title: Alison Lohman

text: Lohman's next film was the drama "Flicka", which was released in 2006. At the age of 25, she played a 16-year-old girl who befriends a wild mustang in the film. She had trained rigorously in horse-riding for the role, stating she was "constantly thrown emotionally and physically" while working with the horses for this role. She next played a recovering heroin addict in "Things We Lost in the Fire", which was released in 2007 to mostly positive reviews. She had a role in 2009's "Gamer", which was heavily criticized by critics, although it has gained a cult following.


title: Alison Lohman

text: Lohman was signed to lead Sam Raimi's horror film, "Drag Me to Hell", replacing Elliot Page who dropped out due to issues with scheduling. Lohman enjoyed her stunts during filming, despite not being particularly fond of horror films. The film was released in 2009 and grossed $90 million worldwide, garnering her acclaim and praise for her performance. In his review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote that the actress "greatly assisted" in the film's success and additionally labeled her a scream queen, explaining that "It is essential that the heroine be a good screamer, and man, can that Alison Lohman scream. Stanley Kubrick would have needed only a day with her on "The Shining"". She received nominations for the Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, the Saturn Award for Best Actress, and the MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance.


title: Alison Lohman

text: Following her "Drag Me to Hell" role, Lohman retired from acting, with the exception of a few small roles in film projects directed or produced by her husband. This includes the supernatural horror film "The Vatican Tapes", released in 2015, where she plays a patient in a psychiatric ward.


title: Alison Lohman

text: Lohman was offered a full scholarship to attend New York University but declined, opting instead to directly pursue an acting career. In 2009, Lohman married filmmaker Mark Neveldine in Watertown, New York, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church. They have three children. She has focused more on motherhood and working as an online acting coach.


title: Annapurna Interactive

text: Annapurna Games, LLC (trade name: Annapurna Interactive) is an American video game publisher. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016. Notable games released by the company include "Donut County", "Kentucky Route Zero", "Outer Wilds", "Sayonara Wild Hearts", "Wattam", "What Remains of Edith Finch", "Telling Lies", "Neon White" and "Stray".


title: Annapurna Interactive

text: The company was founded as a division of Annapurna Pictures on December 1, 2016 as Annapurna's attempt to expand into the video game industry. The company's early staff was composed of existing Annapurna executives, producer Neale Hemrajani and Technology Head James Masi along with several video game veterans, including Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, Hector Sanchez, and Jeff Legaspi, who had worked in Sony Interactive Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Jenova Chen also served as the company's advisor. The company aimed to publish games that are "personal, emotional, and original".


title: Annapurna Interactive

text: On the day of establishment, the company announced several publishing deals it had signed with several independent developers. Some of the first games published by the company included "Gorogoa", "What Remains of Edith Finch", "Wattam", and "Florence". In 2017, Annapurna announced that it would begin publishing more games, which included "The Artful Escape", "Ashen", and "Telling Lies".


title: Annapurna Interactive

text: In May 2020, it was announced that Nathan Vella, former president of Capybara Games, had joined the company as an executive. In October 2020, Annapurna established an internal development studio in Los Angeles.


title: Annapurna Interactive

text: In March 2022, video game journalism YouTube channel "People Make Games" reported on three video game studios publishing under Annapurna Interactive — Mountains, Fullbright, and Funomena. In all three cases, employees reportedly reached out to Annapurna Interactive, addressing concerns regarding abuse and a toxic work environment being created by the studio founders. In hopes of getting Annapurna Interactive to mediate, employees stated that the publisher was siding mostly with the founders in question. According to one former studio employee, representatives of Annapurna Interactive had been quoted responding that "without strong personalities, games don't get made." Chris Bratt of "People Make Games" saw these incidents as part of a greater pattern of auteur culture that can be found across the independent film and video game industry.


title: Annapurna Interactive

text: Two limited edition box sets containing the games "Donut County", "Kentucky Route Zero", "Outer Wilds", "Sayonara Wild Hearts", "Wattam", "What Remains of Edith Finch", "Telling Lies", and "Gorogoa", celebrating the first five years of the publisher, were released in collaboration with iam8bit for the PlayStation 4 in late 2020.


title: Polish hussars

text: The Polish hussars (; ), alternatively known as the winged hussars, were a heavy cavalry formation active in Poland and in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702. Their epithet is derived from large rear wings, which were intended to demoralize the enemy during charge. The hussars ranked as the elite of Polish cavalry until their official disbanding in 1776.


title: Polish hussars

text: The hussar dress was ostentatious and comprised plated body armour (cuirass, spaulders, bevors, and arm bracers) adorned by gold ornaments, a burgonet or lobster-tailed pot helmet and jackboots as well as versatile weaponry such as lances, koncerz, sabres, backswords, pistols, maces, and hatchets. It was customary to maintain a red-and-white colour scheme, and to be girded with tanned animal hide. The wings were traditionally assembled from the feathers of raptors, and the angel-like frame was fastened onto the armour or saddle.


title: Polish hussars

text: The early hussars were light cavalry units of exiled Balkan warriors who came to Poland as mercenaries in the early 16th century. Following the reforms of king Stephen Báthory (), the Polish military adopted the unit and transformed it into heavy shock cavalry, with troops recruited from the Polish nobility. The Polish hussar differs greatly from the light, unarmored hussars that developed concurrently outside Poland.


title: Polish hussars

text: The hussar formation proved effective against Swedish, Russian and Ottoman forces, notably at the Battles of Kircholm (1605), Klushino (1610) and Khotyn (1673). Their military prowess peaked at the Siege of Vienna in 1683, when hussar banners participated in the largest cavalry charge in history and successfully repelled the Ottoman attack. From their last engagement in 1702 (at the Battle of Kliszów) until 1776, the obsolete hussars were demoted and largely assigned to ceremonial roles.


title: Polish hussars

text: Hussars originated in mercenary units of exiled warriors from the Balkan region of Europe. Mercenary lancers of Serb origin, known as the Rascians, were frequently hired to counter Ottoman sipahi and deli cavalry. In the 15th century, the hussars based on those of Matthias Corvinus were adopted by some European armies to provide light, expendable cavalry units.


title: Polish hussars

text: The oldest reference of hussars in Polish records dates to the year 1500, when the Rascians were employed by Grand Treasurer Andrzej Kościelecki to serve under the banner of the royal household. However, it is possible that they were in service much earlier and their contribution was not well-documented. The Polish hussars were originally based on Corvinus' Hungarian formations, and Poland partly modelled its units on light cavalry in the Black Army of Hungary. As the Ottoman raids on the southeastern frontier intensified, the so-called Rascian Reform (1500–1501) during the reign of John I Albert solidified the role of an early hussar in Polish ranks.


title: Polish hussars

text: The first hussar formation was established by the decree of the Sejm (Polish parliament) in 1503, which hired three Hungarian banners. Soon, recruitment also began among the Poles. Being far more expendable than the heavily armoured lancers of the Renaissance, the Serbo-Hungarian hussars played a fairly minor role in the Polish Crown victories during the early 16th century, exemplified by the victories at Orsha (1514) and Obertyn (1531). During the so-called "transition period" of the mid-16th-century, heavy hussars largely replaced armoured lancers riding armoured horses, in the Polish "Obrona Potoczna" cavalry forces serving on the southern frontier.


title: Polish hussars

text: The true "winged hussar" arrived with the reforms of the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stephen Bathory in the 1570s and was later led by the King John III Sobieski. The hussars were the leading, or even elite, branch of cavalry in the Polish army from the 1570s until 1776 when their duties and traditions were passed on to the uhlans by a parliamentary decree. Most hussars were recruited from the wealthier Polish nobility (szlachta). Each hussar "towarzysz" ("comrade") raised his own "poczet" or lance/retinue. Several retinues were combined to form a hussar banner or company ("chorągiew husarska").


title: Polish hussars

text: Over the course of the 16th century, hussars in Hungary became heavier in character: they abandoned wooden shields and adopted metal-plated body armour. When Bathory was elected King of Poland and later accepted as a Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1576, he reorganized the hussars of his Royal Guard into a heavy formation equipped with a long lance as their main weapon. By the reign of Bathory (1576–1586), the hussars had replaced medieval-style lancers in the Polish Crown army, and they now formed the bulk of the Polish cavalry. By the 1590s, most Polish hussar units had been reformed along the same "heavy" model. These heavy hussars were known in Poland as "husaria".


title: Polish hussars

text: With the Battle of Lubiszew in 1577, the 'Golden Age' of the husaria began. Between then and the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the Hussars fought many battles against various enemies, most of which they won. In the battles of Lubiszew in 1577, Byczyna (1588), Kokenhausen (1601), Kircholm (1605), Klushino (1610), Chocim (1621), Martynów (1624), Trzciana (1629), Ochmatów (1644), Beresteczko (1651), Połonka (1660), Cudnów (1660), Khotyn (1673), Lwów (1675), Vienna (1683), and Párkány (1683), they proved to be the decisive factor against often overwhelming odds. For instance, in the Battle of Klushino during the Polish–Muscovite War, the Russians outnumbered the Commonwealth army 5 to 1, yet were heavily defeated.


title: Polish hussars

text: The role of the Hussar evolved into a reconnaissance and advanced scout capacity. Their uniforms became more elaborate as their armour and heavy weapons were abandoned. In the 18th century, as infantry firearms became more effective, heavy cavalry, with its tactics of charging into and breaking infantry units, became increasingly obsolete and hussars transformed from an elite fighting unit to a parade one.


title: Polish hussars

text: "Instead of ostrich feathers, the husaria men wore wooden arcs attached to their armour at the back and raising over their heads. These arcs, together with bristling feathers sticking out of them, were dyed in various colours in imitation of laurel branches or palm leaves, and were a strangely beautiful sight to behold" ... – Jędrzej Kitowicz (1728–1804).


title: Polish hussars

text: The hussars represented the heavy cavalry of the Commonwealth. The Towarzysz husarski (Companion) commanded his own "poczet" (kopia) consisting of two to five similarly armed retainers and other servants ("czeladnicy") who tended to his horses, food, supplies, repairs and fodder and often participated in battle. His 'lance' was part of a larger unit known as a banner ("chorągiew"). Each banner had from 30 to over 60 kopia. The commander, per his contractual obligation, was called ""rotmistrz"", while the "de facto" commander was often the "porucznik" (lieutenant). There was also one "chorąży" (ensign) who carried the banner's flag ("chorągiew") and could command the banner when the porucznik was unable to. Each banner had one rotmistrz kopia that was larger than its other lances; this included trumpeters, and musicians (kettle drummers, more trumpeters etc.). There were other towarzysze with duties (keeping order, helping with manoeuvres) within the banner during battle, but their functions are rather poorly understood.


title: Polish hussars

text: The Polish hussars' primary battle tactic was the charge. They charged at and through the enemy. The charge started at a slow pace and in a relatively loose formation. The formation gradually gathered pace and closed ranks while approaching the enemy, and reached its highest pace and closest formation immediately before engagement. They tended to repeat the charge several times until the enemy formation broke (they had supply wagons with spare lances). The tactic of a charge by heavily armoured hussars and horses was usually decisive for nearly two centuries. The hussars fought with a kopia (lance), a "koncerz" (stabbing sword), a "szabla" (sabre), set of two to six pistols, often a carbine or arquebus (known in Polish as a "bandolet") and sometimes a warhammer or light battle-axe. The lighter, Ottoman-style saddle allowed for more armour to be used by both the horses and the warriors. Moreover, the horses were bred to run very fast with a heavy load and to recover quickly. These were hybrids of old, Polish equine lineage and eastern horses, usually from Tatar tribes. As a result, a horse could walk hundreds of kilometres loaded with over 100 kilograms (warrior plus armour and weaponry) and instantly charge. Also, hussar horses were very quick and manoeuvrable. This made hussars able to fight with any cavalry or infantry force from heavy cuirassiers to quick light-armed Tatars. There was a death penalty for selling a hussar horse (sometimes the horses were referred to as "tarpan") to someone outside of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.


title: Polish hussars

text: The hussars' towarzysz were required to provide the arms and armour for themselves and their retainers, except for the lance which was provided by the King. Each lance's horses also came at each towarzysz husarski's expense. During their heyday, 1574–1705, winged hussars carried the following arms and armour:


title: Polish hussars

text: The lance was the main offensive weapon of the hussar. The lances were based on the Balkan and Hungarian lances, but Polish lances could have been longer and, like their predecessors from the Balkans and Western Europe, they were hollowed, with two halves glued together and painted, and were often richly gilded. They were commonly made from fir-wood, with the lance point being made from forged steel. They had a gałka, a large wooden ball which served as the handle guard. The hussar's lances usually ranged from in length and were provided by the King or the banner's owner, not by the regular soldiers. A large 'silk'/taffeta proporzec pennon was attached to the lance below the point. Another type of lance, known as the demi-lance or kopijka, and was long and was used against the Tatars and Turks in late-17th-century wars.


title: Polish hussars

text: The towarzysz husarski carried underneath his left thigh a koncerz (up to in length) and, often, a palasz (a type of broadsword) under his right thigh. The szabla was carried on the left side, and several types of sabres were known to winged hussars, including the renowned "szabla husarska".


title: Polish hussars

text: Hussars sometimes carried additional weapons, such as a 'nadziak' (horseman's pick). Towarzysz husarski carried one or two wheellock (later flintlock) pistols in the saddle holsters, while retainers also might have carried a pistol or light wheellock arquebus or carbine; from the 1680s a carbine for retainers was mandatory.


title: Polish hussars

text: Individual hussars may have possibly carried a Tatar or Turkish reflex bow with arrows in a quiver, especially after the mid-17th century, when many 'pancerny' companions became hussars, and some sources of the late 17th century note the existence of bows amongst the hussar companions. During the first half of the 18th century, while in non-military attire, the hussars' companion carried a bow in a bow case to denote his military status. Yet bows in bow cases were carried by all cavalry officers of the National Army until the reforms of the 1770s, including uhlan units in the Saxon service.


title: Polish hussars

text: At the height of their prowess, from 1576 to 1653, hussar armour consisted of a comb-like zischagge (szyszak), burgonet or morion helmets with a hemispherical skull, 'cheekpieces' with a heart-shaped cut in the middle, neck-guard of several plates secured by sliding rivets, and adjustable nasal terminating in a leaf-shaped visor. Zischagge and kettle hat helmets for the lower rank (retainers) were often blackened as was their armour. A cuirass (breast plate), back plate, gorget, shoulder guards and of the Great Steppe, Western vambraces with iron glove and later, during the 1630s, the Persian-originated karwasz vambrace, for forearm protection. A towarzysz also could wear tasset hip, cuisse thigh and poleyn knee protection, underneath a thigh-length coat of mail or specially padded coat with mail sleeves. Retainers usually wore less expensive and older armour, often painted black, and, after the 1670s, might have no cuirass, according to some sources.


title: Polish hussars

text: The hussar armour was light, usually around , allowing them to be relatively quick and for their horses to gallop at full speed for long periods. Albeit from the 1670s onwards, chain-mail was used when fighting the Muslim Tatars in the southeastern borderlands of the Commonwealth. A rarely-used Sarmatian karacena armour (of iron scales riveted to a leather support) might have consisted of a scale helmet, cuirass, gorget, leg and shoulder protection and became popular during the reign of King John Sobieski, but perhaps due to costs and weight, remained popular mostly with the winged hussar commanding officers.


title: Polish hussars

text: The towarzysz usually wore a leopard (sometimes tiger, jaguar or lion) pelt over his left shoulder, or as often depicted in the surviving Podhorce Castle paintings, he had the exotic pelt underneath his saddle or wrapped around his hips. Wolf, brown bear and lynx pelts were reserved for leaders and veterans (starszyzna).


title: Polish hussars

text: The badge of the Polish Army's 11th Armoured Cavalry Division features a stylized hussar wing and helmet. The Division's patron is Jan III Sobieski, who led the winged hussars at the Battle of Vienna, and the unit's commemorative badge is inscribed with the inherited battle honour "Vienna 1683".


title: Polish hussars

text: In 2016, the Swedish Metal band Sabaton wrote the song "Winged Hussars" for their album "The Last Stand". The song is about the Battle of Vienna in 1683 and the Hussars' charge which helped defeat the Ottomans.


title: Polish hussars

text: One was featured in the Canadian TV series "Murdoch Mysteries", in the 2018 season 11 episode 16 entitled, "Game of Kings".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: 21 is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 24 January 2011 in Europe by XL Recordings and on 22 February 2011 in North America by Columbia Records. The album was named after the age of the singer during its production. "21" shares the Motown/soul influences of her 2008 debut album "19", but also draws influence from the American country and Southern blues music that Adele started listening to during the North American leg of her tour "An Evening with Adele". Composed in the aftermath of the singer's separation from her then partner, the album explores themes of heartbreak, healing, introspection, and forgiveness.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele began writing "21" in April 2009, when still involved in the relationship that subsequently inspired the record. Looking to deviate from the brooding sound of her first album, she had intended to compose a more upbeat and contemporary follow-up. However, studio sessions ended prematurely due to a lack of inspiration. She resumed production immediately after the breakdown of her relationship, channelling her heartbreak and depression into her songs. Adele collaborated with various songwriters and producers, including Columbia Records co-president at the time Rick Rubin, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Jim Abbiss, and Dan Wilson.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: A sleeper hit, "21" defied the modest commercial expectations of Adele's independent record label XL. It topped record charts in more than 30 countries and became the world's best-selling album of the year for both 2011 and 2012, helping to revitalise the lagging sales of the global music industry. In the United Kingdom, it is the best-selling album of the 21st century, the fourth best-selling album of all time, and the best-selling album by a solo artist of all time, while its 23-week tenure atop the UK Albums Chart is the longest by a female solo artist. In the United States, it is the best performing "Billboard" 200 album of all time, holding the top position for 24 weeks, longer than any other album since 1985 and the longest by a female solo artist in "Billboard" 200 history. It was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 10 million copies in the US. In addition, three of the five singles released in its promotion – "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain" – became international number-one songs, while "Rumour Has It" charted in the top 20 in countries across Europe and North America. With sales of over 31 million copies worldwide, "21" is the best-selling album of the 21st century, and one of the best-selling albums of all time.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Praised for its understated production, vintage aesthetic, and Adele's vocal performance, "21" was shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize, and won the 2012 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. It has since been ranked amongst the "Rolling Stone"'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and is included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: In April 2009, 20-year-old Adele, who had recently embarked on her first serious relationship with a man 10 years her senior, began composing the follow-up to her 2008 debut album "19". In response to the media's typecasting her as an "old soul" due to the vintage production and sentimental nature of her songs, Adele decided on a more upbeat and contemporary second album. However, studio sessions were generally unproductive and, after two weeks, yielded only one song recorded to the singer's satisfaction—the Jim Abbiss-produced "Take It All", a lovelorn piano ballad not unlike the songs on "19". Disillusioned with lack of inspiration and the slow progress of the studio sessions, she cancelled the remaining recording session dates.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele had written "Take It All" during a difficult moment in her 18-month relationship, which ended shortly after she first played this song for her boyfriend. Heartbroken but musically stimulated, Adele channeled her rush of emotions into her music, crafting songs that examined her failed relationship from the perspectives of vengeful ex-lover, heartbroken victim, and nostalgic old flame.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Writing for the album began shortly after Adele separated from her lover. Within a day of her break-up, she contacted producer Paul Epworth, intent on capturing her emotion in a song: "We'd had a fuming argument the night before ... I'd been bubbling. Then I went into the studio and screamed." Although she had initially planned on completing a ballad that she had begun writing with Epworth more than a year ago, the producer suggested that she aim for a more aggressive sound. Together, they restructured the song and re-wrote lyrics to reflect Adele's recent experience, deciding on the title "Rolling in the Deep". The instrumentation evolved organically—after trying out various jazz riffs, Adele attempted the first verse a cappella, inspiring Epworth to improvise a melody on his acoustic guitar. A thumping drum beat was set to mimic her racing heartbeat. In two days, a demo was recorded to be produced by Columbia Records co-president Rick Rubin later that year. However, Adele re-approached Epworth months later to complete production of the song.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: British producer Fraser T Smith recalled following a similar trajectory when he teamed up with Adele to compose the subsequent third single "Set Fire to the Rain" at his MyAudiotonic Studios in London. After the two had created the demo, Adele revisited her co-writer to record the song with him, instead of the intended producer Rick Rubin. Smith thought Adele's first attempt superior to subsequent takes, and used the demo as the final production of the song, complete with live drum sounds and an elaborate strings section (arranged by British musician Rosie Danvers).


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: With the demos to two songs recorded, Adele approached American musician and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, who was in London at the time for a radio show. Tedder had expressed interest in collaborating with the singer after they met at the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in February. He arrived four hours early to their first studio session, buying time to better familiarise himself with some of her previous work. Although unaware of Adele's personal predicament, he composed the opening piano sequence and first few lines to what became the lovelorn ballad "Turning Tables": "Close enough to start a war/All that I have is on the floor." Coincidentally, it perfectly captured the experience of the singer, who arrived at the studio moments after another altercation with her former lover. Angry and unfocused, she denounced her ex-lover's tendency to "turn the tables" on her during their arguments, an expression that Tedder decided to reference in the song's lyrics. Adele recorded the demo with Jim Abbiss the following day.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele and Tedder arranged a second meeting and reconvened at Serenity West Studios in Los Angeles weeks later to write and record "Rumour Has It". In an interview, Tedder recalled his astonishment at the singer's musicality and vocal prowess after she completed the main vocals to the song in 10 minutes: "She sang it once top to bottom, pitch perfect, she didn't miss a note. I looked at the engineer then at her and said, 'Adele I don't know what to tell you but I have never had anyone do that in ten years'."


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: After working with Smith, Tedder, and Epworth, Adele travelled to the United States for the remainder of the album's production. At the suggestion of Columbia Records group president Ashley Newton, she met with songwriter Greg Wells at his studio in Culver City, Los Angeles, where they co-wrote the gospel-tinged ballad "One and Only". The song evolved from a four-chord piano progression in a 6/8-metre, which Wells had conceived before meeting with the singer. The lyrics, aimed at the singer's new love interest, came together quickly and were later completed with Dan Wilson, with whom she also composed "Someone like You".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: In 2008, Adele's appearance on the NBC sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" caught the attention of producer Rick Rubin. In the initial stage of the album's production Rubin had signed on as its sole producer, and was scheduled to produce all of its songs. The demos she had recorded with Epworth, Smith, and Tedder (including "Rolling in the Deep" and "Set Fire to the Rain") were subsequently rerecorded by Rubin when she met with him in his Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California, in April 2010.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Rubin, notorious for his unorthodox production style, pushed the singer beyond her comfort zone, and despite being drawn to his unconventional methods, Adele described working with the producer as daunting. Rubin had attended many of her shows throughout 2008–2009, and after a Hollywood Bowl performance, approached her to compliment her live sound. When they met in Malibu, he attempted to "capture her live show across on [her] record", assembling a team of musicians—including drummer Chris Dave, guitarist Matt Sweeney, James Poyser on piano, and Pino Palladino on bass—to contribute live instrumentation to the recording sessions. He also decided against the use of music samples and electronic instruments. An advocate of a more free-form approach to music-making, Rubin relied on the moods and feelings behind the music itself to guide the instrumental and melodic arrangement of the songs. He isolated the singer in the studio and encouraged her, as well as his team of musicians, to approach the production process with more spontaneity and less restraint. The singer even recalled moving the musicians and production team to tears while recording some of the songs. In an interview, he commented on the nature of the recording sessions:


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: After recording the album with Rubin, Adele was dissatisfied with many of the songs. Ultimately, she decided to scrap most work done in favour of the early takes she did with other producers, including Epworth and Tedder, in order for the music to reflect the raw emotion felt immediately after her break-up. From her collaboration with Rubin, only five songs appeared on the album: "Don't You Remember", "He Won't Go", "I'll Be Waiting", "One and Only", as well as the U.S-only track "I Found a Boy".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Weeks after her stint with Rubin, Adele learned of her ex-lover's recent engagement, inspiring the composition of the album's final track "Someone like You". Adele's record label was initially dissatisfied with the song's sparse production, which comprised Adele's voice alongside a sole piano, and requested that it be re-recorded with Rubin's band. However, the singer opted to keep the arrangement, stating that the song was personal to her and that she wrote it to "free herself".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele first intended to title the album "Rolling in the Deep", her adaptation of the slang phrase "roll deep", which summarises how she felt about her relationship; in her loose translation, the phrase refers to having someone "that has your back" and always supports you. However, the singer later deemed the title too confusing for some of her audiences. Although she had wanted to avoid the number motif of her debut, Adele considered "21" the most fitting title as it represented her age at the time of the album's composition, serving as an autobiographical period piece, and symbolised the personal maturity and artistic evolution since her debut.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" bears influences of Adele's extended exposure to the music of the Southern United States during the North American leg of her 2008–2009 tour An Evening with Adele. Frequent smoke breaks with her tour bus driver, a Nashville, Tennessee native, resulted in her introduction to bluegrass and rockabilly, and the music of Garth Brooks, Wanda Jackson, Alison Krauss, Lady Antebellum, Dolly Parton and Rascal Flatts. Adele developed an appreciation for the country genre, praising what she described as the immediacy of the themes and the straightforward narrative structure of many of the songs she listened to.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: She also expressed her enthusiasm at simply learning a new style of music. Although influenced by Adele's interest in country music at the time, "21" remains faithful to the Motown influences of "19" and exhibits both gospel and soul music inflections. Instruments such as the saxophone, harp, banjo and the accordion contributed to its exploration of blues and soul. The singer drew from the music of Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Elbow, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, Tom Waits, and Sinéad O'Connor in the cultivation of the album's sound, and credited Yvonne Fair, Andrew Bird, Neko Case, and The Steel Drivers with its musical direction.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele's style on "21" is generally characterised by critics as soul, although some suggest that the album eschews any distinct stylistic epithet. John Murphy of musicOMH characterises the album as British soul. Jon Caramanica of "The New York Times" wrote that the album's music is a part of a recent British soul revival that "summoned styles dating back to Motown girl groups and Dusty Springfield". Ryan Reed of "Paste" calls Adele a "British alt-soul prodigy" and the album's music "the stuff of sensual modern pop-noir landscape, heavy on retro textures and relationship drama." Danyel Smith of "Billboard" views that Adele's music exhibits influences from Northern soul, Aretha Franklin, Sade, and Bette Midler.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Larry Flick of SiriusXM called "21" "a pop record with soul leanings", while "The Washington Post"'s Allion Stewart commented on the album's eclectic nature: "Everything on ["21"] is precisely calibrated to transcend genres, to withstand trends ... It's slightly angled toward country, even more toward R&B", and "informed, but never overwhelmed, by roots music". Mike Spies of "Slate" argues that soul music is inextricably linked to the political, historical, and cultural experience of African Americans, and that Adele and her contemporaries, far removed from this socio-cultural milieu, can offer only a mere duplicate of actual "soul", despite a capacity to convincingly channel the sound.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: The sequence of the tracks on the deeply autobiographical album correlate to the range of emotions Adele experienced after the break-up, progressing from themes of anger and bitterness, to feelings of loneliness, heartbreak and regret, and finally acceptance. The revenge song "Rolling in the Deep", a "dark, bluesy, gospel, disco tune" in the singer's own words, was written as a "fuck you" to her ex-lover after his disparaging remarks that she was weak and that her life without him would be "boring and lonely and rubbish". Opening with an understated acoustic guitar strum, the song's first lines set the foreboding tone of the album. Pounding martial beats, shuffling percussion, and piano coalesce into a dramatic, multilayered chorus over which "Adele's voice ranges, dramatizing her search for just the right tone and words to express her dismay that a man would dare break her heart." The first single from "21", "Rolling in the Deep" is one of the more apparent influences of the bluesy Americana music that framed the album's sound.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "Rumour Has It", the singer's tongue-in-cheek retort to the hurtful gossip that surrounded her break-up, was aimed at her own friends for their part in spreading these rumours. Fusing elements of doo-wop and Tin Pan Alley blues, the percussion-driven song is built on girl-group harmonies, piano chords, pounding kick drum and handclaps, and finds the singer "channeling a '40s, piano-vixen lounge singer". Jon Caramanica of "The New York Times" pointed out the song's "hollow counterpoint vocals" and slow, "daringly morbid" bridge that veers from the pounding rhythm before once again acceding to it. In the studio, Tedder experimented with a riff inspired by Radiohead's "I Might Be Wrong", crediting the song's drop D tuning and American blues vibe as impetus for "Rumour Has It". In "Turning Tables", a song of domestic dispute, its narrator assumes a defensive stance against a manipulative ex-lover. Reconciling herself with the termination of a contentious relationship, she vows emotional distance to shield herself from future heartbreak. Bryan Boyd of "The Irish Times" likened the singer to 1980s Welsh rocker Bonnie Tyler in delivering the vocals with a mixture of anger, pain and pathos. According to "Paste" magazine, cinematic strings "serve as fitting counterpoint to [the song's] heartbroken, hollowed-out lyrics".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: The Rick Rubin-produced fourth track "Don't You Remember", co-written by Adele and Dan Wilson, marks a shift in the album's theme, from anger and defensiveness to reflection and heartbreak. A downtempo country music-styled ballad, the song was added late to the production of the album after the singer grew ashamed of her continued negative portrayal of her ex-lover throughout the album. Its lyrics entreat a past lover to remember the happier moments at the beginning of a now broken relationship. "Don't You Remember" was the most challenging song on "21" for Adele to record. In "Set Fire to the Rain" the singer delineates the conflicting stages of a troubled union and wrestles with her inability to fully let go. Accentuated by ornate orchestral flourishes, swirling strings, crescendos, and dramatic vocal effects towards its climactic end, the song stands in stark contrast to the otherwise understated production of the album, and in reviews, was characterised by critics as a pop rock power ballad. To achieve a fuller sound, producer Fraser T Smith incorporated the popular "wall of sound" reverberative technique in framing the song's dense instrumentation.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "Take It All", the seventh track, written and recorded with Francis "Eg" White and Jim Abbiss before the breakdown of Adele's relationship, is a piano and vocal ballad that borrows heavily from pop, soul and gospel. In his review of "21", Allmusic's Matt Collar called the song the album's centrepiece, "an instant-classic" in the same vein as "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", and "All by Myself" a "cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idol's Pyrrhic lovelorn persona." The track precedes "I'll Be Waiting", the second of two songs produced by Epworth, which diverges from the scathing "Rolling in the Deep" in its optimistic tone and brisk, lilted melody. A protagonist's mea culpa for a relationship gone wrong, she declares to wait patiently for her lover's inevitable return. The song was compared to the work of Aretha Franklin for its "huge vocal sound on the chorus, rolling piano and boxy snare", while Tom Townshend of MSN Music described its brass section as a Rolling Stones-esque "barroom gospel".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Although the album predominantly explores the singer's failed relationship, not all songs were geared towards her ex-lover. "He Won't Go", a nod to hip hop and contemporary R&B, was a tribute to a friend who battled heroin addiction. The ninth track "One and Only", noted for its gospel-tinged vocals, organ, and choir, was directed at a close friend for whom Adele shared romantic feelings. And "Lovesong" (a cover of a song by The Cure) was dedicated to Adele's mother and friends, in whom she found solace when she grew homesick and lonely while recording in Malibu.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: The album closes with the "heartbreak adagio" "Someone like You", a soft piano ballad that pairs Adele's vocals with a looping piano melody. In interviews, the singer described it as the summation of her attitude towards her ex-lover by the end of the album's production. The song's lyrics describe a protagonist's attempt at dealing with her heartbreak after she learns of her ex-lover's recent marriage and happy new life. Sean Fennessey of "The Village Voice" praised the singer's nuanced vocal performance in the song, which ascends "into a near-shrieked whisper" during parts of the chorus, after which she once again regains composure. One of the more commended songs on the album, "Someone like You" was praised for its lyrical depth and understated simplicity.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: For the North American release of "21" on 22 February, Columbia Records executives used the "'long tail' sales theory" to shape its marketing campaign, which, according to Columbia senior VP of marketing Scott Greer, entailed "building a critical mass throughout February in order to reach all those people who bought "19"." Key to this was the record company approaching internet and media partners Vevo, AOL and VH1 to begin promoting Adele's old and new songs. In the months leading up to the European release of "21", Adele embarked on a promotional tour across Europe, performing on the UK's "Royal Variety Performance" on 9 December 2010, the finale of reality singing competition "The Voice of Holland" on 21 January 2011, and on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge six days later. On 24 January 2011, during the week of the album's UK release, she performed an acoustic set of selected songs from "21" at London's Tabernacle music hall, which was screened live on her personal website. Adele performed "Someone like You" at the 2011 BRIT Awards ceremony, which was well received and resulted in a sales increase for both "19" and "21".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: From September to October 2010, Adele embarked on a mini-promotional tour of the US, which included stops in New York and Minneapolis, as well as an exclusive appearance at the famous Club Largo in Los Angeles. Although she did not use Twitter at the time, Columbia created an account that redirected followers to the singer's personal blog. Throughout February, Adele's personal site hosted a "21 Days of Adele" promotion, which featured exclusive daily content, including a live chat and a video of the singer explaining the inspiration for each album track. The week of release was also accompanied by a spate of television appearances on many American daytime and late-night talk shows, such as the "Today Show" on 18 February, "Late Show with David Letterman" on 21 February, and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on 24 February. Adele performed "Someone like You" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele embarked on her second concert tour Adele: Live in support of "21", scheduling more than 60 shows across Europe and North America. The shows received positive reviews, many of which noted the show's understated nature, the singer's vocal performance and her accessible persona. However, recurring health and vocal problems led to numerous alterations to the tour itinerary. The cancellation of the North American leg of the tour was due to a vocal haemorrhage on her vocal cords. The singer underwent corrective vocal surgery in November 2011 and cancelled all public appearances until February 2012.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele performed "Rolling in the Deep" at the 2011 ECHO Awards, 2012 Grammy Awards and 2012 BRIT Awards ceremonies.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" yielded five singles in total, including four worldwide releases. The lead single "Rolling in the Deep" was released in November 2010, and peaked the charts in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland. It became a top-ten hit in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway. Released in the UK on 16 January 2011, it peaked at number two. In the US, the song became "the most widely crossed over song of the past twenty-five years", appearing on a record 12 different "Billboard" charts (including the Rock Songs chart, R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Latin Songs charts). The song spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the Hot 100, and was ranked the top song and the best-selling song of the year.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "Someone like You" debuted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart due to strong digital sales, and after falling to number 47, it ascended to number one when the singer performed it at the 2011 BRIT Awards. It peaked at number one in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Finland, France, Switzerland, and the US. "Set Fire to the Rain", the third single, topped the singles chart in the US, the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders), and reached the top five in Switzerland, Italy and Austria.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "Rumour Has It" was confirmed as the fourth and final official US single from the album by Ryan Tedder at the Grammy Awards in 2012, and was released 1 March 2012. In some countries, "Turning Tables" was released as the fourth single. It was the fifth single to be released to US mainstream stations, although it received limited airplay due to an unofficial release. Even though "I'll Be Waiting" was never released as a single, it charted at No. 29 on the US Triple A chart.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 34 reviews. In the "Chicago Tribune", Greg Kot deemed the music an improvement over "19", writing that ""21" beefs up the rhythmic drive and the drama of the arrangements." Simon Harper of "Clash" wrote, "[In] two years ... she's clearly seen the world. Where "19" marked the turbulent swan song to a teenage life, "21" introduces the realities of adult life, where grown-up responsibilities collide with heartache and emotional scars run deep." John Murphy of "MusicOMH" said that it shared the themes of "pain, sadness and anger" explored on Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" (2006), while hailing "21" as "one of the great 'break-up' albums, and the first truly impressive record of 2011." Sputnikmusic's Joseph Viney stated that "21" combined the "best bits of Aretha Franklin's old-school soul with Lauryn Hill's sass and sense of cynical modern femininity."


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Sean Fennessey from "The Village Voice" wrote that the album "has a diva's stride and a diva's purpose. With a touch of sass and lots of grandeur, it's an often magical thing that insists on its importance ... the line here between melodrama and pathos is wafer-thin, and Adele toes it deftly. It's what separates her from her contemporaries in the mid-'00s wave of British white-girl r&b-dom." "Q" commented that, despite a "slightly scattershot quality ... greatness is tantalizingly within reach." In "The New York Times", Jon Pareles applauded the singer's emotive timbre, comparing her to Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, and Annie Lennox: "[Adele] can seethe, sob, rasp, swoop, lilt and belt, in ways that draw more attention to the song than to the singer." Ryan Reed of "Paste" regarded her voice as "a raspy, aged-beyond-its-years thing of full-blooded beauty", while "MSN Music"s Tom Townshend declared her "the finest singer of [our] generation".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Matthew Cole from "Slant Magazine" was less impressed, believing Adele's vocals masked the "blandness" of many of the songs, a fault that he said would have been more apparent had they been performed by a lesser talent. Allison Stewart of "The Washington Post" claimed that many tracks were remarkable "only because Adele is singing them." Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honourable mention in his consumer guide for "MSN Music", writing that "part of me likes how many albums this proud white-soul normal has sold, but the part that likes fast ones wins."


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart on 30 January 2011 with first-week sales of 208,000 copies. "21" achieved separate consecutive number-one spells during its 2011 chart run, amassing 23 weeks at number one to date. Midway through 2012, "21" was the best-selling album of the year despite being released in early 2011. "21" sold over 5.08 million copies as of May 2018, making it the biggest selling album since 2000 in the UK. As of October 2018, the album sold 5.11 million copies, making it the second biggest selling studio album in the UK, and fourth best-selling album of all time. The success of "21", brought attention to Adele's previous work. "19" climbed to number four on the UK Albums Chart, making Adele the first living act since The Beatles in 1964 to have two UK top five albums and singles simultaneously. A week later, "19" rose to number 2 in its 102nd week of release, this made Adele the first act to occupy the chart's top two spots since The Corrs in 1999.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Globally, "21" is the best-selling album of the past decade according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, and topped the charts in more than 30 countries. In July 2012, the album was certified decuple platinum by the IFPI, denoting sales of ten million copies across Europe, making it the highest-certified album in Europe since the IFPI Platinum Europe award was launched in 1996. The album lodged 35 weeks atop the Irish Albums Chart, the longest in the chart's history, and sold over 270,000 copies. Charting 124 weeks in Finland from early 2011 to summer of 2013 (with 11 weeks atop) and re-entering in early 2014, "21" became the second-longest-charting album of all time in the country.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" spent 32 weeks at number-one on the Australian ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart, 10 of which were consecutive. Adele also replicated her UK chart record when she achieved two titles in the top five of the ARIA Album and Singles chart simultaneously. In December 2012, it was announced that "21" was nearing sales of one million in Australia. This makes "21" only the seventh album to ever achieve this feat in Australia and the first to do so since Delta Goodrem's "Innocent Eyes". On the New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart, "21" debuted at number-one in January 2011, and spent 28 weeks at the summit in 2011. Its 38 accumulated weeks at the top is the longest in New Zealand chart history.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Released 22 February in the US, "21" debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 352,000 copies. The album remained in the top three for its first 24 weeks, the top five for a record 39 consecutive weeks, and the top 10 for a total of 84 weeks. That staggering sum ties the album with Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." for the second-most weeks in the region. "21" became the best-selling digital album of all time in the US, selling 1.879 million copies by January 2012. On 17 May 2012, "21" became the 29th album since 1991 to sell over 9 million copies in the United States and became the first album in the United States to sell that amount since Usher's "Confessions" reached sales of 9 million in 2005. By November 2012, it had sold 10 million copies, a feat achieved in 92 weeks, making it the fastest album to sell 10 million since 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached" in 2001. In February 2015, the album reached 208 straight weeks, or four years, on the "Billboard" 200 chart, spending only 24 of those weeks outside the Top 100.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: As of January 2020, "21" has sold 12 million copies in the United States, becoming the ninth largest-selling album since Nielsen Music started tracking sales in 1991 and best selling album of the 2010s decade. The album's performance on the "Billboard" 200 chart earned "21" the distinction of all-time number one album on the chart, according to a summary performed by "Billboard" in November 2015. In spring of 2017, the album broke the record for the longest-charting album by a female artist on the "Billboard" 200, surpassing "Tapestry" by Carole King. In February 2019, "21" has been listed on the "Billboard" 200 album chart for 400 non-consecutive weeks. "21" also became the first album by a woman to reach 450 weeks on the "Billboard" 200 in February 2020. In February 2021, "21" made history as the first album by a woman to reach 500 weeks on the "Billboard" 200. In Canada, "21" spent 35 weeks at number one, and was certified diamond in January 2012 by Music Canada for shipment of 800,000 copies of the album. "21" had sold over 1.489 million copies by January 2013, making it the third best-selling album in Canada, since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking sales.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" was ranked as the number one album of all time on the "Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time". "21" appeared on many year-end best-of lists. Metacritic ranked "21" at number two on their list of 2011's most well-received records, based on inclusions in publications' year-end lists. The album was ranked the best album of the year by the Associated Press, "The Austin Chronicle", "Entertainment Weekly", "Star Tribune", Digital Spy, MSN Music, "New York Daily News", "Rolling Stone", "TIME" magazine, and editors of "USA Today". Critics at "Billboard" voted the album number-one of the year, while Scottish newspaper the "Daily Record", editors of Amazon and the editors at Rhapsody also ranked the album at number one. The album appeared in the runner-up spot on MTV's list of the Best Albums of 2011 as well as lists produced by "The Boston Globe", "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Toronto Sun". It placed within the top 10 on lists produced by "American Songwriter", "Q", "Los Angeles Times", "Clash", and "The Washington Post". "Rolling in the Deep" consistently placed high on various year-end critics' list, and was ranked the best song of the year in "The Village Voice"s Pazz and Jop mass critics' poll.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: In 2012, "Rolling Stone" ranked the album number six on its list of Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time. As of January 2015, "Billboard" named "21" as the third best album of the 2010s (so far). The album was also included in the book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". In 2019, "Rolling Stone", "Consequence of Sound", Cleveland.com, "Paste," and "The Sydney Morning Herald" named it the 8th, 19th, 47th, 55th and 1st best album of the 2010s, respectively. "Consequence of Sound" also named it the fifth best pop album of the 2010s. In 2020, the album was ranked at 137 on "Rolling Stone"'s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. "Consequence of Sound" ranked the album at number seven on their list of "The 10 Greatest Second Albums of All Time". "21"'s commercial success effectively transformed Adele's image from a blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter to a global pop phenomenon. "Entertainment Weekly" considered it the record representing the year of 2011 on their 2020 list of the "30 essential albums from the last 30 years".


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: The album was nominated for the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize but lost to "Let England Shake" by PJ Harvey. In November 2011, Adele won three American Music Awards including Favorite Pop/Rock Album for "21" at the American Music Awards of 2011. At the 2012 "Billboard" Music Awards, the singer was nominated for twenty categories, winning record-breaking twelve, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Pop Album for "21" and Top Streaming Song (Audio) for "Rolling in the Deep". In May 2013, Adele receive five nominations at the 2013 "Billboard" Music Awards, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Pop Album for "21" two years in a row, she winning the latter award.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: The album earned Adele seven Grammys, in February 2012 she won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for "21", Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video for "Rolling in the Deep", and Best Pop Solo Performance for "Someone like You" at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. In addition, her producer Paul Epworth won Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. Adele, who was named Best New Artist in 2009, is only the second artist and first female in history to take all four major Grammy categories. Christopher Cross attained the feat in 1981 with a four-award sweep. She is only the eighth artist in Grammy history to win six or more awards in one night and match the record among female artists set by Beyoncé in 2010.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: With her wins, Adele became only the sixth artist to win "Grammy's Triple Crown" in one night. She was only the second female solo artist to do it, following Carole King in 1972, and only the second British artist, after Eric Clapton in 1993. At age 23, Adele was the youngest artist at the time to do this.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: That record was later broken by Billie Eilish, who was 18 years old while winning all "big four" Grammys in one night in 2020. In February 2013, a live rendition of the album's third single "Set Fire to the Rain", included on "Live at the Royal Albert Hall", won the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the first artist who wins consecutive in this category.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: On 21 February 2012, "21" won the British Album of the Year at the 2012 BRIT Awards. It also won the International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2012.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: The album's success has been attributed to its cross-cultural appeal, which has catered to fans of various genres of pop, adult contemporary, and R&B, as well as various generations and musical timelines. According to Sasha Frere-Jones of "The New Yorker" the album's success in the US can be attributed to its target audience—that is, "middle-aged moms ... the demographic that decides American elections." Critics also suggest that the album's understated musical production and relative lack of artifice are striking deviations from the "bombastic theatrics" of the mainstream music industry. Ethan Smith of "The Wall Street Journal" found that Adele's "deliberately unflashy" nature, full figure, and "everywoman" appeal gave her a lucrative niche in the market, while her tendency to emphasize "substance over style" made her the "Anti-Lady Gaga". Guy Adams of "The Independent" argued that "21"s success signals the re-emergence of the more traditional approach to commercial success:


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: There are two approaches to the business of being noticed by today's record-buying public. The first ... revolves around oodles of hype and ever-more preposterous wardrobe selections. The second ... requires ... the confidence to let your music do the talking... Amazingly, given preconceived notions about America's supposed preference for style over substance, it is the second of these two sales techniques which appear to be working better.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: With the release of "21", critics began to tout Adele as the new torchbearer for the British soul music that ascended to the American mainstream via Duffy, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen. Although the initial popularity of these artists in the early 2000s incited the media to declare a "new wave of British invasion", Joseph Viney of Sputnikmusic saw their subsequent absence as an opportunity for Adele to "stake her claim as the UK's leading solo female artist". John Murphy of "MusicOMH" declared the album "a timely reminder that British soul hasn't lost its mojo". Indie label XL Recordings founder Richard Russell discussed what be believed to be the quasi-subversiveness of "21"s chart dominance. Characterising the success of "21" as "almost political and sort of radical", Russell stated that the lack of gimmicks in Adele's music undermined the widespread perception that female performers have to conform to specific body-types, or imbue their music with gratuitous sexual imagery, in order attain success.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Retrospectively, the album received widespread critical praise. "Stereogum" wrote that "21" established Adele as "pop royalty" and called the album "one of history’s great, resilient breakup albums" while "Pitchfork" praised the album for "cementing her legacy as an artist who could make once-in-a-generation milestones out of her music". "Atwood Magazine" compared the album to Frank Ocean's "Blonde", as they are both sophomore albums, and commented that both albums "could slide into the catalogues of greats like Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin and no one would be the wiser" and called Adele "one of the most captivating songwriters of the 21st century". "NME" described "21" as a "heartbreak pop classic" and further emphasized that it is "so classic in a way that stands the test of time". In an article explaing Adele's record-breaking achievements and impact, The Recording Academy wrote that "Plenty of albums have tapped into emotional truths; few have endured like 21", and further commented that "21" "continues to resonate with audiences in 2021 as much as it did in 2011". Both "Junkee" and "Consequence of Sound" credited the album for revitalizing pop music, heralding "a new era of relatable pop", and inspiring a new generation of artists.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Adele claimed the "Guinness World Records" for becoming the first female artist to have two singles and two albums in the UK top five simultaneously. "21" also became the first album in UK chart history to reach sales of three million copies in a calendar year, and set records for the most consecutive weeks with a UK number-one album (solo female) with 11 weeks, and the most cumulative weeks at number one (solo female) in the UK. "21" has been certified 16-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 4,500,000 units. It is also the most downloaded album in UK history, the biggest-selling album of the 21st century in the UK, and the 4th best selling album in the UK of all time.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: Sales of "21" helped increase XL Recordings', Adele's record label, bank balance from £3million to £32million in the space of 12 months.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: With "21", Adele became the first female to have three singles simultaneously in the top 10 of the "Billboard" Hot 100 as a solo artist. She also became the first female artist to place two titles in the top five of both the "Billboard" 200 and Hot 100 concurrently. On 14 June 2012, "21" scored its 24th week atop the US album charts, the longest since Prince's "Purple Rain" finished a non-consecutive 24-week run in 1985. The album is also the longest-running number-one by a UK studio album (excluding soundtracks and group acts), the longest-running number-one album by a female solo artist ever in the US (surpassing the Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard (soundtrack)" and the longest-running number-one in the SoundScan era. The album also spent 24 non-consecutive weeks at number 2.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" is credited with saving the first quarter album sales of 2012 in the United States. Without "21", the first quarter of 2012 would have been down 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2011. "21" sold more copies in the first quarter of 2012 than any album since 2005 and is the oldest album to be the best-selling album in the first quarter of the year since No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom" in 1997. On 28 November 2012, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it Diamond after having sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone, made it the first album released in the 2010s to achieve Diamond certification. In December 2012, it was announced that "21" was the best-selling album on iTunes for two years in a row.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: "21" was the best-selling album of both 2011 and 2012 in the United States and Canada despite being over a year old. It is the first album to be the best-selling album two years in a row since Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was the best-selling album of 1983 and 1984. Despite being over a year old, "21" sold more copies in 2012 than the best-selling albums of 2006 through 2010 sold in their respective years. It is also one of only four albums in the Nielsen SoundScan era to sell over 4 million copies in each of two calendar years. Due to these successes, "Billboard" declared Adele the Artist of the Year for the second year in a row, making her the first solo female artist to receive the honor twice.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: In February 2013, "21" reached two full years on the "Billboard" 200, never charting lower than number 35 on the chart. This makes "21" the best-selling album of the past 10 years and the fifth best-selling album released since January 2000. In March 2013, after Adele won an Academy Award for "Skyfall", the album reentered the top 10 of the "Billboard" 200. This marked the album's 81st week in the top 10. Only two other albums have spent as much time in the top 10: "Born in the U.S.A." and "The Sound of Music". In November 2013, it was announced that "21" had become the first album to sell three million digital copies in the United States and that the album is the 13th best-selling overall in the United States since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.


title: 21 (Adele album)

text: In November 2019, Billboard named "21" the best selling album of the 2010s. In December 2019, "21" was unveiled by the Official Charts Company as the decade's best seller, with 5.17 million chart sales. In January 2020, "21" was announced as the biggest album of the 2010s in Australia. In December 2021, it was announced that "21" was the first album by a woman to spend an entire decade on the "Billboard" 200 chart.


title: Chiron

text: In Greek mythology, Chiron ( ; also Cheiron or Kheiron; ) was held to be the superlative centaur amongst his brethren since he was called the "wisest and justest of all the centaurs".


title: Chiron

text: Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for his youth-nurturing nature. His personal skills tend to match those of his foster father Apollo, who taught the young centaur the art of medicine, herbs, music, archery, hunting, gymnastics and prophecy, and made him rise above his beastly nature. Chiron was known for his knowledge and skill with medicine, and thus was credited with the discovery of botany and pharmacy, the science of herbs and medicine.


title: Chiron

text: Like satyrs, centaurs were notorious for being wild, lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, violent when intoxicated, and generally uncultured delinquents. Chiron, by contrast, was intelligent, civilized and kind, because he was not related directly to the other centaurs due to his parentage. He was the son of the Titan Cronus and the Oceanid Philyra, and thus possible brother to Dolops and Aphrus, the ancestor and eponym of the Aphroi, i.e. the native Africans. Chiron lived predominantly on Mount Pelion; there he married the nymph Chariclo who bore him three daughters, Hippe (also known as Melanippe meaning the "black mare" or Euippe, "good mare"), Endeïs, and Ocyrhoe, and one son Carystus. A different source also stated that his wife was called Nais while a certain Aristaeus was called his son.


title: Chiron

text: Like the other centaurs, Chiron was later expelled by the Lapithae from his home; but sacrifices were offered to him there by the Magnesians until a very late period, and the family of the Cheironidae in that neighbourhood, who were distinguished for their knowledge of medicine, were regarded as his descendants.


title: Chiron

text: Although a centaur, Chiron's physical appearance often differs somewhat from other centaurs, demonstrating his status and heritage. In traditional Greek representations of Chiron his front legs are human, rather than equine, this is in contrast to the traditional representation of centaurs, which have the entire lower body of a horse. This clearly sets Chiron apart from the other centaurs, making him easily identifiable. This difference may also have highlighted Chiron's unique lineage, being the son of Cronus. Chiron is often depicted carrying a branch with dead hares he has caught hanging from it. Chiron is also often depicted wearing clothes, demonstrating he is more civilised and unlike a normal centaur (the only other occasional exceptions to this rule are the centaurs Nessus and Pholus).


title: Chiron

text: The "Education of Achilles" wall painting, from the basilica in Herculaneum (top right), is one of the most common Roman depictions of Chiron, as he teaches Achilles the lyre. In this version we see Chiron with a fully equine lower body, in contrast to the ancient Greek representations. In addition to this reconfiguration, Chiron's appearance is further altered with his ears. Whereas previously human, Chiron's ears now match those of a satyr; folded over at the top. This rendering creates a more bestial version of Chiron, much more akin to a standard centaur. It may be possible that due to the rise of written sources, Roman artists were inspired by written descriptions of Chiron; simply using the word centaur, rather than having available traditional visual representations. This may then, not be a deliberate reworking of the Chiron myth on the part of the Romans, but simply a lost nuance of the character in its migration from Greece to Rome. As F. Kelsey writes; ""The Chiron of our painting, ... has a body like that of the other centaurs, but the prominence of the human element in his nature is no less marked; he is the wise and gentle teacher, the instructor of an art"". Chiron has retained an element of clothing and gained a laurel wreath, suggesting the artist wished to portray nobility, or even divinity, more consistent with the traditional view. It has also been suggested that this fresco is a reproduction of an actual statue in the Roman forum.


title: Chiron

text: According to an archaic myth, Chiron was sired by the Titan Cronus when he had taken the form of a horse and impregnated the nymph Philyra.


title: Chiron

text: Chiron's lineage was different from other centaurs, who were born from Ixion, consigned to a fiery wheel, and Nephele ("cloud"), which in the Olympian telling Zeus invented to look like Hera.


title: Chiron

text: Soon after giving birth to Chiron, Philyra abandoned her child out of shame and disgust. Chiron, effectively orphaned, was later found by the god Apollo, who took him under his wing and taught him the art of music, lyre, archery, medicine and prophecy. Apollo's twin sister, Artemis, trained him in archery and hunting. Chiron's uniquely peaceful character, kindness, and intelligence are attributed to Apollo and Artemis.


title: Chiron

text: Some sources speculate that Chiron was originally a Thessalian god, later subsumed into the Greek pantheon as a centaur.


title: Chiron

text: A great healer, astrologer, and respected oracle, Chiron was said to be the first among centaurs and highly revered as a teacher and tutor. Among his pupils were many culture heroes: Asclepius, Aristaeus, Actaeon, Achilles, Jason, Medus.


title: Chiron

text: There is also a persistent link with Peleus throughout Chiron's myth. This can be explained that the latter was the grandfather of Peleus through his daughter Endeis who married the king of Aegina, Aeacus. Chiron saved the life of Peleus when Acastus tried to kill him by taking his sword and leaving him out in the woods to be slaughtered by the centaurs. Chiron retrieved the sword for Peleus. Chiron then explained to Peleus how to capture the nymph Thetis, leading to their marriage.


title: Chiron

text: Chiron is also connected with the story of the Argonauts, whom he received kindly when they came to his residence on their voyage, for many of the heroes were his friends and pupils.


title: Chiron

text: Patroclus is also numbered amongst the students by Statius (a roman poet of the 1st century AD) in his unfinished work, the Achilleid, although Homer clearly contradicts him.


title: Chiron

text: According to Ptolemy Hephaestion (probably the same as Ptolemaeus Chennus), a writer and playwright whose works are now lost, Chiron was also the mentor of the god Dionysus (who became the centaur's eromenos, and learned from him chants and dances) and of a youth named Cocytus; the latter supposedly cured Adonis, when he was wounded by a boar, using the medical techniques learned from his teacher. It is worthy of note that Ptolemy's account only survived thanks to Photios I's summary of his works. Photios I, an ecumenical patriarch of the 9th century AD, harshly criticized Ptolemy, denouncing him for seemingly distorting, inventing and misinterpreting myths. Considering little is known about Ptolemy and his works are not preserved, it is unknown whether he was simply reporting alternative versions of myths or making them up.


title: Chiron

text: His nobility is further reflected in the story of his death, as Prometheus sacrificed his life, allowing mankind to obtain the use of fire. As the son of Cronus he was immortal, so it was left to Heracles to arrange a bargain with Zeus to exchange Chiron's immortality for the life of Prometheus, who had been chained to a rock and left to die for his transgressions. Chiron was pierced with an arrow belonging to Heracles that had been treated with the blood of the Hydra, or, in other versions, poison that Chiron had given to the hero when he had been under the honorable centaur's tutelage. According to a "Scholium" on Theocritus, this had taken place during the visit of Heracles to the cave of Pholus on Mount Pelion in Thessaly during his fourth labour, defeating the Erymanthian Boar. While they were at supper, Heracles asked for some wine to accompany his meal. Pholus, who ate his food raw, was taken aback. He had been given a vessel of sacred wine by Dionysus sometime earlier, to be kept in trust by the centaurs until the right time for its opening. At Heracles' prompting, Pholus was forced to produce the vessel of sacred wine. The hero, gasping for wine, grabbed it from him and forced it open. Thereupon the vapors of the sacred wine wafted out of the cave and intoxicated the wild centaurs led by Nessus who had gathered outside. They attacked with stones and fir trees the cave which was located in the neighbourhood of Malea. Heracles was forced to shoot many arrows (poisoned with the blood of the Hydra) to drive them back. During the assault, Chiron was hit in the thigh by one of the poisoned arrows. After the centaurs had fled, Pholus emerged from the cave to observe the destruction. Being of a philosophical frame of mind, he pulled one of the arrows from the body of a dead centaur and wondered how such a little thing as an arrow could have caused so much death and destruction. In that instant, he let slip the arrow from his hand and it dropped and hit him in the hoof, killing him instantly. This, however, is open to controversy, because Pholus shared the "civilized centaur" form with Chiron in some art images, and thus would have been immortal.


title: Chiron

text: Ironically, Chiron, the master of the healing arts, could not heal himself and willingly gave up his immortality. For this reason, his half-brother Zeus took pity on him and thus placed him among the stars in the sky to be honored. The Greeks identified him as the constellation Centaurus.


title: Chiron

text: In Ovid's poem "Fasti", Ovid has the hero Hercules visiting Chiron's home on Pelion while the child Achilles is there. While Chiron is examining Hercules' weapons, one of the arrows dipped in Lernaean hydra venom falls on Chiron's left foot and poisons him:


title: Chiron

text: Chiron then tries to use herbs to heal himself, but fails. After nine days with a weeping Achilles looking on, Chiron passes into the stars becoming a constellation.


title: Chiron

text: A didactic poem, "Precepts of Chiron", has been lost. However, fragments in heroic hexameters that survive in quotations are considered to belong to it. The common thread in the fragments, which may reflect in some degree the Acharnian image of Chiron and his teaching, is that it is expository rather than narrative, and suggests that, rather than recounting the inspiring events of archaic times as men like Nestor or Glaucus might do, Chiron taught the primeval ways of mankind, the gods and nature, beginning with the caution "First, whenever you come to your house, offer good sacrifices to the eternal gods".


title: Chiron

text: "The Achilleid" was to be an epic poem on the life of Achilles. However, its author, Statius, died during the writing of the second book late in the first century AD during the reign of the Emperor Domitian. "The Achilleid" shows the relationship between Chiron and his charge, Achilles. During Book One, the close relationship between Chiron and Achilles is made clear when Thetis spends the evening with them in Chiron's cave on Mount Pelion, before leaving with Achilles. Chiron is shown in a paternal capacity, rather than that of merely a teacher, and is depicted as far from animal. Night draws to slumber. The huge Centaur collapses on stone and Achilles fondly twines himself about his shoulders, though his mother is there, preferring the familiar bosom. "("1.195–97). Here, Statius is showing a loving relationship between the two characters, which the traditional view of Chiron never explored. Later, when describing what he ate when growing up, Achilles refers to Chiron as a parent; ""thus that father of mine used to feed me" ("2.102), the Latin used here is 'pater' so we may judge this an accurate translation. This further demonstrates the nature of the loving relationship between Chiron and Achilles. Statius here may be continuing a theme started by Ovid in "Fasti" several years earlier.


title: Chiron

text: In "Fasti", on Chiron's death, Achilles says ""'Live, I beg you; don't leave me, dear father [pater]!'"("5.412), this would suggest that in Rome the reconfiguration of Chiron's myth was as a loving and loved foster parent, rather than simply teacher. Chiron's relationship with his pupil is used to demonstrate a Roman longing for the father-son relationship.


title: Chiron

text: In addition to Chiron's loving characteristics developed in Book One, Book Two of "The Achilleid" has Achilles describe many tasks Chiron would make him perform during his heroic education, including standing in fast flowing rivers;I stood, but the angry river and the mist of his broad rush took me back. He bore down on me with savage threats and scolded to shame me. I did not leave till ordered (2.146–150). There is a clear contrast here in the hardship and insults Chiron is directing at his pupil compared to his previous kindness. However, this duality can be seen as a demonstration of a traditional Roman education, especially a noble one; learning both military and refined arts. Centaurs in antiquity were often remembered for their battle with the Lapiths. Statius deliberately disassociates Chiron from this story with his description of Chiron's cave on Pelion,Here are no darts that have tasted human blood, no ash trees fractured in festive combats, nor mixing bowls shattered upon kindred foes (1.111–15).Instead of combat, the emphasis is that Chiron's weapons are only used for hunting and there are no signs of savage behaviour. In addition to Achilles' descriptions of the physical lessons Chiron gives him he also refers to a more cultured education, He fixed in my mind the precepts of sacred justice (2.163–4). Statius creates an image of Chiron that is not only a loving father, but a strict and wise teacher, disassociated with the bestial aspects of centaurs.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most countries in Latin America. The airport is in an unincorporated area in Miami-Dade County, northwest of Downtown Miami, in metropolitan Miami, adjacent to the cities of Miami and Miami Springs, and the village of Virginia Gardens. Nearby cities include Hialeah, Doral, and the Census-designated place of Fontainebleau.


title: Miami International Airport

text: In 2021, Miami International Airport became the busiest international cargo airport in the U.S. and the busiest U.S. gateway for international passengers, surpassing John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. As of 2021, it is the 10th busiest airport in the U.S. with 17,500,096 passengers for the year. It is Florida's busiest airport by total aircraft operations and total cargo traffic and the state's second busiest airport by total passenger traffic after Orlando. The airport is American Airlines' third largest hub and serves as its primary gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean. Miami also serves as a focus city for Avianca, Frontier Airlines, and LATAM, both for passengers and cargo operations.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Miami International Airport covers . It is South Florida's main airport for long-haul international flights and a hub for the Southeastern United States with passenger and cargo flights to cities throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is the largest gateway between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the largest airline hubs in the nation.


title: Miami International Airport

text: The first airport on the site of MIA opened in the 1920s and was known as Miami City Airport. Pan American World Airways ("Pan Am") opened an expanded facility adjacent to City Airport, Pan American Field, in 1928. Pan American Field was built on 116 acres of land on 36th Street and was the only mainland airport in the eastern United States that had port of entry facilities. Its runways were located around the threshold of today's Runway 26R. Eastern Air Lines began to serve Pan American Field in 1931, followed by National Airlines in 1936. National used a terminal on the opposite side of LeJeune Road from the airport, and would stop traffic on the road in order to taxi aircraft to and from its terminal. Miami Army Airfield opened in 1943 during World War II to the south of Pan American Field. The runways of the two were originally separated by railroad tracks, but the two airfields were listed in some directories as a single facility.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Following World War II in 1945, the City of Miami established a Port Authority and raised bond revenue to purchase Pan American Field, which had been since renamed 36th Street Airport, from Pan Am. It merged with the former Miami Army Airfield, which was purchased from the United States Army Air Force south of the railroad in 1949 and expanded further in 1951 when the railroad line itself was moved south to make more room. United States Air Force Reserve troop carrier and rescue squadrons also operated from the airport from 1949 through 1959, when the last unit relocated to nearby Homestead Air Reserve Base, (now Homestead Air Reserve Base). Pan Am and Eastern also constructed maintenance bases at Miami in the late 1940s, which made the airport the world's largest commercial aircraft maintenance and overhaul facility at the time.


title: Miami International Airport

text: The old terminal on 36th Street was closed in 1959 when the "20th Street Terminal" opened, at the time the largest central airport terminal in the world, with five concourses and a 270-room hotel. This terminal was repeatedly renovated and expanded through the 1990s to create the modern MIA terminal complex.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Nonstop flights to Chicago and Newark in northeast New Jersey started in late 1946, but nonstops didn't reach west beyond St. Louis and New Orleans until January 1962. Nonstop transatlantic flights to Europe began in 1970. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Air Florida had a hub at MIA, with a nonstop flight to London, England which it acquired from National upon the latter's merger with Pan Am. Air Florida ceased operations in 1982 after the crash of Air Florida Flight 90. British Airways flew a Concorde SST (supersonic transport) triserial between Miami and London via Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., from 1984 to 1991.


title: Miami International Airport

text: After former Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman became president of Eastern Air Lines in 1975, he moved Eastern's headquarters from Rockefeller Center in New York City to Building 16 in the northeast corner of MIA, Eastern's maintenance base. Eastern remained one of the largest employers in the Miami metropolitan area until ongoing labor union unrest, coupled with the airline's acquisition by union antagonist Frank Lorenzo in 1986, ultimately forced the airline into bankruptcy in 1989. Eastern operated out of Concourses B through D on the north side of the terminal, where American's Concourse D stands today. Concourse E was the home for most international carriers, while Pan Am operated out of Concourses E and F.


title: Miami International Airport

text: In the midst of Eastern's turmoil, American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall sought a new hub in order to utilize new aircraft which AA had on order. AA studies indicated that Delta Air Lines would provide strong competition on most routes from Eastern's hub at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, but that MIA had many key routes only served by Eastern. American announced that it would establish a base at MIA in August 1988. Lorenzo considered selling Eastern's profitable Latin American routes to AA as part of a Chapter 11 reorganization of Eastern in early 1989, but backed out in a last-ditch effort to rebuild the MIA hub. The effort quickly proved futile, and American purchased the routes (including the route authority between Miami and London then held by Eastern sister company Continental Airlines) in a liquidation of Eastern which was completed in 1990. Later in the 1990s, American transferred more employees and equipment to MIA from its failed domestic hubs at Nashville, Tennessee and Raleigh–Durham, North Carolina. The hub grew from 34 daily departures in 1989 to 157 in 1990, 190 in 1992 and a peak of 301 in 1995, including long-haul flights to Europe and South America. Today Miami is American's largest air freight hub and is the main connecting point in the airline's north–south international route network.


title: Miami International Airport

text: American began the development of the current North Terminal in the 1990s, which replaced the existing Concourses A through D. Although the terminal was originally scheduled to be completed in 2004, numerous delays arose in the construction process, and Miami-Dade County took over control of the project in 2005, at which time the project had a budget of $2.85 billion. The terminal was ultimately completed in 2011, and included a new "Skytrain" people mover system, as well as a wing for American Eagle commuter flights.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Pan Am was acquired by Delta Air Lines in 1991, but filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. Its remaining international routes from Miami to Europe and Latin America were sold to United Airlines for $135 million as part of Pan Am's emergency liquidation that December. United's Latin American hub offered 24 daily departures in the summer of 1992, growing to 36 daily departures to 21 destinations in the summer of 1994, but returned to 24 daily departures in the summer of 1995 and never expanded further. United ended flights from Miami to South America, and shut down its Miami crew base, in May 2004, reallocating most Miami resources to its main hub in O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. United ceased all mainline service to Miami in 2005 with the introduction of its low-cost product Ted.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Iberia also established a Miami hub in 1992, positioning a fleet of DC-9 aircraft at MIA to serve destinations in Central America and the Caribbean. The hub took advantage of rights granted under the 1991 bilateral aviation agreement between the United States and Spain. During the 1990s, the airport had sterile international-to-international transit facilities in Concourse D (American, British, and Alitalia) and Concourse F (Iberia and four Central American carriers), and there were plans to establish a sterile corridor for international connecting passengers between six concourses. However, the September 11, 2001, attacks made it necessary for many foreigners to obtain a visa in order to transit the United States, and as a result United Airlines and Iberia closed their hubs in 2004.


title: Miami International Airport

text: MIA is projected to process 77 million passengers and 4 million tons of freight annually by 2040. To meet such a demand, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved a $5 billion improvement plan to take place over 15 years and concluding in 2035. The comprehensive plan includes concourse optimization, construction of two on-site luxury hotels, the demolition of Concourse G and expansion of the airport's cargo capacity.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Miami International Airport contains three terminals (North, Central and South) and six concourses for a total of 131 gates. With the exception of Concourse G, all concourses contain gates to access U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities.


title: Miami International Airport

text: American operates three Admirals Clubs and one Flagship Lounge across Concourses D & E. Numerous other lounges exist across the airport as well, including an American Express Centurion Lounge located in Concourse D. The North Terminal (Concourse D) is for exclusive use of American Airlines. The Central Terminal (Concourses E, F and G) has varied uses; Concourse E is mainly used by American and its Oneworld partner airlines along with some Caribbean and Latin American airlines, and E's satellite terminal has a gate that can accommodate an Airbus A380. Concourses F and G are used by non-AA domestic and Canadian carriers and flights. The South Terminal (Concourses H and J) is the main non-Oneworld international terminal. Concourse H is largely used by Delta and non-Oneworld international carriers that send narrowbody planes largely from Central and the northern parts of South America, and some widebody flights; and Concourse J is used by most non-Oneworld international carriers that send widebody planes and is the main terminal at MIA for non-Oneworld trans-continental flights. Concourse J also has one gate that can accommodate an A380.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Miami International Airport uses the MIA Mover, a free people mover system to transfer passengers between MIA terminals and the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) that opened to the public on September 9, 2011. The MIC provides direct access from the airport to ground transportation (shuttle/bus/rail) as well as rental car companies. A Metrorail station opened at the MIC on July 28, 2012; a Tri-Rail station followed on April 5, 2015. Plans for Amtrak to operate a station at the MIC have been on hold since it was discovered that the platform built for that purpose was too short for Amtrak trains. As of early 2022, there is still no Amtrak service at the MIC.


title: Miami International Airport

text: Miami International Airport has direct public transit service to Miami-Dade Transit's Metrorail, Metrobus network; Greyhound Bus Lines and to the Tri-Rail commuter rail system. Metrorail operates the Orange Line train from Miami International Airport to destinations such as Downtown, Brickell, Health District, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Dadeland, Hialeah, South Miami, and Wynwood. It takes approximately 15 minutes to get from the airport to Downtown.


title: Miami International Airport

text: MIA is served directly by Tri-Rail, Miami's commuter rail system, which began service on April 5, 2015. Tri-Rail connects MIA to northern Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Tri-Rail directly serves points north such as: Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach.


title: Miami International Airport

text: MIA has a number of air cargo facilities. The largest cargo complex is located on the west side of the airport, inside the triangle formed by Runways 12/30 and 9/27. Cargo carriers such as LATAM Cargo, Atlas Air, Amerijet International and DHL operate from this area. The largest privately owned facility is the Centurion Cargo complex in the northeast corner of the airport, with over of warehouse space. FedEx and UPS operate their own facilities in the northwest corner of the airport, off of 36th Street. In addition to its large passenger terminal in Concourse D, American Airlines operates a maintenance base to the east of Concourse D, centered around a semicircular hangar originally used by National Airlines which can accommodate three widebody aircraft.


title: Charles VII of France

text: Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious () or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461.


title: Charles VII of France

text: In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of France under desperate circumstances. Forces of the Kingdom of England and the duke of Burgundy occupied Guyenne and northern France, including Paris, the most populous city, and Reims, the city in which French kings were traditionally crowned. In addition, his father, Charles VI, had disinherited him in 1420 and recognized Henry V of England and his heirs as the legitimate successors to the French crown. At the same time, a civil war raged in France between the Armagnacs (supporters of the House of Valois) and the Burgundian party (supporters of the House of Valois-Burgundy, which was allied to the English).


title: Charles VII of France

text: With his court removed to Bourges, south of the Loire River, Charles was disparagingly called the "King of Bourges", because the area around this city was one of the few remaining regions left to him. However, his political and military position improved dramatically with the emergence of Joan of Arc as a spiritual leader in France. Joan and other charismatic figures led French troops to lift the sieges of Orléans and other strategic cities on the Loire river, and to crush the English at the battle of Patay. With the local English troops dispersed, the people of Reims switched allegiance and opened their gates, which enabled the coronation of Charles VII at Reims Cathedral in 1429. Six years later, he ended the English-Burgundian alliance by signing the Treaty of Arras with Burgundy, followed by the recovery of Paris in 1436 and the steady reconquest of Normandy in the 1440s using a newly organized professional army and advanced siege cannons. Following the battle of Castillon in 1453, the French expelled the English from all their continental possessions except the Pale of Calais.


title: Charles VII of France

text: The last years of Charles VII were marked by conflicts with his turbulent son, the future Louis XI of France.


title: Charles VII of France

text: Born at the "Hôtel Saint-Pol", the royal residence in Paris, Charles was given the title of Count of Ponthieu six months after his birth in 1403. He was the eleventh child and fifth son of Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria. His four elder brothers, Charles (1386), Charles (1392–1401), Louis (1397–1415) and John (1398–1417) had each held the title of Dauphin of France as heirs apparent to the French throne in turn. All died childless, leaving Charles with a rich inheritance of titles.


title: Charles VII of France

text: Almost immediately after becoming dauphin, Charles had to face threats to his inheritance, and he was forced to flee from Paris on 29 May 1418 after the partisans of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, had entered the city the previous night. By 1419, Charles had established his own court in Bourges and a Parlement in Poitiers. On 11 July of that same year, Charles and John the Fearless attempted a reconciliation on a small bridge near Pouilly-le-Fort, not far from Melun where Charles was staying. They signed the Treaty of Pouilly-le-Fort in which they would share authority of the government, assist each other and not to form any treaties without the other’s consent. Charles and John also decided that a further meeting should take place the following 10 September. On that date, they met on the bridge at Montereau. The Duke assumed that the meeting would be entirely peaceful and diplomatic, thus he brought only a small escort with him. The Dauphin's men reacted to the Duke's arrival by attacking and killing him. Charles' level of involvement has remained uncertain to this day. Although he claimed to have been unaware of his men's intentions, this was considered unlikely by those who heard of the murder. The assassination marked the end of any attempt of a reconciliation between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions, thus playing into the hands of Henry V of England. Charles was later required by a treaty with Philip the Good, the son of John the Fearless, to pay penance for the murder, which he never did.


title: Charles VII of France

text: At the death of his father, Charles VI, the succession was cast into doubt. The Treaty of Troyes, signed by Charles VI on 21 May 1420, mandated that the throne pass to the infant King Henry VI of England, the son of the recently deceased Henry V and Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI; however, Frenchmen loyal to the king of France regarded the treaty as invalid on grounds of coercion and Charles VI's diminished mental capacity. For those who did not recognize the treaty and believed the Dauphin Charles to be of legitimate birth, he was considered to be the rightful heir to the throne. For those who did not recognize his legitimacy, the rightful heir was recognized as Charles, Duke of Orléans, cousin of the Dauphin, who was in English captivity. Only the supporters of Henry VI and the Dauphin Charles were able to enlist sufficient military force to press effectively for their candidates. The English, already in control of northern France, were able to enforce the claim of their king in the regions of France that they occupied. Northern France, including Paris, was thus ruled by an English regent, Henry V's brother, John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford, based in Normandy (see Dual monarchy of England and France).


title: Charles VII of France

text: In his adolescent years, Charles was noted for his bravery and flamboyant style of leadership. At one point after becoming Dauphin, he led an army against the English dressed in the red, white, and blue that represented his family; his heraldic device was a mailed fist clutching a naked sword. However, in July 1421, upon learning that Henry V was preparing to attack from Mantes with a much larger army, he withdrew from the siege of Chartres. He then went south of the Loire River under the protection of Yolande of Aragon, known as "Queen of the Four Kingdoms" and, on 18 December 1422, married her daughter, Marie of Anjou, to whom he had been engaged since December 1413 in a ceremony at the Louvre Palace.