[Photo: Uma Thurman] Uma Thurman (April 29, 1970) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. She performs predominantly in leading roles in a variety (more)

[Photo: Uma Thurman]

Uma Thurman (April 29, 1970) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. She performs predominantly in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action thrillers. She is best known for her films directed by Quentin Tarantino. Her most popular films include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), Gattaca (1997) and the two Kill Bill movies (2003–04).

She is currently the "face" of Virgin Media in the United Kingdom and, along with Scarlett Johansson, models handbags and other fashion items for clothes designer Louis Vuitton. At 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, she is one of the tallest actresses in Hollywood.

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Luciano Pavarotti was a celebrated Italian tenor and one of the most popular vocal performers in the world of opera and across multiple musical genres. Kno (more)

Luciano Pavarotti was a celebrated Italian tenor and one of the most popular vocal performers in the world of opera and across multiple musical genres.

Known for his televised concerts, media appearances, and as one of The Three Tenors, Pavarotti was also noted for his award-winning charity work, raising money on behalf of refugees, the Red Cross and other worthy causes. He is called "The King of High C's" and the Maestro of the masses (less)

The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia. To its east lie Laos and Cambodia; to its south, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and to its west, (more)

The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia. To its east lie Laos and Cambodia; to its south, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and to its west, the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok. (less)

The Wright brothers, Orville (19 August 1871 – 30 January 1948) and Wilbur (16 April 1867 – 30 May 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited with (more)

The Wright brothers, Orville (19 August 1871 – 30 January 1948) and Wilbur (16 April 1867 – 30 May 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight on 17 December 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed wing flight possible.

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of "three axis-control", which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem", rather than developing more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than any before. Their U.S. patent 821,393 claims the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulates a flying machine's surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.

The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.

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The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international fo (more)

The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national football teams of the member nations of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.

The tournament's final phase, often called the World Cup Finals, is the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final. The current format of the Finals involves thirty-two national teams competing at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. To determine the participating teams, qualifying rounds take place over the three years preceding the Finals.

In the eighteen tournaments held, only seven nations have won the title. Brazil is the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times. The current World Champions, Italy, follows with four titles, while Germany holds three. The other former champions are Uruguay (who won the inaugural tournament) and Argentina with two titles each, and England and France with one title each.

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Battlestar Galactica, or BSG, is a franchise of science fiction films and television series, the first of which was produced in 1978. A series of book adapt (more)

Battlestar Galactica, or BSG, is a franchise of science fiction films and television series, the first of which was produced in 1978. A series of book adaptations, original novels, comic books and video games have also been based on the concept. A reimagined miniseries aired in 2003, with a regular television series starting in 2004.
All of the Battlestar Galactica productions share the same premise: In a distant part of the universe, a civilization of humans live on planets known as the Twelve Colonies. In the past, the Colonies have been at war with a cybernetic race known as the Cylons. With the help (knowing or unknowing) of a human named Baltar, the Cylons launch a sudden sneak attack on the Colonies, laying waste to the planets and devastating their populations. A few thousand of the human survivors flee into space aboard any spacecraft they can reach. Of all the Colonial Fleet, the Battlestar Galactica appears to be the only military ship that survived the attack. Under the leadership of famed military leader Commander Adama, the Battlestar Galactica and its crew take up the task of leading the small fugitive fleet of survivors into space in search of a fabled refuge known as Earth.
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[Photo: Bruce Lee] Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the f (more)

[Photo: Bruce Lee]

Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the founder of the Jeet Kune Do combat form. He, was widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the twentieth century and a cultural icon. He was the father of actor Brandon Lee and of actress Shannon Lee.

Lee was born in San Francisco, California and raised in Hong Kong. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world as well. Lee became an iconic figure particularly to the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese national pride and Chinese nationalism in his movies. He primarily practiced Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu).
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Nokia Corporation is a Multi-national communications Corporation, focused on the key growth areas of wired and wireless telecommunications. Currently the wo (more)

Nokia Corporation is a Multi-national communications Corporation, focused on the key growth areas of wired and wireless telecommunications. Currently the world's largest manufacturer of mobile telephones, Nokia produces mobile phones for every major market segment and protocol, as well as telecommunications network equipment.

Ranked as the best Finnish brand and employer, Nokia is listed as the 5th most valuable global brand in BusinessWeek's Best Global Brands list of 2007 (a first for a non-US company), the 20th most admirable company worldwide in Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list of 2007 (a 1st in network communications and only the 4th instance for a non-US company), and is the world's 119th largest company in Fortune Global 500 list of 2007, up from 131 of the previous year. (less)

[Photo: Agatha Christie] Agatha Christie was an English crime writer of novels, short stories and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westma (more)

[Photo: Agatha Christie]

Agatha Christie was an English crime writer of novels, short stories and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but is best remembered for her 80 detective novels and her successful West End theater plays. Her works, particularly featuring detectives Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple, have given her the title the 'Queen of Crime' and made her one of the most important and innovative writers in the development of the genre.

Christie has been called — by the Guinness Book of World Records, among others — the best-selling writer of books of all time and the best-selling writer of any kind, along with William Shakespeare. Only the Bible is known to have outsold her collected sales of roughly four billion copies of novels. UNESCO states that she is currently the most translated individual author in the world with only the collective corporate works of Walt Disney Productions surpassing her.
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