Quick facts about the American Eskimo Dog

• The American Eskimo is a small to medium-size Nordic-type dog.
• The American Eskimo Dog is a member of the Spitz family.
• With its alert, smooth demeanor, the American Eskimo presents a lovely picture of beauty, strength, and agility.
• Like most Spitz breeds, the American Eskimo Dog has pointed, erect ears and an impressive coat.
• The American Eskimo Dog ("Eskie") "is a modern variation of a very ancient family of dogs." Spitz type dogs developed in Arctic and northern areas of the world, with the larger types being used as sled dogs.
• The American Eskimo Dog has a beautifully plumed tail that usually curls up freely over the back but may drop down when the dog is at rest.
• European immigrants brought their Spitz pets with them to the United States, especially New York, in the early 1900s.
• Because of its quick wit and desire to please, the American Eskimo Dog is relatively easy to train and does well in competitive obedience.
• Although white was not always a recognized color in the various German Spitz breeds, it was generally the preferred color in the US.
• The breed is generally good with other pets, particularly if they are of the same size or slightly larger

Leo Tolstoy quick facts

• Leo Tolstoy became a vegetarian in his later years.
• Tolstoy's literary idol was French author Victor Hugo whom he met on an 1861 trip to France.
• Leo Tolstoy was sent to law school but soon returned home. His teachers found him completely unwilling to learn.
• Tolstoy once planned to write a novel about Peter the Great but abandoned the project and wrote Anna Karenina instead. 
• Tolstoy loved to gamble and as a young man often found himself in debt due to his gambling habit.
• Even though the two men never met in person, Leo Tolstoy burst into tears upon receiving the news that fellow Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevski had died. 
• Tolstoy would frequently give large sums of money to beggars when in large cities.
• Leo Tolstoy reportedly learned to ride a bicycle when he was 67 years old.
• The Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated Tolstoy in 1901 because of his anarchist and pacifist views.
• Leo Tolstoy eventually came to oppose the institutions of private property and marriage.
• Leo Tolstoy and his wife had a total of 13 children. 
• During his life, Tolstoy came to the conclusion that William Shakespeare was a bad dramatist and not a true artist at all.
• The character of Levin in Anna Karenina is based upon Tolstoy himself.
• Leo Tolstoy joined the Russian army in 1851.
• Wife, Sofia, was 16 years younger than Tolstoy.

22 facts about Gillian Anderson

1. Gillian Leigh Anderson (born August 9, 1968) is an American actress.
2. Gillian Anderson and her X-Files co-star, David Duchovny, have signed the contract to play Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in the second X-Files movie.
3. Anderson moved to New York when she was 20 years old.
4. It was once rumored that Gillian and her X-Files co-star, David Duchovny, hated each other.
5. To support herself when she started her career, Anderson worked as a waitress.
6. Gillian Anderson was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie at the Emmy Awards for the movie Bleak House.
7. Anderson had roles in a handful of films during the run of The X-Files and starred in The House of Mirth, an adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel of the same name.
8. Gillian Anderson spent her first paycheck from The X-Files on art.
9. In 1999, Anderson had a supporting role in the English-language release of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, where she voiced the character of Moro.
10. In 1997, Gillian Anderson was selected as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine.
11. During 2006 and 2007, Anderson appeared in two British films: The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Straightheads (2007).
12. The X-Files completed its ninth and final season in 2002, when Gillian Anderson was 34 years old. After the show came to a close, Gillian moved to London and began doing theater work again, starring in the Michael Weller play What the Night is For, from November 2002 to February 2003.
13. Anderson hosted PBS' Masterpiece Theatre during the Jane Austen series.
14. Gillian Anderson is allergic to cats.
15. Gillian portrayed Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Donmar Warehouse in London's West End during a limited engagement which ran from May 14, 2009 until July 18, 2009.
16. Her favourite X-Files episodes are "Triangle" and "Bad Blood".
17. Gillian Anderson is naturally blonde.
18. Gillian said she was okay to make a sequel for The X-files: Fight The Future.
19. Gillian won an Emmy Award in 1997 for best actress of the year in a series.
20. Standing at just 5' 3", she has to stand on an apple box to shoot many scenes in "The X Files".
21. Gillian Anderson was the only regular on season nine of The X-files. (David Duchovny left at the end of season eight and came back for the series finale.)
22. Gillian has said that she believes that there is life outside of our planet.

Quick facts about Emmitt Smith

• Emmith Smith's partner on Dancing With The Stars was Cheryl Burke.
• Smith has won three Superbowls. They are Superbowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX.
• Left college in 1990 after his junior year to enter the NFL draft; took classes every off-season and completed his degree in 1996 because he had promised his mother he'd graduate.
• Won Season 3 of ABC's Dancing With the Stars with partner Cheryl Burke.
• In 1991, Emmitt became the first member of the Dallas Cowboys to ever lead the NFL in rushing. Emmitt Smith played for the Dallas Cowboys for twelve seasons.
• His wife, Patricia, was Miss Virginia in 1994 and runner-up in that year's Miss USA pageant.
• Emmitt Smith is the son of son of Mary and Emmitt Smith Jr. He has two sisters, Marsha and Connie, and three brothers, Erik, Emil and Emory. 
• Helped establish the nonprofit Open Doors Foundation for disadvantaged youth. Also works with Make-a-Wish Foundation, Salvation Army and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
• He is 5'10" tall and weighs 216 lbs.
• Member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
• When Emmitt Smith was 22 years, he became the youngest player to lead the league in rushing.
• Emmitt Smith was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 draft.
• In order to officially retire as a Cowboy, Emmitt signed a one-day contract for no money with Dallas in 2005.
• In 2010, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, in his first year of eligibility.
• Emmitt Smith was named Superbowl MVP at Superbowl XXVIII.
• Emmitt Smith is the all-time NFL rushing yards leader with 18,355 yards and he is also the all-time NFL rushing touchdown leader with 164 touchdowns.
• In 1990, Emmitt Smith was named Rookie of the Year.

Interesting things about Mädchen Amick

• Mädchen Amick is an American actress best known for playing Shelly Johnson on the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
• Amick was born in Reno, Nevada, the daughter of Judy, a medical office manager, and Bill Amick, a musician.
• The name Mädchen, which means "girl" in German, was chosen by her parents because they wanted an unusual name.
• Amick was born on the 12th of December 1970.
• As a young girl, Amick learned to play the piano, bass, violin and guitar and took lessons in tap, ballet, jazz and modern dance.
  David Lynch is one of her close friends
• Mädchen Amick appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• She has Swedish, Norwegian and German origins.
• In 1992, Amick appeared in the Stephen King horror movie Sleepwalkers.
• Height: 168 cm
• In 2008, Amick appeared as Christian Slater's wife on the NBC series My Own Worst Enemy.
• Mädchen Amick has been married to songwriter David Alexis since 1992. The couple have two children.

Lauren Ambrose quick facts

• Lauren Ambrose gave birth to a boy named Orson Halcyon Handel, on January 16th 2007.
• Ambrose was born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
• Lauren's Sun Astrology sign is Pisces.
• Ambrose began her role on Six Feet Under in early 2001.
• Ambrose began her career in New York theater, mainly in Off-Broadway productions.
• Lauren Ambrose was born on February 20, 1978.
• She was the ingenue lead, Florence "Chicklet" Forrest, in the cult favorite Psycho Beach Party (2000).
• Lauren is married to Sam Handel. The wedding was held in September 2001.
• Ambrose will play in the movie Starting out in the Evening.
• Lauren is 5' 6" (1.68 m).
• Lauren Ambrose is best known for her starring role in Six Feet Under. She plays the youngest child, Claire Fisher, of a family running a funeral home business.
• Lauren Ambrose is a classic opera singer.
• Lauren's first TV appearances were on the series Law and Order in 1992-93. She returned to the series in 1998 to another guest role.
• In 2008 she appeared as Ophelia in the 2008 performance of Hamlet for Shakespeare in the Park.

Patrick Roy quick facts

1. Patrick Jacques Roy is a former ice hockey goaltender.
2. Patrick Roy was the second player in Colorado Avalanche history to have his jersey retired.
3. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League, winning two Stanley Cup championships with each franchise.
4. Roy is part Owner of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major-Junior Hockey League
5. The youngest to win the Conn Smythe trophy at 20 years old (1986).
6. On November 13, 2006, Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
7. Notoriously superstitious, Roy would not skate on the blue/red lines, wrote the names of his kids on his stick before each game, and kept the pucks from his current season shutouts in his locker until the end of the season. He also talked to his goalposts during a game.
8. Roy is the only player in NHL history to have won the Conn Smythe Trophy (the award given to the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) three times.
9. Named to the 1986 NHL All Rookie Team.
10. Roy became interested in being a hockey goalie when he was seven years old.
11. Won the Conn Symthe trophy as Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 1986 and 1993 for Montreal, and 2001 for Colorado.
12. Patrick Roy was Born in Québec City, Québec, CanadaSpouse: Michèle Piuze (9 June 1990 - 2006) (divorced) 3 children.

Oscar Robertson facts

• Oscar Robertson was born Nov. 24, 1938 to Mazell and Bailey Robertson in Charlotte, Tenn.
• Oscar P. Robertson, the "Big O," is the player against whom all others labeled "all-around" are judged.
• Oscar Robertson is a retired guard who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks.
• Although John Stockton and Magic have surpassed Robertson's career record of 9,887 assists, some argue that Robertson's total came in an era when an assist was credited much less generously than it is today.
• During his 14-year career, Robertson won an NBA title and a league MVP.
• During his 14-year NBA career with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks, Robertson became the top-scoring guard of all time, amassing 26,710 points.
• Oscar Robertson was also a 12-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA selection.
• At 6' 5" and 210 pounds, Robertson was the first "big guard."
• Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season.
• Robertson married Yvonne Crittinden. He has two daughters, Shane Yvonne and Tia Elaine.
• "He is so great-he scares me," Celtics Coach Red Auerbach once said.
• Oscar Robertson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and is a member of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.
• He was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1960-61.
• Oscar Robertson began playing basketball at the age of six.
• He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
• Oscar Robertson was the first pick in the 1960 NBA draft.
• Robertson is the owner of the Cincinnati-based chemical company, Orchem.
• After he retired as an active player, Robertson worked as a color commentator with CBS during the 1974-75 season.

Trini Alvarado facts

• Trinidad "Trini" Alvarado is an American actress best known for her performances as Margaret "Meg" March in the 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women and Lucy Lynskey in the comedy/horror film The Frighteners.
• Her induction into show business came at the tender age of seven when she joined her family's dance troupe.
• Trini Alvarado has parts in the upcoming film All Good Things, which also stars former co-star Kirsten Dunst, and The Good Guy, which had been screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2009.
• Alvarado was born in New York City, the daughter of Sylvia, a Puerto Rican flamenco dancer, and Domingo Alvarado, a Spanish-born flamenco singer.
• She recently played the role of Samantha Loeb in the Fox sci-fi drama Fringe, appearing in two episodes in 2008 and 2009.
• In 1985, Trini Alvarado took on the role of Anne Frank in the off-Broadway musical Yours, Anne, singing on many of the play's musical numbers.

American English Coonhound facts

• The American English Coonhound, is a breed of dog. It is a type of coonhound that is typically bred in the southern United States.
• These dogs are born hunters and love nothing better than to trail and tree small animals - especially raccoons.
• Like all coonhounds, English are generally good natured and very sociable dogs.
• Their ancestry includes the Bloodhound for a good nose, as well as the New World Virginian Hound and the English Foxhound.
• The American English Coonhound is a medium to large sized dog that comes in colors of ticked red or blue and white, tri-colored, red and white, or black and white.
• They are strong willed, if not stubborn, and require more patience in training than other breeds. Young dogs are usually extremely active and playful and desirous of human attention in addition to requiring plenty of exercise.
• Like many of the other coonhound dog breeds, you can especially find these bred in the southern United States quite often and this is where this dog breed originally came from.
• English Coonhounds also make adequate watch dogs as they possess extremely loud hound mouths characterized by melodious, drawn out bawls and short, explosive chops.
• Height: Females: 23 - 25 inches; Males: 24 - 26 inches.
  Life Span: 11 - 12 years.
• Weight: 40 - 65 lbs.
• The breed is sometimes referred to as the "Redtick Coonhound"
• Coonhounds like the Redtick dog breed are high energy dogs, intelligent, playful, active and normally very sociable - in fact they love and thrive on human attention and companionship.
• The Redtick Coonhound is well known for their characteristic short and hard coat and their red "ticking" pattern but there are a variety of other colorations possible such as tricolored, bluetick and also tricolored with ticking however the red markings are predominant.

Laura Allen facts

• Laura Allen was born in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Julie and David Allen.
• Laura guest starred in "Open Season" (Season 2, episode #43) of "Criminal Minds" along with her real life good friend, actress Kelly Overton.
• Laura Allen attended Wellesley College as a Sociology major and graduated in 1996.
• Laura is a natural blonde and has blue eyes.
• Allen worked with the NYPD as a domestic violence counselor before pursuing acting.
• Laura Allen is 5' 7". 
• Laura and her husband Bruce got engaged in Thailand on Christmas Eve 2004, just a few hours before the tsunami hit.
• Allen married Bruce Weyman at the Relais Palazzo del Capitano in Pienza, Italy on September 23, 2006. 
• Laura and her husband, model Bruce Weyman, welcomed their first baby, Harper Edward Weyman on September 3, 2008.
• Allen starred in USA Network's hit show, The 4400. She played the role of Lily Tyler. However, her character was written out of the show before its third season.
• She auditioned for Sex And The City and got offered a role in it. But when Laura discovered she'd have to go topless, she refused it.
• In 2006, Allen was a guest star on House, MD in the episode "All In", as Sarah, the mother of a sick 6-year-old boy.
• To be able to take the role on Dirt, she had to leave The 4400.
• Laura Allen is a distant relative of the late Princess Grace of Monaco.

Facts about the American Cocker Spaniel

• The American Cocker Spaniel is a medium size breed of dog.
• Spaniels were hunting dogs brought from Spain to England, where the type was developed into a gun dog for hunting small game, especially birds, and the name Cocker was described in 1904 as having been derived from its use in hunting woodcocks.
• The most common cause of death in Cocker Spaniels is cancer and followed closely by that is old age.
• In the United States, the breed is usually referred to as the Cocker Spaniel, while in Canada and elsewhere in the world, it's called the American Cocker Spaniel.
• Famous owners of American Cocker Spaniels: Richard Nixon, Oprah Winfrey and Albert Staehl.
• The English Cocker Spaniel has a more rectangular head, a shorter coat, and is larger.
• Often called a 'sweet' dog, Cocker Spaniels make excellent family pets, due to their good nature.
• The only fatality in the infamous Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse was an American Cocker Spaniel named Tubby.
• American Cocker Spaniels are on average between 13.5 to 15.5 inches (34 to 39 cm) high at the withers.
• American Cocker Spaniels are the smallest of all the recognized Spaniel breeds.
• The head of an American Cocker Spaniel makes the breed immediately recognizable, with the rounded dome of the skull, well-pronounced stop, and square lip. The drop ears are long, low set, with long silky fur, and the eyes are dark, large, and rounded.
• Cocker Spaniels can live in an apartment, provided they are exercised at least once a day.
• The average litter size for the American Cocker Spaniel is 5 to 7 pups with newborn pups weighing in at between seven and nine ounces.
• Cocker Spaniels can develop progressive retinal atrophy, a genetic eye disease that causes blindness, heart problems, epilepsy, cataracts, glaucoma, hemophilia, and patellar luxation.
• The first Cocker Spaniel registered in the United States' American Kennel Club was "Captain", in 1878.
• Over time, the Cocker Spaniels in the United States became smaller than the English dogs.

Facts about the Alaskan Malamute

Ferrari 550 facts

• The Ferrari 550 Maranello and 550 Barchetta are 2-seat grand tourers built by Ferrari.
• The 550 Maranello was Ferrari's version of the 12-cylinder Berlinetta, with an engine in front and a 21st century style and performance.
• The model number refers to total engine displacement (5.5 litres) and the model name of Maranello refers to the town where the Ferrari headquarters are located.
• The 550 Maranello had a luxurious feel with its interior and roominess.
• The 550 Maranello can accelerate to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.2 seconds and can reach 161 kilometres per hour (100 mph) in 9.6 seconds.
• The 550 line was replaced by the Modificata 575 M Maranello in 2002.
• The 5.5 L V12 engine used in the 550 Maranello won the "over 4 liter" class of the International Engine of the Year award for the years 2000 and 2001.
• The engine is a naturally aspirated V12 with 4 valves per cylinder, and dual overhead cams.
• Ferrari introduced a convertible version of the 550 at the Paris Motor Show in 2000. This Barchetta was a true roadster with no real convertible top provided.
• A total of 448 Barchettas were produced, four more than initially planned due to concerns of superstition in the Japanese market.
• The 550 based Ferrari Rossa was introduced at the 2000 Turin Motor Show to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Pininfarina.

Interesting facts about Joe Dimaggio

• Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio, was an Italian American baseball player for the New York Yankees.
• Joe Dimaggio was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
• Joe DiMaggio was a 3-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star (the only player to be selected for the All-Star Game in every season he played).
• In his thirteen year career, the Yankees won ten pennants and nine world championships.
• Joe Dimaggio is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15–July 16, 1941), a record that still stands.
• Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak was stopped by Cleveland pitcher Jim Bagby Jr., son of former big league pitcher Jim Bagby. In the minor leagues, DiMaggio had a 61-game hitting streak stopped by Ed Walsh Jr., son of Hall of Fame right-hander Ed Walsh.
• DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California.
• Joe DiMaggio made his major league debut on May 3, 1936, batting ahead of Lou Gehrig.
• On September 13, 1946, Yankee Joe DiMaggio belted a home run to defeat the Detroit Tigers and eliminate them from the pennant race. His homer gave the pennant to the Boston Red Sox. BoSox players Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, and Tex Hughson sent DiMaggio a telegram in Detroit, which said: "Thanks a lot for that home run, pal!"
• Joe DiMaggio was nicknamed the "Yankee Clipper" by Yankee's stadium announcer Arch McDonald in 1939 when he likened DiMaggio's speed and range in the outfield to the then new Pan American airliner.
• On February 7, 1949, DiMaggio became the first baseball player to break $100,000 in earnings.
• Joe DiMaggio told Baseball Digest in 1963 that the Brooklyn Dodgers had offered him their managerial job in 1953, but he turned it down.
• Joe DiMaggio enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces on February 17, 1943, rising to the rank of sergeant.
• According to her autobiography, Marilyn Monroe originally did not want to meet DiMaggio, fearing he was a stereotypical arrogant athlete.
• Joe DiMaggio, a heavy cigarette smoker throughout his life, was admitted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, on October 12, 1998, for lung cancer surgery and remained there for the next 99 days.
• At his death in 1999, the New York Times called DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941, "perhaps the most enduring record in sports".

Joe DiMaggio quotes

"A ball player's got to be kept hungry to become a big leaguer. That's why no boy from a rich family ever made the big leagues".


"A ball player has to be kept hungry to become a big leaguer. That's why no boy from a rich family has ever made the big leagues".


"All pitchers are born pitchers".


"A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example".

Krista Allen facts

• Krista Allen is a famous American actress.
• As at August 2007, Allen is engaged to actor Christopher Jaymes.
• She is best known for her work in the television series Days of Our Lives, Baywatch Hawaii, and What About Brian; and in the Hollywood films Liar Liar, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Anger Management, and The Final Destination.
• In the year 2006, Krista appeared in Toby Keith's music video, Little Too Late.
• Krista Allen was born in Ventura, California.
• Allen was raised in Houston, Texas. Her mother is Portuguese and her father is Irish. Although her parents divorced when Krista was very young, they later remarried.
• Krista Allen describes herself as honest, loyal, and spontaneous.
• Krista has an older brother, Dalton Earl Allen, Jr.
• Allen is 5 feet 7.5 inches (1.71 metres) tall.
• Krista Allen also played the lead role in the erotic series Emmanuelle in Space (1994). 
• When Allen was 14, she ran away from home and lived with friends.
• Krista Allen appeared in Married with Children episode Calendar Girl as Crystal Clark (a male-to-female (MTF) transsexual) (1996).
• When Allen first left Texas, she stayed briefly in Las Vegas. She won $2500.00 at the famous casino, Caesar’s Palace.
• In 2005, Krista Allen was one of the stars of HBO's Unscripted, playing herself as an actress who struggles to overcome her sex symbol status in order to win more serious roles.
• Allen has played a woman who could control men with her pheromones in two television programs - Smallville and Mutant X.
• Krista had a recurring role on the ABC series What About Brian as Bridget, a reluctant but potential love interest for the main character Brian, played by Barry Watson.
• Krista Allen admits she once had a crush on actor Chris O'Donnell.
• In addition to acting, Allen also has a t-shirt line called SuperEXellent.
• Krista appeared on the second season of Denise Richards: It's Complicated which premiered on June 7, 2009.

Karen Allen facts

• Karen Jane Allen is an American actress, who is known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
  Overcame temporary blindness caused by Kerato Conjunctivitis in 1978.
• Allen was born in Carrollton, rural western Illinois, the daughter of Patricia Allen (née Howell), a teacher, and Carroll Thompson Allen, an FBI agent.
• Lived with musician Stephen Bishop.
• After Karen Allen graduated from DuVal Senior High School, in Lanham, Maryland, at 17, she moved to New York City to study art and design at Fashion Institute of Technology.
• Founded Berkshire Mountain Yoga in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in June of 1995.
• Karen Allen co-starred with Jeff Bridges in the science-fiction film Starman (1984).
• In the mid-1970's, when she lived in Washington, D.C., one of Karen's boyfriends was writer Terence Winch. He wrote about their relationship in a story called The Age of Transition in his book Contenders.
• Karen Allen debuted on Broadway, in the 1982 production The Monday After The Miracle.
• In 1990, she portrayed the doomed crew member Christa McAuliffe in the controversial television movie Challenger, based on the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
• Saturn Award: Best Actress, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1982)
• Theatre World Award: Best New Actress, MONDAY AFTER THE MIRACLE (1983)
• In 1988, Karen Allen married actor Kale Browne.

Interesting facts about Joan Allen

• Joan Allen worked in theatre, television and film during her early career, and achieved recognition for her Broadway debut in Burn This, winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play in 1989.
• Joan Allen co-produced the movie Pushers Needed by Arclight Films in 2005.
• Joan Allen has received three Academy Award nominations; she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Nixon (1995) and The Crucible (1996), and for Best Actress for The Contender (2000).
  Allen and Tobey Maguire played mother-and-son roles for both the movies Ice Storm and Pleasantville.
• Joan, the youngest of four children, was born in Rochelle, Illinois, the daughter of Dorothea Marie (née Wirth), a homemaker, and James Jefferson Allen, a gas station owner.
• Joan Allen stands five feet and ten inches tall. She is left-handed.
• Allen has an older brother, David, and two older sisters, Mary and Lynn.
• Joan Allen took a job as a secretary at an educational film company in order to pay her bills.
• Joan became a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 1977 when John Malkovich asked her to join.
• In 1989, Joan Allen won a Tony Award for her Broadway debut performance in Burn This. She also starred in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles.
• In 2001, Allen starred in the mini-series The Mists of Avalon on TNT and earned an Emmy nomination for the role.
• Joan Allen received Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her roles as Pat Nixon in Nixon (1995) and as Elizabeth Proctor, a woman accused of witchcraft, in The Crucible (1996). Adams was also nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Contender (2000), in which she played a politician who becomes the object of scandal.
• In 1990, Joan Allen married actor Peter Friedman. They separated in 2002, but live close to each other to share time with their daughter, Sadie, born in 1994.
• Joan played CIA Department Director Pamela Landy in The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Allen appeared in a remake of the film Death Race, playing a prison warden.

Jane Adams facts

• Jane Adams is an American film, television and theatre actress.
• Adams is currently co-starring in the HBO series Hung opposite Thomas Jane.
• Adams was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of Janice, an administrative assistant, and William Adams, an engineer.
• Date Of Birth: April 01, 1965 (Age 45)
• Jane has a younger brother, Jonathan.
• Country Of Birth: USA
• Jane Adams attended the University of Washington, where she studied political science, and the Cornish College of the Arts, where she took theater.
• Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia.
• In 1998, Jane Adams starred in Happiness with Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.
• Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m)
• In 2007, Jane Adams appeared in The Sensation of Sight and The Brave One opposite Jodie Foster, Naveen Andrews, Terrence Howard, and Mary Steenburgen.

Interesting facts about Reggie White

• Reggie White was ranked number 22 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. 
• Reginald Howard "Reggie" White, nicknamed "The Minister of Defense" was a professional American football player who played defensive end for 15 seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers.
• Reggie White retired from football in 1998, but then got a message from God to tell him to continue playing.
• White studied the Torah heavily.
• He also played for two seasons in the United States Football League for the Memphis Showboats.
• Reggie White made 124 sacks with the Eagles.
• White won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year twice.
• As of 2007 his jersey number is one of five to be retired by the Packers.
• Reggie White made 68 sacks with the Packers.
• White played for the Carolina Panthers.
• As of 2007 his jersey number is one of seven to be retired by the Eagles.
• Reggie White went to 13 Pro Bowls. 
• White played for the Green Bay Packers.
• Reggie White was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006, two years after his death.
• After the 1998 season, White retired from professional football. However, in 2000, White was wooed back to the league by the Carolina Panthers. He played for one season as a Panther, then retired again.
• At the time of his retirement, White was the NFL's all-time sacks leader with 198. (He has since been surpassed by Bruce Smith who has 200.) White also recorded three interceptions, which he returned for 79 yards. He recovered nineteen fumbles, which he returned for 137 yards and three touchdowns.
• His nine consecutive seasons (1985–1993) with at least ten sacks remain an NFL record. He was named an All-Pro for thirteen of his fifteen seasons, including eight as a first-team selection.

HIV/AIDS facts

• Approximately 1.1 million persons are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and more than 56,000 new infections occur every single year.
• Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
• HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk
• The number of AIDS cases among women in the U. S. doubles every one to two years.
• The number of U. S. teenagers infected with HIV doubles every 14 months-worldwide, half of all new infections occur in persons between the ages of 15 to 19 years old.
• Genetic research indicates that HIV originated in west-central Africa during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century.
• African American and Hispanic women together account for more than 77% of AIDS cases reported among women, yet represent less than one-fourth of the total female population in the U.S.
• Although treatments for AIDS and HIV can slow the course of the disease, there is currently no known cure or vaccine.
• AIDS is the leading cause of death for all African Americans between the ages of 25 to 44.
• More than half of those reported cases are in the Metro New Orleans area.
• In Louisiana, there have been more than 18,899 individuals infected with HIV. Of those, 11,747 are still living.
• Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but these drugs are expensive and routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all countries.
• AIDS is now a pandemic. In 2007, it was estimated that 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and that AIDS killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. Over three-quarters of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Alaskan Malamute

Alaskan Malamute

• The breed took its name from a native Innuit tribe, the Mahlemuts.
• Most Malamutes today are kept as family pets or show dogs or performance dogs in Weight pulling or Dog agility or packing.
• Alaskan Malamutes take care of their coats so well that some owners only need to bathe their dogs once a year or even less.
• Life Span: 12-14 years
• While intelligent, they are widely believed to be one of the most difficult dogs to train.
• Some people even consider this native Alaskan Arctic breed the oldest sled dog in the world.
• They are great with kids.
• For quite some time, a lot of people believed that Alaskan Malamutes were part wolves.
• This breed is prone to Hip Dysplasia, which may cause arthritis in later years. Also prone to a congenital dwarfism, making it important to carefully select breeders. May also be susceptible to epilepsy, hypothyroid problems, as well as auto-immune deficiencies. 
• Malamutes are quite fond of people, a trait that makes them particularly sought-after family dogs.
• Alaskan Malamutes are naturally bred to outlast the harshest winter conditions, and it can survive in temperatures of about 70 degrees below zero.
• The majority of Malamutes are fairly quiet dogs, seldom barking like most other dog breeds.
• A bill in the Alaska House has been passed to name the Malamute the official state dog of Alaska.

Akita inu facts

Mario Lemieux quick facts

• The most points Mario Lemieux ever scored in an NHL season was 199 in 1988-89.
• Mario's last professional hockey game was on December 16, 2005 vs. Buffalo Sabres. Mario added an assist, but the Pens lost 4-3 in OT. 
• On June 17, 2009, Lemieux was given the honorable title Knight from Quebec Premier Jean Charest.
• Mario Lemieux has a considerable number of records, and stands in comparison along with Wayne Gretzky as one of the best NHL players of all time.
• At the April 2008 Dapper Dan Awards Banquet, Mario Lemieux was named Pittsburgh's all time greatest athlete, beating out sports luminaries like Roberto Clemente, Arnold Palmer and Terry Bradshaw.
• Popular nicknames for Lemieux include "Buries It", "Le Magnifique", "Super Mario" (in reference to the popular video game character), "The Magnificent (One)", and "The Comeback Kid".
• Mario Lemieux has stated that he doesn't want another retirement ceremony. His banner is supposed to be hanging at the Penguins '06 season opener.
• Lemieux was the first former player to own a professional sports team in the modern era.
• He has a tradition of opening his home to young Penguins stars such as Marc-André Fleury and Sidney Crosby until they settle into the Pittsburgh area, as he did with Jaromír Jágr following the 1990 NHL Draft when he lived in Mt. Lebanon.
• On December 31, 1988 - Mario became the first player in NHL history to score a goal five different ways (even strength, power play, short-handed, penalty shot, empty net) in one game in an 8-6 win vs. New Jersey.

Akita Inu facts

Akita dog

• The Akita Inu is a Japanese breed of large dog. Named for Akita Prefecture, where it is thought to have originated
• In 2004, it was reported that the number one cause of mortality among Akitas was cancer.
• The Akita is a powerfully built dog originally developed to hunt bears in Japan. The Japanese now use the Akita as a guard dog and police dog.
• The Akita Inu comes in only five colors: Red, Fawn, Sesame, Brindle, and Pure White.
• Akitas are not prone to barking without reason. They were originally bred to hunt low on the ground, with similar stalking techniques as feral cats.
• In Japan, if a owner can not maintain an Akita, the Japanese government assumed custody.
• During ancient times, mothers in Japan relied heavily on their pet Akitas to take care of their very young children. While mothers worked the fields, their pets played nanny to the children at home.
• The Akita Club of America was founded in 1956.
• Japanese Akitas retained their purebred bloodline because it was jealously guarded by the Japanese people up until World War II.
• Black masks, as seen in the American Akita, are not permitted in the Japanese Akita Inu.
  

Larry Bird facts

Larry Bird

• Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player.
• He is married to Dinah Mattingly.
• The band Dispatch has a song called "Just Like Larry" about Larry Bird, who is their hometown hero from his days as a member of the Boston Celtics.
• He was head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000.
• Larry Bird has 4 brothers and 1 sister.
• Prior to attending Indiana State University, Bird married his high school girlfriend, Janet Condra. The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie, born on August 14, 1977.
• Larry Bird went to Indiana State for college.  
• In 2009, Boston University awarded Larry an Honorary Degree; Doctor of Letters.
• He played 13 seasons for the Boston Celtics.
• Larry Bird was the 1979 College Player of the Year for Indiana State University.
• Larry Bird was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
• Olympic gold medalist (1992).
• Bird has appeared in three movies, Blue Chips, released in 1994 by Paramount, the Warner Brothers film Space Jam with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray in 1996, and Celtic Pride with Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans, which was also released in 1996.
• Larry Bird was elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
• NBA Rookie of the Year (1980)
• He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1978. (sixth overall)
• Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992.
• In a phone commercial when Larry Bird tells Tweety Bird that they are not related, Tweety not only comments on them having the same last name but that they "look an awful lot alike".
• In 2003, Bird assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently holds.

Stan Musial Facts

Stan Musial

• Stanley Frank Musial (Stan Musial) is a retired Polish-American professional baseball player who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.
• Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the fifth of Lukasz and Mary Musial's six children (four girls and two boys).
• At the age of 15, Stan Musial joined the Donora Zincs, a semi-professional team managed by Barbao.
• Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1941 to 1963.
• In Musial's 3,026 major league appearances, he was never ejected from a game.
• Stan Musial accumulated 3,630 hits and 475 home runs during his career, was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and was a member of three World Series championship teams.
• Signed to a professional contract by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was converted into an outfielder prior to his major league debut in 1941.
• In his first full season, 1942, the Cardinals won the World Series.
• Stan Musial won his second World Series ring in 1944, then missed the entire 1945 season while serving with the United States Navy.
• Musial is father to four children from his marriage to wife Lillian: son Richard and daughters Gerry, Janet, and Jeanie.
• Musial compiled 3,630 hits in his career. 1815 hits came on the road and 1,815 hits came at home. 
• Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1969, named on 93.2 percent of the ballots.
• Musial was named a vice president of the St. Louis Cardinals in September 1963, and he remained in that position until after the 1966 season.

Facts about the Airedale Terriers

• The Airedale Terrier is a breed of the terrier type, originating in Airedale, a geographic area in Yorkshire, England.
• Airedale Terriers are medium sized dogs that love water and are very playful.
• Known as "the King of all Terriers", the Airedale Terrier was originally bred to be used as an "all purpose dog".
• Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan named his Airedale Terrier after the fiction character he created: Tarzan.
• Airedale Terriers have stiff coats that seem wiry and bristly.
• The largest of the terrier breeds, the Airedale Terrier stands 23" tall at the shoulder and weighs from 55 to 68 pounds.
• Male dogs average in weight around 50-60 pounds (18-23 kg) and in height around 23-24 inches (58-61-cm) tall. Females are a bit smaller and lighter on average.
• The Airedale Terrier has been the winner of four Best in Show crowns. Best in Show is about the highest honor a dog can get.
• Airedales are intelligent, loyal, and friendly pets or companions.
• President Theodore Roosevelt is remembered as saying, "An Airedale can do anything that any other dog can and then lick the other dog".
• Airedale Terriers were originally bred and developed about a hundred years ago in Yorkshire, England.
• The First Airedale to ever come into America was in 1881 and his name was Bruce. This was the start of the great hunting and working breed we know today.
• Some of the Airedale's many talents include hunting, tracking, guarding, and competitive obedience drills.

Facts about the Afghan Hound

• On August 3, 2005, Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk announced that his team of researchers had become the first team to successfully clone a dog, an Afghan Hound named Snuppy. 
• The Afghan Hound is one of the oldest, if not the first, sighthound dog breed.
• The Afghan Hound has an elegant and aristocratic bearing with a narrow head carried high on a long neck.
• In their native home of Afghanistan these dogs were used to hunt food including hare, gazelles, wolves and even snow leopards.
• The hounds’ long silky coat is usually the color of sand with a darker face.
• The Afghan people originally refused to sell the dogs to outsiders so the first Afghan hound wasn't brought to the United States until 1926.
• Afghans became very fast dogs which helps explain why the breed requires lots of free-running exercise.
• When Afghan hounds find themselves in an overly stressful situation they often refuse to move and sometimes they even go to sleep until the incident or source of stress has passed.
• Afghans have a dignified and somewhat aloof disposition but are also very loyal and affectionate dogs.
• Afghan hounds are also known as Baluchi Hound, Balkh Hound, Barutzy Hound and Kabul Hound.
• Afghans make good watch dogs. 
• In the novel Between the Acts, Virginia Woolf uses an Afghan hound (named Sohrab) to represent aspects of one of the book's human characters.
• Because of its distinctive appearance, the Afghan hound has been represented in animated feature films, including Universal Pictures' Balto (Sylvie), Disney's Lady and the Tramp II (Ruby), an Afghan hound also appeared on 101 Dalmatians and the television series What-a-Mess (Prince Amir of Kinjan).
• This breed lives for 12 to 15 years and is generally healthy although the Afghan has a very low pain tolerance. Afghan dogs have some potential for hip dysplasia and juvenile cataracts.

Fatcs about the Affenpinscher

• The affenpinscher is a terrier-like toy breed of dog.
• The breed is German in origin and dates back to the seventeenth century.
• The Affen has a squarish frame and face, round eyes, a short nose and an undershot jaw (giving its nickname, “the monkey terrier”).
• Its name is derived from the German Affe (ape, monkey). 
• Weighing 7 to 9 pounds (3-4 kg) and not exceeding 11 inches (24-30 cm) in height at the withers, the affenpinscher has harsh rough coat and a monkey-like expression (Affe means monkey in German).
• Today, the Affenpinscher still remains one of the most agile dogs, and they perform well in the increasingly popular sport, Agility.
• Its coat is shaggier over the head and shoulders forming a mane, with shorter coat over the back and hind quarters.
• The Affen is a very curious and mischievous dog, and is better suited to owners who want an active pet (and can take their antics with a sense of humor).
• The affenpinscher is a dog with a shaggy, wiry-type coat.
• Affenpinschers are intelligent, but bore very quickly, making it more difficult to teach complex commands.
• The breed is confident, lively, affectionate towards family members and is also very protective of them.
• Affenpinschers have a distinct appearance that some associate with terriers.
• The affenpinscher has a terrier like personality.
• This loyal little dog enjoys being with its family.
• The affenpinscher is mostly quiet but can become very excited if attacked or threatened and shows no fear toward any aggressor.
• Affenpinschers are somewhat territorial when it comes to their toys and food, so they are not recommended for very small children.
• The affenpinscher is prone to hip dysplasia.
• The affenpinscher had a median lifespan of 11.4 years, which is a typical lifespan for a purebred dog, but a bit lower than most breeds of their size.
• The breed was created to be a ratter, working to remove rodents from kitchens, granaries, and stables.

Interesting facts about Rogers Hornsby

• Rogers Hornsby, nicknamed "The Rajah", was a Major League Baseball second baseman and manager.
• Born: April 27, 1896 in Winters, Texas.
• Hornsby's first name, Rogers, was his mother's maiden name.
• Height: 5’11"
• Rogers Hornsby spent the majority of his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals, though he also had short stints with the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Braves, and the New York Giants, and he ended his career as the player-manager of the St. Louis Browns.
• Married: Sarah Martin (1918), Jeanette Pennington Hine (1924) and Marjorie Berniece Frederick (1957).
• Rogers Hornsby is the only player to win the National League Triple Crown twice.
• Rogers Hornsby was so obsessed with hitting that he refused to watch movies or read newspapers (except to check his batting average) for fear of corrupting his eyesight.
• His career batting average of .358 is the highest in National League history, and also the highest in major league history for any right-handed hitter.
• Seven National League Batting Titles (1920-1925, 1928)
• His batting average for the 1924 season was .424, a mark that no player since has matched.
• Rogers Hornsby is the only member of the 40–400 club—having 40 or more home runs and batting .400 or more in the same season.
• The Baseball Hall of Fame elected Hornsby in 1942.
• Died: January 5, 1963 in Chicago, Illinois.

Gordie Howe facts

• Gordon "Gordie" Howe, OC was born on March 31, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan.
• Gordie Howe was inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
• Howe is often referred to as Mr. Hockey, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
• Howe was born to parents Ab and Kate Howe in a farmhouse in Floral, Saskatchewan – one of nine children.
• At 52 Gordie Howe was the oldest player to ever play in the NHL.
• Howe is most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength, and career longevity.
• Gordie Howe was voted the 3rd Greatest Player of All-Time by the Hockey News in 1997, being the highest rated right winger on the list.
• Gordie was Wayne Gretzky's idol.
• Gordie Howe is the first player to play in 5 decades.
• Gordie Howe finished in the top 5 in NHL scoring for 20 straight seasons.
• The professional hockey teams that Gordie Howe played for were: Detroit Red Wings (NHL) 1947-1971, Houston Aeros 1974-1977, New England Whalers (WHA) 1978-1979, Hartford Whalers (NHL) 1980 and Detroit Vipers (IHL) 1997.
• He was the recipient of the first NHL Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
• Gordie's number 9 was retired by the Detroit Red Wings.
• Gordie Howe played 157 playoff games.
• One record that Gordie still owns is most goals in the NHL and WHA combined, with 975.
• Gordie won four Stanley Cups while with the Detroit Red Wings (1950, 1952, 1954, 1955).
• Gordie Howe retired from the NHL due to a chronic wrist problem.
• Gordie holds the all-time record for games played in the NHL with 1,788.
• Gordie Howe is best known for leading the Detroit Red Wings.
• His name and nickname, "Mr. Hockey", as well as his wife's nickname as "Mrs. Hockey", are registered trademarks.
• Howe was also referred to during his career as Power, Mr. Everything, Mr. All-Star, The Most, The Great Gordie, The King of Hockey, The Legend, The Man, No. 9, and "Mr. Elbows" (for his tough physical play).

Ted Williams facts

Ted Williams

• Theodore Samuel Williams (Ted Williams) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. He played 21 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot.
• Ted Williams was born in San Diego, California as Teddy Samuel Williams, named after his father, Samuel Stuart Williams, and Teddy Roosevelt.
• Ted Williams was the last major league baseball player to bat for over .400 in a single season.
• Nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, and The Thumper, he is widely considered the greatest hitter ever.
• His paternal ancestors were a mix of Welsh and Irish and his maternal ancestors were of Mexican descent.
• Ted Williams would have liked to be a professional fisherman.
• Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice.
• Ted Williams interrupted his Major League career to serve in the military– twice.
• Ted Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs.
• Throughout his career, Ted Williams disliked Boston newspapers because he believed that they focused too much on his personal life as opposed to his splendid career.
• Early in his career, Ted stated that he wished to be known as "The greatest hitter who ever lived," an honor that he achieved in the eyes of many by the end of his career.
• Ted Williams pitched once during his career, on August 24, 1940. He pitched the last two innings in a 12-1 loss to Detroit; Williams allowed one earned run on three hits, while striking out one batter, Rudy York.
• Ted Williams spoke up for Negro League players during his Hall of Fame induction speech. Williams called for recognition of great Negro League players like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, who never got a chance to play in the MLB before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. This was an unprecedented call, but one that was finally met in 1971 with the induction of Paige.

Facts about Lawrence Taylor

linebacker Lawrence Taylor

• Played linebacker for the National Football League's New York Giants (1981-1993).
• Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959) is nicknamed "L.T.".
• Arrested for an alleged rape at a Holiday Inn in Montebello, New York on May 6, 2010
• Defeated Scott 'Bam Bam' Bigelow in WrestleMania XI (1995) (TV).
• Lawrence Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League (NFL).
• The Giants retired his number 56 during the 1994 season.
• After an All-American career at the University of North Carolina (UNC) (1978–1981), Lawrence Taylor was drafted by the Giants as the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft.
• Widely regarded as the best linebacker in NFL history.
• Taylor won a record three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his performance during the 1986 season.
• Lawrence Taylor was selected to 10 straight NFL Pro Bowls, 1981-1990.
• Lawrence Taylor had a controversial lifestyle, during and after his playing career. He admitted to using addictive drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL, and was suspended several times by the league for failing drug tests.
• Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1999.

Johnny Unitas "the Golden Arm"

Johnny Unitas

Quick facts

• John Constantine "Johnny" Unitas was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. 
• He was the National Football League's most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967.
• Unitas was born to Lithuanian immigrant parents in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1933, and grew up in the Brookline neighborhood.
• Johnny Unitas was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
• Johnny Unitas held the record for most Pro Bowl appearances (10) by a quarterback until Brett Favre broke his record in 2009.
• His unusual surname was a result of a phonetic transliteration of a common Lithuanian last name Jonaitis. 
• Since 1987, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award has been awarded to the top senior quarterback of the current year in college football. The award is presented annually in Louisville.
• Unitas was nicknamed "the Golden Arm" and often called "Johnny U".
• Johnny Unitas Tower, a dormitory at the University of Louisville, is named for Johnny Unitas.
• In 1999, ESPN's Sportscentury: 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century ranked Unitas #32.
• In 2004, The Sporting News ranked Johnny Unitas No. 1 among the NFL's 50 Greatest Quarterbacks, with Joe Montana No. 2.
• Johnny guest-starred as himself in The Simpsons episode "Homie the Clown" (first aired February 12, 1995). In the episode "Mother Simpson" (first aired November 19, 1995), Grandpa Simpson also refers to Unitas having a "haircut you could set your watch to."
• Johnny Unitas set the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass at 47 games. This remains unsurpassed as of 2010.
• In 1999, Johnny Unitas was an extra in Runaway Bride. He can be seen about 25 minutes into the movie sitting on the bench outside the bakery.

Bobby Orr

Interesting facts

Bobby Orr

• Robert Gordon Orr is a retired Canadian ice hockey player. 
• A defenceman, Bobby Orr is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time.
• Bobby Orr remains the only defenceman to have won the league scoring title with two Art Ross Trophies and holds the record for most points and assists in a single season by a defenceman.
• Orr won three consecutive Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player, helping Boston to three regular season first-place finishes.
• Bobby Orr was born in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.
• Orr was discovered by the Boston Bruins at a bantam tournament in Ontario, prompting the club to invest $1,000 to sponsor his team and earn his rights.
• Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson negotiated Orr's first contract with the Bruins, a $25,000 salary at a time when the typical maximum rookie salary was $8,000.
• Orr retired having scored 270 goals and 645 assists in 657 games, adding 953 penalty minutes. At the time of his retirement, he was the leading defenceman in league history in goals, assists and points, tenth overall in assists and 19th in points.
• In 1976, despite several knee operations that left him playing in severe pain, Orr was named the most valuable player in the Canada Cup international competition.
• The only players in league history to have averaged more points per game than Bobby Orr are Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Mike Bossy, all of them forwards.
• His number 4 jersey was retired by the Bruins in January 1979. At the ceremony, the crowd at Boston Garden would not stop applauding and as a result, most of the evening's program had to be scrapped at the last second due to the constant cheering.
• Bobby Orr is married to Peggy and they have two children.
• Received Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award in 1970.
• Voted the greatest athlete in Boston history in the Boston Globe newspaper's poll of New Englanders, beating out baseball and basketball stars such as Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Cousy.
• Voted the 2nd greatest hockey player of all time by an expert committee in 1997 by The Hockey News. Orr is behind only Wayne Gretzky and ahead of Gordie Howe as well as being named the top defenceman of all time. 

• Wayne Gretzky facts
  

Tim Duncan "The Big Fundamental"

Tim Duncan

Interesting facts

• Timothy "Tim" Theodore Duncan is a Virgin Islander American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
• Duncan is the current captain of the Spurs.
• Tim Duncan has won the NBA Rookie of the Year, NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice, and has been voted into 12 NBA All-Star Games, 13 All-NBA Teams, and 13 All-Defensive Teams.
• Off the court, Tim Duncan is known for his quiet and unassuming ways, as well as his active philanthropy. 
• Duncan holds an honors degree in psychology. 
• Duncan nickname: "The Big Fundamental"
• Tim Duncan is considered one of the most consistent players in the NBA.
• Because of his versatility and success, basketball experts have spoken of Duncan as one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history, while coach Popovich and team-mates Parker and Ginóbili have also credited much of San Antonio's success to him.
• Duncan's detractors, however, label him as "boring" because of his simple but effective style of play.
• Following his first championship ring in 1999, Sports Illustrated described him as a "quiet, boring MVP", a characterization which persists today.
• Duncan is one of only four players to receive All-NBA First Team honors in each of his first eight seasons (1998–2005), along with Hall of Famers Bob Pettit (ten seasons), Larry Bird (nine seasons), and Oscar Robertson (nine seasons).
• Tim Duncan has two older sisters, Cheryl and Tricia.
• Tim Duncan is the only player in NBA history to receive All-NBA and All-Defensive honors in his first 13 seasons (1997–98 to 2009–10).
• Duncan married his wife Amy in 2001, and the couple had their first child, daughter Sydney, in the summer of 2005, and a second child, a son, during the summer of 2007.
• An avid video game player, he acknowledges a certain joy of playing "himself" on basketball video games.
• Duncan also loves Renaissance fairs and the fantasy role playing game Dungeons and Dragons.

Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer

Berlinetta Boxer

INTERESTING FACTS

• A Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer is one of a series of cars produced by Ferrari in Italy between 1973 and 1984
• No BB was ever originally sold in North America, as Enzo did not believe it to be worth the cost of federalizing. However, third parties made conversions, and quite a few of them are now in the United States.
• Ferrari entered the mid-engined 12-cylinder fray with the Berlinetta Boxer in 1973.
• The first "Boxer" was the 365 GT4 BB shown at the 1971 Turin Motor Show.
• Designed to answer rival the Lamborghini Miura, the Berlinetta was finally released for sale in 1973 at the Paris Motor Show.
• 387 were built, with 88 in right-hand drive (of which 58 for the UK market), making it the rarest of all Berlinetta Boxers.
• The engine on the Boxer shared its internal dimensions with the V12 from the Daytona, but was spread out to 180° as on Ferrari's 1970 Formula One car and was mounted above a five-speed manual transmission.
• 929 BB 512 models were produced.
• The Bosch K-Jetronic CIS fuel injected BB 512i introduced in 1981 was the last of the series.
• 1,007 BB 512i models were produced.

The Porsche Panamera

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Porsche Panamera is a four-door, four-seat luxury saloon/sedan, which was launched in 2009.
• The Panamera's name is derived, like the Porsche Carrera line, from the Carrera Panamericana race.
• In November 2008, the first official image of the Panamera was leaked.
• The Porsche Panamera production model was unveiled at the 13th Auto Shanghai International Automobile Show in Shanghai, China on April 2009.
• The Porsche Panamera and Panamera S are marketed as a direct competitor to full-size luxury cars such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
• The high performance Panamera Turbo competes in the ultra-luxury segment alongside "exotics" such as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte.
• Like the Porsche Cayenne SUV, the Panamera upset many Porsche enthusiasts, since it was seen as an attempt to broaden Porsche's appeal beyond that of hardcore fans.
• In 2008, Porsche AG announced the development of a parallel hybrid system for the Panamera.
• Production began in April 2009, one month after its debut in the Shanghai Motor Show in China. Porsche will keep production rate at around 20,000 cars per year.
• The Panamera comes with the Porsche Traction Management (PTM), which is Porsche's name for its fully-controlled, four-wheel drive system.
• The 2012 Porsche Panamera Hybrid will use the same powertrain as the one on the Cayenne S Hybrid.
• On 27 April 2010, Porsche announced the recall of all 2010 Panameras due to potentially faulty seatbelt mounts.

The Ferrari 360

Ferrari 360 Modena

INTERESTING FACTS

• The Ferrari 360 is a mid-engine midsize two-seater sports car produced from late 1999 until 2005.
• The best-selling Ferrari models ever are the 2000-’05 360 Modena/360 Spider, with 17,500 sold. However, the best-selling single Ferrari model for which a precise figure is available is the 1986-’89 328GTS, at 6068.
• The 360 replaced the Ferrari F355 and was itself replaced by the fairly similar Ferrari F430.
• Nine versions of the basic 360 were produced, of which six were road models: 360 Modena, a fixed roof two-door luxury sports coupe, available with a 6-speed manual or F1 electrohydraulic manual; 360 Spider, a convertible variant of the Modena; Challenge Stradale, an F1 electrohydraulic manual 360 Challenge inspired variant of a 360 Modena; 360 Modena F1, and the 360 Spider F1
• The first model of the 360 to ship was the 360 Modena, named after the town of Modena, the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari.
• Ferrari currently produced about 3,400 cars a year including 360 Modena, 456 M GT, and 550 Maranello.
• The Modena was followed by the 360 Spider, Ferrari's 20th road-going convertible.
• The 360 Spider was regarded a classic even when launched in 2000. Designer Pininfarinas lines are by many regarded as timelessly beautiful and yet sportingly aggressive.
• The Challenge was a track only car. It was a non-road legal variant of the Modena that shed 120 kg (265 lb) of weight by use of carbon fibre and stripping out of all of the road car's luxuries such as leather interior coverings, electric windows and mirrors.

The Lamborghini Murciélago facts

Murciélago

• The Lamborghini Murciélago is a high-performance sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini.
• The Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001 for the 2002 model year, succeeding the famed Diablo supercar in Lamborghini's lineup.
• The Murciélago was the automaker's first new design in eleven years, as well as the first under the ownership of German automaker VW.
• Murciélago is the Spanish name for the bat.
• In a continuation of Lamborghini's tradition of giving its cars names from the world of bullfighting, the Murciélago was named for a fighting bull that survived 28 sword strokes in an 1879 fight against Rafael "El Lagartijo" Molina Sanchez, at the Coso de los califas bullring in Córdoba, Spain.
• First-generation Murciélagos, produced between 2001 and 2006, were powered by a 6.2-litre V12 which traces its roots back to the company's beginnings in the 1960s.
• The Lamborghini Murciélago features scissor doors.
• The fastest Lamborghini is the Le Mans version of the Murcielago R-GT model. It has been reported to have a top speed of 370 km/h.
• The Murciélago Roadster was introduced in 2004 as a 2005 model.
• In 2003, Lamborghini celebrated its 40th anniversary by releasing an Anniversary Edition of the Murciélago.
• The fastest street model from Lamborghini is the Murcielago LP640 with an estimated top speed of 340 km/h.
  

Facts about the Porsche 911 GT3

• The Porsche 911 GT3 was introduced in 1999 as a high performance version of the first water-cooled version of the Porsche 911, the 996.
• The racing versions of the GT3 have won several major 24h races outright, and mainly dominated their class at Le Mans.
• The engine of the GT3 is actually based on the original air-cooled 911's versatile, true dry-sump crankcase, with an external oil tank. The original version of the GT3 had 360 PS (265 kW; 355 hp), compared to the 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp) of the regular 996.
• The Porsche 911 GTI won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998 and Porsche chose not to enter the '99 Le Mans due to not having a factory vehicle that was good enough to defend the overall win against the competition by major automakers.
• The Porsche 911 GT3 continued the 25 year tradition of low-weight RS models that was ended with the 993 RS.
• The new Porsche 997 GT3 R Hybrid made its debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.
• The hybrid technology featured in the car was developed by the Williams Formula One Team and is based on their F1 Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems.

The Ferrari Testarossa "redhead"

Interesting facts

• The word Testarossa is Italian for "redhead".
• The Ferrari Testarossa is a 12-cylinder mid-engine sports car manufactured by Ferrari, which went into production in 1984 as the successor to the Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer.
• In 1995, the F512 M retailed for $220,000.
• The Ferrari Testarossa can accelerate from 0–100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) in 5.8 seconds.
• The Testarossa should not be confused with the Ferrari TR "Testa Rossa" of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which were GT sports cars that ran in the World Sportscar Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• Ferrari and Pininfarina regularly use descriptive terms related to a female's body when describing the style of their automobiles.
• The Testarossa has 16-inch (406 mm) wheels with a width of 8-inch (200 mm) at the front and 10-inch (250 mm) at the rear for both U.S. and International versions.
• The Testarossa Spider, serial number 62897, is the sole official convertible variant of the Testarossa commissioned by Ferrari and designed by Pininfarina to be built.



Testarossa

• Designed by Luigi Colani in 1989, the Testa d'Oro was designed to break land speed records. It was based on a Testarossa with a twin-turbo on its flat-12, outputting 750 hp (559 kW) at 400 rpm and 900 N·m (660 lb·ft) at 5000 rpm.