1.
Arena Football (2006 video game)
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Arena Football is an Arena Football League video game developed by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was released on February 7,2006, the cover features quarterback John Dutton of the Colorado Crush, the champions of ArenaBowl XIX. The game is similar to EAs other simulation games, but adopts a style of play that is similar to the faster. The game includes all the rules, rosters, and teams for the 2006 AFL season, the game was succeeded by Arena Football, Road to Glory. All of the teams competed in the 2006 season are included. The New Orleans VooDoo have been excluded because they have temporarily halted due to Hurricane Katrina. The VooDoo resumed operations in 2007, EA included a number of historic teams in Arena Football. They are awarded to the player upon meeting certain goals in a game. IGN gave the game an 8.3, stating, While the season mode is shallow, online play, GameSpot gave the game a lower score of 6.9, and like IGN, criticized Season Mode. While GameSpot praised the Telemetry system, they commented that the game cannot decide whether it wants to be arcade- or simulation-oriented
2.
Colorado Crush
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The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League as an expansion team, the Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspended operations in 2009. They were last coached by Mike Dailey and owned by a coalition of Denver sports figures led by John Elway. Like the Dallas Desperados, the Crushs branding is partially based on NFL teams, on July 15,2015, the Crush name was acquired by the Indoor Football League franchise formerly known as the Colorado Ice as the trademark for the name expired in 2014 according to their ownership. The Crush competed in the Central Division of the American Conference, after a bad inaugural season in 2003, in which they finished 2-14, the Crush rebounded to go 11-5 and make the playoffs in their second year. On June 12,2005 they won ArenaBowl XIX in Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center over the Georgia Force 51-48, in their fourth year the Crush ended up 11-5, with the American Conference Central title for the second year in a row. In the Divisional Round however, the Crush lost in an upset to the fifth-seeded Chicago Rush 63-46, the teams mascot was an anthropomorphic bull named Crusher. According to team owner Tom Wigley, the trademark of the Crush name expired the year meaning that the original Crush ownership no longer had a say in the use of the name. On Sunday, June 12,2005, the Crush hosted the American Conference Championship game against their division rival, the Chicago Rush. Colorado had the late in the game 43-40 and Defensive Back Rashad Floyd managed to intercept a touchdown pass from Quarterback Matt DOrazio. Chicago would tie the game with kicker Keith Gisperts 17-yard field goal, on Friday, February 6,2004, in a Week 1 contest against the Las Vegas Gladiators, the Crush were still looking for their first home win in franchise history. With 12 points in 12 seconds, Colorado would win 43-42, on the AFLs 20 Greatest Highlights Countdown, this is at #15. On the AFLs 20 Greatest Highlights Countdown, this is at #12
3.
Kansas City Command
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The Kansas City Command were a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League. The team was founded before the 2006 season, former Kansas City Chiefs strong safety Kevin Porter served as head coach. The teams new coach in 2011 was Danton Barto, he also coached the AFLs Las Vegas Gladiators, af2s Memphis Xplorers and Manchester Wolves. The team played at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, the team was owned by a Kansas City local, Chris Likens. One of the most notable co-owners is former Kansas City Chiefs star Neil Smith, captain Max Runway was named the mascot of the team in June 2007. On November 21,2005, the AFL announced that the team would be called the Kansas City Brigade, a stealth bomber, modeled after the B-2 Spirits stationed at nearby Whiteman Air Force Base, would represent the team for its logo. Kevin Porter was named the teams first head coach and they would be placed in the National Conference Southern Division, where they would take New Orleans spot for the year. On February 19,2006, after losing the first three games of their season, the Brigade finally had their first victory 45–24 at home against the Columbus Destroyers. On April 9,2006, after losing games, the Brigade finally managed their second win. On April 22,2006, the Brigade recorded their first road win in history against the Nashville Kats. By the end of the 2006 season, the Brigade finished with a record of 3–13, with the New Orleans VooDoo returning to the leagues National Conference Southern in 2007, the Brigade switched conferences and divisions, as they moved to the American Conference Central. On March 4,2007, in their home-opener, the Brigade defeated the defending Arena Bowl champion Chicago Rush 54–41, the game was broadcast nationally on ABC. The win marked the first time in history that the Brigade were above.500 for the season. On June 8, the Brigade clinched their first-ever playoff berth with a 47–34 victory over the Columbus Destroyers, the Brigade finished the regular season with a 10–6 record. While earning the American Conferences #3 seed, the Brigade hosted their first playoff game on June 30, a matchup, with the American Conferences #6 seed. Unfortunately for the Brigade, they were plagued by injuries and the Crush won 49–42, the 2008 season saw the longest field goal in franchise history. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Quincy Carter, was named the starter on June 3,2008, Carter lost all three of his starts. Quarterback D. Bryant was named to the AFLs 2008 All-Rookie Team, Kansas City returned for the 2011 AFL season and renamed the Kansas City Command
4.
Arena Football League
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The Arena Football League is a professional indoor American football league in the United States. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster, making it the third longest-running professional football league in North America, after the Canadian Football League and the National Football League. The sport was invented in the early 1980s and patented by Foster, an executive of the United States Football League. From 2000 to 2009, the AFL had its own developmental league, the AFL played 22 seasons from 1987 to 2008, internal issues caused the league to cancel its 2009 season, though the af2 did play. Later that year both the AFL and af2 were dissolved and reorganized as a new corporation comprising teams from both leagues, and the AFL returned in 2010, the Arena Football League has its headquarters in Las Vegas. The leagues average attendance since returning in 2010 has been approximately 9,500. After the 2016 season, continuing a pattern of contraction over recent seasons. Jim Foster, a manager with the National Football League. While at the game, he wrote his idea on a 9 x 12 envelope, with sketches of the field and he presented the idea to a few friends at the NFL offices, where he received praise and encouragement for his concept. After solidifying the rules and a plan, and supplemented with sketches by a professional artist. He reached an agreement with NBC for a test game, plans for arena football were put on hold in 1982 as the United States Football League was launched. Foster left the NFL to accept a position in the USFL and he eventually became executive vice-president with the Chicago Blitz, where he returned to his concept of arena football. In 1983, he began organizing the test game in his time from his job with the Blitz. By 1985, the USFL had ceased operations and he began devoting all his time to arena football. The test game was played in Rockford, Illinois, April 27,1986 at the Rockford MetroCentre, interest was high enough following the initial test game that Foster decided to put on a second, showcase, game. The second game was held on February 27,1987 at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago with a budget of $20,000, Foster also invited ESPN to send a film crew to the game, a highlights package aired on SportsCenter. Following the successes of his games, Foster moved ahead with his idea for arena football. He founded the Arena Football League with four teams, the Pittsburgh Gladiators, Denver Dynamite, Washington Commandos, Foster appointed legendary Darrel Mouse Davis, godfather of the run and shoot and modern pro offenses, as executive director of football operations
5.
Indoor American football
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In the United States, indoor football is football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varied, the rules of football are designed to allow for play in a smaller arena. The indoor football season typically begins in mid- to late-winter and ends by mid-summer, the first documented indoor football games were those played at Madison Square Garden in 1902 and 1903, known as the World Series of Pro Football. The games were played on a 70-yard by 35-yard dirt field, poor attendance led to the tournament being discontinued after two years. The first major football game was the 1932 NFL Playoff Game. A dirt floor was brought in, and to compensate for the 80-yard length of the field, in the 1960s the Boardwalk Bowl, a post-season game involving small college teams, was contested at the convention center. The Bowl was an attempt to make Atlantic City more of a resort in the pre-gambling era as opposed to a single-season one. The Philadelphia-based Liberty Bowl game, which had played at Municipal Stadium from 1959–1963, was moved into the Convention Center in 1964 for the contest between Utah and West Virginia. The game drew just over 6,000 fans, though, and the Liberty Bowl moved to Memphis the next year, the end zones were slightly shorter—eight yards instead of the standard ten. He devised his game while watching indoor soccer, another game derived from a sport played outdoors, when the USFL ceased operations, Foster saw his opportunity. He staged a test game in Rockford, Illinois in 1986 and put together a league for a demonstration season in the spring of 1987. This resulted in the field being 50 yards long with eight-yard end zones, and the field being slightly over half as wide as a standard football field. Although it was not as much of an issue then as it is now, Foster adopted artificial turf for the field, Foster adopted a modified version of eight-man football. He also mandated a system that required at least six players go both ways, playing on both offensive and defensive downs. This had the desirable effect of limiting team payrolls. The placing of rebound nets around the ends of the surface, kicked and passed balls bounced off these nets. This means that on every kicking play except an extra point attempt, either team may have a shot to regain the ball and advance it, only kicked or passed balls touching the slack nets behind the goalposts are ruled dead at that point. To further an offensive passing advantage over the defense, Foster also imposed restrictions on the defensive formation
6.
Gridiron football
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Gridiron football, or North American football, is a form of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of football are American football and Canadian football. The grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of lines and hash marks used today. Gridiron football developed in the late 19th century out of the games now known as rugby football. Walter Camp is credited with creating many of the rules that differentiate gridiron football from its older counterparts, because the two sets of lines had the same spacing and were perpendicular, they divided the field into squares, resembling a checkerboard or gridiron pattern. The word gridiron, in use since the 14th century, refers to a grid for cooking food over a fire. As described in Outdoor Sports and Games, by Claude H. Miller, at each end are goal posts set 18 feet 6 inches apart, with a crossbar 10 feet above the ground. The field is marked off in chalk lines similar to a tennis court, the centre of the field where the play starts is 55 yards from either end. The lines on a football field make an effect and have given to the field the name of gridiron. As a result, the name of the field, gridiron, was applied to the game itself, the ball would be snapped in the grid in which it was downed on the previous play. The grid system was abandoned in favor of the system of lines and hash marks used today. Especially outside of the U. S. and Canada, the gridiron and gridiron football are often used to distinguish the North American sport from other codes of football. Gridiron is the word for the sport in Australia and New Zealand. In the United States and Canada, the game is known unambiguously as football, association football is known in these countries as soccer and rugby football, seldom encountered in the U. S. is known as rugby or, especially in Canada, English rugby. American football is the most common and widely known of the football codes. It is played with players to a side, four downs. The premier professional league in the United States, the National Football League, has its own distinct code, colleges in the United States generally play under the code defined in NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations. Youth games generally follow NFHS code with modifications, adult semi-pro, alternative and minor professional, amateur, touch, flag, etc. may follow any one of these codes or use their own rules
7.
Washington Commandos
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The Washington Commandos were an Arena football team based in Fairfax, Virginia. The Commandos were founded in 1987 and were a member of the Arena Football League. The team then known as the Maryland Commandos after the club returned in 1989 season after not playing during the 1988 season. Following the 1989 season, the Commandos moved to Fairfax, Virginia, the team never achieved much success at either of its locations, winning a total of four games in three seasons, including a winless 1989 season. The Commandos had the honor of playing in the first AFL regular season game on June 19,1987, the Commandos picked up their first win in franchise history the following week, when they defeated the Denver Dynamite, by a score of 36-20 in their home opener. The Commandos finished the season with a 2-4 record, a disappointment, after a one-year hiatus, they returned to play in 1989 and operated as the Maryland Commandos. The team went 0-4 in the short abbreviated travelin season of 1989, the Commandos coaching staff consisted of Ray Willsey, Mike Hohensee, Mike Dailey, Jerry Kurz and Rich Salzer. Hohensee, Dailey and Kurz would all go on to members of the Arena Football Hall of Fame. The team returned to the Washington name for their season in 1990. They were coached by Hohensee, who had been promoted from his assistant position, the Commandos started the season 0-3. In 1987 and 1989, the team played its games at the Capital Centre in Landover. For the 1990 season the team was based at the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, in 1999, Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder announced that he would bring an expansion team to DC to be called the Washington Warriors. But after a ten year wait and because of the AFLs canceling its season in 2009, the announcement was made official by AFL commissioner Scott Butera on March 10,2016. It will be the first time since 1990 since the Commandos played in the DC area, on July 14,2016, the team name was revealed as the Washington Valor. The AFLs website shows that the Valors first game will be on April 7,2017 in the Verizon Center against the Baltimore Brigade, note, The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. AFL Official Website Washington Commandos at ArenaFan. com Maryland Commandos at ArenaFan. com
8.
Tampa Bay Storm
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The Tampa Bay Storm are a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, U. S. They were a member of the American Conference in the Arena Football League until the league ceased to be divided into conferences due to contraction. The team, along with the Chicago Bruisers, Denver Dynamite and Washington Commandos, joined the AFL as one of the charter franchises, the franchise was originally located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and known as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The franchise relocated to Tampa Bay in 1991, changing its name in the process, the team played in St. Petersburg from 1991–1996, then in Tampa until 2008, after which point the AFL suspended operations and did not return until the 2010 season following the leagues restructuring. It has been in the city for longer than any other AFL team. During its tenure the franchise won five ArenaBowl championships, with 231 wins at the end of the 2016 season, the Storm has won far more games than any other team in AFL history. However, the current decade has not proven kind to the Storm as the teams last winning record was in the 2010 season, the club is currently owned by Jeffrey Vinik, also the owner of the NHLs Tampa Bay Lightning. Home games are played at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, unlike in the case of Green Bay, Wisconsin, there is no municipality known as Tampa Bay. The Tampa Bay in the names of local professional sports franchises denotes that they represent the entire region, along with its traditional rivals, the Orlando Predators, the Storm shares the Arena Football League record for the longest tenure by a franchise in a single market area. It is also the last of the four franchises to have operated in continuous existence from the formation of the league in 1987 until the present. When arena football was first announced in 1986, Jim Foster targeted Pittsburgh, the franchise was originally known as the Pittsburgh Gladiators, and was one of the original four AFL teams formed in 1987. The team was named by Robert Ninehouser whose entry for the name was selected in 1987. They originally played their games at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. On June 19,1987, the Gladiators defeated the Washington Commandos 48–46 in the first ever AFL regular season game, the Gladiators participated in ArenaBowls I and III, losing both. The team moved from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Tampa, Florida in 1991, the Cleveland Arena Football League franchise now bears the Gladiators name, however, the two organizations share no link in history nor records. The Storm won the ArenaBowl in its first season in Tampa Bay and has won four subsequent championships, up to the 2006 season, the Storm had qualified for the playoffs in every season but one during their time in Tampa Bay. The team played in the former Thunder Dome in St. Petersburg from 1991–1996, since 1997, the team has played its home games in the Amalie Arena which is located in Tampa. After the 1994 season, Greis sold the team to Peter Woody Kern for $850,000, kerns first move as the Storm owner was the hiring of coach Tim Marcum, who is widely regarded as the greatest coach in Arena Football history
9.
China Arena Football League
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The China Arena Football League is a professional arena football league that plays its games in China. The league began play in the fall of 2016 and it is the first professional American football league to play in China. The CAFL is not directly affiliated with the AFL and is owned by AFL Global, LLC. In August 2012, Ganlan Media International received exclusive rights from the AFL to establish a new Chinese arena football league, the project was headed up by Martin E. Judge, Jr. and Ron Jaworski, who are both part of the Philadelphia Souls ownership group. The CAFL has been branded as AFL China, the China American Football League, the China Arena Football League has stuck as the leagues official name. AFL coaches and trainers traveled to China to help teach the rules of the sport to squads made up of Chinese, AFL China and Ganlan Media were created in 2012 by businessman Martin E. Judge, Jr. founder and owner of the Judge Group. The company, called AFL Global, LLC, looks to introduce and launch professional Arena Football teams and this would be the first time professional football of any kind will be played in China with the support of the Chinese government and the CRFA. West set-up featured AFL players, led by quarterbacks Dan Raudabaugh for the East All-Stars, clint Dolezel coached the East and Kevin Guy coached the West. The East won that contest 67–63, the East won that game 69–52. Ganlan Media has since dropped its name and AFL Global. In October 2014, the Chaoyang Sports Centre in Beijing hosted the 2014 Chinese Rugby Festival to help continue to showcase the new sport in China, shandong defeated Hebei 46–42 to win the trophy and thus cementing the CAFLs plans for a 2015 launch. Despite being marketed as a game, the inaugural games were played outdoors. The first government-sanctioned CAFL games were to be played in the fall of 2015, the 2016 season was known as the Super Series. The championship game was called the China Bowl, the league held its first draft on June 10,2016. 120 players were drafted with 60 of them being Americans, including 43 who have AFL experience,60 players from China or players who are of Chinese descent were selected as well. The leagues footballs are provided by Spalding, in September 2016, Xenith became the CAFLs exclusive equipment partner and Legend Sportswear became the CAFLs exclusive jersey and merchandise partner. In 2016, all of the games will be shown in China on iQiyi. Martin E. Judge, Jr. – Founder & Chairman Ron Jaworski – Partner David Niu – President Gary R, China Arena Football League official website Chinese language site
10.
American football
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The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team, if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs. Points are primarily scored by advancing the ball into the teams end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponents goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins, American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of association football and rugby football. The first game of American football was played on November 6,1869, during the latter half of the 1870s, colleges playing association football switched to the Rugby Union code, which allowed carrying the ball. American football as a whole is the most popular sport in the United States, Professional football and college football are the most popular forms of the game, with the other major levels being high school and youth football. As of 2012, nearly 1.1 million high school athletes and 70,000 college athletes play the sport in the United States annually, almost all of them men, in the United States, American football is referred to as football. The term football was established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season. The terms gridiron or American football are favored in English-speaking countries where other codes of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, American football evolved from the sports of association football and rugby football. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6,1869 between Rutgers and Princeton, two college teams, the game was played between two teams of 25 players each and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head or sides, Rutgers won the game 6 goals to 4. Collegiate play continued for years in which matches were played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia, Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19,1873 to create a set of rules for all schools to adhere to. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet were specified, Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. An 1875 Harvard-Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two impressed Princeton athletes and these players introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to selling refrigerators to Eskimos. Princeton, Harvard, Yale and Columbia then agreed to play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, although Yale did not join until 1879, the introduction of the snap resulted in unexpected consequences. Prior to the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position, however, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they now could hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, both teams in a game between Yale-Princeton used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records, each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0-0 tie
11.
Canadian football
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In Canada, the term football may refer to Canadian football and American football collectively, or to either sport specifically, depending on context. The two sports have shared origins and are related but have significant differences. Rugby football in Canada originated in the early 1860s, and over time, active teams such as the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats have similar longevity. The CFL is the most popular and only major professional Canadian football league and its championship game, the Grey Cup, is one of Canadas largest sporting events, attracting a broad television audience, though it has been shrinking in recent years. In 2009, about 40% of Canadas population watched part of the game, in 2014, it was closer to 33%, great achievements in Canadian football are enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame located in Hamilton, Ontario. Other organizations across Canada perform senior league Canadian football during the summer, the first documented football match was a practice game played on November 9,1861, at University College, University of Toronto. One of the participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was Sir William Mulock, a football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play at this stage are unclear. The first written account of a game played was on October 15,1862 and it was between the First Battalion Grenadier Guards and the Second Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards resulting in a win by the Grenadier Guards 3 goals,2 rouges to nothing. In 1864, at Trinity College, Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland, Frederick A. Bethune, the game gradually gained a following, with the Hamilton Football Club formed on November 3,1869. Montreal formed a team April 8,1872, Toronto was formed on October 4,1873, and this rugby-football soon became popular at Montreals McGill University. McGill challenged Harvard University to a game, in 1874 using a game of English rugby devised by the University of McGill. Later both the Ontario and Quebec Rugby Football Union were formed, and then the Interprovincial and Western Interprovincial Football Union, the CRFU reorganized into an umbrella organization forming the Canadian Rugby Union in 1891. The original forerunners to the current Canadian Football League, was established in 1956 when the IRFU and WIFU formed an umbrella organization, and then in 1958 the CFC left The CRFU to become the CFL. The Burnside rules closely resembling American football that were incorporated in 1903 by The ORFU, was an effort to distinguish it from a more rugby-oriented game, the rules were an attempt to standardize the rules throughout the country. The CIRFU, QRFU and CRU refused to adopt the new rules at first, the primary differences between the Canadian and American games stem from rule changes that the American side of the border adopted but the Canadian side did not. The Canadian field width was one rule that was not based on American rules, as the Canadian game was played in wider fields, initially an amateur competition, it eventually became dominated by professional teams in the 1940s and early 1950s. The Ontario Rugby Football Union, the last amateur organization to compete for the trophy, the move ushered in the modern era of Canadian professional football. Canadian football has mostly been confined to Canada, with the United States being the other country to have hosted high-level Canadian football games
12.
Patent
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A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for detailed public disclosure of an invention. An invention is a solution to a technological problem and is a product or a process. Patents are a form of intellectual property, the procedure for granting patents, requirements placed on the patentee, and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely between countries according to national laws and international agreements. Typically, however, a patent application must include one or more claims that define the invention. A patent may include many claims, each of which defines a specific property right and these claims must meet relevant patentability requirements, such as novelty, usefulness, and non-obviousness. Nevertheless, there are variations on what is patentable subject matter from country to country, the word patent originates from the Latin patere, which means to lay open. More directly, it is a version of the term letters patent. Similar grants included land patents, which were land grants by early state governments in the USA, and printing patents, a precursor of modern copyright. In modern usage, the term patent usually refers to the granted to anyone who invents any new, useful. The additional qualification utility patent is used to distinguish the primary meaning from these other types of patents. Particular species of patents for inventions include biological patents, business method patents, chemical patents, the period of protection was 10 years. These were mostly in the field of glass making, as Venetians emigrated, they sought similar patent protection in their new homes. This led to the diffusion of patent systems to other countries, by the 16th century, the English Crown would habitually abuse the granting of letters patent for monopolies. After public outcry, King James I of England was forced to revoke all existing monopolies, the Statute became the foundation for later developments in patent law in England and elsewhere. Important developments in patent law emerged during the 18th century through a process of judicial interpretation of the law. During the reign of Queen Anne, patent applications were required to supply a complete specification of the principles of operation of the invention for public access. Influenced by the philosophy of John Locke, the granting of patents began to be viewed as a form of property right. The English legal system became the foundation for patent law in countries with a common law heritage, including the United States, New Zealand, in the Thirteen Colonies, inventors could obtain patents through petition to a given colonys legislature
13.
National Football League
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The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
14.
United States Football League
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The United States Football League was an American football league that played for three seasons,1983 through 1985. The league played a schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, however, the USFL ceased operations before its fourth season was scheduled to begin. Dixon had been a key player in the construction of the Louisiana Superdome and he developed The Dixon Plan—a blueprint for the USFL based upon securing NFL-caliber stadiums in top TV markets, securing a TV deal, and controlling spending—and found investors willing to buy in. The USFL had no salary cap, and some teams quickly escalated player payrolls to unsustainable levels despite pledges to keep costs under control. These problems were worsened as some owners began engaging in bidding wars for star players against NFL teams and each other, on the field, the USFL was regarded as a relatively good product. The Michigan Panthers won the first USFL championship in 1983, in 1985, the USFL voted to move from a spring to a fall schedule in 1986 to compete directly with the NFL. This was done at the urging of New Jersey Generals majority owner Donald Trump, as part of this strategy, the USFL filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the National Football League in 1986, and a jury ruled that the NFL had violated anti-monopoly laws. However, in a victory in only, the USFL was awarded a judgment of just $1. This court decision effectively ended the USFL, the league never played the 1986 season, and by the time it folded, it had lost over US$163 million. The USFL is historically significant in part for the level of talent that played in the league, a number of NFL veterans of all talent levels played in the USFL. It is true that some NFL backups such as quarterbacks Chuck Fusina and Cliff Stoudt, G Buddy Aydelette, however, many NFL backups struggled or did not make it in the USFL. The USFL was the brainchild of David Dixon, a New Orleans antiques dealer, in 1965, he envisioned football as a possible spring and summer sport. Over the next 15 years, he studied the last two challengers to the NFLs dominance of pro football—the American Football League and the World Football League, in 1980, he commissioned a study by Frank Magid Associates that found promising results for a spring and summer football league. He also assembled a list of prospective franchises located in markets attractive to a television partner. With respected college and NFL coach John Ralston as the first employee, Dixon signed up 12 cities—nine where there already were NFL teams, the Dixon Plan called for teams in top TV markets to entice the networks into offering the league a TV deal. All but two of the 12 initial teams were located in the top 13 media markets in the US. After almost two years of preparation, Dixon formally announced the USFLs formation at the 21 Club in New York City on May 11,1982, ESPN president Chet Simmons was named the leagues first commissioner in June 1982
15.
AF2
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AF2 was the name of the Arena Football Leagues developmental league, it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the arena football rules. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup championship in August, the AF2 continued to operate while the AFL suspended operations for its 2009 season. The league was disbanded in September 2009 when no team committed to playing in 2010. Like most other sports leagues, the AF2 existed to develop football players and also to help players adapt to the style. In addition, the AF2 was similar to minor leagues because AF2 teams played in smaller cities. Also in common with other professional sports leagues, players also earned less than in the AFL. The AF2 was founded in 1999 by the Arena Football League in an attempt to bring the game to mid-sized markets following the success of AFL on the national level. The AF2 was not intended to be a system for the AFL like the American Hockey League and Minor League Baseball are to the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball. The league was designed as a league that would develop the players in the interest of the higher league as a whole. The lack of AFL–AF2 team affiliations would prevent the AFL from stashing players in the league for later use. Players in the AF2 were signed to contracts, after the expiration of which they essentially became free agents to sign with whichever league. Each of these leagues, though they would fold, managed to last for multiple seasons. With Jim Fosters patent on arena football, the AF2 had the advantage of being the game as was being seen on the national level with the use of the rebound nets. Working on a scale, the AF2 would try to capitalize on local and regional rivalries. The Xtreme Football League was another upstart league trying to capitalize on the arena football phenomenon, although a logo was developed and venues had begun to be lined up, the league and its nine teams were purchased by the AF2 on July 29,1999. The AF2 finally took the field in March 2000 in a game between the Birmingham Steeldogs and Tennessee Valley Vipers, fifteen teams were fielded in 2000 with the rights for several more cities quickly secured. The Orlando Predators also purchased the competitor Indoor Football League, several teams would be absorbed into the AF2 for the 2001 season
16.
Madison Square Garden
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Madison Square Garden, often called MSG or simply The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Located in Midtown Manhattan between 7th and 8th Avenues from 31st to 33rd Streets, it is situated atop Pennsylvania Station. The Garden is used for basketball and ice hockey, as well as boxing, concerts, ice shows, circuses, professional wrestling and other forms of sports. It is close to other midtown Manhattan landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Koreatown and it is home to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League, the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association, and residency to singer-songwriter Billy Joel. The Garden opened on February 11,1968, and is the oldest major sporting facility in the New York metropolitan area and it is the oldest arena in the National Hockey League and the second-oldest arena in the National Basketball Association. MSG is the fourth-busiest music arena in the world in terms of sales, behind The O2 Arena. At a total construction cost of approximately $1.1 billion and it is part of the Pennsylvania Plaza office and retail complex. Several other operating entities related to the Garden share its name, Madison Square is formed by the intersection of 5th Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in Manhattan. It was named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States, two venues called Madison Square Garden were located just northeast of the square, the first from 1879 to 1890, and the second from 1890 to 1925. The first Garden, leased to P. T. Barnum, had no roof and was inconvenient to use during inclement weather, Madison Square Garden II was designed by noted architect Stanford White. The new building was built by a syndicate which included J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, P. T. Barnum, Darius Mills, James Stillman and W. W. Astor. It was 200 feet by 485 feet, and the main hall and it had a 1, 200-seat theatre, a concert hall with a capacity of 1,500, the largest restaurant in the city and a roof garden cabaret. A third Madison Square Garden opened in a new location, on 8th Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, from 1925 to 1968, groundbreaking on the third Madison Square Garden took place on January 9,1925. Designed by the theater architect Thomas W. Lamb, it was built at the cost of $4.75 million in 249 days by boxing promoter Tex Rickard. The arena was 200 feet by 375 feet, with seating on three levels, and a capacity of 18,496 spectators for boxing. Demolition commenced in 1968 after the opening of the current Garden and it finished up in early 1969, and the site is now where One Worldwide Plaza is located. The new structure was one of the first of its kind to be built above the platforms of a railroad station. It was an engineering feat constructed by Robert E. McKee of El Paso, public outcry over the demolition of the Pennsylvania Station structure—an outstanding example of Beaux-Arts architecture—led to the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
17.
Chicago
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Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the third-most populous city in the United States. With over 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the state of Illinois, and it is the county seat of Cook County. In 2012, Chicago was listed as a global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Chicago has the third-largest gross metropolitan product in the United States—about $640 billion according to 2015 estimates, the city has one of the worlds largest and most diversified economies with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce. In 2016, Chicago hosted over 54 million domestic and international visitors, landmarks in the city include Millennium Park, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum Campus, the Willis Tower, Museum of Science and Industry, and Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicagos culture includes the arts, novels, film, theater, especially improvisational comedy. Chicago also has sports teams in each of the major professional leagues. The city has many nicknames, the best-known being the Windy City, the name Chicago is derived from a French rendering of the Native American word shikaakwa, known to botanists as Allium tricoccum, from the Miami-Illinois language. The first known reference to the site of the current city of Chicago as Checagou was by Robert de LaSalle around 1679 in a memoir, henri Joutel, in his journal of 1688, noted that the wild garlic, called chicagoua, grew abundantly in the area. In the mid-18th century, the area was inhabited by a Native American tribe known as the Potawatomi, the first known non-indigenous permanent settler in Chicago was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. Du Sable was of African and French descent and arrived in the 1780s and he is commonly known as the Founder of Chicago. In 1803, the United States Army built Fort Dearborn, which was destroyed in 1812 in the Battle of Fort Dearborn, the Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi tribes had ceded additional land to the United States in the 1816 Treaty of St. Louis. The Potawatomi were forcibly removed from their land after the Treaty of Chicago in 1833, on August 12,1833, the Town of Chicago was organized with a population of about 200. Within seven years it grew to more than 4,000 people, on June 15,1835, the first public land sales began with Edmund Dick Taylor as U. S. The City of Chicago was incorporated on Saturday, March 4,1837, as the site of the Chicago Portage, the city became an important transportation hub between the eastern and western United States. Chicagos first railway, Galena and Chicago Union Railroad, and the Illinois, the canal allowed steamboats and sailing ships on the Great Lakes to connect to the Mississippi River. A flourishing economy brought residents from rural communities and immigrants from abroad, manufacturing and retail and finance sectors became dominant, influencing the American economy. The Chicago Board of Trade listed the first ever standardized exchange traded forward contracts and these issues also helped propel another Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the national stage
18.
Rockford, Illinois
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Rockford is the third largest city in the U. S. It is the county seat of Winnebago County and is located on banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Settled between 1834 and 1835, Rockford was strategically positioned between Chicago and Galena and thus suitable for industrial development. Rockford was notable for its output of heavy machinery and tools, by the century, it was the second leading center of furniture manufacturing in the nation. Its contributions to music are noted in the Mendelssohn Club, the oldest music club in the nation, Rockford was founded by New Englanders in 1834 as separate settlements on each side of the river and originally called Midway. At the time Rockford was founded its inhabitants consisted almost entirely of New Englanders and these were Yankee settlers, meaning they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England during the early 1600s. They made up all of Winnebego Countys inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. In this regard the county was similar to most of the portion of the state of Illinois. After the conclusion of the Black Hawk War there was a surge of immigration from New England. As a result of this heritage the inhabitants of Winnebego County considered themselves, and functioned as, in the Presidential election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln won 3,985 votes in Winnebago County, whereas Steven Douglas only won 817 votes. It was established as the county seat over rivaling communities, Winnebago, due to the areas proximity to a ford across the Rock River, the village of Midway was renamed Rockford in 1837 by arriving New Englanders. Rockford was chartered as a city in 1852, following the establishment of a post office in 1837, growth was fueled by the charter of Rockford Female Seminary in 1847 and a connection to the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad in 1852. The New York Tribune inspired the metonym The Forest City for Rockford in 1853, the decision of John Henry Manny to locate production of his horse-powered combine harvester in Rockford attributed to a local rise in agricultural machinery manufacturing. Swedish furniture cooperatives did the same for their respective industry, in the antebellum period, Rockford shared abolitionist leanings, lending considerable support to the Free Soil Party. In 1848,42 percent of voters in Winnebago County, which Rockford dominated as the county seat, the Rockford Female Seminary became the alma mater of Jane Addams in 1881. This move accompanied the Seminarys transition into a complete curriculum. Culture flourished with the founding of the Mendelssohn Club in 1884 and this was complemented by the construction of a Carnegie library in 1902, which became the first building of Rockfords public library system. 1903 saw the dedication of the Winnebago County Veterans Memorial Hall in the presence of sitting President Theodore Roosevelt, Roosevelt returned to Rockford during his campaign in 1912 and later to address the soldiers at Camp Grant, a training site for World War I soldiers
19.
Allstate Arena
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Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League, the DePaul Blue Demons mens basketball team from DePaul University, and it is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and OHare International Airport. The facility opened in 1980 as Rosemont Horizon and seats 18,211 for basketball and 17,500 for ice hockey. The Village of Rosemont issued $19 million in bonds to finance the cost of the arena with exclusive contracts with Araserv, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and MFG International. On August 13,1979, the roof of the Rosemont Horizon collapsed, killing five construction workers. The collapse was featured in the Engineering Disasters episode of Modern Marvels and it was also intended to be the home of the WHAs Chicago Cougars, but the team folded in 1975, three years before construction on the arena started. The first concert held at the Horizon was Fleetwood Mac on May 15,1980, the Rosemont Horizon was featured in many music videos, including the 1985 music video Big City Nights by Scorpions. Insurance company Allstate signed a 10-year contract worth more than $10 million on June 9,1999, to acquire naming rights to the arena and renovate it. On December 14,2003, the floor at the Allstate Arena was named Ray and Marge Meyer Court in honor of Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Meyer, Meyer coached DePauls mens team for 42 seasons and is the schools all-time winningest coach. Allstate Arena is primarily known as the home of DePaul University mens basketball since the programs 74–56 win over Gonzaga on December 1,1980, the Blue Demons previously played on campus at Alumni Hall. That gym has since replaced with McGrath-Phillips Arena, the home to the womens basketball program. The building hosted the NCAA basketball tournament three times, the 1987 and 1993 Midwest Regional first and second-round games, and the 2005 Chicago Regional Finals, the Arena Football League also has a long history with Allstate Arena. The Horizon hosted an arena football test game in 1987 and the Chicago Bruisers were an original Arena Football League team when the league began in 1987, the Bruisers played from 1987 to 1989, and hosted ArenaBowl II in Rosemont, losing to the Detroit Drive, 24-13. In 2001, Arena Football returned to the arena with the Chicago Rush, the Rush increased its home attendance each year from 2001 to 2008, and from 2004 to 2008 averaged between 14,000 and 16,000 fans per game. The Rushs highest home attendance is 16,391 on June 23,2007 against the Kansas City Brigade, after the AFL restructured in 2009, the Rush returned to the Arena Football League. The Allstate Arena is also the venue when WWE visits Chicago. It is one of two venues to host WrestleMania three times, namely the second segment of WrestleMania II in 1986, WrestleMania 13 in 1997, wrestlemania 22 is also notable for being the last WrestleMania to date to be held in a smaller arena. Due to the rapid growth in popularity, from WrestleMania 23 at Detroits Ford Field
20.
ESPN
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ESPN is a U. S. -based global cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc. a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Corporation. ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut, the network also operates offices in Miami, New York City, Seattle, Charlotte, and Los Angeles. John Skipper currently serves as president of ESPN, a position he has held since January 1,2012, as of February 2015, ESPN is available to approximately 94,396,000 paid television households in the United States. In 2011, ESPNs history and rise was chronicled by These Guys Have All the Fun, Bill Rasmussen conceived the concept of ESPN in late May 1978, after he was fired from his job with the World Hockey Associations New England Whalers. One of the first steps in Bill and his son Scotts process was finding land to build the channels broadcasting facilities, the Rasmussens first rented office space in Plainville, Connecticut. However, the plan to base ESPN there was put on hold because a local ordinance prohibiting buildings from bearing rooftop satellite dishes and this helped the credibility of the fledgling company, however there were still many doubters to the viability of their sports channel concept. ESPN launched on September 7,1979, beginning with the first telecast of what would become the flagship program. Taped in front of a live audience inside the Bristol studios. ESPNs next big break came when the acquired the rights to broadcast coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament. It first aired the NCAA tournament in March 1980, creating the modern day television event known as March Madness. The channels tournament coverage also launched the career of Dick Vitale. In April of that year, ESPN created another made-for-TV spectacle, the next major stepping stone for ESPN came over the course of a couple of months in 1984. During this time period, the American Broadcasting Company purchased 100% of ESPN from the Rasmussens, for years, the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball refused to consider cable as a means of broadcasting some of their games. However, with the backing of ABC, ESPNs ability to compete for major sports contracts greatly increased, later in 1984, the U. S. ESPNs Sunday Night Football games would become the highest-rated NFL telecasts for the next 17 years. In 1992, ESPN launched ESPN Radio, a sports talk radio network providing analysis. It became the fastest growing cable channel in the U. S. during the 1990s, ownership of ABC, and in effect control of ESPN, was acquired first by Capital Cities Communications in 1985, and then by The Walt Disney Company in 1996. In 2012, ESPN generated more revenue for Disney than any of its other properties combined, alongside its live sports broadcasts, ESPN also airs a variety of sports highlight, talk, and documentary-styled shows. 30 for 30 started airing in 2009 and continues airing to this day, each episode is through the eyes of a well known filmmaker and has featured some of the biggest directors in Hollywood
21.
United Airlines
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United Continental Holdings, Inc. commonly referred to as United, is a major American airline headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It is the worlds third-largest airline when measured by revenue, operates a domestic and international route network. In the late 1920s, just prior to the use of the United Airlines name, The Boeing Company, currently one of the worlds largest aircraft manufacturers, United was previously known as United Air Lines. United is a member of Star Alliance, the worlds largest global airline alliance. Regional service is operated by independent carriers under the brand name United Express and its main competitors are American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines. United operates out of nine airline hubs located in Chicago, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D. C. Chicago-OHare is Uniteds largest hub, both in terms of passengers carried annually and in terms of departures 181,488 in 2016) and this passed George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, which carried 15.5 million with 178,019 departures. The company employs over 86,000 people while maintaining its headquarters in Chicagos Willis Tower, through the airlines parent company, United Continental Holdings, it is publicly traded under NYSE, UAL with a market capitalization of over $18 billion as of September 2014. United operates maintenance bases in Cleveland and Orlando in addition to the maintenance locations located at Uniteds hubs, United Airlines traces its roots to the Varney Air Lines air mail service of Walter Varney, who also founded Varney Speed Lines from which Continental Airlines had originated. In 1927, aviation pioneer William Boeing founded his airline Boeing Air Transport to operate the San Francisco to Chicago air mail route, in 1933, United began operating the Boeing 247 airliner. It was able to fly a transcontinental flight in 20 hours, after passage of the Air Mail Act in 1934, UATC separated into United Aircraft, the Boeing Airplane Company and United Air Lines. In 1954 United Airlines became the first airline to purchase modern flight simulators which had visual, sound, purchased for US$3 million from Curtiss-Wright, these were the first of todays modern flight simulators for training of commercial passenger aircraft pilots. United merged with Capital Airlines in 1961 and regained its position as the United States largest airline, in 1968, the company reorganized, creating UAL Corporation, with United Airlines as a wholly owned subsidiary. In 1970, the UAL Corporation acquired Western International Hotels, the 1970s also saw economic turmoil, resulting in stagflation and labor unrest. The 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, resulting in industry shakeups, further added to the difficulties in a loss-making period. In 1982, United became the first carrier to operate the Boeing 767, in May 1985, the airline underwent a 29-day pilot strike over managements proposed B-scale pilot pay rates. Making it one of two US carriers permitted exclusive access to Heathrow under Bermuda II until open skies took effect in 2008, the aftermath of the Gulf War and increased competition from low-cost carriers led to losses in 1991 and 1992. In 1995, United became the first airline to introduce the Boeing 777 in commercial service, in 1997, United co-founded the Star Alliance airline partnership
22.
Holiday Inn
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Holiday Inn is an American brand of hotels, and a subsidiary InterContinental Hotels Group. Founded as a U. S. motel chain, it has grown to be one of the worlds largest hotel chains, the hotel chain is based in Atlanta, Georgia. C. Their first hotel/motel opened in August 1952 as Holiday Inn Hotel Courts at 4925 Summer Avenue in Memphis, in the early 1990s, it was demolished, leaving behind a plaque commemorating the site. Wilson partnered with Wallace E. Johnson to build additional motels on the roads entering Memphis, at the time Holiday Inns corporate headquarters was in a converted plumbing shed owned by Johnson. In 1953, the company built its three hotels which, along with their first hotel, covered the roads that led to Memphis. The second motel was built on U. S.51 South and it was followed by two more in 1953, one on Highway 51 North, and another on U. S.61. Upon Johnsons death in 1988, Wilson was quoted as saying and he was the greatest partner a man could ever have. What they started together, with Wilson later helming the project, became the Holiday Corporation, by the beginning of 1956, there were 23 Holiday Inns operating with seven more due to open by the years end. In 1957, Wilson began marketing the chain as Holiday Inn of America, mandating its properties be standardized, clean, predictable, family-friendly, and readily accessible to road travelers. The chain grew dramatically as a result, with 50 locations across the country by 1958,100 by 1959,500 by 1964, and the 1, 000th Holiday Inn opening in 1968. In 1965, the chain launched Holidex, a reservation system where a visitor to any Holiday Inn could obtain reservations, by teleprinter. The only comparable systems at the time were operated by airlines, by June 1972, with over 1,400 Holiday Inns worldwide, Wilson was featured on the cover of Time magazine and the franchises motto became The Worlds Innkeeper. In the 1960s, Holiday Inn began franchising and opening campgrounds under the Holiday Inn Trav-L-Park brand and these recreational campgrounds were listed in the Holiday Inn directories. S. and Interstate highways. The arrangement was copied by competing lodging chains and major oil companies during the mid-to-late 1960s, the Gulf/Holiday Inn arrangement ended around 1982. In 1971, the company constructed the Holiday Inn University and Conference Center, in 1973, the company built the Olive Branch Airport north of the University as a home base for its corporate aircraft. Wilson also developed the Orange Lake Resort and Country Club near Orlando, the acquisition of Trailways in 1968 lasted until 1979, when Holiday Inn sold Trailways to private investor Henry Lea Hillman Sr of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the years during which Trailways was a subsidiary of Holiday Inn, Wilson retired from Holiday Inn in 1979. As of 2014, Wilsons family still operates hotels as part of the Kemmons Wilson Companies of Memphis, the Great Sign was the roadside sign used by Holiday Inn during its original era of expansion from the 1950s to 1970s
23.
Wilson Sporting Goods
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The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. Since 1989, it has been a subsidiary of the Finnish group Amer Sports. The company traces its roots to the Schwarzschild & Sulzberger meatpacking company based in New York, Sulzberger & Sons founded the Ashland Manufacturing Company in 1913 to use animal by-products from its slaughterhouses. It started out making tennis racket strings, violin strings, and surgical sutures but soon expanded into baseball shoes and tennis racquets. In 1915, Thomas E. Wilson, former president of meatpacker Morris & Company, was appointed President by the controlling banks, the company acquired the Hetzinger Knitting Mills to produce athletic uniforms and a caddie bag company which produced golf balls but soon expanded into footballs and basketballs. In 1918, Wilson left to concentrate on the beef-packing business, the packing company continued to have control in the company until 1966 when it was sold to LTV. Icely it acquired the Chicago Sporting Goods Company and struck a deal to supply the Chicago Cubs and it also hired Arch Turner, a leather designer who would design the leather football. In 1922, it introduced the Ray Schalk catchers mitt which became the standard and it worked with Knute Rockne to introduce the double-lined leather football and first valve football and the first waist-line football pants with pads. In 1925, it was renamed Wilson-Western Sporting Goods following an agreement with Western Sporting Goods. After Rocknes death, the focused on golf, introducing the R-90. In 1931, it renamed itself Wilson Sporting Goods Company, Horween Leather Company has supplied Wilson with pebbled cowhide since 1941 for use in the manufacture of footballs and basketballs. Wilson is Horween Leather Companys largest customer, after the war, Wilson focused on tennis and signed Jack Kramer, who developed its line of Jack Kramer signed tennis rackets. Icley died in 1950 but the continued to expand with many believing that Icelys introduction of a computer to monitor inventory had been a huge help. In 1955, it acquired Ohio-Kentucky Manufacturing for making footballs, in 1964 it acquired Wonder Products Company, which made toys and custom-molded items. It transformed the custom-mold section to make protective equipment in football and baseball, such as masks for football helmets. In 1967, the company was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought, only three years after, PepsiCo became new Wilsons owner. In 1979, Wilson tennis balls were first used in the US Open, in 2006, the Australian Open began using Wilson Tennis Balls. In 1985, Wilson was acquired by Westray Capital Corporation through subsidiary WSGC Holdings, in 1989, WSGC merged with Bogey Acquisitions Company, which is affiliated with the Finnish group Amer Sports
24.
Budget Rent a Car
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Budget Rent a Car System, Inc. is an American car rental company that was founded in 1958 in Los Angeles, California by Morris Mirkin. Budgets operations are headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, with its original fleet of 10 cars, the company lived up to the Budget name by undercutting the daily and per mile rental rates of the established airport based car rental companies. Mirkin was joined in 1959 by Julius Lederer who built the company, in 1960, the headquarters moved to Chicago, Illinois and the rental fleet expanded with franchised and wholly owned rental outlets. The company was acquired by Transamerica Corporation, and then sold in 1986 in a leveraged buyout by Gibbons, Green and van Amerongen Ltd. along with management. The company made its first public offering in 1987. Team Rental Group purchased the company in 1997 and took the name Budget Group. In 2002, it sold the assets to Cendant Corporation. In 2006, following the Travelport sale, Cendant, now composed solely of its vehicle rental services businesses, of the approximately 800 Budget Rental Car locations in the U. S.600 are company-operated locations and 200 are licensee locations. Internationally, there are 150 company-operated locations and 1,800 licensees, beginning in April 2011, television actress Wendie Malick of Hot in Cleveland is the spokesperson in a series of television and online ads that offer special, limited-time, discount offers
25.
Hardee's
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Hardees Food Systems, Inc. is an American-based fast-food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. with locations primarily in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The company has evolved through several corporate ownerships since its establishment in 1960 in North Carolina, in April 1997, CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. the parent company of Carls Jr. paid $327 million to Montreal-based Imasco Limited for Hardees. The merger created a chain of 3,828 restaurants -3,152 Hardees outlets in 40 states and 10 foreign countries and 676 Carls Jr. outlets, Hardees founder, Wilber Hardee, opened his first restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina, on September 3,1960. After a year of success, Wilber decided to look into expanding his restaurant and opening another location so he met with James Gardner and Leonard Rawls to discuss doing so. That location was demolished in 2007 after 10 years of vacancy and replaced with a park named for Jack Laughery. According to Wilber Hardee, Gardner and Rawls won a share of the company from him in a game of poker. After realizing that he had lost control over his namesake company, Rawls and Gardner sold their first franchises to a small group of longtime friends and acquaintances who formed their own companies and over time, built hundreds more franchised locations. Hardee’s Food Systems went public in 1963 with Rawls as president, Gardner, who was vice president, had political ambitions and left the company when he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1966. Strawberry shakes were created from vanilla by addition of a syrup which had to be mixed with a spindle. At the end of the 1960s, the corporation operated nearly 200 restaurants in the Midwest, Hardees purchased Sandys in 1972 with the last of the restaurants converting to Hardees by 1979. During the mid-and-late 1970s, Hardees saw rapid growth and high profits on the strength of its two key sandwiches, the Big Twin and the Big Deluxe. Another acquisition occurred in the late 1970s when Hardees purchased the Utah-based burger chain Dees Drive-In, Hardees was purchased by Canadian company Imasco LImited in 1981. In 1982, General Foods sold Burger Chef to Imasco for $44 million, Imasco converted many locations to Hardees restaurants and let franchises and locations near existing Hardees locations convert to other brands. Remaining restaurants that did not convert to Hardees or new names, a new management team in the early 1980s seeking to cut costs changed the signature burger recipe and eliminated the flagship menu items of the Big Twin and the Big Deluxe. In addition to Roy Rogers, Hardees also owned Rax Roast Beef for a period of time, in April 1997, CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. the parent company of Carls Jr. bought Hardees from Imasco for $327 million. The merger created a chain of 3,828 restaurants –3,152 Hardees outlets in 40 states and 10 foreign countries and 676 Carls Jr. outlets primarily in California, in 2001, Hardee’s headquarters moved to St. Louis, Missouri. In 2005, Hardee’s introduced Hand-Scooped Ice Cream Shakes & Malts, in September 2013, it was announced that Hardees would expand into the Northeastern United States. In April 2015, Hardees announced the opening of its 300th restaurant in the Middle East with longtime franchisee, in 2015, Nations Restaurant News ranked Hardees as the No.28 foodservice chain by sales in the United States through 2011
26.
Des Plaines, Illinois
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Des Plaines /dᵻsˈpleɪnz/ is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 58,364 and it is a suburb of Chicago and is just north of OHare International Airport. It is located on, and named for, the Des Plaines River, Des Plaines is the home of the first franchised McDonalds opened by Ray Kroc in 1955, which is preserved as a museum on Lee Street, north of downtown. Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Ojibwe Native American tribes inhabited the Des Plaines River Valley prior to Europeans arrival, the first white settlers came from the eastern United States in 1833, after the Treaty of Chicago, followed by many German immigrants during the 1840s and 1850s. In the 1850s, land in the area was purchased by the Illinois, in 1852, the developers built a steam-powered mill next to the river, to cut local trees into railroad ties. Socrates Rand then bought the mill and converted it into a grist mill, the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad made its first stop in the area in the fall of 1854. In 1857, the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad began running its route, stoppingnear the mill on the Des Plaines river, the railroad platted the prospective town of Rand at the site. In 1859, the Chicago and North Western Railway purchased the rail line, in 1869, the Rand subdivision name was changed to Des Plaines, and the village of Des Plaines was incorporated. Des Plaines was reincorporated in 1873 and elected a board the following year. Local brick manufacturer Franklin Whitcomb was the first Village President, in 1925, village residents voted to convert to a city form of government and annexed the village of Riverview to the south. Subsequent annexations included the Orchard Place area in 1956, the city experienced rapid growth after World War II and with the opening of nearby Chicago-OHare International Airport. Two workers at a garage were killed and two more, along with three civilians, were injured, all 271 people on board the aircraft also died. Midwest Gaming received the award despite having the lowest bid because other bidders were found unacceptable by the Board, the city approved zoning in early 2010, and the casino opened in July 2011 as Rivers Casino. Des Plaines is located at 42°2′2″N 87°53′59″W, according to the 2010 census, Des Plaines has a total area of 14.415 square miles, of which 14.28 square miles is land and 0.135 square miles is water. Des Plaines is traversed by two interstate highways – I-90 and I-294, Des Plaines is named for the Des Plaines River, which flows through it. The name is from 18th-century French referencing the American sycamore which resembles the European plane tree, portions of Des Plaines are underlain by the Des Plaines Disturbance, an area in which the layers of sedimentary rock are highly abnormal. This probably represents an ancient meteorite crater,75 to 200 feet beneath the town, the bedrock was highly fractured by the impact, with large blocks of sediment upended. The crater was filled by glacial activity, so that no trace now remains on the surface
27.
Wheaton, Illinois
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Wheaton is a suburban city in Milton and Winfield Townships and is the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately 30 miles west of Chicago which abuts the shore of Lake Michigan, as of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,894, which was estimated to have increased to 53,469 by July 2012. The city dates its founding to the period between 1831 and 1837, following the Indian Removal Act, when Alex Tomasik laid claim to 790 acres of land near present-day Warrenville. The Wheaton brothers arrived from Connecticut, and in 1837, Warren L. Wheaton laid claim to 640 acres of land in the center of town, Jesse Wheaton later made claim to 300 acres of land just west of Warrens. It was not long before settlers from New England joined them in the community. In 1848, they gave the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad three miles of right-of-way, upon which railroad officials named the depot Wheaton, in 1850, ten blocks of land were platted and anyone who was willing to build immediately was granted free land. In 1853, the lots were surveyed and a plat for the community was filed with the county. The community was incorporated as a village on February 24,1859. The village was incorporated as a city on April 24,1890. Naperville won the election by a vote of 1,542 to 762, hostility between the two towns continued for the next decade and another election was held in 1867, in which Wheaton narrowly won by a vote of 1,686 to 1,635. At a cost of $20,000, the City of Wheaton quickly built a courthouse to house a courtroom, county offices, the building was dedicated on July 4,1868. During this time, Naperville was mounting a lawsuit against Wheaton accusing election judges of leaving their posts for lunch during the vote when duplicate ballot stuffing allegedly occurred. As the courts deliberated the fate of the county seat, the records were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, shortly thereafter, Wheaton was officially proclaimed the county seat. As demand for space increased, the courthouse was rebuilt in 1887 at a cost of $69,390 and this structure was used for the next 94 years until the countys rapid growth prompted the building of a brand new complex. The old courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is currently being developed into luxury condominiums. On November 2,1990, the moved to a building about two miles west in a new 57-acre complex at the corner of County Farm Road and Manchester Road. It was built at a cost of $52,500,000 and includes a 300, in 1992, the county sued the architect and contractor for $4 million after several employees became ill from the ventilation system. Wheaton has rapidly expanded since the 1950s, although growth has slowed since the early 1990s
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Chicago Bruisers
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The Chicago Bruisers were a former professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. They were founded in 1987 as a member of the Arena Football League. They played their games at Rosemont Horizon. The Bruisers were an outgrowth of the Chicago Politicians, a team put together by Jim Foster to play a game to prove the feasibility of the sport the previous year. The team logo depicted a bulldog, one of the founders of the Bruisers was former Chicago Bears linebacker and WSCR host Doug Buffone. The Bruisers were part of the 1987 Showcase Game, losing to the Miami Vise by a score of 33–30, the Bruisers took a chance with a young team that averaged 25 years of age. The Bruisers lost their first game in history, 44–52 in overtime. The Bruisers struggled in their game, giving up 45 points in the first half before losing 23–60 to the Pittsburgh Gladiators. Despite getting off to a 2–3 start, the Bruisers had an opportunity to make it to ArenaBowl I with a win in the week of the season against the Dynamite. The Bruisers however would lose 35–52 and they finished with a record of 2–4 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Bruisers play-by-play announcer on radio and TV for all three of their seasons was Les Grobstein and their color commentator was Chicago Bears tight end Emery Moorehead. The Bruisers, like the Pittsburgh Gladiators but unlike the other two teams, the Denver Dynamite and the Washington Commandos, returned to play in the 1988 season. In February, the team hired Perry Moss as the second coach. Moss also served as General Manager, the team competed in ArenaBowl II that year, losing 24–13 to the Detroit Drive. The Bruisers would be disbanded after competing in the 1989 season, the final two games they played were in exhibition games overseas against the Detroit Drive in Paris and then London in October 1989. The rights to the Bruisers name and history were purchased by Arena Football 1 in December 2009, there was a possibility that the AF1s new expansion team in Chicago would adopt the Bruisers name, but said team instead decided to adopt the identity of the Chicago Rush instead. Since the Rush and the Bruisers never played at the same time, in 2011, the Chicago Rush celebrated its 10th season in the Arena Football League and honored the Chicago Bruisers. In the Rush home opener on March 18,2011 against the Philadelphia Soul, in the game, Chicago won the game 62–28
29.
Denver Dynamite (arena football)
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The Denver Dynamite were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. The team began play in 1987 as a member of the Arena Football League. The team was brought in by businessman Sidney Shlenker and the team achieved success instantly, after sitting out the 1988 season, the Dynamite were purchased by investment banker Gary Graham for $125,000. Graham then hired former NFL and AFL coach, Babe Parilli to lead the team, under Parilli, the Dynamite would return to the playoffs every season, but failed to return to the ArenaBowl. After the 1991 season, the franchise filed for bankruptcy after being sued by their public relations firm and they played their home games at McNichols Sports Arena. The teams logo was a bundle of sticks with a burning fuse. In 1987, businessman and owner of the Denver Nuggets Sidney Shlenker announced the forming of the Denver Dynamite, the franchise played in the inaugural four-team demonstration season of 1987. Despite the team and leagues doubters, the Dynamite tied for the best record in the league with the Pittsburgh Gladiators, on August 1,1987 the team participated in ArenaBowl I, which they won 45-16 over the Gladiators. The Dynamite were lead on offense by quarterback Whit Taylor, after winning the ArenaBowl, Head Coach Tim Marcum was named the leagues first ever Coach of the Year. Despite averaging the leagues best attendance with over 12,000 a game, the franchise was restarted in 1989, with the ownership purchased by Englewood, Colorado investment banker, Gary Graham for $125,000. Grahams first move was to hire former NFL and AFL coach, the team struggled to earn money during the 1989 season due to only hosting one home game. The team finished with a 3-1 regular season record, and lost in the first round of the playoffs, with the same coaching staff in place from 1989, the Dynamite got off to a hot 4-1 start during the 1990 season. The Dynamite would finish the season with a record of 4-4, the team lost 25-26 to the semi-finals to the Dallas Texans. The attendance had been rising during the season, with the final home games attendance listed at 10,587. This was later found to be skewed as around 3,000 people were admitted for free, the AFL stepped in an began to question the Dynamite as some of the players checks began to bounce during the season. Graham cited that the problem came from a bookkeeping error. Despite the financial turmoil that occurred the season before, the Dynamite once again fielded a team in 1991, the team finished 6-4 during the regular season, again clinching the 3rd seed for the playoffs. The team lost to the relocated Gladiators, who became the Tampa Bay Storm, after the season, the franchise filed for bankruptcy after being sued by their public relations firm
30.
ArenaBowl I
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Arena Bowl 87 was the Arena Football Leagues very first Championship Game. It was played on August 1,1987 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, in the game the #2 Denver Dynamite defeated the #1 Pittsburgh Gladiators by a score of 45–16. Coming into the game, with both teams finishing their seasons at 4–2, the Gladiators hosted the ArenaBowl due to their attendance during the regular season. During the regular season the team split their games, with the Gladiators winning in Denver 49–32, the first half of ArenaBowl I was not a very competitive game, as the Dynamite came out leading at the half by a score of 18–0. The Dynamite scored the first 32 points and shut out the Gladiators for 3 quarters before Gladiators quarterback Mike Hohensee found Russell Hairston on an 11-yard pass. The Dynamite were paced on offense by wide receiver Gary Mullen, the Dynamite got off to an early start with a fumble recovery for a touchdown by OL/DL Phil Forte, along with a two-yard touchdown run by FB/LB Richard Prather in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Denvers domination continued with Quarterback Whit Taylor completing a 26-yard touchdown pass to WR/DB Gary Mullen for the score of the period. In the fourth quarter, the Gladiators finally managed to score as Quarterback Mike Hohensee completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to WR/LB Russell Hairston, Denver would wrap up the game with Taylor and Mullen hooking up with each other on a five-yard touchdown pass and even a 19-yard touchdown pass. Pittsburghs final strike came from Quarterback Brendan Folmar to WR/DB Rodney Richmond, Mullen was named the games MVP for his performance
31.
NBC
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The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcast television network that is the flagship property of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. The network is part of the Big Three television networks, founded in 1926 by the Radio Corporation of America, NBC is the oldest major broadcast network in the United States. Following the acquisition by GE, Bob Wright served as executive officer of NBC, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2007. In 2003, French media company Vivendi merged its entertainment assets with GE, Comcast purchased a controlling interest in the company in 2011, and acquired General Electrics remaining stake in 2013. Following the Comcast merger, Zucker left NBC Universal and was replaced as CEO by Comcast executive Steve Burke, during a period of early broadcast business consolidation, radio manufacturer Radio Corporation of America acquired New York City radio station WEAF from American Telephone & Telegraph. Westinghouse, a shareholder in RCA, had an outlet in Newark, New Jersey pioneer station WJZ. This station was transferred from Westinghouse to RCA in 1923, WEAF acted as a laboratory for AT&Ts manufacturing and supply outlet Western Electric, whose products included transmitters and antennas. The Bell System, AT&Ts telephone utility, was developing technologies to transmit voice- and music-grade audio over short and long distances, the 1922 creation of WEAF offered a research-and-development center for those activities. WEAF maintained a schedule of radio programs, including some of the first commercially sponsored programs. In an early example of chain or networking broadcasting, the station linked with Outlet Company-owned WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island, AT&T refused outside companies access to its high-quality phone lines. The early effort fared poorly, since the telegraph lines were susceptible to atmospheric. In 1925, AT&T decided that WEAF and its network were incompatible with the companys primary goal of providing a telephone service. AT&T offered to sell the station to RCA in a deal that included the right to lease AT&Ts phone lines for network transmission, the divisions ownership was split among RCA, its founding corporate parent General Electric and Westinghouse. NBC officially started broadcasting on November 15,1926, WEAF and WJZ, the flagships of the two earlier networks, were operated side-by-side for about a year as part of the new NBC. On April 5,1927, NBC expanded to the West Coast with the launch of the NBC Orange Network and this was followed by the debut of the NBC Gold Network, also known as the Pacific Gold Network, on October 18,1931. The Orange Network carried Red Network programming, and the Gold Network carried programming from the Blue Network, initially, the Orange Network recreated Eastern Red Network programming for West Coast stations at KPO in San Francisco. The Orange Network name was removed from use in 1936, at the same time, the Gold Network became part of the Blue Network. In the 1930s, NBC also developed a network for shortwave radio stations, in 1927, NBC moved its operations to 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, occupying the upper floors of a building designed by architect Floyd Brown
32.
Super Bowl
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The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League. The game is the culmination to a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. Normally, Roman numerals are used to each game, rather than the year in which it is held. For example, Super Bowl I was played on January 15,1967, the single exception to this rule is Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7,2016, following the 2015 regular season. The next game, Super Bowl LII, scheduled for February 4,2018, the game was created as part of a merger agreement between the NFL and its then-rival league, the American Football League. It was agreed that the two champion teams would play in the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was redesignated as a conference, currently, the National Football Conference leads the league with 26 wins to 25 wins for the American Football Conference. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl championship titles, with six, the New England Patriots have the most Super Bowl appearances, with nine. The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered by some as an unofficial American national holiday, is called Super Bowl Sunday and it is the second-largest day for U. S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year, in 2015, Super Bowl XLIX became the most-watched American television program in history with an average audience of 114. The NFL restricts the use of its Super Bowl trademark, it is called the Big Game or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcasts commercials has become a significant aspect of the event, for four decades after its 1920 inception, the NFL successfully fended off several rival leagues. However, in 1960, it encountered its most serious competitor when the American Football League was formed. The AFL vied heavily with the NFL for both players and fans, but by the middle of the decade the strain of competition led to merger talks between the two leagues. Prior to the 1966 season, the NFL and AFL reached an agreement that was to take effect for the 1970 season. As part of the merger, the champions of the two agreed to meet in a world championship game for professional American football until the merger was effected. A bowl game is a college football game. Exploiting the Rose Bowl Games popularity, post-season college football contests were created for Miami, New Orleans, and El Paso, Texas in 1935, by the time the first Super Bowl was played, the term bowl for any major American football game was well established
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Trademark
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The trademark owner can be an individual, business organization, or any legal entity. A trademark may be located on a package, a label, for the sake of corporate identity, trademarks are often displayed on company buildings. A trademark identifies the owner of a particular product or service. The unauthorized usage of trademarks by producing and trading counterfeit consumer goods is known as brand piracy, the owner of a trademark may pursue legal action against trademark infringement. Most countries require formal registration of a trademark as a precondition for pursuing this type of action, the United States, Canada and other countries also recognize common law trademark rights, which means action can be taken to protect an unregistered trademark if it is in use. Still, common law trademarks offer the holder in general less legal protection than registered trademarks. A trademark may be designated by the symbols, ™ ℠ ® A trademark is typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image. There is also a range of non-conventional trademarks comprising marks which do not fall into these categories, such as those based on colour, smell. Trademarks which are considered offensive are often rejected according to a nations trademark law, the term trademark is also used informally to refer to any distinguishing attribute by which an individual is readily identified, such as the well-known characteristics of celebrities. When a trademark is used in relation to services rather than products, it may sometimes be called a service mark, in other words, trademarks serve to identify a particular business as the source of goods or services. The use of a trademark in this way is known as trademark use, certain exclusive rights attach to a registered mark. Different goods and services have been classified by the International Classification of Goods, in trademark treatises it is usually reported that blacksmiths who made swords in the Roman Empire are thought of as being the first users of trademarks. Other notable trademarks that have used for a long time include Löwenbräu. The first trademark legislation was passed by the Parliament of England under the reign of King Henry III in 1266, the first modern trademark laws emerged in the late 19th century. In France the first comprehensive system in the world was passed into law in 1857 with the Manufacture. In Britain, the Merchandise Marks Act 1862 made it an offense to imitate anothers trade mark with intent to defraud or to enable another to defraud. In 1875 the Trade Marks Registration Act was passed which allowed formal registration of marks at the UK Patent Office for the first time. Registration was considered to comprise prima facie evidence of ownership of a trade mark, in the United States, Congress first attempted to establish a federal trademark regime in 1870
34.
Basketball
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Basketball is a non-contact team sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of five players each. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high that is mounted to a backboard at each end of the court. The game was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a team can score a field goal by shooting the ball through the basket being defended by the opposition team during regular play. A field goal scores three points for the team if the player shoots from behind the three-point line. A team can also score via free throws, which are worth one point, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins, but additional time is mandated when the score is tied at the end of regulation. The ball can be advanced on the court by passing it to a teammate and it is a violation to lift, or drag, ones pivot foot without dribbling the ball, to carry it, or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling. The game has many techniques for displaying skill—ball-handling, shooting, passing, dribbling, dunking, shot-blocking. The point guard directs the on court action of the team, implementing the coachs game plan, Basketball is one of the worlds most popular and widely viewed sports. Outside North America, the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the Euroleague, the FIBA Basketball World Cup attracts the top national teams from around the world. Each continent hosts regional competitions for teams, like EuroBasket. The FIBA Womens Basketball World Cup features the top womens basketball teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA, whereas the EuroLeague Women has been dominated by teams from the Russian Womens Basketball Premier League, in early December 1891, Canadian Dr. He sought a vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied, after rejecting other ideas as either too rough or poorly suited to walled-in gymnasiums, he wrote the basic rules and nailed a peach basket onto a 10-foot elevated track. Basketball was originally played with a soccer ball and these laces could cause bounce passes and dribbling to be unpredictable. Eventually a lace-free ball construction method was invented, and this change to the game was endorsed by Naismith, dribbling was not part of the original game except for the bounce pass to teammates. Passing the ball was the means of ball movement. Dribbling was eventually introduced but limited by the shape of early balls. Dribbling only became a part of the game around the 1950s
