the knots used to bind one of the victims. The prosecutors, while conceding that no DNA evidence tied the accused to the crime scene, said: "The State stands behind its convictions of Echols and his codefendants." Pamela Hobbs' May 5, 2009 declaration in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division indicates that "one hair was consistent with the hair of [Terry's] friend, David Jacoby" (Point 16), and:


title: West Memphis Three

text: In 2013, written statements from two men, Billy Wayne Stewart and Bennie Guy, were introduced in the court. They both claimed to have had information on the case linking Terry Hobbs to the murders, but were ignored by police initially.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In July 2008, it was revealed that Kent Arnold, the jury foreman on the Echols-Baldwin trial, had discussed the case with an attorney prior to the beginning of deliberations. Arnold was accused of advocating for the guilt of the West Memphis Three and sharing knowledge of inadmissible evidence, like the Jessie Misskelley statements, with other jurors. At the time, legal experts agreed that this issue could result in the reversal of the convictions of Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In September 2008, attorney (now judge) Daniel Stidham, who represented Misskelley in 1994, testified at a postconviction relief hearing. Stidham testified under oath that during the trial, Judge David Burnett erred by making an improper communication with the jury during its deliberations. Stidham overheard Judge Burnett discuss taking a lunch break with the jury foreman and heard the foreman reply that the jury was almost finished. He testified that Judge Burnett responded, "You'll need food for when you come back for sentencing," and that the foreman asked in return what would happen if the defendant was acquitted. Stidham said the judge closed the door without answering. He testified that his own failure to put this incident on the court record and his failure to meet the minimum requirements in state law to represent a defendant in a capital murder case was evidence of ineffective assistance of counsel and that Misskelley's conviction should therefore be vacated.


title: West Memphis Three

text: On October 29, 2007, papers were filed in federal court by Echols's defense lawyers seeking a retrial or his immediate release from prison. The filing cited DNA evidence linking Terry Hobbs (stepfather of one of the victims) to the crime scene, and new statements from Hobbs' now ex-wife. Also presented in the filing was new expert testimony that the supposed knife marks on the victims, including the injuries to Byers' genitals, were in fact the result of animal predation after the bodies had been dumped.


title: West Memphis Three

text: On September 10, 2008, Circuit Court Judge David Burnett denied the request for a retrial, citing the DNA tests as inconclusive. That ruling was appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the case on September 30, 2010.


title: West Memphis Three

text: On November 4, 2010, the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered a lower judge to consider whether newly analyzed DNA evidence might exonerate the three. The justices also instructed the lower court to examine claims of misconduct by the jurors who sentenced Damien Echols to death and Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin to life in prison.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In early December 2010, David Burnett was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. Circuit Court Judge David Laser was selected to replace David Burnett and preside in the evidentiary hearings mandated by the successful appeal.


title: West Memphis Three

text: After weeks of negotiations, on August 19, 2011, Echols, Baldwin and Misskelley were released from prison as part of a plea deal, making the hearings ordered by the Arkansas Supreme Court unnecessary. The three entered into unusual Alford plea deals. The Alford plea is a legal mechanism that allows defendants to plead guilty while still asserting their actual innocence, in cases where defendants concede that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. Stephen Braga, an attorney with Ropes & Gray who took up Echols's defense on a pro bono basis beginning in 2009, negotiated the plea agreement with prosecutors.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Under the deal, Judge David Laser vacated the previous convictions, including the capital murder convictions for Echols and Baldwin, and ordered a new trial. Each man then entered an Alford plea to lesser charges of first- and second-degree murder while verbally stating their innocence. Judge Laser then sentenced them to time served, a total of 18 years and 78 days, and they were each given a suspended imposition of sentence for 10 years. If they re-offend they can be sent back to prison for 21 years.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Factors cited by prosecutor Scott Ellington for agreeing to the plea deal included that two of the victims' families had joined the cause of the defense, that the mother of a witness who testified about Echols's confession had questioned her daughter's truthfulness, and that the State Crime Lab employee who collected fiber evidence at the Echols and Baldwin homes after their arrests had died. As part of the plea deal, the three men cannot pursue civil action against the state for wrongful imprisonment.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Many of the men's supporters, and opponents who still believe them guilty, were unhappy with the unusual plea deal. In 2011, supporters pushed Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe to pardon Echols, Baldwin, and Misskelley based on their innocence. Beebe said he would deny the request unless there was evidence showing someone else committed the murders. Prosecutor Scott Ellington said the Arkansas state crime laboratory would help seek other suspects by running searches on any DNA evidence produced in private laboratory tests during the defense team's investigation. This would include running the results through the FBI's Combined DNA Index System database. Ellington said that, although he still considered the men guilty, the three would likely be acquitted if a new trial were held because of the powerful legal counsel representing them now, the loss of evidence over time, and the change of heart among some of the witnesses.


title: West Memphis Three

text: The families of the three victims are divided in their opinions as to the guilt or innocence of the West Memphis Three. In 2000, the biological father of Christopher Byers, Rick Murray, expressed his doubts about the guilty verdicts on the West Memphis Three website. In 2007, Pamela Hobbs, the mother of victim Stevie Branch, joined those who have publicly questioned the verdicts, calling for a reopening of the verdicts and further investigation of the evidence. In late 2007, John Mark Byers—who was previously vehement in his belief that Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin were guilty—also announced that he now believes that they are innocent. "I had made the comment if it were ever proven the three were innocent, I'd be the first to lead the charge for their freedom," said Byers, and take "every opportunity that I have to voice that the West Memphis Three are innocent and the evidence and proof prove they're innocent." Byers has spoken to the media on behalf of the convicted, and has expressed his desire for justice for the families of both the victims and the three accused.


title: West Memphis Three

text: In 2010, district Judge Brian S. Miller ordered Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, to pay $17,590 to Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines for legal costs stemming from a defamation lawsuit he filed against the band. Miller dismissed a suit Hobbs filed over Maines' remarks and writings implying that he was involved in killing his stepson. The judge said Hobbs had chosen to involve himself in public discussion over whether the convictions were just.


title: West Memphis Three

text: John E. Douglas, a former longtime FBI agent and current criminal profiler, said that the murders were more indicative of a single murderer intent on degrading and punishing the victims, than of a trio of "unsophisticated" teenagers. Douglas believed that the perpetrator had a violent history and was familiar with the victims and with local geography. Douglas served as FBI Unit Chief of the Investigative Support Unit of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime for 25 years. He stated in his report for Echols's legal team that there was no evidence the murders were linked to satanic rituals and that post-mortem animal predation could explain the alleged knife injuries. He said that the victims had died from a combination of blunt force trauma and drowning, in a crime which he believed was driven by personal cause.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Three films, "", "", and "", directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, have documented this case and are strongly critical of the verdict. The films marked the first time Metallica allowed their music to be used in a movie, which drew attention to the case.


title: West Memphis Three

text: There have been a number of books about the case, also arguing that the suspects were wrongly convicted: "Devil's Knot" by Mara Leveritt; "Blood of Innocents" by Guy Reel; and "The Last Pentacle of the Sun: Writings in Support of the West Memphis Three", edited by Brett Alexander Savory & M. W. Anderson, and featuring dark fiction and non-fiction by well-known writers of speculative fiction. In 2005, Damien Echols completed his memoir, "Almost Home, Vol 1", offering his perspective of the case. A biography of John Mark Byers by Greg Day named "Untying the Knot: John Mark Byers and the West Memphis Three" was published in May 2012.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Many songs were written about the case, and two albums released in support of the defendants. In 2000, The album "Free the West Memphis 3" was released by KOCH Records. Organized by Eddie Spaghetti of the band Supersuckers, the album featured a number of original songs about the case and other recordings by artists such as Steve Earle, Tom Waits, L7, and Joe Strummer. In 2002, Henry Rollins worked with other vocalists from various rock, hip hop, punk and metal groups and members of Black Flag and the Rollins Band on the compilation album "". All money raised from sales of the album are donated to the legal funds of the West Memphis Three. Metalcore band Zao's 2002 album "Parade of Chaos" included a track inspired by the case named "Free The Three". On April 28, 2011, the band Disturbed released a song entitled "3" as a download on their website. The song is about the West Memphis Three, with 100% of the proceeds going to their benefit foundation for their release.


title: West Memphis Three

text: A website by Martin David Hill, containing approximately 160,000 words and intending to be a "thorough investigation", collates and discusses many details surrounding the murders and investigation, including some anecdotal information.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Investigative journalist Aphrodite Jones undertook an exploration of the case on her Discovery Network show "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones" following the DNA discoveries. The episode premiered May 5, 2011, with extensive background information included on the show's page at the Investigation Discovery site. In August 2011, White Light Productions announced that the West Memphis Three would be featured on their new program "Wrongfully Convicted".


title: West Memphis Three

text: In January 2010, the CBS television news journal "48 Hours" aired "The Memphis 3", an in-depth coverage of the history of the case including interviews with Echols and supporters. On September 17, 2011, "48 Hours" re-aired the episode with the update of their release and interviews from Echols and his wife, and Baldwin. "Piers Morgan Tonight" aired an episode on September 29, 2011, about the three's plans for the future and continued investigations on the case.


title: West Memphis Three

text: "West of Memphis", directed and written by Amy J. Berg, and produced by Peter Jackson, as well as by Echols himself, premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Actor Johnny Depp, a longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three and personal friend of Damien Echols, was on hand to support the film in its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Atom Egoyan directed a dramatized feature film of the case, titled "Devil's Knot", released in U.S. theaters on May 9, 2014. The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Jessie Misskelley Jr. (born July 10, 1975) was arrested in connection to the murders of May 5, 1993. After a reported 12 hours of interrogation by police, Misskelley, who has an IQ of 72, confessed to the murders, and implicated Baldwin and Echols. However, the confession was at odds with facts known by police, such as the time of the murders. Under the "Bruton" rule, his confession could not be admitted against his co-defendants and thus he was tried separately. Misskelley was convicted by a jury of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder. The court sentenced him to life plus 40 years in prison. His conviction was appealed and affirmed by the Arkansas Supreme Court.


title: West Memphis Three

text: On August 19, 2011, Misskelley, along with Baldwin and Echols, entered an Alford plea. Judge David Laser then sentenced them to 18 years and 78 days, the amount of time they had served, and also levied a suspended sentence of 10 years. All three were released from prison that same day. Since his release, Misskelley has become engaged to his high school girlfriend and enrolled in a community college to train as an auto mechanic.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Charles Jason Baldwin (born April 11, 1977) along with Misskelley and Echols, entered an Alford plea on August 19, 2011. Baldwin pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while still asserting his actual innocence. The judge then sentenced the three men to 18 years and 78 days, the amount of time they had served, and also levied a suspended sentence of 10 years.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Baldwin was initially resistant to agree to this deal, insisting as a matter of principle that he would not plead guilty to something he did not do. He then realized, he has said, that his refusal would have meant that Echols stayed on death row. "This was not justice," he said of the deal. "However, they're trying to kill Damien." Since his release, Baldwin has moved to Seattle to live with friends. He is in a relationship with a woman who befriended him while he was in prison. He has stated that he plans on enrolling in college to become a lawyer in order to help wrongfully convicted persons prove their innocence. Baldwin said in a 2011 interview with Piers Morgan that he worked for a construction company and he was learning how to drive.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Damien Wayne Echols (born Michael Wayne Hutchison, December 11, 1974) was on death row, locked-down 23 hours per day at the Varner Unit Supermax. Echols, ADC# 000931, entered the system on March 19, 1994. Until August 2011, he was incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction (ADC) Varner Unit Supermax. In prison in 1999, he married landscape architect Lorri Davis.


title: West Memphis Three

text: On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with Baldwin and Misskelley, was released from prison after their attorneys and the judge handling the upcoming retrial agreed to a deal. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendants accepted the sufficiency of evidence supporting the three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. DNA evidence at the scene was not found to include any from Echols or his co-defendants. He moved to New York City after his release.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Echols' mental stability during the years immediately prior to the murders and during his trial was the focus of his appellate legal team in their appeal attempts. In his efforts to win a new trial, Echols, 27 at the time of the appeal, claimed he was incompetent to stand trial because of a history of mental illness. The record on appeal spells out a long history of Echols' mental health problems, including a May 5, 1992, Arkansas Department of Youth Services referral for possible mental illness, a year to the day before the murders. Hospital records for his treatment in Little Rock 11 months before the killings show a history of self-mutilation and assertions to hospital staff that he gained power by drinking blood, that he had inside him the spirit of a woman who had killed her husband, and that he was having hallucinations. He also told mental health workers that he was "going to influence the world."


title: West Memphis Three

text: The appellate legal team argued that Echols did not waive his assertion that he was not mentally competent before his 1994 trial because he was not competent to waive it. To assist in the appeals process, Echols' appellate legal team retained a Berkeley, California-based forensic psychiatrist, Dr. George Woods, to make their case.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Echols' lawyers claimed that his condition worsened during the trial, when he developed a "psychotic euphoria that caused him to believe he would evolve into a superior entity" and eventually be transported to a different world. His psychosis dominated his perceptions of everything going on in court, Woods wrote. Echols's mental state while in prison awaiting trial was also called into question by his appellate team.


title: West Memphis Three

text: While in prison, Echols wrote letters to Gloria Shettles, an investigator for his defense team. Echols sought to overturn his conviction based on trial error, including juror misconduct, as well as the results of a DNA Status Report filed on July 17, 2007, which concluded "none of the genetic material recovered at the scene of the crimes was attributable to Mr. Echols, Echols' co-defendant, Jason Baldwin, or defendant Jessie Misskelley ... Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants." Advanced DNA and other scientific evidence – combined with additional evidence from several different witnesses and experts – released in October 2007 had cast strong doubts on the original convictions. A hearing on Echols' petition for a writ of habeas corpus was held in the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.


title: West Memphis Three

text: On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with Baldwin and Misskelley, entered an Alford plea, while asserting their innocence. The judge sentenced them to 18 years and 78 days, the amount of time they had served, and levied a suspended sentence of 10 years. Echols' sentence was reduced to three counts of first degree murder. Lawyers representing the West Memphis Three reached the plea deal that allowed the men to be released from prison. They were transferred to the hearing with their possessions. The plea deal did not technically result in a full exoneration; some of the convictions would stand, but the men would not admit guilt. The counsel representing the men said they would continue to pursue full exoneration.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Echols relocated to Salem, Massachusetts with his wife and has no intentions of returning to Arkansas. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he said that he would like to have a career in writing and visual arts.


title: West Memphis Three

text: Echols self-published the memoir, "Almost Home: My Life Story Vol. 1" (2005), while still in prison. After his release, he has worked on a number of additional media projects.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Yuval Noah Harari ( ; born 1976) is an Israeli historian and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of the popular science bestsellers "" (2014), "" (2016), and "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" (2018). His writings examine free will, consciousness, intelligence, happiness, and suffering.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari writes about the "cognitive revolution" occurring roughly 70,000 years ago when "Homo sapiens" supplanted the rival Neanderthals and other species of the genus "Homo", developed language skills and structured societies, and ascended as apex predators, aided by the agricultural revolution and accelerated by the scientific revolution, which have allowed humans to approach near mastery over their environment. His books also examine the possible consequences of a futuristic biotechnological world in which intelligent biological organisms are surpassed by their own creations; he has said, ""Homo sapiens" as we know them will disappear in a century or so".


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind", Harari surveys human history from the evolutionary emergence of Homo Sapiens to 21st Century political and technological revolutions. The book is based on his lectures to an undergraduate world history class.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Yuval Noah Harari was born and raised in Kiryat Ata, Israel, one of three children born to Shlomo and Pnina Harari. His family was a secular Jewish family with roots in Lebanon and Eastern Europe. His father was a state-employed armaments engineer and his mother was an office administrator. Harari taught himself to read at age three. He studied in a class for intellectually gifted children at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa from the age of eight. He deferred mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces to pursue university studies as part of the Atuda program but was later exempted from completing his military service following his studies due to health issues. He began studying history and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at age 17.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari first specialized in medieval history and military history in his studies from 1993 to 1998 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He completed his D.Phil. degree at Jesus College, Oxford, in 2002, under the supervision of Steven J. Gunn. From 2003 to 2005, he pursued postdoctoral studies in history as a Yad Hanadiv Fellow. While at Oxford, Harari first encountered the writings of Jared Diamond, whom he has acknowledged as an influence on his own writing. At a Berggruen Institute salon, Harari said that Diamond's "Guns, Germs, and Steel" “was kind of an epiphany in my academic career. I realized that I could actually write such books.”


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari has published numerous books and articles, including "Special Operations in the Age of Chivalry, 1100–1550"; "The Ultimate Experience: Battlefield Revelations and the Making of Modern War Culture, 1450–2000"; "The Concept of 'Decisive Battles' in World History"; and "Armchairs, Coffee and Authority: Eye-witnesses and Flesh-witnesses Speak about War, 1100–2000". He now specializes in world history and macro-historical processes.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: His book "" was originally published in Hebrew in 2011 based on the 20 lectures of an undergraduate world history class he was teaching. It was then released in English in 2014 and has since been translated into some 45 additional languages. The book surveys the entire length of human history, from the evolution of "Homo sapiens" in the Stone Age up to the political and technological revolutions of the 21st century. The Hebrew edition became a bestseller in Israel, and generated much interest among the general public, turning Harari into a celebrity. Joseph Drew wrote that ""Sapiens" provides a wide-ranging and thought-provoking introduction for students of comparative civilization," considering it as a work that "highlights the importance and wide expanse of the social sciences."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari's follow-up book, "", was published in 2016 and examines the possibilities for the future of "Homo sapiens". The book's premise outlines that, in the future, humanity is likely to make a significant attempt to gain happiness, immortality and God-like powers. The book goes on to openly speculate various ways this ambition might be realised for "Homo sapiens" in the future based on the past and present. Among several possibilities for the future, Harari develops the term dataism for a philosophy or mindset that worships big data. Writing in "The New York Times Book Review", Siddhartha Mukherjee stated that although the book "fails to convince me entirely," he considers it "essential reading for those who think about the future."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari's book, "21 Lessons for the 21st Century," published on 30 August 2018, focused more on present-day concerns. A review in the "New Statesman" commented on what it called "risible moral dictums littered throughout the text", criticised Harari's writing style and stated that he was "trafficking in pointless asides and excruciating banalities." "Kirkus Reviews" praised the book as a "tour de force" and described it as a "highly instructive exploration of current affairs and the immediate future of human societies.”


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In November 2020 the first volume of his graphic adaptation of "", "Sapiens: A Graphic History – The Birth of Humankind," co-authored with David Vandermeulen and Daniel Casanave"," was published and launched at a livestream event organised by How to Academy and Penguin Books.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In 2022, Harari's latest book, "Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World", illustrated by Ricard Zaplana Ruiz, was published and is a "Story of Human History — for Kids." In fewer than 200 pages of child-friendly language, Harari covers the same content as his best-selling book "", but "he has simplified the presentation for this younger audience without dumbing it down." This book is "the first of four planned volumes."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari is gay and in 2002 met his husband Itzik Yahav, whom he has called "my internet of all things". Yahav has also been Harari's personal manager. They married in a civil ceremony in Toronto, Canada.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In 2018 Harari said Vipassana meditation, which he began whilst in Oxford in 2000, has ""transformed my life"". As of 2017 he practised for two hours every day (one hour at the start and end of his work day), every year undertook a meditation retreat of 30 days or longer, in silence and with no books or social media, and is an assistant meditation teacher. He dedicated "" to "my teacher, S. N. Goenka, who lovingly taught me important things", and said "I could not have written this book without the focus, peace and insight gained from practising Vipassana for fifteen years." He also regards meditation as a way to research.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari is a vegan and says this resulted from his research, including his view that the foundation of the dairy industry is breaking the bond between mother cow and calf. As of May 2021, Harari did not have a smartphone.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In a 2020 interview, Harari talks about his place of residence and says, "I live in a kind of middle-class suburb of Tel Aviv."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, following former United States President Donald Trump's cut to WHO funding, Harari announced that he and his husband would donate $1 million to the WHO through Sapienship, their social impact company.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari twice won the Polonsky Prize for "Creativity and Originality", in 2009 and 2012. In 2011, he won the Society for Military History's Moncado Award for outstanding articles in military history. In 2012, he was elected to the Young Israeli Academy of Sciences.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: "Sapiens" was in the top 3 of "The New York Times" Best Seller list for 96 consecutive weeks. In 2018, Harari gave the first TED Talk as a digital avatar.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In 2017, "Homo Deus" won Handelsblatt's German Economic Book Award for the most thoughtful and influential economic book of the year.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In July 2019, Harari was widely criticised for allowing several omissions and amendments in the Russian edition of his third book "21 Lessons for the 21st Century", using a softer tone when speaking about Russian authorities. Leonid Bershidsky in "Moscow Times" called it "caution — or, to call it by its proper name, cowardice", and Nettanel Slyomovics in "Haaretz" claimed that "he is sacrificing those same liberal ideas that he presumes to represent". In a response, Harari stated that he "was warned that due to these few examples Russian censorship will not allow distribution of a Russian translation of the book" and that he "therefore faced a dilemma," namely to "replace these few examples with other examples, and publish the book in Russia," or "change nothing, and publish nothing," and that he "preferred publishing, because Russia is a leading global power and it seemed important that the book’s ideas should reach readers in Russia, especially as the book is still very critical of the Putin regime – just without naming names."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In November, 2022, he stated in an interwiew with CNN that "You have just one country, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean with three classes of people living there. Jews, who have all the rights; some Arabs, who have some rights; and other Arabs, who have very little or no rights," [] "This is increasingly also the aspiration, or mindset of some people even in the government." According to JPost, Harari "garnered much social media backlash" over the remarks.


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: Harari's popular writings are considered to belong to the Big History genre, with Ian Parker writing in 2020 in the "New Yorker" that "Harari did not invent Big History, but updated it with hints of self-help and futurology, as well as a high-altitude, almost nihilistic composure about human suffering."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: His work has been more negatively received in academic circles, with Christopher Robert Hallpike stating 2020 in a review of "Sapiens" that: "one has often had to point out how surprisingly little he seems to have read on quite a number of essential topics. It would be fair to say that whenever his facts are broadly correct they are not new, and whenever he tries to strike out on his own he often gets things wrong, sometimes seriously." Hallpike further states that: "we should not judge "Sapiens" as a serious contribution to knowledge but as 'infotainment', a publishing event to titillate its readers by a wild intellectual ride across the landscape of history, dotted with sensational displays of speculation, and ending with blood-curdling predictions about human destiny. By these criteria, it is a most successful book."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: On 22 July 2022, Current Affairs (magazine) published the article "The Dangerous Populist Science of Yuval Noah Harari", pointing out the lack of scientific support throughout his books: "The best-selling author is a gifted storyteller and popular speaker. But he sacrifices science for sensationalism, and his work is riddled with errors."


title: Yuval Noah Harari

text: In November 2022, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called Harari a historian and a brand. They pointed out that the Yahav Harari Group, built by his partner Yahaf, was a "booming product cosmos" selling comics and children’s books, but soon films and documentaries. They observed an "icy deterministic touch" in his books which made them so popular in Silicon Valley. They stated that his listeners celebrated him like a pop star, even though he only had the sad message that people are "bad algorithms", soon to be redundant, to be replaced because machines could do it better.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison de Andrade (born 10 May 1997), known mononymously as Richarlison (), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazil national team.


title: Richarlison

text: He began his professional career with América Mineiro in 2015, winning promotion from the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B in his only season before transferring to Fluminense. He totalled 67 matches and 19 goals in his two years there and was named in the Team of the Season when the club finished as runners-up in the 2017 Campeonato Carioca. He then signed for Watford, and a year later Everton. He later signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2022.


title: Richarlison

text: At international level, Richarlison made his senior debut for Brazil in 2018. He was a member of the team that won the 2019 Copa América, came runners-up at the 2021 Copa América and won a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic tournament, also playing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison de Andrade was born on 10 May 1997 in Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo. He joined América Mineiro's youth setup in December 2014, from Real Noroeste. In June 2015, he was promoted to the first team by manager Givanildo Oliveira. He had previously been close to giving up on a career in football, having been rejected by several teams and spent all his money on a 600-kilometre one-way ticket to Belo Horizonte for his trial.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison made his professional debut on 4 July 2015 in a 3–1 home win against Mogi Mirim. After entering as a late substitute for Cristiano, he scored the last goal of the match. Seventeen days later, he extended his contract until 2018.


title: Richarlison

text: On 21 November 2015, as América earned promotion to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with a 1–1 home draw against Ceará, Richarlison was sent-off at the end of the match for a foul on Charles.


title: Richarlison

text: On 29 December 2015, Richarlison signed a five-year contract with Série A club Fluminense. He made his debut on 13 May 2016 in the second leg of the second round of the Copa do Brasil, contributing to all of his team's goals in a 3–3 home draw (6–3 aggregate) against Ferroviaria.


title: Richarlison

text: He made his league debut two days later, starting in a 1–0 away win against former club América. His first goal in the division came on 26 June, the winner in a 2–1 success against rivals Flamengo, a game in which he came on as a late substitute but was himself taken off injured.


title: Richarlison

text: In the 2017 Campeonato Carioca, Richarlison scored 8 goals in 12 matches and was named in the team of the season as his club finished as runner-up to Flamengo. This included one on 22 April in a 3–0 semi-final win over Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã Stadium.


title: Richarlison

text: In the same year, Richarlison also took part in his first continental competition, the 2017 Copa Sudamericana. He played four games in the Rio de Janeiro-based club's run to the quarter-finals, and scored in wins over Liverpool (Uruguay) and Universidad Católica (Ecuador) in the first two phases.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison completed a move to English Premier League club Watford on 8 August 2017, signing a five-year contract for a £11.2 million transfer fee. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 3–3 draw against Liverpool on the opening day of the 2017–18 Premier League season. In his next match, on 19 August against AFC Bournemouth, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win. He was the only player in the Watford squad to play every match of the Premier League season and scored five goals over its course.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison transferred to fellow Premier League club Everton on 24 July 2018 for a transfer fee starting at £35 million and potentially rising to £50 million, reuniting him with former Watford manager Marco Silva. In his competitive debut on 11 August, he scored twice in a 2–2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Two weeks later, he was sent off in the first half of a match of the same score away to Bournemouth for clashing heads with Adam Smith.


title: Richarlison

text: Due to the poor form of fellow Everton strikers, Richarlison was deployed in the centre-forward role for Everton's game against Leicester City on 6 October, scoring in the 7th minute in a 2–1 away win. Four weeks later, he scored twice in a 3–1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. Richarlison finished the season as Everton's joint-highest goalscorer along with Gylfi Sigurðsson on 13 Premier League goals, while both had 14 goals in all competitions. Ahead of the 2019–20 Richarlison was handed the number 7 shirt. He finished that season as the club's joint-highest goalscorer, this time sharing the honour with Dominic Calvert-Lewin on 13 Premier League goals, while both had 15 goals in all competitions.


title: Richarlison

text: On 3 December 2019, Richarlison signed a new five-year contract with Everton. On 20 February 2021, he scored the first goal in a 2–0 win over Liverpool at Anfield, Everton's first away win over their rivals since September 1999.


title: Richarlison

text: On 1 July 2022, Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Richarlison on a contract until 2027, subject to a work permit for a fee of £50m plus £10m in potential add-ons from Everton. Richarlison gained his first assist for his new club in a 2–0 win against Nottingham Forest on 20 August. Richarlison's showboating during that match was widely discussed in the media, being criticised by the likes of Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson as "disrespectful," but praised by Neil Warnock, who encouraged Richarlison to continue entertaining fans. On 7 September, on his Champions League debut, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win over Marseille at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his first goals for the club.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison was selected in the Brazil under-20 squad for the 2017 South American U-20 Championship. He made eight appearances and scored two goals in the tournament.


title: Richarlison

text: On 27 August 2018, he received his first call-up to the senior team by coach Tite, for friendlies against the United States and El Salvador, after Pedro withdrew injured. He made his debut against the Americans on 7 September at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, as a 75th-minute substitute for Roberto Firmino in a 2–0 win, and scored his first goals in the latter match four days later, netting twice in a 5–0 win.


title: Richarlison

text: In May 2019, he was included in Brazil's 23-man squad for the 2019 Copa América on home soil. In the final against Peru on 7 July, at the Maracanã Stadium, Richarlison came off the bench for Firmino in the second half and scored the final goal of a 3–1 victory from the penalty spot.


title: Richarlison

text: On 9 June 2021, Richarlison was named in the squad for the 2021 Copa América. He scored in a 4–0 group win over Peru as the team finished as runners-up. During the tournament, he also received a call-up for the 2020 Summer Olympics. He scored a hat-trick on his Olympics debut on 22 July, leading Brazil to a 4–2 victory over Germany. He finished the Olympics as top scorer with five goals, despite missing a penalty in the 2–1 final win over Spain.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison was named in the Brazil squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On 24 November he scored a brace, including a bicycle kick, in a 2–0 opening win over Serbia. He scored his third goal of the tournament in a 4–1 win against South Korea in the round of 16 on 5 December. Four days later, Brazil were eliminated by Croatia in the quarter-finals, following a 4–2 penalty shoot-out loss after a 1–1 draw.


title: Richarlison

text: Richarlison donates 10% of his salary to the Instituto Padre Roberto Lettieri, a home for cancer patients in Barretos, São Paulo state, and also supports 100 families in his hometown. In November 2021, he called for his fellow professional footballers to take COVID-19 vaccines and ignore misinformation on the topic, citing the death of his first coach Sebastião José da Silva. Though he did not endorse any candidate or party in the 2022 Brazilian general election, he spoke out on social justice issues such as the environment, police violence and human rights.


title: Marc-André Leclerc

text: Marc-André Leclerc (October 10, 1992 – March 5, 2018) was a Canadian rock climber and alpinist. Known for his solo ascents of numerous mountains in several parts of the world, he completed the first winter solo ascents of the Torre Egger in Patagonia and the Emperor Face of Mount Robson.


title: Marc-André Leclerc

text: Marc-André Leclerc was born on October 10, 1992, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, to Michelle Kuipers and Serge Leclerc. When Marc was eight years old, he was introduced to climbing when his grandfather bought him Chris Bonington's book, "Quest for Adventure". At age nine, Marc had his first climbing experience in Coquitlam, on an indoor climbing wall inside a shopping mall. Later that year, he joined a gym in Abbotsford called Project Climbing. In 2005 his family moved to Agassiz, near the Cascade Range peaks, and Leclerc began teaching himself how to mountain climb. Leclerc would ride his bike out to Harrison Bluffs, a rock climbing area in British Columbia, to climb and spend the night there alone. When he was 15 years old, his mother bought him a copy of "". The book inspired him to join the British Columbia Mountaineering Club, through which he quickly made a name for himself in the mountaineering community. He started competing and quickly began winning age-group competitions and later went on to win the Canadian Nationals in 2005.


title: Marc-André Leclerc

text: In 2015, Leclerc spent a lot of time in southern Argentine Patagonia. On February 21, he completed his first solo ascent of "The Corkscrew" (5.10d A1) on Cerro Torre. Leclerc wrote on his blog that soloing "The Corkscrew" "felt like a brief 'step into the future' so to speak…" in his efforts to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming an explorer. Argentinian climber and mountain guide Rolando Garibotti wrote that Leclerc's ascent of "The Corkscrew" was one of "earth-shifting proportions, by far the hardest route ever soloed on Cerro Torre and only the seventh solo overall." Later that year, Leclerc completed the second known free solo ascent of the "Tomahawk / Exocet Link Up" on Aguja Standhardt in Patagonia and then proceeded to conquer the Torre Egger, completing his Torres solo trifecta.


title: Marc-André Leclerc

text: In 2016, Leclerc completed the first solo ascent of the "Infinite Patience" route on Mt. Robson's Emperor Face. After completing this climb, he wrote on his blog that he "was intimidated by (the Emperor's) strong aura, but in the end, we became friends, and the King generously shared his wealth, leaving me a much richer person indeed."


title: Marc-André Leclerc

text: On March 5, 2018, Marc-André Leclerc and his climbing partner, Ryan Johnson, reached the narrow summit via a new route on the North Face of the Mendenhall Towers (North of Juneau, Alaska). The duo were expected to make it back to base camp by March 7 but never arrived, prompting Juneau Mountain Rescue to search for the missing climbers. The search was interrupted for a few days due to poor weather conditions, and when the storm had finally passed after four days, the search team discovered ropes at the bottom of the climbers' descent route. This suggests that the climbers were struck by an avalanche, falling rock, or cornice from above. Their bodies were never recovered.


title: Marc-André Leclerc

text: Leclerc had one older sister, Bridgid-Anne Dunning, and a younger sibling, Kellyn Kavanagh. He was raised in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada, and resided in Squamish with his girlfriend Brette Harrington, also a rock climber, and alpinist. The pair met in Squamish in 2012, and in 2016, they established "Hidden Dragon" (5.12b) on the Chinese Puzzle Wall across from Mount Slesse.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released in July 2017, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the Southern United States, and the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida behind Miami and Tampa. Orlando had a population of 307,573 in the 2020 census, making it the 67th-largest city in the United States, the fourth-largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is one of the most-visited cities in the world primarily due to tourism, major events, and convention traffic; in 2018, the city drew more than 75 million visitors. The Orlando International Airport (MCO) is the 13th-busiest airport in the United States and the 29th-busiest in the world. The two largest and most internationally renowned tourist attractions in the Orlando area are the Walt Disney World Resort, opened by the Walt Disney Company in 1971, and located about southwest of downtown Orlando in Bay Lake, and the Universal Orlando Resort, opened in 1990 as a major expansion of Universal Studios Florida and the only theme park inside Orlando city limits.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: With the exception of the theme parks, most major cultural sites like the Orlando Museum of Art and Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and world-renowned nightlife, bars and clubs are located in Downtown Orlando while most attractions are located along International Drive like the Wheel at ICON Park Orlando. The city is also one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions; the Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention facility in the United States.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Like other major cities in the Sun Belt, Orlando grew rapidly from the 1960s into the first decade of the 21st century. Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida, which is the largest university campus in the United States in terms of enrollment . In 2010, Orlando was listed as a "Gamma+" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Fort Gatlin, as the Orlando area was once known, was established at what is now just south of the city limits by the 4th U.S. Artillery under the command of Ltc. Alexander C. W. Fanning on November 9, 1838, during the construction of a series of fortified encampments across Florida during the Second Seminole War. The fort and surrounding area were named for John S. Gatlin, an Army physician who was killed in Dade's Massacre on December 28, 1835. The site of construction for Fort Gatlin, a defensible position with fresh water between three small lakes, was likely chosen because the location was on a main trail and is less than 250 yards from a nearby Council Oak tree, where Native Americans had traditionally met. King Phillip and Coacoochee frequented this area and the tree was alleged to be the place where the previous 1835 ambush that had killed over 100 soldiers had been planned. When the U.S. military abandoned the fort in 1839, the surrounding community was built up by settlers.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Prior to being known by its current name, Orlando was once known as Jernigan. This name originates from the first European permanent settlers, Issac and Aaron Jernigan, cattlemen who moved from the state of Georgia and acquired land northwest of Fort Gatlin along the west end of Lake Holden in July 1843 by the terms of the Armed Occupation Act. Aaron Jernigan became Orange County's first state representative in 1845, but his pleas for additional military protection went unanswered.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Fort Gatlin was briefly reoccupied by the military for a few weeks during October and November 1849, and subsequently a volunteer militia was left to defend the settlement. A historical marker indicates that by 1850, the Jernigan homestead (or Fort Gatlin in some sources) served as the nucleus of a village named Jernigan. According to an account written years later by his daughter, at that time, about 80 settlers were forced to shelter for about a year in "a stockade that Aaron Jernigan built on the north side of Lake Conway". One of the county's first records, a grand jury's report, mentions a stockade where it states homesteaders were "driven from their homes and forced to huddle together in hasty defences [sic]." Aaron Jernigan led a local volunteer militia during 1852.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: A post office opened at Jernigan in 1850. Jernigan appears on an 1855 map of Florida, and by 1856, the area had become the county seat of Orange County. In 1857, the post office was removed from Jernigan, and opened under the name of Orlando at a new location in present-day downtown Orlando. During the American Civil War, the post office closed, but reopened in 1866. The move is believed to be sparked, in part, by Aaron Jernigan's fall from grace after he was relieved of his militia command by military officials in 1856. His behavior was so notorious that United States Secretary of War Jefferson Davis wrote, "It is said they [Jernigan's militia] are more dreadful than the Indians." In 1859, Jernigan and his sons were accused of committing a murder at the town's post office. They were then transported to Ocala, but escaped.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: At a meeting in 1857, debate had grown concerning the name of the town. Pioneer William B. Hull recalled how James Speer (a local resident, and prominent figure in the stories behind the naming of Orlando) rose in the heat of the argument and said, "This place is often spoken of as 'Orlando's Grave.' Let's drop the word 'grave' and let the county seat be Orlando."


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The origin of the name is unknown but at least five stories relate how Orlando got its name. The most common stories are that the name Orlando originated from the tale of a man who died in 1835 during an attack by Native Americans in the area during the Second Seminole War. Several of the stories relay an oral history of the marker for a person named Orlando, and the "double entendre", "Here lies Orlando." One variant includes a man named Orlando who was passing by on his way to Tampa with a herd of oxen, died, and was buried in a marked grave.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Through a retelling of history, a marker of some sort was believed to have been found by one of the original pioneers, but Speer's family has since claimed that Speer simply used the Orlando Reeves legend to help push his plan for naming the settlement after the Shakespearean character from "As You Like It", his favorite play. This has become the most common accepted version of how Orlando got its name.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Historians agree that likely no soldier was named Orlando Reeves. Folklore is that Reeves was acting as a sentinel for a company of soldiers that had set up camp for the night on the banks of Sandy Beach Lake. Several different lakes are mentioned in the various versions, as no soldiers were in what is now downtown during 1835.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The legend grew throughout the early 1900s, particularly with local historian Olive Brumbaugh (or Kena Fries) retelling in various writings and on local radio station WDBO in 1929. Another historian, Eldon H. Gore, promoted the Reeves legend in "History of Orlando" published in 1949. A memorial beside Lake Eola – originally placed by students of Orlando's Cherokee Junior School in 1939 and updated in 1990 – designates the spot where the city's supposed namesake fell.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Conflicting legends exist. One legend has Reeves killed during an extended battle with the Seminoles after being field promoted after his platoon commander fell. An in-depth review of military records in the 1970s and 1980s, though, turned up no record of Orlando Reeves ever existing. Some versions attempt to account for Reeves having no military records by using the name of other people named Orlando that exist in some written records – Orlando Acosta; however, not much is known about Acosta or whether he even existed. Another version of the story has Orlando Reed, supposedly an Englishman and mail carrier between Fort Gatlin and Fort Mellon, allegedly killed while camping with his friends near Fort Gatlin.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: A second variation also places the story in 1835 during the Second Seminole War. This name is taken from a South Carolinian cattle rancher named Orlando Savage Rees. Rees owned a Volusia County sugar mill and plantation, as well as several large estates in Florida and Mississippi. Rees' sugar farms in the area were burned out in the Seminole attacks of 1835 (the year Orlando Reeves supposedly died). Subsequently, Rees led an expedition to recover stolen slaves and cattle. In 1837, Rees also attempted to stop a peace treaty with the Seminoles because it did not reimburse him for the loss of slaves and crops.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Rees could have left a pine-bough marker with his name next to the trail; later residents misread "Rees" as "Reeves" and also mistook it as a grave maker. In subsequent years, this story has merged with the Orlando Reeves story (which may have originally incorporated part of Dr. Gatlin's story).


title: Orlando, Florida

text: On two separate occasions, relatives of Rees claimed their ancestor was the namesake of the city. F.K. Bull of South Carolina (Rees' great-grandson) told an Orlando reporter of a story in 1955; years later, Charles M. Bull Jr., of Orlando (Rees' great-great-grandson) offered local historians similar information. Unlike Orlando Reeves, who cannot be traced to any historical record, the record is considerable that Orlando Rees did exist and was in Florida during that time. For example, in 1832, John James Audubon met with Rees in his large estate at Spring Garden, about 45 minutes from Orlando.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The final variation has the city named after the protagonist in the Shakespeare play "As You Like It".


title: Orlando, Florida

text: In 1975, Judge Donald A. Cheney put forth a new version of the story in an "Orlando Sentinel" article. Cheney (a local historian and then chairman of the county historical commission) recounted a story told to him by his father, Judge John Moses Cheney (a major figure in Orlando's history, who arrived in Orlando in 1885).


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The elder Cheney recounted that another gentleman at that time, James Speer, proposed the name Orlando after the character in "As You Like It". According to Cheney, Speer, "was a gentleman of culture and an admirer of William Shakespeare... Quoting a letter that Speer wrote, "Orlando was a veritable Forest of Arden, the locale of "As You Like It"." Speer's descendants have also confirmed this version of the naming and the legend has continued to grow.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: This account also has some validity in that, as mentioned above, Speer was instrumental in changing the name of the settlement from Jernigan to Orlando, though he may have used the Orlando Reeves legend in lieu of his true intent to use the Shakespearean character. According to yet another version of the story, Orlando may have been the name of one of his employees. One of downtown Orlando's major streets is named Rosalind Avenue; Rosalind is the heroine of "As You Like It", but this could also be a simple coincidence".


title: Orlando, Florida

text: In 1823, the Treaty of Moultrie Creek created a Seminole reservation encompassing much of central Florida, including the area that would become Orlando. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 authorized relocation of the Seminole from Florida to Oklahoma, leading to the Second Seminole War. In 1842, white settlement in the area was encouraged by the Armed Occupation Act. The first settler, Mr. Aaron Jernigan of Camden County, Georgia, arrived the following year and settled near Lake Holden.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Mosquito County was renamed Orange County in 1845, with the county seat shortly thereafter relocated to Mellonville, a few miles west of Sanford. By 1856, settlement had begun in earnest in the interior of the county and a more centrally-located Courthouse was sought. The new town of Orlando, laid out in 1857, consisted of four streets surrounding a courthouse square. The fledgling village suffered greatly during the Union blockade. The Reconstruction Era brought on a population explosion, resulting in the incorporation of the Town of Orlando on July 31, 1875, with 85 residents (22 voters). For a short time in 1879, the town revoked its charter, and was subsequently reincorporated. Orlando was established as a city in 1885.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The period from 1875 to 1895 is remembered as Orlando's Golden Era, when it became the hub of Florida's citrus industry. The period ended with the Great Freeze of 1894–95, which forced many owners to give up their independent citrus groves, thus consolidating holdings in the hands of a few "citrus barons", who shifted operations south, primarily around Lake Wales in Polk County. The freeze caused many in Florida, including many Orlandoans, to move elsewhere, mostly to the North, California, or the Caribbean.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Notable homesteaders in the area included the Curry family. Through their property in east Orlando flowed the Econlockhatchee River, which travelers crossed by fording. This was commemorated by the street's name, Curry Ford Road. Also, just south of the Orlando International Airport in the Boggy Creek area are of property homesteaded in the late 19th century by the Ward family. This property is still owned by the Ward family, and can be seen from southbound flights out of Orlando International Airport immediately on the south side of SR 417.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando became a popular resort during the years between the Spanish–American War and World War I. In the 1920s, Orlando experienced extensive housing development during the Florida Land Boom, causing land prices to soar. During this period, dozens of neighborhoods in the vicinity of downtown were constructed. The boom ended when several hurricanes hit Florida in the late 1920s, along with the Great Depression.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: During World War II, a number of Army personnel were stationed at the Orlando Army Air Base and nearby Pinecastle Army Air Field. Some of these servicemen stayed in Orlando to settle and raise families. In 1956, the aerospace and defense company Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) established a plant in the city. Orlando AAB and Pinecastle AAF were transferred to the United States Air Force in 1947 when it became a separate service and were redesignated as air force bases (AFB). In 1958, Pinecastle AFB was renamed McCoy Air Force Base after Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy, a former commander of the 320th Bombardment Wing at the installation, killed in the crash of a B-47 Stratojet bomber north of Orlando. In the 1960s, the base subsequently became home to the 306th Bombardment Wing of the Strategic Air Command, operating B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, in addition to detachment operations by EC-121 and U-2 aircraft.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: In 1968, Orlando AFB was transferred to the United States Navy and became Naval Training Center Orlando. In addition to boot camp facilities, the NTC Orlando was home of one of two Navy Nuclear Power Schools, and home of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division. When McCoy AFB closed in 1976, its runways and territory to its south and east were imparted to the city to become Orlando International Airport, while a small portion to the northwest was transferred to the Navy as McCoy NTC Annex. That closed in 1995, and became a housing, though the former McCoy AFB still hosts a Navy Exchange, as well as national guard and reserve units for several branches of service. NTC Orlando was completely closed by the end of 1999 by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, and converted into the Baldwin Park neighborhood. The Naval Air Warfare Center had moved to Central Florida Research Park near UCF in 1989.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Perhaps the most critical event for Orlando's economy occurred in 1965 when Walt Disney announced plans to build Walt Disney World. Although Disney had considered the regions of Miami and Tampa for his park, one of the major reasons behind his decision not to locate there was due to hurricanes – Orlando's inland location, although not free from hurricane damage, exposed it to less threat than coastal regions. The vacation resort opened in October 1971, ushering in an explosive population and economic growth for the Orlando metropolitan area, which now encompasses Orange, Seminole, Osceola, and Lake Counties. As a result, tourism became the centerpiece of the area's economy. Orlando now has more theme parks and entertainment attractions than anywhere else in the world.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Another major factor in Orlando's growth occurred in 1962, when the new Orlando Jetport, the precursor of the present-day Orlando International Airport, was built from a portion of the McCoy Air Force Base. By 1970, four major airlines (Delta Air Lines, National Airlines, Eastern Airlines, and Southern Airways) were providing scheduled flights. McCoy Air Force Base officially closed in 1975, and most of it is now part of the airport. The airport still retains the former Air Force Base airport code (MCO).


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Today, the historic core of "Old Orlando" resides in downtown Orlando along Church Street, between Orange Avenue and Garland Avenue.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The urban development and the central business district of downtown have rapidly shaped the downtown skyline during recent history. The present-day historic district is primarily associated with the neighborhoods around Lake Eola but stretches west across the city to Lake Lorna Dune and north into the College Park Neighborhood where you can find century-old oaks line brick streets. These neighborhoods include the "Downtown Business District," "North Quarter," "Parramore," "Callahan," "South Eola Heights, "Lake Eola Heights,"Thornton Park" and "College Park", and contain some of the oldest homes in Orlando.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: On June 12, 2016, more than 100 people were shot at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. Fifty (including the gunman) were killed and 60 were wounded. The gunman, whom the police SWAT team shot to death, was identified as 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, an American security guard. The act of terrorism was both the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history at the time and one of the deadliest mass shootings perpetrated by a single person in recorded world history. Mateen pledged allegiance to the Islamic State during his unsuccessful negotiations with police. After the shooting, the city held numerous vigils. In November 2016, Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer announced the city's intention to acquire the Pulse Nightclub to build a permanent memorial for the 49 victims of the shooting. The city offered to buy it for $2.25 million, but the club's owner declined to sell.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The geography of Orlando is mostly wetlands, consisting of many lakes and swamps. The terrain is generally flat, making the land fairly low and wet. The area is dotted with hundreds of lakes, the largest of which is Lake Apopka. Central Florida's bedrock is mostly limestone and very porous; the Orlando area is susceptible to sinkholes. Probably the most famous incident involving a sinkhole happened in 1981 in Winter Park, a city immediately north of downtown Orlando, dubbed "The Winter Park Sinkhole".


title: Orlando, Florida

text: There are 115 neighborhoods within the city limits and many unincorporated communities. Orlando's city limits resemble a checkerboard, with pockets of unincorporated Orange County surrounded by city limits. Such an arrangement results in some areas being served by both Orange County and the City of Orlando. This also explains Orlando's relatively low city population when compared to its metropolitan population. The city and county are working together in an effort to "round-out" the city limits with Orlando annexing portions of land already bordering the city limits.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Metro Orlando has a total of 19 completed skyscrapers. The majority are located in downtown Orlando and the rest are located in the tourist district southwest of downtown. Skyscrapers built in downtown Orlando have not exceeded , since 1988, when the SunTrust Center was completed. The main reason for this is the Orlando Executive Airport, just under from the city center, which does not allow buildings to exceed a certain height without approval from the FAA.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: According to the Köppen climate classification, Orlando has a humid subtropical climate ("Cfa") like much of the deep Southern United States. The two basic seasons in Orlando are a hot and rainy season, lasting from May until late October (roughly coinciding with the Atlantic hurricane season), and a warm and dry season from November through April. The area's warm and humid climate is caused primarily by its low elevation, its position relatively close to the Tropic of Cancer, and its location in the center of a peninsula. Many characteristics of its climate are a result of its proximity to the Gulf Stream, which flows around the peninsula of Florida.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: During the height of Orlando's humid summer season, high temperatures are typically in the low 90s °F (32–34 °C), while low temperatures rarely fall below the low 70s °F (22–24 °C). The average window for temperatures is April 9 to October 14. The area's humidity acts as a buffer, usually preventing actual temperatures from exceeding , but also pushing the heat index to over . The city's highest recorded temperature is , set on September 8, 1921. During these months, strong afternoon thunderstorms occur almost daily. These storms are caused by air masses from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over Central Florida. They are highlighted by spectacular lightning and can also bring heavy rain (sometimes several inches per hour) and powerful winds as well as rare damaging hail.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: During the winter, humidity is much lower and temperatures are more moderate, and can fluctuate more readily. The monthly daily average temperature in January is . Temperatures dip below the freezing mark on an average of only 1.6 nights per year and the lowest recorded temperature is , set on December 28, 1894. Because the winter season is dry and freezing temperatures usually occur only after cold fronts (and their accompanying precipitation) have passed, snow is exceptionally rare. The only accumulation ever to occur in the city proper since record keeping began was in 1948, although some accumulation occurred in surrounding areas in a snow event in January 1977 that reached Miami. Flurries have also been observed in 1989, 2006, and 2010.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The average annual rainfall in Orlando is , a majority of which occurs in the period from June to September. October through May are Orlando's dry season. During this period (especially in its later months), often a wildfire hazard exists. During some years, fires have been severe. In 1998, a strong El Niño caused an unusually wet January and February, followed by drought throughout the spring and early summer, causing a record wildfire season that created numerous air-quality alerts in Orlando and severely affected normal daily life, including the postponement of that year's Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in nearby Daytona Beach.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is a major population center and has a considerable hurricane risk, although it is not as high as in South Florida's urban corridor or other coastal regions. Since the city is located inland from the Atlantic and inland from the Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes usually weaken before arriving. Storm surges are not a concern since the region is above mean sea level. Despite its location, the city does see strong hurricanes. During the notorious 2004 hurricane season, Orlando was hit by three hurricanes that caused significant damage, with Hurricane Charley the worst of these. The city also experienced widespread damage during Hurricane Donna in 1960.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Tornadoes are not usually connected with the strong thunderstorms of the humid summer. They are more common during the infrequent cold days of winter, as well as in passing hurricanes. The two worst major outbreaks in the area's history, a 1998 outbreak that killed 42 people and a 2007 outbreak that killed 21, both happened in February.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: As of 2010, there were 121,254 households, out of which 15.4% were vacant. As of 2000, 24.5% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.97.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: In 2014, the city's population was spread out, with 12.0% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 36.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando not only has the largest population of Puerto Ricans in Florida, but is also home to the fastest growing Puerto Rican community in the country. Between 1980 and 2010, the Hispanic population increased from 4.1 to 25.4%. Orlando also has a large and growing Brazilian population, due to Orlando being a popular travel destination for Brazilians. Many Brazilian restaurants and shops can be found on International Drive, and Portuguese signs can be found throughout Orlando International Airport. A large Caribbean population is present in Orlando, with a significant West Indian community (particularly Bahamians, Cubans, Dominicans, Jamaicans, Guyanese people - those of shared Indian and African descent - and Trinidadian and Tobagonian populations) and an established Haitian community. Orlando has an active Jewish community.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando has a large LGBT population and is recognized as one of the most accepting and tolerant cities in the Southeast. , around 4.1% of Orlando's population identify as LGBT, making Orlando the city with the 20th-highest percentage of LGBT residents in the country. The city is host to Gay Days every June (including at nearby Walt Disney World), holds a huge Pride festival every October, and is home to Florida's first openly gay City Commissioner, Patty Sheehan.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: As of 2000, 75% of all residents speak English as their first language, while 16.60% speak Spanish, 1.9% speak Haitian Creole, 1.3% speak French, 0.99% speak Portuguese, and 0.5% of the population speak Arabic as their mother language. In total, 24% of the population 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: According to the American Community Survey of 2006–2008, 69% of Orlando's residents over the age of five spoke only English at home. Spanish-speakers represented 19.2% of Orlando's population. Speakers of other Indo-European languages made up 9% of the city's population. Those who spoke an Asian language made up 1% of the population, and speakers of other languages made up the remaining 0.6% of the populace.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is the hub city of the Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, colloquially known as "Greater Orlando" or "Metro Orlando". The area encompasses three counties (Orange, Osceola, and Seminole ), and is the 26th-largest metro area in the United States with a 2010 Census-estimated population of 2,134,411.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: In 2000, the population of Orlando's urban area was 1,157,431, making it the third-largest in Florida and the 35th-largest in the United States. As of 2009, the estimated urban area population of Orlando is 1,377,342.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: When Combined Statistical Areas were instituted in 2000, Orlando was initially joined with The Villages, Florida, Micropolitan Statistical Area, to form the Orlando-The Villages, Florida, Combined Statistical Area. In 2006, the metropolitan areas of Deltona (Volusia County) and Palm Coast (Flagler County) were added to create the Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, Florida, Combined Statistical Area. This new larger CSA has a total population (as of 2007) of 2,693,552, and includes three of the 25 fastest-growing counties in the nation—Flagler ranks 1st; Osceola, 17th; and Lake, 23rd.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is a major industrial and hi-tech center. The metro area has a $13.4 billion technology industry employing 53,000 people; and is a nationally recognized cluster of innovation in digital media, agricultural technology, aviation, aerospace, and software design. More than 150 international companies, representing approximately 20 countries, have facilities in Metro Orlando.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando has the 7th-largest research park in the country, Central Florida Research Park, with over . It is home to over 120 companies, employs more than 8,500 people, and is the hub of the nation's military simulation and training programs. Near the end of each year, the Orange County Convention Center hosts the world's largest modeling and simulation conference: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC). Metro Orlando is home to the simulation procurement commands for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Lockheed Martin has a large manufacturing facility for missile systems, aeronautical craft and related high-tech research. Other notable engineering firms have offices or labs in Metro Orlando: KDF, General Dynamics, Harris, Mitsubishi Power Systems, Siemens, Veritas/Symantec, multiple United States Air Force facilities, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Delta Connection Academy, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, General Electric, Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation, U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), United States Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, United States Army Simulation and Training Technology Center, AT&T, Boeing, CAE Systems Flight and Simulation Training, Hewlett-Packard, Institute for Simulation and Training, National Center for Simulation, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. The Naval Training Center until a few years ago was one of the two places where nuclear engineers were trained for the United States Navy. Now the land has been converted into the Baldwin Park development. Numerous office complexes for large corporations have popped up along the Interstate 4 corridor north of Orlando, especially in Maitland, Lake Mary and Heathrow.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is close enough to Patrick Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and Kennedy Space Center for residents to commute to work from the city's suburbs. It also allows easy access to Port Canaveral, a cruise ship terminal.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is the home base of Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, and the largest operator of casual dining restaurants in the world by revenue. In September 2009 it moved to a new headquarters and central distribution facility.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Another important sector is the film, television, and electronic gaming industries, aided by the presence of Universal Studios, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Full Sail University, UCF College of Arts and Humanities, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, and other entertainment companies and schools. The U.S. modeling, simulation, and training (MS&T) industry is centered on the Orlando region as well, with a particularly strong presence in the Central Florida Research Park adjacent to University of Central Florida (UCF). Nearby Maitland is the home of Tiburon, a division of the video game company Electronic Arts. Tiburon Entertainment was acquired by EA in 1998 after years of partnership, particularly in the Madden NFL series and NCAA Football series of video games. Nearby Full Sail University, located in Winter Park, draws new-media students in the areas of video game design, film, show production, and computer animation, among others, its graduates spawning several start-ups in these fields in the Orlando area. The headquarters of Ripley Entertainment Inc. are also located in Orlando.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando has two non-profit hospital systems: Orlando Health and AdventHealth. Orlando Health's Orlando Regional Medical Center is home to Central Florida's only Level I trauma center, and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies and AdventHealth Orlando have the area's only Level III neonatal intensive care units. Orlando's medical leadership was further advanced with the completion of University of Central Florida's College of Medicine, a new VA Hospital and the new Nemours Children's Hospital, which is located in a new medical district in the Lake Nona area of the city.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Historically, the unemployment rate in Greater Orlando was low, which resulted in growth that led to urban sprawl in the surrounding area and, in combination with the United States housing bubble, to a large increase in home prices. Metro Orlando's unemployment rate in June 2010 was 11.1 percent, was 11.4 percent in April 2010, and was about 10 percent in about the same time of year in 2009. As of August 2013, the area's jobless rate was 6.6 percent. Housing prices in Greater Orlando went up 37.08% in one year, from a median of $182,300 in November 2004 to $249,900 in November 2005, and eventually peaked at $264,436 in July 2007. From there, with the economic meltdown, prices plummeted, with the median falling below $200,000 in September 2008, at one point falling at an annual rate of 39.27%. The median dipped below $100,000 in 2010 before stabilizing around $110,000 in 2011. As of April 2012, the median home price is $116,000.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: One of the main driving forces in Orlando's economy is its tourism industry and the city is one of the leading tourism destinations in the world. Nicknamed the 'Theme Park Capital of the World', the Orlando area is home to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, Legoland, and Fun Spot America Theme Parks. A record 75 million visitors came to the Orlando region in 2018, making it the top tourist destination in the United States.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The Orlando area features 7 of the 10 most visited theme parks in North America (5 of the top 10 in the world), as well as the 4 most visited water parks in the U.S. The Walt Disney World resort is the area's largest attraction with its many facets such as the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Disney Springs. Universal Orlando, like Walt Disney World, is a multi-faceted resort comprising Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, and Universal CityWalk. SeaWorld Orlando is a large park that features numerous zoological displays and marine animals alongside an amusement park with roller coasters like Mako, Manta, and Kraken. The property also comprises more than one park, alongside Aquatica water park and Discovery Cove. Fun Spot Orlando and Kissimmee are more typical amusement parks with big thrills in a small space with roller coasters like White Lightning and Freedom Flyer in Orlando and Mine Blower and Rockstar Coaster in Kissimmee. Orlando is also home to I-Drive 360 on International Drive home to The Wheel at ICON Park Orlando, Madame Tussauds, and Sealife Aquarium. Orlando attractions also appeal to many locals who want to enjoy themselves close to home.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The convention industry is also critical to the region's economy. The Orange County Convention Center, expanded in 2004 to over two million square feet (200,000 m) of exhibition space, is now the second-largest convention complex in terms of space in the United States, trailing only McCormick Place in Chicago. The city vies with Chicago and Las Vegas for hosting the most convention attendees in the United States.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Numerous golf courses can be found in the city, with the most famous being Bay Hill Club and Lodge, home to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is known as "Hollywood East" because of numerous movie studios in the area. Major motion picture production was active in the city during the mid-to-late 1990s, but has slowed in the past decade. Probably the most famous film-making moment in the city's history occurred with the implosion of Orlando's previous City Hall for the movie "Lethal Weapon 3". Orlando is now a large production center for television shows, direct-to-video productions, and commercial production. In early 2011, filmmaker Marlon Campbell constructed A-Match Pictures and Angel Media Studios; a multimillion-dollar film and recording facility that has been added to the list of major studios in the city.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Until recently, Walt Disney Feature Animation operated a studio in Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World. Feature Animation-Florida was primarily responsible for the films "Mulan", "Lilo & Stitch", and the early stages of "Brother Bear" and contributed on various other projects. Universal Studios Florida's Soundstage 21 is home to TNA Wrestling's flagship show TNA Impact!. Nickelodeon Studios, which through the 1990s produced hundreds of hours of GAK-filled game shows targeted at children, no longer operates out of Universal Studios Florida. The Florida Film Festival which takes place in venues throughout the area is one of the most respected regional film festivals in the country and attracts budding filmmakers from around the world. Orlando is very popular among independent filmmakers. Orlando's indie film scene has been active since Haxan Film's "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) and a few years later with Charlize Theron winning her Academy Award for "Monster" (2003). A Florida state film incentive has also helped increase the number of films being produced in Orlando and the rest of the state.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The Orlando Metropolitan Area is home to a substantial theater population. Several professional and semi-professional houses and many community theaters include the Central Florida Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Repertory Theatre, Mad Cow Theatre, and IceHouse Theatre in Mount Dora. Orlando Theatre Project, closed in 2009. Additionally, both University of Central Florida and Rollins College (Winter Park) are home to theater departments that attract an influx of young artists to the area.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre had hosted national Broadway tours on a regular basis. This venue was built in 1926 and underwent a major renovation in 1974. The Bob Carr has since closed due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to host a show since February 2020. While waiting on the completion of Phase II construction of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the newly designated Bob Carr Theater will continue to host non-Broadway events.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival, which draws touring companies from around the world, is hosted in various venues over Orlando's Loch Haven Park every spring. At the festival, there are also readings and fully staged productions of new and unknown plays by local artists. Also in the spring, there is The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays, hosted by Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Founded in 2002, the Orlando Cabaret Festival showcases local, national, and internationally renowned cabaret artist to Mad Cow Theatre in Downtown Orlando each spring.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Classical Music and Music Theater are also represented. Orlando has two professional orchestras - the Orlando Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1991 when the Central Florida Friends of Music reorganized, and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1993, the second of which also serves as the orchestra for productions of Opera Orlando, which developed when the Florida Opera Theater, founded in 2009, reorganized in 2016.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The indie literary presses Burrow Press and Autofocus are based in Orlando. There is also a large concentration of slam poets and poetry events in and around the metro area which has led to the city being dubbed Litlando. This name is fitting as legend goes that the city's name and Rosalind Avenue in downtown Orlando were taken from characters from the Shakespeare play "As You Like It" while Lake Ivanhoe was named after the namesake character from the 1820 book, Ivanhoe, by Walter Scott.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is home to numerous recording studios and producers, and as a result, contributed heavily to the boyband craze of the mid-1990s. The groups Backstreet Boys, NSync, and O-Town all started in Orlando before becoming nationwide successes. The alternative groups Matchbox Twenty, Seven Mary Three, and Alter Bridge are from Orlando, as is the Christian hip-hop act Group 1 Crew. Orlando also has a prominent metal scene, spawning bands such as Death and Trivium. There are also hip hop music, metal, rock music, reggaeton and Latino music scenes are all active within the city.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: A substantial amount of the teenage and young adult populations identify as being goth, emo, or punk. Orlando experienced its own Second Summer of Love between 1991 and 1992 that popularized the subculture surrounding electronic dance music in Florida. The culture progressed as time went on, starting in 1995 from when alternative-rock band Matchbox Twenty, and pop bands NSync and Backstreet Boys originated. Over the years, the intensity of the music increased. In the late 1990s, Skrape, a metal band, was established, shortly followed by the screamo band From First to Last as well as the alternative metal band Fireflight. In the early 2000s, the heavy metal bands Trivium and Mindscar formed. In the later 2000s, more screamo bands, such as Blood on the Dance Floor, Sleeping with Sirens, and Broadway were established. Major companies, such as Hot Topic and Vans have noticed and taken advantage of this. Hot Topic, an emo retailer, established 5 stores in Orlando. The Vans Warped Tour, a concert containing metalcore/screamo/punk bands, takes place in Orlando annually.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The films "Miami Connection", "Ernest Saves Christmas", "", "Never Back Down", and "The Florida Project" take place in and were filmed entirely in Orlando. The novel "Paper Towns" takes place in the city, but the film adaptation was shot in North Carolina. Establishing shots were filmed around Orlando; notably in downtown and along Orange Blossom Trail. "Geostorm" has a scene where Orlando is destroyed by a lightning storm. However, those scenes were filmed in New Orleans. "Parenthood" was filmed entirely in Orlando, but takes place in St. Louis. "D.A.R.Y.L." was partially filmed in Orlando; notably the climactic chase scene takes place in downtown Orlando along State Road 408 (East/West Expressway). Scenes were also filmed for "" at the Orlando International Airport in early October 2010. Orlando is also the city very prominently featured in the ABC sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat". Though set in Louisiana, filming for "Passenger 57" took place in Wesley Snipes' hometown of Orlando, Florida, with Orlando-Sanford International Airport standing in for "Lake Lucille" airport. The airport's former combination main hangar and control tower from its time as Naval Air Station Sanford was used for many key scenes just prior to its demolition after filming. Various scenes from "Monster", set in Daytona Beach, were also filmed in the Orlando, Winter Park, Florida and Kissimmee areas.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando is the home city of two major league professional sports teams: the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer (MLS).


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando has four minor league professional teams: the Orlando Solar Bears ECHL ice hockey team, the Orlando Predators of the National Arena League (NAL), the Orlando Guardians of the XFL, and the Orlando Anarchy of the Women's Football Alliance.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The original Orlando Solar Bears were part of the International Hockey League winning the last Turner Cup championship in 2001, before the league folded. From 1991 to 2016, the city was also home to the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. Orlando was home to the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League in 1985. The team folded along with the league in 1986.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: In 2016, the Orlando Pride began to play in the National Women's Soccer League. Starting in 2017, they will be sharing Orlando City Stadium with Orlando City.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando's sports teams have collectively won two Arena Bowls (1998, 2000), two titles in ice hockey, three titles in minor league baseball, and two titles in soccer.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: The city has hosted the NBA All-Star Game twice: in 1992 at the old Orlando Arena, and in 2012 at the current Amway Center. Orlando also hosted the 2015 ECHL All-Star Game at Amway Center.


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Orlando also hosts the University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights college athletics teams, which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American).


title: Orlando, Florida

text: Camping World Stadium (the former Citrus Bowl stadium) hosts two annual college football bowl games: the Citrus Bowl and the Cheez-It Bowl. It also hosted the 1998 Major League Soccer All-Star Game. Orlando is the host city for the annual Florida Classic, one of the largest FCS football classics in the nation. It also began hosting the National Football League's Pro Bowl, as well as a series of FBS kickoff games called the Orlando Kickoff, in 2016.