Tardigrade

Saddam and his sons were the top 3 targets on the Coalition’s most wanted list. Saddam would remain at large until December 2003. As prominent members of their father’s regime, Uday and Qusay reportedly lived a bizarre and brutal life that was part bureaucrat, part playboy and part psychopath. Qusay, the second son, was appointed his father’s heir apparent in 2000. He controlled the paramilitary organization “Fedayeen Saddam” and was also the one time director of the Iraqi equivalent of the Secret Service. As a result he oversaw widespread repression and he was accused of ordering multiple mass executions. On the eve of the invasion of Iraq he was also responsible for the theft of a billion dollars from the Iraqi Central Bank. Uday, Saddam’s first born son, was a more erratic figure and reportedly prone to violent outbursts that were directed at enemies as well as friends and family. As head of Iraq’s Olympic committee he reportedly tortured athletes who failed to perform and in a bit of “palace intrigue” straight out of Game of Thrones, murdered Saddam’s food taster, possibly at the request of his mother, after the food taster had introduced Saddam to a younger woman. The Bush administration had morticians clean up the bodies, apply make up and shave them to better resemble how they had looked in the media before the invasion. These macabre images along with photos taken soon after their deaths were released to the public in hopes of bolstering Iraqi support for the coalition and demoralizing the increasingly deadly and effective insurgency. Based on the footage I’ve seen in the immediate aftermath the general population was subdued while Saddam’s supporters were enraged and the insurgents were undaunted. #onthisday #history #iraqwar #iraq #war #army #military #usarmy #baghdad #usmc #marines #veteran #waronterror #iraqveteran #kurdistan #saddamhussein #mosul #udayhussein #qusayhussein #iraqis #navy #specialforces

The Album was also called “three days grace” and in addition to “I hate everything about you” the band also released: “Just Like you”, “Home” and “Wake Up”. I believe that “Home” was the most successful in terms of chart performance. #onthisday #history #threedaysgrace #music #rock #alternative #ihateeverythingaboutyou #lovehate #angry #throwback #nostalgia #oldschool #2000snostalgia #2000smusic #hardrock #nickelback #teenageangst #angst #linkinpark #hottopic #worldtour #drummer #drumming #bassdrop #thedrop #chorus #screamimh

And it’s not just Nip/Tuck’s legacy that exerts an influence on modern TV: creator Ryan Murphy is still actively doing that, having gone on to become one of the most prolific A-listers in the industry, launching a TV empire with shows like Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Pose. However, as the television landscape it helped shape, evolved and the number of available options multiplied, Nip/Tuck faced challenges in staying in the spotlight. And ultimately it’s “shock value” and envelope pushing could only take it so far: it eventually ended in its 6 season and 100th episode at what (almost) everyone involved agreed was a good time to bow out… After its original run, the show found a new home on Netflix during the early days of streaming. In fact, it was the first off-network syndication deal cut by Netflix, indicating its lasting appeal and popularity even after its initial broadcast. Though Nip/Tuck may not be as frequently mentioned on top show lists today, its impact on television history remains undeniable. From its consistently strong viewership to its daring exploration of topical themes, the show paved the way for many series that followed. #onthisday #history #tv #tvhistory #niptuck #ryanmurphy #cosmeticsurgery #plasticsurgery #Glee #AmericanHorrorStory #ScreamQueens #pose #desperatehousewives #madmen #greysanatomy #breakingbad #drama #throwback #2000snostalgia #engineroom #perfectlie #perfection #body #thecarver #jumptheshark #dylanwalsh #julianmcmahon #kellycarlson

And it’s not just Nip/Tuck’s legacy that exerts an influence on modern TV: creator Ryan Murphy is still actively doing that, having gone on to become one of the most prolific A-listers in the industry, launching a TV empire with shows like Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Pose. However, as the television landscape it helped shape, evolved and the number of available options multiplied, Nip/Tuck faced challenges in staying in the spotlight. And ultimately it’s “shock value” and envelope pushing could only take it so far: it eventually ended in its 6 season and 100th episode at what (almost) everyone involved agreed was a good time to bow out… After its original run, the show found a new home on Netflix during the early days of streaming. In fact, it was the first off-network syndication deal cut by Netflix, indicating its lasting appeal and popularity even after its initial broadcast. Though Nip/Tuck may not be as frequently mentioned on top show lists today, its impact on television history remains undeniable. From its consistently strong viewership to its daring exploration of topical themes, the show paved the way for many series that followed. #onthisday #history #tv #tvhistory #niptuck #ryanmurphy #cosmeticsurgery #plasticsurgery #Glee #AmericanHorrorStory #ScreamQueens #pose #desperatehousewives #madmen #greysanatomy #breakingbad #drama #throwback #2000snostalgia #engineroom #perfectlie #perfection #body #thecarver #jumptheshark #dylanwalsh #julianmcmahon #kellycarlson

Fun Facts: In Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), Angelina Jolie had to wear bra padding, in order for her bust size to measure up to the videogame character. Jolie wears considerably less (and possibly no) padding in this film, as the decision was made to give Lara more realistic dimensions. In the scene where Lara Croft and Terry Sheridan jump off a building wearing "flying suits", called wing suits, the stunt was performed by the two men who developed the suits. No CGI, wires, nets, or other special effects were involved. The modern wing suit was invented by Patrick De Gayardon, who died in a parachute accident in April 1998, while testing a new type of parachute in Hawaii. #onthisday #history #tombraider #laracroft #angelinajolie #gerardbutler #cradleoflife #jeep #jeepwrangler #rubicon #angelofdarkness #eidos #Djimon Hounsou #blockbuster #summermovies #marketing #productplacement #influencer #studio #writer #nostalgia #throwback #2000snostalgia #2000s #2000smovies

#onthisday #history #babybash #frankiej #sugar #sugasuga #robinschulz #fly #high #bird #cat #catcalling #delivery #payphone #objectification #careerchange #2000snostalgia #2000sfashion #2000smusic #twisted #rnb #rap #guitar #riff #nyc #manhattan #bronx #neighbors #payphone #phonecall #internet #package #deliveryheroes #delivery

Other Fun Fact: Ben Curtis had never played links golf, so he hired a local caddie named Andy Sutton a week before the tournament. Sutton ended up being his caddie for the next 10 years. They walked Royal St. George’s on the Sunday before the event. At the 18th tee, they spotted a giant Rolex clock that read 5:05 p.m. Sutton then looked at Curtis and said, “If we’re here at this time next week, we’re going to have a good week.” After Curtis’ win, he saw a picture in Golf World magazine of him hitting a shot on 18 with the clock behind him. It was 5:05 p.m. “It was almost one week later to the time,” he said. “There was a couple minutes off, but it was really freakish.”’ #onthisday #history #bencurtis #theopen #thebritishopen #pga #golf #golfing #rookie #rookieoftheyear #caddie #team #england #britain #british #golfer #tee #grass #summer #golfworld #sports #throwback #record #sportshistory #records

The tongue, from the unnamed (dead) donor, was chosen because his blood type and tongue size matched that of a 42-year-old man who had a malignant tumour of the jaw and tongue. After the removal of tongue tissue (a “glossectomy”) the most common operation to replace a significant portion of the tongue involves using a portion of the patient's forearm to create a flap based on the shape and size of the piece of tongue being removed. The procedure requires the removal of skin and fascia from the forearm, as well as an artery and veins in order to give and drain blood supply from the flap so it remains viable, as well as flexible enough to preserve function. While standard, it's a delicate operation, particularly with multiple teams working in tandem. #onthisday #history #science #organdonor #transplant #surgery #medicine #tongue #tongue #donor #donation #lifesaver #oral #cancer #miracle #transplants #progress #austria #austrian #europe #doctors #nurses #weird #funfact #oralhygiene

The early episodes received a fair amount of criticism from DC fans at the time with the stories being labeled too childish and the animation being called too cartoonish… On its face it seems like an odd thing to complain about given the fact that it was a children's show airing on the Cartoon network but Teen Titans was deliberately pitched at 7 year olds while many many other shows on the network, including Justice League, were aimed at the young teen market…. After defending their choice of audience the writers and studio execs seem to let their characters mature as the seasons progressed and quickly won over these early critics Teen Titans would go on to be consistently one of the highest rated shows on the network and lasted 5 seasons, with a good deal of disappointment when it was canceled in 2006. #onthisday #history #teentitansgo #teentitans #themetune #themesong #dc #robin #starfire #beastboy #cyborg #cartoonnetwork #anime #animation #dccomics #ScottMenville #ronpearlman #throwback #2000snostalgia #nostalgia #corememoryunlocked

Bad Boys II is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys, in addition to the second film in the Bad Boys film series. Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Theresa Randle and Joe Pantoliano reprise their roles from the previous film. New cast members include Jordi Mollà, Gabrielle Union and Peter Stormare. The film follows detectives Burnett and Lowrey investigating the flow of illegal drugs going into Miami. Bad Boys II was released on July 18, 2003. It received generally negative reviews from critics, with the Rotten Tomatoes critics' consensus describing it as "two and a half hours of explosions and witless banter"; however, it performed fairly well commercially, grossing $273 million worldwide. A third film, Bad Boys for Life, was released in January 2020. #onthisday #history #filmhistory #2000smovies #willsmith #martinlawrence #michaelbay #badboys #badboys2 #gabrielleunion #joepantoliano #actionmovies #miami #cuba #critic #banter #exoticcars #carchase #throwback #2000snostalgia #2000smovies

David Christopher Kelly 14 May 1944 – 17 July 2003) was a Welsh scientist and authority on biological warfare Following Kelly’s suicide Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, set up a government inquiry under Lord Hutton, a former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. The inquiry concluded that Kelly had killed himself. Hutton also stated that no other parties were involved in Kelly’s death. There was continued debate over the manner of Kelly’s death, and the case was reviewed between 2010 and 2011 by Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General; he concluded that there was “overwhelmingly strong” evidence that Kelly had killed himself. The manner of Kelly’s death has been the subject of several documentaries and has been fictionalised on television, on stage and in print. Thom Yorke wrote the song “Harrowdown Hill” about the death of Kelly. He was appointed as Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1994 and might well have been under consideration for a knighthood in May 2003, according to Hutton. His work in Iraq earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. #onthisday #history #davidkelly #tonyblair #iraqwar #greatbritain #wales #wmd #waronterror #iraq #iraqwar #politics #pressure #bbc #journalism #news

Ultimately the criminal charges against the NBA star were dismissed in 2004 after Kobe’s accuser refused to testify, during the pre-trial hearings the prosecutors accused the defense team of attempting to discredit his accuser and she received enormous media attention and even death threats. On the day of the dismissal Bryant issued an apology to the woman for all the suffering she had endured saying… “Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.” A civil complaint was settled out of court in 2005. The divisive and sordid case would dominate news cycles for the 3 years and would be revisited in detail during the #MeToo era as well as in the wake of Bryant’s death in 2020. #onthisday #history #kobe #kobebryant #lakers #consent #assault #crime #law #lawyer #innocent #guilty #cheating #nba #basketball #lakers #colorado

Johnny English made 160 million at the global box office and along with Atkinson co-starred Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller & John Malkovich. Other Fun Facts: The character and concept was based on a character that Atkinson played in a series of BarclayCard Commercials. Two of the Johnny English screenwriters (Neal Purvis and Robert Wade) would go on to work on seven James Bond movies: The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002), Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), and Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021). Rowan Atkinson was hurt in 2011 when he crashed his McLaren F1 supercar into a tree in Cambridgeshire. His somewhat eclectic car collection included a BMW 328 from 1939 but he reportedly refuses to buy a Porsche. Not because he has anything against the cars but he doesn’t like, generally speaking, the people who drive them. #onthisday #history #johnnyenglish #rowanatkinson #mrbean #blackadder #astonmartin #jamesbond #spoof #parody #filmhistory #spyfilm #spy #english #england #usa #natalieimbruglia #benmiller #johnmalkovich #exoticcars #carchase #throwback #2000snostalgia #2000smovies

The “prayer offensive” lasted 21 days and had no perceptible impact on the court. Though as noted in the video starting 14 years later the Supreme Court began to lean conservative with the nomination of Neil Gorsuch in 2017. Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023) was an American media mogul, religious broadcaster, political commentator, presidential candidate, and Southern Baptist minister. Robertson advocated a conservative Christian ideology and was known for his involvement in Republican Party politics. Often mocked by the media he made many controversial statements in his career but remained a well respected and highly influential Christian Conservative that was credited with helping to unite “Christian Right” in a coherent political bloc starting in the 1990s. Lawrence v. Texas struck down so-called “sodomy laws” across multiple states based on the concept of a Right to Privacy and was seen as a major victory in the battle for LGBTQ rights ultimately paving the way for the legal equality for same sex couples. #onthisday #history #prayer #dailyshow #stephencolbert #jonstewart #patrobertson #lgbtq #humanrights #privacy #supremecourt #lawrencevtexas #texas #ruthbaderginsberg #globalchristiannetwork #prayer #powerofprayer #conservative #liberal #usa #america #baptist #evangelical #rights #privacy #roevwade #clarencethomas #judges #law

The name roughly translates to “The Church on the Blood in Honour of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land” and stands on the site in Yekaterinburg where the last tsar of Russia, Emperor Nicholas II, and his family were executed. The home which stood on the site was demolished in 1977, but the basement of the structure remained. Visitors still came to the barren location, despite the removal of the home, to remember the fallen family. Finally, in 2000, approval was given to erect a church on the spot of the murders. Construction was completed in 2003, with the basement from the original home becoming a part of the present structure. Special celebrations (also known as Feast Days) are held each year during July, accompanied by pageants, masses and processions held in remembrance of the Romanov Dynasty. About ten miles outside Yekaterinburg, the seven chapels at Ganina Yama mark the mine shaft where the Romanov bodies were first buried. #onthisday #history #russia #russians #romanov #bolsheviks #tsar #nicholasII #imperialfamily #romanovs #yekaterinburg #ipatievhouse #borisyeltsin #sovietunion #communists #royalists #russiancivilwar #orthodox #russianorthodox #holyground #saints #saint #cathedrals #churches #holyground

Starting as a Netscape Project in 1998 to facilitate the growth of a tech community that used the company’s free to use software and code. The hope was that it would spark innovation, leading to a more accessible, safer and free-er internet. The project would then self-fund by providing any new programs to companies, who would then find ways to commercialize them. As Netscape steadily lost the First Browser War to Microsoft the project sort of crystalized around keeping some sliver of the web out of the control of Internet Explorer’s Monopoly. The day Netscape closed, the non-profit Mozilla Foundation was created and designated the project's legal steward. Mozilla’s email client and rival to Outlook, Thunderbird, was launched at the end of the month and In 2004 they launched the Firefox web browser. Thanks to some security issues and terrible design choices in Explorer, Firefox eventually gained close to a 3rd of the Browser Market before Google’s Chrome came in and stomped on everyone ending the second browser war. The Mozilla Foundation still continues to advocate for a safer and freer internet but in 2021 it angered many by apparently focussing on the first part at the expense of the second. #onthisday #history #internet #netscape #explorer #chrome #bing #google #microsoft #techhistory #tech #dotcomboom #dotcombubble #navigator #mosaic #mozilla #firefox #worldwideweb #aol #timewarner #ipo #internetexplorer #windows #antitrust #computers #programming #coding #marcandreesen #billgates #browserwar

Netscape the company that opened up the internet was put out of its misery Before Netscape browsing the Internet was kind of difficult and bland, being mostly text based. If you wanted to read a document or see a picture you had to know how to find it, then know how to download it. In 1993 Mosaic, which became Netscape, made all of this far more user-friendly and became the foundation on which the browser design and technology we use today was built. By 1996 almost 90% of internet browsing used Netscape Navigator and the company's IPO in 1995 remains the stuff of legends and is credited with launching the Dot.com boom. But with the money came stiff competition. By ‘99 Internet Explorer, which had the advantage of shipping with Windows, had become the dominant browser. When the US government’s attempt to break Microsoft up into pieces failed in late 2002 it was clear that it had decisively defeated Netscape and won the Browser War. In 2003 with the user base gone, AOL Time Warner, which had acquired Netscape in a $10 billion dollar deal just 4 years earlier, finally pulled the plug on the short lived by revolutionary company #onthisday #history #internet #netscape #explorer #chrome #bing #google #microsoft #techhistory #tech #dotcomboom #dotcombubble #navigator #mosaic #mozilla #firefox #worldwideweb #aol #timewarner #ipo #internetexplorer #windows #antitrust #computers #programming #coding #marcandreesen #billgates #browserwars

Developed for the Cable channel Bravo the show saw a group of homosexual men, called the Fab-5, who were experts in various lifestyle related fields from fashion to food assisting a heterosexual man improve aspects of his life, normally with the focus being on the hosting of some kind of event which also acted as reveal for the straight man’s transformation. Praised in its first season it also received a great deal of criticism and not just from homophobic quarters: some people felt the show actually perpetuated the stereotypes of the art oriented and effete homosexual A revival was launched on Netflix in 2018 with a new Fab-5 and does not exclusively seek to aid “straight guys” #onthisday #history #queereyeforthestraightguy #queereye #fab5 #gay #straight #queer #television #realitytv #emmy #lgbtq #2000stv #throwback #flipphone #southpark #crabpeople #crabs #people #metrosexual #2000snostalgia #nostalgia #groundbreaking #tv #reboot #revival #netflix #bravo #nbc

July, 2003: Two new unhealthy breakfast foods were launched and marketed directly at kids on Nickelodeon #onthisday #history #nostalgia #cereal #breakfast #pillsbury #kellogs #healthyeating #diabetes #sweet #sugar #highfructose #syrup #waffles #kidsfood #healthy #healthyfoods

More on that Conviction: During the course of the Plame Gate/CIA Leak investigation Cheney’s chief of staff Irve “Scooter” Libby was found to have perjured himself in front of a Grand Jury. What it boiled down to was that Libby had told investigators that he didn’t know that Wilson’s wife was in the CIA and there was evidence to prove that he did so they charged him and he was found guilty. As this was not at all related to who leaked what and why, this was labeled a politically motivated prosecution by Libby’s defenders while the prosecutors maintain that perjury is a crime and so they were right to prosecute him. Under pressure from VP Cheney and others in the Republican party, Bush commuted Libby’s sentence but it was left to Trump to issue a pardon. onthisday #history #plameaffair #plame #georgewbush #bush #iraq #iraqwar #cia #spying #dickcheney #karlrove #scooterlibby #spy #spying #niger #uranium #wmds #politics #diplomacy #spies #covert #deepstate #politicalprosecution #jamescomey #chief #president #robertnovak #scandal

More on that Conviction: During the course of the Plame Gate/CIA Leak investigation Cheney’s chief of staff Irve “Scooter” Libby was found to have perjured himself in front of a Grand Jury. What it boiled down to was that Libby had told investigators that he didn’t know that Wilson’s wife was in the CIA and there was evidence to prove that he did so they charged him and he was found guilty. As this was not at all related to who leaked what and why, this was labeled a politically motivated prosecution by Libby’s defenders while the prosecutors maintain that perjury is a crime and so they were right to prosecute him. Under pressure from VP Cheney and others in the Republican party, Bush commuted Libby’s sentence but it was left to Trump to issue a pardon. onthisday #history #plameaffair #plame #georgewbush #bush #iraq #iraqwar #cia #spying #dickcheney #karlrove #scooterlibby #spy #spying #niger #uranium #wmds #politics #diplomacy #spies #covert #deepstate #politicalprosecution #jamescomey #chief #president #robertnovak #scandal

This is actually Mr Shake Hands Man 2: Mr Shake Hands Man was reportedly replaced after season 1 because had become too recognizable. Another version of this from the same show (Banzai 2001 - 2003) features a female interviewer asking a single question and then staring silently at the celebrity as they continue to talk with the betting being on how long they keep going before ending the interview. She was called Lady One Question. Banzai was a British comedy gambling game show which spoofs Japanese game shows and general television style. It was produced by Radar, part of RDF Media. Each segment of the show is a silly or bizarre contest. Members of the viewing audience were encouraged to bet with each other on the outcome of each segment. It first aired in the UK in 2001 before being picked up by Fox in the US in 2003. Fox canceled the show after 6 episodes due to protests from Asian Advocacy groups. #history #banzai #television #2000stv #mrshakehandsman #gameshow #japanesegameshow #japan #japanese #angelinajolie #adamsandler #billybobthornton #aliciakeys #billmurray #throwback #nostalgia #asia #asian #accents

For me the most interesting parts of Banzai were the awkward celebrity prank sections: There was “Mr Shake Hands” who would interview celebrities and shake their hands and the audience would then bet on how long he could keep going. The original guy was replaced after becoming too recognizable. And then there was “Lady one Question” who would ask a celebrity one question and shove the mic in their face, stare at them and leave them to talk for as long as possible unprompted. You can watch some of the shows clips here: https://www.youtube.com/@banzai #onthisday #history #banzai #fox #betting #comedycentral #pranks #awkward #handshake #lineup #asia #asianamerican #japanese #japan #japanesegameshow #chicken #grandma #policelineup #socks #pranks #cancelled #2000stv #2000snostalgia #nostalgia #throwback

Considering pieces that have been written for Vanity Fair over the years the article behind the “It’s Totally Raining Teens” July 2003 cover is a pretty lazy piece of journalism, channeling teen magazines of the day it is formatted as a Q&A for each teen star. They're asked kinda stupid and very of-the-era questions such as, "Number of Juicy Couture outfits?" and, "Britney or Christina?" It is kind of bizarre to think about what many of these kids were going to be getting up to shortly. Bynes, Lohan, and Laboeuf all publicly admitted to substance abuse problems that developed around this era. Bynes in particular was going to have a rough time: in July of 2013, almost exactly 10 years after this issue was published, the LAPD would place her in a psychiatric ward for lighting a fire in a stranger's driveway. Yeesh #onthisday #history #vanityfair #itsrainingteens #vanityfaircover #amandabynes #olsentwins #mandymoore #hilaryduff #alexisbledel #evanrachelwood #ravensymone #lyndsaylohan #freakyfriday #cheaperbythedozen #cover #covergirl #famous #celebrities #throwback #nostalgia #2000snostalgia

Stephen Norrington, who had gained a reputation for being difficult, reportedly vowed never to direct a film again and hasn’t. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is very loosely based on the comic book of the same name by Alan Moore (he distanced himself from the film) and Kevin O'Neill and sees various characters from Victorian fiction re-tooled into super-heroes. It draws on the works of Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard, Ian Fleming, Herman Melville, Oscar Wilde, Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, Gaston Leroux, and Mark Twain The planned sequel would have been an adaptation of the second series of the comic book, with the League battling the Martian Tripods from H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds". A clue to the sequel's plot can be gleaned from a poster in the background, which says "Volcanic eruptions on Mars" #onthisday #history #seanconnery #theleagueofextraordinarygentlemen #alanmoore #blade #stephennorrington #throwback #superheroes #nostalgia #2000snostalgia #hgwells #hermanmelville #oscarwilde #martians #nemo #captainnemo #oldschool #prague #czech #marvel #dc #victorianengland #queenvictoria #shorts