General
Celebrity divorces: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Celebrity non-divorce(?): Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner.
Paul Marcarelli, the “can you hear me now?” man in Verizon commercials, has defected to Sprint.
Chelsea Clinton gave birth to a son, Aidan. His older sibling, born in 2014, is Charlotte.
In Star Trek Beyond, Hikaru Sulu became the first gay canonical Star Trek character. He has a husband and a daughter.
On February 13, Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia unexpectedly died. President Obama nominated federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy.
In April, Iceland’s president resigned in the wake of revelations in The “Panama Papers”.
A state of emergency was declared in Flint, Michigan, whose water supply was contaminated with lead.
The FBI fought a high-profile court battle with Apple Corporation over a demand that Apple unlock a smart phone owned by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters.
In August, the Brazilian Senate removed President Dilma Rousseff from office. Michel Temer will serve the remainder of her term, which runs through the end of 2018.
London elected Sadiq Khan (Labour Party) mayor. He is the first Muslim mayor of a major European city.
By a narrow margin, Britons voted to leave the European Union. In the wake of the ”Brexit” vote, Prime Minister David Cameron resigned; he was succeeded by Theresa May, Great Britain’s second female PM.
Members of the Turkish military staged an unsuccessful coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Japan's Emperor Akihito, who is 82 years old and has suffered health problems in recent years, has expressed his desire to abdicate if he has to reduce his official duties. Crown Prince Naruhito, 56, is next in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
John Hinckley, who was declared insane after attempting to assassinate President Reagan, was ordered released from St. Elizabeth’s mental institution in Washington. He now lives with his mother.
Islam Karimov, president of Uzbekistan from its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, died at the age of 78.
Physicists announced they had made the first direct observations of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted by Albert Einstein’s Theory Of General Relativity.
The World Health Organization declared a worldwide emergency over the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which causes birth defects.
U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after spending nearly a year in space.
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the gatekeeper to the periodic table, announced on Wednesday the proposed names for elements 113, 115, 117 and 118: Nihonium, Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson, respectively.
The Netflix documentary Making A Murderer raised the issue of whether Wisconsin police framed Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey, for the murder of Teresa Halbach. In August, a federal judge granted Dassey’s motion for habeas corpus.
President Obama signed a bill designating the bison as the national mammal.
The summer’s biggest fad was “Pokemon Go”, a smartphone app that allows the user to find and capture Pokemon characters. The game’s software developer is Niantic.
From May until November, Anheuser-Busch renamed Budweiser beer “America”. The Budweiser brand is currently owned by a company headquartered in Belgium.
Verizon Communications acquired Yahoo, Inc., for approximately $5 billion.
Microsoft Corporation acquired the business networking company LinkedIn Corporation for $26.2 billion. It was Microsoft’s largest-ever acquisition.
The European Commission ruled that Ireland gave Apple Corporation some $14.6 billion in improper subsidies. The government intends to appeal because it fears that the ruling will discourage other corporations from moving its operations to Ireland.
The for-profit college chain ITT Technical Institute is closed all 130 of its U.S. campuses, following sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Education.
The German company Bayer AG acquired Monsanto Corporation for $66 billion.
Movies
Top-Grossing Movies of 2016 (by week; in chronological order, through 9/11/16):
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams, director). Episode VII; 30 years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises.
Ride Along 2. Action police film. Stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.
The Revenant (see “Academy Award Winners” below).
Kung Fu Panda 3. Animated film. “Po,” the overweight title character, is voiced by Jack Black.
Deadpool. Part of Marvel’s X-Men series. Ryan Reynolds plays the title character, mercenary Wade Wilson. Highest-grossing “R”-rated film of all time.
Zootopia. Animated film. Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit, joins Zootopia’s police force; she is paired with a fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck plays Bruce Wayne/Batman, Henry Cavill plays Clark Kent/Superman.
The Boss. Comedy. Self-made businesswoman Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) tries to put her life back together after she is imprisoned for insider trading.
The Jungle Book. Live-action/CGI remake of the Kipling classic. Characters include Mowgli, a young boy; Shere Khan, a tiger (voiced by Idris Elba); Bagheera, a panther (Ben Kingsley); and Baloo, a bear (Bill Murray); Kingsley narrates the story.
Captain America: Civil War. Third in the Captain America series; the title character (Chris Evans) has a falling-out with Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.).
The Angry Birds Movie. 3-D animated film. Three birds—Red, Chuck, and Bomb—try to figure out why their island has been invaded by pigs.
X-Men: Apocalypse. After the re-emergence of the world's first mutant, world-destroyer Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat him.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Animated film. The Turtles are named Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael; the film’s villains and Shredder and Krang.
The Conjuring 2. Horror film. Paranormal investigators Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Partrick Wilson) help a single mother whose house is plagued by a poltergeist.
Finding Dory. Animated film. Sequel to Finding Nemo. Ellen DeGeneres plays Dory, the amnesiac blue tang fish who is searching for her parents. Has broken multiple box-office records.
The Secret Life of Pets. 3-D computer animated film. Ensemble cast of animal characters is led by Max, a Jack Russell terrier (voiced by Louis C.K.) and Duke, a mongrel rescue dog (Eric Stonestreet). Highest-grossing non-Disney animated film.
Star Trek Beyond. Third installment in the rebooted Star Trek series. Chris Pine plays Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto plays Commander Spock. The villain is Krall (Idris Elba), former Starfleet commander, now a powerful mutated alien.
Jason Bourne. Fifth in the series. Matt Damon plays the title character, a CIA officer involved in black ops; former agent Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) hacks the CIA’s computer to find evidence of illegal operations.
Suicide Squad. Superhero film, based on the DC Comics team of the same name. A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to carry out dangerous black ops in exchange for leniency; ensemble cast includes Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Margot Robbie.
Don't Breathe. Crime/horror film. Three thieves break into the home of The Blind Man (Stephen Lang) in hopes of robbing him of his substantial fortune.
Sully (Clint Eastwood, director). The story of pilot Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), who landed U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River, saving the lives of all aboard.
2016 Academy Award Winners
Best Picture: Spotlight.
Best Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, The Revenant. [first back-to-back winner since Joseph L. Mankiewicz in 1950-51].
Best Original Screenplay: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short.
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant.
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies.
Best Actress: Brie Larson, Room.
Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl.
Best Animated Feature: Inside Out.
Best Original Song: "Writing's on the Wall”, by Sam Smith (Spectre).
James Cameron announced that there will be four sequels to Avatar (2009). The first, Avatar 2, will premiere on Christmas Day 2018.
At Comic-Con, studio executives announced that Brie Larson will play Captain Marvel, making her the first woman to play a title character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ava DuVernay, who directed Selma, will direct the film adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's science fantasy classic A Wrinkle in Time (1963). It will be released next year. DuVernay will become the first woman of color to direct a live-action film with a budget of more than $100 million.
The remake of the 1959 classic Ben-Hur was a box-office bomb.
Music
2016 Grammy Awards [presented in February 2016]
Record of the Year: Mark Ronson f. Bruno Mars, "Uptown Funk”.
Album of the Year: Taylor Swift, 1989.
Song of the Year: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud”.
Best New Artist: Meghan Trainor.
Best Pop Solo Performance: Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”.
Best Pop Vocal Album: Taylor Swift, 1989.
Best Rock Song: Alabama Shakes, "Don't Wanna Fight” (also won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance),
Best Rock Album: Muse, Drones.
Best Alternative Music Album: Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color.
Best R&B Song: D’Angelo And The Vanguard, “Really Love”.
Best Urban Contemporary Album: The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness.
Best R&B Album: D’Angelo And The Vanguard, Black Messiah.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: "These Walls”, Kendrick Lamar f. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat.
Best Rap Song: Kendrick Lamar, “Alright” (also won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance).
Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly.
Best Country Solo Performance: Chris Stapleton, “Traveller” (his album by the same name won a Grammy for Best Country Album).
Best Country Song: Little Big Town, "Girl Crush” (also won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance).
Best Musical Theater Album: Hamilton.
Notable Albums:
25, by Adele. Largest-selling album since 2011.
Blackstar, by David Bowie. Went to #1 after its release after Bowie’s death.
Anti, by Rihanna.
This Is What the Truth Feels Like, by Gwen Stefani (1). “Make Me Like You” is a single from this album.
Mind of Mine, by Zayn. Formerly Zayn Malik of the boy band One Direction.
Lemonade, by Beyonce.
Views, by Drake. Had the longest stay (12 weeks) at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Suicide Squad: The Album Soundtrack.
Blonde, by Frank Ocean.
Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, by Barbra Streisand (1).
Good Times, the first Monkees album with original music in more than 20 years and the highest-charting Monkees album since 1968.
2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [inducted April 8, 2016]
Cheap Trick. Singles include “Surrender", "I Want You to Want Me", "Dream Police" and "The Flame”, the latter the group’s only #1 hit.
Chicago. “Rock and roll band with horns”. During the 1970s, had more Top 100 singles than any other American group. Five #1 albums. Debut album, Chicago Transit Authority (1968), was a double album; singles include "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "Beginnings", "Questions 67 and 68", and "I'm a Man”. Second album was Chicago (1970); singles include "Make Me Smile”, "Colour My World", and "25 or 6 to 4”.
Deep Purple. English rock band. Best known for the singles “Hush,” “Woman From Tokyo,” and “Smoke on the Water."
N.W.A. Hip hop group from Compton, California. Gangsta rap and West Coast hip hop subgenres. Original lineup: Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Ice Cube. Several members later became platinum-selling solo artists. Their debut album was Straight Outta Compton.
Steve Miller. Guitarist, leader of The Steve Miller Band. His albums included Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams; the band’s #1 singles: “Abracadabra”, “The Joker”, and “Rock’n Me”.
MTV Video Awards [given out August 28, 2016]
Video of the Year: Beyonce, “Formation”. Also won Best Pop Video. She performed this song at halftime of Super Bowl 50.
Best Male Video: Calvin Harris (featuring Rihanna), “This Is What You Came For”.
Best Female Video: Beyonce, “Hold Up”.
Best Rock Video: Twenty One Pilots, "Heathens”.
Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake, "Hotline Bling”.
Gwen Stefani joined an elite group of women, including Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Lauryn Hill, and Beyoncé, whose album reached #1 as a group and who later reached #1 with a solo album. No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom reached #1 in 1995, Stefani’s solo album is titled This Is What the Truth Feels Like.
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose will perform as AC/DC's lead singer. AC/DC postponed its 2016 tour after doctors warned lead singer Brian Johnson to stop touring or else face permanent hearing loss.
The Canadian band The Tragically Hip performed their final concert in Toronto. Their lead singer, Gord Downie, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
Television
2016 Emmy Awards [given out September 18, 2016, for the 2015-16 season]
Outstanding Drama Series: Game of Thrones.
Outstanding Comedy Series: Veep.
Outstanding Limited Series: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
Outstanding TV Movie: Sherlock: The Abominable Bride.
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: The Voice.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, in Mr. Robot.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeffrey Tambor as Maura Pfefferman, in Transparent.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Tatiana Maslany as Sarah Manning, Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Beth Childs, Rachel Duncan, and MK, in Orphan Black.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer, in Veep.
Most Watched Shows of 2015-16:
1. NFL Sunday Night Football.
2. The Big Bang Theory. Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) are brilliant but socially awkward physicists at Caltech. Cast also includes Dr. Amy Fowler (Miyam Bialik). At $25 million per year, Parsons is the highest-paid TV actor. Four of the top ten series aired on CBS.
3. NCIS. In its 14th season; stars Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Three shows from the NCIS franchise are in the top 20.
4. The Walking Dead. “Zombie apocalypse” series, based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman. Stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes. Highest-rated cable TV series.
5. NFL Thursday Night Football.
6. Empire. Centers on a hip hop music and entertainment company headed by the ALS-stricken Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard). Taraji P. Henson plays Lucious’s ex-wife, Cookie.
7. NCIS: New Orleans. Spinoff, premiered in 2014. Stars Scott Bakula as Dwayne Cassius Pride.
8. Blue Bloods. The NYPD’s Reagan family; "Frank" Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the Police Commissioner.
9. Dancing With the Stars. Hosted by Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. [actor Nyle DiMarco and professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd won Season 22 in the spring; Season 23 contestants include talk show host Amber Rose, retired pro football player Calvin Johnson, actor Jake T. Austin, race car driver James Hinchcliffe, country music artist Jana Kramer, R&B artist Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, U.S. Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, actress Marilu Henner, actress Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady), former Texas governor Rick Perry, U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, actress Terra Jole, and rapper Vanilla Ice]
10. The X-Files. Revival of the series that aired in the 1990s. FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) investigate “X-Files”: unsolved cases involving paranormal phenomena.
11. The Voice (Monday). Newcomers Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys join Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Carson Daly hosts the show.
12. Scorpion. Computer expert Walter O'Brien (Elyes Gabel) solves complex global problems. The cast also includes Katharine McPhee as Paige Dineen and Eddie Kaye Thomas as Toby Curtis.
13. The Voice (Tuesday).
14. Little Big Shots. Children’s talent show created by Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey, hosted by Harvey.
15. NFL Monday Night Football.
16. Criminal Minds. Focuses on an elite group of FBI profilers tasked with stopping heinous crimes. Stars Matthew Gray Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid, Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner, and Kirsten Vangsness as Penelope Garcia.
17. Madam Secretary. Ex-CIA analyst Elizabeth Adams McCord (Tea Leoni), is named U.S. Secretary of State, and tries to balance work and family.
18. 60 Minutes. Premiered in 1968. The current hosts are Steve Kroft, Lara Logan, Scott Pelley, Lesley Stahl, and Bill Whitaker.
t19. Modern Family. Mockumentary that follows three families: the Pritchetts, Dunphys, and Tuckers. Stars include Ed O’Neill as Jay Pritchett, head of the family; Sofia Vergara as Jay’s wife, Gloria; Julie Bowen as Jay’s daughter, Claire Dunphy; and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Jay’s son, Mitchell.
t19. NCIS: Los Angeles. First spinoff from NCIS, premiered in 2009. Stars Chris O’Donnell as G. Kallen and LL Cool J as Sam Hanna.
21. Hawaii Five-O. Revival of the 1970s detective series. Stars Alex O’Loughlin as Detective Scott McGarrett and Scott Caan as Danny “Danno” Williams. The villain is Wo Fat.
t22. Blindspot. “Jane” (Jaimie Alexander) is a mysterious tattooed woman who has lost her memory and doesn’t know who she is. The FBI discovers that each tattoo contains a clue to a crime it must solve.
t22. Chicago Fire. Focuses on the firefighters and paramedics at a Chicago fire station. Two spinoffs: Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med.
t24. The Blacklist. Fugitive “Red" Reddington (James Spader) surrenders to authorities and cooperates with FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) to apprehend criminals that he knows of.
t24. American Idol (Wednesday). This was the show’s final season. Trent Harmon won, defeating fellow Mississippian La’Porsha Renae.
t24. Downton Abbey. English period drama starring Hugh Bonneville as Lord Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham. His wife is Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his daughters are Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), and Lady Sybil Lady (Jessica Brown Findlay); his mother is Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith). Highest-rated drama series in PBS history.
t24. Grey’s Anatomy. Medical drama, set in Seattle. It revolves around title character Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). The original cast included Sandra Oh and Katherine Heigl.
Shows ending their run in 2016 include Angel From Hell, Awkward, Beauty and the Beast, Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, The Leftovers, Mike & Molly, Mythbusters, and Rizzoli & Isles. CBS canceled Mike & Molly after title character Melissa McCarthy lost a substantial amount of weight for her role in all-female remake of Ghostbusters.
The quirky drama Twin Peaks returned as a nine-episode series on Showtime.
Theater
Tony Award for Best Musical: Hamilton, which won a total of 11 Tonys and had a record 16 nominations.
Tony Award for Best Play: The Humans.
Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton.
Disney Corporation announced that it would mount a stage version of Frozen, with the premiere to take place in 2018.
In July, Javier Munoz replaced Lin-Manuel Miranda as the lead in Hamilton.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, by Jack Thorne, premiered in London in July. It is set 19 years after the end of the original series. Albus Severus Potter, the son of Harry and Ginny Potter, struggles with his family legacy.
Books
2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners:
Fiction: The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen (first novel by this author, a Vietnamese immigrant).
History: Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America, by T.J. Stiles.
Biography: Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, by William Finnegan.
Nonfiction: Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, by Joby Warrick.
Notable Nonfiction Books:
Killing Reagan, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. The latest in O’Reilly’s “Killing” series.
Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Won the National Book Award in 2015.
When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. The author, who died in 2015, describes his battle with lung cancer.
The Rainbow Comes and Goes, by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is Cooper’s mother.
Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. Biography, originally published in 2004; was adapted into the hit Broadway musical; Chernow served as historical consultant to the production.
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, by Amy Schumer. [Might come up because it riffs on the Stieg Larsson novel, which has come up multiple times on Jeopardy]
Notable Fiction Books:
The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. The film adaptation, starring Emily Blunt, will be released in October.
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes. Published in 2012; spent seven weeks at #1 on the New York Times best-seller list; the film adaptation, starring Emilia Clarke, was released in June 2016.
15th Affair, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. One of Patterson’s novel series features ordinal numbers in the titles.
End of Watch, by Stephen King. His latest. Third in the trilogy about Detective Bill Hodges (the first two were Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers).
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The script from the stage play of the same name. Was released July 31, the day after the play opened in London.
Sports
Summer Olympics highlights:
- Track and field’s governing body banned Russia’s athletics (track and field) team from the Olympics amid allegations of state-sponsored doping.
Swimmer Michael Phelps added to his record for the most-ever gold medals (23 gold, 28 medals overall) won by an Olympic athlete. At Rio he won his 12th and 13th career individual gold medals (the rest were awarded in relay events); that tied, then broke, the record set in the ancient Olympics.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica won the gold medal in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 meter relay for the third consecutive Olympics.
In swimming, Katie Ledecky of the U.S. not only won four gold medals but did so in a dominating fashion rarely seen in sports.
U.S. track and field athlete Allyson Felix won her fifth and sixth Olympic gold medals, making her second only to swimmer Jenny Thompson (8) as the American woman with the most career golds. Felix also holds the Olympics record for most gold medals won in women’s track and field. (She came up on the Sports Jeopardy online test)
Simone Biles of the U.S. won the gold medal in individual all-around gymnastics. The U.S. women’s team won the gold medal in all-around gymnastics.
Simone Manuel of the U.S. became the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming.
Brazilian authorities charged American swimmer Ryan Lochte with filing a false police report after claiming that he had been robbed.
NCAA men’s basketball championship: Villanova 77, North Carolina 74. Villanova won its first title 30 years before.
NCAA women’s basketball championship: Connecticut 82, Syracuse 51. The Huskies’ fourth straight championship, and their 11th overall.
Stanley Cup winner: The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2. Mario Lemieux's name is on the Stanley Cup as both a player and as an owner. This was San Jose's first appearance in the finals.
NBA Finals winner: The Cleveland Cavaliers won their first-ever NBA title, defeating the Golden State Warriors—which won an NBA record 73 regular-season games—4 games to 3.
Wimbledon singles winners: Men: Andy Murray, Scotland, his second straight title. Women: Serena Williams, her 22nd Grand Slam title, tying Steffi Graf’s record.
Euro 2016 champion: Portugal. The team’s star player was Ronaldo.
British Open winner: Henrik Stenson, Sweden. His final round 63 tied the record for lowest-ever final round to win a major; his 20 under par tied the record for lowest score to par in a major; and his 264 is the lowest 72-hole score in a major.
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (July 2016 ceremony): Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza.
Kobe Bryant retired after playing his 20th NBA season, all of them with the L.A. Lakers.
A federal appeals court upheld the NFL’s four-game suspension of Patriots QB Tom Brady for Brady’s involvement in “Deflategate”.
Ichiro Suzuki of the Miami Marlins broke Pete Rose's record for career hits (4,256). Of those hits, 1,278 occurred in the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan and don’t count in the major league record book. Suzuki also became the 30th player to join MLB’s 3,000-hit club.
Novak Djokovic achieved a career Grand Slam in men's tennis, becoming the ninth player to do so.
Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, who struggled this season, retired on August 12. He ranks fourth on the all-time list for career home runs.
People
Notable 2016 Deaths:
Edward Albee, age 88. Playwright. Three of his plays (A Delicate Balance, Seascape, Three Tall Women) won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; and two of his other works (Tiny Alice, A Delicate Balance) won the Tony Award for Best Play. Also wrote The Zoo Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and A Delicate Balance.
Muhammad Ali, age 74 (born Cassius Marcellus Clay). Heavyweight boxing champion; “The Greatest”; famous fights included “Thrilla in Manila” and “Rumble in the Jungle”; stripped of his title for refusing to take the oath of induction into the Army, his draft evasion conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, age 93. UN Secretary-General 1992-96, the first person from an African country (Egypt) elected to that post.
David Bowie, age 69. “Space Oddity”, “Starman”, “Fame”, "Space Oddity”; alter ego Ziggy Stardust; his widow is model Iman Abdulmajid. Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, went to #1 on the Billboard chart after he died. [An entire Jeopardy category was dedicated to him in the 6/14/16 game]
Michael Cimino, age 77. Won the Academy Award for Best Director for The Deer Hunter (1978); directed Heaven’s Gate (1980), which was so unsuccessful that it bankrupted United Artists.
Natalie Cole, age 65. Soul singer, daughter of Nat King Cole; best known for her rendition of her father’s song, “Unforgettable.”
Pat Conroy, age 70. Author, best known for his novels The Great Santini (1976) and The Prince of Tides (1986).
Johan Cruyff, age 68. Dutch football player, named World Player of the Year three times; led the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final.
Patty Duke, age 69. Actress. Won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962).
Umberto Eco, age 84. Novelist, best known for The Name of the Rose (1980) and Foucault’s Pendulum (1988).
Glenn Frey, age 74. Guitarist for The Eagles.
Andy Grove, age 79. Hungarian native, was CEO of Intel Corporation.
Zaha Hadid, age 65. Iraqi-born British architect. First woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (2004).
Merle Haggard, age 79. “Outlaw” country singer, Country Music Hall of Famer; well known for his anti-hippie song “Okie From Muskogee”.
Gordie Howe, age 88. “Mr. Hockey”. Hall of Famer who played 32 seasons, 25 of them for the Detroit Red Wings. Holds pro hockey’s record for most seasons and most games played.
Harper Lee, age 89. Pulitzer Prize-winning author of To Kill a Mockingbird; her only other novel was the controversial Go Set a Watchman.
Garry Marshall, age 81. Created Happy Days and its various spinoffs; developed Neil Simon's 1965 play The Odd Couple for television, and directing Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.
George Martin, age 90. Beatles producer, often called “the fifth Beatle”.
Arnold Palmer, age 87. Golfer won the Masters Tournament four times between 1958 and 1964, the U.S. Open in 1960, and the British Open Championship in 1961-62.
Prince (born Prince RogerS Nelson), age 57. Musician and actor; won seven Grammy Awards; best known for his album 1999; “Purple Rain” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility.
Nancy Reagan, age 94. Actress; First Lady, 1981-89; also known for her “Just Say No” [to drugs] campaign.
Alan Rickman, age 69. Actor, best known for playing villains Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.
Phyllis Schlafly, age 92. Lawyer, long-time conservative activist, founder of the Eagle Forum. Best known for her book A Choice, Not an Echo (1964) and for playing a prominent role in blocking ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Garry Shandling, age 66. Actor, best known for playing the title role in The Larry Sanders Show.
Pat Summitt, age 64. University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach. Won eight NCAA championships and 1,098 games, both records. Played on and later coached a gold medal-winning Olympic women’s basketball team.
Ray Tomlinson, age 74. Widely credited as the creator of email.
Maurice White, age 74. Founder of the group Earth, Wind & Fire.
Elie Wiesel, age 87. Holocaust survivor, described his experience a Nazi concentration camp in Night (1955); won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. [He has come up on Jeopardy multiple times]
Gene Wilder, age 83. Actor. Best known for collaborating with Mel Brooks in comedies such as Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein; playing the title role in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; and co-starring with Richard Pryor in Silver Streak and three other films.
