title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: At Bari he became a first team player in central defence under head coach Gian Piero Ventura, showing a composed yet strong and effective defensive playing style. He formed an extremely strong defensive partnership with Andrea Ranocchia which was so effective that, as of the midway point in the 2009–10 season, Bari had the second best defensive record in Serie A. The strong partnership ended after Ranocchia got injured half-way through the season and was ruled out for the remaining fixtures.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 1 July 2010, Bonucci was signed by Juventus on a four-year contract for a total of €15.5 million fee from Bari; Bari bought Bonucci from Genoa outright for €8 million. However, Genoa and Bari used part of the transfer receivables to sign the remaining 50% registration rights of Domenico Criscito and 50% of the registration rights of Sergio Bernardo Almirón from Juventus. Bonucci was assigned the shirt number 19.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Partnered with Italy teammate Giorgio Chiellini in defence, Bonucci was immediately drafted into the starting line-up for the first matches of the season making his competitive debut at Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League and scoring his first goal for Juventus in the Europa League play-off match against Sturm Graz.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: The following season, due to the presence of veteran of Andrea Barzagli, it was expected that Bonucci would compete with him for a starting place alongside Chiellini in a four-man defence, as the club's new manager Antonio Conte was known for his preference for the 4–2–4 formation, a variant upon the 4–4–2 formation. However, after experimenting with several tactical systems, Conte eventually decided to play all three players in a three-man defence aided by wingbacks in a 3–5–2 formation, and Bonucci established himself once again in the starting eleven alongside Chiellini and Barzagli. Due to their performances together, the three-man defence earned the nickname "BBC", a reference to the players' initials. Soon, the trio established themselves as one of the best defences in world football during the following seasons. On 2 April 2012 Juventus announced that he had signed a new 5-year contract effective on 1 July 2012. Bonucci won his first major title, the 2011–12 "Scudetto", and contributed two goals as Juventus finished the season undefeated and with one of the best defensive records in the top five European leagues. His good form that season earned him a place in the final UEFA Euro 2012 squad.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Bonucci began the season by winning the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana with Juventus. He made his Champions League debut against Chelsea in the group stage and scored his first goal in the competition against Shaktar Donetsk in October 2012 in a 1–1 draw. In December 2012 Bonucci was criticized for diving in a league game against Palermo on which was described by a number of journalists as "the worst dive ever". He was booked by the referee during the game and subsequently given a one-match ban and a €2000 fine by the authorities. Juventus finished the season by winning the 2012–13 Serie A title.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: The following season, Bonucci would help Juventus to defend the Supercoppa Italiana and the Serie A title, although Juventus would suffer a group-stage elimination in the UEFA Champions League. Nevertheless, he helped Juventus to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League, scoring a decisive goal against Lyon in the quarter-finals.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: During the 2014–15 season, Bonucci made his 200th appearance with Juventus on 25 January 2015, in a 2–0 win over Chievo. On 6 June 2015, Bonucci started for Juventus in the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final, but were defeated 3–1 by Barcelona at Berlin's Olympiastadion. With 52 appearances, he made the most appearances for Juventus that season across all competitions, along with team-mates Claudio Marchisio and Roberto Pereyra. On 24 November 2015, Bonucci was nominated for the 2015 UEFA Team of the Year. On 2 March 2016, he captained Juventus in the absence of Gianluigi Buffon and Chiellini, scoring the decisive penalty in the resulting shoot-out of the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals against Inter, at the San Siro, following a 3–3 draw on aggregate, which allowed Juventus to progress to the final; however, due to the yellow card he received during the match, and having already been booked prior to the fixture, he missed the victorious final against Milan, which saw Juventus capture a domestic double for the second consecutive season, including a record fifth consecutive league title.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: During the beginning of the 2016–17 season, Bonucci dedicated time to his ill son Matteo, missing select matches with Juventus and the national team. On 27 November, Bonucci suffered a severe thigh strain in an eventual 3–1 away loss to Genoa, sidelining him for up to 60 days. On 19 December, Bonucci penned a new deal with Juventus, keeping him at the club until 2021. On 5 January 2017, Bonucci was named to the 2016 UEFA Team of the Year. On 30 January, Bonucci was named to the 2015–16 Serie A Team of the Year, and was also named the 2016 Serie A Footballer of the Year. Bonucci made his 300th Juventus appearance in a 4–1 home win over Palermo on 17 February; however, after Palermo scored a late goal, Bonucci had an argument on the touchline with coach Massimiliano Allegri, causing the club to fine and omit him from the squad for the first Champions League round of 16 leg with Porto on 22 February. On 17 May, Bonucci scored the last goal of a 2–0 win in the final of the 2016–17 Coppa Italia over Lazio. On 3 June, Bonucci started in his second Champions League Final in three years, but Juventus were defeated 4–1 by defending champions Real Madrid. On 5 June, he was subsequently named to the UEFA Champions League squad of the season.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 14 July 2017, Bonucci was signed by AC Milan on a five-year contract for a €42 million fee. On 4 August 2017, Bonucci was named one of the three finalists for the Defender of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League season award. Milan's manager Vincenzo Montella subsequently named Bonucci as the team's new captain later that month. On 23 October, he was named to the 2017 FIFA FIFPro World11. Although much was expected of Bonucci and Milan, the first half of the 2017–18 season was disappointing both for him and the club, and he drew criticism in the media over the quality of his performances. He scored his first goal for Milan on 6 January 2018, in a 1–0 home win over Crotone. On 31 March, Bonucci scored the equalising goal against his former team away to Juventus, breaking goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's record of longest consecutive minutes not conceded in an eventual 3–1 defeat.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 2 August 2018, Bonucci returned to Juventus as part of a swap deal with Milan involving Mattia Caldara; both Bonucci and Caldara were tagged for €35 million transfer fee. He signed a five-year contract until 30 June 2023. Bonucci made his return for Juventus in their opening Serie A match on 18 August, a 3–2 away win over Chievo, contributing to Juventus's temporary equaliser, an own goal by Mattia Bani. On 29 September 2018, Bonucci scored his first goal for Juventus since his return from Milan, the final goal of a 3–1 home win over Napoli. On 2 October, he made his 50th Champions League appearance in a 3–0 home win over Young Boys.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 2 April 2019, Bonucci marked his 250th Serie A appearance with Juventus by scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 away win against Cagliari. However, following the match, he was heavily criticised by several prominent figures after stating that teammate Moise Kean was partly to blame for the racial abuse he suffered from the crowd; England international Raheem Sterling deemed the comments 'laughable', while compatriot Mario Balotelli, English singer Stormzy, and former Juventus player Paul Pogba also criticised Bonucci's comments. Bonucci implied that Kean's goal celebration caused further jeers, stating to Sky Sport Italia: "Kean knows that when he scores a goal, he has to focus on celebrating with his teammates. He knows he could've done something differently too. There were racist jeers after the goal, Blaise heard it and was angered. I think the blame is 50–50, because Moise shouldn't have done that and the Curva should not have reacted that way. We are professionals, we have to set the example and not provoke anyone." Later, he made a post on Instagram which read "Regardless of everything, in any case... no to racism." In response to the criticism, the following day, Bonucci posted on Instagram: "After 24 hours I want to clarify my feelings. Yesterday I was interviewed right at the end of the game, and my words have been clearly misunderstood, probably because I was too hasty in the way I expressed my thoughts. Hours and years wouldn't be enough to talk about this topic. I firmly condemn all forms of racism and discrimination. The abuses are not acceptable at all and this must not be misunderstood."


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: After Chiellini suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the beginning of the 2019–20 season, Bonucci captained Juventus in his absence. In November 2019, he signed a new contract with the club, running until 2024.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 20 September 2020, Bonucci scored in Juventus's opening match of the 2020–21 season, a 3–0 home win over Sampdoria in Serie A. On 20 November 2021, Bonucci scored his first brace in his career in a 2–0 win against Lazio through two penalties.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: At youth level, Bonucci played for the Italy national under-21 football B team. He was called-up for a friendlies against Renate on 6 November 2007, and against the Under-20 Serie C representative team on 4 December 2007. He was also capped for the team in an internal friendly, which split the Under-21 Serie B team into two on 9 October 2007, on 21 October 2008, on 25 November, and on 24 March 2009, as team captain.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: He also received a call-up from the Italy U20 team on 31 May 2007. He was an unused substitute in the 0–1 loss to the Serie D Best XI.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Bonucci made his debut with the Italy senior team on 3 March 2010, under manager Marcello Lippi, in a friendly match against Cameroon played in Monaco, which ended in a 0–0 draw, and became one of the few debutants to have never played an official match for the national youth teams. He was included by manager Marcello Lippi in the starting line-up along with national team regulars Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini, forming a three-man defensive line in Lippi's 3–4–3 formation.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Due to his performances during the 2009–10 season, Bonucci was included in the Italy squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first international goal on 3 June 2010, in a 1–2 friendly loss against Mexico, in a pre-tournament friendly match in Brussels. In the World Cup, he appeared as an unused substitute for all three of Italy's matches, as they suffered a first-round elimination, failing to win a match.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: After the World Cup, under new manager Cesare Prandelli, Bonucci took advantage of the international retirement of Cannavaro and broke into the starting line-up beside Juventus teammate Chiellini. He ended a fine 2011–12 season by earning a place in the final 23-man Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2012, helping Italy to reach the final of the tournament, where they were defeated 4–0 by defending champions Spain. He started in all but one match as Italy reached the finals.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, he missed his spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out against Spain in the semi-finals, shooting high over the bar as Italy went out of the competition losing 7–6 on penalties; Italy would win the bronze medal match over Uruguay 4–3 on penalties, after a 2–2 draw following extra-time, allowing them to capture third place.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Bonucci was selected by Cesare Prandelli to be part of the Italy squad that would take part at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Although he once again remained an unused substitute for the first two games, he made his World Cup debut on 24 June 2014, in a 0–1 loss to Uruguay; as a result, Italy was eliminated in the first round of the competition for a second consecutive time.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 4 September 2014, under new Italy manager Antonio Conte, Bonucci wore the captain's armband for Italy for the first time, following Daniele De Rossi's substitution in a 2–0 friendly win over the Netherlands.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 31 May 2016, Bonucci was named to Conte's 23-man Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2016. On 13 June he set up Emanuele Giaccherini's goal, Italy's first of the match, with a long ball in a 2–0 win over Belgium in the opening group match of Euro 2016; he was later booked for a tactical foul. After helping Italy to another clean-sheet in a 1–0 victory in the second group match against Sweden on 17 June, Bonucci was once again praised for his defensive performances alongside Chiellini and Barzagli. On 22 June, he captained Italy in Buffon's absence in his nation's final group match, a 1–0 defeat to Ireland. On 27 June he produced a "Man of the Match" performance in the round of 16 of the tournament as he helped Italy to keep a third clean sheet and defeat defending champions Spain 2–0. In the quarter-final fixture against Germany on 2 July, he scored Italy's equalising goal from a penalty, although his spot-kick was saved by Manuel Neuer in the resulting shoot-out, as the reigning World Cup champions advanced to the semi-finals following a 6–5 shoot-out victory.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Italy finished in second place in Group G behind Spain and advanced to the play-off against Sweden. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after a 1–0 aggregate loss to the Scandinavians.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 12 October 2019, Bonucci made his 92nd international appearance, under manager Roberto Mancini, in a 2–0 home win over Greece, and overtook Alessandro Del Piero as the tenth-most capped player in the history of the Italian national team; the victory sealed Italy's qualification for Euro 2020. He made his 94th appearance for Italy on 15 November, in a 3–0 away win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a Euro 2020 qualifier, equalling Giacinto Facchetti as the ninth most-capped Italian player of all time.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 11 October 2020, Bonucci made his 98th international appearance in a 0–0 away draw against Poland in the UEFA Nations League, equalling Gianluca Zambrotta as the eight–most capped player of all–time for the Italian national team. On 25 March 2021, Bonucci made his 100th appearance for Italy in a 2–0 home win over Northern Ireland, in the team's first 2022 World Cup qualifying match.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In June 2021, Bonucci was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. During the tournament, he served as a temporary captain for Italy following an injury to Giorgio Chiellini in the first round. On 6 July, following a 1–1 draw after extra-time against Spain in the semi-final of the competition, he scored Italy's third spot-kick in an eventual 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory, to send Italy to the final. On 11 July, Bonucci won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 victory over England at Wembley Stadium in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in extra-time. Bonucci scored Italy's only goal of the game in the 67th minute to tie the match, and later converted Italy's third penalty in the shoot-out; his goal during regulation time made him the oldest player ever to score in a European Championship final, at the age of 34 years and 71 days. For his performance during the final, he was named "Star of the Match" by UEFA. For his performances throughout the competition, he was later also named to the team of the tournament.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: A former midfielder who is usually deployed as ball-playing centre-back in a three-man defence (although he is also capable of playing in a four-man defence, both in the centre or out wide), Bonucci is primarily known for his technique, passing range, and his ability to launch an attack from the back with long passes. Although he is not the quickest player over short distances, he is a tall, mobile, and strong defender, with a good positional sense, as well as good anticipation, solid tackling, and an ability to read the game and mark opponents, on top of his ball skills; he also excels in the air, and frequently poses a goal threat from set pieces.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Despite having been considered to be a talented and promising young defender, he was also criticised by certain pundits for being inconsistent and prone to errors or lapses in concentration in his youth, which were dubbed "Bonucciate" in the Italian media; in 2021, the neologism "bonucciata" was even included in the Italian encyclopedia "Treccani." However, he showed notable improvements during the 2014–15 season, and established himself as one of the best defenders in world football, also drawing praise from manager Pep Guardiola, who described Bonucci as one of his "favourite ever players".


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In 2016, Mario Sconcerti of "Il Corriere della Sera" ranked Bonucci among the greatest Italian defenders of all time. His unique playing style has led Giovanni Galli to compare him to former sweeper Gaetano Scirea. In 2012, "The Guardian" named him the 88th Best Player in the World and in 2016, he was named the 26th Best Player in the World. In 2016, his defensive attributes, as well as his skill on the ball, vision, and accurate passing, moved "La Repubblica" to dub him as “Beckenbonucci”, a reference to former German sweeper Franz Beckenbauer.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In addition to his defensive, playmaking and technical skills, Bonucci has also been praised for his leadership and ability to organise his back-line. In 2017, he was ranked by some as the best defender in the world. With Andrea Barzagli's retirement, the subsequent Bonucci-Chiellini axis was considered, in terms of longevity and performance at high levels, one of the most solid and complementary in international football, as well as being compared to duets from the past such as Beckenbauer-Schwarzenbeck, Scirea-Gentile or Baresi-Costacurta.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: On 18 June 2011, Bonucci married Martina Maccari (b. 19 November 1985), a former model and blogger, whom he first met in 2008 through a mutual friend. They have two sons, Lorenzo (b. July 2012) and Matteo (b. May 2014), and one daughter, Matilda (b. February 2019). Although Bonucci played for Juventus for several seasons, his eldest son, Lorenzo, supports Juventus's cross-city rivals, Torino. In July 2016, Bonucci's youngest son, Matteo underwent emergency surgery following the onset of an acute illness. In a 2017 interview with "El País", Bonucci revealed that his son's illness had even led him to think about quitting football, commenting:


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Bonucci's older brother, Riccardo (b. November 1982), was also a footballer who once played as a central defender in Serie C1 with Viterbese. Their father owns a paint shop in Viterbo.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In May 2012, during the 2011–12 Italian football scandal investigations, Bonucci, along with Juventus teammate Simone Pepe and manager Antonio Conte, as well as many other players, were accused of match-fixing; Bonucci was accused of helping to fix the result of a 3–3 draw against Udinese in May 2010, during his time with Bari, and faced a potential three-and-a-half year ban if found guilty. Bonucci denied any wrongdoing, however, and both he and Pepe were later acquitted in August later that year.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: In October 2012, Bonucci and his wife and then five-month-old son were confronted by an armed robber who demanded the defender hand over his watch. As the robber reached out to take the watch, Bonucci reportedly punched him and chased him down the street. The robber escaped with his accomplice on a motorbike.


title: Leonardo Bonucci

text: Bonucci is an anti-bullying activist. In December 2017, he made a cameo appearance in the music video for "Buona fortuna" by Benji & Fede, whose storyline deals with bullying. In October 2019, together with the journalist and editor Francesco Ceniti, he co-wrote and released a book "Il mio amico Leo" (My friend Leo), partially inspired by his own experiences and designed to provide support to bullying victims.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, California, where her father was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduating from Los Angeles's Otis College of Art and Design, she moved to New York City to begin an art career. There, she formed Sonic Youth with Thurston Moore in 1981. She and Moore married in 1984, and the band released a total of six albums on independent labels before the end of the 1980s. They would subsequently release nine studio albums on the major label DGC Records, beginning with "Goo" in 1990. Gordon was also a founding member of the musical project Free Kitten, which she formed with Julia Cafritz in 1993.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Sonic Youth released their sixteenth and final studio album, "The Eternal" (2009), on Matador Records before disbanding in 2011 after Gordon and Moore separated. Following the dissolution of Sonic Youth and her divorce from Moore, Gordon formed the experimental duo Body/Head with Bill Nace, releasing their debut album "Coming Apart" in 2013. She subsequently formed Glitterbust with Alex Knost, releasing a self-titled debut album in 2016. Body/Head released their second studio album, "The Switch", in 2018. She released her first solo album, "No Home Record", in 2019.


title: Kim Gordon

text: In addition to her work as a musician, Gordon has had ventures in record producing, fashion, and acting, and has worked consistently as a visual artist throughout her musical career. She debuted as a producer on Hole's debut album "Pretty on the Inside" (1991), and founded the Los Angeles-based clothing line X-Girl in 1993. Beginning in the mid-2000s, Gordon began acting, making minor appearances in such films as "Last Days" (2005) and "I'm Not There" (2007), followed by guest-starring appearances on several television series. In February 2015, she published a memoir, "Girl in a Band", by HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Kim Althea Gordon was born April 28, 1953 in Rochester, New York, the second child of Althea ( 2002) and Calvin Wayne Gordon (19151998). At the time of her birth, Gordon's father, a native of Kansas, was a professor in the sociology department at the University of Rochester. Her mother, a descendant of American pioneers of the West Coast, learned to sew during her upbringing in the Great Depression, and worked as a seamstress throughout Gordon's childhood. She was described by Gordon as "reserved and usually anxious" and "an unfulfilled artist." Gordon has one older brother, Keller ( 1949), whom she described as "brilliant, manipulative, sadistic, arrogant, almost unbearably articulate," and "the person who more than anyone else in the world shaped who I was, and who I turned out to be."


title: Kim Gordon

text: At the age of five, Gordon and her family relocated to Los Angeles, California when her father was offered a professorship in the sociology department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he later became the Dean of Faculty. As a child, Gordon attended University Elementary School, a progressive elementary school affiliated with UCLA, which she described as "learn[ing] by doing. So we were always making African spears and going down to the river and making mud huts, or skinning a cowhide and drying it and throwing it off the cliff at Dana Point." In her memoir, Gordon recounts spending summers with her family in Klamath, California, near the Oregon border. The family also lived in British Hong Kong for one year during her childhood.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon attended University High School in Los Angeles, and dated classmate Danny Elfman while a student there. After graduating high school, she attended Santa Monica College for two years before transferring to York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gordon soon grew homesick and chose to drop out of York at the end of the school year and return to Los Angeles. "I was less and less happy as the bleak Toronto winter moved in," she recalled. "Without the benefit of California sunshine, my hair grew darker and darker, and I had no idea how to dress for the cold." She decided to enroll at the Otis College of Art and Design, which she said "changed my life." Gordon lived in Culver City and Venice, Los Angeles, and worked at an Indian restaurant to pay her tuition. She also briefly worked for art dealer Larry Gagosian as a side-job. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1977.


title: Kim Gordon

text: While she was a student at Otis, Gordon's older brother Keller suffered a psychotic episode on the day of his graduation from the University of California, Berkeley, where he had earned a Master's degree in classics. He was subsequently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and for a time lived in halfway houses before becoming a ward of the state of California. The song "Schizophrenia," which appeared on Sonic Youth's fourth studio album, "Sister" (1987), was partly inspired by her brother.


title: Kim Gordon

text: After graduating from the Otis Art Institute, Gordon moved to New York City in 1980, hoping to pursue a career in art. There, she took art-related jobs to earn an income, such as working as a writer for "Artforum", and launched a "D.I.Y. project called Design Office, doing low-fi artistic interventions" in friends' apartments. In 1981, she curated an exhibition at White Columns Gallery that involved contributions from Mike Kelley and Tony Oursler, among others. Around 1981, Gordon became interested in "no-wave" bands, recalling: "When I came to New York, I'd go and see bands downtown playing no-wave music. It was expressionistic and it was also nihilistic. Punk rock was tongue-in-cheek, saying, 'Yeah, we're destroying rock.' No-wave music is more like, 'NO, we're really destroying rock.' It was very dissonant. I just felt like, Wow, this is really free. I could do that."


title: Kim Gordon

text: In 1981, Gordon joined the short-lived band CKM, with Christine Hahn and Stanton Miranda, and met her future Sonic Youth bandmates Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore through Miranda. At the time, Gordon, then 27 years old, had never played an instrument. Gordon began dating Moore and, together with Ranaldo, the couple then formed Sonic Youth in 1981. Originally the band released their first unnamed EP (considered by the band to be their first album) in 1982 and their first two albums, "Confusion is Sex" (1983) and "Bad Moon Rising" (1985) on Neutral and Homestead Records, respectively, before signing with SST to release "EVOL" (1986) and "Sister" (1987). Gordon and Moore married in 1984, three years after beginning Sonic Youth. In October 1988, the band released "Daydream Nation" through Enigma Records.


title: Kim Gordon

text: In 1989, Sonic Youth signed onto DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen, and released "Goo" (1990), which became the group's first commercial hit. Also in 1989, Gordon, Sadie May, and Lydia Lunch formed Harry Crews, and released the album "Naked in Garden Hills". To promote "Goo", Gordon toured with Sonic Youth extensively between 1990 and 1991, and a documentary titled "" documented the band's tour with Nirvana, Babes in Toyland, Dinosaur Jr., Gumball and Mudhoney. In early 1991, Courtney Love, who had been influenced by Sonic Youth and the no wave scene, sent Gordon a letter asking her to produce her band Hole's debut record, "Pretty on the Inside". Gordon, along with assistance from Don Fleming, produced the album in March 1991, which received critical acclaim and later achieved cult status. Gordon commented on the recording sessions that Love "was either charming and nice or screaming at her band" but that she was "a really good singer and entertainer and front person." In 1992, Gordon released a single, "Electric Pen," with Mirror/Dash, a short-lived project she formed with Moore.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Beginning in 1993, Gordon co-owned, with Daisy von Furth, a women's streetwear clothing company in Los Angeles, called X-Girl. The company was a spin-off of X-Large, a men's streetwear company co-founded by Michael Diamond of the Beastie Boys. The first X-Girl store was opened in Los Angeles in 1994. Actress Chloë Sevigny served as a model for several pieces in the clothing line. Also in 1993, Gordon formed the musical project Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz. On July 1, 1994, Gordon gave birth to her only child, daughter Coco Hayley Gordon Moore, with Thurston Moore.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Free Kitten released their debut studio album, "Nice Ass", in 1995, followed by "Sentimental Education" (1997), both on the independent label Kill Rock Stars. In 1993, Gordon co-directed The Breeders' "Cannonball" music video with Spike Jonze, and was also involved in an exhibition entitled "Baby Generation" at Parco gallery in Tokyo. Gordon's exhibition "Kim's Bedroom" was shown at MU in the Netherlands, and included drawing and paintings alongside live music and special guests.


title: Kim Gordon

text: As a part of Sonic Youth, Gordon released several albums in the mid–late 1990s, including "Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star" (1994), "Washing Machine" (1995), and "A Thousand Leaves" (1998), all on DGC Records. They subsequently released "NYC Ghosts & Flowers" in 2000, and "Murray Street" in 2002. In 1999, after selling her share of X-Girl, Gordon relocated with Moore from New York City to Northampton, Massachusetts, to raise their daughter. Around 2002, Gordon became involved with The Supreme Indifference, a musical collaboration that involved Gordon, Jim O'Rourke and Alan Licht. The band appeared on the 2002 compilation "Fields and Streams", though their contribution was deemed "annoying" and the project "self-indulgent" by critic Adrian Begrand of "PopMatters".


title: Kim Gordon

text: In 2003, Gordon was featured in the Gothenburg Biennale and exhibited "Club In The Shadow", an installation art collaboration with artist Jutta Koether, at Kenny Schachter's Contemporary Gallery in New York City. In 2005, she submitted another collaboration with Koether for the "Her Noise" exhibition in London, United Kingdom, entitled "Reverse Karaoke." In the same year, an artist's book "Kim Gordon Chronicles Vol. 1" was published and featured photos of Gordon throughout her life. The following year, "Kim Gordon Chronicles Vol. 2" was released and featured her drawings, collages, and paintings.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Beginning in 2005, Gordon began appearing in minor or supporting parts in films, first as a record executive in Gus Van Sant's "Last Days". She then had a small role portraying a textile exporter in the 2007 French thriller film "Boarding Gate", and in Todd Haynes's "I'm Not There" (2007), inspired by the life of Bob Dylan. The same year, she played a street troubadour in the season six finale of the television series "Gilmore Girls", along with husband Moore and their daughter Coco, performing the song "What a Waste" from the album "Rather Ripped".


title: Kim Gordon

text: In September 2008, Gordon launched a limited-edition fashion line called Mirror/Dash (also the name of a musical side project that was created with Moore), inspired by Françoise Hardy and based on the idea that "there's a need for clothes for cool moms."


title: Kim Gordon

text: Sonic Youth released their final studio album, "The Eternal", in 2009. "Rolling Stone" journalist Will Hermes wrote of the album: "It's amusing to think that the fiercely freaky Sonic Youth were a major-label act for nearly 20 years. "The Eternal" marks their literal return to indie rock – and that's no big whoop, since they've always done pretty much what they want anyway. The irony is that "The Eternal" might be their most concise record ever. It's also a rock & roll ass-kicker." The same year, Gordon, along with the rest of Sonic Youth, made an appearance in the television series "Gossip Girl" and performed an acoustic version of the song "Starpower".


title: Kim Gordon

text: In 2011 Gordon and Moore separated after 27 years of marriage. The next month, bandmate Ranaldo said Sonic Youth had disbanded, after having been together 30 years. After their divorce was finalized in April 2013, Gordon revealed that she had confronted Moore about a text message from another woman which was then followed by counseling sessions, and the separation occurred because Moore continued his extra-marital relationship. Gordon said her ex-husband was "like a lost soul."


title: Kim Gordon

text: She also said she had been diagnosed with DCIS breast cancer during her divorce, which was successfully treated with surgery.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Following the announcement of Sonic Youth's hiatus, Gordon commenced touring with Ikue Mori, Tokyo-born drummer of late-1970s band DNA—Gordon had performed with Mori previously at events such as the NoFunFest in 2004. The duo completed a European tour in mid-2012 and Gordon explained during a corresponding interview: "You sorta want to get lost and you hope that the audience gets lost with you ... You can feel if they're listening, you can feel if there's some connection." Together with Bill Nace, Gordon and Mori were selected for the June 2013 All Tomorrow's Parties event that was curated by the band Deerhunter. Around 2012, Gordon formed a noise guitar project with Nace, entitled Body/Head, and a single called "The Eyes, The Mouth" was released in 2012 on Belgian label Ultra Eczema. The band's debut album "Coming Apart" was released on September 10, 2013, on the Matador Records label and the band completed a U.S. tour during the fall of 2013.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon also immersed herself in producing art, having felt that music had "sidetracked" her career as a visual artist. She held several art exhibitions in 2013, including "The Show Is Over," at Gagosian Gallery in London, and the survey "Design Office with Kim Gordon–Since 1980," at White Columns, New York, the latter a revival of a project she had begun in 1980. In 2014, she presented newly created "Wreath Paintings" throughout Rudolf Schindler's iconic Fitzpatrick-Leland House under the byname of Design Office. In January 2014, she appeared in the season three premiere of the series "Girls" as Mindy, a recovering drug addict in a rehab support group. She then appeared as herself in a March 2014 episode of "Portlandia".


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon published a memoir, "Girl in a Band", on February 24, 2015, by HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books. The memoir explores her childhood, life in art and Sonic Youth, and marriage to and divorce from Thurston Moore. Its title, "Girl in a Band", stems from a lyric in "Sacred Trickster" from Sonic Youth's final album, "The Eternal" (2009). The lyric goes, "What's it like to be a girl in a band?/ I don't quite understand." The same year, Gordon appeared in "The Nightmare" (2015), a German horror film in which she portrayed a schoolteacher, which was released at the Locarno International Film Festival. She also contributed to its soundtrack. In November that year, Gordon relocated from the Massachusetts home she had shared with Moore and their daughter to her hometown of Los Angeles, purchasing a home in the Franklin Hills neighborhood.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Also in 2015, Gordon formed the experimental musical group Glitterbust with guitarist Alex Knost, releasing a self-titled debut album in March 2016. Gordon then appeared in Tony Oursler's film "Imponderable", which screened at the Museum of Modern Art in June 2016. On September 12, 2016, Gordon released her first solo single, "Murdered Out", followed on August 20, 2019, by a second solo single, "Sketch Artist". A third track, "Air BnB", was released on September 11. All tracks appear on her first solo record on Matador Records, "No Home Record", which was released on October 13, 2019.


title: Kim Gordon

text: In 2017, Gordon had a small role on the HBO series "Animals", followed by a supporting role in Gus Van Sant's comedy-drama film "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot". Her album "No Home Record" was rated number 8 of Paste Magazine's "20 Best Punk Albums of 2019".


title: Kim Gordon

text: "Kim Gordon: Lo-Fi Glamour", Gordon's first North American museum solo-exhibition, opened at The Andy Warhol Museum in 2019. The exhibition features a commissioned score for Andy Warhol’s 1963–64 silent film "Kiss" in conversation with text paintings, figure drawings and erotic sculpture.


title: Kim Gordon

text: In December 2021, Gordon recorded a 7" single on Sub Pop Records with J Mascis titled "Abstract Blues" backed with "Slow Boy".


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon possesses a contralto vocal range. A 2016 review from "Pitchfork" noted her voice as "one of the great instruments in post-punk history, though she doesn't always get credit for the variety of her technique." Despite her prolific career in music, Gordon told journalist Evan Smith in a 2015 interview that she never considered herself a musician, explaining that she had been "drawn into the world" of the music scenes happening in the 1980s, and that she "felt like an outsider" once part of it. Gordon's instrumental work as a guitarist has been described as "free-form" and experimental.


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon is a popular culture icon, epitomizing an "ineffable, magnetic coolness" and "a certain brand of aloof, downtown cool." Some journalists have noted her as a public figure who has "never given much away" about herself. Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys commented on Gordon's persona, stating: "Wherever Kim ends up, she is the coolest person in the room. But I know her, and I know she'd rather be at home grilling hot dogs."


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon has also been cited as "a modest polymath" given her varied career pursuits in art, music, fashion, and acting. While observations were made by the media of Gordon being "dauntingly impressive and self-assured" during her tenure with Sonic Youth, she commented in a retrospective interview that she was "pretty insecure about my image and where I fitted in." Describing her image, she said: "I knew I couldn't achieve some kind of cool, stylised image, that just wasn't me...  It was a reaction to corporate style. So it was kind of just being yourself, you know walking on stage wearing a t-shirt."


title: Kim Gordon

text: Upon the release of her 2015 memoir, Gordon received some criticism for comments made about other musicians, among them Lana Del Rey: "Naturally, [she]'s just a persona. If she really truly believes it's beautiful when young musicians go out on a hot flame of drugs and depression, why doesn't she just off herself?" Gordon also reflected on working with Courtney Love in 1991, writing: "No one ever questions the disorder behind her tarantula LA glamour – sociopathy, narcissism – because it's good rock and roll, good entertainment! I have a low tolerance for manipulative, egomaniacal behavior, and usually have to remind myself that the person might be mentally ill." Gordon clarified her comments on Del Rey in a subsequent interview, stating: "Initially it was about just seeing something in the paper... something about how rock stars should just like kill themselves with drugs, and Frances Bean [Cobain] had really reacted to that and I felt really actually weirdly protective of Frances. So I was basically just trying to point out that it was a persona and I just offhandedly said what I said...  I guess I could have articulated the whole thing a lot better."


title: Kim Gordon

text: Gordon and her contributions in Sonic Youth are considered by critics and music scholars to have been key influences in the development of grunge music and riot grrrl, both musical movements which began in the early 1990s. Among those who have cited her as an influence are filmmaker Sofia Coppola, musician Kathleen Hanna, and Irish singer Róisín Murphy. Hanna explained in 2013:


title: Kim Gordon

text: She was a forerunner, musically. Just knowing a woman was in a band trading lead vocals, playing bass, and being a visual artist at the same time made me feel less alone. As a radical feminist singer, I wasn't particularly well liked. I was in a punk underground scene dominated by hardcore dudes who yelled mean shit at me every night, and journalists routinely called my voice shrill, unlistenable. Kim made me feel accepted in a way I hadn't before. Fucking Kim Gordon thought I was on the right track, haters be damned. It made the bullshit easier to take, knowing she was in my corner.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The Mercedes-Benz W201 was the internal designation for the Mercedes 190 series sedans, a range of front-engine, rear drive, five passenger, four-door sedans manufactured over a single generation, from 1982 to 1993 as the company's first compact class automobile.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: Designed by Bruno Sacco, head of styling at Mercedes-Benz from 1975 to 1999, the W201 debuted at the 1982 Paris Motor show. Manufactured in both Bremen and Sindelfingen, Germany, production reached 1,879,629 over its eleven-year model life.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The W201 introduced a 5-link rear suspension subsequently used in E and C class models, front and rear anti-roll bars, anti-dive and anti-squat geometry—as well as airbags, ABS brakes and seatbelt pretensioners. Its extensive use of light-weight high-strength steel enabled it to withstand a concrete barrier offset crash at 35 mph (56 km/h) without serious passenger injury or cabin deformation.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: Mercedes introduced a performance variant, marketed as the 190 E 2.3-16V, at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: From January 1974 to January 1982, Mercedes spent over £600 million researching and developing the W201, subsequently saying it was 'massively over-engineered'. The company began testing early prototypes in 1978, with final styling approved on 6 March 1979. The first prototypes based on that design were tested later that year, with pilot production beginning in February 1982, following engineering sign-off. The W201-based 190 was unveiled on 8 December 1982, and launched in Germany on 9 December 1982. It was marketed in right-hand drive for the UK market from September 1983.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: When difficulties prevented Daimler from manufacturing the W201 in Bremen, production began in Sindelfingen at a capacity of just 140,000 units per year. Bremen was subsequently cleared for W201 production, replacing the commercial production.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 190 E (E for Einspritzung, or Fuel Injection) model uses the Bosch KE-Jetronic Multi-Point Fuel Injection to meter fuel instead of the carburetor of 190 models. Thanks to their fuel injection system and larger intake and exhaust valves, 190 E models made more power than non-fuel injected 190 models.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In 1982, the first available models were the 190 and 190 E. Each was fitted with an M102 inline-4 engine. The 190 was fitted with an M102.921 engine producing and the 190 E fitted with an M102.962 engine producing . In September 1983, the 190 E 2.3 (2,299 cc) was launched for the North American market only (although 190 E 2.3 was available for purchase in other countries later), fitted with a M102.961 engine. This reduction in power was due to the emissions standards in the North American market at the time. The intake manifold, camshaft, and fuel injection system were refined in 1984, and the engine produced . The carbureted 190 was revised in 1984 as well, receiving a power increase to . 1984 also saw the arrival of the 2.3-16 "Cosworth" variant.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In 1985, the 190 E 2.3 now came fitted with the M102.985 engine, producing until it was revised in 1987, now using the Bosch KE3-Jetronic Injection system, a different ignition system, and a higher compression ratio, producing .


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The Frankfurt International Motor Show in September 1985 also marked the arrival of the first 190 equipped with an Inline-six engine. Fitted with a M103.940 engine, the 190 E 2.6 had a maximum power output of with a catalytic converter and without it. In the North American market, the 190 E 2.6 was sold until 1993, the end of the W201's production run. From 1992–1993 the 2.6 was available as a special "Sportline" model, with an upgraded suspension and interior. The 190 E 2.3 was sold until 1988, then went on a brief hiatus until it was sold again from 1991 until 1993.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In 1990, Mercedes Benz phased out the carburetor-equipped 190, replacing it with fuel-injected 190E 1.8. This model utilised a M102.910 engine, with the same bore but shorter stroke than the M102.962, and produced the same power output as the outgoing 190 model, albeit with only torque.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 190 D was available with three different engines. The 2.0 L inline-four engine was the base engine, and was never marketed in North America. A 2.2-liter version, with the same power as the 2.0 L, was introduced in September 1983. It was only available in model years 1984 and 1985, and only in the US and Canada. The 2.5 L inline-five engine was available in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The 2.5 L Turbo engine, sold in mainland Europe, but not the UK for many years, was available to American buyers only in 1987 and is now somewhat of a collectors item. The exterior of the 2.5 Turbo model is different from other models in that it has fender vents in the front passenger side fender to feed air to the turbocharger.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: For the UK and Irish market a special edition 190 was produced for the 1993 model year. The car was given the badge name 190LE, though on the rear boot lid it read 190 E (on the left hand side of the lock) and LE on the right hand side. Roughly 1,000 cars were produced and each one came with a large A3 sized certificate giving each car a unique number.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 190 LE was available in three colours only; Azzuro Blue (blue/purple), Brilliant Silver and Rosso Red (Burgundy). The Azzuro blue coloured cars came with a grey checked cloth interior, the silver coloured cars with a black checked cloth interior and the Rosso Red coloured cars with a biscuit/cream checked cloth interior.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The LE was equipped with extra features that had been options on the other models and were only available with the 1.8 or 2.0-litre engine. Both the 1.8 and 2.0-litre models were equipped with a standard electric tilt and slide steel sunroof, four electric windows, electric aerial, 8-hole alloy wheels, Blaupunkt Verona CR43 Radio/cassette player and walnut wood trim (as opposed to Zebrano wood). The 2.0-litre version had in addition rear headrests and a front armrest. The LE was nearly £3,500 cheaper than a 1.8-litre model of identical specification, and £2,000 cheaper than a 2.0-litre model.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: No further options could be added to LE cars from the factory - though some were equipped with other dealer-installed items.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In Australia, a limited run of 180 E Limited Edition cars could be purchased from October 1991 to March 1994. This was essentially a 1.8-litre 190 E with a very basic trim. At its launch, Mercedes-Benz were able to price the 180 E at , compared to the 190 E at . This was achieved by taking out equipment and also by offsetting import duties with the now discontinued policy of export credits gained through using Australian-made components for the whole Mercedes-Benz range, such as suspension springs and windscreen glass. The 180 E deleted anti-lock brakes, power windows, climate control, electric seats, heated mirrors, cruise control and multi-speaker sound system; although power steering, air conditioning and central locking remained standard.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In 1993, for the U.S. market, 2 LE models were offered, limited to 1,400 units (700 190 E 2.3 LE and 700 190 E 2.6 LE). Both the 2.3 and 2.6 Limited Editions had a rear badge deletion meaning that the "190E" and "2.3" or "2.6" chrome badges on the trunk lid were not added. The 2.3 LE was only offered in Emerald Green while the 2.6 was only offered in Black. The 2.3 litre were only produced in Brilliant Emerald Pearl color. The 2.3 LE comes with 15-inch 8-hole alloy wheels, cream beige leather upholstery, burl walnut trim on the entire dash, fully electric front seats, rear headrests, and headlamp wipers with a washing system. The 2.6 litre Black Sportline included Recaro seats with red inserts and red piping, rear matching headrests, carbon fiber trim, Sportline gear shift, a sportier steering wheel, headlight wipers, low profile tires, eight spoke rims, and a Sportline tuned suspension which added tighter handling and lowered the car by a quarter inch. The suspension was the same suspension as the 190E Cosworth.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In the late 1970s, Mercedes competed in rallying with the big V8-powered Coupés of the R107 Series, mainly the light-weight Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0. Mercedes wished to take the 190 E rallying, and asked British engineering company Cosworth to develop an engine with for the rally car. This project was known as project WAA by Cosworth. During this time, the Audi Quattro with its all-wheel drive system and a turbocharged engine was launched, making the 2.3-16V appear outclassed. With a continued desire to compete in motorsports with the 190, and also now an engine to do it with, Mercedes turned to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM) (German Touring Car Championship) motor sport series instead. Cars racing in this championship, however, had to be based on a roadgoing model. Mercedes therefore had to put into series production a 190 fitted with a detuned version of the Cosworth engine. The performance model was known as the 190 E 2.3-16V, and debuted in September at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show, after its reputation had already been established. Three cars, only slightly cosmetically altered, had set three world records in August at the Nardo testing facility in Italy, recording a combined average speed of over the 50,000 km endurance test, and establishing twelve international endurance records.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The Cosworth engine was based on the M102 four cylinder 2.3-litre 8-valve unit producing , already fitted to the 190 and E-Class. Cosworth developed the cylinder head. It was made from light alloy using Cosworth's unique casting process and brought with it dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, meaning 16 valves total which were developed to be the "largest that could practically be fitted into the combustion chamber".


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In roadgoing trim, the 2.3 L 16-valve engine generated a maximum power output of at 6,200 rpm and at 4,500 rpm. The oversquare 95.50 x 80.25 mm bore and stroke dimensions ensured that the car could easily rev up to the 7,000 rpm redline. Acceleration from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) was in less than eight seconds, and the top speed was 230 km/h (143 mph).


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: US-Specification cars had a slightly reduced compression ratio (9.7:1 instead of 10.5:1), and were rated at at 5,800 rpm and at 4,750 rpm.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The road-going version of the engine was reconfigured with reduced inlet and exhaust port sizes, different camshaft profiles, no dry sump configuration and Bosch K-Jetronic replacing the specialised Kugelfischer fuel injection. These changes helped bring power down to the required specification, but still resulted in a "remarkably flexible engine, with a very flat torque curve and a wide power band". The heads for the engines were cast at Cosworth's Coscast foundry in Worcester and sent to Germany to be fitted to the rest of the engine, parts of which were different from the standard 2.3-litre engine including light pressed alloy pistons, and rings designed to withstand higher engine speeds, whilst con-rods, bearings and bearing caps were found to be strong enough as standard and left unaltered.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: Available only to 2.5-16 and Evolution I models, optional AMG Power Pack increased power to at 7,200 rpm and torque to at 5,000 rpm, while pushing the top speed up to . In their final incarnations, these engines produced up to in racing tune.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: An enlarged 2.5 L engine replaced the 2.3 L in 1988. It offered double-row timing chains to fix the easily snapping single chains on early 2.3 engines, and increased peak output by with a slight increase in torque. For the European market, the car delivered up to without a catalytic converter. Catalytic converter cars equipped with the 2.5-litre 16V engine generated a slightly reduced power output of . Cosworth also list the project code "WAB" for the development of the 2.5-16-valve head just as they do for the 2.3-16-valve head.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: Due to their performance, the 16-valve cars were different from the other 190 models. The body kit on the 2.3-16 and 2.5-16 reduced the drag coefficient to 0.32, one of the lowest CD values on a four-door saloon of the time, whilst also reducing lift at speed. The steering ratio was quicker and the steering wheel smaller than that on other 190s, whilst the fuel tank was enlarged from 55 to 70 L. The Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox was unique to the 16-valve and featured a dog-leg change pattern, shifting down and left for first. The gearchange quality was, however, noted as "notchy, balky", criticisms which weren't levelled at the BMW M3 (E30) which shared the same gearbox. An oil cooler was fitted to ensure sufficient oil cooling for the inevitable track use many of these cars were destined for.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The strictly four-seater interior had standard sport size seats with strong side bolsters for front and rear passengers. Three extra dials - an oil temperature gauge, stopwatch and voltmeter - were included in the centre console. The 190 E 2.3-16 was available in only two colours, Blue-Black metallic (Pearl Black in the US), and Smoke Silver. The 2.5-16 added Almandine Red and Astral Silver.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: All 2.3-16-valve 190 models are fitted with a Limited Slip Differential (LSD) as standard. They were also available with Mercedes' ASD system which was standard equipment on the 2.5-16v. The ASD is an electronically controlled, hydraulically locking differential which activates automatically when required. The electronic control allows varied amounts of differential lock from the standard 15% right up to 100%. It is not a traction control system however, and can only maximize traction rather than prevent wheel spin. Activation of the ASD system is indicated by an illuminating amber triangle in the speedometer.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The suspension on 16-valve models is modified from the standard 190 (W201). As well as being lower and stiffer, it has quicker dampers, larger anti-roll bars, harder bushings and hydraulic Self-levelling suspension (SLS) on the rear. This allows the rear ride height to remain constant even when the car is fully loaded.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 1984 Nürburgring Race of Champions, featuring current and former F1 drivers at the wheel of identical 190 E's, was held at the inauguration of the new, shorter Nürburgring. A then unknown Ayrton Senna took first place.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: Private Teams such as AMG later entered the 2.3-16 in touring cars races, especially the DTM. In the late 1980s, the 2.5-16 (never released in the United States) raced many times, against the similar BMW M3 and even the turbocharged Ford Sierra RS Cosworth.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: With the debut of the BMW M3 Sport Evolution, the 190 E's direct competitor, it became obvious that the 2.5-16V model needed a boost in power in order to achieve better performance than its competitor. In March 1989, the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution debuted at the Geneva Auto Show. The Evo I, as it came to be called, had a new rear spoiler and wider wheel arches. Many changes were made to under-the-skin components such as brakes and suspension. The car featured an adjustable suspension system allowing the ride height to be adjusted from an interior switch. All were intended to allow the Evolution cars to be even more effective around a track.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The Evo I's power output is similar to the of the "regular" 2.5-16. However, it had a redesigned engine of similar capacity but most importantly, a shorter stroke and bigger bore which would allow for a higher rev limit and improved generation of power. Additional changes stretch to improved rotating mass, improved lubrication system along with improved cam timing. Cosworth also list a project code "WAC" for the development of the short-stroke Evolution engine.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: Only 502 units of the Evolution model were produced for homologation in compliance with the DTM rules. For those customers desiring even more performance, a PowerPack option engineered by AMG was available for DM 18,000. The PowerPack option included improved camshafts, a larger diameter throttle body, more responsive ignition and fuel management system as well as improved intake and exhaust systems. The net result was an increase in power by over the standard car bringing the total to .


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: In March 1990, at the Geneva Auto Show, the 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II was shown. This car retailed in 1990 for DM 136,720.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The "Evo II" included the AMG PowerPack fitted to the same short-stroke inline-four engine as the Evolution, producing a maximum power output of at 7,200 rpm and of torque at 5,000 rpm, as well as a full SLS adjustable suspension allowing the ride height to be adjusted from an interior switch. An obvious modification to the Evolution II was the radical body kit (designed by Prof. Richard Eppler from the University of Stuttgart) with a large adjustable rear wing, rear window spoiler, and Evolution II 17-inch alloy wheels. The kit served an aerodynamic purpose—it was wind tunnel tested to reduce drag to 0.29, while at the same time increasing downforce. Period anecdotes tell of BMW research and development chief, Wolfgang Reitzle, saying "the laws of aerodynamics must be different between Munich and Stuttgart; if that rear wing works, we'll have to redesign our wind tunnel." The anecdote claims that BMW did redesign its wind tunnel afterwards.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: 500 examples were painted in "blauschwarz" blue/black metallic. But the last two, numbers 501 and 502 were painted in astral silver making them the rarest of the Evolution models.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The Evo II had the shortest production run of the 190 series models with production starting in 1990 and ending in 1991.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: AMG was not part of Mercedes-Benz when the 190 was first produced, but a separate racing and tuning company. As AMG had racing experience in the DTM, they were tuning all the factory petrol engines for the customers and 190 E was one of them. Engine tuning added over the standard car. Along with that aerodynamic features were added to the cars such as rear spoilers and front splitters in order to improve high speed stability, alloy wheels and a leather interior.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 190 E 3.2 AMG was the first model sold through AMG authorized re-seller with a Mercedes-Benz new car warranty. About 200 complete cars were made, in black or silver: they were very expensive (about DM 155,780). Besides 200 complete 190 E 3.2 AMG's, Mercedes-Benz sold AMG body kits and 3.2 L AMG engines separately, so there are 190's fitted with those features at the factory or retrofitted. The 190 E 3.2 AMG straight-six 12-valve engines generated a maximum power output of , and enable the car to attain a top speed of .


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 190 D BlueEFFICIENCY is an experimental vehicle demonstrating the improvements made in Diesel engine technology over the last 20 years, in isolation from the equally profound changes in the safety and comfort of the car as a whole. It was based on a 1988 190 D 2.6 which was fitted with a Mercedes-Benz OM651 engine, rated at and at 1,600–1,800 rpm. The 190 D Blue EFFICIENCY accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, with fuel efficiency of 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres (NEDC). By comparison, the original car has the fuel efficiency of 7.3 litres per 100 kilometres. The 190 D BlueEFFICIENCY was also compared to C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, which has fuel efficiency of 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres via NEDC method, despite the modern C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY being 385 kg heavier, 16 cm longer, and around 9 cm wider and higher than a 190.


title: Mercedes-Benz W201

text: The 190 E Elektro was a limited series of fully electric variants of the Mercedes-Benz W201. Back in May 1990, Mercedes revealed a fully electric 190 E at the Hannover Fair. This wasn't a typical concept for Mercedes as the carmaker wanted to use the 190E platform for testing different drive configurations and battery packs. These included mainly sodium-nickel chloride or sodium-sulphur batteries, which offered a much higher energy density than the era's more classic lead packs. At the 1991 Geneva Motor Show they even brought a more advanced version of the 190E ‘Electro’, showcasing their commitment to the project. The electric 190E retained the cabin space of the regular ICE model unaffected, as well as all its safety features. The Geneva show car featured two DC permanent magnet motors, one for each rear wheel, with a combined peak power output of 44 HP. As for the driving range, the electric 190 E offered 110 km (68 miles) on a full charge. The Mercedes 190 E Electro used a sodium-nickel chloride battery and a regenerative braking system to help charge the pack during driving. Mercedes also took out many of the weight-intensive mechanical components in order to offset the weight penalty of the heavy batteries; the result was an electric car that weighed just 200 kg (440 lbs) more than the model it's based on. As for the driving range, Mercedes even participated in a large-scale field trial on the German island of Rügen between 1992 and 1996, with the support of the local government. They wanted to test electric cars and their powertrains in everyday conditions and Mercedes sent 10 hand-built 190 E Electro cars which featured various electric motors and battery configurations. Some of them had no transmission at all while others even featured a manual transmission in combination with their electric powertrains. Special recharging stations with solar collectors were also installed on the island to test the concept of EVs in a consistent -neutral manner. Overall a total of 60 cars and vans from different brands were involved in the EV trial. The cars were tested by different participants, including taxi drivers, who used them in their normal lives. According to Mercedes, there were hardly any problems, with the test cars showcasing excellent reliability. One of the vehicles even achieved a usage rate of 100,000 km in one year (62,000 miles).


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: The fourth season of "Fargo", an American anthology black comedy–crime drama television series created by Noah Hawley, premiered on September 27, 2020, on FX and concluded on November 29, 2020. It consisted of 11 episodes. Set in Kansas City, Missouri from November 1950 to early 1951, the season follows two crime syndicates as they vie for control of the underground. The cast is led by Chris Rock, who plays Loy Cannon, the head of a crime syndicate made up of black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South who have a contentious relationship with the Italian Kansas City mafia. Other cast members include Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, and Jack Huston.


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: As an anthology, each "Fargo" season possesses its own self-contained narrative, following a disparate set of characters in various settings and eras, albeit in a connected shared universe centered around Minnesota. The broader Midwestern United States features prominently and some connection to the titular city of Fargo, North Dakota runs through the series. The season was originally scheduled to premiere on April 19, 2020, but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: The fourth season was announced in August 2018 and it was confirmed that Chris Rock was cast in the lead role. In July 2019, 12 actors were announced to have been cast, including Francesco Acquaroli, Andrew Bird, Jessie Buckley, Salvatore Esposito, Jeremie Harris, Jack Huston, Amber Midthunder, Jason Schwartzman, and Ben Whishaw. Midthunder ultimately did not appear and her role was recast with Kelsey Asbille for undisclosed reasons. In September 2019, it was announced that Uzo Aduba had been cast in the role of Zelmare Roulette, however, Aduba had to drop out of the role due to "some personal family issues". The role was recast with Karen Aldridge in December.


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: Production began in October 2019 in Chicago, Illinois, with Hawley directing the first block of episodes. In March 2020, FX suspended production on the series for at least two weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The original premiere date of April 19, 2020, was also pushed back due to production delays. The series completed production on eight of the eleven episodes before production shut down. Production resumed in August 2020 and was completed by September 8, 2020.


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: The fourth season has received generally positive reviews from critics, though less acclaimed than previous seasons. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season is "certified fresh" with an 82% critic approval rating and an average score of 7.21 out of 10 based on 51 reviews. The website's critical consensus is, "Though "Fargo"s ambitious fourth season struggles to maintain momentum, fine performances and a change of scenery make for an engaging – if uneven – departure from the series' norm." On Metacritic, it has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: Matt Zoller Seitz, writing for "Vulture", gave the season a negative review. He criticized the writers' missed opportunity to link the season's unique premise of children swapping among gangs to its themes of immigration and culture, as well as their tendency to make subtext obvious through excessive monologues.


title: Fargo (season 4)

text: For the 11th Critics' Choice Television Awards, Chris Rock received a nomination for Best Actor in a Limited Series and Glynn Turman received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Perseverance, nicknamed Percy, is a car-sized Mars rover designed to explore the Jezero crater on Mars as part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission. It was manufactured by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched on July 30, 2020, at 11:50 UTC. Confirmation that the rover successfully landed on Mars was received on February 18, 2021, at 20:55 UTC. As of 28 2022, "Perseverance" has been active on Mars for sols ( Earth days, or ) since its landing. Following the rover's arrival, NASA named the landing site Octavia E. Butler Landing.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: "Perseverance" has a similar design to its predecessor rover, "Curiosity", although it was moderately upgraded. It carries seven primary payload instruments, nineteen cameras, and two microphones.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The rover also carried the mini-helicopter "Ingenuity" to Mars, an experimental aircraft and technology testbed that made the first powered flight on another planet on April 19, 2021. As of August 31, 2022, it has made 30 successful flights. "Ingenuity"'s 25th successful flight, which occurred on April 8, 2022, saw the helicopter set new records for highest speed and distance traveled during a single flight.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The rover's goals include identifying ancient Martian environments capable of supporting life, seeking out evidence of former microbial life existing in those environments, collecting rock and soil samples to store on the Martian surface, and testing oxygen production from the Martian atmosphere to prepare for future crewed missions.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The "Perseverance" rover has four main science objectives that support the Mars Exploration Program's science goals:


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: In the first science campaign "Perseverance" performs an arching drive southward from its landing site to the Séítah unit to perform a "toe dip" into the unit to collect remote-sensing measurements of geologic targets. After that it will return to the Crater Floor Fractured Rough to collect the first core sample there. Passing by the Octavia E. Butler landing site concludes the first science campaign.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The second campaign will include several months of travel towards the "Three Forks" where "Perseverance" can access geologic locations at the base of the ancient delta of Neretva river, as well as ascend the delta by driving up a valley wall to the northwest.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Despite the high-profile success of the "Curiosity" rover landing in August 2012, NASA's Mars Exploration Program was in a state of uncertainty in the early 2010s. Budget cuts forced NASA to pull out of a planned collaboration with the European Space Agency which included a rover mission. By the summer of 2012, a program that had been launching a mission to Mars every two years suddenly found itself with no missions approved after 2013.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: In 2011, the Planetary Science Decadal Survey, a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine containing an influential set of recommendations made by the planetary science community, stated that the top priority of NASA's planetary exploration program in the decade between 2013 and 2022 should be to begin a Mars Sample Return campaign, a four-mission project to cache, retrieve, launch, and safely return samples of the Martian surface to Earth. The report stated that NASA should invest in a sample-caching rover as the first step in this effort, with the goal of keeping costs under US$2.5 billion.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: After the success of the "Curiosity" rover and in response to the recommendations of the decadal survey, NASA announced its intent to launch a new Mars rover mission by 2020 at the American Geophysical Union conference in December 2012.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Though initially hesitant to commit to an ambitious sample-caching capability (and subsequent follow-on missions), a NASA-convened science definition team for the Mars 2020 project released a report in July 2013 that the mission should "select and store a compelling suite of samples in a returnable cache."


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The "Perseverance" design evolved from its predecessor, the "Curiosity" rover. The two rovers share a similar body plan, landing system, cruise stage, and power system, but the design was improved in several ways for "Perseverance". Engineers designed the rover wheels to be more robust than "Curiosity" wheels, which have sustained some damage. "Perseverance" has thicker, more durable aluminum wheels, with reduced width and a greater diameter, , than "Curiosity" wheels. The aluminum wheels are covered with cleats for traction and curved titanium spokes for springy support. The heat shield for the rover was made out of phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA), to allow it to withstand up to of heat. Like "Curiosity", the rover includes a robotic arm, although "Perseverance"s arm is longer and stronger, measuring . The arm hosts an elaborate rock-coring and sampling mechanism to store geologic samples from the Martian surface in sterile caching tubes. There is also a secondary arm hidden below the rover that helps store the chalk-sized samples. This arm is known as the Sample Handling Assembly (SHA), and is responsible for moving the soil samples to various stations within the Adaptive Caching Assembly (ACA) on the underside of the rover. These stations include volume assessment (measuring the length of sample), imaging, seal dispensing, and hermetic seal station, among others. Owing to the small space in which the SHA must operate, as well as load requirements during sealing activities, the Sample Caching System "is the most complicated, most sophisticated mechanism that we have ever built, tested and readied for spaceflight."


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The combination of larger instruments, new sampling and caching system, and modified wheels makes "Perseverance" heavier, weighing compared to "Curiosity" at —a 14% increase.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The rover's radioisotope thermoelectric power generator (MMRTG) has a mass of and uses of Plutonium-238 oxide as its power source. The natural decay of plutonium-238, which has a half-life of 87.7 years, gives off heat which is converted to electricity—approximately 110 watts at launch. This will decrease over time as its power source decays. The MMRTG charges two lithium-ion rechargeable batteries which power the rover's activities, and must be recharged periodically. Unlike solar panels, the MMRTG provides engineers with significant flexibility in operating the rover's instruments even at night, during dust storms, and through winter.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The rover's computer uses the BAE Systems RAD750 radiation-hardened single board computer based on a ruggedized PowerPC G3 microprocessor (PowerPC 750). The computer contains 128 megabytes of volatile DRAM, and runs at 133 MHz. The flight software runs on the VxWorks Operating System, is written in C and is able to access 4 gigabytes of NAND non-volatile memory on a separate card. "Perseverance" relies on three antennas for telemetry, all of which are relayed through craft currently in orbit around Mars. The primary UHF antenna can send data from the rover at a maximum rate of two megabits per second. Two slower X-band antennas provide communications redundancy.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: JPL built a copy of the "Perseverance"; a twin rover used for testing and problem solving, "OPTIMISM" (Operational Perseverance Twin for Integration of Mechanisms and Instruments Sent to Mars), a vehicle system test bed (VSTB). It is housed at the JPL Mars Yard and is used to test operational procedures and to aid in problem solving should any issues arise with "Perseverance".


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The "Ingenuity" helicopter, powered by solar-charged batteries, was sent to Mars in the same bundle with "Perseverance". With a mass of , it demonstrated the reality of flight in the rarefied Martian atmosphere and the potential usefulness of aerial scouting for rover missions. Its pre-launch experimental test plan was 3 flights in 45 days. As of August 31, 2022, it has made 30 successful flights. "Ingenuity"'s 25th successful flight, which occurred on April 8, 2022, saw the helicopter set new records for highest speed and distance traveled during a single flight. It carries two cameras but no scientific instruments and communicates with Earth via a base station onboard "Perseverance". The first takeoff was attempted on April 19, 2021, at 07:15 UTC, with livestreaming three hours later at 10:15 UTC confirming the flight. It was the first powered flight by an aircraft on another planet. "Ingenuity" made additional incrementally more ambitious flights, several of which were recorded by "Perseverance"s cameras.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Thomas Zurbuchen selected the name "Perseverance" following a nationwide K-12 student "name the rover" contest that attracted more than 28,000 proposals. A seventh-grade student, Alexander Mather from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, submitted the winning entry at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to the honor of naming the rover, Mather and his family were invited to NASA's Kennedy Space Center to watch the rover's July 2020 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Mather wrote in his winning essay:Curiosity. InSight. Spirit. Opportunity. If you think about it, all of these names of past Mars rovers are qualities we possess as humans. We are always curious, and seek opportunity. We have the spirit and insight to explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. But, if rovers are to be the qualities of us as a race, we missed the most important thing. Perseverance. We as humans evolved as creatures who could learn to adapt to any situation, no matter how harsh. We are a species of explorers, and we will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars. However, we can persevere. We, not as a nation but as humans, will not give up. The human race will always persevere into the future.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The "Perseverance" rover lifted off successfully on July 30, 2020, at 11:50:00 UTC aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 41, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The rover took about seven months to travel to Mars and made its landing in Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, to begin its science phase.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: After May 17, 2022, the rover will roll uphill, stopping every so often to examine rocks that look to have the best chance of retaining evidence of past life on the planet Mars. On its way back down, "Perseverance" will collect some of these rocks, placing the samples at the base of the delta to be retrieved by later missions. The goal is to bring this material back to Earth in the 2030s for detailed inspection.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The successful landing of "Perseverance" in Jezero Crater was announced at 20:55 UTC on February 18, 2021, the signal from Mars taking 11 minutes to arrive at Earth. The rover touched down at , roughly southeast of the center of its 7.7 × 6.6 km (4.8 × 4.1 mi) wide landing ellipse. It came down pointed almost directly to the southeast, with the RTG on the back of the vehicle pointing northwest. The descent stage ("sky crane"), parachute and heat shield all came to rest within 1.5 km of the rover (see satellite image). The landing was more accurate than any previous Mars landing; a feat enabled by the experience gained from "Curiosity"s landing and the use of new steering technology.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: One such new technology is Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), a technique in which the rover compares images of the surface taken during its descent with reference maps, allowing it to make last minute adjustments to its course. The rover also uses the images to select a safe landing site at the last minute, allowing it to land in relatively unhazardous terrain. This enables it to land much closer to its science objectives than previous missions, which all had to use a landing ellipse devoid of hazards.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The landing occurred in the late afternoon, with the first images taken at 15:53:58 on the mission clock (local mean solar time). The landing took place shortly after Mars passed through its northern vernal equinox (Ls = 5.2°), at the start of the astronomical spring, the equivalent of the end of March on Earth.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The parachute descent of the "Perseverance" rover was photographed by the HiRISE high-resolution camera on the "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter" (MRO).


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Jezero Crater is a paleolake basin. It was selected as the landing site for this mission in part because paleolake basins tend to contain perchlorates. Astrobiologist Dr. Kennda Lynch's work in analog environments on Earth suggests that the composition of the crater, including the bottomset deposits accumulated from three different sources in the area, is a likely place to discover evidence of perchlorates-reducing microbes, if such bacteria are living or were formerly living on Mars.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: A few days after landing, "Perseverance" released the first audio recorded on the surface of Mars, capturing the sound of Martian wind


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: During its travels on Mars, NASA scientists had observed around Sol 341 (February 4, 2022) that a small rock had dropped into one of its wheels while the rover was studying the Máaz rock formation. The rock was visible from one of the hazard avoidance cameras, and was determined not to be harmful to the rover's mission. The rock has since stayed on "Perseverance"s wheels for at least 123 sols (126 days) as the rover traveled over on the surface. NASA deemed that "Perseverance" had adopted a pet rock for its journey.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: NASA considered nearly 60 proposals for rover instrumentation. On July 31, 2014, NASA announced the seven instruments that would make up the payload for the rover:


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: There are additional cameras and two audio microphones (the first working microphones on Mars), that will be used for engineering support during landing, driving, and collecting samples. For a full look at "Perseverance"s components see Learn About the Rover.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: It is planned for "Perseverance" to visit the bottom and upper parts of the 3.4 to 3.8 billion-year-old Neretva Vallis delta, the smooth and etched parts of the Jezero Crater floor deposits interpreted as volcanic ash or aeolian airfall deposits, emplaced before the formation of the delta; the ancient shoreline covered with Transverse Aeolian Ridges (dunes) and mass wasting deposits, and finally, it is planned to climb onto the Jezero Crater rim.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: In its progressive commissioning and tests, "Perseverance" made its first test drive on Mars on March 4, 2021. NASA released photographs of the rover's first wheel tracks on the Martian soil.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: In support of the Mars sample-return mission, rock, regolith (Martian 'soil'), and atmosphere samples are being cached by "Perseverance". Currently, out of 43 sample tubes, rock sample tubes cached: 15, rock sample tubes cached: 2, atmosphere sample tubes cached: 1, witness tubes cached: 3, tubes due to be cached: 22. Before launch, 5 of the 43 tubes were designated “witness tubes” and filled with materials that would capture particulates in the ambient environment of Mars.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: NASA plans to invest roughly US$2.75 billion in the project over 11 years, including US$2.2 billion for the development and building of the hardware, US$243 million for launch services, and US$291 million for 2.5 years of mission operations.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Adjusted for inflation, "Perseverance" is NASA's sixth-most expensive robotic planetary mission, though it is cheaper than its predecessor, "Curiosity". "Perseverance" benefited from spare hardware and "build-to print" designs from the "Curiosity" mission, which helped reduce development costs and saved "probably tens of millions, if not 100 million dollars" according to Mars 2020 Deputy Chief Engineer Keith Comeaux.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: NASA's "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign invited people from around the world to submit their names to travel aboard the agency's next rover to Mars. 10,932,295 names were submitted. The names were etched by an electron beam onto three fingernail-sized silicon chips, along with the essays of the 155 finalists in NASA's "Name the Rover" contest. The three chips share space on an anodized plate with a laser engraved graphic representing Earth, Mars, and the Sun. The rays emanating from the Sun contain the phrase "Explore As One" written in Morse code. The plate was then mounted on the rover on March 26, 2020.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: Part of "Perseverance"s cargo is a geocaching trackable item viewable with the SHERLOC's WATSON camera.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: In 2016, NASA SHERLOC co-investigator Dr. Marc Fries — with help from his son Wyatt — was inspired by Geocaching's 2008 placement of a cache on the International Space Station to set out and try something similar with the rover mission. After floating the idea around mission management, it eventually reached NASA scientist Francis McCubbin, who would join the SHERLOC instrument team as a collaborator to move the project forward. The Geocaching inclusion was scaled-down to a trackable item that players could search for from NASA camera views and then log on to the site. In a manner similar to the "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign, the geocaching trackable code was carefully printed on a one-inch, polycarbonate glass disk serving as part of the rover's calibration target. It will serve as an optical target for the WATSON imager and a spectroscopic standard for the SHERLOC instrument. The disk is made of a prototype astronaut helmet visor material that will be tested for its potential use in crewed missions to Mars. Designs were approved by the mission leads at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA Public Affairs, and NASA HQ, in addition to Groundspeak Geocaching HQ.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: "Perseverance" launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began to affect the mission planning in March 2020. To show appreciation for healthcare workers who helped during the pandemic, an plate with a staff-and-serpent symbol (a Greek symbol of medicine) was placed on the rover. The project manager, Matt Wallace, said he hoped that future generations going to Mars would be able to appreciate healthcare workers during 2020.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: One of the external plates of "Perseverance" includes a simplified representation of all previous NASA Martian rovers, "Sojourner", "Spirit", "Opportunity", "Curiosity", as well as "Perseverance" and "Ingenuity", similar to the trend of automobile window decals used to show a family's makeup.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: In December 2021, the NASA team announced a program to students who have "persevered" with academic challenges. Those nominated will be rewarded with a personal message beamed back from Mars by the "Perseverance" rover.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: The orange-and-white parachute used to land the rover on Mars contained a coded message that was deciphered by Twitter users. NASA's systems engineer Ian Clark used binary code to hide the message "dare mighty things" in the parachute color pattern. The parachute consisted of 80 strips of fabric that form a hemisphere-shape canopy, and each strip consisted of four pieces. Dr. Clark thus had 320 pieces with which to encode the message. He also included the GPS coordinates for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's headquarters in Pasadena, California (34°11’58” N 118°10’31” W). Clark said that only six people knew about the message before landing. The code was deciphered a few hours after the image was presented by "Perseverance"s team.


title: Perseverance (rover)

text: "Dare mighty things" is a quote attributed to U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and is the unofficial motto of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It adorns many of the JPL center's walls.


title: American crocodile

text: The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida and the coasts of Mexico to as far south as Peru and Venezuela.


title: American crocodile

text: The habitat of the American crocodile consists largely of coastal areas. It is also found in river systems, but tends to prefer salinity, resulting in the species congregating in brackish lakes, mangrove swamps, lagoons, cays, and small islands. Other crocodiles also have tolerance to saltwater due to salt glands underneath the tongue, but the American crocodile is the only species other than the saltwater crocodile to commonly live and thrive in saltwater. They can be found on beaches and small island formations without any freshwater source, such as many cays and islets across the Caribbean. They are also found in hypersaline lakes; one of the largest known populations inhabits Lago Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic.


title: American crocodile

text: The American crocodile is one of the largest crocodile species. Males can reach lengths of , weighing up to . On average, mature males are more in the range of in length weighing up to about . As with other crocodile species, females are smaller, rarely exceeding in length even in the largest-bodied population.


title: American crocodile

text: Like any other large crocodilian, the American crocodile is potentially dangerous to humans, but it tends not to be as aggressive as some other species. American crocodiles coexist with the American alligator in Florida, and with the smaller spectacled caiman within Central America and Florida.


title: American crocodile

text: The American crocodile was described by Georges Cuvier in 1807, and became known as the "sharp-snout alligator". In 1822, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque postulated that the species was in fact a crocodile.


title: American crocodile

text: The species was redescribed as "Crocodylus floridanus" by William Temple Hornaday in 1875, when Hornaday and C. E. Jackson were sent to Florida to collect alligator hides. Upon hearing of a "big old gator" in Arch Creek at the head of Biscayne Bay, Hornaday and his companions searched for it and reported:


title: American crocodile

text: In a few hours, we got sight of him, out on the bank in a saw-grass wallow. He was a monster for size—a perfect whale of a saurian, gray in color—and by all the powers, he was a genuine crocodile!


title: American crocodile

text: Until 2020, the evolution of the American crocodile was poorly understood. However, the discovery of the Miocene species "Crocodylus checchiai" indicates that it, the Orinoco crocodile ("Crocodylus intermedius"), Morelet's crocodile ("C. moreletii"), and the Cuban crocodile ("C. rhombifer") all share an ancestor hailing from Africa. The newly discovered animal may also represent the base of the evolutionary radiation of these animals, representing the missing link between crocodiles in Africa and the Americas.


title: American crocodile

text: The genus "Crocodylus" likely originated in Africa and radiated outwards towards Southeast Asia and the Americas, although an Australia/Asia origin has also been considered. Phylogenetic evidence supports "Crocodylus" diverging from its closest recent relative, the extinct "Voay" of Madagascar, around 25 million years ago, near the Oligocene/Miocene boundary. American crocodile populations in Florida, Jamaica and Hispaniola (in the Dominican Republic) differ in gene frequencies.


title: American crocodile

text: Below is a cladogram based on a 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (DNA sequencing), and stratigraphic (fossil age) data, as revised by the 2021 Hekkala "et al." paleogenomics study using DNA extracted from the extinct "Voay".


title: American crocodile

text: The American crocodile is a highly fecund species (38 clutch of eggs; fecundity over 20 after 15 years old) with a high adult survival rate and long life span. Like all true crocodilians, the American crocodile is a quadruped, with four short, stocky legs; a long, powerful tail; and a scaly hide with rows of ossified scutes running down its back and tail. Its snout is elongated and includes a strong pair of jaws. Its eyes have nictitating membranes for protection, along with lacrimal glands, which produce tears.


title: American crocodile

text: The nostrils, eyes, and ears are situated on the top of its head, so the rest of the body can be concealed underwater for surprise attacks. Camouflage also helps it prey on food. The snout is longer and narrower than that of the American alligator, but broader on average than that of the Orinoco crocodile. American crocodiles are also paler and more grayish than the relatively dark-hued American alligator. This crocodile species normally crawls on its belly, but it can also "high walk". Larger specimens can charge up to nearly . They can swim at as much as by moving their bodies and tails in a sinuous fashion, but they cannot sustain this speed.


title: American crocodile

text: Adults have a uniform grayish-green coloration with white or yellow undersides, while juveniles have dark cross-banding on the tail and back.


title: American crocodile

text: New hatchlings are about in length and about in mass. The average adult in the continental rivers can range from long and weigh up to in males, while females can range from and weigh up to , the lower total length representing their average size at sexual maturity, the upper representing the expected upper size limit for the respective sex in most known populations. Common weights of adult American crocodiles in Florida may range from with corresponding lengths of . With extensive conservation efforts underway, there appears to be an increase in the number of large American crocodiles in Florida, some of the largest reportedly exceeding in length. Eight adult American crocodiles from Costa Rica ranged in total length from . Large adults of this species are capable of reaching in weight, ranking it among the largest living crocodilians in the Neotropical realm. A large male specimen from Costa Rica measuring in total length weighed about . Exceptionally large specimens may arguably exceed , possibly reaching or exceeding , but such specimens are unverified and possibly dubious although some are arguably supported by size projections from skull lengths.


title: American crocodile

text: The American crocodile is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas. They are saltwater-tolerant, and have thus been capable of colonizing a multitude of islands within the Caribbean, and on some coastal Pacific islands as well. They inhabit waters such as mangrove swamps, river mouths, fresh waters, and salt lakes, and can even be found at sea, hence their wide distribution throughout southern Florida, the Greater Antilles (excluding Puerto Rico and Isla de la Juventud, where they are replaced by the introduced spectacled caiman), Martinique, southern Mexico (including the Yucatán Peninsula), Central America, and the South American countries of Colombia, Peru, Venezuela (including on Margarita Island), and Ecuador. The American crocodile is especially plentiful in Costa Rica.


title: American crocodile

text: American crocodiles coexist with the smaller spectacled caiman within Central America. The only other crocodiles present within the American crocodile's range are the Morelet's crocodile, and the critically endangered Cuban and Orinoco crocodiles. In addition, an American/Cuban crocodile hybrid was recently discovered in the Cancún area of Mexico. The crocodile likely originated in the Zapata Swamp of Cuba (the only place where these wild hybrids exist, and where the two species are sympatric), and swam to the Yucatán Peninsula.


title: American crocodile

text: One of its largest documented populations (the largest in the Caribbean) is in Lago Enriquillo, a hypersaline lake in the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, the only population known is in the brackish lake Etang Saumâtre, where the population is nearing extirpation due to overhunting and poaching. In Jamaica, the species inhabits most of the swamps available, as well as brackish portions of rivers. American crocodiles have recently been sighted in Grand Cayman, leading experts to believe the species may be swimming from Cuba (which is home to a large American crocodile population) and slowly repopulating Grand Cayman.


title: American crocodile

text: The American crocodile's saline tolerance may have allowed it to colonize limited portions of the United States, particularly southern Florida. Contrary to popular misinformation, the presence of the American alligator is not the reason the American crocodile was unable to populate brackish waters north of Florida, but rather the climate, as crocodiles are less tolerant of cold. Within the United States, the American crocodile's distribution is generally limited to the southern tip of Florida, though at least two have been found as far north as the Tampa Bay area. They are primarily found south of the latitude of Miami, in Everglades National Park, Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, Dry Tortugas National Park and the Florida Keys. A sizable population occurs near Homestead, at the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station. Some individuals have been sighted in Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. Their range in Florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist.