title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: At Shine Wrestling's "Shine 2" event, Prange as Heidi Lovelace faced fellow OVW wrestlers Sojournor Bolt and Taeler Hendrix in a three–way match, which was won by Bolt. On November 16, at "Shine 5", Lovelace was defeated by Sassy Stephie in a singles match. On February 22, 2013, at "Shine 7", Lovelace was defeated by Brittney Savage. On May 24, Lovelace teamed with Luscious Latasha and Solo Darling to take on Sojournor Bolt, Sassy Stephie and Jessie Belle in a six–women tag team match, in which her team lost. Lovelace's losing streak continued at "Shine 15" when she was defeated by Mercedes Martinez in singles action. During "Shine 16" on January 24, 2014, her losing streak ended after being confirmed as the newest member of the "All Star Squad" (ASS) faction run by Daffney, after forming a tag team with fellow ASS member Solo Darling called "The Buddy System" and defeated S-N-S Express (Sassy Stephie and Jessie Belle Smothers).


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On May 18, 2013, Lovelace made her debut for Chikara, when she and Saturyne entered the 2013 Tag World Grand Prix. They were, however, eliminated in their first round match by Arik Cannon and Darin Corbin. On December 6, 2014, in the pre-show of the Tomorrow Never Dies iPPV, Lovelace defeated Missile Assault Ant in the finals of a tournament to win the Chikara Young Lions Cup. She defended her Young Lions Cup multiple times in 2015, remaining undefeated in the year.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: Also in 2015, Heidi took part in the "Challenge of the Immortals" tournament, which was a season-long double round-robin event. She was drafted to Dasher Hatfield's team, christened "Dasher's Dugout", which also included Dasher's fellow Throwbacks teammate "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti, and then Chikara Grand Championship holder, Icarus. Their team led in points for much of the tournament, before ultimately forfeiting their points due to it being revealed that "Mr. Touchdown" had been cheating late in the tournament, by giving Dasher a secretly "loaded" elbow pad. Even so, Dasher and Heidi took part in the season-closing "Tourneo Cibernetico" 16-man match together.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On Saturday, March 19, 2016, she received a title shot at the Chikara Grand Championship against fellow female wrestler Princess Kimber Lee in Gibsonville, North Carolina at the Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium. Kimber retained after escaping the Chikara Special submission and then locking on a bow and arrow style submission that contorted Heidi to the point she had to tap (she had suffered neck damage due to the double-digit German suplexes she sustained over the course of the match).


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On January 11, 2015, Lovelace made her Japanese debut for the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, teaming with Act Yasukawa in a tag team match, where they defeated Hudson Envy and Kris Wolf. On January 18, Lovelace, Yasukawa and Dragonita were forced to join the villainous Monster-gun stable, after being defeated by Envy, Wolf and the stable's leader Kyoko Kimura in a six-woman tag team match. Following the addition of the new members, Monster-gun was renamed Oedo Tai. On February 8, Lovelace, Dragonita and Envy unsuccessfully challenged Heisei-gun (Io Shirai, Mayu Iwatani and Takumi Iroha) for the Artist of Stardom Championship.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On December 15, 2016, it was reported that Prange had signed with WWE and reported to the WWE Performance Center. She made her in-ring debut on January 13 at an NXT live event, losing to Daria Berenato. Going by the ring name Ruby Riot, she made her television debut on the March 22 episode of "NXT", attacking Nikki Cross and the rest of Sanity, alongside Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose and Roderick Strong, establishing herself as a face. This led to a match between the two teams at , on April 1, where Riot's team lost.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: In her first singles match, which aired on the April 12 episode of "NXT", Riot defeated Kimberly Frankele with Nikki Cross attempting to distract her. The following week, Cross called out Riot and a brawl ensued. William Regal booked the two in a match, which again led to a brawl that had to be split up. On the May 3 episode of "NXT", Riot participated in a #1 contender's battle royal for Asuka's NXT Women's Championship and made it to the final three before Asuka attacked her, Cross, and Ember Moon, resulting in a no contest. A fatal four-way match between all four women for the championship was later scheduled at , but Moon was later taken out of the match due to a legitimate injury. Riot lost the match at the event after Asuka pinned both her and Cross simultaneously. On the October 18 episode of "NXT", Riot competed against Ember Moon and Sonya Deville in a triple threat qualifying match for a title opportunity at , but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Moon. She later competed twice against Sonya Deville, with Riot winning the first match on the November 22 episode of "NXT", but losing the second one on December 7 in a No Holds Barred match, which turned out to be her last match on NXT after already being on the main roster.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On the November 21, 2017, episode of "SmackDown Live", Riot, now known as Ruby Riott, made her main roster debut, alongside Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, by attacking both Becky Lynch and Naomi, turning heel. Later that night, they interrupted a match between SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and Natalya and attacked both. The following week, the trio, now dubbed The Riott Squad, made their in ring-debuts, defeating Flair, Natalya and Naomi in a six-woman tag team match. On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble event, Riott competed in the inaugural women's Royal Rumble match where she lasted 11:00 and eliminated Becky Lynch and Vickie Guerrero before she was eliminated by Nia Jax. Riott challenged Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at Fastlane, but was unsuccessful. In April, Riott also competed in the first ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal on the WrestleMania 34 kickoff show, but she was unsuccessful in winning the match.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On April 16, The Riott Squad were drafted to Raw as part of the 2018 Superstar Shake-Up. Later that night, the group attacked both Bayley and Sasha Banks during their match. Two weeks later, Riott defeated Banks in her first match for on "Raw". Six days later during the Backlash "Kickoff", Riott defeated Bayley. The following night, Riott competed in a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Banks and Ember Moon; Moon pinned Riott for the victory. She competed in a Gauntlet Match on the May 28 episode of "Raw", but was unsuccessful. On the August 6 episode of "Raw", Riott (who had been sidelined with a knee injury) returned and assisted Morgan and Logan in defeating Bayley and Banks in a tag team match.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: In September, The Riott Squad began a feud with The Bella Twins, who aligned themselves with Ronda Rousey. This prompted a six–woman tag team match to take place at Super Show-Down, where The Riott Squad were defeated. The Riott Squad took part of the first-ever all women's pay–per–view, Evolution, where they were defeated by Bayley, Banks and Natalya. On the November 12 episode of "Raw", Riott was named as the final member for Team Raw in the five–on–five elimination match at Survivor Series. During the event's "Kickoff", Riott and Natalya fought in the locker room. This led to team captain Alexa Bliss removing them from the team and replacing them with Banks and Bayley. On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble, Riott competed in the second women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 21, lasting 13:08 and eliminating four competitors before she was eliminated by Bayley. The following month, on February 17, Riott challenged Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, but was destroyed in under two minutes. The following night on "Raw", Riott faced Rousey again in a rematch for the title, however, she was once again defeated by submission. On April 7, during the WrestleMania 35 kick–off show, Riott again competed in the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal but the match was won by Carmella. During the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Morgan was moved to "SmackDown Live", effectively ending the group. Following the disbandment, Riott underwent shoulder surgery to repair a bilateral injury in May. She underwent the same procedure on her other shoulder in August.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: Riott returned from injury on the February 3, 2020 episode of "Raw", attacking her former Riott Squad teammate, Liv Morgan which would result in a match between the two with Sarah Logan as the special guest referee where Liv was victorious after a fast count by Logan. At Elimination Chamber on March 8, Riott competed in the Elimination Chamber match, during which she was eliminated by eventual winner Shayna Baszler. After WrestleMania 36, Riott continued her feud with Morgan where she lost to her twice on the April 20 and 27 episodes of "Raw", respectively. On the June 22 episode of "Raw", Riott attempted to console Morgan after her loss but Morgan immediately rejected her. Over the next couple of weeks, Riott started defending Morgan from bullying from The IIconics, initiating a feud with them in the process. On the July 13 episode of "Raw", Riott formed an alliance with Bianca Belair. The two defeated The IIconics in a tag match the same night.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On the August 3 episode of "Raw", Ruby appeared on the Kevin Owens Show and apologized to the returning Liv Morgan, only to be interrupted by The IIconics. Later the same night, Liv decided to team up with Riott to take on The IIconics in a winning effort. This would mark the beginning of reformation of Morgan and Riott as The Riott Squad. They would face The IIconics two more times at Payback and on the August 31 episode of "Raw" for the #1 contendership for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, also forcing The IIconics to break up per stipulation. As part of the 2020 Draft in October, both Riott and Morgan were drafted to the SmackDown brand. On April 10, 2021, on Night 1 of WrestleMania 37, Riott & Morgan competed in a tag team turmoil match for the #1 contendership for the Women's Tag Team Championships, with the winners going on to compete the following night, the duo would go on to eliminate the teams of Billie Kay & Carmella, and Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke, before being defeated by the victorious Natalya & Tamina. On June 2, 2021, Riott was released by WWE, effectively disbanding The Riott Squad for the second time.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On June 18, 2021, during an interview on "Wrestling Perspective Podcast", Prange discussed how she would like to keep the Ruby name for her character and would not be returning to her Heidi Lovelace ring name as she disliked that name and it was never her idea to begin with. She said she originally took the Ruby name from the Rancid song "Ruby Soho", however, WWE owns the rights to the Ruby Riott ring name so she could no longer use it. It was then suggested by Rancid's Lars Fredriksen, who is one of the hosts of the podcast, that she should use the ring name Ruby Soho and assured her that he could also have the song cleared legally for her to use as her entrance theme. The name change was confirmed via a post on Prange's Instagram account.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: On September 5, Prange, now going by Ruby Soho, made her All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut as the surprise Joker entrant in the women's Casino Battle Royale match at the promotion's All Out pay-per-view in Chicago, and won her debut match after eliminating Thunder Rosa, thus earning herself a future match for the AEW Women's World Championship which was currently being held by Britt Baker On September 22, at Grand Slam, Soho lost to Baker in a title match at the main event, after interference by Baker's allies Jamie Hayter and Rebel. Then, she participated in two tournaments: first the AEW TBS championship tournament where was defeated in the finals by Jade Cargill and second, the AEW Owen Hart Cup, where she was also defeated in the finals by Baker. At All Out Zero Hour, Soho and Ortiz challenged Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo for the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championships in a losing effort, and Soho sustained a legit broken nose after being dropped on the top of her head mid-match, which could've caused a worse injury.


title: Ruby Soho (wrestler)

text: Riott made her video game debut in "WWE 2K18" as a downloadable character, and appeared in the succeeding titles "WWE 2K19" and "WWE 2K20". She appears as a downloadable character in the title "WWE 2K Battlegrounds."


title: The Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)

text: The Four Horsemen was a professional wrestling stable in Jim Crockett Promotions as part of Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling and later World Championship Wrestling. The original group consisted of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard. Flair and Arn Anderson were members of each incarnation of the group until Anderson's retirement after a neck injury. , Arn Anderson has the ownership of the stable's trademark and other intellectual properties.


text: Ric Flair was introduced to the storylines in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling in the 1970s as a cousin of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Gene Anderson and Ole Anderson). After leaving the Crew he took on Blackjack Mulligan and Greg Valentine as his partners to feud with them. By 1981, when he became NWA World Heavyweight Champion, he and the Crew had reconciled, having their blessing to team with them as well as with Mulligan and Valentine to feud with top NWA man Harley Race and his Mid-Atlantic hitmen, Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater. When Mulligan retired and Valentine jumped to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Flair started looking for a new entourage.


text: The Four Horsemen formed in 1985 with Ric Flair, Ole and Arn Anderson (the latter brought in from Continental Championship Wrestling), and Tully Blanchard from Southwest Championship Wrestling, with J. J. Dillon, who was the original fourth member, prior to the arrival of Arn Anderson (who was serving as manager of Blanchard) as their manager. They feuded with Dusty Rhodes (breaking his ankle and hand), Magnum T. A., Barry Windham, The Rock 'n' Roll Express (breaking Ricky Morton's nose), Nikita Koloff (injuring his neck), and The Road Warriors. Animal, Hawk, Ronnie Garvin and many others fought Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Title during that time period. They usually had most of the titles in the NWA, and they often bragged about their success (in the ring and with women) in their interviews.


text: The Four Horsemen moniker was not planned from the start. Due to time constraints at a television taping, production threw together an impromptu tag team interview of Flair, The Andersons, Tully Blanchard and Dillon; all were now united after Ole Anderson returned and, along with Flair and Arn, tried to break Dusty's leg during a wrestling event at the Omni in Atlanta during the fall of 1985. In his autobiography "To Be The Man", Flair claimed that it was during this interview that Arn commented: "The only time this much havoc had been wreaked by this few a number of people, you need to go all the way back to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!" However, Dillon and Blanchard stated during a Four Horsemen discussion panel, which took place at the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame on July 24, 2016 that the interview where Arn had actually said the phrase, and also debuted the group's trademark four finger pose, was after the original four members wrestled in an eight tag team match and that the group's formation was centered around the original four members holding championships at the time. The comparison and the name stuck. Arn Anderson has said in an RF Video shoot interview that he, Flair and Blanchard were as close as anybody could be away from the ring while they were together. They lived the gimmick outside of the arena, as they took limos and jets to the cities in which they wrestled. Baby Doll was Flair's valet for a couple of months in 1986, after previously managing Tully Blanchard during 1985.


text: In February 1987, WCW newcomer Lex Luger was made an associate member of the group after he expressed his desire to become a Horseman. The others started to leave Ole out of things after he cost him and Arn Anderson the NWA Tag Team Titles at Starrcade in 1986. Eventually he was kicked out in favor of Luger that March. The fact that Ole missed a show to watch his son Bryant wrestle was used against Ole in the split as Blanchard and Dillon questioned Ole's loyalty and Blanchard called Bryant a "snot-nosed kid".


text: During this time, they wrestled Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering in a series of WarGames matches. These matches were brutal and ended up with all five members of each team in the cage at the end trying to make somebody submit. During the first match in the Omni, Dillon suffered a separated shoulder from a botched attempt at the Warriors' finishing move, the Doomsday Device. Dillon landed directly on his right arm and shoulder, and was replaced for the series of matches by the masked War Machine, later known as the Big Boss Man.


text: Luger was later kicked out of the Four Horsemen. First, he blamed Horseman manager J.J. Dillon for costing him the U.S. Title when Dillon's attempt to help Luger win the match, by cheating, backfired. Lex subsequently did not allow Dillon to win a Bunkhouse Stampede match as the Horsemen had agreed to among themselves. In January 1988, he teamed with Barry Windham to feud with the Horsemen. The pair even defeated Anderson and Tully Blanchard for the NWA World Tag Team Championship at Clash of the Champions I. In April 1988, Windham turned on Luger during a title defense against Anderson and Tully Blanchard. Windham then took his spot in the Horsemen. This particular lineup of Horsemen has been called the greatest faction as far as a group of technical wrestlers goes. It was at that time every major title was held by members of the faction: with Flair, as the World Heavyweight Champion; Windham, as the United States Heavyweight Champion; and Arn and Tully, as the World Tag Team Champions.


text: In September 1988, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard left to join the WWF. This forced them to drop the Tag Team Titles at the last minute to the Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton). Anderson and Blanchard were known as "The Brain Busters", in the WWF, and were managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.


text: Flair, Windham, and Dillon continued to refer to themselves as "the Horsemen" and the NWA even flirted with the idea of bringing in new members. Butch Reed was signed to wrestle solo matches with Dillon as his manager. Then, in February 1989, Barry's brother Kendall Windham appeared to have joined them and even held up the four fingers after turning on Eddie Gilbert during a tag team match. Early in 1989, Flair and Windham lost a televised tag match to Gilbert and a surprise partner, Flair's long-time rival Ricky Steamboat. An enraged and humiliated Flair immediately fired Dillon, who then left to take a front office job with the WWF, while Flair and Windham dropped the Horsemen name. Hiro Matsuda was hired as their new manager. For a short stint in JCP in 1987, Matsuda was managed by Dillon and considered an associate of the Horsemen. As a result of hiring Matsuda as their new manager the Horsemen changed their name to Yamazaki Corporation. Their major feuds were with Lex Luger, Eddie Gilbert, Ricky Steamboat, and Sting. After losing the United States Heavyweight Championship to Luger, Barry Windham left the group due to an injury. Windham suffered a broken hand which occurred in his match against Luger at Chi-Town Rumble and required surgery. This enabled Windham to leave the promotion and show up in the WWF as "The Widowmaker." Kendall was not used as much more than a jobber and the group seemed like a shell of the unit it looked like on paper when it formed. They added Michael Hayes after Barry's injury, who feuded with Luger, but the group disbanded when Hayes reformed The Fabulous Freebirds in May and Matsuda left the promotion.


text: The Horsemen concept helped define the NWA in the mid to late 1980s. The departure of Anderson and Blanchard was huge at the time, Dillon and Windham's departure made it worse, and despite numerous revivals over the coming decade, things were never quite the same.


text: The Horsemen reformed in December 1989 in the NWA/WCW. Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and long-standing rival Sting formed the group in a shocker. Tully Blanchard was set to return as well, but failed a drug test while still with the WWF. WCW heard of this, and decided not to rehire him. They were faces and feuded with Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation of Terry Funk, Great Muta, Buzz Sawyer and The Dragonmaster. At the culmination of this feud the group returned to being heels, kicking Sting out for daring to challenge Ric Flair for the World Title. "Sting, you never were a Horseman" Ric Flair would say afterwards in a TV spot, according to Arn Anderson, Sting actually requested to be taken out of the group because he wanted to be on his own. Woman soon became Flair's valet. They feuded with Luger, Sting, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner and El Gigante during this time.


text: In May 1990, Ole retired from active competition and served as the group's manager, Barry Windham returned to WCW and the Horsemen on the May 5th "NWA World Wide Wrestling", and Sid Vicious was added to fill out the group on the May 11th "NWA Power Hour". They feuded with the Dudes With Attitudes which consisted of Sting, Luger, the Steiner Brothers, Paul Orndorff and Junkyard Dog. By the end of 1990, Ole and Woman left the NWA.


text: In October 1990, NWA World Champion Sting defended his title against the Horsemen's Sid Vicious at the Halloween Havoc pay-per-view. During the match, Sting and Vicious brawled backstage. A few moments later, they returned to the ring. Sting attempted to slam Sid, but lost his balance and fell to the mat with Sid on top of him. Vicious got the pin and was declared the new World Heavyweight Champion. However, it was revealed that Barry Windham (in matching Sting gear and face paint) had inserted himself into the match and let Vicious pin him. When the real Sting showed up, the match was restarted and the real Sting defeated Sid to retain the title.


text: The Horsemen line-up of Flair, Anderson, Windham, and Vicious eventually broke up and went their own ways. In May 1991, Sid left for the WWF. Flair was fired from WCW in early July and was in the WWF by August. Windham was part of a double turn at "The Great American Bash" shortly after Flair's firing, where he lost to Lex Luger in a match for the vacant WCW world championship (Windham became a face, Luger a heel). Anderson went on to form a tag team with Larry Zbyszko called The Enforcers and later became part of the Paul E. Dangerously-led Dangerous Alliance with Zbyszko, Rick Rude, Madusa, Bobby Eaton, and Steve Austin. Anderson and Windham feuded during this time, beginning with an incident at Halloween Havoc where Arn and Zbyszko slammed a car door on Windham's hand.


text: The next incarnation of the Horsemen, containing only three active members, was around for less than 7 months in 1993. Flair returned from the WWF to WCW to rejoin Arn and they promised a Horsemen reunion at the Slamboree pay-per-view. Paul Roma became the third horseman after Tully Blanchard and WCW could not come to terms on a deal for him to return. Ole Anderson was on hand as the adviser but made only one appearance on "A Flair for the Gold". This group of Horsemen is considered by many wrestling fans to be the weakest incarnation of the group. They were faces again and feuded with Barry Windham and the Hollywood Blondes (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman). This group ended, due to Arn Anderson's stabbing incident with Sid Vicious during a tour of England in October, and Paul Roma turning on Erik Watts during a tag team match to join Paul Orndorff as the tag team of Pretty Wonderful. Flair went on to feud with WCW World Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader.


text: In 1995, Flair and Arn (back to being heels) were teaming with Flair's former foe Vader to torment Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. After Vader lost to Hogan in a steel cage match at Bash at the Beach, Flair entered the cage and lambasted him. Vader snapped and attacked Flair, and Arn came to his rescue. This led to a handicap match at "Clash of the Champions XXXI" in which a tweener Vader defeated the team of Flair and Arn. Flair and Arn began to bicker, as Flair blamed Arn for the loss and Arn always felt he was doing Flair's dirty work; a feud developed that led to a match at Fall Brawl on September 17, 1995, in Asheville, North Carolina. Arn defeated Flair with the help of Brian Pillman. Flair begged Sting to help him against them and though Sting did not trust Flair he eventually agreed. Flair ended up turning on him at Halloween Havoc to reform the Horsemen with Arn and Pillman. They added Chris Benoit to complete the group. This version of the Horsemen feuded with Hogan, Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger. Flair eventually brought back Woman and Miss Elizabeth joined the group at Superbrawl VI when she turned on Randy Savage. Miss Elizabeth left the group in October 1996 to join the nWo and Woman left the group and WCW in July 1997.


text: In early 1996, Pillman started his infamous "Loose Cannon" storyline and started a feud with Kevin Sullivan, the leader of the Dungeon of Doom. Pillman ended up leaving WCW, going to ECW, and eventually the WWF in February. Leading towards Uncensored the Horsemen briefly joined forces with the Dungeon of Doom as the Alliance to End Hulkamania to battle mutual rivals Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. The two stables were unable to coexist and lost the Tower of Doom Steel Cage. The Horsemen then engaged in a brief feud with the Dungeon of Doom, including a feud between Sullivan and Benoit, which became one of the most talked about feuds of all time. In this feud, Woman, who was really married to Sullivan, left him for Benoit. However, life imitated art, and Woman "actually" left Sullivan for Benoit. This feud got heated and some of the matches were shoot-style with the performers using stiff or even full contact moves, rather than the typical North American style of softening maneuvers.


text: In June 1996 at the Great American Bash, Flair and Arn Anderson wrestled former football players Steve "Mongo" McMichael and Kevin Greene. During the match, McMichael's then-wife Debra was chased to the back by Woman and Miss Elizabeth, but later came back with them and a steel briefcase, which she handed to her husband. Mongo opened it to reveal a Horsemen T-shirt and money; after thinking it over, he closed the Haliburton briefcase and hit Greene with it, allowing Flair to score the pin on Greene. McMichael was officially inducted as the fourth Horseman, and in the process gave the group another ringside valet in Debra. The rumors said that Debra and Woman did not get along behind the scenes. This played out on TV, as they constantly bickered, and Benoit and Mongo had to step in.


text: When the New World Order (nWo) was founded the next month, the Horsemen became babyfaces along with the rest of the WCW roster. In September, Flair and Anderson teamed with their bitter rivals, Sting and Lex Luger, to lose to the nWo (Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and an impostor Sting) in the WarGames match at Fall Brawl when Luger submitted to the impostor Sting's Scorpion Deathlock. This angered Anderson, and he feuded with Luger for the next month. In October, two developments occurred that affected the group. First, Jeff Jarrett came over to WCW from the WWF, and expressed his desire to join the Horsemen. He immediately gained a fan in Ric Flair, much to the chagrin of the other Horsemen. The next week, Miss Elizabeth joined the nWo.


text: Flair finally let Jarrett join the group in February 1997 but the others did not want him. Jarrett began bickering with Mongo over Debra's attention, and in June won the U.S. Title from Dean Malenko, with the help of Eddie Guerrero; on the June 23, 1997, edition of Nitro he was kicked out of the stable by Flair, due to the instability Jarrett's presence caused the Horsemen. In a move uncharacteristic of the Horsemen, however, Jarrett was allowed to literally walk away, instead of receiving a beatdown as was expected. He eventually took Debra from Mongo, but Mongo took Jarrett's U.S. Title. To this date, amongst fans and members of the Four Horsemen, there is still debate whether to include Jarrett as a Horseman. In his biography, Arn Anderson states that "Jeff Jarrett was never a Horseman". His "membership" and his easy departure leave the situation ambiguous.


text: The Four Horsemen usually pick their own members, but at the time, WCW held extreme control over storylines and this may have forced them to accept a member for those purposes only and not by choice. In August 1997, Arn Anderson retired due to a neck/back injury that did not allow him to wrestle. Curt Hennig took his spot as "The Enforcer". The next month, Hennig turned on the Horsemen and joined the nWo. Flair disbanded the group on September 29, 1997, and they went their separate ways.


text: The last incarnation came in September 1998. On the September 14 edition of "WCW Monday Nitro" in Greenville, South Carolina when Ric Flair returned from a hiatus from the ring after a disagreement with WCW president Eric Bischoff. Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit kept going to Arn about reforming the Horsemen. He kept saying no. James J. Dillon, back in WCW's front office, even made a request. Arn eventually gave in and reformed the Horsemen with McMichael, Benoit and Malenko being presented to the ring before Flair finally being unveiled as the fourth Horseman, with Arn serving as its manager. They feuded with the nWo and Eric Bischoff.


text: In early 1999, the Horsemen turned heel again. Mongo had recently departed the wrestling world and they were down to Benoit, Malenko, Flair and Arn as the manager. They also had a referee biased to them, Charles Robinson, whom members of the Horsemen even referred to as "Little Nature Boy" (due to his resemblance to Flair). Flair's personal nurse, Double D (aka Asya), acted as an enforcer for the group and Ric Flair's son David Flair, who wrestled with them and wore Horsemen shirts though never an official member. Ric Flair, the (onscreen) President of WCW at this time, had awarded him with the U.S. Title and had the Horsemen help David to keep it. Eventually, Benoit and Malenko left him in May in protest over Flair's selfishness, and joined Shane Douglas and Perry Saturn to form the Revolution, thereby effectively ending the Four Horsemen.


text: In 2022, Arn Anderson secured the copyrights to The Four Horsemen name and images. A tag team consisting of his son Brock Anderson and Brian Pillman Jr., son of late Horseman Brian Pillman, "representing The Four Horsemen" was announced to wrestle at the Jim Crockett Promotions event "Ric Flair's Last Match" with Arn Anderson managing, signaling a possible full-time return of the faction.


text: The original Four Horsemen were innovative in developing and popularizing the concept of heel stables. On the 2007 "Four Horsemen" DVD, commentator Jim Ross stated "without the Horsemen there would damn sure be no nWo or no DX".


text: In 2003, rumors began circulating that Ric Flair (at the time working for the World Wrestling Entertainment) was going to reform the Four Horsemen with Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista. This group was eventually formed, but under the name Evolution instead of the Four Horsemen, and with Triple H as the leader instead of Flair. They served much the same function as the original heel Horsemen had, dominating the titles on "Raw" and feuding with that brand's top faces. The group slowly died between August 2004 and October 2005. Orton was kicked out of the group after he won the World Heavyweight Championship, which Triple H coveted. In February 2005, Batista left the group after winning the Royal Rumble, in a storyline where Triple H tried to protect his title from Batista. During a Triple H hiatus, Flair turned face, and at "Raw Homecoming", Triple H returned as a face, but turned heel by the end of the night, hitting Flair in the face with a sledgehammer and officially ending Evolution. At "Raw 15th Anniversary", an Evolution reunion as faces took place, though then-heel Randy Orton refused to participate and instead challenged the face versions of Flair, Batista, and Triple H to a match in which he partnered with then-heel, Edge and Umaga, and at the same time reforming Rated-RKO for one night. On the March 31, 2008 episode of "Raw", Flair delivered his farewell address. Afterward, Triple H brought out many current and retired superstars to thank Flair for all he has done, including Four Horsemen members, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, J. J. Dillon, and Dean Malenko. Also, it was the night in which Evolution got back together in the ring, except for Randy Orton (who was outside the ring). This would mark the last time both groups would be in the ring together.


text: On the April 14, 2014 episode of "Raw", Triple H, Orton, and Batista reunited Evolution full-time, once again heels, to feud with The Shield. However, on the April 28, 2014 episode of "Raw", Flair showed his endorsement for The Shield, effectively turning his back on his old teammates, thus not turning heel.


text: The Xtreme Horsemen was a professional wrestling stable in Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling, and later Major League Wrestling, who disbanded in 2004. The group's name was in homage to the Four Horsemen, who in the 1980s were one of professional wrestling's top draws worldwide. The group came together in Dusty Rhodes' Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion, but the group later left Rhodes' promotion to join Major League Wrestling where Steve Corino and "The Enforcer" C.W. Anderson were joined by former ECW superstars Justin Credible and Simon Diamond. This incarnation was briefly managed by former Four Horsemen manager J. J. Dillon before Major League Wrestling ceased operations. Barry Windham also joined the group for a single War Games match. Corino has used the group name several other times with various teammates in other promotions.


text: Fortune (originally spelled ) was a professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, started by Ric Flair on June 17, 2010 as a "reformed" version of the Four Horsemen. Flair had been loosely associated with A.J. Styles, Desmond Wolfe, Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) and Kazarian since April 5, 2010. Flair stated that whoever wanted to join Fortune would have to earn their place in the stable. On July 11 at Victory Road, Styles and Kazarian became the first official members of Fortune by defeating Samoa Joe and Rob Terry in a tag team match. On the July 29 edition of "Impact!", Flair made James Storm and Robert Roode the final two members of Fortune. However, on the August 12 edition of "Impact!" Douglas Williams, who had helped Flair defeat his nemesis Jay Lethal the previous week, and Matt Morgan were added to Fortune as the stable assaulted EV 2.0, a stable consisting of former Extreme Championship Wrestling performers. Fortune later merged with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff's Immortal stable, but turned on them months later, splitting them into two feuding factions. Ric Flair would turn on Fortune and remain associated with Immortal.


text: The stable was invoked by mixed martial artists Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir (), who named themselves "The Four Horsewomen" in 2013, with the blessing of Anderson and Flair. After Bethe Correia defeated Duke, she held up four fingers and symbolically put one down. She did this again after beating Baszler. As Shafir is not in the UFC, these two wins set the stage for a bantamweight title fight between her and Rousey at UFC 190. Rousey knocked Correia out in 34 seconds.


text: The group was shown at ringside during WrestleMania 31, where Rousey was later involved in an in-ring segment with The Rock, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Baszler and Rousey first signed with WWE, where the former quickly became the NXT Women's champion, and the latter had a high-profile debut match at Wrestlemania 34 before pursuing and winning the WWE Raw Women's Championship. Duke and Shafir eventually joined the WWE Performance Center, completing the foursome's transition to professional wrestling.


text: The WWE female wrestlers Charlotte Flair (Ric Flair's daughter), Sasha Banks, Bayley and Becky Lynch have referred to themselves as "The Four Horsewomen" (originally "The Four Horsewomen of NXT" when the four had only been a part of that brand), and posed in ring at , following a match between Bayley and Banks, each with four fingers held up. The WWE's Four Horsewomen were partly responsible for changing the WWE's Women Division from sex appeal to true athleticism. Banks and Bayley would later form a tag team known as the Boss 'n' Hug Connection.


text: Both Four Horsewomen groups were at the Mae Young Classic tapings on July 14, 2017, where Baszler defeated Zeda, Mia Yim, Candice LeRae and Mercedes Martinez to advance into the finals, losing to Kairi Sane.


text: All four of the Four Horsewomen of UFC would reappear on WWE Evolution where Duke and Shafir interfered on Baszler's behalf to win the NXT Women's Championship from Kairi Sane and Rousey defended her WWE Raw Women's Championship against Nikki Bella. All four of the WWE Four Horsewomen would be involved at the event as well: Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch competed in a Last Woman Standing Match while Sasha Banks and Bayley teamed with Natalya to take on The Riott Squad.


text: The WWE Four Horsewomen would compete against each other with Banks and Bayley (as heels) taking on Lynch and Flair in a tag team match on the September 9, 2019 edition of "Raw" from the Madison Square Garden, in which the latter team emerged victorious.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African American, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department over his legal possession of a knife. While being transported in a police van, Gray sustained injuries and was taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. Gray died on April 19, 2015; his death was ascribed to injuries to his spinal cord.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On April 21, 2015, pending an investigation of the incident, six Baltimore police officers were suspended. The circumstances of the injuries were initially unclear; eyewitness accounts suggested that the officers involved used unnecessary force against Gray during the arrest—a claim denied by all officers involved. Commissioner Anthony W. Batts reported that, contrary to department policy, the officers did not secure Gray inside the van while driving to the police station; this policy had been put into effect six days prior to Gray's arrest, following review of other transport-related injuries sustained during police custody in the city, and elsewhere in the country during the preceding years. The medical investigation found that Gray had sustained the injuries while in transport. The medical examiner's office concluded that Gray's death could not be ruled an accident, and was instead a homicide, because officers failed to follow safety procedures "through acts of omission". On May 1, 2015, the Baltimore City State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby, announced her office had filed charges against six police officers after the medical examiner's report ruled Gray's death a homicide.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The prosecutors stated that they had probable cause to file criminal charges against the six police officers who were believed to be involved in his death. The officer driving the van was charged with second-degree "depraved-heart" murder for his indifference to the considerable risk that Gray might be killed, and others were charged with crimes ranging from manslaughter to illegal arrest. On May 21, a grand jury indicted the officers on most of the original charges filed by Mosby with the exception of the charges of illegal imprisonment and false arrest, and added charges of reckless endangerment to all the officers involved.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Gray's hospitalization and subsequent death resulted in a series of protests. On April 25, 2015, a major protest in downtown Baltimore turned violent, resulting in 34 arrests and injuries to 15 police officers. After Gray's funeral on April 27, civil disorder intensified with looting and burning of local businesses and a CVS drug store, culminating with a state of emergency declaration by Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland National Guard deployment to Baltimore, and the establishment of a curfew. On May 3, the National Guard started withdrawing from Baltimore, and on that night the curfew on the city was lifted.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In September 2015, it was decided that there would be separate trials for the accused. The trial against Officer William Porter ended in mistrial. Officers Nero, Goodson, and Rice were acquitted. The remaining charges against the officers were dropped on July 27, 2016.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On September 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not bring federal charges against the six Baltimore police officers involved in the arrest and death in custody of Freddie Gray. However, it was announced on October 5, 2017, that non-criminal, internal disciplinary trials for the officers will be prosecuted by a three person-panel chaired by a representative from another Maryland police agency, likely Prince George's County, and that outside lawyer and former chair of the Baltimore City School Board Neil Duke will serve on the panel as well.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Freddie Carlos Gray Jr. (August 16, 1989 – April 19, 2015) was the 25-year-old son of Gloria Darden. He had a twin sister, Fredericka Gray, as well as another sister, Carolina. At the time of his death, Gray lived in the home owned by his sisters in the Gilmor Homes neighborhood. He stood and weighed . Gray had a criminal record, on drug charges and minor crimes and had spent time in jail.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Police encountered Freddie Gray on the morning of April 12, 2015, in the street near Baltimore's Gilmor Homes housing project, an area known to have high levels of home foreclosures, poverty, drug deals and violent crime. Approximately three weeks prior to the incident, Mosby had requested "enhanced" drug enforcement efforts at the corner of North and Mount. According to the charging documents submitted by the Baltimore police, at 8:39 a.m Lieutenant Brian W. Rice, Officer Edward Nero, and Officer Garrett E. Miller were patrolling on bicycles and made eye contact with Gray, who proceeded to flee on foot "unprovoked upon noticing police presence". After a brief chase, Gray was apprehended and taken into custody "without the use of force or incident", according to Officer Garrett Miller, who wrote he "noticed a knife clipped to the inside of his [Gray's] front right pocket". In the formal statement of charges, Officer Miller stated that Gray "did unlawfully carry, possess, and sell a knife commonly known as a switch blade knife, with an automatic spring or other device for opening and/or closing the blade within the limits of Baltimore City. The knife was recovered by this officer and found to be a spring assisted one hand operated knife." According to the state's attorney for Baltimore City, the spring-assisted knife Gray was carrying was legal under Maryland law, while a police task force said the knife was a violation of the Baltimore code under which Gray was charged.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Video recordings by two bystanders capturing Gray's arrest showed Gray, screaming, being dragged to a police van by officers, and then stepping up into the van. A bystander with connections to Gray stated that the officers were previously "folding" Gray: one officer bent Gray's legs backwards, and another held Gray down by pressing a knee into his neck. Witnesses commented Gray "couldn't walk", "can't use his legs". Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts noted from the video that, "Gray stood on one leg and climbed into the van on his own." "The Baltimore Sun" reported that another witness saw Gray being beaten with police batons.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: According to the police timeline, Gray was placed in a transport van within 11 minutes of his arrest, and within 30 minutes, paramedics were summoned to take Gray to a hospital. The van made four confirmed stops while Gray was detained. At 8:46 am, Gray was unloaded in order to be placed in leg irons because police said he was acting irate. Gray's shackling was recorded on a cellphone, which exhibited a motionless Gray surrounded by several officers as he was restrained. A later stop, recorded by a private security camera, shows the van stopped at a grocery store. At 8:59 am, a second prisoner was placed in the vehicle while officers checked on Gray's condition. At 9:24 am, the transport van arrived at its final stop, the West District police station. After paramedics treated Gray for 21 minutes, he was taken to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at 9:45 am in a coma.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The media has suggested the possibility of a rough ride—a form of police brutality where a handcuffed prisoner is placed without a seatbelt in an erratically driven vehicle—as a contributing factor in Gray's injury. During Officer Goodson's trial, a prosecution witness testified that he "could not say" if there had been a rough ride, and the judge ruled that the prosecution had not presented evidence to back that assumption. Moreover, and as noted by the BBC in December 2015, "Throughout the trial, the prosecution insisted that Mr Porter could have saved Gray's life by restraining him and by calling for medical help after his injury. They described the police van as a coffin on wheels."


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Subsequently, in June 2016, the Baltimore Sun noted that Dr. Carol Allan, an assistant medical examiner, "testified that Gray's "fatal" neck injuries, resembling those suffered in a diving accident, were caused by abrupt force to his neck during his transport, when he could not see outside the van to predict sudden stops, starts or turns."


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The department's seatbelt policy had been revised six days prior to Gray's arrest, in an attempt to protect detained individuals from serious injuries during transport. The policy was not followed in Gray's case. According to attorney Michael Davey, who represents at least one of the officers under investigation, the new rules were criticized by some. He explained that in certain situations, like when a prisoner is combative, "It is not always possible or safe for officers to enter the rear of those transport vans that are very small, and this one was very small."


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In the following week, according to the Gray family attorney, Gray suffered from total cardiopulmonary arrest at least once but was resuscitated without ever regaining consciousness. He remained in a coma, and underwent extensive surgery in an effort to save his life. According to his family, he lapsed into a coma with three fractured vertebrae, injuries to his voice box, and his spine 80% severed at his neck. Police confirmed that the spinal injury led to Gray's death. Gray died on April 19, 2015, a week after his arrest.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The Baltimore Police Department suspended six officers with pay pending an investigation of Gray's death. The six officers involved in the arrest were identified as Lieutenant Brian Rice, Sergeant Alicia White, Officer William Porter, Officer Garrett Miller, Officer Edward Nero, and Officer Caesar Goodson. On April 24, 2015, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said, "We know our police employees failed to get him medical attention in a timely manner multiple times." Batts also acknowledged police did not follow procedure when they failed to buckle Gray in the van while he was being transported to the police station. The U.S. Department of Justice also opened an investigation into the case.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On April 30, 2015, Kevin Moore, one of the witnesses who filmed Gray's arrest, was arrested at gunpoint following what Moore described as "harassment and intimidation" by police. Moore stated he had cooperated with police, and gave over his video of Gray's arrest for investigation. He claimed, despite aiding in the investigation, his photo was made public by police, who asked the public to identify him because he was "wanted for questioning." Moore said the police obviously knew who he was when they posted his photo. Moore was released from custody the next day, but two other individuals who were arrested along with Moore remained in custody. The same day as Moore's arrest, medical examiners reported Gray sustained more injuries as a result of slamming into the inside of the transport van, "apparently breaking his neck; a head injury he sustained matches a bolt in the back of the van".


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On May 19, 2015, prosecutors asked a judge to place a gag order on attorneys, police, and witnesses of the arrest, arguing that statements by the attorneys of some of the officers charged could prejudice the public. On June 8, 2015, it was announced that a judge had denied the state's attorney's request for a gag order on procedural grounds.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On May 1, 2015, after receiving a medical examiner's report ruling Gray's death a homicide, state prosecutors said that they had probable cause to file criminal charges against the six officers involved. Mosby said that the Baltimore police had acted illegally and that "No crime had been committed" (by Freddie Gray). Mosby said that Gray "suffered a critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside the BPD wagon". Mosby said officers had "failed to establish probable cause for Mr. Gray's arrest, as no crime had been committed", and charged officers with false imprisonment, because Gray was carrying a pocket knife of legal size, and not the switchblade police claimed he had possessed at the time of his arrest. All six officers were taken into custody and processed at Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Three of the officers faced manslaughter charges and one faced an additional count of second-degree depraved-heart murder. The murder charge carries a possible penalty of 30 years in prison; the manslaughter and assault offenses carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. All six officers were released from jail after posting bail the same day they were booked. Two officers were released on $250,000 bail and the four others' bail was $350,000.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On September 2, 2015, it was decided to hold separate trials for the accused. In December 2015, Baltimore judge Barry Williams declared a mistrial in the trial of Officer Porter after the jury was unable to reach a verdict.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In May 2016, Judge Williams declared Officer Nero not guilty by means of a bench trial. On June 23, 2016, Officer Caesar Goodson was acquitted of all charges by Circuit Judge Barry Williams. In June 2016, law professor John Banzhaf of George Washington University filed a complaint with the bar against Marilyn Mosby for prosecutorial misconduct.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In January 2017, a federal judge allowed a lawsuit by five of the six police officers unsuccessfully charged by Mosby. Mosby was being sued for malicious prosecution, defamation, and invasion of privacy.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said there was no place in the Baltimore Police department for those police officers who "choose to engage in violence, brutality, [and] racism". Gene Ryan, president of the police union chapter said that despite the tragic situation, "none of the officers involved are responsible for the death of Mr. Gray."


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: President Barack Obama said it was vital that the truth be found and supported protests if they were peaceful.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In a May 4, 2015, interview on "Fox News", Alan Dershowitz said that he believes Mosby overcharged the officers in an attempt to satisfy protesters and prevent further disturbances. Former Baltimore Prosecutor Page Croyder penned an op-ed in "The Baltimore Sun" where she described Mosby's charges as reflecting "either incompetence or an unethical recklessness". Croyder opined that Mosby circumvented normal procedures "to step into the national limelight", and that she "pandered to the public", creating an expectation of a conviction.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: A motion for Mosby to recuse herself from the case was filed on behalf of the charged officers, on the alleged basis of personal gain by Mosby and her husband, personal relationships with potential witnesses, and the financial interest of Gray's attorney, who the motion claims is a close friend of Mosby. CNN's legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin pointed out that he does not see any serious conflict of interest to disqualify Mosby from the case, and that the officers may not have a case with that motion. The lawyers representing the officers filed a motion insisting that the city must pay thousands of dollars in damages for arresting and detaining them—or else they could sue Mosby and the Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. In an 11-page rebuttal, Chief Deputy State's Attorney Michael Schatzow wrote that Gray was detained "well before the arresting officers knew he possessed a knife" and that the motion was absurdly "bounc[ing] from one ridiculous allegation to another, like a pinball on a machine far past 'TILT. Mosby was ordered to respond to the motion filed by the defense attorneys by June 26, 2015.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Porter met up with the van after Goodson called dispatchers to ask for an officer to come check on Gray. He was requested twice by Gray for a medic, but did not call for one. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; misconduct in office. Porter posted a 350,000 bail. The grand jury indicted Porter on all charges and added an indictment of reckless endangerment. On December 16, 2015, a mistrial was declared on all charges, after the jury was hung and could not come to a decision. Porter's second trial was scheduled for June 13, 2016. Analysts stated that the Porter's retrial could have caused problems for the other trials, under the presumption that he could not be compelled to testify while there are pending charges against him. After several appeals and reversals, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that Porter would be required to testify in the cases against the other officers. Officer Porter's retrial date was originally scheduled for September 6, 2016. On July 27, 2016, all charges against him were dropped.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Officer Goodson, the driver of the van, was charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder; involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence); manslaughter by vehicle (criminal negligence); and misconduct in office. He posted a 350,000 bail. The grand jury indicted Goodson on all charges and added an indictment of reckless endangerment. Officer Goodson was found not guilty on all charges by Circuit Judge Barry Williams on June 23, 2016.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The officers who caught Gray after he fled, and, after apprehending him, handcuffed Gray with his arms behind his back. Miller was charged with two counts of second-degree assault; two counts of misconduct in office; and false imprisonment. Nero was charged with two counts of second-degree assault; misconduct in office and false imprisonment. Each posted a 250,000 bail. The false imprisonment charges were dropped by the grand jury, but an indictment of reckless endangerment was added. Judge Williams found Officer Nero not guilty of all charges on May 23, 2016. Officer Miller's trial date was set for July 27, 2016. At his pretrial hearing on July 27, 2016, however, all charges against Miller and officers Porter and White were dropped.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The officer who initially made eye contact with Gray while on a bicycle patrol. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter; two counts of second-degree assault; manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence); two counts of misconduct in office; and false imprisonment. He posted a 350,000 bail. The false imprisonment charges were dropped by the grand jury, which added an indictment of reckless endangerment. Judge Williams dropped one of the assault charges after the prosecution rested, ruling there was not enough evidence to prove second-degree assault. Lt. Rice's trial began July 7, 2016. Rice was found not guilty on all counts by Judge Barry Williams on July 18, 2016.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: White was accused of not calling for medical assistance when she encountered Gray, "despite the fact she was advised that he needed a medic". She was charged with involuntary manslaughter; second-degree assault; and misconduct. She posted a 350,000 bail. The grand jury indicted White on all charges and added an indictment of reckless endangerment. Sgt. White's trial date was originally set for October 13, 2016. On July 27, 2016, all charges against her were dropped.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced on , 2015, that the Department of Justice would conduct a review of the current practices of Baltimore Police Department on account of the "serious erosion of public trust" in relation to the circumstances of Gray's death. The review took effect immediately, and focused on allegations that Baltimore police officers use excessive force, including deadly force, conduct unlawful searches, seizures or arrests, and engage in discriminatory policing.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: , Federal authorities were conducting three probes into Baltimore police, the "pattern of practice" investigation initiated by Lynch, a collaborative review that began in the fall of 2014, and a civil rights probe into the death of Gray.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On September 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it will not bring federal charges against the six Baltimore police officers involved in the arrest and in-custody death of Freddie Gray.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Public reaction to the death has drawn further parallels to the response to the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, as part of a larger string of controversial uses of force by police officers in the United States against African Americans. , 22 demonstrations had been held nationwide in direct response to Gray's death or in solidarity with Baltimore. Additionally, the Black Lives Matter movement has protested Gray's death.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On April 18, 2015, hundreds of people participated in a protest outside the Baltimore Police Department. Three days later, on April 21, 2015, according to Reuters, "[h]undreds of demonstrators gathered in Baltimore", protesting Gray's death. The next day, Gene Ryan, the president of the local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, expressed sympathy for the Gray family, but criticized the "rhetoric of protests" and suggested that "the images seen on television look and sound much like a lynch mob". William Murphy, attorney for the Gray family, demanded an "immediate apology and a retraction". Ryan defended his statement two days later, while admitting that the wording was poor. Charles M. Blow of "The New York Times", reminded of a column he wrote several years ago, said that comparing protests to lynch mobs was too extreme because it inflames racial tensions by belittling the significance of the history of lynching in the United States.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On April 25, 2015, protests were organized in downtown Baltimore, and the protests turned violent as protesters threw rocks and set fires. Many protesters were angered students after being removed from their primary mode of transportation (city buses) and told to disperse from the city. Tension between the riot police and students grew as time passed, eventually leading to bottles and bricks thrown in protest of the large police presence of a so far peaceful protest of Gray's death At least 34 people were arrested, and 15 officers were injured. On April 27, rioting and looting began after the funeral of Gray, with two patrol cars destroyed and 15 officers reported injured. Protesters looted and burned down a CVS Pharmacy location in downtown Baltimore. In reaction to the unrest, the Maryland State Police sent 82 troopers to protect the city. A Baltimore Orioles baseball game against the Chicago White Sox scheduled for the evening was postponed due to the unrest. The next game commenced as scheduled but, as a precautionary measure, the match was played behind closed doors. The next series against the Tampa Bay Rays was moved to St. Petersburg. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency, and activated the Maryland National Guard. Hogan also activated 500 state troopers for duty in Baltimore and requested an additional 5,000 police officers from other locales.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: At a press conference, Baltimore's mayor announced there would be a citywide curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 am. School trips were canceled until mid-May, and Baltimore's city schools were closed on April 28. In addition, both the University of Maryland campus in downtown Baltimore and the Mondawmin Mall were closed early.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Protests outside Baltimore also took place in other U.S. cities. In New York City, 143 people at Union Square were arrested on April 29, 2015, for blocking traffic and refusing to relocate. On the same day, outside the White House in Washington, D.C., nearly 500 protesters converged without an incident. In Denver, eleven people were arrested as protesters were involved in physical altercations with officers. Other protests in response to Gray's death took place in cities including Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, and Seattle.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On May 3, 2015, the National Guard began withdrawing from Baltimore, and the night curfew on the city was lifted. The demobilizing process lasted three days, during which time the state of emergency remained in effect.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In May 2015, there were 43 homicides in Baltimore, making it the deadliest month in 40 years behind August 1972 (45 homicides) and December 1971 (44 homicides). The monthly homicide rate fell to 29 in June 2015 but in July 2015, 45 murders were recorded, tying with the record in 1972. Lt. Gene Ryan, president of Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police, said this was partly due to an increase of confidence among criminals in Baltimore. Then-police commissioner, Anthony Batts, blamed drugs looted from pharmacies during the riots for the spike in crime.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The 2015 homicide total as of July 31 was 189 compared to 119 by the end of July 2014. On August 3, in an attempt to solve the cases, Baltimore announced the Baltimore Federal Homicide Task Force. It is a partnership of the Baltimore police and five federal crime-fighting agencies. The agencies will each embed two agents with the Baltimore police to help investigate. On July 8, 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake fired Anthony Batts, saying that his response to the death of Gray had become a distraction, while the police failed to prevent the spike in homicides.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Baltimore ended the year with 344 homicides, the second-highest total behind 1993, when 353 murders occurred. It was also the first time since 1999 that the city recorded at least 300 homicides within a calendar year.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: On September 8, 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that the city had reached a $6.4 million settlement with Gray's family. Rawlings-Blake said the settlement "should not be interpreted as a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the officers facing trial", but had been negotiated to avoid "costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal". The city offered a settlement before they were sued.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: The death of Gray has been the subject of several songs. Prince recorded a song called "Baltimore" for his 2015 album "Hit n Run Phase Two". The music video featured scenes from protests in response to Gray's death. In May 2015, Salomon Faye released "Black Power", a music video on YouTube that shows rallies in the aftermath of Gray's death. Janelle Monáe and Wondaland released Hell You Talmbout in 2015 and said the names of those killed by the police, including Freddie Gray. Dru Hill dedicated their 2016 song "Change" to Gray. The avant-garde rock Baltimorean band Horse Lords close their 2016 album, Interventions, with the track "Never Ended", which is built on samples from protests in response to Gray's death. In 2016, Kevin Morby released "Beautiful Strangers", which addressed issues plaguing the world: gun violence, the death of Freddie Gray, and terrorist attacks in Orlando and Paris. In 2017, jazz pianist Lafayette Gilchrist released a song called "Blues For Freddie Gray" on his "New Urban World Blues" record. Later the same year, singer-songwriter Eliot Bronson penned "Rough Ride", a song about Gray.In May 2018, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks released a song entitled "Bike Lane" on their "Sparkle Hard" album. The song references the Freddie Gray case.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In 2017, HBO produced "Baltimore Rising", a documentary about Gray's death and the subsequent protests. Directed by Sonja Sohn, it charts the impact of the incident on the people of Baltimore.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: In March 2017, the "Undisclosed" podcast launched a 16-part series entitled "The Killing of Freddie Gray" in which it reviewed the evidence, political atmosphere and circumstances around the death of Freddie Gray.


title: Killing of Freddie Gray

text: Gray's death and subsequent protest are featured in "We Own This City," a six-hour long mini-series which premiered on HBO on April 25, 2022 that focuses on corruption within a Baltimore police task force. It is based on the book “We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption” by Justin Fenton.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: Vaccinium vitis-idaea, the lingonberry, partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry, is a small evergreen shrub in the heath family Ericaceae, that bears edible fruit. It is native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe and Asia to North America. Lingonberries are picked in the wild and used to accompany a variety of dishes in Northern Baltoscandia, Russia, Canada and Alaska. Commercial cultivation is undertaken in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and in many other regions of the world.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: "Vaccinium vitis-idaea" is most commonly known in English as 'lingonberry' or 'cowberry'. The name 'lingonberry' originates from the Swedish name for the species, and is derived from the Norse , or heather.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The genus name "Vaccinium" is a classical Latin name for a plant, possibly the bilberry or hyacinth, and may be derived from the Latin , 'berry'. The specific name is derived from Latin ('vine') and , the feminine form of (literally 'from Mount Ida', used in reference to raspberries "Rubus idaeus").


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: "Vaccinium vitis-idaea" spreads by underground stems to form dense clonal colonies. Slender and brittle roots grow from the underground stems. The stems are rounded in cross-section and grow from in height. Leaves grow alternately and are oval, long, with a slightly wavy margin, and sometimes with a notched tip.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The fruit is a red berry across, with an acidic taste, ripening in late summer to autumn. While bitter early in the season, they sweeten if left on the branch through winter.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The plant is endangered in Michigan. The "minus" subspecies is listed as a species of special concern and believed extirpated in Connecticut.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: "Vaccinium vitis-idaea" keeps its leaves all winter even in the coldest years, unusual for a broad-leaved plant, though in its natural habitat it is usually protected from severe cold by snow cover. It is extremely hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as or lower, but grows poorly where summers are hot. It prefers some shade (as from a forest canopy) and constantly moist, acidic soil. Nutrient-poor soils are tolerated but not alkaline soils.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: There are two regional varieties or subspecies of "V. vitis-idaea", one in Eurasia and one in North America, differing in leaf size:


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: Lingonberry has been commercially cultivated in the Netherlands and other countries since the 1960s. Empress Elizabeth ordered lingonberry to be planted all over Peterhof in 1745.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: Some cultivars are grown for their ornamental rather than culinary value. In the United Kingdom, the Koralle Group has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The berries collected in the wild are a popular fruit in northern, central and eastern Europe, notably in Nordic countries, the Baltic states, central and northern Europe. In some areas, they can be picked legally on both public and private lands in accordance with the freedom to roam.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The berries are quite tart, so they are often cooked and sweetened before eating in the form of lingonberry jam, compote, juice, smoothie or syrup. The raw fruits are also frequently simply mashed with sugar, which preserves most of their nutrients and taste. This mix can be stored at room temperature in closed but not necessarily sealed containers, but in this condition, they are best preserved frozen. Fruit served this way or as compote often accompanies game and liver dishes.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: In Sweden, Finland and Norway, reindeer and elk steaks are traditionally served with gravy and lingonberry sauce. Preserved fruit is commonly eaten with meatballs, as well as potato pancakes. A traditional Swedish dessert is (literally 'lingonberry pears'), consisting of fresh pears which are peeled, boiled and preserved in (lingonberry juice) and is commonly eaten during Christmas. This was very common in old times, because it was an easy and tasty way to preserve pears. In Sweden and Russia, when sugar was still a luxury item, the berries were usually preserved simply by putting them whole into bottles of water. This was known as (watered lingonberries); the procedure preserved them until next season. This was also a home remedy against scurvy.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: This traditional Russian soft drink, known as "lingonberry water", is mentioned by Alexander Pushkin in "Eugene Onegin". In Russian folk medicine, lingonberry water was used as a mild laxative. A traditional Finnish dish is sautéed reindeer () with mashed potatoes and lingonberries on the side, either raw, thawed or as a jam. In Finland, whipped semolina pudding flavored with lingonberry () is also popular. In Poland, the berries are often mixed with pears to create a sauce served with poultry or game. The berries can also be used to replace redcurrants when creating Cumberland sauce.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The berries are also popular as a wild picked fruit in Eastern Canada, for example in Newfoundland and Labrador and Cape Breton, where they are locally known as partridgeberries or redberries, and on the mainland of Nova Scotia, where they are known as foxberries. In this region they are incorporated into jams, syrups, and baked goods, such as pies, scones, and muffins.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: In Sweden lingonberries are often sold as jam and juice, and as a key ingredient in dishes. They are used to make Lillehammer berry liqueur; and, in East European countries, lingonberry vodka is sold, and vodka with lingonberry juice or "mors" is a popular cocktail.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The berries are an important food for bears and foxes, and many fruit-eating birds. Caterpillars of the case-bearer moths "Coleophora glitzella", "Coleophora idaeella" and "Coleophora vitisella" are obligate feeders on "V. vitis-idaea" leaves.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: Alaska natives mix the berries with rose hip pulp and sugar to make jam, cook the berries as a sauce, and store the berries for future use. The Dakelh use the berries to make jam. The Koyukon freeze the berries for winter use. Inuit dilute and sweeten the juice to make a beverage, freeze and store the berries for spring, and use the berries to make jams and jellies. The Iñupiat use the berries to make two different desserts, one where the berries are whipped with frozen fish eggs and eaten, and they mash raw berries with canned milk and seal oil. They also make a dish of the berries which is cooked with fish eggs, fish (whitefish, sheefish or pike) and blubber.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The Upper Tanana boil the berries with sugar and flour to thicken; eat the raw berries, either plain or mixing them with sugar, grease or the combination of the two; fry them in grease with sugar or dried fish eggs; and make them into pies, jam, and jelly. They also preserve the berries alone or in grease and store them in a birchbark basket in an underground cache, or freeze them.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The Anticosti people use the fruit to make jams and jellies. The Nihithawak Cree store the berries by freezing them outside during the winter, mix the berries with boiled fish eggs, livers, air bladders and fat and eat them, eat the berries raw as a snack food, and stew them with fish or meat. The Iñupiat of Nelson Island eat the berries, as do the Iñupiat of the Northern Bering Sea and Arctic regions of Alaska, as well as the Inuvialuit. The Haida people, Hesquiaht First Nation, Wuikinuxv and Tsimshian all use the berries as food.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: Raw lingonberries are 86% water, 13% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contain negligible fat. In a 100 gram (3.5 oz) reference amount, lingonberries supply 228 calories, and are low-to-moderate sources of vitamin C, B vitamins, and dietary minerals.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: In traditional medicine, "V. vitis-idaea" was used as an apéritif and astringent. The Upper Tanana ate the berries or used their juice to treat minor respiratory disorders.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: The Nihithawak Cree use the berries of the "minus" subspecies to color porcupine quills, and put the firm, ripe berries on a string to wear as a necklace. The Western Canadian Inuit use the "minus" subspecies as a tobacco additive or substitute.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: "Vaccinium vitis-idaea" differs from the related cranberries in having white flowers with petals partially enclosing the stamens and stigma, rather than pink flowers with petals reflexed backwards, and rounder, less pear-shaped berries.


title: Vaccinium vitis-idaea

text: Hybrids between "Vaccinium vitis-idaea" and "Vaccinium myrtillus", named "Vaccinium × intermedium" Ruthe, are occasionally found in Europe.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: William Patrick Stuart-Houston (born William Patrick Hitler; 12 March 1911 – 14 July 1987) was an English-born officer and militant which was the half-nephew of Adolf Hitler. Born and raised in the Toxteth area of Liverpool to Adolf's half-brother Alois Hitler Jr. and his Irish wife Bridget Dowling, he later relocated to Germany to work for his half-uncle before emigrating to the United States, where he received American citizenship (in addition to his British citizenship) and ended up serving in the United States Navy against his half-uncle during World War II.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: Stuart-Houston was born William Patrick Hitler in the Toxteth area of Liverpool in Great Britain on 12 March 1911, the son of Adolf Hitler's half-brother Alois Hitler Jr. and his Irish wife Bridget Dowling. The couple met in Dublin when Alois was living there during 1909; they married in London's Marylebone district in 1910 and relocated back to Liverpool. The family lived in a flat at 102 Upper Stanhope Street, which was later destroyed during the last German air raid of the Liverpool Blitz on 10 January 1942. Dowling wrote a manuscript titled "My Brother-in-Law Adolf", in which she claimed that Adolf had lived in Liverpool with her from November 1912 to April 1913 in order to avoid conscription in Austria. The book is largely considered a work of fiction, as Adolf was actually residing in the Meldemannstraße dormitory in Vienna at the time.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: In 1914, Alois left Bridget and their son for a gambling tour of Europe. He later returned to Germany. Unable to rejoin his family due to the outbreak of World War I, he abandoned them, leaving William to be brought up by his mother. He remarried bigamously, but wrote to Bridget during the mid-1920s to ask her to send William to Germany's Weimar Republic for a visit. She finally agreed in 1929, when William was 18. By this time, Alois had another son named Heinz with his German wife. Heinz, in contrast to William, became a committed Nazi, joined the "Wehrmacht", and died in Soviet captivity in 1942.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: In 1933, William returned to what had become Nazi Germany in an attempt to benefit from his half-uncle's growing power. Adolf, who was now chancellor, found him a job at the "Reichskreditbank" in Berlin, a job that he held for most of the 1930s. He later worked at the Opel automobile factory and as a car salesman. Dissatisfied with these jobs, he again asked his half-uncle for a better job, writing to him with blackmail threats of selling embarrassing stories about the family to the newspapers unless his "personal circumstances" improved.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: In 1938, Adolf asked William to relinquish his British citizenship in exchange for a high-ranking job. Suspecting a trap, William fled Nazi Germany and again tried to blackmail his uncle with threats. This time, William threatened to tell the press that Adolf's alleged paternal grandfather was actually a Jewish merchant. He returned to London, where he wrote the article "Why I Hate My Uncle" for "Look" magazine.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: In January 1939, the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst brought William and his mother to the United States for a lecture tour. He and his mother were stranded when World War II began. After making a special request to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, William was eventually approved to join the United States Navy in 1944; he relocated to the Sunnyside neighbourhood of Queens, New York. William was drafted into the United States Navy during World War II as a pharmacist's mate (a designation later changed to hospital corpsman) until he was discharged in 1947. On reporting for duty, the induction officer asked his name. He replied, "Hitler." Thinking he was joking, the officer replied, "Glad to see you, Hitler. My name's Hess." William was wounded in action during the war and awarded the Purple Heart.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: After being discharged from the Navy, William changed his surname to "Stuart-Houston". In 1947, he married Phyllis Jean-Jacques, who had been born in Germany in the mid-1920s. After their relationship began, William and Phyllis, along with Bridget, tried to live a life of anonymity in the United States. They moved to Patchogue, New York, where William used his medical training to establish a business that analyzed blood samples for hospitals. His laboratory, which he called Brookhaven Laboratories (no relation to Brookhaven National Laboratory), was located in his home, a two-story clapboard house at 71 Silver Street.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: Stuart-Houston and his wife had four sons: Alexander Adolf (born 1949), Louis (born 1951), Howard Ronald (1957–1989), and Brian William (born 1965). None of his sons had children of their own. In his 2001 book "The Last of the Hitlers", journalist David Gardner speculated that the four brothers had made a verbal pact not to sire children This claim was explicitly denied by eldest son Alexander, stating that before his death Howard Ronald had been engaged and intending to have children, while another brother had been engaged once, but the relationship had been destroyed by the family notoriety. His third son, Howard Ronald Stuart-Houston, worked as a Special Agent with the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and died in a car accident on September 14, 1989.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: Stuart-Houston died in Patchogue on 14 July 1987. His remains were buried next to his mother's at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Coram, New York. His widow, Phyllis, died in 2004.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: The family's story and Bridget's memoirs were first published by Michael Unger in the "Liverpool Daily Post" in 1973. Unger also edited Bridget Dowling's memoirs, which were first published as "The Memoirs of Bridget Hitler" in 1979; a completely updated version, titled "The Hitlers of Liverpool", was published in 2011.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: Beryl Bainbridge's 1978 novel "Young Adolf" depicts the alleged 1912–13 visit to his Liverpool relatives by a 23-year-old Adolf Hitler. Bainbridge adapted the story into a play as "The Journal of Bridget Hitler" with director Philip Saville, which was broadcast as a "Playhouse" (BBC 2) in 1981.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: Grant Morrison and Steve Yeowell's 1989 comic book "The New Adventures of Hitler" is likewise based on the alleged Liverpool visit.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: In October 2005, The History Channel broadcast a one-hour documentary titled "Hitler's Family", in which William Patrick Hitler is described along with other relatives of Adolf Hitler.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: Netflix aired a documentary titled "The Pact: Le serment des Hitler" (2014), directed by Emmanuel Amara, which was billed as a retracing of the life of Hitler, and an exploration of what became of the Hitler family line.


title: William Stuart-Houston

text: William Patrick Hitler was portrayed in the sketch "Willy Hitler Fights the Germans" in the 19 June 2018 episode of the American Comedy Central television series "Drunk History", which aired as the eighth episode of that show's fifth season.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: The Caretaker was a long-running project by English ambient musician Leyland James Kirby (born 9 May 1974). His work as the Caretaker is characterized as exploring memory and its gradual deterioration, nostalgia, and melancholia. The project was inspired by the haunted ballroom scene in the 1980 film "The Shining". His first several releases comprised treated and manipulated samples of 1930s ballroom pop recordings.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: The Caretaker's works have received critical acclaim in publications such as "The Wire," "The New York Times", and BBC Music.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Simon Reynolds refers to the Caretaker's first three releases as "the haunted ballroom trilogy", spanning 1999-2003: "Selected Memories from the Haunted Ballroom", "A Stairway to the Stars", "We'll All Go Riding on a Rainbow".


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: "instantly recognisable musical identity of British tea-room pop (dance-band and swing music from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s) plugged into a multitude of effects to create a Proustian Replicant inverse. It's a stranger’s past relocated within your own memories, a re-imagined history from an alien past. The mannered romantic swing of a bygone era is rendered beguilingly uncanny...These first releases flitted from bursts of noise (September 1939) to gaseous ambience (We Cannot Escape The Past) to subtly-soaked moments of outright beauty (Stardust - a moment so captivating that this writer got married to it (not to the song itself, oh you know what I mean))... despite the uncanny affect and despite the eeriness, there is something warmly seductive about this debut triptych. Kubrick’s film, like the best horror, still injects a thrill and there a remnant of comfort in being haunted, a strange warmth. These early forays have the allure you find in childhood ghost stories. By the time of the third release though, it was hard to imagine what more could be done with the project. Never less than beautiful, it was just hard to conceive of actually needing any more of it."


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: "Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia" was released in 2005 as a series of 72 free MP3 downloads. The release found much critical acclaim. Reynolds identifies it as a shift in the sound, "disorienting in its scale and abstraction", with his period 2005-2008 "exploring similar zones of queasy amorphousness". Doran also sees the album as "a change in direction for the project conceptually, as it started to explore different aspects of memory loss as the music itself became more texturally and structurally complex."


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Jon Fletcher describes the release as "the labyrinthian set is a k-hole for the mind. Vague clouds of noise, barely flickering signals of life, only the starkest traces of past romanticism (no matter how poignant)- nothing to cling onto." Mark Fisher contrasts this album with the Caretaker's previous output: "If his earlier records suggested spaces that were mildewed but still magnificent - grand hotels gone to seed, long-abandoned ballrooms - "Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia" invokes sites that have deteriorated into total dereliction, where every unidentified noise is pregnant with menace."


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: "Persistent Repetition of Phrases" combines overt interest in amnesia and memory distortion, with a more melodic piano-centered atmosphere, with fewer recogniseable samples than the Haunted Ballroom period: "After a few minutes you realise that something is stuck...Each song is tightly looped, a single event, chasing its own resignation. No development, no narrative, no story. Not every locked groove is entirely hopeless. Rosy retrospection fixates on an event with a sense of less-bereft nostalgia - the memory trap seemingly resting on a happy moment.". Kirby described it as "a lot warmer and more gentle...Not all memories are necessarily bad or disturbing memories". At the time, this album was seen as his masterpiece, with Kirby describing himself as "surprised" by the level of reception, as it was created in a "bleak" and difficult period of his life.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: After 2008, the Caretaker's website announced that "work has begun on a new release for early 2010 which will shift focus completely towards the brain and brain function, recall and error". During this time, Kirby released "Sadly, the Future Is No Longer What It Was" under his own name, which was described by Pitchfork as "music of stasis that doesn't announce itself as much as it seeps."


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Kirby's focus at this time was on another album, and did not plan out making another Caretaker record of this kind - the album was made because of "pure chance in action at all times.". The critical impact of "An Empty Bliss Beyond This World" is explored in detail on its page.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: He also completed the OST for Grant Gee's film "Patience (After Sebald)" (2012) in this period. Kirby's score for the film uses a 1927 record of Franz Schubert's piano-and-voice-only composition Winterreise (1828) as its main audio source. It also differs from other works of the project where hissing sounds are used instead of crackles, the loops are shorter in lengths, and the non-musical aspects of each track (the hiss sounds) serve as the foreground of the mix.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: After another break, the Caretaker returned with his final project, intended as an end to the Caretaker persona. He conceived of six interlinked releases, which would explore the progression of dementia stage by stage to its end. Later stages reprise loops and motifs from both earlier albums in the series, and from throughout the Caretaker's back catalogue.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Kirby has always been driven by innovation and frustration with his own past, saying "I can’t carry on for another ten years looping old 1920s music" and seeking to make a final break, and expressing a quixotic desire to frustrate fans of his earlier work, describing them as "a certain type of listener who will be buying this for a particular type of sound". "Everywhere at the End of Time" is also influenced by technological changes since 1999, most notably advances in recording and mixing technology, and the new opportunities of sourcing music cuts online rather than scavenging in a physical record store.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: In 2017, Kirby released "Take Care. It's a Desert Out There...", following the suicide of his collaborator Mark Fisher, who was suffering with depression. It features a single track in its 48-minute runtime, with previously unreleased music by the Caretaker. Kirby's initial intention would be to give "Take Care" for people attending at his Kraków Barbican performance. However, its high demand caused him to share it on the internet. Released in a CD, it included a message stating its proceeds would be donated to the mental health charity Mind.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Kirby's last work as the Caretaker, released alongside 2019's "Stage 6", is "Everywhere, an Empty Bliss", a collection of unreleased archival works.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: The Caretaker describes himself as "fascinated by memory and its recall", as well as suggesting the project is "a kind of audio black comedy". As well as "The Shining", The Caretaker names Dennis Potter's "Pennies from Heaven" as an influence, which also appropriates music of the era in a new way with a "sadness in the lyrics to keep telling the story", as well as "Carnival of Souls" (1962) and the music itself:


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: "most of that music is about ghosts and loss as it was recorded between both the world wars. it's of a totally different era and had more or less been forgotten. Titles inspired new ideas as did the audio itself"


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: He cites Al Bowlly specifically, whose music is featured prominently in "The Shining", as a key touchstone:


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: "He was the golden voice of his generation, but he was killed by a parachute mine outside his London home. Bowlly always sang as if haunted; his voice is otherworldly. It's very strange music from this time between the two world wars: optimistic, but also very much about loss and longing, ghosts and torment. It seems haunted by the spirits of those who went to the trenches and never returned"


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: The Caretaker's original website suggested it to "fans of the darker isolationist ambient work of modern composers such as William Basinski, Nurse With Wound, Aphex Twin, Fennesz and Brian Eno". Fisher notes that the project is "rooted in Britishness", with the Caretaker generally choosing to focus on only British source material. Fletcher suggests "Roxy Music's early weirdness"


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: The Caretaker sees his work as a collaborative process, stressing the importance of LUPO's mastering, the visuals of weirdcore.tv, and longtime album-artist Ivan Seal as a key part of his process. Theorist Mark Fisher had a symbiotic relationship with the Caretaker, contributing the liner notes to "Theoretically Pure Antiretrograde Amnesia" as well as putting his work in critical context, often taking the Caretaker as a jumping off point for his political ideas. Following Fisher's death, the Caretaker released "Take Care, It's a Desert Out There" as a memorial album, after one of the writer's quotes, with proceeds going to the mental health charity Mind.


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Mark Fisher played a major role in theorising the Caretaker's sound. He names the Caretaker as a key hauntology artist, alongside "William Basinski, the Ghost Box label...Burial, Mordant Music, Philip Jeck, amongst others" who had "converged on a certain terrain without directly influencing one another...suffused with an overwhelming melancholy; and they were preoccupied with the way in which technology materialised memory" - in the Caretaker's case, that of vinyl records. He identifies the "crackle" of vinyl as "the principle sonic signature of hauntology" which "makes us aware that we are listening to a time that is out of joint", signalling "the return of a certain sense of loss" which "invokes the past and marks our distance from it". Fisher connects the Caretaker's sound to his wider project of describing capitalist realism - the political idea that "not only has the future not arrived, it no longer seems possible", and hauntology's melancholia to capitalist realism's "closed horizons". Fisher contributed liner notes to "Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia", describing it as "uneasy listening"; in contrast to the Caretaker's earlier works, "the threat is no longer the deadly sweet seduction of nostalgia. The problem is not, any more, the longing to get *to* the past but the inability to get *out* of it".


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Jon Fletcher similarly describes his work as "a hideously clear analysis of the post-modern condition - the sheer ephemerality of contemporary culture degenerating into a hopelessness - a sickness so debilitating that we forget the moment whilst it is still taking place…"


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Kirby's own press releases also welcome political understandings of his work. With British-born Kirby having lived and worked for many years in Berlin and Krakow, the press release for "Everywhere at the End of Time" compares the project to Brexit: "Both started in 2016 and are due to wrap up in spring 2019. It should be no stretch of the imagination to read into their parallel progression from nostalgia and historic/collective amnesia, to progressive dementia and complete obliteration of (the) sense(s)"


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Adam Scovell focuses on the "spatial qualities" of "Take Care, It's a Desert Out There" - contrasting it with the Caretaker's earlier evocation of old tea rooms and hotels with "transporting the listener into a void of sorts". He describes it as "almost weather-like which is appropriate as depression is in some sense meteorological...Everything is dampened, nothing is spared. There is only the "now" when the weather is bad. Bones are damp, thoughts are damp and the dry land that others inhabit is seemingly inconceivable."


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: Jon Fletcher described the Caretaker as "one of this decade's most innovative, heartbreaking and downright eerie musical projects has been playing to shadows under dimmed lights for the past 12 years". Pitchfork described "An Empty Bliss Beyond This World" as "the musical equivalent of a permanent smile."


title: The Caretaker (musician)

text: The Caretaker's final project, "Everywhere at the End of Time", is amongst his best known. The Quietus, who very frequently features Kirby's projects, named it the top of its 100 Reissues list in 2019. In 2020, the completed "Everywhere At The End Of Time" went viral on TikTok, with users telling one another to listen to the entire six-and-a-half-hour album series in one sitting.


title: Lateral flow test

text: A lateral flow test (LFT), is an assay also known as a lateral flow device (LFD), lateral flow immunochromatographic assay, or rapid test. It is a simple device intended to detect the presence of a target substance in a liquid sample without the need for specialized and costly equipment. LFTs are widely used in medical diagnostics in the home, at the point of care, and in the laboratory. For instance, the home pregnancy test is an LFT that detects a specific hormone. These tests are simple and economical and generally show results in around five to thirty minutes. Many lab-based applications increase the sensitivity of simple LFTs by employing additional dedicated equipment. Because the target substance is often a biological antigen, many lateral flow tests are rapid antigen tests (RAT or ART).


title: Lateral flow test

text: LFTs operate on the same principles of affinity chromatography as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In essence, these tests run the liquid sample along the surface of a pad with reactive molecules that show a visual positive or negative result. The pads are based on a series of capillary beds, such as pieces of porous paper, microstructured polymer, or sintered polymer. Each of these pads has the capacity to transport fluid (e.g., urine, blood, saliva) spontaneously.