title: Lyme Regis

text: Visitors have opportunities to hand-feed a shoal of tame Thicklip grey mullet, stroke a lobster, and hold a starfish. Other exhibits include weaver fish, wrasse, blennys, sea mice and crustaceans, including hermit crab.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Town Mill, a watermill dating from 1340, has been restored to working order and produces flour. It is powered by water from the River Lym via a leat running along a lynch. The "Domesday Book" records a mill at Lyme in 1086, so the site could be much older. Town Mill Brewery opened in part of the mill in March 2010.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Near the Town Mill, on the site of an old chapel dedicated to St Mary and the Holy Spirits, is the "Lepers' Well". In medieval times "leper" was used as a general description of skin diseases, not necessarily leprosy. A hospital that stood on the site 700 years ago is commemorated by a plaque on the wall of the well. The well water still runs, but probably at a reduced rate. The land was left untouched for many years before it was landscaped as a visitors' garden in the 1970s.


title: Lyme Regis

text: The frontage of the Three Cups Hotel in Broad Street dates from 1807. It is believed that Jane Austen stayed in Hiscott's Boarding House on the same site in 1804. Since then the hotel has accommodated Alfred Lord Tennyson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hilaire Belloc, G. K. Chesterton and J. R. R. Tolkien, who spent several holidays there. In 1944 General Eisenhower delivered an important briefing before D-Day to senior Allied officers in its first-floor lounge. It was used as a setting in the film "The French Lieutenant's Woman" in 1981. The owners, Palmers Brewery of Bridport, closed the hotel in May 1990 and put forward plans to demolish the significantly historic rear of the building and replace it with retail units, a restaurant, and visitor and private accommodation.


title: Lyme Regis

text: The Royal Lion Hotel is a former coaching inn dating from the first decade of the 17th century. It is reputedly haunted; many alleged ectoplasms have been sighted in the corridors and cold spots.


title: Lyme Regis

text: On 22 May 2022 a new Statue of Mary Anning was unveiled by Alice Roberts at the junction of Long Entry and Gun Cliff Walk. The statue was the result of a crowdfunded campaign ("Mary Anning Rocks") to commission and display a statue to the paleontologist Mary Anning in Lyme Regis.


title: Lyme Regis

text: The museum stands on the site of Mary Anning's birthplace and family shop off Bridge Street, holding a collection of local memorabilia, historical items and exhibits to explain the local geological and palaeontological treasures. It was formerly known as the Philpot Museum. Set into the pavement outside the museum is an example of Coade stone work, in the form of ammonites, reflecting the palaeontology for which the town is famous. It commemorates Eleanor Coade, who had an 18th-century artificial stone factory in London and a seaside home, Belmont House, in the town.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Thanksgiving Day has been held since Parliament decreed, at the end of the English Civil War, as a day of celebration and prayer in Lyme to mark its victory over the long siege of the town by Royalist forces. The celebration includes residents dressed in period costume to parade through the streets.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Annual events include the Lyme Regis Carnival and Regatta, the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival (in conjunction with the London Natural History Museum), and Mary Anning Day. The traditional conger cuddling event takes place during Lifeboat Week. The carnival and regatta, organised by volunteers, take place over a week in August, as does the Lyme Regis Gig Club regatta.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Bonfire night celebrations include a torchlight procession, a bonfire on the beach and a firework display. A Christmas Tree Festival has more than 30 trees decorated and displayed in Lyme Regis Baptist Church. An Easter bonnet parade takes place in the town on Easter Sunday. A May Day fête features stalls and entertainment from various groups in Lyme.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Lyme Regis is the home of B Sharp, a music charity for young people. It runs music workshops, performances and training, and signposts progression routes beyond B Sharp. It also runs an annual Busking Festival open to all performing artists, now in May, and an open air "Big Mix" festival in July to present music-making by young people.


title: Lyme Regis

text: The Marine Theatre, operated by the charity Lymearts Community Trust, stages a variety of live events.


title: Lyme Regis

text: In 2012 graffiti artist Banksy stenciled an origami crane on a wall adjacent to the River Lym at the intersection of Mill and Coombe Streets.


title: Lyme Regis

text: The Cobb featured in Jane Austen's novel "Persuasion" (1818), and in the 1960 television miniseries, 1971 TV series, 1995 film, 2007 film and 2022 film based on the novel. The poet Tennyson is said to have gone straight to the Cobb on arrival, saying, "Show me the exact spot where Louisa Musgrove fell!". The Cobb also featured in the 1981 film "The French Lieutenant's Woman", based on the 1969 novel of the same name by John Fowles. The town was used in filming "All Over the Town" (1949), under the name "Tormouth".


title: Lyme Regis

text: The town community is portrayed in disguise in "The Earl's Granddaughter" (1895) by Georgina Castle Smith, writing as Emma. It also features in A. S. Byatt's Booker Prize-winning 1990 novel "Possession" and the 2002 film adapted from it. Lyme Regis is the setting for much of the historical novel "Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier, of which fossil hunter Mary Anning is a protagonist.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Lyme Regis is the setting and filming location of a 2020 film "Ammonite", starring Kate Winslet as Mary Anning alongside Saoirse Ronan and Fiona Shaw.


title: Lyme Regis

text: Lyme Regis Football Club, known as the Seasiders, was formed in 1885. Its three senior and five junior teams play at the Davey Fort Ground in Charmouth Road. The seniors play in the Devon and Exeter Football League and Perry Street and District League. In its 125th anniversary year, 2010, Tony Cottee (a former West Ham, Everton and England striker) was made club patron.


title: Hermione Norris

text: Hermione Jane Norris (born 5 December 1966) is an English actress. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s, before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in the comedy drama television series "Cold Feet". She appeared in every episode of the series from 1998 to 2003 and was nominated for a British Comedy Award.


title: Hermione Norris

text: From 2002 to 2005, Norris co-starred in the crime drama series "Wire in the Blood" as Carol Jordan, and from 2005 to 2009 co-starred in the BBC One spy drama "Spooks" as Ros Myers. Her role in "Spooks" won her the award for Best Actress at the 2008 ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards, and another nomination the next year. From 2007 to 2009, she co-starred in the ITV comedy drama "Kingdom". In 2020, she appeared in the Australian thriller series "Between Two Worlds."


title: Hermione Norris

text: Norris was born in Paddington, London, the second of four children. She has two sisters, a brother and two half-sisters. Her parents, businessman Michael and health visitor Helen Norris (née Latham), divorced when she was four years old. She moved with her mother and siblings to live with her grandmother in Derbyshire, but moved back to London a few years later. At age 12, she decided that she wanted to be a ballerina and won a scholarship at the Elmhurst School for Dance. While there, she took up drama at an after-school club, performing alongside her dance studies until she left aged 17.


title: Hermione Norris

text: At age 19, she enrolled at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). On an exchange to the Moscow Art Theatre School, she played Nina in a production of "The Seagull".


title: Hermione Norris

text: Norris made her professional stage debut in a 1989 production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream", which earned her her Equity card. She made her television debut in the 1991 BBC serial "The Men's Room", playing the daughter of Bill Nighy's character. Other early television roles include appearances in "Agatha Christie's Poirot", the television serial "Clarissa", and a 1991 episode of "Drop the Dead Donkey". She continued to make guest appearances in series such as "Between the Lines" and "Casualty". In 1995 she played Helen in the Royal Exchange, Manchester's production of "Look Back in Anger".


title: Hermione Norris

text: After being out of work for four months in 1996, Norris considered quitting acting and reading for a degree in law, intending to become a solicitor. However, she got a part in "Cold Feet" playing Karen Marsden, a middle-class woman who feels trapped by her middle-class lifestyle. Norris appeared in every episode and was nominated for a British Comedy Award for Best Actress in 2001.


title: Hermione Norris

text: During the six years "Cold Feet" ran, Norris appeared in a leading role in the BBC drama "Berkeley Square", "Killing Time: The Millennium Poem", starring opposite Christopher Eccleston, and the 2002 television film "Falling Apart", playing a woman in a violent relationship. In 2002, she co-starred with Robson Green in "Wire in the Blood", playing Detective Inspector Carol Jordan. She stayed with the series until 2005 when she was replaced by Simone Lahbib. Further film roles include an appearance in an adaptation of Kingsley Amis's "Lucky Jim", and in David Kane's "Born Romantic".


title: Hermione Norris

text: At the end of 2005 she was cast in the BBC One spy drama "Spooks", playing Ros Myers. She appeared throughout the 2006 series, then in eight of the 10 episodes in the 2007 series before taking time off filming for maternity leave. She returned to the show for the 2008 series. For her part, she won the Best Actress award at the inaugural ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards. She was nominated in the same category the next year. She left the series in 2009 after four years.


title: Hermione Norris

text: From 2007 to 2009, she appeared in three series of "Kingdom" playing Beatrice Kingdom, the half-sister of Stephen Fry's character. She took the role as a change of pace from the "ice maiden" characters she often portrays. In 2010, she starred opposite Trevor Eve in the remake of "Bouquet of Barbed Wire". In 2010, she was cast in the television science fiction drama "Outcasts" as Stella Isen, the head of security on an extraterrestrial human colony. Filming occurred on location in South Africa. From November 2010, Norris played Ruth Condomine in a national tour of Noël Coward's "Blithe Spirit". She starred opposite her "Cold Feet" co-star Robert Bathurst, and Alison Steadman. She also starred in The Crimson Field, a British Production about a field hospital in France in WW1.


title: Hermione Norris

text: On 4 October 2014, Norris guest-starred in episode 7 of the eighth series of the BBC's "Doctor Who", 'Kill The Moon'. She played Lundvik, an astronaut.


title: Hermione Norris

text: Norris also starred as Jo in the Sky1 television film television film adaptation of the M. C. Beaton novel "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death".


title: Hermione Norris

text: Norris also starred in series five of Luther on BBC One in January 2019. Later that year, she was announced as the starring cast member of Seven Network's "Between Two Worlds," created by Bevan Lee and directed by Kriv Stenders.


title: Hermione Norris

text: In 2002, Norris began a relationship with Simon Wheeler, a writer on "Wire in the Blood". The couple married in December 2002 in a ceremony at the Tower of London. They have two children. Norris's father-in-law is General Sir Roger Wheeler, the Chief of the General Staff from 1997 to 2000.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie Stackhouse is a fictional character and protagonist of "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" book series, written by Charlaine Harris. In HBO's television adaptation, "True Blood", Sookie is portrayed by Anna Paquin.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie was created by Charlaine Harris. Harris stated that she decided to "shake up [her] writing style by trying something new". The author said that to do this she would include "all the elements I loved: mystery, the supernatural, bloody adventure, and a dash of romance. And since people had told me for years that I had a great sense of humor, I thought it would be interesting to try to include that in the book, too". Harris went on to establish the protagonist of the series. When naming the character Harris decided to use her grandmother's best friend's name because "it was a fine old Southern nickname, I thought it would do well for my heroine. And "Stackhouse" just flowed right after it". Sookie, Sooky, Sukie, Sukey, Sook etc. are historical Southern U.S. regional nicknames for Susannah or Susan (Hebrew, "Lily").


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Young Sookie was present in a couple episodes, with multiple actresses playing the character's younger self, including actress Lily Bigham.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: more correctly, there are elements of me in her. [...] I wish I were as brave as she is!" Harris said that when writing for Sookie it is, "second nature to me to step into Sookie's skin".


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Anna Paquin was cast in the HBO television adaptation "True Blood", with her casting being announced on 26 February 2007. In September 2011, Harris said that although some characters in the series were portrayed in the television adaptation as she intended, Sookie is not, saying: "Anna [Paquin] has never been the way I think of as Sookie. I think she does a great job, but she's just not my Sookie".


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie is a telepathic waitress working in Merlotte's Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She and her brother, Jason, were raised by their grandmother, Adele Stackhouse, after their parents were killed in a car accident. As a child, Sookie was molested by her great-uncle, Bartlett Hale.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: She meets and falls in love with Bill Compton, a vampire to whom she is attracted partly because she cannot read his mind. Sookie saves Bill from Denise and Mack Rattray who intend to drain their victim's blood for use as a narcotic. Sookie is later attacked by the Rattrays but Bill saves Sookie and kills her attackers.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Jason and Bill both become suspects in a series of murders, due to the presence of fang marks on the victims and to their previous relationships with Jason. After Jason is arrested, Sookie visits a vampire bar, Fangtasia, in an attempt to discover if any vampires knew the victims. Sookie meets vampire sheriff Eric Northman, who discovers her telepathy. Sookie uses this ability to help Eric discover that vampire Long Shadow has been embezzling from Fangtasia. A confrontation ensues and Eric saves Sookie's life by staking Long Shadow when he attacks her. Sookie discovers her Gran, Adele, has been murdered. Bill leaves to improve his position in the vampire hierarchy. Sookie discovers that her boss, Sam, is a shape-shifter. While Bill is gone, Sookie discovers that the murderer is her brother's friend Rene Lenier. He almost kills her, but she fights back and manages to get the better of him. Sookie almost kills him with a shovel. Bill returns and is promoted to area investigator, working under Eric.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie is later attacked by a maenad and is treated by Dr Ludwig as instructed by Eric. Eric then sends Sookie to Dallas to search for a missing vampire. Sookie goes to the Fellowship of the Sun church where the Dallas vampires believe the missing vampire to be. The Dallas vampire's associate Hugo accompanies Sookie, who discovers that he is a traitor. Sookie is injured while escaping the church. Eric tricks Sookie into ingesting his blood so that he will be connected to her. Sookie returns to Bon Temps after arguing with Bill but the pair later reconcile.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Bill goes missing after traveling to Mississippi and Eric suspects that Lorena, who made Bill a vampire, is to blame. Sookie travels to Mississippi to use her telepathy to try to locate Bill. Sookie is escorted by Alcide Herveaux (a werewolf) to a vampire bar where she learns that Bill is being held captive and that vampire king Russell Edgington may be involved. While attempting to prevent one of Russell's employees from being staked, Sookie herself is injured. While receiving medical treatment at Russell's mansion, Sookie learns that Bill is being tortured in the pool house. Sookie kills Lorena and saves Bill and as the escape, Sookie locks herself in the back of a truck with him as Alcide and Tara drive the truck. Deprived of blood, Bill drinks from Sookie. When Alcide pulls over to pee on the side of the road, Tara finds Sookie nearly dead. Tara throws Bill out to leave him in the sun and Tara and Alcide take Sookie to a hospital where they discover she does not have a blood type. She is in a coma. Tara calls Jason and both Jason and Lafayette go to the hospital to sit with Sookie. Bill comes into the room and Jason allows Bill to add his blood to her IV. Sookie awakes in shock. Sookie is driven home by Eric. On the way back to Bon Temps two people raid a gas station while looking for Sookie and Eric. At Sookie's house Eric and Sookie are attacked by several werewolves who are then killed. Sookie ends her relationship with Bill.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie finds Eric, who has had his memory wiped. She is persuaded by Eric's second in command, Pam Ravenscroft, to allow him to live with her. Sookie learns that a witch coven is believed responsible for Eric's memory loss. Jason goes missing. Sookie has sex with Eric and falls in love with him. Pam suggests several people fight off the coven and Pam captures the witch responsible for Eric's memory loss, making her lift the spell. Eric regains his memories but forgets his time with Sookie. Sookie and Sam discover that Jason has been held captive in Hotshot, a local werepanther community where he has been changed into a werepanther. Alcide's jealous girlfriend, Debbie Pelt, breaks into Sookie's house and tries to shoot her but Eric takes the bullet before Sookie shoots Debbie.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie learns several were-animals and shape-shifters have been shot and injured, including Sam. Sookie gets a replacement Bartender, Charles Twining, from Eric. Jason is blamed by Calvin Norris, leader of Hotshot, for the shootings. Sookie's house is set on fire but Sookie is rescued by her fairy godmother, Claudine Crane. A dead man is found outside and is blamed for the fire. Sookie is shot. While trying with Sam to track down the shooter, Sookie is confronted by Merlotte's employee Sweetie Des Arts who reveals herself as the shooter and then also shoots Tray Dawson, a werewolf protecting Sookie sent by Calvin, before being shot dead by Andy Bellefleur. Charles attacks Sookie and reveals that he was sent by Longshadow's maker to hurt Eric by taking something that he loves. Charles had shot Sam so that Sookie must find a replacement bartender and had set her house on fire before framing an innocent man. Sookie learns her friend Tara Thornton is being forced into a relationship with Mickey. Eric helps free Tara of Mickey but in exchange Sookie tells Eric about what happened when he had amnesia including their relationship and her killing of Debbie.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie begins dating Quinn and is attacked by werewolves while on a date with Quinn. Sookie learns that her vampire cousin, Hadley Delahoussaye, has been murdered. Hadley's landlord, witch Amelia Broadway, had put Hadley's apartment under a spell but when the spell is broken Sookie and Amelia are attacked by newly turned vampire Jake Purifoy who does not rise due to Amelia's spell. Sookie and Amelia are taken to the hospital where Bill, while being pressured by Eric, reveals that he had been asked to move to Bon Temps to learn more about Sookie's telepathy. Sookie tells the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq that Amelia plans to magically reconstruct the time of Jake's turning, which Sophie-Anne watches the witches perform. Sophie-Anne tells Sookie that she has fairy blood which attracts supernaturals. Sophie-Anne asks Sookie to look through Hadley's apartment to locate a missing diamond bracelet once given to the queen by her husband; the discovery that this bracelet is missing would mean political disaster for Sophie-Anne. A group of Werewolves kidnaps Sookie and takes her to the Pelt family. With help from Eric, Sookie is able to resolve her differences with the Pelts. Sookie and Quinn attend the party Sophie-Anne and her husband, Peter Threadgill, throw in celebration of their new union. Peter attempts to take over Louisiana and in the violence, Quinn is injured. Peter is ultimately killed and Sookie then returns to Bon Temps.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie agrees for the benefit of Sophie-Anne to listen to the thoughts of humans at The Summit, attended by powerful vampires. Sophie-Anne is accused of killing her husband, though Sookie knows that she is innocent. Sookie discovers a bomb planted outside of the Louisiana suite and warns Sophie-Anne. At Sophie-Anne's trial Sookie helps to prove that Sophie-Anne's accusers are being manipulated. Sophie-Anne's child, Andre Paul, forces Sookie to exchange blood with him to try to tie Sookie to Sophie-Anne. Eric exchanges blood with Sookie to prevent Sookie being tied to Andre. This exchange with Eric causes Sookie to become more closely bonded to Eric. Sookie and fellow telepath Barry Horowitz, who met previously in Dallas, learn that multiple bombs have been planted in the hotel by the Fellowship of the Sun. Sookie and Barry help to get some humans and vampires free before the bombs detonate. Sookie and Barry discover that if they hold hands their telepathy is magnified and by doing this they help find humans buried in the rubble. Sookie finds Andre alive but Quinn stakes him to stop his intentions to use Sookie. Sophie-Anne escapes but loses her legs. Sookie rescues Eric, Pam and Bill.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie learns that boyfriend Quinn is missing. Sookie also finds that she is part fairy after having discovered that her grandmother had had two children with a half-fairy. While her grandfather is dead, her great-grandfather Niall Brigant, who is a fairy prince, wants to meet her. Sookie discovers that a pack of werewolves has begun killing the Shreveport pack and is entangled in a brief war between the two, with the Shreveport pack winning and Alcide its leader. Felipe de Castro, vampire king of Nevada, kills Sophie-Anne and all of the vampire sheriffs of Louisiana except Eric, who surrenders. Sookie learns that her blood bond with Eric allows her to detect his feelings and to know his location. Quinn has become Felipe's prisoner in exchange for his help in recapturing Quinn's mother, who has escaped from a were sanatorium. Sookie reunites with Eric. Jason's wife, Crystal Norris, is unfaithful to him so, as werepanther tradition dictates, Crystal's uncle Calvin must have his hand broken by Sookie. Sookie stops speaking to Jason. Sookie rescues Felipe, Eric and Sam from Sigebert. Sookie visits Hadley's son, Hunter Savoy and discovers that he is a telepath.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: The Louisiana town of Bon Temps—along with the rest of the world—is about to be rocked with some big supernatural news: like the vampires before them, the Were people—humans with the ability to change into animals—are about to reveal themselves to humanity. Telepathic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse is apprehensive about the revelation, given the way some people in the small town revile anyone with extraordinary powers, including Sookie herself. While the initial announcement seems to go over smoothly with most people, tragedy strikes when Sookie's sister-in-law, a werepanther, is found murdered and nailed up on a cross. Jason is the prime suspect, but Sookie has even bigger problems to deal with when she learns that a vicious fairy prince is determined to kill her.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Eric's maker, Appius Livius Ocella, arrives, bringing his other vampire child Alexei Romanov with him. Bill, who sustained silver poisoning while rescuing Sookie, refuses to ask any of Lorena's other vampire children for help so that his health will continue to worsen. Victor Madden who wants Eric, Bill and Pam dead, sends assassins after Sookie, Pam and Bill, but the villains are unsuccessful. Claudine's triplet, Claude claims to be suffering from the lack of fairy company after being locked out of the fairy homeland and so begins living with Sookie. Claude identifies that Niall's son, Dermot, and another fairy have been on Sookie's land recently. Sookie contacts Judith Varamon, Lorena's vampire daughter, who heals Bill. Sookie discovers that the unknown fairy previously on her property is Claudine's unborn child's father, Colman. Colman had planned to kill Sookie but decides that he wants her arrested instead. Alexei kills humans uncontrollably before he tries to kill Eric and Pam. Eric kills Alexei; Colman kills Appius; Eric kills Colman. Sookie and Claude free Dermot from a spell under which he had gone mad.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie asks Amelia to break her blood bond with Eric, which she does. Sookie learns Mr. Cataliades, having given Sookie's grandmother and grandfather some of his blood, is responsible for her telepathic abilities. Sookie sells some furniture to an antiques store where the owner, Donald Calloway, finds a secret compartment containing a letter from her grandmother and an object called a Cluviel Dor. Sookie's grandmother explains that the Cluviel Dor is a magical fairy love object which allows the possessor one wish and that it is now Sookie's. Sandra Pelt, Debbie's sister, hires people to kill Sookie, but they fail to do so. She then holds Sam and girlfriend Jannalyn Hopper at gunpoint, forcing them to take her to Sookie's house. Sookie shoots Sandra before Jannalyn kills her. Sookie, Eric and Pam plot to kill Victor and they succeed.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie struggles with what to do with the Cluviel Dor. Niall visits Sookie before taking Claude with him to discover who cursed Dermot. Felipe visits Eric to investigate the disappearance of Victor. At the gathering, Sookie arrives to discover Eric feeding from a woman, Kym Rowe, who is soon found dead on Eric's lawn. Eric's employee, Mustapha Khan is gone when the police arrive. Mustapha visits Sookie where she learns that his friend Warren is being held captive. Freyda, the Oklahoma vampire Queen, plans to make Eric her consort. Donald arrives at Sookie's house demanding that she give him the contents of the furniture she has sold him and then he pulls a knife on her. Mr. Cataliades kills him and informs Sookie that others know of the Cluviel Dor. Bill and Sookie retrieve Colton, whom Felipe has kidnapped, as he was present when Victor was killed. Four werewolves tell Sookie that they will take her to Alcide to identify Warren's body. Mustapha arrives and saves her from the creatures when she realizes that they intend to hurt her. Sookie learns that Jannalyn, who has held Warren captive, had told Mustapha to let Kym into Eric's house. Sookie, Mustapha and Alcide find and save Warren. Claude reveals that he had enlisted Jannalyn to find a werewolf to whom he would then give fairy blood, thus making them irresistible to Eric. Claude hoped that if Sookie were unhappy Niall would be drawn away from Faery. Jannalyn is tried by the Shreveport pack and she fights to the death with Mustapha. Sookie realizes Jannalyn is edging towards Alcide, whom Sookie warns. Alcide moves out of the way and Jannalyn kills Sam. Jannalyn herself is then killed. Sookie uses the Cluviel Dor to resurrect Sam.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Eric progresses with his marriage plans. Sam, Sookie's friend and now co-owner of Merlotte's, is having a hard time dealing with having been suddenly brought back to life. Arlene has been freed from prison and asks Sookie for her job back. Arlene's body is later found, and Sookie is arrested for her murder.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: To help her with these issues, Sookie is visited by Desmond Cataliades, Diantha, Barry Horowitz and Amelia Broadway and Bob.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: Sookie stops by Merlotte's and ends up having sex with Sam for the first time. Sookie tells Sam they must take it slow. She wants to be sure he's not a rebound relationship. Sookie, Sam, Jason and Michele go to Stomping Sally's to dance. Sookie is kidnapped by Johan Glassport, Steve Newlin and Claude Crane. Sookie manages to escape and runs from her kidnappers into the safety of a large group of people from Stomping Sally's, who have chased behind the van in an effort to save Sookie. Claude smashes Steve Newlin's head, who confesses that he and Johan killed Arlene. Johan and Claude are shot dead.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: After Jason and Michele get married, Sam drives Sookie home and wants to spend the night. Sookie hopes she and Sam will be still together by Christmas but, if they aren't, she'll know that she will be okay with it.


title: Sookie Stackhouse

text: The rapper Snoop Dogg, a fan of the tv-show, made a song called "Oh Sookie", inspired by the character.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: James Butler Jr. (born December 18, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2004. He challenged once for the IBF super middleweight title in 2000, but he is best known for his infamous bout on November 23, 2001. Butler brutally sucker punched Richard Grant after losing the fight and served four months at Rikers Island. In 2004, Butler was arrested for the murder of Sam Kellerman and was sentenced to 29 years and four months in prison.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: Butler started off his career by scoring 18 wins and only 1 loss in the super middleweight division. This led to a title fight against Sven Ottke who beat Butler by unanimous decision.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: Butler's next bout earned him infamy on November 23, 2001, at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. The bout was a charity event to benefit surviving New York firemen and police officers of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and was televised live on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights". Butler faced Richard "The Alien" Grant, a fighter who had decisioned him early in his career. After losing the rematch by unanimous decision, Butler had his gloves removed before the announcement of the winner, Grant then went to Butler's side of the ring for an expected exchange of congratulations. Instead, Butler sucker-punched Grant, nailing a bare-handed right hook to his jaw. Grant suffered a temporarily dislocated jaw and a lacerated tongue that required 26 stitches. Butler was arrested and charged with second degree assault. Butler was later convicted and served four months at Rikers Island detention facility.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: On October 12, 2004, writer Sam Kellerman (brother of sports analyst Max Kellerman) was killed at his apartment in Los Angeles. His body was not found until October 17. Butler was considered a suspect since he had been friends with Kellerman for over 10 years.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: Butler was arrested for the Kellerman murder on October 27. Two days later, he pleaded not guilty to murder and arson. He was held on $1.25 million bail. Prosecutors claimed that Butler, the only suspect in the case, repeatedly struck Kellerman in the head with a hammer then torched Kellerman's Hollywood, California apartment in an attempted cover-up.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: On July 8, 2005, a Los Angeles judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for Butler to stand trial on charges of murder and arson.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: On March 27, 2006, Butler pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and arson in the 2004 death of Kellerman. On April 5, Butler was sentenced to 29 years and four months in prison by Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, according to Deputy Public Defender Jack Keenan.


title: James Butler (boxer)

text: Prosecutors speculated Butler was having relationship issues with his girlfriend while also struggling to revive his boxing career when Kellerman asked Butler to move out. A disagreement ensued on how long Butler could stay when he picked up a hammer and killed Kellerman then torched his house.


title: Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song)

text: "Walking on Sunshine" is a song written by Kimberley Rew for British rock band Katrina and the Waves' 1983 eponymous debut full-length album. The rerecorded version was at first released on the band's 1985 self-titled album as the album's second single and reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 9 in the United States and No. 8 in the United Kingdom. It was the Waves' first American top 40 hit, and their biggest success in the UK until "Love Shine a Light" (1997).


text: "Walking on Sunshine" was written by the band's guitarist Kimberley Rew. "I'd love to say Walking on Sunshine relates to a significant event in my life, like walking out of my front door, seeing a comet and being inspired," he told "The Guardian" in 2015. "But it's just a piece of simple fun, an optimistic song, despite us not being outstandingly cheery people. We were a typical young band, insecure and pessimistic. We didn't have big hair and didn't look anything like a Motown-influenced group. We didn't have any credibility or a fanbase in awe of our mystique. We were a second-on-the-bill-at-a-festival-in-Germany pop band. But we had this song."


text: The rest of the band did not like the song at first. Lead singer Katrina Leskanich thought "it wasn't really us", while bassist Vince de la Cruz found it irritating.


text: Katrina and the Waves kept the song's publishing rights, and the royalties that are typically to the songwriter have been divided among the band members. The royalties from airplay and advertisements have been very lucrative; according to a former employee of EMI, the song was "the crown jewel in EMI's catalog," and it ranked among EMI's highest earners from advertisements.


text: When Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, the MSNBC program "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" dubbed its coverage of the storm "Katrina and the Waves." The name also appeared in numerous headlines and blog postings. A "New York Times" reporter contacted Katrina Leskanich, who said: "The first time I opened the paper and saw 'Katrina kills 9,' it was a bit of a shock. ... I hope that the true spirit of 'Walking on Sunshine' will prevail. I would hate for the title to be tinged with sadness, and I will have to do my own part to help turn that around." She also expressed her hope that "Walking on Sunshine" would become an anthem for the Gulf Coast's recovery.


text: In 2010, the 25th anniversary of the release of "Walking on Sunshine," the band's material was re-released and a re-recorded version of the track was produced. A free download of a track from Kimberley Rew's solo album "Bible of Bop" was made available in March 2010 at the band's website.


text: In August 2015, the song was acquired by BMG Rights Management for £10 million, along with all of the other songs written by Rew and Katrina and the Waves.


text: The song is very popular in commercials, and advertisers typically pay $150,000 to $200,000 per year to use the song. This song appeared in a mashup with Beyoncé's "Halo" in the popular television show "Glee", featured in the Season 1 episode "Vitamin D." It was performed by the female members of the glee club New Directions, with featured solos by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) and Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley). It was released as a single on October 7, 2009 through digital download on iTunes, and debuted on the "Billboard" Hot 100 at number 40 while reaching number 4 in Ireland, number 9 in the UK and number 10 in Australia. The song is featured as a cover on the dance rhythm game "Just Dance 2023 Edition". In "Futurama", it's Phillip J. Fry's favorite song, and in the Season 4 episode "The Sting", the Planet Express janitor Scruffy plays a bagpipe version at Fry's funeral.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: William Nigel Ernle Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953) was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Dr. Watson in a series of films and in the radio series "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes). Bruce is also remembered for his roles in the Alfred Hitchcock films "Rebecca" and "Suspicion", as well as the Charlie Chaplin film "Limelight".


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Bruce was the second son of Sir William Waller Bruce, 10th Baronet and his wife Angelica Lady Bruce, daughter of General George Selby, Royal Artillery. He was born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, whilst his parents were touring the world. His older brother was the author and adventurer Sir Michael Bruce.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: He received his formal education at The Grange School in Stevenage, and from 1908 to 1912 at Abingdon School in Abingdon-on-Thames. At Abingdon he was a keen sportsman, playing for the first XI cricket team (for which he received Colours), the athletics' first team and the school's football 2nd XI.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: In 1912, Bruce left school at the age of 17, and took up a position as a stockbroker's clerk in the City of London. In early 1914, whilst working in the City he voluntarily enlisted into the British Army's Territorial Force as an infantry soldier with the Honourable Artillery Company as its Private #852. On the outbreak of World War I in early August 1914, he was mobilized with the regiment, and went out to the Western Front with its 1st Battalion on 18 September 1914 at the age of 19. On 5 January 1915, whilst in trenches at Kemmel in Belgium, he was machine-gunned in the legs, causing multiple wounds and a fractured right thigh, and was subsequently medically evacuated to the United Kingdom, where he spent the rest of 1915 recovering in hospital. He was discharged from the British Army as medically unfit for further military service due to permanent damage to his legs in December 1915. In October 1916, he re-enlisted with the British Army and received training with an Officer Cadet Battalion in Cambridge, subsequently receiving a commission in January 1917, as a subaltern with the 10th (Service) Battalion, of the Somerset Light Infantry Regiment, a home service battalion, with which he served as a training officer for the rest of 1917, the permanent infirmity of his 1915 wounds preventing further active service at the front.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: After being discharged from the British Army, Bruce abandoned a career in the City of London Stock Exchange, and pursued a career as a professional actor. He made his stage debut on 12 May 1920 at London's Comedy Theatre as a footman in the play "Why Marry?". In October of that year, he went to Canada as stage manager to Henry V. Esmond and Eva Moore, also playing "Montague Jordan" in "Eliza Comes to Stay". Upon returning to England, he toured in the same role. He appeared regularly on-stage thereafter, and 8 years later began working in silent films. In 1926 he made his Broadway debut as Major Evelyn Bathurst in Noël Coward "This Was a Man". He returned to Broadway several times during the 1930s, portraying Philip Downes in Ronald Jeans's "Lean Harvest" (1931), Mr. Jelliwell in Benn W. Levy's "Springtime for Henry" (1931–1932), His Excellency, Governor of the Colony in Arthur Schwartz's "Virginia" (1937), and William Schwenk Gilbert in Oscar Hammerstein II's "Knights of Song" (1938).


title: Nigel Bruce

text: In 1934, he moved to Hollywood, U.S., as his career there became a success he set up a home at 701 North Alpine Drive, Beverly Hills in the latter half of the 1930s.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Bruce typically played buffoonish, fuzzy-minded gentlemen. During his film career, he worked in 78 films, including "Treasure Island" (1934), "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936), "Rebecca" (1940), and "Suspicion" (1941).


title: Nigel Bruce

text: He appeared in two landmark films: "Becky Sharp" (1935), the first feature film in full Technicolor, and "Bwana Devil" (1952), the first 3-D feature. He uncharacteristically played a detestable figure in "The Rains Came" (1939) which became the first film to win an Oscar for special effects.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Bruce's career signature role was that of Dr Watson in the 1939–1946 Sherlock Holmes film series, alongside his friend Basil Rathbone playing Holmes. Bruce starred as Watson in all 14 films of the series, and over 200 radio programs of "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". Although Watson often appears to be the older of the two main characters, Bruce was three years younger than Rathbone.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Though for most viewers Nigel Bruce formed their vision of Dr Watson, Holmes purists have long objected that the Watson of the books was intelligent and capable (although not an outstanding detective), and that Bruce's portrayal made Watson intellectually dimmer and more bumbling than the literary figure. (A nickname resulting from this portrayal was "Boobus Britannicus.") Loren D. Estleman wrote of Bruce: Rathbone, however, spoke highly of Bruce's portrayal, saying that Watson was one of the screen's most lovable characters. The historian David Parkinson wrote that Bruce's "avuncular presence provided the perfect counterbalance to Rathbone's briskly omniscient sleuth". Historian Alan Barnes notes that, despite the criticisms against him, Bruce rehabilitated Watson, who had been a marginal figure in the cinematic Holmes canon to that point: "after Bruce, it would be a near-unthinkable heresy to show Holmes without him". The Rathbone-Bruce co-star film series lapsed with the death of its producer-director Roy William Neill in 1946. Since then, most major modern adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, especially since the 1970s, have consciously defied the popular stereotype, and depicted Watson faithfully as a capable man of action.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Bruce was married, from 1921 until his death, to British actress Violet Campbell (née Violet Pauline Shelton) whom he always lovingly called "Bunny"; they had two daughters:


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Bruce, known as "Willie" to his friends, was a leading member of the British film colony in Los Angeles, and was captain of the (mostly British) Hollywood Cricket Club. Unlike some of his contemporaries, and along with other British actors such as Basil Rathbone and Charlie Chaplin, Bruce maintained his British citizenship, despite long residence in the United States. He also retained his membership of London's Garrick Club and Buck's Club until his death. His final film, "World for Ransom", was released posthumously in 1954.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: Bruce died of a heart attack, in Santa Monica, California in 1953 at the age of 58. His body was subsequently cremated, with his ashes being placed in a niche at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.


title: Nigel Bruce

text: In 1947 he began writing an autobiography entitled "Games, Gossip and Greasepaint", which is unpublished; however, excerpts have been printed in the "Sherlock Holmes Journal", and these have been posted online with permission.


title: Carpet bombing

text: Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large area bombardment done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in the same way that a carpet covers a floor. Carpet bombing is usually achieved by dropping many unguided bombs.


title: Carpet bombing

text: Carpet bombing of cities, towns, villages, or other areas containing a concentration of civilians is considered a war crime as of Article 51 of the 1977 Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions.


title: Carpet bombing

text: The term "obliteration bombing" is sometimes used to describe especially intensified bombing with the intention of destroying a city or a large part of the city. The term "area bombing" refers to indiscriminate bombing of an area and also encompasses cases of carpet bombing, including obliteration bombing. It was used in that sense especially during World War II and the Korean War.


title: Carpet bombing

text: One of the first attempts at carpet bombing was at the Battle of El Mazuco during the Spanish Civil War in 1937, against widely-dispersed infantry on rocky slopes, and the attacking Condor Legion learned that carpet bombing was not very effective in such terrain.


title: Carpet bombing

text: In March 1938, the Bombing of Barcelona saw Italian and German airstrikes killing up to 1,300 people and wounding 2,000. It is considered the first carpet bombing of a city, and set precedent for several such bombings in World War II.


title: Carpet bombing

text: In the European Theatre, the first city to suffer heavily from aerial bombardment was Warsaw, on 25 September 1939. Continuing this trend in warfare, the Rotterdam Blitz was an aerial bombardment of Rotterdam by 90 bombers of the German Air Force on 14 May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands. The objective was to support the German assault on the city, break Dutch resistance, and force the Dutch to surrender. Despite a ceasefire, the bombing destroyed almost the entire historic city centre, killing nearly nine hundred civilians and leaving 30,000 people homeless. The destructive success of the bombing led the "Oberkommando der Luftwaffe" (OKL) to threaten to destroy the city of Utrecht if the Dutch Government did not surrender. The Dutch capitulated early the next morning.


title: Carpet bombing

text: As the war progressed, the Battle of Britain developed from a fight for air supremacy into the strategic and aerial bombing of London, Coventry and other British cities. In retaliation for this, the British built up the RAF Bomber Command, which was capable of delivering many thousands of tons of bombs onto a single target, in spite of heavy initial bomber casualties in 1940. The bomber force was then wielded by Arthur Travers Harris in an effort to break German morale and obtain the surrender which Douhet had predicted 15 years earlier. The United States joined the war and the USAAF greatly reinforced the campaign, bringing the Eighth Air Force into the European Theatre. Many cities, both large and small, were virtually destroyed by Allied bombing. Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg and Dresden are among the most infamous, the latter two developing firestorms. W. G. Sebald's book, "On the Natural History of Destruction", comments on the carpet bombing of German cities and asks why it does not play a larger part in the German national consciousness, and why virtually no German authors have written about the events. Despite the lack of literary coverage, a style of film, the rubble film, shot among the urban debris and depicting the gritty lives of those who had to rebuild the destroyed cities, developed in the years after the end of World War II.


title: Carpet bombing

text: Carpet bombing was also used as close air support (as "flying artillery") for ground operations. The massive bombing was concentrated in a narrow and shallow area of the front (a few kilometers by a few hundred meters deep), closely coordinated with the advance of friendly troops. The first successful use of the technique was on 6 May 1943, at the end of the Tunisia Campaign. Carried out under Sir Arthur Tedder, it was hailed by the press as Tedder's bomb-carpet (or Tedder's carpet). The bombing was concentrated in a four by three-mile area, preparing the way for the First Army. This tactic was later used in many cases in the Normandy Campaign; for example, in the Battle for Caen.


title: Carpet bombing

text: In the Pacific War, carpet bombing was used extensively against Japanese cities such as Tokyo. On the night of 9–10 March 1945, 334 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers were directed to attack the most heavily populated civilian sectors of Tokyo. In just one night, over 100,000 people burned to death from a heavy bombardment of incendiary bombs, comparable to the wartime number of U.S. casualties in the entire Pacific theater. Another 100,000 to one million Japanese were left homeless. These attacks were followed by similar ones against Kobe, Osaka, and Nagoya, as well as other sectors of Tokyo, where over 9,373 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped on civilian and military targets. By the time of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, light and medium bombers were being directed to bomb targets of convenience, as most urban areas had already been destroyed. In the 9-month long bombing campaign, over 300,000 Japanese civilians died and 400,000 were wounded.


title: Carpet bombing

text: During the Vietnam War, with the escalating situation in Southeast Asia, twenty-eight B-52Fs were fitted with external racks for twenty-four 750-pound (340 kg) bombs under project "South Bay" in June 1964; an additional forty-six aircraft received similar modifications under project "Sun Bath". In March 1965, the United States commenced Operation Rolling Thunder. The first combat mission, Operation Arc Light, was flown by B-52Fs on 18 June 1965, when 30 bombers of the 9th and 441st Bombardment Squadrons struck a communist stronghold near the Bến Cát District in South Vietnam. The first wave of bombers arrived too early at a designated rendezvous point, and while maneuvering to maintain station, two B-52s collided, which resulted in the loss of both bombers and eight crewmen. The remaining bombers, minus one more that turned back for mechanical problems, continued toward the target. Twenty-seven Stratofortresses dropped on a one-mile by two-mile target box from between , a little more than 50% of the bombs falling within the target zone. The force returned to Andersen AFB except for one bomber with electrical problems that recovered to Clark AFB, the mission having lasted 13 hours. Post-strike assessment by teams of South Vietnamese troops with American advisors found evidence that the VC had departed the area before the raid, and it was suspected that infiltration of the south's forces may have tipped off the north because of the ARVN troops involved in the post-strike inspection.


title: Carpet bombing

text: Beginning in late 1965, a number of B-52Ds underwent "Big Belly" modifications to increase bomb capacity for carpet bombings. While the external payload remained at twenty-four 500-pound (227 kg) or 750-pound (340 kg) bombs, the internal capacity increased from twenty-seven to eighty-four 500-pound bombs or from twenty-seven to forty-two 750-pound bombs. The modification created enough capacity for a total of 60,000 pounds (27,215 kg) in one hundred and eight bombs. Thus modified, B-52Ds could carry 22,000 pounds (9,980 kg) more than B-52Fs. Designed to replace B-52Fs, modified B-52Ds entered combat in April 1966 flying from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Each bombing mission lasted 10 to 12 hours with an aerial refueling by KC-135 Stratotankers. In spring 1967, the aircraft began flying from U Tapao Airfield in Thailand giving the aircraft the advantage of not requiring in-flight refueling.


title: Carpet bombing

text: The zenith of B-52 attacks in Vietnam was "Operation Linebacker II" (sometimes referred to as the Christmas Bombing) which consisted of waves of B-52s (mostly D models, but some Gs without jamming equipment and with a smaller bomb load). Over 12 days, B-52s flew 729 sorties and dropped 15,237 tons of bombs on Hanoi, Haiphong, and other targets. Originally 42 B-52s were committed to the war; however, numbers were frequently twice this figure.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Tiger Stadium, previously known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit. The stadium was nicknamed "The Corner" for its location at the intersection of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. It hosted the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1999, as well as the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1938 to 1974. Tiger Stadium was declared a State of Michigan Historic Site in 1975 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: The last Tigers game at the stadium was held on September 27, 1999. In the decade after the Tigers vacated the stadium, several rejected redevelopment and preservation efforts finally gave way to demolition. The stadium's demolition was completed on September 21, 2009, though the stadium's actual playing field remains at the corner where the stadium stood.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In 1895, Detroit Tigers owner George Vanderbeck had a new ballpark built at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull Avenues. That stadium was called Bennett Park and featured a wooden grandstand with a wooden peaked roof in the outfield. At the time, some places in the outfield were only marked off with rope.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In 1911, new Tigers owner Frank Navin ordered a new steel-and-concrete baseball park to be built on the same site that would seat 23,000 to accommodate the growing numbers of fans. Navin Field opened on April 20, 1912, the same day as the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park. While constructed on the same site as Bennett Park, the diamond at Navin Field was rotated 90°, with home plate located in what had been left field at Bennett Park. Cleveland Naps player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, later banned from baseball for life following the Black Sox Scandal, scored the first run at Navin Field.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Over the years, expansion continued to accommodate more spectators. In 1935, following Navin's death, new owner Walter Briggs oversaw the expansion of Navin Field to a capacity of 36,000 by extending the upper deck to the foul poles and across right field. By 1938, the city had agreed to move Cherry Street, allowing the left-field seats to be double-decked, and the now-renamed Briggs Stadium had a capacity of 53,000. In 1961, new owner John Fetzer took control of the stadium and gave it its final and longest-lasting name: Tiger Stadium.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: A fire gutted the press box on the evening of February 1, 1977. In 1977, the Tigers sold the stadium to the city of Detroit, which then leased it back to the Tigers. As part of this transfer, the green wooden seats were replaced with blue and orange plastic ones and the stadium's interior, which was green, was painted blue to match.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: By the early 1990s, both the city and Tigers ownership wanted a new park, but many campaigned to save the old stadium. Plans to modify and maintain Tiger Stadium as the home of the Tigers, known as the Cochrane Plan, were supported by many in the community, but were never seriously considered by the city or the Tigers. Ground was broken for the new Comerica Park on October 29, 1997.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Tiger Stadium had a 125-foot (38 m) tall flagpole in fair play, to the left of dead center field near the 440-foot (134 m) mark. The same flag pole was to be brought to Comerica Park, but this never happened. A new flagpole in the spirit of Tiger Stadium's pole was positioned in fair play at Comerica Park until the left field fence was moved in closer prior to the 2003 season.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: When the stadium closed, it was tied with Fenway Park as the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, the two parks having opened on the same date in 1912. Taking predecessor Bennett Park into account, Tiger Stadium was the oldest Major League Baseball site in use in 1999.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: When the park was expanded in 1936, a second deck was added over the right field pavilion and bleachers. To fit as many seats as possible in the expansion, the second deck was extended over the fence by 10 feet (3 m). The overhang would occasionally turn some extremely high arced fly balls into home runs. Spotlights were added above the warning track to illuminate the area beneath the overhang.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Like other older baseball stadiums such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, Tiger Stadium offered "obstructed view" seats, some of which were directly behind a steel support column; while others in the lower deck had sight lines obstructed by the low-hanging upper deck. By making it possible for the upper deck to stand directly above the lower deck, the support columns allowed the average fan to sit closer to the field than at any other ballpark.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: For a time after it was constructed, the right field upper deck had a "315" marker at the foul pole (later painted over), with a "325" marker below it on the lower deck fence (which was retained). The Texas Rangers claimed that the design of the right field section was copied and used in the construction of what is now Choctaw Stadium, but in fact the upper deck did not actually extend over the right field fence, but was set back by several feet.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Due to then-owner Walter Briggs's dislike of night baseball, lights were not installed at the stadium until 1948. The first night game at the stadium was held on June 15, 1948. Among major league parks whose construction predated the advent of night games, only Wrigley Field went longer without lights (1988).


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Tiger Stadium featured an upper and lower deck bleacher section that was separated from the rest of the stadium. Chain link and at one time, a barbed wire fence, separated the bleachers from the reserved sections and was the only section of seating not covered by at least part of the roof. The bleachers had their own entrance, concession stands and restrooms.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In 1999, its final season, only this ballpark and Bank One Ballpark had a dirt path that ran from the pitcher's mound to home plate. It originally had one before it was removed.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Tiger Stadium was home of the Detroit Lions from 1938 to 1974. The stadium hosted two NFL Championship Games in 1953 and 1957. The football field ran mostly in the outfield from the right field line to left center field parallel with the third base line. The benches for both the Lions and their opponents were on the outfield side of the field.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In the early 1970s, the city of Pontiac and its community leaders made a presentation to the Metropolitan Stadium Committee of a site on the city's eastern boundary, north of M-59 and near the intersection with Interstate 75 (I-75). Initially, a dual stadium complex was planned that included a moving roof that was later scrapped due to high costs and the lack of a commitment from the Tigers. The Metropolitan Stadium Committee voted unanimously for the Pontiac site. In 1973, ground was broken for a stadium to exclusively house the Lions.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: The Lions played their final game at Tiger Stadium on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1974 against the Denver Broncos.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In 1939, boxer Joe Louis defended his world heavyweight title with an eleventh-round knockout of Bob Pastor at the stadium.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On October 5, 1951, the University of Notre Dame played the University of Detroit at Briggs Stadium before a capacity crowd of 52,000. It was the first Notre Dame football game to be played at night. The Fighting Irish won, 40–6.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: Northern Irish professional soccer club Glentoran F.C. called the stadium home in the late 1960s. The team played as the Detroit Cougars in the United Soccer Association.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: When Ty Cobb played at Navin Field, the area of dirt in front of home plate was kept wet by the groundstaff to slow down Cobb's bunts and cause opposing infielders to slip as they fielded them. The area was nicknamed "Cobb's Lake".


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On July 18, 1921, Babe Ruth hit what is believed to be the longest verified home run in Major League Baseball history. The home run went to straightaway center field, clearing the stadium and landing into the street. The distance of the home run has been estimated at up to . On July 13, 1934 at the stadium, Ruth hit his 700th career home run off Tigers' pitcher Tommy Bridges.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On May 2, 1939, ailing New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig voluntarily benched himself at Briggs Stadium, ending his streak of consecutive games at 2,130. Due to the progression of the disease named after him, it was the final game of his career.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: The stadium hosted the 1941, 1951 and 1971 MLB All-Star Games. All three games featured home runs. Ted Williams won the 1941 game with a walk-off three-run home run. The ball was also carrying well in the 1951 and 1971 games. Of the many home runs in those games, the most often replayed is Reggie Jackson's drive to right field that hit so high up in the light tower that the TV camera lost sight of it, until it dropped to the field below. Jackson dropped his bat and watched it sail, seemingly astonished of his own power.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On April 7, 1986, Dwight Evans hit a home run on the first pitch of Opening Day. This was also the first game on MLB's schedule that season, giving Evans the record for the earliest home run to start a season in terms of at bats.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: There were over 30 home runs hit onto the right field roof over the years. It was a relatively soft touch compared to left field, with a foul line and with a roof that was in line with the front of the lower deck. In left field, it was farther down the line, and the roof was set back some distance. Only four of the game's most powerful right-handed sluggers (Harmon Killebrew, Frank Howard, Cecil Fielder and Mark McGwire) reached the left field rooftop. In his career, Norm Cash hit four home runs over the Tiger Stadium roof in right field and is the all-time leader.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On September 27, 1999, the final Tigers game was held at Tiger Stadium; an 8–2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, capped by a late grand slam by Robert Fick, which hit the right field roof. It was the final Major League hit, home run, and RBI in Tiger Stadium's history. Following the game, an emotional ceremony with past and present Tigers greats was held to mark the occasion. The Tigers moved to the newly constructed Comerica Park for their 2000 season, leaving Tiger Stadium unused.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On July 24, 2001, the day Detroit celebrated its 300th birthday, a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League game between the Motor City Marauders and the Lake Erie Monarchs was played at Tiger Stadium. It was an effort by a local sports management company to bring a Frontier League franchise to Detroit.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In February 2006, a tent on Tiger Stadium's field played host to Anheuser-Busch's Bud Bowl 2006. Among performers at the nightclub-style event was Snoop Dogg. Anheuser-Busch promoted the event as Tiger Stadium's Last Call.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In 2006, the feature-length documentary "Stranded at the Corner: The Battle to Save Historic Tiger Stadium" was released. Funded by local businessman and ardent stadium supporter Peter Comstock Riley, and directed by Gary Glaser, it earned solid reviews and won three Telly awards and two Emmy awards for the film's writer and co-producer, Richard Bak, a local journalist and the author of two books about the stadium. It was also shown at the inaugural National Baseball Hall of Fame Film Festival in November 2006.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: There were many proposals to redevelop the site. By 2006, however, demolition appeared inevitable when then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced the stadium would be razed. In June 2007, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation approved a plan to demolish the stadium, which needed approval from Detroit City Council. In July 2007, Detroit City Council voted 5–4 in approval of the demolition.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In October 2007, an online auction of the stadium's memorabilia was held by Schneider Industries, which drew $192,729. The city used the proceeds to defray the demolition costs.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation awarded the demolition contract on April 22, 2008, with the speculation that demolition revenue would come from the sale of scrap metal. Demolition began on June 30, 2008. A week into demolition, it was announced that the field, foul poles, and flagpole would be preserved.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: After a hiatus wherein various plans to preserve portions of the stadium were considered, demolition was completed on September 21, 2009.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: During the summer of 2010, a group calling itself "The Navin Field Grounds Crew" began maintaining the playing field and hosting vintage baseball, youth baseball, and softball games at the site. There was at one time also a sign on the enclosing fence labeling the site "Ernie Harwell Park".


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: On December 16, 2014, a $33 million project by Larson Realty Group to redevelop the old Tiger Stadium site was approved by Detroit's Economic Development Corporation. Development plans included a four-story building along Michigan Avenue with about of retail space and 102 residential property rental units, each averaging . Along Trumbull Avenue, 24 town homes were planned for sale. Detroit's Police Athletic League (PAL) headquarters would relocate to the site and maintain the field. PAL would build its new headquarters and related facilities on the western and northern edges of the site while preserving the historic playing field for youth sports, including high school and college baseball. Construction of the project began in June 2016.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: The stadium was seen in the 1980 feature film "Raging Bull" where it was the site of two of Jake LaMotta's championship boxing matches.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: It was depicted in Disney's award-winning "Tiger Town", a 1983 made-for-television baseball film written and directed by Detroit native, Alan Shapiro, starring Roy Scheider, Sparky Anderson, Ernie Harwell and Mary Wilson. It was also seen in "Renaissance Man" and "Hardball".


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: In the summer of 2000, the HBO movie "61*" was filmed at Tiger Stadium. The film dramatized the efforts of New York Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris during the 1961 season to break fellow Yankee Babe Ruth's single-season home run record of 60. For the film, computer-generated visual effects were used to make Tiger Stadium resemble Yankee Stadium in 1961. Yankee Stadium is listed in the credits at the end of the film as being played by Tiger Stadium.


title: Tiger Stadium (Detroit)

text: During the last days in which part of Tiger Stadium was still standing, scenes for the film "Kill the Irishman", which were used to depict Cleveland Stadium, were shot at the stadium.


title: Forcemeat

text: Forcemeat (derived from the French "farcir", "to stuff") is a uniform mixture of lean meat with fat made by grinding or sieving the ingredients. The result may either be smooth or coarse. Forcemeats are used in the production of numerous items found in charcuterie, including quenelles, sausages, pâtés, terrines, roulades, and galantines. Forcemeats are usually produced from raw meat, except in the case of a "gratin". Meats commonly used include pork, fish (pike, trout, or salmon), seafood, game meats (venison, boar, or rabbit), poultry, game birds, veal, and pork livers. Pork fatback is preferred as a fat, as it has a somewhat neutral flavor.


title: Forcemeat

text: Forcemeats are an ancient food and are included in "Apicius", a collection of Roman cookery recipes usually thought to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD.


title: Forcemeat

text: Often, the only binder in a forcemeat is the physical structure of the protein used. Sometimes a secondary binder is necessary to hold the mixture. These binders are generally needed when preparing country-style or "gratin" forcemeats. The three types of binders are eggs, dry milk powder, and panades. A panade can be made from starchy ingredients which aid in the binding process; these include well-cooked potatoes which have been puréed, cream-soaked bread, or pâte à choux.


title: Carotenosis

text: Carotenosis is a benign and reversible medical condition where an excess of dietary carotenoids results in orange discoloration of the outermost skin layer. The discoloration is most easily observed in light-skinned people and may be mistaken for jaundice. Carotenoids are lipid-soluble compounds that include alpha- and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. The primary serum carotenoids are beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein. Serum levels of carotenoids vary between region, ethnicity, and sex in the healthy population. All are absorbed by passive diffusion from the gastrointestinal tract and are then partially metabolized in the intestinal mucosa and liver to vitamin A. From there they are transported in the plasma into the peripheral tissues. Carotenoids are eliminated via sweat, sebum, urine, and gastrointestinal secretions. Carotenoids contribute to normal-appearing human skin color, and are a significant component of physiologic ultraviolet photoprotection.


title: Carotenosis

text: Carotenemia most commonly occurs in vegetarians and young children with light skin. Carotenemia is more easily appreciated in light-complexioned people, and it may present chiefly as an orange discolouration of the palms and the soles in more darkly pigmented persons. Carotenemia does not cause selective orange discoloration of the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae (whites of the eyes), and thus is usually easy to distinguish from the yellowing of the skin and conjunctiva caused by bile pigments in states of jaundice.


title: Carotenosis

text: Carotenoderma is deliberately caused by beta-carotenoid treatment of certain photo-sensitive dermatitis diseases such as erythropoietic protoporphyria, where beta carotene is prescribed in quantities which discolor the skin. These high doses of beta carotene have been found to be harmless in studies, though cosmetically displeasing to some. In a recent meta analysis of these treatments, however, the effectiveness of the treatment has been called into question.


title: Carotenosis

text: There are three main mechanisms involved in hypercarotenemia: excessive dietary intake of carotenoids, increased serum lipids, and decreased metabolism of carotenoids. The most common reported cause of hypercarotenemia (and thus carotenoderma) is increased intake, either through increased dietary foods or nutritional supplements. This change takes approximately 4 to 7 weeks to be recognized clinically. Numerous ingested substances are rich in carotenoids. Increased serum lipids also cause hypercarotenemia because there are increased circulating lipoproteins that contain bound carotenoids. Finally, in certain disease states, the metabolism and conversion of carotenoids to retinol is slowed, which can lead to decreased clearance and increased plasma levels. Elevated serum beta-carotene does not necessarily result in carotenosis, but the latter is likely to show up when intake is more than 20 mg/day. Average adult intake in the U.S. around 2.3 mg/day. One medium-sized carrot has about 4.0 mg.


title: Carotenosis

text: Carotenoderma can be divided into two major types, primary and secondary. Primary carotenoderma is from increased oral ingestion of carotenoids, whereas secondary carotenoderma is caused from underlying disease states that increase serum carotenoids with normal oral intake of these compounds. Primary and secondary carotenoderma can coexist in the same patient.


title: Carotenosis

text: Carotenoids are deposited in the intercellular lipids of the stratum corneum, and the color change is most prominent in regions of increased sweating and thickness of this layer. This includes the palms, soles, knees, and nasolabial folds, although the discoloration can be generalized. The primary factor differentiating carotenoderma from jaundice is the characteristic sparing of the sclerae in carotenoderma, which would be involved in jaundice if the bilirubin is at a level to cause skin findings. In contrast to jaundice, carotenoderma is reported to be better observed under artificial light. It is of note that lycopenemia is specifically associated with discoloration of the soft palate and deposition in the liver parenchyma.


title: Carotenosis

text: Disease states associated with carotenoderma include hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, anorexia nervosa, nephrotic syndrome, and liver disease. In hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus, the underlying mechanism of hypercarotenemia is thought to be both impaired conversion of beta-carotene into retinol and the associated increased serum lipids. Diabetes mellitus has also been associated with carotenoderma through disease-specific diets that are rich in vegetables. In the nephrotic syndrome, the hypercarotenemia is related to the associated increased serum lipids, similar to the above entities.


title: Carotenosis

text: It is of note that kidney dysfunction in general is associated with hypercarotenemia as a result of decreased excretion of carotenoids. Liver dysfunction, regardless of origin, causes hypercarotenemia as a result of the impaired conversion of carotenoids to retinol. This is of particular interest because jaundice and carotenoderma can coexist in the same patient. Anorexia nervosa causes carotenoderma mainly through diets that are rich in carotenoids and the associated hypothyroidism. It tends to be more common in the restricting subtype of this disease, and is associated with numerous other dermatologic manifestations, such as brittle hair and nails, lanugo-like body hair, and xerosis. Although Alzheimer's disease has been associated with carotenoderma in some reports, most studies on serum carotenoids in these patients show that their levels of carotenoids and retinol are depressed, and may be associated with the development of dementia. A true association between Alzheimer's disease and carotenoderma is unclear at this time. There have been case reports in the literature of increased serum carotenoids and carotenoderma that is unresponsive to dietary measures, with a genetic defect in carotenoid metabolic enzymes proposed. Canthaxanthin and astaxanthin are naturally occurring carotenoids that are used in the British and US food industry to add color to foods such as sausage and fish. Canthaxanthin has been used in over-the-counter "tanning pills" in the United States and Europe, but is not currently Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for this purpose in the United States because of its adverse effects. These include hepatitis, urticaria, aplastic anemia, and a retinopathy characterized by yellow deposits and subsequent visual field defects.


title: Carotenosis

text: Infants and small children are especially prone to carotenoderma because of the cooked, mashed, and pureed vegetables that they eat. Processing and homogenizing causes carotene to become more available for absorption. A small 2.5 ounce jar of baby food sweet potatoes or carrots contains about 400-500% of an infant's recommended daily value of carotene. In addition to that source of carotene, infants are usually prescribed a liquid vitamin supplement, such as Tri-Vi-Sol, which contains vitamin A.


title: Carotenosis

text: Hyperbilirubinemia is the main differential diagnosis to be considered in evaluating jaundice suspected to be carotenemia.


title: Carotenosis

text: Excessive consumption of lycopene, a plant pigment similar to carotene and present in tomatoes, can cause a deep orange discoloration of the skin. Like carotenodermia, lycopenemia is harmless.


title: Carotenosis

text: Excessive consumption of elemental silver, silver dust or silver compounds can cause the skin to be colored blue or bluish-grey. This condition is called argyria. A similar skin color can result from prolonged exposure to gold, typically as a little-used medical treatment. The gold-induced greyish skin color is called chrysiasis. Argyria and chrysiasis, however, are irreversible, unlike carotenosis.


title: Carotenosis

text: Carotenemia and carotenoderma is in itself harmless, and does not require treatment. In primary carotenoderma, when the use of high quantities of carotene is discontinued the skin color will return to normal. It may take up to several months, however, for this to happen. Infants with this condition should not be taken off prescribed vitamin supplements unless advised to do so by the child's pediatrician.


title: Carotenosis

text: As to underlying disorders in secondary carotinemia and carotenoderma, treatment depends wholly on the cause.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: The ABC islands is the physical group of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao, the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. These have a shared political history and a status of Dutch underlying ownership, since the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 ceded them back to the Netherlands, as Curaçao and Dependencies from 1815. They are a short distance north of the Falcón State, Venezuela. Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous, self governing constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands. Territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the countries, and its special municipalities, are outside the European Union; citizens have Dutch nationality and the former colonial power benefits from preferential trade, mineral and natural resource rights, particularly offshore.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: According to the disputed letters of Amerigo Vespucci, the first European to explore the ABC islands was one of Christopher Columbus' captains, Alonso de Ojeda, who landed on Curaçao in 1499. He is said to have called the islands "Las islas de los Gigantes" or "Islands of the Giants" due to the native inhabitants, the Caiquetio Indians. The first known European exploration was by Amerigo Vespucci, whose cartographer Juan de la Cosa first described the islands. By 1527 the Spanish had formed a government and established Catholicism on the islands.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: In 1634, the Netherlands fought Spain over control of the islands. The Dutch won, (although Spain won them back before abandoning them due to them being of little value) and the islands were then administered by the Netherlands. The Dutch West India Company developed the areas, establishing a major port on Curaçao. The abolition of the slave trade in 1863 had a devastating impact on their economies, although the economy revived when oil was discovered in Venezuela during the early 20th century, and the islands became major oil refineries.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: From 1815 until 1954 the three islands were known as the Colony of Curaçao and Dependencies. This colony at various times also included Netherlands Suriname and Sint Eustatius and Dependencies. In 1954, the ABC islands became part of the Netherlands Antilles, which gave them political autonomy within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1986 Aruba withdrew from the Netherlands Antilles, becoming a separate country within the kingdom. Upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010, Curaçao gained a similar status to Aruba. Bonaire became a special municipality of the Netherlands proper, although it maintains its status of an overseas territory of the European Union.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: The ABC islands are part of the Leeward Antilles, which is the westernmost area of the Lesser Antilles. They lie immediately to the north of Falcón State, Venezuela. Due to their political history, they are sometimes considered to be part of North America along with the other Caribbean islands, but are on South America’s geographical plate and continental shelf as with Trinidad and Tobago.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: ABC does not indicate the geographical order to each other; from west to east the islands are Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire. Aruba is a flat island, much coastal land being exposed to tidal storm surges. Bonaire and Curaçao are surrounded by reefs, and so are much more sheltered from this. Bonaire’s and Curaçao’s reefs are popular tourist destinations.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: The ABC islands have an atypical hot desert climate seen in hot pockets of Australia, Köppen climate classification "BWh" and "BWk", with some notable rain but an excess of evaporation over precipitation. Surfaces on these islands hold little moisture and evaporate the little rainfall they receive. In addition, Aruba–Curaçao–Bonaire cactus scrub is the most common vegetation on these islands. Furthermore, the ABC islands are very dry as they lie north of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Only in their short rainy season from October to December or January are they exposed to showers or storms formed from the northeast trade winds. The rainy season is powerfully influenced by the Southern Oscillation resulting in very high variability. During strong El Niño years like 1911/1912, 1930/1931, 1982/1983, and 1997/1998, annual (fiscal year) rainfall can be less than , and even under in Curação in 1911/1912. As much as fell during strong La Niña northern hemisphere winters: 1933/1934, 1970/1971, 1988/1989, 1999/2000, 2010/2011, and 2020/2021, with the highest monthly totals being over .


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: Temperatures in the ABC islands are uniformly hot, averaging around year-round, with comfortable humidity and minima rarely falling below even on the mildest mornings, although afternoons rarely top .


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: Bonaire is known for being a "diving paradise", with ecotourism playing a large part in its economy. The islands have a huge variety of wildlife, including flamingoes and four species of sea turtle.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: Black people make up the majorities of Curaçao and Bonaire's populations while mestizos make up the majority of Aruba's population. There has been substantial immigration from North America and Europe to the islands and to a lesser extent from South America due to a very complex immigration process.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: Dutch has been the official language of the islands for most of their history. A unique Portuguese creole language has developed there known as Papiamentu. Unlike other creole languages, Papiamentu is not decreasing in usage, and was made an official language on 7 March 2007. Papiamentu is heavily influenced by Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, German, French, and Italian.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: Aruba and Curaçao are autonomous countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which have their own parliament and prime minister. Bonaire is a "special municipality" of the Netherlands proper, and subject to Netherlands law.


title: ABC islands (Leeward Antilles)

text: Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are constitutional parts of the European Union, meaning that all three islands are special member state territories. Citizens of these islands hold European passport and can vote on European parliament elections. In addition, the islands get European development funds and students on the islands can also apply for Erasmus program from the islands. However, the islands are not in the Schengen area of the European Union.


title: Tim Henman

text: Timothy Henry Henman (born 6 September 1974) is a British former professional tennis player. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis. He was the first British man to reach the singles semifinals of Wimbledon since Roger Taylor in the 1970s. Henman reached six major semifinals and won 15 career ATP Tour titles (eleven in singles and four in doubles), including the 2003 Paris Masters. He also earned a 40–14 win-loss record with the Great Britain Davis Cup team.


title: Tim Henman

text: Henman was the British No. 1 player in 1996 and again from 1999 to 2005, at which point he was overtaken by Andy Murray. He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4 three different times between July 2002 and October 2004. He is one of the most successful British players of the Open Era, winning $11,635,542 prize money. In the 2004 New Year Honours, he was appointed an OBE.


title: Tim Henman

text: Henman started playing tennis before the age of three, and began systematic training in the Slater Squad at eleven. After suffering a serious injury which affected him for the better part of two years, he began touring internationally as a junior and achieved some successes. He rose quickly up the ATP rankings, and by 1996 had reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. For most of his career, Henman was considered a grass court specialist, reaching four Wimbledon semifinals in the five years between 1998 and 2002. He became comfortable on clay and hard courts only later in his career, when in 2004 he reached the semifinals of both the French and US Opens. Henman retired from professional tennis in late 2007, but remains active on the ATP Champions Tour (a tour for former professional tennis players).


title: Tim Henman

text: Henman was born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, as the youngest of a family of three boys. Henman's father Anthony, a solicitor, was accomplished at various sports, including tennis, hockey and squash. His mother Jane, a dress designer, played Junior Wimbledon and introduced Tim and his elder brothers, Michael and Richard, to tennis as soon as they could walk on the family's grass tennis court. His great-grandfather played at Wimbledon. His maternal grandfather, Henry Billington, played at Wimbledon between 1948 and 1951, and he represented Britain in the Davis Cup in 1948, 1950 and 1951. In 1901 his maternal great-grandmother, Ellen Stanwell-Brown, was reputedly the first woman to serve overarm at Wimbledon. His maternal grandmother, Susan Billington, appeared regularly at Wimbledon in the 1950s, playing mixed doubles on Centre Court with her husband Henry, reaching the third round of the ladies' doubles in 1951, 1955 and 1956.


title: Tim Henman

text: Henman grew up in Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire, a village between Oxford and Bicester with a population of around 500. At home, the family owned a grass tennis court in their back garden. Henman began playing tennis before the age of three with a shortened squash racket. At this stage, he was already teaching himself how to serve and volley. At an early stage in his life, Henman decided if he did not succeed in tennis, he would become a golfer instead.


title: Tim Henman

text: Henman attended the Longbridge School for boys between the ages of five and seven, and was enrolled in the private Dragon School in Oxford from seven to 11. He excelled in all sports but was always best at tennis. But Henman was small for his age, a factor which would bode against him in the future. In 1985, he was appointed the school's captain of tennis and led the school's tennis team to win 21 out of 27 matches. He remains to this day the only pupil who has won both the school's junior and senior tennis tournaments in the same year. From the age of eight until his introduction to the Slater Squad, Henman received coaching from the David Lloyd Tennis Centre, where he was given personal lessons by former professional player Onny Parun from New Zealand. In retrospect, Parun stated that Henman's greatest strength "had always been his head." David Lloyd noticed the same mental toughness and was impressed.


title: Tim Henman

text: He left the Dragon School after he attained a scholarship for Reed's School in Cobham, Surrey. Henman received the scholarship after a physical test: to run until you dropped. Henman, along with Marc Moreso and David Loosemore, did not drop, and was given a scholarship. At this point in his life, Lloyd persuaded Henman's parents to allow him to pursue a tennis career. In retrospect, Lloyd notes, Henman's parents understood what many don't: "you can always go back to higher education at 22 or 23 but that that is far too late to start a serious tennis career."


title: Tim Henman

text: Henman was picked up by the Slater Squad, a group funded by financier Jim Slater, at the age of 11. The main goal of the Slater Squad was to pick and coach young players from the ages of nine or ten, instead of 11 and 12 as the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) did. The original intake for the squad was eight players between the ages of eight and 11. In addition to Tim, the squad consisted of Jamie Delgado, Gary Le Pla, Paul Jessop, James Bailey, Adrian Blackman, James Davidson, Marc Moreso. In the squad, Henman worked on tennis three hours a day: two hours playing tennis and receiving advice from Donald Watt, and the last hour on gymnastics and learning about the game. In contrast to popular belief, Henman was not considered the best of the bunch, and Sue Barker, the British 1976 French Open Women's champion, judged that there was "nothing particularly special in his game in those days". She notes, however, that while Henman did not have the natural skills of a tennis player, he was "a hard worker". None of his fellow players in the Slater Squad saw Henman as a potential British number one, with most believing Marc Moreso to be the group's brightest hope. Not long after becoming a member of the Slater Squad, Henman was diagnosed with osteochondritis, a bone disease. He was unable to play tennis for six months, and it was two years before he could return to tournaments. Luckily for Henman, Slater kept funding him while he was recuperating, because of insistence from Lloyd who believed in Henman's tennis abilities.


title: Tim Henman

text: At Reed's School he passed ten GCSE exams, but failed chemistry. Outside of school, he worked in Anji's emporium in order to save money for a new racquet. As Henman notes in retrospect, "I passed the others with a few As, a few Bs and a few Cs. It was nothing dazzling by any means, but I got by." At the age of 16, Henman told his mother that it was impossible for him to retain his good grades while keeping up in the tennis world. In 1990 he dropped out of school altogether and focused on becoming a singles player, though Lloyd and the leadership of the Slater Squad had confidence in him as a doubles player, not singles. On the statistics that were available to them, Henman had managed to win five doubles tournaments but only two singles tournaments. But Henman disagreed with the Slater Squad leadership and began playing for the LTA in 1991. At the age of 17, Henman toured South America for eight weeks.


title: Tim Henman

text: On 11 December 1999, Henman married his longtime girlfriend, TV producer Lucy Heald, in Hampshire. They have three daughters, Rose Elizabeth (born 19 October 2002), Olivia Susan (born 15 December 2004), and Grace (born 14 September 2007). Having lived in Barnes, southwest London, the family moved in 2003 to a Grade 2 listed property in Aston Tirrold, south Oxfordshire. Henman occasionally smoked cigarettes during his tennis career.


title: Tim Henman

text: During his first tour year in 1991, Henman fared badly. He won the first round in the New South Wales Championship against Andrew Turner, 6–1, 6–3, but lost in the second round to Corrado Borroni 5–7, 1–6. He was defeated by Australian Michael Hill in the first round of the 1991 Australian Open junior class, 7–5, 3–6, 5–7. At the National Championships the same year, he reached the third round, but was defeated 6–1, 6–2 by Andrew Richardson. His performance in doubles matches was markedly better. Henman reached the quarter-finals in the New South Wales Championship with Richardson, and won the Midland Bank Junior Championship in doubles with Jamie Delgado, an associate from the Slater Squad days.


title: Tim Henman

text: 1992 began well, with Henman reaching the finals in Nottingham after defeating Delgado in straight sets in the semi-final. But Henman was defeated in the final by top-seed Mark Schofield, and in the junior French Open by Björn Jacob in three sets, 6–7, 6–1, 9–7. He was defeated in the first round of the Wimbledon junior by Mexican clay specialist Enrique Abaroa in straight sets; 6–2, 6–1. However, things improved dramatically from then on, and in the National Junior Championships he reached the semi-finals without dropping a single set. In the semi-finals Henman met Schofield, and defeated him in four sets; 2–6, 6–3, 7–6, 6–2. Henman met Nick Baglin in the final, and won the match 3–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–4. In 1992 he turned 18, and Henman began his tennis career in the senior satellite tournaments.


title: Tim Henman

text: From July 1992 to July 1993, Henman grew six inches to six feet one, and went from seven stones to nine stones in weight. This would prove important for his career, as he acknowledged: "As a junior I had pretty good technique. Now I've got the strength and reach, and on the serve that has helped tremendously." Henman was ranked 774th in the world at the beginning of 1993, but by July he had come close to the top 600. In July, Henman received a wildcard to participate in the ATP Challenger tournament in Bristol, England. In the first round, he defeated Colombian Miguel Tobón, ranked 257th, in straight sets, 6–0, 6–3. In the second round he met the Frenchman Eric Winogradsky and defeated him also in straight sets, 7–6, 6–3. Henman was defeated in the quarter-final by British player Chris Bailey, 6–2, 6–1. By November Henman's rank had increased to 415th. Henman's next tournament was the Volkswagen National Championships in Telford, England; he reached the quarter-final but lost to top-ranked British male player Jeremy Bates, 7–5, 7–6. As 1993 drew to a close, Henman played one last tournament in Israel, which he won.


title: Tim Henman

text: He started the 1994 season with the four-legged Indian satellite circuit; there he won 18 singles matches in a row. Henman was fairly successful at the British Satellite Masters in Croydon, and by the end of the tournament he was ranked 222nd in the world. Encouraged by his success in the satellite circuit, Henman tried his luck at the ATP tour. Henman travelled to the Far East with Bates, and qualified for his first ATP tournament in April, at the Japan Tennis Championship. In his first round he defeated Kelly Jones, 6–2, 6–3, in the second round he defeated Darren Cahill, 6–2, 7–5 and in the third round Henman was defeated by Pete Sampras, 6–1, 6–2. From this performance Henman increased his ranking to 184th. His success in the Japan Open was followed by a failure to qualify at the Hong Kong Open. Because of this failure, he ended the Far East tour by entering a number of satellite tournaments. Henman entered the Nagoya Open, and defeated eighth seed Eyal Ran in the first round, but lost in the second round to Gouichi Motomura. At the Manila Open, another satellite tournament, Henman reached the final but was defeated by fifth seed Michael Tebbutt, 2–6, 2–6.


title: Tim Henman

text: After Manila he returned to Europe. In his first Grand Slam bid, Henman failed to qualify in the 1994 French Open, losing the first qualifier round to Australian Wayne Arthurs. His next tournament was the Annenheim Open in Austria, where he lost in the first round to Canadian Sébastien Lareau in straight sets, 6–3, 6–2. However, not all was bad, and Henman, ranked 161st at the time, received a wildcard to qualify for the Stella Artois Championship. In the first round Henman defeated Swedish Peter Lundgren, 7–5, 7–6, but in the second round he succumbed to the eventual champion American Todd Martin, 6–4, 6–4. Henman received a wildcard for the Manchester Open, where he lost in the first round to American Alex O'Brien, and the Wimbledon Championship, the first Grand Slam he had ever played (he failed to qualify to Wimbledon in 1993). At Wimbledon, Henman lost in the first round to German David Prinosil in four sets, 6–4, 3–6, 2–6, 2–6. His early defeat in Wimbledon forced Henman into short period of obscurity in the satellite circuit. Henman reached the semi-finals at the Bristol Open and the fourth round at the Winnetka Open (in Illinois).