Born in 1903 to German immigrant farmers in Strasburg, North Dakota, Lawrence Welk grew up speaking German as his first language. He left school after the fourth grade. His dream was simple: to become a professional musician. He convinced his father to buy him an expensive accordion (roughly $5,000 in today’s money) and worked off the debt by toiling on the family farm. By his early twenties, he had formed his own band, playing polkas and waltzes at regional dances....

Why Did Hitler Write Mein Kampf? Hitler wrote Mein Kamp in 1923 while serving a five year sentence in Landsberg Prison after his failed Beer Hall Putsch. He dictated the book to two cell mates Rudolph Hess and Emil Maurice over roughly a year and a half. The idea for writing a book was initially conceived as a way for Hitler to pay down the rather large debt he accumulated as part of his legal defense....

How did the richest person in South Korea end up in jail? This is a doozy of a story, involving bribery, embezzlement, and a former President of South Korea… Jay Lee’s troubles began in 2015 when he was charged with tendering bribes equal to $38 million USD to former South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, and her friend Choi Soon-sil. The bribes were allegedly offered in exchange for government favors benefitting Samsung....

Selected 17th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2011 NBA Draft, Shumpert quickly established himself as a defensive specialist with his tenacious perimeter defense and athletic ability. His career reached its pinnacle during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played a crucial role in the team’s historic 2016 NBA Championship, helping LeBron James and Kyrie Irving overcome a 3-1 series deficit against the Golden State Warriors....

It took some time, but the Bengals’ receivers aren’t going anywhere. Chase signed a four-year, $161 million with $112 million guaranteed. Higgins agreed to a $115 million deal over four years, with the first two years guaranteed. Together, Chase and Higgins will have an average annual value of $69 million. Their combined salaries are more than $10 million higher than any other NFL duo. Chase’s contract also set an individual record—his $40....

Early Life and Amateur Career Born on August 31, 1990, in Accokeek, Maryland, Jarrett Hurd came to boxing relatively late compared to many champions. He didn’t begin training until he was 15 years old, starting at Hillcrest Heights Boxing Gym in Temple Hills, Maryland. Unlike many future professionals who compile extensive amateur records, Hurd had a modest amateur career with approximately 50 fights. Hurd initially took up boxing simply to get in shape, with no professional aspirations....

Piven’s breakthrough came with his portrayal of the brash Hollywood agent Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage” (2004-2011), a role that earned him three consecutive Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. This character became his signature role, known for explosive rants and sharp one-liners. His film work includes supporting roles in “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Heat,” “Old School,” “Smokin’ Aces,” and “The Kingdom.” Piven later starred as the titular character in the British period drama “Mr....

James “Jim” Walton, the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, has built a distinguished career that extends beyond his family’s retail empire. While serving on Walmart’s board of directors until 2016, helping guide the company’s global expansion, Jim’s primary business focus has been banking and finance. As chairman and CEO of Arvest Bank Group, Jim transformed a small Arkansas bank into a regional powerhouse with assets exceeding $20 billion and operations across Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas....

Early Life and Education John Lithgow was born on October 19, 1945, in Rochester, New York. He is the son of Sarah, a retired actress, and Arthur, a theatrical producer and director. John is of European-American ancestry and is a descendant of eight Mayflower passengers. Due to his father’s job, Lithgow frequently moved around the country with his family, settling for a while in Yellow Springs, Ohio. There, he and his siblings were babysat by activist Coretta Scott King....

She appeared in “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole”, “Personal Services”, and “Mack the Knife” to round out the decade. Walters was nominated for her second Academy Award for “Billy Elliot”. She starred in the “Harry Potter” franchise as Molly Weasley, appearing in every film except for “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”. Her more recent credits include “Calendar Girls”, “Ahead of the Class”, “Driving Lessons”, “The Ruby in the Smoke”, “Mamma Mia!...

Early Life and Education Kane Brown was born on October 21, 1993 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a white mother and an African-American and Cherokee father. After his father was incarcerated in 1996, Brown was raised by his mother. Intermittently houseless, the family moved around northwest Georgia before settling in Red Bank, Tennessee. Among the many schools Brown attended was Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School in Georgia, where he sang in the choir....

Kathryn Edwards rose to public prominence as a cast member on the sixth season of Bravo’s hit reality series “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Her one-season stint on the show in 2016 introduced viewers to her straightforward personality and glamorous lifestyle. Before her reality television career, Edwards was known in NFL circles as the wife of two professional football players—first Marcus Allen, with whom her relationship became entangled in the media frenzy surrounding the O....

Early Life and Musical Beginnings Kathy Valentine was born on January 7, 1959, in Austin, Texas. Raised primarily by her single mother, Valentine had an unconventional upbringing that exposed her to music early. A pivotal moment came during a trip to England at age 16 when she saw the all-female rock band Girlschool perform. This experience inspired Valentine to pursue music seriously, showing her that women could rock just as hard as men....

Hughes was drafted by the 76ers in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft. As a free agent, he signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005. At the time, he was brought onto the Cavaliers to provide assistance to the team’s 2003 first overall draft pick, LeBron James. In the 2005–06 season, Larry helped the team to an 18-10 record before he had to undergo surgery on his broken finger....

Born in Uiryeong, South Korea, Lee Kun-Hee graduated from Waseda University in Japan, and attended business school at George Washington University briefly. It was his decision to focus on cutting-edge technology in the 90s, that grew Samsung Electronics into the world’s largest flat screen and semiconductor producer. The company also has an increasingly successful mobile phone arm. In addition to his work at Samsung, he also sat on the International Olympic Committee, and was the driving force behind bringing the 2018 Olympics to South Korea....

Early Life and Career Beginnings Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. She is the daughter of Ziauddin and Tor Yousafzai. Her family is Sunni Muslim, and she has two younger brothers: Khushal and Atal. Yousafzai was mostly educated by her father, a poet and school owner in addition to an educational activist. As early as 2008, Malala began speaking about education rights at local press clubs....

Silvestri has worked on several comics including Batman Black and White #3, Ghosts #104, House of Mystery #292, The Unexpected #222, and Weird War Tales #113 for DC. For Image/Top Cow he has worked on the comic book series 21, Cyberforce, Cyblade/Shi, Darkness, Hunter-Killer, Image United, Codename: Stryke Force, and more. For Marvel he has worked on Civil War: The Initiative, Cloak and Dagger, King Conan, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men, Incredible Hulk, Master of Kung Fu, Star Trek/X-Men, New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Web of Spider-Man, Wolverine, X-Factor, and X-Men: Messiah Complex among others....

The ice skating pair also holds several records such as the first American team to win the World Championship title (they´ve won it twice) and the first Americans to win the Olympic gold medal in ice dancing. Together, they participated in several Olympic Games, most recently winning the gold medal in Sochi 2014 in the ice dancing category. They are also the first ice dance team to win the Grand Prix Final four times, as well as they are the current world record holders for the short dance, free dance and total combined score....

Michael Savage (born Michael Alan Weiner) has established himself as one of America’s most controversial and influential conservative radio personalities. After careers as a health and nutritional ethnobotanist and author of books on herbal medicine, Savage launched “The Savage Nation” radio program in 1994, which eventually became nationally syndicated and reached millions of listeners across the United States. Known for his inflammatory rhetoric and provocative commentary, Savage developed his signature “borders, language, and culture” philosophy advocating for stricter immigration policies, promoting English as America’s primary language, and defending what he sees as traditional American values....

Madison’s film breakthrough came when Quentin Tarantino cast her as Susan “Sadie” Atkins, a member of the Manson Family, in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019). Her disturbing performance in the film’s climactic scene demonstrated her range as an actress. In 2022, Madison joined the “Scream” franchise as Amber Freeman in the fifth installment, delivering a memorable performance as one of the Ghostface killers. She returned for “Scream VI” (2023), further cementing her status in the horror genre....